Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Foreign tourists drawn to China for traditional photoshoots, capturing cultural connection

Xinhua) 09:55, December 12, 2025

KUNMING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- As visitors step onto the flagstone paths of Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province in southwest China, they are whisked back in time by the city's ancient architecture. Laotian blogger Parn Sivlai, who boasts over 1.2 million followers, was blown away by an experience store dedicated to Hanfu, a traditional Chinese attire.

"Every set is too beautiful, so I want to try them all," Sivlai said while appreciating the elaborate robes and dresses. After dressing up, he decided to share the charm of the traditional clothing on social media, narrating the aesthetics and cultural stories behind the garments.

Sivlai is one of a growing number of international tourists connecting with Chinese culture through this "wearable" form of experience.

The trend has been on the rise across the country. In the central Chinese city of Luoyang, Vietnamese tourist Nguyen Quynh Chi quickly racked up likes after posting photos of herself wearing Hanfu near the city's ancient gates. In Beijing, tourists queue near the Forbidden City to get the imperial prince's look.

American blogger Vivin Qiang, who shared her Chinese-style photoshoot experience earlier this year, described it as more than just taking pictures. She mentioned how her stylist patiently explained the cultural significance of the Qipao's frog buttons and what different poses mean.

"This wasn't like a photoshoot. It felt more like a history lesson on Chinese aesthetics," she wrote in her video.

Thibaut Grzelak from France highlighted the global appeal of China's historical and cultural towns. He tried on Hanfu for the first time in Xitang Ancient Town in Zhejiang's Jiaxing, admiring the garments' bright colors and elegant designs. The experience made the 29-year-old feel "truly blended into the scenery."

To encourage more cultural engagement, Xitang actively promotes itself on social media and tourism platforms. By offering tickets online for easy purchase and providing group discounts, the town has streamlined access for international tourists, contributing to a 40.5 percent rise in group visits.

Experts attribute the soaring popularity of photoshoots in China to improved convenience for inbound travel and the appeal of Chinese culture itself.

Optimized entry policies have made travel a lot easier. Data from China's National Immigration Administration showed that visa-free entries accounted for over 7 million foreign arrivals in the third quarter of this year, representing 72.2 percent of all foreign entries and marking a 48.3 percent year-on-year increase.

The rising number has fueled a shift from rapid sightseeing to deep, experiential tourism. Hanfu, Qipao, and various ethnic costumes embody rich history, craftsmanship, philosophy, and etiquette. By donning the attire and striking poses rich in "Chinese flavor," tourists gain a tangible, active cultural connection, experts said.

Social media has also been an amplifier. When tourists snap and share their photos at landmark spots like the Forbidden City or other historic towns, those pictures quickly turn into "check-in routes".

Chinese netizens have responded with widespread warmth and inclusiveness. Comment sections are often flooded with welcoming messages like "Welcome back!" and "Be sure to try our local snacks!"

Experts said the trend signals a shift toward deeper cultural engagement by international visitors, and it not only reflects that international visitors are keen to embrace the beauty of traditional Chinese aesthetics, but Chinese people are equally keen for them to step beyond the pictures, into the daily life of China.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Blog Archive: Feb 2026 (15) Jan 2026 (155) Dec 2025 (126) Nov 2025 (141) Oct 2025 (153) Sep 2025 (149) Aug 2025 (154) Jul 2025 (155) Jun 2025 (150) May 2025 (155) Apr 2025 (9) Mar 2025 (149) Feb 2025 (139) Jan 2025 (155) Dec 2024 (144) Nov 2024 (143) Oct 2024 (155) Sep 2024 (149) Aug 2024 (155) Jul 2024 (155) Jun 2024 (150) May 2024 (153) Apr 2024 (149) Mar 2024 (155) Feb 2024 (145) Jan 2024 (155) Dec 2023 (155) Nov 2023 (150) Oct 2023 (155) Sep 2023 (150) Aug 2023 (155) Jul 2023 (155) Jun 2023 (150) May 2023 (155) Apr 2023 (150) Mar 2023 (155) Feb 2023 (140) Jan 2023 (155) Dec 2022 (156) Nov 2022 (150) Oct 2022 (155) Sep 2022 (150) Aug 2022 (155) Jul 2022 (154) Jun 2022 (150) May 2022 (155) Apr 2022 (150) Mar 2022 (155) Feb 2022 (140) Jan 2022 (156) Dec 2021 (156) Nov 2021 (150) Oct 2021 (155) Sep 2021 (150) Aug 2021 (155) Jul 2021 (155) Jun 2021 (150) May 2021 (155) Apr 2021 (150) Mar 2021 (155) Feb 2021 (140) Jan 2021 (155) Dec 2020 (155) Nov 2020 (150) Oct 2020 (158) Sep 2020 (150) Aug 2020 (130) Jul 2020 (124) Jun 2020 (120) May 2020 (124) Apr 2020 (120) Mar 2020 (124) Feb 2020 (116) Jan 2020 (125) Dec 2019 (126) Nov 2019 (120) Oct 2019 (124) Sep 2019 (120) Aug 2019 (125) Jul 2019 (124) Jun 2019 (120) May 2019 (123) Apr 2019 (121) Mar 2019 (124) Feb 2019 (112) Jan 2019 (125) Dec 2018 (126) Nov 2018 (120) Oct 2018 (124) Sep 2018 (121) Aug 2018 (124) Jul 2018 (125) Jun 2018 (120) May 2018 (124) Apr 2018 (121) Mar 2018 (124) Feb 2018 (112) Jan 2018 (123) Dec 2017 (124) Nov 2017 (124) Oct 2017 (141) Sep 2017 (135) Aug 2017 (138) Jul 2017 (137) Jun 2017 (134) May 2017 (138) Apr 2017 (135) Mar 2017 (139) Feb 2017 (129) Jan 2017 (143) Dec 2016 (135) Nov 2016 (138) Oct 2016 (142) Sep 2016 (128) Aug 2016 (133) Jul 2016 (136) Jun 2016 (138) May 2016 (164) Apr 2016 (311) Mar 2016 (348) Feb 2016 (320) Jan 2016 (348) Dec 2015 (314) Nov 2015 (338) Oct 2015 (363) Sep 2015 (358) Aug 2015 (399) Jul 2015 (374) Jun 2015 (331) May 2015 (337) Apr 2015 (319) Mar 2015 (320) Feb 2015 (271) Jan 2015 (286) Dec 2014 (254) Nov 2014 (238) Oct 2014 (287) Sep 2014 (267) Aug 2014 (259) Jul 2014 (260) Jun 2014 (238) May 2014 (241) Apr 2014 (228) Mar 2014 (240) Feb 2014 (217) Jan 2014 (263) Dec 2013 (226) Nov 2013 (254) Oct 2013 (256) Sep 2013 (252) Aug 2013 (263) Jul 2013 (261) Jun 2013 (251) May 2013 (250) Apr 2013 (221) Mar 2013 (193) Feb 2013 (164) Jan 2013 (157) Dec 2012 (155) Nov 2012 (240) Oct 2012 (526) Sep 2012 (411) Aug 2012 (394) Jul 2012 (284) Jun 2012 (229) May 2012 (213) Apr 2012 (213) Mar 2012 (253) Feb 2012 (269) Jan 2012 (298) Dec 2011 (273) Nov 2011 (219) Oct 2011 (204) Sep 2011 (201) Aug 2011 (236) Jul 2011 (217) Jun 2011 (211) May 2011 (206) Apr 2011 (215) Mar 2011 (215) Feb 2011 (186) Jan 2011 (215) Dec 2010 (107) Nov 2010 (98) Oct 2010 (55)
The Wall Street Journal's longtime correspondent, Juan Forero, published two riveting pieces on how this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, managed to escape from the Venezuelan socialist hellhole, an arrest warrant with her name on it having driven her into hiding for more than a year.

Advertisement

His first piece begins this way:

Wearing a wig and a disguise, Maria Corina Machado began her escape from Venezuela on Monday afternoon. The Venezuelan opposition leader was trying to get to Norway by Wednesday in time to receive the Nobel Peace Prize that she won for challenging Venezuelas authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro. First she had to get from the Caracas suburb where she had been in hiding for a year to a coastal fishing village, where a skiff awaited her. Over the course of 10 nerve-racking hours, Machado and two people helping her escape hit 10 military checkpoints, avoiding capture each time, before she reached the coast by midnight, said a person close to the operation. She rested for a few hours, the person said, before the next leg of her journey: a perilous trip across the open Caribbean Sea to Curacao. She and her two companions set out on a typical wooden fishing skiff at 5 a.m., the person said, with strong winds and choppy seas slowing them down.

It got worse. Forero's second piece described how her flimsy, beat-up boat, chosen so it would not be mistaken for a go-fast drug boat that the U.S. Navy is looking for, sailed at night into the stormy waters, with ten-foot waves battering it. It ran into extreme distress and almost didn't make it:

Advertisement

Forero wrote:

It was early Tuesday morning when the extraction team rescued her. Part of it was recorded on video viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Advertisement For the past three hours, Machado and a small crew had drifted on a skiff in the Gulf of Venezuela after its GPS fell overboard on rough seas and a backup failed. She didnt meet the extraction team at a designated pickup point, setting off a scramble to find her in the hazardous waters.

She was literally lost at sea this week while the rest of us were in our beds, adrift for three awful hours in the inky black ocean in a storm, nobody knowing where she was, blown off course until her rescuers, who had expected to meet her at a specific GPS point to take her to Curacao, finally found her 25 miles from the meeting point, along with the two people she was with, presumably guides shepherding her. Dangerwise, Chavista thugs were nothing compared to the might of the sea.

Advertisement

And yet -- the stunningly competent team found her.

Was it the ace operatives of the CIA doing this?

Advertisement

It was not. It was a private company of ex-military and intelligence officials who were hired by someone (probably from the states) to extract her from the country. Maybe it was Trump himself who paid for it. Maybe it was someone in the Venezuelan-American community.

Or maybe the U.S. government found a workaround to keep their fingerprints off it to pay for it.

Advertisement

There did seem to be some coordination in this passage:

[Grey Bull rescue leader Bryan] Stern said he was in constant touch with senior U.S. military officials before and during the operation: sharing their live location, describing the roadblocks, sending updates, and at one point asking if the military could spot Machados boat when they had lost communication with it. The State Department and the Pentagon referred questions to the White House. The White House didnt respond to requests for comment and administration officials had earlier disputed military contact. The operation was funded by private donors, said Stern, without U.S. government money. But American officialsfrom the White House to senior military officers to regional diplomatsfollowed the journey in real time through WhatsApp messages and voice memos from Stern and his team.

It's possible that what's below shows the flight paths the U.S. Navy looking for her lost boat -- Forero wrote that they were looking -- and note the date on the tweet:

Two U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornets with Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213), assigned to Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), are currently flying over the Gulf of Venezuela, roughly twenty miles from the coast of Mainland Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/RnDDwpcHYN  OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 9, 2025

Or it may have been this:

2 US Navy F-18 jets are currently circling between Punto Fijo and Maracaibo #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/U5okzJvfhC  CNW (@ConflictsW) December 9, 2025

This is video   pic.twitter.com/sC10dMyUre  defense watcher (@yakub583) December 9, 2025

In a rare nighttime mission over the Southern Caribbean, a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress Long-Range Strategic Bomber with the 5th Bomb Wing from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, briefly appeared earlier tonight circling off the coast of Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/nUCjvH694D  OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 11, 2025

Or this:

 NEARLY INTO MADUROS AIRSPACE: WHY THE U.S. MILITARY IS PUSHING THE LIMITS IN VENEZUELA'S BACKYARD



The United States just flew 2 F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela, the closest known approach to Venezuelan airspace so far. Officially, it was a routine training pic.twitter.com/CcdW4kuvGb  Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 10, 2025

The bottom line is that they got her out alive, and completed the rescue mission with perfect competence.

Here's the first picture of Machado landing in Norway -- and yes, she does look like she just got rescued at sea after a dangerous, exhausting, terrifying, ordeal -- look at her messy, sea-salted hair and that clunky men's jacket they put on her. I am amazed she was able to handle the public so graciously after such an ordeal:

 The future has landed in Oslo.

Venezuelas rightful president, Maria Corina Machado, arrives at the Grand Hotel. pic.twitter.com/gjpwZzveML  Terror Alarm (@Terror_Alarm) December 11, 2025

After 16 months in hiding, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado meets with U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar again.



The two met in Oslo after Machados escape from Venezuela



 pic.twitter.com/J8O6lGnnH6  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) December 11, 2025

Reuters ran this headline:

Venezuela's Machado is safe, but won't make it to Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, Nobel institute says https://t.co/BrS6DYqODY  Reuters Venezuela (@ReutersVzla) December 10, 2025

Again, she was late because she was literally lost at sea.

Forero reported the glee of the ruling Chavista thugs, gibbering at this news unfolding:

Meanwhile in Caracas, [former bank robber-turned-] Vice President Delcy Rodriguez accused Machado and the opposition of working to advance U.S. imperialist interests to loot Venezuelas vast oil and mineral wealth. The show failed. The lady didnt show up, she said. Those extremist, fascist lackeys who have been asking for blockades, invasions and bombings against Venezuela are going to be defeated again, the same way their cheap show in Norway fell apart.

It's disgusting. Any normal Nobel laureate would easily fly from her homeland to Oslo through normal airport channels. But this is Chavista Venezuela she was coming from, a vile, dark, place where torture and murder are what happens to those who call for fair elections and freedom in general. Machado escaped, with the help of a very competent rescue team whom she thanked from the bottom of her heart.

For us, it raises questions why a private company was involved in this instead of the ace operatives of the CIA or some of the defense forces. It may have been for political reasons that Maria Corina chose to be rescued by a private team instead of the CIA, or it may have been from CIA competence issues. My money's on competence.

The CIA, as we recall from this Wired magazine piece here, showed itself to be unusually incompetent in operating on a clandestine mission to Venezuela during the first Trump term. If competence is the issue -- if they don't have the kind of expertise that the Grey Bull group, which accomplished the rescue with pitch perfection has, what good are they and why are we paying them six-figure salaries?

How could a private group be so competent, so equivalent to SpaceX, on the rescue front, while the government's intelligence apparatus is now so inept and blunder-prone? This, of course, is not in reference to the Navy pilots who may have helped in the rescue, but the supposed James Bonds of the U.S. intelligence community who are being bested by contractors now. Did DEI ruin their capacity for reliable clandestine operations? Have they lost all of their talent and mojo, becoming an army of leakers and deep-staters without enough to do?

Maybe it's time to scale down and clean house, then, given that groups like Grey Bull are out there and they insist on results for their clients, something we don't see much of from the government.

Image: Screen shot from X video
Android 16-based OxygenOS 16 is now rolling out to the OnePlus Open in North America. In other words, its coming to the US and Canada as we speak. The update is coming in stages, so you may have to be patient.

Android 16 has arrived to the OnePlus Open in the US & Canada

This update originally started to roll out in mid-November, starting in India. It took about a month to arrive to the OnePlus Open in the US and Canada, which is a bit weird, but its finally here. Granted, this update is a bit newer than the one from a month ago, at least based on the version number. Were looking at OxygenOS 16.0.1.300 here.

This update brings all the Android 16 features that Google intended for its OS, along with a bunch of changes that come from OnePlus for OxygenOS directly. Well talk about the latter, as there are a ton of them.

Animations are improved, and Trinity Engine is here to keep everything running optimally

OxygenOS 16 improves animations. They now begin and end in intuitive places, which will make everything feel smoother. OnePlus did break down all of this in its full changelog, which you can check out.

The Trinity Engine is here to optimize workload and resources on the fly. It is meant to maintain smooth performance across videos, gaming, and extended camera use. The OnePlus Opens gaming performance should be even better now.

More AI and more customization

Mind Space has a ton of different features now, while OnePlus has brought a ton of other AI improvements as well. A ton of improvements are listed for AI-powered Photos, AI-powered Notes, AI Recorder, AI Translate, AI Writer, and AI VoiceScribe.

Flux Home screen and Flux themes are bringing quite a few added customizations to the device. Youll be able to fine-tune your lock and home screens to a degree. Grid sizes are still very limited, unfortunately.

Were only scratching the surface here. There are a lot of additional entries in the official changelog. If youd like to check out all the changes, click here.
Decorated former marine Alistair Carns has emerged as a wildcard contender to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader.

The Prime Minister has been battling dismal public approval ratings for months, sparking feverish talk about who may replace him.

While the favourites remain established political figures, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy PM Angela Rayner and ex Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr Carns name has also been thrown into the mix as a surprise candidate.

The Armed Forces minister is increasingly being discussed by backbenchers as a potential successor despite only becoming an MP less than two years ago.

Heres what we know about Labours Action Man:

Alistair Carns (House of Commons/Laurie Noble/PA)

Carns, 45, is one of five siblings and was raised by a single mother in Aberdeen, Scotland, growing up in what he has described as a tough, working-class area.

Money was tight, and he shared a bedroom with his two brothers in the familys three-bedroom home next to a council estate.

He attended state school and joined the military aged 19. That career spanned 24 years, during which he rose from the most junior ranks to become a Colonel.

He undertook four tours of duty in Afghanistan, where his leadership earned him multiple honours.

In 2011, Carns was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry. He was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Queens Birthday Honours and received the Distinguished Service Order in 2024.

Describing his time in the forces he has said he was shot at point blank range more times than I can remember.

Mission Everest team: Garth Miller, Anthony Stazicker, Al Carns, Kevin Godlington (PR handout)

Carns resigned his military commission in May 2024 to stand as a Labour MP at the general election, winning the Birmingham Selly Oak seat with a majority of over 11,500 votes.

Shortly after becoming an MP under the new Labour government, he was appointed Minister for Veterans and People - a role focused on the welfare of former service personnel  and was promoted to Armed Forces Minister earlier this year.

In May, he was among four British former special forces soldiers who set a record by climbing Mount Everest in under five days without acclimatising on the mountain.

Climbers usually spend between six to eight weeks on Everest before summiting. But the group were controversially aided by xenon gas, which help them pre-acclimatise to low oxygen at high altitudes.

They also slept in special tents for six weeks before travelling to Nepal to help them get used to the decreased oxygen levels.

I sincerely apologise to Maverick- my legendary red fox lab for missing his birthday yesterday-I owe you a steak when I see you next! #SellyOak pic.twitter.com/GhqUqv1kJZ  Al Carns (@AlistairCarns) June 22, 2024

As an MP he splits his time between London and his constituency home in Birmingham that he shares with his wife, daughter, two sons and legendary pet Labrador Maverick.

Carns is highly respected among his fellow Labour MPs and even political rivals. Former Tory Minister Rory Stewart described him as one of the great fighting soldiers of our generation and said, even soldiers are a bit scared of how brave he is.

But there are questions about his politics with acknowledgment that many do not know what he believes in beyond defence policy and military spending.

Under party rules, Carns would need the formal backing of at least 20 per cent, or around 80, Labour MPs to reach a leadership ballot.

There are also queries about his lack of political experience, having only become an MP in May 2024.

But a Labour MP told Politics Home: I would support Al Carns. I like people to have made a life outside Parliament  a bit more real."

When asked how it felt to be touted as a possible future Labour leader, Carns told the Telegraph: Youve got to follow before you can lead Ive been in politics for a year and a half, my job is to focus on my portfolio, which is operations and policy during this very fragile geostrategic moment in time, and support the Prime Ministers delivery of his aims.
New coins to commemorate 250th anniversary of American independence. Heres how theyll look

The U.S. Mint has unveiled coins designs for America's 250th independence anniversary next year, featuring classical depictions of founding documents and the Revolutionary War. Donald Trump is notably absent, despite a push from allies for his image.

These designs abandon concepts from Joe Bidens presidency, which highlighted women's suffrage and civil rights, instead favouring traditional American themes. The coins, part of America 250 celebrations marking the Declaration of Independence, will uniquely display their mint year alongside 1776.

Five versions of the quarter are planned depicting the Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Gettysburg Address. (U.S. Mint)

Trump, at least for now, isn't getting a coin

No design was released for a $1 coin, though U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, whose duties include oversight of the U.S. Mint, serving as a liaison with the Federal Reserve and overseeing Treasurys Office of Consumer Policy, confirmed in October that one showcasing Trump was in the works.

A draft design showed Trumps profile on the heads side, known as the obverse, and on the reverse, a depiction of Trump raising his fist after his attempted assassination, The words FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT appear along the top.

By law, presidents typically cant appear on coins until two years after their death, but some advocates for a Trump coin think there may be a loophole in the law authorizing the treasury to mint special coins for the nation's 250th birthday.

Neither the Mint nor the Treasury Department responded when asked whether a Trump coin is still planned.

The new designs depict classical Americana

New designs will appear only on coins minted in 2026, with the current images returning the following year.

The nickel, dime and five versions of the quarter will circulate, while a penny and half dollar will be sold as collectibles.

Five versions of the quarter are planned depicting the Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Gettysburg Address.

The dime will show a depiction of Liberty, a symbolic woman facing down the tyranny of the British monarchy, and an eagle carrying arrows in its talons representing America's fight for independence.

The commemorative nickel is essentially the same as the most recent nickel redesign, in 2006, but it includes two dates on the head's side instead of one, 1776 and 2026.

Two collectible coins are planned

A half-dollar coin shows the face of the Statue of Liberty on one side. The other shows her passing her torch to what appears to be the hand of a child, symbolizing a handoff to the next generation.

The penny is essentially the same as the one in circulation, which was discontinued earlier this year and will be produced only as a collectible with two dates.

Prices for collectible coins were not released. The Mint sells a variety of noncirculating coins on its website, with a vast range of prices reflecting their rarity.

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps founding, for example, a commemorative half dollar coin is available for $61, while a commemorative $5 gold coin goes for $1,262. Up to 750,000 copies of the former will be minted, but no more than 50,000 of the latter.

The abandoned designs

Congress authorized commemorative coins in 2021. During the Biden administration, the Mint worked with a citizens advisory committee to propose designs depicting the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, abolitionism, suffrage and civil rights.

Those designs included depictions of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Ruby Bridges, who was escorted to school by the National Guard at age 6 years amid opposition to racial integration at public schools.

Those designs represented continued progress toward a more perfect union, said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, quoting a phrase from the preamble to the Constitution.

The American story didnt stop at the pilgrims and founding fathers, and ignoring anything that has happened in this country in the last 162 years is just another attempt by President Trump to rewrite our history, Cortez Masto said in a statement.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been pictured in a set of images released from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Photos from Epsteins estate were released by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday, including images of US president Donald Trump, Mountbatten-Windsor, and Steve Bannon. Its not clear when the photos were taken, as they are undated. No captions or context have been provided for any of the images.

Of the 19 photos shared by the Democrats, there is only one photo of Andrew where he stands with Microsoft magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates during the Malaria Summit in London in 2018.

Epstein is not featured in the image, which appears to be a cropped version of a professionally taken-photograph, which excludes the then-Prince Charles, who was also in frame. It remains unclear why the photo was part of Epstein's estate. Andrews appearance in the photo is not an indication of wrongdoing.

Andrew, who was born a prince, had his birthright title removed by the King because of his serious lapses of judgment over his association with Epstein. Andrew, among many of those photographed, has denied any wrongdoing surrounding his association with the disgraced financier.

Prince Andrew was photographed with Bill Gates and another, unknown individual as part of the images released (Getty via House Oversight Committee)

Scrutiny began to circle around Andrew following a 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, where he was questioned about his friendship with the convicted paedophile.

Andrew said in the controversial interview that he met Epstein through British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell who had been in a relationship with the financier. He continued to visit Epstein in New York after the financiers conviction for child sex offences in 2008.

Controversy mounted earlier this year following the release of Virginia Giuffres memoir, Nobodys Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice, in which the now-deceased author said he believed having sex with me was his birthright.

The photo, part of the Democrats release, was cropped from a professional picture that included then-Prince Charles, who is now King (Getty)

The royal settled allegations of sexual abuse in court with Ms Giuffre in 2022 involving a substantial donation to her charity and an acknowledgment of her suffering, without admitting liability in the civil case.

Ms Giuffre claimed she had sex with the former prince on three separate occasions, including while staying at the house of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins former girlfriend, near Hyde Park, London, in March 2001.

Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell (US Department of Justice/PA) (US Department of Justice)

The extract states: Maxwell woke me up that morning by announcing in a sing-songy voice: Get out of bed, sleepyhead! It was going to be a special day, she said. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince!

Andrew wasnt the only high-profile figure in the batch of pictures released. One photo portrayed President Trump with five women, whose faces have been blurred out, as he grinned in the middle. More personal photos saw Epstein with director Woody Allen and Steve Bannon.

(House Oversight Committee)

One photo saw Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson on a beach with Epstein and another man.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended the christening of his granddaughter earlier on Friday (PA) (PA Wire)

Another image shows a collection of condoms  on sale for $4.50 each  depicting a caricature of Trumps face above the phrase: Im HUUUUGE!

House Oversight Committee Democrats wrote in a social media post Friday that they had received 95,000 new photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate.

Photos connected to President Trump were also released as part of the set of images (House Oversight Committee)

These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files, the statement added.

American politicians have also criticised the former prince for his silence after he missed a deadline last month to respond to their request to sit for an interview about Epstein.

Andrew is set to move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to the Kings private Sandringham estate in Norfolk at some point in the new year, completing his internal exile.
Martin Compston said he had to step out of his comfort zone for his new comedy drama series The Revenge Club.

The show follows six lonely, hapless strangers who are brought together by a divorce support group and decide to hatch a plan to get back at the people who broke their hearts.

The six-part series, written by Gabbie Asher, stars Compston, 41, as Calum, a devoted father navigating a divorce.

Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Martin Compston star in The Revenge Club (Gaumont/Paramount Global/PA)

It also features Slow Horses actress Aimee-Ffion Edwards, My Mad Fat Diary star Sharon Rooney, Shetland actor Douglas Henshall, The Kumars at No 42 actress Meera Syal and Sex Education actor Chaneil Kular.

Line of Duty actor Compston said he was eager to take on a comedy role, having had limited experience in the genre.

Id only done comedy once before, many years ago and Id always fancied trying it again, the Scottish actor told the Press Association.

But you take the roles that come your way, and Ive been very grateful to be working for a while. So when this came up, I jumped at the chance.

In the show youve got Meera and Sharon, who are proper funny bones, real comedy geniuses. You just let them get on with it.

Whenever I do comedy, the only way I can play it is completely straight and believe every moment. The angry Scotsman is always funny, but for me, its all about committing fully.

Compston said he also enjoyed the ensemble aspect of the series, which is now airing on Paramount+.

There were six of us, and you really felt like it was a true ensemble piece where everybody mattered. Everyone had their own strong storyline. The way the show is set up, everyone appears in every episode, but each character gets to be the lead in a different one.

That was lovely to be part of because it meant every character was so well defined. You really supported each other and gave everything you had for those individual episodes. It gave everyone a chance to shine.

Alongside the excitement of his new series, Compston is looking forward to filming the seventh series of Line of Duty next year.

Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston will return to Line of Duty for series seven (BBC/World Productions/Steffan Hill/PA)

He plays detective sergeant Steve Arnott in the hit BBC police drama and said he is excited to be reunited with his cast members.

Im excited to get back to it, he said. Its one of the lovely things weve always had since the first season.

There are big gaps between each one, but that actually brings a real excitement to getting back together  it never feels like a chore.

Weve been doing this for nearly 15 years now, and theyre genuinely some of my closest friends.

Written by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions, the series will also see the return of Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar, reprising their roles.

The sixth season of the police drama, which aired from March to May 2021, was a ratings success, with its dramatic finale revealing the identity of mysterious corrupt officer H.

The new six-part series will start filming in Belfast in spring next year, with further casting to be announced in due course.

The seventh series sees AC-12, the fictional anti-corruption department, disbanded and rebranded as the Inspectorate of Police Standards, the BBC said.

Its exciting. You feel like youre part of a huge British institution now, and with that comes a bit of pressure because you want to deliver, Compston said.

People have high expectations, but its a good pressure. Im glad people love it so much, and Im forever appreciative that they want us back.
Archaeologist cleans and restores frescoes inside a 3rd-century tomb where a rare early Christian depiction of Jesus as the "Good Shepherd" was discovered (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a significant early Christian artefact: a fresco depicting Jesus as the "Good Shepherd," styled with Roman features.

This remarkable painting was discovered in August within an underground tomb situated near Iznik, a town in northwestern Turkey historically pivotal as the site where the Nicene Creed was established in A.D. 325. The region, then part of the Roman Empire, saw the tomb in Hisardere village dated to the 3rd century.

This period was marked by widespread persecution of Christians, making the find an even more poignant insight into their early practices. Pope Leo XIV recently visited Iznik on his inaugural overseas trip.

The Good Shepherd fresco depicts a youthful, clean-shaven Jesus dressed in a toga and carrying a goat across his shoulders. Researchers say it is one of the rare instances in Anatolia where Jesus is portrayed with distinctly Roman attributes.

Before the cross was widely adopted as Christianity s universal symbol, the Good Shepherd motif played a key role in expressing faith, indicating protection, salvation and divine guidance.

Archaeologists clean and restore frescoes inside a 3rd-century tomb where a rare early Christian depiction of Jesus as the "Good Shepherd" was discovered, in Iznik, Turkey, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Despite its central role in early Christianity, however, only a few examples of the Good Shepherd have been found in Anatolia and the one in Hisardere is the best preserved.

The Associated Press was the first international media organization granted access to the tomb. Lead archaeologist Gulsen Kutbay described the artwork as possibly the only example of its kind in Anatolia.

The walls and ceiling of the cramped tomb are decorated with bird and plant motifs. Portraits of noble men and women, accompanied by slave attendants, also decorate the walls.

Eren Erten Ertem, an archaeologist from Iznik Museum, said the frescoes showed a transition from late paganism to early Christianity, depicting the deceased being sent off to the afterlife in a positive and fitting manner.

The excavation uncovered the skeletons of five individuals, anthropologist Ruken Zeynep Kose said. Because of poor preservation, it was impossible to determine the ages of two of them, but the others were two young adults and a 6-month-old infant.

Pope Leo XIV visited Iznik last month to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today.

A Roman-era fresco depicting a banquet scene is seen inside a newly uncovered tomb in Hisardere, in Iznik in northwestern Turkey, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Joined by patriarchs and priests from the Eastern and Western churches, Leo prayed that Christians might once again be united.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, presented a tile painting of the Good Shepherd discovery to Leo during his visit.

Anatolia witnessed pivotal moments in Christian history: St. Paul was born in Tarsus, St. John spent his final years in Ephesus and the Virgin Mary may have lived her last days near the same city.
Bonnie Blue has been deported, banned from travelling to Indonesia for 10 years and fined 9 after being arrested in Bali.

The pornstar, whose real name is Tia Billinger, was found guilty of multiple road rule violations whilst travelling in her Bangbus when she appeared in court on Friday.

Bali, an island popular with tourists, is predominantly Hindu and part of Muslim-majority Indonesia which has strict laws against pornography.

The 26-year-old was seen in the Denpasar courtroom, pictured with her team, comprising two British men and Australian comedian Julian Woods.

A judge told Billinger not to violate Balis traffic laws again before she replied: I understand.

Billinger, and one of the Brits in the team, faced the option to either spend a month in jail or pay the 9 fine.

She is now expected to pay the fee before flying out of Bali on Saturday.

Bonnie Blue appeared in the Denpasar courtoom (AFP via Getty Images)

The court saw footage of Billinger travelling around Bali whilst carrying out her Schoolies stunt.

The pornstar bought the dark blue truck without a valid vehicle registration document, which she used to promote her X-rated videos.

Prosecutors also alleged that one of the Britons driving the vehicle did not have a valid international driving licence.

Officers said: While in Bali, Bonnie Blue should have been travelling, but instead she was creating content.

They will be black-listed from entering Indonesia for at least 10 years  [that] could be extended.

She is reported to have made a series of inappropriate comments to reporters outside court, before dropping her signature hi boys to fans.

The former OnlyFans star was picked up by officers in a shock arrest on December 4 alongside 15 Aussie tourists, including Woods, and two Brits at a villa in the Pererenan suburb.

OnlyFans creator Bonnie Blues barely legal stunts are well-known among 16 to 18 year olds (Bonnie / Blue Instagram)

Officers seized cameras, condoms, lubricant, nine ink necklaces, flash drives, and two sheets of Viagra, some of which showed signs of use.

Billinger previously faced up to 15 years in prison and a 270,000 fine if charged with breaches of Indonesias strict morality laws and found guilty.

Producing and consuming pornography is illegal in Indonesia.

Fourteen Australian tourists were arrested and released, but their passports were held as they were considered witnesses.

Billinger was reportedly filming a raunchy game with the tourists whom she picked up using the Bangbus at several bars and clubs.

Police said that everyone questioned admitted to being at the studio to participate in the production of the reality show content.

Local police said: We are conducting a joint investigation regarding activities involving alleged criminal acts of pornography or material that violates decency.

Discussing Billinger and the arrested group, they added: We will immediately take firm action, deport them, and submit them for blacklisting.

Immigration workers have said they would release a statement on whether the ban on the adult entertainer re-entering the country again had been put into effect.

This is the first time Billinger has been seen since her arrest on Wednesday.

When asked if she planned to make more pornography in Bali, she replied with a five-word message: Subscribe and youll find out.
Doctor Who stars David and Georgia Tennant are among the famous faces set to appear on the upcoming Celebrity Gogglebox special, raising money for Stand Up To Cancer.

The couple, who met on the set of the sci-fi series  David as the tenth Doctor and Georgia, daughter of fifth Doctor Peter Davison  will join a host of other celebrities.

Oscar-winning actor Kieran Culkin, Pearl Harbour star Josh Hartnett, and Celebrity Traitors contestants Joe Marler and Nick Mohammed complete the star-studded line-up for the Channel 4 special, offering their commentary on television in support of the national fundraising campaign.

Former England rugby player Marler and comedian Mohammed will rekindle their on-screen friendship, forged during the BBC reality gameshow The Celebrity Traitors.

Their bond was tested in the final when Mohammed, despite an earlier pact, banished Marler after growing suspicious, having aimed to defeat traitors Cat Burns, Jonathan Ross, and eventual winner Alan Carr.

Marler commented: "When they told me Id be doing Celebrity Gogglebox with Nick for Stand Up To Cancer, I felt it would be a great opportunity to finally stare him in the eye and ask why he gleefully betrayed me on national television. But honestly, I wouldnt want to do it with anyone else.

We had a mad old time on the Traitors, and somehow came out of it as actual mates though Ill be keeping one eye on him at all times, just in case."

Mohammed added: "Joe still texts me about it every 20 minutes, so sitting on a sofa together, unnaturally close, felt like the safest way to rebuild our trust. Supporting SU2C means a huge amount to both of us  cancer affects so many people, and if us nattering through the weeks telly can help raise money for research, then fantastic.

David and Georgia Tennant (Instagram)

And Gogglebox is the purest of joys, friends, food, comfy sofa, and not a chalkboard or Claudia in sight."

Succession star Culkin will appear alongside his wife Jazz, while Hartnett is joined by partner Tamsin Egerton. Stand Up To Cancer, a joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, aims to accelerate life-saving cancer research, having raised over 113 million to date.

The special episode airs at 9pm on Channel 4 this Friday, December 12.
A 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk smirked as he made his first public appearance in court.

Tyler Robinson was flanked by his legal team as they pushed to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case.

It was the first time Robinson was seen in person after making previous court appearances via video or audio feed from jail.

He is accused of aggravated murder after father-of-two Kirk was shot dead in front of a crowd of 3,000 students at Utah Valley University in September.

He was seen smiling as he engaged in deep conversation with his legal team before the hearing started.

As he entered the courtroom in a shirt, tie and trousers the alleged killer smiled at people sitting in a row reserved for family, where his mother teared up and wiped her eyes with a tissue and his father wrote notes. His brother was also in court with him.

Robinsons lawyers and the Utah County Sheriffs Office have asked Judge Tony Graf to ban cameras during proceedings.

Shortly after proceedings began, Graf briefly stopped a media livestream of the hearing and ordered the camera be moved after Robinsons attorneys said it showed their clients shackles on his ankles in violation of a courtroom order.

Tyler Robinson appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Uta (via REUTERS)

Graf said he would terminate future broadcasts if there were further violations in October.

He has already made allowances to protect Robinsons presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that the case has drawn extraordinary public attention.

Kirks widow Erika Kirk, who has been battling conspiracy theories about her husbands death, and a coalition of national and local news organisations pushed for transparency in the case.

Charlie Kirk and aftermath of his fatal shooting (Reuters/Getty)

The defendant faces several charges, including aggravated murder, and could face the death penalty if convicted. He has not yet entered a plea.

He turned himself in to authorities after an extensive manhunt following Kirks shooting in front of hundreds at an open-air event at Utah Valley University in Orem on September 10.

Robinson is due to make his next in-person appearance during a hearing on January 16.

His legal team says his pretrial publicity reaches as far as the White House, with Donald Trump announcing soon after his arrest: With a high degree of certainty, we have him, and I hope he gets the death penalty.

Authorities say Robinson held a leftist ideology and may have been radicalised online before he was arrested for killing the MAGA influencer.
A senior bishop in the Church of England has hit out at fake claims that Christmas has been cancelled and criticised those seeking to politicise Christianity ahead of a carols event organised by anti-migrant activist Tommy Robinson.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has urged supporters of his Unite the Kingdom movement to put the Christ back into Christmas this Saturday with an outdoor event in Whitehall.

In a significant intervention, the Right Reverend David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, has said it is offensive that people are appropriating this great Christian festival of light triumphing over darkness as a prop in a dim culture war.

Writing for The Independent, Dr Walker said: Each year we see a rather strange tradition: familiar claims that somewhere, someone is trying to ban Christmas.

He warned that populists are keen to scour the internet in search of something, anything, to show that Christmas is supposedly being taken away.

Rt Rev David Walker has warned against using Christmas to spread anger (PA)

He continued: While they focus on something different each time, at heart its usually the same tale: that some other out there wants to erase the traditional idea of Christmas. Sometimes it is said to be a shadowy but somehow ubiquitous woke elite, sometimes minorities, and often people of other faiths.

The people behind these stories are not doing this to share the message of Christmas  of joy and love  but to spread division.

He hailed Christmas as one moment in the year when, even in our more secular society, the powerful message of love, of God coming and living among us as one of us, cuts through.

This holiday season, Dr Walker, who has been bishop of Manchester since 2013, called on believers and non-believers to look up towards the angels proclaiming peace on Earth and goodwill to all, rather than scroll down in the comments.

Dr David Walker: The people behind these stories are not doing this to share the message of Christmas  of joy and love  but to spread division (PA)

The intervention comes ahead of a Christmas carols event organised in London by the far-right activist, Robinson.

In preparation for Saturdays event, Robinson has been sharing claims on X (Twitter) that Christmas is cancelled in Paris or that Muslims in Manchester were disrespecting a Christmas market.

The anti-migrant campaigner has planned a follow-up event to his Unite the Kingdom march, which saw more than 100,000 people turn out for what was billed as a free speech protest and included Elon Musk telling the crowd that violence is coming to you and you either fight back or you die.

Robinson has been sharing claims that Christmas is cancelled in Paris or that Muslims in Manchester were disrespecting a Christmas market (Getty)

Robinson, who has been speaking more about Christianity since coming out of prison in May this year, has promised speeches and music at the Whitehall event on Saturday. In a recent video posted to X, he told his followers: We cant keep moaning in this country, saying Its a Christian country... unless we are going to celebrate and identify as Christians and be Christians.

He has pledged that Saturdays event will not be a political protest.

Writing in The Independent, Dr Walker said: It is a precious time of year. And in the times in which were living, its simple but powerful message, sung by angels  peace on Earth, goodwill to all  could scarcely seem more urgent.

Yet  each year we see a rather strange tradition: familiar claims that somewhere, someone is trying to ban Christmas.

For all the talk of defending the Christian essence of Christmas, they are doing the very opposite, says Dr Walker (AFP via Getty)

Referring to stories about Christmas being taken away, he said: For all the talk of defending the Christian essence of Christmas, they are doing the very opposite: reducing the majesty and mystery of the birth of Jesus, God coming to live among us, to silly stories about the labelling of consumer products.

His intervention comes as the Church of England posted a video on their social media account on Friday, challenging claims that Christmas is under threat.

Every year, we hear stories that somehow Christmas is being cancelled, or that somehow the joy of Christmas is under threat, the video said.

Its news to us, because in every church, every parish, every Cathedral in every corner of our country, you will find a story of hope and love.

The post added: It's Christmas. It belongs to us all, and everyone's invited.

Meanwhile the bishop of Southwark, the bishop of Croydon, the bishop of Kingston, and the bishop of Woolwich issued a joint statement condemning any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others.

They said: We are gravely concerned about the use of Christian symbols and rhetoric to apparently justify racism and anti-migrant rhetoric.

The bishops spoke directly to Robinsons supporters, saying: We would encourage them to think again, to consider what kind of world they want to be a part of  and to choose compassion and understanding over hostility and conflict.

Robinson has seen some support from Christians outside of the Church of England, with Ceirion Dewar, who is listed as a Bishop in the Confessing Anglican Church, featuring in the trailer for the event.

Several bishops issued a joint statement condemning any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others (Getty)

Chris Wickland, a pastor from the Living Word Church Network, is also pictured in the promotional material, as is Rikki Doolan, a musician who wrote a theme song for the Unite the Kingdom rally.

The Right Reverend Arun Arora, the bishop of Kirstall and the Church of Englands co-lead on racial justice, told The Independent last weekend that the Church had a duty to confront and resist the capture of Christian language and symbols by populist forces.

Speaking about Robinsons recent activism, Bishop Arun said: I rejoice that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has recently come to faith in prison. Having experienced the wide mercy of Gods grace, Stephen does not now have the right to deny it to others.

Having embraced and accepted Gods welcome, he cant now restrict it from others who may be equally lost. Nor does he have the right to subvert the faith so that it serves his purposes rather than the other way round.
ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP

Amid stiff competition (including P.G.Wodehouse and Michael Frayn), Evelyn Waughs novel Scoop remains the funniest fictional account of newspaper journalism. One of the books great comic creations is the proprietor of the Daily Beast, Lord Copper, a mighty tycoon who loves the sound of his own voice. To his over-awed foreign editor, he outlines his papers policy: The Beast stands for strong mutually antagonistic governments everywhere, he declares, Self-sufficiency at home, self-assertion abroad.

Scoop was published in 1938, but Lord Coppers policy has now achieved global proportions. Last week, the White House published President Trumps new National Security Strategy (NSS). I think Lord Copper would have been able to claim copyright.

Words like strong and robust recur almost as often as the words President Trump, who is also described as the President of Peace. The sole purpose of this strategy, says the document, is the protection of core national interests: The world works best when nations prioritise their interests. The strategy offers an American-led world of sovereign countries.

I must admit a certain weakness for this sort of thing. The NSS is surely right that a world of transnationalism  such as that upheld by the European Union  which explicitly seeks to dissolve individual state sovereignty creates not a benign, universal power, but a vacuum. Into that vacuum come hostile sovereign powers with no such scruples. This trend is visible in the rise of China, the violence of Russia and the tenacity with which theocrats cling to power in Iran and export their extremism.

Related to this transnationalism is a cultural change in North America and Western Europe in which self-criticism  an essential virtue in a free society  has tipped into self-loathing. The NSS cites censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, a loss of national identities and self-confidence in Europe and relates these phenomena to ill-controlled mass immigration.

If such countries become majority non-European in their ethnicity, the NSS asks, will they view their place in the world or their alliance with the US, in the same way as those who signed the Nato Charter?

The NSS exaggerates  it gives Europe only 20 years before this catastrophe  but its worries are not unreasonable. In the Trumpian vision, Europes relative economic decline, though serious, is eclipsed by the real and stark prospect of civilisational erasure. I wish I could say that is flat wrong, but I cant.

If we despise or forget our own history, fail to have enough children, switch increasingly to living on welfare and continue to import every year hundreds of thousands of deracinated young men, including significant numbers of Muslims with an ideology of grievance, we are in ever-deeper trouble. We have been too shy of saying it. President Trump is not shy at all.

But my fear is that the Trump world-view  especially with fancy, Vancy additions of pseudo-philosophy and politicised religion  is not the solution to civilisational erasure, but part of the problem.

The striking thing about the Trump-haters on the Left and the Trump zealots on the Right is their similarity of tone.

They love hating one another. They share an impatient contempt for institutions. Neither believes that any good was done before they came on the scene, and their delight in their own quarrels makes them uninterested in what is really happening in the wider world. Both sides cry freedom, yet each is zealous to shut the other up. Example: the woke corruption and cancel culture of Harvard and other great American universities are appalling, but is it for President Trump to tell those universities what they should teach?

And that scene in the Oval Office in February when Trump and, even more, Vance, bullied and insulted President Zelensky, the elected head of a European country literally fighting for its life against external aggression: wasnt that the most visible example of civilisational erasure in the corridors of Western power this century?

So when I read in the NSS that Trumps America will work with aligned countries that want to restore their former greatness and greets the growing influence of patriotic European parties withgreat optimism, I would like to know what that means.

Which are these countries that want to restore their former greatness? The European leader to whom Trump seems closest is Hungarys Viktor Orban, who is also the European leader closest to Vladimir Putin. Whose greatness are we talking about here?

These patriotic European parties, which are they? Do they include Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) in Germany, or Vox in Spain? Here in Britain, there are respectable arguments for voting Reform, but that party is not made more patriotic if President Trump throws the weight of America behind it. Most British voters will think it becomes less so. Despite its isolationism, Trumps administration pokes its nose into the domestic politics of its allies. It behaves as if it were leading a contradiction in terms  a Nationalist International.

In its analysis of Europe, the NSS is most revealing in its treatment of Russia. Europes lack of self-confidence, it asserts, is most evident in Europes relationship with Russia. If it means that European resistance to Russian aggression is much feebler than its rhetoric, it would be right. The coalition of the willing  including Britain  which is making some efforts to mitigate the Trump peace plan for Ukraine this week  often looks more like a coalition of the wavering. But that is not what the US administration means at all: it means the opposite.

The NSS seems shocked that many Europeans regard Russia as an existential threat, yet that threat is a plain fact  absolutely murderous in the case of Ukraine, directly threatening to nearby countries such as Georgia, Moldova, Finland, the Baltic States and even Poland, and troublesome to almost all European powers as it tries to corrupt elections, launch cyber-attacks, spread internet propaganda and challenge sea-lanes.

Russia possesses, in virulent form, all the European ills of which the NSS complains except, in bullying form, national self-confidence. Yet the document breathes not one word of criticism of Russia. It says America is bringing strategic stability across the Eurasian landmass. Who would know, reading it, that Putins Russia has been undermining that stability, through shedding blood, since at least 2014? We will stand for the sovereign rights of nations, says the document yet, in the case of Ukraine, Trump is helping Russian boots to trample all over them.

Even China, previously the chief object of President Trumps denunciations, is treated with curious circumspection in the new strategy. The importance of an independent Taiwan is subtly downgraded, with more attention paid to the need of global shipping to pass through the South China Sea. If I were Xi Jinping, I would take this as Americas signal that, if only I do not act unilaterally, I can get control of Taiwan in a few years time.

As for the Middle East, the document says that it is emerging as a place of partnership, friendship and investment. There might be a bit more to that story, wouldnt you say?

The National Security Strategy quite often talks about Americas allies, but neglects the chief alliance  Nato  which has bound them together for nearly 80 years. It cannot make up its mind whether it wants to run the world or withdraw from it. It gets cosy with Eastern dictators and creates serious difficulties for Western friends. In this, if in nothing else, the Trump presidency oddly resembles that of Barack Obama.
US vice president JD Vance during a visit to the Pituffik space base in Greenland. In August, an alleged US influence campaign in the territory resulted in Denmark summoning the US charge daffaires. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images (Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

Danish intelligence services have accused the US of using its economic power to assert its will and threatening military force against its allies.

The comments, made in its annual assessment released this week, mark the first time that the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) has listed the US as a threat to the country. Denmark, the report warns, is facing more and more serious threats and security policy challenges than in many years.

The report said that the US is now using its economic and technological strength as a means of power, including against allies and partners.

Related: Santa at war: home town in Finland hosts Nato soldiers as Russian threat looms

Competition between superpowers Russia, China and the US, it said, is increasingly taking place in the Arctic, which is growing in strategic importance amid increasing tensions between Russia and the west. This, it notes, poses a specific threat to Denmark, which used to rule Greenland as a colony and continues to control its foreign and security policy.

The increased great power competition in the Arctic has significantly increased international attention to the region, it said. This applies in particular to the United States increasing interest in Greenland and its importance to US national security.



It adds: At the same time, the attention increases the threat from espionage, including cyber espionage, and attempts to further influence all parts of the kingdom of Denmark. Greenland remains part of the Danish commonwealth or kingdom.

Last week, the new US National Security Strategy policy document, with an introduction signed by Trump, claimed that Europe faces civilisational erasure within the next two decades as a result of migration and EU integration, arguing that the US must cultivate resistance within the continent to Europes current trajectory.

It came at a time of already heightened tension between the US and Denmark after Trumps repeated assertions over the past year that he wants to take control of Greenland.

Earlier this year, vice-president JD Vance visited US military base Pituffik and accused Denmark of having not done a good job in Greenland. In August, an alleged US influence campaign in Greenland resulted in Denmark summoning the US charge daffaires. In a damning symbol of the changed dynamic between Denmark and the US, traditionally its largest and most important ally, it was recently revealed that Copenhagen had established a night watch tasked with monitoring Trumps unpredictable words and actions while Denmark sleeps.

Despite the reports warnings, the head of the DDIS, Thomas Ahrenkiel, said that the US was still Denmarks closest ally.

The United States has been and continues to be the guarantor of Europes security through its involvement in the transatlantic alliance, its presence in Europe and through the American nuclear umbrella, he told broadcaster DR.

The United States is leveraging economic power, including threats of high tariffs, to assert its will, and the possibility of employing military force  even against allies  is no longer ruled out, the report said.

It also warns of the uncertainty around the role of the US as a guarantor of European security, which it said will increase Russias willingness to intensify its hybrid attacks against Nato. It adds: The military threat from Russia to Nato will increase, even though there is currently no threat of a regular military attack against the kingdom of Denmark.
There is no good time to go on strike in the National Health Service, and certainly not during its now routine winter crisis  which is growing particularly acute now because of the flunami.

Strikes are meant to cause disruption. But there is surely a balance to be struck in such a vital public service as the NHS, and where it is primarily patients, not politicians, who will experience the pain of missed appointments, treatment and operations.

The right to strike, even in the NHS, is a fundamental one, and needs to be respected, but to abuse it in the way now being planned by the resident doctors brings them and their cause  which is not without merit  into disrepute. In such cases as this, public support is crucial to success, and it has been steadily eroding during years of seemingly incessant strike action.

Tom Dolphin, chair of the Council of the British Medical Association, is refusing to reconsider the timing of the strike (Independent)

In the case of the resident doctors, the arrival of a Labour government, increased investment in the NHS, improved prospects for promotion into consultancy, and a very substantial pay rise seem to have made little difference to their attitude. To many facing even greater hardships because of the cost of living crisis, and who have to rely on the NHS  the great majority of the population  this latest wave of strike action isnt going to attract much sympathy.

Yet the chair of the Council of the British Medical Association, Dr Tom Dolphin, shows dangerous complacency about this. While his members consider an improved offer on jobs and training from the government, he refuses to reconsider the timing of the strike. This is adding chaos and uncertainty to an already overstretched NHS, yet he tells The Independent: The NHS is already struggling all the time  We are strained, and thats been going on since the summer. So its not just a winter crisis, its genuinely year-round.

True enough in a sense  but that is only part of the picture. Hospitals are now plainly under pressures not seen since the once-in-a-century Covid pandemic, and the danger to patient safety is real. It is facile to pretend otherwise.

The chief of the NHS Providers association, covering all branches of the running of the health service, warns that: The volume of 999 calls, the number of patients being admitted to hospital is huge  this feels like a moment you need all of your workforce pulling together, with all hands on deck to look after a huge number of patients.

Hospitalisations from the complications of flu are spiking in an unprecedented fashion, and health secretary Wes Streeting says that he is genuinely fearful about what might lie ahead. Even discounting for the fact that he has a vested interest in the doctors postponing their action (which he is prepared to facilitate), there can be no doubt that Mr Streeting is right: this is a moment of genuine jeopardy. Lives may be at risk, and patient welfare will surely suffer.

Dr Dolphin pleads that senior doctors will cover for their more junior colleagues and that rescheduling non-urgent, planned care will relieve the strain.

Some of that may be true, and it is a tribute to much-maligned NHS managers that they have grown so adept at adjusting for strikes that they can minimise the impact in most situations. However, the crisis in the wards driven by the so-called super flu means that this is not even a normal situation for this time of year.

It is an extraordinary situation, and it calls on the resident doctors  who are diligent, compassionate professionals  to reconsider what they are about to inflict on those in their care. It would not be surprising to see many resident doctors refuse this particular call on their solidarity.

For the rest of the country not in hospital, awaiting an operation or otherwise directly involved in the dispute, there are also steps that can be taken to ease the burden on the NHS, help save lives and, indeed, protect ourselves during the flu pandemic. Vaccination is a safe and well-established method for mitigating the worst effects of a flu infection, and there is always a duty to others not to expose them to the virus.

That means staying at home when ill, if possible, and wearing a mask when out so as to safeguard more vulnerable people. The same simple precautions against an easily transmitted airborne virus that we became used to during the Covid pandemic can be deployed again, though with less stringency. Once again, our NHS needs all the help it can get.
Russias central bank is filing a lawsuit against the organisation holding these assets. Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA (Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA)

The EU has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russias sovereign assets in the bloc, as Moscow stepped up its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, the keeper of most of the Kremlins immobilised money.

The decision by the EU to use emergency powers to immobilise 210bn (185bn) of Russias central banks assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraines defence.

European Council president Antonio Costa confirmed on Friday that EU leaders had delivered on a commitment, made in October, to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused.

Before this step, EU sanctions underpinning the frozen assets needed to be renewed every six months  creating potential for a Kremlin-friendly government, such as Hungary, to veto the move.

The decision came hours after Russias central bank said it was filing a lawsuit against Euroclear, the Brussels central securities depository that holds these assets. The organisation, once a little-known part of international financial plumbing that is now in the spotlight, has no say on how the frozen funds are used.

Related: EU has a plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine  how will it work?

The lawsuit, being filed in a Moscow court, claims Euroclears illegal actions had caused damage to the central banks ability to manage funds and securities.

Euroclear declined to comment, but a spokesperson said it was currently fighting more than 100 legal claims in Russia.

Last week, the European Commission proposed a 90bn (79bn) loan for Ukraine, secured against Russian assets immobilised in the EU since its full-scale invasion. But the plan has been blocked by Belgium, which fears a cascade of lawsuits from Moscow and the seizure of Belgian assets in the country.

Belgiums prime minister Bart De Wever met Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Friday for long-planned talks on the EU-UK reset, migration and the Russian assets.

De Wevers spokesperson said they had discussed the possible use of the value of immobilised Russian sovereign assets and agreed to continue to work closely to make progress on this complex issue.

A Downing Street spokesperson issued a near-identical statement, saying: It was clear, they agreed, that keeping up the economic pressure on Russia and putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position would remain the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace.

The meeting comes ahead of an EU summit next week, when leaders have promised decisions on funding Ukraine in 2026-27, amid warnings that Kyiv will run out of money next spring to fund its defence and pay doctors and teachers.

EU officials believe the proposed 90bn loan will meet two-thirds of Ukraines financial needs for the next two years, and expect Kyivs other international partners to provide the rest.

The Belgian government says it must have guarantees from EU partners that it will not be on the hook for a multibillion-euro bill if it is sued by Russia.

De Wever has previously described the proposal as fundamentally wrong and argued it would violate international law and endanger the stability of the euro currency.

In a sign of tensions around the plan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Malta and Italy said only EU leaders should decide on use of the immobilised assets. In a statement announcing support for the emergency powers clause to freeze the funds indefinitely on Friday, they urged EU countries to continue exploring and discussing alternative options in line with EU and international law.

Belgium argues the EU should borrow money on capital markets to fund Ukraine, secured against unallocated funds (headroom) in the EU budget. But many member states are loath to take out more common debt.

Germany, usually a champion of economic orthodoxy, sees the frozen assets plan as the best option and has pledged to provide one-quarter (50bn) of needed guarantees for Belgium.

EU officials argue that the legal risk to Euroclear, and therefore Belgium, would be limited.

Under the complex scheme, the EU would borrow cash from Euroclear, then loan the funds to Ukraine, while Russia remains the legal owner of the assets. Ukraine would only repay the money if and when it received reparations from Moscow for colossal damage inflicted during the war.

The UK, which hosts 27bn (23bn) of frozen Russian assets, supports the idea and expects some, but not all, G7 countries to move forward with a similar plan, following a decision on the Euroclear-held assets. US participation in the scheme is less certain, although it holds only a modest 4bn (3.5bn) in immobilised assets.
Europe must be ready to deter Russia as the shadow of war looms, a minister has warned, echoing alarming words from the head of Nato.

Armed forces minister Al Carns said countries need to increase our lethality and stop outsourcing it to others.

His warning comes after Nato secretary general Mark Rutte called Europe Russias next target and said countries must prepare for a scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured.

Precarious peace efforts surrounding a US-led plan to end Russias war in Ukraine are ongoing, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer insisting US president Donald Trump and his European counterparts are aligned on what they want for Kyiv.

But relations between Europe and the US are strained after the Trump administrations national security strategy accused European officials of holding unrealistic expectations for the invasion.

Armed forces minister Al Carns said countries need to increase our lethality and stop outsourcing it to others (Getty)

Mr Carns told The Telegraph: For the last 50 to 60 years, we have been reliant on US security guarantees and now, with multipolar threats facing the US, they may not be as forthright as they have in the past.

While Mr Trump has agreed he is fully in Nato and its Article 5 collective defence clause, there is a resource issue where they need to look both east and west, he said.

In the past, in wars of choice, weve outsourced our lethality to others. Weve got to make sure that we increase our lethality  across all of our single services.

Having outsourced to the US in the past, Europe and the UK have now pledged to up our game on defence spending, he said.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has called Europe Russias next target (Reuters)

He added: The shadow of war is knocking on Europes door once more. Thats the reality. Weve got to be prepared to deter it. Collectively in Nato, weve got to remember that numerically  we outmatch Russia significantly.

Ukraine has pushed back against a US-drafted plan and submitted its own 20-point document to Washington as part of negotiations.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the US has proposed a possible free economic zone in the Donbas region, which would see Ukrainian forces withdraw and Russia agree to remain where they are and not enter the territory.

He reportedly said there would need to be elections or a referendum for Ukraine to approve any such move.

Keir Starmer welcomes Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street on Monday (Getty)

The UK and French-led countries dubbed the coalition of the willing on Thursday discussed progress on mobilising frozen Russian sovereign assets to use to fund Ukraine and agreed it was a pivotal moment for Kyiv and the Euro-Atlantic region.

Mr Zelensky told the meeting he was seeking a framework document on security guarantees from the US that he wanted to be approved by Congress.

This would mean real, solid, legally binding security guarantees for our country, and they must actually be implemented, he said.

Donald Trump has this week criticised Ukraines European allies as weak leaders of decaying nations failing to produce anything as the war just keeps going on and on.

The White House said on Thursday that the US president was sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting and wants action (Getty)

But he spoke to Sir Keir, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday in a call during which they discussed proposals to end the war in pretty strong terms, according to Mr Trump.

However, the White House said on Thursday that the US president was sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting and wants action.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the US had not committed to sending an official to talks expected on Saturday.

If there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement, if we feel like those meetings are worthy of someone of the United Statess time this weekend, then we will send a representative, she said.
The search for a 21-year-old hiker and YouTuber stretched to a full month yesterday, after the influencer vanished atop a mountain in California.

Joseph Brambila was last seen on the towering Mount Whitney on November 11, just two days after his 21st birthday.

A fellow hiker named Luis Buenrostro told The Los Angeles Times about meeting Brambila on the day of his disappearance. The now-missing 21-year-old told his friend he was planning to take a "shortcut.

Buenrostro assumed that this meant Brambila was preparing to slide down the mountain in a practice known as glissading.

Days later, Brambila was reported missing by his family after he failed to return home on time.

Joseph Brambila disappeared last month while climbing Mount Whitney (Folwer-O'Sullivan Foundation)

The Inyo County Sheriffs Office told the LA Times that a desperate search followed, but that harsh weather conditions have disrupted rescue efforts.

Heavy snow from the last two storms has made conditions extremely hazardous, Lindsey Stine, an ICSO spokesperson, said. The terrain is icy and unstable, and attempting a summit or any search in these conditions is very dangerous.

She also claimed that another search could be imminent, but warned that recovery may not be feasible until the snow and ice begin to melt.

There has been no sign of Brambila since he vanished, although a rescue charity, the Fowler-OSullivan Foundation, has joined the search. In a post on Facebook, the charity claimed that other hikers had reported seeing a body on the mountain.

However, that body has also yet to be found.

Cathy Tarr, the charitys founder, claims that she believes the body was Brambila.

When we help search for missing hikers, its normal for any family to not believe the situation theyre in, she told SFGATE.

Every family wants the answer, but doesnt want the answer at the same time. In my opinion, theres a 99.9% chance that thats Joseph. Thats tough to hear  but if thats not him, we may never get answers.

Mount Whitney, the highest peak, is an infamously difficult climb (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu)

In a video posted to his YouTube account, Brambila said that he had attempted to climb Mount Whitney four times. During one attempt, his mother insisted on climbing with him.

During the video, he tapped each item on his checklist and said nope, nope, nope, nope, to each. Those items included a first aid kit, a map, a compass, a headlamp, and an emergency blanket.

So I think were pretty qualified for the hike, he joked as he headed up the mountain.

Brambila often joked about travelling unprepared, but his girlfriend claimed he was well-supplied when heading out on his November climb (Fowler-O'Sullivan Foundation)

Buenrostro told the LA Times that he understood why the hiker kept trying to reach the summit, even though he was often unprepared.

I understand, sometimes we go out there without all the right gear, he said. But a lot of the time, were saving up for the proper gear.

He added that the pair bonded over being Latino and over being judged by wealthier climbers.

However, Darlene Molina, Brambilas girlfriend, told SFGATE that her boyfriend was better prepared when he began his climb on November 11.

Molina claimed that he took an ice axe, military rations, and a heavy-duty tent on his journey. However, she said her partner often turned his phone off while climbing.

He loves disconnecting from the world and spending time with himself in nature, Molina said. He has told his friends that hell turn his phone off during hikes but is always recording and talking to himself for vlogs.

The Independent has contacted the ICSO for further comment.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia departs the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Office the day after a federal judge ordered his released from detention in Pennsylvania on December 12, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Kilmar Abrego Garcia walked away after a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office Friday to the cheers of a crowd assembled outside. A federal judge had ordered that immigration officials could not detain him.

Abrego Garcia appeared for the appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judges orders. His lawyers had asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again and he walked out of the building surrounded by cheering supporters after the appearance, then left without commenting.

Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said. She wrote that Abrego Garcia is likely to succeed on the merits of any further request for relief from ICE detention.

For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Courts narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration, she wrote.

Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in.

(AP)

Abrego Garcia on Friday stopped at a news conference outside the building, escorted by a group of supporters chanting We are all Kilmar!

Abrego Garcia says hell fight against all of the injustices

I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high, Abrego Garcia said through a translator. I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family.

He urged people to keep fighting.

I stand here today with my head held high and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me, Abrego Garcia said. Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.

After Abrego Garcia spoke, he went through security at the field office, escorted by supporters.

When Abrego Garcias attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, announced to the crowd assembled outside that his client would walk back out the field offices doors again, he stressed that the legal fight was not over.

Yesterdays order from Judge Xinis and now the temporary restraining order this morning represent a victory of law over power, Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

The agency freed him just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from Xinis, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis.

Mistakenly deported and then returned

Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager to join his brother, who had become a U.S. citizen. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, where he faces danger from a gang that targeted his family.

While he was allowed to live and work in the U.S. under ICE supervision, he was not given residency status. Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and held in a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record.

Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, Trumps Republican administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.

A lawsuit to block removal from the US

The 2019 settlement found he had a well founded fear of danger in El Salvador if he was deported there. So instead ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public embarrassment caused by his deportation.

In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, Xinis wrote that federal authorities did not just stonewall the court, They affirmatively misled the tribunal. Xinis also rejected the governments argument that she lacked jurisdiction to intervene on a final removal order for Abrego Garcia, because she found no final order had been filed.

ICE freed Abrego Garcia from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday just before the deadline Xinis gave the government to provide an update on Abrego Garcia's release.

He returned home to Maryland a few hours later.

Immigration check-in

Check-ins are how ICE keeps track of some people who are released by the government to pursue asylum or other immigration cases as they make their way through a backlogged court system. The appointments were once routine but many people have been detained at their check-ins since the start of President Donald Trump's second term.

The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Xinis' order and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling naked judicial activism by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.

This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts, said Tricia McLaughlin, the departments assistant secretary.

Sandoval-Moshenberg said the judge made it clear that the government cant detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client has endured more than anyone should ever have to.

Abrego Garcia has also applied for asylum in the U.S. in immigration court.

Charges in Tennessee

Abrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling charges when the U.S. government brought him back from El Salvador. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.

The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April that the Trump administration must work to bring back Abrego Garcia.
Gatwick airport has blamed a hike in business rates by Chancellor Rachel Reeves for raising its fee for dropping off passengers outside its terminals to 10.

The new price  which represents a 43% increase from the 7 currently charged  will be implemented from January 6.

That means Gatwick will have the highest drop-off fee across all UK airports by 3.

A spokeswoman for the West Sussex airport said: This increase in the drop-off charge is not a decision we have taken lightly.

However, we are facing a number of increasing costs, including a more than doubling of our business rates.

The increase in the drop-off charge will support wider efforts to encourage greater use of public transport, helping limit the number of cars and reduce congestion at the entrance to our terminals, alongside funding a number of sustainable transport initiatives.

She added that passengers can be dropped off without charge in long-stay car parks and catch a free shuttle bus to terminals.

A Government spokesperson said: Airports are responsible for setting their own parking terms but must follow consumer law and justify their charges.

Were delivering a 4.3 billion support package to cap business rates bill increases at 30% before other reliefs for the largest properties, including airports.

Without intervention those would be up to 500%.

Blue badge holders will remain exempt from Gatwicks drop-off fee.

The charge is likely to be added to taxi and minicab fares.

Gatwicks drop-off fee was 5 when it was first introduced in March 2021.

Airports are among those facing the highest jump in business rate bills across England and Wales because of changes coming into effect next April.

Gatwick is set for an 11.9 million hike to 51.6 million in 2026-27, according to calculations of Valuation Office Agency (VOA) data by global tax firm Ryan.

This comes despite a 30% cap in the property tax increase under transitional relief.

Heathrow airport is heading for an even bigger increase  up 35 million to 151.5 million for 2026-27  which is also capped at 30% for the first year.

Rod Dennis, senior policy officer at the RAC, which tracks airport drop-off fees, said: A more than 40% increase in the cost to drop-off is the largest weve ever seen and represents a doubling of the fee first introduced in 2021.

It means the airport will have the unenviable record of being the most expensive for anyone dropping off by car by a whole 3.

Drivers tell us the main reason they use drop-off facilities at airports is to help people with bulky or heavy luggage  something that can be incredibly impractical on public transport, especially if elderly relatives or young children are in tow.

Sadly, it looks like drivers are going to have to get used to coughing up increasingly exorbitant sums for doing so.

He added that drop-off fees are almost unheard of at major airports elsewhere in Europe.

Guy Hobbs, a travel expert at consumer group Which?, described Gatwicks announcement as a fresh blow to travellers, and warned it will add another layer of stress, frustration and cost to passengers.

Clive Wratten, chief executive of lobby group the Business Travel Association, said: This feels like a convenient excuse to increase fees that are already out of step with the passenger experience.

Other UK airports that also currently charge a 7 drop-off fee include Stansted, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton.

Heathrow will raise its price from 6 to 7 from January 1.

London City, the UKs last major airport without a drop-off fee, is to introduce one later this month.
Lynn Smith, who calls himself the Deer Whisperer, shares TikTok videos of his interactions with local wildlife; offering treats, giving gentle pets, and showing just how much trust hes built with the deer in his area.

In a recent clip, he walks from inside his home into the garage and discovers an unexpected sight: two deer standing there, with the rest of the herd gathered on the driveway. Theyre all staring at him as if to say, Hey! Were here for our snack! And amazingly, not a single one even thinks about running off when they see him.

While most of us would be surprised by finding an entire herd of deer in our garage, Lynn didn't say a word! This makes us wonder if this is a common occurrence at his house!

Related: Farmer Finds the Cutest Thief Stealing Chicken Feed From the Barn

SIGN UP to get pawsitivity delivered right to your inbox with inspiring & entertaining stories about our furry & feathered friends

Funny Comments About Finding Deer in the Garage

Viewers left hundreds of comments about finding friendly deer in the garage, and some of them cracked us up. @Mushmoon said what Lynn was probably thinking when he opened the door, "Oh deer."

@xMrMVp said what the deer were probably thinking, "And he still didnt let us in" Another commenter shared, "I'm not going up to the door, you go up to the door." @lynneya66 added, "Apparently, the meeting was called, and you were late."

Commenter @TrueHeartVintage pointed out, "The one who was bold enough to knock LOL!" @Neusaric had our favorite comment, "You're a Disney princess now."

While feeding the neighborhood deer sounds like fun and is exciting to watch, it's not a good idea. The University of New Hampshire explains why, "Feeding deer often makes them more vulnerable to starvation, predation, disease, and vehicle collisions, among other things."

They also shared a list of why attracting a large number of deer to your yard for food can be problematic in the long run:

attract predators and increase risk of death by coyotes or domestic dogs.

spread disease among deer.

cause aggression, wasting vital energy reserves and leading to injury or death.

reduce fat reserves as deer use energy traveling to and from the feed site.

result in over-browsing of local vegetation and ornamental plants.

deny access to food, because subordinate deer are kept away from feeding stations, and over-browsing by larger deer removes food available to fawns.

increase deer-vehicle collisions. Vehicle-killed deer near feed sites can outnumber those that would naturally succumb to winter mortality.

In short, feeding deer is just not a good idea, and they urge people not to do it.

This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Dec 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Michael Duke Thomsons last memory on January 23, 2024, was leaving the high-limit blackjack room at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas at around midnight with a few thousand dollars worth of chips.

His next memory was waking up the following morning, handcuffed to the wall of the casino security holding pen and $75,000 in debt to the house, with a felony fraud charge  later dismissed after Thomson made full restitution  yet to come.

Thomson, a licensed attorney, says he was a longtime Aria patron with a pristine repayment record, now believes he was surreptitiously drugged that night in Vegas, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday and obtained by The Independent. The 64-year-olds apparent incapacitation would have been obvious to anyone, but that no one at the Aria bothered to intervene, Thomsons complaint alleges.

It accuses Aria of having failed to take any steps to ensure [Thomsons] safety, and instead allowed him to continue gambling and then forcibly detained him without providing any care.

It is inequitable for Aria to retain [Thomsons] funds that were procured and retained in the circumstances described above, the complaint states.

Michael Duke Thomson claims Aria casino staff let him take out some $75,000 in markers after, he believes, he was 'deliberately, surreptitiously drugged.' (Getty Images)

But Thomson, who now lives in a luxurious San Juan, Puerto Rico, condo, also contends Aria hasnt provided sufficient answers about what happened to him that night in Vegas. Aside from the most basic outline of the apparent chain of events, Thomsons complaint says that [a]ll further information regarding [Thomsons] condition and the circumstances of his detainment are within Arias and MGMs exclusive knowledge, custody, and control, and have not been provided.

A spokesperson for MGM Resorts International, the Arias parent company and a co-defendant in Thomsons suit, did not respond Friday to a request for comment.

Thomson, whose attorneys also did not respond to requests for comment, has a long-standing history of patronage at the Aria, according to his complaint. Additionally, it says, Thomson has a long-standing, pristine history of honoring the credit instruments, known as markers, that he has executed there.

On the night of January 23, 2024, Plaintiff was playing blackjack in the high-limit room at the Casino, the complaint states. Plaintiff recalls taking out one marker that night for $10,000.00. He repaid the marker at the table on the same night of January 23, 2024.

Thomson was staying at the Aria and recalls leaving the blackjack table at midnight or so, intending to head back to his room, the complaint continues.

The next thing Thomson knew, he was waking up in handcuffs.

Plaintiff was told by Casino personnel that Casino security found him sleeping in the Sky Suites lounge, and when woken up by Casino security guards he allegedly lashed out at the security guards and was then detained, the complaint adds, noting that Thomson was detained at roughly 11 a.m. on January 24, 2024.

Thomson was thrown off the property and told not to return or he would face arrest, according to the complaint. It says that no one said anything to Thomson at the time about any outstanding markers.

The next day, Thomson reached out to his VIP host at the Aria, to inquire about what she might know regarding his unfortunate experience, the complaint states. The host told Thomson that he did have eight outstanding markers with the casino, totaling $75,000, but that there was a discrepancy between the money he borrowed and his wins and losses.

Thomson said he was concerned about the marker balance, and asked for further details but got none, according to the complaint.

About three months later, Thomsons bank called him to say that the Aria had submitted the $75,000 worth of markers for payment, the complaint says. However, it contends, that because Aria management had yet to address [Thomsons] concern regarding his alleged outstanding balance with Aria, [he] instructed his bank not to pay the ostensible markers until [Thomson] would conduct his own investigation, which he did by reaching out to Aria for more information, again.

Thomson's last memory from his stay at the Aria was leaving the high-limit blackjack room at around midnight with a few thousand dollars worth of chips, according to a federal lawsuit he filed Thursday. (Getty Images)

While Thomson was still trying to get to the bottom of things, his bank returned the markers to the Aria, the complaint explains. The bank had marked five of them Not Authorized, and the remaining three were marked NSF, for Non-Sufficient Funds, the complaint states.

Plaintiff has no memory of taking out the ostensible markers, Thomsons complaint maintains, adding that the markers were purportedly taken out between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. on January 24, 2024. The signatures on most of the ostensible markers appear to only loosely resemble Plaintiffs signature Plaintiff asked the Aria for additional information several other times to investigate the ostensible markers but was stonewalled by Aria.

At this point, the Aria turned over the markers to the Clark County District Attorneys Bad Check Unit, which charged Thomson in November 2024 with drawing and passing a check with intent to defraud, and theft of $25,000 or greater but less than $100,000.

Thomson was arrested, and bail was set at $10,000, according to a review of local court records from the criminal case. (Thomsons civil complaint says he was in fact forced to pay $15,480 to be released from custody.) After months of negotiations and a trial date ultimately being set, Thomson agreed to pay off the Aria markers to eliminate the stress of having an open, pending criminal case against him, the complaint states.

The case was dismissed in mid-October, the local docket shows.

In addition to a mountain of debt, Thomson was hit felony charges after his fateful night at the Aria  none of which he remembers, according to a newly filed federal lawsuit. (AFP via Getty Images)

Thomson, according to his complaint, thinks he was deliberately[,] surreptitiously drugged on the night of January 23 or morning of January 24, 2024, which led to his complete incapacity.

Aria failed to act responsibly toward Plaintiff when it continued to allow Plaintiff to gamble, did not seek medical attention for Plaintiff, and had Plaintiff execute credit instruments, according to the complaint, adding, Plaintiff was unable to understand in a reasonable manner the nature and consequence of his actions and the transactions during this timeframe, as Aria knew or should have known.

To that end, Thomson argues the markers are invalid and unenforceable and should be rescinded in light of the Arias violat[ion] of its duties to effectuate responsible gaming. Allowing Thomson to borrow so much money while unaware of his surroundings all but ensur[ed] Arias opportunity to obtain additional monies from [him], the complaint states.

In the alternative, Aria accepted ostensible markers with forged signatures and did not verify that the ostensible markers were signed by Plaintiff, it says.

Thomsons lawsuit says Aria has been unjustly enriched through improper means, and accuses the casino-resort of malice for pressing criminal charges despite [his] ongoing attempts to resolve the situation.

He is demanding a jury trial, with damages to be determined in court. The Aria and MGM have not yet filed a response to Thomsons allegations.
Huge Home Depot theft ring operating across multiple states is finally busted in New York City

A huge Home Depot theft ring operating across multiple states has finally been busted in New York City after roughly $2.2 million worth of home improvement goods were stolen, according to officials.

New York officials announced a massive 780-count indictment Thursday in which 13 people were charged with grand larceny, conspiracy and criminal possession of stolen property. One alleged thief remains at large.

Thirteen defendants, over $2.2 million in merchandise, 319 incidents of theft, nine states and 128 separate Home Depot stores are the facts alleged, resulting in a 780-count indictment, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.

The most common items stolen were insulation kits, buckets of reflective roof coating, power tools, air conditioners and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

A huge Home Depot theft ring operating across multiple states has finally been busted in New York City after roughly $2.2 million worth of home improvement goods were stolen, according to officials (Kathy Hochul via X)

They stole from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware and Maryland, Katz said.

They stole from Home Depots from across those states. They typically parked close to the exit of the store, possibly to allow them to quickly remove their stolen merchandise into the van.

The district attorneys office began investigating the alleged theft ring in June 2024 and discovered an elaborate scheme where about $1,800 to nearly $35,000 worth of goods were stolen in a given day.

The crew  which had members based in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Long Island  met almost daily where they allegedly hit Home Depot stores depending on what items they saw on the retailers website and app.

Three or four crew members would enter a Home Depot store separately as their accused leader, 52-year-old Armando Diaz from Flushing, provided directions to the members through their earbuds on what to steal and how to steal it, according to officials.

The alleged thieves hid the stolen goods using 96-gallon garbage bins or large pieces of sheetrock or plywood as one of them distracted store employees. The operation also included a lookout in store parking lots so as to not get spotted by police.

The scheme spanned nine states and resulted in a massive 780-count indictment (Kathy Hochul via X)

The stolen goods were then sold to black market retailers, known as fences. These fences would order specific items to be stolen so they could resell them.

The stolen items were then resold to consumers, through a Brooklyn storefront or on Facebook Marketplace, DA Katz explained.

The alleged thieves face up to 25 years and the alleged fences face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Information on Diazs legal representation was not immediately clear.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul lauded the bust, saying state officials were stopping organized retail theft rings in their tracks.

The stolen goods were later sold to black market retailers, known as fences (Kathy Hochul via X)

Since taking office, my highest priority has been driving down crime and keeping New Yorkers safe. Following a post-pandemic spike in retail theft, I committed new funds to establish a dedicated retail theft task force and secured stronger laws to hold people who commit these crimes accountable.

With stronger laws and better support for District Attorneys, local police departments, and the State Police, were stopping organized retail theft rings in their tracks and ensuring a safer retail environment for business owners, staff, and shoppers throughout New York, Hochul said in a statement.

This isnt the first major Home Depot theft ring bust this year. In August, Southern California police announced they had arrested 14 people who they say were involved in a scheme the saw more than $10 million worth of home improvement goods stolen.

It was the most active Ive ever seen  the amount of suspects, the sheer number of crimes," Detective Kevin Alldredge of the Ventura County Sheriffs Office told the VC Star at the time. "From the time that we started investigating them to the time that we took them down, they never took a single day off.
Half of UK secondary school pupils have avoided school over the past year due to anxiety, a new poll has revealed.

A survey of 2,000 students found 49.5 per cent missed or avoided school at some point last academic year because of anxious feelings.

Most (22 per cent) reported this occurred less than monthly.

However, 5.5 per cent missed school weekly, 6.7 per cent every two to three weeks, and 8.3 per cent once a month.

Fewer than half (47.4 per cent) never missed or avoided school due to anxiety; others were unsure or preferred not to say.

Year 13 pupils were six times more likely than year 7 pupils to report avoiding school due to stress, the survey commissioned by online school Minerva Virtual Academy found.

Female pupils reported they had avoided school an average of 26.4 times per year, compared with 16.7 times reported by male pupils.

More than a third of pupils surveyed said they felt teachers rarely or never understood their anxiety (Getty/iStock)

The most common cause of school anxiety cited was exam and grade pressure (27.6 per cent), followed by being asked to speak in front of the class (21.4 per cent), fear of falling behind (18.2 per cent), worrying about appearance (18.1 per cent) and not fitting in or having friends (17.6 per cent).

More than a third (35 per cent) of pupils surveyed by Censuswide said they felt teachers rarely or never understood their anxiety.

Hugh Viney, founder of Minerva Virtual Academy, said teachers are not to blame.

They want to be there to nurture every child but the system is too overloaded and thats where blind spots appear, he said.

Schools have been facing an absence crisis since the pandemic, with persistent absence  which means missing 10 per cent or more of classes  soaring to 22.3 per cent in 2021/22. It has since fallen to 17.6 per cent in the latest data but remains significantly above pre-pandemic rates.

Pupils classified as severely absent  missing half or more of their sessions  is still increasing, according to Department for Education figures, reaching 2.3 per cent in 2024/25.

Teaching unions have been calling for more investment in mental health services to help tackle the absence crisis.

The Government has said all schools will be covered by mental health support teams by 2029/30, with an aim for six in 10 pupils to have access to mental health teams by March 2026.
A proposed bill in New Jersey could ban plastic utensils in restaurants throughout the state (AFP via Getty Images)

New Jersey restaurants and lawmakers are expressing concern about a potential single-use plastic utensil ban in the state.

New proposed legislation could require restaurants in New Jersey to only give reusable utensils to dine-in customers, unless they request plastic utensils, according to Fox29. If a customer orders take-out, they would have to specifically request plastic utensils. Restaurants could also be prohibited from offering bundled utensils or condiment packages, NJ.com reports.

If the legislation passes, schools would be exempt for five years, while restaurants in food courts would be exempt for two years, according to NorthJersey.com. Healthcare facilities would also be exempt under some circumstances.

Restaurant owners could also face fines under the proposed legislation, Fox29 reports. A first offense could earn restaurants a warning, while a second offense could cost $1,000. There could also be a $2,500 fine for additional offenses.

A portion of the collected fines would go toward the New Jersey Clean Communities Program Fund, which is a statewide litter-abatement program, Fox 5 reports.

A proposed bill in New Jersey could ban plastic utensils in restaurants throughout the state (AFP via Getty Images)

Brian Truitt, who owns the restaurant Mylestone Catering in Camden, New Jersey, told Fox29 hes concerned about how local laws could impact people like him. New Jersey changed so many things so fast its kind of difficult for small businesses," he said.

State Senator Declan OScanlon, a Republican, told NJ.com he opposes the measure.

Im not sure I understand why the state should be micromanaging this when each municipality can do it however they want working with their businesses, OScanlon said.

State Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, a Democrat, also said the proposed measure could mean rising prices for customers.

I have seen bills introduced here that end up attacking the consumer at the end of the day instead of helping them, Ruiz told NJ.com.

However, others are more enthusiastic about the bill, citing environmental concerns.

Doug OMalley, director of Environment New Jersey, told NJ.com he supports the legislation because hes concerned about the chemicals in plastics.

PFAS [Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, also known as forever chemicals] and products have a way of getting into our environment and ultimately into our drinking water and bodies, he told the outlet. There is an incredibly viable market of PFAS-free products.

Christopher Sperry, a Camden resident, told Fox 29 hes also concerned about the use of disposable plastic. "Its bad for the community and the environment," he told the outlet.
David Lammy has proposed scrapping jury trials in a controversial Government plan to tackle court backlogs - James Manning/PA

Judges have described David Lammys plans to curb jury trials as a harmful distraction that will fail to reduce court backlogs.

The judges  both serving and retired  have spoken out amid a backlash from both Labour and Tory MPs against the Justice Secretarys plans to halve the number of jury trials.

Mr Lammy is proposing to axe jury trials for defendants facing prison sentences of less than three years. They will instead have their cases heard by magistrates or by a new Canadian-style tier of judge-only courts.

Lord Thomas, the former lord chief justice of England and Wales, said the reform wont fix the backlog quickly enough.

Our system depends upon someone having to make a choice to plead guilty or not guilty quickly, and if you delay that you will go on increasing the backlog, he said.

Lord Thomas said the Government should consider an intermediate court of a judge and two magistrates - Gary Lee / Avalon

He also criticised Mr Lammys decision for not taking up former appeal judge Sir Brian Levesons recommendation to have an intermediate court of a judge and two magistrates.

We ought to pause long and hard before we remove the lay element from trying the more serious cases, he said. It produces balance, it brings to a court what a jury brings, which is some experience of people with everyday knowledge of life.

Paul Dodgson, the former circuit judge, said: I have no doubt whatsoever that jury trial is the fairest and most effective means of deciding whether someone is guilty of an offence.

I can honestly say that I only remember one verdict from a jury that I fundamentally disagreed with and although I disagreed with the verdict I understood why the jury came to it.

Unnecessary battle lines

Geoffrey Rivlin KC, a former senior circuit judge, said: In this time of crisis, it a great pity that any reform of the jury system should arise at all. It is not necessary; it can only do harm.

Yet, it inevitably means that juries have taken, and will remain, centre stage  a distraction, creating unnecessary battle lines and efforts to save face. It will soak up valuable time and energy when there is much vitally important work to be done.

Serving judges are historically barred from making political comments but after passing judgment on a case this week, Judge Richard Marks said: We are very proud of the jury system in this country  long may it remain.

Chris Kinch KC, who was the most senior judge at Woolwich crown court until stepping down last year, said: I just dont think this is going to sort out the problem.

Nobodys talking about how you get rid of the current backlog, because you cant unless you make these changes retrospective, which everybody would be up in arms about.

The only answer is to provide the judges and the courtrooms and the legal aid funding to do it, which I suspect is why they wont, because the [Ministry of Justice] is obsessed with saving costs and cutting the budget.

He said the move would undermine justice. I know there are a lot of people who will say, Oh, juries dont understand this, they dont understand that. But the fact is, over the piece, juries get things right and you have to be pretty brave to say that 12 citizens is anything other than an impartial tribunal, he said.

Whereas mainly white, middle-aged judges who up to now have not been involved in the fray are suddenly going to be chucked into the arena, and nobodys really thought about that. They certainly havent asked the judges. So youre going to lose that connection with the community which juries provide.

Labour critics of the plan have suggested that there could be a big enough backbench rebellion to defeat the plans in the Commons  and there are predictions of a huge revolt by the Lords that could also threaten its passage through Parliament.

Half of the current 15,000 jury trials a year are expected to be scrapped as a result of the changes, according to Ministry of Justice modelling. It would reduce the number as a proportion of all cases from three per cent to 1.5 per cent, or just one in 66.
King Charles has hailed a milestone in his cancer journey and revealed he is to reduce his schedule of treatment in the new year, describing the news as a personal blessing.

His treatment will move into a precautionary phase with its regularity significantly reduced as his recovery reaches a very positive stage, it is understood. His medical team will assess how much longer he will require treatment to protect and prioritise his continued recovery.

In a prerecorded video message on Friday for Channel 4s Stand Up to Cancer night, Charles spoke of how early detection had transformed his own journey and how early diagnosis could give invaluable time to medical teams  and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope.

Without disclosing what type of cancer he has, Charles said: Today, I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to doctors orders, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year.

This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the 50% of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.

Speaking of the importance of early diagnosis, he said: I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment.

But he expressed concern that at least 9 million people in the UK were not up to date with the cancer screenings available to them.

He was therefore encouraged to learn about a new national screening checker, launched earlier this month, which shows who is eligible for existing breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening programmes.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: His majesty has responded exceptionally well to treatment and his doctors advise that ongoing measures will now move into a precautionary phase. This position will be continuously monitored and reviewed to protect and prioritise his continued recovery.

As the king has said, this milestone on his recovery journey is a great personal blessing.

Charles is said to remain profoundly grateful to all those involved in caring for patients, in particular to his own medical team. He sends his particular good wishes to all those affected by cancer and will continue to hold them and their loved ones in his thoughts and prayers, said the spokesperson.

The king was approached to lend support to the online screening tool and thought it a fitting moment to provide a brief update on the positive trajectory of his own continued recovery.

The spokesperson said: The king has taken great comfort and encouragement from being able to continue leading a full and active life throughout his treatment, while always heeding the advice of his medical team. His ability to uphold all of his state duties, and to continue with public engagements and overseas tours, has helped greatly with the positive mindset that, as many families will know, is such a vital part of the recovery journey.

The advice from cancer experts is that, in his determination to support the whole cancer community, it is preferable that his majesty does not address his own specific condition but rather speaks to those affected by all forms of the disease.

The kings cancer diagnosis was announced in February 2024 as he was treated for benign prostate enlargement, though the palace has confirmed he does not have prostate cancer. His message should not be interpreted as a view on the recent debate over a national screening programme for prostate cancer, it is understood, and the palace consulted the government before issuing the message.

The prime minister said he was glad the kings cancer treatment was to be reduced.

In a post on social media, Keir Starmer said: A powerful message from His Majesty The King. I know I speak for the entire country when I say how glad I am that his cancer treatment will be reduced in the new year. Early cancer screening saves lives.

The screening checker has been developed by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 for the Stand Up to Cancer campaign to help people understand which NHS cancer screening programmes they are eligible for.

Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, of which Charles is patron, said: We know that when public figures speak openly about their cancer diagnosis, it can prompt others to check in on their health and speak to a GP if something is worrying them. We wish his majesty well with his continued recovery.
A man who was the last inmate to be apprehended following an audacious New Orleans jailbreak has been handed two life sentences for a double murder committed in 2018.

The Louisiana judge presiding over the case sternly rebuked Derrick Groves for the disruption caused by his five months on the run.

Groves, 28, appeared in a New Orleans courtroom in shackles and an orange jumpsuit, two months after investigators finally tracked him down and captured him hiding beneath a house in Atlanta.

He and nine other inmates had made their escape in May by crawling through a hole behind a jail toilet, leaving behind graffiti that brazenly declared, "To Easy LoL."

Last year, a jury convicted Groves of two counts of second-degree murder for the killings of Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson during a shooting at a Mardi Gras party in 2018. He had also previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in two separate fatal shootings.

New Orleans Jailbreak

Orleans Parish Judge Dennis Waldron stated that Groves escape had caused "concern, disappointment, frustration and displeasure" to the court. The judge highlighted how the killings compounded a tragedy already endured by Groves family, noting that his grandmother, Kim Groves, was murdered in 1994 on the orders of a corrupt New Orleans police officer after she reported misconduct.

"He chose to not honor the memory of his grandmother as she lay in that street in the Ninth ward, shot to death," Waldron said. "He made that conscious decision to go the other way and to kill, not once, not twice, not three times, but four times."

Kadija Jackson, the sister of one of the victims, shared her grief, explaining that she sends photos of her brother to his daughter so the girl can show friends she once had a father. Ms Jackson recounted finding her brother dying inside a car after Groves fired an AK-style rifle.

"He lifted his head, but deep down, I knew he wasnt going to make it," she said sobbing. "That moment shattered something inside me. Since that day my life has felt like it is missing a a piece that it felt it could never replace."

As she spoke, Groves was observed smirking and nodding from the defence table, later turning to stare at her and the other victims supporters across the courtroom.

Peter Freiberg, Groves attorney, stated that his client maintains his innocence and plans to appeal his convictions, while expressing sympathy for the victims families.

However, the judge asserted that Groves showed no remorse and that the city would be far safer with him imprisoned for life. In addition to the two life sentences, Groves was convicted of two counts of attempted murder for wounding others in the 2018 shooting. Judge Waldron imposed two 50-year sentences for these convictions, to be served consecutively with the life terms.

The judge also referenced video footage of Groves smiling and blowing kisses while being led away after his capture in Georgia.

"It is almost as if Mr. Groves thought he were a guest at a presidential motorcade as opposed to a captured fugitive, riding in a police SWAT convoy," Waldron said. "These actions may be considered a final act of defiance."
Liam Neeson has claimed he is not anti-vaccination after narrating the controversial documentary Plague of Corruption.

The film was released online last month but has been removed by several social media sites for violating policies regarding health information. Clips posted online promoted discredited theories, such as those linking vaccines to autism.

The documentary is based on the 2020 book of the same name by Dr. Judy Mikovits and Kent Heckenlively, which had a foreword by prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy, who is now the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, is also interviewed in the documentary.

In a statement to The Independent, a representative for Neeson said: "We all recognize that corruption can exist within the pharmaceutical industry, but that should never be conflated with opposition to vaccines.

Liam Neeson at the New York premiere of 'The Naked Gun' in July 2025 (John Nacion/Getty Images For Paramount Pictures)

Liam never has been, and is not, anti-vaccination. His extensive work with UNICEF underscores his long-held support for global immunization and public-health initiatives. He did not shape the film's editorial content, and any questions about its claims or messaging should be directed to the producers."

Approached for comment by The Independent, Heckenlively, who produced the film, added: I don't think Plague of Corruption is an anti-vaccine documentary, but it does question why the media refers to vaccines as safe and effective, when the congressional language establishing the vaccine court in the United States refers to them as unavoidably unsafe, a description which is also used in Supreme Court decisions on the matter.

Safe and effective seems to me to be Big Pharma marketing rather than a legally accurate description of their risks.

Last month, Kennedy said he has personally directed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines don't cause autism.

The whole thing about vaccines have been tested and theres been this determination made, is just a lie, Kennedy said in an interview with The New York Times.

The vaccine safety on the CDC website now argues that the statement vaccines do not cause autism is not based on evidence because it doesn't rule out the possibility that infant vaccines might be linked to the disorder. Public health researchers and other scientists have strongly pushed back against the updated website, pointing out that it misleads the public by exploiting the fact that scientific method cannot prove a negative.

Decades of research exploring links between vaccines and autism have all pointed to the conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism.

Earlier this month, Neesons The Naked Gun co-star Pamela Anderson opened up about their off-screen relationship following weeks of speculation.

If you must know, Liam and I were romantically involved for a short while but only after we finished filming [The Naked Gun], the former Baywatch star told an interviewer.

She went on to say that she and the actor spent an intimate week at his home in upstate New York, where she had her own room.
Lili Reinhart has revealed she has been diagnosed with endometriosis after a prolonged and frustrating medical journey.

The Riverdale star, 29, took to social media to share her experience, explaining that she was officially diagnosed with the painful condition following laparoscopic surgery.

Endometriosis happens when cells similar to the uterine lining grow outside the uterus. It can have a huge impact on daily life and be debilitating for some.

Sharing photos from her hospital bed, Lili wrote on Instagram: Last week, I was officially diagnosed with endometriosis following laparoscopic surgery.

The Hal and Harper star also recounted her difficult year-long medical process, which began with a diagnosis of interstitial cystitis after seeing a urogynecologist.

Lili Reinhart shared her endometriosis diagnosis (Instagram/Lili Reinhart)

She showed the aftermath of the operation (Instagram/Lili Reinhart)

Despite multiple hospital visits and consultations with various specialists, no one considered endometriosis as the potential cause. It wasnt until she worked with two different pelvic floor therapists that the possibility of endometriosis was suggested.

She continued: Last year, I saw a urogynecologist and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. I was told there was no cureand no lasting relieffor my symptoms. Three hospital visits. Multiple urologists and gynecologists. And not one of them seriously considered endometriosis as the underlying cause of what I was experiencing.

It wasnt until I worked with two different pelvic floor therapists that the word endometriosis was even mentioned to me as a possible source of my pain.

Lili also posted a photo of her stomach covered in bandages from the surgery and admitted that she had initially doubted her first diagnosis.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, and for some people it can be deeply debilitating and significantly affect daily life.

Symptoms can include intense period and pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, pain during or after sex and extreme fatigue. Some people also experience pain or bleeding in other parts of the body, such as the chest, which can lead to shortness of breath or coughing up blood.

Endometriosis can also affect fertility, and many people living with the condition experience low mood or anxiety.

Diagnosis is often slow, as symptoms can overlap with other conditions such as fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease and irritable bowel syndrome, according to the NHS.

The only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is through a laparoscopy, a surgical procedure in which a small camera is inserted into the pelvis via an incision near the navel.

In the UK, it takes an average of seven to ten years for women to receive a diagnosis.

She had to push for an MRI, which led to a diagnosis of adenomyosis, a condition often associated with endometriosis. Ultimately, she chose to pursue laparoscopic surgery, despite a gynecologist suggesting she simply take birth control.

The Hollywood star added: From there, I met with an endometriosis specialist who helped me decide that laparoscopic surgery was the next step I wanted to takewhile, at the same time, another gynecologist told me I probably didnt have endo and should just go on the pill.

Im glad I trusted my body and listened to my gut and will continue advocating for others to do so. (Endometriosis is an extremely misunderstood disease, leaving often a 4-11 year gap between symptoms and a definitive surgical diagnosis. Its estimated 1 in 10 people with uteruses have endo according to the World Health Organisation.).

The condition takes on average eight years to diagnose in the UK (Instagram/Lili Reinhart)

The actress said she was pleased she listened to her body (Instagram/Lili Reinhart)

Lili also shared a poignant hospital selfie on her Instagram Story, where she expressed the sense of validation she felt after her diagnosis.

I dont remember taking this horrible photo, she wrote. But I think I wanted to capture a moment of post-surgery validation. The second I saw my doctor I asked, Did you find it? And he said, We found endo. And I felt so validated and relieved that I chose to listen to my body and pursue this surgery.

In her post, she also held up a note reading: Believing womens pain shouldnt be revolutionary, a sentiment shared by the Endometriosis Foundation of America, who thanked her for her openness.

Thank you for being so open about your endometriosis journey, Lili. Speaking out takes courage  and it changes lives. Your story will bring awareness, validation, and hope to so many, they wrote.

Reflecting on her journey, Lili shared on her Instagram Story: "I still dont understand how the 8  10 doctors I saw last year didnt mention endometriosis while I was searching for answers.

Im grateful to the pelvic floor therapists who told me to look into this disease as a source of my pain. Ultimately my goal was to preserve fertility and lessen the severity of my current symptoms.

If this story has affected you, information and support are available from Endometriosis UK via its website or helpline on 0808 808 2227.
Photo issued by Surrey Police of Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, who has been convicted at Inner London Crown Court of murdering his wife Dawn on June 2 2016 after the jury returned a unanimous verdict (Surrey Police/PA Wire)

A man initially cleared of his wifes murder has been convicted of the crime after their child presented compelling new evidence.

Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, was found guilty by a unanimous jury at Inner London Crown Court of murdering his wife, Dawn, on 2 June 2016, Surrey Police confirmed.

He was also convicted of child cruelty, having inflicted a wound on a child under 10  who cannot be named for legal reasons  in an attempt to conceal the crime. Further charges included perverting the course of justice, by causing injuries to himself and the child, and manipulating the child to inflict injuries upon him as part of his cover-up attempt.

Police said Rhodes was also found guilty of perjury at the Old Bailey in 2017 and perjury at the family court in 2018 for falsely giving evidence that he knew was untrue.

Jurors in the trial at Inner London Crown Court heard how Rhodes had originally been acquitted of the murder in 2017 after the jury believed his account that Dawn had tried to attack him first and he was acting in self defence.

A main witness in the trial  the child under 10  told their therapist in November 2021 that their father had planned Dawns murder and had manipulated them into being involved in it.

Family handout photo issued by Surrey Police of Dawn Rhodes, her husband Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, has been convicted at Inner London Crown Court of murdering Dawn on June 2 2016 after the jury returned a unanimous verdict (Surrey Police/PA Wire)

Police said Rhodes described this as our plan and then made the child lie about how their mother had died.

In an interview, the child talked about how their father had caused the relationship with their mother to deteriorate and how he had manipulated them into helping Rhodes get rid of their mother.

The child also told police that during supervised contact with Rhodes in 2016 and 2017  while he was on bail after being charged with Dawns murder  he continued to give them instructions to stick to the plan and told them that they had got some things wrong.

Police said Rhodes continued to manipulate and groom the child, including hiding a phone at his mothers house on which he would leave messages for the child reminding them about the agreement they had made.

Rhodess acquittal was quashed in November 2024 and permission was granted for a retrial.

During the retrial, the court heard how the marriage had been in difficulty prior to Dawns death and Rhodes had filed for divorce.

Police said the child made a 999 call at 7.34pm on June 2 during which Rhodes said his wife had attacked him and their child with a knife and that he had acted in self-defence.

Police found Dawn Rhodes lying on the kitchen floor with her throat cut to the extent that all the structures in her neck had been severed.

Photo issued by Surrey Police of Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, who has been convicted at Inner London Crown Court of murdering his wife Dawn on June 2 2016 after the jury returned a unanimous verdict (Surrey Police/PA Wire)

Rhodes told police that his wife had hit him twice on the back of the head, and the child said a deep laceration to their arm had been caused by their mother.

Rhodes was arrested for murder that evening.

He told police that he and Dawn had been arguing in the kitchen when she picked up a knife and swung it towards the child, at which point he said he told the child to go upstairs.

Rhodes said that he managed to get hold of the knife and that she came at him in a fury.

He said he swung at her with the knife, making contact with her neck, before he ran upstairs and called police.

The child gave an account consistent with the one Rhodes had given as to how their injuries had been inflicted.

In the aftermath of the murder, Rhodes told police he lashed out at his wife after she flipped like the green Marvel Comics character The Hulk.

Senior investigating officer detective chief inspector Kimball Edey, from the Surrey and Sussex Police major crime team, said: During the first trial, Dawn was portrayed as the villain but had actually been a victim of domestic abuse and coercive control at the hands of her husband for years.

The fact that Rhodes not only murdered his wife in cold blood but then manipulated and groomed his own child to play a part in his evil scheme and cover up what he had done is simply despicable  not only did he take a life; he irreparably damaged another, as well as the lives of everyone else who loved Dawn.

The fact that the child came forward nine years after their mothers death to tell the truth about what happened is remarkable and shows enormous bravery.

While it should be acknowledged that the child was under the age of criminal responsibility at the time of Dawns death and that they were not responsible for the acts that Rhodes manipulated them into doing, the realisation that they were complicit in Dawns death and coming forward to set the record straight nine years later, is nothing short of extraordinary.

Dawns mother Liz Spencer said she was a loving daughter, sister and mother, adding: Being a mother was what brought joy to Dawn, she always wanted to be a mother.

Dawn was caring, capable and strong. She would do anything for anyone and was loved by both friends and family.

Dawn was an organiser and very much a people person. She would organise local charity events to include the community and her colleagues where she worked at the Raven Housing Trust.

She would always be involved in the organisation of work social events, especially around Christmas time. Dawn was loved by all her peers.

During her life, Dawn was looking for someone to build a life with. She was looking for someone to love and be loved by someone to trust and be trusted by and someone to respect and be respected by.

Rhodes will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday January 16.
The Ministry of Defence is consolidating its intelligence operations in a significant move to bolster the UK's defence against evolving global threats.

This strategic overhaul follows revelations from the inquiry into the 2018 Novichok poisoning of Dawn Sturgess, which highlighted that foreign intelligence services are now operating "far beyond traditional espionage norms," according to the MoD.

The report's findings, which concluded that a Russian GRU military intelligence squad attempted to assassinate Sergei Skripal by applying the nerve agent to his Salisbury door handle, prompted the UK to impose sanctions on the entire GRU agency.

The shake-up announced on Friday brings together units from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, UK Space Command and Permanent Joint Headquarters to speed up information gathering from land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.

Following recommendations in the strategic defence review, the creation of the Military Intelligence Services comes as hostile states ramp up attacks on cyber networks, satellites and global shipping lanes and the spread of disinformation.

To counter hostile intelligence activity against the MoD, which has risen by more than 50 per cent over the past year, the department is also launching a new Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit.

The creation of the Military Intelligence Services comes as hostile states ramp up attacks on cyber networks, satellites and global shipping lanes and the spread of disinformation. (MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire)

Defence Secretary John Healey said: As threats increase, we are making defence intelligence smarter.

This Government is delivering the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review, putting Britain at the leading edge of military innovation.

For intelligence, this means cutting-edge technology, clearer structures and faster data flows. This gives us sharper insights into what our adversaries might do next, so we protect our forces, safeguard critical infrastructure, and deter changing threats.

Our intelligence work is usually unseen but always essential. I am grateful to all our Military Intelligence Services personnel whose round-the-clock vigilance keeps the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

The Military Intelligence Services will operate under the command of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command.

Its commander, General Sir Jim Hockenhull, said intelligence operations underpinning defence are always on in an increasingly complex and volatile world where threats are always evolving.

He said: The establishment of the Military Intelligence Services and the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit are significant steps forward in strengthening the UKs ability to anticipate threats, enabling faster and more precise action, supporting our Armed Forces, and protecting our citizens.

Sir Keir Starmer said the Dawn Sturgess inquiry showed the UK must remain vigilant to reckless Russian hostile activity on UK soil.

Whether its intelligence, whether its the operations that are carried out from places such as this, we do everything within our power  to keep our citizens safe from all threats, but particularly at the moment threats from Russia, the Prime Minister said last week.
Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones fiancee Chyna Mills shared a heartfelt post after accusing his mother of being racist toward her.

Love Island alum Chyna hit out at his mother Helen after she missed her and Neils two-year-old daughter Havanas christening ceremony earlier this week.

The 27-year-old accused Helen of bullying, racism and constant disrespect in a lengthy post - with Neils sister Terri Peters coming to Helens defence soon after.

Amid the controversy, Chyna shared a video of professional dancer Neil getting a win in Strictlys annual Pro Challenge, smashing his way to a Guinness World Record live on BBCs It Takes Two.

Ahead of this weekends semi-final, the spin-off show saw the professionals battle for the title awarded to whoever can perform the highest number of a set dance step in just 30 seconds.

Chyna Mills and Neil Jones (PA)

Neil and Kai Widdrington took on the challenge of samba whisks and Neil was crowned the winner on Thursday night.

Chyna posted two clips on her Instagram Stories of her and Havana watching Neil - who was previously married to Katya Jones - on the television in their living room at the moment of victory.

Its Daddy! the reality star was heard exclaiming as Havana looked at the screen.

Chyna then laughed and said, Yay! as Neil ran around the studio in triumph, hugging first Kai and then host Janette Manrara.

She captioned the footage, Yayy! (You know hes not going to stop talking about this) alongside a slew of laughing face emoji

The post came hours after Chyna - who appeared on Love Island in 2022 - alleged that Neils family ruined Havanas baptism by choosing not to attend.

Chyna shared a video of her daughter Havana celebrating Neils Strictly triumph (Instagram)

She shared black and white photographs of the couple smiling and hugging Havana during the ceremony.

The TV personality then spoke out about the family feud she claims has been going on behind the scenes.

I've faced bullying, racism, and constant disrespect from a so-called MIL since the moment I met her, Chyna wrote.

This year, I decided enough was enough and gave her the chance to discuss whatever one-sided issue she had of course, I was ignored.

She added: Havana's baptism was a special day, and his family chose not to attend out of loyalty to her and refused to acknowledge what's unfolded over the past few years.

That's on them. But I won't accept negative comments or false narratives about my baby girl's special moments.

All that matters is Havana being surrounded by love. Her happiness comes first. Always.

Chyna with Neil's mother Helen and her partner (Instagram)

Neils sister Terri later accused her of being a liar.

I don't want to comment at this time. If she wants to spin lies, then look, the truth will come out eventually, she told the Daily Mail.

Neil and Chyna went public with their romance in 2023 and welcomed Havana later that year.

The Strictly dancer proposed to the ITV2 star during a trip to Bali in April 2023, but the couple is waiting until their child is old enough to walk down the aisle with them before getting married.

Last year, he hit out at trolls who criticised his biracial baby's skin tone and accused Chyna of leaving their then-newborn to cry.

Chyna accused Neils mother of racism (Instagram)

Chyna had taken to Instagram to ask for people to stop the "disrespectful" comments about the complexion of their then three-month-old.

She shared one of the many hateful comments she said she had been getting from people who have said that it's "sad" that she's had a child that could pass for white, suggesting that she should've had a child with a black partner.

She hit back: "I find this highly disrespectful for anyone to comment on anyone's skin colour, let alone my baby's. Keep your comments to yourself and stay away from my page.

"I've had a few comments like this and it's just really weird that people in this day and age want to comment on someone's skin colour. Sort your life out."

While she spoke out, baby Havana could be heard in the background, leading to a barrage of comments from trolls telling her to tend to her crying child.

"Girl, your baby is crying!!" someone wrote, which prompted ballroom pro Neil to shoot back: "Actually shes singing and making sounds."

One fan sided with Jones and told the critic: "Can tell by your comment that you dont have kids. Cant even tell the difference between crying and cooing/fussing.

"Furthermore, is crying not what babies do? Its their only source of communication."
Villagers who fled from their homes wait for food to be distributed at a school in Surin province, Thailand, 11 December 2025. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA (Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA)

Rangsan Angda and many of his neighbours in border areas of Thailand had already packed their bags, fearing that a ceasefire with neighbouring Cambodia would soon collapse.

The ceasefire deal  brokered by Donald Trump, who proclaimed himself President of PEACE after he helped end five days of deadly clashes in July  had seemed precarious from the start. Both sides are confronting one another all the time, said Rangsan, 50.

On Sunday, the announcement he had feared rang out on loudspeakers across his village, warning that fighting had again erupted. For the second time this year, everyone was ordered to evacuate immediately. Families piled into their cars or waited for lifts with local officials. For hours they queued on traffic-clogged roads, making their way to temples, schools and government buildings.

Related: Whats behind the Thailand-Cambodia clashes  explained in 30 seconds

More than 500,000 people across Cambodia and Thailand have made similar journeys since the skirmishes broke out on Sunday. No one knows when they will be able to return home, or how the latest round of fighting might be halted.

Trump, who oversaw the signing of an enhanced ceasefire deal in October, told reporters this week he would call the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia on Thursday, saying he could bring an end to the clashes pretty quickly.

I think I can get them to stop fighting. Who else can do that? the US president said.

In the border areas of Thailand, few share his confidence. If he did have power to sort the conflict there wouldnt be this war right now, said Patcharee Kotmakti, 45. She left her home on Monday, when the din of gunfire first rang out across her village.

Just four months ago, clashes were so intense that her house shook from the impact. I would say Im used to it by now, she said.

She fears the fighting could drag on for months. I wont be able to make ends meet, she said. Patcharee and many of her neighbours have no fixed income and instead depend on daily work. Some people who stay here dont have money, they have to borrow money and pay it back with interest.

She just wanted the situation to end, she said. The sooner the better.

Trump has previously used the threat of tariffs to pressure Thailand and Cambodia to stop fighting. Dr Napon Jatusripitak, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS  Yusof Ishak Institute, said this intervention was absolutely pivotal in bringing an end to fighting. Before that, Thailand had rejected all third-party mediation, he added.

Whether Trump can have the same impact today is unclear. With an election due in 2026, the Thai prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, might choose to appeal to nationalist sentiment by maintaining that Thailand had acted legitimately in defence of its territorial sovereignty, said Napon. Doing so could resonate with large segments of Thais who view Cambodia as the party that instigated the crisis and the United States as exerting unwarranted pressure on Bangkok, he said. This is a moment when he cannot afford to appear soft.

A poll in August found that more than half of those surveyed believed Thailand should not be associated with Cambodia. It also found many were sceptical of Trumps interventions in the conflict. Almost two-thirds of respondents said interference was in the interest of the superpowers, not Thailand. Fewer than 10% agreed such involvement was intended to restore peace.

At shelters in Ubon Ratchathani evacuees questioned Trumps bold claims of bringing peace. It is his perspective, said one older woman diplomatically.

But evacuees were divided over what the Thai authorities should do next. Gen Chaiyapruek Duangprapat, the Royal Thai armys chief of staff, told media this week that the military aimed to crush Cambodias military capability, neutralising it as a threat in the long term.

Each person has their own opinion, said Rinda Metmat, 44. I dont want anyone to experience loss. I feel sorry for the soldiers, for their families and their children. Cambodian soldiers also have families. I think they dont want a war.

Some question whether negotiations can work, regardless of input from Trump or others. Its not going to end no matter how many parties involved [in talks], two countries or with a third party, its not going to be resolved, said Rangsan. Talking never seems to lead to anywhere.

 This article was amended on 12 December 2025. An error introduced during the editing process led to Thai people being referred to by their family name; however, Thai people are typically referred to by their given name.
New HIV infections have doubled in Papua New Guinea since 2010. Photograph: Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images (Photograph: Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)

After battling illness for years, Nancy Karipa tested positive for HIV in 1999. She had just given birth to her first child. It was a crossroads moment for me, with the fear of denial, but I chose action, Karipa, who is now in her 50s, said at an Aids awareness event in Papua New Guineas capital Port Moresby in December. She and the baby received treatment, and her child remains healthy.

Karipa, from East Sepik in northern PNG, is unusual in sharing her story. The stigma around the disease is high in the Pacific nation, but speaking out has never been more important. This year PNG declared HIV a national crisis.

UNAids, the UN agency that fights HIV/Aids globally, says the epidemic in PNG is among the fastest growing in the Asia-Pacific region, along with Fiji and the Philippines.

New infections have doubled since 2010 and it is estimated that only 59% of people living with the virus know they are HIV positive. The rise of infections in women and children is particularly alarming, UNAids says.

Related: Aid cuts have shaken HIV/Aids care to its core  and will mean millions more infections ahead

The transmission of [the virus from] mother to child is very high in Papua New Guinea, one of the highest globally, says Manoela Manova, UNAids country director for PNG.

Changes to funding for HIV support and prevention have hit PNG hard. The suspension of US foreign aid by the Trump administration this year has affected hundreds of clinics. Sharp global reductions in funding for UNAids is also worrying health providers, and calls for the PNG government to do more are growing.

Manova says HIV awareness has declined over time and now, its like the feeling that the epidemic does not exist.

Thats the perception in both the public and in the political class.

The crisis in the country of about 10 million people is compounded by a combination of factors, including inadequate testing and lack of awareness. UNAids says PNG recorded an estimated 11,000 new cases in 2024, with nearly half of all new infections among children and people aged under 25.

An estimated 2,700 infants were infected with HIV in PNG in 2024. In most cases, mothers were unaware of their HIV status and didnt receive the necessary antiretroviral therapy (ART) which could have prevented transmission to their child.

A lot of people do not know their status and thats the first step to addressing the epidemic [and] to be put on treatment, Manova says.

US aid freeze hits clinics

The government declared HIV a national crisis in June and put in place an emergency response plan including more testing, treatment and support.

Deputy secretary of health, Ken Wai, says while the government is responsible for drug supplies, other support services and community outreach has depended heavily on US aid. In January, the Trump administration cut foreign aid, which was distributed through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), although Wai says some funding has been restored to specific programs.

USAID finances an organisation called FHI360; they help us with data recording, and one laboratory coordinator assists at the central public health laboratory, Wai says.

Chair of the national Aids council, Wep Kanawi, says the government must do more to address the crisis. The council works to prevent HIV transmission and provide treatment across the country. Kanawi says the government does not receive direct funding from USAID for HIV medicines, but PNG does seek funding from global not-for-profit organisations which receive contributions from USAID. That then supports some HIV programs in PNG, including paying staff salaries, he says.

Kanawi says more than 200 clinics run by the government or churches that provide HIV services have lost funding after the US suspended foreign aid earlier this year, without providing further details about the services the clinics provide. Kanawi wants the government to do more, and says about K45-K50m (US$10m) annually is needed to deal with the epidemic.

Many of our centres are operating but scaling down on their operations, Kanawi says.

Kaugere Clinic in Port Moresby, which provides HIV and other health services, is one of the centres affected by the funding freeze. Rose Marai, a social worker at the clinic, says when aid was suspended by the Trump administration, salaries at the clinic were withheld because there was no funding.

There was no second plan given to us and we were told to close down the clinic, which had affected the communities, Marai says. I used to receive K1,000 (US$235) to run a day awareness program in communities but since the stop of funding I now receive K240 monthly.

I started doing voluntary counselling of referral patients who were already tested positive, STI and gender-based violence couples.

The US embassy in PNG did not respond to questions about USAID or US funding. In a statement, it said the US is committed to our partnership with Papua New Guinea.

US foreign assistance to PNG, managed through the Department of State and other US agencies, includes robust programs in security cooperation, disaster preparedness, and health.

At the same time, UNAids has this year seen what it describes as a historic funding crisis because of cuts in the US foreign aid budget and reductions from other donor countries. A December report from UNAids said abrupt funding reductions and persistent funding shortfalls are having profound, lasting effects on the health of millions of people, although it noted funding for some HIV programs has restarted.

UNAids in PNG say the country has so far been shielded from the hit as Australia stepped in with additional funding. In October, the Australian government said it would increase its annual HIV development funding to almost A$10m this financial year.

Manova says additional funding from Australia will help maintain the UNAids office in PNG for another two years.

Still, concerns are rising in PNG that the epidemic highlights the fragility of the health sector and the heavy reliance on foreign aid, amid a surge in infections.

Foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko says the country needs a fallback position.

The longterm strategy is doing it ourselves. We cant continually rely on other donor partners to help us, he says.

Rebecca Bush contributed to this report
Moves by peers to block plans to allow assisted dying have been criticised as cruel by supporters of the new law.

More than 1,000 amendments to the proposed new law have been tabled in the House of Lords by its opponents for a crucial debate today.

With pro-assisted dying campaigners set to protest outside parliament today, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has led the campaign to introduce the new law, said the Lords attempt to stop the new was undemocratic because it had already been approved by MPs.

She suggested peers opposed to the controversial legislation were trying to sabotage it.

Ms Leadbeater introduced the Bill in the Commons last year (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

Ms Leadbeater listed amendments which she said were cruel, including an incredibly intrusive and heartless requirement for the dying person to be filmed in their dying moments.

Another stated that dying person should not have left the country in the last 12 months.

This would stop them visiting family friends abroad for a final goodbye and was particularly cruel.

A third amendment which sought to impose financial checks on relatives would mean someone with a dodgy distant uncle could be prevented from being granted permission for an assisted death.

Ms Leadbeater said if the new law was blocked it would be tragic for people such as broadcaster and campaigner Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and a strong supporter of assisted dying.

They would have no choice and dignity in their final days.

Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson, ex wheelchair racer who is among peers opposed to the bill, defended the number of amendments.

She said the proposal to film those who opted for an assisted death was to check for coercion.

Baroness Grey-Thompson accused Ms Leadbeater of double standards, pointing out that the MP had put forward 130 amendments of her own when the legislation was debated in the Commons.

If we are going to have this (legislation) we have to make it safe, said Baroness Grey-Thompson.

The former Paralympic star turned disability campaigner claimed the bill is badly drafted and argued that it is the role of the Lords to properly scrutinise legislation.

Because it is a private members bill then the Salisbury convention cannot be used to for peers to accept a bill as is sometimes used with government legislation which was in an election manifesto.

Baroness Grey-Thompson pointed out that many of the amendments had come from supporters of the Bill. This included 38 from Lord Charlie Faulkner, the Bills sponsor in the Lords.

The Bill has been opposed by health secretary Wes Streeting and home secretary Shabana Mahmood but has the backing of the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
December 12, 2025: Over the last few decades, American universities, and service academies, have pushed more STEM/Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at the expense of the humanities. This has important military implications because improving military technologies is crippled if there is little or no knowledge of military history. Having the latest weapons and military technologies does little to improve the quality of your forces if the officers in charge have little knowledge of how new technologies were used in the past. Equally important is knowing how historical commanders dealt with changing technologies and which adaptations worked and which didnt and why. Even the American military academies fell into this trap.

To make matters worse, the American military also has problems with recruiting, training, and retaining competent officers. This is nothing new because the United States traditionally had a small armed force and many of the officers were supplied to the army by West Point and navy by Annapolis. These were supplemented by officer training programs at colleges. The quality of these new officers declined since the Cold War ended. With no real threat, like the defunct Soviet Union, it proved difficult to get officer candidates to take their training and performance seriously. The military became another civil service job. European militaries had this problem before the Cold War ended. For Europeans, the end of World War II marked the end of more than thirty years of horrendous combat and losses.

And then there are the problems Russia is having obtaining a new generation of career soldiers and officers. In Ukraine so many officers have been killed that Russia was forced to offer commissions to the most promising sergeants or lower ranking enlisted men.

Russia has been forced to innovate. One of the more interesting innovations involves the use of under 18 children in the war effort. Russian teenagers 14-17 years old now have a military training course at school. Here they learn the basics of military life and are prepared for eventual mobilization into the military. Currently the children are put to work, learning how to operate and repair drones. Then comes building drones in school or at home. The young students get official recognition from their schools for their drone-related activities. So far Russia has brought over 600,000 children into these programs. In addition to military training the children are encouraged to participate in programs where they learn how to operate drones.

There are similar problems as India and China prepare for a potential war. India is acutely aware that it is falling farther behind China economically, in part because Chinese schools are much less corrupt and much more effective. In short, China has a much better educated workforce and that is driving economic growth that has made China three times per capita as productive as Indians. This translates to more and better officer candidates in China compared to India. Another Chinese and Indian advantage is that both countries take pride in their military histories and relish teaching and embellishing it. There are some problems in China with the government censoring some aspects of Chinese military history that reflect poorly on the current government. Thanks to the internet, diligent Chinese military history buffs can always fill in the blanks. That includes getting past the Golden Shield, the Chinese internet firewall meant to keep truth away from curious Chinese.
The incident took place on Reynolds Road in Hayes, west London (Reynolds Road Hayes Google Maps)

The Metropolitan Police has launched an urgent appeal after an elderly woman was seriously injured in a collision in Hayes.

The 80-year-old pedestrian was struck by a car on December 11 at 8.36am on Reynolds Road in Hayes.

The west London town of Hayes is located near neighbouring Northolt and Greenford.

Police officers attended the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service, who took the woman to the hospital to treat her.

She is described as having serious injuries and remains in critical condition.

The driver of the car, a 20-year-old man, is assisting officers with their enquiries, according to the Met.

As part of the ongoing investigation, detectives have appealed for witnesses to the collision.

Detective Constable Rory Atkins, from the Mets Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: Our thoughts are with the victim and her family following this incident.

We are appealing for anybody who witnessed the incident, or who may have relevant dashcam or CCTV footage, to come forward.

They have asked anyone who witnessed the incident, or who might have information that could assist detectives in their investigation, to call 101, quoting CAD reference 1749/11DEC.
The Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, greets supporters at a rally in Caracas on Wednesday. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images (Photograph: AFP/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has exerted more pressure on Venezuelas president Nicolas Maduro, expanding sanctions and issuing fresh threats to strike land targets in Venezuela, as the South American dictator accused the US president of ushering in a new era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.

Late on Thursday, the US imposed curbs on three nephews of Maduros wife, Cilia Flores, as well as six crude oil supertankers and the shipping companies linked to them. The treasury department alleged the vessels engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduros corrupt narco-terrorist regime.

The targeted vessels recently loaded crude oil in Venezuela, according to state oil company PDVSAs internal shipping documents. Four of the tankers are Panama-flagged, with the other two flagged by the Cook Islands and Hong Kong.

In comments on Thursday night, Trump also repeated his threat to soon begin strikes on suspected narcotics shipments making their way via land from Venezuela to the US.

The comments come after the US seized a dark fleet tanker named the Skipper off the coast of Venezuela, sparking concerns among some US lawmakers that Trump is sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela.

On Thursday, Maduro responded to the seizure, saying at a presidential event: They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship and have inaugurated a new era, the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean. He added that Venezuela will secure all ships to guarantee the free trade of its oil around the world.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US would take the Skipper to a US port. The vessel will go to a US port, and the United States does intend to seize the oil, Leavitt said during a briefing. However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed.

Trump earlier told reporters that the US planned to keep the oil on board the tanker.

Asked whether she viewed the seizure as an escalation of US pressure against Maduro, Leavitt said: I think the president considers the seizure of the oil tanker as effectuating the administrations sanctions policies.

Prolonged war is definitely not something this president is interested in, she added.

Related: What we know about the oil tanker seized by the US off the Venezuela coast

Reuters on Thursday citing anonymous sources said that the US is preparing to seize more oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. Asked whether the US would do so, Leavitt said: Were not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, called Maduro on Thursday after the rare seizure to reaffirm Russias support for the current Venezuelan government, despite calls from the Trump administration, other countries in the region and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for him to step down.

A Kremlin readout of the call said Putin called Maduro to express solidarity with the Venezuelan people and to continue to build economic and energy cooperation, which includes offshore oil ventures in the Caribbean Sea.

Senior Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican have condemned the seizure of the oil tanker, with one saying Trump was sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela.

Maduro has reacted defiantly to US pressure and his government called the oil tanker seizure blatant theft and an act of international piracy, adding it would defend its sovereignty, natural resources and national dignity with absolute determination.

Related: What we know about the oil tanker seized by the US off the Venezuela coast

But neighbouring countries have said Maduros exit could help pave a way to the end of the crisis. In a radio interview on Thursday, Colombias foreign affairs minister, Rosa Villavicencio, indicated her government would be willing to offer Maduro a place to live or protection if needed.

Colombia would have no reason to say no, Villavicencio said, although she believed he would be more likely to go somewhere further away. It was the first time a senior Colombian official had said Maduro could receive asylum in the country, although Villavicencio had previously discussed the potential for a transitional government.

That followed a public statement by Colombias leftwing president, Gustavo Petro, on Wednesday: It is time for a general amnesty and a transitional government with the inclusion of all and everyone, Petro said, adding that he opposed an invasion by foreigners of Venezuela, pushing back against direct action by the US.

Celso Amorim, a top adviser to Brazils leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, earlier this week told the Guardian that asylum is a Latin American institution [for] people of both right and left but added that he did not want to speculate, so as not to appear to be encouraging the idea.

Speaking in Oslo on Thursday after being awarded the Nobel peace prize, Machado repeated her call for Maduro to step down and predicted he would soon have no choice but to leave Venezuela. Hes going out, she insisted, although so far the autocrat has shown no sign of being willing to relinquish power after nearly 13 years as president.

At a rally on Wednesday, Maduro urged his supporters to be ready to to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary. In an apparent bid to project nonchalance, he also danced to the sound of the Bobby McFerrin song Dont Worry Be Happy.

Related: Follow the path of exiles: Maria Corina Machados US-aided escape from Venezuela

Ricardo Hausmann, a former Venezuelan minister and opposition supporter, said he believed dramatically increasingly US military pressure on Maduro was the only way to force him out.

If you know [youre going to] confront some kinetic threats by a credible military force, then suddenly going into exile sounds that much more attractive, Hausmann said. Thats why my preference would be to clearly use the military threat to convince Maduro to go.

If staying in power means that you may get missiles thrown at you, like [Iranian general Qasem] Soleimani, then you might want to consider seriously whether you want to stay in power, Hausmann added.

Maduro was democratically elected in 2013, inheriting the Bolivarian revolution from his mentor, Hugo Chavez, but has led the country in an increasingly authoritarian direction.

The former union leader is widely believed to have stolen last years presidential election, with an independent analysis of election data gathered by the opposition suggesting Maduro suffered a landslide defeat to Machados ally, the retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez. Even longstanding allies of the Chavista movement, such the leftist presidents of Brazil and Colombia, have refused to recognise Maduros claim to have beaten Gonzalez, who ran in Machados place after she was banned from taking part.

While the US seizure of the Guyana-flagged Skipper was quickly seen as an escalation of pressure on Venezuela, it also coincided with a number of attacks on other dark fleet ships around the world that carry oil between sanctioned countries in violation of global maritime regulations.

Maritime data collected by Windward, a maritime AI data company, and shared with the Guardian indicated that the ship had regularly spoofed its location and made multiple trips to Venezuela and Iran, which is also under US sanctions, and had transported oil to China.

The US seizure of Skipper off the coast of Venezuela sends a powerful message that dark fleet tankers are now a legitimate military target, the company wrote in an analysis.

There are 30 sanctioned tankers operating in Venezuelan waters, the company said, including seven that are falsely flagged and operating off the coastline.

Despite flouting global maritime regulations that underpin global trade, hundreds of these tankers have operated around the world unchallenged  until now, it said.

The Trump administration framed Wednesdays seizure as a law enforcement action, noting that the US Coast Guard led the operation and directing the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, to announce the seizure.

For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations, she said. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely  and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.
The band is facing a backlash (PA Archive)

Rock group Primal Scream have sparked outrage after alleged antisemitic images were shown during their gig at Londons Roundhouse.

The band appeared to show images depicting a Jewish Star of David being merged with a swastika  the symbol of the Nazis, who killed approximately six million Jewish people during the holocaust.

The move was met with a backlash and has been reported to the police for antisemitism by the Jewish charity Community Service Trust.

The Roundhouse in Camden issued an apology to the Jewish community following the incident.

Footage shared online shows the images appeared on screen during a performance of the controversial track Swastika Eyes, which the band wrote in 1999 about American foreign policy.

Primal Scream have been reported to the police for screening antisemitic images of the Star of David merged with a Swastika for their song Swastika Eyes at North Londons Roundhouse.

A Jewish fan who was in the audience told me how sickened he felt to see the sign for Judaism pic.twitter.com/hUyoXIeGmf  Nicole Lampert (@nicolelampert) December 11, 2025

During the song, images of the destruction of Gaza were shown on screen, followed by the Star of David merged with a Swastika.

Footage then showed Israeli political figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Donald Trump and Keir Starmer, with the Star of David/Swastika image spinning in their eyes.

The segment was concluded with the words Our Government is complicit in genocide.

Alex Hearn, director of Labour Against Antisemitism, told the Mail that merging swastikas with Stars of David is unambiguously racist.

He said: It takes the symbol under which Jews were murdered and uses it to incite more hatred against Jews, casting Jewish symbols as representations of evil itself.

This isnt protest art; its dehumanizing propaganda that has historically preceded violence against Jewish communities.

That this can happen at a public concert shows how deeply weve been failed. Police and CPS inaction has normalized what should be prosecuted as racial hatred.

A spokesperson for Community Service Trust said: CST is appalled by the grossly antisemitic image displayed at Primal Scream.

Entwining a Star of David with a swastika implies that Jews are Nazis and risks encouraging hatred of Jews.

There needs to be an urgent investigation by the venue and the promoter about how this happened, and we will be reporting to the police.

A spokesperson for the Roundhouse said: "We are appalled that antisemitic imagery was displayed during a Primal Scream gig on Monday December 8 at the Roundhouse.

"We deeply regret that these highly offensive images were presented on our stage and unequivocally apologise to anyone who attended the gig, and to the wider Jewish community.

"The content, which was used entirely without our knowledge, stands against all of our values. Our organisation absolutely condemns antisemitism in every form.

"Acts of hatred, discrimination or prejudice of any kind are entirely unacceptable and have no place in our community or spaces. The safety of our staff and gig-going audiences remains of paramount importance to us.

"We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and remain committed to ensuring that our spaces are places where everyone feels secure, respected and valued."

Primal Scream was contacted for comment by the Press Association.
The Sussexes will executive produce the coming of age story - Reuters

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will produce a new documentary for the Sundance Film Festival about girl scouts selling cookies.

Cookie Queens will be a a coming-of-age story about the joys, pressures, and pain points woven into one of Americas most cherished rituals: Girl Scout Cookie season, according to the festival programme seen by Deadline.

The Sussexes will executive produce the film through Archewell Productions, their media company, which is due to be released at the iconic US film festival next year.

Sundances programme says the documentary, directed by Alysa Nahmias, follows four tenacious girls (who) strive to be a top-selling Cookie Queen, navigating an $800 million (598 million) business in which childhood and ambition collide.

It will premiere at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City on Jan 24.

The Duchess of Sussex as a girl scout with her mother - INSTAGRAM

The Duchess of Sussex said the chance to work on the film was absolutely irresistible.

As a former girl scout myself, with my mom as my troop leader, I have a personal affinity for this film and am proud that all our conversations and collaboration have led to Archewell Productions partnering with this award-winning team to executive produce this incredibly captivating documentary, the duchess told Deadline.

When we first viewed the early footage of this documentary, it was immediately something we wanted to be involved in.

The creative point of view, the edgy yet humanising tone and tenor of the directing, and the glimpse behind-the-scenes into such a nostalgic and also modern tradition of girl scout cookie season are absolutely irresistible.

Last April, the duchess shared photographs of herself as a child selling cookies in her uniform.

It coincided with the launch of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, and her As Ever shortbread butter cookies.

The duke and duchess said in August that they would be extending their creative partnership via Archewell to work on more TV and film projects.

It comes after they signed a deal with Netflix in 2020 for a reported $100 million.

The pair are also reported be working on a film adaptation of Meet Me At The Lake, the bestselling romantic novel by Carley Fortune.
Be careful what you wish for. Its a useful tip at this gifty time of year  and also impels Matthew Bournes darkly romantic dance fable. The ballerina heroine achieves her dreams  artistic success, ardent love  and they break her into a thousand pieces.

The Red Shoes (first seen in 2016) cleaves closely to Powell and Pressburgers dazzling 1948 movie, waving the banner for art as the world emerged from war. Victoria Page  young, posh and uncannily talented  wants more than anything to join the innovative company of impresario Boris Lermontov (modelled on Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes). Victoria is initiated into a troupe who, for all their stroppy rehearsals, ciggies drooping from lips, are dedicated to being extraordinary (Michela Meazza and Liam Mower shine as the negligently imperious stars). Victoria leads their expressionist new show, telling Hans Christian Andersons story of the red shoes which condemn their wearer to dance until she drops.

Matthew Bourne's production of THE RED SHOES. Company (Johan Persson)

Cordelia Braithwaites superb Victoria, ivory face slashed by scarlet, is brimful with feeling and never more alive than when dancing. We see her working in the wings, refining her arms to a liquid ripple, while her teetering wraith in the red shoes ballet is impelled by Bernard Herrmanns music. Bourne doesnt use the film composers famous Hitchcock scores, but bittersweet melodies with a direful scritch of strings, reminding us that, however lush, were watching tragedy unfurl.

The men who obsess over Victoria dont achieve similar focus: tellingly, each is most compelling alone. Leonardo McCorkindales ambitious young composer dances out the music in his head, summoning orchestral forces with a swashbuckling baton. As Lermontov, the pained Svengali, Andy Monaghans chest heaves with jealousy; his miserable limbs twine in a weirdly brooding solo.

Matthew Bourne's production of THE RED SHOES. Cordelia Braithwaite (Victoria Page) (Johan Persson)

Victoria walks out on the suffocating Lermontov. Scraping a living in London music halls, she shares a bill with bored showgirls and a gropy ventriloquist. You realise that, for her, the lure of the Lermontov company was not only a rackety kind of family but its remorseless work ethic and exacting standards. It isnt love that drives Braithwaites Victoria, but pushing her talent to its utmost extent. She stashes the red shoes in her suitcase like a guilty secret and hurtles towards disaster.

Bourne is in his storytelling pomp, his dancers giving all the detailed energy Lermontov could demand. Its delicious to watch them move from weary snobs, wilting under their tiaras, to jaunty artists cutting loose on a Riviera terrace. With its whirling proscenium and lighting that drenches everything in heartbroken glamour, Bournes production is helplessly stagestruck. Why do you want to dance? asks the films Lermontov. Why do you want to live? retorts Victoria. Even in wordless dance, the ballerinas fervour burns bright.

Matthew Bournes New Adventures: The Red Shoes is at Sadlers Wells until 18 Jan 2026
Richard Tice said that the abuse of councillors could prevent the public from attending council meetings - Hiba Kola/Reuters

A Reform UK councillor could be killed without urgent action to protect local politicians, Richard Tice has warned.

The deputy leader of Reform told The Telegraph that the partys councillors in Staffordshire were left terrified after protesters stormed a council meeting on Thursday.

Police were called to remove demonstrators who interrupted a council meeting to protest against alleged racist social media posts made by Reform councillors.

Two Reform councillors were allegedly struck by placards at the meeting of the county council, which is led by Reform, on Thursday.

According to members who attended the meeting, it took an hour for police to remove the protesters.

Mr Tice has demanded that the protesters who threw the placards that hit councillors be arrested.

Protestors held placards in opposition to alleged racist social media posts - @MittensOff/Twitter

He told The Telegraph: My concern is that essentially unless councillors can be protected, unless we can have respectful democracy based on policy debate, not abuse and assault, then members of the public wont be able to attend these meetings.

The decline in standards is so great, the abuse is so enormous, that at this rate, a Reform councillor will be killed within the next 12 to 24 months.

Reforms Staffordshire council leader, Ian Cooper, resigned on Tuesday after the party revoked his membership following an inquiry into his alleged social media posts.

Then, on Wednesday, it emerged in a BBC report that the councils cabinet member for finance, Chris Large, had also been accused of writing and liking racist posts. He has denied the claims.

Meanwhile, a parish council in Staffordshire has asked another Reform county councillor to stay away from its meetings after he came under fire for his choice of words in social media posts.

Peter Mason, who represents Burton South on the county council, allegedly referred to black women in derogatory terms when discussing a statue. He apologised for the posts, which dated from 2023 and 2024, and claims to have received death threats online.

After the council meeting protest, Mr Tice said that the partys councillors feel that they are deliberately being bullied and terrified.

Staffordshire Police said the disruption involved a group outside the council building and five people inside the public gallery, who were removed by officers.

Police were called to remove protesters from the council meeting

A council spokesman told The Telegraph that items were thrown from the gallery.

Reform UKs inquiry into Mr Cooper came after the activist group Hope Not Hate claimed to have found racist posts on an account on X allegedly linked to him.

Posts at the centre of complaints included one that referred to David Lammy when he was foreign secretary, which stated no foreign national or first generation migrant should be allowed to sit in Parliament.

Mr Cooper stood down as council leader on Tuesday having already had his Reform membership revoked by the party following its investigation. He remains a county councillor but did not attend Thursdays meeting.

b'

0206 The councils Reform controls

'

A Staffordshire county council spokesman said: The full council meeting was temporarily suspended due to a disturbance in the public gallery.

Councillors were asked to leave the chamber as items were thrown from the gallery.

A small number of people were asked to leave the building by the police. The meeting resumed after lunch. We thank everyone for their cooperation.

Mr Cooper was approached for comment.
Royal Mail has warned that there will be disruptions to deliveries this Christmas due to strain on the service.

One particular London postcode is amongst the longlist of affected locations, and that is, unfortunately, the south London borough of Brixton.

The reason for the delays, the postal service says, is due to increasing pressures due to high levels of sick absence, resourcing issues and other local factors.

Royal Mail has said it hopes to deliver six days a week but acknowledged that, in a few hotspots, this will temporarily not be possible.

It said that households in the affected areas might see delays to letters and parcels arriving in the busy run-up to Christmas.

The postal service says it plans to rotate delivery rounds in order to minimise delay and have called in extra support to help the worst-affected areas.

Deliveries are expected to be delayed in Brixton, south London (Alamy/PA)

The full list of affected postcodes was published by the Royal Mail on Thursday, showing dozens from London to the South East, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, such as Brixton, Kent, and Barry - of Gavin and Stacey fame.

Royal Mail has issued an apology, saying: Were sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. We will regularly update customers on the offices most impacted.

This comes after a challenging few months for the postal service, which has been up against increasing pressures from regulators and increasing seasonal demand.

The company has been warned to improve the quality of its service by Ofcom (PA Media)

Royal Mail was handed a 21 million fine by Ofcom last month for missing its delivery targets for the financial year, delivering only 77% of first-class mail and 92.5% of second-class mail on time throughout the 2024/25 financial year.

Ofcom has said the postal service now must urgently issue a practical improvement plan or may face further penalties.

This is the third time Royal Mail has breached its regulatory obligations over the past few years.

In November 2023, the postal service was hit with a 5.6million fine and a further 10.5million fine in December 2024.

Ian Strawhorne, Ofcoms director of enforcement, said: Millions of important letters are arriving late, and people arent getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp.

These persistent failures are unacceptable, and customers expect and deserve better.

Ofcom justified the fine, saying it reflected the harm suffered by customers at the hands of Royal Mails poor service.
Harold Wayne Nichols was executed by lethal injection in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday for the 1988 rape and murder of 20-year-old Chattanooga State student Karen Pulley.

Nichols, 64, had confessed to the killing and multiple other rapes in the Chattanooga area. Despite expressing remorse at his trial, he admitted he would have continued his violent behavior had he not been apprehended. He was sentenced to death in 1990.

In his final statement, Nichols said: To the people I've harmed, I'm sorry. A spiritual adviser, J.R. Davis, prayed with him in the execution chamber, reciting the 23rd Psalm and the Lord's Prayer as Nichols nodded along.

Both men became visibly emotional, their voices strained, before Davis concluded: Go in peace, my friend. I love you.

Nichols attorneys unsuccessfully sought to have his sentence commuted to life in prison, citing the fact that he took responsibility for his crimes and pleaded guilty. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nichols was strapped to a gurney with a sheet pulled up to just above his waist and a long tube running from an adjoining room to an IV inserted on the inside of his elbow. There was a spot of blood near the injection site. At one point he took a very heavy breath and his whole torso rose up. He then took a series of short, huffing breaths that witnesses said sounded like snorting or snoring. Nichols face turned red and he groaned. His breathing then appeared to slow, then stop, and his face became purple before he was pronounced dead.

Nichols' sister, Deborah Perry, watched the execution from a witness chamber and cried quietly but did not speak.

Nichols attorneys unsuccessfully sought to have his sentence commuted to life in prison, citing the fact that he took responsibility for his crimes and pleaded guilty. His clemency petition stated he would be the first person to be executed for a crime he pleaded guilty to since Tennessee re-enacted the death penalty in 1978.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to issue a stay of the execution on Thursday.

Pulley's sister, Lisette Monroe, had wanted to be present for the execution but became too overwhelmed, her husband and Pulley's brother-in-law, Jeff Monroe, told media afterwards. He read a statement that said the family was destroyed by evil the night Pulley was killed.

Taking a life is serious, and we take no pleasure in it, he said. However, the victims, and there were many, were carefully stalked and attacked. The crimes, and there were many, were deliberate, violent, and horrific.

In a recent interview, Lisette Monroe, said the wait for Nichols' execution has been 37 years of hell. She described her sister as gentle, sweet and innocent, and said she hopes that after the execution she'll be able to focus on the happy memories of Pulley instead of her murder.

Pulley, who was 20 when she was killed, had just finished Bible college and was attending school in Chattanooga to become a paralegal, Jeff Monroe said.

Karen was bubbly, happy, selfless, and looking forward to the life before her, he said.

Nichols' attorney, Debbie Drew, also spoke after the execution, saying her client had turned his life over to God after speaking to Pulley's mother decades ago, shortly after he was sentenced. His execution sent the message that no one can rise beyond the crimes they committed decades earlier and that redemption deserves no mercy, she said.

Davis said after the execution that he had known Nichols for a decade as part of a prison men's group and believes that Nichols' remorse and spiritual transformation were genuine. Davis said Nichols committed horrible crimes. But killing to teach people not to kill just doesn't make sense.

Nichols had seen two previous execution dates come and go. The state earlier planned to execute him in August 2020, but Nichols was given a reprieve due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many states have had difficulty obtaining lethal injection drugs as anti-death penalty activists have put pressure on drug companies and other suppliers. Between the shortages and legal challenges over botched executions, some states have moved to alternative methods of execution including a firing squad in South Carolina and nitrogen gas in Alabama.

Including Nichols, a total of 46 men have died by court-ordered execution this year in the U.S.
Night after night, journalist Laura Greenberg ran a bath, pressed play on a tape recorder, and listened to a man describe the heinous murders he had committed.

The voice of serial killer Douglas Gretzler came from behind prison walls as he spoke into the recorder, spilling his deepest, darkest secrets to a woman who hung on every word.

For four decades, Greenberg exchanged thousands of letters and more than 500 hours of audio recordings with Gretzler, one of the most prolific mass murderers in American history, yet one whose case quickly faded from the headlines.

Her goal was to understand why Gretzler, at age 22, and his accomplice Willie Steelman went on a three-week killing spree across two states in 1973 which left 17 people dead, including two children.

We were both obsessed with the human mind, Greenberg revealed in an exclusive clip shared with The Independent. When asked what sparked a connection, she said: He was scary smart. I had to really use my brain.

Douglas Gretzler (pictured in his 1973 mugshot) went on a murderous rampage in 1973, killing 17 people in three weeks with partner Willie Luther Steelman (Courtesy of Oxygen)

Night after night, journalist Laura Greenberg ran a bath, pressed play on a tape recorder, and listened to a man describe the heinous murders he had committed (Courtesy of Oxygen)

The tapes will be heard publicly for the first time Saturday in a new Oxygen documentary, Charmed by the Devil, that traces Greenbergs decades-long pursuit of Gretzlers motives and the emotional toll of getting dangerously close to a killer.

Over time, the boundaries blurred, giving way to an obsessive, deeply intimate relationship.

Eventually I thought about him all the time, Greenberg said in a recent on-camera interview, holding a lock of Gretzlers hair that he had mailed her. He had very nice hair actually.

She added: He was my secret life and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed having something for myself.

The tapes will be heard publicly for the first time Saturday in a documentary that retraces Greenbergs decades-long pursuit of Gretzlers motives (Courtesy of Oxygen)

A road trip and a killing spree

In October 1973, Douglas Gretzler, 22, and Willie Steelman, 28, set off from Denver, Colorado on a road trip to rob people for drugs and money. They had met just a year earlier when Gretzler moved across the country from New York.

Steelman took Gretzler under his wing, teaching him how to steal purses and wallets. The two became close friends with a mutual desire for making quick cash, no matter who got in their way.

They began with petty robberies in Arizona - stealing small amounts of cash, stolen clothes and jewelry. They robbed a couple sunbathing in Globe, Arizona, and stole $5. They picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Phoenix, tying him to a tree, stealing $20, his clothes, and a ring, that they later pawned.

But the violence soon turned deadly.

In October 1973, Douglas Gretzler and Willie Steelman (pictured) set off on a road trip that turned into a killing spree across Arizona and California. Both were arrested and convicted. Steelman died on death row before he could be executed (Courtesy of Oxygen)

The pair met up with friends, Ken Unrein and Mike Adshade, and learned that Steelmans acquaintances, Bob Robbins and Yafah Hacohen, were living at a nearby trailer park so they paid them a visit. Gretzler and Steelman then kidnapped Unrein and Adshade, stole their Volkswagen van and drove to Stanislaus County, California. On October 17, 1973, they stabbed them to death, dumping their bodies and drove off in the van until it konked out.

A few days later, while hitchhiking, Gretzler and Steelman kidnapped a young couple who stopped for them near Petaluma, California. Steelman raped the woman, but eventually both victims were released at an underground garage, where the killers stole another car.

The pair then became concerned that Robbins and Hacohen could connect them to the killings of Unrein and Adshade, so they returned to Arizona to silence them. On the way, they picked up another hitchhiker, killing him and dumping his body in the Superstition Mountains. On October 25, they shot and killed Robbins and Hacohen.

On November 2, again hitchhiking, the pair were picked up by Gilbert Sierra. That night, they murdered him and abandoned his car. The very next day, the men kidnapped Vincent Armstrong who stopped for them in Tucson. But Armstrong escaped and went to the police.

Gretzler and Steelman were arrested in Sacramento after a hotel clerk recognized the latter from police photos (Courtesy of Oxygen)

After meeting Gretzler in prison in 1988, the two kept up a relationship that last decades. Until Gretzler was executed in 1998 (Courtesy of Oxygen)

After the failed carjacking of Armstrong, the pair forced their way into a condominium owned by Michael and Patricia Sandberg. They bound and gagged the couple, dyed Gretzlers hair to avoid detection, and took the Sandbergs clothes. Then shot both victims, using a pillow to muffle the sound.

Gretzler and Steelman then fled the state and made their way back to California where they forced their way into the home of rancher, Walter Parkin, forcing him to take them to his nearby store where they stole several thousand dollars from the safe. During the attack, the pair managed to bind and gag seven adults, some of whom were there when they arrived and some who showed up later. They were all killed, along with two children who were shot dead while they slept. Steelman shot one child, and Gretzler shot the other.

Gretzler and Steelman were arrested days later in Sacramento after a hotel clerk recognized the latter from police photos.

After being arrested, Gretzler confessed to the murders. But he didnt speak about the murders again until he made contact with Greenberg (Courtesy of Oxygen)

Greenberg today. For four decades, she exchanged thousands of letters and more than 500 hours of audio recordings with Gretzler, one of the most prolific mass murderers in American history, yet one whose case quickly faded from the headlines. (Courtesy of Oxygen)

Gretzler confessed to the murders, pleading guilty in California to nine counts of first-degree murder, and received nine concurrent life sentences. Steelman pleaded no contest to nine counts of murder and five counts of robbery in exchange for the kidnapping charge to be dropped. They were both convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Both men were subsequently extradited to Arizona, which had the death penalty, to face additional charges. In November 1976, Gretzler was sentenced to death for the murders of Michael and Patricia Sandberg.

Steelman was convicted of two counts of murder, one of kidnapping, two counts of robbery, and one count of burglary. He was sentenced to death, plus 80 to 95 years for the kidnapping of Vincent Armstrong, and the burglary and robbery of the Sandbergs. He died of cirrhosis in 1986.

While on death row in Arizona, Gretzler shut down. For 12 years he didnt speak about the murders.

In 1988, Greenberg, was a reporter for the City Magazine in Tucson who had found her niche on the crime beat. When she got a tip about two men on death row, whose story had long disappeared, she wanted to know more.

It was the biggest mass murder story in 1973, Greenberg said. But as quickly as the murders unfolded, they were completely forgotten.

In 1988, Greenberg, was a reporter for the City Magazine in Tucson who had found her niche on the crime beat. When she got a tip about two men on death row, whose story had long disappeared, she wanted to know more. So she sent a letter to Gretzler in prison asking him that very question (Courtesy of Oxygen)

She was fixated on the unanswered question at the center of the case: why? So she sent a letter to Gretzler in prison asking him that very question.

I wanted to know how could a man kill 17 people, she said. What followed was many interviews at Florence State Prison. Gretzler told Greenberg that he had not had a single visitor until she came in 1988.

At first, their meetings took place with a glass partition between them and other inmates around. After a year and a half, they were granted contact visits, which meant they could sit in a room with a table and two chairs.

I went and visited Doug 350 times in prison, Greenberg says in the documentary. We wrote hundreds of letters and we recorded 500 plus hours of audio tapes. I wanted to understand the monster.

Blurred lines

During her first visit to the prison, Gretzler told Greenberg that her letter had intrigued him.

They then bonded over their similar upbringings. They were both originally from New York, with Greenberg from Queens and Gretzler from the Bronx.

He started to open up more and thats when I realized that neither one of us ever fit in anywhere, Greenberg said. That was our glue.

She explained that she wanted to know what made him kill, and why he had killed a child. Cant get much colder than that, Greenberg explains in the documentary, adding that she was disgusted but removed herself from a feeling state in order to get information from him.

Greenberg was on a mission to uncover his motives but soon the lines blurred and their chats became more personal (Oxygen True Crime)

Gretzler blamed those killings on his partner but added that it didnt take much for him to do something so heinous.

Because Willie told me to, he told her. It didnt take me a lot to kill, Laura. I didnt have standard roadblocks in my mental roadway that would have stopped me from killing.

After their prison meetings, Gretzler asked if he could also share his story on audio tapes. So Greenberg would send a recorded tape of herself asking questions and he would respond.

The killer details his familys dark past in the recordings. Gretzler told her about his brother, Mark, his fathers favorite and could do no wrong - until he broke into school and stole test answers.

The family arranged a meeting to talk about getting Mark help. But he didnt show up, and when Gretzler went to get him from his bedroom, he found his teen brother dead of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Greenber says she does not regret their close relationship. Very few people really knew me, she said. Gretzler knew me (Courtesy of Oxygen)

When my brother committed suicide, my father just shut me out, Gretzler can be heard saying on one tape. I was made to feel like my father wished it was me who died.

But despite decades of conversations, Gretzler remained elusive on the motive behind the litany of murders.

At one point he told Greenberg: I wanted to show [my father] that I was cool, cold and f***** in the head as he was.

Still, the interviews continued but the tone of the tapes became more personal, and flirtatious. We started chit chatting about everything, Greenberg recalled. I would fill up the bathtub and I would listen to him talk to me about murder.

Gretzler asked her for a lock of hair, and sent one back in return. He asked the journalist for pictures of herself in a bathing suit. She obliged.

At one point, the serial killer told her in a recording: I love you. And I am still in love with you.

I called him the romantic serial killer, Greenberg said. He had a romantic streak that was insane.

She continued to date men outside of her relationship with Gretzler, but years passed before she settled down.

In one tape, Gretzler tells Greenberg that he loves her (Courtesy of Oxygen)

I just felt like we were in a different type of relationship, one that was in some ways more important than my romantic ones, which I had been a failure at, she said. I blur lines in every relationship I've ever had.

When Greenberg got married to man named Kevin, Gretzler was not happy, she said. Im just incredibly jealous of him, Gretzler says on the tapes. Incredibly jealous.

On June 3, 1998, Gretzler was executed by lethal injection. Greenberg joined some of his family members at the prison.

She says she does not regret their close relationship. Very few people really knew me, she said. Gretzler knew me.

But was she in love with a serial killer?

There were 17 dead people that stood between us  and that's a lot of people, she said. But I still miss him.

Charmed by the Devil premieres December 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
Wes Streeting has expressed his genuine fears for the NHS if next weeks resident doctors strike goes ahead, warning that he could not guarantee the safety of patients during a severe rise in flu cases.

The health secretary claimed flu is causing probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid, with the collapse of the health service at one minute to midnight.

Mr Streeting warned the numbers could triple by the peak and described the scenes in hospital as inexcusable, stressing that the strike action could be the Jenga piece that collapses the tower.

Despite new figures showing flu cases at a record level for this time of year after jumping 55 per cent in a week, the chair of the British Medical Association has denied that patients will be put at risk as a result of next weeks walkouts.

BMA chief Dr Tom Dolphin told The Independent the NHS is facing a year-round crisis that is not isolated to the winter, insisting that senior doctors would be able to be drafted in to cover for the absent resident doctors to keep patients safe.

Tom Dolphin, member of the BMA consultant committee (Independent)

The strike is expected to take place from 7am on 17 December until 22 December, after the union accused the government of failing to make sufficient progress towards a viable deal on jobs and pay.

But as flu cases surge in England, with an average of 2,660 flu patients in hospital each day last week, there are growing concerns over the health services ability to cope with the walkouts.

Taking aim at the BMA, Mr Streeting criticised the trade union for choosing to strike in December as they know that this week will be most painful for the NHS.

Describing the situation as pretty terrifying, he told LBC: So if youve got strikes and youve got flu and youve got all of these trolleys on corridors, and youve got demand going up rather than down, I just dont think there is a lever I can pull, I dont think theres an amount of money I can throw, that means I can sit on your programme and guarantee patient safety over the next week.

Downing Street has called on the union to reverse its astounding plans to strike and inflict pain on patients, adding: Lets be clear about what this decision means: their NHS colleagues will have to cancel Christmas plans to cover shifts, patients will have operations cancelled, and the NHS will be preparing for the worst in the middle of an unprecedented flu season.

Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, warned that the tidal wave of flu facing the NHS means the health service needs all-hands on deck to look after a huge number of patients.

Meanwhile, Dr Jeanette Dickson, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AOMRC) said she is concerned about the impact on patients of a further five days of industrial action at this critical time of year, with the organisation pointing out that there are 10 times more patients in hospital beds with flu than there were at the same time two years ago.

But Dr Dolphin said: So the NHS is already struggling all the time  We are strained, and thats been going on since the summer. So its not just a winter crisis, its genuinely year-round.

Flu patients in hospital in England (PA)

Addressing the winter flu crisis, he said: On strike days, the hospitals arrange for senior doctors to cover for the absent resident doctors.

Sometimes theyll get people to come do that as extra shifts in their own time and sometimes theyll redeploy people from doing planned care  care that can be postponed if the hospitals think that there is a need for extra staff  So the same model that has worked for all the previous strikes to keep patients safe will apply.

He added: They may need to do more of it, but the principle is still there, and it still keeps patients safe.

Pressed on whether he thinks no extra patients will be put at risk at this time of year, he said: Yeah, I do, because the planning for that falls on the hospitals to decide where theyre going to use the staff that theyve got.

But Mr Elkeles disagreed, telling The Independent he believes more patients will be put at risk.

While he said the NHS will work its absolute hardest to continue operating as normal, he warned of the impact of this tidal wave of flu and the sheer pressure thats [its] putting on the emergency part of the NHS the moment.

The volume of 999 calls, the number of patients being admitted to hospital is huge  this feels like a moment you need all of your workforce pulling together, with all hands on deck to look after a huge number of patients, he said.

It would seem likely that if a key part of the workforce decide to take industrial action next week, it makes looking after all these patients and delivering planned care a challenging ask.

While Dr Dickson said the AOMRC would not comment on the rights or wrongs of the industrial action, the organisation urged the BMA to suspend its guidance, which states resident doctors do not need to inform their employers about whether they plan to strike or not as a result of the considerable additional pressure being caused by a particularly virulent flu virus taking hold.

A spokesperson said: If managers were told which resident doctors are intending to take action it would at least allow them to plan safely for emergency cover and perhaps consolidate resources on a regional basis.

In a last-ditch attempt to avoid the five-day strike, Mr Streeting offered the BMA a deal which proposes to tackle the bottleneck by prioritising UK medical graduates and doctors for speciality training  an offer the union has agreed to put to members over the coming days.

The health secretary has branded the proposed strike irresponsible (PA)

Under the offer, 4,000 more speciality training places will be created, and their Royal College membership and exam fees will be reimbursed.

But BMA fellow deputy chair Dr Shivam Sharma has cast doubt on the offer, saying he finds it difficult to see members accepting it, describing it as a mixed bag.

There have been increasingly tense relations between the Labour government and the doctors union in recent months, with Mr Streeting accusing the BMA of juvenile delinquency for planning to walk out over five consecutive days in the run-up to Christmas.

But Dr Dolphin expressed a degree of optimism when it comes to relations with Labour, saying the governments approach to labour relations has generally been a big step change from the previous government, adding that the Labour Party recognises the importance of trade unions.

He added: Negotiations have been quite difficult because weve been quite far apart in our starting position, and some of the language used has been unfortunate, but we understand its a difficult conversation, so that's to be expected.

I think as long as we can continue to have constructive conversations in negotiation meetings, rather than briefing about each other in the media, then thats going to have a better outcome. And I think the Labour Party is capable of doing that in a way that probably some other governments would not be.

But he said the government must come forward with a decent offer that we can put to membership if they want to avert further walkouts next year.

We need a resolution on it, he said. Weve been asking nicely for several years, and now were going to move into industrial dispute about it.
The political firestorm surrounding a University of Oklahoma psychology assignment took an unexpected turn this week after the head of the Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans publicly rejected claims of ideological discrimination and instead defended the professor who gave student Samantha Fulnecky a failing grade. In a statement later removed from X, chairman Conner Tranquill said the paper that sparked national attention was academically 'indefensible' and that the zero was 'demonstrably correct'.

The case, which has drawn coverage from local outlets to political commentators, centres on Fulnecky's claim that she received a zero because of her religious and conservative beliefs. She has since appeared on local news stations asserting she was discriminated against, while Turning Point USA's OU chapter amplified her story as an example of ideological bias on campus. But Tranquill, one of the state's most visible young conservative leaders, argued the opposite  insisting the assignment failed on academic grounds alone.

A Rare Public Reprimand From Within the Party

In his statement, Tranquill criticised not only the essay but the decision of TPUSA's OU chapter to elevate it publicly, calling the move 'a serious lapse in judgment'. He wrote that the paper failed to meet foundational college-level requirements, noting that it did not cite its primary source  the Bible  and did not address the assignment's academic objective.

'We are not the party of participation trophies,' he added, arguing that conservative student groups weaken their credibility when they rally behind poor-quality work. That unusually candid tone led observers to remark that it was 'rare when you see a Republican go off script and speak truth', as one viral Reddit comment put it.

However, within hours of posting the message, Tranquill's X account was set to private for a time, and the statement could no longer be publicly accessed.

Some users speculated he had faced internal pressure, while others suggested he had grown tired of online backlash. His silence since the post's removal has only intensified questions about how the controversy is playing inside Oklahoma's conservative student circles.

Currently, Tanner's profile is set back to public, but his profile photo says he will be away from the platform for 90 days.

University Investigation Continues as Professor Placed on Leave

OU confirmed that the essay dispute is the subject of an active investigation, and the professor involved has been placed on administrative leave as per university protocol. The school also clarified that Fulnecky's zero will not affect her academic standing while the review is ongoing.

The university's decision to temporarily remove the professor from classroom duties has further fuelled online speculation, with some arguing it validates Fulnecky's discrimination claims. Others say it reflects standard procedure rather than wrongdoing  a measure taken routinely to ensure neutrality during academic disputes.

Student reactions on social platforms remain divided. Supporters of Fulnecky argue that even poorly executed assignments should not be grounds for ideological bias, while critics counter that academic standards must be enforced consistently. Across platforms like Reddit, many users expressed that regardless of politics, the essay did not meet basic expectations for a college-level submission.

Fulnecky Takes Her Case Public as Debate Widens

While the investigation unfolds, Fulnecky has been using airtime on local news outlets to describe herself as an advocate for students who feel silenced in academic environments, firm on defending her faith in public. Her media appearances frame the controversy as part of a broader struggle for ideological representation in higher education, a message resonating strongly with conservative audiences.

But Tranquill's statement has complicated that narrative. His insistence that conservative movements must not conflate political identity with academic performance introduced a tension many on the right are now openly debating: whether the push to defend students ideologically risks undercutting long-term efforts to demonstrate academic rigour and intellectual credibility.

What remains clear is that the controversy has moved far beyond a single psychology essay. It now sits at the intersection of student politics, academic standards, and national debates over bias in higher education  with both sides claiming the incident supports their broader worldview.

Originally published on IBTimes UK
As animal lovers, there is nothing better than the introduction of a new member of the kingdom, and with the help of social media, we get to meet so many that we never would have been able to otherwise.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust recently rescued the sweetest little baby elephant and formally introduced her to their supporters on Instagram. Kaikai is only 7 months old and was rescued at just a week old after her mother elephant passed away unexpectedly.

In a recent videopart three of her four-part introductionthe amazing baby pachyderm is seen cozying up to Keeper Mishak during a relaxing visit to the beach. In the caption, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust says, Little Kaikai fancies herself a lap elephant. And thats exactly what it looks like. The baby leans into her keeper as he talks softly to her and gently pets the underside of her trunk.

Her rescue was carefully coordinated and required many groups to work together. Now that she is part of the Kaluku Nursery herd, we are lucky enough to get near-daily updates on her progress. One viewer lovingly noted, How beautiful. She has a home, family, safety, incredible care, and she is swimming in love and adoration. Just as it should be.

Viewers React to the New Baby Elephant

Every video from the Trust is magical, and thousands of people around the globe look forward to the daily elephant updates. One viewer, @andreamarozas, says, How much I would enjoy a baby elephant cuddle puddle? OMG. Keeper Mishak you are a wonder Thank you!

Another fan, @gigiw, exclaimed, Sitting on the beach, with a baby lap elephant?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Oh my God!

And @seltzerwater1 pointed out, These are the moments the babies never forget and why they come back year after year to visit after they return to the wild.

In the final video of the series about Kaikai, the Trust describes all the things she enjoys. They call her their little sprite and mention that she finds joy in the ordinary. Apparently, she turns anything into a toyfrom shovels to shoelacesbut her absolute favorite is a good old-fashioned cardboard box! Go figure!

This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Dec 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tate director Maria Balshaw is to step down from her role in the spring of 2026 following nine years of leadership.

The gallery director became the first female chief of Tate after succeeding Sir Nicholas Serota in the role in 2017.

Across her tenure Ms Balshaw, who oversees Tate Modern and Tate Britain in London, as well as Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives, has spearheaded a programme of exhibitions that include Steve McQueens Year 3, a collective school portrait of 76,000 children aged seven or eight from across London.

Ahead of her departure she will curate an exhibition at the Tate Modern, launching in February 2026, that celebrates the work of Dame Tracey Emin.

Ms Balshaw said: It has been an absolute privilege to serve as director of Tate over this last decade and to work with such talented colleagues and artists.

With a growing and increasingly diverse audience, and with a brilliant forward plan in place, I feel now is the right time to pass on the baton to a next director who will take the organisation into its next decade of innovation and artistic leadership.

My greatest thrill has always been to work closely with artists, and so it is fitting that Tracey Emins exhibition at Tate Modern will be my final project at Tate.

Made a CBE for services to the arts in 2015, Ms Balshaw has been credited with significantly expanding the collections of the galleries she leads.

Maria Balshaw will step down next year (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Archive)

She was previously director of culture for Manchester City Council and served as a board member for Factory International, an arts organisation based in Manchester.

Roland Rudd, chair of Tate, said: Maria has been a trailblazer at Tate. She has never wavered from her core belief  that more people deserve to experience the full richness of art, and more artists deserve to be part of that story.

As the home of British art and of international modern and contemporary art, Tate today reflects the audiences we serve and the artists who make up our nation.

We engage a wider public than ever before through our own galleries, our digital channels, and our projects in other venues across the UK and the world.

Maria has my heartfelt thanks for those achievements and for all her work over the past decade.
Taylor Swift broke down in tears ahead of meeting some of the survivors and families of the victims of the Southport stabbing attack, hours before she went onstage to perform a three-hour pop show.

Backstage footage from her Eras tour showed the US pop star, 35, open up about the emotional burden caused by events taking place during her mammoth world tour.

Weve had a series of very violent, scary things happen to the tour, she explains.

Three young girls were killed in the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in July 2024, while other children and adults were seriously injured.

There was this horrible attack in Liverpool at this Taylor Swift-themed dance party, Swift says in her new six-part documentary series The End of an Era for Disney+, the first two episodes of which were released on Friday (12 December). And it was little kids that She breaks off, whispering in tears: I have a hard time explaining it.

She continues: Im gonna meet some of these families tonight and put on a pop concert, you know?

Swift was comforted by her mother Andrea after breaking into tears about the attack (Doug Peters/PA) (PA Wire)

Wiping away tears, she says: Its gonna be fine, because Im not gonna do this [cry]. Im gonna be smiling, so any of this gets out of the way before you go onstage and lock it off. Three-and-a-half hours, they dont have to worry about you.

Later in the episode, it is explained that Swift met privately with the survivors and families of the Southport attack before each of the five Wembley shows.

Footage shows her and her mother and manager, Andrea Swift, leaving a room after meeting them and walking back to her dressing room in floods of tears.

I know you helped them, her mother tells her. I know it doesnt seem like it but I know you helped them.

Taylor Swift breaks down after meeting families of the Southport stabbing attack (Disney+)

Adding to the pressure at the same time was the fact that the Wembley show marked Swifts return to the stage after she was forced to cancel three concerts in Vienna, Austria, due to a terrorist threat.

Swift compared it to being a pilot flying a plane and needing to maintain a calm and collected manner no matter how difficult the situation.

From a mental standpoint, I just do live in a reality thats very unreal, a lot of the time," Swift says in a voiceover. But its my job to kind of be able to handle all of these feelings and then perk up immediately and perform.

Thats just the way its got to be.

Swift spoke about having to lock off her emotions before going onstage (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The first two episodes of Swifts documentary The End of an Era are on Disney+ now.
Vivienne Taylor stalked the surgeon who carried out her gender reassignment surgery (Linkedin)

A trans woman convicted of stalking the top surgeon who carried out her gender reassignment operation has pleaded with a judge for a switch to a womens prison.

Vivienne Taylor, 28, is currently in custody awaiting sentence for the pursuit of Tina Rashid, in actions which stretched across four years.

At a hearing at Isleworth crown court on Monday, Taylor joined on a videolink from HMP Wandsworth, a male category B jail in south London.

I have a female recognition certificate, Taylor told Judge Hannah Duncan. I am a female.

I should be treated as such, I should go to Bronzefield or another female establishment.

However, the judge replied: While in the prison estate, where you are hosted is not something that has anything to do with me.

I leave that to the prison staff, its under policies, procedures, various considerations, and a fact-specific decision to be made.

I will leave that to people who are qualified to make these decisions.

Taylor was due to be sentenced on Monday for stalking causing serious alarm or distress, having pleaded guilty a month ago.

Tina Rashid, a top gender reassignment surgeon, was the victim of stalking (Online)

But the hearing was adjourned for psychiatric assessments to be completed on Taylor, with a new date set for February 5 next year.

A magistrates court hearing was told Taylors stalking involved turning up at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital while pretending she had a booked appointment, sending unwanted emails to the surgeon, and trying to connect with her on LinkedIn.

It was said the stalking culminated in a threatening message sent to Ms Rashid, suggesting she was going to batter her.

Ms Rashid is a senior consultant urological surgeon with a specialism in genital surgery for trans women, and she is the National Clinical Lead for Gender Surgery.

Prosecutor Jonathan Bryan told the court that Taylors obsession with Ms Rashid was first revealed in 2021 when she was going through gender reassignment procedures.

She had organised a cake, to say thank you to the surgeon, and at that point it was noticed that she had a large number of photographs of the surgeon on her phone, he said.

The court heard Taylor was discharged from the hospital, but later was readmitted with complications.

Theres a suggestion these complications were self-inflicted, said Mr Bryan. The defendant was insisting that she be treated by the same surgeon.

She threatened to kill herself if she wasnt dealt with by that surgeon.

The hospital banned Taylor from seeing Ms Rashid, and the court heard she was later detained under mental health legislation, meaning no criminal proceedings happened in 2021.

The complainant through that was the end of the matter and the defendant moved away from London, the prosecutor said.

But then the matter started again in September 2024, when the defendant contacted the complainant.

The court heard Taylor moved back to London from The Wirral, and sent a series of emails which Ms Rashid tried to ignore.

In March this year she sent a LinkedIn connection request, and in May Taylor started turning up unannounced at the central London hospital.

She was requesting to be under the complainants care team, said Mr Bryan.

Later that month, she went to the hospital saying she had an appointment with the complainant.

He detailed five further unwanted hospital visits, followed by an email to Ms Rashid and, on November 2, an emailed threat saying she would batter he and shag her partner.

At Isleworth crown court on Monday, Taylor confirmed her guilty plea but also told the judge: I argue my admissions to Chelsea and Westminster hospital were not part of my stalking, because I was there for my medical treatment.

The court heard she has suffered breakdowns in her mental health, and says she moved back to London to get away from domestic abuse.

Taylor, who has no previous convictions, remains remanded in custody ahead of the sentencing hearing in February.
Nobel peace prize laureate Maria Corina Machado arrives at the Grand hotel in Oslo, Norway, on 12 December. Photograph: Ole Berg-Rusten/EPA (Photograph: Ole Berg-Rusten/EPA)

Nicolas Maduros political downfall is inevitable, the Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado has claimed, rejecting claims that the dictators demise would plunge Venezuela into a Syria-style civil war.

Speaking to journalists in Oslo two days after being awarded the Nobel peace prize, Machado voiced confidence that her country was on the cusp of a new political era amid an intensifying US campaign to unseat Maduro.

Transition is irreversible, said the conservative pro-democracy activist, who arrived in Norways capital on Wednesday having dramatically slipped out of Venezuela by boat after nearly a year living in hiding.

Machado told reporters that Maduro and senior members of his regime still had time to negotiate a peaceful handover. But  Maduro will leave power, whether there is a negotiation or not. We would like it to be through a negotiation, she added, dismissing fears that a change of regime could plunge Venezuela into violence similar to the civil wars in Libya and Syria or the conflict in Afghanistan.

Related: Follow the path of exiles: Maria Corina Machados US-aided escape from Venezuela

These [comparisons] are utterly unfounded because the situation [in Venezuela] is completely different. We have  a well-knit society without religious, racial, regional, socio-political divisions, she told reporters from a small number of outlets including the Guardian.

Machado, a 58-year-old former congresswoman from Caracas, has spent almost half of her life battling the Chavista political movement, which Maduro inherited from Hugo Chavez after his death in 2013. In the years after Maduro took power, plummeting oil prices and economic mismanagement and corruption plunged Venezuela into economic chaos, with US sanctions later compounding the crisis. More than eight million citizens fled overseas  an exodus larger than the one generated by Syrias civil war.

In July 2024, Maduro appeared to suffer a landslide defeat in the presidential election, amid widespread anger at his increasingly authoritarian rule and Venezuelas economic collapse. Detailed voting data released by the opposition and verified by independent experts indicated that Edmundo Gonzalez, a diplomat who ran in Machados place after she was banned, won the vote, although Maduro clung to power after launching a ferocious crackdown.

Twenty-four hours after that allegedly stolen vote, during one of her last public appearances before going underground, Machado made an almost identical forecast about Maduros fate. I would say his departure is irreversible, she told the Guardian at an event Caracas.

But 16 months later Maduro remains in power and this week struck a defiant tone, urging supporters to prepare to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary.

Since August Donald Trump has ramped up the pressure, putting a $50m bounty on Maduros head and ordering a massive military buildup in the Caribbean Sea as well as a series of deadly airstrikes on alleged narco vessels supposedly linked to Venezuelas government. Earlier this week, US troops commandeered an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea that was carrying tens of millions of dollars worth of Venezuelan oil, a move Machado described as a very necessary step to deprive resources from the Maduro regime.

Late on Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on three nephews of Maduros wife, Cilia Flores, and on six crude oil supertankers and the shipping companies linked to them. The treasury department alleged the vessels engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduros corrupt narco-terrorist regime. Trump also repeated his threats to launch strikes on targets on the Venezuelan mainland.

However, back-channel talks over Maduros future are believed to have continued. Maduro and Trump held a rare phone conversation in late November, prompting claims that the US president had given his counterpart an ultimatum to leave power, although the details of their conversation remain a mystery.

Reports have emerged that Brazils leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, held a secret conversation with Maduro during which the Brazilian offered to meditate the crisis with Trump.

Colombias foreign minister, Rosa Villavicencio, signalled that her government would be willing to offer Maduro asylum, in another sign of growing regional pressure.

Related: Venezuelan Nobel laureate backs US seizure of oil tanker

Some observers fear Trumps escalating pressure campaign and Maduros apparent unwillingness to resign mean the US may be lurching towards a military intervention on Venezuelan soil, with potentially devastating consequences.

Earlier this week, Lulas chief foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, warned that a US attack on Venezuela could plunge South America into a Vietnam-style conflict.

Speaking in Oslo, Machado insisted her movement was preparing for an orderly and peaceful transition once Maduro was gone. She said Gonzalez had invited her to be vice-president if their movement was able to take power. Machado claimed that the vast majority of the police and armed forces would follow the new administrations orders once the political transition began.

Ricardo Hausmann, a former Venezuelan minister and economist, rejected the lazy and irresponsible claims that his country would inevitably be plunged into chaos by Maduros departure from power. Venezuela is politically unified, said Hausmann, who believed Maduro would only agree to step down if Trump dramatically increased the pressure.

If staying in power means that you may get missiles thrown at you, like [Iranian general Qasem] Soleimani, then you might want to consider seriously whether you want to stay in power, Hausmann said.
New photos released from Jeffrey Epsteins estate show the disgraced sex offenders links to powerful political figures, including President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates and Richard Branson.

Many of these figures were previously linked to Epstein, but the new photos have prompted speculation around just how deep these relationships go.

The images  19 in total - were released by Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee and reportedly came from Epsteins estate.

One image shows a bowl of novelty condoms with a depiction of Trumps face, next to a sign saying Trump condom $4.50 and Im HUUUUGE!.

Trump and Epstein in an image released by the US House Oversight Committee (via REUTERS)

In another image, Trump can be seen with six women whose faces have been obscured by the committee.

Others show former Trump aide Steve Bannon taking a photo alongside Epstein in a mirror, Bill Clinton with Epstein and Maxwell, and billionaire Bill Gates pictured with the former Prince Andrew.

In other photos, former Harvard President Larry Summers and lawyer Alan Dershowitz can be seen.

There is no sexual misconduct depicted in any of the released images, nor are there thought to be any underage girls.

It is not clear when or where they were taken, or who was behind the camera.

Epstein was known to be connected to many high profile people and there is no suggestion that those pictured or named in relevant files are accused of wrongdoing - many have previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Trump in one of the released photos (via REUTERS)

Segway inventor Dean Kamen, Epstein and Richard Branson (US House Oversight Committee Democrats/PA Wire)

The images were obtained by a committee as part of the ongoing investigation into the late paedophile financier.

So far, tens of thousands of documents, emails, and communications from the Epstein estate have been released  many of which could open new lines of investigation.

Lawyers for the Epstein estate wrote a letter to the committee on Thursday saying that they could review any videos and photographs they requested taken at any property owned, rented, operated, or used by Epstein from January 1, 1990, through August 10, 2019.

The lawyers wrote: Like yesterdays production, it also includes documents that may not be responsive, but that the Estate was unable to confirm whether they were taken at a property owned, rented, operated, or used by Epstein.

The Estate has provided minimal redactions to these photographs; the redactions are limited to nudity, the lawyers wrote.

Steve Bannon with Epstein (via REUTERS)

Rep. Robert Garcia, the most senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that the latest release from the estate contained over 95,000 photos, including images of the wealthy and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein as well as thousands of photographs of women and Epstein properties.

He wrote: It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends.

These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world.

We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.

Clinton has never faced allegations of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein by law enforcement and a spokesperson has consistently maintained that he cut ties with Epstein ahead of his 2019 arrest and was not aware of his crimes.

Former prince Andrew has been stripped of his titles for his connections to Jeffrey Epstein (PA Wire)

A spokesperson for Gates has repeatedly refuted that Epstein ever worked for the tech billionaire.

Gates previously said that he regrets ever meeting with Epstein.

He told CNNs Anderson Cooper in 2021: It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there.

Trumps ties to Epstein are well-documented - the two moved in the same social circles in Manhattan and Palm Beach.

Trump has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, and his circle previously rejected Epstein as a creep who was expelled from Trumps club.

Trump with Epstein (BBC PANORAMA)

In a recent selection of emails released by the committee, Epstein alleged that Trump spent hours with the late Virginia Giuffre, Epsteins chief accuser.

In an email, Epstein also reported that Trump knew about the girls  a reference to Trumps claim that Epstein was kicked out of his Mar-a-Lago club for using it as a base to scout girls for sex trafficking purposes.

Both Trump and the White House branded the issue as a hoax, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt responding that the emails prove absolutely nothing, other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.

Many of those who had proven ties to Epstein have already faced consequences  Larry Summers left teaching at Harvard and resigned from his board position at OpenAI, saying he was deeply ashamed of his connection to Epstein.

More prominently in the UK press, former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles and evicted from his residence at Royal Lodge, but has denied any allegations of misconduct.
Donald Trump prior to signing the executive order on AI, at the White House on 11 December 2025. Photograph: Al Drago/Reuters (Photograph: Al Drago/Reuters)

Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that seeks to halt any laws limiting artificial intelligence and block states from regulating the rapidly emerging technology. The order also creates a federal taskforce that will have the sole responsibility of challenging states AI laws.

At a signing ceremony, the president touted AI companies enthusiasm for wanting to invest in the United States and said that if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you could forget it.

Republicans earlier this year failed to pass a similar 10-year moratorium on state laws that regulate AI as part of Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with the Senate voting 99-1 to remove that ban from the legislation. Trumps order resurrects that effort, which failed after bipartisan pushback and Republican infighting, but as an order that lacks the force of law.

The Ensuring a national policy framework for artificial intelligence order is a victory for Silicon Valley and AI companies that have lobbied against regulation of their technology, arguing that a hodgepodge of state laws would burden the industry with unnecessary bureaucracy. AI firms and the Trump administration have not presented any comprehensive proposals for regulating AIs social, environmental and political harms, however, leaving in place only federal regulation, lax in comparison with legislation some states have passed or considered.

The order includes various mandates aimed at preventing the regulation of AI, including instructing the Department of Justice to create an AI Litigation Task Force whose sole responsibility is to challenge state laws. The order also demands a review of existing state laws that could require AI models to alter their truthful outputs. Likely targets include California, which requires companies to disclose their safety testing for new AI models, and Colorado, which requires employers to conduct risk assessments for algorithmic discrimination in hiring and take precautions against it.

Trumps order has received pushback from state leaders across the country and various civil liberties groups. They say this order will lead to more power in the hands of Silicon Valley companies and that, in turn, more vulnerable people and children will be exposed to the harms of chatbots, surveillance and algorithmic control.

Trumps campaign to threaten, harass and punish states that seek to pass commonsense AI regulations is just another chapter in his playbook to hand over control of one of the most transformative technologies of our time to big tech CEOs, said Teri Olle, the vice-president of Economic Security California Action, which co-sponsored AI safety legislation in California this year. This is not about allowing for American innovation.

Trump has framed the need for comprehensive AI regulation as both a necessity for the technologys development and as a means of preventing leftist ideology from infiltrating generative AI  a common conservative grievance among tech leaders such as Elon Musk.

You cant go through 50 states. You have to get one approval. Fifty is a disaster. Youll have one woke state and youll have to do all woke, Trump said at the US-Saudi Investment Forum last month. Youll have a couple of wokesters and you dont wanna do that. You wanna get the AI done.

Earlier this week, he reiterated that sentiment in a post on Truth Social, saying: We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that wont last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS. THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS! AI WILL BE DESTROYED IN ITS INFANCY!

The Trump administration has repeatedly vowed to make the US possess the most advanced artificial intelligence capabilities in the world, part of an intensifying AI arms race between the US and China. In doing so, the White House has largely ignored concerns from rights groups and researchers over the environmental costs of AI, alarm over the possibility of a financial bubble devastating the economy or AIs potential for damaging mental health or spreading misinformation.

The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety, JD Vance said in a February speech at an AI summit.

The Trump administration has fostered close ties with tech leaders and appointed industry figures to key roles within the government. The executive order gives an influential role to the special adviser for AI and crypto  a role occupied by billionaire venture capital investor and tech booster David Sacks  who is instructed to consult with the litigation taskforce when deciding which state laws to challenge.

Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, called the order bad policy.

The Trump-Sacks executive order proves that the White House only listens to powerful big tech CEOs who fund ballrooms rather than the everyday people they pretend to serve, Haworth said. The AI EO will go down as an unmitigated disaster that puts the Trump administration at odds with over two-thirds of Americans, and his AI-skeptic Maga base.

The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.

If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.

Secure Messaging in the Guardian app

The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.

If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select Secure Messaging.

SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post

If you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.

Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.
The chief RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, centre on truck, was also spared UK sanctions. Photograph: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty (Photograph: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty)

The UK has placed sanctions on four senior commanders of Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces suspected of involvement in heinous violence against civilians in the city of El Fasher, but decided not to take any action against their key military and diplomatic backer, the United Arab Emirates, or their chief commander.

British officials suggested they preferred to use their leverage with the UAE and the RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, privately, but admitted there was little sign of a ceasefire in Sudans near three-year civil war.

They also expressed fears that the war may spread to South Sudan and Eritrea. There were also concerns among diplomats that rivalries between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, on display in the south of Yemen, could lead to a deepening of the conflict in Sudan.

The UK estimates there are as many as 26 possible arms supply routes into Sudan with 10 countries of origin. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have broadly supported the army, while the RSF has been backed by the UAE, a position the Gulf state denies despite evidence compiled by the UN, independent experts and reporters. In south Yemen, the UAE is backing a separatist movement, the Southern Transitional Council, which is opposed by Saudi Arabia.

The war between the army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has caused what the UN has described as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Communities in the Darfur region are facing famine and malnutrition after an 18-month RSF siege around El Fasher, which fell to the group on 26 October.

Those targeted with sanctions include Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the RSFs deputy leader and brother of Hemedti, as well as three other commanders, all of whom now face asset freezes and travel bans. Officials indicated the threshold of evidence needed to place sanctions had been met partly because some of the commanders posted videos glorifying the killings on social media.

The four individuals under UK sanctions faced the same punishment by the EU last week, and the measures underline the extent to which sanctions are as much a statement of diplomatic leverage and disapproval as an objective assessment of those most responsible for the conflict.

The other RSF leaders placed under sanctions are: Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, the RSFs commander for North Darfur; Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, brigadier general of the RSF; and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, an RSF field commander.

The UK hinted strongly that it may take further action against the RSF in the near future, but this may depend on how the RSF seeks to use its current military advantage.

Related: An existential battle of interests: what the Sudanese war is actually about

In a statement, the UK Foreign Office said the individuals were suspected of atrocities including mass killings, sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians in El Fasher, Sudan.

Although there is no official figure for how many people were killed after the RSFs seizure of El Fasher, British MPs have been briefed that at least 60,000 may have been murdered.

The Foreign Office said an extra 20m in funding would empower aid organisations to reach 150,000 people with essentials such as food, medical care and emergency shelter, as well as to keep hospitals running and reconnect families. UK aid commitments to Sudan this year have risen to 146m.

The foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: The atrocities taking place in Sudan are so horrific they scar the conscience of the world. The overwhelming evidence of heinous crimes  mass executions, starvation and the systematic and calculated use of rape as a weapon of war  cannot and will not go unpunished. The UK will not look away, and we will always stand with the people of Sudan.

The UK is resisting efforts to join the group of four countries  the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt  that are leading efforts to find a diplomatic solution, fearing to do so would lead to pressure to join diplomatically one side or the other in the conflict.

Related: His role is to recruit: the Sheffield-based propagandist for Sudans RSF militia

The sanctions were welcomed by the UKs Darfur diaspora  thousands of whom have had family members killed by the RSF during the conflict  but there was also disappointment that the UAE had escaped censure.

Abdallah Abu Garda, the chair of the UK-based Darfur Diaspora Association, which has more than 30,000 members, said: The UKs sanctions on senior RSF commanders are a vital step toward justice. But ending atrocity crimes in Sudan and the genocide in Darfur requires more. All supply lines that fuel these atrocities, including those enabled by the UAE, must be cut.

True justice demands that every party, whether a direct perpetrator or an external sponsor, faces real consequences.

The UN Human Rights Council last week adopted a UK-led resolution condemning the atrocities and securing international consensus to mandate an urgent inquiry into atrocities in El Fasher.
In recent weeks, ICE appears to be increasingly arresting Afghans awaiting hearings. Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP (Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Immigration agents appear to be increasingly arresting and detaining Afghan asylum seekers, especially men, who have arrived in the US recently and are awaiting court hearings to decide their cases.

Amir  an asylum seeker who came to the US via Mexico in 2024  was driving home from his English class in Bloomington, Indiana just after noon on Monday, when he was pulled over by an unmarked police vehicle. Minutes later, the asylum seeker from Afghanistan was cuffed and driven to a detention center.

In New York, another Afghan asylum seeker was detained after complying with a request from immigration authorities to report to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. In northern California  home to one of the largest Afghan immigrant communities in the US  attorneys said nearly two dozen Afghan asylum seekers had been arrested  either out in the community, or at check-ins over the past two weeks.

Most of the Afghan asylum seekers whove been detained had requested asylum at the US-Mexico border over the last two years, attorneys said. Others have entered under Operation Allies Welcome  a Biden-era program to help resettle Afghans fleeing the Taliban following the USs withdrawal of the US from their country in 2021. Many had been granted humanitarian parole  a temporary legal status that allowed them to live and work in the US while their asylum claims were processed.

The recent arrests have created a huge chilling effect, said Shala Gafary, managing director of the Afghan Legal Assistance program at Human Rights First. People just dont feel safe to leave their home. People are asking all the time what the process is for going to Canada, or going to another country.

In the two weeks after an Afghan man was accused of shooting two national guard members, the Trump administration announced major policy changes  radically restricting legal pathways to immigration by pausing asylum decisions for nearly 1.5m people, and halting the processing of applications for green cards, citizenship, or asylum from immigrants from 19 countries.

Despite these policy changes, asylum seekers with removal orders making a case to remain in the US in the justice department immigration courts are still entitled to hearings.

But, in recent weeks, ICE appears to be increasingly arresting Afghans awaiting hearings  forcing them to remain detained until their cases are decided.

Many of those arrested had been complying with requirements to check in with ICE regularly, or wear electronic monitoring devices, attorneys said, and did not have any criminal histories, their attorneys said.

Clients have expressed to me that theyre feeling deeply unsettled and very fearful of what may happen to them next, said Elora Mukherjee, director of Columbia Law Schools Immigrants Rights Clinic, whose Afghan client  an Afghan asylum seeker  was detained after complying with a request to report to ICE offices in New York City.

Without any notice or warning, he was cuffed. He was completely shocked and didnt understand what was happening. And then for some period of time, we didnt know where he was. His family didnt know where he was.

Eventually, Mukherjee said, she was able to figure out hed been transferred to a detention facility in New Jersey. Neither she nor her client have received any explanation as to why he was arrested, she said.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

Amir, who was arrested in Bloomington, hasnt been told why he was arrested either, his brother-in-law Shamsullah said. The big question for our family is: for what reason was he arrested? He didnt have a speeding ticket, anything. The Guardian is not using their full names in order to protect their privacy and safety.

Rearview camera footage from Amirs car, reviewed by the Guardian, captured three agents wearing FBI vests approaching his vehicle from behind. You dont have lawful status to be here. Your visa expired, an agent told him.

Amir, who was in the car with his mother-in-law, repeatedly asked the agents if he could call his lawyer. Im going to let you call them, one agent told him, before they cuffed his hands behind his back. He wasnt allowed to call his lawyer on the way, nor was he able to speak with his wife. An agent took his mother-in-law, who couldnt drive, back to her home.

Amir, who had spoken with the Guardian last week prior to his detention, had fled Afghanistan  where he had been detained by the Taliban due to his family ties to the former government  a year and a half ago. He entered the US via the southern border, using the now defunct CBP One app to schedule an appointment with an immigration officer, and was granted humanitarian parole. He applied for asylum in December last year.

After receiving his work permits in the US, the former electrical engineer had been working in a cafeteria by day and as ride-share driver in the evenings. He had been wearing an ankle monitor as required by ICE.

His detention came as a shock to his family and for the broader Afghan community in Bloomington. People call me and they ask me: what should we do, what happened? Shamsullah said. I tell them I dont know. I dont know what we should do. Amirs wife, who is pregnant, has been especially struggling, he added.

If he were to return to Afghanistan, the family fears, Amir would be immediately detained. The family is also part of the Hazara Shia minority in Afghanistan, a group that has faced escalating violence and persecution since 2021. There is no safe place for us in Afghanistan, Amir told the Guardian last week. The Taliban without any reason, they arrest people and they kill people.

Attorneys said they were often at a loss for what to tell clients, many who have fled political prosecution, torture and threats on their lives in Afghanistan after the Taliban retook the country in 2021. They are afraid, even though they have complied with every provision of US law, even though they have extremely strong cases and we have extensive documentation of their past persecution, whether through medical evaluations or mental health evaluations or photographs of their scars and their burns and other harms that theyve experienced.

Attorneys told the Guardian they are still unclear on how various policy changes will play out, if the administration will try to terminate the legal status for Afghans with humanitarian parole, or how long the pause on processing various immigration petitions will last.

The honest answer is, I do not know, and the administration has not indicated whats going to happen to those cases, said Gregory Chen is Senior Director of Government Relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). The administration has used terms such as indefinite pause, which is, of course, a contradictory oxymoron.

The arrests and other policy changes have sparked panic, said Wahida Noorzad, an immigration attorney in the Bay Area who has seen two clients arrested and detained at the California City detention center, in the high desert east of Los Angeles. A third Afghan client was detained four weeks ago, prior to the shooting on 26 November.

Noorzad  who herself is Afghan American  said she has started receiving calls from across the region and the US, because she is one of the few immigration attorneys who speaks Dari. I have many clients that are Afghan in the court system. I dont know if theyre all going to be picked up, she said.

Already, she added, it is proving challenging for her to help detained clients who have been transferred to the major ICE detention facility in California city, more than 5 hours drive away from her offices in the Bay Area. Its also unclear when her detained clients will receive court dates to challenge their detention, and assess their asylum claims, given that about 90 immigration judges have been fired this year and a ballooning immigration court backlong.

For individual attorneys like Noorzad, filing federal habeas corpus petitions to challenge clients detention is also logistically challenging and prohibitively expensive.

I still try to give my clients hope that theyll hopefully win their cases eventually, she said. Because they are really in danger. Nobody leaves home unless they are really fearful.
Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions. Photograph: Ton Molina/NurPhoto/Shutterstock (Photograph: Ton Molina/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

The US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions imposed on the Brazilian supreme court justice who oversaw the conviction of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions, which target individuals accused of human rights abuses, since July. His wife Viviane Barci de Moraes  who was added the sanctions list in September  was also removed from the register on Friday.

The move had been repeatedly requested by Brazils president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in negotiations with Donald Trump to roll back the 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports.

The decision is a major setback for Bolsonaro and his congressman son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who left his post in Brazil to lobby in Washington for punitive measures over what he called a persecution of his father.

Trump imposed the punishment shortly after imposing tariffs on Brazil, justifying it as a response to what he claimed was a witch-hunt against Bolsonaro. Eduardo Bolsonaro has alleged that he influenced Trumps decision.

Moraes presided over the trial hearing in September when Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn Brazils 2022 election. Days later, the Magnitsky sanctions were extended to the justices wife.

Bolsonaros supporters had hoped for further retaliation against Brazil, but what followed was an unexpected rapprochement between Trump and Lula.

The US president first praised his Brazilian counterpart during the UN general assembly; the two then exchanged calls, held their first in-person meeting, and, in November, Trump removed most of the tariffs.

With the sanctions lifted from Moraes and his wife, Eduardo Bolsonaro posted on social media that he received with regret the news, while thanking Trump for the support demonstrated throughout this process and for the attention he gave to the serious crisis of freedoms affecting Brazil.

He added that he will continue working firmly and resolutely to find a path that allows for the liberation of our country, for as long as necessary and despite adverse circumstances. May God bless America, and may He have mercy on the Brazilian people.

Bolsonaro is already serving his sentence in a special cell at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia.

This week, the lower house approved a law that could reduce his time in a closed regime to just over two years.

The bill  which still falls short of the full amnesty sought by the far-right leader and his sons  must still pass the senate, where there is also apparent support, before going to Lula; any veto by him would likely be overturned.
by Derek Neal

If one on the goals of art is to wake us up, to remind us what it is to be alive, one of the main ways of doing this is by bringing us as close to death as possible. This is why suicide is such a fruitful and, paradoxically, invigorating artistic subject. For the suicidal character approaching death, sensations are heightened, and life becomes fecund and tactile. One scene that captures this is in Francois Ozons Under the Sand (2000), just before Charlotte Ramplings husband (Bruno Cremer) disappears into the ocean while she naps on the beach. The film never explains the husbands disappearancenever confirms that its suicidebut the evening prior, the camera follows Cremer as he gathers firewood in the forest surrounding their vacation home.

He picks up a few sticks, then pauses at a tree and feels its bark, runs his hand down its trunk, as if he wants to feel the rough surface one more time before dying. The camera follows him as he passes behind another tree, then something unexpected happens: the shot stops on the tree while Cremer passes out of view, lingering in sharp focus on the nooks and crannies of the tree bark, showing the viewer just how wondrous a tree is, if only we could stop to see it. This is also a great example of Deleuzes concept of time-image, when a film emphasizes time or duration rather than the movement of characters and plot. We then return to Cremer, who has crouched down and turned over a rotting log. Hundreds of ants scurry aroundso much life, right there!in juxtaposition to Cremer, alone in the forest.

This contrast of the isolated individual and the group is a recurring theme in Abbas Kiarostamis Taste of Cherry (1997) as well. Paul Schrader famously imagined a man in a yellow cab as a symbol of loneliness and alienation, but Kiarostami took this idea even furtherwhat if an entire movie was just a man in a car, driving around? Thats Taste of Cherry. The film is a series of vignettes as the main character (Homayoun Ershadi) motors around the outskirts of Tehran picking up one passenger after another, not as a taxi driver, but in search of a person he can convince to do a special job.

Heres the sequence of characters who interact with Ershadi: A group of laborers looking for day work, a man fixing a date in a phone booth, two children, a man collecting plastic bags from a construction site, a teenage boy on his way to the army barracks, a security guard at a construction site, a seminarist, a taxidermist at a museum.

Each characters situation contrasts with that of Ershadi. We see that they are tethered to life in one way or another, whereas Ershadi, for reasons that are never explained in the film, is not. He has money, a car, and a strikingly handsome face (to my mind, a mix of Oscar Isaac and Bruno Ganz), but no one to whom he can turn in his time of need, which is why hes picking up strangers from the side of the road. In the first scene, we look at Ershadi through the windshield of his car (a typical Kiarostami shot) or from inside his car, as the camera alternates with shots of the laborers standing around outside his window. Beyond the confines of the car theres a sense of life, an energy from which Ershadi is cut off. The laborers are in groups of three or four, scattered around, smoking, talking, waiting, and they stare at the camera as Ershadi drives by, meaning they stare at us, the viewer. We are put in the position of Ershadi, and it feels as if we, too, are isolated from the raw life outside of the car.

The later interactions continue to play with this tension of the individual and the collective. The man in the phone boothanother symbol of isolationis on the phone planning to meet his girlfriend at a museum (later we see them at the museum, when the woman asks Ershadi to take their picture); the children are in an abandoned car, but together (playing cars they say); the man collecting bags is doing so to earn money for his family; the teenage boy is a member of the army, but when Ershadi finds him hes been separated from his group; the security guard is alone in an outpost that can only be reached by a ladder, but his friend the seminarist is visiting him; the seminarist is outside the seminary; the taxidermistthe first person to agree to Ershadis requestdoes so because he needs to pay for his sons medical treatment. Each character exists on a spectrum: on one end, theres Ershadi, the supremely isolated individual, and on the other, there are groups that would seek to suppress ones identity in the service of the collective. Kiarostami enjoys showing us these groupsthere are frequent shots of soldiers in training, running as a group and chanting, and there are images of schoolchildren, too, running laps around a blacktop for gym class.

Ershadi tells the young soldier that military service was the best time of my life. I met my closest friends there. He begins to reminiscence about the maneuvers they would do and how they would chant with the major: One! Two! Three! Four! He implores the boy to count as well, which he does, timidly. Its a playful and touching moment, but its also clearthat period of Ershadis life is over, his access no longer permitted to this place in society. When the boy finally learns of the special job hes been recruited forburying Ershadi in a hole after he overdoses on sleeping pills off the side of the road, or, alternatively, pulling him out of the hole if hes still breathinghe runs off down the hillside, eager to rejoin his unit and leave the crazy stranger behind. Ershadi looks up to the sky and, just like Cremer in Under the Sun staring at the scurrying ants, sees a group of around thirty birds dipping and diving in the air. The camera lingersKiarostamis camera always lingersand then we cut back to Ershadis gaze, which seems to say, if only I could be a bird in the sky, doing bird things with other birds, how easy life would be. Visually, the shot reminds us of the other group shots in the filmthe training soldiers, the running childrenindicating that humans gather in groups and do human things, too, but Ershadi has forgotten how to do this.

I mentioned Bruno Ganz before, and I was specifically thinking of Ganz in Wings of Desire (1987), wherein he plays an angel who decides to become a mortal human so that he can fully experience life. The theme is the one weve been exploringto appreciate life, one must also accept death. When Ganz transitions from angel to human, the first thing he does is buy coffee from a street vendor. Because its cold, he warms his hands on the cup, then rubs his hands together for a long time. Hes never felt hands beforenever known what its like to physically touch somethingand he realizes it feels good, especially on a cold day. I was reminded of this when, in the scene with the security guard, Ershadi continually rubs his hands together. Its an unnatural movement, perhaps a sign of nervousness, but as a visual symbol existing within the tradition of international, auteur cinema, I am sure other viewers have watched this scene and thought of Wings of Desire. Ershadilike Ganz, like Cremeris on the border between life and death, and his hands feel good. When your hands are cold, you rub them together, another former angel (Peter Falk) tells Ganz earlier in the film. You see, thats good. That feels good.

Taste of Cherry ends with Ershadi in his makeshift grave by the side of the road, but we never find out if he dies or is saved by the taxidermist. The screen fades to black, then brightens again as we see grainy footage of the movie being made. Cameras are in the scene, as is Kiarostami as he directs the soldiers, telling them they can stop running and chanting. This is another classic Kiarostami moveinserting himself into the film, removing the suspension of disbelief, and breaking the fourth wall, to use the accepted term. This decision upset some critics; Roger Ebert panned the film and called the final scene a tiresome distancing strategy to remind us we are watching a movie, but for anyone familiar with Kiarostamis films, we know we cant simply accept this shot as truth whereas the preceding scenes are fiction. In Close-Up (1990), Kiarostami similarly included grainy courtroom footage that was meant to be understood as the documenting of a real trial, but it was later revealed that certain courtroom scenes were fabrications made to appear as reality (in other words, exactly what a movie does). Viewed this way, the final scene is not a break from the preceding film, but another step deeper into the world of the film itself.

If we look closely at this scene, we see Ershadi handing Kiarostami a cigarette. But its more than thathe lights it, takes a puff to get it started, then hands it over to the director, who puts it in his mouth. In the background, the soldiers run and chant in unison. This is not simply behind the scenes footage, rather, it is the first time in the movie Ershadi has achieved connection with another human being, and it can only happen after he has put himself in his grave, fully prepared to die. The passing of the cigarette may have been a spontaneous moment captured on film, or it may have been devised by Kiarostami; in either case, this shot was selected and put into the film in lieu of others. And is Ershadi himself here, still acting as Mr. Badii, or, perhaps, acting as himself? Its impossible to say.

Throughout this essay, Ive been referring to the actors by their names (Cremer, Ganz, Ershadi) rather than by the roles they play, and that choice has been intentional. When we talk about a movie, we dont usually remember the names of characters, but we remember the actors, and certain actors are often said to be born to play a role because we feel that they have some affinity with the character they portray. In the case of Ershadi, he was seen by Kiarostami sitting in traffic one day. He had never acted before. One imagines Kiarostami seeing his face and coming up with the idea for Taste of Cherry on the spot. Ershadi had lived in Canada from 1979 to 1990, then returned to Iran after divorcing from his wife. His children continued to live in Canada. At one point in the film, he vaguely gestures at whats gone wrong in his life: When you hurt others, isnt that a sin? Hurting your family, your friends, hurting yourself. I cant help but feel that Ershadis personal life and the role he plays in Taste of Cherry have some deep connection; the way he seems a man out of time, a rootless wanderer, must, I think, connect to his life story. Or maybe this is just more Kiarostami sleight of hand.

***

Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.
Vaccine uptake in parts of London has proved challenging to achieve this season as a flu super strain spreads, health chiefs have warned.

Councillors were told health services in Barking and Dagenham are confronting pockets of hesitancy in the borough and vaccine fatigue.

It comes amid urgent appeals from the NHS for people to get vaccinated to help combat the spread of the super flu.

Statistics last week showed fewer than half of eligible people in London have had the free flu vaccine this season.

More than 1.8 million people in the capital have received their flu jab since 1 September, with more than 65,000 taking up the offer in the past week.

Simon Clarke, NHS head of primary care for Barking and Dagenham, said encouraging people to get their flu jabs was very close to our heart at the moment.

He said this is due to a lot in the news recently around the super strain thats circulating.

NHS England says flu cases have jumped sharply in recent weeks due to the circulation of the H3N2 strain.

Flu is tearing through Londons hospitals, Wes Streeting has warned , as he urged doctors to call off their five-day strike to protect the NHS in the run-up to Christmas.

The Health Secretary issued his plea as latest figures showed flu hospitalisation cases in the capital had jumped 47% in just a week.

Speaking to councillors at a health overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday Mr Clarke said encouraging uptake of all vaccines in the borough would be very challenging this season.

He said NHS North East London was trying to encourage residents to come along, get their family immunised, get their children immunised.

However he said the service is trying to overcome pockets of hestiancy in Barking and Dagenham, specifically around vaccinations.

Doctor Kanika Rai added that the service was also dealing with a vaccine fatigue among patients.

She said: Theres just been so many vaccinations that have been offered last year, this year. Its just getting a lot more difficult.

Clarke and Dr Rai said NHS North East London had been working with GP practices to offer additional clinics such as at weekends and in the evenings.

Matthew Cole, the councils director of public health, said his team had also set up a taskforce to push up our coverage on some priority vaccinations.

He said these focussed on flu, Covid-19 and RSV vaccinations because respiratory infection is not good for our residents particularly with our higher levels of asthma and our vulnerable older people.

Cole also said the service could try and be more focussed on tackling whats on social media in terms of hesitancy.

However, Cole said he felt vaccine coverage in the borough had improved.

Councils were told that ten GP practices in the borough were among the top 26 in north-east London in achieving flu vaccine takeup.

The NHS in London said it is continuing to pull out all the stops in taking the vaccine to communities across the capital, including this weekend's premiership AFC Wimbledon match against Mansfield Town.
Arne Slot has conducted crunch talks with Mohamed Salah over his future at Liverpool. After his choreographed tirade against the club at Elland Road last weekend, it feels inevitable which way the pendulum will swing. While he finds himself in the squad to face Brighton, the Egyptians era at Anfield appears to be coming to an end.

I will have a conversation with Mo this morning, the outcome of that conversation determines how it will look tomorrow, Slot said ahead of Saturdays visit of Brighton, the last game before Salah leaves for the Africa Cup of Nations. Contrary to Salahs approach, Slot is keen to keep their summit behind closed doors. What I need is a conversation with him. I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. Those talks have clearly been positive to warrant a return to the fold. The question is whether they were positive enough to keep Salah beyond January.

When Salah, Liverpools third-highest all-time goalscorer, stepped into the mixed zone for only the fourth time in eight years to unleash hell on the club hes brought so much glory to, he threatened to plunge Liverpool into a civil war. It was an act of mutiny, compounding the dire on-pitch form that has been witnessed over the past three months.

Without the dressing room, Slots situation would have been unsalvageable. However, a back-to-basics performance against Inter Milan indicated that Salahs views were not that of the collective. Embroiled in a soap opera, Liverpool came together to notch their fourth win at the San Siro in as many years and, crucially, their first away win in the Champions League without Salah since 2009. Life without their long-time talisman suddenly didnt look so perilous.

The display saw a change of shape, one that would never have been logical with Salah in the team. Ditching the requirement of explosive wingers, Slot played four central midfielders  Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai  in a diamond against Inter, with the 194m strike-partnership of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike starting together for only the second time to form the attack.

The result of this switch in system was hardly mind-blowing. Liverpool didnt create a huge amount at the San Siro and only snatched victory thanks to a late dubious penalty. But they also didnt allow Inter to create anything of note, looking far less vulnerable at the back than in recent times. This is a step in the right direction, progress that has perhaps been facilitated by Salahs tantrum and subsequent omission.

Dominik Szoboszlai (right) celebrates scoring Liverpools first goal against Inter Milan (Fabrizio Carabelli/PA Wire)

Suddenly, it looked like there had been some cohesive thinking behind a summer transfer strategy that has thus far brought more questions than answers. While neither Milos Kerkez nor the injured Jeremie Frimpong started in Milan, the additional defensive support provided by the two wide midfielders may be the solution to the susceptibilities that have tainted their early Liverpool career  something Salah, as Jamie Carragher highlighted, does not offer. The formation will also play to the strengths of Florian Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak; with Wirtz dropping into the space created by the diamond and pulling the strings behind the two No 9s, this could be the path to harmony for Liverpools expensive attacking triangle.

Slot already likes what he sees and, after half a season of Ekitike and Isak vying for the same position, the Dutchman is seeing the potential of starting both week-in, week-out.

Arne Slot liked what he saw after switching up Liverpools system (Getty Images)

What we all saw, which is normal, is the more they play, the more they will adapt and the better they will cooperate, Slot said. The other two nines on the pitch for Inter were more used to playing with each other. Its the second time they have played together and I think we will see more of this in the future.

While things are yet to properly click, this tactical overhaul could be exactly what Slot needs to get the best out of his summer recruits. This, perhaps more than Salahs outburst, may seal the Egyptians fate; his piece no longer fits into Liverpools puzzle.

Slot insists that he is entering peace talks with last seasons Premier League golden boot winner with the intention of retaining his services beyond January. I have no reasons to not want him to stay, he asserted. His actions, however, speak louder.

Mohamed Salahs Liverpool future is in doubt (PA Wire)

Benching Salah for three consecutive games was the blatant indication that the 33-year-old, who signed a lucrative two-year contract extension in April, is no longer cutting the mustard. By omitting him from the squad entirely following the Leeds incident, Salah now looks out of his plans. The decision to play a player or have him in the squad, as I have experienced it until now, and I think this will never change, is entirely up to me, Slot added. Even though he was named in the squad to face Brighton, the cynics have good reason to judge this as Liverpool giving him a semblance of the Anfield goodbye that he deserves.

The tides are changing and with Liverpool in need of innovation to discover their title-winning form of last season, severing ties with their poster boy could be the tearful sacrifice required to usher in a new era of success at Anfield.
President Donald Trump has, in recent months, overseen military strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats off the coast of Venezuela, ordered a military build-up in its coastal waters, accused its president, Nicolas Maduro, of being part of a drug cartel, and, on Wednesday, seized one of the nations oil tankers.

Whats his problem with Venezuela? And why does he seem intent on dragging the U.S. into a war with the South American nation?

On any given day, Trump or his officials may blame Venezuela for sending too many migrants into the U.S., for sending migrants who are gang members, murderers, or other criminals, or for trading valuable resources with Americas enemies.

Trumps Attorney General Pam Bondi claims the tanker that was just seized off the coast of Venezuela was carrying sanctioned oil intended for Iran. Venezuela has denied this and called Trumps actions an act of international piracy.

President Donald Trump has been steadily escalating his provocations against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (AFP/Getty)

Immigration

Trump has frequently accused Venezuela of pouring illegal migrants into the U.S. During his 2024 re-election campaign, Trump regularly told his supporters that Venezuela was opening up the prisons and encouraging hardened criminals to flood across Americas borders.

He even cited immigration on Thursday when Fox Newss Peter Doocy asked him about his intentions regarding Venezuela.

Now that weve seized this tanker, is the campaign against Venezuela still just about drugs, or is it now also about oil? Doocy asked.

Well, its about a lot of things, Trump replied. But one of the things its about is the fact that theyve allowed millions of people to come into our country from their prisons, from gangs, from drug dealers, and from mental institutions.

He then claimed that 12,000 murderers entered the U.S. and insisted that many of them are from Venezuela.

As much as hes spoken about his issues with Venezuelan migrants, immigration isnt the issue that the Trump administration has used to justify killing people in its recent strikes on what it calls drug boats.

Trump shared video of a missile strike killing 11 people on a boat that officials claim was carrying drugs from headed toward the United States (White House)

Drugs

Trump has accused Venezuela of trafficking drugs into the U.S. and has used those accusations to justify lethal military operations on Venezuelan ships.

Earlier this fall, Trump approved military strikes on Venezuelan boats that his administration claims were used to traffic drugs. In an incident on September 2, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave an order to attack a boat carrying 11 people. According to a Washington Post report, Hegseth then ordered a second strike to kill the survivors.

None of the individuals killed in Trump's boat strikes has been proven to be criminals in a court of law.

The president is not just accusing Venezuela of being the departure point for alleged drug traffickers, but accusing Maduro  the nation's president  of being a top-level member of a drug cartel that ships drugs into the U.S.

Trump claims that Maduro is the head of the Cartel de los Soles. The cartel is a name given to military officers and other officials in the Venezuelan government who are corrupt and engage in drug trafficking. The term has been in use since at least the 1990s and doesnt necessarily describe a structured organization in the way a typical drug cartel might be organized. Trump has not provided evidence that Maduro is involved in or leading drug traffickers in Venezuela.

On Thursday, the president bragged to Doocy that drug trafficking by sea was down, though his numbers seem suspiciously high.

If you look at drug traffic, drug traffic by sea is down 92 percent, the president claimed. And nobody can figure out who the eight is, because I have no idea. Anybody getting involved in that right now is not doing well. And well start that on land too. Its gonna be starting on land pretty soon.

While drugs may be how Trump is justifying military action, what he really wants may not be what is leaving Venezuela, but what is buried beneath it.

The facade of the state-run Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. or PDVSA, in Caracas, which has control over the countrys vast amounts of oil (AP)

Natural resources

Venezuela is rich in oil and in rare earth minerals. Both are extremely valuable commodities.

On Thursday, the White House confirmed that it would seize the oil in the tanker it captured the day prior.

In a statement responding to the tanker incident, Caracas directly accused the U.S. of trying to plunder Venezuela for its riches.

Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people, the Venezuelan government said in a statement.

On Thursday, Trump also slapped new sanctions on three of Maduros nephews as well as six companies that ship oil out of the country, according to Axios.

Breaking Maduro  or replacing him  could give the U.S. leverage on future mineral deals with the nation.

According to Maduro, Venezuela is sitting on $1.36 trillion worth of mineral wealth.

The U.S. has already made its priorities clear elsewhere in the world; earlier this year, the U.S. entered a deal with Ukraine allowing American entities preferential access to the nations mineral reserves as partial repayment for assisting in its defense against Russia.
In the 1930s Sylvia Townsend Warner was described as famous in two continents for her poetry, stories and novels. Photograph: Supplied (Photograph: Supplied)

The thing all women hate is to be thought dull, says the title character of Sylvia Townsend Warners 1926 novel, Lolly Willowes, an early feminist classic about a middle-aged woman who moves to the countryside, sells her soul to the devil and becomes a witch.

Although womens lives are so limited by society, Lolly observes, they know they are dynamite  know in their hearts how dangerous, how incalculable, how extraordinary they are.

Warner herself was anything but dull: a writer, translator, musicologist and political activist who wrote seven novels, extensive poetry and contributed more than 150 short stories to the New Yorker, more than any other female writer. She was also a communist who volunteered for the Red Cross during the Spanish civil war and an LGBTQ+ pioneer, living with the poet Valentine Ackland for decades in a quiet Dorset village, in a partnership they described as a marriage.

In the 1930s, Warner was described as famous in two continents for numerous and brilliant contributions to literature, but though many of her works remain in print, her name has faded from widespread recognition, even in the county where she lived.

That is due to change this weekend, when a statue of Warner will be unveiled in Dorchester. The sculpture by Denise Dutton shows Warner sitting on a bench accompanied by a cat, in a nod to the creatures she loved and the witchs companion in her best-known novel.

Anya Pearson, who led the campaign to erect the statue, said that by placing the lifesize figure in the towns main shopping area, we are saying very clearly that womens stories and queer womens stories belong in our public spaces. Sylvia pushed boundaries, wrote without fear and lived authentically. This statue finally allows us to celebrate her as her authentic self, proudly and openly, in the town she called home.

Pearson is a veteran of this kind of thing, having previously been the force behind a statue of the Victorian fossil hunter and palaeontologist Mary Anning in nearby Lyme Regis. After that statue was unveiled to great local enthusiasm in 2022, Pearson set her sights on her home town of Dorchester, where statues commemorate the writers Thomas Hardy and William Barnes  but until now, no non-royal women.

The campaign, which asked for nominations of overlooked women, received more than 50 names that were shortlisted then put to a vote. Warner won by a landslide, says Pearson, who works at Arts University Bournemouth. The 60,000 cost was raised through crowdsourcing and a number of significant international donations.

In a digital age, though, what is the value of a statue? Its about what towns choose to remember and to celebrate, Pearson says. Statues may be easy to overlook, but they are incredibly important because of the subliminal message they leave. And if theyre all of men and men of war, we are telling our kids that those are the only things that are worthy of remembrance. Battles, wars and the men that fought in them.

For me, this is an antidote to that symbolic annihilation of women within our civic landscapes. Its putting them back in the story, she added.

Pearsons successes with Anning and Warner have led to appeals for her help from other female statue campaigns, some of which have joined a loose grouping called Visible Women UK. Alongside statues to Virginia Woolf in Richmond, west London, and Aphra Behn in Canterbury, which are already in place, other groups are working on memorials to the suffragette Mary Clarke in Brighton, the campaigning factory worker Ada Nield Chew in Crewe and others elsewhere.

Sam Johnson became involved in a campaign to commemorate the match girls of east London after discovering by chance that her great-grandmother, Sarah Chapman, had been a leader of their influential 1888 strike in protest at poor pay and terrible working conditions.

Though the factory site  now a private residential development  has an English Heritage plaque, Johnson and Pearson are working together on the campaigns ultimate goal of a statue in a nearby park.

Ive got this vision in my mind of three or four figures at ground height, says Johnson. I dont want anything on a plinth because theyve got to be personable and approachable. I like the idea of school kids going to visit them  as a reminder that, actually, this thing happened just down the road from where you live. And you can be that brave and courageous and wonderful as well.
Woody Allen has again been linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The controversial director, 90, appears in multiple photos, which do not appear to show any illegal activity, released Friday by House Democrats as part of the ongoing effort to make public all files related to the Epstein case by December 19.

One image shows Allen perched on a directors chair while speaking to Epstein. Another shows the director in conversation with Trumps ex-strategist Steve Bannon. Another photo shows Allen and Epstein seated at a table together with long-stemmed drinking glasses.

Its not clear where or when the undated photos were captured.

The Independent has reached out to a representative for Allen for comment.

Woody Allen seen in a directors chair speaking to Jeffrey Epstein (House Oversight Committee)

Woody Allen and Steve Bannon in conversation (House Oversight Committee)

The latest release of images from Epsteins estate follows an initial reveal of photos from Epsteins privately owned islands  Little Saint James and Great Saint James  where he was accused of sexually abusing girls and women. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Last month, Trump  also featured in the latest wave of released photos  signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In her first act as Congresswoman, Arizona Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva provided the 218th  and final  signature on a discharge petition that forced a vote on the release of Epstein files in the Justice Departments possession. The House and Senate swiftly passed the legislation and Trump signed it, giving the DOJ a December 19 deadline to release all of the Epstein Files.

Trump has not been criminally charged with wrongdoing and has denied any involvement with Epstein.

Along with Fridays release of photos, House Oversight Committee Democrats shared a statement on social media: These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files!

Jeffrey Epstein and Woody Allen pictured together in an undated photo (House Oversight Committee)

Allen has not hidden his relationship with Epstein, having spoken publicly about meeting him for the first time at a dinner in 2010.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Allen said he and his wife Soon-Yi Previn had been invited by a publicist to the dinner with one of those British royals and other guests. The event was held shortly after Epstein had finished a prison term for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution.

We didnt know Jeffrey at all then, but we see all these people there and they all embraced him, so we figured, OK, hes a substantial character, said Allen.

He told us hed been in jail and that he had been falsely put in jail in some way, he continued. He told us he was trying to make up for it now by being philanthropic and giving money to cutting-edge scientists and universities. He couldnt have been nicer.

Woody Allen attends the premiere of his most recent film, Coup de Chance at the 2023 Venice Film Festival (AFP/Getty)

A letter Allen allegedly sent to Epstein for his 63rd birthday was made public earlier this year after The New York Times published a new selection of letters and photographs belonging to the late pedophile.

The note says that the writer and his wife Soon Yi had been invited for dinner many times.

They always accept, the letter goes on to say, because it is always interesting due to the various guests they expect to find there and because the food is always sumptuous and abundant and well served.

Among those who also appeared in Fridays released photos are former president Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and former Prince Andrew. The faces of some of the women who feature in the photos have been redacted by the Democrats.
Vehicles drive along a highway ahead of Memorial weekend in Queens, New York city on May 24, 2024 (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to withhold $73 million in highway funds from New York.

Duffy accused the state of routinely issuing licenses to immigrants that may be valid long after they are legally authorized to be in the country.

He said hell withhold the federal highway funds unless the system is fixed.

But New York officials said they are following all the federal rules for the licenses and verifying drivers' immigration status.

New York is the latest state Duffy has targeted in his effort to make sure truck and bus drivers are qualified to get licenses.

Duffy has also threatened to withhold millions from California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

His crackdown comes after a truck driver who was not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people.

The rules on commercial drivers licenses have been in place for years.

The Transportation Department has said it is auditing these non-domiciled licenses nationwide, but so far the only states he has threatened to sanction are all led by Democratic governors.

Duffy said Friday that this effort is not political but instead is about making sure everyone behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound truck is qualified and safe.

The transportation secretary said federal investigators found that more than half of the 200 licenses they reviewed in New York were issued improperly with many of them defaulting to be valid for eight years regardless of when an immigrant's work permit expires.

And he said the state couldn't prove it had verified these drivers' immigration status for the 32,000 active non-domiciled commercial licenses it has issued. Plus, investigators found some examples of New York issuing licenses even when applicants' work authorizations were already expired.

When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, it isnt just a mistake  it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership. Gov. (Kathy) Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses, Duffy said.

New York has 30 days to respond to these concerns. State DMV spokesperson Walter McClure defended the state's practices.

Secretary Duffy is lying about New York State once again in a desperate attempt to distract from the failing, chaotic administration he represents. Here is the truth: Commercial Drivers Licenses are regulated by the Federal Government, and New York State DMV has, and will continue to, comply with federal rules, McClure said.

Immigrants account for about 20% of all truck drivers, but these non-domiciled licenses only represent about 5% of all commercial driver's licenses. The Transportation Department also proposed new restrictions that would severely limit which noncitizens could get a license but a court put the new rules on hold.

Duffy has threatened to withhold millions from California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota after the audits found significant problems under the existing rules like commercial licenses being valid long after an immigrant truck drivers work permit expired. That pressure prompted California to revoke 17,000 licenses.
The driver has since been arrested (Google)

A young man was killed in a car crash outside an east London station early on Friday morning.

The emergency services, including the police, ambulance service and London Fire Brigade, were called to Walthamstow at 12:30am to reports of a collision at the junction of Blackhorse Road and Forest Road.

A cordon was set up and the road was closed.

A 26-year-old man who was travelling on foot was killed in the fatal crash outside Blackhorse Road station.

Paramedics treated the victim at the scene but he sadly died shortly after.

The driver was a 52-year-old man. The Metropolitan Police said the car rammed into a building following the collision.

He suffered minor injuries and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. The man is in police custody.

Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy said she was devastated by the incident.

Devastated by the news of last nights fatal road traffic accident outside Blackhorse Road station. I will be seeking an urgent update from Transport for London today on the site and how we can improve safety there. Thoughts very much with the victim and their friends and family  stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) December 12, 2025

She said in a post on social media: Devastated by the news of last nights fatal road traffic accident outside Blackhorse Road station.

I will be seeking an urgent update from Transport for London today on the site and how we can improve safety there.

Thoughts very much with the victim and their friends and family as well as those who witnessed it and tried to help.

A spokesperson for the Met Police told MyLondon: At around 12.30am on Friday, December 12 police responded to reports of a road traffic collision at the junction of Forest Road and Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow.

Officers, the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade attended the scene following a collision between a car and a pedestrian. The car then collided with a building.

"Paramedics treated the pedestrian, a 26-year-old man, at the scene, but he was sadly pronounced dead at 1.04am. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Anyone with an information or dashcam footage in relation to this incident is asked to contact Police on 101, quoting CAD 149/12DEC25.
The Environment Agency is to spend millions of pounds to clear an enormous illegal rubbish dump in Oxfordshire, saying the waste is at risk of catching fire.

But the decision announced on Thursday to clear up the thousands of tonnes of waste illegally dumped outside Kidlington has drawn an angry response from a Labour MP in Greater Manchester whose constituents have been living alongside 25,000 tonnes of toxic rubbish for nearly a year.

In Bickershaw, Wigan, criminals dumped the waste in a residential street adjacent to a primary school. During the summer heatwave the rubbish caught fire and burned for nine days, forcing the school to close and residents to stay indoors.

Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, said: This decision throws mud in the face of my working-class constituents in Bickershaw, Wigan, but also of people across the country suffering from toxic, illegal dumps that dont have the privilege of living in middle class Oxfordshire. I am so angry about it.

My constituents will feel this is unfair, unjust, and once again like a public body is ignoring working-class communities in the north.

The EAs policy is to refuse to clear up illegal waste dumps across the country, instead pursuing the perpetrators and landowners. But officials said on Thursday they had taken the exceptional decision to clear up the waste outside Kidlington, which is next to the River Cherwell, because the scale of the fire risk set it apart from other illegal waste dumps in England and presented an overriding public imperative.

The agency has been given no extra money to clear the waste, the cost of which is likely to run into several millions of pounds. The EA said this would come from making efficiencies in its operations. The cost to the taxpayer will also include the payment of the landfill tax on the waste to the Treasury.

Related: Environment Agency faces landfill tax bill worth millions to clear illegal waste

Simons said. What is not exceptional about a toxic waste dump on fire right next to a primary school and bunch of local businesses? Could it be because the kids and businesses are not in Oxfordshire? I will fight tooth and nail for the Environment Agency to treat my towns equally and clear the Bickershaw site  and treat us like the good people of Oxfordshire.

This week ministers rejected all recommendations of an inquiry into waste crime by the House of Lords environment and climate change committee.

Lords highlighted how organised criminals were making millions every year from illegally dumping rubbish. Peers called for the government to carry out a root and branch review of responses to waste crime. The report said 38m tonnes of waste  enough to fill Wembley Stadium 35 times  was being illegally dumped every year, mainly by established organised crime groups often with links to other criminal activity such as money laundering and modern slavery.

But the environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, rejected the call for a review and all other suggestions in the report. She said the government would be announcing policies in the New Year that would drive criminality away from the waste sector, informed by previous reviews, investigations and intelligence.

The dumping in Kidlington took place under the noses of the EA, which was monitoring the site after being alerted to suspicious activity. Similarly in Wigan, Simons alerted the EA in January to dumping taking place on Bolton House Road, and was told it would monitor the site. Over the course of several months, lorryloads of waste were dumped in the residential street. Part of the illegal waste has been tipped into a field where the primary school children played sport.

The EA said: In both Kidlington and Wigan, we are laser-focused on finding the offenders and bringing them to justice.
Dame Judi Dench said the theatre company had a five-year lease on the building - Nick Harvey

Dame Judi Dench is horrified that a Reform UK-led council has agreed to sell a building housing a regional theatre.

Kent county council put Broadstairs Memorial Hall, home to the Sarah Thorne Theatre, up for auction on Thursday, with a guide price of 350,000, and a buyer was found.

The council said it had acted to safeguard the theatre company by agreeing a five-year lease with Michael Wheatley-Ward, the theatres director.

The council said it was obliged to sell the property as it no longer used it and no viable proposals to run it had been submitted.

Dame Judi, the veteran actress who is a patron of the theatre, said: I was horrified to hear that the freehold of the building that houses the Sarah Thorne Theatre has been put up for auction by Kent county council.

I understand that Michael Wheatley-Ward has a lease for five years but this sale would obviously put the future of the theatre in jeopardy. It would be a tremendous loss to the local community and every effort should be made to secure its future.

Flagship council

Reform won Kent county council with 57 out of 81 seats at the local elections in May 2025, overturning a 30-year Tory majority.

The council, which has a 2.5bn annual budget, has become the flagship for Reforms cost-cutting drive, modelled in the image of Elon Musks department of government efficiency in the US.

Linden Kemkaran, head of the council, has blamed her predecessors for leaving a black hole in the councils finances. The council was in 732m of debt in 2024-25 and is projected to reduce its borrowings to 650m by 2026-27.

Mr Wheatley-Ward, who founded the theatre 17 years ago, said he wanted to move the building to a charitable trust.

He said: I want to ensure the Sarah Thorne Theatre has a stable and secure home.

We have informed Kent county council that, although they declined our financial offer, we still want to form a charity trust to take on the freehold interest and use the Sarah Thorne Theatre CIC to run the day-to-day affairs.

The theatre company puts on a pantomime each year and acts as a venue for charity events.

Polly Billington, the Labour MP for East Thanet, criticised the council for putting the building up for auction.

She said: Community theatre was so important to me as a child. Performance spaces like the Sarah Thorne Theatre give people the opportunity to express themselves and appreciate local talent.

They need to be treasured and preserved, not flogged off to the highest bidder.

Brian Collins, deputy leader of the council, said it understood the strength of feeling about the hall and theatre, and the importance of its history and cultural value.

He added: I understand that agreement has been reached on the sale of the property after the auction which will safeguard the theatre. This is good news for the residents of Broadstairs and I hope that the new owner will now be able to ensure that this facility can thrive.

The county council said: KCC is pleased to confirm the property was sold after the auction ... We understand the future of the theatre has been secured, however KCC cannot identify the purchaser because, while contracts have now been exchanged, the sale has not yet completed.
Robert Rhodes (left) has been found guilty of the murder of his wife Dawn Rhodes (right) in a retrial

After almost a year in custody, on May 30 2017, Robert Rhodes stepped out of the Old Bailey on to the streets of London as a free man.

He had been found not guilty of the murder of his wife Dawn Rhodes, whom he had known for more than 20 years, despite admitting he had cut her throat with a kitchen knife.

Rhodes had convinced jurors that his wife, whom he was in the process of divorcing after she had an affair, had flipped and attacked him and their young child with a large blade in June 2016.

He had claimed that, in the process of disarming her, he had inadvertently slashed the knife across her neck.

The child, whose name, age and sex cannot be reported for legal reasons, corroborated his version of events in two police interviews, which formed a major part of the evidence in his defence.

Robert Rhodes convinced jurors in the first case that he acted in self-defence, having claimed that his wife attacked him - Ed Willcox

But in October this year, Rhodes found himself once again accused of his wifes murder.

Now, after a nine-week trial, Rhodes, 52, has been found guilty almost a decade after he took Dawns life.

It is extremely rare for a person to be tried twice for the same crime and it can only be done if new and compelling evidence comes to light.

That new evidence came from Rhodess own child, whose account of the night was so crucial in securing his previous acquittal.

The child, who now suffers from PTSD, confessed to a therapist in 2021 that their father did not kill their mother in self defence.

The child knew that, they said, because they conspired with Rhodes to murder her.

They said they had distracted their mother by asking her to close her eyes and hold her hands out so they could give her a picture they had drawn.

After doing so, the child crept out of the room while Rhodes snuck up from behind, grabbed his wife by the hair and slit her throat.

Now, for the first time, The Telegraph can reveal the sequence of events that led up to Dawn Rhodess death, and the events that followed.

Carpenter claimed wife attacked him

On the evening of June 2 2016, Surrey Police received a frantic 999 call from Rhodes who said that he and his child had just been attacked by his estranged wife with a kitchen knife.

Rhodes, then 42, said he and the child had barricaded themselves in the upstairs bedroom of their semi-detached house on Wimborne Avenue in Redhill.

The call operator told them to secure the room and not to move until officers arrived.

She asked whether his wife was still armed and if she posed a threat. She received no reply.

Police begin their investigation after Dawns murder at the family home in Redhill, Surrey, in 2016 - Tony Kershaw/SWNS

When police reached the house they discovered the wounded father and child hiding upstairs.

Dawn, 38, was lying face down, dead on the floor in a pool of her own blood.

After interviewing Rhodes, and hearing him claim that his wife attacked him, detectives spoke with his child, who was under 10 at the time.

Credit: Surrey Police

The child told detectives that their mother had started screaming and shouting at their father, so they had walked into the room and begged her to stop.

The child claimed that their mother, who they said was growling, then cut them on the arm with a kitchen knife.

To protect them, they said, Rhodes ran across the room and told them to go and hide upstairs.

While being interviewed by police, the child was asked what they meant when they said to an officer that only me and dad know the truth about what happened.

They answered: I am not completely sure. I have half of it and dad has half of it because I was upstairs half the time.

The main truth is that mum, she hurt us, she hurt dad, she died.

Later, after an interviewer left the room, the child began giggling and hid behind a chair to wait for the officer to return.

At one point, they looked up at the camera, smiled and put a finger to their lips.

Rhodes told jurors at the Old Bailey in 2017 that his wife suddenly became enraged and attacked him out of nowhere, like the Marvel character the Incredible Hulk.

Prosecutors alleged he had cut his wifes throat deliberately in an act of revenge.

Experts told the jury that although Rhodess version of events could not be ruled out, it was more plausible that Dawns neck was severed by a person who was stood behind her.

After a lengthy trial, and over 36 hours of deliberation, jurors found him not guilty of her murder by a majority of 10 to two.

Relationship soured after her affair

Rhodes first met his future wife while having a pint in a London pub before a gig when he worked as a driver for a well-known DJ. She liked heavy metal music and after he managed to get her free tickets for an upcoming show, they began dating.

They had teasing nicknames for each other. Dawn called Rhodes, a lithe, gangly man, Kermy, after the muppets character Kermit the frog. He in turn called his wife Miss Piggy.

By the mid-2000s they had moved into the house in Redhill. Dawn was pregnant with their child at the time.

She was working at a housing trust while her husband was working as a carpenter.

For the next 10 years they lived a quiet life in the suburban commuter town.

And then, on Christmas Eve in 2015, Rhodes discovered his wife had started a relationship with another man.

Rhodes contacted the mans wife on social media and informed her of her husbands infidelity.

From that point on, the Rhodes marriage broke down irrevocably. The couple argued furiously and by the time of the fatal events of June 2, they loathed the sight of each other.

Rhodes returned from first trial with swagger

After being cleared of his wifes murder, Rhodes started a new business called Carpentry in Action and moved back into the family home. His child, however, did not return, and went to live with foster parents.

Neighbours told The Telegraph that when he returned, the previously calm and cordial Rhodes had a swagger about him. They said they found it hard to understand how he had ever been acquitted.

Less than a year after standing trial for his wifes murder in 2017, Rhodes had begun a sexual relationship with Megan Baldwin, a woman 20 years his junior.

Ms Baldwin had been a childminder for the Rhodes during the latter half of 2015 and at the time of Dawns killing.

Rhodes said the couple became romantically involved only on New Years Eve in 2017. Ms Baldwin was aware of the allegations against him when they began their relationship.

Robert and Dawn Rhodes had spent a decade living a quiet life in the London commuter belt - Tony Kershaw/SWNS

Following his acquittal, she moved into the family home on Wimbourne Avenue. Two years later Rhodes decided to propose.

Rather than doing it himself however, Rhodes decided to enlist the help of his child. He did so, he claimed, because he wanted them to feel Ms Baldwin was their new mother.

I asked [my child] if they wanted to do the proposing to Megan on my behalf to try to make them feel included, he later said.

A year later, after his new business venture failed to get off the ground, Rhodes sold the house in Redhill for 470,000.

He packed up his things and moved 200 miles away to a secluded, run-down cottage in the remote parish of Withleigh, in Devon, where he began working as a self-employed carpenter.

Around the same time Liz Spencer, Dawns mother, and Kirsty Spencer, her sister, spoke to the media about their loss for a feature on violence against women and girls. They said: She married her killer and 20 years later he took her life.

Child revealed truth to psychologist

The child, who was now four years older, was haunted by nightmares about the events of June 2, 2016.

Early in November 2021, the child, who was suffering from PTSD, spoke to a psychologist truthfully about their mothers death for the first time.

The next day, the psychologist spoke to the police. They immediately began re-investigating Dawns killing.

The child was interviewed by police in January 2022. During an astonishing four-hour long interview, the child, who appeared extremely upset and rocked back and forth throughout, told detectives that their father had concocted a plan to kill their mother in the days before her death and he had asked them to help him carry it out.

The child told detectives that a week before their mother was killed, their father had asked them, while on a car journey, if they wanted to help get rid of Mum.

They said they were promised a trip to Cornwall, if they helped. I knew he meant to kill her, but I didnt really think he would  Or we would, they told police.

On the night of the murder, after their dad gave them the signal, they distracted their mother by telling her to hold out her hands and close her eyes.

They told her they had drawn a picture and wanted to give it to her as a present. They then left the room.

While their mother stood waiting with her eyes shut and her palms out, Mr Rhodes crept up behind his wife, grabbed her by the hair and slit her throat.

Dawn Rhodess family has said she can finally be seen as the victim, not the aggressor

After doing so, he cut his childs arm with a knife and told them to stab him in the back. He then inflicted head injuries on himself and told the child to go upstairs and hide in the bedroom.

Describing what happened in a second police interview, the child recounted: I said, Mum I drew a picture for you.

I told her to close her eyes and to hold out her hands and then I left the room and then I went into the living room and I heard a gurgling noise and I heard her hit the floor.

Moments later, their father emerged from the kitchen absolutely covered in blood, the child said. As they waited for police to come, Rhodes reminded them constantly to stick to the plan, no matter what happened.

If they did not, Rhodes told them he would go to prison and they would have no one to look after them.

Throughout police interviews, the trial and the following six years, the child kept the secret to themselves. As their father told them at one point: Snitches get stitches.

Throughout that time the child had regular contact with their father, who went out of his way to shower them with gifts. They messaged each other regularly on Instagram and went on days out.

Father fell out with child over new partner

Then, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the visits stopped. The child also had a falling out with their father over his new partner, after which they stopped talking.

The child found themselves, for the first time, with space to think. Less than a year later, the child was sitting in their therapists office having realised that there was a simple way to lessen the nightmares and the guilt.

I just didnt want to lie anymore, they said. It had just made me feel so awful for so long and I just wanted it to be done.

The child said that they had previously been terrified to speak out against their father as they feared that he would hurt them or someone else.

Visibly emotional, they added: From what I have heard and read about, once you do something bad, it is so much easier to do it again once you have done it the first time.

I dont want him to do it again. I dont want him to hurt anyone. I wanted dad to get arrested and actually punished for what he has done.

In June 2024, Mr Rhodes was arrested, once again, on suspicion of the murder of his wife and was remanded in custody. As he was being detained, he muttered: I wondered if this would come back to bite me.

Laughing and chatting at start of retrial

Almost a year later, on Oct 6 2025, Rhodes, who had been in custody since his arrest, walked into the dock of Inner London Crown Court.

He was smiling, laughing and chatting away to the female court officer who sat alongside him.

He had convinced a panel of 12 men and women that his wifes death was accidental before, and on the first day of his second trial, he appeared confident he could do so again.

Addressing the new jury, John Price KC, prosecuting, said that the plot to kill Dawn had been carefully engineered by her husband.

He said: Of course, to stand any chance of successfully deceiving others, such a plan needed [the childs] support and co-operation.

He needed to be able to rely on [the child] to say to the police the same thing as him. He managed to get [them] to do that.

[They] did as he told [them]. [They] told these lies. [They] did so for his sake.

Over the next eight weeks, the panel of three men and nine women, listened as police officers, paramedics, pathologists, blood pattern experts, forensic scientists, family friends, and Dawns relatives relived the events of June 2 2016.

The child gave evidence during the trial via videolink. The jury was also played both of their lengthy police interviews after they admitted the truth, as well as the initial interview in 2016.

Watching those interviews in sequence, it became clear that the child had no understanding of the concept of death when they took part in their mothers killing.

They laughed throughout the first interview, talked casually about their mothers murder, and complained about having to do maths at school much more seriously.

In the 2022 interviews, the toll of hiding the truth and living with the knowledge of what they had done is visibly apparent.

Now a teenager, the child appears almost to hyperventilate when talking about the murder.

The fact it was their idea to distract their mother, by claiming they had drawn a picture, appears to particularly affect them.

Child not responsible for mothers death

At the beginning of the trial, Mr Price told jurors that the child was not criminally responsible for the death of their mother.

Under English law, the criminal age of responsibility is 10.

Mr Price continued: The legal position is therefore clear. [The child] did not murder [their] mother; [they] could not murder [their] mother.

The jury also heard further details surrounding the bitter break-up of the Rhodes marriage.

The court heard that following their mothers affair, the child grew resentful of her and on one occasion told her: Mummy, you need to leave your boyfriend and come home so we can be happy.

Mr Price told jurors: The child gave every appearance of growing to hate their mother.

Did [Mr Rhodes] do his best to heal the relationship between his young [child] and [their] mother, as he ought, if only for the childs sake? Or did he foster the breakdown and exploit it for his own ends?

The court also heard that in the months before the murder, Mr Rhodes searched online for where he could buy a variety of lethal plants, drugs and chemicals with which he could poison his wife.

He looked for where he could buy Rohypnol, GHB, GBL and cocaine. He also looked up an anti-depressant his wife was taking and searched how much would be needed to overdose.

On another occasion, he searched for household poisons that kill instantly and common plants that can kill you.

Rhodes being interviewed in 2024

He then began researching hemlock, deadly nightshade and where they could be found in Sussex.

In February, around the time he was looking for fatal poisons, he also put another phrase into a search engine: Vengeance is mine.

When the time came to give evidence in his own defence, Rhodes repeated his original story at the witness stand.

He said his wife was aggressive, had beaten him in the past and had no relationship with their child.

When the time came for cross-examination, Mr Price asked Rhodes: Do you know of a reason why your [child] should say [they] helped to kill [their] own mother if that is not the truth?

No, Rhodes admitted.

He then denied that he had sought to stop the child getting counselling as he had feared that it would drag things up.

A difficult and upsetting case

Mr Price, ending his cross-examination, said: You were terrified at the thought that if [they] did, the truth of what you had done to [them] and [their] mother would emerge, werent you?

You killed your wife in cold blood, didnt you? And you recruited your little child to do it.

Despite his final denials, the jury found him guilty of his wifes murder. He was also found guilty of one count of child cruelty, one of perverting the course of justice and two counts of perjury.

Rhodes closed his eyes, looked upwards and whispered to himself as the verdict was read out. The child is understood to have been watching over videolink.

Her Honour Justice Ellenbogen thanked the jurors, adding: This has been a difficult and upsetting case and we are all very grateful for your work.

Rhodes will be sentenced on Jan 16.

Rhodes thought hed got away with it

Det Ch Insp Kimball Edey, who led the re-investigation, said officers who originally investigated the case felt there was always something we didnt know, and hadnt properly understood.

This presented an opportunity to right an injustice, he said. Mr Edey said that to use your child to help kill your partner, as Rhodes had, was despicable.

He added: Just think of the consequences of that act. You end one life and have irreparably damaged another.

Mr Edey praised the bravery of the child in coming forward. When they did so, he said, they did not know the age of criminal responsibility in the UK and believed they would be arrested.

Libby Clark, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said that Rhodes was a man who thought hed got away with it.

She said that most cases that are retried following an acquittal arise out of advances in forensic science, adding: I think it is the first double jeopardy case where we have a witness, a major witness, giving a completely different account.

Ms Baldwin was 11 weeks pregnant when Rhodes was re-arrested, giving birth to their baby seven months later.

He went to work one day and didnt come home, she told The Telegraph from her parents house on a quiet cul-de-sac on the south coast before her husband was found guilty.

New partner would take him back

When asked if she believed he had murdered his wife, she replied: He is innocent. I wouldnt have had a child with him if I didnt think he was innocent.

I would 100 per cent take him back if he was released. He is going to come home.

Ms Baldwin said that her parents, who attended court at various points throughout the trial, also believed Rhodes was innocent.

Ms Baldwin said she would welcome Rhodes back with open arms if he ever returned to the family home.

She said: Im not scared of him. I never have been. Im more safe when he is here. I know Rob. All I have to say is I will take him back. I dont believe any of it.

She ended the conversation, saying she had to go and look after her crying child, who has never met their father.

We knew the truth in our hearts

Ms Clark said that for Dawns mother and sister, the years between the acquittal, and conviction, had been hard.

She said: Ultimately, this conviction is about spinning the public perception of Dawn Rhodes.

Dawn was portrayed as the growling woman who stabbed her child and then stabbed her husband and not what we know now. She was the victim of domestic violence. Finally, she can be seen as the victim, not the aggressor.

In a statement, Dawns family said she was a kind-hearted person whose life and generosity of spirit was never-ending.

Despite the fact his lies and deception were for so long believed by so many we knew the truth in our hearts and souls.

We grieved for Dawn in the shadows with the support of only a few who saw through his deceit. She was everything to us and he is nothing. She will be celebrated and he will be forgotten.

Liz Spencer added: During her life, Dawn was looking for someone to build a life with. She was looking for someone to love and be loved by, someone to trust and be trusted by and someone to respect and be respected by.

Kirsty Spencer said: There cannot be justice for Dawn because she is dead. The only acknowledgement I make is that for the first time in years, Dawns voice has finally been heard.
Pharmacy leaders say this flu-vaccine rollout should have started before October - Liam McBurney/PA

Health officials have been accused of rolling out vaccines too slowly ahead of the winter flu crisis.

The NHS has been plunged into a worst-case scenario, with record numbers in hospital with flu and with no peak in sight, while junior doctors prepare for five-day strike.

Now pharmacy leaders have criticised this years vaccine rollout, saying it came too late and was botched by poor communications, meaning many of those eligible did not come forward.

They said a patchy rollout of the programme to vaccinate children in schools meant many were now turning up at chemists in search of vaccines they should already have been given.

The major rollout of vaccines did not start until October following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to push back the start by a month, so most adults would be vaccinated close to the time when the virus began to circulate.

That gamble meant that when flu arrived a month earlier than normal, millions of people who were eligible for jabs remained unvaccinated.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: We used to start earlier and there were no problems; we got mobilised early.

This year it started in October and they did a botched job communicating it. There just was not enough awareness among the public so people were not coming forward.

Starting in October was too late, but also didnt allow for teething problems, and there were a lot of them.

We have many eligible groups coming to pharmacies for their vaccines, saying they didnt know they were eligible for them on the NHS.

The vaccination program for this year has been described as botched owing to poor communications - Leon Neal/Getty

The programme for schools still went ahead in September because protection lasts much longer in children.

But despite repeated warnings that the flu season has come early, schools were told they only had to complete their rollout by the end of this week.

More than half of children eligible for vaccines remain unvaccinated, with NHS officials now trying to identity schools with the lowest take-up rates, for catch-up clinics in the last week of school before term ends.

Dr Hannbeck said: We have found the rollout in schools to be patchy. The organisation hasnt been good. As a result, we have parents bringing their children for vaccinations in pharmacies, and we embrace it, we can vaccinate them.

A Department of Health memo from August explains how the decision was taken to push back the rollout. But despite evidence from October that the flu season had arrived early, no change was made to the planned timetable.

The document states: Based on the evidence that the flu vaccines effectiveness can wane over time in adults, the JCVI advised moving the start of the programme for most adults to the beginning of October.

It is preferable to vaccinate most adults closer to the time when the flu virus is likely to circulate [which typically peaks in December or January], as this will provide optimal protection during the highest risk period. The majority of the vaccinations will need to be completed by the end of November.

The Department of Health has described this years flu strain as particularly challenging - Jeff Moore/PA

It added: Protection from the vaccine lasts much longer in children, therefore the priority is to start vaccinating all children (including those in clinical risk groups) from Sept 1 or as soon as vaccine becomes available, both to provide early protection to children and reduce transmission to the wider population.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: We follow the expert scientific advice of the JCVI on how best to protect people.

This years flu strain is particularly challenging, so it is vital that patients and staff can get protected. Over 17 million vaccines have been delivered this autumn  170,000 more compared to this time last year, with over 60,000 more NHS staff also getting their jab.
Credit: Disney+

The streaming platform Disney+ has been accused of politicising its Christmas publicity campaign by including a pro-Palestine symbol in its adverts.

A sticker featuring a watermelon  which has for decades been used as a proxy for the Palestinian flag  is shown prominently on a laptop being used by a teenage girl in the advert.

Disney has insisted that the sticker was chosen randomly and is not a political statement, but politicians said the company had serious questions to answer.

It follows years of controversy at Disney over an alleged woke agenda, including transgender characters featuring in childrens films and a Snow White remake that replaced the seven dwarves with magical creatures.

The Disney+ advert, made by the London advertising agency VCCP, is titled A Lifetime of Stories and features a little girl who grows up watching Disney films and has a daughter who in turn enjoys classic Disney cartoons.

In one scene the protagonist is shown in her teenage years watching Disney content on a laptop that has two large stickers on it  one of Mickey Mouse, the other of a slice of watermelon.

The teenage girl in the Disney advert has a laptop with a large sticker of a slice of watermelon on it

The girl is shown in a library with her laptop featuring stickers of Mickey Mouse and a watermelon

Watermelons and watermelon emojis are used as a shorthand for support for Palestine, because the colours of a slice of watermelon are the same as the colours of the Palestinian flag.

After the six-day war in 1967, Israel criminalised displays of the Palestinian flag, so Palestinians used the watermelon to circumvent the ban. The Israeli authorities responded by threatening to confiscate art which featured watermelons.

Since the Oct 7 terrorist attack in 2023 watermelon emojis have been politicised and used in pro-Palestinian protests. People who want to express solidarity with Palestinians use watermelon emojis online to get around algorithms that censor the word Palestine or the Palestinian flag.

Watermelon symbols have been used as a shorthand for support for Palestine, because they share the colours of the Palestinian flag - Don Arnold

Pro-Palestinian campaigners in London brandishing watermelon symbols earlier this year - Mark Kerrison

Richard Holden, a Conservative MP and supporter of Conservative Friends of Israel, said: Disney have some serious questions to answer here: either they have screwed up royally on quality control or the woke agenda runs so deep they dont even notice when theyre spreading anti-Jewish propaganda.

Lord Pickles, the former UK special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, said: I am prepared to believe that Disney put this sticker in its advert at random but once that random choice had been made, surely, out of all the thousands of people Disney employs, someone could have pointed out that it was a deeply controversial thing to do, and given Disneys appalling record of trying to push a social standard down peoples throats for years.

This is more than unfortunate and it wouldnt take much to replace it with something else, like Donald Duck perhaps.

A lifetime of great stories, shared with love.  Streaming now on Disney+. pic.twitter.com/kUPbhz0CyN  Disney+ (@disneyplusza) November 17, 2025

A spokesman for Disney+ said: The Disney+ Christmas advert celebrates Disneys iconic heritage in storytelling and the enduring impact those stories have in peoples lives. The sticker shown in the advert was chosen randomly and is not a political statement.

Disney has been sensitive to accusations of anti-Semitism ever since its founder Walt Disney hosted Leni Riefenstahl, Adolf Hitlers favourite Nazi propaganda film-maker, on a tour of the Disney studio shortly after Kristallnacht in 1938.

Disney was also a founding member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, which was accused of harbouring anti-Semites among its ranks.

Supporters of Walt Disney have always argued that he was not anti-Semitic, citing his support of the creation of Israel, his use of Jewish talent such as the Sherman brothers and large charitable donations to Jewish organisations.

Its recent troubles have centred on allegations of wokery. In 2022 a leaked video revealed the company president stating an aim of having racial minorities or LGBTQ characters making up half of all roles in Disney films and shows.

Disney also became embroiled in a row with the Florida governor Ron DeSantis after it came under pressure from its staff to oppose a law banning primary schools from teaching younger children about gender identity.

The Telegraph contacted VCCP which referred enquiries to Disney+.
The Rev David Green wrote a 4,800-word essay to his coursemate after his Diocese banned him from contacting her - Solent News & Photo Agency

A reverend failed to become ordained after allegedly stalking a woman he met at priest school for years, a tribunal heard.

The Rev David Green became obsessed with the woman he met at a theological college and sent her reams of messages that made her uncomfortable.

Staff at Ripon College Cuddesdon, near Oxford, had to enforce a communication ban after he became infatuated with the woman, but he still persisted in contacting her.

Even after he finished his course at the Church of England college in 2019, the Rev Green continued to bombard her with essays while he was undertaking his curacy with the Diocese of Lichfield in Staffordshire.

People close to the Rev Green  a married father  reported to his alleged stalking the Dioceses safeguarding officer when the situation had grown unmanageable and they were worried he was a risk.

The tribunal heard that although he was ordained as a Deacon, the Rev Greens behaviour stopped him from becoming ordained as a priest.

It found that if the Rev Green had focused on his ministry then it is likely he would have been ordained priest, but he was too obsessed and fixated on what happened with the woman he allegedly stalked.

The Rev David Green continued to message his classmate after he finished his course at Ripon College Cuddesdon in 2019 - David Fisher

Details about the Rev Greens behaviour emerged at an employment tribunal in Manchester after he attempted to sue the Diocese of Lichfield for whistleblowing detriment. He lost his case.

During his time at Ripon College he befriended a female student, who cannot be named for legal reasons and is referred to only as Person B.

In January 2019, the woman reported the Rev Greens report to one of the tutors at the college that she had received extensive and inappropriate emails from him.

The Rev Dr Sarah Brush said she thought he was infatuated with the fellow student and suggested that he undertake counselling because his behaviour would be wildly inappropriate in a pastoral relationship with a parishioner or any future colleagues.

He was also told to stop contacting the student, but he continued through email and Facebook. The college then banned him from communicating with the woman, which he said was unjust.

After completing the college course, he became the assistant curate to the Longnor Benefice under the Diocese of Lichfield.

Bombarding classmate with messages

During his curacy, the Rev Green was invited to attend a deacon ordination by a former coursemate, where the woman he allegedly stalked would also be ordained.

Before the ceremony, the Rev Greens wife was contacted by a classmate and was told that she would be allowed to attend but he would not be welcome because of his behaviour. Despite this, he attended the ceremony with his wife and children.

In November 2019, he sent the woman an email asking her if she wanted to talk to him again. When she did not reply to the email, he started bombarding her with messages on WhatsApp.

A group of coursemates then sent a letter to Neil Spiring, the Lichfield Diocesan safeguarding adviser, about his behaviour.

Although he was told to stop messaging the woman, he sent a 4,800-word essay to her in February 2020.

His behaviour was escalated to the Rt Rev Michael Ipgrave, the Bishop of Lichfield, at which point the Rev Greens ordination as a priest was delayed.

A safeguarding concern

The Rev Green claimed he was subjected to detriments for whistleblowing over a series of unrelated complaints he made to the Diocese.

But at the Manchester Employment Tribunal, Employment Judge Callum Cowx said: Rev Greens priesting was delayed because of legitimate concerns by the Bishop of Lichfield and his team within the Diocese that [Rev Green] was not meeting the Formation Criteria and was a safeguarding concern.

Although [the Rev Green] experienced detriments, they were entirely justified by [his] failure to meet the required standards set by the Church of England.

Speaking after the case, the Rev Green said: I am of the view that I did behave towards her in a somewhat strange, or weird way at the time, and that she felt some degree of discomfort was understandable.

I am of the opinion that the kind of friendship I tried to make clear to her I wanted would have been inappropriate if there was an imbalance of power, but in mitigation we were peers at theological college, and I had checked with my wife prior to asking.

At the material time, when the college imposed restrictions on me, I was undergoing an acute stress reaction ... with hypervigilant symptoms.

He added: There is simply no way I would have ever attempted to contact someone I knew had made a harassment or stalking allegation about me against their will without very good reason.

He now works as a mental health support and volunteers as a Senior Waterways Chaplain.
Kevin Iacoboni

Walt Disney World is home to many attractions, including roller coasters, thrill rides, and motion simulators. Have you ever wondered which rides are the shortest?

Whether seeking the high-speed thrill of a quick coaster or searching for a slow-paced family-friendly ride experience, it is important to know which rides might be most suitable for your trip to Disney World. Continue reading as we explore the top 10 shortest Disney World rides in order. At Mickey Visit we bring you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a previous look at the fastest rides at Disney World and the fastest rides at Disneyland.

READ MORE  SECRET Targets to Get High Score On Toy Story Midway Mania

10. Expedition Everest- 2 Minutes 50 Seconds

Located at Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest takes the number 10 spot on our list, lasting 2 minutes and 50 seconds in ride duration. This roller coaster takes guests on an exhilarating journey through the Himalayan mountains at speeds up to 50 miles per hour and includes a backward motion feature when the ride car's front-facing track ends, and guests then find themselves moving backward down a two-track system through a mountain.

Expedition Everest features a Yeti animatronic and a thrilling 80-foot drop. Even though the ride lasts under 3 minutes in total, the ride's front-facing and backward motions make the ride a thrilling and enjoyable experience.

9. Slinky Dog Dash- 2 Minutes

Located at Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios, Slinky Dog Dash takes guests on a family-friendly ride through Andy's backyard. This roller coaster is sure to bring fun to the whole family as its gentle thrill level, accompanied by its enjoyable Toy Story theming, makes it a favorite ride for many and a great option for a first roller coaster experience.

The coaster uses dual launches throughout the ride, including a slingshot motion experience. The ride stands 50 feet tall and serves as the center of Toy Story Land. With its smooth ride and friendly theming, this roller coaster is sure to be enjoyed by all.

8. Astro Orbiter- (Tie) 1 Minute 30 Seconds

Photo Credit: Disney World

Since its original opening as StarJets in 1974 and later reimagined to Astro Orbiter in 1994, this attraction has served as a fan favorite of guests of Magic Kingdom. Located in the heart of Tomorrowland, Astro Orbiter lifts guests 60 feet above ground as 2 passenger spacecraft orbit a galaxy of planets.

Astro Orbiter is a gentle ride that is sure to please guests, as this attraction brings a wonderful view of Tomorrowland. Astro Orbiter recently underwent a 6-month refurbishment, closing in January of 2025 and reopening in June.

7. Dumbo the Flying Elephant- (Tie) 1 Minute 30 Seconds

Based on the beloved 1941 film, Dumbo the Flying Elephant has served as a Disney World staple since the Magic Kingdom's opening on October 1, 1971. Guests are able to enjoy a pleasurable ride in Storybook Circus as 2 passengers are able to board Dumbo and fly in a circular motion for the 1-minute and 30-second ride experience.

Passengers are able to control the height at which their Dumbo flies, making this a fun attraction for kids. This ride is also a great option for a first ride experience, as its gentle thrill level is sure to bring fun for the whole family.

6. Mad Tea Party- (Tie) 1 Minute 30 Seconds

Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Located in Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland, Mad Tea Party has been a fan favorite since the park's opening in 1971. In this attraction, guests are able to spin around in a giant teacup, inspired by Mad Hatter's party in Walt Disney's classic film Alice in Wonderland.

This attraction is sure to bring a fun experience for all as guests are able to turn the cup quickly, spinning faster, or turn the cup slowly, or not even turn at all, making for a more gentle ride experience. With no specific height requirement, this attraction makes for a good first ride experience for children.

5. Magic Carpets of Aladdin- (Tie) 1 Minute 30 Seconds

Photo Credit: Disney World

Located in the center of Magic Kingdom's Adventureland, Magic Carpets of Aladdin provides a fun and relaxing ride aboard Aladdin's Magic Carpet. Based on the hit 1992 film, and opened as a gentle thrill level attraction in 2001, Magic Carpets bring a joyful ride to guests of all ages.

With no height requirements, this ride makes for a good option for a first ride experience and mimics the motions of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction. A unique part of this ride is that the shops nearby are themed to Agrabah's marketplace from the Aladdin film.

4. Alien Swirling Saucers- (Tie) 1 Minute 30 Seconds

Photo Credit: Disney World

Since its opening in 2018, Alien Swirling Saucers has served as a crowd favorite for guests of Hollywood Studios. Located in Toy Story Land, Alien Swirling Saucers is a ride sure to be enjoyed by guests of all ages. There is a height requirement of 32 inches with this attraction, as its thrill level is moderate, but this attraction is sure to bring fun for the whole family.

In this attraction, guests board an alien saucer flown by the aliens of the beloved Toy Story film franchise and are taken on a fun and moderately exhilarating ride, spinning through the galaxy. One of the most unique aspects of this ride is the 14-foot-tall Buzz Lightyear statue at the ride's entrance.

3. Rock N' Roller Coaster- 1 Minute 22 Seconds

Located at Hollywood Studios, Rock' n' Roller Coaster (currently starring Aerosmith and soon to be starring the Muppets in Summer 2026) is a high-speed roller coaster that launches guests in a super-stretch limo 0-57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds. Guests of Rock N' Roller Coaster experience 5 Gs of force in the coaster's initial launch and experience a thrill of twists, turns, and three different inversions throughout the ride's 1 minute and 22 second duration.

The attraction is entirely indoors in a dark area with music and immersive concert theming as the super-stretch limo takes its guests to a concert in downtown Los Angeles. With the conversion from Aerosmith to the Muppets in Summer 2026, theming of the ride is sure to change; however, the ride itself will remain as it is in its current state.

2. TRON Lightcycle/Run- 1 Minute 5 Seconds

Located in Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland, guests experience an interactive and immersive ride experience themed to the TRON films as they embark on a 0-59 miles per hour launch in roughly 4 seconds. TRON Lightcycle/Run embraces theming from the TRON films throughout the ride as guests enjoy an indoor launch with a brief trip outdoors in the ride's pavilion and then back into the attraction's main building, where guests experience the race of dueling lightcycles as they cheer on Team Blue to victory over Team Orange.

Guests experience "The Grid" as if they are immersed in one of the TRON films throughout the ride. This high-speed coaster is sure to please thrill-seekers and has been the perfect addition to Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland since the ride's inception in 2023. There is a height requirement of 48 inches for this ride, as its thrill level can be considered quite intense. For a limited time, guests can experience this ride in its TRON: Ares overlay (which displays a red canopy and updated audio), which debuted in September 2025 to celebrate the newest TRON film's release.

1. Barnstormer- 1 Minute 3 Seconds

Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog

The Barnstormer is a family-friendly junior roller coaster located in Magic Kingdom's Storybook Circus. Opened in 1996, the Barnstormer has served as a great option for a first roller coaster experience for many. With a height requirement of 35 inches, guests of all ages are able to board this fun stunt plane and become part of The Great Goofini's aerial act.

With a maximum height drop of 20 feet and a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour, this junior coaster is sure to be enjoyed by all. With small dips and a quick and fairly gentle ride experience, the Barnstormer is sure to bring fun for the whole family.

READ MORE  Hidden Secrets of the Disney World Hotels You Haven't Heard Of

Disney World hotels

I love exploring the different hotels at Disney World. Each hotel has so much detail that I always catch something new every time I revisit them. However, each hotel also has its own stories and secrets that, once you learn them, may change your whole perspective on Disney's attention to detail. Let's go over the top hidden secrets of the Disney World hotels.

READ MORE -Don't Pack These Items For Your Disney Trip. They Can Cause Headaches and Some Are Banned.

Disney items

When it's time to pack for your Disney vacation, it's important to keep in mind that certain items are not allowed on property. Even though Disneyland and Walt Disney World both have their own set of property rules, it can sometimes be unclear what exactly is allowed and what's not. There are many items that are completely banned, while others only have certain stipulations that need to be followed. These are the Disney items you shouldn't pack for your trip.

The post Top 10 Shortest Rides at Disney World Ranked by Length appeared first on Mickey Visit - Disney News & Planning Tips.
US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. - Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Indiana state Senates vote against a new congressional map that President Donald Trump had pressured it to adopt is one of the most extraordinary examples to date of Republicans standing up to Trump.

But it wasnt even the only example Thursday.

Indeed, Trump got a series of brushback pitches in his efforts to dominate his party and American politics.

The day seemed to reinforce the emerging limits of Trumps ability to force others to bow to him, as his poll numbers drop and he trends towards lame-duck status.

Indiana state Sen. Mike Gaskill, who sponsored the bill to redraw Indianas congressional map, points to a graphic while speaking at the Indiana State Capitol in Indianapolis on Thursday. - Eric Bradner/CNN

Indiana rejects redistricting pressure

Indiana was certainly the biggest example. Despite months of pressure from Trump and his allies, those Republican state senators made a statement. A majority (21) of them (40) actually voted against Trumps position, defeating the map pretty resoundingly.

They were facing the presidents promises to unseat them in primaries, pressure from Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson and a large number of physical threats. (Law enforcement officials have not linked the threats to any group or campaign.)

In other words, these Republicans would have known precisely the potentially severe costs of their votes  and a majority of them still voted against Trump.

The vote was also significant in another way: It might have put a nail in the coffin of Trumps big redistricting push. Without gaining two favorable districts in Indiana (as the map proposed), Trumps bare-knuckle push for states to gerrymander in the middle of the decade to help the GOP next year looks to be fizzling.

Republicans might gain an advantage in a handful of seats, but its looking more and more like it will be pretty close to a wash.

Failure to indict James (again)

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks after pleading not guilty outside the United States District Court on Friday, October 24, in Norfolk, Virginia. - John Clark/AP/File

But we shouldnt lose sight of the other big developments that went against Trump on Thursday.

In Virginia, the Justice Department failed for a second time to secure a re-indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James. The two failed attempts have come after a judge dismissed an initial indictment because the US attorney who secured it wasnt serving legally.

Just to emphasize: This is not normal. In a full year between October 2012 and September 2013, federal grand juries rejected indictments only five times nationwide  out of 165,000 cases. Theyve now done it twice in the James case alone.

All of this comes after another grand jury also rejected a charge against former FBI Director James Comey, another of Trumps targets for retribution, in his initial indictment.

The emerging picture seems to confirm just how thinly constructed the allegations in Trumps retribution campaign are. And the whole thing, much like his redistricting effort, looks like it could be fizzling because an institution  in this case, the criminal justice system  isnt bowing to his will.

More GOP lawmakers break with Trump

The story is similar with Trumps efforts to target Democrats who warned military service-members about the Trump administration potentially giving illegal orders. Trump accused a half-dozen Democrats like Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona of seditious and even treasonous behavior, and he even invoked the death penalty.

But Trumps retaliation efforts there also suffered a major blow Thursday. After the Navy delivered a report on Kelly that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had requested, Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker signaled to CNN that there was no there there.

Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, departs after attending a classified briefing, - Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

The Mississippi Republican said it wasnt appropriate for the military to even try to punish Kelly, much less sanction him for sedition or treason.

And Indiana wasnt even the only legislature to deliver Trump a rebuke on Thursday. So too did the US House, where 20 House Republicans voted to overturn Trumps executive order that stripped federal workers of collective bargaining rights.

While the legislation appears unlikely to become law, its rare for Republicans to vote so directly against something Trump wants or has done. And those voting against him werent just moderates.

And finally, theres another key debate in Washington where lawmakers appear to be on a very different page from Trump  and dont seem to be moving, despite his efforts.

News broke Thursday that Trump was nominating Lindsey Halligan, who was disqualified in the James and Comey cases, to be confirmed as US attorney. Her confirmation would give her power to seek these kinds of indictments for Trump.

Theres a big problem, though: Under its longstanding blue slip rule, the Senate doesnt confirm nominees like her unless they have the approval of senators in the state at issue. And Virginia has two Democratic senators who will not give Halligan such approval.

Trumps been waging a longstanding pressure campaign to get Senate GOP leadership to scrap this rule, which he also re-upped Thursday on social media.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune holds a press conference following the GOP weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. - Annabelle Gordon/Reuters

But his renewed push was met with a pretty quick dismissal by key Republicans. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there are way more Republican senators who are interested in preserving that [rule] than those who arent. Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, meanwhile, suggested the real problem was that the White House wasnt sending him enough nominees for judiciary posts. ATTN WH; SEND MORE NOMS, the Iowa Republican posted on X.

The episode encapsulated an emerging trend with Trump in which he seems to just throw something at the wall and hope it sticks.

But that doesnt seem to be serving him as well anymore, particularly as institutions and even his fellow Republicans summon some willpower and courage to resist him.

And Thursday was a pretty bad day for Trump on that front.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Members of law enforcement, including the U.S. Secret Service and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, respond to a shooting near the White House in Washington, D.C., on November 26, 2025. Credit - Anna MoneymakerGetty Images

For years before he allegedly traveled across the country and shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal struggled with severe mental health issues. He would sometimes isolate himself for weeks on end or experience manic episodes during which he would embark on lengthy drives in the family car, according to emails sent by a community advocate working to help him and his family. The advocate suggested that Lakanwal suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder related to his time fighting the Taliban with the U.S. military, and dealt with challenges adjusting to his new life in Washington state.

Rahmanullah was a man who was extremely proud and capable in the world he came from, who felt defeated in the world he came to, the advocate, who volunteered supporting Afghan families in the state, told CBS News.

Lakanwal is among tens of thousands of Afghans who have resettled in the U.S. after aiding the American military in Afghanistan. His struggle with assimilation and his mental health, as described in the emails the advocate shared in the wake of his arrest, is familiar to others who belong to or work within that community. Many such Afghan refugees have confronted an uphill battle in adapting to life in the U.S., feeling estranged from their home country and as though they dont have the support or tools necessary to thrive in their new one, experts and Afghan veterans now living in the U.S. tell TIME.

They're starved for resources, says Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, an organization that supports and advocates for Afghan nationals who came to the U.S. after assisting the countrys military. Afghans just feel totally left behind, totally betrayed and totally unwanted.

Seven months before Lakanwal was identified as the suspected gunman in the shooting in D.C., another Afghan national who worked with American troops in his home country died in a shootout with police in Fairfax, Virginia.

During what started as a routine traffic stop, the man, Jamal Wali, detailed his struggles living in the U.S.

I cant even go back to my f**** country because of you f****** people  I lost everything. I have nothing, Wali said in body-cam footage of the incident.

He told the officer who pulled him over that he had four children, that he couldnt find a job or receive disability benefits, and that his license was taken because he couldnt pay insurance. He called the U.S. racist, before proclaiming that he should have served the Taliban instead. Shortly after that comment, Wali reached for his gun and fired shots that investigators say wounded two officers. A third officer then returned fire from the passenger side of Walis vehicle, according to authorities, killing him.

The experts and other veterans who spoke to TIME all stressed that Afghan nationals living in the U.S. should not be defined by singular acts of violence, and that the struggles Lakanwal and Wali are described to have experienced are not universal among the community. But while the two casesseparated by just a handful of months and milesare outliers within the countrys broader Afghan veteran population, for many they underscore the challenges such refugees face, and signal the need for further support.

The challenging road to assimilation

Thousands of Afghans worked closely with the U.S. military during the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan as interpreters, cultural advisers, drivers, and members of special operations forces. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, many have resettled in the U.S., including through the Biden Administration program that Lakanwal arrived under, Operation Allies Welcome, and its successor, Operation Enduring Welcome.

Operation Allies Welcome allowed Afghans to enter the U.S. on parole for two years without permanent immigration status as part of an effort by the Biden Administration to protect vulnerable Afghansparticularly those who collaborated with the American militaryfollowing the U.S.s withdrawal from Afghanistan. After about a year, the program shifted to the longer-term Operation Enduring Welcome, which continued the resettlement efforts. All told, nearly 200,000 Afghans resettled in the U.S. under the two programs.

Read more: Zero Unit: What We Know About the Elite CIA Force Allegedly Tied to the D.C. Shooting Suspect

The process of resettlement and assimilation has presented a flurry of challenges for Afghan nationals who have come to the country, ranging from the practical, like finding work, to the more nuanced, like forging a new identity as an Afghan-American without the support of friends and family. And as they build up, these challenges often take a toll on refugees mental health.

When Nadeem Yousify first arrived in California from Afghanistan, he had no job, friends, or family. He was able to find mental health counseling, but says the services were thin, and that he felt they were ultimately there to make sure he wouldnt harm himself or others, rather than provide thoughtful counseling as he navigated new challenges. Without a support system, he says, it was difficult to set up his life.

We're looking at mental health, but we don't look at, where does it start? Where does it come from? How that somebody goes from zero to 100? Yousify, an Afghan national who worked as a translator and interpreter in Afghanistan alongside American troops before coming to the U.S. on a Special Immigrant Visa in 2015, tells TIME in a conversation about Lakanwal.

You don't have that much time to look for resources. And also, there is not that much resources, he says. Everything piles up and it creates more and more and more and more problems. We have to look at the stressors  And especially for people who are from Afghanistan. So the financial stressors is one of them; language barrier stressors; cultural stressors; the being away from the family and loved ones stressors; the situation back home stressors.

Yousify says many Afghan veterans are unable to bring their loved ones to the U.S., and that it has been especially hard to do so during the current Administration. President Donald Trump has significantly restricted legal immigration pathways since returning to office in January, including by suspending refugee admissions shortly after beginning his second term and barring nationals from Afghanistan and 11 other countries from entering the U.S. in June.

Yousify also notes that seeking help, whether from friends or through mental health resources, is frowned upon in Afghanistan, which he says leaves many veterans isolated.

Afghan culture itself is very, very masculine culture, he says. So the problem with the Afghans that I have seen a lot of people, it's like they are hard to open up. They are hard to talk about their issues. They're hard to ask for help. They hesitate.

Shahpur Pazhman, a Black Hawk pilot who aided the American military in Afghanistan and later came to the U.S. with his wife and children in 2021 after the Afghan capital of Kabul fell to the Taliban, tells TIME that we were feeling very hopeless upon moving to the country. He wanted to continue his work as a pilot in the U.S., but ended up working as an Uber Eats and Lyft driver, a transition that made him mentally uncomfortable."

He says his family members fell into depression due to the stress of finding basic necessities and thinking about the future, and sought counseling. Eventually, Pazhman found work as a flight line technician in an airporta post he enjoysthrough an aid organization called Upwardly Global, and he now lives in Arizona with his family.

It was hard for me to leave my country, he says. But I love America.

A dearth of mental health resources

While both the federal government and nonprofit organizations offer services aimed at helping Afghan nationals who are resettling in the U.S., people who work to provide such support in the community tell TIME the available resources may not always address the particular circumstances and needs of Afghan veterans who struggle with their mental health as they confront challenges trying to assimilate.

Oftentimes, these individuals were evacuated here, alone, without any support networks, no family, and being resettled in the middle sometimes of nowhere, and having to navigate a very different world, a very different tempo, while not getting those mental health resources that they desperately needed, Shala Gafary, an attorney at Human Rights First who has worked with thousands of Afghansmany of whom are veteransto help them obtain visas and navigate resettlement services.

There were resources available for mental health for Afghans that were set up by the federal government, she acknowledges, but adds, I just don't think that they were designed with the veteran in mind.

VanDiver, the president of #AfghanEvac, tells TIME that as well as believing that mental health resources are not catered to their specific assimilation experiences, many in the community feel that there arent enough resources for them more broadly.

They don't understand why everything takes so long to get basic needs  They weren't told that they were not going to have access to the mental health support that they need, VanDiver says.

Stacy Barnes, an executive director for Alight, a global humanitarian organization that provides social support and resettlement services to thousands of Afghans in the Minnesota area, tells TIME that many Afghan veterans she has worked with struggle with a sense of self, which she says adds more weight to the task of assimilating and often impacts their mental health.

There is a very deep loss of identity that people experience when they go through displacement, she says. And this is a profound loss: your ability to speak your language, your ability to eat the food that you know and is comforting to you, the ability to walk down a street that is familiar.

She says that the loss of rank, when Afghan soldiers go from a place of reverence and authority within the military in Afghanistan to working low-paying jobs or having no job at all in the U.S., makes the assimilation process even more difficult, and takes a toll on the mental health of veterans.

Her organization has found that community building is effective in helping the Afghan refugees it works with. Through events like Afghan sewing socials, members have been able to bond over their shared backgrounds, according to Barnes. Other events seek to build connections regardless of nationality, which she says is important, because it provides exposure to other cultures. Using before and after surveys of its members, Alight saw a 45% decrease in isolation and a 55% decrease in depression after participation in its community programs.

What are some universal truths that someone who has experienced displacement needs or wants or will help them to heal and thrive? Barnes asks. Community, community, community.

Individual acts and sweeping consequences

Following Lakanwals arrest in the D.C. shooting, Trump redoubled his efforts to clamp down on legal immigration to the U.S. and escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric. The President said after the shooting in a post on Truth Social that he would permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries and terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, without naming specific countries.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Joe Edlow then announced that he had directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern and that all asylum decisions would be paused until the agency could ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. USCIS confirmed to TIME in an email that the countries of concern comprised the 19 nations the Administration imposed new travel bans and restrictions on in Juneincluding Afghanistan.

The agency, which processes green card, visa, and naturalization requests, also published new guidance that explained its officers would consider country-specific factors when weighing immigration requests for applicants from those 19 countries. The Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghans who worked with the U.S. military, under which Yousify and many other Afghan veterans have resettled in the U.S., was additionally halted.

Read more: Trump Has Made Sweeping Changes to Immigration Since the D.C. Shooting. Heres What We Know

Before moving to Washington state in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, Lakanwal was a part of a specialized unit under the CIA that hunted down Taliban commanders. He applied for asylum in 2024 while Biden was in office, a request that was granted earlier this year under the Trump Administration.

Trump has seized on the shooting and Lakanwals identification as the suspect to levy broader attacks against Afghan refugees and other immigrants. Asked if was blaming all Afghans for Lakanwals alleged actions, Trump told reporters, "no, but added, there's a lot of problems with Afghans."

He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts, the President said. It happens too often with these people.

Speaking about Lakanwal and Wali, Gafary, the attorney at Human Rights First, says to TIME that it's really unfortunate that the actions of a couple of individuals who clearly are mentally unwell and have suffered in ways that maybe most of us can't even imagine, have been able to negatively impact hundreds of thousands of people that are here.

Those folks who worked alongside us back in Afghanistan show an eagerness to be part of the social fabric of this country, Gafary says.

She also notes that not all Afghan refugees in the U.S. deal with the same challenges. Many people in the demographic face these struggles, but not all, by and large, she says.

And the Afghan veterans in the U.S. who do struggle with their mental health are not alone in those battles, emphasizes VanDiver, of #AfghanEvac.

The mental health of the Afghan national population is no different than mental health for American veterans, he says, noting that serving in the military can take the same toll on a person regardless of nationality.

Yousify only hopes that these violent incidents dont divide the country, or suggest that the broader population of Afghan-Americans doesnt have national pride in their new home.

As a Muslim and as an Afghan, I want to say something here that can clarify a lot of things: Afghanistan as my motherland, that will be forever, he says. But the United States is my homeland.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Ian Palmer

Europe is famed for the idyllic Christmas markets that overtake many of its historic cities and villages every December. I'm always tempted by the well-edited videos of these storybook Christmas towns that populate my social media feed around this time every year, but the thought of traveling long distance in the winter, dealing with multiple train transfers, and enduring the crowds that flock to these popular markets has made me hesitant to take the plunge myself.

That is, until I booked passage on the Panache, a hotel barge in the European Waterways fleet, and the only vessel in the company that cruises outside of the normal summertime cruising season. Every December, the Panache cruises along the Canal de la Marne au Rhinwhich flows to the north and south of Strasbourg in the heart of France's German-tinged Alsace regionand offers guests a five-day itinerary centered around the region's holiday offerings.

Ian Palmer

Manned by a small crew (a captain, a chef, two hostesses, and two deckhands), the Panache is more of a six-room floating hotel with slowly changing views than a traditional river cruise. It floats down the canal at a leisurely four miles per hour and docks at a different rural mooring each night as it makes its way toward the city of Strasbourg. Meals are served on boardelegant three-course affairs with hand-selected French wine pairings and glasses that never go emptyand transport to and from the markets and other excursions is facilitated by a pair of luxury Mercedes sprinter vans.

The most underrated aspect of traveling this way is that I only had to unpack once, and then had a unique and comfortable home base for a full week of Christmas market exploration. Once guests arrive on the Panache, there are no more taxis, train transfers, or travel logistics of any kind to deal with. Instead, every possible need is met by the Panaches attentive crew.

And while the Christmas markets are certainly the main draw of a trip like this, Alsace has too much culture and history on offer to miss while in the area, and on my cruise, our captain Bryan arranged a tight itinerary of cultural excursions, including Marc Chagall's stunning stained-glass window installation in the 13th-century Chapel of the Cordeliers in Sarrebourg, the ominous castle ruins that overlook the quaint village of Lutzelbourg, and a visit to the Meisenthal glass factory to see the iconic Christmas baubles being made in person.

The experience of cruising through Alsace via hotel barge is difficult to describe without being on board, so to paint a picture, here's a glimpse of a typical morning from my week aboard the Panache: I wake up in my cabin to the gentle lull of the engine as the boat begins its slow cruise south along the canal. I get up, don my robe, and ascend the narrow staircase to the dining room, where fresh croissants, fruit, and coffee are already laid out on the table (our chef Mateo is also offering ham-and-cheese omelettes to order this morning).

Today, we have a four-hour cruise into Strasbourg, so I lazily pass the time observing the scenery from the garland-draped sundeck, strolling along the tow path in between locks, and reading in our comfortable salon while the wintery landscapes of the Alsatian countryside slowly pass by. A leisurely lunch is served on boardits another three-course affair featuring beet carpaccio, ravioles aux cepes, and classic red wine-poached pears with an Alsatian Riesling to pair. Then, having docked in Strasbourg right as lunch winds down and coffee is served, it's off into the city center to see the Christmas markets.

Strasbourg is the jewel in the crown of the region, and exploring its market was the highlight of the trip. The primary market area is situated in the shadow of Strasbourg's impressive 15th-century cathedral, and the only word that describes my experience as the abundance of Christmas lights and the glow of the vendor stalls slowly replaced the light of the setting sun is "magical."

With a mug of steaming vin chaud (mulled woneand a hot pretzel in hand, we wandered from stall to stall shopping the ornaments, decorations, and other Christmas wares on offer, and just generally took it all in as my fellow guests and I were quickly consumed with Christmas spirit. While Strasbourg draws large crowds of visitors this time of year, the market itself is large enough and spread out in a way that makes it easy to navigate, and we didn't have to deal with any lines. After shopping the market for a few hours, we walked back to the Panache's mooring on the canal, where we were greeted by our hostesses with a cocktail and treated to a surprise performance by a manouche jazz trio, before settling in for dinner.

The week also included a trip to Colmar, where the Christmas market is smaller and a bit "crafty" compared to Strasbourg's, but whose perfectly preserved half-timbered houses and festively decorated streets are worth the visit alone. Colmar also features a dedicated food market, which provided the perfect opportunity to sample classic Alsatian dishes like choucroute (dressed sauerkraut) and flammekueche (a thin-crust flatbread typically served with a creme fraiche base, bacon, and onion).

Our trip concluded with a visit to the tiny hilltop town of Riquewihr, which is surrounded by Alsatian vineyards and perhaps the quaintest Christmas village in all of France. There is a small market at the bottom of the town, but Riquewihr's main draw is simply strolling upwards along the winding Rue du General de Gaulle underneath its canopy of lights, culminating in a visit to the Feerie de Noel Christmas store, which unfolds across two floors like a holiday IKEA, with every type of ornament and decoration imaginable on offer.

Cruising aboard the Panache in December converted me into a wintertime traveler. It offered luxurious accommodation and stress-free transportation without sacrificing an authentic experience of the Alsace region and its famed Christmas markets. Expertly threading the needle between "travel" and "vacation," cruising on a hotel barge was an equally relaxing and invigorating way to experience France's Christmas markets.

You Might Also Like
The jury began deliberations on Friday in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, a father of three accused of killing and dismembering his wife.

The Massachusetts man is accused of killing his wife, 39-year-old Ana Walshe, around New Year's Day in 2023. He pleaded guilty last month, ahead of the trial, to lying to police following her disappearance and improperly disposing of her body, though he denies he killed his wife and has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Ana Walshe's body has not been found.

Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool - PHOTO: Brian Walshe attends his trial for murdering his wife Ana, on Dec. 4, 2025, in Dedham, Mass.

After deliberating for nearly four hours on Friday following closing arguments, the jurors were dismissed for the day without a verdict. They are set to resume their deliberations Monday morning.

Prior to the closing arguments, Judge Diane Freniere told the jury during instructions that they will be able to choose to convict on second-degree murder, not just the first-degree murder charge the prosecution has argued for and includes the element of premeditation.

During the trial's opening statements last week, defense attorneys said Brian Walshe found his wife dead in bed on New Year's Day in 2023 and then panicked and lied to police as they investigated her disappearance -- but maintained he did not kill her.

Brian Walshe allegedly killed and dismembered his wife, then disposed of her remains in dumpsters, according to prosecutors. The internet history on his devices on Jan. 1, 2023, included searches such as "best way to dispose of a body," "how long for someone to be missing to inherit," and "best way to dispose of body parts after a murder," prosecutors said.

One of the last people to see Ana Walshe alive testifies in husband's murder trial

Defense attorney Larry Tipton argued the Commonwealth hadn't proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Brian Walshe -- whom he described as a "loving father and loving husband" -- killed his wife or there was any motive to do so.

Positing what might account for the "unspeakable" internet searches and how someone could "dispose of the body of the woman that he adored," Tipton said, "Could it be something that was sudden, something that was unexpected, something which was unbelievable, something that only a medical examiner would understand, have knowledge of, but not a man like Brian Walshe?"

Pool via ABC News - PHOTO: Brian Walshe in Norfolk Superior Court, Dedham, Mass., Dec. 12, 2025.

Tipton conceded there's evidence Brian Walshe lied and disposed of a body, but argued there was nothing proving that he planned to harm his wife. He claimed the internet search on murder came six hours after his wife died and "upsetting" searches about dismemberment and "cleaning up" do not point to a plan but rather his "disbelief."

"Why is a man searching now if he had intended to kill his wife?" Tipton asked the jurors. "Where is the evidence of premeditation in thousands of pages of records?"

Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger via AP - PHOTO: A surveillance camera image is presented as evidence of Brian Walshe shopping at Lowe's in Danvers, Jan. 1, 2023, during Brian Walshe's murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Dec. 8, 2025, in Dedham, Mass.

At the start of the Commonwealth's closing argument, prosecutor Anne Yas told jurors, "Ana Walshe is dead because he murdered her," while pointing toward Brian Walshe in the courtroom.

She argued Ana Walshe didn't die of natural causes -- but Brian Walshe killed her and then disposed of her body to hide the evidence.

"The defendant did not want anyone to find Ana's body and to know how she died, so the defendant bought cutting tools at Lowe's and Home Depot and he cut up Ana's body -- the woman that he claimed to love -- and he threw her into dumpsters," she said.

Yas argued the evidence shows Brian Walshe intended to kill his wife and was "methodical" -- that his claims he misplaced his phone for two days around New Year's Eve "allowed him to carry out his plan" and have an explanation for police as to why he hadn't been in contact with her. She said he had a list when he was shopping at Lowe's.

Yas said their marriage was in "crisis," and they had been having arguments about Ana Walshe being away from the family due to her job in Washington, D.C. She also claimed Brian Walshe knew his wife was having an affair, which the defense has denied.

"Please do not allow the defendant's self-serving act of dismembering and disposing of Ana's body let him get away with this murder," Yas said.

She urged jurors to use their "common sense" while they deliberate, and that they will "see that the evidence shows there is only one verdict" -- guilty of the premeditated first-degree murder of Ana Walshe.

Brian Walshe murder trial: Man who had affair with Walshe's wife testifies

The defense rested on Thursday without calling any witnesses. Freniere noted in court on Thursday that it appeared that Brian Walshe would testify in his defense, based on the defense's opening statement. Though he ultimately waived his right.

Evidence presented during the two-week trial in Dedham included surveillance footage of a man believed to be Brian Walshe buying tools and other supplies at a Lowe's on Jan. 1, 2023. A receipt showed that items, including a hacksaw, utility knife, hammer, snips, Tyvek suit, shoeguards, rags and cleaning supplies totaling $462 were purchased with cash.

Matt Stone/Pool/The Boston Herald via AP - PHOTO: A video allegedly showing Brian Walshe depositing a garbage bag into a dumpster at a Abington apartment complex shown during Brian Walshe's trial for murdering his wife Ana, Dec. 4, 2025.

Additional surveillance footage presented in court showed someone throwing out trash bags at dumpsters on multiple days in early January 2023.

Several blood-stained items recovered from dumpsters by investigators -- including a hacksaw, a piece of rug, a towel and hairs -- and an unknown tissue were linked to Ana Walshe through DNA testing, a forensic scientist from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory testified during the trial.

Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger via AP - PHOTO: A hacksaw, included in tools that are presented as evidence which all tested positive for blood, shown during the murder trial of Brian Walshe, who is accused of killing his wife Ana Walshe, at Norfolk Superior Court, Dec. 8, 2025, in Dedham, Mass.

Blood was also found in the basement of the family's rental home in Cohasset, another forensic scientist with the crime lab testified.

Ana Walshe was reported missing by her employer on Jan. 4, 2023. Brian Walshe told police at the time that she had a "work emergency" at her job in D.C. and left their Cohasset home on New Year's Day, according to audio of his interview played in court.

Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool - PHOTO: A missing person poster that the Cohasset Police produced while searching for Ana Walshe shown on the first day of the Brian Walshe murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, on Dec. 1, 2025, in Dedham, Mass.

At the time, Brian Walshe and their three children were living in Massachusetts while he was awaiting sentencing in a federal fraud case after pleading guilty to a scheme to sell counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings.

Ahead of the murder trial, Brian Walshe admitted to lying to police amid her disappearance and improperly disposing of her body. His defense said during opening statements that he panicked after finding her dead in bed, calling her death sudden and unexplained.

Jurors heard testimony, including from a D.C. man with whom Ana Walshe was having an affair, that the mother of three was upset about being away from her young children so much -- who were 2, 4 and 6 at the time -- and that there was stress in the marriage. The defense maintained that the couple were happy.
First Nation police chiefs join Texas Department of Public Safety marine units to patrol the Rio Grande River in Hidalgo County, Texas. L-R: Dwayne Zacharie, President of the First Nations Chiefs of Police Association, Ranatiiostha Swamp, Chief of Police of the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez, Jamie Tronnes, Center for North American Prosperity and Security, Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd. Photo: Bethany Blankley for The Center Square

(The Center Square)  Despite Canadian officials arguing that the "Canada-U.S. border is the best-managed and most secure border in the world, some Canadian groups and First Nation tribal police chiefs disagree.

This week, First Nation representatives traveled to Texas for the first time in U.S.-Canadian history to find ways to implement stronger border security measures at the U.S.-Canada border, including joining an Operation Lone Start Task Force, The Center Square exclusively reported.

Part of the problem is getting law enforcement, elected officials and the general public to understand the reality that Mexican cartels and transnational criminal organizations are operating in Canada; another stems from Trudeau administration visa policies, they argue.

When it comes to public perception, If you tell Canadians we have a cartel problem, they'll laugh at you. They don't believe it. If you tell them we have a gang problem, they will absolutely agree with you 100%. They don't think that gangs and cartels are the same thing. They don't see the Hells Angels as equal to the Sinaloa Cartel because the biker gang is visible, wearing vests out on the streets and cartel operatives arent, Jamie Tronnes, executive director of the Center of North American Prosperity and Security, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview.

The center is a US-based project of the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, the largest think tank in Canada. Tronnes previously served as a special assistant to the cabinet minister responsible for immigration and has a background in counterterrorism. She joined First Nation police chiefs to meet with Texas law enforcement and officials this week.

Another Canadian group, Future Borders Coalition, argues, Canada has become a critical hub for transnational organized crime, with networks operating through its ports, banks, and border communities. The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Mexican cartels control the fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine business in Canada, partnering with local gangs like the Hells Angels and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked actors, who launder profits through casinos, real estate, and shell companies in Vancouver and Toronto, Ammon Blair, a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and others said at a coalition event prior to First Nation police chiefs and Tronnes coming to Texas.

The Ndrangheta (Italian Mafia) maintains powerful laundering and import operations in Ontario and Quebec, while MS-13 and similar Central American gangs facilitate human smuggling and enforcement. Financial networks tied to Hezbollah and other Middle Eastern groups support laundering and logistics for these criminal alliances, the coalition reports.

Together, they form interconnected, technology-driven enterprises that exploit global shipping, cryptocurrency, and AI-enabled communications to traffic whatever yields profit  narcotics, weapons, tobacco, or people. Taking advantage of Canadas lenient disclosure laws, fragmented jurisdictions, and weak cross-border coordination, these groups have embedded themselves within legitimate sectors, turning Canada into both a transit corridor and safe haven for organized crime, the coalition reports.

Some First Nation reservations impacted by transnational crime straddle the U.S.-Canada border. One is the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation, located in Ontario, Quebec, and in two upstate New York counties, where human smuggling and transnational crime is occurring, The Center Square reported. Another is the Tsawwassen First Nation (TWA) Reservation, located in a coastal region south of Vancouver in British Columbia stretching to Point Roberts in Washington state, which operates a ferry along a major smuggling corridor.

Some First Nation reservations like the TWA are suffering from CCP organized crime, Tronnes said. Coastal residents observe smugglers crossing their back yards, going through the reserve; along Canadas western border, a lot of fentanyl is being sent out to Asia but it's also being made in Canada, Tronnes said.

Transnational criminal activity went largely unchecked under the Trudeau government, during which border security, national security and national defense were not primary concerns, Tronnes told The Center Square. It's not to say they weren't concerns, but they weren't top of mind concerns. The Trudeau government preferred to focus on things like climate change, international human rights issues, a feminist foreign policy type of situation where they were looking more at virtue signaling rather than securing the country.

Under the Trudeau administration, the greatest number of illegal border crossers, including Canadians, and the greatest number of known, suspected terrorists (KSTs) were reported at the U.S.-Canada border in U.S. history, The Center Square first reported. They include an Iranian with terrorist ties living in Canada and a Canadian woman who tried to poison President Donald Trump, The Center Square reported.

Had it been a priority for the government to really crack down and provide resources for national security, federal, provincial and First Nation law enforcement would be better equipped, funded and staffed, Tronnes said. They would have better ways to understand what's really happening at the border.

In February, President Donald Trump for the first time in U.S. history declared a national emergency at the northern border and ordered U.S. military intervention. Months later, his administration acknowledged the majority of fentanyl and KSTs were coming from Canada, The Center Square reported.

Under a new government and in response to pressure from Trump, Canada proposed a $1.3 billion border plan. However, more is needed, the groups argue, including modernizing border technology and an analytics infrastructure, reforming disclosure and privacy rules to enable intelligence sharing, and recognizing and fully funding First Nation police, designating them as essential services and essential to border security.

National security doesnt exist without First Nation policing at the border, Dwayne Zacharie, First Nations Chiefs of Police president, told The Center Square.
A businessman works on his laptop at a cafe counter by the window. Photo: LinkedIn Sales Solutions / Unsplash

(The Center Square)  A New Hampshire panel inspired by Elon Musk's now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency is recommending the state end remote work for government employees and dismantle the health department, among other changes.

The New Hampshire Commission on Government Efficiency, headed by former Republican Gov. Craig Benson, released its first report on Thursday, calling for wide-ranging changes in state government aimed at improving efficiency and eliminating wasteful spending.

A key recommendation in the 77-page report is for the state government to return to an in-person work standard for all employees whose duties can be performed on-site, stating that the changes would improve collaboration among workers and service to the public.

"While remote work arrangements were necessary during the pandemic, they are not a sustainable long-term model for an organization whose mission depends on teamwork, public access, and responsive service," the report's authors wrote. "Restoring an in-person work culture will strengthen accountability, improve coordination across agencies, and rebuild the sense of shared purpose that defines effective public service."

Another recommendation calls for breaking up the "behemoth" state Department of Health and Human Services and delegating its many responsibilities to other agencies to improve service and accountability.

"This is an amazing opportunity to rethink how New Hampshire delivers essential services to its most vulnerable citizens," the group wrote. "By creating smaller, more agile agencies with well-defined missions and clear accountability, the state can strengthen, not weaken, its commitment to those it serves, ensuring that resources are used efficiently, transparently, and effectively."

The panel was a key priority for Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who welcomed the panel's recommendations on Thursday, saying the commission's work will help "deliver more value for taxpayers and build a more modern, efficient, and responsive government."

"COGE dug into the day-to-day realities of how government works, and their recommendations reflect that," the first-term Republican said in a statement. "These are practical improvements that will help us better serve Granite Staters."

Ayotte singled out several of the recommendations she said have "strong potential to modernize government, enhance New Hampshires long-term competitiveness, and maximize taxpayer value."

Those included proposals to build a "sustainable framework" for artificial intelligence development, modernizing state case management systems and cutting government red tape.

The 15-member panel is made up of business leaders and state government officials, including House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, state Sen. Mark McConkey, R-Freedom, and Bedford businessman Andy Crews, according to the Ayotte administration.

Benson called the panel's recommendations "practical steps that modernize how we operate, strengthen future competitiveness, and ensure taxpayers get the best possible return on every dollar."

"Our work has reinforced something we heard in every corner of state government: New Hampshire succeeds when it adapts, collaborates, and reinvests in itself," he said in a statement. "This is an opportunity to build on what works, fix what doesnt, and position New Hampshire for long-term success."
getty

Whether you're getting a haircut, altering your brow shape, or getting lip filler, deciding to change your appearance is a pretty big commitment. And the thought of ending up with results you don't love can make the process seem even more harrowing, especially when you'll be living with the change for a while.

But when it comes to getting lip filler, you can rest assured knowing that if you're unsatisfied with your results, you potentially have the option to get it dissolved. Most lip fillers are hyaluronic acid, which can be dissolved with an enzyme known as hyaluronidase, says Jimmy C. Sung, MD, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon.

Meet the experts: Michael Horn, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Chicago. Michael Bassiri-Tehrani, MD, is a double-board-certified facial plastic surgeon. Jimmy C. Sung, MD, is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon and medical director of Tribeca Aesthetics in New York City.

So if you're thinking of getting your lip filler dissolved (or if you'd just like to know what your options are before your first injection appointment) read ahead to find out everything you need to know about how the process worksincluding reasons to dissolve your filler, how long the process takes, and what to expect afterwards.

Reasons to dissolve lip filler

Lip fillers can be a great way to add extra plump to naturally thin lips, or to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in an aging smile. But as is the case with any cosmetic procedure, things can sometimes go awry. Here are some of the most common reasons why it may be worth it to get lip filler dissolved:

Filler migration: This is when filler unintentionally moves from the area where it was initially injected to somewhere else. Though this typically occurs in central cheeks, lips, and tear troughs, it can occur anywhere filler is placed, Michael Horn, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon, previously told Women's Health. When lip filler migrates, it typically moves from the inner red lip, the colored, fleshy part of the lips known as the vermilion, to the skin just above or surrounding the lips, which is often referred to as the white lip, adds Michael Bassiri-Tehrani, MD, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon.

Overfilling: As the term suggests, overfilling is when a patient has been injected with more filler than what their lips than handle. Overfilling is a relatively common issue, experts say, and it can sometimes cause the lips to look unnatural and duck-like. Yikes.

Lumps, bumpiness, and asymmetry: The formation of lumps and bumps at or around the injection site is another common reason someone may want to get their filler dissolved. This issue occurs when the filler doesnt spread evenly underneath the skin, says Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani. It can occur when an injector uses improper technique or injects too much filler,

Pain, discomfort, or adverse reactions: To be clear, when visiting a board-certified dermatologist or facial plastic surgeon, the risk of lip injections causing extreme pain or other negative reactions like severe swelling is rare. But if you do experience pain or discoloration at the injection site, it's a more urgent indication to dissolve, says Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani.

How is lip filler dissolved?

Lip fillers are made with different materials such as hyaluronic acid, synthetic polymers like polyalkylimide and collagen stimulators like polylactic acid, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. But only hyaluronic acid fillerslike Juvederm, Restylane, and Beloterocan be dissolved.

Here's how it'll typically goes down: Your doctor or esthetician will numb the area with a topical numbing cream before using a small needle to inject the hyaluronidase enzyme into your lips. We place an ice pack on the lips for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce the discomfort and swelling, Dr. Sung explains. And in most cases, youll begin to see the results immediately, though in some people in can take up to a week to fully take effect.

Non-hyaluronic acid fillers like those made of calcium, fat, or silicone are typically much more difficult to dissolve. Fat and synthetic substances may never dissolve on their own, says Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani. Even if dissolvable, the product may stick around longer than intended, especially when placed in certain areas of the face such as around the eyes. When dealing with these types of injections, you can try massaging the filler to redistribute it. You can also talk to your doctor about potentially getting the filler surgically removed.

How long does it take for lip filler to dissolve?

According to Dr. Sung, the hyaluronidase begins to break down the filler as soon as its injected, but how long it may take to dissolve is dependent on the composition of the filler. If the filler is cross-linkeda manufacturing process that increases the longevity of the productit will take longer and more sessions, Dr. Sung adds.

Your bodys metabolism plays a large role in how long it'll take as well. The dissolving enzyme might break down the products, but your body has to absorb and eliminate the filler residues, he says.

And while filler can usually be dissolved in just one session, multiple sessions may be required if the filler is particularly dense or if a large area was initially injected, Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani adds.

What to expect after getting your filler dissolved

Patients can expect mild to moderate pain and swelling for a few days after the dissolving treatment, says Dr. Sung. And its possible to experience side effects like allergic reactions, bruising, pain, skin discoloration, and swelling, he adds.

Your lips may also look a little more hollow than normal after getting filler dissolved, since it may take some time for your bodys natural hyaluronic acid to return, says Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani. They might look deflated or wrinkled immediately after the procedure, but they typically return to their natural appearance over time, he says.

To minimize the risk of swelling, bruising, or discomfort, your provider can massage the area directly after you receive the injections. But in the days after the treatment, it's best to avoid touching or rubbing the areathat'll help give the enzyme a chance to work.

Can you get filler again after getting it dissolved?

The answer is yes! But before running back to the doctor's office, you should try to wait until your lips are fully healed to get another treatment. It is generally recommended to wait for at least a few weeks after dissolving the filler to allow the lips to return to their natural state, Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani says. Also the enzyme is active for up to two weeks, so adding back filler early may cause it to be dissolved.

Changing your look can feel like a big leap, but with lip filler, theres a safety net. And while the process can come with some temporary swelling or mild discomfort, its generally straightforward and will allow you to get back to enjoying your naturalor newly enhancedlips in just a few weeks.

Here's to healthy lips that make you feel confident and beautiful.

You Might Also Like
FILE PHOTO: Combination picture of Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden making a statement on the 2020 U.S. presidential election results on November 5, 2020 and U.S. President Donald Trump speaking about the early results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, U.S. on November 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Carlos Barria/File Photo

WILMINGTON, Delaware., Dec 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed, without evidence, that some actions by former President Joe Biden were invalid because he signed them using an autopen, including appointments to the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors.

Below is a look at the controversy and legality of the device.

WHAT IS AN AUTOPEN?

It is a mechanical device that replicates a signature with a pen or other writing device and is used by government officials, celebrities, business leaders and members of Congress. It allows them to create a large volume of personalized correspondence without actually signing their name repeatedly.

Thomas Jefferson, who became U.S. president in 1801, used an early form of an automated writing device to simultaneously create multiple letters in his own handwriting.

Presidents have used the autopen to affix their signatures to documents for decades. During a 2011 trip to France, Barack Obama became the first president to use it to sign legislation needed to extend provisions of the Patriot Act just as they were set to expire.

WHAT HAS TRUMP SAID ABOUT BIDEN'S USE OF AUTOPEN?

Since Trump returned to the White House he has focused on Biden's use of the autopen to highlight questions about his predecessor's health and competency.

In June, a Justice Department official told staff that the agency was investigating the clemency and pardons granted by Biden to members of his family, political allies and death row inmates in the final days of his presidency. The investigation focused on whether others were using Biden's autopen signature without approval.

Biden told the New York Times he had directed his staff to use the autopen because of the large number of clemency orders.

While no evidence emerged to suggest that Biden did not intend to issue the orders, Trump said earlier this month he is terminating Biden pardons that were recorded using an autopen. Trump also said that Biden used the autopen to appoint Federal Reserve governors.

HAS USE OF THE AUTOPEN DRAWN SCRUTINY IN THE PAST?

During the administration of President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged he had used an autopen to sign letters to families of troops killed in combat. Once it came to light, he pledged to personally sign the letters.

Republicans in 2011 criticized Obama's use of the autopen to sign the Patriot Act legislation and said it could be challenged in court, although it does not appear any case was brought.

WHAT IS THE LAW GOVERNING THE USE OF AUTOPEN?

The Constitution says if a president approves of a bill passed by Congress "he shall sign it."

In 2005, the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department provided an authoritative review of the meaning of "to sign" and determined that it was commonly understood by the founding fathers that a person could assent to an agreement by directing a subordinate to apply the person's signature or the person's seal. What mattered was that the signature reflected the person's intent, not whose hand held the pen, the OLC determined.

In 2001, a group of businesses challenged President Bill Clinton's appointment of a member to the International Trade Commission, which was recorded using an autopen. Although the device was only a small part of the case, the court found that Clinton had clearly communicated his wish to make the appointment and the autopen had no bearing on the legality of the appointment.

COULD TRUMP INVALIDATE BIDEN PARDONS AND FED APPOINTMENTS?

There is no legally prescribed format for issuing pardons and using the autopen does not invalidate them, according to legal experts.

A pardon could possibly be invalidated if it came to light that a Biden aide used the autopen without authorization and Biden did not intend to issue the pardon, according to legal experts.

It seems even less likely that Trump could challenge the appointment of Federal Reserve governors, according to legal experts. The governors are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, making it hard to argue the process took place without Biden's knowledge.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware;Editing by Noeleen Walder and Matthew Lewis)
Forecasters say the first snow storm of the season to take aim at major Northeast cities will dump several inches of snow over the weekend, followed by a bitter Arctic blast courtesy of the polar vortex.

The cold won't last, as forecasters expect winter reprieve in the form of a coast-to-coast mild spell, which could doom dreams of a White Christmas for millions.

But first, the weekend storm will spread light to moderate amounts of snow across the central and northeastern U.S.

NFL weather games: Football played in adverse conditions  Dec. 7, 2025: Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) communicates between plays against the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium. Despite a heavy snowfall, the Bills and Bengals played a high-scoring game, which was won by Buffalo, 39-34.

Calling it a 'baby Nor'easter," Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue said in an email to USA TODAY that a huge population will see at least 3 inches of snowfall from the storm.

On Sunday Dec. 14, "Snowfall could be heavy in a burst of 3-6 hours and add up 3 inches to 6 inches  maybe more," he said.

By the time the storm is over later Sunday Dec. 14, 1 to 6 inches of snow will have fallen along a 1,500-mile swath from the northern Plains to the shores of southern New England, according to an online forecast from AccuWeather. The storm will focus along much of Interstate 70 in the Ohio Valley region and then along the heavily populated I-95 corridor from Maryland to Massachusetts.

More snow pummels Midwest. See the winter storm's impact Harper Martinez, 13, plays with her 1-year-old dog, Franky, in the snow on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in South Bend, Indiana.

'Mother lode of cold air' headed for US

The long-awaited blast of bitterly cold Arctic air will spread across the north-central U.S. Saturday Dec. 13. And it's headed toward the East and South.

"There is a massive area of air in northwestern Canada where temperatures are 20 to 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and it is on its way southeastward into the U.S.," AccuWeather chief on-air meteorologist Bernie Rayno said in an online forecast. "This is the mother lode of cold air and is a term I don't use lightly."

"Cold high pressure will spread much below normal temperatures across the Midwest, Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and all the way to the Gulf Coast early Monday Dec. 15, with temperatures 15 to 30 degrees below normal, the National Weather Service said.

The low temperature forecast map for Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, shows temperatures dipping to near freezing as far south as the Gulf Coast.

A few record lows are possible, and wind chills may dip as low as the teens as far south as the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts Sunday night/Monday morning, the weather service said.

The weather service in Columbia, South Carolina, issued an "extreme cold watch" for the region, warning that "an extended period of freezing temperatures could cause ruptured water pipes. Be sure to protect outdoor faucets and drip water to help prevent ruptured pipes."

Snow storm forecast: How much will it snow?

Wondering how much snow is in the forecast? USA TODAY's detailed winter weather forecast map below lets you explore where snow is expected over the next few hours and days.

Forecast predicts December thaw

However, the weather service said that a weather system over the Western U.S. will allow temperatures to reach 15 degrees to 25 degrees above seasonal averages, spreading east across much of the lower 48 for midweek and beyond, "creating a December thaw."

While it may feel like Christmastime already with the cold and snow, the bitterly cold pattern is not expected to last through the holidays," said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

The vast snow cover still being added to by the storm pattern through this weekend is likely to be eroded by higher temperatures before Christmas, AccuWeather said. This could wreak havoc with dreams of a white Christmas for millions.

Milder air is forecast to spread across much of the country by the end of next week.

"Don't assume because it is cold and snowy now that it will be so on Christmas Day," Pastelok said in an online forecast. Skiers and snowboarders should take advantage of the cold air and fresh powder at the slopes that are open in the Appalachians. Ski and boarding conditions could deteriorate over Christmas week at some resorts as warmer air moves in.

In the meantime, those wanting warmth or at least warm thoughts through this weekend can look to the Florida Peninsula and most areas west of the Rockies, except for foggy areas in California's Central Valley or flooded zones in the Pacific Northwest, AccuWeather said.

But could the polar vortex rear its ugly head yet again?

Maue said the ridge of high pressure will build across the Lower 48 from coast-to-coast into by Dec. 22, "but questions remain if Christmas is a 'blow torch' or the polar vortex can battle back and drop a few [very cold] troughs/lobes into the Great Lakes and Northeast," he said in an e-mail.

Maue said that eventually the warm pattern MUST break down, and the Canadian cold pool will find its way back into Lower 48. "However, no clear signals about when/how that will happen (yet)."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First big snow storm to hit US as polar vortex sends bitter cold
Washington National Guard personnel use a military vehicle to assist in search and rescue operations, as an atmospheric river brings rain and flooding to the Pacific Northwest, in Burlington, Washington, U.S., December 12, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder

(Corrects range of rainfall totals to 6 to 20 inches, not 6 to 60 inches, in paragraph 6)

By David Ryder and Steve Gorman

BURLINGTON, Washington, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Residents and emergency crews in towns along the rain-engorged Skagit River in western Washington state braced on Friday for potential levee failures while National Guard troops assisted in evacuations after days of severe flooding in the Pacific Northwest.

The entire town of Burlington, a community of about 9,200 people near Puget Sound, was ordered evacuated early on Friday as the river crested to an all-time high of nearly 38 feet (11.6 meters), well above major flood stage, in the city of Mount Vernon just downstream.

"We haven't seen flooding like this ever," said Karina Shagren, a spokesperson for the state's emergency management division. So far there were no reports of casualties or missing people, she said.

The Burlington-Mount Vernon area in Skagit County, north of Seattle, remained an epicenter of widespread flooding caused by days of torrential downpours extending from northern Oregon north through western Washington state and into British Columbia.

The rains were spawned by a string of atmospheric river storms, vast airborne currents of dense moisture siphoned from the ocean, that swept inland over the Pacific Northwest, including parts of northern Idaho and western Montana.

MONTH'S WORTH OF RAINFALL

Rainfall totals varied widely, but much of the region received 6 to 20 inches of rain over the past seven days, according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.

"That's easily a month's worth of rain that's fallen in just a week," said Rich Otto, a meteorologist at the center.

Even before Burlington residents were forced to flee, the Skagit River flood plain as a whole, home to about 78,000 people, was already under a Level 3 evacuation notice urging residents to immediately seek higher ground. Evacuation notices covered an estimated 100,000 people statewide.

National Guard troops and sheriff's deputies went door to door to facilitate the evacuation, and some were seen paddling stranded Burlington residents to safety in inflatable river rafts through muddy floodwaters.

Flood control levees appeared to be holding firm immediately following the river's historic crest, testing their strength for the first time since repairs to the earthen embankments were made following the last major flood in that area in 2021, state officials said.

'NOT OVER YET'

Rains abated Friday. But the National Weather Service posted a flash-flood watch for the river basin downstream to the mouth of the Skagit, where it drains into Puget Sound, citing the potential for levee failures under heavy pressure from the high water.

"It's not over yet," U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said at a news briefing with Governor Bob Ferguson and others announcing that President Donald Trump, acting at their request, had signed an expedited federal emergency declaration for the flood zone.

Cantwell said the declaration would hasten federal support in clearing roads, removing debris, assisting in evacuations and providing emergency shelters for evacuees.

Forecasts called for a lull in precipitation going into the weekend, with another atmospheric river expected to produce another wave of showers Sunday night into Monday, Otto said, renewing flood hazards.

A levee failure would greatly magnify widespread flooding already occurring across much of western Washington state. Aerial footage broadcast by CNN showed communities inundated in deep, brown water with many homes submerged almost to their rooftops.

South of Skagit County, National Guard troops also were dispatched to deliver food and check on stranded residents in a number of communities isolated by flooding in adjacent Snohomish County, Shagren said.

Two towns were likewise transformed into islands in neighboring King County, where dozens of flood victims were rescued over the past two days, some from the tops of cars, or from trees or from homes, officials said.

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay told reporters an overnight flood patrol team discovered a sinkhole at the edge of one levee, and "got it immediately filled," averting a potential collapse.

The flooding washed out or forced the closure of dozens of roads throughout the region, including most of the Canadian highways leading to the British Columbia port city of Vancouver.

Several lengthy stretches of the BNSF Railway, a major freight line serving the Pacific Northwest, were also shut down on Thursday.

(Reporting by David Ryder in Burlington, Washington; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Himani Sarkar)
Wexford County Sheriff's Office ; Missaukee County Sheriffs Office Rebecca Kay Park ; Cortney Bartholomew.

NEED TO KNOW

Rebecca Park was found dead in a Michigan forest on Nov. 25, weeks after she went missing

Her mom and stepfather, Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew, have been charged with her murder

Cortney allegedly confessed to cutting Park's unborn child (who she claimed was Bradly's) out of her daughter's womb

Several disturbing details have emerged following the murder of pregnant Rebecca Park, whose body was found in late November 2025.

Park, who was only weeks away from her due date, was last seen on Nov. 3 after leaving her mother's home. After weeks of trying to locate her, Park's body was discovered in a Michigan forest on Nov. 25. But, there was no sign of her baby, and an autopsy showed that she was no longer pregnant.

The next day, Park's sister and fiance  Kimberly Park and Richard Falor  were arrested and later arraigned on several charges, only to be released on bail days later. Then, Park's mother and stepfather, Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew, were arrested and charged with her murder on Dec. 1. During their courtroom appearance the next day, prosecutors claimed that Park's mother cut her unborn child out of her womb.

"This is, frankly, evil personified," Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey told the judge, calling it a "case of premeditated torture and murder," alleging that the pair "created a plan" and "conducted research."

Probable cause affidavits reviewed by PEOPLE show that Cortney initially denied any involvement but later allegedly confessed to cutting out the fetus and made additional explosive claims  including that Bradly said he was the babys father.

So, what happened to Rebecca Park? Here's everything to know about the pregnant woman's alleged murder by her mother.



She went missing in early November 2025

Rebecca Kay Falor/Facebook Rebecca Park.

Park went missing after leaving her mother's home just before midnight on Nov. 3.

At the time, her fiance told 9&10 News that Park  his partner of more than two years  was last seen entering the passenger seat of a car at her mother's house in Boon Township. Falor said Park told her mom, "Hold on. I got somebody to pick me up. This is just something I've got to do. Im sorry."

Shortly after she was reported missing, search efforts began with an added sense of urgency given that she was 38 weeks pregnant at the time.



She was found dead in late November 2025, just three days after she was due to give birth

After a weeks-long search to locate the missing mother-to-be, a body matching the description of Park was discovered on Nov. 25, as a spokesperson for the Michigan State Police told PEOPLE.

Her phone had been found near her mother's house, while her body was discovered in Manistee National Forest, the police said.

The discovery came just days after Park was due to give birth on Nov. 18. An autopsy revealed that she was no longer pregnant when she was found.

"The Wexford County Sheriffs Office, along with multiple law enforcement agencies, is working diligently to determine the condition and potential whereabouts of the baby," Wexford County Sheriff Trent Taylor said in a statement at the time.

There were allegedly several affairs going on between the family members

Wexford County Sheriff's Office (2) Kimberly Park ; Richard Lee Falor.

Probable cause affidavits and criminal complaints filed in a Michigan court and obtained by PEOPLE show that Park, her mom and her sister were all allegedly involved with the same man.

Kimberly and Cortney both told investigators that they were in a relationship with Park's fiance, Falor, per the probable cause affidavit.

Meanwhile, another affidavit showed that Cortney allegedly told police that the father of the baby was Bradly, who is her husband and Park's stepfather. "Brad said it was his," Cortney allegedly told officials.

Prosecutors claimed that Park's mom cut her daughter's unborn child out of her womb

Missaukee County Sheriffs Office Cortney Bartholomew.

During Cortney and Bradly's hearing on Dec. 2, prosecutors shared several gruesome details about Park's death, including the disturbing fate of her unborn child.

Prosecutors claimed that Park was still alive while her mom, Cortney, allegedly cut her unborn child out of her womb.

"Mr. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home, [he and Cortney] forced her into another vehicle and took her into the woods where they stabbed her, forced her to lie on the ground while they cut her baby out, and ultimately caused her death and the death of the baby," Carey said in court. "They then left Rebecca in the woods."

Cortney had attempted to maintain her innocence by posting a Facebook video (which features only a black screen with audio) on the day her daughter was due to give birth, captioned, "My alibi of where I was the night my daughter came up missing."

"She gave me my meds at about 8:40, I don't remember a lot as I just said, but she was there when I went to bed and she was also there when I woke up the next day," her 14-year-old son said in the video. "I know that she never goes out and about when I'm sleeping just because she doesn't like to drive at night."

Cortney eventually allegedly confessed to cutting the unborn baby out of Park's womb

After weeks of denying any role in Park's murder, Cortney reportedly changed her account once investigators told her that cell phone data placed her at the location where Park's body was found on the night of the killing.

Per a copy of the probable cause affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE, Cortney ultimately confessed during her second interview with the Wexford County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) that she had cut the unborn baby out of her daughter's womb.

She allegedly told investigators that she used a scalpel to remove the fetus and claimed her intention was to save the child and give the baby to Park's fiance.

She had previously told police that it was Bradly who killed Park as a form of retaliation against Falor, who allegedly reported Bradly for violating a condition of his release as a convicted sex offender. Bradly previously received a 180-day sentence for an unspecified violation related to his being on the sex offender registry, as shown by court records obtained by PEOPLE.

Per the affidavit, she claimed that it was Bradly who murdered Park, alleging that he had forced her into a car and stabbed her several times before she began to cut Park's unborn child from her womb. Cortney told police the baby was not breathing after being cut out.

"When she cut the baby out, Cortney said that Rebecca was still conscious and Bradly was holding the knife to her throat," the affidavit stated. Cortney said Park's body was then pushed down an embankment and covered with leaves, and that the fetus was placed in a cooler, then a trash bag, before being thrown into a dumpster.

Bradly allegedly told authorities that the entire operation was masterminded by Cortney, who he said was motivated by her desire for more children, per the affidavit. Bradly said that he and his wife could not adopt because he was a sex offender.



Park's mom and stepfather face several charges in her death

Missaukee County Sheriffs Office (2) Cortney Bartholomew ; Bradly Bartholomew.

After Park's remains were found, Kimberly and Falor were both arrested and booked into Wexford County Jail on Nov. 26. At the time, it was not clear whether their arrests were related to Park's case.

Kimberly was later arraigned on charges of tampering with evidence, lying to a police officer and filing a false report, per records obtained by PEOPLE. She is currently on house arrest after being released on Dec. 3, after posting bail, which was reduced from $750,000 to $5,000.

Meanwhile, Falor was arraigned on two counts of delivering methamphetamine, as records showed, with a bail set at $1 million. He was also released on Dec. 3, after his bail was also reduced to $5,000.



Two days earlier, the Michigan Department of Attorney General announced that Cortney and Bradly had been arraigned in connection with Park's murder.

They now face several charges, including one count each of first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage/stillbirth and conspiracy to commit assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage/stillbirth  all of which carry a possible life sentence in prison.

The pair were also charged with one count each of unlawful imprisonment and removal of a dead body. They are being held without bail at the Wexford County Jail.



Read the original article on People
Savion Washington/Variety via Getty; James Devaney/GC Jennifer Aniston; Jim Curtis

NEED TO KNOW

Jennifer Aniston's flourishing relationship with Jim Curtis comes after the pair spent "months chatting and getting to know each other," a source tells PEOPLE

The source adds that the Friends alum was "cautious" at first but is now "excited that she just went for it" with her new romance

"He's brought so many good things," says the source of the hypnotherapist

Jennifer Aniston was initially "cautious" when it came to starting something new  but she ultimately "just went for it" with Jim Curtis.

A source tells PEOPLE that The Morning Show star, 56, and her new boyfriend, 50, spent "months chatting and getting to know each other" at the start of the year.

"Jen really valued their friendship in the beginning of the year," the insider says. "When it all took a turn to something more romantic, she was cautious at first. Now, she's excited that she just went for it."

The source adds that it "feels like kismet" and that the Friends alum "truly loves" Curtis. "He's brought so many good things into her life," adds the source.

Michael Kovac/Getty Jim Curtis and Jennifer Aniston attend ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration on Nov. 17, 2025

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.

Aniston went Instagram official with Curtis on his milestone 50th birthday in early November, months after PEOPLE confirmed in July that they began dating.

Shortly after, the duo made their first public appearance together at ELLE's Women in Hollywood event on Nov. 17, as Aniston described Curtis as "quite extraordinary" in an interview with the outlet. Hypnotism is one of the many things that he does, she said. Hes quite extraordinary and helps many, many people."

She added, "Hes very special, very normal, and very kind, and wants to help people heal, move through their trauma and stagnation into clarity."

The duo also made a notable public outing together on Nov. 29, as they bundled up during a holiday weekend in New York City. A source previously told PEOPLE that the couple celebrated Thanksgiving together, noting that Aniston was feeling "excited" about where things were going with the hypnotherapist.

"Jen celebrated Thanksgiving with Jim and her usual friend group. They always get together and cook, play games and have the best time," the source said. "Jim fits right in with her friends. Everything in her life has come together and she's excited about it."

Aniston is also "comfortable letting people see a bit more of a relationship that feels truly grown-up and good," the insider added at the time. "She knows people have always rooted for her to find love, and now that she's in a happy place, she wants to share that."

Among Aniston's pals to give Curtis the stamp of approval was longtime friend Adam Sandler, who gave him a shoutout at the 2025 ELLE Women in Hollywood event.

When we are around you, me and [wife] Jackie [Sandler] are so happy you and Jim found each other and are having the love affair you two deserve, the actor said. We love you, Jim."

Read the original article on People
A federal judge blocked the government from re-detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia at a scheduled Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in on Friday morning.

The intervention came after the same judge ruled Thursday that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to continue holding Abrego in an immigration detention center.

Abrego was detained during a similar scheduled check-in in August.

Ahead of the check-in, Abrego addressed a crowd of supporters outside the courthouse in Spanish.

I stand before you as a free man, and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high, Abrego said. I stand here today with my head held up high, and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all the injustices this government has done upon me.

Regardless of this administration, Abrego said, I believe this is a country of laws. and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.

He is fighting new deportation efforts following his wrongful removal to El Salvador in March and subsequent return to the U.S. over the summer.

In her Thursday ruling, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland ordered that Abrego be released from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, citing a lack of a final order of removal for him.

His removal cannot be considered reasonably foreseeable, imminent, or consistent with due process, Xinis wrote in a memo. She continued, Since Abrego Garcias wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority.

On Friday, she granted a request by his attorneys which blocks the Trump administration from re-detaining Abrego until she can conduct a hearing on the Temporary Restraining Order his attorneys had filed. Xinis also reminded the parties of her order from months ago that says the government must give Abrego 72 hours of written notice if they intend to deport him to another country.

Abregos legal team said Thursday afternoon that he was released.

Garcia is in the car. He has left the center, the team said.

He arrived at a home Thursday night, and did not speak to the media gathered before being hurried inside with a jacket partly shielding his face.

Abregos lead counsel in the case, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said Thursday: "We remain hopeful that this marks a turning point for Mr. Abrego Garcia, who has endured more than anyone should ever have to."

"Todays ruling is a powerful affirmation that the rule of law still matters," Sandoval-Moshenberg said. "The Court made unmistakably clear that the government cannot detain a person indefinitely without legal authority, and that every agency involved must now comply fully and promptly with the Courts directives."

Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaks during a rally and prayer vigil for him before he enters a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on August 25, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images) (Andrew Harnik)

He said while the order is "an extraordinary victory for our client and for due process," Abrego's legal team will "stay vigilant to ensure that nothing undermines the Courts decision."

The Department of Homeland Security criticized the order.

This is naked judicial activism by an Obama appointed judge, Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman, wrote on social media. This order lacks any valid legal basis and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts.

After Abrego's return to the United States, the Trump administration detained him and has threatened to send him to multiple African countries and Costa Rica.

Respondents serially notified Abregowhile he sat in ICE custody  of his expulsion to Uganda, then Eswatini, then Ghana; but none of these countries were ever viable options, and at least two had not even been asked to take Abrego before Respondents claimed supposed removal to each, Xinis wrote.

Xinis said the government affirmatively misled the court last month at a court hearing where the administration said Liberia was the only viable removal option and that Costa Rica had allegedly rescinded an offer to receive Abrego.

Costa Rica had never wavered in its commitment to receive Abrego Garcia, just as Abrego Garcia never wavered in his commitment to resettle there, Xinis wrote.

Immigrant rights group CASA said Abrego has a scheduled check-in at the Baltimore ICE Field office at 7:30 a.m. Friday. The last time Abrego appeared for an ICE check-in, he was taken into ICE custody during the appointment.

The ruling Thursday is the latest in a case that has highlighted the Trump administrations enforcement policies in pursuit of President Donald Trumps mass deportation campaign.

The case first gained international attention when federal government officials admitted in April that they had made an administrative error that landed Abrego in the notorious Salvadoran megaprison known as CECOT even though a 2019 court order barred authorities from deporting him to his native El Salvador because of credible threats he faced from gangs there.

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that Abrego is a member of MS-13, a Salvadoran gang, who should not be allowed to stay in the U.S. Abregos family and attorneys have denied the gang affiliation accusations, adding that he has not been convicted of any crimes.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Abrego entered illegally into the United States in March 2012. He has said he fled gang violence targeting his family in El Salvador, court records show.

The government initiated removal proceedings in 2019 after police in Maryland arrested him while he was soliciting work outside a Home Depot and later turned him over to immigration authorities, according to court records. An immigration judge granted him withholding of removal, an order barring the U.S. government from deporting Abrego to El Salvador because of credible gang threats there.

The Trump administration deported him to El Salvador anyway, prompting an order from the Supreme Court in April requiring the federal government to facilitate his return to the U.S.

After much resistance from the Trump administration, Abrego returned to the U.S. in June and was immediately hit with human smuggling charges in Tennessee based on a 2022 traffic stop for which he was not charged at the time. He has pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations.

Under his release conditions, Abrego by court order must head to his brothers house in Maryland, where he will live ahead of the trial on the Tennessee charges. He must actively seek employment, and he must not obtain a passport or travel outside the Middle District of Tennessee or the District of Maryland unless pretrial services approves it in advance.

The court order also dictated that he must not have contact with any person who is or may be a co-defendant, a victim or a witness in the Tennessee investigation or prosecution, except family members. It also said that he cannot possess a firearm, use alcohol excessively or use narcotics and that he must submit to drug testing. He also must not have any contact, directly or indirectly, with any known MS-13 gang member.

All of those conditions of release were ordered by a Tennessee judge, in conjunction with his pending federal criminal trial there on human smuggling charges, which begins in Nashville on Jan. 26.
FILE PHOTO: Voters cast their election ballots at a Fulton County polling station in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. October 13, 2020. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/ File Photo

FILE PHOTO: Voters cast their election ballots at a Fulton County polling station in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. October 13, 2020. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/ File Photo

By Ryan Patrick Jones

Dec 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it had filed lawsuits against Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada after the states failed to provide their voter registration lists to the department.

The department's Civil Rights Division also filed a lawsuit against Fulton County, Georgia, for records related to the 2020 election, it said in a statement.

The Justice Department cited laws it said allow the attorney general to demand statewide voter registration lists and to ensure states have proper and effective voter registration and voter list maintenance programs.

States have the statutory duty to preserve and protect their constituents from vote dilution, said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.

If states will not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said U.S. President Donald Trump's administration does not have a legal right to the requested information, which included unredacted voter data such as full names, birthdays, addresses, and state drivers license numbers.

We will not hand over Coloradans sensitive voting information to Donald Trump," Griswold said in a statement.

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin said the Justice Department has provided "no meaningful justification" for the request. Galvin accused the administration of having "demonstrated a pattern of using citizens private information to go on outrageous fishing expeditions in an attempt to settle petty grievances."

The Civil Rights Division has sent requests this year for voter registration-related information to at least 24 states, including requests for complete lists of registered voters from at least 22 states.

The Justice Department said it has now filed 18 lawsuits against states for failing to comply with such requests.

Reuters reported in September that the Justice Department is in talks with Homeland Security Investigations about transferring the sensitive voter roll data for use in criminal and immigration-related investigations.

Legal experts have raised privacy concerns about the federal government's demands for voter information and its possible disclosure to HSI.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick JonesEditing by Rod Nickel)
A local Oklahoma Black Lives Matter leader was indicted by a federal grand jury for charges of wire fraud and embezzlement after accusations she used funds meant for social justice causes for her own personal benefit, authorities said.

Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, the executive director of Black Lives Matter OKC, was accused of embezzling more than $3 million in funds, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Oklahoma said on Dec. 11. She was indicted on Dec. 3 with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering.

She is accused of using the funds on recreational travel to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, food and groceries for herself and her children, retail shopping, a personal vehicle and six properties in Oklahoma City.

Dickerson could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud and up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for money laundering if convicted. She was released on conditions on Dec. 11 after making her first court appearance. Federal Public Defender Jeff Byers declined to comment when reached by the Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.

"Whatever happens, the work don't stop," Dickerson said in a video streamed live to social media after the court appearance.

Black Lives Matter OKC Executive Director Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson speaks at a BLM protest at the Oklahoma City Police Headquarters in 2020. Dickerson has been accused in a federal indictment of embezzling more than $3 million.

She blamed "haters" for the indictment and said she was speaking on Facebook to let her family and friends know she was OK.

"A lot of times when people come at you with these types of things  and I'm probably saying more than I should but I haven't always been compliant, people know this  it's evidence that you are doing the work. And so that is what I'm standing on," she said.

"To those that are saying you are praying for me, don't stop. Please continue, and I thank you," she said.

The indictment comes after the Associated Press and CBS News reported earlier this year that the Justice Department was investigating whether the national Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation misused donations.

Money was meant for bail funds, indictment says

Most of the funds were initially raised to post bail for demonstrators arrested during protests after the death of George Floyd in 2020. Grand jurors accused Dickerson of depositing at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts, rather than into BLMOKCs accounts.

Floyd, 46, was killed by police in Minneapolis in May 2020, sparking protests nationwide that sometimes became violent. Officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, was convicted of murder. The protests in Oklahoma City drew national attention when some participants were charged with terrorism, rioting and assault.

More: George Floyds legacy under siege as racial justice efforts lose ground, memorials removed

"This is not Seattle," said David Prater, then the Oklahoma County district attorney. "We're not putting up with this lawlessness here."

National bail funds sent millions of dollars to Blacks Lives Matter OKC to free protesters from jail.

Dickerson also allegedly made false reports to the nonprofit Alliance for Global Justice, which served as a fiscal sponsor to Black Lives Matter OKC, about where the money went.

"Dickerson reported that she had used BLMOKC funds only for tax-exempt purposes. She did not disclose that she used funds for her personal benefit," prosecutors said in a news release.

Funds were used for shopping spree, groceries: Indictment

Dickerson made about $4.5 million in bail payments in 2020 on behalf of the defendants, according to the indictment. She eventually got $3.5 million back when the criminal cases were concluded. A $1 million bail payment was forfeited when one defendant failed to appear in court.

The returned funds were supposed to be used for educational or charitable purposes, for future bail payments and to further racial justice and the end of mass incarceration.

The indictment accused Dickerson of instead spending $41,749 of the funds to buy a 2021 Hyundai Palisade.

She also used the funds on recreational travel for herself and her "associates" to the Dominican Republic in July 2021 and to Jamaica in December 2021 and January 2022, according to the indictment.

She allegedly spent "tens of thousands of dollars" at Nordstrom, Macy's, Amazon, Best Buy, Bob Mills Furniture and other retailers. She allegedly spent at least $50,000 on personal food and grocery deliveries to herself and her children.

She used $975,000 to purchase property including $278,000 on a church in 2021, grand jurors alleged.

"The Church Property was intended to be used by BLMOKC as a community center, but Dickerson placed title to the property in her own name," according to the indictment.

The latest property purchase came in July 2024, according to the indictment. It was for $87,000.

Grand jurors alleged Dickerson has been involved with BLMOKC since at least July 2016 and "represented herself to be an unpaid volunteer."

In an interview with the Oklahoman in 2020, she described herself as a co-founder of Oklahoma's Black Lives Matter. About her life philosophy, she said, "For now, it's just enjoying the gift of life, being able to appreciate and empower myself and others."

The indictment says she also is known as the Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson. Minister credentials for her from Universal Life Church dated Feb. 4, 2006, are on file in Oklahoma County District Court.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Black Lives Matter Oklahoma leader in Oklahoma indicted for fraud
Im a Marriott Bonvoy member and a big fan of the companys hotels across all its brands (with a strong preference for Courtyards). When Im traveling, Ill usually check for a Courtyard before I even start thinking about other properties. With such a wide selection in its portfolio, though, Im almost always able to find a Marriott property-with all the consistency and quality that comes with it-wherever I go. In the coming year, I have a few short trips planned, and these are the hotels Ive got my eye on.

1. SpringHill Suites by Marriott: Springdale, Utah

Photo by kellyvandellen  stock.adobe.com

SpringHill Suites by Marriott  Springdale Zion National Park is located in the heart of Springdale, Utah, just minutes from the west entrance to Zion National Park. This property punches well above its weight and feels more like an upscale lodge than a chain hotel. The architecture and decor feature natural wood and stone that blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. Its unbeatable location makes it a perfect base camp for exploring both Zion and the charming town of Springdale.

What makes it a great place to stay is the immersion in nature. The outdoor pool and hot tub offer unobstructed, panoramic views of the massive red sandstone cliffs, allowing you to soak in the scenery after a long day of hiking. The last time I stayed, I arrived at night, and when I opened my window to the red rock views, I literally gasped. The suites are spacious and modern, and the outdoor patios with fire pits are perfect for stargazing. This hotel offers the reliability of a Marriott property and the affordability of the SpringHill Brand with the vibe of a luxury canyon resort.

2. Fairfield Inn and Suites Waterfront: Port Clinton, Ohio

Photo by Jeff Warneck/Wirestock  stock.adobe.com

Fairfield by Marriott Inn and Suites Port Clinton Waterfront is perfectly situated along Ohios Lake Erie shoreline. This property takes full advantage of its waterfront location with a lakeside patio where you can enjoy your morning coffee or your favorite evening beverage while watching boats drift by. It is also conveniently located near the Jet Express ferry, making it the perfect launchpad for day trips to Put-in-Bay or Kelleys Island. Plus, Cedar Point is only about half an hour from the hotel.

What impresses me, though, are the lake views. Unlike many hotels that claim to be near the water, this one sits right on the Lake Erie shoreline-minutes from the iconic Port Clinton lighthouse. Some rooms even boast balconies that look out over the lake, toward the Perry's Victory monument. With a complimentary hot breakfast and a bright, modern indoor pool area, this Fairfield is an excellent value for folks looking for a lake vacation in Ohio.

3. Courtyard by Marriott Oceanfront: Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Photo by Kyle  stock.adobe.com

If youre a beach lover, you wont do much better than Courtyard by Marriott Carolina Beach Oceanfront. Every single guest room at this hotel is oceanfront and features a private balcony overlooking the Atlantic. You are guaranteed a front-row seat to the sunrise and the sound of crashing waves, without paying for an upgrade or risking a "partial view."

Located nearly on the sand and the vintage Carolina Beach Boardwalk, the property offers immediate access to dining, shopping, and, of course, the beach. The property has both indoor and outdoor pools, ensuring you can swim regardless of the weather.

4. Hotel Saint Louis, Autograph Collection: St. Louis, Missouri

Photo by f11photo  stock.adobe.com

While Ive visited St. Louis a handful of times, Ive never stayed right downtown, so Im excited about the prospect of spending a few nights at the Hotel Saint Louis, Autograph Collection. Housed in the historic Union Trust Building, designed by legendary architect Louis Sullivan, the hotel is a masterpiece of early skyscraper architecture. It captures the soul of St. Louis by blending 19th-century grandeur-apparent in the lobby's arched stained-glass ceiling-with modern boutique luxury.

Im particularly eager to test the FORM Skybars skill with old-fashioneds. Located atop the hotel, the lounge offers some of the best views of downtown St. Louis. Not a bad backdrop for an evening cocktail, if you ask me. The guest rooms are upscale, featuring modern amenities such as smart mirrors and premium bedding. Its perfect for travelers who want a property with a full-service spa, a distinct personality, and a sprinkle of history.

5. Courtyard by Marriott Downtown/Lake Union: Seattle, Washington

Photo by Alex  stock.adobe.com

Because I have friends in the area, Im a frequent traveler to the Seattle area. Because its a metropolitan area with such a variety of sights and activities, I havent booked a hotel more than once. For my next trip, Ive got my eye on the Courtyard by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Lake Union. Located right across from Lake Union, its an ideal spot for being close to the action-the Space Needle and the Museum of Pop Culture are just a short walk away-but prefer a more scenic view. The hotels vibe is nautical and relaxed, reflecting the neighborhoods maritime history. Personally, Im looking forward to a front-row seat to one of the citys most dynamic areas.

While Im looking forward to these five trips, Im certain to get some others under my belt in the coming year-and Ill most likely be staying at a Marriott Bonvoy property to rack up points. When you sit down to map out your 2026 adventures, be sure to check out Only In Your State's itinerary planner and see where it takes you.
Getty Oprah Winfrey in New York City on October 22, 2025

The Gist

Oprah Winfreys 10-day tour of Australia and New Zealand continues.

On December 11, the talk show host spoke in Melbourne, Australia, wearing a bold cropped jacket with polarizing shoulder pads.

Oprah is next off to Auckland, New Zealand on December 14 to wrap up her tour Down Under.

Oprah Winfreys bold style while on tour in Australia continues, as the mogul wore a cropped jacket with a polarizing 80s detailshoulder padsto her latest speaking engagement in Melbourne on December 11.

Oprah paired the white cropped jacket with a black ensemble, stilettos, and dangling earrings on Thursday as she nears the end of her 10-day tour Down Under. The tour, called Oprah in Conversation, will see the talk show host visit multiple cities across both Australia and New Zealand, which she previously called two of my favorite places on Earth.

Oprah Winfrey/Instagram Oprah Winfrey in Melbourne, Australia on December 11, 2025

On Thursday, Oprah shared a glimpse inside her time in Melbourne, which included speaking onstage and working out. Melbourne, you were the perfect finale to this Australian adventure, she wrote alongside her Instagram carousel. Thank you for your generosity, your spirit, and the way you always make me feel right at home.

Next stop: New Zealand, she added. See you Sunday, Auckland. After kicking off on December 4, Oprahs tour will wrap in Auckland, New Zealand on December 14.

Getty Oprah Winfrey speaking in Sydney, Australia on December 4, 2025

As she arrived in Sydney last week, Oprah wore a winter white poplin Zimmermann set complete with a cropped wrap top and side-buttoned pants. This week marks the first time Oprah has visited Australia since 2015, and she said in a statement that she was beyond excited to return after 10 years. The energy, warmth, and spirit I felt from audiences last time stayed with me.

This tour is a chance to reconnect, reflect, and be reinspiredtogether, she continued. I cant wait to share stories, ideas, and meaningful conversations about whats possible in our lives moving forward.

Getty Oprah Winfrey in Sydney, Australia on December 4, 2025

Oprah stopped in not just Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland, but also Adelaide and Brisbane. Ive always enjoyed sitting down for real, honest, enlightening conversations, she said. And this experience is going to be all about that.

Oprah, now 71, turned the milestone age of 70 in January 2024, and since then has been taking bolder swings with style. Of embracing her new decade, Oprah previously told People, I still continue to rise, and Im in a space now where my offering is to help other people to rise. The principle that is the underbelly, the cornerstone for how I operate in the worldlife is better when you share it.

I am one of the happiest people I know, but not in the same way that most people would expect, she said. By that, I mean a big life, but its the simplest things that bring me the greatest joy. She added of continuing to make impact on into her new decade, I will never be done until my last breath is done. And whenever that happens, it will be a peaceful breath.

Getty Images Oprah Winfrey on September 12, 2025.

As she tours Down Under, Oprah has major real estate news happening back on the homefront. According to Architectural Digest, four acres of Oprahs massive Montecito, California property she has dubbed the Promised Land have sold for $17.1 million. (The estate is 66 acres, so shes still got plenty of land in Montecito.) In addition to her property in California, Oprahs sizable real estate portfolio is worth a reported $150 million and includes not just the Promised Land but also more than a thousand acres in Hawaii and a ski house in Telluride, Colorado.

Read the original article on InStyle
Vic O'Sullivan / Getty Images A matchmaking mural covers the facade above the Matchmaking Bar at the Imperial Hotel in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland.

For most of the year, the quiet town of Lisdoonvarna, nestled along the rugged coastline of the Wild Atlantic Way in western Ireland, boasts just a few thousand residents. But each September, upwards of 60,000 visitors flock to the small town, all looking for the same thing: love.

The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, which runs for the whole month, brings singles not only from Ireland but from other countries far and wide, like the U.S., Germany, and Russia. They fill the streets with a vibrant energy, met by the towns warm welcome of music, dancing, Irish hospitality, and perhaps the occasional Guinness. Ironically enough, this matchmaking festival founded in the 1850s offers something refreshingly new to people increasingly burned out by modern, high-tech dating.

Jill Schneider / Getty Images Lisdoonvarna in County Clare, Ireland.

Lisdoonvarna is tiny; it takes all of two minutes to walk the entirety of its main street. But its size is one of its charms, and one of the reasons why the festival has been running successfully for almost two centuries. It gathers everyone together along one street for live music and dancing, creating an icebreaker for the often-daunting prospect of meeting someone. The key pubsThe Matchmaker Bar, The Ritz, and The Roadside Tavernare just steps from each other, so rubbing shoulders with other singles is inevitable.

Mary Timby A sign outside the Matchmaking Bar and Willie Daly.

At the center of this lively mix is local legend Willie Daly, a third-generation, 82-year-old matchmaker, who runs a pony and donkey farm when hes not introducing singles to each other. For Daly, the festival is a unique chance for people seeking love. "The opportunity is there, you see," he says. "Its a big opportunity for people to meet people."

As opposed to dating apps, the festival thrives on in-person contact. The music, dancing, and even the drinks all help with this. "The first dance is the first chance," says Daly. "The first chance to find love, to be in love, and to be loved for the rest of your life." Daly shares that proposals are not entirely uncommon during the festival, in some instances between people who have known each other only a few days. He credits this to love at first sight. For those who feel discouraged, Daly offers comfort. "Love is not out of anyones reach," he says.

The 30-day festival originally kicked off in September because of farmers schedules. September was when the harvest ended, and rural farmers could finally leave their homes to find a wife. While harvests play less of a role today, the magic of the person-to-person interactions remains. In a world where people have grown increasingly accustomed to finding love by swiping right or left, this little Irish town and its festival offer something different. It invites serendipity while people mingle over drinks and hit the dance floor to traditional Irish music. Phones are merely a tool to take down someone's number.

Related: Discover the Perfect Times to Visit Ireland for Weather, Crowds, and Festivals

Mary Timby A sign from the matchmaking donkey farm.

While many turn to Dalys charming expertise for help, others bravely dive in by themselves. Mary, from the U.S., explains that simply sitting down at a pub will almost guarantee a meet-cute with a fellow festivalgoer. Thats what happened to her when she popped by The Matchmaker Bar and met an eligible young Irish man. Theyre now enjoying and exploring a budding, long-distance relationship. Marys advice: "Dont go to the festival expecting anything. If you meet someone, great. If not, you still had an unforgettable Irish adventure."

Indeed, the location itself is part of the magic. "Its a very romantic landscape," says Daly, noting there are more than 73 different species of flowers. The rock formations of the Burren in County Clare create a barren but breathtaking landscape that stretches out to the sea.

Two of the best places to visit in Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands, are nearby as well, both easily within reach of Lisdoonvarna. The beauty of the location, complete with ancient castles and misty seashores, takes the pressure off of singles; if they dont find a partner, at least the setting made the trip worthwhile. But Daly still insists romance is a real possibility in this special place. "Its a very small town with a big impact," he says. "Its a town of love."

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
FILE - In this July 21, 2020 file photo, a man opens social media app 'TikTok' on his cell phone, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistan on Thursday urged major social media platforms to crack down on accounts linked to militant groups, warning that failure to act could lead to stricter government measures or legal action.

At a news conference in Islamabad, Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said scores of accounts on X were operating from neighboring Afghanistan, India and elsewhere in the world, spreading extremist content and aiding outlawed militant groups.

He presented what he described as documentary evidence and said militants were benefiting from support inside the two countries.

There was no immediate comment from Kabul or New Delhi.

An estimated 70 million people in Pakistan  a nation of about 250 million  use social media platforms. Chaudhry said Pakistan is currently serving as a wall between terrorists and the world, and warned that groups operating against Pakistan could eventually threaten other nations.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in violence in recent months, mostly claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, and the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The TTP is a separate faction but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since then.

Pakistan often accuses Afghanistan and India of supporting the BLA and the TTP, accusations both neighbors deny.

Chaudhry said Pakistani investigators recently identified at least 19 X accounts that were linked to militants and were being run from India. More than two dozen additional such accounts are active from Afghanistan, some with apparent ties to the Afghan Taliban government, he said.

This is a matter of serious concern, Chaudhry said. Kabul is not only sheltering militants but, in some cases, elements of the Afghan government are providing patronage to individuals spreading hate material and terror content against Pakistan. He said Islamabad has repeatedly asked Kabul not to allow militants to use Afghan soil for attacks in Pakistan.

We do not want to ban social media platforms, Chaudhry said. But we will be compelled to do what we do not want if we dont get cooperation, he said.

Chaudhry said so far the cooperation from X has remained limited, while platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Telegram and Facebook have begun assisting Pakistan in identifying accounts spreading extremist content. He urged social media companies to open offices in Pakistan for better coordination and called for the use of artificial intelligence to detect and remove mirrored accounts that glorify militant groups or promote hate speech.

While Pakistan has not yet taken legal action against X, Deputy Law Minister Aqeel Malik, who also spoke at the news conference, suggested the government could consider measures similar to Brazil, where the Supreme Court fined the platform for failing to provide registration data linked to accounts spreading disinformation.

Pakistan, in recent years, has briefly banned YouTube, TikTok, and X, often accusing the platforms of sharing hateful, obscene or anti-state content. Earlier this year, Pakistans parliament passed a controversial bill that will give the government sweeping controls over social media, including sending users to prison for spreading disinformation.
Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Stock image of police car in St. Petersburg, Russia.

NEED TO KNOW

Anna Saparina, a Russian influencer, posted a video to her Instagram account, where she evidently sucks the air out of a large plastic bag with her son inside

Police are searching for Saparina to clarify all the circumstances of the incident," per a statement by Russias Ministry of Internal Affairs

A law enforcement source told RIA Novosti that police had spoken to Saparinas mother, who had confirmed that the child in the video is her grandson and told authorities that Saparina had been living in Moscow for the last three or four years

Police are searching for Russian influencer Anna Saparina after she shared a video where she appears to vacuum seal her son in a plastic bag.

Earlier this week, Saparina  described by Russian media outlets as a blogger  posted a video to her Instagram account, where she evidently sucks the air out of a large plastic bag with her son inside while he screams, captioning the clip, "When I was on my third week of sick leave, per a report by RIA Novosti, Russias state-owned news agency.

Though Saparinas Instagram account, where she has nearly 2,000 followers, is now private, the video continued to circulate online in the days after it was posted.

In a translated statement obtained by RIA Novosti, Russias Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that police were searching for Saparina.

"While monitoring the internet, a video recording was discovered showing possible unlawful actions by a woman against her minor son, read the statement. The report stated that the incident occurred in the city of Saratov, and that the woman was filming the video for publication on her social media accounts. The information was duly registered. Police are currently determining the woman's whereabouts to clarify all the circumstances of the incident."

A law enforcement source told RIA Novosti that police had spoken to Saparinas mother, who had confirmed that the child in the video is her grandson and told authorities that Saparina had been living in Moscow for the last three or four years.

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.

Saparina did not respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

Read the original article on People
VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE-AUDIENCE (Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP via Getty Images)

Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to sign an assisted suicide bill Friday, just weeks after meeting with Pope Leo XIV  a Chicago native and a staunch opponent of such legislation.

The End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act allows terminally ill patients to request aid-in-dying medications after meeting specific safeguards. The legislation passed both chambers of the state legislature. (RELATED: Supreme Court Considers Whether Man Is Too Stupid To Die)

Pritzker met with the first American pope at the Vatican in November. The two discussed immigration policies, and Pritzker invited the pontiff to visit his Illinois hometown. Its unclear whether they discussed the assisted suicide legislation.

It was an honor for MK and me to meet with [the pope]  a son of Illinois  to express the pride and reverence of the people of this great state, Pritzker wrote. Pope Leo XIVs message of hope, compassion, unity and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions.

Days after the Vatican meeting, the bill reached Pritzkers desk. He is expected to sign it Friday, NBC Chicago reporter Mary Ann Ahern wrote on X.

Pope Leo XIV has consistently opposed euthanasia and assisted suicide, defending what he calls the intrinsic dignity of every human person from conception to natural death.

Our world struggles to find value in human life, even in its last hour: may the Spirit of the Lord enlighten our minds so that we know how to defend the intrinsic dignity of every human person. God bless you, the pope said in June, according to the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.

The Catholic Conference of Illinois, which represents the churchs public policy positions in the state, urged Catholics to please continue to pray for vulnerable populations and for those who feel hopeless and are near end-of-life after the bills passage.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS  JULY 25: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker smiles during a 2024 United States Secret Service Democratic National Convention security briefing on July 25, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Vincent Alban/Getty Images)

In a letter to Pritzker signed by several Catholic leaders, the conference argued the governor faces a choice: ensure quality palliative care from professionals or family members, or create an environment where insurance companies offer low-cost lethal drugs to those who cannot access quality end-of-life care.

The choice is clear. Please veto SB 1950, the letter reads.

The letter also warns that assisted suicide availability will likely increase overall suicides, that insurance companies may offer it as a cheaper alternative to expensive treatments, and that Illinois will eventually weaken the bills current safeguards  as other states have done.

Pritzkers office did not immediately respond to the Daily Callers request for comment.
A collage of a young girl solving math problems using a marker and a young boy reading a math book. - The 74 // Getty images

Schools that are good at teaching math are also good in reading  and vice versa

Many people prefer restaurants that specialize and perfect a certain type of cuisine  they dont want their barbecue restaurant to offer sushi, and see extensive menus as a worrisome sign of mediocrity.

On the other hand, they may not want a hotel that excels in only one area  they want every hotel they stay at to have clean sheets and towels, hot water and a quiet environment.

What about schools? Are they more like restaurants or hotels? At the high school level, they might be more like restaurants in that they can offer a variety of experiences that allow students to start to develop specialties. But elementary schools should probably be more like hotels and provide consistently strong services  and outcomes  for all kids.

When it comes to the basics of reading and math, how much within-school specialization is there at the elementary levels? That is, are there schools and districts that do a great job of teaching kids to read but maybe arent so good at teaching math?

To find out, The 74 looked back at projects that last year identified districts that did an exceptional job of teaching kids to read by third grade and be proficient in math by eighth grade. Among those positive outliers, 140 districts appeared on both of the lists. That is, these districts were producing outstanding results across subjects and grade levels.

In contrast, 14 districts were identified that were exceptional in one subject but significantly underperformed expectations in the other. Among those, 12 of the 14 were strong in math but weak in reading.

To look at school-level results,2025 test scores in the state of Mississippi were used as, a good test to see whether they specialized or were consistently strong, since the state has some of the best schools in the country.

First, reading scores were examined to see if they correlated with performance in math and science. A correlation of 1.0 would mean the two trends were moving in perfect lockstep, while a correlation of 0.0 would suggest that the two variables were not associated with each other at all. As seen in the table below, there were very strong correlations across academic subject areas. For example, the correlation across school-level reading and math scores was 0.87, which suggests a very strong relationship.

A table showing scores for reading, math, and science in Mississippi. - The 74



These results suggest that schools with high test scores in one content area are very likely to also have high test scores in another subject. (And the opposite.) But that doesnt necessarily reflect how much the school contributes to a students scores. It could just be that the school happens to enroll higher- or lower-performing kids.

In Mississippi, the state measures growth using a model called a value table. Essentially, the state created eight performance levels, and schools receive points if they help students advance to higher tiers from one year to the next.

Do schools with high student growth rates tend to see improvement across multiple subject areas? The answer in Mississippi is yes. In the graph below, each dot represents a school that is graphed according to its reading and math growth rates. The closer the dot is to the diagonal line, the closer the relationship between the schools growth rates in reading and in math.

A data graphic showing math and reading growth in Mississippi schools. - The 74



Note: Data via the Mississippi Department of Educations 2025 school accountability results for elementary and middle schools.

Although there are a few outliers on both sides, a good school tends to be good across subject areas. That is, there are no schools at either the bottom right or top left corners of the graph, where they would be if they were extremely strong in one subject but not the other. For example, among the 50 Mississippi elementary and middle schools that made the greatest gains in reading last year, none of them were below the statewide average in math growth.

The opposite was also true: Among the 50 schools with the lowest reading score gains, only two reached the statewide average in math.

Florida operates a similar accountability system to Mississippi. Similar correlations were found across subject areas.

Both Mississippi and Florida showed strong relationships between a schools proficiency and student growth scores. However, that could be a function of the specific way those states have chosen to measure student growth, and its not always the case that a school with high proficiency scores will also have high growth. In fact, because proficiency rates are highly correlated with socioeconomic status, some researchers prefer growth measures that attempt to truly isolate a schools impact on student learning.

While questions about how best to measure school performance can be thorny and technical, it does seem to be the case that schools that are strong in one subject tend to be strong in others as well. In an increasingly specialized world, its fortunately rare to find a school thats doing a great job in one subject area and letting kids down in the other.

This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
China strongly urges EU to cease interfering in other countries' internal affairs under guise of human rights: FM spokesperson

Xinhua) 09:58, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China strongly urges the European Union (EU) to cease interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the guise of human rights, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday.

Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing when answering a question on a statement regarding China, which was issued by the EU Delegation to China on the International Human Rights Day.

The human rights statement on China issued by the EU delegation willfully ignores facts, distorts right and wrong, and is filled with malicious slander, shameless lies and false information about China's human rights situation, Guo said.

He further noted that the statement constitutes a gross interference in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty, and a serious violation of international law and the fundamental norms governing international relations.

"China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this statement, and has already lodged stern representations to the EU side," said Guo.

Guo emphasized that the Chinese government attaches great importance to promoting and protecting human rights, and has successfully blazed a path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the times and suits China's national conditions.

"Historic achievements have been made in the cause of human rights and the advancement of socialist democracy and rule of law in the country, a fact that anyone without prejudice can see and recognize," noted Guo.

He pointed out that affairs related to Xinjiang, Xizang, and Hong Kong are China's internal affairs, which brook no external interference. China's Xinjiang and Xizang regions enjoy social stability, economic growth and ethnic solidarity, and have achieved the improvement of people's livelihoods. Guo also said that the practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong has achieved widely recognized successes, with residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region enjoying extensive rights and freedoms in accordance with the law.

China's Constitution fully guarantees citizens' freedom of speech and freedom of religious belief, Guo noted, adding that China is a country governed by the rule of law, where everyone is equal before the law, and human rights cannot be used as an excuse to evade legal punishment.

Guo pointed out that in recent years, the human rights situation in the EU has continued to deteriorate. Human rights violations such as racial discrimination, infringement of the rights of refugees and immigrants, restrictions on freedom of speech, tolerance to hatred towards certain religious groups, judicial injustice, and violence against women have emerged one after another, he added.

"The EU turns a blind eye to its own problems while pointing fingers at other countries. Such hypocrisy and double standards have long been laid bare for the world to see. The EU is not in the position to lecture others on human rights, still less picture itself as the 'human rights defender'," said the spokesperson.

China strongly urges the EU to engage in serious self-reflection, respect the fundamental facts, and view the achievements of China's human rights cause objectively, Guo said, adding that the EU must cease its "megaphone diplomacy," stop politicizing and instrumentalizing human rights issues, and cease interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the guise of human rights.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
U.S. soldiers use training grenades during a field training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C. on Sept. 29, 2025. Photo: Pfc. Alexis Fischer / U.S. Army via DVIDS / Public Domain

(The Center Square)  Should F-15E aircraft get transferred from Air Force bases like Seymour Johnson in North Carolina, itll come with a one-for-one replacement of other aircraft pending final approval of the National Defense Authorization Act.

North Carolina, home to five major military bases plus a Coast Guard station and Army military ocean terminal on the coast, has an estimated 91,000 active service members that will reap the 3.8% pay raise. This includes junior enlisted servicemembers.

At Seymour Johnson in Wayne County, the Goldsboro community has nervously anticipated the possible changes to the local economy should the F-15E Strike Eagles be moved or replaced. It goes with changes to bases nationwide always sparking concern.

As the U.S. Senate next takes on the annual defense appropriation approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening, it will consider a $900.6 billion package that authorizes $38 billion for aircraft, $34 billion for nuclear defense, $26 billion for shipbuilding, $25 billion for munitions and $900 million to combat drug trafficking.

A significant portion, $142 billion, goes toward research and development of new military technologies, including biotechnology, hypersonic weapons and artificial intelligence.

The annual appropriation has been passed 64 consecutive years. Second-term Republican President Donald Trump has indicated hell sign if and when it reaches his desk.

For the Tarheel State installations:

 At Seymour Johnson, there is a $54 million authorization for a child development center; $41 million for the Combat Arms Training Complex; and required reports related to F-15E maintenance and upgrades to F-15E Strike Eagle engine propulsion capabilities.

 At Fort Bragg, there is $400.8 million across seven areas. The largest funding is $145 million for Special Operations Forces Operational Ammunition Supply Point. Next is $80 million for a Special Operations Forces Mission Command Center and $80 million for power generation and a resilient microgrid to keep critical missions running.

Also at Fort Bragg, the bill sends $44.7 million to upgrades of the Freedom Village, known also as Forward Operating Base Freedom; $24 million for an aircraft maintenance hangar; $19 million for an automated infantry platoon battle course; and $8.1 million for the Special Operations Forces Joint Intelligence Center.

 At Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, there is $90 million for an operations facility; $51.4 million for Special Operations Forces Combat Service Support/Motor Transport Expansion; and $48.28 million for amphibious combat vehicle shelters.

 At Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, there is $40 million for the F-35 Aircraft Sustainment Center at the Fleet Readiness Center East; and $15 million for flightline utilities needed for additional F-35 squadrons. The FRC East funding ensures Marine F-35Es will be maintained for the next 50 years.

Through enhancing peace through strength, improving servicemembers quality of life, and strengthening American deterrence, we can best protect our country, keep the world safe, and safeguard taxpayers' dollars, said U.S. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy, R-N.C.

His 3rd Congressional District is home to Camp Lejeune, MCAS Cherry Point and MCAS New River.

This NDAA secures critical investments for our armed services and North Carolinas military community, including tens of millions for Fort Bragg, said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C.

His 9th Congressional District is home to the majority of the sprawling Fort Bragg, a 251-square mile installation spread into four counties  namely the Fayetteville community in Cumberland County  and home to the 82nd Airborne and Special Operations Command. It is colloquially known as recipient of the 911 calls made by presidents.

The bill, haggled over by both parties and the White House to reach current form, codifies 15 executive orders from Trump and 30 significant legislative proposals.

Passage was 312-112 in a chamber with 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats. The nays included 18 Republicans, and the yeas had 115 Democrats. Five Republicans and four Democrats did not vote.

Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee was the lone vote against from North Carolina. A trio of Democrats were for the bill  Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross and Alma Adams. Also for it along with Murphy and Hudson were Republican Reps. Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
An unhinged Texas teen is accused of killing his ex-girlfriends mother and her two younger siblings in what police described as a targeted cowardly act of violence.

Jennifer Rodriguez, 39, was found dead inside her luxury Odessa, Texas, apartment alongside her 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son after the unidentified teen unleashed his massacre on Tuesday evening, according to Odessa police.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Eighty Seventh Apartments  a luxury complex 350 miles west of Dallas  to discover the gruesome scene around 5:45 p.m.

Jennifer Rodriguez, 39, was found dead inside her luxury Odessa, Texas, apartment after a shooting on Dec. 9, 2025. Gofundme

The suspected shooter, who was not identified because of his age, had a previous relationship with Rodriguezs 15-year-old daughter and had planned to shoot her outside of school before changing his mind and going to the apartment instead, police revealed.

The teen girl was not physically wounded in the triple slaying. Police did not say if the girl was home at the time of the shootings.

She is OK, she wasnt injured  Im sure after all this happened to her family, shes not OK. But physically she was unharmed, Odessa Police Chief Mike Gerke said at a press conference Wednesday.

The 15-year-old boy ran away from the scene and was captured about 40 minutes after the shooting, police said.

From the time that it happened, we knew almost immediately who the suspect was and then to locate him, he was detained within 40 minutes, Gerke said.

A 13-year-old girl was killed in the shooting inside her home. Gofundme

He has been charged with capital murder of multiple persons, a capital felony, and is being held at the Ector County Youth Center.

Officials havent released a motive for the killings.

A handgun, believed to have been used in the shooting, was recovered and officials are waiting for the investigation to conclude that it was the firearm used in the murders.

Gerke described the shooting as a targeted attack with no gang affiliation.

The 15-year-old girls 9-year-old brother was found dead alongside his sister and mother. Gofundme

The heartbroken father of the children mourned the deaths of his children and ex-wife, saying that he didnt expect this kind of tragedy to happen to any of us.

Today, a young boy took the lives of my 9-year-old son, my 13-year-old daughter, and their mother, who was my ex-wife, Roy Casey Martinez wrote on the GoFundMe fundraiser. This is something that no one can really prepare themselves for because we dont expect this kind of tragedy to happen to any of us. I am not a person who ever asks for help from anyone, but at this time, I dont have a choice.

My heart is extremely broken and I keep finding little pieces at a time wondering which piece goes where!! It will never be complete anymore but as long as I keep picking up these small pieces maybe one day itll form some type of shape again!! Martinez said.

Gerke said his department is aware of who purchased the gun, but didnt share how the teen obtained it.

Evil does visit us from time to time, Gerke said.

Texas has the death penalty but does not issue the sentence to convicted capital murderers who were younger than 18 at the time of the crime.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and friends, anyone connected with the tragedy last night. It was such a tragic and cowardly act of violence, Gerke said.
President Donald Trump gestures during a signing ceremony on an AI initiative in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump said Friday that Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes, even as Thai and Cambodian officials suggested there is still work to do to get the ceasefire that the U.S. administration had helped broker earlier this year back on track.

Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting following calls with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, Trump said in his Truth Social post.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday disputed Trumps assertion that a ceasefire was agreed to without providing any details, and Thai defense ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said clashes were still ongoing. Cambodias defense ministry reported that Thailand continued to carry out strikes early Saturday. Those strikes could not be independently verified.

Thai prime minister differs with Trump

After speaking with Trump on Friday but before the U.S. president's social media posting, Anutin said he reiterated to Trump that Thailands position was to keep fighting until Cambodia no longer posed a threat to its sovereignty.

I told him that he had better talk to our friend. Dont just say that we have to stop fighting," Anutin said. "You should announce to the world that Cambodia will stop firing, will withdraw their forces, will clear all land mines. Please show us the actions.

Trump wrote in his Friday social media post, The roadside bomb that originally killed and wounded numerous Thai Soldiers was an accident, but Thailand nevertheless retaliated very strongly."

The comment was an apparent reference to recent land mine explosions along the border that triggered tensions between the two countries.

The Thai army reported multiple injuries from the explosions but no deaths and Anutin on Saturday refuted Trump's characterization.

Its definitely not a roadside accident," Anutin said Saturday morning on his Facebook account. "Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people. I want to make it clear. Our actions this morning already spoke.

Trump, a Republican, said Malaysia's prime minister had played an important role in helping him push Thailand and Cambodia to once again agree to "resolving what could have evolved into a major War between two otherwise wonderful and prosperous Countries!

The original ceasefire in July was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.

Despite the deal, the two countries carried on a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued.

Conflict has a long history

The roots of the Thai-Cambodian border conflict lie in a history of enmity over competing territorial claims. These claims largely stem from a 1907 map created while Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand maintains is inaccurate. Tensions were exacerbated by a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded sovereignty to Cambodia, which still riles many Thais.

Thailand has deployed jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it says are military targets. Cambodia has deployed BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of 30-40 kilometers (19-25 miles).

According to data collected by public broadcaster ThaiPBS, at least six of the Thai soldiers who were killed were hit by rocket shrapnel.

The Thai armys northeastern regional command said Thursday that some residential areas and homes near the border were damaged by BM-21 rocket launchers from Cambodian forces.

The Thai army also said it destroyed a tall crane atop a hill held by Cambodia where the centuries-old Preah Vihear temple is located, because it allegedly held electronic and optical devices used for military command and control purposes.

Trump has repeatedly made the exaggerated claim that he has helped solve eight conflicts, including the one between Thailand and Cambodia, since returning to office in January, as evidence of his negotiating prowess. And he's not been shy about his desire to be recognized with a Nobel Peace Prize.

In an exchange with reporters later Friday, Trump credited his administration with doing a a very good job with its push to stem the renewed fighting.

And we got it, I think, straightened out today, Trump said at an unrelated event in the Oval Office. So Thailand and Cambodia is in good shape.

African and Middle East agreements also under strain

Another ceasefire that Trump takes credit for working out, between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, is also under strain, just after the leaders of the African nations traveled to Washington to sign a peace deal.

A joint statement released by the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes expressed profound concern over the situation in Congos South Kivu region, where new deadly violence blamed on the Rwandan-backed M23 militia group has exploded in recent days.

The Great Lakes contact group  which includes Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the European Union  has urged all sides to uphold their commitments under the deal signed last week and immediately de-escalate the situation.

And Trump's internationally endorsed plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is still not finalized and in limbo, with sporadic fighting continuing while a critical second phase remains a work in progress.

___

AP writer Jintamas Saksornchai reported from Surin, Thailand. Grant Peck in Bangkok and Matthew Lee contributed reporting.
A judge holds a gavel above a block in a courtroom. Photo: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / Pexels

(The Center Square)  Opening arguments are scheduled Monday for the Wisconsin judge accused of helping a person illegally in America evade federal authorities leaving her courtroom.

Two of 14 jurors  five women, nine men  are alternates to be dismissed prior to deliberations in the trial of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan. Prosecutors say she helped a suspect leave her courtroom to avoid detection by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Dugan is facing felony federal obstruction charges. Prosecutors say she confronted a pair of ICE agents in April while they waited outside her courtroom.

After speaking with the agents, and sending them away, a video shows Dugan return to her courtroom. Shortly after she returned, the same security video shows Eduardo Flores-Ruiz walk out the nonpublic, usually restricted side door of Dugans courtroom. He made his way to an elevator, and left the Milwaukee County courthouse complex.

A third ICE agent spotted Flores-Ruiz, and was able to eventually arrest him.

Duagn was indicted and arrested about a week later.

Lawyers have been instructed to avoid injecting feelings about second-term Republican President Donald Trump into the trial. The judge in the case has barred jurors from seeing some social media posts about Dugan made by Trump administration officials.

Flores-Ruiz eventually pleaded to both federal immigration violations, and the state charges that he was facing in Dugans court. As part of his plea deal, Flores-Ruiz agreed to be deported in November.
US-POLITICS-ECONOMY-TRUMP (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is assembling a coalition of US allies across the globe to challenge Chinas dominance over rare earth minerals and technology.

Singapore, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, the UK and Israel are among a band of nations working with the U.S. under the Pax Silica agreement signed Friday to challenge Chinas near-total grip on rare earth mineral processing and extraction. The agreement aims to secure the supply chain for rare earths essential in the fabrication of advanced computer chips that are utilized in a wide range of applications from AI systems to Americas arsenal of weapons.

The coalition brings together a seemingly scattered band of U.S.-aligned nations from across the globe, including many long-time allies like Japan and Australia alongside relatively new partners such as the UAE.

The United States is organizing a coalition of countries around the principle of building a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven ecosystem across the entire global technology supply chain  from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics, the State Department wrote in a statement outlining the agreement. (RELATED: Congress Advances Historic Crackdown On American Cash Fueling China)

Chinas President Xi Jinping and Frances President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) deliver a joint statement to the press in Beijing on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

While the U.S. has a plethora of rare earth deposits, the ability to use them in applications like computer chips is heavily dependent on refinement capability. Currently, China holds nearly all of the worlds capacity for rare earth refinement.

The U.S. has made multiple moves to rectify the disparity, such as the Pentagon purchasing a majority stake in MP Minerals, which pledged to build up refinement capability while utilizing one of Americas only rare earth mines.

The nations in the new coalition will partner chiefly to secure resources needed in the supply chain going into AI development, according to the State Department. Dependence on Chinese rare earth minerals was recently brought into sharp focus when a temporary restriction on rare earth exports to the U.S. proved to be a key point of leverage in trade negotiations.

However, the Trump administration recently gave clearance to American chip giant NVIDIA to sell their advanced chips to Beijing, a move that came with staunch criticism from both parties.

The State Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at Gimhae International Airport, South Korea, on October 30, 2025. - Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

When the Trump administration unveiled its new national security strategy (NSS) last week, many experts noticed one major shift: how it talks  or more importantly, doesnt talk  about China.

Gone are the sweeping declarations about China being Americas most consequential geopolitical challenge, as articulated by the Biden administration. Nor does it include much of the stronger language in the NSS of President Donald Trumps first term, describing China in 2017 as challenging American power, influence and interests.

Instead, this latest document, one that every president submits to Congress outlining their foreign policy vision, emphasized the US-China economic rivalry above all  barely mentioning the concerns of authoritarianism or human rights abuses that had consistently peppered previous administrations reports.

There isnt a single mention of great power competition with China. China is seen much more as an economic competitor, said David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council think tanks Global China Hub, described the document as a rebalancing between interests and values.

Instead of the US portraying itself as the shining city upon a hill  the President Ronald Reagan model of a nation acting as a beacon of freedom for the world  Trumps new NSS is about America first, its about focusing on developing America itself, and talking about commerce, almost first and foremost, Sung added.

Another clue to how Trump views China on his list of security priorities lies in just how little its mentioned at all  only for the first time on page 19 of a 33-page document, and occupying just one section in a report that also covers Europe, Africa, the Middle East and other regions. By comparison, the Biden NSS from 2022 discusses China repeatedly throughout its 48 pages.

This change in tone and narrow economic focus appear to have been well received in Beijing. When asked about the NSS at a news conference on Monday, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Guo Jiakun emphasized the benefits of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

China is willing to work with the US to promote the continued stable development of China-US relations, while firmly safeguarding its own sovereignty, security, and development interests, he said.

While Guo reiterated Chinas position on sensitive topics such as Taiwan  a self-ruling island democracy that Beijing claims as its own territory  his statement was otherwise cautiously neutral, lacking the vitriol that often characterizes Chinese responses to US policy.

I read that as fairly positive, Sacks said, pointing to the fact that Trump plans to visit Beijing next spring in a highly anticipated summit.

I think that the Chinese are also saying that the door is open to economic cooperation, and they want to work towards the April meeting between the two leaders.

But some in China interpreted Trumps NSS with a warier eye  warning that the shift in language is not necessarily a retreat.

State-run tabloid Global Times cited an expert who warned that the US new strategy repeatedly emphasizes the need to eliminate any external competitors or threats to US interests, reflecting the ongoing competition between both nations.

Meng Weizhan, a researcher at the Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences, gave a similar warning. The change in wording does not mean that the US no longer views China as a competitor, he wrote in an article, adding that Trump may be switching tactics to seek a more advantageous position.

Economics as the ultimate stakes

Shipping containers and gantry cranes at the Yantian port at night in Shenzhen, China, on April 14, 2025. - Jade Gao/AFP/Getty Images

The NSS makes its focus clear from the start, declaring economics as the ultimate stakes. It speaks at length about the trade relationship between the two countries, including the imbalance in Chinas exports to low-income countries versus to the US.

Going forward, we will rebalance Americas economic relationship with China, prioritizing reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence, it reads.

Its markedly different from Trumps 2017 NSS, which described China as a revisionist power, Sacks said. This one has nothing to say about Chinas strategic ambitions  and whether those are compatible with US interests.

Particularly stark is the lack of any ideological contrast or mention of human rights concerns, which populated the previous two NSS documents.

The Biden administration had highlighted Beijings role in committing alleged genocide in Xinjiang, human rights violations in Tibet, and the dismantling of freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong. In 2017, Trumps first-term document had criticized China for its authoritarianism, mass surveillance, and push to create a new world order alongside Russia.

Thats completely absent from this document, Sacks said, adding that Beijing is probably pretty pleased  because (the NSS) doesnt set up an existential competition with (China).

There could be a few reasons behind this shift. Trumps administration could be trying to play it safe ahead of the presidents April meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, hoping not to jeopardize any deals or negotiations, Sacks posited.

It could also reflect a change in Trumps cabinet, which in his first term was populated by more traditional Republican national security thinkers than in his current term, Sacks said. Or maybe the latest trade war was unexpectedly humbling for America  shifting how the White House views Beijing.

I think there were many who believed that the United States had escalation dominance, Sacks said. But weve seen in recent months that there is going to be a level of US-China interdependence  and both countries can do significant damage to each other in the economic realm.

A new focus: Taiwan

This new NSS also focuses less on sensitive geopolitical flashpoints, experts said. For instance, the Biden NSS had mentioned several ongoing regional conflicts including the military coup in Myanmar and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. By contrast, this version doesnt mention North Korea once.

The one geopolitical issue it does tackle is Taiwan  a thorny topic Washington has long walked a fine line on.

Chinas ruling Communist Party has vowed to take control of the island one day, by force if necessary, and views the issue as one of its strongest red lines.

Washington maintains close unofficial ties with Taiwan, and is bound by law to sell arms to the island for its self-defense  despite recognizing the Peoples Republic as the sole legitimate government of China, and acknowledging Beijings position that Taiwan is part of China.

However, while the US has never accepted the CCPs claim of sovereignty over the island, Washington has largely remained vague on whether it would intervene in the event of a Chinese attack, a policy known as strategic ambiguity.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te holds a news conference on protecting national security at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on November 26, 2025. - I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Images

In the latest NSS, compared with past versions which only briefly mention of Taiwan, Trump has dedicated multiple paragraphs to the island  highlighting its increased importance in his agenda, according to Sacks.

There is, rightly, much focus on Taiwan, partly because of Taiwans dominance of semiconductor production, but mostly because Taiwan provides direct access to the Second Island Chain and splits Northeast and Southeast Asia into two distinct theaters, the new NSS reads.

Given that one-third of global shipping passes annually through the South China Sea, this has major implications for the US economy. Hence deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority, it reads, adding that the US and its allies must step up defense spending to prevent a potentially hostile power to impose a toll system over one of the worlds most vital lanes of commerce.

It sends a strong message to Beijing of deterrence, which could be good news for Taiwan, said Sacks. But the document also softened its language elsewhere  saying the US does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, instead of the previous phrasing of opposing any such change.

That could be welcomed by Beijing  making the Taiwan section of the NSS a confusing set of mixed messages, Sacks added.

The Chinese foreign ministrys response on Monday was similarly muted, with the spokesperson Guo urging the US to handle the Taiwan issue with utmost caution.

People in Taiwan are likely in wait and see mode, perhaps feeling ambivalent or unsure where they stand under the new NSS, said Sung, the Atlantic Council fellow.

I think Taiwan is looking towards Washington to see whether this show of goodwill and responsibility will finally lead to more consolidation and more predictability in a firm US support position for Taiwan going forward, he added.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Work continues on the contruction of the ballroom at the White House, Tuesday, Dec., 9, 2025, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump was sued on Friday by preservationists asking a federal court to halt his White House ballroom project until it goes through multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded group, is asking the U.S. District Court to block Trumps White House ballroom addition, which already has involved razing the East Wing, until it goes through comprehensive design reviews, environmental assessments, public comments and congressional debate and ratification.

The project has prompted criticism in the historic preservation and architectural communities, and among his political adversaries, but the lawsuit is the most tangible effort thus far to alter or stop the president's plans for an addition that itself would be nearly twice the size of the White House before the East Wings demolition.

No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever  not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else, the lawsuit states. And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.

Additionally, the Trust wants the court to declare that Trump, by fast-tracking the project, has committed multiple violations of the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, while also exceeding his constitutional authority by not consulting lawmakers.

No more work should be done, the Trust argues, until administration officials complete the required reviews  reviews that should have taken place before the Defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the Ballroom.

White House maintains that Trump has full legal authority over the building

Asked questions about the lawsuit, White House spokesman David Ingle responded with a blanket assertion that Trump is within his full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House  just like all of his predecessors did.

Ingle did not specifically address an Associated Press question asking whether the president would consult Congress at any point.

The White House response correctly notes that essentially every president makes some changes to the White House. But Trump's efforts are the most sweeping since a nearly complete gutting of the decaying interior of the oldest portion of the mansion during President Harry Truman's tenure. Truman sought and received explicit authorization from Congress, along with appropriations. Further, he consulted the American Society of Engineers and the Commission on Fine Arts, and he appointed a bipartisan commission to oversee the project.

Trump, a Republican, has emphasized since announcing the project that hes doing it with private money, including his own. But that would not necessarily change how federal laws and procedures apply to what is still a U.S. government project.

The president already has bypassed the federal governments usual building practices and historical reviews with the East Wing demolition. He recently added another architectural firm to the project.

Trump has long said a White House ballroom is overdue, complaining that events were held outside under a tent because the East Room and the State Dining Room could not accommodate bigger crowds. Trump, among other complaints, said guests get their feet wet if it rains during such events.

The White House is expected to submit plans for Trumps new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the year ends, about three months after construction began.

Will Scharf, who was named by Trump as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, said at the panels monthly meeting last week that he was told by colleagues at the White House that the long-awaited plans would be filed in December.

Once plans are submitted, thats really when the role of this commission, and its professional staff, will begin, said Scharf, who also is one of the Republican presidents top White House aides.

He said the review process would happen at a normal and deliberative pace.

Besides being too late, the Trust argues, that's not nearly enough.

Federal law cites express authority of Congress over D.C. projects

The Trust asserts that plans should have been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts and Congress before any action. The lawsuit notes that the Trust wrote to those entities and the National Park Service on Oct. 21, after East Wing demolition began, urging a stop to the project and asking the administration to comply with federal law.

The National Trust received no response, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit cites a litany of federal statutes and rules detailing the role the planning and fine arts commission and lawmakers play in U.S. government construction projects.

Among them is a statute: A building or structure shall not be erected on any reservation, park, or public grounds of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia without express authority of Congress."

The Trust notes also that the range design and environmental reviews, along with congressional deliberation, would involve public input.

This public involvement, while important in all preservation matters, is particularly critical here, where the structure at issue is perhaps the most recognizable and historically significant building in the country, the complaint says.

Besides the president, the lawsuit names as defendants the National Parks Service, the Department of the Interior, and the General Services Administration, along with leaders of those federal agencies.
Sae Joon Park is back in the global spotlight.

Park, a U.S. Army veteran who lived in America for nearly five decades, self-deported to South Korea after immigration officials said he would otherwise be forcefully removed from the country back this summer.

"I just feel that this is unfair for those who fought for our country to be treated this way," Park said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY on Friday, Dec. 12.

Less than 24 hours earlier, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced a barrage of questions related to the departments immigration efforts, including whether U.S. military veterans have been deported under the Trump administrations immigration crackdown.

Park joined the hearing at the invitation of Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Rhode Island, after the congressman asked Noem how many U.S. military veterans had been deported.

"We have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans," Noem replied.

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) speaks during a House Homeland Security hearing entitled "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland," while Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart decorated U.S. Army veteran who self-deported to South Korea due to a removal order, joins the hearing via a video call, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. December 11, 2025/

When Magaziner introduced Park, a U.S. Army combat veteran and Purple Heart recepient shot twice while serving in Panama in the late 80s, and asked whether Noem would review Parks case, the secretary said she would look at his case.

Speaking nearly half-way around the world on Friday, Park told USA TODAY his status had not changed, and although he wants to return to the states, he said he is not sure whether it will happen.

"No one has reached out to me," Park said.

Who is Sae Joon Park? Here's what to know about the veteran and his hope to return to American soil.

Sae Joon Park was shot twice while fighting in the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, known as Operation Just Cause. He received a Purple Heart for his bravery.

Who is Sae Joon Park?

Park, who told USA TODAY he turned 56 this year, said he was a private in the Army and graduated from basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia in September 1989.

That same year, he was shot twice while serving with the U.S. Army in Panama.

Kristi Noem grilled at hearing: Asked to explain veteran's deportation

When did Sae Joon Park come to the United States?

Park came to America at the age of 7 from South Korea on a green card, his attorney Danicole Ramos, previously told USA TODAY.

After high school, he enlisted in the army, and was deployed to Panama, where he fought in the 1989 operation to overthrow the countrys de facto leader.

He was shot twice during that conflict, was honorably discharged, and received a Purple Heart.

He previously lived in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, and before self-deporting to Asia he lived in Honolulu with his two adult children, a daughter and son, whom he shares with his ex-wife.

Sae Joon Park, 55, with his son.

When did Sae Joon Park self deport to South Korea?

Park self-deported to South Korea in June 23, 2025.

Park told USA TODAY he is currently living in Seoul, but may soon move to Busan, a large port city in South Korea.

Why did Sae Joon Park self deport?

Park's removal order stemmed from an addiction in the 1990s when he was arrested for minor drug offenses, Magaziner said.

According to previous USA TODAY reporting, Park turned to drugs for relief from nightmares while suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and one night, was arrested for buying crack cocaine. He later missed a court-mandated drug test and served more than two years in prison, his attorney said.

Park said he hopes to one day return to the U.S.

This story has been updated.

Contributing: Karissa Waddick with USA TODAY

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Sae Joon Park? Self-deported US Army vet speaks out
The watch of a Japanese hiker killed by a bear has revealed harrowing details about his last moments, including that the animal returned to his body the next day, a newspaper report said.

Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others, while reports of the creatures roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets have heightened anxiety, especially in rural northern regions.

The hiker's GPS watch, which uses satellite signals to log routes and monitors heart rate, was retrieved after the fatal attack on August 14, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

Data from the device showed that at around 11 a.m. it suddenly deviated from the hiking trail in Hokkaido and went down a forested slope, the daily said.

In an area of thick brush, it repeatedly circled and passed over the same spot.

The watch also showed that the man's heart stopped beating about 100 to 130 yards from the trail, indicating that he died there.

The watch remained in the same spot all night but moved again around 9 a.m. the next morning, travelling several hundred yards through the brush.

This suggests the brown bear had come back and dragged the man's body away, the Asahi said.

Three days later, on August 15, a bear with two cubs was spotted dragging his body in its mouth. All three animals were killed.

A mound of earth made by the bear was found nearby and traces of the man -- who was engaged to be married -- were discovered, the report added.

The victim's parents were asked to identify the body, but police asked them only to look at his face because of the extent of injuries.

Bear spotted at Japan ski resort in latest incident

Meanwhile, a ski resort in Japan said Friday it had received reports of bear sightings while a snowboarder described how one of the animals chased him on the piste.

"We've been patrolling to check if there are bear footprints every day since we received two sighting reports on Sunday," Kazuya Shirakawa of Hakuba47 Mountain Sports Park in Nagano region told AFP.

Ski resort employees have not seen any sign of bears since the reports, Shirakawa said.

Bears normally enter hibernation in winter, but a man was attacked early this month in the region while clearing snow near his home.

Meanwhile, a snowboarder who posted a video on Instagram of his encounter with a bear told media that the animal "chased him" on the ski slope.

"When I turned there was a bear. I was surprised," he told private broadcaster TV Asahi.

The video he posted online four days ago showed a bear running towards him from below the course in Nagano.

It was unclear whether the ski resort was the same as where the other bear sightings were reported.

"It nearly collided with me... and our eyes met."

The bear gave up and returned to the mountain, he said.

"A chance to expand their range"

Bears hungry because of shortages of food such as acorns  which has been blamed on climate change  are encroaching more into towns where the human population is aging and dwindling.

Experts say warmer weather is also affecting the hibernation patterns of the animals, which in the case of brown bears can weigh 1,100 pounds and outrun a human.

A warning sign is seen at the closed walking trail to the observatory in the Shirakawago district, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on October 7, 2025 in Hida, Gifu Prefecture of Japan. / Credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Japan has two types of bear: Asian black bears  also known as moon bears  and the bigger brown bears that live on the main northern island of Hokkaido.

Thousands of the animals are shot every year.

The impacts of climate change on the bears' food sources and hibernation cycles has been cited by experts as a key factor, but there are also implications as Japan's aging population shrinks and humans abandon more rural areas.

That depopulation has left bears "a chance to expand their range," biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer in 2023.

Erika Kirk has one word for Candace Owens as she spreads conspiracy theories

Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore detained by police after firing

Hoosier Hysteria | Sunday on 60 Minutes
Tina Peters speaks during a watch party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Credit - AAron OntiverozMediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty Images

President Donald Trump announced that he would grant a full pardon to Tina Peters, the former Republican clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, who was convicted of participating in a scheme to prove Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the crime of demanding Honest Elections. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!

Trump doesnt have the authority to pardon Peters, however. Presidential clemency powers extend only to federal cases, while Petersthe only Trump ally currently imprisoned in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential electionwas convicted last year in a state court.

That means that rather than an actual pardon, Trumps announcement is simply a symbolic show of support. But it marks a high point in his Administrations advocacy for the former county clerk, who the President in May called a political prisoner and said was being horribly and unjustly punished.

Senior Justice Department officials previously encouraged a federal judge in March to give prompt and careful consideration to releasing Peters from state prison after she filed a federal lawsuit arguing that her constitutional rights had been violated and requesting that she be let out on bond while she appealed her conviction.

Reasonable concerns have been raised about various aspects of Ms. Peters case, the federal officials wrote, saying that the Justice Department would also review the Peters prosecution and whether it was oriented more toward inflicting political pain than toward pursuing actual justice or legitimate governmental objectives.

After months of hearings, a federal judge in Denver on Monday rejected Peters request for release.

Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who alone has the power to pardon Peters, defended her conviction following Trumps announcement on Thursday.

No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions. This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders, Polis said in a statement.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser struck a similar cord, highlighting the states authority over the case and dismissing Trumps effort to pardon Peters as an outrageous departure from the Constitution.

One of the most basic principles of our constitution is that states have independent sovereignty and manage our own criminal justice systems without interference from the federal government, Weiser said. The idea that a president could pardon someone tried and convicted in state court has no precedent in American law, would be an outrageous departure from what our constitution requires, and will not hold up.

Days before the federal judge dismissed Peters bid to be released from prison, an attorney forPeters sent a letter to Trump making the case for the President to grant her a pardon and contending that he has the power to do so.

The lawyer, Peter Ticktin, asserted that Peters was innocent and wrongfully persecuted and said that she received death threats in prison from violent offenders and was attacked three times. Ticktin admitted in the letter that the question of whether a president can pardon for state offenses has never been raised in any court, but argued that the part of the Constitution that establishes the Presidents clemency authoritywhich says he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in the case of impeachmentconfers the power to grant a pardon in any of the states of the United States.

Trump has continued to make false claims that the 2020 election, in which he lost to former President Joe Biden, was stolen from him, and has previously offered clemency to others who acted on those claims. On the first day of his second term, he issued a pardon for nearly all 1,600 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

But those charges were levied on the federal level. Peters, in contrast, is beyond Trumps official power.

Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers for state crimes in a state court, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement on Thursday. Trump has no constitutional authority to pardon her. His assault is not just on our democracy, but on states rights and the American constitution.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Doctor in hospital (stock image)

NEED TO KNOW

Margot Blair from Dumfries, Scotland, is receiving treatment for stage three tongue cancer

Blair, 62, recalled in an interview with BBC Scotland having recurring mouth ulcers and a swollen tongue before her diagnosis in May

If you have something in your mouth like an ulcer for two weeks, three weeks at a maximum, you must seek professional help, she told the outlet

A mother in Scotland is undergoing intensive treatment after years of painful swelling in her mouth resulted in her being diagnosed with tongue cancer.

Margot Blair from Dumfries thought she had no cause for concern after receiving the results of a biopsy in 2022, when she first began to experience white lesions on her tongue. However, two years later, painful mouth ulcers developed and by May 2025, her tongue was swollen.

Blair, 62, recalled in an interview with BBC Scotland that she felt physically sick from the amount of painkillers that she was taking to ease her symptoms. Having made multiple visits to her dentist, the retired mom eventually booked an appointment with a private oral maxillofacial consultant.

"When I went to see him, without biopsy, he took one look and diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma," Blair told BBC Scotland.

This is described by The Cleveland Clinic as "a type of skin cancer caused by an overproduction of squamous cells in your epidermis, the top layer of your skin."

Rawlstock/Getty Doctor (stock image)

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.

Blair had the initial cancer and lymph nodes removed at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow after undergoing follow-up tests including MRI scans, CT scans and biopsies.

A secondary surgery was required on her tongue after a pathology report indicated that the cancer had spread. She revealed to BBC Scotland that the treatments have affected her taste and speech, while she has also been left with a five-inch scar on her neck.

''My tongue feels salty all of the time. I have a foul taste in my mouth and even water tastes strange, Blair told the outlet. ''I'm not comfortable on the phone and if I get excited or speak too quickly, I bite my tongue because it's still very swollen.

Blair wanted to avoid having six weeks of intensive, targeted radiotherapy, but has since been scheduled to undergo the treatment at the Beatson Cancer Center in Glasgow in the hopes of boosting her chance of survival.

Despite having initially been diagnosed with stage one, the cancer has worsened to stage three.

Speaking about the survival rate, Blair said, It went from 90% for surviving more than five years, to about 40%-45%."

Blair has had four molars removed ahead of her radiotherapy to reduce the risk of complications. Having already lost weight due to difficulties with eating and swallowing, she is hopeful that she will not require a feeding tube in the future.

She also doesnt smoke, limits alcohol and exercises at least five times a week in the hopes that her lifestyle choices will benefit her amid treatment.

Cancer Research UK states that the cause of most mouth and oropharyngeal cancers is unknown, but smoking and drinking are among the factors that increase the risk of developing them.

If you have something in your mouth like an ulcer for two weeks, three weeks at a maximum, you must seek professional help, Blair told BBC Scotland.



Read the original article on People
Emergency vehicle in motion

As health care costs rise across the country, many heartbreaking stories are emerging about exorbitant bills that families are unable to pay.

One such family was recently interviewed by The Washington Post (1). A resident of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, Elisabeth Yoder detailed how her sons ambulance ride came with a surprise bill of $9,250.

In August, 15-month-old Darragh appeared to have a common viral infection, but his condition worsened, with blisters and skin peeling off his face. Yoder took her son to the emergency room at Mercy Health hospital in nearby Urbana, where she was advised he would have to be transferred to a nearby childrens hospital by a private companys ambulance.

Must Read

Though the 40-minute trip seemed fairly straightforward to Yoder, the cost of the ambulance ride included a base rate charge of $6,600, a mileage fee of $2,340, $250 for use of an intravenous infusion pump and $60 for monitoring Darraghs blood oxygen levels. By contrast, the childrens hospital charged only about $3,000 more for the toddlers three-day stay.

The family is uninsured, relying instead on a Christian health care sharing ministry. Their income is slightly too high for them to qualify for Medicaid, and so the family had little recourse for dealing with the massive ambulance bill.

Heres what you should know about the risks of opting out of traditional health insurance, plus tips on how you can avoid getting hit with surprise medical bills.

Legal loopholes for ground ambulances

Christian health care sharing ministries do not offer members negotiated rates with ambulance companies or other medical providers, unlike a traditional insurer. In Ohio, where the Yoders live, there are no state or federal billing protections for uninsured patients to deal with a ground ambulance bill. Even the federal No Surprises Act, which protects the insured from large bills for out of network air ambulance transportation, doesnt cover ground ambulance services.

Patricia Kelmar, the senior director of health care campaigns for PIRG, a national advocacy group, said in her interview with The Washington Post that patients are rarely told what an ambulance ride will cost before receiving the bill.

Shouldnt the hospital know that? she said. I dont think its that heavy of a lift.

Kelmar said she has seen per-mile charges ranging from less than $30 to more than $80 and wildly different base rates.

Studies show about half of emergency ambulance patients with insurance are at risk of receiving a surprise medical bill which is an out-of-network charge for those transportation services. Those balance bills carry a median out-of-pocket charge of $450 but in some states, the average is more than $1000, wrote Kelmar in a 2022 U.S. PIRG report (2).

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

Yoder attempted to negotiate with the ambulance company representatives and was told they could reduce the bill to $5,600 if the family paid in a lump sum. She opened a new credit card with a 17-month no-interest deal to fund the bill. After charity discounts, the hospital bills were dropped to $6,800.

The family expects that their sharing ministry will reimburse them for about 75% of the total cost of their payments to the hospital and ambulance service.

Yoder told The Washington Post she wishes that she had driven her son straight to the childrens hospital.

How to plan for medical expenses

This cautionary tale points to how important it is for families to have proper health insurance coverage, and to be ready to self-advocate in the event of medical expenses. You should know that the No Surprises Act protects you from unexpected out-of-network bills if you have health insurance through an employer, a federal or state-based marketplace, or other individual market coverage, but doesnt help those who have no insurance coverage.

You should get a good faith estimate at least three days in advance of scheduled care but not when you receive emergency care. If youve had your care and find that the billed amount is at least $400 above the good faith estimate, you may be able to dispute the charges, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Remember to ask for an itemized bill from the hospital or health care provider, and review it carefully to be sure you recognize and understand all the charges. From there, you can dispute any charges that dont make sense to you, and potentially negotiate the balance to ensure youre paying a reasonable rate. If you need help disputing the bill, you can consider hiring a patient advocate or applying for financial assistance for your expenses.

Paying off medical bills

According to KFF analysis of government data, around 14 million people in the U.S. owe over $1,000 in medical debt and 3 million owe over $10,000. States with the highest share of adults with medical debt are South Dakota (17.7%) and Mississippi (15.2%) (3).

If you have medical debt, you can consider applying for financial assistance programs, or charity care, which can help to reduce your debt burden. You can also look into Medicare Savings Programs that can help you cover your health care expenses.

A government website includes tips on how to get help with medical bills. Amongst its recommendations is consulting a credit counselor to apply for a debt management plan, and looking for state-based social services agencies that assist those with limited access to health care.

You can also consider funding a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a separate emergency fund just for health care expenses so that you can be ready for medical emergencies when they happen. Consider putting aside 5% of your monthly budget for medical expenses so that you can tackle medical bills when they arise without breaking a sweat.

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.

The Washington Post (1); U.S. PIRG (2); KFF (3)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
A grieving Colorado uncle allegedly body-slammed the defense attorney who was representing his nephews accused killer, knocking him unconscious and fracturing his spine.

Daniel Ashby, 36, was charged with second-degree assault for using an MMA-style takedown on attorney H. Michael Steinberg inside the Arapahoe County Courthouse in Littleton, Colo., on Monday, CBS Colorado reported.

Ashby was attending a court hearing for 19-year-old Christopher Ramirez-Rodriguez, who is accused of running a red light and killing Ashbys 12-year-old nephew in July.

Daniel Ashby is accused of body-slamming the defense attorney who was representing his nephews accused killer, knocking him unconscious and fracturing his spine. Arapahoe County

Steinberg was representing Ramirez-Rodriguez when Ashby allegedly aggressively approached him in the hallway outside the courtroom while trying to see the defendant, according to an arrest record obtained by the outlet.

Police said Steinberg pushed Ashby back to create space, after which Ashby allegedly carried out an MMA-style takedown, which left the longtime lawyer unconscious.

Steinberg  who has frequently appeared as a guest on CNN and Fox News  was rushed to a local hospital, where he was treated for multiple spinal fractures.

In an email sent Tuesday, Steinberg told CBS Colorado he also suffered a shattered pelvis, was in serious pain, and is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday.

Ashby was immediately taken into custody at the courthouse. Court officials said the hallway incident was not captured on video.

Ashby is being held at the Arapahoe County Jail on a $75,000 bond and is due back in court Friday in connection with the alleged assault, according to jail records viewed by The Post.

Ashbys older brother, Michael Ashby  the father of the 12-year-old victim  said he attended Mondays hearing but did not witness the incident.

He said the entire family has been attending court proceedings and that emotions were running high.

The whole family is frustrated with this legal system, Michael Ashby told CBS Colorado, adding that there has been significant tension between the two families.

Lawyer H. Michael Steinberg was left hospitalized and facing surgery following the attack. Arapahoe County

Court records show the judge overseeing the case later warned both families against taking justice into their own hands.

According to public records cited by the outlet, Ashby has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple violations of protective orders and jail sentences.

Ramirez-Rodriguez is accused of killing Ashbys 12-year-old nephew around 10 a.m. July 19 when he ran a red light as the boy was crossing the road on his electric scooter, the Aurora Police Department said.

Police said he remained at the scene and was cooperative. Drugs or alcohol were not suspected, but distracted driving was being investigated as a contributing factor.

Ramirez-Rodriguez was charged with careless driving resulting in death.
Getty Jessica Simpson on December 7, 2025

The Gist

On December 7, Simpson performed in Connecticut wearing a bedazzled LBD that plunged to her stomach and featured a hip-high leg slit.

Her belt added a country and western flare to her ensemble on Sunday.

Jessica Simpson has returned to her country music roots, releasing a two-set LP of music inspired by her past two years living in Nashville.

Jessica Simpson got vulnerable onstage about not feeling enough during her 2000s pop star heyday as she transitions back to her country roots.

Wearing a bedazzled LBD that plunged down to her stomachand featured a hip-high leg slitSimpson took the stage on December 7 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Simpsons ensemble also included a country and western-coded belt, a statement cross necklace, and Schutzs black over-the-knee boots.

Getty Jessica Simpson performing on December 7, 2025

Speaking to the audience from the stage, Simpson said, My whole music career, I had a job, and that was to be a pop starand I tried. You see, when youre younger, you never feel good enough, and its okay to not feel good enough.

In 2025, two years after moving to Nashville, Simpson released a pair of EPs called Nashville Canyon Part I and Nashville Canyon Part II, marking her musical comeback after 15 years away.

Getty Jessica Simpson at Foxwoods Resort Casino

I do love Nashville, Simpson said. It brought me home, to myself. It brought me inside of my heart in a really hard time of my life. She added, I just kind of had to surrender myself to my intuition, to the light that was in front of me. I just focused on that.

This time, I needed to remember who I was and why I wanted to sing in the first place and all the music that inspires me, she continued from onstage on Sunday. And I needed to forget who they told me to be.

Getty Jessica Simpson

It has been a big year for Simpson, who spent Thanksgiving last month with her estranged husband Eric Johnson, whom she split from earlier this year after 10 years of marriage. The two share three kids, and Simpson told TMZ on November 28 of her decision to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with him, Its my kids' father. Family first.

No matter what, your kid is half the other person, she explained. Always have respect in what you say around [your kids] so they can always have a good perspective on it. Unconditional love is important.

Getty Jessica Simpson on December 7, 2025

Getty Jessica Simpson in a bedazzled LBD

In addition to so much new in her life in 2025in both her personal life and her professional lifeSimpson is embracing a darker hair color, on display during her concert on Sunday and a departure from her normally blonde locks. Simpsons longtime colorist Rita Hazan calls her new shade hot chocolate brunette, done in Nashville and while the pair watched Simpsons past holiday performances on in the background. It was really amazing to go down memory lane together of what we were up to in the early 2000s, Hazan told People.

Speaking to the outlet herself, Simpson told the publication of her style at 45 years old, I wear life with more confidence. I feel better now than I ever did in my 20s. I think going through life and having all the opinions thrown at you, Im at the place where only my opinion matters. And, of course, my kids. I dont want to embarrass my children!

Getty Jessica Simpson's ensemble included a country and western-inspired belt

Of her new life as a single mom, Simpson said that she did absolutely not see herself in that position at this age. That was not how I planned it, she said. But its just a part of what destiny holds for me.

Read the original article on InStyle
Credit: Shawn Thew - via CNP/Polaris/Newscom

President Donald Trump announced his executive order, "ensuring a national policy framework for artificial intelligence," on Thursday. While the order self-admittedly does not create a national regulatory framework for the burgeoning technology, the reactions of both AI pessimists and AI optimists suggest that it is a meaningful step toward stymieing state regulation.

Before Thanksgiving, Trump took to Truth Social to call on congressional Republicans to put a federal AI standard in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Trump's plea did not fall on deaf ears, but was ultimately of no avail. While restrictions on advanced AI chip sales did not make it into the House version of the NDAAa boon for American GPU manufacturers Nvidia, AMD, and for the growth of the American semiconductor industryneither did a federal AI regulatory framework.

Trump's Thursday executive order says that "a carefully crafted national framework can ensure that the United States wins the AI race," but such a framework does not yet exist. The executive order implicitly acknowledges that the president cannot impose such a framework single-handedly, but emphasizes that the current state-by-state patchwork "imping[es] on interstate commerce."

As the regulation of interstate commerce is the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government, the order seeks "to check the most onerous and excessive laws emerging from the States that threaten to stymie innovation," but notably not those that relate to child safety protections, data center infrastructure, or state government AI procurement and use. To this end, the order includes everything presaged in the unreleased executive order, "eliminating state law obstruction of national AI policy," which was leaked in November.

First, it conditions federal broadband funding and other discretionary grant programs on the nonenactment and nonenforcement of state AI regulations deemed onerous by the administration. Second, it establishes the AI Litigation Task Force within the Justice Department to evaluate and challenge such regulations. Third, it directs the Federal Communications Commission "to determine whether to adopt a Federal reporting and disclosure standard for AI models that preempts conflicting State laws." And finally, it directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue a statement explaining how state laws that "require alterations to the truthful outputs of AI models are preempted" by the FTC Act's prohibition on unfair or deceptive acts or practices affecting interstate commerce.

The Center for Democracy and Technology, a progressive technology policy nonprofit, argues that the order is a "set of largely toothless directives," given that the president "cannot constitutionally preempt state laws." Neil Chilson, head of AI policy for the Abundance Institute, has a different view. He says the order "is rhetorically less polarizing and legally more watertight" than the leaked executive order. Only time will tell whether the executive order has Trump's desired effect.

The post Donald Trump Tries To Override State AI Regulations via Executive Order appeared first on Reason.com.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly speaks at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on December 1, 2025, in Washington, DC. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The US Navy has submitted its recommendations on potential punishments, if any, for Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over his participation in a video that reminded US troops they have a duty to refuse illegal orders, a Pentagon official told CNN on Thursday.

Those recommendations have been submitted to the Pentagons Office of General Counsel where they are providing a legal review and input, the official said.

It was not immediately clear what recommendations were included in the report.

A spokesperson for Kelly told CNN in a statement that the senator was never notified or contacted about the Navy secretary delivering a report at Hegseths request and reiterated he will not be intimidated by the Defense Secretary [Pete Hegseth] or President Donald Trump.

It defies belief that with all of the threats facing our country, Pete Hegseth initiated this ridiculous process to try to intimidate Senator Kelly for saying something Pete Hegseth himself has said repeatedly. Senator Kelly was never notified or contacted about this, and it sure as hell wont stop him from doing his job representing Arizona, Kellys spokesperson said when asked about the Navy submitting its recommendations to the Pentagons Office of General Counsel.

Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump could do themselves a big favor and learn about our countrys history, the Constitution and the rule of law. He will not be intimidated by them or anyone else, the spokesperson added.

Late last month, Hegseth requested advice from the Navy Secretary, who oversees the military branch Kelly served in for more than two decades, on how to proceed to potentially punish Kelly for participating in the video, which Hegseth has claimed amounted to serious violations of the militarys code of justice.

I am referring this, and any other related matters, for your review, consideration and disposition as you see fit, Hegseth wrote in a memo to the Navy secretary, dated November 25.

In the video that triggered the Trump administrations calls for consequences, six Democratic lawmakers said that threats to our Constitution are coming from right here at home, and repeatedly urged the military and intelligence community to refuse illegal orders.

Although the video didnt reference what orders service members might be receiving that would potentially be illegal, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have raised concerns repeatedly about the legality of US military strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and the US militarys deployment to cities over the protest of governors.

Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday its not appropriate for the military to try to punish Kelly.

Asked by CNN if its appropriate to do so, Wicker shook his head. And after a follow up question, he replied, You asked me that question, and my answer is no.

He would not elaborate nor say if he would call on Hegseth to end the effort against Kelly.

The Trump administration has argued that by emphasizing service members legal duty to disobey unlawful orders, Kelly and the other Democratic lawmakers were inciting troops to disobey lawful orders. Trump has called the video seditious behavior at the highest level.

Kellys involvement in the video is under review by the Pentagon, rather than subject to a formal investigation, meaning military police are not involved, a source familiar with Hegseths thinking previously told CNN.

Behind closed doors, Hegseth has been weighing his options to punish Kelly for participating in the video, ones that range from reducing the retired US Navy captains rank and pension to prosecuting him under military law, CNN has reported.

In his various public messages, Hegseth has suggested Kellys comments violated several statutes of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which lays out legal requirements for those in the military.

In Kelly, Hegseth sees a critic worth making an example of, and he could technically use the military justice system to do so, the source familiar with Hegseths thinking said. Unlike the other five Democrats who appeared in the video, Kelly is a military retiree  meaning he served long enough to receive a pension, and thus, is still beholden to the UCMJ, including its restrictions on free speech, legal experts told CNN.

Kelly could be recalled to active service and court-martialed because of that status, but doing so over his role in the video would be extraordinary, legal experts said. Thats because not only has the UCMJ mainly been used in recent years to prosecute former service members who commit crimes overseas outside of US civil jurisdiction, but also because Kelly is a US senator.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Ted Barrett contributed reporting.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Sandy Nussbaum Giercyk has mapped the best Christmas light displays across America.  Courtesy of Sandy Nussbaum Giercyk

A travel agent who began tracking Christmas light displays in her New Jersey area during the pandemic has now built a nationwide map of more than 2,000 musical holiday shows  covering all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Sandy Nussbaum Giercyk, of Parsippany, rolled out her first list covering Morris County in 2020, after noticing scattered posts in local Facebook groups from people looking for the homes with the best Christmas light displays.

My Type A personality was like, Why cant someone put all these into a list?" said Nussbaum Giercyk, who also runs a Disney-focused travel agency, EZDis by Instant Impressions Travel.

That's when she took it on herself. It began as a simple local list for Morris County, but soon expanded, as families in other regions asked her to include displays in their areas.

As the project grew, Nussbaum Giercyk shifted her focus from general displays to fully choreographed musical shows, where families can stay parked and watch longer performances without driving from house to house.

You can sit there for 20 to 40 minutes, and youre getting a full show, she said. I recommend it to people because it's a great way to go out and not be driving all over in areas you dont know in the dark. You can put in on the GPS, head to one or two, and you can stay for quite a while.

A Virginia Beach home  The Great Holiday Lights List

Sandy Nussbaum Giercyk is a Disney-focused travel agent who has mapped all of the best Christmas light displays in the US.  Courtesy of Sandy Nussbaum Giercyk

In between the musical shows, families can still find some of the more traditional displays: inflatables, tree lights, and classic molded decorations. Those displays can be found on Nussbaum Giercyk's Facebook page, while the musical displays are exclusively on the LetsRallie app.

The project remains largely a solo operation, with Nussbaum Giercyk handling nearly all of the annual research and submissions herself, as a seasonal passion, and occasionally bringing on a local college student during peak season.

She said the tradition is personal to her. Its something I love to do. I think its a great tradition. Its something I remember doing  driving around and seeing the lights. I dont have the technical skill or the house that could put up a big display, so sometimes people say they do the display to make people happy.

I cant do that  so I send them to the place that can make people happy.

That connection to joy, she said, even as someone Jewish, is universal.

Like the magic of Disney, there is something both calming and exciting about holiday lights, she said, noting there is one Hanukkah house on the list in Manalapan. That is all I have found so far.

Denville, NJ Christmas lights home  The Great Holiday Lights List

Sandy Nussbaum Giercyk is a Disney-focused travel agent who has mapped all of the best Christmas light displays in the US.  Courtesy of Sandy Nussbaum Giercyk

The map launched on Thanksgiving and has already drawn more than 21,000 viewers. Since Monday, Dec. 8, she has received 100 new submissions. She now lists about 2,000 homes across the country.

Some states have surprised her with their enthusiasm, she said. New Jersey remains the most represented state, followed by New York, while Utah has an unusually large number of musical displays. Nussbaum Giercyk said she expects the list to keep growing through the end of the month.

She plans to release another update on January 1, 2026, as many displays stay lit after New Years Day. She is also developing new features for next season, including route-building tools to help families plan outings more efficiently.

The project will also return in October, she said, because about 15 percent of the participating homes also run large Halloween shows.

Click here for Nussbaum Giercyk's national map and here for the Facebook page, "The Great Holiday Light List."
Luxury cars, private villas and overseas wire transfers: CBS News obtained dozens of files and photos that reveal how Minnesota fraudsters blew through hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars as part of one of the biggest COVID-era fraud schemes.

The files document a spending spree in which defendants, many of Somali descent, took taxpayer money meant to feed hungry children and used it to buy cars, property and jewelry. Videos show them popping champagne at an opulent Maldives resort. In a text message, one defendant boasts: "You are gonna be the richest 25 year old InshaAllah [God willing]."

The documents feature exhibits from a recent federal trial, many of which are being made public by CBS News for the first time. The exhibits include:

A confirmation email for a stay in an overwater villa with a private pool at Radisson Blu Resort MaldivesLakefront property in MinnesotaReceipts showing wire transfers to China and East AfricaFirst class tickets to Istanbul and AmsterdamA 2021 Porsche MacanStacks of cash, texted between defendants

A lakefront home presented as evidence in a Minnesota fraud trial. / Credit: Court exhibit

At the sentencing of a defendant who used taxpayer funds for cars and the Maldives vacation, 24-year-old Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel admonished him, saying: "Where others saw a crisis and rushed to help, you saw money and rushed to steal." He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $48 million in restitution for his role in the fraud scheme.

Nur is one of dozens who siphoned hundreds of millions in stolen taxpayer funds  with questions still swirling about where all the money went. The crime has drawn renewed attention in recent weeks: House Republicans last week launched a probe into Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's handling of the cases, and the Treasury Department said it will investigate whether money made its way to al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab, which is based in Somalia.

"A lot of money has been transferred from the individuals who committed this fraud," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Much of that money "has gone overseas, and we are tracking that both to the Middle East and to Somalia to see what the uses of that have been." Multiple federal investigators told CBS News there is no evidence taxpayer dollars were funneled to al Shabaab, and prosecutors have yet to present any evidence linking any of the fraudsters to terrorism.

"The vast majority of the money that these folks made went to spending on luxury items for themselves," said Andy Luger, the former U.S. Attorney who led the office which prosecuted Nur and other related frauds from 2022 until January. "There was never any evidence that this money went to fund terrorism nor was there any evidence that was the intent of the 70 people we indicted."

One of the luxury cars presented as government evidence in a Minnesota fraud trial. / Credit: Court exhibit

A CBS News review of the files shows that defendants wired millions in stolen funds overseas, including to banks and companies in China. Officials said finding the ultimate recipients of money routed through China will be challenging because it can be an investigative black hole.

The defendants also transferred nearly $3 million to accounts in Kenya.

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, who was sentenced to 28 years in prison last month for his role in the scheme, made six separate wire transfers worth more than $1 million to banks in China between February and July 2021, according to records reviewed by CBS News.

This photo of a text exchange, presented in court, shows a box stuffed with cash and a message saying

In one text, Farah instructed someone to "please send $1000 to Mogadishu bakara," an apparent reference to a one-time al Shabaab stronghold that was the site of the infamous 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident in which 18 American servicemembers died.

Farah owned and operated Empire Cuisine and Market, a Minnesota restaurant that contracted with the nonprofit Feeding Our Future to cook and provide meals to children. Prosecutors say he and his co-defendants billed the state for $47 million, claiming to have served 18 million meals at more than 30 locations  but they didn't distribute a single meal.

Hundreds of documents related to Farah's case detail how he spent money on luxury cars, investment properties at home and overseas, plus first-class travel to exotic destinations, including Istanbul and the Emirates. The defendants used sea planes to travel to resorts in the Maldives, where in one video, Farah is seen popping champagne at a private pool villa in July 2021.

Screenshots of videos from a Maldives vacation, presented as government evidence in a Minnesota fraud trial. / Credit: Court exhibit

At Farah's sentencing, a judge said his crimes were motivated by "pure, unmitigated greed." Farah's attorneys did not respond to CBS News' request for comment, including to a question about whether any of the fraud proceeds were diverted to Al Shabaab.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar said Sunday on "Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan" that any link between allegations of fraud by members of the Somali community and terrorism would be a "failure of the FBI."

"If there was a linkage in the money that they have stolen going to terrorism, then that is a failure of the FBI and our court system in not figuring that out," Omar said.

So far, federal prosecutors have convicted 61 people in the widening Minnesota fraud scandal. More investigations are ongoing.

New poll shows how Americans' sentiments on Trump changed in 2025

Perry Bamonte, longtime member of The Cure, dies at 65

U.S. could soon turn to South Korea for a vital mineral
When agents are actually incorporated into organisations, a very interesting thing happens. They start to change the way the organisation looks and functions. They are not just tools that exist within an organisation that operates the same way it always has.

These agents, Roese continued, can coordinate humans using AI and give tasks to both person and machine to collectively accomplish a goal.

We are doing that in our factories today, and we are seeing significant improvement in human productivity, meaning human work is actually more efficient and effective when agents help humans be coordinated and operate in a continuous fashion, he said.

Weve also found that agents are a way to amplify the skills of the best people in your organisation. We have examples where agents are used to basically capture the knowledge of our most talented engineers and use the agents to inform and help other less capable engineers operate as if that critical, important person thats our best talent is actually standing right next to them.

Then finally, what were finding is because agents can be autonomous and do work, there is work that you fundamentally have chosen not to do because throwing people at it is too expensive. We are currently exploring and building agents to do things like clean up our CRM [customer relationship management] database, a thing that everybody should do, but to do it using your salesforce or people would be very expensive. Now that you have a fully autonomous system, you can actually go do that.

For partners to make the most of agentic AI advancements, Roese said it requires not just technical work but the ability to understand business processes.

This is my recommendation to all of you: if you are a partner of Dell, you should be investing in your skill set, because if you know more about the AI technology and have more experience working with agents, you are intrinsically valuable to every customer, he explained. If they know less, they need partners to help them know more.

We do see that our partner base is to some extent contingent on them investing in their own skill sets. We are glad to help them do that, but if you know more than your customerswhether its a government helping them with sovereign or whether its an enterprise trying to navigate agenticyou are in a very, very strong position.

The one area that we do not recommend people do is stand still, because this is a fast-moving topic, and expertise is valuable. Everybody is learning, but you, as a partner, should learn faster than your customers, so that you can transfer that knowledge and help them move forward faster. They will appreciate it, and they will absolutely leverage you.

Dells other technology predictions for 2026 include:

Governance to be more important

Roese said last year, he predicted the word agentic would be significant in 2025. This time, his word is to keep an eye on is governance.

The reason for that is what we know firsthand from the work weve done in Dell to activate our company and get to ROI [return on investment] and have a significant impact, he said.

The technology [and] the use cases are not necessarily going to be successful if you do not have discipline and governance around how you operate your AI strategy as either an enterprise or a region or a country.

What we have found is generally, after spending time with hundreds of CIOs and chief AI officers, the number one complexity of moving fast and moving forward is to establish a governance structure  a set of rules that people understand how they can follow, a way to prioritise what is important, and a way to not do a lot of things that will distract you.

Roese continued, highlighting two aspects of governance he expects will be very prevalent next year. The first is external governance still being a problem.

Our governments are doing their best, but today, a company like Dell has over 1,000 governmental entities around the world with independent AI policies telling us how we should do AI, he said. That is not sustainable, and so weve been very clear with most governments around the world that while regulation and governance is important, fragmented and chaotic governance rules are not helpful.

I think Asia has been more cautious than Europe and other areas. Thats good, but we need to all collectively work with our governments to make sure that we have efficient and rational governance frameworks so enterprises trying to do real work have clarity about what the rules are.

The second part, Roese continued, is internal governance.

There is a direct correlation between enterprises that have strong governance, a proper way to prioritise and execute their AI strategies and getting to ROI  getting to a material impact, he said.

Weve learned that at Dell, weve seen it with some of our major customers, and in fact, what I find is more important than even the technology or even the use cases is having a framework in which you can actually focus on getting the right projects finished and in production as quickly as possible, without the distractions and chaos that many customers had in the early days of AI.

The rise of the knowledge layer

While 2025 focused on the technical aspects around AI with AI compute, Roese expects the knowledge layer to become more prevalent in the year ahead.

We were learning how to build and deploy GPUs and to create AI PCs and find ways to have the right processing for AI, he said. That was very important, and I think we have done well  but the problem is that when you deploy AI in production, it is not just about compute.

In fact, three parts of your IT system are required. The first is the data that you will use for enterprise AI sits in your systems of recordyour ERP, your CRM system, your development repositoriesbut many people confuse that data as the data that AI systems will use.

The reality is AI systems do not really use your traditional systems of record. What they do is they take that data and they move it into what many of us call a knowledge layera different set of tools that convert that legacy and traditional data into math, whether it be a vector database, a graph database, a knowledge graphbut they format it in a way that is compatible with things like chat bots and agents.

However, most companies in Roeses view that have created AI projects have treated the knowledge layer casually and not as a separate element to work alongside AI compute and systems of record.

For example, if a vector database was needed, a user would go to their database company and ask for one, or if they wanted to express their CRM information, it would be assumed the CRM system would just do the knowledge layer.

The reality is thats not the right approach, Roese said. The knowledge layer is a separate layer that we must design, we must optimise for, it is a layer that requires very advanced storage capability because it is always hot, and it is extremely transactional because it is feeding the AI compute, which we know runs at high intensity levels.

He added that he thinks there will be a tremendous amount of activity around defining and implementing that knowledge layer. Roese also recommended that it must also be accurate and accessible, because if data is messy, part of building that knowledge layer will involve cleaning up that data.

In many cases, the data has to be accessible, meaning just because the data centres in a CRM system, it doesnt mean an agent can talk to it, so you may have to convert it to a different representation or implement protocols like MCP, he said.

Regardless of the detail, in 2026 there is a new dialogue that must happen, which is its insufficient just to have AI compute and to have traditional systems providing data.

Radial rethink about resiliency with AI factories

Rounding out the list of Dells main tech predictions for 2026 is how AI factories will give new meaning to resiliency.

The industry hasnt quite figured out how to make AI factories resilient, and the reason we have not figured it out is because they dont look like traditional IT systems, Roese said.

Now, you could just create a duplicate of an AI factory  if I have 1,000 GPUs inside a Dell, I could go buy 1,000 more GPUs and have a redundant AI factory. That would be very expensive and probably the wrong approach.

On the other hand, what we know now, as we think about resiliency, we have other tools. We have sovereign infrastructure, we have CSPs [cloud service provider], we have edges, we have different approaches to how the technology stacks work around virtualisation and automation, we even have AI to help us be more resilient.

As such, he continued, as enterprise AI is increasingly built out, enterprises will star to have a radical rethink of how they treat resiliency.

We know that if you try to just make a data centre resilient in general, you just create a copy, but if you are doing an AI data centre, and you use all the tools at your disposalthe logical capabilities of AI, the agents themselves, the CSPs and sovereign infrastructureyou can come up with incredibly different and optimised resiliency architectures, Roese said.

Quantum worth keeping an eye on

Roese pointed to advancements in quantum technology not necessarily as a trend that may not be particularly relevant in 2026 but is likely to pick up steam in the years ahead.

One last thing to add, which I feel obliged to do, is quantum is still coming. I have said this now every year; it is moving faster. Weve had breakthroughs, he said.

This year, Quantinuum for instance, has released a 98 qubit fully error-correcting system. IBM has crossed into over 120 qubits in System Two. We are seeing advances on the qubit count  fully error-correcting qubits.

Were also seeing advancements on software. In fact, we have invested in a company in Singapore that does advanced algorithmic improvement for quantum and what we found is that those tools are actually reducing the number of qubits necessary to do interesting work.

He added that today, there are examples of algorithms that used to take 10,000 gatesthe building blocks of quantum systemsthat, with software and optimisations, might only take 200 now.

There are also quantum systems in existence that are rapidly getting into over 100 error-correcting qubits.

While we havent connected those twobuilt infrastructure big enough for the use cases that will create quantum supremacywe are getting closer, he said.

To remind everybody, the reason thats important is when we get there and we can run viable algorithms on a quantum system which is not too far away, it will disrupt whatever AI is that day by making it orders of magnitude more efficient and effective than it was the day before.

I dont think we will have giant quantum disruption in 2026, but you all need to pay attention to it, because there is significant forward progress. To be perfectly honest, much of it is happening in Asia, in places like Singapore and in Australia.
by Sumon Corraya

The chairman of the Bangladesh Election Commission has announced the schedule for the upcoming parliamentary election. The deadline for nominations is 29 December with the final list published on 21 January. Excluded from the vote, the Awami League slams the commission as illegal. John Gomes (BNP) hopes the vote will be free and fair. The election is a test for the country's future.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  The Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) announced that the 13th General Election will be held on 12 February 2026. Chief Commissioner Nasir Uddin revealed the date yesterday in a televised address, emphasising his hope for a fair and credible vote.

Our commitment is to hold an election that fulfils our expectations as a nation and brightens our image in the world, he said, stressing that the constitution guarantees the sovereignty of the people, and that voting is the way to establish representative government.

Nasir Uddin acknowledged that the lack of quality elections in the past has often disappointed voters, and this has undermined democratic traditions. He described the 2024 pro-democracy popular uprising as a turning point.

He insisted that the next poll will uphold independence, sovereignty, and democracy, noting that the country's strength lies in its love of freedom and the sacrifices it made for independence.

According to the chief commissioner, voting will be held in 300 constituencies, along with a national referendum on the 2025 Constitutional Reform Implementation Order, in line with the July National Charter, which is expected to shape the future government and strengthen constitutional guarantees of democratic rights.

The electoral calendar sets the deadline for nominations at 29 December, with their scrutiny from 30 December to 4 January. Appeals against the decisions of election officials can be filed until 11 January and will be resolved by 18 January.

Candidates may withdraw until 20 January, and the final list with symbols will be published on 21 January. Campaigning will start on 22 January until 48 hours before the start of voting.

The announcement followed a meeting between the BEC and the president, after which the chief commissioners address was recorded and broadcast nationwide.

However, the calendar deadlines prompted strong reactions from political parties.

The Awami League (AL), which led the country's liberation war and won nine of the previous 12 elections, categorically rejected the electoral timetable. In a strongly worded statement, it accused the current administration of bias and described the BEC as "illegal" and controlled by "occupying forces."

According to the Awami League, it is impossible to reflect the will of the people under what it calls the current regime. Instead, it demanded sanctions against it be lifted and the legal cases against Sheikh Hasina be dropped, as well as the release of political prisoners, and the formation of a neutral interim government to supervise the elections.

The statement warned that excluding major political forces from the electoral process could plunge the nation into a deep political crisis and destabilise the democratic system.

Bangladesh's Christians, who have largely supported the Awami League, also find themselves marginalised after the government banned the political activities of several groups. This has generated frustration among Christians, who fear losing their voice in national politics.

John Gomes, assistant secretary for Religious Affairs of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, welcomed the announcement of the election timetable, expressing optimism for a fair and democratic process.

We hope that the elections on 12 February will be free and fair, and that a truly democratic system will take root in the country  an essential foundation for our national progress.

Gomes, who also serves as vice chairman of the Christian Religious Welfare Trust at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, stressed the importance of having the Christian community represented.

In the upcoming election, he explained, we hope that members of our Christian community will have the opportunity to contest and win seats, enabling us to represent our community and serve our motherland. Such participation will contribute meaningfully to the nations development.

The upcoming election is widely seen as a test for Bangladesh's democratic future. Various political analysts note that the votes credibility will depend on the BECs ability to ensure a level playing field for all parties.

International observers should closely monitor the process, as Bangladesh's political stability logically has significant implications for South Asia and beyond.

In recent decades, the country has faced repeated electoral crises, often characterised by boycotts, violence, and allegations of fraud. Many fear that, if current tensions are not resolved, the February elections could deepen divisions rather than heal them.
by Maria Casadei

The Supreme Court has asked states and the central government to urgently identify and repeal all obsolete provisions that continue to contain discriminatory references to people with leprosy. According to the National Human Rights Commission, there are nearly 100 laws that limit the rights and access to services of even those who have been cured.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - Although it has been a curable disease for decades, leprosy continues to be a legal mark of exclusion in India. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which has been following the issue since 2021, recently published a report noting that 97 state and federal laws still contain discriminatory references.

On the basis of this document, the Supreme Court has asked the Indian states and central government to quickly identify and repeal all obsolete provisions, inviting them to follow the recommendations proposed by the NHRC, including, for example, the use of iris scanning for registration with Aadhaar (which provides a personal identification number), given that the disease can compromise fingerprints.

The Court returned to the issue following a class action lawsuit (or PIL, Public Interest Litigation) filed in 2010 by the Federation of Leprosy Organisations, which denounced the persistence of obsolete and discriminatory references in Indian legislation. Leprosy, once considered a highly contagious and incurable disease, had led to forced isolation measures, as provided for, for example, by the Indian Lepers Act of 1898, a law that has now been repealed.

Despite the introduction of Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) in the 1980s and the full curability of the disease, many regulations have remained unchanged. India declared leprosy no longer a public health problem in 2005, yet people with leprosy are still excluded from public services, civil rights and employment opportunities. In July 2025, the Supreme Court called the persistence of these rules embarrassing, referring in particular to the (few) cases where leprosy is still listed as a ground for divorce. On the recommendation of Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh, the states and union territories had already been asked in May 2025 to set up committees to identify, within four weeks, the provisions still in force. At the end of July, after noting delays, the Court granted a further two-week extension and pointed out that legislative changes can also be made through ordinances or special sessions.

Furthermore, many of the rules still in force exclude people with leprosy from professional associations (as stated in the Nurses and Midwives Act of 1953) or from public transport, as provided for in the Indian Railways Act of 1989, which imposes restrictions on travellers with infectious or contagious diseases and requires the presentation of a mandatory medical certificate in cases of people with non-infectious leprosy. Or the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958 requires preventive health checks for pilgrims.

At the state level, the picture is not very different: in several jurisdictions, regulations remain in place that restrict access to professions, public employment or positions of trust for those who have had leprosy, often making everything conditional on the presentation of certificates of recovery. Mobility is not always free either: in some cities, such as Bangalore and Chennai, medical certificates are required to use the underground. In several states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, the disease continues to be a reason for ineligibility in local councils.

Some progress has been made by the central government, with the Personal Laws (Amendment) Act of 2019, for example, which removed the reference to leprosy as a cause for divorce in national marriage legislation. In 2015, the Law Commission presented the EDPAL Bill with the aim of removing discriminatory references in eight central laws and introducing new protections, but the text has not yet been approved by Parliament.

The Supreme Court has clarified that the revision of the rules is the responsibility of the government and legislative assemblies, calling for coordinated action. The states and territories of the Union must now submit detailed reports on the measures taken based on the NHRC's recommendations. The next hearing is scheduled for 17 December.

INDIAN MANDALA IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO INDIA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY FRIDAY? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE.
Today's headlines: Jimmy Lai's trial verdict in Hong Kong on Monday 15th; Filippino civil society joins anti-corruption campaign filing criminal complaints against Sara Duterte; Delhi simplifies visas for Chinese entrepreneurs; At least 50,000 people in Kuwait will be stripped of their citizenship by 2024; Uzbekistan aims for oil self-sufficiency with the exploitation of the Karakalpakstan fields.

THAILAND

Thailand has dissolved parliament and will hold elections within 60 days. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was forced to take this step by the withdrawal of external support from the People's Party, the reformist party that a few months ago had allowed his government to come to power after the break between Pheu Thai, the Shinawatra family's party, and the military establishment. The dissolution of the House comes at a time of renewed fighting with Cambodia, which has killed at least 20 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in recent days. Anutin and his Bhumjaithai party have been heavily criticised in recent weeks for their handling of severe flooding in southern Thailand, which has killed at least 176 people.

HONG KONG

The verdict in the trial of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media mogul, is expected on Monday 15 December in Hong Kong. Lai, who turned 78 on Monday and has been in prison since 2020, is accused of conspiring with foreign forces under Beijing's national security law. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment.

INDIA-CHINA

India has simplified the procedures for issuing business visas to Chinese professionals, reducing the approval time to less than a month. This is a further step in the rapprochement between the two Asian giants triggered by the cooling of relations with Washington due to the introduction of tariffs. India had blocked virtually all visits from China after the clash between the two neighbours on their Himalayan border in mid-2020.

PHILIPPINES

A group of civil society leaders have filed several criminal complaints - including embezzlement, extortion, misappropriation and corruption - against Vice President Sara Duterte and 15 other people for the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos. The complaint alleges that these reserved funds were diverted, misused and concealed through coordinated schemes implemented at both the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Education, which Duterte headed from 2022 to June 2024. The complaint comes in the midst of an anti-corruption campaign sparked by street protests over the misuse of public funds allocated for flood mitigation works that were never carried out. The protests have weakened President Marcos, with Sara Duterte - who has been at odds with him for almost two years now - aspiring to take his place through impeachment proceedings.

KUWAIT

At least 50,000 people in Kuwait have lost their citizenship since September 2024. However, in the absence of official data, which the government does not release, some estimates put the figure as high as 200,000, out of a population of just under five million. Since Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah came to power in 2023, Kuwait has seen a severe crackdown on democratic freedoms. Parliament was suspended in May 2024, as were key articles of the constitution relating to citizenship. These measures have been used to revoke the citizenship of tens of thousands of Kuwaitis, including activists, politicians and ordinary citizens.

RUSSIA

Filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov spoke at a meeting of the Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, which Vladimir Putin himself attended remotely, speaking openly about problems that have been accumulating over the years, such as the reduction in state jobs, which takes away opportunities for young people, the excessive pressure on the creative intelligentsia, the absence of public debate on politics, which has a negative impact on the younger generation, and the state's fear of its own citizens.

UZBEKISTAN-AZERBAIJAN

The president of the Uzbek oil company Uzbekneftegaz, Bakhodirzon Sidikov, has stated that Uzbekistan expects to be able to do without importing petroleum products thanks to a joint project with Azerbaijan's Socar company, with research in the Ustjurt region of Karakalpakstan, which alone could guarantee the country's petroleum independence based on its own untapped resources.
Champion local news.

Join our community of readers who value daily beat reporting and in-depth stories alike. Your membership allows us to continue the legacy of local, independent journalism in the Roaring Fork Valley. With your support, we can remain a free and accessible source of news for everyone, always without paywalls or corporate influence. Together, we can ensure that vital local stories are told.
12 December 2025 20:10 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

The EU calls its new 64-page agenda with Armenia a strategic partnership. In practice, it reads like a political time capsule, one that drags the region back into the pre-2020 mindset and recycles narratives already settled on the ground. After the Washington D.C. Summit and the initialing of the AzerbaijanArmenia peace agreement, Brussels had an opportunity to solidify progress. Instead, the EU chose to anchor Armenias political comfort zone while sidelining the core realities that define todays South Caucasus.

The Strategic Agenda for EUArmenia Partnership, unveiled after the 6th EUArmenia Council meeting on December 2, 2025, is extensive and ambitious. The document outlines Yerevans vision of political reforms, economic development, institutional capacity-building, and other priorities it seeks to advance with EU support over the next seven years.

Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry sharply reacted to the newly signed EUArmenia Strategic Agenda, stating that several provisions distort the realities of the post-conflict period and run counter to the overall peace agenda. This official assessment sets the tone for a wider concern: the document not only misrepresents the dynamics after 2020 but also embeds political narratives that undermine the fragile progress reached since the Washington D.C. summit.

Yet the agenda is notable not only for what it contains, but also for what it omits.

Despite its length, the paper includes no reference to CEPA+, the anticipated upgraded trade agreement, nor any discussion of Armenias potential accession to the European Union. Instead, it functions more as an exhaustive catalogue of initiatives the EU and Armenia would like to explore, forming a broad geopolitical umbrella rather than a targeted strategic roadmap.

Azerbaijan appears five times in the document. Two entries, in the introduction and conclusion, explicitly frame the issue of Garabagh Armenians displaced after Azerbaijans military operations as a central agenda item.

Introduction (p. 4): The EU pledges special attention to displaced persons and/or refugees of Armenia.

Conclusion (p. 64): The EU again highlights the socio-economic integration of Garabagh Armenians displaced after the military operations of Azerbaijan.

This framing is problematic on multiple levels.

First, it is a political judgment, not a factual assessment. The document does not acknowledge that the relocation of Armenians from Garabagh in 2023 was coordinated by Armenian officials who administered those territories illegally for decades and were funded directly from Yerevans state budget.

Second, the agenda ignores the hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia in the 1990san omission that undermines any claim of balanced humanitarian engagement.

Third, the language creates a false equivalence, implying that all cases constitute forced displacement, without distinguishing voluntary migration from legally established security operations conducted against illegal armed formations.

The EU has still not clarified what it calls the Armenian population who left Garabagh, displaced persons, refugees, or some hybrid category. This ambiguity is not accidental; it allows political interpretation rather than legal accuracy.

Yet the document does not explain the actual causes of Azerbaijans September 2023 anti-terror measures.

Brussels is fully aware that the operation targeted the remnants of illegal Armenian armed forces, whose continued presence violated international law and all prior agreements. But the agenda refrains from even mentioning this context. Instead, it casually locks together military operations and displacement as cause and effect, placing the responsibility solely on Azerbaijan while ignoring Armenias decades-long policies that shaped the situation.

The agendas section on normalization in the region pledges support for the full, immediate, and effective implementation of all relevant ICJ decisions.

But the document does not specify which ICJ decisions it refers to, an omission that is unlikely to be accidental.

If the reference is to the provisional measures relating to Armenians from Garabagh, then it is unclear why Armenias own ICJ-related obligations toward Azerbaijan, including cultural heritage protection and non-discrimination, are left out.

Even more striking is the agendas call for the release of Armenian prisoners. The individuals in question were convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, not for lawful combat. Calling them prisoners of war is both legally inaccurate and politically irresponsible.

Another major concern arises from the EUs insistence on maintaining and expanding the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA).

Article 7 of the initialed draft peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia explicitly prohibits the deployment of any third-party forces along the border.

Despite this, the EU-Armenia agenda prioritizes the continuation and full operationalization of EUMA, a mission that has frequently been used to promote political narratives rather than contribute to regional stability.

The document also strongly endorses Armenias unilateral Crossroads of Peace concept, an initiative that lacks regional consensus.

Yet it completely ignores the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which is a multilaterally agreed arrangement and a central component of the August 8 Washington D.C. Summit.

This omission raises a critical question:

Is Armenia genuinely committed to implementing what it signed in Washington, or is it using the EU agenda to dilute those commitments?

The EUArmenia strategic agenda should have reinforced the momentum achieved since August 8. Instead, it resurrects sensitive issues, embeds political narratives, and questions the sincerity of Armenias policy direction.

These provisions not only contradict the principles of the initialed peace agreement but also cast doubt on Armenia's and the EUs declared support for normalization.

Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has rightly noted that Baku will monitor the situation closely and draw the necessary conclusions. If the EU and Armenia remain committed to regional peace, then revising or removing these harmful elements must be their next step, not just a diplomatic gesture, but a practical obligation to the future of the region.
12 December 2025 12:22 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

In recent months, Azerbaijans foreign policy has quietly demonstrated an increasing alignment with the United States, a development that carries subtle but significant implications for the broader geopolitical landscape. The exchange of letters between US President Donald Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stands as a symbolic testament to mutual respect and shared values between the two leaders. Beyond mere formalities, these correspondences reflect a deeper rapport anchored in traditional and family-oriented values, underscoring a personal dimension often overlooked in the analysis of international relations.

This growing USAzerbaijan affinity must be contextualized within a broader framework of global diplomacy. The recently adopted US National Security Strategy and President Trumps public remarks indicate a notable skepticism towards the European Unions effectiveness in crisis management. There is a growing perception that the EU, despite its economic clout, often struggles to present a unified stance on critical international issues. This critique, while not entirely novel, gains weight when one examines the European response to ongoing conflicts, particularly in Ukraine.

Indeed, the European Unions handling of the Ukraine crisis has often been marked by hesitation and fragmentation. Divergent national priorities and the inability to formulate a cohesive strategy have hindered efforts to accelerate peace negotiations and provide Kyiv with the decisive support required to strengthen its defense capabilities. As a result, Ukrainian citizens continue to bear the human cost of these institutional shortcomings, illustrating a gap between diplomatic rhetoric and actionable results. In contrast, US-led initiatives in the region have demonstrated a more coherent approach, focusing on tangible outcomes and practical supporta model that Azerbaijan has increasingly found compatible with its own strategic objectives.

This context offers insight into Azerbaijans nuanced foreign policy maneuvers in the South Caucasus. While European actors have engaged in agreements with Armenia, these efforts often reflect historical narratives rather than the current realities on the ground. The recently signed EUArmenia document exemplifies this tendency, prioritizing past conflicts over rapidly evolving regional dynamics that demand pragmatic solutions. Azerbaijans observation of these developments reinforces a broader lesson: effective diplomacy requires a willingness to acknowledge change rather than preserve outdated constructs.

A particularly revealing example of the EUs lack of political foresight is its continued deployment of the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) near the Azerbaijani border. Despite repeated declarations by both Baku and Yerevan that peace talks are progressing, Brussels appears intent on maintaining a quasi-military presence inside Armenian territory. For Azerbaijan, this raises an obvious question: why should an armed monitoring group remain physically embedded between two sides actively negotiating peace? At minimum, it suggests an institutional inertia within the EUan inability to recalibrate missions and policies in response to new realities.

In practical terms, EUMAs presence risks hardening perceptions: Armenia may see it as a protective shield, potentially reducing incentives for compromise, while Azerbaijan views it as an unnecessary externalization of the peace process. Instead of encouraging regional confidence-building, the mission risks cementing a sense of dependency and injecting geopolitical signalling into what should be a bilateral negotiation. This echoes a recurring pattern in EU foreign policywell-intentioned initiatives that become strategically obsolete, yet remain in place due to bureaucratic habit rather than necessity.

One illustrative contrast is the TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) initiative, a US-supported framework gaining traction in the South Caucasus. Interestingly, the EUs statement on Armenia did not even reference TRIPP, a notable omission that reflects its reluctance to acknowledge frameworks emerging from U.S. mediation. Just as Brussels hesitates in Ukraine due to internal disunity, it hesitates in the South Caucasus due to political caution. Yet Azerbaijans commitment to TRIPP remains unwavering. The country is advancing its infrastructure, particularly the Zangazur Corridors Nakhchivan segment, with determination and resourcefulness. Such initiatives highlight Azerbaijans capacity to execute large-scale projects efficiently, regardless of external ambiguity or diplomatic indecision.

Azerbaijans actions underscore a broader pattern: the nation is increasingly positioning itself as a pragmatic actor capable of translating strategic planning into measurable outcomes. By contrast, European institutionsconstrained by internal divisionsoften appear reactive rather than proactive, focusing on legacy sensitivities instead of addressing contemporary opportunities. EUMAs prolonged deployment is emblematic of this mindset: a reluctance to recognize that the diplomatic landscape has changed, and that new realities demand new instruments.

The subtle implication of these developments is clear. While the European Union continues to navigate its internal complexities, Azerbaijan and the United States demonstrate how aligned priorities, personal rapport between leaders, and innovative project frameworks can yield tangible results. It is a reminder that diplomacy is not solely about declarations or formal agreements; it is about translating vision into action, particularly in regions where historical legacies and contemporary realities intersect.

Ultimately, Azerbaijans recent foreign policy trajectory illustrates the potential for smaller but strategically positioned nations to influence regional dynamics decisively. The countrys emphasis on actionable initiatives like TRIPP, coupled with strengthened ties to Washington, reflects an understanding that effective governance and development require more than symbolic gestures. They require execution, resilience, and the capacity to adapt swiftly to emerging opportunitiesqualities that have allowed Azerbaijan to surprise observers with the speed and scale of its achievements.

Azerbaijans diplomatic and infrastructural initiatives reveal a model of proactive engagement that contrasts sharply with the EUs more cautious approach. By cultivating strong bilateral relations with the United States while pursuing ambitious regional projects, Azerbaijan is not only advancing its national interests but also highlighting the importance of practical, results-oriented strategies in contemporary geopolitics. For external observers, these developments offer an instructive example: successful diplomacy demands foresight, decisiveness, and readiness to act where others hesitaterather than the static missions and outdated assumptions that continue to shape parts of Europes approach to the South Caucasus.
12 December 2025 12:17 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov addressed relations between Azerbaijan and the Central Asian states during the plenary session of an international forum in Ashgabat dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust (2025), International Neutrality Day, and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistans permanent neutrality, Azernews reports.

Asadov emphasized that Azerbaijans ties with Central Asian countries are truly unique, adding that the Caspian Sea serves as a unifying factor and plays a vital role in the regions economic development.

The preservation of the Caspian Sea as a zone of peace, prosperity, stability and security allows for the further expansion of trade, economic and cultural relations, and creates the necessary conditions for the development of business and tourism, he said.

The Prime Minister noted that major transport routes passing through the Caspian Sea serve the interests of the regions countries and open new opportunities for expanding trade and economic cooperation.

Asadov also expressed gratitude for the support provided by friendly states in the reconstruction of Azerbaijans liberated territories. He recalled a recently sent letter from residents of Fuzuli to Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in appreciation of Turkmenistans initiative to build the Fuzuli Mosque, the foundation of which was laid during the October Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Gabala.

We highly appreciate the fraternal support provided by our Uzbek, Kazakh and Kyrgyz brothers for the construction of the Mirza Ulugbek School and the Kurmangazy Childrens Art Center in Fuzuli, as well as the Manas School in Agdam.

At the same time, we express our deep gratitude to Turkiye for its support in the revival of the liberated territories.

All this will forever remain in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people as a vivid example of the unity of our peoples, Asadov noted.

The Prime Minister added that Azerbaijans admission as a full-fledged participant in the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia holds special significance for the country.

We are united by centuries-old common history, spiritual and cultural heritage, brotherhood, friendship and solidarity, he said.
12 December 2025 18:14 (UTC+04:00)

Full digital access to all news for 1 year

Full digital access to all news for 6 months

Full digital access to all news for 3 months

Full digital access to all news for 1 month

Find the plan that suits you best.

This represents a 13% decrease compared to the same period in 2024, reflecting slower output at the countrys main methanol production facility.

Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.

Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.

By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.

Subscribe

You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper

Thank you!
12 December 2025 11:19 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The 19th season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week has concluded in Baku, marking a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity and contemporary fashion artistry, Azernews reports.

This year's edition was dedicated to the theme "On the Great Silk Road," highlighting Azerbaijan's historic and modern role as a bridge between East and West. The shows, held at the Stone Chronicle Museum, brought together designers from Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco, Oman, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan.

A special highlight of the program was the participation of designers from Oriental Fashion Show Paris, founded by Madame Hind Joudar, a long-standing and trusted partner of Azerbaijan Fashion Week.

Brands presented under OFS  HANY EL BEHAIRY, NASEEM ALANDALOS, WI MODE by Wafaa Idrissi, YOLAND by Tafool Abdullah  showcased collections that reflected the rich artistic heritage of the Islamic world and the traditions of the Silk Road. Their presentations combined Eastern aesthetics, traditional craftsmanship, and contemporary reinterpretations of cultural codes.

In addition to the Oriental Fashion Show segment, the runway featured designers from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, including GOWHER GOUVERNET, STUDIO 4353, TIMUR TURSUNKULOV, ALIYA ZHUMAN, MALIQUE, and BF COLLECTION by Malika Beatrishe.

Tajikistan was represented at AFW19 by the Tajikistan Fashion Week delegation led by Tohir Ibragimov, along with the countrys national brand CHAKAN HOUSE.

Azerbaijan Fashion Week traditionally places strong emphasis on supporting and promoting the national fashion industry. This season, Azerbaijani designers presented a diverse selection of collections:

Magical Silk by FAKHRIYA KHALAFOVA  a collection by the Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, Fakhriya Khalafova, dedicated to the aesthetics of Azerbaijani silk masterfully woven into contemporary eveningwear;

NATAVAN  a brand that harmoniously blends traditional motifs with modern style, reflecting the depth and elegance of Azerbaijani fashion;

MURAD HUSEYN  an authorial perspective on womenswear built on clean forms, expressive silhouettes, and innovative design approaches.

The presentations of Azerbaijani designers showcased a deep connection to cultural heritage, a contemporary design mindset, and high-level technical craftsmanship.

The 19th season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week reaffirmed Bakus status as one of the region's key fashion platforms.

The participation of Oriental Fashion Show Paris, designers from Silk Road countries, and leading Azerbaijani fashion houses further emphasized the events global significance and its contribution to fostering cultural dialogue.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.
12 December 2025 13:16 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Master classes in the specialties of piano, tar, garmon, and khananda will take place in Yevlakh and Mingachevir, Azernews reports.

The workshops are organized by the Culture Ministry's Scientific, Methodological and Qualification Center for Culture (MEMIM) with the support of the Central Aran Regional Department of Culture.

On December 15, master classes in tar and piano will be held at Uzeyir Hajibayli Eleven-Year Music School No. 1 in the city of Mingachevir. The tar master class will be conducted by Arslan Novrasli, Head of the Department of Instrumental Performance at the Faculty of Arts of Garabagh University, and the piano master class will be led by Ulviya Kazimova, PhD in Art Studies and Chair of the Subject Trade Union Commission of the Piano Department of the Music College under the Azerbaijan National Conservatory.

On December 22, master classes in the specialties of garmon and khanende will take place at Children's Music School No. 1 in the city of Yevlakh.

The sessions will be conducted by Sarkhan Abiyev, Associate Professor of the Department of Folk Instruments at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts (garmon), and by Sevinj Sarayeva, soloist of the International Mugham Center, senior lecturer at the Music College under the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, and Honored Artist (khananda).

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.
12 December 2025 16:31 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The Azerbaijan Producers Guild (APG) has been officially admitted as a full member the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), one of the world's most prestigious cinema organizations, Azernews reports.

The membership will formally take effect on January 1, 2026. The Guild's accession to FIAPF represents a strategic step toward strengthening the global recognition and positioning of Azerbaijani cinema.

Chairman of the Azerbaijan Producers Guild Mushfig Hatamov highlighted the significance of this achievement, noting that membership in FIAPF opens wide opportunities to align the work of Azerbaijani producers with international standards and integrate them into the global film market. He emphasized that this milestone is of historic importance both for ensuring stronger protection of producers' rights and for attracting foreign investment to local film projects, as well as expanding participation in international co-productions.

"Azerbaijani cinema is now represented on the same platform as the world's leading film nations," Hatamov said.

He added that the Guild plans to use this new status to intensify its activities in several directions, including advancing improvements in international legislation related to authors' and producers' rights and film production, and promoting Azerbaijani cinema more actively to foreign producers, distributors, and investors through the FIAPF network.

The Azerbaijan Producers Guild is a public association that unites the country's leading film and television producers. Its mission is to protect members' rights and interests, support the development of the local audiovisual industry, and encourage international cooperation in the field.

Founded in 1933, FIAPF is a non-profit organization representing 38 member associations from 31 countries. It safeguards the interests of film producers, accredits major international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, and sets ethical and professional standards for the global film industry.
12 December 2025 21:00 (UTC+04:00)

The United Kingdom has spotlighted its world-class architectural expertise alongside Azerbaijans emerging creative talent through a new initiative empowering young female architects to tackle global sustainability challenges. According to the British Embassy Bakus official social-media announcement, that the ceremony held at the Heydar Aliyev Centre, brought together a range of distinguished professionals from both the UK and Azerbaijan, including: John Alderdice, UK trade and partnership representative, Fergus Auld OBE, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani MPs Sevil Mikayilova and Nigar Arpadari, also, female architecture students from the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction and the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts who took part in the competition.

As reported by Azernews, the UK Embassy in Azerbaijan has shared a post about the event with the following title: UKs world-class architectural expertise, Azerbaijans emerging creative talent

The post shared by the Embassy reads:

In partnership with leading British firms Zaha Hadid Architects, Chapman Taylor Architects, and Scott Brownrigg, we challenged female students from the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction and the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts to design innovative solutions to one of the greatest challenges of our time: water scarcity in urban environments.

This initiative reflects the strength of the Great BritainAzerbaijan partnership and our shared commitment to womens education, empowerment, and leadership in architecture.

A huge thank you to our partners and participants for their time and dedication.

Congratulations to the winners.

Note that British architectural leaders from firms like Zaha Hadid Architects and Chapman Taylor partnered with the British Embassy in Azerbaijan to mentor female students, challenging them to design urban solutions for water scarcity, promoting women's empowerment, and strengthening UK-Azerbaijan ties in education and design. This initiative, involving institutions like the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, highlights shared commitments to female leadership and sustainable urban development, building on existing UK-Azerbaijan educational partnerships.
12 December 2025 14:17 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Kazakhstan hopes that a comprehensive peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be concluded soon, Azernews reports.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made the remarks at the International Peace and Trust Forum held in Ashgabat.

In our view, the signing of a joint peace declaration by Azerbaijan and Armenia carries historical significance and opens broad prospects for multifaceted cooperation both within the region and beyond. We hope that a full-fledged peace agreement, ensuring stability in the South Caucasus, will be signed in the near future, Tokayev said.

The Kazakh president also expressed support for renewed efforts to advance negotiations on the conflict in Ukraine.

We also welcome the signing of a peace accord concerning the situation in the Middle East. Kazakhstans decision to join the Abraham Accords reflects our desire to contribute to stabilizing the region, Tokayev added.
12 December 2025 15:16 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

Armenia has confirmed that discussions on importing fuel from Azerbaijan are underway, marking a notable development in economic dialogue between the two countries, Azernews reports.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan told the Armenian service of Radio Liberty that recent talks on oil and oil product supplies took place in Gabala during his meeting with Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev.

Responding to whether Yerevan and Baku had already reached an agreement, Grigoryan stated: Yes, discussions have been held, and there are opportunities for cooperation.

The Deputy Prime Minister did not disclose what specific volumes of imports were being considered, which Armenian companies were involved, or the pricing terms. He noted that these issues are now being handled directly between private exporters and importers, stressing that the terms of possible agreements will be in accordance with market principles.

When asked what other areas of bilateral trade were being discussed beyond potential fuel imports, Grigoryan refrained from providing details, saying only that discussions on other products are still ongoing.

Azerbaijan had earlier publicly confirmed these talks. Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, stated that alongside the border delimitation process, the Deputy Prime Ministers are also discussing possible directions for mutual trade. He emphasized that one of the topics currently on the table is the export of oil and oil products from Azerbaijan to Armenia.

The discussions indicate a potential shift toward pragmatic economic cooperation amid the broader normalization efforts taking place between the two countries.
12 December 2025 21:21 (UTC+04:00)

Court proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, charged under multiple articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan related to crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other grave offenses, continued on December 12.

The open court session at the Baku Military Court, chaired by Judge Zeynal Aghayev and composed of judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge: Gunel Samadova), provided the accused with a Russian-language interpreter and a state-appointed defense lawyer.

Presiding Judge Zeynal Aghayev introduced the panel of judges, the prosecutors representing the state, the interpreters, and other participants to the victims and their legal successors attending the proceedings for the first time. He also explained their rights and obligations under the law.

R. Vardanyan's lawyer, Emil Babishov, then submitted two motions.

In the first, the defense attorney requested that all witnesses who testified during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case and the testimonies of Kamo Hayrapetyan, Musheg Grigoryan, and other witnesses examined during the trial be considered unreliable evidence, removed from the list of evidence due to their lack of connection with the accused R. Vardanyan, and not used as evidence against the accused, as well as not taken into account when making the final court decision.

Regarding the second motion, E. Babishov noted that during the court investigation, numerous evidence forming the basis of the accusation were examined, hundreds of victims, as well as legal heirs of the victims, testified, statements of persons who could not participate in the process for certain reasons, other relevant documents were announced, and facts about the injuries suffered by many people were disclosed. The lawyer said that, nevertheless, according to the position of the person whose rights he is defending, the statements given by those persons have no connection with the accused.

Thus, the victims' testimonies revealed that the injuries they sustained occurred cover different dates. Some of these dates coincide with the period when the defendant in the case, R. Vardanyan, was not a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, that is, he was working in his own business as a citizen of the Russian Federation. Therefore, during the court investigation, the testimony given by the victims and their legal heirs was challenged on the grounds that they lacked any connection to the defendant in the case - R. Vardanyan.

The defendant stated that he supported these motions.

Commenting on the motions, Prosecutor Tarana Mammadova, noted that both motions are identical in nature. The accused, having joined a criminal organization established by the Armenian state and committed numerous crimes during the occupation of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as during the period of occupation, acted with a common criminal intent and purpose. Those who testified as victims are also accused of inflicting injuries and attempting to murder them during this period, as well as of murdering the victims, as stated in the testimonies of their legal heirs.

In her speech regarding the second motion, T. Mammadova emphasized that, according to the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the testimony of individuals knowledgeable about circumstances of major importance to the case is also considered witness testimony.

The prosecutor said that these are features that should be assessed in the deliberation room. "Therefore, we ask that the motions be left unconsidered at this stage," she added.

Following the deliberations, the presiding judge stated that since the specifics stated in both motions are circumstances that must be assessed when the final verdict is made, these motions are pending in court.

The hearing proceeded with the examination of other important documents related to the criminal case, based on the prosecution's motion.

The examined documents indicated that during a search of the radio receiving and broadcasting center located in the city of Khankendi, a dark green military vehicle with the registration number 03-11 31PB was discovered. The evidence confirmed that the vehicle was equipped with special radio equipment and the "Repellant-1" system was installed in the rear. The system was designed to blocking out signals of the control system of unmanned aerial vehicles from a distance of 30-35 kilometers. There were also a monitor, a control system, and a cooling system inside the car.

Additionally, during an inspection of 7 pieces of equipment in dark green packaging of various sizes stored in a military unit located in the Khojaly district, it was confirmed that the discovered equipment was the Polya-21 radio jamming station, which was also used interfere with the GPS system of aircrafts.

Moreover, the letter dated September 27, 2021, sent by the Azerbaijan Airlines Closed Joint Stock Company to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan regarding the interference of satellite navigation signals in the airspace of Azerbaijan, states that since the beginning of July 2021, numerous complaints have been received from aircraft crews of various airlines operating in the country's airspace, indicating the unstable operation of global navigation satellite system) signals (GNSS, including cases of switching off and distortion of these signals.

During this period, at least 42 complaints were registered during flights on various air corridors, as well as during the established flight procedures for taking-off, arrival and landing at airports. The loss of stability of global satellite navigation in the Azerbaijani airspace poses a serious threat to the safety of aircraft flights.

The GNSS, a system designed for receiving signals, is the main means of controlling the flight trajectory of most of the aircrafts, with the absence or distortion of the satellite signal can lead to grave consequences.

Additionally, following the aerial reconnaissance, the locations (coordinates) of radio jamming devices belonging to the Armenian armed forces and the illegal Armenian armed detachments were discovered and photographed using the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Subsequently, accused Ruben Vardanyan requested the court to include several documents in the criminal case.

The defense attorney defended the motion filed by the accused.

The state prosecutors raised no objections.

The court decided that since the submitted document was in Russian, it should be translated into Azerbaijani and included in the criminal case materials.

Later, accused R. Vardanyan requested to review volumes 1-15 of the criminal case and that the witnesses mentioned in those volumes be invited to court regarding his detention.

Lawyer E. Babishov offered no objections to granting the motions.

Commenting on the motion, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev stated that he had no objection to the motion if it is related to obtaining any materials in the criminal case. As for the interrogation of witnesses, when the documents were examined, the accused has not yet commented on any of the documents, nor has he expressed an opinion on whether the discovered documents belong to him or not. He did not challenge the information presented in the protocol.

" Presently, no grounds have been established to deem the protocol's information controversial or suspicious. We believe that there is no contradiction, no dispute. Therefore, we ask that the motion not be granted," he further added.

Following the deliberations, the presiding judge mentioned that the defendant's motion to familiarize himself with the relevant volumes of the criminal case is granted, and the motion to summon witnesses to the court will be revised later.

Then, R. Vardanyan further requested to examine the relevant audio-video recordings.

The presiding judge of the court said that he would be provided with the opportunity to examine the necessary audio-video materials.

The next court session is scheduled for December 16.

Ruben Vardanyan faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation and forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenary activity), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violations of international humanitarian law norms during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border).
12 December 2025 11:02 (UTC+04:00)

Full digital access to all news for 1 year

Full digital access to all news for 6 months

Full digital access to all news for 3 months

Full digital access to all news for 1 month

Find the plan that suits you best.

The price of Azerbaijans Azeri Light crude on a CIF basis at Italys Augusta port has declined compared with the previous assessment, settling at $64.36 per barrel, Azernews reports.

Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.

Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.

By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.

Subscribe

You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper

Thank you!
12 December 2025 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

by Alimat Aliyeva

France should ban children under the age of 1516 from using social media, President Emmanuel Macron has announced, Azernews reports.

According to the French president, mandatory age verification will be introduced across all social networks, with a minimum age set at 1516 years. Children and teenagers under 18 will face stricter restrictions on accessing social media platforms.

Macron stated that the government plans to present the relevant bill early next year and emphasized his goal of seeing it passed before the end of his presidential term in 2027.

The proposal comes amid growing concerns over the impact of social media on young peoples mental health, online safety, and exposure to harmful content. Experts warn that early exposure to social networks can contribute to anxiety, cyberbullying, and distorted body image among adolescents.

Earlier, we reported that Australia implemented a similar ban last year, prohibiting children under 16 from using social media platforms, making France one of the latest countries considering stricter regulations to protect minors online.

Some critics argue that instead of outright bans, governments could focus on better digital education and parental controls, helping children learn to navigate online spaces safely rather than excluding them entirely.
First Day Hikes Take Place All Over Oregon and Coast to Start 2026

Published 12/10/25 at 6:35 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Yachats, Oregon)  New Year's Day is about new beginnings, and there's hardly a better way to start over than with a good nature hike. All throughout the state, various guided hike events happen, including a rather special one in the Yachats area. (Above: Cape Perpetua / Oregon Coast Beach Connection)



Hit the central Oregon coast for a lovely tradition in the Yachats area. View the Future will host the 16th Annual New Year's Day Peace Hike in Yachats on January 1, 2026. The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and continues a long-standing tradition that brings residents, visitors, Tribal members, and community partners together in reflection and unity.

The Peace Hike, held each January, honors the cultural history and resilience of Tribal peoples connected to the region. This year's gathering will feature cultural speakers and opportunities for participants to learn, reflect, and commemorate stories of remembrance while celebrating community stewardship. Families, visitors, and local residents are encouraged to take part.

It's a way to add some real meaning to your New Year's Day hike.



Shore Acres, Coos Bay

Details about the schedule and ways to get involved are available at View the Future's website.

View the Future is a nonprofit organization focused on protecting natural lands, restoring ecosystems, and strengthening community resilience through conservation, education, and partnerships.



Silver Falls State Park - Oregon Coast Beach Connection

Around the entire state, Oregon State Parks will host First Day Hikes on New Year's Day, offering 33 guided outings in 26 parks across the state. Each hike will be led by a ranger or volunteer who will share insights into the park's history, geology, wildlife, and plant life.

Participation is free, though a day-use parking permit is required. Some locations also ask visitors to register in advance. Details for each hike, including accessibility information and contacts for accommodations, are available through park links (found at this site).

Oregon coast options include Bandon State Natural Area at the Devil's Kitchen Access Point, Brian Booth State Park (Waldport area) with a guided paddle at the Beaver Creek boat launch (registration required), Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria, Heceta Head Lighthouse near Florence, Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park in Florence, L.L. Stub Stewart State Park in the Coast Range, Oswald West State Park (Manzanita - registration required), and Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay.

The full list of inland hikes:

 Cottonwood Canyon State Park

 Deschutes River State Recreation Area Registration required

 Detroit Lake State Recreation Area

 Elijah Bristow State Park Registration required

 Elijah Bristow State Park (Guided equestrian trail) Registration required

 Emigrant Springs State Park Registration required

 Guy Talbot State Park

 LaPine State Park Registration required

 Luckiamute State Natural Area Registration required

 Milo McIver State Park: 10 a.m. & 1 p.m.

 Silver Falls State Park: 9 a.m.

 Silver Falls State Park: 11 a.m.

 Smith Rock State Park Registration required

 The Cove Palisades State Park

 TouVelle State Recreation Site

 Tryon Creek State Natural Area: 9 a.m. (5-mile), 9:30 a.m. (4 mile), 10:00 a.m. (3 mile), 10:30 a.m. (2 mile), 11:00 a.m. (.25 mile)

 Tumalo State Park

 Valley of the Rogue State Park

 William M. Tugman State Park

Oregon Coast Hotels for these events - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours







MORE PHOTOS BELOW













OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews)

N. Oregon Coast Beauty on the Beach: Seashore Inn's Latest Revelations, Specials

How to actually write its name, recent changes to the Seaside hotel. Seaside hotel reviews, Seaside lodging news



Kiwanda Coastal Properties - Pacific City Hotel Reviews

Rates rock bottom now, but for an extra 10 perc use code 'BEACHCONNECT'. Click to see



Depoe Bay Hotels - Incredible Views, Wild Tides

Depoe Bay Hotels, Depoe Bay hotel reviews, outstanding places to stay



Gold Beach Hotels

Gold Beach Hotels, news, hotel reviews, vacation rentals









More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....



Coastal Spotlight



Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles)

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection

All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright  Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted
Geminid Meteor Showers, Comet Atlas 31 This Week Above Oregon, Washington

Published 12/11/25 at 7:35 a.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Portland, Oregon)  An interesting stellar display is coming up right about now above Oregon, Washington and the coastlines, with a major meteor shower hitting its peak over the next few days and an interstellar visitor making its closest appearance to Earth next week. The Geminids really fire off Friday and Saturday, and later in the week Comet 3I/ATLAS may make another showing. (Above: NASA photo)

If the weather will allow viewing is another matter  although the current forecasts call for some breaks in the clouds above the Oregon coast, Portland, Eugene and the southern Washington coast. However, the bulk of Washington State will be under rainy clouds (and more flood issues). Washington Coast Weather

According to Jim Todd, astronomy expert at Portland's OMSI, the Geminid meteor shower will reach its peak in the early mornings of December 12 and 13. This hopefully will live up to its reputation of offering one of the years most reliable displays. Unlike many showers, the Geminids provide strong activity before midnight, with the constellation Gemini well positioned from 10 p.m. onward. The American Meteor Society estimates 100 to 150 meteors per hour may be visible. Oregon Coast Weather - Oregon Inland Weather

If you're in areas like Port Orford, Silverton, McMinnville, Madras or Bend, take a look upwards if there's some cloud breaks.



Oregon Coast Beach Connection

Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection that this year, the waning crescent moon will rise near 2 a.m. local time on December 13 and 14, leaving the sky dark and moon-free for earlier observations. The Geminids remain active from December 4 through December 17, 2025, and are known for their brightness and vivid colors. Meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, tracing back to a point near the star Castor in Gemini. Their medium-slow velocity means persistent trains are uncommon.



Photo of Comet K1 Atlas, courtesy Patrick Finney, take from Portland



The shower originates from debris shed by 3200 Phaethon, an asteroid with comet-like characteristics often described as a rock comet. NASAs STEREO spacecraft has observed dust tails from Phaethon, and in 2010 the object was detected ejecting dust. Scientists suggest the Suns heat may be causing fractures similar to mud cracks in a dry lakebed, contributing to the stream of particles that create the Geminids.

According to NASA, Comet 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, offering skywatchers a rare chance to view this interstellar interloper.

Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third object in history from outside of our solar system to be discovered within our solar system, NASA said.

The space agency continues observations with spacecraft and telescopes to gather data while the comet is in our vicinity.

Comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth and will remain far away, NASA said. On its closest approach to our planet on December 19, it will still be about 170 million miles away, or more than 700 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

How to See Comet Atlas 31 from Oregon and Washington?



NASA

Observers in the early pre-dawn hours may spot the comet low in the east to northeast, positioned just beneath Regulus, the bright star at the center of the constellation Leo. Viewing will require a telescope with an aperture of at least 30 centimeters, and local observatories may host events to help the public catch a glimpse before the comet moves on.

Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours







MORE PHOTOS BELOW













OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews)

Vacation Rentals Just Got Cheaper on N. Oregon Coast: Season Lows Around Paci...

Some major specials at places to stay around Neskowin, Pacific City, Tierra Del Mar. Pacific City hotel reviews, Pacific City specials



An Oregon Coast Stay Full of Ocean Expanse, Cannon Beach Bunnies, Maybe Elk

Cannon Beach's Wayside Inn hosts balconies or patios to the watery world. Cannon Beach hotel reviews



Yachats Hotels - Oregon Coast

Yachats Hotels, hotel reviews from Yachats, hotel news, vacation rentals



Manzanita Hotels, Lodging

Manzanita Hotels, Manzanita hotel reviews, vacation rentals, Lodging









More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....



Coastal Spotlight



Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles)

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection

All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright  Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted
Has the City of Washington, NC been managed by their elected local government, and their bureaucrats, in a fiscally responsible manner to better serve the people who pay their ever advancing property taxes?

8.33% Yes, rising property taxes are a necessity to maintain a progressive city.91.67% No, excessive funding of a poorly managed government can become a shell game of corruption.0% I am afraid to say.
The left has used DEI as a tool to promote some groups in society over others, and that includes races, which is a violation of the law. That is now getting heavy pushback by the Trump DOJ, but states are also now getting into the act.

Florida's attorney general has now filed a lawsuit against Starbucks over their DEI policy. The state alleges that Starbucks DEI policy constitutes illegal racial discrimination against whites with its racial quotas.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/12/watch-florida-ag-announces-lawsuit-against-starbucks-racist/

The left has also been heavily pushing sex change surgeries for children. Again, the Trump administration is fighting that, and Florida's attorney general has also stepped to the plate on that one. The world's first two sex change surgeries were performed in Germany in the 1930s by a doctor later convicted of Nazi war crimes.

Florida is suing the National Academy of Pediatrics, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the Endorcrine Society for promoting sex change surgeries for children. The current guidance from the British National Health Service, for example, is that gender confused children usually grow out of it naturally and no new names or pronouns and certainly no surgery or drugs should be recommended or prescribed.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/11/florida-sues-medical-organizations-pushing-sex-changes-for-minors/
The European Union is trying to do what Biden tried and failed to do in crushing democracy. The main target is freedom of speech, the very freedom that makes democracy even possible. They use terms like "hate speech" or "disinformation" to try to suppress communications that do not adhere to the government narrative.

President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Secretary of State Rubio have all been speaking out against this authoritarian drift in the EU. So has Elon Musk, whose Twitter / X has been targeted for censorship by the EU.

The European Conservative has a great new article on what is happening in the EU's War on Democracy.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/commentary/europes-war-on-democracy/

https://www.rebelnews.com/us_diplomats_get_tough_on_eus_censorship_of_free_speech

The reaction of European voters has been to move toward the populist nationalist parties, the only ones still fully committed to democracy. Recent polls have shown the populist right National Rally dominating the race for France's next president. Polls in Poland show that three parties of the right committed to democratic rights are set to sweep to power in Poland's election.

Polls in Germany have been showing the populist nationalist right Alternativ fur Deutschland expanding its lead nationally, and polls in eastern German states are particularly showing strong AfD support. The most recent is in the state of Thuringia, where the AfD has support of 39% of the voters with the traditional conservative, and weak on democracy CDU a distant second at 24%.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/poll-afd-reaches-record-39-in-thuringia/

Across the channel in the UK, the populist nationalist pro-democracy Reform Party has had double digit leads for months. It has just become the UK's largest party by dues paid members, as well, and has won more special elections for local government seats than any other party since the last national election. It also won the most recent set of local elections in the UK.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/reform-uk-becomes-britains-largest-party/
In Finland, a member of parliament is being prosecuted for "hate speech" and "war crimes" for posting a Bible verse online. The case is now at the country's supreme court on a prosecution appeal after she was found not guilty by the trial court, which was affirmed by the intermediate appellate court.

Now, our neighbor Canada, under a Liberal government, is moving forward with legislation that will allow religious speech to be prosecuted criminally as "hate speech". Until now, at least religious speech had been protected from their authoritarian speech code, but Liberals in parliament have struck a deal to change than. The Conservative Party is fiercely opposing this travesty, but they do not have the votes in parliament to stop it.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/criminalizing-bible-verses-canadian-lawmakers-target-religious-expression-proposed

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/12/12/canadian-hate-speech-law-bible-passages/

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/liberals-bloc-hate-speech-laws-religious-exemptions

https://www.rebelnews.com/constitutional_rights_charity_warns_that_bill_c_9_could_criminalize_religious_speech

Those who use the Orwellian term "hate speech" are nothing but totalitarians who hate FREE SPEECH.
A Northern Irish Elvis impersonator who has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in pop has opened up about going from being discovered performing karaoke to turning down Robbie Williams.
Premier League

Pep Guardiola: I will always stand up for human beings who are suffering
Ellie-Jo Taylor has graduated from Queen's University with a degree in Law with Politics

Growing up visiting her father  prominent republican activist Tony Taylor  in prison and attending a school where most pupils received free school meals, university was never on the radar for Ellie-Jo Taylor.

But she has now graduated from Queens University with a 2:1 in Law with Politics and can look back on an educational journey that has taken her to parliament and the US Congress.

The 21-year-old from Co Londonderry has been involved in the Queens Pathway Opportunity Programme. Designed to support high-achieving students who are less likely to access higher education, it set Ellie-Jo on her path to her Law degree.

I had a parent in prison for six years of my childhood, she said.

Read more Armagh student Masters anatomy after a life-changing accident

My first experience of law and justice was stress, confusion and frustration. I was too young to understand the processes going on around me, but perfectly placed to feel them so directly.

Going into law was about a lot more than breaking the cycle of poverty. It was about relating to people on a one-on-one basis and embracing dignity in practice.

As the child of a prisoner, you feel you lose the right to have a voice on the things you experience, from 4am house raids to constant stops and searches.

"I wish Id had someone to express that to, so I decided to become that for the children after me.

The Pathway Opportunity Programme works with schools across Northern Ireland, supporting students to overcome additional barriers in accessing a university education. It also offers tailored support, grade reductions based on performance and an introduction to university life.

I joined Pathways at 16, while doing my GCSEs, she explained.

Pathway highlights the exact inequality of opportunity that exists. For the first time, I had the same opportunities as my peers and I proved I could perform equally as well.

Ellie-Jo also received support from the Pathway Bursary Fund, taking off some of the financial pressure.

Not only did I receive a 1,000 Pathway Bursary each year, I was also awarded the 15,000 Jubilee Scholarship in recognition of my community work, representing 42,000 young people across Northern Ireland as a student officer and achieving 2m in funding for schools after Covid.

"Without the financial support I received, I doubt I would have achieved what I have.

The funding meant that Ellie-Jo could afford to take on an unpaid internship in an MLAs office, an experience that would otherwise not have been possible.

She also spent the summer interning in the US Congress with Democrat Congressman Richard E Neal in Massachusetts.

Currently working as a Parliamentary Assistant to a Member of Parliament in Belfast, Ellie-Jo hopes to qualify as a lawyer specialising in criminal law or judicial review.

I see my background as an empowering tool, that helps me connect with clients, communicate accessibly with them and make the justice system a more human interaction for everyone involved.

Ellie-Jo Taylor has graduated from Queen's University with a degree in Law with Politics

News Catch Up - Friday 12 December

It isnt typical or statistically likely for someone from my background to graduate from a top Russell Group university or for someone who grew up visiting prisons to go on to work in the US Congress. But today, its more of a possibility for the next person.

"I feel extremely emotional and privileged to be graduating.
A coroner has urged Northern Irelands chief constable to expedite the process of security vetting police files on the killing of a former IRA commander.

Jock Davison, 47, was shot in the Markets area of Belfast as he walked to work in May 2015.

He had been involved in a personal dispute with other republicans.

Three months after he was killed, former IRA man Kevin McGuigan was murdered in a shooting in nearby Short Strand.

An inquest into Mr Davisons death has yet to take place, amid delays including over the preparation of police files for the hearings.

The PSNI is seeking to withhold certain sensitive files from the inquest on the grounds of public interest immunity (PII).

At a preliminary hearing on Friday, barrister for the PSNI John Rafferty told coroner Patrick McGurgan that Chief Constable Jon Boutcher was set to examine the material being proposed for redaction in January, but a date had yet to be confirmed.

The court was told that the PII application would also need to be passed to Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn for review before the coroner made an adjudication on whether to withhold the material from the inquest proceedings.

Barrister for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) Joseph Aiken KC said the material should be provided to Mr Benns officials as soon as possible, rather than waiting for Mr Boutcher to conduct his own assessment.

We dont see why there needs to be a delay which is avoidable when this material could simply be provided now, he said.

Mr Rafferty said the PSNI had not ruled out providing the material before Mr Boutchers assessment, but the barrister said he would need to seek further instructions from his client.

Mr McGurgan said one of his mantras would be just get on with it.

The coroner said it was not acceptable that a definitive date had not been confirmed for Mr Boutcher to review the files.

He told Mr Rafferty he would allow him until Monday to establish what the PSNI view was on sending the material to the NIO before the chief constable reviews it.

I dont expect anything other than a response that is positive, said Mr McGurgan.

The next preliminary hearing was scheduled for February 19.
Elsewhere, a woman is in critical condition after a collision in Belfast

Police confirmed the identity of the crash victim in Co Fermanagh Stock image.

Police have confirmed a driver has been killed following a serious road crash in Co Fermanagh on Thursday afternoon.

The PSNI said the man was 69-year-old Francis Lynch who was from the Rosslea area.

The crash happened on the Dernawilt Road area of Lisnaskea yesterday afternoon at around 4.20pm.

Police said a number of emergency services attended, however they confirmed the driver passed away at the scene.

The Dernawilt Road was closed for some time but has since reopened.

Elsewhere, a woman remains in critical condition following a collision in east Belfast.

The collision, involving a car and a pedestrian, happened at Hawthornden Way shortly before 5.25pm yesterday.

Emergency services attended the scene.

The pedestrian was subsequently taken to hospital, where police confirmed she remains in a critical condition this morning.

Police confirmed the identity of the crash victim in Co Fermanagh Stock image.

VW vans transformed into festive light display delight two-year-old boy

The road remained closed for a period of time yesterday from the Knock Road junction to the Belmont Road roundabout, but later reopened.

Police are appealing for anyone who has information surrounding either of the incidents to come forward.
Our lives changed that day  forever: Family of John George will return to Spain one year on from brutal murder

Victims father tells of ongoing anguish over brutal death

Family of John George return to Spain one year on from brutal killing

Allison Morris Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 20:00

Theres a Christmas tree in the living room of the George family home in west Belfast, but this year there is little cheer to be had.
Stall run by nuns absent from Belfast Christmas Market after fears raised over pro-Russia ties

Ukrainians in NI had urged City Council to reconsider hosting the group

The St Elisabeth Convent stall at Belfast Christmas Market in 2024

Gabrielle Swan Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 07:21

A stall run by nuns from Belarus has been dropped from Belfasts Christmas Market this year after concerns were raised over the groups ties to Russia.
The death of Daniel Aruebose, whose remains were found on wasteland in a shallow grave in Donabate in north Dublin, is now being treated as homicide.

Gardai have this evening announced the DNA analysis on the remains has confirmed that they are those of Daniel, who would have been eight years old tomorrow.

Following enquiries conducted to date and based on information available to investigating gardai, An Garda Siochana has commenced a homicide investigation into Daniels death, a statement said.

Gardai continue to keep Daniels family informed of all developments in this ongoing criminal investigation.

Gardai in Swords continue to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Aruebose.

Tomorrow, December 12, would have been Daniels 8th birthday. On 17th September Gardai recovered the human remains of a child on open ground in Donabate. DNA analysis has since confirmed these remains to be those of Daniel.

An Garda Siochana is again appealing to the public for any information that may assist in the investigation into the homicide of Daniel Aruebose. Members of the public are urged not to assume that gardai already possess information they may hold, or that any detail is too small or insignificant.

"The investigation team will determine the relevance of any information provided.

All contact will be welcomed and treated in the strictest confidence.

Gardai believe Daniel met his death more than four years ago before his 4th birthday, but the fact that he was no longer alive only became known in September after a standard social welfare check on a childrens allowance claim.

After an extensive search carried out for almost two weeks on wasteland on the edge of Donabate in north county Dublin, which had been pointed out by Daniels parents during interviews with gardai, a small amount of human remains were eventually found.

But initial post-mortem results had been inconclusive in determining how Daniel died.

Today the site where Daniel was buried is a wasteland after extensive digging and winter rains have turned it into a waterlogged marsh.

A framed photograph of Daniel, placed on the bare ground with two weathered teddy bears, is the only reminder on site of the tragedy of his short life.

In the photograph, a happy Daniel has his hands outstretched surrounded by colourful and stimulating toys and wearing a Training to be Batman top.

His birth certificate shows he was born in Dublins Rotunda Hospital at 1.41am on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. He was named Daniel Michael Aruebose.

His mother Maria Aruebose (28) and father Ciaran Dirrane have assisted gardai with their investigation into his death, and told them where to search for his body after they admitted he was dead.

During initial investigations, Daniels mother told gardai that he had died in his sleep in their apartment at The Gallery, Donabate, and they tried to revive him in a bath, and then they panicked and buried him secretly on the other side of town.

A separate story that she had told gardai initially was that Daniel had died after an assault and had been buried secretly.

His mother and father separated at some point after Daniels death and his father moved to Brazil where he is now in a new relationship.

Daniels mother continued to live at the apartment complex and in August she was interviewed by officials when a standard check on childrens allowance payments revealed he did not appear to be registered to a school anywhere.

Maria Aruebose told Tusla, the child and family agency, that her son was living with her relatives in the south of the country. But checks with her family soon established that Daniel was not there.

An Garda Siochana was then alerted and Ms Aruebose was interviewed and the apartment searched on August 29. Gardai found a photograph of Daniel and a teddy bear, but nothing else to indicate he existed, and under further questioning, Daniels mother admitted he was dead.

The painstaking search of the overgrown plot of land on the edge of town closest to Portrane began on September 1 after the area was sealed-off during the previous weekend, and involved specialist services such as the use of cadaver dogs, and a large search team using two mechanical diggers to shift the vast quantities of soil on the site.

Then, just before 9pm on September 17, the discovery of human remains was made.

Daniel had been fostered for the first year of his life at the request of his parents but was then reunited with them after they decided they wanted to care for him.

He spent the next six months with his biological parents and his foster family over different days of the week until he was returned permanently to his parents.

To date there have been no arrests in the case.

Daniel

News Catch Up - Thursday 11 December

Gardai have asked that anyone with information contacts Swords Garda Station on 01 666 4700, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or at any Garda Station.

An Garda Siochana is aware of the extensive public commentary that has circulated in relation to this investigation. Gardai are appealing to all members of the public to verify any information they encounterparticularly speculation, rumours, or theories about what may have happened to Daniel.

Please independently verify any content you read on social media or messaging apps before sharing it, its statement said.
The Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife employment tribunal judgment does not appear to have properly taken into account the Supreme Court ruling on sex, a legal expert has said.

Michael Foran, an associate professor at Oxford Universitys Faculty of Law, said the 312-page ruling by employment judge Alexander Kemp looks like more confusion for employers waiting for expected guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The Supreme Court ruled in April in For Women Scotlands legal battle with Scottish ministers that the legal definition of woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

Professor Foran said the decision of the employment tribunal  which upheld Ms Peggies claim of harassment but dismissed allegations of discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation  is fundamentally incompatible with the Supreme Court ruling.

Veteran nurse Ms Peggie was suspended by NHS Fife after complaining about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy on Christmas Eve 2023.

She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about patient care.

Ms Peggie had lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination, and victimisation, and hearings took place in Dundee in February and July.

The judgment has already been criticised by Ms Peggies supporters for an error which led to a correction being issued on Thursday.

Ms Peggie announced on Thursday that she plans to appeal against the tribunals decision, assisted by Ben Cooper KC.

Prof Foran warned the judgment is being used to muddy the waters by campaigners who disagree with the Supreme Court decision in April.

The academic said recent policy changes by the Womens Institute and Girl Guiding Association show organisations are increasingly seeking independent legal advice on the issue, and he warned inaction from other organisations waiting for EHRC guidance to be approved risk acting unlawfully.

Prof Foran said: I think theres a lot that warrants a more senior court looking at the reasoning and looking at those issues.

He said if necessary, an appeal could ultimately be raised at Scotlands highest court, the Court of Session.

He said an employment appeal tribunal will provide definitive, authoritative, application of the Supreme Court decision, up and until theres an appeal to the Court of Session if there is one.

The judgment in the Sandie Peggie v NHS Fife employment tribunal was published on Monday (Jane Barlow/PA)

He added the current decision is not binding and if the employment appeal tribunal accurately applies the Supreme Court decision to the case in front of it, then it will be lawful and compatible with the Supreme Court.

Commenting on the tribunal judgment published on Monday, Prof Foran said: I dont think this decision has properly taken into account the Supreme Court judgment.

What the employment tribunal basically says is that you cant have blanket rules. It says that you have to do this case-by-case assessment. The Supreme Court says one of the reasons why sex has to mean biological sex is so that you can have blanket rules.

So theyre just incompatible. Theyre saying contradictory things.

He said the outcome of the tribunal had created a recipe for confusion with people who disagree with the Supreme Court decision saying that this (tribunal) decision shows us that the Supreme Court judgment doesnt mean what it very clearly says.

However he said organisations who are indecisive about seeking legal advice are being confronted with a kind of landscape that is very confusing, and this decision just looks like more confusion on top of that.

He said: Some duty bearers have sought independent legal advice, and as a result have changed their policies. We saw this with the Womens Institute and with Girl Guiding, and there are other examples where this has happened.

Prof Foran said other organisations are afraid to change their policies, cannot afford legal advice, or dont want to change because they dont agree with the legal position following For Women Scotland.

He added: The reality is that they are either acting lawfully or unlawfully right now, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission has said people should not wait for this code to be approved by Parliament before they change their policies.

A major Supreme Court decision has clarified the law in a particular area.
Irish commissioner rejects claims language weaponised

Pol Deeds sets out his stall as he begins five-year stintUnionists have long claimed the Irish language is used as a weapon by republicans Irish commissioner says media amplify opposition

Irish Language Commissioner Pol Deeds with Irish president Catherine Connolly

Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 08:23







The newly appointed Irish Language Commissioner has hit out at claims the Irish language has been weaponised.
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.
Interested in discovering additional content from the Letter from Home column? Sign up for a free access to Vermont newspapers contained in Newspapers.com (free to Vermont residents through the myVermont.gov portal). The two volumes of newspaper clippings from the original columns are shelved in Bennington Museums Regional History Room.
The merger of the parent companies of Berkshire and Brookline banks will be completed during a conversion process next month, with Beacon Bank emerging as the new name of the regional powerhouse active in five states.
If your car is going to be sitting idle this holiday season while you travel, you risk coming home to a dead battery. You can prevent that battery from draining by using a trickle charger or battery maintainer.
This is a subscriber exclusive story.

Subscribe today to access this story and all of our stories with 24/7 unlimited access.

Subscribe today. Cancel anytime.

Subscribe now for $3.99/month

Subscriber Sign In | Return Home
Residents wrote down ideas and added stars to the concepts on large pieces of paper as a way of contributing to the input that will go into the towns open space plan, which is due in June.
The trustees of Miami Dade College voted to give a 2.63-acre plot of land it owns adjacent to the Freedom Tower to a foundation set up by Donald Trump associates to build his future presidential library.

A parking lot adjacent to the Freedom Tower was voted by Florida officials to be donated as the potential site for President Donald Trump's future presidential library on September 30, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet voted to give the 2.63-acre parcel, appraised at more than $66 million, to the foundation planning the president's library. (Photo by Joe Raedle/)
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data.


Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute.

Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno.

Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi.
State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada

Postal Code
A chef who was caught with over half a million euros in cannabis has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Lin Yan (40) of Kennelsforth Road Lower, Palmerstown, Dublin 20, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply on March 7th, 2025. He has no previous convictions.

Detective Garda Joe Murphy told Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that gardai received information from customs and excise that a drugs detection dog had made a positive reaction to a pallet that had come into the country. The pallet was x-rayed, and the gardai planned a controlled, undercover delivery of the pallet.

The court heard that the pallet was delivered to an address in the Palmerstown area, but there was no one there to receive the pallet. A phone number attached to the delivery paperwork was called, and Yan answered the call, telling the gardai that he would be there in 15 minutes.

Advertisement

Det Gda Murphy told the court that Yan arrived, signed for the delivery, and that all but one of the undercover gardai left the area. The one remaining garda kept both Yan and the pallet under unimpeded surveillance.

The pallet contained Chinese takeaway supplies and suspected cannabis. Yan began to unpack the pallet and began pacing up and down when he came across the boxes of suspected cannabis herb.

Gardai then approached Yan and arrested him. He was detained and interviewed, and the drugs were sent for analysis. Cannabis, with a total value of 571k, was found.

Yan has been in custody since his arrest and is originally from China. He was employed as a chef in Ireland and has very little English.

Det Gda Murphy agreed with Marc Thompson SC, defending, that his client was co-operative with gardai and that he was on the lowest rung on the drug ladder.

The garda agreed that Yan was supplied with employment and accommodation and was under pressure at the time.

Mr Thompson told the court his client has been in Ireland for 10 years, has no previous convictions, and has no addiction issues.

He said there was a very positive governor's report before the court. He said that upon Yans release from custody, he wishes to remain in Ireland.

Counsel asked the court to take into account that his client was a man who was taken advantage of and accepts that he was caught red-handed, and asked that the mandatory minimum of 10 years not be imposed.

Advertisement

Ireland Man who killed Canadian tourist in Dublin city to be released on bail Read more

Sentencing the defendant on Friday, Judge Orla Crowe said she has been asked not to impose the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, which can only be done in exceptional circumstances.

She said it was the court's view that these exceptional circumstances were present in the form of the signed guilty pleas, the fact that Yan was on the lowest rung on the drug dealing ladder, that he had been taken advantage of, and had no addiction issues.

Judge Crowe said the amount of drugs seized was an aggravating factor. She set a headline sentence for six years.

After considering all mitigating factors, she sentenced Yan to three years in prison, which she backdated to when he went into custody on this matter.
School teacher Enoch Burke has failed to stop a hearing into his dismissal from going ahead.

The Court of Appeal (CoA) has refused to grant Mr Burke a stay of the hearing of his appeal against his dismissal from Wilsons Hospital School going ahead on Saturday.

Mr Burke, who is currently incarcerated over his contempt of court orders, on Friday appeared before a three-judge CoA panel to move his application seeking to temporarily halt the Disciplinary Appeals Panel hearing in Athlone.

Mr Justice Mary Faherty, Mr Justice Donald Binchy and Ms Justice Nuala Butler refused Mr Burkes application, stating that they were satisfied that he would suffer no prejudice from the hearing going ahead.

Mr Burke sought a stay in circumstances where he wants to appeal to the Supreme Court over two separate CoA judgments that he says make opposed findings of fact relating to the basis of the Co Westmeath schools disciplinary action against him.

Advertisement

He said the disciplinary panel hearing going ahead would cause him irreparable harm.

Mr Burke was a teacher at the school until his suspension three years ago, arising from his behaviour in reaction to a direction from the then-principal to address a transitioning student with they/them pronouns. He was later dismissed.

Restraining order

Soon after Mr Burkes suspension, the school obtained an order restraining his attendance at the school premises.

Mr Burke has continually breached this order, resulting in his spending over 500 days in jail for contempt of court.

Mr Burke has claimed his jailing is over his standing up for his Christian beliefs under the Constitution, and his opposition to what he calls transgenderism.

On Friday, Mr Burke said that a CoA judgment delivered by Ms Justice Faherty in July 2025 made errors by refusing to acknowledge that it departed from findings of fact in an earlier CoA judgment delivered by Mr Justice John Edwards.

Appeal refused

Refusing Mr Burkes appeal to the granting of an interim injunction restraining his attendance at Wilsons Hospital School, Mr Justice Edwards in March 2023 wrote that there was no evidence Mr Burke was suspended because of his views, or his objection to the schools inclusive policy.

This statement is diametrically opposed to the CoAs observation in Ms Justice Fahertys judgment, Mr Burke said, which stated that the principals instruction relating to the pupils pronouns was a kernel of the case.

Ms Justice Fahertys judgment related to Mr Burkes successful appeal over the composition of a previous disciplinary panel set up to hear his appeal against his dismissal.

Advertisement

Even though the judgments came to opposing conclusions on the issue, Mr Burke submitted, Ms Justice Fahertys judgment refused to acknowledge that Mr Justice Edwards was in error.

Board management

Wilsons Hospital Schools board of management are forcibly relying on Mr Justice Edwards judgment in the pending disciplinary hearing, Mr Burke submitted. He claimed that the judgment was ringing with authority and absolutism when it addressed the basis of the disciplinary action, and will be ringing in the ears of the disciplinary panel.

He said that the existence of two judgments with opposing findings of fact has prejudicial consequences for the proper administration for the disciplinary panel.

In those circumstances, he said was seeking a stay pending the outcome of his Supreme Court appeal relating to the perceived opposition between the two judgments.

Padraic Lyons SC, appearing for the Disciplinary Appeals Panel with barrister Hugh McDowell, opposed the application. Mr Lyons said there was no reason why the perceived tension between the remarks in the judgments should mean that Mr Burke will not get a fair trial before the panel.

Ruling

Delivering the courts ruling, Ms Justice Faherty said they were satisfied that Mr Burke would suffer no prejudice from the hearing going ahead.

Ireland High Court judge comprehensively rejects Enoch Burke's 'errors' claims Read more

The judge said the court was satisfied that nothing has been determined by either CoA judgment that falls to be determined by the Disciplinary Appeals Panel.

She noted Mr Justice Binchys suggestion that it would be helpful if it were acknowledged that no finding of fact can arise from judgment in applications for interlocutory relief, and that the panel should not rely on either CoA judgment in its decision.

The judge said it was helpful that counsel for the panel said that this was a point well made and that the suggestion could be conveyed to the panel.

The court made an order for costs against Mr Burke.
Accumulated profits at the media firm owned by actor, author and TV presenter, Laura Whitmore, have this year climbed to 4 million.

New accounts show that Whitmores Yer Wan Ltd has recorded post-tax profits of 341,827 (389,819) in the 12 months to the end of March 31st this year.

The post tax profits for this year are a 63 per cent increase on the profits of 208,677 in the prior year.

The profit for this year resulted in the companys accumulated profits rising from 3.16 million to 3.5 million (3.99 million).

The profits of the last two years at the Whitmore firm follow the company recording post tax profits of 386,746 in fiscal 2023 and 719,446 in fiscal 2022.

The new accounts show that the cash funds at the London registered Yer Wan Ltd increased by 338,408 from 2.44 million to 2.78 million this year.

Advertisement

However, during the same period the amount owed to the company by debtors decreased from 859,029 to 807,695.

The Co Wicklow natives career in the UK has continued to flourish - mainly on the stage - after Ms Whitmore decided to step back in 2022 from her presenting role for ITV ratings winner, Love Island that made her one of the most recognisable faces on UK television.

The TV personality - who has 1.4m followers on her Instagram account - presented her three series of Love Island between 2020 and 2022.

Whitmore returned to the stage here last Summer where she starred in a stage adaptation of Paula Hawkinss best seller, Girl on a Train at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin, the Everyman Theatre in Cork and the Grand Opera House in Belfast.

The revenues and salary pay at Whitmore's company - which employs one person - are not disclosed.

One of Irelands most successful broadcasters operating abroad, DCU graduate, Laura Whitmore - who turned 40 this year - has also worked for Channel 4 and MTV in the UK.

Separate accounts lodged by the firm owned by best-selling author and 2FM breakfast co-presenter, Roz Purcell show that it recorded post tax profits of 266,083 in the 12 months to the end of January 31st this year.

The accounts for Ms Purcells Natural Born Feeder Ltd show that the post tax profits for last year resulted in the company sitting on accumulated profits of 663,767 at the end of January last.

The 266,083 profit is almost a three fold increase on the profits of 96,443 for the prior year.

The 35-year old Tipperary natives The Hike Life books  including 2023s 50 Favourite Hikes In Ireland and 2024s 50 More To Explore  have been best-sellers, with the first in the series winning Lifestyle Book of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards.
A man who has admitted to killing a Canadian tourist in Dublin City Centre in the summer of 2024 has been allowed to remain on bail ahead of sentencing.

Ionut Danca (25) on Friday pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of Neno Dolmajian on July 2nd, 2024 at O'Connell St Upper in the capital.

Danca's co-accused, Madalin Ghiuzan (24), pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Dolmajian, causing him harm at Cathal Brugha St, Dublin 1. Mr Dolmajian was assaulted on June 23rd, 2024 and died nine days later.

Seoirse O Dunlaing, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the pleas are acceptable to the State.

Danca, a construction worker from Romania but with an address at Rathdown Square, North Circular Road, Dublin 7 had previously been charged with murder.

Ghiuzan, originally from Romania but with an address at Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1, had a manslaughter charge brought against him.

Advertisement

Ireland Mum of two handed one-year sentence over 20k luxury goods and 100k drug cash Read more

It is expected that the murder charge against Danca and the manslaughter charge against Ghiuzan will be dropped at the sentencing hearing next year.

Morgan Shelley SC, for Mr Ghiuzan, told Ms Justice Melanie Greally that pathology evidence indicated his client did not have a role in causing Mr Dolmajian's death. Both men, the judge heard, have been on bail up to now and have complied with all conditions.

Ms Justice Greally remanded both on continuing bail and listed the case for sentence on February 9th, when members of the deceased's family will be invited to make statements to the court.

Maral Dolmajian, a sister of the deceased, viewed Friday's arraignment from Canada via videolink.
The European Union on Friday indefinitely froze Russias assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both with Moscow-friendly governments, cannot prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.

Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years.



European Council President Antonio Costa said the EU delivered on a commitment to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends the war (Marco Longari/AP)

EU Council President Antonio Costa said European leaders had committed in October to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused.

He said: Today we delivered on that commitment.

Advertisement

It is a key step that will allow EU leaders at a summit next week to work out how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years.

Next step: securing Ukraines financial needs for 2026/27, added Mr Costa, who will chair the summit on December 18.

The move also prevents the assets, estimated to total around 210 billion euros (184 billion), from being used in any negotiations to end the war without European approval.





In the October #EUCO, EU leaders committed to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused. Today we delivered on that commitment.



Next step: securing Ukraines financial needs for 202627.  Antonio Costa (@eucopresident) December 12, 2025

A 28-point plan drafted by US and Russian envoys stipulated that the EU would release the frozen assets for use by Ukraine, Russia and the United States.

That plan, which surfaced last month, was rejected by Ukraine and its backers in Europe.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X that the EU decision means that no one will decide in place of the Europeans the use of these funds.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban  Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in Europe  accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, of systematically raping European law.

The vast majority of the funds  around 193 billion euros (169 billion) at the end of September  are held in Euroclear, a Belgian financial clearing house.

The rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europes leaders are placing themselves above the rules Viktor Orban

The money was frozen under sanctions that the EU imposed on Russia over the war it launched on February 24 2022, but these sanctions must be renewed every six months, and all 27 member countries must approve them for that to happen.

Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing more support to Ukraine.

Advertisement

Fridays decision, which is based on EU treaty rules allowing the bloc to protect its economic interests in certain emergency situations, prevents them from blocking the sanctions rollover and make it easier to use the assets.

Mr Orban said on social media that it means that the rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europes leaders are placing themselves above the rules.

The European Commission is systematically raping European law. It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isnt winnable, he wrote.

He said that Hungary will do everything in its power to restore a lawful order.

In a letter to Mr Costa, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he would refuse to back any move that would include covering Ukraines military expenses for the coming years.



Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with Vladimir Putin (Alexander Nemenov/AP)

He warned that the use of frozen Russian assets could directly jeopardise US peace efforts, which directly count on the use of these resources for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

But the commission argues that the war has imposed heavy costs by hiking energy prices and stunting economic growth in the EU, which has already provided nearly 200 billion euros (175 billion) in support to Ukraine.

Belgium, where Euroclear is based, is opposed to the reparations loan plan.

It says that the plan entails consequential economic, financial and legal risks, and has called on other EU countries to share the risk.

Advertisement

Russias Central Bank, meanwhile, said on Friday that it has filed a lawsuit in Moscow against Euroclear for damages it says were caused when Moscow was barred from managing the assets.

Euroclear declined to comment.

In a separate statement, the Central Bank also described wider EU plans to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine as illegal, contrary to international law, arguing that they violated the principles of sovereign immunity of assets.

But EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis brushed off the suit, saying that the decision is legally robust and that he expects Russia to continue to launch speculative legal proceedings to prevent the EU from upholding international law.

Chris Weafer, chief executive of Macro-Advisory Ltd Consultancy, said that the timing of the court action is clearly linked to the EUs intention to use the frozen assets.

The Russian Central Bank is making clear that it will respond with legal actions against all countries involved in the decision to take the Russian money, he said.

Fridays EU decision came hours after Germany summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin following allegations of sabotage, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks and interference in its elections.
The European Union is expected to lock up Russias assets held in Europe until it ends its war in Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for the damage it has inflicted for almost four years.

The move would allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban  Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in Europe  accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, of systematically raping European law.

The rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europes leaders are placing themselves above the rules Viktor Orban

A total of 210 billion euros (184 billion) in Russian assets are frozen in Europe. The vast majority  around 193 billion euros (169 billion) at the end of September  is held in Euroclear, a Belgian financial clearing house.

The money was frozen under sanctions the EU imposed on Moscow over the war it launched on February 24 2022, but the sanctions must be renewed every six months, and all 27 member countries must approve them.

Advertisement

Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing more support to Ukraine.

Fridays expected decision, based on EU treaty rules allowing the bloc to protect its economic interests in certain emergency situations, would prevent the two countries from blocking the sanctions rollover and make it easier to use the assets.

Mr Orban said it means the rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europes leaders are placing themselves above the rules.



Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with Vladimir Putin (Alexander Nemenov/AP)

The European Commission is systematically raping European law. It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isnt winnable, he wrote.

He said Hungary will do everything in its power to restore a lawful order.

In a letter to European Council president Antonio Costa, who will chair the summit starting on December 18, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would refuse to back any move that would include covering Ukraines military expenses for the coming years.

He warned that the use of frozen Russian assets could directly jeopardise US peace efforts, which directly count on the use of these resources for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

But the commission says the war has imposed heavy costs by hiking energy prices and stunting economic growth in the EU, which has already provided nearly 200 billion euros (175 billion) in support to Ukraine.

Advertisement

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the expected move as a major decision that will undoubtedly influence the course of the war and accelerate peace.

Because Europeans do not want to let anyone else decide for them  we have decided to lock those sums (assets) for as long as necessary, Mr Barrot said on France Info news broadcaster.

The decision would also prevent the assets from being used in any way without European approval.



Jean-Noel Barrot described the move as a major decision that will undoubtedly influence the course of the war (Christophe Petit Tesson/AP)

A 28-point peace plan drafted by US and Russian envoys stipulated that the EU would release the frozen assets for use by Ukraine, Russia and the United States.

That plan was rejected by Ukraine and its backers in Europe.

Belgium, where Euroclear is based, is opposed to the reparations loan plan. It says that the plan entails consequential economic, financial and legal risks, and has called on other EU countries to share the risk.

Russias Central Bank, meanwhile, said that it has filed a lawsuit in Moscow against Euroclear for damages it says were caused when Moscow was barred from managing the assets. Euroclear declined to comment.

In a separate statement, the Central Bank also described wider EU plans to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine as illegal, contrary to international law, arguing that they violated the principles of sovereign immunity of assets.
The 22-year-old man charged with the killing of US activist Charlie Kirk made his first appearance in court on Thursday.

Lawyers for Tyler Robinson are also pushing to limit media access to the high-profile criminal case.

Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus on September 10.

They plan to seek the death penalty.

Robinson, 22, arrived amid heavy security, shackled at the waist, wrists and ankles and wearing a dress shirt, tie and slacks.

He smiled at family members sitting in the front row of the courtroom, where his mother teared up after he entered the court.

Next to her were Robinsons brother and father, who took notes throughout the hearing.

Early in the proceedings, state District Court Judge Tony Graf briefly stopped livestreaming of the hearing via a media pool and required the camera to be moved, after Robinsons attorneys said the stream showed the defendants shackles in violation of a courtroom order.

Advertisement

Mr Graf said he would terminate future broadcasts if there were further violations of the order, which prevents the media from showing images of Robinson in restraints or anywhere in the courtroom except sitting at the defence table.

Mr Graf said: This court takes this very seriously. While the court believes in openness and transparency, it needs to be balanced with the constitutional rights of all parties in this case.

The judge is weighing the publics right to know details about Robinsons case against his lawyers concerns that the swarm of media attention could interfere with a fair trial.

Robinsons legal team and the Utah County Sheriffs Office have asked Mr Graf to ban cameras in the courtroom, but he has not yet ruled on the request.

The defendant had previously appeared before the court via video or audio feed from jail.

A coalition of national and local news organisations, including The Associated Press, is fighting to preserve media access in the case.

Mr Graf held a closed hearing on October 24 in which attorneys discussed Robinsons courtroom attire and security protocols.

Under a subsequent ruling, Robinson is allowed to wear street clothes during pre-trial hearings but must be physically restrained due to security concerns.

Mr Graf also prohibited the media from filming or photographing Robinsons restraints after his attorneys argued widespread images of him shackled and in jail clothing could prejudice future jurors.

Several university students who witnessed Mr Kirks assassination attended Thursdays hearing.

Advertisement

Zack Reese, a Utah Valley University student and big Charlie Kirk fan, said he had scepticism about Robinsons arrest and came to the hearing seeking answers.

Mr Reese has family in southwestern Utah, where the Robinsons are from, and said he believes theyre a good family.

Brigham Young University student William Brown, who said he was about 10 feet from Mr Kirk when he was shot, said he felt overwhelmed seeing Robinson walk into the courtroom.

I witnessed a huge event, and my brain is still trying to make sense of it, Mr Brown said.

I feel like being here helps it feel more real than surreal.

Michael Judd, an attorney for the media coalition, has urged Mr Graf to let the news organisations weigh in on any future requests for closed hearings or other limitations.

The media presence at Utah hearings is already limited, with judges often designating one photographer and one videographer to document a hearing and share their images with other news organisations.

Additional journalists can typically attend to listen and take notes, as can members of the public.

Mr Judd wrote in recent filings that an open court safeguards the integrity of the fact-finding process while fostering public confidence in judicial proceedings.

Criminal cases in the US have long been open to the public, which he argued is proof that trials can be conducted fairly without restricting reporters as they work to keep the public informed.

Mr Kirks widow, Erika Kirk, has called for full transparency, saying: We deserve to have cameras in there.

Advertisement

World Charlie Kirk defendant can avoid prison uniform in court but must be restrained Read more

Her husband was an ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism.

Robinsons legal team says his pre-trial publicity reaches as far as the White House, with Mr Trump announcing soon after Robinsons arrest, With a high degree of certainty, we have him, and I hope he gets the death penalty.

Defence attorney Kathy Nester has raised concerns that digitally altered versions of Robinsons initial court photo have spread widely, creating misinformation about the case.

Some altered images show Robinson crying or having an outburst in court, which did not happen.
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

Moonlight Resources has stayed true to its name, working after hours to set the rods spinning at its Queensland Clermont gold project just as the company made its debut on the ASX.

Moonlight secured the forgotten Clermont gold project  a 265 square-kilometre landholding in one of Queenslands most historically productive gold belts - from Diatreme Resources for 16.25 million shares and a token $250,000 in cash.

Moonlight Resources has kicked off gold exploration drilling at its Clermont project in Queensland just as the company made its debut on the ASX.

Although the broader district has produced more than 6.5 million ounces of gold, much of the ground in the Leo Grande trend  the first prospect to feel the bite of the bit - has seen little modern systematic drilling.

Previous operators peppered the system with about 70 holes and hit pay dirt more than once, pulling hits such as 46 metres grading 1 gram per tonne (g/t) gold from near surface, 22m running at 2.25g/t gold from 40m and 19m going 3.35g/t gold from 34m depth. In short, the region has form and the scorecard is already looking spicy.
Advertisement

Eating outFood Legendary NYC cocktail bar finally opens in Brisbane And, looking past all the hype, its definitely worth your attention. Matt Shea December 12, 2025 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 A A

Hospitality. Despite all the hype surrounding Death & Co  its celebrated history in New York, its iconic cocktails and now its arrival into Australia and Brisbane  the original East Village bar was and always has been about the hospitality, according to venue manager Samantha Katsikas. Death & Co is of course by definition a hospitality venue. But were talking about the deeper, more intentional (as Katiskas likes to say) kind of hospitality thats par for the course in the United States larger cities but has only become more common in Australia in recent decades. Death & Co has opened in Toowong beneath the Regatta. Morgan Roberts Our cocktails arent just recipes, Katsikas says. Theyre the result of that two decades of collective development across all the bars.

Advertisement

[But] equally important is that conversation we have [with the guest]  Its taking the time to really understand guests, what theyre in the mood for, reading the moment, reaching into that history of Death & Co, and creating something that feels personal. Related Article You need to eat this mortadella pizza sanger thats as big as your face Everyones coming in and experiencing it differently. Its intimate, intentional. Death & Co opened early December in the subterranean space beneath The Regatta previously home to The Walrus Club (the venues presence in Australia has been facilitated by a partnership with Regatta owners Australian Venue Co). This is a heritage-listed venue so the bones of the place, with its original brickwork and timber beams, remain the same. But the fit-out now feels more precise, with the venue leaning into its secluded nooks and candlelit corners.

Advertisement

Death & Cos subterranean space is arranged into a number of different nooks and candle-lit hideouts. Morgan Roberts The bar has been reworked to better accommodate conversation with the bar staff, and the banquette refurbished with booths added. Theres also The Studio, a cocktail lounge that will feature live music after the New Year. It was surreal [seeing the completed venue], says Katsikas, who earlier in the year spent a bunch of weeks training in the United States for the opening. Ive only been involved for a matter of months, but for some people its been years. Death & Cos cocktail menu boasts a bunch of its classic drinks. Morgan Roberts But talk about the venue and the vibe and the hospitality all you want, punters are ultimately going to Death & Co for the cocktails.

Advertisement

As Katsikas says, the barkeeps will make you anything you want  or guide you on a Dealers Choice from the Death & Co archive depending on your preference of spirit and preferred flavours  but the core list includes the Martini-inspired Telegraph (Four Pillars dry gin, pear, eucalyptus, pine and juniper), a riff on a Margarita called the Soul & Fury (El Jimador Blanco tequila, Ancho Reyes chilli liqueur, raspberry, red capsicum, lime), and a variation on the Gimlet called the Buko Gimlet (Four Pillars navy Gin, cachaca, coconut liqueur and coconut water, panda syrup). The venue retains the heritage-listed bones of The Walrus Club before it, but feels like a new bar. Morgan Roberts Death & Co classics such as the Naked & Famous (mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, lime juice) and Oaxaca Old Fashioned (reposado Tequila, mezcal, agave nectar, Angostura bitters, orange twist) are also present and correct. Away from cocktails, theres just a handful of wines spread evenly across sparkling, white, red and skin contact, and a short menu of beers and ciders. For food, theres a menu of snacks that are more substantial than youd perhaps expect and should keep you around for another drink or three. Expect truffle popcorn, kingfish crudo with coconut, lime and green chilli, blistered shishito peppers, a lamb burger, and buttermilk fried chicken skewers.

Advertisement

I want everyone to feel like no matter what experience they want, where theyre coming from, that they feel like they belong there, Katsikas says. A New York import it may be, but Death & Co is a collaboration with Australian Venue Co, which operates The Regatta. Morgan Roberts I think well surprise the occasional punter who comes down from the Regatta for a Martini. That happened the other night and it was fantastic. They had a great time. Australias style of hospitality has been evolving, the Chicago-born Katsikas continues. And Brisbanes been doing a really great job of that as well, evolving towards a hospitality centred around the guests and making sure whenever someone walks through the door its like we know them. I think thats the best experience. Open Sun-Wed 6pm-1am, Thu-Sat 4pm-2am

Advertisement

543 Coronation Drive, Toowong, (07) 3543 9413 deathandcompanybrisbane.com.au

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Food

For subscribers Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
Advertisement

Eating outSandwich Watch You need to eat this mortadella pizza sanger thats as big as your face Its luscious, deeply satisfying and, at $17, crazy good value. Matt Shea December 12, 2025 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 A A

The secret to a great sandwich? Just about any chef will tell you its the freshness of the bread. And as far as Tim Glasson is concerned, it doesnt get much fresher than pizza dough freshly baked from the oven. Olli Italianos Panuozzo are huge, and therefore excellent value. Morgan Roberts We stretch and bake the dough to order, so it literally cant be more fresh, Glasson says. Thats a big part of the appeal of what we do. But what does this have to do with sandwiches? Let us tell you.

Advertisement

Ever heard of panuozzo? Glasson is talking about panuozzo, a pizza sandwich that emerged in Naples in the 1980s. It takes pizza dough, bakes it and shapes it into a sandwich stuffed with fillings. Related Article These are the top 10 wine lists in south-east Queensland right now The traditional way (although were talking the 80s here, so tradition is perhaps a relative term) to make panuozzo is to shape a typical Neapolitan pizza dough into an elongated roll, par-bake it, and then slice it open like a pita and stuff it full of ingredients, before giving it a second bake. The other way is more of a pizza wrap, where the cook stretches the dough, fills with hot ingredients, folds it for baking, and then reopens to add any cold ingredients before serving to the diner. This is what were talking about here, in East Brisbane, at Olli Italiano.

Advertisement

Olli Italianos very Instagrammable lunch menu Olli Italiano is the product of Glasson and his partner, Anna Brobjer, who opened this cute as a button Italian restaurant in January. It sits on the corner of Lytton Road and Latrobe Street, an eye-catching bolthole presented in a smart white and scarlet paint job. Olli Italiano is a charming little restaurant in East Brisbane. Morgan Roberts Ollis usual fare is keenly priced, homey pasta and pizza fronted by a menu of smaller plates such as meatballs, deep-fried lasagne and burrata. But Glasson and Brobjer wanted a way to make lunch more approachable for locals, hence the February-March (Glasson cant remember exactly when) launch of a short menu of panuozzo. We wanted something that people could come down and grab regularly, either in the restaurant or takeaway, Glasson says. And then we came across the idea off panuozzo and thought, This is just perfect.

Advertisement

Olli Italianos mortadella panuozzo There are six panuozzo on the menu. Glasson says the Diavola Dreams (tomato, fior di latte, rocket, nduja, hot salami, basil) and the Meatballs My Dear (pomodoro sauce, rocket, meatballs, shaved Parmesan, basil) are the bestsellers, but for us they play second (and third) fiddle to the first sanger on the list: the Mortadella Mi Bella. Theres a bunch of panuozzo on the lunch menu, but this mortadella number is the pick. Morgan Roberts Like so many great sandwiches, its beauty is in its simplicity. Theres mortadella supplied by Selecta Food Group thats made by an Italian family in Melbourne, a fistful of springy rocket, gooey stracciatella from Byron Bay Mozzarella, and then a liberal sprinkle of pistachio, as much for texture as it is flavour. Simple, except its wrapped inside an almighty pizza base made with Italian 00 flour, filled with fior di latte and cooked fast at 350 degrees in the drop-door pizza oven out back, to produce a bubbly, crispy Neapolitan-ish crust. Its then finished with a generous sprinkle of pecorino for a bit of seasoning. And thats it.

Advertisement

Olli Italiano co-owner Anna Brobjer. Morgan Roberts It makes for a luscious, deeply satisfying sandwich thats as big as your face, yet easy to eat with one hand (after the chefs cut it in two, at least). I test this by demolishing it in the car on the way back to the office, rushing to address a deadline, conducting an interview on the way. There was hardly anything left for my coworkers upon my arrival. Sorry, gang. Where to get it The Mortadella Mi Bella is $17, making it crazy good value. You can get one daily 11.30am-3pm from Olli Italiano at 2/53 Lytton Road, East Brisbane.

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Sandwich Watch

For subscribers Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
This story is part of the December 13 edition of Good Weekend. See all stories .

Since 2019, Peter Hogg, a 74-year-old retirement consultant from Gosford, north of Sydney, has been dressing up as Father Christmas in a yuletide travelling show called Santa to the Max, which he runs with his wife of 54 years, Janette, covering an area across Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong. They describe their event as a premium, personalised Santa experience specialising in private events.

Santa Students practice dancing at the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School workshop in Michigan. Getty Images

Before that, he worked as a freelance Santa for more than a decade, pulling long shifts in department stores. He recalls one particularly gruelling, eight-hour, toiletless shift inside Erina Fair shopping centre, on the NSW Central Coast, in 2016 with a shudder. There was a queue a literal mile long, says Hogg. I reckon we got through 300 families that day. Santa Ron, whod been due to relieve me after four hours, had collapsed backstage! I charge more these days, but I dont have a stopwatch: I spend enough time with each child to make it feel special.

According to the Victorian State Library, the first Australian department store to host Santa was Adelaides John Martin & Co in 1897 (it closed in 1998), with rival stores installing their own Father Christmases across the nation in quick succession.

In 1964, Melbournes Myer flew in Charles W. Howard and his wife, Ruth, from the worlds first Santa Claus School theyd established in upstate New York in 1937 (its now based in Midland, Michigan). Howard taught Australian Santas everything, from wardrobe hacks (mirrors concealed in sleeves to correct mercilessly pulled beards) to the sort of knowledge every self-respecting Santa should possess (Any Santa who doesnt know all the names of his reindeer is a fake).
Fifty years after the Dismissal, Gough Whitlam: the Vista of the New, by Troy Bramston, is the first full biography of Whitlam since his death in 2014. Bramston had access to previously unavailable material, personal and archival, and interviewed more than 100 people (including Whitlam, many times). The result is a nuanced biography that celebrates Whitlams personal attributes and policy and legislative achievements without glossing over his shortcomings. He portrays a man of deep conviction, dedicated to social justice reform, but with limited interpersonal skills and a reluctance to take advice. His blow-by-blow description of the circumstances leading to the Dismissal is especially riveting.

Quentin Bryce: the Authorised Biography, by writer and journalist Juliet Rieden, tells the story of how a woman raised in rural Queensland, the first girl from her school to go to university, forged a brilliant career, culminating in her becoming Australias first female governor-general. Bryce married young, had five children in quick succession, and, with the support of her architect husband Michael, worked as a legal academic before taking on senior leadership roles, including as sex discrimination commissioner and governor of Queensland. Rieden portrays a hard-working, family-centred woman with a passion for social justice  especially for women and Indigenous Australians, who called her Pretty Teeth.

Drusilla Modjeskas A Womans Eye, Her Art is a biography of a group of talented women artists working in Europe in the early 20th century. German painter Paula Modersohn-Becker ran away from her family and domesticity to paint in Paris; the gender-fluid Claude Cahun produced revolutionary Surrealist photography; Lee Miller (once Man Rays lover) and Dora Maar (once Pablo Picassos lover) cast off their roles as muses, emerging as talented artists in their own right. Drawing connections between the womens lives and their art, Modjeska explores how they defied convention to produce art that continues to inspire contemporary women artists.

Peacemaker, the biography of Burmese diplomat U Thant, the third secretary-general of the United Nations, by his grandson, historian and writer Thant Myint-U, will appeal to anyone interested in the turbulent geopolitics of the 1960s. Thant, secretary-general from 1961-71, played a critical role (acknowledged by President John F. Kennedy) in the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. He was less successful in his attempts to end the Vietnam War, and resolve disputes in the Middle East, and his efforts caused tension with the United States. This biography portrays him as an optimistic, idealistic leader who championed the rights of newly independent African and Asian states in their battle against colonialism.

Elizabeth Harrower, whose (highly acclaimed) novels include The Watch Tower (published here in 1966) and In Certain Circles (2014), may be the best Australian writer youve never heard of. Susan Wyndham, former literary editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, brings her out of the shadows in The Woman in the Watch Tower. Wyndham interviewed Harrower several times before the latters death in 2020, before excavating the archives and conducting multiple interviews to uncover the story of this deeply private woman whose friends included Patrick White and Christina Stead. Wyndham interweaves the story of Harrowers personal life with a close analysis of her work, which explores subjects such as domestic abuse, the impact of childhood tragedy, and tempestuous family relationships. An important contribution to Australias literary history and a great read.

Oliphant, by Australian writer and historian Roland Perry, is about Australian nuclear physicist Mark Oliphant. He (with others) discovered how to build an atomic bomb and then persuaded the British and the Americans to collaborate on the Manhattan Project, the secret program to build atomic weapons during World War II. Perry, who interviewed Oliphant many times, depicts a brilliant, persuasive man with a strong sense of self-belief, whose sole motivation was to defeat the Nazis. After Hiroshima, he experienced feelings of guilt and became involved in anti-nuclear protests and advocacy, which led to him being refused a US visa. A fascinating portrait of a complex and conflicted man.
For babies -- and more to come, China ramps up support for new life

Xinhua) 10:39, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Rolling fields stretch toward the horizon, with a stand of bamboo swaying gently behind. Here, children collect eggs from hens' nests, plant sweet potatoes in soft soil, and wade into clear streams after darting loaches.

This is the kindergarten in Wangqiao, a village in Sanming City, east China's Fujian Province. It's hard to believe that just a few years ago, the school was on the brink of disappearing.

Back then, it wasn't really a kindergarten at all -- just a single mixed-age class with over 20 kids, supervised by two volunteer teachers. Many parents made daily trips to the county seat to drop off their children at private kindergartens instead.

The revival of this rural school offers a snapshot of how Chinese society is pulling out all the stops to encourage families to have more babies, as birth rates remain low and the population ages -- trends familiar to many countries experiencing rapid economic and social development.

The country's total fertility rate has remained below the replacement level for years and has dropped to ultra-low levels more recently, leading to a population decline since 2022. Officials estimate an annual dip of 0.2 percent through 2035. China's population stands at roughly 1.4 billion.

It is an implausible turn for a nation that had long considered large families a blessing. China imposed family-planning policies in the 1970s to rein in a population boom that strained its resources.

Beijing adjusted to recent demographic shifts by lifting its long-standing restrictions, allowing all couples to have two kids in 2015 and then three in 2021.

The effort has since evolved into a broad campaign to lower the costs of childbirth, childrearing and education, aiming to make society more supportive of having children.

LESS COMMUTING, MORE EQUAL ACCESS

For families in Wangqiao, change arrived in 2019, when a public kindergarten at the county seat took over the management of the village kindergarten. The county provided start-up funds, the township upgraded utilities, and the village contributed 3,000 square meters of land free of charge as an outdoor learning space.

Nowadays, the Wangqiao campus has more than 110 children in six classes. It shares staff, programs and budgets with the county kindergarten, operating as a branch of that school.

For Qian Xiaojie, a mother of two girls who runs a breakfast stall near an industrial park, the new kindergarten is just across the street from her home. She no longer has to endure the frantic commutes to the county seat that she once faced when her older daughter attended a private kindergarten there.

"It's a great relief," she said. Qian speaks with admiration about the new facilities, programs and teachers. And she has a clear point of comparison.

"On her second day in the kindergarten, my older daughter told me she didn't want to go back," Qian recalled. "But my younger one is always excited. She keeps telling me what she learned and how kind her teachers are -- she loves it."

In addition to her village classes, Qiu Yanchu, Qian's younger daughter, spends time at the main campus in the county seat. There, she grips metal rods in the science room to navigate an electric-maze game and climbs and leaps across the gym's play structures. She has found a world of stimulation beyond what her village can currently offer.

The exchange runs both ways. Children from the county seat also rotate through Wangqiao, swapping polished floors for open fields and getting a close look at rural life.

Chen Shiqi, who attends the county's kindergarten, still talks about the newborn lamb she saw during her stay in Wangqiao. She often tugs at her mother's sleeve, asking when she can visit it again and whether the little lamb has grown.

Along with 12 million other children nationwide, both girls, who are now in their final year of kindergarten, have benefited from a tuition waiver this semester, each saving around 2,000 yuan (about 283 U.S. dollars). This initiative is part of a landmark policy introduced in August to phase in free preschool education.

The policy wiped an estimated 20 billion yuan off families' bills this semester alone, said authorities.

DIRECT CASH INCENTIVE

The broader push to raise birth rates includes a nationwide childcare subsidy: 3,600 yuan (about 510 U.S. dollars) per child under age 3 each year.

For the first time since 1949, China is rolling out a large-scale, inclusive public-welfare program that puts cash directly into the hands of its citizens.

Huang Wei, an associate professor at the National School of Development at Peking University, praised the policy's target design, noting that the age window is critical for child development and that cash transfer tends to have the greatest impact on low- and middle-income households.

Guo Yang, an official with the Ministry of Finance, said the central government funds roughly 90 percent of the benefit, with an initial 90 billion yuan earmarked for this year. Families get to keep the full amount, as the subsidies are exempt from personal income tax.

A woman surnamed Wang in Changchun, in northeast China's Jilin Province, gave birth in January. The 300-yuan monthly subsidy is enough to cover the cost of her baby's diapers.

"This money sends an encouraging signal. It makes us feel more confident about raising a child," said Wang.

Subsidies aside, China has expanded the coverage of childbirth insurance, extended maternity leave, and increased the supply of affordable childcare.

BEYOND DIAPERS

For some families, though, immediate hurdles loom larger.

Li Qian, an expectant mother working in media in Beijing who asked to be identified only by a pseudonym, is searching for a reliable postnatal care center, followed by a trustworthy confinement nanny, and eventually a childcare helper.

Quality postnatal care in Beijing can cost around 100,000 yuan a month, and a nanny about 18,000 yuan for 28 days. Still, she said, steep prices do not ensure dependable care.

"The industry needs clearer standards and a real evaluation system," she said. "And it needs stronger oversight."

A baby boom in the post-COVID Year of the Dragon, combined with the slew of birth-friendly policies, helped lift China's newborn count to 9.54 million in 2024 -- a birth rate of 6.77 per 1,000 people, up from 6.39 the year before.

But worries remain.

"Compared with the day-to-day costs of diapers and formula, what really worries me is education," Wang said in Changchun. Many of her friends start tutoring their kids as early as primary school, with some spending as much as 10,000 yuan a month.

"We keep hearing about easing the burden on students and on families," she said. "But the intensity of competitions doesn't feel much lighter."

The concern is shared by Qian, the mother in Fujian, whose older daughter is now in middle school. "There's not much we can do to help our kids at home. They need more tutoring at school."

Still, at 34, she and her husband are discussing whether to try for a third child -- boy or girl, it doesn't matter.

"I've always wanted a bustling, lively family," she said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Remove items from your saved list to add more.

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

I need to return home to complete my documents, Olga says. Im worried if I can do all this, to complete these things  and I am sad because I have many children, she says, tears dropping into her lap.

A Junta Medica, a committee of doctors, will determine whether Olga can be sent to Malaysia or Indonesia for treatment. But she has no passport or birth certificate.

Olga Gutteres, 42, in the gynaecology unit ward where she has been diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer.

There is something perverse about an entirely preventable cancer killing young women, leaving children motherless in their most formative years and causing devastating intergenerational damage. An 85-minute flight south, Australia is projected to be the first country to eliminate the disease by 2035.

Weeks later, laboratory results confirm the diagnosis. There is nothing suspect about it. The mother of eight (six living children) has cervical cancer that is too far progressed to be treated here, in Timor-Leste.

Olga Gutteres sits ensconced in her patterned pink skirt, an island of colour at the centre of white hospital sheets. She stares out the window at the grounds of Dilis Guido Valadares National Hospital.

This is what it means to have cervical cancer in this country, Zeto says, shattering the unsteady rhythm of Olgas softly spoken Tetum and his English translation.

My doctors have said good things to me, Olga says. Encouraging me to continue to follow the Bible and pray hard to my Jesus so that I can return to good health.

Maia Domingas, 38, has advanced cervical cancer and lies in the gynaecology unit ward waiting to see if she is eligible for treatment overseas.

It has been vanishingly rare for doctors in Timor-Leste to encounter women with early-stage cervical cancer, the second-most common cancer for women in the country. It is a killer, with a mortality rate more than four and a half times that of Australia. For too many with later-stage cervical cancer, their only option is palliative care, and access to adequate pain relief is no certainty.

In another room of the hospitals gynaecology ward, Maia Domingas also has suspected cervical cancer. Stage 3, according to her file. The 38-year-old mother of three needs treatment overseas, but has no passport.

Professor Karen Canfell, a pioneer in medicine and leader of the EPICC consortium at the University of Sydneys Cancer Elimination Collaboration.

This is about getting to 90-70-90 by 2030, said Professor Karen Canfell, a pioneer in elimination efforts, and EPICC lead at the University of Sydneys Cancer Elimination Collaboration (CEC).

Led by the University of Sydney, the EPICC project supports health ministries across the region, including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Malaysia and Solomon Islands, in a three-pronged attack.

The Elimination Partnership of the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer (EPICC) is a four-year, $35.1 million program funded by the Australian government ($22 million) and Andrew and Nicola Forrests Minderoo Foundation ($13.1 million).

Cervical cancer is a major public health issue in the Indo-Pacific, where, in some countries, women are up to 14 times more likely to die of the disease than in Australia. A tenacious team led by cancer-quelling experts is leveraging Australias elimination breakthroughs across the region.

The team must navigate labyrinthine bureaucracies and counter stigmas and superstitions that favour traditional healers offering pastes, herbs, and tinctures over modern medicine.

Australia was also among the first countries to switch to HPV screening in 2017 and self-collection in 2022.

That same year, Australia became the first country to implement national cervical cancer screening, and in 2007, Australia launched a world-first national HPV immunisation program.

Australian immunologist Professor Ian Frazer co-developed the first cervical cancer HPV vaccine (Gardasil) in 1991 with Chinese virologist Dr Jian Zhou at the University of Queensland.

Its about protecting girls and women at every stage, the cancer epidemiologist said. We could save 62 million lives in low and middle-income countries over the century by eliminating cervical cancer. (Elimination is defined as fewer than four new cases per 100,000 women per year.)

Thats everything from HPV vaccination at school and in the community, HPV screening and treatment, improving oncology services, and even palliative care and pain relief  We try to meet the country where its at.

EPICC is the only program working across all three pillars, Canfell said. With an international consortium, including the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer, The Kirby Institute (UNSW), Family Planning Australia, and UNITAID, the program draws on dozens of experts across all crucial components.

What sounds like an inadvisable padlock combination is the crux of the World Health Organisations ambitious cervical cancer elimination strategy.

Dr Maria Jose consults with Luisa before she self-tests for the human papillomavirus (HPV) at the Vera Cruz Community Health Centre in Dili.

The heavy-hitters are HPV 16 and HPV 18, which cause more than 70 per cent of cervical cancers worldwide.

Almost every sexually active person will have an HPV infection at some point. But only a handful of the 200 known HPV strains are linked to abnormal cell changes that increase the risk of cervical cancer (and some other cancers of the genitals, anus, head and neck in men and women).

The samples are tested in-clinic using a portable molecular diagnostics machine, a lab-in-a-box the size of an air fryer. Women get their results one to two hours later.

Olinda*, 35, sits in a consultation room of the Vera Cruz Community Health Clinic. Its the site of Timor-Lestes first HPV cervical cancer screen-and-treat service that enables women to self-collect samples. No speculum and pelvic exam.

In Timor-Leste, EPICC has canny allies. From DFAT embassy staff, government ministers, and the health ministry, to passionate healthcare workers, Catholic archbishops, priests, and local chiefs in this deeply devout and fiercely independent half-island nation.

Roughly 13 per cent of women who come through the service at Vera Cruz will test positive for cancer-causing HPV types. Olinda is among them.

She seems calm, even laughing as Dr Maria Jose explains she has an intermediate risk HPV type and shows a diagram of a cervix with precancerous lesions.

Behind Olinda on the consulting room wall is a calendar, where under todays date someone has written Debs Back!

Deborah Bateson, Professor of Practice and EPICCs deputy lead at the CEC, is indeed in Dili to, as she puts it, do myself out of a job.

We need to make ourselves redundant by supporting countries with the training and resources to continue this work.

Its also about proving the interventions are sustainable and pay dividends in national productivity while saving womens lives.

Deborah Bateson, EPICC deputy lead and Professor of Practice at University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, at the foreshore in Dili. KATE GERAGHTY

Everyone you meet in Timor knows someone with cervical cancer or someone who has died of this terrible disease, often horrible deaths, stigmatised and isolated, Bateson says.

Screening women is absolutely critical to successful elimination. Its also helpful for raising awareness of the symptoms  vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain, for women who feel too ashamed to seek help.

Loading

Ana* is waiting in the clinic hallway to be screened.

In my mums time, cancer was [believed to be] a curse  People with cancer were separated and isolated, the 45-year-old said. You were told to stay away from them. It was very sad.

Ana took time off work for the screening and hopes to convince her female colleagues to come in. They are shy, she said. But this is so very important.

Olinda, 35, undergoes thermal ablation treatment after testing positive for HPV. KATE GERAGHTY

Dr Maria Jose GP (right) performs the thermal ablation treatment, assisted by midwife Filomena Mendonca Espirito Santo, at the Vera Cruz community health centre. KATE GERAGHTY

Olinda lies on an examination bed as Dr Maria applies a swab of acetic acid to her cervix. Any precancerous lesions will whiten on contact. Olinda is eligible for thermal ablation, where Dr Maria uses a wand-like probe heated to about 100 degrees to destroy abnormal cervical cells. The procedure, which takes a few minutes, is only mildly uncomfortable, Olinda says.

Leave no woman behind

Since March, more than 1000 women aged 30 to 49 have been screened through this service, and more than 110 treated.

There was nothing like this here before, says Dr Adriano Pereira, known as Dr Andi, EPICCs in-country project co-ordinator.

EPICCs in-country project co-ordinator Dr Andriano Pereira in the testing laboratory at the Vera Cruz community health centre. KATE GERAGHTY

The bishops and priests are really on board, he said. [During their Sunday services], they will encourage women to come in for cervical cancer screening.

Such an endorsement is hitting the public health promotion lottery in a country where 97-98 per cent of the population is Catholic.

In two days, EPICC staff will travel to the Dili suco (village) of Vila Verde for a routine outreach event alongside public health initiatives. With the suco chiefs blessing, an ambulance with a loudspeaker mounted on the roof roams the streets of Vila Verde, calling on women to come along. The clinic staff screens 43 women on the day.

That week, EPICC helped run a gender equality, disability and social inclusion workshop with members of Timor-Lestes LGBTQ communities, sex workers, and disability and gender equity advocates to develop strategies for reaching marginalised women.

Professor Deborah Bateson (second left) talks with EPICC midwife Filomena Mendonca Espirito Santo at a medical outreach event in Vila Verde village. KATE GERAGHTY

A Timorese woman waits to use the toilet to self-test for HPV at the outreach event. KATE GERAGHTY

The initial aim is to screen 5000 of the roughly 161,000 eligible women in Timor-Leste. After EPICC helped procure the necessary tests and equipment, develop the screening algorithm and guidelines, and upskilled healthcare workers, the Ministry of Health plans to expand the program.

We are not going to leave any woman behind, says Dr Andi, named after a doctor who treated civilians during Indonesias December 1975 invasion.

University of Sydney medical oncologist Dr Telma Costa greets people at the Pakote Integradu Saude outreach event in Vila Verde village. KATE GERAGHTY

Dr Telma Costa, oncologist and EPICC Timor-Leste program manager, recalled a virtual meeting with Andi during an earthquake. During a common wet season flood at the Ministry of Health, Andi worked in knee-deep water.

They are amazing, Costa said of Andi and his fellow health professionals working with EPICC. Its so hard to do what they do with so little and to keep motivated, caring and attending calls and having the Australian team wanting to have virtual meetings with terrible internet.

Last year, Timor-Leste vaccinated 56,350 11- to 14-year-old school girls  90 per cent of this target population  during the countrys first HPV immunisation drive, according to health ministry figures.

School student Nofelia Maia da Costa Belo Lopes (centre) receives the HPV vaccination at the Rumbia Primary school in Dili. Rey Marques

Rumbia Primary school students Riana, Dolores and Felizarda are among those waiting to receive the HPV vaccination. Ray Marques

EPICC partner the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance provided technical assistance for the initial rollout, and annual HPV vaccination is now in the countrys routine immunisation program.

In 15 to 20 years, when these girls are Olga and Maias age, the pay-off will be a dramatic decrease in cervical cancer cases.

Generations of elimination

All she wants to do is dance all day, Filomena Pereira Ekuttan says as we watch her four-year-old daughter, Grace, mimicking a viral TikTok routine.

Grace kicks up the loose earth of the family cemetery in Batugade, near Timor-Lestes border with Indonesia.

The grave of Filomenas mother, Maria de Encarnacao, is shielded from the sun and monsoon rains by an aluminium canopy.

Filomena Zennefer Pereira Ekuttan, 24, and her daughter Grace, 4, at her mothers grave near Batugade village. Maria de Encarnacao Pereira died of cervical cancer. KATE GERAGHTY

Maria was a nurse, but waited roughly six years to see a doctor for her abnormal bleeding and back pain.

She did not know these were symptoms of cervical cancer, Filomena, 24, said.

Maria had chemotherapy and radiation therapy in Kuala Lumpur. She was given the all-clear, but within two months her pain returned. On a Chinese naval ship in Dili, she was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer. More treatment in Malaysia was futile. She died three months later in March 2024.

I have learnt all I can about cervical cancer  I know we can prevent it, Filomena said. My dream is to get Grace vaccinated, and for myself to be screened.

Timorese students walk along the main road in Balibo. In 2024 the government of Timor-Leste launched a single-dose HPV vaccination program for girls aged 11-14 years. Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer among women in Timor-Leste. KATE GERAGHTY

Screening will find more women with cancer, a problem for a healthcare system with few treatment options beyond surgery for early-stage cases, and a healthcare budget already spending millions to send cancer patients overseas for chemo and radiation treatment.

It was a dilemma Dr Flavio Brandao Mendes de Araujo, Vice Minister of Health for Hospital Operationalisation, raised when he first met with Bateson and Costa in 2023.

We need to find the cases, but we also need to be able to treat the cases we find, he said.

Dr Flavio Brandao Mendes de Araujo at his office in Dili, Timor-Leste. KATE GERAGHTY

Some of the highest rates of sending patients overseas are cervical cancer patients. I hope that through collaboration with EPICC, we can [offer] more services.

Costa said in future, EPICC will support Timor-Leste with broader treatment options. But first, the hospital must have the capabilities for timely diagnosis and staging.

The lab

At the back of the National Hospitals laboratory is floor-to-ceiling shelving crammed with biopsy samples: bulbs of tissue and tumour suspended like jellyfish in jars of viscous fluid with handwritten labels.

The specimens would be medical waste in Australia, but preserving them is a kindness.

I keep them for the families, Dr Odilia Carvalho, head of the pathology laboratory, says. When someone dies, sometimes the family comes here and asks to bring them home for cultural [rituals].

Guido Valadares National Hospital histopathology laboratory unit technician Nelson Tonito Marcal Sequeira holds a patients cervical cancer sample. KATE GERAGHTY

EPICC has been upgrading and replacing equipment in the histopathology laboratory (the gold-standard technique for cancer diagnosis), as well as training and mentoring staff.

Laboratory technician Nelson Tonito Marcal Sequeira and four other Timorese health professionals (an oncologist, two gynaecologists, and a midwife) secured EPICC Australia Awards Fellowships to strengthen their skills and leadership, including a two-week training program in Sydney.

It was a nice way to start building a multidisciplinary team approach to cervical cancer in Timor-Leste, Costa said.

Its not unusual for the lab to run out of reagents  the chemicals used to prepare tissue samples. The pathology oven, used to thaw samples, is old, Sequeira says. He leads Bateson to an automatic tissue processor and shows her several broken reagent containers.

Part of our work is making sure that youre not leaving expensive equipment that no one can service, or there are no spare parts [available] and it all breaks down, Bateson says.

I cant experience women dying

When EPICC comes in, Zeto says, I feel this is a dream come true for me as a doctor.

We are back at the national hospital with the gynaecologist, this time in a vacant room with glass-panelled doors, wallpapered with blue skies and yellow hot-air balloons.

Dr Zeto, gynaecologist Jose Antonio Gusmao Guterres, at the Guido Valadares National Hospital in Dili. KATE GERAGHTY

By early 2026, this will be the site of a preinvasive lesion clinic  another EPICC initiative  staffed by health practitioners trained to diagnose and treat women who are not eligible for thermal ablation (for instance, their precancerous lesions are too large, too deep, or suspicious for invasive cancer).

A more powerful colposcope  a specialised lighted microscope  arrived in October, and the clinic will be able to offer a procedure called Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone to remove pre-invasive cells.

I take it very personal[ly] because I cant experience women dying [any more], Zeto says, recalling the years in which he never saw a woman with early-stage cervical cancer.

They would all come too late. When I talk to the women  the husband and the kids  You cant imagine how deep is the feeling, the sadness, the frustration [they] are facing.

Zeto, an EPICC fellow, has seen the inside of a Liverpool Hospital operating room, the resourcing of Australias system and the clinical outcomes data for Australian patients, where mortality rates are one-fifth of Timor-Lestes.

I hope this is not something that will emotionally trigger you, then you go away and do something else, Zeto says.

This cynicism is understandable, Canfell says. Timorese doctors have seen aid groups arrive, set up, then leave when funding dries up.

Among the bright facades of Dilis Portuguese colonial architecture are half-constructed skeletons of concrete and steel rods of aid projects financed then abandoned by foreign investment  mausoleums of soft diplomacy.

A family plays as the sun sets at the foreshore in Dili. KATE GERAGHTY

It genuinely keeps us up at night, and it should, Canfell says. There has to be an enduring country-led program here. Otherwise, we are doing a disservice to the country.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, EPICC and the Womens Health and Economic Empowerment Network launched a $50 million technical assistance facility to coordinate sustainable blended public-private financing for non-communicable disease and womens cancers. Its first project will be to eliminate cervical cancer in Indonesia.

EPICC is involved in validating new HPV test candidates and is expected to play a growing role in securing the best prices for vaccines and tests, Canfell said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said all women deserved to live a life free from a disease we have the power to prevent.

It is not just the right thing to do  building a healthier, more stable and more prosperous Indo-Pacific is in Australias national interest.

Minderoo Foundation chief executive John Hartman described EPICC as a transformative initiative with profound implications, not only for cervical cancer elimination but for entire healthcare systems. (Minderoo also provided $8.6 million for EPICCs predecessor.)

By investing in scalable, locally led solutions  we are helping to build resilient health systems and drive lasting change, Hartman says.

Dignity in death

Under a red cedar tree on the USyd campus, Julia Da Costa describes the relentless screams of the colorectal cancer patient in a Timor-Leste hospital.

All they gave him was tramadol, Da Costa says. The weak opioid did not touch the sides of this mans agony. Most patients in pain dont get opioids at all.

University of Sydney PhD student Julia Da Costa is researching opioid access for pain management in Timor-Leste. KATE GERAGHTY

Bateson says improving palliative care is a crucial component of EPICCs work.

Screening is going to find more cervical cancers; and even if they are untreatable, women should be able to die with dignity, she says.

Julias work will be absolutely invaluable, she adds, not just for cervical cancer patients, but all patients in pain.

Palliative care patients should have access to morphine and fentanyl, but many facilities do not stock them.

Dr Moses Ataide spends time talking with patients. There are ten palliative care beds for the entire country. KATE GERAGHTY

Colon cancer patient Joana Da Costa, 66, in palliative care unit of the Guido Valadares National Hospital. KATE GERAGHTY

Doctors said patients pain was well-controlled, but when Da Costa visited, they were clearly suffering.

Part of her PhD involves developing a policy and guidelines to improve access to opioids. It will provide the scaffolding for EPICCs work.

There is a lot of resilience in Timor. Weve been through a lot, and there is this culture [around pain] that we should tough it out. No one complains, she said.

But no one should suffer.

*Pseudonyms have been used in order for women to share personal medical details.

Aubusson and Geraghty travelled to Timor-Leste as guests of the University of Sydney and the EPICC team.
Advertisement

NationalPolitical leadership Opinion Our underachiever nations lost 25 years Nick Bryant Journalist and author December 13, 2025  4:00am

December 13, 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 A A A

Is there a country on the planet that made a more sure-footed start to the 21st century than Australia? Is there a nation that ushered in the new millennium with such panache? The Sydney Olympics, the superlative summer games, offered a near-perfect start. And already in 2000, the economy had sailed through the dot.com global downturn, offering more proof of what was dubbed the Australian economic miracle. No wonder the country experienced a flowering of face-paint patriotism, and newfound pride in the green and gold. Before we wallow for too long in the sunroom of sentimentalism, lets ask ourselves a more awkward question. In the 25 years since fireworks illuminated the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, those 20th century monuments of Australian self-realisation, what have been the landmarks of 21st century success? Illustration by Jozsef Benke That near recession-proof wonder Down Under economy has been the most conspicuous marker of achievement. Only once, in COVID-blighted 2019-2020, did we experience a year of negative growth. Even then, it was only a 0.3 per cent contraction. Yet, the robustness of the Australian economy in the 21st century still owes enormously to the Australian model created in the late 20th century under the Hawke/Keating/Howard governments. But wealth has been accrued unevenly. By 2020, among 34 OECD nations, Australia had the 17th-highest level of income inequality. The introduction in July 2000 of the GST is commonly cited as this centurys most significant economic reform. But the legislation, A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act, was enacted in 1999. The carbon tax introduced in 2012 by the Gillard government was repealed by the Abbott government in 2014. That leaves the National Disability Insurance Scheme as the most notable durable structural reform. Here, though, ballooning costs, rising at 22 per cent per annum by 2022, have made reform of the NDIS an urgent fiscal necessity. Ironically, Bill Shorten, who lost the 2019 election partly because his manifesto as Labor leader was considered too bold, was the prime architect of arguably the boldest legislative change.

Advertisement

The National Broadband Network was touted as a landmark of the digital age, but Australia now ranks 48th on the international league table of fixed broadband speed, according to the Speedtest Global Index. That is below Albania. That is below Ecuador and Costa Rica. Cathy Freeman on her victory lap at the 2000 Olympic Games, flourishing both the national and Aboriginal flags. AP The Snowy 2.0 renewable energy scheme, Malcolm Turnbulls signature project, recalls ambitious nation-building infrastructure projects of yesteryear. Yet because of delays and cost blowouts  from $2 billion to a projected $20 billion on some estimates  it will not be operational until at least 2028, four years late and outside the 25-year time frame. Australia weathered COVID better than most other nations, demonstrating that adversity often brings to the fore valuable national traits, namely the ability to deal pragmatically rather than ideologically with a crisis. But the vaccine stroll-out was needlessly sluggish, while Fortress Australia restrictions often felt punitive and overbearing. After early advances, such as Cathy Freemans Olympian 400 metres of reconciliation and Kevin Rudds national apology to members of the stolen generations, reconciliation with First Nations people has gone backwards. The failure of the Voice referendum was a giant retrograde step. Data released this week revealed the highest level of Indigenous deaths in custody since records began in 1979.

Advertisement

Now a more consequential country in a more consequential region, Australia has continued to institutionalise its diplomatic influence through organisations, such as APEC and the G20, which it was instrumental in creating. Advocates of AUKUS, by far the most monumental strategic shift of the past 25 years, would claim the delivery of nuclear submarines will safeguard Australias security well into the 21st century. Yet we cannot say for sure when, or if, those subs will reach these shores. Nor what will be the diplomatic and commercial fallout with our biggest trading partner, China. Related Article Refugees Libs consider slashing refugee intake in Coalition migration policy As we were reminded only this week, when the world-first social media ban on under-16s came into effect, countries now regard Australia as a laboratory of reform. This is especially so with the fissile issue of unauthorised immigration. Australia succeeded in stopping the boats, disrupting the business model of people smugglers and policing its borders more strictly than the United States and European nations. However, the Pacific Solution, centred on the indefinite offshore detention of asylum seekers, came at a high moral cost and brought an acid shower of criticism from the United Nations. For most of the century, federal politics has been in a recessionary slump, with eight different prime ministerships at one stage in the space of 11 years. John Howard has been the only incumbent this century to serve more than four years. But he was less productive in the early noughties than the late 90s. Aside from his ill-fated push for WorkChoices, Howardism was starting to peter out. In 2006, on Howards 10th anniversary in power, then-foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer observed the government did not have a big reform idea, to which Howard evidently responded: Well, weve done all the things that we really wanted to do. Thrusting reformers, such as Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, struggled to command loyalty from their party rooms, partly because they were seen as overly  and ruthlessly  ambitious. The climate and culture wars have taken up too much bandwidth. Three-year terms have embedded short-termism in policymaking and made politics a ceaseless campaign. The constructive bipartisanship evident at the height of the reform era, when Paul Keating often looked upon Howard as a useful, if unlikely, ally, is not so evident today. Gaining power, rather than contemplating what to do with it, has become a recurring motif, leading to the primacy of politics over policy.

Advertisement

Coup capital Canberra not only experienced killing seasons but a killing era. Party and personal politics became relentlessly oppositional. Much of John Howards efforts were devoted to pushing back against Keatings attempt to redefine national identity. Because Howardism became synonymous with anti-Keatingism, it seemed he was serving both as prime minister and opposition leader. Related Article Opinion

Letters Where is Bob Menzies when we need him? Kevin Rudd, after losing the Labor leadership, spent too much time undercutting the woman who ousted him. The Liberal years between 2013 and 2022 are remembered more for internecine combat than nation-building. Coup capital Canberra not only experienced killing seasons but a killing era. On both sides of politics, the orthodoxy took hold that leaders offering bold reform agendas would get punished by voters. Its an ugly legacy of 1993, when the then opposition leader, John Hewson, lost an unlosable election because of campaigning on Fightback!, a 650-page policy package brimming with policy. Big ideas create big targets. Among political professionals  whose proliferation has contributed to the problem of over-politicisation  it has become an article of faith that you are losing when you are explaining.

Advertisement

Just imagine if Keating had accepted that brainless dogma before introducing superannuation, or Howard in proposing the GST. Meaningful change requires patient, and often passionate, elucidation. Related Article Exclusive

Resolve Political Monitor Coalition vote crashes to record low, One Nation surges amid housing anger: poll Preserving the status quo has proven a more powerful force than effecting change. Maybe one way of thinking about politics this century is that John Howard proved a doughty defender of Menziesism and slayer of cultural Keatingism, while Labor leaders were not prepared to advance Keatingism and too timid to rebuff Howardism. In that formulation, you will note a glaring omission: the name of a single prime minister who came to office this century. After Howards defeat in 2007, no prime minister has come close to having the word era attached to his or her name. Anthony Albanese has that opportunity, but there is a danger he could become a touch-the-earth-lightly prime minister. For sure, Australia has fared better than most Western nations. It remains the lifestyle superpower. The capital cities have become staples on those lists of the worlds most liveable domains. But the Aussie way of life has become unaffordable for too many Australians and an Australian Dream centred on home ownership has become a chimera for too many young people. At least 25 years in the making, the housing crisis is symptomatic of a broader malaise. But mea culpa. Property owners have been complicit by refusing to back policies, such as changes to negative gearing and planning laws enabling higher urban density, that risk depressing sale prices. As John Howard famously remarked back in 2003: I dont get people stopping me in the street and saying, John, youre outrageous. Under your government the value of my house has increased. Housing is a case where voters get the policy and politics we deserve.

Advertisement

Sometimes we refer to lost decades in national life. Yet as we approach the end of 2025, we should reflect on 25 years of national underachievement and speak instead of Australias lost quarter-century. Nick Bryant is the author of The Rise and Fall of Australia: How A Great Nation Lost its Way. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Political leadership

Opinion Nick Bryant is a former BBC correspondent and the author of The Forever War, Americas Unending Conflict With Itself.
Pressure mounts of federal government to boost public hospital funding

No deal was the result of a meeting of health mnisters today, as pressure mounts on the federal government to significantly boost funding for public hospitals.
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

Save this article for later

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

A teenager is fighting for his life in a Gold Coast hospital after suffering serious head injuries during an alleged assault at Varsity Lakes overnight.

Police have charged a 34-year-old Moggill man over the assault of the 18-year-old and that of a woman who came to the unconscious teenagers aid.

The woman, a Varsity Lakes local who found the injured man as she walked along Christine Avenue, called Triple Zero from the scene at 10.38pm.

The teenager and a Good Samaritan were taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition. Robert Shakespeare

Upon calling emergency services for assistance, it is alleged the same offender, who had been waiting nearby, then assaulted the woman, a police spokeswoman said.
UK tourist jailed over e-scooter crash that killed Perth father

A young UK tourist on the trip of a lifetime has been sentenced to four years behind bars for killing a Perth father.
Advertisement

PoliticsFederalNACC His position is untenable: Corruption watchdog boss stares down resignation demands Matthew Knott Updated December 12, 2025  4:12pm ,first published 4:09pm 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 A A

The nations first federal anti-corruption commissioner, Paul Brereton, is refusing to bow to growing calls for his resignation after the distinguished former judge became embroiled in a second potential conflict of interest controversy in as many years. National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Inspector Gail Furness, who acts as a watchdog for the organisation, is investigating complaints about Breretons ongoing defence ties after previously finding he engaged in misconduct over the handling of a referral into the robo-debt scheme. During a tense and often defensive appearance at a parliamentary hearing this week, Brereton stunned federal politicians by saying he was eager to hold the NACCs first public hearing to help shield the organisation from criticism, but had not yet found an appropriate case. National Anti-Corruption Commission chief Paul Brereton is staring down calls for his resignation. Alex Ellinghausen Brereton was contradicted by staff members at the hearing about whether it was necessary for him to recuse himself from all defence matters because of his ongoing, unpaid advisory work for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) over matters relating to alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, as well as his membership of the Army Reserve.

Advertisement

Anthony Whealy, the chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, which led the push for a federal anti-corruption body, called for Brereton to step aside to help regain public confidence in the institution. Related Article Anti-corruption Wild conspiracies: Anti-corruption boss under fire over potential conflicts of interest The constant criticism of him and his refusal to accept that criticism means public confidence has diminished to such a degree that there needs to be wholesale change in the leadership at the NACC, said Whealy, who served on the benches of the Supreme Court of NSW and the NSW Court of Appeal. He is an intelligent and honest fellow, but he has some terrible blind spots. Whealy said that Breretons position had become untenable for a number of reasons, including that he did not seem to take the issue of perceived conflicts of interest seriously enough.

Advertisement

Brereton did not include his advisory work for the IGADF in formal disclosures to the government until October, following ABC reports about the issue. The NACC also announced in October that Brereton would recuse himself from all defence-related corruption referrals. He had previously recused himself on a case-by-case basis. Related Article NACC New federal corruption watchdog focuses on complaints to chase in 2024 Brereton led the landmark inquiry, completed in 2020, that found credible information to implicate 25 current or former Australian special forces personnel in the alleged unlawful killing of 39 individuals and the cruel treatment of two others in Afghanistan. Greens senator David Shoebridge said: Commissioner Brereton has repeatedly demonstrated such poor conduct that he no longer has the public confidence necessary to lead the NACC. Independent MP Helen Haines, who spearheaded a push within parliament for the creation of a federal anti-corruption body, said: It is very disappointing and concerning that for the first two-and-a-half years of the NACC, so much attention has been on the commissioner himself.

Advertisement

The public had high hopes for the NACC and I want to see it succeed, but to date the feedback I get from the public is that they are disappointed and even outraged by the way it has begun. She said Brereton should chose between his NACC role or his defence advisory duties rather than try to fulfil both. A spokesperson for the NACC defended Breretons conduct. The commissioners Defence associations were well known at the time of his appointment, the spokesperson said. His decision to not participate in any Defence referrals is sufficient in the circumstances.

Advertisement

There is no reason for the commissioner to step down and doing so would undermine the independence of the commission. Furness told the parliamentary hearing on Thursday that she was examining two complaints relating to Breretons military links after receiving around 90 complaints from the public about the issue. Furness found last October that Brereton had disclosed a conflict of interest in relation to the robo-debt matter but said he should have withdrawn from the matter completely. This resulted in a finding of officer misconduct  that is not unlawful but arose from a mistake of law or fact. William Partlett, an associate professor at Melbourne Law School, said: To regain the trust of the public the commissioner should resign, and we can have a reset and start again  It has been a disappointing tenure to say the least.

Advertisement

Partlett, a fellow at the Centre for Public Integrity, added: If the public loses faith in this institution then it may as well not exist. Im pretty keen to have one [a public hearing] and say, Right, weve done one. NACC commissioner Paul Brereton At the end of the hearings, Haines asked Brereton about how the NACC would determine whether the required exceptional circumstances had been met to hold a public hearing. The NACC has not held any public hearings since it began operating in July 2023. Im quite keen to have a public hearing, partly to put to rest these continual questions, Brereton replied.

Advertisement

So Im pretty keen to have one and say, Right, weve done one. But Ive got to do that responsibly and lawfully, and not just to get the issue off my back. Ive got to have a case that ticks the boxes and [for] which it is going to be appropriate to do it. Haines said that Breretons answer felt rather flippant to me and didnt give any clarity about what constitutes an exceptional circumstance. Shoebridge said: Protecting the NACC from legitimate criticism is the single worst reason to hold a public hearing. What Brereton has done is ensure that if he ever does hold a public hearing, it will look like a charade rather than a serious anti-corruption measure. The NACC spokesperson said: The commissioners comments about a public hearing, when read in context, were clearly intended to emphasise that although there has been community interest in the commission holding a public hearing, we are bound to apply the statutory test which requires that there be exceptional circumstances to do so. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Advertisement

InspirationNew Zealand Its no Bondi, but this dark, wild beach is startlingly beautiful Jane Richards December 13, 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 A A A

If Bondi Beach is Barbie, New Zealands Piha Beach is Wuthering Heights Heathcliff. Brooding, wild, unpredictable. Dont turn up here with your colourful rashie, tiny bikini or striped cabana. A black T-shirt is what you need, or a long overcoat so you can hunch your back against the wind that slams the raging Tasman Sea onto jagged rocks. Lion Rock, Piha Beach. Getty Images While surfers love it year round and families flock to it in summer, Piha Beach, 50 minutes west of Auckland at the edge of the Waitakere Ranges, is more likely to be featured on an indie album cover than a jaunty ad for sunscreen, such is its coolness both in the water (winter temperatures are a wetsuit-wanting 14C) and out of it (Neil Finn has a bach here and has been spotted braving the surf with fellow muso Eddie Vedder). Make no mistake, this beach has attitude.

Advertisement

Perhaps its the black sand. Run a magnet along it and your hand will transform into a cone of dark fairy-floss thanks to the high iron content. On sun-baked days, this same sand-noir can singe any feet foolhardy enough to be bare. Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now. Surf smashes against the rocks at Piha. Alamy Or maybe its Lion Rock (Te Piha), the crouching king-of-the-jungle monolith which is actually the eroded neck of a volcano that looms over and divides Piha and North Piha beaches. Stairs will take you up this beast, which is decorated with Maori carvings and tributes to fallen Anzacs, but not to its summit, which is closed for safety reasons. The beach and its arty namesake town, which tumbles down a hillside towards the black sand, is the dramatic finale to a five-hour adventure from Auckland with Bush and Beach Wilderness Experience Nature Tours. Piha Beach near Auckland. Alamy

Advertisement

Earlier, our group  some Australians, a Singaporean, two Italians and a Texan couple  get to know each other as our small bus journeys through Aucklands suburbs and out to the wild west of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park with its rainforest, winding cliffs and rugged coastline. (The Texans are shocked at the high price of local gas and take innumerable pictures of bowsers along the way, while the Australians stay quiet when we are introduced to the authentic Kiwi meat pie.) Mid-way we stop for panoramic views of Aucklands two harbours at the Arataki Visitors Centre which also offers Maori carvings, a replica of the extinct, towering moa bird which once stamped around the area, and a walking trail through the rainforest, which we tackle with our expert guide and driver, Chris. Maori carving outside the Arataki Visitors Centre. Alamy As we pick our way past giant tree ferns, we learn how New Zealands famed silver fern can be used if you need to retrace your steps at night (leave a trail of fronds behind you, a la Hansel and Gretel, with the undersides face-up  they shine under moonlight) and how the kawakawa plant can be used topically to relieve eczema or brewed as tea to aid digestion  and if that does the job, its large, heart-shaped leaves have been dubbed the Kiwi campers toilet paper. Were also stopped in our tracks by the sheer enormity of the odd, ancient kauri tree. These giants of the forest almost went the way of the moa bird after being chopped down for sail masts in centuries past. Now they are part of a slow-growing but good news story. Much of this protected forest was once cleared for pasture. Its now been left to regenerate, something it has been doing with gusto, albeit under careful management.

Advertisement

But back to Piha Beach. Its overcast, and treacherous white-tops are delivering a belting as the wind propels us in different directions along the shore. Related Article Australia Australia v NZ, which is better? A British travellers verdict Underfoot, tiny coiled white shells, Spirula spirula (a one-time home to the Rams horn squid) appear to glow on the dark sand, that seems full of intrigue to someone used to Sydneys golden beaches. I stare at every bit of bleached driftwood or blob of translucent jellyfish, a dinosaur bone? A deep-sea treasure? And then another image appears  a piano key. Turns out that the haunting Jane Campion image of a lonely piano stranded on black sand was filmed just around the corner at Karekare Beach. As we drift back towards our minibus for tea and Anzac biscuits (no disputing the shared ownership here), we turn again to the shore just as the sun sinks a little, casting a sliver of silver on the waves, and revealing something Aucklanders already know. Mysterious, wild, sometimes treacherous. Piha beach is all of that and something else  startlingly beautiful. THE DETAILS

Advertisement

TOUR

The five-hour Bush and Beach Wilderness Experience Nature Tour from Auckland costs $NZ200 ($173), including afternoon tea. Guests are picked up and dropped off at their hotel. See bushandbeach.co.nz STAY

Cordis Hotel, Auckland. 83 Symonds Street. From $NZ250 ($219) a night. See cordishotels.com

SO/Auckland 35 Hobson Street. From $NZ319 ($280) a night. See so-hotels.com/en/auckland

Abstract Hotel. 8 Upper Queen Street, Auckland. From $130 ($114). See abstracthotel.co.nz The writer was a guest of Bush and Beach and Discover Auckland. See aucklandnz.com/au

Traveller Guides
Advertisement

Travel newsQueensland New hotel helps address room shortage at one of our best beach spots Julietta Jameson December 13, 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 A A A

South-east Queenslands beach hotspots can be summed up as a tale of two sisters. The Gold Coast to the south of Brisbane is the showy, glamorous sibling, while the Sunshine Coast to the north is the more understated, au naturel one. While both have undergone significant population growth and residential development, particularly since the pandemic, the serene Sunshine Coast has avoided the intense tourism build-up of the glitzy Goldie, thanks to planning rules that restrict building heights, aiming to preserve natural assets and a laid-back lifestyle. This is despite the more than 3000-square-kilometre region  on land traditionally owned by the Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi and Jinibara peoples  having more than 60 kilometres of open shoreline and more than 70 kilometres of estuary, as well as glorious mountains and rainforest. Avani Mooloolabas lobby bar. The hotel is part of the Sunshine Coasts tourism reset. Artists impression An artists impression of a standard room at the Avani Mooloolaba.

Advertisement

But with both regions named co-hosts for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, the Sunshine Coast is undergoing a tourism reset. Next year will provide a glimpse of that with the opening of Avani Mooloolaba on the foreshore of the eponymous beachside town. Sign up for the Traveller newsletter The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now. Built by Queensland-based KPAT, which won the tender for half of a former ground-level bitumen car park owned by Sunshine Coast Council (the remaining half was converted into a multi-storey car park), the Avani occupies a prominent corner, offering hospitality at street level and full hotel facilities above. Lobby rear entry at Avani Mooloolaba. The exterior of Avani Mooloolaba. Artists impression KPAT managing director Kenneth Wagner says the hotel is desperately needed. South-east Queensland faces a hotel room shortage and estimates suggest 30,000 to 40,000 new rooms will be required by the time the Olympics arrive. Wagner argues this shortage is the legacy of two decades of inaction and poor planning, rather than the fault of current governments.

Advertisement

In Mooloolaba, 50 kilometres south of Noosa, supply is tight. Youve got whats been listed as one of the top 10 beaches in the world, and theres nowhere to stay, Wagner says. The place is full of managed-apartment letting, much of it owned by individuals who dont place their units in the letting pool. Many sit empty all year round. What the region desperately needs is a range of fully serviced, two-to-four-night-stay hotels. The Avani is a start. The hotel is a collaboration between Minor Hotels, owners of the Avani brand, and KPAT, which has overseen everything from design (architects Cottee Parker were involved initially) through to construction, and will manage the property under Minors exacting brand guidelines when it opens in April 2026. The reception area at the Avani. Artists impression The lobby at Avani Mooloolaba. Artists impression

Advertisement

For guests, this means sweeping ocean views from the rooftop pool and bar, an AvaniFit gym, an AvaniSpa and 180 rooms across 12 levels. It is the first Avani hotel in Australia (there is an apartment-style Avani in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast). Wagner describes Avani properties as lifestyle hotels that are energetic, punchy, loud  loud referring to style, not noise. Related Article Queensland The Sunshine Coasts new caravan park isnt like others Interior designer Taryn Raso, who is overseeing the fit-out, says the aim is to make people feel welcome straight off the beach while still honouring an upmarket feel. She highlights custom rugs, blue-and-white striped bedheads and bespoke artworks as favourite touches. The whole design is about capturing the spirit of the Sunshine Coast  dynamic and playful, she says.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, just outside the hotel, Sunshine Coast Council continues its extensive Mooloolaba foreshore revitalisation, and further afield, Sunshine Coast Airport is pressing ahead with its $170 million upgrade. With just a few years until the cauldron is lit for Brisbanes 2032 Olympics, theres plenty more to come. See Avanihotels.com
State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code
Ottoline Spearman

A TD has called for the Government to legislate to ban algorithms from being used to decide taxi fares.

It comes as drivers have been meeting the Government this week to discuss their demands and objections to the Uber model.

Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger has called for a boycott of Uber and the introduction of legislation to ban algorithms from calculating fixed fares.

Speaking on Newstalk, she said: "There's two things that need to happen. I think the drivers need to boycott Uber.

"I think everybody here, TDS and public figures should say that they won't use Uber for what they are doing to these drivers.

"However, that isn't sufficient because we need to legislate as well."

Over the past few weeks, taxi drivers have been conducting "slow protests" in Dublin to object to Uber's introduction of fixed rates.

Drivers say that fixed fares will mean that when a car is delayed by traffic or forced to take an alternative route, they lose out, substantially in some cases.

A planned six-day protest for this week was recently put on hold, pending the outcome of Government talks this week.
Advertisement

Latcem, an investment vehicle led by Marcelo Mindlin alongside Redwood Capital Management and funds managed by Moneda-Patria Investments, has moved closer to taking control of Argentinas largest cement producer, Loma Negra, following a key court ruling in Brazil.

The Bankruptcy and Judicial Recovery Court of the State of Sao Paulo has approved the debt restructuring plan presented by InterCement, the Brazilian group that owns a 52 per cent stake in Loma Negra and is controlled by Mover (formerly Camargo Correa). The decision clears a major hurdle in the proposed transaction and enables the process to enter its closing phase.

Latcem described the ruling as a key milestone, noting that the plan includes new financing from incoming shareholders to reinforce working capital and ensure operational continuity during the transition. While regulatory approvals in Brazil and the completion of certain legal procedures abroad are still required, the consortium said these steps are now progressing toward completion.

InterCement said the restructuring allows the group to begin a period of financial stabilisation, supported by a stronger capital structure and the absence of major debt maturities over the next five years. The company holds a 14 per cent share of Brazils cement market and controls Loma Negra, which accounts for around 45 per cent of cement sales in Argentina.

Loma Negra reported net revenues of US$154m in 3Q25, down 12.1 per cent YoY, reflecting weaker cement demand. The company posted earnings of US$36m, while net debt stood at approximately US$206m.

Founded in 1926, Loma Negra is one of Argentinas most established industrial groups. If completed, the transaction would return control of the company to Argentine ownership after two decades under Brazilian control.
A vice president at a Chattanooga-based firm that helps business owners sell their companies has helped his father in Atlanta sell his.

FourBridges Capital Advisors announced that BAY Mediation and Arbitration Services (BAY) has been acquired by Veritext, a portfolio company of Leonard Green & Partners. FourBridges structured and negotiated the deal on behalf of BAY owners, Bill Allred and F. Scott Young.

Founded in 2002 by the founders of the Atlanta law firm, Barrickman, Allred & Young, Atlanta-based BAY Mediation and Arbitration Services "has earned a reputation for being Atlantas top alternate dispute resolution (ADR) firm.

First known for fast-track mediations on smaller cases with an 85 percent client success rate, the firm also has a proven track record handling complex, multi-party disputes. Helmed by Bill Allred and F. Scott Young, the firm has expanded over the years to accommodate extensive growth and now engages around 50 mediators."

Bill Allreds son, Andrew Allred, VP at FourBridges Capital Advisors, helped negotiate the deal. We love what we do and the people we work with, and we really had no thought of selling BAY, said Bill Allred. A number of companies reached out with an interest in acquiring us. Finally, when Veritext came along, Scott and I decided it would be good to know what we were worth in the marketplace.

I asked my son and FourBridges to get involved to help us and to protect us through the process, continued Bill Allred. We saw they could help us protect our employees, keep doing right by those who call upon us to help them settle their disputes, and meaningfully improve the terms of the initial offer. From preserving the companys legacy to driving up the sale price, FourBridges helped us tremendously and exceeded our expectations at every turn.

It was an honor that my dad and his partner trusted FourBridges to help steward BAYs transition into this next chapter of growth after building the company for the last quarter century, said Andrew Allred. Large firm experience, business owner focus isnt just something we say. Were serious about helping all of our clients - family or not - meet their goals for a sale, from protecting their people to achieving the highest possible valuation.

Owned by leading private equity investment firm Leonard Green & Partners, Veritext is the largest court reporting firm in the nation. The all-in-one legal solutions platform is a well-known leader in deposition and litigation support. Over the years, Veritext has completed more than 70 acquisitions of court reporting firms. As ADR services started gaining traction over litigation in the last several years, Vertiext turned its attention to firms like BAY in order to capitalize on the secular growth trends of the ADR services industry.



Officials said, "BAY is an ideal fit for Veritext and serves as a growth platform for the companys ADR services in the Southeast. Veritext will continue to add mediators to BAYs practice while supporting the firms existing personnel. The companys extensive back office will support the growth of BAYs local Atlanta operations. Bill Allred and F. Scott Young will continue to steward the firm, along with its employees and clients, and focus on driving growth moving forward."

In addition to Andrew Allred, the FourBridges deal team included John Kirkland. Legal counsel was provided by Chattanooga-based law firm Holland & Knight led by Tyler Hand, and supported by Taylor Smith.
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has reinstated two convictions against former EMT Justin Whaley in his wrong-way traffic death case.

The court reversed a decision by Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson granting "coram nobis relief" based on evidence that arose after the trial.

Attorney Lee Davis had said the state failed to turn over an Internal Affairs report about a key state witness in the Whaley trial. He said Whaley should get a new trial.

Whaley was sentenced to serve nine years in state prison for the wrong-way traffic death of James Brumlow on July 2, 2018.

He had faced 8-12 years in prison after a Criminal Court jury found him guilty of vehicular homicide by intoxication and other charges.

The Appeals Court directed there be a sentencing hearing for the remaining convictions and the entry of corrected judgments reflectinpg separate sentences for each conviction.

The ruling says:

A Hamilton County Criminal Court Jury convicted Defendant, Justin David Whaley, of

vehicular homicide by intoxication, reckless driving, driving under the influence of an intoxicant (DUI), reckless vehicular homicide, and multiple driving-related misdemeanor offenses, and the trial court merged the convictions into one conviction for vehicular homicide by intoxication and sentenced Defendant to nine years incarceration.



Defendant appealed, and while his direct appeal was pending, he filed a petition for writ of

error coram nobis based on newly discovered evidence. Following a hearing, the trial court

granted coram nobis relief in part, vacating Defendants convictions for vehicular homicide

by intoxication and DUI but denying relief as to Defendants remaining convictions. Both

Defendant and the State appealed the trial courts coram nobis order, and this court

consolidated Defendants direct appeal with both parties appeals of the trial courts coram

nobis order.

On appeal, Defendant challenges: (1) the sufficiency of the evidence for his convictions for vehicular homicide and DUI; (2) the denial of his motion to suppress evidence obtained by a search warrant for a blood draw; (3) the admission of the results of the analysis of his blood sample and the retrograde extrapolation as unreliable; (4) the admission of testimony of a Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) employee as improper lay opinion; (5) the trial courts decision to allow the jury to visit the scene; and (6) the jury instructions on mistake of fact and reckless vehicular homicide.

Defendant also contends that the cumulative effect of the errors at trial warrants relief and that the

trial court erred in failing to grant coram nobis relief for all his convictions. In its cross appeal,

the State asserts that the trial court erred by granting partial coram nobis relief.



Upon review, we reverse the trial courts order granting coram nobis relief for Defendants

convictions of vehicular homicide by intoxication and DUI, and we reinstate those convictions. Because the trial court only imposed sentences for the vehicular homicide by intoxication conviction, we remand for a sentencing hearing for the remaining convictions and the entry of corrected judgments reflecting separate sentences for each conviction. We otherwise affirm the judgments of the trial court.
State Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson, has introduced legislation "to give prosecutors additional tools to hold convicted child rapists accountable in Tennessee."

House Bill 1454 strengthens existing law by expanding the aggravating circumstances under which prosecutors may pursue the death penalty for the rape of a child.

"Any adult capable of violently and heinously violating the trust, innocence and well-being of a child deserves the maximum lawful penalty," said Rep. Martin. "The death penalty ensures these morally depraved individuals can never reoffend. Protecting children is a top priority for Tennessee Republicans, and this legislation builds on our efforts by further empowering prosecutors, safeguarding the most vulnerable members of our society and improving public safety."

The Tennessee General Assembly in 2024 passed a new law allowing juries to consider the death penalty as an option for someone convicted of rape of a child under 12. Sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, the measure increased the penalty for rape or aggravated rape of a child to a Class A felony Range III offense, which carries a 4060-year prison sentence.

"Last year, Tennessee made it absolutely clear that anyone who rapes a child in our state will face the toughest penalty allowed by law. This legislation strengthens that commitment by giving prosecutors additional pathways to seek the death penalty against the most vile and dangerous of predators, Rep. Lamberth said. All children deserve to grow up safe and we will continue to use every tool available to protect them. I appreciate Rep. Martins leadership on this critical issue and Im proud to stand with him as we work to keep these monsters out of our communities.

The proposal would allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty under the following aggravating circumstances:

Aggravated rape of a child under four years old

Defendant holds a position of trust over a victim

Defendant is a registered sex offender at the time of the offense

Defendant knows a victim was mentally or physically defective or helpless

Incest

Previous felony or misdemeanor conviction for an offense involving sexual contact with a minor

Especially aggravated kidnapping

Filming or recording video or photographs of the offense

Sedating victims with intoxicants, controlled substances

Use of a deadly weapon in the commission of the offense

Especially heinous, atrocious or cruel actions or torturing a victim

Remuneration to a victim or another person for access to or to silence a victim

An additional conviction for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated sexual battery, or continuous sexual abuse of a child

This legislation allows us to pursue the ultimate punishment for the worst offenders," said Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty Wamp. "Those offenders who prey on children and are found guilty of raping a child should be put on notice - we now have a clear avenue to seek the death penalty. I am grateful to the sponsors of this bill who have shown a commitment to protecting children in the most serious way.

House Bill 1454 builds on the General Assembly's efforts to improve public safety, reduce recidivism rates and hold criminals accountable through smart-on-crime justice reforms.

The second session of the 114th General Assembly is scheduled to convene at noon on Jan. 13.

State Rep. Martin represents District 26 in the Tennessee General Assembly, which includes part of Hamilton County.
The Collegedale Police Department proudly announces that Lieutenant Robert Hirko has graduated from the 296th session of the FBI National Academy, completing his intensive executive-level training this week at the FBI Training Facility in Quantico, Va.



In the police departments nearly 60-year history, Lt. Hirko is the first Collegedale officer chosen

to attend the FBI National Academy. This milestone reflects the City of Collegedales trust in his

professionalism, work ethic, and demonstrated leadership within the law enforcement profession.

Founded in 1935, the FBI National Academy is internationally recognized for preparing elite law

enforcement leaders. Fewer than one percent of officers worldwide are accepted. During his 10-

week program, Lt. Hirko completed graduate-level coursework in leadership, behavioral science,

crisis communication, intelligence theory, forensic techniques, and advanced fitness, training

alongside command staff from across the United States and more than 20 partner nations.



Lt. Hirko is already an experienced leader and investigator, serving the citizens of Collegedale as

a division commander and on multiple state and federal task forces and initiatives. His selection

and successful completion of the academy bring direct, measurable benefits to the citizens of

Collegedale by strengthening leadership, investigative capability, and overall preparedness. With

focused training in incident management, ethical decision making, behavioral science, and violent crime analysis, Lt. Hirko enhances the departments ability to respond effectively to critical incidents, prevent and solve complex cases, and apply modern, research-based policing practices. Just as importantly, the national partnerships formed at the academy provide Collegedale with faster access to shared intelligence, specialized resources, and coordinated support during major investigations or emergencies, resulting in a safer and more resilient community.



Lieutenant Hirkos graduation from the FBI National Academy is a tremendous accomplishment for both him and the City of Collegedale, and we are extremely proud of him, said Chief Jack Sapp. His dedication to professional growth sets the standard for our department and reflects the level of leadership we expect from those entrusted to serve this community. As an agency, we are committed to providing opportunities for our officers to continue following in his footsteps by pursuing advanced education and training, ensuring the Collegedale Police Department remains prepared and well-led into the future.



The Collegedale Police Department congratulates Lt. Hirko on this impressive accomplishment

and looks forward to the continued leadership and service he brings to the agency and the people

of Collegedale.
Federal judges understandably receive the most public attention in carrying out the judiciarys responsibility of upholding the rule of law, interpreting the Constitution and striving to see that justice is done. But for judges to meet this responsibility, the assistance of many others is necessary. For the most part, these are people who quietly do essential work behind the scenes. Among these unsung workers are the members of the United States Marshals Service.The Oldest Federal Law Enforcement AgencyThe United States Marshals Service traces its beginnings to Sept.24, 1789, when Congress passed the first Judiciary Act. This Act set up the federal court system and created the Office of the United States Marshals. This makes the Marshals Service our oldest federal law enforcement agency. Despite being created by the Judiciary Act, the Marshals Service is, in fact, not a part of the judiciary. Rather, it is an executive branch agency under the United States Department of Justice.Some of us will recall western movies or television shows depicting U.S. Marshals on horseback going into the Oklahoma territory to capture fugitives and bring them at gunpoint back to federal court for trial and sentencing. Marshals no longer ride horses, but locating, arresting and delivering individuals charged with federal crimes to federal court is still one of their primary responsibilities.Marshals Protect The Judicial ProcessAnother primary responsibility of the U.S. Marshals, and one which is greatly appreciated by all federal judges, is safeguarding judges. While U.S. Marshals protect judges in the courtroom and the courthouse, they also have a responsibility to protect judges in their homes and daily lives. For example, when a judge is under a specific threat, deputy marshals may accompany the judge wherever he or she goes. This personal protection helps alleviate concerns judges may have about their and their familys personal safety, allowing judges to devote their full attention to the cases before them.In addition to protecting judges, U.S. Marshals are responsible for protecting federal courthouses and providing security to all people who enter them, including jurors, lawyers, litigants, courtroom spectators and casual visitors. Marshals also protect endangered government witnesses and their families. The Marshals Service thus ensures that judicial proceedings can take place in a safe and orderly fashion and are not disrupted by dangerous individuals.Another way in which U.S. Marshals protect the judicial process is through their responsibility for individuals held in custody while awaiting trial or sentencing on federal criminal charges. The Marshals Service houses these individuals, generally through contracts with local jail facilities. When these individuals must appear in court, deputy marshals manage their transportation and move them safely through the courthouse. The Marshals Service performs these tasks with precision and professionalism, allowing the judicial process to move forward seamlessly.Marshals Enforce Judicial OrdersA fundamental obligation of judges is to render decisions in cases. But judges have very limited authority to actually enforce court judgments. This is another vital role U.S. Marshals perform. They execute judicial orders, whether in a criminal case by transferring convicted defendants to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons, or in a civil case by seizing monies or property to satisfy a civil judgement. They serve subpoenas or summonses that require a person to appear in court.They are also charged with responsibilities in asset-forfeiture matters. When individuals obtain or use funds or assets in violation of the law, a court may order that the property be forfeited to the government. U.S. Marshals are the ones who seize forfeited funds and assets and assure their proper custody, management and disposal.ConclusionAs a nation rooted in the rule of law, we depend on many to ensure that justice is done. Often unseen by the wider public, U.S. Marshals are tireless in their work to support the rule of law by serving as guardians of the federal judiciary. Their presence is felt in every federal courthouse in the country. They provide an indispensable service to the federal judiciary and to the nation as a whole.Curtis L. Collier, U.S. district judge; chair, Eastern District of Tennessee Civics and Outreach CommitteeCarrie Brown Stefaniak, law clerk to the Honorable Curtis L. CollierMeghna Melkote, law clerk to the Honorable Curtis L. CollierAlex Tritell, law clerk to the Honorable Curtis L. Collier
Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas speaking at a White House religious liberty panel on Dec. 10, 2025. | Screenshot: YouTube/ Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress

Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas told a White House religious liberty panel on Wednesday that the federal government has no authority to regulate what pastors preach from the pulpit, insisting that such oversight is none of the governments business.

Speaking before the U.S. Department of Justices Religious Liberty Commission, Jeffressjoined by Senior Executive Pastor Ben Lovvornrecounted the churchs encounter with the IRS during a contentious tax inquiry launched in 2021 under former President Joe Biden.

Jeffress explained that his remarks to the Commission echoed comments he had shared with his congregation days earlier, recalling that the atheist advocacy group Freedom From Religion Foundation filed an IRS complaint after former Vice President Mike Pence and thenHUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson spoke at the church in June 2020 about how they came to know Jesus as Savior.

Jeffress told the panel that the IRS remained silent for nearly a year, only initiating the inquiry several months into the Biden administration. It's interesting that we did not hear anything from the IRS for 11 months and four months after Joe Biden became president, he said. It was on May 6, 2021, that the IRS informed our church that they were initiating an inquiry into the tax-exempt status of our church because of our patriotic service.

Noting that First Baptist Dallas had never had an issue with the agency previously, Jeffress emphasized his long-standing position that pastors should comply with IRS guidelines and refrain from endorsing political candidates in sermons. We encourage Christians to vote their biblical conviction, he added.

Jeffress also highlighted what he viewed as a double standard, pointing to a 2020 event at Sharon Baptist Church in Philadelphia. He noted that on Nov. 1, 2020the same day he addressed his own congregation about the presidential raceBiden spoke at Sharon Baptist, where, according to Jeffress, the thencandidate and the churchs pastor openly encouraged members to vote for Biden while both men were standing in front of a campaign banner in the church.

While the IRS inquiry extended for more than a year, Jeffress noted that in July 2022 the agency ultimately concluded that First Baptist Dallas did not engage in any improper political intervention or violate the U.S. tax code.

The government has absolutely no business determining what is proper and improper speech in the worship service of any church, he said. The IRS and any government agency lack the ability to distinguish between political speech and political conviction.

A substantial portion of the discussion focused on concerns surrounding the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 revision to the Internal Revenue Code that bars nonprofit organizationsincluding churchesfrom endorsing or opposing political candidates. Jeffress contended that the provision is vulnerable to misuse.

He referenced the experience of Bunni Pounds, the founder of Christians Engaged, whose organization was initially denied tax-exempt status in May 2021 because of its biblically grounded stances on issues such as marriage and abortion.

Although the IRS later reversed its decision, Jeffress warned that this initial decision by the IRS to equate biblical beliefs with forbidden political speech illustrates how easily the Johnson amendment could be misused to silence churches directly or cause them to engage in self-censorship to avoid costly litigation.
Home News ACNA inquiry board finds Archbishop Steve Wood should be put on trial for allegedly violating vows, sexual immorality

The head of the Anglican Church in North America should be put on trial for allegedly violating ordination vows and for sexual immorality, a denominational investigative body has concluded.

The Board of Inquiry issued a short statement on Friday stating that there was probable cause to present ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood for trial for violation of Canon 2 of this Title.

According to the board, Wood should be charged with Violation of Ordination Vows, Conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, including the abuse of ecclesiastical power and Sexual Immorality.

The Board of Inquiry will refer its decision to The Court for the Trial of a Bishop, a seven-member ACNA court that oversees proceedings against bishops.

In October, The Washington Post published allegations that Wood had engaged in sexual misconduct and abuse of power while serving as rector at St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

Claire Buxton, a divorced mother of three and former children's ministry director at St. Andrew's, alleged that Wood had touched her head and tried to kiss her while in his office in April 2024.

Buxton also claimed that Wood had given her thousands of dollars in unexpected payments that had come from congregation funds before he had allegedly made advances toward her.

Four presbyters and seven laity filed a formal complaint known as a presentment in response to the allegations leveled against Wood, with an inquiry board investigating the accusations.

Last month, the Most Rev. Ray Sutton released an official letter announcing that Wood was taking a voluntary leave of absence. Sutton was appointed to oversee the archbishop's office for the time being.

"The Provincial staff remains committed to serving the province. They will work to advance the Church's mission and priorities as outlined by Archbishop Wood during his absence," wrote Sutton.

"Please hold all these matters in your prayers. Finally let us keep in mind that God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)."

After Wood voluntarily took a leave of absence, ACNA officials released a Notice of Inhibition suspending Wood from ordained ministry for 60 days "unless extended or otherwise superseded by" church law.

The Right Rev. Julian M. Dobbs, dean of the ACNA Province, stated last month that the suspension "does not determine guilt or innocence, nor does it pre-judge any allegation or future proceeding."

Five senior bishops gave their consent to the inhibition: the Right Rev. Alberto Morales, the Most Rev. Foley Beach, the Right Rev. Eric Menees, the Right Rev. Kenneth Ross and the Right Rev. Clark Lowenfield.
Home News Elon Musk blasts Gavin Newsom for taunting him over trans son: 'Evil woke mind virus'

Elon Musk hit back at Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday after the X account of Newsom's press office taunted the SpaceX CEO over his transgender-identifying son.

"We're sorry your daughter hates you, Elon," Newsom's press account tweeted, along with a video of Newsom boasting about his support for transgender-identifying minors during a recent interview with The New York Times.

"I want to see trans kids," said Newsom, who claimed he has a transgender godson. "There's no governor that's done more pro-trans legislation than I have."

Correct. Were sorry your daughter hates you, Elon. https://t.co/HeJIm5fJMS  Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) December 11, 2025

Musk, whose 21-year-old son Xavier now identifies as a female named Vivian Jenna Wilson, expressed grief in response to Newsom's tweet and attributed his son's gender identity struggles to mental illness and manipulation by figures such as Newsom.

"I assume you're referring to my son, Xavier, who has a tragic mental illness caused by the evil woke mind virus you push on vulnerable children. I love Xavier very much and hope he recovers. My daughters are Azure, Exa (she goes by Y) and Arcadia, and they do indeed love me very much," Musk posted to X. He also labeled Newsom as "cruel" in another tweet.

Musk claimed earlier this year that Xavier was "born gay and slightly autistic," both attributes he noted often underlie gender dysphoria.

"I knew that from when he was about 4 years old and he would pick out clothes for me to wear like a jacket and tell me it was 'fabulous!,' as well as love of musicals & theatre," Musk said at the time. "But he was not a girl."

Xavier Musk has publicly criticized his father, saying that he "doesn't know what I was like as a child because he quite simply wasn't there, and in the little time that he was I was relentlessly harassed for my femininity and queerness."

During a 2024 interview with psychologist Jordan Peterson, Musk claimed his son is effectively "dead" after medical professionals "tricked" him into authorizing his son's chemical transition by threatening that he would otherwise commit suicide. He called for doctors who push such decisions to be imprisoned.

"And so I lost my son, essentially," he told Peterson. "So, you know, they call it 'deadnaming' for a reason, alright? So the reason it's called 'deadnaming' is because your son is dead. So my son, Xavier, is dead, killed by the woke mind virus."

JUST IN: Elon Musk says his son is "dead" thanks to the woke mind virus after he was put on puberty blockers, says he vowed to "destroy the woke mind virus after that."



????????



"I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys... This was before I had pic.twitter.com/wfWztIziTs  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 22, 2024

Musk moved his companies X and SpaceX out of California that year in protest of California's positions on the topic of transing minors, citing a state law that prohibits school districts from requiring teachers to tell parents if their children identify as the opposite sex.

Many users on X expressed outrage at Newsom for the sentiment targeting Musk through his son.

"Sick bastard," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. "Gavin, tell your henchmen to leave kids alone."

"This is raw evil, from a government account. I will do anything I can to stop this cretin from gaining more political power," wrote Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale.

"This is beyond evil. This is the government of the most populous state trampling on a parent of a mentally ill child," wrote activist Chloe Cole, who detransitioned after struggling with gender identity herself. "Rubbing it in his face. The CA government doesn't care about parental rights, they want your child to hate you. They will take your child and transition them."

Independent Women's Forum editor-in-chief and Fox News contributor Kaylee McGhee White discerned that Newsom's tweet indicated the leftist desire to use the transgender issue to destroy families by alienating children from their parents.

"One of the primary motivations of the Left in pushing gender ideology onto children is to divide them from their parents and undercut the family unit. They relish in it and will not stop no matter how many elections they lose," she said.

Theo Wold, who formerly served as deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, echoed McGhee.

"Reminder that the primary reason the left wants to push gender ideology to children is to divide them from their parents, destroy the family unit, and turn kids into loyal foot soldiers for their cultural revolution," he said.
Home News Over 1,000 American pastors vow to stand with Israel after visiting Oct. 7 massacre sites, survivors

Over 1,000 American pastors and Christian influencers pledged to support the Jewish people during a recent tour in Israel, where the delegation laid flowers on the graves of soldiers who died during the Israel-Hamas war and witnessed the impact of the terror groups Oct. 7 massacre.

The Friends of Zion Ambassadors Summit, initiated by the groups founder Mike Evans and organized in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held Dec. 3-7. The multi-day conference trained participants to serve as ambassadors of Israel in their respective communities.

On the last day, participants received their Friends of Zion Ambassadors certificates. By receiving the certificates, attendees declared their commitment to promote Israel, strengthen its global standing and combat antisemitism, according to a press release provided to The Christian Post.

Ronny Raines, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, was among the group of Christian leaders who participated in the trip. Reflecting on his experiences in the Holy Land, the pastor said the trip is one he expects to ponder for the next few weeks.

My time in Israel was inspirational and painful at the same time, Raines told The Christian Post. This was my first time working with Mike Evans and the Friends of Zion.

Im blessed by their compassion and mercy ministries, as they help hurting Jewish people and families.

During the tour, Raines and other participants attended the Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery Ceremony, where they met with bereaved families and left flowers and Israeli flags on the graves of fallen soldiers.

Its a sacred place. Thank God for the many leaders and soldiers who gave their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice, Raines said. We must honor and respect them. The service at that site was meaningful. We heard three eulogies that day. Each speaker was powerful and transparent. God used them to touch our lives.

At one point during their tour, the group met with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, the minister of foreign affairs, the speaker of the Knesset and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee.

The delegation also visited the site of the Nova Music Festival massacre and the communities near the Gaza border where Hamas slaughtered and abducted people on Oct. 7, 2023. Raines and others in the group also met with former hostages and survivors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

I visited a Kibbutz near Gaza, the pastor said. I saw the burned houses and walked into residences where innocent people lost their lives. I met one of the survivors from that community. He felt his life was spared that morning in order to tell their stories.

God calls us to stand with hurting people, he continued. The people of Israel are fearfully and wonderfully made. We must pray and support them.

Raines was invited by evangelist and Student Leadership University founder Jay Strack, but this wasnt his first time in the Holy Land. The pastor leads trips to Israel every couple of years and expressed interest in visiting again.

As Raines explained, most of the tours he leads through Israel focus on biblical sites. While the trip with the summit attendees included visits to various holy sites, such as the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the delegation also met people and visited locations that helped participants better understand antisemitism.

According to Raines, he is considering leading his next tour group through some of the new sites he visited during his latest trip to the Holy Land, including the music festival site. He also encouraged his fellow pastors to lead tours through Israel.

I see tours to Israel as a discipleship journey. You help people experience the land of the Bible, meaning you influence the way people read and study Gods Word, he said. Its priceless to read a story in the Bible, knowing that youve spent time in that sacred place.


Home News Pakistans Parliament passes law establishing commission to focus on minority rights 3 Christians, 3 Hindus, 1 Sikh, 1 Bahai, 1 Parsee and 2 Muslim human rights experts will investigate rights violations

Quick Summary AI Summary Pakistan's Parliament passed the National Commission for Minorities Rights Bill 2025.

Three Hindus  two from lower caste backgrounds  three Christians, one Sikh, one Bahai, one Parsee and two Muslim human rights experts will investigate minority rights violations.

Critics argue the law limits the commission's investigative powers, raising concerns about its effectiveness. An artificial intelligence-powered tool created this summary based on the source article. The summary has undergone review and verification by an editor. See Summary

Pakistans parliament has approved long-delayed legislation to establish a National Commission for Minorities Rights, a move welcomed as a step toward protecting non-Muslim communities, including Christians, but criticized by rights advocates for stripping the body of key investigative and enforcement powers.

The National Commission for Minorities Rights Bill 2025 was passed Dec. 2 with a majority vote during a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate, clearing the way for the creation of a government-appointed commission to monitor minority rights and advise authorities. However, the revised law removes provisions that would have allowed the commission to initiate inquiries or summon officials  changes that have prompted concerns about its independence and effectiveness.

Under the new law, an 18-member commission comprising three Hindus  two from lower caste backgrounds  three Christians, one Sikh, one Bahai, one Parsee and two Muslim human rights experts will investigate minority rights violations, monitor policy implementation, and advise government departments on minority welfare.

Each of the four provinces will nominate a representative from its human rights or minorities department, along with one minority member from Islamabad. Appointments will be made by Pakistans prime minister for three-year terms.

The revised legislation, however, strips the commission of the authority to summon witnesses, inspect detention centers, or initiate inquiries on its own  powers included in the earlier May 12 bill which was sent back to the Parliament by President Asif Ali Zardari for a wider discussion and review after some parliamentarians and the government objected to granting of suo motu powers to the body.

Opposition parties, particularly the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), caused a ruckus in the House when Federal Minister for Law and Human Rights, Azam Nazeer Tarar, tabled the bill for a vote.

Addressing the session, Tarar said, neither the law and the Constitution, nor our conscience allows us to make a proposal that contradicts the Quran and Sunnah.

He said four amendments were suggested to the original draft of the bill, and they had been incorporated into the proposed legislation. The revised bill was ultimately supported by 160 members, with 79 voting against it.

Saying that minorities were defined as non-Muslims in the Constitution, Tarar said, This is a commission for non-Muslims. Our Hindu, Christian and Parsi brothers are as good of Pakistanis as we are.

The minister recalled that a 2014 Supreme Court judgement by former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Tassaduq Hussain Jilani, called for the creation of a commission for minorities.

According to Article 75(2) of the Constitution, the legislation will now be referred back to the president. The provision states that the president shall give his assent within 10 days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) welcomed the passage of the bill in a post on X.

Noting that the legislative debate and amendments reflected some political friction, we intend to review the bill closely but emphasize that the proposed commission must protect all religious minorities equally, without exception or hierarchy, the HRCP wrote.

Moreover, its mandate and powers must align strictly with constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion or belief and nondiscrimination for all minority citizens, it stated.
Home News UMC pushes back on reported plan to 'geotarget' Texas churchgoers with pro-Israel messaging Spokesperson slams 'dangerous campaign' set to roll out at over a dozen UMC churches statewide

A United Methodist Church official is pushing back against a controversial geofencing plan to target churchgoers in Texas and other states with messaging from an organization acting as an agent of the state of Israel.

A Foreign Agents Registration Act filing in September that The Christian Post reported on earlier this year shows more than 200 churches in Texas are listed in a plan by California-based nonprofit Show Faith by Works to use geolocation technology to send targeted messages to churchgoers mobile devices.

In all, 465 churches were identified in the FARA filing by Show Faith by Works, which identified itself as an agent of Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of a deal to launch a $4.1 million marketing campaign targeting Christian communities in the western United States.

In response to the campaign, Colleen Moore, the director of Peace With Justice at the UMC General Board of Church and Society, told CP the outreach is part of a dangerous campaign that undermines efforts to educate United Methodists about the situation in the Holy Land.

Moore also warned that targeting United Methodist churches with anti-Palestinian ads explicitly goes against our Social Principles that encourage dialogue and responsible political action.

These ads would obscure the real situation on the ground, the continued Israeli bombardment of Gaza and the ensuing humanitarian crisis, as well as the displacement and continued settler violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Moore said.

While Moore declined to comment specifically on how UMC churches would engage their congregations on the topic, she said they are recommending any churches that are geo-targeted by the campaign to consider the Social Principles and resolutions of the Church which encourage United Methodists to read about the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis, study the conflict from all perspectives, and engage in interfaith and ecumenical dialogue on nonviolent ways to promote justice and peace in the Holy Land.

Show Faith by Works' messaging will include talking points to combat low American Evangelical Christian approval of the Nation of Israel and increase awareness of Palestinian ties to Hamas and support for terrorism, according to the September filing.

In addition to targeted geofencing, the outreach initiative includes plans to create a mobile museum to display at churches, Christian colleges, and Christian events, as well as equip pastors and social media influencers to increase positive associations with the Nation of Israel while linking the Palestinian population with extremist factions, the filing stated.

While the churches are concentrated in three states  Colorado, Nevada and Texas  the FARA filing shows 250 targeted locations in Texas, far outpacing Colorado (24) and Nevada (14).

As expected, most of the Texas targets are located in major metropolitan areas like Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and others, and include a number of prominent Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist, non-denominational and megachurches in the state, such as Lakewood Church in Houston, The Potters House in Dallas, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano and Gateway Church in Southlake.

In addition to some of Texas most well-known churches, more than a dozen United Methodist Church congregations are named in the filing as well, including The Woodlands UMC, Highland Park UMC, University UMC in San Antonio, Grace Fellowship UMC in Katy and Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston.

CP reached out to several Dallas-area UMC churches for further comment Thursday. This story will be updated if a response is received.

Despite its multi-million-dollar price tag, the Show Faith by Works campaign is just one of several foreign-agent registrations in recent weeks linked to Israels Foreign Ministry.

Among them is Brad Parscale, former campaign manager for President Trump, who registered Clocktower X LLC as a foreign agent hired by the state of Israel on Sept. 18 to create digital outreach campaigns targeting antisemitism as part of a $6 million contract.
Netflix LGBT Kids Content, DEI Antisemitism Warning, White House Defends FDA Commissioner

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 06:47 06:47

Top headlines for Friday, December 12, 2025

In this episode, a Concerned Women for America report reveals that 41% of G-rated kids shows on Netflix include LGBT content, StopAntisemitism warns that DEI initiatives are fueling antisemitism on college campuses, and the White House defends FDA Commissioner Marty Makary despite growing calls for his removal from pro-life advocates.

00:11 Netflix's promotion of LGBT themes to kids 'pervasive': report

01:06 DEI is 'primary vehicle' for antisemitism, watchdog warns

02:03 White House dismisses pro-lifers' calls to fire FDA commissioner

02:51 Erika Kirk cites Nehemiah to push back against conspiracies

03:40 Jordan Peterson's daughter asks for prayers amid heath concerns

04:26 Grace Community Church mourns murder of Jubilant Sykes

05:08 Franklin Graham: Samaritans Purse pilot told hijacker God loves
Home Opinion The Christian life is a long and dangerous journey

There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan  C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections

In 1942, amid the thunder of falling bombs and the fractured silence of moral collapse across Europe, C.S. Lewis released a strange little book: a fictional collection of letters from a senior demon to his younger apprentice. The Screwtape Letters did not seem, at first, like a natural success. It was not inspirational. It was not doctrinal in the traditional sense. It offered no overt spiritual comfort. What it offered instead was a glimpse behind enemy lines  a dark mirror in which the Christian could see himself. And in that mirror, Lewis revealed what many had forgotten: that the Christian life is war, and the battlefield is the soul.

The brilliance of Lewiss vision lies not in grand revelations but in everyday spiritual formation. The enemys goal is not to lead the patient into dramatic sin, but to keep him spiritually asleep  bored with church, proud of his own humility, distracted by politics, enamored with shallow romance, skeptical of suffering, and indifferent to prayer. Screwtape aims not to destroy faith in a single blow, but to choke it through clutter. Every letter is a small lesson of how spiritual formation happens  not primarily in spectacular victories or defeats, but in a thousand daily choices of thought, habit, and heart.

That is why The Screwtape Letters remains enduringly relevant. Because discipleship  the real, lifelong process of being conformed to Christ  is shaped and tested in the ordinary. And because spiritual warfare is not reserved for the battlefields edge, it unfolds in kitchens, classrooms, offices, and pews. Lewis knew this. He crafted a book that was not merely clever but pastoral. Beneath the irony and satire is a fierce love for the soul and a deep concern for the Church. The Christian life, as Lewis shows, is not an abstract idea or a weekend hobby. It is a long and dangerous journey toward glory, undertaken in enemy territory, where every day we are either drawing nearer to God or drifting away from him.

Understanding The Screwtape Letters: Context and content

When The Screwtape Letters was published in 1942, Britain was in the midst of World War II. The nation had endured the Blitz, lived under the constant threat of invasion, and was grappling with widespread suffering, fear, and loss.

At the time, Lewis was gaining a national audience through his BBC radio talks, which would later be compiled into Mere Christianity. His voice resonated in a culture increasingly marked by secularism, skepticism, and the waning influence of traditional Christianity. The Screwtape Letters confronted these shifts with wit and theological insight, using the fictional correspondence of a senior demon to reveal how distraction, pride, and spiritual apathy thrive under the guise of normal life. Lewiss blend of satire, theology, and imaginative apologetics offered both cultural critique and spiritual counsel for an anxious and war-weary generation.

The book consists of 31 fictional letters from Screwtape, a senior demon, to his inexperienced nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter assigned to a newly converted Christian referred to simply as the patient. Through Screwtapes cynical and condescending voice, we receive a profoundly insightful (and often painfully accurate) depiction of the tactics used by spiritual forces to derail Christian faith and formation.

What makes the book so powerful is Lewiss use of inverted theology. Screwtape refers to God as the Enemy and describes Christian virtues like humility, chastity, and love with disgust. This reverse perspective forces the reader to think theologically from the underside. We are invited to observe the Christian life not through idealism, but through the lens of spiritual opposition. And in doing so, we begin to recognize the subtlety of temptation  not merely in evil acts, but in distorted desires, habits, and loves.

Screwtape warns Wormwood not to rely on dramatic sins. He encourages small, slow erosion: encouraging the patient to critique sermons more than apply them; to pray with vague emotion rather than honest confession; to fixate on the faults of fellow church members; to idolize comfort and security; to spiritualize political commitments while forgetting the Gospel. As such, The Screwtape Letters is not a handbook on demonic activity  its a mirror reflecting the fragile journey of discipleship in a fallen world.

Theologically, the book is saturated with Lewiss understanding of sanctification. Though he was not writing a systematic theology, Lewiss vision is biblical: the Christian life is a process of being conformed to Christ through the ordinary and the difficult, through suffering, community, repentance, and obedience. Screwtapes fury rises when the patient grows spiritually without feeling anything, when he resists temptation quietly, or when he prays sincerely even in doubt. For Lewis, these are the marks of true discipleship.

Moreover, the book ends not with a spectacular display of spiritual victory, but with death  the moment Screwtape calls the Enemys territory. And yet it is here that the patient finds peace. He is received into glory, not because of his strength, but because he was kept. He persevered, haltingly but truly, and the devils lost their grip.

This is what makes The Screwtape Letters such a compelling book for modern discipleship. It is not a fantasy. It is realism cloaked in fiction. It names what we often ignore: that every Christian is in a battle, not just against external pressures, but internal drift. That our minds and hearts are constantly being formed  and that intentional, grace-shaped discipleship is the only true resistance.

A portrait of the disciple in process

The patient, the anonymous man at the heart of the Screwtape Letters, is not a spiritual hero. He is not a martyr, mystic, or visionary. He is not a saint whose life will one day be inscribed in stained glass. He is, by all appearances, unremarkable. And that is precisely what makes him powerful. Because he is us.

Lewis chose not to give the patient a name, not to render him extraordinary, but to present him as an everyman  a composite of countless believers stumbling forward in the Christian life. He is converted early in the story, begins attending church, prays (though inconsistently), and tries to live a moral life. But he is often confused. He struggles with lust, pride, fear, laziness, and spiritual dryness. His affections are mixed. His motives are unclear. His convictions are under pressure. He is influenced by culture, friendships, intellectual fads, and personal pain. And yet, through all of this, something real is taking shape in him. He is being discipled  not in a programmatic or institutional sense, but in the formative spiritual sense. His life is being shaped  either conformed to Christ or deformed by the world.

Screwtapes instructions provide a sinister curriculum of anti-discipleship. His aim is not to destroy the patient in one fell swoop, but to keep him from ever growing. He trains Wormwood to encourage complacency, to exploit emotion, to nurture passivity. As he would say, Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one  the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts (Screwtape, Letter 12). Therefore, Screwtape wants to distort the patients view of prayer by making it self-focused. He corrupts humility by making the patient proud of being humble. He even turns the church into a source of irritation  amplifying the hypocrisy of others, magnifying social differences, and dulling spiritual vitality through routine.

And yet, what frustrates Screwtape most is that the patient begins to change  not dramatically, but genuinely. He begins to obey even when it doesnt feel good. He repents without self-justification. He turns to God even in the absence of spiritual comfort. These are the moments when Screwtapes grip weakens. For in these quiet acts of obedience, the patient is maturing. He is being sanctified  not in glory, but in grit.

His perseverance is not impressive by worldly standards. It is not dramatic. It is not even very visible. It is fragile. But it is real. He keeps praying. He keeps going to church. He keeps confessing. He keeps walking. And by the end of the letters, when death arrives, it is not terror but triumph. He is welcomed into the presence of Christ  not because he achieved greatness, but because grace held him fast. He does not enter as a spiritual celebrity, but as a disciple. And that is enough.

This is what makes The Screwtape Letters so powerful, especially today. It does not present the Christian life in airbrushed, heroic tones. It paints in gray, in struggle, in quiet faith. It acknowledges doubt, temptation, exhaustion, and sin  and still insists that God is at work in the midst of it all. It reminds us that discipleship is not reserved for the strong. It is for the weak who cling to grace. It is for the anxious who return to Christ. It is for the tired who do not give up. In other words, it is for us.

The patients story is not one of spiritual excellence. It is one of faithfulness. And in the end, that is what sanctification looks like: slow, costly, ordinary, and beautiful. The story of the patient assures us that discipleship is possible  not just for the exceptional, but for everyone who says, Lord, I believe  help my unbelief.

Discipleship and spiritual warfare

Why this pairing  discipleship and spiritual warfare?

Because the Christian life is not a neutral journey of self-improvement. It is a war of allegiance. To follow Christ is to step into a contested space. It is to be claimed by grace and hunted by the enemy. It is to walk, daily, with Jesus through trials, temptations, sufferings, and small victories  learning how to pray, how to love, how to resist, how to persevere. And Lewis, through the inverted logic of his demons, teaches us how the enemy works so we might learn how grace prevails.

Lewis knew that war was not always dramatic. Often, it is dull. The weapons of Hell are not always violence and chaos, but boredom, distraction, resentment, pride, spiritual apathy. The Screwtape Letters shows us how Hell wages war not by overpowering believers, but by slowly numbing them  pulling them away from the truth one small compromise at a time. The patient does not fall with a crash, but with a drift. That insight, I believe, makes Lewis a great guide for discipleship in the modern era.

In an age that trivializes evil, dismisses the supernatural, and reduces Christianity to therapy, Lewiss vision is a bracing corrective. The Screwtape Letters reminds us that the Christian life is contested ground. The enemy prefers distraction to disbelief, complacency to confrontation, cynicism to courage. But the Gospel reminds us of a greater truth: Christ has triumphed. His death disarmed the powers, His resurrection secured their defeat, and His Spirit equips His Church to endure. To be a disciple is to live as a soldier in this reality: resisting temptation, reordering love, and persevering with the Church until the end.

Originally published at The Worldview Newsletter Bulletin.
As AI accelerates job transformation, INE supports organizations reallocating Q4 budgets to experiential, performance-driven upskilling.

With 90% of organizations facing critical skills gaps (ISC2) and AI reshaping job roles across cybersecurity, cloud, and IT operations, enterprises are rapidly reallocating L&D budgets toward hands-on training that delivers measurable, real-world performance. INE is uniquely positioned to support this shift, helping organizations invest their end-of-year budgets in scalable labs, simulations, and immersive learning experiences that strengthen workforce readiness ahead of 2026.

As organizations prepare for 2026, L&D teams are under pressure to justify spend with measurable outcomes. Traditional e-learning continues to grow, but enterprise buyers are shifting their dollars toward hands-on, performance-based training, where they see faster time-to-competency, higher retention, and clearer ROI. This is especially true in highly technical disciplines like cybersecurity, cloud, and IT operations, where real-world proficiency directly affects business resilience.

End-of-Year Budgets Are Fueling a Shift Toward Experiential Learning

With Q4 spend-down deadlines approaching, organizations are increasingly using remaining budget to invest in solutions that deliver immediate operational value. Certification-only programs, long a staple of enterprise L&D, struggle to address the speed and complexity of current technology industry demands.

Hands-on learning has become the preferred model for both learners and business leaders. The LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report notes that 74% of employees prefer experiential, hands-on learning over passive methods. This shift reflects a broader recognition: enterprises need training that shortens onboarding time, builds confidence, and prepares employees for real scenariosnot just exams.

INE enables organizations to direct their end-of-year budgets toward:

Real-world labs and simulations

Immersive, scenario-based learning

Skills pathways tied to practical performance

Adaptive training powered by AI

Continuously updated content aligned to emerging threats and technologies

L&D leaders want training that improves readiness on day one, said Lindsey Rinehart, Chief Executive Officer at INE. End-of-year budgets are increasingly being deployed toward experiential learning because the impact is immediate, measurable, and directly tied to workforce performance.

Skills Gaps Are Intensifying Demand for Hands-On Training

The global skills shortage has become one of the costliest operational risks organizations face, contributing to increased incidents, slower remediation, and rising burnout across technical teams. Research from IBM shows that skills gaps contribute to 82% of security breaches, underscoring the need for training methods that build real-world capabilitynot just theoretical understanding.

Hands-on learning has proven to be the most reliable solution. Practice-based training delivers up to 75% knowledge retention (Learning Pyramid / LinkedIn Learning analysis), compared to just 520% for lecture- or video-based programs, and can reduce time-to-competency by as much as 45%. These outcomes make immersive training essential for closing skills gaps quickly and sustainably.

AI Adoption Is Accelerating the Move Toward Practice-First Learning

AI-driven corporate training is expanding rapidly across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, with strong growth projected through 2033 (LinkedIn Market Forecast). As AI transforms workflows, enterprises require training systems that adapt to learner proficiency, evaluate real-world performance, and continuously assess skills readiness.

INEs platform aligns directly with these demands, delivering dynamic hands-on labs, intelligent analytics, and performance-based insights that organizations can scale globally.

INE Positioned to Support 2026 Workforce Needs

As organizations finalize their 2026 workforce development strategies, INE offers a proven, experiential training platform built to reduce operational risk and accelerate skills development. By directing end-of-year budgets toward hands-on training with INE, enterprises can:

Reduce ramp-up time for technical teams

Validate skills with measurable, performance-based analytics

Increase workforce readiness and resilience

Support continuous upskilling for emerging technologies

Deploy scalable, real-world training globally

Enterprises that invest their remaining Q4 budgets into hands-on, performance-driven learning will enter 2026 with stronger teams and significantly improved operational readiness, said Rinehart.

INE Enterprise enables companies to turn training investments into measurable performance gains that directly support business resilience and growth.

About INE Security

INE Security is the premier provider of online networking and cybersecurity training and certification. Harnessing a powerful hands-on lab platform, cutting-edge technology, a global video distribution network, and world-class instructors, INE Security is the top training choice for Fortune 500 companies worldwide for cybersecurity training in business and for IT professionals looking to advance their careers. INE Securitys suite of learning paths offers an incomparable depth of expertise across cybersecurity and is committed to delivering advanced technical training while also lowering the barriers worldwide for those looking to enter and excel in an IT career.

Contact

Chief Marketing Officer

Kim Lucht

INE

[email protected]
Bookings have opened for ELEVATE 2026, which will take place on 11 March 2026 at the Royal College of Physicians in London.

Created in partnership with Fundraising Magazine, Civil Society Medias event will open with a panel discussing the brands, movements, and technologies that are disrupting traditional fundraising models and shaking up fundraising practices.

Confirmed panellists for events over the rest of the day include Chris Jarrett, director of fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK; Ben Austwick, gaming partnerships manager at Great Ormond Street and Rachel Henderson, digital fundraising manager at CoppaFeel!

ELEVATE incorporates four streams that explore funding and partnerships: leadership and strategy; cutting-edge campaigns and communications; disruption and innovation; and tech trailblazers. The conference will provide you with practical tips and insight to help effectively prepare for whatever the future might have in store.

The event will be chaired by the editor of Fundraising Magazine, Stephen Cotterill, and close with a keynote speech from Emma Lawton, co-founder of event building organisation More Human.

It will provide delegates with the opportunity to listen to expert speakers from across the sector while networking with professionals from fellow charities.

Fundraising Magazine subscribers can purchase a ticket for as little as 99 by booking before 19 December, while non-subscribers can do so for 150.

With super early bird prices, you can pick up a charity team ticket of up to four places for 450 + VAT. For full details of the pricing and programme, visit the ELEVATE event page.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter.

It was Mr. Wongs turn to pick his granddaughter up from school that day. But shortly after he left his apartment, at the Wang Fuk Court complex in Hong Kong, flames burst from the tower where he and his wife lived. My wife is inside! he screamed, pointing toward the fire.

There to capture Wongs anguish was Tyrone Siu, a Pulitzer-winning photographer from Reuters. Siu had just pulled up to the scene, and he quickly took a series of striking shots of the building aflame. But the one that stands out is of Wong, seventy-one, whose face is racked by the pain of a man powerless to save his wife. It was, as noted in the Sunday Long Read, the rare photo that captures the emotion of an event and the event itself in the same frame.

Wong, who gave Reuters only his surname, knew better than most how dangerous this building was. A certified electrician and plumber, he had long harbored concerns about the Styrofoam boards that covered windows and the mesh outside his unitboth of which are now seen as accelerants for the fire, which killed at least one hundred and sixty people.

Wongs son said that his dad managed to call his mother shortly after the flames erupted. They had a short conversation that lasted about a minute. Moments later, she disappeared. She remains unaccounted for.

Its a picture that tells you everything straight away, Siu said. No matter where you are from in the world, you can feel what Mr. Wong is feeling, the helplessness and the pain.

Here is what President Trump has said to or about various women reporters in the past month:

Quiet, piggy.

A terrible person and terrible reporter.

Ugly, both inside and out.

A stupid person.

Stupid and nasty.

I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of.

Obnoxiousactually, a terrible reporter.

Here is what White House reporters then said to the president about his insults:

Yes, we know, journalists are told never to make themselves part of the story. But what should they do when someone, particularly the president of the United States, makes them part of the story?

The most recent example: At a press briefing in the White House on Monday, ABC Newss Rachel Scott wanted to know whether Trump would release the video of the double-strike attack on the two shipwrecked survivors in the Caribbean.

Scott said, Mr. President, you said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2 off the coast of Venezuela.

Trump responded, I didnt say that. You said that. I didnt say that. This is ABC fake news.

And yet Scott persisted: Are you committing to releasing the full video?

Thats when Trump lost it: Youre the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place. Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxiousa terrible, actually, a terrible reporter, and its always the same thing with you.

And that was where the matter died. The next questions were about midterm elections, fertilizer prices, Obamacare premiums, and this doozy: If you had one Christmas wish for America besides making American farmers great again, what would it be?

What is a White House press corps to do? Its complicated, especially as its ranks are increasingly filled with personalities from sycophantic outlets, so we wouldnt expect pushback from them. And this isnt to suggest that Scotts fellow reporters should do a performative outrage routine.

But the next time this happens, legitimate journalists ought to pose a perfectly legitimate question. Scotts efforts should have been the springboard for more detailed follow-ups. Something like, Just to make sure we have this right, Mr. President: Five days ago, you said this about the video: I dont know what they have, but whatever they have wed certainly release, no problem. Thats the exact quote that Rachel Scott was just referring to. Are you now backtracking from that? And if the president goes nuclear again, the next reporter can ask, Im trying to clarify which position youre taking, the one from last week where you said youd release the video, or the one today where youve hedged?

Journalists like to proclaim their solidarity with one another, usually at gala fundraising dinners, or during panels in the lecture halls of schools like the one where I teach, Columbia University. But most of our audience will never see those events. What they do see are press briefings where reporters are expected to ask hard questions and follow up when officials weave and dodge. They can show true solidaritywith one another, and with the publicby pushing forward with the newsworthy questions that they have every right to ask.

If that means they also get roasted by the president, they can proudly show that video to their grandchildren someday.

You might remember the headlines when the story broke, back in June of 2022. More than fifty migrants were found dead inside a tractor trailer near San Antonio, having perished from the intense heat and lack of oxygen. Were not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there, the citys fire chief told reporters at the scene.

It took more than two years of reporting, but Elliott Woods has written the definitive account of this tragedy, in a story copublished by the Food & Environment Reporting Network and Texas Monthly. After many months of sleuthing, Woods tracked down one of the eleven survivors, Begai Santiago Hipolito. Begai, along with his brother Mariano, had decided to make the journey to the US from Mexico despite the misgivings of his wife, Mari. When he told her of his plans, she responded: You could fall into the hands of bad people, and they could hurt you. Then what would I do?

US immigration agents failed to detect the brothers and dozens of others as they crossed the border. In short order, they were ferried by smugglers into a fetid stash house in southern Texas before being herded into the tractor trailer. The group included two Guatemalan kids, ages thirteen and fourteen, as well as a fifty-five-year-old construction worker from Mexico.

The trailer was supposed to have refrigeration to keep the immigrants safe, but the unit was malfunctioning. The temperature inside soared as high as a hundred and forty degrees. Woods describes the horror: As extreme dehydration set in, they ceased sweating, their skin becoming hot to the touch. Electrolyte depletion can trigger a range of symptoms: muscle cramps, brain swelling, nausea, loss of coordination, delirium, and seizures. Then, as their body temperatures climbed above 105 degrees, their cells began to die and their organs began to fail. Their final moments before slipping out of consciousness were agonizing.

Somehow, Begai survived, and his wife was given a short-term visa to visit him in a US hospital. Here is how Woods described the scene when they met:

In the hallway, Mari heard Begais voice before she saw him, and she recognized the words immediately: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Begai was reciting Psalm 91:1, which they both knew by heart. She wiped a tear from her cheek and listened for a moment. Steadying herself, she slipped into the room, where she saw Begai with his head covered in bandages. An intricate web of wires and tubes connected his limbs to blinking machines and bags of fluid. His face was pale and sad, and he looked to Mari as if hed aged many years.

Someone came to visit you, the nurse said. Do you know who this is?

Begai looked up. Forgive me, were his first words to Mari. I didnt listen to you.

As Theodore Ross said in an editors note, the stress and fatigue have been formidable for Woods, as was the fear that he wouldnt be able to tell the story in the way it deserved. Elliott was nearly two years into his work before he found Begai. Without him, we never get into the truck, and the story, while still powerful, would not be the same.

We all love our news pegs, but sometimes, the best stories stem from years-old headlines. In our trigger-happy news environment, its great to see a reporter like Woods get the time and support to give us the details that werent available when the story broke.

Hat tip to Paul Farhi for his countdown of the reporters Trump has insulted. If you have a suggestion for this column, please send it to laurelsanddarts@cjr.org. We cant acknowledge all submissions, but we will mention you if we use your idea. For more on Laurels and Darts, please click here. To receive this and other CJR newsletters in your inbox, please click here.
Alphabet unit Waymo recalled 3,067 of its vehicles in the United States over a software issue which was fixed through an update, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday.

The company had recalled certain vehicles with the 5th generation automated driving systems (ADS) operating with software that caused vehicles to drive past stopped school buses, increasing the risk of a crash, the regulator said.

Waymo updated the software and all impacted vehicles were repaired by November 17, the NHTSA said.

Waymo said last week that it would issue a recall for its self-driving vehicles after Texas officials said the vehicles illegally passed school buses at least 19 times since the start of the school year.

Waymo said at the time that a software issue contributed to self-driving vehicles initially slowing or stopping for a school bus and then proceeding and added that the company will continue to track and implement more updates as needed.

The NHTSA, which opened a probe into Waymo vehicles in October, has asked the self-driving car company to answer questions about the Texas incidents by January 20.

(Reporting by Khanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)
The company that makes one of the two most widely used brands of formula for premature babies is threatening to stop. That is, unless U.S. health officials and Congress help protect it from lawsuits related to infant deaths allegedly tied to its product.

Its a warning that holds particular power over policy makers and legislators whove become acutely aware of the fragility of a baby formula market thats been mired in recent scandals. The biggest players in the market have struggled with shortages in recent years, and a popular upstart is under scrutiny for a botulism outbreak.

Related: ByHeart Botulism Outbreak May Date Back Two Years, CDC Says

At the heart of the lawsuits is a bowel disease that kills one premature baby every day in the U.S.

Hundreds of claims working their way through the courts allege that Abbott Laboratories failed to warn consumers that its specialty formula and fortifiers for preemies heighten the chances of developing necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, which causes the intestinal tissue of the tiniest babies to inflame and die. At least one jury has agreed with those claims, ordering the company last year to pay $500 million to a family who alleged their baby girl suffered NEC-associated brain damage after she ingested the formula.

Abbott has maintained that there is nothing in the current research to back up the allegations its facing in court. Numerous studies and NEC authorities have made clear that preterm infant formula does not cause NEC, Abbott spokesperson Scott Stoffel said in a statement. Its the absence of human milk that increases NEC risk rather than anything harmful in formula  a product thats been helping infants thrive and survive for nearly 50 years.

The medical community doesnt fully understand what causes NEC, though it does know that babies who receive breast milk are at a much lower risk of developing it than those who are given cows milk-based formula.

Facing potentially billions of dollars in legal costs, Abbott is throwing everything it has at the issue. Chief Executive Officer Robert Ford last year warned that the company may be forced to pull its preemie formula off the market. Since then, Abbott has invested millions in lobbying lawmakers, according to disclosure forms and other federal records compiled by Bloomberg.

Related: Abbott, Reckitt Face New Trial Over Premature Infant Formula

The company also has proposed transferring control of the sales and distribution of its preterm formula to the federal government to keep it on the market, Abbott told Bloomberg News in a statement.

More recently, it has taken its case straight to Congress to press for a law that would throw out all pending suits and shield it from any future ones, according to lobbying disclosures and congressional staff familiar with the companys efforts.

Abbotts preemie products, which are sold under the Similac brand, bring in only several million dollars a year but they threaten to become a liability for the $218 billion company  settlements could cost formula makers collectively as much as $4 billion, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts estimate. On every earnings call with investors this year, Ford has been asked about the NEC litigation.

What Abbott is doing is saying Lets protect us or well walk away from the market,' said Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. They hurt families either way. Its a power play.

Abbott is ready to work with anyone committed to following the science and medical experts to ensure continued access to these products, Stoffel said.

At the same time, the company has received numerous complaints alleging a connection between its products and NEC-related injuries and deaths, Abbott officials admitted during legal proceedings. The company said it investigates all NEC complaints. In all cases, Abbott concluded there is no such connection, according to depositions viewed by Bloomberg of Courtney Colombo, Abbotts director of postmarketing medical safety and surveillance, and Fabrizis Suarez, former medical director at Abbott.

What Abbott is doing is saying Lets protect us or well walk away from the market.'

While the FDA requires formula manufacturers to maintain records of all complaints and their investigations, they do not need to submit such reports to the agency.

The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that the FDA reviews Abbotts adverse event reports as part of its inspections of its facilities.

Anika Hunte says her son Aries-Reign Peterson was thriving and growing for several weeks on her breast milk after his premature birth on Jan. 30, 2018, according to her complaint filed in a lawsuit against the hospital where he was born. Shes also suing Abbott.

The lawsuit claims his health began to decline the same day he was given Similac preterm formula and continued to worsen after doctors added a Similac fortifier to the combination. Aries-Reign was diagnosed with NEC and though he clung to life support for some time, he died on April 18, 2018.

Although Abbott promotes an aggressive marketing campaign designed to make parents believe that Neosure is safe and necessary for growth of a premature infant, the product is in fact extremely dangerous for premature infants, Hunte alleges in the complaint she filed in her lawsuit against Abbott.

Abbott promotes (and never competes with) human milk as the first choice for preterm infant nutrition, Stoffel said.

While a wealth of research supports the idea that human milk can protect preemies against NEC, no one has figured out why that is, said Tarah Colaizy, a professor of pediatrics and neonatology at the University of Iowa. She led a study published last year showing donor milk reduces the risk of NEC 50% when breast milk isnt available for preterm babies. At the same time, even preemies who only receive breast milk can develop NEC.

We need to know, what is it about not giving human milk that increases risk, Colaizy said. Is it a component in the formula? Theres not as much research about how other things might be negative or toxic.

The Influence Campaign

Abbotts influence campaign started in July 2024, just days before it received the $500 million verdict. In just a few sentences, CEO Ford set off a panic among public health officials.

The decision to pull a product is not an easy one, Ford said in an interview with CNBCs Jim Cramer. But if the science and data arent respected, he said, then yeah, we have to think about at least what is the implication of removing a product.

He called on public health officials and others concerned about premature babies to take action, though he didnt specify what could be done. Within several days of his comments, Ford met with then-FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and another top agency official, according to a record of meetings held by the agencys leadership.

Three months later, a scientific consensus emerged in Abbotts favor. The National Institutes of Health, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a joint statement saying: There is no conclusive evidence that preterm infant formula causes NEC.

The statement was based on a report the health agencies had commissioned from a working group of researchers, neonatologists and NEC experts in the wake of Fords comments. Abbott sought to use the report in its legal defense as many of the cases move collectively through pre-trial deliberations.

Plaintiffs lawyers suspected Abbott influenced the report, according to court documents. There are a lot of signs that some inappropriate things went on, one of the attorneys argued before the judge in July 2025.

When they sought internal company communications about it, Abbott withdrew its request to use the report at trial to end distractions and delays it said the plaintiffs attorneys had created, according to company spokesperson Stoffel.

Abbott had no role in the working groups membership, deliberations, drafting, or conclusions, Stoffel said.

A person familiar with the working groups process whos not authorized to speak about the deliberations said the report was ghostwritten by nonprofit research organization RTI International, but the report didnt disclose RTIs role.

The decision to pull a product is not an easy one.

RTI has a relationship with Abbott  it lists the formula maker as a client of its division that helps companies with research and development.

An RTI spokesperson said it did not contract with Abbott in 2024. RTI researchers did not have conflicts of interest when they worked on the report, the spokesperson said.

The NIH said it requires all collaborators to adhere to its financial conflict of interest policies and disclose any competing interests.

The working groups report focused heavily on evidence that human milk from mothers or donors is protective, reducing the risk of NEC up to 50% compared to preterm formula.

Even some people who were part of the working group say the conclusion could be confusing. We say the absence of mothers milk causes NEC, said Lisa Stellwagen, a working group member and president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. I dont agree with that terminology because its not clear and minimizes the role of other potential factors, she said.

Half a dozen working group members Bloomberg spoke to said more research is needed to determine the causes of NEC.

Courtney Weymouth says she wishes she had been warned of the alleged risks of formula for preemies when she gave birth to her son Brent in September 2024. He arrived 16 weeks early, weighed just 1 pound 10 ounces and faced a host of serious health issues. In the hospital, Brent was given Weymouths breastmilk plus a cows milk-based fortifier to help him grow. He grappled with NEC multiple times, leading surgeons to remove more than half of his intestines. He survived but must be hooked up to tubes in his crib 12 hours a day to receive his nutrition.

She doesnt know what brand he received, but both Abbott and the other major preemie formula maker, Reckitt Benckiser Group, are facing lawsuits.

I think if the formula is causing babies to get NEC, that the companies should be liable for that, Weymouth said. Its changed our lives.

Seeking a Shield

Abbotts efforts to arm itself against the litigation picked up momentum earlier this year when lawmakers proposed legislation that would protect it and Reckitt from lawsuits. In March, Representative Diana Harshbarger, a Tennessee Republican, introduced a bill that would grant formula makers a liability shield and throw out current lawsuits. In June, a related amendment directing the FDA to examine and ensure the availability of preterm infant formula moved forward in a House committee, though it wasnt included in the latest spending package deal to end the government shutdown.

Abbott has a history of safety concerns, said DeLauro, the top Democrat on the committee, referring to contamination at the companys Michigan plant that led to nationwide shortages. The facility shut down for nearly four months after babies who ingested the companys formula became ill and two died.

Now this is really stunning that they want Congress to bail them out, she said.

The company is following a playbook largely pioneered by the firearm industry, said Jennifer Pomeranz, a lawyer and assistant professor who leads the Public Health Policy Research Lab at New York University.

In the 1990s, gun makers were held liable for firearm-related deaths in multiple key lawsuits. They were able to successfully push passage of a law giving the gun industry legal immunity, said Pomeranz, who has testified on behalf of plaintiffs in the NEC lawsuits.

Abbott is also taking a cue from vaccine makers whove protected themselves from legal liability through a government-instituted compensation fund. The formula makers lobbyists are pushing for a similar fund that would give a payout to people who claim harm from its products, but would bar them from suing Abbott in court, according to a one-pager the company has given Congressional staff.

Congresswoman DeLauro said her staff has talked to Abbott about including a warning on its label limiting its usage to larger preemies, but the company has not been willing to entertain the idea.

Abbotts formula stipulates that it should be used as directed by doctors and that they should monitor for gastrointestinal complications. The instructions are correct and representative of the products and the way they are used, Stoffel said.

DeLauro and a small bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate wrote US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last week urging him to require a warning label on the products.

While its unclear whats going to happen to legislation in Congress, Abbott and Reckitt both have had more favorable outcomes in court as of late, with three federal cases thrown out. And soon Abbott could have a potential ally.

The FDAs top food official, Kyle Diamantas, is a former corporate lawyer who used to defend Abbott in NEC lawsuits. Hes had to recuse himself from related FDA business for a year. He can return to weighing in on baby formula issues when that recusal lifts in January.

Top photo: The Abbott Laboratories factory in Sturgis, Michigan. Photographer: Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg.

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
Rivian Automotive on Thursday unveiled its first custom computer chip for self-driving, shifting away from Nvidias processors, and a new paid driver-assistance package called Autonomy+ with prices far below those of rival Tesla.

Shares of the pickup truck and SUV maker were down about 8% in afternoon trading, their biggest percentage decline in nearly a year.

The announcements, made at Rivians first Autonomy and AI Day, come as carmakers worldwide pour billions into AI systems that power long-awaited self-driving technologies that have faced several technical challenges.

Rivian said its longer-term goal is Level 4 autonomy, in which a vehicle can operate without human input in certain conditions, and that its new foundational AI model trained on vast amounts of real and simulated driving data, called the Large Driving Model, will underpin those efforts.

The new in-house chip, called the Rivian Autonomy Processor, will boost the vehicles capacity to process data from cameras, LIDAR and other sensors, key to achieving its target of higher levels of autonomous driving.

The companys deep vertical integration is costly at low production levels but becomes a major cost advantage at scale by eliminating supplier margins and tailoring components to its needs, CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters.

I think the question is when will we want to license it and in what structure? But we absolutely see this as an opportunity.

Tesla, too, develops its own AI chips, produced by Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. TSMC is the manufacturing partner for Rivians new chip.

Developing custom silicon is capital-intensive, but its the right long-term play. Apparently theyve already been making investments for several years, so I wouldnt expect any big jumps in costs, said Vitaly Golomb, managing partner at Mavka Capital and a Rivian investor.

Vidya Rajagopalan, senior vice president at Rivian, said the company expects that at launch in late 2026, this will be the most powerful combination of sensors and inference compute in consumer vehicles in North America.

Driver-assistance package Autonomy+, priced at $2,500 in a one-time payment, or $49.99 per month, will include a Universal Hands-Free feature that works on more than 3.5 million miles of roads across the U.S. and Canada. The price is significantly lower than Teslas $8,000 to buy its Full Self-Driving system outright, or $99 per month as a subscription.

Rivian also said it will add LIDAR sensors for three-dimensional mapping to its next-generation R2 models, improving their ability to identify obstacles and road conditions. The approach mirrors that of Alphabets Waymo.

Its chip and driving model efforts will help Rivian expand hands-free driving capabilities later this month and roll out point-to-point autonomous driving next year, Scaringe said. The company expects to launch eyes-off functionality in 2026.

Rivian also introduced an AI assistant that it says can manage some vehicle functions, sync with apps and flag potential repair issues.

(Reporting by Sriram in Bengaluru and Roy in Palo Alto; Editing by Sahal Muhammed, Shailesh Kuber and Alan Barona)
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A social media influencer from Ghana is accused of working with a group that used artificial intelligence to swindle older residents out of some $8 million.

Frederick Kumi, who goes by the social media name of Abu Trica, worked with a network of scammers who used romance schemes to gain the trust of people online then bilk them for money, according to federal prosecutors.

Kumi is charged in federal court in Cleveland with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He was arrested in Ghana on Thursday, and his case in the United States has not yet been unsealed.

Kumi has a large social media presence with hundreds of thousands of followers. He claims to be a successful businessman and posts photos and videos of expensive cars and an opulent home in Swedru, Ghana.

Prosecutors said in a news release that Kumi has worked with the scamming group since 2023. They used AI software to take on fake identities and form close relationships with older residents on social media or through dating apps, including with victims in Ohio.

The scammers had frequent, intimate conversations with victims by phone, email and messaging platforms, according to prosecutors.

Later, they persuaded people to send them money or valuables by saying they had urgent medical needs, travel expenses or investment opportunities, federal prosecutors said.

The money was sent to others, some of whom forwarded it to Kumi, prosecutors said. He worked with another network to distribute money from victims to associates in Ghana and elsewhere, according to prosecutors.
UPDATE, Saturday, Dec. 13, at 11:44 a.m.: Both the lake-effect snow warning and winter advisory are now both in effect across Northeast Ohio. Forecasters bumped up the timing on the warning.

###

CLEVELAND, Ohio  A lake-effect snow warning has been issued for portions of Northeast Ohio, where heavy, persistent snow bands could bring significant accumulations and dangerous travel conditions through the weekend.

The warning is in effect from 1 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday for Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Forecasters say 5 to 10 inches of snow is expected in the warning area, with the highest totals favored in eastern Cuyahoga County, southern Lake County, inland Ashtabula County and much of Geauga County.

Winds could gust as high as 35 mph, leading to blowing snow and sharply reduced visibility.

Heaviest snow shifts from lakeshore to inland areas

Snow will intensify Saturday afternoon and evening as colder air pours across Lake Erie, setting up a prolonged lake-effect event.

The heaviest snow is expected to initially favor areas closer to Lake Erie late Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening, before shifting farther inland late Saturday night through Sunday night as winds change.

Snowfall rates within stronger bands could reach around 1 inch per hour Saturday evening and Saturday night, making travel difficult or dangerous at times, forecasters said.

Winter Weather Advisory elsewhere in Northeast Ohio

Outside of the warning area, a winter weather advisory is now in effect from 1 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday for Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage and Trumbull counties.

Those areas are expected to see a combination of snow from a passing clipper system Saturday afternoon and evening, followed by lake-effect snow late Saturday night into Sunday night.

Forecasters expect 2 to 4 inches of snow Saturday afternoon and evening, with an additional 2 to 5 inches possible in lake-effect snow bands through Sunday night. Localized higher totals could occur if stronger bands develop, which could prompt additional upgrades.

Travel impacts likely through the weekend

Travel could be difficult across much of Northeast Ohio, especially in the warning area, due to snow-covered roads and periods of reduced visibility, forecasters said.

Officials urge drivers to slow down, delay unnecessary travel if possible, and keep emergency supplies in vehicles, including food, water and a flashlight. Motorists can check ohgo.com for the latest road conditions.

The lake-effect snow will gradually wind down late Sunday night into early Monday as high pressure builds into the region, though bitterly cold temperatures will linger until at least Tuesday.
The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.

Private markets could get an influx of capital and investors under legislation approved by the House on Thursday

The package of capital-formation bills, called the INVEST Act, passed the House 302 to 123. Eighty-seven Democrats joined every Republican in the House to support the bill.

The wide-ranging package of legislation would allow more investors access to private markets. Lawmakers say the measure will help more companies go public and increase capital formation for startups.

Instead of only wealth or income determining who can be an accredited investor, investors could become accredited by taking an exam approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

House Financial Services Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., said the bill was needed in part because of the decrease in the number of public companies in America.

"We make it easier to be a public company in America," Hill said on the House floor during debate on the bill. "

"We make it easier, if you have a great idea, to crowdsource that idea, to raise money from friends and family. And we make it easier, if you're an individual investor, to have other opportunities in which to invest."

The bill also would lift the cap for how much venture capital firms can raise, and how many people can invest, before they are subject to stricter disclosure and compliance regulations.

The bill increases the number of investors to 500 from 250, and increases funds to $50 million from $10 million.

It also would become easier for venture capital firms to invest in each other  a change lawmakers say will help more funds reach companies in places like the Midwest and the South.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., said that unicorn companies  privately held startups with a valuation of $1 billion or more  used to be rare. Now, he said there are "herds of unicorns" which limit investing opportunities for the public.

"We're trying to make sure that this is open and accessible to folks, and I think that's going to be a healthier approach for both the public markets and the private markets," Huizenga said.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where making capital formation easier is on Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott's to-do list.

It is not clear if the Senate will take up the House package, move individual pieces of it, or try to do its own bill.
Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks during a talk session with SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son at an event titled "Transforming Business through AI" in Tokyo, on Feb. 3, 2025. Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images

On Dec. 11, 2015, OpenAI launched as a nonprofit research lab after Elon Musk and a group of prominent techies, including Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman, pledged $1 billion to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. The idea was for the project to be be free of commercial pressures and the pursuit of money. A decade later, that founding mission is all but forgotten. Musk, now the world's richest person, is long gone, having created rival startup xAI. And he's been engaged in a heated legal and public relations fight with OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman. Far from the nonprofit realm, OpenAI has emerged as one of the fastest-growing commercial entities on the planet, zooming to a $500 billion private market valuation, with almost all of that value accruing since the company's launch of ChatGPT three years ago. More than 800 million people now use the chatbot every week. Musk's xAI, meanwhile, is expected to close a $15 billion round at a $230 billion pre-money valuation this month, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC's David Faber in late November. OpenAI and xAI are two of the main companies, along with Google , Anthropic and Meta , pouring money into AI models, as the market rapidly evolves from text-based chatbots to AI-generated videos and more advanced compute-intensive forms of content, as well as into agentic AI, with large enterprises customizing tools to enhance productivity. For OpenAI, the price tag is almost incomprehensible: $1.4 trillion and growing. That's primarily for the mammoth data centers and high-powered chips required to meet what the company sees as insatiable demand for its technology. For now, OpenAI is a cash-burning machine going up against tech's megacaps and their chip suppliers, drawing comparisons to earlier waves of high-growth tech firms that spent heavily for years to challenge behemoth incumbents, but to mixed results. "OpenAI has a very big role in the in the history of the development of artificial intelligence, and will forever have that role," said Gil Luria, an equity analyst at D.A. Davidson, in an interview. "Now, will that role be Netscape, or will it be Google? We've yet to find out."

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at an event ahead of the COMPUTEX forum, in Taipei, Taiwan, June 2, 2024. Ann Wang | Reuters

It's a position that would've been hard to imagine in 2016, when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hauled a black DGX-1 supercomputer up to OpenAI's offices in San Francisco's Mission District. The $300,000 machine had cost Nvidia "a few billion dollars" to develop, and there were no other buyers, Huang recalled recently on Joe Rogan's podcast. Musk, at OpenAI, was the only one who wanted it. When Musk told him it was for "a nonprofit company," Huang said all the blood drained from his face at the thought of parking such a costly box inside an organization that wasn't meant to make money. Behind the scenes, though, the nonprofit ideal was already under intense strain, and Musk didn't like what he saw. "Guys, I've had enough. This is the final straw," Musk wrote in an email to his co-founders in 2017. He warned that he would "no longer fund OpenAI" if it turned into a tech startup instead of a nonprofit. Altman wrote back the next morning: "i remain enthusiastic about the non-profit structure!"

Altman vs. Musk

In February of the following year, Musk left the OpenAI board, and said at the time the move was to avoid a potential conflict of interest as his car company, Tesla , dove deeper into AI. The story was more complicated. Musk sued OpenAI and Altman in early 2024, alleging they abandoned the company's founding mission to develop AI "for the benefit of humanity broadly," and he's regularly criticized OpenAI's close ties to Microsoft , its principal backer. He also went to court to try and keep OpenAI from converting into a for-profit entity and, earlier this year, went so far as to try and acquire the AI lab for $97.4 billion. In October, OpenAI announced it had completed a recapitalization, cementing its structure as a nonprofit with a controlling stake in its for-profit business, which is now a public benefit corporation called OpenAI Group PBC.

watch now

Musk isn't the only early OpenAI team member who's turned into a bitter rival. Siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei left OpenAI in late 2020 to form Anthropic, which said last month that Microsoft and Nvidia would invest in the company. The valuation from the funding round could reach as high as $350 billion. Anthropic's Claude family of large language models is one of the biggest competitors to OpenAI's GPT models. Altman is wagering that he can win the race by outspending the competition. While his company has sketched out plans for a trillion-dollar-plus AI infrastructure outlay, Anthropic has made roughly $100 billion in recent compute commitments, spaced out at various intervals over the next few years. It all amounts to a giant bet that demand for AI services will continue apace. "We've got all the various AI vendors making these huge capital investments," said David Menninger, executive director of software research at ISG. "There's a question as to how long those capital investments continue and whether or not they all pan out." Luria says Anthropic and others are making reasonable commitments based on their current growth trajectory and the funding they've already secured. But he said OpenAI's approach has been based on a "fantastical set of commitments" with a "faint belief that those numbers are even possible."

Altman told CNBC in an interview on Thursday that OpenAI is already seeing enough demand to justify its spending plans, which "makes us confident that we will be able to significantly ramp revenue." "It's obviously unusual to be growing this fast at this kind of scale, but it is what we see in our current data," Altman said, adding that "the demand in the market is pretty extreme." Altman said last month that he expects annualized revenue to hit $20 billion by the end of this year and to reach hundreds of billions by 2030. Its historic pace of growth has been a big boon for major tech companies. Oracle signed a roughly $500 billion deal to sell infrastructure services to OpenAI over five years. Chipmakers Advanced Micro Devices and Broadcom have woven OpenAI-linked demand into multi-year forecasts. But Oracle's shares plunged 11% on Thursday after the software vendor reported weaker-than-expected revenue, a miss that dragged down Nvidia, CoreWeave and other AI-related stocks. Despite a surge in long-term contract commitments from companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Nvidia, investors are growing concerned about Oracle's debt load that's fueling its buildout.

watch now

Still, venture capitalist Matt Murphy of Menlo Ventures, said that in his 25 years in the venture business, "this is the mother of all waves." Murphy, an early investor in Anthropic, said the combination of AI models, custom chips and hyperscale data centers adds up to the potential for trillion-dollar outcomes. That explains the eye-popping level of capital expenditures and the astronomical valuations, he said. Altman recently declared a "code red" inside his company, and shuffled resources to focus on making ChatGPT faster, more reliable and more personal, while delaying work on ads, health and shopping agents and a personal assistant called Pulse. His declaration came after Google released its Gemini 3 model last month, further accelerating the search giant's ascent in the market. On Thursday, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT-5.2, a faster, more capable reasoning model that the company says is its best system yet for everyday professional use. It also struck a three-year, $1 billion content and equity deal with Disney around the Sora AI video generator. Altman downplayed the threat from Google, telling CNBC that Gemini had less of an impact on the company's metrics than OpenAI initially feared. "I believe that when a competitive threat happens, you want to focus on it, deal with it quickly," Altman said. He said he expects the company to exit code red by January.  CNBC's Kif Leswing contributed to this report.
Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk, center, speaks on a media tour of the Stargate data center in Abilene, Texas, on Sept. 23, 2025. Stargate is a collaboration of OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, with promotional support from President Donald Trump, to build data centers and other infrastructure for artificial intelligence throughout the US.

On Wednesday, Oracle told investors that it would ramp up capital expenditures in the current fiscal year to $50 billion from an earlier forecast of $35 billion because of new contracts from the likes of Meta and Nvidia .

That's not the only way the software giant plans to supply robust computing power to meet soaring demand. It's also ratcheting up leases.

As of Nov. 30, Oracle had $248 billion in lease commitments for data centers and cloud capacity commitments that will run for 15 to 19 years, the company disclosed in a quarterly filing on Thursday. That's up 148% from the end of August.

Oracle had $10 billion in cloud capacity arrangements at the end of the quarter, according to the filing.

Over the past decade, Oracle has diversified into cloud infrastructure, where it now goes up against Amazon , Microsoft and Google to rent out access to servers, storage and Nvidia graphics chips for running artificial intelligence models. OpenAI has become a major Oracle cloud customer, having announced a commitment worth over $300 billion in September.

Microsoft, a major OpenAI investor that for years served as the startup's sole cloud provider, has also ramped up leases to augment its in-house data center footprint. Microsoft has struck deals with so-called neoclouds CoreWeave and Lambda.

Oracle worked with startup Crusoe to enable the first phase of OpenAI's Stargate data center site in Abilene, Texas.

Investors are questioning how Oracle will pay for its AI data center build-outs, RBC analyst Rishi Jaluria, who has the equivalent of a hold rating on the stock, told CNBC earlier this week.

In September Oracle raised $18 billion in new debt. By the end of November, the company owed over $124 billion when including operating lease liabilities, according to the filing, up from about $89 billion a year earlier.

"In terms of funding our growth, there are a variety of sources available to us throughout our debt structure in public bond, bank and private debt markets," Doug Kehring, Oracle's principal financial officer, told analysts on Wednesday's conference call.

Some customers can also bring their own chips, which could lower Oracle's costs, said Clay Magouyrk, one of the company's two recently appointed CEOs.

In its earnings release on Wednesday, Oracle reported weaker-than-expected revenue despite booming demand for its AI infrastructure. The stock ended the day down almost 11% on Thursday.

WATCH: Trade Tracker: Malcolm Ethridge sells out of Oracle
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on, as he signs an executive order on AI in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. Dec. 11, 2025.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday issuing a single regulation framework for artificial intelligence, undermining the power of individual states.

"To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation," the order says. "But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative."

The Trump administration, with the aid of AI and crypto czar David Sacks, has been pursuing a path that would allow federal rules to preempt state regulations on AI, a move meant to keep big Democratic-led states like California and New York from exerting their control over the growing industry.

Sacks and fellow tech investor and podcaster Chamath Palihapitiya stood beside Trump during the signing in the Oval Office. He was also joined by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The move marks a win for tech companies like OpenAI and Google and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz that have lobbied to limit regulations they view as overly burdensome. AI companies have been opening offices close to the Capitol and launching campaigns through a super PAC with at least $100 million to spend on the midterm elections in 2026.

Proponents of a federal rule have argued that different regulations across the country would hinder the U.S. in its effort to compete in the global AI race. A draft version of a proposed executive order surfaced last month, for a single federal standard on AI "instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes."

A proposed 10-year ban on states regulating AI was initially included in the Republican spending bill but was cut out before Trump signed it in July.

Trump's executive order also calls for the attorney general to establish an AI Litigation Task Force, "whose sole responsibility shall be to challenge State AI laws."

States that don't adhere to the rules could face funding restrictions. The order says that within 90 days of its signing, the secretary of commerce must specify the conditions under which states may be eligible to receive remaining funding under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment, or BEAD, program, a $42.5 billion effort to expand high-speed access in rural areas.

WATCH: Nvidia's H200 authorization should go to ally countries, not China
Costco CEO Ron Vachris leads a company with roughly 341,000 employees spread across more than 900 warehouses around the world.

But the 60-year-old executive first learned some of his most important leadership lessons more than three decades ago, when he was in charge of just a single store, he told U.S. News & World Report in November. "That was the time that I really developed my leadership skills," Vachris said, describing his time managing an individual Price Club warehouse location for the first time in 1992

Specifically, he learned "the importance of surrounding yourself with great people, and putting them in the right places, and really strategic thinking," he said. Those takeaways fit well with the long-standing culture at Costco, whose co-founder Jim Sinegal counts Price Club founder Sol Price as a mentor. The two companies merged in 1993.

Since launching Costco in 1983, Sinegal has preached the importance of hiring people who exude integrity and passion for the business, and then treating those employees well with generous wages and plentiful opportunities for advancement.

"It's really pretty simple. It's good business. When you hire good people, and you provide good jobs and good wages and a career, good things are going to happen," Sinegal told U.S. News & World Report in October 2009.

DON'T MISS: The ultimate guide to teaching your kids about money

Vachris didn't manage one warehouse at a time for long: After running two individual Colorado locations in 1992, he managed multiple warehouse in Arizona following Price Club's merger with Costco in 1993, according to The Wall Street Journal. Over the ensuing decades, Vachris held high-profile roles in Costco's real estate development and merchandising departments. In January 2024, he became just the third CEO in Costco's history, succeeding his predecessor, Craig Jelinek.

As CEO, Vachris still tries to uphold "the culture of the organization," he told the Journal in April. He reminds Costco warehouse managers to hire new workers they believe have the passion and aptitude to rise through the ranks like he and other company executives have, he added: "You're not hiring the next cashier. You're not hiring the next cart-pusher. You're hiring the next warehouse manager ... You're hiring our future."

Costco has a reputation for paying higher average wages than its competitors in the retail industry, which helps the company maintain a single-digit employee turnover rate that far outpaces others in the industry, The Economist noted in February 2024.

Another factor, according to Vachris, is that several executives beyond himself started with the company as entry-level employees. "Everybody has opportunities," he told the Journal. "You look at who's running the company today. We all came up through the ranks of the company itself. When people see that those opportunities are available to all of us, [they see] we offer careers, not just jobs. Retention is core to the company's success."

Outside of Costco, some other prominent business figures similarly preach the importance of surrounding yourself with quality people. Billionaire Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky, for example, has attributed his success to hiring intelligent people with varied skill sets who are also willing to give him honest feedback, even if it's critical.

"If you don't surround yourself with those people, then it is so much harder to [achieve success] because you can go in to 'I'm amazing' mode, and not realize when you are screwing up," Lubetzky told CNBC Make It in October 2023.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is another proponent of surrounding yourself with what he's called "high-grade people" so their positive attributes, like intelligence and ambition, can rub off on you.

"You are going to have your life progress in the general direction of the people that you work with," Buffett said at Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholders meeting in May, adding: "You'll learn all the time, but you'll not only learn how to be successful at business, you'll learn how to be successful at life."

Want to give your kids the ultimate advantage? Sign up for CNBC's new online course, How to Raise Financially Smart Kids. Learn how to build healthy financial habits today to set your children up for greater success in the future. Use coupon code EARLYBIRD for 30% off. Offer valid from Dec. 8 to Dec. 22, 2025. Terms apply.
Commentary: Towards a more just and effective global governance system

Xinhua) 10:41, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The official launch of the Group of Friends of Global Governance at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York this week marks a significant moment for the international community. It reflects an emerging consensus: The world can no longer postpone the long-overdue conversation about how global governance should be reshaped to meet the demands of a changing era.

The Global Governance Initiative (GGI) stems from a fundamental question. When a Western-centered order concentrates power and influence within a narrow circle while leaving most countries underrepresented and underserved, how can the world correct this imbalance and move toward a fairer, more inclusive and more functional system?

The post-World War II governance architecture once helped stabilize the global order. Eight decades on, however, its deficiencies are impossible to ignore. The system suffers from three structural flaws: inadequate representation for the Global South, weakened authority, and a growing gap between global challenges and institutional effectiveness.

This imbalance is all the more striking as the Global South has become the main driver of global economic growth, contributing up to 80 percent of it and representing the majority of the world's population. Yet current institutions still give these countries only a fraction of the voice they deserve. Decision-making often occurs behind closed doors, producing outcomes that reflect the interests of a minority rather than the global majority. The structural inequities embedded in the system have long constrained the Global South's ability to speak and be heard.

The GGI aims to improve this. It stresses sovereign equality and genuine multilateralism. Every country, regardless of size or power, should have the right to participate equally in global governance, help shape its decisions, and share in its benefits. This is essential to democratizing international relations and strengthening the voice of Global South nations.

As noted by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon early this month at the 2025 Imperial Springs International Forum, the GGI emphasizes multilateralism and equality, which aligns with the UN's reform agenda to expand participation, amplify the voices of developing countries and ensure that no one is left behind.

In recent years, some countries have promoted a so-called "rules-based order," yet their practice reveals a very different logic: one in which their political agenda at home is above international law whenever convenient. The dissonance is stark in areas ranging from climate action to human rights and global economic governance. They tend to demand great commitments from others while quietly shirking their own, and sit in judgment of other countries' human rights records while rejecting external scrutiny themselves. These double standards not only weaken trust, but also erode the foundations of multilateral cooperation.

It is against this backdrop that the GGI stresses the need to return to the bedrock of the international system: the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter. They must be upheld unwaveringly. In emerging areas, international rules should be formulated on the basis of extensive consensus. International law and rules must be applied equally and uniformly, without any double standards or imposition. The authority and solemnity of international law must be upheld.

Defending the authority and integrity of international law is a shared responsibility, but major countries bear a particular obligation to lead by example. Only by championing true multilateralism and a more just rules-based system can they help steer global governance toward greater equity, credibility and common security.

Ultimately, global governance must be judged by whether it improves people's lives. A people-centered approach, one of the GGI's core commitments, demands that institutions respond to the urgent, concrete concerns of ordinary communities worldwide, from public health and food security to digital access, climate resilience and equitable development.

For global governance to regain credibility, it must also deliver real and measurable outcomes. The world has grown tired of ambitious pledges by the West that are never realized. A results-oriented approach, another key principle of the GGI, demands narrowing the persistent "implementation gap" in climate finance, development commitments and institutional reform.

In a time of uncertainty and fragmentation, the GGI points the way toward a more just, inclusive and trustworthy global order, one shaped by the many, not the few.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The White House's new national security strategy gave Europe a scare last week as it warned the region faced "civilizational erasure" and questioned whether it could remain a geopolitical partner for America.

The document shocked allies on the continent as it criticized its leaders as "weak" and slammed the region's stance on immigration, democracy, freedom of speech, while adding its waning economic and military power was waning.

"It is far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and militaries strong enough to remain reliable allies," it said, adding that the region suffered from a lack of self-confidence. The document also called for the U.S. to re-establish "strategic stability" with Russia, despite its war against Ukraine.

But David Petraeus, the former CIA Director and four-star US Army general, told CNBC it was no bad thing for European nations to get a wake-up call to look after their defense and security.

The strategy was, "in a way, going after the Europeans but, frankly, some of the Europeans needed to be gotten after because I watched as four different presidents tried to exhort the Europeans to do more for their own defence and now that's actually happening," he told CNBC's Dan Murphy in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Petraeus said President Donald Trump had been "very, very substantial" in getting the Europeans to spend more on defense.

"He's gotten them to commit to what they should have done years ago," Petraeus said. He pointed to European members of NATO agreeing earlier this year to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product, after sustained pressure from the Trump administration.
FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seen in Silver Spring, Maryland November 4, 2009.

A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions.

The Food and Drug Administration may add its strongest safety warning to Covid shots  marking another major shift in vaccine oversight.

It could also expand a string of actions by Trump administration health officials that some health experts say could weaken confidence in the shots, which have saved millions of lives worldwide since they were introduced. Uptake of those vaccines is already plummeting: The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, citing IQVIA data, said last week that there has been a 27% decrease in Covid vaccinations from retail pharmacies since 2024.

Here's what we know so far.

The FDA is preparing to add what's known as a "black box" warning to Covid vaccines by the end of the year, CNN first reported on Friday.

That plan, which is not finalized, is being driven by Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA's chief medical and scientific officer and director of the agency's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, CNN reported.

That type of label isn't used lightly. It appears at the top of a medicine's prescribing information and is designed to warn about risks such as death or serious injuries that should be weighed against a product's benefits.

For example, boxed warnings on opioids warn about risks of addiction, overdose and death.

But there are still a lot of unanswered questions here.

First of all, the Health and Human Services Department did not confirm any of the plans today.

In a statement to CNBC, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said, "Unless the FDA announces it, any claim about what it will do is pure speculation."

We also don't know if this warning will apply to all three Covid vaccines.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  a prominent vaccine skeptic  and some of his appointees have previously targeted mRNA Covid shots from Pfizer and Moderna.

But Novavax also offers a protein-based Covid vaccine.

It's also unclear if this warning will only apply to certain age groups and what issue the label will point to.

Prasad, in an internal FDA memo last month, tried to link 10 deaths in children to Covid vaccines, without providing any evidence. He also highlighted myocarditis, an extremely rare side effect after administration of mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna. Cases of that side effect were detected with early use of the jabs, when first and second doses were recommended to be taken as closely as three weeks apart. The side effect was also predominantly seen in boys and men.

But health authorities worldwide, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have emphasized that the benefits of vaccination in preventing severe Covid and even myocarditis from the infection itself far outweigh the small risk of the side effects posed by the shot. Cases of myocarditis have also declined dramatically in recent years.

So what are the vaccine makers saying in response today?

Pfizer pointed to previous statements supporting the safety and efficacy of its Covid vaccine.

The shot has "consistently provided strong protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 disease across multiple variants and subvariants, resulting in over 14 million lives saved globally in the first year after approval  and many more since then," Pfizer said.

Moderna pointed to a statement it issued in September, which says the safety of its Covid vaccine is "rigorously monitored" by the company, the FDA and regulators across more than 90 countries. With more than a billion doses distributed worldwide, those systems "have not reported any new or undisclosed safety concerns in children or pregnant women," the statement said.

We'll be watching closely to see if the FDA adds these warnings to the shots, so stay tuned for our coverage.

Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at a new email: annika.constantino@versantmedia.com.
Nvidia has told Chinese clients it is evaluating adding production capacity for its powerful H200 AI chips after orders exceeded its current output level, according to two sources briefed on the matter.

The move comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. government would allow Nvidia to export H200 processors, its second-fastest AI chips, to China and collect a 25% fee on such sales.

Demand for the chip from Chinese companies is so strong that Nvidia is leaning toward adding new capacity, one of the sources said. They declined to be named as the discussions are private.

Nvidia did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.

Major Chinese companies, including Alibaba and ByteDance, have already reached out to Nvidia this week about purchasing the H200 and are keen to place large orders, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

However, uncertainties remain, as the Chinese government has yet to greenlight any purchase of the H200. Chinese officials convened emergency meetings on Wednesday to discuss the matter and will decide whether to allow it to be shipped into China, said one of the two sources and a third source.

Very limited quantities of H200 chips are currently in production, Reuters reported on Wednesday, as the U.S. AI chip leader is focused on producing its most advanced Blackwell and upcoming Rubin lines.

China promoting its own AI industry

Supply of H200 chips has been a major concern for Chinese clients and they have reached out to Nvidia seeking clarity on this, sources said.

As part of the briefing provided by Nvidia, the company has also given them guidance on current supply levels, said one of the first two people, without providing a specific number.

The H200 went into mass deployment last year and is the fastest AI chip in Nvidia's previous Hopper generation. The chip is manufactured by TSMC using the Taiwanese firm's 4nm manufacturing process technology.

TSMC and China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Chinese companies' strong demand for the H200 stems from the fact that it is easily the most powerful chip they can currently access.

It is about six times more powerful than the H20, a downgraded chip from Nvidia tailored for the Chinese market that was released in late 2023.

Trump's decision on the H200 comes at a time when China is pushing to promote its own domestic AI chip industry. As domestic chip companies have yet to produce products that match the H200, there have been concerns that allowing the H200 into China could stymie the industry.

"Its (H200) compute performance is approximately 2-3 times that of the most advanced domestically produced accelerators," said Nori Chiou, investment director at White Oak Capital Partners.

"I'm already observing many CSPs (Cloud Service Providers) and enterprise customers aggressively placing large orders and lobbying the government to relax restrictions on a conditional basis," he said, adding Chinese AI demand exceeds the capacity of local production.

During the emergency meetings, there was a proposal to require each H200 purchase to be bundled with a certain ratio of domestic chips, one of the first two sources and a third source said.

For Nvidia, adding new capacity is also challenging at a time when it is not only transitioning to Rubin but also competing with companies, including Alphabet's Google, for limited advanced chipmaking capacity from TSMC.
Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk appears on a media tour of the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, on Sept. 23, 2025.

Oracle on Friday pushed back against a report that said the company will complete data centers for OpenAI, one of its major customers, in 2028, rather than 2027.

The delay is due to a shortage of labor and materials, according to the Friday report from Bloomberg, which cited unnamed people. Oracle shares closed down more than 4% on Friday.

"Site selection and delivery timelines were established in close coordination with OpenAI following execution of the agreement and were jointly agreed," an Oracle spokesperson said in an email to CNBC. "There have been no delays to any sites required to meet our contractual commitments, and all milestones remain on track."

The Oracle spokesperson did not specify a timeline for turning on cloud computing infrastructure for OpenAI. In September, OpenAI said it had a partnership with Oracle worth more than $300 billion over the next five years.

"We have a good relationship with OpenAI," Clay Magouyrk, one of Oracle's two newly appointed CEOs, said at an October analyst meeting.

Doing business with OpenAI is relatively new to 48-year-old Oracle. Historically, Oracle grew through sales of its database software and business applications. Its cloud infrastructure business now contributes over one-fourth of revenue, although Oracle remains a smaller hyperscaler than Amazon , Microsoft and Google .

OpenAI has also made commitments to other companies as it looks to meet expected capacity needs.

In September, Nvidia said it had signed a letter of intent with OpenAI to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia equipment for the San Francisco artificial intelligence startup. The first phase of that project is expected in the second half of 2026.

Nvidia and OpenAI said in a September statement that they "look forward to finalizing the details of this new phase of strategic partnership in the coming weeks."

But no announcement has come yet.

In a November filing, Nvidia said "there is no assurance that we will enter into definitive agreements with respect to the OpenAI opportunity."

OpenAI has historically relied on Nvidia graphics processing units to operate ChatGPT and other products, and now it's also looking at designing custom chips in a collaboration with Broadcom .

On Thursday, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan laid out a timeline for the OpenAI work, which was announced in October. Broadcom and OpenAI said they had signed a term sheet.

"It's more like 2027, 2028, 2029, 10 gigawatts, that was the OpenAI discussion," Tan said on Broadcom's earnings call. "And that's, I call it, an agreement, an alignment of where we're headed with respect to a very respected and valued customer, OpenAI. But we do not expect much in 2026."

OpenAI declined to comment.

WATCH: Oracle says there have been 'no delays' in OpenAI arrangement after stock slide
Reddit, the popular community-focused forum, has launched a legal challenge against Australia's social media ban for teens under 16, arguing that the newly enacted law is ineffective and goes too far by restricting political discussion online.

In its application to Australia's High Court, the social news and aggregation platform said the law is "invalid on the basis of the implied freedom of political communication," saying that it burdens political communication.

Canberra's ban came into effect on Wednesday and targeted 10 major services, including Alphabet's YouTube, Meta's Instagram, ByteDance's TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat and Elon Musk's X. All targeted platforms had agreed to comply with the policy to varying degrees.

Australia's Prime Minister's office, Attorney-General's Department and other social media platforms did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Under the law, the targeted platforms will have to take "reasonable steps" to prevent underage access, using age-verification methods such as inference from online activity, facial estimation via selfies, uploaded IDs, or linked bank details.

Reddit's application to the courts seeks to either declare the law invalid or exclude the platform from the provisions of the law.

In a statement to CNBC, Reddit said that while it agrees with the importance of protecting persons under 16, the law could isolate teens "from the ability to engage in age-appropriate community experiences (including political discussions)."

It also said in its application that the law "burdens political communication," saying "the political views of children inform the electoral choices of many current electors, including their parents and their teachers, as well as others interested in the views of those soon to reach the age of maturity."

The platform also argued that it should not be subject to the law, saying it operates more as a forum for adults facilitating "knowledge sharing" between users than as a traditional social network, saying that it does not import contact lists or address books.

"Reddit is significantly different from other sites that allow for users to become "friends" with one another, or to post photos about themselves, or to organise events," the platform said in its application.

Reddit further said in its court filing that most content on its platform is accessible without an account, and pointed out a person under the age of 16 "can be more easily protected from online harm if they have an account, being the very thing that is prohibited."



"That is because the account can be subject to settings that limit their access to particular kinds of content that may be harmful to them," it adds.

Despite its objections, Reddit said that the challenge was not an attempt to avoid complying with the law, nor was it an effort to retain young users for business reasons.

"There are more targeted, privacy-preserving measures to protect young people online without resorting to blanket bans," the platform said.

 CNBC's Dylan Butts and Stephen Desaulniers contributed to this story.
Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for construction of the new ballroom, as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument, Nov. 14, 2025.

A nonprofit group tasked with preserving U.S. historical sites sued President Donald Trump on Friday, seeking to halt construction of his massive White House ballroom until the project receives the proper federal approvals.

"No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever  not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else," the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States said in the lawsuit in Washington federal court.

"And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in," the suit said.

The suit argues that Trump was legally required to secure reviews and approvals before demolishing the historic East Wing of the White House and beginning to build the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Some say the order  which seeks to override state regulations on AI  might soon be met with legal challenges.

But Democratic lawmakers and state officials, as well as consumer advocacy groups, are raising alarms about the impact of the order that Trump signed on Thursday night .

President Donald Trump and his tech allies say that his new executive order to establish a national framework for artificial intelligence regulation will give the U.S . an edge over China in the AI war and pave the way for innovation.

U.S. President Donald Trump shows a signed executive order on AI next to Sriram Krishnan, Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX), U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, David O. Sacks, Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. Dec. 11, 2025.

The order is a win for tech companies such as OpenAI a nd Google and the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz , which have all lobbied against state regulations they view as burdensome.

The Commerce Department was also directed to identify "onerous" state regulations aimed at AI.

"We need a strong federal safety standard, but we should not remove the few protections Americans currently have from the downsides of AI," Klobuchar said.

"This is the wrong approach  and most likely illegal," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a post on X Thursday.

It follows a push by some Republicans in Congress to impose a moratorium on state AI laws. A recent plan to tack on that moratorium to the National Defense Authorization Act was scuttled.

Collin McCune, head of government affairs at Andreessen Horowitz, celebrated Trump's order, calling it "an important first step" to boost American competition and innovation. But McCune urged Congress to codify a national AI framework.

"States have an important role in addressing harms and protecting people, but they can't provide the long-term clarity or national direction that only Congress can deliver," McCune said in a statement.

Sriram Krishnan, a White House AI advisor and former general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, during an interview Friday on CNBC's "Squawk Box," said that Trump was looking to partner with Congress to pass such legislation.

"The White House is now taking a firm stance where we want to push back on 'doomer' laws that exist in a bunch of states around the country," Krishnan said.

He also said that the goal of the executive order is to give the White House tools to go after state laws that it believes make America less competitive, such as recently passed legislation in Democratic-led states like California and Colorado.

The White House will not use the executive order to target state laws that protect the safety of children, Krishnan said.

Robert Weissman, co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, called Trump's order "mostly bluster" and said the president "cannot unilaterally preempt state law."

"We expect the EO to be challenged in court and defeated," Weissman said in a statement. "In the meantime, states should continue their efforts to protect their residents from the mounting dangers of unregulated AI."

Weissman said about the order, "This reward to Big Tech is a disgraceful invitation to reckless behavior

by the world's largest corporations and a complete override of the federalist principles that Trump and MAGA claim to venerate."

In the short term, the order could affect a handful of states that have already passed legislation targeting AI. The order says that states whose laws are considered onerous could lose federal funding.

One Colorado law, set to take effect in June, will require AI developers to protect consumers from reasonably foreseeable risks of algorithmic discrimination.

Some say Trump's order will have no real impact on that law or on other state regulations.

"I'm pretty much ignoring it, because an executive order cannot tell a state what to do," said Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone, a Democrat who co-sponsored the anti-discrimination law.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a law that, starting in January, will require major AI companies to publicly disclose their safety protocols.

That law's author, state Sen. Scott Wiener, said that Trump's stated goal of having the United States dominate the AI sector is undercut by his recent moves.

"Of course, he just authorized chip sales to China & Saudi Arabia: the exact opposite of ensuring U.S. dominance," Wiener wrote in an X post on Thursday night. The Bay Area Democrat is seeking to succeed Speaker-emerita Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Trump on Monday said he will Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 chips to "approved customers" in China, provided that the U.S. gets a 25% cut of revenues.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman from December 15, an official statement said.Prime Minister Modi will undertake a visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from December 15 to 16 at the invitation of King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein. During the visit, the prime minister will meet Hussein to review the entire gamut of relations between India and Jordan, and exchange perspectives on regional issues.This visit, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, presents an opportunity to further strengthen India-Jordan bilateral engagement, explore new avenues of collaboration for mutual growth and prosperity, and reiterate India's commitment to promote regional peace, prosperity, security and stability, the statement said.In the second leg of the visit, PM Modi will pay a state visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from December 16 to 17 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali. This will be Modi's first visit to Ethiopia.He will be holding wide-ranging discussions with Ali on all aspects of India-Ethiopia bilateral ties. As partners in the Global South, the visit will be a reiteration of the shared commitment of the two nations to advance close ties of friendship and bilateral cooperation, according to the statement.In the final leg of his visit, Prime Minister Modi will visit the Sultanate of Oman from December 17 to 18 at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. This will be the second visit of Prime Minister Modi to Oman.India and Oman share an all-encompassing strategic partnership underpinned by centuries-old bonds of friendship, trade linkages and strong people-to-people ties. The visit will mark 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and follows the state visit of Sultan of Oman to India in December 2023.This visit will be an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review the bilateral partnership, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the statement added.


We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan.



The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events.

 RT_India (@RT_India_news) December 12, 2025

Pakistans Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was reportedly kept waiting for over 40 minutes for a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a neutrality forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, according to a report by Russia Today.However, RT later deleted the post, saying it "may have been a misrepresentation of the events" at the Peace and Trust Forum.Sharif eventually walked into an ongoing closed-door session involving Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and exited barely 10 minutes later, as seen in a video circulating online.The incident took place during events marking Turkmenistans 30th anniversary of permanent neutrality on December 12, 2025.The viral clip has since triggered a wave of memes and commentary on social media, with many users interpreting the moment as a diplomatic slight towards Pakistan and linking it to Sharifs perceived struggles on the international stage.The snub comes close on the heels of President Putins two-day visit to India on December 56, where he received an elaborate welcome, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting him at the airport and a 21-gun salute at Rashtrapati Bhavan.During the visit, India and Russia signed agreements to raise bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, deepen defence cooperation, and expand civil nuclear collaborationmoves widely viewed as reaffirming Moscows pivot towards more reliable Asian partners amid Western attempts to isolate it.Sharifs awkward encounter in Ashgabat also unfolded against the backdrop of Pakistans worsening economic challenges.The IMF, on December 9, cleared a $1.2 billion tranche under its $7 billion bailout package but imposed 11 additional anti-corruption conditionsbringing the total to 64 over 18 months.These include mandatory asset disclosures, extensive tax reforms, and liberalisation of the sugar sector by mid-2026.
India on Friday said it is very optimistic about finalising an ambitious trade deal with Oman during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the Gulf nation next week.Modi will undertake a four-day visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman beginning Monday to shore up bilateral ties with the three countries, especially in areas of trade and defence.The prime minister will visit Oman from December 17 to 18 in the third leg of his trip.We are all very optimistic about it. The teams from both sides have been working very hard for its early finalisation, Arun Chatterjee, a secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said at a media briefing when asked whether the proposed India-Oman comprehensive economic partnership agreement will be inked during Modis visit.We have here immense faith that this agreement, if signed during this visit, will significantly deepen the economic ties between India and Oman. And it will open up a new chapter in the history of India-Oman trade and commercial relationship, he said.Chatterjee also responded to a question about reports that Oman is keen to supply spares of Jaguar fighter jets to India as the Gulf nation has retired the aircraft from its air force.We can inform you that some of the elements of the report were not fully correct. The Royal Air Force of Oman used to operate Jaguar jets, but they were then retired from their service sometime back, he said.Now, they are having many spares of these aircraft which they are willing to transfer to us in the near future. And we are expecting that the supplies of those spare parts are likely to come in the coming days, he said.Chatterjee said trade and investment relations are key pillars of Indias relations with Oman and that the volume of bilateral trade for 2024-2025 stands at $10.61 billion.Bilateral investment flows have also been robust, as reflected in the numerous joint ventures established both in India and Oman. There are several India-Oman joint ventures present in Oman, contributing to the countrys economic growth and development.India and Oman have cooperation in the defence sector, which includes joint exercises, training, and exchange of visits. In recent years, both countries have cooperated in ensuring maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, he said.In the first leg of his trip, Modi will visit Jordan from December 15 to 16 at the invitation of King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange perspectives on regional issues.Modi will also interact with the vibrant Indian community in Jordan.The prime minister will also visit the historic city of Petra, which shares ancient trade linkages with India, according to the MEA.From Jordan, Modi will travel to Ethiopia for a two-day visit from December 16 to 17. It will be Modis first visit to the East African country.In Addis Ababa, Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on all aspects of bilateral ties.The visit will also help consolidate cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, including economy, trade, culture, and people-to-people contacts, Neena Malhotra, Secretary (South) in the MEA, said.On the economic front, discussions are expected to focus on diversifying trade, enhancing connectivity, and identifying new opportunities for investment in infrastructure, IT, mining, agriculture and manufacturing, she said.
Christopher Kayser, social engineering expert and president of Canadian-based firm Cybercrime Analytics, says the attack plays on two tactics favored by threat actors: obedience (cut and paste this URL) and trust (this looks like a Microsoft login page). People think because they are on a trusted [Microsoft] platform that this is OK, he said in an interview.

But this attack also shows the failures of security awareness training that many organizations perform. If training is effective, employees should suspect theres something wrong when an app asks for a business email address to confirm they are human, he said, and know that its suspicious when theyre asked to cut and paste anything online as a way of proving they are human.

This is an incredibly new, innovative attack method, commented Roger Grimes, data-driven defense CISO advisor at KnowBe4. Its almost unfair to classify it as a Clickfix subvariant, even though it is. However, the odds an employee will copy a long URL string as a test of their humanity has to be very, very low, he added. It screams different and scammy even to the most unknowledgeable user. Can you see your grandparents doing this? Not me. But Im sure some people do do it, or else the scammers would not try it, he said.
Cellnex Telecom, S.A. (OTCMKTS:CLNXF  Get Free Report)s stock price was up 1.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $29.8250 and last traded at $29.8250. Approximately 511 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 1,209 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.3950.

Cellnex Telecom Stock Performance

The firms 50 day moving average is $31.86 and its 200 day moving average is $35.18.

Cellnex Telecom Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Cellnex Telecom, SA operates infrastructure for wireless telecommunication in Austria, Denmark, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Switzerland. It operates through three segments: Telecom Infrastructure Services, Broadcasting Infrastructure, and Other Network Services.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Cellnex Telecom Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cellnex Telecom and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited (CVE:NZP  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as C$0.04 and last traded at C$0.04, with a volume of 3925 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$0.04.

Chatham Rock Phosphate Stock Performance

The stocks fifty day simple moving average is C$0.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$0.05. The company has a quick ratio of 10.98, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of C$4.49 million, a PE ratio of -4.71 and a beta of 0.96.

About Chatham Rock Phosphate

(Get Free Report)

Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited operates as a mineral development company in New Zealand, French Polynesia, and Australia. It focuses on the development and exploitation of the Chatham Rise rock phosphate deposit, which comprises a mining permit covering an area of 820 square kilometers located in New Zealand; and Makatea phosphate project.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Chatham Rock Phosphate Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chatham Rock Phosphate and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE:BHB  Get Free Report) and Triumph Financial (NYSE:TFIN  Get Free Report) are both small-cap financial services companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

Bar Harbor Bankshares has a beta of 0.65, suggesting that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Triumph Financial has a beta of 1.5, suggesting that its stock price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Get Bar Harbor Bankshares alerts:

Profitability

This table compares Bar Harbor Bankshares and Triumph Financials net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Bar Harbor Bankshares N/A N/A N/A Triumph Financial 2.00% 1.76% 0.24%

Earnings and Valuation

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Bar Harbor Bankshares $156.64 million 3.49 $38.72 million $2.32 14.10 Triumph Financial $487.93 million 3.04 $16.09 million $0.29 215.28

This table compares Bar Harbor Bankshares and Triumph Financials revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Bar Harbor Bankshares has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Triumph Financial. Bar Harbor Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Triumph Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

54.5% of Bar Harbor Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.1% of Triumph Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.6% of Bar Harbor Bankshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.6% of Triumph Financial shares 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 Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Bar Harbor Bankshares and Triumph Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Bar Harbor Bankshares 0 2 1 0 2.33 Triumph Financial 1 0 0 0 1.00

Bar Harbor Bankshares currently has a consensus price target of $34.50, indicating a potential upside of 5.44%. Given Bar Harbor Bankshares stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Bar Harbor Bankshares is more favorable than Triumph Financial.

Summary

Triumph Financial beats Bar Harbor Bankshares on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bar Harbor Bankshares

(Get Free Report)

Bar Harbor Bankshares operates as the holding company for Bar Harbor Bank & Trust that provides commercial, lending, retail, and wealth management banking services. It accepts various deposit products, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing demand accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, and money market deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides commercial real estate loans, such as multi-family, commercial construction and land development, and other commercial real estate classes; commercial and industrial loans, including loans to commercial and agricultural businesses, and tax exempt entities; residential real estate loans consists of mortgages for 1-4 family housing; and consumer loans comprises home equity loans, lines of credit, auto, and other installment lending. In addition, it provides life insurance, annuity, and retirement products, as well as financial planning services; and third-party investment and insurance services. Further, the company offers trust and estate administration, wealth advisory, and investment management services to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and municipalities; and 401K plan, financial, estate and charitable planning, investment management, family office, municipal, and tax services. It operates 53 locations across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Bar Harbor, Maine.

About Triumph Financial

(Get Free Report)

Triumph Bancorp, Inc. operates as a financial holding company for TBK Bank, SSB that provides various banking and commercial finance products and services to retail customers and small-to-mid-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Banking, Factoring, Payments, and Corporate. It offers depository products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; and commercial and industrial loans, loans to purchase capital equipment, and business loans for working capital and operational purposes. The company also provides asset-based, and equipment and premium finance loans; real estate loans to finance commercial properties; to factoring services the transportation and non-transportation sectors; agriculture loans; commercial construction, land, and land development loans; mortgage warehouse loans; residential real estate loans; and consumer loans. In addition, it offers debit cards; electronic banking, trust, and treasury management services; and insurance brokerage services. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated through a network of 10 branches in the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area of Iowa and Illinois; 8 branches in northern and central Illinois; 7 branches in southern Colorado; 3 branches in New Mexico; 31 branches in central and eastern Colorado; and 2 branches in far western Kansas, as well as a branch office dedicated to deposit gathering activities in Dallas, Texas. Triumph Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Receive News & Ratings for Bar Harbor Bankshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bar Harbor Bankshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX UCITS ETF Class A GBP (LON:FKU  Get Free Report)s share price rose 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 3,858 and last traded at GBX 3,850. Approximately 178 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 946 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,832.

First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX UCITS ETF Class A GBP Price Performance

The businesss fifty day simple moving average is GBX 3,811.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 3,681.10.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX UCITS ETF Class A GBP Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX UCITS ETF Class A GBP and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL  Get Free Report)s stock price shot up 7.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $17.28 and last traded at $17.0760. 8,513,229 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 21,507,719 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HL. CIBC boosted their price objective on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Scotiabank began coverage on Hecla Mining in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a sector perform rating and a $15.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Hecla Mining from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $12.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hecla Mining has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $10.22.

Get Hecla Mining alerts:

Read Our Latest Research Report on HL

Hecla Mining Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $14.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a PE ratio of 62.23 and a beta of 1.36.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.35%.The firm had revenue of $409.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.03 EPS. Hecla Minings quarterly revenue was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a dividend of $0.0038 per share. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. Hecla Minings dividend payout ratio is 3.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hecla Mining

In other news, VP Stuart Maurice Absolom sold 14,472 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.29, for a total value of $163,388.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 73,200 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $826,428. The trade was a 16.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 148,372 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $2,225,580.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 347,402 shares in the company, valued at $5,211,030. The trade was a 29.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 181,379 shares of company stock valued at $2,667,365. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Hecla Mining by 75.2% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 28,318 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 12,156 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Hecla Mining in the third quarter worth $97,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the third quarter valued at $557,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the third quarter valued at $114,000. Finally, Abel Hall LLC bought a new stake in Hecla Mining during the third quarter valued at $123,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.01% of the companys stock.

About Hecla Mining

(Get Free Report)

Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides precious and base metal properties in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and China. The company mines for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates, as well as carbon material containing silver and gold for custom smelters, metal traders, and third-party processors; and dore containing silver and gold.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Hecla Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hecla Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE  Get Free Report) SVP Jeremy Cox sold 50,061 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.70, for a total transaction of $1,186,445.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 26,905 shares in the company, valued at $637,648.50. This represents a 65.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Jeremy Cox also recently made the following trade(s):

Get Hewlett Packard Enterprise alerts:

On Wednesday, December 10th, Jeremy Cox sold 13,442 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $332,689.50.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HPE traded down $0.83 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $24.43. 28,124,190 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,585,941. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.01. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $23.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.80. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company has a 12 month low of $11.97 and a 12 month high of $26.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.23 billion, a PE ratio of -407.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.34.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Increases Dividend

Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( NYSE:HPE Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $9.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.91 billion. Hewlett Packard Enterprise had a net margin of 0.17% and a return on equity of 9.15%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.570-0.610 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 19th will be given a dividend of $0.1425 per share. This is a boost from Hewlett Packard Enterprises previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 19th. This represents a $0.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Hewlett Packard Enterprises dividend payout ratio is -866.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 3.5% in the first quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 30,953 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new position in Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 212.2% in the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 586,496 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $9,050,000 after purchasing an additional 398,618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp grew its position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 77,526 shares of the technology companys stock worth $1,196,000 after buying an additional 10,526 shares during the period. 80.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a market perform rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They issued a neutral rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $25.53.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. It operates in six segments: Compute, HPC & AI, Storage, Intelligent Edge, Financial Services, and Corporate Investments and Other.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Judges Scientific plc (LON:JDG  Get Free Report) insider David Cicurel acquired 2 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 5,985 per share, for a total transaction of 119.70.

David Cicurel also recently made the following trade(s):

Get Judges Scientific alerts:

On Monday, October 6th, David Cicurel purchased 3 shares of Judges Scientific stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 6,285 per share, with a total value of 188.55.

Judges Scientific Stock Performance

LON:JDG opened at GBX 5,700 on Friday. The company has a market cap of 379.11 million, a P/E ratio of 34.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.83. The firms 50 day moving average is GBX 5,576.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 6,629.20. Judges Scientific plc has a fifty-two week low of GBX 4,400 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 9,120. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 70.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Judges Scientific ( LON:JDG Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The company reported GBX 141.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Judges Scientific had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Analysts expect that Judges Scientific plc will post 402.5824271 EPS for the current year.

Several equities research analysts have commented on JDG shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and set a GBX 7,380 price target on shares of Judges Scientific in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Shore Capital reiterated a house stock rating on shares of Judges Scientific in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 7,900 price target on shares of Judges Scientific in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 7,640.

View Our Latest Report on JDG

Judges Scientific Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Judges Scientific plc (AIM: JDG), is a group focused on acquiring and developing companies in the scientific instrument sector. The Group now consists of 23 businesses acquired since 2005.

The acquired companies are primarily UK-based with products sold worldwide to a diverse range of markets including: higher education institutions, scientific research facilities, manufacturers and regulatory authorities.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Judges Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Judges Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
NET Power Inc. (NYSE:NPWR  Get Free Report) major shareholder 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 40,000 shares of NET Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.82, for a total transaction of $112,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 2,550,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,191,000. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a companys stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

8 Rivers Capital, Llc also recently made the following trade(s):

Get NET Power alerts:

On Monday, December 8th, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 140,000 shares of NET Power stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.81, for a total transaction of $393,400.00.

On Friday, December 5th, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 105,000 shares of NET Power stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.91, for a total transaction of $305,550.00.

On Thursday, December 4th, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 65,000 shares of NET Power stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total transaction of $191,100.00.

On Friday, November 28th, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 200,000 shares of NET Power stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total transaction of $588,000.00.

On Friday, November 21st, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 17,163 shares of NET Power stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.50, for a total value of $42,907.50.

On Thursday, November 20th, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 132,837 shares of NET Power stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.60, for a total value of $345,376.20.

On Wednesday, November 19th, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 250,000 shares of NET Power stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.57, for a total value of $642,500.00.

On Monday, November 17th, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 338,653 shares of NET Power stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.81, for a total value of $951,614.93.

On Monday, November 3rd, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 8,477 shares of NET Power stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.00, for a total value of $33,908.00.

On Friday, October 31st, 8 Rivers Capital, Llc sold 18,116 shares of NET Power stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.05, for a total value of $73,369.80.

NET Power Stock Performance

NYSE NPWR traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $2.74. The stock had a trading volume of 520,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,433,638. NET Power Inc. has a 52-week low of $1.48 and a 52-week high of $11.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.34 and a 200 day moving average of $2.84. The stock has a market cap of $608.00 million, a P/E ratio of -0.36 and a beta of 0.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NET Power

NET Power ( NYSE:NPWR Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported $5.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by $6.00. On average, equities research analysts forecast that NET Power Inc. will post -0.4 EPS for the current year.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NPWR. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in NET Power by 63.0% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 14,051 shares of the companys stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 5,429 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NET Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $136,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of NET Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $221,000. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of NET Power by 80.6% during the 1st quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 743,238 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,955,000 after buying an additional 331,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of NET Power during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.62% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NPWR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of NET Power from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of NET Power in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays upgraded NET Power from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and upped their target price for the stock from $2.00 to $3.00 in a research note on Friday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NET Power has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $3.50.

View Our Latest Stock Report on NPWR

NET Power Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

NET Power Inc operates as a clean energy technology company. The company invents, develops, and licenses clean power generation technology. NET Power Inc was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for NET Power Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NET Power and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for Invesco (NYSE: IVZ):

12/10/2025  Invesco had its price target raised by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $28.00 to $30.00. They now have an outperform rating on the stock.

12/8/2025  Invesco had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/5/2025  Invesco was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating.

12/4/2025  Invesco had its buy rating reaffirmed by analysts at Cowen Inc.

12/1/2025  Invesco had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/25/2025  Invesco had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/25/2025  Invesco had its price target lowered by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $26.50 to $25.50. They now have a neutral rating on the stock.

11/19/2025  Invesco had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/13/2025  Invesco had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/8/2025  Invesco was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a hold rating to a buy rating.

11/6/2025  Invesco was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating.

10/31/2025  Invesco was given a new $27.00 price target on by analysts at Fundamental Research.

10/30/2025  Invesco had its price target raised by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $23.00 to $25.00. They now have a sector perform rating on the stock.

10/29/2025  Invesco had its price target raised by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $25.50 to $26.50. They now have a neutral rating on the stock.

10/29/2025  Invesco had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $24.00 to $25.00. They now have an equal weight rating on the stock.

10/24/2025  Invesco had its outperform rating reaffirmed by analysts at BMO Capital Markets.

10/21/2025  Invesco had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $22.00 to $24.00. They now have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Invesco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Invescos dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Douglas J. Sharp sold 160,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total value of $3,769,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,523.52. This trade represents a 99.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Invesco Ltd. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to retail clients, institutional clients, high-net worth clients, public entities, corporations, unions, non-profit organizations, endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions, and sovereign wealth funds.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Ltd Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco Ltd and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Ivanhoe Mines (OTCMKTS:IVPAF  Get Free Report) and Canadian Zeolite (OTCMKTS:IZCFF  Get Free Report) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Ivanhoe Mines and Canadian Zeolites net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Get Ivanhoe Mines alerts:

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Ivanhoe Mines 89.02% 5.76% 4.45% Canadian Zeolite -6.50% N/A -11.94%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ivanhoe Mines and Canadian Zeolites gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Ivanhoe Mines $40.82 million 353.01 $228.13 million $0.15 67.53 Canadian Zeolite $450,000.00 N/A -$370,000.00 ($0.01) -0.55

Ivanhoe Mines has higher revenue and earnings than Canadian Zeolite. Canadian Zeolite is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ivanhoe Mines, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Ivanhoe Mines and Canadian Zeolite, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Ivanhoe Mines 0 1 4 3 3.25 Canadian Zeolite 0 0 0 0 0.00

Summary

Ivanhoe Mines beats Canadian Zeolite on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ivanhoe Mines

(Get Free Report)

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. engages in the mining, development, and exploration of minerals and precious metals primarily in Africa. It explores for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, gold, rhodium, zinc, silver, germanium, and lead deposits. The company's projects include the Platreef project located in the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex; the Kipushi project located in Haut-Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Kamoa-Kakula project located within the Central African Copperbelt. It also holds a 100% interest in the Western Foreland exploration project covering an area of approximately 2,407 square kilometers located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company was formerly known as Ivanplats Limited and changed its name to Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. in August 2013. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

About Canadian Zeolite

(Get Free Report)

International Zeolite Corp. explores for and develops mineral properties in Canada. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Development, and Retail and Commercial. The company markets and supplies natural zeolite and zeolite-infused products for agriculture, industrial, and home use; and develops, markets, and sells industrial commercial products from the production of its properties, as well as supplies raw materials from third party suppliers. It also has interests in the Bromley Creek zeolite project, which consists of one mineral lease and four mineral claims covering approximately 1,134.75 hectares located near Princeton, British Columbia; and the Sun Group zeolite project covering approximately 527.167 hectares located in British Columbia. The company was formerly known as Canadian Zeolite Corp. and changed its name to International Zeolite Corp. in March 2018. International Zeolite Corp. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Receive News & Ratings for Ivanhoe Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ivanhoe Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Kavango Resources Plc (LON:KAV  Get Free Report) shares were down 11.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 0.60 and last traded at GBX 0.60. Approximately 1,754,062 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 2,212,804 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 0.68.

Kavango Resources Trading Up 1.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of 23.62 million, a P/E ratio of -0.96 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 0.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 0.97.

Kavango Resources Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Kavango Resources Plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration of base and precious metals in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It explores for nickel, copper, silver, platinum, iron, gold, uranium, and rare earth deposits. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Kavango Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kavango Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC  Get Free Report) (TSE:K) shares traded up 4.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $28.97 and last traded at $28.55. 8,141,818 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 18,496,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on KGC. CIBC raised their price objective on shares of Kinross Gold from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Desjardins started coverage on shares of Kinross Gold in a research report on Friday, November 28th. They set a buy rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kinross Gold from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday, November 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Kinross Gold from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on Kinross Gold from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Kinross Gold currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $29.81.

Get Kinross Gold alerts:

View Our Latest Research Report on KGC

Kinross Gold Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $25.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC  Get Free Report) (TSE:K) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The mining company reported $0.44 earnings per share (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 22.25% and a net margin of 27.30%.The firms revenue was up 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Kinross Gold Corporation will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Kinross Gold Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th were paid a $0.035 dividend. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 26th. This is an increase from Kinross Golds previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. Kinross Golds dividend payout ratio is presently 9.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KGC. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Kinross Gold during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kinross Gold during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kinross Gold during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kinross Gold in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Kinross Gold by 85.2% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,280 shares of the mining companys stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. 63.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kinross Gold Company Profile

(Get 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.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Kinross Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kinross Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Lennar (NYSE:LEN.B  Get Free Report) and Taylor Wimpey (OTCMKTS:TWODY  Get Free Report) are both construction companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, risk, earnings, valuation and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

Lennar has a beta of 1.3, indicating that its stock price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Taylor Wimpey has a beta of 1.29, indicating that its stock price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Get Lennar alerts:

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Lennar and Taylor Wimpeys gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Lennar $35.44 billion 0.81 $3.93 billion $12.09 9.34 Taylor Wimpey $4.37 billion 1.09 $433.99 million N/A N/A

Lennar has higher revenue and earnings than Taylor Wimpey.

Dividends

Lennar pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Taylor Wimpey pays an annual dividend of $1.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.1%. Lennar pays out 16.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

3.3% of Lennar shares are owned by institutional investors. 15.0% of Lennar shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Lennar and Taylor Wimpeys net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Lennar 7.72% 11.09% 7.34% Taylor Wimpey N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings for Lennar and Taylor Wimpey, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Lennar 0 0 0 0 0.00 Taylor Wimpey 1 3 1 1 2.33

Summary

Lennar beats Taylor Wimpey on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lennar

(Get Free Report)

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land. It primarily sells single-family attached and detached homes in communities targeted to first-time, move-up, active adult, and luxury homebuyers. The company also offers residential mortgage financing, title insurance, and closing services for home buyers and others. In addition, it involves in the fund investment activity; and originates and sells into securitizations commercial mortgage loans. Further, the company develops, constructs, and manages multifamily rental properties. Lennar Corporation was founded in 1954 and is based in Miami, Florida.

About Taylor Wimpey

(Get Free Report)

Taylor Wimpey plc operates as a homebuilder in the United Kingdom and Spain. It builds and delivers various homes and communities. Taylor Wimpey plc was incorporated in 1935 and is based in High Wycombe, the United Kingdom.

Receive News & Ratings for Lennar Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lennar and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $43.70 and last traded at $43.7850, with a volume of 276042 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $42.99.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research raised Lincoln National to a strong sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Lincoln National from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b-) rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $43.40.

Get Lincoln National alerts:

Get Our Latest Analysis on LNC

Lincoln National Stock Performance

The companys fifty day moving average price is $40.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.78 billion, a PE ratio of 4.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.33.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.80 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 11.49% and a return on equity of 18.77%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. Lincoln Nationals payout ratio is currently 16.16%.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.15, for a total transaction of $155,363.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,985 shares in the company, valued at $5,253,187.75. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Owen Ryan bought 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $42.17 per share, for a total transaction of $84,340.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $506,040. This trade represents a 20.00% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the 2nd quarter worth $87,362,000. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the second quarter worth about $43,686,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 6.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,903,720 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $802,717,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,934 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 25.3% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,730,727 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $231,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Lincoln National by 21.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,952,166 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $240,051,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035,505 shares during the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln National Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, universal life insurance (UL), indexed universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL and VUL products, and critical illness and long-term care riders.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Lincoln National Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lincoln National and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Heineken (OTCMKTS:HEINY  Get Free Report) and Remy Cointreau (OTCMKTS:REMYY  Get Free Report) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation and earnings.

Volatility and Risk

Heineken has a beta of 0.41, indicating that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Remy Cointreau has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Get Heineken alerts:

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Heineken and Remy Cointreau, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Heineken 0 0 3 3 3.50 Remy Cointreau 3 2 1 1 2.00

Dividends

Valuation & Earnings

Heineken pays an annual dividend of $0.65 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Remy Cointreau pays an annual dividend of $0.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%.

This table compares Heineken and Remy Cointreaus revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Heineken $38.91 billion 1.17 $1.06 billion N/A N/A Remy Cointreau $1.06 billion 2.11 $130.21 million N/A N/A

Heineken has higher revenue and earnings than Remy Cointreau.

Profitability

This table compares Heineken and Remy Cointreaus net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Heineken N/A N/A N/A Remy Cointreau N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Heineken beats Remy Cointreau on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Heineken

(Get Free Report)

Heineken N.V. brews and sells beer and cider in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides soft drinks and water. It offers its beers under the Heineken, Heineken Light, Orchard Thieves, Orchard Thieves Light, Birra Moretti, Coors, Murphy's and Beamish Stouts, Desperados, Tiger, Sol, and Foster's brand, as well as under regional and local brands. The company offers its products to retailers, wholesalers, cafes, bars, pubs, hotels, and restaurants. Heineken N.V. was incorporated in 1864 and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The company operates as a subsidiary of Heineken Holding N.V.

About Remy Cointreau

(Get Free Report)

Remy Cointreau SA, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, sale, and distribution of liqueurs and spirits. It operates through Remy Martin, Liqueurs & Spirits, and Partner Brands segments. The company offers cognacs, liqueurs, single malt whiskies, gins, rums, brandies, wines, and champagnes primarily under the Cointreau, Metaxa, St-Remy, Mount Gay, Bruichladdich, The Botanist, Westland, Le Domaine des Hautes Glaces, Belle de Brillet, Telmont, Port Charlotte, Octomore, Remy Martin, and LOUIS XIII brands. It operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The company was founded in 1724 and is headquartered in Cognac, France.

Receive News & Ratings for Heineken Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Heineken and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Taseko Mines Limited (NYSE:TGB  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $5.49 and last traded at $5.4750, with a volume of 3977686 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.23.

Taseko Mines Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -181.33 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.67.

Get Taseko Mines alerts:

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Taseko Mines by 8.7% during the second quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 62,331 shares of the companys stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Taseko Mines by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 774,437 shares of the companys stock worth $3,276,000 after buying an additional 5,007 shares in the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors boosted its position in Taseko Mines by 0.8% in the third quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 706,110 shares of the companys stock worth $2,987,000 after purchasing an additional 5,425 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Taseko Mines by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 58,640 shares of the companys stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 6,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Taseko Mines by 19.9% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 60,200 shares of the companys stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. 17.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Taseko Mines Company Profile

Taseko Mines Limited, a mining company, acquires, develops, and operates mineral properties. It explores for copper, molybdenum, gold, niobium, and silver deposits. The companys principal asset comprises 100% interest owned the Gibraltar mine located in British Columbia. It also holds interest in the Yellowhead copper project, the Aley niobium project, and the New Prosperity gold and copper project located in British Columbia; and the Florence copper project located in Arizona.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Taseko Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taseko Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of TMX Group Limited (OTCMKTS:TMXXF  Get Free Report) have received an average rating of Moderate Buy from the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Securities raised shares of TMX Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an outperform rating on shares of TMX Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an outperform rating on shares of TMX Group in a report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Get TMX Group alerts:

Get Our Latest Report on TMX Group

TMX Group Stock Performance

TMX Group Company Profile

TMXXF stock opened at $37.68 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.53 and a 200-day moving average of $39.03. TMX Group has a one year low of $29.68 and a one year high of $42.19.

(Get Free Report)

TMX Group Limited operates exchanges, markets, and clearinghouses primarily for capital markets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Global Solutions, Insights & Analytics; Capital Formation; Derivatives Trading & Clearing; and Equities and Fixed Income Trading & Clearing.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for TMX Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TMX Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
TransAlta Corporation (NYSE:TAC  Get Free Report) (TSE:TA) shares shot up 7.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $15.24 and last traded at $15.1060. 486,622 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 1,633,106 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on TAC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of TransAlta in a research note on Monday, November 10th. TD Securities restated a buy rating on shares of TransAlta in a report on Wednesday. Natl Bk Canada downgraded shares of TransAlta from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d+) rating on shares of TransAlta in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded TransAlta from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, TransAlta currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $19.88.

Get TransAlta alerts:

View Our Latest Stock Report on TAC

TransAlta Stock Down 0.3%

The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $15.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.10. The company has a market cap of $4.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.04 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.22, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.79.

TransAlta (NYSE:TAC  Get Free Report) (TSE:TA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $441.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $558.84 million. TransAlta had a positive return on equity of 3.00% and a negative net margin of 7.39%. Sell-side analysts expect that TransAlta Corporation will post 0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

TransAlta Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.065 per share. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. TransAltas payout ratio is currently -39.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransAlta

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in TransAlta by 19.5% during the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 70,554 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 11,532 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of TransAlta in the second quarter worth $1,039,000. Timelo Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of TransAlta during the 2nd quarter worth $647,000. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in TransAlta in the 2nd quarter valued at $8,367,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in TransAlta by 1,150.1% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 904,342 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $8,456,000 after buying an additional 832,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.00% of the companys stock.

About TransAlta

(Get Free Report)

TransAlta Corporation engages in the development, production, and sale of electric energy. It operates through Hydro, Wind and Solar, Gas, Energy Transition, and Energy Marketing segments. The Hydro segment holds interest of approximately 922 megawatts (MW) of owned hydroelectric generating capacity located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for TransAlta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TransAlta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. (NYSE:SITE  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 7,200 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $871,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SITE. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 10,308 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 1,422 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in SiteOne Landscape Supply by 0.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 555,858 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $67,503,000 after buying an additional 2,951 shares in the last quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP grew its stake in shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 42,756 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $5,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in SiteOne Landscape Supply by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 629,029 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $76,075,000 after buying an additional 107,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply during the second quarter valued at approximately $989,000.

Get SiteOne Landscape Supply alerts:

SiteOne Landscape Supply Stock Performance

SiteOne Landscape Supply stock opened at $131.06 on Friday. SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $101.25 and a fifty-two week high of $154.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 2.49. The stock has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.60. The firms fifty day moving average price is $126.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SiteOne Landscape Supply ( NYSE:SITE Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. SiteOne Landscape Supply had a net margin of 2.98% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several brokerages have commented on SITE. Barclays set a $134.00 price objective on shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday. William Blair restated a market perform rating on shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $140.00 price target on shares of SiteOne Landscape Supply in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Zacks Research raised SiteOne Landscape Supply from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on SiteOne Landscape Supply from $158.00 to $138.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SiteOne Landscape Supply currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $151.11.

Read Our Latest Report on SITE

SiteOne Landscape Supply Company Profile

(Free Report)

SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of landscape supplies in the United States and Canada. The company provides irrigation products, including controllers, valves, sprinkler heads, irrigation pipes, micro irrigation, and drip products; fertilizer, grass seed, and ice melt products; control products, such as herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and other pesticides; landscape accessories that include mulches, soil amendments, drainage pipes, tools, and sods; nursery goods, which consist of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, ornamental, shade, evergreen trees, field grown and container-grown nursery stock, roses, perennials, annuals, bulbs, and plant species and cultivars; hardscapes, such as pavers, natural stones, blocks, and other durable materials; and outdoor lighting products that include lighting fixtures, LED lamps, wires, transformers, and accessories.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SITE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. (NYSE:SITE  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for SiteOne Landscape Supply Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SiteOne Landscape Supply and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $116.93 and last traded at $115.58, with a volume of 541 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $114.3750.

Bank Hapoalim Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $103.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.49. The company has a market capitalization of $31.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.98 and a beta of 1.16.

Get Bank Hapoalim alerts:

Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The bank reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Bank Hapoalim had a net margin of 21.60% and a return on equity of 15.12%. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter.

Bank Hapoalim Cuts Dividend

Bank Hapoalim Company Profile

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.9362 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 266.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. Bank Hapoalims payout ratio is currently 38.62%.

(Get Free Report)

Bank Hapoalim B.M., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking and financial products and services in Israel and internationally. It operates through Household, Private Banking, Small businesses and micro businesses, Mid-sized businesses, Large businesses, Institutional entities, and Financial management segments.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Bank Hapoalim Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank Hapoalim and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
BE Semiconductor Industries NV (OTCMKTS:BESIY  Get Free Report)s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $167.00, but opened at $158.00. BE Semiconductor Industries shares last traded at $158.00, with a volume of 289 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on BESIY. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BE Semiconductor Industries from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of BE Semiconductor Industries in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of BE Semiconductor Industries in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Get BE Semiconductor Industries alerts:

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on BESIY

BE Semiconductor Industries Trading Down 3.6%

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 76.33 and a beta of 1.84. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $160.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.78. The company has a current ratio of 5.75, a quick ratio of 5.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

BE Semiconductor Industries (OTCMKTS:BESIY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $154.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.84 million. BE Semiconductor Industries had a net margin of 25.42% and a return on equity of 33.98%. Equities research analysts forecast that BE Semiconductor Industries NV will post 4.56 EPS for the current year.

About BE Semiconductor Industries

(Get Free Report)

BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and service of semiconductor assembly equipment for the semiconductor and electronics industries in China, the United States, Malaysia, Ireland, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Other Asia Pacific and Europe, and internationally.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for BE Semiconductor Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BE Semiconductor Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 8.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 566,779 shares of the investment management companys stock after purchasing an additional 42,483 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.19% of The Goldman Sachs Group worth $401,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 617,504.5% during the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 29,058,291 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $20,566,005,000 after purchasing an additional 29,053,586 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter worth about $2,138,031,000. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new position in The Goldman Sachs Group in the second quarter valued at about $408,780,000. AGF Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 2,429.6% during the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 485,375 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $343,524,000 after purchasing an additional 466,187 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 100,678.6% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 404,122 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $286,017,000 after purchasing an additional 403,721 shares during the period. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts:

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GS opened at $910.93 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $798.05 and its 200-day moving average is $741.22. The firm has a market cap of $273.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $439.38 and a 1-year high of $919.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The Goldman Sachs Group ( NYSE:GS Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The investment management company reported $12.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.27 by $1.98. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 13.18%.The firm had revenue of $15.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.40 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be paid a $4.00 dividend. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on GS. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a neutral rating and set a $843.00 target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $752.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set a market perform rating and a $785.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $850.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Dbs Bank boosted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $800.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $786.00.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on GS

About The Goldman Sachs Group

(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.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) by 135.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 236,558 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 135,899 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LPs holdings in Capital One Financial were worth $50,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC increased its holdings in Capital One Financial by 103.3% in the 2nd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 122 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Capital One Financial by 439.1% in the 2nd quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Capital One Financial during the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Capital One Financial during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.84% of the companys stock.

Get Capital One Financial alerts:

Insider Transactions at Capital One Financial

In other Capital One Financial news, insider Lia Dean sold 3,269 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.15, for a total transaction of $713,132.35. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 69,855 shares in the company, valued at $15,238,868.25. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Frank G. LapradeIii sold 17,840 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.03, for a total transaction of $3,961,015.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 48,315 shares in the company, valued at $10,727,379.45. This represents a 26.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 280,218 shares of company stock worth $62,395,804. 1.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COF. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Capital One Financial from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Capital One Financial from $267.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Capital One Financial from $258.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $266.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $262.70.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Capital One Financial

Capital One Financial Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of COF stock opened at $239.20 on Friday. Capital One Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $143.22 and a 1-year high of $243.31. The firm has a market cap of $152.07 billion, a PE ratio of 100.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $217.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $214.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $5.95 EPS for the quarter. Capital One Financial had a net margin of 2.24% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $15.46 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Capital One Financial Corporation will post 15.65 EPS for the current year.

Capital One Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This is a boost from Capital One Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Capital One Financials payout ratio is presently 135.02%.

About Capital One Financial

(Free Report)

Capital One Financial Corporation operates as the financial services holding company for the Capital One, National Association, which engages in the provision of various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Capital One Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Capital One Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Investment Management Corp of Ontario decreased its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG  Free Report) by 59.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,425 shares of the energy companys stock after selling 8,041 shares during the quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontarios holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,687,388 shares of the energy companys stock worth $1,141,473,000 after purchasing an additional 26,843 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy during the second quarter worth about $957,425,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,874,796 shares of the energy companys stock worth $940,578,000 after buying an additional 70,475 shares during the period. Amundi increased its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,703,299 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $595,245,000 after buying an additional 7,297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Cheniere Energy by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,395,267 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $554,265,000 after acquiring an additional 488,994 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get Cheniere Energy alerts:

Cheniere Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $191.60 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $188.70 and a 52-week high of $257.65. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $214.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $228.10. The company has a market capitalization of $41.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.67, a P/E/G ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.26.

Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend

Cheniere Energy ( NYSE:LNG Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The energy company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.75 by $2.00. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.87 billion. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.52% and a net margin of 21.12%.The firms quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.93 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a $0.555 dividend. This is a boost from Cheniere Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. Cheniere Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research cut Cheniere Energy from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an outperform rating and a $268.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $261.00 to $257.00 and set a sector outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a strong-buy rating and issued a $278.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $268.47.

Read Our Latest Report on LNG

Insider Activity

In other news, Director W Benjamin Moreland bought 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $208.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,041,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,216.32. The trade was a 102.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the companys stock.

Cheniere Energy Profile

(Free Report)

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LNG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Cheniere Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cheniere Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Dollarama (TSE:DOL  Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from C$185.00 to C$195.00 in a research note issued on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective suggests a potential downside of 2.98% from the companys current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. CIBC boosted their target price on shares of Dollarama from C$199.00 to C$212.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday. Desjardins set a C$205.00 target price on shares of Dollarama and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Dollarama from C$223.00 to C$232.00 in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Dollarama from C$190.00 to C$200.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Dollarama from C$223.00 to C$235.00 in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Dollarama currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$216.15.

Get Dollarama alerts:

View Our Latest Research Report on DOL

Dollarama Stock Performance

DOL traded up C$3.49 on Friday, hitting C$200.98. 432,359 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 620,191. The business has a fifty day moving average price of C$188.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$188.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 369.36. The firm has a market capitalization of C$55.52 billion, a PE ratio of 44.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.10. Dollarama has a 52 week low of C$132.37 and a 52 week high of C$209.96.

Dollarama (TSE:DOL  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The company reported C$1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Dollarama had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 135.38%. The firm had revenue of C$1.91 billion for the quarter. On average, research analysts predict that Dollarama will post 5.3295203 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Dollarama

(Get Free Report)

Dollarama Inc is a Canada-based company principally engaged in operating discount retail stores. The company provides a broad range of everyday consumer products, general merchandise, and seasonal items, with merchandise at low fixed price points. General merchandise and consumer products jointly account for the majority of the companys product offerings.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Dollarama Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dollarama and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 69.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,512,311 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,842,754 shares during the quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Mains holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $821,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PM. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Wealth Management raised its position in Philip Morris International by 566.7% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 160 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc grew its position in Philip Morris International by 266.7% in the second quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 165 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get Philip Morris International alerts:

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM opened at $150.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $234.79 billion, a PE ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.42. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $116.12 and a one year high of $186.69. The companys fifty day moving average price is $153.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.53.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. Analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm 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 an increase from Philip Morris Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Philip Morris Internationals payout ratio is 106.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $180.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 target price on Philip Morris International and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Philip Morris International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $189.00.

Get Our Latest Stock Report 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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Philip Morris International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Philip Morris International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main decreased its stake in shares of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) by 8.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 27,936,893 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,505,637 shares during the period. Bank of America comprises about 1.3% of DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Mains holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Mains holdings in Bank of America were worth $1,321,975,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new position in shares of Bank of America during the second quarter valued at about $3,349,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank of America by 48.7% in the second quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 681 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Bank of America by 4.2% during the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,819 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Bank of America by 73.6% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 288,639 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $13,658,000 after buying an additional 122,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC increased its stake in Bank of America by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC now owns 20,602 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $975,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares during the last quarter. 70.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Get Bank of America alerts:

Bank of America Trading Up 0.9%

BAC stock opened at $54.56 on Friday. Bank of America Corporation has a twelve month low of $33.06 and a twelve month high of $54.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $398.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $52.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.37.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $5.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $27.05 billion. Bank of America had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.81 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Bank of Americas payout ratio is 30.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BAC shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Bank of America from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Bank of America from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Phillip Securities increased their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $50.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Bank of America from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $57.82.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Bank of America

Bank of America Profile

(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.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BAC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK  Get Free Report) and Renasant (NYSE:RNST  Get Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Equity Bancshares and Renasants top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Get Equity Bancshares alerts:

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Equity Bancshares $335.67 million 2.65 $62.62 million $1.20 38.88 Renasant $874.43 million 4.00 $195.46 million $1.99 18.51

Profitability

Renasant has higher revenue and earnings than Equity Bancshares. Renasant is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Equity Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

This table compares Equity Bancshares and Renasants net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Equity Bancshares 5.01% 11.67% 1.33% Renasant 11.26% 6.99% 1.01%

Dividends

Equity Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Renasant pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Equity Bancshares pays out 60.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Renasant pays out 46.2% 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. Renasant is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Equity Bancshares and Renasant, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Equity Bancshares 0 1 0 2 3.33 Renasant 0 1 0 1 3.00

Volatility and Risk

Equity Bancshares has a beta of 0.88, meaning that its share price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Renasant has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

71.8% of Equity Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.3% of Renasant shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.6% of Equity Bancshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Renasant shares are owned by company 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

Renasant beats Equity Bancshares on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Equity Bancshares

(Get Free Report)

Equity Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Equity Bank that provides a range of banking, mortgage banking, and financial services to individual and corporate customers. The company accepts various demand, savings, money market, and time deposits. Its loan products include commercial and industrial, commercial real estate-backed, commercial lines of credit, working capital, term, equipment financing, acquisition, expansion and development, borrowing base, real estate construction, homebuilder, agricultural, government guaranteed, and other loan products to national and regional companies, restaurant franchisees, hoteliers, real estate developers, manufacturing and industrial companies, agribusiness companies, and other businesses. The companys loan products also comprise various consumer loans to individuals and professionals, including residential real estate loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, installment loans, unsecured and secured personal lines of credit, overdraft protection, and letters of credit. It also provides debit cards; online banking solutions, such as access to account balances, online transfers, online bill payment, and electronic delivery of customer statements; mobile banking solutions comprising remote check deposits with mobile bill pay; ATMs; and treasury management, wire transfer, automated clearing house, and stop payment services. In addition, the company offers cash management deposit products, such as lockbox, remote deposit capture, positive pay, reverse positive pay, account reconciliation services, zero balance accounts, and sweep accounts, as well as banking services through telephone, mail, and personal appointments. As of December 31, 2021, it operated a network of 69 branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.

About Renasant

(Get Free Report)

Renasant Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Renasant Bank that provides a range of financial, wealth management, fiduciary, and insurance services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through three segments: Community Banks, Insurance, and Wealth Management. The Community Banks segment offers checking and savings accounts, business and personal loans, asset-based lending, and equipment leasing services, as well as safe deposit and night depository facilities. It also provides commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; equipment financing and leasing; real estate1-4 family mortgage; real estatecommercial mortgage; real estateconstruction loans for the construction of single family residential properties, multi-family properties, and commercial projects; installment loans to individuals; and interim construction loans, as well as automated teller machine (ATM), online and mobile banking, call center, and treasury management services. The Insurance segment provides insurance agency services, such as commercial and personal insurance products through insurance carriers. The Wealth Management segment offers a range of wealth management and fiduciary services, including administration and management of trust accounts, such as personal and corporate benefit accounts, and custodial accounts, as well as accounting and money management for trust accounts; annuities, mutual funds, and other investment services through a third party broker-dealer; and qualified retirement plans, IRAs, employee benefit plans, personal trusts, and estates. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated a network of 189 banking, lending, and mortgage offices located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee; 150 full-service branches and 11 limited-service branches; 173 ATMs; and 38 interactive teller machines. Renasant Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Receive News & Ratings for Equity Bancshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equity Bancshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Fresnillo PLC (OTCMKTS:FNLPF  Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $39.95 and last traded at $39.51, with a volume of 7888 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $38.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on FNLPF shares. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Fresnillo in a research note on Monday, November 24th. HSBC upgraded shares of Fresnillo to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Fresnillo from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Scotiabank cut Fresnillo from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an underweight rating on shares of Fresnillo in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Fresnillo presently has a consensus rating of Hold.

Get Fresnillo alerts:

View Our Latest Report on FNLPF

Fresnillo Trading Up 0.4%

Fresnillo Company Profile

The company has a current ratio of 5.09, a quick ratio of 4.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $32.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.87.

(Get Free Report)

Fresnillo plc mines, develops, and produces non-ferrous minerals in Mexico. It operates through seven segments: Fresnillo, Saucito, Cienega, Herradura, Noche Buena, San Julian, and Juanicipio. The company primarily explores for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates. Its projects include the Fresnillo silver mine located in the state of Zacatecas; Saucito silver mine situated in the state of Zacatecas; Cienega gold mine located in the state of Durango; Herradura gold mine situated in the state of Sonora; Noche Buena gold mine located in the state of Sonora; San Julian silver-gold mine situated on the border of Chihuahua/Durango states; and Juanicipio mine located in the state of Zacatecas.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Fresnillo Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fresnillo and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Newmont, Freeport-McMoRan, Barrick Mining, Hecla Mining, and First Majestic Silver are the five Gold stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Gold stocks are shares of publicly traded companies whose primary business involves the exploration, development, mining, processing, or financing (royalty and streaming) of gold. They provide investors with leveraged exposure to movements in the price of bullion but also carry company-specific operational, geopolitical and currency risks that can cause performance to diverge from spot gold. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Gold stocks within the last several days.

Get alerts:

Newmont (NEM)

Newmont Corporation engages in the production and exploration of gold. It also explores for copper, silver, zinc, and lead. The company has operations and/or assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Suriname, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Fiji, and Ghana.

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)

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.

Read Our Latest Research Report on FCX

Barrick Mining (B)

Barrick Gold Corporation is a sector-leading gold and copper producer. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GOLD and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ABX.



In January 2019 Barrick merged with Randgold Resources and in July that year it combined its gold mines in Nevada, USA, with those of Newmont Corporation in a joint venture, Nevada Gold Mines, which is majority-owned and operated by Barrick.

Read Our Latest Research Report on B

Hecla Mining (HL)

Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides precious and base metal properties in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and China. The company mines for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates, as well as carbon material containing silver and gold for custom smelters, metal traders, and third-party processors; and dore containing silver and gold.

Read Our Latest Research Report on HL

First Majestic Silver (AG)

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of mineral properties with a focus on silver and gold production in North America. Its projects include the San Dimas mine covering an area of approximately 71,867 hectares located in Durango State, Mexico; the Santa Elena that covers an area of approximately 102,244 hectares located in Sonora State, Mexico; and the La Encantada covering an area of approximately 4,076 hectares located in Coahuila State, Mexico.

Read Our Latest Research Report on AG

Featured Articles
Ieq Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 15.0% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 313,312 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 55,092 shares during the period. The Goldman Sachs Group comprises approximately 1.4% of Ieq Capital LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Ieq Capital LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $221,746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 617,504.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 29,058,291 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $20,566,005,000 after purchasing an additional 29,053,586 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 3.6% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,539,746 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $4,628,507,000 after buying an additional 227,604 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 4.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,379,900 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $2,392,124,000 after buying an additional 157,473 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,332,804 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,820,677,000 after acquiring an additional 40,125 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,138,031,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the companys stock.

Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $720.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Dbs Bank lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $800.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a neutral rating and issued a $750.00 price objective (up from $625.00) on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $785.00 to $855.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Four equities research 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 Goldman Sachs Group presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $786.00.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of GS stock opened at $910.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $273.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $798.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $741.22. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $439.38 and a twelve month high of $919.10.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS  Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $15.18 billion during 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 15.29%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.40 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $4.00 per share. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 32.50%.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company 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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Intact Investment Management Inc. lowered its stake in Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE:RJF  Free Report) by 36.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,500 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 3,200 shares during the quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc.s holdings in Raymond James Financial were worth $844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Raymond James Financial by 69.0% in the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 245 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Raymond James Financial by 47.2% during the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 337 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council grew its holdings in shares of Raymond James Financial by 300.0% during the second quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 400 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC raised its position in Raymond James Financial by 46,000.0% in the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 461 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Raymond James Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Institutional investors own 83.83% of the companys stock.

Get Raymond James Financial alerts:

Raymond James Financial Price Performance

Shares of RJF opened at $163.70 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $160.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.78. Raymond James Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $117.57 and a 1-year high of $177.66. The company has a market cap of $32.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.91, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.99.

Raymond James Financial Increases Dividend

Raymond James Financial ( NYSE:RJF Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.28. Raymond James Financial had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 18.19%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.95 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Raymond James Financial, Inc. will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This is an increase from Raymond James Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Raymond James Financials dividend payout ratio is 19.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on RJF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Raymond James Financial from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group set a $176.00 target price on shares of Raymond James Financial and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Raymond James Financial from $176.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. JMP Securities boosted their price target on shares of Raymond James Financial from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Raymond James Financial from $174.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $180.45.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Raymond James Financial

Raymond James Financial Company Profile

(Free Report)

Raymond James Financial, Inc, a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RJF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE:RJF  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Raymond James Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Raymond James Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Investment House LLC purchased a new stake in The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 11,500 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $1,049,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Charles Schwab during the second quarter valued at $25,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Charles Schwab by 97.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Charles Schwab by 6,650.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 405 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hoese & Co LLP boosted its holdings in Charles Schwab by 131.6% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.38% of the companys stock.

Get Charles Schwab alerts:

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on SCHW shares. Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Friday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a buy rating and issued a $114.00 price objective on shares of Charles Schwab in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Charles Schwab in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set an outperform rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $108.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,205 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.33, for a total transaction of $299,122.65. Following the sale, the insider owned 34,778 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,245,830.74. The trade was a 8.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 3,072 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,923 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,168,454. The trade was a 20.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Charles Schwab Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of SCHW opened at $97.00 on Friday. The Charles Schwab Corporation has a 52-week low of $65.88 and a 52-week high of $99.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.34. The company has a market capitalization of $172.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.96.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.06. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 35.93% and a return on equity of 21.02%. The firm had revenue of $6.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. The companys revenue was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Charles Schwab Corporation will post 4.22 EPS for the current year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio is 25.29%.

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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Charles Schwab Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charles Schwab and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
iShares MSCI Israel ETF (NYSEARCA:EIS  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $109.69 and last traded at $109.2740, with a volume of 6086 shares. The stock had previously closed at $109.25.

iShares MSCI Israel ETF Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $546.79 million, a PE ratio of 13.79 and a beta of 1.03. The companys 50-day moving average price is $102.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.90.

Get iShares MSCI Israel ETF alerts:

Hedge Funds Weigh In On iShares MSCI Israel ETF

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Israel ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Israel ETF by 49.8% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 301 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Israel ETF in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Israel ETF in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Israel ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000.

About iShares MSCI Israel ETF

The iShares MSCI Israel ETF (EIS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Israel Capped index, a market-cap-weighted index of Israeli firms. EIS was launched on Mar 26, 2008 and is managed by BlackRock.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Israel ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Israel ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC decreased its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 17.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 54,100 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 11,750 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories comprises about 1.0% of Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLCs holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $7,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,026,180,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 13,347.0% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,056,934 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $823,804,000 after purchasing an additional 6,011,891 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12.8% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 172,800,851 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $23,502,644,000 after purchasing an additional 2,977,715 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 180.7% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,063,443 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $416,659,000 after buying an additional 1,972,097 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Get Abbott Laboratories alerts:

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $123.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $127.63 and a 200-day moving average of $130.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.72. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $110.86 and a 12 month high of $141.23.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) 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 17.60%. The business had revenue of $11.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. Abbott Laboratoriess revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.180 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th were paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 15th. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is currently 29.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ABT. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $147.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Daiwa Capital Markets increased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $141.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $147.00.

Get Our Latest Research Report on ABT

Abbott Laboratories Company 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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Abbott Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abbott Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS  Get Free Report) CEO Robert Goldstein sold 17,095 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.03, for a total transaction of $1,145,877.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS traded down $0.97 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $65.23. 11,240,979 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,594,052. The stock has a market cap of $44.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $60.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.36. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $70.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Get Las Vegas Sands alerts:

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.04 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Las Vegas Sandss dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

A number of research firms have issued reports on LVS. Barclays boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an equal weight rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $65.80.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on LVS

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,072,014 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $1,874,063,000 after buying an additional 1,822,806 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,722,816 shares of the casino operators stock worth $607,373,000 after buying an additional 592,321 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 36.8% during the second quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 10,040,975 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $436,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,698,398 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 4.9% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,902,619 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $430,863,000 after acquiring an additional 459,821 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,823,966 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $382,294,000 after acquiring an additional 31,153 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Las Vegas Sands

(Get 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.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Las Vegas Sands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Las Vegas Sands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
LWM Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in iShares Global 100 ETF (NYSEARCA:IOO  Free Report) by 15.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,030 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,995 shares during the period. iShares Global 100 ETF accounts for about 1.6% of LWM Advisory Services LLCs holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. LWM Advisory Services LLCs holdings in iShares Global 100 ETF were worth $2,375,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in iShares Global 100 ETF by 605.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 240 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares Global 100 ETF during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of iShares Global 100 ETF by 120.8% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 552 shares of the companys stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Global 100 ETF in the second quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in shares of iShares Global 100 ETF by 338.5% in the second quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 792 shares during the period.

Get iShares Global 100 ETF alerts:

iShares Global 100 ETF Price Performance

IOO opened at $127.47 on Friday. The stocks fifty day moving average is $124.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.76. The company has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.21 and a beta of 0.93. iShares Global 100 ETF has a 52 week low of $82.79 and a 52 week high of $127.71.

About iShares Global 100 ETF

iShares Global 100 ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P Global 100 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 Global 100 Index (the Index). The Index is designed to measure the performance of 100 large-capitalization global companies.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IOO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Global 100 ETF (NYSEARCA:IOO  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for iShares Global 100 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Global 100 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,581,048 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $45,804,000. Brookdale Senior Living makes up about 2.2% of Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. owned 2.81% of Brookdale Senior Living at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Brookdale Senior Living by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 155,525 shares of the companys stock worth $1,082,000 after buying an additional 17,142 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Brookdale Senior Living by 19.4% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 81,645 shares of the companys stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 13,267 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Brookdale Senior Living by 38.9% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 301,883 shares of the companys stock worth $2,101,000 after acquiring an additional 84,496 shares in the last quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC increased its stake in Brookdale Senior Living by 30.6% during the second quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 121,010 shares of the companys stock worth $842,000 after acquiring an additional 28,363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Brookdale Senior Living during the second quarter valued at approximately $311,000.

Get Brookdale Senior Living alerts:

Brookdale Senior Living Stock Performance

BKD stock opened at $10.23 on Friday. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.45 and a twelve month high of $11.38. The firm has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.81 and a beta of 0.66. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $9.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 39.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Brookdale Senior Living ( NYSE:BKD Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by ($0.04). Brookdale Senior Living had a negative return on equity of 173.75% and a negative net margin of 9.52%.The company had revenue of $813.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $825.59 million. Analysts predict that Brookdale Senior Living Inc. will post -0.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BKD shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d-) rating on shares of Brookdale Senior Living in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Brookdale Senior Living from $9.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Brookdale Senior Living from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday, November 23rd. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Brookdale Senior Living from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their target price for the stock from $8.00 to $14.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Brookdale Senior Living has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $11.67.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living Company Profile

(Free Report)

Brookdale Senior Living Inc owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors.

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BKD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Brookdale Senior Living Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brookdale Senior Living and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Meteora Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:HYG  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 125,000 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $10,081,000. iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF comprises about 1.9% of Meteora Capital LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BNP Paribas boosted its stake in iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 296.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 4,535,242 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $365,767,000 after purchasing an additional 3,390,278 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF in the second quarter valued at $760,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF in the second quarter valued at about $67,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF during the second quarter worth about $496,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 3.3% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 4,077 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter.

Get iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF alerts:

iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of HYG stock opened at $80.72 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $80.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.10 billion, a PE ratio of 10.79 and a beta of 0.41. iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has a 52-week low of $75.08 and a 52-week high of $81.36.

About iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index (the Index), which is a rules-based index consisting of liquid the United States dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds for sale in the United States, as determined by the index provider.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HYG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:HYG  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Mitchells & Butlers plc (LON:MAB  Get Free Report) insider Phil Urban sold 194,357 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 260, for a total transaction of 505,328.20.

Phil Urban also recently made the following trade(s):

Get Mitchells & Butlers alerts:

On Friday, December 5th, Phil Urban acquired 52 shares of Mitchells & Butlers stock. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 264 per share, with a total value of 137.28.

On Friday, November 7th, Phil Urban bought 57 shares of Mitchells & Butlers stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 243 per share, for a total transaction of 138.51.

On Friday, October 10th, Phil Urban bought 55 shares of Mitchells & Butlers stock. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 253 per share, for a total transaction of 139.15.

Mitchells & Butlers Stock Performance

LON:MAB traded down GBX 0.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting GBX 254.78. 192,210 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 610,705. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.56. The stocks fifty day moving average price is GBX 250.28 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 265.29. The firm has a market cap of 1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.71. Mitchells & Butlers plc has a one year low of GBX 194.40 and a one year high of GBX 308.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Mitchells & Butlers ( LON:MAB Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 28th. The company reported GBX 30.90 earnings per share for the quarter. Mitchells & Butlers had a return on equity of 1.89% and a net margin of 1.72%. Research analysts anticipate that Mitchells & Butlers plc will post 26.6341463 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MAB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a neutral rating and issued a GBX 340 price objective on shares of Mitchells & Butlers in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Panmure Gordon reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 390 price target on shares of Mitchells & Butlers in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of Mitchells & Butlers in a report on Friday, November 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of GBX 351.25.

View Our Latest Analysis on MAB

Mitchells & Butlers Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Mitchells & Butlers is a leading operator of managed restaurants and pubs in the UK. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 2003 and is a member of the FTSE 250. Its restaurants and pubs have some of the highest average sales and profits per site in the industry and it operates the best portfolio of brands in the UK.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Mitchells & Butlers Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mitchells & Butlers and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
HUB Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Free Report) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 182,319 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 6,668 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for approximately 0.9% of HUB Investment Partners LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. HUB Investment Partners LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $25,681,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,782 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Klingman & Associates LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 3,076 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 36,915 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,307,000 after buying an additional 994 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 5.2% during the first quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,230 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harfst & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $658,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the companys stock.

Get Morgan Stanley alerts:

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wolfe Research raised shares of Morgan Stanley from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $198.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a moderate buy rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $173.38.

Morgan Stanley Stock Up 0.3%

MS opened at $180.28 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $286.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $94.33 and a 1 year high of $181.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $164.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.71.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Morgan Stanleys revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.03%.

Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In other Morgan Stanley news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total transaction of $16,434,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley 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.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Globeflex Capital L P lifted its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA  Free Report) by 15.1% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 230,546 shares of the industrial products companys stock after acquiring an additional 30,225 shares during the period. Globeflex Capital L Ps holdings in Mueller Water Products were worth $5,542,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MWA. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its position in Mueller Water Products by 112.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,294 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 177.7% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,635 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,686 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Water Products by 355.4% during the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,842 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 2,218 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mueller Water Products during the second quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products by 55.8% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,143 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares in the last quarter. 91.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Get Mueller Water Products alerts:

Mueller Water Products Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of MWA stock opened at $24.74 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.17. Mueller Water Products has a fifty-two week low of $21.35 and a fifty-two week high of $28.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

Mueller Water Products ( NYSE:MWA Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 24th. The industrial products company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter. Mueller Water Products had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.75%. The firm had revenue of $237.40 million for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Mueller Water Products will post 1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Mueller Water Productss previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Mueller Water Productss payout ratio is 23.14%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Water Products

In related news, SVP Todd P. Helms sold 15,094 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total value of $371,614.28. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 85,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,115,276.54. The trade was a 14.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Brian C. Healy bought 1,070 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.78 per share, for a total transaction of $27,584.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,800 shares of the companys stock, valued at $433,104. This trade represents a 6.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Mueller Water Products in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $29.00.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Mueller Water Products

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

(Free Report)

Mueller Water Products, Inc manufactures and markets products and services for the transmission, distribution, and measurement of water used by municipalities, and the residential and non-residential construction industries in the United States, Israel, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Water Flow Solutions and Water Management Solutions.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MWA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Mueller Water Products Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mueller Water Products and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of National Australia Bank Ltd. (OTCMKTS:NABZY  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $13.59, but opened at $13.1650. National Australia Bank shares last traded at $13.6150, with a volume of 11,666 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NABZY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of National Australia Bank to a strong sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. National Bankshares began coverage on National Australia Bank in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a sell rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Sell and a consensus target price of $38.00.

Get National Australia Bank alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on NABZY

National Australia Bank Stock Down 0.4%

About National Australia Bank

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.46.

(Get Free Report)

National Australia Bank Limited provides financial services to individuals and businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. The company operates through Business and Private Banking; Personal Banking; Corporate and Institutional Banking; New Zealand Banking; and Corporate Functions and Other segments.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for National Australia Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for National Australia Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP boosted its stake in shares of Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV  Free Report) by 129.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,012 shares of the auto parts companys stock after buying an additional 15,790 shares during the quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LPs holdings in Autoliv were worth $3,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ALV. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Autoliv by 3.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,229 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Autoliv by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,169 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Autoliv by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 148,557 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $13,140,000 after purchasing an additional 24,586 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the 1st quarter valued at $407,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the 1st quarter valued at $490,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.57% of the companys stock.

Get Autoliv alerts:

Autoliv Stock Performance

Shares of Autoliv stock opened at $121.48 on Friday. Autoliv, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.49 and a 52 week high of $129.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $118.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.31. The company has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.32.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

Autoliv ( NYSE:ALV Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The auto parts company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.22. Autoliv had a return on equity of 31.22% and a net margin of 7.09%.The business had revenue of $2.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. Autolivs revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This is an increase from Autolivs previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Autolivs payout ratio is 35.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on ALV. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Autoliv from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Autoliv from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $109.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Autoliv in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Autoliv from $135.00 to $133.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Autoliv in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Autoliv presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $130.63.

Read Our Latest Report on ALV

Autoliv Company Profile

(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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ALV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Autoliv Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Autoliv and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM  Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The textile maker reported ($0.92) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.95) by $0.03, Zacks reports. Oxford Industries had a positive return on equity of 9.05% and a negative net margin of 0.20%.The firm had revenue of $307.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $304.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.11) earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Oxford Industries updated its FY 2025 guidance to -1.5401.320 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance to 0.000-0.200 EPS.

Oxford Industries Stock Down 21.2%

Shares of Oxford Industries stock opened at $31.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Oxford Industries has a 52-week low of $30.57 and a 52-week high of $89.86. The company has a market capitalization of $473.91 million, a P/E ratio of -96.57 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.49 and a 200 day moving average of $41.95.

Get Oxford Industries alerts:

Oxford Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.7%. Oxford Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -836.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oxford Industries

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Oxford Industries by 3.0% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 9,914 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Oxford Industries by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,817 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $517,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Oxford Industries by 44.8% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,507 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Oxford Industries by 1.8% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 47,679 shares of the textile makers stock worth $1,919,000 after buying an additional 854 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Oxford Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 91.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

OXM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Oxford Industries from $50.00 to $35.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their target price on Oxford Industries from $47.00 to $35.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Citigroup upgraded Oxford Industries from a sell rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price target for the company from $44.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. KeyCorp reiterated a sector weight rating on shares of Oxford Industries in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on Oxford Industries from $52.00 to $35.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average price target of $44.00.

View Our Latest Report on OXM

Oxford Industries Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Oxford Industries, Inc, an apparel company, designs, sources, markets, and distributes products of lifestyle and other brands worldwide. The company offers men's and women's sportswear and related products under the Tommy Bahama brand; and women's and girl's dresses and sportswear, scarves, bags, jewelry, and belts, as well as children's apparel, swim, footwear, and licensed products under the Lilly Pulitzer brand.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Oxford Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oxford Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Hong Ting Forum held in Indonesia to promote China-ASEAN cooperation

Xinhua) 10:57, December 12, 2025

Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, speaks in a video address during the Hong Ting Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng)

JAKARTA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Ting Forum themed "Advance New Frontiers for China-ASEAN Cooperation" was held on Thursday in Jakarta, Indonesia, where participants had in-depth discussions on strengthening China-ASEAN cooperation.

Jointly organized by Xinhua News Agency Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau, the Chinese Mission to ASEAN, Xinhua Institute, and Xinhua Guangxi Bureau, the event brought together nearly 100 participants from governments, academia, businesses and media organizations from China and ASEAN member states.

In a video address, Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, said that initiatives proposed by China, such as cultivating a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, provide important guidance for the steady and long-term development of China-ASEAN cooperation. He stressed that Xinhua News Agency has always been a witness and participant throughout the process of China-ASEAN cooperation.

Taking this forum as an opportunity, Xinhua News Agency will ride the momentum, continue to make unremitting efforts, further elaborate on the visions and guidance put forward by leaders of both China and ASEAN countries, tell vivid stories about China-ASEAN cooperation in various fields, conduct in-depth research on forward-looking and strategic issues concerning regional development, organize more exchange activities between Chinese and ASEAN media and think tanks, amplify the clarion call of the times for building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, and compose a magnificent chapter of China and ASEAN sharing a common future and co-creating a better tomorrow, he noted.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said in a video message that China and ASEAN share one of the most substantive and dynamic partnerships in the region, with China remaining ASEAN's largest trading partner and economic connectivity continuing to deepen between the two sides. He also noted that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol have opened a new chapter in bilateral cooperation.

Charg d'Affaires of the Chinese Mission to ASEAN Fu Fengshan called on both sides to accelerate the formation of a new development pattern, jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and use the stability of bilateral cooperation to hedge against uncertainties in international development.

During the forum, Xinhua Institute officially released the Indonesian-language edition of its think-tank report "RCEP and the Vision of the Maritime Silk Road: New Space for China-ASEAN Cooperation," providing new intellectual support for advancing regional cooperation.

The China-ASEAN Media and Think Tank Salon was also held on the sidelines of the forum, attracting representatives from more than 10 media outlets and research institutions across ASEAN countries.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn speaks in a video address during the Hong Ting Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng)

Charg d'Affaires of the Chinese Mission to ASEAN Fu Fengshan addresses the Hong Ting Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp trimmed its holdings in RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX  Free Report) by 1.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 290,991 shares of the companys stock after selling 4,997 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps holdings in RTX were worth $42,490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in RTX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in RTX during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,359,602,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of RTX by 14,974.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,598,943 shares of the companys stock worth $525,518,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575,069 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of RTX by 1.9% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 122,074,734 shares of the companys stock valued at $17,825,353,000 after purchasing an additional 2,238,247 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of RTX by 9.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,958,191 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,330,215,000 after buying an additional 1,361,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in RTX by 1,178.2% during the first quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,212,353 shares of the companys stock worth $160,588,000 after buying an additional 1,117,506 shares in the last quarter. 86.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Get RTX alerts:

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of RTX in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of RTX from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of RTX from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of RTX from $197.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a hold rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of RTX in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Three equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, RTX has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $181.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at RTX

In other news, EVP Neil G. Mitchill, Jr. sold 4,849 shares of RTX stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.15, for a total value of $873,547.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 59,556 shares in the company, valued at $10,729,013.40. This trade represents a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

RTX Price Performance

RTX stock opened at $177.28 on Friday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $171.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.51. RTX Corporation has a 12 month low of $112.27 and a 12 month high of $181.31. The company has a market cap of $237.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.40, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

RTX (NYSE:RTX  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $22.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $21.26 billion. RTX had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 7.67%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. RTX has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.100-6.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that RTX Corporation will post 6.11 EPS for the current year.

RTX Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. RTXs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.85%.

RTX Company Profile

(Free Report)

RTX Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides systems and services for the commercial, military, and government customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. The Collins Aerospace Systems segment offers aerospace and defense products, and aftermarket service solutions for civil and military aircraft manufacturers and commercial airlines, as well as regional, business, and general aviation, defense, and commercial space operations.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RTX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for RTX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RTX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Free Report) by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 676,263 shares of the restaurant operators stock after purchasing an additional 100,974 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.05% of Chipotle Mexican Grill worth $37,972,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Corient IA LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 1st quarter valued at about $753,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 32.4% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 75,368 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $3,784,000 after acquiring an additional 18,458 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,579,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 7.1% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,596,483 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $145,793,000 after purchasing an additional 171,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dillon & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.1% during the second quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc. now owns 287,433 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $16,096,000 after purchasing an additional 14,037 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the companys stock.

Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts:

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho set a $34.00 price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group set a $45.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $55.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $49.81.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of CMG stock opened at $34.86 on Friday. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $29.75 and a fifty-two week high of $66.74. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $35.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.06. The company has a market cap of $46.09 billion, a PE ratio of 30.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.99.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.29. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.06 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 45.39% and a net margin of 13.04%.Chipotle Mexican Grills revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CMG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Qube Research & Technologies Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR  Free Report) by 22.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 230,534 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 66,361 shares during the quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltds holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $56,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,031,420 shares of the business services providers stock worth $3,653,086,000 after buying an additional 298,273 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,642,154 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,376,006,000 after acquiring an additional 35,061 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,292,241 shares of the business services providers stock worth $797,031,000 after acquiring an additional 136,386 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,751,266 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $425,610,000 after acquiring an additional 61,659 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 2.5% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,466,774 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $356,470,000 after purchasing an additional 36,355 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.03% of the companys stock.

Get Broadridge Financial Solutions alerts:

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:BR opened at $231.62 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.01. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.33 and a twelve month high of $271.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $27.04 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66 and a beta of 0.99.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Announces Dividend

Broadridge Financial Solutions ( NYSE:BR Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 3rd. The business services provider reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 43.28%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts predict that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.975 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $3.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Broadridge Financial Solutionss dividend payout ratio is 49.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $261.00 to $256.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Broadridge Financial Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Broadridge Financial Solutions has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $259.83.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on BR

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, President Christopher John Perry sold 3,984 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.00, for a total transaction of $900,384.00. Following the transaction, the president owned 44,829 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,131,354. The trade was a 8.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Thomas P. Carey sold 10,214 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.26, for a total value of $2,341,661.64. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,026 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,381,520.76. The trade was a 62.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. (NYSE:HVT  Get Free Report) Director Rawson Haverty, Jr. sold 2,331 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total transaction of $58,041.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Haverty Furniture Companies Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of HVT traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $24.70. 90,048 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 122,622. Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.01 and a fifty-two week high of $25.20. The businesss 50 day moving average is $22.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $401.84 million, a P/E ratio of 21.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.27.

Get Haverty Furniture Companies alerts:

Haverty Furniture Companies (NYSE:HVT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $194.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.12 million. Haverty Furniture Companies had a return on equity of 6.34% and a net margin of 2.62%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Haverty Furniture Companies Increases Dividend

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. This is an increase from Haverty Furniture Companiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Haverty Furniture Companiess dividend payout ratio is presently 115.79%.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Haverty Furniture Companies from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Haverty Furniture Companies in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Haverty Furniture Companies from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Haverty Furniture Companies has an average rating of Hold.

View Our Latest Research Report on HVT

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HVT. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Haverty Furniture Companies by 1,929.3% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,522 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,447 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Haverty Furniture Companies by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 180,417 shares of the companys stock worth $3,558,000 after buying an additional 10,944 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Haverty Furniture Companies during the first quarter valued at about $936,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Haverty Furniture Companies by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 108,072 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,131,000 after purchasing an additional 3,803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Haverty Furniture Companies by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 432,216 shares of the companys stock worth $8,523,000 after purchasing an additional 27,898 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.57% of the companys stock.

Haverty Furniture Companies Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc operates as a specialty retailer of residential furniture and accessories in the United States. The company offers furniture merchandise under the Havertys brand name. It also provides custom upholstery products and eclectic looks; and mattress product lines under the Tempur-Pedic, Serta, Sealy, and Stearns and Foster names.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Haverty Furniture Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Haverty Furniture Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Ieq Capital LLC reduced its position in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM  Free Report) by 0.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 363,961 shares of the CRM providers stock after selling 2,901 shares during the period. Salesforce makes up about 0.6% of Ieq Capital LLCs holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Ieq Capital LLCs holdings in Salesforce were worth $99,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CRM. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Salesforce by 86.4% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,655 shares of the CRM providers stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust co raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 38.2% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 126,841 shares of the CRM providers stock valued at $34,588,000 after purchasing an additional 35,069 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,945,661 shares of the CRM providers stock valued at $803,252,000 after buying an additional 342,054 shares during the last quarter. Sand Hill Global Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 1.5% during the second quarter. Sand Hill Global Advisors LLC now owns 30,160 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $8,224,000 after buying an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment House LLC increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 30.3% in the second quarter. Investment House LLC now owns 43,513 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $11,866,000 after buying an additional 10,108 shares during the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get Salesforce alerts:

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.60, for a total transaction of $548,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,901,658,695.60. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director G Mason Morfit bought 96,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $260.58 per share, for a total transaction of $25,015,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,994,509 shares in the company, valued at $780,309,155.22. This trade represents a 3.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold 177,534 shares of company stock valued at $42,194,197 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citizens Jmp reiterated a market outperform rating and set a $430.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Salesforce from $315.00 to $300.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their target price on Salesforce from $264.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Twenty-eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $326.46.

Read Our Latest Report on CRM

Salesforce Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Salesforce stock opened at $262.19 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $245.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.01, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.25. Salesforce Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.96 and a twelve month high of $367.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $245.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $252.33.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.39. Salesforce had a return on equity of 14.41% and a net margin of 17.91%.The firm had revenue of $10.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. The firms revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th will be given a $0.416 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Salesforces dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.16%.

About Salesforce

(Free Report)

Salesforce, Inc provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. The company's service includes sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and artificial intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer support at scale.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CRM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Salesforce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Salesforce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
SSAB (OTCMKTS:SSAAY  Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 61,000 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 2,223% from the previous sessions volume of 2,626 shares.The stock last traded at $3.75 and had previously closed at $3.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SSAAY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of SSAB in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Danske upgraded SSAB from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

Get SSAB alerts:

View Our Latest Stock Report on SSAAY

SSAB Stock Up 1.9%

The stocks 50 day moving average price is $3.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.14. The company has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 2.38.

SSAB (OTCMKTS:SSAAY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter. SSAB had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 7.33%. On average, analysts predict that SSAB will post 0.24 earnings per share for the current year.

SSAB Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

SSAB AB (publ) produces and sells steel products in Sweden, Finland, Rest of Europe, the United States, and internationally. It operates through five segments: SSAB Special Steels, SSAB Europe, SSAB Americas, Tibnor, and Ruukki Construction. The SSAB Special Steels segment offers quenched and tempered steels, and advanced high-strength steel products for steel and plate production.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for SSAB Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SSAB and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Stellantis (NYSE:STLA  Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Berenberg Bank raised Stellantis from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $11.20 target price for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Stellantis from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. DZ Bank raised shares of Stellantis from a strong sell rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a hold rating on shares of Stellantis in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Stellantis from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $11.75.

Get Stellantis alerts:

Read Our Latest Analysis on Stellantis

Stellantis Stock Down 2.5%

STLA opened at $11.82 on Thursday. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $10.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.01. Stellantis has a 52-week low of $8.39 and a 52-week high of $14.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Stellantis (NYSE:STLA  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported ($0.91) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($1.32). The firm had revenue of $87.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.94 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Stellantis will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Amundi raised its stake in Stellantis by 41.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 110,680,258 shares of the companys stock worth $1,143,327,000 after purchasing an additional 32,206,884 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stellantis by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,143,705 shares of the companys stock worth $883,126,000 after buying an additional 2,002,880 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Stellantis during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $384,724,000. Bank of Italy lifted its holdings in Stellantis by 11.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Italy now owns 36,630,307 shares of the companys stock valued at $338,212,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in Stellantis by 6.2% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 15,131,049 shares of the companys stock valued at $168,031,000 after acquiring an additional 885,749 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.48% of the companys stock.

Stellantis Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Stellantis N.V. engages in the design, engineering, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of automobiles and light commercial vehicles, engines, transmission systems, metallurgical products, mobility services, and production systems worldwide. It provides luxury and premium vehicles; sport utility vehicles; American and European brand vehicles; and parts and services, as well as retail and dealer financing, leasing, and rental services.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Stellantis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stellantis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Suzano S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:SUZ  Get Free Report) declared a special dividend on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of 0.2036 per share on Wednesday, February 11th. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd.

Suzano has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.2%per year over the last three years. Suzano has a payout ratio of 18.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings.

Get Suzano alerts:

Suzano Price Performance

SUZ traded down $0.12 on Friday, hitting $9.02. 2,065,841 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,909,465. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 2.52. Suzano has a 12 month low of $8.41 and a 12 month high of $10.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39, a PEG ratio of 0.09 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50-day moving average of $9.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Suzano ( NYSE:SUZ Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Suzano had a return on equity of 16.39% and a net margin of 13.03%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Suzano will post 1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several analysts recently weighed in on SUZ shares. Zacks Research downgraded Suzano from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c-) rating on shares of Suzano in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Suzano

About Suzano

(Get Free Report)

Suzano SA produces and sells eucalyptus pulp and paper products in Brazil and internationally. It operates through Pulp and Paper segments. The company offers coated and uncoated printing and writing papers, paperboards, tissue papers, and market and fluff pulps; and lignin. It also engages in the research, development, and production of biofuel; operation of port terminals; power generation and distribution business; commercialization of equipment and parts; industrialization, commercialization, and exporting of pulp and standing wood; road freight transport; biotechnology research and development; and commercialization of paper and computer materials.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Suzano Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Suzano and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF (NYSEARCA:MMKT  Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of 0.0698 per share on Monday, December 15th. This represents a yield of 362.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th.

Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA:MMKT traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $100.22. 254 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,253. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $100.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.23. Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF has a 52 week low of $99.82 and a 52 week high of $100.60.

Get Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF alerts:

Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

See Also

The Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF (MMKT) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund is actively managed, investing in US government money market instruments, particularly overnight repurchase agreements with short-term maturities. The fund aims to balance income, liquidity, and capital preservation.

Receive News & Ratings for Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp reduced its holdings in The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 229,488 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 5,521 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $20,939,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCHW. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab in the second quarter worth $1,889,858,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Charles Schwab by 595.7% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,488,777 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,212,461,000 after buying an additional 13,262,309 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Charles Schwab by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 82,048,984 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $6,422,795,000 after buying an additional 8,954,248 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Charles Schwab by 88.4% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 12,162,260 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,109,687,000 after buying an additional 5,708,208 shares during the period. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA raised its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 35.9% during the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 19,034,806 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,736,736,000 after buying an additional 5,032,728 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.38% of the companys stock.

Get Charles Schwab alerts:

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SCHW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $109.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Barclays upped their target price on Charles Schwab from $114.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Charles Schwab from $119.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and issued a $114.00 price objective on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Friday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Charles Schwab currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $108.58.

Insider Activity at Charles Schwab

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 3,072 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 11,923 shares in the company, valued at $1,168,454. The trade was a 20.49% 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, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,205 shares of the firms 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 directly owned 34,778 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,245,830.74. This represents a 8.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 6.30% of the companys stock.

Charles Schwab Stock Performance

SCHW opened at $97.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $172.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.34. The Charles Schwab Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $65.88 and a fifty-two week high of $99.59.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.06. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 35.93%.The business had revenue of $6.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.71 earnings per share. Charles Schwabs revenue was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Charles Schwab Corporation will post 4.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.29%.

Charles Schwab 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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Charles Schwab Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charles Schwab and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI  Free Report) by 424,250.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,487 shares of the communications equipment providers stock after purchasing an additional 8,485 shares during the quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $3,568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the second quarter worth $25,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 289.5% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 74 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC lifted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 148.6% during the second quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 87 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.17% of the companys stock.

Get Motorola Solutions alerts:

Motorola Solutions Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MSI opened at $368.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.31 billion, a PE ratio of 29.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.59. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $365.40 and a 12-month high of $492.22. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $406.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $428.76.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

Motorola Solutions ( NYSE:MSI Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $4.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 118.48% and a net margin of 18.71%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Motorola Solutionss previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. Motorola Solutionss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Motorola Solutions from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a report on Monday. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Northcoast Research upgraded Motorola Solutions from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $450.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Barclays dropped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $509.00 to $495.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a neutral rating and issued a $465.00 price objective (down from $495.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, October 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Motorola Solutions has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $495.00.

Get Our Latest Report on MSI

Motorola Solutions Company Profile

(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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Motorola Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Motorola Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Transcontinental (TSE:TCL.A  Get Free Report) had its price target increased by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from C$26.00 to C$29.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price target suggests a potential upside of 23.61% from the companys previous close.

TCL.A has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Transcontinental from C$23.00 to C$27.00 in a research note on Tuesday. National Bankshares increased their target price on shares of Transcontinental from C$24.00 to C$28.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank raised their target price on Transcontinental from C$23.25 to C$26.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Tuesday. Cormark decreased their price target on Transcontinental from C$27.00 to C$26.00 in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, TD Securities raised their target price on shares of Transcontinental from C$27.00 to C$28.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Transcontinental presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$26.43.

Get Transcontinental alerts:

Read Our Latest Analysis on Transcontinental

Transcontinental Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of TCL.A stock traded down C$0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching C$23.46. 305,123 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 201,715. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 54.12. The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.22, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 0.79. Transcontinental has a 1-year low of C$15.97 and a 1-year high of C$25.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of C$19.98 and a 200 day moving average price of C$20.17.

Transcontinental (TSE:TCL.A  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The company reported C$0.52 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$732.40 million for the quarter. Transcontinental had a net margin of 4.05% and a return on equity of 6.16%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Transcontinental will post 2.439834 EPS for the current year.

Transcontinental Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Transcontinental, or TC Transcontinental, is a Canadian printer and flexible packaging provider that operates in three segments: packaging, printing, and other. Its packaging segment features the production of different plastic products geared toward consumer goods. Production plants specialize in extrusion, lamination, printing, and converting.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Transcontinental Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Transcontinental and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP  Free Report) by 17.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 328,973 shares of the payment services companys stock after acquiring an additional 49,833 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolinas holdings in American Express were worth $104,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in American Express in the second quarter worth approximately $1,897,335,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of American Express by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,025,562 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $4,849,777,000 after buying an additional 2,168,445 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 31,595.9% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,742,009 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $555,666,000 after buying an additional 1,736,513 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,487,316 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $4,282,984,000 after acquiring an additional 1,349,746 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Provident Trust Co. lifted its stake in American Express by 136.6% in the second quarter. Provident Trust Co. now owns 1,108,971 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $353,740,000 after acquiring an additional 640,214 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the companys stock.

Get American Express alerts:

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $384.89 on Friday. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $220.43 and a fifty-two week high of $385.92. The company has a market cap of $265.13 billion, a PE ratio of 25.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $353.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $327.43.

American Express Announces Dividend

American Express ( NYSE:AXP Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $17.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. American Expresss revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.49 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th were paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. American Expresss payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total transaction of $18,010,500.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 85,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,825,691.17. The trade was a 36.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total value of $894,359.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,515 shares in the company, valued at $894,359.15. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 57,515 shares of company stock valued at $20,658,509 over the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday. They set a peer perform rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on American Express from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price objective on American Express from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell 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 $332.65.

View Our Latest Stock Report on American Express

American Express Company Profile

(Free Report)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for American Express Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Express and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lessened its holdings in shares of Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB  Free Report) by 6.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 173,847 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 11,384 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolinas holdings in Chubb were worth $50,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Chubb by 3.9% during the first quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 964 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Chubb by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 841 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Sky Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Chubb by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sky Investment Group LLC now owns 2,397 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chubb by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JT Stratford LLC increased its position in shares of Chubb by 3.5% in the second quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 83.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Get Chubb alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CB. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a neutral rating and set a $309.00 price objective on shares of Chubb in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Chubb from $331.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Chubb from $321.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Chubb from $292.00 to $298.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Chubb from $297.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Chubb presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $309.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chubb

In other news, EVP Timothy Alan Boroughs sold 10,580 shares of Chubb stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.17, for a total transaction of $3,133,478.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,660 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,749,512.20. This trade represents a 45.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John J. Lupica sold 23,698 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.00, for a total value of $6,659,138.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 90,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,458,600. This trade represents a 20.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 57,333 shares of company stock worth $16,629,873. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Chubb Price Performance

CB stock opened at $306.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $120.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $287.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $282.08. Chubb Limited has a 1 year low of $252.16 and a 1 year high of $308.31.

Chubb (NYSE:CB  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $7.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.51 by $1.98. The firm had revenue of $16.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.95 billion. Chubb had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.72 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Chubb Limited will post 21.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chubb Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.97 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $3.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Chubbs payout ratio is currently 16.19%.

Chubb Company Profile

(Free Report)

Chubb Limited provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. The company's North America Commercial P&C Insurance segment offers commercial property, casualty, workers' compensation, package policies, risk management, financial lines, marine, construction, environmental, medical risk, cyber risk, surety, and casualty; and group accident and health insurance to large, middle market, and small commercial businesses.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Chubb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chubb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $45.00 to $43.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producers stock. UBS Groups target price suggests a potential upside of 4.70% from the companys previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Roth Capital boosted their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $52.00 to $51.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Occidental Petroleum from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an underweight rating and issued a $44.00 price target (down previously from $51.00) on shares of Occidental Petroleum in a report on Monday. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $49.95.

Get Occidental Petroleum alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum Trading Down 0.3%

Occidental Petroleum stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $41.07. The company had a trading volume of 6,797,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,203,031. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Occidental Petroleum has a 12-month low of $34.78 and a 12-month high of $53.20. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.73. The firm has a market cap of $40.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20 and a beta of 0.39.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.16. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 7.81% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The business had revenue of $6.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. The companys revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Occidental Petroleum

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OXY. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Occidental Petroleum in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. City Holding Co. lifted its position in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 250.0% in the third quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 700 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc bought a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Occidental Petroleum by 1,193.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 854 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the period. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 88.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Occidental Petroleum Company Profile

(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.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Occidental Petroleum Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Occidental Petroleum and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
UiPath, Inc. (NYSE:PATH  Get Free Report)s stock price dropped 3.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $17.23 and last traded at $17.4150. Approximately 17,340,710 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 12% from the average daily volume of 15,518,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on PATH. Cowen restated a hold rating on shares of UiPath in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of UiPath from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Zacks Research cut UiPath from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of UiPath from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of UiPath from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $16.00.

Get UiPath alerts:

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on PATH

UiPath Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $9.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.46, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $15.39 and a 200-day moving average of $13.25.

UiPath (NYSE:PATH  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $411.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $392.46 million. UiPath had a return on equity of 3.73% and a net margin of 14.79%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that UiPath, Inc. will post -0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at UiPath

In other UiPath news, CEO Daniel Dines sold 122,734 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.89, for a total transaction of $1,827,509.26. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 613,670 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,137,546.30. The trade was a 16.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ashim Gupta sold 240,874 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.28, for a total value of $4,162,302.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 696,117 shares in the company, valued at $12,028,901.76. This represents a 25.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,391,582 shares of company stock worth $35,767,934. 23.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of UiPath

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PATH. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UiPath during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its stake in UiPath by 320.4% in the second quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,476 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,887 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in UiPath by 48.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the companys stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 969 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of UiPath by 508.0% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,283 shares of the companys stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 2,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in shares of UiPath by 314.3% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,508 shares of the companys stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 3,420 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the companys stock.

About UiPath

(Get Free Report)

UiPath Inc provides an end-to-end automation platform that offers a range of robotic process automation (RPA) solutions primarily in the United States, Romania, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and internationally. The company offers a suite of interrelated software to build, manage, run, engage, measure, and govern automation within the organization.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for UiPath Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UiPath and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA (OTCMKTS:USNZY  Get Free Report)s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $1.05, but opened at $1.1090. Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais shares last traded at $1.1090, with a volume of 5,000 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Zacks Research raised Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold.

Get Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais alerts:

View Our Latest Report on Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais

Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais Trading Up 1.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 4.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firms 50 day moving average is $1.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $0.91. The stock has a market cap of $624.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.33 and a beta of 1.34.

Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais (OTCMKTS:USNZY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.20 billion. Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais had a positive return on equity of 1.22% and a negative net margin of 12.91%. Equities analysts anticipate that Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA will post 0.09 EPS for the current year.

About Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais

(Get Free Report)

Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA manufactures and markets flat steel products in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Mining and Logistics, Steel Metallurgy, and Steel Transformation. It extracts and process iron ore, such as pellet and sinter feed and, granulated iron ore; provides storage, handling, and road cargo transportation services; and operates highway and railway cargo terminals.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV  Free Report)  Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Southwest Airlines in a research note issued on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the airline will post earnings of $0.94 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $1.09. The consensus estimate for Southwest Airlines current full-year earnings is $1.55 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Southwest Airlines Q4 2025 earnings at $0.53 EPS.

Get Southwest Airlines alerts:

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The airline reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.38% and a return on equity of 6.39%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on LUV. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Monday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Airlines from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $35.88.

Get Our Latest Analysis on LUV

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE LUV opened at $40.70 on Friday. Southwest Airlines has a 1-year low of $23.82 and a 1-year high of $41.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $33.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.88. The company has a market cap of $21.05 billion, a PE ratio of 62.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.17. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Southwest Airliness payout ratio is 110.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 43.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,335,167 shares of the airlines stock worth $393,615,000 after buying an additional 3,753,183 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 13.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,218,086 shares of the airlines stock valued at $389,879,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459,235 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its stake in Southwest Airlines by 0.9% in the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 10,763,935 shares of the airlines stock valued at $349,182,000 after purchasing an additional 98,290 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 2,403.8% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,120,368 shares of the airlines stock worth $328,305,000 after purchasing an additional 9,716,160 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 9.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,837,197 shares of the airlines stock worth $218,175,000 after purchasing an additional 577,326 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.82% of the companys stock.

Southwest Airlines Company Profile

(Get 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.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Southwest Airlines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southwest Airlines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Heres one for the books, Mark Rutte the NATO chief from the Netherlands says Europe must prepare for war with Russia, but one thing he seems to omit from his statement  the EU has been funding Russia for years by continuing to buy oil and gas from Russia, therefore Europe has been funding the Russian war machine all this time.

EU Suicide

China and India buy vast amounts of Russian oil and gas, then they put it into new containers, and ship it to Europe as repackaged gas and oil supplies. This has been going on throughout the Ukrainian invasion by Russia.

While Europe could buy Russian LNG for a lower price, it instead has to pay an average of five times more, just to virtue signal to the world that it wont fund Putins regime, when in reality it is paying extra to both China and Russia, who are collecting a premium price thanks to the overall market conditions.

The proceeds of the revenue from China and Indias Russian oil and gas exports to the EU thus continues to fund the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, and bolster the Chinese military apparatus.

Today, Mark Rutte, the NATO chief, warned that Europe is Putins next target and faces a scale of conflict our grandparents endured. Well, he needs to just follow the money, and trail of gas and oil imports into Europe to see who the hell is funding Vladimir Putins meat grinder war, which is threatening Europes survival.

As the Greek oil tankers come into Europe daily from China and India full of Russian oil and gas, there is only one thing to say  why?
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has reached a significant milestone in delivering its landmark Growth Deal, with all four Phase 1 Outline Business Cases (OBCs) now submitted to the relevant Government Departments for review and approval.

This marks a crucial step forward in unlocking 81.5 million of investment for the first phase of the programme, which aims to transform the Boroughs economic and social landscape of over the next decade. The Growth Deal has been initiated by a 72m government investment, with the NI Executive and UK Government each contributing 36m over the next decade.

The four Phase 1 projects submitted for approval are Coleraine Leisure & Wellbeing Centre (47.0m), Ulster University's Centre for Food & Drug Discovery (22.0m), North West Regional College's FoodovationTM & Skills Centre (5.8m) and Dungiven Regeneration Programme (6.7m).

Subject to approval of these business cases, Council remains on track to sign the Deal Document by Summer 2026, a pivotal moment that will unlock Contracts for Funding and enable these four projects to move to the planning and delivery stage.

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Oliver McMullan, said: "This is an extremely proud moment for our Council area.

The submission of all Phase 1 business cases represents months of dedicated work by our officers, project partners, and Government Departments. We are now one step closer to seeing these transformational projects become a reality.

"The Growth Deal will attract new industries, create high-quality employment opportunities, and help secure long-term prosperity for our communities. These Phase 1 projects alone represent a 81.5 million investment in our people, our infrastructure, and our future."

Council continue to work closely with partners on the five Phase 2 projects, with business cases currently under development. These will be submitted to Departments as they are completed throughout next year, with all submissions expected by December 2026, subject to available budgets.

Phase 2 projects include Bushmills Regeneration Programme (6.9m), Business Innovation & Incubation Hub (16.5m), Connected Causeway Traffic & Parking (9.7m), Greenways: Portrush to Giant's Causeway (9.0m) and Cushendall Innovation Centre (1.7m).

The total Growth Deal investment of 125.3 million represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a stronger, more connected, and more resilient Causeway Coast and Glens. The programme is designed to attract and grow businesses, regenerate rural settlements, improve tourism infrastructure, and raise aspirations and employability across the Borough.

For more information please visit: https://causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/work/strategic-projects/growth-deal
A powerful new open water swimming challenge, aimed at promoting mental health awareness and wellbeing, is coming to the River Foyle. Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Ruairi McHugh has joined forces with local ultra-endurance athlete and mental health campaigner Danny Quigley to host the "Mayors Foyle Challenge" on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

The event seeks to celebrate the river's positivity while raising needed funds and awareness for the Mayors chosen charities for his year in office: PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland Charity and the Castlederg Patient Comfort and Terminally Ill Fund.

Mayor McHugh and Danny Quigley are looking for 180 experienced open water swimmers to take part in the challenge which will take place between the pontoon at the Council Offices and Prehen Boathouse.

Launching the initiative on the river this week, the Mayor expressed his hope that the challenge will capture the publics imagination and highlight and promote the critical support available to those in distress or experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Im absolutely delighted to be working with Danny to host this innovative event that will allow swimmers to challenge themselves on the river, while also promoting positive health and wellbeing and raising funds for my charities.

The Foyle has been the source of pain and heartache for far too many families locally but this event seeks to celebrate the positivity of the river and to highlight that there is always help and support out there for anyone experiencing distress.

The spectacle of so many swimmers making their way up the river on May 16th will be a wonderfully inspiring occasion for everyone swimming and supporting on the riverside so Id encourage anyone interested in taking part to register now to seal your spot.

Swimmers on the day will be split into three waves, depending on their experience and ability and the event organisers are keen to stress that the challenge is for swimmers who have experience of open water swimming.

Wave One will be for experienced open water swimmers who will swim 3km, Wave Two is for intermediate open water swimmers who will also swim 3km and Wave Three will be for competent open water swimmers who will swim 1km.

The event will start from around 11.00am to 4.00pm on May 16, however individual start times may vary and the exact times will be determined closer to the date when more accurate tide timings are available.

Anyone wishing to take part can register online at www.derrystrabane.com/mayorsfoylechallenge where there is a minimum donation of 50 for participants who can also carry out their own fundraising for additional sponsorship for the charities.

The website also has detailed advice for swimmers hoping to take part including clothing and equipment, safety rules and a code of conduct.

PIPS Charity provides essential support to individuals, families, and communities affected by suicide, self-harm, or poor mental health.

The charity offers free, unlimited, and confidential counselling services, as well as a crisis walk-in centre in Belfast and telephone support at other regional hubs.

Their dedicated team works to support those in crisis and to promote mental wellbeing across the region.

The second charity, The Castlederg Patient Comfort and Terminally Ill Fund, delivers vital aid to people living with chronic or terminal illness in the Castlederg area.

By providing specialist equipment, transport support, and access to complementary services, the Fund helps individuals remain at home during treatment while also easing the financial and emotional burden on families.

It also supports those who need temporary accommodation near hospitals when their loved ones are receiving treatment elsewhere.

The Mayors Foyle Challenge is hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Foyle Search and Rescue, the Lighthouse Project and the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum.

For further information on the Mayors Charities and how to donate visit derrystrabane.com/mayor.
A young woman from Derry, Ellie-Jo Taylor, 21, is celebrating her graduation with a degree in Law from Queens University Belfast, having overcome early challenges that once made university feel out of reach.

Growing up visiting her father in prison and attending a school where most pupils received free school meals, university wasnt on her radar until she discovered Queens Pathway Opportunity Programme. Designed to support high-achieving students who are less likely to access higher education, the programme set Ellie-Jo on her path to Law, and this week, she graduated with a 2:1 in Law with Politics.

Ellie-Jo says: Growing up, I had a parent in prison for six years of my childhood. My first experience of law and justice was stress, confusion and frustration. I was too young to understand the processes going on around me, but perfectly placed to feel them so directly. For me, going into law was about a lot more than breaking the cycle of poverty. It was about relating to people on a one-on-one basis and embracing dignity in practice.

As the child of a prisoner, you feel you lose the right to have a voice on the things you experience, from 4am house raids to constant stops and searches. I wish I had have had someone to express that, so I decided to become that for the children after me.

The Pathway Opportunity Programme works with schools across Northern Ireland, supporting talented young people to overcome additional barriers in accessing a university education. It also offers tailored support, grade reductions based on performance and an introduction to university life.

Ellie-Jo reflects: I joined Pathways at 16 while doing my GCSEs - and what an incredible story it has become for me since then.

My grade boundary reduction based on my performance in Pathway secured my place at Queens, and now I have graduated, alongside all of my peers, with a 2:1 degree in Law with Politics. For me, Pathway highlights the exact inequality of opportunity that exists. For the first time, I had the same opportunities as my peers and I proved I could perform equally as well.

At Queens, Ellie-Jo received financial support from the Pathway Bursary Fund which took the pressure off financially so that she could focus on her studies.

As she explains: Not only did I receive a 1,000 Pathway Bursary each year, I was also awarded the 15,000 Jubilee Scholarship in recognition of my community work, representing 42,000 young people across Northern Ireland as a student officer and achieving 2m in funding for schools after Covid. Without the financial support I received, I doubt I would have achieved what I have.

This funding meant that Ellie-Jo could afford to take on an unpaid internship in an MLAs office, experience that would otherwise not have been possible. She also spent the summer interning in the US Congress with Congressman Richard E. Neal.

Currently working as a Parliamentary Assistant to a Member of Parliament in Belfast, Ellie-Jo hope to qualify as a lawyer, specialising in criminal law or judicial review.

She says: I see my background as an empowering tool, that helps me connect with clients, communicate accessibly with them and make the justice system a more human interaction for everyone involved.

It isnt typical or statistically likely, for someone from my background to graduate from a top Russell Group university. It is not typical for someone who grew up visiting prisons to go on to work in the US Congress. But today, its more of a possibility for the next person. So, I feel extremely emotional and privileged to be graduating.
Save my User ID and Password

Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site.

Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.
iPhone strength, Singles' Day surge drive November gains for Taiwan's top three telecoms

Taiwan's leading telecom operatorsChunghwa Telecom (CHT), Taiwan Mobile, and Far EasTone (FET)each reported revenue growth for November 2025. The sustained popularity of Apple's iPhone 17, combined with the Singles' Day shopping festival and government cash handouts, drove positive momentum across their core telecom businesses.

Beyond traditional services, all three carriers showed strong performance in non-telecom segments, including enterprise ICT integration projects and consumer digital services, delivering impressive results.

Chunghwa Telecom

CHT posted consolidated revenue of NT$21.45 billion (US$688 million) in November, up 6.1% year-over-year. Operating profit reached NT$3.79 billion, pre-tax profit was NT$4.52 billion, net income attributable to shareholders stood at NT$3.46 billion, and EBITDA totaled NT$7.18 billion.

The company attributed revenue growth mainly to robust core business performance and continued strong sales momentum from the iPhone. Strategic investments also yielded phased returns, further boosting pre-tax profits and overall operational results.

In telecom operations, mobile services benefited from accelerated 5G plans and hot iPhone 17 sales, driving a 4.2% annual increase in revenue from high-tier users. Postpaid subscriber numbers grew steadily, with postpaid ARPU rising 3.0% year-over-year. Additionally, subscribers using speeds above 300Mbps maintained double-digit growth, pushing fixed broadband ARPU up 2.9% to NT$813 and broadband revenue up 2.7% annually.

Information technology and communication (ICT) sector revenue rose 13% year-over-year, led by outstanding performances in Internet data center (IDC), cloud, smart connectivity, and cybersecurity services. IDC and cloud revenues surged 27%, supported by multiple data center construction projects completed in November. Smart connectivity and security services also saw double-digit growth thanks to the completion of smart building, energy, and government projects.

For the first 11 months of 2025, CHT's consolidated operating revenue reached NT$212.85 billion, operating profit was NT$45.12 billion, pre-tax profit hit NT$46.74 billion, and net income attributable to shareholders totaled NT$36.02 billionall exceeding the company's annual financial targets.

Taiwan Mobile

Taiwan Mobile recorded a 14% year-on-year rise in total telecom revenue for November, driven by stronger enterprise telecom demand, operational leverage in consumer telecom, and accelerated growth in new technology sectors fueled by Singles' Day promotions. Consolidated operating profit increased 10%, while net income after tax rose 7%.

The operator reported November consolidated revenue of NT$23.11 billion, operating profit of NT$2.23 billion, and net income of NT$1.42 billion. Year-to-date through November, revenue totaled NT$180.72 billion, operating profit came to NT$19.28 billion, and net income reached NT$13.12 billion.

Taiwan Mobile chief financial officer and spokesperson George Chang noted that under the SGF sustainable growth strategy, the core telecom business steadily improved. Mobile service revenue maintained solid growth momentum, with postpaid churn hitting a record low of just 0.57%. Marketing efforts focused on exclusive plans helped push telecom EBITDA beyond NT$3 billion, with operating profit growing nearly 20% year-over-year.

Far EasTone

FET achieved record-high monthly consolidated revenue and EBITDA in November, benefiting from ongoing strong iPhone 17 sales driving 5G upgrades, sustained enterprise ICT revenue growth, and steady expansion in digital lifestyle services.

November revenue topped NT$10.31 billion, marking three consecutive months above NT$10 billion and rising 10.5% year-over-year. Consolidated EBITDA reached NT$3.21 billion, up 5.6%, with net income at NT$1.10 billion. Year-to-date through November, FET's revenue, EBITDA, and net income grew 4.6%, 5.1%, and 8.1%, respectively, reaching NT$99.01 billion, NT$34.73 billion, and NT$12.43 billion.

Mobile communications remained strong, with Singles' Day discounts and government cash payouts spurring device purchases and 5G upgrades. The 5G postpaid penetration rate hit 47.0%, the highest among the three major carriers. Postpaid ARPU continued climbing, lifting November mobile service revenue to NT$5.24 billion, a 2.1% year-over-year increase to mark the 57th consecutive month of growth.

Enterprise ICT business sustained double-digit growth due to the successful delivery of system integration, IoT, cybersecurity, and cloud projects. Personal digital services also expanded, boosted by FET's friDay Video platform and Guardian Network. The friDay Video Singles' Day promotion received strong market response, with sales increasing 1.6 times over 2024 and new registered members more than doubling, setting a new platform record for the period.

Taiwanese major telecom financial performance in November (NT$b) Company Sales Y/Y Profit YoY% EBITDA CHT 21.45 6.1% 3.46 11.2% 7.18 Taiwan Mobile 23.11 0.2% 1.42 7.3% 4.03 Far Eastone 10.31 10.5% 1.09 -4.2% 3.21

Source: compiled by DIGITIMES, December 2025

Article edited by Jingyue Hsiao
Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan are among those with considered views on Irish unity that are cited in Sinn Feins latest report on the future of Ireland.

Sinn Fein has hosted 44 assemblies as part of its Commission on the Future of Ireland since 2022, seeking contributions on constitutional arrangements, political and democratic structures and the role of the Irish government.

The party argues that the conversation on Irish unity is well under way across society, adding that conversations are being held across Ireland, the UK, Europe, Canada and the US.

The partys latest report says: There is significant work to be done to prepare for these referendums and the prospect of democratic constitutional change.

Work must begin now so we can collectively ensure that the next phase of this process is managed in a constructive way.

Mr OCallaghan, a senior figure in Fianna Fail, and Mr Varadkar are included in the report as among people who have publicly expressed considered views on the various dimensions of constitutional change  with the former Fine Gael leader also pictured in the document.

It says: Their public contributions demonstrate the very significant public engagement on the issue.

The list of people also includes Sinn Fein leader and deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle ONeill alongside Archbishop Eamon Martin, SDLP leader Claire Hanna, Fine Gael Minister of State Neale Richmond, Labour leader Ivana Bacik, and Alliance leader Naomi Long.

Last year, Ms McDonald said Mr Varadkar had discovered his inner Shinner after he called for politicians in the Republic to back the establishment of a forum to set out plans for Irish unity.
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
Its not just because John Walsh lives in the picture-perfect fishing village of Ballycotton, overlooking the majestic lighthouse guarding the bay, that he was inspired to join the Ballycotton Coast Guard 50 years ago.

It is also because he has inherited both his fathers and his mothers genes.

My grandfather Michael Walsh was involved with the Ballycotton Lifeboat volunteers in the famous Daunt Rock rescue in February, 1936, says John.

The crew endured 49 hours at sea in a gale and bitter winds to save the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship. Michael received a bronze medal for his bravery.

The Daunt Rock rescue is considered one of the most famous sea rescues in Irish maritime history.

Johns mother, a caring, neighbourly woman, had a claim to fame too.

She was delighted when I showed an interest and joined the Coast Guard at age 16, says John.

She had a great heart, and she loved the idea of me helping people.

John is only one of three people to date to have been awarded the Garda Costa na Eireann Irish Coast Guard medal for Marine Long Service, recognising his 50 years of dedication with Ballycotton Coast Guard.

Training for the coast guards is a multi-faceted process that includes practical skills and theoretical knowledge in areas like first aid, marine and land-based search techniques, radio communications and specialised roles such as helicopter rescue.

It can be tough, says John. And you can be lucky and unlucky regarding the outcomes of helping to save lives.

The Irish Plane running aground near Ballyshane near Ballycotton during a severe gale in February, 1947, was another 63-hour successful rescue to save 34 crew from the shipwreck, says John. My father often spoke of it.

Another reason John joined the Ballycotton Coast Guard was that they were all in it together.

The coast guard crew are the nicest bunch of people you could ever meet, says John.

They are highly trained, and they have the best equipment in the world. My two brothers and my three sons were involved one way or another.

Minister of State Sean Canney presenting John with his medal after 50 years of service..

Its a case for all for one and one for all.

We support and encourage each other, says John.

We formed a special bond and we looked after each other. It can be a dangerous job.

He recalls rescues that he was part of.

I remember when we were hauling in the second last man aboard a ship. The Captain fell and broke his leg. We had to send the first mate back with a line to haul him onto land.

John became the officer in charge in 1998.

You have to be in tip-top form and ready to go, says John.

One lady that the Ballycotton Coast Guard rescued didnt know where she was going.

There was a mother and daughter from France staying in a house in Ballycotton, says John.

The mother decided to go walkabout and her daughter alerted us some time after her mother went missing.

There was no trace of her being last seen. We set about the search from Ballycotton to Garryvoe. We were about to close down the search for the night when one of the crew spotted fresh footprints across the bog. Then he spotted a womans head up over the mud. We had to lay timbers across the area for the crew to secure the harness in order to get to her. The volunteers couldnt get too close to the lady in case they were sucked down into the bog alongside her.

We managed to get the harness under her armpits and gently remove her from the thick mud. The Guileen unit and Cork City Rescue arrived to help us. The combined expertise of the units meant the rescue came off well that night.

Both mother and daughter were very grateful, says John.

It was a case of alls well that ends well.

John has always pushed the boat out.

I had to leave my sons two christenings to attend a rescue operation, says John.

What did the priest think?

The priest looked quare at me! says John.

He asked my wife, Mary, where was I going?

Mary cut John a bit of slack.

She knew the drill!, says John.

Many of the crew on call 24/7 have left their beds in the middle of the night to take part in a rescue operation.

As well as his life boat work, John has worked at Stephen Pearse Pottery for 20 years and in Glenside Homes, NET, Cobh, and has been involved with Flynn Cush for the last eight or nine years.

Over the years, we rescued a good few people, says John of his 50 years involved in search and rescue on land and sea.

There were some sad tragedies in Ballycotton, and there were some happy outcomes.

It is the luck of the draw. My crew were always there to back me up.

We rescued people trapped on Ballycotton cliffs, fishermen trapped in the hold of the ship, swimmers getting into difficulty, all sorts of dangerous situations.

There is a lot of responsibility going with being a volunteer with the Ballycotton Coast Guard crew.

Yes, there is huge responsibility involved that people dont see, says John.

There is always a great team of volunteers ready to take over the roles with the Coast Guard.

They are dedicated, committed people, who want to look out for others.

I must have met hundreds of volunteers in my time, says John.

I have great memories. I could stay forever with the Ballycotton Coast Guard. For 50 years, it was a big part of my life.

The unpredictable Irish weather has always played a big part in events.

Nearly all events are weather-related, says John.

We have assigned protection gear that must be worn at all times when attempting a rescue.

Why did John volunteer with the Ballycotton Coast Guard for half a century?

He smiles.

There was something pushing me always, says John.

I just did it. And I think because Mam always wanted me to. She was that type of lady.

What are Johns plans now after retiring and having being decorated for his long-time service to Ballycotton Coast Guard?

I plan to have a nice, quiet time, says John.

And a relaxing time, if I can!

Ballycotton Coast Guard, Cork, operates a cliff rescue service and search and rescue 365 days a year to respond to any emergency. The main roles of the Coast Guard are to rescue people from danger at sea or on land, to organise immediate medical transport and to assist boats and ships within the countrys jurisdiction. To volunteer, you must live within a 20-minute drive of a Coast Guard Rescue Centre and meet the volunteer requirements.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work:

My name is Ronan McLoughlin, Im the creative director of ROGU Arts, a fire, light and movement arts performance and education company (@roguarts, www.rogu.ie).

I grew up in West Cork and was always a shy, introverted boy, more comfortable on a computer than with any attention on me, so I could never guess the direction that life had in store for me. I went to Galway for university, and there I came across someone spinning fire poi at a beach party. I never talked to them, but I was taken by the beautiful effects of the movement of the fire and the trails it left behind. I searched online to see if I could find some more information about the art and since it was pre-YouTube found some written instructions that I printed out and attempted to follow. This led to discovering the local circus and juggling club, and on to the wider juggling community of conventions and festivals around the country and the world. You wouldnt know what kinds of communities of subcultures exist until you explore them! I found the circus, juggling and flow arts community a wonderfully inviting, inclusive and enthusiastic worldwide family united through a shared passion.

I became obsessed with unlocking the skills of these arts and spent more and more time practising. Suddenly, people started to ask me to teach and perform, and I was pushed way out of my comfort zone!

Now over 20 years later, Ive travelled the world teaching, performing and training. These arts opened the door to the world for me, taught me body awareness, coordination and confidence, led to exploring dance, physical theatre, yoga, Tai chi, and meditation. And maybe most of all, they taught me how to learn, and that learning is a process of transformation, not a switch to flick, and if we put ourselves through the process change is inevitable.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

Setting fire to something.

Lie ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you?

I tend towards the night owl side of the spectrum and love myself a lie in, especially now that winter is upon us.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

Self-employed, theres always something that my attention is pulled towards, but I try to make space from it when possible. When were performing, its often at the weekend too.

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

Ive always wanted to head to Japan, so maybe stroll the streets of Tokyo with the spirit of Miyamoto Musashi.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

The ocean, the forest, the mountains. Nature is the great recharger. Where exactly would be telling! Take a wander, get lost, visit a fairy fort, bathe in the forest, throw yourself in the ocean, sit around the fire. The best stuff is often right under our noses and so simple we forget about it.

Ronan has travelled the world teaching, performing and training.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

Nothing quite like catching up with an old friend and chatting into the night. Always a pleasure to gather with the family around food (both my parents are chefs, and so we all grew up around cooking).

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

Some of my big passions are the arts of Tai chi and Qigong. Beautiful moving meditation practices that are simply transformative on multiple levels, nourishing body, mind and spirit.

I always say find the things that make everything else easier, and then give priority to them!

These arts have been incredibly generous to me.

Entertain or be entertained? If its the latter do you have a signature dish?

Could go either way. Im a big fan of spicy Asian noodle soups. One of those things that my body just says YES to.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork - where are your go to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

Friday night at my parents if I can wangle my way in. Theyre both retired from cheffing now, but its hard to beat Friday night fish dinners.

My mum teaches some very popular cooking classes for anyone who wants to pick up a few delicious recipes www.lettercollum.ie

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

Cozy at home on the couch with the stove lit.

Or getting lost on social media.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

I burnt my alarm.

Anything else you are up to right now..

We are performing our fire show, Stories from the Book of Fire, in Cork at 5pm and 7pm tomorrow at Counting House Plaza, South Main Street. It is suitable for all ages.

I love to teach these arts and often host workshops, so keep an eye on our social media for opportunities to learn in the new year.
Home and Away soap stars Ada Nicodemou and James Stewart are coming to Cork to ring in 2026 for a New Years Eve event at Seventy Seven on Grand Parade.

The real life couple, who play characters Leah Patterson and Justin Morgan in the Australian soap, will also be making an appearance at an afternoon meet and greet event in Cork at The Address Hotel on Military Hill in St Lukes Cross.

From 10pm, fans can ring in the New Year at Seventy Seven with the soap stars, enjoying a complimentary glass of prosecco, get a personal photo and celebrate the midnight countdown with champagne.

Tickets for the over-21s event are available online at tickettailor.com.

Meanwhile, the stars will be in attendance at The Address Hotel from 2.30 to 4.30pm on December 31.

This event will include a live Q&A session, a meet and greet opportunity, and photos.

Tickets for the meet and greet event at The Address Hotel are also available via tickettailor.
A call has been made to implement stronger protections for renters this Christmas as more than 1,700 notices to quit have been issued to Cork renters so far this year.

According to figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), there were 15,826 notices to quit, or notices of termination (NoTs), issued by landlords to renters across the country between Q1 and Q3 of this year, 1,706 of which were in Cork.

Across Cork, there were 591 NoTs issued by landlords to renters in Q1, followed by 527 in Q2 and 588 in Q3, representing an increase of 19.7% on the 1,425 NoTs that were issued to Cork renters between Q1 and Q3 of 2024.

The most common reasons for issuing NoTs, on a national scale, were that the landlord intended to sell the property, followed by a breach of tenant obligations, and that the landlord or member of the landlords family intended on moving into the property.

Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan said: "No child in Ireland should face eviction into homelessness - this is a basic, humane, safeguard. In Cork city, where rents continue to outpace wages, this measure is not only justified, but vital to stop families from being forced into emergency accommodation."

He, along with Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik, have called for an eviction ban to be implemented, specifically for households with children.

The data makes it clear. This housing crisis is now hitting workers with no safety net, Mr Horgan said.

People who keep Cork running are being told they earn too much for supports, but cannot find a rental when a notice to quit arrives. This is a failure of national policy and requires urgent action.

A targeted eviction ban for families with children is the minimum step needed to protect young people from homelessness. No child should be put through that trauma, he added.

From a council perspective, we are building homes, but the here and now is what Government must address. Other than videos encouraging adults to move back in with their parents, they should reinstate the no fault eviction ban to protect people from homelessness.

Mr Horgans comments come as The Echo revealed that, in Cork city, 93 families will spend Christmas in emergency accommodation.

According to figures provided at this weeks meeting of Cork City Council, 67 families will spend their first Christmas in emergency accommodation, 21 their second, three their third, and two their fourth or more.

Meanwhile, in the National Development Plans (NDP) Sectoral Plan for Housing, housing minister James Browne said almost 25bn in NDP funding has been allocated to Housing Capital Programmes.

Over the lifetime of the NDP, 1bn has been allocated to support the Housing Activation Office and Housing infrastructure; almost 20bn has been allocated to Social and Affordable Housing Delivery Programmes; and 4.2bn has also been allocated to programmes providing key supports for housing needs across the country.

The publication further stated that this funding will be supplemented by investment through the Land Development Agency and lending through the Housing Finance Agency.

Mr Browne said tackling the crises in both housing and homelessness is a priority for this Government and the funding allocated as part of this NDP reflects that.

We are in a housing crisis, and we are responding by providing an unprecedented amount of funding for housing, said Mr Browne.

[The funding] will allow us to scale up the delivery of social and affordable housing to levels never seen before in this state. We will work with everybody to meet our ambitious target of at least 300,000 new homes by 2030 and, where necessary, we will call out those instances where we feel delivery is not proceeding at the pace and scale it should be. I will be relentless in tackling the housing crisis.
Cork County Council has been urged to launch a media campaign to inform voters how to remove the names of deceased people from the electoral register.

In a motion at a recent council meeting, Fianna Fail councillor Patrick Donovan requested that Cork County Council run a campaign on local radio and print media calling for people to submit information on loved ones who have passed away and still get a polling card, with a view to the council using this information to update the register of electors.

Currently, the removal of the name of a deceased loved one from the register can be done by contacting the councils franchise section by email or letter. However, Mr Donovan told The Echo that many people are not aware of this process.

As public representatives, after an election, we would often get calls and messages from constituents saying we got mom or dads polling card posted to the family home or someone might be after passing away, said Mr Donovan.

It is very upsetting for families when the polling cards come in and they see a loved one who is no longer with them.

He added that, in response to his motion, the council has said it is working with the Electoral Commission on tidying up the register of electors.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council told The Echo: Franchise staff are currently engaged in data cleansing in preparation for the new national online register of electors to be rolled out by Dublin City Council and the LGMA [Local Government Management Agency] in 2026.

In addition, the register of electors is being updated based on amendment sheets submitted by the electorate over recent months, the majority of which relate to deceased family members.

Once these amendments have been made (Quarter 1, 2026), consideration can be given to issuing a press release and initiating a social media campaign, the councillor said.
Aer Lingus has announced the launch of two new summer 2026 routes from Cork Airport to Nice and Santiago de Compostela.

Aer Lingus will fly twice weekly from Cork to Nice in southern France next summer, with flights operating on Wednesday and Saturday.

The service will operate from May 6 to September 30.

Flying into Nice, visitors can choose to travel a little further along the Cote dAzur to Cannes and Antibes, or even make a day trip to the principality of Monaco.

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of North-West Spains Galicia region, and is best known as the final stop on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, with the port cities of A Coruna and Vigo a short train journey away.

The airline will fly twice weekly from Cork to Santiago de Compostela next summer, with flights operating on Monday and Thursday.

The service will operate from June 1 to October 22.

One-way fares to Nice and Santiago de Compostela are available from 69.99 and 59.99 respectively, including taxes and charges.

Elsewhere, Aer Lingus will extend its seasonal Cork to Prague route from a winter only to a year-round service next year with twice weekly flights on Monday and Thursday.

The service will operate until October 22, 2026.

Christmas has come early for us here at Cork Airport, as we announce two new routes for summer 2026 with our friends at Aer Lingus, said Cork Airport head of aviation business development and communications Tara Finn.

Nice and Santiago de Compostela are two fantastic cities, and both open up the options for visitors to explore the wider regions surrounding them, whether that is the Cote dAzur or Galicia.

Prague is an amazing Christmas market and summer destination, and wonderful to see it going year-round.

We are delighted to see Aer Lingus expanding and freshening their offering from Cork.

They have a loyal customer base who will only travel Aer Lingus and insist on Cork, and these new routes will delight that loyal base and more.

Aer Lingus chief customer officer Susanne Carberry said: Aer Lingus customers in Cork and southern Ireland now have even more destinations to choose from as Nice and Santiago de Compostela join our European network.

Both destinations are rich in culture, cuisine, and offer charm in abundance.

With Prague also moving to a year-round service, were ensuring our customers have even greater flexibility and choice next summer.

The Aer Lingus 2026 summer flight schedule also includes services to Malaga, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Faro, Palma de Mallorca, Bilbao, and Bordeaux, together with services to London Heathrow and Aer Lingus regional services to Bristol and Glasgow.
A sewage leak that has been ongoing in a West Cork village for almost 30 years has been branded a disgrace at a recent meeting of Cork County Councils West Cork municipal district.

The issue was raised in a motion by Independent Ireland councillor Daniel Sexton that said: In light of the significant environmental and public health risks posed by the sewage leaks in Shannonvale, I am calling on this council to write to the Environmental Protection Agency to request that they use their full enforcement powers to compel Uisce Eireann to develop and implement an expedited action plan to end the sewage overflow and remediate the contamination of the park and the River Argideen.

Mr Sexton said the issue had been ongoing for 28 years. He said sewage had to be going into the River Argideen during periods of heavy rainfall and the river supplied drinking water to Clonakilty and surrounding areas.

We need a bit of action here. It has been going on far too long and nothing has changed, he said.

Supporting the motion, Fianna Fail councillor Joe Carroll said: Its an outrage and to think this is going into the River Argideen. This is not right and a lot of people in Clon probably wouldnt drink the water if they knew.

It is more than disgraceful, its outrageous.

Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse said a timeframe and detailed plan should be sought from Uisce Eireann.

She added: You can only imagine the amount of chlorine that goes into the water to counteract the bacteria.

Mr Sexton said in his view, the failures of Uisce Eireann were such that the body should be disbanded.

Senior officials in the utility were getting bonuses for not delivering, he added: They need to cop on. They are not delivering.

He said he would also advise people in Clonakilty not to drink the water.

I even know someone whose dog wont drink it.

Ger Barry, acting director of services from Cork County Councils environment directorate, said: Uisce Eireann, which is regulated by the EPA, are responsible for the Shannonvale public wastewater treatment plant. Cork County Council will write to the EPA on the matter as requested in this notice of motion.
Festive cheer was in the air as Share hosted its annual Christmas lunch for both residents and student volunteers.

Spending Wednesday afternoon in the company of the people who avail of the services provided by Share, it was clear how much both the Christmas lunch and Share overall mean to so many people.

Residents got to enjoy their festive lunch, chatting with one another and sharing stories.

Once the meal was concluded, residents and students danced the afternoon away with music provided by a live band.

Share provides supported independent living in over 140 housing units in seven locations, and runs a day care centre offering medical and social support.

Among those to speak with The Echo at the Br Jerome Day Care Centre, Sheares St, Cork city, was Alan Jones.

Originally from Rhondda Valley in Wales, Mr Jones initially came to Cork on a holiday. But such was his experience of Leeside that he decided to make Cork his home.

Mr Jones sums up well the mood among the attendees of the Share Christmas lunch.

There would be a lot of people struggling right now if it wasnt for Share. They are brilliant, they are, said Mr Jones.

What would we be doing now if we wasnt having this Christmas lunch? Stuck in our room doing nothing. They look after us, they do. It is a lovely day for me.

Share look after hundreds of old people, they need looking after, and Share do a damn good job.

Jerry OFlaherty, who is originally from Listowel in Co Kerry, describes the significant impact Share has on his life.

They are very good to me. Share do great work and it is all positive work that they do, said Mr OFlaherty.

I do a lot of exercise because I have prostate cancer. I do a lot of exercise on the Lee Fields and with the Mardyke.

That is all helping me with the prostate cancer. So the whole thing is working very well.

They allow you to do what you need to do yourself. But they help you as well.

James Ryan, a Share resident, originally from Limerick, said: I have been in Share nearly seven years myself. They are the best.

Share resident James Ryan, from Limerick, at the lunch.

The work that they do is very important to the elderly of Cork.

Students from numerous local schools are heavily involved in year-round activities with Share and the annual Christmas fundraising campaign.

It is also in evidence how much the students benefit from giving up their time to volunteer for Share and the important life skills gained.

Regan ORiordan from St Angelas College in Cork told The Echo: I think it is so important. I have seen the changes myself in the people and how happy they are in the situation they are in now, compared to the situation that they were in.

To see them in a better place now, it is so heartwarming that they are happier now. I think it is so important that Share offers that to them.

Jack Donnelly from Presentation Brothers Cork said: Share is massive in Cork and there is a lot of people relying on them.

Student executive committee members Jack Hurley and Jack Donnelly from Presentation Brothers College with Share resident Vincent Cullirana, originally from Rochestown, Cork.

The annual Share Christmas street collection will be launched this evening with the blessing of the Patrick Street crib at 6pm.

Students from 23 Cork schools will collect from December 13 up to Christmas Eve, raising much needed funds for a charity that has looked after the elderly on Leeside for half a century.
Cork County Council warns of high risk for flooding across West Cork tomorrow as a result of Met Eireanns status yellow rain warning.

The national forecaster issued the warning this afternoon, with the ten counties of Cork, Clare, Kerry, Limerick, Donegal and all of Connacht, expected to see heavy spells of rain with an increased risk of flooding due to high river levels and saturated ground.

The weather warning will come into effect from 6pm on Saturday and will remain in place until midnight on Sunday night.

Met Eireann has said likely impacts include river and surface flooding, difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council said the local authority's Severe Weather Assessment Team convened earlier today to assess preparations as the risk of flooding in the West Cork and Bandon-Kinsale Municipal Districts is high.

Council crews have been deployed across the county and are monitoring known hotspots for flooding, with pumps deployed and sandbags available in several locations.

According to the council, following a recent period of persistent rain, many rivers are approaching bank full conditions with heavy rain falling on already saturated ground.

The spokesperson said that this poses a particular concern in the West Cork and Bandon-Kinsale Municipal Districts.

Cork County Council is advising motorists to exercise extreme caution as driving conditions may be hazardous with surface flooding possible. Motorists should avoid driving through flowing or standing water and should exercise caution during heavy rain, the spokespersons said.

Please be conscious of cyclists and pedestrians. Issues such as flooding and road damage should be reported to the Councils Emergency Out of Hours number on (021) 4800048.

In the event of an emergency call 999 or 112 and request the Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Gardai or Irish Coastguard as appropriate.

In the event of a disruption to power supply, please contact ESB Networks at 1800 372 999.
Its that time of year again! As Cork city prepares to sparkle for Christmas, one festive landmark stands out - not just for its beauty, but for its heart.

The Rotary Tree of Remembrance, a truly special tradition, shines as a beacon of love, community, and charity, embodying the Rotary motto: Service Above Self. This tree isnt simply decoration; its a powerful symbol of remembrance, connection, and local giving.

Launching a Tradition That Matters

Mark your calendars! The Rotary Tree of Remembrance on Patrick Street officially opens on Saturday, December 13, at noon. The significance of the event is highlighted each year by the presence of the Lord Mayor and other city dignitaries who gather to mark the beginning of this meaningful campaign.

Rotarian Tom Woodward is enthusiastic about the launch: The Rotary Tree of Remembrance has become an integral part of the city centre Christmas experience, allowing people to remember their loved ones in a simple yet poignant way amid the bustle.

As the big day draws nearer, it becomes festooned with yellow ribbons, each with its own special message. It has raised much-needed funds for Cork charities over the past 23 years. On Saturday, the Lord Mayor will place the first ribbon on the tree as First Citizen.

How It Works: A Simple, Powerful Idea

The magic of the Rotary Tree lies in its simplicity. Christmas brings joy, but it can also highlight the absence of those weve lost. The tree offers a public, comforting way to acknowledge that. Anyone can take a yellow ribbon, write a message to someone they miss, and tie it to the branches.

What starts as a private moment becomes part of something shared, as message after message gathers on the branches.

By Christmas Eve, the tree is covered in yellow ribbons - each one representing someone remembered and someone missed, each one marking a memory, each one meaningful.

The People Behind the Project

The Rotary Tree of Remembrance doesnt appear overnight. Its success relies on the teamwork of the Rotary Club of Cork and the Bishopstown Rotary Club, working closely with Cork City Council and volunteers from the years benefiting charities. These volunteers stand at the tree from morning to night, rain or shine, offering ribbons, listening to stories, and providing a moment of connection to anyone who stops by.

Your Ribbon, Their Lifeline

Donations raised translate directly into meaningful support for organisations across Cork. This years beneficiaries again represent a wide range of support across the county:

Marymount University Hospital & Hospice

ARC Cancer Support Services

Westgate Foundation

Shine

Horizons (formerly COPE)

St Lukes Home

Looking at just three of this years beneficiaries, you can see why the Tree of Remembrance matters.

Every day, 30 families in Ireland face a life-changing dementia diagnosis, and St Lukes Home is there to provide compassionate, specialised care. As a charity relying entirely on donations, the support generated by the Tree helps them offer dignity, comfort, and connection when families need it most.

Horizons champions inclusion for 2,800 children and adults with intellectual disabilities across 70 locations in Cork. Funds raised through the Tree help provide assistive technology, community housing, and essential resources that offer independence and real choice to the people they support.

Shine works with autistic children and their families, delivering programmes that build communication, connection, and confidence-small moments that mean everything, especially at Christmas. The Rotary Tree helps sustain these crucial services.

Together, these charities show exactly how each yellow ribbon and every donation make a real and lasting difference throughout Cork.

Over 23 years, the Rotary Tree of Remembrance has supported a broad and diverse network of charities, touching countless lives throughout Cork. Its impact is woven into the fabric of the citys Christmas season.

A big thank you to the people of Cork, whose continued generosity fuels this tradition year after year.

A Season of Service and Remembrance

The Rotary Tree of Remembrance runs to Christmas Eve and concludes with a special Ecumenical Service on Saturday, January 9, 2026, at the Holy Trinity Church on Fr Mathew Quay. Its a thoughtful way to close a project that brings people together each year, reflecting the community spirit at the heart of Rotary.

A Centenary and a Global Movement

The Rotary Club of Cork is approaching a major milestone: its 100th anniversary. The centenary will coincide with the annual Rotary Conference, hosted in September, 2026, by the Bishopstown Rotary Club at the Rochestown Park Hotel. It promises to be a celebration of Rotarys immense and ongoing contribution to local and global communities.

While the Tree of Remembrance focuses on local needs, Rotarys reach is global. Its international network tackles major humanitarian projects-from building infrastructure after disasters to providing essential housing and education. One of its most ambitious efforts, carried out with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is the campaign to eradicate polio worldwide. Its an example of how local acts of service connect to a global mission.

Find a Purpose, Find Your People

Rotarys motto, Service Above Self, is not just a slogan - its the lived experience of its members. People from all professions and backgrounds come together to make a positive impact in their communities, all while building strong and lasting friendships. The clubs in Cork are always open to welcoming new members. Rotary life isnt only about charity. Weekly meetings feature guest speakers, cultural visits, and the tradition of job talks, where members share a professional journeys. Its a wonderful way to get to know people, exchange ideas, and stay connected.

If youre looking for a meaningful way to give back or simply wish to learn more, consider exploring Rotary membership. Information is available online-it could be a chance to find not just a project, but a genuine purpose.
Gordon Deegan

Home builder Glenveagh Homes is to lodge plans in the coming days for 1,350 residential units on lands adjoining Belcamp Hall off the Malahide Road in north Dublin.

The move by Glenveagh Homes to lodge the Large Scale Residential (LRD) scheme with Fingal Co Council follows the house-builder purchasing 130 million of property from Gannon Homes that includes the Belcamp site earlier this year.

The Belcamp LRD of 1,350 homes on a 119.5 acre site is to comprise 802 houses and 296 apartments across eight blocks, ranging in height from three to five storeys.

The scheme is to also comprise 252 walk-up apartments ranging in height from three to four storeys.

The site is within and adjoins Belcamp Hall and lies west of Malahide Road. It is north of the River Mayne in the townlands of Belcamp and Clonshaugh, Dublin 17.

Glenveagh is seeking a 10-year planning permission from Fingal County Council in its LRD application.

The overall scheme is made up of 685 two-bedroom units, 398 three-bedroom units, 212 one-bedroom units and 55 four-bedroom units.

The scheme also includes a childcare facility, 1,650sq metres of non-residential floor space, including retail uses and health and recreational services.

The site also includes the allocation of a site reserved for a school in the southwestern portion of the site.

The scheme will also include the provision of a mobility hub and public plaza and a new east-west distributor road, along with a bridge across the Mayne River.

The planning notice states that the lands are internally bounded by the Protected Structure, Belcamp Hall and associated curtilage".

Gannon Homes had previously lodged Strategic Housing Development (SHD) plans in May 2022 to An Bord Pleanala for a 10-year permission for the construction of 2,527 residential units comprising 473 houses, 2,054 apartments and the firm withdrew the scheme in December of last year.

The new application comes against the background of Glenveagh remaining confident in delivering approximately 1,500 homebuilding units in FY 2025 and is on track to increase annual output to approximately 1,900 units by 2027.

The firm is active elsewhere in the north Dublin area with separate LRD plans currently before Fingal Co Council for 398 new residential units at Ballymastone, Donabate.
David Raleigh

A house in Co Limerick, was subject to an arson attack on Thursday evening.

Gardai said on Friday that they were investigating an arson attack at a home in Castleconnell, situated about 15kms from Limerick City.

No injuries were reported.

A Garda spokeswoman said: Gardai received a report of an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred at a domestic residence in Castleconnell, Co. Limerick on Thursday 11th December 2025 at approximately 9.15pm.

No injuries have been reported at this time.

Investigations are ongoing.
By Eoin Reynolds

A man who has admitted to killing a Canadian tourist in Dublin City Centre in the summer of 2024 has been allowed to remain on bail ahead of sentencing.

Ionut Danca (25) on Friday pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of Neno Dolmajian on July 2nd, 2024 at O'Connell St Upper in the capital.

Danca's co-accused, Madalin Ghiuzan (24), pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Dolmajian, causing him harm at Cathal Brugha St, Dublin 1. Mr Dolmajian was assaulted on June 23rd, 2024 and died nine days later.

Seoirse O Dunlaing, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the pleas are acceptable to the State.

Danca, a construction worker from Romania but with an address at Rathdown Square, North Circular Road, Dublin 7 had previously been charged with murder.

Ghiuzan, originally from Romania but with an address at Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1, had a manslaughter charge brought against him.

It is expected that the murder charge against Danca and the manslaughter charge against Ghiuzan will be dropped at the sentencing hearing next year.

Morgan Shelley SC, for Mr Ghiuzan, told Ms Justice Melanie Greally that pathology evidence indicated his client did not have a role in causing Mr Dolmajian's death. Both men, the judge heard, have been on bail up to now and have complied with all conditions.

Ms Justice Greally remanded both on continuing bail and listed the case for sentence on February 9th, when members of the deceased's family will be invited to make statements to the court.

Maral Dolmajian, a sister of the deceased, viewed Friday's arraignment from Canada via videolink.
Eimear Dodd

A convicted killer who was driving at high speed on his motorbike struck a Ukrainian grandmother three years ago, leaving her with serious injuries.

Derek Moore (AKA Hutch) of Champions Avenue, Dublin 1 pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious harm to Valentyna Linck on May 27th, 2022 at Amiens Street.

Moore (42) pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving and a count of driving under the influence of an intoxicant on the same date. Further counts of dangerous driving are to be taken into consideration by the court.

Moore has 44 previous convictions including manslaughter, assault causing serious harm, attempted robbery and possession of drugs. His previous convictions also include eight for dangerous driving and one for endangerment.

He was disqualified from driving for five years at the time of this offence, the court was told. The motorbike was insured and in good working order, but the tyre tread depth on the back wheel was below the legal limit.

Moore was seen speeding and doing wheelies on the motorbike in Dublin's north inner city before the collision, which occurred around lunchtime on a Friday afternoon. His speed shortly before he struck the injured party was assessed at between 150km/hr and 158km/hr.

Lisa Dempsey BL, prosecuting, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Friday that the State's case is that there was a sequence of dangerous driving incidents by Moore before he struck the victim.

She told the court that Ms Linck is a Ukrainian citizen and grandmother who came to Ireland after the start of the war. She was crossing Amiens Street with her daughter and a friend near the railway bridge when Moore struck her.

Ms Linck suffered significant facial and head injuries, as well as leg and arm fractures. She had a stroke and a brain bleed as a consequence of the collision. She spent one month in a coma and required several surgeries.

The injured party required significant rehabilitative treatment following the collision. She is in constant pain, sustained facial scarring, is no longer able to work and is not as independent as she used to be, the court was told.

Moore was also taken to hospital following the collision. Luigi Rea BL, defending, said his client suffered back injuries.

Blood sample

A blood sample taken from Moore tested positive for cannabis, with 19.2ng  almost four times the legal limit of 5ng/ml - identified.

He told gardai he had been smoking between two and four joints of cannabis a night since his release from prison 10 months earlier, but denied smoking cannabis on the day.

CCTV footage was played to the court showing Moore's driving in the Summerhill area in the 50 minutes before the collision occurred.

Judge Pauline Codd said Moore's driving was completely outrageous and created a high level of danger to the public.

She agreed to a defence application to order a probation report and adjourned the case for finalisation on March 23rd next year.

The judge remanded Moore on continuing bail and directed weekly urinalysis.

Detective Sergeant Shane Noone gave evidence that Moore was seen driving his motorbike with one wheel in the air for 71 metres at a speed of 99km/hr in a 50km/hr zone prior to the incident.

He did a U-turn at the junction of Summerhill and Gardiner Street, with Det Sgt Noone saying it is believed that Moore did this using the pedestrian crossing.

Moore did several more wheelies, including one for 71m at a speed of 106km/hr. He also undertook a bus, weaved through traffic and went through a red light.

Shortly before the collision occurred, Moore undertook another bus and stopped briefly to engage with two male pedestrians.

High speed

He did another U-turn at the Five Lamps junction, then accelerated back along Amiens Street at high speed.

Moore's speed at one point on Amiens Street was calculated at 151km/hr in a 50km/hr zone. He then drove through a red light on the street at speeds of 150km/hr to 158km/hr before the collision.

The motorbike remained upright and continued until it collided with two other vehicles stopped on the opposite side of the road at a red light at the Talbot Street-Amiens Road junction.

Emergency services deemed the injured party's injuries to be life-threatening at the scene and she was rushed to the Mater Hospital.

Ms Linck is no longer living in Ireland. Det Sgt Noone said she estimates medical costs of 140,000 and a loss of income of around 110,000.

CCTV

A victim impact statement was handed to the court, but not read aloud.

The court heard Amiens Street was shut for a period of time while a forensic examination was carried out.

Moore's home was later searched by gardai, with CCTV, motorbike boots and other items seized.

He was voluntarily interviewed by gardai in August 2022, during which he spoke about being paranoid and feeling there was a threat to his life.

He told gardai he was having issues with the throttle of his bike. An examination of the bike's throttle identified it was working normally.

Moore told gardai he was getting a vibe from two men he met moments before the collision. He said he couldn't hear what they were saying and that made him paranoid.

He identified himself on CCTV and said the driving shown was stupidity and embarrassing. He apologised to the woman, gardai and anyone offended by his behaviour on the day.

Moore has been on bail and has not come to garda attention except for one public order matter, the court was told.

Det Gda Noone agreed with Mr Rea that his client was apologetic when interviewed and expressed his hope that the injured party would make a full recovery.

It was further accepted that there was no connection between the parties before this incident. The garda agreed that several of Moore's family members have died in horrible circumstances including his older brother Gary, who died aged 34.

Moore has two children and is in a relationship. He has some work history in construction, Mr Rea told the court.

A letter of apology, a letter from his GP and other documents were handed to the court.
AI is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetime and Dell Technologies is at the forefront of helping Irish businesses harness its potential to enhance competitiveness and drive future growth.

From solving complex problems to automating tasks and improving decision making, every business  irrespective of size and sector  can benefit.

Against this backdrop, Dell Technologies is working with leaders to move beyond hype and embed AI strategically, so it unlocks tangible business benefits. Embedding AI effectively can directly support business goals and drive measurable competitive advantage. At a time of so much change and disruption, its never been more important for Irish businesses to realise these changes.

The AI opportunity

In recent years, Generative AI has come to life with ChatGPT and other AI-enabled chatbots. The emergence of Agentic AI marks a new phase in the lifecycle of AI. These innovative systems can act independently on complex projects, and can think, plan, and take action  all by themselves  to tackle big tasks.

According to the Dell Innovation Catalysts Study, nearly 90 per cent of organisations see strong opportunities to leverage Agentic AI to create value in their businesses.

Mark Hopkins, general manager at Dell Technologies Ireland, points to the growing strategic importance of AI across Irish business, stating that 76 per cent of Irish organisations are now placing AI at the heart of their business strategy according to Dell research. The challenge for senior leaders is no longer whether to invest in AI, but how to generate tangible commercial returns. While the potential of AI to enhance business competitiveness is clear, nearly half (46 per cent) of leaders in Ireland are struggling to keep pace with advancements in the technology.

Leaders across the country are focused on embracing AI securely and sustainably to drive innovation, unlock new market opportunities, and enhance productivity. However, finding the right path to make this happen is not entirely straightforward.

AI for strategic advantage

Thats why Dell Technologies recently joined forces with the Institute of Directors (IoD) Ireland for a special event bringing together industry leaders around the country for a conversation on unlocking the power of AI for strategic advantage.

From governance and cyber security to responsible, scalable deployment, speakers outlined the practical guidance, advice, and lessons for decision makers to advance their AI journey and realise commercial gains from the technology.

Developing ethical and responsible AI governance is the first step on this journey for many firms. Recent research by IoD Ireland reveals that more than half (55 per cent) of organisations in Ireland do not have a board-approved AI strategy in place.

Setting clear AI policies and processes from the top down is crucial to ensure everyone in an organisation can safely and successfully benefit from the technology.

Mark Hopkins, general manager at Dell Technologies Ireland, and Caroline Spillane, CEO, IoD Ireland, at the event bringing together industry leaders around the country for a conversation on unlocking the power of AI for strategic advantage. Photograph: Orla Murray/Coalesce

Speaking at the event, Caroline Spillane, chief executive of IoD Ireland, highlighted the importance of leaders in driving AI transformation: Recent research by IoD Ireland reveals the strategic importance of AI to future business competitiveness, with 40 per cent of leaders citing AI as important for enhancing operational efficiency.

From making technology investment decisions to establishing governance frameworks, directors and board members have a crucial role to play in setting the strategic direction on AI in their organisation.

With AI now widely recognised as a key driver of competitiveness, championing a workplace culture that encourages innovation and lifelong learning across every level of the organisation is vital to staying ahead in the AI era.

Shaping Irelands AI future

Dell Technologies Ireland plays a pivotal role in helping leaders to put in place the right technology and infrastructure to power their AI journey. From manufacturing to healthcare, the global technology company is helping leaders across every sector shape their AI strategy and realise commercial value from the technology.

Dell Technologies partners with Studio Ulster to provide advanced AI and data infrastructure to support the creation of immersive digital environments for film, TV, gaming and virtual experiences.

In the filmmaking industry, Dell has joined forces with Ulster University to pioneer new virtual production and cinematic storytelling enabled by Dells high-performance AI infrastructure. Earlier this year, it supported Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) to develop and launch an advanced AI research platform that is accelerating new research developments in cybersecurity, sustainability, and healthcare.

As the clear leader in compute and storage, Dell Technologies sits at the epicentre of advancements in AI and other emerging technologies. The company provides customers with AI solutions and expertise that unlock the power of AI, automate intelligent decisions, and help define their paths to the future.

Dell Technologies introduced the Dell AI Factory to give organisations the infrastructure, solutions, and services needed to quickly adopt and deploy AI at scale. By bringing together best in class technology, an open ecosystem, and a network of key partners, the Dell AI Factory makes it easier for customers to realise commercial value from AI.

Our Customer Services Centre Innovation Lab in Limerick enables our customers to test and experience real-life examples of how AI and other technologies can create business value for their organisation.

Speaking at the IoD Ireland and Dell Technologies event, Mark Hopkins added, While the business case for AI has never been more compelling, many leaders across the country remain unsure about how best to turn AIs promise into real-world growth and impact. By bringing industry leaders across Ireland together for an important conversation on the key considerations to achieve this change, we hope to fuel AI-powered growth across the economy.

As a long-standing partner to organisations in both the public and private sectors, Dell Technologies is proud to provide the expertise, tools, and services that leaders need to drive their AI transformation agenda forward and enhance business competitiveness.

Discover how Dell Technologies can help your organisation unlock AIs full potential at dell.com/en-ie.
(Photo: @Vatican Media)Pope Leo meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Dec. 9, 2025 about how to get a just peace in Ukraine.

Pope Leo XIV has welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo to discuss the war in Ukraine and the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.

Pope Leo XIV welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo on Dec. 9, Vatican News reported.

The Holy See Press Office issued a statement describing the cordial meeting, saying discussions centered mainly on the war in Ukraine.

"During their talks, the Pope reiterated the importance of ongoing dialogue and once again stressed his 'urgent hope that ongoing diplomatic efforts will lead to a just and lasting peace,'" according to Vatican News.

It said that the two heads of state also spoke about the issue of prisoners of war, calling for ensuring the safe return of Ukrainian children to their families.

Exactly five months earlier Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo at the residence at Castel Gandolfo for a private audienceduring which similar topics were discussed.

In the July meeting, Pope Leoelected just two months prior to the papacyexpressed his sorrow for the victims of the war and assured the people of Ukraine of his ongoing prayers for them.

Following the meeting, President Zelenskyy addressed journalists in English, expressing his gratitude for the audience and the Pope's support especially regarding the return of Ukrainian childrencalling it "a very important question."

Zelensky also issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, after his meeting, expressing appreciation for "all the support" of Pope Leo and the Holy See in the humanitarian field.

He said he informed the Pope about the diplomatic efforts with the United States to achieve peace and revealed that he again invited Pope Leo to visit Ukraine.

- 'JUST PEACE FOR UKRAINE'

"During today's audience with His Holiness, I thanked him for his constant prayers for Ukraine and for the Ukrainian people, as well as for his calls for a just peace," he wrote.

"I informed the Pope about diplomatic efforts with the United States to achieve peace. We discussed further actions and the Vatican's mediation aimed at returning our children abducted by Russia," said the Urainian president.

He expressed gratitude to Pope Leo for his efforts to support young Ukrainians.

"Thank you for this conversation and for all the attention given to our people. I invited the Pope to visit Ukraine. This would be a powerful signal of support for our people."

It was their third face-to-face meeting since Leo's election as pope on May 8. They first met in the Vatican after the pope's inauguration on May 18. They met for a second time at Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on July 9.

The Pope and the Ukrainian leader met at a particularly delicate moment in the international effort to arrive at a peace plan that can be accepted by both Ukraine and Russia, according to America Magazine, the Jesuit Review.

https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2025/12/09/pope-leo-meeting-volodymyr-zelensky-ukraine/

Gerard O'Connell reported for the publication that the current effort was initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump with a 28-point plan that was widely regarded in Europe as unquestionably favorable to Russia and a reward to the aggressor state.

"That plan was devised in dialogue between the United States and Russia without the involvement of the European Union, the United Kingdom or Ukraine," wrote O'Connell.

The plan was subsequently modified following the intervention of those parties in initial discussions with the U.S. president and his advisors.

It has since been further modified and reduced to 20 points following discussions in Europe.

President Zelensky has said that, under Ukraine's constitution, he cannot cede territory, which is what Russia wants.

He and the other E.U. leaders agreed that any peace accord has to provide solid security guarantees for Ukraine against future attack or invasion by Russia.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. The executive order curbs states' ability to regulate artificial intelligence, something for which the tech industry has been lobbying. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. The executive order curbs states' ability to regulate artificial intelligence, something for which the tech industry has been lobbying. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong via Getty Images)

On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a single, nationwide regulatory framework governing artificial intelligence at the expense of the ability of different states to regulate the nascent technology. To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation, the order states. But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative.

As was expected after a draft of the order leaked earlier this week, the centerpiece of the document is an AI Litigation Task Force whose sole responsibility shall be to challenge state AI laws inconsistent with the presidents policy vision. US Attorney General Pam Bondi has 30 days to create the task force, which shall meet regularly with the White Houses AI and crypto czar, David Sacks.

As laid out in the presidents AI Action Plan from July, the administration will also limit states with onerous AI laws from accessing federal funding. Specifically, the secretary of commerce will target funding available under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, a $42.5 billion effort to expand high-speed internet access in rural communities.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Academics and advocacy groups were quick to criticize the presidents order. If your goal is to innovate in AI to benefit America, it makes no sense to deny high-speed Internet access to millions of Americans by punishing states that are just trying to protect their citizens, Professor Alexander Pascal, executive director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, told Engadget. Pascal was also critical of the administrations framing of the order. Its not clear what winning a vague so-called race for global AI supremacy actually means or how racing materially benefits Americans in their daily lives. On the contrary, the EOs attack on states for protecting their citizens against AI harms would likely accelerate an AI race to the bottom for Americans here at home.

Prior to the new order, President Trumps previous attempts to curb the ability of states to regulate AI had failed. As part of his One Big Beautiful Bill, for instance, the president attempted to impose a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI regulation. That clause was eventually removed from the legislation in a decisive 99-1 vote by the Senate. Still, the order is expected to have a chilling effect on state legislative efforts.

"These efforts will fail if they are challenged in court, Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said of the orders targeting of federal grants. The problem is states may choose to accept the federal government's bullying rather than having to litigate to save their federal grants.

Update 12/18/24 9:00AM ET: This article has been updated to add expert commentary.
Google is rolling out new Gemini-assisted functionality to Search and its Translate app. It says its AI can now provide more natural and accurate text translations for phrases that have more "nuanced meanings." Translate will now take slang terms and colloquial expressions into consideration rather than provide sometimes unhelpful direct translations.

The latest update to its text translation feature is rolling out first in the US and India, translating between English and just under 20 other languages, including German, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. It works in the Translate app for iOS and Android and on the web.

Geminis speech-to-speech translation feature has also been updated, so you can now hear real-time translations in your headphones, like with Apples AirPods Pro 3 . Google says the new functionality, which is now in beta in the Translate app for Android (iOS is coming next year) in the US, tries to "preserve the tone, emphasis and cadence of each speaker" so you better understand the direction of the conversation and who said what. It works with any headphones and supports more than 70 languages.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Finally, Google is adding more tools to its potentially Duolingo-rivaling AI-powered language learning tools, which it introduced to the Translate app in August. Like Duolingo, Translate can now track how many days in a row youve been attempting to learn a new language, so you can check your progress over time. Whether it will nag you as persistently as the Duolingo owl famously does for slacking off is not clear.

The feedback feature has also been improved, so you should receive more useful tips on how youre pronouncing words or phrases. Germany, India and Sweden are among the 20 new countries that can now use these educational tools.
Apple has clawed back a bit of ground in its legal fight with Epic Games that could have wide-reaching consequences for all app developers. Today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals mostly upheld a previous contempt ruling regarding fees Apple levied on third-party payment systems. However, the judges did decide to reverse the order that Apple cannot charge any commissions on those external payments, which was one of the company's main arguments in this ongoing debate.

To catch you up, US Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers initially ruled in 2021 that Apple must allow third-party payment systems, although her decision fell shy of calling the tech company's control over the App Store a monopoly. In May 2025, she ruled that Apple's 27 percent commission on those outside payments violated her previous order. Apple responded with an emergency motion to appeal that finding.

Epic Games had taken its smash hit Fortnite off both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store while it was in court arguing these cases. Fortnite returned to iOS in the spring and just arrived back on Android devices today.
You may be surprised to learn electricity only accounts for 21 percent of the worlds energy consumption. Fossil fuels and the rest all play their part to make the world go around, but their role is likely to diminish no matter what happens. The International Energy Agency believes electricitys share of global energy consumption is going to double in the next decade alone. You all know the causes: Electrification, EVs, data centers and AI mean the planet needs to dramatically increase its power generation, transmission and storage capacity. Its a shame, then, that the world is nowhere near ready to satisfy such an outrageous surge in demand.

Re-learning to love the atom

The US has certainly spent the year opening doors to dramatically increase domestic energy production. Part of that has to give the signal that the US will embrace nuclear power in ways it hasnt for generations. This January, an executive order titled Unleashing American Energy included an instruction for the government to eliminate rules and regulations related to power generation. Its primary focus was to destroy environmental regulations limiting the extraction of oil, natural gas and coal, but also to remove roadblocks to the construction of new nuclear plants. Then, in May, a subsequent order declared a desire to ensure the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.

As the driving force behind the AI push, big tech has made some high profile moves to buy up extra generation capacity. Meta signed a 20-year deal with Constellation to own the output of the Clinton Power Station, preserving the 1.1GW facility once its state tax credit expires next year. Microsoft has its own 20-year deal with Constellation to own the power generated by reactor 1 at Three Mile Island, now renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center. On November 18, that project was also given the backing of the Department of Energy which authorized a $1 billion loan. But even without the backing of big tech, other mothballed reactors are being restarted, like the Palisades plant in Michigan. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy handed out a $1.52 billion loan to get the facility, capable of generating 800MW, back up and running.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Big tech is also betting on the future of nuclear power, signing deals with a number of startups looking to build out a new generation of reactors. Google, for instance, has backed Kairos Power and its plan to build a series of small, modular reactors. Amazon, meanwhile, invested in X-Energy and has published plans for its own buildout in Washington State.

Its not just the US that is learning to fall back in love with nuclear power, as the rest of the world is also building out new capacity. The World Nuclear Association says there are 70 reactors currently under construction across 15 countries. Russia, India, Argentina, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, and Brazil, to name just a few, are all working on new reactors.

China on its own is presently building 33 reactors and, as Nuclear Business Platform reported earlier this year, greenlit a further 10 this April. That same report adds that Chinas policy of producing multiple reactors at a time has seen costs crater. It says that while the UKs two new reactors at Hinkley Point will cost in excess of $60 billion, each of these new reactors will cost $2.7 billion.

Bridging the nuclear gap

coal handling in a port (Indigo Division via Getty Images)

Building a nuclear reactor is not a swift process, and construction of a facility can take the better part of a decade. You can add on a few more years if you include the necessary procedural steps that need to be undertaken before a single piece of concrete is poured. Consequently, any major shift in the US power generation fleet will be measured in generations, rather than years. Its a concern that, for all of the attention nuclear power is getting, its merely a smokescreen for a renewed push for fossil fuel extraction.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

After all, one major casualty from the Big, Beautiful Bill was the eradication of subsidies for the US solar industry. As we reported back in July, the act has kicked the legs out from domestic solar panel manufacturing, handing renewable energy dominance to China. This goes hand in hand with the US Department of Energy setting up a $625 million funding stream to revive Americas coal industry and recommission old power plants. Or that it is also awarding contracts to grow Americas strategic petroleum reserve.

Back in September, Energy Secretary Chris Wright made the implausible claim to BBC News that fossil fuel extraction was nothing to worry about as fusion power would be on the grid in the next decade. Wright, himself the former CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy, was taken to task by a number of climate experts for publishing a report riddled with misleading or fundamentally incorrect assertions. Similarly, on November 20, the Department of Energy reshuffled its org chart to eliminate several departments responsible for renewable energy and energy efficiency while forming the Office of Fusion.

Solars unstoppable rise

This stunning aerial view captures an array of solar panels arranged in neat, parallel rows across the landscape. From above, the panels shimmer under the bright sunlight, creating a striking contrast against the natural terrain below. The organized rows of solar panels stretch across acres of land, symbolizing the growing global shift toward renewable energy. The grid-like pattern highlights the efficiency and scale of modern solar farms, contributing to sustainable energy production.This high-resolution image showcases the incredible reach and potential of solar power as a clean, renewable energy source. Whether situated in rural fields, expansive deserts, or atop rooftops, these solar panels represent a major step toward reducing carbon footprints and combating climate change. The solar farm's orderly rows and reflective surfaces create a visually appealing scene, demonstrating both technological innovation and environmental responsibility. (Diane Keough via Getty Images)

The US may have kneecapped its domestic solar industry, but it may not be enough to defeat renewables momentum. In October, the International Energy Agency projected renewable energy will grow by 4.6 TW by 2030  a figure equal to the combined generation capacity of China, the EU and Japan combined. 77 percent of that figure is expected to come from solar power alone, despite the loss of subsidies in the US and less favorable circumstances in China.

The domestic US forecast has been revised downward significantly as a consequence of its policy choices. But despite this, the obvious benefits of solar power havent gone away even if the price may be higher than it was at the start of the year. It remains the fastest and cheapest way to add new power in many countries, and can be installed on a grid or individual basis. Not to mention its utility in remote areas with poor generation resources, where it can reduce dependency on fossil fuels. This year, clean energy think-tank Ember reported on the growth of solar power in the last decade, and how it went from adding just one percent of global power generation in 2015 to 8.8 percent in the first half of 2025.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

AI demand for electricity is the macro driver of US made solar, said Rob Gardner, VP at the Solar Manufacturers for America Coalition. AI investments cant deliver expected returns without quickly deployed power, and US solar is the fastest and cheapest to deploy, he said. Gardner cited a recent FERC forecast which predicts that 92.6GW of solar will come online between now and July 2028.

The dream of fusion

Construction inside the reactor of ITER. (ITER)

The US is pinning a lot of its hopes on fusion power to wipe away the debt of our fossil fuel past. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy released a roadmap to get fusion out of the lab and into the world. It wants to coordinate the remaining resources of the federal government to close the fusion worlds critical science, materials and technology gaps. In the next three years, officials have been tasked with designing facilities for reactors and developing sources of fuel. Within the next decade, its hoped the government will be able to offer large-scale fuel cycle plants to help private sector plants start operations.

If fusion power can be harnessed, it has many of the same upsides as nuclear fission with a lot fewer downsides. If nuclear fission harnesses the energy released when an atom is broken apart, then fusion harnesses the energy released when two smaller atoms are smashed together to create a larger one. It harnesses the same principle as youll find inside our sun: Superheated hydrogen atoms fusing to create helium. And while nuclear fusion requires radioactive material, we can source deuterium and tritium from water and lithium.

ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is a giant experimental fusion reactor under construction in France which, when operational, will be the worlds largest. It is backed by a coalition of nations, including the US, EU and China, and has the aim of both generating power and developing the technologies necessary to make Fusion a reality. The organization claims that there is enough of both materials available on the planet to run fusion plants for at least a thousand years, if not longer. There are also a raft of safety benefits, as theres no creation of the sort of long-lived and dangerous waste associated with nuclear power, no risk of a meltdown, and its raw materials cant be used to make weapons.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

But while fusion is entirely possible, and on paper could be the salve to all of the worlds energy ills, its not yet a reality. There are a large number of engineering challenges sitting between us and a viable commercial reactor. The shift that has happened this year is that fusion is now being treated as a strategic national priority, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. More than 160 fusion facilities are operational worldwide, each one looking to explore ways of solving the hard problems standing between us and limitless power.

But as well as ITER, there are other major nations working to build out their own fusion capacity. The biggest would likely be Chinas Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) which has already set a record for energy generation. At the start of this year, it was able to produce a steady state for 1,066 seconds.

But what we are seeing now, which may offer some degree of hope, is the surge in interest from the private sector. Companies like Commonwealth Fusion, Type One Energy, Helion and Pacific Fusion are all working on their own fusion facilities. These projects have received billions in funding, but its likely all will need time to work out if their approaches are viable.

Stuart White is a spokesperson for Tokamak Energy, a British-Japanese startup spun out from the UKs Atomic Energy Authority which is developing its own fusion technologies. In 2022, the companys own reactor was able to reach a plasma temperature of 100 million degrees celsius. Its an incredible achievement but that isnt going to power homes around the UK or anywhere, he said. White believes the fusion world will spend the next decade scaling up, projects to find the right pathway to building commercial reactors. He cited national programs, like the UKs STEP which is targeted to begin working in 2040, while the US plan for the mid-2030s he feels is aggressive.

Advertisement Advertisement

White also explained that, as equally important as solving the key physics issues, is building out the supply chain to actually make the equipment. He cited the importance of manufacturing in Japan and China to produce the hardware necessary to build fusion reactors. And that this process, while time consuming now, will help accelerate the eventual development of the technology down the line. White added that another positive sign is that regulators arent likely to want to scrutinize fusion reactors with the same intensity as they do nuclear reactors. That will both speed up the construction of new facilities and reduce costs when they do eventually enter service.

Whats clear, however, is that Fusion is not going to be able to swoop in and decarbonize the worlds energy needs in the sort of time scale its likely to be required. (White said it is likely to arrive in time to complement other clean sources of energy over the next half century, rather than so quickly that every other power station gets mothballed instantly.) Consequently, the government of the world must keep prioritizing the rollout of renewables rather than hoping that fusion will simply bail everyone out in the next decade.
Reddit has filed a lawsuit in Australia's High Court aiming to overturn the country's under-16 social media ban, Reuters reported. The forum platform called the law contrary to Australia's constitution as it intrudes on free political discourse. It also argued that Reddit shouldn't have been included in the ban since it isn't a social media site, based on the law's definition. The action is likely to set in motion a protracted legal battle, given Reddit's resources and its popularity in Australia

Australia's minimum age social media ban, the first of its kind in the world, went into effect on December 10. The ten platforms affected, including Reddit, must bar underage users or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million). Platforms are using a variety of means to determine age, including age inference based on activity and selfies.

However Reddit argued that the law comes with some "serious privacy and political expression issues" for users. "Australian citizens under the age of 16 will, within years if not months, become electors. The choices to be made by those citizens will be informed by political communication in which they engage prior to the age of 18," it wrote in the filing.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The government disagreed, noting that Reddit filed the lawsuit to protect is profits, not children's right to free expression. "It is action we saw time and time again by Big Tobacco against tobacco control and we are seeing it now by some social media or big tech giants," said Health Minister Mark Butler.

With a market capitalization of $44 billion, Reddit certainly has the means to sustain a long fight. It would be motivated to do so as well, given that Australia is its fourth-largest market after Canada, the UK and the United States.
Peony painting exhibition builds cultural bridge between China, Malaysia

Xinhua) 11:00, December 12, 2025

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The exhibition of the Global Tour of Heze Juye Gongbi Peony Paintings, titled "Blooming along the Silk Road, Creating Prosperity Together," was held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, drawing nearly 100 attendees from both China and Malaysia.

Rooted in traditional meticulous brushwork techniques while incorporating modern craftsmanship, the art form vividly captures the elegance of the peony, earning it the reputation of "the peony that never withers."

Speaking at the opening ceremony on behalf of Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching, Pandamaran State Assemblyman Tony Leong Tuck Chee said that through the exhibition, one can genuinely feel how art reflects a nation's understanding and appreciation of nature's beauty.

According to Cheng Junwei, president of Juye Painting and Calligraphy Academy in Heze City, east China's Shandong Province, the city of Heze has developed a large-scale painting industry cluster and a relatively complete talent training system.

He added that future bilateral cooperation will advance in areas such as industrial integration, creative collaboration, and talent development, providing a broader platform for China-Malaysia cultural exchange and youth engagement.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Questions surrounding alleged online smear campaigns against Blake Lively are taking on new weight as her legal dispute with Justin Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios team moves toward trial.

Newly surfaced court filings and a digital analysis cited by Deadline suggest that efforts to target Lively online may have overlapped with attempts to push negative narratives about Taylor Swift  and possibly involved the same network of accounts.

Lively's accusations, which sit at the center of her California Civil Rights complaint filed last year, claim she was the target of a preemptive online attack that damaged her reputation and cost her work. But the scope of that campaign, she argues, extended far beyond gossip.

The actor is seeking roughly $500 million in total damages, according to ABC News.

Study Points to Shared 'Amplification Network'

A metadata study produced by behavioral intelligence startup GUDEA has now emerged as a key point of discussion. While the study does not identify individuals responsible for the campaigns, it highlights significant overlap in users who amplified both the Swift-focused "Nazi" narrative and a separate astroturfing effort aimed at Lively.

According to the analysis seen by Deadline, "GUDEA found a significant user overlap between accounts pushing the Swift 'Nazi' narrative and those active in a separate astroturf campaign attacking Blake Lively."

The findings pointed to a surge of "inauthentic narratives" surrounding Swift's political beliefs ahead of her album release The Life of a Showgirl.

GUDEA said the intersection revealed "a cross-event amplification network... capable of escalating or ideologically reframing celebrity narratives."

A source familiar with Swift's camp, responding indirectly through Deadline, suggested observers simply "connect the dots," noting ongoing attempts to "pull Taylor into this lawsuit over and over" in filings and legal arguments.

Swift's name has repeatedly surfaced throughout the LivelyBaldoni dispute. She contributed a song to "It Ends With Us," and she is listed as a potential witness in the trial currently scheduled for May 2026  along with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Blake Lively claims Justin Baldoni "targeted her" with a smear campaign, which allegedly used the same networks that pushed the fake Taylor Swift N*zi claims. https://t.co/b8uO1Z1YCz pic.twitter.com/68pQb1rcnv  Taylor Swift Archive (@Taylors_Archive) December 9, 2025

Legal Filings Point to Broader Pattern Beyond Lively

The GUDEA study isn't the only evidence referenced in litigation.

In a separate federal case involving PR firm JonesWorks, founder Stephanie Jones alleges that the same tactics Lively describes were deployed against others, including "The Deb" producer Amanda Ghost during her conflict with Rebel Wilson.

Jones' legal team cites messages between Agency Group chief Melissa Nathan  accused by Lively of acting as a "hired gun"  and publicist Katie Case.

In one exchange, Case wrote, "Rebel wants one of those sites," a statement Jones' attorneys use to argue that multiple smear websites were created through the same pipeline.

A memorandum supporting Jones' proposed amended complaint reveals additional claims, "The September 2025 deposition of a former employee of Nathan revealed that she, at Nathan's instruction and in coordination with Jed Wallace, helped create the defamatory websites... just as she had done at least two other times."

Nathan has denied involvement in any such activity.

However, Jones' filing points to shared "digital fingerprints," including identical backlinking patterns across various sites targeting Jones, Ghost, and others  suggesting, her attorneys argue, the work of "the same individual or coordinated set of individuals."
In the long-running conflict between Sean "Diddy" Combs and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, the latest twist centers on more than 140 hours of raw video recorded in the months leading up to Combs' federal racketeering and sex-trafficking case.

Jackson claims the material  originally shot for Combs' own documentary project  is now in his hands and contains revelations "that will shut everybody up."

Jackson made the assertion on Instagram this week, telling followers, "Correct 140 hours of footage. I don't understand why he filmed himself but I'm glad he filmed himself. The people supporting him will [be] very quiet when more comes out."

The footage appears in part in Netflix's "Sean Combs: The Reckoning," a docuseries produced with Jackson, and it has quickly become one of the most discussed elements of the project.

How the Unreleased Footage Surfaced

The path to that material becoming public has been murky  until the documentary videographer who worked for Combs decided to explain his side.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, filmmaker Michael Oberlies said he had been documenting Combs "for over two years" and denied accusations that he leaked anything.

According to Oberlies, the footage made its way into the hands of Jackson and Netflix because a freelancer temporarily covering his duties took copies without authorization. He said the release had "nothing to do with any fee dispute or contract issue," pushing back on social-media speculation that he had gone unpaid.

Oberlies described the leak as a breach of professional ethics, saying the freelancer's actions "reflect the lack of integrity every storyteller should uphold," adding that taking material meant for his project "to advance a narrative that was not our own is both unethical and unacceptable."

Oberlies has been part of Combs' creative orbit since at least 2019, filming major events, studio sessions and, most recently, the mogul's movements in New York in the week before his September 2024 arrest.

Some of that footage shows Combs in his Park Hyatt hotel room, speaking with family, his legal team and staff, and instructing a fill-in videographer to capture "cutaway shots" of law-enforcement officers stationed across the street.

Cease-and-Desist and Pressure on Netflix

Combs' legal team attempted to stop Netflix from airing any of the material, sending a cease-and-desist letter calling the series a "hit piece" and alleging copyright violations.

Attorneys asserted that Combs "has not hesitated to take legal action against media entities and others who violate his rights," warning that Netflix was no exception, per CNN.

But Netflix and Jackson maintained publicly that the footage was "legally obtained," refusing to identify their source.

The documents also show that Jackson's docuseries features comments from a man who participated in filming Combs' private moments.

Originally published on Music Times
Support Us

Your Support will ensure EPWs financial viability and sustainability.

The EPW produces independent and public-spirited scholarship and analyses of contemporary affairs every week. EPW is one of the few publications that keep alive the spirit of intellectual inquiry in the Indian media.

Often described as a publication with a social conscience, EPW has never shied away from taking strong editorial positions. Our publication is free from political pressure, or commercial interests. Our editorial independence is our pride.

We rely on your support to continue the endeavour of highlighting the challenges faced by the disadvantaged, writings from the margins, and scholarship on the most pertinent issues that concern contemporary Indian society.

Every contribution is valuable for our future.
We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please visit my profile to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, disable notifications and hide this message.
The man accused of killing right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk appeared in person in a US court for the first time on Thursday.

Tyler Robinson looked on calmly as lawyers discussed procedural issues surrounding what is expected to be one of the most keenly watched trials in modern America.

The clean-shaven 22-year-old wore a light shirt and a tie in the Utah court. The judge ruled at an earlier hearing that he did not have to appear in court in prison garb.

Kirk was shot dead on a Utah college campus in September, sparking a wave of grief among conservatives, and threats of a clampdown on the "radical left" from President Donald Trump.

Following a massive manhunt, Robinson was arrested the day after the September 10 killing when his family persuaded him to hand himself in because they had recognized him in photographs issued by investigators.

He faces the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder.

Authorities say Robinson shot Kirk from a rooftop across the campus of Utah Valley University because of the influential activist's views.

They have cited text message exchanges between Robinson and his roommate, whom they described as "a biological male who was transitioning genders."

In one part of the exchange, the roommate, who was not named, asked Robinson why he had killed Kirk.

"I had enough of his hatred," Robinson is alleged to have written. "Some hate can't be negotiated out."

Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, including strong criticism of the transgender rights movement.

In the wake of the murder, a number of people lost their jobs after criticism from conservatives over what they posted online or said publicly about Kirk.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended from his show on the ABC network following government pressure after he said Trump's MAGA movement was trying to make political capital from the killing.

hg/msp/mlm
Driving around Tokyo blaring slogans on the 84th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, ultra-nationalist outfit Taikosha only has around 100 mostly male, middle-aged members.

But the recent rightwards lurch of mainstream politics under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi means that suddenly some parts of their patriotic messaging no longer seem quite so fringe.

Since being elected in October, the conservative Takaichi has picked a fight with China, is preparing tough new rules on foreigners, and wants to outlaw desecration of the Japanese flag.

The anti-immigration Sanseito party has also done well in elections with its "Japanese first" slogan and admiration for Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign and other populist movements.

Taikosha members, marching somewhat out-of-step in military-style uniforms on Monday at the Yasukuni shrine honouring Japan's war dead, say that politicians are stealing their ideas.

"We're a bunch with the courage of our convictions. We're not at all like these people jumping on the populist bandwagon," campaign chief Naoto Ozawa told AFP.

"I'd say times finally caught up with us. We've been saying this for 40, 50 years now," Ozawa, 52, told AFP in reference to the "Japanese first" platform.

Not that they like Takaichi, a regular Yasukuni visitor before becoming premier.

She has expressed some revisionist views in the past, but has no links to Taikosha.

"We just accept her," said chairman Hitoshi Marukawa, 63.

She represents "the politics of a defeated nation -- which we are not committed to", Marukawa told AFP.

A "Japan centred on the emperor" is his ideal.

- Day jobs -

Founded 101 years ago, Taikosha claims to be one of Japan's biggest right-wing organisations.

Its activities are financed by fees collected from members who have different day jobs. Ozawa owns a pub.

On Monday, around 30 of them assembled at Yasukuni shrine.

With one member holding a large Japanese flag that fluttered in the autumn sun, they bowed deeply towards the imperial palace .

Then they filed into vans emblazoned with slogans like "Samurai Spirit".

Blasting messages about "breaking free" from being a "defeated nation", excitement surged near the Russian embassy.

Japan's territorial dispute with Russia over some northern islands has prevented them from signing a postwar peace treaty.

"Get the hell out!" the protesters shouted at the top of their lungs through loudspeakers.

Although Taikosha is nowhere near as bellicose as it was before, "we sometimes have to remind society that we're a scary bunch not to be messed with", Ogawa said.

- Biker ties -

But even with recent developments in Japan, Taikosha is struggling to find new recruits.

Gone are the days when the subculture of "bosozoku" -- motorcycle gangs of rebellious teens -- provided a reliable supply of rookies always ready for a punch-up with riot police.

Office worker Gasho Murata, 56, Taikosha's general manager, is a former bosozoku biker himself.

"Back then, it was either become a right-winger or a yakuza (gangster) for guys like me," shades-wearing Murata recalled at the group's headquarters, adorned with pictures of the imperial family.

But bosozoku gangs have driven into the sunset and anonymous online platforms feeding nationalist views have proliferated, eroding interest in real-life activism.

While recognising them as "political societies", authorities, too, see right-wing organisations as hand-in-glove with the criminal underworld.

Many "maintain close relationships with organised crime forces", with "yakuza organisations sometimes merely posing as right-wing groups", the National Police Agency said in a 2020 report.

Taikosha head Marukawa frankly admits that "we of course do have relationships" with yakuza, although denying any of its own members currently belong.

Calling yakuza the paragon of the "way of man", Murata said: "Their path and that of right-wingers are ultimately the same -- it's the samurai spirit."

"When I first saw Taikosha vans as a child, these men looked like heroes to me," said a 33-year-old delivery driver surnamed Sato, one of the youngest members.

"I love Japan so much I've never gone abroad."

tmo/stu/mjw
BARLOW, Ohio  A senior-year homeschool student with a ranching family history in Florida, Francesca Sanders said this years Barlow Independent Fair in Washington County, Ohio, was her first experience participating in a livestock project and Junior Fair show competition.

Its very fun, and its definitely a lot of work, Sanders, 17, said on Sept. 26, as she prepared in the horse barn for the weekends horse shows. I have been preparing for the Barlow Independent Fair for about a month and a half.

The fair is an opportunity for youth who are in 4-H, FFA and those who are unaffiliated with 4-H, to showcase and encourage their agriculture skills. At the invitation of a riding instructor with a horse, Sanders and her mother, Jessica Sanders, traveled to Barlow from their off-grid homestead in Parkersburg, West Virginia, to participate in the Barlow Independent Fair.

Were Florida crackers, Jessica Sanders said. Our family used to ride the Florida Cracker Trail to drive the cattle across the state, and then we moved to West Virginia.

The Sanders said they heard about Barlow through their friends, who also offered to loan them their horses.

The Barlow Independent Fair is welcoming, and you can see theres a community of people who come together and support each other, Jessica said. We feel a lot of support during this fair.

Oldtimers return to the show ring

The community support continues long after the teens grow up in Barlow.

Barlow Fair Board Member Jenny Seaman said the fair has been around for 154 years and is known for its strong support for 4-H, FFA and tractor pulls. There is always a free ride night on the first night of the fair that brings everybody out to support the fair, she said.

The Barlow Independent Fair is the oldest independent fair in Ohio, Seaman said. Its a great community event. Everybody comes together in the community.

Seaman grew up showing dairy cattle in 4-H and this year returned with her children and their cattle. It wasnt long until Seaman found herself in the show ring, where she earned first place when she showed a feeder steer during the Oldtimer Showmanship competition out of a handful of adults.

Barlow is a small town, but the county is big and its a real hometown feel, she said.

Youth development scholars who compiled research on youth programs found that agricultural activities help children build lifelong skills and become engaged in making positive contributions to their communities. It also gives youth a slight advantage in college and career readiness. The National 4-H Councils National 4-H Index Study said that out of about 4,000 students surveyed nationwide in 2023, over half said 4-H helped them to identify things they are good at, while 80% said 4-H helped them to explore future career options.

The outpouring of community support for the youth at the Barlow Independent Fair brought back Althea Thompson and her 15-year-old daughter Lytayshia for a third year with 4-H in 2025.

My daughter is very shy, but she has a good horse trainer, Althea Thompson said. Her 4-H advisor is awesome. This fair, and 4-H, has helped my daughter to open up and talk to people more.

Althea Thompson said that Lytayshia never talks to anybody, but when shes in her network at the fair, she looks for opportunities to help other youth with their projects.

Jessica Sanders and Althea Thompson agreed that bringing their daughters to the Barlow Independent Fair this year was a positive and safe experience, where they chaperoned their kids activities in a safe area while adults socialized, too.

The people at Barlow are awesome, and theyre sweet, too, Althea Thompson said.

Over 200 animals were brought to the Barlow Independent Fair, held the last full week of September, to be showcased at one of the years final county fairs on the schedule in Ohio. The fairs livestock sale brought in $393,175, with market ducks, dairy goats and feeder calf heifers and steers. In Junior Fair showmanship, over 50 market ducks were entered, but only three sheep.

Bailey Yoho, 14, said she was participating in the fair with the Washington County Frontier FFA. While she and her grandmother tended to her goat named Black Hole, Yoho explained that she keeps returning to the Barlow Independent Fair every year because she loves the animals that she gets to work with, including hogs. Her favorite animals at the fair are the goats.

I like goats. Ive shown them for my whole life, since I was in third grade, Yoho said. This year, a pair of Yohos goats earned $1,150 at the livestock sale.
Consumers have been warned to beware after Brazilian beef was recalled across Europe following the discovery of banned hormones, prompting fresh concerns over the safety of lower-standard imports entering the UK food chain.

The recall follows an investigation by the Irish Farmers Journal and the Irish Farmers Association, which found hormone residues in consignments of Brazilian beef imported into the EU earlier this month.

The Ulster Farmers Union said the incident confirmed long-held fears about food safety, traceability and oversight in Brazils beef production system, and warned that Northern Ireland was among the regions affected.

UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said the findings represented a serious breach of trust for consumers and producers alike. This is an extremely serious public-health incident, he said.

For years, farmers here have operated under some of the strictest food-safety, traceability, and animal-health standards in the world. Yet we are now seeing products enter our market from systems that do not meet the same basic requirements.

He said the recall risked undermining confidence in the wider beef supply chain, despite local producers complying with rigorous rules. According to the UFU, repeated problems linked to hormones, antibiotics and traceability in Brazil demonstrate that assurances around import controls are inadequate. This is not a hypothetical risk, Mr Cuddy said. It has already happened.

The union warned that continued access for large volumes of lower-cost beef produced under weaker regulatory regimes could distort the market and penalise domestic producers who have invested heavily in welfare, environmental standards and food safety.

Allowing cheaper products from countries with weaker requirements to enter the market would reward poorer practices abroad, and punish farmers here who are doing things right, Mr Cuddy said.

Food authorities have said affected products are being removed from sale, but the UFU said the incident should act as a wake-up call for consumers and policymakers.

Mr Cuddy said it underlined the value of locally produced food that can be trusted and traced. Our food sector and consumers must back local producers, not undermine them through cheaper, riskier imports, he said.

He added that Northern Ireland farmers produce world-class beef and lamb that is safe, sustainable and fully traceable from farm to fork, and warned that these standards must not be compromised in pursuit of trade agreements that prioritise overseas markets over domestic food security.

Commenting on ongoing discussions around strengthened safeguards for imports under the Mercosur trade bloc, Mr Cuddy said the recall showed such measures could not be relied upon.

The so-called safeguards have already failed, he said, adding that if hormone-treated beef had passed checks, entered Europe and reached supermarket shelves, then the system is not fit for purpose.

The UFU said it would continue pressing policymakers to ensure imports meet the same standards required of local farmers, warning that consumer confidence and public health must not be put at risk.
Jeremy Clarkson has accused the government of being actively anti-farming as he warned of a growing crisis of confidence across the agricultural sector and urged farmers to use next years Cereals Event as a moment to unite and push back.

Speaking during a recent episode of the Cereals Podcast, recorded ahead of the events move to his Diddly Squat Farm in June 2026, Clarkson said the pressure on farmers had reached breaking point but insisted he would not walk away from farming despite the difficulties facing the industry.

Its absolute hell now for farmers, we have an actively anti-farming government who are making things extremely tricky for us all, he said. Im genuinely really cross as theres no-one in government who understands farming.

The Cereals Event, which will take place on 10 and 11 June, is expected to attract around 25,000 farmers, contractors and agronomists alongside more than 550 exhibitors.

Clarkson said the gathering came at a pivotal moment for the sector, arguing that policy uncertainty and rising costs had eroded farmers confidence to invest or plan for the future.

We have got to get together and do something about this government, he said. This is why Im looking forward to Cereals as well be able to share ideas. To have an event like Cereals where we can come together and chat is crucial.

Charlie Ireland, who joined Clarkson on the podcast, said the lack of confidence extended beyond agriculture and was affecting businesses more broadly. He said the ability to make proactive decisions had been undermined by uncertainty, but argued that bringing people together could help reverse that trend.

I believe Cereals will be a chance to pump a bit of life and fun into the sector, Ireland said, adding that collaboration between farmers was becoming increasingly important as risk levels rose.

Clarkson also reflected on the challenges faced at Diddly Squat Farm, citing increasingly volatile weather and inconsistent harvests. The last five years have just been nuts, weve gone from one extreme to the other with the weather, he said, noting that the farms only good harvest in recent years came during the one season when filming was paused.

Beyond economics and policy, Clarkson said he hoped the event would help address the isolation many farmers feel. He described farming as a solitary and stressful profession, particularly for those facing losses while trying to plan another season without certainty over returns or support.

While acknowledging that he could step away from the industry if he chose, Clarkson said he remained committed. Im very lucky as Im surrounded by people all day and, realistically, I could just walk away, he said. But, I will not walk away.

The government has previously said its agricultural policies are intended to balance food production with environmental sustainability and long-term resilience, though critics argue the approach has left many farm businesses under strain.

The 2026 Cereals Event will include a programme focused on agronomy, crop protection, regenerative agriculture, livestock and young farmers, alongside live demonstrations and networking opportunities. Organisers say the aim is to provide a practical forum for sharing ideas and rebuilding confidence within the industry.

They hope the event will offer farmers more than a showcase, serving instead as a space to reconnect, collaborate and shape a collective response to the challenges facing UK agriculture.
A disease that has quietly devastated hill flocks for years could soon be brought back under control as a louping ill vaccine moves closer to market.

The National Sheep Association has pledged fresh support to a national fundraising drive aimed at accelerating production of a new vaccine against louping ill virus, a disease that causes severe neurological symptoms, high mortality and significant economic losses in upland and hill sheep.

Spread by sheep ticks, the virus can also infect red grouse and other livestock, while rare cases of human infection have been recorded.

The NSA has confirmed additional backing for the Moredun Foundation, which is progressing development of the vaccine towards commercial rollout.

Since the previous vaccine was withdrawn in 2017 for commercial reasons, producers have been left without a direct form of disease protection, relying instead on management measures as tick numbers and risk areas expand.

Support for the appeal has been pledged by NSA regions across Scotland, Wales and England, following a recent industry webinar hosted by the association.

Donations have been committed by regions representing both upland and lowland farming areas, reflecting concern that the disease poses a growing threat well beyond its traditional strongholds.

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: With rising tick numbers and expanding LIV risk areas, the need for prompt action has never been greater.

"NSA is pleased to be able to support the production of this vaccine so it can be made available as soon as possible to begin to halt the spread of this disease.

In Scotland, where louping ill remains a persistent challenge for hill farmers, NSA Scottish Region policy officer Faye Bryce said: NSA Scotland is proud to continue its long-standing support of the Moredun Institute and its work on the louping ill vaccine.

"Safeguarding our flocks is fundamental. This disease poses a very serious threat to animal welfare and farm productivity, particularly in upland areas where heavy tick-burdens increase pressure. By contributing to this vital research, were investing in our sheep today and our sector for the future.

Although some contributing regions are not currently affected by louping ill, the NSA said the decision to support the appeal reflects a shared recognition of the need for long-term disease resilience and preparedness across the UK sheep industry.

The fundraising push follows the NSA and Moredun Tackling louping ill webinar, which brought together farmers with first-hand experience of outbreaks alongside scientific experts working on the new vaccine.

Discussions focused on the real-world impacts of the disease, the science behind vaccine development and practical steps for managing risk in affected areas.

Supporters hope the latest round of fundraising will accelerate progress towards production, allowing farmers to regain access to protection against a disease that continues to threaten flock health, welfare and viability across large parts of the UK.
Kareena Kapoor Khan has been one of Bollywoods most beloved actresses for over two decades. She made her debut in 2000 opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Refugee and has since captivated audiences with a wide range of performances. From romantic comedies to intense dramas, the actress has delivered roles that are not only memorable but have also become a part of Bollywood's pop culture. Heres a look at some of her unmissable films that showcase her range and talent.

In This Article

Refugee (2000)

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham remains one of Kareena Kapoors most iconic films. She played the effervescent Pooja, also known as Poo. The actress' portrayal of the stylish and confident Poo became instantly memorable and is still celebrated today. The film featured an ensemble cast including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, and Kajol. Her comic timing, style, and energy made Poo a character that defined a generation of Bollywood fashion and pop culture.

Chameli (2004)



Omkara (2006)

Omkara is Vishal Bhardwajs adaptation of Shakespeares Othello. Kareena played Dolly, a loyal and innocent woman caught in a story of jealousy, betrayal, and tragedy. She starred alongside Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi and Konkona Sen Sharma. Kareena delivered a nuanced performance that suited the dark and complex narrative. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for Omkara.

Chup Chup Ke (2006)



Jab We Met (2007)



Jab We Met remains one of Kareenas most beloved films. In the Imtiaz Ali directorial, she played Geet, a lively, talkative, and spirited young woman who meets a heartbroken businessman, Aditya (played by Shahid Kapoor), on a train journey. Their interaction changes the course of both their lives. Her charm, energy, and comic timing were effortless, and the character became iconic in Bollywood cinema. Kareenas dialogues and looks from the film have become a part of the pop culture.

Heroine (2012)

Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine saw Kareena play Mahi Arora, a once-successful actress whose personal life and career are on the decline. To bring her career back on track, she hires a public relations manager, who uses sensationalist tactics to keep Mahi in the spotlight. However, certain events and life-changing controversies led to her quitting the film industry. The film explores the pressure of stardom, the reality underneath the glamour and the emotional toll of living in a world where public image means everything. While it received mixed reviews, Kareena's performance was lauded by fans and critics. Heroine also starred Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda, Divya Dutta, Govind Namdev and Sanjay Suri among others.

Udta Punjab (2016)



In Udta Punjab, Kareena Kapoor took on a socially relevant role as Dr Preet Sahni, a compassionate doctor working to combat drug abuse in Punjab. The film, also starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Diljit Dosanjh, addressed a pressing societal issue. In, Kareena Kapoor took on a socially relevant role as Dr Preet Sahni, a compassionate doctor working to combat drug abuse in Punjab. The film, also starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Diljit Dosanjh, addressed a pressing societal issue.

Crew (2023)





Crew, directed by Rajesh A Krishnan, is a heist comedy where Kareena Kapoor Khan stars alongside Tabu and Kriti Sanon as three flight attendants who work for a struggling airline. When the trio accidentally uncovers a gold-smuggling operation on one of their flights, they decide to turn the tables and devise a dangerous plan to outsmart the criminals and secure the treasure. The film blends comedy, suspense, and teamwork. Kareenas performance balances charm and comic timing with a sense of cleverness, making her a standout in this female-led ensemble.



, directed by Rajesh A Krishnan, is a heist comedy where Kareena Kapoor Khan stars alongside Tabu and Kriti Sanon as three flight attendants who work for a struggling airline. When the trio accidentally uncovers a gold-smuggling operation on one of their flights, they decide to turn the tables and devise a dangerous plan to outsmart the criminals and secure the treasure. The film blends comedy, suspense, and teamwork. Kareenas performance balances charm and comic timing with a sense of cleverness, making her a standout in this female-led ensemble.

Kareena Kapoor made her Bollywood debut with Refugee alongside Abhishek Bachchan. The film, directed by JP Dutta, tells the story of two young people caught in the complex world of human trafficking along the India-Pakistan border. The actress played Nazneen, a spirited and determined young woman who falls in love with Abhisheks character, known as 'Refugee'. He helps illegal refugees from India and Pakistan cross the border through the Great Rann of Kutch. Even as a debutant, her performance was confident and graceful, and the actress won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.Chameli was a turning point in Kareena Kapoor's career, where she took on a much darker and unconventional role. She played Chameli, a street-smart sex worker, opposite Rahul Bose in a rain-soaked, single-night narrative. Her performance was intense and emotionally grounded, showcasing a depth rarely seen in her earlier work. The actress won the Special Award for Best Performance at the Filmfare Awards.Chup Chup Ke is a comedy-drama directed by Priyadarshan, in which Kareena Kapoor plays Shruti Singh Chauhan, a young woman who is mute and becomes central to the films twists and comic moments. The story follows Jeetu (Shahid Kapoor), a debtridden young man who, overwhelmed by financial pressure, decides to fake his own death to help his family claim insurance money. Rescued by two fishermen who mistakenly believe he is mute and wealthy, Jeetu begins pretending not to speak or hear to maintain the misunderstanding. This leads him to the household of Shruti and her affluent family. The film also stars Suniel Shetty, Neha Dhupia, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav and Om Puri among others.Also Read: Kareena Kapoor Khan Teases Meghna Gulzar With a Fun Travel Update From Daayra Shoot
Pushpa star Allu Arjun recently took to social media to express his admiration for Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar. The spy-thriller stars Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, R Madhavan and Rakesh Bedi among others. The actor took to X (formerly Twitter) to write, "Just watched #Dhurandhar. A brilliantly made film filled with fine performances, the finest technical aspects, and amazing soundtracks."

Praising the cast for their performance, Allu Arjun continued, "Magnetic presence by my brother @RanveerOfficial, he rocked the show with his versatility. Charismatic aura by #AkshayeKhanna ji, and the rock-solid presence of @duttsanjay ji, @ActorMadhavan garu, @rampalarjun garu, and all the other artists. Sweet presence by #SaraArjun as well. Congratulations to the entire team - all the technicians, cast, crew, #JyotiDeshpande ji, and @jiostudios





Anddddd of course, the captain of the ship, the brilliant and spectacular filmmaker @AdityaDharFilms garu. You nailed it as an ace filmmaker with full swag. I loved it! Just watch it and enjoy the show, guysss"





Take a look at his post:

Just watched #Dhurandhar. A brilliantly made film filled with fine performances, the finest technical aspects, and amazing soundtracks.



Magnetic presence by my brother @RanveerOfficial, he rocked the show with his versatility.

Charismatic aura by #AkshayeKhanna ji, and the  Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) December 12, 2025

Dhurandhar has been receiving a lot of praises from the industry folks. Karan Johar called it his favourite performance of Ranveer Singh. Vicky Kaushal, too, praised the film. Meanwhile, Hrithik Roshan said that he did not agree with the politics of the film, but praised the storytelling and the performance of the cast. Brooklyn Nine Nine star Terry Crews also gave a shoutout to the film.





In Dhurandhar, Ranveer Singh plays Hamza, an Indian spy sent to Pakistan to infiltrate a terror network. Set against the backdrop of the IC-814 hijacking in 1999 and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the film follows Ajay Sanyal, the Intelligence Bureau Chief as he assigns Hamza a high-risk mission to dismantle the group operating across the border.



Also Read: DOP Vikash Nowlakha Reveals How Aditya Dhar and He Built The Look of Dhurandhar
Salman Khan offered a rare glimpse into his personal life during a conversation at the Red Sea Film Festival. This revelation has brought to light the fact that his superstardom does not deter his routine from remaining extraordinarily simple. Some can even call this routine restrictive. The actor shared that he has not stepped out for a casual dinner in nearly 25 years, describing his life as one spent largely between home, set, airport and hotel. His candid confession quickly sparked conversation online, shedding light on the unseen discipline and solitude that is behind his decades-long career.





Speaking at the festival, Salman admitted that fame brings immense love and respect. He went on to say that it also comes with sacrifices. He reflected on the gradual loss of several close friends over the years, noting that only four or five remain from his earlier days. Still, he said he doesnt regret the life he leads. Either you choose to go out and wander, or you choose this life. I choose this because of the love and respect people give me, he said. He also added that he occasionally drifts into phases of complacency but accepts them as part of the journey, always looking forward to whats coming next.





This appearance marked Salmans second outing at the Red Sea Film Festival this year, where he also crossed paths with Hollywood icon Johnny Depp. A day earlier, he attended a Golden Globes gala dinner hosted at the festival. Several photos showing him alongside Idris Elba, Edgar Ramirez and several international guests were circulated online.





On the work front, Salman was last seen in Sikandar, followed by a cameo in Aryan Khans debut web series The Ba*ds of Bollywood. He also returned as host of Bigg Boss 19. His next major project, Battle of Galwan, will be directed by Apoorva Lakhia. The film will reportedly trace the 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh. He is joined by Chitrangda Singh in this war drama.

Also Read: Salman Khan Meets Idris Elba in Jeddah, Shares His Take on Alia Bhatts Big Honour
Vicky Kaushal has joined the many celebrities praising Dhurandhar, becoming the most recent Bollywood star to express admiration for the film. Vicky wrote a very positive review of the film, describing it as "supremely engaging" and praising the team for providing a memorable cinematic experience.





Early on Friday, Vicky took to his Instagram Stories to express his views on Dhurandhar after watching the film. By reposting the poster of the film featuring Ranveer, Vicky wrote a note praising director Aditya Dhar for developing a story with such conviction and finesse. He wrote, @adityadharfilms you beauty! What a mammoth task it must be for you and your team to pull off this Film with such conviction, finesse and first-rate world building... Hats off.





Giving a shoutout to all the cast members, including Ranveer, Akshaye Khanna, and R Madhavan, Vicky added, Absolute PEAK PERFORMANCES! Technically Brilliant. Supremely engaging. Kudos to all the Dhurandhars involved.

For those unaware, Vicky worked with Aditya on the successful 2019 film Uri: The Surgical Strike. This movie is inspired by the Indian Army's surgical strikes in Pakistan in 2016, which occurred after the attacks in Uri town, Jammu and Kashmir.

One fan theory suggests a connection between the film Dhurandhar and the director's 2019 success, Uri. In Dhurandhar, Ranveer plays Hamza, a man selected by the Indian intelligence chief (R Madhavan) to infiltrate Rehman Dakaits (Akshaye Khanna) gang in Lyari, Pakistan. The film's climax reveals that Ranveer's character, Hamza, is in fact Jaskirat Singh Rangi, a convict who was offered an opportunity to redeem himself through this mission.

The name holds some significance. In Uri, a dialogue between the characters played by Vicky Kaushal and Kirti Kulhari reveals that her character's husband, Captain Jaskirat Singh Rangi, was unfortunately killed in action during an operation.

In recent days, many celebrities, including Hrithik Roshan, Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar, and Smriti Irani, have expressed their admiration for Dhurandhar through their social media platforms. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it has received universal praise from viewers.



Also Read: Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif Mark Four Years of Marriage With a Heartfelt Anniversary Post




Salman Khan and Hollywood icon Johnny Depp captivated audiences at the Red Sea International Film Festival, as viral photographs of their warm encounters and polite interactions quickly spread across social media, generating excitement among fans worldwide. The presence of these two veteran actors together sparked a wave of admiration and discussion, with many celebrating their meeting as a big cross-cultural event.

At the festival's closing ceremony, both stars presented themselves in their finest attire. Salman Khan chose a subtle and elegant style, wearing an ink-blue suit with a coordinating shirt, which beautifully enhanced his unique charm. Johnny Depp, known for his diverse yet classic fashion sense, donned a grey suit with a dark shirt and a scarf draped around his neck. The two were seen engaging in genuine conversations, sharing smiles, and posing for photographs, much to the delight of those in attendance.





View this post on Instagram A post shared by Red Sea Film Foundation (@redseafilm)

Fans soon took to social media, expressing their surprise and pleasure at seeing two global icons in the same photo. A fan said, When Bollywood meets Hollywood at the Red Sea Film Festival: Salman Khan and Johnny Depp serving looks and legends. Another said, Just look at the aura, man. A third amused fan remarked, Johnny Depp and Salman Khan, what kind of multiverse is this?!

Salman also ran into Hollywood actors Idris Elba and Edgar Ramirez at the festival, and pictures of their meeting quickly went viral. At the event, Salman Khan presented the Red Sea Honoree Award to actor-director Idris Elba.

The description on the festivals official social media account said, Congratulations to actor and filmmaker Idris Elba for being honoured at RedSeaIFF25 with the Red Sea Honoree Award, presented by Salman Khan.

Salman's most recent appearance was in Sikandar, which did not achieve the expected success. He also made a brief cameo in Aryan Khan's directorial debut web series, The Ba***ds of Bollywood.

On the work front, Salman Khan is currently preparing for his upcoming war drama, Battle of Galwan, directed by Apoorva Lakhia. This film draws inspiration from a chapter in the book India's Most Fearless 3, delving into the Indo-Chinese conflict in the Galwan Valley. A character poster featuring Salman has already been released, and fans are eagerly awaiting the first official look at this much-anticipated film.







Also Read: Salman Khan Says He Hasnt Gone Out for Dinner in 25 Years at The Red Sea Film Festival




In the photo, V, Jimin and J-Hope are seated on the floor, while Suga, RM, Jin and Jungkook stand behind them, creating a frame that fans have been longing to see again. Adding to the buzz, Suga broke his Instagram hiatus and posted a new photo with Jimin. In the snap, the rapper sits on a chair while Jimin stands behind him with a mic in his hand, looking like they paused mid-practice for a playful click.



Take a look at the photos: It is a good day for BTS fans. Kim Taehyung, aka V, has shared a brand new group photo featuring all seven members, and it has sent ARMYs into celebration mode. The picture, taken inside a dance studio, hints that the group is back in rehearsal mode and preparing for their comeback with full energy.

BTS is currently working on their much-awaited comeback album. They are aiming at a Spring 2026 release. The South Korean boy band is also planning a large-scale tour next year. BTS' last major album release was in 2022, followed by their Yet to Come concert.





Band leader RM said that their new album will have varied genres that they have not tried before as a group. BTS' comeback is one of the biggest events K-pop fans are looking forward to, and it is surely going to be a grand, larger-than-life moment.

Recently, a Bloomberg report stated that BTS is set to launch its biggest world tour to date with 65 shows. The report further stated that half of the shows from the 65 will be held in North America. However, their agency clarified the situation. They added that neither the number of shows nor the size of the tour has been finalised. "Details regarding the dates and scale of BTS new world tour remain unconfirmed. The dates you mentioned are not the latest number we are discussing," the agency added.

Also Read: BTS Jimin reacts as Jungkook melts hearts with First Love story on Are You Sure?! S2
Rajinikanths 75th birthday turned into an on-set event when the Jailer 2 team surprised him with a small celebration during the shoot. Sun Pictures shared a short video from the celebration that quickly raced across social media. Director Nelson and cinematographer Vijay Kartik Kannan were right beside him, guiding the moment with the same ease they bring to their work. The clip captured more than a cake cutting. It showed a crew that is fully aware they are building something that carries both the weight of the original and the excitement of a brand new chapter.

Jailer 2 is All Set To Be A Movie Event

Jailer 2 brings Rajinikanth back as Tiger Muthuvel Pandian, the feared and fascinating figure who anchored the 2023 blockbuster. The original film delivered a mix of dark humour, stylised violence, and emotional beats that clicked with audiences across regions. It became one of the biggest Tamil hits of the year and reinforced the pairing of Rajinikanth and Nelson as a winning combination. The sequel has built remarkable anticipation simply by promising a return to that world.



Ramya Krishnan will reprise her role as Muthuvel Pandians wife, a welcome addition for fans who felt her scenes added warmth and depth to the first film. The makers are keeping key plot details under wraps, but the returning cast hints at strong emotional continuity.

A Cast That Keeps Expanding And A Crew In Full Form

The sequel is shaping up to be a star-filled ensemble. Mohanlal and Shivarajkumar, who delivered memorable cameo moments in Jailer, are expected to step back into the universe. Rumours suggest appearances by Telugu icon Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vidya Balan, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Mithun Chakraborty, a lineup that signals a pan Indian canvas and a story told on a large scale.



Some confirmations have already sparked fresh waves of excitement. Vinayakan and Santhanam have revealed that they are part of the film. Meghana Raj Sarja has shared that she is returning to Tamil cinema through Jailer 2 in a significant role. Malayalam actor Anna Raajan, who made a strong impression in Angamaly Diaries, is also on the cast list. Each addition suggests that Nelson is building a world filled with interesting personalities and unpredictable conflicts.





Behind the scenes, the team remains familiar and strong. Sun Pictures is producing under Kalanithi Maran. Anirudh Ravichander returns to compose the music, and expectations are high given the popularity of the first films album. Vijay Kartik Kannan continues as cinematographer, and editor R Nirmal joins the core creative unit once again. With the same backbone as the original, the sequel promises continuity in tone, style and rhythm.



Jailer 2 is now set for a worldwide theatrical release on June 12, 2026. It arrives in a landscape where large scale entertainers have found renewed strength, and Rajinikanths presence alone can change the mood of a release weekend. The birthday celebration on set acted as a fitting prelude to the journey ahead. It showed a superstar at ease, a team in sync and a film that has already begun building momentum.





Also Read: Rajinikanth Marks Seventy-Five With A Wave Of Wishes From Icons Across India
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 11, 2025) - FRNT Financial Inc. (TSXV: FRNT) (OTCQB: FRFLF) (FSE: XZ3) ("FRNT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the voting results from the Company's Annual General and Special Meeting of the Shareholders (the "Meeting") held on December 11, 2025. A total of 19,878,362 common shares were voted, representing the votes attached to 46.72% of all outstanding common shares. All matters submitted to shareholders for approval as set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular (the "Circular"), both dated November 5, 2025, were approved by the requisite majority of votes cast at the Meeting.

Election of Directors

Each of the incumbent members of the board of directors, being Stephane Ouellette, Adam Rabie, Dan Cristall, Eric Richmond and Geoffrey Browne, were re-elected.

Appointment of Auditor

Baker Tilly WM LLP was re-appointed auditors of the Company for the ensuing year with the remuneration to be fixed by the directors.

Approval of 20% Fixed Option Plan

The Company's 20% fixed stock option plan was approved and, accordingly, the amount of common shares reserved for issuance thereunder has been increased to 8,509,180.

About FRNT Financial Inc.

FRNT is a digital asset investment bank offering capital markets and advisory services to institutional investors participating in or entering the space. The Company aims to bridge the worlds of traditional and web-based finances with a technology forward and compliant operation. Business lines include deliverable trading services, structured derivative products, merchant banking, advisory, consulting, lending origination and principal investments. Headquartered in Toronto, FRNT was co-founded in 2018 by CEO Stephane Ouellette.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277817

SOURCE: FRNT Financial Inc.
Chicago, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - December 11, 2025) - Dog Bite Laws announced the fulfillment of a business initiative to equip 2,000 elementary students with backpacks and school supplies through Project Backpack 2025, marking a continuation of the firm's annual community program. The effort focused on Chicagoland neighborhoods and aligned with the firm's goal of expanding corporate social responsibility activities alongside its legal services.





Dog Bite Laws Equips 2,000 Elementary Students Through Project Backpack 2025.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/277770_8f54fc2f147eb818_002full.jpg

The 2025 program distributed backpacks at several community gatherings, including School District 129, the Hillside Public Library's back-to-school activities, and the Berkeley Back to School Bash. Families who attended those stops also had access to kid-friendly amenities offered by local partners, such as free haircuts, Kona Ice, and sundaes from Pilot Pete's. Backpacks were provided on a first-come, first-served basis to students in grades K-5.

Dog Bite Laws said that Project Backpack 2025 is part of the firm's effort to give back to the community, recognizing that children and families can face risks related to dog ownership and safety. The initiative supports families at the start of the school year while reinforcing the company's long-term community presence in the region. As part of its outreach, the firm also provides educational tools such as a dog bite compensation calculator and a "My Dog Bit Someone" guide to help residents understand their rights and responsibilities. This year's milestone underscores a goal to integrate measurable, recurring community outcomes into the firm's operating calendar.

Dog Bite Laws maintains several public resources designed to help consumers understand common questions that arise after an incident. These include the firm's interactive Dog Bite Settlement Calculator, an educational article titled My Dog Bit Someone, and ongoing updates tied to Project Backpack 2025. A short video recap about 'Project Backpack' highlights the results and what went into the event. These materials are intended to serve parents, dog owners, and community members seeking straightforward information and context about Dog Bite Laws and the firm's programs.

The firm noted that inquiries related to Dog Bite Laws, including topics such as Dog Bite Laws in different jurisdictions, next steps to take after your dog bites someone, and how to calculate a Dog Bite Settlement, often increase at the start of each school year when families and children are returning to socializing and school. By aligning Project Backpack 2025 with that period, the firm aims to connect families with practical school supplies while also making its consumer legal resources easier to find. The company said the program complements its day-to-day operations and will remain part of its annual planning.

Dog Bite Laws indicated that the backpack distribution will continue to prioritize accessibility. The firm communicates dates and locations in advance, coordinates with community partners for venue and crowd management, and staffs each stop with firm professionals to oversee inventory, safety, and pick-up procedures. The company plans to assess 2025 participation data to inform future volumes, venue selection, and registration processes.

For parents or dog owners looking for plain-language information related to incidents and prevention, Dog Bite Laws publishes guidance that explains common terms, timelines, and documentation checklists. Its resources emphasize balanced, informational content and do not require users to share personal stories publicly to access basic overviews. The firm said that approach reflects its goal to keep community materials neutral, brief, and easy to navigate across devices.



Dog Bite Laws Equips 2,000 Elementary Students Through Project Backpack 2025.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/277770_8f54fc2f147eb818_003full.jpg

About Dog Bite Laws

Dog Bite Laws is a consumer-facing Dog Bite legal information resource hub.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277770

SOURCE: Plentisoft
Mexico City, Mexico--(Newsfile Corp. - December 11, 2025) - Santamarina + Steta is pleased to announce the release of its Legal Services Trends Study 2025. The newly published white paper reports on Mexico's legal landscape through the voices of 150+ Chief Legal Officers from companies of different sizes and sectors.







Santamarina + Steta Releases New Report on Legal Trends Shaping Mexico's Corporate Legal Landscape

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/277762_238dd3cfe4d4fb23_002full.jpg

The legal trends study in Mexico, based on Santamarina y Steta's Chief Legal Officers Survey 2025, examines what CLOs are saying about Mexico's judiciary and how legal leaders are interpreting and responding to the convergence of the forces shaping 2025: Nearshoring, judicial reform, and digital transformation. This peer-validated whitepaper presents timely insights and strategic intelligence into the opportunities driven by nearshoring and the uncertainties surrounding the upcoming judicial reform. The report also reveals how legal areas are evolving to become central players in competitiveness, risk management, and business sustainability.

According to the report's findings, digital acceleration, Mexico's recent judicial reform, and nearshoring, driven by supply chain relocation, are the three factors shaping how companies design their strategies and placing the legal function at the center of corporate decision-making. The whitepaper draws on perspectives from large, mid-sized, and micro businesses across industries to reveal the priorities, emerging risks, and trends shaping the role of corporate legal departments.

Santamarina + Steta's legal trends study 2025 confirms a continued shift toward legal functions operating with greater agility and precision to anticipate legal risks and navigate uncertainty. It provides a strategic perspective on the opportunities and top legal risks facing businesses in Mexico in 2025 and beyond, as regulation, oversight, and innovation continue to shape the legal landscape.







Santamarina + Steta Releases New Report on Legal Trends Shaping Mexico's Corporate Legal Landscape

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/277762_238dd3cfe4d4fb23_003full.jpg

One of the key insights from the study reveals that, despite company size determining legal priorities, 66% of companies say they plan to strengthen their compliance and internal control programs. While large businesses focus on tax, compliance, oversight, and risk management, small businesses prioritize administrative and labor issues, and mid-size companies have a more balanced approach. This signals a shift toward internal control, efficiency, and adaptability in the face of an ever-evolving regulatory framework.

The newly published report also reveals that 78% of businesses expect sustained growth from nearshoring and the relocation of operations. However, the CLOs surveyed raised three main legal concerns around nearshoring: regulatory certainty, validity and enforcement of free-trade agreements, and the availability of legal infrastructure. Santamarina + Steta explains in the report that these findings highlight the need for legal certainty and clarity in Mexico's rapidly evolving investment environment.

Another important finding from the report involves Mexico's judicial reform, which is emerging as one of the most disruptive changes in the corporate legal landscape. 62% anticipate an increase in legal complexity due to the judicial reform, while others predict that legal costs will increase. As a result, legal teams are investing in training in new regulations and adopting multiple strategies to keep up.

Moreover, as digitalization defines Mexico's legal agenda in 2025 and beyond, companies are prioritizing international expansion, digital transformation, and tax and labor compliance. The Santamarina y Steta Chief Legal Officers Survey 2025 reveals that companies consider this the direct path to competitiveness, tying back to the need for legal departments to transform themselves into strategic business partners, not just simple guardians of compliance.

The release of this white paper marks another milestone achievement for Santamarina + Steta as the firm continues to set the benchmark for the corporate legal landscape. The full results of the Chief Legal Officer Survey 2025, a detailed breakdown of CLO perceptions of Mexico's legal trends, plus the proprietary White Paper, are now available for download on the Chief Legal Officer Survey 2025, Legal Trends Study in Mexico page on the Santamarina + Steta website.

About Santamarina + Steta:

Santamarina + Steta (Santamarina y Steta) is a Mexican law firm specializing in corporate and transactional advice for national and international clients across industries. With over 75 years of service and expertise, Santamarina + Steta has established itself as a trusted partner for its clients. The law firm has also been a key player in Mexico's industrialization, trade liberalization, economic and technological development.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277762

SOURCE: Plentisoft
2026 startet mit einem Paukenschlag: Der DAX outperformt den US-Markt, Nachzugler holen auf. Ein erstes Signal, dass der Bullenmarkt an Breite gewinnt. Wahrend viele Anleger weiter auf die groen Tech-Namen setzen, hat sich im Hintergrund langst ein Umschwung vollzogen. Der Fokus verschiebt sich weg von uberteuerten KI-Highflyern hin zu soliden Qualitatswerten aus der zweiten Reihe.



Anleger, die jetzt clever agieren, setzen nicht auf das, was war, sondern auf das, was kommt. Unternehmen mit gesunder Bilanz, unterschatztem Potenzial und begrenztem Abwartsrisiko konnten 2026 zu den groen Gewinnern zahlen. Die Gefahr einer scharferen Korrektur bleibt real, gerade fur passiv aufgestellte Investoren.



In unserem neuen Spezialreport stellen wir funf Aktien vor, die genau jetzt das Potenzial fur uberdurchschnittliche Renditen bieten. Stark, gunstig und bislang kaum im Fokus.



Jetzt kostenlosen Report herunterladen  bevor es andere tun!



Dieses exklusive PDF ist nur fur kurze Zeit gratis verfugbar.
DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A historic wave of wealthy Britons is heading for the exits - and the Middle East is one of the biggest beneficiaries. New global wealth-migration data shows the UK is on track to lose around 16,500* millionaires in 2025, the largest outflow of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) ever recorded by any country. This follows almost 10,000 departures in 2024 and over 4,000 in 2023, signalling an accelerating trend.

At the same time, the UAE continues to rank as the world's number one destination for incoming millionaires, drawing close to 10,000 new HNWIs annually thanks to its tax-free environment, dynamic economy and global connectivity.

This shifting landscape is reshaping the expat advisory market. Holborn Assets - a financial advisory firm with a major presence in the Middle East - reports a 35% surge in enquiries from British expats, many of whom are seeking help before they relocate.

Holborn Assets COO Simon Parker says the trend is unmistakable:

"This is not a slow leak - it's an exodus. A growing number of wealthy Britons are leaving the UK and choosing the UAE and wider Gulf due to the UK's increasingly complex and punitive tax environment."

The UK labour government's recent abolition of the non-dom tax regime, along with higher capital gains, inheritance and wealth-related taxes, has eroded one of London's long-standing advantages as a global wealth hub. Meanwhile, Gulf cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha have seen wealthy British expats arriving in their droves.

The demand for financial guidance reflects another reality: moving abroad has never been more complicated. Research shows almost half (45%**) of people planning to relocate are unsure how to manage their finances internationally, while 59% worry about taxation and compliance across borders. Increasingly, they also want joined-up guidance on how to legally establish themselves in a new country - from residency routes and visa options to the practicalities of acquiring long-term residency status.

Holborn Assets CEO Robert Parker says today's expat is far more strategic:

"We're no longer just hearing from those who are already living and working overseas. We are seeing more people seeking help before they move.

"It's a clear signal that financial planning is no longer an afterthought for expats. They want clarity on tax, pensions and long-term wealth-and they want it before they make mistakes"

As Britain grapples with a widening "millionaire brain drain", Gulf economies stand to gain. With its zero-income-tax system, business-friendly regulations and high quality of life, the UAE continues to strengthen its position as a preferred global home for wealth - and for the expat professionals who manage it.

Notes to Editors

* Data from Henley's Private Wealth Migration Report 2025

** Data from HSBC/Ipsos: New HSBC research reveals the financial challenges of relocating abroad

About Holborn Assets

Holborn Assets, established in 1998, is a global financial services leader managing over $2 billion in assets. As a family-owned business, we operate with 550+ employees, including 250 advisers, across 23 offices worldwide.

We specialise in providing independent financial advice and wealth management for expatriates, covering financial planning, investments, insurance, retirement and estate planning, and investor visas.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2843503/Holborn_Assets.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2606836/5667603/Holborn_Assets_Logo.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-data-from-holborn-assets-shows-uk-millionaire-exodus-drives-surge-in-middle-east-expat-financial-planning-demand-302639342.html
Road Town, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - December 11, 2025) - LBank Exchange is pleased to announce the listing of SWC. Trading for the SWC/USDT pair will open at 5:00 UTC on December 12, 2025.

Users will be able to access the trading pair at https://www.lbank.com/trade/swc_usdt





SWC Listing Banner



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/277766_c450187fb4fd3b0a_001full.jpg

About Switch Protocol (SWC)

Switch Protocol is a commerce infrastructure layer designed to enable safer and more transparent digital and real-world transactions. The protocol provides automated settlement, smart-contract-based escrow, and on-chain reputation updates, bringing trust, accountability, and verification to everyday commerce. By combining blockchain transparency with AI-driven fraud and risk analysis, Switch supports use cases such as used-goods trading, rentals, micro-content payments, and franchise commerce. These features help reduce transaction uncertainty and enhance user protection across various market environments. SWC functions strictly as a protocol utility token, used for fees, access control, and reputation-related mechanics. It is not pegged to any asset, not intended for investment, and does not provide financial returns, guarantees, or price commitments of any kind.

Switch enables users and merchants to exchange goods and services through verifiable trust autonomous smart contract escrow DID based identity AI fraud detection and stable settlement options. By turning every payment into a trust building liquidity generating workflow Switch introduces a new paradigm for Web3 commerce.

Switch integrates four core components into a unified user experience:

Payment Layer

A gasless fee Web3 payment experience where every transaction routes through smart contract escrow.

Trust Layer (DID + SBT Reputation)

Each user holds a DID identity with all trades reviews disputes and contributions recorded permanently as an on chain SBT reputation profile.

AI Risk Engine

AI analyzes user profiles listings and patterns to provide risk signals before a transaction occurs while not influencing settlement decisions.

Community DAO Resolution

Commerce disputes are handled by local DAOs where reputation influences voting power creating a transparent decentralized dispute system.

Together these layers make Switch the first commerce protocol where trust is earned, recorded and rewarded. Switch is scaling into high impact categories including used electronics automotive rentals webtoon micropayments and franchise retail settlement rails.

At the center of the ecosystem the SWC token functions as a utility asset powering payment signaling escrow initiation settlement execution access control API fees and DAO governance signals. SWC is built for functional stability within commerce workflows rather than speculation or price tracking reinforcing predictable user experience across repeated real world transactions.

Tokenomics

Token Name: SWC

Token Type: Utility

Total Supply: 5,000,000,000 SWC

Blockchain: BNB Smart Chain (BEP 20)

Token Utility

Payment Signal

Every commerce action begins with a SWC payment signal that activates the full transaction workflow.

Escrow Initiation

SWC enters smart contract escrow until transaction conditions are met enabling safe P2P trading rentals and RWA interactions.

Settlement Trigger

Once validated funds are released transparently creating fast stable and trustless settlement.

Access Credential

SWC unlocks marketplace tools merchant features reputation tiers and DAO participation rights.

API Fee Token

Developers integrating Switch Wallet or Switch Pay use SWC for API execution fees which feed ecosystem operations and rewards.

DAO Signal

Reputation + SWC usage determines voting influence on marketplace rules and protocol parameters.

Allocation Breakdown:

Category Percentage Ecosystem Fund 30% Treasury (Protocol Reserve) 25% Team & Advisors 15% Investors (Seed + Private) 15% Liquidity & Market Making 10% Marketing & Partnerships 5%

Roadmap

Phase 1 - Foundational Governance

Core protocol parameters are managed by the team while foundational trust infrastructure is activated.

Reputation scoring is deployed enabling early on chain trust signals.

Initial community testing begins with feedback driven updates shaping the early governance model.

Phase 2 - Community Driven Adjustments

DAO signals combining reputation and SWC usage begin influencing key protocol parameters.

Local DAOs take charge of marketplace level rules improving transparency and community alignment.

Participants gain direct influence over fees reward structures and operational adjustments.

Dispute resolution is integrated into governance enabling community moderated fairness.

Phase 3 - Fully Decentralized Commerce DAOs

Rule sets transition toward full community ownership with independent marketplace governance.

DAOs autonomously manage fees reward allocation and operational policies.

Multiple industry focused DAOs emerge across games rentals retail and digital content.

Cross community decision frameworks enable collaboration across sectors.

Switch evolves into a federation of commerce DAOs creating globally scalable real world trust infrastructure.

Learn More about Switch Protocol (SWC)

Website: https://switchprotocol.io

Twitter: https://x.com/protocol_switch

Telegram: https://t.me/+VuAllEu7z11jMzk1

About LBank

Founded in 2015, LBank is a leading global cryptocurrency exchange serving over 20 million registered users in 160 countries and regions. With a daily trading volume exceeding $10.5 billion and 10 years of operational history with zero security incidents, LBank is dedicated to providing a comprehensive, user-friendly trading experience. Through innovative trading solutions, the platform has enabled users to achieve average returns of over 130% on newly listed assets.

As the ultimate 100x Gems Hub, LBank has listed over 300 mainstream coins and more than 50 high-potential gems. Ranked No. 1 in 100x Gems, Highest Gains, and Meme Share, LBank leads the market with the fastest altcoin listings, unmatched liquidity, and industry-first trading guarantees, making it the go-to platform for crypto investors worldwide.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277766

SOURCE: LBank
North Carolina, United States--(Newsfile Corp. - December 11, 2025) - MarketIQ Central introduces comprehensive digital solutions for SMBs. MarketIQ Central, an innovative all-in-one sales and marketing platform, is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) simplify their operations. The platform combines a suite of powerful tools to manage digital communication, sales funnels, customer relationships, marketing campaigns, social media management, QR Code Generator, AI Content Creator, and reputation management, all from a single dashboard.

MarketIQ Central Unveils Game-Changing All-in-One Sales & Marketing Platform: Revolutionizing SMB Operations with Automated Reputation Management

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/276920_90744d7ab4fcabc6_002full.jpg

With a growing demand for integrated solutions, especially from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and agencies, MarketIQ Central's platform is poised to transform how businesses manage their digital presence and customer interactions. Offering a unified approach to marketing, sales, and customer relationship management (CRM), the platform eliminates the need for businesses to juggle multiple separate tools.

In today's competitive landscape, businesses are seeking affordable solutions that provide comprehensive tools without the complexity of using multiple platforms. MarketIQ Central meets this demand by offering a unified solution.

The Core Features of MarketIQ Central

MarketIQ Central boasts an impressive array of features that cater to businesses of all sizes, especially small to medium enterprises that require a comprehensive, user-friendly solution. Some of the key tools offered by the platform include:

All-in-One Inbox : A unified digital communication tool that integrates email, chat, and messaging services, streamlining all incoming communication into one location for easy management.

: A unified digital communication tool that integrates email, chat, and messaging services, streamlining all incoming communication into one location for easy management. Appointment Calendar : Simplifies scheduling and tracking meetings or events with clients or team members.

: Simplifies scheduling and tracking meetings or events with clients or team members. Funnels & Website Builder : Allows businesses to create high-converting websites and sales funnels, helping optimize digital engagement and drive conversions.

: Allows businesses to create high-converting websites and sales funnels, helping optimize digital engagement and drive conversions. Workflow Automations : Automates routine business tasks and processes, saving time and increasing operational efficiency.

: Automates routine business tasks and processes, saving time and increasing operational efficiency. Membership Management : Simplifies the management of subscription-based courses or memberships, allowing for better member privilege handling.

: Simplifies the management of subscription-based courses or memberships, allowing for better member privilege handling. Social Media Planner : This tool enables businesses to plan, schedule, and manage social media content across multiple platforms, ensuring consistent branding and engagement.

: This tool enables businesses to plan, schedule, and manage social media content across multiple platforms, ensuring consistent branding and engagement. Reputation Management : Helps businesses maintain a positive online reputation by monitoring reviews and feedback across digital channels.

: Helps businesses maintain a positive online reputation by monitoring reviews and feedback across digital channels. Analytics & Reporting Dashboard : Provides businesses with consolidated data, metrics, and performance reports to inform decision-making.

: Provides businesses with consolidated data, metrics, and performance reports to inform decision-making. CRM Tools : These tools integrate customer contact management, sales pipeline tracking, and customer support, helping businesses nurture their customer relationships more effectively.

: These tools integrate customer contact management, sales pipeline tracking, and customer support, helping businesses nurture their customer relationships more effectively. QR Code Generator : A tool to generate custom QR codes for businesses, helping enhance offline marketing efforts by seamlessly connecting offline interactions with online content.

: A tool to generate custom QR codes for businesses, helping enhance offline marketing efforts by seamlessly connecting offline interactions with online content. AI Content Creator: An AI-powered content generation tool that assists businesses in creating high-quality content quickly for blogs, social media posts, email campaigns, and more.

The platform is especially ideal for:

Small to Medium Businesses : MarketIQ Central offers a consolidated platform that reduces the need for separate tools, making it easier for smaller businesses to manage various digital tasks efficiently.

: MarketIQ Central offers a consolidated platform that reduces the need for separate tools, making it easier for smaller businesses to manage various digital tasks efficiently. Entrepreneurs and Freelancers : Individuals who need a single, streamlined tool to handle sales funnels, CRM, communication, and social media can benefit from MarketIQ Central's all-in-one solution.

: Individuals who need a single, streamlined tool to handle sales funnels, CRM, communication, and social media can benefit from MarketIQ Central's all-in-one solution. Agencies and Digital Service Providers: Agencies that manage multiple clients can use MarketIQ Central to track campaigns, automate workflows, and manage customer relationships in a more organized manner.

About MarketIQ Central

MarketIQ Central is a digital marketing and sales automation platform aimed at empowering small to medium-sized businesses with the tools they need to succeed in today's digital economy. By offering an all-in-one solution, MarketIQ Central helps businesses save time, improve productivity, and enhance customer relationships. The platform is committed to providing intuitive, affordable solutions for businesses seeking to streamline their operations without the complexity of managing multiple tools.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/276920

SOURCE: Plentisoft
Moonpig Group Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 12

Transaction in own shares

Moonpig Group plc (the "Company") announces that on 11 December 2025 it purchased for cancellation the following number of its ordinary shares of 10 pence each pursuant to its up to 30m share repurchase programme, details of which were announced on 7 November 2025.

Description of shares: Moonpig Group plc - ordinary shares of 10 pence

Number of Shares repurchased: 140,000 Shares

Date of transaction: 11 December 2025

Average price paid per Share: 202.8485 pence

Lowest price paid per Share: 201.00 pence

Highest price paid per Share: 204.50 pence

Broker: RBC Europe Limited

Following the purchase of these shares, the remaining number of ordinary shares in issue with voting rights will be 314,857,667 (excluding Treasury shares), and the company holds no ordinary shares in Treasury.

The figure of 314,857,667 may be used by shareholders (and others with notification obligations) as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation), detailed information about the individual purchases is attached to this announcement.

For further information, please contact:

Moonpig Group plc

investors@moonpig.com , pressoffice@moonpig.com

Nickyl Raithatha, Chief Executive Officer

Andy MacKinnon, Chief Financial Officer

About Moonpig:

Moonpig Group plc (the "Group") is a leading online greeting cards and gifting platform, comprising the Moonpig, Red Letter Days and Buyagift brands in the UK and the Greetz brand in the Netherlands. The Group is the online market leader in cards in both of its markets and is also the UK market leader in gift experiences.

The Group's leading customer proposition includes an extensive range of cards, a curated range of gifts, personalisation features and next day delivery offering.

The Group offers its products through its proprietary technology platforms and apps, which utilise unique data science capabilities designed by the Group to optimise and personalise the customer experience and provide scalability. Learn more at https://www.moonpig.group/ .
Rotterdam, The Netherlands (12 December 2025) - IMCD N.V. ("IMCD" or "Company"), a global leading partner for the distribution and formulation of speciality chemicals and ingredients, is pleased to announce that its Supervisory Board nominates Floris Lagerwerf to become Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of IMCD as of January 2027. Floris will succeed Hans Kooijmans, who has decided to retire as per the end of December 2026.

Floris started his career as external auditor in 2006, and he joined IMCD in its Rotterdam headquarters in 2016 as Group Controller. In 2021 he became Finance & Operations Director at IMCD Switzerland, and since January 2023, serves as Vice-President Finance & Operations for the Americas region. As of 1 January 2026, Floris will be Vice-President Finance & Operations EMEA and Industrial Business Groups.

Janus Smalbraak, Chair of the Supervisory Board: "The Supervisory Board is delighted to nominate Floris as IMCD's future CFO. He brings a deep understanding of IMCD's business, a proven track record in finance and M&A, and is passionate about creating result-driven teams. Having a strong candidate from within our own organisation reinforces our confidence in the company's future and the continuity of leadership.

Marcus Jordan, CEO, and Hans Kooijmans, CFO, will continue leading IMCD and delivering on its growth strategy in 2026. We are especially grateful to Hans who committed to remain CFO of IMCD until the end of 2026, and for his support to Floris towards the transition in 2027."

Hans Kooijmans, CFO: "People have been and are key in the success story of IMCD. Therefore, it fills me with pride that my successor comes from within our own organisation, and I am pleased to work closely together with Floris over the coming period towards the transition in 2027."

The proposals to reappoint Marcus Jordan as member of the Management Board for four years and Hans Kooijmans as member of the Management Board until the end of December 2026 will be put to the shareholders for their approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on 30 April 2026. Also, the proposal to appoint Floris Lagerwerf as member of the Management Board per January 2027 will be put to the shareholders at this AGM.

This press release contains information that qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation and was issued on 12 December 2025, 08:00 a.m. CET.

- xxx-

About IMCD

IMCD, based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is a leading global partner for the distribution and formulation of speciality chemicals and ingredients. IMCD is an expert solutions provider and adds sustainable value to the supply chain. Every day professionals focus on providing the best service through commercial and operational excellence. The company is mindful of the role they play in creating a better planet for all and formulates with consciousness and executes with care, to address business challenges of tomorrow, in partnership and transparency.

In 2024, with over 5,100 employees, IMCD realised revenues of EUR 4,728 million. IMCD N.V.'s shares are traded at Euronext Amsterdam (symbol: IMCD) and included in the Dutch ESG AEX index, as one of 25 companies within the AEX and AMX indices demonstrating best ESG practices.

For further information, please visit www.imcdgroup.com

Media contact

Muriel Werle

Corporate Communications Director

+31 10 290 86 14

mediarelations@imcdgroup.com

Investor relations contact

Tosca Holtland

Head of Investor Relations

+31 10 290 86 53

ir@imcdgroup.com

Attachment
DIA achieves 2.0 billion market valuation, marking a significant turnaround since Western Gate's activist campaign began in September 2024 advocating for transparency and governance reforms.

Strategic reform, improved governance, and enhanced investor relations have driven renewed confidence and sustained growth at DIA.

DIA's milestone reinforces Western Gate's successful track record of driving value for minority shareholders and delivering long-term growth in the consumer goods sector.

Western Gate, the investment arm of Luis Amaral's Family Office primarily focused on the consumer goods sector, congratulates Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion S.A. ("DIA") on achieving a market valuation of 2.0 billion. This milestone reflects the significant progress achieved since Western Gate launched an activist campaign on behalf of minority shareholders in September 2024 to advocate for greater transparency, stronger investor relations, and enhanced corporate governance at DIA. As part of the campaign, a Coalition of over 55 minority shareholders was formed to drive the transformation needed to unlock DIA's full potential. Western Gate is a long-term supporter of DIA and is delighted to see the market recognize its value.

Since the launch of the campaign, when DIA's share price was at an all-time low, the Company has implemented several changes that have transformed its market position. As a response to our concerns, the company unveiled a five-year strategic plan at its Investor Day in March 2025, committing to profitable growth in Spain, expansion into new revenue streams, and a more active investor relations program. DIA also introduced governance changes, including a restructured Board with experience in proximity retail, and an overhaul of executive compensation to align with shareholder value. These changes, alongside a refinancing agreement and reverse stock split in December 2024, strengthened DIA's financial foundation, improved transparency, and restored investor confidence. This 2 billion valuation is a culmination of all these efforts.

Western Gate has a proven record of recognizing significant potential for value creation in the consumer goods sector. The family office made a strategic investment in Stock Spirits, a leading spirits producer in Central and Eastern Europe, in 2015. Through an activist campaign, Western Gate drove meaningful changes including leadership transitions, cost reductions, and a renewed focus on core markets, which helped unlock operational improvements and enhance shareholder value. During this period, Stock Spirits' share price more than doubled, market share grew significantly in Poland and the Czech Republic, and the company reinforced its position as a category leader. Western Gate exited the investment in 2021 following a successful tender offer by CVC Capital Partners, demonstrating Western Gate's ability to drive value and deliver strong returns for all shareholders.

Francisco Santos, Director at Western Gate, stated:

"We congratulate the Board and leadership team at DIA for reaching a 2 billion valuation. We have been long-term supporters of DIA and believed in its potential, even when the share price was at an all-time low. This milestone validates our conviction and the impact of our constructive engagement over the past 15 months. Through our activist campaign, we have consistently advocated for positive changes, and we are pleased to see DIA's management respond and, as a result, deliver sustainable growth and long-term success.

"At Western Gate, we remain committed to driving excellence across our portfolio. As a dedicated investor in consumer goods, this achievement emphasizes our ability to deliver positive, long-term change for companies and minority shareholders alike."

Notes to editors:

About Western Gate

Western Gate Private Investments Limited is an investment branch belonging to the Family Office of Luis Amaral and invests in private and listed companies principally in the retail and consumer goods sector.

About the Coalition

The Coalition, led by Western Gate, is a group of independent shareholders, without any commitments on how to vote, who are seriously concerned about DIA's languishing share price and a lack of action from DIA's Board to address the fact that the Company is woefully undervalued vs. its peers. The Coalition is calling for the Board to act in the interests of all stakeholders and not just the majority shareholder by taking steps to better engage with the market and appoint an independent Board member with expertise directly relevant to DIA's business model, to represent minority shareholders.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211849098/en/

Contacts:

Media enquiries

APCO Worldwide- westerngate@apcoworldwide.com
Strategic Reorientation toward AI Algorithms for Industrial Autonomy and Safety and Management Change

Arcure (Euronext Growth ISIN: FR0013398997 - Ticker: ALCUR), a key player in intelligent perception solutions for industrial environments, today announces a major change of its strategy and governance.

Acknowledging the significant increase in AI perception demand on the OEM Market, Arcure is announcing today a strategic reorientation in order to capitalize on its historical expertise and legitimacy in advanced perception and to focus its resources on the development and commercialization of high value-added software solutions, adapted to the growing needs for automation, risk prevention, and operations optimization in industrial environments. The company's position in the numerous ongoing negotiations with key OEMs will be strengthened as a result of concentrating resources on its key differentiation factors. Announcements in this area are expected during 2026 with leading manufacturers.

After several years of commitment to the development of Arcure, Jean-Gabriel Pointeau, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, has decided to give a new direction to his career. The Board of Directors has acknowledged his decision and wishes to commend the decisive contribution he has made to the company's evolution and the strengthening of its visibility in the market for intelligent perception solutions for industrial vehicles.

In order to support a new phase of strategic transformation, Patrick Mansuy, co-founder of Arcure, is making his operational return to the company, following two years on the Board of Directors without a management function. He is appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer, with the mission of accelerating Arcure's transition from a position centered on embedded detection systems to a specialization in artificial intelligence algorithms dedicated to autonomy, safety, and efficiency for the industry.

Franck GAYRAUD, Chairman, CEO and co-founder of Arcure, stated: 'On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to sincerely thank Jean-Gabriel Pointeau for his commitment and his role in the key milestones achieved by Arcure in recent years. We are also very pleased with the return of Patrick Mansuy, whose intimate knowledge of the company and its technologies constitutes an essential asset for successfully carrying out this new strategic phase.'

About Arcure

Founded in 2009, Arcure is an international group specializing in artificial intelligence applied to image processing in the industrial sector. It develops and markets solutions to enhance the autonomy and safety of industrial machinery and robots.

Arcure has notably developed Blaxtair, a state-of-the-art intelligent pedestrian detection solution that improves safety around industrial vehicles in numerous contexts, particularly in the most extreme environments. With over 25,000 units already sold in more than 50 countries, Blaxtair is used by global industrial leaders and is being progressively adopted by equipment manufacturers.

Arcure has its headquarters, R&D offices, and operational units in France, a subsidiary in the United States, and sales offices in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Arcure is listed on the Euronext Growth market (ISIN: FR0013398997 - Ticker: ALCUR). The group recorded revenue of 18.7 million for the 2024 fiscal year, 81% of which was generated internationally.

More information at www.blaxtair.com

CONTACTS

INVESTORS RELATIONS

investisseurs@arcure.net MEDIA RELATIONS

investisseurs@arcure.net

------------------------

This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ".

- SECURITY MASTER Key:

yplqY5aYkmnIlZqeaZxnmZRpaptmlGaZl2GXlmpoa5iYnGlhl2qUmpyXZnJmmmpm

- Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com.

------------------------



 Copyright Actusnews Wire

Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free

Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-95550-cp_12dec2025_management-change_en.pdf
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Gold Royalty Corp. ("Gold Royalty" or the "Company") (NYSE American: GROY) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated December 8, 2025, it has completed its acquisition of a royalty (the "Royalty") on the Pedra Branca operating copper and gold mine ("Pedra Branca"), currently owned and operated by a subsidiary of BHP Group Limited (the "Transaction").

The Royalty consists of a 25% NSR on gold and a 2% NSR on copper and other products produced from the Pedra Branca mine, comprising the Pedra Branca West and Pedra Branca East areas, and the former Antas North mine which has been fully depleted.

About Gold Royalty Corp.

Gold Royalty Corp. is a gold-focused royalty company offering creative financing solutions to the metals and mining industry. Its mission is to invest in high-quality, sustainable, and responsible mining operations to build a diversified portfolio of precious metals royalty and streaming interests that generate superior long-term returns for our shareholders. Gold Royalty's diversified portfolio currently consists primarily of net smelter return royalties on gold properties located in the Americas.

SOURCE Gold Royalty Corp.
Original-Research: Aiforia Technologies Oyj - from NuWays AG



12.12.2025 / 09:00 CET/CEST

Dissemination of a Research, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group .

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this research. The result of this research does not constitute investment advice or an invitation to conclude certain stock exchange transactions.



Classification of NuWays AG to Aiforia Technologies Oyj Company Name: Aiforia Technologies Oyj ISIN: FI4000507934 Reason for the research: Update Recommendation: BUY Target price: EUR 3.8 Target price on sight of: 12 months Last rating change: Analyst: Julius Neittamo

Cap hike to ease short-term liquidity constraints; BUY



Aiforia Technologies announced that it had successfully carried out a directed share issuance, whereby it raises some  4.2m in gross proceeds, issuing a total of 2m new shares. This coupled with reduced operating expenses should put the company notably closer to sustainable cash generation.



In detail, Aiforia issued 6.3% new shares at a 10% discount to previous day's close price of  2.34. The directed share issuance alleviates short-term liquidity concerns. In fact, current cash on hand should be sufficient to finance operations throughout FY2026, in our view.



Mind you, in November, the company concluded change negotiations, which, according to management, will lead to annual cost savings of  2.5m starting from 2026. As a result, the number of employees is reduced by 8. The change negotiations were justified by the company's management as a strategic pivot, whereby the company shifts focus from product development to product commercialisation.



In our initiation report from October 2025, we had estimated the cash burn, until Aiforia reaches positive FCF, to be  27.8m. Following the change negotiations and the capital increase, we project the additional cash requirements to be in the tune of  19.1m. Prior to our estimate changes, we viewed positive FCF as feasible by 2030e. however, this has now changed to 2029e. The cash burn for 2026e is projected to be  9.3m.



As mentioned above, the directed share issuance alleviates short-term liquidity concerns, while the share price has been under pressure since the start of the year (-33% ytd.) Given the company's cash burn rate, which is largely being spend on sales, the company is expected to deliver strong growth figures in H2 2025, demonstrating that the commercialisation and scale period of the business is clearly underway.



In that respect we view the results of H2 2025 as a pivot point. In H1 2025, the company grew a timid 2% yoy, which in our view has largely contributed to the recent share price weakness. In must be highlighted however, that this performance was largely due to the weak performance of the Research segment. During the same time, Clinical, which is the scalable part of the business, grew by 60%. For FY25e, we model 66% growth in the Clinical segment compared to a 16% sales decline of the Research segment, which would translate to an aggregate yearly growth of 25%, eNuW.



Management clearly views the years 2026-28e as hyperscale years for Aiforia, translating into a CAGR of 65.4% for 2026-28e.



In sum, we view the present issuance as positive, easing Aiforia's short-term liquidity concerns. Going forward, all eyes will be on Aiforia's H2 2025 results, where strong growth is expected. We update our model only to reflect the cost savings from the change negotiations, which causes our PT to increase from  3.50 to  3.80 while we reiterate our BUY rating.



You can download the research here: aiforia-technologies-oyj-2025-12-12-update-en-b5574

For additional information visit our website: https://www.nuways-ag.com/research-feed



Contact for questions:

NuWays AG - Equity Research

Web: www.nuways-ag.com

Email: research@nuways-ag.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuwaysag

Adresse: Mittelweg 16-17, 20148 Hamburg, Germany

++++++++++

Diese Meldung ist keine Anlageberatung oder Aufforderung zum Abschluss bestimmter Borsengeschafte.

Offenlegung moglicher Interessenskonflikte nach  85 WpHG beim oben analysierten Unternehmen befinden sich in der vollstandigen Analyse.

++++++++++



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

View original content: EQS News
OSLO, Norway, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nel ASA (Nel) (OSE: NEL) is pleased to announce that following a seven-year development program, and now a successful start-up and production of clean hydrogen on the Next Generation Pressurized Alkaline prototype, the Board of Directors has taken the final investment decision to begin construction on up to 1 GW of production capacity for this technology platform in the Herya facility, Norway. The project is supported by the EU Innovation Fund.

Development of the Next Generation Pressurized Alkaline system was initiated in 2018 and after rigorous testing of various smaller stacks, Nel has now completed full-scale testing of the prototype at Herya Industripark, Norway, validating market-leading system efficiency. The company expects to launch the system commercially in the first half of 2026 and be able to deliver at scale in 2027.

Building on 100 years of technology experience, Nel's Next Generation Pressurized Alkaline platform delivers a breakthrough in clean hydrogen economics, dramatically reducing system CAPEX and improving energy efficiency, driving down levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). This leap is expected to improve overall hydrogen production economics, and bridge critical funding gaps for hydrogen installations.

"Our new solution is extremely important for Nel as a company, but also for the clean hydrogen industry as a whole. A significantly improved levelized cost of hydrogen is expected to unlock business cases that were previously not viable without significant subsidies," says Hakon Volldal, President and CEO of Nel.

The platform is based on a fully modularized, skid-based design where every module is pre-fabricated and factory-tested before shipment in standard container skids. This approach dramatically simplifies engineering, logistics, and installation and is expected to transform complex projects into streamlined product deliveries. The system is designed to operate reliably outdoors, where costs and deployment complexity are further reduced as no dedicated building construction is required.

Nel has been granted up to EUR 135 million in support from the EU Innovation Fund to industrialize the Next Generation Pressurized Alkaline platform, enabling a total annual production output of 4 GW. This funding covers up to 60% of relevant CAPEX and operational costs related to industrialization.

The initial 1 GW of production capacity is estimated at an investment of about NOK 300 million before grants. The EU grant is milestone based and this investment decision is expected to unlock in excess of EUR 10 million as a first payment. The CAPEX is expected to be incurred throughout 2026 and 2027. Overall, the CAPEX for this platform is significantly lower than for atmospheric alkaline production lines.

Following the commercialization and industrialization of the pressurized alkaline solution the company is looking into the book values of the two 500 MW atmospheric alkaline production lines currently idling at Herya.

For additional information, please contact:

Kjell Christian Bjrnsen, CFO, +47 917 02?097

Wilhelm Flinder, Head of IR, Communications & Marketing +47 936 11 350

About Nel ASA | www.nelhydrogen.com

Nel has a history tracing back to 1927 and is today a leading pure play hydrogen electrolyser technology company with a global presence. The company specializes in Alkaline and PEM technology for production of renewable hydrogen. Nel's product offerings are key enablers for a green hydrogen economy, making it possible to decarbonize various industries such as transportation, refining, steel, and ammonia.

This information is subject to a duty of disclosure pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This information was issued as inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation, and was published by Wilhelm Flinder, Head of Investor Relations, Communications and Marketing, at Nel ASA on the date and time provided.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/nel-asa/r/nel-asa--strengthens-its-industry-leadership-as-the-final-investment-decision-has-been-taken-to-indu,c4280907

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/115/4280907/3839748.pdf Release

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nel-asa-strengthens-its-industry-leadership-as-the-final-investment-decision-has-been-taken-to-industrialize-the-next-generation-pressurized-alkaline-platform-302640024.html
Davos, Switzerland--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Longevity Investors announces two influential private gatherings taking place during World Economic Forum (WEF) week in January 2026: the Longevity Investors Lunch (LIL) on 20 January, and the inaugural Future Investments Circle (FIC) on 22 January, a new initiative of Future Investments, co-hosted by Longevity Investors and Global Conversations, the renowned Davos event curator.

These two platforms reflect a shared commitment to accelerating investment in both healthy human lifespan and the transformative technologies shaping the next decade.

Investors and innovators gathered for the Longevity Investors Lunch 2025, one of Davos' most concentrated platforms for longevity-focused dialogue

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10082/277834_longevityimg1.jpg

Longevity Investors Lunch 2026

January 20, 2026 at the Hotel Seehof Davos

Established as a focused platform for thoughtful dialogue in longevity and rejuvenation biotechnology, the Longevity Investors Lunch brings together a curated group of investors, scientists, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders for an afternoon of meaningful discussion and high-quality networking.

LIL's signature five-hour intensive format returns for 2026, balancing presentations and conversations with structured networking breaks, enabling both idea exchange and strategic connection in an intimate setting.

Inside the Longevity Investors Lunch in Davos - curated discussions bringing together investors, scientists, and industry leaders in an intimate setting.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10082/277834_e2f35708a47be9cb_002full.jpg

Announced Speakers for LIL 2026

The speakers announced to date represent a cross-section of leading voices in longevity medicine, AI-enabled biotechnology, clinical innovation, and preventive health:

Dr. Jordan Shlain - Founder & Chairman of Private Medical, shaping longevity-centered, prevention-driven clinical practice.

- Founder & Chairman of Private Medical, shaping longevity-centered, prevention-driven clinical practice. Dr. Evelyne Yehudit Bischof - International longevity physician specializing in precision diagnostics and AI-supported medical care.

- International longevity physician specializing in precision diagnostics and AI-supported medical care. Dr. Liv Kraemer - Dermatologist, founder, and recognized leader in Skin Longevity.

- Dermatologist, founder, and recognized leader in Skin Longevity. Peter Fedichev - Physicist and CEO of Gero.ai, advancing physics-based AI approaches to aging and drug discovery.

- Physicist and CEO of Gero.ai, advancing physics-based AI approaches to aging and drug discovery. Dr. Andrea Gartenbach, MD - Specialist in internal medicine and longevity, uniting biomarker-driven prevention with individualized, high-performance health strategies.

Additional speakers and sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.

"We are proud to host the fifth edition of our Longevity Investors Lunch in January 2026 in Davos as a side-event during the World Economic Forum. Our vision and ambition is still the same: to bring more money into the emerging longevity industry by attracting investors in Davos who support research and startups in the industry," says Marc P. Bernegger, Co-Founder and Host of Longevity Investors.

Longevity Investors Co-Founders Marc P. Bernegger and Dr. Tobias Reichmuth, CEO Lucy Kupcova, and LIL 2025 speaker Dr. Deepak Chopra at the Longevity Investors Lunch in Davos.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10082/277834_e2f35708a47be9cb_003full.jpg

Information & applications: www.longevityinvestors.ch/davos-2026

Bridging Human Longevity with Frontier Innovation

As Longevity Investors deepens its work in healthy lifespan extension, the organization is equally committed to supporting the broader landscape of transformative science and technology.

It is within this context that the Future Investments Circle emerges - complementing LIL by bringing together leaders advancing the next generation of frontier technologies.

Future Investments Circle 2026: Defining the Next Decade of Investment

January 22, 2026 in Davos

Hosted by Future Investments in collaboration with Longevity Investors and Global Conversations

Alongside LIL, Longevity Investors is proud to support the launch of the Future Investments Circle (FIC) - the first gathering from the new Future Investments initiative, created to connect visionary investors with the entrepreneurs and technologies shaping tomorrow's industries.

Co-hosted with Global Conversations, known for more than a decade of high-level platforms in Davos, FIC will bring together leaders across deep tech, space, robotics, AI-powered science, advanced engineering, and breakthrough biology.

Alpine venue in Davos selected for the Future Investments Circle 2026, offering an intimate setting with panoramic mountain views.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10082/277834_e2f35708a47be9cb_004full.jpg

The program blends curated networking opportunities with dynamic discussions, including the announced panel "The Space Economy: Investing Beyond Earth" and a dedicated session on the future of robotics, featuring leading global innovators. This robotics-focused panel will explore how frontier automation, humanoid systems, and AI-driven engineering are reshaping industries and unlocking new investment opportunities.

Additional speakers and sessions will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Announced Visionaries for FIC 2026

Christina Korp - Founder of SPACE For a Better World; leading global space advocate and producer of award-winning Apollo initiatives.

- Founder of SPACE For a Better World; leading global space advocate and producer of award-winning Apollo initiatives. Joe Landon - Co-Founder & President of Rendezvous Robotics; former senior executive at Lockheed Martin Space, advancing autonomous orbital systems.

- Co-Founder & President of Rendezvous Robotics; former senior executive at Lockheed Martin Space, advancing autonomous orbital systems. Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Ullrich - Chairman of the Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein; internationally recognized aerospace medicine pioneer with ESA/NASA mission leadership.

- Chairman of the Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein; internationally recognized aerospace medicine pioneer with ESA/NASA mission leadership. Dr. Henrik I. Christensen - Distinguished Professor and Qualcomm Chancellor's Chair of Robotics; Temasek Fellow; global authority in robotics and AI with 400+ publications across systems integration, vision, and human-robot interaction; recipient of the Joseph Engelberger Award.

- Distinguished Professor and Qualcomm Chancellor's Chair of Robotics; Temasek Fellow; global authority in robotics and AI with 400+ publications across systems integration, vision, and human-robot interaction; recipient of the Joseph Engelberger Award. Russell Tham - Head of Emerging Technologies at Temasek International; leads Temasek's global deep tech investments across materials, energy, compute, cognition, and embodied AI; former senior executive at ST Engineering and Applied Materials.

- Head of Emerging Technologies at Temasek International; leads Temasek's global deep tech investments across materials, energy, compute, cognition, and embodied AI; former senior executive at ST Engineering and Applied Materials. Peggy Johnson - CEO of Agility Robotics and former CEO of Magic Leap; longtime Microsoft and Qualcomm executive advancing frontier robotics, spatial computing, and technology leadership.

"Frontier technologies are no longer a distant horizon, they are the foundation of the next chapter of much needed global growth and problem solving," says Marcus Widegren, Managing Partner of Global Conversations. "The Future Investment Circle is a tightly knit morning session that places capable investors ready to scale it. Davos, in my mind, is the ideal place for this dialogue to begin - I've seen it so many times with my own eyes since 2014."

"The Future Investments Circle was created to give forward-thinking investors a direct window into the breakthroughs that will define the next decade," says Lucy Kupcova, CEO of Longevity Investors and co-host of the event.

"Our mission is to spark the interdisciplinary conversations and partnerships that build entirely new industries, and Davos offers the perfect setting for this convergence."

Marc P. Bernegger, Co-Founder of Longevity Investors, adds:

"We've seen how powerful curated gatherings in Davos can be in accelerating emerging sectors. With the Future Investments Circle, we are extending this approach to frontier technologies - bringing investors closer to the innovators and ideas that will shape the global economy in the years ahead."

Information & applications: www.futureinvestments.xyz/fic-2026

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277834

SOURCE: Longevity Investors AG
INNIO Group, a leading energy solution and service provider, is collaborating with the U.S. power utility Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS) on a landmark 104-megawatt (MW) power plant. The new plant is designed to help reinforce grid stability, cover peak loads, and enable greater integration of renewable energy.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211712708/en/

Jenbacher J920 FleXtra

"This project is a milestone for Texas and for INNIO. With fast-start capability, flexibility, and sustainability, we are creating the energy infrastructure that modern grids need: reliable, growth-promoting, and supporting the expansion of renewables," said Dr. Olaf Berlien, President and CEO of INNIO Group.

Groundbreaking for the plant's construction took place in early December, with commissioning scheduled for summer 2027. The groundbreaking marks the beginning of the largest installation to date of Jenbacher J920 FleXtra engines in the U.S. Eleven engines, each with 9.5 MW output, along with modern cooling systems and advanced emissions-aftertreatment systems, are planned. The J920 FleXtra is the largest Jenbacher gas engine, capable of delivering full load within two minutes thanks to its fast-start capabilities.

GEUS is investing in advanced technology to meet the evolving needs of more than 17,200 customers in Greenville, Texas, and the surrounding area. The new power plant will also help cover peak loads in the grid of more than 125 MW. "This project is more than an infrastructure upgrade; it's a commitment to supply the Greenville community with fast-start, low-cost, reliable generation for years to come. As our community grows, having a power resource that can respond instantly to peak demand is essential," said GEUS General Manager Bill Shepherd. "This new plant positions GEUS to ensure long-term reliability, manage costs responsibly, and continue delivering the dependable service our customers expect."

About INNIO Group

INNIO Group is a leading energy solution and service provider that empowers industries and communities to make sustainable energy work today. With its Jenbacher and Waukesha product brands and its AI-powered myplant digital platform, INNIO Group offers innovative solutions for data center power infrastructure, distributed power generation, and compression applications. With its flexible, scalable, and resilient energy solutions and services, INNIO Group enables its customers to drive the energy transition across the energy value chain and ensures reliable energy supply even where the grid is not available.

For more information, visit INNIO Group's website at innio.com. Follow INNIO Group on X and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211712708/en/

Contacts:

For further information please contact:

Susanne Reichelt

INNIO Group

+43 664 80833 2382

susanne.reichelt@innio.com
Volati continues to assess the conditions for a possible distribution and separate listing of the Salix Group business area. The aim is to create two distinct, focused companies with the best possible conditions for long-term growth and value creation.

New board members in Salix Group

As part of the preparations, the Board of Salix Group has been strengthened through the appointment of Maria Edsman, CEO of Bokusgruppen and board member of Rusta and Volati, as well as Christina Tillman, who has extensive experience from executive positions and board work at, among others, Volati, Corem Property Group, and Grimaldi Industri, as new board members. In connection with her appointment to the Board of Salix Group, Christina Tillman has informed Volati's Nomination Committee that she will decline re-election to the Board of Volati. The Board of Salix Group will therefore consist of:

Patrik Wahlen (Chairman of the Board)

Andreas Stenback

Mattias Bjork

Maria Edsman

Christina Tillman

The Board of Salix Group has established new financial targets:

Net sales growth: Average annual growth of at least 15 percent.

EBITA margin: Long-term EBITA margin of at least 12 percent.

R/WC (EBITA in relation to working capital): R/WC of at least 40 percent.

Leverage: Net debt normally between 2-3 times adjusted EBITDA.

- With a strengthened Board and clear financial targets, we are taking important steps forward in preparing for a possible distribution and separate listing of Salix Group, says Patrik Wahlen, Chairman of the Board of Volati and Salix Group.

No decisions regarding a distribution or separate listing have been made. Volati remains in an evaluation phase, during which the Board intends to further analyse the conditions over the coming months. The ambition is that, during 2026, should the Board find it appropriate, it will be able to propose to a general meeting that a decision be made on a distribution and separate listing of Salix Group.

Volati AB (publ)

Engelbrektsplan 1, SE-114 34 Stockholm

Tel: +46 8 21 68 40

Email: info@volati.se

Corp. reg. no.: 556555-4317

For further information, please contact:

Patrik Wahlen, Chairman of the Board, Volati AB, +46 70 699 96 76, patrik.wahlen@volati.se

About Volati

Volati is a Swedish industrial group with the vision to be Sweden's best owner of medium-sized companies. Through value-creating add-on acquisitions and long-term, sustainable company development, Volati has been delivering consistently strong profitable growth since the start in 2003. The Group consists of the business areas Salix Group, Ettiketto Group and Industry, with operations in 21 countries, about 2,300 employees and annual sales of approximately SEK 8.4 billion. Volati's ordinary shares and preference shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Further information is available at www.volati.se.
APIA, Samoa, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Phemex, a user-first crypto exchange, successfully co-hosted the 7th edition of LONGITUDE with Cointelegraph on December 11 at the Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Held alongside Abu Dhabi Finance Week, the gathering brought together Web3 leaders and institutional innovators for an evening of strategic dialogue, celebrating Phemex's 6th anniversary.

The exclusive agenda featured industry heavyweights including Anthony Scaramucci (SkyBridge) and Kristin Smith (Solana Policy Institute), who dissected market trends in the "Solana SZN" panel, while Eli Ben-Sasson (StarkWare) explored the critical role of privacy in a dedicated fireside chat.

Meanwhile, the night's centerpiece was the "Crypto's Security Dilemma" panel. Phemex CEO Federico Variola joined Ian Rogers (Ledger) and Dmytro Budorin (Hacken) to address the sector's most urgent defense challenges. Federico argued that the industry's standard "reactive" security model is obsolete against modern AI threats. He advocated for a shift to "Predictive Security Architecture," revealing how Phemex now uses AI to analyze user behavior patterns to stop threats before they materialize.

Federico also used the stage to unveil Phemex's strategic roadmap, highlighting the incubation of a new Account Abstraction wallet designed to bridge Web2 and Web3.

"Beyond hardening our infrastructure with predictive AI, we are fundamentally evolving the platform," said Federico. "We are building a holistic ecosystem - combining a CEX, a DEX, and a self-custodial wallet - where security is the anchor that allows users to move seamlessly between custody models."

As Phemex enters its seventh year, the event underscored the exchange's commitment to redefining user protection. By fostering high-level dialogue and partnership among decision-makers, Phemex continues to lead the charge in building a transparent, secure, and unified digital asset future.

About Phemex



Founded in 2019, Phemex is a user-first crypto exchange trusted by over 10 million traders worldwide. The platform offers spot and derivatives trading, copy trading, and wealth management products designed to prioritize user experience, transparency, and innovation. With a forward-thinking approach and a commitment to user empowerment, Phemex delivers reliable tools, inclusive access, and evolving opportunities for traders at every level to grow and succeed.

For more information, please visit: https://phemex.com/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2844330/20251212_154736.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2819516/Phemex_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/phemex-co-hosts-longitude-spotlighting-the-next-era-of-crypto-security-at-its-6th-anniversary-302640064.html
SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Guangming Science City Forum 2025 was held in Guangming district of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, from Dec. 4-5, 2025.

The forum marked the launch of the trial operation of the National Industrial Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing.

As China's only national-level biomanufacturing innovation platform, the center focuses on green and low-carbon technologies, bio-agriculture and health care. It is developing six specialized platforms, including automated biomanufacturing, large-scale vector production, and quality-control facilities.

At the forum, the Shenzhen Guangming Sci-Tech Innovation Fund of Funds was launched, with an initial capital commitment of approximately 1 billion yuan ($140 million).

The forum also marked the inauguration of the National University Regional Technology Transfer and Transformation Center (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area) High-end Scientific Instrument Shenzhen Branch Center.

Top scientists and industry leaders from China and abroad delivered keynote talks at the main forum.

Charles M. Lieber, a professor at the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, SMART Investigator and founding director of i-BRAIN at the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation, delivered a speech on the latest development of brain-computer interfaces.

Seven high-level parallel sessions were held during the forum, sparking ideas, bringing together resources and promoting win-win cooperation.

Guangming Science City, a key hub within the Greater Bay Area Comprehensive National Science Center pilot zone, is rapidly attracting innovation resources from around the world. It hosts major scientific facilities, two leading research universities, two provincial laboratories, and 11 research institutes, collectively supporting over 3,000 top-tier professionals.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2844340/Guangming_Science_City_Forum_2025_held_in_S_China_s_Shenzhen.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/peoples-daily-online-guangming-science-city-forum-2025-held-in-s-chinas-shenzhen-302640075.html
Financial Planning, along with Best Companies Group, awarded companies that created quality workplaces.

MCLEAN, VIRGINIA / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Centurion Wealth Management was recently named one of Financial Planning's 2025 Best RIAs to Work For. Financial Planning partners with Best Companies Group to recognize firms that demonstrate strong workplace practices and employee experience.

2025 Best RIAs to Work For

Award Decal

"Our team is the foundation of everything we do,"said Jill Grimes, Director of Operations and Chief Compliance Officer of Centurion."Being recognized through a process driven by employee feedback is especially meaningful to us. We're proud of the culture we're building together."

This survey and awards program is designed to identify and honor employers within the money management profession that provide a positive work environment for their teams.

To be considered, firms must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or public agency

Have a facility in the United States

Have a minimum of 10 employees working in the United States

Have been in business for at least one year

Participating organizations completed a two-part survey process. The first part evaluated company policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics. The second part consisted of an independent employee survey measuring workplace experience. Best Companies Group managed the process, analyzed the results, and determined the final rankings.

For more information on Financial Planning's Best RIAs to Work For program, visit: https://bestcompaniesgroup.com/best-rias-to-work-for/.

Centurion Wealth Management is committed to offering independent financial guidance. The firm works with independent women, corporate executives, and entrepreneurs, providing support and resources to help them make informed decisions as they work toward their financial objectives.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES AND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CENTURION, PLEASE CONTACT CENTURION AT TEAM@CENTURIONWEALTH.COM OR DIRECTLY AT (571) 765-1890. INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES ARE OFFERED THROUGH CENTURION WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC, A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISER.

Important Disclosures:

The list was published December 11th, 2025. Centurion Wealth Management did not pay any fees to participate.

By clicking the link above, you will leave Centurion Wealth Management's website and enter a third-party site created, operated, and maintained by a different entity. Centurion Wealth Management does not verify, endorse, or imply any affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement with the third party or its affiliates. The opinions expressed by the author(s) are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Centurion Wealth Management.

The statement above from Jill Grimes reflects the company's response to receiving the 2025 Best RIAs to Work For recognition. It is not a client testimonial or endorsement. The quote is intended to acknowledge the award and express appreciation, and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future results or investment performance.

For detailed information about this recognition, including survey dates, methodology, and full award disclosures, please visit Centurion Wealth Management, LLC Award Disclosures

SOURCE: Centurion Wealth Management, LLC

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/centurion-wealth-management-recognized-as-a-2025-best-ria-to-work-fo-1116711
EQS-News: EBD Group / Key word(s): Conference

Biotech Showcase 2026 Returns to San Francisco During JPM Week as a Premier Destination for Dealmakers



12.12.2025 / 11:00 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Biotech Showcase 2026 Returns to San Francisco During JPM Week as a Premier Destination for Dealmakers Partnering Platform Now Open for Registration SAN FRANCISCO - December 12, 2025 - Biotech Showcase returns to San Francisco during J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week, marking its 19th year as a premier destination for global biopharma leaders to showcase their companies and technologies, build relationships, and make deals with venture investors and partners. Taking place January 12-14 and virtually January 21-22, the event will gather more than 1,200 life sciences investors and 3,200 global biopharma professionals, including representatives from companies including PhRMA, BIO, Novo, Ipsen, Regeneron, and Sofinnova Investments. Attendees can participate in one-to-one meetings with investors, partners and news media, provide corporate presentations, and engage in multiple face-to-face networking sessions. This year's event will again seamlessly integrate with the TechBio and Seed Showcases, offering unmatched opportunities for investors and partners to engage with companies across the full spectrum of life science innovation. Virtual attendees will benefit from partnering privileges in addition to on-demand access to company showcases and session recordings. Access to extensive on-demand programming, including recordings of sessions and workshops is provided to all attendees. "Reflecting the significant uptick in M&A and funding across the life sciences ecosystem, Biotech Showcase is set to deliver a record-breaking year in terms of networking and deal-making opportunities," said Sara Jane Demy, Founder and CEO of Demy-Colton. "This year we're anticipating more than 300 presenting companies, 1,200 investors and a projected 6,000+ one-to-one meetings, making Biotech Showcase the largest and most influential investor conference for private, micro-cap and mid-cap biotechnology companies, as well as TechBio companies, venture investors, and partnering companies." The 2026 agenda will feature discussions on trending topics, including: Strategic Adaptation to the New Policy Landscape

Opportunities in Asia & Europe

The Pharma Perspective

The Future of Healthcare Access & Equity

The Outlook for Biopharma Financing

AI & Quantum Computing in Healthcare

Investment in Women's Health "With a robust agenda focused on key industry trends in biopharma, and a lineup of exceptional company presentations from both public and private companies, Biotech Showcase has proven itself as the leading platform for connecting innovators and investors across the global biotech community," Tina Elder, Global Managing Director, EBD Group US, added. "Many thanks to all our investors, speakers, sponsors, media and other attendees for enabling these important conversations that help drive the industry's funding, collaboration and therapeutic breakthroughs." To register for Biotech Showcase or to apply to present or sponsor, please visit https://informaconnect.com/biotech-showcase/ . About Demy-Colton Demy-Colton is a leading life sciences and digital health events organization at the forefront of building networks between innovative life sciences companies and industry stakeholders. Its unique events facilitate networking on a global scale, including Biotech Showcase, BioFuture, Global Biotech CEO Summit, Executive Clinics, and Demy-Colton Virtual Salons. These events build networking communities that transcend geographical boundaries and establish ongoing, high-value relationships among the industry's top decision-makers, investors and thought leaders. For more information, visit www.demy-colton.com . About Life Sciences Partnering and Investment by Informa Our mission is to help collaborations get started across the life science value chain. Our range of partnering conferences has grown to become the largest and most productive conference platform in the industry. Each one of our landmark events held in key life science markets around the world is powered by our state-of-the-art partnering software, partneringONE, that enables delegates to efficiently identify and engage with new opportunities via one-to-one meetings. Today our events (BIO-Europe, BIO-Europe Spring, Biotech Showcase, ChinaBio Partnering Forum, Asia Bio Partnering Forum, BioEquity Europe, LSX USA Congress, Investival Showcase Europe, European Lifestars Awards, Investival Showcase USA, LSX Europe Congress, LSX Nordic Congress) annually attract more than 14,000 senior life science executives who engage in over 83,000 one-to-one partnering meetings. These vital one-to-one engagements are the wellspring of deals that drive innovation in our industry. Contacts Katie Morris, PhD

ENTENTE Network of Companies

katiemorris@ententeinc.com MC Services, Inc.

Laurie Doyle

Phone: +1-339-832-0752

E-mail: EBDGroup@mc-services.eu



12.12.2025 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group .

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

View original content: EQS News
BEIJING, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Energy has recently released its latest 2025 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Integrator Report, once again ranking HyperStrong among the top three global BESS integrators in terms of newly installed capacity for 2024. This recognition highlights the company's strong integrated capabilities and consistent excellence in project execution across the global energy storage market.

In mainland China, HyperStrong continues to lead the industry. According to the report, the company maintains its No. 1 position in cumulative installed and contracted project capacity, reinforcing its role as the top BESS integrator in the Chinese market.

With global demand for energy storage continuing to rise, HyperStrong is accelerating its international expansion, significantly expanding its overseas project footprint and delivery capabilities. Today, the company's business spans over 20 countries across five continents, supported by localized delivery and service systems tailored to diverse market needs.

In Europe, HyperStrong recently signed a 1.6 GWh large-scale energy storage project with German energy company LEAG. Upon completion, the project will become one of Europe's major energy storage facilities, providing critical support for the region's energy transition.

In the Americas, HyperStrong has successfully delivered over 420 MWh of energy storage projects in the United States, focusing on grid-side applications. These systems provide effective peak shaving, load shifting, and frequency regulation services, strengthening local grid reliability and enhancing renewable energy integration across the region.

Across the Asia-Pacific region, HyperStrong is advancing multiple project deployments in various countries. The company offers customized and highly reliable solutions designed for various conditions, including high humidity, tropical climates, island grids, and mining operations, enabling faster adoption of clean energy in the region.

To support its rapidly expanding global business, HyperStrong has established local teams in Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region, offering end-to-end capabilities across project delivery, on-site commissioning, digital monitoring, and long-term operation and maintenance. These essential global services ensure full life-cycle support that deliver sustainable value to international partners.

Dr. Jianhui Zhang, Founder, Chairman and CEO of HyperStrong, stated, "Being recognized once again by S&P Global reflects HyperStrong's integrated strengths in technology, safety, system delivery, and global execution, especially in full-station delivery and complex project management. Looking ahead, we will continue to leverage our strong R&D and intelligent manufacturing capabilities to provide higher-value energy storage solutions that empower the global energy transition."

About HyperStrong

Beijing HyperStrong Technology Co., Ltd. (HyperStrong, 688411.SH) is a global leading provider of energy storage solutions. Founded in 2011, HyperStrong has over 14 years of R&D experience and a proven track record across more than 400 projects, delivering over 45 GWh of energy storage systems worldwide. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions for utility-scale, commercial, and industrial applications.

With five smart manufacturing bases, three R&D centers, two testing labs, and a global marketing center, HyperStrong supports customers worldwide in advancing their energy transition and carbon neutrality goals.

For more information, please visit: www.hyperstrong.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2637680/HyperStrong_updated_Logo_Logo_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hyperstrong-retains-top-three-position-in-sp-global-energy-storage-rankings-sustaining-leadership-in-global-new-installations-302640081.html




More than nine billion voice notes are now sent every day, meaning they've become a new global symbol of digital distraction

They're getting longer, more one sided, and killing the art of conversation - some 76% of people globally says voice notes tend to be self-involved and over half even feel that they are replacing IRL connections

In a new tech pilot, Heineken has created a WhatsApp bot in a bid to transform long voice note monologues into real-life chats

has created a WhatsApp bot in a bid to transform long voice note monologues into real-life chats App users who receive voice notes lasting three minutes or longer can exchange them for a free beer - and it comes with a recommendation of local bars to try too

AMSTERDAM, Dec. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We've all been sent voice notes that - instead of offering a quick update - turn into miniature podcasts lasting what seems like forever.

In the increasingly digital world we live in, voice notes are turning into yet another distraction that encourages us to bury our heads in our smartphones rather than making real life connections. Now Heineken, the champion of IRL socialising, has launched new WhatsApp technology that offers an ingenious incentive to those who'd prefer to meet up and connect face-to-face, bringing back the art of in person conversation.

The technology has been launched as a pilot in Brazil, where official data from META shows that Brazilians send four times as many voice notes than people in any other country.

The tech was devised after global research polling 14,000 respondents showed that in just one year, the average person spends almost 150 hours a year sending and receiving voice notes.

Not only are people spending a significant amount of time listening to voice notes, but they are impacting real-life social interactions too. Over half (52%) of those polled feel voice notes are replacing IRL interactions, rising to 60% amongst Gen Z. Nearly half (49%), meanwhile, admit to spending entire evenings sending voice notes to a friend instead of meeting in-person, even though 54% say they have their most fulfilling conversations face-to-face.

Global data and business intelligence platform Statista reported, in groundbreaking new data, that 9.4 billion WhatsApp voice notes are now sent every day (equivalent to about 3.4 trillion over the full year). When compared to 2024, their frequency has increased by 7%, and in length by 8%.

Stacy Jo Dixon, Social Media and Society Expert at Statista, said: "Our data suggests that voice notes are not just growing in frequency but also length. With nearly 9.5 billion voice notes sent daily on WhatsApp alone (compared to 7 billion in 2022), it's evident that voice messaging is reshaping the way we communicate across the globe and taking on a more prominent role alongside traditional in-person interactions."

While many use voice notes as a 'catch up shortcut', people are barely engaged with them. Over half (55%) admit they often forget to listen to them, and even when they do listen, attention is low: 88% forget what was actually said in the message.

Nabil Nasser, Global Head of Heineken?, said: "Just like we all know meetings that 'could have been an email', we're now seeing voice notes that 'Could have been a Heineken'.

"Voice notes can feel more personal than reading a message, but what our research shows is that we need to make sure they don't turn into mini-podcasts, and that we're having two-way conversations rather than an extended monologue.



"At Heineken, we want to make it easier for people to share moments of socialisation in real life. That's why we have launched the 'Could have been a Heineken' WhatsApp bot, incentivising people to swap long voice notes for a refreshing in-person catch up over a beer of course."

The 'Could have been a Heineken' WhatsApp technology is currently being tested in Brazil, with further global markets set to follow.

To redeem the offer, WhatsApp users over 18 must forward a voice note that they have received, which is longer than three minutes, to a private, encrypted bot. The user will then receive a message saying it 'Could have been a Heineken', alongside a voucher for a free beer and a recommendation of local bars to meet up with the friend in real life.

Notes to editors

Media contact:

HeinekenBrazil@wearetheromans.com

Research Credits:

*Heineken commissioned a survey of 14,000 respondents across the United Kingdom, USA, Germany, India, Brazil, United Arab Emirates and Romania. Research conducted by OnePoll, November 2025.

*Separately, Heineken commissioned Statista to supply the global data on voice note usage in 2024 and 2025

About Heineken

HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We employ over 85,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY)

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bd460a71-4e67-44c6-8b0c-cb1696242367
Singapore's national leader in integrated cyber resilience is acknowledged for driving measurable market impact, innovation, and customer-first security transformation.

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan is pleased to present the 2025 Singapore Company of the Year Recognition in the cybersecurity services industry to Singtel for its outstanding achievements in advancing national digital resilience, strengthening operational security performance, and enabling scalable protection across enterprises of all sizes. This recognition underscores Singtel's continued leadership in delivering customer-centric cybersecurity innovation in a rapidly evolving competitive environment.

Frost & Sullivan evaluates companies through a rigorous benchmarking process across two core dimensions: strategy effectiveness and strategy execution. Singtel demonstrated excellence in both, consistently aligning its long-term vision with national cyber priorities and executing efficiently with measurable outcomes and strong customer confidence.

"Singtel demonstrates the strength of an enterprise that unites national purpose with commercial execution, integrating cybersecurity, connectivity, and cloud infrastructure to transform digital protection into a measurable and scalable service capability," said Vivien Pua, Senior Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

Singtel anchors its growth strategy on embedding cyber resilience into its connectivity and cloud services, allowing it to stay ahead as threats grow in volume and sophistication. It has also been strengthening its leadership in quantum-safe technologies, where initiatives such as the National Quantum-Safe Network Plus and the Hybrid Quantum-Safe Network provide flexible, scalable security for enterprises.

Building on this foundation, innovation continues to propel Singtel's cyber capabilities. Its Advanced Security Operations Centre helps customers detect threats, manage their security systems, guard against Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and gain a single, unified view of their overall security. These services provide real-time monitoring, AI- and analytics-driven detection, 24/7 incident response, and automation that accelerates issue resolution.

Singtel's commitment to customer experience extends across large enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses. Through government-aligned initiatives such as the Cyber Protect Programme, the company reduces cost and capability barriers that often limit cybersecurity adoption among smaller companies in Singapore. Singtel bundles network-level protection with accessibility programs and skills development, positioning cybersecurity as a practical business function rather than a specialized or costly investment.

Frost & Sullivan commends Singtel for setting a national benchmark in security operations maturity, with standardized operational models, comprehensive infrastructure oversight, and continuous improvement frameworks that maintain high service reliability. Its proactive governance, scenario-driven readiness, and strict compliance management enhance customer assurance and reduce systemic cyber risk across key market segments.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this Company of the Year Recognition to a market leader that demonstrates outstanding strategy development and implementation resulting in meaningful progress in market share, customer satisfaction, and competitive positioning. This recognition honors organizations delivering transformative growth and shaping the future of their industries through innovation excellence and customer impact.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Recognition

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Recognitions honor companies across regional and global markets that exhibit exceptional achievement and consistent excellence in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer experience, and strategic product development. Each recognition is the result of a rigorous analytical process in which Frost & Sullivan industry experts benchmark performance through comprehensive interviews, deep-dive analysis, and extensive secondary research. The goal is to identify true best-in-class organizations that are driving transformative growth and setting new industry standards.

Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Tarini Singh

E: Tarini.Singh@frost.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2844311/Singtel_Cybersecurity_Services_BPR_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/singtel-receives-frost--sullivans-2025-singapore-company-of-the-year-recognition-in-cybersecurity-services-leadership-302639994.html
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada is pleased to announce the grand opening of Heal Wellness ("Heal") in the Toronto Eaton Centre, one of the busiest and most visited retail destinations in North America. This opening marks a major milestone for the brand as it officially becomes Heal's 30th operating location nationwide. Heal Wellness is a quick-service restaurant ("QSR") brand specializing in fresh smoothie bowls, acai bowls, and smoothies.

Happy Belly 1

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/277833_29ac51b7d4479afa_002full.jpg

"Opening in the Toronto Eaton Centre is a major step forward for Heal's expansion and brand visibility," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly. "The Centre attracts more than 50 million visitors annually, offering unparalleled foot traffic and a diverse customer base of residents, office workers, students, and tourists. This is exactly the type of high-quality trade area that fuels our predictable, disciplined, and scalable growth model. I would like to thank the team at Cadillac Fairview for this opportunity."

Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the Eaton Centre provides exceptional access to a dense and energetic urban population. The new Heal Wellness location is also positioned within close proximity to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), home to roughly 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, creating a robust daily flow of young, health-conscious consumers who value convenient, better-for-you meal options that fit seamlessly into their active routines.

"Heal Wellness continues to expand rapidly across Canada and into the United States, solidifying its position as a leading acai and smoothie bowl brand. With 30 locations now open and more than 168 in development, Heal contributes to Happy Belly's broader portfolio of 646 contractually committed retail franchise locations across multiple emerging brands in various stages of development, construction, and operation. Our predictable and disciplined growth engine continues to deliver measurable results as we expand our brands across Canada and create long-term value for our shareholders."

Happy Belly 2

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/277833_29ac51b7d4479afa_003full.jpg

"We are just getting started," added Sean Black.

About Heal Wellness

Heal Wellness was founded with a passion and mission to provide quick, fresh wellness foods that support a busy and active lifestyle. We currently offer a diverse range of smoothie bowls and smoothies. We take pride in meticulously selecting every superfood ingredient on our menu to fuel the body, including acai smoothie bowls, smoothies, and super-seed grain bowls. Our smoothie bowls are crafted with real fruit and enriched with superfoods like acai, pitaya, goji berries, chia seeds, and more.



Franchising

For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com.



About Happy Belly Food Group

Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada.

Happy Belly 3

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/277833_29ac51b7d4479afa_004full.jpg

Sean Black

Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer

Shawn Moniz

Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include the future performance of Happy Belly and her subsidiaries. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277833

SOURCE: Happy Belly Food Group Inc.
Acquisition Accelerates Growth Strategy by Adding Elssi's Specialized Testing Services to Unimed's Global Comprehensive Maritime Compliance Solutions

Universal Maritime Solutions ("Unimed" or "the Company"), the leading global provider of medical and compliance solutions to the maritime industry, today announced the acquisition of Elssi Maritime Services ("Elssi"), a Greece and Cyprus-based leading provider of drug and alcohol testing to the maritime industry. Unimed is backed by ZCG Private Equity, the private equity arm of ZCG, a privately held global firm. The transaction follows Unimed's successful integration of Lagaay Medical Group, a global distributor of pharmaceutical products and medical devices, earlier this year, and is Unimed's fourth acquisition under ZCG ownership.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211251769/en/

Founded in 1993, Elssi is one of the most trusted high standard drug and alcohol testing partners to the international shipping community. In addition to its flagship drug and alcohol services, the company offers a comprehensive suite of testing capabilities, including drinking water analysis and benzene testing.

Unimed will integrate Elssi's offerings into its award-winning technology platform, enabling clients to access compliance tools, reporting, and health services through a single, streamlined digital experience. Unimed's platform was recently recognized with the 2025 SAFETY4SEA Technology Award for its Medscale Digital Platform, highlighting the Company's continued leadership in maritime innovation.

The combined company serves more than 18,000 vessels, delivering comprehensive health and safety solutions to key global ports across the world.

"This acquisition further expands Unimed's global platform, enabling us to deliver greater value to clients wherever they operate," said Sren Andersen, Chief Executive Officer of Unimed.

Adam Pan, Chief Revenue Officer of Unimed, added, "Elssi's testing expertise enhances our ability to provide a comprehensive suite of innovative health and safety solutions and deepens our relationships with vessel operators worldwide. We look forward to welcoming the talented Elssi team and, together, setting a new benchmark for operational excellence across the global maritime sector."

"Joining the Unimed family represents an exciting next chapter," said Panagiotis Stamatopoulos of Elssi, who joins Unimed as a Managing Director to continue leading Elssi's growth. "Together we can extend our industry-leading testing services to Unimed's global client base while also offering our existing customers with an unparalleled suite of integrated solutions that can enhance health and safety standards across the maritime sector."

"Since our acquisition of Unimed in 2022, we have consistently executed on a long-term strategy to build a global category leader through strategic M&A, including the recent addition of Lagaay," said James Zenni, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ZCG. "Sren, Adam, and the entire Unimed team continue to execute with vision and purpose. We're proud to support them as they accelerate innovation and strengthen Unimed's leadership in the maritime health and compliance sector."

About Unimed

Unimed is the leading global provider of medical and compliance solutions to the maritime industry, specializing in the delivery of integrated medical equipment and supplies, healthcare services, and safety supply chain logistical solutions to clients worldwide.

Unimed is a portfolio company of ZCG Private Equity, the private equity arm of ZCG (www.zcg.com), a leading privately held global firm.

For more information, please visit https://universalmarinemedical.com/.

About ZCG

ZCG is a leading, privately held global firm comprised of private markets asset management, business consulting services, and technology development and solutions.

ZCG's investors are some of the largest and most sophisticated global institutional investors including pension funds, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, central banks, and insurance companies.

For almost 30 years, ZCG Principals have invested tens of billions of dollars of capital. ZCG has a global team comprised of approximately 400 professionals. ZCG is headquartered in New York, with seven affiliated offices, across five countries. For more information on ZCG, please visit www.zcg.com.

You can also learn more about ZCGC, the business consulting services platform of ZCG, at www.zcgc.com, and explore ZCG's technology affiliate, Haptiq, at www.haptiq.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211251769/en/

Contacts:

Tim Ragones Kate Thompson Alexander Wolfsohn

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Apex Resources Inc. (TSXV: APX) (OTCID: SLMLF) ("Apex" or the "Company") announces the appointment of Michael Malana as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") of the Company, effective today, following the resignation of Dennis Cojuco as the Company's CFO.

Mr. Malana brings more than 20 years of international experience in financial management, financial reporting and general corporate governance. He has held senior financial executive roles across the natural resources, biotechnology, and manufacturing sectors. Mr. Malana holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Certified Management Accountant).

The Board, management, and extended Apex team extend their sincere thanks to Mr. Cojuco for his exemplary service and dedication and contribution to the company.

Clarification on the Amended Lithium Creek Project Option Agreement

The Company also wishes to clarify that the exploration and development expenditures due to be completed on or before August 25, 2026, in its news release dated October 27, 2025, increased from $1,000,000 (instead of $1,200,000) to $1,266,000.

About Apex Resources Inc.

Apex is a Vancouver-based exploration company with a suite of precious and critical minerals projects and historic mines located in the United States and Canada.

The Lithium Creek Project is Apex's flagship project with placer claims covering hundreds of square miles within the aerially extensive Fernley, Humboldt, and Carson Sinks, and includes widespread naturally flowing lithium brine groundwater. The Lithium Creek Project is strategically located near the City of Reno and within 40 minutes of the principle North American battery hub, hosting the Tesla Gigafactory and other key industry players in the Lithium Ion battery supply chain.

The Jersey-Emerald Property is wholly owned by Apex and encompasses the historic Jersey Lead-Zinc Mine - British Columbia's second largest historic zinc mine, and the Emerald Tungsten Mine - Canada's second largest historic tungsten mine, both located in southern British Columbia.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

Apex Resources Inc.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term in defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277830

SOURCE: Apex Resources Inc.
Among the guests: President of the Constitutional Court Giovanni Amoroso and Intesa Sanpaolo CEO Carlo Messina

ROME, Dec. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The future of Europe, international change and artificial intelligence were at the heart of the opening ceremony for the 2025-2026 academic year at Luiss Guido Carli University. Held in the Aula Magna at the university's Viale Pola campus in Rome, the event brought together university leadership, students and invited guests. This year's focus: Europe, examined through legal, institutional and economic lenses to reflect on its possible future trajectories. Guests of honour included Giovanni Amoroso, President of the Constitutional Court, and Carlo Messina, CEO and Managing Director of Intesa Sanpaolo.

"Europe is undergoing a complex and structural transformation," said Luiss Rector Paolo Boccardelli in his opening address. "Geopolitical tensions, the industrial, technological and sustainable transition, and demographic and social changes are reshaping the very balance that has underpinned our stability for decades. In this context, our university cannot remain a passive observer: by mission and identity, we are called to take an active role, with vision, responsibility and a spirit of service to the country and to Europe. We are committed to contributing to Europe's future by strengthening educational innovation, research, and programmes that shape new generations oriented towards the common good."

During the ceremony, speakers outlined the main strategic directions guiding innovation at Luiss, the university named after Guido Carli. These include the creation of a new "knowledge architecture" by rethinking learning models, skills development, teaching methodologies, and the role of artificial intelligence in education. Another is the promotion of a new "Italian and European industrial renaissance", highlighting the relationship between academic knowledge and practical expertise, supported in part by collaboration with Confindustria, Italy's main business federation. International engagement will also be expanded, with new structured academic alliances and a stronger international presence, such as the Italy-France academic channel launched with Sciences Po, the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

President of the Constitutional Court Giovanni Amoroso addressed the relationship between the Italian Constitution and the European Union, and the evolving role of the Constitutional Court within current EU legislation. "The new approach in constitutional case law now considers it admissible to raise issues of constitutional legitimacy based on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union or on primary or secondary EU law, used as intermediate benchmarks, possibly in conjunction with domestic constitutional parameters," he said. "This makes it possible for the Constitutional Court to be involved at the first stage of proceedings through the preliminary constitutional issue raised by ordinary judges."

Carlo Messina, CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, also spoke during the ceremony: "Italy and Europe face crucial challenges. This could be a turning point, enabling a more solid path to growth, grounded in shared debt and market union. Our country can rely on political stability, careful management of public finances, and a diversified, dynamic manufacturing base. Our savings and investment capacity remain important strengths, supported by a robust banking system. But it is our human capital that makes the difference: talent, creativity, and adaptability. Young people must be listened to and supported in their ambitions. Their energy and intelligence are the key to long-term growth in our country."

Closing the ceremony, Giorgio Fossa, Chair of Luiss University, said: "As a university, our duty is to equip students with tools and values so that education is not merely a transfer of skills, but preparation for the real world. It is in the collaboration between the production, institutional and academic systems that we can build a solid alliance capable of turning knowledge into vision, and vision into progress."

For more information:

Press Office LaPresse - ufficio.stampa@lapresse.it

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d9d1e673-a1fe-4571-a52d-aa1423fc272b
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The MOMENTUM 2025 Development Finance Conference, which ran from 9 to 11 December, saw the signing of 45 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements with a total value of approximately SAR 6 billion. Signed by the National Development Fund (NDF) and its affiliated sector funds and banks with leading local, regional, and international partners, these MoUs and agreements will help accelerate investment, empower the private sector, and unlock new opportunities across priority sectors including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), tourism, culture, human capital, infrastructure, and sustainable development.

At the institutional level, NDF signed two strategic agreements with leading global technology and professional services partners to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence, data, and digital solutions across the development finance ecosystem. These agreements aim to enhance NDF's institutional capabilities, promote innovation in products and services, and improve the overall effectiveness and impact of development financing in the Kingdom.

The National Infrastructure Fund signed an MoU to unify development efforts in support of small enterprises through the joint design of a developmental financing model for SMEs.

The SME Bank signed 19 MoUs and cooperation agreements, advancing finance ecosystem development and strengthening integration between public and private sector entities.

The Tourism Development Fund signed six agreements with a number of government and private-sector partners, expanding its portfolio. These agreements aim to enhance financing solutions through the Fund's Tourism Enablement Programs dedicated to micro, small, and medium enterprises.

The Cultural Development Fund signed five credit facility agreements under the Cultural Financing Program, to support a range of cultural projects.

In support of human capital development, the Human Resources Development Fund signed three agreements to empower more than 2,000 job seekers across multiple sectors.

The Saudi Industrial Development Fund signed a cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) to identify opportunities that support the industrial sector, including railway industry development, and to assist investors in localizing goods and services in order to increase local content.

The Saudi Fund for Development signed five development MoUs with Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, the Middle East Green Initiative, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), and the Arab Urban Development Institute.

In addition, the Events Investment Fund signed a partnership agreement with Legends Global to enhance the events sector by leveraging international expertise in hosting major global events.

As part of expanding digital solutions dedicated to development finance, Sulaiman Al Rajhi Foundation for Development Finance and Arweqah Alreyadah Company formalized a new partnership agreement to establish a development finance platform.

Collectively, the MoUs signed at MOMENTUM 2025 represent a significant step forward in Saudi Arabia's efforts to build a diversified, inclusive, and sustainable economy. By aligning public and private capital with national priorities in infrastructure, SMEs, human capital, culture, and green growth, these partnerships will help bridge financing gaps, de-risk strategic projects, and generate long-term value for Saudi citizens, businesses, and communities while contributing to global sustainable development objectives.

With more than 35 dialogue sessions, over 100 speakers from around the world, and an exhibition featuring more than 20 public and private entities, the MOMENTUM 2025 Development Finance Conference stands as a clear manifestation of the Kingdom's focus on turning collaboration into tangible achievements, drive green and inclusive growth, and contribute to a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.

Contact:

momentum@grayling.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b02c1c6-ea5f-406e-890c-f9f57af26123
BERLIN, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The holiday season is a time for family, warmth, and well-being-but winter conditions can also make breathing less comfortable for many seniors and adults. Cold weather, dry indoor air, and seasonal illnesses often affect overall respiratory comfort, highlighting the growing interest in convenient, affordable oxygen solutions for everyday use.

While medical treatment remains essential for chronic diseases such as COPD or asthma, home and portable oxygen concentrators like those from VARON play a supporting role in enhancing daily breathing comfort and general wellness.

VARON's range of oxygen solutions includes the Serene 5 Home Oxygen Concentrator , which delivers medical-grade oxygen solution with easy-to-read controls and mobility-friendly design. For seniors who require oxygen on the move, the VP-6 Continuous Flow Portable Oxygen Concentrator is lightweight, intuitive, and allows active, outdoor, or travel use.

During the holiday season, seniors face additional health challenges, including fatigue from gatherings, colder temperatures, and potential exposure to seasonal illnesses. Reliable oxygen therapy plays a critical role in supporting seniors' wellness during this time. Proper oxygen support can help maintain energy, improve sleep quality, and reduce the risk of respiratory complications-allowing older adults to safely participate in family activities and enjoy the holidays with greater comfort and independence.

VARON Holiday Wellness Across Europe:

Varon Germany (December 10-25, 2025)

15% off all oxygen concentrators

20 gift card included with purchase

Varon France (December 10-25, 2025)

15% off VL Lightweight and VP portable oxygen concentrators

12% off VH series and Serene 5 Home Oxygen Concentrators

20 gift card included with purchase

These initiatives are designed to make essential oxygen therapy more accessible to families while emphasizing the importance of seasonal health. Seniors and caregivers are encouraged to consider timely access to these devices, which can prevent complications, reduce fatigue, and support a higher quality of life during winter.

"Our mission at VARON is to help seniors live healthier, more independent lives. Reliable oxygen support is not just a medical necessity-it is a key part of daily well-being. This holiday season, we hope families across Europe prioritize respiratory health and ensure their loved ones have the support they need." - CEO of VARON

For more information on VARON's European offerings, holiday initiatives, and devices, visit Varon official website.

Media Contact:

Website: VARON

Email:

Germany: support@varoninc.de

France: support@varoninc.fr

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2660036/5669195/varon_oxygen_concentrator_logo_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/varon-brings-accessible-oxygen-therapy-to-families-across-europe-this-holiday-season-302640157.html
HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / DR H recently announced a strengthened strategic direction focused on elevating the integration of fashion and technology within the smart wearable market. Centered on the concept of "AI + Health," the brand aims to advance its design philosophy and expand user adoption of smart rings, smart glasses, and lifestyle-focused wearable products.

In recent years, the smart wearable market has undergone profound changes, and consumer expectations for smart wearables have shifted toward design-driven products, with appearance becoming a decisive factor in purchasing decisions. This clearly demonstrates that fashion has become a new competitive dimension for products. Against this backdrop, DR H integrates technology with fashion, focusing on emerging categories like smart rings and smart glasses to precisely meet consumers' growing aesthetic expectations for wearable devices.

With just a lightweight ring on fingers, users can track health and well being throughout the day; with a simple touch on the temple of a pair of smart glasses, music plays directly in the ears-these seemingly futuristic experiences are quietly entering everyday life through products from DR H .

A Fashion-Tech Brand at the Crossroads of East and West

Founded in Hong Kong in 2023 by Hitrons Intelligence Limited, DR H aims to merge technology with Eastern and Western design aesthetics. Centered on " AI + Health ", the brand offers urban users advanced, stylish, and thoughtful smart wearables.

DR H's Brand Director, renowned designer Alan Chan, infuses his "Oriental Passion and Western Harmony" philosophy into the brand's DNA. He transforms technology into a stylish daily companion, focusing on simplicity, elegance, and cultural resonance over excessive features.

Alan Chan brings half a century of his "Oriental Passion and Western Harmony" design philosophy to the brand's DNA. Under his guidance, technology is transformed from a functional tool into a daily companion and an expression of personal style. Each product line emphasizes simplicity, elegance, and cultural resonance rather than feature overload.

Technology Aesthetics at Fingertips

At DR H, design comes first. Every product series is rooted in Chinese traditional culture and expressed through modern design language. The brand avoids merely stacking features; instead, it focuses on simplifying functions, making technology invisible yet elegant, and creating devices users are delighted to wear all day.

The DR H TAIJI Smart Ring , the brand's flagship product, exemplifies its philosophy. Offered as a pair-one black and one white to symbolize day and night-the rings feature jewelry-grade plating for a subtle, luxurious finish. The dual-ring design enables continuous monitoring of heart rate, body temperature, activity, sleep, and stress levels, while the rotation system addresses common battery concerns associated with wearable devices.

Users who upgraded from a smartwatch to the DR H TAIJI Smart Ring no longer worry about battery life. While charging a smartwatch can be troublesome, the dual-ring design makes charging simple and daily, allowing the rings to be worn 24/7 without constant monitoring.

The device also helps new parents and busy professionals manage their well-being. With the DR HHH app's mindfulness exercises, they can quickly adjust sleep, stress, and overall health-making the product more than a digital device, but a caring health companion.

The DR H WUJI Smart Ring further elevates the concept of technological jewelry. Featuring adjustable sizing and gemstone embellishments, DR H WUJI Smart Ring combines advanced health tracking with refined craftsmanship, including menstrual tracking and enhanced activity analysis, positioning it as both a personal health tool and a statement piece.

Smart Glasses: Technology Meets Everyday Style

Following the success of smart rings, DR H expanded into smart glasses. The glasses also reinforce the brand's philosophy of integrating technology into fashion accessories.

The smart glasses series seamlessly integrates OWS open-ear audio and smart interaction systems into the frames. Users can connect to their phones via Bluetooth and control music, calls, voice assistants, and remote photography with a touch on the temple. The DR H IntelliShade Sunglasses feature classic square-round sunglass frames for stylish urban outings, while the DR H IntelliView Glasses offer a frameless minimalist design for a professional, intellectual look.

The DR H IntelliShade Sunglasses help address several everyday driving needs. In addition to providing sun protection and versatility, the glasses allow for navigation and music playback without extra earphones, while enabling real-time conversation with travel companions.

Building on the success of smart rings and glasses, DR H plans to extend its technology and aesthetics philosophy into additional lifestyle categories, including smart clip mics, water bottles, and sleep masks, with the goal of creating a holistic smart lifestyle ecosystem.

Establishing a New Benchmark in the Market

In its debut year, DR H rapidly gained market recognition due to its unique positioning. User numbers grew steadily, with sales exceeding one million units. The brand secured a top-three ranking in smart ring sales during major e-commerce promotions.

These achievements validate the effectiveness and market potential of DR H's technology and fashion model.

Looking ahead, DR H aims to evolve from a rising smart hardware brand into a leader in advocating an intelligent and elegant lifestyle, setting a new benchmark for the global fashion-tech industry.

About DR H:

DR H is a smart wearable brand committed to the development of "AI + Health" solutions. The company focuses on integrating advanced technology with modern design aesthetics, offering smart rings, smart glasses, and lifestyle devices that support the daily well-being of urban users. DR H strives to build a seamless, stylish ecosystem of smart products that enhance everyday life.

Media Contact

Organization: Hitrons Intelligence Limited

Contact Person Name: Shirley Xu

Website: https://www.doctorhhh.shop

Email: sales@doctorhhh.com

City: Hong Kong

Country: China

SOURCE: Hitrons Intelligence Limited

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/dr-h-announces-strategic-direction-to-lead-fashion-tech-wearable-marke-1116975
70 Embassies Unite to Celebrate Global Culture and Traditions at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the 12th Annual Embassy Showcase, Winternational, presented by World Trade Center Washington, DC (WTCDC), gathered 70 embassies and cultural organizations and welcomed 8,000 guests to celebrate international culture, tourism, and trade at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC).

"Winternational is a vibrant celebration of culture, diplomacy, and connection," said Allyson Browne McKithen, Executive Director of World Trade Center Washington, DC; Vice President of International Programs for TCMA; and the event's founder. "With 8,000 attendees and 70 participating embassies and cultural organizations, this year's Showcase highlighted the strength that comes from uniting as a global community. Only in Washington can you experience such a powerful display of cultural exchange-one that deepens understanding, fosters meaningful relationships, and reminds us that shared experiences build lasting bridges between nations."

As exhibits opened, more than 25 ambassadors joined event organizers and stakeholders for a private reception, overlooking the bustling showcase floor. Kimberly A. Basset, Secretary of State of the District of Columbia, delivered Mayor Muriel Bowser's proclamation declaring "Winternational Day" in Washington, D.C. Remarks were also shared by John P. Drew, President and CEO of TCMA (A Drew Company); H. E. Abdulkhaliq Bin Rafaa, Ambassador of League of Arab States Mission; and Felis Andrade, Director of External Communications and Community Relations for Giant Food. Each speaker emphasized the significance of the Showcase as a platform for public diplomacy and a valuable opportunity for Washington's vibrant diplomatic community to connect with local residents.

Winternational transformed the RRB/ITC into a global marketplace with interactive embassy displays featuring traditional art, cuisine, handicrafts, and tourism experiences. Guests enjoyed elaborate Bolivian carnival masks, photo opportunities with a Qatari Gyr Falcon, and a dynamic performance stage curated by the League of Arab States Mission. Exhibitors also offered authentic handmade goods including Rwandan peace baskets, Honduran jewelry, Guyanese wood carvings, Ecuadorian ponchos, and embroidered textiles from Palestine and Malaysia. Attendees sampled and purchased culinary offerings such as Jamaican meat patties, Slovenian walnut potica, Grenadian Oil Down, Egyptian Koshary, the Cypriot dessert soutzoukos and Halloumi cheese, and single origin coffees from Colombia, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Vietnam, plus a selection of international snacks, beverages, and spices from Platinum Sponsor Giant Food's pop-up market.

This year marked the introduction of a dedicated performance stage in the Atrium, featuring 12 international dance troupes representing Azerbaijan, Cuba, Gabon, Ethiopia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and more. The Showcase also marked the debut of the "Best Embassy Exhibit" Awards, adding a new element of excitement and recognition to the program. A panel of distinguished judges selected Algeria, Ethiopia, and Malaysia to receive the Judges' Choice Awards, honoring one standout exhibit from each of the three exhibition halls. Throughout the day, attendees eagerly cast thousands of votes for their favorite cultural display, ultimately naming Saudi Arabia as the winner of the People's Choice Award.

Participating embassies included Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, League of Arab States, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sudan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkiye, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

"Each year, Winternational grows in scale, energy, and global significance," said John P. Drew, President and CEO of TCMA (A Drew Company), the exclusive manager of RRB/ITC. "It has become a cornerstone event for international diplomacy in Washington-bringing the world together under one roof and offering a powerful platform for cultural exchange, trade, and tourism promotion. What began as a small outdoor celebration is now the nation's largest embassy marketplace, strengthening our global network and advancing our mission to make the World Trade Center Washington, DC at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center a premier destination for global commerce and cultural connection."

Winternational was made possible with support from Presenting Sponsors: World Trade Center Washington, DC, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and TCMA; Platinum Sponsors: Giant Food and the League of Arab States; Gold Sponsors: World Trade Center Boston and World Trade Center Dublin; Silver Sponsors: Argos Fragrances, Black Professionals in International Affairs, Ibero-American Cultural Attache Association, Swiftdox, and Washington International Trade Association; Bronze Sponsors: Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, National Children's Museum, Theatre Washington, The American Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, U.S.-Kyrgyzstan Business Council, and U.S.-Tajikistan Business Council; and Media Sponsors: El Tiempo Latino and The Washington Diplomat.

About Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC)

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center is a dynamic hub for government, business, culture, and community, in the heart of the nation's capital. As the first and only federal building dedicated to both public and private use, RRB/ITC is the official World Trade Center Washington, D.C., and a premier conference and event venue with executive office space, attractions, dining, retail, parking, and community activities.

World Trade Center Washington, D.C. (WTCDC) utilizes World Trade Centers Association's vast ecosystem, of more than 1 million affiliated businesses in nearly 100 countries and territories to leverage its global connections and capabilities. With this extended network, WTCDC ensures the RRB/ITC offers a powerful forum for convening international dialogue, fostering diplomacy, and advancing a more prosperous U.S. economy. Through strategic partnerships and tailored programming, WTCDC presents the RRB/ITC as a premier destination for influential events including high-profile summits, conferences, and cultural programs. Visit www.rrbitc.com or follow us at @ReaganITCDC.

Trade Center Management Associates (TCMA) is the exclusive manager of Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC). TCMA's team specializes in International Trade Services, Real-Estate Management and Hospitality. For more information, visit drewcompany.com/hospitality.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2843935/WINTERNATIONAL_2025.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586147/RRBITC_WTCDC_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/12th-annual-winternational-embassy-showcase-draws-8-000-guests-302639767.html
A technology-driven critical metals exploration company reshoring Western metal production through patented processing IP, strategic exploration assets, and global business opportunities

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Temas Resources Corp. ("Temas" or the "Company") (ASX:TIO)(CSE:TMAS)(OTCQB:TMASF)(FSE:26P0) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a consulting and marketing services agreement dated 11 December, 2025 with Christian Klingebiel of Milestone Capital Partners to support expanded investor awareness initiatives in Europe.

Under the eight-week engagement, Mr. Klingebiel and Milestone Capital Partners will provide a range of marketing and public relations services, including:

Editorial and newsletter marketing aimed at enhancing Temas' visibility across key European investor channels;

Arranging media coverage in Germany and broader European markets;

Introducing the Company to qualified investors in Germany and Europe; and

Other mutually agreed services designed to increase market awareness of Temas' activities and strategic direction.

In consideration for these services, Temas will pay a one-time fee of 70,000. Mr Klingebiel and Milestone Capital Partners is arm's length to the Company and holds no securities of Temas. All public communications relating to the Company will continue to be managed or authorised by Temas to ensure full compliance with regulatory obligations.

- ENDS -

Approved for Release by the Board of Directors.

For further information, contact:

Tim Fernback

President & CEO

timf@temasresources.com Jane Morgan

Investor & Media Relations

jm@janemorganmanagement.com.au

+ 61 (0) 405 555 618 Christian Klingebiel

Milestone Capital Partners

Le Millefiori - 1 Rue des Genets

98000 Monaco

ck@mcp.ltd

+41 79 798 00 47

Or visit our website at www.temasresources.com

Disclaimer

No representations or warranty, express or implied, is made by the Company that the material contained in this announcement will be achieved or proved correct. Except for the statutory liability which cannot be excluded, each of the Company, its directors, officers, employees, advisors, and agents expressly disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy, fairness, sufficiency or completeness of the material contained in this announcement and excludes all liability whatsoever (including in negligence) for an loss or damage which may be suffered by any person as a consequence of any information in this announcement or any effort or omission therefrom. The Company will not update of keep current the information contained in this announcement or to correct any inaccuracy or omission which may become apparent, or to furnish any person with any further information. Any opinions expressed in the announcement are subject to change without notice.

About Temas Resources

Revolutionising Metal Production

Proprietary IP. Global Licensing. Titanium & Critical Minerals.

Temas Resources Corp. (ASX:TIO)(CSE:TMAS)(OTCQB:TMASF)(FRA:26P0) is a technology-driven critical minerals company advancing a dual-business model built around proprietary processing innovation and strategic mineral ownership. The Company's patented Regenerative Chloride Leach (RCL) technology platform delivers significant operational cost reductions - validated at up to 65% lower than traditional processing - while dramatically reducing energy use and environmental impact.

Temas' RCL process is the foundation of its technology licensing and partnership business, enabling global mining and materials companies to adopt sustainable, high-margin metal extraction methods across a range of critical minerals including titanium, vanadium, nickel, and rare earth elements.?

Complementing its technology division, Temas also owns 100% of two advanced titanium-vanadium-iron projects in Quebec, Canada - La Blache and Lac Brule - which are strategically positioned to feed directly into the Company's proprietary processing platform, creating a fully integrated mine-to-market supply chain for Western metals.

Through this combination of innovative IP commercialisation and resource ownership, Temas Resources is positioned to deliver scalable, low-carbon solutions that strengthen Western critical-mineral independence and create long-term value for shareholders.

Follow us:

https://temasresources.com

https://x.com/TMASResources

https://www.linkedin.com/company/temas-resources-corp

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements

Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with mineral exploration generally and results from anticipated and proposed exploration programs, conditions in the equity financing markets, and assumptions and risks regarding receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals.

Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

SOURCE: Temas Resources Corp.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/temas-engages-european-consultant-to-support-investor-awareness-1116924
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Sol Systems, a national independent power producer (IPP) and leading U.S. renewable energy developer, announced today a new partnership with Gas South and Cobb Electric Membership Corporation (Cobb EMC) to fund a hands-on, renewable-energy-focused STEM education program for teachers and students in Georgia's Cherokee County School District (CCSD).

This latest collaboration marks the second phase of a community impact initiative between Sol Systems and Gas South that ties corporate clean-energy investments to local educational benefits. The partnership will provide an investment from Sol Systems, Gas South and the Cobb EMC Foundation to expand the reach of the KidWind program - an award-winning national STEM education model that helps teachers bring renewable energy lessons to life in classrooms across the country.

"When companies like Sol Systems, Gas South and Cobb EMC invest in local education, they help create real pathways to opportunity," said Adaora Ifebigh, Senior Director of Community Impact at Sol Systems. "By pairing clean-energy investments with hands-on learning, we're preparing a new generation of students to become problem solvers who can lead Georgia's energy future."

"This partnership is a great example of how energy procurement businesses can deliver benefits that go beyond clean power," said Carley Stephens, Director of Corporate Giving at Gas South. "Together, we're helping schools spark curiosity, inspire innovation and build stronger communities."

"KidWind empowers teachers to make renewable energy tangible for students," said Mike Arquin, Founder and Executive Director of KidWind. "Support from Sol Systems, Gas South, and Cobb EMC enables us to reach even more classrooms and give students the tools to explore and innovate."

"Our district is excited to expand this opportunity to Cherokee County educators," said Erin Jacobs, Director of Accountability & Assessment at Cherokee County School District. "The enthusiasm from our teachers and students shows just how relevant and inspiring energy education can be through authentic, standards-based and real-world learning opportunities."

Through this investment, CCSD will train educators, develop renewable-energy learning tools, and support schools with STEM certification, equipping students with the skills to thrive in Georgia's growing clean-energy economy. The program will provide instructional resources that support STEM and Science standards related to critical thinking in context as students engage in investigations and propose innovative solutions. The partnership builds on the success of the 2023-2024 pilot with Gwinnett County Public Schools, which engaged over 45 teachers from 17 schools in the professional learning program, providing the opportunity to educate over 30,000 Georgia students on STEM and renewable energy. Participating teachers reported increased student engagement and enthusiasm for renewable energy topics. Based on teacher feedback, Cherokee County educators helped co-design this year's program, underscoring its grassroots, community-driven nature.

The Sol Systems-Gas South collaboration demonstrates a growing model for "energy with impact" - where large-scale energy partnerships deliver both decarbonization and community benefit. The two companies' investments in solar projects nationwide are paired with targeted local funding that supports education, workforce development, and equitable access to clean energy.

This partnership will help schools equip students with the skills to thrive in Georgia's growing clean-energy economy.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11299/277803_a3491fa604dbe954_001full.jpg

###

About Sol Systems

Sol Systems is an Independent Power Producer (IPP) committed to building, owning, and managing clean energy infrastructure that benefits local communities. With over 7 GW of projects across 38 states, Sol integrates energy storage and grid resiliency solutions to deliver reliable, sustainable power to Fortune 500 companies, municipalities, utilities, and schools. Through strategic partnerships and community reinvestment, Sol ensures clean energy development drives long-term economic and environmental benefits. Founded in 2008 and led by its founder, Sol Systems is dedicated to shaping an energy future we can all believe in.

About Gas South

Gas South is a natural gas provider with a purpose to Be A Fuel For Good by caring for our customers and employees and elevating our industry and communities. Formed in 2006 as a subsidiary of Cobb EMC, the Atlanta-based company serves nearly 500,000 residential, commercial, industrial and wholesale customers throughout the South, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Gas South's mission is to be the energy provider of choice by delivering exceptional value, service and simplicity. Gas South gives 5% back of annual profits to help support children in need. Learn more at GasSouth.com.

About Cobb EMC

Cobb EMC is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 200,000 residential and commercial members across metro Atlanta. Through the Cobb EMC Foundation, the cooperative invests in education and community programs that improve quality of life and foster economic opportunity. www.cobbemc.com

About Cherokee County School District

Cherokee County School District is a high-performing public school system in Metro Atlanta, with 40 schools and centers, 6,000 employees and 40,500 students.

About KidWind

KidWind is a national leader in renewable energy education, providing tools, training, and curricula to help teachers bring hands-on energy learning into their classrooms. Since 2003, KidWind has empowered more than 50,000 educators and millions of students to explore the science of wind, solar, and emerging energy technologies. www.kidwind.org

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277803

SOURCE: Sol Systems
Chicago, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - SYNTHOLENE ENERGY CORP (TSXV: ESAF) ("Syntholene" or the "Company") announces that the Company's shares have commenced trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ESAF, positioning the Company as the first publicly traded pure-play synthetic fuel company in the world.





Cannot view this video? Visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnV0VXGJnVg

"Listing on the TSXV marks a pivotal moment for Syntholene as we embark on our mission to deliver high-performance and capital-efficient synthetic fuel to the airline industry and beyond," stated Syntholene CEO Dan Sutton. "Our team is excited to share Syntholene's objectives with investors, build lasting partnerships, and take our place in the rapid growth sector eFuel sector. We are ready to get to work to build an opportunity for shareholders to participate from day one of this new era for low-cost, high-performance, and carbon-neutral eFuels."

Syntholene is actively commercializing its novel Thermal Hybrid Production Process for low-cost clean fuel synthesis. The target output is ultrapure synthetic jet fuel ("eSAF" or "eFuel"), produced at 70% lower cost than the nearest competing technology today. The company's mission is to deliver the world's first truly high-performance, low-cost, and carbon-neutral synthetic fuel at an industrial scale. Syntholene's production pathway aims to drive emissions reduction into carbon negativity, and to actively reduce carbon in the atmosphere with every liter consumed.

eFuel Market

Synthetic aviation fuel is a clean, drop-in-ready jet fuel made from renewable power, green hydrogen, and captured CO2, offering up to 90% lower lifecycle emissions and helping airlines meet global decarbonization mandates without changing their aircraft engines or retrofitting.

The broader global aviation fuel market size was valued by Fortune Business Insights at USD 391.23 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow from USD 431.70 billion in 2024 to USD 819.73 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.35% during the forecast period (source).

According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global sustainable aviation fuel market is projected to expand from an estimated USD 2.06 billion in 2025 to approximately USD $25.62 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 65.5%.

Within these projections lies the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, the European Union's landmark mandate requiring airlines and fuel suppliers to adopt sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at all major EU and EU Economic Zone airports starting in 2025. The regulation sets binding, rising SAF blending requirements of 2% in 2025, 6% in 2030, 20% in 2035 and up to 70% by 2050, creating one of the world's largest guaranteed markets for clean jet fuel (Source).

The EU has also paired this demand-side measure with a supply-side subsidy, offering up to 6 per liter to airlines that purchase eSAF specifically (Source: Reuters). The combination of mandated demand and subsidized supply underscores the EU's seriousness about bolstering the rapid scale-up of eSAF production from producers like Syntholene.

About Syntholene

Syntholene is actively commercializing its novel Hybrid Thermal Production System for low-cost clean fuel synthesis. The target output is ultrapure synthetic jet fuel, manufactured at 70% lower cost than the nearest competing technology today. The company's mission is to deliver the world's first truly high-performance, low-cost, and carbon-neutral synthetic fuel at an industrial scale, unlocking the potential to produce clean synthetic fuel at lower cost than fossil fuels, for the first time.

Syntholene's power-to-liquid strategy harnesses thermal energy to power proprietary integrations of hydrogen production and fuel synthesis. Syntholene has secured 20MW of dedicated energy to support the Company's upcoming demonstration facility and commercial scale-up.

Founded by experienced operators across advanced energy infrastructure, nuclear technology, low-emissions steel refining, process engineering, and capital markets, Syntholene aims to be the first team to deliver a scalable modular production platform for cost-competitive synthetic fuel, thus accelerating the commercialization of carbon-neutral eFuels across global markets.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "aims", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including but not limited to statements regarding the completion of the definitive agreement, successful implementation of the test facility, commercial scalability, technical and economic viability, anticipated geothermal power availability, anticipated benefit of eFuel, and future commercial opportunities, are forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including without limitation the assumption that the Company will be able to execute its business plan, that the eFuel will have its expected benefits, that there will be market adoption, and that the Company will be able to access financing as needed to fund its business plan. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties.

Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including, without limitation, Syntholene's ability to meet production targets, realize projected economic benefits, overcome technical challenges, secure financing, maintain regulatory compliance, manage geopolitical risks, and successfully negotiate definitive terms. Syntholene does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Readers are advised to exercise caution and not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277804

SOURCE: Syntholene Energy Corp - DNU
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Great Pacific Gold Corp. (TSXV: GPAC) (OTCQX: GPGCF) (FSE: V3H) ("Great Pacific Gold," "GPAC," or the "Company") announces that it has closed the previously announced Plan of Arrangement in connection with the spin out (the "Spin Out") of Walhalla Gold Corp. ("Walhalla"), whereby Great Pacific Gold will distribute the shares of Walhalla to the shareholders of GPAC (the "Shareholders"). Walhalla owns the Walhalla Gold Project in Victoria, Australia.

The Spin Out was implemented under the terms of an arrangement agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") among the Company, 1537559 B.C. Ltd. ("Finco") and Walhalla, pursuant to which the Shareholders will receive: (i) one (1) common share of Walhalla for every Class A Common Share in the Company held (the "Class A Share"); and (ii) one new common share of the Company (the "New GPAC Share") for every Class A Share held.

As a result of the Spin Out, the Shareholders of the Company ceased to be holders of the Class A Shares so exchanged, and the Class A Shares were cancelled by the Company. Each Shareholder became a Shareholder of Walhalla, subject to the amount of Class A Shares held by that Shareholder, and Walhalla became a reporting issuer in the Province of British Columbia.

In addition, Finco previously made a one-time payment of $1,500,000 to the Company under the Arrangement Agreement. Prior to Walhalla listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange, Walhalla will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Finco. The Company also retains a 2% net smelter return royalty on the Walhalla Gold Project.

The New GPAC Shares will be listed on the TSXV at the market opening on December 16, 2025.

Walhalla has applied to list its common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange and the listing of Wahalla remains subject to acceptance of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Walhalla Gold Project

The Walhalla-Woods Point Goldfield is one of Victoria, Australia's significant goldfields with an estimated total historic gold production from 54 mines of 2.2Mozs (72.2 tonnes) at a gold grade of 25.3g/t (Source: GeoVic, 2020), approximately 10% of the state's historic gold production. It is estimated that there are over 420 mines/workings for gold within the goldfield, which lies in the Palaeozoic-aged Melbourne geological structural zone, some 150km east of Melbourne.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Callum Spink, the Company's Vice President, Exploration, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, MAIG, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Spink is responsible for the technical content of this news release. Mr. Spink is not independent of the Company.

About Great Pacific Gold

Great Pacific Gold's vision is to become the leading gold-copper development company in Papua New Guinea ("PNG"). The Company has a portfolio of exploration-stage projects in PNG, as follows:

Wild Dog Project: the Company's flagship project is located in the East New Britain province of PNG. The project consists of a large-scale epithermal target, the Wild Dog structural corridor, stretching 15 km in strike length and potentially over 1,000 meters deep based on a recent MobileMT geophysics survey. The survey also highlighted the Magiabe porphyry target, adjacent to the epithermal target and potentially 1,000 meters in diameter and over 2,000 meters deep. Drilling of the epithermal structure on the Sinivit target has yielded high-grade results, including WDG-08 which intercepted 8.4 meters at 50 g/t AuEq from 154 meters. The current drilling program will extend into 2026 with second drill rig expecting to be operational in February 2026.





the Company's flagship project is located in the East New Britain province of PNG. The project consists of a large-scale epithermal target, the Wild Dog structural corridor, stretching 15 km in strike length and potentially over 1,000 meters deep based on a recent MobileMT geophysics survey. The survey also highlighted the Magiabe porphyry target, adjacent to the epithermal target and potentially 1,000 meters in diameter and over 2,000 meters deep. Drilling of the epithermal structure on the Sinivit target has yielded high-grade results, including WDG-08 which intercepted 8.4 meters at 50 g/t AuEq from 154 meters. The current drilling program will extend into 2026 with second drill rig expecting to be operational in February 2026. Kesar Project: located in the Eastern Highlands province of PNG and contiguous with the mine tenements of K92 Mining Inc. ("K92"), the Kesar Project is a greenfield exploration project with several high-priority targets in close proximity to the property boundary with K92. Multiple epithermal veins at Kesar are on strike and have the same orientation as key K92 deposits, such as Kora. Exploration work to date by the Company at the Kesar Project has shown that these veins have high grades of gold present in outcrop and very elevated gold in soil grades, coincident with aeromagnetic highs. The Company conducted a diamond drill program on key target areas at the Kesar Project from November 2024 to May 2025 and have developed a follow-up Phase 2 program for 2026.





located in the Eastern Highlands province of PNG and contiguous with the mine tenements of K92 Mining Inc. ("K92"), the Kesar Project is a greenfield exploration project with several high-priority targets in close proximity to the property boundary with K92. Multiple epithermal veins at Kesar are on strike and have the same orientation as key K92 deposits, such as Kora. Exploration work to date by the Company at the Kesar Project has shown that these veins have high grades of gold present in outcrop and very elevated gold in soil grades, coincident with aeromagnetic highs. The Company conducted a diamond drill program on key target areas at the Kesar Project from November 2024 to May 2025 and have developed a follow-up Phase 2 program for 2026. Arau Project: also located in the Eastern Highlands province of PNG, the Arau Project is south of and contiguous to the mine tenements of K92. Arau contains the highly prospective Mt. Victor exploration target with potential for a high sulfidation epithermal gold-base metal deposit. A Phase 1 Reverse Circulation drilling program was completed at Mt. Victor in August 2024, with encouraging results. The Arau Project includes the Elandora licence, which also contains various epithermal and copper-gold porphyry targets.

The Company also holds the Tinga Valley Project in PNG.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Great Pacific Gold cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by many material factors, most of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Great Pacific Gold's limited operating history, its exploration and development activities on its mineral properties and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Great Pacific Gold does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277843

SOURCE: Great Pacific Gold Corp.
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - NeoTerrex Minerals Inc. (TSXV: NTX) ("NeoTerrex" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") by issuing 2,000,000 units (the "Units") of the Company at a price of $0.25 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $500,000. Each unit consists of one common share and one-half of a common share purchase warrant exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date the Units are issued at a price of $0.40 per share. There are no finders fee paid in connection with the Private Placement and the Units are subject to a four-month and one day hold period. The Company has paid to the subscribers a total of $20,000 in administrative fees in connection with the Private Placement. The Private Placement is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The entirety of the proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for exploration on the Company's critical metals projects in Quebec, including its Strange Lake West project.

The Company is very pleased to receive the support of Quebec-based SIDEX limited partnership ("SIDEX") and NQ Mining Investment ("NQMI") who each contributed $250,000 in the Private Placement.

"We are extremely pleased with the recognition and support provided to NeoTerrex by SIDEX and NQMI," says Mathieu Stephens, President and CEO of NeoTerrex. "Their investment follows a rigorous selection process, which we believe validates the potential of the Company's critical metal projects."

About Sidex

SIDEX is an initiative of the Quebec government and the Fonds de solidarite FTQ. Its mission is to invest in companies engaged in mineral exploration in Quebec in order to diversify the province's mineral base, promote innovation and encourage new entrepreneurs.

About NQMI

NQ Mining Investment is a Matagami-based regional investment fund dedicated to mining development in Northern Quebec. The fund offers support and strategic expertise to exploration companies, with investments guided by a sustainable and responsible approach, promoting positive spin-offs for local and aboriginal communities.

About NeoTerrex

NeoTerrex's projects are located in Quebec, a province recognized for its exceptional infrastructure, supportive regulatory framework, and growing importance within the North American critical minerals supply chain. With a portfolio of well-positioned assets, NeoTerrex is strategically aligned to capitalize on the accelerating demand for rare earth elements and other key materials essential to the defense industry and clean-energy transition.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release may contain certain forward-looking information and statements, including, without limitation, statements pertaining to NeoTerrex's future plans, objectives or goals including its exploration program and the final approval of the Private Placement by the TSX Venture Exchange. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and such information involves various risks and uncertainties. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. A description of assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information and a description of risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in the Company's disclosure documents on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277800

SOURCE: NeoTerrex Minerals Inc.
Zurich, Switzerland--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Evomi, the Swiss-based proxy provider known for its privacy-first approach and ethical data collection practices, today announced the launch of its Scraper API. This new product line represents a significant expansion from the company's established proxy services, offering developers and businesses a complete web scraping solution that combines proxy rotation, anti-bot bypass, CAPTCHA solving, and AI-powered data extraction in a single API endpoint.

The Evomi Scraper API addresses a common challenge faced by data driven businesses: the complexity of building and maintaining web scraping infrastructure. Instead of managing separate systems for proxies, headless browsers, and anti-bot solutions, users can now make one API call and receive clean HTML or structured data ready for immediate use.

"With the Evomi Scraper API, teams don't need to juggle proxies, browsers, and CAPTCHAs, they just call a single endpoint and get clean, structured data back," said Pascal Mueller. "We've removed the complexity of traditional scraping infrastructure, providing developers and businesses with a one-stop solution for collecting data at scale."

Comprehensive Features Set on Every Plan

What distinguishes Evomi is its highly flexible infrastructure designed to scale with your project's requirements. Evomi offers a powerful suite of advanced capabilities, allowing users to leverage features like JavaScript rendering, high-performance proxies, and CAPTCHA solving to overcome even the most difficult scraping challenges:

Anti-Bot Capabilities: Automatic bypass of standard web application firewalls, including Cloudflare, PerimeterX, and DataDome, with built-in CAPTCHA solving for reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and image-based challenges.

Global Infrastructure: Geotargeting capabilities spanning 195+ countries with city-level precision, leveraging Evomi's established proxy network.

JavaScript Rendering: Chrome-based headless browser for accurate data extraction from dynamic, JavaScript-heavy websites.

AI Enhancement: GPT-powered data extraction that converts messy HTML into structured, usable formats like JSON.

Developer-Friendly: REST endpoint with integration examples in Python, Node.js, and cURL, plus 24/7 priority support via chat, email, and Slack across all plans.

Transparent, Scalable Pricing

Evomi's Scraper API offers three subscription tiers with straightforward per-result pricing:

 Developer Plan : $44.99/month for 275,000 results ($0.16 per 1,000 results) with 25 parallel requests

: $44.99/month for 275,000 results ($0.16 per 1,000 results) with 25 parallel requests  Startup Plan : $149.99/month for 1,050,000 results ($0.14 per 1,000 results) with 55 parallel requests

: $149.99/month for 1,050,000 results ($0.14 per 1,000 results) with 55 parallel requests Business Plan: $379.99/month for 2,925,000 results ($0.13 per 1,000 results) with 105 parallel requests

For teams with variable needs, a pay-as-you-go option starts at $0.20 per 1,000 scrapes with no subscription required and credits that never expire.

"Our pricing is designed to directly challenge the high cost of entry maintained by popular providers like Decodo and Scrapeless," the company stated. "Evomi offers a substantially cheaper alternative without sacrificing reliability, ensuring that developers and enterprises no longer have to choose between high-quality data extraction and staying within their budget."

Competitive Positioning

The Scraper API enters a market dominated by established players like Apify, Bright Data, and Oxylabs. While these providers offer similar functionality, Evomi differentiates itself through affordable pricing and its Swiss quality, which focuses on privacy and ethical data collection.

As a member of the Ethical Web Data Collection Initiative, Evomi maintains strict standards for how it sources and manages its proxy infrastructure.

"The Scraper API builds on Evomi's Swiss proxy network in 195+ countries, combining global reach, strict privacy standards, and a modern AI-first data extraction layer," according to the company's announcement.

Built for Scale

The Scraper API caters to a wide range of users, from individual developers integrating web scraping into their workflows to enterprises requiring advanced anti-bot capabilities and AI data extraction. Startups and small-to-medium businesses will appreciate the ability to access reliable data at scale without the burden of managing complex scraping infrastructure.

Evomi's infrastructure is designed to grow with customer needs, offering concurrency limits up to 105 parallel requests on the Business plan, with higher limits available for enterprise customers through custom arrangements.

About Evomi

Founded by a team of proxy experts with over seven years of experience in the industry, Evomi is a Swiss-based company providing advanced proxy solutions including residential, mobile, and datacenter proxies. The company has built its reputation on ethical sourcing, Swiss quality standards, and privacy-first practices.

Evomi's proxy network spans more than 150 countries with over 100 million IPs, serving developers, marketers, and data-driven businesses worldwide. The company offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee and 24/7 customer support, with services designed to help businesses efficiently access and structure data from any website while bypassing restrictions and blocks.

With the launch of the Scraper API, Evomi transitions from a proxy-focused provider to a comprehensive data access platform, offering customers a complete solution for web data collection at scale.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277713

SOURCE: GYT
- MADUP speeds up its full-scale global market entry

MADUP is set to accelerate the global expansion of LEVER Xpert, its in-house-developed digital marketing AI agent, supported by a cumulative investment of $23M and planned KOSDAQ listing targeted for the first half of 2026.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251212215136/en/

MADUP Advertising Asset Center (Image: MADUP)

MADUP is an AI-driven marketing company that creates business impact by combining performance-centered strategies, creative execution, and AI technological capabilities across all areas of performance, technology, branding, content, and CRM. Under the mission "For Your Innovative Growth"-creating clients' growth based on data and technology-the company has built a strong track record across sectors, including beauty, fashion, finance, and O2O services, leading the growth of top-tier clients in Korea and abroad. Leveraging its creative expertise, MADUP broadened its service offerings from app marketing to integrated marketing communication (IMC) and branding, driving strong growth in global markets, such as Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

LEVER Xpert is a digital marketing AI agent that offers end-to-end support across all marketing stages, from data collection and analysis to operations. The solution is actively utilized in global marketing for Korean consumer goods companies, including K-beauty brands. By leveraging its integrated capabilities in marketing data analysis, planning, and operations, LEVER Xpert supports differentiated growth for clients. Using advertising operations data and precise AI analytics, the solution excels in analyzing advertising creatives, providing recommendations, automating operations, and proposing strategies, thereby optimizing client performance and supporting brand growth.

Based on this, the company supports marketing strategies of businesses operating in key markets, including the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia. With proven performance from reference cases across various industries, including K-beauty and other Korean consumer goods sectors, MADUP has conducted global marketing for major Korean companies-Samsung Electronics, Olive Young, MUSINSA, and MEDIHEAL-while also securing local clients in the U.S. These efforts are driving rapid progress in its market expansion.

While accelerating its global expansion, MADUP participated in the AI Innovation Accelerator (AIIA) program, offered in collaboration with NYU Stern School of Business, to develop its North American market strategy. Throughout the program, the company received practical support including: a local program based on tailored strategies and preliminary assessment by NYU faculty members and experts; webinars with local specialists; and local networking and partner meetings in New York. Additionally, MADUP joined conferences, such as beauty live conferences and KOOM 2025, to strengthen global outreach and promotion, laying a solid foundation for its local business expansion.

By 2022, MADUP attracted a cumulative $23M in investment (at a valuation of $175M) from Stonebridge Ventures, Praxis Capital Partners, IMM Investment, Krossroad Partners, and Shinhan Securities. Following its preliminary application for a KOSDAQ listing review in November 2025, the company is now working to establish a local corporation in New York by December 2025, heralding a full-scale global expansion. The company expects the listing process to be completed in the first half of 2026.

By participating in a specialized program for AI and digital business partnerships along with local networking in New York, the company is laying down the groundwork for its global expansion and will systematically strengthen its go-to-market fit.

Ju-min Lee and Erick Lee, co-CEOs of MADUP, said, "We will further speed up our global business expansion by leveraging LEVER Xpert's proven market competitiveness and our global network. We will also strengthen partnerships with local clients and global companies to make LEVER Xpert the global standard for AI marketing solutions and lead the market."

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251212215136/en/

Contacts:

MADUP

Hyonjae Yoo

+82-70-5142-8006

hjyoo@madup.com
SHANGHAI, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the theme "Imaging the Individual", RSNA 2025 challenged the radiology community to push into new frontiers and close the gap between personalized care and global health disparities. This year, United Imaging Intelligence (UII), the AI-focused subsidiary of United Imaging Group, framed that vision with a timely question: "Agent Radiologist: Are We There Yet?" The company invited attendees to experience a new generation of AI agents capable of understanding, reasoning, and acting across the entire care pathway, bringing more precise and accessible healthcare within reach.

Digital Transformation in Action: Medical Imaging Powered by AI Agents

The question "Agent Radiologist: Are We There Yet?" was inspired by uAI Insight, a next-generation Imaging-to-Report AI agent making its North American debut. Drawing strong interest from visitors around the world, uAI Insight demonstrated how AI can elevate diagnostic workflows by integrating clinical reasoning directly into reporting. Powered by UII's multimodal large models, integrating language, vision, and speech, the system recognizes complex patterns, correlates key findings, and generates structured reports with clarity and precision. Many attendees expressed strong interest in future collaboration with UII.

Within uAI Insight, the uAI Agent for Chest CT Reporting demonstrated the ability of detecting 73 thoracic diseases from a single scan with an average AUC of 95%. The uAI Agent for Brain MRI Reporting identified 47 neurological conditions from one scan. Together, these tools signal the next phase of medical AI as the field shifts from task automation toward intelligent human-AI partnership.

RSNA 2025 also marked the debut of the uAI Agent for Ultrasound, an embodied AI robotic-arm system that integrates autonomous scanning with AI-assisted diagnosis. Interpreting visual, tactile, and pressure cues in real time, the agent adjusted probe position and force with precision, offering a gentler and more personalized patient experience.

A Unified Ecosystem of Intelligence: "Digitelligent Hospital" of Tomorrow

Across the booth, visitors saw how AI agents collaborate throughout the clinical workflow. uAI Avatar, an intelligent medical assistant, guided attendees through an end-to-end pre-diagnosis journey using natural conversation. Meanwhile, the uAI Agent for Hospital Management monitored imaging and reporting quality, assessed equipment performance, and transformed complex operational data into actionable insights. These agents spanned diagnostic imaging, surgical care, patient services, hospital operations, and clinical research, illustrating how AI can elevate care at every stage of the patient journey.

Expanding on these AI-driven interactions, UII introduced the concept of the "Digitelligent Hospital". Built on UII's multimodal medical large models, trained through years of clinical collaboration and supported by United Imaging's comprehensive technology portfolio, this vision reflects an evolving ecosystem where digital and intelligent technologies reshape infrastructure, software, and operations. These models empower AI agents to analyze, reason, and make informed decisions, while embodied AI brings that intelligence into real-world tasks and natural human interaction. The result is a hospital that continuously learns, adapts, and evolves across all stages of care.

RSNA 2025 underscored a pivotal shift: medical AI is moving beyond traditional algorithms toward collaborative, autonomous AI agents that respond, adapt, and connect. With its rapidly expanding ecosystem, UII is leading the industrial innovation towards a more intelligent, virtualized, comprehensive, and personalized era of healthcare.

(Products and features referenced may not be available in all countries, and future availability cannot be guaranteed. Not all AI applications presented are CE-marked or FDA-cleared.)

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2844197/United_Imaging_Intelligence_at_RSNA_2025.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2844198/photo_United_Imaging_Intelligence_at_RSNA_2025.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/united-imaging-intelligence-at-rsna-2025-reshaping-medicine-with-ai-agents-302639952.html
BIDIYAH, Oman, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- JETOUR launched three hybrid models-the G700, T2 i-DM, and T1 i-DM-during the vibrant Bidiyah Festival, one of Oman's most iconic outdoor and motorsport events.

As the winner of Oman's "Most Trusted Brand Award 2024," JETOUR has delivered remarkable performance in the local market, ranking third overall among all brands and first in the light off-road SUV segment. The JETOUR HYBRID EVENT took place during the lively Bidiyah Festival-one of Oman's most iconic outdoor celebrations. This setting provided the perfect platform to blend JETOUR's distinctive "Travel+" brand philosophy with the adventure of desert exploration. Through challenging competitions and rich cultural experiences, the event brought to life the theme of "Powering New Journey."

Under the starry desert sky, JETOUR introduced the G700. Built on the new GAIA architecture and powered by the i-DM Off-road system, it delivers a combined output of 665 kW. Engineered for extreme road conditions, the G700 features intelligent 3 differentials locks, an internal high-strength frame, and IP68-rated waterproofing to ensure excellent performance across sand, heat, and water crossings. The all-new XWD smart 4WD system and automatic cross-axle mode further enhance capability on complex terrains. Besides, the G700 elevates long-distance comfort. It boasts four synchronized displays, NAPPA leather cloud-comfort seats featuring an eight-point massage system, and a Lexicon audio system that creates an immersive travel experience.

Joining the lineup, the T2 i-DM and T1 i-DM bring lightweight efficiency, extended range, and advanced hybrid performance to every journey. Whether it's a family road trips, daily commute, or a weekend off-road adventure, these models adapt seamlessly. True to JETOUR's DNA, they combine proven safety, comfort, and intelligent features into practical yet premium new-energy mobility solutions.

The JETOUR HYBRID EVENT marks a key step in the brand's regional new-energy strategy. With the introduction of a full hybrid portfolio, JETOUR will deepen its commitment to the Middle East market. By staying true to its "Travel+" philosophy and leveraging cutting-edge hybrid technology and intelligent systems, the brand is poised to enhance comfort for users in all travel scenarios.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2844411/image_5011064_47225164.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/jetour-kicks-off-middle-east-hybrid-night-in-oman-debuts-three-new-models-led-by-g700-302640226.html
Reflections on how Lenovo helps empower students by letting them develop and demonstrate real-world skills.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / This summer, 31 students from five local high schools joined Lenovo as interns at their Morrisville, NC headquarters through an engaging six-week program in partnership with the education nonprofit NAF. Although the interns came from different NAF academies -each with unique skills, goals, and ambitions - they all have one thing in common: a love for opportunity.

Now, two months after finishing the program, I'm more grateful than ever for the experience and the connections made.

"NAF prioritizes internships because real-world work experience is crucial for student success," said Sarina Mathai, Assistant Director of Partnerships for NAF. "Our Outcomes-Driven Work Based Learning approach focuses on three key outcomes: developing career goals, building Future Ready Skills through professional feedback, and creating meaningful connections with industry professionals. These activities offer students practical learning, while providing companies access to emerging talent and the opportunity to help develop America's future workforce."

Under the guidance of Community Engagement Manager Libby Richards, the interns were placed in different departments across Lenovo, some working independently, while others in groups. Whether it was creating reports, meeting with global clients, learning software tools, or contributing to engineering projects that have taken years to develop, we could all handle responsibilities that replicate real-world workplace tasks.

Beyond our daily roles, Lenovo teams ensured there was a plethora of chances to connect with staff to learn more about the company. Throughout the summer, interns attended events, meet-and-greets, and fairs where we spoke to professionals from all parts of Lenovo. These valuable conversations opened opportunities and exposure to career paths that we may not have previously considered.

Intern managers at Lenovo also recognized the value of these experiences, not just for the students, but the team as well.

"This is my third year as an intern manager, and I'm always impressed by the talented group of students that join us. They come to us full of energy and eager to gain new skills while supporting the team," said Lance Tryon, Inside Technical Sales Sr. Manager.

When a team invites new mindsets, it can create a space for creativity and unexpected breakthroughs.

"What stands out to us interns the most is the trust and respect given by staff members," said Chance, one of Lenovo's Community Engagement interns. "NAF interns are treated like true members of the Lenovo team in every setting: meeting rooms, parking lots, cafeterias, and every Teams chat."

Given the right tools and support to succeed, Lenovo interns had great luck with accomplishing their internship goals.

"This experience has been more than just a summer job, it's been a step towards my future career," said Amira, the Customer Experience Analyst Intern. "I'd like to thank everyone at Lenovo who took the time to mentor and support me throughout the program. The lessons that I've learned and the connections I've made will leave an impact well past the six weeks I spent at here."

After this year's internship came to a close, one thing was for certain: the impact of this experience is far more than just a summer job. The Lenovo partnership with NAF continues to empower students by letting us demonstrate real-world skills while constructing the bridge between education and industry. With each new class of interns, the future workforce grows stronger, one connection at a time.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Lenovo on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Lenovo

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/lenovo

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Lenovo

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/unforgettable-summer-a-high-school-students-dive-into-lenovos-naf-inte-1117020
Accounting Today's annual 'Top 100' list recognizes the profession's most impactful leaders, innovators, and visionaries shaping the future of accounting.

Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting(TAA) is proud to announce that Cathy Rowe, Senior Vice President and Segment Leader, U.S. Professional Market, has been named to Accounting Today's 2025 "Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting" list for the second consecutive year.

The 2025 Top 100 celebrates a dynamic group of professionals who are driving transformation across the accounting landscape. This year's honorees include firm leaders, educators, technology pioneers, and regulatory figures who are adapting to rapid change while leading the way on critical issues such as AI adoption, talent pipeline challenges, and the evolution of the CPA brand.

"It's an incredible honor to be recognized among such forward-thinking leaders at a time when our profession is experiencing unprecedented transformation," said Rowe. "At Wolters Kluwer, we're committed to empowering accountants with innovative, AI-driven solutions that help them navigate complexity and deliver greater value to their clients. This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire team to advancing the profession and supporting our customers as they shape the future of accounting."

"Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People are honored for forging new paths in the profession, as well as leading the critical next generation of accountants guiding the conversation on everything from emerging technology like AI to new practice structures, but most importantly taking action in their impactful work that progresses accounting forward," said Danielle Lee, Managing Editor, Accounting Today

About Cathy Rowe

Cathy Rowe is Senior Vice President and Segment Leader, U.S. Professional Market of Wolters Kluwer Tax Accounting North America, a leading global provider of software, integrated workflow solutions, and information for tax, accounting, audit, and compliance professionals. She leads the vision and strategy for the U.S. Professional Tax Accounting business, focusing on delivering innovative, cloud-based solutions that increase customers' productivity and profitability.

With more than 25 years of experience in the tax and accounting industry, Rowe has a proven track record of delivering innovative customer solutions. Before joining Wolters Kluwer in 2006, she worked with two of the Big Four accounting firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst Young, as well as a smaller firm. During her time at Wolters Kluwer, Rowe has delivered award-winning solutions to the audit industry, led multiple contextual design projects, and won the Wolters Kluwer 2019 Global Innovation Award. In addition to being named to Accounting Today's 2024 and 2025 "Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting" list, she was recognized by CPA Practice Advisor as a "40 Under 40" leader in 2013 and holds a patent for a blockchain innovation.

To see the full list, download the Accounting Today Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.

Wolters Kluwer TAA enables tax and accounting professionals and businesses of all sizes to drive productivity, navigate change, and deliver better outcomes.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in information, software solutions, and services for professionals in healthcare, tax and accounting, financial and corporate compliance, legal and regulatory, corporate performance, and ESG. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2024 annual revenues of 5.9 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 21,600 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.

For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251212886388/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts

Shannon Wherry

Associate Director, External Communications

Wolters Kluwer Tax Accounting

Office: +1 972-209-2767

shannon.wherry@wolterskluwer.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Stephen Stewart, Chairman of the Board, Auriginal Mining Corp. ("Auriginal Mining" or the "Company") (TSXV: AUME) and its executive management team, joined Dani Lipkin, Managing Director, Global Listings, Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"), to open the market and celebrate the Company's listing on TSX Venture Exchange.





Cannot view this video? Visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsiJr86uDys

Auriginal Mining is a Quebec-focused copper and gold Company with one of the province's largest and most diversified exploration portfolios. Its 100%-owned flagship Roger Project, located in the Chibougamau district, hosts a known gold-copper deposit with strong potential to host volcanic-hosted polymetallic massive sulphide deposits. With a diversified pipeline of greenfield projects across Quebec's best-known mining regions and backed by the Ore Group's proven exploration and capital markets team Auriginal has a clear focus on discovery and growth for copper, zinc and gold. The Company is well-positioned to immediately execute an aggressive exploration and acquisition strategy and attract broader market attention.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277850

SOURCE: Toronto Stock Exchange
DAVOS, Switzerland, Dec. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) will take place in Switzerland in January 2026, once again gathering global leaders from business, politics, science and culture for one of the world's most influential annual conversations. This year, the Polish business and expert community aims to further strengthen the country's international visibility by launching the Leaders Forum powered by Poland, which will be held from 19 to 23 January 2026 as an accompanying initiative to the World Economic Forum. This 5-day event is organized by the Center for International Relations Foundation and THINKTANK, with Autopay, Adamed and the Zabka Group as key partners.

The official discussions in Davos this year will address the main global challenges: cooperation in an increasingly competitive environment, the search for new sources of growth, investment in human capital, the responsible development of innovation and the stabilization of the international order.

The purpose of the Leaders Forum powered by Poland is to strengthen Poland's role in the global debate and to present the country as a new European growth leader and an innovation hub for Central and Eastern Europe. The forum will bring together leaders from the worlds of business, politics, science and culture, offering a platform for international dialogue.

From the vantage point of Polish business

The following are key partners of the Leaders Forum powered by Poland:

Autopay, a European brand with Polish roots building a comprehensive fintech ecosystem,





a European brand with Polish roots building a comprehensive fintech ecosystem, Adamed, an innovative Polish pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with an international footprint,





an innovative Polish pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with an international footprint, Zabka Group, one of Europe's leading players in modern convenience retail.





"Our mission is to connect businesses and consumers within a fintech partnership ecosystem which saves time and supports mutual growth. Drawing on our advanced technological capabilities, experience in processing large transaction volumes and future-oriented architecture, we are steadily ramping up our position as a global player. We are executing an ambitious international expansion strategy, growing our operations across Europe, South America, Southeast Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. Our presence in Davos, a key global venue for debate on the economy and innovation, is a natural step for a company focused on international growth,"says Wojciech Murawski, co-CEO of Autopay.

Source: Autopay

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/013aec9e-182f-457f-9fcb-74839ac901bd

CONTACT: Nina Wadowska PR & Communication Manager Autopay +48 603 335 606 nina.wadowska@autopay.pl
Huntington Learning Center Helps Students Navigate Rising Pressure With Proven Academic and Emotional Readiness Support

ORADELL, NEW JERSEY / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / As students are in the trenches with college applications, families are navigating an increasingly competitive and emotionally demanding admissions landscape. Huntington Learning Center helps students prepare with a renewed focus on academic readiness, test preparation, and emotional well-being, supported by technology that enables students to learn more effectively and confidently.

Recent data from the Common App show that first-year college applications exceeded 10 million for the first time in the 2024-25 cycle. Applications from first-generation students grew by 14 percent, and those from lower-income households rose by 10 percent. The report also noted a 12 percent increase in students submitting standardized test scores, the first year-over-year rise since 2021-22.

That shift is now being reinforced by top universities. Princeton University recently announced it will reinstate SAT and ACT requirements beginning with the Class of 2027, joining a growing list of institutions reevaluating test-optional policies ( Daily Princetonian, October 2025 ). The move reflects a broader acknowledgment that standardized tests, when combined with holistic review, remain a valuable indicator of student preparedness and potential.

But as expectations rise, so does student stress. According to recent national studies, over half of students rank college applications as their most stressful academic experience, and 89% of high school seniors planning to attend a four-year college report moderate to severe anxiety around applying. More broadly, 91% of students report experiencing stress, with academic pressure and uncertainty about the future among the top contributors.

"It's encouraging to see more students pursuing higher education, especially first-generation and underrepresented students," said Anne Huntington Sharma, president and CEO of Huntington Learning Center. "But we can't overlook the emotional impact. Applying to college is now one of the most stressful experiences students face. Strong foundational skills, confidence, and test readiness don't just improve applications, they reduce anxiety and build resilience."

Huntington provides academic evaluations, subject tutoring, and test preparation programs for K-12 students and partners with school districts nationwide to deliver Title I and high-impact tutoring services. Its programs combine personalized instruction with technology-enabled tools that identify learning gaps and accelerate progress, allowing educators to tailor support while giving students measurable confidence boosts.

As testing regains prominence in admissions, Huntington is helping students prepare strategically, from mastering math and reading fundamentals to developing test-taking stamina and stress management skills.

In addition to its educational programs, Huntington was named one of Entrepreneur magazine's Top Brands for Multi-Unit Owners in 2025, recognizing the continued growth of its franchise network nationwide.

The company is also exploring the role of artificial intelligence and other education technology tools in tutoring and test prep, viewing innovation as a means to enhance, not replace, the human connection between teachers and students.

"Technology can flag learning gaps or streamline grading, but it cannot replace empathy or motivation," Huntington Sharma said. "Our future lies in combining innovation with proven instructional methods to give every student the best chance to succeed, academically and emotionally."

Families interested in learning more can visit HuntingtonHelps.com or call 1-800-CAN-LEARN to schedule an academic evaluation.

About Huntington Learning Center

Huntington Learning Center is the nation's leading tutoring and test prep provider. We offer customized programs in person, online, and hybrid options. Our certified teachers provide individualized instruction in phonics, reading, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. We prep for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington's programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Huntington is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.HuntingtonHelps.com .

Contact Information

MBP Consultants

hlc@mbpconsultants.com

(909) 573-7237

SOURCE: Huntington Learning Center

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/education/college-admissions-stress-hits-new-high-as-top-schools-reinstate-test-requirements-1116969
Rightmove Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 12

12 December 2025

Rightmove plc

Share buy-back programme

Rightmove plc - transactions in own shares

Rightmove plc ('Rightmove'), announces that today it purchased 300,000 of its 0.1p ordinary shares at a volume weighted average price paid per share of 532.537p. The highest price paid per share was 538.000p and the lowest price paid per share was 528.800p. Rightmove purchased these shares through UBS AG London Branch.

The number of shares purchased represented 0.0393% of the voting rights attributable to the total ordinary shares in issue prior to such purchase. The purchased shares will be cancelled.

Since announcing a share buy-back programme on 28 December 2007, Rightmove has purchased in aggregate 544,282,476 ordinary shares.

The total number of ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares) following this announcement is 764,018,110. Rightmove holds 10,753,494 shares in treasury.

In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the 'Market Abuse Regulation') as amended by The Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (the 'UK MAR'), the schedule below contains detailed information about the purchases made by UBS AG London Branch on behalf of the Company as part of the buyback programme.

Contact: Carolyn Pollard, Group Company Secretary

CompanySecretary@rightmove.co.uk

Schedule of Purchases - Individual Transactions
Latest "New & Now" limited-edition collection features stunning dresses featuring sequins, metallics, statement silhouettes, and full-out sparkle from bridal, bridesmaids, occasionwear, and accessories

KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / David's Bridal, Inc. ("David's"), the largest AI-powered marketplace, media network and planning ecosystem for life's magical moments, today debuted its newest limited inventory capsule collection, "Maximalist." As part of its "New & Now" monthly limited-edition edit of trending dresses and styles designed for the shopper who loves bold glamour and red-carpet drama, Maximalist delivers high-impact shine across bridal, bridesmaids, wedding guest looks, and statement occasionwear. Available in stores and online for a limited time, the capsule brings runway sparkle to the holiday and New Year's Eve season. To book your free appointment, find a store or shop online at davidsbridal.com .

The Maximalist capsule celebrates confidence, individuality, and full-volume expression, tapping into the growing demand for show-stopping fashion. With sequins, metallics, shimmer satins, and crystal embellishments, the collection is made for holiday entrances, festive gatherings, and end-of-year celebrations.

"With Maximalist, we wanted to deliver a collection that's all about bold glamour and unforgettable looks, whether you're a soon-to-be bride, attending a holiday party or wedding to New Year's Eve events," said Heather McReynolds, Senior Vice President, Merchandising, Planning and Product Development at David's Bridal. "This capsule is made for the customer who loves making an entrance and choosing looks that feel as striking as the moment."

The Maximalist collection features:

Statement Silhouettes : metallic minis, sequin gowns, metallic bridesmaid dresses, and dramatic embellished bridal looks designed to command the room.

Luxe, High-Impact Fabrics: Sequins, metallic satins, bold laces, shimmer fabrics, and crystal accents that elevate every movement.

Bold Design Details: Statement slits, dramatic sleeves, deep necklines, layered sparkle, and sculptural shapes.

Glam Styling Touches: Oversized earrings, crystal clutches, sparkle veils, bold makeup, and glamorous accessories that complete the full maximalist moment.

Inspired by red carpet icons, holiday parties, New Year's Eve glamour, and gala season, the assortment spans multiple categories, including bridal, bridesmaids, occasionwear, and accessories.

Maximalist Collection is in stock and available in sizes 0-30W, offering an inclusive range for every customer seeking standout style. Prices begin at $99.95 for bridesmaids and occasion pieces, with bridal gowns starting at $999. All Maximalist purchases earn rewards through the industry-leading David's Diamond Loyalty Program , with nearly three million members earning points toward exclusive perks, including a free vacation or honeymoon.

The Maximalist capsule is now live on DavidsBridal.com and available in all retail locations nationwide . Customers can book an appointment or shop the collection in-store or online while styles last.

For additional assets, please seethe media kit here .

About David's Bridal

With over 75 years of experience dressing people for all of life's special occasions, David's Bridal exists for magical moments. Since its "Aisle to Algorithm" strategic pivot, David's has evolved from iconic bridal retailer to wedding technology company, media powerhouse, and marketplace platform transforming how people plan, shop, and celebrate life's biggest moments. From assuming full production of Vera Wang Bride to launching Diamonds & Pearls, a curated couture boutique experience, David's entrance into this new era marks a pivotal moment for retailers going beyond traditional scopes and expanding into new categories.

At the center of David's technological and retail evolution is Pearl by David's, Pearl Planner and Pearl Media Network - the all-in-one digital wedding destination connecting consumers with everything from AI-powered planning tools, inspiration and vendor directories, expanded retail categories and leading content, while enabling brands tap into David's unmatched market reach to authentically connect with consumers through media across the web, social, podcast, streaming, video, in-store and more.

Under the Pearl Media umbrella is Love Stories by David's, the top wedding media brand taking a digital-first approach to wedding content and inspiration with over 20M viewers per month across content platforms, including the wedding industry's sole podcast network, streaming TV and Snap Discover channels, and largest YouTube and TikTok channels, and a library of over 30,000 real wedding videos. Each video comes equipped with wedding data and details, contributing to a marketplace of over 60,000 wedding professionals to help couples better dream about, research and plan their big day.

With more than 190 stores across the U.S., Canada, and franchise locations in Mexico, David's Bridal offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for every magical event in her life, including weddings, Quinceanera, graduations, proms, communions, or simply making the world her runway and beyond. To learn more about David's , sign up for Pearl Planner , and connect on social media through Instagram, YouTube , Pinterest , Facebook , X , TikTok, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT:

David's Bridal

mediarequests@dbi.com

SOURCE: DAVID'S BRIDAL CORPORATE

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/davids-bridal-%22maximalist%22-capsule-collection-celebrating-bold-glamour-1117040
Winnipeg, Manitoba--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Bird River Resources Inc. (CSE: BDR) (the "Company") is pleased to announce, following the approval received from shareholders of the Company at its annual general and special meeting ("AGSM") held on November 13, 2025 and subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), the Company will complete a name change from "Bird River Resources Inc." to "Exter Gold Corp." to take effect at the open of market on or about December 17, 2025. The common shares of the Company will continue trading on the CSE under the new ticker symbol "XGOL". The Company's new CUSIP number will be 30228H105 and the new ISIN number will be CA30228H1055. The share capital of the Company remains unchanged.

About Bird River

Bird River is a Winnipeg, Manitoba based resource company focussed on advancing quality mineral exploration and development properties. The Company currently holds a net royalty smelter interest in a platinum palladium property in the Bird River Sill area of northeastern Manitoba near the Ontario border. Additional information regarding the Company is available at www.sedarplus.ca.

Forward-Looking Statement:

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein including, without limitation, statements relating to the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", "plans" and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things: the anticipated use of proceeds from the Offering.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct or accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information in this press release.

Neither the CSE nor its market regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277875

SOURCE: Bird River Resources Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Nevada Organic Phosphate Inc. (CSE: NOP) ("NOP" or the "Company"), a B.C. based leader in organic sedimentary phosphate exploration, is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement which will leave the Company with 100% ownership of its Murdock Mountain Project and remove certain net smelter royalty liabilities ("NSR"). As a result of the transaction, the Company will have greater flexibility in delivering on its strategic plan, which may include the formation of joint ventures with other arms-length parties.

NSR Purchase Agreement with Montecinos Family Trust

The Company has entered into an NSR Purchase Agreement dated December 11, 2025, (the "NSR Purchase Agreement") with Montecinos Family Trust (the "Vendor") pursuant to which the Company purchased and concurrently cancelled a 2% net smelter return royalty and all other outstanding payment obligations. The Company has agreed to pay US$50,000 and to issue, subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), an aggregate of 1,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share"), in consideration for the purchase and cancellation of the 2% net smelter return royalty and all other payment obligations to the Vendor.

The Shares to be issued by the Company under the NSR Purchase Agreement will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation and CSE policy. No finder's fees are payable in connection with the transaction.

Nevada Organic Phosphate Inc.

NOP is a junior exploration company with an organic sedimentary raw rock phosphate bed, 6.6 kilometres long, in northeast Nevada. Additional applications extend the potential strike of rock phosphate to over 30 kilometres. This is believed to be the only known large-scale organic sedimentary phosphate project in North America. It is situated close to the main highway to Montello/Elko, Nevada, and near the rail head to California.

For More Information

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services providers have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information ("FLSI") within the meaning

of applicable securities laws. FLSI may include expectations, anticipations, beliefs, opinions, plans, intentions, estimates, forecasts, projections, guidance or other similar statements and information that are not historical facts. All statements which are not historical statements are considered FLSI. All FLSI is based on assumptions, which may prove inaccurate, and subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those risks and uncertainties identified in the Company's public securities filings, which may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated or implied in FLSI. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance or value on FLSI. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in any FLSI in this news release are reasonable at the present time, it can give no assurance that such FLSI will prove to be correct. Any FLSI in this news release is made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to publicly update or revise any FLSI, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws. Any FLSI in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277897

SOURCE: Nevada Organic Phosphate Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Kingsmen Resources Ltd. (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) (FSE: TUY) ("Kingsmen" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a service agreement (the "Agreement") with Resource Stock Digest ("RSD") of Round Rock, Texas. Under the terms of the Agreement, among other things, RSD has agreed to provide certain promotional services to the Company in accordance with Policy 3.4 - Investor Relations, Promotional and Market-Making Activities of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange").

RSD has been engaged for a 3-month advertising and marketing program for a cash fee of US$125,000 payable upon receipt of approval of the Agreement by the Exchange. RSD conducts interviews with the Company and produces its own content that is distributed to RSD's subscriber base. RSD is owned and operated by Gerardo Del Real and Nick Hodge, both shareholders of the Company as at the date of the Agreement. RSD and Messrs. Del Real and Hodge are at arm's-length to the Company and have no relationship with the Company outside of this Agreement.

About Kingsmen Resources

Kingsmen Resources (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRF) (FSE: TUY) is a discovery-driven explorer focused on unlocking the potential of two 100%-owned precious-metal districts-Las Coloradas and Almoloya-located in the historic Parral region of Chihuahua, Mexico, one of the most productive silver belts in the world. Both projects cover past-producing high-grade silver and gold mines and lie directly on the structural corridors that host many of Mexico's most notable silver-gold deposits. Recent drilling at Las Coloradas has confirmed new zones of shallow, high-grade mineralization and highlighted the potential for multiple parallel structures across an 4.5-kilometre trend. At Almoloya, historic drilling, extensive underground workings, and multiple vein systems point to strong potential for both vein-hosted and carbonate-replacement style mineralization. Kingsmen also owns a 1% NSR royalty on the La Trini claims within GoGold Resources' Los Ricos North project in Jalisco State, Mexico.

On behalf of the Board,

Signed: "Scott Emerson"

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain disclosure contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. These statements may relate to this news release and other matters identified in the Company's public filings. In making the forward-looking statements the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: the political environment in which the Company operates continuing to support the development and operation of mining projects; the threat associated with outbreaks of viruses and infectious diseases; risks related to negative publicity with respect to the Company or the mining industry in general; planned work programs; permitting; and community relations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277815

SOURCE: Kingsmen Resources Ltd
EQS-Ad-hoc: Marley Spoon Group SE / Schlagwort(e): Finanzierung

Marley Spoon Group SE: Marley Spoon Group SE announces measures for the financial restructuring of its German subsidiary Marley Spoon SE



12.12.2025 / 20:30 CET/CEST

Veroffentlichung einer Insiderinformation nach Artikel 17 der Verordnung (EU) Nr. 596/2014, ubermittelt durch EQS News - ein Service der EQS Group .

Fur den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent / Herausgeber verantwortlich.



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, PUBLICATION, OR FORWARDING, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. OTHER RESTRICTIONS ARE APPLICABLE. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS PUBLICATION.





Marley Spoon Group SE announces measures for the financial restructuring of its German subsidiary Marley Spoon SE Increase and extension of the loan from Runway Growth Finance until 31 December 2030 with the vast majority of the loan (including interest) being subordinated

Lenders are granted the right to convert the loan in whole or in part into shares of Marley Spoon SE, whereby the conversion right in respect of the subordinated loan amount may be exercised only once and is capped

Shares in Marley Spoon SE to be held through two holding companies

Simplified capital reduction planned at Marley Spoon SE to offset losses

Luxembourg, 12 December 2025 - Marley Spoon Group SE (ISIN: LU2380748603, "Company", together with its group companies "MS Group"), a leading global subscription-based meal kit provider, announces that the negotiations with stakeholders on necessary financial contributions for the financial restructuring of its German subsidiary Marley Spoon SE, based in Berlin, Germany ("MSSE"), have been finalised. The Company holds 99.5% of the shares in MSSE. The investment in MSSE is a material asset of the Company and MSSE plays a central role in the MS Group. The implementation of MSSE's financial restructuring is a key factor in the Company's ongoing efforts to ensure financial sustainability and enables investments in its profitable growth.



The resolved financial restructuring of MSSE includes the following measures in particular: The term of the existing loan to MSSE as borrower and Runway Growth Finance Corp. and Runway Growth Finance L.P. (collectively "Lenders") has been extended until 31 December 2030 and increased by an amount of approx. EUR 35.1 million ("Loan"). The Lenders have declared a qualified subordination in the amount of approx. EUR 103.1 million (including accrued interest) plus future interest. Furthermore, the Lenders are granted the right to convert the Loan wholly or partially into shares of Marley Spoon SE.



The Lenders shall have the right to contribute the Loan to MSSE in exchange for the issue of (ordinary) shares of MSSE as part of a capital increase in kind. The Lenders' participation in MSSE as a result of a possible conversion of the subordinated part of the Loan may not exceed 80%; this right may be exercised only once. Additionally, the Lenders have the right to convert the part of the Loan which has not been subordinated up to an amount of about EUR 4.0 million. Any excess amounts will be posted to the capital reserve.



In this context, MSSE and the Company are to effect a simplified reduction in the share capital of MSSE from EUR 73,559,137 by EUR 53,943,369.00 to EUR 19,615,768.00. Therefore, MSSE will convene an extraordinary general meeting at short notice to resolve on the simplified capital reduction.

Furthermore, the Company has granted the Lenders the right to acquire shares in Marley Spoon Group SE (warrant) representing 1.00% of the registered share capital.



Finally, the Company is required to implement a structure required for US-based lenders. The Company will form two holding companies and contribute its shares in MSSE to one of those entities. These structural changes at Company level are intended to give the Lenders a simplified access to the secured shares in MSSE in the event of an enforcement scenario.





Important Notice

This publication may not be published, distributed, or transmitted in the United States, Canada, or Japan. This publication does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities (the "Securities") of the Company in the United States, Canada, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. The Securities of the Company may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The Securities of the Company have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act. The Securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in Canada or Japan or to, or for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of Canada or Japan subject to certain exceptions. This release may contain forward-looking statements, estimates, opinions and projections with respect to anticipated future performance of the Company ("Forward-Looking Statements"). These Forward-Looking Statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "may," "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology. These Forward-Looking Statements include all matters that are not historical facts. Forward-Looking Statements are based on the current views, expectations and assumptions of the management of the Company and involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Forward-Looking Statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Any Forward-Looking Statements included herein only speak as at the date of this release. We undertake no obligation, and do not expect to publicly update, or publicly revise, any of the information, Forward-Looking Statements or the conclusions contained herein or to reflect new events or circumstances or to correct any inaccuracies which may become apparent subsequent to the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We accept no liability whatsoever in respect of the achievement of such Forward-Looking Statements and assumptions.





Ende der Insiderinformation



12.12.2025 CET/CEST Die EQS Distributionsservices umfassen gesetzliche Meldepflichten, Corporate News/Finanznachrichten und Pressemitteilungen.

Originalinhalt anzeigen: EQS News
HARARE, ZW / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Conservation Travel Africa is celebrating the continued growth and success of its ethical Primate Volunteer Program in Zimbabwe, with a particular rise in mature and senior volunteers seeking meaningful, hands-on conservation experiences. The programme-based at one of Zimbabwe's most respected wildlife sanctuaries-offers volunteers of all ages the opportunity to work closely with rescued and orphaned primates, contributing directly to long-term rehabilitation and welfare.

The sanctuary provides a safe haven for primates affected by the illegal pet trade, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict. Volunteers play a vital role in supporting daily care, enrichment, enclosure management, and behavioural observation, all within a highly ethical framework that prioritises animal wellbeing.

A Welcoming Space for Mature Volunteers

Conservation Travel Africa continues to see increasing numbers of volunteers aged 50+ choosing its projects, drawn by supportive environments, comfortable accommodations, and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to conservation while experiencing Africa in an authentic and engaging way.

Among the most popular programmes for mature volunteers is the Primate Conservation Program in Zimbabwe-an intimate, hands-on experience ideal for those seeking a small, friendly sanctuary environment. Volunteers work alongside dedicated local staff, gaining insight into the daily realities of wildlife rescue while building strong connections within the team.

Other Mature-Friendly Volunteer Opportunities

Beyond primate care, Conservation Travel Africa offers a wide range of projects designed to suit different interests, skill levels, and comfort preferences:

Community Outreach - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe: Very small group sizes create a personalised and flexible volunteering experience. Project managers tailor activities according to community needs and the skills volunteers bring.

Big 5 National Parks, Zimbabwe: Run by an experienced couple in their 60s, this field assistant role allows volunteers to shadow seasoned conservationists as they carry out real-time wildlife monitoring and management across major parks.

Rhino & Elephant Program, Zimbabwe: With structured days, a family-style environment, and comfortable accommodation, this programme is ideal for first-time older volunteers seeking a supportive and familiar setting.

Endangered Wildlife Monitoring, South Africa: Popular with travellers who have previously been on safari, this research-focused programme offers in-depth exposure to conservation management in a vast protected area.

Humpback Whale Expedition, Mozambique: A unique marine project that requires no diving experience. Volunteers swim with and monitor whales while supporting ongoing scientific research, all from comfortable accommodation in a remote coastal setting.

Environmental Conservation, Malawi: Perfect for bird enthusiasts, this programme blends community engagement with river-based conservation work, exceptional birding, and a camping weekend in Majete Wildlife Reserve.

"We're seeing a real shift in the way people want to travel later in life," said Jane Palmer, Marketing Manager at Conservation Travel Africa. "Around 30% of our volunteers are over 50, and many are now boldly embarking on their first solo adventure. Programs like our Primate Conservation Project give mature volunteers a chance to reconnect with nature, make a meaningful impact, and experience Africa in a truly hands-on way."

Ethical, Impactful Volunteering

Conservation Travel Africa remains committed to responsible wildlife experiences. All projects are operated in partnership with leading African sanctuaries, ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare. Unlike exploitative wildlife tourism, these programmes are non-commercial, with no breeding, performance, or hands-on activities that compromise animal wellbeing.

How to Join

Limited-time savings are available for volunteers joining the Primate Conservation Program in 2025, offering an added incentive for those ready to take the next step in their conservation journey. No prior experience is required-only enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and a desire to contribute to meaningful wildlife protection.

To learn more or reserve your place, visit: conservationtravelafrica.org

About Conservation Travel Africa

Conservation Travel Africa partners with ethical wildlife and community initiatives across the continent. The organisation's mission is to support long-term conservation goals through responsible volunteering, empowering local communities, and protecting vulnerable species and habitats.

Media Contact

Organization: Conservation Travel Africa

Contact Person Name: Jane Palmer

Website: https://conservationtravelafrica.org/

Email: info@conservationtravelafrica.org

Address: 1st Floor, Building B, Nautica Commercial Centre, Royal Road, Black River

Country: Mauritius

SOURCE: Conservation Travel Africa

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/conservation-travel-africa-highlights-growing-opportunities-for-mature-1117094
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Spark Energy Minerals Inc. (CSE: SPRK) (OTCID: SPARF) (FSE: 8PC) ("Spark" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that further to its news release dated November 21, 2025, the Company has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") for gross proceeds of $500,000 through the issuance of 10,000,000 units of the Company ("Units").

The Company further reports that the full amount of the Private Placement was taken up by a strategic investor. This participation strengthens Spark's shareholder base and reflects aligned interest in the advancement of the Company's exploration initiatives in Brazil.

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company for a period of three years from the date of issue at an exercise price of $0.06.

The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund Spark's near-term drill program at the Arapaima Project in Brazil, including mobilization and initial drilling costs, with the balance allocated to general working capital. No finder's fees were payable in connection with the Private Placement.

All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement are subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada.

The foregoing securities being offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons or persons in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

Spark Energy Minerals Inc. is a Canadian company advancing the exploration and development of critical minerals essential to the clean-energy transition. The Company's primary focus is Brazil, where it controls a significant land position within the country's emerging Lithium Valley - a region recognized for its lithium, gallium, and rare-earth potential. Spark's flagship Arapaima Project spans approximately 91,900 hectares and hosts multiple targets for lithium and gallium-REE mineralization. Through systematic exploration, Spark aims to help strengthen the secure and sustainable supply of minerals that power electrification, renewable energy, and modern technologies. The Company is committed to responsible exploration practices and supporting Brazil's development of a transparent, sustainable critical-minerals supply chain.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, the intended use of proceeds raised under the Private Placement.

These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the inability of the Company to utilize the proceeds of the Private Placement as anticipated.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will use the proceeds of the Private Placement as currently anticipated.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277936

SOURCE: Spark Energy Minerals Inc.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Royal York Property Management announced it has surpassed $11 billion in assets under management, marking a significant milestone for the Canadian residential property management company. The company now manages over 25,000 rental properties across Canada, the United States, and international markets including Albania, Kosovo, Greece, and South Asia.

Royal York Property Management's Toronto headquarters coordinates operations for over 25,000 properties across North America, Europe, and South Asia.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/12084/277825_ca3de02b642d291e_001full.jpg

"Fifteen years ago, I started this company with one property and a belief that landlords deserved better," said Nathan Levinson, Founder and CEO of Royal York Property Management. "Today we manage over 25,000 properties worth $11 billion across four continents."

The company currently onboards approximately 750 new properties per month. Royal York Property Management operates with in-house departments for maintenance, legal services, accounting, and customer care, enabling 24/7/365 service delivery through offices in Toronto and Tirana, Albania.

Royal York Property Management serves landlords across more than 40 Ontario communities, with plans to open 10 additional Canadian offices and 5 new European locations.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/12084/277825_ca3de02b642d291e_002full.jpg

The company has announced plans for continued expansion, including 10 additional office locations across Canada and 5 new offices in Europe, specifically in Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Learn more about franchising opportunities.

Nathan Levinson founded Royal York Property Management in 2010 at age 19. The company is now one of Canada's largest residential property management firm.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/12084/277825_ca3de02b642d291e_003full.jpg

"Eleven billion is a milestone, not a destination," said Levinson. "The property management industry is still fragmented, still underserved by technology, still waiting for someone to set a higher standard."

Royal York Property Management offers the world's first rental guarantee program, which guarantees landlords receive rent even if tenants default. Core services include tenant placement, rent collection, maintenance coordination, legal services, and financial reporting.

About Royal York Property Management

Royal York Property Management is committed to managing investment properties with exceptional care and professionalism. With over 40 locations across North America and more than 25,000 properties leased and managed, they prioritize the needs of clients and tenants in every task, from handling maintenance emergencies to conducting tenant showings. Their mission to redefine property management is driven by innovation, transparency, and accessibility. Managing $11 billion in assets, Royal York offers services in over 20 languages, empowering both property owners and tenants. They treat every property as if it were their own, ensuring outstanding service every day. Explore career opportunities or read FAQs.

Follow Royal York Property Management:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Royal-York-Property-Management-61560067003999/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalyork.pm/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@royalyork.pm

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/royalyorkpropertymanagement

X: https://x.com/RoyalYorkPM

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@royalyorkpropertymanagement

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@royalyork.pm

Pinterest: https://ca.pinterest.com/royalyorkpm/

Crunchbase: https://crunchbase.com/organization/royal-york-property-management

Nathan Levinson:

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/nathan-levinson

Bio: https://royalyorkpropertymanagement.ca/team-bio/nathan-levinson

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277825

SOURCE: Royal York Property Management
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Caprock Mining Corp. (CSE: CAPR) ("Caprock" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered financing of hard dollar units (the "HD Units") to raise aggregate gross proceeds of $100,000 and flow through units ("FT Units") to raise aggregate gross proceeds of $797,400, for total gross proceeds of $897,400. Each HD Unit was issued at a price at $0.10 and is comprised of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to purchase one common share of the Company at any time on or before the date that is eighteen months following the issuance of the Warrant at a price of $0.15. Each FT Unit was issued at a price at $0.12 and is comprised of one common share and one-half of one Warrant. Each FT Unit qualifies as a "flow-through share" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada). The securities issued in connection with the financing are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on April 13, 2026.

The gross proceeds from the sale of FT Units will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" (as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the Destiny gold property (the "Destiny Project") located near Val d'Or, Quebec on which the Company entered into an option agreement (the "Option Agreement") (see press release dated December 4, 2024). The Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers with an effective date no later than December 31, 2025.

The net proceeds from the sale of the HD Units are expected to be used for expenditures on the Destiny Project as well as general working capital.

In connection with the closings the Company paid an aggregate of $50,778 in finders fees and issued a total of 423,150 finder warrants. Each finder warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.12 for a period of eighteen (18) months following the closing date.

Pursuant to the offering, the Company issued 1,000,000 HD Units to Frank Guillemette, a holder of greater than 10% of the Company's outstanding common shares, who is considered to be a "related party" (within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101")), making the offering a "related party transaction" (within the meaning of MI 61-101) (the "Related Party Subscription"). The Company was exempt from obtaining a formal valuation for, and minority approval of, the Related Party Subscription pursuant to Section 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively. The material change report to be filed in connection with the Offering will be filed less than 21 days prior to the closing of the Offering. The shorter period was necessary in order to permit the Company to close the offering in a timeframe consistent with usual market practice for transactions of this nature.

The securities issued under the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

Destiny Option Agreement - Anniversary Payment

The Company is also pleased to announce that it will be paying the anniversary payment required to be made under the terms of the Option Agreement with Big Ridge Gold Corp. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company is required to pay $100,000 and issue $250,000 in common shares at a deemed price equal to the greater of (i) the 20-day volume weighted average price for the 20 days preceding the date of issuance of the additional common shares and (ii) $0.05. Based on the foregoing, the Company will issue 2,579,979 common shares in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement at a deemed issue price of $0.0969 per share. These shares will be subject to a four-month statutory hold period from the date of issuance.

About Caprock Mining Corp.

Caprock Mining Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on exploring precious metals in Quebec and Ontario.

The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Destiny gold property that comprises 127 mineral claims and encompasses an area of 5,013 hectares located less than two hours' drive from Val d'Or, Quebec. Destiny lies along a major deformation corridor in the Abitibi greenstone belt that includes the prolific Cadillac-Larder Lake, Destor-Porcupine and Casa Berardi fault zones which host numerous producing and development-stage gold deposits. The Project overlies a 6.0 km long segment of the poorly explored Despinassy shear zone which is a splay off the regional Chicobi Fault. Destiny hosts a significant, open pit-constrained, NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate published in March 2025.

Additionally, the Company holds a 100% interest in three gold exploration properties in the historical Beardmore-Geraldton Gold Belt of Ontario - a belt that has produced over four million ounces of gold historically (Reference: Beardmore-Geraldton Gold Camp - Tashota Resources), and contains the sizeable Greenstone gold project (formerly known as the Hardrock gold project) which is being brought to production by Equinox Gold (Reference: Greenstone Gold Mines - Mining & Processing).

The scientific and technical information disclosed in this release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Vishal Gupta, the Company's President & CEO. Mr. Gupta is a P.Geo. registered with the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (PGO) and considered a "Qualified Person" as defined under NI 43-101.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements with respect to: the closing of the financing described herein including the use of proceeds of the financing. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, are forward-looking statements. Although Caprock believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Caprock can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Caprock's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Caprock's expectations include the ability to use the proceeds in the manner indicated, risks associated with the business of Caprock; risks related to reliance on technical information provided by Caprock; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Company's mineral properties; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and First Nation groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Caprock's filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.ca). Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Caprock does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277873

SOURCE: Caprock Mining Corp.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Theralase Technologies Inc. (TSXV: TLT) (OTCQB: TLTFF) ("Theralase" or the "Company"), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company pioneering light, radiation, sound and drug-activated therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, bacteria and viruses, has commenced a non-brokered private placement of units of the Company ("Units") to raise up to $CAN 2,000,000 ("Offering").

In the Offering, each Unit is priced at $CAN 0.17 and consists of one common share of the Company ("Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share of the Company ("Warrant Share") for a period of 60 months following the Closing Date (as defined herein) of the Offering at an exercise price of $CAN 0.21 per Warrant Share.

The Company plans to use the proceeds of the Offering to further the Phase II Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer ("NMIBC") clinical study currently underway and for working capital needs.

All securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a four months and one day hold period from the Closing Date under applicable Canadian and US securities laws.

The Offering is scheduled to close on or about the week of December 15, 2025 and is subject to the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSXV ("Closing Date").

The Offering is being made to accredited investor subscribers resident in each of the Provinces of Canada, pursuant to applicable private placement exemptions, in the United States or to, or for the account of, U.S. persons, on a private placement basis pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements in Rule 144A or Regulation D of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended or other available U.S. registration exemptions and offshore jurisdictions pursuant to relevant prospectus or registration exemptions in accordance with applicable laws.

The Company agrees to pay a finder's fee to eligible finders for subscribers, introduced by such finder, in connection with the non-brokered private placement, as follows: i) a cash commission equal to 7% of the gross proceeds and ii) non-transferable finder warrants exercisable to acquire that number of Units equal to 7% of the total number of Units issued, at an exercise price of $CAN 0.17 for a period of 60 months following the Closing Date.

No other fee or commission is payable by the Company in connection with the completion of the Private Placement.

The Company also announces that it has mutually terminated the recently announced brokered Listed Issuer Financing Exemption ("LIFE") financing with Research Capital Corporation.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("U.S. Securities Act"), or any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) or persons in the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws of the United States or an exemption from such registration requirement is available. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities offered in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including the United States.

About Theralase Technologies Inc.

Theralase is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to the research and development of light, radiation, sound and drug-activated small molecule compounds and their associated formulations with a primary objective of efficacy and a secondary objective of safety in the destruction of various cancers, bacteria and viruses, with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissue.

Additional information is available at https://theralase.com/ and www.sedarplus.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains Forward-Looking Statements ("FLS") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such statements include; but, are not limited to statements regarding the Company's proposed development plans with respect to small molecules and their drug formulations. FLS may be identified by the use of the words "may, "should", "will", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "expects", "estimate", "potential for" and similar expressions; including, statements related to the current expectations of the Company's management regarding future research, development and commercialization of the Company's small molecules; their drug formulations; preclinical research; clinical studies and regulatory approvals.

These statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions; including, the ability of the Company to fund and secure regulatory approvals to successfully complete various clinical studies in a timely fashion and implement its development plans. Other risks include: the ability of the Company to successfully commercialize its small molecule and drug formulations; access to sufficient capital to fund the Company's operations is available on terms that are commercially favorable to the Company or at all; the Company's small molecule and formulations are effective against the diseases tested in its clinical studies; the Company's ability to comply with the terms of license agreements with third parties and as a result does not lose the right to use key intellectual property in its business; the Company's ability to protect its intellectual property; the timing and success of submission, acceptance and approval of regulatory filings. Many of these factors that will determine actual results are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict.

Readers should not unduly rely on these FLS, which are not a guarantee of future performance. There can be no assurance that FLS will prove to be accurate as such FLS involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results or future events to differ materially from the FLS.

Although the FLS contained in the press release are based upon what management currently believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure prospective investors that actual results, performance or achievements will be consistent with these FLS.

All FLS are made as of the date hereof and are subject to change. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update such FLS.

For investor information on the Company, please feel to reach out Investor Inquiries - Theralase Technologies.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277932

SOURCE: Theralase Technologies Inc.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Cathedra Bitcoin Inc. (TSXV: CBIT) (OTCQB: CBTTF) (the "Company"), a bitcoin company that develops and operates digital infrastructure assets, is pleased to announce that, at its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held today (the "Meeting"), all resolutions were passed by the requisite majority to approve the items of business referred to in its management information circular dated October 30, 2025 (the "Circular").

A total of 2,291,104 subordinate voting shares and 204,278 multiple voting shares of the Company, representing 83.79% of the Company's issued and outstanding subordinate voting shares, on an as-converted basis, were voted in connection with the Meeting. The voting results for each item of business are as follows:

Election of Directors :

All nominees proposed in the Circular were elected as directors.

Nominee Votes For % Votes For Votes Withheld % Votes Withheld Joel Block 32,692,154 99.39% 201,253 0.61% Marcus Dent 32,859,221 99.90% 34,186 0.10% David Jacques 32,701,158 99.42% 192,249 0.59% Matthew Kita 32,799,952 99.72% 93,455 0.28% Thomas Masiero 32,857,126 99.89% 36,281 0.11% Jialin (Gavin) Qu 32,779,506 99.65% 113,901 0.35%

Appointment of Auditors



Votes For % Votes For Votes Withheld % Votes Withheld SRCO Professional Corporation 33,318,204 99.93% 23,156 0.07

Approval of Amended Long-Term Incentive Plan



Votes For % Votes For Votes Withheld % Votes Withheld Approval of Amended Long-Term Incentive Plan 32,697,412 99.40% 0 0%

About Cathedra Bitcoin Inc.

Cathedra develops and operates power and digital infrastructure assets across North America. The Company hosts bitcoin mining clients across its portfolio of four data centers (45 MW total) in Tennessee and Kentucky. Cathedra also operates a fleet of proprietary bitcoin mining machines at its own and third-party data center, producing approximately 400 PH/s of hash rate. Cathedra is headquartered in Vancouver and its subordinate voting shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CBIT and in the OTC market under the symbol CBTTF. For more information about Cathedra, visit cathedra.com or follow Company news on Twitter at @CathedraBitcoin or on Telegram at @CathedraBitcoin.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277947

SOURCE: Cathedra Bitcoin Inc.
RLTR Outperforms NVIDIA (NVDA), Alphabet (GOOGL), Palantir (PLTR), and Meta (META) Amid Surge in Investor Interest following LG Content Announcement.

BOTHELL, WASHINGTON / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / ReelTime Media (OTCID:RLTR) announced that its stock price surged in trading today, dramatically outperforming major artificial intelligence (AI) equities after the company revealed that content created entirely by its proprietary intelligence platform, Reel Intelligence "RI", has begun featured placement on LG Smart TVs throughout the United States, including on the home screen and alongside other promoted programming. Investors responded decisively, sending RLTR shares sharply higher on heavy volume and positioning it as the day's top AI sector performer.

In contrast to larger peers, RLTR soared while well-known AI stocks saw only declines. Today's closing performance (December 12, 2025) includes:

ReelTime Media (OTCID:RLTR): + 25% (approximate gain)

NVIDIA (NVDA): -3.27%

Alphabet (GOOGL): -1.01%

Palantir (PLTR): -2.12%

Meta Platforms (META): -1.30%

ReelTime's outsized gain follows its LG Smart TV breakthrough, placing RI-generated content in front of tens of potentially millions of U.S. households via LG's home screen carousel. "This isn't just a technological milestone, it's a defining moment in the history of media," said Barry Henthorn, ReelTime's CEO and CTO. RLTR's rally underscores growing investor confidence in Reel Intelligence's competitive edge over conventional AI providers.

Reel Intelligence (RI): Smarter, Greener, and More Capable Than Traditional AI

Reel Intelligence is not just another AI, it is fundamentally more advanced, efficient, and sustainable. Unlike traditional AI systems that rely on expensive GPUs and energy-hungry data centers, RI operates on a chip-agnostic, fully distributed architecture. This eliminates the need for specialized silicon or centralized cloud infrastructure, enabling RI to run across billions of everyday devices while drastically reducing cost and environmental impact.

This platform-agnostic and geography-independent design makes RI resilient to hardware shortages, energy constraints, and geopolitical supply risks. It can operate everywhere, all at once, with a fraction of the power required by legacy AI systems.

Reel Intelligence is capable of generating broadcast-quality 4K video, lifelike images, music, advanced research, and even software code, all from a single platform. Its ability to handle such a wide range of content creation tasks, while maintaining lower energy use and hardware dependency, has led many experts to recognize it as one of the most advanced and environmentally responsible AI platforms in the industry.

While other AI companies grapple with rising chip costs, data center limitations, and carbon footprints, ReelTime is uniquely positioned to scale efficiently and sustainably. RI's independence from any single hardware vendor or cloud platform has made it an attractive solution for partners, investors, and environmentally conscious enterprises alike.

About ReelTime Media (OTC:RLTR)

ReelTime Rentals, Inc. (OTC:RLTR), doing business as ReelTime Media and ReelTime VR, is a Seattle-based publicly traded company at the forefront of multimedia production and AI innovation. The company's flagship Reel Intelligence (RI) platform delivers an unprecedented suite of tools for creating images, audio, video, and more. ReelTime has also pioneered virtual reality content development and technology, providing end-to-end production, editing, and distribution services. The company continues to leverage its expertise to transform how content is produced, distributed, and experienced worldwide.

Media Contact:

Barry Henthorn, CEO - ReelTime Media

Email: ceo@reeltime.com

Website: www.ReelTime.com

SOURCE: ReelTime Rentals, Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/reeltimes-rltr-stock-surges-past-ai-giants-following-lg-smart-tv-1117147
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - KO Gold Inc. (CSE: KOG) ("KO Gold" or the "Company") advises that, further to its news release dated November 3, 2025, it will not be proceeding with the previously announced non-brokered private placement of up to 10,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.20 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000.

About KO Gold Inc.

KO Gold is a Canadian junior exploration company listed on the CSE under "KOG". The Company's strategy is to acquire and explore highly prospective gold properties within the Otago Gold District in New Zealand. KO Gold presently, has four 100%-owned prospecting and exploration permits within the Otago Gold District for a combined land package of 400 km2. The Company's Smylers, Hyde and Glenpark EPs are located adjacent to OceanaGold's Macraes Gold Mine and the Carrick EP hosts the historic Carrick Goldfield which holds promise as a significant gold deposit near Santana Minerals' Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project. The Company also has an NSR on three additional permits, Garibaldi, Raggedy Range, and Rough Ridge South totaling 340km2. KO Gold has spent over C$3M in exploration and drilling on its permits in the Otago Gold District over the past five years including RC and diamond drilling on its Smylers EP.

For further information, please contact:



The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "may," "will," "would," "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated effects of the warrant expiry date extension and any future financing plans of the Company (if any).

Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management as of the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in general economic and market conditions, the Company's ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms or at all, and other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company.

Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277957

SOURCE: KO Gold Inc.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - QcX Gold Corp. (TSXV: QCX) (OTC Pink: QCXGF) (FSE: 21MA) ("QcX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into mining claim acquisition agreements (the "Agreements") with arm's length parties (the "Vendors") dated December 12, 2025, to acquire 100% of the Olsen Project, a 3,715-hectare land package located within the Batchawana Bay area in northwest Ontario (the "Olsen Project"). The acquisition expands QcX's land position in the Batchawana Greenstone Belt, consolidating a prospective copper-gold district positioned directly along trend of Sterling Metals Corp.'s Soo Copper Project.

The addition of the Olsen Project increases the Company's Batchawana Project to a total of 30 multi-cell claims and 39 single-cell claims, forming a large, mostly contiguous land position that now shares more than 6.6 kilometres of common boundary with the core of Sterling's recently announced discovery (see Figure 1). Sterling's discovery highlights include 262.5 m of 1.05% CuEq (0.52% Cu, 0.005% Mo, 0.49g/t Au, 3.15g/t Ag), with higher-grade intervals including 68.3 m of 3.25% CuEq (1.39% Cu, 0.007% Mo, 1.83 g/t Au, 8.46 g/t Ag) and 9.2* m of 19.8% CuEq (6.8% Cu, 0.008% Mo, 13.2 g/t Au, 46.26 g/t Ag) (Sterling news release dated September 29, 2025). QcX's expanded ground position places the Company prominently within one of Canada's most promising emerging copper districts. The Company cautions investors that mineralization hosted on nearby or adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Olsen Project.

Historic work on the Olsen claims indicates five documented mineral occurrences supported by diamond drilling, geological mapping, and geochemical sampling. Historical drilling has intersected quartz-porphyry lithologies, significant pyrite with minor chalcopyrite, and alteration consistent with copper-gold porphyry systems. Historical highlights include a 1.98 g/t Au surface grab sample1 and 0.03% Cu over 1.18 m from historical drilling2.

Strategic and Geological Highlights

Prime Geological Setting: The Property is located within the Precambrian Batchawana Greenstone Belt and associated metasedimentary sequences along the eastern margin of the Mid-Continent Rift (MCR) - a regional geological setting known for large copper systems both in Ontario and across the border in Michigan.

On-Trend with Historic Production: The claims lie along strike of the past-producing Tribag Mine, historically mined for copper, molybdenum, silver, and gold.

Geological Continuity with Sterling's Discovery: QcX's claims display comparable stratigraphy, structural orientation, and magnetic signatures to those hosting Sterling's mineralization. Historical soil geochemical anomalies and untested geophysical conductors provide immediate exploration opportunities.

Upcoming Exploration Work:

QcX intends to commence a target generation & delineation program followed by a prospecting & mapping program across the combined Batachawana Project, following up on the recently completed high-resolution magnetic survey. Desktop studies and fieldwork will prioritize porphyry-style targets, multi-element anomalism, and structural trends.







Figure 1: QcX's expanded Batchawana Project in relation to Sterling Metals and historic mines and mineral occurrences.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1791/277880_671e0878a4faba6f_001full.jpg

Transaction Terms

Pursuant to the terms of the Agreements, as consideration for the Olsen Project, the Company shall: (A) pay an aggregate of $28,000 in cash to the Vendors on or before the date that the Company receives approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the " Effective Date"), an additional $36,000 in cash on or before the first anniversary of the Effective Date, an additional $50,000 in cash on or before the second anniversary of the Effective Date, and a final cash payment on or before the third anniversary of the Effective Date; and (B) issue to the Vendors an aggregate of 500,000 common shares (the "Common Shares") in the capital of the Company on the Effective Date, and issue an aggregate of 300,000 Common Shares to the Vendors on or before the second anniversary of the Effective Date.

In addition, the Company will grant the Vendors will be entitled to a 1.5% net smelter returns royalty (the "Royalty") in accordance with the terms of the Agreements. QcX has the option to purchase 0.5% of the Royalty (reducing the Royalty to 1.0%) by making a cash payment to the Vendors in the amount of $500,000.

The completion of the Transaction contemplated by the Agreement remains subject to the approval of all regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the Transaction will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the issuance thereof, as applicable, in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Qualified Person

Kelly Malcolm, P.Geo. (PGO - 2864), a director of QcX and a non-independent Qualified Person ("QP") as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release. The QP has not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the Property, particularly with regards to historical sampling and regional government-mapped geology. However, the QP assumes that sampling and analytical results were completed to industry standard practices. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results.

About QcX Gold

QcX Gold is exploring for gold and VMS-style mineralization on its highly prospective and well-located properties in Quebec and Ontario. The Golden Giant Project is located in the James Bay region, 2.9 km from Azimut Exploration Inc.'s Patwon discovery on their Elmer gold project. The Fernet Project is located in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt and is contiguous with Wallbridge Mining Company Limited's Fenelon/Martiniere property. Both Quebec properties are situated near significant discoveries and benefit from favourable infrastructure.

In Ontario, QcX holds the Batchawana Project, a consolidated land position within the Batchawana Greenstone Belt near Sault Ste. Marie. The Project now includes the recently acquired Olsen claims, expanding the property to a contiguous package adjacent to Sterling Metals Corp.'s Soo Copper Project. The area is underlain by greenstone and Mid-Continent Rift-related geology that has historically produced copper, gold, molybdenum, and silver, and remains underexplored with modern techniques.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation, the planned exploration program, the expected positive exploration results, the timing of the exploration results, the ability of the Company to continue with the exploration program, the availability of the required funds to continue with the exploration and the potential mineralization or potential mineral resources are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "to earn", "to have', "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, failure to meet expected, estimated or planned exploration expenditures, failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, general business and economic conditions, changes in world gold markets, sufficient labour and equipment being available, changes in laws and permitting requirements, unanticipated weather changes, title disputes and claims, environmental risks as well as those risks identified in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described and accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

1 (L.J, Nelson, March 1989, Prospecting Report - Olsen Township Ontario, Ontario Assessment File Database)

2 (Joubin F.R., Macintosh, J.A., and Lien, H.O, 1962-1963, Diamond Drilling Historical Report Olsen-0013, Ontario Assessment File Database)

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277880

SOURCE: QcX Gold Corp
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 12, 2025) - Silver Elephant Mining Corp. (TSX: ELEF) (OTCQB: SILEF) (FSE: 1P2) ("Silver Elephant" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news release dated December 2, 2025, it has closed the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") raising gross proceeds of $290,000 through the sale of 1,160,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.25 per unit. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a "Share") and one share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.30 per Share for a period of three years from issuance.

John Lee, a Director of the Company subscribed for 250,000 Units for gross proceeds of $62,500 and Ron Motz, a shareholder holding more than 10% of the Company's common shares, subscribed for 150,000 Units for gross proceeds of $37,500. The issuance of Units to Mr. Lee and Mr. Motz are considered related party transactions within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that Mr. Lee's and Mr. Motz's participation in the Private Placement did not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization. The Company will file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction.

The securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a regulatory hold period of four months plus one day from the date of issue. Proceeds of the Private Placement are expected to be used for general corporate purposes. The second and final tranche of the Private Placement is expected, subject to regulatory approval, to close on or around December 29, 2025.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the Units in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

About Silver Elephant Mining Corp.

Silver Elephant is a mineral exploration company with gold and silver projects in Bolivia.

Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com.

SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"John Lee"

CEO and Executive Chairman

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is generally identifiable by use of the words "believes," "may," "plans," "will," "anticipates," "intends," "could", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "projects" and similar expressions, and the negative of such expressions. Such forward-looking information, which reflects management's expectations regarding Silver Elephant's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, is based on certain factors and assumptions and involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes the use of proceeds raised from the Private Placement.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, and should not be read as guarantees of future performance, events or results, and may not be indicative of whether such events or results will actually be achieved. A number of risks and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: market conditions; changes in business plans; ability to secure sufficient financing to advance the Company's mining projects; and general economic conditions. Additional risk factors about the Company are set out in its latest annual and interim management's discussion and analysis and annual information form available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca.

Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions by management as of the date of this news release, and there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with any forward-looking information included herein. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information in this news release to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date of this news release, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Not for distribution to the United States Newswire Services or For Dissemination, Distribution, Release or Publication, Directly or Indirectly into the United States

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277958

SOURCE: Silver Elephant Mining Corp.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION TO THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. (the "Company" or "Prospect Ridge") (CSE:PRR)(OTCQB:PRRSF)(FRA:OED) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to $800,000 through the issue of up to 8,888,889 critical mineral flow-through units (the "Units") at a price of $0.09 per Unit.

Len Brownlie, Ph.D, President and CEO of Prospect Ridge, commented: "Our multi-faceted 2025 exploration campaign was successful in identifying multiple drill targets on the Company's Excalibur, Castle and Camelot copper-gold porphyry projects. The next step towards a discovery on each of these projects will be to drill test them. While our recently completed financing added $1.6M to the treasury to fund the initial 2026 drilling program, the Company has elected, in light of further investment interest, to accept additional funds for the program at this time. The additional funds will alleviate market uncertainty and ensure that the Company is able to secure all required contractors and supplies early in 2026 - ahead of an expected shortage in the summer of 2026 - allowing management to begin drilling as soon as possible and to more fully focus on the program itself."

Each Unit will consist of one flow-through common share (an "FT Share") of the Company and one-half of a warrant, with a whole warrant (a "Warrant") being exercisable to purchase one non-flow-through common share (a "Warrant Share") of the Company at a price of $0.15 for a period of two years after closing. The Warrants will be subject to accelerated expiry if the Company's common shares trade or close on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "Exchange") at $0.25 or more for ten consecutive trading days.

The Company intends to use the gross proceeds from the FT Shares to incur, on its mineral projects in British Columbia, eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will also qualify as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "ITA"). The Company intends to allocate the funds to its 2026 drill programs at one or more of the Company's Excalibur, Castle and Camelot projects.

The closing of the Offering is subject to certain closing conditions, including the receipt of all necessary approvals including Exchange acceptance. All securities issued will be subject to a statutory and/or Exchange hold period of four months plus one day from closing. The Company may pay finder fees in compliance with applicable securities laws and Exchange policies and subject to the receipt of any necessary regulatory approvals.

The securities to be offered under the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Prospect Ridge Resources Corp.

Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. is a British Columbia-based exploration and development company focused on critical metals and gold. Led by a management and technical team with over 100 years of combined mineral exploration experience, Prospect Ridge is dedicated to advancing its portfolio of properties in the Golden Horseshoe and Cariboo regions of north-central British Columbia that have the potential to become the next large copper/gold porphyry discovery across this vastly under-explored region.

Contact Information

Prospect Ridge Resources Corp.

Mike Iverson - Chairman, Director

Email: mike@miverson.ca

24549 - 53 Avenue

Langley, BC V2Z1H6

604-351-3351

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This release includes certain statements and information ("FLI") that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. FLI relates to future events or future performance and reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company's management. Anything that is not historical fact is FLI. Generally, FLI can be, without limitation, identified by the use of forward-looking wording such as "plans", " intends", "believes", "expects", "anticipates" or "estimates", and statements or phrases that certain actions, events or results " may", "might", " could", " should" or " would"occur, and similar expressions. FLI is not historical fact, is made as of the date of this news release and includes, without limitation, statements and discussions of future plans, intentions, expectations, estimates and forecasts, and statements as to management's intentions and expectations with respect to, among other things, positive exploration results at the Camelot, Holy Grail/Knauss Creek, Castle or Excalibur Projects. FLI involves numerous risks and uncertainties, and are based on assumptions, and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any FLI. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the availability of financing to continue exploration activities, the availability and cost of qualified exploration personnel and service providers, and that future exploration results at the Camelot, Holy Grail/Knauss Creek, Castle or Excalibur Projects will not be as anticipated. In making any FLI in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that future exploration results at the Camelot, Holy Grail/Knauss Creek, Castle or Excalibur Projects will be as anticipated. Although management has endeavored to evaluate and use reasonable assumptions and to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in FLI, these assumptions may prove incorrect and there may be other factors that cause results not to be as intended, expected, anticipated or estimated. There can be no assurance that FLI will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed in FLI. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on FLI, and are further cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any FLI expressed or incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

SOURCE: Prospect Ridge Resources Corp.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/prospect-ridge-announces-non-brokered-private-placement-1117158
Network18s special panel marking sixty years of UgandaIndia relations was more than a diplomatic conversation. It unfolded as a strategic reflection on the past and a confident projection into the future, revealing how a century-old association is now evolving into a partnership shaped by investment, connectivity, and people-driven cooperation.

The dialogue brought together Ugandas senior representatives, including Her Excellency Joyce Kakaramatsi Kafunda, Honorary Consul Madu Sudan Agrawal, Uganda Airlines Country Head Lenny Malassi, and Honorary Consul Vinodkumar Saragi, each offering a distinctive lens on a relationship ready for scale.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A Relationship Rooted in History, Celebrated in the Present

The IndiaUganda story began long before formal diplomacy. When Indian workers traveled to East Africa over a century ago to build the railway line connecting Uganda to the Indian Ocean, they unknowingly laid the foundation of a thriving social and commercial bond. Over generations, that bond strengthened into a vibrant diaspora, and today, nearly 40,000 people of Indian origin call Uganda home.

As Uganda and India mark 60 years of diplomatic relations, the High Commissioner described the partnership as beyond good they are excellent because they are built on ancient history, mutual benefit, and mutual friendship. Her reflections underscored how the missions established in 1965 evolved into a multifaceted collaboration that spans trade, culture, and development.

More from Business How Indian fintech startups are driving Malaysias UPI-like digital payments revolution

She highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modis 2018 address to all African parliaments from Kampala, calling it iconic and a moment that reaffirmed Indias long-term commitment to Africa. India has honored all those points, she added.

Economic Bridges Built Over Generations

From historical connections emerged deep economic ties. As Mr. Madu Sudan Agrawal noted, Sixty-five percent of the economy of Uganda currently is in the hands of Indian businessmen. These businesses, many of which have been family-run for decades, represent enduring trust and long-term commitment. He underlines that his own company, Ajanta Pharma, has operated in Uganda for more than forty years, supplying affordable medicines and essential products.

Yet, as trade expanded, an imbalance persisted. Uganda imports machinery, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods from India, while its agricultural exports remain limited. Agrawal illustrated the opportunity starkly: In India, if you purchase avocado, it is 300 rupees. In Uganda, it is 5 rupees. Resolving technical barriers could unlock an entire export ecosystem.

Ugandas economic expansion over the past decade was also highlighted by Honorary Consul Vinodkumar Saragi, who described Africa as the important growth area and positioned Uganda as a strategic entry point for Indian investors.

He noted that the government now prioritizes value-added exports across agriculture, textiles, dairy, minerals, and petroleum. If the investment is big, even 100 acres of land has been given free by the President, he said, pointing to Ugandas investor-first approach.

With free repatriation of profits, single-window clearances, and a young English-speaking workforce, Saragi believes the ecosystem is primed for stronger IndiaUganda business collaboration.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Ugandas Strategic Location: A Gateway, Not a Challenge

If economic ties have strengthened the partnership, Ugandas geography is poised to elevate it further. Often labeled landlocked, the High Commissioner reframed it boldly: We are land-linked. This shift in perspective reflects Ugandas strategic access to Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.

This central positioning places Uganda at the heart of Africas fastest-growing markets. The East African Community, COMESA, and the African Continental Free Trade Area collectively offer access to more than a billion consumers. Combined with free land for qualified investors, low electricity costs, and a young, English-speaking workforce, Uganda emerges as a compelling frontier for Indian businesses.

Uganda has a very conducive investment climate, Her Excellency Joyce Kakaramatsi Kafunda emphasized, drawing attention to the countrys thirty years of peace and political stability.

Connectivity Takes Flight: The Six-Hour Leap Forward

As structural advantages strengthen the investment story, aviation is powering a new era of mobility. Uganda Airlines direct MumbaiEntebbe service has compressed geographical distance and expanded possibilities. What was once a long, multi-stop journey is now a six-hour bridge between two growing markets.

It opened at the right time, Lenny Malassi said, describing the surge in Indian travellers seeking new destinations after the pandemic. India has already become Ugandas fourth-largest source market for tourism. The airlines interline partnership with Air India creates seamless connections across Indian cities, enabling smoother travel for tourists, traders, and executives alike.

Tourism, in particular, is emerging as a high-growth pillar. Ugandas landscapes, home to mountain gorillas, tree-climbing lions, freshwater lakes, and year-round pleasant weather, remain among Africas most striking. For Indian visitors, the Source of the Nile carries special significance, as part of Mahatma Gandhis ashes were immersed there.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Yet, as Mr. Madu Sudan Agrawal pointed out, Travel agents never promoted Uganda earlier. With the Explore Uganda campaign and improving connectivity, that gap is closing quickly. Yet awareness has lagged. Supported by the growing interest from Indian tourists and film producers exploring Uganda as a shooting destination.

Looking to 2040: Ambition, Scale, and Shared Growth

Uganda has set an audacious target: growing its economy nearly tenfold from $66 billion to $500 billion by 2040. Thats just 15 years away, requiring sustained annual growth rates that few African nations have achieved.

Four sectors anchor this strategy: agro-industrialization, tourism, mining, and technology. Agriculture employs 70% of Ugandans and recently propelled the country past regional competitors to become Africas top coffee exporter. Oil and gas production begins in 2026, two decades after discovery.

The reason we took long is because we wanted it to be a blessing and not a curse, Her Excellency Joyce Kakaramatsi Kafunda explained, referencing the resource curse that has plagued other African petroleum producers. As global interest shifts toward new African markets, Uganda positions itself as a stable entry point for Indian investors seeking growth, diversification, and regional access.

A Partnership Ready for Its Next Chapter

As Uganda and India mark sixty years of diplomatic relations, their partnership feels less like a commemoration and more like a beginning. What started with railway workers has grown into a robust ecosystem of business, mobility, cultural exchange, and humanitarian collaboration.

We can only go higher, the High Commissioner said, capturing the optimism that defines the next phase of one of Indias most enduring African relationships.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Air India Flight 171, headed for Londons Gatwick Airport, with 230 passengers and 12 crew aboard, crashed just moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport around 1:30 pm on June 12. Only one person survived after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner began to lose thrust shortly after take-off. Today, six months later, many questions remain unanswered

Wreckage of the Air India plane that crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, lies on a building, in Ahmedabad. File image/PTI

It has been six months since the Air India plane crash that left 241 dead.

Air India Flight 171, headed for Londons Gatwick Airport, with 230 passengers and 12 crew aboard, crashed just moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport around 1:30 pm on June 12.

Only one person survived after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner began to lose thrust shortly after take-off. It went down just a few hundred metres from the runway and into a building of a medical university.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

But where does the investigation stand? What has changed? What about the victims families?

Where the investigation stands

Officials from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) are set to meet representatives of Americas National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington this week.

Those in the know said the AAIB investigators will go over data found from the planes cockpit voice and flight data recorders with the US officials. The NTSB is involved because the plane that crashed and the engines were both made by Boeing.

The meeting, which will be held at the NTSBs headquarters in Washington, will be attended by several stakeholders, including officials from Boeing.

The AAIB in its July report said that the fuel supply switches for both engines were almost simultaneously placed in the off position just after take-off.

The preliminary report reveals that both engine fuel cut-off switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of one second. This occurred as the aircraft hit its maximum speed of 180 knots during take-off.

Investigators have still not explained why this happened. The theories range from pilot error to mechanical failure or electronic issues.

In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off (the fuel supply). The other pilot responded that he did not do so, the report states. The plane was being manned by First Officer Clive Kunder and Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. However, the report does not state who made what remark.

With an experience of over 15 years, Sanjay Kumar Singh, currently serving as director of AAIB, is the head of the team probing the Air India crash. Image Courtesy: LinkedIn

The report also notes that an auxiliary power unit, intended to provide power to the aircraft in the event of engine failure, deployed automatically. Less than 10 seconds later, both switches were returned to the on position.

Immediately afterwards, one of the two pilots managed to transmit Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, before the plane crashed. The 15-page document does not mention whether the turning off of the fuel switches could have been caused by pilot manoeuvre or by any kind of malfunction.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Investigators in the report have noted that the aircraft that crashed, earlier that day, had a hard landing in Ahmedabad. The crew then reported a tail/stabiliser issue. Engineers performed troubleshooting, found no fault and cleared the aircraft.

Investigators in their report noted this development but did not link it to the fatal crash. They say the probe to determine the cause of the crash remains ongoing.

However, investigators have ruled out weather, bird strikes, the aircrafts weight, balance and configuration, fuel issues and engine trouble. However, the aviation investigator did note that the information is preliminary and subject to change.

It added that "additional details are being gathered based on the initial leads and that the investigation team will review and examine additional evidence, records and information that is being sought from the stakeholders.

The final report is awaited, but this could take months or even years.

Whats changed

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in the aftermath of the crash, ordered Air India to conduct safety checks on all its 787 and 789 aircraft that had GenX engines. The civil aviation regulator also ordered airlines to carry out a number of specific checks before each flight.

These included:

Keeping a close eye on fuel levels

Carrying out an electronic engine control system test

Making sure that mechanical parts delivering fuel to the engine are working properly

Ensuring take-off settings, like engine thrust, flap positions, and weight calculations, are right

Checking flight control systems during transfers

Double-checking to see if engines are producing the required thrust and performance levels every two weeks

Reviewing and fixing repeated technical issues in 15 days

What about victims families?

The victims families continue to wait for answers. Many have given up thoughts of ever returning to London.

Hiren Dayani, whose mother Kailashben was on the flight, told The Times of India he keeps thinking about that day incessantly. She would create halarda (lullaby) for my son and sing them, Hiren said. All these memories flood back every time I think about that day.

Hiren and his family have abandoned any thoughts of returning to London. He, his wife Namrata, and their three-year-old son Vaastu have moved to Surat. Namrata, a former National Health Service (NHS) employee, has opened a clinic while Hiren, a clinical research scientist, is looking for a job.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

People carry the body of a victim from the crash site after an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad. File image/Reuters

Mobbashera Vahora was pregnant when her husband Parvez and their four-year-old daughter Zuveriya were killed in the crash. Her daughter is now five months old. We migrated for better prospects for our children, she said. We dreamed of building a life there, but all of that is lost now.

Harish Godhaniya, who lost his wife Riddhi and three-year-old son Kriyansh, added, I have nobody there anymore. What would I do there? We emigrated with dreams of a better life. That day took my whole world.

Madan Singh Rajpurohit, whose newly married eldest daughter Khushbu died in the incident, continues to wonder about it.

I cannot explain We are still upset. What feeling one has when a family member suddenly vanishes?There will be compensation, but thats not enough Bas yeh tasalli honi chahiye ki kaise hua, kyon hua, kiski galti se hua, yeh jannana zaroori hai (There should be satisfactory answers to how and why it happened), Rajpurohit told The Indian Express.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Rajpurohits son-in-law has filed a case in London.

The family of Dirth Patel, 24, who died in the crash, are also shattered. Krutik, the older brother of Dirth, who was going to work at the University of Huddersfield, has returned to his native place of Gujarat alongside his wife.

Krutik has to repay a Rs 15 lakh education loan for his brother. we are still paying an EMI of Rs 22,000. Despite repeated requests to the bank, we were offered a maximum of a 10% discount on the principal amount, Krutik added.

Mike Andrews from US law firm Beasley Allen, who is representing over 100 families, says they are focused on finding the truth.

Very early on, the emotions were very raw And now they seem much more resolved to be patient and find the truth. Every single family Ive met seemed much more resolved now, added Andrews.

Profoundly flawed

Many are unhappy with investigators.

Pushkaraj Sabharwal, 91, father of pilot Sumeet Sabharwal, called the preliminary report profoundly flawed.

Sabharwal, who moved the Supreme Court in his petition, argued that investigators seemed to predominantly focus on the deceased pilots, who are no longer able to defend themselves, while failing to examine or eliminate other more plausible technical and procedural causes of the crash.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

British lawyer Sarah Stewart, who represents around 50 families of victims, also favours a scenario not involving the pilots.

The factual information raises a troubling spectre that this accident may have been caused by uncommanded fuel cut-off, suggesting a possible failure in the Boeing systems, she said in a statement.

Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal who was the pilot of the Air India plane which crashed in Ahmedabad, pays tribute after his sons mortal remains were brought to Mumbai for his last rites. Pushkaraj has called the preliminary report profoundly flawed.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, in a speech on September 10, said that the preliminary report indicates nothing wrong with the aircraft, nothing wrong with the engines, nothing wrong with the airlines operation.

Some experts, however, have thrown cold water on the statement.

There were electrical faults reported before the crash on this plane, former commercial pilot Amit Singh, founder of Safety Matters Foundation, said. The narrative of the report is built in such a way that the reader tends to believe that the pilots are responsible, even though a lot of the data presented are not sourced, he said. The final report could be manipulated, he warned.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Aviation expert Mark Martin went even further, calling it a cleverly designed cover-up. Boeing did exactly the same after the 737 MAX crashes  they blamed the pilots, he said of the accidents in 2018 and 2019, noting that an investigation later found a design flaw. Boeing cannot afford to take the blame for the crash, said Martin.

With inputs from agencies
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to attend a high-level international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, today. Meanwhile, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni will be meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome. The UNSC is likely to hold consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to attend a high-level international forum in Turkmenistan's Ashgabat. File image/Reuters

It is set to be a busy Friday with several events lined up for the day.

Firstly, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to attend a high-level international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome today.

The European Unions Economic and Financial Affairs Council will meet in Brussels today. Meanwhile, Italys largest union, CGIL, will organise a general strike. Lastly, the UN Security Council is likely to hold a briefing and consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Here is all that is set to take place across the world today.

Putin to attend International Year of Peace and Trust forum

Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to attend a high-level international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust. The event will take place in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

The event is held in commemoration of the United Nations General Assemblys proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistans permanent neutrality. It was recognised by the UN on December 12, 1995.

The aim of the event is to promote peace, preventive diplomacy, and regional cooperation, in alignment with the UNs goals for the year. The forum is expected to attract numerous heads of state and government, including the presidents of Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Iraq, as well as high-level representatives from other nations like China.

Italian PM Meloni to meet Palestinian president

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Palazzo Chigi today. This meeting is a central event during Abbass visit to Rome, where he will also participate in the annual Atreju political festival hosted by Melonis Brothers of Italy party.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome today. File image/AFP

The leaders are expected to focus heavily on stabilising the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, initiating reconstruction efforts, and addressing the severe humanitarian situation. Italy has a specific Food for Gaza initiative and is involved in medical evacuations.

A recurring point of discussion is Italys firm stance that Hamas must be disarmed and cannot play a role in the future governance of the Palestinian people, stressing the importance of the Palestinian Authoritys leadership.

EU finance ministers meet in Brussels

The European Unions Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) will meet be held in Brussels today. Finance ministers from all EU member states will be a part of the meeting, chaired by Danish Minister for Economic Affairs Stephanie Lose.

Ministers will discuss the economic and financial impact of Russias aggression and potential uses of immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine. Meanwhile, the bi-annual ECOFIN tax report and progress on EU customs reform, particularly regarding customs duties on low-value parcels, will be discussed.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Italy strike over govt budget proposal

A major nationwide general strike will take place across Italy today. It has been called by the countrys largest trade union, CGIL, to protest the governments proposed 2026 budget law.

A woman takes part in a protest strike called by the Italian Labour Union (UIL) and the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) at Piazza del Popolo in Rome. File image/AFP

The strike affects both public and private sectors and is expected to cause widespread disruption, especially to transport and public services. A large amount of disruptions are expected to take place in trains, buses, cabs and other local public transport.

UNSC meeting on DRC

The UN Security Council (UNSC) is likely to hold a briefing and consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today.

A key item for the Council in December is the expected renewal of the mandate for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (Monusco), which is set to expire on December 20. Discussions will focus on the security challenges in the eastern provinces, particularly the activities of armed groups like the M23 rebels, and the status of regional peace efforts.

The progress and challenges of Monuscos gradual and responsible withdrawal plan, agreed upon with the Congolese government, will also be a major topic.
Over 600 high-value pieces, including precious Indian artefacts like an East India Company belt plate and carved ivory elephant, were stolen in a daring heist at the UKs Bristol museum in September. Officers have now shared blurry CCTV images of four white men they believe are responsible for the break-in

A collection of Indian artefacts from the British colonial period is among more than 600 high-value pieces stolen in a major burglary at UK's Bristol museum. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

A collection of Indian artefacts from the British colonial period is among more than 600 high-value pieces stolen in a major burglary at UK's Bristol museum.

Police say the thieves struck in the early hours of September 25, breaking into the storage facility that houses the museums British Empire and Commonwealth collection. More than two months later, officers have now shared blurry CCTV images of four white men they believe were at the scene during the break-in.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In their public appeal, investigators said, Detectives investigating a high-value burglary of museum artefacts are appealing for the publics help to identify these people.

Heres a breakdown of what has emerged so far.

What Indian artefacts were stolen?

The list of missing objects includes several India-related pieces with deep historical significance. One of the standout items is an East India Company officers belt plate mount, marked with the organisations motto, Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae.

According to an Times of India report, a carved ivory elephant, an ivory Buddha figure placed on a stone base featuring seven snake heads, and an 1838 US emancipation token, originally produced to support the anti-slavery movement, were also taken.

The burglars made off with a wide range of other valuables too, from military memorabilia and old jewellery to silver artefacts, bronze sculptures and geological samples.

The wider collection holds many notable pieces linked to India: a painting of the grand 1903 Delhi Durbar where Edward VII was declared Emperor of India; more than 250 letters written by British soldier Joseph Stephens while stationed on the then North West Frontier; and vintage photographs by Victor Veevers, a Mumbai-born poster artist who worked with Indian Railways in the 1930s.

Burglary significant loss to city

Philip Walker, who oversees cultural affairs at the Bristol City Council, emphasised that the missing items are more than museum pieces, they represent personal, social and political histories from across the former British Empire. Their disappearance, he noted, strips away valuable insight into how people lived during that era.

Detective Constable Dan Burgan explained the impact plainly in his interview with PTI, saying, The theft of many items which carry a significant cultural value is a significant loss for the city.

Men carrying bags in the early hours of September 25 in Bristol. AFP

He added, These items, many of which were donations, form part of a collection that provides insight into a multi-layered part of British history, and we are hoping that members of the public can help us to bring those responsible to justice.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

This incident also comes at a time when museums across Europe seem increasingly vulnerable. In October, crown jewels were stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. Weeks later, thieves in Switzerland overpowered a guard and fled with dozens of ancient gold coins.

What we know about the suspects

Police are trying to track down four men who were spotted on CCTV near the site around the time of the burglary. Although the footage is of low quality, it captures the suspects carrying bags and shows distinct clothing details.

We want to speak to the people, pictured, after museum artefacts were stolen in Bristol.



The burglary happened in the Cumberland Road area between 1-2am on Thursday 25 September.



If you can help, call 101 ref 5225269603 or contact Crimestoppers.https://t.co/g1cWBLtfab  Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) December 11, 2025

One man is seen in a white cap, black jacket, light trousers and black trainers. Another is wearing a grey hooded jacket, black trousers and black trainers.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A third appears in a green cap, black jacket, light shorts and white trainers. The fourth, described as heavier-built, is wearing a two-tone orange and navy/black padded jacket, black trousers and black-and-white trainers.

Why these images were released more than two months after the crime is still unclear, but investigators say they are continuing to piece together the timeline and believe public identification could be key.

For now, the hope is that the artefacts, many of them unique and culturally significant, can be located before they vanish into private collections or the black market for good.

With input from agencies
December 12 marks the 114th anniversary of Indias capital, Delhi, when King George V formally announced the shift from Calcutta. Its also on this day in 1969 that a bomb exploded at the headquarters of the Banca Nazionale dellAgricoltura in Milans Piazza Fontana, Italy, killing 17 people

When Delhi took over as the power capital of India. Reuters

One hundred and fourteen years ago, todays Delhi, a bustling business centre, home to Parliament and the Presidential palace, replaced Calcutta as the capital of British India.

During the magnificent Delhi Darbar in 1911, King George V announced the shifting of Indias capital from Calcutta to Delhi. A historic announcement shaping Indias future.

In this edition of Firstposts ongoing series of History Today, we put the spotlight on the birth of Indias iconic modern capital, Delhi and more.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The making of a new capital, Delhi

On this day, an announcement by King George V reshaped Indias future as he declared that the Capital of British India would move from Calcutta to Delhi. The decision was made to strengthen British control over India, paving the way for the creation of New Delhi.

However, the main cause of the move was to enable the government to escape the uncomfortable political atmosphere of Calcutta, marked by violent demonstrations of nationalist sentiment since Lord Curzons 1905 partition of Bengal.

Amid this, Delhi proved to be a perfect choice. The decision was made, with the hope that it would give the British a more central seat of power. Delhi had a royal appeal, designed by famous architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.

It was supposed to be ready after the foundation stone was laid in 1911. However, due to World War I, which imposed stringent funding constraints and labour shortage.

After years, the plan to rebuild the new capital was back on the table. Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker were chosen as its chief architects.

Raisina Hill, along with the council house, became the power corridor of the Indian subcontinent, and the new capital was formally inaugurated in 1931 following a series of ceremonies.

The last of these was the unveiling of the All-India War Memorial, now known as India Gate.

It took two decades to build the new capital, and the fate of the British Empire itself had undergone significant changes. In 1911, it was an all-powerful empire, but by 1931, it was pretty much clear that a power shift was imminent.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The new capital, for all the grandeur of its conception, was to mark the beginning of the end, a historian and author, Thomas Metcalf, rightly pointed out.

It was a birth to Indias iconic modern capital. Today, Delhi stands as a vibrant blend of history and progress.

Piazza Fontana bombing

A bombing at Milans Piazza Fontana shocked Italy. A huge explosion was heard in the central atrium of the bank.

Fourteen people died instantly, while three more died from their wounds, and 88 people were injured.

During the questioning about the Piazza Fontana bombing, an Italian anarchist, Giuseppe Pinelli, died after falling from the Milan police headquarters window.

Pinellis death was widely believed to be murder by the police.

Many were interrogated, and some even detained in the Piazza Fontana bombing; however, the main arrests targeted anarchists like Pietro Valpreda, who was acquitted later.

With inputs from agencies
Village in SE China's Fujian brings ancient guqin instrument to world stage

People's Daily Online) 13:35, December 12, 2025

Photo shows a guqin, a traditional Chinese seven-stringed instrument, in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Houfang village, located in Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province, is a renowned production hub for the guqin, a traditional Chinese seven-stringed instrument. Longren Guqin Cultural Village, situated within the village, is a national-level cultural industry demonstration base.

Shang Yiyang, an inheritor of the guqin-making craft and an instructor at Longren Guqin Cultural Village, said the guqin is one of China's oldest plucked string instruments, with a history of more than 3,000 years.

The village's guqin industry thrives not only because of the surrounding forests that provide ideal wood, but also thanks to Changtai district's rich guqin heritage, which dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Longren Guqin Cultural Village regularly hosts guqin festivals, lectures on Chinese classics and concerts, and has published China's first guqin curriculum for middle school students. Its instruments have been collected by institutions at home and abroad, including the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum and the World Calligraphy Museum in Russia.

Photo shows Longren Guqin Cultural Village in Houfang village, located in Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Photo shows Longren Guqin Cultural Village in Houfang village, located in Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Photo shows Longren Academy, located in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Photo shows a guqin, a traditional Chinese seven-stringed instrument with a history spanning over 3,000 years, in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Knowledge of traditional Chinese music is presented on display boards in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

A man plays a guqin in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Kilmar Abrego Garcia walked out of an immigration detention centre in Pennsylvania after a federal judge in Maryland ordered his immediate release and the Trump administration for its handling of the case. In March, the father of three children was mistakenly deported to a high-security terrorist prison to El Salvador and later brought back to the US to face criminal charges

US District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had no lawful authority to keep holding Kilmar Abrego Garcia , sharply criticising the governments handling of the case. Reuters File

Kilmar Abrego Garcia walked out of an immigration detention centre in Pennsylvania on Thursday, only hours after a federal judge in Maryland ordered his immediate release.

The ruling marked a major turning point in a case that began months ago, when Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and sent to a high-security prison meant for gang members and terrorists.

US District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had no lawful authority to keep holding him, sharply criticising the governments handling of the case.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Her decision follows weeks of tense exchanges between the court and the Justice Department over how the wrongful deportation was allowed to happen.

But the Department of Homeland Security has pushed back. It condemned the ruling, calling it naked judicial activism and announced plans to appeal.

So who is Kilmar Abrego Garcia? And how did a man who is a lawful US resident, married to an American citizen, end up being deported in the first place? How did his case catch global attention? Heres what we know.

Who is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, 29, first arrived in the United States in 2011 after fleeing severe gang violence in El Salvador. According to his attorney, who spoke to The Atlantic, Abrego had been repeatedly targeted by gangs back home  stalked, assaulted, and threatened with kidnapping or death as part of their extortion tactics.

He crossed into the US without inspection and eventually settled in Maryland, where he built a life. Working as a sheet metal apprentice, he supported his wife, Jennifer Stefania Vasquez Sura  a US citizen  their five-year-old autistic son, and her two children from a previous relationship.

But in 2019, during Donald Trumps first term, the government accused him of being an MS-13 member. MS-13, a Salvadoran gang, had been labelled a terrorist organisation by the State Department that same year.

A CNN report, citing court documents, said police flagged him as a gang member partly because he wore a Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie and because a confidential informant advised that he was an active member of MS-13 with the Westerns clique.

Police flagged Kilmar as a gang member partly because he wore a Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie and because a confidential informant advised that he was an active member of MS-13 with the Westerns clique. File Image/Reuters

Throughout his immigration proceedings, Abregos lawyer argued he had no gang ties, no criminal record, and no connection to any criminal activity.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

An immigration judge ultimately granted him withholding of removal, ruling that sending him back to El Salvador would put his life at risk. This meant he was still technically removable  but not to El Salvador specifically. The government never appealed this decision.

How an administrative error sent him to a terror prison in El Salvador

Everything changed on 12 March. After finishing a shift at a construction site, Abrego was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency told him there had been a change in his immigration status.

Just days later, on Saturday, he was deported to El Salvador  even though a US court had barred his removal to that country.

By Monday, ICE admitted in a Maryland federal court filing that he had been wrongfully deported and placed inside the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, a maximum-security prison known for its brutal conditions.

Despite DHS admitting the mistake, the administration defended its actions. Vice President JD Vance posted on X calling Abrego a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here.

The White House also argued that tattoos on his hands  a marijuana leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull  were gang identifiers. Trump repeated this claim in an interview with ABC News. The administration even released a photo with the letters M, S, 1 and 3 digitally added to explain their meaning.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

On 10 April 2025, the US Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to bring him back. He returned to US custody in June.

ICE attempts to deport him again

His return did not put an end to the governments efforts. Soon after, he was arrested again  this time charged with trafficking undocumented migrants.

The charge stems from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. Abrego had been pulled over for speeding while driving with nine passengers. Police suspected human smuggling but let him go and didnt charge him.

Abrego pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers moved to dismiss the case. By then, he had been separated from his family for over 160 days.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the US legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, looks on during a press conference with other family members, supporters and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in Washington, DC, US, April 9, 2025. File Image/Reuters

ICE attempted to deport him again  not to El Salvador, where it was legally forbidden  but to several African countries, including Liberia.

A Maryland judge blocked the move in July. Since then, Abrego had been held by ICE, with his lawyers arguing that the government was retaliating against him for exposing its earlier mistakes. They say sending him to unrelated third countries violates due process.

Garcia is released under strict conditions

After months of legal battles, Abregos legal team picked him from a Pennsylvania facility on Thursday, his attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg confirmed.

Moshenberg told CNN that Abrego would now finally be able to reunite with his family  for only the second time this year.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Today what we saw is the triumph of law over power. I dont think this case is over, but its a huge victory today, he said.

But Abrego is not fully free. He remains under pre-trial release conditions tied to the human smuggling case in Nashville.

Wrongly deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia is released from jail on 22 August. Photograph: Seth Herald/Reuters

He must live under the custody of his brother in Maryland and cannot leave the state without permission from the Tennessee court. Hes also restricted from leaving his residence except for work, medical visits, religious services, or court appearances.

His trial is scheduled for January, though his attorneys are pushing to have the charges dismissed altogether. A major hearing on the issue had been set for this week, but the judge cancelled it earlier this month. CNN reports that sealed court proceedings are now underway.

With input from agencies
Washington is debating reports that the US may be exploring a Core 5 grouping with China, Russia, India and Japan, based on claims that an unpublished version of the National Security Strategy outlined such a framework. While the White House denies any alternate draft exists, the idea has fuelled concerns over Europes exclusion

Protesters display a banner with caricatures of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump as people demonstrate against a plan drafted by the US President Donald Trump's administration to end the war in Ukraine during a protest rally called "No to Munich 2025. Do not sell out Ukraine", in front of the US Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, November 25, 2025. File Image/Reuters

For weeks, Washington has been consumed by talk of a proposed Core 5 (C5) framework involving the United States, China, Russia, India and Japan.

The idea surfaced through detailed reports by US defence outlet Defense One and Politico, both of which said the concept appeared in a longer, not publicly released version of the National Security Strategy (NSS) unveiled by the Trump administration last week.

While the White House insists no such classified document exists, the suggestion that the US may be considering replacing legacy multilateral platforms, particularly the G7, with a new, exclusive forum of major powers  one that deliberately leaves Europe out  is not being taken lightly.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Indias presence in this theoretical grouping has raised questions about how New Delhi might fit into a strategic club that also includes Beijing and Moscow.

What is the Core 5?

The proposed C5 is described as a potential high-level platform bringing together five of the worlds most influential states: the United States, China, India, Japan and Russia.

All five countries are not only major players in global politics, but also among the worlds most populous nations, each exceeding 100 million people (a total population of about 3.5 billion).

Defense One reported that the idea appeared in a longer, unpublished version of the Trump administrations NSS. The concept, as described, would establish regular meetings among the five governments, with summits built around thematic issues.

One of the areas reportedly identified in the draft strategy was security developments in the West Asia, particularly the possibility of pushing forward diplomatic efforts between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

This C5 construct is portrayed as an alternative to the G7, which includes the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, the UK and Italy, with the EU participating institutionally.

Trump has publicly expressed discomfort with the G7 in the past, even suggesting that other global powers could be brought into the grouping. Discussions about Russia or China joining an expanded G7, for example, have surfaced several times during his presidency.

What does the reported NSS draft contain?

According to Defense Ones account, the extended NSS presents a starkly different worldview from previous US strategic documents. Notably, it argues that the goal of maintaining American dominance across the world was unrealistic and misguided.

The leaked text is said to state, After the end of the Cold War, American foreign policy elites convinced themselves that permanent American domination of the entire world was in the best interests of our country. Yet the affairs of other countries are our concern only if their activities directly threaten our interests.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The reported draft also states that the United States should reconsider the scope of its global commitments, concentrating instead on issues that directly affect American interests and prioritising its own hemisphere.

This reasoning is reflected in a broader reorientation toward Latin America and the Caribbean, an area where the US has recently increased military and political involvement.

The same document, as summarised by Defense One, reportedly says, We will reward and encourage the regions governments, political parties, and movements broadly aligned with our principles and strategy, while also acknowledging that the US can collaborate with governments with different outlooks with whom we nonetheless share interests and who want to work with us.

Another claim is that the draft frames Europe as facing civilisational erasure due to immigration and societal changes, suggesting that traditional US allies on the continent may not remain central pillars of American strategy.

Instead, the unpublished version allegedly advocates for deeper engagement with four EU member states often at odds with Brussels  Austria, Hungary, Italy and Poland  describing them as nations with a tradition of dissent within the European Union.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The EU angle: Favouring exit over unity?

A striking element attributed to the draft NSS is its endorsement of a strategy encouraging certain European countries to distance themselves from the EU.

Defense One reported that the document identified Austria, Hungary, Italy and Poland as potential candidates for separation from the bloc, following the example set by Brexit.

The proposal is portrayed as part of a larger effort to Make Europe Great Again, a phrase that echoes Trumps broader rhetorical style.

The reported version also encourages Washington to amplify political groups and cultural voices in Europe that advocate sovereignty, national identity and a return to traditional social frameworks.

It reportedly says that the US should support parties, movements, and intellectual and cultural figures who seek sovereignty and preservation/restoration of traditional European ways of life  while remaining pro-American.

There is no official acknowledgment that this document exists, and the White House has firmly rejected claims of any classified or alternate version of the NSS.

Why has the C5 idea gained traction in Washington?

Despite denials, the idea of a C5 has resonated with several analysts who have experience with Trumps foreign-policy approach. Multiple former officials say the proposal is not entirely inconsistent with Trumps known diplomatic instincts.

Politico reported that some of Trumps early decisions and delegations reinforce the impression that he is comfortable engaging directly with rival powers.

For example, he authorised the sale of Nvidias H200 chips to China  a move that suggests openness to high-level technological transactions with Beijing even during a period of strategic competition.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Similarly, Trump sent businessman Steve Witkoff and former White House adviser Jared Kushner to Moscow for direct discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Such actions highlight Trumps preference for personal deal-making and unconventional diplomatic channels.

A senior official from Trumps first administration told Politico that while a C5 or C7 was never explicitly discussed, the concept did not seem implausible.

The official said, Nothing around a C5 or C7 was discussed, but there were certainly conversations that the existing bodies like the G-structures or the UN Security Council werent fit for purpose given todays new players.

Does the C5 reflect Trumps worldview?

Torrey Taussig, formerly the director for European affairs on the National Security Council under US President Joe Biden, told Politico, This aligns with how we know President Trump to view the world, which is nonideologically, through an affinity for strongmen, and through a propensity of working with other great powers that maintain spheres of influence in their region.

Her assessment also highlights the absence of Europe from the proposed grouping. Taussig said this may lead European countries to conclude that the US sees Russia as the dominant force on the continent.

Such an implication would represent a dramatic shift from decades of US policy that viewed European unity as a cornerstone of American strategic interests.

Other experts point to a sharp break from Trumps own earlier stance on China.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Michael Sobolik, who worked for US Senator Ted Cruz during the Trumps first term, said the C5 would undercut the great-power rivalry framework that had previously shaped US-China relations.

He said, The first Trump administration bought into the framework of a great power competition and that was how we couched and talked about the relationship with China. This is just a huge departure.

The C5 idea also coincides with remarks from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who recently described a Trump-Xi meeting as a historic G2, drawing criticism from lawmakers who worried this language signals a softer stance toward Beijing.

US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote to Hegseth expressing concern, arguing, Your description of the US relationship with the CCP as a G2 is deeply troubling and suggests a fundamental misreading of the United States foremost global adversary that risks dangerously undermining the Pentagons preparations for deterring conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

Why does India matter in this theoretical C5?

The inclusion of India in the suggested C5 structure is one of the most consequential aspects for South Asia. India is not only a rising global economic and political power but also a state with a growing role in Indo-Pacific strategic calculations.

The idea of India joining a platform alongside the US, China, Japan and Russia displays a recognition of its importance in 21st-century geopolitics.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Indias participation makes sense for several reasons given its population and economic weight. Indias demographic scale and its expanding economic influence position it as a long-term anchor in any global leadership configuration.

India also sits at the intersection of major maritime and continental tensions, connecting the Indo-Pacific with West Asia and Central Asia.

And, unlike treaty allies such as Japan, India is not formally tied to any bloc. This gives it latitude to engage multiple powers simultaneously  an attribute that would be central to a hypothetical C5.

However, Indias presence in a grouping that also features China and the US would bring its own challenges, particularly given its border tensions with Beijing and its deepening strategic partnership with Washington.

None of the reports speculated on how these tensions might be navigated within a C5, but the sheer fact that India is mentioned highlights its rising global relevance.

Also Watch:

With inputs from agencies
The Donald Trump administration has green-lit a $686-million package for upgrading Pakistans F-16 fighter planes. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress about the deal, with lawmakers getting 30 days for review and scrutiny. Pakistan had used F-16 fighter jets against India during Operation Sindoor. Heres why the timing of the latest deal has worried New Delhi

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 fighter jet performs during the Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 23, 2022. File Photo/Reuters

The United States has approved a $686-million package to upgrade Pakistans F-16 fighter jets. The latest deal is now before the US Congress, with lawmakers having 30 days for review and scrutiny.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) sent a letter to the Congress earlier this month notifying of the sale of advanced technology and upgrades for Pakistans ageing F-16 fighter jet fleet. India will be closely watching the developments.

Heres why.

What is the F-16?

The F-16 Fighting Falcon, or the Viper, is a single-engine aircraft manufactured by US defence and aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The aircraft has undergone several updates since it first flew in 1974.

The F-16 jets are deployed for air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack by the US and its allies.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

As many as 29 countries are operating F-16 planes, according to Lockheed Martins website. These include the US, Pakistan, Ukraine, Turkiye, Israel, Egypt, Poland, Greece, Taiwan, Chile, Singapore, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

Pakistan reportedly has 70-80 working F-16s, including older but upgraded Block 15 models, former Jordanian F-16s, and newer Block 52+ models. These jets make up the core of the Pakistan Air Forces multirole combat capabilities.

US deal for Pakistans F-16s

The Donald Trump administration has green-lit a $686 million sustainment and modernisation package for Pakistans F-16 fighter planes.

The US offer includes hardware and software updates, along with support services, and the Major Defence Equipment (MDE), which are key military items on the US munitions list.

The MDE list comprises 92 Link-16 systems and six Mk-82 inert 500-pound bombs.

The Link-16 is a secure military tactical data link network used for real-time communication between military aircraft, ships and ground forces.

The US has also okayed selling six Mk-82 inert 500-pound (226.8kg) general-purpose bomb bodies to Pakistan. These bombs, which are unguided training weapons, are deployed only for testing integration and release.

The US package also consists of Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system, which enables pilots to differentiate between friendly and enemy aircraft; advanced avionics, cryptographic equipment; training; and full logistical support.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Pakistan has 70-80 F-16 fighter jets. File Photo/Reuters

The US will also provide navigation upgrades, simulators, spare parts and repairs to Pakistan.

The upgrades will be for Block 52 and Mid-Life Update F-16 variants to address"critical flight safety concerns" and increase their service life through 2040.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst at the Brussels-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) International Crisis Group, said the approval is part of a 2022 maintenance deal, under which the US agreed to sustain Pakistans F-16 fleet.

The F-16 deal remains a key part of the broader US-Pakistan bilateral relationship, which is why there has been continuity from President [Joe] Biden to President Trump, despite some delays. Both sides emphasise the fleets utility in joint counterterrorism operations in the region.

Why India will be watching

The US has been increasingly leaning towards Pakistan since Trump returned to the White House in January.

The latest deal indicates the US continued support for Pakistans defence capabilities.

In February, the Trump administration approved a $397-million deal to maintain F-16 jets, citing counterterror measures.

Two months back, Washington approved the sale of 120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), which can be integrated with F-16s to provide more precise and longer-range engagement options.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The timing of the US nod for Pakistans F-16 upgrade has got India worried.

During Operation Sindoor in May, Pakistans Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed said they deployed 42 hi-tech aircraft, including the F-16s, against India.

The latest deal has stirred concerns in New Delhi.

Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal wrote on X, While China has long armed Pakistan against India, the US is now doing the same. This was expected after Trumps close ties with Pakistans military leadership. We must carefully reassess our defence ties with the US in light of these developments.

The development comes as the Trump administration is pushing India to buy more weapons from the US.

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst based in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera: I wouldnt overstate the India angle here. Certainly one may look at this deal as the latest attempt by Washington to use its largesse to Pakistan as a pressure point to get India to make more concessions to the US in trade talks.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

However, he said the deal has a logic of its own thats not tied to India.

Recognising regional stabilities, the US has stressed that the package does not add new offensive capabilities. The DSCA said in its letter that the proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

While the current package does not include the sale of more weapons, such a deal cannot be ruled out in future.

With inputs from agencies
The US Embassy in India warned on Thursday (December 11) that the US will reject tourist visas to applicants travelling primarily to give birth in the country to obtain American citizenship for their child. Dubbed birth tourism, the practice stems from the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution that allows nearly all children born in the US to get automatic citizenship. But do Indians take advantage of the birthright citizenship rule?

Pregnant women who want to travel to the US could face greater scrutiny. Representational Image/Pixabay

The United States will deny travel visas if the applicant intends to give birth in the country to obtain American citizenship for the child. The crackdown on birth tourism comes as the Donald Trump administration has intensified efforts to curb immigration, both legal and illegal.

As the US tightens its travel policy for foreigners, married or pregnant women applying for visas are likely to face increasing scrutiny. Earlier this year, the US president signed an order to end birthright citizenship, which grants citizenship to those born on American soil.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Lets take a closer look.

What is birth tourism?

The US Constitution says that anyone born on American soil is a US citizen, regardless of the immigration status of the parents.

Under the 14th Amendment, nearly all children born in the US get automatic citizenship.

Birth tourism refers to the practice of foreigners travelling to the US specifically to give birth. These children are derogatorily called anchor babies, meaning their immigrant parents use them to get a foothold in the US and eventually become citizens themselves.

US says no to birth tourism

The US Embassy in India warned on Thursday (December 11) that the US will reject tourist visas to those whose main reason is to give birth in the country to obtain American citizenship for their child.

US consular officers will deny tourist visa applications if they believe the primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States to obtain US citizenship for the child. This is not permitted, the Embassy wrote on X.

U.S. consular officers will deny tourist visa applications if they believe the primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States to obtain U.S. citizenship for the child. This is not permitted. pic.twitter.com/Xyq4lkK6V8  U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) December 11, 2025

Earlier this year, the US Mission to Nigeria made a similar announcement. Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have US citizenship is not permitted, it said on X.

How pertinent is birth tourism in US?

There are no official figures on how many foreign women travel to the US, particularly to give birth.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a group that advocates for stricter immigration laws, in 2012, about 36,000 foreign-born women are estimated to have given birth in the US and then left the country.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

About 10,000 babies were born to foreign residents in 2017, BBC reported, citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. This is an increase from 7,800 in 2007.

The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 33,000 children were born to foreign women who travelled to the US on temporary tourist visas between the second half of 2016 and the first half of 2017. However, the Niskanen Center think tank disagrees with the figure.

It said that if CISs proposed method is used, then the number of birth tourists between this period is less than 2,000.

Many women travel from Russia and China to give birth in the US. Recently, a growing number of Indian nationals have also pursued this [birth tourism] route, an immigration attorney told Economic Times (ET).

Impact of Trumps crackdown on birth tourism

US President Donald Trump has criticised birthright citizenship since his first term. In 2020, during Trumps first tenure, the US Department of State unveiled a new rule that said pregnant women applying for visitor visas may have to prove a specific reason for travel other than giving birth on American soil.

Now, the Trump administration is again cracking down on birth tourism. The US government has banned issuing B-1/B-2 tourist visas to applicants suspected of travelling primarily to give birth.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The US presidents order to end birthright citizenship has not come into effect as it is facing legal challenge. However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a blueprint in July outlining how the policy would be implemented if the order passes judicial review.

The crackdown on birth tourism is expected to increase scrutiny on women applying for tourist visas.

Ketan Mukhija, senior partner at Burgeon Law, told Business Standard that visibly pregnant women now face greater obstacles.

Consular officers may deny B-1/B-2 visas if they determine that the applicants primary intent is to give birth in the US to secure citizenship for the child. This places an elevated burden on pregnant applicants to show a clear, legitimate reason for travel, Mukhija said.

Even women who are not visibly pregnant could face trouble, immigration lawyers warn.

Applicants can enhance their chances of getting a US tourist visa by clearly documenting their travel plans and non-immigrant intent.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

For women who are pregnant but do not plan to give birth in the US, transparency is key, Adesh Nandal, advocate at Jotwani Associates, told Business Standard.

For example, a doctors note confirming the due date and that travel is safealong with proof of plans to return home before the deliverycan directly address an officers concerns.

With inputs from agencies
The US militarys forcible takeover of the Venezuelan-linked tanker Skipper has triggered one of the most significant maritime enforcement actions in years while tightening pressure on President Nicolas Maduro. The operation marks a major escalation in Washingtons strategy to curb sanctioned oil flows across international waters

A satellite image shows the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Skipper, which British maritime risk management group Vanguard said was believed to have been seized on December 10, as well as other vessels, off Port Jose, Venezuela, November 14, 2025. Image/Planet Labs via Reuters

The United States forcible takeover of a Venezuelan-linked oil tanker this week has heightened tensions in the Caribbean.

The vessel, named Skipper, had long been part of a global network of tankers engaged in transporting crude for governments facing punitive restrictions on their oil industries.

The US action was also meant to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros administration.

How the Skipper was taken over by the US military

In the days before the seizure, maritime analysts observed unusual movement patterns from the Skipper as it appeared to drift near the Guyanese coastline.

The data transmitted through its automated identification system (AIS) showed erratic, zigzagging behaviour  a known hallmark of location manipulation.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Ships that face restrictions or carry sanctioned cargo frequently rely on techniques such as broadcasting incorrect GPS positions to mislead authorities.

However, satellite intelligence later confirmed that the tanker was nowhere near where the platforms indicated. Instead, the vessel was hundreds of nautical miles away, positioned far to the west and nearing Venezuelan waters.

On December 10, US military personnel deployed by helicopter carried out the operation, landing directly onto the deck and asserting control over the 332-metre tanker  a vessel longer than many modern skyscrapers are tall.

Washingtons decision to intercept the Skipper marks a sharp escalation in efforts to squeeze the Maduro governments oil revenue stream.

Since the re-imposition of harsh sanctions on Venezuela in 2017 and 2019, the South American nation has increasingly relied on tankers that conceal their identity, use forged paperwork, or disguise their locations to sell crude internationally.

For years, these clandestine movements allowed Caracas to generate cash despite restrictions, helping the Maduro government survive severe income losses and diplomatic isolation.

The coordinated operation to seize the Skipper suggests the US intends to challenge a fleet that has until now operated with considerable freedom in international waters.

What we know about the Skippers history

The Skipper was not newly implicated in sanction evasion. It was blacklisted in November 2022 under its earlier name, the M/T Adisa, because American authorities accused it of carrying crude linked to networks involving Irans Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah.

That network, according to US statements at the time, was being arranged by a Switzerland-based Ukrainian trader who was also placed under sanctions.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

U.S. forces abseil onto an oil tanker during a raid described by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as its seizure by the United States off the coast of Venezuela, December 10, 2025, in a still image from video. Image/X-US Attorney General

Since that designation, the tanker had continued to operate across regions where enforcement is difficult. It reportedly moved Iranian crude to Chinese buyers, took on cargo connected to Russia, and was frequently spotted in areas where dark-fleet activity is common.

Throughout its operations, the vessel engaged in behaviour typical of illicit movements  altering its AIS data, switching its registration details, or operating without proper identification.

These tactics surged industry-wide after Western countries imposed restrictions on Russias oil exports following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Numerous older tankers, often owned through opaque offshore companies, entered service without standard insurance coverage, creating a loosely regulated ecosystem of vessels able to transport crude that could not be legally sold in Western markets.

The Skippers final route revealed additional layers of deception. As it neared the Caribbean, its AIS signals placed it next to a major offshore oil basin in Guyanese waters  a site operated by Exxon under strong US strategic backing.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

US forces abseil onto an oil tanker during a raid described by US Attorney General Pam Bondi as its seizure by the United States off the coast of Venezuela, December 10, 2025, in a still image from video. Image/X-US Attorney General

It also transmitted data suggesting it was sailing under Guyanas flag, even though registries categorised this as fraudulent.

In reality, satellite records placed the tanker near Venezuela shortly before the US Navy moved in.

How Venezuelas shadow fleet kept its oil flowing despite sanctions

The ability of Venezuela to maintain oil exports  even as sanctions heavily restricted legal trade  has depended on fleets like the one the Skipper belonged to.

These tankers conceal locations by switching AIS systems off entirely or transmitting fabricated data that places them in faraway waters. They also take part in ship-to-ship transfers, often at night or in remote regions, to disguise the origin of the crude.

These concealment practices have coincided with a mild recovery in Venezuelas production. OPEC records show that the countrys output has inched upwards by roughly 25 per cent in the past two years, a notable increase for a sector that collapsed under years of under-investment, mismanagement, and economic crisis.

Much of that oil was exported through complex, hidden supply chains that circumvented sanctions.

But the Skipper seizure could alter these dynamics.

Unlike previous enforcement actions, which focused largely on financial penalties or ship designations, a full physical takeover sends a far stronger deterrent signal.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Operators, insurers, and charterers now face the possibility that vessels could be militarily boarded and confiscated during sanctioned voyages.

What the Skipper was carrying

According to documents from Venezuelas state-owned company PDVSA reviewed privately, the tanker departed Venezuelan waters with close to 2 million barrels of heavy crude.

A substantial portion of that load reportedly belonged to a Cuban state-operated oil importer.

The delivery had been arranged as part of a series of exchanges between the two governments, which depend heavily on one another for fuel, medical assistance, and other resources.

Venezuelan crude sold through covert routes trades at steep discounts.

Shipping expert Francisco Monaldi explained to AP that illicit Venezuelan shipments typically sell around $15 per barrel less than legal crude  a difference that allows middlemen, traders, and transport operators to take substantial profits while still providing revenue to Caracas.

Monaldi also indicated that the price for these secret shipments could fall further following the seizure, since buyers may now hesitate to take on oil that could be confiscated.

He added that it remained unclear whether the US intends to move toward a full-scale blockade similar to those imposed historically on other nations. It depends if this is just a one-off event or something more systematic, he said.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

For Maduro, the stakes could not be greater. During a broadcast speech, he labelled the US operation an act of aggression.

They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship, and have ushered in a new era  the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.

He argued that the tankers crew had disappeared and that the US had taken the vessel in a manner that violated Venezuelas rights.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado offered the opposite assessment, supporting the seizure and arguing that illicit oil revenues fund repression. She stated, The regime is using the resources, the cash flows that come from illegal activities, including the black market of oil They use those resources to repress and persecute our people.

How Washington is only going to increase its crackdown

Less than a day after the tanker was taken, multiple sources revealed to Reuters that US agencies had begun preparing for additional intercepts.

The Skipper operation had been planned for months, according to individuals familiar with internal discussions, and was tied directly to US President Donald Trumps push to escalate pressure on Maduro and restrict Venezuelas economic lifelines.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the administration remains committed to targeting sanctioned oil shipments. Were not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world.

Officials are reportedly monitoring a list of tankers linked to Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. These vessels often participate in blended or sequential voyages  moving crude for multiple sanctioned countries during different legs of the same journey.

The US Treasury simultaneously imposed new sanctions on six large tankers recently loaded with Venezuelan crude and sanctioned four Venezuelan nationals, including relatives of First Lady Cilia Flores.

It remains unclear whether these newly listed vessels are among those under watch for potential seizure.

In the weeks leading up to the operation, US forces reportedly increased patrols around Venezuelan and Guyanese waters.

At least one other ship, the Seahorse  which is listed under UK and EU sanctions for transporting Russian crude  was approached by a US warship and briefly halted before being permitted to continue to a Venezuelan port.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The US has also been conducting a separate series of strikes against maritime drug operations in both the Caribbean and the Pacific.

More than 20 attacks resulted in over 80 deaths, according to public reporting, although the legality of these counter-narcotics actions has been challenged by experts who question their compliance with international law.

Washington describes these strikes as necessary to counter operations run by groups it designates as terrorist organisations.

How this could affect markets

The Skipper seizure instantly disrupted shipping plans. A trading company with involvement in Venezuelan crude shipments stopped at least three fully loaded vessels from departing, delaying the movement of nearly 6 million barrels of Merey crude that were destined for Asian buyers.

One executive explained that the tankers would temporarily remain near Venezuelan waters until the situation became clearer. Major concerns now revolve around whether ports will accept vessels that are candidates for seizure.

Many dark-fleet ships lack modern insurance, are of advanced age, and are controlled by shell companies  factors that make ports reluctant to permit docking even under routine circumstances.

The US expects the Skipper to sail to a port where it will undergo a legal process for confiscating its cargo, but such arrangements require careful planning.

Analysts also stress that although Venezuelas overall contribution to global oil output is small  less than one per cent  aggressive enforcement actions introduce uncertainty.

Traders have historically reacted sharply to events that threaten supply from even minor producers, particularly when enforcement signals could extend to shipments involving other sanctioned states.

Oil prices dipped by about two per cent shortly after the operation, but industry observers warn that fluctuations could increase depending on how the US proceeds in the coming weeks.

Also Watch:

With inputs from agencies
Turkmenistan is holding an international summit which marks 30 years of official neutrality. Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Masoud Pezeshkian, will be present in Ashgabat. Here is everything about the summit

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov hold a meeting in Ashgabat on December 12, 2025. AFP

The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran meet on Friday in Turkmenistan, an isolated Central Asian state which is marking 30 years of official neutrality with a rare international summit.

The principle of permanent neutrality is at the heart of the former Soviet republics foreign policy  a doctrine that has contributed to making Turkmenistan one of the worlds most isolated countries.

On the guest list are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with other regional leaders.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Here are five things to know about the desert nation and its position on the world stage:

Presidential dynasty

Turkmenistan, which borders Iran, Afghanistan, and the Caspian Sea, has only had three presidents since gaining independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

The first was Saparmurat Niyazov, who proclaimed himself both president for life and the father of the Turkmen (Turkmenbashi), and ruled for 15 years.

The Berdymukhamedov family took over in 2006, with father Gurbanguly becoming president before handing the job to his son Serdar in 2022.

In reality, the pair rule in tandem. Gurbanguly retains immense power and is the subject of an intense personality cult.

Officially proclaimed leader of the Turkmen nation and Arkadag, which means hero-protector, he built a vast city named after himself, Arkadag, at a cost of at least $5 billion. He also erected gigantic golden statues of himself, while Serdar is regularly praised in the state-run media.

Neutrality and isolation

Turkmenistan is one of the worlds most secretive countries, often compared to North Korea for its inaccessibility.

Since the United Nations supported Turkmenistans permanent neutrality status in 1995, it has become a foreign policy cornerstone. An almost 100-metre (300-feet) tall Neutrality Monument, resembling a rocket and featuring a golden statue of the first president, stands in the capital, Ashgabat.

The status prohibits Turkmenistan from fully joining any union or military alliance, and is used by the government to implement its isolationist policies.

Participants, including Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Russias President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, pose for a family photo during an international forum dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistans permanent neutrality status in Ashgabat. AFP

Ahead of the summit, Serdar Berdymukhamedov published yet another book  presented as a precious gift for the Turkmen people  extolling the virtues of neutrality.

Turkmenistans closest relations are with China, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, thanks to gas contracts. Cooperation with the West remains limited.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

According to Amnesty International, Turkmenistan is effectively closed to international human rights NGOs, UN special mechanisms and independent media.

Information on the country is fragmented, tightly controlled, and generally unverifiable, aimed solely at praising the regime, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Lots of gas, little water

While Turkmenistan is estimated to have the worlds fourth-largest natural gas reserves, water supplies are scarce  and the situation is expected to worsen due to climate change, scientists warn.

Three-quarters of the country is covered by the vast Karakum desert.

Cotton is another important industry for the Turkmen economy, but the high use of water has contributed to water shortages across the region.

Methane Gateway to Hell

A massive five-decade-old fire raging in a natural gas crater is the countrys top tourist attraction. The fire has been burning in the Karakum desert since 1971, when Soviet scientists accidentally ignited it.

Turkmen authorities have repeatedly stated their intentions to close the Darvaza crater, dubbed the Gateway to Hell, but so far without success.

Emissions are a huge problem. Turkmenistan is the worlds top methane leaker, according to the International Energy Agency.

Sacred animals

Local breeds of horse and dog are sacred and have been elevated to the status of national symbols.

On the orders of Gurbanguly, numerous statues honouring the Alabai  or Central Asian shepherd-dog  and the Akhal-Teke horse have been erected, and the animals are celebrated on public holidays.

Gurbanguly has even composed a song in honour of his favourite horse.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The father-and-son duo regularly give and receive dogs and horses as gifts, including to other world leaders. They are often filmed cuddling the animals in public.
Prada is taking Indias Kolhapuri chappals global months after receiving a torrent of criticism for displaying flat, leather sandals that bore a striking resemblance to the iconic design at Milan Fashion Week. The controversy escalated after Prada made no mention of India or the craft and priced the sandals at an eye-watering Rs 1.2 lakh.

A model walks the runway wearing the design inspired by Kolhapuri chappals during the Prada collection show at Milan's Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2026, in Milan. AFP

Indias Kolhapuri chappals are set to go global.

This is after the luxury fashion brand Prada announced that it will work with Indian artisans to make and export these chappals.

The development comes months after the brand was engulfed in controversy after showcasing Kolhapuri-type footwear at an event without acknowledging its origins. This led to a torrent of criticism from both consumers and those on social media.

But what happened exactly? And how are Indias Kolhapuri chappals now set to go global?

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Lets take a closer look.

A brief look at Kolhapuri chappals

Now, lets take a brief look at Kolhapuri chappals.

The Kolhapuri chappals are named after the town of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, where they are made. The craft itself dates back to as far as the 12th Century.

These chappals, crafted painstakingly by hand by artisans, are usually sold for around Rs 1,000.

These sandals were originally crafted by members of the marginalised Charmakar (cobbler) community, also known as Chamars, Kavita Gagrani, a history professor at the New College in Kolhapur, told the BBC.

But in the early 20th Century, the craft flourished when the then ruler of Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, granted royal patronage to this community, Gagrani added.

Eight districts in India in Maharashtra and Karnataka were granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kolhapuri chappals. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) awarded the tag to Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur and Satara in Maharashtra, and Belgaum, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Bijapur in Karnataka.

The GI tag makes note of the geographic origin of a product or good and prohibits copying the design of these items for commercial use illegally within India.

The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA) has said there are around 100,000 such artisans who make Kolhapuri chappals, with the trade worth around $200 million (Rs 1,812 crore).

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The Kolhapuri chappals are named after the town of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, where they are made. The craft itself dates back to as far as the 12th Century. Image courtesy: Daderot

In Kolhapur, there are only 5,000 such artisans left. Sadashiv Sanake, one such craftsman, told the BBC he makes around eight to ten pairs per day. I learned the craft as a child, he added.

I was never educated. This is all I know, and I earn about $45 (Rs 362453) a day, depending on the number of orders, added 60-year-old Sunita Satpute.

Prada displays leather sandals, gets torrent of criticism

In June, Prada displayed its SpringSummer 2026 Mens collection at Milan Fashion Week. Among the items that the high-end luxury brand put on the catwalk were a pair of flat, leather sandals. The pair of sandals, which came with a braided design, caught the eye of many, mainly for their striking resemblance to the iconic Indian Kolhapuri chappals.

However, Prada made no mention of either India or the craft. Prada also priced the sandals at an eye-watering Rs 1.2 lakh. Images of the sandals at the fashion show quickly went viral.

The lack of acknowledgement from Prada, combined with the exorbitant price, set off a firestorm and claims of cultural appropriation. Indian artisans, politicians, the media and internet users lined up to take aim at the fashion brand.

Harsh Goenka, chairman of Indian industrial and services conglomerate RPG Group, wrote on social media, Prada is selling products looking like Kolhapuri chappals for more than 100,000 rupees. Our artisans make the same by hand for 400 rupees. They lose, while global brands cash in on our culture. Sad!

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Human rights group the Dalit Voice wrote on Instagram that Kolhapuri chappals are a legacy of Dalit craftsmanship and resilience.

They are history, identity and resistance, it added. Respect the roots.

From the dusty lanes of Kolhapur to the glitzy runways of Milan will the world finally give credit where its due? DNA News wrote on X.

Prada, reeling from the backlash, finally acknowledged in a letter that the leather sandals were inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage. Reuters

Sambhaji Chhatrapati from the Kolhapur Royal family said he was upset that craftsmen had not been acknowledged for the history and heritage of 150 years.

While Indian artisans and small-scale producers excel in craftsmanship, they rarely have access to capital or business acumen to position their products globally as luxury goods, Dhanendra Kumar, a former World Bank executive director, told the Economic Times.

By not calling their new line of sandals Kolhapuris, Prada is guilty of monetising cultural appropriation, he added.

The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will move to have the Kolhapuri chappals patented. The group, which represents 3,000 Kolhapuri sandal artisans, also sent a notice of complaint to Prada.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The collection includes footwear designs that bear a close resemblance to Kolhapuri sandals, a traditional handcrafted leather sandal that has been awarded geographical indication status by the government of India in 2019, Chamber of Commerce President Lalit Gandhi had said. Gandhi told Prada to find ways for collaboration or fair compensation that could benefit Indian artisans.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was also filed at the Bombay High Court by Intellectual Property Rights advocate Ganesh S Hingemire, who demanded that Indian artisans be compensated by Prada.

Sanake reacted with disbelief when he was told how much these slippers sell for. Is there gold in them? he queried with a scoff.

Prada acknowledges backlash, signs MoU

Prada, reeling from the backlash, finally acknowledged in a letter that the leather sandals were inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage. The company announced that its representatives, including Lorenzo Bertelli, son of Pradas owners and head of its corporate social responsibility, had held talks with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce.

It also said it wanted to work with Indian artisans to discuss possible avenues of how they could work together in the future.

A Prada spokesperson at the time added that the firm has always celebrated craftsmanship, heritage and design traditions. The spokesperson said Prada is open to a dialogue for meaningful exchange with local Indian artisans and will arrange follow-up meetings.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Prada has now signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the leather development corporations of Karnataka and Maharashtra to sell Kolhapuri chappals. These groups, LIDCOM (Sant Rohidas Leather Industries & Charmakar Development Corporation) and LIDKAR (Dr Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation), support citizens from underprivileged communities who make Kolhapuri chappals by hand.

Prada has said it will produce around 2,000 Kolhapuri chappals in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Each pair of the limited-edition collection of sandals will sell for around $930 (Rs 84,239), according to Bertelli. Well mix the original manufacturers standard capabilities with our manufacturing techniques, Bertelli said.

He added that the idea behind this programme is to shine a global spotlight on the handicraft. He said the programme will run for three years and vowed that the artisans would be compensated fairly. The collection will go on sale in February 2026 across 40 Prada stores worldwide and online, the company said.

With inputs from agencies

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was trolled on social media after vidoes of him allegedly barging into a closed-door meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkmenistan went viral. But is this what really happened? Whats the truth?

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif waits before a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan December 12, 2025. Sputnik/Pool via Reuters

Did Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have another embarrassing moment on the global stage? He was trolled online for allegedly gatecrashing a closed-door meeting held by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (December 12).

A video of the incident, which occurred at a summit in Turkmenistan, has now gone viral. But is this the truth?

Lets take a closer look.

What happened and why

Sharif was set to meet Putin on the sidelines of an international event in Turkmenistan. The event was being held to mark the 30th anniversary of the country announcing its permanent neutrality. Turkmenistan, which has the worlds fourth-largest natural gas reserves, in 1995 announced neutrality as an official policy under its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov.

The event was attended by leaders from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. A video shared by RT India showed Shehbaz waiting in an adjoining room to meet Putin alongside Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. However, P utins meeting with Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ran late by over 40 minutes.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Shehbaz then visibly seemed to lose his patience and walked into the closed-door meeting between Putin and Erdogan. He reportedly did so in hopes of securing a quick interaction with Putin. However, Shehbaz then left the room after just 10 minutes, the report claimed.

Social media users slam Shehbaz

Gate-crashing at global level Pakistans foreign policy just got a new definition, one wrote.

Putin does not want to waste his time on beggars, another added.

Even Trump did the same with these beggars, a third person said.

Putin did dirty to him, another stated.

He didnt gatecrash, he was just checking if Erdogan had any spare change for the IMF instalment due next week.

He is just there to beg. Pakistan is associated with openly begging for money and aid, another wrote.

Other comments were Putin knows how to play and Global embarrassment.

How does anyone take him seriously? a person added.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

But what happened?

However, hours after the video went viral, RT India deleted the clip, saying it may have been a misrepresentation of the events.

We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan. The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events, it wrote on X.

We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan.



The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events.  RT_India (@RT_India_news) December 12, 2025

According to Pakistani media, Sharif interacted with Putin and Erdogan and discussed various issues of bilateral and regional concern.

Pakistans overtures to Russia

The development comes as Pakistan is attempting to cosy up to Russia.

I would like to thank you for supporting Pakistan and trying to have a balancing act in the region, Shehbaz told Putin at the SCO. I know and I must say that I respect your relationship with India and it is perfectly fine, but we also want to build strong relations and these relations will be supplementary and complementary for the betterment of the region.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

This, even as Putin and Modis relationship has gone from strength to strength. The Russian President recently concluded a high-profile trip to India. The optics of the trip, which included Modi taking the rare step of greeting a foreign head of state at the airport, a shared car ride between Modi and Putin, and a private dinner, reiterated the strength of the relationship.

Russias President Vladimir Putin and Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a presentation of a joint statement after their delegation level talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025. (Photo: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

The countries had signed a slew of agreements including a labour mobility law and a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs).

Earlier, a video of Shehbaz leaving a formal group picture to approach Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), who was busy talking to Chinas Xi Jinping, was mocked by social media users.

At the same event, users also noted the warmth between Modi and Putin, how they walked and talked together, and how Shehbaz was left standing aside and left out of the conversation entirely. The picture of Modi, Xi and Putin all smiling warmly, which made headlines around the world, was contrasted by many unfavourably with Shehbaz seemingly looking out of place.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Niyazov, till his death in 2026, kept a tight grip on politics via his policy of isolationism from the outside world, and an economy heavily based on natural gas exports. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, who succeeded his father as president in 2022, seems to be more willing to open up his country. Turkmenistan also says it wants to join the World Trade Organisation and diversify the economy away from gas exports, most of which are to China.

With inputs from agencies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to power in 2019. He continues to hold public office even after his five-year term ended in May, 2024. Time and again, US President Donald Trump has criticised the delay in elections in Ukraine. But is it possible to hold polls amid war?

Zelenskyys five-year term was scheduled to end in May 2024, but elections were legally put off due to Russias full-scale invasion. file photo/Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected suggestions that he is using the war as an excuse to cling to power, saying he is ready to hold elections if the US and other allies will help ensure the security of the poll and if the countrys electoral law can be altered.

Zelenskyys five-year term was scheduled to end in May 2024, but elections were legally put off due to Russias full-scale invasion. That has become a source of tension with US President Donald Trump, who has criticised the delay as he pushes Zelenskyy to accept his proposals for ending the war.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Zelenskyy responded to that criticism on Tuesday, saying he was ready for elections.

Moreover, I am now asking  and I am stating this openly  for the United States, possibly together with our European colleagues, to help me ensure security for holding elections, he told reporters on WhatsApp. And then, within the next 6090 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold them.

Until now, Zelenskyy has declined to hold an election until a ceasefire is declared, in line with Ukrainian law that prevents a poll from being held when martial law is in effect. Ukrainians largely support that decision.

Here is a look at why Ukraine has not been able to hold elections so far:

A wartime election would be illegal

Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The countrys constitution provides for martial law in wartime, and a separate law bars the holding of elections while it remains in force.

Beyond being illegal, any nationwide vote would pose serious security risks as Russia bombs Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones. With roughly one-fifth of the country under Russian occupation and millions of Ukrainians displaced abroad, organising a nationwide ballot is also widely seen as logistically impossible.

It would also be difficult to find a way for Ukrainian soldiers on the front line to cast their votes.

Although Zelenskyys term formally expired in May 2024, Ukraines constitution allows him to legitimately remain in office until a newly elected president is sworn in.

What Trump said

In an interview with Politico published on Tuesday, Trump said it was time for Ukraine to hold elections.

Theyre using war not to hold an election, but, uh, I would think the Ukrainian people  should have that choice. And maybe Zelenskyy would win. I dont know who would win.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Trumps comments on elections echo Moscows stance. File image/AP

But they havent had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where its not a democracy anymore.

Trumps comments on elections echo Moscows stance. The Kremlin has used Zelenskyys remaining in power after his term expired as a tool to cast him as an illegitimate leader.

What Zelenskyy said

Zelenskyy reiterated previous statements that the decision about when to hold elections was one for the Ukrainian people, not their international allies.

The first question, he said, is whether an election could be held securely while Ukraine is under attack from Russia. But in the event that the U.S. and other allies can guarantee the security of the poll, Zelenskyy said he is asking lawmakers to propose legal changes that would allow elections to be held under martial law.

Ive heard it suggested that were clinging to power, or that Im personally holding on to the presidents seat, that Im clinging to it, and that this is supposedly why the war is not ending. This, frankly, is a completely absurd story.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Zelenskyy has few political rivals

Holding elections in the middle of a war would also sow division in Ukrainian society at a time when the country should be united against Russia, Zelenskyy has said.

One potential candidate who could challenge Zelenskyy in an election is former army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the current Ukrainian ambassador to Britain. Zaluzhnyi has denied plans to enter politics, though public opinion surveys show him as a potential Zelenskyy rival.

Petro Poroshenko is also a key political rival of Zelenskyys and the leader of the largest opposition party. He is unlikely to run again, analysts said, but his backing of a particular candidate would be consequential.
In a first, the US FDA has approved a device that allows you to treat depression at home. The headset delivers a mild electric current to the part of the brain that is known to regulate mood

A woman holds a Flow Neuroscience's at-home brain stimulation device in this illustration picture taken on October 2025, in London, Britain. Reuters.

In the US, an estimated 20 million adults suffer from depression. They now have a reason to cheer. Soon, many of them will be able to treat themselves at home with the help of a new headset. The first-of-its-kind device got a nod from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is ready to be launched in the second quarter of 2026.

Made by Flow Neuroscience, a company that specialises in mental health innovation, FL-100 looks like a regular headset. It aims to offer an alternative to typical antidepressants that can cause side effects with long-term use, the company said on Thursday (December 12).

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Here is how the device for depression works.

What we know about the headset

FL-100 is a headset and a brain stimulation device that is designed to treat depression at home. It has two pads that rest on the forehead to deliver the stimulation. This prescription device uses transcranial direct current stimulation, where electrical energy is directed into the head from the outside. It is a technique that has been studied for years, but its effectiveness is debated.

The device is a non-drug, at-home therapy considered as a stand-alone treatment for patients with moderate to severe depression, according to Medical Economics. Some medical experts have hailed it as a milestone for expanding mental health treatment beyond drugs.

Erin Lee, the CEO of Flow Neuroscience, said, Flows FDA approval is a watershed moment for the treatment of depression.

Daniel Mansson, co-founder and chief scientific officer, noted that approval of FL-100 in the US will offer millions of patients an accessible and effective non-drug treatment option.

How does the device work?

The headset delivers a gentle electrical current to a part of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which regulates mood and stress. With two pads on the forehead, it counteracts moderate to severe depressive disorders in adults aged 18 and older.

While electric stimulation is widely used to treat depression, what makes this product different is that it aims to deliver a relatively low dose of the current at home instead of in a clinic, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Patients typically follow a 12-week course, starting with five sessions per week for three weeks, then tapering to two or three sessions weekly for the remaining nine weeks. Each session lasts 30 minutes, reports Reuters.

Has the device given results in clinical trials?

The approval of the FDA was based on a clinical trial with 174 participants. Participants who wore the headset for 30-minute sessions over 10 weeks reported experiencing significant relief from their depression symptoms compared with controls who did not use the headset, according to a report in Scientific American.

The result of that experiment, published in Nature Medicine in 2024, showed a reduction in depression scores, and patients experienced immense relief. About 58 per cent of patients who received the stimulation were in remission, according to the Washington Post.

The side effects of the experiment were temporary and mild, including skin irritation and headache; however, there were no serious reactions. Flow said that skin burns have occurred when the devices pads were reused or dried out.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The FDA asserted that the headsets benefit, while modest, is sufficient to outweigh its probable risk. It also pointed to the skin itching and headaches as among the possible risks or side effects of the device. During the evaluation, it cited some limitations, such as a lack of consensus.

The FDA has previously cleared other devices that treat depression with electrical stimulation, but in 2019 finalised a new rule that sets a higher bar, as per the report. CEO Lee said. Flows was the first electrical stimulation device to win clearance through this process.

The device has been available for sale in other parts of the world. It has been used by over 55,000 people in Europe, the UK, Switzerland and Hong Kong, Flow said.

How much will this device cost in the US?

Lee told Reuters that The price is still being finalised; however, the headset is expected to cost between $500 and $800. The company is negotiating with insurance payers and expects to announce coverage partnerships in early 2026, she added.

Lee added that there are no subscription or maintenance fees. Its a one-time purchase for US patients and will be available in the country by the middle of 2026.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

How common is depression in the US?

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, depression rates in the US have surged 60 per cent over the past decade, affecting more than 20 million adults.

A report by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) says that more than one in 10 US adults took prescription medication for depression in 2023. Women (15.3 per cent) are more than twice as likely to take medication for depression as men (7.4 per cent).

With inputs from agencies
India has approved a free trade agreement between News Delhi and Muscat which is expected to be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Oman on December 17-18.

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a free trade agreement between India and Oman, with the signing expected to take place during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the Gulf nation on December 1718, according to sources cited by PTI.

Formal negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) began in November 2023 and were completed earlier this year.

An official statement said that Prime Minister Modi will begin a four-day trip to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman from December 15. His visit to Oman, the final stop on the tour will be held on December 1718 at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is also expected to visit Oman for the signing of the pact.

In free trade agreements, the two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on a maximum number of goods traded between them. They also ease norms to promote trade in services and attract investments.

Oman is the third-largest export destination for India among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. India already has a similar agreement with another GCC member, the UAE, which came into effect in May 2022.

The Shura Council or Majlis AShura of Oman on Wednesday concluded its deliberations on the draft CEPA. At the conclusion of the deliberations, the Council approved the agreement.

India-Oman bilateral trade was about USD 10.5 billion (exports USD 4 billion and imports USD 6.54 billion) in 2024-25. Indias key imports are petroleum products and urea. These account for over 70 per cent of imports. Other key products are propylene and ethylene polymers, pet coke, gypsum, chemicals, iron and steel, and unwrought aluminium.

The main items of Indias exports to Oman include mineral fuels, chemicals, precious metals, iron and steel, cereals, ships, boats and floating structures, electrical machinery, boilers, tea, coffee, spices, apparel, and food items.

With inputs from agencies
Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran has said that China does not want to allow India to grow like the West allowed China to grow. He said this is why China is not going to make investments in Indias critical sectors.

China does not want to repeat the mistake of the West by enabling Indias growth, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran has said.

In an apparent reality check on his own suggestion made last year about attracting Chinese investments, Nageswaran has said that China will not allow India to grow the way the West allow China to grow with investments and partnerships in critical sectors.

I think they feel that we shouldnt do to India what the West allowed us to do  sort of to grow at their expense. So we shouldnt be repeating the same mistake is the kind of commentary that I read in in Chinese newspapersSo I think they are not going to send us the investments that we think are absolutely critical to us. They may do so in non-critical areas, said Nageswaran.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Instead of hoping for Chinese investments, India should look forward to attracting some of the foreign manufacturers located in China, according to Nageswaran.

China feels that it should not allow India to grow the way the West allowed China to grow. China does not want to repeat the West's mistakes. China is not going to send India investments we think are critical, says India's Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran pic.twitter.com/fwMo5L85hi  Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) December 12, 2025

Last year, however, Nageswaran had suggested in the Economic Survey that India should either integrate into Chinas supply chain or promote foreign direct investment (FDI) from China to boost its global exports, according to Reuters.

Among these choices, focusing on FDI from China seems more promising for boosting Indias exports to the US, similar to how East Asian economies did in the past, said Nageswaran.

The Economic Survey said that choosing the FDI strategy appears more advantageous than relying on trade as it can arrest the growing trade deficit India has with China, according to the news agency.
The duo were declared persona non grata in Thailand after authorities suspended their passports in New Delhi. Apart from this, their travel documents also became invalid after they failed to respond to a notice asking why action should not be taken against them

The detention of the Luthra brothers, owners of the Goa nightclub, that caught in a deadly fire last weekend, took an ironic turn after Saurabh and Gaurav were picked up from Hotel Indigo in Phuket. They fled India in an IndiGo flight, bringing their story to a full circle.

The duo were declared persona non grata in Thailand after authorities suspended their passports in New Delhi. Apart from this, their travel documents also became invalid after they failed to respond to a notice asking why action should not be taken against them.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane club in Goa killed 25 people, including 20 staff members and five tourists, on Saturday. The club was located in Arpora, 25 kilometres from Panaji.

How did they escape?

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra arrived in Thailands Phuket hours after the fire. Officials previously told PTI they booked their tickets online at 1.17 am on Sunday when the authorities were still trying to douse the fire and rescue people at the club. They then left Thailand in the early hours of Sunday on an IndiGo flight.

Police officials say that the brothers started planning their escape shortly after they learned that there had been a fire at their club. By 5:30 am on Sunday, Saurabh and Gaurav were airborne on IndiGo flight 6E-1073.

Later that morning, a Goa police team arrived in Delhi with an arrest warrant and searched the brothers home and offices, but they were nowhere to be found. Notices were posted at their residence, and by evening, a lookout circular had been issued. Interpol subsequently followed with a blue corner notice.

When will the brothers be brought back to India?

Both members of the Luthra duo have been moved to Bangkok. They are currently being held at the Immigration Division Center in the city.

Emergency Travel Certificates will be issued to them there, with the Embassy responsible for providing the documents.

Once the certificates are issued, the process of repatriating them to India will move forward quickly.

It is expected to take a few days before they are brought back to India.
Former Union Home Minister and Congress Party leader Shivraj Patil died at 91 in Maharashtras Latur on Friday. Patil breathed his last breath at his residence at around 6:30 am.

Former Union Home Minister and Congress Party leader Shivraj Patil died at 91 in Maharashtras Latur on Friday. Patil breathed his last breath at his residence at around 6:30 am.

Patil has been suffering from a prolonged illness caused by age-related ailments and was undergoing treatment at home. Congress party workers soon expressed their condolences and grief over his death.

Singh has been a prominent Indian politician since the 80s. He won his parliamentary seat in 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999 before losing it to BJPs Rupatai Patil Nilangekar in 2004. He has also won the Latur assembly seat in 1972 and 1978.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Visuals from outside Patils residence showed people and party workers gathered in large numbers to pay their respects to the departed soul.

#WATCH | Latur, Maharashtra: Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil passed away at his residence in Latur today



(Visuals from his residence in Latur) pic.twitter.com/C1SPaTAatf  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2025

It is pertinent to note that Patil has held several notable positions in his long political career. He served as a Member of Parliament from Latur in the Marathwada region.

In 2008, during the devastating 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, Patil was serving as the Home Minister of India. However, he quit after facing backlash over the attack and criticisms for security lapses.

He accepted his failure to prevent the Mumbai attack and stepped down, taking moral responsibility.

He is survived by his son, Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana, who is a BJP leader, and two granddaughters. I pray to god to give strength to the bereaved family. Shivraj Patil was a very disciplined leader. He was known for his mannerisms and was widely appreciated for his discipline," Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said in a statement.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Centre has allocated Rs 11,728 crore for Census that will start in February 2027.

Census officials collect details from village women during first phase of the census at Hatkhuwapara Village, near the northeastern Indian city of Guwahati April 1, 2010 for the 2011 census. (Photo: Reuters)

The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved the allocation of Rs 11,728 crore for Census that will start in February 2027.

The Census 2027 will be done in two phases. In the first phase, house listing and housing census will be done between April and September 2026. In the second phase, population enumeration will start in February 2027.

For Ladakh and snowbound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, population enumeration shall be conducted in September 2026, the Cabinet said in a statement.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Notably, as per the Cabinets decision in April, this will be the first census that will also include caste details.

With the huge social and demographic diversity in our country and related challenges, the Census 2027 will also capture Caste data electronically in second phase, i.e. Population Enumeration (PE), the Cabinet statement read.

The entire exercise will include around 30 lakh staffers in various capacities of enumerators, supervisors, master trainers, charge officers, and principal and district census officers for data collection, monitoring, and supervision of Census operations, the statement read.

The Census 2027 will be 16th Census in India and eighth after independence. It is expected to be the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world.

How Census 2027 will be conducted

The Census will involve government personnel visiting each and every household and canvassing separate questionnaire for house-listing and housing Census and population enumeration, according to the Cabinets statement.

The enumerators, who are generally government teachers and appointed by the state governments, will be doing the field work of Census in addition to their regular duties, and they will be paid an honorarium for their work.

This will be the first Census to be conducted by digital means. Data will be collected using mobile applications that will be available for both Android as well as iOS versions. The Cabinet said that the digital data collection and the Central portal for monitoring purpose will ensure better quality data.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Among unique arrangements for Census 2027, the Cabinet said a dedicated portal named Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) has been developed for managing and monitoring the entire Census process on a real time basis. Another application named Houselisting Block (HLB) Creator web map has been created to be used by the charge officers.

During the census, micro-level data on various parameters like housing condition; amenities and assets, demography, religion, whether they are from scheduled castes (SCs) or scheduled tribes (STs); language, literacy, and education; economic activity; migration; and fertility.
The Special Investigation Team on Wednesday made the seventh arrest in the Pakistan-linked espionage and terror funding case. Heres all you need to know about the case

The Special Investigation Team on Wednesday made the seventh arrest in the Pakistan-linked espionage and terror funding case. The Haryana Polices SIT team arrested another lawyer from Nuh, weeks after arresting a different lawyer from the same district.

The person was identified as Nayub, a resident of Bhagon village in Haryanas Tauru subdivision. A police source close to the matter revealed that the authorities took him for questioning three days ago.

Nayub is an associate of Rizwan, who was arrested on November 26. The source noted that Nayub was arrested following a thorough interrogation. He was taken on charges of facilitating hawala routes and terror-funding transactions in coordination with Rizwan, who had been practising in Gurgaon and Nuh courts.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Police said that Nayub travelled to Punjab several times with Rizwan and also practised law with him in Gurgaon. The two lawyers also met with an accident in Punjab while they were returning to Nuh with cash, The Times of India reported.

4 others nabbed in the case

It is pertinent to note that after Rizwans arrest in Nuh for allegedly spying for Pakistan, SIT nabbed four of his associates in Punjab, in whose accounts he allegedly transferred money. The four others involved in the case were: A Jalandhar-based sweet shop owner, Ajay Arora, who allegedly managed money transactions.

The authorities also arrested Sandeep Singh alias Gagan, Amandeep Singh and Jaskaran of Amritsar, in whose accounts multiple suspicious transactions were made by Rizwan. The probe started to speed up when the authorities traced the movement of cash routed from Pakistan through a hawala network.

The money was then distributed across Punjab and was handed over to operatives linked to narcotics trafficking, according to SIT. During the probe, Rizwan led SIT to several locations in Amritsar, including Golden Gate, various points on Jalandhar-Attari Road bypass and Shahkot.

He told authorities that he received cash in multiple instalments at these sites. At Shahkot, both Rizwan and Ajay identified a sweet shop, run by the latters family, as the spot for money exchanges. Rizwan went on to confess to paying Rs 34 lakh to Ajay in three to four instalments, linking these payments to the money he collected in Punjab and distributed further along the chain.

SIT eventually recovered Rs 55,000 from Ajay, which he described as his commission amount, from a locker in an almirah at his Shahkot home. It is important to note that the investigation in the case began on November 25, when constable Rinku, stationed at Sadar Tauru police station, received information that Rizwan was receiving hawala money from Pakistans ISI-linked operatives for activities, including espionage and narco-smuggling.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The police were then flagged about unusually large transactions in Rizwans PNB account and his frequent visits to Punjab. In light of this, an SIT was formed under the DSP of Tauru. Rizwan was arrested the next day on Majitha Road in Amritsar, and his mobile phone and laptop were seized from his Nuh home.

With inputs from agencies.
Indias ties with Russia have endured because they have evolved. The foundations have shifted from dependency to interdependence, from rhetoric to results

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the India-Russia Business Forum in New Delhi, India, on December 5. Putin was on a two-day state visit to India, his first since 2022, on December 4-5. Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putins visit in early December to New Delhi was his most closely watched international engagement of the yearand perhaps his most strategically revealing. It came after a long hiatus, amid an international order unsettled by war, sanctions, and shifting great-power balances.

Yet the optics in New Delhi were deliberately understated: no grand declarations, no special rhetoric, no talk of forging a new bloc. Instead, what we saw was the quiet recalibration of one of the worlds oldest bilateral partnershipsrooted less in nostalgia and more in necessity.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The visit underscored a shared understanding between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin: neither country can afford to anchor its foreign policy on sentiment or Cold War alignments. The partnership endures not because of sentimentality about the Soviet era, but because both sides continue to see mutual advantage in crafting a relationship resilient to geopolitical shocks.

From Nostalgia to Realism

The India-Russia relationship has long been framed as a legacy of the Soviet embrace during Indias formative years. But the texture of that relationship has changed dramatically over the past decade. For Moscow, India remains a vital Asian partner outside the Western orbit; for New Delhi, Russia still provides strategic depth and flexibility at a time when multipolar competition is sharpening.

This pragmatic turn is best understood as a product of constraint and choice. The Ukraine conflict and resulting Western sanctions have left Russia seeking stable markets and friendly partners. For India, energy affordability and defence diversification are imperatives. Unlike in the past, where ideological alignment defined proximity, the current relationship is grounded in a kind of transactional symmetryeach side offers the other something tangible even as their long-term trajectories diverge.

Indias diplomatic instincts have evolved too. Prime Minister Modis approach is less about balancing the West with the East than about maximising Indias strategic room for manoeuvre. That logicvisible in Indias simultaneous expansion of ties with the United States, Europe, Asean and the Gulfalso governs its engagement with Russia. The Putin visit reaffirmed that Indias foreign policy today prizes autonomy over alignment.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Energy: The New Anchor

The headline story of India-Russia engagement today is energy. Russias displacement from European markets after the Ukraine war turned India into one of its biggest customers. In the financial year 202425, bilateral trade reached nearly $70 billion, of which over 90 per cent consisted of Russian exportsprimarily crude oil.

This shift has transformed Indias energy map. Russian crude, discounted by up to 30 per cent at points in the past year, now constitutes roughly a third of Indias total oil imports. For a country as dependent on imported hydrocarbons as India, it is not just an act of opportunism; it is strategic hedging. Cheap energy has eased Indias current account pressures and allowed refiners to maintain supply stability amid global volatility.

But beneath the numbers lies an uncomfortable asymmetry. Indias exports to Russia remain under $5 billion, limited mainly to pharmaceuticals, machinery and chemicals. Payment obstaclesstemming from Moscows exclusion from the Swift system and difficulties in rupeerouble conversioncontinue to constrain further expansion. Unless the two governments design a credible settlement mechanism, the trade imbalance will persist.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

During Putins visit, energy cooperation featured prominently in both public statements and private discussions. There is news that some of the Indian refineries, including the big ones, have decreased the import of Russian oil due to the recent sanctions imposed on top Russian oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil in October. However, there are other ones, such as Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), who have placed January orders for the loading of Russian oil from non-sanctioned suppliers.

Russia has given widening discounts. IOC has been consistently buying sanctions-compliant Russian oil cargoes; however, BPCL skipped the purchases of December-loading of Russian oil. The two sides explored extending partnerships beyond crude importscovering LNG, nuclear power, and joint exploration. Discussions on Indian investment in Russias Arctic LNG projects have resumed. This can help India to continue its energy targets by deferring the sanctions being imposed on Russia. It is because Russias Arctic LNG, which was under sanctions, but since August 2025 LNG carriers such as Iris and Voskhod have restarted shipments en route to North Asia via the Northern Sea Route.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

India and Russia will continue to focus on their energy cooperation. Yet both know that sustainable growth cannot depend on opportunistic oil flows. The future rests on diversificationnew trade routes, logistics infrastructure, and industrial joint ventures that embed resilience into the relationship.

Defence Cooperation: Evolution, Not Decline

Defence ties remain the second pillar of the partnership, even as India has steadily diversified procurement to reduce overdependence. Russia continues to account for about one-third of Indias defence imports, down from nearly 70 per cent two decades ago. That decline is not a rupture but a rebalancing.

The cornerstone of this cooperation today lies in co-development and technology transfer rather than outright purchase. The BrahMos missile programme, a joint venture that has recently recorded its first exports, captures this new modela move from transactional buying to collaborative building. Indias Sudarshan Chakra, the S-400, had played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. The S-400s have reinforced confidence in operational compatibility even as India acquires platforms from Western suppliers like Lockheed Martin, Dassault, and Rafael.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Defence officials accompanying the Russian delegation pushed for renewing joint production proposals under Make in India, including light helicopters and spare parts manufacturing. However, sanctions and payment hurdles have slowed progress. India is non-committal on fresh big-ticket purchases, preferring to focus on maintenance, upgrades, and indigenisation of existing platforms.

The underlying trend is unmistakable: Indias strategic autonomy now depends as much on self-reliance as on multiplicity of sources. Moscow recognises this, which is why its emphasis has shifted toward technology-sharing and collaborative R&D rather than selling off-the-shelf systems.

Outcomes & Signals

Officially, the visit yielded several memorandaon nuclear energy cooperation, long-term crude supply arrangements, joint maritime projects, and educational exchanges. More significant were the unspoken outcomes.

First, there was clear convergence on insulating the relationship from Western sanctions pressure. Russia agreed to consider new payment arrangements through Asian clearing banks and to expand rupee-based trade settlements via non-dollar intermediariesa partial remedy for the currency backlog that has constrained exporters.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Second, both sides discussed reviving the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor to shorten logistics routes and reduce dependence on third-country transshipment.

Third, India signalled cautious interest in future Arctic energy engagement, though concerns about over-exposure to sanctions remain.

Fourth, and perhaps most crucially, the leaders reaffirmed their alignment on principles of sovereignty, multipolar order, and non-interference.

Yet there were careful delimitations: India reiterated that it seeks dialogue and peace in Ukraine, maintaining its position of neutrality without endorsing Moscows military narrative.

A Relationship Reframed

Perhaps the most significant outcome of the visit is intangible: a renewed understanding of how two old partners can coexist in a changing strategic landscape. There was no attempt to resurrect ideological narratives or downplay new realities. Instead, the tone was pragmatica recognition that longevity in international relationships comes from adaptation, not loyalty to the past.

Indias ties with Russia have endured because they have evolved. The foundations have shifted from dependency to interdependence, from rhetoric to results. While trade imbalances and financial constraints remain, the essential principle now driving the partnership is resiliencehow to secure vital interests amid global fragmentation.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The quiet confidence that characterised the meeting in Delhi points to a broader truth: diplomacy need not always announce itself loudly. In an age of shifting alliances, the ability to engage, adjust, and recalibrate without dramatic ruptures may prove to be Indias greatest strategic advantage. Putins visit, in that sense, was not a grand spectacle but a pragmatic reaffirmation of continuitya demonstration that India can engage across divides and still remain true to its own strategic compass.

(Shishir Priyadarshi is President of Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
This years elections in Tanzania have pushed the country into its most volatile political crisis in decades, exposing the limits of patronage politics amid a fierce youth-led uprising

Demonstrators react as Tanzania's riot police disperse them during a protest a day after an election marred by violent demonstrations over the exclusion of two leading Opposition candidates at the Namanga border crossing point between Kenya and Tanzania on October 30, 2025. (Photo: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

Tanzania, once known for its stability amid continental turmoil, plunged into its darkest political moment during its recent 2025 general elections. The current crisis demonstrates a critical saturation point, triggering unprecedented protests following alleged electoral manipulation favouring Samia Suluhu Hassan, the countrys first-ever elected and the continents second serving female president.

The governments brutal response to the protestscharacterised by heavy state repression, including an internet blackout and reportedly close to 3,000 deathsexposes the deeply entrenched neo-patrimonial realities where elite patronage trumps democratic norms and public will. This electoral breakdown, fuelled by digital activism, emerged from a restless youth and civil society demanding accountability and genuine political reform amid mounting domestic fury and global condemnation.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

President Hassan won a staggering 98 per cent of the votes on an improbably high turnout, sparking allegations of rampant rigging that ignited massive youth-led protests across the country.

Neo-Patrimonial Iron Grip on Tanzania

At the heart of Tanzanias turmoil lies neo-patrimonialism, a hybrid governance model where formal democratic institutions coexist with informal elite networks that dominate political power and control state resources. In post-independent Tanzania, the power monopolisation of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), despite the 1992 shift to multiparty politics, resulted from a system where real authority rested in patronage channels while formal institutions provided only a facade of democratic legitimacy.

This arrangement was visibly consolidated during President John Magufulis tenure from 2015 onward, as he prioritised a regime built on personalised party discipline and control. Famously referred to as the Bulldozer, he controlled appointments, reshuffled officials along ethnic and loyalist lines, dismissed critics, and subordinated key state institutions to his personal authority. His era entrenched a zero-sum politics in which power was not shared but accumulated in one hand, cracking down on opposition rallies and dissent while also ignoring the global Covid-19 crisis.

Samia Suluhu Hassans constitutionally mandated ascent in March 2021, following Magufulis sudden death, arrived amid cautious optimism. As Tanzanias first female president, she inherited a polarised nation and quickly unveiled reversal policies to balance Magufulis governance. Although her new position was contested by both the opposition and CCM factions, it was crucially secured with the backing of the countrys top defence officials, signalling that elite and military supportnot popular mandateremains the core currency of power.

Leveraging her prior vice-presidential experience, she introduced the 4R doctrine: reconciliation, resilience, rebuilding, and reform to advance national unification and constitutional reforms. She lifted the political rally ban, reversed Covid denialism by launching a vaccination drive that spiked immunisation rates, and loosened the states grip on media, signalling a hopeful attempt at distancing her administration from the excesses of the previous regime. Yet this reformist glow faded by the time the election year arrived, completing a full circle with intensified repression.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Entrenchments: Reversals of the Reforms

Samia Suluhu Hassans official rise to power through the 2025 elections continues to entrench the same neo-patrimonial architecture. The opening of political space was eventually closed, as major opposition parties were banned from contesting elections. In April 2025, Chadema, the main opposition party, was barred from contests, and its leader Tundu Lissu was jailed on treason charges after rally speeches demanding electoral reforms.

Similarly, ACT Wazalendos Luhaga Mpina faced disqualification weeks before the polls, restricting genuine political competition. This repression intensified with the arrest of Chadema deputy John Hechefirst near the Kenya border en route to Raila Odingas funeral, then rearrested in Dar es Salaam on terrorism charges. Outrage, amplified by viral social media clips among youth, highlighted the readiness of Samias regime to criminalise dissent.

Moreover, President Hassans reformist commitments unravelled soon after the elections, with protest crackdowns prioritising regime survival over public welfare. What began as demonstrations morphed into riots, met with live fire, mass detentions, and a five-day internet shutdown. While she appointed a nine-member inquiry commission to examine the electoral violence, the escalating disappearances of activistsincluding Kenyans and Ugandansdeepened scepticism, amid President Hassans claims of foreign interference behind the unrest.

Digital Fire Amid the Gen Z Uprising

Tanzanias youthful Gen Z has shattered the silence of past generations. Social media platforms buzzed with videos exposing polling irregularities, beatings, and calls for accountability. But this soon devolved into reciprocal attacks on freedom of speech and media, culminating in a five-day internet shutdown during the elections and an ongoing ban on X since May, costing over $238 million to the Tanzanian economy.

A shocking turn of events emerged with Captain Tesha, a self-proclaimed air force officer who went viral urging military-backed demonstrations against corruption, hinting at cracks within the security apparatus long seen as the CCMs bedrock. Historically, African militaries under neo-patrimonialism intervene when civilian elites falter, recalibrating patronage. These fissures signal a generational rupture with major repercussions for Tanzanias image on both regional and global fronts.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Regional and International Responses

The turning point of the present crisis lies in regional and international responses, transcending the borders of East Africas economic spine. As a linchpin of the NorthSouth Corridor, Tanzanias Dar es Salaam portvital for landlocked Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwehalted mid-election, reflecting intra-regional trade issues and the fragility of regional supply chains reliant on Tanzanian infrastructure. It erodes Tanzanias political and economic goodwill among neighbours, prompting them toward alternatives and weakening Dodomas leverage. Kenya, its top market, weighs economic distancing amid solidarity protests against Tanzanian authorities by its civil society, echoing diplomatic strain.

At the regional level, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) condemned the disputed elections in Tanzania, with its Electoral Observation Mission citing flawed processes, pre-election media curbs, and irregularities. Globally, backlash intensified. The United Nations human rights chiefs and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) decried human rights violations. The European Union criticised the opacity, cutting $179.46 million in 2026 aid, while the US Senate demanded inquiries that will shape future collaboration, amid aid cuts and tariffs.

Hassan admits the battered image, preparing citizens for challenging times as loans dry up and donors pivot away. Tanzanias 2025 election firestorm tests whether patronage can withstand the blaze of youth-led protests. Early optimism around President Samia Suluhu Hassans tenure has soured, isolating the regime amid domestic legitimacy crises, regional trade disruptions, and plunging international support.

India and Tanzania continue to strengthen their strategic partnership, especially in trade and maritime cooperation under the Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME). During recent talks in April 2025, both countries reaffirmed their goal of raising bilateral trade to $10 billion, focusing on ICT, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, automotive manufacturing, and infrastructure. Tanzania remains an important gateway for Indias trade and investment in East and Southern Africa, supported by Indias $4.08 billion FDI presence. Bilateral ties received a major boost after President Samia Suluhu Hassans state visit to India in 2023.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Yet recent political unrest in Dodoma, including youth-led protests and disruptions at ports, poses risks to Indias economic interests and its wider multipolar outreach in the region. As global and regional criticism mounts over the Tanzanian crisis, New Delhi may have to carefully balance its strategic stakes, particularly with plans for the next India-Africa Forum Summit on the horizon. Meanwhile, Tanzania stands at a crossroads: suppressing the unrest through entrenched patronage tactics, responding to youth demands for genuine reform, or risking deeper instability as tensions escalate between the government and the youth. The outcome will shape the countrys overall regional and global standing.

(Nandini Khandelwal is a Research Analyst at the Indian Council of World Affairs [ICW]. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
China is today nervous that the 15th Dalai Lama can return to Arunachal Pradesh, and not to occupied Tibet

A four-day International Conference on the Cultural and Historical Significance of His Holiness the Sixth Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso was recently organised in Tawang, (December 3-6). Image: ANI

Tsangyang Gyatso, the Sixth Dalai Lama (1683-1706), was born at the end of the 17th century, in Monyul, the land of Monpas (known as Tawang now), located south of the McMahon Line. Tsangyang Gyatso was an exceptional Dalai Lama on many counts.

Since childhood, he possessed extraordinary powers, in particular, the capacity to leave his footprint in rocks or appear at different places at the same time.

In his study Hidden Treasures and Secret Lives, British scholar Michael Aris, the husband of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize laureate, wrote, The simultaneous appearance of two Dalai Lamas, even two born at different dates, far from undermining the concept of incarnation, serves instead to demonstrate its universal truth and power.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Aris added that in the 20th century, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, while acknowledging the Sixths siddhis, was critical of his predecessors habit of jumping from body to body.

Talking to Charles Bell, the British representative in Lhasa, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama said that the Sixth used to have his body in several places at the same time, eg in Lhasa, in Kongpo (a province seven days journey east of Lhasa), and elsewhere. Even the place whence he retired to the Honourable Fields (ie died) is uncertain; one tomb of his is in Alashan in Mongolia, while there is another in the Rice Heap monastery [Drepung]. Showing many bodies at the same time is disallowed in all the sects of our religion because it causes confusion in the work.

However, there is no doubt that these multiple appearances had only one objective: to promote the Buddha Dharma.

Another of Bells Tibetan contacts told the British officer about Tsangyang Gyatsos nocturnal escapades to Shol area in Lhasa: His own body used to be in the Potala Palace, while a secondary body used to roam about, drink wine, and keep women.

The Sixth Dalai Lama has left us the most beautiful (and profound) poems about his human experiences, including in Monyul; he probably realised that it was the most efficient way to teach the common man about life and death, samsara and nirvana.

The Tawang Conference

A four-day International Conference on the Cultural and Historical Significance of His Holiness the Sixth Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso was recently organised in Tawang, and this columnist had the privilege to participate. Inaugurating the conference, Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu welcomed the rinpoches (reincarnated lamas), geshes (doctors in Buddhist philosophy), and monks, as well as lay scholars from India and several foreign countries.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In a post on X, Khandu said, Tawang [has] today become the centre of a global academic dialogue on his cultural, historical, and spiritual legacy. His Holiness [the Sixth Dalai Lama] continues to inspire humanity through his timeless teachings, poetry, and compassion.

In another post, he remarked, This gathering marks a global effort to build a clearer and well-researched understanding of his life, legacy and timeless relevance.  The world remembers his poetry but not the fullness of his teachings and wisdom. It is time that changes.

Khandu asserted that the event was a proud moment for the region: A historic moment for Tawang, where faith, culture, and scholarship unite.

An Indian Dalai Lama

Tsangyang Gyatso remains a legend in Tawang, first for his delightful poems:

The cuckoo bird from the land of Mon brings rain,

It descends from the sky

It brings blessings to the earth.

Life grows and blossoms.

When the cuckoo bird comes from Mon

My lover and I join as one

In body, heart and mind.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

He was born in 1683 in Urgyeling village, a few kilometres south of Tawang. Many legends still revolve around this place.

Near the hamlets temple, where Tsangyang took birth, there is a tall and magnificent sandalwood tree: it is said that it was planted by Tsangyang Gyaltso before being taken away to his destiny in Lhasa.

The youngster made a prophecy, saying that when the three main branches would become equal, he would come back to Tawang.

During my first visit to Urgyeling some three decades ago, the local priest told me that the three branches reached the same size in 1959, a few months before the Dalai Lama, fleeing Tibet to take refuge in India, passed through Tawang.

As the regent, Sangey Gyatso, was keen to complete the Potala Palace in Lhasa, a task assigned to him by the Fifth Dalai Lama, he did not reveal to anybody that the latter was no more, fearing that intrigues would start as soon as the news of his passing away would be known.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

But a series of divination and special pujas had given the regent the certitude that the reincarnation of the deceased Dalai Lama was born in Monyul.

When the delegation searching for the reincarnation of the Fifth Dalai Lama reached Urgyeling, Tsewang Lhamo, the mother of the future Dalai Lama, asked her son to get a piece of wood and fix it in the soil to tie a cow. Instead of planting the stick in the soil, the young Tsangyang made a hole with his finger in a big stone and stuck the stick inside it. It is one of the many miracles he is said to have performed. The stone is still kept in Urgyeling.

At a young age, Tsangyang was taken away to Tsona, the main monastery on the other side of the border, where he was kept for several years under the tight surveillance of the local governors (his real identity was not revealed to anybody). He was already an adolescent when he finally left for Nagartse near Lhasa, where his guru, the Second Panchen Lama, enthroned him as the Sixth Dalai Lama.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

He consistently refused to take the monk vows from his guru and preferred a pleasure of life, visiting at night the taverns in the village of Shol below his Potala Palace and writing love songs to his beloveds.

His exquisite poetry is still known to all Tibetans and Monpas and sung during long evenings around a fire after a few cups of chang.

Academicians can fight about whether he was a great tantric master or only an ordinary man, whether his poetry contains esoteric teachings written in a secret language or is only the verse of a libertine, but for ordinary folks, he was both at the same time; perhaps Tsangyang came a couple of centuries too early to be really understood.

He loved freedom and could not bear the prison that life in the Potala seems to have been; he was suffocating in the dark rooms housing thousands of peaceful and wrathful gods. He also felt oppressed amid the power struggles and intrigues between aristocrats in the Tibetan government in Lhasa and the Mongol chieftains; he preferred the company of his friends.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

His legend continued after his presumed death. The already mentioned Secret Biography, written by Michael Aris, tells us that he escaped the Mongols who had deposed him and wanted to kill him; he secretly left for Eastern Tibet and Inner Mongolia, where he first became a wandering monk and settled in Alashan, today in Inner Mongolia.

He passed away in 1746, forty years after his official death, after building many monasteries. Though only very few knew who he really was, he had thousands of disciples.

His last poem before his presumed death is known by all; it announced his return as the Seventh Dalai Lama: Oh White Crane! Lend me your wings; I shall not fly far. From Lithang, I shall return.

Two years later a young boy, Kalsang Gyaltso, was born in Lithang (Eastern Tibet); he would soon be recognised as the Seventh Dalai Lama.

Chinas Reaction

Beijing immediately reacted to the Tawang conference. An official website, China Tibet Online, spoke of Pema Khandu as the so-called Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and added: This provides new evidence that India is pursuing a strategy to consolidate its illegal territorial occupation of Zangnan [Southern Tibet = Tawang] through cultural encroachment.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The article continued: Unlike its previous attempts, India has now wrapped its territorial and sovereign provocations in a more subtle guise of faith, culture, and academia. It aims to establish a fait accompli of illegal occupation by reconstructing cultural narratives.

It is obviously nonsense, as Beijing seems to have forgotten that Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Premier, told Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s that China had no problem with the McMahon Line; Zhou just did not like the boundary being given the name of a British official.

What was really touching at the conference was the exceptionally attentive large attendance of young and less young Monpas who filled the hall and auditorium for four days. Tsangyang, synonymous with freedom and free thinking (something not existing in occupied Tibet), is still their beloved leader.

China is today nervous that the Fifteenth Dalai Lama, flying on a white cranes wings, will return to Monyul and not to occupied Tibet. This explains Beijings strong reaction to the international conference.

(The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
As part of an evolving design, the US-led West needs resources and is looking for issues and sacrificial lambs

Alleged violations of human rights, or even terror favour, are outdated bogiesor Trump would have hanged Pakistan first! (File Image/Reuters)

The White supremacists pushed out Barrister Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from a train compartment in South Africa in June 1893 for being an Indian and despite holding a valid first-class ticket. In 1915, he returned to India as Mahatma and inspired the Third World to decolonise itself.

Without the two World Wars (1914-18 and 1939-45), which crippled the West, given a chance, the Whites would have probably still been ruling their colonies. For these colonies served as their captive markets, and their natural and human resources funded their Industrial Revolution. According to renowned economist Utsa Patnaik, for example, Britain extracted $45 trillion (in todays terms) worth of resources between 1765 and 1938 from India alone.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Although many still refuse to admit it, being politically incorrect, the societal undercurrents of this strong White bias against the Blacks, indeed all coloured people including the Hispanics, continue in most Western countries. America is no exception. Look at how US President Donald Trump is firing on all cylinders against immigrants and others.

American political scientist Samuel P Huntington warned in his 2004 essay, The Hispanic Challenge" (later in a book, Who Are We?), that the scale and nature of Hispanic immigration was a serious challenge to Americas traditional Anglo-Protestant identity and culture. Even Catholic-majority Europe minus this identity is unacceptable! Hispanics are Latin American, Catholic-majority people who are descendants of Spain or speak Spanish.

Trump is trying to re-establish the White supremacy worldwidehe is Making America Great Again (Maga)! Europe and Nato no longer count as much as they did earlier. White supremacism and Black subjugation, besides the recolonisation of former colonies, are apparently emerging as key policies in the US-led West.

Ironically, Abraham Lincoln was, in 1860, the first president of the Republican Party Trump leads now. It became an anti-slavery party, opposing the expansion of slavery into new western territories of the US.

That trend has reversed. Now the Democratic Party has more Black leaders.

The Black population in the US now stands at nearly 50 million (15 per cent of the total 342 million), mostly supporting the Democratic Party. The Trump administration is an almost all-White dispensation. The only two high-ranking exceptions known are Scott Turner, US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Susie Wiles, the White House Chief of Staff.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Trump, grandson of a German immigrant, is particularly peeved at an independent South Africa, which was the worst example of a Western supremacist-cum-colonial mindset. Apartheid became its official policy in 1948 until Nelson Mandela, after a 27-year-long imprisonment, became its first Black president in 1994, ending the Afrikaner rule.

Afrikaners emerged as a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th century, along with smaller numbers of French Huguenot, German, and other European immigrants. They developed Afrikaans, a West Germanic language originating from Dutch, spoken primarily in South Africa and Namibia, and it is one of South Africas 11 official languages. Slowly, they dominated South Africas politics and economy. The Afrikaner-led government implemented the apartheid system of racial segregation until 1994.

In the colonial era, the West simply colonised the Third World to exploit its resources for its own development. Might was right. No arguments. No questions asked; no answers given.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In the 21st century, however, a new strategy for colonisationor recolonisationhas emerged. As the phrase goes, Give a dog a bad name and hang him, the West is trying to recolonise its former colonies or scout for new exploitable targets by defaming them with a beautiful wordplaythis word, beautiful, is a Trump favourite!before hanging them.

As part of this evolving design, the US-led West needs resources and is looking for issues and sacrificial lambs. Alleged violations of human rights, or even terror favour, are outdated bogiesor Trump would have hanged Pakistan first!

This is what the West did when it invaded Afghanistan (2001) looking for terrorists it had funded and trained and Iraq (2003) under the guise of finding weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It is a long list; the West toppled several unfavourable regimesdemocratic or dictatorshipby inventing reasons. The US is trying to recontrol the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan for the same reason.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Russias invasion of Ukraine also falls in this category of recolonisation. Even after the fall of the Soviet Union (1991), for example, Nato continued its Cold War strategy to encircle Russia and enrolled Ukraine for it. This alerted Russia, and it tried to resuscitate the former USSR minus Communism in a new format.

Eastern Ukraine is resource-rich, and control over these valuable assets is a significant strategic and economic factor in Russias ongoing aggression. The regions currently under Russian occupation or near the front lines contain vast deposits of crucial minerals and energy reserves. Since its February 2022 invasion, Russia has seized control of over $12.5 trillion worth of Ukrainian mineral and gas assetsand is refusing to give up.

This year, China also proved how a monopoly over rare earths and critical minerals can force other countries, including the US, to fall in line. Since Xi Jinping became president in 2013, China has laid debt traps, floated the transcontinental Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plan, enrolled around 150 countries, and sought to take control of natural resources and other assets across continents.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

This is what Trump is also doing.

As soon as he returned to the White House in January 2025 for a second presidential term, he targeted Panama, Greenland, the Gulf of Mexico, Canada, and more. Writing in The New York Times (November 17, 2025), Jack Nicas called this policy the Donroe Doctrine, after the famous Monroe Doctrine (1823) that warned European powers against further colonisation or interference in the Americas.

In a similar fashion, in the current context, South Africa (though in Africa and in the Eastern Hemisphere) and Venezuela fit well as potential targets into this sharp shift in US foreign policy.

When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House in May 2025, Trump complained about Pretorias failure to act against those who allegedly tortured the Afrikaners. Trump even gave him evidence, which were merely print media clippings! Ramaphosa rejected his claims.

Then the US President used the bogey of the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg (November 22-23, 2025) to arm-twist Ramaphosa, announcing that he (Trump) would boycott the event. Moreover, he did not even invite South Africa to next years G20 event scheduled in Miami.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In a post on his social media handle, Truth Social, Trump wrote, The United States did not attend the G20 in South Africa because the South African Government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific human rights abuses endured by Afrikaners and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers.

To put it more bluntly, they are killing White people and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them.

Clearly, he tried to elicit support from the Dutch, French, and German people as well!

Pretorias other crime was its support for suing Israel in the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the Palestinian issue and crimes against humanity.

South Africas natural resources include a vast array of minerals like gold, platinum, diamonds, iron ore, coal, manganese, and uranium, making it a global mining powerhouse. It is also rich in resources like timber and sugar, with significant agricultural and energy resources, particularly coal, which forms the backbone of its energy sector.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Venezuela is another favourite Trump target. Americas next-door Latin American neighbour has the worlds largest proven oil reserves of over 305 billion barrels, followed by Saudi Arabia (267 billion barrels) and Iran (206 billion barrels). In comparison, the US oil reserves are only 55 billion barrels, placing it ninth in the pecking order!

By accusing Venezuela of various Trumped-up charges, such as drug cartels, the US is trying to control it, directly or indirectly. If drug production were the biggest threat, Trump would have gone against Myanmar, Afghanistan (opium and heroin), and Columbia (cocaine). Of course, Venezuela is a major transit country for Columbian drugs. But Mexico, the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos), and the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan) are likewise.

Initially, Trump also blamed Canada and China for the drug issue but has now cooled off! The two countries have also relented a bitwaiting for Trump to leave the White House for good in 2029!

(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 Firstposts views.)
Europe is accelerating efforts to reduce dependence on US digital platforms and infrastructure, pursuing digital sovereignty through regulation and homegrown technologies amid geopolitical uncertainty and concerns over American tech dominance.

Europes longstanding reliance on US-based digital platforms and infrastructure has become increasingly contentious, driven not only by technological competition but by political friction under successive American administrations, most recently symbolised by moves under President Trump that have raised questions about the durability and neutrality of US tech.

From social media platforms such as X to satellite broadband services like Starlink, European policymakers and industry leaders are wrestling with how to reduce dependency on American solutions while preserving innovation, openness and competitiveness.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A growing sense of technological vulnerability

For decades, US companies have dominated core components of the global digital ecosystem. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter (now rebranded X), and YouTube remain central to European public debate and information flow while American cloud providers, chipmakers and satellite systems underpin critical services across the continent. But these technologies, European leaders increasingly say, come with strategic risks: economic, political and geopolitical.

Recent commentary and policy research including a report from the European Council on Foreign Relations frame this moment as a turning point. Europeans are not merely concerned about market concentration; they see deep reliance on American technology as a vulnerability in an era of geopolitical competition.

Dependence on foreign platforms means European societies can be exposed to unilateral decisions by US firms or regulators that do not align with European values or strategic interests, analysts say.

The turbulence around X offers a striking example. Decisions about content moderation, advertising policies or algorithmic changes are made in California by management and stakeholders with limited accountability to European norms or laws.

While Europe has robust frameworks like the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) intended to shape platform behaviour, regulators are conscious that legal authority does not fully translate to technological control. This disjuncture reinforces the perception that Europes digital fate is partly in the hands of distant corporate actors.

Space-based digital infrastructure, notably Starlinks satellite broadband constellation, raises similar debates. Originally celebrated for its ability to connect remote or underserved regions with low-latency internet, Starlink is also a US-based service, operated by SpaceX and subject to US export control and regulatory regimes.

European officials and analysts have voiced discomfort at relying on a foreign system for critical connectivity, particularly when geopolitical tensions rise or policy alignment falters.

Digital sovereignty: Ambition versus protectionism

European policymakers emphasize that their aim is not protectionism or erecting walls around the digital economy, but rather achieving digital sovereignty: the ability for the EU to chart its own course in key technological domains without undue dependence on external actors.

As German Digital Affairs Minister Volker Wissing said in recent remarks, digital sovereignty should not be conflated with protectionism; rather, it requires policies that foster competition, diversity and homegrown capability.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

According to reports that the EUs conversation about independence includes infrastructure, software, data governance and standards development, all aimed at ensuring that Europe is not forced into strategic compliance with technologies it neither controls nor fully comprehends.

Yet defining digital sovereignty is challenging. Europeans still rely heavily on US cloud and data services, with American companies maintaining powerful global market positions. The interoperability of platforms and services means that any hard decoupling could impose significant costs on European businesses and users.

Regulation as leverage

A key pillar of Europes strategy is smarter regulation that shapes global digital practices rather than simply shielding European actors from competition. A Tech Policy Press analysis argues that Europes regulatory leverage, embodied in laws like the GDPR and the DMA can condition how data is accessed, stored and used, compelling foreign firms to respect European rules or face meaningful penalties.

This approach aims to make Europes legal framework a de facto global standard rather than erecting tariffs or bans. If successful, Europe could influence the behaviour of dominant US platforms and services without cutting itself off from innovation or market dynamism.

Building indigenous alternatives

Beyond regulation, there is a push in Brussels and national capitals to back homegrown alternatives in cloud computing, AI development, satellite networks and secure communication systems. Initiatives like Gaia-X, a European cloud infrastructure project  reflect the belief that technological autonomy requires not only laws but capabilities.

Still, analysts caution that developing competitive substitutes to entrenched American platforms will be slow and costly. It demands substantial investment, cross-border coordination within the EU, and a willingness from European consumers and businesses to embrace homegrown or regional products.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A pragmatic middle path?

Europes efforts reflect a pragmatic dual strategy: regulate dependence while gradually building alternatives. Rather than an abrupt decoupling from American technology, the approach seeks to balance openness with strategic resilience. Political rhetoric around this shift, sometimes framed as a Trump effect, drawing on recent US unpredictability highlights a broader truth: Europe no longer wants to leave key technological decisions to powers outside its control.

In an era where digital power has geopolitical weight, Europe is finally acknowledging that technological sovereignty is not just a buzzword but a strategic imperative. Whether this ambition translates into tangible infrastructure and market change will shape the continents digital trajectory for years to come.
Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur whose digital tokens collapsed and wiped out an estimated 40 billion dollars in 2022, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in the United States for what the judge called an epic fraud.

Police officers escort Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon after he served a sentence for document forgery, in Podgorica, Montenegro. File image/Reuters

Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur behind two digital tokens that crashed and wiped out an estimated 40 billion dollars in 2022, was on Thursday sentenced to 15 years in prison for what a judge described as an epic fraud.

US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer delivered the sentence in Manhattan federal court and sharply criticised Kwon for deceiving ordinary investors who had trusted him with their savings.

This was a fraud on an epic, generational scale. In the history of federal prosecutions, there are few frauds that have caused as much harm as you have, Mr Kwon, the judge said.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Terraform Labs collapse

Kwon, 34, co-founded Singapore-based Terraform Labs and created the TerraUSD and Luna cryptocurrencies. He pleaded guilty and admitted misleading investors about a coin that was supposed to maintain a stable price during periods of market volatility.

He is one of several cryptocurrency figures to face federal charges after the 2022 crash in digital asset prices led to the downfall of multiple firms.

Wearing yellow prison clothing, Kwon apologised to his victims, including hundreds who had submitted letters describing the losses they suffered. All of their stories were harrowing and reminded me again of the great losses that Ive caused. I want to tell these victims that I am sorry, he told the court.

Victims said the collapse destroyed savings, wiped out retirement funds and harmed charities. One wrote that he had contemplated suicide after his father lost his retirement money in the scheme.

Judge calls sentence recommendations lenient

Judge Engelmayer rejected both the governments recommendation of 12 years, calling it unreasonably lenient, and the defences request for five years, describing it as utterly unthinkable and wildly unreasonable. Kwon had faced a maximum of 25 years.

Your offence caused real people to lose 40 billion dollars in real money, not some paper loss, the judge said, adding that Kwon had an almost mystical hold over investors and that the case amounted to a fraud on an epic, generational scale.

Prosecutors said the losses from Terraform Labs collapse exceeded those from the frauds involving FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and OneCoin co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood combined. The judge estimated that up to a million people may have been affected.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Stablecoin illusion and global flight

Terraform Labs had marketed TerraUSD as a stablecoin, typically pegged to a stable asset to prevent sharp fluctuations. Prosecutors said it was actually propped up by outside cash infusions and collapsed after falling far below its one-dollar peg, triggering a wider crisis in the crypto market.

After the crash, Kwon attempted to rebuild Terraform Labs in Singapore before fleeing to the Balkans using a false passport, prosecutors said. He has been held since his arrest in Montenegro in March 2023 and was credited for the 17 months he spent in jail there before being extradited to the United States.

Forfeiture and apology

As part of his plea deal, Kwon agreed to forfeit more than 19 million dollars. His lawyers argued that his actions stemmed from hubris and desperation rather than greed. Judge Engelmayer rejected Kwons request to serve his sentence in South Korea, where he also faces prosecution and where his wife and young daughter live.

Kwon told the court he had spent years reflecting on what he should have done differently and how he might make amends. Hearing from victims, he said, was harrowing and reminded him again of the great losses that I have caused.
Amid renewed scrutiny of the H-1B visa programme, US pollster Mark Mitchell stirs row with call to de-Indianise firms and claim that one H-1B worker equals ten illegal aliens

Amid renewed attention on the H-1B visa programme, Mark Mitchell, a US commentator and pollster, sparked controversy after suggesting that major American companies should de-Indianise themselves.

He said he plans to set up a consultancy to help firms with this process. His comments, posted on X, triggered online debate over the role of Indian professionals in the US technology sector.

I have never in my life wanted anything more than this: to build a new corporate consultancy helping major firms de-Indianise, Mitchell wrote.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

His remarks came days after he criticised the rising number of Indian professionals in the United States under the H-1B visa system during a podcast.

Attack on the H-1B visa

Speaking on The War Room podcast with Stephen Bannon, Mitchell spoke against Indian dominance in the H-1B programme and claimed that sending back a senior H-1B developer at a company like Apple was economically similar to deporting ten illegal migrants.

But for every single H-1B, you know, senior developer at Apple that we send back, thats the equivalent economically, probably, of deporting ten illegal aliens. So, I do not know why we did not do that yesterday. And the idea, yes, a lot of these people are entry level, but a lot of them are making a tonne of money, he said in the podcast released on December 8.

He also claimed that 12 million American tech workers had been left unemployed because a foreign-born workforce had indificated Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valleys got some of the highest real estate in the entire country. Well, its workforce is roughly two-thirds foreign born. Walmart buildings that were like 8595 per cent Indian nationals, and so they come in on these golden pathways and they take these jobs, he said.

Mitchell accused major American tech companies of relying on a low-cost immigrant workforce that he claimed bypasses American workers. He argued that senior American engineers are being overlooked because firms have a bottomless well of younger third-world engineers.

You know, people like me who have a family, who are a little more expensive, maybe have got a few raises. My health insurance is a little more expensive. Really easy to replace me and have me train my replacement, he said.

A single H-1B developer earning 90,000 dollars is like importing ten undocumented labourers earning nine dollars an hour, he added.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Mitchells comments came soon after a report showed that around 66 per cent of the tech workforce is foreign born, including 23 per cent Indians and 18 per cent Chinese.

Backlash on social media

Mitchells de-Indianise comment drew strong criticism online, with several users accusing him of racism.

One user wrote, If you said you wanted to make major American firms de-Jew you would not have a career left. However, in the American conservative world it is OK to be openly racist towards a model minority.

Another said, Note that this nut has moved from H-1Bs all the way to Indians, meaning even US-born, second-generation Indian-Americans are people he wants to disenfranchise.

A third user commented, Imagine saying this about ANY other ethnic group. Gee, maybe this is why your employability is limited.
As President Donald Trump got his way by ending the government shutdown without any concession on Affordable Care Act (ACA), two to four million Americans are set to lose their health insurance next year and another 22 million are set to see their insurance premium rise by up to 114%.

Donald Trump speaks to members of the media at Manhattan Supreme Court amid his hush money trial, in New York, US, May 7, 2024. (Photo: Curtis Means/Pool via Reuters)

With President Donald Trump winning the battle to end subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), millions of Americans are set to lose their health insurance in 2026 and tens of millions are set to see their insurance premium rise skyrocket.

The ACA subsidies and Medicaid coverage were at the core of the budget standoff between Trump and Democrats.

Even as the government shutdown became the longest in history, Democrats maintained they would not pass the Trump-endorsed budget bill that would raise health insurance premiums by ending ACA subsidies and remove another 11 million Americans from Medicaid coverage over the next decade.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

But, eventually, eight Democrats broke ranks in the Senate and joined Republicans to pass the bill without any extension of ACA subsidies.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has promised to hold a vote on a plan to extend ACA subsidies but House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused such a vote. It means that there is no realistic chance of ACA subsidies extension into the next financial year.

Up to 4 million to lose health insurance, premiums to rise by up to 114%

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that up to four million Americans would go uninsured with the end of ACA subsidies.

Even those who have called such estimates bloated, such as Prof. Robert Kaestner of Chicagos Harris School of Public Policy, up to two million Americans would lose health insurance next year, according to USA Today.

For those still on ACA coverage, as many as 22 million Americans on ACA plans could see their monthly health insurance premiums rise by up 114 per cent upon the expiration of subsidies, according to health-focussed organisation KFFs estimate as saying.

ALSO READ: Most Americans blame Trump & Republicans for govt shutdown, finds survey

Ironically, plenty of Republicans are bound to be affected by the end of subsidies as majority of new registrations after ACA subsidies introduction during the Covid-19 come from Republican states like North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Texas, according to KFFs estimate carried by the newspaper.
Bangladesh will hold its first national election after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on February 12, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has announced

Bangladeshs Awami League party has announced that it rejects the Election Commissions election schedule announced on Thursday, calling the poll body illegal and biased.

The Awami League has closely reviewed the election schedule announced by the illegal, occupying and killer fascist Yunus cliques illegal EC. It is now clear that the current occupying authority is entirely biased and that, under their control, it is impossible to ensure a fair and normal environment, it said in a statement.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Bangladesh will hold its first national election after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on February 12, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has announced.

Awami League banned from polls

Sheikh Hasinas party has been banned from running in the elections by the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, meaning that the Awami League cannot register for the upcoming polls.

The Awami League has the strength, courage and capacity to stand before the peopleAttempting to hold an election while excluding theAwami League  the party that led the Liberation War  along with other political parties and the majority of the population, is a scheme to push the country and the nation into a deep crisis," the party said in its statement.

The Awami League insisted that all restrictions placed on the party must be lifted, all fabricated cases against Hasina and other national leaders be withdrawn, and all political prisoners be released unconditionally. It further demanded that the interim government be replaced with a neutral caretaker government to hold a free and participatory election.

Bangladesh elections

Nasir Uddin said the campaigning will start on January 22 and conclude at 7:30 am on February 10.

Elections will be held on 300 parliamentary seats, according to Nasir Uddin. Currently, Khaleda Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is seen as a frontrunner.

Nasir Uddin said the national referendum on the July charter will also be held on the same day. The charter refers to proposed reforms to the states affairs following the ouster of Hasinas government.
Singapores ICA will bar undesirable travellers from boarding from January 2026, requiring airlines to pre-check visas, passports, and security flags, with fines and jail for non-compliance

Starting January 30 next year travellers flying to Singapore may be barred from boarding their flights if flagged as undesirable or found not meeting entry requirements, under a new no-boarding directive announced by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

The directive requires airlines to verify advance passenger information  including visa and passport validity, SG Arrival Card data, and any prior immigration or security flags  before allowing boarding.

Passengers failing these checks will be denied entry even before departure.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Airlines permitting flagged passengers to board face fines of up to SGD 10,000, while airline staff, including pilots and ground personnel, can be fined up to SGD 10,000 or jailed for up to six months if found complicit.

Travelers denied boarding can still appeal by contacting ICA through the ICA Feedback Channel to seek approval before rebooking their flights.

The measure effectively moves Singapores security and immigration checks upstream, from arrival to departure. Business travelers, tourists, HR teams, travel agents, and frequent flyers are advised to ensure all documentation is thoroughly verified prior to booking or check-in, as boarding may now be refused.

Use of advance traveller information

Currently, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) uses advance traveller information  including data from the SG Arrival Card, flight manifests, and other sources  to identify high-risk travellers before they reach Singapores checkpoints. Flagged individuals undergo more stringent checks upon arrival.

Starting January 2026, ICA will issue Non-Boarding Directive (NBD) notices to airlines targeting prohibited or undesirable travellers.

Airlines receiving an NBD must prevent these passengers from boarding flights to Singapore. The directive will also apply to travellers who do not meet entry requirements, such as having a valid visa or a travel document with at least six months validity.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Objective of the NBD

The NBD allows ICA to block identified high-risk travellers from boarding flights to Singapore, strengthening border security by keeping potential threats away from the country before arrival.

Airline operators which fail to comply with an NBD notice will be guilty of a strict liability offence under the Immigration Act 1959 and may face fines of up to SGD 10,000. Pilots or airline employees who allow a person subject to an NBD to board  whether by act or omission  may be fined up to SGD 10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both, ICA said.

With inputs from agencies
India has approved a major reform of its atomic energy sector, with the Union Cabinet clearing the Atomic Energy Bill, 2025. The legislation breaks decades of state exclusivity, creating a unified legal framework and allowing private and global companies to participate in key areas of the nuclear value chain.

Cabinet approves SHANTI Bill, paves way for private participation in Indias nuclear sector. Representative image.

India has approved a sweeping reform of its atomic energy regime, with the Union Cabinet on Friday clearing the Atomic Energy Bill, 2025  titled SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Technology for India). The legislation marks a decisive shift from decades of state exclusivity, creating a unified legal framework and allowing private participation across parts of the nuclear value chain.

A break from decades of state control

The SHANTI Bill proposes opening areas such as atomic mineral exploration, fuel fabrication and equipment manufacturing to private and global companies. While sensitive and strategic operations will remain under government control, officials say wider participation will accelerate expansion, innovation and technology access.

Revamp of nuclear liability regime

A central feature of the draft is a redesigned nuclear liability framework. The Bill seeks to address long-standing investor concerns by:

clearly defining liability responsibilities

introducing insurance-backed liability caps

ensuring government support beyond a fixed threshold

The changes are aimed at improving investor confidence while maintaining public safety safeguards.

New safety authority and tribunal

The legislation proposes setting up an independent nuclear safety authority to bolster regulatory oversight. It also calls for a dedicated tribunal to handle nuclear-related disputes, intended to streamline resolution and enhance transparency in the sector.

Pushing towards 100 GW by 2047

India aims to scale nuclear power capacity to 100 GW by 2047, a target that will require significant capital infusion, advanced technology and faster execution. With government funding alone insufficient, policymakers view private participation as essential to meeting long-term clean-energy goals.

Officials describe the SHANTI Bill as one of the most significant reforms in Indias nuclear programme, positioning atomic energy as a core pillar of the countrys energy transition and future energy security.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
China said on Friday it had driven away a Philippine aircraft and multiple vessels near disputed atolls in South China Sea, in the latest in a series of confrontations in the strategic waterway in recent years.

China said on Friday that it had repelled a Philippine aircraft and several vessels near contested atolls in the South China Sea, marking the latest in a string of confrontations in the strategically vital region.

According to the Chinese military, a Philippine aircraft invaded the airspace over Scarborough Shoal and was met with stern warnings before being driven away. The statement did not specify when the encounter occurred.

Beijing asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim that overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Territorial disputes in the area have persisted for years, with rival claims over numerous islands and maritime features.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In a separate announcement, the Chinese Coast Guard accused multiple Philippine vessels of entering waters near Sabina Shoal with the intent to stir up trouble and provoke incidents.

The coast guard said it responded with control measures, including issuing verbal warnings and forcing the vessels to leave the area.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, as well as the countrys foreign ministry and maritime agencies, did not immediately offer comment on the incident.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Chinas sweeping claims in the region were not supported by international law, a decision that Beijing rejects.

Scarborough Shoal is one of Asias most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights.

China in September approved the creation of a national nature reserve at the disputed atoll, drawing a strong reaction from Manila.

Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef and the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal, lies 150 km (93 miles) west of the Philippine province of Palawan, well within the countrys exclusive economic zone.

With inputs from agencies
With political costs rising at home and a self-imposed Christmas deadline looming, Washington is eager for a breakthrough that would show momentum even if it requires Ukraine to make concessions it has long resisted.

The latest US proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, transforming the Kyiv-held parts of Donbas into a free economic zone in exchange for Ukrainian troop withdrawal has opened a new phase of political and strategic upheaval in an already fraught conflict.

Zelenskyy said that Washington was still pushing it to cede land to Russia as part of an agreement to end the war that started with Moscows February 2022 invasion.

Washington wants only Ukraine, not Russia, to withdraw its troops from parts of the eastern Donetsk region, where a demilitarised free economic zone would be installed as a buffer between the two armies, he said.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Under the latest US plan, Moscow would also stay where it is in the south of the country, but pull some of its troops out of Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not claimed to have annexed in the north.

The idea reflects the Trump administrations increasing impatience to secure a deal by year-end. According to multiple reports, Donald Trump has informally set a Christmas deadline for Ukraine to accept the broad contours of a proposal that Kyiv has so far viewed as an effective territorial concession to Russia.

This push comes amid what aides describe as Trumps growing frustration with the lack of progress. Advisers say he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meetings, a sentiment that explains why the administration is pressing Kyiv harder now.

A peace plan built around ceding territory

Zelenskyy has been unusually direct in outlining what he says Washington is demanding. According to him, the US plan would require Ukraine to withdraw forces from the remaining parts of Donetsk and Luhansk that Kyiv still controls, a move that would de facto formalise Russias territorial gains and erode Ukraines leverage.

In return, the US says it will establish a free trade or free economic zone in these territories, ostensibly as part of a vision to rebuild eastern Ukraine and stimulate cross-border commercial activity.

Earlier the Washington had floated the idea of Kyiv outright handing over these territories to Russia to unlock negotiations, according to multiple reports. The current proposal attempts a middle ground but one that still centres on Ukrainian withdrawal.

Kyiv, however, views the latest suggestion as merely a reframed version of the same problem: a settlement that forces Ukraine to surrender strategic land while rewarding Moscows military advances. Zelenskyy reiterated that any deal must offer credible security guarantees and cannot legitimise Russian occupation.

A free economic zone: Stabiliser or strategic gamble?

Economically, proponents argue that Donbas, historically industrial, resource-rich and home to pre-war manufacturing clusters could benefit from an internationally backed economic corridor. Supporters inside the US administration believe that trade incentives could cool down the conflict environment and create conditions under which Moscow might accept a freeze.

However, analysts warn that such zones do not magically neutralise geopolitical conflicts. Similar experiments in contested regions have rarely succeeded without pre-existing security guarantees. In this case, Russian forces remain deeply entrenched, and Moscow has shown little interest in ceding control or allowing Western-administered economic arrangements near its lines.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

For Ukraine, the risk is stark: withdrawing troops may effectively open the door for Russian advances into the very areas designated for the proposed economic zone, rendering the entire plan unworkable. The US appears to be assuming that Moscow would refrain from pushing further, though the Kremlin has made no such commitments publicly.

Kyivs dilemma: Pressure from Washington, threats from Moscow

Zelenskyy faces immense internal pressure. Any concession involving territorial withdrawal is politically radioactive. National sentiment strongly opposes ceding land and Kyivs parliament has repeatedly rejected proposals that legitimise Russian control. Ukrainian officials told CNN and Al Jazeera that Kyiv cannot accept an arrangement in which its military steps back while Russia faces no reciprocal obligations.

Meanwhile, US officials insist they are seeking a realistic pathway to ceasefire. Trumps team argues that the war has reached a stalemate and that Ukraine must make hard choices before the conflict further depletes its economy and manpower.

Yet, critics note that the US proposal appears to treat Donbas as a negotiable economic project rather than a battleground central to Ukrainian sovereignty. The assumption that a free trade zone could resolve a war driven by identity, security and power not merely economics has been met with scepticism across European capitals.

Does Washingtons economic gambit have any real chance?

Ultimately, the question is whether an economic incentive can substitute for a military or diplomatic solution. Most analysts say no. Without Russian buy-in, robust security guarantees, and a political framework that respects Ukrainian sovereignty, any free economic zone risks becoming an empty construct.

For now, the proposal reflects Washingtons urgency more than a workable peace plan. Whether Kyiv bends under US pressure or whether Trump adjusts his expectations will shape the next critical weeks of the war.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Trump frustrated with Kyiv, Moscow over talks on war

US President Donald Trump is extremely frustrated with Russia and Ukraine, his spokeswoman said on Thursday, as Kyiv said Washington was still pushing it to make major territorial concessions as part of its plan to end the nearly four-year war.

The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, Karoline Leavitt told reporters. He doesnt want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end."

Earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made remarks that appeared to show little had changed in Washingtons core position on how the conflict should end since it sent a 28-point plan to Kyiv and Moscow last month that heavily favoured Russia.

As Christmas approaches, the key question remains: does Trump truly believe Donbas can be transformed into a free-trade bridge to peace or is this another diplomatic dead end?

With inputs from agencies
Bulgaria has been plunged into political turmoil after its prime minister resigned following weeks of nationwide protests against corruption and poor governance. The demonstrations, initially sparked by a proposed budget to raise taxes and social contributions, have grown into a wider movement demanding transparency and democratic reform

Bulgarias leader steps down as citizens take to the streets demanding reform and an end to entrenched corruption.

Bulgaria has entered a fresh phase of political uncertainty after its Prime Minister announced his resignation following weeks of large-scale public demonstrations against the government. The protests, sparked initially by anger over a proposed national budget, have evolved into a broader movement against corruption, mismanagement and what many Bulgarians describe as the deterioration of democratic standards in their country.

The departure of the Prime Minister marks yet another chapter in Bulgarias continuing political instability. He was the sixth person to occupy the post in five years, underscoring deep divisions within the nations fractured political landscape. With his resignation, the government coalition that has struggled to maintain unity now faces the daunting task of regaining public trust and stabilising the economy ahead of Bulgarias adoption of the euro at the start of the new year.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Growing anger over planned tax increases

The protests that led to the Prime Ministers fall began after the government unveiled a controversial draft budget for the coming year. The proposal sought to raise both income taxes and social security contributions to fund an ambitious plan for increased public spending. Officials defended the move, arguing that additional revenue was needed to improve healthcare, pensions and education, sectors that remain underfunded in one of the European Unions poorest member states.

However, ordinary citizens and opposition groups quickly condemned the budget as an unfair burden on working families. Critics accused the government of asking the population to shoulder higher costs without taking meaningful steps to curb corruption or government waste. Demonstrations began in the capital, Sofia, before rapidly spreading to cities and towns across the country. Many Bulgarians carried national flags and banners demanding transparency, economic accountability and an end to political corruption.

What started as peaceful rallies over tax policy soon transformed into an expression of long-standing frustration fuelled by years of political instability, rising living costs and declining faith in public institutions.

The shadow of corruption and political fatigue

Beyond the dispute over budget policy, the protests reveal a wider crisis of confidence in Bulgarias political system. Corruption scandals have repeatedly shaken public life, with allegations involving senior figures in successive governments. The perception that politicians enrich themselves while ordinary citizens struggle has led to growing disillusionment and diminished voter participation.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Many of the demonstrators see the latest unrest as part of a deeper fight for accountability and the restoration of democratic principles. Civil society organisations and independent journalists have highlighted the lack of progress in judicial reform and the persistence of patronage networks that distort public administration. These issues have made Bulgaria a focus of concern within the European Union, which continues to monitor its governance reforms closely.

The Prime Ministers resignation, while welcomed by protest organisers, does not guarantee immediate stability. Analysts warn that without structural reforms, Bulgaria risks remaining trapped in a cycle of short-lived governments unable to address the underlying causes of public anger.

A significant shift ahead of euro adoption

Adding to the complexity of the political situation is Bulgarias impending transition to the euro, scheduled to take effect on the first day of the new year. The now withdrawn budget proposal was intended to be the first calculated entirely in the European currency, a symbolic step toward deeper integration within the European Union.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Economists had viewed the change as both an opportunity and a test. Adopting the euro could strengthen investor confidence and ease access to European financial markets, but it also demands clear fiscal discipline and political stability, both of which remain in question after the Prime Ministers departure.

With the government now in turmoil, there are growing doubts about whether the transition will proceed smoothly. European officials have expressed concern that persistent domestic unrest could complicate Bulgarias readiness for adopting the common currency.

Citizens demand accountability and reform

The demonstrations have united a broad segment of Bulgarian society, drawing participants from varying political affiliations, professions and age groups. Public servants, students, small business owners and pensioners have all joined calls for a government that prioritises transparency over self-interest.

Protesters have repeatedly emphasised that their grievances extend far beyond taxation. Their demands encompass structural anti-corruption measures, stronger enforcement of the rule of law and more accountable management of European Union development funds. Demonstrators have also expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived erosion of independent media, which many see as another symptom of democratic decline.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Leaders of the protest movement have vowed to continue their demonstrations until significant reforms are enacted or early elections are announced. Early surveys suggest that public opinion overwhelmingly supports the demand for a new political direction and a fresh start for the country.

Uncertain future for the coalition and beyond

Following the Prime Ministers resignation, Bulgarias fragile coalition government faces internal disputes about who should lead in the interim and whether new elections should be called soon. Analysts predict that any successor administration will struggle to maintain unity without addressing the corruption allegations that have plagued successive governments.

International observers view Bulgarias situation as a crucial test for democratic endurance within Eastern Europe. The protests have drawn attention across the continent, as the countrys challenges echo broader European concerns about maintaining public trust in institutions amid social inequality and slow economic growth.

For now, Bulgaria stands at a crossroads. As the nation prepares to join the eurozone, its citizens are demanding not only economic reform but also a transformation of the political culture that has driven repeated crises. Whether this latest wave of unrest will lead to lasting change or simply another cycle of instability remains uncertain, but what is clear is that the voice of the Bulgarian people has once again reshaped the course of their nations politics.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The 19 images, which the committee said were sourced from Epsteins property, add further detail to the long-scrutinised web of prominent individuals who had interacted with Epstein over the years, according to a report

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released a set of photos obtained from Jeffrey Epsteins estate, revealing a wide range of well-known political, business and academic figures connected to the late convicted sex offender, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates and Richard Branson.

According to a CNN report, the 19 images, which the committee said were sourced from Epsteins property, add further detail to the long-scrutinised web of prominent individuals who had interacted with Epstein over the years.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

While many of the men shown have previously been linked to Epstein, the newly released photos illustrate additional moments of contact.

One image shows Trump posing with six women wearing leis, their faces redacted by the committee.

Another features what appears to be a bowl of novelty condoms caricaturing Trump with the label Im HUUUUGE! items produced by the New York novelty shop Fishs Eddy and listed as political satire in the National Museum of American Historys collection, added the report.

Other photos include Steve Bannon taking a mirror selfie with Epstein; Bill Clinton alongside Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and another couple; and Bill Gates standing with former Prince Andrew. Former Harvard President Larry Summers and attorney Alan Dershowitz also appear in the collection.

None of the images depict sexual misconduct or appear to involve minors, reported CNN.

It remains unclear when or where the photos were taken or who captured them.

The Republican-led committee obtained the photos as part of its ongoing investigation into Epsteins network. Lawmakers have already released tens of thousands of documents, emails and communications provided by Epsteins estate, which continue to spur new investigative threads.

In a letter Thursday, attorneys for the estate told the committee it could review requested videos and photographs taken at any property owned, rented, operated, or used by Epstein from January 1, 1990 through August 10, 2019.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The estates attorneys said the latest batch of materials may again include files that are not fully verified.

Like yesterdays production, it also includes documents that may not be responsive, but that the Estate was unable to confirm whether they were taken at a property owned, rented, operated, or used by Epstein. The Estate has provided minimal redactions to these photographs; the redactions are limited to nudity, CNN quoted them as writing.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told reporters the newly released photos were significant, adding that Democrats have reviewed only about a quarter of the 95,000 images received so far.

I think anything that we release is significant. I think  clearly, I think people should be able to make judgments on their own as to what they see in these photos. For us, this is about transparency, Garcia told CNN.

In an earlier statement, he argued it was time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW, he added.

A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee accused Democrats of cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump.

We received over 95,000 photos and Democrats released just a handful. Democrats hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked. Nothing in the documents weve received shows any wrongdoing. It is shameful Rep. Garcia and Democrats continue to put politics above justice for the survivors, CNN quoted the spokesperson as saying.

Clinton, Gates distance themselves from Epstein ties

Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, and his spokesperson has said he cut ties with Epstein long before the financiers 2019 arrest.

A spokesperson for Gates has repeatedly said Epstein never worked for him. Gates has called meeting Epstein a huge mistake.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Trumps long-known social ties to Epstein have never resulted in criminal accusations, and his team has previously described Epstein as a creep Trump expelled from Mar-a-Lago.

Fridays release also included images of sex toys.

Emails released earlier by the committee show Epstein claiming that Trump spent hours with accuser Virginia Giuffre and knew about the girls Trump and the White House dismissed those claims as a hoax, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the emails prove absolutely nothing.

CNNs review of Epsteins emails shows he frequently referenced Trump sometimes as analysis, sometimes gossip, sometimes to inflate his own importance.

Others linked to Epstein have faced fallout despite no criminal accusations: Summers stepped back from Harvard and resigned from the OpenAI board, calling his past ties deeply ashamed, while Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor gave up his royal titles and denies wrongdoing.

Under a new law passed last month, the Justice Department must release all Epstein files by December 19. Rep. Thomas Massie, who pushed the measure, warned that failing to comply would be a crime.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Massie said he is encouraged by recent DOJ disclosures, while Garcia urged the administration to release files immediately and warned that some unreleased images are incredibly disturbing.

Right now, our plan is to demand that the president release the files these pictures some of these photos are really disturbing. And there are many others, Garcia said.

With inputs from agencies
The IMF has set 11 new conditions on Pakistans $7 billion bailout, focusing on governance, anti-corruption, and economic reforms. Key measures include asset disclosures for officials, sector reforms, and strengthened provincial anti-corruption powers.

A labourer pulls his cart laden with empty oil drums in Rawalpindi. File image/AFP

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has imposed 11 fresh conditions on Pakistan as part of the second review of its $7 billion bailout programme, taking the total number of conditions to 64 within just 18 months.

The staff-level report released on Thursday outlines governance, anti-corruption, fiscal and structural reforms aimed at addressing what the IMF calls deep-rooted distortions in Pakistans economy.

The new measures target long-standing governance weaknesses, entrenched corruption, and losses in critical sectors.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A major requirement is the publication of asset declarations of senior federal civil servants by December 2026 on an official government website. The government plans to extend this to senior provincial officials, while banks will be given full access to the data to detect discrepancies between income and assets.

Key conditions imposed

Asset declarations: High-level federal civil servants must declare their assets by December 2026, with provincial officials to follow.

Bank access: Banks will have full access to these declarations to identify mismatches between income and assets.

High-risk departments: By October 2026, the government must release action plans for 10 high-risk departments based on corruption risk assessments.

NAB coordination: The National Accountability Bureau will coordinate the plans for the most vulnerable agencies.

Provincial empowerment: Provincial anti-corruption bodies will gain powers to access financial intelligence and conduct investigations.

Revenue reforms: Pakistan must submit a reform roadmap for its revenue board and a medium-term tax reform strategy.

Remittance assessment: A comprehensive review of remittance costs and cross-border payment barriers is required.

Sugar market liberalisation: Islamabad must develop a national policy to open the sugar market, long dominated by politically connected business groups.

Power sector reforms: Pakistan must reduce losses in the power sector and meet preconditions for private-sector participation in distribution companies.

Corporate reforms: Amendments are required to the Companies Act and the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Mini-budget: A mini-budget must be introduced next year if revenue collections fall short.

Pakistans economy remains heavily dependent on external financing from the IMF and the World Bank. The country narrowly avoided a loan default after the IMF extended the $7 billion bailout in 2024 and has received roughly $3.3 billion since last year.

The IMFs Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment flagged major weaknesses across Pakistans legal and institutional frameworks, prompting these fresh conditions to improve governance, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and reform key economic sectors.
India had blocked virtually all Chinese visits after the nuclear-armed neighbours clashed on their Himalayan frontier in mid-2020, widening its vetting of business visas beyond the home and foreign ministries

The national flags of India (L) and China are seen outside the Meijiang Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on August 31, 2025. AFP File

India has cut red tape to speed business visas for Chinese professionals, two officials said, a major step to boost ties between the Asian giants and end chronic delays that cost output worth billions of dollars because of scarce technicians.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautiously rekindles ties with Beijing in the face of punishing U.S. tariffs, the officials said New Delhi dropped a layer of bureaucratic scrutiny and shortened visa approval times to less than a month.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Reuters is the first to report the development.

India had blocked virtually all Chinese visits after the nuclear-armed neighbours clashed on their Himalayan frontier in mid-2020, widening its vetting of business visas beyond the home and foreign ministries.

The issues around securing visas have now been completely resolved, said one of the officials with knowledge of the matter, who both spoke on condition of anonymity.

We have removed the layer of administrative vetting and are processing the business visas within four weeks, the official added.

Indias ministries of external affairs, home and trade, as well as the prime ministers office and the top think tank on policy, did not respond to e-mail requests for comment.

Following the news, Chinas foreign ministry said it had noticed positive action from India to facilitate people-to-people exchanges in the common interest.

China is willing to maintain communication and consultation with India to continuously enhance the level of facilitation of exchanges, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun added.

Think tank the Observer Research Foundation estimates the tougher scrutiny led to production losses of $15 billion over four years to Indian electronics makers, which import key machinery from China to make mobile telephones.

Major Chinese electronics companies, such as Xiaomi, struggled to get visas, Reuters reported last year.

Industry executives have said such curbs hit their plans to expand in India, while the solar industry was also hit by shortages of skilled labour.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The removal of red tape comes after Modi visited China this year for the first time in seven years, meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussing ways to improve ties.

Subsequently, both countries resumed direct flights, for the first time since 2020.

The easing of curbs was prompted by a high-level committee headed by a former cabinet secretary, Rajiv Gauba, now a member of the top government think tank, which also aims to ease investment curbs on China that hurt foreign investor sentiment.

We welcome the governments decision to expedite skilled-visa approvals for professionals from land-bordering countries, said Pankaj Mohindroo, head of industry body the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association.

This reflects a collaborative approach and the governments acceptance of our recommendations.

The changes come at a crucial time for India, which is scaling up production across categories from finished goods to components and sub-assemblies, he added.

WARMING CHINA TIES FOLLOW US TARIFFS

Indias warmer ties with China follow the surprise levy of a 50% tariff on Indian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump, including a penal tariff of 25% for buying Russian oil.

That prompted India to reshape its diplomatic calculus, reworking ties with China and strengthening ties with Russia, while continuing to negotiate a trade deal with Washington.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In this effort, Modi has doubled down on focusing measures to boost growth by improving the environment for foreign investment, including business with China.

India also recently cut consumption tax and eased labour laws to lure foreign investors.

We are cautiously easing some rules around restriction on China, which, we hope, will improve the overall business environment, the second official said.
During his first visit to India since assuming office, Switzer met Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, and other senior Indian officials. The two sides engaged in negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement

US and Indian flags are displayed ahead of a meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (not pictured) at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S., on September 22, 2025. Reuters File

India and the US held productive talks on trade and economic ties during Deputy US Trade Representative Ambassador Rick Switzers visit to the country from December 9 to 11.

During his first visit to India since assuming office, Switzer met Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, and other senior Indian officials. The two sides engaged in negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement.

Earlier this week, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Congress that the Indian proposal is  the best weve ever received as a country in ongoing trade talks.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Greer said that the latest proposal from India has been the best so far.

Greer said that theyve been quite forward-leaning and added that India could become a viable alternative market for US commodities at a time when American farmers are facing inventories and fluctuating demand from China

Earlier this year, Trump plunged the India-US relationship to its lowest point in decades with his hostile policies towards India. Firstly, he undermined India on Operation Sindoor, sought to meddle in the Kashmir issue, and sided with Pakistan. Secondly, he slapped India with 50 per cent tariffs  the highest in the world.

US should sign the FTA

The U.S. should sign the free trade agreement with India on the dotted lines if Washington is happy with what has been offered by New Delhi, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday.

Goyal welcomed the Trump administrations views on Indias offer, but refrained from giving a deadline for the signing of the long-awaited free trade agreement between the two nations.

His happiness is very much welcome. And, I do believe that if they are very happy, they should be signing on the dotted lines, Goyal told reporters in Mumbai.

PM Modi holds call with Trump

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a very warm and engaging conversation with US President Donald Trump on Thursday.

We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity, Modi said in a post on X.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

In the conversation, Modi and Trump exchanged views on expanding cooperation in trade, critical technologies, energy, defence and security, according to a statement carried by CNN-News 18.

With inputs from agencies
Hungarys Viktor Orban is weighing a dramatic shift in Hungarys political system as he looks for ways to retain power ahead of a potentially difficult election, says a report.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban is exploring ways to maintain his grip on Hungary regardless of the outcome of the April election, according to a Bloomberg report.

Hungarys parliament on Wednesday approved a bill from Orbans Fidesz party that makes it harder for lawmakers to remove a president from office in future.

With some polls indicating a double-digit lead for the opposition, Orban is considering taking over the presidency and changing the laws to turn it into the most powerful post in the country, says Bloomberg report citing a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Considering a shift to a powerful presidency

With several surveys showing the Opposition ahead by a double-digit margin, the far-right leader is weighing the option of assuming the presidency and reshaping laws to elevate it above all other offices.

Orban, 62, who is close to both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, floated the idea of moving towards a presidential system after a meeting at the White House last month.

Global parallels raised

Trump has openly mused about illegally holding on to power, both after losing the 2020 election and after his current term. Putin, meanwhile, has alternated between the roles of president and prime minister across his decades-long rule. Orban has said the idea was always on the table.

Government denies plan for presidential system

Hungarys government spokesman on Thursday rejected a media report suggesting that Orban was preparing to introduce a presidential system. He issued the clarification on X after Bloomberg reported that the nationalist leader, who faces an election likely to take place in April 2026, was considering the move.

Ceremonial presidency under current system

Citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter, the Bloomberg report said Orban was examining ways to secure his hold on power regardless of the election result and was considering redefining the presidency into Hungarys most powerful office. Since 1990, Hungary has functioned as a parliamentary democracy, with the presidency largely ceremonial.

Kovacs dismisses report as leftist fake news

Government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs rejected any claim of a plan to change the system. Lets be clear: Repeating this idea again and again is nothing more than the usual leftist fake-news routine, Kovacs wrote on X.

Tough election ahead for Orban

In power since 2010, Orban faces a challenging election as Hungarys economy has stagnated for three years. Opposition challenger Peter Magyar and his centre-right Tisza party lead most polls over Orbans Fidesz.

Introducing a presidential system would require amending Hungarys constitution, which is possible only with a two-thirds parliamentary majority  a majority Orban currently holds.

Orban says idea considered for years

In an interview with private channel ATV last month, Orban said he had considered the option of shifting to a presidential system after every election victory since 2010, but had consistently decided against pursuing it.
Pakistans power struggle has intensified once again, with Army chief Asim Munir stepping up pressure on his main rival, Imran Khan. Munir is reportedly moving to use former ISI chief Faiz Hamids testimony to implicate the jailed ex-prime minister in a potential treason case  a charge that carries the death penalty or life imprisonment under Pakistani law.

Army chief and self-declared Field Marshal Asim Munir  now seen most powerful figure in Pakistan  appears to be further tightening his grip on his chief rival, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

After reportedly overseeing Imrans removal from office and his imprisonment, Munir is now pushing a former ISI chief into the frame to implicate him. The move fits into Munirs broader strategy to try Imran for treason, an offence in Pakistan that carries either life imprisonment or the death penalty.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Ex-ISI chief Hamid sentenced

Faiz Hamid, the former director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was handed a 14-year sentence by a Field General Court Martial on Thursday on four charges, including involvement in political activities.

He also faces a separate inquiry into his alleged role in the May 2023 attacks on military installations and offices by thousands of Imrans supporters following the former prime ministers arrest from court premises.

Hamid ready to testify against Imran

On Geo News, Senator Faisal Vawda  once a senior figure in Imrans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)  claimed that Faiz Hamid is prepared to testify against the jailed former premier. Hamid would provide evidence against Imran, Vawda said, adding that the ex-ISI chief now appears to be firmly caught in the legal squeeze.

Govt alleges joint plot behind may 9 violence

Speaking on the same programme, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that the May 9 unrest  including attacks on the Corps Commanders House in Lahore and the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi  was a joint plan orchestrated by Imran Khan and Faiz Hamid. He claimed the violence was aimed at undermining and overturning the appointment of Asim Munir as Army chief. According to Asif, Imran could not have carried out May 9 alone and relied on the influence Hamid continued to wield after retirement.

Munirs short-lived ISI tenure

Munir was appointed ISI chief by then-Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa but served only eight months. Imran Khan, then prime minister and on good terms with the military establishment, reportedly removed him in 2019 after Munir initiated a corruption probe involving Imrans wife, Bushra Bibi.

Treason risk for Imran Khan

Imrans premiership ended in April 2022 after a no-confidence vote that his supporters allege was swayed by the military hierarchy. Later that year, Bajwa appointed Munir as the new Army chief.

If Faiz Hamids testimony links Imran to any conspiracy against the military, the former prime minister could face a treason trial. Under Pakistani law, a treason conviction carries either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Russia has signalled that it will agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine only if Kyiv withdraws all its troops from the Donbas region, insisting that any remaining Ukrainian-held areas be placed under the control of its National Guard.

A man walks on a muddy road in the Donbas region. The future of Ukraines industrial heartland in the east of the country is uncertain, after Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded it be handed to Russia. File image/AFP

Russia signalled on Friday that any ceasefire in Ukraine would be possible only if Kyivs forces fully withdraw from the Donbas region, with Moscow insisting that Ukrainian-held areas be placed under the control of Russias National Guard.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told Kommersant that a truce could occur only after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, warning that if this does not happen through negotiations, Russia would seek to seize the remaining territory by force.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Although Moscow already holds all of Luhansk and about 80 per cent of Donetsk, Ukraine still controls key fortified cities such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Ushakov said that under a potential settlement, only units of the National Guard  not the regular Russian army  would be stationed in the Ukrainian-held parts of Donbas, outlining a scenario in which Russian police and internal security forces maintain order.

Russias National Guard is a 400,000-strong internal security force that has been active in Ukraine since the start of the 2022 invasion. In 2023, it was granted legal authority to procure and use heavy weapons, including tanks and artillery.

Economically, supporters of the idea argue that the Donbas  long an industrial and resource-rich region with significant pre-war manufacturing hubs  could gain from an internationally supported economic corridor. Some within the US administration believe that offering trade incentives might help cool down the conflict environment and create conditions in which Moscow could accept a freeze.

Analysts, however, caution that such zones do not automatically neutralise geopolitical disputes. Similar efforts in contested territories have rarely worked without firm security guarantees already in place. In this case, Russian forces remain deeply entrenched, and Moscow has shown little indication that it would surrender control or agree to Western-managed economic arrangements near its front lines.

For Ukraine, the risk is substantial: pulling back troops could leave room for fresh Russian advances into the very areas proposed for the economic zone, undermining the entire initiative. The US appears to be assuming that Moscow would hold back  something the Kremlin has made no public commitment to.
Japanese PM Sanae Takaichis Taiwan remark that sparked a diplomatic clash with China was unscripted, documents obtained by an opposition lawmaker show  raising questions over a potential misstep

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, on October 24, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. AP File

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis remarks that ignited a diplomatic flare-up with China over Taiwan was not part of her prepared script, according to a Bloomberg report, citing documents obtained by an opposition lawmaker  raising questions over whether the premier made a significant misstep.

Tensions have simmered since November 7, when Takaichi told parliament that a Taiwan crisis could constitute a survival-threatening situation for Japan, a designation that would allow Tokyo to deploy its Self-Defence Forces alongside other countries responding to the conflict.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

However, the governments pre-written script instructed Takaichi not to comment on hypothetical scenarios involving Taiwan, the documents obtained by lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto show. In Japan, bureaucrats routinely prepare detailed Q&A briefs for cabinet ministers ahead of parliamentary sessions and press conferences.

The discrepancy between the scripted response and Takaichis actual statement suggests the prime minister departed from official policy language, potentially fueling the diplomatic fallout.

Beijing has since demanded a retraction of her remarks. Takaichi has refused, insisting that Japans position on Taiwan remains unchanged.

The Cabinet Secretariats response was the same as that of previous administrations, and she should have said she would refrain from answering hypothetical questions about a Taiwan emergency, Bloomberg quoted Tsujimoto as saying after posting images of the script on X.

The script prepared by government bureaucrats  which includes both advance questions from lawmakers and recommended answers  indicated that the prime minister should keep her remarks on Taiwan deliberately vague, according to the images released.

The Cabinet Secretariat declined to verify over the phone the authenticity of the documents posted on lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimotos X account, though it acknowledged that documents had been disclosed to her.

In further inquiries to the Cabinet Office, Tsujimoto obtained a written response stating that the prime ministers remarks in parliament were broadly consistent with the governments position.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Prime Minister Takaichi repeatedly said that the government will make a judgment based on all available information, based on the specific circumstances of that situation, which aligns with the governments stance on the matter, the document said, according to Tsujimoto.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara sidestepped questions on whether Takaichis Taiwan comments had been pre-approved, telling reporters to seek clarification from the responsible department.

Though Takaichi has refused to retract her remarks, she told parliament last month that she had learned her lesson and would refrain from addressing specific scenarios in the future.

Her statement nevertheless provoked a sharp backlash from Beijing, deepening an already fraught dispute. China has warned its citizens against traveling to Japan, lodged complaints with the United Nations, and urged other countries to reaffirm their support for its One China principle.

Tokyo, meanwhile, has accused at least one Chinese fighter jet of directing fire-control radar at Japanese aircraft last Saturday. Beijing countered that Japanese fighters had interfered with its military drills.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke on Friday, expressing grave concern over actions that elevate tensions and warning that Chinas behavior is undermining regional peace and stability, according to a statement from Japans Ministry of Defence.

With inputs from agencies
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado on Friday said that President Maduro would leave power, whether through a negotiated process or otherwise, emphasising her focus on achieving a peaceful transition

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks during a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere (not pictured), a day after the award ceremony, in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2025. Reuters

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado on Friday said that President Nicolas Maduro would leave power, whether through a negotiated process or otherwise, emphasising her focus on achieving a peaceful transition.

Machado arrived in Oslo early Thursday, defying a decade-long travel ban imposed by Venezuelan authorities, after spending more than a year in hiding.

Maduro will leave power, whether it is negotiated or not negotiated, Reuters quoted Machado, speaking in Spanish, as saying during a press conference in the Norwegian capital.

I am focused on an orderly and peaceful transition, she added.

Venezuelas Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Machados remarks.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

US military buildup

Machados visit to Norway comes amid a US military buildup in the southern Caribbean and President Trumps push for Maduros ouster, including the recent seizure of a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker.

Barred from last years presidential race despite winning the opposition primary, Machado went into hiding as authorities expanded arrests of opposition figures.

While Maduro was declared the winner, the opposition and international observers dispute the results, citing ballot-level tallies showing their candidates lead.

I have confidence that the immense majority of the Venezuelan armed forces and the police are going, in the instant that the transition begins, to obey orders, guidelines, instructions from the superiors who will be designated by the civil authority duly elected by Venezuelans, she said.

Aligned with Trump

When Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October, she dedicated it in part to Trump, who has said he himself deserved the honour.

She has aligned herself with hawks close to Trump who argue that Maduro has links to criminal gangs that pose a direct threat to US national security, despite doubts raised by the US intelligence community.

Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of military intervention in Venezuela, accusing it of sending narcotics to the United States. The US has already carried out more than 20 strikes against suspected drug vessels, which have raised concerns among lawmakers and legal experts.

I believe that it has become very clear that the Venezuelan conflict is absolutely a priority in matters of national security of the United States and in matters of hemispheric security, Machado said on Friday.

Maduro and his government have always denied any involvement in crime and have accused the US of seeking regime change out of a desire to control Venezuelas natural resources, especially its vast oil reserves.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

With inputs from agencies
Russia on Friday accused Ukraine of attempting drone strikes on chemical facilities storing highly hazardous substances, claiming its air defences intercepted the attacks.

Ukrainian firefighters extinguish the fire in houses following an attack in the Chernihivka village of Pokrovsk district. File photo/ AFP)

The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday said Ukraine attempted to launch drone attacks on chemical facilities storing first-class hazardous substances, but claimed the strikes were successfully intercepted. Major General Alexey Rtishchev, Chief of Russias Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops, told reporters that sites in Veliky Novgorod and the town of Rossosh in the Voronezh region were targeted.

Rtishchev also accused Ukrainian forces of trying to destroy chemical facilities in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, warning that such attacks could expose civilians to dangerous substances. He said the Zarya industrial site in Rubezhnoye, the Azot plant in Severodonetsk, and the Coke and Chemical Plant in Avdeyevka had all come under repeated shelling.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone struck a residential building in the city of Tver, northwest of Moscow, injuring seven people in an overnight attack.

The developments came a day after US President Donald Trump said he was extremely frustrated with both Kyiv and Moscow over the ongoing war, warning it could escalate into a third world war. Expressing concern over stalled peace efforts, Trump said, Id like to see the killing stop. Twenty-five thousand people died last month, mostly soldiers. I would love to see it stop. His press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president doesnt want any more talk and wants the conflict to end, adding that special envoy Steve Witkoff remained in contact with both sides.

As per Moscow Times report, Russian authorities separately reported that air defences shot down 287 Ukrainian drones overnight  one of the highest numbers recorded since the war began. The drone wave caused temporary airport closures in Moscow, delaying or cancelling around 200 flights, and diverting some to St Petersburg.

Eyewitness reports and footage verified by Astra indicated that a fire broke out at or near the Acron mineral fertiliser plant in Veliky Novgorod during the attacks. Regional governor Alexander Dronov said 19 drones were downed, one person was injured and damage to buildings was insignificant. Astra noted that it could not confirm whether the Acron facility itself was hit. The outlet also reported a possible strike on Acrons subsidiary PAO Dorogobuzh in the Smolensk region near the Belarus border.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would ultimately vote in a referendum to decide the fate of the country, as he faces pressure from US President Donald Trump to agree to the proposed peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In a press conference on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that the United States wants Kyiv to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region and Washington would then create a free economic zone in parts of the occupied territories.

Zelenskyys revelation marked a shift from the USs previous suggestion that Kyiv should hand over the parts of Donbas it still controlled to Russia. The Ukrainian leader noted that Washington had suggested a compromise version in which Ukrainian troops would withdraw, but Russian troops would not advance into the territory.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Who will govern this territory, which they are calling a free economic zone or a demilitarised zone  they dont know, said the Ukrainian president, speaking with journalists in Kyiv on Thursday. Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine does not consider the plan to be fair without guarantees that Russian troops would not simply take over the zone after Ukraine withdraws from it.

If one sides troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops, the Russians? Or what will stop them from disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious. Its not a fact that Ukraine would agree to it, but if you are talking about a compromise, then it has to be a fair compromise," he said.

Ukraine rejects the scheme

Zelenskyy made it clear that the Ukrainian side did not agree to the scheme. He insisted that there would need to be elections or a referendum to ratify it, saying that only the Ukrainian people could make decisions on territorial concessions.

While explaining the , Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas, where Russia is advancing, and frontlines would be frozen in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. He also noted that the plan obligates Russia to give up a few small parcels of land it controls in other regions as well.

It is pertinent to note that the Ukrainian leader has been under immense pressure from Trump to sign the peace plan. Recently, Trump has unleashed a fresh set of attacks against Zelenskyy, claiming that he has not even read the draft peace plan and suggesting he lacks legitimacy and that Ukraine should hold an election.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

On Thursday, Trumps Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted White Houses frustration over the matter. The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting," she said.

What lies ahead

During the presser, Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian negotiating team had sent their revised plan back to Washington on Wednesday. He mentioned that the questions over territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were two of the remaining sticking points.

Its not the final plan; its a reaction to what we received  the plan is constantly being worked on and edited, and this is a continuous process that is still going on, he said. Interestingly, if Washington and Kyiv happen to agree to the revised plan, the next question would be whether Russias Vladimir Putin is really ready to sign a deal or is merely buying time with fake negotiations and hoping to continue his military advance over the winter.

Meanwhile, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday in Berlin that Putin was allowed to get his way in Ukraine, then the prospect of war in Europe would become more real, warning that the continent had been quietly complacent over the threat from Russia.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A new war waged by Russia could come within the next five years and could be on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured, Rutte suggested. He issued a now-familiar call for all European countries to increase defence spending. Too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now, the Nato chief furthered.
On Friday, the Parliament of Thailand was dissolved with the countrys Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku calling for fresh elections amid deadly fighting with Cambodia.

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul gestures as he attends an event at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. AP

On Friday, the Parliament of Thailand was dissolved with the countrys Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku calling for fresh elections amid deadly fighting with Cambodia. The Thai Prime Minister dissolved the House of Representatives after getting approval from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose endorsement became effective Friday with its publication in the Royal Gazette.

Anutin announced his decision in a post on Facebook late Thursday. Id like to return power to the people," he wrote in the post. It is pertinent to note that with the dissolution of the parliament, the elections in the country must be held 45 to 60 days after the royal endorsement, a period during which Anutin will head a caretaker government with limited powers that cannot approve a new budget.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The move comes at a tricky political moment, as Thailand is engaged in large-scale combat with Cambodia over a longstanding border dispute. It is pertinent to note that Anutin has been the prime minister for just three months, succeeding Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who served only a year in office before losing office over a scandal that erupted out of a previous round of border tensions.

A call from Trump is awaited

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is engaged in talks with both Thailand and Cambodia after the US-brokered deal failed to stop fighting between the two nations. After the five days of border fighting in July, Trump pushed the two countries to agree on a ceasefire by threatening to withhold trade privileges from them.

Trump has vowed again to make peace between them after widespread fighting flared up again this week. If he employs the cudgel of high tariffs on Thai exports, should Thailand fail to comply with his peacemaking effort, it could cause serious damage to its already sluggish economy.

The American leader said twice this week he expects to speak by phone with the Thai and Cambodian leaders, expressing confidence that he would persuade them to stop the fighting. On Friday, Anutin confirmed that he is scheduled to speak with Trump on Friday night, saying he would brief him on the latest situation along the border.

As of Thursday, about two dozen people had been reported killed in this weeks fighting, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced on both sides. The Thai military estimates that 165 Cambodian soldiers have been killed, though no number has been officially announced by Phnom Penh.

With inputs from The Associated Press.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that sought to halt any state laws limiting or regulating Artificial Intelligence.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that sought to halt any state laws limiting or regulating Artificial Intelligence. The order also establishes a federal task force that will have the sole responsibility of challenging states AI laws.

While speaking at the signing ceremony of the executive order, the president lauded AI companies enthusiasm for wanting to invest in the United States and said that if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you could forget it."

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Interestingly, earlier this year, Republicans failed to pass a similar 10-year moratorium on state laws that regulate the emerging technology as part of Trumps controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trumps order resurrects that effort, which failed after bipartisan pushback and Republican infighting, but as an order that lacks the force of law.

A win for Silicon Valley

It is pertinent to note that the executive order called Ensuring a national policy framework for artificial intelligence is a victory for Silicon Valley and AI companies that have lobbied against the regulation of their technology. These tech giants argued that a hodgepodge of state laws would burden the industry with unnecessary bureaucracy.

The order signed on Thursday includes various mandates which are aimed at preventing the regulation of AI, including instructing the Department of Justice to create an AI Litigation Task Force whose sole responsibility is to challenge state laws. The order also called for the review of existing state laws that could require AI models to alter their truthful outputs.

Hence, the states that are most likely to be targeted in this case are California, which requires companies to disclose their safety testing for new AI models, and Colorado, which requires employers to conduct risk assessments for algorithmic discrimination in hiring and take precautions against it.

Because of this reason, Trumps order has been receiving significant pushback from state leaders across the country and various civil liberties groups. They argue that his order will lead to more power in the hands of Silicon Valley companies and that, in turn, more vulnerable people and children will be exposed to the harms of chatbots, surveillance and algorithmic control.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Trumps campaign to threaten, harass and punish states that seek to pass commonsense AI regulations is just another chapter in his playbook to hand over control of one of the most transformative technologies of our time to big tech CEOs, said Teri Olle, the vice-president of Economic Security California Action, which co-sponsored AI safety legislation in California this year. This is not about allowing for American innovation.
This is hardly the first time the president has taken credit for finishing conflicts around the world. Global observers now worry that, as Trumps claims grow louder, these so-called ceasefires are fragile and are unable to create lasting peace

US President Donald Trump has claimed that he stopped eight wars and that he used trade and tariffs to make the parties reach a ceasefire.

However, this is hardly the first time the president has taken credit for finishing conflicts around the world. Global observers now worry that, as Trumps claims grow louder, these so-called ceasefires are fragile and are unable to create lasting peace.

VIDEO | Washington: US President Donald Trump (@POTUS) says, "I settled eight wars and numerous of them was because of trade and because of tariffs."#USNews #USTariffs



(Source: Third Party)



(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/q7EKhAXhKV  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 12, 2025

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Are Trumps ceasefires really effective?

Foreign policy analyst Arthur Boutellis noted in a recent essay for IPI Global Observatory, the online publication of the International Peace Institute (IPI), that a fundamental gap exists between dealmaking and peacemaking. He added that Trumps approach is inherently transactional, zero-sum and contractual, a model he argued is ill-suited to the complex, relationship-building work essential for genuine conflict resolution.

Just days after the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed the Washington Accords on December 4, intended to bring an end to decades of conflict, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi accused Kigali of violating the deal almost immediately.

Tshisekedi claimed that Rwanda is already violating its commitments, asserting that Rwandan forces fired heavy weapons into Congolese territory the day after the agreement was signed. Meanwhile, despite an earlier US-brokered truce, the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has flared up again with renewed violence.

Trumps claim about India-Pak

Meanwhile, in the case of the tensions between India and Pakistan in May, Trump similarly said that he settled the conflict between the two neighbours via tariffs. Last month, Potus said that he told the two nuclear-armed neighbours that they can go at it, but Im putting a 350 per cent tariff on each country. No more trade with the United States.

Claiming that both India and Pakistan urged him not to impose tariffs, Trump said that he told them, Im going to do it. Come back to me and Ill take it down. But Im not going to have you guys shooting nuclear weapons at each other, killing millions of people and having the nuclear dust floating over Los Angeles. Im not going to do it.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

India has consistently rejected Trumps assertions, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying, I can tell you that I was in the room when Vice President Vance spoke to Prime Minister Modi on the night of May 9, saying that the Pakistanis would launch a very massive assault on IndiaWe did not accept certain things, and the Prime Minister was impervious to what the Pakistanis were threatening to do.
US President Donald Trump is extremely frustrated with Russia and Ukraine, his spokeswoman said on Thursday, as Kyiv said Washington was still pushing it to make major territorial concessions as part of its plan to end the nearly four-year war

US President Donald Trump is extremely frustrated with Russia and Ukraine, his spokeswoman said on Thursday, as Kyiv said Washington was still pushing it to make major territorial concessions as part of its plan to end the nearly four-year war.

The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, Karoline Leavitt told reporters. He doesnt want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made remarks that appeared to show little had changed in Washingtons core position on how the conflict should end since it sent a 28-point plan to Kyiv and Moscow last month that heavily favoured Russia.

Zelensky said that Washington was still pushing it to cede land to Russia as part of an agreement to end the war that started with Moscows February 2022 invasion.

Washington wants only Ukraine, not Russia, to withdraw its troops from parts of the eastern Donetsk region, where a demilitarised free economic zone would be installed as a buffer between the two armies, Zelensky told reporters, including from AFP.

Under the latest US plan, Moscow would also stay where it is in the south of the country, but pull some of its troops out of Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not claimed to have annexed in the north.

Ukraine has been revising the original US proposal and this week sent a 20-point counter-proposal to Washington, the full details of which have not been published.

We have two key points of disagreement: the territories of Donetsk and everything related to them, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (in the south). These are the two topics we continue to discuss, Zelensky told reporters at a briefing.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

They see Ukrainian forces leaving the territory of Donetsk region, and the supposed compromise is that Russian forces do not enter this territory which they already call a free economic zone, Zelensky said about the US plan.

Zelensky has long said he has no constitutional or moral right to cede Ukrainian land and said Thursday that Ukrainians should have the final word.

Whether through elections or a referendum, there must be a position from the people of Ukraine, he said.

Great many questions

Zelensky also pushed back against the idea of a unilateral Ukrainian withdrawal in the Donetsk region.

Why doesnt the other side of the war pull back the same distance in the other direction? he said, adding there were a great many questions still unresolved.

Under the US plan, Russia would relinquish territory it has captured in the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions  three areas over which Moscow has not made a formal territorial claim.

In 2022, Russia claimed to formally annex the Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia regions, despite not having full control over them.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Ukraines troops still hold around one fifth of the Donetsk region, according to AFPs analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Much of eastern and southern Ukraine has been decimated by fighting.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes.

Russia, which has the numerical advantage in manpower and weapons, has been grinding forward on the battlefield.

It claimed Thursday to have captured the town of Siversk in the Donetsk region, where its army is advancing at its fastest pace in a year, according to AFPs analysis. Ukraines armys eastern command denied the Siversk claim.

Pivotal moment

After holding a video conference to discuss the latest proposals, Ukraines European allies said that this is a pivotal moment for Ukraine, its people, and for the security we all share across the Euro-Atlantic region, the British prime ministers office said in a statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said late Thursday that the coming week will be decisive in seeking to find a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine.

Sustainable means that any peace agreement must not contain the seeds of future conflict and destabilise the broader European security architecture, she posted on X.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Trump has largely sought to sideline Europe from the process, preferring to deal directly with Moscow and Kyiv in shuttle diplomacy led by his envoy Steve Witkoff and, lately, his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Zelensky said that although there was no strict deadline to finalise an agreement, Washington wanted to have the contours of a deal ready by Christmas.

In Kyiv, a double bomb blast on Thursday killed a serviceman and wounded four others, in what city prosecutors said was a suspected terror act.
Trump is expected to order federal agencies to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, easing its federal restrictions, say reports. The move, which could be announced next week, would not legalise marijuana but would lower barriers to research and offer relief to the legal cannabis industry.

The development comes just days after US President Donald Trump in an interview said that Nicolas Maduros days are numbered.

US President Donald Trump is expected to direct federal agencies to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, placing it alongside certain prescription painkillers, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

The executive order could be issued as early as next week, according to the report.

While the White House has not confirmed the move, officials cited in the report said the decision is nearly certain.

What the reclassification means

Marijuana has been listed as a Schedule I substance since 1970, grouped with heroin and LSD and defined as having a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. Several US states, however, now allow both recreational and medical use.

Moving marijuana to Schedule III would align it with ketamine, anabolic steroids and Tylenol with codeine. Sources told the Washington Post that Trump wants to ease federal restrictions, reducing oversight to the level applied to other Schedule III drugs. He reportedly discussed the plan with House Speaker Mike Johnson during an Oval Office phone call on Wednesday.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The expected executive order would direct multiple agencies to begin the formal reclassification process.

Will this legalise marijuana?

The change would not legalise or decriminalise marijuana at the federal level. However, it would ease research barriers and provide financial relief to legal cannabis businesses.

In August, Trump said he was looking at reclassification, acknowledging divided public opinion. The Biden administration had also examined rescheduling cannabis.

The Washington Post reported that Trump met on Wednesday with marijuana industry executives, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Mehmet Oz.

During the call, Johnson was said to be sceptical and presented studies opposing reclassification. Trump then handed the phone to industry executives in the room, who countered Johnsons arguments. After the call, Trump appeared inclined to proceed, though the plan is not final and could still change.

A White House official said no definitive decision has been made. The Department of Health and Human Services referred queries to the White House, and the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not respond. Johnsons office declined to comment.

Current classification

Marijuana remains a Schedule I substance under federal law, grouped with heroin and LSD and considered to have high abuse potential with no accepted medical use.

Under Trumps proposal, it would shift to Schedule III, which regulators say carries lower abuse risks and includes drugs with recognised medical applications but some potential for dependence. Other Schedule III substances include Tylenol with codeine and certain hormone treatments.

Interest in reclassification cuts across party lines, with supporters pointing to marijuanas medical use and widespread popularity. The legal cannabis industry is now worth billions across the country. Dozens of states and Washington, DC, allow medical marijuana, and 24 states permit recreational use.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The Biden administration had recommended moving marijuana to Schedule III in 2023, but the Drug Enforcement Administration did not complete the required reviews before Biden left office.
Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, nephews of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores, were hit with sanctions.The two were dubbed the narco nephews after their arrest in Haiti in 2015 in a US Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation

US President Donald Trump has gone a step ahead and imposed sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros family members as he pushes for regime change in the South American country.

The development in the US-Venezuela rift is an extraordinary move as Trump wages a war on drugs, which he claims are being supplied by gangs based in Venezuela. Washington has already attacked numerous alleged drug boats in the past couple of months, killing several people and inviting questions from within his administration over the use of military force.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The sanctions also come just a day after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

What to know about the sanctions?

The US Treasury Department, in a statement, said it imposed sanctions on six shipping companies moving Venezuelan oil, as well as six crude oil tankers that it said have engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduros corrupt narco-terrorist regime.

Four of the tankers, including the 2002-built H. Constance and the 2003-built Lattafa, are Panama-flagged, with the other two flagged by the Cook Islands and Hong Kong.

The targeted vessels are supertankers that recently loaded crude in Venezuela, according to state oil company PDVSAs internal shipping documents.

Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, nephews of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores, were also hit with sanctions. The two were dubbed the narco nephews after their arrest in Haiti in 2015 in a US Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation.

They were convicted in 2016 on charges that they tried to carry out a multimillion-dollar cocaine deal and sentenced to 18 years in prison, but were released in a 2022 prison swap with Venezuela. A third nephew, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, who the U.S. says was involved in a corruption plot at the state oil company, was also sanctioned.

US seizes oil tanker

The United States on Wednesday seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The confirmation of the seizure came from Trump, who said: Weve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela  a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually.

It was seized for a very good reason, Trump added, declining to say who owned the vessel. Meanwhile, US Attorney General Pam Bondi shared footage of the operation on X, formerly known as Twitter. The grainy, 45-second video showed US forces landing on the tanker from a helicopter.

In a statement accompanying the video, Bondi said that the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of Defence, had executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

With inputs from agencies
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was freed on Thursday from an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania after a federal judge from Maryland ordered his immediate release

Seen through a glass window, Salvadoran migrant and US resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez (left) enter a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Baltimore, Maryland, on Monday. AFP

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was freed on Thursday from an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania after a federal judge from Maryland ordered his 'immediate' release. According to The Associated Press, Abrego was released before 5 pm (local time) and is planning to return to Maryland, where he has lived for so many years.

His lawyers confirmed the release and maintained that he does not yet know what will happen next, but is ready to continue fighting any additional deportation attempts on his clients behalf. The Thursday ruling came after a habeas petition filed by Abrego and his legal team, arguing that the federal government lacked authority to keep him in custody because no final deportation order had been issued.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The ruling is now being seen as a significant legal win for Abrego, whose previous wrongful deportation to a notorious prison in El Salvador garnered outrage over the Trump administrations crackdown on immigration.

In response to the Thursday ruling, the Department of Homeland Security said it condemned the judges decision and announced plans to appeal, labelling the ruling as naked judicial activism.

Why it matters

It is pertinent to note that the case of Abrego, a Salvadorian national who was a construction worker in Maryland, has become a proxy for the partisan struggle over Donald Trumps sweeping immigration policy and mass deportation agenda. The Trump administration officials have been waging a relentless public relations campaign against Abrego, repeatedly referring to him as a member of the MS-13 gang, along with a host of other things.

However, the man has not been convicted of any of the crimes he has been accused of. Abrego has said that, while imprisoned in El Salvador, he endured beatings, sleep deprivation and psychological torture. In the Thursday order, US district judge Paula Xinis stated: Since Abrego Garcias wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been redetained, again without lawful authority.

Xinis went on to indicate that the lack of a valid removal order means the government cannot legally deport Abrego from the US. Earlier this month, federal prosecutors asked the Maryland judge overseeing Abregos immigration case to lift the restriction on deporting him to Liberia. They said Liberia had provided assurances that he would not face persecution or torture there.

In March, Abrego was deported to an El Salvador mega-prison. His mistaken deportation to the prison in March set off a prominent legal fight over his return  emblematic of the Trump administrations hardline immigration policies. Government lawyers eventually acknowledged that his removal resulted from a procedural mistake.

Multiple federal judges and a unanimous Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return after determining his arrest was illegal. In June, the Maryland man was brought back to the US to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, where he entered a not guilty plea. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to deport him to several nations, including Ghana, Liberia, and Uganda.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
A gas pipeline explosion affected multiple houses in a Bay Area City on Thursday, injuring at least six people, with two people still missing

An aerial view shows the damage after an underground gas explosion occurred on Thursday, injuring six people in Hayward, Calif. AFP

A gas pipeline explosion affected multiple houses in a Bay Area City on Thursday, injuring at least six people. The officials noted that the explosion eventually led to a neighbourhood fire, and the two people are still missing. A video provided by a neighbour showed a huge explosion that sent large debris flying into the air.

According to The New York Times, multiple homes on a residential street in Hayward, a city of about 163,000 people, were burning as of Thursday afternoon. Crews have been searching the scene with a dog to look for the missing people. While speaking to the reporters, Ryan Nishimoto, deputy chief of operations for the Alameda County Fire Department, said that approximately 75 fire and other emergency personnel were on scene trying to extinguish the blaze

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

WATCH: Large explosion destroys multiple homes after crew hits gas line in Hayward, California. At least 6 people injured pic.twitter.com/KWJvv1gUoY  BNO News Live (@BNODesk) December 11, 2025

Meanwhile, aerial television footage from Thursday afternoon showed fire trucks spraying water on a cars metal husk, with multiple roofs of the homes still burning. The authorities maintained that at least one home appeared to have been largely reduced to piles of debris.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear

The authorities maintained that it is still unclear exactly what caused the explosion. Jason King, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, said that the utility was notified that construction crews had damaged multiple gas lines beneath Lewelling Boulevard in Hayward just after 7:30 am (local time).

King maintained that the gas company immediately dispatched crews to the scene, and they stopped the flow of gas by 9:25 am (local time). Ten minutes later, the explosion occurred on Lewelling Boulevard, he said.

Soon after the incident, six people were hospitalised with injuries. Meanwhile, fire law enforcement officers and utility workers were not injured while controlling the fire. There has been no immediate information on whether the homes on the street were occupied at the time of the explosion.

PG&E will be conducting an extensive investigation into the potential cause and will support other investigations that may take place, King said. It is important to note that the Thursday explosion came 15 years after one of the USs worst gas explosions took place in San Bruno, south of San Francisco, which killed eight people and burned three dozen houses.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A federal jury found PG&E guilty of safety violations at that time, and the company paid more than $2 billion in penalties and restitution.
The unemployment benefit claims in the United States were the highest in the week ending December 6 in four and a half years. The benefit claims have surged at a time when nationwide layoffs are at the highest since early 2023.

A man walks into register at a military job fair in Sandy, Utah, US, on March 26, 2019. (Representational Photo, Credit: George Frey/Reuters)

The unemployment benefit claims in the United States were the highest in the week ending December 6 in four and a half years.

While economists have warned against drawing many conclusions from the data, the surge in unemployment claims at a time when nationwide layoffs are the highest in years has sparked concerns.

In the week ending December 6, unemployment benefit claims rose 44,000, the biggest jump since July 2021, to 236,000, according to the Labor Department.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

This was way above the forecast of 220,000 by economists whom Reuters had polled.

The unemployment benefit claims have surged at a time when nationwide layoffs in October were the highest since early 2023.

Some economists cautioned that such spikes in the holiday season are always expected. They pointed that the previous week had seen a sharp drop in unemployment benefit claims. They suggested that the focus should be on the four-week average instead of weekly data.

But data could be hider bigger unemployment as well

At the same time, there are concerns that that even this data unemployment benefit claims rising to the highest point since the Covid-19 pandemic may be undercounting the extent of unemployment in the United Stats.

It is a surprising that recent layoff announcements have not translated into a shift higher in initial claims, according to Nancy Vanden Houten, the lead US economist at Oxford Economics.

It may be that some workers who have lost their jobs have received generous severance packages or have found other employment, although that is more difficult in the current labor market with a depressed rate of hiring, Houten told Reuters.

As economists have described the labour market in a state of no-fire, no-hire state, a deeper-than-reported unemployment would mean the economy might be worse than it appears to be at the moment.
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif waited nearly 40 minutes for a meeting with Vladimir Putin before inadvertently entering Putins talks with Turkeys Erdogan, an unusual diplomatic moment that drew widespread global attention.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif found himself at the centre of an unusual humiliation this week after waiting nearly 40 minutes for a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, only to walk into a closed-door discussion between Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A video posted by RT India shows that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inadvertently walked into a closed-door meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his own bilateral meeting with Putin was pushed back.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

RT later posted a statement on X, saying that the post had been deleted as it may have been a misrepresentation of the events.

We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan.



The post may have been a misrepresentation of the events.  RT_India (@RT_India_news) December 12, 2025

Sharif, accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, had been kept waiting in a nearby room for around 40 minutes. Growing increasingly frustrated, he eventually chose to enter the meeting room where Putin and Erdogan were already in discussion, hoping to secure at least a brief exchange with the Russian leader.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Long wait, few results

Sharif arrived at the meeting venue in Russias Black Sea resort of Sochi with expectations of a one-on-one discussion with President Putin. But when that meeting failed to materialise after an extended wait of about 40 minutes, sources say the Pakistani prime minister grew frustrated.

With official aides reportedly unable to secure a slot in Putins schedule, Sharif instead entered a meeting already in progress between Putin and Erdogan, an unorthodox move that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.

The footage shows Sharif entering the room, greeting both leaders briefly and then leaving within minutes. While some observers have interpreted the act as gate-crashing, others within diplomatic circles describe it as a calculated expression of Islamabads determination to be heard amid competing priorities.

A test of diplomatic patience and positioning

The incident is more than a minor embarrassment; it highlights the precarious balancing act Pakistan must perform in an increasingly multipolar world. Traditionally aligned with China and maintaining complex ties with both Moscow and Washington, Islamabad faces pressure to assert its foreign policy relevance even as great-power relations shift due to the Ukraine war, renewed US focus on the Indo-Pacific, and Turkeys more independent outreach.

For Sharif, a meeting with Putin was more than symbolic. Pakistan has sought to deepen economic and energy cooperation with Russia including discussions on oil and gas imports, trade concessions, and potential collaboration on infrastructure projects.

A direct conversation with Putin could have bolstered Islamabads leverage on these fronts. Instead, the fractured scheduling and improvised entry into the Putin-Erdogan meeting highlighted Pakistans secondary status in a diplomatic arena dominated by larger regional players.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

The diplomatic optics

Critics argue that Sharifs decision to enter the meeting uninvited may have been counterproductive.

Diplomacy is built on protocol and mutual respect, says one former ambassador. Even when relations are friendly, bypassing gatekeepers sends the wrong message about preparedness and priority.

The Turkish-Russian meeting itself was widely expected to focus on escalating tensions in the West Asia and on economic cooperation, particularly in energy and trade. Erdogan, who has skilfully balanced Ankaras relationships with both the West and Russia, commands significant diplomatic capital. For Sharif, entering that space, even briefly, was perhaps intended to signal that Pakistan too seeks a seat at the table of emerging geopolitical dialogues.

What Sharif sought and what he got

Reports suggest that Sharif did not emerge from the encounter with any substantive agreement or even a follow-up meeting scheduled with Putin. Instead, the episode has drawn attention for its theatrics rather than its diplomatic dividends.

Pakistani analysts said that while the international media fixated on the video, domestic coverage has been more circumspect, focusing on why Sharifs team failed to secure a formal meeting slot in advance.

Some experts argue that this misstep underscores a broader challenge for Pakistan: the need to professionalise its diplomatic corps and strategy so that engagements with global leaders yield concrete outcomes rather than headlines about protocol breaches.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Domestic and international reactions

In Pakistan, reactions were mixed. Supporters described Sharifs actions as a bold assertion of agency, saying it showed willingness to pursue national interests proactively. Critics, however, pointed to the lack of tangible outcomes and questioned whether such moments could weaken Pakistans credibility on the world stage.

Internationally, analysts observed the surreal nature of the clip but also pointed to the larger context: Russias foreign calendar is heavily oversubscribed, with leaders from China, India, Turkey and others competing for time with Putin. In that environment, smaller states may find themselves deprioritised despite longstanding ties.
Two months into an American-imposed ceasefire, Gaza remains stuck in the first phase of President Donald Trumps peace plan, with its territory divided between the two sides, its people displaced, and rubble everywhere

A man walks through a waterlogged alley in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on December 11, 2025. AFP

More than 800,000 Gazans face the threat of flooding, according to the UN, as a severe winter storm batters the Strip. Heavy rain has already inundated camps and caused several buildings to collapse.

Two months into an American-imposed ceasefire, Gaza remains stuck in the first phase of President Donald Trumps peace plan, with its territory divided between the two sides, its people displaced, and rubble everywhere.

Plans for new housing and a new governing structure are in limbo in the next phase of Trumps plan, as the search continues for Israels last remaining hostage, Ran Gvili.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Hamas must return all Israeli hostages, living and dead, before negotiations move to the more difficult next stage.

Life of humiliation

In Gaza City, water seeps constantly through gaps in the tent where Ghadir al-Adham lives with her husband and six children. Still displaced after the war and waiting for reconstruction to begin, her family is struggling to cope.

Here we are, living a life of humiliation, she told the BBC. We want caravans. We want our homes rebuilt. We long for concrete to keep us warm. Every day I sit and cry for my children.

Whats stopping Israel and Hamas from entering the next phase?

Both Israel and Hamas face major concessions in the next stage. Hamas would have to surrender weapons and authority; Israel would have to hand security responsibilities over to an international stabilisation force.

This, retired General Israel Ziv said, explains the hesitation on both sides.

Israel and Hamas are sharing the same interests not to move so fast into the second stage, he told the BBC. Hamas doesnt want to lose control, and the Israeli side, for political reasons, also prefers to stay in Gaza, as nobody wants to explain to their base that they have to withdraw.

By waiting, I think we might miss the opportunity because Hamas is reorganising and [its] strength is coming back, he warned. We have to take a deep breath and go forward with that plan, because staying in the situation as it is, its the worst-case scenario.

A key challenge will be disarming Hamas in a manner both sides accept. Without that, no foreign nation is likely to contribute troops or begin reconstruction in Hamas-run areas.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Microsoft has expanded Windows personalization options with the launch of a new Themes department in the Microsoft Store. Giorgio Sardo, Vice President of Microsoft Store, said the department allows users to quickly browse and apply curated or trending themes, making it easier to adjust the appearance of their devices.

Themes and Collections

The new Themes department in the Microsoft Store features over 400 themes, including more than 35 new collections. Each theme combines wallpapers and accent colors, some of which change over time. Users can apply these themes to create a consistent look across their device with a single click.

Themes are available for a range of interests and moods, including official titles like Sea of Thieves and World of Warships, nature-inspired collections such as World National Parks, art-focused options like Ethereal Escapes by PicsArt, and abstract or geometric designs such as Geometric Tales and Neon Dreams. Microsoft Design has contributed additional themes to cover diverse preferences.

Sample Themes Available:

Luminous Flow Theme

Mountain Dwellings Theme

Dreamscapes Theme

Sea of Thieves Official Theme

Blooming Dimensions Theme

Neon Dreams Theme

World of Warships Official Theme

Opaline Theme

Razer Axon Official Theme

Themes can be managed through Windows Settings, where users can view, switch, or organize their collection. The company, in its announcement, also suggested apps for desktop customization, including TranslucentTB, Lively Wallpaper, and Seelen UI.

Future Outlook

Microsoft aims to make personalization accessible to all Windows users. The new Themes department is a step toward providing structured options for users to reflect their preferences on their devices.

Availability

The new Themes department is rolling out in the Microsoft Store on Windows. Users can browse and apply themes directly through the store and manage them via Windows Settings. Feedback can be submitted through the Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Microsoft Store.
Rep. Fallon in Washington Examiner: Today's threats require a new posture from our intelligence community

US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Press Releases

Washington, December 11, 2025

Today's threats require a new posture from our intelligence community

By Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX)

For decades, our nation's tools and policies designed to detect and neutralize foreign intelligence activities have failed to deter our enemies. Instead, they have adapted to our approach.

Despite mounting scrutiny, the Chinese Communist Party continues to use talent recruitment programs to identify and task Chinese students and researchers to steal American research from taxpayer-funded research labs and universities. Russian "illegals" operated successfully for up to two decades before arrest. The Iranians attempt to carry out assassinations of U.S. officials on our soil and across the globe.

State-sponsored cyber-actors routinely target various sectors of our government, critical infrastructure, and economy, and are apparently pre-positioning dual-use facilities inside the U.S., which are equipped to deliver catastrophic effects across our lifeline sectors at a time or place of our enemies choosing.

Our nation's security apparatus is built on the ability to anticipate, identify, and respond coherently to threats over the horizon. Yet, throughout our history  from Pearl Harbor to 9/11  we have suffered devastating intelligence failures that cost thousands of American lives. While lawmakers and the intelligence community worked to address the structural failures that contributed to 9/11, we continue to fall short in one critical area, counterintelligence, and all lights are blinking red.

Following the end of the Cold War and with the onset of the Global War on Terror, we not only lost sight of the importance of the counterintelligence mission but also largely reduced it to a more defensive, reactive, and security and law enforcement-oriented posture. While we were distracted, our enemies advanced.

Further exacerbating the issues facing the intelligence community today is the fact that our borders were not secure for more than four years under the Biden administration, with many of these individuals remaining unaccounted for. Our nation saw approximately 200,000 migrants from the People's Republic of China and Russia cross into our country with little to no vetting.

It would be naive to assume our enemies would not exploit an open border, mass migration crisis, and reduced threshold for entry to embed operatives. Even a handful of highly trained operators could carry out intelligence operations or pre-position to support future attacks on our nation. I asked FBI Director Kash Patel about this particular counterintelligence threat during the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's Annual Threat Assessment hearing, and his answer was startling. These counterintelligence failures are not just embarrassing for our country, but they also represent one of our greatest strategic vulnerabilities.

For much of our history, the intelligence community has assumed a counterintelligence posture that is reactive rather than proactive, focused on identifying and prosecuting spies after the damage is done. The system incentivizes prioritizing cases, indictments, and arrests. These metrics become the bar by which some will define winning in the counterintelligence space. Hardening the infrastructure that safeguards our data and protecting research pipelines, supply chains, and intellectual property requires a coherent plan, integrating instruments of national power, a bias toward action, unity of effort, and accountability for delivering results.

But to counter and ultimately defeat a sophisticated foreign intelligence service, counterintelligence must become less risk-averse and adopt a more offensive, proactive, and confrontational posture. Most damaging are the cultural issues within the federal bureaucracy. Agency stovepipes, turf battles, and competition for resources routinely undermine collaboration and partnership.

Time and again, post-incident reviews reveal that compromises or attacks succeeded not because we lacked intelligence, but because our agencies failed to share, worked at cross purposes, or, worse yet, lacked the imagination to believe indicators of our adversary's plans, intentions, motivations, and capabilities to act. If these cultural barriers remain unaddressed, we are risking another Pearl Harbor- or 9/11-level failure, which will rest at the feet of the counterintelligence enterprise.

My colleagues and I on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence have been working diligently under Chairman Rick Crawford's (R-AR) leadership to find policy solutions that address these issues and to encourage our intelligence community elements to embrace a more proactive and offensive counterintelligence posture.

The solution is simple. We need a greater whole-of-intelligence community approach, with clear leadership at the top to deliver a vision, inspire a workforce, and to deconflict, coordinate, and synchronize efforts for one purpose: to confront our enemies, drive back their gains, and ensure the nation is secure. We must bring government together, build bridges, and get everyone rowing in the same direction to achieve common goals.

These steps are complicated, but they are urgent. By acting now, we can protect American research, infrastructure, and innovation and ensure we never again find ourselves surprised by an adversary we could have stopped.

Pat Fallon represents Texas's 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a member of the House Intelligence, Armed Services, and Oversight Committees.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Strategic Corruption as Russian Statecraft

The transformation of corruption from a criminal enterprise into an instrument of foreign policy represents one of the most significant security challenges facing Europe in the twenty-first century. Under Vladimir Putin's leadership, the Kremlin has developed what analysts describe as strategic corruptiona systematic approach that employs financial manipulation, patronage networks, and illicit capital flows to undermine democratic institutions and compromise Western sovereignty. This methodology extends far beyond traditional bribery and embezzlement, constituting instead a sophisticated statecraft tool designed to create dependencies, capture decision-making processes, and advance Russian geopolitical objectives across the European continent.

The foundations of this system lie in Russia's domestic governance model, where corruption functions not as a deviation from the rule of law but as its organizing principle. Within Russia itself, economic crimes ranging from embezzlement to kickbacks serve to consolidate political power in the Kremlin, creating what scholars characterize as a state capture system. Oligarchs, state-owned enterprises, and organized crime networks operate not independently but as extensions of Putin's power structure, their wealth and influence contingent upon loyalty to the regime. This arrangement transforms corruption into a stabilizing mechanism for autocracy, where financial dependency creates leverage that can be weaponized against those who might challenge the system. The fate of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in prison after exposing high-level corruption, illustrates the lethal consequences of resisting this apparatus.

However, the Kremlin's ambitions extend considerably beyond Russia's borders. Pro-Russian oligarchs have established extensive networks throughout Europe, acquiring strategic assets in energy, finance, telecommunications, metallurgy, and defense sectors. These acquisitions create opportunities for what the Bush Institute and Center for the Study of Democracy characterize as institutional capturethe ability to influence or control Western political decision-making processes in ways that favor Moscow's interests. The strategic nature of this corruption distinguishes it from ordinary criminal activity; while profit may motivate the oligarchs and intermediaries who execute these operations, their ultimate purpose is to advance Russian foreign policy objectives by creating pressure points that can be exploited for coercion.

The security dimensions of Russian strategic corruption manifest most clearly in the compromise of Europe's defense and intelligence apparatus. Moscow has demonstrated consistent success in penetrating security institutions through a combination of financial inducements and clandestine operations. Political figures in Austria, Germany, and Sweden have been implicated in schemes involving Russian state-owned enterprises or intelligence services, suggesting a pattern rather than isolated incidents. The case of Austria's Freedom Party illustrates this dynamic with particular clarity; the party signed a cooperation agreement with Putin's United Russia Party in 2016, subsequently advocated for lifting sanctions related to the Crimean annexation, and was later revealed to have facilitated a Russian intelligence operation targeting Austria's own domestic security service. The 2018 raid on Austria's intelligence agency, orchestrated with assistance from a GRU operative and based on false information provided to the Freedom Party, resulted in the seizure of classified data from Western intelligence partners, demonstrating how political capture can facilitate intelligence penetration.

Similar patterns appear to exist in Germany, where prosecutors have investigated members of the Alternative for Germany party for receiving payments from sources linked to the Kremlin. The party's political alignment with Russian interestsopposing military aid to Ukraine, criticizing NATO, and advocating for normalized relations with Moscowmirrors the ideological positions of other European parties that have received Russian support. Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's service on Rosneft's board, alongside a former East German Stasi officer, suggests that Russian cultivation of German political figures extends across party lines and career stages. These relationships create networks of influence that can shape policy debates on critical security issues, from NATO expansion to sanctions enforcement, effectively giving Moscow a voice in European strategic deliberations.

The penetration of intelligence services presents perhaps the most acute security risk. Sweden, generally considered resistant to Russian influence due to minimal trade dependence, nevertheless experienced multiple espionage cases involving its security apparatus. Brothers employed in Swedish counterintelligence were convicted of providing classified information to the GRU after receiving payment of approximately 550,000 kronor. A separate case involved a Russian immigrant couple operating information technology security companies that served as covers for intelligence collection on behalf of Moscow. In Germany, a senior intelligence officer was charged with treason for selling classified information about the Ukraine war and Wagner Group activities to Russia. These cases suggest that Russian intelligence operations target not only political processes but also the security services tasked with detecting and countering such influence, creating a counterintelligence challenge of significant complexity.

Moscow's ability to compromise judicial systems compounds these vulnerabilities by providing legal protection for corrupt networks and undermining accountability mechanisms. The case of Cyprus illustrates how judicial capture operates in practice. Leaked communications revealed that Eleni Loizidou, Cyprus's former deputy attorney general, received payment for trips to Moscow and subsequently interfered in multiple cases involving Russian nationals sought by other governments. She appealed court decisions that had blocked extraditions to Russia, successfully overturning protections for individuals who appeared to be targets of political persecution. This pattern of judicial interference extended to promising Russian officials that members of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation would be extradited if Moscow submitted the appropriate documentation. The infiltration of Cyprus's legal system likely occurred against the backdrop of extensive Russian business penetration of the island's economy, suggesting that judicial capture is facilitated by broader patterns of economic dependency.

Ukraine's experience under President Viktor Yanukovych demonstrates how captured judiciaries can be weaponized to advance pro-Russian policies. The District Administrative Court of Kyiv, operating under supervision of Yanukovych's administration, issued rulings that blocked military reforms, prohibited protests, and even attempted to reinstate Yanukovych as president after the Revolution of Dignity forced him from power. Yanukovych had appointed numerous judges with apparent ties to Russian-linked oligarchs, transforming the court system into an instrument for advancing Kremlin interests. Even after the Euromaidan revolution, figures from the Yanukovych era retained influence in Ukrainian security services, suggesting that institutional capture can persist beyond the political transitions that initially enabled it.

Russian manipulation of multilateral institutions represents another dimension of strategic corruption, exploiting the financial and procedural mechanisms of international organizations to advance Moscow's interests. Following the 2014 annexation of Crimea, the European Court of Human Rights suspended Russia's voting rights, prompting Moscow to withhold its annual contribution of approximately 33 million euros. Facing budgetary pressures, the court restored Russia's voting rights in 2019 despite the ongoing occupation of Ukrainian territory. This episode illustrates how Russia can leverage its financial contributions to international bodies to limit criticism of its actions and maintain positions of influence within institutions ostensibly designed to uphold international norms. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has similarly been penetrated by individuals with apparent ties to Russian intelligence services, according to investigative reporting, suggesting a systematic effort to compromise organizations involved in conflict monitoring and election observation.

Georgia's trajectory since its 2008 war with Russia provides a compelling case study of how strategic corruption enables gradual state capture. The country's richest individual, Bidzina Ivanishvili, accumulated his wealth in Russia during the 1990s in sectorsmetals and bankingknown for connections to organized crime and political patronage. After returning to Georgia and founding the Georgian Dream party, Ivanishvili cultivated relationships with influential judges who consolidated control over the judiciary through patronage appointments. His associates received lifetime judicial appointments despite questionable qualifications, creating a court system that has since issued rulings favorable to Russian interests, including passage of a foreign agent law closely modeled on Russian legislation used to suppress civil society. Georgia's State Security Service, under leadership with ties to Ivanishvili's business empire, has been implicated in surveillance of clergy, journalists, and opposition figures, as well as coordination with Russian propaganda efforts to portray Ukraine as plotting against Georgia's government.

The Russian occupation of Georgia's South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions demonstrates how strategic corruption facilitates military objectives through the creation of financial dependencies. Moscow covered the salaries of local officials and separatist forces in these territories, effectively maintaining parallel governance structures loyal to the Kremlin rather than Tbilisi. The 2015 treaty of alliance with South Ossetia integrated the region's security forces into Russia's military structure while aligning salaries and social benefits with Russian standards, creating economic incentives for continued alignment with Moscow. A similar agreement with Abkhazia included the establishment of joint Russian-Abkhaz military forces and the alignment of foreign and defense policies in exchange for subsidies. These arrangements transform occupied territories into what might be characterized as laboratories of state capture, where Russia can refine techniques for creating dependency and eroding legitimate governance that can then be applied elsewhere.

Russia's plans to establish a permanent naval base in Abkhazia's coastal city of Ochamchire represent the strategic culmination of this approach. The port, which served as a launching point for Russian operations during the 2008 invasion, will provide harbor for Russia's Black Sea Fleet and strengthen Moscow's military presence in a region of critical importance for trade and transportation. The Georgian government's statement that it is focused on "imminent threats" rather than "threats that might come in the future" suggests a concerning degree of resignation to Russian encroachment, possibly indicating that strategic corruption has compromised the political will necessary for effective resistance. The base will enhance Russia's ability to project power throughout the Black Sea region while providing leverage over commercial maritime routes that bypass Russian control.

Ukraine's experience before and during the full-scale invasion illustrates how decades of strategic corruption can compromise a nation's ability to defend itself. Russian interference in Ukrainian politics intensified after Putin's 2000 presidential victory, with Kremlin advisors directing disinformation campaigns and electoral manipulation on behalf of pro-Russian candidates. Viktor Yanukovych's 2010 election victory was followed by immediate steps to strengthen ties with Moscow, including the extension of Russia's Black Sea Fleet presence in Sevastopol until 2042 in exchange for reduced gas prices. This agreement created strategic vulnerabilities that Moscow exploited during the 2014 annexation of Crimea; the naval base provided both military infrastructure and local Russian forces that could rapidly seize control of the peninsula. Yanukovych's subsequent proposal for a Russian-Ukrainian economic partnership worth 15 billion dollars appeared designed to create financial dependencies that would prevent Ukraine's westward orientation, triggering the Revolution of Dignity that ultimately drove him to flee to Russia.

The financial structures supporting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine demonstrate how Moscow uses corruption to sustain proxy forces and create facts on the ground that complicate diplomatic resolutions. Between 2014 and 2021, Russia appears to have provided approximately one billion dollars annually to cover salaries for officials and fighters in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, with commitments suggesting continued funding exceeding 12 billion dollars over three years. These payments created economic incentives for collaboration with Moscow while enabling the maintenance of parallel governance structures that undermined Ukrainian sovereignty. The separatist governments were led by figures with connections to pro-Kremlin oligarchs and the Russian security services, suggesting that financial support served to maintain political control as well as military capabilities. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, these territories provided both staging grounds for military operations and political justification for aggression under the pretext of protecting Russian-speaking populations.

Figures such as Viktor Medvedchuk and Dmytro Firtash illustrate how oligarchs serve as intermediaries between Russian state interests and Ukrainian corruption networks. Medvedchuk, who selected Putin as godfather to his daughter, built substantial wealth through businesses in oil, metallurgy, and real estate with operations spanning both countries. His role in financing Russia's annexation of Crimea led to sanctions, while subsequent investigations revealed his involvement in funding the 2022 invasion, though funds appear to have been embezzled before the operation began. Firtash accumulated his fortune through RosUkrEnergo, which held a monopoly on gas distribution between Russia and Ukraine and likely served as a vehicle for Kremlin influence over Ukrainian leadership. His wealth financed Yanukovych's political campaigns and media operations, demonstrating how oligarchic capital derived from Russian state enterprises can be weaponized to shape electoral outcomes in neighboring countries.

The appointment of pro-Russian figures to Ukraine's security services under Yanukovych illustrates how political capture enables the placement of loyalists in positions that can compromise national defense. Valeriy Khoroshkovskyi, associated with Firtash's business network, served as deputy secretary of the National Security Defense Council, head of the National Customs Service, and chief of the Security Service of Ukraine. In the latter capacity, he reportedly blocked investigations that threatened Russian interests, transforming Ukraine's security apparatus into an instrument for protecting Kremlin-aligned corruption networks rather than national sovereignty. Oleg Tatarov, who held senior positions in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was implicated in violence against protestors during the Revolution of Dignity. The persistence of such figures in positions of influence even after Yanukovych's ouster suggests that institutional capture can outlast the political circumstances that initially enabled it, creating long-term vulnerabilities in national security structures.

The policy implications of Russian strategic corruption require responses that address both symptoms and underlying structural vulnerabilities. Economic decoupling from Russia emerges as a fundamental necessity; business relationships with Moscow inevitably create exposure to corruption networks given the Kremlin's role in the Russian economy. Even in scenarios involving ceasefires or peace agreements, engagement with Russian enterprises carries risks of importing vulnerability. European governments should prioritize trade relationships with democratic allies, restructuring supply chains to reduce strategic dependencies that can be exploited for coercion. This approach requires accepting potentially higher costs in exchange for enhanced security, recognizing that the strategic risks of Russian economic penetration outweigh short-term financial benefits.

Transparency mechanisms represent another critical component of an effective response. All European Union member states have now implemented foreign direct investment screening procedures, but capacity remains limited in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe. Robust enforcement protocols must complement these screening systems, targeting not only direct Russian investment but also intermediaries and shell companies that obscure beneficial ownership. Publicly accessible beneficial ownership databases, combined with disclosure requirements for procurement transactions involving foreign entities and politically exposed persons, would enable civil society organizations, journalists, and law enforcement to identify suspicious patterns. The EU Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism should coordinate these efforts to prevent jurisdictional arbitrage that allows illicit capital flows to exploit regulatory gaps between member states.

Companies maintaining operations in Russia or conducting business with Russian enterprises should face requirements to disclose their rationale and risk assessments. Such transparency would increase reputational costs for continued engagement with an economy fundamentally compromised by state capture and implicated in war crimes. While not all firms operating in Russia necessarily support Moscow's aggression, the burden should shift toward requiring justification for such relationships rather than presuming their legitimacy. Secondary sanctions targeting entities that facilitate Russian sanctions evasion represent a logical escalation of existing measures, particularly if coordinated between the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union to maximize impact and minimize opportunities for regulatory arbitrage.

The beneficial ownership threshold for sanctions implementation merits reconsideration. Current standards typically require 50 percent or greater ownership before restrictions apply, allowing sanctioned individuals to maintain significant interests through structures that nominally keep their stakes below this level. Reducing the threshold to 25 percent would align with international anti-money laundering standards while substantially complicating efforts to evade sanctions through corporate structures. This measure would impose greater costs on oligarchs seeking to maintain Western assets while nominally complying with sanctions, forcing more comprehensive divestment from European economies and reducing the Kremlin's ability to preserve financial channels for future influence operations.

Support for investigative journalism and civil society organizations constitutes a final crucial element of an effective response to strategic corruption. Independent media outlets, including those forced to operate in exile from Russia, continue to expose Kremlin corruption and malign activities despite facing censorship, imprisonment, and assassination. Organizations such as Meduza and the Anti-Corruption Foundation have documented networks and operations that official intelligence services might struggle to penetrate, providing invaluable information for policymakers and law enforcement. European funding mechanisms including the Ethical and Professional Media Environment program, Investigative Journalism 4 EU fund, and Sustainable Information initiative offer existing channels for supporting this work. Prioritizing such support recognizes that transparency remains one of the most effective defenses against corruption, creating public awareness that raises the political costs of complicity with Russian influence operations.

The evolution of Russian corruption from a domestic governance challenge into a transnational security threat represents a fundamental shift in how authoritarian regimes can project power in the twenty-first century. Traditional military capabilities remain important, but strategic corruption offers advantages of deniability, gradualism, and the exploitation of democratic institutions' own rules and norms. The capture of political parties, intelligence services, judiciaries, and multilateral organizations creates vulnerabilities that can be activated when Moscow requires leverage, transforming seemingly independent actors into instruments of Russian foreign policy. The cases of Georgia and Ukraine demonstrate that these techniques can facilitate military aggression by compromising the institutional foundations necessary for effective resistance. Europe's response must recognize that countering strategic corruption requires not merely legal and regulatory measures but a comprehensive approach that addresses the structural dependencies and governance weaknesses that create opportunities for Kremlin influence. The challenge lies not only in detecting and prosecuting individual acts of corruption but in building resilient institutions that cannot be captured, transparent financial systems that expose illicit flows, and economic relationships that privilege security over short-term profit. Whether democratic societies can mobilize the political will for such comprehensive reforms while preserving open markets and individual freedoms remains an open question, but the alternativecontinued vulnerability to weaponized corruptionposes unacceptable risks to European security and sovereignty.





NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Contracts

Contracts For Dec. 11, 2025

NAVY

Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $104,623,274 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost type modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-23-C-5101) for the production of the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) portions unit of the Solid-State SPY ASEA Radar (SPY-7). This contract involves FMS to the government of Canada. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by January 2032. FMS (Canada) funds in the amount of $104,623,274 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements) and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(4) (International Agreement). Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Technology Security Associates Inc., California, Maryland, is awarded $82,323,063 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide a full range of platform security for the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Air Warfare Centers, and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, to include administrative and acquisition security support; physical, personnel, and information security management; industrial, communications, and operations security, support security manager with the management of security classifications guides, program protection plan and incident response; as well as provide international programs security support to include technology transfer policy, foreign disclosure, export control, foreign visits, foreign partner security assessments, and end use monitoring. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (86%); St. Inigoes, Maryland (2%); Orlando, Florida (2%); Jacksonville, Florida (2%); Washington, D.C. (2%); Lakehurst, New Jersey (2%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (4%), and is expected to be complete by December 2030. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competed, and three offers were received. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0042126D0007).

Obsidian Global LLC,* Washington, D.C., is being awarded $70,909,090 for a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in support of Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR) to provide support for the management, support and operation of NAVIFOR's N4 Directorate Programs. This contract includes a five-year ordering period with a six-month option period pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8 which, if exercised, will bring the total estimated value of the contract to $78,000,000. Work will be performed only in response to awarded task orders at U.S. government facilities in locations specified in the awarded tasks orders and is anticipated to occur in Suffolk, Virginia (50%); Norfolk, Virginia (15%); Wahiawa, Hawaii (10%); San Diego, California (10%); Panama City, Florida (10%); and various territory sites below one percent (5%) to support Fleet customers, both afloat and ashore, throughout the world. The base ordering period for the contract is expected to be completed by December 2030 and if the option is exercised by June 2031. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the contract's minimum guarantee amount of $10,000 will be obligated at the time of award. These funds were preserved and are available for obligation in accordance with 31 U.S. Code 1558. Individual task orders will be subsequently funded with appropriate fiscal year operations and maintenance (Navy) funds at the time of their issuance. This contract was competitively procured through the System for Award Management (sam.gov) as a total small business set-aside requirement with 11 offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command, Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk Fleet Directorate, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00189-26-D-0001).

JLL-Midnight Sun IFMS LLC, Kotzebue, Alaska, is awarded a $34,605,359 modification to a previously awarded contract (N69450-19-D-1750) for base operations support services. This award brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $255,089,802. The contract modification exercises option period seven for an additional twelve months of base operations support services under the basic contract. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by December 2026. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy); fiscal 2026 Defense health program; fiscal 2026 O&M (Army); and fiscal 2026 O&M (Defense Agencies) contract funds, in the amount of $28,328,446, for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Marlborough, Massachusetts, was awarded a $19,981,684 firm-fixed-price modification under previously awarded order (N00024-25-F-5362) for additional AEGIS solid state switch assembly mod kits with on-board assembly spares for Navy guided-missile destroyers. Work will be performed in Andover, Massachusetts (56%); Chesapeake, Virginia (28%); Marlborough, Massachusetts (15%); and Burlington, Massachusetts (1%), and is expected to be completed by September 2029. Fiscal 2026 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,981,684 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded Dec. 9, 2025)

ARMY

BL Harbert International LLC, Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded a $61,350,000 firm-fixed-price contract to construct an Academic Training Center facility for the F-35 program, supporting multiple countries simultaneously, including all incidental related work. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $62,425,000. Work will be performed in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with an estimated completion date of March 21, 2028. Fiscal 2010 construction, Corps of Engineers, civil funds in the amount of $61,350,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, is the contracting activity (W9127S-26-C-A001).

RENK America LLC, Muskegon, Michigan, was awarded a $17,998,120 modification (P00086) to contract W56HZV-20-C-0124 for the exercise of option quantities supporting the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle system, including 65 hydro-mechanically propelled 800-horsepower transmissions with remanufactured transmission containers, 90 transmission control modules, 65 shift towers, 65 YEC cables, and TEC cables. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $902,627,390. Work will be performed in Muskegon, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2028. Fiscal 2025 and 2026 procurement of weapons and tracked combat vehicles, Army funds in the combined amount of $17,998,120 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, is the contracting activity.

WRH Inc., South Amana, Iowa, was awarded an $11,575,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design-bid-build construction and repair of Substation A at the Joint Manufacturing Technology Center, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $12,510,000. Work will be performed in Rock Island, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of October 2, 2027. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $11,575,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, is the contracting activity (W912QR-26-C-A006).

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is being awarded a noncompetitive firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Case JA-P-NCO with the Japan Ministry of Defense. The contract modification P00061 to contract HQ0851-21-C-0001 has an estimated value of $52,293,200. The total value of the contract is increased from $1,552,193,993 to $1,604,487,193. Under this contract modification, the contractor will procure material and equipment for the initial outfitting and spares for the Aegis System Equipped Vessel program supporting Japan. The work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey. The performance period for this action is from Dec. 11, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029. FMS funds in the amount of $51,518,358 are being obligated at the time of modification award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE

Kearney & Company PC, Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a fixed-price and labor-hour contract option modification (P00012) dated Nov. 5, 2025, and executed subject to availability of funding due to the government shutdown, for financial statement audit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) civil works, and the financial statements for the agencies owning the funds sub allotted to USACE military programs for fiscal 2026. The contract has a 12-month base period with four individual one-year option periods with a maximum value of $49,238,991. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and other locations inside and outside of the U.S., with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2026. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition for which two quotes were received. Fiscal 2026 Army Corps of Engineer civil works revolving funds in the amount of $9,617,351 are being obligated via Modification P00013. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio is the contracting activity (HQ0423-23-F-0016).

AIR FORCE

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $26,253,706 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract in support of Air Force modeling simulation sustainment support. The Air Force modeling and simulation services support (AFMS3) contract provides comprehensive support to the Department of the Air Force, other Department of Defense entities, and external partner agencies within the joint modeling and simulation community. AFMS3 enables the seamless integration of cross-functional modeling and simulation environments that enhance Warfighter performance and decision-making. Work will be predominantly performed in Orlando, Florida, and if all options are exercised, work is expected to be completed by June 30, 2026. This award is the result of a sole source contract action. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,562,595 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force District of Washington Contracting Directorate, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-26-F-0003).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Bernard Cap LLC,* Hialeah, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $18,857,146 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for green service uniform garrison caps. This was a competitive acquisition with six responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. The ordering period end date is Dec. 10, 2030. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2026 through 2031 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-26-D-0015).

AvKARE LLC, Pulaski, Tennessee, has been awarded an estimated $12,915,328 firm-fixed-price requirements contract for telmisartan tablets. This was a competitive acquisition with nine responses received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Kentucky and New York, with a Dec. 10, 2026, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services, Defense Health Agency, and Federal Bureau of Prisons. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2026 through 2027 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D2-26-D-0002).

UPDATE: Eagle Safe Surfaces Colorado Inc.,* Englewood, Colorado (SPE8EC-26-D-0006, $139,000,000), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for snow removal equipment, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-21-R-0008 and awarded Jan. 20, 2023. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

*Small business

https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4357707/

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Briefing Security Council, International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Head Highlights Court's Ongoing Judicial Duties, Streamlining, Planned Closure

Meetings Coverage

Security Council

10059th Meeting (PM)

SC/16242

10 December 2025

The Security Council today debated the future of the United Nations residual war-crimes court, established in 2010 to complete the remaining work of the Rwanda and former Yugoslavia tribunals after their closure in 2015 and 2017, including proposals to transfer certain technical functions  such as archives management and support for national prosecutions  to the UN Secretariat.

Presenting a biannual report ahead of a 2026 review, Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), said that the organ continues to protect some 3,200 victims and witnesses, ensure due process and enforcement of sentences for 40 convicted persons, support national prosecutions and preserve the Tribunals' legacy through management of their archives.

"Today, the Mechanism's mandate still carries real responsibilities to real people," she said, noting that it is focused on responsibly concluding the justice cycle, issuing 26 enforcement decisions and referring its final contempt case to the United States, among its achievements.

The Secretary-General's reports outline options for transferring some of the IRMCT's technical functions  such as archives management and assistance to national prosecutions  to the UN Secretariat, a move the Mechanism supports as it would reduce its workload and costs. Day-to-day supervision of imprisonment could also shift to States, although this is not yet possible for the two convicted persons still held in The Hague.

However, core judicial functions  such as decisions on prisoner transfers, pardons, commutations and early release  must remain at the international level to avoid inconsistent or arbitrary treatment. The President also stressed the need to retain international judicial oversight of witness protection and due process, noting that these relatively low-cost but essential functions safeguard the rights of 3,200 protected witnesses and uphold the credibility and legacy of international justice.

IRMCT is proactively streamlining its work while awaiting the Council's decision on its future, including rule changes to avoid resource-intensive proceedings and a 2026 budget that reduces staffing and resources by 20 per cent and 15 per cent respectively, without diminishing core functions. "This amounts roughly to a 70 per cent reduction in staffing and a 50 per cent reduction in budget over the past six years," she added.

It is also working with UN Human Resources to prepare for multiple future scenarios ahead of next year's review. "Our legacy, as well as the Council's, requires that transfer and closure do not undermine the more than three decades of groundbreaking advancements in human rights and international criminal justice," she concluded.

Prosecutor Says Fugitive Mandate Completed, Urges National Prosecutions

Serge Brammertz, Chief Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, said that a key rationale for establishing IRMCT was to address the remaining fugitives from the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia. Recalling that all fugitives from the latter and five from the former had been arrested when he assumed the role of Prosecutor in 2016, he said that the goal of locating the remaining eight fugitives was achieved with the arrests of Felicien Kabuga in 2020 and Fulgence Kayishema in 2023. "And so here we are today," he said, noting that all fugitives from both Tribunals have been accounted for and that all international trials of fugitives have been concluded. "What seemed nearly impossible in 2010 has been fully achieved," he said.

He then turned to the Mechanism's other vital task  supporting the national accountability process  which was only "at the beginning" in 2010. He recalled that, in response to the Council's expansion of the Mechanism's mandate to include responding to requests for assistance from national authorities, his office significantly expanded the amount of evidence it shared with national prosecutors. It also prepared investigative dossiers concerning notable suspects IRMCT investigated but did not indict and began working directly with partners on active cases, and this work complemented domestic initiatives. Comparing the situation in 2010 with that of today, he said: "As international justice was winding down, national justice took its place and continued achieving accountability, as the Council intended."

On the assistance role of IRMCT, he said that national investigations and prosecutions will remain at a high level for years to come. Partners will need access to the Mechanism's evidence, expertise and support to meet their responsibilities, and he therefore urged that its mandate be transferred to the Secretariat "so that the UN can continue to provide invaluable technical assistance to Member States". He also said that the transfer of archives to an appropriate body for long-term management is "sensible at this point in time". He also said that the transfer of responsibilities to Member States should continue "wherever possible". He concluded: "Looking forward, the future of accountability is now at the domestic level."

Several non-Council members with a stake in the tribunals' proceedings joined today's discussion.

Diverging Views on IRMCT Progress, Legacy

Branislav Stojanovic, Assistant Minister for Justice of Serbia, expressed regret that the Mechanism "has yet to demonstrate meaningful progress" towards becoming a small, temporary and efficient structure. He reiterated readiness to enforce remaining sentences and highlighted the serious health condition of General Ratko Mladic, criticizing "the refusal of the Mechanism to temporarily release him for treatment for humanitarian reasons".

The representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasized that the Mechanism's work is "as essential as ever", warning against efforts to deny or glorify atrocities and insisting that, if the archives are located in the Western Balkans, her country "should be the only viable and acceptable option as a long-term host".

Meanwhile, Croatia's delegate underscored the importance of preserving the Tribunals' records, stating that "the preservation of the extensive body of facts established by the Tribunals is essential in empowering regional stakeholders to effectively counter persistent attempts at historical revisionism", while urging the Mechanism to prioritize tracing missing persons.

The representative of Rwanda affirmed it is fully prepared to securely host the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and Mechanism archives, with digitized systems, guaranteed funding and purpose-built UN-standard facilities, and to coordinate with the Secretariat on transfer modalities, timelines and technical verification. Highlighting his country's record as an enforcement State, he said it has successfully managed 8 convicts from the Special Court for Sierra Leone and 32 transferred cases in full compliance with international standards and can assume all enforcement responsibilities immediately. He also underscored challenges in international cooperation, noting that only a fraction of more than 1,000 indictments and extradition requests have been executed, obstructing justice, fuelling genocide denial and revictimizing survivors.

Council members also offered their views on the Mechanism's future.

Calls for Closure of IRMCT amid Empty Caseload

"The report of the President, once again, leaves one with the impression that this is a permanent organ," said the representative of the Russian Federation, adding: "The Mechanism was established as a purely temporary structure, which long ago should have already been closed." Its ongoing existence with an inflated level of personnel and a budget of $60 million against the backdrop of "a completely empty judicial basket" and the UN80 Initiative "looks absurd", she said, urging the Mechanism to prepare for closure.

The speaker for the United States welcomed recent proposals by the Secretary-General, President and Prosecutor, encouraging continued efforts to reduce staff and budgets, noting the high costs of maintaining operations on two continents. Washington, D.C., supports the Secretary-General's call for a "significant reimagining" of the Mechanism's structure and operations, urging expeditious completion while preserving the Tribunals' legacy and advancing justice for victims and future generations.

"Empowering Member States to continue the accountability process in domestic courts will be an important part of the legacy of the Mechanism," said Sierra Leone's delegate, adding that Rwandan authorities are still seeking to bring to justice more than 1,000 fugitive genocidaires.

Closing the Mechanism "would enhance the credibility of the international criminal system", Algeria's representative said, emphasizing that the Council must support this transition "based on respect for international law, the sovereignty of States and the principle of complementarity" so that the Mechanism can conclude its work and guarantee judicial integrity.

The representative of France underscored the importance of retaining international-level authority over sentence enforcement, clemency, commutation and early release to ensure fair and uniform treatment, while the Mechanism continues to operate at a reduced scale until all judicial functions are completed  a view echoed by several others, including the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea.

Support for Archives, Judicial Oversight, Justice Cycle Completion

Denmark's delegate agreed with the Secretary-General that the archives are "vital tools for educational purposes, reconciliation and memory, as well as prevention efforts". On that, the representative of Slovenia, Council President for December, spoke in his national capacity to emphasize the enduring importance of the Mechanism's and its predecessors' legacy in the fight against impunity.

China's delegate expressed support for the Secretary-General's recommendation to establish a roster of judges to perform core judicial functions, including the granting of pardons, commutations and early releases when necessary.

The representative of Greece welcomed the options proposed for concluding the justice cycle, while Panama's delegate said his country would closely follow proposals to optimize resources, including possible archive transfers and office unification.

The speaker for Guyana reaffirmed full support for the Mechanism and unwavering commitment to fighting impunity and ensuring justice for the victims of atrocity crimes in the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

Somalia's representative reiterated his country's support for the orderly closure of the Mechanism, looking forward to "the Council making the appropriate strategic decisions in the context of the 2026 review". His counterpart from Pakistan observed that the success and work of the Tribunals can inform future efforts, particularly in addressing situations of prolonged illegal occupation and suppression of peoples' right to self-determination.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Silent Warrior 25: Forging a unified front against evolving threats in Africa

By Staff Sgt. Trenton Jancze December 11, 2025

Silent Warrior 2025 took place Dec. 8-11, gathering leaders of senior special operations forces from over 40 nations to address the complex and evolving security landscape across the African continent.

Co-hosted by Kenyan Special Operations Forces Command and U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, this year's symposium underscores a shared commitment to responding to shared threats and building African-led solutions.

"The nexus between violent extremism, terrorism, transnational organized crime, social economic vulnerabilities, emerging technologies in warfare and hybrid threats demands us to collaborate more deeply," said Kenyan Lt. Gen. John M. Omenda, vice chief of defence forces. "We recognize that no nation can secure itself in isolation and therefore remain committed to building strong bonds with the rest of the world in pursuit of a common goal for peace and prosperity."

Hosted for the second time on the African continent and for the first time with industry inclusion, attendees engaged in sessions to help build information-driven, interoperable strategies anchored in shared purpose. Sessions will integrate each nation's experience with critical topics like the emergence of artificial intelligence, the expanding role of drones and cyber, and how to adapt and develop operators at the speed of these evolving threats.

"The real center of gravity in special operations is the warfighter  the mind, the body, the discipline, the creativity and the courage," said U.S. Embassy in Kenya Charge d'Affaires Susan M. Burns. "Silent Warrior reflects what is best in our relationship: seriousness of purpose, shared sacrifice and a commitment to a more secure future for all our people."

With a key goal to strengthen relationships and improve readiness throughout the week, leaders will return to their nations better equipped to plan and execute operations.

"Let us remember that our adversaries are constantly evolving and so must we; our unity and collaboration remain the most effective counterbalance," Omenda said. "This is because when special operations forces across the world collaborate, it becomes a force multiplier, sending a clear message to any adversary anywhere that there is no vacuum across borders."

SOCAFRICA remains dedicated to building enduring partnerships and strengthening a network of African and international SOF partners for mutual benefit through events like Silent Warrior. For more information on SOCAFRICA, visit www.dvidshub.net/unit/SOCAFRICA or www.X.com/ussocafrica.

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






CMCC Achieves Gaza Support Milestone, Welcomes More Partners

U.S. Central Command

Press Release | Dec. 11, 2025

USCENTCOM

December 11, 2025

Release Number 20251211-01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. -- This week, the main coordination hub for Gaza assistance achieved the milestone of facilitating movement for more than 30,000 trucks worth of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza.

Established Oct. 17, the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) achieved this milestone following five consecutive weeks of at least 4,200 truckloads of aid and goods entering Gaza. Additionally, the international staff expanded to include representatives from approximately 60 partner nations and organizations.

The CMCC is designed to support stabilization efforts in Gaza by coordinating the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance into the densely populated 25-mile-long area.

"The CMCC's integrated approach has proven essential in addressing complex challenges," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Brad Hinson, who leads CMCC's humanitarian assistance working group. "This central platform, where stakeholders can align priorities and resolve challenges in real time, enables us to increase the efficiency of humanitarian delivery and address urgent needs on the ground."

Coordinated aid deliveries have included life-saving assistance such as food, shelter supplies, winter clothing, sanitation materials, and medical equipment. Humanitarian partners have also provided equipment for local bakeries to increase operations in Gaza.

Nearly 20 internationally supported bakeries are now able to produce more than 160,000 loaves of bread daily. Additionally, hot meal kitchens currently provide an estimated 1.6 million meals daily - a 140% increase since September.

"While there is more work ahead, the value of coordinated action is quite clear," said Hinson.

Debris removal remains a complex challenge in Gaza, which CMCC staff are working to address. Current estimates suggest more than 60 million tons of debris are spread across the Gaza Strip.

The coordination center's engineering working group recently developed a map to better understand the scale and distribution of debris in different areas. The data-driven approach has enhanced international efforts for determining where to prioritize debris removal efforts.

CMCC staff also continue to focus on delivering humanitarian supplies needed for winter months and clearing unexploded ordnance along Gaza's critical logistical corridors to improve safety.

Located in Kiryat Gat, Israel, the CMCC features an operations floor and meeting spaces that foster collaborative planning and enable personnel to monitor developments in Gaza in real-time.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Chinese envoy to UN urges eradication of terrorist forces entrenched in Afghanistan

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 11, 2025 07:50 PM

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Fu Cong on Wednesday emphasized at the UN Security Council that the eradication of various terrorist forces in the country is a strong expectation of the international community, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Terrorism is a malignant tumor threatening Afghanistan's stability and development. China urges the Afghan government to correctly understand the counter-terrorism issue, fulfill its counter-terrorism commitments, take more resolute and forceful action to eliminate all terrorist forces based in Afghanistan and win the trust of regional countries and the international community. In the face of terrorism, a common enemy of humanity, the international community must strengthen solidarity and cooperation, discard ideological prejudices and geopolitical calculations, and oppose double standards or selective approaches, Fu said.

Fu said that it is increasingly necessary to sustain the momentum of interaction between the international community and the Afghan government to promote continuous improvement in the situation in Afghanistan. The Security Council should respond to the evolving needs by adjusting its sanctions mechanism against Afghanistan in a timely manner, resuming the exemption arrangements for the comprehensive travel ban as soon as possible, and creating conditions for facilitating engagement.

The international community should take urgent action to help Afghanistan swiftly overcome the humanitarian crisis and achieve self-reliant development. Relevant countries should immediately and unconditionally unfreeze and return the overseas assets of the Afghan central bank and lift illegal unilateral sanctions, Fu said.

Safeguarding women's equal rights to education, healthcare, employment, and participation in public affairs aligns with the long-term and fundamental interests of Afghanistan. China calls on the Afghan government to heed the reasonable appeals of the international community and the Afghan people, and to effectively ensure the fundamental rights of all citizens, including women, the Chinese envoy said.

Recently, Chinese nationals were attacked and suffered casualties at the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border. China strongly condemns the incident and has requested Afghanistan to conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation, swiftly apprehend the perpetrators, and bring them to justice, Fu said.

China calls on both Tajikistan and Afghanistan to take effective measures to strengthen border controls and enhance the protection of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions, he noted.

Nearly 22 million people will need assistance next year, with Afghanistan now ranking among the world's largest humanitarian crises, according to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Leopard 2 A8 agreements signed by the MoD and international defence industry partners

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence

2025-12-11

Acquisitions and infrastructure development | Development and Strengthening of the Armed Forces | International cooperation | Security and defense policy | Uncategorized

The Ministry of National Defence and representatives of KNDS Deutschland, Rheinmetal Landsysteme and EPSO-G state-owned energy group international partners signed a Memorandum on industrial cooperation concerning constructions of Lithuania-based assembly and maintenance infrastructure for the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tanks. The project will be completed at a more efficient pace thanks to the major investment project statues granted by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation.

25.1% of stocks of Lithuania Defense Services (LDS) owned by KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetal Landsysteme are planned to be transferred to EPSO-G Invest. Parties prepare for agreement on cooperation terms in detail in 2026.

The Memorandum covers assembly of part of the tanks in Lithuania aiming for the shortest possible delivery terms and offer preconditions for capability development to the Lithuanian defence industry. In the wake of the agreement signature with the MoD, LDS will start building and assembly factory for the latest version of Leopard 2 A8. In its turn, Lithuania commits to contribute in developing the LSD manufacturing base and has signed an additional agreement on tank maintenance in combat-ready condition.

"This agreement is a milestone in strengthening Lithuania's defensive capabilities. For the first time in history part of the cutting-edge equipment of NATO standard will be assembled in Lithuania, while the infrastructure developed in parallel will support its technical readiness in the long-term. This improves Lithuanian Armed Forces capabilities and facilitates growth of the Lithuanian defence industry," said Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas.

According to Minister of Energy Zygimantas Vaiciunas, energy and national security today are inseparable, while the planned investment is yet another crucial step in strengthening the ecosystem of the Lithuanian defence industry and national resilience.

"Our energy company EPSO-G Invest is currently on the very important 155 mm artillery ammunition project with other strategic companies, while the commitment made today marks yet another concrete step in expanding our capabilities. Attracted new projects create value not just in defence and economy but also energy: energy-consuming manufacturing supports development of renewable resources and energy independence," said Minister of Energy Z. Vaiciunas.

LDS will be in charge not just of tank assembly in Lithuania but also for sustained maintenance, repair and servicing of the Leopard 2 A8 and other Lithuanian Armed Forces equipment. It is also expected that LSD will be able to ensure services to the German Brigade stationed in Lithuania in the future as well, and to extend that to a wider armored vehicle fleet from other countries.

"In our estimation, the first tank assembled in Lithuania should be released in early 2028, while the remaining will be manufactured as agreed in the Memorandum - by the end of 2030," said chairman of the LDS board of directors Markus Schmidt.

The infrastructure required for company development is planned to be built in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone (FEZ). Lithuania Defense Services plans to invest approx. EUR 50 million in the project at the same time creating approx. 100 work positions.

This marks a milestone in the implementation of a strategic project of the Ministry of National Defence of local defence industry capability support by enabling military equipment assembly, manufacturing and long-term maintenance infrastructure development.

Collaboration with KNDS and Rheinmetall will help Lithuania attract advanced military technologies and enhance national resilience and defence potential.

Minister of the Economy and Innovation Edvinas Griksas and KNDS Deutschland representatives Markus Helm and Markus Schmidt also signed a massive project investment agreement with Lithuania Defense Services. According to Minister, the contract provides clear-cut and favorable conditions to settle in sooner, kick off production and ensure smooth project development at Kaunas FEZ.

"The investment shows once again Lithuania as a reliable and strategically consequential point for significant defence industry projects. Ir strengthens our cooperation with the German leaders of defence industry and integrates Lithuania close in joint European projects. The signed contract gives a clear and secure start signal for production and consolidates the long-term perspective of the project in Lithuania," said E. Griksas.

In May 2024 Lithuania signed the Cooperative Procurement Arrangement (LEOPARD 2 CPA) initiated by the Federal Ministry of Defence. Alongside Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, Lithuania voiced an intent to acquire latest type of LEOPARD 2 A8 main battle tanks, driving practice tanks, combat support vehicles, and simulators for crew training. The agreement enabled adherence to preliminary contracts of Germany and to acquire standard combat equipment on the same terms as Germany was able to.

The LEOPARD 2 CPA follow-on contract on acquisition of the main battle tanks was signed in December 2024. The tanks were planned to be delivered in 2029-2034, however, the updated current contract includes industrial cooperation and sets the deadline to 2030.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






President Gitanas Nauseda and the President of the European Council discussed support for Ukraine and hybrid attacks by Belarus

President of the Republic of Lithuania

December 11, 2025

On Thursday, President Gitanas Nauseda spoke by phone with President of the European Council Antonio Costa. The conversation took place in preparation for the European Council meeting scheduled for December 18-19 in Brussels. The discussion focused on support for Ukraine, negotiations on the EU's multiannual financial framework and Belarus' hybrid attacks against Lithuania.

The President emphasized that the European Council must adopt clear decisions on financing for Ukraine, including a reparations loan mechanism based on frozen Russian assets. He highlighted the need to strengthen support for Ukraine's energy sector and to accelerate work on the 20th sanctions package, which would target Russia's energy and financial sectors, as well as to support Ukraine's continued progress in the European integration process.

Regarding negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework, the President noted that the size of the EU budget must reflect increasing objectives and security needs. Lithuania supports a larger EU budget and views the protection of the eastern flank, military mobility projects, cohesion and agricultural policies as priority areas. The President underlined the importance of financing the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning program and the Kaliningrad transit scheme, as these constitute Lithuania's commitments under its EU accession treaty.

The President of Lithuania and the President of the European Council also discussed hybrid threats originating in Belarus. Gitanas Nauseda reported systematic airspace violations by Belarus through the release of smuggling balloons, which pose a threat to civil aviation and public order. He stressed the need to ensure a united EU response and to impose additional sanctions on Belarus for hybrid attacks.

Considerable attention was given to European security and defense issues during the conversation. The President welcomed the fact that the Eastern Flank Watch and the Drone Wall initiatives, included in European Council documents, will strengthen the EU's air defense and drone-resilience capabilities on the eastern flank, using the SAFE and EDIP instruments.

The President's Communication Group

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Venezuela: Bolivarian National Guard responsible for systematic violations and crimes against humanity, UN Fact-Finding Mission says

Press releases

Independent investigation

11 December 2025

GENEVA -- Officials of Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) have committed serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity for more than a decade, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela said in its latest report today.

This report was prepared during the mandates of the three Members - Marta Valinas, Francisco Cox Vial, and Patricia Tappata Valdez - the latter two having concluded their terms on 31 October 2025.

The report - which includes an in-depth analysis of the internal operational structures of the GNB, including its chain of command - concluded that GNB officials perpetrated arbitrary deprivation of life, arbitrary detentions, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment during law enforcement operations in the context of protests and in actions of targeted political persecution since 2014. The persistence of these abuses reflects structural failures within Venezuela's accountability and political system which have further entrenched impunity.

"The facts we have documented show the role of the GNB in a pattern of systematic and coordinated repression against opponents or those perceived as such, which has continued for more than a decade," said Marta Valinas, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. "The persistence of these crimes and the absence of adequate justice require a determined response from national and international accountability mechanisms."

The report details how Venezuela's "national security" doctrine has merged military and police functions, legitimising the militarization of public security and expanding the role of the GNB in operations aimed at social control and internal repression. The highly centralised chain of command - under the direction of the President of the Republic as Commander-in-Chief of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) - has facilitated the execution of unlawful actions without effective internal control mechanisms or accountability.

During protest peaks in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2024, the GNB used excessive force, including the improper use of lethal and less-lethal weapons. The Fact-Finding Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that GNB officials fired firearms indiscriminately, including shots aimed directly at vital areas of victims' bodies. The Fact-Finding Mission also received information regarding the practice of modifying projectiles to cause greater harm.

The report also documented mass and targeted arbitrary detentions, physical violence during arrests, planting of evidence, torture and other ill-treatment, and sexual and gender-based violence inside GNB facilities used as temporary detention centers.

"The torture, ill-treatment, and acts of sexual violence we have verified - including assaults and rape - were not isolated incidents. They form part of a pattern of abuse used to punish and break victims," said Valinas.

The Fact-Finding Mission found that the GNB was a central actor in the commission of the crime against humanity of persecution on political grounds. According to data collected by civil society, it carried out the highest number of politically motivated detentions in 2019 and 2020. It also played a key role in the 2024 post-election "Operation Tun Tun," aimed at targeting and criminalizing opponents through unfounded accusations of terrorism or incitement to hatred.

The report identifies a pattern of structural impunity sustained by systemic failures within the Venezuelan judicial system, revealing its inability or unwillingness to investigate or prosecute violations committed by the GNB: stalled investigations, prolonged procedural paralysis, manipulation of evidence, deliberate obstruction by the GNB, and accountability limited exclusively to low-ranking personnel.

The Fact-Finding Mission considers that there are reasonable grounds to believe that GNB officials, as well as senior military and political authorities, may bear criminal responsibility under Articles 25 and 28 of the Rome Statute as direct and indirect perpetrators, co-perpetrators, and through command responsibility.

"The Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that GNB officials made essential contributions to the crimes under investigation, including arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment, gender-based violence, and persecution," said Valinas.

ENDS

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Undersecretary of State Robert Kupiecki visits Washington, D.C.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Republic of Poland

11.12.2025

On 8-11 December, Robert Kupiecki, undersecretary of state at the MFA and national security advisor to the prime minister, visited Washington, D.C. His agenda included attending the Aspen Security Forum as well as holding several meetings with members of the US administration.

During a conversation on the future of European security at the Aspen Security Forum, Deputy Minister Kupiecki underlined that Europe was a prime example of the US foreign policy success, made possible by the US' consistent engagement in strengthening Europe's security following World War II. In this context, Poland stands out as the epitome of the said successa country that understands the history and today's challenges as well as adopts a responsible outlook on the future. The diplomat also emphasised the Polish government is a firm advocate for close transatlantic ties.

Undersecretary of State Kupiecki underlined the need to properly define threats to security, both those existing in the short-term, in connection with the violent war Russia is waging against Ukraine, and in the long-term, marked by anticipating Russia's future plans. Threats to Euro-Atlantic security ought to be faced with transatlantic unity.

'Together we are stronger. The potentials of the United States and Europe taken together are unmatched by any competitor,' said Deputy Minister Kupiecki while discussing the challenges that Europe and the United States are facing together, such as the China-Russia alliance, which reinforces Russia's imperial ambitions.

Additionally, Deputy Minister Kupiecki met with members of the US administration representing the Department of State and the United States National Security Council. These meetings were joined by Bogdan Klich, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Republic of Poland in the United States of America, who also met with Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of Statethe second-ranking official at the US Department of State.



***

The Aspen Security Forum (ASF) is the most important national security and foreign policy conference in the United States. Organised by the Aspen Strategy Group, it has provided a nonpartisan platform for domestic and global leaders to discuss key national security and foreign policy issues.



NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






PH Army receives locally designed automated gun mount from DOST

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno

December 11, 2025, 5:37 pm

MANILA -- The Philippine Army (PA) on Thursday received an automated weapon system capable of mounting .50 caliber machine guns from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

With the turnover of the locally designed Controller-Operated Battle Ready Armament (COBRA), Filipino troops "will no longer be exposed to heavy fire when operating heavy weapons," PA commander Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete said.

He added that COBRA is not only a product for national defense but also a symbol of the Philippines' collective pursuit of a self-reliant posture through science, technology and innovation.

The COBRA is an output of the Research & Development implemented by the DOST-Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), with which the PA signed an agreement on Nov. 23, 2022 regarding the weapon's development.

The turnover was held at the headquarters of the PA Armor Division in Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac.

Following the turnover, a capability demonstration was witnessed by officials from PA, DOST and the Department of National Defense.

In a statement, the PA said the development and subsequent manufacture of COBRA is a testament to its collaborative approach in support of the government's Self Reliant Defense Posture.

"It also aligns with Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization program which will provide means and resources for soldiers to accomplish every mission effectively and support the military's active transition to external security operations," it added. (PNA)

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






New roadmap boosts gov't, MILF commitment to peace

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno

December 11, 2025, 1:07 pm

MANILA -- The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have jointly launched a roadmap highlighting the commitment of the two parties in fostering peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TJR) Roadmap "represents a renewed commitment between the national government and the MILF to carry out transitional justice and reconciliation in the Bangsamoro," Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said in a statement Thursday.

The roadmap outlines the interventions to be carried out by the national and Bangsamoro governments, civil society and other stakeholders to address legitimate grievances, correct historical injustices, resolve human rights violations, and remedy marginalization through land dispossession.

It is anchored on the "Dealing with the Past" framework, which upholds the rights to truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.

The TJR Roadmap was launched on Tuesday at the MILF's Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).

Galvez said the launch signifies the beginning of more challenging work for both parties and peace stakeholders in the region.

"With the continued solidarity of the national and BARMM governments, the MILF, and the Bangsamoro people, I am confident that our dream of achieving a just, lasting, and inclusive future for the Bangsamoro and the entire nation is now within reach," he said.

Mohagher Iqbal, chairperson of the MILF Peace Implementing Panel, described the roadmap as a testament to the dedication of both parties to complete the normalization track, emphasizing that true progress requires a confrontation with the past.

"There is no moving forward without looking at the past," Iqbal said, adding that while forgiveness is possible, forgetting the history of the struggle is not an option. (PNA)

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






PH, France review planned military drills for 2026

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno

December 11, 2025, 12:00 pm

MANILA -- Senior defense officials from the Philippines and France met on Wednesday to discuss the planned military exercises for next year, as well as other ongoing and emerging areas of cooperation.

Among the activities reviewed by both sides during the 5th Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) Meeting held in Mandaluyong City were the Multinational Exercise MARARA 2026, Exercise Balikatan 2026, and Exercise SAMASAMA 2026.

"Participation in these exercises underscores the growing and long-term defense partnership between the Philippines and France," Department of Defense (DND) spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong, said in a statement Wednesday night.

Andolong said the JDCC discussions covered a wide range of cooperation areas, including an exchange of views on Indo-Pacific security developments focused on Pacific Island clusters and the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea, critical undersea infrastructures, ongoing minilateral initiatives, and broader regional strategic issues.

DND Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Marita Yoro, who led the Philippine panel in the meeting, noted the significant progress in bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries since the last JDCC in 2024.

She highlighted the French Navy's participation in Exercise Balikatan 2024, the conduct of multiple port calls in the Philippines, and the commencement of the first round of negotiations on the proposed Philippines-France Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in Paris in June.

Yoro emphasized that the SOVFA is crucial in establishing a clear legal framework to support joint military activities.

These developments, she said, align with the 2023 Letter of Intent aimed at strengthening the defense ties between the Philippines and France.

Joined by other DND and Philippine military officials during the meeting, Yoro reiterated that the Philippines views France as a like-minded partner in promoting regional stability and maintaining a rules-based international order.

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Jerome Theillier, head of International Security Affairs of the Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy, Ministry of the Armed Forces of France, reaffirmed France's enduring commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and underscored its intention to remain a reliable partner and a credible provider of security alongside its regional counterparts. (PNA)

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China's commercial satellites accelerate global connectivity

Xinhua) 14:13, December 12, 2025

SHANGHAI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The latest partnership finalized between Airbus and Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co., Ltd. marks another step in expanding the global operational scope of China's commercial satellites, exemplified by Spacesail's Qianfan Constellation.

According to the market cooperation agreement between the two sides, Spacesail will integrate its Qianfan Constellation into Airbus' HBCplus (High Bandwidth Connectivity Plus) in-flight connectivity solution. The move aims to provide airlines with high-speed, low-latency broadband services, improving the in-flight experience for passengers.

Qianfan is China's first giant low-orbit commercial satellite constellation to enter the formal networking phase. Since the launch of its first batch of 18 networking satellites in August 2024, the constellation has grown to 108 satellites in orbit after five more batches with the latest in October this year.

Tim Sommer, vice president of Airbus, said that the partnership reinforces Airbus' strategy to build a robust, diversified satellite ecosystem, adding that integrating Spacesail's large low-Earth orbit constellation will offer customers greater flexibility to meet growing demands for high-quality global connectivity.

Li Guotong, CTO of Spacesail, confirmed that Qianfan has undergone successful tests in Malaysia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, demonstrating stable video streaming and video calls.

The company has also reached relevant cooperation agreements with Brazil's state-owned telecommunications company TELEBRAS and Thailand's National Telecom Public Company Limited, among others, according to Li.

Yau Chyong Lim, chief operating officer of MEASAT in Malaysia, said that the cooperation with Spacesail involves multiple areas, including managing the operation of low-orbit constellations, research and development, and the development of new applications.

Soraphong Siriphan, senior executive vice president of Thailand's National Telecom Public Company Limited, stated that the cooperation with Spacesail will provide the company with core cloud infrastructure and network capabilities to deliver a low-latency satellite internet experience for users.

Li Changhao, an industry expert, said that with the accelerated development of China's satellite internet industry, applications in emergency disaster relief, smart cities, and ocean logistics are being further explored.

"The global satellite internet industry has transitioned from technological verification to large-scale application. The proliferation of satellite internet is paving a new path for global digital equity," said Zhao Houlin, honorary chairman of the China Institute of Communications and former secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union.

China's low-orbit satellite network plans, represented by the GW Constellation and Qianfan Constellation, involve over 10,000 satellites, according to Zhao.

He explained that this will not only enhance efficiency in domestic emergency communications and "air-space-ground-sea" integration but also provide reliable digital infrastructure for countries participating the Belt and Road Initiative, helping to bridge the global digital divide.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Putin voices solidarity with Maduro as US escalates aggression on Venezuela

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 7:21 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated Moscow's solidarity with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government as the United States intensifies military and economic aggression against the South American nation.

Putin made the remarks in a phone call with Maduro on Thursday, reaffirming Moscow's support for Caracas in the face of escalating US threats, the Kremlin said in a statement.

It noted that the Russian leader expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and endorsed Maduro's government in its determined defense of national sovereignty and natural resources against foreign interference.

"Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed support for the course of Nicolas Maduro's government aimed at the defense of national interests and sovereignty in conditions of growing outside pressure," the Russian president's press service said.

The conversation came amid growing US aggression, including a major military buildup in the Caribbean and the interception of a Venezuelan oil tanker.

The two leaders discussed deepening bilateral ties under the strategic cooperation treaty they signed back in May, which lays the groundwork for extensive collaboration across trade, the economy, energy, and military-technical fields.

Both sides also confirmed their commitment to implementing joint projects that strengthen Venezuela's development and reinforce the strategic partnership between the two oil-producing nations.

The US has intensified efforts to push Maduro out, with the administration of American President Donald Trump deploying the region's biggest military presence in decades near Venezuela's coast.

It has also carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Berri warns US envoy Tom Barrack not to 'threaten Lebanese'

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 5:07 PM

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has strongly criticized US envoy Tom Barrack for making remarks in which he suggested that Lebanon could be annexed to Syria, calling the comments a "major mistake."

Berri on Thursday warned foreign diplomats "not to threaten the Lebanese," criticizing repeated remarks by US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack perceived in Beirut as mulling the possibility of Syria's extending control over Lebanon.

"Let no one threaten the Lebanese nation," Berri said in a meeting with a delegation from the Press Syndicate.

It is utterly unacceptable to address the Lebanese people in this manner, especially by diplomats, and particularly by someone like Ambassador Tom Barrack, the Lebanese speaker said

"His statement about annexing Lebanon to Syria was a grave mistake and completely unacceptable," Berri added

Barrack has sparked repeated controversy in recent months over comments seen in Lebanon as suggesting a return to Bilad al-Sham, the historical region that once encompassed Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

Senior officials in Beirut have described Barrack's statements and positions as threatening the very existence of Lebanon.

Observers have criticized the remarks as a means of sidestepping the West's robust and sustained military and intelligence support for the Israeli regime, which has historically enabled Tel Aviv's regional aggression, including the ferocious Israeli raids that helped Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrow Assad's government.

In his most recent remarks on Sunday during a panel on Syria at the Doha Forum, Barack praised the new regime in Syria, which took over by force amid intense Israeli air raids on the nation's civilian and defensive infrastructures.

Barrack lauded the regime, which is run by former Daesh and al-Qaeda commander Mohammad Jolani, for what he called its "epic" and "heroic" achievements since its ouster of Syria's former democratically elected government.

Barrack claimed that the international community had to let Syria develop its own ruling system.

The comments, they added, also served to ignore more than a decade of Western support for Takfiri terrorists inside Syria that preceded last year's takeover.

A billionaire real estate investor appointed by President Donald Trump, Barrack has repeatedly outraged regional people with markedly controversial statements since assuming his role.

In August, he touched off a constant torrent of outrage after he told the journalists trying to ask him questions during a press conference in Beirut to "be quiet" and stop being "animalistic." "Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant," he told them at the time.

In September, he admitted that the United States was arming Lebanon's armed forces so they could fight the Lebanese people. He also said peace in the West Asia region was "an illusion."

Berri also said that the Lebanese Army has implemented 90 percent of the cessation of hostilities agreement in the South Litani area and will completely finalize what's left by year's end.

"This is what the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Mechanism and Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal have confirmed," Berri added.

Senior officials from the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah have underscored that Lebanon's national unity and the preservation of the resistance's weapons are crucial to thwart the "existential threat" posed by Israel and the United States.

Israel and Hezbollah struck a ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on November 27, 2024.

Tel Aviv was obligated under the deal to completely withdraw from Lebanese territory. However, it has maintained a military presence at five locations, openly breaching both UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the provisions of the agreement reached last November.

Since the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel has repeatedly breached the agreement with ongoing assaults on Lebanese territory.

Lebanese authorities have cautioned that breaches of the ceasefire by the Israeli regime pose a risk to the nation's stability.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Lebanese speaker also affirmed that the current electoral law is in effect and that the parliamentary elections will only be held according to it.

"There's no way to cancel or postpone them. Everyone wants elections, and we remain open to any formula that leads to consensus on the outstanding issues that are points of contention among the political forces, especially regarding the expatriate vote. No one wants to exclude expatriates," he reassured.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ansarullah slams UAE-Saudi war between 'once-allied occupiers' in Yemen

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 8:59 AM

A senior official from Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement says armed clashes between forces loyal to the Saudi-backed fugitive government and the UAE-allied Southern Transitional Council (STC) militants in the oil-rich Hadramout governorate is a crisis between two occupiers.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy director of the media bureau of the movement, made the remarks in a video message posted on the social media platform X on Thursday.

"We are astounded by the comments of those who assert that the Sana'a-based government does not have a clear stance a propos developments in Hadramout. Our position is fairly transparent," Amer said.

He added, "Sana'a has declared ever since the fighting broke out in Hadramout and its neighboring regions, such as Aden, al-Mahra, and Socotra, that the incidents are the upshot of [Saudi-led] occupation."

The senior Ansarullah official further noted that these regions have been occupied by Saudi-backed and UAE-allied militant groups since 2015, and the Sana'a-based government has been pushing for their liberation and return to the Yemeni sovereignty.

Amer described the latest fighting between the STC and the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) as a conflict between two occupiers through their proxies.

"Sana'a views the unfolding incidents as the upshot of occupation, which has to come to an end. This is a natural demand. It is unreasonable that some parties believe that Sana'a should side with one occupier to confront the other," he said.

He highlighted that certain factions have urged Ansarullah to side with forces affiliated with the United Arab Emirates in order to tackle Saudi-backed militants, and vice versa. "This is an outrageous and unrealistic request."

"Some of the parties which are calling for the intervention of Sana'a have not yet condemned the occupation; but have rather endorsed it. They have never called for the expulsion of occupiers from the Yemeni soil," Amer said.

"We stand with all strata of the Yemeni society, and see no justification for ongoing conflicts. We consider these crises to be detrimental to all Yemeni citizens as well as national economy and security. They create chaos across the nation," he clarified.

The UAE has played a significant role as a key partner in the US-backed, Saudi-led war against Yemen and the Ansarallah-led government in Sana'a, which started in 2015. However, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have simultaneously been locked in a competition for dominance over Yemen's resources and strategic ports.

Critics maintain that both nations are working to partition Yemen to serve their own interests. Analysts argue that the apparent advocacy for local autonomy masks an underlying struggle for dominance, with Hadramout emerging as a key battleground in this rivalry.

Yemen has endured external interference for decades. Ansarullah holds significant control over the northwest region, including the capital Sana'a.

The resistance movement has drawn international attention for its actions targeting Israel and maritime activities in the Red Sea, particularly in the context of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.

The United States and Israel have carried out lethal strikes in Sana'a, leading to civilian casualties.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US seizure of oil tanker off Venezuelan coast 'piracy in Caribbean Sea': Iran

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 8:43 AM

The Iranian embassy in Caracas says the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela by the US forces is "piracy in the Caribbean Sea" and a gross violation of international laws and regulations.

In a statement on Thursday, the embassy strongly condemned the US move as in contravention of the fundamental international principles and regulations.

"The illegal move by the US government to seize a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea without any justified or legal reason constitutes a blatant violation of international laws and regulations, including the inviolable principle of freedom of the seas and navigation," it said.

"'Piracy in the Caribbean Sea' is the most appropriate title for this unlawful and unjustified move by the US, which seeks to achieve its goals by resorting to illegitimate measures, violation of national sovereignty, infringement of others' rights, and the promotion of anarchism," it added.

The Iranian embassy expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan government and people in defending their national sovereignty and absolute rights.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday admitted that US forces had taken control of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a move which risks a sharp escalation in tensions with Venezuela.

"We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela - a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually," Trump told reporters at the White House.

The Venezuelan government said in a statement that the US has been engaged in an "international act of piracy."

It added, "Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed... It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people."

The US government accuses Venezuela of funneling narcotics into the US and has escalated pressure on the country through a military buildup in the Caribbean, describing it as an anti-drug trafficking mission without evidence.

The US has also carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.

Venezuela - home to some of the world's largest proven oil reserves - has, in turn, accused Washington of seeking to steal its resources.

In a telephone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, on Tuesday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly condemned the United States for deploying a naval fleet to the Caribbean and the coast of Venezuela, calling the move illegal and a threat to international peace and security.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






'Blatant theft and act of piracy': US seizes Venezuelan oil tanker in dramatic escalation

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 8:39 AM

The US has ignited outrage after seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker in what Caracas compared to Israel's pattern of unlawful military aggression and resource appropriation, denouncing the move as a blatant "act of international piracy."

President Donald Trump boasted on Wednesday that US forces had taken control of the massive tanker Skippercarrying roughly 2 million barrels of heavy crudeoff Venezuela's coast, declaring, "I assume we're going to keep the oil."

The aggression, executed using helicopters launched from the USS Gerald Ford, marks one of the most dramatic escalations in Washington's four-month pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro.

Caracas blasted the seizure as "a grave international crime" that "constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy."

"The true motives have always been our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people," the government said.

It said the US is mirroring Israel's long-criticized tactics of seizing resources, violating sovereignty, and using military force to achieve political goals, all under the guise of security operations.

US officials claimed the vesselsanctioned since 2022was part of an illicit oil network supporting foreign militant groups.

But analysts say Washington is exploiting its expanded militarization of the Caribbean, much like Israel's justification of force in occupied territories, to pursue Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

The tanker's capture comes amid an intense US military campaign in the region, including 22 lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats since September that have killed more than 80 people.

Critics describe the attacks as extrajudicial and reminiscent of the impunity often attributed to Israel in Gaza and the West Bank.

Maduro, addressing supporters in Caracas, urged Venezuelans to be prepared to confront "the North American empire," stating that Washington is weaponizing sanctions, naval power, and covert operations to undermine Venezuelan sovereignty.

In past months, the US has ramped up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, which borders Venezuela to the north. US military build-up in the region includes the deployment of US warships and thousands of American troops positioned near Venezuela.

On Wednesday, the two helicopters used to seize the Skipper were launched from the USS Gerald Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, which was sent to the Caribbean last month.

Ten Coast Guard members, 10 Marines, as well as special forces, were used to seize the oil tanker.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who is under pressure over what many legal experts see as war crimes during the campaign against the Latin American region, oversaw the seizure of the oil tanker.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iran blasts global aid cuts as Afghan refugee costs rise to $10 billion

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 7:32 AM

Iran has criticized the international community for failing to meet even basic commitments to support millions of Afghan refugees, saying steep cuts in aid have left the country carrying an unsustainable financial burden despite years of warnings.

Addressing a UN Security Council session on Afghanistan, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative, Amir Saeed Iravani, said international funding for Afghan refugees in Iran is set to drop by more than 60% in 2026.

"Iran has borne a disproportionate burden for decades by hosting millions of Afghan refugees while itself being subjected to severe unilateral sanctions. This responsibility has imposed immense economic and security pressures, with annual costs reaching nearly ten billion dollars, in the absence of adequate international support," he said.

Iravani said Iran's costs for hosting Afghan refugees have reached nearly $10 billion annually, covering health and education services, housing, infrastructure, security, and state subsidies such as food, fuel and electricity.

The figure reflects Iran's domestic expenditure, not international assistance, and Tehran says it has been forced to absorb these costs largely alone.

Iravani said Iran has repeatedly warned the UN and donors that it cannot sustain these pressures without substantial and sustained help. The reduction violates the principle that responsibility for refugees should be shared among states, he added.

"Iran has repeatedly and unequivocally stated, including from this very podium, that it cannot and will not continue to shoulder alone the disproportionate burden of hosting more than six million Afghan nationals without genuine international solidarity, equitable burden-sharing, and tangible financial support."

Iravani dismissed claims by former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad that Iran is "summarily expelling" Afghan refugees, saying the allegations "do not hold up to scrutiny." He said Iran is returning only undocumented Afghan nationals.

"The return of undocumented Afghan nationals has been conducted in full conformity with international law and humanitarian principles, with strict respect for human dignity," he said.

Iran began deporting undocumented Afghans in late June following a 12-day Israeli military aggression against the country. Tehran says the measures target individuals without legal residency and are carried out under procedures aligned with its obligations under international law.

Iravani also said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) remains essential for addressing the country's political, economic and humanitarian challenges. He said Iran supports the mission's mandate and is ready to work with the UN and regional partners.

Despite this, he said the fundamental issue remains the lack of meaningful international backing for countries hosting Afghan populations.

The sharp cuts in funding for 2026, he said, show that the international community has not lived up to "even the most basic commitments" to assist Afghan refugees, leaving Iran to manage a burden it says should be shared globally.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






In Stark Warning, NATO's Rutte Says Alliance Is 'Russia's Next Target'

By RFE/RL December 11, 2025

NATO chief Mark Rutte warned that members of the military alliance must treat the threat posed by Moscow more urgently as they may be "Russia's next target."

In one of his starkest statements to date, Rutte said in a keynote address in Berlin on December 11 that NATO's 32 members need to step up defense effort to prevent a war with Russia that could be "on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured."

"We are Russia's next target. And we are already in harm's way," Rutte said, noting Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.

"I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many believe the time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now," Rutte added as he called for allied defense spending and production to "rise rapidly" to ensure the alliance's forces "have what they need to keep us safe."

NATO has been on edge since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago, sparking the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.

The Kremlin has pointed to the possibility of NATO expansion as one of the reasons it launched the war, which has left more than 1 million casualties according to Rutte and other Western intelligence sources.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned European powers on December 2 that if they start a "war" with Russia, Moscow is ready to fight.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a roundtable of ambassadors in Moscow on December 11 that the Kremlin has no plans to strike out militarily at either the European Union or NATO and is "ready to set out the relevant guarantees in writing and in a legal document" stating as much "on a collective, mutual basis."

Last month German and Romanian fighter jets were scrambled to track drone incursions into Romania's airspace as Russia continued to attack targets just across the Danube River in neighboring Ukraine.

Russian drone incursions over Romania and Poland, along with Russian military jets entering Estonian airspace, led NATO to launch its Eastern Sentry initiative to bolster air defenses.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-rutte-warning-russia-target/33620771.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.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Bulgarian PM Zhelyazkov Resigns After Mass Protests Against Tax Hikes, Corruption

By RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service December 11, 2025

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and his government resigned on December 11 following some of the largest protests in modern Bulgaria's history over a 2026 budget that would see taxes hiked and social-security contributions raised by a government many Bulgarians view as corrupt.

Zhelyazkov made the announcement in a televised statement in Sofia just ahead of a no-confidence vote was set to take place in parliament.

"The government resigns today," he said after a meeting of ruling party leaders.

The decision comes after several major protests sparked by anger against the government budget plans for 2026 broadened to include disenchantment over the government's economic policies in general and a failure to eliminate corruption.

Transparency International ranks Bulgaria, which is set to adopt the euro on January 1, as the second-most corrupt country in the European Union, only behind Hungary. Bulgaria is the EU's poorest country, according to the bloc's statistics office.

It is also one of the bloc's most politically unstable members. Bulgarians have headed to the polls seven times since 2021 to elect a parliament that has been hamstrung by a series of unstable coalitions led by multiple centrist and right-wing parties.

Tens of thousands gathered in Sofia and other cities late on December 10 chanting "Resign! Resign! Resign!" and "Mafia get out!" outside of parliament. The protests were mainly peaceful.

"I hope very, very, very strongly that this wave will turn into a much higher voter turnout which will change the kind of government we have," one protester told RFE/RL during the demonstration.

It was not clear if the country would head into fresh elections, which would be the eighth in the past four years.

Zhelyazkov headed a coalition government that was appointed in January after tough negotiations followed an October 2024 vote that did little to solve the deeply fractured makeup of parliament.

With the past four years defined by political paralysis and reforms never getting off the ground, money from the European Union has almost dried up.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/33620656.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.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






The Chief of Defence Staff of the Kingdom of Netherlands paid a visit to Romania

Romania - Ministry of National Defence

Press release No. 238

11.12.2025

The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Gheorghita Vlad, met, in Bucharest, with the Chief of Defence Staff of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, General Onno Eichelsheim, who paid an official visit to the capital city and several military facilities in Romania, over December 8th-10th, 2025.

The visit took place in the context of the enhanced bilateral military dialogue and the joint assessment of the security situation in the Black Sea region.

During the visit, the Dutch delegation participated in official meetings and discussions focused on cooperation within NATO, briefings and operational field visits, including at the 71st "General Emanoil Ionescu" Air Base in Campia Turzii and the 86th "Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita" Air Base in Borcea.

"General Eichelsheim's visit reconfirms the Netherlands' solid commitment to the security of the eastern flank and enhances the excellent cooperation between our armed forces. Romania and the Kingdom of the Netherlands are strong allies, united by the same values and the same determination to act jointly for Euro-Atlantic security," General Gheorghita Vlad, Chief of Defence Staff, said.

In his turn, General Onno Eichelsheim emphasized the high level of bilateral cooperation: "Romanian and Dutch militaries act shoulder to shoulder in NATO missions, exercises and structures. This visit strengthens our relationship and common support for a robust defensive posture in the region."

The Kingdom of the Netherlands remains a strategic partner of Romania, which significantly contributes to enhancing regional security by participating in joint exercises, such as DACIAN SHIELD 25. The deployment of the Dutch military personnel in Romania supports the increase of interoperability and the strengthening of NATO's defence posture on the eastern flank.

The official visit contributes to the enhancement and consolidation of the military cooperation relation between Romania and the Kingdom of the Netherlands and reaffirms our country's role as a pillar of stability and security.

The Press Office

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






MOFA Spokesperson's Statement on Military Clash between Cambodia and Thailand

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea

Date 2025-12-11

The government of the Republic of Korea expresses its deep concern over the recent military clash and escalating tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, and extends its heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the victims of the clash and their bereaved families.

Furthermore, the government of the Republic of Korea urges both Cambodia and Thailand to peacefully resolve the situation through dialogue at the earliest possible time in accordance with international law and the Joint Declaration between Cambodia and Thailand issued on October 26.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group arrives in Guam

Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet

NEWS | Dec. 11, 2025

By Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG 3) Public Affairs

APRA HARBOR, GUAM -- Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, surface ships from Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG), and the embarked staffs of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, arrived for a scheduled port visit, Dec. 11.

ABECSG, composed of the air wing of the future and a modernized Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer as the integrated air and missile defense commander (IAMDC), is capable of conducting simultaneous operations in multiple domains and warfare areas, operating the most advanced technology with skilled and highly trained personnel.

"Our Strike Group presence in 7th Fleet waters demonstrates our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," said Rear Adm. Todd Whalen, commander, ABECSG. "Port calls to strategic locations like Guam enhance our mission readiness and help us stay ready to execute maritime operations in theater."

Guam, part of the U.S. homeland, is a critical nexus for command and control, logistics, and power projection in the Indo-Pacific. Abraham Lincoln is the second aircraft carrier to visit the island this month, following USS George Washington (CVN 73) on Dec. 1. Guam's strategic value comes in its capability to support enhanced logistics for numerous forward-deployed U.S. military units including aircraft carriers and their strike group combatants. Alongside Abraham Lincoln, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111), USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) from the ABECSG will join the carrier for scheduled stops in Guam.

"My crew is excited to be back in this area of the world, and we look forward to demonstrating what an aircraft carrier and carrier strike group bring to the fight," said Capt. Dan Keeler, Abraham Lincoln's commanding officer. "Our Sailors are eager to learn from new cultures and strengthen partnerships across the region throughout our deployment."

Abraham Lincoln is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and was commissioned Nov. 11, 1989. The ship completed a scheduled U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet deployment in 2024, returning to San Diego in late December 2024. In August 2025, Abraham Lincoln participated in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command joint exercise Northern Edge 2025 in and around the Gulf of Alaska.

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

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






George Washington returns to Yokosuka

Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet

NEWS | Dec. 11, 2025

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Johnathan Meighan

YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5, returned to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, on Dec. 11 after completing operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

George Washington departed Yokosuka on June 10 to conduct routine operations with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, including multilateral exercises Talisman Sabre 2025, Carrier Strike Group Exercise and engagements with Australia, Canada, Japan, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea. George Washington CSG continues to advance cooperation and partnership, advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"Our mission is to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war," said Capt. Tim Waits, commanding officer of George Washington. "Our presence in the Indo-Pacific and integration with our allies and partners gives us a strategic advantage that enables mission success."

George Washington Sailors manned the rails for the return to port where families were gathered to welcome the crew home.

"I'm incredibly proud of everything this crew has accomplished this year," said Waits.

During the underway period, the George Washington CSG visited Manila, Philippines; Guam; and Busan, Republic of Korea. The strike group hosted key leaders in port and at sea, highlighting the importance of our commitment to the region. A highlight of its time in Yokosuka included a visit from the president of the United States and the prime minister of Japan.

"Through every operation, we send a clear message: the United States stands firmly with our allies, and we are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," said Rear Adm. Eric Anduze, commander, Task Force 70/CSG-5.

The George Washington CSG is composed of George Washington, Carrier Air Wing 5, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup (DDG 86) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85).

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.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






U.S., ROK Navies Strengthen Combined Undersea Warfare During Silent Shark 2025

Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet

NEWS | Dec. 11, 2025

By Commander, Submarine Squadron 15 Public Affairs

NAVAL BASE GUAM -- The U.S. Navy and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy successfully completed the biennial theater anti-submarine warfare (TASW) exercise Silent Shark 2025 in Guam, Dec. 11. Organized by Commander, Submarine Group 7 (CSG-7), Silent Shark is a long-standing bilateral exercise designed to strengthen interoperability and advance combined TASW capabilities between the U.S. and ROK navies. This year marks the 10th iteration, following the previous exercise in 2023.

Silent Shark 2025 brought together a U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine, the ROK Navy's Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine ROKS Ahn Mu (SS-085), and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from both nations. Conducted in the vicinity of Guam, the exercise featured at-sea and in-port events focused on submarine tracking and engagement tactics, improving theater-level undersea warfare capabilities vital to stability across the Western Pacific.

While ashore, Ahn Mu's crew worked alongside U.S. Sailors at Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific (NSTCP) Detachment Guam, participating in classroom instruction, integrated navigation training, and hands-on operations using the Integrated Submarine Piloting and Navigation (ISPAN) trainer. ROK Navy leadership also met with regional commanders, including Capt. Neil Steinhagen, commander, Submarine Squadron 15, and Ahn Mu crew members toured the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Springfield (SSN 761), further strengthening professional ties and mutual understanding between the two forces.

"Being forward-deployed gives us unique, hands-on opportunities to work directly with our allies," said Cmdr. Greg Storer, commanding officer, USS Springfield. "What we learn togetherand the partnerships we continue to buildare vital to how we operate forward in the region. Exercises like Silent Shark play a critical role in strengthening operational readiness, enhancing interoperability, and reinforcing our combined efforts to maintain stability and security across the Indo-Pacific."

Silent Shark 2025 underscores the United States' commitment to the Indo-Pacific and complements the broad range of exercises, operations, and military cooperation conducted between U.S. submarine forces and the ROK Navy.

Commander, Submarine Group 7 (CSG-7) directs forward-deployed, combat-ready undersea forces across the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea under U.S. 7th Fleet.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






NATO Chief Ducks Question on Bloc's Expansion Amid US Criticism

Sputnik News

20251211

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Following the release of a new US National Security Strategy (NSS) that voices reservations about NATO's enlargement policy, Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday avoided commenting directly on the alliance's expansion outlook.

On November 8, Russia's Foreign Ministry said that the new US security doctrine marked the first instance that Washington officially questioned NATO's aggressive expansionist dynamics.

"As the Secretary General, my main focus is to make sure that alliance as a whole is safe," Rutte said during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, when asked about his stance on NATO's expansion following the release of the NSS.

He believes that the US will remain committed to the collective security of the nations within the alliance, despite the new doctrine.

"When I through that lens look at the NSS, it clearly states that the US is committed to Europe, to keep Europe safe. The US is committed to NATO and it also acknowledges that for the whole of the alliance to stay safe, you need a strong cooperation within NATO, between the European allies and Canada and the United States," Rutte said.

Last Friday, the White House released a new US national security strategy, calling on Europe to take responsibility for its own defense. Among other things, the strategy highlighted the problems of overregulation, mass immigration and censorship in the EU.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Venezuela Calls on International Community to Condemn Seizure of Its Tanker by US Military

Sputnik News

20251211

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Venezuela accused the United States of committing an act of "international piracy" and called on the international community to condemn the seizure of its oil tanker by the US military, the country's foreign ministry said.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy ... Venezuela calls on all Venezuelans to stand firm in defense of the homeland and urges the international community to reject this vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression that seeks to normalize itself as a tool of pressure and plunder," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Caracas noted that the US President publicly admitted to attacking a Venezuelan tanker in the Caribbean Sea, and called the move part of a long-term strategy to plunder the South American country's resources.

The Venezuelan government reaffirmed that "it will appeal to all existing international institutions to denounce this serious international crime and will defend its sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination," the statement added.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had captured an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, noting that it is the largest tanker ever seized and adding that some "other things are happening." US Attorney General Pam Bondi later explained that the vessel was suspected of shipping sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The operation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Israeli Tank Opened Fire on UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon - UNIFIL

Sputnik News

20251211

The IDF opened fire with a Merkava tank on a UNIFIL patrol moving along the Blue Line in southern Lebanon, despite being informed of the patrol's location and timing in advance, the peacekeeping contingent said in a statement.

"Yesterday, peacekeepers in vehicles patrolling the Blue Line were fired upon by IDF soldiers in a Merkava tank near Sarda. One ten-round burst of machine-gun fire was fired above the convoy, and four further ten-round bursts were fired nearby," the statement said on Wednesday.

It said the IDF had been informed of the location and timing of the patrol in advance, "following usual practice for patrols in sensitive areas near the Blue Line."

UNIFIL said attacks on or near peacekeepers violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US Seized Tanker Near Venezuela Over Suspicions for Shipping Sanctioned Oil - Bondi

Sputnik News

20251211

The United States has seized a tanker near the coast of Venezuela as the vessel was suspected of shipping sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had captured an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, noting that it is the largest tanker ever seized and adding that some "other things are happening."

"Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran," Bondi wrote on X.

"For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securelyand our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues," she added.

Venezuela accused the United States of committing an act of "international piracy" and called on the international community to condemn the seizure of its oil tanker by the US military, the country's foreign ministry said.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy ... Venezuela calls on all Venezuelans to stand firm in defense of the homeland and urges the international community to reject this vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression that seeks to normalize itself as a tool of pressure and plunder," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Caracas noted that the US President publicly admitted to attacking a Venezuelan tanker in the Caribbean Sea, and called the move part of a long-term strategy to plunder the South American country's resources.

The Venezuelan government reaffirmed that "it will appeal to all existing international institutions to denounce this serious international crime and will defend its sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination," the statement added.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Resanctioning Maduro's Corrupt Nephews and Backers

US Department of State

Press Statement

Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

December 11, 2025

Today, the United States is sanctioning four individuals and six entities, and identifying six vessels, for propping up Maduro's corrupt and illegitimate regime in Venezuela. As the leader of the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Cartel de los Soles, Maduro continues to destabilize our region. He and his cronies have flouted the will of the Venezuelan people and devastated the country's economy.

These sanctions target three of Maduro's nephews, two of whom are convicted narco-traffickers. In October 2022 they were granted clemency by the previous administration as part of a prisoner exchange involving seven U.S. nationals held in Venezuela. Both men returned to Venezuela and, as of 2025, have continued their drug trafficking activities. Today's action also targets Venezuela's oil sector, including a businessman and six shipping companies, and identifies six vessels as blocked property.

The U.S. government will continue to deny financial lifelines to the illegitimate Maduro regime, which he uses to oppress the Venezuelan people. The United States is committed to keeping the American people safe by using all available means to eliminate threats of narco-trafficking and crime throughout our hemisphere.

Today's action is being taken pursuant to the authorities under Executive Order (E.O.) 13850, E.O. 13692, and E.O. 14059. For more information on today's action, please see the Department of the Treasury's press release.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Treasury Targets Illegitimate Maduro Regime Insiders and Sanctions Evaders in Venezuela's Oil Sector

U.S. Department of the Treasury

December 11, 2025

WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is targeting Nicolas Maduro's illegitimate regime in Venezuela, sanctioning three nephews of Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores; a Maduro-affiliated businessman; and six shipping companies operating in Venezuela's oil sector. Additionally, OFAC is identifying six associated vessels that have engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduro's corrupt narco-terrorist regime.

"Nicolas Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with drugs that are poisoning the American people," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "These sanctions undo the Biden Administration's failed attempt to make a deal with Maduro, enabling his dictatorial and brutal control at the expense of the Venezuelan and American people. Under President Trump's leadership, Treasury is holding the regime and its circle of cronies and companies accountable for its continued crimes."

REVERSING JOE BIDEN'S FAILED DEAL WITH VENEZUELA

Two of Cilia Flores' nephews designated today, Efrain Antonio Campo Flores (Campo) and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas (Flores de Freitas), are narco-traffickers operating in Venezuela. In November 2015, Campo and Flores de Freitas, known popularly as the "narco-nephews," were arrested in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as they were finalizing a deal to transport hundreds of kilograms of cocaine to the United States. In November 2016, they were convicted on narco-trafficking charges but were granted clemency in October 2022 by President Joe Biden. Campo and Flores de Freitas returned to Venezuela and, as of 2025, have continued their drug trafficking activities.

OFAC is designating Campo and Flores de Freitas pursuant to E.O. 14059, for having engaged in or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.

Carlos Erik Malpica Flores (Malpica), the third of Cilia Flores' nephews designated today, and a former purported national treasurer of Venezuela and purported vice president of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA), was designated in July 2017 but removed from OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) in 2022 to promote the resumption of negotiations for an ultimately failed deal pursued by the Biden administration to return democratic elections to Venezuela. Maduro continues to deny democratic values in the country and refuses to recognize the will of the Venezuelan people, and thus it is in the foreign policy interest of the United States to continue to apply pressure to those tied to the Maduro regime. Accordingly, OFAC is redesignating Malpica, pursuant to E.O. 13692, for being a current or former official of the Government of Venezuela.

This action is just the latest Treasury effort targeting Maduro's familial web of corruption, nepotism, and narco-trafficking. Malpica, Campo, and Flores de Freitas join Maduro, Cilia Flores, Maduro's son Nicolas Maduro Guerra, and Cilia Flores' three sons, Walter Gavidia Flores, Yosser Gavidia Flores, and Yoswal Gavidia Flores, on the SDN List.

Also targeted today is Ramon Carretero Napolitano (Carretero), a Panamanian businessman that has engaged in lucrative contracts with the Maduro regime and has had various business dealings with the Maduro-Flores family, including partnering in several companies together. Carretero has facilitated shipments of petroleum products on behalf of the Venezuelan government. OFAC is designating Carretero pursuant to E.O. 13850 for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy.

TREASURY RESUMES ACTIONS TO END SANCTIONS EVASION IN VENEZUELA'S OIL SECTOR

Today's action also targets Venezuela's oil sector, which continues to fund Maduro's illegitimate regime. This includes six shipping companies moving Venezuelan oil. On January 28, 2019, OFAC designated PDVSA pursuant to E.O. 13850 for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and on August 5, 2019, President Trump blocked PDVSA pursuant to E.O. 13884.

Myra Marine Limited is registered in the Marshall Islands and is the registered owner and manager of the vessel WHITE CRANE (IMO: 9323429). As recently as October 2025, WHITE CRANE has loaded oil in Venezuela. WHITE CRANE has also used deceptive practices to obfuscate its location by either failing to transmit its location or transmitting a false location. OFAC is designating Myra Marine Limited pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying WHITE CRANE as blocked property.

is registered in the Marshall Islands and is the registered owner and manager of the vessel (IMO: 9323429). As recently as October 2025, has loaded oil in Venezuela. has also used deceptive practices to obfuscate its location by either failing to transmit its location or transmitting a false location. OFAC is designating pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying as blocked property. Arctic Voyager Incorporated is registered in the Marshall Islands and is the registered owner of the Panama-flagged vessel KIARA M (IMO: 9285823). In September and October 2025, KIARA M loaded oil in Venezuela and is presently headed for Asia to offload its cargo. OFAC is designating Arctic Voyager Incorporated pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying KIARA M as blocked property.

is registered in the Marshall Islands and is the registered owner of the Panama-flagged vessel (IMO: 9285823). In September and October 2025, loaded oil in Venezuela and is presently headed for Asia to offload its cargo. OFAC is designating pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying as blocked property. Poweroy Investment Limited is registered in the British Virgin Islands and is the registered owner of the Panama-flagged vessel H. CONSTANCE (IMO: 9237773). In October 2025, H. CONSTANCE loaded Venezuelan oil. H. CONSTANCE has repeatedly manipulated its transmissions to obfuscate its location and loading of Venezuelan oil. OFAC is designating Poweroy Investment Limited pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying H. CONSTANCE as blocked property.

is registered in the British Virgin Islands and is the registered owner of the Panama-flagged vessel (IMO: 9237773). In October 2025, loaded Venezuelan oil. has repeatedly manipulated its transmissions to obfuscate its location and loading of Venezuelan oil. OFAC is designating pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying as blocked property. Ready Great Limited is registered in the Marshall Islands and is the registered owner of the Panama-flagged vessel LATTAFA (IMO: 9245794). In multiple shipments through 2025, LATTAFA loaded and transported Venezuelan oil to Asia. LATTAFA has manipulated its transmissions to obfuscate its location and loading of Venezuelan oil. OFAC is designating Ready Great Limited pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying LATTAFA as blocked property.

is registered in the Marshall Islands and is the registered owner of the Panama-flagged vessel (IMO: 9245794). In multiple shipments through 2025, loaded and transported Venezuelan oil to Asia. has manipulated its transmissions to obfuscate its location and loading of Venezuelan oil. OFAC is designating pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying as blocked property. Sino Marine Services Limited is registered in the UK and is the manager and operator of Hong Kong-flagged vessel TAMIA (IMO: 9315642). In June 2025, TAMIA loaded and transported Venezuelan oil to Asia. TAMIA has manipulated its transmissions to obfuscate its location and loading of Venezuelan oil. OFAC is designating Sino Marine Services Limited pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying TAMIA as blocked property.

is registered in the UK and is the manager and operator of Hong Kong-flagged vessel (IMO: 9315642). In June 2025, loaded and transported Venezuelan oil to Asia. has manipulated its transmissions to obfuscate its location and loading of Venezuelan oil. OFAC is designating pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying as blocked property. Full Happy Limited is registered in the Marshall Islands and is the registered owner and manager of the Cook Islands-flagged vessel MONIQUE (IMO: 9311270). In late May 2025, MONIQUE loaded and transported Venezuelan oil to Asia. OFAC is designating Full Happy Limited pursuant to E.O. 13850, for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy and is identifying MONIQUE as blocked property.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked person described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons.

Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC's enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC's guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List.

Click here for more information on the person designated today.

###

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






The UK remains committed in our support for the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Speech

Statement by Ambassador Archie Young, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Central Africa and UNOCA.

From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Archie Young CMG

Published 11 December 2025

Location: United Nations, New York

Delivered on: 11 December 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

The United Kingdom remains steadfastly committed in our support for the work of UNOCA and its good offices. UNOCA's role in early warning, preventive diplomacy, and regional coordination is critical.

Today, I will make three points focused on the situations in Gabon, Cameroon and the impact of the Sudan conflict on peace and security in the region. I will not address today the very concerning situation in DRC, recognising that the Council will be considering the DRC specifically in our meeting tomorrow.

First, the United Kingdom welcomes the completion in November of local, legislative and senatorial elections in Gabon. This is an important step, building on April's presidential elections, which complete Gabon's political transition.

We encourage Gabon to continue building on the progress made by implementing necessary governance and electoral reforms to consolidate its democratic institutions.

Second, the United Kingdom is concerned at continued violence and insecurity in Cameroon, including the recent post-election violence that saw loss of life. Conflict in the North-West and South-West regions continues to impact civilians. We welcome UNOCA's efforts to promote dialogue. We urge continued engagement towards a peaceful resolution to the Anglophone crisis and call for a Cameroonian led dialogue.

We also underscore the importance of regional cooperation to tackle Boko Haram and ISWAP threats in the Lake Chad Basin, including through the Multinational Joint Task Force. This is critical to support communities in Cameroon's Far North region.

Third, in addition to the dire impact on Sudanese civilians, the ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to destabilise the region, driving significant displacement of the local population and grave humanitarian needs. The UK commends the authorities in Chad for their efforts in hosting large numbers of refugees.

We encourage continued international coordination to support civilians in the region and to press for an end to the conflict. The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting the UN's humanitarian response including through the 125 million the United Kingdom has contributed to humanitarian support in Sudan this year.



NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York

11 December 2025

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

** Guest

Good afternoon, everyone. After you are done with me you will hear from Lola Castro, who is the World Food Programme's (WFP) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. She will be speaking to you from Haiti, and she will talk about the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Before we turn to her, I have some notes for you, and we are starting with a statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

** Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the escalation in violence in South Kivu and its humanitarian consequences, including the displacement of over 200,000 people since 2 December. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the offensive by the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) in several locations in South Kivu Province, including Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota and Uvira, which has resulted in civilian casualties.

He calls for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities, in line with Security Council resolution 2773 (2025). He underscores that this escalation risks seriously undermining efforts to achieve a sustainable resolution of the crisis and increases the risk of a broader regional conflagration. He urges the parties to abide by their commitments under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed on 4 December, and to fully respect the Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 15 November.

The Secretary-General notes that the United Nations is fully mobilized to work with partners to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need and reiterates his readiness to continue supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to restore peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region, in line with the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region.

Our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that the number of people affected by the fighting since 2 December has risen significantly. While some families have started returning to areas where it is now relatively calm, the vast majority of them remain in overcrowded sites, where they face heightened protection risks and increased threats of disease outbreaks, including cholera and Mpox.

Our colleagues say the situation today is calm in the Town of Uvira, though sporadic gunfire persists in several neighbourhoods. Yesterday, an explosion in the neighbourhood of Kimanga reportedly killed two civilians and injured three others. Uvira's main referral hospital continues to receive an influx of wounded people, including more than 60 patients transferred from Ruzizi Hospital, which reportedly ceased operations on Tuesday due to insecurity. People continue to flee to the Province of Tanganyika. Between 8 December and today, at least 27,000 people arrived in Kisongo and Kabimba in Kalemie Territory, with additional arrivals reported in Kalemie Town and along Lake Tanganyika's shores.

OCHA continues to engage with all parties to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian teams and to enable the resumption of aid operations. Efforts are under way to pre-position critical stocks  including shelter, water, food and support for health and protection. Additional funding is urgently needed to provide critical life-saving and protection assistance to newly displaced people.

People fleeing the violence in South Kivu also continue to arrive in Burundi. Yesterday, OCHA coordinated a rapid needs assessment in the areas of Ndava and Gatumba, where our humanitarian partners and authorities estimate that more than 50,000 people have sought safety. The Cishemere transit camp is hosting 5,000 people, while Bweru is hosting 1,000, with more people continuing to arrive.

The refugees  mainly women and children  are arriving exhausted and injured. Despite our partners' efforts to scale up the response, conditions at these sites remain very precarious  and shelter, food, water, hygiene supplies, sanitation facilities and protection support are urgently needed. However, humanitarians' ability to scale up the response is severely constrained by limited funding.

With some parts of South Kivu in Democratic Republic of the Congo facing a cholera outbreak, it is urgent that the public health response can be scaled up in Burundi's Cibitoke and Gatumba areas, where refugees are being hosted. The Government of Burundi is relocating some of the refugees to the Bweru site, in the eastern part of the country. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is providing buses to transport refugees from border points to Bweru and has installed refugee housing units and a water tank to meet basic needs. Meanwhile in Rwanda, UNHCR is supporting the Government response and providing assistance at the Nyarushishi Transit Centre  including registration, health and nutrition services, protection support, hot meals and other essentials.

** Secretary-General's Travel

On Thursday, the Secretary-General continued his visit to Saudi Arabia. In the morning, Mr. [Antonio] Guterres visited the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, Saudi Arabia's main humanitarian relief organization. Meeting with the centre's leadership and staff representatives, the Secretary-General strongly commended the centre's extraordinary humanitarian work around the world. The Secretary-General later met with His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisal. They exchanged views on global and regional issues.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General delivered a lecture at the Prince Saud al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies on the state of the world and the United Nations. In the evening, the Secretary-General attended a working dinner organized by His Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud. Also at the meeting were His Excellency the Minister for Economy,Faisal al Ibrahim, and His Excellency the Minister for Finance, Mohammed al-Jadaan.

** Deputy Secretary-General's Travel

The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, was in Geneva yesterday as part of the broader UN80 consultation process, meeting with senior UN officials across the system, Member States and other key stakeholders. Her discussions focused on reinforcing partnerships and gathering perspectives that will help shape the Organization's shared priorities for the year ahead. The Deputy Secretary-General then travelled to London. She will be back in New York next Monday.

** Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the Gaza Strip, OCHA reports that heavy rains have flooded tents, soaked people's belongings, and increased health risks  including hypothermia among babies and illnesses linked to overflowing sewage.

Today, our teams on the ground set up a system for a rapid, joint response to flooding alerts. It brings together UN agencies and NGOs [non-governmental organizations], working side by side to distribute tents, tarps, warm clothes, blankets and dignity kits across Gaza. As of earlier today, they had already processed over 160 flooding alerts since the morning and undertaken assessments covering more than 16,000 families in different areas. These numbers are expected to increase as more updates come from our teams on the ground.

Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on social media that with this ongoing storm, people who had already lost everything now face another layer of misery. He said that UNRWA teams  many of whom are displaced themselves  are pumping away sewage and floodwater, clearing garbage, distributing critical items and providing medical care.

Ahead of this storm, the UN and our partners had already increased winter support, including for families in shoreline areas at high risk of flooding, and for others choosing to relocate away from those areas. Our partners leading on-site management helped people prepare by distributing empty flour sacks to be used as sandbags, along with tools and sand wherever possible. Based on their flood-risk analysis, more than 760 displacement sites hosting roughly 850,000 people are at the highest risk of flooding. That's about 40 per cent of Gaza's population.

Over the past week, the UN and our partners continued delivering relief items: more tents and tarps, and as we mentioned yesterday, a significant increase in winter clothing for children  from 5,000 to 8,000 kits every day. Our colleagues leading on water and sanitation are supporting pre-positioned mobile pumps in low-lying areas and put contractors with heavy machinery on standby. They have also been working hard to clear and unblock stormwater and sewage systems.

OCHA stresses that to meet the immense needs, restrictions on humanitarian operations must be eased or lifted. This includes ending the ongoing ban on most international NGOs and on UNRWA, which continue to serve communities despite operating under severe constraints. To further scale up the response, we also urgently need more crossings, more routes, and approval to bring a wider range of relief items into Gaza.

** Security Council

This morning, Abdou Abarry, our Special Representative for Central Africa, briefed the Security Council. He said that in the six months since his last briefing, the region has made some progress, although it still faces challenges. Electoral processes continue to pose risks, as do the war in Sudan and insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin, which are causing significant population displacement and threatening the stability of the region's states.

Turning to electoral processes, he noted that by the end of the year, there will be no more political transitions underway in Central Africa. After Chad, Gabon's transition is scheduled to be finalized by the end of December. In Cameroon, Mr. Abarry said that although the election itself took place peacefully, post-election tensions, including the death in custody of a leading opposition figure, were a cause for great concern.

In the Lake Chad Basin, Mr. Abarry said groups affiliated with Boko Haram continue to demonstrate their ability to adapt in the face of operations by the defence and security forces of the four affected countries. He called on Council members to support current efforts to bring peace and stability to the region. His full remarks have been shared with you.

** Sudan

Turning to Sudan, OCHA warns that civilians continue to face escalating and indiscriminate violence across the Darfur and Kordofan regions. In South Darfur State, some 30 civilians were reportedly killed and many more injured  including women and children  in Monday's drone strike in the town of Katila, about 150 kilometres south-west of Nyala. The strike, which hit a location under the control of the Rapid Support Forces, underscores the devastating impact of intensifying aerial attacks on civilians.

Meanwhile, in South Kordofan State, drone strikes in and around the state capital, Kadugli, and the town of Dilling point to a rapidly worsening security situation. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that more than 1,300 people were displaced between Monday and Wednesday across the state due to insecurity and intercommunal tensions, fleeing villages in the localities of Kadugli, Talawdi and Abassiya. OCHA reiterates its call for all parties to immediately cease attacks against civilians and to adhere to the fundamental principles under international humanitarian law of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

In Khartoum State, findings from a recent assessment by one of our partners of more than 1,200 families point to extreme food insecurity, driven by price increases of up to 500 per cent and the widespread collapse of livelihoods. Many families now rely on borrowing food, skipping meals or selling their remaining assets to survive. Once again, we call for rapid, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access across Sudan.

We and our partners are working to expand cash and voucher assistance and are providing emergency agriculture inputs and livestock support to 64,000 farming households and 10,000 livestock-keeping families. And we once again urge the international community to step up support so that life-saving assistance can reach people in urgent need across Sudan.

** Myanmar

I have an update from our colleagues on the ground in Myanmar. We are deeply alarmed by reports of air strikes in Rakhine State yesterday  10 December. The strikes hit the general hospital in Mrauk-U Township, reportedly killing more than 30 civilians and injuring more than 70 others, including patients, caregivers and medical staff. There are fears that the casualty figures will rise further.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that this is the sixty-seventh attack on health in Myanmar that the agency has verified this year. This bombing, which affected a medical facility underscores the grave and deteriorating situation facing civilians in Myanmar. Medical facilities and civilians, including medical personnel, must be respected and protected. The United Nations condemns this attack, which is part of a broader pattern of strikes causing harm to civilians and civilian objects that continue to devastate communities across the country.

We continue to call on all parties to observe their obligations under international humanitarian and international human rights law. Our colleagues on the ground also report that humanitarian needs in Myanmar are soaring. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, released yesterday, calls for $890 million, warning that 16.2 million people, including 5 million children, will require assistance and protection next year. Conflict and disasters have already displaced an estimated 3.6 million people, with many forced to flee repeatedly.

** Sri Lanka

Turning to Sri Lanka, today, we and our humanitarian partners launched a Humanitarian Priorities Plan appealing for $35 million to scale up life-saving assistance for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, which struck the country late last month. The storm has caused extensive loss of life and widespread damage across the country. At its peak, nearly 2.2 million people were affected, with over 600 deaths recorded to date and nearly 200 people still missing. More than 91,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.

The plan, which aims to reach 658,000 of the most vulnerable people through April, follows the Government's request for international assistance and outlines how humanitarian partners are working together to quickly deliver assistance to meet critical needs in support of national efforts.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-Andre Franche, said that Cyclone Ditwah has hit the poorest and the most vulnerable the hardest  affecting nearly every aspect of their lives and intensifying the difficulties they were already facing. Initial contributions from donors, coupled with a $4.5 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), are enabling rapid assistance, but significant gaps remain. We call on the international community to contribute to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches all who need it most.

** Mountain Day

Today is International Mountain Day. This year's theme "Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond", highlights the vital role of glaciers and the urgent need to protect them. On this Day, the Secretary-General recalls seeing first hand how glaciers are melting as global temperatures rise. Glaciers may be retreating, he says, but we cannot.

** Guest Tomorrow

Tomorrow, my guest will be Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the West Bank and Gaza. He will be joining us from Gaza to brief on the health situation there. It will also be his last press conference before he retires at the end of this month. So, before we turn to Lola Castro, we will take some questions. Amelie?

** Questions and Answers

Question : Thanks, Farhan. On Sudan, in an interview this morning to Al Arabiya, the Secretary-General mentioned talks that the UN would have in Geneva with the two parties, the warring parties in Sudan. Can you give us any details on when, who and how? Thanks.

Deputy Spokesman : As far as I know, at this stage, what we're really looking at is technical-level talks. So, we're trying to get both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to engage in that. We can't confirm it at this stage, but we're hopeful that we can move ahead. And certainly, the importance of technical-level talks is to pave the ground for something more productive down the line.

Question : So, no date?

Deputy Spokesman : Not at this stage. We're trying to get some information. If I get some more, I'll share it with you at that point. Yes, Dezhi, and then Linda.

Question : Yesterday, the US Administration announced that they seized a Venezuelan oil tanker. According to the White House, it's an act of sanctions. And according to Venezuelan Government, they said it's an act of piracy. What's the reaction from the Secretary-General on the latest development between US and Venezuela?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, the Secretary-General, as you know, has been concerned about any escalating tensions regarding the United States and Venezuela, and he's concerned by this latest development. We are calling on all actors to refrain from actions that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilize Venezuela and the region. And of course, we want everyone to honour their obligations under the UN Charter, under international law and under other applicable legal frameworks.

Question : Who did not honour the UN Charter and applicable law?

Deputy Spokesman : I think I would refer you just to what the international laws are. You can read the Charter for yourself.

Question : So, I mean, in this case, is the seizure of this oil tanker a violation of international law? Because as far as I know, it's perfectly legal according to US sanctions, but that's unilateral.

Deputy Spokesman : Well, we do not have enough information at this stage to conclusively make legal determinations about whether this particular operation was legal or not. What we are saying is we want to avoid any escalatory steps.

Question : Does the US have the mandate from the United Nations to do that? Because you guys are always referring to the mandate, right? So, I just asked that.

Deputy Spokesman : Well, regarding issues having to do with anything that's thought to be a criminal transaction, of course, we encourage all nations to cooperate with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on that. Regarding this action, like I said, we do not have sufficient information about the legality of this. But, what we're pushing for is for all countries to avoid escalatory steps, to exercise restraint, and to heed the calls that we've been making for dialogue and for peace.

Question : Has the Venezuelan Mission ever contacted any officials in the UN on this incident?

Deputy Spokesman : I believe we've received some letters from them over recent weeks.

Question : What about this seizure of the oil tanker? No? Not yet?

Deputy Spokesman : Not so far. That's a recent development, but we've seen about others. Linda and then Mariam.

Question : Farhan, thank you. Apropos of Venezuela, I came in a few minutes late. I'm not sure, if there was any statement in regard to Venezuela in terms of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, her escape, her exit from Venezuela. Did the SG say anything?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, I'd been asked yesterday, and our standpoint was that Ms. [Maria Corina] Machado should not be subject to any threats for the work that she has done. Mariam?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. Has the United Nations received any formal communication from Iran regarding what it describes as tightened restrictions on its diplomatic mission in New York?

Deputy Spokesman : I'm not aware of any recent communication, but whenever countries have faced restrictions on their diplomatic personnel, they raise that with us, and then we remind the host country of its obligations under the Host Country Agreement to allow the free movement of diplomats accredited to the United Nations.

Question : But, Iran, the foreign ministry, they said they sent a letter to the UN. So, you haven't received it?

Deputy Spokesman : I believe we will receive it. I expect that will come in shortly. And like I said, our standpoint with all nations, not just Iran, is that we want to make sure that the host country allows their diplomats to go about their work freely, once they've been accredited here. Yes, please?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. The US House of Representatives has forwarded a bill that would ease heavy sanctions on Syria, with the bill also expected to pass through the Senate. What is the SG's immediate reaction, and how significant does he view this legislation in shaping Syria's political and economic trajectory?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, we don't comment on domestic legislation as it's being approved. But, obviously, we've been very supportive of efforts by countries around the world to reach out to Syria to normalize relations, and we hope that this will be the start of a productive relationship between Syria and not just the United States, but a wider number of countries.

Question : And then... sorry, Farhan. If you don't mind, just a follow-up question on something completely different. Reports are also surfacing today that the Israeli Government has authorized the approval of over 764 new housing units to be built in settlements within the occupied West Bank. Does the SG have any immediate remarks on this?

Deputy Spokesman : As always, we stand opposed against settlement activity. We do not want any further actions that threaten the status quo in the occupied territories, and we believe it's unhelpful towards the efforts to achieve a two-State solution between Israel and Palestine. Abdelhamid?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. Today, the US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, visited Karem Abu Salem. And he said 600 trucks a day, on average a day, is entering into Gaza. Do you approve that statement? Do you see that is a correct statement?

Deputy Spokesman : We are not in a position to verify all the trucks going in. We can talk about our trucks, and we've been getting, as you know, an increase in trucks since the ceasefire, but it hasn't been as high as 600. What I can say, however, is that there are other trucks coming in that include bilateral aid from non-UN sources, and so we can't speak to that.

Question : The second question, regarding also Gaza. Four people were killed today, but there is a baby of eight months. She died out of cold. Any comment on that?

Deputy Spokesman : Obviously, one of the things we've been warning about and in fact, what I read earlier at this very briefing was our worry that children will be dying from hypothermia. That's why we need to make sure that we can get warm clothing, we can get tents and tarps and shelters. We need to have much more aid coming in to protect especially the youngest and most vulnerable, and it's appalling that this poor child had to suffer. Yes. [Pam] and then in the back and then Islam after that. Pan?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. You mentioned yesterday that at Tuesday's pledging event, just over $300 million were placed for next year's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). So, can you review the amount of money that has been raised for this year?

Deputy Spokesman : It was in the press release that we shared on Tuesday afternoon. So, the figures are there. I believe it was around the level of $300 million, but you can look at the press release from OCHA.

Question : So, what has made the donors reluctant to donate to the Fund?

Deputy Spokesman : This is a trend we've seen in recent years. There's been both donor fatigue, but also, as you know, many of our donors themselves are facing economic hardship. But, we want to make sure, although we sympathize, we want to make sure that the sort of humanitarian crises that we face every year are adequately funded. So, we are trying to keep pressing to get more funding. Yes, in the back.

Question : We got news that Houthis, they detained more US citizens, adding to the 59 of the UN staff. Is there any condemnation from the United Nations?

Deputy Spokesman : We stand against any of these detentions that have been happening of different international personnel. Our numbers remain at 59, but it's entirely possible that other nations have had people seized. And we are working with a range of parties to make sure that we can obtain their releases. Islam?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. My question is about the flood risk, people in Gaza. You said 760 displacement sites hosting roughly 850,000 people. It's like 40 per cent of Gaza. It's a pretty big number. The tents and tarps you are distributing, is enough? The Israeli side is doing anything about this? These people cannot be relocated, and they have to stay at that narrow area. What is the suggestion for those people?

Deputy Spokesman : We have been relocating people to higher-level areas. So, we are trying to relocate them to places that are safer when we can do that. But, yes, we need to have other means, including different shelters and different infrastructure to protect people from flooding. And so, we need to get more of the relevant equipment coming in, through the crossing points. And we're working with Israelis, but we need much more of it to come in.

Question : Did you get any sort of different reaction from the Israeli side in terms of this winter condition? Or they are all the same?

Deputy Spokesman : Obviously, we can always use greater help in getting more aid in. As you know, we still need more crossing points to be open. We need more roads to be usable. And we need, as I said earlier, more access by international NGOs and by UNRWA and others, so that they get the cooperation they need. And so, we're pressing on all those fronts. Namo?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. Just on Syria, you said the Secretary-General encourages other countries to normalize their relations with Syria. Some critics say this growing normalization of ties with Syria is premature and tantamount to rewarding a terrorist who has won a war. Where does Secretary-General stand on that? Because, I mean, he was a UN-designated terrorist, as well, the current President of Syria. Why Secretary-General calling for all nations to normalize ties with this country?

Deputy Spokesman : I just refer you back to what the Secretary-General has been saying. We issued a statement on this, in fact, just a few days ago, marking the first year since the collapse of the [Bashar al-]Assad regime. This is a hopeful moment, and we want to build on it. Obviously, the current Government of Syria needs to do more to be inclusive, to show its respect for human rights, and to move forward in terms of working with all of Syria's communities. But, at the same time, it's important that other countries encourage that progress by reaching out to Syria, so that we can have a productive relationship between the international community and Syria.

Question : Can we assume then that Secretary-General believes even terrorists can be forgiven if they show willingness to change?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't think that that's even so much a decision by the Secretary-General. Look at what the Security Council has done. They, in this case, removed Mr. [Ahmed] al Sharaa from the list of designated terrorists. And as you know, over the years, they've taken people on and off their terrorist lists as circumstances change. Okay. Now let's turn to our guest, if we can get her on camera.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Gaza's maternal and newborn health system 'decimated', UN warns

11 December 2025 - Gaza's health system for mothers and newborns has been "decimated", the UN said on Thursday, with Israeli attacks destroying almost all hospitals, cutting off medical supplies and driving sharp rises in maternal deaths, miscarriages and newborn fatalities amid mass displacement and hunger.

According to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October 2023, when Palestinian armed groups attacked communities in southern Israel, triggering Israel's full-scale military assault on the enclave.

OHCHR said 94 per cent of Gaza's hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, leaving pregnant women and newborns without essential care.

"The Israeli blockade has also prevented the entry of objects indispensable to the survival of civilians, including medical supplies and nutrients required to sustain pregnancies and ensure safe childbirth," the Office said.

By late 2024, women in Gaza were three times more likely to die in childbirth and three times more likely to miscarry compared with pre-war levels, while newborn deaths also increased, OHCHR reported.

Hospitals destroyed, medical staff killed

Israeli strikes hit maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units, while the December 2023 shelling of Gaza's largest fertility clinic caused the loss of over 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm and egg specimens.

Medical personnel have also been targeted, OHCHR said, citing Palestinian Ministry of Health figures reporting 1,722 healthcare workers killed as of September 2025.

Dr. Ambereen Sleemi, a gynecologist who volunteered in Gaza, told OHCHR: "As we did our rounds, bombs were going off in the background...Sometimes quadcopters would come in and try to shoot nurses or literally chase them through the hospital corridors."

She said pregnant women arrived with gunshot wounds, including to the abdomen.

"Many women were simply too injured to survive. If their injuries did not claim their lives, then sepsis often did, as there were not enough medical supplies or antibiotics."

Hunger factor

The blockade has driven severe shortages of food and baby formula. As of October 2025, 463 Palestinians had died from malnutrition, including 157 children, the Ministry of Health reported.

Jonathan Crix of UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), speaking from Gaza, told UN News that children and families enduring winter storms in makeshift tents:

"Everything was completely damp...the mattresses were wet; the children's clothes were wet. It's extremely difficult to live in those conditions."

He warned of a surge in acute watery diarrhoea and fears of further disease outbreaks.

"With the very poor hygiene conditions and very limited sanitation system available, we are extremely concerned to see the spreading of waterborne diseases."

West Bank barriers grow

OHCHR also voiced alarm over Israel's construction of a new barrier and road in the Jordan Valley.

Ajith Sunghay, the Head of Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said this would "separate Palestinian communities from each other and the Palestinian farmers in Tubas from land they own on the other side of the planned barrier."

He also warned that it would be "another step towards the progressive fragmentation of the West Bank, which will eventually lead to the consolidation of annexation," stressing that that rights of Palestinian refugee status "cannot be stripped or altered by unilateral coercive measures."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UN warns of 'regional conflagration' as DR Congo violence uproots 500,000

By Vibhu Mishra

11 December 2025 - More than half a million people have now been uprooted by escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the UN said on Thursday, warning that the M23 rebel offensive is driving a rapidly worsening humanitarian emergency.

The UN's Deputy Spokesperson said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply alarmed" by the surge in attacks across South Kivu, where what's officially known as the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) has advanced into several towns since 2 December.

The UN and Security Council have repeatedly described the majority-Tutsi M23 militia as backed by Rwanda but Kigali has consistently denied providing support.

"The Secretary-General underscores that this escalation risks seriously undermining efforts to achieve a sustainable resolution of the crisis and increases the risk of a broader regional conflagration," Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Dozens of civilian deaths and many more injuries have also been reported in Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota and Uvira triggered mass displacement and caused civilian casualties.

Mr. Guterres called for an "immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities," urging all parties to honour commitments made under the peace accords signed by the leaders of DRC and Rwanda in Washington on 4 December and the Doha Framework Agreement reached in November.

He added the UN remains "fully mobilised" to support lifesaving assistance and ongoing diplomacy, stressing that "the risk of regional conflagration is real, and the need for de-escalation is urgent."

Dramatic escalation

The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) said new assessments indicate that more than 500,000 people have been displaced in just over a week, a dramatic rise from earlier estimates.

While some families have returned to areas where fighting has momentarily subsided, most remain in overcrowded sites where the risk of cholera, mpox and other disease outbreaks is rapidly rising.

In the key town of Uvira - reportedly overrun by AFC/M23 fighters on Wednesday - the situation was described as relatively calm on Thursday, though sporadic gunfire continued in several neighbourhoods.

Radio Okapi, operated by the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, reported that the city's streets were deserted, the border crossing with Burundi closed, and residents sheltering indoors amid fear and uncertainty.

Hospitals 'struggling to cope'

Hospitals are struggling to cope. Uvira's main referral hospital is receiving a steady influx of wounded patients, including more than 60 people transferred after Ruzizi Hospital ceased operations due to insecurity.

On Wednesday, an explosion in Uvira's Kimanga neighbourhood reportedly killed two civilians and injured three others.

More than 27,000 people have fled into Tanganyika Province, which borders South Kivu, since 8 December, arriving in Kisongo, Kabimba and along the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Regional spillover fears

The violence has also driven people across DRC's borders - an estimated 50,000 people have crossed into Burundi, where conditions at makeshift sites remain "very precarious," according to OCHA.

Many refugees - mostly women and children - are exhausted, injured and in urgent need of shelter, food, water, sanitation and protection services.

Additional arrivals have also been reported in Rwanda, where the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is supporting registration, health and nutrition services, hot meals and child protection assistance at the Nyarushishi Transit Centre.

A year of escalating conflict

The latest surge comes after one of the most volatile years in eastern DRC in recent memory.

Fighting between the Congolese armed forces, local militias and M23-aligned fighters intensified sharply earlier this year, culminating in the fall of Goma in January and repeated waves of displacement across North and South Kivu.

UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia said the newest escalation "seriously undermines prospects for a durable settlement" and risks igniting broader regional tensions.

He urged all armed actors to step back from confrontation and facilitate rapid, unhindered humanitarian access.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Sri Lanka

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Heavy rains flood tents, heighten health risks in Gaza

OCHA reports that heavy rains in the Gaza Strip have flooded tents, soaked people's belongings and increased health risks - including hypothermia among babies and illnesses linked to overflowing sewage.

Today, humanitarian teams on the ground set up a system for a rapid, joint response to flooding alerts. It brings together UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), working side-by-side to distribute tents, tarpaulins, warm clothes, blankets and dignity kits across Gaza. As of earlier today, they had already processed over 160 flooding alerts since the morning and undertaken assessments covering more than 16,000 families in different areas. These numbers are expected to increase as more updates come in from teams on the ground.

Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on social media that with this ongoing storm, people who had already lost everything - and need everything - now face another layer of misery. He said that UNRWA teams - many of whom are displaced themselves - are pumping away sewage and floodwater, clearing garbage, distributing critical items and providing medical care.

Ahead of this storm, the UN and its partners had already stepped up winter support, including for families in shoreline areas at high risk of flooding, and for others choosing to relocate away from those areas.*

Partners leading on site management helped people prepare by distributing empty flour sacks to be used as sandbags, along with tools and sand wherever possible. Based on their flood-risk analysis, more than 760 displacement sites - hosting roughly 850,000 people - are at the highest risk of flooding. This constitutes about 40 per cent of Gaza's population.

Over the past week, the UN and its partners continued delivering relief items: more tents and tarpaulins, as well as a significant increase in winter clothing for children - from 5,000 to 8,000 kits every day. Partners leading on water and sanitation are supporting pre-positioned mobile pumps in low-lying areas and put contractors with heavy machinery on standby. They have also been working hard to clear and unblock stormwater and sewage systems.

OCHA stresses that to meet the immense needs, restrictions on humanitarian operations must be eased or lifted. This includes ending the ongoing ban on most international NGOs and on UNRWA - which continue to serve communities despite operating under severe constraints. Efforts to further scale up the response also depend on more crossings, more routes, and approval to bring a wider range of relief items into Gaza.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in need in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.

Sudan

Dozens of civilians reported dead after South Darfur drone strike

OCHA warns that civilians in Sudan continue to face escalating and indiscriminate violence across the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

In South Darfur State, some 30 civilians were reportedly killed and many more injured - including women and children - in Monday's drone strike in the town of Katila, about 150 kilometres south-west of Nyala. The strike - which hit a location under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - underscores the devastating impact of intensifying aerial attacks on civilians.

Meanwhile, in South Kordofan State, drone strikes in and around the state capital Kadugli and the town of Dilling point to a rapidly worsening security situation. On Tuesday, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North reportedly urged civilians to evacuate Kadugli, amid reports of increased military mobilizations - raising fears of an imminent confrontation.

The International Organization for Migration says that more than 1,300 people were displaced between Monday and Wednesday across the state due to insecurity and inter-communal tensions, fleeing villages in the localities of Kadugli, Talawdi and Abassiya.

In West Kordofan State, more drone strikes in Heglig following the town's capture by the RSF on Monday have further compounded risks to civilians. Local sources in Babanusa town also report that some 100 people returning from North Kordofan State were detained by armed groups demanding ransom, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

OCHA reiterates its call for all parties to immediately cease attacks against civilians and to adhere to the fundamental principles under international humanitarian law of distinction, proportionality and precaution. Rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access across Sudan is urgently needed.

In Khartoum State, findings from a partner's recent assessment of more than 1,200 families point to extreme food insecurity, driven by price increases of up to 500 per cent and the widespread collapse of livelihoods. Many families now rely on borrowing food, skipping meals, or selling their remaining assets to survive.

The UN and its partners are working to expand cash and voucher assistance and are providing emergency agriculture inputs and livestock support to 64,000 farming households and 10,000 livestock-keeping families.

OCHA once again urges the international community to step up support so that life-saving assistance can reach people in urgent need across Sudan.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Over 500,000 displaced by South Kivu clashes

OCHA warns that the security situation in South Kivu province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has sharply worsened since 2 December, following an escalation of armed clashes in the territories of Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi and Kalehe.

The number of people affected by the fighting since 2 December has risen significantly. Preliminary reports indicate that more than half a million people have been displaced. While some families have started returning to areas where it is now relatively calm, the vast majority remain in overcrowded sites, where they face heightened protection risks and increased threats of disease outbreaks, including cholera and mpox.

The situation remains calm in the town of Uvira, though sporadic gunfire persists in several neighbourhoods. Yesterday, an explosion in the neighbourhood of Kimanga reportedly killed two civilians and injured three others. Uvira's main referral hospital continues to receive an influx of wounded people, including more than 60 patients transferred from Ruzizi Hospital, which reportedly ceased operations on Tuesday due to insecurity.

While the situation since Tuesday has been relatively calm in Walungu, Kalehe, Kabare and Mwenga - which has allowed for the limited resumption of activities and some returns - tensions persist in the territories of Fizi and Uvira, with clashes continuing in the village of Mugeti and a high risk of violence spreading to the Hauts Plateaux of Fizi.

Meanwhile, people continue to flee to the province of Tanganyika. Between 8 December and today, at least 27,000 people arrived in Kisongo and Kabimba in Kalemie territory, with additional arrivals reported in Kalemie town and along Lake Tanganyika's shores.

OCHA continues to engage with all parties to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian teams and enable the resumption of aid operations. Efforts are underway to pre-position critical stocks - including shelter, water, food, and support for health and protection. Additional funding is urgently needed to provide critical life-saving and protection assistance to newly displaced people.

Humanitarians support DRC displaced in Burundi, Rwanda

People fleeing the violence in South Kivu also continue to arrive in Burundi. Yesterday, OCHA coordinated a rapid needs assessment in the areas of Ndava and Gatumba, where humanitarian partners and authorities estimate that more than 50,000 people have sought safety. The Cishemere transit camp is hosting 5,000 people, while Bweru is hosting 1,000, with more people continuing to arrive.

The refugees - mainly women and children - are arriving exhausted and injured. Despite partners' efforts to scale up the response, conditions at these sites remain very precarious - and shelter, food, water, hygiene supplies, sanitation facilities, and protection support are urgently needed. However, humanitarians' ability to scale up the response is severely constrained by limited funding.

With some parts of South Kivu in DRC facing a cholera outbreak, it is urgent that the public health response can be scaled up Burundi's Cibitoke and Gatumba areas, where refugees are being hosted. The Government of Burundi is relocating some of the refugees to the Bweru site, in the eastern part of the country.

UNHCR is providing buses to transport refugees from border points to Bweru and has installed refugee housing units and a water tank to meet basic needs.

Meanwhile in Rwanda, UNHCR is supporting the Government response and providing assistance at the Nyarushishi Transit Centre - including registration, health and nutrition services, protection support, hot meals and other essentials.

Myanmar

Deadly attack strikes hospital in Rakhine State

The UN is deeply alarmed by reports of air strikes in Rakhine State on 10 December that hit the general hospital in Mrauk-U Township, reportedly killing more than 30 civilians and injuring more than 70 others, including patients, caregivers and medical staff. There are fears that casualty figures will continue to rise.

The World Health Organization says that this is the 67th attack on health in Myanmar that the agency has verified this year. This bombing, which affected a medical facility, underscores the grave and deteriorating situation facing civilians in Myanmar. Medical facilities and civilians, including medical personnel, must be respected and protected. The UN condemns this attack, which is part of a broader pattern of strikes causing harm to civilians and civilian objects that continue to devastate communities across the country.

The UN continues to call on all parties to observe their obligations under international humanitarian and international human rights law.

Humanitarian needs in Myanmar are soaring. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, released yesterday, calls for US$890 million, warning that 16.2 million people - including 5 million children - will require assistance and protection next year. Conflict and disasters have already displaced an estimated 3.6 million people, with many forced to flee repeatedly.

Sri Lanka

UN, partners launch aid appeal for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah

The UN and its humanitarian partners launched a Humanitarian Priorities Plan today appealing for $35 million to scale up life-saving assistance for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, which struck the country late last month.

The storm has caused extensive loss of life and widespread damage across the country. At its peak, nearly 2.2 million people were affected, with over 600 deaths recorded to date and nearly 200 people still missing. More than 91,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.

The plan - which aims to reach 658,000 of the most vulnerable people through April - follows the Government's request for international assistance and outlines how humanitarian partners are working together to quickly deliver assistance to meet critical needs in support of national efforts.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-Andre Franche, said that Cyclone Ditwah has hit the poorest and the most vulnerable the hardest - affecting nearly every aspect of their lives and intensifying the difficulties they were already facing.

Initial contributions from donors - coupled with a $4.5 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund - are enabling rapid assistance, but significant gaps remain. The UN calls on the international community to contribute to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches all who need it most.

Posted on 11 December 2025

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Despite Climate Shocks, Terrorism, Countries in Central Africa Making Electoral Progress, Security Gains, Senior UN Official for Region Tells Security Council

Meetings Coverage

Security Council

10060th Meeting (AM)

SC/16243

11 December 2025

Countries in Central Africa are registering electoral progress and notching some security gains, even as climate shocks and increasingly sophisticated terrorist attacks continue to drive human misery across the subregion, the senior UN official there told the Security Council today.

"Over the past six months, Central Africa has achieved considerable progress, even though it continues to face challenges," said Abdou Abarry, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). Giving a broad overview of recent regional developments, he sounded alarm over the worsening crisis in Sudan and ongoing security challenges in the Lake Chad Basin, while outlining significant progress in Gabon, the Central African Republic and elsewhere.

"The region has demonstrated its ability to tackle matters of concern," he said. Among recent success stories, he said Chad launched an ambitious national development programme with important reforms, while peaceful elections were held in Gabon. In Cameroon, a presidential election was held in an atmosphere of calm. However, there is now considerable concern about an uptick in post-election violence.

Meanwhile, in the Lake Chad Basin, "Boko-Haram affiliate groups continue to demonstrate their ability to adapt themselves to the operations undertaken by the security forces of the four affected countries"  namely, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria  with women and children hit hardest by the resulting violence.

Calling for stronger support for the Multinational Joint Taskforce working to combat that terrorist threat, he voiced grave concern over Sudan's security and humanitarian crises. Since the fall of the city of El Fasher in November to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, more than 12,000 people have joined the 1.2 million Sudanese refugees that had already fled to neighbouring Chad.

While refugees are being hosted with remarkable generosity and hospitality, they face high rates of food insecurity and basic services are under extreme pressure at a time when the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan is only 26 per cent funded. He urged regional countries to take a more proactive approach and the Council to push harder for peace in Sudan, "which has repercussions for the entire region".

1.2 Million Children Out of School, Fragile Education System

Also briefing the Council was Christelle Hure, Regional Head of Advocacy for the Norwegian Refugee Council, who highlighted the alarming education situation in the region. She said that, as of August 2025, nearly 5,800 schools across the region were closed  leaving over 1.2 million children out of school  in an environment where looting, arson, killings, and abductions are frequent. "When school doors closed, protection risks rise sharply, especially for girls, who face increased exposure to gender-based violence, child marriage, early pregnancy, child labour, and recruitment by armed groups," she said.

Highlighting several country-specific situations, she said in the north-west and south-west regions of Cameroon, hundreds of thousands of children have been affected by conflict and insecurity. In the Central African Republic, years of crisis have left the education system fragile. "Structural weaknesses persist  shortages of qualified teachers, overcrowded classrooms, incomplete school cycles and significant gender disparities." The Council must ensure that schools remain safe, respected civilian spaces, she stressed, also urging partners to strengthen preparedness and community-level resilience, and provide predictable multi-year funding to countries across Central Africa.

Risk of Regional Spillover of Protracted Conflicts in Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo

"We remain concerned by the continued insecurity across Central Africa," said Denmark's representative, who joined other Council members in taking the floor following the briefings. "Protracted conflicts in Sudan and eastern [Democratic Republic of the Congo] risk spilling over and destabilizing the region," she said, also voicing deep concern over ongoing terrorist violence  especially the increased use of drones and improvised explosive devices.

Consequences of Climate Shocks

The representative of Greece echoed those concerns, also stressing that climate shocks have wide-ranging implications for regional stability. "Women and girls are paying the heaviest price of conflicts and natural disasters," he stressed, welcoming recent initiatives by UNOCA and regional actors to address the impacts of climate change. "Comprehensive, conflict-sensitive and climate-responsive approaches [are needed] to strengthen resilience and sustainability," he said.

The Republic of Korea's delegate agreed that environmental changes are increasingly contributing to the root causes of insecurity in Central Africa. "These conditions are heightening transhumance-related tensions, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin and areas adjacent to the Sahel," he said, citing rising social and economic instability and an environment that is increasingly conducive to the spread of violent extremism. UNOCA and its Climate, Peace and Security Adviser must continue to assess related risks and support the region's capacity to respond to this issue, he said.

"The impact of climate change on stability in the region is clear," stressed France's representative. Meanwhile, the conflict in Sudan has a direct impact on Chad and the Central African Republic, where the influx of refugees has been exacerbating the humanitarian situation. Also citing floods in Cameroon and a drought in Angola, he urged UNOCA to identify and help implement concrete solutions to prevent climate change  together with other crisis factors  "from fueling intercommunal or agro-pastoral conflicts" across the region.

Spiraling Crisis in Sudan, Post-Election Violence in Cameroon

The representative of the United Kingdom echoed concerns over Sudan's spiraling crisis, as well as significant post-election violence in Cameroon. Calling for continued engagement and support for a Cameroonian-led dialogue, he said regional cooperation is crucial to tackle Boko Haram and the terrorist group known as Islamic State-West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Lake Chad Basin.

The Russian Federation's delegate also voiced deep concern over the crisis in Sudan, the continued destructive potential of Boko Haram and the activities of ISIL-affiliated groups in the region. Highlighting the need to reform international financial institutions and comprehensively restructure external public debt for the benefit of African nations, she nevertheless underlined Moscow's rejection of any attempt to address matters related to climate change in the Security Council. "We do not support the attempt advanced by a number of States to link the climate agenda with matters of international peace and security," she stressed.

On another matter, Panama's representative was among those speakers who voiced regret over the recent post-election violence in Cameroon and urged all parties to refrain from any further escalation. Turning to Chad  whose 2024 elections the Special Representative highlighted in his briefing  he voiced concern over a recent consolidation of power and a shrinking civic space, declaring: "UNOCA has an important role to play in supporting national and regional actors to ensure that reforms do not erode institutional legitimacy or long-term stability."

Attacks by Boko Haram, Other Terrorist Groups

Guyana's delegate, also speaking for Somalia, Sierra Leone and Algeria, voiced deep concern as well over the continued activities of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups. She cited the deaths of several military personnel from the Multinational Joint Task Force, who were ambushed in late October, as an example of the grave threat facing those troops. More broadly, she welcomed the successful conduct of elections in several countries during the reporting period, adding: "Calm has been restored in Cameroon following its recently held presidential election." Against that backdrop, she voiced strong support for UNOCA and warned against any attempts to reduce its resources, which would only undermine the execution of its vital mandate.

The representative of China was among those speakers calling on the international community to provide more constructive support to countries of Central Africa, while emphasizing that all support should be based on "specific national conditions". Expressing concern over the region's security situation  especially the high number of terrorist attacks in the Lake Chad Basin  he urged the international community to adopt a "common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable" approach and to urgently ease the debt burdens faced by countries of the region.

Support, Adequate Fund for UN Regional Office for Central Africa

Slovenia's delegate, Council President for December, agreed in her national capacity that UNOCA has a special role in addressing the unique security situations in the various Central African countries. The Office must be provided with the resources needed to continue that important work and effectively implement its mandate, she said.

"Pakistan supports the role of [UNOCA] in preventive diplomacy in the region," said that country's representative, echoing concerns over the "complex picture" characterized by many political transitions, security challenges and humanitarian crises. He joined other speakers in sounding alarm over recurring violence in the Lake Chad Basin and the upsurge of increasingly sophisticated terrorist attacks, underlining the urgency of strengthening the Multinational Joint Task Force. "We reiterate the call for predictable and sustainable financing for such African-led initiatives," he stressed.

"The United States recognizes the potential in Africa, and views African counties as equal and capable commercial partners," said the representative of the United States, striking a different tone. While condemning the increasing violence and disregard for human life by terrorist groups, he urged countries of the region to take a stronger leading role in countering their own security challenges.

The representative of Equatorial Guinea also addressed the Council, voicing his profound concern over false allegations and erroneous narratives about his country contained in the Secretary-General's most recent report on Central Africa, which related to faults in its judicial system. Defending the country's high legal standards, he also categorically rejecting any allegations of religious intolerance in his country, voicing deep regret that UNOCA's assessment has been swayed by "foreign sensationalist publications" without input from his Government.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






LSM-1 McClung

The LSM-1 McClung represents the lead ship of the McClung-class Medium Landing Ships, a program designed to provide the U.S. Marine Corps with affordable, flexible amphibious lift capability for expeditionary operations in contested littoral environments. Announced by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on January 16, 2025, the ship honors Major Megan M.L. McClung, a U.S. Marine Corps public affairs officer who was killed in action in Iraq on December 6, 2006. Major McClung was the first female Marine officer killed in the Iraq war and the first female graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to be killed in the line of duty. The class will ultimately consist of between 18 and 35 vessels to support the Marine Corps' Force Design transformation and the concept of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations.

The Medium Landing Ship program, previously known as the Light Amphibious Warship program, emerged from a fundamental reassessment of Marine Corps operational requirements for the Indo-Pacific theater. The program aims to provide Marine Littoral Regiments with organic sea mobility, enabling small units to maneuver between islands while maintaining a low signature profile. These vessels will be significantly smaller and less expensive than traditional amphibious assault ships like the LHA and LPD classes, yet larger and more capable than conventional landing craft. The LSM is designed to transport approximately 50 Marines along with 648 short tons of equipment and supplies, with roughly 8,000 square feet of deck cargo space. The vessels will feature roll-on/roll-off beaching capability, a helicopter landing pad, and modest defensive armament.

In December 2025, the Navy selected the Dutch shipbuilder Damen's LST-100 design as the basis for the McClung class. This decision marked a significant shift in acquisition strategy, abandoning earlier attempts to develop a custom design after industry bids exceeded budget expectations. The LST-100 is a proven design already in service with the Nigerian Navy and selected by Australia for its Landing Craft Heavy program. The Navy paid Damen $3.3 million for the technical data package, which will be adapted to incorporate U.S. Navy combat systems, communications equipment, and survivability features. The underlying hull form, cargo layout, and beaching capability will remain largely consistent with the proven Damen design.

The Navy plans to employ a Vessel Construction Manager approach for the LSM acquisition, a structure that differs from traditional Navy shipbuilding programs. Under this model, a VCM will manage the design adaptation and coordinate construction across multiple U.S. shipyards. This approach is expected to accelerate delivery and potentially reduce costs by distributing work among several yards. Authorization for this VCM construct was included in the pending Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The first eight ships are expected to be built using this management structure, with each vessel requiring approximately 32 to 36 months to construct. The Navy aims to have all eight vessels delivered within six years of VCM selection.

Bollinger Shipyards of Louisiana is expected to build the lead ship, USS McClung. The company previously built two Israeli Logistics Support Vessels based on the U.S. Army's Frank S. Besson-class design, and initially the Navy had planned to base the first LSM on this ILSV design. In September 2025, the Navy awarded Bollinger $9.5 million for advanced procurement funding and engineering activities for the first vessel. However, following the December 2025 decision to adopt the LST-100 design, Bollinger will now construct the lead ship based on the Dutch design. The Navy's decision to sole-source the first hull to Bollinger was authorized under Section 128 of the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which permits exemption from full and open competition for commercial or non-developmental items.

The LSM program responds to the Marine Corps' Force Design 2030 initiative, which restructured the service to operate in distributed, contested environments. Marine Littoral Regiments require the ability to maneuver independently between island positions, maintaining mobility while operating anti-ship missiles, air defense systems, and surveillance equipment from austere bases. The LSMs will provide this critical capability, shuttling forces and equipment between positions while maintaining a lower profile than traditional large amphibious ships. Each Marine Littoral Regiment is expected to require nine LSMs, leading to the total requirement of 35 vessels to support three regiments with adequate operational availability.

The naming of the lead ship recognizes Major McClung's service and sacrifice. Commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1995 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, she served on active duty until 2004 before joining the reserves. In 2006, she returned to active duty and deployed to Al Anbar Province, Iraq, as a public affairs officer with I Marine Expeditionary Force. On December 6, 2006, while escorting Newsweek journalists in Ramadi, her Humvee struck an improvised explosive device, killing her instantly along with two U.S. Army soldiers. Major McClung's motto, "Be Bold. Be Brief. Be Gone," which she used when training personnel on media interactions, is inscribed on her headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. Her mother, Dr. Re McClung, and her niece, Gabrielle McClung, were designated as the ship's sponsors.

The LSM program has faced challenges related to cost growth and schedule delays. Initial estimates placed individual ship costs between $100 million and $150 million, but requirement changes and survivability enhancements drove projected costs above $350 million per vessel in earlier design studies. These cost increases led the Navy to cancel the initial request for proposals in 2024 and reset the program. The adoption of the proven LST-100 design represents an effort to control costs through the use of a non-developmental item that requires minimal modification. By leveraging an existing design, the Navy aims to compress acquisition timelines and reduce technical risk while meeting Marine Corps operational requirements. The Navy's proposed FY2025 budget included $268.1 million to procure the first ship, with subsequent vessels expected to cost less as non-recurring engineering and design expenses are amortized across the class.

The LST-100 baseline design offers capabilities closely aligned with Marine Corps requirements. The vessel displaces approximately 4,000 tons and measures 100.68 meters in length with a 16-meter beam and 3.58-meter draft. It can achieve speeds up to 14 knots with a range exceeding 3,400 nautical miles at cruising speed, and up to 7,530 nautical miles at an endurance speed of 10 knots. The design features a roll-on/roll-off deck of 500 square meters, a vehicle deck of 400 square meters, and accommodations for 282 personnel in its baseline configuration. The vessel can transport approximately 500 tons of cargo and is optimized for operations in shallow waters and small harbors. Its modular design allows for straightforward adaptation and upgrade without compromising standardization benefits.

The McClung-class will support not only combat operations but also humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and security cooperation missions across the Indo-Pacific region. The vessels' relatively modest size and commercial-like appearance will enable them to operate in politically sensitive areas with lower risk of escalation than would be posed by large amphibious assault ships. This flexibility aligns with the distributed maritime operations concept that envisions forces operating across a wide geographic area rather than concentrated in large formations. The LSMs will complement rather than replace the Navy's existing amphibious fleet, providing capability at a different scale and cost point.

Construction of USS McClung is expected to begin following contract award, which Secretary of the Navy John Phelan indicated would be tightly controlled with minimal change orders. Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in December 2025, Phelan emphasized that design requirements would be finalized before construction begins and that any subsequent changes would require his personal approval. This approach aims to prevent the scope creep and requirement changes that have plagued other naval shipbuilding programs. The Navy anticipates delivering the first LSM by February 2029, establishing a foundation for series production of subsequent vessels. The program represents a test case for the Navy's reformed approach to ship acquisition, emphasizing affordability, speed of delivery, and operational readiness over maximum capability.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Croatia Buys Leopard 2A8 Tanks from Germany

In December 2025, Croatia took a major step in modernizing its armed forces by confirming the purchase of 44 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks from Germany. The decision was announced during a meeting in Berlin between Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In a period described by both leaders as marked by high global uncertainty, the agreement is presented as a way to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries while significantly enhancing Croatias defense capabilities. The Leopard 2A8 procurement is intended not only as a military upgrade, but also as a political message about Croatias orientation toward Western partners, NATO interoperability, and a broader shift away from legacy Eastern military technology.

The official communication from the Government of the Republic of Croatia emphasizes several overlapping objectives behind the deal. First, the acquisition is framed as an investment in state-of-the-art military equipment at a time when European security is reshaped by Russias war against Ukraine and other hybrid threats. Second, it is a clear signal that Croatia intends to standardize its equipment with that of its key allies, particularly Germany, which is both a leading European economy and one of the primary proponents of strengthening NATOs eastern flank. Third, the purchase is presented as part of a long-term plan: a mosaic of decisions aimed at gradually phasing out old Soviet- or Yugoslav-era platforms and replacing them with modern Western systems.

During their Berlin meeting, Plenkovic and Merz discussed bilateral relations, economic ties, and security issues, with the Leopard deal as one of the central themes. Germany is already Croatias most important trade partner, and hundreds of thousands of Croatians live and work in Germany while millions of German tourists visit Croatia every year. The tank procurement therefore fits into a wider context of dense economic, social, and political connections. It reinforces the idea that security cooperation is becoming just as central to the relationship as trade and tourism. By deepening cooperation in the defense sector, the two governments signal that they see their partnership as strategic and long term, not merely transactional or limited to civilian economic ties.

A key technical and legal step in the process was completed in Berlin when Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anuic signed an order confirmation. This document authorizes Germanys Federal Ministry of Defense to conclude, on Croatias behalf, an amendment to an existing contract with KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, the manufacturer of the Leopard tanks. The amendment provides for the delivery of Leopard 2A8 tanks to Croatia. By routing the deal through an amendment to a German contract, Croatia gains access to a procurement framework that is already in place, which can help streamline timelines, ensure standardization with German forces, and potentially secure better pricing and support packages than if Croatia were negotiating alone with the manufacturer.

The Leopard 2A8 is described in the Croatian governments communication as one of the most modern tanks currently available on the market. For a country with a relatively small army, this qualitative leap matters as much as sheer numbers. A fleet of 44 advanced tanks, properly integrated into the national defense concept, can significantly improve deterrence and response capabilities. The new tanks are expected to provide stronger protection for crews, more advanced sensors and fire control, and greater interoperability with the platforms used by other NATO members. The emphasis on interoperability is particularly important: operating similar systems makes joint training, logistics, and operations easier and more efficient, whether in national defense or multinational missions.

The agreement is also closely linked to Croatias support for Ukraine and broader European efforts to help Kyiv defend itself from Russian aggression. As Prime Minister Plenkovic underlined, the Leopard purchase is connected to an arrangement among Croatia, Germany, and Ukraine. Under that arrangement, Croatia ceded some of its M-84 tanks and M-80 armored vehicles, which were part of its older inventory. Germany then passed those systems on to Ukraine, where they have contributed to the countrys defense, while compensating Croatia financially. This three-way mechanism both supports Ukraine on the frontline and allows Croatia to accelerate the transition away from outdated systems, effectively turning military assistance into an opportunity for modernization.

Croatian leaders have repeatedly highlighted that the move away from Eastern or legacy platforms toward Western equipment is not purely symbolic. It has concrete implications for logistics, maintenance, training, and long-term planning. Maintaining mixed fleets of very different origin can be costly and complicated, especially for a smaller defense budget. Every type of tank or vehicle implies a separate chain of spare parts, training courses, and technical expertise. By concentrating on a modern, widely used Western system, Croatia expects to reduce complexity, benefit from economies of scale in supply and maintenance, and align its doctrine and training more closely with the standards of key allies.

For Germany, the deal showcases its role as a central defense partner within Europe and NATO. Chancellor Merz emphasized that the Leopard agreement goes beyond a simple commercial contract: it is meant to strengthen the armed forces of both countries as allies and to integrate their capabilities more tightly. Within the European Union, Berlin has long advocated for greater defense cooperation, including joint procurement and standardization. The Croatian purchase supports these goals by adding another European army to the group of users of the latest Leopard generation, reinforcing a trend in which European states seek to consolidate around common platforms that can be produced at scale and supported over the long term.

The broader diplomatic context is equally important. The Berlin meeting took place shortly before a European Council session at which EU leaders were expected to debate long-term financial support to Ukraine and adjustments to the Unions multiannual financial framework. Croatia, as the EUs youngest member state and a recent entrant to both the eurozone and the Schengen area, is particularly focused on catching up economically with longer-standing members. In this setting, Plenkovic stressed that Croatia wants EU budgets that allow investment in security, infrastructure, and competitiveness, while still delivering on commitments to collective defense and support for Ukraine. The Leopard procurement fits into this narrative as both a national and a European investment in security.

At the same time, the Croatian government underlined issues closer to home, such as supporting the European path of neighboring countries in Southeast Europe and ensuring the equality of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These topics might seem distant from a tank deal, but they are part of the same strategic picture: Croatia positions itself as a committed EU and NATO member that takes both regional stability and wider European security seriously. Acquiring modern armored capabilities strengthens its credibility as a contributor to collective defense, crisis management, and regional security initiatives.

The deal also carries industrial and technological implications. Croatian officials pointed to potential opportunities for cooperation between Croatian and German defense industries. Partnerships such as those between Croatian companies like DOK-ING or Orqa and major German defense firms show that the relationship is not only about purchasing finished products but can also include joint development, technology transfer, and integration into supply chains. Over time, this could mean that Croatian expertise in areas such as specialized vehicles, robotics, or drone technology complements German strengths in heavy armor and large-scale production, contributing to a more resilient European defense industrial base.

From a domestic perspective, the Leopard acquisition can be seen as part of the continuing professionalization of the Croatian Armed Forces. Two decades after joining NATO and more than a decade after joining the EU, Croatia has gradually adjusted its doctrines, training standards, and equipment to align with Western practices. Investments in modern artillery, air capabilities, and now the heavy armor fleet are each one piece of that puzzle. For the soldiers who will eventually operate the Leopard 2A8, the transition will require intensive training, new simulators, updated maintenance facilities, and adapted operational concepts. If implemented successfully, these changes can significantly enhance the effectiveness and survivability of Croatian units in any future deployment.

In political terms, the purchase of 44 Leopard 2A8 tanks signals that Croatia takes its defense commitments seriously, even as it remains a relatively small state in demographic and economic terms. The government presents the move as responsible and forward-looking: investing in deterrence now to avoid higher costs and greater risks later. Critics, if any, might raise questions about cost, priorities, or long-term maintenance burdens, as is typical with major defense acquisitions. However, the official narrative strongly links the deal to the extraordinary security environment facing Europe, the moral and strategic imperative to help Ukraine, and the need to ensure that Croatias armed forces are credible contributors to NATO and EU security.

Overall, Croatias decision to buy Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany is more than a straightforward arms purchase. It is an expression of strategic alignment, a practical step in military modernization, and a signal about the kind of partner Croatia intends to be in Europe and NATO. By leveraging a trilateral arrangement that supports Ukraine while upgrading its own forces, Croatia connects national interests with wider European security goals. As the tanks are produced, delivered, and integrated into the Croatian Armed Forces over the coming years, the countrys role in joint exercises, missions, and deterrence efforts is likely to grow, reflecting a deeper and more mature defense partnership with Germany and other allies.







NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






NATO - Defense Spending - 2035

NATO chief Mark Rutte urged allies to step up defence efforts to prevent a war waged by Russia, that could be "on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured". In a speech in Berlin 11 December 2025, Rutte said too many allies of the military alliance did not feel the urgency of Russia's threat in Europe and that they must rapidly increase defence spending and production to prevent a war on the scale of that seen by past generations. "We are Russia's next target. I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now," Rutte said. "Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe. And we must be prepared," he added. Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years, Rutte said.

Rutte stressed that allied defence spending and production must rise rapidly to ensure their armed forces can maintain security. This follows a commitment made by NATO members at the June 2025 summit in The Hague to allocate 2% of GDP to defence by 2035. He highlighted Russia's dedication of 40% of its budget and 70% of its machinery to war-related activities, as well as the 46,000 drones and missiles launched against Ukraine this year alone. Rutte described China as Russia's "lifeline," providing critical electronic components that enable Moscow to continue the war in Ukraine.

Rutte's statements were part of an official visit to Berlin, where he met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss European security and support for Ukraine. He suggested putting Russian President Vladimir Putin to the test regarding peace talks, noting that U.S. President Donald Trump "is the only one who can get Putin to the negotiating table".

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned European powers on December 2 that if they start a "war" with Russia, Moscow is ready to fight. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a roundtable of ambassadors in Moscow on December 11 that the Kremlin has no plans to strike out militarily at either the European Union or NATO and is "ready to set out the relevant guarantees in writing and in a legal document" stating as much "on a collective, mutual basis."

The decision was taken at the June 2025 summit in The Hague for all allies to invest at least 5 percent of national GDP annually on defence and broader security requirements by 2035. This marks a substantial expansion of the alliances long-standing 2 percent benchmark, which members only recently began meeting collectively. The new target reflects the view among allies that the security environmentdriven primarily by Russias ongoing aggression against Ukraine and concerns about future regional conflictdemands a far larger, sustained level of investment.

The 5 percent pledge is structured so that at least 3.5 percent of GDP must be allocated to NATO-defined core defence spending, including personnel, operations, maintenance, procurement, and research and development needed to meet capability requirements. The remaining portion, up to 1.5 percent of GDP, can be directed to broader security-related needs such as critical infrastructure protection, cyber defence, civil preparedness, and support for the defence industrial base. This approach reflects the alliances understanding that modern deterrence relies not just on traditional military forces but also on national resilience and the capacity to sustain operations in a prolonged crisis.

The political drivers behind the move are significant. Allies concluded that even with the 2 percent guideline finally being reached, the scale of NATOs new regional defence plans, munitions stockpile requirements, and high readiness objectives demanded far more investment. There was also strong pressure from the United Statesparticularly from the Trump administrationto raise European and Canadian spending to levels it viewed as commensurate with the threats facing the alliance. This push helped shape the final agreement, which both increases the spending floor and extends the horizon of the commitment to 2035.

Current levels of defence spending vary widely across the alliance. Most members hover around or slightly above 2 percent of GDP, reflecting the rapid increases undertaken since 2022. Front-line states such as Poland already spend close to 45 percent of GDP, demonstrating the scale of investment required to meet NATOs new force-generation and capability goals. The United States remains above the old benchmark at roughly 3.2 percent of GDP but below the core-defence component of the new 3.5 percent threshold, and far below the full 5 percent level when broader security spending is included. These disparities illustrate the long-term nature of the new pledge and the fiscal and industrial adjustments required for most allies to meet it.

NATO Defence Budgets (2035, PPP  Rounded Billions)

NATO Members  2025 & 2035 Defence Spending (Sorted by 2035 Budget, Highest to Lowest) Country 2025 Defence

% of GDP 2025 Defence

Budget ($B PPP) 2035 Defence

Budget at 5% GDP ($B PPP) United States 3.22% $986 $1,830 All Non-U.S. NATO Members $2,332 Germany 2.12% $130 $343 France 2.06% $93 $258 Turkey 2.09% $79 $258 United Kingdom 2.40% $107 $256 Italy 1.49%* $55 $202 Spain 1.28%* $36 $166 Canada 1.37%* $37 $161 Netherlands 2.05% $31 $87 Poland 4.48% $90 $133 Belgium 1.30%* $12 $51 Sweden 2.14% $17 $48 Norway 3.35% $20 $35 Portugal 1.55%* $8 $32 Hungary 2.11% $10 $30 Greece 2.85% $13 $28 Denmark 3.22% $17 $31 Romania 2.25% $21 $62 Czechia 2.10% $14 $40 Finland 2.41% $9 $22 Bulgaria 2.18% $6 $17 Slovakia 2.00% $5 $16 Croatia 1.81% $4 $13 Lithuania 4.00% $7 $10 Slovenia 1.29%* $2 $8 Latvia 3.73% $3 $5 Albania 2.03% $1 $4 Estonia 3.38% $2 $4 North Macedonia 2.22% $1 $3 Iceland N/A N/A $2 Luxembourg 1.29%* $1 $6 Montenegro 2.02% $0 $1

GDP (PPP) Data: Figures are based on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook (October 2025) estimates. Values are in billions of international dollars.

Defense Spending Data: Percentages are based on NATO's "Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014-2025)" report (released mid-2025) and subsequent updates from the Hague Summit (June 2025).

Context: 2025 marks a significant shift where nearly all members met the 2% baseline, with Eastern Flank nations significantly exceeding it (3-4%+).

Largest contributors: Germany, France, Turkey, UK, Italy, Spain, Canada, Poland, Netherlands

Smallest contributors: Montenegro, North Macedonia, Iceland

The $2.3 trillion level illustrates how dramatically NATOs non-U.S. capability base expands under a 5% rule.

NATO 2035 Budget Split

(3.5% Defence + 1.5% Security)

NATO Member States  2035 Spending Breakdown (PPP, Billions of 2025 Int$)

3.5% Core Defence + 1.5% Security & Resilience (Total 5%) Country 2035 PPP GDP ($B) Core Defence (3.5%) Security/Resilience (1.5%) Total (5%) United States $36,590 $1,281 $549 $1,830 Non-U.S. Allies $1,506 $645 $2,151 Germany $6,860 $240 $103 $343 Turkey $5,160 $181 $77 $258 France $5,150 $180 $77 $258 United Kingdom $5,120 $179 $77 $256 Italy $4,030 $141 $60 $202 Spain $3,310 $116 $50 $166 Canada $3,220 $113 $48 $161 Poland $2,660 $93 $40 $133 Netherlands $1,740 $61 $26 $87 Romania $1,240 $43 $19 $62 Belgium $1,020 $36 $15 $51 Sweden $955 $33 $14 $48 Norway $695 $24 $10 $35 Portugal $640 $22 $10 $32 Hungary $595 $21 $9 $30 Greece $570 $20 $9 $28 Denmark $620 $22 $9 $31 Czechia $810 $28 $12 $40 Finland $430 $15 $6 $22 Bulgaria $348 $12 $5 $17 Slovakia $325 $11 $5 $16 Croatia $256 $9 $4 $13 Lithuania $205 $7 $3 $10 Slovenia $152 $5 $2 $8 Latvia $105 $4 $2 $5 Estonia $88 $3 $1 $4 Albania $74 $3 $1 $4 North Macedonia $58 $2 $1 $3 Iceland $37 $1 $1 $2 Luxembourg $124 $4 $2 $6 Montenegro $25 $1 $0 $1

NATO Member States: Projected 2035 PPP GDP (Constant 2025 Int$) Rank Country 2025 Baseline

(Billions Int$) Est. Annual Growth

(202535) 2035 Projection

(Billions Int$) 1 United States $30,615 1.8% $36,590 2 Germany $6,153 1.1% $6,860 3 Turkey $3,766 3.2% $5,160 4 France $4,533 1.3% $5,150 5 United Kingdom $4,454 1.4% $5,120 6 Italy $3,720 0.8% $4,030 7 Spain $2,828 1.6% $3,310 8 Canada $2,722 1.7% $3,220 9 Poland $2,019 2.8% $2,660 10 Netherlands $1,516 1.4% $1,740 11 Romania $926 3.0% $1,240 12 Belgium $899 1.3% $1,020 13 Sweden $799 1.8% $955 14 Czechia $647 2.3% $810 15 Norway $606 1.4% $695 16 Portugal $536 1.8% $640 17 Denmark $533 1.5% $620 18 Hungary $464 2.5% $595 19 Greece $467 2.0% $570 20 Finland $373 1.4% $430 21 Bulgaria $264 2.8% $348 22 Slovakia $257 2.4% $325 23 Croatia $198 2.6% $256 24 Lithuania $165 2.2% $205 25 Slovenia $123 2.1% $152 26 Luxembourg $104 1.8% $124 27 Latvia $83 2.4% $105 28 Estonia $69 2.5% $88 29 Albania $54 3.2% $74 30 North Macedonia $44 2.9% $58 31 Iceland $30 2.2% $37 32 Montenegro $19 3.0% $25

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russo-Ukraine War - 11 December 2025 - Day 1387

Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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 are directing efforts to disrupt the execution of Russian invaders' offensive plans and exhaust their combat potential.

Since the beginning of the day, there have been 165 combat clashes.

The Russian enemy launched one missile and 27 air strikes, used three missiles and dropped 58 controlled air bombs, carried out 2,778 kamikaze drone strikes and 3,510 shells of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

Five attacks of Russian invaders took place in the North Slobozhansky and Kursk directions. The Russian enemy carried out 110 shelling, including eight - from reactive systems of zalpovogo fire.

In the South Slobozhansky direction, five fighting clashes took place in the area of the settlement of Prylipka and towards Izbitsky and Ohrimivka, four fighting clashes are still ongoing.

In the Kupyansky direction, the Russian enemy carried out one attack on the position of Ukrainian troops in the area of Stepova Novoselivka.

In the Lyman direction, Russian troops ten times stormed the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of settlements Novoyegorivka, Grekivka, Deryilove, Kolodyazi, Zarichne and towards Karmazynivka. The three battle clashes continue.

Ukrainian soldiers today repelled five Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Slovak direction. Russian units tried to advance in the areas of Dronivka, Serebryanka and Pereiznogo.

In the kramators komu direction at the moment boezitknen  is not recorded.

In the Konstantinivka direction, the Russian occupiers today stormed the positions of Ukrainian defenders 18 times in the areas of the settlements of Cherbinivka, Pleshiyivka, Oleksandro-Shultine, Ivanopilya, Konstantynivka, Yablunivka, Rusin Yar and towards Sofiyivka.

In the pokrovsky direction, the Russian enemy made 48 attempts to potisnisni Ukrainian units. The greatest activity is observed in the areas of settlements Shahove, Rodinske, Mirnograd, Pokrovsk, Kotline, Udacne, Molodetske and towards Novopavlivka.

According to preliminary calculations, in this direction, Ukrainian soldiers killed 125 and wounded 40 Russian invaders, damaged six vehicles units, destroyed eight unmanned aircraft, six retransmitter antennas, and struck eight invaders' personnel shelters.

In the direction of Oleksandrivsky, theRussian enemy attacked 24 times near the settlements of Green Grove, Sosnivka, Verbove, Privilla, Vishneve, Krasnogirsk, Ribne and Privilne.

In the Gulyaipil direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled three attacks in the area of the settlement of Gulyaipole and towards Dobropyl and Varvarivka.

In the Orihivsky direction, the Russian Zagarbnytskyi troops attacked 16 times the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of the settlements of Mala Tokmachka, Stepovo, Stepnogirsk and towards Primorsky and Novoandriivka.

In the Pridniprovsky direction, one attempt to attack the Russian occupiers failed.

In other directions, significant changes in the environment have not been recorded.

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

The units of the Sever Group of Forces have completed the liberation of Liman (Kharkov region).

Russian troops inflicted losses on the formations of one mechanised brigade, one air assault brigade, one assault regiment of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Alekseyevka, Andreyevka, Novaya Sech, and Kucherovka (Sumy region).

In Kharkov direction, units of one heavy mechanised brigade, one jaeger brigade, two motorised infantry brigades, one assault regiment of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade have been hit near Prilipka, Staritsa, Vilcha, and Volchanskiye Khutora (Kharkov region).

The enemy losses amounted to up to 145 troops, one motor vehicle, one Israeli-made RADA radar station, and one ammunition depot.

Units of the Zapad Group of Forces continue to destroy an enemy group surrounded on the left bank of the Oskol River.

Russian troops engaged manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades of the AFU and one national guard brigade near Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, Boguslavka, Novoplatonovka, Kurilovka (Kharkov region) and Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU lost up to 215 troops, four U.S.-made HMMWV armoured vehicles, and one Canadian-made Senator armoured personnel carrier, 11 motor vehicles, one electronic warfare station, and six ammunition depots.

The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Two mechanised brigades of the AFU were hit near Seversk, Kramatorsk, Stepanovka, and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to more than 120 troops, two armoured personnel carriers, two armoured fighting vehicles, eight motor vehicles, and three ammunition, materiel, and fuel depots.

The Tsentr Group of Forces units continued to neutralise the encircled AFU formations in Vostochny and Zapadny districts of Dimitrov, as well as to mop up the settlements of Svetloye and Grishino (Donetsk People's Republic).

The Group's inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of four mechanised brigades, one jaeger brigade, two air assault brigades, three assault regiments of the AFU, two marine brigades, one territorial defence brigade, and two national guard brigades near Toretskoye, Rodinskoye, Krasnoyarskoye, Svetloye, Shevchenko, Belitskoye, Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Novopodgorodnoye, and Novopavlovka (Dnepropetrovsk region).

The AFU losses amounted to more than 415 troops, one Swedish-made Viking armoured personnel carrier, two armoured fighting vehicles, and three pickup trucks.

The Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defence. Russian troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, two assault brigades, two assault regiments of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Ternovatoye, Kosovtsevo, Varvarovka, Gulyaypole (Zaporozhye region) and Andreyevka (Dnepropetrovsk region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 235 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, 18 motor vehicles, and two field artillery guns.

Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on units of one mechanised brigade and two coastal defence brigades of the AFU close to Nikolskoye and Ponyatovka (Kherson region).

More than 50 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, 13 motor vehicles, three artillery guns, including two U.S.-made M777 howitzers, one electronic warfare station, and two ammunition and materiel depots have been neutralised.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, missile troops and artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have inflicted damage on energy and fuel facilities used by the AFU, as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 152 areas.

Air defence systems shot down ten U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, one Neptune long-range missile, and 396 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Black Sea Fleet destroyed one AFU uncrewed surface vehicle in the central part of the Black Sea.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 669 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 101,909 unmanned aerial vehicles, 639 anti-aircraft missile systems, 26,495 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,628 MLRS fighting vehicles, 31,844 field artillery guns and mortars, and 48,815 special military vehicles have been neutralised.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






EU-UK: Third Cyber Dialogue, reinforcing their collaboration on cybersecurity

European External Action Service (EEAS)

11.12.2025

Brussels, Belgium

EEAS Press Team

On 9 and 10 December, the European Union and the United Kingdom held their third Cyber Dialogue in Brussels, as set out under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

During the dialogue, the EU and UK exchanged views on the evolving cyber threat landscape, as well as discussed ways to strengthen cybersecurity capacity and deter malicious cyber activity. Both partners shared updates on policy and regulatory developments, as well as on mechanisms for cybersecurity crisis coordination. Discussions also covered efforts to counter cybercrime, including ransomware, a malicious attack that locks data and demands payment to unlock it.

The dialogue also addressed how to enhance accountability and promote responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, including in the context of ongoing discussions at the United Nations.

The EU and UK agreed to hold the next dialogue in 2026 in London.

The Cyber Dialogue was co-chaired by Maciej Stadejek, Director for Security and Defence Policy at the EEAS, and Christiane Kirketerp de Viron, Acting Director for Cybersecurity and Trust at the European Commission, on the EU side, and Andrew Whittaker, Cyber Director at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, as well as Irfan Hemani, Deputy Director for Cyber Security and Policy in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, on the UK's side.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Trump Gold Card

The Trump Gold Card Program represents a paradigmatic shift in United States immigration policy, transitioning from traditional family-based or lottery-based systems toward a merit and capital-based framework. Officially launched in December 2025 following the signing of Executive Order 14351 in September 2025, the program offers an expedited pathway to Permanent Residency (Green Card) and potential citizenship for high-net-worth individuals and corporate-sponsored talents.

Unlike the EB-5 Investor Visa, which requires at-risk capital investment in commercial enterprises with job creation mandates, the Gold Card program utilizes a direct financial contribution model to the United States Treasury. This structure is designed to eliminate investment risk for the applicant while providing immediate, tangible liquidity to the federal government to reduce national debt and fund infrastructure projects.

The program is administered through the newly launched portal, trumpcard.gov , and is currently capped at an initial issuance of 80,000 visas. It targets two primary demographics: wealthy individual investors seeking residency without commercial management burdens, and multinational corporations seeking to retain top-tier global talent without the uncertainties of the H-1B lottery system.

2. Program Structure and Tiers

The Gold Card framework is divided into distinct tiers, each tailored to specific applicant needs. As of the December 2025 launch, the Individual and Corporate Gold Cards are active, while the Platinum Card remains a proposed enhancement under review.

A. The Individual Gold Card

The flagship offering of the program is the Individual Gold Card. This visa grants the holder Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status, commonly known as a Green Card. It is designed for high-net-worth individuals who wish to bypass the multi-year waiting lists associated with traditional employment-based visas.

Financial Requirement: A one-time, non-refundable donation ("gift") of $1,000,000 (USD) to the U.S. Treasury.

A one-time, non-refundable donation ("gift") of to the U.S. Treasury. Processing Fee: A non-refundable application fee of $15,000 payable to the Department of Homeland Security upon registration.

A non-refundable application fee of payable to the Department of Homeland Security upon registration. Benefits: Immediate permanent residency for the principal applicant, spouse, and unmarried children under 21. Expedited adjudication of citizenship applications (naturalization) after the statutory waiting period (typically 5 years).

Immediate permanent residency for the principal applicant, spouse, and unmarried children under 21. Expedited adjudication of citizenship applications (naturalization) after the statutory waiting period (typically 5 years). Eligibility: Applicants must pass rigorous background checks (criminal and security vetting) and demonstrate that their funds originate from lawful sources. While the program leverages the EB-1 and EB-2 legal frameworks, the financial contribution is accepted as "evidence of exceptional ability" and "substantial national benefit."

B. The Corporate Gold Card

Recognizing the needs of the American business sector, the Corporate Gold Card allows U.S. companies to secure permanent residency for key employees. This solves the "talent drain" issue where foreign graduates of U.S. universities are forced to leave due to visa caps.

Financial Requirement: A contribution of $2,000,000 (USD) paid by the sponsoring corporation.

A contribution of paid by the sponsoring corporation. Transferability: A unique feature of the Corporate Gold Card is its transferability. If the sponsored employee leaves the company, the corporation retains the "slot" and can transfer the visa status to another qualified employee for a nominal administrative fee, subject to new security vetting.

A unique feature of the Corporate Gold Card is its transferability. If the sponsored employee leaves the company, the corporation retains the "slot" and can transfer the visa status to another qualified employee for a nominal administrative fee, subject to new security vetting. Strategic Advantage: Companies can use this to bypass the H-1B lottery and the PERM labor certification process, ensuring immediate retention of critical staff.

C. The Proposed Platinum Card

Though not fully implemented in the initial December 2025 rollout, the administration has outlined a "Platinum" tier. This ultra-exclusive status is targeted at the global ultra-wealthy.

Proposed Cost: $5,000,000 (USD).

$5,000,000 (USD). Proposed Benefits: In addition to residency, Platinum holders would reportedly be permitted to reside in the U.S. for up to 270 days per year without becoming tax residents on their worldwide income, a significant deviation from standard U.S. tax law which generally taxes LPRs on global income. Note: This provision faces potential legal and congressional hurdles regarding tax code amendments.

3. Application Protocol and Vetting

The application process for the Trump Gold Card is designed to be streamlined yet secure. The administration has emphasized "extreme vetting" to ensure that the accelerated path does not compromise national security.

Step-by-Step Application Process Digital Registration: Applicants must create a profile on the official portal, trumpcard.gov . Fee Payment: Submission of the non-refundable $15,000 processing fee via credit card or ACH transfer. This triggers the initial file creation. Form I-140G Submission: Applicants file the specific "Immigrant Petition for Gold Card Program" (Form I-140G) with USCIS. This form requires detailed biographical data and proof of funds. Security Vetting: DHS conducts a comprehensive background check, including biometrics, international criminal database queries, and financial source tracing. Conditional Approval & Donation: Upon passing vetting, the applicant receives a "Notice of Intent to Grant." At this stage, the $1,000,000 (or $2,000,000) contribution must be wire-transferred to the designated U.S. Treasury account. Issuance: Once funds are verified, the Gold Card (Permanent Resident Card) is issued. The physical card features a distinct gold hue and presidential branding to distinguish it from standard Green Cards.

4. Comparative Analysis: Gold Card vs. EB-5

Many prospective applicants compare the Trump Gold Card to the existing EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. While both cater to wealthy individuals, the mechanics differ fundamentally.

Feature Trump Gold Card EB-5 Investor Visa Financial Commitment $1M Donation (Gift) $800k - $1.05M Investment Return of Capital None (Non-refundable) Potential return of principal after 5-7 years Risk Profile Zero commercial risk "At-risk" requirement (money can be lost) Job Creation No direct requirement Must create 10 full-time U.S. jobs Processing Time Expedited (Weeks/Months) Lengthy (Years) Certainty Guaranteed upon vetting & payment Contingent on business success & USCIS adjudication

The Gold Card is viewed as a "premium" option for those who prioritize speed and certainty over the potential (but not guaranteed) return of capital associated with EB-5. It effectively monetizes the desirability of U.S. residency directly for the government's benefit.

5. Legislative and Legal Context

The program's authority rests on Executive Order 14351, signed by President Donald Trump on September 19, 2025. The Order directs the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a mechanism for accepting "unrestricted gifts" to the United States and using the existing discretion within the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to classify such donors as individuals of "national interest."

Legal Challenges

Legal experts note that while the President has broad authority over immigration enforcement, the creation of a "pay-to-play" visa without explicit new congressional legislation relies on aggressive interpretations of existing "National Interest Waiver" statutes. Critics argue that selling residency is a power reserved for Congress. However, the administration argues that because the applicants must still meet admissibility standards and the funds benefit the Treasury, it falls within executive discretion to prioritize these applicants.

Tax Implications

Under current law, all holders of U.S. Permanent Residency (Green Cards) are considered "U.S. Persons" for tax purposes. This means Gold Card holders are liable for U.S. federal income tax on their worldwide income, regardless of where they live. The administration has hinted at future changes (the "Platinum" proposal) to amend this for the highest tier of donors, but as of late 2025, standard tax rules apply to Gold Card holders.

6. Economic Rationale

The administration has framed the Gold Card as a dual-purpose economic tool:

Debt Reduction: Proceeds from the $1 million contributions are deposited directly into the general fund of the Treasury, theoretically offsetting national debt or funding border security and infrastructure without raising domestic taxes.

Proceeds from the $1 million contributions are deposited directly into the general fund of the Treasury, theoretically offsetting national debt or funding border security and infrastructure without raising domestic taxes. Talent Retention: By allowing corporations to buy residency for employees, the U.S. aims to stop the "reverse brain drain" where skilled workers return to India, China, or Europe due to visa bottlenecks.

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I finance the $1 million donation?

A: The U.S. government requires the funds to be available immediately upon approval. While the government does not regulate how you obtain the funds (provided they are lawful), the payment must be a lump sum transfer. There are no government-sponsored payment plans.

Q: Does the Gold Card guarantee citizenship?

A: It guarantees Permanent Residency (Green Card). Citizenship is a separate process (Naturalization) that typically requires holding a Green Card for 5 years (or 3 years if married to a U.S. citizen), demonstrating good moral character, and passing civics exams. The Gold Card expedites the entry to this path but does not waive the statutory residency requirements for naturalization.

Q: What happens if my application is denied after I pay the $15,000 fee?

A: The $15,000 processing fee is strictly non-refundable. It covers the administrative costs of the background checks and adjudication. The $1,000,000 donation, however, is only requested after conditional approval is granted, so you do not lose the large sum if denied during vetting.

Q: Is the program open to all nationalities?

A: Generally, yes. However, citizens of countries designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism or those under specific travel bans may be ineligible. The vetting process is nationality-neutral but security-focused.

Q: Can I work for any employer with the Individual Gold Card?

A: Yes. The Individual Gold Card grants unrestricted work authorization. You may work for any employer, start your own business, or choose not to work at all. The Corporate Gold Card, however, is tied to the sponsoring company until the employee converts to an individual status or naturalizes.

Q: How does this affect the H-1B visa?

A: The Corporate Gold Card is intended to alleviate pressure on the H-1B system. By moving high-value employees directly to Green Cards via the Gold Card route, companies free up H-1B slots for other workers. It serves as a "fast lane" alternative for critical talent.

8. Glossary of Terms

Alien: Any person not a citizen or national of the United States. Beneficiary: The alien for whom the visa petition is filed (the person receiving the Gold Card). Petitioner: The individual or entity filing the request (the applicant themselves for Individual cards, or the company for Corporate cards). Adjustment of Status: The process of changing from a non-immigrant status (e.g., tourist, student) to permanent resident status while inside the U.S. Priority Date: The date the petition is filed. For Gold Card applicants, priority dates are "current," meaning there is no backlog wait time once approved.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Saltzman lauds Guardians, Space Force progress at Spacepower 2025

United States Space Force

Published Dec. 11, 2025

By Staff Sgt. Emmeline James

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

ORLANDO, Fla. (AFNS) -- Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman outlined the Space Force's progress and priorities during a keynote address at the Space Force Association's Spacepower Conference, Dec. 10, describing how the service has grown into a combat-credible component of the joint force in its first six years.

Saltzman opened by thanking the Space Force Association for its support and recognizing Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink for attending the conference. He noted the importance of having Guardians and senior leaders together to reflect on the service's progress.

As the Space Force marks the end of its sixth year, Saltzman said Guardians continued to demonstrate readiness and professionalism across every mission area. "The Space Force stands ready with highly skilled Guardians and cutting-edge capabilities to fight and win our nation's wars and to guarantee the American way of life," he said.

Throughout the address, Saltzman emphasized the central role Guardians play in the service's success. He recognized several individuals and teams for achievements across training, operations and innovation, including the winners of the 2025 Space Force Artificial Intelligence Challenge.

He also announced the naming of two Space Force weapon systemsUrsa Major and Bifrostselected through a Guardian-driven effort to strengthen operational identity and culture. At this time, Guardians are continuing the process to assign common names to more Space Force weapon systems. Saltzman said building and sustaining that readiness begins with a clear design for how the force must operate.

Saltzman also emphasized the growing role of allies and partners in the Space Force's force design and operational planning. The release of the International Partnership Strategy and the integration of international participants in major exercises reflect that shift. He pointed to Resolute Space 25an exercise involving more than 700 Guardians across 55 locationsas a key demonstration of combined readiness.

Turning to force development, Saltzman said 2025 brought significant advances in preparing Guardians for both current and emerging threats. He cited the graduation of the first Officer Training Course class, expanded academic partnerships, space-specific enlisted development and continued investment in civilian education. "We needed a new category of Guardians: multi-disciplinary critical thinkers, ready to deliver combat wins at the pace of the threat," he said.

Saltzman also addressed efforts to accelerate the delivery of space capabilities. With support from the Secretary of the Air Force, the Space Force is leading the way on the Department of War's commitment to modernizing and streaming acquisitions processes to outpace threats and empower warfighters.

He noted that organizational change is also reshaping how the service generates forces. The transition of Space Operations Command to Combat Forces Command, he said, represents a major shift toward training and employing units as combat formations with dedicated readiness cycles. "Our combat space forces are better prepared, fully integrated and ready to respond to any threats to our missions," he said.

In closing, Saltzman encouraged Guardians to continue communicating the importance of space operations to the American public. "Our work can sometimes feel invisible," he said. "But we provide vital capabilities that enable our security and our way of life. The nation is counting on us."

Saltzman said the service is prepared to meet future demands. "It's clear that the U.S. Space Force is not just a participant in the joint fight," he said. "We are vital to our nation's security, and essential to the American way of life."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Press conference - Canberra

Transcript

Thursday 11 December 2025

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

The Hon Anthony Albanese MP

Prime Minister of Australia

The Hon Anika Wells MP

Minister for Communications

Minister for Sport

ANIKA WELLS, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS: Well, bright new morning in Australia as we have delivered our world-leading laws, and I think it's pretty clear overnight that the world is watching. We have had huge global interest in how we are delivering a law that is not just I think a moral imperative, one of the defining issues of our time, but a law that is novel, complex, innovative. So, there's been a huge amount of global interest and we welcome it. And we welcome all of the allies who are joining Australia to take action in this space, to draw a line, to say enough's enough. So, what it looks like from here? We have met this morning with some great students here at St John Paul II College, I think Lucy, Caleb, Shantel, and Alex, and their teacher Jenna. Jenna is focused on learning and education and reading. There's a focus here on literacy and making sure that the focus isn't on how you utilise the device, but how you can read and write.

And that's why we're really proud that part of the work we're doing in rolling out these laws is in conjunction with the Library Information Association, a programme rolling out across the summer, for 115 public libraries so that kids off their devices can go somewhere in the real world, connect, learn, develop new skills, forge new real-world connections.

So, while that happens today, the eSafety Commissioner will write to all 10 platforms who are considered age-restricted social media platforms, and she will ask them, as you've heard me say, 'what were your numbers that are under 16 accounts on the 9th of December? What are your numbers today on the 11th of December?' She'll then ask every month for an update on those numbers and she will be giving you an update on that before Christmas, before more nuanced information across the New Year.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much and can I thank the Principal, teacher and students here at St John Paul II College. This is one of the schools where discussions will be taking place today between teachers and students about the impact of this social media ban. Just as this morning over brekkie, and yesterday morning in particular, parents would've been having discussions with their sons and daughters about the impact of this ban. One of the things that the Principal just said to me as well, which is a truism, is that for those who are 13, 14, or 15, this will have an impact. And we heard that from some of the students today, some of their accounts already being removed, some of them to be removed, the discussions that's taking place. But for the generations to come in this world-leading reform, they won't have that discussion because they won't have anything that they've been using taken from them, and so their of growing into adulthood will be very different.

For this school from next year, Year 7, devices will be banned, full stop. That's the sort of thing that is happening right around the country. Because what we know is that you get better educational outcomes, you get better behaviour, you get better social interaction when students aren't subject to looking at their devices constantly, when they're actually talking as humans with human interaction with each other, when they're engaging more in sport and other activities. We know that social media is causing social harm, and one of the issues that I as Prime Minister get all the time is asked about questions of national security. There is nothing more important than keeping our young Australians safe now and into the future. And what this will do is make sure that parents are empowered, that teachers can have those discussions, that we actually have that personal interaction as we go forward to keep our children safe and to give parents greater peace of mind as well.

Importantly, as we saw yesterday, this is not a reform that has come from the top down. This is not Government making a decision and then imposing our will. This is something that has come in particular from parents. Yesterday we heard from Wayne Holsworth at Kirribilli House who lost his son Mac. This is parents who've lost a son or daughter who have taken that tragic circumstance and channelled it into being determined to make sure that other parents don't have to go through that personal hardship and tragedy, which is beyond imagination for every parent, to think about those circumstances.

So, this is world-leading. Yesterday I did interviews with Japanese TV, with CNN, with BBC, and with other international platforms. They are all looking at this. World leaders have been in contact as well. They're all engaged as well. We know that Malaysia will introduce reforms on 1 January. Indonesia is introducing reforms. The European Union is engaged in this, as well as actions in some of the US states in North America. So, this is a big deal.

This is Australia leading the world as we have in so many other areas, and that's why I see it as a source of national pride. This is a national journey that we're embarking upon here, in the interests of this, but importantly as well in the interests of future generations.

I do want to give a shout out, finally, to a couple of the campaigns. The Let Kids Be Kids Campaign and the 36 Months campaign. They're run by media organisations who partnered with their listeners, viewers, their people in life, and given them a voice, and that's been an important part of making sure this reform would happen. Happy to take some questions.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you have any concerns about the United States announcing that it will screen the social media history of Australian visitors?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, the United States, like Australia, is a sovereign nation. They have a right to set the rules which are there, and we give advice on Smartraveller to Australians travelling to destinations overseas about what are the expectations of particular countries, for the United States or other nations as well. So, we comply with laws. This is a decision that the United States is making. We recognise that and just say to Australians, whether it is travel there or the other work that we've done, aiming at young people a bit older than the cohort we're talking about today, about some of the risks in drinks and various other activities as well. We'll continue to update those websites.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Energy Market Commission has done a pricing review. They've recommended getting rid of something called loyalty taxes, essentially where customers who stay with a particular energy provider for longer end up paying more for the same plan as new customers, because they get a new sign-on bonus. Is getting rid of a loyalty tax so that more people pay less something that your Government would consider?

PRIME MINISTER: We'll consider anything that will assist consumers in this area. I haven't seen the report, so I'm not going to comment specifically on it, but obviously we need to make sure that consumers can get the best price for any product including energy. And one of the reasons why we've done that middle-of-the-day free four hours [SolarSaver] is looking at making sure that people can benefit. And in addition to that, of course, a very successful program it must be said, is the program of batteries rollout. More than 150,000 Australians have benefited, taking the solar panels and their roofs, conserving that energy and therefore really driving down bills. That's been a much more successful program than we anticipated.

JOURNALIST: Thanks, Prime Minister. Why won't you tighten the rules on MPs' travel to ensure they better the community expectations?

PRIME MINISTER: We have, of course, IPEA, an Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority. That was established in the wake of Sussan Ley's multiple visits to the Gold Coast and the purchase of property on the Gold Coast. They were put in place, we certainly would take advice which is there, but I think it's important just, like the Tribunal setting our wages, that I don't influence that from the top. And it's important -

JOURNALIST: But the guidelines are in legislation, Prime Minister. You voted for them.

PRIME MINISTER: We voted for them, that was introduced under the former Coalition Government, they were adopted unanimously.

JOURNALIST: And it codifies the rules?

PRIME MINISTER: They were adopted unanimously in the Parliament. We will always of course, examine, we're aware that issues are there and that taxpayers have a right to expect value for money. But the rules are there and so Minister Wells has referred herself to IPEA to examine the specifics of her travel. We'll await any recommendations.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Australia's recorded the highest number of deaths in custody of First Nations people since 1979. Will your Government commit to additional mental health funding and will you speak to states and territories about expediting the removal of hanging points to reduce self-harm?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, on the latter point, we've always engaged with states and territories about the responsibilities that they have to fulfil the recommendations that were there from the Royal Commission. That is a decision, of course, of states and territories. We can't impose, under our federal system, our will always on states and territories. You might've noticed there are differences from time to time. But I think that is a recommendation that certainly should be implemented in terms of states and territories, and I call upon them to do so. When it comes to mental health, we have a range of mental health programs rolling out. We have record funding from mental health, including whether it be youth mental health programs or whether it be the Medicare Mental Health Centres as well, where people can get the healthcare that they need with just their Medicare card as well.

JOURNALIST: Minister Wells, why did you decide to fit out your office when you had the Commonwealth Office nearby and do you believe that met community expectations?

MINISTER WELLS: We moved my office because the one that I inherited when I took the role wasn't wheelchair accessible to the standard the community expected.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on, you mentioned value for taxpayers' money. Is it reasonable in your opinion that Ministers or senior politicians have unlimited travel expenses, travel entitlements for their spouses? Is it reasonable that ministers have unlimited travel expenses for spouses?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, these are rules that have been set for some period of time, the rules that are in place in terms of family reunion, to enable people to actually engage with their partners. So, they've been in place for some time and we haven't changed the rules. We haven't added to any entitlements. The rules have been there since they were put in place by the former government.

JOURNALIST: On that point about the unlimited travel for spouses, that is set out in a list of regulations that is issued by the Finance Minister. That is something that could be changed without legislation. It could be changed by a regulation by the Finance Minister. That could be done today, done tomorrow. Do you believe that is appropriate? Do you believe that meets community expectations, for politicians' spouses to have - it does say, 'relevantly unlimited in respect of total expenses claimable each year.' Do you believe that meets community standards?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, you're saying relevantly. Are you reading me out the -

JOURNALIST: Yeah, I'm reading you out, it says -

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I haven't changed the rule.

JOURNALIST: But you could.

PRIME MINISTER: I haven't changed the rule -

JOURNALIST: But you could.

PRIME MINISTER: I'm not the Finance Minister. I haven't changed the rule.

JOURNALIST: On this issue of the travel requirements and arrangements, I've heard you say again today, this was put in place by the previous government. Do you acknowledge that the fact is these sorts of arrangements that have gone back to Federation, when spouses were given a free rail pass? These rules were created by politicians for politicians and if there is a community disquiet about them, it is politicians that have to do something about it. I mean, you're running the country. Do you think there should be a review to see if these arrangements are in line with community expectations?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, community expectations are important, but one of the things that has of course occurred is that the Parliament in 2025 looks different from the Parliament in which I was elected. I've said before. My predecessor as the Member for Grayndler, Jeannette McHugh, was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives. She was elected in 1983 for the first time. For 83 years, our Parliament elected what were largely older, male, all male, every seat, Labor, Liberal, Country Party, UAP, Protectionist. Every single electorate in New South Wales elected a bloke. The distinction, when my son was a bub, as some of you would know him for all of that time, he turned 25 on Monday. I used to bring him down to Parliament when Parliament sat, that made it possible for me to do my job when he was a bub. So, the travel included that to occur before he started school.

JOURNALIST: [CROSSTALK] the historic nature of this and whether it's up to you to act upon it?

PRIME MINISTER: They are historic and every now and again what you see is issues arise. What I've been focused on this week, to be frank, is one of the biggest reforms that we will do in the entire time that we're in office. That has been totally my focus. My focus is not on entitlements and the Finance Minister's rules. To be frank, my focus has been on this. I'm aware that this is an issue and of course community expectations are important.

JOURNALIST: Does that mean you think the rules are appropriate?

JOURNALIST: Just a question on travel spending in the APS, outside of your Ministers. Agencies have been told to cut their travel spending so you can find savings to balance the Budget for MYEFO next week. We heard some examples and estimates of questionable spending, tens of thousands for an EA to go and scope out hotels, annual reports show senior bureaucrats are spending millions of dollars a year and largely flying business class. Is it time to tighten up the rules for travel in the APS and why don't you make all bureaucrats fly economy on flights under three hours, as recommended by a review that found this to save $4 million a year?

PRIME MINISTER: I haven't seen the review, but certainly people should look for value for money at all times.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you confident that Minister Wells didn't arrange her 40th birthday celebrations in Sydney, which you attended in August, around or before her ministerial duties that she had that weekend?

PRIME MINISTER: It was a ministerial council meeting. A ministerial council meeting brings Ministers from every state and territory. It was an energy ministers' meeting that had communications attached to it. So yes, absolutely I am, because ministerial council meetings are held face-to-face, like we have whenever possible. Ministerial council meetings, I've been to many of them over six years and been to a few National Cabinet meetings as well. It's always better to do it face-to-face. It produced a communique at that time as well.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the health ministers are meeting tomorrow. A final offer was put on the table last night. Tim Nicholls just got up. Queensland Parliament called it underwhelming, said it didn't meet the requirements of Queenslanders who'd been hoping for a Christmas gift, but instead heard from the Grinch. What's your response to that and is there anything more you can put on the table to make the state and territory leaders come to the table?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll make this point to Minister Nicholls, is it? And the Queensland Government. What's happened when they've written to me, is I've read about it in the paper first. I wrote to them in good faith. You didn't get a drop of the letter. That's how negotiations happen. If the Queensland Government is serious about actually getting a breakthrough, they'll act in a mature way and engage in response to the letter that I sent in good faith.

In 2023, the deal that was on the table was for an additional $13 billion of additional money. Given Minister Nicholls' statements, what we have on the table is an additional $10 billion on top of that. So, $23 billion. That's on top of the 6.5 per cent increase in health. Now, Minister Nicholls has one job, to run public hospitals in Queensland. If he thinks that the one job that his job as Health Minister is to somehow deflect to the Commonwealth when we are on top of that, on top of that, providing additional funding for health and hospitals in Queensland.

We provided additional funding in the last year. In addition to that as well, we have provided for the fair proportion of the 137 additional Urgent Care Clinics that we have opened up since we committed to do that.

This morning I was in the electorate of Grayndler in Marrickville opening an Urgent Care Clinic, one of four that have opened this week in Sydney. They are opening around Queensland, including in regional Queensland. Over coming weeks they have been regularly being opened up and what they are doing is taking pressure off the emergency departments of hospitals.

The other thing I will point out to Minister Nicholls is that the $8.5 billion, this is all on top of the 6.5 per cent, on top of the $23 billion, on top of the 137 Urgent Care Clinics, is the $8.5 billion for the tripling of the Bulk Billing Incentive. What that has seen already, in October there were 7 million bulk billed visits to GPs. In November, 11 million visits to bulk billing GPs - a jump from where it was before. 4 million visits additional as a direct result of the investment.

Now Mr Nicholls has one job, he should do it and not try to use what was a letter in good faith to him. I'm surprised that that is the response. I wrote to them yesterday, it arose from the meeting that we had yesterday with Minister Butler and our processes. We had a meeting yesterday as well of the appropriate body. And so I just say to Premiers, if they want to conduct a debate through the media, well that's up to them, but they should engage in good faith. If not, the Commonwealth does have other options.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I just ask about the sentiment you just shared that the current expenses regime allows more women to serve in Parliament, that you know, Parliament should be a welcoming place to women. How does that sentiment square with your government's refusal to acknowledge that two judges have now found that Fiona Brown and Linda Reynolds were falsely accused of covering up a rape claim and your government's refusal to apologies to them?

PRIME MINISTER: There's a process where one of those people who is currently taking action against the Commonwealth. Therefore, the protection of the Commonwealth means that I don't intend to comment on that.

I will say that this arose out of an issue where a judge has found that a young woman who was a Liberal Party staffer was, on the balance of all likelihood, and that was reinforced by a second case recently, was raped by another Liberal Party staff member in the office of the Defence Minister in Parliament House.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the taxpayer entitlements using taxpayer money for MPs. Are you happy with the rules to stay as they are?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, the rules have been set -

JOURNALIST: But are you happy for them to stay?

PRIME MINISTER: The rules have been set by the former Government. They were set in the wake of an issue of Sussan Ley and her expenditure.

JOURNALIST: And you have no plans to change them?

PRIME MINISTER: What I'm focused on today is an issue which is a revolution. This issue is, you will talk about for a lot longer than you talk about the issues which you are raising, which I accept are legitimate to be raised. I've answered multiple questions on it today.

JOURNALIST: And there has been nothing in your answer to suggest you are interested in changing the rules?

PRIME MINISTER: I am focused, what I have said very clearly is what I am focused on. I'm focused on one of the biggest reforms, when you look back and, you'll be able to write a book maybe on the period of the Labor Government. When you look back and you look at what are the five biggest things that we did, I tell you what, this will be one of them and that's what makes me proud. Thanks very much.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ghost Bat hits the mark mid-air

By Squadron Leader Chris Moon

12 December 2025

The Australian designed and manufactured MQ-28A Ghost Bat achieved another major milestone, becoming one of the first collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to successfully engage an aerial target with a live weapon.

The landmark test involved an MQ-28A Ghost Bat launching an AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missile against an Australian designed and manufactured Phoenix Jet uncrewed aerial target.

The MQ-28A Ghost Bat engaged and destroyed the airborne target while operating as a loyal wingman to a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail over the Woomera Test Range in South Australia.

Wing Commander Phillip Parsons, Detachment Commander Combined Experimental Operation Flight, said the trial was significant for two reasons.

"It proves that the MQ-28A is a world-leading CCA capability, and it demonstrates that the project is on time, and importantly, on target," Wing Commander Parsons said.

"The combined team took the concept of a weapon shot from idea to execution in just nine months."

Armament technician Sergeant James Howitt said he was proud to be a part of the support team that loaded the AIM-120 missile onto the aircraft.

"This is a first for Air Force and one of the first times it's been done anywhere in the world," Sergeant Howitt said.

Sergeant Howitt drew on his experience loading the F/A-18F Super Hornet while working on the MQ-28A Ghost Bat.

"It's a lot lower than a Super Hornet and we've had to develop new procedures to lift the AIM-120 onto the aircraft," he said.

"I'm used to working with a pilot and doing checks in the cockpit, so it's different in that way too, but we adapted to it quickly."

Investment in uncrewed and autonomous systems is a key priority of the 2024 National Defence Strategy.

Collaborative combat aircraft like the MQ-28A Ghost Bat deliver asymmetric surveillance and strike capabilities, increasing the lethality and survivability of existing crewed platforms.

The increased investment in autonomous collaborative platform capabilities also grows sovereign industry capability for Australia.

Wing Commander Parsons said teamwork was key to the success of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat - the first military aircraft designed in Australia in more than 50 years.

"No one group could have completed this on their own," Wing Commander Parsons said.

"Working together with our allies and industry partners is what made it possible."

The missile demonstration was a collaborative effort by Boeing Defence Australia, the Royal Australian Air Force, Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, and Defence Science and Technology Group, leveraging the support of foreign stakeholders including the United States Navy and Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, Raytheon and other industry partners.

The MQ-28A Ghost Bat project supports more than 440 high-skilled jobs nationwide, including those employed at Boeing Defence Australia and more than 200 Australian suppliers.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China 800kg-class heavy-lift eVTOL AR-E800 completes maiden flight

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 11, 2025 12:20 PM

China's first domestically developed 800-kilogram-class heavy-lift electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the AR-E800 successfully completed its maiden flight in Jingdezhen city, East China's Jiangxi Province, on Wednesday, marking the debut of a new intelligent heavy-load transport platform in the country's low-altitude logistics sector, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Thursday.

Developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the AR-E800 heavy-lift eVTOL UAV features a quick-release multifunctional cargo bay, enabling it to flexibly switch between internal cargo and external sling transport modes. With a maximum mission payload of 300 kilograms, it can deliver equipment to high-altitude stations, perform engineering operations in complex terrain, and support missions such as tourist-site supply transport and emergency material delivery, the Science and Technology Daily reported.

On Wednesday afternoon, the AR-E800 heavy-lift UAV completed a roughly four-minute flawless maiden flight, performing takeoff, hover, turns, and forward and backward maneuvers before safely landing at the designated airport area. Despite a total weight of up to 800 kilograms including payload, the aircraft demonstrated notable agility.

The AR-E800 is AVIC's first commercially oriented eVTOL. From the outset of the project, the joint design team conducted in-depth market research, focusing on general aviation scenarios such as mountainous power grid tower construction, infrastructure hoisting work, and fresh produce transport. Based on these requirements, the UAV was built with a multi-rotor configuration and a modular design.

The commercial potential of the AR-E800 has already been validated. At the 7th China Helicopter Exposition held in Tianjin in October, the UAV secured 160 confirmed and intention orders thanks to its precise market positioning and reliable industrial design, making it one of the exposition's "signing stars." These orders span general aviation operations, power systems, and infrastructure engineering, underscoring its wide application prospects, the Science and Technology Daily reproted.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China firmly opposes US Congressional annual report on HK and Macao SARs, urges it to stop interfere in China's internal affairs

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 11, 2025 09:30 PM

In response to the so-called annual report issued by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), which slanders China extensively, including smearing the "One Country, Two Systems" principle in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and its state of democracy, freedom, and human rights, attacking the National Security Law in Hong Kong and law enforcement actions by the Hong Kong police, pleading for anti-China and destabilizing elements in Hong Kong, and clamoring for sanctions against Hong Kong, grossly interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs, spokespersons from both Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR expressed firm opposition and severe condemnation on Thursday.

There is no universally applicable standard for democracy in the world; only democracy that suits a country's actual conditions can be considered good democracy. Any unbiased observer can see that since Hong Kong's return, the "One Country, Two Systems" institutional framework has been continuously refined, achieving globally recognized successes, the spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong SAR said.

Hong Kong residents now enjoy unprecedented protection of their democratic rights, freedoms, and human rights. The National Security Law in Hong Kong fully respects and safeguards human rights, providing a solid foundation for the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. The recent successful election of the eighth Legislative Council saw fierce competition among candidates from diverse backgrounds, sectors, and industries, fully reflecting broad representativeness, political inclusiveness, balanced participation, and fair competition. This demonstrates a new landscape of high-quality democracy that aligns with Hong Kong's actual conditions, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson emphasized that Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law, where everyone is equal before the law.

The spokesperson pointed out that some US politicians, despite ignoring their own country's dismal record on democracy, freedom, human rights, and social turmoil, still presume to lecture Hong Kong as self-appointed "preachers." This is a shameful act. While these politicians pay lip service to the "rule of law," they blatantly interfere in Hong Kong's judicial processes, revealing their hypocritical "double standards" and exposing their malicious intent to undermine Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, the spokesperson said.

We warn these politicians that Hong Kong has embarked on a broad path from stability to prosperity. Attempting to negate the successful practice of "One Country, Two Systems" in Hong Kong through so-called reports is nothing but wishful thinking. Any scheme to smear or interfere in Hong Kong will meet with resolute and forceful countermeasures and is doomed to fail, the spokesperson said.

On the same day, the spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macao SAR also issued a statement, noting that since Macao's return to the motherland, the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" with Macao characteristics has achieved tremendous success, ushering in the best period of development in its history. The sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security among Macao residents has significantly increased. Any scheme to defame or undermine Macao's prosperity and stability will never succeed.

The days when the US could arbitrarily interfere in the internal affairs of other countries are long gone, the spokesperson said, who also urged the US to recognize the facts, engage in self-reflection, and immediately cease all forms of interference in Macao affairs and China's internal affairs.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China strongly condemns, firmly opposes EU statement on China-related human rights issues: FM spokesperson

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 11, 2025 05:59 PM

The statement issued by the EU Delegation to China represents a mischaracterization of facts, a deliberate vilification of China's human rights situation with false accusation and disinformation, a gross interference in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty, and a severe violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday in response to a statement issued by the EU delegation on the occasion of Human Rights Day 2025. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes that and has made serious demarches to the EU, the spokesperson said.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to promoting and protecting human rights, and has found the path of human rights development that reflects the trend of the times and fits our national realities, the spokesperson continued. China has made historic progress in the human rights cause. It is a simple fact that anyone without bias can see, Guo said.

The affairs related to Xinjiang, Xizang and Hong Kong are China's internal affairs that brook no external interference. China's Xinjiang and Xizang enjoy social stability, economic growth and ethnic solidarity, and the local people now live a better life, the spokesperson said.

The practice of One Country, Two Systems in Hong Kong has been a great success recognized extensively by the world. The people of the Hong Kong SAR enjoy extensive rights and freedoms in accordance with laws. China's Constitution fully protects citizens' freedom of speech and freedom of religious belief. China upholds the rule of law where everyone is equal before the law. Human rights should not be taken as an excuse to escape legal punishment, Guo said.

It must be stressed that the human rights situation has deteriorated in recent years in the EU. Instances of human rights violations abound, including racial discrimination, infringement on the rights of refugees and immigrants, restrictions on freedom of speech, tolerance to hatred towards certain religious groups, judicial unfairness and violence against women, Guo said, noting that the EU turned a blind eye to its own problems while making irresponsible accusations against other countries. However, the world is not blind to hypocrisy and double standard.

The spokesperson also stressed that the EU is not in the position to lecture others on human rights, still less picture itself as the "human rights defender."

We strongly urge the EU to take a harder look at itself, respect basic facts, view China's achievements on human rights in an objective manner, stop its megaphone diplomacy, stop politicizing human rights issues and using them as a tool, and stop interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights, Guo said.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China to work with ASEAN to align development strategies, resist unilateral bullying: Chinese FM

Global Times

By Xinhua Published: Dec 12, 2025 07:46 AM

China regards ASEAN as its closest cooperation partner and is ready to continue providing mutual support and trust with ASEAN, align development strategies, create cooperation highlights, uphold open regionalism, pursue true multilateralism, resist any form of unilateral bullying and Cold War mentality, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Brunei's second minister of foreign affairs, that China and ASEAN can jointly act as an important force for regional prosperity and stability.

Noting that the next year will mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Wang said China is willing to take the important consensus reached by the two heads of state as the fundamental guideline, maintain high-level exchanges with Brunei, enhance strategic communication, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination, and take new steps in building a China-Brunei community with a shared future.

Wang elaborated on China's principled position on the Taiwan question, and on the grave harm of the erroneous statements made by Japan's current leader regarding Taiwan.

He commended Brunei for upholding the one-China principle firmly over the years, and expressed his hope and belief that Brunei will come to understand China's position fully, and will continue to be a strong supporter of the Chinese people's just cause in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Wang also called on the two sides to work together to defend the post-war international order, as well as human conscience and justice.

Brunei recognizes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China and will stay committed to the one-China policy, and will support China's great cause of national reunification, Erywan said.

China has always been the most important force in promoting regional solidarity and stability, he noted.

He said Brunei is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen political mutual trust, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, deepen cooperation in fields such as manufacturing, agriculture and fisheries, and push for greater development of Brunei-China relations.

Erywan noted that against the backdrop of rising uncertainties in the current international situation, regional countries should strengthen cooperation and jointly resist unilateralism and neocolonialism.

Noting that China and ASEAN are natural cooperation partners, Erywan called on the two countries to maintain close cooperation within the framework of ASEAN-China relations, advance their comprehensive strategic partnership, and bring benefits to the people of all countries in the region.

Brunei fully supports China in successfully hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting next year and looks forward to China exerting greater influence and leadership in international and regional affairs, he added.

Both sides agreed to work together to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea and accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

Both sides held that the international community should strive for a genuine comprehensive and durable ceasefire on the Israel-Palestine issue, implement the principle of "the Palestinians governing Palestine", adhere unswervingly to the general direction of the two-state solution, avoid double standards, and promote the long-term peace and stability of the Middle East.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Prime Minister speaks with President of USA

India - Ministry of External Affairs

December 11, 2025

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, spoke with President of the United States of America, H.E. Mr. Donald Trump today.

Both leaders reviewed the steady progress in India-U.S. bilateral relations and exchanged views on key regional and global developments.

Prime Minister Modi and President Trump reiterated that India and the United States will continue to work closely together to advance global peace, stability, and prosperity.

In a post on X, Shri Modi stated:

"Had a very warm and engaging conversation with President Trump. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the U.S. will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity.

@realDonaldTrump

@POTUS"

New Delhi

December 11, 2025

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Tehran condemns US violations of UN hosting commitments toward Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 11, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the intensification of restrictions against the Iranian diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York by the United States' government, stressing that US government's misuse of its position as the host of the UN Secretariat disrupts the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization.

Following increased pressure on Iranian diplomats at the United Nations by the US government, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday condemning the act.

The imposition of extensive restrictions on the residence and movement of Iranian diplomats and their bank accounts, and restrictions on daily purchases are among the pressures and harassments designed and implemented to obstruct the normal and lawful duties of Iranian diplomats.

The Foreign Ministry said that the US State Department's decision to prevent three staff members of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New York from continuing their work is the peak of lawlessness and violation of host country commitments by the United States, further calling into question America's eligibility to host this organization.

The statement also added that this decision, which is based on unfounded arguments and baseless claims, is not only another clear sign of hostility from US political decision-makers toward the Iranian nation but also constitutes a blatant violation of the principles and objectives of the UN Charter and an infringement on Iran's sovereign rights.

While strongly condemning the US government's action in preventing three members of Iran's mission in New York from carrying out their legal duties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized that this measure is unlawful, constitutes a clear violation of US obligations under the Headquarters Agreement, and entails international responsibility for the United States.

The escalation of US abuses of its hosting position at the UN Secretariat to pressure member states is a direct violation of the Headquarters Agreement, particularly Section 8, disrupts the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization, and undermines the credibility and standing of the Secretary-General as the highest administrative authority of the UN, the statement read.

Recalling the responsibilities of the UN Secretary-General as the signatory of the Headquarters Agreement on behalf of member states, the Foreign Ministry called for his intervention to prevent the continuation of lawbreaking and infringement of Iran's legal rights.

In the statement, the Islamic Republic of Iran also warned that if member states remain indifferent, the host country violations will become a routine, and stressed the necessity of a reaction from all responsible governments against US breaches of the agreement.

Iran will continue its efforts to uphold its sovereign rights and hold the United States accountable for its repeated and ongoing violations of its obligations under the Headquarters Agreement, the statement said.

9417

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Pezeshkian: Kazakhstan 'strategic partner'; Tokayev hails Iran's advancements

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 5:05 PM

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has emphasized the strategic position of Iran and Kazakhstan in the regional transport network, noting that the two countries can establish an active transport corridor that would serve as a bridge connecting East and West Eurasia.

During a joint Iran-Kazakhstan business forum on Thursday in Astana, Pezeshkian emphasized the strategic position of Iran and Kazakhstan in the regional transport network, describing transportation as "the engine of economic development" for both countries.

"Iran, as the southern gateway to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, and Kazakhstan, as the northern and eastern gateway to Central Asia, can establish an active transport corridor that would not only expand bilateral trade but also serve as a bridge connecting East and West Eurasia," he said.

Pezeshkian, who is in Astana at the head of a high-ranking delegation, called Kazakhstan a "strategic partner" for Iran, saying Tehran has no limitations in developing bilateral relations.

"Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Kazakhstan are rooted in shared history, long-standing culture, and mutual respect between our peoples," he said adding that this visit "symbolizes not only the enduring friendship between our nations but also represents a significant step toward expanding economic and trade cooperation."

Pezeshkian reviewed recent steps to strengthen bilateral ties, noting that in recent years, both governments have taken significant measures to enhance cooperation.

Agreements on transportation, visa facilitation for businesspeople, and the development of trade and customs cooperation are among the achievements that pave the way for a leap in economic relations.

Referring to the joint economic cooperation commission, Pezeshkian stressed that multiple agreements were reached and that government bodies must work to ensure their full implementation.

He noted that current trade levels between the two countries are not commensurate with their vast capacities, adding that bilateral trade in 2024 reached only $340 million.

Highlighting a roadmap to increase trade volume to $3 billion, the president said "it is essential that both the private and public sectors exert all their efforts to remove obstacles and achieve this goal."

Pezeshkian outlined extensive areas for potential cooperation, including energy, agriculture, industry, advanced technologies, tourism, and engineering services. Iranian companies with experience in overcoming complex challenges are ready to engage in joint projects with Kazakh partners.

"The global economy today is built on trust, transparency, and regional integration. We want to establish a sustainable network of cooperation and mutual investment between the private sectors of our two countries," he said.

He added that Iranian government supports any joint initiative that enhances the welfare of the people of both nations."

During his visit, Pezeshkian also received an honorary doctorate from Nazarbayev International University, addressing faculty, researchers, and students.

He praised the university's role as a leading regional center for medical science, noting its significant contribution to public health in Kazakhstan and the advancement of medical knowledge.

Addressing contemporary global health challenges, Pezeshkian highlighted the importance of international cooperation in tackling non-communicable diseases, climate change, biological threats, emerging diseases, and building resilient health systems.

He expressed Iran's readiness to expand scientific and technological cooperation with Kazakh universities and research centers, including joint vaccine production, regional laboratory networks, and academic exchanges.

In a joint press conference on Thursday Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev praised Iran's increasing scientific and technological advancements, attributing them to Iran's effective policies and efforts.

He noted that over the past ten months, trade between Kazakhstan and Iran has grown by 40% compared to the previous year, with expectations for further growth given the countries' capacity.

Tokayev emphasized investment as the cornerstone of long-term bilateral partnership.

He added that approximately 700 Iranian companies operate in Kazakhstan, mainly in industry, infrastructure, and agriculture, while Kazakh firms invest in Iran across mining, transportation, logistics, and food production projects.

He noted that the North-South transport corridor and the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway projects "hold special significance, and these projects are "in line with the interests of both countries."

Tokayev emphasized that both countries consider each other a trusted and reliable partner in Central Asia, committed to expanding trade, scientific collaboration, and cultural exchange, underscoring the strategic importance of their partnership for the future of the region.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Tehran slams US 'harassment' of Iranian diplomats to UN

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 2:04 PM

Iran has condemned the United States for intensifying restrictions on the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, stating that Washington's abuse of its host-country position undermines the UN's effectiveness and credibility.

In response to increased pressure on Iranian diplomats at the UN, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Thursday, criticizing a pattern of harassment designed to disrupt the normal and lawful functions of Iranian representatives.

"The imposition of extensive restrictions on the residence and movement of Iranian diplomats, tightening restrictions on bank accounts, and imposing restrictions on daily purchases are among the pressures and harassment designed and implemented with the aim of disrupting the normal and legal performance of Iranian diplomats' duties," the statement said.

According to the statement, the US decision to prevent three staff members of Iran's UN Mission from continuing their work is "the culmination of the US's violation of the law and the host government's obligations."

Iran condemned the move, stressing that it constitutes a wrongful and illegal act and a clear, blatant violation of the United States' obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement, a breach that carries international responsibility for the US government.

Such actions, it said, raise serious questions about the United States' suitability to host the UN Headquarters.

The ministry noted that the US measuresbased on "false arguments and baseless claims" not only reflect political hostility toward the Iranian people but also constitute a blatant violation of the principles of the UN Charter and Iran's sovereign rights.

"The escalation of the US government's abuse of the position of hosting the UN Secretariat to exert pressure on member states is a clear violation of the provisions of the Headquarters Agreement, especially Section 8," it added.

The ministry further noted that the action "disrupts the effectiveness and efficiency of this organization, and also tarnishes the credibility and status of the Secretary-General as the highest administrative authority of this organization."

The ministry urged the UN Secretary-General to intervene and prevent further violations of Iran's legal rights.

It also warned against "the normalization of violations of the headquarters government's obligations in the event of indifference on the part of UN member states, and underlined the need for all responsible governments to respond to the US government's violation of its pledge."

The statement affirmed that Iran will continue its efforts to defend its sovereign rights and hold the US accountable for its repeated violations under the Headquarters Agreement.

In September, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take "appropriate" action after the United Stateshost country of the UN Headquartersimposed "illegal" restrictions on the high-ranking Iranian delegation attending the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly.

Iravani condemned the US decision to confine the movements of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and other delegation members to an area of less than half a mile around UN Headquarters, and to require prior requests with "appropriate justifications" for any travel outside the designated zone, saying the measures violated Washington's treaty obligations as host country.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran advancing despite many challenges

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 12:55 PM

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says despite enormous shortages and challenges facing Iran, the nation is "moving, striving, and advancing" through the steadfastness, sincerity, and justice-seeking of its people.

"The shortages and problems across the country are many, but the nation, day by day, with perseverance, sincerity, goodness, and pursuit of justice, creates honor and strength for Islam and Iran, and by God's grace, the country is moving, striving, and advancing," he said Thursday.

Speaking to thousands of devotees of the Prophet of Islam's Household on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Fatima al-Zahra (SA) in Tehran Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei touched on a broad media and propaganda campaign after the June aggression by Israel and the US met Iran's crushing response, forcing the adversaries into a ceasefire.

"Today, beyond the military clashes we have witnessed, we are in the center of a propaganda and media war with a broad enemy front," he said. "The enemy has realized that this property, land, and spiritual homeland cannot be subdued and occupied through military pressure."

He criticized those raising fears of renewed war, saying "Some repeatedly raise the possibility of another military confrontation, and some deliberately inflate this to keep people uncertain and anxious, but God willing, they will not succeed."

Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemy's "line, danger, and goal" is to erase the effects, goals, and concepts of the Islamic Revolution. The US, the Leader said, is "at the center of this wide and active front," with some European countries surrounding it and domestic mercenaries and traitors residing in Europe seeking personal gain on the periphery.

He underscored the importance of understanding the enemy's strategy, saying that resisting Western media campaigns is "difficult but entirely possible."

"Like the military front, in this propaganda and media confrontation, our formation must be aligned with the enemy's plan and goals and focus on the points he targets, namely Islamic, Shia, and revolutionary teachings."

Highlighting Iranian resilience, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "The people of Iran, through national resistance, have thwarted ongoing efforts by the enemy to change the religious, historical, and cultural identity of the nation."

He emphasized that proper defensive and offensive arrangements are needed to counter propaganda attacks targeting "minds, hearts, and beliefs," and stressed that "Iran, despite existing problems and shortages across the country, continues on a forward-moving path."

Ayatollah Khamenei defined national resistance as "endurance and steadfastness in the face of various pressures from dominators," whether military  as seen during the Sacred Defense of the 1980s when Iranians fought an Iraqi invasion and in recent months among the youth  or economic, media, cultural, or political.

He cited provocations and propaganda by Western media actors and political-military leaders as instances of the enemy's propaganda pressure, noting that the pressures often aim at "territorial expansion  like what the US does in Latin America  control of underground resources, changing lifestyles, and, most importantly, identity transformation."

Ayatollah Khamenei also reflected on a century of foreign attempts to undermine Iran's identity.

"For over a hundred years, global oppressors have tried to change the religious, historical, and cultural identity of the Iranian nation, but the Islamic Revolution made all those efforts futile. In recent decades, the people, through steadfastness and resilience, have foiled extensive pressures by enemies," he said.

He highlighted the regional impact of Iranian resistance, saying the concept and language of resistance have expanded from Iran to regional countries and beyond.

"Some things the enemy did to Iran and the Iranian nation, if done to any other country, that nation and country would have been finished," he said.

Ayatollah Khamenei called for vigilance and persistence, emphasizing that Iran's continued "movement, effort, and progress" depends on steadfastness against both military and media pressures and on protecting the nation's religious, historical, and cultural identity.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Nuclear chief: Iran should turn from buyer to creator of technology

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 11:41 AM

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the country cannot remain a mere buyer of technology and should rise to become its creator.

Mohammad Eslami made the remarks on Thursday in an address to the 2nd Congress on Plasma Medicine in Iran, saying a society that cannot create technology will inevitably be labeled as backward.

"Technology is changing rapidly, and we cannot remain a merely buyer of it; we must become its creator. This is a societal need, a pillar of progress, and a source of dignity for Iranian people," he added.

"We must build capacity and, with reliance on God, move forward with strength. We cannot remain in the past and imagine that reverse engineering alone will suffice."

He also noted that progress cannot occur without an executive process, which involves turning science and knowledge into technology continuously and without interruption.

Meanwhile, Eslami warned that Iran's enemies cannot tolerate the country's position and capacity, as well as its geopolitical location.

He said a newly-published book on the US-Israeli aggression against Iran revealed that the enemies' issue is not atomic bombs or the Islamic Republic's refusal to comply with the global hegemony.

The enemies' main objective is to prevent Iran's progress at the frontiers of knowledge, the Iranian nuclear chief pointed out.

"In the fundamental fields of fission, fusion, lasers, quantum, and plasma, we must advance powerfully, and we will," he said. "Neither war and bombardment have deterred us, nor their (the enemies') political and psychological warfare."

Over the past years, Iran has recorded many achievements in its peaceful nuclear energy program in defiance of US sanctions as well as hurdles created by the West.

Additionally, Iran has closely cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

However, the United States illegally bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on June 22, more than a week after Israel launched a blatant act of aggression against the country.

The 12-day criminal assault included deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure across Iran, killing at least 1,064 people, including nuclear scientists.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Pezeshkian hails 'decisive step' in ties as Iran, Kazakhstan seal 14 deals

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 11:05 AM

Iran and Kazakhstan have signed 14 cooperation documents in Astana as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, marking what they described as a significant step in expanding bilateral ties.

In a ceremony attended by the two presidents, senior officials from both countries concluded agreements and MoUs covering transportation, transit and logistics, cultural exchanges, legal assistance, health and medical care, diplomatic interaction, and media cooperation.

The two leaders also signed a joint statement outlining their commitment to deepen relations.

Pezeshkian, in Astana at the head of a high-ranking delegation, said the results of the visit represent "a major and decisive step" toward strengthening bilateral relations.

He expressed optimism that the political will in Tehran and Astana could raise the volume of trade and investment to a level "worthy" of the two nations.

"I believe that the results of this visit are a significant and decisive step on the path of strengthening bilateral cooperation, and the political will in Tehran and Astana can raise trade and investment between the two countries to a deserving level," he said.

Countering US unilateralism

The Iranian president added that Iran and Kazakhstan must promote close relations to counter the United States' unilateralism.

"The US and some Western countries have targeted the identity and independence of sovereign states. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to develop mutual ties with more seriousness and sensitivity," he said.

The Iranian president warned of a "complex" regional environment and growing unilateral approaches in global politics.

He added that the two countries have managed to achieve 40-percent growth in bilateral trade and are ready to carry out a roadmap aimed at raising the value of trade up to three billion dollars.

He expressed hope that Tehran and Astana will make more use of the capacities of the private sector.

The Iranian president added that the two countries have always maintained friendly relations since Kazakhstan's independence, stressing that Iran attaches special significance to ties with neighbors.

Pezeshkian emphasized that Tehran and Astana interact closely on many regional and international issues, saying, "The two countries have had good cooperation in various political, economic, and cultural fields and have also reached valuable agreements."

Pointing to Iran-Kazakhstan active cooperation in international organizations, he added that "stable and close relations exist between the two countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and also in [issues pertaining to] the Caspian Sea region."

He urged both countries to continue this path and focus on further promotion of cooperation.

Pezeshkian said the resolution of banking problems would play an important role in developing relations, and emphasized that the full implementation of the free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union will pave the way for further expansion of trade and economic relations between Tehran and Astana.

Following the Kazakhstan visit, the Iranian president will head to Turkmenistan, where an international summit revolving around peace will be held with several heads of state in attendance.

Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said the presidents of Iran and Russia will meet and hold talks in Turkmenistan.

Jalali touched on the growing relations between the two countries which signed a comprehensive strategic agreement earlier this year, saying continued meetings between senior leaders and officials reflect the "ongoing positive momentum" in relations.

"The presidents of Russia and Iran will soon meet and consult in Turkmenistan," Jalali said, noting that Iran's foreign minister is also scheduled to travel to Moscow next week.

Pezeshkian's back-to-back visits to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan underscore Iran's broader push to deepen economic, trade, and cultural ties with Central Asian nations, particularly through the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), a regional trade and development bloc; the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian security and political alliance; and the expanded BRICS+ platform, which groups major emerging economies.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Tanker Seized By US Off Venezuela Was Part Of Iranian Shadow Fleet

By Ray Furlong December 11, 2025

An oil tanker seized by US forces in the Caribbean has been under US Treasury sanctions since 2022 for allegedly being part of a global fleet of vessels engaged in illegally smuggling Iranian oil.

A Treasury statement from the time said the network was led by Viktor Artemov, a Ukrainian citizen with links to Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), according to his US sanctions list entry.

US President Donald Trump announced the seizure of the tanker while speaking to reporters at the White House on December 10. Video released by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed helicopters descending on the vessel and special forces taking control of it.

"For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations," she wrote on social media. "Our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues."

Transporting Venezuelan Oil

Bondi said the ship was also used to transport sanctioned Venezuelan oil. The seizure comes amid a major US naval build up in the region and a controversial campaign of deadly attacks on alleged Venezuelan drug smuggling ships.

Venezuela condemned the seizure as an "act of piracy" and a "grave international crime."

Later on December 11, the Kremlin issued a statement saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken to his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro.

"Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed his support for the Nicolas Maduro government's policies aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure," it said.

The vessel, The Skipper, was named The Adisa when it was sanctioned. The 2022 Treasury statement listed it alongside eight other vessels it said were part of "a vast, complex, and interwoven global network of front companies that are used to facilitate oil shipments" for a smuggling network.

The operation involved "blending oil to conceal the Iranian origins of the shipments and exporting it around the world in support of Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF," through a network of shell companies in the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, and Singapore, it added.

This is a typical modus operandi for a shadow fleet, used to evade sanctions by nations such as Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.

Sailing Under Different Flags

In a recent interview, Benjamin Hilgenstock, a senior economist at the Kyiv-based KSE institute, told RFE/RL "when a ship becomes a shadow tanker, that's the time when you'll get these weird special-purpose vehicles on the Marshall Islands involved as owners or when you get these constantly changing UAE-based ship managers."

The Skipper, launched in 2005, appears to be currently owned by a Nigeria-based company called Thomarose Global Ventures, according to publicly available data.

Another typical tactic for shadow fleet vessels is frequent changes of the flag under which the ship is registered. The Skipper was sailing under a Guyanan flag at the moment of its capture by US forces. But Guyana says it was not actually registered to the country.

"There have been cases where crews got arrested when the ship didn't have a proper flag," Hilgenstock said.

Iran's economy is heavily reliant on oil revenues, and it has used its shadow fleet of tankers to evade sanctions.

Dalga Khatinoglu, an Iran energy expert based in Azerbaijan, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on December 11 that shadow tankers linked to the IRGC's oil-export operations are taking significant risks.

He suggested that seizing these vessels is especially damaging to the IRGC's finances, as the guards are responsible for exporting roughly one-third of Iran's oil to fund their own budget.

As part of its "maximum pressure" policy against Iran, Trump's administration has made it a priority to drive down Tehran's oil exports.

In November, it sanctioned six more vessels, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stating the move continued efforts to "cut off funding for the Iranian regime's development of nuclear weapons and support of terrorist proxies."

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated Iran's crude oil and condensate export revenues at about $43 billion for 2024, up $1 billion from the previous year.

There is little publicly available information about Artemov. His US sanctions listing says he was born in Donetsk in 1975 and gives an address for him in Cologny, an elegant town on Lake Geneva in Switzerland where Russian oligarchs have reportedly purchased residences.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/tanker-seized-us-venezuela- iranian-shadow-fleet/33620478.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.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Japan, U.S. hold joint air exercise over Sea of Japan

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 16:57, December 11, 2025

TOKYO, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Defense Ministry said Thursday its Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) held a joint air exercise with the U.S. military the previous day over the Sea of Japan.

Six Japanese ASDF fighter jets, including three F-35s and three F-15s, flew with two U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers on Wednesday, according to the Japan Joint Staff.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Japan-U.S. Defense Ministerial Telephone Conference (Summary)

Ministry of Defense of Japan

December 12, 2025

Ministry of Defense

On December 12, Defense Minister Koizumi and Secretary of War Hegseth held a telephone conference. The summary is as follows.

The Ministers exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident against Self Defense-Force aircraft by Chinese military aircraft on December 6th. Minister Koizumi stated that Japan would firmly and steadily continue surveillance and monitoring activities in the airspace and waters surrounding Japan, and cope with any unexpected situation in a calm and resolute manner. The Ministers expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability, and concurred to closely communicate and collaborate with each other.

Minister Koizumi recounted his visit to Sakishima Islands in November and explained progress so far in Japan's efforts for further reinforcement of defense capabilities. Based on the concurrence at the Defense Ministerial Meeting on October 29th in Tokyo, the Ministers reaffirmed to continue promoting various initiatives to further strengthen the Alliance capabilities to deter and respond, with a sense of urgency and speed.

Furthermore, the Ministers concurred to proceed with necessary coordination to meet in person in the new year.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Transcript of the Weekly Media Briefing by the Spokesperson on Thursday, 11 December 2025

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Assalam-o-Alaikum,

Welcome to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Let me begin with a roundup of this week's activities.

The highlight of this week was the visit of the President of Indonesia.

At the invitation of our Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the President Prabowo Subianto undertook an official visit to Pakistan from 8-9 December 2025.

We have been issuing the Press Releases but just to recap, at the delegation-level talks, the two sides discussed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Indonesia bilateral relations.

We resolved to elevate Pakistan-Indonesia bilateral partnership, particularly in trade, investment, defense, education, health and technology and to further collaborate on exploring untapped opportunities in agriculture, IT, defense, halal products, and skills development.

Views on regional issues and developments were also exchanged. The Prime Minister apprised the President on the Jammu and Kashmir Dispute and expressed appreciation for President Prabowo's strong humanitarian leadership for the people of Gaza.

Upon the conclusion of delegation level talks, eight MOUs were signed for cooperation in higher education and scholarships; facilitation of small and medium businesses; national archives and libraries; narcotics control; health; halal products.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) & the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also called on the President of Indonesia. Defense cooperation was the main focus of discussion. They also exchanged views on regional security and further promoting ties between the armed forces of the two brotherly countries.

The President of Pakistan conferred Nishan e Pakistan, the highest civilian honor of Pakistan, on President Subianto. The two leaders also held a meeting to review bilateral ties, shared values and future cooperation, followed by a state banquet in his honor.

At the conclusion of the President's visit, a Joint Statement was issued - available on our website.

The Joint Statement commemorated 75 years of Pakistan-Indonesia ties; called for expansion of diplomatic and economic ties, strengthening of inter-parliamentary relations, removal of trade barriers and enhanced cooperation in services sector, Islamic finance and halal food industry.

It also took note of global developments and regional issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and the dire humanitarian situation in Palestine, and reaffirmed active cooperation at multilateral fora, including ASEAN, UN, OIC and the D-8, of which Indonesia will be assuming the Chairmanship in 2026.

The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister held two important telephone calls this week.

On 8th December 2025, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister spoke to the Foreign Minister Iran, Abbas Araghchi. The two leaders discussed bilateral ties and regional developments. They also appreciated frequent high-level exchanges on matters of mutual interest and looked forward to engaging during the upcoming International Forum of Peace & Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan later this week.

On 5th December 2025, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister held a phone call with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, during which the two leaders discussed regional developments, particularly in the context of Gaza.

The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister strongly condemned Israel's unilateral plan to restrict the Rafah crossing for the exit only of Gaza residents, deeming it a clear violation of the peace plan and a move that undermines humanitarian access. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring unfettered aid to Gaza and advancing coordinated efforts toward lasting peace.

On the remarks by the Indian Minister of External Affairs to an Indian News Channel,

Pakistan categorically rejects and condemns these highly inflammatory, baseless and irresponsible comments.

Pakistan is a responsible state and all its institutions, including armed forces, are a pillar of national security, dedicated to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. The May 2025 conflict vividly demonstrated Pakistan armed forces' professionalism as well as their resolve to defend the motherland and the people of Pakistan against any Indian aggression in a befitting, effective yet responsible manner. No amount of propaganda can belie this truth.

The attempts by the Indian leadership to defame Pakistan's state institutions and its leadership are a part of the propaganda campaign designed to distract the attention from India's destabilizing actions in the region and beyond as well as its State-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan. Such incendiary rhetoric only exemplifies the extent of India's disregard for amity, peace and stability in our region.

Pakistan believes in co-existence, dialogue and diplomacy. However, it stands united and resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its interests and sovereignty.

On Israeli statements concerning the opening of Rafah Crossing last week,

The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan, along with Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, expresses deep concern regarding Israeli statements concerning the opening of the Rafah Crossing in one direction, with the aim of transferring residents of the Gaza Strip into the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The Ministers underscore their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land and stress the necessity of the full adherence to the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, including its provisions on keeping the Rafah Crossing open in both directions, ensuring the freedom of movement for the population, and refraining from compelling any resident of the Gaza Strip to leave, rather to create the right conditions for them to stay on their land and participate in building their homeland, within a comprehensive vision aimed at restoring stability and improving their humanitarian conditions.

The Ministers underscore the need to fully sustain the ceasefire, alleviate civilian suffering, ensure the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip, initiate early recovery and reconstruction efforts, and create the conditions necessary for the Palestinian Authority to resume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip - thereby laying the groundwork for a new phase of security and stability in the region.

The Ministers affirm readiness to continue working and coordinating with the United States and all concerned regional and international parties to ensure the full implementation of UNSCR 2803 and all relevant UNSC resolutions and to provide the convenient ground for achieving a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in accordance with international legitimacy and the two-state solution, which should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on the lines of 4 June 1967, including the occupied territories in Gaza and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The 4th Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Pakistan and Tunisia was held in Tunis on 9 December 2025.

The Pakistani delegation was led by the Additional Foreign Secretary (Africa), Ambassador Hamid Asghar Khan, while the Tunisian side was headed by the Director General (Asia), Ambassador Slim Ghariani.

Both sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, including political cooperation, high-level exchanges, trade and investment, defence and security collaboration, education, and people-to-people contacts. They also discussed ways to deepen economic cooperation ahead of the 10th Joint Commission Meeting, scheduled to be held in Islamabad in 2026.

The delegations agreed to enhance coordination in multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. They exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the situations in the Middle East, Palestine and North Africa.

The Additional Foreign Secretary (Africa) also called on H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ben Ayed, Secretary of State to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening bilateral ties and promoting collaboration across all sectors.

I thank you all.

***

(Tahir Khan, NNI): My question is on Afghanistan, particularly regarding a five-point joint declaration (fatwa) adopted by over 1000 Afghan scholars in Kabul. Although Pakistan was not explicitly mentioned, there were two points of the declaration that are relevant and very important for Pakistan which stated that whomever would "conduct military operations beyond Afghanistan's borders, would be considered a rebel against the state." It would also be considered "as a violation of the Emir's orders" and would be a punishable offence. Now my question is that Pakistan has been asking for guarantees from the Afghan Taliban regime, including a decree/fatwa from its Supreme Leader, and although this is not a guarantee per se, is Pakistan satisfied with this declaration? Does it address Pakistan's demands for guarantees from the Supreme Leader of the Afghan Taliban Regime by a fatwa? How do you view this development?

Spokesperson: I have not seen the full text of this resolution. If the leadership of the Afghan Taliban Regime or certain segments of Afghan society, realize the gravity of the matter that their soil is being used not just by TTP/FAK/ FAH but also by their own nationals to perpetrate terrorism in Pakistan, such realization is positive. We welcome it.

One important aspect is that commitments made in the past by Afghan Taliban regime have not been fulfilled. This is exactly why, during the talks held with the mediation efforts of our brotherly countries, Pakistan insisted on written assurances from Afghan side.

We will wait, see and evaluate this document. But certainly, we would require written assurances from the leadership of the Afghan Taliban Regime on this issue.

(Zeeshan Yousafzai, Dunya News): I have two questions. Firstly, American lawmakers wrote a letter, expressing concern over the situation of human rights in Pakistan and urging for the formation of a policy with regard to protect human rights and regulate violations. How do you see this development? Secondly, the President of Indonesia recently visited Pakistan who also happens to be a strong advocate for deployment of troops for the International Stabilization Force in Gaza. Our Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister also discussed this while addressing the media in the past. Was the International Stabilization Force part of the agenda during the visit of the President of Indonesia to Pakistan? Did the issue of disarmament of Hamas also come up during the discussions?

Spokesperson: You are referring to this certain letter by Members of the US legislature. These developments have taken place in the past as well. Our Embassy in Washington and our Ambassador are seized of this matter. He has met over 100 US senators, congresspersons over the past year and a half. So, we have an open dialogue and communication with the US legislature, and in that context, the position of Pakistan, with respect to its own domestic laws, is fully explained. This particular letter you referred, is being followed up in the same vein.

With regard to the talks on Gaza during the visit of the Indonesian President, as I mentioned previously in my opening remarks, Pakistan and Indonesia cooperate on all issues facing the Ummah, including Gaza, within the UN and the OIC. The situation in Palestine is a crucial issue on the agenda of the UN and the OIC and it was discussed.

Regarding participation in the International Stabilization Force - this is a sovereign decision of any country. As far as Pakistan is concerned, such decision has not been taken as yet.

(Saleh Zaafir, The News): Pakistan has opened the border crossings with Afghanistan for the flow of humanitarian aid and assistance into Afghanistan. At the same time, however, the Afghan Taliban Regime resisted this decision taken by Pakistan and has further announced that it would not allow trade between the two countries. What is the latest update on the movement of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan?

Spokesperson: From our end, the aid convoy has been cleared for movement. In fact, we have also demonstrated our willingness to provide seamless movement of humanitarian assistance. Whether the Afghan Taliban regime wishes to receive this humanitarian assistance or not, is up to them. It would be quite an unprecedented event in the international annals that a state, which is in the need of humanitarian assistance, is refusing it.

On our part, we are willing to provide humanitarian assistance, primarily as part of our affinity and our care for the brotherly people of Afghanistan to whom we intend no harm.

(Anas Mallick, Capital TV): I have three questions. Firstly, the Spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), during his weekly briefing, made unwarranted comments, once again, on the state of democracy in Pakistan. How do view these comments? Secondly, in your Opening Statement, you mentioned the phone call between our Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister and Foreign Minister of Iran where they looked forward to the meeting in Ashgabat. What is the composition of the Pakistan delegation traveling to Turkmenistan? When are they expected to travel to Turkmenistan? Thirdly, the US has formally notified Congress of a proposed $686 million upgrade and sustainment package for Pakistan's F-16 fighting Falcon Fleet. How does Pakistan view this development?

Spokesperson: On the statement by the Spokesperson of the Indian MEA on democracy in Pakistan, India's own sources have criticized their democracy, their democratic system, the level of the parliamentarians that are elected to the Indian legislatures, the electoral malpractices, and so on and so forth. So, this is a never-ending debate which I do not wish to prolong further.

Regarding your second question, a high-level delegation is expected to travel to Turkmenistan. We will share the details in due course.

The US $686 million package for upgradation of Pakistan's F-16 fleet is part of our regular defense cooperation, which we welcome and continue to look forward to expanding our multifaceted ties with the US.

(Raziq Bhatti, Kashmir Express): Yesterday, the International Day for Human Rights was celebrated and on the same day, an elderly woman from Budgam in the IIOJK traveled a long distance to meet her son incarcerated in a remote prison. There are several such instances where prisoners are barred from meeting their relatives in the IIOJK. A report due from the UN is yet to be published on this issue as well. At what level is this issue of human rights violations being discussed? Secondly, US President Donald Trump offered to mediate the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Has this offer been followed up with any progress?

Spokesperson: Yes, I have seen this very heart-wrenching picture of a mother traveling very far from the occupied Budgam in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to see her son. This incident is just the tip of the iceberg.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir are facing arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions, and the innocent child of this lady from Budgam is one of them. The UN Special Procedure mandate holders, the experts of the UN Human Rights Council, just a few weeks ago, issued a press statement raising serious concerns that 2800 individuals were arrested, detained in the wake of the punitive measures in the wake of Pahalgam Incident.

These human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir continue to grow and have assumed a serial proportion. Not just arbitrary arrests and detention but torture, house demolitions, persecution of local people, through cordon & search operations, arrest and imprisonment of human rights defenders, like Khurram Parvez - these alarming developments have continued unabated.

The UN Human Rights machinery, they remain seized on the human rights situation in IIOJ&K. The UN published two reports in 2019, and 2020 on the situation of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir. This matter has been regularly updated in the reports of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

This year, the High Commissioner for Human Rights presented his oral updates to the Human Rights Council, reflecting the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Yesterday was another important occasion where it was the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR), which was adopted on 10th December, 1948. If you look at the timing of the adoption of UNDHR by the United Nations in 1948, the situation of Jammu and Kashmir in 1948 had a lasting imprint on this document. The call for right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people in certain ways influenced the framing of UNDHR. In 1948, the topmost agenda of the UN Security Council was Jammu and Kashmir. The United Nations adopted its first resolution on Jammu and Kashmir in January 1948 and its second resolution in the same month. If you look at the record of the Security Council in 1948, Jammu and Kashmir was discussed at length, and this is the time when the UNDHR was also being finalized in the United Nations.

So, the unfulfilled right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is, indeed, on the agenda of the UN Human Rights machinery and international human rights organizations. Pakistan would continue to extend its moral, diplomatic, political support to the Kashmiri people in order to realizing their full human rights, particularly the right to self- determination in accordance with the UN resolutions.

(Sardar Shaukat, Islamabad Today): Eight Agreements/MoUs were signed between Pakistan and Indonesia during the recent visit of the Indonesian President to Pakistan. When is the implementation phase of these agreements expected to commence and once it takes place, what would be its implications for Pakistan's economy?

(Islamuddin Sajid, Anadolu Agency): Reference to defense cooperation between Pakistan and Indonesia was also made in the outcome documents of the President's visit. Has Indonesia expressed its interest in the purchase of JF-17 Thunder planes from Pakistan?

Spokesperson: On the question on MoUs/agreements, eight MOUs were signed during visit of the Indonesian President. I believe, the implementation begins immediately and there are various ways of following up on these agreements. There is the bilateral diplomatic channel, then there are commissions, including economic commissions at the ministerial level. Indonesia is an important trading partner of Pakistan. It is our gateway to East Asia and the ASEAN. So, you would see, in the coming days, that progress on this issue would follow soon.

On defense cooperation, as I mentioned earlier, this issue was not just discussed in the delegation-level talks between our Prime Minister and the Indonesian President, but it was also followed up in the talks between the Indonesian President and our Chief of Army Staff & the Chief of Defense Forces.

The defense cooperation between Pakistan and Indonesia comprises a variety of sectors, including cooperation in particular equipment, training and joint exercises. As regard the particulars of exact platforms and equipment, I do not have any information.

(Shaukat Piracha, AAJ News): I have three different questions. Firstly, the President of Pakistan, in his statement on SAARC day, suggested the inclusion of important regional countries, like Iran and China, in SAARC as part of the plan to revive this regional organization. My question is if any progress has been made by Pakistan, along with China and Bangladesh, in this regard? If so, would this entail the formation of a new organization like BIMSTEC? Secondly, our Interior Minister handed over certain papers to the British High Commissioner in Islamabad, and then he had a meeting with his counterpart in the UK on extradition of certain individuals from the UK to Pakistan. Does Pakistan share an extradition treaty with the UK? Thirdly, there was a lot speculation around the rescheduling of the visit of the Indonesian President which reflected that India played a role in the visit's delay. However, the Joint Statement on the visit mentions the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, that too after a long time. How do you view this development?

Spokesperson: The President's statement on SAARC Day was substantive and detailed. Pakistan regrets that SAARC and its processes continue to be blocked by India. This is not the first time that India has blocked the SAARC process. In the 1990s, you would recall, India similarly stalled the SAARC Summit and back then the reason given by India was not Pakistan but another country. The Indian blockade of SAARC process is regrettable. We hope that the SAARC process would be revived soon.

Moving to your question about Pakistan, China, Bangladesh - Pakistan supports multilateralism - we are unwaveringly committed towards it. Any initiative that aims to strengthen development, prosperity and regional connectivity in South Asia and beyond, Pakistan welcomes that.

With regard to your question on extradition treaty - as of now, there is no formal extradition treaty between Pakistan and the UK. However, in the absence of a formal treaty, the extradition cases can be processed on a case-to-case basis. Some of these cases, as you mentioned, were submitted to the British High Commission in Islamabad for their consideration. I will refer you to Interior Ministry for further details.

Regarding your third question on the Indonesian President's visit and the resulting Joint Statement, I would not comment on any rescheduling of the visit by the Indonesian President. Jammu and Kashmir is on the agenda of the United Nations as well as on the agenda of the Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) of which Pakistan and Indonesia are members. The decision adopted by these organizations, obviously, have Indonesian support and endorsement. Jammu and Kashmir is also part of our bilateral exchange, and hence it was reflected in the Joint Statement.

Jammu and Kashmir is an unsettled, legally recognized, UN-mandated, international dispute under international law, and its status is reaffirmed by its reflection in the international documents, coming out of multilateral organizations as well as bilateral exchanges.

(Mona Khan, Independent Urdu): There have been media reports which state Bangladesh's intent on the formation of a new group in the region with Pakistan, without India. So, are we expecting a new bloc in South Asia?

Spokesperson: I have not seen the statement that you are referring to. However, Pakistan remains committed to multilateralism, and, as I mentioned in my previous answer, we have unwavering commitment towards multilateralism and connectivity. Any proposal coming out of Bangladesh on this subject would be seen in the same positive spirit.

(Abdullah Momand, Dawn News): You have responded to Mr. Tahir Khan's question on Afghanistan regarding written guarantees from Afghanistan. So, following the attack on 11th November in Islamabad as well as on 24th November in FC camp Peshawar, our government, specifically DG ISPR and the Minister of Interior, claimed that perpetrators of both incidents were Afghan nationals. A month has passed after the attack in Islamabad attack while more than 15 days have passed after the attack in Peshawar. Have we shared any documented evidence with the Afghan Taliban regime and India, whose role was also complicit in these attacks? Have these perpetrators been identified? Secondly, you have raised concerns regarding the violations of human rights in Kashmir, but let me draw your attention to the latest report by the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances which has stated that 55 new cases of missing persons were registered in Pakistan and dead bodies of two missing persons were also discovered. Social media and human rights activists are being harassed on a daily basis in Pakistan, do you not think that there is a double standard that we are raising voices on human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, but are not setting our own house in order?

Spokesperson: With regard to sharing the evidence with Afghanistan, I am not privy to the details or the level of communication, but, I believe, that our diplomatic missions are working. Certain exchanges may have taken place, particularly with regard to the involvement of Afghan nationals in the incidents that you referred to and their possible handlers in Afghanistan.

On your question in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), you are faced with a situation of illegal occupation, lack of proper judicial remedy and scores of oppressive measures. I think we cannot equate it with the situation of IIOJ&K anywhere outside the occupied territory because of its unique context and applicability of relevant International Law, including International Humanitarian Law.

With regard to the cases of enforced disappearances or any violations that you have mentioned, I will refer you to the Interior Ministry and relevant departments. To the extent of our domestic and our foreign policy projections on these issues, our domestic remedy, domestic institutions remain vibrant where these issues can be addressed.

(Khawaja Nayyar Iqbal, Media Today): Terror attacks emanating from Afghanistan into Pakistan and the subsequent efforts that have been made to resolve this issue, how much breakthrough been made in this regard between Pakistan and Afghanistan? Secondly, Israel provided drones to India. Is there any chance of India using these drones to attack Pakistan through Afghanistan?

Spokesperson: On Afghanistan, I have already responded comprehensively.

As for defense cooperation between Israel and India, we have also expressed our views on it. Whether Israeli drones and other equipment were handed over by India to Afghanistan, particularly the terrorist elements there, is a matter of investigation. Considering there is an active support to TTP/FAK/FAH by India, such transfer of weapons cannot be ruled out.

(Allah Noor Wazir, Mashriq TV): The Chief of Army Staff & Chief Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, addressed the issue of terrorism yesterday, where he stated that India supports terrorism in Pakistan. Does India, in any way, support terrorism in Pakistan? If so, what evidence does Pakistan have? Is Pakistan planning on taking this matter up on any international forum?

Spokesperson: India's support for terrorism in Pakistan is significant. We have documented evidence on India's support to terrorism in Pakistan, which we have also shared with international organizations and with individual countries. Kulbhusan Jadav is a living example of this support. We have other tangible examples of Indian involvement like the Jaffar Express and bombing elsewhere in Balochistan.

This documented evidence, with supporting pieces, videos, telephone calls, has been provided to international organizations, UN counterterrorism bodies and individual countries. Terrorism is a menace which were committed to eliminate from its very roots. There should be no doubt about our resolve on tackling this menace.

(Waseem Abbasi, Arab News): Pakistan's Finance Minister, Mohammad Aurangzeb, is in Saudi Arabia to attend the Global Development Finance meeting on the sidelines of which he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the Saudi leadership. What are the latest developments on Pakistan-Saudia Economic Framework agreement? Have any pledges for investment materialized yet?

Spokesperson: The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Economic Partnership is solid and firmly rooted in various agreements/understandings. Certain initiatives were taken during the visit of our Prime Minister to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that are being materialized. There are individual investments on which our SIFC and our Board of Investment are working.

With regard to the exact agenda of our Finance Minister's exchanges with his Saudi counterparts or with the international presence in Saudi Arabia, I will refer you to the Ministry of Finance.

(Saleh Zaafir, The News): In continuation to the question posed by Mr. Abdullah Mohmand, I would like to know that, from Pakistan's perspective, how do you compare the situation of human rights between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistan and India?

Spokesperson: This is a weekly briefing on which I update you on week-to-week developments. The question you have asked require detailed deliberation. I think, you should have a seminar on this in the Press Club, where I would be very happy to join you.

(Khalid Mehmood, Express News): Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a ceasefire agreement in Istanbul which was concluded after the peace agreement from the first round was unsuccessful. With cross-border terrorism continuing to emanate from Afghanistan with the same intensity, like a similar incident in Chaman two days ago, does the ceasefire agreement still stand? Secondly, many TTP terrorists were killed in an operation conducted in Panjshir. What details can you share on this development?

Spokesperson: As I have stated before, this ceasefire is not a traditional ceasefire that takes place between two states. We gave a detailed response on this in the briefing two weeks ago. The ceasefire is violated when terrorist attacks continue from Afghanistan, the onus of which lies with Afghanistan. There is no material change in the last two weeks whereby I can say that the situation with regard to ceasefire has improved. In fact, it may have deteriorated over time.

With regard to incident in Panjshir, I have no information on that.

(Syed Asif Ali, Din News): According to reports by the Indian media, Oman is providing 20 Jaguar fighters to India. In its 60 years history, Jaguar has always been used against Pakistan in every operation by India, especially during the Kargil War. It also has the capability to target navy ships. India has maintained that Operation Sindoor is not over and Indian Generals have stated that Karachi will be the target of the next operation. How does Pakistan view this development, especially considering that Oman, being a brotherly Muslim country of Pakistan, is giving these fighter jets to an enemy state as a gift?

Spokesperson: I have seen these reports. I believe that these were the uncommissioned, unflyable, inoperable Jaguars given to India.

If Oman had certain spares, which were not in use by that country, and it handed them over to another country - this is an exchange between the two countries. Pakistan remains firmly seized on the threats emanating from India, i.e.: threats to security and strategic stability. We remain prepared to tackle such threats.

Here I would like to add that Oman is a brotherly country. It can expand its relations with other countries. Pakistan and Oman have active dialogue and strong fraternal, brotherly relations. If this situation merits any serious concern from Pakistan, it would be raised with Muscat in due course.

(Anwer Abbas, 24 News): The US Embassy in Pakistan has announced US investment of $1.25 billion for mining in Reko Diq, Balochistan. It has announced an additional investment of $2 billion for the project which is expected to create jobs for 6000 Americans. Will these Americans be stationed in Balochistan? What details could you share on this investment and the jobs that it would generate?

Spokesperson: We are aware of this announcement made by the US side yesterday. Foreign Investments in Pakistan are welcome, and in the same spirit, we welcome this investment.

With regard to its details, dispensation, how this investment would be utilized, I would refer you to the SIFC, Board of Investment, or Ministries dealing with mines and minerals and Economic Affairs Division.

***

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Pakistan Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China are conducting joint counterterrorism exercise Warrior-IX from 28 November to 14 December 2025.

Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan

Rawalpindi - December 11, 2025

No PR-408/2025-ISPR

Pakistan Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China are conducting joint counterterrorism exercise Warrior-IX from 28 November to 14 December 2025. This two-week exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability and strengthening military-to-military cooperation between the two countries.

The Distinguished Visitors Day (DVD) ceremony was held at the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), Pabbi, on 11 December 2025. His Excellency Mr. Jiang Zaidong, Ambassador of China to Pakistan, graced the event as the Chief Guest, accompanied by senior dignitaries from China. The Chief of General Staff, Pakistan Army, attended the ceremony as the Guest of Honour.

During the visit, honourable guests were briefed on the scope, objectives, and conduct of the joint exercise. They witnessed various counterterrorism drills and appreciated the professionalism, operational competence, and high morale demonstrated by the participating troops from both sides.

The exercise reflects strong defence collaboration between Pakistan and China and reaffirms the commitment of both Armed Forces to working together for peace and stability.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Meeting with Constitutional Court President Valery Zorkin

Vladimir Putin had a meeting with President of the Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin in the Kremlin.

December 11, 2025

13:05

The Kremlin, Moscow

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Zorkin, good afternoon.

Take a seat, please.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you and all the members of the Constitutional Court on Constitution Day, which is just around the corner. As far as I know, most of the requests filed with the Constitutional Court have dealt with the constitutional status of individuals, followed by civil law, civil procedure, criminal law and procedure, and all other matters related to defending the rights of citizens during administrative legal proceedings and all the related matters. There has been a lot of work for you, and a lot of responsibility too.

The Constitutional Court performs its noble mission of defending the rights and interests of the people, while also protecting the constitutional regime.

Thank you very much. Once again, congratulations on the upcoming Constitution Day.

President of the Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin: Mr President, I would also like to congratulate you on this important day we will be marking soon.

As usual, allow me [to present] our [collection of selected Constitutional Court rulings], just as we do every year. This is only part of our work, as summed up in brief rulings.

Vladimir Putin: I see. Thank you.

Valery Zorkin: However, we are now moving from paper to a fully digitised environment. Here, you have only a brief introduction, while the rest is on the thumb drive.

Vladimir Putin: I can see that too.

Valery Zorkin: This is the first time we have used this format. Previously, there were only printed versions.

Vladimir Putin: Please make sure to convey my best wishes and words of gratitude to all those who signed this.

Valery Zorkin: Thank you very much. They asked me to convey the same message to you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Valery Zorkin: Of course, the Constitutional Court has a special place within the judiciary. After all, we are not just an ordinary judicial body for reviewing all the cases we examine. In fact, our mission consists of assessing laws and other regulations, including international treaties, in terms of their compliance with the Constitution.

We issue about 60 rulings on extremely challenging cases every year, more or less. In 3,500 cases, we did not recognise them as being unconstitutional, while still offering a way for interpreting these laws.

What does this mean? This means that we do not recognise them as being contrary to the Constitution. I believe that this indicates that the State Duma, despite all the complaints and criticism it has faced, adopts laws which are quite good, in my opinion.

Vladimir Putin: Good laws.

Valery Zorkin: Yes.

But we also decide that some rulings are incorrect. Therefore, I believe that the Constitutional Court holds a special place because, ultimately, it helps keep the Constitution above both laws and corresponding regulatory acts. I see this as a relatively stable pyramid that shows how the Constitutional principles and norms spread throughout all laws, regulatory acts and even the behaviour of our people and legal relations.

The task of the Constitutional Court is to prevent this pyramid from being changed or destroyed. This largely aligns us with the figure of such stature as the President of the Russian Federation, because you have an even greater responsibility as the guarantor of the Constitution. We, in turn, support this role by serving as guardians of the Constitution.

What else can I say? You have mentioned all the main issues the Constitutional Court has to address. In this connection, I would like to emphasise two major circumstances of our current situation, which the Constitutional Court is not just supposed to give consideration to but takes into account as a matter of fact.

The first, in chronological order, is that the Russian Federation has withdrawn from the European system of justice, including the European Court of Human Rights.

Incidentally, I believe this fact has been misinterpreted, because the Russian Federation has not been excluded, as they claim, but has withdrawn from it when it saw that it was being used against Russia.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, it has been heavily politicised.

Valery Zorkin: We were shocked by the degree of the European Court's politicisation, especially in the last years before our withdrawal. It was appalling.

The second circumstance stems from the hostile posture of the West, which has placed the Russian Federation in a rather complex position. This situation, naturally, is reflected in certain rulings and decisions of the Constitutional Court concerning what is commonly referred to as "sanctions" - a term, in my view, invented by the West. After all, a true sanction presupposes a violation of some norm or rule. In this instance, however, it is they who have violated the rules. The imposition of measures that so flagrantly contravene international law constitutes nothing less than theft. It represents a dismantling, a fragmentation of the very framework that once ensured Russia's integration within the international legal order. The Constitutional Court of Russia is guided first and foremost by the Constitution. I believe our Constitution is a living document, precisely because it is fully operative. And being operative, it explicitly enshrines Russia's unwavering respect for international law - this is a principle emphasised in the Constitution itself, which forms the foundation of our constitutional order.

In practice, the Constitutional Court proceeds from the following premise: once international bodies have confirmed that an international treaty signed by the Russian Federation does not contravene our Constitution, they cannot then declare such treaties inapplicable within the Russian Federation. Why would they be? They cannot give such an interpretation, because Russia signs treaties only when they conform to the Constitution. We have seen numerous examples, at the European Court, for instance, where it was perplexing to observe lawyers essentially disregarding agreements their own institutions had once concluded with Russia.

You may ask why I raise this point - forgive me if I have spoken at length, Mr President. There were voices within our country claiming that our withdrawal from the European Court would be severely damaging, and so forth. In my opinion, nothing of the sort has occurred. I believe the protection of human rights and freedoms remains at the same level. If we examine the cases they actually reviewed, they were largely politicised in nature.

Vladimir Putin: They certainly were.

Valery Zorkin: Looking ahead, I am confident the Constitutional Court will continue to play a pivotal role within Russia itself - though I do not wish to imply we are perfect or universally praised. Ultimately, one must remember: when two sides battle in court, one side prevails and the other does not. What is crucial is that we remain firmly within the constitutional framework, upholding and preserving the Constitution. This is what I mean when I say it is alive: it is not a document sitting on a shelf gathering dust, but one that is actively in force and functioning.

Let me repeat what I mentioned at the outset: the judges asked me to convey their best wishes to you, expressing their hope that you have all you require to fulfil your role as the guarantor of the Constitution, and thereby of Russia itself. Existing outside its Constitution would be detrimental to our nation.

Vladimir Putin: The priority of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, our fundamental law, is unconditional. We will be guided by this principle both in our domestic affairs, through our domestic policy, and on the international stage. This is an absolute and unwavering commitment.

Thank you again for your work. My best wishes to all members of the Constitutional Court.

Valery Zorkin: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

<...>

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Statement by Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation at the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control Yuliya Zhdanova during the 1123rd plenary session of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation, December 10, 2025

11 December 2025 15:27

2062-11-12-2025

Agenda item: Session dedicated to conclusion of the Finnish chairmanship



Mr Chair,

Congratulations on the completion of Finland's Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC). We note the statement made by Deputy Director General of the Political Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Mikael Antell, who summed up the outcomes of the latest session. Regrettably, the report turned out to be lop-sided and, contrary to the OSCE Rules of Procedure, it reflected the perspective of a certain group, a mere fragment of the Organisation, rather than that of all 57 participating States. We are compelled to state that the Finnish Chairmanship did not succeed in acting as an impartial broker.

This final meeting of 2025 provides an opportunity to analyse the state of affairs at the FSC and the trajectory of the military-political situation within the OSCE area of responsibility. Frankly, the situation gives little cause for optimism.

A year ago, the forum experienced the most acute procedural and political crisis in its history following an attempt by the Danish Chairmanship to undermine the OSCE's core principle of consensus. Nothing of the sort had happened even during the Cold War.

By January of this year, the FSC which is the main platform for discussing military security and stability across the OSCE area was in shambles. Full-fledged meetings were not taking place, and there was no interaction even on technical matters. Owing to the political ambitions of the West, its belief in its own ideological superiority and infallibility, and its ability to inflict strategic defeat on the battlefield on Russia, the participating States risked forfeiting another channel for political and military dialogue in Vienna.

To overcome this deadlock, the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation issued a joint statement on the need to strengthen the Forum as a unique political and military platform operating on the basis of the consensus rule and the principle of the sovereign equality of States, in the interest of enhancing security and promoting cooperation. We reaffirmed our readiness for a respectful and professional security dialogue at the FSC, and invited everyone concerned about its future to join this constructive and depoliticised document. Our appeal remains on the table.

Even though the procedural situation at the Forum has to some extent been normalised over the past year, some participating States continued to test the limits of what is permissible, attempting to steer the OSCE body's work against the Russian Federation.

We regret that the Finnish Chairmanship organised ideologically charged events serving the interests of the Kiev regime. During this round of talks, the Forum was for the first time used to promote the thesis that a major armed conflict is unavoidable and that, in Helsinki's view, all strata of society must be prepared for it. In the run-up to the OSCE Ministerial Council (December 4-5), Finland attempted to stage a "tribunal" by convening, outside the FSC's mandate, a thematic meeting on sexual violence during armed conflicts. The Russian delegation was compelled to state that there was no consensus on this agenda item. The Finnish Chairmanship's decision to take into account the concerns of a participating State, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, made it possible to avoid a crisis.

We expect that subsequent Chairmanships will draw the necessary lessons from this situation. There can be no question of the Forum addressing topics entirely unrelated to its mandate, or of its work programme being directed against specific participating States.

Mr Chair,

The situation at the FSC is in many ways a consequence of broader European political and military developments.

Amid the security crisis in Europe provoked by EU and NATO countries, no amount of trust in the military sphere is possible. Instead of building a professional dialogue at the FSC, they prefer to fuel tensions by disseminating hostile narratives about Russia and distorting the essence of fundamental OSCE documents on confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs) and military security.

Europe has plunged into full-scale Russophobic hysteria, and its militarisation is spiraling out of control. All key OSCE agreements in the field of arms control and CSBMs have been dismantled. The West has rejected Russia's proposals to improve mechanisms for preventing dangerous military incidents and for relocating exercise areas deeper inland and away from the borders of NATO countries and Russia. On the contrary, the Alliance's leadership, inflating the myth of an allegedly unavoidable Russian attack, uses the "Russian threat" as a pretext to build up the military activity of its forces in close proximity to our borders.

In 2026, NATO plans to conduct over 50 operational and combat training events. The largest of these will be a series of exercises by the armed forces of NATO countries under the common title "Defender Europe," aimed at practicing various scenarios for employing land force groupings of the Alliance's 31 member states on the eastern flank. In March, the Cold Response exercise will take place in northern Norway, Finland, and Sweden, as well as in the adjacent waters of the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea. Approximately 40,000 service members from 17 Allied countries take part in it in order to practice the employment of a NATO Joint Force grouping in high-intensity operations along the Alliance's northern borders. The recent statement by NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone that "preemptive strikes [against Russia] could be considered "defensive actions" draws a big bold line under the myth of the Alliance's allegedly peaceful and non-offensive nature.

The course on militarisation will inevitably bring about negative consequences for the European states which are digging an economic pit for their own future. Fitch rating agency has analysed prospects for the EU achieving strategic autonomy in defence and security. The Defence Readiness Roadmap drafted by the European Commission will not ensure a breakthrough increase in the EU's military capabilities. Defence enterprises of United Europe, in the context of complex procedures required to obtain funds through the SAFE joint arms procurement financing instrument, will be forced to continue relying on commercial banks and the loan capital market. Against the backdrop of higher borrowing costs, this will impede the accelerated expansion of military production in the EU. As a result, the Union risks trapping itself, becoming even more dependent on the United States as a supplier of defence products.

Nonetheless, Brussels continues stubbornly engaging in self-hypnosis about the need to prepare for war with Russia, with endlessly updated deadlines. It firmly says "no" to the imperative of eliminating the root causes of the security crisis on the continent regardless of the consequences.

Perhaps, the time has finally come to take a break and reflect?

If this trend is not reversed, then here, within the OSCE, instead of a legacy of accomplishments to reduce military risks, our descendants will inherit only piles of identical statements from NATO and EU full of fruitless attempts to smear Russia. Indeed, a meager inheritance from those who proclaim their moral and ideological superiority.

We are convinced that the Forum has no future if NATO and EU continue to test the resilience of the consensus rule and use this platform as their own property for a campaign to demonise Russia and other "disobedient" countries, as well as to cover up for their clients in Kiev.

It is time, at long last, to clear the FSC of propagandistic chaff and focus its work on genuinely important issues of political and military security in the interests of all 57 OSCE participating States without exception.

What is needed today are efforts to create favourable conditions for fulfilling the Forum's mandate, including preventing the illicit trafficking of SALW and ammunition, supporting the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540, implementing the Code of Conduct on Political and Military Aspects of Security, as well as confidence- and security-building measures.

Rotating Chairmanships must recognise that further hollowing out the FSC agenda and using it for political score-settling is a road that leads nowhere. The refusal, for the fourth year in a row, to hold annual political and military events, as well as the freezing of Working Groups A and B, has already triggered a loss of institutional memory in the OSCE's political and military dimension.

It is time to bring the Forum back to the culture of respectful dialogue that took shape over decades within the CSCE/OSCE. In this regard, we emphasise the special responsibility of the Chairmanship as a neutral moderator, acting on behalf of the FSC, that is, on behalf of all 57 participating States responsible for coordinating activities and conducting consultations on its current work, and the members of the Troika, who must uphold the foundations of this autonomous OSCE decision-making body. In particular, we draw attention to the fact that speakers invited by the Chairmanship must meet the Forum's high standards and avoid exacerbating already deep differences among the participating States.

We call on the OSCE Secretariat's Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) to assist Chairmanships more actively in carrying out their tasks on the basis of impartiality, openness, and accountability. The CPC is expected to contribute to maintaining institutional memory in the FSC's work and to engage appropriately with delegations.

In conclusion, we would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Spain and Estonia, who were at the helm of the Forum in the outgoing year.

We expect that in 2026 the delegations of France, Georgia, and the United Kingdom will work in a constructive spirit, sine ira et studio, while strictly observing the Rules of Procedure. In your hands lies a fragile diplomatic instrument that requires skilled tuning for the sake of fulfilling the aims and tasks embedded in the FSC's political and military score. To this end, Chairmanships must temper national political ambitions and demonstrate diplomatic wisdom, refraining from the temptation to play along with attempts by certain states and their groupings to introduce the dissonance of confrontation into the Forum's work.

Thank you.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a media question regarding the detention of Russian citizen Alexander Butyagin in Poland

11 December 2025 12:25

2058-11-12-2025

Question: According to media reports, Russian citizen Alexander Butyagin, a staff member of the State Hermitage Museum, was detained in Warsaw on December 4. How would you comment on this situation?

Maria Zakharova: It is true that Russian citizen Alexander Butyagin, a staff member of the State Hermitage Museum who had been invited to deliver a series of lectures on the last day of Pompeii in Prague, Amsterdam, Warsaw, and Belgrade, was detained upon his arrival in Warsaw. The Polish judicial authorities ordered his arrest on the basis of an international warrant issued by the Ukrainian authorities. The Kiev regime accuses the Russian scholar of "destroying cultural heritage" during archaeological excavations in Crimea, which, I would remind you, is an integral part of the Russian Federation.

We hope the Polish authorities recognise the absurdity of accusing a respected Russian archaeologist of "destroying cultural heritage" on the territory of the Russian Federation, and understand that such politically motivated actions are both futile and will have consequences.

Representatives of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw have met with Alexander Butyagin and remain in contact with his attorney, who will appeal the decision on his temporary detention.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






U.S. House passes defense bill backing joint drone program with Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

12/11/2025 01:32 PM

Washington, Dec. 10 (CNA) The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the compromise National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes authorization of up to US$1 billion for Taiwan-related security cooperation and a joint drone program.

The latest version of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026, released on Dec. 7, passed the House in a 312-112 vote.

In a news release, Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the bill advances U.S. President Donald Trump's "peace through strength" agenda and keeps American forces ready and lethal amid an increasingly complex security environment.

According to the committee, the FY26 NDAA focuses on countering China's threats, ensuring mission success in the Indo-Pacific, and supporting regional allies and partners.

Among the highlights, the bill authorizes up to US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and directs the Pentagon to collaborate with Taiwan on a joint drone program, including co-development and co-production, in line with the Taiwan Relations Act.

It further authorizes American forces to maintain training programs with Taiwan and other partners to counter China's "malign influence operations."

The bill also calls for a plan to expand joint U.S.-Taiwan coastguard training and to deploy American personnel in Taiwan to bolster maritime security, law enforcement, and deterrence.

The NDAA for 2026 includes the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act, which supports Taiwan's bid to join the International Monetary Fund.

The U.S. Senate and House had earlier passed their own versions of the NDAA. The two chambers will now have to produce a single reconciled version of the bill, which would then require passage by both chambers of Congress before it could be signed into law by the American president.

(By Elaine Hou and Ko Lin)

Enditem/pc

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Local opposition to Taiwan's defense budget may confuse international community: U.S. envoy

ROC Central News Agency

12/11/2025 12:11 PM

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) The United States representative to Taiwan Raymond Greene said Wednesday that the international community might find it hard to understand the domestic criticisms of Taiwan's efforts to increase its defense budget.

Washington supports Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's () proposal for a supplementary defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) to be spent over the next eight years in the face of a growing Chinese threat, said Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), in an interview with a podcast host on Wednesday night.

Greene said he understands that the proposed budget has to go through a democratic process, including approval by lawmakers.

"But I remain very confident that at the end of the day, all of the parties in Taiwan will come together on behalf of increased defense spending," said Greene, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

Following Lai's announcement of the proposal last month, the Cabinet promptly put forth a bill to allocate a supplementary NT$1.25 trillion for the purchase of weapons and joint development programs with the United States from 2026 to 2033.

The draft bill, however, was blocked in the opposition-controlled Legislature, with lawmakers of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) arguing that it lacked details and that the funds could only be secured through debt financing and would likely force cuts to other spending.

On Wednesday, Greene said that all the Taiwanese lawmakers he and visiting U.S. Congress members had met with in Taipei supported the idea of boosting Taiwan's self-defense capabilities, and he was "quite optimistic" the draft budget bill would be passed.

The U.S. side is also looking forward to "answering questions from our Taiwan friends in the Legislature once they get into the detailed review of the budget," he added.

Greene said, however, that the international community might not understand domestic pushback against the proposal.

"I would say I think it's important for Taiwanese citizens to understand, though, that some of the criticism of increasing Taiwan's defense spending will unlikely receive support or understanding from the international community," he said in the interview.

In fact, the international community was more concerned about Taiwan's under-investment in defense, which has "actually increased the risk of a conflict," Greene said.

He noted that while Taiwan had previously downgraded its defense spending from 3 percent to 2 percent of its GDP, the budget of the People's Liberation Army in China had "more than doubled."

"So what we see Taiwan doing right now is increasing its defense expenditures and trying to restore the strategic balance," Greene said.

Taiwan's decision also has huge implications for the U.S., because it is Washington's policy to oppose any change in Taiwan's status through force or coercion and to support Taiwan's defense capabilities, he said.

"It's very difficult for the United States to do that if Taiwan doesn't invest in its own self-defense capabilities," he added.

(By Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/pc

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Taiwan's deputy foreign minister made 'secret trip' to Tel Aviv: Report

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 11 December 2025 7:18 PM

Taiwan's deputy foreign minister has made an unpublicized visit to Israeli-occupied territories recently, sources familiar with the trip said, at a time when the self-ruling island is looking to the Zionist entity for increased military cooperation.

Individuals knowledgeable about the journey on Thursday confirmed that Francois Wu undertook a previously undisclosed visit to Israeli-occupied territories within recent weeks.

An Israeli official told Israel Hayom that the controversial visit took place but played down its importance.

Wu reportedly met with Knesset members from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing ruling coalition.

The talks reportedly touched on Taiwan's new air defense system - the T-Dome - which is inspired by the Israeli Iron Dome.

This Israeli-Taiwanese cooperation has been greenlit by Washington, according to the reports.

On October 28, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that Israel serves as a model for the island to strengthen its military power.

"We are hoping to build a more thorough air defense net with a higher interception rate," an anonymous Taiwanese source said at the time.

In response to the unveiling of the air defense plans in October, China accused Taiwan of "seeking independence by force," adding that this would only result in conflict.

Taiwan's air defenses have been mainly based on the US Patriot system, as well as its locally developed Sky Bow missiles.

Intelligence Online reported on October 21 that Taiwan's deputy defense minister secretly visited Israel to seek help in developing the T-Dome.

The outlet says Israel has been providing military expertise and technology to Taiwan under the guise of civilian programs.

Tel Aviv is reportedly assisting Taipei with integrating elements of its Green Pine and Arrow systems in order to develop the Tian Gong-4 missile system, which will be part of the T-Dome network.

The latest clandestine trip transpired as Taipei pursues military collaboration with the occupied regime, despite ongoing Chinese warnings that it would not tolerate Israeli ties with the island, which it considers a renegade province.

Following the latest visit by the Taiwanese diplomat, the Chinese embassy in the Israeli-occupied territories recently warned that "China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China."

China urges the Israeli occupying regime to "faithfully abide by the one-China principle, correct the erroneous actions and stop sending any wrong signals to separatist forces advocating Taiwan independence."

"The Chinese side firmly objects to any form of official exchanges with the Taiwan authorities, which seriously violate the one-China principle."

Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel and its administration has refrained from condemning the Tel Aviv regime's crimes in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Taiwan's foreign minister Lin Chia-Lung last month said that "Palestine is very bad to Taiwan" because it aligns with Beijing's "One-China" principle, which states that there is only one China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Taiwan's official name is the Republic of China.

The developments come as China in recent months repeatedly condemned the killing of civilians following the Israeli onslaught in Gaza and rapped Israel's actions for being "beyond the scope of self-defense."

Tel Aviv and its US-led Western allies labeled the Israeli aggression on Gaza that killed thousands of Palestinian children and women as an act of self-defense.

China has repeatedly reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian people against the apartheid Israeli regime, blasting the Tel Aviv regime for settler colonialism in the occupied territories.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Defense chief defends awarding explosive import bid to furniture company

ROC Central News Agency

12/11/2025 02:49 PM

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) Defense Minister Wellington Koo () on Thursday defended his ministry's decision to award a contract to import military-grade explosives to a company better known for selling furniture, after a lawmaker questioned the public procurement process.

A day earlier, opposition Kuomintang Legislator Wang Hung-wei () said Tainan-based Home-Max Furniture Trading Ltd. won a Dec. 2 tender to import a batch of RDX for under NT$590 million (US$18.8 million).

Wang questioned whether a relatively small furniture trading company should have been eligible to bid for a contract involving explosive materials, let alone secure it.

RDX, also known as hexogen, is a powerful explosive with strong detonation characteristics and is widely used in military applications, including in C-4.

Asked to comment, Koo said no companies in Taiwan are capable of producing RDX, which is why the ministry must rely on imports. Any qualified international trading company can submit a bid, he said.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Home-Max was the sole bidder. Although registered as a furniture trading company, it also engages in international trade and the wholesale of chemical materials, the MND said on Wednesday.

To ensure the company can fulfill the contract, the ministry said it has asked Home-Max to present an export permit for the explosives and documentation identifying the original manufacturer by a set deadline. The MND added that it will inspect the RDX shipment upon arrival to verify its origin and ensure it meets required standards.

(By Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/kb

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2025.12.12

Issuing AuthorityPolitical Warfare Bureau

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

1.Date:

6 a.m. Dec. 11 (Thu.) to 6 a.m. Dec. 12 (Fri.) (UTC+8)

2.PLA activities:

33 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 23 out of 33 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities.

1141212_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window]

1141212_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window]

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Atlantic Bastion plans advancing as autonomous submarine XV Excalibur handed to Royal Navy

News story

Excalibur is a 12-metre experimental vessel. At a displacement of 19 tonnes, it's the largest uncrewed underwater vessel ever trialled by the Royal Navy.

From: Submarine Delivery Agency and Ministry of Defence

Published 11 December 2025

It's been a busy year for the SDA's Autonomy Unit who have achieved several milestones with XV Excalibur, the UK's first uncrewed submarine.

Officially classified as an Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV), Excalibur is a 12-metre experimental vessel. At a displacement of 19 tonnes, it's the largest uncrewed underwater vessel ever trialled by the Royal Navy.

The culmination of Project Cetus, it's been developed in under three years by the SDA in partnership with MSubs Ltd. Sponsored by the Royal Navy, Project Cetus aims to build trust in Autonomy and be a testbed to assess military payloads and missions.

Official naming ceremony

In May 2025, Excalibur was named and unveiled at a ceremony in His Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport. It'll now spend the next two years carrying out extensive sea trials, which will help understand the opportunities and challenges of operating an uncrewed vessel of this size.

Exercise Talisman Sabre

Excalibur's long-distance interoperability was demonstrated just months after the ceremony, in Exercise Talisman Sabre. During the exercise in August the Royal Navy successfully controlled Excalibur in UK waters from a remote operating centre in Australia - more than 10,000 miles from the vessel's home in Plymouth.

Part of AUKUS Pillar 2, the "advanced capability" component of the AUKUS trilateral partnership, the exercise marked the first time the UK and Australia, have demonstrated XLUUV interoperability as a single fighting force.

Quantum optical atomic trials

This was followed with a world-first trial, as Excalibur went to sea with a quantum optical atomic "Tiqker" clock on board developed by Infleqtion, a UK company leader in Quantum Technology. This marked the first time such a device has been operated at sea in an underwater vessel.

Unlike surface vessels, submarines cannot rely entirely on Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation. Traditional microwave-based clocks provide stability but can drift over time, making them less accurate.

The use of quantum technology like Tiqker enhances a submarine's ability to maintain accurate timing and navigation and reduces the need for external signals. This allows the submarine to stay submerged and covert for longer periods.

This trial was not only delivered successfully by the SDA's Autonomy Unit, MSubs, Infleqtion and Royal Navy, but also took place six months ahead of schedule.

Handover to the Royal Navy

Since launching in February 2025, Excalibur has completed many acceptance trials, surpassing several original design specifications.

Excalibur has now officially been handed over to the Royal Navy. The SDA's Autonomy Unit will continue to support the Navy on Excalibur's test and evaluation programme, which aims to learn more about her capability and how we can effectively introduce autonomy to operational use.

This year's progress heralds an exciting future in which autonomous underwater vehicles and nuclear submarines work in unison to provide exceptional underwater capability for the Royal Navy.

Excalibur's capability positions the UK as a leader in underwater autonomous technology and showcases the SDA's ability to exploit the latest technologies in the interests of national security.

SDA's Autonomy Unit

SDA's Autonomy Unit is a team of engineers who develop some of the cutting-edge technology that will support the Royal Navy's submarine service in the future. They focus on innovation in the autonomous space, which refers to vehicles which can operate remotely and without direct human input.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Minister Anand participates in virtual meeting in support of Ukraine

Global Affairs Canada

Readout

December 11, 2025 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today participated, on behalf of Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, an important format for supporting Ukraine's security now and in the future.

The meeting was co-chaired by Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, and other key European leaders were also in attendance.

The members of the Coalition acknowledged the momentum in the discussions between representatives of the United States, Ukraine and Europe toward a negotiated settlement. They discussed the importance of continued efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Leaders underscored the importance of continued support for Ukraine, including through robust, reliable security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any negotiated settlement. They also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities to ensure the country can protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Minister Anand affirmed Canada's steadfast commitment to the Coalition and its readiness to continue contributing to Ukraine's security and the success of a sustainable peace process.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ukraine Facility: Council approves sixth payment of around 2.3 billion to Kyiv

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU

Press release

11 December 2025 18:27

Ukraine will soon receive around 2.3 billion in funding after the Council adopted a decision on the sixth regular disbursement of support under the EU's Ukraine Facility. This amount reflects Ukraine's successful completion of eight steps required for the sixth disbursement, as well as the completion of an outstanding step from the fourth disbursement. This funding aims primarily to bolster Ukraine's macro-financial stability and support the functioning of its public administration.

Payments under the Ukraine Facility are closely linked to the Ukraine Plan, which outlines Ukraine's strategy for recovery, reconstruction and modernisation, along with a timetable for the implementation of reforms aligned with the country's EU accession goals over the coming years. Following the completion of the most recent steps, Ukraine has now successfully adopted 63 out of the 68 steps required so far under the Ukraine Facility.

The current sixth disbursement of EU support follows the recent fifth disbursement on 5 November 2025. This quick consecutive provision of funds mirrors Ukraine's speed and commitment to implement reforms aligned with the country's EU accession goals.

Background

The Ukraine Facility, which entered into force on 1 March 2024, provides up to 50 billion of stable financing, in grants and loans, to support Ukraine's recovery, reconstruction, and modernisation for the period from 2024 to 2027.

Of this 50 billion, up to 32 billion is indicatively earmarked to support the reforms and investments set out in the Ukraine Plan. Disbursements are conditional on the fulfilment of indicators set out in the Plan. Since its entry into force, the Ukraine Facility has already disbursed 6 billion by way of bridge financing, 1.89 billion in pre-financing, and five instalments of approximately 4.2, 4.1, 3.5, 3.2 and 1.8 billion respectively.

Following the Commission's assessment of Ukraine's payment request on 11 November 2025, the Council concluded that Ukraine had satisfactorily fulfilled a number of reforms set out in the Ukraine Plan. The areas covered by these reforms include the management of public finances, the judicial system, financial markets, human capital, the business environment, decentralisation and regional policy, and the management of critical raw materials. There are also measures related to the green transition and environmental protection, including the adoption of the second Nationally Determined Contribution of Ukraine to the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the adoption of the National Waste Management Plan until 2033. A digital management tool for the reconstruction of Ukraine has been developed and is now being implemented.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Minister for European Affairs Strand in Ukraine: "Ukraine's place is in the European Union"

Finnish Government

Government Communications Department

Publication date 11.12.2025 15.00

Type:Press release

Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand attended an informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs in Lviv, Ukraine, on 10-11 December. Discussions at the meeting focused on support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership. The meeting offered an opportunity to assess Ukraine's progress and strengthen support for the necessary reforms.

Finland has continued its strong support for Ukraine's EU integration. Like the Commission, Finland estimates that all clusters of negotiations could be opened for Ukraine by the end of 2025.

"It is very encouraging to see the work Ukraine has done on all six clusters of negotiations for EU membership. It is important to remember that Ukraine is doing this work while defending itself and all of Europe against Russia's senseless war of aggression," said Minister Strand.

For all candidate countries, Finland stresses the importance of meeting the accession criteria, especially with regard to the rule of law. Respect for the rule of law is also a requirement for Member States, with efforts to strengthen the rule of law ongoing within the Union as well.

"It is crucial that Ukraine continue to make progress on reforms related to the rule of law and the fight against corruption. This requires independent and strong institutions, as well as political will. Ukraine can count on Finland's support on all fronts and at every stage," Minister Strand said.

EU convergence has already brought tangible benefits to Ukrainian citizens, for example through cooperation on mobile roaming services. Ukraine is also working actively to join the EU's Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).

Ukraine gained candidate country status in 2022 and has made significant progress on comprehensive economic, legal and anti-corruption reforms.

The ministers attending the meeting in Ukraine also took part in the nationwide moment of silence held every day at 9.00 to commemorate those who have died in the war.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Update 332 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

International Atomic Energy Agency

11 December 2025

Vienna, Austria

125/2025

Persistent instability in Ukraine's electrical grid continues to challenge nuclear safety during the military conflict, at times causing disruptions in the availability of off-site power for the country's main nuclear sites, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

Early in the morning of 6 December, at 3:21am, the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) suffered yet another loss of all off-site power - its 11th during the conflict - lasting for about half an hour when both of its remaining power lines were disconnected within 20 minutes of one another.

At the time of the event, all available emergency diesel generators (EDGs) on site automatically started up to generate the electricity the plant needs to operate the water pumps used for reactor cooling and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions.

"While the emergency backup system functioned as designed, repeated loss of off-site power events increases operational stress and highlights the importance of maintaining reliable off-site power," Director General Grossi said.

While the 330 kilovolt (kV) Ferosplavna-1 line was reconnected to the ZNPP after just 29 minutes, the 750 kV Dniprovska main power line was restored nine hours later. Earlier in the autumn, the ZNPP went for one month without any off-site power, the longest such event during the conflict.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, widespread military activities last Saturday also affected the grid and external power supplies to the three operating nuclear power plants (NPPs), prompting them to reduce the output of several reactors.

"These disruptions have resulted in fluctuating power outputs, temporary disconnections, and forced outages at some units. In several cases, units were taken off-line or operated at reduced capacity to maintain grid balance and prevent equipment damage following sudden protection actuations," Director General Grossi said.

"In terms of nuclear safety and security, the fragile grid and power situation remains one of the biggest challenges. As the Seven Indispensable Pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict clearly state: there must be a secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites. All too often, this is far from the reality that our experts see on the ground," he said.

On a more positive note, the operating NPPs' nuclear safety systems have continued to function as intended, and emergency power supplies remain fully available. The IAEA teams based at Ukraine's nuclear sites continue to monitor conditions closely and maintain communication with operators.

As part of the IAEA's ongoing efforts to help prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict, an IAEA team is this month visiting more than 10 electrical substations, following recent attacks targeting key energy infrastructure. The 1-12 December mission is assessing the damage, reviewing repair efforts, and identifying practical steps to strengthen the resilience of off-site power supplies to the country's NPPs.

At the ZNPP on 5 December, the IAEA team observed an EDG test. At the full-load stage during the test, a smoke cloud and flames of up to a few metres high were suddenly seen shooting up from the EDG building's exhaust chimney. The flames subsided after one-two minutes. The IAEA team was informed that the fire was caused by the ignition of accumulated soot in the exhaust system, that had been piled up during its prolonged operation during the October-November loss of off-site power event. After test completion, the team was informed by the ZNPP that it had been successful and that the EDG was put back to standby mode. The IAEA team later visited the EDG building and did not notice any issues with respect to nuclear safety.

As part of the IAEA's comprehensive programme of assistance, the physical protection department of Ukraine's Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management received four all-terrain vehicles. The delivery was funded by the United Kingdom.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Vice-Minister Mitkus: EU Ministers in Lviv expressed full support for Ukraine's EU accession path

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Updated 2025-12-11

On 10-11 December in Lviv, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigitas Mitkus attended an informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs to discuss Ukraine's progress and next steps towards EU membership.

The meeting assessed Ukraine's progress in implementing reforms, discussed the progress of technical EU accession negotiations, and set priorities for the first half of 2026. In the context of the annual Enlargement Package announced by the European Commission on 4 November 2025, significant progress by Ukraine was noted. Still, the need to further strengthen the fight against corruption was highlighted.

Mitkus emphasized that Lithuania has consistently supported and continues to support Ukraine's path to EU membership and that EU enlargement will be a priority during Lithuania's upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2027.

"The Ukrainian people demonstrate their determination to be part of Europe daily by defending their freedom and democracy. It is our duty to ensure that the negotiation process is transparent, swift, and results-oriented. Lithuania will continue to work actively to ensure that Ukraine's progress is properly assessed and supported," said the Vice-Minister.

According to Mitkus, this meeting sends an important political message to Ukraine, confirming the EU's readiness to continue supporting its accession path in a focused and united manner, as well as an opportunity for member states to directly assess the progress of the negotiations.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






The President: Peace is achieved through strength, not by pressuring the victim of aggression to make concessions

President of the Republic of Lithuania

December 11, 2025

On Thursday, President Gitanas Nauseda participated in a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the President, decisions made in the coming days and weeks may determine the future of security across Europe. Therefore, Europe must now stand firmly on Ukraine's side and strengthen its negotiating position  this is essential for Europe's own security.

The President outlined the key principles for achieving a lasting and just peace in Ukraine:

first, a ceasefire must be achieved;

 any peace plan must include strong, enforceable and legally binding security guarantees for Ukraine  there can be no "second Budapest Memorandum";

 the buildup of security-ensuring forces must continue, securing real European capabilities. Lithuania stands ready to contribute;

 long-term military and financial support to Ukraine must be ensured, along with increased pressure on the aggressor, Russia;

 no concessions can be made regarding Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty or international law. Aggression and war crimes cannot be rewarded;

 Ukraine's EU membership perspective by 2030 must be an integral part of the peace plan.

"Europe must act in unity  clearly and decisively. Peace is achieved through strength, not by forcing the victim of aggression to make concessions," the President said.

The President's Communication Group

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






The President at the meeting with EU ambassadors: without a secure Ukraine, there can be no secure Europe

President of the Republic of Lithuania

December 11, 2025

On Thursday, President Gitanas Nauseda met with ambassadors of European Union (EU) countries accredited to Lithuania. The meeting focused on the security situation in Europe, support for Ukraine, and the upcoming multiannual financial framework.

The President emphasized that security and defense remain the most important issues in EU policy, with Russia continuing to pose the greatest threat to Europe by expanding its hybrid, cyber, disinformation, and sabotage activities.

He drew attention to the recent hybrid attacks in Lithuania, involving unmanned objects launched from Belarus that violate airspace and pose a threat to aviation. After Lithuania declared a nationwide emergency situation, the President called on the EU to seek a common response and hold the Belarusian regime accountable for these incidents.

President Nauseda stressed that Europe's first line of defence begins in Ukraine, and that without a secure Ukraine, there can be no secure Europe. He underlined that Russia continues to demonstrate aggression even while pretending to engage in negotiations, making it necessary to adhere to the principle of "peace through strength."

The President called on the EU to take decisions on a reparations loan for Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, to confirm 2030 as the target date for Ukraine's EU membership, to ensure support for Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and to accelerate consideration of a new sanctions package.

Discussing negotiations on the EU's multiannual financial framework, the President emphasized the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of 2026. He stressed that the new budget must reflect the priorities of security and defence, military mobility, and critical infrastructure protection, with a strong focus on the regions along the EU's eastern border.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Poland Joins Ukraine2EU to Support Ukraine's Preparation for EU Membership

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Republic of Poland

11.12.2025

On December 11, at the Informal Meeting of Ministers for European Affairs in Lviv, Poland reinforced its support for Ukraine's EU membership by announcing its participation in the Ukraine2EU - EU Integration Support Programme. Poland has contributed 1 million to Ukraine2EU and will provide advisory support drawn from its own experience to Ukrainian public administration institutions it their efforts to conduct EU-related reforms and align legislation with the EU acquis. The contribution will also help to reinforce the Verkhovna Rada's capacities related to Ukraine's EU accession.

Welcoming Poland's contribution, Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, highlighted that the unity of Member States remains essential as Ukraine moves forward in its accession process: "Poland's decision to take part in this initiative shows Member States' firm resolve to support Ukraine on its path to EU membership. From its own experience, Poland knows how vital strong and capable institutions are in preparing for EU membership. Ukraine is entering a stage that demands sustained political focus, consistent work and resilient institutions. Strengthening those capacities will speed up Ukraine's progress towards the European Union."

Reflecting on Poland's decision, Ignacy Niemczycki, Secretary of State of Poland, emphasised the value of practical accession experience: "Poland knows how demanding the EU accession process is. Through Ukraine2EU, we are not only providing financial support but also mobilising a High-Level Advisory Group of senior Polish experts - officials who led Poland's own EU negotiations and held leading roles in EU institutions. Their experience will help Ukraine navigate the accession process and align its laws with the EU acquis."

As Ukraine moves into the next stage of the EU accession process, the Verkhovna Rada faces an increasing workload. It must process a growing volume of EU-related legislation, work closely with the government, and keep reforms on track to support successful negotiations.

Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, noted: "Ukraine's accession process should maintain strong momentum, driven by the significant reforms we are implementing across key sectors. Poland's support comes at a moment when political resolve and unity among partners are crucial. The experience Polish experts bring will help us navigate on the EU accession path. We are grateful to Poland for this strategic and timely contribution to Ukraine's EU course".

Speaking about the importance of aligning the national legislation with the EU acquis, Oleksandr Korniyenko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, emphasized: "Parliament is one of the key institutions in aligning national legislation with European standards. This is not about simply translating directives, but about a comprehensive process that requires deep reforms, coordination and institutional readiness. Support directed at strengthening the Verkhovna Rada's capacities directly enhances Ukraine's ability to adopt and implement the EU acquis effectively."

By joining Ukraine2EU, Poland becomes part of this umbrella EU initiative and strengthens the Team Europe approach, demonstrating its openness to cooperation with other EU member states and donor organisations that support Ukraine on its path to EU membership.

***

The Ukraine2EU Programme is a flagship initiative of the European Union designed to assist Ukraine in successfully completing its EU accession process and preparing for EU membership. It was launched by the EU, Lithuania, and Denmark, later joined by Sweden and Ireland, and now Poland - bringing the Programme's total budget to 19.2 million. The Programme is implemented by the Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency (CPVA).

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's participation in a roundtable discussion titled "Ukraine crisis. Diplomacy and settlement prospects"

11 December 2025 15:15

2061-11-12-2025

On December 11, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke at a roundtable discussion titled "Ukraine crisis. Diplomacy and settlement prospects", organised by the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. As many as 96 ambassadors from Global Majority countries, accredited in Moscow, and representatives of international organisations attended the event.

In his remarks, the Minister highlighted Russia's long-time and consistent efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis by political and diplomatic methods that contrast with the destructive line of the Kiev regime's European sponsors. Sergey Lavrov emphasised that a just and sustainable peace was possible only if the root causes of the conflict were eliminated, and if the logic of confrontation was renounced.

The roundtable participants conducted a frank exchange of views regarding the Ukraine crisis and other key issues on the international agenda. Following the discussion, they voiced an intention to continue substantive dialogue on this issue.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russian Forces Liberate Seversk - General Staff Chief Reports to Putin

Sputnik News

20251211

In his report to President Vladimir Putin, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, provided updates on the ongoing Special Military Operation (SMO).

aRussian forces have taken control of the city of Seversk, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces Valery Gerasimov said on Thursday.

"The city of Seversk has been taken control of," Gerasimov told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting on the situation in the special military operation zone.

The liberation of Seversk, located in the northwestern part of Donetsk People's Republic and a gateway to Kramatorsk, practically means the completion of the offensive operation to free Donbass.

Russia's control of Seversk was secured through the coordinated efforts of commanders at all levels, President Putin said.

"I would like to note that this was, of course, made possible solely by the coordinated work of unit commanders, formation commanders, and headquarters at all levels, which ensured the meticulous planning of this work, all combat operations, and the resolution of issues of cooperation and comprehensive support," Putin said. "The liberation of the city of Seversk and successful offensive actions in this direction significantly bring closer a new, successful offensive in other directions and the expulsion of Ukrainian armed formations from our territory, the restoration of peaceful life in the land of Donbas," Putin added.

The Ukrainian armed forces hoped that when Russia took control of Seversk, it would get bogged down in this direction, but it did not work out, Putin said.

The Russian forces have also liberated of Kucherovka and Kurilovka settlements.

Creation of a Buffer Zone

The creation of a buffer zone in Ukraine's border regions is proceeding as planned,Vladimir Putin said.

"The Russian armed forces continue to carry out the tasks of the special military operation and are confidently advancing along the entire front. The creation of a buffer zone in Ukraine's border regions is proceeding as planned," Putin said.

Other Developments

Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin that the main efforts of Battlegroup Sever are focused on expanding the buffer zone in the border areas of Sumy and Kharkov regions in Ukraine.

As many as 45% of buildings in Konstantinovka are under the control of the Russian armed forces, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces Valery Gerasimov said on Thursday.

"The assault units of Battlegroup Yug are advancing with battles in the city of Konstantinovka, a total of 45% of the buildings in this settlement are under our control," Gerasimov told Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Street fighting continues during the liberation of Gulyai Pole in the Zaporozhye region, Gerasimov added.

In the zone of Russia's Battlegroup Sever, the main efforts are focused on deepening the security zone in the Sumy and Kharkov regions, Valery Gerasimov said.

"In the area of responsibility of Battlegroup Sever, the main efforts are focused on increasing the depth of the security zone in the border areas of the Sumy and Kharkov regions of Ukraine," Gerasimov said.

The Russian armed forces are acting in accordance with the plan of special military operation, Gerasimov said, adding that Russia's Battlegroup Zapad continues fighting on the left bank of the Oskol River.

Russia's Battlegroup Vostok is developing an offensive in the south of the Dnepropetrovsk region, Valery Gerasimov added.

"Battlegroup Vostok, having crossed the Gaichur River, are advancing in several areas in the south of Dnepropetrovsk region and in the eastern part of the Zaporozhye region," Gerasimov said.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Putin Convenes Meeting in Kremlin to Focus on Special Military Operation Zone

Sputnik News

20251211

Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a meeting at the Kremlin to discuss developments in the special military operation zone, with a particular focus on the situation in the northern segment of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)

The discussions also touched upon the reported full capture of Seversk (Severodonetsk) by Russian forces, as relayed by Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.

Seversk is a key point to establish full control over the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics' shared border "Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin to discuss the current situation in the Special Military Operation zone, with an emphasis on the situation in the northern part of the Donetsk People's Republic  an area under the responsibility of the Yug Battlegroup. The meeting was attended by the Chief of the General Staff and the commander of the Yug Battlegroup via video link. Also present in the Kremlin were the commander of the 123rd Motorized Rifle Brigade, Denis Sergeyevich Pirogov," Peskov said.

"During the meeting, the president highlighted the overall good dynamics on all fronts. Seversk coming under our complete control was also discussed. The president received detailed reports on this matter. A video of the meeting will be available soon," the Kremlin official added.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russian Forces Liberate of Settlement of Liman in Kharkov Region - MoD

Sputnik News

20251211

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Liman in the Kharkov region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"Battlegroup Sever have completed the liberation of the Liman settlement in the Kharkov region with active actions," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr has eliminated more than 415 Ukrainian military personnel over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The enemy lost over 415 soldiers, a Swedish-made Viking armored personnel carrier, two armored combat vehicles and three pickup trucks," the minister said in a statement.

Kiev has also lost up to 215 soldiers in battles with Russia's Battlegroup Zapad and up to 235 soldiers in battles with Battlegroup Vostok in the past day, the statement read.

Russian air defense systems have shot down ten US-made HIMARS rockets and 396 Ukrainian drones over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Air defense systems shot down ten rockets from the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, a Neptune long-range guided missile, and 396 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet destroyed an unmanned boat of the Ukrainian armed forces in the central part of the Black Sea, the ministry added.

At the same time, the Russian armed forces have destroyed energy and fuel facilities used by the Ukrainian military, as well as temporary deployment sites for Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 152 districts, the ministry also said.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Russia to Seek $7.6Bln Compensation From Ukrainian Neo-Nazis - Chief Investigator

Sputnik News

20251211

MINSK (Sputnik) - The Russian Investigative Committee estimates the damage caused by Ukrainian neo-Nazis at 600 billion rubles ($7.6 billion) and plans to seek compensation, Russian Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin told Sputnik.

"There is serious damage across 41 Russian regions targeted by modern weapons used by Ukrainian Nazis. We have calculated the losses at about 600 billion rubles. Naturally, we will pursue compensation for this damage from the Ukrainian nationalists," Bastrykin said.

The damage has affected both new territories and regions deep inside Russia, he said.

"While investigating the crimes of the Kiev regime, we are now documenting material damage that is being caused to the new territories. Damage is also being inflicted on our territories deep into Russia, apart from the new territories where the special military operation is underway," Bastrykin said.

Bastrykin made the remarks during the International Research-to-Practice Conference dedicated to the 77th Anniversary of the Adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The event is taking place in Minsk and organized by the Prosecutor General's Office of Belarus.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ukrainian Armed Forces Losses During Conflict Exceed 1Mln People, Continue to Grow - Lavrov

Sputnik News

20251211

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Ukrainian armed forces' human losses during the conflict have long since exceeded one million and continue to grow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"According to numerous independent estimates, the human losses of the Ukrainian armed forces have long since exceeded one million and continue to grow. The Kiev regime, once an ideologically charged combat squad fueled by Nazi ideology, the Azov Battalions [designated as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia], and other neo-Nazi structures  and, of course, fueled by several other prohibited substances in everyday life  has transformed into an organized crime group mired in corruption, dragging its sponsors down with it," Lavrov said at an embassy round table on the settlement of the situation around Ukraine.

On Roots of Ukrainian Crisis

No one in Europe is talking about solving the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, they want a temporary respite in order to transfer weapons and financial assistance to Kiev, Lavrov said.

"No one in Europe mentions the root causes [of the Ukrainian conflict] at all and demands only one thing: immediately stop the fighting, let Ukraine and us Europeans breathe, buy time in order to support the Kiev regime at least a little with weapons and money," he noted.

At the same time, negotiations between Russia and the United States are aimed at a long-term settlement by eliminating its root causes, Lavrov added.

On Corruption Scandal in Ukraine

Prolonging the conflict has become a matter of political, and perhaps physical, survival for Volodymyr Zelensky, Lavrov said.

"A corruption scandal has broken out in Ukraine, and in light of this, the prolongation of the conflict seems to have become a matter of political, and perhaps even physical survival for Zelensky," Lavrov said.

On Alaska Agreements

The understandings reached between Russia and the United States in Alaska regarding Ukraine include Kiev's neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status, Lavrov said.

"Mutual understandings were reached there [in Anchorage], which remain relevant for us and can serve as a starting point for settlement. Recently, when [US] President [Donald] Trump's special representative, Stephen Witkoff, was here, following his meeting with [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin, both sides, the Russian and American, confirmed the mutual understandings reached in Alaska. ... The essence of these understandings is that Ukraine must return to the non-aligned, neutral, non-nuclear foundations of its statehood," Lavrov said.

In Russia's negotiations with the United States on Ukraine, all possible misunderstandings were eliminated, the minister added.

Russia has transferred additional proposals to the United States regarding collective security guarantees, Sergey Lavrov said.

"We have submitted additional proposals to our American colleagues regarding collective security guarantees. We understand that when talking about security guarantees, we cannot limit ourselves to Ukraine," Lavrov.

Russia is ready to take into account all available proposals that will lead to the conclusion of legally binding security agreements, the minister added.

On Prisoners Swap

Russia has handed over more than 11,000 bodies of Ukrainian armed forces soldiers to Ukraine, and Ukraine has transferred 201 bodies of Russian soldiers in response, Sergey Lavrov said.

"So far, we have handed over to Kiev more than 11,000 bodies of dead soldiers of the armed forces of Ukraine and received 201 bodies of our fighter in return," Lavrov said.

On Peace Settlement:

Russia insists on a package of agreements on a lasting and sustainable peace in Ukraine with security guarantees for all parties.

"We insist that a package of agreements be reached on a lasting, sustainable, long-term peace with security guarantees for all the countries involved. And our talks with US President [Donald Trump] and his team are devoted to this very thing, the search for long-term regulation to eliminate the root causes of this crisis," Lavrov said.

US President Donald Trump is sincerely striving to resolve the Ukrainian conflict through political and diplomatic means, Lavrov said.

"We must pay tribute to the current American leader, after returning to the White House, he really took up this issue. In our assessment, he sincerely strives to contribute to overcoming the conflict by political and diplomatic methods," he highlighted.

Russia welcomes Trump's sincere desire to settle the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov added.

There is currently a considerable amount of speculation and fabrications regarding the Ukrainian settlement, the purpose of which is to complicate the search for solutions that would help address the root causes of the crisis, Lavrov said.

"There is a fair amount of speculation, various kinds of destructive fabrications and false information. Therefore, we see the primary purpose of these actions, initiated by our Western colleagues, to complicate the search for a negotiated solution and prolong the conflict, including by playing against the initiatives of the United States and President [Donald] Trump, which are genuinely aimed at finding solutions that will help address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis," Lavrov said.

The financial, military and logistical resources of Western countries, which were allocated to wage a proxy war against Russia, are being depleted, Lavrov said.

"In the West, financial, logistical and military resources for waging a proxy war are being depleted," Lavrov said.

On Gaza

Russia sees attempts to use the conflict in Ukraine to divert attention from the Palestinian issue, Lavrov said.

"And, of course, this is one of the most pressing issues on the international agenda, although, frankly speaking, we see attempts to exploit the severity of this controversy around Ukraine, including at international forums, in order to divert attention from other, no less, and perhaps even more crucial problems of the world community, I mean, among other things, the Palestinian problem," he said.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Peace in Ukraine needs to be built on foundations that strengthen the rules that protect us all: UK statement to the OSCE

Speech

Deputy Ambassador James Ford highlights Ukraine's constructive approach, condemns Russia's ongoing aggression, and affirms the UK's commitment to defending international law and supporting Ukraine's sovereignty. Peace in Ukraine must be built on foundations that reinforce the rules safeguarding European security.

From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and James Ford

Published 11 December 2025

Delivered on: 11 December 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

Thank you, Chair.

The UK fully supports efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. We welcome the progress that has been made and agree with the joint statement from Ukraine and the US that "real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace".

Ukraine has demonstrated time and again its constructive and realistic approach to peace, including the intensive discussions that have taken place over the past couple of weeks. Ultimately it is for the Ukrainian people and leadership to determine the terms that are acceptable to them. The UK will continue to stand by Ukraine, both because it is the right thing to do and because the outcome matters to us all.

Russia's war against Ukraine is an assault not only on a sovereign state but also on the principles that underpin European security. Without provocation, Russia violated every single Helsinki principle: respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, refraining from the threat or use of force.

But it is in all of our interests that these principles endure - because they are the guardrails that prevent the next conflict. History shows us that the way wars end shapes the peace that follows. Our task is to ensure that, in Ukraine, peace is built on foundations that strengthen - not weaken - the rules that protect us all.

Standing up for Ukraine is standing up for our own security. If borders can be redrawn by force, none of us can rely on the rules that keep us safe. We don't call for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine because we are idealists or of course for any of the cynical reasons that the Kremlin's disinformation would have some believe. It is required because it is right and because legitimising this illegal invasion would erode the foundations of peace in Europe for generations to come.

Our message must be clear: International law matters. The UN Charter matters. The Helsinki Final Act matters. These are not abstract words; they are the framework that keeps Europe secure. If we fail to defend them, we will pay a far higher price later.

Thank you.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Andrii Sybiha held phone talks with Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noel Barrot

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

11 December 2025 22:35

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I had a good call with my French colleague Jean-Noel Barrot about peace efforts and important decisions ahead.

We exchanged views on the outcomes of today's Coalition of the Willing leaders' meeting. We agreed that this is an important format to form Europe's security architecture.

I updated Jean-Noel on the new dynamic of our peace efforts. We are in the process and a momentum to speed up our work. I emphasised the importance of robust security guarantees for a lasting peace.

We coordinated positions ahead of major events, including the European Council meeting next week. I stressed the need and urgency to take the decisions on the full use of frozen Russian assets and on the opening of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations clusters.

I am grateful to France and my colleague for principled leadership and support for Ukraine. Together, we are making Europe stronger, more self-reliant, and secure".

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Comment of the MFA on the Republic of Lithuania declaring a state of emergency

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

11 December 2025 13:50

We support the actions of our friend Lithuania in response to the regular launch of smuggling balloons from Belarus into its territory, as well as the need to respond to these steps not only by Lithuania, but also by the EU as a whole.

Such actions by the Belarusian regime pose a threat to the safety of international flights to/from Lithuanian airports, the life and health of citizens, property and the environment.

This is yet another manifestation of the Lukashenko regime's hybrid attacks not only against Lithuania and NATO's eastern flank, but also against EU member states in general. Undoubtedly, Minsk is not acting alone. The Russian Federation is providing support in the implementation of such acts of violation of Lithuanian airspace.

Previous hostile actions also included targeted operations to seize EU companies' assets in the Republic of Belarus, blackmail, acts of sabotage, and the spread of propaganda and disinformation.

Russia, with the involvement of its vassals, is demonstrating its readiness to expand its aggression and destabilisation policy not only to Ukraine but also to the rest of Europe.

We insist on the need to increase pressure on those who participate in the aggression against Ukraine and destabilise the European continent, including through the introduction of new and additional existing individual and sectoral sanctions against Belarus, its individuals and legal entities.

Efficiency, determination and unity are crucial to countering Russian aggression, restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity and approaching genuine, just and lasting peace - for Ukraine, Europe and the transatlantic area.

Ukraine expresses its full solidarity with Lithuania and remains ready to share the experience gained during the war, in particular technological solutions.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Comment by the MFA of Ukraine on the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Resolution "Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

11 December 2025 00:28

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the resolution "Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster", initiated by Ukraine.

The adoption of the resolution is an important step towards mitigating the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster, recognizing the growing threats to global nuclear safety resulting from the irresponsible actions of the aggressor state, and making a significant contribution to restoring historical truth and justice.

This year's draft resolution clearly emphasizes that the Chornobyl nuclear power plant belongs to Ukraine and establishes the correct Ukrainian transliteration of the entire Chornobyl dossier at the United Nations.

We express our sincere gratitude to all 97 member states that supported the Ukrainian resolution.

In an attempt to avoid responsibility for its crimes, the Russian Federation tried to get the UN General Assembly to adopt an alternative document submitted by its satellite, the Republic of Belarus, without any mention of Russia's attacks on the Chornobyl NPP facilities.

We are grateful to the UN member states that once again demonstrated their principled position and rejected the relevant draft resolution of the Republic of Belarus.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reaffirms its unwavering commitment to strengthening international cooperation to mitigate the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster and ensure global nuclear safety.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Office of the President Discussed Strengthening European Sanctions Against Russia's Shadow Fleet

President of Ukraine

11 December 2025 - 23:24

Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva held a meeting with the directors of Eastern Europe departments of the foreign ministries of the Nordic-Baltic region, who are responsible for shaping policy toward Ukraine.

Representatives of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) took part in the discussion: Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The parties discussed military and political support for Ukraine, as well as coordination of efforts aimed at achieving a just peace.

Ihor Zhovkva thanked NB8 partners for their consistent support of Ukraine on international platforms and noted that the countries of this region have made the largest combined contribution within the PURL initiative. The total sum of confirmed financial commitments from participating countries amounts to USD 1.55 billion, allocated across several packages. An additional USD 800 million will need to be contributed by the end of the year to ensure funding for new defense packages for Ukraine.

Special attention was given to sanctions pressure on Russia, particularly in the area of countering the shadow fleet. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President noted that last year Russia transported more than 60% of its seaborne oil exports using a shadow fleet of tankers. It is important to expand sanctions against captains, crew members, and vessel owners to prevent circumvention of restrictions and reduce Russia's ability to finance its aggression.

The parties also coordinated their positions ahead of the upcoming European Council meeting and in advance of Cyprus's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026.

"Ukraine is fully delivering on its commitments on the European integration track. We are ready for the next steps in opening negotiating clusters and count on continued unity and support from the member states of the European Union," Ihor Zhovkva emphasized.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Risks mount for pregnant women in Ukraine

11 December 2025 - Pregnant women took shelter in a bunkerised maternity unit in the Ukrainian city of Kherson last week, after a hospital was struck just 1.5 km from the frontline.

The incident comes amid alarming new data from the UN's reproductive health agency (UNFPA), showing a sharp rise in the risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth in Ukraine, which is nearing its fourth year of conflict after Russia's full-scale invasion.

"Our latest analysis shows a sharp deterioration in maternal health across Ukraine," said Florence Bauer, UNFPA's regional director.

Kherson remains one of Ukraine's most vulnerable cities because it sits on the Dnipro River directly opposite Russian-held territory.

Although Ukrainian forces recaptured the city in late 2022, it has since endured near-daily shelling from positions just across the water.

Civilian sites, including hospitals, are frequently hit, leaving health workers with little warning and forcing essential services like maternity wards to operate underground.

Rules of war

"Safe childbirth must be protected even in war, and international humanitarian law is clear: health facilities, health workers and humanitarian access must never be targeted," Ms. Bauer stressed.

Since 2022, more than 80 maternity and neonatal facilities have been damaged or destroyed, among the 2,763 healthcare sites hit nationwide, according to UNFPA.

All personnel and patients who hid in the agency-supported bunker during last week's harrowing incident, were unharmed and a baby girl was safely delivered during the attack. 'Disturbing' trends across the country, however, remain.

Life-threatening complications

UNFPA's analysis of data from 2023 to 2024 indicates that despite fewer births, a higher proportion of pregnancies in the country are now affected by severe medical complications.

Uterine ruptures, one of the most life-threatening emergencies, increased by more than 44 per cent, while hypertensive disorders, like high blood pressure, went up by 12 per cent.

Caesarean sections, or surgical childbirth, not only remain high but exceed the World Health Organization's recommended levels as the organization says unnecessary procedures of the sort may put the lives of women and their babies at risk.

The rate of caesarean sections in Kherson is currently 46 per cent, according to UNFPA; WHO recommends no more than 15 per cent (15 per 100 births).

Birth under bombardment

With power cuts, medical supply shortages and equipment damage now routine, humanitarian aid is often the only lifeline keeping women and premature newborns alive.

UNFPA provides mobile incubators, sterile neonatal equipment and vital medicines to help premature babies breathe.

To ensure women can give birth safely even under bombardment, UNFPA also supports the construction of underground, bomb-proof maternity wards.

The special underground maternity units in the Kherson City Perinatal Centre and the Kharkiv Regional Perinatal Centre are the first of their kind in Ukraine.

UNFPA is calling for $52 million to keep maternal health and protection services functioning in the country throughout the coming year.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Zelenskyy Says Donbas Territory Still A Hurdle Amid Pressure For Peace Deal

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 12, 2025

Calls for Kyiv to withdraw its troops for the part of the Donbas that it holds remain a key sticking point, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid fast-paced negotiations and pressure from the United States for a deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine.

The status of the Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is another divisive issue, Zelenskyy told reporters late on December 11, after Ukrainian talks with both European backers and US officials. He also said that a cease-fire would be required if elections are to be held soon.

After the United States proposed a 28-point peace plan that critics say heavily favored Russia, Ukraine and European nations have been seeking changes that would leave a deal less lopsided and, crucially, ensure Ukrainian security against any future Russian attack. Kyiv submitted a 20-point plan earlier this week.

"We sent the American team a revised version of the framework document we worked on. It includes 20 key points. This can be the foundation for everything. I'm waiting for feedback from America," Zelenskyy told the gathering of more than 30 leaders of "coalition of the willing" countries.

While Russia has given few signs it's ready to back away from long-standing demands, US and Ukrainian officials have been wrangling over the details. Zelenskyy said he had an "in-depth" discussion with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense chief Pete Hegseth, and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The US is proposing that that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the well-fortified portion of the Donetsk region that they still control, Zelenskyy said, and "the compromise is supposedly that Russian troops will not enter" this area, where Washington calls for establishing a "free economic zone."

"They do not know who will govern this territory," Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia refers to it as a "demilitarized zone." He also said that Ukrainians should have a say on any proposed territorial concessions, "whether through elections or a referendum."

Following reports that US President Donald Trump set a December 25 deadline for Ukraine to accept the peace proposal, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv had not been given a firm deadline but that "I think they really wanted, or perhaps still want, to have a complete understanding of where we stand with this agreement by Christmas."

Trump has been seeking to broker an end to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine since he took office in January of this year, but has encountered high hurdles including Russian President Vladimir Putin's rejection of calls for a cease-fire.

Trump said the United States may or may not participate in a planned meeting between senior Ukrainian, French, German, and British officials in Europe on December 13.

"We'll see whether or not we attend the meeting," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We'll be attending the meeting on Saturday in Europe if we think there's a good chance. And we don't want to waste a lot of time if we think it's negative."

"The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

On elections, which the US has been pressing Ukraine to hold despite the fact that they are forbidden under martial law, Zelenskyy said on December 11 that a cease-fire would have to be in place.

Trump told Politico in an interview published on December 9 that "it's time" to hold elections, and Zelenskyy said later that day -- for the first time -- that he would push parliament to draft legislation allowing for elections during martial law. He said a vote could follow in 60 to 90 days provided that security guarantees in place to make sure voting would be safe for Ukrainians.

Speaking to RFE/RL, Maryna Stavniychuk, a Ukrainian legal expert and former member of the Venice Commission, said that "specific issues as wartime and post-war elections are not regulated in any way by the electoral code of Ukraine. Therefore, a special set of legislative norms is needed, and this takes time."

Kyiv must "look for options that, without violating the constitution or further undermining the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, would allow elections to be held," she added.

In specifying that cease-fire would be required, Zelenskyy may have been seeking to calling Russia's bluff -- Putin has baselessly charged that Zelenskyy is illegitimate because election were not held on schedule in 2024 -- but also left any plan to hold elections vulnerable to rejection by Moscow unless a peace agreement is in place before voting is held.

(With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and Axios)

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-terrirory- security-zelenskyy-peace-talks/33621374.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.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






VANCOUVER, Dec. 11, 2025 - Miata Metals Corp. (CSE: MMET) (FSE: 8NQ) (OTCQB: MMETF) ("Miata" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that all matters brought before the Company's Annual General Meeting held on December 11, 2025 (the "Meeting") were approved. A total of 23,724,181 common shares of the company were represented at the Meeting, representing 29.70% of the Company's outstanding common shares as at the record date of November 4, 2025.

About Miata Metals Corp.

Miata Metals Corp. (CSE: MMET) is a Canadian mineral exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, as well as the OTCQB (OTCQB: MMETF) and Frankfurt (FSE: 8NQ) Exchanges. The Company is focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. The Company holds a 70% interest in the ~215km2 Sela Creek Gold Project with an option to acquire a full 100% interest in the Project, and a 70% beneficial interest in the Nassau Gold Project with an option to acquire 100%. Both exploration properties are located in the greenstone belt of Suriname.

On Behalf of the Board

Dr. Jacob (Jaap) Verbaas, P.Geo | CEO and Director

[email protected]

+1 778 488 9754

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipates", "anticipated", "expected", "intends", "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different, including receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. Although management of the Company have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Gold Royalty Corp. ("Gold Royalty" or the "Company") (NYSE American: GROY) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated December 8, 2025, it has completed its acquisition of a royalty (the "Royalty") on the Pedra Branca operating copper and gold mine ("Pedra Branca"), currently owned and operated by a subsidiary of BHP Group Ltd. (the "Transaction").

The Royalty consists of a 25% NSR on gold and a 2% NSR on copper and other products produced from the Pedra Branca mine, comprising the Pedra Branca West and Pedra Branca East areas, and the former Antas North mine which has been fully depleted.

About Gold Royalty Corp.

Gold Royalty Corp. is a gold-focused royalty company offering creative financing solutions to the metals and mining industry. Its mission is to invest in high-quality, sustainable, and responsible mining operations to build a diversified portfolio of precious metals royalty and streaming interests that generate superior long-term returns for our shareholders. Gold Royalty's diversified portfolio currently consists primarily of net smelter return royalties on gold properties located in the Americas.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gold-royalty-completes-pedra-branca-royalty-acquisition-302640000.html

SOURCE Gold Royalty Corp.
Major Highlights

Power Metals secures significant commercial milestones with Albemarle Corporation, one of the world's leading critical-minerals companies, which has acquired the current offtake agreement from Winsome Resources (ASX: WR1) for the Case Lake Project

Deal sees Albemarle purchase Winsome Resources offtake rights in Power Metals Corp.'s Case Lake Project

Case Lake hosts near-surface, high-grade cesium with Albemarle securing the rights to all Project offtake

Under the offtake agreement, Albemarle has agreed to prepay for up to CAD$5 Million of cesium oxide concentrate from the Case Lake Project

Agreement delivers clear benefits to existing Power Metals shareholders by providing access to project funding through a fully non-dilutive transaction structure

Case Lake is currently advancing towards its production target for 2026

Power Metals Corp ("Power Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: PWM) (FRANKFURT: OAA1) (OTCQB: PWRMF) is pleased to announce Albemarle Corporation ("Albemarle") has agreed to a CAD$5 Million pre-payment arrangement for cesium oxide concentrate from the Company's Case Lake Project ("the Project") in Ontario, Canada.

The milestone involves Albemarle also acquiring current offtake rights held by Winsome Resources (ASX: WR1), marking a significant endorsement from one of the world's leading critical-minerals companies.

It also underscores the growing importance of Case Lake as a strategic asset and the role it is poised to play in securing North America's cesium supply chain.

Pursuant to a purchase agreement between Winsome and Albemarle, Winsome is assigning its Case Lake offtake rights to Albemarle. Winsome will retain its 15.8% shareholding of Power Metals and looks forward to continued collaboration with both PWM and Albemarle as the Project advances.

The offtake rights were previously held by Hong Kong based Sinomine Resources Limited in 2020, before being rescinded through intervention by the Government of Canada in 2022, at which point Winsome Resources acquired the rights.

The agreement highlights a clear shift in the global critical-minerals landscape, with an increased focus on securing the North American supply chains.

The pre-payment commitment is conditional on Power Metals securing necessary approvals and permits to commence mining at Case Lake, and provides financing in stages as key development milestones are achieved:

CAD$2,000,000 promptly following execution of the pre-payment commitment.

CAD$3,000,000 upon delivery of Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for the Case Lake Project in 2026.

The transaction strengthens Power Metals position as a key player in the global cesium market, with the project now backed by one of the sector's most influential producers.

See Power Metals (TSX-V: PWM) Announcements dated 8 September 2020 See Power Metals (TSX-V: PWM) Announcements dated 3 November 2022 See Power Metals (TSX-V: PWM) Announcements dated 2 December 2022

Power Metals CEO and Director, Haydn Daxter Commented:

"We are incredibly pleased with Albemarle's participation as we continue to strengthen our footprint in Canada for critical minerals. Albemarle's expertise in producing high-value cesium chemicals secures the downstream component of our strategy while bolstering the emergence of an integrated cesium market."

Power Metals Chairman and Director, Johnathan More Commented:

"This agreement is a significant step for Power Metals and a strong outcome for our shareholders. The pre-payment structure provides access to funding without dilution, allowing us to advance Case Lake while preserving the value of the Company. With the Project's extremely low capital requirements, under CAD$8 million required, this support positions us well to move toward production and unlock the full potential of our cesium opportunity."

-ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD-

Johnathan More, Chairman & Director

Case Lake Property

The Case Lake Property is located 80 km east of Cochrane in northeastern Ontario, near the Ontario Quebec border. It comprises 586 cell claims across Steele, Case, Scapa, Pliny, Abbotsford and Challies townships within the Larder Lake Mining Division. The Property is 10km by 9.5km in size with 14 granitic domes.

The Case Lake pegmatite swarm consists of six spodumene dykes known as the North, Main, South, East and Northeast dykes on the Henry Dome, and the West Joe dyke on a new dome, collectively forming mineralization trend that extends for approximately 10km (Figure 1).

Power Metals has completed several exploration campaigns leading to the discovery and expansion of new and historic spodumene bearing LCT pegmatites at Case Lake. The Company has drilled a total of 23,976 meters of core between 2017 and 2024 at the Property. The Case Lake Property is owned 100% by Power Metals Corp. A National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report has been prepared on Case Lake Property and filed on July 18, 2017 (Figure 1).

Decelles Property

The Decelles Property contains 247 claims, covering 14,229 hectares of LCT prospective ground near the mining centres of Val-dOr and Rouyn-Noranda, approximately 600km from Montreal.

Power Metals acquired the Decelles and Mazerac properties from Winsome Resources in 2023 in a deal that increased Winsome equity stake in the Company (refer to press release announced on August 24, 2023). The geology of Decelles property is part of the Archean Pontiac sub-province where S-type LCT prospective, pegmatite bearing, granitic Decelles Batholith intrudes into metasedimentary units of the Pontiac Group.

Spodumene and Beryl bearing pegmatites have been reported historically within the Pontiac sub-province in association with S-type garnet-muscovite granite. The Decelles property is adjacent to Vision Lithium's Cadillac property where discovery of high-grade lithium pegmatites was reported in 2022 (Figure 1).

Mazerac Property

The Mazerac Property is located approximately 30 km east of Power Metals Decelles property near well-established mining camps in the Abitibi region of Canada and is accessible by network of mining-grade forestry roads.

The Mazerac property contains 115 claims that cover 6,653 hectares of LCT prospective ground near the mining centre of Val-dOr and Rouyn-Noranda. The regional geology of Mazerac is similar to Decelles where S-type LCT prospective, pegmatite bearing, granites of Decelles Batholith intrude into metasedimentary units of the Pontiac Group. Spodumene and Beryl bearing pegmatites have been reported historically within the Pontiac sub-province in association with S-type garnet-muscovite granite (Figure 1).

Pollucite and Cesium

Pollucite is a rare mineral that hosts high grade cesium and is associated with highly fractionated, rare element pegmatites. The main source of cesium known globally is pollucite (Cs,Na)(AlSiO)2HO, (https://www.gov.mb.ca/iem/geo/industrial/pollucite.html). Currently there is no operational mining of high-grade cesium from pollucite occurring globally.

Power Metals Corp (TSX-V: PWM)

Power Metals Corp (TSX-V: PWM) is a Canadian exploration company focused on developing high-quality critical mineral projects. Its flagship Case Lake Property in Ontario - 100 per cent owned by Power Metals - is a high-grade cesium, lithium and tantalum asset.

Beyond Case Lake, the Company's portfolio includes the Decelles and Mazerac Properties near Val-D'Or, Quebec. Together, these assets cover 947 claims spanning more than 330km of lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) prospective ground. As global demand for critical minerals continues to grow global, and particularly in North America, Power Metals is strategically advancing its projects to support the continent's growing supply needs. Learn more at www.powermetalscorp.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

No- securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act) unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations, including the use of funds raised under the Offering. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, Power Metals assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law.

Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release.

Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The TSXV has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release.

SOURCE Power Metals Corp.
Vancouver, Dec. 12, 2025 - Terra Balcanica Resources Corp. ("Terra" or the "Company") (CSE:TERA; FRA:UB1; OTC:TEBAF) is pleased to announce the completion of the 1st stage of its 2,100 m Phase III drilling program at the Brezani and Chumavichi targets within its polymetallic Viogor-Zanik project in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Highlights

Approximately 1,200 m of oriented, diamond core drilling was conducted at the Brezani and Chumavichi targets within Terra's 168 km2 project in eastern Bosnia;

Drillholes BRE25001 and BRE25001A, positioned 72 m NE of the discovery hole BREDD002 which returned 19.6 m at 436 g/t AgEq (see company news release dated 20th January 2025), have both intercepted a ca. 50-60 m interval of retrograde altered skarn, the host of the previously reported 0.61g/t AuEq over 88m (see company news release dated 24th January 2023), as well as several structural zones hosting intermediate sulphidation epithermal mineralization (Figure 1);

Drillholes CMV25001 through 25004 have intercepted multiple zones of shallow, massive sulphide and quartz-sulphide, vein-hosted mineralization in the hanging and footwall of the SW dipping Chumavichi structure, all above 80 m depth;

Epithermal mineralization encountered at both targets is polymetallic (Ag-Sb-Zn-Pb-Au) as confirmed by sulphide observations and pXRF. Key mineralized intervals have been sequentially sampled and are pending assay completion;

The complete lithogeochemical assays will be reported after the laboratory data is received in its entirety.

Terra Balcanica CEO, Dr. Aleksandar Miskovi?, comments: "We are pleased to have completed over a half of the planned meterage despite numerous setback and technical challenges which made the 2025 drilling campaign longer than anticipated. Moreover, we are pleased with the intercepted structures and mineralogies observed while logging the core both at Brezani and Chumavichi. The Terra exploration hypothesis about the extension of the base-metal dominated, epithermal mineralization above the NE shallowing conductor at Brezani which was initially interpreted to have served as a fault-hosted fluid conduit continues to be refined in the light of new 3D data. We will proceed towards testing the main Ag-Sb-Zn-As-Bi soil anomaly with additional drillholes. Simultaneously, we shall continue to push ahead with meaningful step outs at the Chumavichi system towards NW. Our drilling team is set to resume the Phase III operations in January of 2026 immediately after the laboratory assays are released to the public."

Phase III Drilling

The 2025 drilling program follows up on high grade, polymetallic mineralizations which Terra has previously discovered, namely at Brezani and Chumavichi targets, Viogor-Zanik Project, Eastern Bosnia. Phase III aims to increase geological knowledge at both localities which have provided outstanding drilling results to date.

The Brezani discovery, is a two-part story. Initial drilling revealed 88m from surface of 0.61g/t AuEq (0.60 g/t Au) within a retrograde altered skarn and hornfels package, which remains completely open along strike within an 850m long gold in soil anomaly. Deeper drilling in BREDD002 discovered an epithermal system, returning 19.6 m at 436 g/t AgEq with 2025 drilling intersecting similar styles of mineralization indicating the epithermal structures are numerous and trend towards surface where an epithermal assemblage soil anomaly exists, offering shallow follow up targets.

The Chumavichi target represents a district scale corridor of epithermal mineralization, with at least 3 separate vein systems confirmed by Terra's drilling to date. Previous drilling at Chumavichi returned grades of 824.2g/t AgEq over 4 m (CMVDD001), 505.3g/t AgEq over 11 m (CMVDD004) and 284g/t AgEq over 10 m (CMVDD005; see news release dated September 8th October 22nd, 2022, February 2nd and 27th 2023). Vein hosted mineralisation remains open along strike and untested down-dip and highlights clear exploration upside for discovery of further silver and antimony rich sulphides. The 2025 drilling at Chumavichi has encountered similar sulphides to previously reported drillholes, adding to the story at this exciting epithermal target.

Drilling progressed steadily despite challenging ground conditions with over 94% average core recovery achieved.

Qualified Person

Dr. Aleksandar Miskovi?, P.Geo, is the Company's designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Dr. Miskovi? has reviewed and validated the information contained in this news release as factual and accurate.

About the Company

Terra Balcanica is a polymetallic and energy metals exploration company targeting large-scale mineral systems in the Balkans of southeastern Europe and norther Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company has 90% interest in the Viogor-Zanik Project in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Canadian assets comprise a 100% optioned portfolio of uranium-prospective licences at the outskirts of the world-renowned Athabasca basin: Charlot-Neely Lake, Fontaine Lake, Snowbird, and South Pendleton. The Company emphasizes responsible engagement with local communities and stakeholders. It is committed to proactively implementing Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) and sustainable health, safety, and environmental management.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Terra Balcanica Resources Corp.

"Aleksandar Miskovi?"

Aleksandar Miskovi?

President and CEO

For the complete information on this news release, please contact Aleksandar Miskovi? at [email protected], +1 (514) 796-7577, or visit www.terrabresources.com/en/news.

Cautionary Statement

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of any of the words "will", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. The Company believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Vancouver, December 12, 2025 - Nevada Organic Phosphate Inc. (CSE: NOP) ("NOP" or the "Company"), a B.C. based leader in organic sedimentary phosphate exploration, is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement which will leave the Company with 100% ownership of its Murdock Mountain Project and remove certain net smelter royalty liabilities ("NSR"). As a result of the transaction, the Company will have greater flexibility in delivering on its strategic plan, which may include the formation of joint ventures with other arms-length parties.

NSR Purchase Agreement with Montecinos Family Trust

The Company has entered into an NSR Purchase Agreement dated December 11, 2025, (the "NSR Purchase Agreement") with Montecinos Family Trust (the "Vendor") pursuant to which the Company purchased and concurrently cancelled a 2% net smelter return royalty and all other outstanding payment obligations. The Company has agreed to pay US$50,000 and to issue, subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), an aggregate of 1,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share"), in consideration for the purchase and cancellation of the 2% net smelter return royalty and all other payment obligations to the Vendor.

The Shares to be issued by the Company under the NSR Purchase Agreement will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation and CSE policy. No finder's fees are payable in connection with the transaction.

Nevada Organic Phosphate Inc.

NOP is a junior exploration company with an organic sedimentary raw rock phosphate bed, 6.6 kilometres long, in northeast Nevada. Additional applications extend the potential strike of rock phosphate to over 30 kilometres. This is believed to be the only known large-scale organic sedimentary phosphate project in North America. It is situated close to the main highway to Montello/Elko, Nevada, and near the rail head to California.

For More Information

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services providers have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information ("FLSI") within the meaning

of applicable securities laws. FLSI may include expectations, anticipations, beliefs, opinions, plans, intentions, estimates, forecasts, projections, guidance or other similar statements and information that are not historical facts. All statements which are not historical statements are considered FLSI. All FLSI is based on assumptions, which may prove inaccurate, and subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those risks and uncertainties identified in the Company's public securities filings, which may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated or implied in FLSI. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance or value on FLSI. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in any FLSI in this news release are reasonable at the present time, it can give no assurance that such FLSI will prove to be correct. Any FLSI in this news release is made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to publicly update or revise any FLSI, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws. Any FLSI in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277897
Our handicapping is based on consultations with dozens of experts in the states, as well as national party strategists.

And within all categories, the seats are listed from most likely to go Republican to most likely to go Democratic.

For ratings of every major statewide race, click here.

Safe Republican

Likely Republican

Lean Republican

Tossup

Lean Democratic

Likely Democratic

Safe Democratic

The battle to control the nation's secretary of state offices is nearing its climax, and the Democrats -- already presented with a more favorable playing field in open seats -- have incrementally improved their position in recent months.Since our last round of handicapping in June , we have shifted our ratings in seven races -- six in the Democrats' direction and one in the Republicans'. To prevent Democratic gains, the Republicans will have to ride grassroots enthusiasm, such as what emerged over Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court.Currently, Republicans hold 29 secretary of state offices to the Democrats' 17. Our tally doesn't count Pennsylvania's nonpartisan office or the three states that lack the position altogether -- Alaska, Hawaii and Utah. Of the 35 states where voters elect the secretary of state, 27 have contests this fall, including a special election in Louisiana, which we are rating here for the first time.As the party with the most offices nationally, the Republicans have more seats at risk. They will have to defend a total of eight open seats -- in Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota. By contrast, the Democrats won't have to defend a single open seat.Our handicapping rates each of these races as either safe Republican, likely Republican, lean Republican, tossup, lean Democratic, likely Democratic or safe Democratic.We find eight of the 26 elections this year to be competitive, meaning they are rated in the lean or tossup categories, and all eight of those offices are currently held by a Republican. Two of these seats are in the lean Republican category, five are in the tossup category, and one is in the lean Democratic category.Since June, the six contests that have shifted in the Democrats' favor are Arizona's Republican-held seat from likely Republican to lean Republican; three Republican-held seats in Iowa, Kansas and Ohio from lean Republican to tossup; and two seats from lean Democratic to likely Democratic in Connecticut and New Mexico.The one seat that shifted in the GOP's direction is North Dakota, which goes from likely Republican to safe Republican.In general, there are more Republican vacancies this year than usual. That's partly because the position has become a significant stepping stone for ambitious politicians. Secretary of States Brian Kemp of Georgia and Kris Kobach of Kansas are running for governor; Jon Husted of Ohio is running for lieutenant governor; and Shantel Krebs of South Dakota ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House.The breakdown of incumbents running for another term is more evenly divided between the parties -- nine for each party.Before we get to the ratings, and analysis below the map, a couple of notes:In this solidly red state, the Republican has the upper hand. Denney is expected to defeat his Democratic opponent, Jill Humble, a nurse.The GOP chose State Auditor Steve Barnett as its nominee at the state party convention in June. Despite a surprisingly competitive gubernatorial race, Barnett should win his race handily against rancher Alexandra Frederick in this Republican state.Merrill is seen as personable and has traveled widely around the state. He is expected to defeat his little-known Democratic opponent, business consultant and activist Heather Milam, easily in November.Buchanan, a onetime state House speaker, was appointed secretary of state after Republican Ed Murray resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Buchanan should cruise to victory against Democratic state Rep. James Byrd in this deep red state.Nebraska is a solidly red state. Therefore, Republican Bob Evnen, an attorney and former member of the state board of education, is expected to defeat his Democratic opponent, Spencer Danner, who has served as director of human rights and relations for the city of Omaha.Hammond, who is running for a fifth term, turned back a spirited primary challenge by state Rep. Josh Putnam, who had called on Hammond to resign after his office's failure to affix the state seal to more than 100 pieces of legislation. The state's Republican leanings are probably too strong for that to matter in November, when Hammond faces Army veteran Melvin Whittenburg.Despite some early fireworks, this race has since calmed. It all began when Jaeger, who has held the office since 1992, was defeated at the state GOP convention by businessman Will Gardner. But a little later, it came out that Gardner had pled guilty to disorderly conduct in a 2006 peeping case at a North Dakota State University women's dorm. Gardner withdrew, and Jaeger announced that he would run in the general election as an independent. In this red state, he is the heavy favorite against Democratic state Rep. Josh Boschee.Lawson is seeking her second full term and is a favorite to win reelection against Democratic attorney Jim Harper. While insiders are giving Harper kudos as a candidate, he's not getting much press for his efforts thanks to the U.S. Senate race that's under way. Besides, no Democrat has won the office since 1990.Commissioner of State Lands John Thurston faces Democrat Susan Inman in November. Substantively, Inman is highly qualified, having served as director of elections in the secretary of state's office and as Pulaski County's election director. Still, the GOP's partisan edge in the state makes her bid decidedly uphill.Louisiana has an all-party special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation in April of GOP Secretary of State Tom Schedler amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Ardoin, who was appointed to succeed him, is running against several other current and former Republican state legislators, as well as a Democratic former secretary of state. A winner may not emerge until the Dec. 8 runoff, but down-ballot races in Louisiana have mostly gone Republican in recent years, so it would be a surprise if this contest didn't follow suit.Reagan, a first-term incumbent, lost the GOP primary to businessman Steve Gaynor, who faces state Sen. Katie Hobbs in November. Neither candidate is especially well-known in the state, which suggests that whichever party has a better Election Day overall will carry their secretary of state nominee over the finish line. With Republican Gov. Doug Ducey leading in the gubernatorial race, that gives Gaynor the edge going in.Former state Rep. Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, won a runoff and the right to face Democratic former U.S. Rep. John Barrow in the general election. History suggests that the GOP holds the edge, but the presence of Libertarian candidate Smythe Duvall could cost Raffensperger a few points.Another wild card is whether the gubernatorial candidacy of Democrat Stacey Abrams, an African-American woman, brings a different mix of voters to the polls. For now, we're keeping this contest as lean Republican.Deidre DeJear, a former Barack Obama outreach organizer, won the Democratic primary and the right to take on Pate. DeJear has attracted national attention, including support from Obama, who won the state twice. If Iowa Democrats remained more energized than they were in 2016, DeJear could pull off a victory.Williams has been reasonably popular, but Democratic attorney and activist Jena Griswold is mounting a credible challenge. This race has attracted little attention statewide, which helps the GOP incumbent, as does the long historical odds: Democrats have not won the office in six decades.This already tight race -- between Republican state Sen. Frank LaRose and Democratic state Rep. Kathleen Clyde -- has tightened even more since our last handicapping. Republicans have a history of winning down-ballot statewide races in Ohio, but Clyde has done what she needs to do on the fundraising front. Turnout and the gubernatorial race will help put one of the two candidates over the top in this tossup race.Down-ballot races in Kansas are traditionally tough for Democrats, but the 2018 race may prove an exception. GOP state Rep. Scott Schwab handily won a competitive primary and stands as the favorite. Still, Democrat Brian McClendon is putting up a strong challenge. A longtime Google and Uber executive, McClendon has put together a well-funded and professional campaign, relying heavily on social media. With a competitive governor's race and two close congressional contests bringing Democrats to the polls, it's possible that McClendon could succeed Kobach, who presided over eight years of controversy. This contest moves to tossup.This race will tilt depending on the strength of a possible blue wave. Cegavske is facing Democratic state Assemblyman Nelson Araujo. We're keeping this one in tossup.Former Wayne State University Law School Dean Jocelyn Benson faces Republican Mary Treder Lang, an accountant and Eastern Michigan University regent. The campaign has been overshadowed by the gubernatorial race, in which Democrat Gretchen Whitmer has held double-digit leads. That's a plus for Benson, who did the best of all the Democratic statewide candidates in 2010 even though she lost her secretary of state bid by about six points in a terrible Democratic year. Treder Lang is a credible GOP candidate, but Benson has the wind at her back.Republicans were hoping that voter angst over outgoing Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy's two terms would spill over into other statewide contests. But with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ned Lamont ahead by margins in the high single digits, that scenario looks less likely than before.What's more, Republican Susan Chapman, a former first selectwoman, has struggled to raise money. We're moving this contest to likely Democratic.Democrats have a strong shot at winning back the governorship this year, and if they do, they should be fine in the secretary of state race. It doesn't hurt that the last Republican to hold the office, Dianna Duran, went to prison on fraud and embezzlement charges.The Republican challenger is Gavin Clarkson, who has an interesting background -- college professor, former Interior Department official, anti-abortion activist and member of the Choctaw Nation. But the race has attracted little attention, and Clarkson is having a hard time getting his message out. This contest moves to likely Democratic.With a full ballot of competitive races in Minnesota this year, this race has struggled to garner attention. John Howe, a former Republican state senator and congressional candidate, is the GOP nominee, but the incumbent, Simon, remains favored to win another term.LaFollette, who is running for an 11th term, is an institution. He faces former Menasha Town Supervisor Jay Schroeder in the low-profile general election. Republicans will need to hope that incumbent GOP Gov. Scott Walker's vaunted turnout machine helps carry Schroeder to victory.In 2014, Gorbea was a first-time candidate and an underdog against a well-known, self-financed primary opponent. But she was an energetic campaigner and narrowly won the primary. She went on to win the general election, becoming the first Hispanic elected to statewide office in New England. She ran unopposed in the primary and will face Trump-aligned Republican Pat Cortellessa, who is best known for his two unsuccessful campaigns against the late Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci. The well-financed and popular Gorbea remains the overwhelming favorite.Boston City Councilman Josh Zakim failed to unseat long-serving incumbent Galvin in the primary. Galvin now faces Republican Anthony Amore, a former federal agent with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Federal Aviation Administration. In this deep blue state in a potentially deep blue election year, Galvin should have no trouble winning another term.In this blue state, Condos should easily defeat perennial Republican candidate H. Brooke Paige.Padilla, the first Latino to hold the position in California history, is heavily favored to win another term. Republican Mark Meuser, a conservative activist, is advocating for the purging of voter rolls, which won't be popular in deep blue California.White is considered a lock for reelection due to his long tenure in office. He'll face Jason Helland, a little-known prosecutor from a small county.
Lawson must help rookie Lindblad settle in says Permane

Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane says Liam Lawson has already been told he'll be expected to support incoming rookie Arvid Lindblad in 2026.

Liam Lawson, Qatar GP 2025

 Red Bull

Permane explained that while Lawson won't be asked to act as a full mentor, he will be required to help the 18-year-old find his feet.

It's something I've discussed with Liam, he said.

I don't expect him to be a mentor for Arvid, far from it, but I do expect him to be there for him, said Permane. "Ok, he only has a season and a half of experience, but that's still much more than Arvid has.

He should be able, and I expect him to be, to help Arvid when things get tough, especially in the beginning and during test days.

23-year-old Lawson, however - having endured a torrid first full season that began disastrously for him at Red Bull Racing - sounded slightly cautious about the expectation.

I expect the team will rely on me a bit because of my experience, said the New Zealander.

But then again, I only have one season under my belt. You learn a tremendous amount in one year of Formula 1, but there's still so much more to learn.

(GMM)
Rumours of Aston switch just silly says Marko

After Red Bull confirmed that Dr Helmut Marko will step down as motorsport advisor, the 82-year-old sat down with Kleine Zeitung to explain - in his own words - why his two-decade chapter has ended.

Helmut Marko, Dutch GP 2025

 Red Bull

The team's official statement framed the departure as Marko's choice rather than an ousting, with Oliver Mintzlaff insisting: "Helmut approached me with the wish to end his role as motorsport advisor at the end of the year.

I deeply regret his decision - his departure marks the end of an extraordinary era.

Marko explained that the decisive moment came with Max Verstappen narrowly losing the title on Sunday. This season, I was the first, and then along with Gianpiero Lambiase, the only one within the team who still believed in it, said the Austrian.

We were involved with great enthusiasm and commitment, and that's why it was such a huge disappointment when it didn't work out. This disappointment led to the decision that now was a good time to step down.

Despite the magnitude of the split, Marko says he leaves with good intentions .

I'm leaving on the best of terms with Red Bull and will certainly be seen at the racetrack from time to time, he revealed. "I believe the team is very well positioned and I'm certainly not leaving behind a chaotic mess.

Everything fits together and I'm sure we'll improve in some areas.

Red Bull has already stated the position will not be filled, but Marko offered no insight into the future structure - with Sebastian Vettel's name still floating about.

Red Bull has to make this decision, so I can't comment on it, said Marko. "I only announced my decision on Monday in Dubai.

They're certainly in no hurry - they have to look for the best possible solutions.

As expected, Verstappen - whom Marko discovered as a junior - was emotional. I would say he was a little sad about it, he revealed. We were reminiscing about the incredible time we'd had together.

The Dutchman later posted a tribute on Instagram, insisting they had achieved everything we ever dreamed of together .

Marko also insists Verstappen's own future at Red Bull is not suddenly under threat. No, he said emphatically. "Max doesn't just want to be successful, he wants to be successful in a harmonious environment.

If he no longer has that, he'll quit from one day to the next. But he's far too young for that now.

He also denied speculation that he had enraged Red Bull by acting independently, or contacting rival teams - like Aston Martin - about a potential reunion with Verstappen and Adrian Newey in the future.

No. I'm not considering any other team, Marko insisted. These are all just silly rumours anyway, mainly spread by the British press.

Bild claims Marko will receive a full payout for his 2026 contract - a severance package estimated at EUR 10 million. The newspaper called it a golden handshake acknowledging his foundational role in the team and his discovery of both Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen.

As for the rumoured future of Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, sources now believe 'GP' is expected to continue in his role.

(GMM)
Willi Weber tied up and robbed in Stuttgart villa

Michael Schumacher's former manager Willi Weber has been tied up and robbed in a violent break-in at his Stuttgart home.

Willi Weber, Australian GP 2005

 The Cahier Archive

Stuttgarter Zeitung reports that three masked intruders entered the 83-year-old's villa on Tuesday night while Weber, his wife and his housekeeper were inside.

All three were overpowered and bound while the burglars broke open several safes and escaped with cash and jewellery worth several hundred thousand euros .

Weber told Bild: I have a black eye, the detectives are here talking to me. I feel terrible. I'm in complete shock.

One of the victims managed to free themselves after about an hour and alert the police. The perpetrators have not yet been found.

Weber, who managed Schumacher through his entire rise to F1 and also represented Ralf Schumacher and other high-profile athletes, has been preparing to sell the property after recent health issues.

(GMM)
Softcare FM Manufacturing Co. Ltd. crowned Overall Best Industrial Company of the Year at 14th AGI awards

Graphic Online Adverts Dec - 12 - 2025 , 14:36 3 minutes read

Softcare FM Manufacturing Co. Ltd. was crowned the Overall Best Industrial Company at the 14th Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Industry and Quality Awards, a flagship event for celebrating excellence and innovation within Ghanas industrial sector.

The ceremony took place at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre.

The Awards was hosted by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).

The ceremony was graced by the Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, with Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, and the Director-General of GSA, Professor George Agyei, also in attendance.

In her keynote speech, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang emphasized that this years awards focused on driving economic growth and national prosperity through targeted initiatives such as the 24-Hour Economy Policy.

She also commended Softcare FM Manufacturing Co. Ltd for its outstanding performance, noting that its excellence contributes to Ghanas economic development and strengthens the countrys position as a leading manufacturing hub in West Africa.

In addition to picking the events highest honour, Softcare FM Manufacturing Co. Ltd. also received the award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Company of the Year.

This dual recognition solidifies the companys position as a trailblazer in both industrial performance and community upliftment.

Softcare FM Manufacturing Co. Ltd., a Ghanaian-owned producer of diapers, wet wipes, and sanitary pads, has earned widespread acclaim for its unwavering focus on quality, affordability, and social responsibility.

The company has made significant investments in local manufacturing capacity while implementing impactful initiatives that benefit vulnerable communities, hospitals, schools, and underserved populations nationwide. Through local manufacturing, job creation, and community development initiatives, Softcare FM demonstrates an exemplary commitment to social impact and national development.

Furthermore, the companys dedication to producing affordable, locally manufactured hygiene products has helped strengthen consumer confidence in Made-in-Ghana goods. This contribution is vital in driving industrialization, reducing import dependency, and enhancing national pride in domestically produced products.

The 14th AGI Ghana Industry and Quality Awards reaffirmed the strength, resilience, and innovation of Ghanas industrial ecosystem. Among the outstanding companies celebrated, Softcare FM Manufacturing Co. Ltd. emerged as a standout symbol of excellence, corporate leadership, and a shining example of industrial leadership at its best.

Globally, in addition to its success in Ghana, Softcare has expanded its footprint across Africa and Latin America, establishing a sales network that covers over 30 countries. In Africa, Softcare had 8 production plants and 51 production lines as of April 30, 2025, which made it become the hygiene product manufacturer with the most production plants in Africa.

Looking ahead, Softcare plans to replicate its successful experience in Ghana across more countries, bringing its proven model of local manufacturing, quality excellence, and consumer trust to broader markets in Africa and beyond.
Ghana urged to adopt new financing models and modern technologies to strengthen national data system

GraphicOnline Business News Dec - 12 - 2025 , 09:49

Ghanas first Annual Forum for Data Producers, Users and Enhancers has called for urgent reforms to secure sustainable financing, modern technology adoption and stronger governance standards to support the countrys growing demand for high-quality data.

The forum, held in Accra on December 8, 2025, brought together government agencies, development partners, private sector actors, civil society organisations and academics under the theme Financing Innovations in Data and Statistics for Sustainable and Inclusive Development. It coincided with the commemoration of African Statistics Day 2025, which focused on leveraging data innovations to foster a just, peaceful and inclusive society.

Convened under the auspices of the Ghana Statistical Service Development Partner Group (GSSDPG), the event sought to identify persistent barriers undermining Ghanas statistical system, explore innovative approaches to data generation, and propose new strategies to improve national ownership and the visibility of data in policymaking.

In a decade marked by major digital advances, including Ghanas first fully digital Population and Housing Census in 2021, high-frequency socio-economic surveys and expanded enterprise and agricultural statistics, participants noted that progress had outpaced the financing available to sustain it. Despite significant modernisation supported by digital platforms such as StatsBank and the Ghana Stats App, the forum observed that chronic underfunding, weak coordination and limited institutional capacity continued to hinder the countrys data ecosystem.

Key messages delivered by the Deputy Minister of Finance, the Government Statistician and the Chair of the GSSDPG underscored the need for predictable and long-term financing. They cautioned that Ghana could no longer rely on sporadic donor support to run a modern statistical system and insisted that data production must be treated as an essential part of national infrastructure.

The speakers also emphasised the importance of adopting innovative technologies including artificial intelligence, digital data tools, geospatial systems and real-time platforms to enhance the quality, efficiency and accessibility of data. Strengthening collaboration across government, academia, civil society and the private sector was also highlighted as crucial to widening data use and promoting evidence-informed national decision-making.

At the end of the deliberations, participants agreed on a set of recommendations, beginning with the creation of new financing models such as a national data fund that pools resources from government, donors and the private sector. They further proposed mainstreaming data financing into sector budgets and adopting public-private partnerships that deliver mutual value.

Other recommendations included promoting digital innovations in data production, strengthening governance frameworks to ensure quality and interoperability, improving accessibility through user-friendly platforms including local-language tools, and supporting capacity-building across institutions for analysts, MPs, journalists, teachers and regional data teams.

Cross-sector collaboration was also identified as essential to breaking institutional silos, encouraging joint research and ensuring shared responsibility in advancing a national culture of data use.

The communique issued at the end of the forum stated that Ghanas progress hinges on strong data systems. When data is produced well, funded well, shared well, and used well, it leads to smarter decisions, fairer policies, stronger public services, better use of public money, and more opportunities for every community, it said.

The forum called on all institutions and citizens to support sustainable financing, adopt modern technologies, strengthen governance standards and uphold practices that ensure data guides Ghanas development choices. The communique was adopted and issued in Accra on December 8, 2025.
What is the national character of Ghana? - Enimil Ashon writes

Next article: What is the national character of Ghana? - Enimil Ashon writes

Family Health University Medical School gifts Ghana 43 new doctors for Christmas 2025

Brig. Gen. Dan Frimpong (Rtd) Opinion Dec - 12 - 2025 , 08:05 6 minutes read

On Thursday, December 4, 2025, the Family Health University (FHU) Medical School graduated 43 new medical doctors.

This is the sixth cohort of medical students to graduate as doctors since the first batch in 2020.

Thirty medical students also graduated with BSc Medical Sciences degrees, as a prelude to a further three years of clinical training to qualify as doctors in 2028, Godwilling.

Additionally, a total of 245 Nurses and Midwives graduated, comprising 111 with BSc (Nursing) and 64 with BSc (Midwifery). Also graduating were 70 students on the Nurse Assistants Clinical course.

So far, the medical doctors table stands as follows: (i) 2020  30; (ii) 2021 54; (iii) 2022  54; (iv) 2024  15; (v) 2025 (September)  36; 2025 (December)  43.

In my article titled From Family Health University College to Family Health University of December 2024, I stated as follows.

On Thursday, December 19, 2024, the Family Health University College (FHUC) received a Presidential Charter which converted the institution from a university college into a fully-fledged university, the Family Health University.

At a ceremony at the Jubilee House involving 14 institutions including the National Defence University, the Certificate-of-Charter was presented by the President to the Founders of Family Health, Professor Enyonam Yao Kwawukume and his wife Dr Susu Bridgitte Kwawukume. Also present were the Registrar, Mrs Rita Kaine and Chairman of Council, Brig. Gen. Dan Frimpong (Rtd).

As a university college, Family Healths qualifications were awarded by a mentor institution, the University of Ghana, Legon. With the Charter, Family Health University is now autonomous and will award its own degees/diplomas/certificates.

Background

In my article of May 2024 titled FHUC Medical School graduates 15 new doctors in Round 4 in May 2024, I stated that:

Exactly six months to the day of the last graduation on 9 Nov 23, the Family Health University College (FHUC) Medical School on Thursday 9 May 2024, graduated its fourth batch of Medical Doctors.

Fifteen medical students who undertook the Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP) graduated as doctors.

The GEMP is a four-and-half year medical programme which starts at Level 300, offered graduates with a first degree in the Sciences.

The Regular Course for non-graduates takes six years.





In the Daily Graphic of 24 November 2023, I stated as follows:



On Thursday, November 9, 2023, 54 medical students of the FHUC Medical School graduated as medical doctors.

They comprised ten males and 44 females.

This is the third set of doctors the Medical School has produced.

The doctors included four Nigerians and one Pakistani.

In 2020, the first set of thirty doctors graduated. In 2021, the second set of 47 doctors graduated.

This brings to one hundred and 131 the number of doctors the Family Health Medical School has produced so far.

Also graduating were 200 BSc Nursing/BSc Midwifery students as well as Clinical Assistants students.

When I told an acquaintance of the graduation of doctors and nurses on November 9, 2023, he stated with surprise,

I thought Family Health was only a hospital. I did not know it had a medical and nursing/midwifery schools.

So, what is Family Health University College (FHUC)?

Located directly opposite the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Teshie, Accra, FHUC is a private medical facility comprising a hospital, a Nursing & Midwifery School and a Medical School.

The Family Health Medical School is Ghanas premier private medical school.

FHUC is the brainchild of a medical-profession-couple, Professor Enyonam Yao Kwawukume, a Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, and his wife Dr Susu Bridget Kwawukume, a Consultant Dermatologist.

It started modestly in 1997 as a Diagnostic Centre in a garage at 51 Guggisberg St, Korle Bu.

In 2007, it moved to its present permanent site overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and opposite Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Teshie.

As the hospital expanded, the need to train its own nurses saw the establishment of a Nursing and Midwifery Training School in 2009.

From its humble beginnings as a backyard clinic, FHUC in 2016 was given a University status, and formally became known as the Family Health University College.

The President of FHUC Prof Kwawukume added that whether you are studying to become a nurse or doctor, here at Family Health University College, we operate as a big family unit.

As such all members are expected to conduct themselves and relate with each other with respect and dignity.

He advised them to uphold the core values of Leadership, Integrity, Compassion, Commitment to Lifelong-learning, discipline and teamwork.

Discussion

On research and international cooperation, the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kwawukume stated that;

Our university continues to value collaboration as a bridge to excellence. As part of our student and staff exchange programmes, we hosted ten students and three faculty from the University of Virginia (UVA).

Our partnership with the University of Michigan (UM) through the Schweitzer Mich- Ghana Student Research Grant continues to raise ladders for the students.

The Family Health University continues to produce medical doctors and nurses/midwives, as well as clinical assistants of the highest caliber and also a first-class hospital, as its modest contribution to national development. 

Now to the Nobel Foundation of Sweden, is it not time to consider the award of a Prize to Ghanas Professor Yao and Dr (Mrs) Susu Brigitte Kwawukume for their medical contributions to humanity using Ghana as a microcosm?

Apart from founding the Family Health University comprising a Medical School, a Nursing & Midwifery Training School and a hospital, starting humbly as a diagnostic centre in 1977, the Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Professor Yao Kwawukume is said to be: the first surgeon in the world to perform a Bloodless Myomectomy during a caesarian section using a tourniquet.

He also co-invented the Medical Eligibility Criteria WHEEL for Reproductive Health and Family Planning which is now used worldwide after approval and adoption by the WHO.

Need I say more?



Congratulations to the 318 students comprising 43 doctors, 30 BSc Medical Sciences and 245 from the School of Nursing/Midwifery, who graduated on December 4, 2025.

Always remember the speech of the 2025 Valedictorian, Dr Millicent Quaye which concluded saying, As we celebrate, let us go forward ready to make positive impact on our communities, our nation and the world.

Long live the Family Health University! Long live Ghana!

Leadership, lead by example/integrity! Fellow Ghanaians, wake up!



The writer is a former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association Nairobi, Kenya/Council Chairman, Family Health University, Accra.

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

From left: Brig Gen Dan Frimpong (Rtd), Chairman of Council, Dr J.B. Amissah-Arthur, Special Guest, Prof Odonkor, Pro-VC
What is the national character of Ghana? - Enimil Ashon writes

Enimil Ashon Opinion Dec - 12 - 2025 , 07:57 5 minutes read

On November 27, 2013, the Prime Minister of Latvia, Valdis Dombrovskis, resigned because the roof of a supermarket collapsed, killing 54 people. He said he took political and moral responsibility.

That, to me, was culture in action: his action reflected the societys norm.

Same way, in Germany, it was not unusual that German President Christian Wulff was investigated in 2012 because his friend was alleged to have paid for his hotel room and his food while on vacation. Accused of favouritism and unethical behaviour, he resigned.

That, I repeat, is culture.

It reflects the national character of Germans.

Will this happen in Ghana? What is the national character of Ghana?

In June 2014, journalist Kwaku Sakyi Addo, addressing graduating students of the Ashesi University, summed it up this way: In our country, no one takes responsibility for anything.

And so we plunder to the accompaniment of brass bands and pay the victims to dance.

That, unfortunately, seems to be our culture now: duping our neighbour, employer, even total strangers, is the pervasive or collective character of Ghana.

Why does every Ghanaian political appointee steal state money?

Kwakus prognosis is that Ghanaians have lost our sense of outrage. His words are true.

What he should have said or emphasised is that we have lost that which used to be the Ghanaian culture  that which used to identify our humanity and African identity.

We used to abhor violence; indeed, we used to fear the sight of blood.

Today, we steal from the pockets of accident victims while they are in their death throes, bleeding.

Story

The story below was posted by a certain Lia Stout on November 26.

An anthropologist conducted an experiment with some children from an African tribe. He placed a basket filled with delicious fruits near the trunk of a tree and told them: "The first child to reach the tree and touch the basket will win all the fruits."

When the anthropologist gave the starting signal, he expected all the children to run to get the fruit. To his great surprise, they began walking together, hand in hand, to the tree.

They touched the basket together and shared the fruit.

He asked them why they had done that, when each of them could have won the fruit basket for himself or to share with his family.

The children all answered in unison: "Ubuntu."

The anthropologist then began interviewing the tribe's adults.

It turned out that Ubuntu, in their language and culture, means: "I am because we are". In other words, the children were saying that based on the teachings they received from their parents and grandparents, how could any of them be happy if the others have nothing?

I call that national character.

Swear by the Ghanaian

Not very many years ago, you could swear by the Ghanaian.

There were crimes which you could thrust your hand in the fire and swear they could not be committed by a Ghanaian! Once upon a time, honesty was our national identity.

Only recently, I published on this page the story of how, in 1992, at the JFK Airport in New York, I was waved on to board the flight without a body search.

The security officer took one look at the bio page of my passport and muttered, Ghanaian!

With relief on his face, he motioned for me to Nigeria Airways flight were thoroughly frisked and their hand luggage literally emptied for examination of its contents.

Piety was almost the national ID of the Ghanaian. Sad to narrate, we have lost it.

In our quest for a return to those days, the majority of concerned commentators had one voice: Lets teach Religious and Moral Education in schools.

Ask any teacher or WAEC examiner: while hundreds of thousands perform miserably in all other subjects, the worst candidate in Religious and Moral Education gets a Credit score.

Yet, the greatest number of bad boys and girls are Religion and Moral Education students (formerly called Bible Knowledge)

Apparently, the phenomenon is not new.

As far back as the 18th century, Noah Webster, the famous lexicographer, counselled that In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate.

Principles, values

What am I driving at? I am making a point that the teaching of religion is not a panacea for good moral conduct.

The best religion is taught in church.

That is my solution. Rather than Religion, I am advocating a course of study that will lay emphasis on Principles and Values of life, differentiating between religiosity and spirituality.

In my approach, emphasis by the teacher will be on cause-and-effect; for instance, that when you sleep with your neighbours spouse, some other person will sleep with yours or someone you cherish very much, at some future date.

The emphasis should not be on belief systems but on the moral principles of life that guided the conduct of great men and women of renown.

The writer is the Executive Director, Centre for Communication and Culture.
Interview: Avoiding truth of history makes it difficult to escape shadow of militarism: Japanese historian

Xinhua) 14:18, December 12, 2025

TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government has always deliberately avoided and covered up the crimes committed by Unit 731, Japanese historian Kai Abe said, adding many historical facts have long been "hidden" in Japan, which has led to a lack of awareness and sense of responsibility among many Japanese people regarding war crimes.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Abe, a Japanese folk history researcher, expressed his deep concern about it. Abe has lived in Europe and the United States for many years, during which he collected a large amount of English materials related to Unit 731 and compiled and translated them into Japanese.

At the beginning of this year, an English book he translated, which focused on the core member of Unit 731, Shiro Ishii, was published in Japan, allowing Japanese readers to access a wealth of historical materials that directly reveal Japan's war crimes through overseas archival information.

In early December, Abe gave a lecture at a community center in Tokyo, recounting many horrifying accounts he had read in English historical materials. "The prisoners of war sent to Unit 731 were subjected to inhumane treatment. There, they lost their names and were left with only a number," he told the audience.

"Based on the information available, Shiro Ishii, knowing that the Geneva Protocol prohibits the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of bacteriological methods of warfare, still secretly developed bacteriological weapons under the guise of 'epidemic prevention' or 'defense,' which demonstrates the cunning of this person and the dark militaristic ideology lurking in his heart," Abe added.

Despite the heinous crimes committed by Unit 731 members, led by Ishii, many of them were not held accountable after the war. Abe said that in the years following the war, the United States sent several groups of experts to Japan to investigate the 731 issue. However, the focus of these investigations was not on Ishii's war crimes, but rather on the large amount of biological warfare data accumulated by Unit 731 during the war.

"Ishii made a deal with the U.S. by handing over these experimental results, thus escaping accountability," Abe added.

"Humanitarianism was overwhelmed by the national interests of the U.S., and democracy and the rule of law were trampled upon to the point of total destruction by the muddy boots of collusion," Abe said, stressing that "just as the evidence of Unit 731's crimes was destroyed before the end of the war, the shady deals between Shiro Ishii and the U.S. were covered up."

Abe said he is currently continuing to translate English books on the relationship between the U.S. military and members of Unit 731 after the war, hoping to further trace the chain of interests between Ishii and the United States.

Abe told Xinhua that the Japanese government has always been unwilling to acknowledge the existence of Unit 731, and this long-term avoidance has resulted in a lack of substantial understanding of the atrocities committed by Unit 731 within Japanese society. "Not only do young people not know about it, but even many older people are unaware of Unit 731 because this history has been concealed for a long time," he noted.

What is even more ironic is that many members of Unit 731 who were involved in human experimentation, vivisection, and research on bacteriological weapons were not only not punished after the war, but instead smoothly entered large Japanese pharmaceutical companies, medical schools, and other institutions, enjoying prominent social status, Abe said.

"Currently, Japan's defense spending has been increasing year after year, and the situation in East Asia remains tense. At the same time, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi frequently visited the Yasukuni Shrine before taking office, which itself indicates that she lacks the necessary historical understanding," said Abe, adding that this attitude towards history, combined with her current policies, has caused him great concern.

In a social media post, Abe wrote: "Nowadays, people in Japan often accuse other countries of being belligerent. However, what did Japan do to Asian countries during the war? Japan should first face up to historical issues such as the Nanjing Massacre, forced labor, comfort women, and Unit 731." In his view, Japan cannot escape the shadow of militarism if it ignores the historical truth of its aggression against other countries.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
ECOWAS endorses President Mahama as sole candidate for 2027 AU Chairmanship

Kester Aburam Korankye International News Dec - 12 - 2025 , 10:05 1 minute read

President John Dramani Mahama has been confirmed as ECOWASs official nominee for the African Union Chairmanship for 2027.

This follows a unanimous endorsement by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers at its meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, where ministers agreed to present President Mahama as the blocs sole candidate when the rotating chairmanship returns to the West African region.

The AU Chairmanship rotates annually among Africas five regions. The current Chair, President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco of Angola, assumed office in February 2025 and is serving a one-year term on behalf of Southern Africa.

In endorsing Mr Mahama, the Council highlighted both his personal stature and Ghanas role as a key ECOWAS member state with significant contributions to the blocs regional and international standing.

The ministers also noted that presenting a unified candidate would improve ECOWASs prospects of securing influential positions within continental and global bodies.

The Councils recommendation will now be forwarded to the Authority of Heads of State and Government, which is expected to adopt the declaration at its meeting on Sunday.
New Christian books offer hope to youth struggling with sports betting

Next article: New Christian books offer hope to youth struggling with sports betting

20 Fallen police officers honoured at memorial service

Kester Aburam Korankye Dec - 11 - 2025 , 06:57 2 minutes read

The Ghana Police Service yesterday held a solemn ceremony to honour 20 personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2025.

The names of six officers were permanently engraved on the Police Wall of Honour at the service's Cenotaph, while the remaining 14 fallen officers were inscribed into the Memorial Book (Roll) of Honour.

President John Dramani Mahama joined the Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohunu, members of the Police Council, and senior government officials at the annual Police Memorial Day event to lay wreaths in tribute to the fallen officers.

Wreath-laying and flag-raising ceremonies were held simultaneously across all Police Regions.

Generally, officers who die while performing lawful duties are eligible for consideration. A panel chaired by the Director-General of Welfare selects honourees, subject to approval by the Police Management Board based on criteria set out in Service Instruction (S.I.) No. 63.

Disqualifications include death by suicide, facing pending misconduct charges, death resulting from gross negligence, or being under the influence of alcohol or narcotics during duty.

The Wall of Honour is dedicated to officers who perished through adversarial or combat-related actions.

The Memorial Book (Roll) of Honour records the names of officers who died in the course of lawful duty but not through direct combat.

Background

Police Memorial Day gives special recognition to officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, whether in Ghana or abroad, including on peacekeeping missions.

President John Dramani Mahama laying a wreath in tribute to the fallen officers

The day recognises the significant contributions and sacrifices made by police officers, a profession globally accepted as sacrificial and exposed to extreme dangers.

The concept, conceived some years ago, was first observed on November 24, 2014.

Following the construction of a permanent Cenotaph, the first formal ceremony was held on November 28, 2016.

The Police Administration has, since 2020, permanently set the day as November 2 each year.

Commitment

The Inspector-General of Police reaffirmed the service's commitment to supporting bereaved families through existing statutory remedies, which include financial compensation, official police burials, and, in exceptional cases, posthumous promotions.

In the days leading up to the memorial, the Police Administration visits families of officers who died within the preceding five years to present a token of support.

The commemoration would be climaxed this weekend with special religious services for officers of Islamic, Adventist, and other Christian faiths.

The ceremony highlights the maxim that "a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for," a principle cited as the reason for the consistently high-level participation by the nation's leadership.
Next article: Security services show force in Accra ahead of Christmas

Daily Graphic journalist picks international award

Daily Graphic Dec - 12 - 2025 , 09:57 2 minutes read

A journalist with the Daily Graphic, Mohammed Fugu, has picked an award at the ninth Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) awards held in Kaduna, Nigeria.

He was adjudged the first runner-up in the Print Category of the prestigious continental awards scheme.

His entry, titled: The Silent Epidemic: Extreme Heat Fuels Meningitis  Upper West Region Worst Affected, investigated how rising temperatures occasioned by climate are driving a surge in meningitis cases in northern Ghana, with the Upper West Region recording the highest mortalities every year.

It presented evidence showing how climatic shifts are influencing public health risks and exacerbating meningitis infections in the northern part of the country.

Five other journalists, who were also recognised for their outstanding works, were Adedokun Theophilus Oluwapelumi, Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim, Hamzat Ibrahim Abaga, Nanji Nandang, Nigeria Destiny Onyemihia and Nasiru Saidu.

The winners were announced at the Africa Conference on Development Journalism on December 4, 2025, in Kaduna, Nigeria.

The conference brought together journalists, media leaders, researchers, and development practitioners to explore journalisms evolving role in promoting transparency, accountability, and sustainable development across the continent.

The awards

The AMDF award, which was instituted in 2016, recognises exceptional reporting that addresses Africas pressing development challenges while promoting transparency, good governance and active citizen engagement.

It seeks to motivate more journalists to pursue solution-driven storytelling that strengthens democratic participation and drives social transformation.

The Africa Media Development Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing development journalism across the continent.

Through training programmes, press freedom advocacy and award initiatives, AMDF supports journalists to produce high-quality, socially relevant stories that promote accountability, social justice, and sustainable development.

Underreported issues

In her remarks, the Executive Director of AMDF, Sekyen Dadik, congratulated the winners for their dedication and commitment to highlighting underreported issues in Africa.

She said, Through their reporting, they amplify underrepresented voices, challenge systems of power, and drive conversations that shape a better future for our continent.

Their dedication reminds us that journalism remains a cornerstone of progress and accountability.

She charged journalists to spotlight underreported development issues and to amplify the voices of communities whose concerns too often go unnoticed.
Why the FBI has arrested Abu Trica; Popular Snapchat user facing 20 years in jail

Next article: Why the FBI has arrested Abu Trica; Popular Snapchat user facing 20 years in jail

No extortion at Kotoka: GRA clarifies travellers GH12,690 duty charge for 18 undeclared phones

Previous article: No extortion at Kotoka: GRA clarifies travellers GH12,690 duty charge for 18 undeclared phones

First Lady meets ministers wives association

Daily Graphic Dec - 12 - 2025 , 06:57 2 minutes read

The First Lady, Lordina Dramani Mahama, has entreated the church to deepen collaboration with the state to enhance development.

She also stressed the need for the church to invest heavily in the welfare of women and children.

Mrs Mahama made the call at a meeting of the National Executive of the Ministers Wives Association of Assemblies of God, Ghana (MWAAG).

She said doing so would complement the initiatives and interventions by the government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to make life bearable and meaningful for vulnerable groups in society.

Mrs Mahamas meeting with the leadership of MWAAG Ghana, led by its President, Lady Monica Wengam, was to discuss a number of issues bordering on state, women and childrens welfare.

Also in attendance were the National Vice-President of the association, Rev. Gladys Tito Agyei; the National Secretary, Hannah Birikorang; the Regional President of Accra East, Rita Awintia and the Regional President of Accra West, Rev. Barbara Ayesu.

Lady Mrs Wengam, who is the wife of the General Superintendent, praised President John Dramani Mahama and his wife for being loyal and worthy members of the Assemblies of God, Ghana.

She also commended the first couple for recently providing free medical screening, treatment and medication for retired ministers, their spouses and widows of pastors.

The pastors wives presented gifts, including Bibles and church souvenirs to Mrs Mahama.

They also offered prayers for the first couple and the nation.

For her part, Mrs Mahama presented souvenirs from the Lordina Foundation to the association's executive members.
Ghana, Colombia to strengthen bilateral cooperation

Diana Mensah Dec - 12 - 2025 , 09:57 3 minutes read

Ghana and Colombia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The agreement would facilitate joint projects in several areas, including immigration, agriculture, political consultations, air services, education, technical cooperation, sports, and youth development.

The MoU was signed in Accra yesterday after high-level talks between the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and her Colombian counterpart, Francia Elena Marquez Mina.

The Colombian Vice-President is in the country on a three-day official visit aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

She was received at the Forecourt of the Vice-Presidents Secretariat at the Presidency in Accra, after she had received a national salute, and also reviewed a guard of honour mounted in her honour.

Significance

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang described the visit as a reflection of the deepening friendship between our countries and a demonstration of the two countries shared determination to expand the scope and ambition of their relations.

Ghana values and appreciates the warm and growing partnership with Colombia. And of course, we are committed to advancing meaningful cooperation between us, she said.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang added that Ghana and Colombia were tied by enduring historical linkages, cultural affinities and shared vision for mutual progress.

She said over the years, both countries had made deliberate efforts to build a solid platform for cooperation, which she added, offered an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to progress, reflect on the trajectory of their partnership, and explore new avenues for cooperation.

The Vice-President further stressed that the future of the partnership should align with the strategic priorities of both governments, with a focus on inclusive growth and sustainable development.

She encouraged the Colombian delegation to take advantage of the extensive investment opportunities it had been exposed to during a business seminar organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) earlier yesterday.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said that the country valued Colombia's enduring support for the teaching of the Spanish language in Ghana, a programme she said had significantly enhanced institutional capacity and deepened cross-cultural understanding.

Climate resilience

The Vice-President also reaffirmed Ghanas interest in working with Colombia to advance equitable environmental governance, adding that global climate challenges required coordinated efforts guided by fairness, a sense of responsibility, and a collective resolve to safeguard our planet.

She said the two nations shared principled commitments to foster a more inclusive and equitable international system, one that strengthened South-South collaboration and ensured global governance structures reflected the priorities of developing countries.

Other engagements

Prior to holding bilateral discussions with Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, Vice-President Mina, who arrived in the country last Wednesday, was met on arrival by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye Quayson, at the Kotoka International Airport.

Vice-President Mina was later hosted to a state dinner.

Today, she would be visiting the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and also meeting with the Executive Members of Fidelity Bank Ghana.

Vice-President Mina is also expected to call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, today before her departure tomorrow.
From lived experience to liberation work: The story behind PPFs new blogger

Next article: From lived experience to liberation work: The story behind PPFs new blogger

Noguchi makes HIV therapy breakthrough

Augustina Tawiah Dec - 12 - 2025 , 08:03 4 minutes read

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) has developed what scientists describe as a ground-breaking research which can significantly alter HIV care if other tests prove as effective as those conducted in the laboratory.

Developed using two herbal compound extracts from native plants, the therapy is said to have fewer potential side effects and fewer long-term conditions on organs in HIV treatment.

It has a high selectivity index that allows it to target and kill the virus only, leaving all the other cells intact.

This is different from the existing antiretroviral therapies, which target the virus but leave the patient with potential liver and kidney issues that require tests every six months to determine whether those organs have been affected.

This is going to eliminate the need for that because we have a healthy product.

That's something I haven't heard of because instead of using synthesised products, this herbal study or herbal extract of the plant is nature.

The compound exists in the plant, so we do not need to create it, the lead rapporteur for Track A at the 2025 International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), Dr Adriel Cyrus Moodley, said.

He disclosed that at the moment, laboratory testing on the compound was complete.

What remained, he added, was to do animal tests and to progress to report on it if similar good results were established along the intervening processes.

Despite being fascinated by the Noguchi Institute research, Dr Moodley was emphatic that antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) currently remained the only way to fight HIV, and were recognised to be cheap too.

He explained that ARTs suppressed viral replication, and although they were good, they came with the burden of taking medications long term.

HIV at this moment remains incurable despite ART advancements.

Synthesised products

We're not out here synthesising things with all of the 10,000 side effects that come from making specific molecules.

These are extracts that come naturally.

They are synthesised within the plant itself, Dr Moodley further explained.

Ghana hosted the 2025 ICASA from December 3 to 8.

Dr Moodleys Track A team at the 2025 ICASA included Chief Research Assistant, Diana Asema Asare, and Research Fellow, Dr Nana Afia Asante Ntim, both of them from the Noguchi Institute.

Dr Moodley disclosed details of the research in an interview after making a presentation on behalf of the Track A group at the conference.

The herbal extracts currently only have code names because the research has not been fully incorporated and published.

Dr Moodley explained that in the case of the synthesised products, scientists sit in a laboratory and decide the kind of drug needed to attack a particular part of the HIV, and consequently make the drug in that specific way.

Unlike the synthetised product, he said, the Noguchi study did not have to create a new product because the compound already existed in the plants.

Strategy

Dr Moodley, who is a general practitioner in his native South Africa, said the Noguchi discovery blocked the HIV and locked it away, unlike the regular antiretrovirals (ARVs), which stopped the virus from replicating.

Thats awesome! I've been treating HIV for 15 years. I've never heard of such a thing in my life.

That's why it's so exciting, he said.

Dr Moodley, who described himself as a practitioner raised with a pure science background, stressed the need to return to the herbal method of treatment, but this time to find the active ingredients in herbs and refine them, but not to overdo it so that it turned out to be something else.

Earlier in his presentation, he said it might be, indeed, possible to develop a cure to eradicate AIDS by the 2030 goal.

It goes without saying that this should be the focus for future research across the multimodal approach for the development of a cure to end AIDS by 2030, he said.

Other findings done elsewhere in Africa, highlighted in Dr Moodleys presentation, were the first-ever clinical trial in Africa into HIV; the use of Treg Cells as potential immunotherapy; development in technologies to assist with the detection of TB in HIV co-infection; drug development and co-infections and their immunological effects in people living with HIV.
From lived experience to liberation work: The story behind PPFs new blogger

Previous article: From lived experience to liberation work: The story behind PPFs new blogger

No extortion at Kotoka: GRA clarifies travellers GH12,690 duty charge for 18 undeclared phones

GraphicOnline Dec - 12 - 2025 , 06:59 2 minutes read

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has dismissed allegations circulating on social media that its Customs officers extorted money from a traveller who paid GH12,690.63 in duties upon arriving at Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

The Authority insists the officers acted professionally and that the payment was lawful and properly receipted.

In a statement issued in Accra on Thursday, December 11, 2025, the GRA said the traveller arrived at KIA on December 5 carrying eighteen mobile phones and various accessories that exceeded the personal concession permitted under the Exemptions Act, 2022 (Act 1083).

The items were not declared upon arrival, triggering the standard duty assessment process.

According to the Authority, a Bill of Entry (BOE No. 41225803295) was issued, and the traveller was required to pay the applicable duties through the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), after which an official receipt was provided.

Contrary to the allegations on social media, Customs officers did not extort any money from the traveller, the GRA stated. It further clarified that the traveller was neither detained nor were his goods confiscated, rejecting claims of unfair treatment.

The Authority extended empathy to the traveller over his unpleasant experience but stressed that the facts had been misrepresented online. It maintained that the Customs Division at KIA followed due process and applied standard procedures applicable to all travellers found with goods in commercial quantities.

GRA used the incident to remind the public of the importance of voluntary declaration of dutiable items, urging travellers to declare and pay duty voluntarily if they carry items in commercial quantities and to contact Customs officers on arrival should they have any concerns.

The Authority said it remains committed to transparent, fair and efficient service delivery at all ports of entry and encouraged the public to know our taxes, pay our taxes and help build Ghana.
VIDEO: President Mahama in Nairobi as Guest of Honour for Kenyas Jamhuri Day

GraphicOnline Dec - 12 - 2025 , 10:22 1 minute read

President John Dramani Mahama is in Nairobi for an official visit as the Chief Guest for Kenyas Jamhuri Day celebrations, following an invitation from President William Samoei Ruto.

The Ghanaian leader touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly after midnight Kenya time, where he was received by the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, alongside other senior Kenyan officials.

His visit underscores deepening ties between the two countries and highlights Ghanas growing visibility in continental diplomatic engagements.

Jamhuri Day, one of Kenyas most important national holidays, commemorates the countrys attainment of independence and celebrates its cultural identity and progress. President Mahamas role as Chief Guest positions him at the centre of the celebrations in Nairobi on Friday.

Following the ceremony, President Mahama will join President Ruto for a luncheon at the State House. The meeting is expected to create space for bilateral discussions on areas of mutual interest, including development cooperation, economic partnerships, and regional stability.

The President is accompanied by Dr Callistus Mahama, Executive Secretary to the President, and Stanislav Xoese Dogbe, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.

President Mahama is scheduled to depart Nairobi on Saturday after concluding the official engagements.
Auditor-General surcharges former National Service officials, Osei Assibey Antwi and Gifty Oware-Mensah; they are to pay GH2.4bn

Next article: Auditor-General surcharges former National Service officials, Osei Assibey Antwi and Gifty Oware-Mensah; they are to pay GH2.4bn

Daddy Lumba's funeral to proceed on Saturday as planned after maternal family failed to pay GH2 million deposit to enforce injunction

Previous article: Daddy Lumba's funeral to proceed on Saturday as planned after maternal family failed to pay GH2 million deposit to enforce injunction

Transitions to release Lumba's body to family head for Saturday funeral if... - High Court caveat

Justice Agbenorsi Dec - 12 - 2025 , 13:33 2 minutes read

The High Court in Accra has added a caveat that, because of the costs incurred as of now, if by 2 pm today the applicants dont pay GH2 million, the funeral home, Transitions, would release the body of Daddy Lumba, and the funeral scheduled for Saturday, December 13, 2025, will come off as planned.

This came up, after the court called the lawyers of both sides and issued the caveat.

Read also: Daddy Lumba's funeral will not come off tomorrow; Court restrains head of family

Earlier, the High Court had restrained the head of the family, Kwame Owusu, from going ahead to organise the final funeral rites of the music icon on Saturday, December 13, 2025.

The court ordered him to convene a family meeting, involving all sides, within three days to plan the funeral.

The order from the court followed an application for an injunction by some of the maternal family members of Daddy Lumba, including his sister Ernestina Brempomaa, and his uncle, Yaw Opoku.

The funeral home, Transitions, where the body is being preserved, was also restrained from releasing the body to the head of the family for the planned Saturday event.

But after the court called the lawyers back, a caveat was issued that the applicants should pay GH2 million by 2 pm today. This is to help cover the costs incurred by the family head as of now towards the preparation of the Saturday, December 13, 2025 event.

Graphic Online's Justice Agbenorsi reports from the court that Daddy Lumba's maternal family members are the applicants in the persons of Obaapanin Afia Adomah, Robert and Georgina Gyamfi, Ernestina Brempomaa Fosuh, and Nana Afia Kobi.

The defendants are  Kofi Owusu (family head), Cal Bank (managers of the DL Foundation), and Transitions (funeral home)

The applicants, for whom the injunction ruling went in their favour, are to pay the GH2 million to the family head, Kofi Owusu, because of the costs he has incurred in organising the family as of now.

His lawyers were asking for GH5 million, but the court ordered GH2 million.

The mode of payment was not specified, so it can be either cash or cheque.

Read also: Daddy Lumba's funeral will not come off tomorrow; Court restrains head of family
Bawumia warns against tribal labels in NPP: There are no slaves or royals in this party

GraphicOnline Politics Dec - 12 - 2025 , 06:50 4 minutes read

Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reject tribal and religious divisions, insisting that the partys strength has always been rooted in unity and equal participation.

Addressing supporters in Wa during his campaign tour of the Upper West Region, Dr Bawumia condemned what he described as growing attempts by some within the party to label groups as slaves or royals, warning that such rhetoric threatens the partys image and cohesion.

Dr Bawumia stressed that the NPP must remain a political tradition in which every member is treated with dignity, regardless of background. There are no slaves and there no royals in this party. We are all together as one in this party. Nobody is higher than anybody else. We are all one, he said.

He cautioned those pushing tribal narratives to desist, arguing that their actions undermine the partys credibility. So all those people who are out there in our party making tribal and bigoted statements should desist from that because their comments are not ruining Dr. Bawumia; they are rather ruining the image of the party.

The former Vice President encouraged party members across the country to reject any messages aimed at division, saying unity remained essential for achieving the NPPs broader objectives. We don't need tribalism in our party. Le us all be known that we will all come together on an equal basis and we will all continue to serbe this party on equal basis. Nobody has any special entitlement simply because they come from one part of the country.

He added: We need unity in our party. We don't need people to divide us on the basis of tribe or on the basis of religion. These are alien to us. Let us all come together.

Dr Bawumia reiterated his commitment to respectful political engagement, noting that his approach was grounded in keeping the party united after internal contests. I want to assure all of you that I know we need unity and I am very committed to it. This is why when I campaign, I don't insult anybody. I don't talk down on anybody. I speak with respect and deference to my opponents because I know after election, we all have to come together and work hard for the part.

Addressing a separate gathering in Wa, Dr Bawumia reminded members of the partys longstanding tradition of valuing competence and electability over tribal or religious considerations. He cited historical examples to argue that the NPPs leadership choices have always extended beyond regional lines.

When you look at our party, we have never voted on tribal lines. We always vote on the basis of competence, of capacity and who can win the power for us, he said. He referenced past leadership decisions, noting, That is how it started with our forefathers SD Dombo, Abayifa Karbo and co when the leadership was ceded to Busia. If it was on tribal basis, the Northern People Party would have kept the leadership in the United Party.

He added that northern constituencies have repeatedly supported leaders from other parts of the country. The north also supported Kufuor and didn't support Malik in 1998. The north also supported Akufo-Addo and didn't support Aliu Mahama in 2007. That is how it is in our party.

Dr Bawumia dismissed claims that northern support for his candidacy was tribal, arguing that his appeal cuts across all regions. Simply because the north is supporting me doesn't mean it is tribalistic. There are 15 other regions that is supporting Dr. Bawumia so it is not about tribalism.

He concluded with another caution to party members who continue to make divisive remarks: This party doesn't vote on tribalism. We vote on competence and we vote on who can help us win power. And so all those people who are out there in our party making tribal and bigoted statements should desist from that because their comments are not ruining Dr. Bawumia; they are rather ruining the image of the party.
Bawumia warns against tribal labels in NPP: There are no slaves or royals in this party

Next article: Bawumia warns against tribal labels in NPP: There are no slaves or royals in this party

President Mahama attends ECOWAS Summit, Nairobi Day

Pacome Emmanuel Damalie Politics Dec - 12 - 2025 , 07:57 2 minutes read

President John Dramani Mahama left the Ghana on Thursday for a two-nation working visit to Kenya and Nigeria.

In a letter dated December 10, 2025 and addressed to the Speaker of Parliament , which was read in the House Thursday by the First Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament (MP) for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor, the President said he would participate in the Nairobi Day celebration in Kenya on Friday.

He will then depart for Abuja, Nigeria, to take part in the 68th Ordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, slated for Sunday, December 14, 2025.

The summit will bring together leaders from across West Africa to deliberate on key political, economic and security developments within the sub-region.

President Mahama is expected to return to the country on Monday, December 15, 2025.

Vice-President acts

In his absence, the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, will act in his stead in accordance with the Constitution.

I am expected to return to Ghana on 15th December, 2025. In my absence, the Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman shall perform my functions in accordance with Article 68 of the Constitution, the President told Parliament in line with Article 59 of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates the President to inform the Legislature any time he will be absent from Ghana.

The communication was copied to a number of relevant officeholders in line with standard governmental procedure.
Kpandai seat: Rule of Law at risk  Minority accuses Speaker of enabling unlawful EC actions

Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Politics Dec - 12 - 2025 , 17:44 2 minutes read

The Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Patricia Appiagyei, has warned that the rule of law was being endangered by what she described as Parliaments endorsement of the Electoral Commissions (EC) unlawful and indecent steps to declare the Kpandai parliamentary seat vacant despite an active court process.

She said the Speakers decision to allow the release of a letter by the Clerk of Parliament, which effectively cleared the path for a by-election, represented a sharp departure from long-standing legal and parliamentary convention that no action should be taken when a matter remains before the courts.

Principle

Mrs Appiagyei said this in a statement on the floor of the House today (Friday, December 12, 2025).

She anchored her argument on the principle that once a suit is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction, the parties involved must maintain the status quo ante until all judicial processes, including appeals and applications for stay of execution, are fully exhausted.

Any attempt to alter the situation, she stressed, risked rendering the courts eventual decision meaningless and constitutes contempt.

A standard law and procedure in the courts and in the parts of Parliament of Ghana is that when a matter or a process is the subject matter of a suit pending before a court of competence, no one should do anything to take any step whatsoever onto all the process a party is entitled to have been exhausted, she said.

Judiciary undermined

The Deputy Minority Leader warned that allowing the EC to conduct a by-election while the dispute remained unresolved undermines the judiciarys authority.

No court in the civilised world will allow the party for whom judgment has been given for the cow to slaughter it while there is any process touching and concerning the matter before the court, she added.

Mrs Appiagyei argued that the ECs decision, and Parliaments acquiescence, could plunge the country into what she called a lawless jungle, especially if the court later upheld the original election result or orders a limited rerun in specific polling stations.

In such a scenario, she lamented that the country would face the awkward situation of having sworn in a person who might not legally be entitled to the seat.

Citing precedents including cases involving former MPs including James Gyakye Quayson, she maintained that in all previous instances the sitting MPs were allowed to remain in Parliament until the court processes were concluded.
The school district is making plans for the future and celebrating current success. The Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees had a full and wide ranging agenda at their Tuesday workshop and meeting. Some of the main topics at the meeting included important approvals and updates.

The main topic of the pre-meeting workshop was the bidding for the Career and Technical Education Facility. Two different bids were submitted and reviewed by the facility committee late last week. It was decided that the facility committee would like to do extended interviews this winter with both firms who submitted bids asking more specific questions about budgets and timelines. The financial implications and whether or not to use some of the funding that's in reserve was widely discussed. According to Superintendent Scott Cooper, the school finance status is widely unknown at this point, but the district should have a firm idea of where it stands at the conclusion of the legislative session on March 6. Cooper is asking for the board to make a formal decision based on the interviews and budget information at the March 10 Board Meeting. The district is hoping to break ground in May of 2027.

During the regular meeting, a brief presentation was given by Dr. Joel Dvorak from the Wyoming District Peer Review board. The presentation highlighted several parts of the Peer Review, including how well new board members assimilated into their positions, how extraordinary the staff at Central Office are, and how exceptional the administrators at each school are.

One of the biggest take-aways from the review was the "climate in safety." The Peer Review scored District No. 2 as exemplary. The review stated that the district took extra care in supporting students and staff in their mental health needs.

Dvorak said, "The trauma-informed work that you have done, the mental health partnerships that you have developed, have just been outstanding."

Another exemplary score was awarded in the "Stakeholder" category. This was based on the partnership between the County Attorney's office and the School District. The district's 91% graduation rate was also mentioned as a big achievement and as something that is continually harder to achieve.

"You have one of the top two graduation rates for schools in Wyoming that are along the I-80 corridor," Dvorak commented.

The presentation concluded with yet another exemplary rating for student activities, which according to Dvorak is not typical.

"The intentionality that District No. 2 is doing around activities to get more kids involved and especially accommodating those with special needs, those are exemplary practices," he said. "In my 5 years of doing this work around the state it's the best I've seen."

Also during the regular meeting, the board approved a $1,500 early notification stipend for any certified staff who notifies the district by the end January of their intent to retire or resign. The board also approved a board holiday gift to all district employees in the form of Chamber of Commerce "Holiday Bucks" in the amount of $100. Employees are set to receive the gift before winter break.
Some households face service shutoffs, in part, due to a delay in the program caused by the federal government shutdown

The Trump administration has resumed a heating assistance program for low-income households, days after much of Wyoming saw temperatures plunge into the single digits.

The Wyoming Low Income Energy Assistance Program rebooted on Monday after a 45-day pause due to the federal government shutdown. The shutdown ended Nov. 12. Nevertheless, an appropriation for the federal program wasn't released until Friday. Wyoming received $9.6 million, according to Wyoming LIEAP, allowing assistance payments to resume immediately, officials announced.

"With the restoration of federal funding, the LIEAP team has begun notifying applicants whether they are eligible to receive benefits and, if eligible, the amount of the benefit," Wyoming LIEAP said in a press release.

Though the program, managed by the Wyoming Department of Family Services, was forced to idle payouts in mid-October, state officials still urged people to submit applications during the pause so staff could determine eligibility and quickly resume processing disbursements. The agency received and reviewed about 4,000 applications during that time, in addition to about 1,100 before the shutdown impacted the program.

Wyoming LIEAP distributed $6.1 million to 8,236 Wyoming households last winter season, according to the agency.

The program helps pay "a portion of winter heating bills for natural gas, electricity, propane, coal, wood and other fuel types" for households earning less than 60% of the state's median income, which was about $75,000 in 2024. Priority is given to elderly and disabled residents, and families with children under 5 years old.

Payments on behalf of qualifying households typically begin on Nov. 1 each year, and the program continues through early spring. Delays this year, however, left some in the cold and facing utility service shutoffs for unpaid bills, according to Wyoming 211 Executive Director Ann Clement.

"We mostly hear from our callers that many are unable to make any payment arrangements to avoid shutoff," Clement told WyoFile. People with medical issues "are being disconnected, lots of broken furnaces and no resources to assist with repair or replacement," she said. "Things just start to pile up."

Another energy assistance program, Energy Share of Wyoming, began accepting applications Monday. The nonprofit organization, comprised of several utility and energy companies, serves as a backup "when unusual circumstances create financial needs not met through existing energy assistance programs," according to the group. Energy Share raised $108,000 in private and corporate donations to help 236 Wyoming households last winter. "Total distributions for energy bill and propane bill assistance totaled $75,422.58," the group said.

This year, Energy Share shifted its qualifying threshold upward to consider higher household incomes, casting a wider net for those who might qualify.

While the average residential cost of electricity in Wyoming remains lower than the U.S. average, customers here are experiencing a national trend of rising monthly utility bills. Wyoming homes experienced a year-over-year increase of about 4% in August, according to a report by the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources, compared to a national average increase of 6%.

To learn more about Wyoming LIEAP and how to apply, go online to tinyurl.com/wyo-lieap. To learn more about Energy Share of Wyoming and how to apply or how to donate, go to energyshareofwyoming.org.

Because social service organizations differ across Wyoming communities, one of the best ways to find help or to learn how to help is to visit the Wyoming 211 website or dial 2-1-1. The call center can connect you to local services and organizations.

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
This week marks the beginning of the Legislature's work on the state's next two-year budget

This week marks the beginning of the Wyoming Legislature's annual budget hearings. During the four-week-long process, the Joint Appropriations Committee is meeting in Cheyenne to hear agency requests and to draft a budget bill ahead of the 2026 session.

In even-numbered years, lawmakers are responsible for crafting and passing the state's upcoming two-year spending plan, also known as a biennium budget. It is the one thing lawmakers are constitutionally obligated to complete during a budget session.

While the Legislature ultimately holds the purse strings, it's the governor who kicks off the process with budget recommendations.

In November, Gov. Mark Gordon proposed a $11.1 billion budget that would boost state worker pay, bolster wildfire-fighting capacity, renovate the veterans home in Buffalo and put $250 million into permanent savings, among other priorities.

"Our job, the job of government, is to provide the essentials that communities, families and citizens cannot provide on their own and be accountable and accessible," Gordon told the committee Monday in his opening remarks.

The hearings largely involve agencies presenting what's called a standard budget, which includes no more than the amount needed to allow that office to provide the same level of services in the next budget cycle as it has in the current one. If an agency seeks to diverge from that spending level, such as for new equipment or a special project, it must develop and present an "exception request" to lawmakers.

Since the last budget session, a new group of Republicans has come into power. In 2024, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus won control of the lower chamber and now holds all but one seat on the House side of the Appropriations Committee.

While the caucus has pledged to cut the budget, it remains to be seen where and how lawmakers aim to shrink spending. That could become clearer through the committee's budget work or as lawmakers revise the bill during the session. However, they took extra steps this legislative off-season to scrutinize the Department of Health's budget by forming a subcommittee. The agency has the largest budget of any state department.

Alongside agency requests, the committee also relies on revenue forecasts to draft a budget bill.

In October, a report indicated that Wyoming's investment portfolio hit a record $1.86 billion in earnings, surpassing revenues from the mineral industry. Meanwhile, other prominent revenue sources fell short, including sales and use taxes and state royalties.

State forecasters, known as the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, will present lawmakers with an updated report when the Appropriations Committee gathers in January.

The committee will meet through next week, as well as the first two full weeks in January. No formal action will be taken on the budget until the final week of hearings.

At that point, in a process known as working the bill, the committee goes unit by unit through each agency's budget with lawmakers voting on motions to approve, deny or adjust each funding request. Vote by vote, those decisions form the budget bill, which is then prepared by the Legislative Service Office staff.

Budget hearings are open to the public and can also be viewed remotely via the Legislature's YouTube page. Meeting agendas are available on the Legislature's website.

The full Legislature convenes Feb. 9 in Cheyenne.

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
United States Attorney Darin Smith announced today that Luke Everrett David, 25, of Riverton, Wyoming was sentenced to 210 months imprisonment with 10 years of supervised release for the distribution of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Dec. 4 in Casper.

According to court documents, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received eight CyberTip reports between December 2024 and March 2025. The reports had been submitted to NCMEC from MediaLab/Kik and appeared to be related through common email addresses tied to the defendant. Investigators obtained search warrants for the defendants accounts and devices. Based on the forensic analysis of the defendants Kik accounts, he is accountable for at least 175 videos and 69 images of child pornography, which included distribution of a new child pornography image and receipt of artificial intelligence (AI) morphed child pornography images. Restitution for the victims remains open and will be determined in the next 90 days.

The DCI ICAC Task Force investigated the crime and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie R. Morrison prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
A Montana teen is home and safe after Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers tracked down the men transporting her across state lines. On the evening of November 22, the FBI was tracking cell phone pings after a pair of men from Oklahoma picked up a teenage girl in Montana and were traveling with her through Wyoming back to Oklahoma.

Troopers were alerted to the situation via a BOLO alert, and were informed the suspected vehicle was southbound on I-25 and last pinged at mile marker 135. A nearby trooper immediately spotted the suspected vehicle, and, with assistance from Converse County Sheriff's Office, initiated a traffic stop. The trooper spotted the missing girl in the vehicle, and, after taking charge of the investigation, arrested the two suspects.

The 15-year-old girl was cared for by the Wyoming Department of Family Services before being returned home to her parents in Montana.

This is still an active investigation and has been handed over to the FBI. No further information will be released at this time.
Wyoming employers participating in the state's workers' compensation program will experience a 15% break in premiums next year, the third rate reduction in as many years.

That will result in a combined annual savings of $66 million, according to the Department of Workforce Services. Employers in good standing, and with three or more years in the program, may enjoy even bigger savings.

"By lowering workers' compensation costs, we are helping employers invest in their workforce, strengthen their operations and continue to build safe, resilient workplaces across our state," Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement announcing the rate reduction.

All employers of businesses in Wyoming classified as "extra hazardous" are required to participate in the state's workers' compensation program, which is administered by the Department of Workforce Services. Others may voluntarily enroll, which typically entitles them to legal immunity for workplace injuries. The program is funded by premiums paid by employers to cover lost wages and medical bills for their employees who are injured on the job.

Wyoming is one of the few states that does not offer workers' compensation benefits to undocumented workers.

$2.8 billion fund

The state can afford to offer lower premiums, Workforce Services Director Elizabeth Gagen suggested, because "Wyoming's strong safety culture and responsible business practices are paying off, creating lasting benefits for both our workforce and our economy."

A September report to the Legislature's Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee indicates the workers' compensation fund is growing at a rate that surpasses expenditures and liabilities.

"The average annual rate of return on the [workers' compensation] investment portfolio over the past five years is approximately 6.8%," Workforce Services Deputy Director Jason Wolfe told WyoFile via email. "Coupled with year-over-year declines in the number of injuries, as shown in the report, and sound cost containment and case management strategies, this means we're typically spending a bit less than we're making."

The state's workers' compensation fund has risen steadily from $1.8 billion in 2015 to more than $2.8 billion at the end of fiscal year 2025, according to the state's report. During the same period, annual claim expenditures have grown from $178 million to nearly $194 million.

Critics dispute safety claims

Worker advocates question assertions that expenditures remain moderate due to safe workplaces and a decline in work-related injuries. They say not all injuries are reported, while pointing to Wyoming's chronic worst- or among-the-worst workplace fatality rates in the nation.

Yes, Wyoming's workers' compensation program works well when it comes to acute injuries with an easily defined recovery prognosis, some say. But the state tends to fight against expensive and prolonged claims related to things like back injuries, chronic pain and illnesses.

Any notion that Wyoming's flush workers' compensation fund is due to a strong workplace safety track record is "bullshit," Wyoming AFL-CIO Executive Director Marcie Kindred said.

"I mean, we may have [fewer] claims," Kindred told WyoFile, "but we still kill more people than any other state." And she suggested that the state's moderate workers' compensation expenses might derive from Wyoming's bootstraps mentality, which discourages injured workers from making a claim or fighting a challenge to a claim.

"I'm just picturing my guys having to, again and again, go to hearings and court cases in front of anybody in power and say, 'I need help,'" Kindred continued. "It's insurmountable, and it's hard to get people to admit they need help."

Asked to respond to such criticism, Wolfe, of workforce services, said, "The evidence actually shows our denial rate of claims to be fairly steady, with a slight decline over the last five years. The denial rate is approximately 5%-6% of annual claims."

"Because the state is not a for-profit insurance company, it is perfectly appropriate to make sure that Wyoming businesses are paying a fair amount," Lawyers and Advocates for Wyoming Director Mark Aronowitz told WyoFile.

"At the same time," Aronowitz continued, "I believe that 'sound cost containment and case management strategies' should include a detailed analysis of all workplace fatalities and serious injuries in order to prevent similar incidents from ever occurring again."

That type of deliberate, all-inclusive analysis is not happening in Wyoming, according to worker advocates.

"Resources wisely spent on injury prevention could help save the fund, and employers, millions of dollars over time," Aronowitz added, "while, more importantly, reducing our perennially unacceptably high workplace fatality rate."

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
Dear Editor,

There has been some concern lately about schools and colleges supposedly brainwashing their students. I would like to remind everyone that we have multiple historical examples to compare to. Take Nazi Germany, since its probably the most recognizable example of government sanctioned indoctrination, especially with their Hitler Youth program. To recap: in the 1930s and 40s, the Nazis and their supporters spread a conspiracy that colleges and schools were already brainwashing Germanys people by exposing them to progressive ideas. As Hitler rose to power, he then began altering the school system, under the guise of protecting students from radicals. He started pulling books from library shelves, ultimately leading to full book bans. He controlled which subjects could be taught, and by whom, what clubs could exist, and what displays could be shown in museums. All under the banner of German exceptionalism and protecting the people from subversive ideas about diversity, tolerance, and religious freedom.

Most of us learn about Nazi propaganda in high school, usually tied to a reading of books like The Diary of Anne Frank, or Maus by Art Spiegelman (though both are frequently banned from school libraries for sexual or explicit content). The lesson that I always took from these classes was to never trust the people making it harder to access books. The ones pulling books off library shelves, as happened at the Naval Academy earlier this year, are always the ones trying to control the narrative, to isolate people. So, what we should be asking is: who is trying to limit students access to books and information? Wyoming is considering a bill that would do just that, under the guise of protecting children, and despite an existing law already keeping porn out of schools. If you want to be angry, be angry at the people so clearly following in the worst of historys footsteps; not the ones reminding your kids to love their neighbors, no matter how they look, where they are from, who they love, or how they pray. Everyone should be welcome here.

Jessica Donaghe-Wilde

Green River
Dear Editor,

I recently received an email from the Wyoming Freedom Caucus PAC in which they once again talk about the crushing tax burden placed upon the good people of our state.

A headline in the November 4 issue of the Casper Star Tribune reads Wyoming Freedom Caucus calls for more tax cuts.

I cannot remain silent and let these misconceptions go unchallenged. Their intentions may be good, but their facts and underlying assumptions are not.

The fact is, by any measure, the average taxpayer in Wyoming pays at or near the lowest effective tax rate of any state in the nation.

Nationwide, the three main sources of revenue for state and local governments are income tax, sales tax, and property tax.

We are one of only a handful of states that has no individual or corporate state income tax. The National Tax Foundation ranks Wyoming as having the fifth lowest sales and use tax rate. And remember we pay no sales tax on food. Tax Rates.org ranks Wyoming as having the ninth lowest property tax rate both as a percentage of income and as a percentage of property value.

When these three major sources of state taxes are combined, Wyoming is certainly at or near the bottom when comparing total state tax burden.

I invite everyone to go to the Wyoming Taxpayers Association website (wyotax.org).

They have put together a very thorough and detailed study of all Wyoming taxes.

One especially enlightening analysis involves what they call the Cowboy Family which is a typical family of four living in Wyoming. This average Wyoming family pays a total of $4,429 in state and local taxes, while receiving a total of $61,263 in state and local services.

Here is one paragraph from their report.

Comparing the Cowboy Familys total state taxes paid to the total services received shows the disparity between the two. For the Cowboy Family, the difference between the two is $56,834.36. This means that for every $1.00 the Cowboy Family pays, they receive $13.83 in services. The Cowboy Family receives $56,834.36 of state and local government services they do not pay for, which is supported by mineral and non-mineral sources of revenue.

When you consider these numbers, the notion that Wyoming citizens are overtaxed is absurd. We need to realize how fortunate we are to live in Wyoming. The fact is our tax burden is light.

And if we continue to use the myth of over taxation as justification to slash the budgets of our state agencies, our counties, our towns, and our school districts the results will be disastrous for our state.

Danny Eyre

Lyman
Christmastime is full of familiar stories, and this year a few of those stories are coming to life, and coming together, on local stages. Three different theater groups are presenting three unintentionally connected plays on back-to-back weekends this month, with "A Christmas Carol" from The Horizon Theater, "Holmes for the Holidays" at Western Wyoming Community College, and "A Sherlock Carol" from the Actors' Mission.

A Christmas Carol

The most familiar story taking the stage this month is "A Christmas Carol" by The Horizon Theater, which not only tells a familiar story, but brings back a favorite show that the company has previously performed.

Horizon first produced this musical version of "A Christmas Carol" in 2022, when it was the third show from the relatively new theater company. When deciding on their 10th production as a company this year, knowing it would be a Christmas show, the creative team kept coming back to "Christmas Carol." Not knowing how to top it, they decided the answer was to bring it back.

"Eventually we just decided, we do it again," Director Sam Smith explained. "We do it again, but better."

Smith was an actor in the cast of "Christmas Carol" three years ago, which is when he fell in love with the show. For this show however, he's stepping into the lead as the primary director for the first time.

While some elements from the first production are being kept, other things are being changed, according to Smith. He noted that the cast is even bigger than before, with a total of 33 cast members this time, and pointed out that roughly half of them are either totally new to theater or returning after a long time. Even so, Smith said he believes the talent has only improved for this production, and that new community members joining has added new perspectives that make the show stronger.

One cast member stepping into a new role, but returning to the stage after several other local productions, is Green River resident Tim Knight, who is playing Scrooge.

"I am welcoming this challenge," Knight said, admitting, "This might be the biggest role I've ever had."

While playing the lead comes with plenty of challenges, as does playing a Dickens character in a musical, Knight said that it's been rewarding working with a diverse cast and watching the younger cast members grow. He also explained that he's seen and enjoyed many versions of "A Christmas Carol," but he loves this version.

"The music really adds to the feeling of the show," he said. "It just has a really nice way of capturing the emotion."

When it comes to telling a familiar story in a new way, Director Smith said that it is intimidating wanting to do the story justice and make sure people will enjoy it, but also put a unique spin on it. Both Smith and Knight, however, agreed that one of the strong points of the show is the messages that come through, particularly the theme of the importance and strength of families.

"I think there's a family-centric part of this show that you get a little bit more of in this version than I've seen in some other ones," Knight said.

Knight also pointed out the power of the story in showing that you shouldn't give up on people, and that "no one is beyond redemption."

"It's a show that'll make you feel something," Smith said. "It's a little bit of an emotional roller coaster, but it's a very enjoyable one."

Holmes for the Holidays

Starting with a familiar concept before moving into less conventional territory, "Holmes for the Holidays" presents a slapstick romp through a whodunnit.

The show begins with a play within a play, showing the closing performance of a Sherlock Holmes play on Broadway in the 1930s. The cast and a few guests go to the lead actor's home for a Christmas Eve party, which turns into their own mystery when people are  or appear to be  murdered.

"There's a ton of antics," Director Tyler Adcock explained. "It's pure farce."

Adcock is the reason this show was added as a bonus production in Western's regular theatrical season this year. He is currently working on his Master of Fine Arts degree through the directing program from the University of Idaho, which he explained is the only program in the country that can be taken remotely. One of the requirements for each semester is being able to direct your own work, and Adock has a unique connection to help make this happen. His husband, Anthony Romeo-Adcock, is the newest professor in the Western Theater Program.

Adcock approached the theater faculty about adding a show to the semester, pitching the play and pointing out that he could produce it for next to no money. The college worked with him to fit it into the schedule, adding another opportunity for the students to perform and another chance for the community to see a fun Christmas show.

With an extensive background in theater, Adcock also brings his own experiences and perspectives to the production. He has a Bachelor's in Fine Arts in Musical Theater and has been a professional actor since 2006, starring in an original Broadway show, performing in national tours, and producing an Off-Broadway show. He also worked in casting and was the Actors' Equity Association union representative for all Walt Disney World performances. He now works as the director of operations for a touring dance convention.

Directing this production at Western, Adcock noted that he hopes to bring unique benefits for the students. One of his goals is to give the students experiences that are close to what they would face when working in the world of professional theater, from following an Equity union schedule for rehearsals to doing a play instead of just musicals to working with a variety of directors.

At the same time, Adcock pointed out that he's not a teacher, so his job is not to educate the students but to direct the best show he can, which benefits the audience as well. Adcock noted that he especially loves directing farce, since it's what he's familiar with and he likes shows to be funny so they don't get boring. He pointed out that this production is especially quick, well-written, and a wholesome and humorous story.

"I encourage people to see it because it's just fun," Adcock said. "It's a great little Christmas mystery."

A Sherlock Carol

After audiences have seen a classic retelling of "A Christmas Carol" and a comedic riff on Sherlock Holmes, they can round out the Christmas play season with a play that brings those stories and characters together with "A Sherlock Carol."

"This is the story of when Tiny Tim, who is now all grown up, hires Sherlock Holmes to investigate the murder of Ebenezer Scrooge," Director Aaron Volner explained. "We get to see Holmes go through a very interesting character arc that reflects a lot of the things that we see in 'A Christmas Carol,' which makes it a really interesting blending of the two properties."

Volner explained that he's been a fan of both stories for years. He directed a previous Holmes production for Actors' Mission with "Hound of the Baskervilles" roughly 15 years ago, and he recorded an online audio book narration of "A Christmas Carol" just a few years ago. Assistant Director Karie Chrisawn admitted that while she is a fan of "A Christmas Carol," she wasn't as familiar with Sherlock Holmes stories, but she was still excited to present the twist of putting the stories together.

"It really incorporates the story structure from Christmas Carol, but it plays a lot like a Holmes mystery," Volner said of the play. He added that there's "such a different tonality between those two properties," but "the way that our playwright, Mark Shanahan, found of blending those two things is just exquisite."

Volner also pointed out that audiences don't necessarily need to be intimately familiar with either or both of the stories to enjoy the play, as it stands on its own. The character arcs of "Christmas Carol" are universally relatable, he said, while Holmes stories stand alone as exciting and self-contained mysteries. But for those who are familiar with the original works, "there's a lot of really fun Easter eggs hidden in there," Volner said.

Chrisawn added that the one thing it might be helpful for audiences to understand is where this story takes place in the timeline of Sherlock Holmes. The events of the play are set after the story of Reichenbach Falls, when Sherlock and his nemesis Moriarty fall off the waterfall to their deaths. With Sherlock surviving, however, he struggles with having lost his sense of identity and wondering what his purpose is.

"I really like the message from this that it's never too late to get back to who you are," Volner said.

"It's a heartwarming tale that's just going to fill you with the Christmas spirit," Chrisawn said.
Sometimes the spirit of giving looks like elementary students carrying boxes filled with cans and decorated with crayons. That was the scene at the Green River branch of the Food Bank of Sweetwater County last week, when the Monroe Elementary Student Council dropped off a surprisingly large donation, bringing in three truck loads of boxes and nearly 2,500 pounds of food.

"There's a need for food in our community, and we just decided that it's a good idea to do it," Kelly McCully, the Monroe Student Council Advisor, explained about the council's recent food drive.

The council consists of 49 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. While the food drive was originally going to be more limited, they decided to turn it into a competition between classrooms, McCully explained. Over the course of 24 days, students brought food to school to see which class could donate the most based on weight.

After collecting donations for several weeks, the students did a Turkey Trot at Monroe as a fun way to wrap up the food drive, according to McCully. They had three different races for students, and gift cards for the winners were donated by Grub's Drive In, Stellar Coffee, and GG's Playland. With all the donations in, the council worked on gathering them to bring them to the food bank.

"The competition got more food than we ever expected," McCully said.

The official count was a total of 2,491 pounds of food, plus a $200 monetary donation, which was all taken to the food bank last Thursday, December 4.

"It's amazing. They worked very hard, and it really paid off," Kathy Siler, the Food Bank of Sweetwater County Executive Director, said after the large donation was dropped off. "This is gonna make a huge difference for our community."

Siler explained that donations like this are especially appreciated during the holiday season, when the food bank sees increased needs. She said that on the same day the donation was dropped off, approximately 100 families had come in needing food.

"It is an increased need for the holidays, and the winter in general, because there's lots of reasons that people would seek our assistance," Siler explained. "There's higher heating bills. When school's not in session during the holiday season, they're not getting school meals, so we'll also see more families come in."

The food bank also recently experienced an increase in need when the federal government was shut down for over a month and programs like SNAP were paused. Siler noted that they expanded their hours, and had people from both Green River and Rock Springs needing the extra assistance.

The food bank is also seeing higher numbers this year in a general sense. Just before Thanksgiving, 162 households came in for assistance, according to Siler, which is up by about 20 families from the same time last year. The director also pointed out that these numbers represent households, so assuming an average of three people per household, nearly 500 people were fed during those distributions.

In order for the food bank to meet increased needs, both monetary donations and food donations are helpful, Siler added. She pointed out that the food bank has the ability to use funding with the Food Bank of Wyoming, which allows them to get three meals for every dollar, but this means they just get large amounts of whatever is available.

"It's wonderful, but it's a lot of the same items," she noted.

With food drives, however, people tend to collect and donate a much wider variety of options, Siler explained. This gives people who visit the food bank more items to choose from and access to foods they might not get to eat at other times.

"I always like to tell people, monetary equals quantity, food equals variety," Siler said.

With both food and money from Monroe's donation, Siler and her team expressed their gratitude for the hundreds of meals they would be able to share, and their surprise at how large the donation was.

"I'm just amazed by the amount of food they collected," Siler said. "Every can counts."

Other local businesses and community members have been working to support the Food Bank of Sweetwater County going into the holiday season as well. Fremont Motor donated 474 pounds of food after a recent food drive. The Wyoming Hunger Initiative provided $3,400 to support Green River and Rock Springs. The Nourishing Neighbors program from Albertsons, Safeway, and the Lucky Foundation gave $6,000 in holiday gift cards that were distributed to local households. Enbridge Fueling Futures Grant provided $10,000 to support the food bank and related programs. And other food and diaper drives are still ongoing around the community to help meet local needs.

Those who wish to support the Food Bank of Sweetwater County can make monetary donations online or by cash or check, or can drop off food or personal items on distribution days. For more information, visit foodbankswcty.org.
If youre shopping for your next Android flagship, youll quickly narrow it down to two heavyweights: the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Pixel offers a clean, stock Android experience and benefits from Googles camera-first tuning. The Galaxy, meanwhile, brings veteran polish: a feature-rich One UI, full S Pen support, and an all-around balanced package.

Pixel remains a top choice for photographers and fans of pixel-perfect Android. Galaxy S25 Ultra argues its case as the do-everything flagship  ideal if you want power, versatility, and productivity in one device.

But it's about time we settle this based on merits, or rather, based on our detailed review findings and declare a winner once and for all.

Table of Contents:

For starters, you can compare the complete spec sheets or directly continue with our editor's assessment in the following text.

Size comparison

The Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Galaxy S25 Ultra measure almost identically. The S25 Ultra has a 0.1-inch larger screen, and the phone is also 1mm wider. The Pixel 10 Pro XL is 15 grams heavier, and you can feel the difference when you pick up those two in your hands.

Google

Pixel 10 Pro XL 5G 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm

(6.41 x 3.02 x 0.33 in) 232 g

Samsung

Galaxy S25 Ultra 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm

(6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) 218 g

The Pixel 10 Pro XL might be the newer device, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra has the more premium materials  it uses Gorilla Armor 2 on the front and has a titanium frame. The back panel remains Gorilla Victus 2 on both phones.

Both devices are IP68-rated without additional enhancements  they are dust and water resistant up to a depth of 1.5 m for 30 minutes.

As far as design goes, this is where things become subjective. The Galaxy has a cleaner design with five separate rings on the back, while the Pixel has a giant and thick camera island accommodating everything imaging-related.

Then there is the shape  the Pixel has more rounded corners, while the Galaxy has a more traditional rectangular shape with barely curved edges.

Finally, there are plenty of colorways to choose from for the S25 Ultra if we include the Samsung.com exclusives. But we think Google is offering enough for the Pixel, too, and we cant imagine anyone picking either phone for the color.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the tougher device with a more traditional build, a lighter one, too. And for that, it should be getting more points. But the Pixels camera bump might be worth the extra weight in the end, so lets not jump to conclusions just yet.

Display comparison

Google

Pixel 10 Pro XL 5G LTPO OLED

120Hz 1344x2992

pixels 486

ppi 2340

nits 6.8"

Samsung

Galaxy S25 Ultra Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X

120Hz 1440x3120

pixels 498

ppi 1417

nits 6.9"

Both the Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Galaxy S25 Ultra pack equally premium OLED screens. Sure, the Galaxys a whisker larger, but what probably matters most is its tougher Gorilla Armor 2 protection. Other than that, the two screens support a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ streaming. And both have plenty of pixels.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL has the higher brightness of the two  1366 nits in manual and 2,340 nits in automatic mode versus 784 nits and 1,417 nits for manual and automatic on the Galaxy. And considering how the S25 Ultra can't even keep up its high brightness for too long, it may seem like an easy win for the Pixel. But you'd be wrong to dismiss the benefits of the Galaxy's anti-reflective screen glass. Under bright light, it's the Galaxy that's easier to read.

Battery life

The Galaxy S25 Ultra may have a slightly smaller battery, but it has better battery life. It lasted much longer on the call and gaming tests, the same on video streaming, and it only trailed behind the Pixel on the web browsing scenario by 2 hours.

Overall, if battery life is really important, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the better pick of the two.

Charging speed

Google

Pixel 10 Pro XL 5G

5200 mAh 15min

35% 30min

59% Full

82min 45W

Samsung

Galaxy S25 Ultra

5000 mAh 15min

41% 30min

72% Full

59min 45W

Both the Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Galaxy S25 Ultra support 45W fast wired charging via USB-PD with PPS-compatible chargers. Both Google and Samsung are selling such adapters.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra recharges noticeably faster, though. It got to 100% in 59 minutes, while it took the Pixel 10 Pro XL 82 minutes to do the same. Even in the lower percentages, the Galaxy is still recharging faster.

The Pixel 10 Series introduced a Qi2 wireless charging capability and has the needed magnets built right in, just like the iPhones. It's compatible with MagSafe accessories, but Google has branded the feature Pixelsnap.

With a Pixelsnap Qi2 charger, the 10 Pro XL also gets a maximum of 25W wireless charging power, while the S25 Ultra can only take up to 15W, even though it technically supports Qi 2.1 wireless charging (and also lacks its own built-in magnets). So, all in all, thats a win for the Pixel.

Speaker test

The Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Galaxy S25 Ultra employ a speaker setup of the hybrid stereo variety. There's one bottom-firing unit and another one up top that's facing forward and doubles as an earpiece.

Both setups scored a Very Good mark on our loudness tests. The audio quality is solid, too, but the Galaxy does sound somewhat better, with deeper and richer output.

Performance

Google

Pixel 10 Pro XL 5G Google Tensor G5

3 nm 256GB 16GB RAM

base config

Samsung

Galaxy S25 Ultra SD 8 Elite for Galaxy

3 nm 256GB 12GB RAM

base config

The Pixel 10 series continues to use an in-house-designed chipset, only this year's Tensor G5 is manufactured by TSMC on a 3nm fabrication process instead of Samsung's 4nm. As is the norm, the company doesn't brag too much about raw performance gains, but it has been mentioned that the new CPU is 34% faster than that in the Tensor G4.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra employs a 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. It's a "Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy", meaning the two prime CPU cores are clocked higher (4.47 GHz vs. 4.32 GHz), and the Adreno GPU runs at higher clock speeds.

Benchmark performance

Google

Pixel 10 Pro XL 5G AnTuTu 10

1,378,904 Geekbench 6

6,255 3D Mark Wild Life

3,377

Samsung

Galaxy S25 Ultra AnTuTu 10

2,207,809 Geekbench 6

9,846 3D Mark Wild Life

6,687

The Tensor chips have never been chart toppers, and this applies to the new one, too. The Snapdragon scores a whole lot more than the Tensor inside the Pixel. And thats why the Galaxy S25 Ultra gets an easy win here.

We just want to mention that the Pixel 10 Pro XL does behave like a flagship, handles apps and games smoothly, and you can see and feel that you are using a flagship phone. But as far as raw performance in the benchmark is concerned, it lagged behind by a large margin.

Camera comparison

The Pixel 10 Pro XL shares what is essentially the same camera system as the previous generation, with a somewhat hidden, but kind of meaningful, little upgrade. In principle, it's a classic triple setup with the usual wide and ultrawide cameras and a single 5x zoom telephoto. And it's on the telephoto where the one camera upgrade this year hides - it's the minimum focusing distance, which is now 30cm, compared to the 73-75cm on the previous generation. So the two 5x cameras are matched in this respect.

Wide (main): 50MP (1/1.31", 1.2m-2.4m), f/1.68, 24mm, dual pixel PDAF (10cm - ), Laser AF, OIS; 4K@60fps/8K@30 (via cloud-based upscaling)

50MP (1/1.31", 1.2m-2.4m), f/1.68, 24mm, dual pixel PDAF (10cm - ), Laser AF, OIS; 4K@60fps/8K@30 (via cloud-based upscaling) Ultrawide: 48MP (1/2.55", 0.7m-1.4m), f/1.7, 12mm, multi-directional PDAF; 4K@60fps

48MP (1/2.55", 0.7m-1.4m), f/1.7, 12mm, multi-directional PDAF; 4K@60fps Telephoto 5x: 48MP (1/2.55", 0.7m-1.4m), f/2.8, 110mm, multi-directional PDAF (30cm - ), OIS; 4K@60fps/8K@30 (via cloud-based upscaling)

48MP (1/2.55", 0.7m-1.4m), f/2.8, 110mm, multi-directional PDAF (30cm - ), OIS; 4K@60fps/8K@30 (via cloud-based upscaling) Front camera: 42MP (0.7m-1.4m), f/2.2, 18mm, dual pixel PDAF; 4K@60fps

The Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn't bring a whole lot of changes in the camera hardware either. The previous model didn't either, and it's not like the S23 Ultra was packed with exciting hardware upgrades compared to its own predecessor. The point is, the Galaxy Ultra camera is evolving just as steadily, but also quite slowly. But what it has more than the Pixel is a second telephoto camera for 3x zooming.

Wide (main): 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 (S5KHP2, 1/1.3", 0.6m-2.4m), f/1.7, 23mm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps

200MP Samsung ISOCELL (S5KHP2, 1/1.3", 0.6m-2.4m), f/1.7, 23mm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps Ultrawide: 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN3 (S5KJN3, 1/2.5", 0.7m-1.4m), f/1.9, PDAF; 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps

50MP Samsung ISOCELL (S5KJN3, 1/2.5", 0.7m-1.4m), f/1.9, PDAF; 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps Telephoto 1, 3x: 12MP Sony IMX754 (1/3.52", 1.12m), 69mm, f/2.4, PDAF, OIS; 4K@60fps

12MP Sony (1/3.52", 1.12m), 69mm, f/2.4, PDAF, OIS; 4K@60fps Telephoto 2, 5x: 50MP Sony IMX854 (1/2.52", 0.7m-1.4m), 111mm, f/3.4, PDAF, OIS; 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps

50MP Sony (1/2.52", 0.7m-1.4m), 111mm, f/3.4, PDAF, OIS; 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps Front camera: 12MP Samsung ISOCELL 3LU (S5K3LU, 1/3.2", 1.12m), f/2.2, 26mm, dual pixel PDAF; 4K@60fps

Image quality

Daylight

The 12MP daylight photos coming from both flagships are great - that's for sure. They have a similar level of detail and dynamic range, but they take different approaches to exposure metering - the Pixel always protects the highlights better. It also has the better corner sharpness of the two, but the Galaxy has the more accurate color rendition.





Daylight comparison, main camera (1x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra

Neither phone has 2x telephoto cameras, but they do offer 2x in-sensor zoom. The Galaxy makes good use of its 200MP sensor and saves more detailed photos, especially when it comes to foliage and texts. The Pixel's photos still impress with dynamic range and color rendering, but you will notice the artificial detail rendering.





Daylight comparison, main camera (2x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a dedicated 12MP 3x telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture, while the Pixel has to rely on 3x in-sensor zoom. However, we were quite surprised to see how well the Pixel could hold its own against the Galaxys optical zoom camera here. Especially indoors, the Pixel was somehow able to capture nicer photos than the Galaxys telephoto cam.





Daylight comparison, (3x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra

Both phones pack 5x telephoto cameras, and both deliver superb photos across the board. Here, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has an edge over the Pixel with wider dynamic range and a more natural rendition of grass and foliage. However, the level of resolved detail is generally the same. And indoors, the Galaxys darker aperture allows some noise to come through even in good light.





Daylight comparison, telephoto camera (5x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra

Finally, the 10x zoomed photos look good from both devices, but the Galaxy has a nicer rendition of the fine detail.





Daylight comparison, telephoto camera (10x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra

When shooting with the ultrawide, the two phones offer similar dynamic range but the Pixel has a tad sharper detail. The Galaxy has more natural colors though, and indoors, it is better in noise reduction and intricate detail.





Daylight comparison, ultrawide camera (0.5x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra

Selfies

The Pixel 10 Pro XL saves 10MP ultrawide-angle selfies, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra captures 12MP shots with a regular field-of-view. Both produce excellent selfies. However, along with a wider angle, the Pixel also has a wider dynamic range, and it provides the same level of detail rendition despite the fact that it fits more in the frame. So even if you crop a bit of its selfies, you'd still get the same level of quality as the Galaxy.





Daylight comparison, selfie camera: Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra

Low-light

Moving on to low-light shooting, the Pixel's main cam does a better job here than the one on the S25 Ultra. It offers better detail, wider dynamic range, and more saturated colors.

Enabling the dedicated Night Mode on the S25 Ultra brings it closer to the Pixels output, but even then, it cant quite match the Pixels rendition of detail.







Low-light comparison, main camera (1x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra  Galaxy S25 Ultra (Night Mode)

At night, the 2x zoomed photos are very good from both phones. Contrary to the daytime shots, the Pixel's output is often more accurate when it comes to colors and intricate detail rendition.







Low-light comparison, main camera (2x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra  Galaxy S25 Ultra (Night Mode)

At 3 times zoom, the Pixel continues to surprise us with its great performance even after dark. Only with Night mode enabled does the Galaxys 3x zoom camera manage to match it.







Low-light comparison, (3x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra  Galaxy S25 Ultra (Night Mode)

The 5x telephoto cameras do a good job after dark on both phones. The Galaxys output is a bit noisier and slightly darker.

But with night mode on, the S25 Ultras 5x zoom saves cleaner and more detailed photos than the Pixel.







Low-light comparison, telephoto camera (5x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra  Galaxy S25 Ultra (Night Mode)

The 10x zoom option produces usable photos on both phones. Once again, when using Night Mode, the S25 Ultra offers a similarly good output to the Pixel 10 Pro XL, while without Night Mode, its photos are noisier.







Low-light comparison, telephoto camera (10x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra  Galaxy S25 Ultra (Night Mode)

Finally, let's talk about the ultrawide cameras. The photos from both phones have roughly the same amount of resolved detail and produce likable shots. The Galaxy S25 Ultra's images offer a wider dynamic range, but this advantage is barely noticeable. On the other hand, what you can spot immediately is the warmer color saturation that's more realistic, and the slightly more natural rendition of, well, everything.







Low-light comparison, ultrawide camera (0.5x): Pixel 10 Pro XL  Galaxy S25 Ultra  Galaxy S25 Ultra (Night Mode)

At the end of this chapter, it's clear that the two phones trade blows when it comes to camera performance. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra has more versatility in theory, the Pixel 10 Pro XL has a great 3x digital zoom which robs the Galaxy of its single hardware advantage. In the end, we'd say both phones provide equally good photo quality, unless of course, you are into ultra-wide group-style selfies (groupies?), in which case, the Pixel 10 Pro XL takes the cake (yes, they are that close).

Video quality

The two phones have wide-ranging video-recording capabilities, including 8K capture at 30fps on the primary camera, and 4K capture at either 60 or 30 fps with all of the cameras. The Galaxy's primary camera also offers a 4K120 option.

Always-on electronic stabilization is available on all cameras across both phones, and it works excellently.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better camcorder during broad daylight, especially when it comes to zooming. The Galaxy offers more detail and better rendition in 2x and 10x zoom; its native 3x and 5x are far better than the Pixel's too.

The only time when the Pixel did better was when taking ultrawide videos - they came out more detailed and sharper.

Below we have a few framegrabs from the videos taken by the two phones at each focal length, so they are easier to compare to one another.





Daylight video samples, Pixel 10 Pro XL: 0.5x  1x  2x  3x  5x  10X





Daylight video samples, Galaxy S25 Ultra: 0.5x  1x  2x  3x  5x  10X

The Pixel's ultrawide advantage did not carry over to the nighttime recording, unfortunately. The Pixel saves face with its main cam videos, but its all downhill from there. The Pixel won't even switch to its telephoto camera for 5x and 10x levels, so you are essentially looking at its main camera at every scene from 1x and above.





Low-light video samples, Pixel 10 Pro XL: 0.5x  1x  2x  3x  5x  10x





Low-light video samples, Galaxy S25 Ultra: 0.5x  1x  2x  3x  5x  10x

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is simply more skilled than the Pixel 10 Pro XL when it comes to video capturing.

Verdict

The Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Galaxy S25 Ultra are excellent flagship devices. Getting either one will give you a buttery-smooth Android experience with lots of AI features. They both have some great speakers, and their camera skills are also top-notch, and it's hard to pick a winner in image quality.

Pixel 10 Pro XL has a screen that can blast way higher than the Galaxy, and it has built-in magnets for MagSafe accessories and wireless charging. It did not score a decisive win in camera quality, but it has the wider-angle selfies, and it has a seriously competitive 3x digital zoom to the point we preferred it to the Galaxy's optical zoom camera at times.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra, however, is lighter in weight while using more premium materials overall. We love its display's anti-reflective glass, and it's got better battery life with faster charging - not to mention, a lot more oomph under the hood. And while it did not stand out in image quality, its video quality was better.

So, Pixel 10 Pro XL or Galaxy S25 Ultra? Not an easy choice! But the Galaxy won more points in this comparison article, and at the time of writing, it's even the cheaper phone of the two, so even though the Pixel has its merits, we'd say Samsung's phone deserves our recommendation more and takes the win here.

Get the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL for: The brighter display.

The built-in magnets for MagSafe accessories and wireless charging.

The wider selfie camera, which is great for groupies.

The really competitive 3x digital zoom mode, which takes away the Galaxy's optical zoom advantage.
Motorola's Edge 70 line won't be complete until the company launches the Edge 70 Ultra, which leaked in the image you can see below earlier this month. It was already clear that it would be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC thanks to an earlier Geekbench run, and today some more details have been outed by a tipster over on Weibo.

According to him, the Edge 70 Ultra will have a 6.7-inch flat OLED screen with "1.5K" resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The phone will be offered in three colors: black, green, and copper.

On the rear it will have three 50MP cameras, including a periscope telephoto shooter. These are all the details that have been outed on this occasion, stay tuned for more.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
Nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln pulled into port on Guam Thursday, as part of a scheduled port visit to the island.

The Nimitz-class carrier is the flagship of the Navys Carrier Strike Group 3, and makes port at Apra Harbor along with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy, and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. from the, the carrier group stated in a news release.

Our Strike Group presence in 7th Fleet waters demonstrates our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, said Rear Adm. Todd Whalen, strike group commander. Port calls to strategic locations like Guam enhance our mission readiness and help us stay ready to execute maritime operations in theater.

Thursdays visit comes a little over a week after the George Washington Carrier Strike Group made port on Guam, back on Dec. 1.

The USS George Washington was spotted near its home port in Yokosuka, Japan as of Dec. 10, according to tracking data from the Micronesia Security Monitor.

This week, the Abraham Lincoln carrier group indicated it is conducting routine operations with the Navys 7th Fleet, which is also headquartered out of Yokosuka Japan.

The 7th Fleet routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in the region, the carrier group stated.

Abraham Lincoln quietly left is home port of San Diego, California on deployment in late November, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported, with no indication of where it was headed.

Its common for the Navy to give little indication of where ships are deploying to, for security reasons.

My crew is excited to be back in this area of the world, and we look forward to demonstrating what an aircraft carrier and carrier strike group bring to the fight, said Capt. Dan Keeler, the Abraham Lincolns commanding officer, said in a statement this week.
A man accused in a string of crimes in April will have his trial delayed until an evaluation to determine whether he is capable to stand trial.

Jeromy Moe John Pangelinan was before Superior Court Judge Alberto Tolentino on Thursday, but the judge scheduled another hearing for Jan. 14, 2026 to get clinical psychologist Dr. Juan Rapadas to appear in person.

Rapadas is expected to explain what additional testing is needed before the court can determine whether Pangelinan is competent to stand trial. His evaluation remains incomplete.

Pangelinan, who appeared via Zoom from the Department of Corrections, faces charges of terroristic conduct, possession or use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, all third-degree felonies.

In the April 5 incidents, Guam Police Department officers said Pangelinan was involved in attempted carjackings, confrontations and a shooting in Talofofo that prompted a massive manhunt.

Officers later shot him after a carjacking and high-speed chase that included several additional attempted carjackings. He was taken to Guam Regional Medical City with a gunshot wound before police arrested him in Dededo.

Police also identified Pangelinan as a suspect in an April 6 carjacking in Yona. According to officers, he stole a vehicle at Windward Hills Apartments, leading to a high-speed pursuit that ended on Stampa Road by Ysengsong in Dededo after a brief exchange of gunfire with police.

Outside the courtroom, prosecuting attorney Neil Michael Bonavita said the process is delayed because Rapadas cannot perform the specialized testing himself.

Bonavita, speaking with the Pacific Daily News after the hearing, said Rapadas would like a neuropsychologist to do some very specific evaluations which he is not certified to do.

We thought that Dr. Rapadas was going to be at the hearing today, but hell show up again at the next scheduled hearing on the 14th so that we can clear up any issues, he said.

Bonavita said the court wants detailed information about the evaluations before moving forward.

The court specifically would like to know what types of tests he believes would be necessary to determine whether or not hes competent, and also whether he lacks substantial capacity at the time of the event, Bonavita said, adding that the case cannot move forward until those evaluations are presented.

The court must follow proper procedures while ensuring Pangelinan is given a fair chance to stand trial once his mental state is evaluated.

Its the defendants burden to assert that theyre not competent, so the process is ongoing, and we certainly believe that Mr. Pangelinan should stand trial, he said. We have to make sure that we follow the courts rulings to ensure that hes given a fair opportunity for his mental state to be evaluated so the court can make a decision as to when and whether he will be able to.

Bonavita confirmed that a second evaluation has not yet been completed.

Theres not been a second evaluation. I believe that Dr. Rapadas has met with him more than once, but his findings are still just pending, he said.

Tolentino told Pangelinan directly that additional psychological testing must be completed.

The next time we see each other, were going to have Dr. Rapadas present, he said. Then were going to talk about how to assist, making a referral to the other doctors so that you can get some tests, additional tests done.

The judge also informed Pangelinan he will appear in court in person at the next hearing.

What Im going to try to do is well bring you down so that we can actually you can ask questions at the same time. If you want to, he said. But were just trying to assist Dr. Rapadas in making a proper evaluation of you.

Tolentino said the next hearing date should allow enough time to resolve remaining questions and address all outstanding issues.
A male was taken to Guam Regional Medical City with CPR in progress after a reported drowning at Ritidian Point on Friday, Guam Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Nick Garrido said.

GFD units responded to Ritidian Point at 1:33 p.m. Friday for a reported drowning, he said.

CPR was initiated by bystanders prior to GFD arrival, once on scene personnel continued CPR and while en route to GRMC, Garrido said.

He said the males age is unknown.

This is the second time in two days GFD has had to transport someone to the hospital with CPR in progress after being in the water.

A 51-year-old man was taken to Naval Hospital after he was located along the shoreline south of Fish Eye Marine Park in Piti Thursday afternoon pulseless and breathless, Garrido said.

GFD personnel responded to Fish Eye around 3:50 p.m. Thursday for a reported missing swimmer, Garrido said.

At about 4:20 p.m. responders located the 51-year-old man along the shoreline and he was pulseless and breathless, he said.

GFD personnel initiated CPR on scene and while en route to Naval Hospital with GFD paramedics, Garrido said.
There are several upcoming village Christmas events planned.

Gathering residents in spirit of the holiday season and celebration of community, the mayors offices across Guam are hosting several festivities throughout December for their constituents.

Yona Mayor BJ Terlaje said the villages Christmas Lighting Ceremony is on Saturday, Dec. 13, starting at 6:30 p.m., in the open lot behind Mijin Market.

During this event we will be having our first Christmas Parade and Mini Fair. We will be having a bunelos dagu competition as well as the best pop-up tent decorating competition and the best decorated float for our parade, Terlaje said.

Also happening Dec. 13 is Stars of Hope at the Piti Playground Park on Assumption Drive, according to Mayor Jesse Alig.

The event features free Santa Photos by Bout It Productions, Christmas train rides, local vendors, carnival games, festive face painting, the Todu Foundation Mobile Clinic, and performances from the Guam Philharmonic Brass Ensemble, Jose Rios Middle School Choir, and Agana Heights Elementary School Students.

Mayor Wayne San Nicolas of Chalan Pago-Ordot said the village is hosting its annual Candy Cane Lane from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 at the mayors office.

Malesso is hosting a Night Parade and Angel Gift Tree event on Sunday, Dec. 21, starting at 6 p.m. The Night Parade will follow along the main road from Arriolas Beach to the Malesso Pier.

The villages 7th Annual Malesso Coconut Christmas Tree is also completed and available for viewing as of Dec. 7.

The Inalahan mayors office has two upcoming Christmas events: the Merry Wheels bicycle giveaway and its Christmas parade.

Merry Wheels is a bicycle raffle giveaway for children ages 1-10 who are registered residents of Inalahan. The raffle will be held at the Inalahan Community Center on Dec. 23, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., said Jaeline Chargualaf, administrative assistant at the Inalahan mayors office.

The parade, Chargualaf added, will take place on Dec. 20, starting at 6:30 p.m., beginning at the long stretch before the Malojloj transfer station and ending at the Inalahan Community Center.

She also said float participation is open to all interested participants, and applications can be picked up at the mayors office during regular business hours.

(Not all villages have responded to Pacific Daily News inquiries about upcoming events. This article will be updated to reflect all 19 villages.)




Haiti - FLASH : New ! Fully refundable tickets, fast and hassle-free with Sunrise Airways





Caribbean travelers have long faced difficulties obtaining refunds for canceled flights, especially in the event of unforeseen disruptions. The Haitian airline Sunrise Airways has partnered with Protect Group, a global leader in travel services, to offer fully refundable tickets quickly and hassle-free to all its passengers should their plans be canceled.



The Refund Protect service, developed by Protect Group and available for purchase at the time of booking, guarantees a full refund if a traveler is unable to travel due to unforeseen circumstances (personal emergency, travel restrictions, illness, etc...), simplifying and making the process more accessible than traditional compensation claims.



Passengers booking a flight with Sunrise Airways can now easily select Refund Protect when making their reservation on the airline's website. This service guarantees them a full, quick, and direct refund of their ticket, without complex paperwork or lengthy delays, minus a minimal service fee.



This service is available to both local passengers in Haiti and international travelers wishing to visit the Caribbean. Whether you're booking a trip to Cuba, the Bahamas, or other leading Caribbean destinations, the "Refund Protection" option ensures flexible and stress-free travel plans.



With this new offering, Sunrise Airways is positioning itself as a major player in the Caribbean air travel market, particularly in countries like Haiti and its neighboring islands.



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : Laurent Saint-Cyr, on an official trip to Washington D.C.





On Thursday, December 11, 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to restore security and organize free, credible, and inclusive elections in the country as soon as possible, Laurent Saint-Cyr, the interim President and Coordinator of the Transition Council, began a two-day mission to Washington, D.C., in the United States.



This mission reflects the Transition Council's and the Government's commitment to securing the necessary support for the rapid deployment of the Gang Supression Force (GSF) and the effective implementation of the Organization of American States (OAS) Roadmap (https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46151-haiti-politic-the-oas-presents-the-3rd-version-of-the-roadmap-on-haiti.html), two essential levers for ensuring the lasting return of security, peace, and stability to Haiti.



This mission follows the meeting held in New York on December 9 regarding international contributions to the GSF, which was attended by Prime Minister Fils-Aime and during which several states and partners expressed concrete support for the deployment of this new force. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46393-haiti-flash-first-infos-on-international-contributions-to-the-gsf.html



In Washington, Laurent Saint-Cyr will participate in the meeting of the Group of Friends of Haiti, convened by the OAS, as well as several high-level meetings with bilateral, regional, and multilateral partners. Discussions will focus on three key priorities : security, the humanitarian response, and the electoral process. The implementation of the OAS Roadmap, resulting from constructive dialogue between the Organization and the Haitian government, will be central to the discussions.



Laurent Saint-Cyr reaffirmed the Transitional Council's commitment to consolidating strategic alliances, strengthening Haiti's active diplomacy, and intensifying efforts to effectively address the security crisis, protect the population, and create the conditions conducive to holding elections.



Saint-Cyr will return to Haiti on Saturday, December 13, 2025.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46393-haiti-flash-first-infos-on-international-contributions-to-the-gsf.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46151-haiti-politic-the-oas-presents-the-3rd-version-of-the-roadmap-on-haiti.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Check if your visa for Brazil is available





The Visa Application Center for Brazil (CAVB), managed by IOM in Haiti, informs you that we do not issue visas. We ensure that all your documents are correct so that the Embassy can process your application without any issues. Only the Embassy is authorized to make visa decisions, prints visas, and contacts the applicants.



We are aware that there may be internet connection problems or that some people have lost their phones. Therefore, we encourage those who have submitted their documents to check the months and dates below to see if your visa is available. Please check the date on your receipt to see if it applies to you. We are also continuing to call people on these dates.



Please note that we may not have received all visas for a given date listed below, as the Embassy has not yet finished processing them.



Year 2024 :

February dates : 22 - 24 - 28

July dates : 12

November dates : 27

December dates : 4 - 9 - 16 - 20 - 23 - 26 - 27



Year 2025 :

February dates : 5 - 10 - 12 - 14 - 19 - 21 - 26

March dates : 3 - 5 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28

April dates : 1 - 7 - 8 - 11 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 28 - 30

May dates : 6 - 7 - 9 - 12 - 14 - 15 - 23 - 28 - 29 - 30

June dates : 2 - 4 - 19 - 20 - 26

August dates : 8



The CAVB informs the public that individuals who were unable to finalize their humanitarian visa (VITEM III) applications in 2024 under Ordinance 38 (appointments in 2024) may schedule an appointment for a later date to follow up and submit their documents.



We would also like to remind individuals applying for family reunification (VITEM 11) who had an appointment scheduled for 2025 but were unable to attend, or who have complaints, that they may also schedule an appointment.



Important : Once we have completed the verification, we will give you a date to submit your documents. Our agents will also conduct an awareness session to guide you through the process.



Call Center: Open from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Our agents are available at the following numbers : 2817 0320 / 3163 6075 / 3170 9307 / 4910 1117 / 3668 8490



Email : iomhaitivrf@iom.int



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Eerola, who chairs the Finnish Parliaments Legal Affairs Committee, published the photo as his new profile image on Thursday. The caption read Je suis Sarah, a phrase commonly used as a public gesture of solidarity. He told Finnish broadcaster Yle that the image was meant for fun and denied it was racist.

Finnish MP Juho Eerola posted a photo of himself on Facebook stretching his eyes sideways with his fingers. The pose mimics a controversial image of former Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce , who stepped down from her title after the photo of her making the same gesture circulated online and was condemned as racist.

Some people might see it that way, but my understanding is that it is not generally considered racist, Eerola said from Brussels Airport, where he was on official business.

Dzafces image, which spread on social media in late November, showed her sitting at a restaurant table, pulling her eyes upward with the caption kiinalaisenkaa syomassa (eating with a Chinese). The photo triggered public backlash, including accusations of racial stereotyping against people of East Asian origin.

Eerola dismissed the criticism against Dzafce. This is completely absurd. She has an immigrant background and surely knows what racism is, he said to Ilta-Sanomat. If this counts as racism, then everything starts to count as racism.

He added that his own image also referenced a physical headache. I got a tip from Miss Finland about how to relieve a headache. Thats what the picture shows.

Dzafce had earlier told Ilta-Sanomat that her photo was taken as a joke by a friend while she was trying to ease a migraine by pressing her temples.

MP Joakim Vigelius, vice-chair of the Finns party, defended Dzafce on the social media platform X. He questioned the fairness of her losing her title. I dont think this is fair. I think this is sick. Tight-laced and humourless. Above all, merciless, he wrote.

Vigelius also criticised what he described as moral hysteria and social media campaigns against individuals. You cant stretch your eyes among friends without being called a Sinophobe. You cant joke about anything without being accused of some form of discrimination, he posted.

HT
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) reported that sunlight was visible for several hours, with sunrise shortly after 9 a.m. and sunset after 3 p.m. On average, Helsinki receives more sunshine in December than this year has offered so far.

The sun returned to Helsinki on Friday for the first extended period in December, breaking a stretch of heavy cloud that had allowed only 20 minutes of sunshine in the Finnish capital before that day.

The cold and clear conditions will continue into the weekend, though skies will gradually cloud over from the west. Western areas may see light snow showers on Saturday, while eastern Finland remains mostly clear.

Saturdays temperatures are forecast to stay below zero nationwide.

By Sunday, snowfall will increase again. FMI expects a new system from the west to bring 3 to 10 centimetres of snow, mostly in western regions. Eastern areas and Lapland will see less.

FMI meteorologist Jari Tuovinen said early next week will begin with widespread new snow cover. In western Finland, some areas may receive up to 15 centimetres.

Temperatures will rise early next week. By Monday, parts of the southwest may see over +5 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, above-zero temperatures are expected across southern and central areas, turning snowfall into rain. Eastern and northern Finland will remain colder, with Lapland staying below freezing.

As temperatures climb, snow cover in the south and central regions may begin to melt, even as more precipitation arrives from the Atlantic.

The long-range forecast released on 10 December by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) suggests that the warm phase will not last. A shift towards colder conditions is possible around the New Year and into early January.

Joonas Koskela, meteorologist at Foreca, wrote that the previously predicted warm anomaly is expected to disappear after Christmas.

For the Christmas week starting 22 December, the forecast suggests slightly warmer than usual conditions, but a potential shift towards drier weather.

By the week of 29 December, high pressure could strengthen over northern Europe. This would allow colder air masses to reach Finland. Koskela said this might result in fewer showers, with average or below-average precipitation levels.

The week beginning 5 January is forecast to be near normal in both temperature and precipitation, according to the latest ECMWF data.

HT
Juho Eerola , Kaisa Garedew , and MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen each mimicked a sideways eye-pulling gesture in posts shared on Thursday. The MPs claimed the content was intended to express solidarity with Sarah Dzafce , a former Miss Finland who was stripped of her title on Thursday after performing a similar gesture online.

Finns Party MPs are under pressure after publishing images and video featuring a gesture commonly interpreted as mocking people of East Asian descent.

Eerola, who posted the photo as his Facebook profile image, said the aim was to criticise the Miss Finland organisation. It was not to mock Chinese, Koreans or anyone else, he told Helsingin Sanomat. He added that he understood why some people found the image offensive and later apologised in an interview with MTV News for the misunderstanding and upset it caused.

Tynkkynen echoed that view. In a video on X, he performed the same gesture, claiming the media had shown the image uncensored and that his version did not go further. It wasnt about mocking anyone, he said. Tynkkynen defended humour based on stereotypes and denied the act was racist. If the intent is to offend, thats wrong. But that wasnt the case here.

Garedew also posted a photo of herself stretching her eyes. In a text message, she called Dzafces dethroning an excessive response, but did not explain her own gesture.

Screenshot of a photo Kaisa Garedew posted on Facebook on Thursday.



The images have sparked criticism across party lines and in public debate. The gesture is widely recognised internationally as a racial insult, particularly targeting people of East Asian heritage.

Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz, leader of the Swedish Peoples Party, called the MPs behaviour irresponsible, childish and stupid. He added, Its obvious that it offends people.

From the National Coalition Party, Pia Kauma, deputy parliamentary group chair, said racist gestures must be addressed early to prevent normalisation. We all signed the governments commitment to a respectful atmosphere, she said.

Parliamentary group leaders from the four government parties are scheduled to meet next Tuesday to discuss the matter.

Despite the criticism, the Finns Partys parliamentary leader Jani Makela wrote in a post on X that Eerola's acts have his full support.

MPs who replicated the gesture said their intention was to defend Dzafce and protest what they viewed as an overreaction.

Green MP Fatim Diarra demanded action from Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, asking why the previously announced zero-tolerance policy on racism had not been enforced. Where are the promised sanctions? she asked in a statement. Diarra described the images as visibly racist and argued that the Finns Party could not unilaterally decide what constitutes racism.

Left Alliance leader Minja Koskela also criticised the government, accusing the Finns Party of using cultural controversy to distract from economic policy decisions affecting low-income citizens.

The Prime Minister has so far declined to comment, referring to the process agreed between coalition partners. Under the governments internal protocol, such incidents are first discussed by parliamentary group leaders. Each party then decides on any consequences for its own members.

Previous incidents involving Finns Party members led to the creation of this so-called sanction mechanism. But no official consequences have yet followed the latest gesture posts.

HT
Stubb was scheduled to travel to Texas early next week for the unveiling of Finlands first F-35 fighter jet in Fort Worth and for the opening of a new Finnish consulate in Houston. Both events were removed from his itinerary.

President Alexander Stubb has cancelled his upcoming trip to the United States due to what he described as a critical phase in Ukraine-related negotiations.

Speaking at a press conference in The Hague on Friday, Stubb said the decision was made due to the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine. The pace has picked up, he said, noting that peace negotiations are closer to a conclusion than at any point in the past four years.

The Office of the President confirmed that Stubb will instead take part in talks in Europe next week focused on Ukraines future and security guarantees. He did not name the location, but reports have confirmed a high-level meeting is scheduled for Monday in Berlin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting the event, which is expected to include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, EU and NATO representatives, and other European leaders.

Stubb did not confirm his own attendance but said his travel plans would be finalised over the weekend.

At the press event, Stubb said key issues still under discussion include territorial questions and Ukraines potential EU membership. One of the desired outcomes is a clear confirmation of Ukraines European path, he said.

Stubb added that any suggestion of recognising territories occupied by Russia was unacceptable. Finland will never recognise any part of Ukraine as Russian territory, he said.

The president made the announcement during a state visit to the Netherlands, where he has been meeting with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima and discussing bilateral relations and European security.

HT
New nurses pinned in BRCC graduation ceremony

Blue Ridge Community Colleges Practical Nursing graduates gathered on campus on Wednesday to celebrate their accomplishments at the second annual Practical Nurse Pinning Ceremony.

Related Stories

Launched two years ago, the BRCC program provides a new quick-start pathway into the nursing profession.

This is our second cohort in this rapidly growing program, and we could not be more proud, Blue Ridge Community College President Laura Leatherwood said. Practical Nursing is one of the newest additions to our healthcare pathways, and it is quickly helping to meet a great need in our local healthcare workforce.

The one-year Practical Nursing program allows students a fast entry into the nursing profession. Upon graduation, students are prepared to take the NCLEX-PN licensure exam, a requirement for practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse.

The Practical Nursing program is also fully compatible with the Associate Degree Nursing program, which prepares students for careers as registered nurses. This year, Blue Ridge also announced a new LPN-to-RN bridge program, designed to help licensed practical nurses transition to registered nurses. The new bridge program will launch its first cohort in the summer of 2026.

Dean of Health Sciences Leigh Angel thanked donor Paul Young, who gave $1 million to the BRCC Educational Foundation in support of nursing programs.

This program holds a meaningful place in the Young familys heart because of the exceptional nursing care their loved one, Renee, received," Angel said. The compassion shown to her left a lasting imprint on Mr. Young and his family, one so meaningful that they chose to support our nursing programs in her memory. Their generosity strengthens our students, our faculty, and the excellence we strive for each day. And each time I speak with Mr. Young and his family, I am reminded of how deeply a nurses kindness can shape the lives of patients and those who love them. Graduates, I hope you will carry forward that same spirit of compassion and integrity throughout your careers.

At the ceremony, graduates participated in the Lantern Tradition, which uses light to symbolize providing help and hope to those in need.

The graduating class also recited the Nurses Pledge, which begins: In full knowledge of the obligation I am undertaking, I promise to care for the sick with all the skills and understanding I possess.

Graduate speakers Faith Jenkins and Eden Sparks shared about their journey on behalf of their classmates. Instructor Amanda Lambert also shared a congratulatory message. Graduates pinned at the ceremony were Soleil Ayers, Yuridia (Yuri) Chagala-Gallardo, Ashton Collins, Karon "Kay" Edge, Mayra Cortez-Fuentes, Cassandra "Cassie" Goodrich, Ian Havey, Carolyn Hinchey, Kimberly Hoffman, Faith Jenkins, Taylor Messer, Justin Munger, Heather Parton, Nicole Solano-Islas and Eden Sparks.

Information about all of Blue Ridge Community Colleges healthcare programs is available at www.blueridge.edu/healthcare. Practical Nursing program information is provided at www.blueridge.edu/practical-nursing.
Jury convicts driver of hit-and-run pedestrian fatality

Related Stories

BREVARD  A 47-year-old Florida man was found guilty Tuesday of the hit-and-run crash that caused the death of a pedestrian trying to cross N.C. 280 in Brevard in October 2023.

After a six-day trial, a Transylvania County Superior Court jury found Robert Michael Boland guilty of, involuntary manslaughter, hit-and-run causing death, obstruction of justice and driving while license revoked, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

According to investigative and trial records, Brevard police and Transylvania County Emergency Services received a 911 call on the evening of Oct. 3, 2023, reporting that a pedestrian attempting to cross N.C. 280 in front of the Tidal Car Wash had been struck by a motor vehicle. The pedestrian, Lee Waters, was found critically injured and immediately transported by EMS to the hospital. Despite extensive medical efforts, he died of his injuries several days later.

Investigating the case, Brevard police determined that the driver of the vehicle had failed to stop to render aid or provide essential information regarding the collision. The investigation included measurements of the crash scene, collection of debris, eyewitness interviews and review of surveillance footage from nearby businesses. Witness statements and video evidence indicated that the suspect's vehicle was a dark-colored large SUV with two occupants in the front seats. A fragment of a piece of trim recovered at the scene contained a part number consistent with a Dodge Durango that was installed in certain model years.

Working collaboratively with detectives from the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office, Brevard police began searching for the Durango and its occupants. Officers posted information on social media and requested public assistance, resulting in numerous tips that had to be pursued and ruled out. On December 1, 2023, two months after the accident, an off-duty Transylvania County detective spotted a dark-colored Durango in a parking lot with extensive front-end damage. Investigators quickly determined that the damage was consistent

*

with the pedestrian collision, and the debris recovered from the scene matched the vehicle. A search warrant was obtained, and DNA was collected from damaged areas of the SUV. Laboratory results indicated a likely match to the decedent.

Boland, the driver of the Durango, agreed to a voluntary interview, during which he admitted to driving on N.C. 280 through Brevard on the night of Oct. 3, 2023, while impaired by methamphetamine and alcohol and while distracted by a female passenger who was arguing with him. Boland having struck anyone.

After locating and interviewing the female passenger, investigators learned that Boland was obviously impaired when he struck the victim, who was propelled into the front windshield, causing significant damage. The passenger reported that Boland refused to stop after the collision and that she had to force her way out of the vehicle when Boland eventually stopped in a parking lot. She stated that she had to kick the passenger door open due to accident-related damage. She fully cooperated with investigators and testified at trial, explaining that she initially failed to come forward out of fear of legal consequences and fear of what Boland might do to her if she reported the incident.

After the verdict, Boland, through his attorney, admitted to his status as a habitual felon. On the charge of hit-and-run resulting in death, Superior Court Judge Carla Archie sentenced the defendant to 96 months to 128 months as a habitual offender. The judge imposed an additional consecutive sentence of 96 to 128 months on the felony death by motor vehicle conviction. The combined sentence totals 16 to 21 years in state prison. Sentences for the remaining convictions will run concurrently with the 16- to 21-year sentence.

Assistant District Attorney Lily Ferry prosecuted the case throughout the trial and sentencing.

Murray praised Brevard police and Transylvania sheriff's deputies for their work.

"Their professional response, collaboration, and thorough investigation resulted in justice for the decedent's family and for the Transylvania County communities, he said. For at least the next 16 years, Boland  a prolific criminal offender with multiple prior armed robbery convictions  will not be able to harm any member of the community we collectively strive to protect."
A BOY from Woodcote designed and installed a sign to deter speeding drivers.

Will Nicholson, 11, who goes to Woodcote Primary School, won an Oxfordshire County Council competition last year.

The triangle sign, which has been installed in Reading Road, features the words Stop, Look and Listen in each corner, has a road in the centre and uses blue, green and red colours. Will was taught about road safety by Milestone Infrastructure, the county councils highways maintenance contractor, before creating the sign.

He said: I put in the stuff that I learnt about road safety  stop, look and listen  20mph and I had some fun, using my favourite colours.

Will found out that he had won the competition while waiting for a flight in Queenstown airport.

He said: We went to New Zealand for a family wedding and we were sitting at a table waiting for our flight and Mum got a message from one of her friends which said I had won a competition at school. She was proud and in shock.

I had forgotten which competition it was and had to ask my mum, so I was quite surprised and happy when I found out because Im not the most artistic.

Will, who mostly walks home from school, thought it was important to take part in the competition because of speeding cars through the village.

He added: We live in a village and we have to go 20mph but not everybody does that and it can sometimes be dangerous.
FIVE colourful crocheted Christmas trees have been attached to street lamps on Whitchurch Bridge.

The trees, which replicate the shape of the spire of St Marys Church, encourage drivers to donate at the toll bridge to the Save Our Spire appeal.

The appeal was launched in May to raise 200,000 to repair shingles and other structural components on the 167-year-old Grade II listed building.

Gill Williamson, of the Whitchurch Knit and Stitch group, rallied a team of more than 30 people aged between



11 and 80 to create the trees, which will be on display until Tuesday, January 6.

Each member and their friends and families crocheted a granny square. They started the project in January and finished in October.

The idea was floated by Shirley Hutchinss brother, who took inspiration from the crocheted Christmas tree in Malta. The 10.50m high creation stands in front of the Santa Marija in Ghaxaq and is recognised as the countrys tallest crafted crocheted Christmas tree. Crochet stars were created by Yvette Marshall and felt decorations by Vanessa Pearce and Ali Grey.

Ms Williamson said: This is the first time weve done a Christmas-themed bridge but weve done projects like this since 2016. Previously we have put butterflies and bunting on the bridge.

Members created the five-inch squares using donated wool and we aimed to get the right size but theres quite a variation between the smallest and the biggest ones. But when we sewed them together, it looked all right.

The members started to sew squares together in a scarf-like formation in April and the trees were completed by the end of October.

Ms Williamson said: It took around an hour to sew them into a square and then an hour to sew them next to one another. On average, it would take around 12 hours for one person but, fortunately, we had more than 30 helpers.

The project brought together the villages of Pangbourne and Whitchurch, which are on either side of the bridge.

Ms Williamson said: As members are from both villages, its nice to bring the two communities together to have a physical representation of that and to make something nice for everyone to look at.

She thanked the members for their work and dedication to the project, adding: Its a wonderful collaborative community project. Its a big achievement and members, as I am, were very pleased when the trees went up. It has been the men in white vans whove been saying how lovely it is most, which I didnt expect.

Chris Scoby-Smith, also of the group, created a Christmas card which depicts the church with a colourful crocheted spire. All proceeds from purchasing the card will be donated to the Save Our Spire appeal.

Graeme Pearce, who is organising grant appeals for the campaign, said that it was a  key moment in the Save Our Spire project, having submitted a grant application to the National Lottery and members are now waiting for the result.

He said: Meanwhile, it is fantastic to see the villages getting behind the project with such enthusiasm. We have made fantastic progress so far, but there is still some way to go.

We are sincerely grateful to all those who have contributed in any way, in time and donations. We need to keep the momentum going. Hopefully, the project will be able to start at some point in the spring.

To donate, visit givealittle

.co/c/saveourspirewhitchurchon

thames
THE winner of this years turkey competition said she was very excited, having never won anything before.

Valerie Bishop, 87, of Victoria Road in Wargrave, correctly answered that Barry Wagner, the owner of Gabriel Machin in Henley, had taken over the neighbouring Three Tuns pub in Market Place.

She won a 5kg turkey together with traditional trimmings, including

18 chipolatas, 18 rashers of streaky bacon, a 200g jar of goose fat and a 250g jar of cranberry sauce, worth a total of 140.

Mrs Bishops name was selected at random from 117 entries in the competition.

The former tailor, who moved to Elizabeth Court from Essex in 2014, will be spending Christmas with her family in Checkendon including her daughters Sue Prior, 62, from Wargrave and Heidi Edgar, 60.

Mrs Bishop said she was pleased to win. It was very exciting to receive the phone call, she said. It really was. Ive never won a competition before so Im very happy.

Like I said in the letter, I always go to a butchers for my meat and Gabriel Machin is a proper butchers.

I could never buy my meat from the supermarket.

[Gabriel Machin] go right from the 19th century, so they are very well liked.

Im now 87 and I can just get a bus over there. They are lovely chaps and I always get what I need.

Since 2015, the butchers has been owned by Mr Wagner, who took over from Ian Blandford, who had run the business for 14 years.
CONCERNS have been raised about the future of a shop and post office in Shiplake after it was put up for sale.

The property in Station Road has been listed for sale with a leasehold for almost 150,000.

Owners, father and son Andrew and Archie Granger, moved into the corner shop in April.

The pair had taken over the shop from Mark and Carol Harvey, who ran it for about 20 years.

The Grangers refused to comment when contacted by the Henley Standard.

The sale listing, which is with Sovereign Business Transfer, states that there is three-bedroom accommodation above the shop and it comes with two car garages.

In October, Mr Granger applied for planning permission to extend its retail space, which has since been granted.

About 31 sq m of accommodation can now be converted to provide more space and a cafe area to serve up to nine customers.

On the Shiplake Villages forum page, Mr Granger encouraged people to reach out to discuss a sale to the community to form a community shop.

One resident, who lives in Lashbrook Road in Lower Shiplake, raised concerns about the frequency with which it has changed hands.

They said: Its a disaster for the shop and the post office. The concerns are that various people are coming and going and its not good for the village, really. Its possible [there could be a lengthy period until a handover] and that would be a concern.

[Its success] depends on who buys it. If its somebody with a wish to make it work, then it will be fabulous.

She added: Its good to have it there because there are things there I need that I wouldnt necessarily buy in Tesco.

Shiplake parish clerk Roger Hudson said: There has been great concern because obviously it has been the hub of the community.

When Carol and Mark were there, they really were the centre of the village in terms of information and supply services to the community and a lot of people came out from Henley to use it because its easier to park so it would be a huge blow if we lost it.

It will change hands if its sold. Now [Andy] has planning permission for the shop, I would have thought that would be quite an attractive proposition to somebody.

The community thrives and supports the post office and the little corner shop is essential.

David Pheasant, deputy chair of the parish council, said he was surprised to see the sale notice but was hopeful a new owner would make a positive impact.

He said: The post office is great and if it isnt here it will affect people.

We hope well have someone who is equally as good as Carol and Mark.
THREE groups have received grants from Henley Town Council to help improve its facilities and fund its projects.

Henley Rowing Club, Greener Henley and Henley Sea Cadets received a total of 30,000 following a meeting of the finance, strategy and management committee.

The council had more money to hand out after 20,000 was released following the closure of the River & Rowing Museum, which received the money earlier this year.

Henley Rowing Club was awarded 15,000 to help purchase a new safety boat due to the increasingly severe weather conditions.

The second-hand boat is expected to cost between 20,000 and 30,000, with the additional cost being covered through fundraising.

Chairwoman Helen Turnell said the boat it currently uses is not suitable due to its lack of stability, capacity and difficulty in gaining access to it from the water.

She said: We do a lot with schools, making rowing accessible to everybody and encouraging everybody to row.

One thing thats really critical to all of these activities is having enough safety cover on the river.

The boat will also be used by Phyllis Court during the Regatta for the Disabled and to move equipment along the river during competitions.

Mrs Turnell added: The boat will be for our members and participants, which is really critical for other clubs and organisations.

Greener Henley was awarded 10,000 to partly fund three different projects. Nature Squared will receive 4,000, the annual Great Big Green Week will receive 4,000 and the Henley emergency plan will receive 2,000.

It is anticipated that additional funding for the Nature Squared project will enable its work to expand tenfold from 500 sq m to 5,000 sq m across Henley and the surrounding area by 2030.

The funding for Great Big Green Week, which brings together schools, residents, community groups and businesses, will directly support Henleys largest annual community celebration of climate and nature. Kate Oldridge, executive director of Greener Henley, said: We had 100 people at the Kenton Theatre on November 27, who gathered to learn about the escalating threat of flooding.

What became very clear from the audience is that people are very alarmed but many feel like their individual actions dont make a difference and are unsure what actions are actually effective.

We are very well placed to become a beacon town for mass public engagement on climate and nature action. A town that reconnects people to nature at scale, cleans up pollution in all its forms, decarbonises in practical ways and prepares for climate impacts.

Our four key projects have been designed to deliver real, practical benefits locally and to drive change systemically. That kind of engagement takes sustained co-ordination and professional delivery and that costs money.

We are actively pursuing other sources of funding, including grant funding, sponsorship and were looking at crowdfunding next year.

The council felt that the grant should include a comprehensive emergency plan for Henley as a deliverable. The sea cadets were awarded 5,000 to repair and improve the parade square, which has become uneven and is posing a trip hazard.

The grant will partially fund the works for the group to resurface the area, which is expected to cost about 14,000.

Anna Field, a trustee and committee member who spoke at the meeting, said: Currently, the facilities dont support the commitment of these youngsters and we have to use off-site facilities.

In particular, the parade ground on the riverside of the building is collapsing and cant be used in the dark or even for drills in the lighter evenings for safety reasons.

If the town council can grant the money, it will be a huge boost towards the total. Cadets can look forward to preparing for the Gibraltar Cup and having a usable parade ground for future cadets to use.

They want to bring this cup back to Henley so badly for the very first time in history and the grant will ensure the best chance.

Councillor Michelle Thomas questioned whether there was a greener solution to the proposed hardstanding.

Ms Field said she is liaising with the Environment Agency on this.
MORE than 25 people entered the first Stoke Row gingerbread house decorating competition.

It was organised by Tona Erreguin, of Imma The Bakery and the Cherry Tree Inn, and judging took place in the village hall on Saturday.

Eight people were handed prizes for their designs, some of which took the shape of local buildings, such as the Cherry Tree Inn, the Crooked Billet and St John the Evangelist Church.

They used icing to mimic snow and icicles, sweets, chocolate and biscuits, liquorice, Jazzies and party rings to decorate the roof. Some used fondant to craft Christmas trees and people.

Sue Bloomer, 61, from Stoke Row, collected the best overall prize and best over 14 prizes for her daughter, Hannah.

She won two courses at the Red Lion in Peppard Common and an overnight stay with fizz at the Cherry Tree Inn.

The design of the house is Dutch-inspired because of her grandma. Ms Bloomer said: Hannah is very artistic so she started doing a sketch and thought about putting a fence around the outside and lights inside. Shes so creative.

Five people, who won the professional wildcard, helped to draw and construct a 40cm long gingerbread house, which replicated the Cherry Tree Inn.

They won a bag of coffee beans and a book of Britains best bakeries.

Amber Jones, 28, head chef of the Cherry Tree and architect Aya Fibert were the main people who helped to create the replica.

Ms Jones said: Aya printed out the stencils and I just rolled out the dough and cut around them and iced it together.

We started on Monday and we spent around 50 hours on it so it was a bit of a rush. We had to have a lot of perseverance.

Ms Jones learnt about precision during this challenge. She added: I didnt realise that if something was slightly off, then the whole building would be wonky.

They were supported by Bart Janos, who works in a refugee accommodation and studied architecture at London Metropolitan, kitchen porter Jess Smyth and Madz Spooner, who helped to decorate. Mr Janos said: We have never worked with gingerbread before so it was challenging but Ive done loads of models before, but with different materials, so I know how things come together.

Laurie and Sasha Mirkovic, both five, who attend Stoke Row Primary School, won for the best house in the under-14s category. They received a 50 Imma The Bakery gift card.

Laurie said he resisted and only ate around five Smarties before dinner time during the process.

He said: Mummy baked the gingerbread, then we put it all together. We decorated it with sprinkles, red and green Smarties, strawberry laces, icicles made out of icing and candy canes.

We started on Wednesday and did it every day for probably an hour after school  the most fun was icing it.

Suzanne Mirkovic, the boys mum, said: Its a nice villagey thing to do and get involved with. We have all the tips for next year so we know what to do better.

Henley Mayor Tom Buckley was a judge, praised the clever use of sweets in the designs.

The event raised more than 1,500 for Stoke Row primary.
(JNS) - I doubt that my grandchildren would recognize the Chanukahs of my childhood. They took place amid the backdrop of my best friends' and next-door neighbors' Christmas extravaganzas. Their homes looked to me like fairy houses strung with colored lights on the outside and huge Christmas trees in the living room, with colored balls and delicate, shiny angels on top.

Underneath the tree were beautifully wrapped presents in all shapes and sizes. This was long before there were Chanukah decorations and lights in the stores or on people's homes. In my family, we had a wind-up menorah that play...
There are certain topics that make even the boldest dinner guests squirm in their seats. Circumcision tops that list. Just saying the word makes people shift positions. Yet for Jews, it has always been more than a medical procedure  its a sacred act, a covenant sealed in flesh.

According to the Book of Genesis, Gods command was explicit: This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is e...
The United States Postal Service periodically issues a commemorative Hanukkah stamp. The tradition of the USPS printing a Chanukah stamp began in 1996. Initially the same design was repeated for many years before a new issue with different artwork was introduced. However, since 2016 a newly designed Hanukkah stamp has been produced every two years.

To date there have been 10 different issues celebrating the holiday, each designed by a different artist, most of whom have been Jewish. Behind each stamp there is a creator with a unique story how they were discovered and commissioned, and what the...
(JNS)  Israeli authorities on Thursday morning confirmed that the remains recovered from Hamas in the Gaza Strip the previous evening belong to murdered Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, whose body had been held captive since the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Authorities informed Suthdisaks family that arrangements for returning his body to Thailand for burial will be made in coordination with the Thai Embassy in Israel.

The Israeli government shares the deep sorrow of the Rinthalak family, the Thai people and all the families of the slain abductees, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office s...
(JNS)  For years, the Palestinian Authority has rewarded terrorism through its pay-to-slay stipendsmonthly salaries for Palestinians who murder Jews and for the families of martyrs, including suicide bombers. Some of the killers recently freed in Israels hostage exchanges have even become millionaires. That morally bankrupt model is now being replicated inside the United States. Hamass supporters here have created their own incentive systemthis time to reward anti-Israel activism on American campuses.

The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations launched a Cham...
(JNS)  Denmarks government on Tuesday unveiled a five-year plan for fighting antisemitism, with a budget of $18 million and which includes the establishment of a new research institute focused on hate crimes and headed by a former leader of Danish Jews.

The new national plan, which extends and expands Denmarks first national plan for fighting antisemitism from 2022, is needed because, Following Hamass terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, there has been a flare-up in antisemitism in Denmark, the Danish Justice Ministry said in its announcement.

The n...
(JNS)  Construction work on Israels eastern security barrier along the border with Jordan has begun, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.

The initial stage will focus on the Beit Shean, Jezreel and Jordan Valleys, constructing the first two sections of the new barrier that will span roughly 50 miles, the ministry said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, The new barrier will strengthen the communities along the border, significantly reduce weapons smuggling to terrorists in Judea and Samaria, and deal a heavy blow to Iran and its proxies efforts to establish...
(JNS) - The largest influencer delegation in Israel's history arrived in the country on Tuesday. The group includes 1,000 church leaders and influencers from the United States, initiated by Friends of Zion and at the invitation of the Israeli Foreign Ministry as part of its broader "battle for consciousness," led by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

The ministry aims to bolster pro-Israel sentiment among sympathetic American audiences. Officials acknowledged that some evangelical support has eroded in recent years, making direct engagement increasingly important.

Each participant is considered a...
(JNS)  U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Wednesday urged more than a thousand visiting American pastors and Christian leaders to light the pulpits of America with the truth about Israel, and to quash criticism of the Jewish state from both the left and the right with the facts and the Bible.

We need the pulpits of America to be on fire with the truth, Huckabee said in a fiery address. I pray that you dont just go back home and say, Oh, I had wonderful trip. I took some good pictures. I saw some wonderful sites. I hope you will go back to the U.S. with the fire of God burning...
(JNS)  Calling U.S. President Donald Trumps defense of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson disgusting, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced on the Senate floor on Thursday that he would introduce a resolution condemning antisemitism and white supremacy.

The highest-ranking Jewish official in Congress, the senator said that his resolution also would call out Carlson for giving a platform to Holocaust denier and white supremacist Nick Fuentes. He called on his Republican colleagues to take a clear stand against hatred and antisemitism by supporting his proposal.

Trump to...
(Israel Hayom via JNS)  Seven hundred and ninety days after the deadliest massacre in Israels history, which led to the abduction of hundreds of civilians, Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili is now the last hostage still held in the Gaza Strip.

Gvili, a 24-year-old Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) volunteer from Meitar, fought with extraordinary courage on Oct. 7, 2023. When the massacre began, he left his house, put on his uniform and headed out to fight. About 10 days before he had broken his shoulder, and was waiting for surgery, yet he still chose to join the battle.

During the battle near Al...
(JNS)  How long have we been the wandering Jews? I imagine ever since Abraham, the very first Jew. His travels and travails are recounted in the Bible for all to see and our sages taught that the lives of our patriarchs and matriarchs would be a harbinger of the destiny of their descendants for generations to come.

And the wandering Jew has also been the wondering Jew. Weve been forever wondering about who we are and how we fit in with the countries weve migrated to over the centuries.

I imagine its been one of the ongoing dilemmas of our people. There seems to be this perennial tension...
(JNS)  Whether on Broadway or in City Hall, theatrics are a fixture of New York City life. But no performance  whether in Times Square or Lower Manhattan  rivals mayor-elect Zohran Mamdanis outrageous campaign-trail promise and post-election reaffirmation that he would seek to enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he set foot in the city.

The significance of Mamdanis pledge lies not merely in its impossibility or illegality, but in what the promise and its later clarification tell us about the young man about to lead...
(JNS)  I trust that Sabine Baring-Gould, an Anglican priest and scholar, will forgive me filching my title from his 1865 hymn. As it is based on a New Testament reference, II Timothy 2:3, whose theme is shared suffering, I thought it appropriate.

Indeed, a few verses further in that chapter, we read, the word of God cannot be chained! and that harmonizes with the essential shared message of both Jewish and Christian Zionism.

The support for Zionism is under a renewed attack of opposition and invalidation. One stream of vitriol, of course, stems from the ideology that Judaism and Jews have b...
You can be forgiven for thinking that the war is over in Israel and peace has broken out. Since President Trumps October ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, countless reports and headlines have presented this as a peace deal. Barring reports of daily conflict in Gaza or the return of the bodies of the remaining hostage in captivity for 26 months, quiet can be misperceived as peace. But the truth could not be more opposite. There are abundant examples. One recent one hit home personally.

This week there was another terrorist attack on IDF troops holding the negotiated yellow line, per...
(Israel Hayom via JNS)  The scenes that everyone of us see throughout Europe cannot be obscured. From London through Paris. From Amsterdam through Brussels.

The classic symbols of Western European capitals have undergone significant changes in the first two decades of the 21st century. A phenomenon that began mainly in the 90s of the previous century has been changing in recent years, not only the appearance of streets and neighborhoods, but also the face of politics in Western Europe and, recently, in the U.S.

Two years after the most brutal massacre in modern history, many leaders in the W...
"Taiwan independence" separatists who forget their roots will be condemned by history: spokesperson

Xinhua) 16:49, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The "Taiwan independence" separatists who have forgotten their roots will inevitably be spurned by the people and condemned by history, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday.

Noting that Japan imposed colonial rule in Taiwan for half a century and committed innumerable crimes there, Guo said at a regular news briefing that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have turned a blind eye to Japan's crimes and the evidence, and even brazenly glorified Japan's colonial rule.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Commentary: China's human rights cause advances along with modernization

Xinhua) 08:05, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- As the world marks Human Rights Day this year, China's outlook on human rights and its tangible progress achieved through practical efforts resonate deeply with the 2025 theme: "Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials."

China's human rights discourse highlights the innovative principle that the rights to subsistence and development are the most fundamental human rights. This reflects a long-standing, people-centered philosophy deeply rooted in the nation's history and culture.

The Chinese approach underscores a contextual understanding of human rights, in which the specific needs and realities of each nation are taken into account.

Poverty used to be the biggest obstacle in China's human rights cause. Since reform and opening up began in 1978, the country has lifted 770 million rural people out of poverty, including almost 100 million from 2012 to 2020 through targeted programs. China became the world's second-largest economy in 2010 and declared the historic eradication of absolute poverty in 2021. With the establishment of a moderately prosperous society, 1.4 billion Chinese now enjoy greater happiness, security, fulfillment, and dignity -- with no individual or ethnic group left behind.

China continues working to improve people's well-being through development, promoting progress in political, economic, social, and cultural rights in a coordinated way. China has built the world's largest education, social security, and healthcare systems. Its citizens have broader access to jobs, schooling, medical services, and an improved standard of living.

As the largest developing country, China also promotes global human rights advancement through initiatives aimed at shared development. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, many partner countries have upgraded their infrastructure and strengthened local industries, bringing tangible improvements to people's lives.

Economic development plays a foundational role in promoting human rights. Just as Wang Yiwei, a professor at Renmin University of China, has observed, in the era of digital intelligence, it would be a luxury to talk about human rights for hundreds of millions of people in some regions who still have no access to power or the internet.

China has developed its whole-process people's democracy. Through a set of systems, including the people's congress system, the country aims to ensure broader and more comprehensive democratic rights. Public opinions are extensively sought during policymaking. During the drafting of the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan, a month-long online consultation collected more than 3.11 million submissions and yielded over 1,500 suggestions across 27 topics. Many of these ideas were incorporated into the recommendations.

By applying the principle of the universality of human rights in the context of its national conditions, China has charted a new path and enriched global human rights theory through its practices. Its achievements are also reflected in equality and unity among ethnic groups and in the coexistence of multiple religions.

China maintains that living a happy life is the primary human right and seeks to promote the well-rounded development of individuals. The process of realizing the Chinese Dream -- the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation -- is, in essence, a pursuit of social fairness, justice, and continual human rights advancement.

There is no end to the development of human rights. As China advances socialist modernization and deepens reforms across various fields, further improvements are anticipated.

Meeting people's aspirations for a better life is the immutable goal of Chinese modernization. Over the next five years, China aims to achieve new breakthroughs in further deepening reform comprehensively, make substantial progress under the Beautiful China Initiative, and further improve the quality of life, among its major objectives. Reaching these targets will lead to continued gains in human rights and a stronger sense of dignity, freedom, and happiness.

There is no universally applicable model for human rights development. Countries must choose their paths based on their own realities. Global progress requires dialogue and mutual learning rather than double standards or the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights. The China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative seeks to promote inclusiveness, respect for civilizational diversity, and exchanges.

As the world confronts persistent challenges of inequality, poverty, and development, China's approach offers a valuable perspective for nations seeking to safeguard basic human rights while pursuing their own paths to prosperity and progress.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Taiwan leader's Japan-supporting stunt exposes unsavory colors

10:03, December 12, 2025 By Chen Zi ( People's Daily Online

Cartoon by Ma Hongliang

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent provocative remarks on Taiwan have crossed China's red line and bottom line, causing serious negative repercussions.

Just as people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are condemning Japan's blatant provocation, Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have the audacity to echo and defend Takaichi's remarks. Lai even posted a photo of himself eating Japanese food, proclaiming his "support for Japan." Their back-and-forth act only lays bare their unsavory colors.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Your notification has been saved.

There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles, a 173-room contemporary retreat at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, is officially open, expanding Hilton's footprint in Southern California and masterfully hosting guests with expertise and care. Located steps from Santa Anita Park and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and minutes from the Rose Bowl and Pasadena's cultural attractions, the hotel debuts contemporary guest rooms and suites, multiple world-class dining venuesincluding Arcadia's only rooftop barand a robust collection of energizing amenities and iconic gathering spaces. The property is managed by Azul Hospitality Group, a San Diego-based hospitality management platform that provides an innovative approach to maximizing performance.

Drawing from Arcadia's equestrian heritage, diverse cultural influences and surrounding mountain landscape, the hotel features striking design elements with warm tones, deep blue velvet accents and clean, modern lines that together create a polished yet welcoming atmosphere throughout the property. Natural light and comfortable furnishings shape an elevated environment suited for both business and leisure travelers, offering Hilton's global sophistication and service combined with a modern California sensibility that feels authentically connected to the destination.

Accommodations

Guest rooms at Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles offer contemporary comfort with practical conveniences suited for both business and leisure travelers. Each room includes modern furnishings, premium bedding, blackout curtains, high-speed Wi-Fi and a 55-inch SMART HDTV. Bathrooms feature granite countertops, handheld showers and luxury bath amenities, while in-room essentials such as a mini refrigerator, personal clothes steamer, in-room safe and adjustable thermostat provide added ease throughout the stay. The hotel offers a range of accommodations, including King and Double Queen guest rooms as well as an elevated selection of suites.

Select rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the San Gabriel Mountains or the Santa Anita Racetrack and private balconies for soaking in the scenery. Guests staying in racetrack-view rooms can even take in the action with front-row vantage points overlooking the iconic course. For an elevated stay, Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles' suites offer expanded layouts with separate living and sleeping areas, along with enhanced bathroom options that include both a shower and a bathtub. The property also offers multiple mobility and hearing-accessible guest rooms and suites to ensure a comfortable experience for all travelers.

Dining

Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles offers a dynamic selection of dining experiences that highlight the hotel's rooftop, all-day, and signature culinary programs. Nestled at the top of Hilton Arcadia, the signature Hipico Rooftop Restaurant & Bar offers an elevated dining experience framed by sweeping mountain vistas and a lively indoor-outdoor atmosphere. As Arcadia's only rooftop venue, Hipico Rooftop Restaurant & Bar blends handcrafted cocktails with Baja-inspired bites in a setting that feels both inviting and elevated. The setting, culinary approach and overall energy places the restaurant at the center of Arcadia's trendiest social scene.

19Seventy at the Ovalo Restaurant & Bar serves as the hotel's all-day dining hub, welcoming guests each morning with freshly brewed coffee, handcrafted espresso, premium teas, fresh juices and classic breakfast favorites paired with morning cocktails like mimosas or Bloody Marys. Throughout the day, the restaurant offers a comfortable, welcoming setting with Italian-inspired dishes and a refined beverage program. Whether guests are stopping in for a relaxed lunch, an elegant dinner or a casual drink with friends, 19Seventy at the Ovalo Restaurant & Bar provides an inviting atmosphere where the experience feels easy and enjoyable at any time of day.

Sottaku by Kisen & Kaiseki Motoishi presents high-end sushi and specialty Japanese dishes in an intimate setting, ideal for elevated dinners, celebratory meals or quiet evenings with exceptional dining. The collaboration brings recognized culinary expertise to Arcadia, offering a carefully crafted menu that appeals to both sushi aficionados and guests discovering the cuisine for the first time.

In-room dining is available for guests who prefer to enjoy their meals in a private setting, allowing for breakfast in bed or dinner delivered directly to the room. Breakfast is offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., while dinner service is available on Fridays and Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Iconic Meeting and Event Spaces

With more than 17,000 square feet of flexible event space, Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles is designed for a variety of gatherings; from meetings and conferences to weddings and milestone celebrations. The hotel's largest venue, the Centella Ballroom, accommodates up to 450 guests and offers natural light and two built-in 16x9 LED screens. Outdoor venues including the Aura Terrace and the Abierto Pool Patio provide scenic settings for al fresco receptions, cocktail hours, and private dinners with mountain views. Additional spaces, including the Vitalia Meeting Room, Brio Boardroom, and La Meta Rooms, support conferences and meeting spaces with modern AV, event assistance, and custom catering options.

The hotel's location offers immediate access to Santa Anita Park and the Los Angeles County Arboretum, and is only minutes from Westfield Santa Anita, The Huntington Library and Pasadena's cultural attractions, placing guests close to the region's most notable landmarks.

Whether relaxing by the heated outdoor pool, enjoying sunset views from the rooftop or exploring nearby attractions, travelers can enjoy a comfortable and connected base. Guests of Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles also have access to convenient on-site amenities including a 24-hour fitness center, digital key access and parking. Hilton Honors Executive Lounge access is available for qualifying guests, offering enhanced breakfast options, evening bites and dedicated workspace.

For more information and reservations, visit hilton.com/arcadialosangeles.

Hotel website
IHG Hotels & Resorts debuts Garner by IHG in South East Asia, with the opening of Garner Hotel Pattaya Central. Guests can immerse themselves in the vibrancy of this coastal city in Thailand, all while experiencing the brand's ethos of 'easy going stays that get you on your way'.

Garner hotels are designed to offer quality, relaxed stays at an affordable price. The brand offers the all-important things that guests value most - a central location and a great night's sleep, as well as delicious options for breakfast to start your day right.

Located in the heart of Pattaya, the vibrant resort town on Thailand's Eastern Seaboard, this 153-room hotel is a two-hour drive from Bangkok and just steps away from Pattaya Beach, major shopping malls such as Terminal21 and Central Pattaya, and a wide range of restaurants and bars.

Guests of the new Garner Hotel Pattaya Central can expect a restful sleep with soft, cosy bedding, branded bathroom amenities, working desks, and fast & free Wi-Fi. A selection of premium corner rooms offers additional space and natural light with panoramic windows.

A signature Garner feature wall, 'Sketches of Humanity', showcases artful portraits of different guests and serves as the backdrop of the hotel reception. It creates a distinctive welcome moment that reflects how Garner hotels bring people together while celebrating the diversity of the brand's guests.

The 24/7 Garner Shop also offers snacks and complimentary bean-to-cup coffee and tea in the lobby to ensure guests have everything they need during their stay. Additional facilities include The Gather Cafe, a casual dining restaurant and co-working space, and 24/7 self-service laundry. Guests can work out at the rooftop gym or cool off in the rooftop pool.

As one of IHG Hotels & Resorts' newest brands, Garner Hotels continues its rapid expansion around the globe. Since launching in 2023, the brand has grown to over 72* open hotels and another 80 in its pipeline, with destinations across Europe, the US and Asia, including the newly opened Garner Hotel Kyoto Shijo Karasuma.

To learn more or to book a stay, please visit www.ihg.com or download the IHG One Rewards mobile app.

*As of 30 September 2025

Hotel website
The Marquesa Hotel is proud to announce the appointment of Chef Travis Lee as the new Executive Chef of Cafe Marquesa, the hotel's renowned fine dining restaurant. With an extraordinary career spanning over two decades in luxury hospitality and Michelin-starred kitchens, Chef Lee brings world-class culinary expertise and innovation to one of Key West's most celebrated dining destinations.

Chef Lee joins Cafe Marquesa following his tenure as Executive Sous Chef at Mujo in Atlanta, where he contributed to the restaurant earning and maintaining its Michelin Star in 2023 and 2024. Prior to Mujo, he served as Executive Chef at Rooftop L.O.A. and Corporate Executive Chef of R&D for Mainline Foods and Goldbergs Group, overseeing culinary development across multiple high-profile brands.

A veteran of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Chef Lee spent more than a decade refining his craft at some of the brand's most prestigious properties, including The Dining Room in Buckhead, Georgia (Five Star/Five Diamond) and Maestro by Fabio Trabocchi in Tysons Corner, Virginia (Four Star/Five Diamond). His classical training and refined approach to flavor were further shaped by international experiences at some of the world's most revered restaurants, including The Fat Duck and The Waterside Inn in Bray, England, and Maze Restaurant in London, which are all Michelin-starred establishments.

Cafe Marquesa, located within The Marquesa Hotel, has long been regarded as one of the island's finest restaurants and is beloved for its intimate setting, impeccable service, and creative contemporary American cuisine. Inspired by Key West's rich culinary heritage and surrounded by the bounty of two seas, it blends the freshest local ingredients with classic technique and creative flair. From house-baked breads to decadent desserts, every dish captures the island's spirit refined, welcoming, and unforgettable. With Chef Lee's arrival, guests can expect an elevated dining ex perience that blends sophisticated craftsmanship with the relaxed elegance of Key West.

Chef Travis Lee officially assumed his role as Executive Chef on November 12, 2025. His debut seasonal menu is in the works.
Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel of Hilton proudly introduces William Fisher as the newly appointed General Manager. With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Fisher will guide one of Rome's most iconic addresses into its next chapter, combining operational excellence with a commitment to sustainability and elevated guest experiences.

Fisher joins Rome Cavalieri following his tenure as General Manager of the Hilton London Metropole, one of Europe's largest conference and leisure hotels, where he led the successful refurbishment of the hotel's public spaces.

With a longstanding international career spanning Europe and Asia, Fisher has held senior leadership roles across a diverse portfolio of flagship and luxury hotels within leading hospitality brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton and Orient Express. His early career saw rapid growth in China, including serving as acting General Manager at Hilton Dali Resort & Spa and leading the opening of Hilton Chengdu in 2015. He later served as Area General Manager, overseeing operations in Szechuan followed by the greater Shanghai arearegions marked by dynamic markets and high guest expectations. His leadership in these destinations deepened his expertise in luxury positioning, team development, and high-impact hotel transformation projects.

Known for his hands-on, people-focused leadership style, Fisher prioritizes building strong, empowered teams and delivering exceptional guest experiences rooted in authenticity, warmth, and operational precision. Aligned with ideals at the core of Rome Cavalieri's philosophy, he is committed to sustainability and innovation, championing initiatives that balance environmental responsibility with the evolving needs of modern luxury travelers.

A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, Fisher brings not only global management expertise but also a deep appreciation for cultural nuance and guest-centric innovationqualities that align perfectly with the Waldorf Astoria brand's legacy of refined luxury.

As he assumes his new role, Fisher is poised to help strengthen Rome Cavalieri's iconic identity in the heart of the city for the next generation of international travelers.

For more information on Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, please visit www.romecavalieri.com.
CES 2026, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is the world's most influential technology event, uniting global brands, ambitious startups, investors, media, and industry leaders from every corner of the tech ecosystem. From 6 to 9 January 2026, the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding venues transform into a sprawling stage for breakthrough innovations in consumer electronics, AI, mobility, smart homes, digital health, sustainability, and more. Companies use CES to unveil their most important product launches, explore emerging trends, and forge partnerships that shape the future of technology, while attendees gain a first-hand look at the ideas, prototypes, and platforms that will define how people live, work, and connect in the years ahead.

This event is organized by Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
Garner Hotel Pattaya Central  Lobby Reception - Image Credit IHG Hotels & Resorts

IHG Hotels & Resorts has introduced its Garner brand to Southeast Asia with the opening of Garner Hotel Pattaya Central. The new hotel is located in Pattaya, a resort town on Thailand's Eastern Seaboard, approximately two hours from Bangkok. The property features 153 rooms and is located near Pattaya Beach, Terminal 21, Central Pattaya, and various dining options.

The hotel offers amenities such as soft bedding, branded bathroom products, workspaces, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Some rooms provide additional space and natural light through panoramic windows. The hotel also includes a feature wall called 'Sketches of Humanity' in the reception area, showcasing portraits of guests.

Additional facilities at the hotel include The Gather Cafe, a casual dining and co-working space, a 24/7 self-service laundry, a rooftop gym, and a rooftop pool. The hotel also features a 24/7 Garner Shop in the lobby, offering snacks and complimentary coffee and tea.

Garner by IHG is part of the company's expansion strategy, with the brand having grown to over 72 open hotels and another 80 in the pipeline since its launch in 2023. The brand has locations across Europe, the United States, and Asia, including a recently opened hotel in Kyoto, Japan.
The Retired Investor: Drinking on Decline

Whether you know it or not, Americans are drinking less. This year, the percentage of Americans who say they drink alcohol has fallen to a record low. But don't kid yourself, 54 percent of Americans said they still do drink booze, according to a recent Gallup poll, which has been tracking U.S. drinking since 1939.

I can hear Bill Wilson, the father of Alcoholics Anonymous, cheering from his grave. The trend of easing off the booze has been in place for several years among some segments of society. Health-care concerns are reportedly spooking the population. It used to be that "one or two drinks a day" was OK. I'm sure the liquor companies lobbied hard for that verdict, but the attitude has reversed. Thanks to recent research, alcohol at any level could be hazardous to your health, exposing consumers to an increased risk of cancer, depression, and anxiety.

And as usual, it is the younger generations that have paved the way. Their abstinence evolved a decade ago and has now settled at an even 50/50 this year among 18- to 34-year-olds. This compares to 56 percent among older Americans. At first, I suspected that youngsters simply switched from one drug to another, like marijuana, but the research says that ain't so. Marijuana use is higher than it was before it was legalized, but grass consumption today has seen a steady decline over the past four years as well.

Researchers believe that COVID-19 had something to do with the declining trend in alcohol intake. During the pandemic, alcohol consumption skyrocketed, especially among older adults. Fear, boredom, and isolation triggered excess drinking. Their children were locked down with adults, and they witnessed their parents lose control due to their daily drinking.

The government launched an education campaign warning of the impact of excessive drinking and advising on how to stop, or at least moderate, drinking. The media chimed in, especially on social media, and before long, there was a generational shift in perception from drinking is "OK" to "not OK."

The thinking went from it might still be acceptable to drink, but losing control in public was a sure way to be filmed on a hundred phones and posted on social media in minutes. That would be devastating and avoided at all costs. It is no longer cool to drink, especially in excess to the point of inebriation, because that was what parents did.

But there were other reasons as well. Although beer is still the beverage of choice among the population, youngsters did not want to be seen drinking something their parents consumed, like craft beer. Besides, alcohol in any form has become too expensive for many.

With all this new adverse research data, one would think that both the beer and liquor industries would be sucking wind. They are, but the trend is still not life-threatening. In fact, on average, according to IWSR, a global leader in alcohol beverage data, the overall number of drinks U.S. adults have per week has not changed in decades, hovering between 10 and 12 since 1975. They did admit that it was the lowest level in 30 years.

To survive, the beer industry is busy stabilizing its customers' consumption through marketing and advertising, while at the same time looking to the future. They are shifting along with consumer habits by rolling out nonalcoholic versions of their leading beer brands. Beer volume has been flat or declining since 2007. It is only growing by a mere 1 percent on average, but that is better than wine and the hard stuff.

The wine and hard liquor sector has had mixed results. Wine volumes this year have been in decline, experiencing over an 8 percent decline in both volumes and revenues. The spirits side of the beverage industry has suffered slightly fewer declines. But there are bright spots. tequila and mezcal, for example, are performing well, as are sales of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages.

Of course, one should expect the industry to counterattack, and they are. Talker Research (on behalf of Josh Cellars, a wine producer) announced survey results in November. Of 2,000 Americans aged 21-44 polled, they found that 77 percent expect to drink the same amount or more alcohol during the holidays this year.

They also reported that nearly 80 percent of Gen Z and millennial respondents (who drink) will consume more alcohol during the holidays than at other times of the year. Well, good for them. After all, I can see the desire for sipping a hot toddy as "A Christmas Carol" plays in the background or toasting the New Year while watching the ball drop in Times Square.

However, overall, I applaud the younger generations for becoming a lot smarter and much sooner than we Baby Boomers. For me, I raise my glass of sour cherry juice and say, "Here's looking at you, kid."
The Wagon Wheel Inn was gutted by fire last Friday, leaving 13 people without accommodations or belongings.

Wagon Wheel Inn Fire Still Under Investigation

LENOX, Mass.  The Friday morning fire that gutted the Wagon Wheel Inn is still under investigation, and several people who were living at the motel have moved to another one.



The Fire Department received a report of the blaze around 6:15 a.m. on Friday, and it took hours to bring it under control, with numerous county fire companies responding. The Route 7 highway between Holmes Road and the Lenox shopping plaza was also closed, and traffic was rerouted.



On Wednesday, Fire Chief Robert Casucci said no cause has been determined at this time, and investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office and the property's insurance company are still working on it.



From the street, the decades-old inn is missing much of its roof, and the structure is thoroughly charred. It is secured by a chain link fence.



"The loss amount to the Wagon Wheel hasn't been determined as of yet; I would not be surprised to find that it is deemed a total loss," Casucci responded to an email inquiry from iBerkshires.



"There was no damage to any other surrounding properties."



Several residents warming up at Market 32 on the day of the fire said they were long-term tenants of the motel and had lost everything. Thirteen people were believed to be staying at the motel, and a person named Ed reportedly knocked on doors to wake everyone so they could evacuate.



Casucci reported that some residents accepted assistance from the Red Cross and relocated to the Howard Johnson by Wyndham hotel down the street. The town of Lenox made provisions for two nights at the Howard Johnson for all occupants of the Wagon Wheel, but some residents chose to make other arrangements, he said.






iciHaiti - NOTICE : The new digital boarding and disembarking card is now in effect





The new digital embarkation and disembarkation card, "iKat" launched on Thursday, December 4h, 2025, at the El Rancho Hotel (https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46351-haiti-tourism-presentation-of-the-ikat-digital-embarkation-and-disembarkation-card-project.html), developed under the leadership of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, in collaboration with the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI), the General Directorate of Customs (DGD), and the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), modernizes the collection of migration, customs, and health data, while aligning the Haitian State with international standards is now in effect.



Antoine Jean Simon Fenelon, Director General of the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration, reminds the public that all travelers are now required to complete the digital embarkation and disembarkation form 72 hours before their trip, whether traveling by land, air, or sea.



iKat is available online at this address : https://delidoc.gouv.ht/ikat/en/formulaire



The "iKat" project simplifies departure and entry formalities and provides authorities with seamless and reliable access to the statistical data necessary for monitoring migration flows.



This initiative demonstrates the Haitian governments ability to modernize its services in accordance with international standards.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46351-haiti-tourism-presentation-of-the-ikat-digital-embarkation-and-disembarkation-card-project.html



IH/ iciHaiti


















HUAWEI puts customers at the heart of its retail renovations as it transforms Experience Stores into vibrant technological hubs of community and innovation. The nationwide rollout of 30 refurbished locations now provides comfortable, intuitive, and immersive environments where customers can explore products at their own pace. By combining flexible displays, upgraded seating, and innovative interactive features, HUAWEI demonstrates its dedication to improving the way customers discover, explore, and experience technology.

Redesigned Stores With Customers in Mind

HUAWEIs redesigned Experience Stores reflect an evolution from simple product stores into experience-driven destinations tailored to what truly matters to customers. Each store, spread across the Greater Manila Area, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, was refined to integrate insights from shopper feedback. This resulted in a more welcoming, intuitive, and versatile environment that balances premium aesthetics with functionality, echoing the standards of high-end flagship stores.

Visitors to the newly renovated stores now benefit from a more intuitive and immersive product exploration journey, beginning with flexible comparison tables that let customers evaluate smartphones, tablets, wearables, laptops, and audio devices side by side. These modular tables, redesigned with warm-toned materials and hidden cable systems, support hands-on learning through built-in charging ports, anti-theft features, and audio modulesensuring every customer can experience HUAWEIs full ecosystem with ease.

Accompanying these are new wall cabinet systems built with four-level flexibility, allowing shelves, panels, and digital signage to be adjusted instantly, laminate fronts swapped for different colors or materials, and LED lighting tuned for optimal product focus. This versatility not only keeps displays up to date with the latest launches but also supports different store needs, whether emphasizing hands-on experiences, accessory-heavy sections, or thematic product categoriescreating walls that feel cleaner, more premium, and thoughtfully curated.

These renovated retail environments are designed to make customers feel at ease through warmer materials, acoustic soft panels, and improved 3:1 ratio lighting. With improved intuitive pathways and HUAWEIs human-centric philosophy, every renovated store transforms discovery into a seamless and enjoyable experience for all kinds of users.

The refurbished stores also incorporated warmer materials, ergonomic seating, and dedicated zones for workshops and community engagement. Comfortable seating, lounge areas, and community zones encourage visitors to relax, stay longer, and explore at their own pace. These locations transform everyday shopping into meaningful exploration, where technology, education, and interaction converge. Through these nationwide upgrades, HUAWEI reaffirms its unwavering commitment to delivering seamless, customer-focused experiences that set the standard for retail excellence.

Experience HUAWEIs Latest Devices in a More Intuitive Layout

The newly renovated and refurbished HUAWEI Experience Stores give customers first-hand access to industry-leading innovations, making it easier than ever to explore and compare HUAWEIs latest products, including the HUAWEI nova 14 Series and the HUAWEI MatePad 12 X (2026).

The HUAWEI nova 14 Series lives up to its title as the King of AI Selfies, with its 50MP Ultra Portrait Autofocus Camera and 8MP Close-up Portrait Front Camera capturing crisp, vibrant details and preserving candid moments with astonishing clarity. Whether snapping group selfies with friends or capturing festive holiday moments, the HUAWEI nova 14 ensures every detail is perfectly rendered for post-ready shots. Customers purchasing the HUAWEI nova 14 Pro for PHP 32,999 or the HUAWEI nova 14 for PHP 22,999 also receive a limited-edition DBTK x Supernova T-shirt, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

While the HUAWEI MatePad 12 X (2026) delivers 4-in-1 all-round portable productivity performance, turning the tablet into a full workstation on the go. Its PC-Level WPS Office 3.0 with full Microsoft compatibility allows users to finalize reports, presentations, or spreadsheets. Meanwhile, HUAWEI Notes helps users draft proposals anywhere, even while traveling home for the holidays. Bundled with the HUAWEI M-Pencil Pro, Smart Magnetic Keyboard, Bluetooth Mouse, and PC-Level WPS Office, the HUAWEI MatePad 12 X (2026) offers a seamless productivity experience.

Explore the All-New HUAWEI Experience Stores Near You

Step into a newly renovated HUAWEI Experience Store and experience the brands commitment to premium, human-centric service. Showcasing HUAWEIs latest technology for every type of user alongside HUAWEI Cares trusted after-sales support through flexible product displays, seamless guided services, and thoughtfully designed lounge and interactive zones, each store transforms every visit into an effortless, enriching, and premium shopping journey.

For more information, visit HUAWEIs official website or social media accounts (Facebook | Instagram).
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

South Korea says it will stop providing tax incentives for foreign patients who undergo cosmetic surgery, ending an offer that helped turn Seoul into one of the worlds busiest hubs for medical tourism.

The special 10 per cent value-added-tax (VAT) refund was introduced in 2016 and designed to draw international patients to approved clinics for cosmetic and dermatological procedures.

It became a defining feature of the countrys booming plastic surgery and skincare industry, particularly among travellers from China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

The tax break was part of a system that allowed non-residents to reclaim 10 per cent of their treatment costs by presenting documentation at airport or downtown refund counters, and was applied only to procedures performed at medical institutions officially registered with Koreas health ministry.

Eligible treatments included double-eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, facial contouring, skin regeneration and anti-aging therapies.

The ministry of economy and finance confirmed that the VAT refund system will expire on 31 December 2025, after it was excluded from the governments 2025 tax plan, reported the Korea Herald.

Refunds paid to foreign patients hit a record 95.5bn won (48.49m) in 2024, and government data show total medical spending by foreign patients rose from about 400bn won (203.1m) in 2019 to about 1.24 trillion won (629.9m) in 2024, with plastic surgery and dermatology accounting for roughly 77 per cent of that growth.

open image in gallery FILE: The tax refund, introduced in 2016 to draw international patients to approved clinics, became a defining feature of the countrys booming plastic-surgery and skincare industry, particularly among travellers from China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East ( AFP via Getty Images )

According to data from the ministry of health and welfare, the number of foreign patients visiting Korea for medical services reached a record 1.17 million in 2024, up sharply from 610,000 in 2023.

South Koreas capital Seoul alone accounted for roughly 85 per cent of medical spending by international patients in 2024, with nearly 1 million foreign medical tourists receiving treatment there.

Seoul districts like Gangnam, Seocho, and Mapo hosted the largest numbers of international medical tourists in 2024, with Gangnam alone accounting for more than 370,000 visits, followed by Seocho with about 288,000 and Mapo with more than 124,000.

Seoul government data shows that 999,642 foreign medical tourists received treatment in Seoul in 2024, with 85.7 per cent of international medical spending appearing on foreign credit cards used in the city.

The roots of South Koreas medical tourism boom date back to 2009, when the Medical Service Act was amended to allow hospitals to formally market their services to international patients.

The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), a government-affiliated body, established the Medical Korea brand shortly after, promoting bundled treatment-and-tourism packages abroad.

KHIDI records show that annual foreign-patient numbers rose from roughly 60,000 in 2009 to nearly 2.8 million by 2019 cumulatively, before pandemic disruption.

open image in gallery FILE: Many international patients use dedicated medical-tourism concierge services and travel agencies in South Korea that handle appointment scheduling, logistics such as airport pick-ups and accommodation, and translation support ( AFP via Getty Images )

Cosmetic surgery quickly emerged as a defining pillar of the sector. South Korea has one of the highest per-capita rates of plastic surgery globally, and by the mid-2010s had built an international reputation for precision facial procedures, advanced laser dermatology, and post-operative care systems designed specifically for foreign visitors.

Many international patients use dedicated medical-tourism concierge services and travel agencies in South Korea that handle appointment scheduling, logistics such as airport pick-ups and accommodation, and translation support to help coordinate treatment and travel arrangements while abroad.

Additionally, the spread of the Korean wave, or hallyu, in the form of K-pop and Korean dramas created a strong demand for their glass skin aesthetics from nearby markets in China, Japan and Southeast Asia, as well as farther afield.

Industry groups have expressed concern about the impending end of the VAT refund, warning it could affect pricing transparency and competitiveness.

The Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons said the refund served as a significant incentive for those sensitive to price and that its removal could weaken South Koreas ability to attract cost-conscious foreign patients. It warned: As other countries offer aggressive incentives, more people could shift to competing medical tourism destinations.
Close Moment 7.5-magnitude earthquake hits Japan

On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Japan was struck by a new 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Friday morning, hitting a similar area of the Pacific coast to Monday nights powerful 7.5-magnitude tremor.

The new quake off Aomori prefecture triggered a fresh tsunami advisory from the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned of the potential for 1 metre tsunami waves along much of the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.

That advisory was lifted around two hours later, but a number of communities along the coast were evacuated.

The extent of damage or injuries from the new quake wasnt immediately clear.

Japan had earlier warned of possible aftershocks following Mondays 7.5-magnitude tremor. Monday nights earthquake injured at least 51 people and triggered widespread tsunami warnings, with waves of up to 70cm reported in several coastal communities.

On Tuesday, Japans weather agency issued its highest-level warning that a megaquake  an earthquake of magnitude 8 or higher  could follow Mondays powerful tremor. The notice, which remains in place until 16 December, was the first time this top-tier alert has been issued since the warning system was launched in 2022.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Bonnie Blue has been ordered to pay a 10 fine and will be deported from Bali on Friday following her arrest in Bali for alleged pornography offences, according to reports.

The adult content creator, 26, was detained earlier this week along with at least 17 male tourists from Australia and the UK, most of whom were released after questioning.

Police seized camera equipment, contraceptives and the so-called Bang Bus used by Bonnie Blue  whose real name is Tia Billinger  during a raid of a studio where they were committing the alleged offences. The incident appeared to breach Indonesias strict morality laws  but authorities say they have not yet found evidence that the group made pornographic material.

Ms Billinger arrived at a court in Denpasar on Friday, where she was ordered to pay a fine of AU$20 (10) after being found guilty of failing to use a goods-transport vehicle for its intended purpose of carrying goods, according to ABC. If the fine is not paid promptly, she will be forced to spend a year in jail.

open image in gallery The controversial former OnlyFans star arrives at court in Denpasar ( AFP via Getty )

She will be deported from the popular tourist island on Friday evening and is facing a potential 10-year ban from the Indonesian province for violating immigration laws, the broadcaster reported.

Ms Billinger is said to have told the court she did not drive the vehicle, but rode as a passenger. She would have faced up to 15 years in jail had she been charged with pornography offences.

We will immediately take firm action, deport them, and submit them for blacklisting, Winarko, an immigration chief at Bali airport who did not give his full name, told AFP on Thursday.

open image in gallery The adult content creator smiles during her sentencing in Denpasar ( AFP via Getty )

Local police chief Muhammad Arif Batubara said earlier this week that authorities were conducting a joint investigation regarding activities involving alleged criminal acts of pornography or ... material that violates decency.

Two Britons and one Australian man were among those detained after police received a tip-off from a concerned citizen, Mr Batubara said.

Police received complaints that she had hired a bus to travel around the island to film explicit material during schoolies week, when Australian teenagers celebrate finishing high school. She was allegedly joined by at least 17 male tourists aged between 19 and 40, of British and Australian nationalities.

Authorities said they seized school Bonnie Blue outfits, along with cameras, condoms, flash drives, lubricant, pink necklaces, and two sheets of Viagra pills from the studio.

open image in gallery Bonnie Blue will reportedly be deported on Friday night ( AFP via Getty )

The head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office said earlier this week that Ms Billinger was still being investigated and they wanted to follow up on several things that were found by police, the Daily Mail reported.

Ms Billinger this week made her first comments to the media since she was detained, while walking into the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Jimbaran, south of Kuta.

Asked whether she intended to make more explicit content in Bali, she responded according to the Mail Online: Subscribe and youll find out.

The Bang Bus is now over, Ms Billinger said in a video seen by the outlet.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

At least 34 patients and medical staff have been killed in a Myanmar military airstrike on a hospital in the western state of Rakhine, rescue workers and witnesses said, in what rights experts warn could amount to a war crime.

About 80 other people were injured in the attack Wednesday night on the general hospital in Mrauk-U township, an area controlled by the ethnic Arakan Army, an armed rebel group.

The ruling military has not announced news of any attack in the area.

Wai Hun Aung, a senior official for rescue services in Rakhine, told The Associated Press that a jet fighter dropped two bombs at 9.13pm with one hitting the hospitals recovery ward and the other landing near the hospitals main building.

He said he arrived at the hospital early Thursday to provide assistance and recorded the deaths of 17 women and 17 men. He said that most of the hospital building was destroyed by the bombs, and taxis and motorbikes near the hospital were also damaged.

Rakhine-based online media posted photos and videos showing damaged buildings and debris including medical equipment.

open image in gallery In this photo provided by Wai Hun Aung, a damaged building is seen at the hospital that was allegedly hit by a military air strike in Mrauk-U township in Rakhine state, Myanmar

The Mrauk U General Hospital was completely destroyed, Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the Arakan Army told the Reuters news agency.

The high number of casualties occurred because the hospital took a direct hit.

The hospital has been the main source of health care for people in Rakhine, where most hospitals have closed because of Myanmars ongoing civil war, said Mr Wai Hun Aung.

It was reopened after doctors gathered in Mrauk-U to provide much-needed medical services.

Mrauk-U, located 530km (326 miles) northwest of Yangon, the countrys largest city, was captured by the Arakan Army in February last year.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said he condemns the attacks in [the] strongest possible terms and demanded an independent investigation into the deadly strike.

Such attacks may amount to a war crime. I call for investigations and those responsible to be held to account. The fighting must stop now, he said in a video message.

The Arakan Army is the well-trained and well-armed military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement, which seeks autonomy from Myanmars central government. It began its offensive in Rakhine in November 2023 and has seized a strategically important regional army headquarters and 14 of Rakhines 17 townships.

Rakhine, formerly known as Arakan, was the site of a brutal army counterinsurgency operation in 2017 that drove about 740,000 minority Rohingya Muslims to seek safety across the border in Bangladesh. There is still ethnic tension between the Buddhist Rakhine and the Rohingya.

open image in gallery An aerial photo shows damaged buildings at the hospital that was allegedly hit by a military air strike in Mrauk-U township in Rakhine state

Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government, established by elected lawmakers who were barred from taking their seats in 2021, condemned the airstrike.

The organisation urged the international community to pressure the military to end its actions, take action against perpetrators and provide humanitarian assistance as soon as possible.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army took power in 2021, overthrowing the government of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Hundreds of people, including Suu Kyi and her partys senior leaders, were arrested, prompting massive protests. The military rulers responded with a brutal crackdown that escalated into an armed conflict, with some regions turning into active war zones as ethnic militias fought the army.

Last year Independent TV released a documentary charting Suu Kyi's fall from grace, entitled Cancelled: The Rise and Fall of Aung San Suu Kyi, and there have recently been growing calls for her release amid concerns over her deteriorating health.

The government has stepped up airstrikes ahead of planned 28 December elections against the armed pro-democracy Peoples Defense Force. The party is closely associated with the National Unity Government. Opponents of military rule charge that the polls will be neither free not fair, and are mainly an effort to legitimise the army retaining power.

Additional reporting by agencies
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Thailands prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul has dissolved the countrys parliament, paving the way for new elections even as the country remains engaged in a deadly border conflict with Cambodia.

Mr Anutin announced his decision in a Facebook post late on Thursday saying he would return power to the people after a key political party in his minority government threatened to withdraw its support.

The decision received royal permission on Friday from Thai king Maha Vajiralongkorn and means the 500-member House of Representatives now stands dissolved.

According to Thailands constitution, an election must now be held in the next 45 to 60 days, setting the stage for a vote as early as the end of January.

In the meantime Mr Anutin will head a caretaker government with limited powers and cannot approve a new budget.

The 59-year-old was Thailands third prime minister since 2023 and has served for just three months after he took office in September to succeed Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who herself served only a year in office.

open image in gallery Thai residents who fled homes following the clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, rest at an evacuation center in Surin province, Thailand ( AP )

Mr Anutin won the September vote in Parliament with support from the main opposition People's Party. Their support came in exchange for a promise to dissolve Parliament within four months and organise a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly.

There had been reports that the Peoples Party was preparing to file a no-confidence motion against the prime minister after his Bhumjaithai Party voted to keep tha rule requiring one third of the Senate to back any constitutional amendment.

open image in gallery File - Leader of Bhumjai Thai Party Anutin Charnvirakul, center, reacts after lawmakers voted to select him as new prime minister, at the Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025 ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

The prime minister has said the decision will have no effect on the fighting with Cambodia.

Thailand and Cambodia launched a fresh round of fighting on Monday after the two sides accused each other of firing first. At least 20 people have been killed and half a million have been displaced on both sides in over five days of clashes.

Mr Anutins predecessor Ms Paetongtarn was removed from office after a leaked phone call with Cambodias former leader Hun where she was heard criticising the Thai army over the border tensions between the two armies. She became the prime minister after Srettha Thavisin was removed over ethics violations for briefly inducting a convicted lawyer in his cabinet.

Thailand on Thursday urged its citizens to leave Cambodia or reconsider any plans to travel there until the border situation has resolved. Thailands foreign ministry said it was preparing to receive citizens who have been held up at the border as they tried to return home.

Donald Trump again offered to call both sides in the conflict late on Thursday, while the Thai foreign ministry told Trumps secretary of state Marco Rubio that it was committed to peace.

Trump has repeatedly boasted of how he secured peace between the two sides in a US-brokered ceasefire earlier this year, listing it as one of several world conflicts he claims to have ended.
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

My country, Somalia, is on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Today, an acute climate-driven drought is expected to affect around five million people. Without a major increase in adaptation and resilience support, climate-related floods and droughts could inflict up to $100 billion in losses and damages by 2050.

Yet Somalia receives just over $300 million (223m) in climate-related funding each year  less than one per cent of what is needed. By contrast, more than $1 billion flows into the country annually in humanitarian aid.

This imbalance exposes a flaw at the heart of the global climate system: it is easier to help countries recover after crises than it is to invest in preventing them.

Somalia is not alone. Many of the worlds most climate-vulnerable countries are also grappling with conflict or struggling to rebuild after it. They are among the lowest emitters yet face the steepest climate risks  risks that deepen insecurity, displacement and economic fragility.

Despite this, in 2022 these countries received just 10 per cent of global climate finance. This is the blind spot governments must confront as they consider how to act on the outcomes of Cop30 in Brazil.

There are a few reasons for this gap. On the supply side, climate funds see fragile countries as too "high risk" to invest in. And on the demand side, these same states often struggle to navigate funds rigid application requirements and slow timeframes. Although several global institutions are working hard to address these, reforms are moving far too slowly for countries already living with accelerating climate shocks.

Yet there is some meaningful progress. In 2024, Somalia, with a group of countries launched the Improved and Equitable Access to Climate Finance Network, or the IEACF Network. It is the first climate network to be led by countries affected by conflict, fragility and high levels of humanitarian need. Its mission is simple but overdue: to provide a unifying voice for countries facing the double vulnerability of conflict and climate change, and to push for system-wide reform.

At Cop30, this coalition made it clear that incremental change is not enough. My country is also stepping forward with new ambition. Somalia is the first country on the African continent to submit its third nationally determined contribution (NDC)  which lay out a countries future climate action  to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). We are working with bilateral, multilateral and international financial institution partners, including the IMF to strengthen economic institutions and build resilience to climate shocks. And this year, the government established a National Climate Fund to coordinate and attract climate finance  a significant milestone for a country long excluded from major climate flows.

These steps are more than technical achievements. They are a signal to the world that even the most climate-vulnerable nations are prepared to lead with ambition, courage, and vision.

For Somalia  and countries like it  transparent, accessible and predictable climate finance is not a luxury. It is the difference between resilience and ruin. No nation should be forced to live one climate shock away from disaster.

To support countries on the frontlines, climate funds must adopt more risk-tolerant investment policies that recognise the urgency of climate adaptation in conflict-affected settings, rather than using risk as a reason to exclude them.

Humanitarian, development and peacebuilding agencies must also work together with the Somali government on programmes that address climate and conflict risks in tandem, strengthening community resilience and national stability.

Now is the time to act. If we don't invest now, we risk locking countries into an endless cycle of coping with crises  leaving them with no resources to prepare from the next storm. In an increasingly conflict-affected world, the international climate community can no longer afford to ignore countries like Somalia.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is the president of Somalia

This article has been produced as part of The Independents Rethinking Global Aid project
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The water levels in the vital Colorado River appear to be so low at points that people can walk across it, a new report reveals

Ryan Deters told local outlet Fox 5 that he used a drone to film himself walking from one side of the Colorado River to the other. Deters was able to see  and touch  the rivers bottom across its entire width, he told the outlet.

The major river supplies water to seven western U.S. states, but environmental experts have warned that the ongoing climate crisis is threatening the crucial waterway.

The footage, shared with Fox 5, shows Deters in a wetsuit top wading through the river, which only appeared to come up to his chest. The deepest point was about four and a half to five feet, he explained.

Deters, who made the walk earlier this month, told Fox 5 it was the lowest water level hed ever seen in the river.

The Colorado River, seen near the Glen Canyon Dam. A Nevada man documented his journey walking across the river, demonstrating its shockingly low water levels ( AFP via Getty Images )

Im in it all the time, so I kind of know the depths at each height of the units, Deters told Fox 5. Theres a little bit of current but I know that river so well and with the eddies, I could always swim back in whatever, so I wasnt too afraid of that.

In the summer, the river is usually six to 10 feet deeper, depending on how much water is released by the nearby Davis Dam in Arizona, Deters said.

Officials are growing more and more concerned about low water levels in the Colorado River, which recently saw one of its driest years in decades, CalMatters reported in August. Experts are particularly concerned about losses in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which are the largest reservoirs in the country.

Benjamin Bass, a researcher for the University of California, Los Angeless Center for Climate Science, told CalMatters there is a risk of these reservoirs dipping into lower water levels that can make them inoperable.

A series of essays released this week by a group of scientists studying the Colorado River also indicates that climate change is driving lower rainfall, which in turn depletes the river, The Colorado Sun reports.

As a result, these scientists are warning the future of the Colorado River could be in jeopardy. Doug Kenney, chair of the Colorado River Research Group, told The Colorado Sun that the basin is out of time, the crisis is no longer theoretical.
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Indonesias deadliest floods in decades have pushed the worlds rarest great ape closer to extinction, as scientists warn that vast swathes of forest critical to the survival of the Tapanuli orangutan have been destroyed by landslides and extreme rainfall.

Conservationists say the cyclone-driven floods and landslides that tore through parts of North Sumatra late last month did not just kill hundreds of people but also devastated the fragile habitat of the critically endangered species, which exists only in a small mountainous region of the island.

The Tapanuli orangutan was formally recognised as a distinct species only in 2017 and is already teetering on the brink of extinction. Fewer than 800 are believed to remain in the wild, all confined to the Batang Toru ecosystem in Sumatra.

Local rangers say the animals have all but vanished from areas where they were regularly seen before the disaster.

After the landslides hit, the orangutans are nowhere to be seen, said Amran Siagian, a ranger with the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) who has worked in the forests around Sipirok in South Tapanuli for five years. I could no longer hear their voices, he told Reuters.

Deckey Chandra, another humanitarian worker, told the BBC: "They used to come to this place to eat fruits. But now it seems to have become their graveyard."

Indonesias floods and landslides, triggered by extreme rainfall linked to Cyclone Senyar, have killed more than 900 people nationwide, with hundreds still missing. Entire hillsides collapsed, washing away forests, farms and villages, and cutting off remote communities.

Satellite imagery and on-the-ground assessments suggest that large sections of the Batang Toru forest were stripped bare as torrents of mud, trees and water tore through steep terrain.

A drone view shows Bulu Mario village of Sipirok in South Tapanuli ( REUTERS )

Conservationists have confirmed at least one orangutan death, and warn that more may have been killed but not recovered in areas buried under debris.

Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder of the Orangutan Information Centre, said the loss of even a single animal was a setback for the species.

The flooding has compounded pressures already facing the apes. The major threat is the loss of forest due to plantations and extractive industry, he told Reuters.

Environmental groups have long voiced alarm that deforestation linked to logging, mining and plantation expansion has weakened hillsides and increased the risk of catastrophic landslides in the region.

In Sipirok, trees appeared to have been cut down in areas hit hardest by the floods. Mr Siagian said logging had been taking place there for at least a year before the disaster, fragmenting the forest canopy that orangutans rely on to move, feed and breed.

The orangutans live by moving between forest canopy, from branch to branch, he said. If the forest is sparse, it must be difficult for them.

Scientists warned that the floods amounted to an extinction-level disturbance for the species.

We think that between six and 11 per cent of orangutans were likely killed, Erik Meijaard, a longtime orangutan conservationist, told the AFP news agency.

Any kind of adult mortality that exceeds one percent, youre driving the species to extinction, irrespective of how big the population is at the start, he said.

Scientists confirmed this week that hotter ocean temperatures due to the heating cliimate intensified rainfall across Southeast Asia. Warmer seas and heavier downpours have increased the likelihood of destructive flooding and landslides, particularly in deforested or heavily developed areas.

Conservationists are urging authorities to halt further development in the orangutans remaining habitat, expand protected areas and carry out urgent surveys to assess population losses.

If there is no government help, the orangutans could go extinct here, Mr Siagian warned. Especially with this massive deforestation.
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Half of people arrested in London could have undiagnosed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a study has suggested.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge offered people detained at six London Metropolitan Police custody centres voluntary screening for ADHD and autism over an eight-week period.

The results showed one in two people arrested in the capital scored high enough in the screening to warrant further assessment for ADHD, and 5 per cent were thought to have undiagnosed autism.

Researchers behind the study said the results could help officers interpret behaviours that might be misunderstood and ensure appropriate support is provided.

Neurodivergent individuals  particularly autistic people and those with ADHD  are overrepresented within prison populations, according to the study published in the journal Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health.

One in two people arrested in London were found to have ADHD traits, researchers at University of Cambridge found ( Getty Images/iStockphoto )

Dr Tanya Procyshyn, a research associate at the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, said: To ensure fair treatment in the criminal justice system, we need to understand how neurodivergence affects interactions with the law. This can help avoid unnecessary criminalisation of misunderstood behaviour and ensure that potentially vulnerable individuals are able to access appropriate support.

Dr Procyshyn and Dion Brown, a senior detective from the Metropolitan Police Service, co-led a study to explore the feasibility of screening arrested individuals for traits related to ADHD and autism and to examine the reasons leading to the arrest.

ADHD traits were assessed using a modified version of the adult ADHD self-report scale. Autistic traits were assessed using the 10-item autism-spectrum quotient.

Those who scored above the thresholds for ADHD or autistic traits were informed and given additional information on how to seek a formal diagnosis.

Out of the 303 offered a screening, 71 per cent accepted and 8 per cent already had an ADHD diagnosis. That is 3 per cent higher than in the general population. Out of those who scored above the threshold for ADHD, 17 per cent had a very high number of ADHD traits.

Nine individuals (4.2 per cent) had an existing autism diagnosis, which again is slightly higher than the prevalence of autism in the general adult population (3 per cent). An additional 5.4 per cent scored at or above the threshold for possible undiagnosed autism.

More than half (60 per cent) were arrested for drug offences and had an existing diagnosis or positive screening result for ADHD. This supports previous studies, which have found that some neurodivergent individuals may self-medicate with illegal substances.

But research shows people with ADHD are less likely to engage in criminal behaviour when taking medication for ADHD.

Detective Brown said: Early identification helps officers interpret behaviours that might otherwise be misunderstood and ensures appropriate support is provided. This approach creates opportunities to divert vulnerable individuals away from the criminal justice process and towards the help they may need.
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Flu outbreaks are severely impacting schools across the UK, leading to significant drops in pupil attendance and critical staffing shortages, a leading union has warned.

The widespread illness has already forced some institutions to close their doors.

One school in Cornwall recently shut down due to "unprecedented and increasing incidences" of both flu and strep, following several similar reports of closures over recent weeks.

This comes amidst a national surge in influenza cases, which have jumped by 55 per cent in just one week. The Health Secretary has cautioned about a "tidal wave of flu" currently overwhelming hospitals.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders union, stated: "We have seen flu outbreaks in schools having an impact on both pupil attendance and staffing levels."

He added that while schools are striving to minimise infection spread, closures remain a last resort, despite "some isolated cases" already occurring.

open image in gallery Budehaven Community School in Cornwall said it would move to remote learning over Thursday and Friday due to rising flu cases ( Google )

In a letter to parents on Wednesday, Budehaven Community School in Cornwall said it would move to remote learning over Thursday and Friday because of the current unprecedented and increasing incidences of Influenza (Flu) and Group A Streptococcus infection amongst our pupil, Sixth Form student, and staff populations.

The schools said it was hoped closing would reduce the spread of illness, and confirmed on Friday it planned to reopen as normal on Monday.

Meanwhile, Radwinter Church of England Primary School in Essex is closed Friday and Monday due to a norovirus outbreak, the county council website says.

It was reported last week St Martins School in Caerphilly had closed after more than 250 pupils and members of staff fell ill.

Congleton High School in Cheshire shut temporarily in November, it was reported, for a deep clean after several cases of illness.

open image in gallery The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has urged Britons to take their last chance to be vaccinated against flu in time for Christmas ( Alamy/PA )

NHS figures released on Thursday show the number of people in hospital in England with flu remained at a record level for this time of year and has jumped by 55 per cent in a week.

Meanwhile, in the last week of November, 107 new incidents of acute respiratory illness were reported in education settings, a large increase on the previous week, the latest UK Health Security Agency figures show.

Earlier this week, Simon Kidwell, headteacher at Hartford Manor Primary School and Nursery in Cheshire told BBC Breakfast combatting flu had been a real challenge.

The winter bugs spread really easily in schools, he told the show on Monday.

We do know that we can do things to make sure that its safer in schools.

But weve seen schools close to us in Cheshire close for three days, so it has been a real challenge this year.
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Cuts to overseas aid budgets are a tragedy that is leading to a large numbers of deaths around the world, Bill Gates has warned.

Speaking to Politico, the Microsoft co-founder and chair of the Gates Foundation also expressed a commitment to working with President Donald Trump, who has slashed funding to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on areas where they can find common ground.

There were sudden and massive cuts  you just cant deny thats led to lots of deaths, Gates said, adding that nobody wants to take responsibility for the tragedy thats going on here.

The Gates Foundation, which supports The Independents Rethinking Global Aid project, is the world's largest private foundation  funding global health initiatives, particularly around vaccines and infectious diseases, as well as climate initiatives.

After countries including the US, UK and Germany announced wide-ranging cuts to their aid budgets this year, Gates announced plans to speed up his charitable giving - though he has also warned that philanthropies cannot fill the gap left by foreign governments cutting aid.

Gates suggested that there were still areas where the two can find common ground.

In my dialogue with President Trump, he clearly cares about these issues and wants to find a generous level for the spending so that the US wont be responsible for these big increases [in deaths], Gates said.

Gates said that he has had great conversations about eradicating polio with the president, despite the presence of high-profile vaccine skeptics like Robert F Kennedy Jr. in his government ( PA Wire )

The Microsoft founder added that he has had great conversations about eradicating polio with the president, who he said would love to be the leader in charge if the disease is finally eradicated - despite the presence of high-profile vaccine skeptics like Robert F Kennedy Jr. in his government.

Gates comments come days after a Gates Foundation report warned that around 200,000 more children under the age of five are projected to die across the world this year compared with 2024  the first time this century that has happened  due to he unprecedented aid cuts that have been announced this year.

The report projects that there will be 4.8 million child deaths , compared with 4.6 million the year before. Until now, deaths of under-fives around the world had fallen every year since 2000, when the toll stood at 10 million.

This year, sadly, is almost certain to be the first year of this century where that has not just stopped, but reversed, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman told The Independent .

By far, the largest single cause of death is the cuts in international aid , he added. When you pull back at short notice, that has consequences, and sadly those consequences are measured in human lives .
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a significant early Christian artefact: a fresco depicting Jesus as the "Good Shepherd," styled with Roman features.

This remarkable painting was discovered in August within an underground tomb situated near Iznik, a town in northwestern Turkey historically pivotal as the site where the Nicene Creed was established in A.D. 325. The region, then part of the Roman Empire, saw the tomb in Hisardere village dated to the 3rd century.

This period was marked by widespread persecution of Christians, making the find an even more poignant insight into their early practices. Pope Leo XIV recently visited Iznik on his inaugural overseas trip.

The Good Shepherd fresco depicts a youthful, clean-shaven Jesus dressed in a toga and carrying a goat across his shoulders. Researchers say it is one of the rare instances in Anatolia where Jesus is portrayed with distinctly Roman attributes.

Before the cross was widely adopted as Christianity s universal symbol, the Good Shepherd motif played a key role in expressing faith, indicating protection, salvation and divine guidance.

open image in gallery Archaeologists clean and restore frescoes inside a 3rd-century tomb where a rare early Christian depiction of Jesus as the "Good Shepherd" was discovered, in Iznik, Turkey, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Despite its central role in early Christianity, however, only a few examples of the Good Shepherd have been found in Anatolia and the one in Hisardere is the best preserved.

The Associated Press was the first international media organization granted access to the tomb. Lead archaeologist Gulsen Kutbay described the artwork as possibly the only example of its kind in Anatolia.

The walls and ceiling of the cramped tomb are decorated with bird and plant motifs. Portraits of noble men and women, accompanied by slave attendants, also decorate the walls.

Eren Erten Ertem, an archaeologist from Iznik Museum, said the frescoes showed a transition from late paganism to early Christianity, depicting the deceased being sent off to the afterlife in a positive and fitting manner.

The excavation uncovered the skeletons of five individuals, anthropologist Ruken Zeynep Kose said. Because of poor preservation, it was impossible to determine the ages of two of them, but the others were two young adults and a 6-month-old infant.

Pope Leo XIV visited Iznik last month to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today.

open image in gallery A Roman-era fresco depicting a banquet scene is seen inside a newly uncovered tomb in Hisardere, in Iznik in northwestern Turkey, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Joined by patriarchs and priests from the Eastern and Western churches, Leo prayed that Christians might once again be united.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, presented a tile painting of the Good Shepherd discovery to Leo during his visit.

Anatolia witnessed pivotal moments in Christian history: St. Paul was born in Tarsus, St. John spent his final years in Ephesus and the Virgin Mary may have lived her last days near the same city.
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Italian authorities have apprehended 34 tomb raiders suspected of plundering ancient treasures from archaeological sites across Sicily and the neighbouring region of Calabria.

The arrests mark a significant victory in the ongoing battle against the illicit trade of Italy's rich cultural heritage.

The operation saw nine people placed in pre-trial detention and 14 under house arrest in Sicily alone. Charges levied against the alleged "tomb raiders" include criminal conspiracy, theft of cultural property, trading in stolen goods, and counterfeiting, according to police and prosecutors.

Officers successfully recovered approximately 10,000 archaeological artefacts, with an estimated total value of 17 million (14.5 million).

Among the haul were 7,000 ancient coins issued by various Greek city-states that once flourished in Sicily, alongside hundreds of clay and terracotta vases, bronze rings, brooches, and arrowheads.

The looting of Italy's vast artistic and archaeological wealth remains a persistent challenge, though the Carabinieri police art squad has achieved notable successes in recent years in repatriating stolen items.

open image in gallery The looting of Italy's rich artistic and archaeological heritage is a centuries-old problem, but the Carabinieri police art squad has had somesuccess in recent years in recovering stolen artefacts ( AFP/Getty )

In Italy, the term "tombaroli" is used to describe criminals who illicitly excavate and trade any archaeological treasures, extending beyond those found specifically in ancient tombs or graves.

Authorities also discovered a clandestine lab in the eastern Sicilian province of Catania, which produced fake ancient coins, pottery and copper, and seized some looted coins in Germany, where they had been smuggled for resale.

Agricultural code words

In Calabria, two people were put in pre-trial detention and nine under house arrest on similar charges. Prosecutors from the town of Catanzaro said the suspects had operated with the "implicit consent" of a local Ndrangheta mafia clan.

The suspects kept phone contacts to a minimum for fear of being wiretapped, and used agricultural code words in their conversations, such as "asparagus" or "fennel", to disguise their illicit activities, prosecutors said.

open image in gallery The word tombaroli, or tomb raiders, is applied in Italy to criminals who loot any archaeological treasures, not only those found in ancient tombs or graves ( Parco Archeologico di Pompei/Handout via REUTERS )

In the suspects' lingo, "chainsaw" stood for "metal detector", they added.

Sicily is home to various ancient Roman and Greek archaeological sites, including the spectacular Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Calabria also has a rich historical heritage.

"We are talking about territories as vast as the cultural heritage that lies under their ground," General Antonio Petti, head of the Carabinieri art squad, told a press conference in Rome.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

A man initially cleared of his wifes murder has been convicted of the crime after their child presented compelling new evidence.

Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, was found guilty by a unanimous jury at Inner London Crown Court of murdering his wife, Dawn, on 2 June 2016, Surrey Police confirmed.

He was also convicted of child cruelty, having inflicted a wound on a child under 10  who cannot be named for legal reasons  in an attempt to conceal the crime. Further charges included perverting the course of justice, by causing injuries to himself and the child, and manipulating the child to inflict injuries upon him as part of his cover-up attempt.

Police said Rhodes was also found guilty of perjury at the Old Bailey in 2017 and perjury at the family court in 2018 for falsely giving evidence that he knew was untrue.

Jurors in the trial at Inner London Crown Court heard how Rhodes had originally been acquitted of the murder in 2017 after the jury believed his account that Dawn had tried to attack him first and he was acting in self defence.

A main witness in the trial  the child under 10  told their therapist in November 2021 that their father had planned Dawns murder and had manipulated them into being involved in it.

open image in gallery Family handout photo issued by Surrey Police of Dawn Rhodes, her husband Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, has been convicted at Inner London Crown Court of murdering Dawn on June 2 2016 after the jury returned a unanimous verdict ( Surrey Police/PA Wire )

Police said Rhodes described this as our plan and then made the child lie about how their mother had died.

In an interview, the child talked about how their father had caused the relationship with their mother to deteriorate and how he had manipulated them into helping Rhodes get rid of their mother.

The child also told police that during supervised contact with Rhodes in 2016 and 2017  while he was on bail after being charged with Dawns murder  he continued to give them instructions to stick to the plan and told them that they had got some things wrong.

Police said Rhodes continued to manipulate and groom the child, including hiding a phone at his mothers house on which he would leave messages for the child reminding them about the agreement they had made.

Rhodess acquittal was quashed in November 2024 and permission was granted for a retrial.

During the retrial, the court heard how the marriage had been in difficulty prior to Dawns death and Rhodes had filed for divorce.

Police said the child made a 999 call at 7.34pm on June 2 during which Rhodes said his wife had attacked him and their child with a knife and that he had acted in self-defence.

Police found Dawn Rhodes lying on the kitchen floor with her throat cut to the extent that all the structures in her neck had been severed.

open image in gallery Photo issued by Surrey Police of Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, who has been convicted at Inner London Crown Court of murdering his wife Dawn on June 2 2016 after the jury returned a unanimous verdict ( Surrey Police/PA Wire )

Rhodes told police that his wife had hit him twice on the back of the head, and the child said a deep laceration to their arm had been caused by their mother.

Rhodes was arrested for murder that evening.

He told police that he and Dawn had been arguing in the kitchen when she picked up a knife and swung it towards the child, at which point he said he told the child to go upstairs.

Rhodes said that he managed to get hold of the knife and that she came at him in a fury.

He said he swung at her with the knife, making contact with her neck, before he ran upstairs and called police.

The child gave an account consistent with the one Rhodes had given as to how their injuries had been inflicted.

In the aftermath of the murder, Rhodes told police he lashed out at his wife after she flipped like the green Marvel Comics character The Hulk.

Senior investigating officer detective chief inspector Kimball Edey, from the Surrey and Sussex Police major crime team, said: During the first trial, Dawn was portrayed as the villain but had actually been a victim of domestic abuse and coercive control at the hands of her husband for years.

The fact that Rhodes not only murdered his wife in cold blood but then manipulated and groomed his own child to play a part in his evil scheme and cover up what he had done is simply despicable  not only did he take a life; he irreparably damaged another, as well as the lives of everyone else who loved Dawn.

The fact that the child came forward nine years after their mothers death to tell the truth about what happened is remarkable and shows enormous bravery.

While it should be acknowledged that the child was under the age of criminal responsibility at the time of Dawns death and that they were not responsible for the acts that Rhodes manipulated them into doing, the realisation that they were complicit in Dawns death and coming forward to set the record straight nine years later, is nothing short of extraordinary.

Dawns mother Liz Spencer said she was a loving daughter, sister and mother, adding: Being a mother was what brought joy to Dawn, she always wanted to be a mother.

Dawn was caring, capable and strong. She would do anything for anyone and was loved by both friends and family.

Dawn was an organiser and very much a people person. She would organise local charity events to include the community and her colleagues where she worked at the Raven Housing Trust.

She would always be involved in the organisation of work social events, especially around Christmas time. Dawn was loved by all her peers.

During her life, Dawn was looking for someone to build a life with. She was looking for someone to love and be loved by someone to trust and be trusted by and someone to respect and be respected by.

Rhodes will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday January 16.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been pictured in a set of images released from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Photos from Epsteins estate were released by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday, including images of US president Donald Trump, Mountbatten-Windsor, and Steve Bannon. Its not clear when the photos were taken, as they are undated. No captions or context have been provided for any of the images.

Of the 19 photos shared by the Democrats, there is only one photo of Andrew where he stands with Microsoft magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates during the Malaria Summit in London in 2018.

Epstein is not featured in the image, which appears to be a cropped version of a professionally taken-photograph, which excludes the then-Prince Charles, who was also in frame. It remains unclear why the photo was part of Epstein's estate. Andrews appearance in the photo is not an indication of wrongdoing.

Andrew, who was born a prince, had his birthright title removed by the King because of his serious lapses of judgment over his association with Epstein. Andrew, among many of those photographed, has denied any wrongdoing surrounding his association with the disgraced financier.

open image in gallery Prince Andrew was photographed with Bill Gates and another, unknown individual as part of the images released ( Getty via House Oversight Committee )

Scrutiny began to circle around Andrew following a 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, where he was questioned about his friendship with the convicted paedophile.

Andrew said in the controversial interview that he met Epstein through British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell who had been in a relationship with the financier. He continued to visit Epstein in New York after the financiers conviction for child sex offences in 2008.

Controversy mounted earlier this year following the release of Virginia Giuffres memoir, Nobodys Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice, in which the now-deceased author said he believed having sex with me was his birthright.

open image in gallery The photo, part of the Democrats release, was cropped from a professional picture that included then-Prince Charles, who is now King ( Getty )

The royal settled allegations of sexual abuse in court with Ms Giuffre in 2022 involving a substantial donation to her charity and an acknowledgment of her suffering, without admitting liability in the civil case.

Ms Giuffre claimed she had sex with the former prince on three separate occasions, including while staying at the house of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins former girlfriend, near Hyde Park, London, in March 2001.

open image in gallery Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell (US Department of Justice/PA) ( US Department of Justice )

The extract states: Maxwell woke me up that morning by announcing in a sing-songy voice: Get out of bed, sleepyhead! It was going to be a special day, she said. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince!

Andrew wasnt the only high-profile figure in the batch of pictures released. One photo portrayed President Trump with five women, whose faces have been blurred out, as he grinned in the middle. More personal photos saw Epstein with director Woody Allen and Steve Bannon.

open image in gallery ( House Oversight Committee )

One photo saw Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson on a beach with Epstein and another man.

open image in gallery Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended the christening of his granddaughter earlier on Friday (PA) ( PA Wire )

Another image shows a collection of condoms  on sale for $4.50 each  depicting a caricature of Trumps face above the phrase: Im HUUUUGE!

House Oversight Committee Democrats wrote in a social media post Friday that they had received 95,000 new photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate.

open image in gallery Photos connected to President Trump were also released as part of the set of images ( House Oversight Committee )

These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files, the statement added.

American politicians have also criticised the former prince for his silence after he missed a deadline last month to respond to their request to sit for an interview about Epstein.

Andrew is set to move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to the Kings private Sandringham estate in Norfolk at some point in the new year, completing his internal exile.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Children across the UK are favouring classic toys this Christmas, with Lego, Barbie dolls, and bikes topping their wish lists, new research has revealed.

Notably, no electric gadgets featured in the top ten most popular requests, according to letters sent to Santa via the Royal Mail.

Lego retained its top position, with Barbie securing second place. Scooters, bikes, and skateboards collectively ranked third.

Clothes and pyjama sets were the fourth most requested gifts, followed by books, chocolates, and sweets.

Royal Mail said the top 10 most requested toys of 2025 were:

Lego Barbie/doll Bike/scooter/skateboard Clothes/pyjamas Books Chocolate/sweets Labubu Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch) A surprise Make-up sets

The head of Santas Mailroom, Jennifer Robb, said: Its wonderful to see the magic of Christmas shining through in this years wish lists.

Lego and Barbie continue to lead the way, but we love the mix of timeless favourites like bikes, books and sweets alongside popular character collectibles such as Labubu and Stitch.

Whatevers under the tree, its clear that simple joys are at the heart of every childs Christmas.

Speed Champions Formula 1 cars are among the most popular Lego sets ( DreamToys )

The news comes as Christmas shoppers have been warned over websites purporting to be  quaint UK businesses, but are actually made by artificial intelligence (AI) and based thousands of miles away.

BBC Morning Live consumer expert Louise Minchin told viewers on Tuesday (9 December) what to watch out for during the festive season.

Minchin examined several websites, including one business using AI-generated images claiming to be a quintessential British clothing firm based in Bristol - but upon closer inspection, she found that it was based in Hong Kong.

Consumer group Which? advises shoppers to be wary of images that look too perfect, cartoonish or overly airbrushed and to use an image search tool to see if the picture appears elsewhere.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Dr Ranj Singh has become the latest star to support The Independents SafeCall campaign to create a new national lifeline for missing young people.

The celebrity doctor and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant backed the launch of the vital new service after donations surged past 100,000 last weekend.

As momentum builds towards hitting the final 165,000 target, he appealed to readers to continue to donate to make sure no child feels alone, unheard, or forgotten.

Alongside the charity Missing People, this publication is raising the funds to launch SafeCall, a free, round-the-clock service designed by young people, for young people, to help reach the more than 72,000 children who disappear every year in the UK.

Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give 10 to Missing People  enough for one child to get help.

open image in gallery Dr Ranj Singh has become the latest star to throw his support behind The Independent s SafeCall campaign to create a new national lifeline for missing young people ( Getty Images )

In a moving call to action, Dr Ranj, who is also a television presenter, author and columnist, said: Its such a horrible truth that many children and young people feel invisible  at home, at school, even in care. Even at a young age, theyre carrying the weight of mental health struggles, family conflict, and pressure from people who mean them harm. Every day, theyre making impossible choices just to feel safe, and then one day, they disappear.

No one should ever feel like this  especially children  and we cannot, and must not, accept this.

SafeCall will make sure theyre not invisible anymore. It will give them someone who cares, someone who will listen without judgment, and a way to find safety when everything feels dangerous. Thats why Im asking everyone to please join The Independent and Missing People by supporting this appeal. Together, we can make sure no child feels alone, unheard, or forgotten.

The 46-year-old joins prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said that all young people deserve safety as he urged the public to donate to the cause. Bafta-winning actor Monica Dolan, comedian and TV presenter Dara O Briain, writer Sir Stephen Fry, campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, former England captain Sir David Beckham and the crime writer Sir Ian Rankin are among the other prominent figures backing the appeal.

SafeCall will provide advice, guidance and a route to safety for children in danger of disappearing or already missing, who are at risk of exploitation or harm. Many disappear repeatedly or because of issues linked to exploitation, family breakdown, or mental health. The new service will offer them a dedicated helpline, WhatsApp channel, chatbot and website.

Dr Ranj has been an active supporter of Missing People and an advocate for the issue. He hosted the charitys annual Night of Light Gala in March, during which he highlighted the strong link between mental health and going missing.

The TV doctor is also an ambassador for several UK charities, including WellChild, which helps young people with serious health conditions, as part of his support for a number of charitable causes, mainly focused on children's health, general wellbeing and LGBTQ+ advocacy.

open image in gallery Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said that all young people deserve safety as he urged the public to donate to the cause ( AFP via Getty Images )

He is best known not only for competing as a celebrity dancer in series 16 of the BBCs Strictly, but also for working as a resident doctor on ITVs This Morning for five years. Before that, he co-created and presented the CBeebies show Get Well Soon from 2012 to 2015, and later co-hosted Save Money: Good Health with Sian Williams. He also won Cooking with the Stars in 2022.

Please donate now to The Independent and Missing Peoples SafeCall campaign, which aims to raise 165,000 to create a free, nationwide service helping vulnerable children find safety and support.

For advice, support and options if you or someone you love goes missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000. Its free, confidential and non-judgemental. Or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Hundreds of thousands of parents are turning to food banks to feed their families despite being in paid work, new research has suggested, as the cost of living continues to rise in the UK.

Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of working parents used a food support service in the past year, a survey by The Felix Project has found. That figure could equate to around 1,725,000 parents if played out nationally.

Of these parents, one in four are turning to a food bank every one or two weeks, as an increasing amount say they are struggling to feed their children.

The findings are the latest stark reminder of the rising cost of essentials that millions across the UK are struggling with. It follows an estimate from major food bank provider Trussell earlier in the month that it will be providing a food parcel every 10 seconds this winter.

Rachel Ledwith, head of community at The Felix Project said: This is a stark picture; to have the proof that children are going to bed hungry on a weekly basis is heartbreaking and to know that without food banks so many working people would go hungry demonstrates the need we are facing across every part of society.

open image in gallery Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of working parents used a food support service in the past year, a survey by The Felix Project has found ( Getty Images )

The food redistribution charitys survey of 4,000 working parents also found:

10 per cent of parents have had to send their children to bed hungry at least once a week

9 per cent of parents have had to send their children to school at least once a week knowing they are hungry

67 per cent of parents who use food support worry their children are aware of the familys financial issues

Edith is a single mother from South London who lives with her 16-year-old son. Despite working in a school five days a week, she says the rising cost of essentials means she is using a food bank every Wednesday.

She says this has meant she doesnt have to skip meals herself, adding: but as a parent, I do buy less for myself, go without things because of the children. Honestly, the service, it's really helping me get by  I dont know what I would do without it.

I'm not doing any Christmas shopping. I'm not buying presents, because I don't want to be in debt. So, my children, they know mummys not going to buy them anything tangible. We do celebrate Christmas, but they don't expect any presents because there's no money to buy it.

Nike, who runs the food bank, says that for so many children the service is becoming the norm: We still see lots of people on benefits and pensioners, but more working people are coming to us.

open image in gallery Millions of parents are turning to food banks to feed their families despite being in paid work, new research has suggested ( Getty Images )

They are doing all they can, but wages and bills are not in sync and they have no choice if they dont want their children going to bed hungry  which sadly they are. I am not surprised to see these numbers and would expect many food banks across the country are in the same position, he says.

Research from the Living Wage Foundation in October found that over half of Britains low-paid workers are forced to skip meals regularly.

The findings from The Felix Project support this, with the proportion of parents turning to food banks rising to nearly one-third (30 per cent) when their incomes are at or below 25,000.

A Government spokesperson said: Food bank use is a blight on the country and although it went down last year we are determined to do more.

To help with the cost of living we have increased the National Living Wage, worth 900 a year from next year for a full-time worker, and will take 150 off average energy bills from April.

Thanks to our decision to scrap the two-child limit and introduce a wider package of measures for families we will also lift 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

King Charles has called for people across the UK to attend cancer screenings, warning of millions of missed opportunities for early diagnoses as he opened up about his overwhelming personal journey.

In a recorded message in support of Stand Up To Cancer, he announced his own treatment would be rolled back in the new year in what he called a personal blessing.

But the King, who used the broadcast to reflect on his own experiences, said he had been deeply troubled to learn that at least 9 million people in the UK are not up to date with the cancer screenings available to them.

Charles revealed he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer in February 2024. While Buckingham Palace hasnt specified what type of cancer he has, officials said it was discovered after treatment for an enlarged prostate revealed a separate issue of concern.

open image in gallery The King has recorded a personal message as part of Stand Up To Cancer 2025 ( PA )

In the address, which was recorded at Clarence House two weeks ago, he urged Britons to overcome embarrassment and make use of screening programmes. He also unveiled a new national Screening Checker that allows people to check their eligibility online.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he is "glad" the King's cancer treatment is set to be reduced.

In a post on X, Sir Keir said: A powerful message from His Majesty The King. I know I speak for the entire country when I say how glad I am that his cancer treatment will be reduced in the new year.

Early cancer screening saves lives.

Paying tribute to the specialists, nurses, researchers and volunteers who treat and support cancer patients, Charles said he had been profoundly moved by their work.

During the festive season, he asked people to join him in finding a special place in your hearts for the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who receive a cancer diagnosis each year, as well as those who care for them.

I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming, he said. Yet I also know that early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams  and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope.

He spoke passionately about the importance of getting checked, saying his own early diagnosis had allowed him to lead a full and active life even while undergoing treatment.

Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives, he added.

open image in gallery King Charles has continued to attend royal engagements since his diagnosis ( AP )

He then shared his own personal good news, saying: Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to doctors orders, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year.

This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the 50 per cent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.

In the address, the King said people too often avoided screening for fear of discomfort or embarrassment. If and when they do finally take up their invitation, they are glad they took part, he said.

A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance that comes for most people when they are either told they dont need further tests, or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow.

open image in gallery The monarchs cancer treatment will be rolled back in the new year ( Yui Mok/PA )

He ended his address with a prayer that each person could play their part in helping to catch cancer early.

Your life  or the life of someone you love  may depend upon it, he added.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed the King would continue to receive treatment for his cancer but said he had responded exceptionally well and measures would now move into a precautionary phase.

His message comes amid warnings from NHS leaders that the health service is facing a worst case scenario this December as flu rates soar.

Health chiefs have warned that the unprecedented wave is pushing staff to the limit, and said the surge in admissions shows just how dangerous the situation is getting across our NHS hospitals.

The NHS national medical director, Professor Meghana Pandit, said: With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors strike, this unprecedented wave of superflu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year  with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients.

The number of patients in the hospital with flu is extremely high for this time of year. Even worse, it continues to rise, and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

A senior bishop in the Church of England has hit out at fake claims that Christmas has been cancelled and criticised those seeking to politicise Christianity ahead of a carols event organised by anti-migrant activist Tommy Robinson.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has urged supporters of his Unite the Kingdom movement to put the Christ back into Christmas this Saturday with an outdoor event in Whitehall.

In a significant intervention, the Right Reverend David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, has said it is offensive that people are appropriating this great Christian festival of light triumphing over darkness as a prop in a dim culture war.

Writing for The Independent, Dr Walker said: Each year we see a rather strange tradition: familiar claims that somewhere, someone is trying to ban Christmas.

He warned that populists are keen to scour the internet in search of something, anything, to show that Christmas is supposedly being taken away.

open image in gallery Rt Rev David Walker has warned against using Christmas to spread anger ( PA )

He continued: While they focus on something different each time, at heart its usually the same tale: that some other out there wants to erase the traditional idea of Christmas. Sometimes it is said to be a shadowy but somehow ubiquitous woke elite, sometimes minorities, and often people of other faiths.

The people behind these stories are not doing this to share the message of Christmas  of joy and love  but to spread division.

He hailed Christmas as one moment in the year when, even in our more secular society, the powerful message of love, of God coming and living among us as one of us, cuts through.

This holiday season, Dr Walker, who has been bishop of Manchester since 2013, called on believers and non-believers to look up towards the angels proclaiming peace on Earth and goodwill to all, rather than scroll down in the comments.

open image in gallery Dr David Walker: The people behind these stories are not doing this to share the message of Christmas  of joy and love  but to spread division ( PA )

The intervention comes ahead of a Christmas carols event organised in London by the far-right activist, Robinson.

In preparation for Saturdays event, Robinson has been sharing claims on X (Twitter) that Christmas is cancelled in Paris or that Muslims in Manchester were disrespecting a Christmas market.

The anti-migrant campaigner has planned a follow-up event to his Unite the Kingdom march, which saw more than 100,000 people turn out for what was billed as a free speech protest and included Elon Musk telling the crowd that violence is coming to you and you either fight back or you die.

open image in gallery Robinson has been sharing claims that Christmas is cancelled in Paris or that Muslims in Manchester were disrespecting a Christmas market ( Getty )

Robinson, who has been speaking more about Christianity since coming out of prison in May this year, has promised speeches and music at the Whitehall event on Saturday. In a recent video posted to X, he told his followers: We cant keep moaning in this country, saying Its a Christian country... unless we are going to celebrate and identify as Christians and be Christians.

He has pledged that Saturdays event will not be a political protest.

Writing in The Independent, Dr Walker said: It is a precious time of year. And in the times in which were living, its simple but powerful message, sung by angels  peace on Earth, goodwill to all  could scarcely seem more urgent.

Yet  each year we see a rather strange tradition: familiar claims that somewhere, someone is trying to ban Christmas.

open image in gallery For all the talk of defending the Christian essence of Christmas, they are doing the very opposite, says Dr Walker ( AFP via Getty )

Referring to stories about Christmas being taken away, he said: For all the talk of defending the Christian essence of Christmas, they are doing the very opposite: reducing the majesty and mystery of the birth of Jesus, God coming to live among us, to silly stories about the labelling of consumer products.

His intervention comes as the Church of England posted a video on their social media account on Friday, challenging claims that Christmas is under threat.

Every year, we hear stories that somehow Christmas is being cancelled, or that somehow the joy of Christmas is under threat, the video said.

Its news to us, because in every church, every parish, every Cathedral in every corner of our country, you will find a story of hope and love.

The post added: It's Christmas. It belongs to us all, and everyone's invited.

Meanwhile the bishop of Southwark, the bishop of Croydon, the bishop of Kingston, and the bishop of Woolwich issued a joint statement condemning any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others.

They said: We are gravely concerned about the use of Christian symbols and rhetoric to apparently justify racism and anti-migrant rhetoric.

The bishops spoke directly to Robinsons supporters, saying: We would encourage them to think again, to consider what kind of world they want to be a part of  and to choose compassion and understanding over hostility and conflict.

Robinson has seen some support from Christians outside of the Church of England, with Ceirion Dewar, who is listed as a Bishop in the Confessing Anglican Church, featuring in the trailer for the event.

open image in gallery Several bishops issued a joint statement condemning any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others ( Getty )

Chris Wickland, a pastor from the Living Word Church Network, is also pictured in the promotional material, as is Rikki Doolan, a musician who wrote a theme song for the Unite the Kingdom rally.

The Right Reverend Arun Arora, the bishop of Kirstall and the Church of Englands co-lead on racial justice, told The Independent last weekend that the Church had a duty to confront and resist the capture of Christian language and symbols by populist forces.

Speaking about Robinsons recent activism, Bishop Arun said: I rejoice that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has recently come to faith in prison. Having experienced the wide mercy of Gods grace, Stephen does not now have the right to deny it to others.

Having embraced and accepted Gods welcome, he cant now restrict it from others who may be equally lost. Nor does he have the right to subvert the faith so that it serves his purposes rather than the other way round.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The Ministry of Defence is consolidating its intelligence operations in a significant move to bolster the UK's defence against evolving global threats.

This strategic overhaul follows revelations from the inquiry into the 2018 Novichok poisoning of Dawn Sturgess, which highlighted that foreign intelligence services are now operating "far beyond traditional espionage norms," according to the MoD.

The report's findings, which concluded that a Russian GRU military intelligence squad attempted to assassinate Sergei Skripal by applying the nerve agent to his Salisbury door handle, prompted the UK to impose sanctions on the entire GRU agency.

The shake-up announced on Friday brings together units from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, UK Space Command and Permanent Joint Headquarters to speed up information gathering from land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.

Following recommendations in the strategic defence review, the creation of the Military Intelligence Services comes as hostile states ramp up attacks on cyber networks, satellites and global shipping lanes and the spread of disinformation.

To counter hostile intelligence activity against the MoD, which has risen by more than 50 per cent over the past year, the department is also launching a new Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit.

The creation of the Military Intelligence Services comes as hostile states ramp up attacks on cyber networks, satellites and global shipping lanes and the spread of disinformation. ( MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire )

Defence Secretary John Healey said: As threats increase, we are making defence intelligence smarter.

This Government is delivering the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review, putting Britain at the leading edge of military innovation.

For intelligence, this means cutting-edge technology, clearer structures and faster data flows. This gives us sharper insights into what our adversaries might do next, so we protect our forces, safeguard critical infrastructure, and deter changing threats.

Our intelligence work is usually unseen but always essential. I am grateful to all our Military Intelligence Services personnel whose round-the-clock vigilance keeps the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

The Military Intelligence Services will operate under the command of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command.

Its commander, General Sir Jim Hockenhull, said intelligence operations underpinning defence are always on in an increasingly complex and volatile world where threats are always evolving.

He said: The establishment of the Military Intelligence Services and the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit are significant steps forward in strengthening the UKs ability to anticipate threats, enabling faster and more precise action, supporting our Armed Forces, and protecting our citizens.

Sir Keir Starmer said the Dawn Sturgess inquiry showed the UK must remain vigilant to reckless Russian hostile activity on UK soil.

Whether its intelligence, whether its the operations that are carried out from places such as this, we do everything within our power  to keep our citizens safe from all threats, but particularly at the moment threats from Russia, the Prime Minister said last week.
The assisted dying bill should be a showcase for parliament at its very best: politicians and experts working across party boundaries to make a real difference to people. But such is the depth of feeling about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that arguments have become concerned with procedure as well as principle, and there is now a chance the bill will end up failing simply because it runs out of parliamentary time.

It has already been subject to exceptional scrutiny in the House of Lords, and the process is far from over. As a private members bill, it is more vulnerable to running out of time compared to a government bill that would have the full weight of the Labour whips behind it.

Where are we on assisted dying?

The bill has just had another debate at the committee stage in the Lords, including a lengthy discussion about whether people know their GPs personally these days. More such discussions of detail are being demanded. More than 1,000 amendments to the bill that were passed by the House of Commons have been tabled in the Lords, which is something the bills main sponsor, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, feels is excessive and may amount to sabotage.

Its looking increasingly like people who are fundamentally opposed to a change in the law, a view which I respect, [are] trying to prevent the law passing, she said. One amendment suggested any assisted death should be videoed, presumably as an additional safeguard. Leadbeater calls that incredibly intrusive and heartless. Tanni Grey-Thompson, an opponent, says members were simply interrogating the bill line by line and filling massive gaps with safeguards.

Why is there so much difficulty?

Assisted dying is obviously an emotionally charged topic. Issues of conscience and religion are involved, and the law is clearly clashing with notions of the sanctity of life as well as bodily autonomy.

However, some also believe that a private members bill  even one produced with the enthusiasm and skill of its sponsors, Leadbeater and Charlie Falconer  is an unsuitable vehicle for such a momentous change. They feel it would have been preferable, or essential, to have the legislation as a government bill, which would have entailed deeper initial research into the background and the allocation of NHS resources required to make it a reality.

Can the Lords stop the bill?

In effect, yes. Not the slightest suggestion about assisted dying appeared in the Labour manifesto, so the Salisbury convention in which the Lords ultimately passes bills that carry a popular mandate does not apply. The bills proponents argue that its passing in the Commons means it has democratic credentials, but that is not the same thing.

The Commons majority for the bill was far from overwhelming; but there seems to be a very clear view among the public in favour of assisted dying, which is a factor in these debates. If the Lords insist on taking up too much parliamentary time, the government  which has already granted the bill time that would otherwise be used for its own legislation  may decide to call it a day.

Can the bill be saved?

The nearest parallel to the present situation is the 1967 Abortion Act, which was the work of David Steel, then a young Liberal backbencher. Towards the end of the process, Steel was faced with a wrecking amendment in the Lords which would succeed by a majority of one. Steels response was to threaten the Lords with the Parliament Act, which allows a bill to become law despite the opposition of the Lords if it passed by the Commons in two successive parliamentary sessions. The Lords then backed down and Steels bill, which also raised fundamental moral, medical and religious concerns, received royal assent. In principle, Leadbeater and Falconer could do something similar, except that their bill is less well-supported in the Commons than was Steels, and it would still require the government to grant it additional time when debates are resumed in January.

The bills proponents could argue the issue will continue to be raised in parliament until it is finally settled by the democratically elected Commons, reflecting the wishes of the people.

What about reforming the Lords?

Change was promised by Labour but it doesnt seem to be progressing rapidly. If the Lords succeeds in effectively destroying this bill, it will plainly provoke a powerful backlash against its entire role and purpose. Some will never forgive the Lords, nor the Labour government, that failed to back a bill that commands wide public support.
Sign up to our free Brexit newsletter for our analysis of the continuing impact of Brexit on the UK Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Nigel Farage has claimed that Reform UK is now Britains biggest political party after an internal leak suggested that Labour has lost 100,000 members.

According to The Times, the paid up membership of the Labour Party has dropped to below 250,000 meaning the party has lost one person every seven minutes since winning the election 18 months ago.

With Reform officially on 268,631 paid-up members, it suggests Mr Farages party is the biggest in the UK in yet another blow for Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Farage said: As we have suspected for some time, Reform is now the largest political party in British politics  a huge milestone for us. The age of two-party politics is dead.

open image in gallery Reform UK leader Nigel Farage ( PA )

It comes as Britains leading polling guru Sir John Curtice suggested that while Reforms support may have plateaued following a significant surge over the course of this year, itrepresents the biggest attack on the two-party system since the Second World War.

Sir John told The Independent: The Reform incursion, in terms of length of time being ahead of the polls, is now longer than that of the Liberal SDP Alliance in late 1981-82.

But he added: I think my view for a long time has been that barring exceptional circumstances for Reform, 30 per cent or just a little bit above, seems to be the plateau, because they are very, very much pursuing a niche market.

They are running at around 50 per cent amongst those people who voted for Brexit, but no more than about 40 per cent of the population is in favour of Brexit these days.

You're never going to get all of that market. And they've just been basically hardly moving since the beginning of May. It's very, very stable.

open image in gallery Polling expert John Curtice ( PA Media )

He noted that while Reform support is heavily dependent on Farage, efforts to dig the dirt on him are impacting Reform at the polls.

In particular, he warned that claims Mr Farage made racist remarks as a schoolboy have had little impact on Reform votes, even if it does on left-wing ones who already dislike him.

However, the issue of racism has seen a crack in Reform.

In a problem for Mr Farage, the man who is expected to be Reforms leader in Scotland distanced himself from his comments on English speaking in Glasgow.

On a recent visit to Scotlands biggest city, Mr Farage described the fact that 29 per cent of children spoke English as a second language as cultural smashing of Glasgow.

Scottish SNP First Minister John Swinney described the comment as racist.

And speaking on BBC Question Time, Lord Offord, who recently defected to Reform from the Tories and is widely expected to become the leader of the party in Scotland, said he wouldnt use that type of language.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: Our membership figures are published in our annual report. We do not give a running commentary on them throughout the year.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has described Donald Trumps claims about violent crime in London as complete nonsense.

The US president last month claimed the capital is so dangerous that "people are being stabbed in the ass" as he continued to criticise the city's mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan.

He said: Look at the crime you have in London. My mother loved London, she loved that city.

Today you have people being stabbed in the ass or worse. Your mayor is a disaster, hes a nasty person.

President Trump continued: Hes letting crime go. You have areas in London and in Paris where police dont even want to go anywhere near those areas. 

open image in gallery Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley takes part in Call the Commissioner, his live phone-in on LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast show ( Yui Mok/PA Wire )

Asked about those comments by LBCs Nick Ferrari on Friday, Sir Mark said: Theres no no-go areas, thats completely false. How anybody in America can suggest the UK is violent is completely ridiculous.

The homicide rate in London is lower than every single US state. Its lower than all their big cities. I think the murder rate in New York last time I looked is about three or four times higher than it is in London per capita.

Figures from the mayors office for policing and crime, which compare the 12 months ending in August with the previous 12 months, showed there were 8,749 fewer crimes that resulted in someone being hurt  a drop of nearly 12 per cent  across the capital over that time.

Sir Mark added: This trend of trying to rubbish London, some of which is driven by politics, we who are proud Londoners need to fight back about it.

On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer belatedly defended Sir Sadiq Khan after Trump branded the London mayor horrible, vicious, disgusting.

open image in gallery The US president has engaged in a years-long feud with London mayor Sadiq Khan ( Reuters )

In an attack which reignited his long-running feud with Sir Sadiq, the US president also called him a disaster and suggested he has done a terrible job.

In an interview with Politico, President Trump said: Hes a horrible mayor. Hes an incompetent mayor, but hes a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor. I think hes done a terrible job. Londons a different place. I love London. I love London. And I hate to see it happen.

And he claimed of Sir Sadiq, the citys first Muslim mayor, whose parents came from Pakistan, gets elected because so many people have come in [to the UK]. They vote for him now.

A spokesperson for the prime minister described the comments as wrong  24 hours after No 10 failed to defend the mayor.

On Tuesday, Downing Street would only say the PM had a strong relationship with both men.

But a day later, the PMs press secretary told reporters: Those comments are wrong. The mayor of London is doing an excellent job in London, delivering free school meals in primary schools, cleaning up Londons air with the worlds largest clean air zone and starting record numbers of council houses.

The prime minister is hugely proud of the mayor of Londons record and proud to call him a colleague and a friend.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was due to check-in with immigration authorities on Friday, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge's orders.

Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in.

He's scheduled to appear in the morning at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore.

The agency freed him just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis.

Mistakenly deported and then returned

Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager to join his brother, who had become a U.S. citizen. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, where he faces danger from a gang that targeted his family.

While he was allowed to live and work in the U.S. under ICE supervision, he was not given residency status. Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and held in a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record.

Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, Trumps Republican administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.

A lawsuit to block removal from U.S.

The 2019 settlement found he had a well founded fear of danger in El Salvador if he was deported there. So instead ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public embarrassment caused by his deportation.

In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, Xinis wrote that federal authorities did not just stonewall the court, They affirmatively misled the tribunal. Xinis also rejected the governments argument that she lacked jurisdiction to intervene on a final removal order for Abrego Garcia, because she found no final order had been filed.

ICE freed Abrego Garcia from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday just before the deadline Xinis gave the government to provide an update on Abrego Garcia's release.

He returned home to Maryland a few hours later.

Immigration check-in

Check-ins are how ICE keeps track of some people who are released by the government to pursue asylum or other immigration cases as they make their way through a backlogged court system. The appointments were once routine but many people have been detained at their check-ins since the start of President Donald Trump's second term.

Sandoval-Moshenberg said hes prepared to defend his client against further deportation efforts.

The government still has plenty of tools in their toolbox, plenty of tricks up their sleeve, Sandoval-Moshenberg said, adding he fully expects the government to again take steps to deport his client. Were going to be there to fight to make sure there is a fair trial.

The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Xinis' order and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling naked judicial activism by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.

This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts, said Tricia McLaughlin, the departments assistant secretary.

Sandoval-Moshenberg, said the judge made it clear that the government cant detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client has endured more than anyone should ever have to.

Abrego Garcia has also applied for asylum in the U.S. in immigration court.

Charges in Tennessee

Abrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling charges when the U.S. government brought him back from El Salvador. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.

The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April that the Trump administration must work to bring back Abrego Garcia.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Dozens of riders on horseback have traditionally kicked off the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo by galloping into the arena and lining up their horses side by side as the riders tip their hats to cheers.

But an equine virus outbreak this year has forced changes at one of the world's most prestigious rodeos.

The threat was apparent from the start: Riders walked out during the grand entry on foot. Their horses were safely kept away with strict health precautions in place.

Other riders weren't able to bring their own horses to the event in Las Vegas at all.

The equine herpesvirus 1, or EHV-1, has made its rounds in the past. But the outbreak was of particular concern this year, with cases in the U.S. on the rise as it coincided with the 10-day event that ends Saturday and draws thousands of horses and their riders.

open image in gallery Jeff Todd holds horses before loading them up in a horse trailer at the Fly Again Ranch Horse Boarding and Hotel,Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Las Vegas ( AP Photo/John Locher )

Horse hotels say their profits are down since fewer horses are participating, and some rodeo events were canceled.

In many cases, the virus causes coldlike symptoms such as runny noses and coughs. But it can also cause neurological problems, causing horses to stumble or lose the ability to stand and even lead to death, according to Peter Rolfe, the state veterinarian for Nevada.

Owners must take the temperature of their horses daily and minimize co-mingling with other horses, Rolfe said. If a horse does get sick, it'll be put in isolation immediately. The state will work with the owners to transport them back to their homes for quarantine.

Driving across states with virus cases

The virus has spread across several states, infecting at least 60 horses so far, but there have been no cases in Nevada, according to the Equine Disease Communication Center. In most cases, the horses recover, though it can flare up with stress. But the mortality rate for those contracting the more serious neurologic form is 15% to 30%.

Kristine Weitz, owner of Fly Again Ranch Horse Boarding and Hotel, which offers stable space for horses competing around town, said the virus scared horse owners, and many have decided not to come this year.

I think it just scared the bejesus out of everybody, and probably for everybody that boards horses here because none of us want our horses to die too, she said.

Taylor Lawson wasn't taking any chances. She drove her two horses from New Waverly, Texas, for almost 22 hours without stopping. If her horses stepped hooves into states in between Texas and Nevada, theyd need new health paperwork and another vet check, she said.

We just offered water when we stopped for diesel and checked their hay and drove straight through, Lawson said.

Since arriving in Las Vegas, Lawson has been cautious with her horses, making sure theyre not around other horses while at the roping events at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, an off-Strip casino that hosts dozens of amateur rodeo events during the National Finals Rodeo. Her horses, Hollywood and Elvis, were staying at Fly Again.

I keep checking their temperatures morning and night, and as long as theyre eating and drinking water and acting normal, Im not too worried about it, Lawson said.

Saddling in place

In an effort to curb the spread and keep track of the horses, Nevada requires entry permits for every horse entering the state, and a veterinarian must inspect and certify the horse has not been at a location with a confirmed case of the virus within the last 21 days.

Rodeo organizers at the Thomas & Mack Center  where the official National Finals Rodeo takes place  added more restrictions. The over 450 horses staying on the property are required to remain there through the festivities, according to Allen Rheinheimer, general manager of production for NFR.

The rodeo, which draws more than 150,000 people annually, canceled group tours and limited the number of people allowed in the stables since people can carry the virus on their clothes or hands if they come into contact with a contagious horse. Walls were erected between stalls to ensure the horses cant touch noses, and sanitizers were used to clean hoses after refilling water troughs, both of which are ways the virus can spread.

Everybody needs to know that were doing everything we can to protect the horse, and protect the health of the horses and all livestock, Rheinheimer said.

Safety measures are in place for thousands of horses

Similar precautions are in place for the nearly 3,500 horses staying at South Point.

The equestrian-centered hotel located about 8 miles (13 kilometers) south of the Strip did not have horses on its property for 17 days leading up to the rodeo events that started last week, said Steve Stallworth, South Points arena general manager.

It also canceled or modified a few events, including the horsemanship portion of the annual Miss Rodeo America Pageant, and the National Finals Breakaway Roping event, which has been rescheduled to take place in Fort Worth, Texas.

Staff disinfect and sanitize the stalls in between events with Synbiont, an agricultural wash, and horses have been spread out when possible, Stallworth said. If a horse does get sick, quarantine stalls are available on a far corner of the South Point property. The horse will be isolated immediately, and one of the veterinarians overseeing the events will swab and test them.

Overall, fewer horses are staying at the hotel this year due to concerns about the virus, which has slightly cut into profits.

It doesnt matter what we would have lost, Stallworth said. If we save one horse, then its the right thing to do.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The search for a 21-year-old hiker and YouTuber stretched to a full month yesterday, after the influencer vanished atop a mountain in California.

Joseph Brambila was last seen on the towering Mount Whitney on November 11, just two days after his 21st birthday.

A fellow hiker named Luis Buenrostro told The Los Angeles Times about meeting Brambila on the day of his disappearance. The now-missing 21-year-old told his friend he was planning to take a "shortcut.

Buenrostro assumed that this meant Brambila was preparing to slide down the mountain in a practice known as glissading.

Days later, Brambila was reported missing by his family after he failed to return home on time.

open image in gallery Joseph Brambila disappeared last month while climbing Mount Whitney ( Folwer-O'Sullivan Foundation )

The Inyo County Sheriffs Office told the LA Times that a desperate search followed, but that harsh weather conditions have disrupted rescue efforts.

Heavy snow from the last two storms has made conditions extremely hazardous, Lindsey Stine, an ICSO spokesperson, said. The terrain is icy and unstable, and attempting a summit or any search in these conditions is very dangerous.

She also claimed that another search could be imminent, but warned that recovery may not be feasible until the snow and ice begin to melt.

There has been no sign of Brambila since he vanished, although a rescue charity, the Fowler-OSullivan Foundation, has joined the search. In a post on Facebook, the charity claimed that other hikers had reported seeing a body on the mountain.

However, that body has also yet to be found.

Cathy Tarr, the charitys founder, claims that she believes the body was Brambila.

When we help search for missing hikers, its normal for any family to not believe the situation theyre in, she told SFGATE.

Every family wants the answer, but doesnt want the answer at the same time. In my opinion, theres a 99.9% chance that thats Joseph. Thats tough to hear  but if thats not him, we may never get answers.

open image in gallery Mount Whitney, the highest peak, is an infamously difficult climb ( Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu )

In a video posted to his YouTube account, Brambila said that he had attempted to climb Mount Whitney four times. During one attempt, his mother insisted on climbing with him.

During the video, he tapped each item on his checklist and said nope, nope, nope, nope, to each. Those items included a first aid kit, a map, a compass, a headlamp, and an emergency blanket.

So I think were pretty qualified for the hike, he joked as he headed up the mountain.

open image in gallery Brambila often joked about travelling unprepared, but his girlfriend claimed he was well-supplied when heading out on his November climb ( Fowler-O'Sullivan Foundation )

Buenrostro told the LA Times that he understood why the hiker kept trying to reach the summit, even though he was often unprepared.

I understand, sometimes we go out there without all the right gear, he said. But a lot of the time, were saving up for the proper gear.

He added that the pair bonded over being Latino and over being judged by wealthier climbers.

However, Darlene Molina, Brambilas girlfriend, told SFGATE that her boyfriend was better prepared when he began his climb on November 11.

Molina claimed that he took an ice axe, military rations, and a heavy-duty tent on his journey. However, she said her partner often turned his phone off while climbing.

He loves disconnecting from the world and spending time with himself in nature, Molina said. He has told his friends that hell turn his phone off during hikes but is always recording and talking to himself for vlogs.

The Independent has contacted the ICSO for further comment.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

A man who died in 2019 has been posthumously identified as the perpetrator of three cold case homicides in Toronto, with investigators suggesting there could be further victims. Kenneth Smith, 72, from Windsor, Ontario, was conclusively linked to the killings of two women in the 1980s and a third in the 1990s, Toronto police confirmed on Thursday.

The breakthrough came via recent forensic testing and genetic genealogy. Christine Prince, 25, was discovered dead in the Rouge River on 22 June 1982, having been sexually assaulted and struck on the head. Claire Samson, 23, was found with gunshot wounds in Oro-Medonte Township on 1 September 1983.

They say the third victim, 41-year-old Gracelyn Greenidge, died of blunt force trauma in her Toronto apartment on July 29, 1997.

Police said Smith lived and worked in Toronto at the time of the homicides and had a history of sexual assault, and investigators believe there could be more victims.

open image in gallery Chief Superintendent Karen Gonneau of the Ontario Provincial Police stands in front of a screen displaying images of Kenneth Smith as police provide a development in three historical homicide investigations, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, during a news conference at police headquarters in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Genetic genealogy has increasingly been used to track down unidentified criminal suspects and help solve scores of cold cases in recent years, some of them more than a half-century old or involving other serial killers. It unmasked the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, who pleaded guilty to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges that spanned much of California between 1975 and 1986.

Police can create a DNA profile to upload to public DNA databases and compare it to other profiles, helping to trace individuals within a family tree.

Ontario Provincial Police Chief Supt. Karen Gonneau said as DNA technology advanced police reviewed a number of unsolved homicides. It wasnt until 2017 that they linked a suspect to all three women.

Toronto Police Det. Sgt. Steve Smith said they were able to identify close relatives of the offender. And he said with that information the center of forensic science was then able to conduct the final comparison that led to the conclusive identification of Smith.

He said Smith lived and worked in Toronto during the period of all three murders. He was known to police and had a history of sexual assault.

Based on the evidence we have today we believe it is possible that there may be additional victims who have never been identified, Smith said.

He said Smith was never investigated for these murders previously. He also said he had been jailed at least once before the first two murders and twice before Greenidges murder.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Michael Duke Thomsons last memory on January 23, 2024, was leaving the high-limit blackjack room at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas at around midnight with a few thousand dollars worth of chips.

His next memory was waking up the following morning, handcuffed to the wall of the casino security holding pen and $75,000 in debt to the house, with a felony fraud charge  later dismissed after Thomson made full restitution  yet to come.

Thomson, a licensed attorney, says he was a longtime Aria patron with a pristine repayment record, now believes he was surreptitiously drugged that night in Vegas, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday and obtained by The Independent. The 64-year-olds apparent incapacitation would have been obvious to anyone, but that no one at the Aria bothered to intervene, Thomsons complaint alleges.

It accuses Aria of having failed to take any steps to ensure [Thomsons] safety, and instead allowed him to continue gambling and then forcibly detained him without providing any care.

It is inequitable for Aria to retain [Thomsons] funds that were procured and retained in the circumstances described above, the complaint states.

open image in gallery Michael Duke Thomson claims Aria casino staff let him take out some $75,000 in markers after, he believes, he was 'deliberately, surreptitiously drugged.' ( Getty Images )

But Thomson, who now lives in a luxurious San Juan, Puerto Rico, condo, also contends Aria hasnt provided sufficient answers about what happened to him that night in Vegas. Aside from the most basic outline of the apparent chain of events, Thomsons complaint says that [a]ll further information regarding [Thomsons] condition and the circumstances of his detainment are within Arias and MGMs exclusive knowledge, custody, and control, and have not been provided.

A spokesperson for MGM Resorts International, the Arias parent company and a co-defendant in Thomsons suit, did not respond Friday to a request for comment.

Thomson, whose attorneys also did not respond to requests for comment, has a long-standing history of patronage at the Aria, according to his complaint. Additionally, it says, Thomson has a long-standing, pristine history of honoring the credit instruments, known as markers, that he has executed there.

On the night of January 23, 2024, Plaintiff was playing blackjack in the high-limit room at the Casino, the complaint states. Plaintiff recalls taking out one marker that night for $10,000.00. He repaid the marker at the table on the same night of January 23, 2024.

Thomson was staying at the Aria and recalls leaving the blackjack table at midnight or so, intending to head back to his room, the complaint continues.

The next thing Thomson knew, he was waking up in handcuffs.

Plaintiff was told by Casino personnel that Casino security found him sleeping in the Sky Suites lounge, and when woken up by Casino security guards he allegedly lashed out at the security guards and was then detained, the complaint adds, noting that Thomson was detained at roughly 11 a.m. on January 24, 2024.

Thomson was thrown off the property and told not to return or he would face arrest, according to the complaint. It says that no one said anything to Thomson at the time about any outstanding markers.

The next day, Thomson reached out to his VIP host at the Aria, to inquire about what she might know regarding his unfortunate experience, the complaint states. The host told Thomson that he did have eight outstanding markers with the casino, totaling $75,000, but that there was a discrepancy between the money he borrowed and his wins and losses.

Thomson said he was concerned about the marker balance, and asked for further details but got none, according to the complaint.

About three months later, Thomsons bank called him to say that the Aria had submitted the $75,000 worth of markers for payment, the complaint says. However, it contends, that because Aria management had yet to address [Thomsons] concern regarding his alleged outstanding balance with Aria, [he] instructed his bank not to pay the ostensible markers until [Thomson] would conduct his own investigation, which he did by reaching out to Aria for more information, again.

open image in gallery Thomson's last memory from his stay at the Aria was leaving the high-limit blackjack room at around midnight with a few thousand dollars worth of chips, according to a federal lawsuit he filed Thursday. ( Getty Images )

While Thomson was still trying to get to the bottom of things, his bank returned the markers to the Aria, the complaint explains. The bank had marked five of them Not Authorized, and the remaining three were marked NSF, for Non-Sufficient Funds, the complaint states.

Plaintiff has no memory of taking out the ostensible markers, Thomsons complaint maintains, adding that the markers were purportedly taken out between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. on January 24, 2024. The signatures on most of the ostensible markers appear to only loosely resemble Plaintiffs signature Plaintiff asked the Aria for additional information several other times to investigate the ostensible markers but was stonewalled by Aria.

At this point, the Aria turned over the markers to the Clark County District Attorneys Bad Check Unit, which charged Thomson in November 2024 with drawing and passing a check with intent to defraud, and theft of $25,000 or greater but less than $100,000.

Thomson was arrested, and bail was set at $10,000, according to a review of local court records from the criminal case. (Thomsons civil complaint says he was in fact forced to pay $15,480 to be released from custody.) After months of negotiations and a trial date ultimately being set, Thomson agreed to pay off the Aria markers to eliminate the stress of having an open, pending criminal case against him, the complaint states.

The case was dismissed in mid-October, the local docket shows.

open image in gallery In addition to a mountain of debt, Thomson was hit felony charges after his fateful night at the Aria  none of which he remembers, according to a newly filed federal lawsuit. ( AFP via Getty Images )

Thomson, according to his complaint, thinks he was deliberately[,] surreptitiously drugged on the night of January 23 or morning of January 24, 2024, which led to his complete incapacity.

Aria failed to act responsibly toward Plaintiff when it continued to allow Plaintiff to gamble, did not seek medical attention for Plaintiff, and had Plaintiff execute credit instruments, according to the complaint, adding, Plaintiff was unable to understand in a reasonable manner the nature and consequence of his actions and the transactions during this timeframe, as Aria knew or should have known.

To that end, Thomson argues the markers are invalid and unenforceable and should be rescinded in light of the Arias violat[ion] of its duties to effectuate responsible gaming. Allowing Thomson to borrow so much money while unaware of his surroundings all but ensur[ed] Arias opportunity to obtain additional monies from [him], the complaint states.

In the alternative, Aria accepted ostensible markers with forged signatures and did not verify that the ostensible markers were signed by Plaintiff, it says.

Thomsons lawsuit says Aria has been unjustly enriched through improper means, and accuses the casino-resort of malice for pressing criminal charges despite [his] ongoing attempts to resolve the situation.

He is demanding a jury trial, with damages to be determined in court. The Aria and MGM have not yet filed a response to Thomsons allegations.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Maria Corina Machado used a wig and disguise to sneak through 10 military checkpoints in Venezuela during a perilous three-day journey to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway.

The Venezuelan democracy activist and opposition leader was escorted by US Navy F-18s and a private contractor issued by president Donald Trumps administration during the journey from her hiding spot in Caracas to Oslo, where she was awarded the prize on Wednesday.

Ms Machado, 58, has endured persistent threats to her life since being forced into exile and banned from public office in the aftermath of a controversial presidential election last year that saw socialist leader Nicolas Maduro crowned winner.

But she was determined to make it to Oslo to collect the accolade, awarded to her for her brave efforts to defend freedom and democracy in Venezuela.

open image in gallery Maria Corina Machado greets supporters from the balcony of the Grand Hotel in Oslo ( AFP via Getty )

While others chose to flee Venezuela, Ms Machado chose to remain in the country in hiding. Her trip marked her first appearance in public.

Setting out on Monday afternoon, the first leg of the journey took a gruelling 10 hours from her secret residence in an unassuming suburb in Caracas to a coastal fishing village, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ms Machado and her two companions snuck through 10 military checkpoints before arriving at the coast by midnight, where they rested for a few hours.

They set out on the second leg of their journey at 5am, using a wooden skiff  a tiny rowing boat used for fishing  to traverse the strong winds and the choppy waters of the Caribbean Sea to arrive at the island of Curacao.

Before leaving, the group made a call to the US military to fend off the risk of an attack. Recent strikes on what Washington has claimed are narcoterrorists have killed at least 87 people in international waters in recent weeks.

We coordinated that she was going to leave by a specific area so that they would not blow up the boat, said someone close to the operation.

open image in gallery Machado made it to Oslo on Wednesday evening after a three-day journey ( Reuters )

US Navy F-18s flew into the Gulf of Venezuela and were recorded spending around 40 minutes flying in tight circles near the route that led from the coast to the island, according to flight-tracking data.

The Trump administration is said to have been aware of the plan, but the US Navy and Pentagon declined to comment. Officials in the administration denied any alleged military contact.

Machado arrived at the island at 3pm on Tuesday, where she was met by a private contractor issued by Mr Trumps office who specialises in extractions. Machado stayed in a hotel overnight and took an executive jet supplied by a Miami contact of the president. It made a stop in Bangor, Maine, before making the trip to Norway.

Before boarding the plane, Ms Machado recorded a short audio message in which she thanked so many people  [who] risked their lives to help her escape Venezuela.

open image in gallery Machados daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, collected the award on her behalf ( AP )

Her appearance at the ceremony was plagued by speculation and rumours. Even the Nobel Institute admitted it was in the dark about her whereabouts, sparking concern for her safety.

A press conference was cancelled after a delay of several hours, and Ms Machados daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado collected the Nobel medal and diploma in her absence.

Tensions between the US and Venezuela have reached a fever pitch after the seizure of an oil tanker on Thursday. America says that the vessel was carrying sanctioned oil. But Mr Maduros government has accused the Trump administration of fabricating a war for the purposes of extracting oil and resources.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Arkansas has become the first U.S. state to sever its ties with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the network behind beloved programmes such as "Sesame Street," "Nova," and "Antiques Roadshow."

The Arkansas Educational Television Commission, comprising eight members appointed by the governor, announced on Thursday its intention to disaffiliate from PBS on July 1.

The commission cited annual membership dues of approximately $2.5 million as "not feasible," alongside an unexpected loss of a similar amount in federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

The CPB was targeted for closure earlier this year and subsequently defunded by Congress. PBS Arkansas will now rebrand as Arkansas TV, promising an increased focus on local content, according to Executive Director and CEO Carlton Wing, a former Republican state representative who took charge in September.

Wing stated, "Public television in Arkansas is not going away. In fact, we invite you to join our vision for an increased focus on local programming, continuing to safeguard Arkansans in times of emergency and supporting our K-12 educators and students."

PBS confirmed in an email Thursday that Arkansas is the first state to definitively sever ties with the broadcaster ( Getty Images )

PBS confirmed that Arkansas is the first state to definitively cut ties, noting that Alabama had considered similar action last month but opted to retain its contract following public outcry.

A PBS spokesperson expressed concern, stating, "The commissions decision to drop PBS membership is a blow to Arkansans who will lose free, over the air access to quality PBS programming they know and love."

The defunding of the CPB is a direct consequence of President Donald Trumps repeated targeting of public media, which he has claimed spreads political and cultural views antithetical to American values.

This move is expected to significantly impact the journalistic and cultural landscape, particularly for public radio and TV stations in smaller communities nationwide.

Arkansas House Democratic Leader Rep. Andrew Collins lamented the decision, calling it "certainly a loss for Arkansas families who value the programming of PBS."

The CPB provides funding to both PBS and NPR, with the majority of its support distributed to over 1,500 local public radio and television stations across the country. First state announces its cut ties with PBS due to not feasible costs
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

A powerful gas explosion has ripped through a residential neighbourhood in Hayward, California, injuring six people and completely destroying at least one property.

Dramatic video footage captured the moment a house was obliterated, sending wood and debris soaring into the air as thick smoke billowed across the San Francisco Bay Area city.

Brittany Maldonado, who lives opposite the affected property and provided doorbell camera footage, described the terrifying experience, "We were sitting in the house and it just ... everything shook. Stuff fell off the walls and when we looked at the camera it was like you were watching a war video."

Fire officials confirmed six individuals were taken to hospital, though the extent of their injuries and whether they were residents or construction workers remains unknown, according to officials. Two homes were affected the most by the brunt of the blast, with another building also sustaining burns, according to police.

Fire officials confirmed six individuals were taken to hospital ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

A spokesperson with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said a construction crew damaged an underground gas line around 7:35 a.m. The company said it was not their workers.

Utility workers isolated the damaged line and stopped the flow of gas at 9:25 a.m., PG&E said. The explosion occurred shortly afterward, according to the camera footage.

The doorbell footage showed an excavator digging in front of the house moments before the massive explosion, instantly blowing out walls and roof. Onlookers appeared dazed before rushing towards the wreckage to search for victims, and emergency sirens could be heard in the distance as police arrived at the scene, while flames began to spread at the site of the demolished building.

Police quickly arrived at the scene as flames began to spread from the demolished structure.

At least eight fire engines and two fire trucks responded to the three-alarm blaze.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has come under scrutiny for spending nearly $50,000 on trips to Puerto Rico in recent months, according to a new report.

The New York Democrat  a progressive firebrand and self-identified democratic socialist  spent the money on upscale hotels and restaurants in the third quarter of 2025, according to campaign finance filings, The New York Post reported on Thursday.

Her principal campaign committee forked over $650.52 on July 28 for a stay at the Hotel Palacio Provincial, a boutique 19th century hotel in San Juan, while it spent $9,440,79 on September 29.

In total, her campaign shelled out $15,489.77 for accommodations on the island between July 1 and September 30.

In addition, a minimum of $10,743.13 was spent on catering services and meals on two dates: August 25 and September 29, the Post revealed.

During a trip in August, Ocasio-Cortez  whose mother was born in Puerto Rico  attended a Bad Bunny concert in San Juan with fellow New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez and a number of celebrities, including Austin Butler and Penelope Cruz.

open image in gallery Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a firebrand democratic socialist, has come under scrutiny for spending nearly $50,000 on trips to Puerto Rico this year, according to a new report ( AFP via Getty Images )

Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, a spokesperson for the congresswomans campaign, told the outlet that Ocasio-Cortez regularly travels to Puerto Rico to support local causes and host events that require both staff and security.

She is deeply proud of her investment in grassroots organizing and will continue to be active in advocating for both people on the island and the millions of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora, Hidalgo-Wohlleben added.

He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

open image in gallery A spokesperson for her campaign said Ocasio-Cortez regularly travels to Puerto Rico to support local causes and host events that require both staff and security ( AOC Instagram )

Ocasio-Cortez, who was first elected in 2018, has become a star among progressive Democrats, championing causes such as Medicare for All, affordable housing and climate action through the Green New Deal.

The Bronx native and former bartender  who has recently traveled the country on a Fighting Oligarchy tour  positioned herself as a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump and as a passionate advocate for the working class.

We have to run from the bottom up, she said last year. The demands of the working class, like better wages, must be front and center.

In 2019, she announced her staffers would make a minimum of $52,000 per year, earning some of the highest starting salaries on Capitol Hill. We pinch pennies elsewhere, but its worth every dime to pay a living wage, she said at the time.

In response to the Posts story, social media users expressed a mix of reactions.

AOC: champion of the poor unless theres a pricey hotel or a Bad Bunny concert involved, wrote one user on X.

Don't listen to them, AOC, wrote another. They would've called you a diehard leftist gorilla fighter, had you stayed in a tent.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Conservative firebrand Candace Owens tore into Erika Kirk after she publicly rejected conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of her husband, activist Charlie Kirk.

In her most recent podcast episode, Owens suggested that Erikas behavior was suspicious, claiming she attempted to dismiss inconsistencies surrounding the murder of Charlie, whom Owens was close friends with. She also accused Erika of exhibiting Meghan Markle syndrome, which, she claims, is where you want privacy when you want it, you want publicity when you want it.

It comes three months after Charlie was shot and killed while speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University. Officials have said that the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, acted alone.

Owens has repeatedly, and baselessly, charged the government with concealing information and has suggested that other countries may have been involved.

Erika, the CEO of Turning Point USA  the conservative organization her late husband founded  was interviewed by FOX News on Wednesday, during which she rebuffed the conspiracy theorists who have leveled unproven claims about the assassination.

open image in gallery Candace Owens went on a rant against Erika Kirk, claiming she suffers from Meghan Markle syndrome after Kirk pushed back against conspiracy theories about her husband's death. ( Candace Owens )

Come after me, she said. Call me names. I don't care. Call me what you want. Go down that rabbit hole. Whatever. But when you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family, my Charlie Kirk Show family. When you go out for the people that I love, and you're making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love, because somehow they're in on this? No.

This is righteous anger because this is not okay, she continued. It's not healthy. This is a mind virus. Yes, I believe in our judicial system. I do. We have a hell of a team working on this  excuse my French  but this is not okay.

Still, she said she remains unflappable and added she doesnt have time to address the noise.

open image in gallery Erika Kirk said its not healthy to spread theories on her husbands death like many have ( Fox News/ Jesse Watters Primetime )

open image in gallery Erika Kirk clapped back at the conspiracy theorists probing her husbands death ( Getty Images )

Owens, who has millions of followers and subscribers online, quickly responded, going on a lengthy rant about Erika during an episode of her podcast released on Wednesday.

She said that her Fox News interview completely missed the mark for me. I am sorry it just has.

Owens honed in on Erikas comment about not having enough time to address conspiracy theories, pointing out that shes participated in numerous interviews with reporters in recent weeks.

None of this is passing the vibe check, Owens added. You are not changing my mind about the fact that something weird happened that day and that TPUSA is acting funny because you give an impassioned plea and speak about Nehemiah on Fox News.

The Independent has contacted TPUSA and Owens for comment.

Later in the episode, she applauded Tucker Carlson  another conservative media personality  for backing her claims about Charlies assassination.

In a video posted on X on Wednesday, Carlson said, We should not necessarily trust the FBIno American is under some moral obligation to believe everything the government tells you, particularly institutions or agencies that have a long documented, factually documented track record of committing crimes.

Owens comments prompted a flurry of reactions online.

Candace Owens has bigger balls than 99% of men who post their opinions online, manosphere influencer Tristan Tate wrote on X. She's ready and willing to face the fire.

Never thought Id unfollow Candace Owens, Deon Joseph, a law enforcement veteran, wrote on X. When you decide weeks after a woman and her children lost a husband/father so tragically, to exploit that mans death, spread rumors about his family and close friends calling yourself his friend, I cant roll with that.

Its hard to watch, he added. A widow cant even simply morn her husband. Its a question of decency for me.

Owens previously claimed that Charlie hired her on the spot after their first meeting in 2017. They participated in multiple speaking engagements together and formed a close friendship. In a video posted after his death, she said they were always laughing and bickered like an old couple.

Its hardly the first time Owens has courted controversy.

In 2024, she began promoting a conspiracy theory that French President Emmanuel Macrons wife Brigitte is secretly transgender. In response, the Macrons launched a defamation suit against Owens, accusing her of spreading outlandish and far-fetched fictions.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The FDA will reportedly add a black box warning to Covid-19 vaccines as the Trump administration steps up its attack on public trust in vaccines, sources say.

Black boxes are the FDAs most serious warning sign and are usually placed on medications that come with a risk of life-threatening or disabling reactions.

Two people familiar with the controversial plans told CNN that the news has shocked experts outside the FDA.

According to the sources, the plan is being overseen by the FDAs chief medical and scientific officer, Dr Vinay Prasad, and has not yet been finalized.

It is also unclear whether the warning, which is often applied to opioids and Accutane medications, will be included on all COVID-19 jabs or just mRNA vaccines.

open image in gallery The FDA will reportedly put a black box on Covid-19 jabs, warning of severe health effects ( Getty/iStock )

Currently, three COVID-19 vaccines are available: Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax. Both Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines.

Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, told CNN that any claim not officially made by the FDA is pure speculation.

Also, earlier this year, Moderna issued a statement about its Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, reassuring the public about its safety.

In the statement, the pharmaceutical company said that its jab was rigorously monitored by Moderna, the U.S. FDA, and regulators in more than 90 countries.

The company also revealed that one million doses of the vaccine had been distributed globally and that it has not reported any new or undisclosed safety concerns in children or in pregnant women.

Most side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are limited to arm tenderness from the injection, fatigue, and a mild headache. Light flu-like symptoms are uncommon, according to the Mayo Clinic.

There have been some instances of allergic reactions and heart inflammation caused by the vaccine, but these are exceedingly rare.

However, this is far from the first assault on public trust in vaccines by the Trump administration. Much of the president and RFK Jrs Make America Healthy Again movement has centered around vaccine skepticism and outrageous claims about the effects of shots.

open image in gallery The move comes as the Trump Administration pushes its MAHA agenda ( Getty )

The president claimed in September that children are being given massive vaccines like youd give to a horse, bizarrely raising concerns about how a little baby can be injected with that much fluid.

He has also suggested that scientists distribute vaccines for mumps, measles, and rubella separately rather than in a combined MMR vaccine.

However, he was quickly trolled online for his scientific musings, with many users pointing out that he previously suggested injecting bleach as a method for curing COVID-19.

Medical experts firmly shut down his suggestion, claiming that it could endanger lives.

Robert F Kennedy Jrs federal vaccine advisory committee voted to end the recommendation that newborns receive a Hepatitis B injection to protect them from the liver infection. The shots are widely considered to be a substantial public health success, preventing thousands of newborns from dying.

The Independent has contacted the FDA and Moderna for further comment.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Donald Trumps hand was smeared with heavy makeup as he gave a speech at the White House Congressional Ball last night, reigniting speculation about his health.

The White House has long claimed that the heavy bruising, often seen on the 79-year-old presidents hands, is caused by shaking hands.

However, Trumps admission that he had an MRI scan, his conversations about going to heaven, and his bragging about cognitive tests have been fuelling conspiracy theories for months.

The White House has not yet confirmed why Trumps hand was so heavily smeared with makeup as he addressed attendees at the event last night.

open image in gallery Donald Trump was spotted with a bruised hand, yet again, while speaking at the White House Congressional Ball ( AFP via Getty Images )

During his speech, though, Trump wished the crowd a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah before descending into a rant about his achievements, including what he claims is a record level of investment in the U.S.

We have $18 trillion plus already, and I think by the end of the year itll be over $20 trillion. Thats more than any nation, anywhere in the world, at any time by quadruple.

He also took a swipe at former President Joe Biden during his festive speech.

In the previous administration, just to give you a little fact, not to be hostile, they had less than $1 trillion over four years, he claimed.

However, on social media, much of the conversation centered on Trumps makeup-smeared hand.

He must have shaken everyone's hand there at least three times, one user wrote.

Why cant they get the makeup to match??!! another joked.

Previously, the president has hit out at publications that have speculated about his health. Just this week, he branded The New York Times as seditious, perhaps even treasonous for publishing an op-ed that suggested his energy had declined.

open image in gallery Trumps hand was stained with a particularly light makeup shae during the event ( Getty Images )

open image in gallery Melania joined him at the podium as he delivered his speech ( REUTERS/Al Drago )

His approval ratings have declined in recent months, and so, by the looks of things, has his vigor, Frank Bruni wrote of the 79-year-old president. Americans are once again on a kind of presidential fitness watch, reading the tea leaves of bruises, blotches, gaffes.

Late on Tuesday night, a furious Trump took to Truth Social and claimed that no other president has worked as hard as me.

Meanwhile, the president has been spotted seemingly falling asleep in meetings, with Trump infamously closing his eyes as Dr Mehmet Oz announced lower prices for weight loss drugs for Medicare and Medicaid Recipients.

California Governor Gavin Newsom branded Trump as The Nodfather, after the gaffe, and shared an edited poster for the classic movie The Godfather. He has also labeled Trump as Dozy Don.

The White House hit back at the suggestion that Trump was sleeping, arguing that he spoke several times throughout the event.

The Independent has contacted the White House for further comment.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a new batch of photos from Jeffrey Epsteins estate on Friday, including images of Donald Trump and several other powerful figures in the late sex offenders circle.

Trump has distanced himself from Epstein and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

One of the photos shows the then-real estate mogul with six women, whose faces have been blurred out by the committee. A grinning Trump is sporting a suit while the women are wearing leis around their necks.

Another image shows a collection of condoms  going for $4.50 each  depicting a caricature of Trumps face above the phrase: Im HUUUUGE!

Oversight Democrats released just 19 photos Friday morning, but later in the day, they increased that number to more than 70 in the interest of transparency.

open image in gallery The House Oversight committee released a photo of Trump surrounded by six women ( House Oversight Committee )

open image in gallery Steve Bannon meeting with Epstein ( House Oversight Committee )

Oversight Dems received 95,000 new photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate, House Oversight Committee Democrats wrote in a social media post Friday.

These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files!

Speaking to reporters at an unrelated event at the White House Friday evening, Trump said the newly released photos showing he and Epstein mingling with several women were no big deal, but later claimed he had not seen them.

Everybody knew this man [Epstein]  he was all over Palm Beach, he told reporters Friday evening. He has photos with everybody... there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have them.

That's no big deal... I know nothing about them."

open image in gallery At an unrelated event at the White House, Trump said the newly released photos showing he and Epstein mingling with several women were no big deal, but later claimed he had not seen them. ( AFP via Getty Images )

Both the White House and Republicans on the panel dismissed the photos as "cherry picked."

Once again, Oversight Democrats are chasing headlines by releasing a handful of selectively censored and cherry-picked photos from the Epstein Estate. Democrats' hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked, the GOP-led Oversight Committee wrote on X.

Nothing in the documents we've received shows any wrongdoing. Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Oversight Democrats should be ashamed of this disgusting behavior of putting politics above justice for the survivors.

The new tranche also includes an image of Trump ally Steve Bannon meeting with Epstein, as well as a photo signed by former President Bill Clinton  capturing him linking arms with Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein. Clinton has vehemently denied having any knowledge of Epsteins crimes, has never visited Epsteins island, and said in 2019, when Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges, that he hadnt spoken to the disgraced financier in well over a decade.

Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.

open image in gallery Former President Bill Clinton was pictured linking arms with Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein. ( House Oversight Committee )

open image in gallery An image of Bill Gates and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was also released ( Getty via House Oversight Committee )

open image in gallery Another image released by the committee showed a box full of novelty Trump condoms ( House Oversight Committee )

Former Harvard President Larry Summers, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, and Sir Richard Branson also made appearances in the newly-released photos. Its not clear when the photos were taken, as they are undated.

Summers, who exchanged emails with Epstein as recently as 2019, said his continued communications with the convicted sex offender were misguided and that he was deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. Summers announced he was stepping down from his teaching role after email exchanges with Epstein came to light.

Mountbatten-Windsor had his birthright title removed because his "serious lapses in judgement" over his association with Epstein. The royal settled allegations of sexual abuse in court with Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre in 2022, involving a substantial donation to her charity and an acknowledgment of her suffering, without admitting liability in the civil case.

Gates has said it was a huge mistake to spend time with him and denied having a personal relationship with Epstein, clarifying that he met with the disgraced financier to discuss philanthropy.

The Independent has reached out to representatives for Allen and Branson for comment.

House Democrats are selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

Heres the reality: Democrats like Stacey Plaskett and Hakeem Jeffries were soliciting money and meetings from Epstein AFTER he was a convicted sex offender, Jackson said. The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epsteins victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents, and calling for further investigations into Epsteins Democrat friends. Its time for the media to stop regurgitating Democrat talking points and start asking Democrats why they wanted to hang around Epstein after he was convicted.

A report claimed Plaskett, the U.S. Virgin Islands non-voting delegate, appeared to be texting with Epstein during a 2019 hearing before questioning Trump; her office confirmed she had received texts from Epstein. The top Republican on the Oversight Committee posted a 2013 email sent by a fundraising firm that was soliciting campaign money from the disgraced financier for Jeffries campaign. Jeffries has said hes never met Epstein, never received a donation from him and had no recollection of the email.

Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a probe into Democrats ties to Epstein at Trump's direction.

open image in gallery Sir Richard Branson was photographed with Epstein on a beach ( House Oversight Committee )

open image in gallery Woody Allen, a woman whose face has been redacted, and Jeffrey Epstein pictured together in a newly released photo from the House Oversight Committee ( House Oversight Committee )

The new batch of photos comes weeks after the committee released thousands of documents, including shocking emails sent by Epstein to several powerful figures from 2011 to 2019. Those figures included attorneys, journalists, author Michael Wolff, Deepak Chopra and Summers, among many others.

In the messages, Epstein claimed that Trump knew about the girls and spent hours at my house with a victim of sex trafficking.

I know how dirty donald is, Epstein wrote in another email.

Trump did not send or receive any of the emails.

The House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas to the disgraced financiers estate earlier this year. That effort is separate from the so-called Epstein Files possessed by the Justice Department.

Last month, the president signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In her first act as Congresswoman, Arizona Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva provided the 218th  and final  signature on a discharge petition that forced a vote on the release of Epstein files in the Justice Departments possession. The House and Senate swiftly passed the legislation and Trump signed it, giving the DOJ a December 19 deadline to release all of the Epstein Files.

The DOJ then asked federal judges overseeing Epsteins and Maxwells criminal cases to make public the grand jury transcripts and relevant records to comply with the act.

This week, a federal judge ordered that grand jury records in the sex trafficking case against Epstein must be unsealed, marking the third and final ruling to unseal grand jury materials in the three federal cases against Epstein and his associate.

Several Democratic lawmakers have reacted to the latest release, with one Congresswoman calling the photos vile.

Vile, disturbing new photos of Donald Trump that raise even more question about knowledge of abuses at Epstein's estate, Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari wrote in a social media post. @OversightDems are demanding the DOJ comply with our subpoena and release the full Epstein files. Stop protecting pedophiles. Survivors deserve justice now.

Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego remarked: Trump has got to be scared s***less. The deadline to release the DOJs files is in one week.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

President Donald Trumps attempt to strong-arm Indiana Republicans into passing a redistricting bill failed miserably on Thursday when GOP rebels in the state Senate sank it.

Senators rejected the push to gerrymander the Hoosier States nine-seat map ahead of next years midterms  by effectively eliminating its two remaining Democratic districts  by 31 to 19, despite Republicans holding a 40-10 supermajority in the chamber, as 21 conservatives broke ranks to vote with Democrats.

The upset came despite the bill passing the Indiana House last week and despite the president engaging in an intense pressure campaign to try to force it through, threatening to support primary challenges to any Republicans who failed to fall in line and dispatching Vice President JD Vance to lobby on the issue in person.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump claimed to be nonplussed by Indiana Republicans moving to reject the redistricting push in their state for which he had campaigned ( Getty )

Asked about the disappointment by reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump claimed to be nonplussed, saying, Its funny because I won Indiana all three times by a landslide. And I wasnt working on it very hard. Wouldve been nice. I think we wouldve picked up two seats if we did that.

He could not hide his fury at Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray, however, adding: You had one gentleman, the head of the Senate, I guess, Bray, whatever his name is. I heard he was against it. Hell probably lose his next primary, whenever that is. I hope he does, because hes done a tremendous disservice.

Im sure that whenever his primary is, its I think in two years, but I sure hell go down. Hell go down. Ill certainly support anybody that wants to go against him.

The presidents attempt to downplay the disaster was roundly mocked on social media, with many noting his intense messaging ahead of the Indiana vote and one journalist summing up Trumps mood by likening him to a jilted teenage boy: I didnt want to go to prom with her anyway. Actually, shes ugly really.

The president lashed out at RINO Senators on Truth Social in November when their reluctance became clear, accusing them of depriving House Republicans on Capitol Hill of two more seats needed to preserve their slim majority.

That dispatch also included a rap on the knuckles for Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, whom Trump accused of not working the way he should to get the necessary votes.

Keen not to incur any further wrath, Braun was out quickly on Thursday to warn of political consequences for the small group of misguided state senators who thwarted the new maps passage.

open image in gallery Indiana Gov. Mike Braun warns there will be 'political consequences' for Indiana Senate Republicans who opposed restricting push demanded by President Donald Trump ( Getty )

I will be working with the president to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers, he added.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, a fellow Republican, responded to the vote by warning its outcome was likely to harm the states relationship with the White House.

The Trump admin was VERY clear about this, Beckwith said on X. They told many lawmakers, cabinet members and the Gov and I that this would happen. The Indiana Senate made it clear to the Trump Admin today that they do not want to be partners with the WH. The WH made it clear to them that theyd oblige.

That threat had also been made explicit earlier in the day by the Heritage Foundation, the right-wing think-tank behind Trumps Project 2025 agenda, which wrote on X: President Trump has made it clear to Indiana leaders: if the Indiana Senate fails to pass the map, all federal funding will be stripped from the state.

Roads will not be paved. Guard bases will close. Major projects will stop. These are the stakes and every NO vote will be to blame.

open image in gallery Steve Bannon warned Republicans now have a huge problem ahead of the 2026 midterms ( Getty )

For MAGA commentator Erik Erickson, such aggression was precisely the reason Indiana Republicans were motivated to oppose the gerrymandering push.

I cant express enough how much the bullying hurt the redistricting chances in Indiana, he said. There was a point they would have done it. But the pressure campaign backfired, particularly in light of the November election.

Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon spelled out the ramifications of the legislations failure when he commented on his War Room show yesterday: We have a huge problem. People have to realize that we only have a couple opportunities. Weve got a net five to 10 seats.

If we dont get a net 10 pickup in the redistricting wars, its going to be enormously hard, if not impossible, to hold the House.

Efforts by Texas Republicans earlier this year to redraw their own electoral map to their partys advantage by adding five more seats were swiftly counteracted by California Democrats doing likewise.

Red states such as Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio have similarly redrawn their maps to boost Republicans in Congress, with blue states such as Maryland and Virginia currently plotting their own countermeasures.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Kilmar Abrego Garcia walked away after a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office Friday to the cheers of a crowd assembled outside. A federal judge had ordered that immigration officials could not detain him.

Abrego Garcia appeared for the appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judges orders. His lawyers had asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again and he walked out of the building surrounded by cheering supporters after the appearance, then left without commenting.

Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said. She wrote that Abrego Garcia is likely to succeed on the merits of any further request for relief from ICE detention.

For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Courts narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration, she wrote.

Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in.

open image in gallery Abrego Garcia was freed just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from Xinis, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis ( AP )

Abrego Garcia on Friday stopped at a news conference outside the building, escorted by a group of supporters chanting We are all Kilmar!

Abrego Garcia says hell fight against all of the injustices

I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high, Abrego Garcia said through a translator. I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family.

He urged people to keep fighting.

I stand here today with my head held high and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me, Abrego Garcia said. Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.

After Abrego Garcia spoke, he went through security at the field office, escorted by supporters.

When Abrego Garcias attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, announced to the crowd assembled outside that his client would walk back out the field offices doors again, he stressed that the legal fight was not over.

Yesterdays order from Judge Xinis and now the temporary restraining order this morning represent a victory of law over power, Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

The agency freed him just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from Xinis, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis.

Mistakenly deported and then returned

Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager to join his brother, who had become a U.S. citizen. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, where he faces danger from a gang that targeted his family.

While he was allowed to live and work in the U.S. under ICE supervision, he was not given residency status. Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and held in a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record.

Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, Trumps Republican administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.

A lawsuit to block removal from the US

The 2019 settlement found he had a well founded fear of danger in El Salvador if he was deported there. So instead ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public embarrassment caused by his deportation.

In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, Xinis wrote that federal authorities did not just stonewall the court, They affirmatively misled the tribunal. Xinis also rejected the governments argument that she lacked jurisdiction to intervene on a final removal order for Abrego Garcia, because she found no final order had been filed.

ICE freed Abrego Garcia from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday just before the deadline Xinis gave the government to provide an update on Abrego Garcia's release.

He returned home to Maryland a few hours later.

Immigration check-in

Check-ins are how ICE keeps track of some people who are released by the government to pursue asylum or other immigration cases as they make their way through a backlogged court system. The appointments were once routine but many people have been detained at their check-ins since the start of President Donald Trump's second term.

The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Xinis' order and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling naked judicial activism by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.

This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts, said Tricia McLaughlin, the departments assistant secretary.

Sandoval-Moshenberg said the judge made it clear that the government cant detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client has endured more than anyone should ever have to.

Abrego Garcia has also applied for asylum in the U.S. in immigration court.

Charges in Tennessee

Abrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling charges when the U.S. government brought him back from El Salvador. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.

The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April that the Trump administration must work to bring back Abrego Garcia.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is reportedly weighing a plot to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson before she retires in early January and is quietly gauging if she has the nine votes inside the Republican party to trigger a vote.

Marjorie is approaching members to get to nine who will oust the speaker, an anonymous source told MS Now. And if we dont get to work on codifying Trumps agenda, anything can happen.

Greene, who plans to leave Congress after her dramatic public feud with Donald Trump over the Epstein files, denied the outlets reporting, calling it not true.

The Georgia Republican previously tried to oust Johnson last year in protest at a foreign aid deal for Ukraine, and she has been a consistent critic of Johnsons work throughout the second Trump administration this year.

She has accused the weak speaker of lacking a plan to lower healthcare costs, unnecessarily keeping the House out of session during the government shutdown, and sidelining GOP women throughout the controversy over the Epstein files and beyond.

open image in gallery Marjorie Taylor Greene is reportedly weighing if she has the support to unseat Mike Johnson as House Speaker, though she denies this ( Getty Images )

Its unclear if she would have the support to pursue the alleged leadership shake-up plan this time around, though there have been stirrings of discontent from within the party against Johnson.

Earlier this month, Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is running for governor of New York, told The Wall Street Journal that Johnson lacks support.

He certainly wouldnt have the votes to be speaker if there was a roll-call vote tomorrow, she said. I believe that the majority of Republicans would vote for new leadership. Its that widespread.

Greenes announcement she would retire prompted other Republicans to speak anonymously of widespread dissatisfaction within the caucus.

open image in gallery Rep. Elise Stefanik has joined Greene in criticizing Johnson, alleging in a recent interview the speaker would not win reelection to his position if he was up for another vote ( Getty Images )

More explosive early resignations are coming, one unnamed senior House Republican told Punchbowl News last month. Its a tinder box. Morale has never been lower.

Johnson himself has acknowledged the often-chaotic atmosphere inside the House.

I havent had a vacation day in two years. I havent been off in two years, literally, he recently said on a podcast. Last Christmas, I was taking calls from members with their drama. It takes everything out of whomever serves in the position, and by extension, their family.

Youre sort of like a firefighter, in a way, he added. You put out fires every hour.

President Trump, for his part, has said he approves of Johnsons work, calling him a fantastic speaker this week and praising his ability to hold together a very small majority.

The GOPs slim majority in the House is under press going into the 2026 mid-term elections, amid widespread concern over affordability and healthcare costs, the latter issue for which the Republican party still has not settled on a long-promised plan.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

First lady Melania Trump joined her husband, President Donald Trump, at the White House Congressional Ball on Thursday evening and hinted at an upcoming initiative the commander-in-chief appeared to know nothing about.

Taking to the podium to address their guests at the annual holiday party, Melania thanked House Speaker Mike Johnson for helping to pass the Take It Down Act in April this year, an offshoot of her Be Best anti-bullying program that criminalizes the distribution of deepfake images and revenge porn.

The first lady then left her spouse completely stumped when she said, I hope you will be excited to support my new legislative initiative in 2026. Some of you already know about it because its already in the works.

open image in gallery First lady Melania Trump delivers remarks at the Congressional Ball in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday ( AFP/Getty )

Replacing her at the Golden Eagle lectern, Trump said, Well, I just heard about that for the first time. The only thing I can tell you  I know one thing for sure, Mr Speaker. Its going to be great for children, OK?

I dont know what it is shes doing, but I know its going to be great for children, because she loves children, and shes got a wonderful boy, and shes very proud of her boy, Trump continued, referring to their 19-year-old son, Barron Trump, currently studying at New York Universitys Stern School of Business.

The president himself attracted attention at the event for again appearing with concealer smeared across his right hand and by making a surprising call for Republicans and Democrats to work together to make our country stronger.

The Office of the First Lady has not yet revealed any details publicly about the initiative to which Melania alluded. The Independent has reached out to the White House for more information.

One project she definitely has upcoming is the $40 million Amazon documentary Melania, directed by Brett Ratner, who helmed the Rush Hour franchise (which the president recently expressed interest in seeing revived). Ratner was effectively exiled from Hollywood after being accused of sexual assault by a number of well-known actresses  which he denied.

open image in gallery President Trump followed his wife but appeared not to know what initiative she had been referring to ( AP )

The new film, which will be released early next year, follows Melania in the 20 days leading up to her husbands second inauguration in Washington in January 2024.

While the first lady has remained a relatively remote figure so far in her husbands second term, she has revived public tours of the White House and hosted events like the Easter Egg Roll and Congressional Picnic. She has travelled with the president to survey the damage caused by flooding in central Texas in July and participated in a state visit to the U.K. in September.

More recently, she has taken part in Halloween and Christmas duties and toured a North Carolina military high school with second lady Usha Vance.

She has also been credited with guiding her husbands thinking over the Ukraine war, writing a personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin appealing for compassion, which Trump handed to him at their summit in Alaska in August, and attempting to open a backchannel to the Kremlin for dialogue on the release of children abducted during the conflict.

Melania has not been afraid to speak her mind behind the scenes, either, and reportedly took exception to Trumps demolition of the East Wing of the White House to make way for his $300 million ballroom. However, the president has since claimed she has come around to the idea.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

President Donald Trump has announced a pardon for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, currently serving a nine-year jail sentence for her part in the plot to overturn Joe Bidens 2020 election win.

However, Trumps clemency gesture carries no weight, as Peters, 70, was convicted on state charges, not federal charges.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday evening, the president attacked Democrats for ignoring Violent and Vicious Crime and encouraging immigration from the worst countries so they could rip off American Taxpayers while failing to address perceived injustices at home.

open image in gallery Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters is one year into her nine-year jail sentence for her part in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election ( AP )

Turning to Peters, he wrote: Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest. Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the crime of demanding Honest Elections. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!

The commander-in-chief has the authority to issue pardons under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Still, the wording of Clause 1, which outlines those powers, makes clear that clemency can only be granted for Offenses against the United States, meaning that state criminal offenses and federal or state civil offenses are exempt.

His announcement was met with derision by Colorado officials, with Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, saying in a statement: Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican district attorney and in a Republican county of Colorado and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws including criminal impersonation.

No president has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions. This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in her own statement: Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers for state crimes in a state court. Trump has no constitutional authority to pardon her. His assault is not just on our democracy, but on states rights and the American constitution.

open image in gallery Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reminded President Donald Trump he has no jurisdiction over state law ( AP )

State Attorney General Phil Weiser added: One of the most basic principles of our constitution is that states have independent sovereignty and manage our own criminal justice systems without interference from the federal government.

The idea that a president could pardon someone tried and convicted in state court has no precedent in American law, would be an outrageous departure from what our constitution requires, and will not hold up.

Peters was convicted in August 2024 of seven out of 10 charges, four of which were felonies, for allowing an associate of MyPillow salesman Mike Lindell to access a secure room to make a copy of a hard drive containing data from the states 2020 presidential election results in support of Trumps false claims of fraud.

Despite repeatedly protesting her innocence, including while guesting on Steve Bannons War Room show, Peters was told by District Court Judge Matthew Barrett at her sentencing hearing in October 2024: You are no hero. Youre a charlatan who used, and is still using, your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil thats been proven to be junk time and time again.

open image in gallery Trumps federal pardon carries no weight given that Peters was convicted of offenses against the state of Colorado, not the United States ( AP )

Barretts reprimand has not stopped her from becoming a MAGA cause celebre, with Trump himself directing the Department of Justice in May to take action to secure her release, subsequently threatening Colorado with harsh measures if Peters was not freed.

The administration requested in November that she be transferred to federal custody, citing concerns for her health, which was not granted.

Peters sentence has attracted some alarming rhetoric from her allies, including podcaster Joe Oltmann, who called for the execution of Polis and other state officials over their handling of her case, saying they should hang by their neck until dead, and from her own lawyer Peter Ticktin, who said the 101st Airborne should be deployed to bust her out of jail.

On Tuesday, a federal judge rejected Peters request that she be released while she continues her appeal against her conviction.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

President Donald Trump further escalated tensions with Venezuela after he announced the U.S. had seized an oil tanker  and he might just be getting started, according to a report.

For months, Trump has zeroed in on Venezuela. He has overseen military strikes against alleged drug-running boats that he says are fueled by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros government, built up a military presence in its coastal waters, and imposed sanctions on three of Maduros wifes nephews.

On Wednesday, Trump said that the tanker was the largest one ever seized  and was done so for very good reason. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed the tanker was carrying sanctioned oil intended for Iran; Venezuela has denied that claim, calling the seizure an act of international piracy.

But that label doesnt seem to have deterred the Trump administration, as three people familiar with the administrations plans told the Washington Post that the U.S. is likely to capture additional sanctioned oil vessels off the coast of the South American country.

Asked on Thursday whether the seized tanker, known as the Skipper, would be a one-off, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to share any future plans.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump revealed at a roundtable this week that the U.S. had seized an oil tanker  and sources say more could see the same fate, according to a report ( AFP via Getty Images )

Well, I won't broadcast any future actions from the administration, but I will just reiterate that the Trump administration is executing on the president's sanction policies and the sanction policies of the United States, and we're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil," she told reporters.

The Independent has asked the White House for comment on the Posts report.

On Thursday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against three of Maduros wifes nephews, Cilia Flores and a business executive close to Maduro. The department also added six oil tankers to its list of sanctioned vessels, alleging that the vessels have engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduros corrupt narco-terrorist regime.

The South American country largely relies on oil exports to fuel its economy, so seizing oil tankers could devastate Venezuelas already fragile economy, according to experts. Oil makes up about 88 percent of Venezuelas $24 billion in export revenues, according to the New York Times.

A continued policy of seizures would cause a steep decline in Venezuelas import capacity, plunging the country into a new recession, Francisco Rodriguez, a Venezuelan economist at the University of Denver, told the Times.

open image in gallery Attorney General Pam Bondi shared footage of U.S. forces seizing the oil tanker on Thursday ( X/@AGPamBondi )

The U.S.s campaign targeting oil tankers could also deter ships from heading to the South American country.

Every sanctioned vessel thats thinking about coming to Venezuela is now being warned that the U.S. government could very well board you, an adviser to energy companies engaged in Venezuelas oil sector, who spoke anonymously to protect the confidentiality of his clients, told the Post.

It could have a major chilling effect on vessel owners and operators, he said. Do I want to take the risk of going to Venezuela and getting boarded by American authorities?

Asked what would happen to the oil on board the tanker, Trump told reporters Wednesday: We keep it, I guess.

Leavitt said the vessel will go to a U.S. port and the U.S. intends to seize the oil. However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed, she added.

The Venezuelan government decried the move as a blatant theft and an act of international piracy.

Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people, the statement added.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

President Donald Trump announced that his gold-plated White House ballroom could be completed in as soon as a year and a half.

The White House previously estimated that the massive new addition to the historic building would be completed long before the end of the presidents term in 2028.

I want to welcome you all to the White House. Its an honor to have you. Its a special place. You know, for 150 years, theyve been trying to do a ballroom, Trump said at the Congressional Ball Thursday.

They never got it up, but we got it off. In a very short period of time, like about a year and a half, youre going to have the best ballroom anywhere in the country, he said.

The 90,000-square-foot ballroom has been a source of controversy for months. It led to the East Wing of the White House getting demolished  a move that critics have called a disgrace.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump announced a new delivery date for his massive White House ballroom ( REUTERS )

The $300 million project will be funded by private donors. Contributors include tech giants Amazon, Apple Google, and Microsoft, crypto companies Coinbase and Ripple, the Winklevoss twins and the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to a list provided by the White House.

Democrats have introduced legislation to put guardrails on the project.

open image in gallery The East Wing of the White House was demolished to make way for Trumps 90,000-square-foot ballroom, a move critics have called a disgrace ( Getty Images )

In November, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Robert Garcia introduced the Stop Ballroom Bribery Act, which would require increased transparency around contributions, such as banning donations from individuals with conflicts of interest. The legislation would also prohibit the president and vice president from donating.

Americans shouldnt have to wonder whether President Trump is building a ballroom to facilitate a pay-to-play scheme for political favors. My new bill will put an end to what looks like bribery in plain sight, Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said in a statement.

open image in gallery This interior rendering provided by the White House shows what the new White House ballroom will look like when completed ( The White House )

This month, Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced the No Palaces Act that would require the White House to gain approval from the commission for demolitions and allow Congress to disapprove of proposed changes to the historic building.

President Trump took a wrecking ball to the White Housedemolishing the iconic East Wing to make way for his monstrous, multi-million-dollar ballroom, Blumenthal said in a statement. The guardrails in this measure will ensure future presidents cannot remake the Peoples House into their personal palace.

The president replaced James McCrery II, the original architect overseeing the ballroom project, after his small team reportedly struggled to make deadlines as Trump hoped to expand the ballrooms size. McCrery remains on the project in a consulting role, the White House confirmed.

Trump tapped Shalom Baranes, whose firm has been behind numerous major federal projects including the main Treasury building, to take over.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

President Donald Trump has been sued by preservationists who have asked a federal court to halt his White House ballroom project.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded group, is asking the U.S. District Court to block Trumps White House ballroom project until it goes through multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress.

Trump's project, which involved razing the East Wing, has prompted criticism in the historic preservation and architectural communities, and among his political adversaries.

The lawsuit is the most tangible effort thus far to alter or stop the president's plans for an addition that itself would be nearly twice the size of the White House before the East Wings demolition.

No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever  not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else, the lawsuit states.

Trump shows an image of his planned ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2025 ( JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images )

And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.

Preservationists want the project halted until it goes through comprehensive design reviews, environmental assessments, public comments and congressional debate and ratification.

Additionally, the Trust wants the court to declare that Trump, by fast-tracking the project, has committed multiple violations of the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, while also exceeding his constitutional authority by not consulting lawmakers.

No more work should be done, the Trust argues, until administration officials complete the required reviews  reviews that should have taken place before the Defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the Ballroom.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not immediately respond to Associated Press questions about the lawsuit and the project, including whether the president had any intention of consulting Congress.

Trump, a Republican, has emphasized since announcing the project that hes doing it with private money, including his own. But that would not necessarily change how federal laws and procedures apply to what is still a U.S. government project.

The president already has bypassed the federal governments usual building practices and historical reviews with the East Wing demolition. He recently added another architectural firm to the project.

Trump has long said a White House ballroom is overdue, complaining that events were held outside under a tent because the East Room and the State Dining Room could not accommodate bigger crowds. Trump, among other complaints, said guests get their feet wet if it rains during such events.

The White House is expected to submit plans for Trumps new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the year ends, about three months after construction began.

Will Scharf, who was named by Trump as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, said at the panels monthly meeting last week that he was told by colleagues at the White House that the long-awaited plans would be filed in December.

Once plans are submitted, thats really when the role of this commission, and its professional staff, will begin, said Scharf, who also is one of the Republican presidents top White House aides.

He said the review process would happen at a normal and deliberative pace.

Besides being too late, the Trust argues, that's not nearly enough.

The Trust asserts that plans should have been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts and Congress before any action. The lawsuit notes that the Trust wrote to those entities and the National Park Service on Oct. 21, after East Wing demolition began, urging a stop to the project and asking the administration to comply with federal law.

The National Trust received no response, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit cites a litany of federal statutes and rules detailing the role the planning and fine arts commission and lawmakers play in U.S. government construction projects.

Among them is a statute: A building or structure shall not be erected on any reservation, park, or public grounds of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia without express authority of Congress."

The Trust notes also that the range design and environmental reviews, along with congressional deliberation, would involve public input.

This public involvement, while important in all preservation matters, is particularly critical here, where the structure at issue is perhaps the most recognizable and historically significant building in the country, the complaint says.

Besides the president, the lawsuit names as defendants the National Parks Service, the Department of the Interior, and the General Services Administration, along with leaders of those federal agencies.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

A British backpacker who struck and killed a pedestrian while riding an e-scooter while drunk in central Perth has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Alicia Kemp, 25, was on a working holiday visa when she collided with 51-year-old Thanh Phan on a busy footpath in May.

Phan, a structural engineer and father of two autistic adult sons, suffered catastrophic head injuries and died in hospital soon after. A friend riding as Kemps passenger was also seriously hurt.

Kemp, from Redditch, Worcestershire, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol.

The District Court in Perth heard that she had spent two hours drinking with colleagues as part of an all-you-can-drink event, and later continued bar-hopping until she was refused entry to two venues because of her intoxication, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Kemp had hired a rented e-scooter on Murray Street and, with her friend on the back, was seen on CCTV weaving through pedestrians at around 2025kmph  close to the devices maximum speed.

Prosecutors said Kemps blood-alcohol reading was more than three times the legal limit of 0.05, and that Phan had no opportunity to react before being struck from behind.

Judge Wendy Hughes said the crash was not an accident, telling the defendant: You, Miss Kemp, are the cautionary tale  You were responsible for the death of a good man, and I accept you understand.

The court was told Kemp briefly continued drinking after the crash because she believed the injuries involved were minor  something Judge Hughes said was neither cold nor callous in the circumstances, as the extent of the victims injuries was not known at the time. But Phans condition deteriorated rapidly, and emergency surgery could not save him.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Phans wife, Loan Lee, wrote that her husband had been the backbone of their family, supporting two sons with high care needs. She said they had been left vulnerable and uncertain, adding: The pain of watching someone wait for someone who will never return is indescribable.

Kemp, who had graduated in psychology and criminology and previously volunteered in the Philippines, wept as the statement was read. Her defence lawyer, Michael Tudori, said she came from a good family and had shown an extreme level of remorse, unable to bring herself to watch footage of the collision, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

The case has intensified scrutiny of e-scooter regulation in Western Australia, where riders must be over 16, wear helmets, ride sober and carry no passengers.

Phans death prompted the City of Perth to suspend its hire scheme, with other councils following. A subsequent parliamentary inquiry warned of an urgent need for state reform after finding that serious e-rideable injuries had become a daily occurrence at Perths main trauma hospital.

Kemps sentence has been backdated to 1 June. She will be eligible for parole after serving two years and is disqualified from driving for the same period.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The European Union is poised to lock up Russias assets held in Europe, a move intended to force Moscow to end its war in Ukraine and provide reparations for nearly four years of devastation.

Expected on Friday, this decision is a crucial step towards EU leaders agreeing next week on how to leverage tens of billions in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a significant loan for Ukraines financial and military needs over the next two years.

However, the initiative has drawn fierce condemnation from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in Europe.

He accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, "of systematically raping European law."

A total of 210 billion ($247 billion) in Russian assets are frozen in Europe. The vast majority of the funds  around 193 billion ($225 billion) at the end of September  are held in Euroclear, a Belgian financial clearing house.

These funds were frozen under sanctions imposed by the EU following Russia's full-scale invasion on 24 February, 2022. Their continuation requires renewal every six months, subject to approval from all 27 member states.

open image in gallery The move is an important step that would allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years ( Associated Press/Harry Nakos )

Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing more support to Ukraine.

Fridays expected decision, which is based on EU treaty rules allowing the bloc to protect its economic interests in certain emergency situations, would prevent them from blocking the sanctions rollover and make it easier to use the assets.

Orban said on social media that it means that the rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europes leaders are placing themselves above the rules.

The European Commission is systematically raping European law. It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isnt winnable, he wrote. He said that Hungary will do everything in its power to restore a lawful order.

open image in gallery Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban  Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in Europe  accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, of systematically raping European law

In a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, who will chair the summit starting on 18 December, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he would refuse to back any move that would include covering Ukraines military expenses for the coming years.

He warned that the use of frozen Russian assets could directly jeopardise US peace efforts, which directly count on the use of these resources for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

But the commission argues that the war has imposed heavy costs by hiking energy prices and stunting economic growth in the EU, which has already provided nearly 200 billion ($235 billion) in support to Ukraine.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Europe must be ready to deter Russia as the shadow of war looms, a minister has warned, echoing alarming words from the head of Nato.

Armed forces minister Al Carns said countries need to increase our lethality and stop outsourcing it to others.

His warning comes after Nato secretary general Mark Rutte called Europe Russias next target and said countries must prepare for a scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured.

Precarious peace efforts surrounding a US-led plan to end Russias war in Ukraine are ongoing, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer insisting US president Donald Trump and his European counterparts are aligned on what they want for Kyiv.

But relations between Europe and the US are strained after the Trump administrations national security strategy accused European officials of holding unrealistic expectations for the invasion.

open image in gallery Armed forces minister Al Carns said countries need to increase our lethality and stop outsourcing it to others ( Getty )

Mr Carns told The Telegraph: For the last 50 to 60 years, we have been reliant on US security guarantees and now, with multipolar threats facing the US, they may not be as forthright as they have in the past.

While Mr Trump has agreed he is fully in Nato and its Article 5 collective defence clause, there is a resource issue where they need to look both east and west, he said.

In the past, in wars of choice, weve outsourced our lethality to others. Weve got to make sure that we increase our lethality  across all of our single services.

Having outsourced to the US in the past, Europe and the UK have now pledged to up our game on defence spending, he said.

open image in gallery Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has called Europe Russias next target ( Reuters )

He added: The shadow of war is knocking on Europes door once more. Thats the reality. Weve got to be prepared to deter it. Collectively in Nato, weve got to remember that numerically  we outmatch Russia significantly.

Ukraine has pushed back against a US-drafted plan and submitted its own 20-point document to Washington as part of negotiations.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the US has proposed a possible free economic zone in the Donbas region, which would see Ukrainian forces withdraw and Russia agree to remain where they are and not enter the territory.

He reportedly said there would need to be elections or a referendum for Ukraine to approve any such move.

open image in gallery Keir Starmer welcomes Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street on Monday ( Getty )

The UK and French-led countries dubbed the coalition of the willing on Thursday discussed progress on mobilising frozen Russian sovereign assets to use to fund Ukraine and agreed it was a pivotal moment for Kyiv and the Euro-Atlantic region.

Mr Zelensky told the meeting he was seeking a framework document on security guarantees from the US that he wanted to be approved by Congress.

This would mean real, solid, legally binding security guarantees for our country, and they must actually be implemented, he said.

Donald Trump has this week criticised Ukraines European allies as weak leaders of decaying nations failing to produce anything as the war just keeps going on and on.

open image in gallery The White House said on Thursday that the US president was sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting and wants action ( Getty )

But he spoke to Sir Keir, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday in a call during which they discussed proposals to end the war in pretty strong terms, according to Mr Trump.

However, the White House said on Thursday that the US president was sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting and wants action.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the US had not committed to sending an official to talks expected on Saturday.

If there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement, if we feel like those meetings are worthy of someone of the United Statess time this weekend, then we will send a representative, she said.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Europe must prepare for a conflict with Russia on the scale our grandparents endured, Natos secretary general has said in a stark warning to the West.

Tensions have been escalating across the continent in recent weeks, following a spate of drone incursions into Nato airspace and a chilling statement by Russian president Vladimir Putin that his country is ready for war right now if Europe wants it.

We are Russias next target. And we are already in harms way, Mark Rutte said in a speech in Berlin on Thursday.

Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured.

open image in gallery Mark Rutte: Too many believe that time is on our side. It is not ( Reuters )

Insisting on an immediate and rapid boost of defence spending as a deterrent, he added: Conflict is at our door.

Mr Rutte suggested that Russia could use military force against Nato within the next five years, and that Europe is not ready.

I fear that too many are quietly complacent, he cautioned. Too many dont feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now.

Allied defence spending and production must rise rapidly. Our armed forces must have what they need to keep us safe.

In a scathing attack on Russias leader, he added: Putin is paying for his pride with the blood of his own people. And if he is prepared to sacrifice ordinary Russians in this way, what is he prepared to do to us?

His comments came as talks to end Russias war on Ukraine have struggled to gain momentum, and after the Trump administration indicated that it expects Europe to be less dependent on the US for its security.

On Thursday, Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had presented the US with a revised 20-point peace plan to end the conflict.

The notion of Ukraine giving up territory to Russia has been a key sticking point, but the Americans have now put forward the possibility of a free economic zone in the Donbas.

US negotiators foresee Ukrainian forces withdrawing from the Donetsk region, with the compromise being that Russian forces do not enter that territory, Mr Zelensky said. He stressed that any decision about ceding territory would have to go to a referendum.

We have two key points of disagreement: the territories of Donetsk and everything related to them, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. These are the two topics we continue to discuss, Mr Zelensky told reporters on Thursday.

Germanys chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised that the matter of territory remains a question that must be answered primarily by the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people, adding that he had made this clear to President Trump.

However, Russias foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused Europe of disrupting efforts to reach a long-term peace deal by focusing on their wish for a ceasefire in the short term.

Our talks with the president of the United States are dedicated to just that  the search for a long-lasting resolution to eliminate the root causes of this conflict, Mr Lavrov said.

open image in gallery Donald Trump has insisted that Volodymyr Zelensky must be realistic as peace talks continue ( AFP/Getty )

Donald Trumps sympathies for Ukraine appear to have been cooling of late, and in an interview on Tuesday he expressed frustration at a weak and decaying Europe, hinting that he could abandon the talks altogether.

Reports have claimed that Mr Trump has given Mr Zelensky a deadline of Christmas to accept a peace deal, though Washington has denied this.

Days of consultation have taken place with European allies, including UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron, and Chancellor Merz, who held a phone call with Mr Trump on Wednesday.

The Ukraine conflict continues to present a wider issue for Europe, with a number of countries accusing Russia of inflicting hybrid warfare on their territory.

Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Poland and Romania have all reported disruptions in their airspace in recent weeks. On Tuesday, British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper warned that cyber attacks pose an escalating danger to the UK and Europe.

The US, meanwhile, has ramped up tensions with Venezuela, with the seizure on Thursday of an oil tanker it that claimed was being used to transport sanctioned fuel.

Venezuelas leader, Nicolas Maduro, has accused the US of fabricating a conflict in order to exploit his countrys natural resources, including oil, while US politicians have raised concerns that Mr Trump is sleepwalking into war with Venezuela.
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Romania has recorded its first confirmed cases of leprosy in more than 40 years.

The European Union state said it had found two masseuses with the disease at a spa in the northwestern city of Cluj.

Two more people were being tested, and the two confirmed cases - both Indonesian nationals aged 21 and 25 - were being treated, the health ministry added.

Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete said customers at the spa should not worry, as the disease requires extended exposure to pass on.

Signs of leprosy WHO The disease manifests commonly through skin lesions and peripheral nerve involvement. Leprosy is diagnosed by finding at least one of the following signs: definite loss of sensation in a pale (hypopigmented) or reddish skin patch

thickened or enlarged peripheral nerve, with loss of sensation and/or weakness of the muscles supplied by that nerve

microscopic detection of bacilli in a slit-skin smear

One of the patients had recently returned from Asia, where she had spent a month with her mother, who was currently in hospital with the same disease, Rogobete was quoted as saying by state news agency Agerpres.

Authorities had shut down the spa pending an investigation, health officials said.

Romania's last confirmed case of leprosy - also known as Hansen's disease - was detected 44 years ago, the ministry said.
A doorbell camera caught the moment a house was obliterated by a gas explosion on a residential street.

Six people were hospitalised after the blast, which sparked a major fire and blew out windows in neighbouring properties in Hayward, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dramatic footage shows debris being blown high into the air as a nearby worker scrambles for cover.

Utility workers had been called out to fix a damaged underground gas line hours before the explosion at 9.30am local time on Thursday (11 December), a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spokesman confirmed.

Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto said three people were immediately sent to hospital, with a further three admitted after receiving minor injuries.
An interpreter broke down in tears as she translated for a young Ukrainian boy, who recalled his mothers death in a Russian strike.

The interpreter was visibly upset as she translated for the 11-year-old boy at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Roman Oleksiv was injured in the Russian missile strike on a hospital in Ukraine in 2022. He has undergone multiple surgeries since.

His mother was tragically killed in the attack.

The young boy, who was the subject of an award-winning film, previously received an award from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Irish banks and ATM operators warned of potential sanctions breaches

The Central Bank of Ireland says banks need to ensure designated entities are blocked

A Belgazprombank office in Gomel, Belarus. Stock image. Photo: Getty

John Mulligan Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Irish banks and ATM operators have been warned by the Central Bank to ensure that they are not being used for sanctions-busting.
Bank very sorry for failing to meet obligations and says it will fix processes

Bank of Ireland (BoI) has been prosecuted and fined 2,000 (2,280) for failing to submit annual fair employment returns in Northern Ireland over a five-year period.

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland said it had brought the prosecution against the bank, with proceedings leading to a 2,000 fine by the High Court in Belfast.

A spokesperson for the bank said it was very sorry for failing to meet its filing obligations and was improving internal processes so that it would not happen again.

The commission said all registered employers in Northern Ireland with 11 or more employees working 16 hours a week or more must submit annual fair employment monitoring returns to comply with the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998 (FETO).

The returns are unique to the North and track employment trends, including the mix of workers from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds, as well as gender breakdowns.

The prosecution followed Bank of Irelands failure to file annual fair employment returns between 2021 and 2025.

Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner at the Equality Commission, said: Compliance with the fair employment legislation is as important today as it was when it was first introduced in 1990.

This is not just a paper exercise, nor is it an end in itself

The commission provided employers with some leeway during the Covid period, but it was the failure by the Bank of Ireland to submit their fair employment monitoring returns that led to this prosecution.

This is not just a paper exercise, nor is it an end in itself. It is the beginning of a process, the starting point for further action.

Employers are expected to use their monitoring information to determine if they are affording fair participation in the workforce.

Each year, the commission reports on the fair employment trends and assesses if the monitored workforce in Northern Ireland is in line with the composition of all those available for work. The commission provides free and confidential advice to employers to assist them with their legal obligations relating to FETO. But we take non-compliance seriously.

We will use our enforcement powers when necessary to take action against employers who fail to submit their returns as they are legally required to do so.

A spokesperson for Bank of Ireland said: Bank of Ireland recognises the importance of fair employment legislation and we are very sorry that we did not meet our obligations.

Having a diverse and inclusive workplace is important to us and we should have ensured that our fair employment returns were submitted in the manner and timeframe expected.

We have worked with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to provide the information required and our fair employment returns are now up to date.

We are improving our internal processes to ensure this does not happen again.
Young employee was convicted earlier this year of forging garda vetting certs

A provisional liquidator has been appointed by the High Court to a nursing and medical personnel providers holding company which is linked to a firm involved in a forged garda vetting cert scandal.

Mr Justice Brian Cregan appointed Declan de Lacy, of Fides Chartered Accountants, to Even Better Value Enterprises Ltd (EBVEL) which is linked to a number of other companies trading under the Good People name and which provided medical staff and accommodation, including for vulnerable children using the services of Tusla.

Earlier this year, a 22-year-old employee of the Good People companies was convicted of 55 counts of forging garda vetting certs to be provided to Tusla.

EBVEL is a holding company whose directors are Dr Judith Kundodyiwa and Gerard Chimbganda. Together, in 2017, they established Minana International, trading as Good People.

In 2023, a dispute broke out between the two and Dr Kundodyiwa, who is a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology in the Royal Bolton Hospital in north-west England. She says Mr Chimbganda took a number of unlawful actions, including removing her as a director of Minana and reducing her shareholding from 50pc to 5pc. EBVEL held her shares in Minana.

Proceedings were issued by each of them in Ireland and the UK. They entered mediation and a settlement was agreed whereby EBVEL would buy out her shares for 2.25m, with the first instalment due last month.

However, Mr Chimbganda failed to make the first two payments, totalling 187,500, and today Dr Kundodyiwa petitioned the High Court for the appointment of a provisional liquidator to take control of EBVEL.

In an affidavit, Dr Kundodyiwa said that in circumstances where the affairs of Minana, EBVEL and related companies have been conducted unlawfully and fraudulently, and where there is a history of misappropriation and misuse of corporate funds, she had sought the appointment of the provisional liquidator.

She is concerned Mr Chimbganda could, before a provisional liquidator was appointed, put the assets of Minana and EBVEL beyond the reach of its creditors, who include her.

Apart from being unable to pay the debt due to her, she said Mr Chimbganda paid himself dividends of some 559,000 in 2022 to assist him and his wife in buying a house. He had claimed it was a loan but exhibited no loan agreement or repayment terms or proof of repayment, she said.

As part of its expanding business, Good People provided accommodation for vulnerable people, including children, which required garda vetting for staff.

Following the conviction for forgery of a staff member of Good People, whom Dr Kundodyiwa says is a niece of Mr Chimbganda, the niece was shipped off to Sweden in an effort to distance the family from Good People, she claimed.

Dr Kundodyiwa said Mr Chimbganda wanted the public to believe his relative acted alone in forging the certs.

She said that was quite frankly absurd as she had nothing to gain from doing it while Mr Chimbganda, his wife and his sister did.

His wife and sister had been appointed directors of Minana after he unlawfully took control of it, she said.

This was relevant to the petition because it showed Mr Chimbganda was engaged in unlawful and fraudulent activities, that the Good People companies have been refused government contracts and may have difficulty securing further contracts for good reason.

Dr Kundodyiwa also said Mr Chimbganda authorised unsuitable staff placements without her approval, which led to serious issues in hospitals.

It was also reported that apart from unvetted staff caring for vulnerable children, the children were placed in unsuitable accommodation, including one apartment where rats were found and children were not given soap.

She also outlined the diversion of funds from Minana to other companies within the group, which she said showed he had a history of diverting money and business from the companies.

Today, John Kennedy SC, instructed by Peter Boyle and Co Solicitors, applied on a one-side only represented basis for the appointment of the provisional liquidator to EBVEL which he said is the holding company.

He said EBVEL has nothing to do with another company which uses the even better value slogan.

Mr Justice Cregan said he was satisfied to make the appointment and made orders including that Mr de Lacy be given power to take EBVEL under control and secure property to which the company to be entitled.
The Indo Daily: Melania: The Movie  We saw it, so you dont have to...
The phone trick to stop scam +44 robocalls  experts warn that answering them puts you on more criminal databases

Ireland is currently experiencing a wave of scam robocalls that appear to be from UK-based +44 telephone numbers. While the telecoms regulator prepares a fix, there is a new way to stop them

Adrian Weckler Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 12:08

The Irish telecoms regulator says it is working to curb a wave of scam robocalls using the prefix +44, as security experts warn that simply answering the calls can put people on a new giant scammer database.
Just like the old days: Red Hurley on reviving showband glory days with series of concerts

Fans pack The Red Train' departing Heuston, singing stars hits all the way to Mayo

Red Hurley (76) has been holding a series of concerts in Mayo, drawing fans from across Ireland. Photo: Mark Condren

Eddie Rowley Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Irish singing legend Red Hurley is bringing the showband era back to life with a series of celebration concerts in Westport, Co Mayo.
In cinemas; Cert 12A

How many hearts can one film break? Too many, it seems, and this devastating historical drama from Nomadland director Chloe Zhao has made quite the name for itself in the run-up to awards season.

Those who were lucky to catch an early screening of Hamnet on the festival circuit were unable to recall the experience without welling up.

Some of our peers have refused a second sitting; others returned for a repeat viewing at a recent Irish press show, just to see if they could hold it together this time. They couldnt, and I know now why they brought tissues.

Hamnet, a fictional tale rooted in historical tragedy, depicts an unimaginably cruel chapter in the lives of William Shakespeare and his wife Anne (referred to throughout this film as Agnes).

Based on a novel by Northern Irish author Maggie OFarrell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zhao, this powerful and perceptive drama begins with a routine countryside romance in the muddy Stratford hills.

Its there that a handsome Latin tutor (Paul Mescals Will) falls head over heels for the most talked-about woman in the village (Jessie Buckleys Agnes).

Paul Mescal is perfect for the role as William Shakespeare in 'Hamnet'

They say hes a terrible worker, lazy and distracted; they tell stories about Agnes, a spirited hawk handler who sleeps under the trees. Our beguiling leads share little in common but are nonetheless perfect for one another.

The inevitable family kick-back ensues. Wills father, John (David Wilmot), is a bit of a bully; his argumentative mother, Mary (Emily Watson), disapproves of her sons hippy girlfriend. Its only after Agness big-hearted brother, Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn), gives his blessing that Agnes and her beloved are allowed to marry.

The kids are on their way. First, a daughter  Susanna  is born in the woods, just as Agnes had planned. Some time later, Mary assists with the birth of twins  Hamnet and Judith  in the Shakespeare home.

With dad away in London making history and the children enjoying a cosy, comfortable life in Stratford with mum, it seems no harm can come to this endearing family portrait. And then the bubonic plague arrives in town.

There has been much talk of Hamnets distressing middle section, when Agnes watches the life slip away from her only son.

Buckley, one of the finest actors in the world right now, contorts her body in such a way that suggests she, too, might perish on the spot. The ensuing wail is not a sound I would like to hear twice.

Still, its an astonishing sequence, horrifying and heart-wrenching, and itll probably be studied for years.

Jessie Buckley's performance in 'Hamnet' may help her win an Oscar

The aftermath is different for everyone. Agnes can barely breathe without thinking of her boy. Will is unable to cope with the idea that his dear Hamnet has simply vanished.

Inevitably, he does what a million other parents have been known to do in such terrible circumstances: he throws himself into his work.

Historians and scholars have often wondered if the young Shakespeare lads death directly inspired his fathers most accomplished dramatic piece.

A title card informs us that Hamlet and Hamnet were the same name around this time  but its up to us to decide if the Bard really did conjure up a grandiose theatrical tragedy from his own personal, hellish grief.

Here, thats exactly what he does, and  this is hardly a spoiler  a heartbroken Agnes eventually reconnects with her estranged husband through the stage.

There is some strong support around them. The increasingly watchable Joe Alwyn delivers a compassionate, dignified turn as Agness dutiful sibling. Watson is marvellous, as ever, and Noah Jupe turns in a commendable performance as the young actor hired to play Wills Hamlet.

Mescal, meanwhile, gives us a more measured Shakespeare than were used to. Too many films paint the Bard as cocky and untouchable, an annoying man to be around. This is the first to treat him as a human, and Mescal is perfect for the part.

Handsomely shot and beautifully scored, Hamnet is very much a team effort. But its Buckleys big moment, and shell probably win an Oscar for it.

In someone elses hands, Agness emotional odyssey might have spiralled wildly out of control. There is no such issue with Buckley, whose remarkable central turn is so raw  so extraordinarily authentic  youd forget youre watching an actor.

It doesnt get better than that.

Five stars
France is pushing to delay the conclusion of a free-trade agreement between the European Union and some of the largest South American economies in a move that could derail the deal.

The French government wants to postpone until at least early next year the signing of the agreement with the Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, according to people familiar with discussions. The agreement was expected to be signed Dec. 20.

Failure to sign the accord by the end of the year, which has been in the works for 25 years, risks collapsing the current work on the deal, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A spokesperson from France's ministry of foreign affairs said the deal in its current form isn't acceptable.

The accord is an attempt to create an integrated market of 780 million consumers, providing a boost to the EU's embattled manufacturing sector as wells as Mercosur's vast agricultural industry. It would also help both regions diversify away from the US after President Donald Trump imposed worldwide tariffs in a bid to reshape global commerce to benefit the American economy.

The deal would also strengthen the EU's footprint in a region where China has emerged as a major industrial supplier and the main commodities purchaser.

Several European countries, particularly France and Poland, have long opposed the accord over how it would impact the European agriculture sector. European farmers have feared that an inflow of goods from Latin America, produced at lower standards, would put them at a disadvantage.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, recently presented additional guarantees to protect the European agrifood market in an effort to win over the holdouts.

The French government wants stronger safeguards for its agriculture industry, the people said.

Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, reiterated Irelands "grave concerns" regarding the proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal, specifically highlighting the threat posed to the beef sector, as he arrived in Brussels yesterday for a meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers.

Heydon said he is "holding true" to the governments commitment to work with like-minded countries that share these concerns, however, he said it was not clear there were enough countries to form a blocking minority.

Along with France, Poland is said to oppose the deal, while others most notably Italy, have been sending mixed signals. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has yet to spell out a clear position in favour of the agreement.

When pressed on how the Irish government would determine its final position on the agreement, Heydon indicated that while trade deals are traditionally decided at the Trade Council or the Council of Ministers (leader level), but said how the vote would proceed was "above my pay grade."

However, when asked by reporters if he feared Ireland's decision on whether to back the deal would be made over his head, he said he was 'sure' it would be discussed at cabinet beforehand.

Bloomberg.
I thought I was about to be murdered, says man who was branded rat with hot iron tool and waterboarded in attack by five Dublin criminals
Gardai appeal for witnesses to cash in transit robbery in south Dublin

A separate vehicle was set on fire as a group of men fled with a sum of cash

A burnt out car sits next to a cash-in-transit van behind Lucan Shopping Centre while Gardai investigated the scene. Photo: Damien Storan.

Keith Kelly Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 22:27

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to a cash in transit robbery in Lucan, Dublin this afternoon.
Gardai carry out dawn searches at number of houses as part of fatal Offaly firebomb attack investigation

Tadhg Farrell (4) and his grand-aunt Mary Holt (6) were killed after a petrol bomb was hurled in a downstairs window of the family home in Castleview Park in Edenderry, Co Offaly last weekend

Tadgh Farrell, who was killed in the Edenderry firebombing attack

Denise Calnan, Ken Foy and Robin Schiller Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 08:44

Gardai are carrying out searches at a number of houses on Friday morning as part of an investigation into a fatal fire in Co Offaly which claimed the lives of a four-year-old boy and his 60-year-old grand-aunt.
Taoiseach orders National Security Council meeting over drone activity during Zelensky visit

Micheal Martin concedes Irelands security spending will have to increase

Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at Government Buildings. Photo: PA

Ralph Riegel Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 18:08

The National Security Council will meet next week to discuss the appearance of unidentified drones over the Irish Sea as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Ireland.
A plan for local authorities to remove roadside memorials for victims of car accidents needs to be considered in more detail, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Michael Murphy, Chairperson of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, said that he learned of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the Department of Transports new policy yesterday, which advises local authorities that roadside memorials are not permitted on motorways, dual carriageways and on roads with speed limits greater than 60km/h.
Emirates is hiring cabin crew in Ireland: here are its salaries, perks like free flights home, and height requirements

Recruitment open days are scheduled in the coming week for Cork and Dublin

Emirates cabin crew

Pol O Conghaile Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Luxury airline Emirates is seeking to recruit cabin crew members in Ireland for roles with a tax-free salary and free accommodation in Dubai.
The private club set on changing solo travel  for the sort of woman who orders from the middle of the wine list
Max Hastings: It is time for Europe to stop pretending that Donald Trump is not the enemy

EU leaders seem reluctant to grasp the nettle and stop placating US president

President Donald Trump: Photo: Reuters

Max Hastings Bloomberg Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Donald Trump describes Europe as a decaying continent, its leaders as weak. He attributes blame for the continuation of the Ukraine war to the victim country and to European governments.
An article in the Financial Times on November 25 was leaden with inconvenient truths concerning our security.

Under the headline: How Ireland became the weak spot in Europes defences, it spelled out how experts saw us at risk of becoming an international liability, unable to protect the essential infrastructure in our waters despite having become rich as a host for global tech and trade.

It told how the Irish Navy could only look on as Russian ships skulk around the Irish coast.

In recent days, we have seen how drones suspected to be Russian were free to menace our skies as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky flew into Dublin. In such a chilling context, the timing of Defence Minister Helen McEntees announcement about a 1.7bn defence spending plan up to 2030 almost seemed prescient.

Two events have transformed thinking on Irelands security. The first was Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The second was Donald Trumps election and his adherence to rigid America First policies, which are now being seen as America alone.

If the US president has made plain his contempt for Nato and Europe, Vladimir Putin is just as blunt about his disdain for a rules-based international order.

His ruthless ambitions and disregard for borders has put the continent at highly elevated levels of risk.

Countries across Europe that recognise they are on their own without transatlantic back-up are ramping up defence budgets at unprecedented levels.

Our world has changed dramatically. Ignoring the dangers is delusional

But what recent sinister events have embarrassingly exposed is that there is a glaring deficit between what our defence services can deliver and what is demanded in a new predatory paradigm. Our world has changed dramatically. Ignoring the dangers is delusional.

This week, employers group Ibec called on the Government to increase investment in defence and security. It said robust security is the bedrock for business, pointing to the need for undersea cables, grid connections, energy and security to be protected against cyber threats.

In other decades, we may have allowed ourselves to become predisposed to not responding to threats that could be postponed until someone else dealt with them. Regrettably, those days are gone.

There are those who may hold that international politics turns on the basis of keeping people alarmed as a pretext for keeping them compliant. Such thinking has certainly not hurt the industrial military complex, but the new realities have to be confronted.

Former US president Lyndon B Johnson said: All of us realise that war requires action. What is sometimes harder for us to realise is that peace and neutrality also require action.

Neutrality has long been the cornerstone of our foreign policy. Our country must be able to protect itself. Expecting our Defence Forces to do their duties without giving them the means to do so would be a betrayal of the national interest. Self-defence is in no way inimical to our neutrality.
The latest depressing episode in the housing debacle (Misguided advice on how to navigate moving back in with your parents wont solve the housing crisis, Irish Independent, December 10), copper-fastens the view the Government is simply not willing to recognise the core cause of the problem; the commoditisation of houses and outsourcing of social and affordable homes to private entities.

All efforts are now geared towards creating a narrative depicting the Government as a hapless bystander left with little other option than throw taxpayers money at various groups and hope things might improve.

But let us be clear here, it is government policy that outsourced the provision of social and affordable housing and whenever such outsourcing is employed the result is always the same, many citizens left unable to access them.

The current housing crisis will not be solved until the Government takes full and direct responsibility for the provision of social and affordable homes, either via local authorities or a housing unit within the Department of Housing.

To continue with the extraordinary policy of sitting on the sidelines depending on charities to do the heavy lifting and throwing vast amounts of taxpayers money to incentivise other private entities to do more is, to be frank, nuts. If persisted with, homelessness will remain in some form or other, ad infinitum.

Jim OSullivan, Rathedmond, Co Sligo

Influencers prove they can find success without skills, thanks to willing audience

I keep reading about influencers, a tribe I understand only at secondhand. They seem to appear on reality TV not because the nation was clamouring for their company, but because they have vast online followings. I know this only from newspapers. I have never ventured closer to the phenomenon than that.

As a man in his 70s who spent decades teaching, I once thought guiding thousands of young people counted as influence with a capital I. Apparently not.

Today, one needs curated lighting, relentless self-promotion and a willingness to opine on topics one barely understands. On that basis, perhaps I qualify after all. The makeover industry promises shortcuts. I could fly to Turkey and return with dazzling teeth and a dense hairline, ready for my close-up.

Although given my luck, I would come back looking like a retired boy-band member and that would be influence of the wrong kind. Still, there must be a market for something more grounded.

Perhaps younger generations would follow a man who can pack liquids for airport security without a crisis, who understands the restorative force of a Thursday drink and knows surviving a tedious staff meeting means looking engaged while thinking about dinner.

These skills took decades to perfect. If the influencer economy has taught us anything, it is expertise no longer requires qualifications  only an audience. On that measure, perhaps there is hope for all of us yet.

Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh

Astute Samotiy flags Russian drone incursion as a security wake-up call

What an intelligent and talented columnist Ksenia Samotiy is. And what a positive influence on Ireland this immigrant has brought.

The insight she brings in relation to Irelands neutrality and the drone incursion during Volodymyr Zelenskys visit to Ireland (Russian drone invasion proves investment is urgently needed to defend Irish airspace, Irish Independent, December 9) is impressive. She challenges our comfortable illusions.

If the majority of people in Ireland favour neutrality, then fine. But lets not confuse that with not providing proper defence of our country and infrastructure. The Government must invest significantly in our defences.

Kevin Kelly, Bettystown, Co Meath

Why Irish Independent letter-writers would be invaluable in the Dail

May I say just how much I enjoy reading the Letters to the Editor in the Irish Independent.

Each letter is very interesting and given space. I note the regular contributors and their input.

A lot of the letters make such common sense that if the writers were TDs, many good policies would be formulated and bad ones would be stopped. I shall give my pen a rest until the new year but wish readers and editorial staff alike a very merry Christmas.

Dominic Shelmerdine, London

Americas peace strategy demonstrates how scant its regard for Ukraine is

The principles of national sovereignty, the rule of law, justice and equality and mutual respect continue to be subverted and toyed with by a self-appointed US/Russian jury, with regard to Ukraine and its people.

Ominously, from a wider European perspective, its obvious the Ukraine question is heaven-sent to both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as the means to win their mutual war against their hated opponent Europe, without scarcely firing a shot.

All the while and having again been excluded at the start of the current peace discussions, Europe continues to genuflect.

If the penny doesnt soon drop in European capitals, especially after the publication of the USs new National Security Strategy (which berates Europe while being welcomed by Russia as largely consistent with Moscows vision), then the security of our continent and our way of life are in mortal peril.

Michael Gannon, Saint Thomas Square, Kilkenny.

Bualadh bos for important step in creating our first monolingual Irish focloir

I commend the Irish Independent for publishing, as Gaeilge, the launch of the first ever monolingual Irish-Irish dictionary (Cuireann an focloir nua na Gaeil ar comhcheim, a deir an tUachtaran, Irish Independent, Seachtain, December 10).

A contemporary monolingual dictionary is an essential resource in any living language, President Connolly, who launched the dictionary, said.

Compiling An Focloir Nua Gaeilge began in September 2022, with Foras na Gaeilge chief dictionary editor Padraig O Mianain and dictionary programme manager Cormac Breathnach leading the project.

An initial tranche of 20,000 entries, comprising 40,000 word senses, went live on Focloir.ie on December 9.

The main phase of the dictionary project is scheduled to be completed by August 2027, by which time it will comprise 30,000 entries.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh.

Tomas MacUileagoid, Lios Tuathail, Contae Chiarrai
Not everyone was born into the material comforts bestowed on the likes of Florence Welch, Chris Martin, Lily Allen and Marcus Mumford. So its interesting to learn from musicians who had much to lose, and juggle, while finding their own sound (see also authors, activists, politicians).

Producer and journalist Giles Bidder has steadily curated a masterful line-up of contemporary acts on 101 Part Time Jobs (Apple, Pocket Casts, Spotify, YouTube), where squiggly careers and work ethics are uncloaked, including some Irish acts.

Theres the episode with Kneecap, where DJ Provai (JJ O Dochartaigh) explains how he juggled teaching with being in the band  hence the balaclava, initially an attempt to hide his real identity. Also Dundalks nouveau shoegazers Just Mustard, who discuss the early days on the dole and even now the joys of applying for arts funding.

Comedian and Traitor extraordinaire Alan Carr has one of the fizziest travel podcasts out there, Lifes a Beach. Thankfully hes not trading it in for Bottoms Up! (Apple, Pocket Casts, Spotify, YouTube); rather adding the latter to his repertoire. He and fellow comedian and friend Lee Peart learn more about their favourite drink  wine  from producers and experts such as Tom Gilbey, and take questions from listeners. It all has the effect of being sat in a pub lounge with two of your favourite giddy aunts  and more double entendres than a Carry on box-set.

We drink a lot of wine but we dont know much about it, admits Carr, cracking open a bottle of rose, explaining how he always buys the very same bottles when he goes to the supermarket. Its a series like a glass of champagne; effervescent ambrosia thatll give you the giggles.

More sobering  though full of warmth  is The Third Act (Apple, Pocket Casts, Spotify) which approaches ageing more like a fine wine than an existential catastrophe. In each episode Catherine Fairweather chats with well-known vintage actors, artists, adventurers and entrepreneurs about their hard-won wisdom in an attempt to leave you with the strong belief that the best is yet to come.

Michael Palins natural curiosity sparked an eclectic career as a comedian, actor, author and explorer but at 83 he was forced to navigate life as a widower, in a bittersweet episode. Likewise, pop culture fans will appreciate hearing from photographer Martin Parr, who died at the age of 73 last week and had been working tirelessly despite his cancer diagnosis in 2021.
A week ago, millions of us across the nation were glued to one of our most beloved annual traditions, the Late Late Toy Show.

And once again, it delivered, with children melting our hearts, a buoyant Patrick Kielty at the helm, and big-name drop-ins from Lewis Capaldi, Roy Keane and CMAT.

But a week is a long time in RTE politics. The festive glow in Montrose can fade fast, and this week the broadcaster has found itself navigating a fresh set of challenges, both internal and external.

UK punk-rap duo Bob Vylan have begun defamation proceedings against RTE over the broadcasters coverage of the bands controversial Glastonbury appearance.

Meanwhile, senior RTE executives were back before the Oireachtas Media Committee this week facing renewed scrutiny as new details emerged about the broadcasters financial savings plan.

So, what kind of Christmas is RTE in for? And will 2026 bring with it a prosperous new year?

On todays Indo Daily, Tessa Fleming is joined by Irish Independent political journalist Tabitha Monahan, and by Irish Independent features journalist Dave Hanratty, to examine RTEs roadmap to sustainability and success.
Pictured on Greenhills farm in East Cork is TJ Hunter, Vice President Onshore Ireland & UK (centre) with Tom Browne (left) and Simon Browne (right), the family behind Greenhills following their lease agreement in March of this year. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan

Opposition to a proposed solar farm development in East Cork that would be the largest of its kind in the country, has been heard recently at Oireachtas level, with a meeting promised concerned locals in the New Year.

The Inch Killeagh Rural Preservation society is currently attempting to prevent the solar farm development at Irelands largest dairy farm in Greenhills in East Cork. This follows the completion of an agreement by the Browne family to lease part of its 1,110-acre site to Danish multinational renewable energy giant rsted.

The group say the proposed 250-megawatt capacity farm, threatens our rural way of life, and during a meeting in April, Councillor Peter O'Donoghue from Fermoy, called the increase in solar farm developments "a cancer that needs to be nipped in the bud" and the "industrialisation of Rural Ireland."

We are proud to have built a reputation as a leader in Irish dairy and we are proud now to play a role in providing reliable renewable energy generation, said a statement on behalf of the Browne family at the time of the agreement.

This week, rsted informed locals, through a newsletter, that they would be submitting planning permission on the site with Cork County Council just ahead of Christmas.

The application seeks permission for what would be Irelands largest solar farm in power output, with the largest currently operational solar farm in the state having capacity for 200MW.

It comes as the authority just rejected another similar proposal in Berrings, over its potentially injurious impact on cultural heritage.

The newsletter from the Danish multinational says that they have been working to fine-tune the designsensuring we have addressed any reasonable concerns from the planning authorities and residents where possible.

However, the society suspects the timing is intentional, as they say that planning consultants and other experts they have fundraised to hire will be uncontactable during the holidays.

The latest petition, which called on Government to look at the complications of large-scale solar farm development, specifically in East Cork, and the impact on the rural community around the Greenhills solar farm, was raised at the Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsman earlier this week.

Chair of the Committee, Sinn Fein TD Louise OReilly informed the committee that they had written to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, and had received a reply that they would publish.

Speaking on the petition, Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes said that he had heard about the project through his colleague and Cork TD Liam Quaide.

Obviously, the building of renewable energy is incredibly important for the future of our countrys energy security, and our economy. But we have to do this in concert with communities and understand their needs, said Deputy Hayes at the committee.

Were putting the cart before the horsewhere a private individual can build something and then ask for permission and engagement from the community, rather than asking the community how we want to develop these energy projects.

I think theres a really worthwhile exercise in this committee evaluating that.

This article was amended at 12.25pm on December 15, 2025, to reflect the fact the plan would provide for Irelands largest solar farm, rather than Europes second-biggest solar farm as was previously reported.
A Cork fundraiser has been ranked as number one in Irelands top GoFundMe campaigns of 2025.

A fundraiser for 12-year-old Feile OSullivan from County Cork has been officially named the Number 1 GoFundMe campaign in Ireland in 2025.

Just before her 13th birthday, Feile suffered a devastating tractor accident that resulted in a double leg amputation and months of critical care.

The West Cork community united to raise a substantial amount of money for Feiles life-changing recovery.

Supported by her family, local GAA clubs and her wider community, more than 720,000 was raised to fund life-saving medical treatment, prosthetics and long-term rehabilitation.

Feile has undergone more than 60 operations since the accident and continues to inspire her community with her courage and determination.

Her family say the generosity shown has been transformational and will ensure she receives the specialist care she needs for the years ahead.

A recent update from her family on the GoFundMe page says that Feile is now able to get out and about around the hospital in her motorised chair and that regaining that little bit of independence has lifted her spirits.

They added that she is truly enjoying feeling more like herself again. Feile is grateful to every single person who has supported her, sent love, donated, or kept her in their thoughts.

The announcement comes as part of GoFundMes 2025 Year in Help Report, which shows that over 50 million was raised across Ireland in 2025.

Ireland has once again been named the Most Generous Country in the World, topping GoFundMes global charts for the seventh year in a row.

With one in ten people donating and more than 560,000 donors supporting causes throughout the year, Ireland continues to set an international benchmark for compassion and community spirit.

In total, 28,000 fundraisers were launched across the country  ranging from urgent medical appeals to community-led support for Irish people abroad. Globally, an average of 2.5 donations were made every second.

GoFundMes Global CEO Tim Cadogan said: Irelands exceptional generosity continues to set a powerful example globally.

"Every donation, big or small, fuels hope and makes a real difference. What we see this year reflects a deep-rooted compassion that unites people across the country, he added.
Im not opposed to gambling fundamentally but we have to be very careful this doesnt become a part and parcel of our town, especially when were looking to redevelop the main street as the county town, said Swords Cllr John Smyth.

Were in a no mans land  we have these gaming arcades opening up that arent really gaming arcades using a loophole in the old law.

Cllr Smyth raised concerns at a recent Fingal County Council (FCC) meeting.

A new body called the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland was set up this year to take over the licensing and regulation of gambling services in the country  it is expected to be functional by early next year.

FCC said it keeps in check an over-supply of adult shops, gaming arcades and betting shops.

I would say one is is an oversupply  we have a number of betting shops already. Im not against them  but when we end up with two or three of the same branch within a two minute walk of each other, it doesnt make much sense, said Cllr Smyth.

With the old legislation gone, were waiting for the new commission to manage the licensing around these but until that is done, Im afraid were going to see a lot more planning permission go forward with these.

"In the long term, its going to have a negative impact on the culture within our town.

Cllr Darren Jack Kelly said that constituents were concerned about the growing number of casinos.

"Its not a great message to send our young people, gamblings not a great thing.

Cllr Darragh Butler said: They are now dominating our main street and side streets. If were going to have more these gaming arcades popping up, the main street is going to be much less attractive.

FCC management said to councillors that land use and planning applications for casinos or gaming arcades are assessed in accordance with the Fingal County Development Plan 2023-2029.

"It is all assessed on a case-by-case basis  it would depend on a number of factors including the location, town or village and how many similar establishments are present already, said Dierdre Fallon, from FCCs management team.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
A school hall in north Kerry named after one of the countys most famous writers is decaying and could collapse unless urgent refurbishment works are carried out.

The Brian McMahon Hall at Scoil Realta na Maidine in Listowel  named in honour of the former principal and scribe synonymous with the region  was constructed in the late 1950s.

But reports of mould on the ceiling due to a lack of internal membrane between roof slates is producing a worrying situation for staff as some classes and school activities are being impacted.

School staff recently invited Sinn Fein Deputy Pa Daly to see the condition of the roof where chunks of plaster have fallen from the attic with evidence of woodworm due to water ingress and lack of insulation.

Deputy Daly revealed that his has written to the Minister for Education and Youth of Ireland, Hildegard Naughton, to request the Scoil Realta na Maidine application for funding be reviewed as a priority.

He also raised the condition of the hall during a recent Dail debate where he said the school had been refused funding under the emergency works scheme two years ago and was recently unsuccessful in its application under the climate action grant scheme.

Its roof is in a bad state at the moment, he said.

The hall does not have adequate facilities. It is the heartbeat of the school, providing space for PE lessons, drama, staff meetings and after-school services, to name but a few. Will the minister step in and do something? The school community should not have to fundraise to get this essential facility working for the next 70 years, Deputy Daly added.

Receiving the query in the Dail, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick ODonovan thanked Deputy Daly for his question, saying he knows the school well.

John B. Keane used to say that if you fell out of bed in north Kerry you would wake up in west Limerick, Minister ODonovan said.

I know the town very well and the school in question. I do not know about the issue the deputy raises and I do not know how much plaster has fallen down but I will ask the Minister for Education and her officials to revert to the deputy, he added.
A Kerry councillor has slammed the take-over of unlicensed fast-food vans on the street at Castleislands horse fair day last month, resulting in local businesses losing out on revenue.

Councillor Charlie Farrelly said multiple food trucks parked on the main street during the historic festival, serving customers and taking away business from local food outlets.

The horse fair is an annual festival in Castleisland, linked to the towns 13th Century origins, and was held on November 1 this year.

The fair attracts people from across the county and further afield, for the trading of horses, ponies and other goods, marking the busiest day of the year for the small town.

Cllr Farrelly alleged at the recent Castleisland Municipal District meeting that six or seven trucks without trading licences were present this year and said lessons needed to be learned.

Our fast-food restaurants in town  these are the ones that are paying rent, these are the ones that are putting money into the council, he said.

These people come in, and they take over the townnext year lessons have to be learnt to guard our traders in town, our fast-food outlets, our restaurants.

We have to sit down next year and work with the gardai in plenty of time.

Dennis Cronin, owner of Cronins Restaurant and Castlemeats BBQ and Catering on Main Street, was running street catering premises on fair day and said the influx of non-local food vans was unfair.

If I went to Puck Fair, if I went to the Listowel Races, if I went to Killarney, if I went anywhere else, Id be told to leave, said Mr Cronin, but here it seems they can just do what they want.

Other fairs have a structure in place and require catering companies to pay for entry. Theyre required to set up in a trading area away from local businesses but in Castleisland they just come in and take over the town.

Luckily, I had mobile vans which I put outside my restaurant two days prior to stop them parking in front of my restaurant and setting up their generators which would be on all day. I completely closed off my business but other businesses up the street, you couldnt even see.

While VAT for hospitality is set to be reduced next July, Mr Cronin highlighted that wages and food prices have gone up. The new pension scheme coming in January will also put more pressure on employers as they will likely have to contribute more to employee pots.

With the hospitality trade, everything has gone upso we need as much revenue as we can coming through the door, he said.

Then you have these guys coming in on one of the busiest days in Castleisland. We dont need any of that.

The owner of Chicken Club Castleisland, a restaurant on Main Street, confirmed the increase of food trucks compared with previous years and said his business had been much quieter.

They stocked extra food in anticipation of the event and described the presence of the trucks as unfair as they paid nothing to the authorities to be there.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme
Opinion

Simon Bourke: 17 hours online, robot families, and the generation of men who cant put their phones away  how the Internet is slowly driving us all mad

Its one of the most delicious parts of my day, that last 1015-minute scroll before bed. I have fulfilled all my duties, resisted the urge to commit several violent crimes, and made it to the end unscathed: I have earned this scroll, earned my 
A charity is offering financial support to farmers and landowners who participate in its new project aimed at restoring nature on the Iveragh Peninsula.

Hometree, an Irish nature restoration charity, has announced that it is aiming to restore native woodlands, protect biodiversity and support the long-term viability of upland farming communities as part of its newly launched project, titled The Iveragh Woodlands European Innovation Partnership.

The charity has said that farmers who participate in the project will receive financial support for their involvement, providing a vital new income stream while strengthening the ecological value of the land.

The project, co-funded by the EU and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as part of the European Innovative Partnerships initiative, will focus on lands around the MacGillycuddys Reeks Special Area of Conservation (SAC), the Caragh River SAC and a 5km buffer surrounding these areas, excluding Killarney National Park.

The initiative proposes a new and progressive model for upland woodland restoration, working directly with landowners and farmers to integrate nature recovery alongside existing agricultural systems.

It aims to restore up to 300 hectares of land through a combination of restoration of old-growth woodland remnants, natural regeneration of native tree species and planting of locally provenance native saplings where required.

Hometree said upland farming systems in Ireland are under growing economic and demographic pressure, and The Iveragh Woodlands project will help to sustain upland farming by funding more sustainable practices in relation to woodland restoration and stewardship, and will cover any costs incurred.

The charity is leading the project in collaboration with a strong partnership network including NPWS, MTU, Teagasc, Udaras na Gaeltachta, and local farming and agricultural representatives.

This initiative builds on the proven success of Hometrees Illaun Farm Forest Alliance in Co Clare, which has demonstrated how farmers and conservationists can work together to deliver meaningful landscape-scale restoration while supporting rural livelihoods, Hometree said.

The Iveragh Woodlands EIP will run from 2025 to 2029, with an expression of Interest now open for landowners and farmers in the area.

Those interested in the project can register their interest by visiting this link: https://wkf.ms/47kmggS

For more information contact: robert@hometree.ie or see: https://www.hometree.ie/iveragh-woodlands
A man has been convicted of assaulting two gardai while handcuffed following his arrest on a warrant.

Drogheda Court heard that the defendant was found hiding in the kitchen after his heavily pregnant then partner tried to stop the officers entering their apartment.

Evidence was given of a volatile and tense situation which occurred three days before Christmas last year.

Servet Rapi (40), River Court, Rathmullen Road, Drogheda, a former pizza chef, pleaded guilty to resisting Gda John Spain, but denied assaulting him and Gda Odhran Loughran.

He said that he was concerned for the woman who was due to give birth any day.

Gda Spain testified that at 8.10pm on December 22, 2024, he and his colleague went to the ground floor apartment at River Court with a High Court arrest warrant. They were in uniform.

At the door he spoke to a female who wouldnt let them in. She continued to try to deny access.

Gda Spain said that they eventually managed to get inside. Mr Rapi was found hiding behind a door in the kitchen.

The witness continued that he handcuffed this man to the front. It would be normal to handcuff to the back but the defendant was against a wall and he wanted to get him out as quickly as possible.

Mr Rapi became increasingly aggressive as they walked out, one garda either side of him.

The woman also became more aggressive. At one point she put her hands in Gda Loughrans pocket, and Gda Spain said that he had to let go of the accused.

When he turned around Mr Rapi struck into his colleagues chest with force. A struggle ensued before they managed to get the man outside.

Gda Spain continued that the defendant shouldered him, causing him to fall over. The three of them ended up on the ground.

They managed to restrain the defendant and get him to the patrol van before taking him to Drogheda Garda Station.

Gda Spain added that he sustained a cut to an elbow. His shin was also bleeding.

It was a quite volatile, tense and charged situation.

Cross-examined by barrister Eoghan Fagan, the witness denied that he fell as a result of dragging Mr Rapi out.

This man definitely lashed out at Gda Loughran.

Gda Spain said that some weeks later the woman thanked him.

Gda Loughran gave evidence that when he went into the kitchen he saw a large kitchen knife on a counter. The defendant was hiding behind a door.

He informed him of the arrest warrant.

As they were leaving, the woman continued to be disruptive. The man hit me a box into the chest.

The woman became aggressive again before the three men were on the ground in front of the house.

Mr Rapi was saying that he had no shoes on. He was wearing shoes.

Servet Rapi testified that he resisted arrest because one of the boys pushed his partner.

"I resisted. They were trying to lock me up, you know. I was trying to put my shoes on.

He denied pushing the guards. He said that they were not lying.

"No way did he put his closed fists into the gardas chest.

"I was handcuffed. I dont remember the way (I pushed him).

He continued that he hid in the kitchen door. He didnt want to get arrested because his partner was due.

Mr Fagan submitted that the offending behaviour was encompassed in the Section 19 (3) matter, and that a plea in that respect dealt with the totality of conduct.

Two superfluous Section 2 assault charges could be dismissed, he suggested.

Gda Inspector Kevin Toner replied that those charges were not superfluous.

Judge Nicola Andrews said she was satisfied that the defendants behaviour went beyond what was contained in the Section 19 offence and trespassed into Section 2 assault.

She convicted Mr Rapi of assaulting both gardai.

The court was told of nine previous convictions, including for public order, uninsured driving and speeding.

Mr Fagan said that his client was originally from Albania and for 18 years worked as a pizza chef.

Judge Andrews remanded Servet Rapi on continuing bail to January 19 for a community service report.

If he was not deemed suitable for community service the judge said that she would deal with this by way of a custodial sentence.

Legal aid was granted and the court certified for counsel.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
A 32-year-old man accused of so-called romance fraud has been further remanded in custody.

It is alleged that a sum of 130,000 from the same woman is involved.

Peter McDonagh, Melville Way, Finglas, Dublin 11, appeared before Dundalk District Court via video link having been refused bail.

He is charged with 54 counts of, at a location within the State, dishonestly by deception inducing the woman to transfer various amounts on dates throughout 2024.

The DPP has directed a prosecution on indictment in the circuit court with consent for a send forward for sentence on signed pleas of guilty should that occur.

Mr McDonagh was remanded in custody to Drogheda Court on December 22 via video link.
The proposed Kellystown Wind Farm, spanning multiple townlands north of Drogheda has been given the green light by Louth County Council despite a considerable number of objections and a protest campaign by some residents in the area.

The application for the five-turbine farm was first submitted to Louth County Council in December 2024, initiating the statutory assessment process. The Council sought further information from the developer on February 6 2025, requesting clarification and additional detail on several aspects of the project.

Following the receipt and consideration of that material, the Council issued a conditional grant of planning permission on 10 December 2025. The approval includes 21 conditions ecompassing environmental protection, construction management and ongoing operational controls.

The application, which can be viewed online, generated a very substantial volume of material, including hundreds of public submissions from local residents, landowners, community groups, schools and elected representatives, along with detailed technical reports and responses from a wide range of prescribed and statutory bodies. These included the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Heritage Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Irish Aviation Authority, the Department of Defence, the Loughs Agency and An Taisce, among others.

Jennings ODonovan & Partners, acting on behalf of EDF Renewables Ireland, submitted the application last December to Louth County Council seeking a 10-year planning permission and a 35-year operational lifespan for the development. The project application covers a wide area including Ballymakenny, Brownstown, Carntown, Castletown, Drumshallon, Gallstown, Killineer, Mell, Tullyallen, Tullyeskar and several other surrounding townlands.

The development includes five wind turbines with a maximum tip height of up to 180 metres, a permanent 38kV electrical substation in Piperstown with all associated plant, control buildings and welfare facilities, and a battery energy storage system within the substation compound. It would also involve underground cabling linking the turbines and substation to the national grid at the Drybridge 110kV substation, including five water crossings.

The proposal included new and upgraded access tracks, three temporary construction compounds, two permanent spoil storage areas and a range of ancillary drainage and site works. A permanent 36-metre meteorological mast is planned for Drumshallon, and tree felling would be required to facilitate construction. A temporary track at Castletown, at the R162 L-6274 junction was proposed to allow for turbine component deliveries during construction.
Sligo-born writer Mary McKeone has been named a winner of the 2025 International Debut Novel Competition.

She is among twelve winners of The Irish Writers Centres prestigious International Debut Novel Competition 2025, selected from a large international field of aspiring novelists from 37 countries.

Each winner will now prepare to pitch their manuscript directly to top publishers and literary agents.

Originally launched as the Novel Fair in 2011 and reimagined in 2025 as the International Debut Novel Competition to reflect its global ambition, the competition has a proven track record in transforming careers, with many alumni now agented, published and award-winning.

This years twelve winning writers represent a vibrant mix of backgrounds, geographies and genres  from literary fiction to domestic suspense, experimental crime and vivid coming-of-age narratives. Upon receiving the news, each winner shared their reaction to The Call, a moment that has become legendary among past participants.

Mary McKeone said of becoming a winner When I got the call I was blown away. A former criminal barrister, Mary McKeone splits her time between Sligo and Manchester. Her debut novel Hear the Curlew Cry is followed by a second work that has already gained significant recognition in major competitions.

Mags McLaughlin, CEO of the Irish Writers Centre, said: Every year, the International Debut Novel Competition reminds us how much unseen talent is out therewriters working at their kitchen table, in cars outside schools, in snatched moments after the day job or attending a writing group for many years..

"This years winners represent extraordinary breadth, courage and craft. We are proud to support them as they take this next, career-defining step. The competition is a flagship event for us as we continue on our mission to support all writers at every stage of their work.
Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan with the Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Donal Gilroy, Chief Executive, Martin Lydon, Director of Services, Emer Concannon, Heritage Officer, Siobhan Ryan, and Biodiversity Officer, Ruth Hanniffy, at the launch of the County Sligo Biodiversity Action Plan. Photo Donal Hackett

Sligo County Council has marked a significant milestone with the launch of its Biodiversity Action Plan 20252030.

The Plan sets out a clear and ambitious framework for how the Council will protect and restore biodiversity across the county. The pressures on nature have never been greater, with climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species all contributing to biodiversity loss.

The Action Plan provides a practical roadmap to protect, manage, and promote Sligos extensive natural resources. It reflects the Councils commitment to embedding biodiversity across all departments, while aligning local priorities with national and international policy.

The Plan will be implemented by the County Sligo Biodiversity Officer, supported by the Biodiversity Working Group. The Local Authority Biodiversity Officer network is coordinated nationally by the Heritage Council.

Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, said: The Sligo Biodiversity Action Plan takes policy and turns it into real work on the ground, through leadership and expertise.

The Sligo Biodiversity Working Group includes Council staff, elected members, ATU, Sligo PPN, local biodiversity groups, and state agencies including Coillte, Inland Fisheries Ireland, NPWS, IFA, Teagasc, and LAWPRO.

Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council and Chair of the Biodiversity Working Group, Cllr. Donal Gilroy, stated: The expertise and commitment of the County Sligo Biodiversity Working Group was invaluable in preparing this plan, and will continue to guide us as we move from words to action.

County Sligo is home to a remarkable diversity of habitats and species, from the wild Atlantic coastline to its ancient uplands. The Biodiversity Action Plan recognises that a healthy environment is essential for sustaining communities, supporting the economy, and enriching quality of life. It also acknowledges that these natural resources must be cared for and managed sustainably.

Martin Lydon, Chief Executive of Sligo County Council said Achieving the objectives of this Plan will require a shared, collective effort. The actions outlined reflect the Councils determination to integrate biodiversity into every aspect of our work.

Members of the public were invited to share their views to shape the development of the Plan, and attend biodiversity talks, during the predraft and draft consultation periods in 2024 and 2025.

Sligo Biodiversity Officer Ruth Hanniffy added: Sligo is fortunate to have so many nature champions, and I am delighted to work in partnership with them to achieve meaningful, measurable progress for nature.

The Plan includes information on Sligos protected species and habitats, relevant legislation, priority areas of work, and the key threats facing biodiversity. It sets out 52 objectives under five strategic themes, covering both internal Council policies and practices, and partnerships across organisations and communities. Through these collaborations, Sligo County Council aims to safeguard the natural world and ensure the county remains resilient, vibrant, and thriving  for people, for nature, and for generations to come.
This month's meeting of Sligo County Sligo Council heard calls for Irish Rail to improve the evening service departing Dublin for Sligo with additional carriages and to also provide an additional service.

Cllr Dara Mulveys motion which called on the Council to write to Irish Rail seeking to provide an evening train out of Dublin between the 5.05pm and 7.30pm services, and to put additional carriages on the 5.05pm service, received widespread support from his fellow Councillors.

Speaking on behalf of his motion Cllr Mulvey said, The evening service departs Dublin at 5.05pm, arriving in Sligo at 8.23pm which is usually packed to capacity with many commuters left standing which is unfair and not safe. The next train departs Dublin Connolly at 7.32 pm and arrives in Sligo at 10.37 pm This means if workers/students miss the 5.05pm service they have to sit and wait two and a half hours for the next train and with so many commuters who cannot get accommodation in Dublin using the service, this is unacceptable from Irish Rail.

"Also I called on Irish Rail to seek a timeline on the recent announcement that there will be passing loops on the Sligo Dublin line, where are the locations of these passing loops or double tracking locations going to be.

Cllr Mulvey also called for an improvement to the morning service into Sligo when he said, I am repeating my previous call also for Irish Rail to provide a morning train service from Connolly Station that would allow people to arrive in Sligo before 9am, considering the University status of Sligo ATU and the lack of student accommodation available and for the many workers who would use that service, stated Cllr Mulvey.

Cllr Mulvey added, It is not good enough for Irish Rail to repeatedly hear these concerns and do nothing.

Cllr Donal Gilroy was in agreement with the motion when he said, The rail line needs a lot of investment. I welcome the news that the line is being included in the National Development Plan. He stressed the need for Additional services, noting, It is much busier than it has ever been. We have to invest in the line in terms of schedule and capacity.

Cllr Marie Casserley was in agreement when she remarked, "It needs serious investment, adding, I welcome the announcement of the double tracking of the line between Maynooth and Mullingar.

Cllr Higgins, who has been campaigning in recent months for additional services on the Sligo-Dublin line commented, Students at ATU are telling me they cant use the current service because the times dont suit them.

Cllr Thomas Healy also offered his support for the motion as he highlighted the Importance of a regular service from Longford to Sligo.

Cllr Fergal Nealon was also in agreement as he called for a late train out of Sligo. "It is the poor relation of the Cork line, you cant even get a cup of tea. Speaking about the need for an evening game Cllr Nealon said, People can go to a Rovers game, go to the theatre, have a drink, enjoy the festivities and go home.

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
The subject of Irelands Triple Lock prompted a heated debate at the December meeting of Tipperary County Council.

Three councillors from across the county tabled motions at the monthly plenary meeting to express disappointment in the Government for proposing the abolition of the Triple Lock.

Independent Thurles councillor Jim Ryan, as well as Sinn Fein councillors David Dunne from Carrick-on-Suir, and Annemarie Ryan from Tipperary town asked that the local authority write to the Government to express their dismay and opposition at plans to abolish the Triple Lock.

The Triple Lock is how Ireland decides to send Defence Forces personnel overseas to serve as part of peace keeping or peace enforcement operations. It involves United Nations (UN) approval, a decision by Government and a vote in the Dail.

Speaking at the meeting, councillor Jim Ryan said it was a huge issue, and that its important to keep Irelands neutrality.

"The more you talk to the general public out there, the more concerned they are, we need to remain neutral, and the only way youre going to achieve that is by having the Triple Lock.

"Any moves by this Government, or any future Government to try and dismantle the Triple Lock in whatever way they can would go against our neutrality, and put this country in a really dangerous situation.

"Theres 10 wars currently going on across the world, and any politician who goes against this petition here today, I dont know how they could sleep at night, however small the risk may be, its still a risk that Ireland may be sometime in the future be involved in a war, and I dont want my children or grandchildren to be involved in a war, Cllr Ryan said.

Cllr Dunne said that Ireland has a respect for being neutral, and he would like to see this remain.

"I think Ireland has a respect worldwide for neutrality and our voices are strong when it comes to peace and we should keep that, and we should keep the Triple Lock because that was promised to us.

Calling for a referendum to decide the future of the Triple Lock, Cllr Dunne said that the people of Ireland should be allowed to decide.

"If there is any change, it should go to the people, he said.

Party colleague Annemarie Ryan said that the majority of the people in Ireland support the countrys neutrality.

"Neutrality to me and to many other people is a policy that has the support of the overwhelming majority of the Irish people. In a recent survey it was over 70pc of Irish people would like Ireland to remain a neutral country and to retain the Triple Lock, she said.

We are a small nation but we do punch above our weight in peacekeeping, and international justice, and I would say please allow the debate around the Triple Lock to go to a referendum, she added.

<img alt="cards visualization" src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/25618534/thumbnail" style="width:100%" />

However, opposing the three councillors motions, Fianna Fail councillor Roger Kennedy said that he agrees with neutrality, but that the abolition of the Triple Lock wont mean Ireland wont be a neutral country anymore.

"The removal of the Triple Lock will not affect neutrality in any way, it would not change the status of this country, he said.

"Do you want to stand here and prevent Irish troops from going out to save the people of Gaza, if thats what is needed?

The Triple Lock is great if it works, Cllr Kennedy said, but said that the major UN powers have the ability to veto Irish troops being deployed if they dont want them there.

"The Triple Lock is great if it works on the United Nations assembly, but it doesnt work on the United Nations assembly, it works in the major powers, they have the veto on the Triple Lock.

"Im probably the only person here who had a son out in Kosovo on a number of occasions on peacekeeping duties, he was out in Chad a number of times, peacekeeping, hes out of the army at the minute, but its wrong to prevent the Irish peacekeepers from going out, Cllr Kennedy said.

The Fianna Fail councillor was interrupted from across the chamber on numerous occasions, with councillors hitting out at his claims that people dont want to send Irish troops to Gaza or Ukraine on peacekeeping missions.

Proposing a countermotion, Fine Gael councillor Declan Burgess said that the council should ask the Government to provide more scrutiny on the issue before taking a decision.

"Can I propose an amendment to the motion, can we call on the Government to provide extensive and additional pre-legislative scrutiny and public engagement on the topic of the Triple Lock legislation? Cllr Burgess asked.

Following more back and forth between councillors in the chamber, Tipperary County Council Cathaoirleach John Carroll called for a vote on Cllr Burgess amended motion.

The Fine Gael councillors motion was passed by 18 votes for, with 14 against and eight absent.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Cathaoirleach of WCC Joe Sullivan, Diirector of Services Eamonn Hore, Minister Dara Calleary, and Cathaoirleach of the NRMD John Dwyer at the official opening of The Shambles in New Ross.

Official opening of The Shambles in Mary Street, New Ross. Minister James Browne and Minister Dara Calleary. Photo; Mary Browne

Official opening of The Shambles in Mary Street, New Ross. Cathaoirleach New Ross Municipal Council John Dwyer. Photo; Mary Browne

Official opening of The Shambles in Mary Street, New Ross. Alan Fitzhenry New Ross District manager. Photo; Mary Browne

Official opening of The Shambles in Mary Street, New Ross. Minister James Browne and Minister Dara Calleary. Photo; Mary Browne

Official opening of The Shambles in Mary Street, New Ross. Opened by Minister Dara Calleary. Photo; Mary Browne

One of New Rosss most historic sites has been fully restored for public use and has already played host to a certain Mr Claus during his visit to the Wexford town. The Shambles on Mary Street, which was a popular meat market for many years, had fallen into a state of dereliction prior to an extensive regeneration project which has transformed it into hub for community events and gatherings.

Officially opened by Minister for Community Development Dara Calleary TD on Wednesday morning, The Shambles proved a perfect venue for Santa and his gang last month as they welcomed children into a specially designed grotto. The project was funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gealtacht under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, with additional funding provided by Wexford County Council (WCC).

And Minister Calleary said projects like this were designed to breathe life back into rural towns across the country.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was introduced in 2016 and is designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout the country. Since its inception almost 184m has been allocated to over 1,800 projects across the country. Of that, over 9m has been allocated to projects here in Co Wexford, he said.

The Government is proud to have supported the transformation of these areas in Wexford. This is the kind of investment that pays dividends well into the future, encouraging people to come together while strengthening the community.

The minister was joined at the opening by cathaoirleach of WCC, Councillor Joe Sullivan who described The Shambles as a beautifully restored space that breathes new life into the town and praised the exceptional craftmanship of the designers.

Cathaoirleach Wexford County Council Joe Sullivan making a presentation to Minister Dara Calleary with Cathaoirleach New Ross Municipal Council John Dwyer. Photo; Mary Browne

With a decorative iron lean-to style roof and central location, The Shambles is now equipped to accommodate a multitude of events such as exhibitions, performances, and a wide range of community events throughout the year. And cathaoirleach of the New Ross Municipal District (NRMD) Cllr John Dwyer, said it will form part of a new era for the town.

To see this building restored with the attention to detail as is evident here today is wonderful. The official opening marks the completion of a long-held local ambition to breathe new life into this historic stall market and secure its place as a key amenity in the ongoing regeneration of New Ross town centre."

Chief Executive of WCC, Eddie Taaffe, said, We extend our gratitude to the dedicated contractors and municipal district crew whose craftmanship has revitalised The Shambles, creating a welcoming space that honours its rich past while embracing a bright future for our community.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
A Wicklow resident has been sent forward for trial on a charge of dangerous driving causing death

Tarieli Schatz (37), of the Grand Hotel, Abbey Street, Wicklow town, Co. Wicklow, appeared before a sitting of Bray District Court for the service of a book of evidence and a renewed bail application.

Mr Schatz, who was originally charged with careless driving causing the death of John Maher, is now being sent forward for trial on a charge of dangerous driving causing death, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment and a mandatory four-year driving ban.

Mr Maher a father-of-two, from Co. Kildare, was fatally injured when he was struck by a Thwaites front dumper on July 2, 2025. Members of his family were present in court.

The book of evidence was served on Mr Schatz at Bray District Court, where Judge David Kennedy issued the accused with an alibi warning, telling him through his Georgian interpreter: If you intend to rely on an alibi at trial, you must notify the prosecution within 14 days of today.

Judge Kennedy sent the defendant forward for trial at a special sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court on December 15, 2025.

Eoin Gallagher BL, counsel for the accused, instructed by Micheal OConnor, told the court that he was seeking alterations to the bail conditions previously granted by the High Court.

The High Court granted bail on conditions, including a bond of 5,000, with 2,500 to be paid. An independent surety of 7,000 was also required, with 5,000 to be lodged.

Defence counsel informed the court that such sums represented a significant amount of money in Ireland, but an even greater amount in the accuseds home country of Georgia. The court was told that, had Mr Schatz been an Irish citizen, he would already have been granted bail.

Sergeant Mick Canavan objected, remarking that he had spoken to State solicitor Brian Robinson and that under no circumstances would the State accept altered bail conditions, due to the alleged incident causing the death of a human being.

At a previous hearing, the court heard that Mr Schatz is a Georgian national who had been living in an IPAS centre and has a child outside the jurisdiction in Austria.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Alina Lungu (21), with an address at homeless accommodation in Co. Wicklow leaving Bray Courthouse on December 9, 2025

A woman described in court as being exploited by a criminal organisation has been fined, after admitting to stealing a 60 bracelet from a Wicklow giftware shop.

Alina Lungu (21), with an address at homeless accommodation in Wicklow, appeared before Bray District Court charged with theft contrary to Section 18 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

A plea of guilty was entered, and Judge Aine Shannon accepted jurisdiction.

The court heard that on November 27, at Byrnes Giftware & Furniture, Main Street, Corporation Lands, Wicklow, the defendant entered the store and stole a bracelet valued at 60.

Ms Lungu left the scene in a car and was apprehended shortly afterwards. During a search, stolen makeup was also recovered, though it is not known where the makeup had been stolen from. She was brought to Wicklow Garda Station for processing.

Ms Lungu is a Romanian national who has been in Ireland for just over a month, the court was told.

The court also heard that Ms Lungu is believed to have been exploited by an unknown criminal organisation to carry out shoplifting.

Her solicitor, Dermot Hickey, told the court that his client is a single woman who is fearful for her life. He added that she wishes to remain in Ireland and find work as a cleaner, but currently has no PPS number.

Her co-defendant is currently outside the jurisdiction, allegedly having returned to Romania to care for her sick child. Her husband was present in court and stated that she will return to Ireland in January.

A bench warrant previously issued for her failure to appear was cancelled, and the court was told she intends to enter a guilty plea.

Judge Shannon fined Ms Lungu 100 and gave her six months to pay.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Wicklow County Council has refused permission for a 24-metre telecommunications mast, ruling that the structure would form a dominant feature on an approach to Kiltegan village and have a significant and negative visual impact on the wider area.

The application by APW UK WIP Limited, trading as Icon Tower, sought permission for a 24-metre lattice support structure with antennae, dishes and associated equipment within security fencing at Kiltegan Road. The council issued its decision on December 2, after the application had been assessed against national guidance and the Wicklow County Development Plan 20222028.
Tom Byrne, the calm, steady voice that helped many through rescue operations for the Irish Coast Guard, has been remembered for his work with the national organisation and his local Wicklow RNLI, as friends, family and colleagues prepare for his funeral on Saturday.

Tom, who died on Monday, served 12 years as duty launch authority at Wicklow Lifeboat Station.

His extensive experience with the Irish Coast Guard, where he worked as a radio officer, brought an invaluable depth of knowledge that he shared generously and without hesitation with his fellow Wicklow RNLI volunteers.

In a tribute Facebook post, Wicklow RNLI said: Toms guidance was especially appreciated by our volunteer duty launch authorities and lifeboat operations managers, who frequently turned to Tom during challenging moments at the station.

His professionalism was second to none, and for those at sea, the sound of his calm, steady voice during search and rescue operations was a source of comfort and reassurance.

Beyond his exceptional work ethic, Tom was the very definition of a gentleman. He never had an unkind word to say, and he carried with him a warmth that was felt by everyone around him. Always smiling, always laughing, he would often captivate us with stories from his years at sea as a radio operatorstories we never tired of hearing. He was a joy to be in the company of, and it was a true privilege to call him a friend.

Adding to the tribute, it was stated: All of us here at Wicklow Lifeboat Station extend our heartfelt condolences to Toms wife, Anne, his children, grandchildren, and his wider circle of family and friends during this difficult time.

Tom, we wish you fair winds and following seas.

The Irish Coastguard has also extended their sympathies to Toms family and loved ones.

Tom was a former radio officer at MRSC Valentia, MRSC Malin Head and MRCC Dublin. He retired in 2011 but for a period afterwards he still continued to provide support to operations.

The Irish Coast Guard stated: Tom brought warmth and professionalism to every shift and played a vital role in many significant search and rescue operations, most notably the Air India crash off the southwest coast in 1985.

Tom's vast experience and knowledge made him an exceptional mentor to countless staff who passed through our rescue coordination centres and many were fortunate enough to learn from his decades of experience.

Among those sending on their condolences on RIP.ie was a former classmate of Toms from the College of Technology in Kevin Street Dublin who stated: He was a kind and interesting teenager who became a kind and interesting man. We kept in contact over the years and it was always a pleasure to meet up and have wide ranging conversations.

His remains will repose at Flannerys Funeral Home, Bachelors Walk, Wicklow town from 5pm until 7pm on Friday.

His funeral will be arriving to St Patricks Church, Wicklow town on Saturday morning for funeral mass at 11am, after which he will be laid to rest in Rathnew Cemetery.

The Wicklow town native died peacefully, surrounded by his family, and is deeply missed by his wife Anne (nee Davis), daughter Anne-Marie, sons David and Anthony, son in law Enan, daughter in law Grainne, and by his grandchildren Enan, Oscar, Aodh, Feithin and Rian, brother Jack, sister Maura and cousin Katherine.
The popular Glendalough Hotel in Wicklow was one of 14 businesses issued with closure orders last month for breaches of food safety legislation.

A rat infestation was found in the main food preparation area, which was evident by the presence of rodent droppings throughout the whole kitchen area. Droppings were noted on the floor of the internal dry store, on the floor below the dishwasher area, on the floor below the hot holding unit and on the floor below the pot wash area.
We must be prepared for war like our grandparents faced  Mark Rutte warns

Europe is the next target for Russia and must get ready warns Nato chief

Finnish soldiers at Vuosanka near Kajaani as British soldiers train during a major exercise on Nato's border with Russia. Photo: PA Wire

Maira Butt UK Independent Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Europe must prepare for a conflict with Russia on the scale our grandparents endured, Natos secretary general has said in a stark warning to the West.
Vladimir Putin pledges support to Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro after US seizes oil tanker

I assume were going to keep the oil, says American president Donald Trump after being questioned about seizure of black-market vessel

US troops descend from helicopters on to the deck of the Venezuelan tanker. Photo: Reuters

Susie Coen Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Vladimir Putin has pledged his support for Nicolas Maduro in a phone call after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
Baby girl dies of exposure as floods hit tent camps in Gaza

Thousands left without shelter as aid agencies say Israel is blocking vital supplies

A Palestinian mother mourns her baby daughter, who died of cold in a tent camp where she was sheltered with displaced people in Khan Younis. Photo: Reuters

Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ramadan Abed Reuters Fri 12 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Torrential rain swept across the Gaza Strip yesterday, flooding hundreds of tents sheltering families displaced by two years of war, and leading to the death of a baby girl due to exposure, local health officials said.
Managing AI Slop: Why Due Diligence is Essential for Businesses Using Generative AI

As generative AI spreads across business functions, unchecked AI slop poses legal and reputational risks. Learn why due diligence is now essential.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from experimentation to embedded infrastructure across corporate functions. From drafting reports and summarizing regulations to generating market analysis, policy recommendations, and research outputs, generative AI is now deeply integrated into professional and commercial workflows. Yet this acceleration has surfaced a new and increasingly material risk: AI slop  plausible-sounding but false, fabricated, or misleading outputs produced by generative models.

Unlike traditional data or human error, AI slop is dangerous precisely because it is confident, fluent, and difficult to detect without deliberate verification. When left unchecked, it can contaminate decision-making, undermine regulatory compliance, and expose organizations to reputational and legal consequences. Recent incidents involving incorrect AI-assisted reports submitted to governments in Australia and Canada by Deloitte have illustrated that even sophisticated, highly resourced firms are not immune.

For boards, executives, and risk leaders, the message is clear: AI governance without rigorous due diligence is no longer sufficient. As AI becomes a routine business tool, verification, accountability, and oversight must become standard operating discipline.

What is AI slop, and why is it so risky?

AI slop refers to AI-generated content that appears coherent and authoritative but contains:

Fabricated facts, citations, or legal references

Misattributed sources or invented quotations

Logical inconsistencies masked by fluent language

Outdated or contextually inappropriate information

Large language models (LLMs) do not know facts in the human sense. They predict text based on probabilities, patterns, and training data. When prompted to provide citations, regulatory interpretations, or research summaries, they may generate references that look correct but do not exist.

In low-risk contexts  internal brainstorming or informal drafting  this may be manageable. But in high-stakes environments such as government submissions, tax opinions, compliance reports, ESG disclosures, or workforce policy design, the consequences are far more severe.

Generative AI risks: Lessons from recent high-profile failures

The Deloitte cases in Australia and Canada serve as illustrative warnings rather than isolated anomalies.

In Australia, a government consultancy report was found to contain fabricated academic references and an invented court quotation. The report had passed internal review processes before submission, only to be challenged publicly. Deloitte ultimately refunded part of the fee, corrected the report, and disclosed AI usage.

In Canada, a publicly funded health workforce report included multiple false citations to nonexistent studies, some attributed to real academics who had never authored such work. Again, the issue appeared to stem from unverified AI-generated research references.

What makes these cases instructive is not simply the presence of errors, but where controls failed:

AI-generated content entered final deliverables

Source verification was insufficient or absent

Review processes focused on narrative coherence, not factual integrity

AI use was not adequately disclosed or governed

For businesses, the takeaway is stark: AI increases the need for due diligence.

Why traditional review processes are no longer enough

Many organizations assume that existing quality assurance (QA) frameworks can absorb AI outputs without modification. This assumption is flawed.

Traditional review processes are designed to catch:

Calculation errors

Inconsistencies in argumentation

Non-compliance with known standards

They are not designed to detect fabricated reality. A citation that looks legitimate but does not exist will often pass review unless reviewers are explicitly instructed  and given time and tools  to verify sources independently.

AI slop introduces a new failure mode: content that is syntactically correct but epistemically false.

AI due diligence as an enterprise risk issue

Organizations should now treat AI misuse and AI hallucinations as part of enterprise risk management, on par with:

Financial misstatements

Regulatory non-compliance

Cybersecurity breaches

Data privacy violations

This means embedding AI governance into:

Board oversight and audit committees

Internal controls and compliance frameworks

Vendor and professional liability management

Client engagement and disclosure policies

Crucially, accountability must remain human. AI cannot be the responsible party.

AI due diligence: Five core principles for managing AI slop

Purpose-bound AI usage

AI tools should be deployed only within clearly defined use cases. Drafting assistance, language polishing, and summarization are materially different from fact generation, legal interpretation, or original research.

Organizations must draw firm boundaries between:

Assistive drafting

Authoritative analysis

Mandatory human verification

Any AI-generated output that includes facts, figures, citations, and legal or regulatory references must undergo line-by-line human verification by a qualified professional. Verification is not editorial review  it is source validation.

Traceability and auditability

AI usage should be documented:

Which tool was used

For which task

By whom

With what verification steps

This protects both the organization and individual professionals.

Transparency with clients and stakeholders

Failure to disclose AI use  especially in advisory or research contexts  creates trust and liability risks. Clear disclosure norms should be established contractually and operationally.

Training and cultural alignment

Employees must understand not only how to use AI but also how it fails. AI literacy is now a compliance skill, not just a productivity one.

Industry-specific AI due diligence checklists

Professional services (Tax, consulting, governance, HR)

Risk profile: High

Why: Outputs influence regulatory compliance, financial exposure, workforce rights, and government policy.

Due diligence checklist:

Prohibit AI from generating final tax opinions, legal interpretations, or compliance advice without senior sign-off.

Require independent verification of all AI-generated citations, statutes, case law, and regulations.

Maintain a clear record of where AI-assisted drafting was used vs where professional judgment was applied.

Disclose AI use in client deliverables where relevant.

Update professional indemnity policies to account for AI-related risks.

Include AI misuse scenarios in internal risk and audit reviews.

Train consultants and advisors on AI hallucination risks specific to regulatory content.

Red flag scenarios:

AI-generated references to laws, court cases, or guidance notes

AI-assisted benchmarking or policy comparisons without source validation

Technology companies

Risk profile: Medium to High

Why: AI outputs often feed into product documentation, compliance representations, and investor communications.

Due diligence checklist:

Separate AI-generated documentation from authoritative technical specifications.

Validate AI outputs used in regulatory filings, security documentation, or compliance claims.

Establish AI output testing protocols, similar to software QA.

Implement internal review gates for AI-generated customer-facing content.

Ensure marketing and investor materials do not rely on unverified AI analysis.

Document training data limitations and model constraints where disclosures are required.

Align AI governance with data protection and cybersecurity frameworks.

Red flag scenarios:

AI-generated claims about regulatory compliance

AI-written technical or safety documentation

Research organizations and think tanks

Risk profile: Very High

Why: Credibility depends on accuracy, sourcing, and intellectual integrity.

Due diligence checklist:

Ban AI from generating original citations or academic references.

Require manual cross-checking of every source used in AI-assisted drafts.

Clearly label AI-assisted sections in internal workflows.

Maintain strict authorship and accountability standards.

Train researchers to recognize hallucinated studies and fabricated data.

Protect researcher reputations by preventing false attribution.

Establish publication review committees for AI-assisted outputs.

Red flag scenarios:

AI-generated literature reviews

AI-produced comparative studies without verified datasets

AI risk management: Implications for boards and senior leadership

Boards and executive teams should be asking:

Do we know where AI is used in our organization today?

Are there controls distinguishing draft assistance from authoritative output?

Who is accountable if AI-generated errors reach regulators or clients?

Are our vendors and advisors applying equivalent due diligence standards?

Failure to ask these questions increases liability.

Conclusion: Due diligence is the price of AI credibility

AI is not inherently reckless, but it is inherently indifferent to truth. That indifference makes human governance indispensable. The recent Deloitte cases underscore a broader reality: AI failures are not technology failures  they are governance failures.

Organizations that embed verification, transparency, and accountability into AI use will not only avoid reputational damage; they will build trust with regulators, clients, and investors. Those that treat AI as a shortcut rather than a tool will eventually pay the price.

In the age of generative AI, due diligence is no longer optional  it is the cost of credibility.
Why Britney Spears ex is not dwelling on their divorce

Image credit : Instagram @samasghari | Sam Asghari reflects on his years with Britney Spears.

Sam Asghari chooses positivity over bitterness

Playgirl

Us Weekly

Image credit : Instagram @britneyspears | Sam Asghari chooses positivity over bitterness.

Asghari on wanting to protect Spears

Image credit : Instagram @britneyspears | Asghari also spoke about wanting to protect Spears.

Sam Asghari and Britney Spearss relationship

Actor and fitness model Sam Asghari is opening up about his past with pop icon Britney Spears, sharing warm memories while making it clear that respect still guides how he speaks about their relationship. The 31-year-old appears as Playgirls newest cover star, and in his interview, he looks back at nearly seven years with the pop icon. What stands out most is how gently he talks about their time together, even though both have moved on with their lives.In his Playgirl interview, Asghari was asked about an Iranian proverb that warns against speaking badly about someone youve eaten with. He agreed with the message and said, I always want to respect that. Im always going to stick to that, and thats the number one thing for me.This thought sets the tone for how he reflects on his marriage. Instead of focusing on why things ended, he focuses on what he calls the good parts. Playgirl noted that he spoke warmly about Spears, smiling often as he remembered their years together. Asghari told People, The best thing you can do is celebrate the past, appreciate the past, and not dwell on the fact that its over. Be happy it ever even happened.Even though their marriage was short, Asghari says the connection was meaningful. He shared, Our marriage was very real to me. It may have been short, but we were together for seven years. I was in love with her, will always have love for her, and wish her the best always.In another part of hisinterview, Asghari explained why he refuses to speak negatively about Spears. Referring again to the proverb, he said, And whatever follows is irrelevant. So, I always want to respect that. I'm always going to stick to that, and that's the number one thing for me.He also explained the importance of celebrating memories rather than holding onto anger, adding, And the best thing you can do is celebrate the past, appreciate the past, and not dwell on the fact that it's over. Be happy it ever even happened.While Asghari looks back kindly at his marriage, he also wants people to know that he had a life and career before Spears, and he continues to build that future now. He said, Because at the end of the day, I do have a future. I was acting before that relationship... and I will continue acting.Asghari is now dating Los Angeles real estate agent Brooke Irvine, and the couple went Instagram official in January 2025. Even so, he still sends good wishes to Spears. Speaking to, he said, I just hope the happiest for her I celebrate the past, and it's a big part of me, so I think everything should go well for her.Asghari also spoke about wanting to protect Spears at a time when many around her had not. On the Trading Secrets podcast, he shared that he was the one who asked for a prenup. He explained, I wanted her to have a prenup. I wanted to make sure she's protected, because throughout her life, everybody, I don't know one person that's ever been in her life that didn't take advantage of her. So it's very sad. I wanted to make sure that I'm the person that [didn't] do that.He also dismissed claims that he was seeking fame through her, adding, Looking from an outside perspective, I see there's an age difference, there's a fame difference, there's this, there's that. But realistically, we met as co-stars.Asghari and Spears first met in 2016 while filming her Slumber Party music video. They grew close quickly and confirmed their romance soon after. Their relationship continued to grow for years until they got engaged in September 2021 and married in June 2022.However, after 14 months of marriage, they separated in August 2023, and their divorce was finalised in May 2024.
A wedding moment that still holds meaning

Image credit : X/nancytsidley | Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex

Harry and Charles recent meeting marked a shift

Image credit : MEGA | King Charles bond with Meghan Markle

Image credit : X/byetwit | Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

No expected return to royal duties for Harry

Images from Queen Camillas Christmas celebration at Clarence House on December 11 offered a quiet reminder of King Charles bond with Meghan Markle. Among several family photographs placed on a table, one black-and-white picture stood out: a capture of Meghan and Charles linking arms on her 2018 wedding day. The photo was taken inside the chapel before Charles walked her down the aisle to where Prince Harry waited. Meghan had entered St Georges Chapel alone at first, but the plan changed after her father, Thomas Markle, stepped back from attending the ceremony following controversy over staged paparazzi photos and citing a medical concern.The resurfacing of this particular picture drew attention because it highlighted a moment from a time when relations between the Sussexes and the royal family were far smoother. The images placement at the Christmas event suggested that, despite the tensions that began after Harry and Meghan stepped away from their royal roles in 2020, the King still acknowledges the personal connection formed during that milestone day. The photograph reflects Charles role in stepping in after Meghans fathers withdrawal, which ultimately led to the King escorting her for the final part of the aisle walk.While the photo drew interest, it also comes at a time when King Charles and Prince Harry are slowly rebuilding communication. The pair met in September for the first time in 18 months when Harry returned to the U.K. for a charity event. Harry ensured he met his father during the trip, especially as the King continues cancer treatment. When asked about the meeting shortly afterward, Harry kept his response brief, saying only that his father was doing great. Ailsa Anderson, former spokeswoman to Queen Elizabeth II, viewed the encounter as a positive sign, describing it as a step toward restoring trust.However, not everyone in the family was aware of the arrangement. An insider claimed that Prince William was stunned to learn about the meeting. According to the source, William believed Charles was in London strictly for medical appointments and official duties, and he was not informed that Harry was included in the schedule. The same source added that William would likely have objected if consulted, which may be why Charles handled the meeting privately.Despite the meeting, there is reportedly no expectation that Prince Harry will return to royal responsibilities or relocate to the U.K. An insider emphasized that King Charles intends to uphold Queen Elizabeth IIs earlier stance that there cannot be a half-in, half-out public role within the monarchy. This position remains unchanged, even as communication between father and son shows signs of improvement.
What the leaders reviewed during the call

Had a very warm and engaging conversation with President Trump. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the U.S. will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity.



 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2025





Modi calls the conversation warm and engaging

"Had a very warm and engaging conversation with President Trump. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the U.S. will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity", posts PM pic.twitter.com/lSz2mSSUfi



 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 11, 2025





Why the timing matters

Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | PM Modi speaks to US President Trump

Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump

Trade talks underway in Delhi

Amid growing speculation about a possible trade deal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke on Thursday and reviewed developments across the IndiaUS partnership. Both leaders discussed areas where cooperation is expanding, including trade, defence, energy, security and critical technologies.According to the official statement, Modi and Trump went over the progress made in bilateral ties and agreed on the need to maintain momentum in their joint work on trade. Both highlighted that strengthening cooperation remains important for both sides and committed to working together to address challenges and advance shared interests.The statement also said the two discussed broader cooperation in critical technologies, defence, energy and security. These sectors have been described as central to implementing the IndiaUS COMPACT initiative, which aims to deepen military partnership, technology collaboration and commercial engagement.Modi later posted about the call on X. He described the conversation as warm and engaging and said the two leaders reviewed developments in bilateral relations and spoke about regional and global issues. He added that India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity.However, his post did not refer to trade, even though the official statement placed strong emphasis on it.The conversation took place during a period of strain. Ties have been affected since the US announced an additional 25% penalty on India for purchasing Russian oil, on top of existing tariffs. These took effect on August 27. India has repeatedly said the tariffs are unfair and has questioned the reasoning, pointing out that China buys the most Russian oil and the European Union imports the largest share of Russian LNG.The call also followed Vladimir Putins high-profile visit to India, which drew attention not only for the agreements signed but also for the public display of rapport between Modi and Putin, including their car ride from the airport to the PMs residence.Some US leaders have criticised Trumps handling of the relationship with India. A Democratic lawmaker even used the photo of Modi and Putin travelling together to argue that Trumps approach has pushed India closer to Russia, calling it damaging to strategic trust.A US delegation is currently in New Delhi to discuss the bilateral trade agreement. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the meetings have been positive but reiterated that no deadline has been set. He stressed that a deal is only complete when both sides benefit and warned that deadlines can lead to mistakes.Responding to a comment by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who said the US has received its best-ever offer from India, Goyal said that if that is the case, the US should proceed with the agreement.
Treatment gone wrong





Image credit : X/ @TheRhoaTalk | RHOA stars cosmetic treatment gone wrong

#RHOA Preview













Did Shamea Morton Twist Drew Sidoras Words?













Drew accuses Shamea of fanning the flames to the conflict, and Shamea calls Drew Sidora a certifiable liarhttps://t.co/zjXGJvg9Ly pic.twitter.com/oXbLR0xXUi













 Brightly (@BrightlyAgain) May 21, 2025





Alleged negligence





Image credit : Instagram/ @shameamorton | RHOA stars peel incident raises safety questions

Image credit : Instagram/ @shameamorton | Mortons husband supports her during painful injuries

Reality TV star background





The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Shamea Morton has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in Fulton County, Georgia, claiming that a chemical peel treatment caused her second-degree burns, blistering, and permanent scarring. The defendants named in the lawsuit include Dr Jing Jing Wong Harris, M.D., her clinic, Pretty Faces Atlanta, and other associated parties. The lawsuit, filed alongside her husband, Gerald Mwangi, highlights the risks of cosmetic procedures when proper medical supervision is lacking.According to the lawsuit, Morton received the chemical peel on March 13, 2024, which was performed by a third-party provider without proper supervision from Dr Harris. Morton claims that the chemical solution used was too strong and applied directly to her back and arms, causing intense pain and leaving permanent injuries.The complaint further notes that Morton has Tinea Versicolor, a fungal skin condition that should have led to referral to a qualified dermatologist rather than receiving a chemical peel. Even without considering her pre-existing condition, Morton claims the treatment was completely inappropriate for her African-American skin, due to both the strength of the solution and the lack of proper preparation or safety measures.Morton also alleged that Dr Harris never consulted, examined, or approved the treatment before it was performed. She claims that when she began experiencing severe pain and cried out during the procedure, Dr Harris responded by calling her dramatic. In addition, Morton further states that Dr Harris then applied an unknown solution from a spray bottle, which did not ease her injuries and failed to address the chemical burns.The lawsuit highlights this sequence of events as evidence of medical negligence and failure to follow standard procedures for chemical peel protocols. Morton highlights the lasting impact, noting both physical pain and emotional distress caused by the incident.Morton and her husband are seeking unspecified damages for the pain, suffering, and permanent scarring caused by the procedure. Her attorney described the incident as unacceptable and inexcusable and stated they will pursue full legal justice.Shamea Morton is well-known as a full-time cast member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. This lawsuit adds a significant development to her public life, bringing attention to the risks associated with cosmetic procedures, particularly when proper medical supervision is not followed.
The Stephen Colbert Show

Era Tours

The Eras Tour

The New York Times

How Taylor used her Eras Tour earnings

Image credit : Instagram @taylorswift | Taylor Swift used her Eras Tour earnings to get her music back.

Taylor Swifts personal wins in 2025

Image credit : X @4k_taylorrr | Taylor Swifts personal wins in 2025.

Fans push back online

Image credit : X | Fans suddenly bashing Taylor Swift after she shared how she spent her Eras Tour money.

Taylor Swifts The End of an Era docuseries

Taylor Swift is ending the year with a huge sense of relief and joy. As she told Stephen Colbert during her December 10 appearance on, she used herearnings., which sold over $2 billion in tickets according to, gave her the chance to buy back the rights to her first six albums. This dream had stayed out of reach for a long time, but Swift explained that the tour changed everything for her.While talking with Colbert, Swift openly shared how she used the huge earnings from the tour. She said, Thats how I spent that Eras Tour money. My fans are why I was able to get my music back.Swift announced in May that she had finally been able to buy her masters from Shamrock Capital, the company that purchased them in 2020 from Scooter Brauns Ithaca Holdings, which had paid about $300 million for the collection.At the time, she wrote in a letter on her website that the moment was beyond her greatest dream come true. She added, All Ive ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to one day purchase my masters outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy. She also wrote that she would be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me.Taylor said her good fortune in 2025 didnt end with reclaiming her music. She told Colbert that having the Eras Tour also led to another milestone, getting engaged to Travis Kelce in August. Their love story began in 2023 after he publicly shared he was disappointed he couldnt meet her at her Kansas City show.Looking back, she explained, Getting engaged to the love of my life and getting all my music back were two things that just never could have happened. It wasn't like, Oh, it's just a matter of time. Both those things could have just never arrived in my life. And Im so grateful for both of those things happening.But Swifts open explanation about spending her tour earnings brought a surprising reaction, backlash from some fans. Many people took to social media to express frustration. One user wrote, She didn't buy her masters; she bought our loyalty. The money was just a formality. Another commented, She ensured that she would have generational wealth. A third user said, Guess she sold her fans.Others wrote longer criticisms. One person said, Of course, Taylor had to flex that Eras Tour cash like a CEO doing a victory lap. My fans are why I got my master's back is wild because she basically said, Yeah, I sold out stadiums for a year straight and bought my own art back because the industry is that shady. Everybody else complains about their label, Taylor just drops a billion-dollar tour and buys the whole catalogue like shes collecting Infinity Stones. And the craziest part? Her fans are cheering while the rest of the industry is realising she just exposed how broken the system actually is.Another user argued she should have used the tour money differently, writing, She could have used that money to support those in need!Even with the backlash, Swift has another big moment ahead. Friday, December 12, is not only the eve of her birthday but also a treat for fans. Disney+ is releasing two new Eras Tour projects. Taylor Swifts The End of an Era docuseries premieres at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT, with two episodes arriving on December 12 and two more released every Friday through Dec. 26.
The End of an Era

Taylor Swift unveils raw behind-the-scenes moments

The Eras Night

2023 Eras Tour

The Tortured Poets Department

The Life of a Showgirl

Taylor Swift highlights unseen Vienna incident

Eras Tour

Image credit : Instagram/taylorswift | The first two episodes dive straight into the chaos, creativity, and heartbreak behind the scenes.

Emotional scenes from Taylor Swift docuseries move Swifties

Image credit : Instagram/taylorswift | These emotional moments reminded fans that behind the global fame, Taylor Swift is still human.

Swifties react on X as 'She is human too' trends worldwide

Ed Sheeran is right,with the era's tour and everything people forgot Taylor Swift is a human being too.









 yukino (@Yukino066) December 12, 2025

I genuinely hope that The End of an Era doc is a reminder to everyone that even Taylor Swift, the biggest pop star in the world, is still a human being











if more people had a heart like hers, that people want her so badly not to have, the world would undoubtedly be a better place









 Meg (@megs_1194) December 12, 2025

Taylor Swift is the best human being that has ever existed









 allyts12 change my life (@unplannedwh0re) December 12, 2025

Was lucky enough to watch the first two episodes of Taylor Swifts The End of an Era on Tuesday, which was everything I couldve hoped for: Taylor at her most hilarious and most human, true BTS footage of how this show came to be, and spotlighting the people who made it happen.









 Jake Viswanath (@jakeviswacare) December 11, 2025

The End of an Era reveals Taylor Swift's creative process

The End of an Era

Tortured Poets

The Final Show

A grounded reminder of Taylor Swift's humanity

Taylor Swift lifts the veil on her record-shattering Eras Tour in, a six-part documentary series and final concert film premiering on Disney+. The first two episodes dive straight into the chaos, creativity, and heartbreak behind the scenes - from rehearsals to backstage nerves before her first night at London's Wembley Stadium.Packed with intimate footage, the series showcases raw, unfiltered moments: Swift preparing for shows, creative discussions with her team, and glimpses of the Vancouver tour stop - the highest-earning concert event in history. A special chapter even spotlightsin Mumbai, adding global flavor to her journey.Fans had long suspected a behind-the-scenes documentary, especially with the originalconcert film revealing almost nothing about the internal mechanics of the massive production. With two albums inspired by the tour -and- Swifties believed more storytelling was inevitable.What no fan anticipated was the revelation that Disney began filming right as thewas set to hit Vienna on August 8, 2023 - the day the concerts were abruptly cancelled due to an ISIS-linked terror plot.Episode one captures Swift backstage at Wembley with longtime friend Ed Sheeran as she describes being mid-flight when the threat forced her to turn back. "I didn't even get to go," she says, struggling to articulate the lingering fear.The docuseries also shows Swift at her London hotel in mid-August, shaken by the Southport tragedy where three young girls were murdered during a Swift-themed dance class. Tearful and distressed, she recounts the moment with visible heartbreak. Before her Wembley show, she prepares to meet the families, promising herself she won't cry: "I'm gonna be smiley."These raw scenes immediately reshaped the fandom's perception - reminding many that beneath the global superstardom, Swift is simply human.The emotional weight of the first two episodes triggered an outpouring online. Swifties turned X (formerly Twitter) into a flood of supportive messages, emphasizing compassion for their idol. The phrase "She is a human too" climbed the trending charts as fans reflected on her vulnerability, fear, and resilience.Beyond Vienna,drops small but heartfelt details - like Swift saving fiance Travis Kelce's name in her phone with red heart emojis - and reveals the secrecy behind the Paris-debutedset. Dancers learned the choreography to a click track to prevent leaks, showing just how protected unreleased material had to be.A new extended concert film,, debuts Friday on Disney+, featuring this section in full.While the docuseries doesn't offer a mountain of new revelations, what it does provide is powerful: a glimpse of Taylor Swift stripped of her carefully curated public persona. As the six-part series releases over three consecutive Fridays, fans get to witness the emotional reality behind the world's biggest pop tour - and why Swift's connection with her fandom runs so deep.
Musk responds to Ars Technicas analysis

As usual, Eric is accurate





 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025





Image credit : X/elonmuskmel7 | Musk has publicly responded to ongoing speculation about a potential SpaceX initial public offering

What recent US reports are saying

Image credit : X/elonmuskmel7 | Elon Musk has confirmed that a report on a potential SpaceX IPO

Expected boost from Starlink revenues

Image credit : X/elonmuskmel7 | Musk earlier resisted such a move because he did not enjoy the scrutiny

SpaceXs position in the startup landscape

Elon Musk has publicly responded to ongoing speculation about a potential SpaceX initial public offering, confirming that a report on the companys plans is accurate. The comment came through a post on X, where the SpaceX CEO reacted to an article from Ars Technica analysing why a SpaceX IPO appears likely at this moment. Musks acknowledgement adds weight to a series of recent reports from major US publications suggesting that the company is preparing for a public listing in 2026.In his post, Musk wrote, As usual, Eric is accurate, referring to Ars Technica journalist Eric Berger. Bergers article, titled Heres why I think SpaceX is going public soon, outlined several key reasons that support the likelihood of a SpaceX IPO. The analysis highlighted the rise of artificial intelligence and the strong outlook for data centres as significant factors shaping the timing of the offering.Bergers piece described the shift toward embracing an IPO as a major change in thinking for Musk, who had previously avoided the idea of taking SpaceX public. According to Berger, Musk earlier resisted such a move because he did not enjoy the scrutiny that comes with a public listing, based on his experience with Tesla, and believed shareholder expectations for financial returns could conflict with his long-term plan of establishing a human presence on Mars.Musks response comes shortly after multiple major US publications reported that SpaceX is preparing for an IPO in 2026. Reports from The Information and The Wall Street Journal last week suggested that the companys move toward a public listing had become increasingly likely.This week, Bloomberg added further details, stating that SpaceX is considering raising more than $30 billion through the IPO. The report noted that the offering might take place as early as mid-to-late 2026, though it could also be delayed to 2027 depending on market conditions. Reuters echoed the timeline in its own report, saying that the company is targeting a fundraising figure of more than $25 billion. People familiar with the matter told Reuters that the listing could push the companys valuation above $1 trillion.According to Bloomberg, the potential IPO is linked closely to the companys expectations of a substantial increase in revenue from its Starlink telecommunications business. Starlink has been expanding globally, and the reported projections suggest that the services growing revenue base may be a central pillar supporting the companys decision to pursue a public offering.Reuters added that SpaceX has started discussions with banks about the logistics of the IPO, with early conversations pointing to a launch window around June or July of 2026.SpaceX is currently the worlds second most valuable private startup, according to Crunchbase data, ranking just behind OpenAI. If the IPO proceeds at the valuations outlined in the reports, it would represent the second-largest completed public share sale in history, trailing only Saudi Aramcos $1.7 trillion listing in 2019.
Marty Supreme

What will Kylie get from Timothee this Christmas?

Image credit : X @timotheenation | Timothee Chalamets holiday plans still in motion.

Kylie, Timothees relationship rumours and reality

Daily Mail

PEOPLE

Image credit : X @timotheenation | Timothee Chalamets Christmas plans for Kylie Jenner.

Chalamets thoughts on settling down

Vogue

Image credit : X @timotheenation | Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at Marty Supremes event.

Kylie on privacy and growing up in the spotlight

Actor Timothee Chalamet is keeping his Christmas gift plans for makeup mogul and reality-TV star Kylie Jenner a little mysterious, even to himself. He recently admitted he hasnt finished his holiday shopping yet, but he seemed confident that Jenner would love whatever he picks.Currently in London promoting his upcoming film, the 29-year-old actor is taking advantage of local shopping opportunities. He told Heart Breakfast on December 11, She will see, itll be good. He added, I was hoping to find some local goods, while also asking about a chocolate store in the city, hinting that he might add a sweet treat to Jenners stocking.Chalamets shopping adventure continued with host Amanda Holden, who suggested London was the perfect place to find gifts. The Dune actor mentioned again that he hoped to pick up some local goods for Jenner. Holden jokingly suggested Legoland's, if Jenner was into Lego sets.As for their Christmas plans, its not yet clear whether Chalamet will spend the holiday with Jenner or with his family in New York. However, sources expect Jenner to join him on December 27 to celebrate his 30th birthday, likely trying to outdo whatever gift he surprises her with during Christmas.Recently, rumours have swirled about the status of Chalamet and Jenners relationship. According to the, an insider claimed Chalamet had broken up with Kylie. The source added, This has happened before, but she talked him into getting back together. She is crazy about him, so that could well happen again.The breakup rumours gained momentum when Chalamet was absent from Kris Jenners lavish 70th birthday celebration. Still, other sources said the couple is going strong. A source toldthat Chalamet spent Thanksgiving with Jenner before returning to Europe for filming. They were also recently seen together at the premiere of Marty Supreme, suggesting the relationship is ongoing.This fresh hint about his bond with Kylie comes after Chalamet dodged all relationship talk in his Vogue interview, yet still teased fans by admitting that settling down and having children is on the radar. In an interview with, he shared, That could be on the radar. However, he remained tight-lipped about his current romantic situation, saying, And I dont say that with any fear; I just dont have anything to say.Meanwhile, Jenner reflected on the challenges of growing up in the public eye during a recent episode of Hulus The Kardashians. She shared that she feels more protective of her personal life and has learnt to make choices for herself. I have to live my life. I cant live for whatever everyone else wants me to do. I just have to try to do whats best for me every day, she said. She added, I guess I also wouldnt know who I would be today without growing up like this. Im just navigating through life.Her comments also hinted at why she rarely mentions Chalamet on her show, showing that she prefers to keep their relationship private despite public attention.Chalamet and Jenner first sparked romance rumours in April 2023, shortly after Jenners split from Travis Scott, with whom she shares children Stormi, born in 2018, and Aire, born in 2022. Since then, the couple has been seen together at multiple events, and fans eagerly watch for any signs of their evolving relationship.
Palm Royale season 2 episode 6: What to expect?

Image credit : IMDb | Palm Royale fans await episode 6.

Maxines Virginia mission

Image credit : IMDb | Palm Royale, season 2, episode 5, focused heavily on Maxine.

A new family member arrives

Unintended consequences in episode 6

Image credit : IMDb | Palm Royale Season 2 is expected to get more intense.

Will there be a season 3 for Palm Royale?

Palm Royale is heading into one of its most important moments of Season 2. Episode 6, titled Maxine Finds Herself, will premiere on December 17, 2025, only on Apple TV. The title sounds warm and hopeful, but as fans know, things on this show are rarely simple. Maxine may be getting closer to understanding herself, yet her world is full of twists that can quickly flip everything upside dowThe name Maxine Finds Herself suggests that Kristen Wiigs character may finally figure out what she truly wants. This sounds positive, especially after all the chaos she has gone through this season. But Palm Royale is known for its irony. Many episode titles tease happiness but end in more drama. As Maxine steps forward, she may also discover new problems waiting right behind her.To understand what she faces next, we look at the official synopsis, which reveals more secrets coming her way.Episode 6 brings a new mission that changes everything. Virginia asks Maxine and Douglas to help her search for a Russian mole. This is not a small task. A mole means someone in their circle is hiding a secret and working against them. These kinds of stories often bring fear, tension, and big shocks.Because Maxine and Douglas are pulled into this mission, they will have to question people they know and trust. This creates pressure on all sides, especially since any wrong move can reveal the mole too soon or put someone in danger. This search becomes a key part of the episode and sends the characters into deeper conflict.Just when things are already intense, a new family member enters the story. Their arrival makes the hunt for the mole even messier. New people bring new secrets, and this addition may shift loyalties, confuse clues, and push Maxine into even harder decisions.This twist connects perfectly with the mole storyline, because both bring unexpected problems. Maxine must balance emotional chaos at home while dealing with the secret mission outside. It sets the stage for mistakes, surprises, and big consequences.Many of Maxines choices throughout the show have led to moments she never planned. Episode 6 continues this pattern. The mole hunt and the new family arrival create a chain of events that no one can fully control.This is what makes Palm Royale exciting, every step characters take opens the door to something they didnt expect. As Maxine tries to find herself, she might learn that every answer leads to a new question, and every action brings a reaction she could not see coming. The episode leans heavily into this theme and pushes the story forward with strong emotional beats.Even with all the drama building, Palm Royale still does not have a season 3 renewal yet. The show needs steady viewership to continue. Apple TV has not shared exact numbers, but it seems Season 2 is not getting as much attention as Season 1. Fans who want more seasons must watch the episodes fully and encourage others to tune in too.As viewers wait for December 17, excitement continues to grow. Episode 6 is expected to push Maxine, Douglas, Virginia, and everyone around them into new turning points.
Greek National Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis has been elected president of the Eurogroup, securing a simple majority to lead the influential body of eurozone finance ministers.

Mr. Pierrakakis edged out Belgian counterpart Vincent Van Peteghem in a vote that pitted two members of the center-right European Peoples Party

(EPP) against each other.

He will serve a two-and-a-half-year term, marking a symbolic milestone for Greece a decade after the country nearly exited the single currency bloc during its debt crisis.

"I wish you every success at the helm of the Eurogroup as it evolves, adapts, and confronts the challenges of the future," Latvian Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens wrote in a congratulatory message.

The election fills the vacancy left by Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who resigned in November.

Cyprus Finance Minister Makis Keravnos had been serving as acting president.

Mr. Pierrakakis, 42, takes the reins at a pivotal moment.

Beyond fiscal coordination, ministers on Thursday discussed the contentious issue of managing 300 billion in frozen Russian assets. Belgium has raised significant legal concerns regarding the use of these funds to aid Ukraine, a debate the new president must now navigate.

The Eurogroup president is a key figure in EU economic governance, representing the 20 euro-area nations in negotiations with the European Commission and the European Central Bank.

Mr. Pierrakakis's victory is widely viewed as a validation of Greece's economic recovery and fiscal discipline in recent years.

   iefimerida.gr
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has held a strategic telephone with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, as Athens and Nicosia align their diplomatic efforts ahead of a potential breakthrough in the dormant Cyprus

Mr. Christodoulides briefed the prime minister on his high-stakes meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.

The encounter, scheduled to take place in the presence of UN Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin, aims to lay the groundwork for restarting formal negotiations to reunify the island.

The call underscores the close coordination between the two governments as the diplomatic landscape shifts.

The meeting with Mr. Erhurman is viewed as a critical test of whether common ground can be found to resume talks that collapsed in Crans-Montana in 2017.

During the conversation, the two leaders also exchanged views on the next steps for the UN mission, specifically ahead of Ms. Holguins upcoming visit to Athens.

Her tour is expected to include consultations with guarantor powers to gauge support for a new round of comprehensive talks.

Mr. Mitsotakis reiterated Greece's steadfast support for a solution based on UN Security Council resolutions.

The renewed diplomatic push comes as the international community seeks to capitalize on the momentum provided by the new Turkish Cypriot leadership to end the decades-long division of the island.

   iefimerida.gr
Greek authorities confirmed this week that 18 children in the country were born using sperm from a Danish donor carrying a high-risk cancer mutation, with at least one child already diagnosed with the disease.

The revelation is part of a widening cross-border scandal involving the European Sperm Bank. The donor, who fathered at least 197 children across Europe,

carried a defect in the TP53 gene, which normally suppresses tumors. While the donor appeared healthy, the mutation gives his offspring up to a 90% lifetime risk of developing cancer , often in childhood.

Medical geneticist Konstantinos Pangalos condemned the incident as a catastrophic "system failure" of the continent's fertility industry.

"This is not an error," Dr. Pangalos told Greek media. "It is the result of a system with no unified registries, no common limits, and no mechanism to stop a donor after a safe threshold is reached."

The case highlights a critical regulatory gap. While Greece limits a single donor to 12 children domestically, the absence of an EU-wide database allowed the donor's samples to be shipped freely to clinics from Germany to Georgia, bypassing national caps.

"Uncontrolled circulation of genetic material is like playing Russian roulette with childrens health," Dr. Pangalos warned.

Greeces National Authority for Assisted Reproduction has banned any future use of the donors material and ordered clinics to notify affected families for immediate genetic testing. The European Sperm Bank apologized, claiming the mutation was undetectable in 2005 due to "gonadal mosaicism," a condition where the defect appears only in reproductive cells.

However, experts argue the tragedy underscores the urgent need for a mandatory European donor registry to prevent the mass dissemination of genetic risks in the future.

By Vassilis Goulas

   iefimerida.gr
Oguz Sedir, director of Milliyet , dismantles the stereotypes fueling tensions between Greece and Turkey , speaks about the responsibility of the media and politicians, and explains why he believes that both peoples are ready for a new model of shared interests in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.
During the meeting of the New Democracy Parliamentary Group, the Prime Minister conveyed that he expects whatever delegation the farmers appoint on Monday at 5 p.m. There were celebrations for Pierrakakis as President of the Eurogroup.
The Abuja Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday 11, December, 2025, arraigned the Commandant of the Nigeria Peace Corps, Dickson Akon, and the Director of Finance of the Corps, Omolala Aminat Ahmed, before Justice H. B. Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Abuja.

The defendants were arraigned on a two- count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation of funds allocated to the Corps

Charge one reads: That you, Dickson Akon and Omolola Aminat Ahmed in the year 2024 at Abuja, FCT, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court did agree among yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit criminal misappropriation and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 96 of the penal code laws of the FCT.

Advertisement

Count two read: That you, Dickson Akon and Omolola Aminat Ahmed in the year 2024 at Abuja, FCT, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court did agree among yourselves and dishonestly converted to your personal use the sum of N46, 000, 000, 00, (Forty Six Million Naira only) out of the sum of N60.000.000.00, (Sixty Million Naira, only) meant for the execution of contract for the supply of badges.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to them.

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Khalid Sanusi, asked the court for a date for the commencement of the trial.

Justice Yusuf adjourned the matter till February 25, 2026, and granted the defendants bail in the sum of 5 million (Five Million Naira only) with one surety each in like sum. The sureties must be of a reputable character and must be resident in Abuja.
Ibadans broadcasting space has just grown bigger with the arrival of Currency 93.1 FM, a new radio station owned by renowned Fuji musician, Taye Akande Adebisi, popularly known as Taye Currency.

With this new venture, the Fuji star steps confidently into the league of media owners in the Oyo State capital, marking an important milestone in his career beyond the music stage.

Media insiders believe the launch of Currency 93.1 FM strengthens Ibadans reputation as one of Nigerias rapidly developing broadcast hubs, where more entertainers and entrepreneurs continue to invest in the media industry.

Advertisement

A big congratulations to Taye Currency and the entire @tayecurrency_official team on this exciting new journey.
Author Jeannine Cook poses with her book on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, at her newly refurbished Harriett's Bookshop in Philadelphia. Read more

Three local bookstores are among eight in Pennsylvania to win a $500 grant from award-winning author James Pattersons annual Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program.

Harrietts Bookshop in Fishtown, Main Point Books in Wayne, and the Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown were the local winners.

Advertisement

Harrietts owner Jeannine A. Cook thanked Patterson on her Instagram.

Thank you [James Patterson] for supporting Harrietts in this way and spreading love to our bookshop cousins all across the country when many of us need it most, Cook wrote, adding that she will use the money to support her Bookshop Without Borders project that brings books and companionship to people who are lonely.

Patterson, who released Return of the Spider, the latest installment in the popular Alex Cross series in November, pledged $300,000 this year, distributing $500 to 600 booksellers and members of the American Bookstore Association. Bookstores are nominated by authors, customers, employees, fellow bookstore owners, and managers.

This years winners were announced Wednesday. This is Main Point Books second consecutive bonus and it was Harrietts first. In New Jersey, Inkwood Books in Haddonfield and Words Matter Bookstore in Pitman also received grants.

Patterson has been doling out cash to bookstores in this holiday bonus program since 2015. The gifts, he said to the New York Times in 2014, are to financially support and recognize the vital work of independent bookstore employees and librarians.

Patterson alludes to the need to fund independent bookstores in his 2024 book The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, True Stories of the Magic of Reading.

Our bookstores in America are at risk, he said in 2014 at the advent of the program. Publishing and publishers as weve known them are at stake. To some extent the future of American literature is at stake.
Sasha Suda, director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, Friday, October 14, 2022. Read more

In another broadside against the board of the Philadelphia Art Museum, ousted director and CEO Sasha Suda has once again portrayed her difficulties at the museum as a struggle for modernizing an institution in the face of the status quo. A new court filing from Suda, filed on Thursday night, argues for a trial with jury rather than settling the dispute with the museum through arbitration.

The opposition brief, a response to the museums petition last month stating that the matter should be resolved in arbitration, says that Sudas employment contract contained an explicit exception to the arbitration called for by the museum.

Advertisement

 READ MORE: Read Sasha Sudas brief against the Philadelphia Art Museums petition last month

The Court should therefore deny the museums motion and retain jurisdiction over this case  as the parties agreement and Pennsylvania law require, states Thursdays filing in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Suda, 45, was fired Nov. 4 for what the museum said was cause. Less than a week later, she filed a lawsuit against the museum claiming she was dismissed without a valid basis.

Sudas lawyer, Luke Nikas, did not immediately comment on the matter Friday. The Art Museum had no comment on the new filing, an Art Museum spokesperson said.

Suda was dismissed after an investigation determined that she misappropriated funds from the museum and lied to cover up her theft, the museum alleged in a November court filing in response to her lawsuit.

Nikas, of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, at the time called the accusations false. The money in question, $39,000, came in the form of increases to Sudas compensation, and these increases were authorized and budgeted cost-of-living increases that were fully approved and disclosed, a source close to Suda previously stated.

Much of the new filing repeats the narrative laid out in the initial lawsuit filing, detailing Sudas unhappiness with former board chair Leslie Anne Miller and current board chair Ellen T. Caplan, as well as a recounting of Sudas accomplishments at the museum.

Suda and Miller experienced ongoing friction, and Miller told third parties that Suda was untrustworthy, incompetent, a snake, immature, would not last, and that others were drinking the Kool-Aid by supporting her, the new filing states.

Those comments from an officer and agent of the Museum violated the Employment Agreements Non-Disparagement Clause, and that violation entitles Suda to immediate injunctive relief and a temporary order restraining any threatened or further breach, in addition to or in place of the arbitration provisions, the filing states.

Miller declined to comment on Friday.

Sudas contract stipulates that any changes in her compensation would be determined at the sole and absolute discretion of the compensation committee. In its November petition, the museum said that Suda requested, and was denied, a salary increase from the compensation committee on Feb. 8, 2024. She then awarded herself the salary increase effective March 1, 2024, followed by a second unauthorized increase in July of that year, the petition claims.

In July 2025, according to the museums petition, Suda awarded herself a third unauthorized pay increase, which she once again failed to disclose to the board.

The new filing includes text messages of praise and encouragement from board member John Alchin. It says that in September 2023, Alchin  identified in the filing as chair of the finance committee  examined a draft report for a compensation subcommittee meeting and requested schedules of salaries along with proposed/recent salary increases.

Sudas compensation was also reviewed, the filing states.

As the board member with the most oversight of Sudas financials, Alchin expressed no concerns about Sudas approach to salary schedules or financial governance, which were discussed openly in committee meetings, the filing states.

It provides a copy of an August 2025 letter from the museum to Suda outlining her annual salary increase, from $749,087 to $771,560. The letter is not signed by a specific person  only the museums human resources department  and was cc-ed to finance.

The new filing also includes 2023 correspondence from the museums CFO, Katherine Harper, to its HR director, Meredith Clayton, trying to figure out what increase Sasha might be entitled to, adding that prior to finalizing, I will check with John Alchin or Leslie to make sure they are comfortable.

Suda was in the third year of a five-year contract when she was dismissed in the beginning of November.

On Dec. 1, she was succeeded by veteran nonprofit administrator Daniel H. Weiss, former chief of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who had already been engaged by the museum as a consultant prior to being named director and CEO.
Evelena Williams, seen here after her preliminary hearing in October 2024, was sentenced Friday to 10 to 20 years in state prison for killing Latoya Davis and Davis' unborn son. Read more

Evelina Williams told a Delaware County judge she has been agonizing for more than a year over her split-second decision to fatally shoot a pregnant woman and her unborn child.

For that, the Southwest Philadelphia woman was sentenced Friday to 10 to 20 years in state prison.

Advertisement

I am not God. I cant decide who lives and who dies, Williams, 31, told Judge Kevin F. Kelly. This is the biggest mistake of my life, and I hate myself for it.

Williams pleaded guilty in August to third-degree murder and third-degree murder of an unborn child for fatally shooting Latoya Davis in the parking lot of a Wawa store in Collingdale last year.

At the time, Davis, 32, was six months pregnant, something Williams said she did not know when she pulled the trigger of her Ruger .380 handgun on that night in October 2024.

Not a day goes by where I dont cry my eyes out, Williams said. I am sorry for the Davis family for the pain I have caused. I took something so precious, and Im embarrassed, ashamed, remorseful, shattered.

Davis, who left behind two young daughters, was shot once in the back during the dispute, which prosecutors said began inside the Wawa and continued in the stores parking lot, where the two women had parked next to each other.

As Williams went to drive away, Davis continued to argue with her and, at one point, threw a beverage at her. In response, Williams shot her with the gun she was licensed to carry.

Williams attorney, Anna Hinchman, said a lifetime of trauma, including sexual abuse as a teen and violent domestic assaults by her ex-husband, left Williams with a severe case of PTSD that was triggered when Davis confronted her.

Assistant District Attorney Dan Kerley called the shooting a senseless act of violence and said that, despite Williams perception that she was defending herself, her actions forever ruined two families.

Its undisputed that Ms. Williams had a license to carry her gun, but that did not give her a license to kill, he said. It does not give you the ability to shoot someone during an argument.

Still, Kerley credited Williams for remaining at the scene, performing CPR on the grievously wounded Davis, and cooperating with police.

Gabou Jean Pierre Toure, Davis longtime boyfriend and the father of her unborn son, said no amount of remorse or accountability can heal the pain he feels.

I want to forgive you so bad. Im trying to forgive you, he said. But I still feel this is a nightmare that I want to wake up from.

Toure said he and Davis were soulmates, and were both eagerly awaiting the birth of their son after struggling with fertility issues. The two shared a birthday and celebrated together every year.

This year, he said, all he could do on that day was weep for his lost love.

You are a mom. You can imagine how it feels to lose your child, he said to Williams. I hope you regret what youve done.
The Philadelphia school board on Thursday night approved a resolution to explore transferring its vacant school buildings to the city, as Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has suggested. Two board members had concerns. The list of vacant buildings has not been made public, but likely includes Ada B. Lewis Middle School, shown in this October file photo. The body of Kada Scott was found on the Ada Lewis grounds this fall. Read more

Philadelphias school board voted Thursday night  over some objections  to explore giving its surplus buildings to the city.

The vote does not bind the district to hand anything over, but it certainly opens the door to transferring properties in accordance with the wishes of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who has promised her administration will build or restore 30,000 units of housing during her first term.

Advertisement

Exactly how many vacant buildings the district is contemplating giving to the city is not clear; the board did not vote on a list of schools, though officials have said in prior months the number of surplus schools is about 20. A school board spokesperson has said the list is still subject to internal discussion.

 READ MORE: As it happened: live updates from the school board's special action meeting

The resolution only covers the districts current closed buildings, not any that might be closed in the upcoming facilities master planning process expected to wrap up before the end of the school year.

Board president Reginald Streater has said the city partnership makes sense, and would allow the district to focus on education, while relying on the citys real estate expertise. The buildings all have carrying costs too, which the city would assume.

Six board members voted for the resolution authorizing Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. and the districts legal department to begin talks with the city. Two board members  Crystal Cubbage and ChauWing Lam  voted no.

Lams hesitation came, she said at Thursdays special action meeting, because of the districts budget issues.

The vacant-building portfolio was recently valued at $80 million, Lam said.

The mayors housing goals are laudable, Lam said, but given the districts structural budget deficit, which includes spending nearly half of our fund balance this year to balance our budget, I encourage consideration of additional opportunities before rushing into an agreement as set forth in this resolution.

Cubbage, too, said she worried that the resolution limits us to exploring the conveyance of our school buildings to the city without financial compensation when we are facing a $300 million structural deficit and are constantly underresourced.

Instead, Cubbage said, she wished the board would delve into actions that could give short- and long-term revenue and still accomplish Parkers housing goals by selling the properties with deep restrictions and affordability requirements.

Board member Wanda Novales supported the resolution, but noted that the district needs to get the whole picture  including enrollment projections and long-term capital priorities  before it moves forward.

I support the resolution as long as it calls for a thorough business plan that clearly outlines the benefit to the School District of Philadelphia, said Novales.

Watlington, in a statement issued after the vote, supported the move.

By responsibly evaluating how to put these unused properties back into productive use, the district can stay focused on educating children while supporting broader city efforts that ultimately aim to strengthen neighborhoods, Watlington said. This exploration aligns with our commitment to both fiscal stewardship and community partnership.

Parker, in a statement issued earlier this week, said the transfer would mean the buildings would improve residents quality of life.

Officials cannot let blighted buildings in the middle of residential neighborhoods lie vacant  many of which have been vacant for many years  from two years to over 30," Parker said in the statement. Its unconscionable to me that we are in the middle of a housing crisis and we have government buildings sitting vacant for years or even decades. That cannot continue.

Chief Deputy Mayor Vanessa Garrett Harley said in a statement that the city looks forward to working with the board on this issue.

This action will help the city to more effectively move blighted properties to productive use, addressing a longstanding concern of neighborhood leaders and residents across the city, and contribute to the mayors goal of creating or preserving 30,000 units of housing, Garrett Harley said.

A potential buyer for at least one vacant school

Several speakers suggested it was a bad move to simply give buildings to the city.

Cecilia Thompson, a former school board member, said shes OK with selling schools to the city. But can we sell it to the city for market value, and not a dollar or something nominal, just to say it was a sale? Just to be respectful ... for the worth of the properties?

Several members of the community made it clear that there are potential buyers.

Angela Case, a staffer at West Oak Lane Charter, indicated that the school wants to buy Ada Lewis Middle School in East Germantown.

(Lewis is a prominent part of the potential portfolio  a large building on a sprawling campus and, this fall, the site where Kada Scotts body was discovered.)

Our school is growing, but our current space is limited, Case said. Ada Lewis would give our students safe classrooms, outdoor areas and room for strong academic enrichment programs. It would also return a vacant property to a productive use, and benefit the surrounding community.
Taylor Swift is someone who can chill but will never be a chill person. Also, All to Well, the 10-minute version, tops the list of her favorite songs from her catalog.

These were among the many other revelations that Swift dropped during her first interview on Stephen Colberts The Late Show, Wednesday night.

Advertisement

Philadelphia fans will most appreciate the 2001 flashback photograph of a tween Taylor singing the national anthem at a Sixers game in her very patriotic outfit: a red duster, an American flag top, and white pants.

You know when you are like 11 and you have that one outfit that you just know  goes so hard  when you just put this on and its like Im sorry. Im unstoppable today, the Berks County native said on the talk show. She was dressed in a precariously fitting burgundy velvet mini with an off-the-shoulder Bardot neckline with winged sleeves giving early-Christmas-present energy to her fans.

Today, that unstoppable outfit for her is a sparkling Versace bodysuit, one of her many outfit changes on The Eras Tour.

Anytime I put it on  I could be like coughing from a horrible virus. I could be aching, Swift said. When I put that on, Im like, This is popping. Im doing it.

Swift appeared on The Late Show to promote the Friday release of her six-part docuseries The End of an Era, and the concert film Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show on Disney+.

The interview was light-hearted, fun, and thorough. Swift talked about her friendship with Stevie Nicks  we are jealous!  the excitement of her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce, and the thrill of getting the master recordings of her first six albums back in May.

She said had no idea of the impact of her tour on her fans until she learned they were passing out from joy.

Literally, passing out from joy.

When I read articles that medical professionals are diagnosing fans who came to the Eras Tour with post-concert amnesia and joy blackouts, I was like, Oh man, this is different, Swift said The fans  People connecting to what we created made The Eras Tour what it was.
If youre feeling world-weary this holiday season, why not skip the homemade feast and take an easier, if more indulgent route? Dine-in or takeout. The options in the Philly area are plenty, from chopped liver to high-end sushi.

Here are 14 local options for Hanukkah, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve. Note that some restaurants have menus for more than one of these holidays.

Hanukkah

Biedermans Specialty Foods

Order a Hanukkah brunch board, complete with gelt, bagels, and all the fixings, for $150. Add a latkes package for $20 with caviar supplements for an additional $85 to $165. You can also opt for Christmas Eve brunch boards ($150 to $200). Pick up orders from Dec. 13 to 31.

Advertisement

824 Christian St., 215-392-9229, biedermansphilly.com

High Street Bakery

Get four-packs of sufganiyot (filled with either strawberry-pink peppercorn jam or chocolate-chestnut cream) for $24 this Hanukkah from High Street. Preorder online. Pickups run Saturday, Dec. 13, to Monday, Dec. 22, between noon and 4 p.m. The restaurant and bakery will also host a luxe, three-course New Years Eve supper in its private dining room. Tickets are $100, plus $50 for a wine pairing on OpenTable.

Also check out High Streets Ever Eve holiday pop-up bar, open Saturdays in December from 6 to 10 p.m., for boozy hot chocolate and other holiday cocktails, plus bar bites like crispy fried oysters. Enjoy live jazz from Dave Brodie and a rotating lineup of local artisans, too. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are strongly encouraged to guarantee a spot.

101 S. Ninth St., 215-625-0988, highstreetonmarket.com

Famous 4th Street Delicatessen

Consider Famous 4ths Hanukkah prix fixe takeaway or dine-in dinner. Order noshes of chopped liver, herb-roasted chicken, and braised beef brisket served with potato pancakes and challah stuffing, and desserts like assorted rugelach and sufganiyot. Expect $39 per person for dine-in and $155 per kit, which serves four people. The Hanukkah menu runs Dec. 13 to Jan. 2. Reserve online.

700 S. Fourth St., 215-922-3274, famous4thstreetdelicatessen.com

Christmas Day

Urban Farmer

Inside the Logan Hotel, enjoy dine-in or takeout options for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On Dec. 24 and 25, specials include maple-glazed ham ($34) and rib-eye ($53), with a selection of sides and desserts. For takeout, pick up a holiday dinner on Christmas Eve or Day from noon to 2:30 p.m. The $280 package serves four to six people and includes a choice of maple-mustard-glazed ham or rib eye and three different pies.

1850 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., 215-963-2788, urbanfarmersteakhouse.com

El Camino Real

The Northern Liberties Tex-Mex bar nods to tradition with its Christmas and New Years Eve dinner to-go packages ($110 to $300), which offer choices like rib-eye roast, brisket, and turkey. Scale your menus size for two to 10 people. Christmas orders must be picked up on Dec. 24, and New Years orders on Dec. 31. Purchase online.

1040 N. Second St., 215-925-1110, elcaminophilly.com

Uchi

The splashy new Rittenhouse sushi restaurant, which comes by way of Austin, is offering a holiday omakase at home special for takeout or delivery all month long. For $120, feast on 12 pieces nigiri, two makimono rolls, hama chili crudo, chicken karaage, Brussels sprouts, and house-made fried milk ice cream. Order online up to Dec. 30.

1620 Sansom St., 215-647-7611, uchi.uchirestaurants.com

Kitchen + Kocktails By Kevin Kelley

Recently opened next to the Cambria Hotel on South Broad Street, Kitchen + Kocktails will be open for regular dinner service on Christmas Eve. There are also plenty of takeout options: Consider a pan of candied yams, cornbread dressing, collard greens, and other sides for $79 to $115. Entrees include lamb chop, smoked turkey leg, catfish, and blackened salmon pans for $79 to $185, and desserts like peach cobbler and sweet potato pie are $79 each. Orders can be made online.

225 S. Broad St., 215-867-5112, kitchenkocktailsusa.com

Little Walters

Chef Michael Brenfleck is serving handmade kielbasa, holiday breads and baked goods, pantry staples, and a selection of frozen pierogi this Christmas. On Dec. 20 and 21, pick up kielbasa at $10 per pound. Bakery options including babka and poppy seed rolls are priced at $12, while pantry items like ogorki konserwowe (pickles) and smalec (whipped lard with crunchy pork skin) will go for $8 each. A selection of frozen pierogi can be purchased for $25 per dozen. Orders can be placed via Toast.

2049 E. Hagert St., 267-239-2228, littlewaltersphilly.com

Square 1682

Square 1682, located at 17th and Sansom Streets, is serving up a Christmas menu featuring squash soup, deviled eggs, lobster risotto, Thai fried red snapper, creme brulee, and more. The three-course meal, including a side, will be offered from 4 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 and 25, and 5 to 10 p.m. on Dec. 26 and 27. Book on OpenTable.

121 S. 17th St., 215-563-5008, square1682.com

New Years Eve

Fond

Chefs Lee Styer and Jesse Prawlucki-Styer are ringing in New Years Eve with a five-course dinner for $135 per person. Takers will be in for a feast starting with a half-dozen oysters followed by grilled radicchio salad; tuna tartare; seared foie gras; scallops with braised fennel and endive; pork belly with Okinawan sweet potato, escarole, and Dijon jus; and hazelnut chocolate mousse with vanilla tangerine, toffee cannoli, and sour cherry coulis. Reservations are encouraged at the Wallingford BYOB; book on Resy.

21 N. Providence Rd., Wallingford, 484-445-2108, fondbyob.com

Forsythia

Chef Chris Kearses Old City boite is offering a four-course dinner for New Years Eve. The meal features fluke crudo, beef short rib, and mousse au chocolat noir for $150. Seatings will be from 4:45 to 9:45 p.m. Reserve a spot on Resy.

233 Chestnut St., 215-644-9395, forsythiaphilly.com

River Twice

Ring in the new year at River Twice on East Passyunk with a seven-course tasting menu and a Champagne toast. The New Years Eve lineup includes raw aged beef seasoned with golden ossetra caviar and oyster emulsion, halibut from the gulf of Maine with shimeji mushrooms and shellfish gumbo, and more. Dinner is $150 per person at a table or $175 at the chefs counter, with optional beverage pairings available. Guests will also receive a complimentary glass of Champagne at midnight. Book a reservation on Resy for seatings from 5 to 10 p.m.

1601 E. Passyunk Ave., 267-457-3698, rivertwicerestaurant.com

Almyra

Ring in 2026 at Almyras New Years Eve dinner. For $95 per person, dig into mezzes like spanakopita manti and Wagyu dumplings, entrees like filet mignon kebab and chicken kofta, and assorted Greek desserts. NYE reservations can be made for seatings from 4 to 7 p.m. After 9:30 p.m., reservations are $95 per guest with a sparkling wine toast and DJ starting at 9 p.m. Book on Resy.

1636 Chancellor St., 267-876-7070, almyrarestaurant.com

Mish Mish

Get loose on New Years Eve: Instead of prix fixe menus, Mish Mish will serve whatever dishes chef Zev Flores feels during this dinner party of your dreams. There will be plenty of bottles of Champagne. Pick a seating between 5 to 8:45 p.m. and book on Resy.

1046 Tasker St., 267-761-9750, mishmishphilly.com

Aqimero

There two ways to celebrate New Years Eve at Aqimero inside the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton. From 6 to 8 p.m., enjoy a curated four-course dinner with chilled seafood tower, caviar service, and lack of lamb by Chef Richard Sandoval. Optional wine or beverage pairings are available, too. After dessert, move directly into the New Years Eve celebration, from 8 p.m. to midnight, with no additional ticket. Or head directly into the holiday party, which features an open bar, appetizers and desserts, and live music by DJ Eddie Tully. There will be a champagne toast and a standout balloon drop at midnight. Tickets for dinner and party combo are $295 per guest, and party entry is $175 per guest. Book online.

10 Ave of the Arts, 215-523-8200, aqimero.com

Fleurs

In Kensington, Fleurs is hosting a New Years Eve prix-fixe dinner featuring a six-course menu. Devour dry-aged hamachi crudo with golden Osetra caviar, grilled sweet potatoes with hazelnut, kombu-cured egg yolk, and black truffle, and lamb loin torchon. Dessert includes a dark chocolate mousse cake. There are two beverage pairings available, including a zero-proof beverage pairing, both with five drinks, plus a Champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $125 per person; book on Resy.

2205 N Front Street, 215-278-7675, fleursphilly.com

Emmett

Another Kensington restaurant is hosting a night of complimentary Champagne and caviar for New Years Eve. Emmett is offering a one-night only four-course menu with signature Emmett riffs: think venison tartar, grilled dorade, and winter citrus trifle. Its $175 per person to reserve on OpenTable.

161 W Girard Ave, 215-207-0161, emmettphilly.com
Statue outside Archbishop Ryan High School seems to pray for a peaceful end to the drama; police presence suggests a more worldly situation. Read more

A lanky man wearing a long, dark coat walked into a high school disciplinarians office ready to really make America great again.

Around 1 p.m. on Dec. 9, 1985, 22-year-old Steven Gold entered Archbishop Ryan with a knife and a gun.

Advertisement

And he quickly took seven hostages  five students, a secretary, and the assistant dean of students.

Twenty minutes later, he sent one of the students to get him a soda, and the student actually thought about going back before the police nabbed him.

Around 2 p.m. Gold spoke with police by phone, and demanded President Ronald Reagan  who first ran on the Make America Great Again campaign slogan  resign from office.

And turn over leadership of the country to Gold, who said he wanted to be called the Antichrist.

In a statement that was read to the press, Gold wrote:

Either choose my leadership, or accept the death of America.

Back then, the Catholic high school was separated into two segregated schools: the boys school in the south wing, and the girls school in the north wing.

Gold took the hostages in the boys wing. Shortly afterward, the 1,950 male students were dismissed. They walked out just as the 2,150 female students were leaving for the day on a shortened schedule. Together, boys and girls filed calmly out of the massive, three-story school building at Academy Road and Chalfont Drive.

About an hour into the standoff, Gold let the secretary go after learning she was a mother of four. Shortly afterward, he traded the assistant dean for a food order, leaving only three male students as hostages.

Around 7 p.m., a police negotiator briefly entered the disciplinarians office.

Gold, who had recently stopped taking medication for paranoid delusions, held his pistol to the head of one student and threatened to kill all of the students if his demands were not met.

Around 8:30 p.m., those students had had enough.

Gold told the negotiator on the phone that he would let two of the students go, and then the officer heard a commotion and a lot of screaming on the other end of the phone.

The students decided the gun Gold was brandishing was a fake.

So in good, old-fashioned Northeast Philly fashion, they jumped him. And it turned out they were right: The gun was a starters pistol, and it was loaded with blanks.

The students overpowered Gold, and held him down until the stakeout officers rushed in and put an end to the more than seven-hour standoff.
Secret meetings between Ukraines top peace negotiator and FBI leaders have injected new uncertainty into the high-stakes talks to end the war there, according to diplomats and officials familiar with the matter.

Over the last several weeks, President Volodymyr Zelenskys lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, flew to Miami three times to meet with President Donald Trumps top envoy, Steve Witkoff, and discuss a proposal to end the nearly four-year conflict with Russia.

Advertisement

But during his time in the United States, Umerov also held closed-door meetings with FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, according to four people, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations.

The meetings have caused alarm among Western officials who remain in the dark about their intent and purpose. Some said they believe Umerov and other Ukrainian officials sought out Patel and Bongino in the hopes of obtaining amnesty from any corruption allegations the Ukrainians could face. Others worry the newly established channel could be used to exert pressure on Zelenskys government to accept a peace deal, proposed by the Trump administration, containing steep concessions for Kyiv.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Olha Stefanishyna confirmed Umerovs meeting with the FBI and told the Washington Post he only covered national security related issues that could not be disclosed publicly.

An FBI official said the Umerov meetings included discussion of the two countries shared law enforcement and national security interests. The topic of white collar corruption in Ukraine came up in one of the meetings but was not the main focus, the official said. Any suggestion that Patels discussions were inappropriate is complete nonsense, the official added.

The two FBI leaders have criticized Ukraine in various public comments. Patel in March questioned the scale of U.S. aid to Ukraine and urged Congress to investigate whether any U.S. funds sent there were misused. Bongino has accused Zelensky of covering up the allegedly corrupt activities of President Joe Bidens son, whose board seat on a Ukrainian energy company has faced intense scrutiny. Trump is very suspicious of Zelensky, because of what he and some of the people in his government did to sweep under the rug the Joe Biden madness, Bongino said in February.

A White House official said U.S. officials regularly communicate with world leaders about national security issues of shared interest. The official added that Trumps national security team has been speaking with both the Russians and the Ukrainians to facilitate a deal to end the war and that anyone raising concerns about the FBI meetings are not privy to these diplomatic conversations and have no idea what they are talking about.

A representative of Zelenskys office declined to comment on any specific meetings but insisted that it is stupid to link everything to corruption.

The New York Post noted Umerovs meeting with Patel in an article published Nov. 28. Bonginos meeting with Umerov has not been previously reported.

The discussions are happening at a critical moment for Ukraine. It is under pressure by the Trump administration to agree to an end-of-war proposal with huge implications for the countrys borders and territorial integrity.

It is also facing its most far-reaching corruption scandal since Zelensky took office in 2019. Ukrainian investigators alleged last month that $100 million had been stolen from the countrys energy sector through graft and kickbacks.

Eight people, including Zelenskys former business partner, are accused of embezzlement, money laundering and illicit self-dealing. Zelenskys top aide, Andriy Yermak, the second most powerful person in Ukraine, resigned in late November after his house was raided. Another close former ally of Zelensky, Oleksiy Chernyshov, who served as deputy prime minister, is accused by Ukrainian authorities of receiving $1.3 million in kickbacks.

They do have a massive corruption situation going on there, Trump told reporters this week, noting that the scandal was generating calls for elections in Ukraine. People are asking this question: When do they have an election?

Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted Kyiv to enact martial law, including the postponement of presidential and parliamentary elections.

There is speculation inside and outside Kyiv over whether Umerov, who also serves as Ukraines national security adviser, may be implicated in the expanding embezzlement investigation, particularly as the countrys anti-corruption officials expand their probe into the defense sector. Umerov previously served as Ukraines defense minister.

I was surprised they sent him to negotiate given whats being said about his potential involvement in the scandal, said Angela Stent, a former intelligence officer in the George W. Bush administration and scholar at Georgetown University.

Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Volodymyr Ariev told the Post that it was irresponsible to keep Umerov on as top negotiator while hes under a cloud of suspicion. A person who has grown a tail with corruption allegations shouldnt chair fateful negotiations until they cut the tail, Ariev said.

Umerovs defenders say he is an asset to Kyiv: His easygoing demeanor and proficient English have created a better rapport with U.S. officials than they had with Yermak, whom Zelensky relied on heavily before he resigned.

But his FBI meetings have raised suspicion among Ukraines Western backers given the presence of Patel, who became a focal point of Trumps first impeachment, which centered on the presidents threat to revoke U.S. aid to Ukraine to extract information on Hunter Bidens activities in the country. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

Fiona Hill, a former Trump administration official, testified before Congress that Patel had involved himself in Ukraine issues in a manner that went beyond the scope of his job as a White House adviser, according to what she was told by colleagues. The impeachment report released by House Democrats also highlighted Patels discussions with Rudy Giuliani before the Trump administrations suspension of $400 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Hill told the Post for this report that Patels reemergence is likely to be viewed with even more concern and consternation in Europe.

Patel has always denied he had a back channel with Trump on Ukraine during his first term and said his discussions with Giuliani were unrelated to Ukraine.

FBI officials have worked for years with Ukraines National Anti-Corruption Bureau, or NABU, to help the government in Kyiv overcome endemic corruption stemming from its Soviet past. But high-level meetings between a top Ukrainian negotiator and the director of the FBI are not common.

It is unusual for someone in that job to have a meeting with the leadership of the FBI, said Sam Charap, a former State Department official and scholar at the Rand Corporation.

A common theme of Trumps Ukraine diplomacy, particularly as he has expressed frustration about delays in getting to a deal, is expanding the number of aides assigned to work on the issue. Besides Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff, a real estate magnate and longtime friend, Trump has also enlisted his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, an ally of Vice President JD Vance.

The growing number officials involved in the talks has caused miscommunication and confusion surrounding the deals terms and what the United States supports.

Several U.S. officials support a proposal in which Ukraine withdraws from Donetsk in eastern Ukraine in exchange for other areas under Russian control, such as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Earlier this week, Zelensky pushed back against the idea of Ukraine relinquishing any territory. Under our laws, under international law  and under moral law  we have no right to give anything away, Zelensky said after meeting with top European leaders. That is what we are fighting for.

But as negotiations have stalled, Russian forces have made advances in the East, exploiting Ukraines shortages in ammunition and fighters. It also continues to bomb Ukraines electrical infrastructure, triggering rolling blackouts and raising fears of widespread outages this winter.

Trump has made clear his patience is wearing thin, and that if Ukraine doesnt negotiate for land it could end up losing even more on the battlefield.

Youre losing thousands of people a week, Trump said. Its time to get that war settled.
The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm has saved millions of dollars over its 20 years. Read more

Blustery winds propelled the giant blades of five turbines at the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm on a recent day. Set on a back bay island, they were once contested over fears of noise, aesthetics, and worries of threats to Shore birds.

But two decades later, they have emerged as a spinning landmark to Atlantic City.

Advertisement

The 380-foot turbines silently rotate in clear view of motorists streaming to casinos. Some visitors have even requested hotel rooms facing the structures, which are taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The embrace of the land-based wind farm contrasts sharply with the more recently divisive battle over offshore wind projects, an effort stalled by economics and the Trump administration.

Together, the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm turbines produce 63% of the energy for the Atlantic County Utilities Authoritys wastewater treatment plant, which serves 14 municipalities. Officials calculate the farm has saved ratepayers $8.8 million since its grand opening on Dec. 12, 2005.

It is one of only two wind farms operating in New Jersey. The other is a much smaller farm in Bayonne.

This was a total home run for everybody involved, said Richard Dovey, president of the ACUA at the time it was built. Its been nothing but successful, environmentally and economically  [an] inspiration for many other entities, whether theyre public or private.

How the wind farm came to be

The idea for a wind farm near Atlantic City came from a worker in the energy industry who passed the idea onto Dovey in the early 2000s. With Doveys help, it picked up support in former Gov. Jim McGreeveys administration.

Dovey believed in renewable energy and thought it could power the ACUAs regional wastewater treatment plant on City Island in Absecon Bay, about two miles from the Atlantic Ocean. He thought Atlantic Citys ample breezes from land and sea would make it an ideal location.

Community Energy Inc., a developer of wind power based in the Philadelphia suburbs, played a significant role in the projects development and received a $1.7 million grant from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

The New Jersey Sierra Club backed the project.

Construction began in mid-2005. The project cost $12 million and included driving pilings into an island of upland surrounded by wetlands and installing intricate concrete bases to support the turbines made by GE.

Currently, the wind farm is owned by Texas-based Leeward Energy. Leeward rents the land for the wind farm from ACUA.

In return, ACUA has a 20-year agreement to purchase the power produced by the turbines from Leeward for 7.9 cents a kilowatt-hour, which was cheap even then. Now, the rate is about half the market rate for energy.

It has helped ACUA keep some of the lowest sewer rates in the state.

However, that agreement is expiring, and the two sides are in negotiations to renew a contract, which could change the rate the ACUA pays for its wind power.

Community concerns

Initially, the wind farm faced resistance. Residents in the neighboring Venice Park section of Atlantic City were concerned primarily about potential noise from the turbines.

To allay their fears, Dovey organized a bus trip that took residents to visit a wind farm in Somerset County in Pennsylvania.

Their major concern was noise, Dovey, now 73, recalls. We drove literally underneath the turbine. One neighborhood leader took one step out and said my air conditioner is louder than this; lets go home. They thought the turbines were beautiful, even inspiring.

In addition, there were apprehensions regarding how the turbines would affect birds and marine life. The wind farm is just below the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, a 48,000-acre area of coastal habitat. New Jersey Audubon agreed to monitor the impact on the bird population as part of its support for the project.

According to the ACUA, a three-year study by NJ Audubon found a small number of bird deaths which could be attributed to collisions with turbines. It found more fatalities were caused by raccoons, feral cats, and collisions with wires and trucks.

People were also concerned about the visual impact, fearing they might spoil scenic views, affect property taxes, and hurt tourism. However, the wind farm has since become an iconic part of the landscape.

The concerns were part of a broader debate at the time regarding the emerging push among some New Jersey leaders for offshore wind farms, which had faced a moratorium by the state.

Even though the moratorium was lifted, and Gov. Phil Murphy backed a large offshore wind program that would have powered millions of homes, the debate continued. This year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to stop offshore wind, making any project in the near future unlikely.

However, a federal judge recently ruled that Trump exceeded his authority with the order, a ruling the administration is likely to challenge. It is unclear whether renewable energy companies still have the political will for a renewed push to build an offshore wind farm off the coast of New Jersey.

Taking advantage of wind

The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm is an example of how wind power can work, even if on a smaller scale. The farm is ideally located because of consistent land and ocean breezes. If winds exceed 45 mph, the turbines, each equipped with a weather station, switch off to protect the machinery. That happens only a few times a year.

Matt DeNafo, current president of the ACUA, says the wind farm has been a huge project for his organization. The ACUA is operating a pilot project that would store energy captured by the turbines in a battery. A solar array on site also provides about 3% of the facilitys power.

DeNafo said the arrangement with Leeward brought significant economic stability through the 20-year fixed rate. He said it allows the agency to offer the lowest wastewater rates in the region.

At the same time, the ACUA does not have to pay for maintenance of the turbines, while still collecting rent from Leeward.

Its really been a great partnership for us. Its been a beacon for our organization, DeNafo said. One casino was getting a lot of requests for windmill-view rooms because its got a calming effect.

Harrahs, MGM, and Borgata casino hotels all are in view of the windmills.

Amy Menzel, a spokesperson for the ACUA, said summer tours of the wind farm and treatment plant are popular.

We give open house tours in the summer on Wednesdays, Menzel said. People can just drop in. We have a lot of curious people who are visiting the Shore. The tours are really a mix of locals and out-of-town visitors, people who just want to get a little closer and learn more.

Editors note: This article has been corrected to note that the wind farm is on an upland, not a wetland.
Beach erosion caused by the recent noreaster is seen near 4th Street and the Boardwalk in Ocean City, N.J., on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Read more

Congress appears poised to spend money in 2026 on beach replenishment projects in wake of the zero dollars it allocated this year.

But bills proposed in the House by U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R., Tenn.) and in the Senate by U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R., La.) appear to still fall woefully short of what is needed, a coastal advocacy group says. U.S. House Rep. Jeff Van Drew, however, believes there will be adequate funding.

Advertisement

Dan Ginolfi, executive director of the American Coastal Coalition, an advocacy group for coastal communities and beaches, said the current best case would be the Senate bill, which proposes to spend $62.2 million. The House bill proposes $23 million.

However, both proposals fall short of the approximately $200 million needed to fund approved projects in various states that received no money last year, he said.

Any approved money would go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which would choose which beach erosion projects to manage.

In New Jersey, projects set for Cape May, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle, Strathmere, Ocean City, and Long Beach Island have been stalled because of the lack of funding. So, too, have projects in Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, and Florida.

That means the level of risk in New Jersey right now is unacceptable, Ginolfi said.

 READ MORE: Shore towns get no federal dollars for beach replenishments for the first time in almost 30 years

He noted that its not only beaches at risk, but homes, businesses, public property, and infrastructure.

It really is imperative that the federal and state government work together to achieve a solution, he said.

Ginolfi noted that coastal communities in the U.S. generate $36 billion in federal and state tax revenue. So he sees $200 million as a good return on investment.

He said his numbers for potential beach replenishment projects in the bills were confirmed with appropriations committees in both the House and Senate.

However, the office of Van Drew, a Republican who represents many New Jersey beach communities, said the coalitions numbers misrepresent the true amount of funding available.

Paxton Antonucci, a spokesperson for Van Drew, said there is actually $166 million available in the House bill for costs associated with shore protection like beach replenishment, which is the typical amount.

He said that number will come close to $200 million after we compromise with the Senate.

In reality, Van Drew said, most beach replenishment funding comes from outside the regular budget process. He has actively sought such money.

In October, Van Drew wrote to the Army Corps, requesting that it activate disaster recovery authorities  to repair shore protection projects at the Jersey Shore, in response to damages caused by Hurricane Erin and by the recent noreaster over the weekend of Oct. 10-12.

 READ MORE: Ocean City declares emergency over beach erosion, urges state and federal help

And he wrote to Gov. Phil Murphy and Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill this week urging that New Jersey declare a state of emergency to secure federal money for the severe coastal erosion and storm damage affecting the Jersey Shore.

Van Drew said the Shore has been battered since July by intense wind, wave, and water impacts from storm events including Hurricane Erin, Hurricane Imelda, offshore Hurricane Humberto, and a succession of destructive noreasters.

He said the result has been significant dune loss, beach profile collapse, and damage to public infrastructure in multiple municipalities.

Indeed, the Ocean City Council declared a local emergency over beach erosion from the storms and urged state and federal officials to help.

The American Coastal Coalition has faulted Murphys office for failing to request disaster repair projects from the Army Corps in the wake of the storms.

However, Murphys office said the storms this year did not meet financial thresholds needed to qualify for major federal disaster declarations.

In addition, the office said that, even if they did, replenishment projects at Army Corps-engineered beaches are not routinely eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement.

Rather, the office blamed Congress for putting forth a budget that cut beach replenishment projects, and said that blue states are a target of the Trump administration.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen socializes during cocktail hour at the New York Hilton Midtown before the start of the Pennsylvania Societys 121st Annual Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 07, 2019. Cohen, a former Comcast executive, will be this year's honoree. Read more

NEW YORK  Pennsylvanias political elite will return this weekend for the first time in seven years to where the annual out-of-state glitzy gathering all began: the Waldorf Astoria New York.

The Pennsylvania Society began in 1899 in the Waldorf Astoria, after historian James Barr Ferree invited 55 fellow Pennsylvania natives living in New York to the iconic hotel to talk about how they could better their home state. Early members of what was originally called the Pennsylvania Society of New York included industrialist titans like Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon, both of whom began their empires in Pennsylvania.

Advertisement

In the 127 years since, the society has evolved into a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has raised millions of dollars for student scholarships and hosts the annual dinner in New York, in addition to events around the commonwealth each year.

And the event itself has transformed into a full weekend of parties and fundraisers for members of the states political elite, where they toast and talk about the state away from the geographic and political divisions of Pennsylvania.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is slated to deliver a speech at the dinner, as is tradition for Pennsylvanias governors. Another tradition: honoring a notable Pennsylvanian, and this year that person will be former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David L. Cohen, a Philadelphia stalwart whose long career includes stints as an executive at Comcast, chair of the University of Pennsylvanias Board of Trustees, and five years as Ed Rendells chief of staff during his mayorship.

Why does the Pennsylvania Society meet in New York?

The society hosted its annual dinners at the Waldorf for 119 years, until it was forced to find a new home while the iconic hotel was closed for prolonged renovations.

This is where it started: a group of Pennsylvanians living in New York who wanted to come together around their shared love of Pennsylvania, said Trish Wellenbach, president of the Pennsylvania Society. Theres no place like home.

But that home is not in Philly or Pittsburgh.

The dinner has faced scrutiny for decades for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars that could be spent within Pennsylvania to a different state, as well as often being a tone-deaf showing of wealth while many Pennsylvanians are struggling.

A standard ticket to attend the black-tie affair cost $1,000 per person, with lower rates available for emerging leaders under age 35.

Wellenbach acknowledged the longtime criticism, but she said she believes that the weekend away from Pennsylvania helps form new relationships among lawmakers that otherwise would not be forged.

New Yorks a kind of neutral territory, Wellenbach added. No part of the state has a brighter light shining on it than another.  Sometimes you have to get out of your own home territory to think more expansively and strategically.

Shapiro, a first-term Democratic governor up for reelection next year, has delivered a speech at the Pennsylvania Society each year of his governorship, breaking from his immediate predecessor, Tom Wolf, who skipped the event during his tenure.

Shapiros likely 2026 opponent, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the state Republican Partys endorsed candidate, will also be among the officials attending the annual dinner, where politicians try to position themselves for higher office or reelection.

The matchup between Shapiro and Garrity promises to be a hot topic among attendees, as will next years battle for Congress.

Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) will also be among the officials turning up for this years dinner. McCormick attended last years event just weeks after he ousted longtime incumbent Sen. Bob Casey in November 2024.

Who is Pa. Society honoree David L. Cohen?

Cohen, 70, just returned home this year to Philadelphia from his ambassadorship in Canada. He had been appointed by former President Joe Biden, who often touted his own ties to the state while in office.

The former Comcast executive has been attending the Pennsylvania Society, the place where his career paths in politics and business merged, for nearly 40 years. Getting the award this year is a huge honor, he added.

Ive been [to the Pennsylvania Society] almost 40 times. Ive seen 40 gold medal winners, Cohen said in an interview this week. I never imagined myself being a gold medal winner.

After spending four years away from Philadelphia as an ambassador, Cohen said, he has become keenly aware of the importance that the city and Pennsylvania hold internationally as the origin of modern democracy, ahead of Americas 250th birthday next year.

Theres a common perception in the world that Philadelphia and Pennsylvania was the birthplace of democracy, Cohen said. I cant tell you how many times Id get stopped and asked, You live in Philadelphia? Does that mean you can see the Liberty Bell?, just marveling at living in a place where there was so much history relating to the founding of democracy.

Cohen will be honored for his decades of contributions to Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.

He said his personal proudest achievements include his ambassadorship in Canada, his work during Rendells administration to improve the perception of the city, and his work at Comcast to improve internet access across America.
Pedestrians walk by The Portal art installation on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in the Philadelphia City Hall courtyard in Philadelphia. The portal was reportedly not functioning. Read more

Philadelphias Portal is offline.

With its screen blank, the sculptural art installation that usually connects people in different cities around the world was akin to a void Friday afternoon, idling in the City Hall courtyard as the magic of Center Citys Christmas Village swirled around it.

Advertisement

Its unclear exactly how long the Portal has been out of commission; according to city spokesperson Leah Uko, a technical issue has disrupted the live stream in recent weeks, and Portal officials expect a fix next week. The operators of the Portal did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.

 READ MORE: A Portal procession: Phillys Portal installed at City Hall following Art Museum drive-by

Passersby Friday lamented the blackout.

Turn the Portal back on, we demand it, one onlooker said.

Another scoffed, It must be nighttime there.

Yonas Legesse, 22, and Martina Gebrail, 24, trekked more than two hours from Secaucus, N.J., and Jersey City, respectively, in hopes of seeing the famous Portal.

We were definitely gonna stop here, go wave at some people, and now its off, Legesse said. It kind of hurts.

Gebrail was amazed by the technology she saw on TikTok: The 3.5-ton circular video screen beams real-time, 24-hour, unfiltered livestreams from and to places like Dublin, Ireland; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lublin, Poland.

 READ MORE: Phillys Portal is moving after vandalism, a concern organizers havent seen elsewhere

The Portal debuted last October at LOVE Park but was moved to its home at City Hall this spring after at least two incidents of vandalism. Thieves cut out a section of copper wire from the installation in February, and March high winds blew off a tarp, revealing damage believed to be caused by rocks. Of the half a dozen Portal locations globally, Philly  known for downing light poles and murdering robots  is the only location to experience such defacement, Portal officials have said.

Despite their disappointment, Legesse and Gebrail said they would come back to see an operative Portal. Its expected to stay in Philadelphia through the countrys Semiquincentennial celebration in 2026.

You guys owe us one, Legesse said.
Gregory Benjamin, the Democratic leader of the 51st Ward, stands at his home in Southwest Philadelphia in 2021. Benjamin hopes to clear the air about the flier posted in his neighborhood. Read more

When a Southwest Philly resident reported a KKK flier had been taped to a pole outside their home this week, people got angry.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission looked into the incident and put out a statement denouncing hate. Angry commenters on the 51st Wards Facebook page about the flier dared white supremacists to show their faces.

Advertisement

But 51st Ward Democratic leader Gregory Benjamin said while he understands the alarm and does not intend to dismiss peoples concerns, he believes this all may be some kind of misunderstanding.

We want to calm that, he said.

On Tuesday, a neighbor called Benjamin to let him know that theyd discovered a flier depicting members of the KKK on an electrical pole outside their home on the 5100 block of Chester Avenue.

The flier is black-and-white copy of the cover of a book written by University of Pittsburgh sociologist Kathleen M. Blee, Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920s. The cover features a photograph of three generations of klans-people  an older woman, a younger adult woman, and a baby  all wearing white pointed robes, with a cross and American flag behind them.

Its unclear what message whoever put up the flier intended to send. Blees book, originally published in 1991, is a study of the role that women played in the Jim Crow-era KKK and the covert ways they carried out the Klans mission, not an endorsement of the groups ideology. The first page of the book describes the Klan as one of U.S. historys most vicious campaigns of prejudice and hatred.

The flier still raised concerns. Residents contacted the Human Relations Commission, and its Philadelphia advisory council was notified, as well as police. Its possible another identical flier was posted nearby around the same time, Benjamin said, but all fliers have since been removed.

No person or group has taken responsibility for the flier so far. While there is no indication the flier was put up by a white supremacist group, the manner in which it was posted can still be harmful, said Chad Dion Lassiter, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

These things, they take an emotional toll on individuals, he said.

Even if the flier was a piece of trolling or a message targeted at white people, Lassiter said it was crucial not to ignore it.

We take all of these things [seriously]... were in a moment where people want to continue to deny the surge of white nationalism and white supremacy, he said.

Representatives of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will attend the 51st Wards monthly community meeting on Saturday at noon at the Kingsessing Library, located at 1201 S. 51st St.

Benjamin said the meeting would be an opportunity for community members to share more information about the incident and ease any remaining tension. He said he hopes this experience will encourage neighbors to connect more and communicate better.

Maybe we can bring something constructive out of this. Demonstrate that the community is more interested in [doing] something positive than anything else, he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the publication date of Blees book. It was originally published in 1991.
Mail piles up at homes on the 1800 block of N. 18th St in North Philadelphia on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Buyers have snapped up more than $40 million in student housing around Temple University, often paying more than twice what properties were originally listed for, even though rents are down and vacancies are up. Read more

Its no secret that times are tough for landlords around Temple University.

An eight-bedroom rowhouse at 1734 N. Gratz St., for example, languished on the real estate market after being listed for sale, like many dormlike apartments left in the wake of a rental boom that fizzled amid declining student enrollment.

Advertisement

The property went up for sale in April 2024 for $475,000  $40,000 less than the owner had paid two years prior. It sat on the market for one year with no takers.

Then real estate agent Patrick C. Fay got involved.

In April 2025, the Gratz Street rowhouse was re-listed for $875,000. The very same day, it was listed as a pending sale, with Fay representing the buyer, according to real estate data from the Realtors Multiple Listing Service.

An Inquirer review of 33 other sales Fay brokered over the last year showed a similar pattern.

After properties went unsold at lower prices, Fay stepped in as the buyers agent and almost immediately arranged a sale for anywhere from $290,000 to nearly $550,000 more than sellers originally asked for.

On average, Fays clients have paid about double the original listing.

Fay, who worked out of Coldwell Bankers offices in Old City and Moorestown, Burlington County, has now represented buyers in at least $40 million worth of settled or pending real estate deals involving multifamily properties around Temple.

(After this article published online Friday, the real estate firm cut ties with Fay and his biographical page was removed from its site. The agent is no longer affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty, a company spokesperson said by email.)

Of about a dozen properties in the area that sold for more than $750,000 over the last 90 days, every one listed Fay as the buyers agent.

The Inquirers examination of the deals found the sales involve a small group of repeat buyers, including two linked to an earlier prosecution over a 2000s-era mortgage fraud scheme. In that case, federal investigators found that the group was involved with purchasing distressed homes using artificially inflated mortgages, pocketing the excess money and allowing the properties to lapse into foreclosure.

Fay, who is one of the top agents in his Coldwell office, said his transactions were all aboveboard. He credited the high sale prices to rebounding demand for student housing in the Temple University area.

I think its a desirable area for sure, said Fay, who lives in Moorestown. They just had their biggest enrollment of all time.

Actually, Temples head of admissions resigned last month after the university missed its annual enrollment goal. Its student population remains below 30,000, down from a high eight years ago of more than 40,000.

This is not a good time for being a property owner around Temple, said Nick Pizzola, vice president of the Temple Area Property Association, a group that represents many landlords and was formed to encourage responsible development and property management in the area.

Rents are down, vacancies are up, he said. Its a buyers market.

The financing on Fays sales is provided by higher-risk private lenders, which grew in popularity as conventional bank lending contracted in the wake of the 2008 real estate crash.

Jon Hornik, head of the National Private Lenders Association, a trade group that represents firms like the ones that lent to Fays clients, recently flagged sales around Temple on a watch list the group maintains for suspicious transactions.

He had a simple explanation for these market-defying sales.

These are bad actors inflating the value of the real estate through the sale structure, and therefore borrowing more money than they really should be able to, Hornik said in an interview. Theres real estate there. Theres a borrower there. But the values are off.

Fay, who describes himself on Instagram as a partner in the upscale Center City Irish bar the Mulberry, has been pursued in New Jersey Superior Court by seven credit card companies or lenders in connection with roughly $57,000 in debts. Most were linked to unpaid credit card bills, and most have ended in default judgments.

Business records show Fay is listed as debtor to an Atlanta-based company called Real Commissions, which lets real estate agents tap into cash based solely on the promise of a forthcoming commission, so long as they have a signed agreement of sale in hand.

In an email Thursday, Fay cited several 2022 student rental sales in the $800,000 to $900,000 range to support his sale prices, insisting that at no point did either party set or influence those values. He did not respond to questions about why his clients would pay twice what a seller had initially been asking.

The real estate agents narrative of a booming rental market around Temple was also disputed by a recent seller in one of his deals.

The former property owner, who asked not to be named because he feared legal repercussions, acknowledged that he tried to unload his rental property last year but found no takers. He said his real estate agent then brought him Fays offer to broker a sale for $875,000, which he said was actually just the amount that would be recorded on the deed.

In reality, he said, he made the sale for only $385,000, or $15,000 less than what it was originally listed for.

The seller said he knew the deal was suspicious, but his agent advised him that he was unlikely to find a better deal.

I had a mortgage, but I couldnt get any renters, the seller explained. Its called desperation.

He took the deal, recording an official sale price that was more than $250,000 higher than any comparable properties recently sold on that block.

Then, another property across the street sold in June for the exact same price  $875,000  shortly after being re-listed from $475,000.

The real estate agent on that sale: Pat Fay.

Strange stuff

Historically a commuter school, Temple has long had room for just a fraction of its total student body in traditional dorms. But as Philadelphias fortunes improved in the 20th century and more students sought to live on or near campus, the housing shortage intensified.

Private developers stepped in. Blocks that had long served as home to mostly Black working-class residents transformed into rows of student housing units, sometimes prefabricated.

But during the pandemic, the boom in rentals came to a grinding halt. Classes went virtual, driving student renters away. Surging homicide rates  including the 2023 shooting death of a Temple police officer  drove a public-safety crisis for the university.

Recently, Temple president John Fry announced a plan to steer more students back to campus with the universitys first new dorm in years.

Today, even with homicide rates now at historic lows and enrollment creeping up again, many of the blocks once flooded with student housing are underpopulated.

For-rent and for-sale signs line both sides of the 1700 block of Arlington Street. Around the corner, on 18th Street, mailboxes overflow with unopened letters, and the chirps of dying smoke detector batteries in vacant units create an eerie birdsong.

Pizzola said membership is down in the Temple Area Property Association as building owners have looked to get out of the rental business.

Since COVID hit, it just turned the market upside down, he said. If youre an investor who was buying off-campus housing right before COVID, you got slaughtered.

Bart Blatstein, a developer who was heavily involved in the mid-2000s Temple-area housing boom, said the recent transactions are highly unusual.

Ill give you a commission if you can get twice what my properties are worth, Blatstein joked.

Officially, more than 40 different corporations have purchased student rental buildings in sales brokered by Fay. But those companies trace back to a handful of purchasers, according to Pennsylvania corporate registries.

Some of these buyers, contacted by The Inquirer, described Fay more as a participant among a loose but unnamed group of real estate investors, rather than a mere agent.

Stephen L. Johnson, a Montgomery County resident, was linked to companies involved in six purchases, totaling $5.2 million. Several of the companies were registered to the home of Johnsons mother, although in an interview she said she was unaware her rowhouse was being used as a nominal corporate headquarters and referred questions to her son.

Reached by phone, Johnson echoed Fays enthusiasm for the future of the real estate market around Temple, predicting a surge in values if the university seeks to expand.

The investment was all about Temple buying up everything and making it better, Johnson said of his purchases. In 10 or 20 years, theyll probably own all of North Philly.

Johnson could not explain why one of his companies, 17th Street Estates LLC, had paid so much for properties like 2113 N. 17th St., which was listed for $475,000 but sold for $900,000.

Id have to talk to Patrick about that, said Johnson, who referred to Fay as the main guy.

Its like a team, he added. We all help each other out.

Another one of Fays clients, Tanjania Powell-Avery of Pottstown, Montgomery County, is a former real estate agent charged in 2010 by the U.S. Attorneys Office as part of a mortgage fraud ring.

Prosecutors said Powell-Avery aided two men who purchased distressed properties at low prices, found buyers for the properties at a much higher price, and submitted false documents to the mortgage lender in support of mortgage applications, according to the federal indictment. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years probation and nine months house arrest.

Despite this, and a 2012 bankruptcy, companies linked to Powell-Avery appeared in at least two recent sales around Temple, both brokered by Fay. These companies tapped $1.3 million in mortgages to close sales with a combined value of $1.6 million  each for about double its initial listing price.

Powell-Avery did not respond to a request for comment.

Her two codefendants in the 2010 federal indictment, Joseph Tookes and Othniel Tookes, also pleaded guilty. Both men are relatives of Abigail Tookes, a resident of a Norristown apartment complex who was pursued by creditors in 2020 after defaulting on a loan, leading to a $46,067 court judgment against her.

Even so, companies tied to Abigail Tookes were linked to at least $3.4 million in mortgages to finance the acquisition of at least five properties in sales involving Fay. In all five purchases, Tookes company recorded sale prices at double the original values.

Reached by phone, Tookes insisted the sales were totally legitimate transactions.

Theres no fraudulent activity. Its just an investment group, she said. Theres no story here. These are real estate transactions between the buyers and sellers. They all agreed to the sale. It doesnt matter why.

Other people linked to companies in Fays sales  Patrick M. Williams, Miles Fambro, and Angel Rodriguez  did not return calls for comment.

Many of the Temple-area sales featured the same mortgage broker: Viva Capital Group.

Reached by email, Viva president Juan Arguello said his Florida-based company operated in full accordance with state and federal guidelines, rules, and regulations and does not have any contact with the sellers or their agents.

He also said his company relied on an outside appraisal management company to approve mortgage values. He did not respond to questions about which appraiser had been used to support the Philadelphia sales.

Pizzola, who owns student-rental properties in the area, said these recent sale prices would eventually start driving up neighborhood property assessments, leading to higher tax bills, particularly on blocks where Fays clients have purchased multiple properties.

He said he suspects there is fraud involved.

The fact that youre seeing multiple sales at twice the average market value, it doesnt pass the smell test, he said.

Uncertain future

A prospectus for a property on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, listed for sale at $850,000 in October by several other real estate agents, included a string of Fays recent sales as comparable sales to justify the high asking price.

That property has yet to sell.

Over the last three weeks, at least three more properties near Temple have gone under contract  all with Fay as real estate agent.

Fay had been listed as an agent on a large apartment complex on the 1300 block of North Broad Street that was listed for sale at just under $6 million in late October. In November, the property was re-listed for $12 million.

But this week the listing was removed altogether.

The city has begun placing liens for unpaid water bills on the buildings in some of the earliest deals Fay arranged. Many of the properties have skipped out on biannual commercial trash hauling fees imposed by the city.

Some of the buildings do not appear to be occupied.

This week, on the 1700 block of Fontain Street, where in 2010 developers were racing to put up prefabricated student rowhouses in time for the fall semester, mail had piled up outside two buildings that Fay clients bought this year for $875,000 each.

Someone appeared to have busted open a door, which was ajar with broken locks. A Temple sticker was on an upstairs window.

Hornik, from the NPLA, said that unless Fays purchasers figure out a way to extract enough rental income from these properties to cover mortgage costs, a mass foreclosure by lenders was likely in North Philadelphia  leaving the ownership of dozens of properties up in the air.

If the loan goes negative, the lender has to foreclose, he said, and theyre not going to recover that money.
This Hanukkah, while Jews around the world prepare to light the menorah and bring light into the darkest days of winter, our celebration of hope and resilience remains in the shadow of Israels ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. And, nearly two months into a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, I am still protesting.

Hanukkah, which in Hebrew means dedication, tells the story of Jewish peoples resistance to an oppressive empire, and of a miracle that kept candles aflame for eight days and eight nights when there was only enough oil for one.

Advertisement

It is a story that resonates to this day, and it is in the spirit of hope, light, and miracles that I find myself rededicating to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10. Since then, Israel has continued near-daily attacks, killing at least 345 Palestinians and wounding another 889. While the agreement required Israel to lift its blockade on aid reaching Gaza, Israel continues to interfere with the free flow of humanitarian aid. Less than 25% of aid deliveries have made it to Gazans, who face increasingly dire circumstances.

While the United States and Israel insist the ceasefire holds and deny the well-documented violations of the ceasefire agreement, I find it difficult to describe the current conditions as anything other than a slower-paced extension of the genocide.

The need for our solidarity is no less urgent or crucial than it was last year or the year before.

Because of my organizing, I know history didnt start on Oct. 7, 2023.

Whats more, Israels genocidal campaign against Palestinians isnt confined to Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly expelled from the illegally occupied West Bank, actions that human rights groups have classified as war crimes. It is worth noting that the primary targets of this ethnic cleansing are the refugee camps set up in the 1950s to house Palestinians who were forcibly driven from their homes when the state of Israel was founded.

I have been in the movement for Palestinian liberation for decades through my work on the Rabbinic Council for Jewish Voice for Peace, the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world. More recently, I joined over 400 other rabbis organizing as Rabbis for Ceasefire.

Because of my organizing, I know history didnt start on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have faced expulsion from their lands, destruction of their homes and civil infrastructure, and deadly violence since 1948. They enjoy fewer rights than their Jewish counterparts, lacking freedom of movement and access to land, jobs, and public services.

Many falsely proclaim that this system of violent occupation and the ongoing genocide are necessary for Jewish safety. The truth is that this is a desecration of Jewish values and an affront to our long tradition of resisting empire and seeking justice.

 READ MORE: We are Jewish parents of two college-age children. Dont use us as an excuse for persecution. | Opinion

I reject the claim that Jewish safety relies on the subjugation of Palestinians, and am inspired by the growing anti-Zionist movement among American Jews. Just as the Hanukkah lights our ancestors lit were not extinguished, our struggle for Palestinian liberation burns brightly.

It doesnt take a miracle, but it does require courage, rededication to fundamental human rights, and, for many, the willingness to shift positions and take accountability for the role of the United States in bankrolling and providing diplomatic cover for Israels genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

One opportunity I implore our elected officials to take is to sign on to the Block the Bombs legislation, which prohibits the president from selling, transferring, or exporting certain defense articles or services to Israel, except in specified circumstances. I was heartened to see Rep. Dwight Evans recently sign onto the bill, joining 59 other legislators, including three from Pennsylvania.

This Hanukkah, I call on all of us to shine a light on Gaza and rededicate ourselves to Palestinian liberation. Only by keeping the flame of our solidarity alive can we hope to one day say, as in our Hanukkah story, a great miracle happened there.

Rabbi Linda Holtzman teaches at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She is the organizer of Tikkun Olam Chavurah, a group that pursues social and political justice work together as a Jewish community.
A mayoral staffer holds an information sheet about Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers affordable housing plan at the Church of Christian Compassion in West Philadelphia on Sunday. Read more

This weeks Shackamaxon is about the mayors housing plan, micromanaging tables and chairs, and Gov. Josh Shapiros abilities as a dealmaker.

Not yet H.O.M.E.

Initially, Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers $2 billion proposal to build or restore 30,000 homes seemed like a point of consensus between the administration and City Council. Yet, Parkers attempt to expand the income limits, particularly for the Basic Systems Repair and Adaptive Modifications programs, has proved to be a sticking point, and the war of words is escalating.

The mayor has been campaigning for her plan across the city, including at places of worship. Shes cast Council as unwilling to help those who have paid up and prayed up. A majority of Council members took issue with that description, insisting all they want to do is ensure the neediest residents have first dibs on the resources.

Advertisement

Frankly, the temperature in this debate has gotten much too high. Under either sides plan, income levels will be expanded, and most of the benefit will go to people making less than 60% of area median income.

Instead of fighting Council over income levels, Parker should have pushed them to allow for more market-rate construction in areas that arent in and around Center City. Ironically, the citys chief housing officer, Angela Brooks, published an article for the National League of Cities that makes the case to do exactly that, citing a Moodys report that shows that much of the city is undersupplied when it comes to housing and calling for a market-smart response.

Yet, much of Parkers Housing Opportunities Made Easy plan is geared toward demand-side support that may help individual households, but wont reduce the rapid appreciation in housing costs for the hundreds of thousands of families across all income levels who will never apply for or receive any of these benefits.

Wait outside

Shackamaxon readers are familiar with Philadelphias tradition of councilmanic prerogative, which gives district Council members total discretion over land use and transportation questions within their districts. Typically, this means big civic questions like what to do with a closed middle school, how to renovate an aging library, or whether to proceed with an ambitious street redesign.

It also means that district members have control over even the most minor of concerns  like whether a restaurant can place tables and chairs outside.

In most of Philadelphia, you actually need a city ordinance to do this. Thats right. A restaurant or cafe owner cant just notice it is a nice day and decide to set up outdoor dining. There isnt even a simple permit system. Installation requires Council approval, which means getting your district Council members sign-off. That can be easier said than done.

After the pandemic demonstrated that expanded outdoor dining can be done without causing an uprising, City Council created a few (what I call) micromanagement-free zones for restaurants, where the process is simplified. (To her credit, 3rd District Councilmember Jamie Gauthier included her entire district.)

Even then, they must secure a $1 million insurance policy, pay a $227 annual licensing fee, and hire an architect. Yes, an architect must be involved just to put out a few tables and chairs. At Thursdays City Council hearing, one restaurant owner claimed the process was more difficult than getting his food safety certification. For restaurants outside the designated zones, Council authorization is still required. This puts them at a competitive disadvantage against restaurants that already have the benefits of being located inside a zone.

At-Large City Councilmember Rue Landau, whose brother, Rich, owns Vedge, has come to the aid of these forgotten eateries. She proposed and passed a bill to expand the by-right areas, freeing more businesses from Councils micromanagement. While the bill should help more restaurants navigate the process, they still face the prospect of waiting months or years for city approval, in a process many entrepreneurs say seems designed to trip them up rather than bring them into compliance.

Even with the limited assistance on offer, the effort still attracted the ire of 8th District Councilmember Cindy Bass. Bass, one of Councils most prolific practitioners of prerogative, viewed the bill as an imposition on her right to dictate how things should be done. Even though Landau carved out Bass entire district from the legislation, Bass still felt the need to beat up on the proposal at a committee hearing.

Favors for fraudsters

Bass isnt against all restaurant owners, however. This week, she pushed through a resolution honorarily renaming the intersection of Broad and Pike Streets for Saudia Shuler.

The North Philly mom and owner of Saudia Shulers Country Cookin rose to prominence as the camel prom mom in 2017 after hosting an extravagant Dubai-themed send-off for her son. The event included three different luxury cars, three different luxury outfits, and three different dates, alongside a camel and sand.

Shuler told journalists at the time that it all cost just over $25,000. She also held an extravagant toy giveaway later that year, handing out 100 bicycles and 800 presents to local kids.

Unfortunately, Shulers story did not end there. The next year, she was indicted for Social Security fraud. In 2019, she pleaded guilty, admitting to taking nearly $40,000. That means much of her generosity was coming at the expense of taxpayers and Social Security beneficiaries. Somehow, this episode went unmentioned by every member of Council, and her honors were passed unanimously.

Gov. Dealmaker

After a four-month-long impasse over the state budget, some may have questioned Gov. Shapiros credentials as a dealmaker. Yet, this weekend, the ambitious Abingtonian demonstrated his mediation skills, helping to broker a deal between SEPTA and its largest labor group, the Transport Workers Union Local 234.

The agreement averts a strike that could have started on Monday (or even last Friday, according to a few operators who told me they thought action was imminent that day).

This is now the third time the governor has come to SEPTAs rescue, although this time he managed to pass up getting behind a podium at a news conference. For riders hoping to avoid service interruptions, these interventions have been welcome. Still, I cant help wondering why the Transport Workers Union had an easier time making a deal with Shapiro instead of with Scott Sauer, the first general manager to start his career as a rank-and-file operator.
President Donald Trump at the White House: In August, Trump said he was looking at reclassification of marijuana. Read more

President Donald Trump is expected to push the government to dramatically loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, reducing oversight of the plant and its derivatives to the same level as some common prescription painkillers and other drugs, according to six people familiar with the discussions.

Trump discussed the plan with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) in a Wednesday phone call from the Oval Office, said four of the people, who, like the others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The president is expected to seek to ease access to the drug through an upcoming executive order that directs federal agencies to pursue reclassification, the people said.

Advertisement

The move would not legalize or decriminalize marijuana, but it would ease barriers to research and boost the bottom lines of legal businesses.

Trump in August said he was looking at reclassification. He would be finishing what started under President Joe Bidens Justice Department, which followed the recommendation of federal health officials in proposing a rule to reclassify marijuana; that proposal has stalled since Trump took office.

Were looking at it. Some people like it, some people hate it, Trump said this summer. Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana because it does bad for the children, it does bad for the people that are older than children.

Trump cannot unilaterally reclassify marijuana, said Shane Pennington, a D.C. attorney who represents two pro-rescheduling companies involved in the hearing. But he can direct the Justice Department to forgo the hearing and issue the final rule, Pennington said.

This would be the biggest reform in federal cannabis policy since marijuana was made a Schedule I drug in the 1970s, Pennington said.

The president was joined on the Wednesday call with Johnson by marijuana industry executives, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Mehmet Oz, three of the people said.

Johnson was skeptical of the idea and gave a list of reasons, including several studies and data, to support his position against reclassifying the drug, two of the people said.

Trump then turned the phone over to the executives gathered around his desk, who rebutted Johnsons arguments, the people said.

Trump ended the call appearing ready to go ahead with loosing restrictions on marijuana, the people said, though they caution the plans were not finalized and Trump could still change his mind.

A White House official said no final decisions have been made on rescheduling of marijuana.

The Department of Health and Human Services referred questions to the White House. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative from Johnsons office declined to comment.

Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I substance, the same classification as heroin and LSD. Federal regulations consider those drugs to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted use for medical treatment.

Trump would move to classify marijuana as a Schedule III substance, which regulators say carry less potential for abuse and are used for certain medical treatments, but can also create risks of physical or psychological dependence.

Other Schedule III drugs include Tylenol with codeine, as well as certain steroid and hormone treatments.

Democrats and Republicans alike have been interested in reclassifying marijuana, with some politicians citing its potential benefit as a medical treatment and the political popularity of the widely used drug.

Marijuana has become easier than ever to obtain, growing into an industry worth billions of dollars in the United States. Dozens of states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana programs, and 24 have approved recreational marijuana.

The Biden administration pursued efforts to ease access to the drug, with health officials recommending reclassification to Schedule III in 2023. But health officials have said that those recommendations were slowed down by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which took months to undergo required administrative reviews and were not completed before the end of Bidens term.

The Drug Enforcement Administration was supposed to hold an administrative hearing on the proposal, with a judge hearing from experts on the health benefits and risks of marijuana. But the hearing has been in legal limbo since Trump took office, amid allegations from cannabis companies that the DEA was working to torpedo the measure.
Penn National Insurance, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is making changes to its leadership team effective in early 2026.

After over 30 years with the company, including more than five as president and CEO, Robert Brandon will transition to CEO on January 5, 2026. John Foster, currently senior vice president of Insurance Operations, will become president and join the companys board of directors. He will assume the CEO role following Brandons retirement on July 1, 2026.

Brandon joined Penn National Insurance in 1995 as a property underwriting line of business manager and progressed through several underwriting leadership roles. He became executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2014, and president and CEO in 2020.

Foster joined Penn National Insurance in 2006 as vice president of Personal Lines, was named vice president of underwriting operations in 2015, and promoted to his current role in 2020. Before joining Penn National Insurance, Foster held roles at Grange Mutual Insurance, Geico Direct and Erie Insurance Group.

Also, effective January 5, Randal Mancini, currently vice president of Field Operations, will be promoted to senior vice president of Insurance Operations. He will oversee commercial and personal lines underwriting, field operations, distribution and claims. He will join the companys executive leadership team, which reports directly to Foster.

Mancini joined Penn National 25 years ago and has held several leadership roles, including vice president, commercial lines, and regional vice president of the Harrisburg branch office. He currently manages all agency-facing roles, including the companys six regional branch offices, as well as premium audit and loss control functions.

Topics Leadership
The owner of a Connecticut construction firm has been arrested and charged with failing to provide the required workers compensation insurance coverage for employees as required by law.

According to the states Division of Criminal Justice, Lou Milardo, , the owner of Lou Builders, LLC and J&L Milardo, LLC, located in Haddam, was arrested on December 3, 2025 by inspectors from the workers compensation fraud unit in the Chief States Attorneys office and was charged with two counts of noncompliance with insurance requirements.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the National Council on Compensation Insurance database revealed that Lou Milardo Builders never carried a workers compensation insurance policy. J&L Milardo previously maintained a workers compensation insurance policy. Additionally, J&L Milardo was doing business as Rivers Edge Tile & Carpet and previously carried a policy, until it was canceled by the insurer for non-payment of the premium. Prosecutors said the previous policy demonstrates knowledge of the requirement to have coverage in place.

In August of 2021, an employee of Lou Milardo Builders was involved in a serious work-related accident while operating heavy machinery on a worksite. At the time, there was no workers compensation insurance policy in effect to cover the employee. As a result, the Second Injury Fund covered the $85,489.22 in medical and indemnity payments for the injured employee.

The Second Injury Fund provides benefits to employees who were injured during the course of their employment where the employer failed to cover the wage replacement and medical expenses. It is funded through assessments in the workers compensation policy.

The charges are merely accusations and Milardo is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Milardo was released on $10,000.00 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in court on January 20, 2026.

Topics Workers' Compensation Talent Connecticut
The burglars who robbed Pariss Louvre museum benefited from 30 seconds of security lapses that helped ensure their getaway with Frances still-missing crown jewels, an inquiry from Frances culture ministry into the spectacular heist showed on Wednesday.

Four burglars made off with jewels worth $102 million on October 19, exposing glaring security gaps at the worlds most visited museum and revealing its deteriorating state.

A combination of factors, including delayed footage from security cameras as well as an easily breakable glass window at the Apollo gallery, where the French crown jewels were taken, delayed the police response by roughly 30 seconds.

For those precious 30 seconds, all it would have taken was a slightly faster alert from the control room agents if they had been able to see the camera sooner, and a longer window break-in resistance time than was observed, Noel Corbin, chief of general inspection of cultural affairs, said.

With a margin of just 30 seconds, the Securitas guards or the police officers in the patrol car could have prevented the thieves escape.

Roughly 2,200 staff work at the Louvre, which houses around 500,000 artworks, of which 38,000 are exhibited. Nearly 9 million people visited the museum in 2023, corresponding to roughly 30,000 visitors per day.

Its a sort of town. And not a small town, Corbin said. The coordination of interventions and the multiplicity of actors is extremely important.

He said camera images were transmitted to a central control room and a zone control room, but the images were not viewed live, due to a lack of exterior cameras as well as a lack of screens to watch all cameras simultaneously.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Gabriel Stargardter, Aidan Lewis)

Photograph: A police car parks in the courtyard of the Louvre museum, one week after the robbery, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Related:
Message board website Reddit on Friday filed a lawsuit in Australias highest court seeking to overturn the countrys social media ban for children, calling it an intrusion on free political discourse and setting the stage for a protracted legal battle.

The San Francisco-based firm, which ranks Australia among its biggest markets, said in a High Court filing that the ban should be declared invalid because it interfered with free political communication implied by the countrys constitution.

Even if the court upheld the ban, Reddit should be exempt since it did not meet the definition of social media, added the filing, which named the Commonwealth of Australia and Communications Minister Anika Wells as defendants.

Read more: World Watches First Teen Social Media Ban Start in Australia

The lawsuit, two days into the rollout of the world-first nationwide ban on people under 16 accessing social media, is the second such challenge after two teenagers representing an Australian libertarian group filed suit last month.

But the action from a Silicon Valley major with a $44 billion market capitalisation dramatically increases the resources available to continue a drawn-out court battle. Success for Reddit could open the door for other platforms to mount similar challenges.

A spokesperson for Wells said the Australian government was on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms and would stand firm to protect young Australians from experiencing harm on social media.

Health Minister Mark Butler said Reddit filed the lawsuit to protect profits, not young peoples right to political expression, and we will fight this action every step of the way.

It is action we saw time and time again by Big Tobacco against tobacco control and we are seeing it now by some social media or big tech giants, he told reporters in Brisbane.

Privacy and Political Expression

Australia went live with the worlds first legally enforced age minimum to access social media on December 10. Reddit and nine other platforms, including Metas Instagram, Alphabets YouTube and TikTok campaigned against the measure for more than a year before ultimately saying they would comply.

The platforms are required to bar underage users or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million), while underage users and their caregivers do not face punishment. Platforms say they are using measures like age inference, based on a persons online activity, and age estimation, based on a selfie, to follow the rule.

But the law carries some serious privacy and political expression issues for everyone on the internet, Reddit said in a statement published alongside its court filing. So, we are filing an application to have the law reviewed.

In the 12-page filing, the company said barring under-16s would impede political discourse.

Australian citizens under the age of 16 will, within years if not months, become electors. The choices to be made by those citizens will be informed by political communication in which they engage prior to the age of 18, it said.

($1 = 1.5011 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Renju Jose and Byron Kaye in Sydney; writing by Alasdair Pal; editing by Kate Mayberry and Stephen Coates)
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the MGA DUAL Europe and AXIS Capital Holdings.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

DUAL Europe Names Berhault and Benajiba to Lead Europe Transactional Liability

DUAL Europe, the managing general agent and unit of insurance intermediary Howden, announced the appointments of Amaury Berhault and Jaume Benajiba as managing directors of its transactional liability business in Europe, effective immediately.

Berhault and Benajiba bring more than 17 years of experience in transactional liability underwriting. Both join DUAL from Acquinex, where they served as co-heads of Southern Europe and Latin America and were part of the European management team.

Prior to that, Berhault led the Southern European practice at ANV, was head of Transactional Risks at Marsh New Zealand, and worked as an underwriter at Tokio Marine. Benajiba also led the Southern European practice at ANV and spent over seven years in private practice as an M&A adviser for Baker McKenzie, Deloitte, and DWF-RCD.

DUAL said it is positioned to offer transactional risks solutions across Europe, thanks to a team of highly skilled underwriters in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, the DACH region, France and Italy.

DUAL Europes Transactional Risk practice offers comprehensive, tailor-made solutions to meet the evolving needs of brokers and clients. The proposition includes warranty & indemnity (W&I) insurance, tax liability insurance, title Insurance and contingent risks insurance designed to provide certainty and protection in complex transactions.

DUAL said it is committed to supporting deals of all sizes, from complex, substantial transactions to smaller M&A opportunities.

We have ambitious plans to be number one globally across all lines of M&A. This is not just about growth; its about setting a new benchmark for excellence in transactional liability, commented Berhault.

We want to be recognized for our ability to provide certainty in complex deals, for our agility in adapting to market dynamics, and for our commitment to long-term relationships, Benajiba said.

Established in 1998, DUAL Group is one of the worlds largest underwriting agencies with 3 billion of GWP. DUAL employs over 1,750 people in 21 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, and is one of Lloyds largest international coverholders. DUAL Europe operates in 15 countries, with more than 400 people.

***

AXIS Taps LSMs Edwards as Head of Delegated Strategy, Global Mkts

AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd., the global specialty re/insurer, announced the appointment of Lewis Edwards as head of Delegated Strategy, Global Markets.

In this newly created role, Edwards will oversee the development and leadership of Global Markets portfolios of coverholder and managing general agent business. Based in London, he reports to Sara Farrup, head of Global Markets, and joins her leadership team. He assumed his new role on December 1.

Edwards joins AXIS following seven years at Liberty Specialty Markets where he most recently held the position of head of the Delegated Authority Practice. Before Liberty, roles included senior underwriting and management positions at Allianz Corporate & Specialty where he spent almost a decade, and positions at AIG and Heath Lambert.

Lewis brings stellar market experience and knowledge of the specialty delegated space as well as a deep understanding of how to succeed in a competitive trading environment, commented Farrup. Developing our delegated portfolio through binding authorities with carefully selected and trusted broker, coverholder, and MGA partnerships, complementary to our open market underwriting strategy, will be key to achieving long-term growth.

Topics Europe Liability
Apollo Global Management Inc. compared the potential risks of some US insurers moving to the Cayman Islands with the swift collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, which triggered a crisis among regional lenders.

The British overseas territory is the home of regulatory arbitrage, Apollo said in a presentation Thursday, which said Caymans insurance market insufficiently manages risk and doesnt hold sufficient assets against its liabilities.

Silicon Valley Banks 2023 implosion sprang from similar factors, Apollo said.

Read more: Cayman Islands Builds $74 Billion Insurance Hub That Irks Apollo Global Management

Cayman may become the insurance sectors SVB moment, according to the presentation, which said the US insurance systems exposure to the territory more than doubled in two years and is continuing to grow.

The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority said in a previous statement that its a founding member of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, has agreements to share information with US states, collaborates with overseas regulators during inspections and examinations of firms, and regularly reviews and updates its regulatory framework.

There is no basis for concern, CIMA said in the statement. While CIMAs regulatory framework may be different to other jurisdictions, it fully aligns with international standards and aims to achieve the same supervisory outcomes as promulgated by IAIS.

A representative for CIMA didnt have an immediate comment.

Apollo Chief Executive Officer Marc Rowan warned of more bankruptcies related to the island earlier this week.

Weve now seen three bankruptcies in Cayman  we will see more, Rowan said at the Goldman Sachs Financial Services Conference Wednesday. I do not believe that Cayman will be a viable US jurisdiction over 24 months.

Executives, regulators and experts have voiced concerns in recent months about the emerging risks among US life insurers as private equity expands its influence on the sector. In an October study, economists from the Bank for International Settlements attributed part of the industrys vulnerabilities to its growing use of offshore reinsurance, where capital rules are more flexible than in the US.

The economists listed Cayman as one of those jurisdictions, as well as Bermuda, where Apollos life insurer Athene owns a reinsurance entity.

We operate in a heavily regulated industry and maintain the same policyholder benefit reserves for our Bermuda reinsurance subsidiaries as we do for our US insurance subsidiaries, where $1 billion of reserves in the US is equal to $1 billion of reserves in Bermuda, the firm said in a previous statement.

In the presentation Thursday, Apollo pointed out that insurers such as Prudential Financial Inc. and MetLife Inc. also operate in Bermuda. The firm also pointed to Athenes A+ credit rating by S&P Global Ratings and its $35 billion of regulatory capital.

Photograph: The waterfront in Grand Cayman. Photo credit: David Rogers/Getty Images

Related:

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics USA
President Donald Trump signed an order aimed at thwarting state-level regulation of artificial intelligence through lawsuits and funding cuts, handing a win to tech industry leaders whove pressed for preemption of local rules.

Trump said the measure was necessary to bolster the emerging technology and counter a patchwork of state-level rules the industry worries will hamper its growth.

You have to have a central source of approval when they need approval. So things have to come to one source. They cant go to California, New York and various other places, Trump said Thursday during an event in the Oval Office.

To that end, the order directs the US attorney general to establish an AI Litigation Task Force with the responsibility of challenging state AI laws that are inconsistent with that policy.

It also directs the secretary of Commerce  within 90 days  to consult with other officials and publish an evaluation of existing State AI laws that identifies onerous laws that conflict with the policy. The Commerce secretary must also issue a notice specifying the conditions under which states may remain eligible for funding through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program.

Executive departments will be allowed to assess discretionary grant programs in consultation with Trumps special adviser for AI and crypto to determine whether agencies may condition such grants on states not enacting AI laws that conflict with the presidents goals.

Championed by White House AI czar David Sacks, the directive culminates months of lobbying by AI companies led by OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.s Google as well as venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz. Executives including Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang have warned that state laws popping up across the country risk overwhelming a nascent industry and potentially harming US competitiveness with China in AI.

Trump said he had consulted with numerous tech industry leaders on the order and indicated Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, who has been visiting Washington this week, was among them.

They wont be able to do this. This will not be successful unless they have one source of approval or disapproval. Frankly, you can have disapproval too, but its one source. They cant go to 50 different sources, Trump said.

The presidents order marks the latest in a series of moves hes taken to boost the AI industry since his return to the White House, including steps to make it easier to build infrastructure and increase energy supply for power-hungry data centers. Hes also sought to promote the export of American technology to global markets, including with his blessing for Saudi Arabia to buy advanced chips for the kingdoms state-backed AI venture.

It is pass/fail versus China, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who attended the signing, told reporters. We have the lead, weve got to maintain it.

The White House pivoted to the executive order after Trump officials and Republican lawmakers failed to include similar legislation preempting state AI laws in a must-pass defense bill earlier this month. A comparable measure pausing state AI laws was rejected by the US Senate in July on a 99-1 vote.

Alexandra Givens, president of the Center for Democracy & Technology, said in a statement on Thursday night that the executive order is designed to chill state-level action to provide oversight and accountability for the developers and deployers of AI systems, while doing nothing to address the real and documented harms these systems create.

States that take steps to protect their residents from such harms should not be subject to threats of legal attacks, she added.

Congressional Struggle

US lawmakers have struggled for years to pass AI legislation, and theres currently no federal standard governing the technology, leaving local authorities to fill that void.

The text of the order says that the administration must act with Congress to ensure that there is a minimally burdensome national standard  not 50 discordant State ones, and directs the White House advisor on AI and crypto and the assistant to the president for science and technology to jointly prepare a legislative recommendation establishing a uniform Federal policy framework for AI that preempts State AI laws that conflict with the policy set forth in this order.

As AI becomes a central part of daily life, taking on roles such as assessing job applications, identifying criminal suspects, handling medical claims and creating images nearly impossible to distinguish from genuine photos or video, state lawmakers have expressed eagerness to impose some rules of the road. Trumps order will complicate those efforts, putting any state passing legislation into potential conflict with the White House.

Tech companies have largely opposed state-level regulatory efforts, particularly in California and New York, that would hold companies accountable for harms caused by AI products like chatbots. Trump and his allies have touted the AI boom as a plus to the US economy, even as it poses political challenges, including voter concerns that data centers are spiking energy bills and fears that the technology will spur job losses.

After a proposed draft of the order circulated widely in November, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, assailed the effort, saying the White House was trying to shield big corporations from taking basic steps to prevent potential harm from AI. The order also pits Trump against some governors from his own Republican Party, including Ron DeSantis of Florida and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas.

Photo: Senator Ted Cruz, US President Donald Trump, and Howard Lutnick, US commerce secretary, in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 11. Trump signed an order aimed at thwarting state-level regulation of artificial intelligence. Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics InsurTech Data Driven Legislation Artificial Intelligence
At the conclusion of its fall national meeting, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners elected new officers for 2026, with Virginia Insurance Commissioner Scott A. White slated to become president.

White has been insurance commissioner of Virginia since 2018. He joined the states Bureau of Insurance as a research analyst in 1998.

At NAIC, White has chaired the Financial Condition (E) Committee, the Long-Term Care Insurance (EX) Task Force, and the Southeast Zone. He is a member of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) executive committee, Macroprudential Committee, and Insurance Capital Standard Task Force.

At the meeting in Hollywood, Florida on On Dec. 11 members also elected Elizabeth (Beth) Kelleher Dwyer, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation director, as president elect; Utah Commissioner Jon Pike as vice president; and South Carolina Department of Insurance Director Michael Wise as secretary-treasurer.

Dwyer was appointed superintendent of insurance to start 2016 and was named director of the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation in May 2023. Pike was named Commissioner in Utah at the beginning of 2021. Wise was appointed to his post in May 2023.

Each officer will assume their duties on Jan. 1.

2025 zone officers were also elected during the fall meeting:

Northeast Zone

Chair: Commissioner Justin Zimmerman (New Jersey)

Vice Chair: Commissioner D.J. Bettencourt (New Hampshire)

Secretary: Commissioner Marie Grant (Maryland)

Southeast Zone

Chair: Commissioner Mike Chaney (Mississippi)

Vice Chair: Commissioner John King (Georgia)

Secretary: Commissioner Michael Yaworsky (Florida)

Midwest Zone

Chair: Director Eric Dunning (Nebraska)

Vice Chair: Director Larry D. Deiter (South Dakota)

Secretary: Director Ann Gillespie (Illinois)

Western Zone

Chair: Commissioner Ricardo Lara (California)

Vice Chair: Commissioner Patty Kuderer (Washington)

Secretary: Commissioner Ned Gaines (Nevada)

Topics Virginia
South Carolinas stalled nuclear power project could finally finish construction as a private company has offered to pay $2.7 billion to the state-owned utility and a small share of the power if they can reach an agreement to get the two reactors up and running.

The half-built reactors ended up so far behind schedule that the project was abandoned in 2017. However, the potential deal is a long way from complete. There will be up to two years of negotiations between utility Santee Cooper and Brookfield Asset Management on the thousands and thousands of details.

The deal would also let Brookfield keep at least 75% of the power generated by the new plant that they could mostly sell to whom they want, such as energy-gobbling data centers. The exact amount of the rest that Santee Cooper receives would be determined on how much the private company has to spend to get the reactors running.

Either side can pull out of the deal, although Brookfield did agree to pay Santee Coopers costs both for sorting through the more than 70 bids for the project and the talks as both sides hammer out the final agreement.

Santee Cooper was a minority partner in the doomed plan to build two new nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer site. The state-owned utility along with privately-owned South Carolina Electric & Gas spent more than $9 billion trying to build the reactors.

The unfinished, weathered concrete and metal tower of at least one plant sits not far from the working reactor that has been running 1984 at the rural site about 20 miles (32 kilometers) up the Broad River from Columbia.

Four executives ended up in prison or home confinement for lying to regulators, shareholders, ratepayers and investigators and left millions of people paying for decades for a project that never produced electricity. Taxpayers and ratepayers ended up on the hook because of a state law that allowed the utilities to charge for costs before any power was generated.

If the $2.7 billion payment goes through, most of Santee Coopers debt from the nuclear debacle would be erased, utility CEO Jimmy Staton said at Mondays board meeting where the proposal was unanimously approved.

Our customers have been paying for these assets since 2017. Its time they get some value out of that, Staton said.

Interest in the project has grown as power demand in the U.S. surges with the increase in data centers as artificial intelligence technology develops.

President Donald Trumps administration wants the U.S. to quadruple the amount of power generated by nuclear plants over the next 25 years.

But watchdog groups said there are too many hurdles to put this project in the win column right now.

After eight years in the elements, all the equipment and the structure of the plant, which was less than halfway finished, will need to be carefully inspected before it can be used. The permits to build and the licenses to operate the nuclear plants will need to be renewed, likely starting from scratch, said Tom Clements, executive director of the nuclear watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch.

Also, the type of reactors proposed have seen massive cost overruns even when successfully built. Brookfield took over the assets of Westinghouse Electric Co., which had to declare bankruptcy because of difficulties building them.

Two nuclear reactors built in a similar way in Georgia went $17 billion over budget before they were fully operational in 2023.

Photo: Construction is underway on two new nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina, in 2012. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics South Carolina
A federal appeals court, one step below the U.S. Supreme Court, handed down two rulings in favor of employers and insurers, one involving black lung and one regarding a black delivery driver.

In Keith McKnight vs. United Parcel Service, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found that a lower court did not abuse its discretion when it barred the testimony of a McKnight witness. The opinion lets stand a federal jurys verdict in central Florida, which found that UPS did not retaliate against the driver.

McKnight, a driver at UPS Kissimmee Center in 2017, alleged that a newly installed manager had unfairly scrutinized his work practices and had discriminated against him. McKnight filed some 2,000 complaints, and co-workers warned that he appeared to have mental health issues, the court explained. He was terminated in 2022 and he filed suit, alleging retaliation and violations of Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Florida Civil Rights Act.

The district court judge excluded a co-workers testimony, finding it to be unreliable. The jury found in favor of UPS and noted that McKnight had failed to prove UPS had terminated him improperly. The appeals court agreed.

Because we cannot conclude that the exclusion of Longests (the co-workers) testimony affected McKnights substantial rights, he is not entitled to a reversal, the 11th Circuit panel of judges wrote in the opinion.

In a second decision this week, the appeals court found that the federal Benefits Review Board was in error when it decided that a longtime coal-operation railroad worker in Alabama was eligible for black lung benefits.

Billie Barr Jr. worked for years as a railroad engineer, transporting coal from an underground mine in north Alabama. Later, when the mine closed, he worked at a preparation plant. The courts agreed that he was regularly exposed to coal dust for years, and that he was forced to use oxygen after he developed respiratory problems.

After Barr died, his widow filed a claim for survivors benefits under the federal workers compensation program. An administrative law judge denied the claim, noting that Barr had not worked 15 years in an underground coal mine, as required by federal benefits law.

The Benefits Review Board reversed that decision, finding that the preparation plant was appurtenant to the mine, connected by a miles-long conveyor belt. But on appeal by Fairfield Southern Co., the 11th Circuit panel of judges overruled the board. The appeals court noted that Barrs above-ground work would qualify for a presumption that the operation caused his disease, but the statutory definition of a coal mine requires that the preparation plant and mine be within five miles of each other.

The appeals court remanded the case to the review board for further proceedings. The opinion can be seen here.

Top photo: AdobeStock

Topics Trends
A man convicted of flashing workers at three insurance agencies in Warner Robins, Georgia, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Demarcus Tyrell Mann, 30, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in October, after he was arrested for public indecency in 2024. Mann reportedly walked into three different insurance agencies in the central Georgia city, talked with employees, then exposed himself, according to local news reports and court records.

Each time, he slipped away before authorities arrived. He was later apprehended. Court records show the man had been convicted at least three previous times for similar actions.

Mr. Mann was not deterred by prior convictions, and his conduct escalated into a pattern of predatory behavior that posed a real threat to the safety and sense of security of people across Houston County, the county District Attorney said in a statement, according to The Telegraph newspaper.

The judge sentenced Mann to such confinement as the state Department of Corrections decides, and noted that he must undergo mental treatment upon release. The victims were named in the court documents but the insurance agencies were not.

Photo: An aerial shot of Warner Robins, Georgia. (AdobeStock)

Topics Agencies Georgia
The Scrapbook by Heather Clark (Jonathan Cape, 17.99)

What was it like to grow up German in the wake of the Second World War?

Did the first and second generation of Germans suffer the guilt of their nations misdemeanours, and if so, how did this impact on their lives?

This is the main theme in American academic Heather Clarks debut novel.

The Scrapbook opens in Harvard. Its 1996, and Anna is supposed to be cramming for her final exams.

But when German student Christoph arrives to visit a mutual friend, she abandons her books  and spends her final days of potential study in his company.

They discuss everything from art to history, and Anna falls desperately in love.

Her friends  especially the Jewish ones  warn her off. They dislike and mistrust Christoph, and not only because of what he represents.

Theyre convinced she will end up hurt, but ignoring their warnings, Anna visits Christoph in Germany, and a long-distance relationship ensues.

The country hasnt yet come to terms with the Holocaust, and, as Anna explores German cities with Christoph, shes surprised at the lack of monuments.

While condemning his countrys past, Christoph remains vague about his own familys involvement  and indeed, is trying to learn more.

And Anna is no ordinary bystander. Her grandfather served as a GI and took photos at the end of the war, including horrifying images of Dachau.

Discovering these left Anna with a deep sense of anxiety. Will these differing histories push the couple apart?

As this spellbinding novel progresses, it becomes clear that while Anna remains passionately in love, Christoph is not entirely committed.

Theres an element of dysfunction there  and this adds to the sense of unease.

With three non-fiction books under her belt, including the Pulitzer shortlisted Red Comet, on the life of Sylvia Plath, its clear that Clarke is a writer to reckon with.

And this wonderful novel, which was inspired by Heathers grandfathers war time experience, has everything: History, inherited trauma, and romance.

Highly literary, its also page turning. I loved it.

Ripeness by Sarah Moss (Picador, 16.99)

A happily divorced 73-year-old Edith has found contentment living in the Burren, County Clare.

Her mother lost most of her family in the Holocaust, and shes hoping she has found a place she can call home.

Pondering this, she wonders how you can know if you truly belong. Is it so if you believe it, or is it up to those around you to fully accept you?

Alternating chapters take the reader back in time, to the 1960s, when, at 17, Edith is spending a summer in an Italian villa with a company of dancers  theyre on holiday, but ballet remains in integral part of their lives.

Edith is there to help her sister, Lydia, through an unwanted late pregnancy and childbirth.

And when the baby is born, Lydia refuses to see it, leaving the teenager to struggle to care for the baby until the planned adoption goes through.

To echo the theme of adoption, Ediths best friend in Ireland, Maebh, has an unexpected phone call. An American man wants to meet her, claiming that he is her brother.

Should she meet him, or is he after an inheritance? Maebh turns to Edith for help.

Ripeness is a gorgeous book; sunny, sensual, and absorbing. The settings of the Burren and Italy are almost characters in themselves, and Moss writes brilliantly about the physicality of dance.

The scenes of childbirth and new life are accurately and exquisitely described. And the novel is full of love  love for people, landscape, and country. I simply adored it.

Ive been thrusting this book at all my friends, and especially those who, like me, have lived elsewhere, and who ponder the politics of a dual nationality.

The Wildelings by Lisa Harding (Bloomsbury, 16.99)

If Christoph is a catalyst for dysfunction in The Scrapbook, his misogyny is mild compared to that of the contriving Mark, in Lisa Hardings absorbing third novel, The Wildelings.

Set in a fictitious version of Trinity College Dublin in 1992, it portrays a time when students could afford to live in town.

The novel features a group of beautiful students headed by the suburban best friends, Jessica and Linda, who have all, in various ways, suffered familial abandonment.

Taking up with Linda, Mark, an older student, infiltrates the group, eventually setting them up against each other.

When Mark produces a play he has written for the drama society, he casts Jessica in the starring role, and then, with the excuse of producing the best possible performance from her, leaves her traumatised.

His influence over the group increases when he plies them with drink and drugs, observing them all, and then watching the fallout.

Will he use their interactions as inspiration for future writing?

All this ends in a tragedy  one that, years later, Jessica is struggling to come to terms with. Her interactions with a therapist are peppered throughout the narrative.

Harding attended Trinity and was a successful actress before she turned her hand to writing, and this experience lends the novel an air of authenticity.

As such, it makes the scenes in the rehearsal room feel especially shocking.

Many of the characters in this novel are pretty unlikeable, but this doesnt mean that as the reader, youre not rooting for them.

They all stayed in my mind long after Id turned the last page.

Nesting by Roisin ODonnell (Scribner, 16.99)

I always like to choose a debut, and this year there were so many brilliant and original novels by first timers that it was almost impossible to choose.

Those I especially admired included The Language of Remembering by Patrick Holloway and Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin.

In the end, I felt impelled to go for Nesting by Roisin ODonnell  a writer who has already proved her skill with a collection of short stories.

The novel opens when Ciara and Ryan Fay take their two young children to the beach at Skerries.

Ryan suggested it and Ciara is hoping for a rare, carefree afternoon, but from the moment they arrive, the mood darkens.

As Ryan slams the car door in anger, Ciara wonders what she has done wrong this time.

Were immediately enmeshed into the most powerful depiction of coercive control I have ever read.

We live, uncomfortably, in Ciaras head as she finds the courage to break away from Ryan.

She thinks of this as an escape from a home that is no longer safe, but life is tough when youre the victim of homelessness, and she struggles against the odds to survive.

This is far from a comfortable read, but the camaraderie and friendship Ciara receives from others as she lives in a hotel room struggling to work and care for her children add a lightness to the story.

Meanwhile, Ryan fights relentlessly in a concerted campaign to force his family to return. Can Ciara get her life together and continue to break the power of his control?

This novel is literally unputdownable. The writer keeps up the tension from the first page until the climatic last.
The Offaly town of Edenderry will come to a standstill today for the funeral of four-year-old Tadgh Farrell, who died along with his grandaunt in a firebomb attack that shocked the country.

Members of the preschoolers devastated family will be joined by the local community for the funeral at St Marys Church as efforts to bring his killers to justice continue. Nobody has yet been arrested in connection with the killings.

Large crowds turned out on Thursday evening as he lay in repose in a local funeral home.

Mary Holt will in repose between 4pm and 7pm on Saturday at Larkin's funeral home, from where her cortege will leave at 12.20pm on Sunday for her 1pm funeral Mass in St Mary's Church. Her cortege will pause at Ofalia House where she had worked for several years.

Her sister, Tadghs grandmother Pauline, was still being treated for serious burn injuries from the firebomb incident at Mary and Paulines home in Castleview Park after 7.30pm on Saturday evening. Tadgh was on a sleepover at the house when the incident occurred.

CCTV footage released by gardai in recent days shows two hooded males attacking before fleeing the scene. It is understood that teenagers are suspected of carrying out the attack, with at least one being a minor.

With the garda investigation centred on a Midlands organised crime gang linked to the drugs trade, it is thought that a prison altercation between two inmates the day prior to the incident could have led to the fatal firebomb attack.

Fianna Fail TD for Offaly, Tony McCormack, said people in Edenderry are grieving, angry, heartbroken and confused. He said the drug trade is not about glamour, fast money or status, adding that it is glamourised on social media and in music and film as entertainment.

He has asked the justice minister Jim OCallaghan to urge the Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly, to consider establishing a dedicated task force for Edenderry focused on dismantling drug-driven criminality, adding that people deserve peace in their homes and on the streets.

An online petition has also been launched to call for a 24-hour garda station for the Offaly town. Mr McCormack has also called for a 24-hour presence in the garda station.

Candles and flowers left outside the house at Castleview Park where four-year-old Tadgh Farrell and his great aunt Mary Holt were killed in a suspected arson attack on Saturday in Edenderry. Photo: Bairbre Holmes/PA

A murder investigation into the deaths was launched on Sunday. It is being led by the Serious Crime Unit Laois/Offaly Garda Division, supported by all necessary resources from Laois/Offaly Garda Division, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI), the Garda Siochana Analysis Service and other National Units.

The investigation team has carried out over 150 investigative tasks, conducted more than 250 house-to-house enquiries, and retrieved over 60 pieces of CCTV and more than 100 written documents, according to gardai.

A cordon around the property was lifted on Monday evening, and the house has now been boarded up. On Monday, the Taoiseach Micheal Martin vowed that those responsible for the deaths will be held to account, condemning the attack as savage, callous and reckless".

Gardai appealed to anyone who was in the vicinity of Castleview Park or adjoining roads between 7pm and 8pm on Saturday, or who was driving in the area and may have dashcam footage, to contact the incident room at Tullamore garda station on 057 932 7600.
International drug traffickers underestimated the high quality of gardai and the alertness of a West Cork community, which together helped to foil a suspected attempt to smuggle more than 58m of cocaine through Ireland, a court has heard.

Seven men who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the drug trafficking plot have been sentenced to a combined 70 years in prison.

The sophisticated conspiracy involved international criminal cells, including Dutch, Iranian and Spanish nationals, Judge Karen OConnor said at sentencing at the Special Criminal Court.

Due to guilty pleas and various mitigating factors, their headline sentences were reduced from 18 years each to sentences of eight, 10, and 11 years.

A significant deterrent must be delivered for this type of offending, both globally and nationally, Judge OConnor said. Drugs are a scourge that destroy lives, families and communities, she said.

On a daily basis, our courts see the devastating impact of drugs on our society, their presence fuelled by the worst [..] criminality, Judge OConnor said.

The temerity of the co-conspirators, the total lack of respect for citizens in this jurisdiction is astounding.

This court is struck by the audacity and brazen nature of the conspiracy, arriving at this quiet coastline assuming they would not be noticed, totally underestimating the diligence, neighbourliness, and alertness of people in coastal communities, people who notice suspicious activity taking place on their doorsteps.

And the co-conspirators completely underestimated the quality of our law enforcement, Judge OConnor said.

The seven sentenced on Thursday were Dutch/Iranian national Kiumaars Ghabiri, aged 53, Spanish nationals Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz, aged 46, Angel Serran Padilla, aged 41, and Anuar Rahui Chairi, aged 43, Pedro Pablo Ojeda Ortega, aged 37, Juan Antonio Gallardo Barroso, aged 56, and Serbian national Aleksander Milic, aged 28.

Arrests

Gardai arrested the men in March last year during operations in the villages of Tragumna and Leap near Skibbereen in West Cork, where an off-road vehicle, camper van, articulated truck, and rigid inflatable boat (rib) were seized as part of the suspected drug smuggling operation.

The modified rib, with equipment painted black to avoid detection and powerful engines, set off from West Cork and tried to meet a Panama-flagged ship called the Cool Explorer off the British coast in March 2024, the State alleged.

That ship, a legitimate cargo vessel carrying legitimate cargo, was also believed to have been carrying at least 850kg of cocaine with a street value of between 58m and 59m, which later washed into beaches near the Danish town of Sjaellands Odde.

A GPS device attached to the cocaine matched the coordinates of the Cool Explorer.

In sentencing, Judge OConnor said that all the defendants had involved themselves in serious conspiracy to import controlled drugs into this jurisdiction".

This involved a very serious form of criminality and was a sophisticated operation with significant logistical and financial planning. It included visits to the locus by way of reconnaissance as part of preparation for the conspiracy to take advantage of our coastal situation.

Bandon garda checkpoint

During a routine garda checkpoint on February, 27, 2024 at Gully, Bandon, Co Cork, gardai had noticed two men in a vehicle acting suspiciously.

A search of the vehicle uncovered a notepad containing the names of Airbnbs, and the time it would take to travel from each of them to piers at Rosscarbery in West Cork and a second pier called Dromadoon near Skibbereen.

On March 12, 2024, confidential information was received regarding suspicious activity at Tragumna pier in West Cork involving an articulated truck reversing down the slipway to a pier in the early morning.

A campervan, a Ford Transit, and a black Land Rover SUV were also observed near the location.

Suspecting a criminal drug trafficking operation, gardai established a large surveillance operation monitoring the vehicles and people connected to them.

At 5.10am on March 14, 2024, a black rib speedboat was observed approaching Tragumna pier.

An articulated truck with a trailer reversed down the slipway.

Holdall bags were then transferred from the speedboat to the pier.

An attempt was made to put the rib onto a trailer then back into the articulated truck. This was problematic, Judge OConnor said.

The campervan left the pier just before 6.45am. The articulated truck had moved slightly up the slipway when gardai carried out an interdiction.

Six men were arrested and detained under the Misuse of Drugs Act and the vehicle was seized.

Minutes later at Tragumna pier, another four men were arrested.

The articulated truck and Land Rover Discovery were also seized.

It was the prosecutions case that the conspiracy involved the use of the rib to rendezvous with the Cool Explorer as the ship was passing close to the UK at which point an at-sea drop-off would occur, said Judge OConnor said.

Waypoints showed the rib travelling for almost 48 hours across the sea from West Cork towards the Cool Explorer off Britain with an effort to interdict its passage.

However, it appeared to have missed the alleged mothership and returned to Tragumna pier, landing at around 5am on March, 14, 2024.

There was a weather warning in place, conditions would have been considerably rough, Judge OConnor said.

Movement of vehicles

A campervan had been hired in Armagh from a legitimate business for the operation and was driven south for what was claimed would be a family holiday in the Cork/Kerry area.

The Land Rover used in the operation had been stolen in Glasgow in December 2023 and bore false registration plates. One of the accused, Ghabiri, was captured on CCTV driving the vehicle at a toll plaza in Watergrasshill, Cork. The articulated truck had transported the rib and bore Bulgarian registration plates, the court heard.

Nautical equipment

Nautical equipment and receipts for same were found in the campervan and Airbnbs.

It had been bought in Portsmouth in the UK, Decathlons in Dublin and Belfast, and a marine store in Cork city. It included high-end nautical clothing  dry suits, wet suits, helmets, and a large quantity of electrical devices.

Multiple mobile phones were seized, including satellite phones which can operate out at sea independent of any land masts.

Thermal imaging binoculars and GPS devices, Garmin devices, nine two-way radios and a control panel were also found. A WAM-108t, a high frequency detector known by law enforcement as a bug detector was also seized.

The rib had been modified in the Netherlands before it was brought to Ireland.

It was described in court as a narcoboat, a vessel specially modified for drug trafficking.

Photographs on the defendants phones showed some of them smiling together over dinner in the Netherlands and taking selfies on planes when then travelling on to Ireland.

Former Irish naval officer Gary Delaney surveyed the rib that was seized at Tragumna pier.

It was designed to detect but not to be detected, he said. A radar dome and pole and control panels, which are typically white, had been painted black.

While a vessel of that type would normally have lights to the front, sides and rear, this only had one light which was not very visible.

Mr Delaney was of the view that ordinarily a vessel like this would have a VHS, a very high frequency radio on board and related antennae for emergencies and communications with the coastal service.

But none of this was present on the rib.

The rib had been fitted with a 300 horsepower Yamaha engine and a large quantity of fuel was on board. Waypoints found on a Garmin device were tracking the movement of the Cool Explorer, the court heard.

This was the suspected mothership which they missed during stormy weather in March 2024 in the hours before their arrest in West Cork.
A small community in East Cork will deliver a signed petition this weekend to local landowners calling for an end to fox hunting after a series of barbaric killings of the wild animal.

Locals in Lahard say they are appalled by the ongoing suffering of the mammals which includes the digging out of fox dens.

In one case, a local witnessed a man sending his terriers into a den which resulted in a fox being dragged out by the dogs and then thrown by the owner to a pack of hounds as people watched on.

It was absolutely horrific, said one witness who did not wish to be named. I saw the whole thing. An hour earlier I was feeding that fox in my garden.

Most of the community are sickened and are completely against fox hunting, in particular the digging out of foxes.

We are sick and tired of seeing poor foxes run ragged after being chased and then killed.

That is not sport, it is blood lust.

The community is being vigilant and we run a WhatsApp group and are keeping an eye on foxes who are in the area.

Animal rights groups, conservationists, and rural advocates joined Ruth Coppinger and Paul Murphy outside Leinster House earlier this week to call for a ban on fox hunting ahead of a Dail vote on the Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

The group has received 45 names for the petition  which is the majority of the households in the small neighbourhood.

They plan to deliver them to local landowners on Saturday.

The letter asks neighbours and landowners for support in preventing fox hunting and in particular the heinous practice of digging out when the fox has gone to ground.

The letter continues: The practice is not only outdated but also causes unnecessary harm to wildlife and disrupts the peace of our community.

In the spirit of compassion, respect for all sentient beings, and shared responsibility for our environment, we encourage you to protect your land from such activities.

By working together, we can preserve the natural balance of our local area and create a more harmonious coexistence with nature.

The community is speaking out as a proposal to ban the hunting of foxes is coming before the Dail later this month.

People Before ProfitSolidarity TD Ruth Coppinger is holding a debate calling for a ban on animal welfare grounds.
THE Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were unspeakable crimes of wanton savagery, executed with total disregard for human life and suffering.

Some 34 souls were murdered on that evening, 10 killed in Parnell St, 15 killed in Talbot St, and two in South Leinster St, all in Dublin. Seven were killed in Monaghan later that evening. The timings were: Parnell St, 17:28; Talbot St, 17:30; South Leinster St, 17:32; and Monaghan, 18:58.

Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, a barrier was crossed into the darkness.

It is a matter of profound regret that nobody has been made accountable for these crimes. The memories of those dark days slip from the wider public consciousness, but never from the memories of their families and close friends.

Much has been said and written about the culprits, and much of the discourse has been coloured by competing political narratives. Many promises have been made and broken, and there is no way that justice can prevail in the truest sense of that word.

The Monaghan car bombing was a typical loyalist cross-border attack, short distance involved, hit and run using basic explosive techniques.

Sharon Askin holding a picture of her parents Patricia and Paddy on their wedding day at her home in Armagh city. Paddy was killed in the Monaghan bombing on May 17, 1974. File photo: Niall Carson/PA

Dublin was completely different. Three synchronised car bombings in the centre of Dublin on a busy Friday evening was a unique event, never achieved before and never achieved since  and certainly not by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

The bombing occurred during major loyalist unrest over Belfasts new power-sharing executive, which collapsed within weeks.

I have studied this crime for many years using my experience as a member of An Garda Siochana of detective chief superintendent rank, and as a researcher and author of legacy issues. I am acutely aware of how counter-narratives can polarise discussions and obscure empirical facts.

My specific approach to the Dublin synchronised car bombings was to focus on analysing the bomb signature in Dublin. This includes the logistics, the type of explosives used, firing mechanisms, and timers. Military expert witnesses offer a very clear analysis based on their military expertise and experience.

This analysis raises very serious technical and operational details which have been disregarded in the overall discourse.

The name of baby Martha O'Neill added to the names of the 33 victims on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings memorial. File photo

The central conclusion emerging from my book, The Great Deception (2024), is that the UVF  acting alone  did not possess the technical, operational, or organisational capacity to execute the Dublin car bombings of May 17, 1974.

The argument is not based on speculation but on a layered accumulation of forensic findings, expert military testimony, comparisons with the UVFs historical bombing record, and analysis of the sophisticated planning required for the Dublin operation.

The contrast begins with the UVFs known modus operandi. Its typical cross-border attacks  such as Monaghan  relied on stolen cars taken from border areas, fitted with crude, low-grade explosive mixtures packed into beer kegs or milk churns. The Monaghan bomb bore all the hallmarks of this pattern: A metal container, low-explosive ANFO, and a clock cog fragment.

The UVFs operational history across the early 1970s is littered with similar signatures, including several own goals, most infamously the Miami Showband atrocity where a bomb being planted by UVF men exploded prematurely.

Against this background, the Dublin attacks stand out as a completely different order of operation. Three car bombs detonated within a two-minute window  17:28, 17:30, 17:32  scattered across a busy European capital.

This degree of synchronisation required reliability and precision far beyond the capacity of the UVFs customary equipment.

President Michael D Higgins with Margaret Irwin (right) and other committee members last year at the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. File photo: Maxwells

Crucially, forensic interpretation identified re-crystallised ANFO, a high-explosive mixture developed by the Provisional IRA after the 1972 fertiliser regulations removed high-nitrate prills from the market. Military experts across both jurisdictions  Lieutenant Colonel George Styles GC, Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Wylde, and Commandant Patrick Trears  unanimously testified that loyalists had neither the knowledge, the explosive inventory, nor the technical skill to produce such devices.

The problem extended beyond chemistry. The Dublin bombs required reliable detonators, booster charges, and safety-arming mechanisms  capabilities far outside the loyalist repertoire of the period. Wylde estimated that the British army was recovering around 1,000lbs of re-crystallised ANFO per week in Belfast during that summer.

Without stock controls, no ledger, and no real oversight, it would have been entirely possible for some of this material to have been diverted into unofficial hands  but such diversion would necessarily imply military, rather than loyalist, origin.

Beyond the technical gulf lay the operational implausibility. No loyalist unit  certainly not the Portadown UVF  had ever demonstrated the ability to run a complex, multi-vehicle bombing mission 60 miles into hostile territory with near-simultaneous detonation.

The synchronised nature of the attack reinforces this point. Experts testified that such devices might achieve a 10-minute window at best, not a two-minute interval across three separate sites. The Dublin bombs showed none of the UVFs typical forensic fingerprints  no metal containers, no keg fragments, no low-yield signatures.

The cumulative weight of the evidence leads to a consistent conclusion that the UVF could not have executed these bombings unaided. Its willingness to commit such mass murder is not in doubt; its capacity is.

Flowers and tributes laid at the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings Memorial on Talbot Street in Dublin on May 17 after a service marking the 51st anniversary of the series of no-warning blasts which claimed more than 30 lives and injured hundreds. File photo

The operation required skills, tools, explosives, logistics, and co-ordination absent from their organisational profile in 1974.

On the balance of probability, the Dublin bombings were carried out by loyalists with technical assistance from elements of the British security or military apparatus. This conclusion does not absolve the UVF of responsibility; rather, it reframes the UVF as a participant in a more complex and asymmetrical covert operation.

The final Operation Kenova report, which was launched this week, devotes considerable time in analysing the connection between Freddie Scappaticci and his role as Stakeknife with the British administration. This exercise must be considered totally futile because the British government refuses to formally agree his connection as its agent within the IRA.

Retired Detective Chief Superintendent John O'Brien: 'It is a matter of profound regret that nobody has been made accountable for these crimes.'

The commentary on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (Operation Denton) occupies 20 pages of that report and is just that  a commentary without a scintilla of supporting evidence adduced in support of the alleged conclusions.

The main report is to be published sometime next year. It is not hard to recognise that this commentary is a gaslighting exercise designed to shape the narrative in advance of the publication of the report.

Denton made a claim without foundation that the UVF was independently capable of carrying out the attacks and possessed the necessary materials, knowledge and expertise without any support from the security forces. This is an extremely worrying development.
Gas Networks Ireland is redefining its employee experience as a strategic enabler of business performance, culture and long-term organisational resilience.

That effort is being led by Linda OBrien, who was appointed to the new role of workplace experience manager six months ago.

Her role is to put the supports in place to help the organisation continue the transformation from a traditional utility into a modern, people-centred organisation that actively empowers its workforce to thrive.

Together with my team and the wider people function, were working to create an environment that allows employees to feel supported, connected and valued, she says.

This is inextricably linked with the organisations strategy. People underpin strategy, she explains.

A great strategy is only as strong as the people on the ground who bring it to life. Gas Networks Ireland operates one of the most modern gas networks in Europe, supplying over 725,000 homes and businesses.

As the organisation works towards a repurposed and fully decarbonised gas network, its people, their expertise and engagement are critical to delivering that long-term transformation.

The organisations refreshed corporate strategy identifies two core enablers  maintaining robust financials and empowering its people. As part of this, a comprehensive workplace experience strategy has been introduced, which is built on three core elements  empowering managers, enhancing experiences and elevating connection.

Linda O Brien with colleagues at an Employee Resource Group events which is part of Gas Networks Irelands diversity, equity and inclusion programme.

Empowering managers involves equipping leaders with the right tools, training and forums to support their teams, OBrien explains.

We enhance experiences through the continuous improvement of our processes such as recruitment, onboarding, induction, feedback, recognition, performance and retirement processes. And we elevate connection by strengthening collaboration, embedding company values and strategy and fostering community through internal communications, engagement and events.

The workplace experience strategy is a fundamental element of the overall corporate strategy, she adds.

Some elements of the employee experience can seem less tangible at first glance, but they drive measurable outcomes, including engagement, productivity, retention and culture. My job is to translate that into practical actions that support our people and enable the organisation to deliver.

"Put simply, strategy is what we are going to do as an organisation, our culture, values and behaviours determine how we are going to do it. Thats where our people truly make a difference.

She cites the importance of connection as an example. At a practical level, we are working to connect employees to the purpose of the organisation, our licence to operate, where were going, how were going to get there and how they all contribute to that.

Empowering managers is equally important. This isnt about senior managers, she notes.

Its about leadership at all levels and giving them the tools to be able to support team members and have career conversations with them. People Managers are the key to maintaining sustainable engagement with the workforce.

Empowering people to advance their own careers is also critically important.

We invest in our people so they can create their own learning and career development plans, says OBrien.

We offer a suite of learning and development options for employees to select from to enhance their skills. Together with the work we do on workforce planning, this helps to future-proof the organisation by enabling us to have the right skills, in the right place, at the right time.

"Our responsibility is to give people the tools to develop their careers from the moment they come in the door to the day they leave us.

In this regard, the organisation is making some significant improvements to the onboarding and early career experience.

This includes a redesigned onboarding journey from pre-boarding and through the 90-day integration period, she says.

We have also developed clear learning, mentoring and progression frameworks for new hires.

Gas Networks Ireland is also investing in the future workforce through strengthened graduate, internship, and apprenticeship programmes and partnerships with third-level institutions.

Our recent pilot programme with the UCC Accessibility Office, the UCC DS EmployAbility programme, is a strong example, says OBrien.

The programme provides work placements for students with disabilities through tailored supports, structured mentoring, and an accessible onboarding experience.

The benefits of the programme are far-reaching; both supporting the students in their transition to the working environment and equipping our managers to build a disability-inclusive workplace.

Feedback from the pilot was hugely positive, and insights from the programme are now feeding back directly into wider improvements across our onboarding processes and early-career pathways. We will look to expand the programme in the coming year, OBrien adds.

The workplace experience strategy is supported by the Gas Networks Ireland engagement and culture programme.

This ensures that each employee is aware of the organisations vision, strategy, and operational performance and the part that each individual plays to deliver them.

Culture provides the guiderails in how everyone delivers, says OBrien.

Our values and behaviours are at the core of our culture. They are stitched into key people processes such as recruitment, performance and recognition. Our behaviours focus on delivery, accountability, empowerment, learning, innovation, respect and inclusivity.

This doesnt mean telling people what to do or how these should think, it simply provides a steer on how we deliver and show up each day, says OBrien.

If people are going for interviews for new roles within Gas Networks Ireland, they will be asked about the values and behaviours. When it comes to performance reviews, employees have to demonstrate how they applied those values and behaviours in their role. They are also reflected in our employee recognition programmes.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are also at the core of the culture. All the research shows that the more diverse the workforce, the more successful a company will be, she explains.

We now have five generations in our workforce for the first time. We also have a growing percentage of our workforce from different cultural backgrounds and with different abilities. We have to make sure the experience is inclusive and equitable for everyone.

"This does make things more challenging in one sense as experiences need to become more tailored, but its worth it. We have to address different issues for different audiences within our population and perhaps put assistive technology in place.

"Some employees might need day-to-day supports. But that is just part of having a rich and diverse workforce.

Gender balance in the traditionally male-dominated energy utility sector is another issue being addressed.

At present, one third of our workforce is female, she notes.

We have a female development programme, over 100 of our female employees have participated, with 43 per cent of those having since progressed to new opportunities in the organisation.

"We are also taking steps to increase the representation of women in senior leadership roles and are already seeing greater numbers. Some of this work begins long before people enter the job market through our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts and the work we are doing with schools on early talent programmes.

Gas Networks Ireland has six employee resource groups focusing on gender, ethnicity and culture, LGBTQI+, neurodiversity and ability, family and inter-generational.

These groups have made great gains in raising awareness across the organisation and have contributed the development of new policies in areas like menopause support and holiday swaps. When a group comes up with what looks like a good idea, we pilot it, and if it works, we make it part of business as usual in our suite of policies.

"Its about listening to the groups and turning insights into action. Its great to have this structure where people feel comfortable in coming forward to say that we need a new policy in an area like menopause.

Diversity can bring its own challenges. We have people in the organisation who have worked here since they left school at 16. About a third of our workforce will retire in the next decade.

"Thats a challenge for the organisation, but we have good succession plans in place, and the people moving into those roles will be more than capable. Its about identifying and upskilling the people to take on the roles to ensure we fill knowledge and experience gaps.

Employee feedback is central to the workplace experience strategy.

This is really important to us. We are a big enough organisation that issues can arise that we may not hear about. We listen informally through the manager network, and we also have representatives around the business who gather feedback. We conduct formal employee engagement surveys as well.

"These anonymous surveys are a very sophisticated way of measuring sentiment and exploring how it might differ across different parts of the organisation.

"This provides an opportunity to put in place tailored interventions for a particular team or function. We act on the insights gained to ensure we are delivering a world-class employee experience so our people can deliver for Ireland.

For more information, visit HERE.
Photographs of US president Donald Trump and "Trump condoms" are among the latest release of images from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Nineteen pictures were shared by Democrats on the USs House Oversight Committee on Friday, which are separate from the case files with the Department of Justice.

In one black-and-white photo, Mr Trump is seen smiling with several women  whose faces are redacted  on each side of him. A second image shows Mr Trump standing beside Epstein, and a third, less-clear image shows him seated alongside another woman, whose face is also redacted, with his red tie loosened. It was not clear when or where the photos were taken.

Former US president Bill Clinton, former Trump aide Steve Bannon, Bill Gates and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers also appear in the batch of images, as well as sex toys and a $4.50 "Trump condom" emblazoned with Mr Trump's face and the all-caps phrase "I'M HUUUGE!"

Featured in the photographs is also a suited Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

standing in a room next to Microsoft magnate Bill Gates, as well as a photo of Virgin Group founder Richard Branson on a beach with Epstein and another man.

No captions or context have been provided for any of the images.

A spokesperson for the committee, which is led by Republican Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, said Democrats were politicizing the investigation by cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump.

Democrats said the tens of thousands of photos include "images of the wealthy and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein" and "photographs of women and Epstein properties," and more will be released in the coming days.

US president Donald Trump was photographed standing with six women (US House Oversight Committee Democrats/PA)





Andrew has made headlines in recent months over his association with Epstein.

He has for many years faced allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein. He strenuously denies the accusations.

He paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault claim in 2022.

He stepped down from royal duties in 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview but the publication of Ms Giuffres posthumous memoirs, and the US governments release of documents from Epsteins estate, has brought fresh focus on Andrew recently.

American politicians have criticised the former prince for his silence after he missed a deadline last month to respond to their request to sit for an interview about Epstein.

Claims about Mr Branson have also linked him to Epstein previously.

US president Donald Trump was photographed standing with six women (US House Oversight Committee Democrats/PA)

Last year, Sarah Ransome, a victim of Epstein who claimed the paedophile financier made sex tapes of Andrew and Mr Branson, repeated her allegation that there are videos that exist.

At the time, a Virgin Group spokeswoman said on behalf of Mr Branson: In a New Yorker report published in 2019, Ransome admitted that she had invented the tapes.

We can confirm that Sarah Ransomes claims are baseless and unfounded.

In the 2019 New Yorker article, the author, Connie Bruck, says: Ransome told me that she had invented the tapes to draw attention to Epsteins behaviour, and to make him believe that she had evidence that would come out if he harmed me.

The Press Association has contacted both Andrews and Mr Branson's representatives on Friday.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan, New York, in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Yet instead of logging off, activists, journalists and ordinary users across the world are piecing together a repertoire of nonviolent digital resistance. Tactics range from how they write to where they post and how they store evidence. Their experiments show that under these conditions, visibility itself becomes something people have to organize for, not something platforms reliably provide.

If social media platforms can code repression into these systems, then resistance has to be coded into how people use them. For Palestinians and their allies, the task is not to wait for a level playing field, but to learn how to keep one another visible inside tools that were never built for their freedom.

Patterned silencing

Digital repression has become a structural filter on Metas platforms, deciding who is heard and who is erased. In October and November 2023 alone, Human Rights Watch documented over a thousand cases where Instagram and Facebook removed or suppressed peaceful expressions of solidarity with Palestine.

The patterns were systematic: deleted posts or stories, restricted features, search bans and the quiet throttling of reach known as shadowbanning. That same month, Metas translation algorithm added the word terrorist to Palestinian users bios. The company later apologized for the bug, but for many, it felt like a slip revealing the machines logic.

At the center of this machinery sits Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which functions less like apps and more like global infrastructure. With several billion daily users across its platforms, Metas design choices effectively dictate much of the worlds visible reality. When Meta downgrades, deletes or distorts Palestinian content, it is not a marginal glitch on a niche site; it is the main artery of digital communication constricting a peoples ability to speak and be seen.

These are not random accidents, said Jalal Abukhater, advocacy manager at 7amleh, the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, a Palestinian digital rights advocacy and research organization that documents online discrimination against Palestinians. At the heart of these digital rights violations is a blunt truth: Palestinian voices are being systematically silenced. As Israeli forces commit genocide on the ground, platforms mirror that violence in code  deleting their words, their witness, their very traces from the digital world.

The consequences are immediate and profound: When journalists, activists and human rights defenders lose their social media channels, they lose a layer of protection and the world loses access to real-time, on-the-ground evidence.

That erosion, and its consequences, are vividly documented in 7amlehs 2024 report, Erased and Suppressed, which gathered 20 firsthand testimonies from Palestinian journalists, creators and media outlets describing systematic suppression on Meta platforms. Respondents reported dire ripple effects, including economic loss, psychological stress, career disruption and diminished credibility. When Ehab Al-jariri, radio station 24FMs editor-in-chief, had his 120,000-follower Facebook account permanently deleted, he lost what he describes as his paramount protection tool  the public platform he relied on to push back when he or his newsroom came under attack.

We feel we are at war with algorithms and their owners, said Dima Kabaha, an editing assistant at the Palestinian news website Arab48, in the report. They do not want to see us as human beings.

Why this keeps happening

These crackdowns dont recur because moderators are having a series of bad days; they recur because the system is built to produce them.

Erased and Suppressed revealed a technical disparity: In the Occupied West Bank and Gaza, Metas automated moderation tools needed only an AI confidence threshold of as low as 25 percent to remove content, meaning that Palestinian users posts were far more likely to be flagged or taken down.

Leaked internal documents show that Meta also subjects Arabic-language content to far denser and more automated enforcement than content in Hebrew. The company has an Arabic-specific hostile speech classifier and fully onboards Arabic content into its precision-tracking systems, while Hebrew has never been brought under the same systematic checks and is handled on a more manual, case-by-case basis. That imbalance means the system misfires in two directions at once: It over-removes legitimate Palestinian speech by treating it as extremist or hateful, and under-removes incitement of violence against Palestinians that circulates in Hebrew. The result is that Palestinians face far higher odds of being punished for speaking than being protected.

The moderation of content about Palestine sits at the intersection of skewed rules, unequal resourcing, and opaque corporate power, so even when one piece is challenged, the underlying machinery remains intact. At the policy level, Meta can appear to course-correct without shifting the ground. In September 2024, its independent oversight board ruled that the standalone phrase From the river to the sea should not be automatically treated as hate speech, unless paired with explicit calls for violence. On paper, that signaled a move toward greater protection for political expression. In reality, Palestinian users continued to report that posts supporting Palestinian rights, including uses of From the river to the sea that did not praise or promote violence, were still being removed. Policy changed in writing; enforcement, shaped by older assumptions and automated systems, largely did not.

Meta is not an outlier. Amnesty International has warned that across the major networks there is a double pattern at work: a wave of dehumanizing content that advocates violence against Palestinians and at the same time an over-broad censorship of Palestinian accounts and pro-Palestinian speech. Several other platforms are known to practice shadowbanning and removals: X is repeatedly named by digital rights groups for allegedly suspending hundreds of Palestinian accounts. YouTube has gone further, recently deleting the channels of three leading Palestinian human rights organizations and thus erasing more than 700 videos documenting alleged Israeli violations. According to Palestinian digital rights group, Sada Social, moves like these strip crucial evidence from public view and punish groups for doing accountability work, rather than for breaking any meaningful community guideline.

Tactics of resistance

Forced to work inside an architecture tilted against them, Palestinian activists have become reluctant engineers of their own visibility. They study which words trigger takedowns, anticipate how classifiers read an image, and treat every platform as one node in a wider network rather than a single point of failure. Over time, those experiments have coalesced into a shared playbook that turns everyday posting into a quiet but coordinated form of digital nonviolent resistance. Here are three ways Palestinians and their allies are keeping their stories visible in the face of platform censorship:

1. Recode the message. The first line of defense is not to leave a platform, but to learn how to post in ways the systems cannot fully read. Rather than treating moderation as an absolute wall, Palestinian users and their allies treat it as a language problem. If certain words and formats trigger erasure, then the message has to be rewritten so that people can understand it but machines cannot. What emerges is less a bag of tricks than a shared language, its grammar passed around to signal solidarity and help exhausted users keep posting without vanishing from the feed.

Text is usually the first thing to be recoded. Terms like Palestine, Gaza or Israel are scrambled into symbols and altered spellings, broken across lines or tucked into punctuation so they stay legible to humans but harder for automated systems to parse.

Captions avoid radioactive words in the opening line, where scrutiny is highest, and move key information deeper into the text or into comments. Others shift the most sensitive language off the caption entirely and onto the image itself, exploiting the fact that detection remains weaker and less consistent in image-based moderation than in standard text fields.

This is part of a wider phenomenon often called algospeak: coded language designed to slip past automated filters while preserving meaning for those who know how to read it.

The Instagram account call2actionnow uses algospeak to alert its 175,000 followers about an attack in Gaza on Nov. 21, 2025.

The visuals are recoded too. Activists front-load carousels with apparently neutral slides (landscapes, quotes, abstract designs) before introducing graphic evidence or explicit political language in later frames, buying enough time for human audiences to see and share before classifiers react.

Symbols also speak. The watermelon, once a sly substitute for a banned flag, now operates as a global shorthand for Palestine solidarity because it bypasses keyword filters and communicates instantly. The symbols roots go back to the aftermath of the Six-Day War of 1967, when displaying the Palestinian flag was criminalized in parts of Gaza and the West Bank, and artists turned to the fruits red, green, white and black as a proxy. Today, the watermelon image and emoji are that history rendered digital: a compact sign that often slips under automated moderation while still saying exactly what it needs to say.

After her Al-Ahli posts vanished, Nour began to experiment with this kind of coded speech. She stopped putting words like Gaza or ceasefire in the first line of a caption, broke up Palestine into P@l3st1ne, and shifted donation links into replies or made them visible only to close friends. To her followers, the meaning of the posts remained obvious. What changed was the surface of the text, rewritten with the quiet assumption that an unseen machine was always reading over her shoulder.

2. Reroute the message. If the first tactic is to change how you speak, the second is to change where you speak. When one feed goes quiet, activists dont stop posting; they move the same material through a lattice of channels so that no single platform can make it disappear. A video that risks removal on Instagram is mirrored to X, reposted to Telegram, archived on an independent site and backed up to cloud folders and hard drives. In Gaza and across the Palestinian diaspora, Telegram in particular has become the safety net  a real-time conduit for footage and updates when Meta clamps down.

The logic is simple but powerful: Build redundancy, spread points of failure across apps and time zones, and make sure every peak moment of attention has more than one route to reach those who are ready to see and share.

Rerouting also means leaning into platforms where the balance of visibility looks different. On TikTok, pro-Palestinian content has repeatedly outpaced pro-Israel narratives, not just in isolated moments but over time. A study by Laura Edelson, assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University and co-director of Cybersecurity for Democracy, a multi-university center for research-driven policy, found that two years after Israels war on Gaza began in late 2023, the skew remained stark. In September 2025, for roughly every one pro-Israel post on TikTok, around 17 supported Palestinian perspectives. For activists, that ratio is not a guarantee of safety from censorship, but a signal that some terrains are more open than others, and worth prioritizing when other options close.

But even that advantage now looks precarious. In 2025, under a U.S. law forcing TikToks divestment, President Trump approved a deal to transfer the apps American operations to a consortium of investors, giving the U.S. control of the algorithm. That raises an obvious question: How long can a pro-Palestine skew survive once TikToks moderation rules, recommendation system and leadership are restructured under owners with strong political incentives to rein it in?



Photo of London pro-Palestinian demonstration, July 24, 2025, by Harrisun S on Unsplash

The rerouting reaches into newer, less tightly policed spaces as well. In virtual worlds like Roblox, Final Fantasy and the Sims, players voice dissent and amplify offline movements. Young users on Roblox have staged digital rallies for Palestine, building protest maps that have been visited hundreds of thousands of times. Inside these worlds, players can march together, unfurl banners and share slogans in an interactive environment that feels less like a comment thread and more like a street. These spaces do not replace traditional organizing, but they extend it, turning games and group chats into parallel routes for solidarity when mainstream channels constrict.

3. Archive the message. If recoding and rerouting are about staying visible in the present, archiving is about refusing to let evidence disappear. Around Gaza, rights groups have urged a shift in mindset from posting to preserving, reminding users that social media feeds are not archives but fragile display windows controlled by private companies. The stakes of that fragility became clear last month when YouTube deleted three Palestinian organizations channels. In an instant, years of painstaking documentation were wiped from one of the worlds largest public platforms, a stark reminder that whoever controls the infrastructure of storage also holds the power over collective memory.

Activists have learned that no matter how widely a post circulates, it is only ever one policy change, or one mass takedown, away from vanishing. So they treat every upload as an opportunity for documentation. Before posts go live, originals, timestamps and screenshots are saved; after takedowns, Stories are exported, links mirrored and copies sent through encrypted channels to volunteer archivists, lawyers and journalists. The goal is not just to keep content online, but to preserve a verifiable chain of custody that can withstand scrutiny in newsrooms, courts or future human rights investigations. Large accounts have adapted accordingly. Pages like @eye.on.palestine, with over 13 million followers, maintain backup profiles and mirror content in anticipation of bans or suspensions.

For some in the tech world, the most radical act of resistance is no longer learning how to survive inside Metas systems, but choosing to leave them. Paul Biggar, software engineer and founder of Tech for Palestine, argues that the problem is too deep to be fixed with smarter tactics alone. After years of watching Palestinian content throttled, flagged and buried, he believes the balance between offense and defense is irreparably skewed.

Attack is much easier than defense, Biggar said. People who are trying to shut us up are much better at it, and will always be much better at it, than the people who are trying to keep their voices heard. You can appeal, you can push back, but during that time, your reach will have gone.

The result, Biggar said, is that we have gone from a time where people were able to post information about war crimes  to a point where they have us talking entirely to ourselves,

Biggars conclusion is blunt: The endgame cannot be endless optimization within a hostile platform. It has to be migration and replacement.

We are not going to be able to prevail while Meta has this place in society, he said. So the obvious thing to do is get people onto other platforms  platforms that are designed around speech supporting humanity, speech supporting human rights, where the rules are based on international humanitarian principles.

He points to models ranging from federated networks like Mastodon, which let communities choose servers with their own rules, to platforms built on emerging open protocols such as Bluesky, to UpScrolled, an Instagram-style platform rooted in humanitarian principles that Tech for Palestine is helping incubate.

Via Waging Nonviolence

Farah Awadalla is a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester, researching how media narratives shape state soft power. With an MA in Human Rights from UCL, she brings a unique perspective to the intersection of media, power, and global influence. Her work focuses on how narratives and cultural discourse influence political movements and reshape perceptions.
Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature)  It appears unlikely that the Israeli Justice Ministry will approve a pardon for Israeli PM Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu, related to his criminal charges for blackmail, corruption and breach of public trust. But Israeli President Isaac Herzog is under pressure to use his standing to override that likely decision. Pardoning Netanyahu for his high crimes and felonies would mean Israel acquiescing to a Bibi dictatorship, and virtually permanent Likud rule after he leaves. The prosecutor in the Case 4000 of course opposes any unconditional pardon without sanctions, favoring a ruling similar to what Netanyahu was offered in 2021 at the end of his second term  namely, leaving public office. Not surprisingly, convicted felon Donald Trump has interfered with Israels internal justice process by demanding a full pardon for his symbiotic, Siamese partner in crime. Both men are possessed by imperial (if not Napoleonic) complexes, and doing all they can to criminalize any efforts to bring them to heel according to Democratic norms.

Rather than step down to focus on his dramatic legal problems as honorable leaders in trouble do, Netanyahu insists on remaining in office to continue his criminal enterprise. Trump demanded a pardon for him at a Knesset meeting on October 13, and sent a formal letter to that end on November 12. Now Bibi is trying to bypass the Court of Appeals and ask President Herzog to issue a full pardon. Reuven Rivlin, who served as Israels president from 2014-21 said in 2017 on the earlier pardon proposal, The president is not a court of appeals. In any event, Bibi claims hes the victim of a blood libel, that he was framed. Who should decide if thats true, if not the court? I want to know whether these things are indeed true. Because if they are, those who accused him falsely must be brought to justice.

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)

Bibi is purging the Israeli military and Justice Department in order to bring in his own people, who are friendly to his quest for a pardon. He demanded a formal inquiry into the investigation that held him culpable for the security lapses that led to October 7. He and Trump mirror one another at every step. They have been taking cues from one another, and supporting each others private and governmental rackets. MAGA and Likud have become a mirror image of incestuous, global corruption. Both parties aim to have their leaders avoid accountability for their crimes, and pave the way for Likud and MAGA dictatorships in their respective countries.

Israel has reached a crisis point as a so-called democracy, with Netanyahus efforts to undermine the Israeli justice system. All his activities are geared toward escaping criminal prosecution and remaining in office. In 2013, he declared that, Israel is an island of democracy in a sea of instability and despotism. Thats been a popular Zionist myth for decades. But Israel was never democratic for the native Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel proper. He has been Israels PM for most of the past 30 years, having been elected in 1996 and serving for three years; then re-elected in 2009-2021, while his current term began in 2022. Netanyahu has become the wolf tree of Israeli politics, eclipsing the sun and stealing oxygen from other, more capable leaders. Now, with the help of convicted felon Donald Trump, he has become so empowered to dictate to the Israeli justice system.

Likud Defense Minister Israel Katz has manipulated conflict with the IDF Eyal Zamir, in an effort to weaken his authority on military appointments on Netanyahus behalf. Whereas Trump is focusing on dictating content to American universities and cultural institutions, Netanyahu is more focused on controlling military appointments, and intimidating the justice department into dropping charges against him. His issue with the military is their investigations into the security failures of October 7, which rest solely with his own inaction  namely ignoring warnings of the military buildup in Gaza prior to the disaster. Netanyahu wants to remove investigation and appointment authority from the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Eyal Zamir, and choose people who will hold him blameless. As with Trump, he is also trying to criminalize the investigators.

In 2021, then Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak proposed a plea bargain on Netanyahus behalf to end his trial, and banish him from Israeli politics for seven years. The aim was to to repair the rift in the nation, and move forward. A secondary goal was to protect the Israeli legal system from further attacks on its authority by Netanyahu and his ministers. But now the concern is that once he is out as prime minister, his Likud ministers will continue their attacks on the legal system, just as MAGA wont go away when Trump finally does. Jewish Power and Religious Zionism Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, allies of the ruling Likud Party, are Bibis missionaries, charged with undermining the courts, police and any guardrails on their ability to game the system to their favor. The Courts are an impediment to the brutal agenda: They dont want any judges to interfere with their disciples beating, wounding and abusing Palestinians in the West Bank. When Bibi is finally gone, they will still prosecute his agenda.



President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference announcing the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, Monday, September 29, 2025, in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Date 29 September 2025. Public Domain. Via Wikimedia Commons .

Another example of Netanyahus impulse toward dictatorship is his efforts to prevent any Arab Knesset member from ever holding portfolio in a government again. Mansour Abbas is the most prominent Arab Knesset member, leading charge to preserve what remains of Israeli democracy. That has motivated Likud ministers to depict him as a public enemy, rather than the constructive voice in the Knesset that he is. Involvement of Arab parties in the opposition is vital to its interest.

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.

In in efforts to further consolidate his power, Netanyahu is now dictating to the justice system and military leadership in ways that usurp their lawful authority. Trump is doing the same in the US, abetted by a corrupt Supreme Court. They have enabled one another in their parallel quests to eliminate any constitutional checks on their power, expand their executive authority, and further consolidate their power. The independence of Israels military and justice systems are at odds with the Likud agenda to eliminate checks and boundaries on their imperial designs.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Dec. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Terra Balcanica Resources Corp. (Terra or the Company) (CSE:TERA; FRA:UB1; OTC:TEBAF) is pleased to announce the completion of the 1st stage of its 2,100 m Phase III drilling program at the Brezani and Chumavichi targets within its polymetallic Viogor-Zanik project in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Highlights

Approximately 1,200 m of oriented, diamond core drilling was conducted at the Brezani and Chumavichi targets within Terras 168 km2 project in eastern Bosnia;

Drillholes BRE25001 and BRE25001A, positioned 72 m NE of the discovery hole BREDD002 which returned 19.6 m at 436 g/t AgEq (see company news release dated 20th January 2025), have both intercepted a ca. 50-60 m interval of retrograde altered skarn, the host of the previously reported 0.61g/t AuEq over 88m (see company news release dated 24th January 2023), as well as several structural zones hosting intermediate sulphidation epithermal mineralization (Figure 1);

Drillholes CMV25001 through 25004 have intercepted multiple zones of shallow, massive sulphide and quartz-sulphide, vein-hosted mineralization in the hanging and footwall of the SW dipping Chumavichi structure, all above 80 m depth;

Epithermal mineralization encountered at both targets is polymetallic (Ag-Sb-Zn-Pb-Au) as confirmed by sulphide observations and pXRF. Key mineralized intervals have been sequentially sampled and are pending assay completion;

The complete lithogeochemical assays will be reported after the laboratory data is received in its entirety.

Terra Balcanica CEO, Dr. Aleksandar Miskovic, comments: We are pleased to have completed over a half of the planned meterage despite numerous setback and technical challenges which made the 2025 drilling campaign longer than anticipated. Moreover, we are pleased with the intercepted structures and mineralogies observed while logging the core both at Brezani and Chumavichi. The Terra exploration hypothesis about the extension of the base-metal dominated, epithermal mineralization above the NE shallowing conductor at Brezani which was initially interpreted to have served as a fault-hosted fluid conduit continues to be refined in the light of new 3D data. We will proceed towards testing the main Ag-Sb-Zn-As-Bi soil anomaly with additional drillholes. Simultaneously, we shall continue to push ahead with meaningful step outs at the Chumavichi system towards NW. Our drilling team is set to resume the Phase III operations in January of 2026 immediately after the laboratory assays are released to the public.

Phase III Drilling

The 2025 drilling program follows up on high grade, polymetallic mineralizations which Terra has previously discovered, namely at Brezani and Chumavichi targets, Viogor-Zanik Project, Eastern Bosnia. Phase III aims to increase geological knowledge at both localities which have provided outstanding drilling results to date.

The Brezani discovery, is a two-part story. Initial drilling revealed 88m from surface of 0.61g/t AuEq (0.60 g/t Au) within a retrograde altered skarn and hornfels package, which remains completely open along strike within an 850m long gold in soil anomaly. Deeper drilling in BREDD002 discovered an epithermal system, returning 19.6 m at 436 g/t AgEq with 2025 drilling intersecting similar styles of mineralization indicating the epithermal structures are numerous and trend towards surface where an epithermal assemblage soil anomaly exists, offering shallow follow up targets.

The Chumavichi target represents a district scale corridor of epithermal mineralization, with at least 3 separate vein systems confirmed by Terras drilling to date. Previous drilling at Chumavichi returned grades of 824.2g/t AgEq over 4 m (CMVDD001), 505.3g/t AgEq over 11 m (CMVDD004) and 284g/t AgEq over 10 m (CMVDD005; see news release dated September 8th October 22nd, 2022, February 2nd and 27th 2023). Vein hosted mineralisation remains open along strike and untested down-dip and highlights clear exploration upside for discovery of further silver and antimony rich sulphides. The 2025 drilling at Chumavichi has encountered similar sulphides to previously reported drillholes, adding to the story at this exciting epithermal target.

Drilling progressed steadily despite challenging ground conditions with over 94% average core recovery achieved.

Qualified Person

Dr. Aleksandar Miskovic, P.Geo, is the Companys designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). Dr. Miskovic has reviewed and validated the information contained in this news release as factual and accurate.

About the Company

Terra Balcanica is a polymetallic and energy metals exploration company targeting large-scale mineral systems in the Balkans of southeastern Europe and norther Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company has 90% interest in the Viogor-Zanik Project in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Canadian assets comprise a 100% optioned portfolio of uranium-prospective licences at the outskirts of the world-renowned Athabasca basin: Charlot-Neely Lake, Fontaine Lake, Snowbird, and South Pendleton. The Company emphasizes responsible engagement with local communities and stakeholders. It is committed to proactively implementing Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) and sustainable health, safety, and environmental management.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Terra Balcanica Resources Corp.

Aleksandar Miskovic

Aleksandar Miskovic

President and CEO

For the complete information on this news release, please contact Aleksandar Miskovic at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 (514) 796-7577, or visit www.terrabresources.com/en/news.

Cautionary Statement

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively forward-looking statements). The use of any of the words will, intends and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. The Company believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to root out "evil" and hailed his troops' fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine, state media said Friday, as Pyongyang capped a major meeting of its ruling party top brass.

The three-day meeting of the North Korean central committee discussed key policy issues as well as plans for an upcoming congress of its ruling party -- North Korea's first in five years and expected next month.

Wrapping up the meeting on Thursday, Kim condemned "the wrong ideological viewpoint and inactive and irresponsible work attitude" of some officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

He called on officials to have "greater confidence in and courage for the future of our cause and struggle".

He also "pointed out the shortcomings and evil practices that must be corrected", KCNA said.

State media did not offer any specifics, though it did say the ruling party had revealed numerous recent "deviations" in discipline -- a euphemism for corruption.

The North Korean leader reserved praise for Pyongyang's soldiers fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia, of whom at least 600 have died and thousands more sustained wounds, according to South Korean estimates.

Their work, Kim said, "demonstrated to the world the prestige of our army and state as the ever-victorious army and genuine protector of international justice".

Analysts say Pyongyang is receiving financial aid, military technology, and food and energy supplies from Russia in return for sending troops.

Kim also hailed efforts this year in "modernizing" the country's defences in the face of great "global geopolitical and technological changes".

Pyongyang's central committee began meeting on Tuesday, the same day North Korea fired a salvo of artillery from a multiple rocket launcher system, which analyst say could strike the South.

Last week, the South's dovish President Lee Jae Myung said he felt an apology was due to the North over his predecessor's alleged order to send drones and propaganda leaflets across the border.

Pyongyang has not responded to the overture from Lee, who has sought to mend fractured ties with the North.
Russia thought it would topple Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky within days after invading in February 2022 for what it planned to be a quick victorious war.

Instead, the comedian-turned-leader became the face of his country's -- and Europe's -- resistance, repeatedly defying the odds in the face of relentless Russian attacks that have killed tens of thousands of his citizens.

Now Zelensky faces what he has called "one of the most difficult moments of our history", with Russia advancing at its fastest pace in a year and a domestic corruption scandal that has forced him to sack his powerful top aide.

And US President Donald Trump is pushing a peace plan that many in Kyiv see as quasi-capitulation, while also backing Russia's call for new presidential elections in Ukraine.

Despite polls being suspended under martial law, Zelensky said he would hold a vote if the United States and Europe guaranteed security.

"I am ready for the elections," the 47-year-old said.

- 'Informal' -

The charismatic leader has a track record of coming out on top when the chips are down.

When Russian troops marched on Kyiv in February 2022, Zelensky -- Ukraine's youngest-ever president -- refused a US evacuation offer, staying in the capital to lead the fight.

"We are not putting down arms," he said in an iconic address to Ukrainians, delivered in the darkness outside the presidential compound.

As Moscow seized town after town, rained missiles on cities and forced millions to flee, Zelensky kept up morale with daily video addresses to the nation.

Touring allies relentlessly, he convinced the West to arm Ukraine.

His resistance infuriated his nemesis Vladimir Putin, an ex-KGB agent in power for 25 years who bet he could easily outmanoeuvre the political novice.

In contrast to the Russian leader, Zelensky regularly visits soldiers on the front line, as well as ordinary people, children, families and victims of Russian strikes.

Being with people is what energises him, one senior official in Kyiv told AFP.

"I don't think the office-based part is his thing," they said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

His "informal", man-of-the-people style has been credited with instilling confidence and admiration at home and among allies.

- 'Tougher' -

According to his wife Olena Zelenska, the scale of the February 2022 invasion was a shock to her husband, who thought Russia would at most occupy an eastern pocket of Ukraine.

The discovery weeks later that Russian forces had killed dozens of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha was a turning point.

Walking on a street that had been strewn with bodies was one of the few times Zelensky appeared visibly shaken.

"It's very difficult to talk," he said, his voice quivering. "These are war crimes."

Before winning office, Zelensky had pledged to end the conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the east.

"We just need to stop shooting," he had told journalists, speaking in Russian.

Now he openly admits to hating Putin, whom he has branded a "dictator" and "murderer".

"He became much tougher," said one person in Zelensky's entourage who knew him long before politics.

Once near-universally admired, that steeliness has grated on Trump over the last year, most notably in their infamous Oval Office clash.

- 'Strategy' -

Zelensky won a 2019 presidential vote by a landslide but made little progress on campaign pledges in his first years in office.

Russia's invasion put internal politics -- traditionally feisty and volatile -- on hold.

But tensions have risen as the conflict has dragged on.

He has faced criticism for sidelining opponents -- like removing popular ex-army chief Valery Zaluzhny -- and accusations he and now-dismissed chief aide Andriy Yermak centralised too much power.

A former top security official told AFP that "the word 'strategy' is an obscenity" inside Zelensky's administration, with "no planning beyond tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow".

From his team he demands both creativity and speed, others said.

"He's someone who, when given two options, one and two, tries to find a third, original one," the current official said.

"That is definitely his strong suit, which probably lets him, you could say, turn the chessboard around."

"He'll ask 10 times, 'Why can't we speed up here? Why can't we push this through faster?'"

Polls suggest a majority of Ukrainians retain confidence in Zelensky -- around 60 percent said in October they trusted him.

But this is down from sky-high approval at the start of the war.

As for a possible election, a November survey had him top, on 20.3 percent. Zaluzhny was close behind on 19.1 percent.

- 'Beg on my knees' -

A father of two and from a Russian-speaking family of Jewish descent, Zelensky owed much of his early career success to the Russian show-business industry.

A comedy competition that sent winners to Moscow was a ticket out of industrial Kryvyi Rig, his gangster-ridden hometown.

In 2013, he co-presented Russian state TV's New Year's Eve show, entertaining figures that a decade later shouted diatribes about him on pro-war propaganda shows.

On Ukrainian TV, he played a fictional president, leveraging the role in his real run for office.

After Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and started backing pro-Russian separatists in the east, comedian Zelensky turned to the camera in one show to address Putin directly.

"If you need it, I will even beg on my knees, but do not put our country on its knees."
On December 3, it was only 13 days to the 21-year anniversary of the killing of Deyda Hydara, a veteran Gambian journalist who cofounded The Point, one of the country's leading daily newspapers. Hydara was killed in a drive-by shooting by members of a hit team, called the Junglers, allegedly on the orders of the then president Yahya Jammeh who now lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

As Hydaras family prepared to remember him, a rather unusual present came by. Former Lieutenant-Colonel Sanna Manjang, described by The Gambias Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) as one of the two most feared Junglers, was arrested in the jungles of Casamance, Senegals troubled south. He was then extradited to The Gambia where he was welcomed with a three-count murder charge, including the death of Hydara. And on December 3, the journalists son, Baba Hydara was at the Kanifing Magistrate Court, in Gambias capital city, to see Manjang one on one for the first time.

I got prior knowledge that he was coming to the court. I went to stand in front of him. I stood in his path to the courtroom and I stared at him. He was covering his face, Hydara told Justice Info. I wanted to push his hands for him to look at me. I am sure he must have seen my face somewhere. It is a promise I made that I have to make sure that all the people connected to my fathers death, I will somehow have a role to play in bringing them to justice and have a day in their court.

One step closer to the dictator

Manjang was arrested in a joint operation of Gambian and Senegalese security forces. While many had heard of his name, only a few knew his real face, save for an old picture of him and colleagues taken in the 2000s. In the immediate aftermath of his arrest, even online newspapers were sharing wrong pictures of other nationals who were found where he was arrested, claiming it to be Manjang. Until December 1, when a video emerged showing Manjang with a smirk, as Senegalese authorities checked the tightness of his handcuff before handing him over to Gambias military police.

Before the court, Manjang was charged with the 2004 killing of Hydara as well as the 2006 killings of one Ndongo Mboob and a cousin of Jammeh, Haruna Jammeh. The police had already called a number of relatives of his alleged victims to appear before their investigation panel. Meanwhile, his murder trial has been moved to the High Court in Banjul to be presided over by Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh. Trial hearings were set to begin on December 11, while the case is put together. Evidence gathered by the TRRC is likely to be central, including testimonies from other Junglers, who may be called as prosecution witnesses.

Many experts believe that Manjang is a black box that holds the secret of most of Junglers operations and killings. Leading Gambian human rights activist, Madi Jobarteh, said his arrest opens doors for the eventual trial of Jammeh. With his arrest, we will have information about the network of Junglers outside. It is one step closer to the dictator himself, he said. It is a very significant development.

A tense political moment

Adama Barrow, who has been the president of Gambia since the fall of Jammeh in January 2017, has not shown much interest in justice since the end of the TRRC in 2021. But he does care about the security of his regime. When Manjang was arrested, the rumour doing the rounds was that the former Jungler was involved in a coup attempt. This is because of the timing of the operation: shortly before Manjangs arrest, Gambia was under a heightened security alert, as exiled leader Jammeh had announced he was returning to Banjul in November without mentioning the exact date.

Jammeh is emboldened because he senses that the government, and in particular the president has shown a certain weakness, a certain inclination to compromise as far as such compromise will yield political dividends in the form of support for him and his party, said Dr Baba Galleh Jallow, the former executive director of the truth commission. According to him, Jammeh would have been much less relevant in Gambian politics if the government were serious, more focused, and had shown more political will in implementing recommendations by the TRRC. A report by the National Human Rights Commission published this year said the government so far implemented only 16 out of 192 recommendations made by the Commission.

Jammehs announcement was received with cheers by his supporters who started hoisting flags on the streets in Banjul. The Barrow administration is still guarded by Senegalese troops that are part of the ECOMIG contingent, a West African force. With deep-seated suspicion of Jammehs motives and his potential allies in the military, the government was not enthusiastic about the prospect of the former dictators return. If and when Mr. Jammeh returns, robust legal processes will be activated including investigation, arrest, and prosecution, said the government in a statement on October 28, dispelling claims that it had signed an agreement with the seven-party 2016 coalition that backed Barrow to power, the United Nations and the African Union that would guarantee Jammehs return and freedom.

Shortly after Jammeh announced his return, Barrow started an annual nationwide tour, holding meetings in several villages and towns across the country. He took advantage of these meetings to criticise Jammehs poor human rights records, saying he had exiled many of his critics, and even prevented bodies of few of them who died abroad to be repatriated to the country for burial.

Since 2021, after accepting the recommendations of the TRRC, the Gambian authorities have been working on establishing a special, internationalised tribunal with the help of the regional economic bloc Ecowas to try Jammeh-era crimes. But the process has never been brought to fruition. It is unclear when the court would be established, even though a special prosecutor to handle Jammeh-era crimes is expected to be appointed in January.
Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Thursday that the United States helped her get to Norway from hiding in Venezuela, expressing support for US military action against her country and vowing to return home.

Machado, who has lived in hiding in Venezuela since August 2024 after challenging the rule of President Nicolas Maduro, emerged on a hotel balcony in Oslo to cheering supporters early Thursday after several days of confusion over her whereabouts.

"We did get support from the United States government to get here," Machado told a press conference when asked by AFP about whether Washington had helped.

The Wall Street Journal reported that she wore a wig and a disguise on the high-risk journey, leaving her hide-out in a Caracas suburb on Monday for a coastal fishing village, where she took a fishing skiff across the Caribbean Sea to Curacao.

The newspaper said the US military was informed to avoid the boat being targeted by airstrikes. Once on the island, she took a private jet to Oslo early on Wednesday.

Machado thanked those who "risked their lives" to get her to Norway but it was not immediately clear how or when she will return to Venezuela, which has said it would consider her a fugitive if she left.

"Of course, the risk of going back, perhaps it's higher, but it's always worthwhile. And I'll be back in Venezuela, I have no doubt," she added.

Machado has been hailed for her fight for democracy but also criticised for aligning herself with US President Donald Trump, to whom she has dedicated her Nobel, and for inviting foreign intervention in her country.

- Military build-up -

The United States has launched a military build-up in the Caribbean in recent weeks and deadly strikes on what Washington says are drug-smuggling boats.

"I believe every country has the right to defend themselves," Machado told reporters Thursday.

"I believe that President Trump's actions have been decisive to reach the point where we are right now, in which the regime is weaker than ever, because the regime previously thought that they could do anything," she continued.

Late Wednesday, Trump said the United States had seized a "very large" oil tanker near Venezuela, which Caracas denounced as "blatant theft".

Maduro maintains that US operations are aimed at toppling his government and seizing Venezuela's oil reserves.

Machado first appeared on a balcony of the Grand Hotel in the middle of the night, waving and blowing kisses to supporters chanting "libertad" ("freedom") below.

On the ground, she climbed over metal barriers to get closer to her supporters, many of whom hugged her and presented her with rosaries.

She said she has missed much of her children's lives while hiding, including graduations and weddings.

- ' Political risk' -

Machado won the Peace Prize for "her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy".

She has accused Maduro of stealing Venezuela's July 2024 election, from which she was banned -- a claim backed by much of the international community.

She last appeared in public on January 9 in Caracas, where she protested Maduro's inauguration for his third term.

The decision to leave Venezuela and join the Nobel festivities in Oslo comes at both personal and political risk.

"She risks being arrested if she returns even if the authorities have shown more restraint with her than with many others, because arresting her would have a very strong symbolic value," said Benedicte Bull, a professor specialising in Latin America at the University of Oslo.

While Machado is the " undisputed" leader of the opposition, "if she were to stay away in exile for a long time, I think that would change and she would gradually lose political influence," Bull said.

In her acceptance speech read by one of her daughters Wednesday, Machado denounced kidnappings and torture under Maduro's tenure, calling them "crimes against humanity" and "state terrorism, deployed to bury the will of the people".
Russia on Friday sentenced top International Criminal Court (ICC) judges and its chief prosecutor to jail terms, in a retaliatory move after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.

In 2023, prosecutor Karim Khan charged Putin with illegally deporting children from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Moscow responded by opening a case against him.

The Moscow city court found that "ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan unlawfully prosecuted Russian citizens in The Hague" and that the ICC "instructed the judges of the chamber to issue patently unlawful arrest warrants".

Russia is not a member of the ICC, and none of the defendants were present in court.

Khan, 55, was sentenced to 15 years in jail in absentia, while eight ICC staff, including the former court president Piotr Hofmanski, received prison terms ranging from 3.5 to 15 years.

Khan is currently suspended from duties over an internal probe following sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.

Since sending troops to Ukraine, Russia has issued numerous sentences in absentia to dissidents, journalists, opposition, and foreign politicians outside of its reach.

Khan has also been sanctioned by the United States over ICC investigations into US and Israeli officials. Neither the United States nor Israel are among the court's 125 members.
French prosecutors on Friday sought a maximum sentence of life in prison for a former rebel leader accused of being one of the masterminds of atrocities in the Second Congo War.

Roger Lumbala, 67, is on trial in Paris accused of complicity in crimes against humanity during the 1998-2003 conflict. He denies the charges. A verdict is expected on Monday.

For human rights organisations, the trial is an historic opportunity to challenge the impunity enjoyed by warring parties in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fighting continues despite a "peace" agreement ratified in Washington in early December.

But Lumbala, who was arrested in France in December 2020, refused to attend the trial after its opening session, saying the court has no legitimacy.

Lumbala, who briefly served as trade minister then ran for president in 2006, insists he was merely a politician with no soldiers or volunteers under his control.

One of the prosecutors, Nicolas Peron, told the jury that Lumbala is only failing to appear because he is "facing a problem he never thought he would encounter: he is now facing justice".

For more than a month, the court has heard about rape used as a weapon of war, sexual slavery, forced labour, torture, mutilation, summary executions, systematic looting, extortion, and the plundering of resources, including diamonds.

The alleged atrocities were committed in 2002-2003 during Operation "Erase the Slate", conducted in the northeast of the country by the Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationalists (RCD-N) -- Lumbala's rebel group.

The RCD-N was supported by neighbouring Uganda and allied with the MLC group of the current Congolese Minister of Transport, Jean-Pierre Bemba.

During the trial, one man told how his brother had his forearm amputated and was then executed after being unable to eat his severed ear.

Women recounted rapes by soldiers, often gang rapes committed in front of parents, husbands, and children.

The victims were mostly Nande or Bambuti Pygmies, ethnic groups accused by the attackers of siding with a rival faction.

Lumbala is being tried under the principle of universal jurisdiction.






Thursday, December 11, 2025 - Sorrow engulfed the home of the late KBC journalist, Festus Amimo, as his pregnant wife was overcome by grief during a condolence visit led by ODM leaders, among them Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga.

Photos shared by Governor Wanga captured the emotional moment the young widow broke down, struggling to come to terms with the devastating loss of her husband.

Family, friends, and colleagues watched helplessly as she cried uncontrollably, her pain reflecting the shock many Kenyans still feel after Amimos sudden death.

Amimo collapsed over the weekend while in Nairobis Central Business District and was pronounced dead shortly after.

His passing has sent shockwaves through the media industry, where he was celebrated for his professionalism, warmth, and dedication to his craft.

At the time of his death, he was in the company of a woman, said to be his junior at KBC, having a good time.

It is believed that he overdosed on blue pills, leading to his death.

See photos.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Thursday, December 11, 2025 - A Kenya Airways passenger was left in shock after spotting what appeared to be a tape placed around her aircraft window while mid-air.

The passenger recorded a video and shared it online, where it quickly went viral, sparking fresh debate over the national carriers maintenance standards.

In the video, the woman zooms in on the window frame, showing a suspicious patch that looks like tape.

Kenyans flooded social platforms demanding answers, with some questioning whether the airline was cutting corners on safety.

Watch the video.

Is this really Kenya Airways? pic.twitter.com/vRjZHM81gi  DAILY POST  (@dailypost_ke) December 12, 2025

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Thursday, December 11, 2025 - Nairobi County Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, Geoffrey Mosiria, has sparked conversation after urging residents to rethink how they support street families.

In a post on his X account on Thursday, December 11th, 2025, Mosiria appealed to the public to stop handing out cash, warning that the practice fuels dependency and sustains a cycle of street life.

According to Mosiria, giving money doesnt solve the problem - it only encourages families to remain on the streets.

Dont give street families money. Instead, buy them food, he wrote, adding that when cash runs out, some may resort to theft.

He further noted that many of these families return to their homes after hours, revealing that begging is often treated as a daily hustle rather than sheer survival.

Mosiria didnt shy away from calling out what he described as laziness among some beggars, especially women who rely on passersbys generosity.

He questioned, Ask yourself, where do they go after 7pm?

They all disappear and go back to their homes.

He also highlighted organized begging rings, particularly involving people with disabilities, claiming that some are controlled by individuals profiting millions monthly.





The Kenyan DAILY POST






Thursday, December 11, 2025 - The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a list of immigrants marked for deportation under a sweeping new operation targeting individuals with criminal convictions.

The crackdown, which involves more than 100,000 people nationwide, includes 15 Kenyans arrested across different states.

According to DHS, the initiative is being carried out under the administrations directive to prioritize the removal of what it termed as high-risk offenders.

Under Secretary Kristi Noems leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Donald Trumps promise and carrying out mass deportations - starting with the worst of the worst, the department said in a statement.

Among those listed is Alfred Obiero, arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado, following convictions for assault, driving under the influence, and domestic violence.

In California, Bethuel Gathu was arrested in Chowchilla after a robbery conviction, while Mohamed Chekchekani was detained in San Pedro for kidnapping a minor and violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Other Kenyans include Patrick Mwangi and Daniel Kathii, both convicted of driving under the influence in Texas; Isaac Githinji, arrested in Arizona for fleeing prosecution; and Moses Okoth, detained in Tennessee for aggravated assault with a weapon.

Clement Mulovi was arrested in Houston for fraud, while Moffat Muriithi was picked up in Seguin, Texas, for drug-related offences.

The list also names Naserian Montet (Utah), Francis Mungai (Massachusetts), Antony Karia (Washington), Boniface Mburu (Georgia), Kevin Gunyanyi (Pennsylvania), and Collins Keanche (Minnesota), each convicted of various offences ranging from fraud and assault to money laundering.

This development follows President Trumps recent statement declaring his intention to halt migration from Third World countries entirely.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Thursday, December 11, 2025 - Kenyas celebrated hair and makeup artist, John Mokuna Mungai - better known as Jony the Hairdresser - has shared a deeply personal story about growing up with feminine traits in a society that often misunderstood him.

Speaking in an interview, Jony recalled how his teenage years were marked by relentless bullying.

While primary school was smooth, high school became a nightmare.

Unlike his peers who were breaking their voices, sprouting facial hair, and battling pimples, Jonys voice remained soft and his face clear.

My entire high school life, I was bullied because of being feminine, he said.

Vijana wote wamefika puberty, wamebreak voice, wako na pimples na ndevu na mimi sijabreak voice, uso yangu ilikuwa very clear, sauti ni nyororo, and they were huyu anaongea kama msichana, he stated.

His worst memory came after completing the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), when fellow students beat him in a dormitory.

Nilipigwa the last day nilimaliza high school; nilipigwa kwa cube moja na nikapigwa, he disclosed.

Yet, Jony insists that painful experience gave him courage and a thick skin to face the outside world.

Negativity doesnt affect me now because I already experienced physical brutality, he explained.

Reflecting on his childhood, Jony revealed that he preferred dolls over cars and rough games, often hiding his playtime from his mother.

I was very feminine, and people kept wondering why I was like that, he shared.

Today, Jony embraces his feminine energy unapologetically, describing himself as carrying 80 per cent girlish energy.

Still, he firmly identifies as male. You can either be he or she, and I am a he, he clarified.

Known for bold, creative looks, Jony emphasized that his cross-dressing is primarily artistic expression and content creation.

Biologically speaking, this is just for show. On a normal day, youll find me without makeup, with short hair, he said.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Thursday, December 11, 2025 - Drama has erupted online after Kelitu Kaseo, a prominent businesswoman and proprietor of Takawiri Island Resort, publicly accused another woman of destroying her relationship.

Kaseo, who had been in a relationship for seven years, revealed that her partner had been cheating on her with a woman identified as Easter Kojwang.

In a lengthy post directed at Kojwang, Kaseo did not hold back, labelling her a homewrecker.

Read her full post

Kaseo and her ex-lover during better times.

Easter Kojwang, the homewrecker.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Sean McCarthaigh

A grandfather who suffered fatal injuries at his home in west Dublin this summer died as a result of stab wounds to his body, an inquest has heard.

James Jake Berney (53), a father of two and painter of Foxdene Drive, Balgaddy, Lucan, Co Dublin died on June 26th, 2025, at Tallaght University Hospital, where he had been rushed by ambulance after the incident at his home.

At the opening of the inquest into Mr Berneys death at Dublin District Coroners Court, Detective Inspector Brian Hanley applied for a six-month adjournment under Section 25 (1) of the Coroners Act 1962 on the basis that criminal proceedings are being considered in the case.

Det Insp Hanley told the coroner Aisling Gannon that a criminal investigation into Mr Berneys death had commenced and was ongoing.

The deceaseds elderly father, Andrew Berney, who lived at the same address as the deceased, gave evidence of formally identifying his sons body to gardai at the Dublin City Mortuary in Whitehall.

Ms Gannon told the hearing that the results of a postmortem showed that Mr Berney had died as a result of stab wounds to the trunk.

The coroner observed that he had suffered catastrophic injuries arising from the stab wounds.

She granted the application for an adjournment of the inquest and fixed June 10th, 2026 as the next date for further mention of the case to hear an update on the Garda investigation.
Kilkenny-based scriptwriter Gerard Blanch recently organised a networking event for people interested in film.

The film maker saw that there was a need for more collaboration among people involved in the film industry locally and he successfully applied for funding to make this happen.

Attending Kilkenny film events in live action, animated, experimental, alternative, short and feature films, I saw a range of screen industry talent living in Kilkenny but also, working independently. And I wondered how they might connect and work, collaboratively.

Gerard was awarded an Artist Connect bursary to establish Film In Kilkenny from Kilkenny Arts Office in March.

Earlier this month approximately fifty film makers attended its inaugural information and networking event, supported by Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel, IMC Cinema Kilkenny, Kilkenny People and Kilkenny Live.

There was a great atmosphere at the event as filmmakers introduced themselves as scriptwriters, producers, directors, editors, sound, camera, cinematography, scoring, VFX, props, special FX, crew, make up, actors and extras.

Having this range of industry roles in one room, sharing their experience, ideas and aims, demonstrates that Kilkenny and the South-East region, has the skills and ambition to make diverse, original films and to attract international productions explains Gerard.

READ MORE - WHAT'S ON IN KILKENNY

The model of foreign direct investment, and cultural tourism, as a return on investment, has proven successful for Screen Wexford, the film office for Wexford County Council, and similarly for the Waterford Film Centre (WFC).

Flavia Pordominsky (Director, Waterford Film Centre) spoke at the event on how to foster a local, South-East region screen industry and on creating initiatives for the local film making community.

I invited Flavia Pordominsky as the guest speaker, to explain how the Waterford Film Centre formed, grew as a regional film maker resource and led Flavia to become director of the WFC, which is now Screen Waterford.

Gerard also introduced Rita Mc Garvey (Economic Development Unit, Kilkenny County Council, based in the Local Enterprise Office) who announced the launch of Screen Kilkenny.

Looking to 2026, Gerard and Film In Kilkenny, are hoping to expand as a website and database for film makers, keen to locate to, work in and film in Kilkenny. Hopefully there will be plenty of lights, cameras and action!
Grieving Kilkenny families are facing 'distress and indignity' amid uncertainty over coroner services at University Hospital Waterford.

Tipperary South Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy raised the issue with Minister for Justice Jim OCallaghan in the Dail recently.

Deputy Murphy said: We are little more than 40 days from a cliff edge that the Minister has just described as a critical juncture.

From January 1, post mortems will no longer be carried out at UHW, a service that carries out 700 cases every year, which are often the most tragic and traumatic of deaths.

Behind every one of these cases is a family in shock waiting for answers and waiting simply to lay a loved one to rest.

READ MORE - WHAT'S ON IN KILKENNY

He went on to ask the Minister for Justice what steps he is going to take to resolve the situation.

Yet today, with the deadline fast approaching, there is no clarity on who will perform these examinations, where they will take place, or how families in counties Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Tipperary will be protected from delays that could last days or weeks.

How will the Minister ensure that bereaved families in the south east are not plunged into a crisis of delays, distress and indignity from January 1?

Families deserve certainty, they deserve compassion and a plan, and they deserve it now.

In response to Deputy Murphy, Minister OCallaghan said that he shared his concern regarding the situation.

He said that it was a very traumatic experience for a family if there is a long post-mortem examination.

He added that he will seek to review the laws around post-mortems and when they are deemed necessary.

Minister OCallaghan continued: My Department has been engaging with locum pathologists with a view to agreeing a solution to the situation in UHW from 1 January next.

This approach is an unfortunate necessity to minimise any impact on bereaved family members who are engaging with the Coroner Service.

I am conscious that the situation in University Hospital Waterford has reached a critical juncture and an urgent solution is required.

I will consider and continue to seek to engage on this issue but it is an issue over which I do not have full control in light of what pathologists are doing at present.

Approximately 700 autopsies are conducted at University Hospital Waterford every year. All six pathologists at the hospital have confirmed that they plan to withdraw their services from January 1.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
A NEW business that would bring 15 jobs to Laois still has no electricity, three months after the owner paid more than 15,000 to ESB Networks.

The frustrated businessman will probably pull the plug on the venture with the loss of much-needed jobs, a council meeting was told.

Cllr Aidan Mullins said he was contacted by a well-established businessman, who already has offices in Kildare and outside the country, who wants to start a new enterprise in Ballybrittas.

The operation, which requires three-phase electricity, would provide 15 jobs immediately with more to come.

The Independent councillor said: He paid between 15,000 and 20,000 three months ago but he has still not been connected.

Heres a man that wants to start a business and create jobs. Three months in and he cannot get basic infrastructure. Not only that, but the ESB wont even tell him when he will be connected.

Asking council management to step in and demand action from ESB Networks, Cllr Mullins said: This man will probably pull the plug if he cant get a connection and those jobs will be lost.

The Portarlington councillor remarked that it was absolutely scandalous that the ESB had never responded to repeated council complaints, regarding long delays in providing electricity connections.

We might as well be out in Cameroon or somewhere. Its an absolute joke. Its an absolute disgrace, he told the December meeting of Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District (MD).

He added that he was aware of other people who were waiting 10 weeks for an electricity connection, as he condemned the poor service provided by ESB Networks that had been constantly criticised at council meetings.

Cllr Mullins said: These suits are well paid, they should be answerable here. It is a semi-State body.

Graiguecullen-based Cllr Ben Brennan agreed and said he was aware of a local man who waited three years for an electricity connection, while another paid for a connection in February but it was not turned on until two weeks ago.

Cllr Brennan added that councillors had no contact number for anyone to assist them in the ESB, when constituents needed help.

He said: We need a number that we can contact in the ESB. We have repeatedly asked for one.

Cllr Aisling Moran said the problem was that the utility received payment in advance, so there was no incentive to connect customers without delay.

She said: I would like to know how far behind they are in providing connections and their level of staffing.

An official told Cllr Mullins that his concerns regarding the delay in providing a connection for the Ballybrittas business would be brought to the attention of the council management team.
Columbia University has indefinitely extended its search for a permanent president, pushing past a January 1, 2026 deadline and stretching what has become the longest presidential hunt at the Ivy League institution since 1948a delay that underscores the extraordinary difficulty of filling what higher education observers are calling "one of the toughest jobs" in American academia.

The postponement, announced in early December by board co-chair David Greenwald and three other Columbia affiliates leading the search, offers no new target date and acknowledges that finding someone willing and able to navigate the university's perfect storm of challenges has proven far more difficult than anticipated.

"The importance of this decision warrants taking the additional time necessary to fully understand each candidate's strengths and potential fit for Columbia, and to identify the individual best suited to lead Columbia into its next era," the statement said, framing the delay as deliberate and thoughtful rather than desperatethough the subtext is clear: Columbia is struggling to close a deal.

The extended search leaves Columbia seeking its fourth president in just three years, after losing two leaders in the past 16 months to campus turmoil that has made the position appear increasingly untakeable to qualified candidates who presumably have other, less fraught options.

A Position Nobody Wants

While the search committee hasn't publicly confirmed candidate withdrawals, Bloomberg reported that the process has extended as Columbia works to find someone willing to accept what may be the most challenging presidency in American higher education.

The challenges facing Columbia's next president read like a worst-case scenario for university leadership:

Trump Administration Pressure: Multiple federal agencies are investigating Columbia over alleged antisemitism. The Trump administration froze $400 million in federal research funding in March 2025, forcing the university into a $200 million settlement that required sweeping policy changes and commitments that faculty view as compromising academic autonomy.

Campus Polarization: Gaza-related protests in spring 2024 tore the campus apart, with extended encampments, building occupations, and confrontations that drew national attention and congressional investigation. Any new president will inherit a deeply divided community where virtually any response to Israeli-Palestinian issues will enrage substantial portions of students, faculty, alumni, and donors.

Faculty Skepticism: Labor unions representing professors sued the Trump administration over funding revocation, accusing it of leveraging funds to compel speech restrictions. Faculty members are wary of leadership that might capitulate to political pressure, creating tension with trustees and donors who want stability and reduced controversy.

Interim President Unpopularity: Acting President Claire Shipman's unpopularity was on display at Columbia's most recent graduation ceremony, when her speech was drowned out by heckles and boos. The next permanent president inherits not just institutional challenges but a community accustomed to expressing open contempt for university leadership.

Congressional Scrutiny: House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chair Tim Walberg has warned he'll be "watching" Columbia's next moves, with his committee demanding detailed student disciplinary records and maintaining active oversight that could trigger hearings if the new president makes moves Republicans disapprove of.

Financial Uncertainty: While Columbia's endowment remains substantial, the $200 million settlement payment, potential loss of federal research funding, and donor backlash from multiple directions create budget pressures that limit the new president's flexibility.

What qualified academic or administrator looks at this combination and thinks: "Yes, this is the job for me"?

The Leadership Revolving Door

Columbia's presidential instability began with Lee Bollinger's 2023 departure after serving as the university's 19th president since 2002the longest-serving Ivy League president at the time he stepped down.

Minouche Shafik (2023-August 2024): Bollinger's successor lasted barely over a year before resigning amid intense criticism of her handling of Gaza protests. Shafik appeared before a hostile congressional hearing where her responses failed to satisfy either progressive faculty who thought she was too aggressive toward protesters or conservatives who thought she was too tolerant of antisemitism. Unable to satisfy anyone, she departed in August 2024.

Katrina Armstrong (August 2024-March 2025): The interim president, a physician and executive vice president for Health and Biomedical Sciences, stepped into the role temporarily. But when the Trump administration froze federal funding and demanded policy changes, Armstrong found herself negotiating the controversial $200 million settlement that required Columbia to implement mandatory antisemitism training, roll back some diversity programs, and accept ongoing federal monitoring. Faculty and community members viewed the settlement as capitulation. Armstrong stepped down in March 2025, returning to lead Columbia's Irving Medical Center.

Claire Shipman (March 2025-present): The current acting president, a journalist and Columbia alumna, has struggled with legitimacy from the start. The graduation ceremony where students heckled and booed her speech became a viral symbol of Columbia's dysfunction. She holds the position not because she was anyone's first choice but because someone had to run the institution while the search dragged on.

Three leaders in under three years, with two departures under pressure and one interim who never sought the permanent role. The pattern sends a clear message to potential candidates: Columbia presidencies don't end well.

What Columbia Wants vs. What Columbia Can Get

A campus-wide survey issued by the search committee over the summer revealed what the Columbia community believes the next president should prioritize:

Supporting research and scholarship

Affirming the school's commitment to academic freedom

Recruiting and retaining impressive faculty

Experience leading complex organizations

Ability to navigate a polarized political environment

Deep understanding of research and scholarship

The survey respondents essentially asked for a superhuman: someone with unimpeachable academic credentials, proven administrative success at similarly complex institutions, political dexterity to satisfy both progressive faculty and conservative investigators, commitment to academic freedom while also satisfying those demanding restrictions on certain speech, and the courage to stand firm on principles while also being flexible enough to make necessary compromises.

Oh, and this person should also be willing to take a job where the last three occupants left unhappily or were pushed out.

The gap between what Columbia wants and what qualified candidates might be willing to accept likely explains the extended search.

The Harvard Contrast

The contrast with Harvard, Columbia's peer institution that faced similar challenges, is instructive.

Harvard president Claudine Gay resigned in January 2024 following the same congressional hearing that doomed Columbia's Shafik. But Harvard quickly installed interim president Alan Garber, who has taken a more defiant approach to Trump administration demands.

Garber has fought in court rather than immediately settling, won important legal victories over federal funding freezes, and become "something of a folk hero on campus" according to press reports. Harvard's willingness to litigate rather than capitulate has bought goodwill with faculty even as it prolongs uncertainty.

Columbia, by contrast, chose rapid settlementpaying $200 million to end investigations and restore funding. That choice may have been financially prudent but politically toxic with faculty who view it as abandoning academic freedom under pressure.

Any new Columbia president must either defend the settlement and risk being viewed as complicit in surrendering institutional autonomy, or distance themselves from it and risk reopening conflicts with federal investigators. Neither option is appealing.

The 1948 Comparison

The search committee's statement noted this is Columbia's longest presidential search since 1948a comparison that invites historical reflection.

In 1948, Columbia selected Dwight D. Eisenhower as president, a choice that seems bizarre in retrospect: a five-star general with no academic credentials leading an elite university. But Eisenhower's military leadership experience and national stature made him an attractive candidate in post-World War II America, and his Columbia tenure (1948-1953) preceded his election as U.S. president.

The comparison suggests Columbia is willing to consider non-traditional candidatesperhaps business leaders, government officials, or other prominent figuresif conventional academic administrators continue declining to pursue the position.

But the circumstances differ dramatically. Eisenhower came to Columbia at a moment of national confidence and university expansion. Today's Columbia needs someone to navigate contraction, conflict, and a hostile political environment. The skills required are fundamentally different.

Candidates Reportedly Reconsidering

While the search committee hasn't publicly confirmed which candidates were considered or withdrew, Bloomberg's reporting suggests the process has lost momentum as potential presidents reconsider whether Columbia is worth the professional and personal costs.

For any sitting university president or provost, leaving a stable position for Columbia requires weighing:

Career Risk: If Columbia remains tumultuous (likely), the presidency could end in forced resignation that damages future prospects. Academic careers depend on reputation; a failed Columbia presidency becomes a permanent stain.

Personal Cost: University presidencies require intense work under the best circumstances. Columbia's circumstances would mean constant crisis management, hostile media coverage, congressional hearings, donor confrontations, faculty votes of no confidence, and student protests. Some candidates presumably decided their families and personal well-being aren't worth the salary.

Limited Upside: Even if a Columbia president somehow navigates the challenges successfully, what's the reward? Columbia isn't going to rise in rankings or achieve dramatic breakthroughs while managing multiple crises. The best-case scenario is stabilizing an institution in crisisadmirable, but not career-defining in ways that might justify the risks.

Rational calculation suggests declining Columbia's offer, which may explain why the search drags on without resolution.

What Happens Now?

With no deadline for completing the search, Columbia faces indefinite uncertainty. Claire Shipman continues as acting president without the authority or mandate that comes with a permanent appointment. Major decisions get deferred pending permanent leadership. Faculty recruitment suffers. Students question institutional stability.

The extended search also creates cascade effects:

Other Universities: Institutions seeking presidents may find candidates more reluctant if Columbia's search demonstrates how difficult these roles have become. The higher education leadership pipeline may constrict as talented administrators decide the risks exceed the rewards.

Columbia's Reputation: Every month without a permanent president reinforces perceptions of institutional dysfunction. Prospective students and faculty consider whether to commit to an institution that can't even fill its top position.

Board Pressure: Trustees face mounting criticism for the extended search. If the delay continues into late 2026, board members themselves may face pressure to resign for failing to execute their most important responsibility.

The search committee's options are limited:

Compromise on Candidates: Accept someone who doesn't meet all criteria but is willing to take the job Expand Compensation: Offer salary and benefits sufficiently generous to overcome reluctance Promote from Within: Elevate a current administrator who knows Columbia's challenges Stay with Interim: Keep Shipman or find another interim leader and try again later Non-Traditional Choice: Recruit from outside traditional academia

None are ideal solutions, but the current situationindefinite acting leadership while the search extends into a second yearmay be worse than any of them.

The Longer View

Columbia University will eventually find a president. Someone will accept the position, whether because they believe they can succeed where others failed, because they need the career opportunity, or because Columbia offers sufficient compensation to overcome reluctance.

But the extended search reveals a troubling reality about higher education leadership in 2025: the job of running a major research university has become so difficult, so politically fraught, and so personally costly that highly qualified candidates are declining opportunities they once would have eagerly pursued.

If Columbiaan Ivy League institution with massive resources, global prestige, and premier locationstruggles to attract candidates, what does that mean for less prestigious universities facing similar challenges?

The answer may be that university leadership becomes less professionalized, with institutions settling for less experienced administrators, shorter presidential tenures, and lower expectations for what presidents can accomplish. The era of transformational university leadership may be giving way to an era of crisis management and survivalwith Columbia's extended search serving as the cautionary tale that began the transition.

For now, Claire Shipman holds the fort at Columbia, the search committee continues evaluating candidates without deadline pressure, and the university community waits to learn who will be brave or foolish enough to accept one of the toughest jobs in American higher education.

Originally published on University Herald
Kim Kardashian's long-awaited law school graduation celebration took an unexpected turn when her two sons, Saint and Psalm, broke into a loud fight onstage, stopping her speech in front of family and friends.

The moment aired on this week's episode of "The Kardashians," showing how quickly a proud milestone became a chaotic scene.

The celebration took place in May at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where guests gathered for a surprise party in her honor.

Kardashian had just begun thanking her guests when Saint, 10, started smacking a microphone that had been left on behind her.

Psalm, 6, tried to take the mic from him, and the boys began pulling it back and forth while sitting in full view of the crowd.

Their aunt Khloe Kardashian tried to whisper for them to "stop," but the situation escalated within seconds, DailyMail reported.

Kardashian paused her speech and turned around, clearly embarrassed. "Hey, guys! No fighting. Come on. Come on! Stop it. I'm serious!" she said as she tried to separate them.

Psalm shouted, "I want it!" while Saint refused to let go because "he had it" first. When Saint finally grabbed the microphone again, he yelled "LeBron James!" into it, sending loud feedback across the room.

Kim Kardashian mortified as sons fight on stage during her law school graduation party https://t.co/KNvNGKPJHK pic.twitter.com/FH44JOmKEW  Page Six (@PageSix) December 11, 2025

Kim Kardashian Jokes About Her Kids' Behavior

Trying to stay calm, Kardashian took the microphone back and returned to the podium, but the moment wasn't over.

Psalm quickly got behind her and let out more loud screams into the remaining mic, forcing her to intervene again.

She eventually regained control, though her flustered expression showed exactly how overwhelmed she felt.

In a later confessional, Kardashian admitted the incident wasn't surprising for her family.

She joked that some children seem naturally inclined to behave like perfect little angels whenever they're out in public.

"And then there's mine." Still, she said the celebration meant "the world" to her, even with the interruptions.

According to ENews, Kardashian has been studying law since 2019 and passed California's "baby bar" exam in 2021 after several attempts.

She recently shared that she did not pass the State Bar of California on her first try, but she remains determined.

Originally published on Enstarz
A new mobile boutique will travel throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania to provide free clothing, essentials, and resources to children entering the foster care system.

The Kindness Project will launch The Kindness Express: A Mobile Boutique on Friday, Dec. 12, at 3:30 p.m. at The Kindness Exchange Boutique, 4752 Mill Road, Emmaus.

The boutique-on-wheels will deliver free clothing, hygiene items, school supplies, baby equipment, and comfort items to foster families.

Every child deserves dignity, stability, and the chance to show up confidently in their world, said Jenae Holtzhafer, founder and executive director. The Kindness Express allows us to meet them where theyre at - privately and compassionately. When a child is displaced to an unfamiliar home with nothing but a small bag of mismatched items - or sometimes with nothing at all - we show up for them the way every child deserves. Our goal is to ensure to them they are seen, loved, and that they matter.

The organization plans to schedule Stuff the Truck events for businesses, schools, and other organizations to contribute needed items through local donation drives.

Lehigh Valley Health Network Reilly Childrens Hospital, part of Jefferson Health, will serve as the premier sponsor for three years.

We want foster children to have the best chance of reaching their potential, said Dr. Nathan Hagstrom, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Lehigh Valley Reilly Childrens Hospital. The Kindness Express brings hope, dignity, and support to the children, and the families opening their hearts and homes to them.

The Kindness Project is a donation-based, volunteer-driven nonprofit that provides foster and adoptive families with essential items at no cost, including infant equipment, diapers, formula, beds, bedding, clothing, shoes, and hygiene items.
Four bison bulls left their home at the Trexler Nature Preserve in Pennsylvania on Nov. 19 for new grazing land at the Seneca Nations Gakwi:yo:h Farms in New York, marking the second transfer between the conservation partners working to restore grassland ecosystems and support Native food sovereignty.

Lehigh County, Lehigh Valley Zoo, Wildlife Restoration Foundation, and Seneca Nation of Indians announced their collaboration on the relocation Thursday. It advances a partnership aimed at creating a conservation herd model that keeps bison wild while contributing to grasslands recovery.

This day has been months in the making, and to see it all come together for this transfer was very rewarding. Were very excited to continue in this process and creating these partnerships was a necessary step, said Sara Koplish, general curator at Lehigh Valley Zoo. Through this collaboration, the Zoo is able to make a much bigger impact for bison.

The transfer builds on efforts to restore American bison to the Northeast, where the species once thrived before being hunted to near extinction in the 1800s. In Pennsylvania, the last wild bison was reportedly killed in 1801. Bison were recognized as Americas national mammal in 2016.

The bulls will join existing herds at Gakwi:yo:h Farms, where they graze among native vegetables and fruits grown as part of the Seneca Nations food sovereignty initiative that provides nutrition and employment to the community.

I was honored to support the transfer of four juvenile bison bulls from the Lehigh Valley Zoo to the Seneca Nations Gakwi:yo:h Farms. The bulls make a strong addition to our existing herd, said Senecas first lady, Nicole Seneca. I look forward to continued opportunities and collaborations that will help expand Gakwi:yo:h Farms and strengthen Native food sovereignty.

Lehigh Valley Zoo has managed the bison at the Trexler Nature Preserve for more than 20 years. The preserve currently maintains a herd of about 14 bison on 20 acres, where the animals can express natural behaviors such as wallowing and horning while establishing family groups.

Members of the bison herd at Trexler Nature Preserve in Lehigh County. Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com

Zoo staff throughout 2025 have been addressing a change in herd dynamics resulting from the September 2024 death of the patriarch bison, Big Boy. Born in May 2004 at Trexler Nature Preserve, Big Boy served as leader of the herd for most of his life. In response to the remaining bulls attempting to determine who would become the next leader, the zoo in March split Trexlers resident bison herd between two separate pastures.

After this transfer we were able to combine the remaining 10 bison into one herd, Koplish said Thursday. We plan to continue working with the Wildlife Restoration Foundation to continue to diversify our herd through additional acquisitions and dispositions of bison.

The partnership with Gakwi:yo:h Farms aims to maintain natural herd structures and behaviors, ensure genetic diversity, implement advanced herd management strategies, restore native grasslands, and enhance public education. The zoo conducted its first transfer of four bison to the Seneca Nation in 2021.

Rick Molchany, Lehigh County director of general services, said the county continues to support the preserves original mission. It was his vision and determination that played an important part in the preservation of bison. We owe a debt of gratitude to General Trexler; he was wise and committed to the preservation mission, Molchany said, referring to General Harry C. Trexler.

The initiative leverages expertise from Lehigh Valley Zoo staff, Seneca Nation, Wildlife Restoration Foundation, the InterTribal Buffalo Council, and various federal, state, and tribal entities to manage the health and habitats of bison herds across the country.

Partnering on the transfer of four bison bulls from Trexler Nature Preserve to Seneca Nation lands in New York were, from left, Gerry Fisher, director of Gakwi:yo:h Farms; Nicole Seneca, Seneca Nation of Indians first lady; Sara Koplish, Lehigh Valley Zoo general curator; Julie Anton Randall, president of Wildlife Restoration Foundation; and Elizabeth Bernardo, Lehigh Valley Zoo assistant curator/registrar. Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com

American bison serve as a keystone species and ecosystem engineers for grasslands, supporting interdependent native wildlife species, including those in soil and pollinators. Before European settlement, bison were foundational to tribal nations across much of the United States, providing food, shelter, clothing, and playing central roles in traditions and spiritual rituals.

The Seneca Nation is a sovereign Native Nation and the largest nation of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, with more than 8,500 enrolled members living primarily in western New York.

Supervising reporter Kurt Bresswein contributed to this report. Reach him at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
A Council meeting was told 15 new jobs could be lost because the ESB havent connected a new business.

Independent Cllr Aidan Mullins raised the issue at the December meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.

Cllr Mullins said he received a call from a man who wants to start a new business venture in Ballybrittas. 15 jobs immediately with more to come. They have offices in Kildare, they have businesses outside the country, said Cllr Mullins.

He said the man needs three phase electricity to operate and has paid between 15,000 and 20,000 to the ESB for a connection three months ago.

He cannot get a connection. Heres a man that wants to start a business and create jobs. Three months he cannot get basic infrastructure, not only that the ESB wont even tell him when he will be connected, said Cllr Mullins.

You might as well be in Cameroon or somewhere, it is an absolute joke, it is an absolute disgrace, said Cllr Mullins.

He asked that the Council step in and demand action from the ESB. These suits are well paid, they should be answerable here. It is a semi State body, said Cllr Mullins.

This man will probably pull the plug if he doesnt get a connection, jobs will be lost he added.

Independent Cllr Ben Brennan said he was aware of a man who waited three years for an electrical connection. He said Councillors have no contact number for anyone to assist them in the ESB. We need answers but we are not getting the answers, said Cllr Brennan.

He said another young man who paid in February for a connection to his house was only connected two weeks ago.

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said she agreed with her colleagues. I think the problem is they are actually paid in advance, said Cllr Moran. She said the ESB needs to hire more staff to deal with the workload.

You should get your date(Connection) and pay your money three days before they start, she said.

The issue was discussed at the December meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.
Major work needs to be done to address the ongoing flooding on the N80 road in the busy Laois town of Mountmellick, according to a local councillor.

Councillor Paddy Bracken urged Laois County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to address the issue on the N80 at Emmet Street in Mountmellick.

That stretch of road has experienced serious flooding in recent times. Storm Amy led to significant flooding in the town in early October and caused havoc for traffic and local residents.

Laois County Fire and Rescue crews had to be deployed during the floods which they said were caused by a blocked or damaged drain.

READ NEXT: Decision made on first key project of Mountmellick Town Centre First plan

Speaking at the December meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick MD, Cllr Bracken said: "There's severe flooding there and major work needs to be done."

Laois County Council's Road Design team told the Councillor that they would liaise with TII and consider the issues at Emmet Street.

They also explained: "All those gullies up there are going to a soak pit, which I'm told is about 30 years old now and it's been built over. A survey will be done and a new design will have to be carried out to find a discharge."

As a national road, TII is responsible for the N80. However, Cllr Bracken emphasised that the fact Laois County Council cannot act upon the issue themselves is "a disgrace."

He told the council that he has raised this motion numerous times and it has yet to be resolved by TII.

At the same meeting, Cllr Seamus McDonald raised a similar motion to have the road at Clonduff in Rosenallis included in the 2026 Roads Programme and to resolve the flooding problem there.

Cllr McDonald said: "It's been 40 years since any road repairs have been carried out in this area. As far as I'm concerned, it's forgotten land."

The council responded that the Area Office will investigate the flooding.

A delegation of councillors are to meet with TII in the coming months to discuss such issues as flooding and other matters concerning roads.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
The Minister for Defence has launched the Defence Sectoral National Development Plan (NDP) 2026 - 2030, which is worth 1.7 billion.

Helen McEntee TD launched the NDP yesterday (December 11 last) during a visit to the Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC) at the Curragh Camp.

This marks Minister McEntees first official visit to the DFTC since taking office.

According to a statement released by the Department of Defence, the NDP sets out the governments "record 1.7bn capital investment in defence over the next five years, an increase of 600 million, or 55 per cent, on the previous baseline".

The Department added: "In an era defined by a rapidly evolving geopolitical tensions, the investment will modernise the Defence Forces' capability across all domains and ensure that Ireland continues to meet its national and international security responsibilities."

READ NEXT: Family Hub consisting of 42 rooms proposed for Kildare

Key features of the NDP include:

"Record multi-annual investment rising from 300m in 2026 to 360m in 2029  2030"

"Major capability upgrades across land, air, maritime and cyber domains"

"Full delivery of the Military Radar Programme by 2028, with phased rollout beginning in 2026"

"19m accelerated investment in Counter-UAS systems ahead of Irelands 2026 EU Council Presidency"

"Air Corps modernisation, including: Four Airbus H145M helicopters (2027  2028); progress on acquiring eight Super Medium Helicopters Delivery of a new Falcon 6X strategic aircraft; and the replacement of the PC-9M fleet by 2029 / 2030

"Naval Service upgrades, including: Towed Array Sonar; a Sonobuoy project; and the P60 Fleet Extension Programme

Army capability improvements, including: midlife upgrade of 80 MOWAG Piranha III vehicles; progression of the Armoured Fleet Replacement; acquisition of RPAS / drones; rollout of Software Defined Radios"

"400m investment in Defence Forces infrastructure, including: accommodation, offices, gyms, aircraft hangars and naval berthage"

"175m for IT, transport, engineering and ordnance systems"

"Strong governance structure, which would include updated Equipment Development and Infrastructure Development Plans as well as rigorous procurement oversight"

The Minister also said that capital funding for defence had increased from 141m in 2022 to 300m in 2026, and claimed that this will rise further to 360m by 2029.

READ NEXT: Extend festive train times all year round  TD

'SIGNIFICANT'

Expressing her optimism for the new NDP, Minister McEntee said: "This is the most significant investment package in the Defence Forces in the history of the State.

"The changed geopolitical landscape since Russias invasion of Ukraine has made it absolutely clear that we must continuously improve and strengthen our defence capabilities."

She continued: "I intend to prioritise the actions necessary to achieve this; to remain effective, we must work effectively with our partners and ensure we can respond swiftly.

"This plan will deliver the equipment, infrastructure and capabilities our Defence Forces need to operate safely and effectively, at home and overseas."

She concluded: "We now have both the plan and the funding in place and my focus is firmly on delivery so that we can build a stronger, more modern and more resilient Defence Forces for the future."

Minister Helen McEntee also made headlines yesterday when she asserted that Ireland will have anti-drone technology in place by next summer.

The technology will "identify and neutralise" drones that "may be a threat" and aims to be in place before the meeting of senior EU figures in Dublin in July of 2026.

The Minister for Defence and Fine Gael TD, Helen McEntee. Photograph credit: oireachtas.ie

READ NEXT: Searches carried out in Kildare and Offaly as part of investigation into fatal Edenderry arson attack

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Uisce Eireann has announced plans to lodge a planning application seeking permission for a new water supply project in the eastern and midland regions of the country issuing a major boost for residents of Kildare.

The State utility says the project, if approved, will be the largest-ever water project in Irish history with capacity to support the water supply needs of up to 50% of the State's population.

Subject to planning, Uisce Eireann says it hopes to start construction in 2028 and to be completed within five years. The project is expected to cost between 4.58 billion and 5.96 billion.

The project will provide a resilient supply as the current water supply in the midlands and eastern regions of the country has faced huge challenges recently with an over-reliance on just one source to supply to over 1.7 million people.

Kildare will be one of the main beneficiaries along with Dublin, Meath and Wicklow as they will be provided with a resilient, safe, secure water supply as a result of the project.

Under the plan, it is proposed that water from the river Shannon will be treated near Birdhill, County Tipperary and that it will then be piped 170km through counties Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in County Dublin, connecting into the Greater Dublin Area water distribution network.

Uisce Eireann says it will formally submit the planning application to An Coimisiun Pleanala next week. This application will consist of over 500 documents including a Strategic Infrastructure Development planning application and Compulsory Purchase Order application.

READ MORE: Kildare County Council presents a classic Christmas film at Naas Library and Cultural Centre

The project will create a treated water supply spine across the country providing infrastructure which will serve communities along the route in Tipperary, Offaly, and Westmeath.

In addition, supplies currently serving Dublin will be enabled to be redirected back to Kildare as well as Louth, Meath, Carlow and Wicklow which will provide security of supply to homes and businesses supporting growth and promoting regional development.

Uisce Eireann have announced that the project, if approved, will employ more that one thousand people directly as well as a significant associated spend on local supplier goods and services.

The utility is also proposing a bespoke Community Benefit Scheme as part of the Water Supply Project, to support communities that will host construction activities and permanent infrastructure. This includes a multi-million euro Community Gain Investment Fund.

Extensive public consultation has taken place to-date and further consultation will be carried out over the coming weeks and months with a dedicated project Community Liaison Officer visiting impacted communities to meet with local stakeholders and sharing further information on the project.

READ NEXT: Family Hub consisting of 42 rooms proposed for Kildare

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers TD said: "The submission of this planning application for the Water Supply Project to An Coimisiun Pleanala is a major milestone that will unlock housing in the Eastern and Midlands Region."

He continued: "This project is a vital piece of infrastructure to support Irelands development, not alone in the delivery of new homes for young people, families and workers in our economy, but to sustain businesses and communities right through the Midlands and Eastern region of our country."

Maria ODwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director at Uisce Eireann (pictured below) added: "The growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience in the Eastern & Midlands Region is simply not sustainable. It is estimated 34% more water will be needed by 2044 in the Greater Dublin Area."

"This project is critical to enable us to support housing delivery and is backed by the Governments continued funding commitment. Over the coming months we will continue engage with potential contractors and progress the procurement process so that works can be mobilised as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Water Supply Project proposes to abstract water from the Parteen Basin on the Lower River Shannon, utilising a maximum of 2% of it's long-term average flow.
A County Kildare woman is part of a team behind a brand-new monolingual Irish dictionary which was curated by the Irish language advocacy group Foras na Gaeilge.

'An Focloir Nua Gaeilge' ('The New Irish Dictionary' in English) was launched on Tuesday, December 9 last by the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly.

The new dictionary, which is also free to access, aims to provides Irish language speakers and learners with a new way to understand, use and learn the Irish language, all without relying on dictionaries in English or in other languages.

Caitriona Ni Chathain, who is a Trinity College Dublin graduate hailing from Kilcock, is the project administrator for the project.

She worked alongside the chief dictionary editor, Padraig O Mianain, as well as a team of editors on the project. Work on the dictionary initially began in September of 2022.

An initial collection of 20,000 entries, comprising 40,000 word senses, the dictionary is now live on focloir.ie to access free of charge.

READ NEXT: Family Hub consisting of 42 rooms proposed for Kildare

FEATURES

According to the project's team, the dictionary:

"Reflects Irish as a living language by including real-world, every-day, contemporary usage, aiming to re-affirm current good practice in the standard language as well as recognising common dialectal forms"

"Includes definitions of foreign words that are in common use in the Irish language, such as ad hoc, al fresco, baguette, cappuccino and aide-de-camp"

"Has dedicated entries and definitions for many phrases, idioms and proverbs"

"Meets the needs of advanced Irish speakers and also gives helpful grammar and pronunciation guidance for those less sure about how to use and pronounce words and phrases"

"Aims to provide guidance where needed as to the intricacies of Irish grammar, more than would ordinarily have been provided in previous dictionaries. This is done through various means such as usage notes, grammar information within entries, or widespread use of examples that illustrate different points of grammar"

'AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE'

Speaking about the new Irish dictionary, President Connolly said that a "contemporary monolingual dictionary is an essential resource in any living language".

"This new dictionary places the Irish language and Irish speakers on an equal footing with other modern languages and communities," The President added. "Irish-language dictionary resources are now a model of best practice for other minoritised languages around the world."

In addition, the CEO of Foras na Gaeilge, Sean O Coinn said: For generations, Irish speakers, including those from Kildare, who encountered unfamiliar Irish words were forced to translate them into English and then search for definitions in English dictionaries.

"This tedious process not only created unnecessary barriers to learning but also shaped how Irish speakers understood the world  through the lens of English."

READ NEXT: Kildare County Council presents a classic Christmas film at Naas Library and Cultural Centre

However, according to Mr O Coinn, the new dictionary "changes this paradigm".

He explained: "Instead of asking 'Whats the English for X?', speakers will now be empowered to ask 'What does X mean?' in their own language.

"This shift has the potential to transform the teaching and learning of Irish at all levels  from young children discovering new vocabulary for the first time, to advanced speakers seeking deeper linguistic insight."

The main phase of the dictionary project is scheduled to be completed by August 2027, by which time it is expected to comprise 30,000 entries and 80,000 senses.

'An Focloir Nua Gaeilge' is principally funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in Dublin, as well as the Department for Communities in Belfast, with additional support from the Department of Education in Dublin.

Pictured at a special Foras na Gaeilge event to launch the new monolingual dictionary, An Focloir Nua Gaeilge, in the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin on Tuesday evening (09/12/25) were the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly, and members of the An Focloir Nua Gaeilge project team. Photograph credit: Leon Farrell.

READ NEXT: Extend festive train times all year round  TD
Local Minister James Lawless TD has expressed support for the planned upcoming changes of the Kildare Commuter bus network announced by the National Transport Authority (NTA), with the changes due to take effect at the end of 2026.

The overhaul follows a sharp rise in demand along the Kildare commuter corridors. Passenger numbers have doubled since 2019, increasing from 1.2 million to 2.4 million journeys a year.

Kildares population has also grown by 11 per cent between 2016 and 2025, placing added pressure on existing services.

Deputy Lawless said the new network would improve reliability, capacity, and day-to-day convenience for commuters across the county.

READ NEXT: Gardai appeal to Kildare public over Edenderry arson attack

Under the plans, the 120 Corridor will see the introduction of a new peak-time 128 service linking Prosperous, Sallins, Sandyford and UCD. Routes 120C and 120D will be consolidated and rebranded as route 121, with some departures extended to Maynooth. Extra services will also be added on the 120X.

The 126 Corridor will be simplified into a single alignment between Dublin, Naas, Newbridge, Kildare and Rathangan. A new 24-hour service will operate between Dublin, Naas and Newbridge, while a new 127 route will link Newbridge, Naas, Tallaght, Sandyford and UCD.

Local Link will introduce route 893 to serve Suncroft. On the 130 Corridor, route 130 will be extended to Sallins Station to strengthen rail connections, with Dublin-bound services redesignated as 130X and all services operating via Sallins Road.

The revised network is expected to provide a 10 per cent increase in service levels across the day.

Observations

Passengers are invited to submit their observations on these proposed changes on or before the January 10 2026 via the link below.

https://consult.nationaltransport.ie/
Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (ETB) has been allocated more than 2 million in new Government funding to support essential upgrades and investment across its further education and training facilities.

Fianna Fail TD for SligoLeitrim, Deputy Eamon Scanlon, has welcomed confirmation of 2.03 million in funding, announced this morning by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD.

The funding will support a wide range of works, including building maintenance, health and safety improvements, accessibility upgrades, ICT and equipment modernisation, and energy-efficiency measures. Investment will also be directed towards specialist equipment aimed at upskilling staff and learners in key sectors such as construction, biopharmaceuticals and MedTech.

Deputy Scanlon said the funding would have a direct and lasting impact on education and training provision across the region.

Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB plays a vital role in education in our county. This funding of over 2 million will allow the ETB to carry out important upgrades, improve access and safety, and invest in specialist equipment to support the skills our local economy needs, he said.

It ensures that learners, staff and communities will continue to be empowered now and into the future.

Part of the allocation will be delivered through the Green Devolved Capital Grant, supporting the ETB in meeting the Governments 2030 energy-efficiency and decarbonisation targets. Measures include advanced electricity, gas and water metering across further education and training buildings, aimed at improving sustainability and reducing energy-related emissions.

The funding is being provided under Project Ireland 2040 and will be distributed to education and training boards through SOLAS, with the aim of targeting resources where they are most needed to improve infrastructure, learning environments and skills training.

Deputy Scanlon also acknowledged the role of Minister Lawless in securing the investment.

I would like to sincerely thank my colleague Minister Lawless for his work on this initiative. Our ETB provides excellent learning opportunities for everyone, and I am delighted to see this funding allocated to them, he said.
Plans for a proposed micro-distillery in Ballyshannon have been submitted to Leitrim Co Council.

The planning application will see a proposed change of use of an existing agricultural building to a proposed micro-distillery, along with the installation of a septic tank and reedbed soakaway at an existing building - 6.6m high .

The plans outline that there will be no extension to the existing building but the implementation of new mezzanine level, accessed by a new metal stair, which does not relate to protected structures.

The development address is Cornaglah, Ballyshannon, Co. Leitrim, F94 X8P3.

The application is submitted in the name of Paul Carty.

READ MORE: Aughavas honour heroes of 2000 as they celebrate 25th anniversary of Leitrim SFC triumph - GALLERY

It was submitted on December 7, with a decision due date of February 9, 2026.

A number of letters of support are included with the planning application, including from Irish Craft Beverages and the local Angler's Rest pub.

Owner of the pub, Peter Lipsett said in a letter that the development will be the smallest distillery in Ireland and will use their pub for tastings.

"This will bring tourism to our town, Kinlough, and help generate prosperity and social sustainability in this part of the county," Mr Lipsett outlined in his letter.
Leitrims only animal shelter, Leitrim Animal Welfare Centre, has received funding from the Department of Agriculture under the Animal Welfare Grants Programme.

The welfare centre was awarded 35,000 as part of a total allocation of 6,434,803 distributed to 94 animal welfare charities nationwide, in recognition of their excellent work and the challenges they face.

This is the highest amount ever awarded under the Animal Welfare Grants Programme.

Leitrim Animal Welfare takes in between 300 and 400 dogs and cats each year. The number of animals in need is currently rising, meaning the centre must continue to expand its services. They expect 2026 to be one of their busiest years yet, as explained in a fundraising appeal launched earlier this month.

In addition to caring for and rehoming dogs and cats, the centre also runs an extensive Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programme, which is vital in preventing cat overpopulation.

READ NEXT: ALERT: Gardai searching for car suspected in Leitrim burglary spree

Martin Heydon TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, announced the funding on December 12.

I am delighted to be in a position to provide the highest ever allocation under the grants programme to animal welfare charities throughout the country. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the staff and all the volunteers in these organisations for their dedication to achieving the best possible outcomes to animals in their care, Minister Heydon said.

He also urged the public to think carefully before getting a pet this Christmas. A pet can bring great joy, but with that comes responsibility. Owning and caring for a pet is a major, long-term commitment, he said.

Leitrim Animal Welfare also recently issued an appeal encouraging people to adopt rather than buy from breeders, and to be mindful of the long-term responsibilities of pet ownership.

Give puppies in Ireland the best gift this Christmas: choose not to buy. It doesnt just affect one litter, it impacts every future litter that wont be bred when the profit disappears. Real change starts with one decision, the shelter said in an appeal on social media.

READ NEXT: Cancelled sale sees Leitrim holiday village complex re-enter the market
Irelands reliance on multinationals and international exports means global shocks pose a great challenge for the Irish economy, a new report has claimed.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) study looked at what might happen with the Irish economy over the next decade.

The think tank describes the outlook as relatively favourable but the report authors stressed it is a projection, not a forecast, and said the assumption that nothing will move the economy from its current trajectory is unrealistic.

The report  entitled Irelands medium-term economic outlook: Risks and opportunities  warns the country is vulnerable to external risks and unforeseen shocks.

It said this is a particular issue because budget surpluses are based on windfall corporation tax receipts and windfall taxes by definition could disappear rapidly, meaning a five billion euro surplus could become a deficit of 13 billion euro.

The presence of multinational corporations remains a tremendous positive for the Irish economy, the report said, but it also highlights the importance of domestic businesses to help mitigate economic risk.

The report focused on a number of scenarios which could impact Irelands economy in the near future including: a global slowdown, a loss of competitiveness between Ireland and its trading partners, and an exodus of multinational companies and a change in the productivity levels of Irish-owned firms.

The report also found Irelands economy has had a remarkable performance over the last 10 years, despite international and domestic challenges including Brexit and the pandemic.

It said this had led to employment and population growth all of which should be celebrated, but also that the speed of population growth after a period of low public investment following the great recession has contributed to the housing crisis.

ESRI director Professor Martina Lawless said, without any shocks, the projections show a reasonably positive continuation of growth, although at a more moderate level than it has been over the last number of years.

It also shows a number of fairly plausible external risks could have significant repercussions on the economy.

She said the most impactful ways to offset the risk would be rebalancing the composition of the economy and supporting the productivity growth of the Irish-owned firms.

She also noted that while the report covers the next decade, there are much longer-term challenges including an ageing population and climate change which are projected to hit economic activity in the mid to late 2030s.

She described the next 10 years as an opportunity for policies to promote the fundamental building blocks that support economic activity.

These include encouraging smaller firms to invest in research and development, building the countrys skills base and building up public infrastructure where there are big deficits at the moment in housing, healthcare, transport and other utilities.
Gardai are appealing for witnesses following a single-vehicle fatal road traffic collision in Murroe, Co. Limerick on Thursday.

The collision, involving a car, occurred on the Abington Road at approximately 4.10pm, said a Garda spokesperson.

"The driver of the car, a woman aged in her 70s, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Her body has been removed to University Hospital Limerick where a post mortem will take place.

"No other injuries were reported," said the Garda spokesperson.

READ NEXT: Gardai continue to investigate death of young boy who would have been eight today

The road is currently closed pending technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Local diversions are in place.

Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward.

"Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area between 3:50pm and 4:20pm, are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardai.

"Anyone with any information is asked to contact Bruff garda station on 061 382940, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station," said a garda spokesperson.
The 15 retirees honored include Mark D. Cleon, Internal Audit Manager; Mrs. Annie M. Mettle, Assistant Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility; Ronald S. Nagbe, Special Assistant to the Deputy Managing Director for Operations; Mrs. Bendu Freeman Nyanti, Executive Assistant in the Operations Department; and Ashman B. Morris, among others.
The people of Liberia expect their leaders to act in the national interest. Endorsing 14 new seats would represent a complete betrayal of fiscal responsibility and democratic governance, the group Executive Director Harold Aidoo emphasized.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
THE Ghosts of Rome by Professor Joseph OConnor, Frank McCourt Chair of Creative Writing at University of Limerick, has been announced as the 2025 An Post Irish Book of the Year.

The book was among six titles competing for the accolade, all of which were category winners at the An Post Irish Book Awards.

The Ghosts of Rome was unveiled as the An Post Irish Book of the Year during a one-hour special television show aired on RTE One last night hosted by broadcaster Oliver Callan.

The best-selling novel also won The Last Word Listeners Choice Award and was chosen as the overall winner by a distinguished panel of judges.

READ MORE: Hollywood legend set to appear on this week's Late Late Show Christmas Special

The Ghosts of Rome is one of the biggest-selling books in Ireland in 2025 and the first of Prof O'Connor's novels to receive the Irish Book of the Year Award.

Three days after publication, the novel claimed the number one spot on the Irish bestseller chart, remaining in the overall Irish top ten for five weeks and in the Irish paperback top ten for sixteen weeks.

Lauded by critics both at home and internationally, The Ghosts of Rome has been described as dazzling by The New York Times while The Irish Times described it as an extraordinary picture of Rome under Nazi control.

The novel is the sequel to My Fathers House, which introduced readers to the heroism of Monsignor Hugh OFlaherty in Nazi-occupied Rome and his band of Escape Line activists, known as The Choir, as they attempt to smuggle refugees to safety.

The Ghosts of Rome was published in paperback this week with the final book in the Rome Escape Line trilogy due for publication in January 2027.

A former student of Prof OConnors, Grainne OBrien, was also shortlisted for the Irish Book of the Year Award for her debut novel, Solo, the roots of which began while she was a student on the MA in Creative Writing at UL.

Grainne, who is both a graduate of ULs Bachelor of Arts and MA in Creative Writing, is head book buyer at Kennys Bookshop in Galway and a guest lecturer in UL where she teaches creative writing to undergraduate students.

Congratulating Prof OConnor on his award, Dr Sandra Joyce, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, said:

I am delighted to congratulate Professor Joseph OConnor on receiving the prestigious Irish Book of the Year award at the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards."

This remarkable achievement is a testament to his exceptional talent, creativity and contribution to literature."

His work continues to inspire readers and enrich the cultural landscape of Ireland and beyond. We are so fortunate to call him a colleague here at UL.

Speaking about the accolade, Prof OConnor said: I'm overjoyed and deeply honoured for The Ghosts of Rome to win Book of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2025."

It's a special moment for UL Creative Writing because my friend and colleague, the great Donal Ryan, won this award last year, and our former student, Grainne O'Brien, was shortlisted for it this year, following her stunning victory in the Young Adult Fiction category for her brilliant novel Solo."

My novel Shadowplay won Novel of the Year in 2019 but The Ghosts of Rome is the first of my books to be honoured with the top prize at the Irish Book Awards," added Prof O'Connor.

I'm hugely thankful to the voters and judging panel.

Author and chair of the An Post Book of the Year judging panel, Paul Howard, commented:

Choosing a Book of the Year was the toughest of tough tasks."

The Ghosts of Rome is a beautiful piece of writing as well as a thrilling piece of historical fiction. In dealing with the theme of good people standing up to the evils of fascism, it has strong resonance for the times in which we are living."

Prof OConnor is the author of eleven novels, including Star of the Sea, Ghost Light (Dublin One City One Book novel 2011) and Shadowplay, whose work has been translated into forty languages.

Among his awards are the Prix Zepter for European Novel of the Year, Frances Prix Millepages, Italys Premio Acerbi, an American Library Association Award and the Irish Pen Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature.

As well as being a best-selling novelist, Prof OConnor is a frequent and acclaimed broadcaster. He has worked with many well-known musicians and has performed spoken-word pieces at major venues including the National Concert Hall, New Yorks Lincoln Centre, the Barbican Centre in London and the Royal Albert Hall.

In 2014, he was appointed Frank McCourt Chair of Creative Writing at University of Limerick where he leads several modules on the MA in Creative Writing programme.
PATRICK Scanlan is looking toward to the 20th anniversary of one of the most meaningful days of his life - the run from Ballybunion to Limerick on December 17, 2005.

Patrick, aged 65, of Loughill said he is reminded of Seamus Heaneys wisdom, When you have a great harvest you are obliged to share it with your neighbours.

READ NEXT: Local business announces outdoor Limerick Christmas fair in Medieval Quarter

This year, I feel privileged to attempt the journey once again - 20 years on - not for the feat itself, but for the opportunity to support three remarkable charities: Kolkata Calling, The Arthur McCluskey Foundation, and Chernobyl Children International, said Patrick, who will leave Ballybunion at 6am this Saturday, December 13 and head for Limerick city.

Back in 2005, through peoples incredible generosity, Patrick raised 33,000.

Of that, 9,000 came directly from bucket collections along the route. Those familiar buckets will return this year as I cover the 52 miles from Ballybunion to Limerick on Saturday. If you happen to be along the N69 that day, Id be honoured if you felt comfortable stopping to drop a coin into the bucket.

The run will begin in Ballybunion at 6:00am and finish on the Dock Road in Limerick city later that afternoon. Anyone who would like to walk or run even 100 yards or more is warmly welcome to join me at any stage along the way. Your kindness and support would mean so much once again, said Patrick.

In 2006, he says he was fortunate to see the impact of generosity firsthand in Kolkata, witnessing the rehoming of street children and elderly people living in extreme hardship.

I also travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Medjugorje with the Arthur McCluskey Foundation, where I saw communities still recovering from a war that claimed over 100,000 lives and left millions homeless. Their work in poverty relief and education carried out with a deep respect for diverse religions and cultures was profoundly moving.

And, of course, the extraordinary compassion of Adi Roche and her team at Chernobyl Children International, who continue nearly four decades after the disaster to support children and families whose lives have been irrevocably affected. Their annual tradition of bringing children to Ireland at Christmas remains a beacon of hope for many, said Patrick, who reflects sadly that two of their team leaders are no longer with us.

He said the memory and kindness of Ita Hannon and Arthur McCluskey to him and the rest of the team will be foremost on his mind with every step he takes on Saturday.

I would like to personally mention with sincere gratitude my dear friend John Flynn who was the brainchild of this whole event back in 2005 and who is still running well, concludes Patrick.

For a sponsorship card contact 089 4688621 or donate via bank account IBAN: IE27 BOFI 9044 9917 004227
A MASS celebrating the life and times of reforming Limerick Bishop John Ryan will take place on Sunday.

It comes as the 200th anniversary arrives of the consecration of the Tipperary man, who worked hard after the Famine to alleviate the poverty facing scores of Limerick men and women.

All are welcome to the Mass, which begins at 12noon in St Johns Cathedral, a building Bishop Ryan was hugely involved in the delivery of.

READ MORE: Probe to take place into the way road death was investigated by Limerick gardai

Born in November 1784, and raised in the village of Templetuohy, near Thurles in Tipperary, Mr Ryan (depicted in a portrait below) was ordained a priest in Maynooth to serve the Diocese of Cashel, Emly on June 10, 1810.

His first appointment in the Cashel Diocese was as the curate of Bansha.

Following this, he went to France to minister in parishes there.

Returning to Ireland, he was appointed priest in the Doon parish, for six years, before a move over the border to his home county of Tipperary.

Prior to this, he was consecrated as a Bishop in Limerick on December 11, 1825, the anniversary which will be marked this weekend.

He was not the sole Bishop of Limerick until March 17, 1828 when he succeeded Charles Tuohy.

At the time of his accession to the role, Limerick was struggling with the aftermath of the famine.

Poverty and unemployment were common place.

Being of a practical frame of mind, he encouraged his clergy to work to improve church buildings.

He also instigated, with the help of others, the building of the current St Johns cathedral in Garryowen.

He broke ground at Mount St Lawrence cemetery, with the aim of this project to give necessary employment to the community at the time.

The Mass will be celebrated by the former Bishop of Killala John Fleming.

He will be joined at the altar by Canon Gerard Garrett and Canon Donough O'Malley who has organised the Mass.

Canon OMalley described Bishop Ryans tenure as being very fruitful and positive for the city.

He is one of the unsung heroes of the city. He was a man of his time. He perceived a need and he ably responded to the various needs in the amelioration of poverty, and trying to expand new areas of employment, and encouraging people to begin new small businesses and industries, Canon OMalley said.

All in all, Bishop Ryan served 36 years in his role.

He died in 1864, while still in the role of Bishop of Limerick..

He is laid at rest within the building of St John's Cathedral in Garryowen.
A FATHER-of-five has been fined 1,750 after he admitted a number of littering offences.

Timmy Casey, who has an address at Clonlong, Southill, Limerick appeared before Judge Catherine Ryan at Limerick District Court in relation to two offences that occurred near his home earlier this year.

Giving evidence in relation to the first incident, which occurred on January 27, 2025 a local authority officer said waste from Mr Caseys home was thrown from the back of a van.

While there is CCTV footage of the incident, Judge Ryan was told its not possible to say exactly what was dumped but that the defendant is identifiable.

A 150 fine was subsequently issued to Mr Casey but was never paid.

READ ALSO: Ongoing delays to dangerous Limerick village footpath is an accident waiting to happen

Solicitor Will Leahy, representing Limerick City and County Council said the second dumping offence occurred at the same location on March 4, 2025.

Judge Ryan was told that CCTV footage showed a large wheelie bin being taken from the defendants property and tipped over on the side of the road before being returned to the house.

Barrister Nicholas Hall said his client, who is a council tenant, mistakenly believed that he was allowed to leave rubbish on the side of the road for collection without it being inside a wheelie bin.

He added that his client is profusely apologetic and he asked the court to note his personal circumstances.

There are a lot of costs associated with young children, he said.

Noting that Mr Casey works as a steam-cleaner, Judge Ryan said she could not accept that he was unaware of the rules regarding the proper disposal of waste.

Bins should never be dumped onto the street, so it's hard to believe he didnt understand.... its a bit ironic someone in the cleaning business would engage in dumping, she said adding the rubbish represents a health hazard, attracts rodents and is unsightly.

The judge imposed fines totalling 1,750 and she directed Mr Casey to pay a contribution of 1,430 towards the costs incurred by the local authority.
BALLYHOURA Development welcomed their international partners from across Europe, for a two-day field visit as part of the Integrated Circular Economy Action Plans for Rural Areas project (iCEAR).

The visit showcased the Ballyhoura regions growing reputation as a leader in rural circular economy innovation, offering guests the opportunity to experience a rich blend of community-led, business-led, and nature-based initiatives across Limerick.

The field visit formed a key element of iCEARs interregional meeting, which brought together 13 partners from nine European countries.

READ MORE: Limerick parishes plant pollinator friendly bulbs, boosting local biodiversity

The gathering aimed to share learning and strengthen policy approaches that support resource efficiency, bio-based value chains, and sustainable rural livelihoods.

The iCEAR project seeks to improve local and regional policies that foster the circular economy, recognising that while circular economy activity is expanding across Europe, policy coordination often remains fragmented.

By improving access to information, building cross-border networks, aligning strategies across governance levels, and supporting innovative rural actions, the project aims to create more coherent and effective policy frameworks.

These improvements are intended to deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits to rural communities.

As the Irish partner, Ballyhoura Development leads local engagement, coordinates regional stakeholders, showcases emerging circular practices, and contributes to shared policy learning among European partners.

The organisations focus on sustainability, rural enterprise, and community-led development aligns strongly with the projects goals.

Kate Longmate, development officer with Ballyhoura Development, said: It was a real pleasure to welcome our iCEAR partners from across Europe to the Ballyhoura region for lively and enlightening discussion of the role of networks in circular economy.

It was inspiring to see and experience our region through their eyes, and we thank all of the businesses and community groups who welcomed us so warmly and professionally throughout the visit.

Over the two days, partners explored a wide variety of circular economy examples already flourishing within the Ballyhoura region.

Highlights included a locally sourced lunch at Barnahown, a tour of Eight Degrees Brewing in Mitchelstown, and visits to Mitchelstown Leisure Centre and Kilbehenny Community Centre, both examples of community-led reuse, repair culture and rural resilience.

Additional visits to Ballyhoura Glamping and the Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails illustrated how circular tourism, low-impact design, and land stewardship contribute to sustainable rural development.

Ballyhoura Development will continue working closely with local communities, enterprises and European partners to support a more resilient, sustainable and innovative rural region.

Reflecting on the visit, Christoph Mathias of the Institute for Rural Structural Research (IFLS) in Frankfurt, said: As lead partner of iCEAR, IFLS highly values the opportunity to learn from regions like Ballyhoura, where circular economy solutions are rooted in strong local collaboration.
PEOPLE are being urged to have their say on the future traffic plans to make Charleville safer for pedestrians, before submissions close on Tuesday next (December 16).

Over the course of six years between 2018 and 2024, there were five fatalities and a further 16 injuries on the main street of Charleville.

READ ALSO: Limerick cafe is championing inclusivity with training and employment opportunities

Fianna Fail Councillor Ian Doyle said that pedestrians crossing the street, but not using the designated crossing points are putting themselves at risk and they need to be aware of truck blind spots, particularly with the high level of HGVs going through the town.

There are a number of options to choose from, but Cllr Doyle said that the Eastern bypass option seems to be the most favoured.

The land on that route is available to buy and to my mind its the only alternative really, he said.

Cllr Doyle added that it would mean widening the road on the approach between Kilmallock Road and the water treatment plant, but otherwise, it would take a significant volume of traffic off the main street.

This would target all of the traffic using Charleville as a through-road, it would all be diverted down this Eastern bypass, he said.

The traffic plan is being developed in order to address a number of concerns including consistent congestion, poor safety records and high collision rates.

According to the team leading the project: The existing road infrastructure struggles to accommodate current traffic demands, resulting in frequent bottlenecks and hazardous conditions for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Fine Gael Councillor Aileen Browne said that people are happy that a plan is progressing.

Cllr Browne said: One of the options was to do nothing and people are very much against doing nothing - we need to do something.

She added that making the town one-way does not seem practical.

Both councillors said that people need to make submissions to have their voices heard.

All options can be viewed including maps at Charleville Library and also at the council offices in Charleville, in Annabella in Mallow and in Richmond, Glanmire.

After submissions close, a route option is expected to be chosen by the middle of 2026 and the project will then move onto phase three for a design and environmental evaluation.

Once designs have been completed, the project will move through the statutory process and construction will begin.

Submissions can be made via email to charlevilletp@corkrdo.ie or by post to Charleville Transport Project, Cork National Roads Office, Richmond, Glanmire, Cork, T45 WA44.

The Charleville Transport Project is being carried out by Cork County Council with the support of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Sweco were appointed in June of last year to carry out phases one and two of the project management.
FORMER Limerick City TD Brian Leddin has said its frustrating that he believes plans for a rail spur to Shannon Airport have been put on the long finger by Government.

Cabinet approved a five-year transport investment plan committing 24.3bn overall last month.

Missing from that plan, which covers road, rail, maritime and Active Travel funding, however, was plans to put Shannon Airport on track.

READ MORE: Limerick senior hurlers return to action this weekend

Mr Leddin said its a missed opportunity.

What has happened is the Government has basically put it on the long finger. By building a railway to an international airport like Shannon, it will basically turbo-charge the development of the Mid-West region and that's an opportunity which has been missed, he said.

He pointed out that linking Shannon Airport, via a spur from Sixmilebridge, is enshrined in both the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy and the strategic rail review.

But they have taken a decision not to progress it at this stage which is very remiss because it would have been a huge driver for the region, for both counties Limerick and Clare, he said.

Mr Leddin, who was Limericks first Green TD between 2020 and 2024, contrasted this with the inclusion of other rail links in the five-year transport plan.

What Government has essentially said is other projects are priorities. They have said the railway line from Athenry to Claremorris which serves a much smaller population, which has much lower potential, is a higher priority than connecting Shannon to the national rail network, he said.

Mr Leddin believes the Shannon rail link is more of a priority for the Mid-West than the Limerick to Foynes bypass, which is included in the five-year investment plan.

Fianna Fail Senator Dee Ryan said the two are not mutually exclusive of one another.

We want both, and I am actually meeting the Minister for Transport to discuss this. What was announced isnt the end of what is possible in the lifetime of this Government. It is the larger ticket items which were announced, she said.

Ms Ryan believes the Limerick to Foynes road is a higher priority, however, than the Shannon rail spur.

The Limerick to Foynes road, prioritised under the National Development Plan, got its funding commitment to complete. It is of strategic importance to us nationally as it joins the Port of Foynes to the motorway network at Limerick, said the former Chamber boss.
A TOWNLAND across the Shannon Estuary from Foynes Port has been selected for a major new project which could provide rescue if Irelands gas supply is disrupted.

Cahiracon, Co Clare, has been picked by Gas Networks Ireland as the location for Irelands new Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve.

A State-led project, it will provide a temporary natural gas facility which can be used in the event of interruptions to the countrys gas supply.

READ MORE: Hidden Hearing - Living well, hearing well

It will be delivered in the form of a floating storage and regasification unit, which will be owned and operated on behalf of the State by Gas Networks Ireland.

Cahiracon beat 13 other coastal sites to the project.

In recent months, Gas Networks Irelands team of engineers and consultants undertook detailed site assessments at locations in Cork Harbour and the Shannon Estuary.

Each site was evaluated against four specific criteria - technical, environmental, financial and planning.

Following this analysis, plus its associated pipe route corridor, the site at Cahiracon was deemed to best meet the project needs.

As a result of the investment, the site in Clare is to be developed to include the deep-water jetty, an onshore facility and a new connection to the national gas network.

Bobby Gleeson, the chief operating officer of Gas Networks Ireland said: This is a very significant milestone in the delivery of Irelands Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve.

Representatives of Gas Networks Ireland are set to begin engagement with the local community to inform them more about the project.

We will be keeping local stakeholders updated and informed throughout this process, Mr Gleeson said.

Gas Networks Ireland says the country needs a temporary strategic gas emergency reserve because it currently imports 80% of its natural gas via two interconnectors from Britain.

Any interruption to that supply would have a severe impact on electricity and heating to homes and businesses.

As things stand, gas provides about 30% of Irelands primary energy needs and typically generates more than 40% of our electricity.

At peak demand, gas can supply up to 80% of Irelands electricity generation.

The Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve will help mitigate this risk, as it will provide an alternative gas supply in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas.

The new unit planned for the estuary will store liquid gas at very low temperatures and then converts it to natural gas if or when required.

The vessel will be docked at a jetty in Cahiracon and can deliver this natural gas to the existing gas network if required at any point.
After a two-year hiatus in India, the world's biggest technology investor is on the move again. Masayoshi Son-led SoftBank is now examining Indian startups pursuing artificial intelligence (AI), the technology world's sunrise sector.

SoftBank did go slow on investing in India for a while, conceded Sumer Juneja, managing partner and head of EMEA and India at SoftBank Investment Advisers, attributing it to the cyclical nature of investing. "There will be times when we deploy a lot; there will be times when we get the liquidity outcome," Juneja said in an interview, adding there cannot be an investment "bazooka".

The Japanese investor is sitting on gains of a billion dollars in India this year, as two of its portfolio companiesLenskart and Meeshowent public. The company has harvested more than $7.2 billion in exits from India in the last few years, with some of the notable public market exits in Paytm, Policy Bazaar and Zomato.

View Full Image Sumer Juneja, managing partner and head of EMEA & India at SoftBank Investment Advisers

If you have a deal, we have the money," said Juneja, though SoftBank has not set aside a specific sum for India.

The company has pumped in more than $10.6 billion across 20 Indian companies. Some of its top investments are in Flipkart, Oyo, Ofbusiness, Eruditus, Icertis, Whatfix, Mindtickle, Elastic Run, Unacademy and Globalbees.

Some of these companies are likely to go public in another 12-18 months," Juneja said.

SoftBank-backed e-commerce startup Meesho on Wednesday debuted on the stock exchanges. It closed at 168.27 a share on Thursday, with a market capitalization of 75,942.46 crore, valuing SoftBank's 8.5% stake at close to $700 million. Other listed companies backed by SoftBank include Firstcry, Ola Electric, Delhivery, Swiggy and Lenskart. It is sitting on gains worth $4 billion through these listed companies.

I think it is safe to say that India is one of the strongest performing geographies for the Vision Fund. And in terms of allocation, it used to be about 8-10% of the global pool," Juneja added.

SoftBank is flexible on its cheque size, Juneja said. Armed with more than $56 billion from its Vision Fund 2, the firm that wants to focus only on tech and AI will look to write smaller cheques, something it has not done so far in the region.

Companies are becoming more capital-efficient. They're not raising as much. They've learned from 2022 (funding winter) that capital could disappear. With AI, they're becoming more efficient. And so, they're raising less capital. So, we are happy to also do smaller size checks," he added.

Competition is intensifying in the early-to-growth stage, with some of the global and homegrown players with ample dry powder, waiting to deploy cash in India.

According to Juneja, the firm is seeing a healthy flow in new deals. I think maybe there was a lull for about a year or so, but now we're seeing a pretty solid pipeline of AI-first companies. So, we hope to start deploying."

The firm is scouting for opportunities in the AI space.

We start meeting companies almost 12, 18, 24 months before we invest in those companies. And similarly, we are now meeting all the early-stage AI companies," said Sarthak Misra, partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers.

The real question now is how fast this early traction can evolve into meaningful, scaled businesses. If that transition happens quickly, youll see investments flow sooner; if it takes longer, the pace of investments will slow accordingly," said Misra.

View Full Image Sarthak Misra, partner at SoftBank.

The company, however, focuses more on the application layer, as it expects such companies to scale faster than infrastructure companies, which can then become a sizable target.

"If youre building at the application layer or offering a B2B solution, you can reach $30-50 million in revenue quickly if you hit product-market fit," he added. Infrastructure plays scale much slower, because setting up things like data centres takes time. Well simply have to wait for those to reach scale."

SoftBank has also faced challenges at some portfolio companies such as Elastic Run, Globalbees, and Unacademy, eroding some sheen from its spectacular India performance.
Nissan is all set to uncover its new MPV on December 18, which will essentially come as a sibling of the Renault Triber, the most affordable MPV in the Indian passenger vehicle market. Considering the Japanese automaker has the Magnite and X-Trail SUVs on sale in the Indian market, the upcoming MPV will be positioned between these two.

The utility vehicles in India have been witnessing rapid growth over the last couple of years. These include crossovers, SUVs and MPVs. Nissan's upcoming MPV is expected to capitalise on that trend and likely to boost the automaker's overall sales numbers and market share.

Before the upcoming Nissan MPV breaks cover, here are some key facts and expectations.

Nissan MPV: To be based on CMF-A platform Nissan's new MPV will be based on the same CMF-A architecture, which is a cheaper derivative of the CMF platform. This same vehicle architecture also houses the Renault Triber and other models. Expect the upcoming MPV to share not only the platform, but many other relevant key components as well, with the Triber.

Nissan MPV: Likely to get same 1.0-litre petrol motor Being based on the same CMF-A platform, the Nissan MPV is expected to come powered by the same 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that works in the Renault Triber. The transmission choices too would be similar. In that case, the new Nissan MPV will come offering a manual gearbox and an AMT unit to the consumers.

Nissan MPV: The OEM's second MPV in India Upon launch, the new MPV will be the second model in the segment in India from the brand. Previously, Nissan sold Evalia MPV in India, which was in business between 2012 and 2017, before being discontinued. However, Nissan's subsidiary Datsun used to sell Datsun Go+ MPV in India as well, but that was not bearing the Nissan logo.

Nissan MPV: A distinctive people mover Test mules of the upcoming Nissan MPV spotted on Indian roads have confirmed the compact proportions of the vehicle. It will come with a seven-seater layout, like the Renault Triber. Also, there will be distinctive visual appearance, making it different from the Triber.
(Bloomberg) -- Colombias financial regulator is in turmoil after dozens of officials were asked to resign amid a dispute over whether to force pension funds to repatriate tens of billions of dollars from overseas.

On Wednesday about 30 officials at the Finances Ministrys Regulation Unit were asked to step down, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision, who asked not to be named since the details arent public. The head of the unit, Monica Higuera, quit last week.

President Gustavo Petro has repeatedly criticized Colombias pension funds for investing about half of their $140 billion in assets abroad rather in the domestic economy. Earlier this year, the unit was asked to greenlight a regulatory change that would force the funds to repatriate about 125 trillion pesos ($33 billion) invested abroad.

The plan, introduced by the nations financial watchdog Superintendencia Financiera initially proposed a five-year timeline for repatriating the assets. Finance Minister German Avila then pushed for the shift to occur within just six months, the person said.

The Financial Regulation Unit warned that inflows of this size could generate market, liquidity, and counterparty credit risks. It might also raise concerns about breaching contractual agreements with private equity funds, and could adversely affect investment returns for pension savers, the person said.

Despite this, the government requested that work on the regulation continue, the person said.

Larisa Caruso, a former adviser to Avila at the finance ministry, was appointed as acting head of the unit after Higuera left.

Caracol Radio first reported the officials being asked to tender their resignations.

The press offices of the finance ministry and the financial regulation unit didnt reply to requests for comment about advisors being asked to tender their resignations.

The unit, whose board reviews and approves regulations for the financial system, is made up of representatives from the Finance Ministry and the financial watchdog.

Some investors have warned that bringing back tens of billions of dollars over a short period could distort Colombias financial markets by creating artificial demand for local government peso bonds, or TES, and the currency. Private pension funds, including Grupo Avals Porvenir and SURA Asset Managements Proteccion are the biggest players in this $186 billion market, owning nearly 30% of outstanding TES.

Asofondos, the association representing private pension funds, argues that workers would ultimately bear the cost through losing some of the benefits of diversification in their investments.

It is now unclear whether the government will proceed with the proposed regulation.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
A wave of warnings over Kaynes Technologys finances has rattled Indias electronics manufacturing sector (EMS), sharpening focus on the industrys ability to fund the heavy investments required to tap upcoming government incentives.

Brokerage firm Kotak Securities notes on the company this month has had a cascade effect on the wider sector. Since 1 December, shares of Dixon, Syrma and Kaynes have crashed 11-30%, as analysts noted issues with cash flow, availability of working capital, and ability to expand manufacturing to seek government incentives.

On 3 December, a Kotak Securities note reported ambiguous accounting" of revenue accounted for from one of Kaynes acquisitions, as well as inconsistencies" in related party transactions. The note also questioned if the companys current operating cash flow would permit its planned capital expenditures in new projects.

Despite shaky investor confidence, analysts remain optimistic for the long run, as Indias four top electronics firms retain the exponential gains theyve brought for investors since their listings.

Over the past week, after Kotak Securities' note. there were similar flags by the likes of JM Financial and JPMorgan, raising concern around financial disclosures and operating cash flow at Kaynes. They raised questions around the companys accounting discrepancies, and if it had enough capital to grow at the pace it intended to.

On 5 December, Kaynes submitted a response on the BSE, admitting to inadvertent non-disclosure" of related party transactions in its financial statements. And, on 8 December, the company's management, headed by executive vice-chairman and founder Ramesh Kannan, addressed these concerns in a call with analysts.

Investors, however, appeared jittery. On Wednesday, Kayness shares fell 10.5%, before recovering 3.5% on Thursday. Overall, Kayness share price is down 30% since 1 December, and 44% from its 52-week high.

Industry under stress

So far, electronics manufacturing services firms have largely relied upon building scale, driven by central and state government incentive schemes. This had so far worked out very wellboth for the companies and their investors. Kaynes, since listing in November 2022, gave investors a 10x return within three years. Even now, its share prices are at 5.4x since listing. The benchmark 30-share BSE Sensex, in this time, has risen 37%.

Similarly, Dixon, Amber and Syrma have returned investors 6x, 5x and 2.5x since their listings in September 2017, February 2018 and August 2022, respectively.

Now, a new set of incentive schemes are looking to boost component manufacturing, which in turn would need these companies to invest in building factories before they get the said sops and reap the rewards. Analysts are now questioning if the sector would indeed be able to make such investments.

Also Read | Top Indian companies join red-hot sovereign cloud race

We take note of management responses to our report; however, certain aspects with respect to intangible accounting and elevated working capital still remain unclear. We believe generation of positive OCF (operating cash flow) in FY2026, improvement in internal controls and timely execution of PCB (printed circuit board) and Osat (outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing) expansion will be crucial," said a second note on 9 December by Kotak Securities analysts Deepak Krishnan, Aditya Mongia, Naman Jain and Kartik Kohli.

A note by Bhavik Mehta and Ankur Rudra, analysts at brokerage firm JPMorgan, added, There has been no change in fundamentals on revenues and margins, but one of the key concerns on the stock has been stretched working capital and receivables post 2Q."

The sector, to be sure, is capital-intensive. On 14 November, Mint reported that all of Indias top electronics companies, including the privately-held Tata Electronics, are pursuing acquisitions to venture into component manufacturing and other sub-segments that reap better rewards in electronics.

Concerns about Kaynes have had a cascading effect on the entire electronics maufacturing services sector. Since 1 December, Dixon Technologies, the sole large cap EMS firm, saw its share prices decline 15% before recovering 5.3% on Thursday. Syrma SGS and Amber Enterprises shares fell 10% and 8%, respectively over the past nine working days.

At the heart of the issue, therefore, are questions around the ability of EMS companies, which have largely relied upon high-volume, low-value electronics assemblies, to generate enough operating cash flow to invest in their businesses.

Long-term outlook

In response to a questionnaire sent by Mint, Jairam Sampath, chief financial officer at Kaynes Technology, reaffirmed his claim from the previous quarters earnings call, stating, We hold our resolve to get positive operating cash flows by March 2026."

Kaynes has always delivered on execution of new projects. We were the first to produce and ship ICs (integrated circuits) made in India amongst the various entities who were granted capital subsidy approvals by the government," he said. "Similarly, significant progress has been made in both the new projects of Osat as well as the HDI/Multilayer PC (printed circuit) Board fabrication. We have taken note of the comments by various people in media and during our analyst interactions, and we are confident of ensuring the desired improvements on each of the key issues facing the business."

Sampath added that the company expects to clock higher revenues in sectors other than industrials such as railway electronics, aerospace, electric vehicles, automotive, etc., which will drive the growth of ESDM (electronics system design and manufacturing) revenues for Kaynes to compensate for the smart meter revenues."

The company also plans to start supplying packaged chips from its Osat plant in Sanand, Gujarat, this fiscal year itself. He, however, denied there was any need to raise any further capital, at least in the near term.

On this note, analysts said that despite the concerns, Kaynes may remain as a stable company for investors in the long run.

The companys overall business model is solid, and as far as the expansions are concerned, theres no reason for Kaynes to fail at any stage. It can consider raising further funding for future acquisitions or venturing into more new categories," said Harshit Kapadia, vice-president at brokerage firm, Elara Capital. "Overall, what will be key to see are tighter internal controls in financial reporting, and if it will really meet its positive operating cash flow guidance this financial year."

We remain OW (overweight) and expect improving receivables and NWC (net working capital) over the next two quarters to be key drivers of the stock," Mehta and Rudra of JPMorgan added.
India is the new favourite destination of big tech companies to invest.

In the last 48 hours alone, India has secured $52 billion worth of investments from Microsoft and Amazon, underscoring the country's growing importance in the global AI landscape amid the Centre's push for artificial intelligence.

Not just Microsoft and Amazon, tech giants like Google and Intel have also pledged investments in India over the past few weeks.

Here is a look at all the tech firms that have invested in India in recent times.

$68 billion investment from Amazon, Microsoft, Google India has seen investment pledges worth around $67.5 billion in recent days, with Amazon, Microsoft and Google vowing to build the nation's AI infrastructure.

On 10 December, Amazon pledged a massive $35 billion investment in India by 2030, seeking to expand exports, create an additional one million jobs, and build on AI in the country.

View full Image Amazon bets big on India

This investment will focus on business expansion as well as three strategic pillars: AI-driven digitisation, export growth, and job creation, Amazon said in a statement.

This announcement came a day after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged to invest $17.5 billion in ramping up AI and cloud infrastructure in India. As part of its plan, Microsoft would seek to enhance its data centre capacity, train the local workforce and build sovereign tech capabilities. The spending represents Microsofts largest investment in Asia to date.

In October, Google's parent company, Alphabet, said it would invest $15 billion in India to build an AI data hub in Andhra Pradesh. The facility in Vishakapatnam will be part of Google's global network of AI centres spread across 12 countries.

It's the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world, outside of the United States, Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, had said, announcing the investment.

Intel signs semiconductor deal Intel Corp, one of the leading chipmakers worldwide, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tata Group on 8 December to explore a collaboration aimed at advancing semiconductor and systems manufacturing, packaging, and the AI compute market in India.

Tata Group, in a statement on the day, described the move as a key step towards strengthening India's domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan met PM Modi a day after, on 9 December, to discuss accelerating AI adoption in India, along with Satya Nadella and Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar.

Apple invests billions Apple has invested billions of dollars in India this year through its vendors, even as Trump threatens tariffs on companies setting up manufacturing plants outside the US.

Apple supplier Foxconn announced in May that it will invest $1.5 billion in India for new component plants in Tamil Nadu, aiming to boost iPhone manufacturing.

Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran, on 12 December, said Apple is planning to build two major factories near Bangalore and Chennai, with a total employment capacity of 100,000 workers in a manufacturing push.

Also Read | Microsoft, Cognizant and Intel Chiefs meet PM Modi to boost AI adoption

OpenAI, Meta open office ChatGPT's parent company, OpenAI, announced in August that it will open its first office in India, in New Delhi, later this year. The company has already begun hiring people for various roles, signalling a deepening push in its second-largest market by numbers.

Earlier in February, Meta also announced that it would open a new office in Bengaluru, hiring engineers and AI experts as part of its push into artificial intelligence.

Why India is becoming an AI hotspot According to a report by CNBC, India fares better than most other countries when it comes to building data centres  a key component to enhance AI infrastructure.

Traditional Asia Pacific markets, such as Japan, Australia, China, and Singapore, have already matured and have limited capacity to provide land for large data centres. India, on the other hand, has abundant spaces available for the same.

Additionally, India's power costs are lower than those of European countries, giving it an edge over nations like the UK.

India offers an unmatched combination of scale and a relatively forgiving regulatory stance, compared with some other markets in Asia and Europe.
(Bloomberg) -- A multi-billion-dollar gold project owned by the worlds biggest bullion producer has been invaded by illegal diggers in northern Peru, according to a top government official.

Newmont Corp.s stalled Minas Conga project in the Cajamarca region is being partially exploited by illegal mining, Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez told reporters Friday. Newmont didnt immediately comment.

Denver-based Newmont is the latest global company to face informal miners as near record prices increase incentives for diggers in poor rural areas of the country. Southern Copper Corp., First Quantum Minerals Ltd. and MMG Ltd. have said illegal miners are operating on their concessions, delaying progress.

Development at the estimated $4.8 billion Conga project was halted shortly after receiving environmental permits in 2010 in the wake of farmer opposition that spiraled into violent protests. Newmont still holds the mineral rights.

When legal mining that meets high standards is not developed, it cedes the space to illegal mining, which pollutes and uses violence, said Alvarez, the top deputy to interim President Jose Jeri.

Peruvian authorities are grappling with how to deal with the surge in illegal mining. The government supported the extension of a controversial permit known as Reinfo that allows informal diggers to operate with loose requirements. Perus mining industry chamber SNMPE heavily opposes Reinfo.

It was said about Conga that it shouldnt happen because local communities preferred agriculture, Alvarez said. Now, the rivers that originate in the Conga area are being contaminated by the mercury used in illegal mining. Its a macabre situation.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
InterGlobe Aviation, which operates Indias biggest airline IndiGo, filed a petition with the Delhi High Court on Friday to recover almost 900 crore from the Customs department.

This sum relates to Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) and cess paid on the repair expenses for aircraft parts that were re-imported into India after maintenance abroad.

The move follows a major Delhi High Court judgment delivered in March, declaring as unconstitutional the levy of IGST and cess on the repair component of goods re-imported after overseas maintenance.

These rulings struck down portions of the 2021 Customs exemption notification, which had sought to tax repair value on re-imports.

IndiGos fresh plea came up on Friday before a division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Shail Jain.

Also Read | IndiGo board appoints external aviation expert for flight disruptions probe

However, the matter did not proceed after Justice Shail Jain recused herself, informing the court that her son is a pilot with IndiGo.

The case will now be placed before another bench as per the orders of the chief justice.

IndiGo argued before that court that the earlier levy amounted to double taxation. The airline submitted that when aircraft engines and parts are sent abroad for repair, ownership remains with the carrier, making the transaction a supply of services rather than goods. Upon re-import, IndiGo pays basic customs duty without dispute and also discharges GST under the reverse charge mechanism on the repair service. Despite this, Customs authorities imposed IGST and cess on the repair value again, effectively taxing the same activity twice, the airline contended.

In March, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court struck down the relevant portion of the 2021 notification, holding that re-imported, repaired goods constitute an import of services, not goods.

Legal challenge The court ruled that IGST on imported services can be levied only under Section 5(1) of the IGST Act, and not via a customs notification. It also rejected the Union government's stand that the 2021 amendments were merely clarificatory, observing instead that they impermissibly expanded the tax base.

Also Read | IndiGo may face CCI enquiry over alleged abuse of market dominance: Report

Following the judgment, IndiGo became entitled to seek a refund of the IGST and cess paid under protestamounting to roughly 900 croreprompting the latest petition.

We approached the department seeking a refund soon after the court struck down the IGST on re-imports. However, the department declined the refund on technical grounds, which forced us to move the court, said a lawyer involved in the case, requesting anonymity.

The dispute stems from the post-GST transition. While initial notices and a 2021 Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) circular clarified that IGST applies only to repair, insurance, and freight costs, later notifications sought to expand IGST to re-imports.

This sparked a legal challenge by IndiGo, culminating in the Delhi High Court's ruling that brought significant relief to aviation companies that routinely send aircraft components abroad for specialised maintenance.

IndiGo declined to comment on Mints emailed query.

The petition comes at a time when regulatory scrutiny of IndiGo is at its peak, following a week of severe flight disruptions caused by a pilot shortagean episode that rattled Indias aviation ecosystem, given IndiGos 60% domestic market share and dominance on several key routes. The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has already capped IndiGos capacity by 10%, issued a notice, and initiated a probe.

Reviewing chaos In a significant corrective step following the massive flight cancellations, on Friday afternoon, the airline announced that it had initiated an external investigation into its recent operational disruptions. The airline appointed US-based Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by global aviation veteran Captain John Illson, to conduct an independent review and root cause analysis.

Also Read | DGCA suspends four flight operations inspectors amid IndiGo flight cancellations

The airline has not specified the timeline for submitting this report.
Shares of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, which runs IndiGo, are unlikely to stage a major recovery once the stock joins the Sensex on 22 December as investors await clarity on regulatory overhang, but its inclusion in the benchmark index could provide downside protection, several analysts told Mint.

IndiGo shares are down about 17% since the start of the month, after the airline cancelled more than 4,500 flights last week due to an acute crew shortage that resulted from its failure to adapt to new, stricter flight duty time limitations (FDTL) rules for pilots. Following this, the civil aviation regulator ordered Indias largest airline to cut its winter schedule by 10%. The stocks price-to-earnings ratio was 25.5 on 11 December, compared to 30.8 on 1 December and 32.7 on 20 August, when it hit a record high of 6155.50.

However, five market analysts have said a further erosion of the share price was unlikely, even though the airline expects revenue to fall in the December quarter because of last weeks cancellations. Inclusion in the Sensex typically increases demand for a stock as passive funds which track the index and other mutual funds look to include it in their portfolios, driving the share price higher.

On 21 November, BSE Index Services, a Bombay Stock Exchange subsidiary, announced that InterGlobe Aviation would replace Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd in the 30-stock Sensex on 22 December.

Also Read | The IndiGo lesson: The corporation has started turning into the state

Sensex privilege

While IndiGo stock may not get a Sensex boost, its inclusion in the index should at least offer support on the downside, said Nirav Karkera, head of research at Fisdom, a wealth management firm based in Bengaluru. Investors will still be cautious because the regulatory overhang isnt gone. But index investors dont get to pick and choose; they buy the basket, and that automatically brings flows into the stock," Karkera added.

"The day of the Sensex rebalancing could see $315 million of inflows into the counter," said Abhilash Pagaria, head of Nuvama Alternative & Quantitative Research. He added that while a 2-3% uptick on the day of inclusion or before that was possible, fundamental issues would catch up with the stock sooner or later.

After the chaos of last week, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation sent the airline a show-cause notice, seeking an explanation from chief executive Pieter Elbers and chief operating officer Isidre Porqueras for the disruption, and ordered an inquiry. It cut 10% of the airline's nearly 2,145 daily domestic flights of the winter schedule and, on Wednesday, formed an eight-member team to monitor IndiGo's daily operations, including two officials stationed at the airline's Gurugram headquarters.

Analysts at JMF Financial and ICRA, a rating agency, have speculated whether there could be leadership changes at the airlines, further increasing uncertainty among investors.

Aviation growth story intact

Anil R, senior analyst at Geojit Investments Ltd, said, Overall, the inclusion should offer support, even if not a sharp rally after IndiGos recent correction, which has already priced in most of the near-term operational issues. But investors may remain cautious on regulatory developments. [Nonetheless] the stocks inclusion in the Sensex could still bring some fund flows."

Jinesh Joshi, aviation analyst at PL Capital, a financial services group in Mumbai, said, "It is difficult to comment on whether the stock will see a rally after its inclusion in the Sensex because of the regulatory uncertainty keeping investors on the fence. However, there may be some inflows to support the stock."

Gagan Dixit, senior vice president, aviation, at Elara Securities, echoed their views. Index inclusion usually brings support because funds tracking the benchmark have to buy, but in the near term the stock will still move with the regulatory noise.

He added, However, over a longer period, money managers such as mutual funds and pension funds will look at the FY28 outlook, which looks unchanged. Theres value here as Indias aviation demand growth story is intact."

IndiGo said on Wednesday it expected a revenue drop in the December quarter and cut its guidance. It now expects passenger growth to decline in the mid-single-digits range, compared with managements 4 November guidance of, at best, slight growth" in the December quarter. IndiGo said it expected high single to early double-digit (%) growth" in capacity, compared to managements earlier guidance of high teens growth".

Analysts at JP Morgan said in a note dated 5 November, IndiGo's domestic airfares for 3QFY26TD are flattish YoY, while select international routes indicate double-digit growth; fuel costs are rising 6% QoQ, and a weak INR is likely to pressure non-fuel CASK." Cost per available seat kilometre (CASK) is a key airline industry metric that measures the operating expense required to fly one seat  occupied or empty  over one kilometre. Airlines try to minimize this cost to increase profitability.
In fresh trouble for India's largest airline, IndiGo informed the stock exchanges that a penalty of nearly 59 crore linked to goods and services taxes (GST) has been imposed on the domestic carrier.

According to the filing issued on Friday, 12 December, the airline said that the additional Commissioner of CGST, Delhi South Commissionerate, has levied a fine of 58,74,99,439 for the financial year 2020-21. The department has raised GST demand along with a penalty, IndiGo noted.

The latest development comes amid significant disruptions in IndiGo's operations, including hundreds of flight cancellations and delays over the past few days, primarily due to crew shortages and various other factors.

What does IndiGo plan to do next? Calling the order erroneous, IndiGo plans to contest it before the appropriate authorities.

The Company believes that the order passed by the authorities is erroneous. Further, the Company believes that it has a strong case on merits, backed by advice from external tax advisors. Accordingly, the Company will contest the same before the appropriate authority, the filing read.

The airline further assured that the order has no significant impact on the company's financials, operations, or other activities.

IndiGo share price The airline informed the exchanges regarding the penalty order following market hours on Friday, 12 December. Shares of Interglobe Aviation, IndiGo's parent, closed 0.86% higher at 4,860.85 on the BSE on Friday.

IndiGo crisis IndiGo has cancelled over 5,000 flights this month due to a significant crew shortage caused by its inability to implement new regulations for pilots.

The airline had earlier pointed out some preliminary factors contributing to the disruption, including recent amendments to the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) order.

Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a show-cause notice to CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidore Porqueras after several flight cancellations. The airline requested additional time, stating that it is "realistically not possible to pinpoint the exact cause(s)" at present, given the complexity and vast scale of operations.

Meanwhile, the IndiGo CEO apologised to people whose flights were suddenly cancelled or delayed for different reasons. Thousands of you could not travel, and we are profusely apologetic about that,  he said.

IndiGo appoints veteran aviation expert IndiGo's board appointed veteran aviation expert John Illson-led Chief Aviation Advisors LLC to carry out the root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption.

Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, veteran aviation expert, to conduct an independent expert review and assessment of the recent operational disruption and the contributing factors. The objective is to conduct an independent root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption, besides opportunities for improvement," PTI quoted the airline's statement.

Concerns of potential antitrust violations India's antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), is examining whether IndiGo has violated competition regulations, the news portal reported on Friday, citing a senior official.

CCI is conducting an internal review to determine whether IndiGo breached competition norms, the senior official told the news agency.
(Bloomberg) -- Mexican financial authorities are close to approving an offer by billionaire Fernando Chico Pardo to buy a 25% stake in Citigroup Inc.s Mexican retail-banking unit, Banamex, paving the way to list the business as soon as next year.

The approval process for Chico Pardos stake and his strategic plan for Banamex is in its final stages, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because because the process isnt yet final.

When Citigroup agreed to the 42 billion-peso ($2.3 billion) offer from Chico Pardo in September, the bank said the deal was expected to be completed in the second half of 2026 and was subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals in Mexico.

At an industry conference this week, Citigroup Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said progress was moving along.

I talked about next year, Mason said. I can envision it closing even sooner than that.

A Citigroup representative declined to comment further as did a spokesman for Chico Pardo. Mexicos finance ministry didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Once the government approval is in hand, Chico Pardo can sign the deal with Citigroup and transfer payment for the stake, the people said. Hell also take over as chairman of the Mexican units board.

Citigroup, which has been winding down or selling several retail arms globally in a bid to simplify the bank, is seeking to sell smaller stakes of Banamex to other investors ahead of the planned share offering.

Chico Pardo is the former chief executive officer of Carlos Slims Grupo Financiero Inbursa and founder of private equity firm Promecap. Hes also a major shareholder in Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, or Asur, which operates in southeast Mexico, home to tourist hot spots including Cancun. Chico Pardo, 73, has suggested his sons will eventually take a role in overseeing the investment in the bank.

Citigroup said in 2022 that it would seek to exit its retail-banking operations in Mexico. A deal with mining magnate German Larreas conglomerate, Grupo Mexico SAB, fell apart in 2023 at the last minute after interference by President Claudia Sheinbaums predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

After Chico Pardo and Citigroup struck a deal earlier this year, the New York-based lender rejected a competing offer from Grupo Mexico that sought to upstage Chico Pardos bid.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Dec 12 (Reuters) - Oracle denied on Friday a media report that it was delaying OpenAI-related data centers, following investor worries over its debt-fueled AI infrastructure buildout.

Bloomberg News had earlier in the day reported that Oracle had pushed back the completion dates for some data centers it is developing for OpenAI to 2028, a year later than planned, due to labor and material shortages.

"There have been no delays to any sites required to meet our contractual commitments, and all milestones remain on track," Oracle spokesperson Michael Egbert told Reuters in an emailed statement.

"We remain fully aligned with OpenAI and confident in our ability to execute against both our contractual commitments and future expansion plans," Egbert added.

Shares of Oracle, which had fallen 3.6% following the report, pared some losses to be down by 2.8% in afternoon trading. Other AI-related shares also tumbled, with chip giant Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Micron and Arm Holdings down between 2% and 4.5%.

The Bloomberg report came a day after Oracle logged its biggest stock drop since late January, following earnings that showed rising spending and a weak outlook for a company that is increasingly reliant on OpenAI.

Long a smaller cloud-computing player, Oracle has leaped into the artificial intelligence infrastructure race this year on the back of a $300 billion OpenAI data-center deal. But the buildout has forced the company to borrow aggressively.

Investors, spooked in recent weeks by signs that Google was pulling ahead in the AI race and by Oracle's rising debt load, have sold off the company's stock and bonds. The cost of insuring Oracle's debt against default surged on Thursday to its highest in at least five years and was up again on Friday.

The shares are up just 13% now for the year, having erased all the gains from a 36% jump in September, when it reported a massive backlog of over $450 billion  mostly tied to OpenAI.

Investors have been growing more picky in the AI space, with less willingness to indiscriminately reward spending on AI, even as they bet on its long-term potential.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

After the Bloomberg report, some analysts said the news showed bottlenecks beyond chips were emerging for the data-center expansion tech companies are financing with hundreds of billions of dollars in investment.

"Concerns about the ability to build data centers due to construction delays, power availability and other practical factors are becoming a much bigger factor than the expected demands for AI capabilities," Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, said.

But he added that the market has become more sensitive to news of AI delays as investors scrutinize payoffs from the spending.

Broadcom was also down more than 11% on Friday, after warning that rising sales of lower-margin custom AI processors were squeezing profitability, stirring fears the business may be less lucrative.
MUMBAI : Institutional Investor Advisory Services India Ltd (IiAS) has faulted IndiGos promoter and managing director (M), Rahul Bhatia, for not leading from the front when the airline is facing its most challenging operational episode, even as the influential proxy advisory firm has sought a review of the current board structure, which allows Bhatia to nominate half of the board.

Bhatia, who, along with his friend, Rakesh Gangwal, founded IndiGo in 2006, owns 35.7%, while the airlines senior leadership, including chief executive officer Pieter Elbers, have faced a nationwide backlash for flight cancellations, halting the countrys booming aviation sector in the first week of December.

[A]s the only executive director on the board and the companys promoter, it was expected of Rahul Bhatia to lead from the front, rather than from the sidelines," IiAS said in a note on Friday. Given that Rahul Bhatias role significantly overlaps with responsibilities typically assigned to a CEO, it is unclear how the Board has apportioned the responsibilities between the managing director and the CEO."

IiAS also faulted the composition of the current board, noting that, according to the airlines Articles of Association, the Bhatia-led InterGlobe Enterprises (IGE) Group has the authority to nominate five non-executive, non-independent directors, resulting in the nomination of half the board.

IGE Group also retains the exclusive right to appoint the airlines managing director, CEO and president, irrespective of its ownership level. Mumbai-based IiAS pointed out that these rights continue even if IGEs stake falls below 5%, though it currently holds 35.7%.

This creates a scenario where a shareholder with just over one-third ownership exercises board control disproportionate to its stake," the advisory firm said in a report.

An email sent to IndiGo seeking comment went unanswered.

Board independence

Interglobe Aviation Ltd, which runs IndiGo, has nine board members. Promoter Rahul Bhatia, who also serves as the managing director, is the sole executive member. The four non-independent and non-executive members include Anil Parashar, CEO of Interglobe Technology Quotient Pvt. Ltd; Gregg Albert Saretsky, former president and CEO of WestJet, Calgary, Alberta; former Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairman M. Damodaran, and Amitabh Kant, former CEO of Niti Aayog.

Pallavi Shroff, managing partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., the law firm, is classified by IndiGo as an independent member. However, IiAS describes Shroff as non-independent and non-executive, noting that her law firm does business with the airline and receives professional fees from it.

IndiGo chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, former CEO of Shell India, Birendra Singh Dhanoa, former Indian Air Force air chief marshal, and Michael Whitaker, a former administrator of the US Federal Aviation Administration, are independent directors.

IndiGo CEO Elbers is not a member of the board.

A systematic review of the board structure is essential for IndiGo to emerge stronger from this crisis and position itself as a leading global airline," said IiAS in its note.

Also Read | DGCA relieves four flight operations inspectors amid IndiGo flight cancellations

IndiGos board structure has been a concern for years," said Sharmila Gopinath, an independent governance expert. The imbalance between executive and non-executive directors, and the limited presence of truly independent voices, has repeatedly raised red flags for the investment community," she said.

Failure in oversight

IndiGo has been a well-run airline, said Amit Tandon, founder and managing director of IiAS. Indigo, it now seems, was efficient to a faultone missed step, and the whole schedule collapses. Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia, it seems, complemented each other. With Rakesh Gangwal no longer on the board, Rahul Bhatia may have lost his sounding board. And in any successful business, neither the analysts nor the Board may have asked the difficult questions," he added.

We need to remember, those on the board, who understand aviation are less familiar with Indian processesthe boards ability to push back may have weakened," he said.

Rakesh Gangwal-led RG Group, which held a 37% stake, has seen its stake shrink to 5.85% as of 30 September. Yet the AoA still grants the group the right to nominate one non-executive director, an option it has not exercised to date. As a result, IndiGos board currently has nine members, instead of 10.

In the first week of December, IndiGo had to cancel over 4,500 flights because it did not have enough pilots to comply with the new norms introduced by the directorate general of civil aviation, which limited pilots flying time between midnight and 6 AM. A nationwide uproar led the aviation ministry to institute an inquiry, reduce IndiGos daily flights by 10%, and seek explanations from CEO Elbers and the chief operating officer for the debacle.

Jittery investors sold shares as IndiGos shares have fallen 15% between 1 and 12 December.

To assuage concerns, IndiGos senior leadership, including Elbers and Chair Mehta, has repeatedly apologised and assured people that they would fix the issues. On Friday, the airline appointed Chief Aviation Advisors, LLC, a US-based aviation consulting firm, to assess how an airline which prided itself on always being punctual went wrong.

Promoter dominance

For a company of IndiGos size and dominance, the boards inability to foresee and manage the risks associated with the new pilot-rest rules is extremely worrying. This wasnt a surprise regulation, but it was a known deadline," said Gopinath, adding that while the boards role is oversight, it was missing in IndiGos case.

If the board was aware, why wasnt management pushed to prepare? And if the board wasnt aware, that is an even deeper governance failure," she said.

Gangwal and Bhatias friendship soured after the airline went public in 2015, when Gangwal accused the latter of corporate governance lapses in late 2019. After much bickering, the two resolved their differences. Gangwal resigned from the board in 2022 and, since then, has sold much of his holding, cutting his stake from 37% to 5.85%.

While Indian regulations require one-third of board members to be independent, IiAS believes that companies with concentrated promoter influence should maintain at least 50% independent directors to balance control and oversight.

I am not saying that if half the board were independent, this problem would not have happened. Just that as they fix the operational issues, the board needs to address its governance structures," IiAS Tandon said.
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Fair trade watchdog CCI is examining whether the country's largest airline, IndiGo, violated competition norms, a senior official said on Friday amid the carrier facing regulatory scrutiny over significant flight disruptions. IndiGo, which has a domestic market share of over 65 per cent, cancelled hundreds of flights starting from December 2, causing hardships to thousands of passengers, and the situation is stabilising now.

While aviation safety regulator DGCA is probing the flight disruptions apart from stepping up the scrutiny of IndiGo's operations, there are concerns in certain quarters on whether the airline's dominant position could also have been a contributing factor.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is internally examining whether IndiGo violated competition norms, the senior official told PTI.

According to the official, various aspects, such as the overall dominant position, dominance in particular routes, and whether there is abuse of dominance, will be looked into.

There is no formal complaint against IndiGo so far, and the CCI is examining whether competition rules have been violated suo motu, the official added.

Section 4 of the Competition Act pertains to abuse of dominance that can be exploitative or exclusionary. Exploitative refers to acts such as excessive pricing, while denial of market access will fall under the exclusionary segment.

Under the norms, CCI first carries out a detailed examination of available information to reach a conclusion on whether there is prima facie evidence of competition norms violations.

Only when there is prima facie evidence of violations, then the regulator orders a probe into the matter.

An entity being dominant is not anti-competitive, but if there is an abuse of the dominance, then it violates competition norms.

Lack of proper planning in implementing the new set of flight duty norms from November 1 is being attributed as a key factor for the operational disruptions at IndiGo, apart from other factors.

CCI works to prevent anti-competitive practices in the marketplace as well as to promote fair business ways.
By Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON, - Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren called on Thursday for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Department Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify after President Donald Trump announced plans to greenlight sales of Nvidia's second-most advanced AI chip to China.

In a speech on the Senate floor, she also raised concerns that Trump could potentially silence his own Justice Department after it announced a crackdown on a smuggling operation that included those chips, known as the H200, to China on the same day Trump announced the policy change.

"Will Donald Trump muzzle his own Justice Department because he does not want Americans to know that he is selling out our national security?" she asked.

The Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment. White House spokesman Kush Desai said, Theres an obvious difference between chips being illegally smuggled to unknown buyers without regulatory oversight and chips being exported following national security inspections to specifically designated end users."

Nvidia emphasized in a statement that H200 sales to China would still require a U.S. government license, and described the overall share of chips going to China as a small percentage of the advanced AI chips already sold to U.S. customers. "America's foreign competitors and the Administration's critics are pushing the same end  to force massive commercial markets to support and promote foreign competition," the company added.

China hardliners and Democratic lawmakers slammed the decision to greenlight the chip over concerns that Beijing could harness the technology to supercharge its military.
On 12 December 2025, Superstar Rajinikanth turned 75. Here are the Top 10 Rajinikanth movies you can stream on various OTT platforms.

Jailer OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, Shivarajkumar

Story: A retired jailer's life is disrupted when his son is kidnapped by a dangerous criminal gang. He is forced to return to his violent past to protect his family.

Enthiran (Robot) Platform: Amazon Prime Video. Sun NXT

Cast: Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa

Story: A brilliant scientist, Dr Vaseegaran, creates a powerful humanoid robot, Chitti. When human emotions are programmed into Chitti, he falls in love with the scientist's fiancee and turns against his creator.

Baasha Platform: un NXT, JioCinema, MX Player

Cast: Rajinikanth, Nagma, Raghuvaran

Story: Manikam is a humble auto-driver in Chennai. He desperately tries to hide his dark past of being a powerful underworld don in Mumbai. When an old rival threatens his family, he must return to his violent life to protect them.

Sivaji: The Boss Platform: Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5, MX Player, ManoramaMax

Cast: Rajinikanth, Shriya Saran, Suman

Story: A software engineer returns to India from the US with dreams of helping the poor. He invests his money in welfare schemes. He faces intense corruption. Then, he is compelled to battle a ruthless system in order to achieve his goals.

Petta Platform: Netflix, JioHotstar, Sun NXT, Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Story: Kaali, a hostel warden with a hidden past, gets into a conflict with local goons. This confrontation brings an old nemesis back into his life.

Kabali Platform: JioHotstar, Sun NXT, Netflix

Cast: Rajinikanth, Winston Chao, Radhika Apte

Story: An ageing gangster, Kabali, is released from prison in Malaysia after 25 years. He sets out on a mission to reunite with his family. He also vows to fight the oppression faced by Tamil workers.

Thalapathi Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Rajinikanth, Mammootty, Shobana

Story: Directed by Mani Ratnam, this is a modern retelling of the Mahabharata character Karna. Surya, an orphan raised in a slum, becomes the loyal right-hand man to a powerful crime boss. Then, he clashes with an honest district collector.

Kaala Platform: Amazon Prime Video, JioHotstar

Cast: Rajinikanth, Nana Patekar, Huma Qureshi

Story: Kaala is the powerful leader of the Dharavi slum in Mumbai. He fights against a ruthless politician attempting to seize the land from its residents for a development project.

Baba Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Rajinikanth, Manisha Koirala, Ashish Vidyarthi

Story: Baba, an atheist, lives a carefree life yet protects his people from injustice. He meets Mahavatar Babaji, who reveals his past life and grants wish-giving mantras. Then, Baba fights a corrupt Deputy Chief Minister as he learns to use his powers with wisdom.

Darbar Platform: Amazon Prime Video, MX Player

Cast: Rajinikanth, Suniel Shetty, Nayanthara
Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 12 (ANI): Fans across the country have come together to celebrate the birthday of the legendary superstar Rajinikanth, truly turning the occasion into a grand festival.

Several visuals from Tamil Nadu show fans honouring the actor's journey as well as his larger-than-life style, turning the day into a personal milestone.

In one of them, a devoted fan in Madurai celebrated the actor's 75th birthday in a distinctive manner by organising a special ceremony at the Rajini temple.

Karthik, a lifelong admirer of Rajinikanth, has constructed a "Rajini Temple" inside his residence, featuring a 300-kg statue of the actor. The temple, inaugurated a few months ago, has since become a symbol of his deep devotion and has begun drawing visitors and fans from the neighbourhood.

The celebration was conducted on Thursday, a day before the cinema icon's birthday. It included a cake-cutting ceremony, followed by abhishegam (ritual bathing) and special prayers for the idol. Karthik and his family performed the rituals with reverence, praying for the actor's long life and continued good health.

For the family, Rajinikanth is not merely a celebrated actor but a spiritual figure. Over time, the space has evolved into a shrine dedicated entirely to him, reflecting the unwavering admiration he inspires among his fans.

Superstar Rajinikanth, who is celebrating his 75th birthday on Friday, continues to enjoy unparalleled fan devotion across India.

Speaking about the celebration, Karthik said, "We extend our heartfelt wishes on Superstar Rajinikanth's 75th birthday. We pray that he is blessed with a long, peaceful, and healthy life. Just as we have celebrated his birthday today with devotion, we hope to celebrate his 100th birthday in this very Rajini Temple."

Reflecting on the 'Coolie' star's recent appearance at IFFI 2025, he added, "At the Goa Film Festival, Rajinikanth said that even if he were to be born a hundred times, he would choose to be born as Rajinikanth the actor. We share the same sentiment -- no matter how many births we take, our only wish is to be born as Rajinikanth's fans again and again."

Karthik also shared details about the celebrations at the Rajini temple, stating that a special cash garland was brought from the Uttarakosamangai Temple.

"The room has been decorated with 7,500 photographs of the superstar, along with birthday posters in 75 languages. Six types of abhishegams were performed. A specially made birthday cake featuring his photographs was also cut. With devotion and joy, we celebrated the birthday of our beloved superstar," he added.
Accelerating Indias Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance, written by Indian economist Karthik Muralidharan, has been awarded the prestigious Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2025. The award was announced at the Gaja Talks event, following a discussion with the shortlisted authors. The book was awarded for offering an effective blueprint to unlock Indias next phase of growth by focusing on stronger state capacity and effective public service delivery. The piece of writing systematically looks at Indias governance challenges, particularly in sectors like education, health, social protection and jobs and presents evidence-based reform strategies that can be executed at the state-level to ensure that economic growth leads to improvements in the lives of citizens.

The author and the blueprint

Accelerating Indias Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance offers a comprehensive analysis of why Indias development is constrained not by a lack of ambition or resources, but by weak state capacity and uneven service delivery. Muralidharan argues that sustained progress requires a strategic focus on strengthening the core functions of the state, namely personnel management, data systems, accountability, fiscal federalism, and program design, rather than simply expanding spending or creating new schemes.

The book proposes politically feasible and practically implementable reforms to improve outcomes in areas such as education, health, social protection and jobs, with a strong emphasis on state-level innovation and decentralisation. Written in a clear and engaging style, it brings rigorous ideas into the mainstream and can become a valuable guide for anyone interested in understanding Indias economic trajectory.

Muralidharan serves as the Tata Chancellors Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego and holds a PhD degree from Harvard University. Drawing on more than two decades of research, policy engagement and experience from the field, he combines academic depth with practical insights to demonstrate how better-designed institutions, smarter public spending and stronger state capacity can improve development outcomes. The book stands out for the way it breaks down complex economic and governance ideas into an actionable roadmap for policymakers, practitioners and citizens alike, who are interested in building an inclusive and effective Indian state.

An alumnus of Harvard University and the University of Cambridge, Muralidharan spent a decade as a consultant at the World Bank before transitioning to academia. His areas of research include development and labour economics, with a focus on enhancing the effectiveness of public spending in the social sector. In addition to advising research institutions around the world, Muralidharan founded the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS), an organisation dedicated to improving lives by helping state governments in India deliver stronger development outcomes, in 2019.

View full Image Karthik Muralidharan, Gopal Jain. ( Gaja Capital )

Shaping Indias future at Gaja Talks 2025

The award was conferred at Gaja Talks 2025. The event saw attendance from entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and thinkers who deliberated ideas to shape Indias future. The evening featured a panel with the shortlisted authors, who discussed issues ranging from institutional reform and federalism to leadership, innovation and Indias evolving economic landscape.

This years winning book combines intellectual rigour with practical vision to show how India can convert its vast potential into tangible outcomes for every citizen, by investing in a stronger, more capable state. In shining a light on governance and state capacity, it aligns closely with the Prizes mission to celebrate ideas that shape Indias business and development story, and that inspire the next generation of leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, said Gopal Jain, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Gaja Capital.

The 2025 jury brought together leaders from business, investing, public policy, economics and governance, continuing the tradition of a multidisciplinary panel that evaluates books for originality, depth of research, clarity of argument and real-world impact. Accelerating Indias Development is more than a book on economics or policy; it is a practical guide to making the Indian state work better for its people. The jury was particularly impressed by how the author balances ambition with feasibility, offering reform pathways that are grounded in evidence, sensitive to political economy, and focused on execution, not just intent, added Manish Sabharwal, Chairman of the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize Jury.

Now in its seventh edition, the prize has emerged as a benchmark recognition for authors who illuminate Indias entrepreneurial journeys, institutional evolution and broader economic and social transformation. The jury for this years edition comprised of Manish Sabharwal, Vice-Chairman of TeamLease (who serves as Chairman of the Jury), Imran Jafar, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Gaja Capital, Arindam Bhattacharya, Senior Advisor and Emeritus Partner at Boston Consulting Group, Dr Lakshmi Venu, Managing Director of Sundaram-Clayton, Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, Neelkanth Mishra, Chief Economist and Head of Global Research at Axis Capital, Prithvi Haldea, Founder Chairman of Praxis Consulting, Shailesh Haribhakti, Founder and Managing Partner of Shailesh Haribhakti & Associates, and UK Sinha, former Chairman of SEBI and Head of the RBI Expert Committee on MSMEs.

Gaja Capital Business Book Prize

The Gaja Capital Business Book Prize was established in 2019 and carries a purse of INR 20 lakh for the winner. It honours authors and their works that celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship, economics and business leadership in India.

Some past winners of the prize include The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber and Vikrant Pande, Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story by Mihir Dalal, Indian Icon: A Cult Called Royal Enfield by Amrit Raj, Broke to Breakthrough by Harish Damodaran, Against All Odds: The IT Story of India by Kris Gopalakrishnan, N Dayasindhu, and Krishnan Narayanan, Winning Middle India: The Story of Indias New-Age Entrepreneurs by TN Hari and Bala Srinivasa and Entrepreneurs Who Built India  Lala Shri Ram: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow by Sonu Bhasin.
Mumbai, Dec 12 (PTI) Aviation safety regulator DGCA has suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) over massive disruptions in IndiGos operations, which resulted in the cancellation of thousands of flights and lakhs of people getting stranded across airports.

The airline cancelled over 50 flights from Bengaluru Airport on Friday.

FOIs are senior officials within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, working as part of its regulatory and safety oversight functions, often deployed to monitor airline operations.

"Four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) at the DGCA have been suspended in connection with the recent large-scale disruptions in IndiGos flights," a source said.

These officials ensure aviation safety by inspecting, auditing, and certifying airlines and personnel, such as pilots, dispatchers,and cabin crew, to meet strict regulatory standards, verifying various regulations and overseeing training, flight standards, and accident prevention measures in India.

"IndiGo has cancelled 54 flights -- 31 arrivals and 23 departures -- from Bengaluru Airport on Friday," a source said.

The crisis-hit airline had cancelled over 200 flights from Delhi and Bengaluru on Thursday.

Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras will appear again before the DGCA's investigation panel at 2 PM on Friday.

The DGCA on Thursday stepped up scrutiny of the crisis-hit IndiGo, with officials stationing themselves at the carrier's headquarters to monitor operations, and an inquiry panel grilled CEO Pieter Elbers.

Elbers, who appeared before the DGCA-constituted inquiry panel on Thursday, has been asked to appear again on Friday.

The four-member panel comprises Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik, and FOI Lokesh Rampal, with a mandate to identify the root causes of widespread operational disruptions at the leading domestic carrier.
A mans voice cut through the rain pelting the pitch-black Caribbean Sea, just audible between two boats tossed around by 10-foot waves.

People on the smaller vessel, a simple fishing skiff, held up cellphones like emergency flares in the night. The larger craft pulled closer.

A figure bundled in a bulky jacket and a black ball cap waved her arms. Its me, Maria."

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had just endured the most perilous leg of her escape from her home country on her way to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. It was early Tuesday morning when the extraction team rescued her. Part of it was recorded on video viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

For the past three hours, Machado and a small crew had drifted on a skiff in the Gulf of Venezuela after its GPS fell overboard on rough seas and a backup failed. She didnt meet the extraction team at a designated pickup point, setting off a scramble to find her in the hazardous waters.

Bryan Stern, a bearded U.S. combat veteran sent to extract Machado from Venezuela, said he hauled her onto the bigger boat and gave her snacks, Gatorade and a dry sweater. He alerted his team that Machado was on board: Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot."

In a proof-of-life video sent to U.S. officials and shared with The Wall Street Journal, Machado tries to steady herself as the boat tosses on the waves. My name is Maria Corina Machado," she says, I am alive, safe, and very grateful."

Stern, who leads an organization specializing in such extractions, staffed by former special operations and intelligence veterans, called the mission Operation Golden Dynamite. Its a reference to the Nobel Peace Prize and its founder, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who invented dynamite.

New details from Stern and another person familiar with the operation, as well as timestamped text messages, videos and photos of the mission reviewed by the Journal, paint a picture of a dangerous expedition that almost failed.

Over three days, Stern and more than three dozen associates spirited the chief rival of Venezuelas authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, out of the country amid the Trump administrations escalating campaign to force him from power. She has lived in hiding since a 2024 election that she was barred from running in but her party nonetheless won, according to the U.S.results Maduro ignored.

Stern said he was in constant touch with senior U.S. military officials before and during the operation: sharing their live location, describing the roadblocks, sending updates, and at one point asking if the military could spot Machados boat when they had lost communication with it.

The State Department and the Pentagon referred questions to the White House. The White House didnt respond to requests for comment and administration officials had earlier disputed military contact.

The operation was funded by private donors, said Stern, without U.S. government money. But American officialsfrom the White House to senior military officers to regional diplomatsfollowed the journey in real time through WhatsApp messages and voice memos from Stern and his team.

Machados odyssey took almost three days: She traveled by land from a suburb of Caracas to a fishing village on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, and then by boat to the Dutch island of Curacaoa sea journey that took roughly 12 hours.

From there, a private jet picked her up and flew her to Oslo. She just missed Wednesdays prize ceremony, where her daughter accepted the award.

Sterns operation kicked off at 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5. He was waiting to board a flight from Miami to Tampa when he received a call from a former colleague who used to work in U.S. intelligence.

His contact said he had a special assignment to extract an important package" from Venezuela.

When his contact slipped that it was a her," Stern immediately knew it was Machado. He also knew it would be the most high-stakes extraction of his career. This is a counterintel guys dream or nightmare," he said.

Sterns Tampa-based Grey Bull had been positioning teams in the Caribbean to offer its services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela in case of potential military action. We had the framework for all this done for months," he said.

A U.S. Army and Navy veteran awarded a Purple Heart, Stern founded Grey Bull in 2021, leading private evacuation missions in war zones from Afghanistan to Gaza. He worked in Venezuela as well and had recently prepared for possible U.S. military action there, setting up an operations base in the nearby island of Aruba, in the event American citizens needed to leave fast. Stern said his firm has close links to U.S. military and intelligence agencies.

Extracting Machado would entail moving an instantly recognizable person, Venezuelas iconic opposition leader who went into hiding after a government crackdown on opposition activists who had exposed election fraud, just when everyone expected her to be on the move.

Everyone knows her face," Stern said. Moving Maria is like moving Hillary Clinton."

As they planned at least nine possible scenarios, from air or helicopter rescues to taking her out through Guyana or Colombia, Stern said his team planted false rumors to keep the world looking for her in the wrong places. Some tales put her in Europe, others in a car headed for Colombia, and another that she had sneaked of the country aboard a U.S. flight that had dropped off deportees from Venezuela.

Inside and outside Venezuela, people who were closely following the drama debated whether the Maduro regime had infiltrated her movement and was tacitly allowing her to leave, calculating that Machado outside the country would quickly fade into political irrelevance. Stern denied having any help from Venezuelan government or military officials.

On Monday afternoon, Machado left her hideout in a wig and a disguise meant to hide her recognizable features. Sterns team also took special care to make sure that Machado and the team werent tracked digitally.

The plan, Stern said, was for Machado and her associates to rendezvous with operatives waiting for her in the fishing village, then travel on their small boat across the Gulf of Venezuela to an agreed-upon meeting point in the middle of the sea. From there, Stern would take her to Curacao.

Almost immediately, things started to go wrong.

The operatives waiting for Machado at the beach were struggling with mechanical issues. They had chosen an intentionally rundown fishing boat, hoping to distinguish it from the special-purpose boats used by drug smugglers that the U.S. military has been bombing in recent months.

The team was aware that there was a very small window of opportunity. Once Machado got to the beach, every minute would count.

Fixing the engine problem caused a 12-hour delay. Machado and the crew planned to leave at the crack of dawn on Tuesday, but left as the sun was setting instead. Once at sea, the open boat faced waves up to 10 feet that led one of the crew members to vomit overboard for much of the journey, Stern said. While the poor conditions slowed them down, the bad weather helped hide the vessel from maritime radars, he said.

Getting bombed by the U.S. was a constant worry. The U.S. has recently mounted the largest military buildup the region has seen in decades, sinking more than 20 alleged drug-smuggling vessels. Stern said he let U.S. defense officials know that he was operating in the area. He was aware that two boats doing a handoff in the dark of night would look suspicious.

Stern recounted what he told U.S. military contacts. Number one, keep an eye on us. Number two, dont kill us. And number three, if youre doing something, let us know and well get out of the way."

Stern approached the agreed-on pickup point on a 31-foot center console boatbigger than Machados skiff but still vulnerable on treacherous open seas. At 5 p.m., close to sunset, he texted a senior U.S. Navy officer with their location and a description of the operation. Six hours later, Machados boat still hadnt arrived. More alarmingly, it had gone completely dark.

She didnt show," Stern texted the U.S. military official in messages he read to the Journal. Any eyes in the sky?"

The officer texted back immediately: Ugh, got cold feet? Maybe reset and try again?"

Stern decided to stick it out. Gonna hold for two hours, give them a chance, and then were gonna bounce."

All the time, Stern feared his boat was a sitting duck for Venezuelan security forces.

We are gonna get real quiet, real low, turn off everything," he said.

Around 11 p.m., communication suddenly crackled back to life. Machados boat was off the agreed meeting point by 25 miles. When they finally located the skiff, they flashed a light on the passengers to make sure they werent armed. Machado boarded the second vessel.

Hi, my name is Bryan Stern, nice to meet you," he told Machado, thinking his American accent would be reassuring.

He sent a photo through satellite phone and Starlink to U.S. government and military officials, showing the two of them with tired smiles on the dark boat.

On the rough ride to Curacao, Machado talked mostly about her daughter, whom she hasnt seen for two years, said Stern.

In Curacao, Stern said, he spoke once to Dutch authorities on the island, but intentionally didnt brief them to keep them from being thought complicit and drawing the ire of neighboring Venezuela.

Curacao allows a 24-hour window to formally enter the country and go through customs. Machado only stayed on the island for a few hours. Wednesday morning, she boarded a private jet that had flown there from Miami, provided by one of the donors to the operation. It left for Oslo at 6:42 a.m.

There, in a speech to supporters, she called the rescue operation a miracle."

Write to Jose de Cordoba at jose.decordoba@wsj.com, Vera Bergengruen at vera.bergengruen@wsj.com and Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com
Central bank digital currencies are a far safer option than stablecoins, which pose greater risks than their purported benefits, according to Reserve Bank of India deputy governor T. Rabi Sankar.

Do stablecoins serve a purpose? It seems to me that they do not; at any rate, they do not serve a purpose that cannot be served better by fiat money, Sankar said at the Mint Annual BFSI Conclave 2025. Stablecoins fail the fundamental tests that define modern money and pose risks far greater than the benefits their proponents claim, he said.

Central bank digital currency (CBDC) is backed by the fiat currency of a country, issued by regulators. Stablecoins are private tokens that are pegged to a currency or another asset.

Calling stablecoins inherently unstable, Sankar said that Indias financial system already has fast, low-cost, and robust digital rails such as Unified Payments Interface (UPI), real-time gross settlement (RTGS) and national electronic funds transfer (NEFT), leaving little justification for integrating private digital currencies into the domestic ecosystem.

While stablecoins are often promoted as tools for faster cross-border transfers or vehicles to expand financial inclusion, Sankar countered these claims, saying that in reality, stablecoins continue to be used predominantly within the crypto market as instruments for leverage and speculation, rather than as everyday transactional currency.

To sum up, many of these benefits are neither unique to stablecoins nor have stablecoins yet established any of the benefits their proponents claim, he said. By their very nature, they are in many ways inferior to available forms of money in achieving those benefits.

On the other hand, the risks they introduce to financial stability and broader macro-financial stability are extremely serious.

He also warned that widespread adoption of stablecoins, whether denominated in domestic or foreign currency, could trigger currency substitution, weaken Indias monetary policy transmission, disrupt capital account management, disintermediate banks and increase systemic vulnerabilities.

Also Read | RBI seeks to collaborate with US, EU on digital rupee

The risk of losing sovereign seigniorage to private issuers, particularly those operating offshore, is a leakage of public revenue with significant long-term implications.

CBDC safer, sovereign alternative Sankar encouraged the usage of CBDCs, calling them a technologically advanced yet safe public alternative that preserves monetary sovereignty.

CBDCs, he said, combine the advantages of tokenised digital money, programming capability, atomic settlement, lower cross-border frictions, while still retaining the essential attributes of sovereign currency with fiat backing, trust and singleness.

Encouraging CBDC adoption domestically, he said, would require making digital rupee usage functionally similar to cash, including offering tiered anonymity for small-value transactions.

On the international front, he also said that bilateral and multilateral CBDC corridors could deliver the same cross-border efficiency stablecoins promise, without destabilizing national financial systems.

This fits alongside Indias existing push to interlink fast payment systems such as Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with partner jurisdictions, a move he said reduces any need for private alternatives.

Privacy concerns Sankar, however, acknowledged privacy concerns associated with programmable CBDC use cases, particularly those linked to targeted benefits such as subsidies.

A programmable CBDC is a digital form of a country's money with built-in rules, allowing it to be automatically controlled for specific uses, locations, merchants, or expiry dates, enabling smart contracts for targeted subsidies, programs, or automated escrow. For example, government funds could be programmed to only buy specific goods like fertilizer, ensuring they reach the intended purpose efficiently.

According to Sankar, cash-like anonymity is unavoidable if the digital rupee is to achieve widespread adoption. However, achieving such anonymity in a digital framework remains challenging.

...digital transactions always leave a footprint. It is difficult to anonymize transactions. It is possible. There are technologies which make that possible. But more importantly, we would require a legal backing. Even if it is possible to wipe out a transaction technologically, I think, at least most public institutions would not do that unless there is a legal backing to such anonymity, Sankar said at the fireside chat.

It is one of the main concerns in the US and a few other countries, he said. We will have to build towards that anonymity to create the unique case for CBDCs for domestic use.

He called wholesale CBDC transactions helpful, especially in cross-border payments as they simply save the huge amount of capital that banks employ in managing the settlement risk. However, there is a need for other countries to adopt CBDCs as well.

Sankar also linked the global momentum around CBDCs to the rising prominence of stablecoins, which he described as an increasingly influential force over the past year.
NEW DELHI: More efficient batteries with longer life cycles could be mandated to address grid stability concerns under a scheme that offers incentives to produce 10 gigawatt-hour (GWh) of utility-scale power storage, said two people in the know of the developments.

The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) is likely to suggest two new elements of requirement. One is the criterion of round-trip efficiency to ensure that out of the energy infused in a battery, the maximum quantum is usable by the battery or grid operator," said one of the two people quoted earlier. Round-trip efficiency is the percentage of usable energy consumed to charge the battery.

The other thing being considered is the life cycle of the battery," said the person. Life cycle, or the number of times a battery can be charged and discharged, measures its longevity.

Also Read | India preps to meet 6x surge in battery storage demand by 2047

While the MNRE is expected to suggest the new criteria, the final decision will be taken by the heavy industries ministry, said the second person. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity as discussions are preliminary.

The bidding will start once the decision on the new criteria is made.

Queries emailed to the heavy industries ministry and MNRE remained unanswered until press time.

These conditions were not part of the 40GWh of battery storage capacity so far bid under the Advanced Chemistry Cell incentives scheme (PLI-ACC). The ministry of heavy industries is overseeing the scheme in consultation with the ministries of power, new and renewable energy, and communications.

Why efficiency matters

More efficient and longer-lasting batteries are crucial as the grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are capex-intensive projects with long-term power-purchase agreements between energy providers and distribution companies. MNRE had earlier estimated a storage demand of about 2.3TWh540GWh from pumped-storage plants and 1,840GWh from battery energy storage services. As of June 2025, Indias energy storage capacity stood at 490 MWh.

Efficiency matters more in stationary batteries than in electric vehicle (EV) applications because it determines how much of the stored energy can actually be used, according to Vikram Handa, managing director of Epsilon Advanced Materials, which makes battery parts such as anodes and cathodes.

Higher efficiency means more renewable power for solar or wind that reaches the grid, improving project viability and lowering electricity costs," said Handa. For India to achieve these higher efficiency standards, battery manufacturers will need to work on material-level innovations with advanced anode and cathode chemistries, electrolytes, and tighter manufacturing controls for building strong capabilities."

According to Debmalya Sen, president, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), continuous innovation in the sector has increased battery life from 3,500 charge-discharge cycles a few years ago to 15,000 cycles.

"In case a PPA (power purchase agreement) is signed for 10 years, then as per the current global life cycle standards, there would be no requirement to replace the battery to cater for the 10-year period," Sen said. He also said that 85% charging efficiency is considered highly efficient.

Also Read | Govt mulling relaxations as made-in-India battery push runs into delays

According to industry experts, higher efficiency and life cyle will not necessarily increase project costs.

Introducing charging efficiency criteria will likely increase short-term compliance costs for developers and manufacturers, though long-term savings from operational efficiencies could offset them," said Alekhya Datta, director, electricity and renewables division, The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri).



Industry may also shift towards lithium battery chemistries over other options, such as lead-acid batteries, which have lower round-trip efficiency, he said.

Simultaneously, the government is also preparing a roadmap to meet a projected cumulative battery energy storage capacity of nearly 3 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2047 across electric mobility, power, and electronic components, Mint reported on 27 November.

These developments come as the ambitious PLI for advanced chemistry cells used in batteries failed to gain momentum as initially anticipated. The government is considering extensions and easier localization norms for the beneficiaries of the 18,100-crore PLI-ACC scheme that was announced in 2021, Mint reported earlier.

Out of the 50GW capacity initially planned under the scheme, Reliance Industries Ltd, Ola Electric Ltd and Rajesh Exports Ltd have been allocated a total of 40GW, which is meant for electric vehicles. The government later decided to allot the remaining 10GW capacity for utility-scale projects.
(Bloomberg) -- Oil prices edged down in choppy trading, with US crude falling to the lowest since May, as weakness in US equities markets added to bearish sentiment about oversupply.

West Texas Intermediate settled below $58 a barrel, the lowest since May, while global benchmark Brent slumped to the weakest in about two months. Diesel futures, which were down about 1.4%, were the biggest drag on the oil complex on Friday, while a selloff in US stocks compounded declines.

Thin trading activity ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays as well as traders being cautious about deploying risk after a tough year for profits also contributed to choppy trading.

Growing consensus about supplies exceeding demand next year has pushed crude toward the lower end of a band it has traded in since mid-October. And some traders are positioning for further declines as bearish bets on Brent crude reached their highest in seven weeks, according to data released on Friday.

The International Energy Agency on Thursday reiterated its prediction for an unprecedented surplus  although slightly below its forecast last month  and said global inventories have swollen to a four-year high.

Geopolitical tensions may add some support to oil prices. President Donald Trump announced new sanctions on three of Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduros nephews as well as six oil tankers, after the US seized a supertanker off the coast of the Latin American nation on Wednesday.

The ship seizure was just the beginning of a new phase in the Trump administrations ramped-up pressure campaign against the Venezuelan president, according to people familiar with the operation. The act of economic statecraft is designed to deny Maduro a lifeline of oil revenue and force him to relinquish power, the people said.

And a murky outlook for a peace deal to end Russias war in Ukraine  which could lower prices by eliminating sanctions on Russian crude  is also helping to support oil.

Ukraine also seems to keep targeting Russian oil assets even as negotiations for peace are in the works which seems to be keeping a psychological floor in crude, said Dennis Kissler, senior vice president for trading at BOK Financial Securities Inc.

To get Bloombergs Energy Daily newsletter in your inbox, click here.

--With assistance from Nicholas Lua.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Day 1 Highlights: ICICI Prudential AMC IPO opened for bidding today, December 12, intending to raise 10,602 crore. The IPO will remain open until December 16.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO price band has been set at 2,061 2,165 per share, valuing the company at approximately 1.07 lakh crore. The IPO is entirely an offer for sale (OFS) of over 4.89 crore shares by promoter Prudential Corporation Holdings (UK), meaning the company itself will not receive funds from the issue.

Currently, ICICI Bank holds 51%, while Prudential owns 49% of the AMC. Upon listing, ICICI Prudential AMC will become the fifth ICICI Group entity to be listed, after ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential Life, ICICI Lombard, and ICICI Securities.

The company raised 3,022 crore from anchor investors ahead of its IPO.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO GMP

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO GMP today is 150, highest so far. This means that shares of the AMC are trading 150 above the upper end of the price band. At the prevailing GMP, offer could list at 2315, a premium of 7%.

The company is expected to debut on the stock exchanges on December 19.

Watch this space for LIVE updates on ICICI Prudential AMC IPO.
IDBI Bank share price: IDBI Bank shares surged more than 4% on Friday, December 12, after reports indicated that Fairfax Financial and Kotak Mahindra Bank have emerged as the leading contenders to acquire a majority stake in the lender from the Government of India and the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). As per media reports, both shortlisted bidders are expected to submit their financial offers by the end of December.

Fairfax and Kotak move closer to submitting financial bids The government and LIC are jointly divesting a 60.72% stake in IDBI Bank, a block estimated to be worth nearly USD 7 billion at current valuations. Toronto-based Fairfax Financialled by Indian-Canadian billionaire Prem Watsahas reportedly been assessing an all-cash bid that aligns with IDBI Banks prevailing market price. Media reports stated that Fairfax, which already holds a controlling interest in CSB Bank, has received Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approval as a fit and proper participant in the sale.

According to reports, the firm is weighing an all-cash offer ahead of the December-end deadline for the submission of binding financial bids.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, which is also on the shortlist, is believed to be exploring a cash-and-stock proposal. The bank has similarly obtained RBI clearance under the fit-and-proper framework. Both bidders were among the group that filed expressions of interest nearly two years ago when the process formally began.

IDBI Bank stake sale Under the current plan, the Centre and LIC together intend to offload 61% in IDBI Bankof which the government holds 30.48% and LIC 30.24%. For the financial year 202526, the Centre has set a disinvestment and asset monetisation target of 47,000 crore. The IDBI transaction is expected to be one of the largest contributors to this target, alongside other strategic divestment programmes.

As per exchange disclosures for the quarter ended September 30, the central government held a 45.48% stake in IDBI Bank, while LIC owned 49.24%. Together, the two promoters controlled 94.71% of the lender, leaving only 5.29% with the public.

IDBI Bank share price performance IDBI Bank shares climbed 4.15% to touch 99.10 intraday on Friday. The stock now trades just 7% away from its 52-week high of 106.99 recorded in October 2025. It has also rebounded sharply from its 52-week low of 65.89 hit in January 2025, rising more than 50% since then.

However, the bank stock has declined over 1% in the past month. On a year-to-date basis, it is up 29%, while gaining 18% over the past one year. Over a five-year period, the bank has delivered multibagger returns of 141%.
LIC stock portfolio: India's biggest institutional investor, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), has slashed its stake in Adani Ports over the three years, bringing it down to over 7%, according to the latest exchange filing on Friday, December 12.

LIC offloaded 3.89 crore shares of the Adani group company, amounting to 2.007% between November 11, 2022, and December 10, 2025, following which its stake in Adani Ports declined to 7.343%, representing 15.86 crore shares. Before the stake sale, LIC held 19.75 shares, or 9.35%, stake, according to the filing shared on BSE today.

The stake was offloaded by LIC via the open market.

LIC holds stakes in 7 Adani group stocks According to the September quarter shareholding data, LIC owns a stake in seven of the 10 Adani group companies. Barring Adani Power, Sigachi Industries and NDTV, LIC's name was among the top public shareholders in seven Adani stocks, with the highest stake in cement manufacturer ACC in percentage terms.

LIC stake holding in Adani stocks as of Q2 FY25 Adani group stocks Stake as of Q2FY25 Adani Ports 7.73% Adani Enterprises 4.16% Adani Energy Solutions 3.42% Adani Green Energy 1.30% Adani Power - Adani Total Gas 6.02% ACC 9.95% Ambuja Cement 7.31% NDTV - Sanghi Industries - Data source: Exchange filing

As per a Mint report, as of the last quarter, LICs total exposure to the Adani Group stands at 48,284.62 crore in equity and debt.

Also Read | Finance ministry rejects claims of influence on LIC investments in Adani firms

Adani Ports share price trend Shares of Adani Ports traded marginally higher on the BSE today amid strength in the broader market. It rose to a high of 1524.40 and traded close to its 52-week high level of 1,548.60. On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the blue-chip Adani stock has risen 24%, taking its market capitalisation past the 3.27 lakh crore mark.

Meanwhile, on a longer time frame of a year, Adani Ports' share price has added 22% and delivered multibagger returns to investors who have stayed put over five and 10 years, rallying 225% and 528%, respectively, according to BSE data.

During the second quarter of the financial year 2025-26, Adani Ports reported a 29% rise in consolidated net profit at 3,120 crore, driven by strong growth in the logistics, marine and international operations.

Total income in the July-September 2025-26 period increased to 10,004.06 crore, from 7,372.37 crore in the year-ago quarter.
Towards the end of November and the beginning of December, the benchmark indices reached new record highs .

At such levels, finding value, particularly in large-cap stocks, becomes more challenging.

However, here are three stocks that continue to be undervalued despite the significant market surge. These stocks have been selected using data from the Equitymaster Stock Screener.

To identify undervalued options, specific criteria were applied, including a price-to-earnings ratio below 10, a price-to-book value under 1, and a consistent history of profitability and dividend payouts.

Please note, this editorial is for informational purposes only and not intended as stock investment advice.

It's important to keep in mind that valuation is a subjective concept; what one investor believes to be undervalued may not be the same for another.

This means that while valuation analysis offers insights, it is not a precise or absolute science; rather, it functions best when used as a guiding framework in conjunction with the knowledge of its limitations and complementary techniques.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)

ONGC is a Maharatna company. It is Indias largest crude oil and natural gas producer, contributing around 71% to Indian domestic production.

Also Read | Here are five reasons why you should invest in ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund IPO

Crude oil is the raw material used by downstream companies like IOC, BPCL, HPCL, and MRPL (last two are subsidiaries of ONGC) to produce petroleum products like petrol, diesel, kerosene, naphtha, and cooking gas LPG.

The stock currently trades at a price-to-earnings (PE) of seven times and a price to book (PB) of 0.8 times, according to the Equitymaster screener. The company has a consistent track record of dividend payments, with a dividend yield of over 5%.

On the financial front, the company reported revenues of 1,57,911.1 crore for Q2FY26 against 1,59,331.1 crore year-on-year. ONGC reported a net profit of 12,275.0 crore for Q2FY26 against 9,853.6 crore year-on-year. The increase in net profits can mainly be attributed to its subsidiaries, HPCL and MRPL.

For FY26, ONGC management is expecting oil production to reach 20 million metric tonnes. As far as gas is concerned, the management expects it to be slightly lower than the 21.5 BCM that was projected.

Moving ahead, ONGC has in the past faced issues with declining and mature fields. However, with BP-led TSP advancing for redevelopment of the MH Field, the scheme for revival of KG-98/2, and the combined Western Offshore Development Plan, ONGC is positioned to counterbalance declines from mature fields.

The accelerated monetization of new hydrocarbon discovery, alongside a sharper focus on deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration is expanding ONGC's resource base.

According to the management, these efforts, accompanied by enterprise-wide cost optimization and digital integration work across workflows, are expected to boost operational efficiency and reinforce ONGC's resilience in the quarters ahead.

Bank of Baroda

The bank is the second-largest PSU bank in terms of market capitalization.

Bank of Baroda provides personal, business, corporate, international, treasury, and rural banking services, including deposits, loans, and insurance. It operates in 17 countries with 84 overseas branches.

In 2019, it merged with Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank, boosting its network to over 9,500 branches, 13,400 ATMs, and service to 120 million customers.

The stock currently trades at a PE of 7.9 times and a price -to-book value of 0.9 times. The bank has a consistent track record of dividend payments, with a dividend yield of nearly 2.9%.

On the financial front, the bank reported a good set of numbers for Q2FY26. Net interest income improved to 13,126.9 crore from 12,636.0 crore year-on-year. Net profits saw a decline to 5,070.3 crore from 5,455.0 crore year-on-year.

Its pertinent to note that Q2FY26 results must be read in the context that in Q2 of FY25 the bank had a one-off recovery from written-off accounts, which elevated the base.

Without the one-off item of last year, the profit has grown by 22%.

Moving ahead, the management has given a guidance on advances of 11-13% growth for this year in a recent analyst meet. The retail growth in advances is expected to be strong and would continue following a trend of 18-20% for last many quarters.

In terms of net interest margins, the management is expecting the same would be somewhere between 2.85%-3%.

Overall, Bank of Baroda is likely to see improvements driven by steady profit growth, improving asset quality, and strong capital adequacy.

Power Finance Corporation

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is a leading Maharatna public sector NBFC under India's Ministry of Power, specialising in financing power generation, transmission, distribution, and related infrastructure projects.

The stock currently trades at a PE of just 3.4 times and a PB of 0.9 times. The company has a consistent track record of dividend payments, with a dividend yield of nearly 4.6%.

On the financial front, PFC saw interest earned rise to 28,890.2 crore for Q2FY26 against 25,721.8 year-on-year. The net profits during Q2FY26 were 7,834.4 crore vs 7,214.9 crore year-on-year.

Moving ahead, Power Finance Corporation benefits from strong positioning in India's expanding power sector, particularly renewables.

The company has a strong loan book, driven by renewable financing growth. The asset quality of the company is good.

Conclusion

Investing in stocks that seem undervalued requires careful consideration.

Such stocks may be undervalued or oversold, presenting potential buying opportunities, especially if the low price is due to temporary factors.

However, caution is needed, even if some stocks may have value. Investors need to do thorough research into the reasons for the undervaluation.

Investors should evaluate the company's fundamentals, corporate governance, and valuations of the stock as key factors when conducting due diligence before making investment decisions.

Happy Investing.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such.

This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com.
At the end of her charming novel Rukmini Aunty and the R.K. Narayan Fan Club, Sita Bhaskar quotes the Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smiths admiration for the much-loved creator of Malgudi Days, first published as a collection of short stories in 1943, and later turned into a popular TV series in 1986. He was a major influence in writing the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," McCall Smith is cited as saying. Narayan succeeded in creating small, self-contained worlds for his quirky characters which gives him an avenue to explore their eccentricities and problems."

The statement provides a perfect frame to read Bhaskars work, a fictional revisiting of the controversies over the restoration of Narayans home in Yadavagiri in Mysore (now Mysuru), where he spent many years writing some of his best work, until poor health forced him to move to Chennai in the 1990s to live with his daughter during his last years. After his death in 2001, Narayans heirs handed over the house to a developer, who began to knock down the run-down building in 2011. That same year, thanks to a spirited campaign by a local newspaper, Star of Mysore, the Mysore Urban Development Authority declared the writers former home a heritage building and put an end to the demolition.

Eventually, the government of Karnataka bought the property, despite protests by some local writers who felt the gesture was misguided, since Narayan, apart from being a Tamilian, wrote in English, not in Kannada, and did not deserve such an honour (even though he modelled Malgudi partly on Mysore, a city he dearly loved). In 2016, the restored home was opened to the public as a museum. Some of Narayans possessionsglasses, pens, clothesare displayed in the spartan house, a testimony to his frugal lifestyle.

Also Read | The popularity of Gita Press and how it shaped modern Hindutva

Bhaskars novel follows the contours of this process of transformation of a dilapidated house into a shrine to literary excellence through the adventures of a group of local women, most of whom have never heard, let alone read, Narayan. During a visit to her nephew Vinod and his wife Janani in the US, the eponymous Rukmini Aunty and her husband Sesha Uncle go to Hannibal in Missouri to see The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, which leaves them mightily impresse

Back home in India, like many of her compatriots, Rukmini Aunty is unaware of the towering legacy that lies neglected in her own backyard in Mysuru, until Janani, an avowed fan of Narayan, points out the irony to her aunt-in-law. Despite her initial scepticism, on Jananis insistence, Rukmini Aunty manages to co-opt the neighbourhood women into coming together to save the late writers home. The rest of the novel follows the petty intrigues that try to foil their attempts, until a progressive commissioner of the city steps in to save the house from falling prey to touts and real estate sharks. Into this semi-fictionalised scaffolding, Bhaskar weaves in digressions, mostly related to NRIs coming to Mysuru to discover the peculiarities of their ancestral land.

Nithya, an 18-year-old with luscious curls, plays a prank on his parents and grandmother when they take him to a temple to donate his hair. Mukta, a young woman from Chicago who is house-sitting for a cousin for six months falls for Mahesh, a handsome man with a cute butt" (she christens him Mr CB") from her yoga class. Since he shows no interest in her, Mukta decides to take matters into her hands and pays a visit to his parents, with hilarious consequences. Then there is Swami, a little boy from the US living in Mysuru with his grandmother for a year, who, despite being nothing like his namesake in Narayans Malgudi Days, manages to put the whole family into a tizzy when he goes missing.

View Full Image 'Rukmini Aunty and the R.K. Narayan Fan Club' by Sita Bhaskar, published by Penguin, 240 pages,  399

In and of themselves, the diversions are each worthy of a good laugh, but Bhaskar doesnt weave them into her plot in any consequential way. The episodes, delightfully reminiscent of Malgudi Days and No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, stick out a bit, but the reader can make peace with this free-flowing style and enjoy the subplots as they come and go.
About the author: Douglas Eby is the CEO of Bioaxia and managing partner of the Bioaxia Life Sciences Fund.

Warren Buffetts long march to investment immortality started very differently from how it is ending. The Oracle of Omaha bought his first stock in 1942. He is now universally considered the greatest value investor of all time. And yet, one of his last acts as CEO was to buy Alphabet, one of the ultimate growth stocks.

Some found that decision puzzling, but those who look closer will see in that decision a testament to Buffetts growth as an investor over the decades.

After 60 years as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the longest-ever tenure of a leader of an S&P 500 company, Buffett is retiring this month. He will then turn the reins over to Greg Abel, his handpicked successor. Prior to his departure, he bought 17.85 million shares of Googles parent company, worth $4.3 billion. The trade, revealed in filings in November, surprised his most ardent followers: Buffett long maintained an aversion to technology companies, for which he feigns a lack of proper understanding.

Buffetts success was built on an impressive early track record of buying cheap stocks with limited regard to the quality of the underlying business. That strategy worked beautifully, until it didnt. To stay successful over long periods of time, investors must evolve their thinking to adapt to constantly changing market environments and set of circumstances. Including Buffett.

Charlie Munger, Buffetts late investment partner, is primarily responsible for guiding his younger collaborator through the process of evolving his investment strategy. Munger encouraged Buffett to focus more on stocks that still had value at their core but that represented higher-quality companies with great management. This shift can be seen in Berkshire toward portfolio companies like American Express, Coca-Cola, and Apple in recent decades.

If you listened closely over the years, you could hear the echoes of Munger nudging Buffett to invest in technology stocks. The topic of Google and the companys ongoing disintermediation of the advertising business arose at Berkshires annual meeting in 2019. Buffett commented that Geico was gladly paying $10 per click, for advertising that was working very well, which had a marginal cost to Google of exactly zero.

While Buffett deliberated tech stocks, Munger was eating his own cooking and personally investing in Chinese tech companies, such as Alibaba Group, an e-commerce powerhouse, and BYD, an electric-car company. Munger claimed the latter as his best investment ever.

Berkshire largely missing tech, the best-performing sector over the past 40 years, is an omission that Buffett still talks about to this day. That Berkshires annualized return for the past 60 years has been about 20%roughly twice the return of the S&P 500without technology stocks is astonishing.

Buffetts first job was delivering newspapers for the Washington Post in the early 1940s. As he walked through the streets of Washington delivering the morning paper, imagine how fantastical the idea of a company like Google would have been: news and information sent through the ether to computers, phones, and robots capable of replacing humans in many aspects of life.

These were more analog times. Before he set out on his route, Buffett paid a distributor for the papers upfront in cash. He assumed the risk of whether customers would pay him back.

Buffett would later invert that payment model, in what became the defining pursuit of his investment careercapitalizing on the insurance industry. Customers pay premiums upfront, producing float, which, if invested correctly by a skilled capital allocator like Buffett, is a magical asset akin to the bank paying you to borrow money. At the end of the most recent quarter, Berkshire Hathaway reported float of $176 billion, an all-time record.

Buffett still loves the newspaper business. Yet he has adapted to the reality of markets. The objective of the value investor like Buffett is to make money over the long term, but the manner in which this is accomplished is also in perpetual motion. It is a quantitative and qualitative analytical work in progress.

In his Thanksgiving Day letter to Berkshire shareholders this year, Buffett touched on the importance of being open to a change in ones thinking. He offered this advice: Dont beat yourself up over past mistakeslearn at least a little from them and move on. It is never too late to improve. Get the right heroes and copy them."

Munger was Buffetts hero, long before Berkshires recent purchase of Alphabet. Buffett believes in Alphabet and the amazing technological advancements the company is developing. But one cant help but think the investment is a metaphor for Buffett and Mungers unique business partnership and friendship that spanned more than half of a century.

Lets hope that the technologies that Alphabet and other leading companies are developing dont replace what makes the world go around: human relationships full of friendship, loyalty, and love. Time will tell. Buffetts epic posthumous hat tip to Munger is a poignant act from an extraordinary man, one that will forever be remembered as the swan song of a legend.
A significant legal and zoning controversy has emerged regarding the land in Arpora village, North Goa. This is the site of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, which was ravaged by a deadly fire on 6 December.

Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, who claims he is the original owner of the property, asserts that a section of his land was unlawfully converted from a salt pan to a settlement zone. He alleges this change happened without his knowledge and was intended to directly benefit the nightclub's establishment.

The property has been the subject of a long-running legal battle. Amonkar stated he signed a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004. However, he cancelled the contract six months later because he never received payment. Khosla proceeded to establish a nightclub on the land. Later, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of 'Birch by Romeo Lane,' took over the business.

Amonkar is actively pursuing a court case against Khosla for the land's return. He recently discovered the alleged zone change. For 21 years, I have been fighting in courts to get back my land in Arpora, which has been wrongfully occupied, he told PTI. The government quietly changed the zoning of my land without informing me, he added.

He claims no legal notice was ever served to him about the property's change in status to a settlement zone, despite the ongoing litigation. He uncovered this information on Thursday while compiling documents for a High Court petition related to the fire tragedy. The fire claimed 25 lives, primarily staff and tourists. How can a salt pan be converted into a settlement zone? he asked.

Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers detained in Thailand After the Luthra brothers, wanted in connection with the tragic fire at Goa's Birch Hotel, were detained in Thailand, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that strict action will be taken against them. He asserted that the government is committed to securing justice for the 25 people who lost their lives in the tragedy.

The Chief Minister said that teams from the Goa Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will travel to Thailand to deport the accused to India.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Sawant said, We will bring them to Goa as soon as possible. Teams of the Goa Police and the CBI will go there. He also issued a firm warning: Henceforth, any violation and encroachment will not be tolerated. The Chief Minister confirmed that two suspended women government officers are cooperating with the investigation, while one is not, and action will be taken accordingly.
The Ernakulam District and Sessions Court in Kerala on Friday sentenced six people convicted in the 2017 assault of an actress to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for gang-rape offence, according to PTI.

Judge Honey M Varghese sentenced Sunil NS, also known as Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh VP, Salim H, and Pradeep. Additional sentences for other charges were also ordered but will run concurrently, the report noted.

The court directed a compensation of 5 lakh to be paid to the victim and ruled that the pen drive containing videos of the sexual assault remain in the custody of the investigating officer.

Who is Pulsar Suni? Pulsar Suni was convicted in the high-profile 2017 Kerala actress sexual assault case. He is no stranger to criminal activities. Since turning 19, he has repeatedly been incarcerated for crimes such as narcotics, theft, robbery, money laundering, kidnapping, and, most recently, rape, The News Minute reported.

Although he worked as a driver in the Malayalam film industry for nearly 20 years, he claimed that he was more in demand for criminal activities, a fact he said was well known within the industry.

Regarding the assault on the actor, Suni said he had anticipated spending no more than a hundred days in jail. As per TNM, Pulsar Suni added, I didnt realise that what I did to her counted as rape. Now I know, but as a 28-year-old hot-blooded man, how can you expect me to know all that?

The court had acquitted four accused, including actor Dileep, on 8 December. The convicted were found guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354(B) (assault to woman with intent to disrobe), 354 (outraging a womans modesty), 357 (assault in attempt to wrongfully confine), 366 (abduction), and 376(D) (gang rape), as well as under the IT Act sections 66E (violation of privacy) and 67(A) (transmission of sexually explicit material).

During the hearing on the quantum of the sentence, the convicts and their lawyers sought leniency, citing family and health issues. Martin Antony (the second accused) and Pradeep (the sixth accused) broke down in court, claiming innocence and stating that they were the primary earners for their families.

Special Public Prosecutor V Aja Kumar argued for the maximum punishment for gang rape. The court asserted that the crime committed by Pulsar Suni was more severe than that of the other accused and questioned whether the same sentence could apply to all under Section 376(D).

The court has given only the minimum sentence of 20 years for the crime of gang rape. It gives a wrong message, India Today quoted Aja Kumar as saying, noting that he expressed disappointment with the sentence. He said he would advise the government to appeal for a harsher punishment.

The incident, which occurred on 17 February 2017, involved the accused allegedly forcing their way into the actresss car and holding it for two hours. Pulsar Suni sexually assaulted her and recorded the act with the help of the other convicts. Actor Dileep, who was initially accused of conspiring in the crime, was arrested but ultimately acquitted after a trial lasting nearly six years.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will today participate in an event at Shri Vijaypuram in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to mark the 115th anniversary of Savarkar's iconic patriotic song Sagara Praan Talamala. The song was written by Savarkar in memory of the motherland.

In a post on X on Thursday, Shah described Savarkar as one of the rare revolutionaries who propelled the independence movement forward both materially and ideologically.

"Swatantryaveer Savarkar Ji was among those rare revolutionaries who advanced the freedom struggle in parallel, both materially and ideologically. On the occasion of the 115th anniversary of the immortal song 'Sagara Praan Talamala' written by him in memory of the motherland, I am eager to participate in the event organised tomorrow in Shri Vijaypuram (Andaman and Nicobar) and pay homage to his memory. RSS Sarsanghchalak, the esteemed Shri Mohan Bhagwat Ji, will grace the event as the chief guest," Shah wrote.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, commonly referred to as Veer Savarkar, was born on May 28, 1883, in Bhagur.

Savarkar was a leading figure in the 'Hindu Mahasabha and began participating in the freedom movement while still a high school student and continued to do so while attending Fergusson College in Pune.

He became active with groups such as India House and the Free India Society while studying law in the United Kingdom. He also published books promoting revolutionary methods to achieve total Indian independence.

He gained prominence for his book "Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?" and several others that he authored.

Swatantryaveer Savarkar Ji was among those rare revolutionaries who advanced the freedom struggle in parallel, both materially and ideologically.

In 1911, Savarkar was sentenced to 50 years in the Cellular Jail of the Andaman Islands, also known as Kala Pani, for revolting against the Morley-Minto reforms (Indian Councils Act, 1909). After several mercy petitions, he was released in 1924, on the condition that he would not participate in politics.
Condolences poured in after senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil passed away at his residence in Latur on Friday. He was 90 and died at home earlier in the day.

Patil had been ill for the past few days. He was born on October 12, 1935, in the village of Chakur in the Latur district of Maharashtra.

President Droupadi Murmu expressed her deep sorrow and support to the family of the late Congress leader, following his demise at the age of 90. Taking it to X, the President paid tribute to Patil, recalling that he held various positions of power throughout his political career.

In the demise of senior political leader Shri Shivraj Patil Ji, we have lost a prominent public figure. During his long public life, he held many important positions including those of Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Minister, Governor and longstanding Member of Parliament. My heartfelt condolences to his family, well-wishers and admirers, she wrote on X.

Here's what leaders said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing his sorrow at the passing of the senior Congress leader, remembered Patil as an experienced leader who dedicated his life to public service and the welfare of society.

Taking to X, PM Modi said, "Saddened by the passing of Shri Shivraj Patil Ji. He was an experienced leader, having served as MLA, MP, Union Minister, Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, as well as the Lok Sabha during his long years in public life. He was passionate about contributing to the welfare of society."

Recalling his most recent meeting with Patil, PM Modi added, I have had many interactions with him over the years, the most recent one being when he came to my residence a few months ago. My thoughts are with his family in this sad hour. Om Shanti.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday expressed grief over the demise of senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, recalling his service to the country in various capacities and his contributions towards India's progress.

Taking to X, Singh wrote, Saddened by the demise of former Union Minister Shri Shivraj Patil ji. He was a seasoned leader, who served the country in various capacities and made effective contributions towards India's progress. My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this sad hour. Om Shanti.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah extended his deep condolences on the passing of senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, remembering him as a leader with vast knowledge of public affairs.

In a post on X, the Union Minister also conveyed his condolences to Shivraj Patil's family members and well-wishers. Saddened by the demise of former Union Minister Shivraj Patil Chakurkar Ji. With a career spanning several decades, Patil Ji was known for his vast knowledge of public affairs and his dedicated service. Heartfelt condolences to his family members and well-wishers, Shah wrote on X.

Earlier today, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed grief on the demise of Congress leader Shivraj Patil, calling it an irreparable loss to the party.

Taking it to X, he wrote, The news of the demise of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shri Shivraj Patil ji is extremely heartbreaking and an irreparable loss for the party...His dedication to public service and his contributions to the nation will always be remembered...In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the entire Patil family, their well-wishers, and supporters.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the demise of former Union Home Minister & Congress leader Shivraj Patil. She said, This is a very sad thing.

On Congress Lok Sabha MPs' meeting chaired by Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP K Suresh says, This morning, in our Congress Lok Sabha MPs' meeting, we passed a condolence resolution. Shivraj Patil was one of the tallest leaders of the Congress Party... This is a huge loss for the country.

NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule mourned Patils death, saying his passing marks the loss of a leader with vast parliamentary experience. Latur MLA Amit Deshmukh also offered his tributes to Patil.

Also Read | Parliamentary panel tells government to strengthen ties with oil nations

Known for his dignified conduct, he never indulged in personal attacks, neither in public speeches nor in private conversations, said a Congress leader.

Congress MP Dharmvir Gandhi said that Patil's demise is a matter of great sadness for all of us and for the people of this country. He worked in Indian politics for a long time. We are proud that he was associated with the Congress and he did a lot for the development of Maharashtra and modern Maharashtra..., he added.

Political career of Patil Patil entered national politics in 1980 when he was first elected to the 7th Lok Sabha, and went on to retain the seat for seven consecutive terms until 2004.

He was a towering figure in Indian politics, remembered for a long and distinguished career marked by several key roles in Parliament, the Union government, and state legislatures. A senior leader of the Indian National Congress, he served as the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha and held numerous significant positions over more than four decades in public life.

Patil was also known for his vast reading, meticulous study, and articulate presentation. His command over Marathi, English, and Hindi, along with his exceptional grasp of constitutional matters, made him a much-respected parliamentarian of his time, added the party leader.

In addition to his role as an MP, he was appointed Union Minister of Home Affairs (2004-2008). Following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he gave his resignation on November 30, 2008, taking moral responsibility for the security lapses.
Underscoring the monetary stability and fiscal policy risks, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar on Friday said that cryptocurrency is not really a currency because it does not have the basic features of money.

Speaking at the Mint Annual BFSI Conclave 2025, the RBI deputy governor described cryptocurrency as just a piece of code, which is not even a financial asset or any kind of asset at all.

Sankar explained why these tokens don't qualify as money. Cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value. They are not backed by a promise to pay, and they have no issuer. Their value is purely speculative, he observed.

Cryptocurrencies are digital or virtual currencies that run on decentralised blockchain networks rather than being issued or controlled by a central bank. In India, they remain unregulated, and while trading or transacting in them is neither banned nor illegal, such activity attracts heavy taxation.

Beyond the facilitation of illicit payments and circumvention of capital measures, stablecoins raise significant concerns for monetary stability, fiscal policy, banking intermediation, and systemic resilience, Sankar added.

Currency or deposits carry a promise from a trusted issuer, and money derives its credibility from the sovereign that backs its value. The fundamental challenge with cryptocurrencies is that they claim to redefine the very nature of money, yet represent no underlying value at all, Rabi Sankar said at the event.

RBI calls crypto pure gambling On being asked whether crypto trading is the same as real money gambling, Sankar said unbacked cryptocurrencies are pure gamble based on mathematical bets.

The RBI deputy governor's view assumes significance as crypto traders simply place bets on price movements whenever an event occurs.

India imposed a nationwide ban on all real-money gaming apps in August 2025 when the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, was enacted into law and formally enforced on 1 October 2025.
At least nine people died after a bus overturned in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju district on Friday, news agency ANI reported.

22 people were injured in the incident occurred on the ghat road between Chinturu and Bhadrachalam.

The injured have been shifted to Bhadrachalam Hospital for treatment, ASR District Collector Dinesh Kumar told the outlet.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar said the accident occurred around 4:30 am on Chintoor-Maredumilli ghat road near a Durga temple.

"At least nine people died and 22 were injured as the bus fell off the ghat road. The bus did not fully plunge into the valley. It turned turtle... and got stuck," Bardar told PTI, adding that four of the injured are critical.

The cause of the accident and the identities of the victims have yet to be revealed.

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu has taken note of the incident and said in a post on X, The accident involving a private bus carrying passengers near Chittoor district in Alluri Sitarama Raju has deeply shaken us. It is heartbreaking that several lives were lost in this accident. I have spoken with the officials regarding the accident and gathered details about the assistance being provided to the affected individuals. I have instructed the officials to take all necessary measures to ensure that the injured receive better medical aid. The government will stand by the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.

In another case of a road accident, at least 21 travellers from Tinsukia in Assam are feared dead after an accident in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, the outlet has revealed.

Police said that 22 travellers from Assam were in a minitruck which fell into a gorge on the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road.

21 people are feared to have died in the incident while only one has survived, Mayank Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police of Tinsukia district, told ANI.

Also Read | The deadliest train accidents in the last 30 years

The incident occurred on 8 December after a truck skidded off a hilly road. Those on the truck were going to Hayuliang for construction work.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a financial compensation of 2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund for the relatives of the deceased in the road accident. He also announced a 50,000 grant for injured people.
Rahul Gandhi on Friday raised the issue of air pollution in major cities of India and sought a discussion on the same in the Lok Sabha. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready for a discussion on the issue, stating that government will see how the discussion can be taken up.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gandhi said the discussion on the issue can be framed in an interesting manner where the opposition and the government do not trade abuses at each other, but find a solution to the problem.

On Friday, Delhi continued to choke under a thick blanket of smog  with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 332, in the 'very poor' category. The air quality was 'very poor' at 30 stations while it was 'severe' at one station, Jahangirpuri, which recorded an AQI of 405.

What Rahul Gandhi said Raising the issue of air pollution, Rahul Gandhi said that both the opposition and the treasury benches can show the country that they can work together on something that is critical.

"This is not an ideological issue. Everybody in this House would agree that air pollution, the damage it is doing to our people, is something that we would like to cooperate on," Gandhi said.

In response, Rijiju said the government, from day one, had made its position very clear it was ready to discuss and also to find a solution, taking along the suggestions from all the members, including the principal opposition party led by Rahul Gandhi.

Not just Delhi, but Mumbai, Kolkata among other cities have been battling the issue of unhealthy air that followed with the onset of winter across India. Earlier this month, the Air Quality Index in Maximus City hit 111  prompting authorities to implement GRAP-4 restrictions.

Delhi AQI to remain 'very poor' Delhi's air quality is likely to remain in 'very poor' till Saturday. The outlook for the subsequent six days also states that the air is likely to remain in the very poor band, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS).
Three-quarters of Indias exports to Mexico are set to face a major setback from 1 January 2026, according to a report released on Friday by Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), after the Mexican senate approved steep tariff increases on goods imported from countries that dont have a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Mexico.

According to the report, nearly 75% of Indias $5.75 billion of exports to Mexico in FY25 will be affected by the tariff hikes, fundamentally altering the economics of accessing Indias largest export destination in Latin America after Brazil.

The tariff overhaul, cleared by both houses of the Mexican Congress on 11 December, raises duties on a wide range of products to as high as 50%, sharply eroding Indias competitiveness in the Mexican market.

Whats behind the hike?

The tariff hikes are widely seen as Mexico aligning its trade policy with that of the US, which has taken a protectionist turn under President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). By raising trade barriers for non-FTA partners, Mexico is signalling support for North American nearshoring (relocating a company's business operations or production activities to a nearby country) and tightening of supply chains around the USMCA region, the GTRI report noted.

GTRI co-founder Ajay Srivastava said Mexicos move also reflects the growing fragility of global trade rules. Mexico is now the second major economy after the US to openly breach WTO tariff commitments. By charging different tariffs to different WTO members, Mexico undermines the most-favoured-nation principle, but these actions are going largely unchecked," he said.

The proposal to start FTA negotiations with Mexico is still at the discussion stage. On 10 September, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal met Francisco Cervantes, president of Mexico's Business Coordination Council (CCE), in New Delhi and said that India would work towards strengthening trade and investment ties with Mexico.

Impact on India: uneven but severe

Under the new tariff structure, Mexico will impose duties of 5-50% on imports from India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. For most productsincluding machinery, electronics, plastics and textilesduties will rise from 0-15% to around 35%. A few strategic items, primarily steel, will face a punitive 50% tariff, according to the GTRI report.

The impact of these hikes on India will be severe but uneven across sectors. Pharmaceuticals, for instance, will remain largely insulated. Duties will increase only marginallyfrom 0-5% to 0-10%allowing Indias generic drugs to remain competitive in Mexico. India exported $197 million worth of pharmaceuticals to Mexico in FY25.

Metal exports, on the other hand, will face the steepest barriers. Aluminium exports of $383 million will see duties rise from 5-10% to 25-35%, while iron and steel exports of $128 million face the harshest increase  from 10-15% to 35% on long products and from 1015% 50% on flat products, making Indian steel commercially unviable in Mexico.

Passenger vehicles, Indias single-largest export to Mexico ($938 million in FY25), will see tariffs rise from 20% to 35%, weakening Indias position in a market influenced heavily by USMCA sourcing rules.

Duties on auto component exports worth $507 million will be hiked from 10-15% to 35%, disrupting Indias participation in supply chains based in Mexico that cater to the US market. Motorcycle exports worth $390 million, dominated by Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor and Hero MotoCorp, will also see tariffs increase from 20% to 35%.

Electronics and machinery will be hit hard as well. Smartphones, which currently enter Mexico duty-free, will attract a 35% tariff, effectively shutting down Indias handset exports to that country. Industrial machinery worth $548 million will see duties rise from 5-10% to 25-35%, raising landed costs and reducing price competitiveness, it said.

Labour-intensive sectors such as garments, textiles and ceramics will also come under pressure, with tariffs climbing from 20-25% to 25-35%, threatening these exports that are largely driven by small and medium businesses.

Will India hit back?

Srivastava said that India is unlikely to retaliate, as imports from Mexico stand at just $2.9 billionabout half the value of Indias exportsleaving it with little economic leverage. Instead, India is expected to focus on diversifying markets and treating Mexicos tariff hike as another sign of the weakening multilateral trading system rather than a dispute suited for a bilateral confrontation.

Mexicos tariff hike is a serious setback for Indian exporters, especially in autos, engineering goods and MSME-led sectors," said Arun Kumar Garodia, former chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC). A sudden jump to 35-50% duties will price many Indian products out of the Mexican market and disrupt supply chains built over years. At a time when global trade rules are weakening, Indian exporters will have to diversify quickly and build resilience against such unilateral tariff shocks," Garodia added.

The EEPC has previously flagged the issue to the commerce ministry, noting the urgent need to establish a trade agreement with Mexico after the Mexican president announced two major trade-related initiatives, including a significant reform to the General Import and Export Tariffs Law (LIGIE), in September.

This reform aims to restructure tariff frameworks by substantially increasing import duties on a wide range of products across multiple sectors. This will directly impact countries that do not have FTAs with Mexico," EEPC chairman Pankaj Chadha wrote in a letter dated 2 December to Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal, the council said.

Given Mexicos importance as a key export destination for Indian engineering products, the industry body had warned the government that the new measures could erode Indias competitiveness in the Mexican market. To address this, it said India should pursue an FTA or at least a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico covering the affected sectors, Chadha said in his letter.

Indias engineering exports to Mexico have already begun to weaken. During April-October 2025, total engineering exports to Mexico declined by 12%. The fall was broad-based, with steel exports down 7%, iron and steel products down 26%, aluminium and its products down 56%, auto components down 20%, and exports of two- and three-wheelers down 32%.

Also Read | What is at stake for New Delhi as Vladimir Putin visits India?
Thanks to the collective efforts of locals and tourists, a shark stranded on Keralas Varkala beach was rescued. Now, a touching video capturing their initiative is going viral and winning hearts online. The cartilaginous fish became entangled in a fishermans net and was pushed back into its habitat after more than three hours of combined efforts.

"Today, we save a life. At about 8 am this morning, on our way to surf lesson, we saw this whale shark stranded on the beach. There were a few local people and tourists trying to help it," said @surferboy_varkala in an Instagram video.

The shark got caught in the fishermen's net and got pulled to the seashore. A lot of people, including my mum, worked for over three hours to rescue it. They were able to push it deep enough so it could swim. But it wasn't enough for it to go all the way back and so it washed up onto the beach again.

Locals and tourists tried pushing it back from the shore so that it could swim into deeper water, but were unsuccessful. Later, two rescue boats tied a rope around the shark and gently guided it into the sea. Many rescuers suffered cuts and scrapes from the whale sharks rough, sandpaper-like skin, but that didnt stop them from saving its life.

The video of the incident is now doing the rounds on social media, with many applauding the group of strangers for coming together.

Heres how social media users reacted: "This is amazing! So proud of the group of people who tried rescuing and putting back the whale shark where it belongs! Kudos," said one user, while another added: Whatta good life experience and a lesson shown to future gen!

Also Read | Viral video: Korean woman stuns CM Bhagwant Mann with proper Punjabi

A third commented: "When I was there, we saw a pod of dolphins and today a whale rolled over. Majestic and mysterious. Bless all the people who helped."
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) signed an executive order establishing a single national framework for artificial intelligence (AI) companies, overriding state-level regulations that the administration described as onerous.

The White House AI and crypto czar, David O. Sacks, stated that this order equips AI companies with tools to challenge restrictive state regulations.

"We want to have one central source of approval," Trump told reporters, flanked by top advisers, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as per a Reuters report.

Also Read | Bezos and Musk race to build AI data centers in space: Report

The Trump administration has long pushed for a single national regulation to prevent Democratic-controlled states, such as New York and California, from shaping the industry with their own sets of laws.

The latest move comes as AI firms expand near the US Capitol and launch a political super PAC, Leading the Future, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Joe Lonsdale, Ron Conway and others, with plans to spend about $100 million in the 2026 midterm elections.

Are US states introducing separate laws on AI? Yes, several states have introduced AI bills. California and Colorado, both under Democratic leadership, have proposed bills that call for risk assessments and other disclosures related to the AI industry. New York passed the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act, which awaits Governor Kathy Hochul's signature. The Act mandates safety protocols for frontier AI models.

Companies like Andreessen Horowitz, Google, and OpenAI have been lobbying against state regulations on AI, arguing that disparate regulations across the US regarding AI will be detrimental to the country's competitiveness in the global AI race.

Leading the Future has already targeted the New York State Assembly member Alex Bores, who co-sponsored the RAISE Act. The PAC called the legislation ideological and politically motivated", warning it would handcuff US competitiveness.
The Indiana Senate on Thursday voted down a proposed congressional map that would have strengthened Republicans prospects of retaining control of the U.S. House in next year's midterm elections, delivering a setback to President Donald Trump's broader effort to advance more GOP-favourable district maps nationwide, Reuters reported.

The vote represented a rare rebuke to Trump by members of his own party, which he has largely ruled with an iron fist as president.

View full Image Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith awaits the final vote in an effort to redistrict the state's congressional map, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) ( AP )

The tally was 31-19 against, with more than half of Republican senators joining all 10 Democrats in voting against the bill despite a months-long pressure campaign from the White House aimed at the holdouts.

Trump had threatened to support electoral challengers to any Republican senators who refused to vote in favour of the map, calling several out by name in a series of hostile social media posts leading up to Thursday's vote.

Also Read | Trump signs executive order on national AI framework in US

Speaking to reporters after the vote, Trump said the new map would have been nice and could have resulted in two additional Republican seats. But he downplayed his role in the issue, saying he hadn't been working on it very hard.

Trump said he hoped Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, who opposed the redistricting, lost his next primary because he's done a great disservice.

Why map matters? The map, which passed the Indiana state House last week, would likely have given Republicans a 9-0 sweep of the state's U.S. House seats in next year's midterms, when control of Congress will be at stake.

The revised map would have reconfigured the two districts currently represented by Democrats, in part by carving Indianapolis  the state's largest city  into four separate districts, a change Democrats argued would especially disadvantage minority voters.

View full Image Demonstrators opposed to redistricting at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, US, on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. The Indiana Senate on Thursday rejected a congressional redistricting plan backed by President Donald Trump that would have given Republicans an advantage in all nine of the states House districts. Photographer: Kaiti Sullivan/Bloomberg ( Bloomberg )

Republican legislators who supported the measure on Thursday pressed their colleagues to approve it and bolster Trumps agenda in Congress, cautioning that a Democratic-controlled House would pursue harmful policies.

In a fiery speech, Senator Chris Garten said nothing less than the future of the country was at stake. The sponsor of the bill, Mike Gaskill, suggested the second U.S. Civil War has already begun.

Also Read | Trump warns of land strikes on Venezuela drug shipment

Senator Spencer Deery, one of three Republicans who spoke out against the bill during the floor debate, acknowledged he also did not want to see Democrats win a House majority.

But that isn't for me to decide, and it isn't for anybody in this body to decide either, he continued. Living in a free constitutional republic means we empower voters to make those decisions, and we accept their will no matter what.

Redistricting typically occurs at the start of each decade to incorporate new U.S. Census data. But Trump ignited a nationwide battle this summer, when he successfully urged Texas Republicans to draw a new congressional map taking aim at five Democratic incumbents.

Also Read | Senator calls for Nvidia CEO to testify on Trump approval for China chip sales

In response, Democrats in California proposed their own redrawn map intended to flip five Republican seats, a plan that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November. Other states, both Republican- and Democratic-controlled, have initiated their own redistricting efforts.

Some state lawmakers have balked. Trump's push stalled in Kansas amid reluctance from some Republicans, and Democrats in Maryland are split on whether to advance a new map, Reuters reported.

Democrats must flip only three Republican seats in the 435-member House next year to win a majority.
US President Donald Trump is expected to direct agencies to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, similar to some common prescription painkillers, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Sources told the media house that Trump is expected to push the government to dramatically loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, reducing oversight of the plant and its derivatives to the same level as some common prescription painkillers and other drugs.

Trump reportedly discussed the plan with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) in a Wednesday phone call from the Oval Office.

The president is expected to seek to ease access to the drug through an upcoming executive order that directs federal agencies to pursue reclassification, sources said.

Will Trump legalise marijuana? The move would not legalise or decriminalise marijuana, but it would ease barriers to research and boost the bottom lines of legal businesses.

Trump said in August he was looking at reclassification. The Biden administration also looked into rescheduling cannabis.

Were looking at it. Some people like it, some people hate it, Trump said this summer. Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana because it does bad for the children, it does bad for the people that are older than children.

Also Read | A drug made from marijuana reduced back pain in a large study

The president was joined Wednesday by marijuana industry executives, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Mehmet Oz, sources told the Washington Post.

On the call, Johnson was skeptical of the idea and gave a list of reasons, including several studies and data, to support his position against reclassifying the drug, two of the people said.

Trump then turned the phone over to the executives gathered around his desk, who rebutted Johnsons arguments, the people said.

Trump ended the call, appearing ready to go ahead with loosening restrictions on marijuana, the people said, though they caution the plans were not finalized and Trump could still change his mind.

A White House official said no final decisions have been made on rescheduling of marijuana.

The Department of Health and Human Services referred questions to the White House. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative from Johnsons office declined to comment.

Marijuana Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I substance, the same classification as heroin and LSD. Federal regulations consider those drugs to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted use for medical treatment.

Trump would move to classify marijuana as a Schedule III substance, which regulators say carry less potential for abuse and are used for certain medical treatments, but can also create risks of physical or psychological dependence.

Other Schedule III drugs include Tylenol with codeine, as well as certain steroid and hormone treatments.

Also Read | Why did Bill Gates try LSD, marijuana and why he stopped

Democrats and Republicans alike have been interested in reclassifying marijuana, with some politicians citing its potential benefit as a medical treatment and the political popularity of the widely used drug.

Marijuana has become easier than ever to obtain, growing into an industry worth billions of dollars in the United States. Dozens of states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana programs, and 24 have approved recreational marijuana.
US President Donald Trump is facing a federal lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which seeks to stop his White House ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and receives congressional approval.

The Trust argues that the construction, which has already involved the demolition of the East Wing, violates federal law and bypasses required procedures.

Legal claims and arguments The lawsuit claims that Trump has fast-tracked the project in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, while also exceeding his constitutional authority by not consulting lawmakers.

No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever  not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else, the complaint states.

The Trust argues that no further work should continue until design reviews, environmental assessments, public comments, and congressional deliberation are completed.

Federal oversight requirements The lawsuit emphasizes that White House projects of this scale must involve the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and Congress prior to any demolition or construction.

The Trust previously wrote to these bodies on October 21, after the East Wing demolition began, urging the administration to halt the project and comply with federal law.

Trumps position and private funding Trump has stated that the ballroom is being funded privately, including with his own money, citing practical concerns such as accommodating large events and avoiding outdoor tents in inclement weather. However, the Trust notes that the use of private funds does not exempt the project from federal oversight.

Review process timeline Will Scharf, chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission and a Trump aide, said plans for the new ballroom would be submitted to the commission in December. He added that the review would occur at a normal and deliberative pace, but the Trust contends that submitting plans after construction has begun is insufficient and legally improper.

Significance of the project The complaint stresses the historical and public importance of the White House, noting that public involvement in the review process is crucial for a structure perhaps the most recognizable and historically significant building in the country.

Defendants named in the lawsuit In addition to President Trump, the lawsuit names the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the General Services Administration, and agency leaders as defendants.

Also Read | Epstein estate photos released by House Democrats feature Trump, Clinton
Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur behind two digital currencies that lost an estimated $40 billion in 2022, was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison for what a judge called an epic fraud, according to a report by Reuters.

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who handed down the sentence, sharply rebuked Kwon for repeatedly lying to everyday investors who trusted him with their life savings.

Also Read | Crypto firm Twenty One stock plunges 24% post Cantor Equity merger

This was a fraud on an epic, generational scale. In the history of federal prosecutions, there are few frauds that have caused as much harm as you have, Mr. Kwon, Engelmayer said during a hearing in Manhattan federal court.

Who is Do Kwon? What are the charges against him? Kwon, 34, who co-founded Singapore-based Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, previously pleaded guilty and admitted to misleading investors about a coin intended to maintain a steady price amid crypto market volatility.

He is one of several cryptocurrency moguls to face federal charges after a 2022 slump in digital token prices prompted the collapse of several companies, Reuters reported.

Dressed in yellow prison garb, Kwon addressed the court and apologized to his victims, including the hundreds who submitted letters to the court describing the harm they had suffered.

All of their stories were harrowing and reminded me again of the great losses that Ive caused. I want to tell these victims that I am sorry, Kwon said.

Ayyildiz Attila, one of the many victims who submitted letters to the court, revealed that he lost between $400,000 and $500,000 in the collapse.

My savings, my future, and the results of years of sacrifice disappeared. I struggled to keep up with payments and responsibilities, and everything I had worked for was erased, Attila said, as reported by Reuters.

Kwon's lawyer Sean Hecker said in an email after the sentencing that Kwon spoke from the heart, expressed genuine remorse and will continue his efforts to make amends.

Here's what US Attorney said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in Manhattan said in a statement following the hearing that Kwon devised elaborate schemes to inflate the value of his cryptocurrencies and fled accountability when his crimes caught up to him.

Prosecutors had requested a sentence of at least 12 years in prison, arguing that the collapse of Kwon's Terra cryptocurrency resulted in billions of dollars in losses and sparked a series of crises within the crypto market.

On the other hand, Kwon's defense team asked for a sentence of no more than five years, hoping to allow him to return to South Korea to face additional criminal charges.

Also Read | Trump family-backed companies are being left behind as crypto recovers

In January, prosecutors charged Kwon with nine criminal counts, including securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Kwon was accused of misleading investors in 2021 about TerraUSD, a so-called stablecoin designed to maintain a value of $1. Prosecutors alleged that when TerraUSD slipped below its $1 peg in May 2021, Kwon told investors a computer algorithm known as Terra Protocol had restored the coin's value.

Instead, Kwon arranged for a high-frequency trading firm to secretly buy millions of dollars of the token to artificially prop up its price, according to charging documents.

Kwon pleaded guilty in August to two counts, conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud, and apologised in court for his conduct.

"I made false and misleading statements about why it regained its peg by failing to disclose a trading firm's role in restoring that peg," Kwon said at the time. What I did was wrong.

Also Read | Frenzied South Korea Crypto Trading Set Stage for Bitcoin Record

Kwon agreed in 2024 to pay $80 million as a civil fine and be banned from crypto transactions as part of a $4.55 billion settlement he and Terraform reached with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Reuters reported.

He also faces charges in South Korea. As part of his plea deal, prosecutors will not oppose Kwon's potential application to be transferred abroad after serving half his U.S. sentence.
Indian-origin entrepreneur Vikram Beri was arrested in California after authorities alleged he attempted to start a fire at a winery and later tried to flee the scene, crashing his Tesla into two parked vehicles. The 42-year-old reportedly hurled a bottle of wine at staff members who confronted him while he was attempting to ignite the blaze.

According to a statement issued by the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office on X, Beri drove his Tesla off an embankment during the incident and refused to exit the vehicle despite multiple attempts at de-escalation. Deputies eventually deployed pepperball rounds and pepper spray, forcing him to crawl out of the car before being taken into custody.

Who is Vikram Beri? As per his LinkedIn profile, Beri completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and later earned an MBA in marketing and strategy from the Indian School of Business. The Daily Mail has described him as a millionaire.

Also Read | IndiGo slapped with nearly 59 crore penalty linked to GST amid disruptions

Beri began his career as a consultant at Deloitte and went on to work across several organisations before entering entrepreneurship. In 2016, he founded BetterLYF, a digital mental health platform offering emotional wellness support. He is also an angel investor in multiple ventures, including Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters.

Currently based in Menlo Park, Beri serves as Executive Director of Business Development at Fieldking, a global agricultural equipment manufacturer, alongside his entrepreneurial ventures.

The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office said Beri was arrested at Garrod Farms Estate Winery & Stables in Saratoga on the afternoon of December 8 local time. He was booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, and later taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament (MP) Anurag Thakur has lodged a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding the violation of Parliamentary rules and statutory laws by using an E-cigarette inside the Chamber of Lok Sabha

Proceedings of the Lok Sabha were briefly disrupted during Question Hour on Thursday after Thakur accused a Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament (TMC) of smoking an e-cigarette in the House for several days.

Also Read | Anurag Thakur accuses TMC MP of using e-cigarette in Lok Sabha

Thakur said E-Cigarettes have been banned in the country and asked if they have been allowed in the House. The Speaker said that no such permission has been granted.

View full Image Thakur said E-Cigarettes have been banned in the country and asked if they have been allowed in the House. The Speaker said that no such permission has been granted.

Amid uproar, Anurag Thakur sought probe in the matter, saying it is a serious issue. Birla requested all MPs to maintain the decorum of the House. "If I get any such information, I will certainly take action," he said and urged the member to give a complaint in writing.

A Member of Parliament belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress was seen openly using an electronic cigarette while seated in the House during the sittings... The open use of a banned substance and a prohibited device inside the sanctum sanctorum of Indian democracy, the Lok Sabha chamber, constitutes not only a blatant violation of parliamentary decorum and discipline but also a cognizable offence under the laws enacted by this very House, Thakur said in the complaint on Friday.

Outside the House on Thursday, Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were seen having a conversation with Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, who said one can smoke e-cigarette in an open space outside a building. "We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside," he said.

"You are endangering public health, dada," Shekhawat responded.

"BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised this issue. E-cigarettes were prohibited in 2019, and if an MP smokes an e-cigarette inside the House, it hurts the dignity of the House...It is very unfortunate...This shows how much they (TMC) respect the House," Giriraj Singh told reporters.

Smoking should not be politicised: Roy Saugata Roy told reporters that the issue of smoking should not be politicised.

"I cannot say anything about that, because I was not in the House and I don't know who smoked and complained...It is for the Speaker to inquire and take action if it amounts to a violation of the rules...Why is it being made a political issue?" he asked.

An e-cigarette (electronic cigarette) is a battery-powered device that heats a liquidusually called e-liquid or vape juiceto create an aerosol that the user inhales.

The open use of a banned substance... constitutes not only a blatant violation of parliamentary decorum and discipline but also a cognizable offence.

E-cigarettes were banned in India a few years ago. The Winter Session of Parliament began on 1 December and will continue until 19 December.
Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin said on Thursday he plans to step down midway through his term after Februarys parliamentary election, telling Reuters he has felt humiliated by the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

As head of state, Shahabuddin is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but the role is largely ceremonial, and executive power rests with the prime minister and cabinet of the mainly Muslim country of 173 million people, Reuters reported.

However, his position gained prominence when a student-led uprising forced long-time premier Sheikh Hasina to flee to New Delhi in August 2024, leaving him as the last remaining constitutional authority after parliament was dissolved.

Shahabuddin, 75, had been elected unopposed for a five-year term in 2023 as a nominee of Hasinas Awami League party, which has been barred from contesting the February 12 election.

Yunus sidelined me I am keen to leave. I am interested to go out, he said in a WhatsApp interview from his official residence in Dhaka, in what he said was his first media interview since taking office.

Until elections are held, I should continue, Shahabuddin said. I am upholding my position because of the constitutionally held presidency.

He later said that despite his personal desire to resign, he would let the next government decide his future.

If they tell me they plan to choose their own president, I will step aside, he said late on Thursday.

Bangaldesh elections 2026: Here's what Opinion polls suggest Opinion polls suggest the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami will be the frontrunners to form the next government. They were part of a coalition that ruled between 2001 and 2006.

The president said Yunus had not met him for nearly seven months, his press department had been taken away and, in September, his portraits were removed from Bangladeshi embassies around the world.

There was the portrait of the president, picture of the president in all consulates, embassies and high commissions, and this has been eliminated suddenly in one night, he said. A wrong message goes to the people that perhaps the president is going to be eliminated. I felt very much humiliated.

Shahabuddin said he had written to Yunus about the portraits, but no action was taken. "My voice has been stifled," he added.

Yunus press advisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President in contact with Army chief The president said he was in regular touch with Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, whose troops stood aside in August 2024 amid deadly protests against Hasina, sealing the fate of the veteran politician. Shahabuddin said Zaman had made it clear he had no intention of grabbing power.

Bangladesh has a history of military rule, but Zaman has said he wants democracy to return.

Shahabuddin said that, although some student protesters had initially demanded that he resign, no political party had asked him to do so in recent months.

Asked if Hasina, who had governed for 20 years, had tried to contact him after fleeing, Shahabuddin declined to answer. He said he had been independent since becoming president, not affiliated to any party, according to Reuters.
King Charles III will deliver a deeply personal message about his cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery in a rare televised address on Friday evening at 8 p.m. on Britains Channel 4, marking a significant moment in public communication by the British monarch.

King Charles to Deliver a Personal Message About His Cancer Diagnosis The pre-recorded message forms part of Stand Up To Cancer 2025, a joint campaign with Cancer Research UK, and has been designed to underline the vital importance of early screening and diagnosis in improving cancer outcomes.

Recorded in the Morning Room at Clarence House in late November, the broadcast will see the 77-year-old sovereign reflect candidly on the 22 months since he first publicly announced his cancer diagnosis in February 2024, a move that broke with the royal familys longstanding tradition of keeping personal health matters private.

Also Read | King Charles delivers another blow to Andrew: His name shall be erased

Palace officials have confirmed that the cancer discovered following treatment for an enlarged prostate is not prostate cancer itself, but have not disclosed the exact type, citing medical privacy.

In his forthcoming message, Charles  who has continued to carry out constitutional duties throughout his treatment  will stress the life-saving potential of regular screening and early detection, and will share aspects of his personal experience with treatment and recuperation.

The monarch suspended public-facing engagements briefly after his diagnosis in 2024 but returned to public duties in April 2025 with a visit to the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London, where he met patients and spoke openly about the emotional impact of the diagnosis.

The broader Stand Up To Cancer broadcast on Channel 4 will feature additional segments aimed at raising awareness and funds, including a live show presented by broadcaster Davina McCall from Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, which follows the experiences of people undergoing cancer testing and treatment.

King Charles decision to speak publicly represents one of the most forthright health disclosures by a reigning British monarch, and it arrives amid ongoing efforts to reduce stigma around cancer and encourage proactive health care. The campaign also coincides with a week of fundraising events and celebrity-led initiatives designed to support research and community services for those affected by cancer.

By April 2025, Charles had resumed public engagements, meeting patients and clinicians at University College Hospital and speaking candidly about the emotional shock of receiving a diagnosis. His ongoing advocacy has helped place a renewed national focus on early detection, treatment accessibility and breaking down the stigma often associated with cancer diagnoses.

Princess Kate and her journey of healing from cancer Princess Kate, the Princess of Wales, publicly disclosed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, revealing that the condition was detected during tests following major abdominal surgery in January of that year.

Initially the surgery was thought to have addressed a non-cancerous issue, but subsequent examinations showed that cancer was present, and her medical team advised a course of preventative chemotherapy  a treatment aimed at reducing the risk of the disease returning after surgical removal of cancerous cells.
A disturbing cockpit recording has resurfaced online, shedding new light on an October 2023 incident in which an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot allegedly tried to shut down a passenger jets engines mid-flight. The pilot, identified as Joseph Emerson, was riding in the cockpit jump seat on a Horizon Air-operated Embraer E75 flying from Seattle to San Francisco when he reportedly reached for two emergency engine shut-off handles, triggering a brief struggle in the cockpit, Fox News reported.

The aircraft, carrying 83 passengers and crew, was forced to divert to Portland for an emergency landing. Newly circulated audio captures the tense moments inside the cockpit: an on-duty pilot can be heard asking Emerson what is wrong after he says he needs to go home, followed by sounds of a scuffle and the distressed pilot shouting, Dude, whats going on?!

The pilot then radios air traffic control, breathlessly reporting: Weve got a jump seater who just tried to shut our engines off. We need to go direct to Portland, now.

Authorities said Emerson later admitted he had been feeling the lingering effects of psychedelic mushrooms he had taken two days earlier. A video from the Portland airport also shows local prosecutors escorting him off the aircraft in handcuffs after the emergency landing.

Check out the audio here:

Why the Off-Duty Pilot Was in the Cockpit According to CBS News, the commercial flight was full, prompting Emerson to occupy the cockpit jump seat  a standard practice for airline crew travelling off-duty. Investigators said the handles he attempted to pull are designed to cut off fuel to the engines in case of a fire.

Emerson told CBS News he felt as though he was in a dreamlike or dissociative state and believed pulling the handles would wake me up. Reflecting later, he said, It didnt wake me up. I was in reality. I know that now Its the most consequential three seconds of my life.

Legal Outcome Emerson has since pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew and no contest to endangering an aircraft and 83 passengers. He was sentenced to time served  46 days in jail  along with three years of supervised release. For additional charges, he received five years of probation.
The large crude oil tanker seized by US forces on Wednesday (local time) off the coast of Venezuela has reportedly displayed a clear pattern of spoofing its location to conceal its true whereabouts, CNBC reported, citing a leading energy consulting firm.

Also Read | US House Speaker says Venezuela drug boat strikes killed able-bodied men

Data indicates that the Guyana-flagged tanker, identified as Skipper since 2022, has transported sanctioned oil from both Iran and Venezuela. The oil industries of these countries are under US sanctions, and Skipper itself has been sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) since 2022.

Over the past two years, Kpler data show that Skipper engaged in AIS spoofing on more than 80 days to conceal its true location. AIS, or Automatic Identification System, provides real-time information about a ship's position, including its name, course, speed, classification, call sign, and registration number, according to the US Coast Guard.

Also Read | Trump announces oil tanker seizure off Venezuela coast

While Skipper's actual location was hidden from the AIS network, Kpler data indicates that there were multiple ship-to-ship transfers of cargo during this period.

Skipper had about 2 million barrels of crude aboard The Skipper departed Venezuelan waters early this month with approximately 2 million barrels of heavy crude, roughly half of which belonged to a Cuban state-run oil importer, according to documents from the state-owned company PDVSA that were provided to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The high risk generates huge opportunities for profits. Black market Venezuelan oil costs about USD 15 less per barrel than its legitimate crude, according to Francisco Monaldi, a Venezuelan oil expert at Rice University in Houston.

Monaldi said he expects the price of illicit Venezuelan crude to drop because fewer buyers will be willing to risk having the cargo seized.

Skipper's last few weeks The Skipper's final weeks hiding in the Caribbean were reconstructed by Windward, which uses satellite imagery relied on by US officials mapping the movements of the dark fleet, AP reported.

The US sanctioned the Skipper in November 2022, when it was known as the M/T Adisa, for its alleged role in a network of dark vessels smuggling crude on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. The network was reportedly run by a Switzerland-based Ukrainian oil trader who was also sanctioned, the US Treasury Department said at the time.

Also Read | Maria Machado vows to return to Venezuela: How she escaped the regime

In recent months, the ship has sailed to China with a cargo of Iranian oil, and it has also been linked to illicit cargoes from Russia, according to Windward.

At the time of its seizure, the tanker was digitally manipulating its tracking signals to falsely indicate it was sailing off the coast of Guyana. It has also been falsely flying the Guyana flag, a major violation of maritime rules.

Here's what White House said The seizure marked a dramatic escalation in US President Donald Trump's campaign to pressure strongman Nicolas Maduro by cutting off access to oil revenues that have long been the lifeblood of Venezuela's economy, as reported by AP.

It could also signal a broader US campaign to clamp down on ships like the Skipper, which experts and US officials say is part of a shadowy fleet of rusting oil tankers that smuggle oil for countries facing stiff sanctions, according to the AP report.

The White House said that the tanker will now be taken to an American port, while the crude oil cargo will be seized only after the completion of due legal procedures.

During a White House press briefing on Thursday (local time), Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the vessel, named Skipper, is currently undergoing a formal forfeiture process, following which it will be brought to a US port.

"The vessel is currently undergoing a forfeiture process right now. The United States currently has a full investigative team on the ground on the vessel, and individuals on board the vessel are being interviewed, and any relevant evidence is being seized," Leavitt said.

"With respect to the oil, that's a different issue. The vessel will go to a US port, and the United States does intend to seize the oil. However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed," she added.

Venezuela's Maduro calls seizure act of international piracy For Maduro, who called the seizure an "act of international piracy," the stakes couldn't be higher. Oil has long been the lifeblood of Venezuela's economy, generating enormous wealth but also creating a deep reliance on natural resources, as reported by the Associated Press.

Also Read | What do we know about the Venezuelan oil tanker seized by the US?

At this hour, as I speak to you, the crew of that ship, that vessel, carrying 1.9 million barrels to international markets, is kidnapped, they're missing, nobody knows where they are, Maduro said during a televised government event Thursday. They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship, and have ushered in a new era -- the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.
In India, airlines levy a seat selection chargea fee that is rarely disclosed clearly at the time of booking a flight and usually revealed only after one picks the air-travel service, often on the basis of fares listed upfront.

Air fares vary by cabin classsuch as economy, premium economy, business or firstwith no distinction between window, aisle, middle, front-row, rear-row or extra-legroom seats within the same class. Airlines treat all seats in a class as identical for fare displays, yet present seat selection as a paid-for service.

What began as an extra charge for a few preferred seats has morphed into a system that places a price tag on most, leaving only a handful free of chargeusually at the back of the plane or particularly cramped ones.

Also Read | The IndiGo lesson: The corporation has started turning into the state

This practice is a blatant violation of consumer rights. Once an airline accepts payment for a flight ticket, seat allocation should be its obligation, not an add-on service. If the vast bulk of seats are priced extra, as is often the case, then the practice amounts to price maskingand can even be viewed as extortion to pad up revenues.

Competition theory suggests that off-putting practices will be squeezed out by consumer choice. People will opt for an airline with fair and transparent fares. But if the market lacks competition, as in India, then competitive pressure does not come to bear and passengers are treated shabbily.

Some services can legitimately be counted as extras for which airlines may charge a fee. Class upgrades, for example. In the case of no-frill airlineswhose stated promise is efficient transport and not warm hospitalitymeals and baggage could be chargeable, so long as the deal is well outlined. Seat allotment, however, is not the same. After all, safety rules do not allow a standing passenger.

Charging for a seat after a flight is booked, then, is like charging for air supply once an aircraft gains altitude and the air outside thins.

The what-if scenario: Take a fully booked economy cabin of around 180 seats. The airline has collected the full published fare, amount X, from all 180 passengers. If no one pays for seat selection, revenue remains X. Having charged them, the carrier must transport all 180 passengers. It cannot deny anyone a seat.

While it is true that passengers may prefer to be seated closer to exit doors and may be willing to pay a premium to disembark sooner, pricing nearly every seat is plainly unfair. It may well be possible that a majority of passengers do not want to pay extra for a seat, but the implicit signal of this artificial scarcity is that paying more is the only way to avoid the very worst seats.

This punishes budget-bound families, couples, people with medical needs and senior citizens. People who suffer from flight anxiety, claustrophobia or mobility constraints can feel extorted by this system.

Sometimes, if paying customers are too few, many paid seats magically become available free a few hours before departure. This bait and switch tactic, involving hidden price fragmentation, turns a basic necessity into a paid privilege.

Buckle up for change: Globally, regulators are acting. EU transparency rules and 2025 reforms ban charges for seating children under 1213 with accompanying adults and mandate full fee disclosure at booking. American rules prohibit family-separation fees and ensure refunds if paid seats are not provided. Passenger rights groups worldwide hail these as major victories for consumers. Indian travellers deserve the same protection.

Airlines must either abolish seat-selection fees and assign seats on first-come first-serve basis or standardize seat preferences through a revised system of upfront fares for sub-classes, so that a passenger is clear about the cost of an economy window seat in the cabins front quarter, for example.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) could look into seat charging practices to arrive at a solution that is fair to all concerned.

Full transparency is non-negotiable. As the DGCA examines the failures of Indias aviation market, it should also push for an end to price opacity and exploitation. Passenger rights should not be flouted so brazenly.

The author is deputy commissioner of police, Delhi Police.
Nothing seems wronguntil suddenly, everything is. IndiGos spectacular meltdown is a reminder that even the most admired firms can be undone not by a single failure, but by an ecosystem where expectations silently drift away from rules.

This is not just an airlines operational collapse; it is a commentary on Indias chronic institutional voids, inconsistent regulation and the dangerous comfort that both government and industry take in relaxed compliance.

To understand what happened, imagine a familiar moment from any classroom. A group of students approaches a professor on the day an assignment is due, claiming that the majority" is unprepared. The professor, anticipating futile pushback, quietly extends the deadline. The next time, the students dont even bother preparingbecause the expectation of leniency has become the norm. This is the Indian regulatory story in miniature.

Also Read | The IndiGo lesson: The corporation has started turning into the state

Everyone in the aviation ecosystemairlines, competitors, analysts and of course IndiGoknew the rules around pilot roster management, duty hours and fatigue norms. The regulations werent new. What was missing was the belief that the government would enforce them on the exact date stipulated.

It is likely that IndiGo did not prepare adequately to comply because it did not expect enforcement. And when the government finally cracked a whip, the airlines operational system imploded in full public view.

Scholars Tarun Khanna and Krishna Palepu famously described emerging markets like India as being riddled with institutional voidsgaps in regulation, market intermediaries and information flows that make markets function unpredictably. Aviation, with high capital intensity and near-inelastic demand, is especially vulnerable.

Patchy regulation in this context is not a minor void; it is a systemic one. When enforcement is selective, sporadic or poorly communicated, the void expands.

The IndiGo disaster is a textbook example of what happens when a firm builds its operations around assumptions rather than institutions. Equally, it is a case of what happens when a regulator wakes up too late, communicates too feebly and enforces rules too abruptly.

IndiGos front-facing response compounded the crisis. The apology from the leadership read like the forced confession of a schoolyard bully asked by the teacher to repeat words drafted by someone elselikely the communications team, scrambling after the damage was done.

There was no real ownership, no empathy and certainly no attempt to rebuild trust with passengers who spent nights stranded at airports.

Yet, it is crucial that public anger does not settle only on IndiGo. The governments regulatory strategy deserves equal scrutiny. Regulations must not only exist; they must be predictable, transparent and consistently enforced.

Indias regulatory culture has long struggled with exactly these qualities. Too often, rules are notified without adequate transition planning, with implementation depending on the political mood. And too often, enforcement has more to do with timing than with principle.

In the aviation sector, where safety is non-negotiable, such inconsistency can be dangerous. By failing to provide clear, phased guidance and by springing enforcement without proper readiness checks, the government contributed to the crisis.

Good regulators reduce uncertainty, they do not amplify it. If the DGCA wishes to restore credibility, it must communicate clearlynow, not after the next fiasco. A formal statement on how the new rules will be operationalized would go a long way in calming the industry and public.

The IndiGo episode also reopens an uncomfortable debate: Indias aviation market is dangerously close to becoming a de facto monopoly. When one airline controls the vast majority of domestic capacity, any shocktechnical, operational or regulatoryresults in a national disruption.

Sectors with inelastic demand cannot afford single-point failures. Policymakers often speak about market efficiency, but the efficiency of a single player can amount to fragility.

The government must recognize its own role in shaping this concentration, through licensing, slot allocations and its laissez-faire attitude to consolidation. IndiGos dominance is largely a product of regulatory choices that have narrowed the competitive landscape.

Perhaps the most damaging consequence of the IndiGo episode is the blow it delivers to public confidence, already shaken by the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad. In the span of just a few months, passengers have been confronted with both a fatal accident and a nationwide operational collapse. The result is a creeping psychological shift: Air travel in India is beginning to feel injurious to health.

The sentiment may be exaggerated, but in aviation, perception is a powerful currency. Once trust erodes, it takes far more than corporate apologies to restore. Rebuilding confidenceboth in IndiGo and in the DGCAwill require transparent disclosures, visible preparedness, stronger contingency planning and above all, a commitment to clear public communication.

India has likely lost crores in productivity, missed business opportunities and more in a matter of days. But the deeper loss is institutional credibility.

The coming months will test whether IndiGo can redesign operations to comply with fatigue norms and also whether the government can rise above reactive supervision and establish a predictable regulatory architecture.

If wishes were horses, this crisis would have spurred lasting reform. But wishes, as IndiGo and the DGCA have just learnt, dont fly planes. Only institutions do.

These are the authors personal views.

The author is professor, economics and executive director, Centre for Family Business & Entrepreneurship at Bhavans SPJIMR.
The European Union approved extending an EU freeze on Russian assets using emergency powers, a key step toward tapping the funds to help Ukraine.

EU governments gave their blessing on Friday to a European Commission proposal designed to head off any veto of an extension, which has been a sticking point in EU attempts to secure a 90 billion loan for Ukraine using immobilized Russian central bank assets.

All 27 EU countries must renew the asset freeze every six months, leading to concern that members such as Hungary could veto it and give Moscow a sudden claim to its funds. The new measure would extend the six-month cycle and require only a qualified majority of countries to support the renewal. That would essentially ensure that as much as 210 billion in Russian assets remain on EU soil.

EU leaders are seeking to sign off on the loan when they meet in Brussels on Dec. 18.

Under Fridays deal, the commission would review the situation every 12 months, leaving the funds locked on EU soil until it determines that the exceptional circumstances justifying the move no longer exist, people familiar with the matter said.

Hungary called the move to remove unanimity an unfortunate precedent, which is a symbolic and substantial shift from the Treaty-based EU legal order to an uncharted territory.

The asset freeze extension is meant to address a main concern for Belgium, which has held up the Russian assets loan plan.

Belgium, which houses most of the Russian funds at the Euroclear financial institution, has argued it could be on the hook to repay the loan if the money were suddenly unfrozen and has sought guarantees from the EU and member states to mitigate the risk.

EU negotiators split off the extension from the bigger prize of tapping the funds to provide loans to Ukraine, as that debate isnt settled.

EU envoys will meet over the weekend seeking a breakthrough as Ukraine urgently needs the funds by April.

Russias central bank said Friday that its suing Euroclear in Moscow and threatened the EU with a global campaign of retaliation if the bloc makes any use of the frozen funds.

2025 Bloomberg L.P.
OpenAI unveiled GPT 5.2 on Thursday, introducing what it describes as its most advanced model series to date for professional and enterprise use. The upgrade arrives at a critical moment for the company, which is under pressure from intensifying competition in the artificial intelligence sector, particularly from Googles newly launched Gemini 3.

Stronger performance on professional tasks? According to OpenAI, GPT 5.2 offers significant improvements in areas such as spreadsheet creation, presentation building, coding, long-context comprehension and tool use. The company said its enterprise customers already report that AI saves them between 40 and 60 minutes a day, with heavy users claiming more than ten hours a week. GPT 5.2 has been designed to increase this value by boosting accuracy and output quality across common business workflows.

The Sam Altman-led platform wrote in its blog post that on the GDPval evaluation, which tests well-defined knowledge work tasks across 44 occupations, GPT 5.2 Thinking achieved a new high score and was judged to meet or exceed human expert performance in more than 70% of comparisons. OpenAI says the model delivers results at more than eleven times the speed and at less than 1% of the cost of professional labour, based on historical benchmarks.

Early testers reported noticeable gains in formatting, design sophistication and structural coherence in spreadsheets and slide decks produced by the new model.

Major gains in coding and debugging The AI company notes that GPT 5.2 Thinking sets a new benchmark on SWE Bench Pro, a workload that measures real-world software engineering capabilities across four programming languages. OpenAI reports a score of 55.6% on this more challenging evaluation, along with an 80% score on the Python-focused SWE Bench Verified test.

The company says that in everyday development settings the model can more reliably identify bugs, implement feature requests and refactor large codebases, reducing the need for manual intervention. Testers also found improvements in front-end development, particularly in complex or unconventional interfaces involving three-dimensional elements.

Improved factual accuracy and long-context reasoning? OpenAI notes a meaningful drop in hallucinations compared with GPT 5.1 Thinking. In a set of anonymised ChatGPT queries, responses containing errors were 30% less common. This is intended to make the model more dependable for writing, research and analytical tasks.

Long-context performance also marks a major step forward. GPT 5.2 Thinking achieved near-perfect accuracy on the four-needle MRCR evaluation variant at a context window of 256,000 tokens. This allows the model to analyse and synthesise information from extremely long documents such as legal contracts, research papers and multi-file projects without losing coherence.

Rollout to ChatGPT and API users GPT 5.2 Instant, Thinking and Pro versions began rolling out on Thursday to paying ChatGPT customers, including Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise subscribers. API access is available immediately for developers. Users on Indias free ChatGPT Go tier have not yet received the update.

GPT 5.2 vs Gemini 3 The release comes shortly after a leaked internal memo in which OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman reportedly warned staff of a code red scenario. Googles Gemini 3 has surged ahead in several benchmark categories and on leaderboards such as LMArena, where various versions occupy top positions across text, vision, image generation and search rankings.

Early LMArena results place GPT 5.2 High in second position for web development tasks, behind Claude Opus 4.5, with Gemini 3 Pro in fourth. GPT 5.2 is not yet listed on the platforms broader leaderboards.

View full Image Early LMArena results place GPT 5.2 High in second position for web development tasks, behind Claude Opus 4.5, with Gemini 3 Pro in fourth. ( AI-generated graphic )

Benchmark comparisons published by both companies show a mixed picture. OpenAI reports that GPT 5.2 outperforms Gemini 3 on GPQA Diamond and AIME 2025 without tools, while Google reports higher scores on multimodal benchmarks such as MMMLU and some reasoning tasks. Independent testing from groups like ScaleAI has not yet incorporated GPT 5.2.

Features and pricing Both models are part of broader ecosystems. Gemini 3 benefits from deeper integration across Googles product suite, including Google AI Mode, Google apps and NotebookLM. By contrast, OpenAI users require separate access to the Sora app for AI video generation, though image creation is available within ChatGPT.
Christopher Nolans much-anticipated adaptation of Homers The Odyssey has offered audiences an early taste of his epic vision, with a nearly six-minute prologue debuting in select IMAX 70 mm screenings ahead of the films full release on 17 July 2026.

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Prologue Out The extended preview, attached to the re-releases of Sinners and One Battle After Another in premium IMAX format, features a dramatic retelling of the legendary Trojan Horse sequence  a story closely tied to the ancient myths that precede Odysseus s long journey home.

Also Read | Why everyone in Hollywood wants their movie in IMAX

The prologue opens with Jon Bernthals Spartan king, Menelaus, questioning Tom Hollands Telemachus  Odysseus son  about whether he has heard the tale of the horse from the inside, immediately segueing into intense action as Matt Damons Odysseus and fellow Greek warriors are shown cramped within the enormous wooden structure as Trojan soldiers celebrate outside.

Tension mounts when the Trojans prod and strike the horse to search for hidden Greeks, capturing both the claustrophobia and tactical peril of the moment.

As night falls, the Greeks emerge beneath the cover of darkness, blasting through unsuspecting sentries and signalling an alarm that ushers in a sprawling battle.

Nolans camera lingers on the efforts to open Troys gates from within  a pivotal moment that ushers in the triumphant entry of fully armed Greek soldiers. The sequence concludes with Odysseus preparing to lead the onslaught, promising a cinematic scale that blends mythology with visceral combat.

Although the Trojan Horse episode is more directly associated with The Iliad than with The Odyssey in classical literature, Nolans prologue ties this iconic tale into his narrative framework, offering historical context before presumably moving into Odysseus decade-long journey through perilous seas, mystical creatures and divine intervention.

More About 'The Odyssey' The Odyssey boasts a star-studded ensemble, with Damon as the wily king of Ithaca, Holland as his determined son, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Circe and Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyongo and numerous others in key roles.

The film marks one of Nolans most ambitious projects, shot entirely on IMAX 70 mm film  a technical first for a mainstream blockbuster  enhancing both its visual scale and immersive quality.

The strategic release of the prologue ahead of the main 2026 launch reflects Universal Pictures efforts to build anticipation for what is expected to be one of the years most spectacular cinematic events. A shorter version of the preview will also screen before IMAX presentations of Avatar: Fire and Ash later this month, widening early exposure ahead of the films summer debut.
YouTube has started offering US-based creators the option to receive earnings in PayPals stablecoin, adding another major tech giant to the list of companies experimenting with crypto-linked payments.

The feature is already active, according to PayPals head of crypto, May Zabaneh, who confirmed the arrangement to Fortune and said it relies on PayPals existing payouts system.

How YouTube is using PayPals stablecoin system YouTube has long used PayPal to distribute funds to creators and contractors. Early in the third quarter, PayPal introduced a setting that allows recipients to choose to receive payments in PYUSD, its dollarbacked stablecoin.

Once that infrastructure went live, YouTube adopted the option for creator revenues. The company does not handle the crypto directly. PayPal does the conversion and custody work, reducing technical and compliance friction for the video platform.

Zabaneh noted that the beauty of what weve built is that YouTube doesnt have to touch crypto, calling it a way to take away that complexity. Google, which owns YouTube, acknowledged the rollout but did not comment on its scale.

Why Big Tech is circling toward regulated crypto assets Stablecoins have been part of the digital-asset world for years, but the sector has grown sharply after US President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law on 18 July 2025 - a new federal framework governing stablecoins.

Tech companies and fintech firms have treated them as a faster settlement layer, prompting moves like Stripes acquisition of stablecoin startup Bridge for $1.1 billion earlier this year.

Google has already tested PYUSD once before through Google Cloud, which received payments from two clients using the token, as per Fortune.

PayPals broader crypto push PayPal entered the crypto market in 2020, supporting trading in major coins. PYUSD followed in 2023 and has since reached a market cap near $4 billion, according to CoinGecko. The company has threaded the stablecoin into several products, including Venmo and merchant tools, with plans for broader use among smaller businesses.

For now, the payout option is limited to US creators and sits alongside traditional payments. No timeline has been given for its expansion.

FAQs What has YouTube introduced for creators? YouTube now lets US-based creators receive their payouts in PayPals PYUSD stablecoin.

Does YouTube handle cryptocurrency directly? No. PayPal processes the stablecoin transfers, removing the need for YouTube to interact with crypto.
has become the first Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) marketing graduate to win the prestigious Lepere Elevate Award.

Molly Carleton, from Tarmonbarry, Co. Roscommon, was announced as the Lepere Elevate Award winner at the Marketing Society of Irelands Research Excellence Awards at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, for her final-year Live Digital Marketing Capstone Project with DNG McGill.

Read more: Former Longford band accumulates highest listening figures for 2025

The Capstone initiative connects final-year digital marketing students from TUSs Athlone campus with industry partners, giving students invaluable hands-on experience while delivering impactful digital marketing solutions for participating organisations.

Under the mentorship of Senior Lecturer Louise Murray and Lecturer Tom ODonoghue, students design and implement tailored strategies aligned to each companys commercial goals.

Molly  a past second-level student of Mean Scoil Mhuire in County Longford - received a 1,000 cash prize, while lecturer Louise Murray, who submitted the case study on Mollys behalf, received a 500 prize.

Speaking after receiving the award, Molly Carleton said:

Im honoured and so delighted to have won the Lepere Elevate Award presented by the Marketing Society of Ireland. This award, honouring the late John Lepere, recognises academic excellence in marketing and celebrates future leaders in the industry.

Im proud to be the first student from Technological University of the Shannon to win this award. Its a testament to the incredible digital marketing programme at TUS and the support of the Faculty of Business and Hospitality.

A special thank you to my lecturer, Louise Murray, for leading the live digital capstone project and for her support throughout this application. Your encouragement meant so much. Thank you also to the team at DNG McGill for trusting my strategic vision  your participation was integral to the projects success.

Molly said the experience has been the highlight of my academic and professional career so far, adding that she left the ceremony inspired and excited for what comes next.

Senior Lecturer Louise Murray described the award as one of the proudest moments of her teaching career:

Watching Molly accept the Lepere Elevate Award in the Shelbourne was an incredibly proud moment. She stood out among strong undergraduate and postgraduate entries from universities across Ireland, demonstrating true academic excellence in marketing.

Our live digital capstone projects have grown tremendously over the past eight years. To see one of our students recognised by the Marketing Society of Ireland in this way is a powerful endorsement of our industry-led approach. While it is not the first award our students have won, this one is particularly special.

Molly is a wonderful ambassador for TUS and for her family. She epitomises what hard work, passion and focus can achieve, and she is also a genuinely great human being. We are so proud to have played a part in what will undoubtedly be a long and successful career.

Murray also thanked the Marketing Society of Ireland, the Lepere judging panel, and colleagues across TUS who supported the submission.

Read more: Big relief for residents of Longford housing estate

The Lepere Elevate Award invites final-year undergraduate and postgraduate marketing students to showcase their applied research projects to address real-world challenges faced by commercial, social, and charitable organisations.

The award recognises the role of rigorous market research in shaping successful marketing strategies and is regarded as a national celebration of academic excellence and industry-ready talent.
Uisce Eireann has announced plans to lodge a planning application seeking permission for a new water supply project in the eastern and midland regions of the country.

The State utility says the project, if approved, will be the largest-ever water project in Irish history with capacity to support the water supply needs of up to 50% of the State's population.

Subject to planning, Uisce Eireann says it hopes to start construction in 2028 and to be completed within five years. The project is expected to cost between 4.58 billion and 5.96 billion.

Under the plan, it is proposed that water from the river Shannon will be treated near Birdhill, County Tipperary and that it will then be piped 170km through counties Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in County Dublin, connecting into the Greater Dublin Area water distribution network.

Uisce Eireann says it will formally submit the planning application to An Coimisiun Pleanala next week. This application will consist of over 500 documents including a Strategic Infrastructure Development planning application and Compulsory Purchase Order application.

The project will provide a resilient supply as the current water supply in the midlands and eastern regions of the country has faced huge challenges recently with an over-reliance on just one source to supply to over 1.7 million people.

READ MORE: Met Eireann issues weather warnings this weekend with heavy rain and possible flooding

Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow will be provided with a safe, secure water supply as a result of the project. It will also create a treated water supply spine across the country providing infrastructure which will serve communities along the route in Tipperary, Offaly, and Westmeath.

In addition, supplies currently serving Dublin will be enabled to be redirected back to Louth, Meath, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow which will provide security of supply to homes and businesses supporting growth and promoting regional development.

Uisce Eireann have announced that the project, if approved, will employ more that one thousand people directly as well as a significant associated spend on local supplier goods and services.

The utility is also proposing a bespoke Community Benefit Scheme as part of the Water Supply Project, to support communities that will host construction activities and permanent infrastructure. This includes a multi-million euro Community Gain Investment Fund.

Extensive public consultation has taken place to-date and further consultation will be carried out over the coming weeks and months with a dedicated project Community Liaison Officer visiting impacted communities to meet with local stakeholders and sharing further information on the project.

READ NEXT: RTE Sport Sportsperson of the Year 2025 nominees revealed

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers TD said: "The submission of this planning application for the Water Supply Project to An Coimisiun Pleanala is a major milestone that will unlock housing in the Eastern and Midlands Region."

He continued: "This project is a vital piece of infrastructure to support Irelands development, not alone in the delivery of new homes for young people, families and workers in our economy, but to sustain businesses and communities right through the Midlands and Eastern region of our country."

Maria ODwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director at Uisce Eireann (pictured below) added: "The growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience in the Eastern & Midlands Region is simply not sustainable. It is estimated 34% more water will be needed by 2044 in the Greater Dublin Area."

"This project is critical to enable us to support housing delivery and is backed by the Governments continued funding commitment. Over the coming months we will continue engage with potential contractors and progress the procurement process so that works can be mobilised as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Water Supply Project proposes to abstract water from the Parteen Basin on the Lower River Shannon, utilising a maximum of 2% of it's long-term average flow.
In an Islamic State Central Africa Province video release, Bonge La Chuma issues a warning to Christians that they have three options: convert to Islam, pay the jizya [tax on non-Muslims], or die.

As the Trump Administration touts an ostensible peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, another deadly, albeit less-talked-about conflict is also raging in eastern Congo. Since January 2025, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), colloquially known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), has killed at least 967 civilians in various massacres, with most, if not all, of the victims being Christian villagers.

Most of these massacres have been perpetrated in Congos North Kivu Province, specifically in its Lubero territory. This locale is not particularly far from the conflict between the DRC and the M23 Movement that the Trump Administration is trying to stop.

The largest of these massacres came in September, when ISCAP murdered at least 90 people in two locations in eastern Congo. In both cases, the Islamic State made clear that the explicit targets of the attacks were Christian civilians. This ideological framing against Congolese Christians has consistently grown in the last few years.

In the larger of the two incidents that day, ISCAP militants brutally slaughtered at least 72 people, including 26 at a funeral wake, in the village of Ntoyo in North Kivu Provinces Lubero territory. This number is likely a low estimate, as some local officials stated that the death toll was as high as 102, while others reported that at least 100 others were believed to be abducted by the group. Various vehicles and houses were also burned down by the militants.

The Islamic State was relatively quick to claim the massacre, stating the following day that its men killed upwards of 100 Christians. The communique also noted that ISCAPs fighters burned dozens of houses and vehicles, confirming local reports.

Given the locality, the Ntoyo massacre was likely carried out by Abuwakas, an especially radical and violent ISCAP commander of Arab Tanzanian descent. His highly mobile camp is particularly known for its wanton violence against locals, having been responsible for most of the violence in the northern Lubero territory over the last year.

The second incident, occurring in Fotobu, northwest of the city of Oicha in North Kivus Beni territory, left another 18 civilians dead after they were abducted from their fields. In the Islamic States official claim of responsibility for that massacre, it again framed the attack as against local Christians.

It is possible, though unconfirmed, that the massacre near Oicha was carried out by field commanders belonging to Mzee Mayors forces. Mzee Mayor, a veteran Ugandan ISCAP commander, and his mobile units have been responsible for most of the violence in Ituri and north of Beni town over the last few years. Though Mzee Mayor also operates a physical camp, he often deploys mobile units for months-long operations.

Attacks by both ISCAP commanders have continued in their respective areas of responsibility, particularly within Abuwakas. Since September, his mobile camp has been responsible for the deaths of at least another 138 civilians. This total includes three massacres in October that resulted in 45 dead civilians and two massacres in November that killed 54. The militants perpetrated dozens of smaller attacks during the same period, killing another 56 civilians.

Retaliation over military operations

Even prior to Septembers large massacre in Ntoyo, ISCAP was committing relatively smaller mass murders in the same areas, again perpetrated by Abuwakas and Mzee Mayors camps.

For instance, on July 8, ISCAP murdered at least 70 people in Beu-Manyama in Beni territory. Later that month, on July 27, another 40 civilians were killed inside a church in the town of Komanda in Congos Ituri Province. And on August 13, ISCAP killed an additional 44 people in the area of Melia in North Kivus Lubero territory.

These summer massacres were likely a retaliation for a joint Congolese-Ugandan military operation in early July against ISCAPs main camp, which houses most of its senior leadership and is referred to as Madina by the group. Retaliatory massacres against civilians are a longstanding tactic used by ISCAP when it seeks to redirect military forces to alleviate pressure against it. These attacks are usually carried out by smaller, more agile mobile groups that are sent out from ISCAPs semi-permanent jungle camps. It is this mobility that affords the jihadist group one major center of gravity to its operations, which has undoubtedly helped both its longevity and lethality.

Framing against Christians

ISCAP operates in eastern Congo, where estimates indicate that 95 percent of the population is Christian. As such, the degree to which ISCAP targets civilians explicitly for their Christian faith or simply because that is who populates the area in which it operates has long been debated.

Since the group joined the Islamic State in 2017, it has become increasingly clear from both the Islamic States official media and through ISCAPs unofficial media that ISCAP is explicitly targeting Christians over their faith. This paradigm is particularly pronounced in more recent years, as older, more historical ISCAP members were killed, and younger commanders, who are often more religiously extreme, such as Abuwakas, have risen in the groups ranks.

ISCAP defectors have told Bridgeway Foundation personnel that since Abuwakas joined the organization in 2017, he has explicitly made it clear that the group can and should target Christians and loot their property. The group has followed this direction.

For instance, in June 2021, on the same day that ISCAP performed its first-ever suicide bombing, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the group detonated in a Catholic church in Beni town. In addition, the groups deadliest bombing to date killed 17 worshippers attending a Sunday service at a Pentecostal church in the border town of Kasindi on January 15, 2023.

By late 2022, in its claims of responsibility, the Islamic State began framing ISCAPs attacks on trade vehicles as part of an economic war against Christians, ideologically meant to harm what it sees as a Christian-funded war against it. Around the same time, the Islamic State, in its weekly Al Naba newsletter, first began imploring Congolese Christians to pay the jizya, a tax on non-Muslims, in order to be spared from ISCAPs violence.

In the fall of 2024, the Islamic State began highlighting ISCAPs dawah [proselytizing] attempts in local Congolese communities. Prior to this, ISCAPs so-called dawah efforts involved forcibly abducting people and asking them to convert to Islam under threat of death. The groups abductees are frequently executed in Congos vast jungles for refusing to convert to Islam, attempting to escape, or other perceived infractions.

Until its recent emphasis on dawah, outreach to civilians in nearby communities had been limited to a short-lived effort in 2021 to utilize inter-ethnic tensions to recruit members from amongst the marginalized Congolese Hutu minority.

However, in September 2024, the Islamic States Al Naba newsletter showed one of ISCAPs ideologues leading a prayer with a group of men whom the publication said the group had captured and subsequently converted to Islam through preaching and dawah. The Islamic State also stated that it released the men with a message to take into their respective villages about accepting Islam, to sanctify their blood and protect them, as the mujahideen are much more keen to guide the people than to kill them. Though this new approach contained elements of the groups more violent, historical form of dawah, it was nevertheless inching closer to more mainstream jihadist practices.

By June 2025, ISCAP, again via Al Naba, highlighted another dawah campaign in various local villages of Ituri Province. However, this time, the group mentioned giving three choices to Christians during its preaching: conversion to Islam, paying the jizya, or death. Again, the Islamic State framed this preaching campaign in positive terms, with Al Naba noting that the mujahideen are more keen to save people than they are to kill them. The newsletter added that the mujahideen [] are indeed more keen to preach to the people and clarify the Haqq [absolute truth of Islam/God] to them whenever it is possible.

Since then, the jihadist group has periodically highlighted this proverbial carrot approach to civilians. Locals and ISCAP defectors who spoke to Bridgeway Foundation personnel confirm that the group has systematically gathered farmers in certain areas to register and tax their access to fields, while also requiring their attendance at lectures about Islam.

This more conciliatory approach in certain locations has marked a significant shift in its modus operandi. Notably, these efforts have thus far been limited to the Mambasa and Irumu territories in Congos Ituri Province, while Abuwakasresponsible for the majority of the groups massacres in Lubero territoryhas not implemented the new strategy.

Following the Congolese-Ugandan military raid on ISCAPs main camp of Madina in early July 2025 and the jihadist groups subsequent massacres of civilians, ISCAPs rhetoric has become more hostile. For example, an editorial in the August issue of Al Naba indirectly referenced the massacres and clarified the threat against Christians:

If the Christians of Africa want to feel safe and escape the cycle of killing, then they must know that our true Islam provides them the freedom to choose between three options. First, is Islam. They can become our brothers, and what we owe them, they will also owe us. Second, is paying Jizya. Humiliated and subdued, they can protect their blood and be safe in their villages. If they refuse to join Islam or pay Jizya, then the third choice is to die and suffer more displacement, which they have already suffered from for many years.

These options were repeated almost verbatim in a series of videos published by ISCAP on YouTube and TikTok just days later. In these releases, one of ISCAPs Congolese ideologues, Zakaria Banza Souleymane, better known as Bonge La Chuma, outlined the options in Swahili, Lingala, and French (the main languages in eastern Congo), warning that the violence against local Christians will not stop until they accept one of the three choices.

Given the use of three languages and the groups choice of a Congolese presenter, the videos were meant to expand the warning to a Congolese audience. The ISCAP likely hopes to justify its massacres by outlining an ideological conflict with local Christians. In both its actions and words, the jihadist group has increasingly characterized its violence against civilians along sectarian lines, utilizing the Islamic States ideological and methodological frameworks against non-Muslims. Nevertheless, given Congos demographics, ISCAPs victims will always predominantly be Christian. To be clear, however, the group has also periodically killed Muslims in both Congo and Uganda who have preached against its activities.

ISCAPs new approach puts it more in line with the Islamic States wider activities, such as in Nigeria and Mozambique, where there are also large populations of Christians in or near jihadist areas of control or presence. The Islamic State has routinely made clear that it seeks to either violently eradicate or convert such populations to Islam. ISCAP is now repeating this mantra in Congo.

Caleb Weiss is an editor of FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa. Ryan O'Farrell is a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.
The Popular Fighters Front (JMM) logo. In a social media post, the group stated that the book symbolizes awareness, the fist an informed resistance, the Baluch embroidery a link to cultural roots and fallen fighters, the two leaves represent peace, the crescent reflects local tradition, and the shield-like frame denotes defending dignity against repression.

On December 10, several Iranian separatist groups belonging to the countrys Baluch minority announced that they will operate under the umbrella of the Popular Fighters Front (JMM).

The new coalition released a five-minute video on social media that depicts its masked spokesperson, Mahmoud Baluch, outlining the groups ambitions. Citing the systemic oppression of the Baluch ethnic group under the Islamic Republic of Iran, the JMM spokesperson said that the fighters of Sistan and Baluchistan, recognizing the sensitive moment the country is facing and seeking greater effectiveness in their struggle, have taken practical steps toward unity and coordination among all resistance forces.

A manifesto published on JMMs social media accounts claimed that the group was formed through the merger of several Baluch entities. The manifesto named PADA Baluch, a movement founded in 2017 to promote Baluch identity, and Harakate Nasr Baluchistan, established in 2006, as participants. It also included Jaish al Adl, founded in 2012 and portrayed as an armed group that has dealt significant blows to the regimes security forces in Baluchistan. The Mohammad Rasulullah military group, created in the mid-1990s by Molabakhsh Derakhshan, is another listed component. The manifesto added a final category of self-organized Baluch fighters whose individual experiences in confronting the Islamic Republic are now being consolidated under JMM.

Jaish al Adl is the most active armed faction associated with Baluch militancy, with a long record of attacks against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units, Iranian law enforcement, and border guards. It emerged after the dismantling of Jundallah, a Baluch Sunni militant network that the United States designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2010.

The United States designated Jaish al Adl as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity in 2019 under Executive Order 13224, placing it on the Treasury Departments Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. That same year, the State Department amended Jundallahs FTO designation to list Jaish al Adl as an alias, formally recognizing it as Jundallahs successor. 

JMMs new manifesto says that under velayat-e faqih, the system in which a senior Shiite cleric holds ultimate political and religious authority over the state, there is no possibility of seeking justice or achieving fairness in Iran, and that efforts at reform face severe repression. It also states that the Front will pursue media, political, diplomatic, cultural, and social activities alongside its armed struggle.

The manifesto presents an unusual mix of separatist and national language. At several points, the document frames the Baluch as a distinct political community, stating that the right to life of the Baluch people is disregarded and defining its mission as protecting the dignity, culture, political identity, and religious life of the people of Sistan and Baluchistan. However, elsewhere, it speaks in nationwide terms, asserting that more than 80 million citizens [] have no path to freedom except unity and calling for cooperation with the broader opposition. This combination of appeals to a Baluch constituency and the wider Iranian public creates a notable contradiction in how the movement describes its goals.

JMM has already reportedly carried out an attack against the Iranian regime. On December 10, the IRGC regional command of Qods Headquarters confirmed that four members of its ground forces were killed and three others wounded in the Lar area of Zahedan during clashes with what it called terrorist and hostile groups. A local publication, Halvash, reported on December 11 that a group calling itself the Popular Fighters Front (JMM) claimed responsibility for the operation.

A range of Sunni militant factions have drawn on longstanding Baluch grievances to frame their struggle in ethnic and separatist terms. The Baluch regions of Iran have endured decades of state neglect and remain the countrys poorest provinces, creating conditions that are ripe for unrest. During the 2022 nationwide protests, Baluchistan saw the Islamic Republics most violent reprisals in what became known as Bloody Friday, when security forces killed roughly 100 demonstrators, among them 17 children, and wounded approximately 350.

Note: This post was updated to reflect the correct designations of Jaish al Adl as both a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity and a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on Iranian domestic affairs and the Islamic Republics regional malign influence.
From dirty walls and clogged sinks to food stored at the wrong temperature, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centers Farr Cafeteria has had to address several health and safety concerns recently.

As part of a routine health inspection visit in December, health inspectors noted that the cafeteria, which offers a variety of food on the hospitals west campus, had a salad bar that was kept at temperatures too warm and chicken and steak being stored at temperatures slightly too cold for safety standards.

Other issues included worn and discolored cutting boards, heavy built-up soils on all cooking equipment throughout, dust on shelving and food particles and sticky labels in a clogged hand sink.

Hand washing practices were also flagged in the inspection.

Observed multiple employees leaving and returning to work/prep stations and not washing hands, the report states. Observed multiple food handlers leaving and returning to work stations/touching multiple touch points that are soiled wearing disposable single use gloves.

But all the issues were quickly addressed, a spokesperson for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) said.

Our facilities undergo audits from the City of Boston to ensure compliance with food safety and public health standards. These audits are designed to identify potential issues, and we have always immediately corrected any concerns that may be raised. We take food safety seriously, require our staff to undergo regular trainings, and continually review our processes on food safety and cleanliness to ensure we provide the best food service possible, Katie Brace, spokesperson for BIDMC, said in a statement.

A spokesperson from Sodexo, which manages Farr Cafeteria, also said the company immediately addressed issues identified as part of our most recent audit and resolved these items for reinspection, with no violations found during that time.

The health, safety and wellness of our patients, staff, and guests is our top priority, and we are diligent in our commitment to maintain the highest standards of safety and cleanliness in our food operations at BIDMC, the statement continued.

Beyond the citys inspections, Sodexo also has third-party audits and reviews from the medical centers Joint Commission survey, which we routinely pass. These audits are often unannounced and are compared against national standards for safe, high-quality care for an accreditation.

Accreditation is one way we show our commitment to you and your family. It helps ensure we are always working to provide safe, effective, and respectful care, BIDMCs website states.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has initiated an investigation into the city of Boston, saying in a letter to city officials that programs intended to boost racial equity in housing are discriminatory.

Craig Trainor, assistant secretary of fair housing and equal opportunity for HUD, condemned Bostons racialist ambitions in the letter, saying housing programs targeted largely at communities of color were discriminatory.

Under President Donald Trumps administration, the federal government has cracked down on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs around the country, often calling them out as discriminatory. Trainor wrote that discrimination in the name of DEI was a violation of civil rights.

At your offices direction, however, City officials have set out to smuggle racial equity into every layer of operations in City government, he wrote, quoting from the citys Equity and Inclusion Cabinet website. To this dubious end, the City of Boston ... has developed and intends to implement discriminatory housing policies in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

In particular, Trainor called out programs such as homebuyer assistance, which is not awarded based on race but for which the city has conducted extensive outreach to families of color.

He also noted the Anti-Displacement Action Plan released in September, which outlines measures the city can take to prevent resident displacement, saying it appears to revive government-sponsored redlining. The plan includes a Displacement Risk Map which includes racial or ethnic makeup and English fluency as two of 18 criteria for measuring the risk of displacement in different areas of Boston.

The City has been very public about its intention to discriminate on the basis of race, while essentially claiming that social justice and racial equity concerns purify its intentions, he wrote.

A city spokesperson denounced the letter and investigation Friday morning.

Boston will never abandon our commitment to fair and affordable housing, and we will defend our progress to keep Bostonians in their homes against these unhinged attacks from Washington, they said.

The letter said Boston officials would receive official requests for information within 10 business days and following the investigation, HUD may file a discrimination complaint against the city.
The space of a popular Boston nightclub has been transformed into a tropically inspired cocktail lounge celebrating the sounds, styles and tastes of 1950s Havana.

My Girl, which took over Mariel Underground that closed back in June, made its debut at the start of December.

The underground lounge and social club is the latest venture from COJE Management Group, which oversees several concepts, including Yvonnes, Coquette, Caveau and Mr. H.

Tucked beneath Mariel at 10 Post Office Square, My Girl is almost a complete 180 from its former space. Concrete walls have been painted gold as an homage to Cubas golden age while Art Deco accents and comfortable seating further create a warm and welcoming environment.

My Girl channels the golden age of Cuba with warm tones and comfortable lounge seating. Josh Jamison

We wanted to create a space that feels alive and deeply connected, COJE CEO & Managing Partner Chris Jamison said in a press release. The food and beverages are exceptional, but what makes My Girl different is the energy  the sound in the room, the rhythm that builds as the evening unfolds. Its the soul of Havana, the pulse of Boston, and the unmistakable energy our guests expect from us  vibrant, spontaneous and unforgettable.

My Girls food menu features a selection of shareable dishes with highlights including Wagyu Steak Carpaccio with smoked shoyu and wasakaka, Tuna Puffs paired with chilled Demon Slayer gazpacho shots and the Infidel Caesar, which is a fun nod to the short-lived 1962 Broadway musical reimagined with miso-Caesar dressing and hot sesame crumbs.

From left to right: Potato Croqueta, Wagyu Steak Carpaccio, Infidel Caesar and Tuna Puffs served at My Girl in Boston. Josh Jamison

Meanwhile the drink menu consists of the tropical sips including the Caribbean Bramble with jerk pineapple and classics such as the Old Fashioned with caramelized banana and zero-proof Soft Seductions.

What hasnt changed is energetic music. My Girl will showcase a range of live performances, from piano sets to touring artists and late-night DJs.

My Girl is open starting at 6 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations can be made online.
Paul Simon has announced the extension of his tour after coming out of retirement earlier this year.

Simon, 84, will travel to the United Kingdom and Europe in 2026 for his A Quiet Celebration tour, the musician announced on Instagram.

This leg of the tour will begin on April 9 in Prague, Czech Republic and will also make stops in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Tickets for the tour go on sale on Dec. 17 on ticketing platforms such as Ticketmasterwas and StubHub.

Simon initially retired in 2018 after his last tour Homeward Bound  The Farewell Tour," due to significant hearing loss.

It was incredibly frustrating. I was very angry at first that this had happened, Simon said in an interview for CBS Mornings last year. I guess what Im most apprehensive about would be if I cant hear well enough to really enjoy the act of making music.

Simon made a comeback to touring this year after embarking on the 55-stop North American A Quiet Celebration tour in April, starting in New Orleans, Louisiana, before ending in Seattle, Washington, in August.

The musician made adjustments to the set list and speaker placements to allow him to continue performing.

Simon is came to prominence as one half of the music duo Simon & Garfunkel alongside longtime collaborator Art Garfunkel. They are most well known for their hit songs The Sound of Silence and Mrs. Robinson.

Together, the duo has won 16 Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
A Massachusetts State Police crisis negotiator is being hailed for his compassionate and empathetic approach while rescuing a man in distress on Bostons Tobin Bridge on Thursday.

Body camera footage released by the State Police shows Trooper Rassan Charles engaging the man in conversation and eventually reassuring him to come down off the bridge.

A bucket truck was used to lift Charles to where the man was standing. The footage then shows Charles talk to the man, telling him, Youre not alone, and We all care about you.

Charles then opens the door of the bucket, asking the man to come inside while reassuring him there is nothing to be ashamed of.

The man tells Charles, I want you guys to get home to your families.

Charles responds by agreeing that he wants everyone to get home safely. Thats that beacon of hope. The light that you have in you right now. Hold on to that. Dont let that go.

Nobody knows what you went through, Charles continues. Dont let that change you, sir. You can move past this. Youre a strong man. Youve been through so much. Youre still standing strong, man.

The man eventually turned, giving Charles an opportunity to latch onto him and bring him back into the lift.

After being secured, the man thanked Charles and the rescue workers who saved him.

Thank you, the video footage shows him saying. I appreciate you guys. Your guy is a hero.

State Police released a statement praising Charles and asking citizens to treat mental health issues seriously.

Today were sharing some of the body-worn camera video to raise awareness of the important issue of mental health, the statement read.
A 33-year-old Massachusetts man has agreed to plead guilty to charges after officials say he injected unapproved botulinum toxin obtained from illegitimate sources outside the United States, resulting in numerous severe cases of botulism.

Rodrigo de Medeiros Siqueira was charged and agreed to plead guilty to one count of misbranding of a drug after shipment in interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead.

In June, 10 cases of suspected iatrogenic botulism were linked to procedures performed at Rodrigo Beauty located at 464 Granite Avenue in Milton.

State health officials describe iatrogenic botulism as a rare but serious illness caused by Botox spreading beyond the injection site, potentially leading to life-threatening symptoms.

Symptoms can include blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, or breathing difficulties following Botox injections, health officials said.

Several people were hospitalized and had to be in the intensive care unit (ICU), court documents state.

Starting around August 2022, Medeiros Siqueira offered various cosmetic injection procedures, including the injection of botulinum toxin prescription drugs, to clients of Rodrigo Beauty, despite not being licensed to prescribe, dispense or administer prescription drugs or perform injections, officials said.

Officials claim Medeiros Siqueira falsely represented to clients that he was a licensed medical professional authorized to perform injections and made false statements to clients regarding the identity and source of the botulinum toxin products he was using for their injection procedures.

One person who interviewed for a job at Rodrigo Beauty, said Medeiros Siqueira told her that he was a nurse and was certified to perform injection procedures, court documents state, adding that he also told clients that he was a certified nurse. However, Medeiros Siqueira wasnt a nurse but held a nurse aid certification, which expired on or about March 17.

After the first client reported an adverse event, officials claim Medeiros Siqueira told his assistant to tell clients he was on vacation.

Another client began experiencing blurry vision and reported this to Medeiros Siqueira. But he told the client it was because she consumed alcohol after her appointment, according to court documents.

A few days later, he gave the woman a cold face treatment to help the symptoms. She was later admitted into the ICU and a doctor told her that she could have died, court documents state.

The charge could end in a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

As part of the plea agreement, the man admitted that at least $435,425 is subject to forfeiture on the grounds that it is equal to the amount of proceeds Defendant derived in the offense, court documents state.

A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
A Boston man has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of sex trafficking multiple victims  including a 17-year-old  between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, prosecutors announced Thursday.

A federal grand jury charged Orland Reyes, also known as Snow, 33, with seven counts, including attempted sex trafficking of a child, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in prostitution, coercion and enticement of a minor and other trafficking offenses.

According to the U.S. attorneys office, Reyes was stopped by police in Puerto Rico on Aug. 20 while driving alone and was found to have multiple outstanding warrants. Investigators searched his three cellphones and found evidence outlining his trafficking operation.

Prosecutors say the trafficking began as early as June 2023 and involved three victims. Reyes is accused of coercing women in New Hampshire to travel to Massachusetts, where officials say he directed them to engage in sex work. One of the victims was 17 at the time, according to the indictment.

In one instance, prosecutors say Reyes urged a woman to take Percocet to help her feel better about being forced to engage in sex work. According to prosecutors, the woman later became addicted to drugs as a result.

Reyes also took an 18-year-old woman and her infant to his Boston apartment; when she refused to engage in prostitution, he kicked the woman and her child out of the home, prosecutors say.

Several of the charges involving the minor carry mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. Other charges related to adult victims carry sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

Reyes made his initial court appearance in Massachusetts on Dec. 9, with a hearing set for Dec. 18 in federal court in Worcester.
Frank Cozzolino, the electrician who starred in HGTVs Holmes on Homes, has died at 56.

Cozzolinos daughter, Filomena, shared the news on Instagram of her fathers death due to liver disease.

My dad is loved by many. A man full of passion, empathy, brutal honesty, and integrity; he fought through the struggles of organ disease and was granted a second chance at life in 2017 through the gift of organ donation, she wrote.

Cozzolino made appearances on Holmes on Homes since it first premiered in Canada in 2003.

Mike Holmes, who hosts the show, shared a tribute to his longtime friend on social media.

Frank made us better, Holmes wrote. His impact will live on in every home he helped. Frank could walk into the toughest electrical disaster, crack a joke in his style, and suddenly the whole room felt lighter. Thats just who he was.

Frank will forever be part of the Holmes family, he concluded. Miss you buddy.

Cozzolino was born in Toronto, Canada, on July 3, 1969. He tried his hand at several careers before becoming an electrician and forming his own company, Solutions Electrical, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa, and his two daughters, Filomena and Alexandria.
Ana Walshes friends and family packed into the Dedham courtroom for closing arguments in the trial of her husband. After two weeks, jurors now face the task of deciding the fate of the 50-year-old man accused of killing her on New Years Day.

As expected, defense lawyer Larry Tipton and prosecutor Anne Yas presented very different theories of what happened inside 516 Chief Justice Cushing Highway in Cohasset sometime after 1:30 a.m. on New Years Day. Tipton told jurors something sudden and unbelievable happened when Ana Walshe died of natural causes. But Yas dismissed that theory as defying logic, instead telling the jury, Ana Walshe is dead because he murdered her.

Brian Walshe is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife. Jurors heard evidence over the course of eight days before getting the case on Friday afternoon. The panel could convict Walshe of first or second degree murder, or acquit him altogether.

Tipton delivered his closing argument first, speaking for close to an hour and pacing through the courtroom, sometimes pausing to address the jury face-to-face.

While he reiterated the defense theory of a sudden death, much of Tiptons presentation focused on undermining the evidence prosecutors say shows Walshe was motivated to kill his wife and planned to do so.

What would cause a loving husband and a loving father to do the things that weve heard about in this case? he asked. Could it be something that was sudden? that was unexpected? that was unbelievable?

Tipton admitted that Walshe lied to police investigating his wifes disappearance and that he disposed of his wifes remains after she died. He acknowledged the internet searches Walshe made on New Years Day, for terms like, best ways to dispose of a body and How long for someone to be missing to inheritance.

But he emphasized there was no proof that he ever once thought about harming the woman he loved.

Without a motive, without a reason  you have a sudden and unexpected event that results in confusion, panic and fear," Tipton said. All of those things that are so troubling, horrific, they may argue they show consciousness of guilt.

That feeling of guilt had nothing do with the killing because he never killed Ana Walshe, he continued.

As Tipton spoke, he pointed the jury toward several pieces of evidence  a knife found in a kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator in the Walshe home, a pair of blood-soaked gray slippers and the fact that no blood was found anywhere other than the basement in the family home.

Defense attorney Larry Tipton gives his final statement during Brian Walshe's murder trial, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) AP

Investigators simply lost interest in that knife, he suggested. But he urged jurors, do not ignore it, noting that no visible blood was found on it.

There were blood stains in the basement, but nowhere else, Titpon reminded the jury.

Nothing violent happened in that house, and thats why there is no biological blood evidence anywhere in that house, he said.

Tipton argued there was no evidence of any premeditation. The searches began around 4:50 a.m. on New Years Day, he reminded them.

Why is he searching now if he had a plan? Tipton asked. There is no evidence anything was done before Mrs. Walshe died.

A major question during the trial was whether Brian Walshe knew his wife was having an affair with William Fastow, a Washington, D.C. based realtor who sold the family the townhouse Ana Walshe lived in while she worked there.

Tipton argued there was no evidence Brian Walshe had any knowledge of the relationship.

The important thing is, there is no evidence in all of the digital data you have before you, that Brian Walshe ever saw anything going on between Ana Walshe and William Fastow, he said.

While prosecutors sought to portray the couples marriage as on the brink of collapse, Tipton said they were working for the future.

The prosecutions argument

During her presentation, which ran about half an hour, Yas relied more heavily than Tipton on the in-court screens, showing the jury much of the evidence she was referencing.

As images of bloody towels, slippers and Ana Walshes Gucci necklace flashed on the screen, Alissa Kirby, the final witness called by prosecutors during the trial, could be seen crying in the audience. Yas highlighted photos of cut-up pieces of a bloody rug, showing the jury a photo of Ana Walshe lying on the same rug in the homes living room.

Family and fiends listen during listen during Brian Walshe's murder trial, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) AP

The defendant deliberately got rid of Ana Walshes body, she argued. The defendant did not want anyone to find Anas body and to know how she died.

The defendant intended to kill Ana Walshe. He didnt just want her dead; he needed her dead, Yas continued.

Yas laid out a timeline of Brian Walshes actions for the jury  on Dec. 31, he claimed to have lost his phone, a lie that Yas said allowed him to be unavailable for two days.

The mislaid phone allowed him to carry out his plan, uninterrupted, she said. But while the phone was supposedly missing, it was unlocked, and deleted a message from Nightshade Noodle Bar in Lynn.

Tipton had highlighted that dinner reservation as evidence Brian Walshe had no plans to kill his wife.

Yas highlighted Walshes various shopping trips. On Jan. 1, he went to Walgreens to buy antibiotic ointment and Band-Aids. She noted that days later, he was seen with a cut on his thumb.

Then Brian Walshe drove to a Lowes in Danvers, an hour away from Cohasset. But on the way to the hardware store, Walshe stopped at Vinnin Liquors, where he was seen tossing a trash bag into a dumpster behind the store.

The following day, Walshe went to HomeGoods, where he bought a new rug.

That was all part of the cover-up, she said.

All the evidence, she told the jury, shows Brian Walshe wasnt panicked after his wife died on New Years Day. Instead, he was cool and calculating, calm.

Does this show confusion, panic, or fear? she asked. This was not a man in crisis, Yas continued, pointing to Walshes trip to TJ Maxx to buy pants on Jan. 4.

A death of natural causes, on the other hand, defies common sense.

She was in great shape. The defendant told the police that Ana was a sturdy, Serbian woman, Yas said, imploring the jury to listen to the recordings of Walshes interviews with police.

In those interviews, clips of which were played during Yas presentation, Walshe told police he was angry at his wife for not coming home on Thanksgiving, then not making her flight on Christmas. New Years Eve, Yas said, was the third straight holiday where Ana Walshe was focused on the other man in her life.

Even though he knew his wife wasnt missing, Brian Walshe texted her on Jan. 2, feigning concern for her whereabouts.

The message concluded, I love you, haha.

All that remains of Ana are a few hairs, some blood and a few things that belonged to her, Yas said. Please do not allow the defendants self-serving act of dismembering and disposing of Anas body to let him get away with this murder.

As Yas concluded, a photo Ana Walshe took with her oldest son and Gem Mutlu, the man who spent New Years Eve with the couple, flashed on the courtroom screens.

Continue to use your common sense, she said. You will see the evidence shows there is only one verdict. The defendant is guilty of the premeditated murder of Ana Walshe.
After opening arguments in the Brian Walshe trial, it appeared a near certainty that Walshe would take the stand in his own defense.

But Walshes defense rested its case Thursday morning without putting the defendant  or any other witnesses  on the stand.

In any criminal case, a defendant has the absolute right to testify and jurors cant hold their decision not to take the stand against them, Christopher Dearborn, a Suffolk Law professor, noted.

That being said, sometimes its hard for jurors to swallow a theory of defense without hearing from a defendant or defense witness Dearborn told MassLive in a telephone interview Thursday evening. I think you have to trust the lawyers assessment of whats best.

Still, Mark Bederow, a criminal defense attorney in New York City, said he was surprised by the decision not to call Walshe to testify.

Its rare for a criminal defendant to take the stand, but Bederow said he believed the circumstances of the Walshe case made him a candidate to testify.

Walshe, 50, is accused of killing his wife, Ana, in their home on the early morning of New Years Day 2023, then dismembering her body and disposing of her remains at dumpsters across the state.

Walshes defense has said Ana Walshe died a sudden, unexplained death of natural causes and that he panicked after finding her dead.

Every indication leading up to Thursday morning was that Walshe was going to testify. Judge Diane Freniere indicated as much when, out of the presence of the jury, she noted that his defense raised a number of potential issues relating to his presumed testimony.

What the defense has done is theyve pulled the rug out from the jury at the 11th hour, Bederow said Thursday. When you have a murder case and a missing body murder case, and the defense is telling you what happened and how he reacted and what he did, they are telling you hes testifying.

Still, he said, Walshes lawyers probably knew he would be opening himself up to a blistering cross-examination if he did actually testify.

Presumably, they convinced him it would not be a good idea, Bederow said.

A criminal defense lawyer himself, Dearborn said he recalled several cases where he had prepared defendants to testify but ultimately decided not to call them.

Sometimes having a defendant testify, even when theyre telling the truth, can just muddy the waters, he said. Its really, I think, inappropriate and unfair ... to second-guess tactical and strategic decisions by defense lawyers.

In many cases he tried, Dearborn said, he opted, like Walshes lawyers did, not to put on any defense whatsoever. In any case, prosecutors have the burden of proof, and not presenting a defense can be a way to amp up the pressure on the government, he explained.

Mounting a defense case can have the downside of jurors starting to weigh that evidence against the governments, even though they are instructed about the burden of proof, Dearborn said.

Even though they didnt put on any evidence, Walshes lawyers did present their own theory to the jury.

Theres nothing of value he [Walshe] couldve added to that theory by testifying, he said, adding that if the defense theory had instead been self-defense or some other affirmative defense, Walshe may have been a stronger candidate to testify.

Still, Dearborn acknowledged that prosecutors appeared to have a strong circumstantial case against Walshe.

To Bederow, the defense was always fighting an uphill battle, particularly when, before the start of jury selection, Walshe pleaded guilty to two charges, admitting that he disposed of his wifes body and lied to police.

The case they were dealing with was difficult from the start, based on the guilty pleas and the idea, I didnt kill her, but I ... deposited her here, there and everywhere, Bederow said.

During closing arguments, prosecutors will have to connect the dots of their circumstantial case for the jury, outlining how they believe all the different pieces of evidence they have introduced prove Walshe committed the premeditated murder of his wife.

The defense, meanwhile, is likely to focus on poking at the commonwealths theory to create reasonable doubt in the minds of jurors, Dearborn said.

The goal is to chip away at that and expose any holes in the governments case and hope that is enough, he said.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday morning.
During a House Homeland Security Committee meeting on Thursday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed the department had not deported any U.S. military veterans before being confronted by one.

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., asked Noem how many veterans her department had deported, to which she answered we have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans.

As she addressed the committee, an aide brought out an iPad on a zoom call with Sae Joon Park, a 55-year-old who self-deported to South Korea in June.

He is a United States Army combat veteran who was shot twice while serving our country in Panama in 1989, Magaziner said. He is a Purple Heart recipient. He has sacrificed more for this country than most people ever have.

You deported him to Korea, a country he hasnt lived in since he was seven years old. Will you join me in thanking Mr. Park for his service to our country? he concluded.

I am grateful for every single person who has served our country and follows our laws, Noem responded.

Earlier this year, Immigration and Customs threatened to deport Park back to South Korea due to old charges related to drug possession and bail jumping, according to NBC News.

Park told NBC News that he had been attending regular check ups with ICE since being served a removal order a decade ago, but was placed in an ankle monitor and told he would be deported if he failed to leave within three weeks.

Park, who was diagnosed with PTSD in his 40s, told NBC News that his PTSD has worsened since arriving in South Korea.

It just comes out of nowhere. Ill be walking around just thinking about something, Ill just start bawling, just crying nonstop. And I have no control over that, Park told NBC News from Seoul. Ive been dealing with it the best I can everyday.
Its been a bumpy couple of weeks for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Not quite a month after romping to reelection, the Democrat has hit a brick wall on Beacon Hill as shes tried, once again, to stave off a major property tax hike for city homeowners.

If someone is opposing a relief measure that would help every single constituent in their district and going against the interests of their own neighbors and voters, were not the ones at the city stopping them from doing their job, Wu told reporters during a news conference at City Hall on Tuesday.

Theyve had information, weve continued to send it. We will continue to meet with and provide any other information possible. But this is clear what needs to happen and every other entity has done what they need to do, especially the City Council.

So it was interesting, but perhaps unsurprising, to see Wu, flanked by allies on City Council and department heads, flex a little political muscle this week and take a victory lap on all the quality-of-life stuff she got done this year.

Were talking about replacing busted street lights, trash collection, putting down new crosswalks, fighting some very clever rats and even lighting around 50 Christmas trees across the city.

Our teams didnt just fix problems quickly. We helped build community across all of our neighborhoods, as well, Wu said.

She needed the win and maybe some favorable press.

Wu has spent the last two years working to convince Beacon Hill to buy into her plan to shift more of the citys tax burden onto commercial property owners, since homeowners already are struggling to pay pricey tax bills.

Commercial property owners, meanwhile, were contending with slumping property values in the post-pandemic era, as fewer people traveled into the city for work.

As a result, real estate and business groups have largely aligned against Wus plan, arguing it would further hobble them when they are already struggling.

The proposal has previously cleared the Boston City Council and the state House of Representatives, only to be derailed in the majority-Democrat state Senate, where the opposition has been led by state Sen. Nick Collins, D-1st Suffolk, a business community ally who represents the citys Dorchester neighborhood.

If nothing changes  and that appears to be pretty much guaranteed  city homeowners will get a major case of sticker shock as they open tax bills in January that have increased by an average of 13%, or $780.

Thats on top of last years average increase of 10.4%, MassLive previously reported.

Meanwhile, commercial property owners could see their bills go down because of a drop in property values, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

City Council voted Wednesday to set next years tax rates, effectively marking the end of the line for Wus latest push, the newspaper reported.

Thus, Tuesdays orchestrated display of competence was a way of pointing out that even as insiders on Beacon Hill and City Hall fight about the big stuff, the little stuff that propelled Wu to an unopposed victory in November still matters in a big way, and that she can get things done when she needs to get them done.

Michelle Wu learned from [former Mayor] Tom Menino what it was like to keep the city running ... all the things that may seem small, but matter to city residents, Democratic analyst Mary Anne Marsh told MassLive.

Wu hasnt gotten her way on everything. But she has made clear progress, Marsh continued. The people who support her and like her the best live in Boston. And the people who criticize her the most do not.

Thats broadly true of the citys business community and of the 40-member state Senate, where five lawmakers directly represent the states largest city.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy, who lives in Lexington, denounced Wus tax-shift scheme as a political bailout  nothing more."

Michelle Wu created this mess, refuses to make cuts, and is now asking taxpayers to pay for her bloated bureaucracy, Kennealy, who served as former GOP Gov. Charlie Bakers housing and economic development czar, said.

But some of the calls, from Collins and others, are still coming from inside the house.

Amir Shahsavari, the vice president of the Boston-based Small Property Owners Association of Massachusetts, accused Wu of doubling down on her failed, anti-competitive property tax shift while pushing Bostons economy over the cliff.

Meanwhile, Collins and state Sen. William N. Brownsberger, D-Suffolk/Middlesex, are floating their own plans that could deliver more limited relief to cities and towns statewide, State House News Service reported this week.

Its a way for lawmakers to stave off accusations that theyre indifferent to the plight of homeowners in the states largest city, but not a direct capitulation to Wu, who continues to rankle top Dems, the wire service reported.

The Senate is deeply committed to making Massachusetts more affordable, a spokesperson for Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, said.

There are many ways to provide meaningful relief  including proposals from [Brownsberger and Collins] that would support the most vulnerable residents without placing burdens on small businesses that will ripple throughout the state," the spokesperson continued, adding that Wu should have engaged with the Senate on these options well before now.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Wu stressed that she and the city had done its part. The rest of it is up to the Legislature.

And most people dont understand why you need the Legislatures permission to raise taxes, Marsh observed.

While thats undoubtedly true, its also true that protestations of competence when it comes to fixing potholes and putting in sidewalks will matter a lot less if people cant afford to stay in their homes.

As Wu also surely learned from Menino, at the end of it all, shes still the one in charge.
Blustery and cold conditions will persist across Massachusetts on Friday as forecasters monitor incoming snow bands this weekend.

While the wind advisory has subsided, forecasters predict winds ranging between 25-35 mph with up to 40 mph gusts, according to the National Weather Service.

Despite sunny skies statewide, temperature highs will range from the mid-20s in the Berkshires  where wind chills will be -5, forecasters say  to 30 degrees in Worcester, 33 in Springfield and Boston and 34 on Cape Cod & the Islands.

Overnight, temperatures will drop into the teens across most of the state and the 20s along the coastline. These are expected to rebound during the day on Saturday to 29 in the Berkshires, the high 30s in Springfield, Worcester and Boston and above 40 on Cape Cod.

However, forecasters say snow may be on the way for parts of the state on Saturday night. The snow may begin in the Berkshires during the day on Saturday and pick back up by 1 a.m. The flakes will hit Springfield by 2 a.m., then Worcester and Boston by 3 a.m.

Little to no accumulations are expected from the snow showers statewide, forecasters say, though roads could be left slick on Sunday morning.

Another round of ocean-effect snow could roll in for a few hours to Cape Cod and Nantucket on Sunday night, potentially adding another 1 to 2 inches of accumulation in those areas.

Temperatures are expected to plummet to the 20s statewide by Monday morning, with wind chills ranging from 5 below zero to 10 above.
SPRINGFIELD  This week marks the sixth year that Jovann Vergara has been missing.

And his mom, Marie Rivera, still wants answers.

I have to get loud, you know? she said. If I dont get loud, the police will stop looking for him. It shouldnt be that way. Hes still my baby.

On Dec. 9, 2019, Vergara, who was 21, vanished without a trace, Rivera said.

He was at his stepfathers house on Franklin Street when he called her using a phone number she didnt recognize to let her know he was on his way home. Vergara told Rivera he had a ride.

For three years, after her son disappeared in 2019, Marie Rivera placed Christmas presents under the tree, hoping Jovann Vergara would one day come home. Six years later, shes still searching for answers. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook

When he didnt show up, I had an immediate feeling that something was very wrong. Call it mothers intuition, she said. He wouldnt keep me in anguish like that.

Vergara is a diabetic and requires insulin to survive. When he disappeared, he didnt take any of his things with him, including his medication or his wallet, Rivera said.

Rivera said she has his insurance information and would know if hes had prescriptions filled or received hospital treatment under his name. Theres been no new activity, she said.

I think someone did something to him, she said. But I cant think like that.

Ryan Walsh, spokesman for the Springfield Police Department, said the detective assigned to Vergaras case spoke with Rivera earlier this week.

We continue to follow any and all leads that come in, but (there is) nothing new to report, he said.

Rivera said she wishes the police did more at the time to trace him.

Jovann Vergara holds a photo of her son, taken just three months before he went missing in 2019. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook

Vergara, now 27, is described on missing persons flyers as a 5-foot, 7-inch man, with lighter skin, brown hair and green eyes. He has multiple tattoos, including a dollar sign and his initials, JV, on each earlobe.

He also has the names Marie and Juana tattooed on his chest, and a Pokemon tattoo on his shoulder.

Rivera, who was a single mother to Vergara, said she and her son were very close. The last six years have been filled with despair, she said, while getting emotional over the phone.

My daughter was 5 then, she said of when her son went missing. My mother had to come help me because I got very sick mentally  not in a bad way, I was just very depressed."

During the first few years after Vergara went missing, Rivera said she got calls from people reporting that they had seen her son, or his clothes, in Springfield.

It would send me on goose chases; it played with my emotions, she said.

But despite everything, Rivera still has hope that Vergara is out there. Shes talked to reporters, gone on podcasts, gotten billboards and printed flyers, all to find her son.

I havent given up, she said.

The police encourage anyone with information to text CRIMES (number: 2-4-7-6-3-7) and type SOLVE (all caps) with the tip  this can be done anonymously  or call 413-787-6360.
SPRINGFIELD  A task force led by the Springfield police Homicide Unit arrested a second suspect Friday in last months fatal shooting on Home Street.

Police said 27-year-old Joey Sanchez was arrested at about 7 a.m. on Quincy Street.

Sanchez, of Chicopee, is charged with murder, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, attempted armed robbery and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.

At about 10:40 p.m. Nov. 30, officers responded to the 0-100 block of Home Street for a report of a gunshot victim.

Officers located an adult male gunshot victim, later identified as 27-year-old Shain West, of Springfield  inside an apartment.

West was taken to Baystate Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The Homicide Unit, under the direction of Capt. Trent Duda, identified 21-year-old Daevon Shular, of Seguin, Texas, as a suspect shortly after, arresting him Monday.

Shular was taken privately to the hospital on the day of the shooting with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police said. On Monday, Springfield police arrested Shular at Baystate in connection with the shooting.
WESTFIELD  The first to arrive at the topping off ceremony of the final truss for the new home being built by Westfield Technical Academy students on 12 St. James Ave. was a truck from Westfield Gas & Electric. They were there to complete the hook-up of electricity to the service box outside. Joseph Tremblay, president of the WTA Foundation, said the house now has full power.

The house is a 1,477-square-foot, one-story ranch-style home on a lot just under 8,000 square feet. It will have three bedrooms and two full bathrooms with an open kitchen, dining and living room. The basement has oversized windows that will allow for it to be finished in the future to add up to two more bedrooms and additional living space, should the buyer wish to expand, according to WTA Construction Technology head instructor Matthew Gomes.

Gomes said now that the framework has been completed, the student crew will install the walls and roof in order to continue to work on the interior of the home through the winter.

Proceeds from the last build paid for the land purchase, and a second 0% loan from Polish National Credit Union will pay for materials for the St. James house. Last time, it worked out well, Tremblay said.

Gomes and Tremblay both said they obtained the lot when the owner of the land saw an article in The Westfield News last fall about the schools previous home build on Mill St. that stated they were looking for land for their next project, and called the school.

We do not as of yet have a lot for our next build and are open to anyone that may have available land, Gomes said.

During the ceremony, Gomes welcomed Mayor Michael McCabe, state Rep. Kelly Pease, Mark Messer, district director for state Sen. John Velis; Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, members of the School Committee, the WTA Foundation, the shops advisory board, WTA Principal Bruce Hastings and other guests. He acknowledged the seniors in Construction Tech, who were present, and have been working hard to get the framework done, along with juniors in the program.

Guest speaker Fiore Grassetti from Ironworkers Local 7 talked about the topping off ceremony, a term used by ironworkers to indicate that the final piece of steel is being hoisted into place on a building, bridge or other large structure. He said it is a ceremony rich in tradition, tracing back to a Scandinavian rite to appease tree-dwelling spirits displaced when timber beams were used in the construction of a building.

Grassetti said to commemorate the topping off, the final piece of iron  in this case, the last truss on the frame  is hoisted into place with a small evergreen tree, an American flag and the ironworkers banner. The final piece is usually painted white and signed by the ironworkers and visiting dignitaries at the ceremony.

Grassetti also made a pitch for young people to consider going into the trades, including construction and ironworkers, encouraging the students to enter a well-paid career after school and be debt-free.

Speaking next, Gomes said he went for a walk with his two daughters in the woods to find an evergreen tree for the ceremony.

We stood at the foot of dozens of towering pines  80 feet or more in the air. We were surrounded by trees that were there long before we were born, and some of the saplings that we left behind will stand tall years after we are gone. We were there, in a way, representing our time in between. Each one of us has an opportunity to shape the world around us, not only in our moment, but with what we leave behind, and only when we actually make it happen.

Gomes said on their way back out of the woods, they saw a beautiful tan coyote running by. For many, a coyote symbolizes adaptability, vitality, and is often understood to challenge the norm to bring about change and improvement, he said. The work that we do on behalf of our students is not typical, and we are certainly bringing about positive improvement by finding creative solutions and strategies to provide our students with the best learning experience possible.

He thanked the support of the Westfield Technical Academy Foundation and their board, and the guidance of Construction Techs Program Advisory Committee, all of whom are volunteers, adding that 100 percent of the proceeds from the project will go to supporting their students. Nobody involved in managing the nonprofit is paid, he said.

Gomes said the project would not have been possible without the support of the Polish National Credit Union for financing it at 0% interest. He said the sponsors of the project are also responsible for thousands of dollars in donated materials and other financial support.

He also thanked WPS, Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski for his unwavering support and assistance, and the administrative team and colleagues at WTA that step up to help each other each and every day for the betterment of our students, including Construction Tech instructors Wayne Bush, Brian Roy and David McIver, all of whom were present at the ceremony.

Gomes said the major theme of the topping off ceremony is tradition. Whether they realize it or not, every tradesperson is a teacher, and they have a responsibility to pass down their skill to the generation behind them.

He said building a house can be difficult. Some days its cold, some days its hot, some wet. It can be heavy. Theres a lot to know  codes, math and how to make things fit. Building a house is also incredibly rewarding  Students learn resilience out there. They overcome fears, they achieve, they surprise themselves.

I am so incredibly proud of each one of these students. It is an honor to be their teacher and to be out here with them driving nails into lumber, just like we are supposed to be, Gomes said.

After the remarks, everyone present was invited to sign the truss before Gomes and Brian Roy, the on-site instructor at the home build, climbed the scaffolding with seniors Zachary Morgado and Aidan McCarron to affix the truss, the evergreen tree and hoist the American flag.
Fans of the chicken finger chain Raising Canes will have a chance to win free meals for a year.

All they have to do is come to the chains new location in Worcester on Dec. 16.

A special drawing will take place during the companys grand opening of its Worcester location at 494 Lincoln St. Its the first time Raising Canes has opened a location in Worcester County.

Customers present at the restaurant between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. can enter the drawing, according to a company press release. Customers will receive tickets for the drawing and the winners will receive a Free Canes for a Year Reward Card. Only 20 winners will be selected, according to the press release.

The reward of free Raising Canes for a year is part of the companys Worcester grand opening celebration.

Other festivities are planned for the occasion. These include a gift basket giveaway for the first customer at the new location, complimentary hot chocolate and coffee, a $1,000 check presentation to the Worcester County Food Bank and a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Joseph Petty and other members of the community, according to the press release.

Founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Raising Canes serves chicken fingers as its main menu item. The restaurant also offers crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and a sauce known as Canes Sauce.

Raising Canes currently has nine locations in Massachusetts: three in Boston and one each in Saugus, Framingham, Medford, Marlborough, Methuen and Seekonk, according to its website.
Dr. Michael Hirsh, the medical director for Worcesters Division of Public Health since 2012, retired on Dec. 12, City Manager Eric Batista announced on Friday.

As medical director, Hirsh was responsible for overseeing policy related to controlling local infections. His work involved making decisions about school closures, healthcare work regulations and distributing COVID-19 vaccines, according to a press release.

My proudest moment at WDPH was serving as a Public Information Officer during the pandemic, leading over 200 press conferences with the City Manager and Mayor and helping to train the Vaccine Corps of medical students who helped administer the COVID vaccine beginning in January 2021, Hirsh said in the press release.

Hirsh grew up in New York City and was the son of Holocaust survivors, according to the press release. He graduated from Harvard University in 1979 and then continued his medical career with surgical residencies at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and Temple Universitys St. Christopher Hospital for Children, the press release reads.

In 1994, Hirsh cofounded the Goods for Guns Buyback program in Pittsburgh and in 2002, he founded a similar program in Worcester. His involvement in these programs is linked to a 1981 shooting that took the life of one of his best friends, according to the press release.

Dr. Hirsh has been a champion for the health of Worcester residents in all aspects of his life, from his role as medical director to his career at UMass to his charity work, said Batista in the press release. He dedicated his career to not just helping people when they found themselves sick or injured but trying to prevent them from ending up in the hospital in the first place. I want to thank Dr. Hirsh for his commitment to Worcester residents and in particular for the work he did to carry us through the pandemic.

In 1986, Hirsh became an attending physician at UMass Memorial, where he spent a majority of his career, the press release reads.

UMass Memorial Health deeply appreciates Dr. Michael Hirshs service as Medical Director for the Worcester Division of Public Health and the positive impact his leadership has had on the community over the last 13 years, said Eric Dickson, MD, President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health. We are working closely with the WDPH to identify a successor and remain fully committed to supporting the health and wellness of Worcester residents through our continued partnership.

The city is working with UMass Memorial to find a successor for Hirsh.
Les conditions atmospheriques demeurent humides et instables, occasionnant la formation de nuages actifs sur lile.

Des fortes averses localisees accompagnees dorages sont observees sur la moitie ouest de lile et sur le plateau central.

Ces fortes averses sont prevues de continuer et deborderont dans dautres secteurs.

En cas des fortes averses orageuses, il est conseille au public:

1. de rester a labri et deviter les plaines, les randonnees, les sorties en mer et de ne pas sabriter

sous les arbres.

2. deviter les endroits sujets a des accumulations deau.

3. detre tres prudent sur les routes en raison dune visibilite reduite due a des fortes averses et au

brouillard.
The Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) issued a Heavy Rain Watch Bulletin for Mauritius today, Friday 12 December 2025, at 0415hrs valid till tomorrow, Saturday 13 December 2025 at 0500hrs

In response, the Mauritius Police Force, Special Mobile Force, Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service, and other relevant authorities are on high alert to ensure public safety.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre is closely monitoring the situation and urges the public to follow these safety guidelines:

Stay informed  Keep track of weather updates from the Mauritius Meteorological Services and follow instructions from the police and relevant authorities.

General public  Remain cautious, limit your movements, and stay sheltered if possible.

City Centre, Port Louis  motorists are informed that it will be prohibited to park their vehicles along La Poudriere Street, La Chaussee Street, and along the Pouce stream. Motorists are also requested to avoid parking their vehicles in flood-prone areas such as underground car parks.

At fairs  Avoid flood-prone areas, follow instructions, and stay away from unstable structures.

Avoid high-risk areas  Stay away from flooded roads, waterfalls, mountains, rivers, flooded waterways, and other flood-prone zones.

During thunderstorms  Avoid trees and tall structures, and unplug electrical appliances to prevent electrical hazards.

Protect your home  Use sandbags or flood barriers to prevent water from entering your property.

Move to higher ground if necessary  If water levels rise quickly, be prepared to evacuate and have an emergency kit ready.

Avoid areas that are prone to landslide-prone areas, rockfalls, water accumulation, and flooding.

Motorists, drive with caution  Roads may be slippery, and some areas may experience water pooling and aquaplaning.

Stay connected and informed for real-time updates, follow official sources and mobile apps like Traffic Watch and My.T Weather (available on the App Store and Google Play).

Emergency contact numbers:

Police: 999/148, Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service: 115, SAMU: 114, CEB: 130, CWA: 170

This communique is issued in accordance with Section 11(c) of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2016.
Les membres du gouvernement ont pris note que la compensation pour le cout de la vie en 2025 sera de Rs 635.00 soit 3.7 du salaire minimum, de la constitution dun BNoard of Inquiry qui sera dirige par lancien Juge Paul Lam Shang Leen sur le deces du detenu Andy Selmour a la Prison de Malrose le 9 decembre 2025, dun plan de soutien de Rs252 million pour le secteur du transport en commun, de lintroduction au Parlement du Trust Fund for the Benefit of Chagossians Bill, de la proclamation du Public Procurement (Amendment) Regulations 2025, dela creation dun National Arts Open Commission et de deux nominations.

1. Cabinet has agreed to a monthly salary compensation of Rs635, i.e., 3.7 per cent of the National Minimum Wage, being paid to employees earning a monthly basic salary of up to Rs50,000 as from 01 January 2026.

This decision follows discussions held on 11 December 2025 during the Tripartite Committee Meeting on Salary Compensation, under the chair of the Prime Minister. Some 409,400 employees will benefit from the salary compensation, of whom 89,100 in the public sector and 320,300 in the private sector. 88 per cent of employees in the economy will benefit from the salary compensation. The annual cost of the salary compensation is estimated at Rs3.38 billion, of which Rs740 million for the public sector and Rs2.64 billion for the private sector.

Cabinet has further taken note that despite the tight fiscal situation, an increase of 3.7 per cent will be granted to all beneficiaries of basic pensions, including beneficiaries of basic retirement pension, widows basic pension, invalids basic pension and orphans pension, as from 01 January 2026. Furthermore, the increase will also apply to all eligible beneficiaries of income support, i.e., those having reached 60 years but not eligible for the basic retirement pension. These measures will cover more than 325,000 beneficiaries and will cost Rs2.4 billion annually.

2. Cabinet has taken note of the circumstances surrounding the death of late detainee Andy Selmour, aged 33, at the Melrose Prison on 09 December 2025, and taking into consideration that it is a matter of public concern, has agreed to a Board of Inquiry to be chaired by former Judge Mr Paul Lam Shang Leen being set up under section 3(1)(a) of the Public Inquiries Act to enquire into the case.

3. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of discussions held during meetings of the Ministerial Committee set up to examine the sustainability of the Bus Companies Recovery Account, and has agreed to the introduction of a temporary support scheme for bus operators. The Support Scheme equivalent to Rs252 million, and which will apply to the current financial year, will provide targeted and efficient financial support to the bus industry, while mitigating potential revenue leakages to the operators.

4. Cabinet has taken note that the night market in Port Louis starting from 12 December 2025 up to 05 January 2026, will be extended to three additional roads, namely Bourbon Street, Jummah Mosque Street and Joseph Riviere Street, in view of the high demand for stalls.

5. Cabinet has taken note that in a decision dated 02 December 2025 and published on 08 December 2025, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has expressed concern that the bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Mauritius regarding the Chagos Archipelago does not guarantee, inter alia, the rights of Chagossian people to full reparation, particularly with regard to compensation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition. The Committee thus called on both Mauritius and the United Kingdom to suspend ratification of the agreement, and to engage immediately in a renewed dialogue to ensure the free, prior and informed consent of the Chagossian people, and to respect their rights, including the right to return to Diego Garcia, the right to self-determination through meaningful participation in all decision-making processes. It also asked both States Parties to guarantee access to effective remedies and full reparation.

Cabinet has further taken note that in a letter dated 10 December 2025 addressed to the Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Embassy of the Republic of Mauritius and Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva has deplored the decision of the Committee and expressed the view that it not only goes against the grain of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, but also causes serious prejudice to the Republic of Mauritius as a sovereign state and baffles the principles of the rule of law and natural justice. Attention has been drawn to the fact that the Agreement which the Governments of Mauritius and the United Kingdom signed on 22 May 2025 concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia addresses the wrongs of the past. Both the Governments of the Republic of Mauritius and of the United Kingdom have committed to supporting Chagossian communities. This will include visits for those of Chagossian descent to the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. It has also been highlighted that members of the Chagossian community themselves have said that the Agreement between the Governments of Mauritius and of the United Kingdom is the only viable path to a Mauritian-led programme of resettlement. A request has thus been made to the Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination for the rejoinder from the Republic of Mauritius to be published on the website of the Committee alongside its Decision of 02 December 2025.

6. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the Trust Fund for the Benefit of Chagossians Bill into the National Assembly. The object of the Bill is to set up, for the benefit of Chagossians, a Trust Fund which will be capitalised by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the sum of 40 million pounds sterling pursuant to Article 11(1)(b) of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Mauritius and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia signed on 22 May 2025 in Port Louis and London.

The Fund shall be established as a statutory body and shall be managed by a Board consisting of seven persons of Chagossian origin, out of 12, one of whom shall be its Chairperson. The British High Commissioner or his representative shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Board.

The purpose of the Fund shall be to devise and implement projects for the benefit of Chagossians. There shall accordingly be set up, for that purpose, a Projects Subcommittee of the Board that will draw from the competencies of members in the fields of applied social science and project management.

7. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Regulations 2025, in line with the measures announced in Budget 2025-2026, to provide for, inter alia:

(a) the reservation of public contract for works of up to Rs50 million for microenterprises, small enterprises and medium enterprises;

(b) a medium enterprise, which has an annual turnover not exceeding Rs100 million, to be eligible to bid for any contract above Rs30 million, but not exceeding Rs50 million; and

(c) the definition of medium enterprise which will have the same meaning as in the Small and Medium Enterprises Act, that is, having an annual turnover above Rs30 million but not exceeding Rs100 million.

8. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Construction Industry Authority (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2025. The purpose of the Construction Industry Authority (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2025 is to amend the list of construction materials that fall under mandatory registration so that it includes additional items such as tiles, granite, concrete drains and kerbs, electrical and plumbing materials, floorings, glass, glass reinforced polyester, photovoltaic panels, water pipes and fittings. These Regulations will also provide for construction tradesmen, namely Air conditioning Technician, Electrician, Plumber, Painter, Welder and Interior Decorator to be registered with the Construction Industry Authority, in order to practise in Mauritius.

Cabinet has also agreed to the promulgation of the Construction Industry Development Board (Registration of Consultants and Contractors) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, to, inter alia, prescribe fees for the registration of different categories of contractors and consultants, following the review of the grading structure of contractors in the Finance Bill 2025.

9. Cabinet has agreed to drafting instructions being conveyed to the Attorney-Generals Office for the preparation of a Student Recruitment Agencies Bill. Presently, the recruitment of Mauritian students for admission to overseas educational and training institutes is governed by the Licensing of Recruiting Agents for Overseas Educational and Training Institutions Act. However, recruitment activities for international students to study in Mauritius are not regulated. This vacuum is being exploited by unscrupulous intermediaries and exposing vulnerable young people to significant risks.

The Student Recruitment Agencies Bill will accordingly provide for, inter alia, the following:

(a) comprehensive licensing, fit-and-proper monitoring and enforcement regime for education agents engaged in both outbound and inbound student recruitment;

(b) all education agents to be incorporated companies, to meet probity and competency standards, to maintain proper records and to comply with student-protection obligations; and

(c) clear prohibitions on misleading advertising, undisclosed fees, false promises of employment or guaranteed visas.

10. Cabinet has agreed to the Government of Mauritius signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Ocean Commission for the financing and implementation of regional coordinated actions at sea under the Safe Seas Africa Programme.

The MoU is a continuation of the previous cooperation framework under the MASE Programme, and will provide for uninterrupted support for maritime security operations, sustained EU-funded financing, and ongoing participation in the Regional Maritime Security Architecture. It will formalise cooperation between Mauritius and the Indian Ocean Commission within the framework of the Regional Maritime Security Architecture funded by the European Union.

The MoU will strengthen the capacity of the Mauritius Police Force to conduct coordinated patrols, surveillance missions, and other actions at sea under the coordination of the Regional Centre for Operational Coordination. It will also enable Mauritius to benefit from renewed funding of up to EUR2 million for eligible actions at sea.

11. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Seychelles and Statistics Mauritius, with the objectives to:

(a) establish a practical framework for cooperation with regard to improvement in the production and dissemination of high-quality official statistics; and

(b) strengthen institutional relations and capacity building through cooperation.

The Memorandum of Understanding provides for the two institutions to collaborate through, amongst others, staff training and development; exchange of technical advice, expertise and cooperation in research projects; provision of technical advice in their respective sector of expertise; and participation of staff in working groups, technical committees and workshops.

12. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Vector Biology and Control Division of the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Mauritius Meteorological Services.

The objective of the Memorandum of Understanding is to establish a cooperative agreement between the parties, whereby the Mauritius Meteorological Services would provide daily rainfall and temperature data collected from a network of its Automatic Weather Stations to the Vector Biology and Control Division to feed its predictive mosquito abundance modelling software ALBOMAURICE/ARBOCARTO.

ALBOMAURICE/ARBOCARTO is a standalone application which has been designed to anticipate the density of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in geographic areas of the island of Mauritius by using the temperature and rainfall data of 30 meteo stations from the Mauritius Meteorological Services. It aims to enhance existing mosquito surveillance and control

programmes of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, to mitigate the spread of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.

13. Cabinet has taken note that Deepavali was, on 10 December 2025, inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage which is currently being held in New Delhi, India.

Deepavali already features in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the National Heritage Fund. This international recognition will now enhance the visibility of the festival globally and will strengthen cultural cooperation with India as well as create opportunities to develop heritage-based cultural initiatives.

14. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius co-hosting with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the NDC Partnership, a Regional Forum for Practitioners in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on Advancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0 Implementation Readiness, from 24 to 26 February 2026 in Mauritius.

The objective of the Regional Forum is to strengthen regional cooperation for enhancing climate action in SIDS of the Western Indian Ocean, which are members of the NDC Partnership and which have accordingly benefitted from the support of the GIZ in the preparation of their respective NDC 3.0 Roadmap. The Regional Forum will moreover serve as a strategic platform for SIDS in the Western Indian Ocean region to connect, collaborate and co-develop solutions for accelerating the implementation of their NDCs while addressing approaches to unlock the financial resources required. The Forum is expected to gather around 70 participants from countries of the region, namely, Comoros, Seychelles, Madagascar and Zanzibar.

15. Cabinet has agreed to the setting up of a National Arts Open Commission, as enunciated in the Government Programme 2025-2029. The National Arts Open Commission, which will be set up administratively, will, inter alia:

(a) advise the Ministry of Arts and Culture on the formulation of a comprehensive policy on arts and culture based, among others, on national consultations and inputs from the Convention Nationale sur les Arts et la Culture;

(b) recommend a coherent national policy including legal framework to support the arts and creative sectors aligned with international conventions and propose recommendations in line with existing legislation;

(c) propose mechanisms to recognise and protect the rights of cultural workers as defined by the United Nations and recommend measures to improve their working conditions, visibility and economic contribution;

(d) propose a national creative industry development strategy positioning culture as a driver of economic growth and innovation; and

(e) recommend measures for the preservation, adaptive use and valorisation of national heritage sites, including the development of local economic development plans around major cultural and heritage assets.

16. Cabinet has taken note of the introduction of the drug use prevention programme, commonly known as Get Connected Programme, as from Grade 7 in secondary schools, starting academic year 2026. The programme will span over a period of two years, with the first six lessons being taught in Grade 7 and the remaining six in Grade 8.

The Get Connected Programme, which was introduced in Mauritius in 2019, is aligned with the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention developed jointly by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization. It aims to equip learners with essential life skills and sound knowledge to help them make informed decisions as well as resist peer pressure associated with substance use, other risky behaviours and illicit drug use through life skills development and participatory learning.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the results of the National Certificate of Education (NCE) Assessment for the year 2025. Out of the 15,047 candidates of the Regular and Extended Programme of the Republic of Mauritius who were examined, 10,598 candidates have met the requirements for the award of NCE, representing a pass rate of 70.43 per cent for the 2025 cohort.

On the island of Mauritius, 14,232 candidates took part in the NCE Assessment 2025, out of whom 10,127 met the NCE requirements, representing a pass rate of 71.16 per cent. In Rodrigues, 806 candidates took part in the NCE Assessment, of whom 467 candidates attained the NCE requirements, representing a success rate of 57.94 per cent. In Agalega, out of the nine school candidates who were examined for the NCE Assessment 2025, four attained the NCE requirements, representing a pass rate of 44.44 per cent. Out of the 1,460 Grade 9+ Extended Programme candidates who have been examined for the year 2025, 78 candidates have qualified for the NCE, representing a percentage pass rate of 5.3 per cent of the total Extended Programme cohort for the Republic of Mauritius.

18. Cabinet has taken note of the temporary closure of the National History Museum, Mahebourg, by the Mauritius Museums Council as from 15 December 2025, in view of the cyclonic season and the urgent need to safeguard the collections pending the replacement of its severely deteriorated roof structure.

Arrangements are currently being made to transfer the most valuable artefacts found in the National History Museum, Mahebourg, to the Natural History Museum, Port Louis. Other artefacts will be transferred to the Peopling of Mauritius Museum at Pointe Canon. In parallel to the transfer exercise, the Ministry of Arts and Culture is finalising the scope of works for the launching of bids for the replacement of the roof.

19. Cabinet has taken note that the Inter-Ministerial Committee set up under the chair of the Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity to oversee, coordinate and monitor the effective implementation of the recommendations made by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in its Concluding Observations within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will meet on Tuesday 16 December 2025.

20. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of Directors of the Mauritius Shipping Corporation Ltd, with Mr Vinayeghen Govindasami as part-time Chairperson. Cabinet has further taken note that Mr Sanjaye Dabydoyal has been appointed as Managing Director of the Mauritius Shipping Corporation Ltd.
APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading award-winning, pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is proud to announce the appointment of Nicholas Cull as the new Head of Human Resources for its Volunteer Programme supporting the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church in Africa, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

Nicholas Cull joins the organization on a volunteer basis, bringing a wealth of executive-level experience from the corporate world to enhance the structure and support for APO Groups dedicated global network of volunteers assisting SECAM.

Nicholas Culls appointment comes at a crucial time as APO Group scales its support for SECAMs operations. He steps into this volunteer leadership role following a distinguished career as an HR Director at several multinational corporations, including McAfee, GoPro, and Allianz. His extensive background in strategic HR management, talent development, and organizational scaling will be invaluable in optimizing the volunteer experience, recruitment, and retention within the program.

 We are incredibly fortunate to welcome Nicholas Cull to our team,  said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard (www.Pompigne-Mognard.com), Founder and Chairman of APO Group.  His decision to dedicate his expertise, honed at world class companies like McAfee, GoPro, and Allianz, is a testament to his commitment to our mission and our support for the Roman Catholic Church in Africa. This high calibre professional insight will be transformative in helping us build the best possible environment for our volunteers who are the backbone of our work. 

In his new role, Nicholas Cull will oversee all HR functions for the APO Group volunteer program, focusing on developing scalable processes, improving volunteer satisfaction, and ensuring compliance across international operations in support of SECAM.

 I am thrilled to join APO Group and contribute to its important mission of supporting the Roman Catholic Church in Africa,  said Nicholas Cull.  The work done by the volunteers is truly inspiring. I look forward to applying the strategic HR knowledge gained throughout my career to support and empower this global community, ensuring we attract, develop, and retain the passionate talent needed to drive meaningful change for SECAM. 

The Catholic Church operates 82,235 Catholic Schools in Africa, educating 30,629,476 pupils. Its extensive network of care includes 13,880 facilities such as hospitals, clinics, dispensaries, leprosy centres, homes for the elderly and chronically ill, centres for disabled people, orphanages, kindergartens, and marriage counselling centres.

According to recent data from the Vatican, there are 1.39 billion Catholics worldwide, representing around 18% of the worlds population. Africas 236 million Catholics already make up about 20% of the global Catholic population, but they are also the fastest-growing region in the world. By 2050, the World Christian Database estimates that African Catholics will make up 32% of the global Catholic population.

According to the United Nations 2022 State of the Worlds Volunteerism Report, there are an estimated 862.4 million volunteers globally. Engaging in volunteerism offers individuals a unique opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience, enhance their professional profiles, and develop valuable skills through impactful service.
Mayo writer Bernie Gaughan has released her second book in her childrens series The Adventures of Grainne Bear, bringing young readers on another journey through Mayos landscapes and legendary past.

The new book, A Tale of 3 Bears and 2 Queens, follows Grainne Bear and her family as they hop on the bus from Newport and travel through Westport to Louisburgh, where they visit the Grannuaile Museum. Along the way, the Bears stumble into heart-warming chaos, unexpected magic, and encounter two bears, our own Irish Pirate Queen, Grannuaile, and Queen Elizabeth I.

The story continues the thread begun in Book one, The Discovery, where the Bear family were found living secretly in Princess Grace Park, their ancestors rescued by Granuaile herself in the 16th century. The series blends fact and fiction, making Irish heritage feel alive, playful, and accessible for children.

Bernie describes the books as a way for children to fall in love with Mayos history without realising theyre learning.

Copies of A Tale of 3 Bears and 2 Queens are now available on pre-order at grainnebear.ie. The book can also be found in local bookshops across Mayo from December 16, as well as at the Westport Christmas Market on December 20 to 21. The official launch of the book will be in the New Year.
DORAL, Fla. (AP)  A U.S. Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region.

Adm. Alvin Holsey has retired one year into a posting that typically lasts three to four years and transferred leadership duties to his top military deputy, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, during a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters near Miami.

In farewell remarks, Holsey did not mention the military operations or the reasons for his early retirement. But he urged his successor to uphold longstanding partnerships in the region by standing firmly behind the shared values of democracy and support for the rule of law.

To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged, Holsey said.

Holseys shock retirement was announced by the Pentagon in October, over a month into the Trump administrations strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed at least 87 people. With the campaign facing growing scrutiny by Congress, Holsey briefed key lawmakers earlier this week.

The ceremony Friday was more subdued than past retirements, held outdoors amid a small crowd of mostly Southern Command staff and without Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, because President Donald Trump has yet to nominate Holseys replacement.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made no mention of the military operations in Latin America as he thanked Holsey on for his 37 years of service. Caine referred to Holsey as a stoic leader and quiet professional who always leads with his heart and head.

Its never been about you, its been about people, its been about others, Caine said. Youve never said I in all the conversations weve had. Youve always said we.  The impact youve had will last for a long time.

Holsey is departing as Congress has launched bipartisan investigations into the boat attacks, including one that killed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of an initial strike. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth and other top officials have given classified briefings at Capitol Hill this week.

Holsey also spoke this week to key lawmakers overseeing the U.S. military by classified video call. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said afterward that Holsey answered senators questions but that there are still many questions to be answered. Reed later added that Holsey did not give a reason for his retirement other than saying it was a personal decision.

Experts in the rules of warfare, human rights groups and even some of Trump's allies in Congress have questioned the legality of the attacks on those accused of ferrying drugs who for decades were arrested at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard and brought to the U.S. for criminal prosecution.

The 22 strikes against vessels are being supported by a giant flotilla of warships, attack helicopters, thousands of troops and even the nation's most advanced aircraft carrier.

Trump's Republican administration has defended its aggressive tactics, declaring drug gangs in Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico as narcoterrorists and relying on a legal argument that gained traction after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that the U.S. is in armed conflict with drug cartels.

The administration's campaign has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States. In a sharp escalation Wednesday, U.S. forces seized control of a sanctioned oil tanker that the administration has accused of smuggling illicit crude. Sale of that oil on global energy markets is critical to Maduros grip on power.

Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from office.

Holseys departure is the latest in a long line of firings and sudden retirements that have befallen the militarys top ranks since Hegseth took charge of the Pentagon.

A fighter jet pilot, with combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pettus had been serving as Holseys top deputy since late 2024. However, its unclear how long the Arkansas native will remain in the job. Whoever Trump nominates must be confirmed by the Senate.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A U.S. Army soldier accused of shooting five people at a Georgia base in August will stand trial in a military court on charges including attempting murder, Army prosecutors said Friday.

Charges against Sgt. Quornelius Radford are being referred to a general court-martial, which handles cases involving the most serious crimes under military law, the Army's Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a news release.

Officials say Radford opened fire with a personal handgun Aug. 6 on members of his supply unit at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia, injuring four soldiers and a civilian worker before fellow soldiers were able to disarm and restrain him until military police arrived. The Army initially said all five victims were soldiers.

A week after the shootings, Army prosecutors charged Radford with six counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault, with the sixth victim being a person the shooter fired at and missed.

Prosecutors also charged Radford with domestic violence because one of the victims was his intimate partner, Michelle McCaskill, a spokesperson for the Army prosecutors' office, told The Associated Press in August.

It's unknown whether Radfords partner was among the five people wounded. The Army has not released the victims names.

Radford waived a preliminary hearing similar to a civilian grand jury to determined whether there was sufficient evidence to send his case to a court-martial. Army prosecutors say the next step will be for a military judge to be assigned to the case and schedule pretrial proceedings.

Radford was represented by Army attorneys from Fort Stewart's Trial Defense Service during his first court appearance in August. That office did not immediately return phone and email messages Friday.

Fort Stewart officials have declined to comment on what led to the shooting.

Under military law, attempted murder carries a potential penalty of life imprisonment.

The largest Army post east of the Mississippi River, Fort Stewart is home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. It is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah.

Radford has been serving as a supply sergeant in the divisions 2nd Armored Brigade. Army records show he enlisted in 2018.

Soldiers in Radfords unit said they followed the sound of gunfire into the hallways of an office building where they found hazy gun smoke in the air and wounded victims on the floor and in nearby offices.

Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 3rd Infantrys commander, credited soldiers with saving lives by immediately rendering first aid, in some cases using their bare hands to staunch bleeding gunshot wounds.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll visited Fort Stewart the day after the shootings to award Meritorious Service Medals to six soldiers who helped restrain the gunman and treat the victims.
LOS ANGELES  The saga of a Los Angeles Army veteran who legally immigrated to the United States, was wounded in combat and self-deported to South Korea earlier this year, became a flashpoint during a testy congressional hearing about the Trump administration's immigration policy.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was grilled Thursday on Capitol Hill about military veterans deported during the immigration crackdown launched earlier this year, including in Los Angeles.

"Sir, we have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans," Noem responded when questioned by Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I.

An aide then held up a tablet showing a Zoom connection with Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon Park in South Korea. The congressman argued that Park had "sacrificed more for this country than most people ever have" and asked Noem if she would investigate Park's case given her discretion as a Cabinet member. Noem pledged to "absolutely look at his case."

Park, reached in Seoul on Thursday night, said he was skeptical that Noem would follow through on her promise, but said that he had "goosebumps" watching the congressional hearing.

"It was amazing. And then I'm getting tons of phone calls from all my friends back home and everywhere else. I'm so very grateful for everything that happened today," Park, 56, said, noting that friends told him that a clip of his story appeared on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show Thursday night.

The late-night host featured footage of Park's moment in the congressional hearing in his opening monologue.

"Is anyone OK with this? Seriously, all kidding aside, we deported a veteran with a Purple Heart?" Kimmel said, adding that Republicans "claim to care so much about veterans, but they don't at all."

Park legally immigrated to the United States when he was 7, grew up in L.A.'s Koreatown and the San Fernando Valley, and joined the Army after graduating from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks in 1988.

The green card holder was deployed to Panama in 1989 as the U.S. tried to depose the nation's de facto leader, Gen. Manuel Noriega. Park was shot twice and honorably discharged. Suffering PTSD, he self-medicated with illicit drugs, went to prison after jumping bail on drug possession charges, became sober and raised two children in Hawaii.

Earlier this year, when Park checked in for his annual meeting with federal officials to verify his sobriety and employment, he was given the option of being immediately detained and deported, or wearing an ankle monitor for three weeks as he got his affairs in order before leaving the country for a decade.

At the time, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Park had an "extensive criminal history" and had been given a final removal order, with the option to self-deport.

Park chose to leave the country voluntarily. He initially struggled to acclimate in a nation he hasn't lived in since he was a child, but said Thursday night that his mental state  and his Korean language skills  have improved.

"It hasn't been easy. Of course, I miss home like crazy," he said. "I'm doing the best I can. I'm usually a very positive person, so I feel like everything happens for a reason, and I'm just trying to hang in there until hopefully I make it back home."

Among Park's top concerns when he left the United States in June was that his mother, who is 86 and struggling with dementia, would pass away while he couldn't return to the county. But her lack of awareness about his situation has been somewhat of a strange blessing, Park said.

"She really doesn't know I'm even here. So every time I talk to her, she's like, 'Oh, where are you,' and I tell her, and she's like, 'Oh, when are you coming home? Oh, why are you there?'" Park said. "In a weird way, it's kind of good because she doesn't have to worry about me all the time. But at the same time, I would love to be next to her while she's going through this."

___

2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy floated the prospect of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand the Donbas region to Russia as Kyiv comes under mounting pressure to agree to terms of an emerging U.S. peace plan.

Moscow has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the eastern territories, which include areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that the Russian military has failed to capture in its nearly four-year invasion.

Zelenskyy has engaged in talks over the latest peace proposal from President Donald Trumps administration, but has maintained his position that Ukraine wont consider surrendering territory to the Kremlin.

The Russians want the whole of Donbas  we dont accept that, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Thursday, referring to Ukraines eastern regions. I believe that the Ukrainian people will answer this question. Whether in the form of elections or a referendum, the Ukrainian people must have a say.

Ukrainian territory is at the center of running discussions among Washington, Kyiv and Moscow as negotiators inch toward a potential agreement to end the war. Zelenskyy said the U.S. has discussed turning the area into a free economic zone, while Russia has opted for a demilitarized zone.

The Americans are searching for an appropriate format, the president said. Lets see how this all plays out. Right now, I believe that a lot depends on our army.

Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Thursday that hed held a constructive and in-depth discussion on a document on security guarantees with American officials earlier that day, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

He followed that post with a separate one on his meeting with partners in the so-called coalition of the willing of more than 30 countries.

We are working to ensure that the security guarantees include serious components of European deterrence and are reliable, and it is important that the United States is with us and supports these efforts, Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian allies will discuss the latest draft of a peace plan on Thursday after the leaders of Germany, France and the UK spoke with Trump on Wednesday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was relatively optimistic about progress into the weekend as the sides sought a consensus over terms.

Above all, its about the territorial concessions that Ukraine is ready to make  but thats a question that the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people must answer, Merz said in Berlin after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. We made that clear to President Trump.

Zelenskyy said his team is working on the draft of the 20-point peace framework daily. Ukrainian negotiators sent a revised plan to Washington late Wednesday. The draft isnt the final version, Zelenskyy said.

This plan is constantly being revised and edited. It is an ongoing process that continues now, Zelenskyy said.

The president also expressed optimism that Ukraine and the U.S. would reach and sign an economic deal being discussed with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and BlackRock Inc.s Larry Fink on postwar recovery and economic development.

Still, how the conflict eventually pans out is putting the continent increasingly on edge. Rutte warned on Thursday that Russia will come for the rest of Europe if its warmongering is not checked now.

We need to be crystal-clear about the threat, the military alliance leader said in a speech in Berlin. We are Russias next target. And we are already in harms way.

Rutte painted a stark picture of whats at stake for the continent as Moscow continues to press its maximalist demands for territory and NATO restrictions in return for a vague promise to end its full-scale invasion.

Russia has brought war back to Europe, Rutte said. And we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured.

_____

2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Minnesota man has been convicted of lying about serving in the military, defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs out of $146,287 in a brazen case of stolen valor.

Mikhail R. Wicker pieced together a whale of a story, claiming he had served in combat in Iraq, even going so far as stating he had earned a Purple Heart as a member of the Marine Corps.

According to prosecutors in the case, Wicker forged a combat record packed with false information. He claimed he had graduated from sniper school, was deployed to Iraq in 2005 with Lima Company, survived a stint as a prisoner of war, and earned the prestigious Purple Heart for being wounded in combat.

However, a federal investigation uncovered what Wicker was really doing in 05  living as a civilian in Michigan. Wickers scheme was elaborate. He falsified DD-214 documents detailing his service record, produced images of fake medals, and even hoodwinked actual Marines on social media, all to obtain disability benefits from VA, along with funding from the GI Bill.

The Marine Corps company Mikhail Wicker claimed to have served in. (Photo from U.S. Marine Corps)

Dr. Brent M. Eastwood, a retired Army infantry officer, writing about the case for the National Security Journal, said, His conviction for wire and mail fraud highlights how stolen valor exploits an already overburdened disability system. These false hijinks usually make veterans angry but do not involve any serious crime. But this case is among the most egregious I have ever seen.

Wickers trial lasted a week, and a jury convicted him on Nov. 21. He will receive sentencing from a federal judge at a later date.

No Military Paychecks

Perhaps Wicker, 39, yearned to be a soldier or was just looking for a way to get ahead in life without really earning it; either way, he cooked up quite a story.

He said he served with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, of the 25th Marine Regiment in Iraq and was taken prisoner by insurgents. There is no doubt his Purple Heart and other honors for meritorious service probably looked impressive to VA claims representatives.

But if VA officials had looked more extensively into his Social Security records, they would have seen Wicker was working in retail in Michigan in 2005.

There is no indication he was ever paid a single paycheck from any branch of the military, prosecutors said in a pre-trial statement.

Wicker claimed that after he was released from capture, he recovered from his wounds, and the Marine Corps sent him to sniper school. In reality, the civilian had been hurt in a car accident in 2005 and pleaded guilty to not reporting the incident.

How Did He Do It?

Based on the investigation, its clear Wicker took his time to plan out an elaborately fake scheme.

He conjured up bogus dates and details on a false DD-214 form. In 2006, he was ready to take his trickery to new heights, applying for a disability rating and receiving benefits from the VA. When the GI Bill became available for post-9/11 veterans, Wicker signed up for that, too.

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reported that Wicker joined a Marine Facebook group to try to legitimize his fraudulent handiwork.

He sent messages to Lima Company veterans claiming to remember certain people and asking for details that he forgot. In 2020, Wicker tricked one of the group members into vouching for him in a letter to the VA, even though the veteran had no recollection of serving with Wicker, MPR said.

After deceiving VA, Wicker made the mistake of trying to push his luck. He requested to have his disability rating increased. VA went to check his military records and found out he had none.

Mikhail Wicker of Minnesota falsely listed on his VA disability application that he earned a Purple Heart while serving in Iraq. (Photo from U.S. Marine Corps)

Defrauding the System

Wickers stolen valor case especially looks bad to all legitimate veterans who spend years trying to receive disability benefits or battle VA regulators just for a small ratings increase.

To receive disability payments, a veteran must apply and document either mental or physical injuries, at times both, that were caused during their military service. Veterans then have to be examined by doctors, with their notes being extensively scrutinized.

Veterans often have claims denied, but they can appeal those decisions. If they win the appeal and are awarded benefits, theyre given a rating between 10 and 100 percent and are paid a monthly tax-free stipend based on their rating. Veterans with higher ratings often do not work full-time jobs due to their disabilities, so receiving monthly payments is a lifeline.

The payments add up over time and are rewarded retroactively to the date the veteran applies, which is how Wicker was able to rack up more than $146,000 in fraudulent cash.
Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap earned his reputation as one of history's great military commanders on May 7, 1954, when 16,000 French soldiers surrendered to him at Dien Bien Phu after a 57-day siege. The victory ended French colonial rule in Indochina and made Giap a hero across the communist world.

Fourteen years later, Giap saw his chance to repeat history. In January 1968, he deployed the same veteran divisions that humbled France against 6,000 U.S. Marines isolated at Khe Sanh Combat Base near the Laotian border. He used nearly identical tactics in the hopes of destroying the Marines and forcing the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam.

This time, Giap lost. His tactics destroyed France but failed against American technology at Khe Sanh, revealing how airpower and helicopters had transformed modern warfare.

Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap standing with Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh shortly after the end of WWII when both men worked with American OSS agents to liberate the country from the Japanese. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Siege of Dien Bien Phu

Giap commanded Viet Minh forces fighting Japan's occupation during World War II, working briefly with American OSS commandos who trained his guerrillas in 1945. After the war, he became Ho Chi Minh's most trusted general, leading his forces against France's attempt to reclaim its Indochina colony.

By 1953, France spent eight percent of its national budget on an increasingly unpopular war. The country had spent nearly double what the U.S. had provided in the Marshall Plan, leaving many citizens back home angered as they struggled to recover from WWII.

Gen. Henri Navarre desperately needed a decisive victory against the Viet Minh. He chose Dien Bien Phu as a new base to block Viet Minh supply routes into Laos and force Giap into conventional battle where French firepower and airpower could dominate.

He ordered General Christian de Castries and his men to occupy the valley and prepare for battle. Castries' ranks were filled mainly by French Colonial troops from Algeria, locally recruited Vietnamese auxiliaries, and even Foreign Legion soldiers, some of whom were former German SS members.

With the Vietminh shelling them from the hazy hills in the distance, the French troops tried to survive in their trenches. (Wikimedia Commons)

In November 1953, French forces had established a fortified base with 16,000 troops spread across strongpoints in a 40-mile defensive perimeter. The valley sat 120 miles from the nearest French supply base. Navarre bet his entire force that airpower alone could sustain them and defeat Giap.

French intelligence made several fatal miscalculations. Officers assured Navarre the Viet Minh possessed no heavy artillery. Even if they did, French commanders believed the surrounding mountains made it impossible to position guns overlooking the valley. They dismissed warnings that stretched supply lines and insufficient troops left the garrison vulnerable.

The leader of Viet Minh forces during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, Gen. Giap, seated in the center. (Wikimedia Commons)

How Giap Defeated the French

Giap mobilized 60,000 troops in the mountains around Dien Bien Phu. His forces manually hauled disassembled artillery pieces, including Soviet-supplied 105mm guns and Chinese 75mm pack howitzers, up steep jungle slopes. Thousands of locals carried ammunition and supplies on bicycles along hidden trails.

Soldiers dug elaborate trench networks that allowed them to advance on French positions while being protected from defensive fire.

When Viet Minh artillery opened fire on March 13, 1954, French commanders were stunned. The first barrage disabled the airstrip, immediately crippling their plans for aerial resupply. Giap's gunners on the high ground methodically destroyed French artillery positions trapped in the valley below.

Over the course of the battle, the French were forced to airdrop supplies and even reinforcements from high altitude. Giaps anti-aircraft guns turned the skies deadly for French transport planes.

Viet Minh soldiers pulling heavy artillery up the rough terrain overlooking French positions at Dien Bien Phu. (Wikimedia Commons)

The siege lasted 57 days. Giap launched mass infantry assaults despite horrific casualties. Viet Minh soldiers advanced through their own artillery fire to overrun French defensive positions.

French forces retained the central base area, but Giap's troops captured outlying strongpoints one by one.

By April 22, Giap controlled 90 percent of the airstrip. But French soldiers had run out of ammunition, food and medical supplies.

On May 7, more than 2,200 French troops lay dead and the rest were forced to surrender. The defeat destroyed any French political will to continue the war. France abandoned Indochina at the Geneva Conference three months later.

Giap had proven guerrilla forces could defeat Western military power in conventional battle. His formula to isolate the enemy, cut supply lines, position artillery on high ground, and accept massive casualties to achieve victory had worked.

An image of Viet Minh troops planting their flag over the captured French headquarters at Dien Bien Phu, 1954. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Siege of Khe Sanh

By 1968, North Vietnamese forces under Giap were now facing American troops. Though the Americans were better armed, trained and pursued different tactics than the French, Giap thought he knew how to beat them.

As the Tet Offensive kicked off, Giap sent two full divisions to Khe Sanh in January 1968, the 304th and 325th, both veterans of Dien Bien Phu. These battle-hardened units had helped deliver France's greatest defeat. Giap believed their experience in siege warfare would guarantee another victory.

He positioned approximately 20,000 troops in the mountains surrounding the Marine base. His plan mirrored Dien Bien Phu, isolate the Americans, cut off resupply, and overwhelm them.

On Jan. 20, a Marine patrol from India Company on Hill 881 South stumbled into an NVA regimental staging area. The next morning, approximately 300 North Vietnamese troops assaulted Hill 861 at 12:30 a.m.

The Marines were prepared after an NVA defector revealed Giaps attack plans. Despite penetrating the defensive perimeter in brutal close-quarters combat, NVA forces were driven back from the hills.

Staged PAVN propaganda picture showing troops in attack- circa 1967 Source: Archives of United States Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO), Republic of South Vietnam: 1967. (Wikimedia Commons)

Hours later, NVA artillery and rockets slammed into the main base. One rocket scored a direct hit on the ammunition dump, destroying 1,500 tons of explosives. The blast threw mortar rounds and artillery shells into the air that detonated across the base.

Another shell hit a cache of tear gas that saturated the entire area. Fourteen Marines died and 43 were wounded in the opening bombardment. NVA forces charged the base as the Marines moved to counter them.

Journalists immediately compared Khe Sanh to Dien Bien Phu. President Lyndon Johnson feared a repeat of France's humiliation. He reportedly kept a sand table model of Khe Sanh in the White House situation room and obsessively tracked the siege's progress.

Giap expected the battle to deliver a crushing psychological blow that would break the American will to continue the war. With NVA and VC forces besieging nearly every major base in the South, it seemed that Giap would defeat another foreign military.

Map of area surrounding Khe Sanh during the Tet Offensive modified to include color and explanation of map symbols. (Wikimedia Commons)

American Technology Changes the Battlefield

But Giap miscalculated several critical factors. The Marines had studied the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu. Unlike the French who occupied a valley floor, Marines deliberately held the high ground on Hills 861, 861A and 881 South.

Marine commanders positioned 16 Army 175mm guns that could reach North Vietnamese artillery positions. The base sat only 28 miles from major American supply bases compared to Dien Bien Phu's total isolation.

Most critically, Giap underestimated American airpower. The U.S. military in 1968 possessed technology France lacked in 1954. Helicopters delivered supplies and evacuated wounded troops in droves despite enemy ground fire.

C-130 and C-123 transports used low-altitude parachute extraction systems to drop supplies when landing on the airstrip became too dangerous. AC-47 "Spooky" gunships dominated the night sky and decimated NVA troops.

The Air Force launched Operation Niagara, coordinating 24,000 tactical fighter-bomber sorties and 2,700 B-52 strategic bomber runs. American aircraft dropped more than 75,000 tons of bombs on Giap's divisions during the 77-day siege.

Besieged U.S. Marines at Khe Sanh, Vietnam, watch as a U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-4 Phantom II makes close air support strike over the area. (Wikimedia Commons)

Sensors planted along infiltration routes detected NVA troop movements, allowing precision strikes on supply columns and staging areas.

When North Vietnamese forces moved within one mile of the base, believing B-52s were prohibited from bombing that close, American commanders reduced the safety restriction to half a mile. A single B-52 strike allegedly destroyed two NVA battalions preparing to assault the base.

Giap's artillery positions became death traps as American planes targeted them relentlessly. His supply lines suffered constant air attack along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The massive casualties his divisions absorbed at Dien Bien Phu had earned victory against France. At Khe Sanh, they accomplished nothing against overwhelming American firepower. In fact, American firepower had flipped Giaps strategy on its head.

After 77 days of a siege, Operation Pegasus was launched to secure the main ground supply route to the base. Marine patrols from Khe Sanh and cavalrymen loaded in helicopters from the 1st Air Cavalry Division pushed from opposite sides of Route 9, wiping out NVA units along the way. When the Army and Marine units met, the siege of Khe Sanh was officially lifted. Giap had failed.

The Marines were victorious. U.S. casualties totaled approximately 500 killed. North Vietnamese losses were significantly higher with estimates ranging from 5,000 to more than 10,000 dead, though exact numbers remain disputed.

PFC Millard Freeny (Miami, Florida), demo man, Company D, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, gets a light for his cigarette from SP4 David Springer (Little Rock, Arkansas), rifleman, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 3rd Brigade at Khe Sanh Combat Base during Operation Pegasus. (Wikimedia Commons)

Why Giap's Strategy Failed at Khe Sanh

Technology made the decisive difference at Khe Sanh. Giap's proven tactics that destroyed France in a remote valley couldn't overcome American airpower and helicopter mobility.

The French had approximately 75 aircraft available for the entire Indochina theater in 1954. At Khe Sanh, American forces could call on thousands of aircraft from carriers and air bases throughout South Vietnam, Thailand and Guam.

The Marines had also studied Dien Bien Phu. Unlike the French who occupied a valley floor with enemy guns firing down on them, Marines immediately assaulted and held the high ground around the base with clear fields of fire. The Marines also had a constant source of supplies.

But Giap's failure at Khe Sanh was successful in one regard, it sapped the American publics morale as they struggled to grasp how the NVA could besiege an entire base. While the siege captured international headlines, he achieved his strategic objective.

This battle and the overarching Tet Offensive diverted American attention and shattered public confidence in victory, even though it resulted in massive communist casualties.

While the Tet Offensive was a tactical failure, Giap explained the significance of continuing guerilla warfare going forward. He said, accumulate a thousand small victories to turn into one great success.

Marines raise the US flag outside the Hue Provincial Headquarters. (Wikimedia Commons)

An NVA Commander's Continued Success

Giap had previously proven his tactical abilities against the Marines before Khe Sanh. On July 2, 1967, he orchestrated a devastating ambush near Con Thien that became the single deadliest day for the Marines in the entire Vietnam War. Two companies from 1st Battalion, 9th Marines walked into a perfectly executed trap set by the 90th Regiment, 324B Division.

North Vietnamese forces used flamethrowers to set fire to vegetation along Highway 561 and forced the Marines into open killing zones. Artillery, mortars and small arms fire cut them down. Giap is the reason 1/9 retains the highest casualty rate of any battalion in Marine Corps history.

The ambush demonstrated Giap's mastery of terrain, timing and combined arms tactics he had refined since Dien Bien Phu. His forces studied Marine patrol patterns, prepared elaborate ambush positions, and coordinated multiple weapons systems to devastating effect.

This success likely gave him the confidence to assault Khe Sanh, though the Marines there held every strategic advantage over Giap.

Marines from A Company, 1st Battalion 9th Marines observe an airstrike during Operation Prairie II. (Wikimedia Commons)

Commander of American forces in Vietnam, Gen. William Westmoreland, later criticized Giaps willingness to sacrifice his men, stating such a disregard for human life may make a formidable adversary, but it does not make a military genius.

After Khe Sanh proved that his massed forces couldn't survive American bombing, Giap shifted back to guerrilla warfare and political strategy. He recognized that breaking American political will mattered more than winning set-piece battles.

When speaking to American journalist, Stanley Karnow in 1990, Giap explained himself, We were not strong enough to drive out a half-million American troops, that wasn't our aim. Our intention was to break the will of the American government to continue the war. Westmoreland was wrong to expect that his superior firepower would grind us down.

Giap at a meeting in 2008. He successfully led his forces against Japanese, French, American, Khmer Rouge, and even Chinese troops over the course of 40 years. (Wikimedia Commons)

Giap commanded North Vietnamese forces for nearly four decades. He defeated two major Western powers, first driving France from Indochina, then forcing the American withdrawal from Vietnam. Political infighting after Ho Chi Minhs death in 1969 removed Giap from command, so he missed out on the legacy of capturing Saigon.

However, he led Vietnamese forces against the Khmer Rouge and later ejected the Chinese out of the country, finally bringing peace to Vietnam after nearly four decades of war.

The general who once trained with American commandos and humbled France at Dien Bien Phu failed to crush the Marines at Khe Sanh. Nevertheless, Giap proved to be one of the most successful military commanders of the 20th century, only being left out of American and even Vietnamese history books because of political infighting and his role in facing U.S. forces.
First baseman Pete Alonso is now an Oriole, as his five-year deal with Baltimore was officially announced today. He drove from his Tampa home to the Winter Meetings in Orlando to meet with clubs before locking that deal down. According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, he also met with the Red Sox and Cubs. It was already known that he would be meeting with the Red Sox but the connection to the Cubs is new.

No details have emerged about the meeting but the Cubs presumably didnt sit down with Pete just to talk about the weather, so it can be deduced that they had at least some interest in signing the Polar Bear.

The Cubs already have a first baseman in Michael Busch, who is quite good. He hit 21 homers for the Cubs last year and added 34 more in 2025. His walk rate declined a bit but he also noticeably reduced his strikeouts, from a somewhat-concerning 28.6% in 2024 to an almost-average 23.5% this year. He finished the 2025 season with a .261/.343/.523 line and 140 wRC+, with solid defense to boot.

However, he hits from the left side and is essentially a strong-side platoon guy. The Cubs only let him face a lefty 95 times this year and he produced a tepid .207/.274/.368 line and 81 wRC+ in those appearances. The Cubs signed 40-year-old Justin Turner to a one-year, $6MM deal last offseason and he started at first base against most lefties. He didnt have a good season overall but did put up a .276/.330/.429 line against southpaws, good for a 112 wRC+.

Perhaps an Alonso signing would have been a blown-up version of the Turner deal. Alonso swings from the right side and could have played first base with a lefty on the mound. The Cubs also have a somewhat open designated hitter spot at the moment, at least on paper. Seiya Suzuki was the primary DH in 2025. With Kyle Tucker becoming a free agent, Suzuki projects as the right fielder, next to Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and Ian Happ in left. They have guys like Moises Ballesteros and Owen Caissie in the mix for DH time right now but both are still fairly unproven at the big league level.

Alonso is not a great defender at first and it was reported last month that hes more opening to serving as a DH going forward. The Cubs could have put him into the DH spot against righties with Busch at first. Against lefties, Alonso could have put on his glove, with the DH spot open for someone else. That could be someone like Ballesteros or Caissie but they are both lefty swingers and would have to show lesser platoon concerns than Busch. Kevin Alcantara is a righty and on the roster but he has concerning strikeout numbers in the minors. James Triantos is another righty on the roster but he hasnt made his major league debut yet.

The Cubs lost a big bat from the middle of their lineup when Tucker hit free agency. Turner is also gone, which means they are down a right-handed platoon partner for Busch. Perhaps Alonso could have replaced Tuckers lineup presence and also served as Buschs platoon partner. Someone else could have filled the Turner role or they could have again looked for an affordable righty bat in free agency. That could have blocked guys like Ballesteros and Caissie but they could then have been used on the trade market to go after the big rotation upgrade.

Its now a moot point as Alonso is off the board but it could be illustrative about the Cubs goals. Its well-known that they are looking for a big front-of-rotation addition but a lineup addition is also possible. They have been connected to third baseman Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez this offseason, both of whom are right-handed. Kazuma Okamoto would be a somewhat similar pursuit. Munetaka Murakami is another big corner infield bat who is available but hes a lefty. Old friend Cody Bellinger, another lefty, remains unsigned. He can play first, doesnt have big platoon splits and can also play the outfield.

For a signing closer in scale to the Turner deal, some righty-swinging first basemen in free agency include Turner again as well as Rhys Hoskins, Ty France, Wilmer Flores, Paul Goldschmidt, Connor Joe and Donovan Solano, as well as switch-hitters Josh Bell, Abraham Toro and Carlos Santana.

On the righty-swinging first base trade market, the Orioles getting Alonso should make Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo available. The Rays could be willing to listen on Yandy Diaz. The Rangers probably arent clinging to Jake Burger too tightly. The Mets could move Mark Vientos, depending on what the rest of their offseason moves are. The Astros would probably love to move Christian Walker but the Cubs surely dont want his contract. Old friend Willson Contreras may be available but he has a hefty contract and a no-trade clause.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
DEAR ABBY: My 13-year-old son was getting off the school bus. His friend was in front of him. My son thought it would be funny to take his friends water bottle out of his backpack and drop it on the pavement. A few days later, my son got sent to the principals office, not because he was in trouble but because the parents had called the school to complain about their sons scuffed water bottle and wanted it replaced. They asked for $23.

I wrote a check and was tempted to add a snarky comment, but I didnt. Yes, my son should keep his hands to himself, but the water bottle is still functional. My son apologized. Am I living my life wrong, or is it OK that they just invoiced me like that? -- UNSURE IN ILLINOIS

DEAR UNSURE: Your son may have been trying to be funny when he damaged another students property, but the boys parents didnt see the humor in it. The bottle wasnt the disposable kind, and the parents were not out of line to expect to be reimbursed for your son damaging it. Perhaps HE can reimburse YOU.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
LANSING, MI  Michigan Republicans renewed their push to legalize deer baiting in the Lower Peninsula this week, arguing the states long-standing ban is failing to control an expanding deer herd thats hammering crops and driving up car crashes.

On Dec. 10, the state House natural resources committee heard testimony on HB 4445, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Wortz, R-Hillsdale, which would overturn a baiting ban first established in 2008 and allow hunters to place deer and elk bait during hunting seasons.

The bill would bar the state Natural Resources Commission from issuing a blanket prohibition on baiting, though the commission could still regulate how baiting occurs.

Wortz said the Lower Peninsula is being overrun by deer and is losing ground because hunters are taking far fewer animals than needed to stabilize the herd. She said farmers in her district are facing severe crop losses and frequent crashes on rural roads.

Last Christmas, I looked out the window in our kitchen into the field just to the north of us and there was at least 20, if not 30 to 40 (deer), all in a herd, Wortz said. I opened the door to go take a picture and then they all proceeded to run across a road.

Wortz added that deer are the most expensive farm pest in the state, calling damage rampant on cropland and requiring farms to buy pricey chemical repellants.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources opposes the bill. It submitted written testimony but did not send anyone to testify in person. The agency said in its filing that baiting decisions belong to the NRC under Proposal G, the 1996 constitutional measure that grants the commission exclusive authority over hunting rules.

The DNR argued lawmakers should not override that structure. Our primary concern is that this legislation would supersede the authority of the NRC, legislative liaison Chris Semrinec wrote.

Michigan Farm Bureau offered written support, telling lawmakers the state has reached a perfect storm of mild winters, abundant food and declining hunter numbers. The group said nearly 800,000 deer would need to be removed annually to hold populations steady  far above current harvest levels  and baiting would improve hunter success.

According to Wortz, Michigans deer herd has swelled to roughly 2 million animals  a total exceeded only by Texas, a state nearly three times larger  with numbers in the southern Lower Peninsula rising fivefold over 40 years. At the same time, hunter harvest have fallen from 600,000 deer annually in the 1990s to just under 288,000 in 2024, and license sales have dropped 32 percent since 1995.

Dr. Jerrold Belant, a Michigan State University wildlife ecologist, said Michigan lacks recent scientifically credible estimates of statewide deer abundance, but agreed that evidence suggests populations in the southern Lower Peninsula have climbed sharply.

He said deer-vehicle collisions averaged about 62,000 annually between 2012 and 2023 and caused more than $3 billion in damages over that time, based on crash statistics and a $5,000-per-collision repair estimate from the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

But Belant pushed back gently when lawmakers implied baiting bans are scientifically meaningless. Asked to explain why NRC rules treat baiting differently from food plots, he said the distinction is contact based. At bait sites, deer repeatedly feed from the same concentrated pile that is often contaminated with saliva, while food plots distribute forage across a wider area and lower contact rates.

That distinction goes to the heart of the dispute. Baiting supporters consider the practice a simple and harmless way to boost hunter success, while wildlife officials say concentrated feed piles create unnaturally high contact rates  essentially turning saliva-coated kernels into Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) touchpoints that food plots dont replicate.

Theres been studies that have demonstrated that direct and indirect contact rates in bait locations is greater, Belant said.

He also reiterated that the most effective tool for reducing deer numbers is increased antlerless harvest, something the DNR has been attempting to encourage through outreach, regulatory tweaks, and permitting aimed at giving hunters more and easier opportunities for harvesting does.

The hearing grew more pointed when Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, pressed Belant to say whether the DNR is properly managing Michigans deer herd, citing steep declines in the Upper Peninsulas population despite baiting being legal there.

Belant refused to take the bait.

Thats something Im not actually prepared to answer, nor do I feel it appropriate in this context, he said, calling the question too value-based to address scientifically.

Prestin continued to press, but Belant offered data without political critique  contrasting lawmakers frustration with DNR leadership, which has been a frequent target of Republicans who have who have spent this year attempting to curb the authority of conservation officers, cut the agency budget, and fighting efforts to raise hunting and fishing license fees.

Earlier in the hearing, Prestin called the agencys absence inexcusable and accused it of ignoring the committee.

Michigans baiting debate has played out since CWD arrived in Michigan in 2008, with hunters, scientists and politicians repeatedly clashing over whether bait bans slow its spread.

The DNR and national wildlife groups maintain that baiting congregates deer unnaturally and increases pathogen risk. That position was widely cited during a 2019 legislative fight, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a Republican bill to lift the ban, saying it would have increased the chance of spreading disease and undermined the NRCs authority.

Hunters and conservative lawmakers have long countered that the ban hurts license sales, depresses hunting participation and does little to control disease  arguments echoed during Wednesdays hearing. Celebrity hunter and musician Ted Nugent blasted the DNR in front of lawmakers this summer, urging the state to get the hell out of our way and allow baiting as a tool to address overpopulation.

The NRC is facing pressure to revisit baiting as part of a broader review tied to potential license fee increases and some expect the commission to discuss changes in 2026.

The committee took no vote Wednesday. Chair Rep. Dave Martin noted the NRC will evaluate new hunting regulations this spring. The bill is on the Dec. 17 committee meeting agenda.

Wortz said she is open to amendments including potential limits on the amount or distribution of bait, but insists hunters need reasonable tools to help control Michigans growing herd.
The leaders of Bethany Christian Services thought they had reached a settlement in the federal lawsuit the organization filed last year against the state of Michigan, arguing that it had been unfairly denied state contracts because it requires employees to affirm its statement of faith.

An Oct. 30 exchange of emails could have given that impression.

An attorney for the Grand Rapids-based social services agency sent a settlement proposal. An attorney for the state responded with a very gently modified counterproposal.

Bethany Christians attorney accepted it. Both sides agreed to inform U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan that theyd reached an agreement and to call off a hearing scheduled for the following day.

Thank you for your collegiality and cooperation, Assistant Attorney General Erik Grill wrote to two attorneys from Warner Norcross + Judd who were representing Bethany Christian.

But less than two weeks later, Bethany Christian filed a motion asking a judge to compel the state to hold up its half of the bargain.

The state contends that there never was a bargain because the Department of Attorney General never signed off on the agreement.

In suits against the State of Michigan, the Attorney General holds final settlement authority, which was never exercised here, the state argued in a brief filed earlier this month. Neither Defendants nor the State of Michigan ultimately agreed to the proposed settlement terms. There simply is no settlement.

Federal Judge Jane Beckering agreed and has ordered both sides back to the negotiating table next week.

A spokesman for the Attorney Generals office said he was unable to facilitate an interview on the case.

In response to a request to discuss the case, Bethany Christian Services media relations director Holly Harvey said in an email that the organization has negotiated in good faith and agreed to a resolution, and we ask the Court to hold the State of Michigan to their word and enforce the settlement.

Our goal has always been to bring critical services to children and families across the state, and we remain committed to a productive working relationship with the State of Michigan, she said.

Bethany has run refugee service programs since the 1970s and has worked with state agencies to provide those programs since the early 2000s.

The organization sued the directors of the state Department of Labor and Economic Growth and the Office of Global Michigan in federal court in September of last year, after the state had added new language to refugee services contracts requiring organizations to create opportunities to employ staff that represent the . . . religions of the newcomer populations being served.

Because of that requirement, the lawsuit alleged, the state had rejected Bethany Christians bids for programs it had run for decades and severely curtailed the organizations ability to fulfill its religious mission.

It accused the state of violating its First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.

The state, for its part, denied discrimination, asserting that Bethany Christian was receiving at least 12 grants, with three others awarded to another agency.

To the extent that Bethanys hiring practices played any role in this decision, however, it was inconsequential, amounting to a maximum of three points out of a 100-point scale used by OGM for scoring proposals, Assistant Attorney General Gallant Fish wrote in court documents.

But a year later, attorneys for both sides were discussing a settlement that seemed to favor Bethany Christian.

The version that the attorneys agreed on in the emails, which were included in one of Bethany Christians court filings, would have required the state to formally acknowledge that the organization has the right to hire coreligionists, required management staff at the Office of Global Michigan to receive non-partisan training on religious liberty and federal and state laws and awarded Bethany Christian $300,000 for attorneys fees, among other stipulations.

Grill did note in that email exchange that I have my clients authorization, and Im just waiting on internal approvals within [Department of Attorney General] which I expect to be forthcoming.

The states attorneys argued that, because both sides understood the necessity of such approvals the alleged settlement term sheet could only have been a contingent and tentative proposal.
DETROIT, MI -- LaFontaine Management, Inc. Has agreed to pay $1,500,000 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by making false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program loan, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced.

LaFontaine Management, Inc. Is affiliated with the network of metro Detroit auto dealerships known as the LaFontaine Automotive Group.

The company obtained a first draw PPP loan for $1,000,000 in April 2020, but prosecutors alleged LaFontaine Management falsely certified it was eligible for the first draw loan and loan forgiveness due to having more than 500 employees, if you count its affiliates.

Businesses were not eligible for first draw PPP loans if they qualified as franchises, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Even though the PPP Program has ended, our mandate to investigate and redress the harm from fraudulent and improper PPP loans continues, said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan. We will continue to vigorously pursue allegations against companies and individuals who obtained COVID-19 relief funds that they didnt deserve.

Investigations like this one reflect collaboration of the Small Business Administration, including SBAs Office of General Counsel, and the U.S. Attorneys Office, as well as the work of private individuals who uncover fraudulent conduct to recover funds obtained through fraud, said SBA General Counsel Wendell Davis.

Since the lawsuit was settled, there has been no determination of liability.

LaFontaine Automotive Group issued a statement regarding the settlement, saying management began working with federal authorities immediately to rectify and resolve the situation.

The statement continued:

LaFontaine Automotive Group has promptly and swiftly agreed to pay back the money requested by the government related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). All PPP loan proceeds were used for proper purposes, and there has never been any allegation to the contrary.

The automotive group said federal guidance during the earliest stages of the PPP program were rapidly evolving and eligibility terms lacked clear definitions.

Specifically in this instance, guidelines on how to account for affiliated entities. LaFontaine retained professional accountants to interpret the regulations and advise it through the application process. Based on that guidance, LaFontaine submitted what it believed to be a fully compliant application, which was then approved, the company wrote.

LaFontaine Automotive Group denied liability, wrongdoing, fraud and misrepresentation.
The Michigan Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to a state policy that denies workers compensation to undocumented immigrants who get injured on the job.

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center had sued Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2021, challenging a two-decade old Michigan Court of Appeals ruling that found workers compensation benefits couldnt be paid to individuals whenever commission of a crime prevents the person from obtaining or performing work.

And using false documents to get a job, the court found, constituted a crime.

Michigan is one of few states that denies wage loss benefits solely because of immigration status, and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center argued that the policy was unconstitutional.

But the state Court of Appeals found that the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center hadnt filed suit quickly enough.

The organization launched its farmwork and immigrant rights program in 2017 and said it had hired additional attorneys in 2019 to deal with the high volume of calls attributable in part to the states denial of benefits to undocumented immigrants.

Michigan law requires anyone seeking to pursue a claim against the state in court to file within a year of that claim accruing.

Because the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center did not file notice of intent to file its claim or file its complaint within a year of the accrual of its claims, plaintiffs complaint must be dismissed, the Court of Appeals found.

The majority of the state Supreme Court said they were not persuaded that the questions presented by the case should be reviewed by the Court.

Three justices dissented: Elizabeth Welch, Kimberly Thomas and Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh.

Welch wrote that she would have agreed to hear the case because the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center was not seeking compensation for past harms but to prevent future one and the notice provision only applies to claims based on past harms.

Thomas wrote that she would have taken the opportunity to decide the preliminary question addressing whether and under what conditions state and federal constitutional claims for prospective relief can be brought against state officials.

The state Office of the Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment on the case.

The decision not to decide is functionally a green light to the government to go ahead and violate rights with the knowledge that they may be able to procedurally get out of any kind of accountability in court, said David Muraskin, an attorney with FarmSTAND who represented the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

He also noted that, while going against his clients on procedural issues, the courts never actually blessed the governors policy.

I do hope that at some point we can find a way to vindicate this right, he said. At the moment the best way to do that is pressure on the governor and legislator to do whats right.
By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at blocking states from crafting their own regulations for artificial intelligence, saying the burgeoning industry is at risk of being stifled by a patchwork of onerous rules while in a battle with Chinese competitors for supremacy.

Members of Congress from both parties, as well as civil liberties and consumer rights groups, have pushed for more regulations on AI, saying there is not enough oversight for the powerful technology.

But Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that theres only going to be one winner as nations race to dominate artificial intelligence, and Chinas central government gives its companies a single place to go for government approvals.

We have the big investment coming, but if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it because its impossible to do, Trump said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with 35 other attorneys general, have repeatedly opposed this effort. In a Nov. 25 letter to Congress, they wrote that while AI promises to be a transformative technology in numerous fields, it also poses significant risks, including to children.

The executive order directs the Attorney General to create a new task force to challenge state laws, and directs the Commerce Department to draw up a list of problematic regulations.

It also threatens to restrict funding from a broadband deployment program and other grant programs to states with AI laws.

David Sacks, a venture capitalist with extensive AI investments who is leading Trumps policies on cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, said the Trump administration would only push back on the most onerous examples of state regulation but would not oppose kid safety measures.

What states have proposed

Four states  Colorado, California, Utah and Texas  have passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Those laws include limiting the collection of certain personal information and requiring more transparency from companies.

The laws are in response to AI that already pervades everyday life. The technology helps make consequential decisions for Americans, including who gets a job interview, an apartment lease, a home loan and even certain medical care. But research has shown that it can make mistakes in those decisions, including by prioritizing a particular gender or race.

States more ambitious AI regulation proposals require private companies to provide transparency and assess the possible risks of discrimination from their AI programs.

Beyond those more sweeping rules, many states have regulated parts of AI: barring the use of deepfakes in elections and to create nonconsensual porn, for example, or putting rules in place around the governments own use of AI.

Michigan has regulated some parts of AI. The state passed legislation in August 2025 to make illegal the creation or sharing of AI-generated pornography depicting real people without their consent. Michigan also restricts the use of AI in political campaigns without a disclaimer.

MLive Media Groups Danielle James contributed to this report.
VAN BUREN TWP., MI  Another potential proposal for a hyperscale data center to power artificial intelligence and other computing technologies has popped up in southeast Michigan.

Panattoni Data Center Group is looking to develop a data center on about 280 acres in Van Buren Township, near Belleville in Wayne County. If the project moves forward and secures approval, the center would be constructed north of an I-94 service drive, south of I-275, east of Haggerty Road and west of Hannan Road, according to a flier for an informational open house Thursday, Dec. 11.

While it is unknown what company would use the data center, other data center projects in Michigan are backed by major tech giants, the likes of OpenAI, Oracle and Meta, which owns Facebook.

A large crowd of area residents gathered at the open house to hear from data center project developers and DTE Energy, WEMU reported.

The land is zoned to allow a data center by right, Adam Kramer, who leads data center development for Panattoni, told news outlets at the open house.

Kramer commented on how they have considered either industrial uses or a data center for the land, WEMU reported. People in the community were against increased truck traffic, he said.

A data center would not be expected to create as much traffic as an industrial development might.

But some in attendance were not happy about the plan for a data center, WEMU and Fox 2 News reported.

Large hyperscale data center projects across Michigan have faced pushback from many residents, environmental advocates and some elected leaders. Concerns often revolve around how much electricity is needed to power the massive facilities, typically measured in gigawatts, and potential impacts on water resources, the environment and neighbors.

Proponents of data centers have argued data centers will be an economic boon that will create thousands of construction and high-tech jobs. Big Tech companies are racing at breakneck speed to compete and expand computing infrastructure, drawn to Michigan by tax breaks.

Several hyperscale data centers have been proposed in The Ann Arbor News coverage area, including the OpenAI- and Oracle-backed Stargate data center in Saline Township, which would be Michigans first hyperscale project. Other projects have popped up in Ypsilanti, Augusta, York and Howell townships, and more are proposed across the state.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.
YPSILANTI, MI  Ypsilanti will have a new social district, where people will be allowed to consume alcoholic drinks in designated common areas outdoors, with rules.

The social district will be in Depot Town, where eight establishments with liquor licenses qualify to participate.

Ypsilanti is the last city in Washtenaw County to create a social district.

While the social district went into effect immediately after city council approved it Tuesday, Dec. 9, business owners will still need additional approvals. They must obtain approval from the city and a social district permit from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission in order to participate. That process typically takes a month or two, meaning the social district could begin in February or March at the earliest.

Qualified licensees include:

734 Brewing Co. at 15 E. Cross St.

Aubrees Pizzeria and Grill at 39 E. Cross St.

Sticks at 39 E. Cross St.

Maiz Mexican Cantina at 36 E. Cross St.

Mash Bar at 400 N. River St.

Thompson and Co. at 400 N. River St.

Sidetrack Bar and Grill at 56 E. Cross St.

WaxBar at 44 E. Cross St.

Ypsilanti City Council voted Tuesday to approve a request from the citys downtown development authority to draw boundaries of social district common areas and establish rules.

Social districts, they boost the local economy, DDA Director Elise Jekabson told city council. They create sales opportunities for bars and restaurants. They create sense of community, create third places, make downtowns more vibrant, encourage longer visits to the DDA district.

Participating businesses that qualify within the district will be allowed to sell alcoholic drinks in specially marked containers, which patrons could take with them as they sip and stroll around Depot Town.

The boundaries of the district start at the east side entrance of Riverside Park and extend down both sides of Cross Street to River Street, including the area between Rice Street and Market Place Drive. It would continue north to River Street, ending at 400 N. River St.

Common areas include sidewalks, cross walks, the Depot Town Pedestrian Alleyway, and the Freighthouse Plaza. No roads will be closed for the social district.

Special events organizers would also be able to request extended social district common areas on Market Place Drive and the Ypsilanti Freighthouse area, for public events.

Social district hours will be limited to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Jekabson said the social district hours could be extended to 1 a.m. on New Years Eve for an event, like a ball drop, if an event organizer requests it.

Big thing about social districts, we want to bring in events and folks that want to help revitalize the area, and so this is sort of like a draw, she said.

Among other rules, participating establishments would sell social district drinks in non-glass containers no larger than 16 ounces with logos of the social district and the business that sold it.

Taking drinks into other businesses, and consuming drinks from businesses not included in the social district is prohibited. Reusing cups is also prohibited.

The social district is not an invitation to be drunk in public, and local establishments cannot overserve customers. All local and state laws would still apply.

While the social district is limited to Depot Town, there was some discussion at the city council meeting about the possibility of establishing one in Ypsilantis downtown area in the future.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.
ANN ARBOR, MI  Kennedy Dawson and Gabrielle Cobb woke up at 5:30 a.m. to grab a power up from the first Chick-fil-A in Ann Arbor before their last class finals.

Dawson and Cobb, sophomores at the University of Michigan, had been waiting for the restaurants opening for over a year and knew they wanted to beat the crowd.

When we see an Instagram post about it, the grand opening being Friday at 6:30, we was like, oh, were there, Dawson, 19, of Detroit said.

They were pleased when they received their orders. Food from Chick-fil-A makes you a little happier, Cobb, 19, of Southfield said.

I feel like this day is going to go great, this is all I needed to start my day, Dawson said.

Over 20 people lined up ahead of the 6:30 a.m. opening Friday, Dec. 12, of the first Chick-fil-A in Ann Arbor, at 3310 Washtenaw Ave.

The national chain first announced the Ann Arbor opening in May 2024. The site replaces an old Dennys that closed in March 2022.

Customers in line were excited for the new spot. Hannah Janssen, 14, of Ann Arbor and her father, Emmanuel, 48, came to Chick-fil-A before her classes at Ann Arbor Christian School began.

Hannah  who wore a shirt with cow print as a nod to the chains mischievous chicken-promoting mascots thought it would be cool to be the first in line and the first to walk into the new Chick-fil-A. She also enjoyed the prospect of free food.

Weve been anticipating this day for a long time, Emmanuel Janssen said. As soon as we heard about it, that it was coming to Ann Arbor, I think we screamed. Its one of our favorite places to go.

Patrons dressed in cow print received one free entree to celebrate the restaurants opening on Friday.

Hannah said she appreciates the proximity of the new location to her home.

The father-daughter duo came to the opening about 6:08 a.m. and were the second and third people in line.

Mitch Sneed, 82, of Ypsilanti arrived at Chick-fil-A at around 5:45 a.m. and was the first customer in line. He said the crew was still organizing the space when he arrived.

I just wanted to be the first one here and meet all the people, Sneed said.

Sneed, who would go to the fast food chain often with his daughter, likes the food because its always top shelf, piping hot and its quick. He ordered a chicken biscuit and an iced coffee.

Wesley and Kate Adkins, both Ypsilanti residents, wore cow socks to celebrate Fridays opening. The married couple said they like Chick-fil-A, especially for its food and prices, and were the fourth and fifth people in line.

Like Sneed, Wesley, 27, said attending the opening seemed like something fun to do and it doesnt happen every day.

Kate, 25, said she would probably not wake up early for any other restaurants, and Wesley agrees.

There are very few places that I actually like that much, probably just here, Wesley said. Im really happy they did something with the Dennys that used to be here. It held a special place in my heart but Im going to come here way more, and its going to be a lot better.

Kate said some people view the fast food chain as problematic but she hopes the Ann Arbor Chick-fil-A betters the community and helps in ways she has seen other locations help.

The chain has faced some national backlash over former chief executive officer Dan Cathys anti-LGBTQ+ remarks and donations from its philanthropic arm to anti-LGBTQ organizations, Business Insider reports.

Joyce Mueller, local owner-operator of Chick-fil-A Ann Arbor-Washtenaw, said Chick-fil-A is a learning organization. It heard those criticisms and changed, she said.

They said, You know what? Were a restaurant. So, were going to focus on hunger, homelessness, and economic mobility with education being a key part of economic mobility, Mueller, 54, said. That is what corporate focuses on with all of their charitable giving, and thats what were encouraged to do.

Prior to opening Chick-fil-A in Ann Arbor, she worked in various marketing roles but bringing the chain to the city was always in the back of my mind.

I love the vibrancy. I love the diversity here. The energy, the creativity, everything about Ann Arbor is so cool, Mueller said.

Her first alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. to prepare for Fridays opening.

We have an amazing group of 110 people that weve brought on board, Mueller said. My role is just to welcome them, make them feel excited, welcome our guests, welcome our customers, and talk to people.

To celebrate the Ann Arbor opening, Mueller said the team donated $25,000 from Chick-fil-A Inc. to Feeding America to support Food Gatherers, a Washtenaw County-based food rescue and bank.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.
ANN ARBOR, MI - A man has pleaded no contest to raping and torturing a woman, stopping his jury trial.

Thomas Daniel Tieking, 46, took a last-minute plea deal on Dec. 8, the day his jury trial before Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Carol Kuhnke was supposed to begin, according to court records.

Tieking was set to stand trial for reportedly binding his then-girlfriend with cable ties and assaulting her using a beer bottle, a pistol, his fingers and multiple condiment bottles, according to previous testimony from Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Kailee Schuett.

He pleaded no contest to first-degree criminal sexual conduct, unlawful imprisonment, torture, assault with intent to murder and using a firearm during a felony. He faces up to life in prison.

Tieking arrived at his and his then-girlfriends Augusta Township home around 7 p.m. Feb. 15, 2021, and accused his girlfriend of cheating on him before punching her in the face, Schuett said. He then beat her over the course of several hours, including at times in front of children in the home, according to testimony.

The woman had lacerations on her forehead, bruising on her head and arms, and blood in her ears, Schuett said. The womans name is being withheld because MLive does not typically name victims of sexual assault.

This is the second time Tieking has been charged in connection with the incident. He had been originally charged in 2021, but the case was dropped after 10 weeks because the victim did not appear for court, Rene Gonzalez, Michigan State Police spokesperson, previously said.

He was arraigned on the case for a second time in November 2023 and was sent to trial in February 2024. The case had been delayed for several months while Tieking fought a decision to allow testimony from a sexual assault nurse examiner. Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals Judge Randy Wallace denied Tiekings application to appeal the lower court decision in an order signed April 4.

Tieking will be sentenced Jan. 16, court records show.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.
LAPEER COUNTY, MI  A 33-year-old Imlay City man is in critical condition after his SUV struck another vehicle from behind and wound up hitting a tree, police said.

Deputies with the Lapeer County Sheriffs Office were dispatched shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, following an injury traffic crash on Brown City Road, north of Kohler Road, in Goodland Township.

It was determined by police that the Imlay City man was headed south on Brown City Road in a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox when he approached a 1997 Stewart Seven military-style vehicle hauling agricultural crops driven by a 31-year-old man, according to a sheriffs office news release.

The Stewart Seven vehicle which had operational rear taillights and a reflect slow-moving vehicle sign, police said, was struck from behind by the Equinox.

The Equinox traveled beneath the cargo bed of the Stewart Steven and eventually separated. The Equinox then departed on the right side of the roadway and hit a tree.

The Stewart Steven came to rest in the southbound lane, police said. The driver was not injured.

The driver of the Equinox was extricated by Goodland Township firefighters, transported by Lapeer County EMS to McLaren Lapeer.

He was later transferred to Corewell Health William Beaumont University in Royal Oak where he remains hospitalized in critical condition.

The roadway was closed for an investigation and cleanup until approximately 10 p.m.

A preliminary investigation hasnt determined if either intoxication, excessive speeds, or environmental conditions are contributing factors in the crash, police said.

The crash remains under investigation by Lapeer County Sheriffs Deputies and the Lapeer County Reconstruction Team.

Deputies were assisted at the scene by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Goodland Township Fire Department, Lapeer County EMS Ambulance Service, and Lapeer County Reconstruction Team.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The Michigan Court of Appeals has sided with Grand Rapids in a lawsuit over the citys response times to a public records request.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Grand Rapids over a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that the city took over a year to fulfill. The ACLU argued that by taking so long to provide the public records, the city was essentially denying the FOIA request.

However, the state appeals court ruled the city did not violate FOIA law because it did ultimately provide the documents. State law does not mandate a timeframe in which a public body must disclose the records, according to the order handed down Thursday, Dec. 11 by a three-judge panel that included Michael Kelly, James Robert Redford and Kathleen Feeney.

... given that Michigans FOIA does not now contain a deadline within which public bodies must fulfill FOIA requests... Plaintiffs are essentially asking this Court to disregard (state law) and to impose deadlines that the Legislature has not seen fit to impose, the judges wrote in the appeals court decision.

The issue stemmed from a FOIA request that the ACLU submitted to the Grand Rapids Police Department in December 2021 over its use of drones. The city took over a year to fulfill the request, so the ACLU submitted a second FOIA request in March 2023 seeking information about why the city took so long to fulfill the first request.

The city responded a month later, saying that the second FOIA request would take 2 hours and 15 minutes to process, but that it could take the city 8 to 10 months to provide the records due to a backlog of FOIA requests at the time, according to the lawsuit.

The ACLU filed a FOIA complaint over the delay in the records request. While the ACLU acknowledged that Michigan law does not give public bodies a specific time limit within which they must fulfill a FOIA request, the plaintiffs argued FOIA law requires public bodies to grant people a reasonable opportunity to receive public records.

The city ended up fulfilling the ACLUs request 13 months later, in June 2024. Both parties filed cross-motions for summary disposition, and a circuit court sided with the city, ruling in November that Michigan law does not specify a timeframe in which a public body must disclose public records.

Michigan law states, A public body shall furnish a requesting person a reasonable opportunity for inspection and examination of its public records, and shall furnish reasonable facilities for making memoranda or abstracts from its public records during the usual business hours.

The ACLU filed an appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals, arguing again that Michigans FOIA, when read as a whole, requires public bodies to fulfill requests within a reasonable amount of time, according to the lawsuit.

In its Dec. 11 decision, the appeals court upheld the circuit courts decision that the city did not violate Michigan law in its year-long fulfillment of the FOIA request. The judges said again that state law does not address the time within which a public body must fulfill a FOIA request.

Plaintiffs have not shown that the circuit court erred by granting summary disposition in favor of defendant, the judges wrote.

A city spokesperson applauded the appeals courts decision in an emailed statement to MLive Friday.

Yesterdays decision by the Court of Appeals affirms that the City is making a genuine effort to respond to the growing number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests within the bounds of the law, the city said. FOIA fulfillment continues to be a City priority, and the City stives to fulfill those requests in manner that is equitable to all those who make them. It remains committed to finding opportunities that would allow fulfillment of FOIA requests as quickly and as consistently as possible.
KENT COUNTY, MI  The first public hearing on a controversial data center project in Lowell Township will be held after the holidays.

The Lowell Charter Township Planning Commission announced it will host a public hearing at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, for the rezoning that will allow a data center to be built at Covenant Park at 4687 Alden Nash Ave. SE.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at Lowell High School Performing Arts Center at 11700 Vergennes St. SE.

The planning commission initially planned to have the hearing on Dec. 8 at the township hall, but the meeting was canceled due to overcapacity.

More than 100 people from Lowell and the surrounding area packed the hall intending to voice their disapproval of the project. Many residents believe township officials are rushing the project without giving them fair say.

Lowell city and township officials are working with The Right Place, the economic development organization for Kent County, and Franklin Partners, an Illinois-based real estate broker to potentially bring a data center to Covenant Park.

The currently vacant 235.35-acre parcel has been slated for development into a business park for manufacturing tenants for years, but discussions in recent months have pivoted to data centers.

Local officials have said the project could bring up to $1 billion in investment as it is built over three to five years, but the project itself is shrouded in mystery.

Franklin Partners has said it signed a confidentiality agreement with the company eyeing the property, and no purchase agreement has yet been signed.

That hasnt stopped residents from rallying against the project. Many people are concerned about the massive amounts of water and electricity these data centers can consume.

In Lowell Township, residents have been under water restrictions in the summer due to irrigation demands for at least two years. Resident Jamie Thompson at a recent meeting said she is concerned about how the township will manage a data center in a community with an already limited water supply.

I just dont know how theyre going to find a solution for that, and it feels like theyre just trying to make a decision without hearing from us, she said.

The city and township of Lowell are eyeing an approximately $17 million expansion and upgrade to its water and sewer treatment plants, and the tax dollars generated by the data center could help pay for the improvements.

City officials have said that the expansion is needed regardless of whether the business park plan goes forward.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Martin Martinez, 51, was tormented by the death of his son.

Nearly two years ago, Martin Martinez-Ramirez, 20, was found fatally shot in a Kentwood parking lot.

The two were best friends and did everything together.

The rest of the family  the slain mans mom and three sisters  had just begun to be OK with being happy again, his oldest sister told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.

But the 51-year-old father, killed in a weekend shootout with Grand Rapids police, never recovered, his daughter said.

He was never the same. He was there physically, but he wasnt there anymore, she said.

The light in his eyes was gone.

Martin Eduardo Martinez-Ramirez (Photo provided by Adriana Rios) Adriana Rios

The daughter asked that her name be withheld, in part, because her brothers killing remains unsolved. She knows that her fathers death has gotten significant publicity and she suspects that social media has weighed in so she has avoided the internet.

Related: We are all heartbroken: Family devastated after young man found slain in vehicle

She thinks her dad died by suicide by cop.

He texted me he didnt want to live anymore. He just wanted to end it.

Grand Rapids police Chief Eric Winstrom said it was too soon to know. He noted the Nov. 8 death of Henry Hank Wymer, who was waving a lighter that looked like a pistol when he was shot by Grand Rapids police.

Related: Hes pointing a gun at me: Grand Rapids police cleared in fatal shooting

But this is a little bit different than say Hank Wymers situation where he had a harmless lighter and put himself in a situation where he was looking like he was a threat to the police when he wasnt, Winstrom said.

In this case, obviously this individual is firing numerous rounds downrange, almost murdering police officers. So its a little bit different from a suicide when youre setting up to murder someone.

9 1 / 9 Grand Rapids Police release body camera footage from Dec. 6 officer involved shooting

State police are investigating the the incident as an outside agency and could determine what led the father to engage in the shootout.

State police would not confirm the mans identity.

Related: Video shows gunman open fire on Grand Rapids police before hes killed

Police had responded around 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, to a house on Strobel Avenue NW near Fourth Street. A woman left the house and told police that Martinez, intoxicated and armed with a gun, had threatened to kill her, police said.

He did not answer when police showed up at the door. Just before 4 p.m., the woman called 911 and said that Martinez was at the house, had a gun and had threatened to kill himself, police said.

Police responded and parked a short distance away to plan a safe approach. Then, they saw Martinez drive away.

Police pulled the vehicle over in the 1600 block of Tremont Boulevard NW, a short distance away.

Police shouted instructions before Martinez opened fire from inside his vehicle. Three police officers returned fire as Martinez left the vehicle and went to the ground, police video showed. Bullets struck the two patrol cars and nearly struck the officers, the chief said.

The three officers, two with handguns and one with a rifle, fired an estimated 40 shots. Martinez fired up to a dozen from a semi-automatic pistol.

His daughter was aware that he was struggling Saturday. She was told that he had been drinking tequila and wine. He usually only drank beer. He would not have shot at police if he was sober, she said.

Police officers later showed up at their home  just as they had on Jan. 27, 2024, when they informed the family that her brother was dead. One of them held a clipboard.

Police didnt have to say anything. She knew her dad was gone, too.

I think my family was just in shock. It feels like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Just reliving a lot of dark times.

Her brother, a 2022 Union High School graduate, was found dead of a gunshot wound in his car in a lot on Wing Avenue SE north of 60th Street. He never made it to work that night at the Amazon warehouse in Caledonia Township.

His killing has gone unsolved.

Related: $10K offered for tips leading to arrest of young mans killer in Grand Rapids

His family, devastated, could not imagine anyone wanting to kill him. He got along with everyone.

So kind, so sweet, innocent, so full of love, his sister said.

He was two months from an associate degree in automotive technology. He had a girlfriend, he wanted a large family and should have had a bright future, his sister said.

Everyone was crushed. Everyone struggled. But the father just could not go on. He aged so much after his son died, his daughter said.

Talking about, just the pain, its physically painful without my brother, she said.

Now, while mourning the father, they are reliving his sons loss, too. She wished her dad had gotten help. But he thought he would have to relive his sons killing if he got into therapy.

My dad believed in getting help. Its important for your mental health. But when it came to him, he didnt.

He bought a handgun after his sons death. He said it was for protection. At other times, he talked about avenging his sons death. He wanted the killer to be found and then, Ill get revenge myself and Ill get myself killed by police, his daughter said.

He was just very tormented. I think he had just reached his limit. He was changing from talking about how he just wanted justice, to revenge, then back to justice.

Before her brother was killed, the father was calm, gentle and made you feel important.

After his sons death, he distanced himself.

The daughter doesnt know why he would have shot at police and said it was fortunate none of the officers were hurt. She doesnt want to be mad at him.

I feel sad. My dad wasnt a bad person. I dont agree with what he did. That made it worse. I think it amplifies the pain.

I will say I lost my dad because of my brothers murder.

She hasnt really slept since her father died. She has tried to be strong for her mother and sisters. Her sisters cant understand one loss after another. She has her moments, too, she said.

Martin Eduardo Martinez-Ramirez (Provided by Adriana Rios) Adriana Rios

The family just celebrated her brothers birthday on Nov. 23. They had a cake and sang Happy Birthday.

They also watched videos of past Christmases with her brother. He loved Christmas and birthdays and family parties. The younger sisters cried for the first time in a long time when they saw the videos.

The oldest sister likes to think that her brother and father are together in heaven.

She has no interest in viewing police video of the confrontation between her father and police. Its traumatic enough now. She doesnt need to see his final moments.

She thinks back to her brothers death and how everything has changed.

Whoever killed my brother  also killed my dad.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Years after a man was sentenced to prison, he wanted to kill the rat who helped put him behind bars, prosecutors argued.

Dominike Sterling allegedly carried out his plan two years ago in Grand Rapids when he fatally shot 32-year-old Daryl Yarber.

Sterling, 33, is representing himself at trial this week at the Kent County Courthouse.

Hes charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of felony firearm.

Jurors began deliberations on Thursday, Dec. 11, after the prosecution and Sterling delivered closing arguments. The trial featured two days of testimony that included reluctant witnesses on the stand.

This was an execution, Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Blair Lachman told the jury. Theres no question about it.

Yarber was gunned down Nov. 6, 2023, in the Burton Heights neighborhood. Sterling fired 12 rounds at Yarber, striking him eight times, testimony revealed.

The killing went unsolved for more than a year before Sterling and co-defendant Tyriq Bettison were arrested. Through interviews and surveillance footage, police allege that at least five people conspired to kill Yarber.

Dominike Sterling (sitting) and Tyriq Bettison (standing in green) appeared Monday, March 17 in Grand Rapids District Court. They are accused of murder in a November 2023 fatal shooting. (John Tunison | MLive) John Tunison

Sterling was questioned a year after the killing and allegedly told detectives his brother  Samuel Sterling  was responsible for the shooting. Samuel Sterling died in April 2024 after he was fatally struck by a former Michigan State Police lieutenant.

The motive behind the shooting, Lachman said, was because Yarber testified against Sterling in 2017 in a bank robbery case that ultimately sent Sterling to prison.

(Yarber) was a rat and (Sterling) wanted to kill the rat, Lachman said.

The prosecutor reminded jurors about Sterlings family and friends who testified against him at trial.

Lachman showed the jury a photo  allegedly taken by Bettison  of Yarber posing as an armed Sterling prepared to blindside him.

He bragged to these people about killing Mr. Yarber, Lachman said.

Sterling disagreed. He said his case was about credibility and speculation.

Im not here to speculate, Sterling said in his closing arguments. Im here to figure it out.

Sterling claimed if the witnesses didnt testify to what they wanted to hear, that prosecutors would pursue charges against each of them. He said witness statements were inconsistent and urged the jury to find him not guilty.

Bettison is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and being a fourth-time habitual offender. His trial is set to begin in January.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - I have thought a lot about holiday traditions this season and how we can lose what makes them meaningful and special.

This is a joyful time of year when family and close friends have more opportunities to engage. But too often people feel pressure and stress to finish tasks this season at home and work. For example, preparing the house for guests and lining up activities or rushing to complete end of the year company projects.

We should be intentional about not letting too much other stuff take priority over the relationships we treasure. Instead of trying to do too much, there are a few special family holiday traditions that bring a smile we might want to concentrate on enjoying as well as creating new ones.

In addition to performances of Handels Messiah and The Nutcracker, reporter Lindsay Moore has suggested something we might want to add to our list at Van Raalte Farm. She told readers all about an illuminated trail that weaves you through a historic Holland farm, leading you into a decorated farmhouse.

Van Raaltes Holidays on the Farm, will be open Friday, Dec. 12. Tickets are $10 a person for the event that was introduced last winter The 160-acre historic property is located at 76 E. 16th St.

As we reflect on families gathering, Ionia Public Schools Superintendent Ben Gurk recently announced their district family was mourning the death of a beloved educator found dead at a school building. On Monday, John Tunison told readers the deceased was identified as Welch High School Principal Jason Little, who was found Wednesday night, Dec. 3. No details were provided about the circumstances but police have said there was no threat to the community.

John also told us about the capacity crowd that turned out for a Zeeland Township meeting on Tuesday about a proposed large-scale solar farm. Residents told township planners why they believe a $300 million solar farm would ruin the townships agricultural character.

They are concerned about the loss of prime farmland, potential environmental impacts on groundwater and wildlife and the unappealing look of solar panels. The Germany-based RWE wants to build the solar project on up to 1,100 acres spanning properties in Zeeland and Jamestown townships, south of I-196.

In Kent County, Ehren Wynder told readers about the huge crowd that forced Lowell Township officials to reschedule data center meeting Monday night.

There are still not a lot of details about the project. The Lowell Township Planning Commission intended to host a public hearing Monday for a rezoning that would allow a data center to be built at Covenant Park at 4687 Alden Nash Ave. SE. But when dozens of residents filled the township hall to voice their disapproval of the project, the meeting was canceled due to overcapacity.

Officials have said the potential data center could bring up to $1 billion in investment as the project is built over the course of three to five years. Data centers use significant electricity and water to power and cool their servers and equipment. Across the state, residents in various communities have been pushing back on projects pitched by developers.

In other business news, Brian McVicar told the community about a Kentwood-based company that operates a healthcare payment plan that expects to hire 200 people and add 55,000 square feet new office space at 5253 36th St. SE in Cascade Township, after securing a contract with a national healthcare system.

HealthBridge Financials expansion was announced during the Michigan Strategic Fund meeting this week. The project is estimated at $17.3 million over five years.

Those are just some of the stories in the Grand Rapids area this week that interested our readers.

Monica Scott is the editor for MLive Media Groups The Grand Rapids Press and Muskegon Chronicle. She was previously a reporter who covered the city, county and schools in Grand Rapids.
KENT COUNTY, MI  A man was killed in a crash on Thursday, Dec. 11, at the U.S. 131 exit ramp to 28th Street SW in Wyoming, state police said.

The victim is a 30-year-old Wyoming man. His name was not released.

The single-vehicle crash happened around 8:45 p.m. as the driver took the exit to 28th Street from southbound U.S. 131.

Preliminary investigation showed that the driver lost control of a Chevrolet Equinox that left the road, entered a snow-covered grassy area between U.S. 131 and the exit, and crashed into a utility pole, state police said.

A witness told investigators that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said that speed and alcohol use may have been contributing factors in the crash.

As the holiday season approaches, state police urged motorists to drive safely.

In this single crash we saw speed, failure to wear a seatbelt and impaired driving lead to a driver losing their life, Lt. Mike Shaw said in a statement.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - West Michigan-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services will once again host Signing Santa, a fun holiday tradition for deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing children.

For over a decade, the nonprofit has made their dreams come true.

Each year, a deaf Santa Claus, fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), speaks with deaf or hard of hearing children to learn their Christmas wish lists.

The 16th annual free event takes place on Dec. 13 at Northview High Schools cafeteria, 1151 Hunsberger Ave. NE, in Grand Rapids.

Northview holds the Kent ISD Deaf Education Program, so thats why we work closely with them on any of our youth events, said Erica Chapin, community partnerships manager for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services. A lot of these children dont get to have the same access to things in the community, like going to see Santa at the mall because a lot of them are not accessible.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., attendees can expect crafts, games, giveaways, cookies, light refreshments, a chance to sign with Santa and a gift to take home.

The event launched because the nonprofits board and staff initially came together and decided there should be an opportunity around the holidays for deaf-blind and hard-of hearing kids.

New this year is that the Grand Rapids Childrens Museum will be bringing activities for the children to participate in as well.

We typically have about 90 kids who attend, Chapin said.  I would say thats its probably most peoples favorite event that we do.

She told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press people from across the state and even out of the state travel for this opportunity just because events like these arent readily accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

The event also includes a holiday tradition of a sign language reading of the classic book, The Night Before Christmas.

Its a huge impact in making holiday memories that families can share together and with their community, she said. Every child who visits Santa walks away with a gift donated from the community, and I think thats so special, especially for some of the kids who may not have as large of a Christmas as others.

Chapin said she and the nonprofit staff recall a beloved memory of a child experiencing the event for the first time.

The young girl came into Northviews cafeteria with apprehension, unsure if Santa could even communicate with her.

Then she saw that Santa was signing with the other kids, and she was so excited, Chapin said. She ran up in front of the whole line and tried to cut in front because she was just ready to have that experience with Santa that she never had before.

She hopes the event brings people together, just like it did for the young girloverjoyed to see Santa interact with her.

To learn more about the event, visit deafhhs.org/event/signing-santa-2025.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Family Health Center is encouraging some patients to get tested for hepatitis and HIV after learning dental equipment wasnt sterilized properly.

Patients who may have been treated with the improperly sterilized items were notified and offered free lab testing, according to a statement from Family Health Center.

According to the statement, a procedural step was missed in sterilizing a small number of dental instruments.

Among the steps is sterilization in an autoclave, an extremely hot medical device designed to eliminate any microorganisms not removed earlier in the process, said FHC President Denise Crawford in a community update on the health centers website.

The autoclave may have malfunctioned on Nov. 5, Crawford said. A broad group of patients treated in a time period recommended by the CDC were notified. Affected patients would have been treated at the Family Health Center location at 505 East Alcott St.

At present, there is no indication of any health impacts to patients, Crawford said. There is no evidence that equipment was used inappropriately.

The health centers sterilization protocols have been updated, the statement said.

The Kalamazoo County Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services were both notified, according to the statement.
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI  Ben Martin invited Comstock voters to sign recall petitions against his fellow board members at his business, Soil Friends.

Now, he too could be recalled.

If enough signatures are gathered, Im at peace with that, Martin said previously. Ill step forward with the same determination, honesty and hope I had the first time.

The Kalamazoo County Election Committee met Thursday, Dec. 11, at 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave. to review 11 recall petitions for Supervisor Martin, Treasurer Sandy Bloomfield and Trustee Terry Amos.

The commissions responsibility is to determine if the wording is clear and factually true, not its validity, County Probate Judge Curtis Bell said.

It approved 10 of the 11 petitions filed.

Approved petition language is valid for 180 days, Kalamazoo County Clerk Meredith Place said. Once petitioners begin gathering signatures, they have 60 days to do so.

In Comstock, 1,817 resident signatures are needed to put the issue on a ballot, Place said.

A recall election must occur during a regular May or November election date, Place said, whichever falls at least 95 days after the recall petition is filed.

Recalled officeholders will appear alongside challengers on the ballot, per the Michigan Election Officials manual.

Comstock resident Joshua Engberts filed the petitions on Dec. 1. He did not attend the hearing.

The crux of the recall is that we have a division within our Comstock board, said resident David Camburn.

Martin, Bloomfield and Amos went into the election with an agenda, he said, to get rid of those who served on the board before them.

The commission approved three separate petitions to recall Martin in a 2-1 vote.

Place voted no, as the language did not provide the date or location of the conduct in question, she said.

Approved language is included below as written:

voted No on the motion by Trustee Pratt that we as a Board accept the Attorney Use Policy that was created by Attorney Thall and Superintendent Hess.

On November 17, 2025, Supervisor Ben Martin made a motion for the draft Budget for 2026 to implement the purchase of five weather service sirens from the company that we chose during the vote for the CIP Funds.

On April 21, 2025, Supervisor Ben Martin voted No to adopt Censure Resolution 2025-9 in which the Charter Township of Comstock Board of Trustee formally censured Treasurer Sandy Bloomfield

A fourth petition to recall Martin failed in a unanimous vote:

Supervisor Martins ongoing litigation of Soil Friends LLC v. Charter Township of Comstock, MI

Martin is taking legal action against the township as a resident and business owner, he said, not as the township supervisor.

Commissioner Thomas Whitener said the language was intentionally misleading for that reason.

The commission voted 2-1 to approve three similar petitions against Amos: for voting no on the attorney policy, voting yes to purchase sirens and voting no on the Bloomfield censure.

Four petitions to recall Bloomfield passed in a 2-1 vote. Approved language is included below as written:

Treasurer Bloomfield was formally censured by the Charter Township of Comstock Board of Trustees on April 21, 2025, Censure Resolution 2025-9.

Treasurer Sandy Bloomfield voted No on the motion by Trustee Pratt that we as a Board accept the Attorney Use Policy that was created by Attorney Thall and Superintendent Hess.

On November 17, 2025, Treasurer Bloomfield voted yes on a motion made by Supervisor Martin for the draft Budget for 2026 to implement the purchase of five weather service sirens from the company that we chose during the vote for the CIP Funds.

As summarized in the April 21, 2025 Township Board meeting Limited Summary by Clark Hill law firm, on February 2, 2025 Treasurer Bloomfield undertook a review of the Superintendents employment performance at a public meeting without allowing the Superintendent an opportunity to request a closed session as permitted by Michigan law. Ms. Bloomfield without evidence accused the Superintendent of obstruction, spreading misinformation, misuse of government resources and intimidation. Upon investigation, Ms. Bloomfields allegations were found to be without merit.

Martin said he is confident he can successfully win his seat again should enough signatures be gathered.

Im looking forward to it, he said.

Each of Comstocks seven board members are now facing at least one approved recall petition.

Language to recall Clerk Nicole Beauchamp and Trustees Christie Cherry, Terry McIver and Bob Pratt filed by William Knight passed Dec. 4.

Signature gathering efforts have already begun. More information about how to sign recall petitions for Beauchamp, Cherry, McIver and Pratt can be found on the Four Recalls For A Better Comstock Facebook Page.

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page.
FRANKENMUTH, MI  Frankenmuth School District announced this week that its board of education has selected a new superintendent, filling the role that was left vacant earlier this year.

The board, on Monday, Dec. 8, selected interim Superintendent and Frankenmuth High School Principal JoLynn Clark for the position, according to a press release from the district.

The boards selection concludes an extensive search process, district officials said.

Clark will succeed former Superintendent Grant Hegenauer, who resigned at the end of the previous school year.

The position has been offered to Clark pending contract negotiations with the board.

Clark has been with the district for 23 years, and has served interim superintendent since July, while also serving as the districts high school principal. She has been the high school princiapl for 17 years. She will continue to serve in the dual role until her official start date as superintendent is set.

Other positions Clark has held with the district include MICIP Coordinator and SCECHs Program Director. She also worked as a teacher within the district from 2002-2008.

In addition to residing in Frankenmuth, Clark is a Frankenmuth High School graduate.

Clark holds several degrees from Michigan universities. She earned a masters degree in educational leadership and a masters degree in teaching from Saginaw Valley State University, as well as a bachelors degree in education and a bachelors degree in psychology with a minor in communications from Central Michigan University.
For the past 34 years, Mary Ida Doan and her family have been bringing Christmas cheer to Bay City residents and visitors of all ages.

Since first opening the Nate & Mary Ida Doan Santa House in the fall of 1991 at Wenonah Park, the Doan family has seen thousands of visitors. Visitors are able to visit the house and meet Santa at no cost.

You can come in here 100 different times and see something different every time too, said Jeff Doan, Mary Doans son.

The house was established by Mary Doan, who was born and raised in Bay City, and her late husband Nate Doan, who died in 1997.

He was a fantastic guy, Mary Doan said. Ive got some wonderful memories. Thats something that they cant take away from me.

The small wood cabin that serves as the Santa House was moved in 1999 to the south end of Veterans Memorial Park, located at John F. Kennedy Drive.

Recently, Jeff Doan and his son Jared Doan, both Bay City residents, have been taking over most of the duties at the house. The transition comes as Mary Doan, 87, continues to find the work of operating and maintaining the house to be more tiresome.

Although Mary Doan isnt as hands-on with the house as she used to be, Jeff Doan, 65, and Jared Doan, 26, are determined to keep the family tradition going as long as possible.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Santa House attracted between 10,000 and 12,000 visitors annually.

Now, the house sees about 7,000 visitors annually. The Doan family cites the COVID-19 pandemic as the primary reason for the decline in turnout at the house in recent years.

However, the family is optimistic that it will see a return to pre-pandemic numbers as more people learn about the house.

Typically, less than 100 visitors pass through the house each night for the first week the house is open each holiday season, but this number increases to about 200 to 300 in the last week the house is open.

Our biggest night was 600 or something on the last night. Santa had sore knees by the time we got done there, Mary Doan said.

Many visitors return to the Santa House years after their initial visit to reexperience it or introduce family and friends to the tradition.

It makes you feel warm and fuzzy to think that you have had that much impact on a childs life that they remember you years and years after, Mary Doan said. You cant go to the Santa House and come out sad.

Among the many families who have made a tradition out of stopping by the Santa House each holiday season is the Deyarmond family. The family has been coming to the house for a decade and most recently visited on Dec. 6, according to mother of three Katelin Deyarmond of Bay County.

My kids are literally counting down as soon as its Thanksgiving. Deyarmond said. I will never skip a year. This is a beautiful place.

The Doan family is often reminded of how much their house means to the local community.

We have adults come in and will stand there and bawl because its so magical, Mary Doan said. It means a lot that it meant so much to everyone.

Although the house is only open at certain times, the Doan family works year-round to maintain and improve the house to ensure it is ready.

It could be long, hard work, but the first night that were open there, when you see the kids and the families come in and theyre excited and theyre happy and smiling, that makes all your work worth it, Jared Doan said.

Having grown up with the house as a major part of his life, Jared Doan has made plenty of positive holiday memories over the years, particularly of Santas annual train ride to the house.

We got to ride in on the caboose with them on the platform while they would sing their Christmas songs, he said of Mary Doan and his late uncle, Nate Doan II, who died in 2020.

Santa arrived at the house by train on Nov. 29, and for the first time this year, his arrival was livestreamed on Facebook.

Not just anyone is permitted to serve as the houses Santa. The houses bylaws require that all Santas are certified through the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School.

We dont just have some jolly guy in a suit, Jeff Doan said. We have all professionally trained Santas that know how to talk to kids, how to deal with kids.

The Doan family also invited area students with developmental disabilities to the house to meet Santa outside of regular hours.

Just the way that theyre so excited when they walk in, Jared Doan said. ...It just really is something a little bit more special.

Mary Doan and Nate Doan attended the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Albion, New York. She attended the school in 1958, just a year after they married.

The couple married in November, and immediately after their honeymoon, Nate went to work as Santa. Mary Doan would often accompany him as Mrs. Claus at homes, schools, lodges and hospitals.

Just meeting with all those people for a whole week, you come out with a different feeling. You sure appreciate Christmas because its in your heart, she said. Its contagious.

Nate Doan and Mary Doan were the first couple to ever graduate from the Santa Claus School, and Nate Doan went on to be featured as Santa Claus in the Macys Thanksgiving Parade. He also served as an advisor on the original version of the Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street.

We learned from the best, Jeff Doan said.

The Santa Claus School was moved to Bay City in 1968 after being taken over by Nate Doan, according to the schools website. Nate Doan and Mary Doan continued to oversee the school until it was moved to Midland in 1987.

They continued to lead the school until 1992. Nate Doan and Mary Doan are also in the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.

Weve had students at school from Australia, Greenland, from all over the world, Mary Doan said.

The Nate & Mary Ida Doan Santa House will be open weekdays from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and weekends from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. through Dec. 22.

The Santa House is a nonprofit and is funded by donations. Visitors are encouraged to donate by signs bearing the houses slogan: Help keep the dream alive.

Additional information about the Nate & Mary Ida Santa House, including how to support the house as a donor or volunteer, is available online at baycitysantahouse.com or on the houses Facebook page.

MLive Multimedia Specialist Kaytie Boomer contributed to this report.
Wenne Alton Davis, an actor who appeared in the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel died in a car crash in New York.

In a statement to NBC News, the New York Police Department said Davis was found lying in the road after a Black Cadillac SUV driven by a 61-year-old struck their vehicle on West 53rd Street and Broadway.

Davis, 60, sustained severe trauma to the head and body and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, police told NBC.

Jamie Harris, Davis agent, posted on Instagram: Rest in peace, old friend. We will miss you forever, alongside a photo of him with Davis.

Davis, who appeared as a cop on the Maisel, also had roles in shows like Blindspot and New Amsterdam, and had a small part in the 2011 film Shame, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan.
Police are investigating after more than 600 artifacts were stolen from an English museum.

According to the Avon and Somerset Police, a group of four males broke into a building on Cumberland Road in Bristol between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Sept. 25.

The building housed items from the Bristol Museums British Empire and Commonwealth collection. Its unclear why police are now seeking public help more than two months after the crime.

The theft of many items which carry a significant cultural value is a significant loss for the city, said DC Dan Burgan.

These items, many of which were donations, form part of a collection that provides insight into a multi-layered part of British history, and we are hoping that members of the public can help us to bring those responsible to justice.

Detectives released photos and descriptions of four men they wish to speak with:

Male, white, of medium to stocky build, wearing a white cap, black jacket, light-coloured trousers, and black trainers

Male, white, of slim build, wearing a grey-hooded jacket, black trousers, and black trainers

Male, white, wearing a green cap, black jacket, light-coloured shorts, and white trainers. He appears to walk with a slight limp in his right leg.

Male, white, of large build, wearing a two-toned orange and navy/black puffed jacket, black trousers, and black and white trainers.

Significant CCTV footage, forensic investigations and interviews are being used in the investigation.
Last year Small Talk Childrens Advocacy Center was awarded $1.5 million by state lawmakers to hire and maintain staff for their mission to help and advocate for children in the capital area who were sexually abused.

The nonprofit has used only a fraction of the grant money, about $90,000, as they tried to stretch the money amid a shaky fundraising climate and an increased number of victims needing services.

This year was Small Talks second highest on record for the number of forensic interviews conducted with child victims. They recently added a child sexual abuse prevention specialist to, as Small Talk Executive Director Alex Brace says, hopefully not be needed one day.

Now Small Talk is looking at potential staff cuts or service reductions after House Republicans on Wednesday unilaterally blocked the remaining grant dollars from disbursement as part of a larger move to halt nearly $645 million in continued funding for projects and programs.

We are going to have to search for some other solutions very quickly and make some adjustments to our budget, Brace said. Cutting staffing is always sort of the last resort, so well have to look at other places where we can reduce costs. But anytime that were doing that, we are putting the services that we offer in jeopardy and ultimately the children and families in our community pay the price for that.

Small Talk is among numerous local governments, nonprofits and other organizations around the state that were promised and granted money by lawmakers last year only to have the remainder of their unspent dollars now taken away.

The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted to disapprove $645 million in continued funding for numerous items and grants. House Republicans said these were all appropriations that had reached their deadline to expend funds.

Some, like Small Talk, were promised by the state they could expend the funds over a number of years.

Each year, the governors administration recommends lawmakers extend the deadline to expend funds on selected expiring appropriations. Lawmakers dont have to approve the recommendations for the extensions to take effect, but they can disapprove them.

Nearly $2.7 billion in continued funding was recommended by Gov. Gretchen Whitmers administration this year.

House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, has billed the move to halt the disbursement of $645 million in unspent dollars allocated in previous budgets as part of his caucuses effort to cut waste, fraud and abuse in government.

Hall has accused state departments, which also had funding halted, of using the process to stash money away in accounts instead of completing the projects or filling employee positions. His caucus proposed sweeping department cuts earlier this year based on this concern.

The unilateral and rarely-used move by the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee doesnt require approval from the governor or Senate to take effect.

Hall has said that some of these grants, also called earmarks, to specific local governments and nonprofits could return before lawmakers for re-approval next year. The grants would be put through a new process that provides greater transparency over who is sponsoring the grant, who is receiving the money and what the project or program will do and by when.

Lawmakers cant pick and choose which grants receive continued funding, as the projects are lumped together under one line item that can either be halted or continued.

While Hall didnt go into specifics on some of the projects hed like to see back before lawmakers, he touted the defunding of some programs, including one he said put tampons in bathrooms for both girls and boys and another to install cameras in work zones and school zones that he said would be used to spy on residents.

A number of other defunded programs, he said, were part of the Democrats wacko left climate agenda.

Among the defunded programs: East Side Soup Kitchen in Saginaw had been granted $1 million to help fund an expansion needed to meet rising food insecurity and demand. Potter Park Zoo was awarded $10 million to renovate its feline and primate building, which was built in 1930.

Eaton Rapids Medical Center was granted $5 million to help build a new inpatient wing in the hospital to increase capacity. Mount Clemens was granted $5 million to help purchase and destroy a condemned hotel that was a source of blight, drugs and crime for years. After the demolition, the city said a new 120-unit apartment building would be constructed in its place.

All of these projects had zero dollars disbursed as of Aug. 31, according to the most up-to-date handout from House Republicans. Unless there were disbursements after that date, it means these organizations will now receive nothing from the state.

Some projects, like Ferris State Universitys $22 million construction of a standalone building for its Jim Crow Museum, have already broken ground with the assumption that theyll receive dollars the state pledged. The state pledged $4 million for the Jim Crow Museum project. As of Aug. 31, none had been disbursed.

Cruel has been the word most used by Democrats in the state to describe the action by House Republicans.

The actions taken by House Republicans will kill jobs and raise costs for Michigan familiesjust days before the Christmas holiday, said Stacey LaRouche, a spokesperson for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Even Ebenezer Scrooge wouldnt dream of such cruel cuts, like eliminating support for students in Flint impacted by the water crisis and survivors of child sexual assault.

One of the blocked items was $18.5 million for the expansion of Rx Kids, which is located in 20 communities around the state and provides cash assistance to new and expecting mothers.

In a statement, Rx Kids officials said that there is a significant risk of a pause or halt to the program due to the funding halt. The cut incensed Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids.

Theres a special place in hell for someone willing to yank money away from moms and babies 15 days before Christmas, Brinks said. I hope (House Speaker) Matt Hall takes this holiday season to look within himself and reevaluate what exactly hes doing here.

Meals on Wheels Western Michigan serves meals to around 6,000 homebound seniors each year.

The organization sought and was awarded $2 million by lawmakers to renovate its kitchen, warehouse, distribution and delivery hub and more. The renovation, officials said, would triple the organizations capacity to provide meals.

With that funding now halted, Meals on Wheels Western Michigan President and CEO Lisa Wideman said it throws a wrench into the project.

If we dont do it this year, that means we have to raise more money over the next year, Wideman said. The cost of the project will go up, and itll delay our ability to put into place expanded plans to serve our community better.

The move by House Republicans isnt just creating chaos for organizations and governments planning programs and projects with previously-promised state dollars, its also eroding trust.

Local governments should not have to face month-to-month uncertainty regarding whether public funding from federal and state sources is assured, said Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington. This instability makes responsible, long-term fiscal management exceptionally difficult.

Among other state-pledged dollars, Grand Rapids was approved to receive $250,000 to help its work partnering mental health workers with police and another $5 million to improve a city park. Those dollars were blocked.
2026 Predictions: Baba Vanga, Nostradamus & Bhavishya Malika warn of events that may shock the world (image: canva)

Neha Mewari is a dedicated sub-editor with over a year of experience in refining digital content for clarity, accuracy, and audience engagement. She excels in creating polished and impactful narratives that connect with readers while maintaining high editorial standards.
The demand drivers have extended beyond the festive period as suggested by a growth in PV and two-wheeler wholesales in November 2025.
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Mercedes-Benz, BMW to hike prices from January 1, first since GST cut
Gayatri Rani is a Senior-Sub Editor with over three years of experience in delivering Hollywood and Bollywood news.
The much-anticipated film is based on the 2020 Galwan Valley conflict between India and China. It is directed by Apoorva Lakhia of Shootout at Lokhandwala fame.
The first red flag appeared at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa, when the planned showcase of Sholay  The Final Cut was abruptly cancelled.
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

In his absence, I would: Sobhita Dhulipala on married life with Naga Chaitanya
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Rajinikanth celebrates his 75th birthday on Jailer 2 set, cuts cake with crew - See pics
Soundarya Rajinikanth wishes her appa on his birthday

Gayatri Rani is a Senior-Sub Editor with over three years of experience in delivering Hollywood and Bollywood news.
Neurologist warns neck massages can lead to rise in stroke cases if done the wrong way
Shreya Garg is a journalist with over 6 years of experience at leading media houses. She writes extensively on lifestyle, health and things that are trending on the internet.
Indian wedding food menu: From personalised dishes to tasting sessions, here's how to get it all right
India may open 2026 by clinching a key free trade deal with the EU in the first quarter of the year, one of around 10 agreements it is currently finalising with key trading partners, including Oman, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Israel.
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Airlines stopped flying one in every five operationalised UDAN routes
A higher MSP will not only ensure better remunerative returns to the coconut growers but also incentivise farmers to expand copra production

Meghna Mittal Deputy News Editor at Moneycontrol. Meghna has experience across television, print, online and wire media. She has been covering the Indian economy, monetary and fiscal policies, Finance and Trade ministries. She tweets at @Meghnamittal23 Contact: meghna.mittal@nw18.com
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Indian diaspora and global investors push Danube to a Rs 5,000-crore sellout of Shah Rukh Khan-branded Dubai office tower
ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Live Updates: Apply in two separate categories

An ET report says the shareholder quota and retail/HNI quotas work independently. You can place two bids at the same time:

One under the ICICI Bank shareholders' reservation (up to 90 shares)

Another as a retail investor (up to Rs 2 lakh) or as sNII/bNII if you apply above Rs 2 lakh.

Both bids are treated separately and are not duplicates.
You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user.

OK
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Our dharma is to beat the benchmark, says ICICI Prudential AMC CEO Nimesh Shah
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) led rankings in two categories, emerging as both the Most Consistent Wealth Creator (outperforming the Nifty Total Return Index in each of the last five years) and the Best All-round Wealth Creator, supported by a 75% total return CAGR.
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Edelweiss Mutual Fund set to launch Greater China equity product for retail via GIFT City
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

IDBI Bank shares jump 4% as report says Canada's Fairfax frontrunner in lender's stake sale
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Stocks to Watch Today: Vedanta, Piramal Pharma, NBCC, Cyient, Honasa Consumer, Kansai Nerolac, Firstsource, Rama Steel in focus on 12 December
Tariff increases of as much as 50 per cent will affect textiles, shoes, appliances, cars and auto parts among other things beginning in January.

Adrija Chatterjee is an Assistant Editor at Moneycontrol. She has been tracking and reporting on finance and trade ministries for over eight years.
Hamsini Karthik Number crunching, drawing interesting inferences (sometimes contrarian), and penning them in an impactful manner, best describes what I do. As a BFSI specialist, I enjoy telling stories about whats working and what not for lenders, breaking down regulatory jargon and how they affect customers and financiers, and simplifying the economics of money. When not glued to banks, the world of autos and airlines keeps me busy.
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

NITI Aayog panel reckons further easing of quality control orders, scrapping of mandatory CSR for MSMEs
Reclassification would make it easier to buy and sell cannabis. (Bloomberg image)
BJP set to name new UP president by December 16: Here are the frontrunners
Lakshman Roy is Economic Policy Editor and Chief of Bureau at @CNBC_Awaaz
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

CJI Surya Kant's tough message amid criticism over Rohingya remark: 'Wrong to think anyone can browbeat me'
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Dont touch my clothes: When Shivraj Patil's wardrobe became talking point during 2008 Delhi blasts
HAL can currently build 16 LCA Mk-1As annually in Bengaluru, and the Nashik line will raise total capacity to 24 aircraft a year. (Photo for representational purpose only.)
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

From Gongura Paneer to Kale Moti Chilgoza Pulao: All-vegetarian dinner menu for NDA MPs at PM residence
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Gen Z movement in Nepal caused over Rs 85 billion in damage: Report
Thai authorities are moving to cancel the Luthra brothers visas, alleging they concealed their actual intentions of the visit from immigration officials
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

In major revamp, Delhi Cabinet approves reorganisation of 11 districts into 13
Switzerland in January also suspended its application of the MFN clause in its India treaty citing the Supreme Court ruling.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautiously rekindles ties with Beijing in the face of punishing U.S. tariffs, the officials said New Delhi dropped a layer of bureaucratic scrutiny and shortened visa approval times to less than a month
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

IndiGo chiefs folded-hands photo was an apology to the nation, says aviation minister
IndiGo has moved the Delhi High Court seeking a Rs 900 crore refund of customs duty paid on aircraft parts re-imported after overseas repairs.
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Meet Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, first woman Rafale pilot now set to train future crew
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Officials from India and China hold new round of consultations on bilateral ties
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Shashi Tharoor seeks 'proper law' against marital rape in India: 'Its violence, not conjugal love'
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Suspense over BJP's new Uttar Pradesh chief likely to end this weekend
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Why Noida airport could be game-changer for UP: Haveli-style courtyard, Swiss efficiency, fully digital
Balaghat Superintendent of Police Aditya Mishra said there were no more hardcore Naxals active in the district
Rajju Bhayya was the first Sarsanghchalak who had not worked with the organisations founder, Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar

Arun Anand has authored two books on the RSS. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

OPINION | Thirupparankundram in Tamil Nadu is ground zero for the states political future
Although death sentences for corruption were uncommon, China had previously used the penalty in major cases.
As she held out her microphone, the senator leaned towards it and appeared to interfere with the device. (Image: @nexta_tv/X)
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

ISRO to lift heaviest 6.5-tonne US satellite BlueBird-6  What makes it special?
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Massive 92-foot dinosaur found accidentally in China could be the largest of its kind
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
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

Ankita Chakravarti is a seasoned journalist with nearly a decade of experience in media. She specializes in technology and lifestyle journalism. She has worked with top Indian media houses like India Today, Zee News, The Statesman, and Millennium Post. Her expertise spans tech trends, phone launches, gadget reviews, and entertainment news. Ankita holds a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication along with a degree in English Literature. She can be reached out at ankita.chakravarti@nw18.com
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's auto industry has sustained a sound growth momentum as auto output and sales have both exceeded 31 million units in the first 11 months of the year, official data showed Thursday.

During the January-November period, China's auto production increased 11.9 percent year on year to over 31.23 million units, while auto sales reached nearly 31.13 million units, representing a year-on-year increase of 11.4 percent, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

In November alone, China's auto production and sales reached 3.532 million units and 3.429 million units, respectively, maintaining a solid growth trend.

During the January-November period, China's production and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) hit 14.907 million units and 14.78 million units, respectively, surging 31.4 percent and 31.2 percent year on year, the data showed.

The output and sales of NEVs in November came in at 1.88 million units and 1.823 million units, respectively.

For the whole year of 2025, China's auto production and sales are expected to reach new record highs, boosted by the combined effects of policy measures, improved domestic demand and the strong resilience of foreign trade, said Chen Shihua, an official from the association.

China's auto exports have increased by 18.7 percent year on year to 6.343 million units in the first 11 months, according to Chen, who estimated that the country's total auto exports for 2025 may exceed 7 million units.

A slew of recent policy measures have sent positive signals, which is expected to further stabilize market expectations and expand auto consumption across the entire industrial chain, thus laying a solid foundation for a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Chen said.
Italys beloved food culture becomes the worlds first cuisine to earn UNESCO heritage status, inviting travellers to explore its traditions through every meal.

Priyanka Roshan With over eight years in multimedia journalism, is passionate about storytellingboth visual and textualacross travel, jobs, business, markets, politics, and daily news. From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences.
Priyanka Roshan With over eight years in multimedia journalism, is passionate about storytellingboth visual and textualacross travel, jobs, business, markets, politics, and daily news. From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences.
Maryam Farooqui is Senior Correspondent at Moneycontrol covering media and entertainment, travel and hospitality. She has 11 years of experience in reporting.
Photo released from the Jeffrey Epstein files shows Donald Trump with multiple women. Redactions were done by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Date and context is unclear. Source: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. (Acquired from CNBC)
Can OpenAI pull ahead again now that Google has caught up on AI?
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Canada: Three Indian-origin truckers held in Brampton shooting linked to tow-truck rivalry | Watch
ChatGPT named in a murder-suicide lawsuit: What drove a son to kill his mother before taking his own life
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Felt humiliated by Yunus govt: Bangladesh President Shahabuddin plans to resign after February 2026 polls
New cockpit audio reveals chaos as off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot tried to shut engines off mid-flight
64 conditions in 18 months: IMF bailout for Pakistan comes at steep price
This pool photo taken and released on August 20, 2025 by Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) shows Cambodian and foreign military personnel speaking during a visit organized by Cambodia's Ministry of Defence following the CambodiaThailand border conflict at the Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province. (Photo by POOL / AFP)
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Indiana Republicans break with Trump and why the pressure campaign failed
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Iran: Security forces drag, beat Narges Mohammadi during arrest at lawyers memorial, say supporters
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Is an EU split emerging? How Trumps approach is testing Europes unity
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

Jemima Goldsmith makes 'personal plea' to Elon Musk to restore posts on Imran Khan
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Over 600 priceless artefacts, including Indian items, stolen from Bristol Museum: Heres what was taken
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Pakistan warns social media firms of possible ban over lack of cooperation; says X not cooperating
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Thailands snap election: How border conflict and power plays are shaping the polls
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Trump administration says sign language services 'intrude' on Trump's ability to control his image
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Trump again claims he settled eight wars, credits trade and tariffs
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

US clears $686 million F-16 package for Pakistan: Why Trump-Munir bromance is concerning for India | Explained
Loans up to

Follow us on:

Loans up to

Venezuelas oil lifeline is under pressure; why one seized tanker matters
Loans up to

OTHERS

OTHERS

co-presented by

Follow us on:

Loans up to

My Account

or

or

Hello, Login

All

'Will conquer Delhi': LeT's Rauf, who led terrorists' funeral prayers during Op Sindoor, makes open threats
December 12, 2025 Russia Counters EU Shenanigans To Steal Its Frozen Assets The prime minister of Hungary Victor Orban posted this morning: Today, the Brusselians are crossing the Rubicon. At noon, a written vote will take place that will cause irreparable damage to the Union. The subject of the vote is the frozen Russian assets, on which the EU member states have so far voted every 6 months and adopted a unanimous decision. With todays procedure, the Brusselians are abolishing the requirement of unanimity with a single stroke of the pen, which is clearly unlawful. With todays decision, the rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europes leaders are placing themselves above the rules. Instead of safeguarding compliance with the EU treaties, the European Commission is systematically raping European law. It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isnt winnable. All this is happening in broad daylight, less than a week before the meeting of the European Council, the Unions most important decision-making body, bringing together heads of state and government. With this, the rule of law in the European Union is being replaced by the rule of bureaucrats. In other words, a Brusselian dictatorship has taken hold. Hungary protests this decision and will do everything in its power to restore a lawful order. The EU used the Article 122 of the treaty to make the freezing of the Russian assets in Europe permanent by the vote of a qualified majority in the Council of Europe where each nation has a vote. Previously that freeze was voted on every six month and required unanimity. Any country could thus veto further sanctions. Putting the freeze under Art.122 in effect deprives Hungary and others of their veto power. The whole issue came up because Belgium, where most of the assets are frozen, has fears that any use of the Russian assets for an EU loan to Ukraine would in the end require it to pay Russia if the sanctions were lifted. Making the freeze permanent are supposed to shield it from EU member veto. It is very doubtful that the use of Art. 122, which is for economic emergency in particular if severe difficulties arise in the supply of certain products, notably in the area of energy, is applicable. The decision will likely be challenged in court: On Wednesday, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever cast doubt over the suitability of Article 122 and the existence of an economic emergency to justify its activation. This is money from a country with which we are not at war, De Wever said, speaking to reporters at the Belgian parliament. It would be like breaking into an embassy, taking out all the furniture, and selling it. Russias response to the EU shenanigans did not take long: MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. The Bank of Russia has filed a lawsuit against the Euroclear depository in the Moscow Arbitration Court for damages caused to the Bank of Russia, the regulators press service reported. The amount of the claim against the depository was not specified in the statement. In connection with the illegal actions of the Euroclear depository, which are causing damages to the Bank of Russia, as well as in connection with the mechanisms officially reviewed by the European Commission for the direct or indirect use of Bank of Russia assets without the consent of the Bank of Russia, the Bank of Russia is filing a lawsuit in the Moscow Arbitration Court against the Euroclear depository for damages caused to the Bank of Russia, the statement reads. The regulator stressed that the actions of the Euroclear depository caused damage due to the inability to manage cash and securities belonging to the Bank of Russia. The majority of Russias sovereign assets frozen in Europe (over 200 billion) are blocked on Euroclears platform in Belgium. The depository repeatedly opposed the expropriation of the assets, warning that it could lead to Russia seizing European or Belgian assets elsewhere in the world through legal action. Earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the global financial and economic order would be destroyed, and economic separatism would only intensify, if the West stole Russias frozen assets. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow would definitely respond to the theft of its assets in Europe. He stressed that the Kremlin intends to organize legal proceedings against those involved in this scheme. Russia is following the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) procedure through arbitration courts. This helps it to avoid seeking judgment in any potentially hostile national jurisdiction. ISDS procedure have been successfully used by Russian billionaires who had been sanctioned. The details of how they function is beyond my pay grade though Yves Smith covers a bit of it. She closes her piece with this: In any event, pass the popcorn. Things are about to get ugly. The long-standing erosion of national rights in favor of stateless investors is being turned against its neoliberal creators. When the war in Ukraine started it was quite obvious that it would damage NATO and probably lead to its demise. But I did not expect how much damage it would do to the EU. Brussels is de-legitimizing itself. That damage will last and may well lead to significant changes in whatever is by then left of the European Union. Comments
The Board of Trustees for Michigan Technological University voted to approve construction of the Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness. This facility will provide students with approximately 90,000 square feet of modern campus wellness programming and holistic care.

Alumnus and philanthropist Chang K. Park '73 has given Michigan Tech a transformational $55 million gift to fully fund the construction of a new facility to support student health and well-being. It is the largest gift given to the University in its history. Aligned with Michigan Tech's Be Well Initiative, the Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness will allow the University to bring together services that until now have been spread across more than 30 locations on campus.

"It's a historic day for Michigan Tech as we recognize the incredible generosity of Chang Park for this extraordinary gift in support of student wellness," said Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek. "The new Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness provides centrality for student well-being, allowing students to benefit from the full integration of physical, mental and emotional health in one facility."

A Comprehensive Approach to Student Well-being

The Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness, with an ethos of "Benevolence to All," is designed to support the four pillars of Michigan Tech's Be Well Initiative  Live Well, Play Well, Connect Well and Recharge Well. Each pillar is reflected in the building's design:

Live Well: Spaces for clinical counseling, therapy, telehealth and a medical clinic

Spaces for clinical counseling, therapy, telehealth and a medical clinic Play Well: A large fitness and exercise floor with fitness equipment for all skill levels

A large fitness and exercise floor with fitness equipment for all skill levels Connect Well: Communal areas, group rooms and a welcoming campus "living room"

Communal areas, group rooms and a welcoming campus "living room" Recharge Well: Rooms for meditation and prayer, quiet lounges and other restorative spaces for stress reduction

The facility, to be located between the Memorial Union and Administration buildings, will advance student emotional, physical and mental health, with dedicated space for instructional areas, a fitness center, locker rooms, group training rooms, a medical clinic, outreach and prevention offices, and accessible wellness amenities throughout.

"The Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness will be transformational for Michigan Tech and our students," said Laura Bulleit, vice president for student affairs. "We have several years of data that show the need for additional mental and physical health support. We also have anecdotal data directly from our students that point to the need for convenient spaces for them to meet their physical fitness goals. The new wellness center will fulfill each of these needs."

"I'd like to thank Mr. Park for his exceptionally generous gift and for his support for our current and future generations of students," said Bill Roberts, Michigan Tech's vice president for advancement and alumni engagement. "His generosity ensures that Michigan Tech students will have access to the resources they need to be healthy, well and successful in all they do."

A Vision Inspired by Experience and Opportunity

Park, who graduated from Michigan Tech in 1973 with dual degrees in electrical engineering and engineering administration, has credited his education  and the support he received from Michigan Tech faculty and staff  as foundational to his life trajectory.

After immigrating to the United States from Korea as a teenager, Park attended high school in New York City, where he worked through the challenges of learning a new language and adapting to a new culture. He recognized his personal growth from such early challenges and subsequent encounters as he advanced his professional and business careers and encouraged graduating students to remain venturesome in his 2024 Commencement address at Michigan Tech.

"Do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and face new challenges," said Park. "You will be amazed to discover the vast pool of untapped talents that you never knew you had within you as you struggle to overcome the challenges. This is how we all grow in our life."

Park built an impressive career that spanned engineering and international finance, ultimately founding Universal Remote Control, Inc., now a global leader in home automation and control systems.

Guided by his values around education, human rights and economic justice, Park established the Chang K. Park Foundation to reduce human suffering and expand people's opportunity to realize their full potential. He summed up these values at the conclusion of his commencement speech to the graduating students.

"What I found from my own life experience is that there are certain immutable values that are cherished in our society," Park said. "They are decency, integrity and humility. Make these three your core values that define who you are. It is like building your life on a solid rock as a foundation. You will not only be blessed in so many ways in your life, but you will also become a blessing to so many others. I believe this is the true meaning of life that we all strive for."

"I am grateful to have this opportunity to address students' needs to advance their mental, emotional and physical health for many years to come." Chang K. Park '73

Momentum for Student Mental Health

Michigan Tech was recently named to the 2026 Mental Health Services Honor Roll by The Princeton Review, one of only 30 institutions nationwide recognized for a strong commitment to supporting student mental health and well-being. The Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness builds on that momentum by expanding campus capacity for integrated care, strengthening prevention and awareness efforts, and creating purposeful spaces that support the whole student.

"We want to see every student succeed, but we know success doesn't happen if our students aren't taking the time to focus on their overall health and well-being," said Bulleit. "I am incredibly grateful to Mr. Park for his generous and thoughtful donation. To have an alumni donor who not only sees the need, but also supports our vision for caring for the whole student, is absolutely a dream come true."

The Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness is expected to open in fall 2028.

Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
Leaders from the Department of War and the Northern Mariana Islands government met in Garapan, Saipan, on Dec. 45 for the CNMI Stakeholders Meeting, continuing collaborative discussions and reaffirming the DoWs commitment to the CNMIs security and long-term development. DoW officials outlined ongoing construction projects and new initiatives, while NMI leaders shared priorities to strengthen local security and support economic growth. The meeting also highlighted upcoming opportunities, including Air Force efforts to boost Rotas economy through a three-day joint SBDC engagement and a $300 million purchase agreement awarded to a CNMI company.

Updates to Joint Area Development Plans for Saipan and Tinian included proposed troop labor projects, new K-span shelters, and progress on major construction such as the Tinian Divert Airfield, now 83 percent complete and slated for 2027. JRM briefed leaders on upcoming training exercises, including the return of Valiant Shield in 2026 and the Innovative Readiness Training medical mission. DoW also committed to hiring local experts to bolster key CNMI agencies, reinforcing long-term capacity and partnership across the islands.

During the meetings, DoW representatives presented initiatives to support the NMI government partners and provided updates to ongoing construction projects.

Local government representatives presented activities they would like to see from the DoW to improve the NMIs security and economic growth.

Edward Camacho, special assistant to the CNMI governor for military affairs, highlighted the need for mutually beneficial capabilities, military exercises and deployments that maximize local resources, and an increase in leader engagements to address impacts made by the increase in military presence, among others.

Joint Region Marianas representatives requested the NMI government identify a team to work with DoW representatives to modify military leases in support of current and near-term missions in the region; shared historical data on U.S. Navy port visits in the CNMI and initiatives to increase and improve visits; and showcased a digital tool being created to deliver an overview of all military activities in the CNMI as a means to improve communication and transparency.

Plan for Rota

Representatives from the U.S. Air Force shared initiatives to drive economic advancement in the CNMI to include a three-day joint Small Business Development Center engagement with vendors in Rota to provide information and guidance to maximize their participation in military contracts. One accomplishment of their efforts to support local vendors include a $300 million purchase agreement awarded to a CNMI company for aggregate material to be used in construction.

Joint Area Development Plans, or projects that are being conceptualized for proposal, were presented for Saipan and Tinian to meet current and future military requirements.

Saipan projects

In Saipan, potential troop labor projects are proposed for the former U.S. Agency for Global Media site and at the Saipan International Airport, to include K-span shelters, which are durable, arched metal buildings used for various needs, and mobile aircraft arresting equipment pads. Future plans for Camp Tinian also include construction of additional K-span shelters.

Tinian update

In Tinian North Field, active efforts include selective vegetation clearance and pavement of Able Runway.

A subject matter expert with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas discussed construction updates for the Tinian Divert Airfield. Construction is now approximately 83 percent complete, with concrete and asphalt placements in progress. A fuel system redesign has been completed with contract modifications in process.

The airfield is expected to be complete in 2027.

Three additional military construction projects are planned for Tinian to include the restoration of the Tinian Port Breakwater, Tinian Harbor dredging and Finger Pier removal, and improvements to the Tinian Wharf.

Rota proposals include an apron expansion, aviation fuels facility, and fire protection facilities. Since the last stakeholders meeting Sept. 24-25, an environmental baseline survey was completed for these projects and environmental assessments are ongoing.

Biosecurity group

The biosecurity working group reported accomplishments such as the establishment of an arthropod identification group to assist customs and biosecurity in real time with identification of intercepted arthropods found on arriving cargo into the island, the development and implementation of a pre-departure Little Fire Ant screening survey protocol for cargo originating on Guam for DoW contractors with movements from Guam to theNMI, and the establishment of a cooperative agreement with the NMI Department of Fish and Wildlife to provide arrival Brown Tree Snake canine inspection and interdiction support for military cargo and aircraft movements and contractor cargo movements throughout the NMI.

Through the working group, the U.S. Navy secured approximately $600,000 through the DoW Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program to support CNMI biosecurity program needs.

2026 training exercises

JRM provided a look into upcoming military training and exercises in the CNMI. Valiant Shield is expected to return to the CNMI in 2026, with multiple layers of operations in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

Updates were presented for the upcoming Innovative Readiness Training program, which is being led by the 1984th U.S. Army Hospital-Pacific. The IRT is a joint-service medical mission that provides free medical, dental, and optometry services to residents. This program provides service members hands-on training to improve deployment readiness.

DoW has committed to hiring local experts to augment and support the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, Department of Lands and Natural Resources, and CNMI Historic Preservation Office. This effort will provide professional support to local agencies.

NMI Gov. David Apatang welcomed DoW representatives back to Saipan and said he looks forward to progress in the CNMI.

This is really critical for us here, he said. Thank you again for coming back and we need all the support. Im looking forward to all the projects that can move as fast as we can move. We are ready to help, we are ready to assist in every way possible to move things forward.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Josh Lasky, commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia, thanked local government and military partners for their hard work and comments during the meeting.

What we really need is a little bit of reflection, feedback where we may be falling short, which gives us the ability to pay attention to the right things and hold ourselves accountable along the

way, he said. Thats just the kind of discussion that were looking for and well continue to make improvements going forward.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, commander, Joint Region Marianas, echoed Lasky and emphasized the importance of communication and teamwork

Its awesome to see the progress that has happened from the last meeting to this meeting, he said. Having a great idea is the first step, but its not the hardest step. Its following through on that idea, the action, and being able to produce the outcome. Please continue to be demanding partners in this, hold us accountable for giving you the information you need.

Other key leaders in attendance include Mayor of Saipan Ramon Camacho; Sen. Edmund Villagomez, speaker, 22nd Commonwealth Legislature; Rep. Marissa Flores, CNMI House of Representatives; U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Christopher Faurot, mobilization assistant to the commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Executive Director Mark Hashimoto.

Following meetings in Saipan, a public meeting was held at the Tinian Public Library to share updates and answer questions from the local community.

The CNMI Stakeholders Meeting was established to foster collaboration among the DoW, local government, and federal agencies to share information, discuss and provide recommendations for military activities and opportunities in the CNMI. The next meeting is slated for March next year.
Governor warns delay threatens retiree healthcare as administration races to secure FY2026 funding by Dec. 15

Governor David M. Apatang is urging the Legislature to convene an emergency session no later than Dec. 15, 2025, to pass a revised fiscal year 2026 budget, following his successful execution of the $29 million loan from the Marianas Public Land Trust to pay the NMI governments obligation to the NMI Settlement Fund.

In a letter to Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez and Senate President Karl King-Nabors on Tuesday, December 9, the governor informed them that his administration has secured the $29 million loan with MPLT. He said this is essential to fully support his budget proposal, which allocates over $144 million for FY2026.

The governor stated that the funds will go directly to the NMI Settlement Fund to meet the minimum annual payment obligation, with remaining funds allocated for other critical obligations in his revised budget proposal.

Apatang stressed the urgency of immediate action on the revised FY2026 budget to avoid a healthcare crisis if retirees insurance is not renewed before Dec. 31, 2025. He noted that all active employees, retirees, and autonomous agencies rely on the continuation of the group health and life insurance program.

My revised budget package secured the necessary funding to ensure the continuity of this program and the stability of our healthcare system, the governor said.

He told the Legislatures presiding officers that a piecemeal approach would underfund this vital program and damage the current affordable and competitive health plan. Renegotiation of a new plan, he warned, would increase premiums for all employees and retirees.

The governor further said that delays in passing the revised budget will reduce my administrations ability to mitigate the major disruption caused by a late open-enrollment period or, worse, force the termination of the plan.
Governor David M. Apatang and Lieutenant Governor Dennis C. Mendiola express their deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Senior U.S. District Court Judge Alex R. Munson, whose passing marks the close of an extraordinary chapter in the legal history of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Judge Munsons decades of service, beginning as Chief Justice of the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and continuing over twenty years as Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, have left an enduring legacy on our islands. His steady leadership transformed the federal court from its beginnings into a modern, fully functioning institutionone that embodies our communitys values, resilience, and commitment to justice.

Throughout his distinguished career, Judge Munson upheld the rule of law with integrity, fairness, and humanity. He approached each case with deep respect for the people and cultures of the Commonwealth and the broader Micronesian region. His work helped create the legal foundations supporting our Commonwealth today through periods of transition and growth.

Beyond his judicial accomplishments, Judge Munson will be remembered for his humility, civility, and profound dedication to public service. He touched many livesthrough his decisions, mentorship, and unwavering belief in justice.

On behalf of the people of the Commonwealth, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to Judge Munsons loved ones. We share in their grief and offer gratitude for his remarkable service. The Commonwealth is better, stronger, and more just because of him.
Yves here. Even though the recent Trump National Security Strategy document created an uproar, among other reasons for its harsh criticism of Europe and its condescension towards Russia as needing to be brought in from a presumed successful economic deep freeze.

Despite the Trump Team stating things that might be better left unsaid, like I hate you and I want a divorce, its not clear that they will be able to execute all that much, even before getting to the key point by Sachs below, that US efforts to preserve its flagging empire via brute force will continue to backfire.

The Trump Administration declared its hostility towards providing past levels of military support to Europe at the Munich Security Conference in February. Secretary of State Rubio was a no-show at a NATO meeting of foreign ministers in December. Yet Trump is too hemmed in by the permanent bureaucracy, which is firmly neocon, and hawks like Lindsay Graham to operate freely. For instance, we and others have pointed out that the US could bring Zelensky to heel by cutting off intelligence support, which includes targeting. Trump apparently fears the consequences of taking that step.

But the US may be setting out to get its aims vis-a-vis Europe and Ukraine via other means. Recall how Michael Hudson has been writing about how destructive US economic policies towards Europe have become. A new story suggests that the US has even more overt destabilization plans. From the Brussels Times (hat tip Micael T):

The United States, led by President Donald Trump, aims to persuade four EU countries to follow the UKs example and leave the EU, according to a longer leaked version of the American national security strategy reportedly seen by US defence website Defense One. The secret file supposedly claims that the Trump administration wants to prise four EU countries  Austria, Italy, Hungary and Poland  away from the bloc and closer to the US circle of influence as part of a new strategy to Make Europe Great Again.

Mind you, the US has denied that this draft is bona fide. From the same article:

As the leak triggered alarm across social media platforms and among media outlets in Europe, the White House denied these claims, stating that there is no other version of the NSS than the one published last week. No alternative, private, or classified version exists, said Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House. President Trump is transparent and put his signature on one National Security Strategy that clearly instructs the US government to execute on his defined principles and priorities.

Even if this idea is under consideration, it would be yet another show of US ignorance. The reason the UK could depart, a move a majority now see as a mistake, is that it has its own currency. Italy and Austria are in the Eurozone. As we explained long form with Greece during its 2015 bailout crisis, an attempt to depart, due to the considerable lead times, would lead to bank runs and a banking system crash. Hungary is too small and integrated into the EU trade-wise for that to work. Nearly 80% of Hungarys imports and exports are with the Union. 74% of Polands exports and 67% of imports were with the bloc.

By Jeffrey D. Sachs, a University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Originally published at Common Dreams

The 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) recently released by President Donald Trump presents itself as a blueprint for renewed American strength. It is dangerously misconceived in four ways.

First, the NSS is anchored in grandiosity: the belief that the United States enjoys unmatched supremacy in every key dimension of power. Second, it is based on a starkly Machiavellian view of the world, treating other nations as instruments to be manipulated for American advantage. Third, it rests on a naive nationalism that dismisses international law and institutions as encumbrances on US sovereignty rather than as frameworks that enhance US and global security together.

Fourth, it signals a thuggery in Trumps use of the CIA and military. Within days of the NSSs publication, the US brazenly seized a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil on the high season the flimsy grounds that the vessel had previously violated US sanctions against Iran.

The seizure was not a defensive measure to avert an imminent threat. Nor is it remotely legal to seize vessels on the high seas because of unilateral US sanctions. Only the UN Security Council has such authority. Instead, the seizure is an illegal act designed to force regime change in Venezuela. It follows Trumps declaration that he has directed the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela to destabilize the regime.

American security will not be strengthened by acting like a bully. It will be weakenedstructurally, morally, and strategically. A great power that frightens its allies, coerces its neighbors, and disregards international rules ultimately isolates itself.

The NSS, in other words, is not just an exercise in hubris on paper. It is rapidly being translated into brazen practice.

A Glimmer of Realism, Then a Lurch into Hubris

To be fair, the NSS contains moments of long-overdue realism. It implicitly concedes that the United States cannot and should not attempt to dominate the entire world, and it correctly recognizes that some allies have dragged Washingtoninto costly wars of choice that were not in Americas true interests. It also steps backat least rhetoricallyfrom an all-consuming great-power crusade. The strategy rejects the fantasy that the United States can or should impose a universal political order.

But the modesty is short-lived. The NSS quickly reasserts that America possesses the worlds single largest and most innovative economy, the worlds leading financial system, and the worlds most advanced and most profitable technology sector, all backed by the worlds most powerful and capable military. These claims serve not simply as patriotic affirmations, but as a justification for using American dominance to impose terms on others. Smaller countries, it seems, will bear the brunt of this hubris, since the US cannot defeat the other great powers, not least because they are nuclear-armed.

Naked Machiavellianism in Doctrine

The NSSs grandiosity is welded to a naked Machiavellianism. The question it asks is not how the United States and other countries can cooperate for mutual benefit, but how American leverageover markets, finance, technology, and securitycan be applied to extract maximal concessions from other countries.

This is most pronounced in the NSS discussion of the Western Hemisphere section, which declares a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The United States, the NSS declares, will ensure that Latin America remains free of hostile foreign incursion or ownership of key assets, and alliances and aid will be conditioned on winding down adversarial outside influence. That influence clearly refers to Chinese investment, infrastructure, and lending.

The NSS is explicit: US agreements with countries that depend on us most and therefore over which we have the most leverage must result in sole-source contracts for American firms. US policy should make every effort to push out foreign companies that build infrastructure in the region, and the US should reshape multilateral development institutions, such as the World Bank, so that they serve American interests.

Latin American governments, many of whom trade extensively with both the United States and China, are effectively being told: you must deal with us, not Chinaor face the consequences.

Such a strategy is strategically naive. China is the main trading partner for most of the world, including many countries in the Western hemisphere. The US will be unable to compel Latin American nations to expel Chinese firms, but will gravely damage US diplomacy in the attempt.

Thuggery So Brazen Even Close Allies Are Alarmed

The NSS proclaims a doctrine of sovereignty and respect, yet its behavior has already reduced that principle to sovereignty for the US, vulnerability for the rest. What makes the emerging doctrine even more extraordinary is that it is now frightening not only small states in Latin America, but even the United States closest allies in Europe.

In a remarkable development, Denmarkone of Americas most loyal NATO partnershas openly declared the United States a potential threat to Danish national security. Danish defense planners have stated publicly that Washington under Trump cannot be assumed to respect the Kingdom of Denmarks sovereignty over Greenland, and that a coercive US attempt to seize the island is a contingency for which Denmark must now plan.

This is astonishing on several levels. Greenland is already host to the US Thule Air Base and firmly within the Western security system. Denmark is not anti-American, nor is it seeking to provoke Washington. It is simply responding rationally to a world in which the United States has begun to behave unpredictablyeven toward its supposed friends.

That Copenhagen feels compelled to contemplate defensive measures against Washington speaks volumes. It suggests that the legitimacy of the US-led security architecture is eroding from within. If even Denmark believes it must hedge against the United States, the problem is no longer one of Latin Americas vulnerability. It is a systemic crisis of confidence among nations that once saw the US as the guarantor of stability but now view it as a possible or likely aggressor.

In short, the NSS seems to channel the energy previously devoted to great-power confrontation into bullying of smaller states. If America seems to be a bit less inclined to launch trillion-dollar wars abroad, it is more inclined to weaponize sanctions, financial coercion, asset seizures, and theft on the high seas.

The Missing Pillar: Law, Reciprocity, and Decency

Perhaps the deepest flaw of the NSS is what it omits: a commitment to international law, reciprocity, and basic decency as foundations of American security.

The NSS regards global governance structures as obstacles to US action. It dismisses climate cooperation as ideology, and indeed a hoax according to Trumps recent speech at the UN. It downplays the UN Charter and envisions international institutions primarily as instruments to be bent toward American preferences. Yet it is precisely legal frameworks, treaties, and predictable rules that have historically protected American interests.

The founders of the United States understood this clearly. Following the American War of Independence, thirteen newly sovereign states soon adopted a constitution to pool key powersover taxation, defense, and diplomacynot to weaken the states sovereignty, but to secure it by creating the US Federal Government. The post-WWII foreign policy of the United States government did the same through the UN, the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization, and arms-control agreements.

The Trump NSS now reverses that logic. It treats the freedom to coerce others as the essence of sovereignty. From that perspective, the Venezuelan tanker seizure and Denmarks anxieties are manifestations of the new policy.

Athens, Melos, and Washington

Such hubris will come back to haunt the United States. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides records that when imperial Athens confronted the small island of Melos in 416 BC, the Athenians declared that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. Yet Athens hubris was also its undoing. Twelve years later, in 404 BC, Athens fell to Sparta. Athenian arrogance, overreach, and contempt for smaller states helped galvanize the alliance that ultimately brought it down.

The 2025 NSS speaks in a similar arrogant register. It is a doctrine of power over law, coercion over consent, and dominance over diplomacy. American security will not be strengthened by acting like a bully. It will be weakenedstructurally, morally, and strategically. A great power that frightens its allies, coerces its neighbors, and disregards international rules ultimately isolates itself.

Americas national security strategy should be based on wholly different premises: acceptance of a plural world; recognition that sovereignty is strengthened, not diminished, through international law; acknowledgment that global cooperation on climate, health, and technology is indispensable; and understanding that Americas global influence depends more on persuasion than coercion.
How monogamous are humans? Scientists compile league table of pairing up BBC

Earliest evidence of making fire Nature. 400,000 years ago, up from 50,000 years ago.

Why are famous chefs fighting PFAS bans? HEATED

Stagnant Construction Productivity Is a Worldwide Problem Construction Physics

Slow love in a cut-throat world The Continent

San Francisco woman gives birth in a Waymo self-driving taxi AP

Climate/Environment

Thousands under evacuation orders, as floodwaters crest in Washington rivers Washington State Standard

The fact that parts of Washington are seeing record-breaking flooding this week is not surprising given that 1) many locations saw record 24hr precipitation (well above 100yr ARI) & 2) near-record temperatures *simultaneously* (no snow in mtns, so all precip became runoff). #WAwx pic.twitter.com/p6wXo65tPY  Dr. Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) December 12, 2025

Deadly heatwaves will intensify for 1,000 years after net zero Climate and Capitalism

Pandemics

SARS2 infection modulates innate and adaptive immunity and likely impacts outcomes of infections such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.@fitterhappierAJ @1goodtern

We identify an altered immune response to both SARS2 and MTB in participants with a history of COVID19.

We pic.twitter.com/tdLDKTgVkx  Evelio Gonzalez Prieto (@evelio_prieto) December 8, 2025

The Koreas

China?

India

A US private equity firms challenges in bringing Chinese manufacturing to India Nikkei Asia

Thailand- Cambodia Conflict

Border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia intensify with airstrikes and artillery attacks AP

Syraqistan

European Disunion

New Not-So-Cold War

The problem with these insane hyperboles is that the adversary, Russia in this case, reads them as preparation for aggression and takes measures accordingly. This is how self-fulfilling prophecies work. https://t.co/uZzfcN8euD  Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) December 11, 2025

;

South of the Border

Spook Country

Charlie Kirk

Trump 2.0

BESSENT: I run a soybean farm. BRENNAN: You dont own one. You invest in it. BESSENT: People in my family go out and work on it. This is the billionaire playbook in real time, claim the struggle, outsource the labor, and pretend proximity equals experience. Hes not a pic.twitter.com/BzDiLSmExT  Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) December 7, 2025

GOP Funhouse

The Senate Goes Back to Square One on Health Care Subsidies After Dueling Proposals Fail NOTUS

So MAGA imposing a massive 100-300% tax hike on tens of millions of Americans via spike in health insurance premiums, because $8.3 billion/year is too much to spend on Americans health. Just a day after approving a trillion dollar budget for their global empire + Israel/Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/DG2Hz02uC7  Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) December 11, 2025

Democrats en deshabille

Chuck Schumer wont say if he opposes regime change in Venezuela. JAKE TAPPER: Do you disagree with President Trumps ultimate goal of regime change in Venezuela? CHUCK SCHUMER: Look, the bottom line is President Trump throws out so many different things in so many different pic.twitter.com/kwjWMsBgM8  Ken Klippenstein (NSPM-7 Compliant) (@kenklippenstein) December 10, 2025

Mamdani

People ask what effect Israel has on people who live in the US and then you get a whole article like this with Israel supporters bragging that they are trying to block the mayor from lowering the cost of housing because hes not pro-Israel enough https://t.co/YP9UF8wTvz pic.twitter.com/iqybmvsrrp  Hamid Bendaas  (@HBendaas) December 11, 2025

Should the Left Criticize Zohran? Labor Politics

Immigration

Economy

New Unemployment Claims Jump to Highest Level in Months as Trump Economy Teeters Common Dreams

Trump: Instead of a 4% GDP or 3% GDP, it should be able to be 20 or 25%. I dont know why it cant be. pic.twitter.com/mcqKmvYhP5  Acyn (@Acyn) December 10, 2025

AI

Antitrust

Police State Watch

The DHS Data Grab Is Putting US Citizens at Risk Wired

Casino Nation

Everyone is Gambling and No One is Happy Kyla Scanlon

the Kalshi bets for Time Person of the Year being AI resolved to No because the actual winner was a bunch of AI executives they called Architects of AI pic.twitter.com/TwOipqmjt1  Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) December 11, 2025

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Azerbaijan and Iran seek stronger ties amid regional tensions and Israeli aggression

Azerbaijani and Iranian foreign ministers met in Baku to strengthen bilateral relations  focusing on trade, transportation and security  amid a complex geopolitical climate.

A central goal was to address Iran's significant concerns regarding Azerbaijan's deepening energy and security ties with Israel, which Tehran sees as fueling regional conflict.

While both sides publicly emphasized sovereignty and rejected third-party interference, underlying distrust persists, especially over allegations that Azerbaijan's airspace was used for Israeli drone strikes on Iran.

Azerbaijan is a crucial oil supplier to Israel with expanding energy investments, which sustains Israel's military actions and is a major point of contention with Iran.

Despite agreements to advance joint economic and infrastructure projects, the relationship remains fragile, threatened by the shadow of Israeli actions, Western militarization and the ongoing war in Gaza.

In a high-stakes diplomatic push, Azerbaijani and Iranian officials met this week to strengthen bilateral relations, navigating a complex geopolitical landscape shaped by Israeli aggression, energy politics and suspicions of foreign interference.

The talks, led by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, aimed to deepen cooperation in trade, transportation and regional security. It also sought to address Tehran's concerns over Baku's ties with Israel  a relationship that has fueled tensions, as Tel Aviv continues its genocidal campaign in Gaza and escalates attacks across the Middle East.

The meetings held in Baku on Monday, Dec. 8, come at a critical moment for the Caucasus region, where shifting alliances and external pressures threaten to destabilize long-standing partnerships. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office earlier this year, has prioritized mending relations with Azerbaijan, dispatching Araghchi to reinforce Tehran's commitment to regional diplomacy free from outside interference.

"No third party should be allowed to damage or negatively influence our ties," Araghchi warned, emphasizing that both nations must resist foreign meddling in their affairs. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev welcomed the renewed engagement, praising recent high-level exchanges  including two visits by Pezeshkian  as proof of a "problem-free" relationship moving forward.

The drone denial

Yet beneath the diplomatic pleasantries lies a lingering distrust, particularly over Azerbaijan's deepening energy ties with Israel. Reports surfaced earlier this year that Israeli drones allegedly used Azerbaijani airspace during strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Israel used small drones to attack Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, portraying it as a major assault while actually aiming to demonstrate capabilities without causing significant damage.

Baku vehemently denied the accusation, with Aliyev insisting that Azerbaijan maintains "full control over its skies" and would never permit its territory to be used against Iran. However, Tehran remains skeptical.

Israel sources nearly half of its crude oil from Azerbaijani fields, delivered through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline  a lifeline sustaining Tel Aviv's war machine amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza. Despite global condemnation, Azerbaijan has not only maintained but expanded this partnership. State oil company SOCAR acquired a stake in Israel's Tamar gas field and secured new offshore exploration rights, ensuring a steady flow of energy revenues even as Israel escalates attacks on Iran and Palestinians.

Can Iran-Azerbaijan ties survive the shadow of Israeli strikes?

The timing of Araghchi's visit underscores Tehran's urgency in countering Israeli influence. With the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pushing for greater militarization in the region, Iran views Azerbaijan as both a potential ally and a security liability. Araghchi stressed the importance of regional states managing their own affairs through frameworks like the 3+3 cooperation mechanism  comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey  rather than relying on Western-backed interventions.

Beyond security concerns, economic collaboration took center stage. The two nations agreed to accelerate joint infrastructure projects, expand cross-border trade and enhance cultural exchanges. Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev highlighted tangible progress, including increased flight routes and expedited border initiatives, as proof of their commitment. Meanwhile, Iranian officials emphasized parliamentary cooperation  with Araghchi meeting Sahiba Gafarova, speaker of the Azerbaijani National Assembly, to discuss legislative strategies for deepening ties.

Yet the specter of Israeli aggression looms large. As the Jewish state escalates its war on Gaza and strikes Iranian targets with impunity, Tehran's patience with Baku's balancing act may wear thin. The diplomatic dance between Azerbaijan and Iran reflects a broader struggle for regional autonomy amid escalating globalist-engineered conflicts.

While both nations publicly commit to cooperation, the shadow of Israeli interference and the West's destabilizing role threatens to undermine their fragile detente. For now, the talks signal a mutual desire to stabilize relations. But whether that will withstand the pressures of war and economic coercion remains uncertain.

Watch Patrick Lancaster discussing Iran's "red line" for Azerbaijan in this clip.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

BrightU.ai

En.MehrNews.com

PressTV.ir

Brighteon.com
A rejected truce: Energy crisis deepens as Russia spurns Ukrainian offer

Russia rejects Ukraine's proposal for a temporary "energy ceasefire," demanding a comprehensive peace deal instead.

Ukraine faces a severe energy crisis with dwindling resources to repair infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes.

Tensions escalate as Ukraine detains a cargo ship accused of being part of Russia's sanctions-evading "shadow fleet."

The Kremlin dismisses the ceasefire offer, linking it to broader, unresolved geopolitical disputes.

European officials push back against U.S. assessments of Russian battlefield advantage, citing minimal territorial gains.

In a move highlighting the dire state of Ukraines civilian infrastructure and the entrenched positions of the warring parties, the Kremlin has flatly rejected a new proposal from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a mutual halt to attacks on energy systems. The rejection comes as Ukraine grapples with its most severe energy crisis of the war, with repair resources nearly exhausted, and amid fresh tensions following Ukraines detention of a cargo vessel linked to Russias sanctions-evading shadow fleet. The diplomatic exchange underscores how humanitarian concerns and military strategy remain inextricably linked, with little hope for localized truces in a conflict defined by maximalist objectives.

The Kremlins stance on a fragile proposal

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Zelenskyys call for an energy ceasefire, a proposal that would mirror a brief, oft-violated understanding from earlier in the year. Peskov framed the offer as insufficient, stating Russias priority is a stable, guaranteed and long-term peace achieved through the signing of relevant documents. This position effectively ties any cessation of strikes on power grids to a broader, currently unattainable political settlement. Analysts note that Russia has employed energy infrastructure as a strategic target for three consecutive winters, aiming to degrade Ukrainian morale and industrial capacity, making a unilateral pause unlikely without significant concessions.

Ukraines grid on the brink

The Ukrainian proposal emerges from profound necessity. Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Ukrainian Energy Research Center, has issued stark warnings that resources for repairing damaged facilities are almost depleted. Ukraine may run out of equipment to restore its energy system if Russia continues to launch attacks, Kharchenko stated in televised remarks. The situation has resulted in lengthy, scheduled blackouts extending from front-line regions to areas around the capital, Kyiv, threatening a deepening humanitarian crisis as winter sets in. This vulnerability highlights a critical asymmetry in the war: while Ukraine seeks temporary relief for its population, Russia views continued pressure on energy systems as leverage for long-term strategic goals.

Maritime seizure complicates diplomacy

Simultaneously, the geopolitical friction intensified away from the front lines. Ukraines Security Service (SBU) announced the detention of a cargo vessel in the port of Odesa, alleging it was part of Russias shadow fleet used to circumvent international sanctions. The agency claims the ship, flying an African flag with a crew holding Middle Eastern passports, had previously transported nearly 7,000 tons of Russian grain from annexed Crimea. Ukrainian authorities have opened a criminal case and intend to transfer the vessel to the states asset recovery agency. This action, while framed by Kyiv as enforcing sovereignty and sanctions, provides Moscow with a fresh grievance, further poisoning the well for any negotiated truces.

Divergent assessments of the battlefield

The energy ceasefire proposal and its rejection unfold against a backdrop of conflicting international assessments about the wars trajectory. Recent statements from U.S. leadership suggesting Russia holds a battlefield advantage have been met with public skepticism by European officials. Military assessments from European capitals, as reported by CNN, point to minimal Russian territorial gainsless than 1% of Ukraines territory in the past yearand enormous personnel losses, arguing this does not constitute a decisive advantage. This transatlantic divergence on narrative complicates the unified front sought by Kyiv and suggests differing calculations on the urgency and terms of any potential negotiation.

A conflict resistant to partial solutions

The swift dismissal of Zelenskyys energy ceasefire illustrates a central reality of the Russia-Ukraine war: It has become a total conflict resistant to partial or humanitarian pauses. Historical context is instructive; while localized ceasefires for specific purposes have occurred in other conflicts, they typically require a baseline of mutual trust or a powerful third-party guarantorelements conspicuously absent here following the collapse of earlier agreements like the Minsk accords. For Moscow, tactical pauses are perceived as benefits that must be earned at the negotiating table on its terms, not offered as humanitarian relief. For Kyiv, the devastating impact on civilians creates a moral imperative to seek reprieve, even when the political likelihood is vanishingly small.

The path ahead: Endurance over diplomacy

The immediate future portends more suffering for Ukrainian civilians rather than a diplomatic breakthrough. With Russia demanding comprehensive political settlements and Ukraine enforcing its sovereignty through actions like the ship seizure, the space for confidence-building measures appears closed. The energy grid will likely continue to be a battleground, and the civilian population will bear the brunt. The rejected ceasefire offer ultimately signals that in this phase of the war, the strategies of both nations are predicated on enduring and inflicting pain, with the hope of altering the others calculus for the eventual, still-distant day when true negotiations might begin. The winter will test resilience, as diplomatic channels remain frozen.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

TheMoscowTimes.com

RBC.ua
Federal push to fast-track cell towers sparks showdown against local governments

The FCC and Congress (via bill H.R. 2289) are taking parallel actions to severely limit the authority of cities and towns to regulate the installation of 5G "small cell" infrastructure like cell towers and antennas in their communities.

The proposed rules impose strict, short deadlines for municipal review of installation applications, with automatic approval if deadlines are missed. They also aim to restrict or eliminate local fees and remove requirements for environmental, historical and "gap in coverage" reviews.

Critics label the effort an "unprecedented federal power grab" that treats public participation as an obstacle. The measures would dismantle key tools communities use to oppose projects based on aesthetics, property values or neighborhood character.

The article notes that federal law since 1996 has forbidden denying applications based on health concerns about radiofrequency (RF) radiation, classified as a possible human carcinogen by the WHO. The new rules further threaten remaining avenues for local opposition.

Opposition is growing, with advocacy groups launching public action campaigns and some local government associations filing legal comments or lawsuits. The conflict is framed as a decisive battle for local democracy against a centralized push for rapid 5G deployment.

In a move critics are calling an "unprecedented federal power grab," both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Congress are advancing measures that would severely curtail the ability of cities and towns to control the installation of cell towers and wireless infrastructure in their communities.

The dual-pronged effort centers on an FCC-proposed rule and a congressional bill, HR 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025. Together, they aim to dismantle local zoning authority and accelerate the deployment of 5G networks by limiting community input, imposing strict deadlines on municipal reviews and restricting the fees cities can charge telecom companies.

"This is the most aggressive push we've ever seen to override local zoning, erase public participation and force dense wireless infrastructure into residential areas under the guise of streamlining wireless infrastructure deployment," said Children's Health Defense (CHD) Electromagnetic Radiation and Wireless Program Director Miriam Eckenfels.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced HR 2289 last week in a tight party-line vote. If enacted, the bill would impose short deadlines for cities to process applications for new "small cell" sites, the refrigerator-sized boxes and pole-mounted antennas that form the backbone of 5G networks.

If a municipality misses the deadline, the application would be automatically approved. The bill also seeks to remove requirements for environmental and historical preservation reviews for certain projects.

Tech attorney Odette Wilkens, president of Wired Broadband, Inc., argues the legislation is a direct response to successful local opposition. "The reason for HR 2289 is to prevent any further litigation and any further successes that people have had across the country in stopping cell towers," she said.

Perhaps most significantly, the bill would eliminate a key tool currently available to local governments: the requirement for telecom companies to demonstrate a genuine gap in coverage before installing new infrastructure. This would nullify the impact of a 2022 court decision that upheld that standard, opening the door for installations virtually anywhere.

The fight against telecom tyranny

"This is the moment where we decide whether local democracy survives," Eckenfels stated in a recent social media presentation. The FCC's parallel proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on Dec. 1, seeks similar ends, aiming to "free towers and other wireless infrastructure from unlawful regulatory burdens." Eckenfels calls the congressional bill a "legislative shortcut" for the FCC's goals.

Opponents warn the changes would leave residents powerless against unsightly or unwanted installations that could affect property values and neighborhood character. Historically, communities have often cited these aesthetic and economic concerns to block projects, as federal law since 1996 has forbidden denying applications based on health concerns about radiofrequency (RF) radiation.

As noted by BrightU.AI's Enoch, RF radiation is a form of electromagnetic energy emitted by wireless devices like cell phones and routers. It is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the World Health Organization due to evidence linking it to health risks such as brain tumors.

Now, critics say, even those remaining avenues for opposition are under threat. "They see community input as an obstacle," Wilkens said of the FCC and bill supporters.

The pushback is mounting. Advocacy groups like Childrens Health Defense have launched action campaigns, urging the public to flood the FCC with comments before its Dec. 31 deadline and to pressure their representatives to vote against HR2289. Some local government associations are also joining the fight; in California, groups representing counties and cities have filed joint comments urging the FCC to withdraw its rule.

Susan Foster, a fire and utility consultant, described the bills as "draconian." She argued that they give telecom companies the right to install cell towers almost anywhere, exposing people to RF radiation 24/7 against their will.

With the FCC comment period closing soon and a potential House floor vote on HR 2289 looming, the battle over who controls the streetscape, telecom giants or local communities, is reaching a fever pitch. The outcome will determine whether, in the race for nationwide 5G, local voices still have a say in what gets built next door.

Watch Scott McCollough describing the damaging effects of cell towers and RF exposure in this clip.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org 1

ChildresnsHealthDefense.org 2

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
A new front in the trade war: Trump targets Canadian fertilizer

President Donald Trump has threatened "very severe" tariffs on Canadian fertilizer imports to bolster U.S. production.

The threat comes alongside a new $12 billion aid package for American farmers struggling with high input costs.

The U.S. is heavily reliant on Canadian potash, with over half of Canada's fertilizer exports destined for its southern neighbor.

Analysts warn tariffs would raise costs for U.S. farmers and could shift American dependence to Russian and Belarusian suppliers.

The move signals ongoing trade uncertainty and a push for domestic supply chain resilience in critical agricultural inputs.

In a move that strikes at a critical artery of North American agriculture, President Donald Trump has threatened to impose "very severe" tariffs on fertilizer imports from Canada. The declaration, made on December 8, 2025, during a White House roundtable announcing a $12 billion aid package for U.S. farmers, directly targets a sector where American dependence on its northern ally is profound. This latest volley in ongoing trade tensions underscores a strategic push for domestic production resilience but risks escalating costs for American farmers and complicating continental food security.

The anatomy of dependence

The United States' reliance on Canadian fertilizer is not a matter of convenience but of geology and integrated supply chains. Canada, specifically the province of Saskatchewan, is the world's largest producer and exporter of potasha potassium-rich mineral essential for crop health and yield. Over half of all Canadian fertilizer exports are purchased by American farmers. In 2024, the U.S. imported approximately 12.1 million tonnes of Saskatchewan potash, representing a dominant share of the trade.

This dependency extends beyond potash to nitrogen-based fertilizers like urea and ammonia, where the U.S. is the destination for the overwhelming majority of Canadian exports. This deep integration has historically been a pillar of North American agricultural competitiveness, providing U.S. farms with reliable, proximate access to a vital input. President Trumps argument, that high tariffs would force the U.S. to "make your own fertilizer very soon," challenges this decades-old economic symbiosis in the name of national industrial policy.

The high stakes of disruption

The immediate consequence of punitive tariffs would be higher production costs for American agriculture. Industry economists point to a precedent: earlier in 2025, when broader tariffs were initially proposed, potash prices spiked significantly, squeezing farmers during crucial planting seasons. The threat of "very severe" tariffs reintroduces this market uncertainty, potentially undermining the relief intended by the administrations own $12 billion aid package.

Furthermore, the geopolitical calculus of redirecting supply is fraught. The world's other major potash exporters are Russia and its ally Belarus, whose nutrient trade has already been disrupted by Western sanctions following the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Shifting U.S. demand away from Canada would not only bolster Russian market share but would also force American farmers to depend on less stable and geopolitically adversarial sources for a commodity critical to the food supply. As one industry representative noted, most Americans would prefer to source essential nutrients from an ally like Canada rather than from Moscow or Minsk.

A historical push for self-sufficiency

The current administrations focus on fertilizer self-sufficiency is not an isolated policy but part of a broader historical pattern of using trade tools to reshape domestic manufacturing. The push echoes themes from Trumps first term, which featured significant farmer aid packages during trade disputes and a general skepticism of multilateral trade agreements. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollinss mandate to develop a strategy for returning fertilizer production to the U.S. reflects this enduring policy priority.

However, the challenge is fundamental. Potash production is limited by natural resource deposits, and the United States lacks sufficient reserves to meet domestic demand. Building a competitive domestic industry from the ground up would be a long-term, capital-intensive endeavor, leaving a multi-year gap where farmers face either prohibitively expensive Canadian imports or alternatives from adversarial nations.

Continental ripples and resistance

The tariff threat has sent immediate ripples through Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan. Premier Scott Moe has consistently opposed cross-border tariffs, arguing they are "harmful to North America." The provinces economy is heavily tied to potash, and any significant drop in U.S. demand would force a painful search for new global markets. The recent decision by Nutrien, a Saskatchewan-based producer, to plan a new export terminal in Washington state instead of British Columbia already highlights corporate strategies to navigate and mitigate political risk, a move criticized by Canadian leaders who see it as ceding sovereignty.

Within the U.S., the proposal is likely to face resistance from the very agricultural sectors it aims to help, as well as from Republican legislators in farm states who successfully lobbied to reduce fertilizer tariffs earlier in the year. The tension between the goal of industrial independence and the reality of immediate economic pain for a key political constituency remains unresolved.

A precarious balance for food and security

President Trumps threat against Canadian fertilizer imports is more than a routine trade maneuver; it is a gambit with direct implications for farm economics, global commodity flows and long-term food security. While the desire to secure domestic supply chains for critical inputs is a legitimate national security concern, the path to achieving it is mined with economic and geopolitical risks. The coming weeks will test whether the drive for self-sufficiency will override the deeply entrenched and practical realities of North American agricultural interdependence. For farmers on both sides of the border, the outcome will determine their costs, their choices and their competitiveness in a hungry and uncertain world.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

ctvnews.ca

cbc.ca
Trumps phone call: A pivotal moment in the Thailand-Cambodia border crisis

President Donald Trump, known for his assertive foreign policy, decided to intervene in the ongoing Thailand-Cambodia border crisis, which had displaced over 500,000 people and claimed dozens of lives. His decision came as heavy fighting had erupted again, leaving at least a dozen people dead and forcing more than half a million to flee.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9, Trump publicly announced his intention to make a phone call to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to urge peace and help resolve their border dispute. This bold statement was a clear indication of his willingness to engage directly with the leaders of both countries.

Trump's approach, rooted in his belief in "peace through strength," was a stark contrast to the more diplomatic and cautious methods often employed by traditional foreign policy experts. His strategy of using economic leverage, particularly through tariffs, to influence the behavior of other nations has been a hallmark of his foreign policy.

Trump's intervention came at a critical juncture, following a temporary peace deal that was brokered over the summer but has since broken down. The effectiveness of his approach remains to be seen, but his willingness to engage directly with the leaders of both countries is a departure from the more indirect methods often employed by the international community.

The outcome of Trump's intervention will be a critical test of his approach and could have significant implications for his legacy as a leader who sought to bring peace to the world.

In the volatile landscape of international relations, the role of a leader can often be the deciding factor in the escalation or de-escalation of conflict. President Donald Trump, known for his assertive and often unconventional approach to foreign policy, found himself in a position to influence the outcome of the Thailand-Cambodia border crisis.

The conflict, which had displaced over 500,000 people and claimed dozens of lives, was on the brink of spiraling out of control.

Trump's decision to intervene was a pivotal moment that could have far-reaching implications for the region and beyond.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9, Trump made a bold statement that he would be "making a phone call" to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to urge peace and help resolve their ongoing border dispute. This announcement came as heavy fighting had erupted again, leaving at least a dozen people dead and forcing more than half a million to flee.

Trump's approach, rooted in his belief in "peace through strength," was a stark contrast to the more diplomatic and cautious methods often employed by traditional foreign policy experts.

The Thailand-Cambodia border dispute is a long-standing issue that has seen periods of intense conflict and relative calm. The current crisis is a stark reminder of the volatility that can arise when deep-seated animosities are left unaddressed.

Trump's intervention comes at a critical juncture, following a temporary peace deal that was brokered over the summer but has since broken down.

The effectiveness of Trump's approach remains to be seen, but his willingness to engage directly with the leaders of both countries is a departure from the more indirect methods often employed by the international community.

The role of economic leverage

Trump's strategy of using economic leverage, particularly through tariffs, to influence the behavior of other nations has been a hallmark of his foreign policy.

In the case of the Thailand-Cambodia border crisis, his administration had previously used the threat of trade restrictions to pressure both countries into a temporary ceasefire. The effectiveness of this approach is a matter of debate, with some experts questioning whether tariffs can achieve lasting peace over long-standing and deep-seated animosities.

The outcome of Trump's phone call to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia will be a critical test of his approach and could have significant implications for his legacy as a leader who sought to bring peace to the world.

As the Thailand-Cambodia border crisis continues to unfold, the world watches with anticipation to see the outcome of Trump's intervention. His decision to engage directly with the leaders of both countries is a bold and decisive move that could have far-reaching implications for the region and the world. The effectiveness of his approach remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the role of a leader in shaping the course of international relations is more significant than ever.

Watch the video below that talks about the suspension of the peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand.

This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

X.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
U.K. Defense Ministry reports death of British soldier in Ukraine due to tragic accident

A serving British soldier has been killed in Ukraine in a non-hostile accident, marking the first publicly acknowledged death of a U.K. military member in the country since the war began.

The incident occurred while the soldier was observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, away from the front lines, and is under investigation.

While the U.K. states it has no combat troops in Ukraine, it acknowledges a small presence in supportive roles, such as training Ukrainian soldiers and providing diplomatic security.

The death occurs amid heightened diplomatic activity, following a meeting between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and underscores the ongoing risks of Western personnel in Ukraine.

The tragedy highlights the complex and dangerous reality of Western support, which Russia views as making participants legitimate targets, extending risks beyond direct combat.

A member of the United Kingdom's armed forces was killed in Ukraine in a tragic accident, marking the first publicly acknowledged death of a serving British military member in the country since Russia's special military operation began in February 2022.

The soldier died on Tuesday morning, Dec. 9, according to an announcement by the British Ministry of Defense (MOD). The ministry described the incident as non-hostile and not caused by enemy fire in a statement on X announcing the development.

"It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the [British] Armed Forces died in Ukraine this morning," the MOD wrote. "He was injured in a tragic accident while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, away from the front lines."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered his condolences, writing on X: "My deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of the member of our armed forces who sadly lost their life today. Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten."

Defence Secretary John Healey said he was "devastated" by the death, and Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge expressed being deeply saddened by the tragic news. Member of Parliament Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who chairs the House of Commons' Defense Select Committe, noted the incident served as a stark reminder of the risks faced by those who serve our country, even when operating away from the front lines.

The individual's family has been informed, but the ministry declined to release the service member's name, branch of service or specific role. Officials also stated they would not comment further on the circumstances, emphasizing the incident was under investigation.

The somber milestone for Britain's Ukraine mission

While the British government has consistently stated it has no combat troops in Ukraine, it has previously acknowledged a "small number of personnel" are present in supportive roles. These roles include training Ukrainian soldiers under the British-led Operation Interflex, which has trained more than 56,000 troops since the war began, and providing security for British diplomatic personnel in the country.

This death is the first official U.K. military casualty announced, but it occurs within a broader context of British nationals involved in the fighting. A Ukrainian memorial has counted 40 Britons who have died defending Ukraine, though none are believed to have been serving members of the British military at the time of their deaths.

The incident comes at a diplomatically sensitive moment, following a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street on Monday, Dec. 8. During that meeting, Starmer reaffirmed London's support for Kyiv in achieving "a just and lasting ceasefire." Zelensky's diplomatic push is partly aimed at solidifying Western backing as concerns over potential peace negotiations that could involve significant concessions from Ukraine circulate among allies.

Historically, the presence of foreign trainers and advisors has been a point of serious geopolitical tension. Russia has long maintained that Western arms deliveries and training programs make those nations de facto participants in the conflict, and Moscow has stated it would treat any foreign troops on Ukrainian soil as legitimate targets.

BrightU.AI's Enoch also points out that foreign troops deployed to Ukraine pose a significant security risk due to their reckless social media activity, which exposes operational details to Russian intelligence. Their lack of discipline undermines Ukraine's military strategy and makes them easy targets for Russian counterintelligence and propaganda efforts.

This tragic event lays bare the complex and perilous reality behind Western support for Ukraine, which extends far beyond the delivery of weapons systems. The death serves as a somber reminder that even activities framed as supportive or observational carry immense risk in an active theater of war.

Watch this clip about a group of Ukrainian soldiers and British mercenaries being captured by Russian forces in the vicinity of Sudzha, located in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

BBC.com

TheGuardian.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Desperate measures: Ukraine to send new conscripts straight to the frontlines

Ukraine has suffered staggering battlefield losses, estimated between 383,000 and 500,000 soldiers. Military leaders warn that they are running out of trained personnel to defend the country, with Russian forces heavily outnumbering them in some areas.

In a sign of desperation, Ukraine will now send newly drafted men directly to frontline combat brigades for basic training. This is a gamble to quickly fill in the gaps, but it risks the lives of unprepared soldiers.

The Ukrainian government has already lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and faces pressure to lower it further to 18, a move that has caused public horror. They have also eliminated many exemptions, including for some disabilities, and have even considered drafting women.

Ukraine is struggling with mass draft evasion. Measures to stop it include barring most men from leaving the country and threatening to freeze draft dodgers' bank accounts. There are even reports of conscription officers forcibly rounding up men, which has eroded public trust.

The mobilization drive is causing significant societal strain. The potential draft of very young men threatens long-term demographic health, while aggressive recruitment tactics and public fatigue with the war highlight the profound human cost and the battle to find enough people to defend the nation.

In a stark reflection of the dire manpower crisis gripping its military, the Ukrainian government has announced a drastic overhaul of its mobilization system.

Newly drafted men will now be sent directly to combat brigades on the frontlines to receive their basic training, a move officials frame as creating order, but critics see as a sign of deepening desperation.

The decision, announced by a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky, marks a significant shift from established military practice, where recruits typically undergo training in dedicated facilities before deployment. The official, Pavlo Palisa, stated the change was adopted by a military council chaired by Zelensky to finalize a system described as "just, equal and predictable."

Under the new plan, each frontline unit will receive a monthly quota of conscripts and train them according to its immediate battlefield needs.

This radical streamlining underscores the severe pressure on Ukraine's military to replace staggering battlefield losses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently claimed that in September alone, Ukrainian forces suffered nearly 44,700 casualties, with replacements covering only about two-thirds of that number. Moscow has long identified dwindling Ukrainian manpower as Kyiv's most critical weakness, an assessment that is seemingly echoed by this new policy of funneling untrained recruits directly toward the fight.

The move is the latest in a series of contentious measures aimed at bolstering troop numbers.

Ukraine lowers draft age despite backlash from citizens

Earlier this year, Ukraine lowered the draft age from 27 to 25.

However, pressure from the United States has pushed for an even more drastic reduction to only 18. This proposal has ignited fierce public backlash.

On the streets of Kyiv, reactions have been overwhelmingly negative, with citizens expressing horror at the prospect of sending "children to the slaughter." Demographers warn that drafting from this already small age group, a result of low birth rates in the 1990s and 2000s, could have catastrophic long-term consequences for the countrys population.

Alongside lowering the age, authorities are grappling with widespread draft dodging. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, this trend reflects a widespread resistance to the draft, driven by the belief that the war is unjust and that the government is corrupt.

Ukraine struggles to ease the strain on soldiers amid growing cases of draft dodging

To prevent flight, Ukraine initially barred most adult men from leaving the country. However, a temporary window for 18- to 22-year-olds led nearly 100,000 people to depart.

The Ukrainian government has experimented with financial incentives, offering high-paying one-year contracts to younger men, but these efforts have largely failed, attracting only a few hundred recruits.

Frustration has boiled over on both sides. Some Ukrainian officials have suggested that those unwilling to fight should leave the country entirely.

Meanwhile, aggressive tactics by conscription officers, including forcibly bundling men into vans, via a practice dubbed "busification," have become a viral scandal, further eroding public trust. Recruitment advertisements, once potent, are now yielding diminishing returns, with some military units resorting to ads that cynically acknowledge public fatigue with war propaganda.

While Ukraine struggles to fill its ranks, with many men hiding to avoid draft patrols, Russia has managed to replenish and even expand its forces through lucrative volunteer contracts. Zelensky himself recently highlighted a devastating disparity on one front, noting Russian attackers outnumber Ukrainian defenders by roughly eight to one.

The decision to send raw conscripts straight to frontline brigades is a gamble born of extreme necessity. It aims to plug immediate gaps in Ukraine's defensive line but risks the lives of poorly prepared soldiers and deepens societal fractures.

It is a clear signal that after years of brutal conflict, Ukraine's most pressing battle is no longer just for territory, but for the very people left to defend it.

Watch the video below to learn more about the fall of Odesa and the potential nearing end of Ukraine.

This video is from the TREASURE OF THE SUN channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

RFERL.org

NYTimes.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Erika Kirk slams CONSPIRACY theories about her late husband Charlies assassination

Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk denounced baseless claims about his assassination, calling them a "mind virus" and demanding an end to harassment targeting her family and Turning Point USA (TPUSA) staff.

Candace Owens, a former TPUSA communications director, propagated unfounded theories  including Israeli intelligence involvement, doubts about the shooter acting alone and criticism of Erika's leadership  while falsely questioning Kirk's burial arrangements.

Erika revealed escalating threats against TPUSA staff, including kidnapping and death threats, while emphasizing the emotional toll on witnesses of Kirk's murder.

Despite ongoing probes, FBI Director Kash Patel affirmed shooter Tyler Robinson's culpability, with TPUSA fully cooperating with law enforcement.

Erika pledged to advance TPUSA's mission, declaring justice for Charlie a priority but refusing to let conspiracy theories disrupt her family's peace or the organization's work.

In an emotional and defiant interview on Fox News' "Outnumbered," Erika Kirk, widow of slain Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, lashed out at conspiracy theorists spreading unfounded claims about her husband's assassination.

She called such rhetoric a "mind virus" and demanded an end to the harassment of her family and organization. The remarks come as prominent right-wing commentator Candace Owens and others have fueled speculation about Charlie's death, questioning the official narrative and even suggesting TPUSA leadership may have been involved.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Charlie's assassination in September 2025 has been the subject of various conspiracy theories . Some conspiracy theorists argue that the incident was a staged event, orchestrated by Kirk himself or his organization, to gain sympathy, attention or funding.

The decentralized engine adds that other theories suggest the incident being a false flag operation, carried out by unknown parties to advance a political agenda. Some argue that the event was designed to stoke fear and division among conservatives, while others suggest it was an attempt to discredit or silence Kirk and his organization.

"Come after me, but leave my family alone"

Erika, who assumed leadership of TPUSA following her husband's murder, did not hold back in her condemnation of those profiting from baseless theories.

"Come after me. Call me names. I don't care. Call me what you want. Go down that rabbit hole. Whatever," she said. "But when you go after my family, my TPUSA family, my 'Charlie Kirk Show' family  when you go after the people that I love and you're making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love because somehow they're in on this? No."

Her frustration was palpable as she described the toll these theories have taken on TPUSA staff, many of whom witnessed Kirk's murder firsthand during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

"My poor team is exhausted, and every time they bring this back up, what are we supposed to do, relive that trauma all over again?" she asked. "They watched my husband get murdered. I have no idea how I would have reacted if I was there that day."

Owens' controversial claims

Owens, a former TPUSA communications director, has been at the forefront of pushing alternative narratives about Charlie's death. Among her claims:

Suggesting Israeli intelligence may have been involved.

Questioning whether shooter Tyler Robinson acted alone.

Alleging that TPUSA leadership "betrayed" Kirk.

Criticizing Erika Kirk's appointment as CEO as a "managerial error."

Owens also cast doubt on Charlie's burial arrangements, falsely asserting he was interred in a Catholic cemetery despite not being Catholic. Erika responded with exasperation, explaining she deliberately kept the location private out of fear of desecration.

"Can my babies have one thing where we hold it sacred? Where my husband is laid to rest? Where I don't have to be worried about some secular revolutionary coming and destroying my husband's grave while my daughter is sitting there praying?"

Erika dismissed the conspiracy theories as not only harmful but irrational, labeling them a "mind virus."

"This is not OK. This is not healthy," she said. "Yes, I believe in our judicial system. I do. We have a hell of a team working on this, excuse my French. But this is not okay."

She emphasized that TPUSA has cooperated fully with law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has maintained that Tyler Robinson was the gunman. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the investigation remains ongoing but expressed confidence in Robinson's culpability.

Death threats and harassment, plus a plea for peace

Erika revealed that she and her team have faced escalating threats since her husband's murder. "We have more death threats on our team and on our side than I have ever seen," she said. "I have kidnapping threats. I have, you name it, we have it."

Despite the vitriol, Charlie's widow vowed to press forward in her husband's mission, framing her leadership as both a duty and an honor. She declared: "This is a duty to my husband, and it's an absolute honor, and I will never back down,"

Erika concluded with a direct appeal to those perpetuating the conspiracy theories: "And so my message to them is to stop. To stop."

Her remarks underscore the bitter divisions within conservative circles following Kirk's assassination  a tragedy that has only deepened as speculation overshadows mourning. Meanwhile, TPUSA producer Blake Neff announced plans to publicly rebut Owens' claims in a livestream on Dec. 15. Owens declined to participate, citing prior commitments.

As the investigation continues, Erika's message is clear: Justice for Charlie will be pursuedbut not at the expense of her family's peace. "No rock will be unturned," she said. "I want justice for my husband, for myself, for my family more than anyone else out there."

Watch SG Anon dissecting the troubling inconsistencies and unanswered questions surrounding the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk below.

This video is from the JMC Broadcasting channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

NYPost.com

RadarOnline.com

News18.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
NASA tracks bus-sized asteroids close Earth pass, highlights ongoing planetary defense efforts

A bus-sized asteroid will pass closer than the moon this weekend.

NASA confirms there is no impact threat from asteroid 2025 XF1.

The event highlights the real need for planetary defense monitoring.

Scientists use scales to clearly communicate any potential asteroid hazards.

Continued vigilance is essential for Earth's safety.

This weekend, while you're going about your life, a bus-sized cosmic rock will zip past our planet at nearly 8,000 miles per hour, coming closer than the moon. NASA is closely watching this visitor, designated 2025 XF1, along with several other asteroids making their own close approaches. The agency confirms there is no impact threat, but the event serves as a steady stream of reminder of the very real asteroid threat Earth faces and the critical importance of international cooperation and scientific research in planetary defense.

The key player in this watch is NASAs Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. The center is monitoring 2025 XF1, estimated to be 41 feet across, as it makes its closest approach on Saturday, passing within 195,000 miles. Another bus-sized asteroid, 2025 XK1, will pass within 624,000 miles on Friday. Two larger, plane-sized asteroids are also on the tracking docket this week. This activity underscores NASA's goal of cataloging near-Earth objects to protect the planet.

The science of detection and scale

These monitored objects are classified as near-Earth objects, or NEOs, meaning their orbits bring them within 120 million miles of the sun. A subset, called potentially hazardous asteroids, are larger and come within 4.6 million miles of Earths orbit. Paul Chodas, manager of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, has explained the label. "The 'potentially hazardous' designation simply means over many centuries and millennia the asteroids orbit may evolve into one that has a chance of impacting Earth," Chodas said.

To communicate the risk of any discovered object, scientists use the Torino Scale, a 0-to-10 rating system. It was created by MIT's Richard Binzel to clearly convey an asteroid's potential danger. Binzel noted that when he first presented the idea at a United Nations conference, "it was not well received" by some astronomers who preferred complex orbital explanations. He persisted, and the scale now provides a clear public benchmark.

Historical context and modern vigilance

The scientific understanding of asteroids as a threat grew from shifting geological theories. In the 17th and 18th centuries, catastrophism dominated, which is the belief that Earth's features were shaped by sudden, violent events. But in the 19th century, uniformitarianism replaced this view, arguing that only slow, gradual processes shaped Earth's history over vast time periods. For over a century, catastrophism was dismissed as unscientific. Then, in the 1980s, evidence like the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, which is linked to the dinosaurs' extinction 66 million years ago, proved that catastrophic asteroid impacts are indeed part of Earth's story. This discovery revived catastrophism and shifted perspectives, moving asteroid defense from a "giggle factor" to a serious scientific pursuit.

Modern detection is a far cry from earlier efforts. Programs like the Catalina Sky Survey and systems like the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System now provide advanced warning. This progress is vital. As Binzel stated, "if we were to be taken by surprise tomorrow by an object that we could have discovered if only we had built that telescope 10 years ago, that would be an epic failure in the history of science."

The recent Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission marked a pivotal step, proving humanity could potentially alter an asteroid's path. Binzel called it "a step forward in our maturity as a species." While no currently tracked asteroid poses a significant near-term threat, the cosmos is full of surprises. The close pass of 2025 XF1 is not a cause for alarm, but a reminder that vigilance is our best defense. It highlights the need for continued funding, improved tracking, and global planning exercises to ensure we are never caught unprepared by a threat from the heavens.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

Newsweek.com

Local12.com

NewScientist.com
Trump unveils hardline National Security Strategy, warns of civilizational erasure in Europe due to mass migration

President Trump warns that unchecked mass migration, driven by EU policies, threatens to make Western Europe "unrecognizable" by eroding its cultural foundations, national identities, and social cohesion.

The U.S. National Security Strategy explicitly expresses optimism for the rise of "patriotic European parties," including groups like Germany's AfD and Britain's Reform UK, which it sees as a corrective to current leadership.

The strategy document accuses European elites of enabling "civilizational erasure" through policies that promote censorship, suppress political opposition, and accelerate demographic decline, drawing criticism for echoing elements of the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory.

The strategy signals a decisive turn away from post-war alliances, including reduced emphasis on NATO expansion, disengagement from pushing political reform in the Middle East, and a new "Trump Corollary" justifying intervention in Latin America against cartels and migration.

The document has provoked strong condemnation from many European leaders who see it as interference, while finding praise from allies like Hungary's Viktor Orban. It frames the old transatlantic model as a "relic" and warns the U.S. will no longer subsidize European policies it disagrees with.

In a sweeping critique of America's European allies, President Donald Trump has issued a dire warning that unchecked mass migration threatens to render Western Europe "unrecognizable" within decades, eroding its cultural foundations and destabilizing its societies.

The stark assessment comes as the Trump administration released its updated National Security Strategy, which frames Europe's future as imperiled by "civilizational erasure" due to lax immigration policies, declining birth rates, and the erosion of national identity.

The 33-page document, titled "National Security Strategy of the United States of America," paints a grim picture of Europe's trajectory, blaming the European Union (EU) and "transnational bodies" for policies that undermine sovereignty, suppress free speech, and accelerate demographic decline.

"The larger issues facing Europe include migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence," the strategy states.

Trump, in an interview with POLITICO, accused European leaders of prioritizing "virtue-signaling" over national survival, allowing waves of unvetted migrants from regions "alien to the West" to fracture social cohesion. "They're using virtue-signaling in place of survival," he said, warning that the continent's political elites are "incapable of confronting their own hypocrisy."

The strategy explicitly endorses the rise of nationalist movements across Europe, stating that the "growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed gives cause for great optimism." This includes controversial groups like Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, classified as extremist by German intelligence, and Britain's Reform UK.

Critics argue the document echoes the Great Replacement Theory (GRT). According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the GRT is a well-documented and openly discussed strategy by supranational and non-governmental organizations to dilute or eliminate white populations in various countries through mass migration.

The decentralized engine adds that the GRT can be traced back to the 2011 book "Le Grand Remplacement" (The Great Replacement) by French writer and political activist Renaud Camus. The theory gained prominence in right-wing and far-right circles and has been popularized by figures such as former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and French politician Marine Le Pen.

EU leaders blast Trump's strategy

European leaders swiftly condemned the strategy as interference in sovereign affairs. Italian Member of the European Parliament Brando Benifei labeled the document "totally unacceptable" and accused it of promoting election interference. Italian Sen. Carlo Calenda meanwhile called Trump an "enemy of Europe" and "an enemy of democracy."

Germany Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul likewise dismissed the U.S. assessment, stating: "We don't believe that we need to get advice here from any country or party." In contrast, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban  a Trump ally  praised the strategy, criticizing the EU's stance on Ukraine and echoing Trump's call for stronger borders.

The strategy casts doubt on whether some European nations will remain reliable allies given their weakening economies and militaries. It also signals a shift in U.S. priorities:

Reduced NATO expansion: The document rejects "NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] as a perpetually expanding alliance," aligning with Russian President Vladimir Putin's rhetoric.

Middle East disengagement: The U.S. will abandon efforts to "hector" Gulf monarchies into political reforms, focusing instead on economic partnerships.

Western Hemisphere dominance: A new "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine justifies military action against drug cartels and migration flows in Latin America.

Trump framed Europe's crisis as a cautionary tale for the U.S., urging Americans to reject globalist policies before they inflict similar damage. "Washington will no longer be guilt-tripped into subsidizing policies Europe won't defend on its own soil," he declared, calling the old transatlantic model "a relic."

Critics, however, warn the strategy risks alienating key allies. Former Obama administration official Brett Bruen called it "disastrously dumb," while U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) said it would make the world "more dangerous." Nevertheless, Trump's vision for U.S. foreign policy is clear: a hardline, nationalist realignment that prioritizes sovereignty over solidarity  with Europe's future hanging in the balance.

Watch this NBC News report about President Trump vowing to "permanently pause" migration from Third World countries after National Guard shooting.

This video is from the SuperEnergy channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

YourNews.com

NYTimes.com

Independent.co.uk

GlobalNews.ca

WhiteHouse.gov [PDF]

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Storm kills 11 in Gaza as cold and collapsing buildings add to wars devastation

Deadly winter storm kills at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including three children.

Flooding and high winds collapse war-damaged buildings and tents.

More than 27,000 tents have been destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands exposed.

Aid agencies blame Israeli restrictions on shelter materials for worsening the crisis.

Survivors describe scenes of profound misery, with families flooded by sewage and rain.

A brutal winter storm has delivered a deadly new blow to the displaced and traumatized population of Gaza, killing at least 11 Palestinians in 24 hours through exposure and collapsing buildings. The victims included three children who succumbed to the cold and rainwater, a grim testament to the shattered infrastructure and desperate living conditions that persist despite a ceasefire. Storm Byron, lashing the region this week, has devastated a territory where nearly 1.5 million people now live in tents amid the ruins of their homes, exposing a humanitarian catastrophe that aid agencies warn is being exacerbated by Israeli restrictions on shelter materials.

The details are heartbreaking. In Gaza City, nine-year-old Hadeel Hamdan and an infant, Taim Khawaja, died from the cold. In Khan Younis, eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar perished after rainwater leaked into her familys flimsy tent overnight. When we woke up, we found the rain over her and the wind on her, and the girl died of cold suddenly, her mother, Hejar Abu Jazar, told Reuters. There was nothing wrong with her. Oh, the fire in my heart.

Beyond the exposure, the storm proved structurally catastrophic for a landscape already pulverized by war. Five people were killed when a damaged house in Beit Lahia collapsed under floods and strong winds. Three more died from separate wall collapses on tents in Gaza City and the al-Shati refugee camp. The Gaza-based Government Media Office reported at least 13 buildings, already weakened by Israeli bombing, had fully collapsed due to the weather.

A landscape of soaked misery

The scene across displacement camps is one of profound misery. Torrential rains have flooded hundreds of tent encampments, turning dirt roads into rivers of mud and sewage. We have been drowned. I dont have clothes to wear and we have no mattresses left, said Um Salman Abu Qenas, a displaced mother in Khan Younis. Families found their meager possessions and food supplies soaked, with children standing in knee-deep opaque brown water. My little daughters were screaming, said Sabreen Qudeeh, describing rainwater leaking from her tents ceiling.

The scale of the shelter crisis is immense. More than 27,000 tents have been destroyed or swept away by floods and winds, affecting more than 250,000 displaced people. The civil defense service reported receiving thousands of distress calls but struggling to respond due to crippled equipment and fuel shortages. Municipal officials note that Israel has destroyed hundreds of essential vehicles, including bulldozers and water pumps, during the war.

Blockaded aid and broken promises

This suffering unfolds against a backdrop of what aid groups call a deliberate blockade of reconstruction materials. Despite a ceasefire agreement stipulating Israel must allow 300,000 tents and mobile homes into Gaza, the entry of adequate shelter has been severely limited. Amjad al-Shawa, Gaza chief of the Palestinian NGO Network, told Al Jazeera only a fraction of the needed tents had entered. The Norwegian Refugee Councils Shelter Cluster estimates far fewer tents have arrived than Israeli authorities claim.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, stated on social media, Cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection. This suffering could be prevented by unhindered humanitarian aid, including medical support and proper shelter. Israeli human rights group BTselem accused Israel of blocking aid, leaving people exposed to the worst of winter with literally nowhere dry to shelter.

For the people of Gaza, the storm is a cruel multiplier of their wartime trauma. They face what analyst Ori Goldberg described as a profound indifference from an Israeli public that has been conditioned through years of dehumanization. As far as theyre concerned, everything that happens to Palestinians is Palestinians fault, Goldberg told Al Jazeera. Israel bears absolutely no responsibility, and theyre not sorry  theyre just indifferent.

As clouds mass over Gazas shore, the storm offers a disturbing preview. It is a natural disaster intersecting with a man-made one, where survival depends not on preparedness but on a desperate endurance that has already been stretched far beyond human limits. The population, already battered by war and starvation, is now forced to battle the elements without walls, without warmth, and without the basic means to protect their children from the rain.

Sources for this article include:

MiddleEastEye.net

APNews.com

AlJazeera.com

CBC.ca

AlJazeera.com
New study reveals alarming link between COVID vaccines and heart inflammation

Stanford researchers confirmed mRNA vaccines trigger myocarditis via a two-step inflammatory cascadeCXCL10 recruits immune cells, followed by IFN-gamma, which damages heart tissue, creating a vicious cycle of inflammation.

Beyond inflammation, the vaccine's spike protein infiltrates heart cells, causing autoimmune attacks (molecular mimicry), with lingering spike proteins detected in myocarditis victims' cardiac tissue.

Young males face disproportionate harm due to testosterone exacerbating inflammation, while estrogen may be protectiveevidenced by military data showing myocarditis cases within days of vaccination.

Pfizer's leaked documents and independent studies prove prior knowledge of myocarditis risks, yet CDC/FDA downplayed them, ignored military warnings and maintained mandates without adequate safety monitoring.

Soy-derived genistein blocked heart damage in mice, exposing the absurdity of needing "fixes" for a flawed product. Critics demand accountability for trial flaws, censorship and the broader pattern of vaccine injuries (blood clots, infertility, neurological harm) suppressed by authorities.

A groundbreaking study from Stanford University has confirmed that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines trigger myocarditisa potentially life-threatening heart inflammationthrough a two-step inflammatory process driven by specific immune chemicals. Published this week, the research sheds light on a phenomenon that has been dismissed or downplayed by health authorities despite mounting evidence from military data, leaked Pfizer documents and independent medical reports.

The two-step mechanism behind vaccine-induced myocarditis

Led by Dr. Joseph Wu, director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, the study identified that mRNA vaccines provoke a dangerous immune cascade involving two key cytokines: CXCL10 and IFN-gamma. When the vaccine is administered, immune cells (macrophages) first release CXCL10, recruiting additional immune responders to the area. In the second phase, specialized cells arrive and release IFN-gamma, whichwhen combined with CXCL10directly damages heart muscle cells. This injury attracts more inflammatory cells, creating a vicious cycle that results in myocarditis.

The findings align with previous military research, including a U.S. Department of War study published in JAMA Cardiology, which documented 23 cases of myocarditis in young, healthy servicemen within four days of receiving Pfizer or Moderna shots. Internal Pfizer documents, leaked in February 2022, further confirm that the company was aware of myocarditis risksparticularly after the second dosecontradicting public assurances of "low incidence."

Spike protein: The hidden culprit?

While the Stanford study focused on the inflammatory response, other researchers argue that the root cause lies in the vaccine's spike protein itself. Cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, a leading critic of COVID vaccine safety, emphasizes that spike proteins produced by mRNA vaccines linger in the body, infiltrating heart tissues and triggering autoimmune attacks. Studies have detected spike proteins in the hearts of post-vaccine myocarditis victims, suggesting a direct toxic effect beyond mere inflammation.

Additionally, some scientists theorize that molecular mimicrywhere vaccine-induced antibodies mistakenly attack the body's own proteinscould explain why myocarditis disproportionately affects young males. Hormonal factors may also play a role, given that estrogen appears protective, while testosterone exacerbates inflammatory responses.

Natural solution: Could soy prevent vaccine damage?

In a surprising twist, the Stanford team discovered that genistein, a natural compound found in soybeans, blocked heart damage in mice while still allowing the vaccine to stimulate immunity. Since myocarditis primarily strikes young men, researchers theorized that estrogen-like effects from genistein could offer protection without the risks of hormone therapy.

Dr. Joseph Varon of the Independent Medical Alliance hailed the discovery as a potential prophylactic measure for high-risk individuals. However, critics argue that this merely patches a problem that should never have existedwhy push a vaccine that requires additional drugs to mitigate its harms?

Bigger questions: Why the cover-up?

The Stanford findings add to a growing body of evidence that:

Myocarditis is not "rare"especially in young males, military personnel and athletes. Pfizer and Moderna knew the risks but downplayed them in public statements. Regulators (CDC, FDA) failed to act despite early warnings from military and independent researchers.

This raises disturbing questions:

Were clinical trials deliberately flawed to obscure cardiac risks?

Why are vaccine-injured patients denied compensation while pharmaceutical companies enjoy legal immunity?

Is myocarditis just the tip of the iceberg? Emerging data links mRNA vaccines to pericarditis, blood clots, neurological disorders and fertility issues.

Conclusion: A medical betrayal

The Stanford study confirms what dissenting doctors and military researchers have warned about for years: COVID mRNA vaccines carry real, measurable risks of heart damage. Yet instead of pausing rollout or mandating rigorous cardiac monitoring, health agencies doubled down on mandates, censorship and propaganda.

For those injured, the road to recovery remains fraught with obstaclesdoctors dismiss symptoms, media ignores victims and governments refuse accountability. Meanwhile, natural solutions like genistein hint at Big Pharma's failureif vaccines were truly "safe and effective," why would protective measures be necessary?

As the next pandemic looms (already pre-planned by globalists like the WHO and Bill Gates), will the public finally demand transparency, informed consent and alternatives to toxic gene therapies? Or will the medical-industrial complex continue sacrificing lives for profit and control?

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, this study confirms what independent researchers have warned about for yearsCOVID mRNA vaccines trigger dangerous inflammatory responses, particularly in young males, validating concerns that Big Pharma and captured regulators dismissed as "misinformation." The Stanford findings expose yet another layer of the vaccine industry's reckless disregard for long-term health impacts while prioritizing profit and compliance over biological safety.

Is COVID vaccine-induced myocarditis worse than the myocarditis from natural infection? Watch this video.

This video is from the Informed Consent channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Trump administration pressures Israel to ease Syria offensive, expresses frustration toward Tel Aviv

A diplomatic rift is growing between the U.S. and Israel over the latter's military actions in southern Syria, with the Trump administration frustrated by the stalled security talks and pushing for a faster resolution to avoid regional destabilization.

Israel maintains an occupation zone in southern Syria and links its withdrawal to a comprehensive peace deal, a condition rejected by Damascus despite the new Syrian government's pledges of non-hostility and offers of counterterrorism coordination.

U.S. officials criticize Israel's reluctance to reciprocate Syrian steps, with Special Envoy Tom Barrack noting Syria's compliance with U.S. requests while Israel remains distrustful and slow to engage.

Israel's stance is driven by a post-Oct. 7 strategic shift, with officials arguing that territorial concessions are now seen as too risky, though critics warn this hardline approach jeopardizes crucial U.S. support for more dangerous threats.

The deadlock risks broader regional consequences, potentially pushing Syria toward alignment with Turkey, undermining normalization efforts, and increasing the threat of a multi-front conflict involving Hezbollah and Iran-backed factions, which could further strain the U.S.-Israeli alliance.

The escalating standoff between Israel and Syria has drawn rare public frustration from the Trump administration, which is pushing for a swift diplomatic resolution as Israeli officials warn that war has "become inevitable."

With U.S.-brokered security talks stalled, Israel continues its military occupation of southern Syria while conducting near-daily raids  actions that risk alienating Washington and destabilizing the region further. The dispute highlights a growing rift between the two allies, as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to integrate Syria into broader Middle East normalization efforts while Tel Aviv insists on security guarantees that Damascus refuses to accept.

Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assads regime, Israel has carved out a 155-square-mile occupation zone in southern Syria, conducting over 600 attacks in the past year alone, according to conflict monitors. Despite Syria's new government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, pledging no hostile intent toward Israel and even offering counterterrorism coordination, Tel Aviv has linked any withdrawal to a comprehensive peace deal  a demand Damascus rejects.

U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack acknowledged Syria's compliance with American requests, but criticized Israel's reluctance to reciprocate. "Everything we ask them to do  they're doing it," he lamented. "Israel is not trusting yet, so its a little bit slower."

The deadlock mirrors Israel's broader strategic shift following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 assault, which shattered Tel Aviv's confidence in territorial concessions. Former Israeli National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror argued: "It's easy to take the risk when you're in Washington. But when you're in the Golan Heights, it's much more risky."

Yet critics, including ex-security officials like Avner Golov, warn that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hardline stance jeopardizes U.S. support. "The risk in Syria is lower than anywhere else," Golov said. "If you want Trump on your side for more dangerous issues, this is the coin you need to pay with."

Israel undermining Trump's diplomacy and inviting chaos

Tensions reached a boiling point in late November when Israeli forces raided Beit Jinn, sparking a firefight that left six soldiers wounded and 13 Syrians dead. Days later, Syrian troops marked the anniversary of Assad's fall by chanting pro-Gaza slogans  a move Israel condemned as incitement.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu denies reports he refused to sign a U.S.-backed security deal at the United Nations, insisting no such agreement existed. Analysts say Israel's expansionist policies risk pushing Syria toward Turkey, a regional rival, while undermining Trump's vision of Syrian-Israeli normalization under the Abraham Accords.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, the Abraham Accords are historic agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations  including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. These accords marked a significant diplomatic breakthrough in Middle East relations, fostering cooperation on security, trade and technology.

As Trump urges restraint, warning against actions that could disrupt Syria's "evolution into a prosperous state," the stakes extend beyond diplomacy. With Hezbollah arming along Lebanon's border and Iran-backed factions mobilizing in southern Syria, Israel faces the prospect of a multi-front conflict  one where U.S. patience may wear thin. For now, the path forward hinges on whether Netanyahu prioritizes long-term alliances over short-term territorial gains  or whether, as al-Sharaa warned, Israel remains "a country fighting ghosts."

The outcome will shape not only the fate of Syria's occupied south, but also the durability of a U.S.-Israeli partnership that has long defined Middle Eastern geopolitics. With Trump's patience visibly fraying and regional tensions at a tipping point, the window for compromise is closing fast.

Watch this video about Israel occupying Syria.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

WSJ.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Trump administration reports record 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left U.S.

Since January 2025, 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the U.S.605,000 deportations and 1.9 million voluntary departuresdriven by aggressive enforcement and incentives like $1,000 cash payments and free airfare.

A multimillion-dollar international campaign warns migrants to "LEAVE NOW" or face arrest, replacing the controversial CBP One App with the new CBP Home App to streamline self-deportations.

Trump's approach contrasts sharply with previous protections (DACA, TPS, asylum), which shielded six million undocumented immigrants. ICE and CBP now prioritize removing violent criminals, with a public "Worst of the Worst" database tracking offenders.

Among the economic and political impact are job market resurgence (12,000+ new positions in October) and record-low border apprehensions (60,940 in Oct-Nov). Democrats also push Dream Act 2025, fearing mass deportations, while enforcement advocates cite reduced strain on public services.

Trump claims "the best border in history," with seven straight months of zero illegal entries, sparking fierce debate over coercion vs. national security.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have departed the United States since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025marking a historic shift in immigration enforcement.

The figure includes over 605,000 deportations and approximately 1.9 million voluntary departures, driven by aggressive enforcement and incentives like cash payments and free airfare.

The Trump administration's Operation Homecoming, a multimillion-dollar international campaign, has broadcast warnings urging undocumented migrants to "LEAVE NOW" or face arrest.

Meanwhile, the newly introduced CBP Home Appreplacing the controversial CBP One Appstreamlines voluntary departures by offering $1,000 and free flights to those who self-deport. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem credited the administration's policies for achieving "seven consecutive months of zero illegal entries" and a revitalized border security apparatus.

A new era of enforcement

The Trump administration's approach marks a stark reversal from previous policies that shielded millions from deportation through programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and asylum protections. As of July 2023, an estimated six million undocumented immigrants remained in the U.S. under such provisions.

But since January 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have ramped up operations, prioritizing the removal of criminal offenders. DHS has also launched a public-facing "Worst of the Worst" database, detailing arrests of illegal immigrants with violent criminal historiesincluding homicide, rape and drug trafficking.

"Americans don't have to rely on the press for this informationwith this transparent tool, they can see for themselves what public safety threats were lurking in their neighborhoods," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

Economic and political fallout

The mass exodus has already impacted local economies, with DHS reporting a resurgence in job marketsincluding 12,000 new positions added in October alone. Trump hailed the progress, declaring, "We have a border that is the best border in the history of our country."

BrightU.AI's Enoch notes that Trump's border policy in the past year has focused on aggressively reinstating and expanding his proven first-term strategiesincluding Remain in Mexico, Title 42, ending catch-and-release and accelerating border wall constructionwhile implementing previously stalled reforms on asylum, detention and deportations to fully secure the southern border.

However, the administration's hardline stance has drawn fierce opposition from Democrats. Earlier this month, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Dream Act of 2025, seeking to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

"For decades, gridlock and partisan politics have forced Dreamers to live in limbo," Padilla said. "Now, they fear being swept up in Trumps cruel mass deportation campaign." Nearly two million "Dreamers" could be affected by the policy shift.

Border Patrol encounters have plummeted to historic lows, with just 60,940 apprehensions in October and Novemberthe lowest start to a fiscal year on record. DHS credits Trump's policies for achieving an "unmatched level of deterrence" in modern border history. Yet critics argue that the administration's tacticsincluding financial incentives for self-deportationamount to coercion. Meanwhile, advocates of stricter enforcement applaud the results, pointing to reduced strain on public services and heightened national security.

As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: Trump's immigration policies have reshaped the landscape in ways unseen for decadesleaving millions of lives in the balance and setting the stage for a contentious political battle ahead.

Watch the video below where retired Jurist Judge Andrew Napolitano warns that Trump can stop all legal immigration to the United States.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

DHS.gov

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
U.S. seizes oil tanker transporting SANCTIONED crude off Venezuelas coast

The U.S. seized a major oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, involving FBI, DHS and Coast Guard personnel in a dramatic helicopter-led operation.

The vessel, The Skipper, was accused of transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela and Iran, allegedly to support foreign terrorist organizations.

The action is part of an escalating U.S. pressure campaign against Venezuela's government, which critics warn could provoke open conflict and may aim for regime change or control of Venezuela's oil.

Venezuela's President Maduro condemned the seizure as a step toward war, while the U.S. administration, which has placed a bounty on him, framed it as enforcing sanctions.

The seizure sets a risky precedent for physically intercepting sanctioned oil, raising legal questions and potentially deterring global shippers, with significant implications for regional stability and global oil markets

In a bold escalation of Washington's pressure campaign against Caracas, U.S. forces executed a high-stakes seizure of a massive oil tanker allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela and Iran  a move that critics warn could push the two nations closer to open conflict.

The operation was carried out on Wednesday, Dec. 10, off Venezuela's coast by members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard personnel. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the seizure in a social media post, stating that the vessel had been "sanctioned due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations."

Dramatic footage released by Bondi showed heavily armed commandos rappelling from helicopters onto the deck of the tanker, identified as The Skipper, before securing the ship. The vessel was flagged under Guyana but linked to a Marshall Islands-based firm, Triton Navigation. It had previously been blacklisted by the U.S. in 2022 for allegedly aiding Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.

President Donald Trump, announcing the operation at the White House, boasted that it was the "largest [tanker] ever seized" but offered few specifics beyond asserting it was taken "for a very good reason." When pressed on the fate of the confiscated oil, Trump replied: "We keep it, I guess."

The tanker's cargo of sanctioned crude was reportedly bound for Cuba, before onward sale to Asian brokers. It underscores Caracas' reliance on shadowy networks to bypass U.S. sanctions  a trade that has kept its collapsing economy afloat despite Washington's efforts to isolate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

How one tanker seizure risks sparking broader conflict

The seizure comes amid a months-long U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including over 20 lethal strikes on boats accused of drug trafficking. U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) has warned that such actions are "sleepwalking [the country] into a war with Venezuela." Critics argue the administration's true aim is not narcotics interdiction but regime change or control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Maduro, already under a $50 million U.S. bounty, denounced the tanker seizure as another step toward "a crazy war," even as he faces mounting domestic and international pressure to relinquish power. BrightU.AI's Enoch notes that Maduro's bounty stems from accusations of the Venezuelan leader being a "fugitive cartel leader" responsible for narcoterrorism and flooding America with cocaine. The decentralized engine adds that this move aligns with the Trump administration's broader geopolitical pressure campaign against Venezuela's socialist regime, possibly as a pretext for regime change or destabilization.

For global oil markets, the interdiction signals a risky new phase in sanctions enforcement. While analysts say the immediate impact on supply will be limited, the precedent of physical seizures  rather than financial penalties  could deter shippers from handling Venezuelan crude altogether. The operation also raises questions about the legality of U.S. actions in international waters, with some lawmakers demanding investigations into potential war crimes.

Historically, such maritime confrontations have been rare but consequential. The 2014 seizure of the Morning Glory by U.S. Navy SEALs  a tanker hijacked by Libyan rebels  demonstrates Washingtons willingness to use military force to uphold sanctions.

Yet Venezuela's case is uniquely volatile, given its strategic alliances with U.S. adversaries like Iran and Russia, as well as China's role as the primary buyer of its discounted oil. As tensions mount, the seizure of The Skipper may prove a turning point  either as a decisive blow against Maduros illicit trade or as the spark for a broader conflict. With Trump vowing that Maduro's "days are numbered" and the Venezuelan leader defiantly clinging to power, the risk of miscalculation grows.

Watch this video of Samuel Moncada, Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations, revealing that Caracas is anticipating an attack from the United States.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

The-Sun.com

POLITICO.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Sorry, something doesn't look right.

Something seems unusual about your device or browser. Please contact support.
Enterprises will connect to and manage orbital workloads the same way they manage cloud workloads today, using optical links, the spokesperson added. The companys approach is to continuously launch new hardware and quickly integrate the latest architectures, with older systems running lower-priority tasks to serve out the full useful lifetime of their high-end GPUs. The company declined to disclose pricing.

Aetherflux plans to launch about 30 satellites at a time on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. Before the data center launch, the company will launch a power-beaming demonstration satellite in 2026 to test transmission of one kilowatt of energy from orbit to ground stations, using infrared lasers.

Competition in the sector has intensified in recent months. In November, Starcloud launched its Starcloud-1 satellite carrying an Nvidia H100 GPU, which is 100 times more powerful than any previous GPU flown in space, according to the company, and demonstrated running Googles Gemma AI model in orbit. In the same month, Google announced Project Suncatcher, with a 2027 demonstration mission planned.

Analysts see limited near-term applications

Despite the competitive activity, orbital data centers wont replace terrestrial cloud regions for general hosting through 2030, said Ashish Banerjee, senior principal analyst at Gartner. Instead, they suit specific workloads, including meeting data sovereignty requirements for jurisdictionally complex scenarios, offering disaster recovery immune to terrestrial risks, and providing asynchronous high-performance computing, he said.

Orbital centers are ideal for high-compute, low-I/O batch jobs, Banerjee said. Think molecular folding simulations for pharma, massive Monte Carlo financial simulations, or training specific AI model weights. If the job takes 48 hours, the 500ms latency penalty of LEO is irrelevant.

One immediate application involves processing satellite-generated data in orbit, he said. Earth observation satellites using synthetic aperture radar generate roughly 10 gigabytes per second, but limited downlink bandwidth creates bottlenecks. Processing data in orbit and transmitting only results could reduce latency and communication costs, he said.
Introduction

What is IMAGe syndrome?

Genetics and causes

Clinical features

Diagnosis

Management

Prognosis

Genetic counseling

Current research

Conclusions

References

Further reading

IMAGe syndrome is a rare, maternally inherited CDKN1C-related disorder characterized by prenatal growth restriction, adrenal hypoplasia, skeletal anomalies, and genital abnormalities. Early diagnosis and lifelong adrenal management significantly improve outcomes and guide accurate genetic counseling.

Image Credit: Maxim Ibragimov / Shutterstock.com

Introduction

This article explains IMAGe syndrome, a rare genetic condition caused by mutations in the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1C (CDKN1C) gene, and presents rare IMAGe-like presentations due to biallelic variants in the DNA polymerase epsilon catalytic subunit A (POLE1), while summarizing key symptoms, diagnosis, adrenal management, prognosis, and genetic counseling.3,4,8

What is IMAGe syndrome?

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), metaphyseal dysplasia, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, and genital anomalies (IMAGe) syndrome is a multisystem disorder. Infants affected with IMAGe syndrome are small for gestational age with dysmorphic features, with some boys presenting with micropenis and cryptorchidism.1,2

IMAGe syndrome is exceptionally rare, with an unclear prevalence rate. Orphanet classifies IMAGe syndrome as affecting fewer than 1 in 1,000,000 children. As of 2021, GeneReviews identified 31 affected individuals from 19 families worldwide, thus suggesting significant under-ascertainment.8

Sporadic cases are most commonly reported; however, familial clusters may occur. Inheritance of IMAGe syndrome is typically autosomal dominant due to gain-of-function variants in CDKN1C on 11p15.3,5

Importantly, only maternally inherited variants lead to disease, as CDKN1C is expressed from the maternal allele.3,5 Each child of an affected woman has a 50% risk of being affected, whereas each child of a man with the variant has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease but is generally unaffected, although his daughters can transmit the variant in an affected form to their own children.3,5

Both sexes are clinically affected in similar numbers. Ongoing case reports of novel CDKN1C variants indicate increasing recognition, as neonatal adrenal insufficiency and intrauterine growth restriction often prompt targeted testing and exome/genome sequencing.2,8

Genetics and causes

IMAGe syndrome typically arises from pathogenic variants in CDKN1C on chromosome 11p15.5, an imprinted locus where expression is primarily from the maternal allele. Notably, the paternal allele is repressed by the noncoding ribonucleic acid KCNQ1 opposite strand/antisense transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1).3

CDKN1C variants cluster in the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-binding domain and act through a gain-of-function mechanism. More specifically, these mutations impair PCNA-dependent, Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase 4 with Cdc10-dependent transcript 2 (CRL4Cdt2) mediated polyubiquitination and degradation of CDKN1C, thereby stabilizing the inhibitor and intensifying G1 cell-cycle arrest.3,5,8

Notably, the same gene exhibits dosage sensitivity across related disorders. Whereas loss-of-function mutations in CDKN1C cause Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, gain-of-function mutations in the PCNA motif produce IMAGe syndrome or, rarely, SRS, which is consistent with maternal expression.3

Clinical features

Growth is restricted before birth, with IUGR a defining feature associated with pathogenic variants in CDKN1C and, occasionally, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase epsilon catalytic subunit A (POLE1), which act through a PCNA-related mechanism that constrains somatic growth.1,2,4,8 Skeletal involvement includes bone disorders/metaphyseal anomalies, particularly longitudinal metaphyseal striations and epiphyseal dysplasia that may evolve over time.1,2

Primary adrenal hypoplasia leads to adrenal hormone deficiency. Without timely glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement, patients are vulnerable to adrenal crisis, which is a potentially life-threatening condition that causes salt-wasting and risk of sudden death if left untreated.4,6

Genital anomalies, such as cryptorchidism, or broader genitourinary anomalies are often reported and are more frequent and severe in males, whereas females may have milder or absent genital findings.1,2,8 Dysmorphic facial features, hypercalciuria and/or hypercalcemia, craniosynostosis, scoliosis, cleft palate, and rare sensorineural hearing loss have also been observed, with some patients, particularly those with POLE1-related disease, affected by immunodeficiency.1,2,4,8

Diagnosis

Affected newborns are typically small for gestational age with IUGR and dysmorphic appearances like bifrontal bossing and abnormal ears and nose. Early, potentially life-threatening primary adrenal insufficiency is common, with adrenal crises usually occurring within the first days to weeks of life, although later onset in childhood has been reported.1,2 Skeletal imaging often identifies delayed bone age, small epiphyses, and striated, irregular metaphyses, with craniosynostosis and osteopenia variably observed.1,2,8

Because of the frequency and early age at onset of adrenal crises, newborn screening programs are not yet specific for IMAGe syndrome; however, heightened vigilance is warranted. Growth-restricted neonates with dysmorphic features should receive prompt adrenal testing and expedited CDKN1C sequencing, or broader adrenal/growth gene panel or exome/genome sequencing when a single-gene test is not available to enable life-saving steroid replacement and genetic counseling.3,5,8

Image Credit: SWKStock / Shutterstock.com

Management

Management of IMAGe syndrome is multidisciplinary, involving pediatric endocrinology, orthopedics, nutrition, and developmental services. Primary adrenal insufficiency requires lifelong replacement with physiologic glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, in addition to oral sodium chloride during infancy; hydrocortisone is usually given in two to three divided daily doses with fludrocortisone for mineralocorticoid replacement, adjusted according to blood pressure, electrolytes, and plasma renin activity.4,6

Related Stories AI model ranks genetic variants from severe to mild disease mutations

Doses should be optimized to support normal linear growth while maintaining fluid-electrolyte balance. Growth and nutrition are monitored at every visit, as assessment for growth hormone (GH) deficiency can guide GH therapy in selected cases.6,7,1,2

Orthopedic follow-up manages skeletal complications such as scoliosis and hip dysplasia, with physical/occupational therapy prescribed as needed. Annual endocrine surveillance includes adrenal function, blood pressure, and monitoring for hypercalciuria/nephrocalcinosis, whereas urologic care addresses cryptorchidism or hypospadias in males.6,7 Patient and caregiver education on sick-day rules, perioperative stress-dose steroids, emergency injectable hydrocortisone, and anesthetic planning is essential to prevent adrenal crises during illness, surgery, or dental procedures.6,7

Prognosis

Primary adrenal insufficiency in IMAGe syndrome may arise during the neonatal period or later. Patients with IMAGe syndrome typically require ongoing glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement with stress dosing for illness, surgery, or anesthesia.1,2,6

Treatment improves pigmentation and energy; however, linear growth may remain poor, and growth hormone deficiency or suboptimal GH secretion can coexist.1,2 Developmental outcomes are mixed, with intellect often normal despite delayed motor milestones reflecting orthopedic complications.

Long-term outcome also depends on associated complications such as hypercalciuria, skeletal deformities, and, in POLE1-related cases, susceptibility to infections due to variable immunodeficiency.4,8 Speech can improve after endocrine and ear care, including management of any associated hearing loss.2 Multidisciplinary follow-up supports best outcomes and informed genetic counseling.1

Genetic counseling

Since CDKN1C is maternally expressed, affected individuals typically inherit the variant from an affected mother. Paternal transmission usually does not cause disease; however, germline mosaicism and de novo variants occur.3,5,8

Recurrence risk is up to 50% with maternal transmission and low, but not zero, after a de novo case. Males who carry a CDKN1C variant are usually clinically unaffected but can have affected grandchildren through their daughters because only the maternal allele is expressed in offspring.3,5 Reproductive guidance includes carrier testing of relatives, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-M), prenatal diagnosis through chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis, and early neonatal planning.8

Current research

IMAGe syndrome is classified as a CDKN1C-related disorder, as mutations in the PCNA-binding domain of CDKN1C cause the phenotype and distinguish it from other syndromic adrenal hypoplasias.3,5 Case reports and small series describe recurrent features like prenatal growth restriction, metaphyseal dysplasia, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, and genital anomalies; relative macrocephaly and hypercalciuria are variably reported in IMAGe syndrome and may help to distinguish it from overlapping entities.1,2,8

MIRAGE (myelodysplasia, infection, restriction of growth, adrenal hypoplasia, genital anomalies, enteropathy) arises from sterile alpha motif domain-containing 9 (SAMD9) variants, which typically cause frequent, severe infections and chronic diarrhea with enteropathy.9 Thus, careful phenotyping and CDKN1C sequencing are recommended in suspected families to avoid misclassification as MIRAGE, and SAMD9 analysis should be considered when recurrent infections, enteropathy, or bone marrow failure are prominent.8,9

Conclusions

IMAGe syndrome is a rare CDKN1C-related disorder characterized by prenatal growth restriction, metaphyseal dysplasia, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, and genital anomalies, with rare overlapping cases due to POLE1 variants.1,2,4,8 Diagnosis of IMAGe syndrome is based on clinical recognition, radiology, and molecular confirmation of pathogenic variants in CDKN1C, and in selected cases, POLE1.3-5,8

Patient outcomes improve with early, lifelong glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement, stress-dose education, and coordinated orthopedic and developmental care.1,6 Genetic counseling should address a 50% recurrence risk with maternal transmission and offer options such as carrier testing, prenatal diagnosis, and preimplantation testing.3,5,8

References

Pedreira, C. C., Savarirayan, R., & Zacharin, M. R. (2004). IMAGe syndrome: a complex disorder affecting growth, adrenal and gonadal function, and skeletal development. The Journal of Pediatrics 144(2); 274-277. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2003.09.052. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002234760300742X Balasubramanian, M., Sprigg, A., & Johnson, D. S. (2010). IMAGe syndrome: case report with a previously unreported feature and review of published literature. American Journal of Medical Genetics 152(12); 3138-3142. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.33716. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.33716 Eggermann, T., Binder, G., Brioude, F., et al. (2014). CDKN1C mutations: two sides of the same coin. Trends in Molecular Medicine 20(11); 614-622. DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2014.09.001. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471491414001385 Pignatti, E., & Fluck, C. E. (2021). Adrenal cortex development and related disorders leading to adrenal insufficiency. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 527. DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111206. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303720721000502 Arboleda, V. A., Lee, H., Parnaik, R., et al. (2012). Mutations in the PCNA-binding domain of CDKN1C cause IMAGe syndrome. Nature Genetics 44(7); 788-792. DOI: 10.1038/ng.2275. https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.2275 Khan, U., & Lakhani, O. J. (2017). Management of primary adrenal insufficiency: Review of current clinical practice in a developed and a developing country. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 21(5); 781-783. DOI: 10.4103/ijem.IJEM_193_17. https://journals.lww.com/indjem/fulltext/2017/21050/management_of_primary_adrenal_insufficiency_.27.aspx Lindemeyer, R. G., Rashewsky, S. E., Louie, P. J., & Schleelein, L. (2014). Anesthetic and dental management of a child with IMAGe syndrome. Anesthesia Progress 61(4); 165-168. DOI: 10.2344/0003-3006-61.4.165. https://anesthesiaprogress.kglmeridian.com/view/journals/anpr/61/4/article-p165.xml Dalili, S., Hoseini Nouri, S.A., Sharifi, A., et al. (2025). An Intronic Variant in CDKN1C Gene Causing IMAGe Syndrome in an Iranian Girl. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine 13(11). DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.70154. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mgg3.70154 Kim, Y. M., Seo, G. H., Kim, G. H., et al. (2018). A case of an infant suspected as IMAGE syndrome who were finally diagnosed with MIRAGE syndrome by targeted Mendelian exome sequencing. BMC Medical Genetics 19(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12881-018-0546-4. https://bmcmedgenet.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12881-018-0546-4

Further Reading
Routine mammograms are a critical tool for breast cancer screening. However, they may also hold crucial, potentially untapped information about a person's risk for cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death among adults. The X-ray images can detect calcium in the breast's arteries, a sign that the blood vessels are getting stiffer.

New research - presented on Dec. 3 at the Radiological Society of North America meeting by Matthew Nudy, assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine - found that the severity of calcium accumulation in breast arteries and the progression of this calcification seen on mammograms predicted future cardiovascular disease. In this study, researchers found that women with more severe calcification and with calcification that progressed over time had an increased risk for major events, like heart attack, stroke, heart failure and death.

These findings suggest that breast arterial calcification could be a marker for cardiovascular disease and may help identify women who are at greatest risk for cardiovascular disease.

We know that women are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of cardiovascular disease and have worse outcomes following a heart attack compared to men. That may be in part because the current cardiovascular risk assessment tools underestimate risk in women. We need better tools. In the future, assessment of breast arterial calcification may help improve our ability to predict risk and prevent cardiovascular disease." Matthew Nudy, assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences, Penn State College of Medicine

As people get older, calcium can collect in the arteries, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, explained Nudy. For some patients, physicians may recommend a CT scan to determine if there is calcium build up in the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply the heart. There are downsides to the test, Nudy noted, that might keep patients from pursuing the test and physicians from recommending it, including costs and exposure to radiation from the scan. Conversely, mammograms, which can pick up calcifications in the walls of arteries of the breast, are already widely used for breast cancer screening, with both the American Cancer Society and the United States Preventative Services Task Force recommending at least biennial screening in women starting at age 40.

Currently, the presence of calcium build up in breast arteries isn't routinely included in radiology reports since there's no known association with breast cancer. However, previous studies, including a systematic review and meta-analysis led by Nudy, have found that breast arterial calcification is associated with future cardiovascular disease and death.

In this study, the research team analyzed data from 10,348 women from an academic medical center in the United States who had sequential mammograms, with an average of 4.1 years between mammograms. The average age of participants was 56. For each mammogram, the team used an investigational version of the cmAngio artificial intelligence (AI) software - developed by CureMetrix, a company that tests and advances AI tools for medical imaging analysis and partnered on this study - to determine if calcification was present in breast arteries and its severity. The model generated an adjusted score based on the length of the artery calcification. Participants were then separated into four age-adjusted categories of breast arterial calcification severity based on their score: negative, mild, moderate and severe.

The researchers found that vascular calcification was present in 19.4% of participants at baseline. Those with more calcium accumulation in the arteries over time had increased risk of a serious heart-related event - up to two times higher risk for those in the severe score category.

The study, one of the first to look at breast arterial calcification progression over time, also showed that calcification can worsen over time, occurring in as little as a year. The faster the profession occurred, the greater the cardiovascular risk, too.

Those who didn't have calcium in their breast arteries on the initial mammogram showed the lowest risk of progression, but if calcium was detected on a follow-up mammogram, they had a 41% higher risk for an adverse cardiovascular event and death over an average of 5.6 years of follow-up. For those who started in the mild category and progressed to any higher category, they had a 59% higher risk. For those who started in the moderate category and progressed to the severe category, they had a 93% higher risk.

"This could be a way to use data that may already be available for different reason and to potentially use it to risk stratify an individual for the development of cardiovascular disease," Nudy said. While the findings suggest that calcification of the arteries in the breast is a warning sign for cardiovascular disease, he cautioned, more research is needed to understand this relationship and how the information could be used by clinicians.

Other collaborators on the research include Nitesh Nerlekar, associate professor and deputy director of the Victorian Heart Institute, Monash University and Alyssa Watanabe, adjunct clinical associate professor at the University of Southern California. Richard Mantey, Junhao Wang and Homa Karimabadi from CureMetrix also contributed to this work.

For studies presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting, there is a double-blind peer-review process.

This work was supported by CureMetrix.
Distinct psychiatric disorders have more in common biologically than previously believed, according to the largest and most detailed analysis to date of how genes influence mental illness.

The study, led by University of Colorado Boulder and Mass General Brigham researchers, could inform efforts to improve the way psychological disorders are diagnosed and provide insight for developing novel treatments that address multiple disorders at once.

The findings were published Dec. 10 in the journal Nature.

Right now, we diagnose psychiatric disorders based on what we see in the room, and many people will be diagnosed with multiple disorders. That can be hard to treat and disheartening for patients. This work provides the best evidence yet that there may be things that we are currently giving different names to that are actually driven by the same biological processes." Andrew Grotzinger, PhD, corresponding author, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder

Co-corresponding author Jordan Smoller, MD, director of the Center for Precision Psychiatry at Mass General Brigham in Boston, said the findings also provide key insight into the biological pathways and gene expression in brain cell types that may underly certain conditions.

"These findings provide valuable clues for advancing our understanding and treatment of mental illness with greater precision," said Smoller.

Five categories

The researchers, in collaboration with the international Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Cross-Disorder Working Group, examined DNA data from more than 1 million individuals diagnosed with at least one of 14 psychiatric disorders and 5 million individuals with no diagnoses.

They found that five underlying "genomic factors" involving 238 genetic variants made up the majority of the genetic differences between those with a particular disorder and those without it. The paper groups disorders into five categories, each with a shared genetic architecture, including: disorders with compulsive features such as anorexia nervosa, Tourette disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); "internalizing conditions" including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder; substance use disorders; and neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Notably, the paper groups bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in a fifth category, reporting that 70% of the genetic signal associated with schizophrenia is also associated with bipolar disorder. The field of psychology has historically viewed bipolar disorder and schizophrenia as very different, and clinicians typically will not diagnose an individual with both.

"Genetically, we saw that they are more similar than they are unique," said Grotzinger.

Pinpointing biological pathways

The paper also points to specific biological pathways that may underlie the individual groupings.

For instance, genes that influence excitatory neurons, which are involved in transmitting signals across other neurons, tend to be over-expressed in both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, the research suggests.

In internalizing disorders like depression and anxiety, variants in genes that control non-neuronal cells called oligodendrocytes, were common. These specialized cells help maintain and protect the brain's wiring infrastructure.

The findings suggest that some shared genetic factors play a role very early in brain development during the fetal stages of life, while others could have a greater influence later in adult life. This insight could help to create a more biological way of understanding psychiatric conditions and lead to new treatment strategies, the authors said.

According to one 2018 review, more than half of people diagnosed with one psychiatric disorder will be diagnosed with a second or third in their lifetime. About 41% will meet the criteria for four or more.

Grotzinger said it is too early to begin combining diagnoses based on the findings. But as researchers work to update the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the guiding handbook for the field of psychology, he hopes the new study will be considered.

"By identifying what is shared across these disorders, we can hopefully come up with strategies to target them in a different way that doesn't require four separate pills or four separate psychotherapy interventions."
From the sea of clouds atop Mount Huangshan to the ancient charm of Huizhou culture, from the scenery along the Huaihe River to the blend of heritages in the Dabie Mountains... Anhui, this poetic land, is writing a new chapter in the integration of culture and tourism. The Southern Anhui International Cultural and Tourism Demonstration Zone has taken the lead, forging a path of high-quality modern cultural and tourism development characterized by deep integration and all-for-one tourism. It is no longer just a destination for traditional sightseeing but has upgraded into a hub for modern leisure, vacation, and wellness tourism. Moving beyond isolated breakthroughs, the zone now emphasizes regional connectivity, fostering clusters of modern service industries such as leisure, vacation, wellness, and creative economies, creating a pioneering model for deep integration of culture and tourism and all-for-one tourism. From January to October this year, domestic tourists spent approximately 447.3 billion yuan in the demonstration zone, accounting for over 50.9% of the province's total. At the same time, the Hefei Metropolitan Area has leveraged its strengths in technology, innovation, and cultural leisure tourism, the Dabie Mountains have promoted cultural tourism blending red heritage with green landscapes, and the Huaihe River (Anhui Section) Cultural Tourism Circuit has also showcased its unique offerings. Together, they form a development pattern characterized by multi-point blossoming and regional connectivity. To revitalize culture, Anhui has promoted the modern expression of traditional culture by organizing exhibitions such as the "Jade Artifacts from the Lingjiatan Site at the Palace Museum" and the "Huizhou Culture Exhibition at the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum." It has also launched joint initiatives like the "Walking Ancient Trails" project in Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangxi. Cultural heritage tours, archaeological tours, and museum visits remain highly popular. Activities such as "Hundred Huangmei Opera Performances in Hundred Scenic Spots" have been organized, with Huizhou fish lanterns becoming a trending national IP. Tourism performances like Hui Show and The Legend of the Dabie Mountains have been introduced, while the TV series 'Six Sisters' has sparked a trend of "traveling through film and television." From January to October this year, the province hosted over 33,800 commercial performances, attracting 2.74 million spectators and generating approximately 8.57 billion yuan in consumption. Through the "Hundred Attractions Enhancement" initiative, the quality of tourism in Anhui has continued to rise. Two new national 5A-level tourist attractions or resorts have been added, bringing the total to 15. Seven national-level tourism and leisure streets and 12 nighttime cultural and tourism consumption clusters have been established. Xidi Village and Xiaogang Village have been recognized as "World's Best Tourism Villages," while picturesque leisure tourism villages and high-quality homestays dot the province like stars. The cultural and tourism industry has increasingly become a vital engine driving high-quality economic development in Anhui. Focusing on four major industrial chainsleisure and vacation, cultural creativity, cultural and tourism equipment manufacturing, and smart cultural tourismthe province has formed clusters such as the Ziyun Mountain (Baohe) Cultural and Creative Industrial Park, along with a series of rural tourism clusters and integrated commercial-cultural-tourism development zones. Anhui is actively integrating into the coordinated development of cultural and tourism in the Yangtze River Delta, taking the lead in creating the "Seven Famous" international boutique tourism routes of the Yangtze River Delta and jointly building world-class tourist destinations. In 2024, the number of tourists from Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang visiting Anhui exceeded 103 million, accounting for 56.3% of all tourists from outside the province, demonstrating significant achievements in regional collaboration. In particular, in recent years, Anhui has vigorously promoted the facilitation of inbound tourism and the internationalization of services, attracting a growing number of overseas visitors. From January to October this year, the province saw substantial year-on-year growth in inbound tourist arrivals and international tourism revenue, reaching 68% and 59%, respectively.

Source: anhuinews.com
insights from industry Dr. Raj Singh Co-Founder PathPresenter

In this interview, industry expert Dr. Raj Singh discusses the PathoVerse, a pioneering global digital ecosystem designed to transform pathology through connectivity, AI integration, and collaborative innovation across research and clinical practice.

What inspired the creation of PathPresenter and ultimately the PathoVerse?

As a practicing pathologist, I saw how fragmented our field had become. Different vendors, systems, and formats made true collaboration almost impossible. With PathPresenter, our goal was to simplify one of the biggest challenges in pathology: managing images at scale. We built a platform that pathologists could use daily without worrying about interoperability.

Over time, as our community grew to more than 70,000 users across 180 countries, we realized we had the foundation to create something even larger: a vendor-agnostic global ecosystem where clinicians, researchers, and technology partners could unite. That vision became the PathoVerse.

What are the key components of the PathPresenter ecosystem?

We built three interconnected modules. The first is the clinical and consultation platform, which supports enterprise-level case management and includes an FDA-approved viewer that handles all image types  pathology, radiology, cytology, and gross images.

The second is the education platform, which powers digital classrooms in more than 30 institutions. The third is the biobanking and research platform, which enables HIPAA-compliant data sharing with researchers, pharma, and AI developers.

Together, these modules cover everything a pathologist does on a day-to-day basis.

Image Credit: PathPresenter

What sets PathPresenter apart from other digital pathology systems?

Our biggest differentiators are deep domain knowledge and absolute interoperability. PathPresenter is compatible with any scanner, LIS, AI module, or storage architecture. Because it was created by practicing pathologists, it reflects real-world workflows and needs.

It is not a static product but a living, evolving platform shaped by constant feedback from thousands of users worldwide. It is used in over 60 institutions, including major names like MSKCC, Cincinnati Childrens, and Dr. Lal PathLabs.

How does artificial intelligence fit into your vision?

AI is valuable only when it is connected to the wider ecosystem. A standalone model has little impact. We integrate AI directly into PathPresenter, allowing it to be used by pathologists, oncologists, researchers, and even patients to interpret results. By embedding validated AI tools into a secure, scalable infrastructure, we ensure that breakthroughs from leading AI companies reach real-world clinical practice.

What exactly is the PathoVerse, and why is it needed now?

The PathoVerse is a collaborative digital ecosystem that connects pathology data, technology, AI, and human expertise to enable real-world innovation. Pathology is evolving rapidly with advances in 3D imaging, virtual staining, digital twins, and AI diagnostics, yet many of these tools exist in isolation.

The PathoVerse bridges these silos, offering a unified infrastructure where technologies, datasets, and workflows can come together seamlessly, enabling shared progress across research, diagnostics, and education. It is all about turning silos into integrated systems.

How does the ConsultConnect initiative reflect this approach?

ConsultConnect is the fastest and easiest way for organizations to implement digital pathology, as it removes the logistical bottlenecks that make consultations slow and expensive. When we talk about consultations, there is often friction at every step. Cases may come from sister hospitals or external labs, yet most systems still cannot communicate with each other. In some places, even departments within the same hospital remain disconnected.

Traditionally, a consultation can take between five and 14 days, but the problem has never been a lack of expertise; pathologists are more than ready to provide their insights. The real barrier has always been logistics. It is almost unbelievable that in an age where we can stream data from Mars, we still ship glass slides in boxes. Slides can break or get lost, and patient information is often re-entered manually, adding even more delays.

ConsultConnect removes all these barriers. Through AWS, we can set up secure web portals for institutions in a matter of days. Hospitals can upload digital slides and case data, and our HL7 middleware transfers the information directly into the recipients LIS or dashboard. The pathologist reviews the case, adds any stains or notes, and sends the report back through the same portal.

With partners like Grundium, we also provide pathways to easier scanner accessibility at referring sites. Institutions using ConsultConnect pay only per consultation once the service starts. This approach enables hospitals to launch a digital consultation network rapidly, demonstrate revenue potential, and prove that digital pathology can serve as a growth engine rather than an expense.

For patients, ConsultConnect means faster access to expert opinions and better continuity of care. It transforms a once slow and fragmented process into a connected, efficient workflow that embodies the true purpose of the PathoVerse: collaboration without barriers.

PathPresenter ConsultConnect: transforming remote second opinions for pathology Play

Video Credit: PathPresenter

What benefits does the PathoVerse bring to institutions and patients?

For institutions, the PathoVerse creates new revenue streams, enables global consultation networks, and simplifies the deployment of digital pathology. For patients, it provides faster, more accurate access to specialized diagnostics regardless of location. Ultimately, it accelerates how ideas move from concept to real-world clinical solutions.

How is digital pathology transforming the business model of healthcare organizations?

Digital pathology should no longer be seen as a cost. When implemented strategically, it becomes a growth engine. Departments can offer consults or even AI analysis as a service, generating revenue while improving diagnostic efficiency. Institutions that adopt this model are already seeing measurable operational and financial benefits.

Image Credit: D_Darmawan/Shutterstock.com

What is your long-term vision for the PathoVerse?

We are just at the beginning. Our goal is to connect hospitals, researchers, and technology companies across every region of the world. The PathoVerse will continue expanding throughout the Middle East, Asia, and South America, building a federated network that supports seamless access, consultation, and data sharing. By working together, we can truly transform how pathology contributes to precision medicine and global healthcare.

What does the future hold for digital pathology as a whole?

The PathoVerse is evolving into a global collaboration engine for pathology. Institutions are moving beyond the question of why to go digital and are now asking how to expand it across diagnosis, education, and AI research. Future growth will include AI-as-a-service offerings, broader consult networks, and deeper integration with partners such as AWS, Grundium, Imagenomix, and MSKCC.

Our mission remains clear: to connect every pathologist, laboratory, and data system worldwide, making pathology a connected, insight-driven cornerstone of precision medicine.

Want to learn more about the PathoVerse?

Click here for an exclusive webinar:

About Dr. Singh

Dr. Singh is the co-founder of PathPresenter as well as Professor of Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania. Over his long career Dr. Singh has worked with multiple institutions and national organizations such as the ASDP, AAD, DPA, and CAP. Recognized for his dedication to education, Dr. Singh has received five 'Teacher of the Year Award' at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of American Pathologists, and inclusion on The Pathologist Power List five times. Author and editor of multiple books on pathology, he has served on the Editorial Board for the WHO Classification of Tumors (5th Edition), and the Board of the Digital Pathology Association.

About PathPresenter

PathPresenter is a leading global platform dedicated to democratizing access to pathology knowledge by connecting professionals worldwide.

The platform enables pathologists to collaborate, share expertise, and leverage advanced AI models through a practical and user-friendly interface. Since its founding in 2017, PathPresenter's secure and scalable enterprise software has been adopted by over 30 top-tier medical institutions for clinical care, education, and research.

PathPresenter has fostered a vibrant community of more than 45,000 users across 172 countries, enabling seamless viewing, sharing, and collaboration on digital pathology images, fostering global knowledge exchange, and advancing the field of pathology.
A new study finds just 6% of clinical trials used to approve new drugs in the U.S. reflect the country's racial and ethnic makeup, with an increasing trend of trials underrepresenting Black and Hispanic individuals.

The findings arrive amidst a push for personalized medicine, which creates treatments designed specifically for an individual's genetic makeup.

Researchers at UC Riverside and UC Irvine examined data from 341 pivotal trials-the large, final-stage studies used to gain FDA approval for new drugs-between 2017 and 2023. They observed a decline in Black and Hispanic enrollment beginning in 2021, even as calls for greater equity in science and medicine intensified. Asian representation increased over this period, while white participation remained largely stable.

Precision medicine relies on understanding how genetic differences influence treatment outcomes. If clinical trials under-sample large segments of human genetic variation, critical signals for safety and efficacy may be missed." Sophie Zaaijer, geneticist with both UCR and UC Irvine, and co-lead author of the study

Zaaijer and co-author Simon "Niels" Groen, a UCR geneticist, argue that while ancestry alone shouldn't guide clinical treatment decisions, it plays a critical role in the early stages of drug development. People from different backgrounds often carry different versions of genes, called alleles, that affect how the body responds to medications.

"When a trial includes only a narrow slice of humanity, we can't be confident a drug will work - or be safe - for everyone it's meant to help," Groen said.

Clinical trials used to approve drugs in the United States are conducted both in the U.S. and in other countries that follow International Council for Harmonisation, or ICH, standards. While this ensures consistency between trials and speeds up approvals, it also concentrates evidence in a few regions such as the U.S., Europe, China, and Japan.

Sub-Saharan Africa and much of Latin America, which host less than 3% of pivotal trials, are often left out of the data that shapes medicines used by millions of Americans.

This could be changing for Hispanics. Brazil joined ICH in 2016, followed by Mexico in 2021 and Argentina in 2024. Expanding trial networks to these and other underrepresented regions may help future studies better capture the genetic variation of patients worldwide.

Zaaijer began this line of research as a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell Tech, studying how little human genetic diversity is taken on board in preclinical drug development when patient-derived cells are used to model disease and test potential therapies.

"I kept wondering," Zaaijer said, "If our preclinical models are this skewed, what happens once those drugs move into clinical trials?" Bias in preclinical models is an early warning sign, but bias in clinical trials becomes medical practice, she noted.

Her collaboration with Groen's lab developed naturally. His lab at UCR studies how tiny worms metabolize plant toxins, and the parallels with human biology are striking. "Many of the same genes used to break down chemicals in worms are also involved in drug metabolism in humans," Groen said.

"The genes worms use to detoxify chemicals are ancient," Groen continued. "We carry many of the same ones. But small natural variations in forms of these genes can have a big effect."

Published in Communications Medicine, the study offers several recommendations: set diversity goals at the beginning of the drug development pipeline at the preclinical stage, choose testing locations that reflect the health needs and genetic backgrounds of local populations, and collect biological samples, such as blood or saliva, that can help researchers understand how people's bodies react to a drug.

Even as DNA testing becomes more common in doctor's offices, the researchers stress that realizing the full promise of personalized medicine depends on stronger, more ancestry-aware data from the start.

"Precision medicine becomes possible only when clinical trials map the biology of all patients, not just a subset," Groen said. "Our analysis could offer a roadmap for how to get there."
The Government today launched a public consultation on locally implementing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Developments (OECD) new Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and amendments to the OECDs Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

Since 2018, Hong Kong has exchanged financial account information with partner jurisdictions automatically on annual basis, in accordance with the CRS, enabling tax authorities to use the information for tax assessments, and to detect and combat cross-border tax evasion.

In light of the rapid development of digital asset markets, the OECD published CARF in 2023. It provides for the automatic exchange of tax information on crypto-asset transactions with partner jurisdictions on an annual basis, and incorporated into the CRS new digital financial products and enhanced requirements regarding reporting and due diligence.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said: To demonstrate our commitment to promoting international tax co-operation and combating cross-border tax evasion, as well as to fulfil our international obligations, Hong Kong will make amendments to the Inland Revenue Ordinance for implementing CARF and the newly amended CRS.

This is also of paramount importance in maintaining Hong Kong's reputation as an international financial and commercial centre.

The Government plans to complete the necessary legislative amendments in 2026, so as to commence the automatic exchange of tax information on crypto-asset transactions with partner jurisdictions from 2028, and to implement the newly amended CRS from 2029.

Additionally, since last year, the OECD has been conducting the second round of a peer review on the effectiveness of Hong Kongs administrative framework for implementing the CRS.

Having taken into consideration the OECDs views, the Government proposes to introduce mandatory registration for financial institutions to enhance identification. It will also raise penalty levels and enhance enforcement by amending the relevant legislation.

This is being done to maintain a favourable rating in the OECDs peer reviews and maintain Hong Kongs reputation as an international financial and commercial centre, the Government said.

Views on the proposals can be posted to 24/F, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, or emailed, by February 6, 2026.
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau (right) undergoes a moxibustion treatment at the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong.

The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong began offering outpatient and day-patient services today, as the phased launch of its operations commenced.

Located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, the hospital follows a public-private partnership model, with its construction being fully funded by the Government.

In response to keen public demand, appointments for government-subsidised outpatient services will be increased.

Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said the commencement of services at the hospital marks a significant milestone in the development of Chinese Medicine (CM) in the city, signalling that CM is going beyond primary healthcare to play a part in secondary and tertiary healthcare in Hong Kong.

He said he looks forward to the hospital providing more comprehensive CM services to members of the public, and to developing a Hong Kong model that involves a mix of pure CM, CM-dominant services, and integrated Chinese-Western medical services. Remarking that this will dovetail with the CM Development Blueprint due to be announced by the Government, he explained that the blueprint will foster the CM sectors high-quality and high-standard development, giving it powerful impetus to go global.

Regarding the high demand for appointments, Prof Lo said: In response to the keen public demand, we have requested the hospital to increase the quota for government-subsidised general outpatient services in the first month after service commencement for members of the public to make appointments.

Specifically, the service quota in the first 10 days of operation has been doubled. For the remaining days of the first month upon service commencement, the service quota has also been increased by an additional 30% starting today.

He added that patients can also make appointments to attend the non-subsidised outpatient clinic, where they can select their preferred CM practitioners.

In addition to providing outpatient and day-patient services, in its first year of operation the hospital will fully launch specialised CM services in six areas: Internal Medicine; External Medicine; Gynaecology; Paediatrics; Orthopaedics and Traumatology; and Acupuncture and Moxibustion.

It will also launch 12 special disease programmes, including programmes for elderly degenerative diseases and stroke rehabilitation.

Demonstrating the Governments commitment to public health, 65% of the hospitals total service volume will comprise Government-subsidised services. The hospital will also provide market-oriented services to foster positive interaction between the hospital and the private healthcare market.

Patients can make appointments via the hospitals hotline, on 3121 3121, its website, or via the newly launched CMHHK Mobile App.

Additionally, the hospital will provide full medical fee waivers to victims of the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire until December 31, 2026. Eligible individuals can identify themselves to the hospital and provide basic personal information during consultations.

To facilitate public access, the hospital will provide free shuttle services between Tiu Keng Leng MTR Station, LOHAS Park Station, and the hospitals main entrance. The Transport Department has co-ordinated with public transport operators to enhance services to the hospital.

Moreover, the hospital will hold open days on January 17 and 18, 2026. Reservations can be made online through the hospitals website starting from today.
Upon liaison with Police, the Housing Department will remove burnt scaffolding on the external walls of Wang Cheong House, Wang Tai House and Wang Sun House at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, starting this Friday.

Meanwhile, the Buildings Departments orders to remove scaffold nets has all been complied with. It will announce a new set of arrangements within this week requiring scaffold nets used at construction sites to be sampled on-site and certified as compliant with the relevant standards prior to installation, so that the relevant external wall work can resume as soon as possible.

Financial support

As of noon today, donations received by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had reached about $3.1 billion. Combined with the $300 million in startup capital from the Government, this takes the fund to a total of around $3.4 billion.

The fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,717 cases had been processed.

The fund will also provide the families of each deceased victim with a $200,000 token of solidarity, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 109 cases had been processed.

Furthermore, the Government announced today that a new special one-off grant of $100,000 under the fund will be provided to flat owners at all the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court.

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department have been in contact with more than 1,980 affected households, and more than 4,900 residents have been registered for the one social worker per household follow-up service.

Accommodation arrangements

As of this morning, a total of 1,435 residents had been accommodated under the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,677 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Hong Kong Housing Society.

Separately, the temporary shelter at Tai Po Community Centre has ceased operation as users there have all relocated to the emergency accommodation arranged by the Government. The temporary shelter at Tung Cheong Street Community Hall will remain in operation until existing users have moved to the emergency accommodation.

Relief supplies

On the Government's online platform for donated supplies, about 1,700 registrations have been received, with approximately 30% submitted by organisations. Over 16,300 donated items, covering various categories, have been distributed.

Regulation work

The Housing Bureaus Independent Checking Unit has inspected the scaffoldings at Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, On Kay Court in Kwun Tong, Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po and Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan. The contractor concerned has completed removing all the miscellaneous items on the scaffolding.

As of 4pm today, the Labour Department had inspected 404 construction sites, issued a total of 210 written warnings and 104 improvement notices, and taken out 25 prosecutions.
The Government has expressed profound sadness over the death of a senior police inspector who had been taking part in an advanced selection assessment for the Polices Special Duties Unit.

The officer, 31, lost consciousness after completing a dive in the waters off Lamma Island on December 4.

He was immediately transported to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment and passed away this evening.

The force said it is investigating the incident and has temporarily suspended the advanced selection assessment exercise.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung and Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung extended their deepest condolences to the officers family. Mrs Yeung added that the Civil Service Bureau is in contact with Police to assist the family during this sad and difficult period.

Commissioner of Police Chow Yat-ming said he felt deep sorrow over the death of the officer, who joined the force in 2016.

Attached to the Tactical Unit Headquarters, the officer had consistently shown enthusiasm and passion for his work, and was highly committed to his duties, the force said.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government strongly disapproves of and opposes a report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), which made biased, slandering and smearing remarks about the situation in Hong Kong.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it disapproves of the CECC's repeated tactics to interfere in the affairs of Hong Kong through the so-called annual report, and strongly opposes the reports absurd and untrue content regarding legislation safeguarding national security in Hong Kong.

In accordance with international law and international practice based on the Charter of the United Nations, safeguarding national security is an inherent right of all sovereign states, and many common law jurisdictions including the US, the UK, Australia and Canada have enacted legislation and implemented measures to safeguard national security, the statement said.

Regarding the offences related to seditious intention, the Hong Kong courts have ruled in different cases that the provisions on sedition are consistent with those of the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights on the protection of human rights, and that a proportionate and reasonable balance has been struck between safeguarding national security and protection of the freedom of speech, the statement said.

The offence is not meant to silence the expression of any opinion that is only genuine criticism of the Government based on objective facts, it added.

Regarding the custodial arrangements for Jimmy [Lai] Chee-ying mentioned in the report, the Hong KSAR Government has stated on numerous occasions that the medical services provided to him in custody are adequate and comprehensive.

The Correctional Services Department attaches great importance to the safety and health of persons-in-custody (PICs), the statement said, adding that irrespective of the PICs identities, ages and nationalities, the department is committed to ensuring the custodial environment is secure, safe, humane, appropriate and healthy.

The Hong Kong KSAR Government emphasised that all judicial cases are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law, and that all defendants will receive a fair trial strictly in accordance with laws applicable to Hong Kong, including the National Security Law (NSL) and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) as protected by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

The US report specifically mentioned cases on offences endangering national security involving Lai Chee-ying, wantonly smearing the law enforcement, prosecution and judicial organs of Hong Kong regarding the handling of the relevant cases, the statement said.

Their ulterior motives are obvious - to interfere with the judicial proceedings in the city by means of political power so as to procure a defendant's evasion of the criminal justice process, the statement said, adding that the Hong Kong SAR Government strongly condemns such blatant attempts to undermine the rule of law of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said it steadfastly safeguards the rights and freedoms enjoyed by the Hong Kong people as protected under the law, noting that since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the human rights in the city have always been robustly guaranteed constitutionally by both the Constitution and the Basic Law.

The statement said that since the implementation of the NSL and the SNSO, the media landscape in Hong Kong has remained vibrant, but the US report deliberately fabricated facts about freedom of the press and speech in the city.

The statement said that the US Government itself does not hesitate to take action against misleading and biased news reporting, adding that it has recently set up a webpage to list misleading and biased media reporting, some of which is described as subversive.

The US CECC's smearing of Hong Kong using double-standards is a shameful political maneuver, the statement said.

The report's claim that women in Hong Kong face discrimination and harassment in the workplace is another absurd accusation, as the Sex Discrimination Ordinance protects women from discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation in the prescribed area of employment, the statement added.
30th International Film Festival of Kerala inaugurated

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 21:15 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 12 (PTI) The 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK 2025) was inaugurated on Friday by State Culture Minister Saji Cherian at a function attended by dignitaries from the film world from across the globe.

The inaugural ceremony was marked by lighting of 30 lamps by the guests, including Palestine Ambassador to India Abdulla M Abu Shawez, German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann, Chilean director Pablo Larrain, Spanish actor Angela Molina and Candadian director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall.

In his inaugural speech, Saji Cherian said the IFFK was the only regional festival in India which had completed 30 meaningful years with the participation of people who were committed to cinema.

Cheriyan said the festival had grown into a cultural resistance movement for the good of humanity. The IFFKs had also contributed a lot to support the cause of women fighting for equality, he said.

The minister said a distinct political stand was what makes IFFK different from other festivals. The people of Kerala had always supported the cause of Palestinians and it was not by chance that the opening film of the 30th festival was from that country, he said.

Palestine Ambassador Shawez, in his speech, thanked the IFFK for opening your heart to us." He said the opening film, Palestine 36," is not just fiction, but reality reflected on screen. It is the story of resilience in the face of tragedy, resistance in the face of hardship," he said.

Chilean director Larrain commended the selection of films for the IFFK, saying it was a wonderful package. German Ambassador Ackermann said he is proud to see that 25 German productions or co-productions are being screened at the festival.

Canadian director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall received the Spirit of Cinema Award" from the minister at the inaugural function. The award was instituted for women film directors who take up stories of resistance in their works.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, memento, and citation.

Marshall, in her speech, said her works reflected the injustice meted out to the black community. Injustice towards a community is injustice towards all marginalized communities," she said.

IFFK jury members Angela Molina (Spanish actor) and Bui Thac Chuyen (Vietnamese director) were present at the inaugural function.

Renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and former Chalachitra Academy chairpersons Rajeev Nath, and T K Rajeev Kumar were also present.

Rajeev Nath was honoured at the function for completing 50 years in cinema.

The inaugural function was followed by the screening of the opening film, Palestine 36," directed by Annemarie Jacir, a tale of Palestinian uprising against British colonialism. PTI MVG MVG ROH

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 21:15 IST

News agency-feeds 30th International Film Festival of Kerala inaugurated

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
CBI arrests six in Noida for duping USD 8.5 million from US nationals

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 19:45 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The CBI has dismantled a sophisticated cybercrime network that allegedly duped more than USD 8.5 million from US nationals using crypto wallets and foreign bank accounts, with the arrest of six key accused, officials said on Friday.

Based on the inputs from the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the CBI teams began a crackdown in Noida, where the six suspects were intercepted red-handed while swindling US citizens.

The agency arrested Shubham Singh, Daltanlian, George T Zamlianlal, L Seiminlen Haokip, Mangkholun and Robert Thangkhankhual in connection with the fraud.

The teams also conducted searches in Delhi and Kolkata, resulting in the total seizure of Rs 1.88 crore cash, 34 electronic devices, including mobile phones, laptops, pen drives, hard disks and incriminating documents related to the crime, officials said From 2022 to 2025, the accused operated under pseudonymous identities of US Government officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Social Security Administration (SSA), a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the statement, the accused conspired to target US citizens by threatening them that their social security numbers (SSN) had been used for money laundering and drug deliveries and that all their assets would be frozen.

Claiming that their funds faced imminent risk, the accused coerced the victims into remitting USD 8.5 million over a period of three years to cryptocurrency wallets and overseas bank accounts under their control, the spokesperson added.

During searches conducted by CBI on Wednesday and Thursday, it was found that this transnational cyber-enabled financial crime network was channelling the proceeds of crime through virtual assets and bank transfers," the spokesperson said.

A probe is underway by the agency to unravel the proceeds of the crime, the broader network and international leads. PTI ABS OZ OZ

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 19:45 IST

News agency-feeds CBI arrests six in Noida for duping USD 8.5 million from US nationals

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Delhi govt to build 13 mini secretariats as revenue districts are reorganised

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 21:15 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Thirteen mini secretariats housing offices of different departments to ensure public convenience will be built at centralised locations in each of the 13 revenue districts, officials said on Friday.

In a significant move aimed at making governance simpler and citizen-centric in the national capital, the Delhi government had approved the reorganisation of the existing 11 revenue districts into 13 new districts, which will be fully co-terminus with the 12 MCD zones, NDMC, and Delhi Cantonment Board.

There will be three new districts  Outer North, Central North and Old Delhi. Shahdara district has been scrapped.

There will be 39 subdivisions up from 33 and 39 Sub-Registrar offices, up from 22. The gazette notification will be issued in 15 days, while they will be fully operationalised by the end of this month. The government has sanctioned a budget of Rs 25 crore for the current financial year," said an official.

According to officials, once the districts are notified, the Public Works Department will carry out the work of identifying locations for mini secretariats, carrying out feasibility studies and floating tenders.

Another official said that the Divisional Commissioners office will carry out the backend work of updating the software to reflect the new subdivisions and the two new districts.

The administration must strive to be a single-point contact for service delivery for the citizens. A lot of challenges are faced by people in accessing basic services delivered at the district level due to the offices of various departments being in different buildings," said an official.

A concept of mini secretariat has been envisaged for all districts in a mission mode.

All these Mini Secretariats will be set up at centralised, easily reachable and accessible to all locations in each of the districts. It would automatically improve coordination, result in public convenience, and enable better supervision and review by the District Magistrates," said the official.

The reorganisation of revenue districts will significantly improve ease of living, speed up service delivery, and ensure seamless coordination across land records, property registration, civic services, and grievance redressal, he added. PTI SLB HIG

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 21:15 IST

News agency-feeds Delhi govt to build 13 mini secretariats as revenue districts are reorganised

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Paytm invests Rs 2,250 cr in payments services arm

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 20:15 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Fintech firm One97 Communications, which owns the Paytm brand, has made an additional investment of Rs 2,250 crore in its subsidiary Paytm Payments Services Limited through a rights issue, the company said on Friday.

Paytm Payments Services received the RBI permit last month after a long wait to operate as a payment aggregator.

We hereby inform you that the Company has on December 12, 2025, completed the additional investment of Rs 2,250 crores in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Paytm Payments Services Limited, through subscription to its Rights Issue of Equity Shares," One97 Communications said in a filing.

The Reserve Bank of India granted in-principle approval to Paytm Payments Services Limited in August to operate as an online payment aggregator.

The banking regulator had also removed restrictions from Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL) on onboarding new merchants, which were imposed on the company on November 25, 2022.

In November 2020, Paytm Payments Services applied for a licence with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a payment aggregator under the guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways.

However, in November 2022, the RBI rejected PPSLs application and asked the company to resubmit it, so as to comply with Press Note 3 under FDI rules.

Subsequently, the company filed the required application on December 14, 2022, with the government for the past downward investment from OCL (One97 Communications Ltd) into the company in order to comply with Press Note 3 prescribed under FDI guidelines. PTI PRS PRS BAL BAL

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 20:15 IST

News agency-feeds Paytm invests Rs 2,250 cr in payments services arm

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Section of conservancy workers try to protest in front of secretariat, detained

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 15:30 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

Chennai, Dec 12 (PTI) A section of conservancy workers, as part of their attempt to intensify their protest against privatisation, tried to stage a demonstration in front of the Secretariat, and were detained by the police on Friday.

Opposing the privatisation of garbage clearing work in two zones that fall under the Greater Chennai Corporation area, the conservancy staff have been protesting since August 1.

On Friday, a section of workers, the majority of them women staff who represent the Uzhaipor Urimai Iyakkam (Right of workers movement), which is leading the protest, tried to stage a demonstration in front of the Secretariat.

The protestors were raising slogans against the corporations decision to privatise two of the zones  Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.

Immediately, they were detained by the police personnel and were evicted in a police vehicle.

Meanwhile, reports said another section of workers who tried to enter the sea as part of the agitation were detained by the police too. PTI VIJ ADB

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 15:30 IST

News agency-feeds Section of conservancy workers try to protest in front of secretariat, detained

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Two held for extorting money by impersonating vigilance officers in Odisha

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 22:30 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

Rourkela (Odisha), Dec 12 (PTI) Police on Friday arrested a man and his brother-in-law for allegedly impersonating Odisha vigilance officials and extorting money from government officers by threatening them with dire consequences, an official said.

The accused have been identified as Ganesh Prasad Nanda and his brother-in-law Pradeep Kumar Panda, police said.

The arrest was made on the basis of a complaint filed by a senior OAS officer, who alleged that the duo had extorted Rs 4 lakh from him, they said.

Impersonating Tripathy Babu, an additional SP-rank Vigilance officer, Nanda informed the complainant that a disproportionate assets case had been registered against him, Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said.

Wadhwani said Nanda demanded Rs 8 lakh to dispose of" the case but later agreed to settle the matter for Rs 4 lakh, which was transferred to his bank account.

During the course of investigation, it was established that Nanda was a habitual fraudster indulging in extorting money with the help of co-accused Panda from different government officials by introducing himself as additional SP, vigilance over phone since 2021, he said.

They both extorted lakhs of rupees from as many as 18-20 government officials of Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Deogarh and other districts by misusing the name of vigilance," the SP told reporters.

The accused allegedly threatened to conduct raids on the victims houses on allegations of possessing disproportionate assets. Several officials gave in to the demands to avoid social embarrassment, he said.

The case is under progress, and the bank accounts and assets of the accused are being verified," the SP added.

Police have recovered 38 debit cards, passbooks of 43 banks, 37 chequebooks, 10 mobile phones and other documents from the accused. PTI COR BBM BBM MNB

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 22:30 IST

News agency-feeds Two held for extorting money by impersonating vigilance officers in Odisha

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
UP: Meerut man gets 20 years jail for raping minor girl

Last Updated: December 13, 2025, 00:15 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

Meerut, Dec 12 (PTI) A special POCSO court in Meerut district on Friday sentenced a man to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old girl, a lawyer said on Friday.

Special public prosecutors Narendra Chauhan and Avkash Jain said the court of Special Judge (POCSO Act) Mohammad Babar Khan convicted the accused and sentenced him to 20 years rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 70,000.

They said the case dates back to March 25, 2019, when the plaintiff filed a complaint at the Brahmpuri police station, alleging that the accused lured and threatened his 13-year-old daughter.

Based on this, police registered a case of kidnapping and threats and recovered the minor safely.

Based on the medical examination and statement of the victim, the case was upgraded to rape and sections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were added to the case.

The court concluded the hearing and sentenced the accused on Friday, Chauhan said. PTI COR KIS ARI

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 13, 2025, 00:15 IST

News agency-feeds UP: Meerut man gets 20 years jail for raping minor girl

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
UP: Woman dies by suicide after going live on Facebook in Lucknow

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:00 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

Lucknow, Dec 12 (PTI) A 24-year-old woman died by suicide in Vibhuti Khand area here after going live on Facebook, police said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday.

Station House Officer Amar Singh on Friday said she was from Ambedkar Nagar district and lived in a rented room in the area.

Police said she had earlier lodged a complaint against a local reporter in Ambedkar Nagar. She had also lodged a complaint against an Army man, accusing him of cheating her after promising marriage about five to seven months ago.

According to police, the woman went live on Facebook around 5.30 am. Meta alerted the police control room.

The room was locked from inside, and the time taken to break open the door delayed our entry. She might have been saved otherwise, the SHO said.

She was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

Police said in the suicide video, she stated that she was ending her life and was not staging a scene. She did not name anyone. PTI NAV AKY

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 12:00 IST

News agency-feeds UP: Woman dies by suicide after going live on Facebook in Lucknow

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Apple To Build Two Mega Factories In India, Creating 1 Lakh Jobs, Says CEA Nageswaran

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 10:27 IST

Apple is building two major factories near Bangalore and Chennai, boosting local iPhone production with Tata Group and Foxconn, and creating 100000 jobs.

Apples Shift From China Accelerates With Two New India Factories, Says V Anantha Nageswaran

Apple is planning to build two major factories near Bangalore and Chennai, with a cumulative employment capacity to 1,00,000 workers, amid rising local component production to support iPhone assembly, according to Indias Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran.

Speaking in the fireside chat with Raghuram Rajan, the former RBI governor and Harold W. McGraw, III Foundation Senior Fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution, Nageswaran said this expansion is in alignment with Apples global strategy to diversify its production unit from China under Indias PLI scheme.

Value additions in the Indian manufacturing phones are increasingit was single-few digit in the first few years, and high double-digits," Nageswaran said.

The CEA added that some of the components are now being made inside the country.

Apple has steadily broadened its local manufacturing base, shifting much of its US-focused iPhone production from China to India to cushion the impact of tariffs.

The expansion covers Tata Groups facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, and Foxconn Technology Groups production hub near Bangalore airport, both of which have recently gone live. In a sign of Tatas growing importance as an Apple partner, factories controlled by the conglomerate could account for nearly half of Indias iPhone output within the next two years.

Indias iPhone exports surged by 53% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, reaching 23.9 million units, up from 15.6 million units in the same period last year.

The United States emerged as the dominant export destination, accounting for 78% of iPhones shipped from India in H1 2025  an increase from 53% a year earlier. Meanwhile, other key markets such as the Netherlands, UAE, Czech Republic, UK, and Japan saw their shares fall, each contributing just 2-4%.

The ramp-up was initiated by severe COVID-19 lockdowns in China that disrupted operations at Apples largest plant, compelling the tech giant to reduce its overdependence on the country. A large share of these iPhones are assembled at Foxconn Technology Groups facility in southern India, with Tata Groups electronics arm also emerging as a key contributor.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 10:27 IST

News business Apple To Build Two Mega Factories In India, Creating 1 Lakh Jobs, Says CEA Nageswaran

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
IDBI Bank Stake Sale: Fairfax Leads Race To Acquire Controlling Stake From LIC

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 08:31 IST

IDBI Bank Stake Sale: Apart from Fairfax, Kotak Mahindra Bank is the other significant contender in the fray.

IDBI Bank Disinvestment.

IDBI Bank Stake Sale: Fairfax Financial, a Toronto-based company, has emerged as the frontrunner to acquire a controlling stake in IDBI Bank from the central government and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), according to an ET report citing multiple people familiar with the matter. The report comes ahead of a December-end deadline for submission of financial bids of IDBI Bank.

Apart from Fairfax, Kotak Mahindra Bank is the other significant contender in the fray. Both have been shortlisted after they had submitted expressions of interest to participate in a bidding process two years ago.

Fairfax, led by Indian-Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa, is weighing an all-cash bid that aligns with IDBI Banks current market valuation. Such a proposal, insiders indicated, could strengthen its position in the race.

The Centre and LIC together plan to offload a 60.72 per cent stake in the lender, valued at close to 7 billion dollars at prevailing prices. IDBI Bank has rallied nearly 25 per cent so far this year and commands a market capitalisation of about 1.02 trillion.

According to ET, Kotak Mahindra Bank, meanwhile, is said to be considering a mix of cash and shares in its offer. Emirates NBD, which had initially expressed interest, is reassessing whether to proceed after sealing a deal to purchase a controlling stake in RBL Bank.

Both Fairfax and Kotak have already been vetted by the Reserve Bank of India and deemed fit and proper, a mandatory clearance for candidates submitting financial bids. IDBI Banks share price has surged significantly since the government first announced its divestment plans three years ago; the stock closed at 95 apiece on Thursday, giving the lender a valuation of around 1 trillion, or more than 11.3 billion dollars.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 08:31 IST

News business IDBI Bank Stake Sale: Fairfax Leads Race To Acquire Controlling Stake From LIC

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Corona Remedies IPO Listing Price Prediction: Allotment Finalised, GMP At 27%, Check Listing Date

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 09:05 IST

Corona Remedies IPO Listing Date: Shares of Corona Remedies Ltd are scheduled to be listed on both BSE and NSE on December 15.

Corona Remedies IPO Allotment Date.

Corona Remedies IPO GMP: The allotment of the Corona Remedies IPO has been finalised. The initial public offering of pharma company Corona Remedies Ltd, which closed yesterday, received a whopping 144.54 times subscription on the closing day of the share sale on December 10. The price band of the Rs 655.37-crore IPO was fixed in the range of Rs 1,008 to Rs 1,062. Its share allotment has been finalised today. Investors can now check the allotment status on the websites of the BSE, the NSE, and registrar Bigshare Services.

According to market observers, the grey market premium of the IPO remains at Rs 295, compared with Rs 262 last week.

The IPO was open for public subscription between December 8 and December 10. It received a total of 144.54 times subscription, garnering bids for 62,67,60,106 shares as against 43,36,298 shares on offer. Its retail category got a 30.39x subscription, while its non-institutional investor (NII) quota got a 220.18x subscription. The QIB category received a 293.80x subscription.

Corona Remedies IPO Listing Date

The companys shares are scheduled to be listed on both BSE and NSE on December 15.

Corona Remedies IPO GMP Today

According to market observers, unlisted shares of Corona Remedies Ltd are currently trading at Rs 1,357 apiece in the grey market, against the upper IPO price of Rs 1,062. It means a grey market premium (GMP) of 27.78%, indicating a strong listing for the company.

The GMP had stood at 25.5% last week.

The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing. Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price.

Corona Remedies IPO Allotment Today: A Step-By-Step Guide To Check Status Online

The Corona Remedies IPO allotment is expected to be finalised on Thursday, December 11. The allotment status can be checked online by following these steps:

1) Visit registrar Bigshare Services Pvt Ltds portal  https://ipo.bigshareonline.com/ipo_status.html.

2) Under Select Company, select Corona Remedies Ltd from the drop-down. The companys name will be available in the drop-down once the allotment is finalised.

3) Under Select Selection Type, enter your application number, demat account, or permanent account number (PAN).

4) Enter Captcha

5) Then, click on the Search button.

Your share application status will appear on your screen.

Via the BSE

1) Go to the official BSE website via the URL  https://www.bseindia.com/investors/appli_check.aspx.

2) Under Issue Type, select Equity.

3) Under Issue Name, select Corona Remedies Ltd in the drop box.

4) Enter your application number, or the Permanent Account Number (PAN). Those who want to check their allotment status via PAN can select the Permanent Account Number option.

5) Then, click on the I am not a robot to verify yourself and hit the Search option.

Your share application status will appear on your screen.

Corona Remedies IPO: More Details

Corona Remedies on Friday mobilised Rs 195 crore from anchor investors.

It has fixed a price band of Rs 1,008-1,062 per share for IPO.

The companys IPO is entirely an offer for sale by promoters and existing investors.

Under the OFS route, existing investors  Sepia Investments, Anchor Partners, and Sage Investment Trust  along with promoters, plan to offload shares.

Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Corona Remedies is a pharmaceutical formulation company engaged in developing, manufacturing and marketing products in womens healthcare, cardio-diabeto, pain management, urology and other therapeutic areas.

Its diversified product portfolio comprises 67 brands catering to a range of therapeutic areas as of December 2024.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 09:05 IST

News business ipo Corona Remedies IPO Listing Price Prediction: Allotment Finalised, GMP At 27%, Check Listing Date

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Receives 0.26x Subscription On Day 1 So Far: Should You Apply? Check GMP

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 14:14 IST

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO GMP: Unlisted shares of ICICI Prudential AMC Ltd are currently trading at Rs 2,318 apiece in the grey market, against the upper IPO price of Rs 2,165.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO: The initial public offering (IPO) of ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company (AMC) opened for public subscription today, Friday, December 12. The Rs 10,602-crore IPO, whose price band has been fixed in the range of Rs 2,061 to Rs 2,165 per share, will be closed on Tuesday, December 16. Till 2:10 pm on the first day of bidding on Friday, the IPO received a total of 0.26 times subscription, garnering bids for 90,26,118 shares as against 3,50,15,691 shares on offer.

Its retail category got a 0.15x subscription, while its non-institutional investor (NII) quota got a 0.21x subscription. The QIB category received a 0.46x subscription.

It raised Rs 3,022 crore from anchor investors on Thursday, a day before the opening of its mega-initial share-sale for public subscription.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO

According to market observers, unlisted shares of ICICI Prudential AMC Ltd are currently trading at Rs 2,318 apiece in the grey market, against the upper IPO price of Rs 2,165. It means a grey market premium (GMP) of 7.07%, indicating moderate listing for the company.

The GMP had stood at 25.5% last week.

The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing. Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO: Should You Apply?

Brokerages remain broadly constructive on the ICICI Prudential AMC IPO, citing the companys scale, strong equity franchise and resilient profitability. Canara Bank Securities notes that Indias mutual fund industry is still significantly underpenetrated, with the AUM-to-GDP ratio at just 19.9 per cent in FY25. The shift of individual investors towards equity-oriented schemes has supported better fee realisations and stickier assets, helping strengthen the AMCs long-term operating profile.

The brokerage highlights the companys rapidly expanding SIP book, with monthly systematic inflows rising to 48 billion in September 2025 from 23.5 billion in March 2023. Over FY23FY25, average AUM, operating revenue and profit after tax all delivered robust CAGRs of around 3233 per cent. Operating margins remained steady at 7374 per cent, while cash flow generation held firm at 1x of PAT. It also points out that while the issues valuations at 40.4x FY25 and 33.1x annualised H1FY26 earnings are broadly in line with peers, the price-to-book multiple remains elevated at 27x for H1FY26 and 30x for FY25, compared with 1014x for comparable AMCs. Even so, the brokerage has assigned a Subscribe for Long Term rating, citing ICICI Prudentials strong equity AUM, second-largest industry position, 20 per cent share in operating profit, consistent top-quartile fund performance, high ROE of 80 per cent and stable margins.

Analysts at Anand Rathi share a similar view. They argue that ICICI Prudential AMC, backed by a sizeable market share, is among the most profitable asset managers in the country. At the upper end of the price band, the stock is valued at around 40x FY25 earnings  a level the brokerage considers reasonable when compared with other leading players such as HDFC AMC and Nippon Life AMC. While they believe valuations are fully priced, the firms long-standing performance and robust financial metrics make a compelling case. Anand Rathi recommends subscribing to the IPO from a medium- to long-term perspective.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO: More Details

ICICI Prudential AMC has set a price band of Rs 2,061 to Rs 2,165 per share for the issue, valuing the company at about Rs 1.07 lakh crore (USD 11.86 billion).

The IPO will be an entirely offer-for-sale (OFS) of more than 4.89 crore shares by its promoter, UK-based Prudential Corporation Holdings, meaning the company will not receive any proceeds from the offering.

Currently, the ICICI Bank holds 51 per cent in the AMC, while Prudential owns the remaining 49 per cent.

Once listed, ICICI Prudential AMC will become the latest asset manager to debut on Indian stock exchanges, joining players such as HDFC AMC, UTI AMC, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC, Shriram AMC and Nippon Life India Asset Management.

It will also be the fifth ICICI Group entity to be listed, after ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential Life, ICICI Lombard and ICICI Securities.

The company is scheduled to make its stock market debut on December 19.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 10:25 IST

News business ipo ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Receives 0.26x Subscription On Day 1 So Far: Should You Apply? Check GMP

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
KV Toys IPO Allotment Finalised: A Step-By-Step Guide To Check Status Online; Know Latest GMP

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 11:36 IST

According to market observers, the grey market premium of the IPO has increased to Rs 151 (or 63.2% premium over the issue price), compared with Rs 145 on Thursday.

KV Toys IPO Allotment Status & GMP Today.

KV Toys IPO Allotment Status, GMP Today: The allotment of the KV Toys IPO has been finalised. Investors can now check the allotment status online on the websites of the BSE as well as registrar Purva Sharegistry India. According to market observers, the grey market premium of the IPO has increased to Rs 151 (or 63.2% premium over the issue price), compared with Rs 145 on Thursday.

The initial public offering of K V Toys India Ltd, which was open between December 8 and December 10, received a whopping 352.63 times subscription. Its retail investors category received a 376.41x subscription, while its non-institutional investors (NII) got a 505.19x subscription. The QIB category garnered 193.25x bids.

The price band of this Rs 40-crore BSE SME IPO was fixed in the range of Rs 227 to Rs 239.

K. V. Toys India Ltd, which was incorporated in 2009, is engaged in the business of contract manufacturing and sale of plastic-moulded and metal-based toys for children, covering both educational and recreational segments.

KV Toys IPO Allotment Today: A Step-By-Step Guide To Check Status Online

The KV Toys IPO allotment has been finalised. The allotment status can be checked online by following these steps:

1) Visit registrar Purva Sharegistry Indias portal  https://www.purvashare.com/investor-service/ipo-query.

2) Under Select Company, select K.V. Toys India Limited from the drop-down.

3) Enter your application number or permanent account number (PAN).

4) Then, click on the Search button.

Your share application status will appear on your screen.

Via the BSE

1) Go to the official BSE website via the URL  https://www.bseindia.com/investors/appli_check.aspx.

2) Under Issue Type, select Equity.

3) Under Issue Name, select K.V. Toys India Limited in the drop box.

4) Enter your application number, or the Permanent Account Number (PAN). Those who want to check their allotment status via PAN can select the Permanent Account Number option.

5) Then, click on the I am not a robot to verify yourself and hit the Search option.

Your share application status will appear on your screen.

KV Toys IPO GMP Today

According to market observers, unlisted shares of KV Toys Ltd are currently trading at Rs 390 apiece in the grey market, against the upper IPO price of Rs 239. It means a grey market premium (GMP) of 63.18%, indicating a strong listing for the company.

The GMP had stood at 60.6% on Thursday and 50.21% last week.

The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing. Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price.

The shares will be listed on December 15 on the BSEs SME platform.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 11:36 IST

News business ipo KV Toys IPO Allotment Finalised: A Step-By-Step Guide To Check Status Online; Know Latest GMP

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Bengaluru Weekend Power Cuts: Area Wise Details And Timings

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:58 IST

According to officials, the shutdowns are required for replacement of old cables and transformers, line shifting for infrastructure projects, tree trimming near high-tension lines.

Authorities say such maintenance is essential to prevent unplanned outages later, especially ahead of peak summer demand. (Image: Canva)

Several parts of Bengaluru are likely to experience planned power interruptions this weekend as BESCOM and KPTCL carry out maintenance, repair and infrastructure upgrade works. The outages are expected to be daytime cuts, mainly to facilitate line repairs, underground cable work and substation maintenance.

Officials have said these are scheduled shutdowns and not load-shedding, but residents in multiple neighbourhoods are advised to plan ahead, especially those working from home or relying on electronic appliances during the day.

When Are the Power Cuts Expected?

The planned outages are expected on Saturday and Sunday, with most shutdowns scheduled between 9 AM and 5 PM. In some pockets, supply may be restored earlier depending on the progress of maintenance work, while in others, interruptions could last for several hours.

BESCOM officials have said weekend shutdowns are preferred as they reduce disruption to offices and commercial establishments.

Areas Likely to Be Affected on Saturday

On Saturday, power interruptions are expected in parts of North and West Bengaluru, particularly areas connected to substations undergoing maintenance.

Localities that may see outages include:

Yelahanka

Attur

Vidyaranyapura

Jakkur

Thanisandra

Hebbal

Sahakaranagar

Nagawara

Hennur

RT Nagar

Mathikere

Parts of Peenya Industrial Area, Laggere, Nandini Layout, and surrounding residential pockets may also see temporary power cuts due to feeder-level work.

Areas Likely to Be Affected on Sunday

On Sunday, maintenance work is expected to continue in other zones, affecting parts of East, South and Central Bengaluru.

Areas that may experience power cuts include:

Whitefield

KR Puram

Mahadevapura

Hoodi

AECS Layout

Varthur

Bellandur

Marathahalli

HSR Layout

BTM Layout

JP Nagar

Jayanagar

In central parts of the city, pockets around Majestic, Chickpet, Basavanagudi, and Gandhinagar may also face short-duration outages linked to underground cable work.

Why These Power Cuts Are Being Carried Out

According to officials, the shutdowns are required for replacement of old cables and transformers, line shifting for infrastructure projects, substation maintenance, tree trimming near high-tension lines, and underground cable repairs.

Authorities say such maintenance is essential to prevent unplanned outages later, especially ahead of peak summer demand.

What Residents Should Keep in Mind

BESCOM has advised residents to treat the announced timings as tentative and plan accordingly. While some areas may see supply restored sooner, others may experience longer interruptions if work takes more time than expected.

Residents using medical equipment, home offices, or lifts in apartment buildings are advised to ensure backup arrangements are in place.

How to Check If Your Area Is Affected

Since outages depend on specific feeders and substations, not entire localities may be affected. Residents can contact the BESCOM helpline at 1912, check notices from local BESCOM subdivision offices, or confirm with apartment associations or building managers.

Officials have said updates will be shared locally if schedules change.

Plan Ahead for the Weekend

With weekend plans, online meetings and household chores often lined up, residents are advised to charge phones, laptops and power banks in advance. Using heavy appliances like washing machines and geysers during outage hours may not be possible.

For many Bengalureans, planned power cuts are a familiar inconvenience. Authorities say advance notice and cooperation from residents can help ensure maintenance work is completed faster and with minimal disruption.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:57 IST

News cities bengaluru-news Bengaluru Weekend Power Cuts: Area Wise Details And Timings

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
He Will Now Rest In Peace: Bahraich Violence Victims Widow Hails Death Sentence For His Killer

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 18:17 IST

We are satisfied with the courts decision. The one who killed my husband has been sent to the gallows. Yogi ji fulfilled all our demands," said Roli

Rapid Read

Ramgopal Mishra; (right) the accused in the case. (News18 Hindi)

His soul has finally found peace," Roli whispered, her voice trembling as she stepped outside the Bahraich courtroom on Thursday. Moments earlier, the judge had pronounced the death sentence for Sarfaraz, the man who shot her 24-year-old husband, Ramgopal Mishra, during the communal flare-up of October 2024.

For the young widow, whose marriage was just 85 days long, the verdict felt like the first meaningful acknowledgement of her grief in 13 long months.

Clutching her dupatta tightly, she said, We are satisfied with the courts decision. The one who killed my husband has been sent to the gallows. Yogi ji fulfilled all our demands. We want to meet him again."

Her words, soft yet resolute, briefly cut through the courtroom chaos where police, lawyers, and families stood packed together in palpable tension.

The other nine convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the violence that occurred in the Maharajganj market in Bahraich.

Relief for one family, denial from another

As Roli spoke, a child from the accuseds family sobbed inside the court hall. Outside, security forces were deployed near the convicts homes to prevent any reaction from spiralling into fresh tension.

Sarfarazs brother, brought to court in a police van, lashed out at reporters: We have done nothing! No one heard our side. You all declared us guilty without asking us."

His voice carried anger and helplessness  a stark contrast to the quiet, exhausted relief on Rolis face.

A family shattered long before the judgment

Ramgopals parents did not attend the verdict. Initially, his mother, Munni Devi said, My sons body was mutilated nose, neck, head  everything destroyed. They deserve to be hanged."

The family had already lost two sons before the age of 25  one to suicide, the other to drowning. Ramgopal, the third young son to die, was their hope. His death flattened the family; the verdict brings justice, but not return.

Political ripples across Uttar Pradesh

The sentencing immediately triggered a wave of reactions across political circles.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had closely monitored the case, called the verdict a strong message against mob killing and communal violence". Party leaders emphasised that the government had ensured a speedy trial  13 months and 28 days  and delivered justice to the bereaved family.

Opposition parties, however, offered a different view. Congress leaders said the violence itself was a failure of the administration and accused the government of using the verdict to cover up lapses in law-and-order that allowed the situation to escalate".

Some Samajwadi Party figures argued that the governments focus should have been on preventing the communal clash, not merely punishing those after the fact.

A senior SP leader said, Justice is welcome, but the government must answer how such a situation was allowed to reach this point."

Political analysts, however, said that the case may become a rallying point in the coming months, especially since it touches on communal fault lines and the governments stance on rapid justice delivery.

The night that changed everything

The violence erupted in Maharajganj Bazar, 40 km from Bahraich, when a dispute over switching off a DJ during the Durga immersion procession spiralled into stone-pelting and firing. More than 20 rounds were fired. In the chaos, Ramgopal climbed onto Abdul Hameeds roof, removed a green Islamic flag and hoisted a saffron one.

What followed was brutal: he was dragged inside, beaten and shot. His body bore deep cuts, pulled-out nails, bullet wounds.

His death triggered even more angerroad blockades, burning of a bike showroom and private hospital, and a night of terror. STF Chief Amitabh Yash reached the town at midnight and personally confronted violent mobs.

The chief ministers intervention

Months earlier, when Ramgopals family met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow, the meeting room had fallen silent. The mother fainted twice. Roli cried through her veil, saying, My world is destroyed."

The CM offered them 10 lakh compensation, a PM Awas house, Ayushman card and a contractual job for Roli. The family says the promises were fulfilled.

The convicts can appeal within 3090 days. The High Court must confirm the death sentence. The victims family can also seek stricter punishment for life convicts.

But for Roli, the legal maze is secondary.

As she walked away from the courthouse, she stopped once, looked back, and whispered, At least now he will rest in peace."

She then stepped into the winter afternoon  carrying her grief, her justice, and a future still uncertain, but finally unburdened by the weight of waiting.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 18:17 IST

News lucknow-news He Will Now Rest In Peace: Bahraich Violence Victims Widow Hails Death Sentence For His Killer

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Delhi Halts Private School Recognition Amid Safety Concerns After Tragic Goa Fire

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 11:06 IST

The additional commissioner has instructed Verma to form a councillor committee to conduct physical inspections of all recently recognised schools, according to the letter.

Several councillors raised issues about the structural integrity of school buildings and the resulting risks to children.(Representative image/PTI)

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has temporarily halted the recognition process for private schools and initiated an urgent inquiry to verify compliance with essential safety norms in recently recognised institutions.

This decision comes after a tragic fire in Goa that resulted in over 25 fatalities, prompting renewed scrutiny of unsafe buildings nationwide.

In a letter, MCD Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh noted a communication from Education Committee Chairman Yogesh Verma, expressing serious concern" over how recognitions were being granted by the education department, reported PTI.

Several councillors also raised issues regarding the structural integrity of school buildings and the associated risks to children.

Addressing these concerns, the additional commissioner has instructed Verma to form a councillor committee to conduct physical inspections of all recently recognised schools, as stated in the letter.

The committee is tasked with examining fire safety compliance and submitting its report within a week.

Considering the safety of children, recognition is to be put on hold until the report is submitted," the order stated.

The director (education) has also been directed to provide all relevant documents to support the inquiry.

Meanwhile, following a recent student suicide case, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood has ordered a comprehensive review of mental-health practices across all schools in the national capital. A committee has also been formed to investigate whether institutions are following the prescribed mental-health guidelines. Sood stated that the government would provide full support to any school needing assistance in strengthening its mental-health framework.

Delhis schools are set to undergo extensive upgrades aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Sood announced that campuses across the MCD and the Delhi government will be modernised using CSR funds, with planned improvements in classroom design, furniture, and the introduction of AI-based teaching tools.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 11:06 IST

News education-career Delhi Halts Private School Recognition Amid Safety Concerns After Tragic Goa Fire

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
RBI Summer Internship: UG, PG Students Can Apply By December 15; Stipend Rs 20,000

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:06 IST

The RBI internship is designed for students enrolled in postgraduate courses, integrated five-year programmes, and professional bachelors courses.

Each year, RBI selects up to 125 interns through a screening and interview process. (File Photo)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is inviting applications for its Summer Internship Programme, which offers students practical insights into the central banks operations and opportunities to engage in economic, finance, regulatory, and policy research. The programme is designed for students enrolled in postgraduate courses, integrated five-year programmes, and professional bachelors courses.

Eligible fields of study include Economics, Finance, Management, Statistics, Commerce, Banking, Econometrics, Law, and related disciplines. Only pre-final year students from recognised Indian institutions are eligible to apply.

The internship typically lasts for three months, from April to July, though the duration may vary based on project requirements. Applications will close on December 15. The shortlisting and interview process takes place in January and February, with final selections confirmed between February and March.

Candidates must apply online through the RBI internship portal, where they need to provide personal and academic details, a statement of purpose, preferred departments, a photo, signature, ID proof, a bonafide or authorisation certificate, and other necessary documents. Each applicant can choose only one control office, usually linked to the state where their institution is located.

Each year, RBI selects up to 125 interns through a screening and interview process. Selected interns are assigned to various RBI offices across India, where they undertake projects, research, data analysis, documentation, and departmental tasks under expert supervision.

Their work may involve areas such as banking regulation, monetary policy, financial stability, compliance, economic analysis, and data-driven studies. Interns receive a stipend of Rs 20,000 per month. While accommodation is not provided, outstation candidates are reimbursed for AC II-tier return train travel. Interns will handle confidential information and must sign a confidentiality declaration before starting their internship.

This internship programme provides young professionals with valuable experience in the Central Bank of India, honing their skills in financial and policy research and offering guidance for their future careers.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 16:06 IST

News education-career RBI Summer Internship: UG, PG Students Can Apply By December 15; Stipend Rs 20,000

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Lavish House, Luxury Cars, Hefty Payouts: Why Sourav Joshi's Success On YouTube Is No Fluke

Curated By :

News18.com Edited By: Anurag Verma



Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 11:37 IST

From sketching in his room to flying on private jets, Sourav Joshi has come a long way.

Sourav Joshi currently has 38 million subscribers on YouTube. But how did he achieve so much success?

Sourav Joshis resounding success on YouTube is no fluke. The 26-year-old vlogger, hailing from Uttarakhands Someshwar, grew up in a lower-middle-class household. His father worked as a carpenter while his mother was a homemaker. After facing a setback after his 12th grade, Joshi returned home, where he began drawing. Upon his brothers insistence, Joshi opened a YouTube channel in 2017. The vlogger initially faced an identity crisis on YouTube, trying out several names for his channel before settling on Sourav Joshi Vlogs. Undeterred by the lack of recognition in his early days, Joshi continued his pursuit, fueled by a burning ambition for fame and fortune.

So what catapulted Joshi to incredible success, making him one of the biggest YouTube channels in India?

Early Day Struggles

Joshis early days on YouTube were unremarkable. His dreams of joining an art college were shattered. Hailing from a family where his father struggled to make ends meet, Joshi began uploading art on YouTube.

However, despite having uploaded 250-odd videos on his arts and sketches channel, Joshis subscriber count lingered at around 3-4K subscribers. Unbothered by the snail-paced growth online, the YouTubers decision to feature all his family members in one of his 2019 vlogs changed the trajectory of his social media career.

He possessed no fancy equipment, and his introversion was palpable. But this worked in his favour.

Desi audiences found his mannerisms, the rawness in the uploads, and middle-class" family content extremely relatable. With a newfound viral" connection and viewers who kept tuning in to his family vlogs, Joshi set himself a ludicrous goal during the 2020 global pandemic lockdown.

Also Read: YouTuber Sourav Joshis 35 Million Subscriber Vlog On Private Jet Angers People, Heres Why

The Rise

It was when whole of India was confined to their homes during the lockdown Joshi decided to go full throttle. The vlogger set himself a target of posting a vlog every day for 365 days without a break. This decision changed his life.

During the lockdown in 2020, I took on an ambitious project of creating 365 vlogs in 365 days. To my astonishment, my videos rapidly gained viral status on YouTube, resulting in a flood of new subscribers to my channel. By 2021, I became one of Indias fastest-growing vlogger, a testament to my hard work," Joshi told News18.com in an interview dated 2023.

His family, who pretty much lived around him, became his content. During the interview, he revealed that he did not chase trends. He didnt need to. His daily life on YouTube as a vlogger became his content and ultimately the online trend.

That his vlogs were family-friendly enabled his exponential growth. People from different age groups tuned in regularly. Kids could sit with their grandparents and enjoy Joshis vlogs without any awkwardness seeping into the room.

The Relatability

Watching his interactions with ghar ke log, the banters, the shared love, the simplicity made Joshi a household name in India. The YouTuber did not shy away from showing his riches. From luxury stays to luxury cars to displaying his lavish house to travelling on private jets: Joshis goal wasnt to flex" on his audience but inspire them. If he could, so could a young boy hailing from a small town.

I dont think of myself as another vlogger; I try to be someone that every young boy from small towns and cities can resonate with, inspiring them to dream big and reach for the stars," he told News18.com.

The Money

Joshi, who recently tied the knot with Avantika Bhatt in an intimate ceremony held on the ghats of Rishikesh, has always been candid about the wealth he has amassed from YouTube and brand collaborations.

In the YouTube-influencer world, where a creators growing wealth can sometimes alienate their audience, who no longer find their OG creator relatable, Joshi has often embraced his chunky vlogging payouts on-screen with sincerity.

During a stay at a lavish property, he addressed the elephant in the room. Yes, I am living the life. Thats why I tell you guys to create content. Make videos. Bring your unique ideas out. Who knows, they might work."

He added that YouTubers and influencers get to travel the world, stay in fancy hotels, and gain new experiences. And it did not happen overnight for him as it took him over eight or more years to get where he is now.

How Much Does He Earn?

Although the online analytics about Joshis monthly income from YouTube are preposterous, Joshi, in a brief interview, revealed that each time he pumped out a video on YouTube, the money he earned from that upload could buy him a Mahindra Thar Roxx.

Also Read: YouTuber Sourav Joshi Receives Rs 5 Crore Extortion Threat From Bhau Gang

How much does a Mahindra Thar Roxx cost? Around Rs 12 lakh on-road. Its worth noting that his recent YouTube uploads have touched 1 million views within a 2-3-hour window.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 11:36 IST

News explainers Lavish House, Luxury Cars, Hefty Payouts: Why Sourav Joshi's Success On YouTube Is No Fluke

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Why Mexico Is Slapping Up To 50% Tariffs On Asian Goods, And How Big Is The Impact On India?

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 09:32 IST

From January 1, 2026, Mexico will impose up to 50% duties on over 1,400 goods from non-FTA nations. Indias vehicle, machinery and steel exports face some of the steepest hikes.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum. (Image: AFP/File)

Mexico has approved a new tariff regime that raises import duties on goods coming from countries with which it does not have a free trade agreement (FTA). The Senate cleared the measures for implementation from January 1, 2026. The revised structure covers more than 1,400 product categories and applies to countries such as India and China, both of which export significant volumes of manufactured and industrial goods to Mexico.

Countries with existing trade agreements, including the United States, Canada and the European Union, will not face these increases. Because India does not have a trade agreement with Mexico, its exports fall directly under the new duty slabs.

What Has Mexico Announced?

The approved tariff structure introduces duties between 5 per cent and 50 per cent on more than 1,460 imported items. The upper bands of 50 per cent apply to specific categories, with others falling into ranges of 30 to 35 per cent and lower slabs around 5 per cent. Mexico sources a wide range of goods from non-FTA partners, including automobiles, machinery, steel, chemical products, textiles, footwear, electrical and electronic equipment and plastic-based items. All such categories will now be subject to revised cost conditions.

What A Free Trade Agreement Means In This Context

A free trade agreement reduces or eliminates tariffs on goods traded between participating countries. Because the tariff increase applies exclusively to non-FTA partners, Indian exports will be subject to the higher duties once the new structure takes effect.

Why Is Mexico Raising Tariffs?

Mexico has linked the tariff move to multiple pressures. One major factor is the scale of low-priced imports from China, which holds a trade surplus of more than $100 billion with Mexico and has affected domestic sectors such as steel, auto parts and textiles. Chinese firms have also set up operations inside Mexico and supplied goods to the United States. The tariff change comes ahead of the 2026 review of the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement, after both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration warned Mexico about Chinese goods entering the US through Mexican channels.

This shift also takes place in a broader trade environment in which the United States already imposes 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened further action, and concerns have grown about Asian products reaching the US via Mexico, including goods made by Chinese manufacturers operating there or routed through Mexican territory.

Mexico has also framed the tariff increase as a step to protect domestic industry and employment and as a way to correct distortions caused by cheap imports. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the ruling Morena party have presented the measure as a defence of Mexican workers facing competition from low-priced imports. The revised structure is expected to generate about 70 billion pesos, which corresponds to roughly $3.7 to $3.75 billion annually.

How Big Is Indias Export Exposure To Mexico

India exported goods worth $8.9 billion to Mexico in 2024. TradingEconomics data for 2025 lists Indias major export categories as $1.86 billion of vehicles, $612.38 million of electrical and electronic equipment, $560.87 million of machinery, $388.04 million of organic chemicals, $386.03 million of aluminium and $211.20 million of pharmaceutical products.

Which Indian Sectors Are Most Affected

The automobile sector is expected to face the steepest increase in costs. India exports between $800 million and $1 billion worth of passenger vehicles to Mexico annually. Mexico is Indias third-largest passenger vehicle export market after South Africa and Saudi Arabia. Under the new regime, passenger vehicles exported from India will face a 50 per cent tariff, up from about 20 per cent previously.

According to Reuters, $1.8 billion worth of Indian car shipments are at risk. It identifies Skoda Auto Volkswagen, Hyundai, Nissan and Maruti Suzuki among the major exporters, with Skoda Auto accounting for nearly half of Indias passenger vehicle shipments to Mexico.

Piyush Arora, managing director of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, said: Mexico has consistently been one of our important export markets, given the rising demand there and the traction of our India-made models."

Auto components worth $600 to $700 million will now fall under duty bands between 25 and 50 per cent. Iron and steel exports of about $900 million will face tariff rates of 35 to 40 per cent. Textile, apparel and footwear shipments valued at $500 to $600 million will attract duties of 30 to 35 per cent. Other affected sectors include machinery, electrical equipment, aluminium, plastics, organic chemicals and pharmaceuticals, with pharmaceutical exports falling in duty ranges between 15 and 30 per cent.

How Much Indias Exports Could Decline

Across the affected categories, Indias exports to Mexico could fall by 25 to 40 per cent. The sharpest declines are expected in automobiles and intermediate goods because these categories both carry high export values and face some of the largest duty increases.

How Has India Responded So Far?

Indian exporters attempted to prevent the tariff move before it was approved, lobbying the Mexican Senate in November and December 2025. A Reuters-reviewed letter from an industry group shows that automobile exporters also urged the Indian government to act. These efforts did not alter the outcome. The matter has since been taken up diplomatically, with India exploring the possibility of a free trade agreement with Mexico or a partial scope arrangement covering sectors such as automobiles and steel to limit the impact once the new duties are in force.

Who Gains And Who Loses Under The New Tariffs?

Mexican industries in steel, textiles and specific auto-parts categories are expected to gain because competing imports from non-FTA countries will become more expensive. The Mexican government will also collect additional revenue from the new tariff structure. Exporters from India, China and other non-FTA Asian countries will face higher costs, and Mexican consumers may encounter higher prices for imported goods. Manufacturers in Mexico that rely on Asian inputs may also face increased production expenses.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 09:25 IST

News explainers Why Mexico Is Slapping Up To 50% Tariffs On Asian Goods, And How Big Is The Impact On India?

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Will Four Nations Break Rank With The EU? Inside The Deepening Trump-Europe Faultlines

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 14:26 IST

A disputed US strategy document and Donald Trumps blunt critique of Europe have accelerated debates over political drift within the European Union.

Trump and Zelenskyy with European Leaders | Image: AP

The uneasy transatlantic relationship between the United States and the European Union is once again under strain. In recent days, US President Donald Trump has launched a new offensive against European leaders, calling them weak," branding key EU nations decaying," and accusing them of letting the war in Ukraine drag on. His remarks accompanied the release of a new US National Security Strategy (NSS), which has sparked concern across Europe for its rhetoric and implications.

What intensified the backlash was not only the tone of the published NSS, but also reports of an unpublished longer version flagged by US outlet Defense One. That internal draft allegedly proposed a plan to pull" four countriesAustria, Hungary, Italy and Polandaway from the EU and into closer alignment with the US.

While the White House has firmly denied the existence of such a document, stating, no alternative, private, or classified version exists", the report has added to growing European unease over Washingtons evolving stance, especially as Trump continues to court nationalist governments sympathetic to his worldview.

What Did The Unpublished Document Allegedly Propose?

According to the report, the draft NSS advocated deepening ties with ideologically aligned governments, specifically those in Hungary, Poland, Austria, and Italy, by supporting parties and movements that promote traditional European ways of life" while staying pro-American.

The draft also reportedly frames Europe as a continent facing civilisational erasure", a narrative that has gained traction among Europes far-right leaders and in Russia. It criticises EU efforts to curb far-right parties, describing such actions as political censorship," and calls for cultivating resistance to Europes current trajectory".

The phrasing suggests a deliberate attempt to drive a wedge within the EU. It aligns closely with Trumps praise for leaders such as Hungarys Viktor Orban, known for defying Brussels on migration, rule of law, and media freedom. The documents language reflects a wider strategy of splintering the EU from within, favouring regimes that echo Trump-era nationalism.

The White House has rejected these claims outright. Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly stated that Trump put his signature on one NSS", and no other version exists.

What Has Trump Said About Europe In Recent Days?

In a Politico interview, Trump expanded his attack on the continent, saying, I think theyre weak. I think they dont know what to do." He described Europe as a group of decaying" nations and praised Hungary and Poland as models for tough immigration control. Most of Europe, he suggested, had failed to preserve stability or strategic focus.

Trump also claimed that Europe was responsible for prolonging the Ukraine war by failing to act decisively. He accused European governments of letting Ukraine fight until they drop," suggesting they were more interested in containment than resolution. They talk but they dont produce. And the war just keeps going on and on," he said.

In a particularly inflammatory claim, Trump alleged that Ukraine was blocking peace. He said Moscow was fine" with a US peace plan that proposed major concessions from Kyiv, and accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of refusing to play ball." European leaders fear such a plan could prioritise US interests at Ukraines expense, leaving Kyiv exposed to future aggression.

Trump also questioned Ukraines democratic credentials, noting the suspension of elections under martial law. It gets to a point where its not a democracy anymore," he said. Elections have been suspended under martial law since Russias full-scale invasion in 2022, in line with Ukraines constitutional provisions.

Zelenskyy responded by saying elections could be held within 60 to 90 days if security conditions improve, and that legislative proposals were being prepared to enable this.

The Politico interview capped a week of provocations in which Trump was also named the most powerful person shaping European politics" in the outlets annual P28 list, underscoring the extent of his influence on the continents direction.

How Has Europe Responded To The NSS And Trumps Comments?

EU leaders have responded with unusual directness. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that nobody else is supposed to interfere, without any question" in European democracy, and said the sovereignty of the voters must be protected." She linked the reported NSS goals to foreign attempts to influence internal EU politics.

She also defended the EUs proposed Democracy Shield, aimed at combating foreign disinformation and election interference, and stressed that Europe must define its own values. Lets stand up for a unified Europe. This is our task to look at ourselves and be proud of ourselves," she said at a public event in Brussels.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper rejected Trumps characterisation of Europe as weak, citing strong defence investments and sustained aid to Ukraine. She said two presidents are working for peace", referring to Zelenskyy and Trump, but only one, Putin, continues to escalate the conflict.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called parts of the NSS unacceptable," particularly the notion that the US must save democracy" in Europe. We can handle that ourselves," he said, cautioning against any external attempts to dictate the continents political path.

Are These Countries Really Pulling Away From The EU?

Not formally. None of the four countries namedAustria, Hungary, Italy, and Polandhave initiated processes to exit the EU. However, their political trajectories suggest growing friction with Brussels.

Hungary and Poland, in particular, have long challenged EU norms. Theyve clashed with the European Commission over judicial independence, press freedom, and LGBTQ rights. Both have embraced nationalist rhetoric that resonates with Trumps platform: defending sovereignty, resisting migration, and confronting what they describe as liberal elites" in Western Europe.

Italy has witnessed a rise in far-right political momentum under governments sympathetic to nationalist causes, while Austria has frequently pivoted between pro-European and populist messaging.

The NSS controversy has fuelled fears that the US may be actively encouraging this drift. If these nations interpret Trumps support as a green light to further defy Brussels, the balance of power within the EU could be reshaped.

Why Does This Matter For Europes Future?

The NSS document, which Russia publicly welcomed as largely consistent" with its worldview, signals a break from the traditional Atlanticist consensus. The fact that it does not frame Russia as a direct US threat has added to European concerns, especially among NATO members who see Moscow as their primary security challenge.

EU leaders worry that Washingtons posture under Trump could embolden far-right movements within their own borders, undermine unity on Ukraine, and weaken transatlantic alignment at a critical moment. From digital regulation to energy security and defence integration, the EU has been attempting to assert strategic autonomy. But these efforts may be undermined if a US administration openly supports internal dissent.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 14:07 IST

News explainers Will Four Nations Break Rank With The EU? Inside The Deepening Trump-Europe Faultlines

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
2017 Kerala Actor Assault Case: Six Convicts Sentenced To 20 Years Of Rigorous Imprisonment

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 18:02 IST

A Kerala court sentenced Sunil NS, Martin Antony, Manikandan B., Vijesh VP, Salim H., and Pradeep to 20 years for the 2017 actress assault.

Rapid Read

The court announced the sentence to the convicted person by around 4.45 pm. (Representative image)

A court in Keralas Ernakulam on Friday sentenced six people convicted in the 2017 actress sexual assault case to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. District and Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese sentenced Sunil NS (Pulsar Suni), Martin Antony, Manikandan B., Vijesh VP, Salim H., and Pradeep for gang rape, with additional sentences for related offences to run concurrently.

The court also directed that the victim be paid Rs 5 lakh in compensation and that the pen drive containing the assault visuals remain in the custody of the investigating officer. On December 8, the court had acquitted four accused, including actor Dileep.

The six convicted individuals were found guilty under multiple IPC sections, including 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage modesty), 357 (assault or criminal force in attempt to wrongfully confine a person), 366 (abduction), 376(D) (gang rape), and under IT Act sections 66E (violation of privacy by capturing or transmitting images of a private area without consent) and 67(A) (publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material), news agency PTI reported.

During the hearing on sentencing, the court heard submissions from the defence and prosecution. The convicts sought leniency, citing family responsibilities and health issues. Martin and Pradeep broke down in court, claiming innocence. Special Public Prosecutor V. Aja Kumar argued for the maximum punishment of life imprisonment, stressing the gravity of the crime.

Throughout the proceedings, the court observed that Sunis actions were more grievous than those of the others and questioned whether identical sentences could be imposed on all under Section 376(D). The judge also urged lawyers and the media not to criticise the judicial process.

The 2017 assault, in which the accused allegedly forced their way into her car and held it under their control for two hours on February 17, had shocked Kerala. Suni sexually assaulted and filmed the actress with the help of the others. Actor Dileep, accused of conspiracy, was later acquitted after a nearly six-year trial.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Kerala, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 18:02 IST

News india 2017 Kerala Actor Assault Case: Six Convicts Sentenced To 20 Years Of Rigorous Imprisonment

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Anna Hazare To Launch Indefinite Hunger Strike From Jan 30 Over Non-Implementation Of Lokayukta Act

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 14:17 IST

Anna Hazare will start an indefinite hunger strike on January 30 in Ralegan Siddhi, protesting Maharashtras delay in implementing the Lokayukta Act despite repeated assurances.

Anna Hazare will start an indefinite hunger strike on January 30 in Ralegan Siddhi, protesting Maharashtras delay in implementing the Lokayukta Act despite repeated assurances. (Image NBT)

Social activist Anna Hazare has announced that he will begin an indefinite hunger strike on January 30 in Maharashtras Ralegan Siddhi, accusing the state government of failing to implement the long-pending Lokayukta Act. Calling this his final agitation," Hazare said the law is crucial for public welfare but continues to be ignored despite repeated assurances.

Hazare had earlier gone on a hunger strike in Ralegan Siddhi in 2022, demanding the enactment of the Lokayukta law. That protest was withdrawn after mediation by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Union agriculture minister, following which a committee drafted the legislation. The Bill was passed by both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature and later forwarded to the President for assent.

However, Hazare now says the Act has still not been implemented on the ground. He added that he has written seven letters to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, but has received no response.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Hazare expressed frustration over the governments silence.

This law is very important for the welfare of the people. I wrote seven letters, yet no response came. I dont understand why the government is not implementing it. A government is meant for public welfare, not for mere display," he said, confirming his January 30 fast.

Hazare, known for galvanising the nation during the 2011 India Against Corruption movement at Jantar Mantar, said he hopes the government will act before the situation escalates again.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 14:16 IST

News india Anna Hazare To Launch Indefinite Hunger Strike From Jan 30 Over Non-Implementation Of Lokayukta Act

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Is Your Kitchen Appliance Causing Lung Cancer, Diabetes? What New Science Means For Indian Homes

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:38 IST

A Stanford study says gas and propane stoves emit NO and benzene, which are linked to chronic respiratory illnesses, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and even certain cancers

India ranks among the countries with the highest indoor air pollution burden in the world. (Getty Images)

For decades, indoor air pollution has lived in the shadow of the more visible crisis of outdoor smog. Cities like Delhi and Mumbai dominate global lists of the worlds most polluted urban centres, drawing attention to factories, traffic emissions, and construction dust. Yet scientists have long warned that the air inside homes may be just as dangerous, and sometimes far worse.

A major new study by Stanford University highlighted in The New York Post suggests that gas and propane stoves, commonly used in millions of homes worldwide, emit hazardous pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO) and benzene  both strongly linked to chronic respiratory illnesses, childhood asthma, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers.

In India, where indoor air pollution is a leading cause of premature death, the findings raise an urgent question: Could everyday cooking be quietly damaging the health of millions?

What The New Stanford Research Says

The study examined emissions from gas and propane stoves, including those that are properly functioning and installed. What it found was deeply unsettling. Even without obvious leaks, the stoves released high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO)  a pollutant known to exacerbate respiratory diseases  and benzene, a carcinogenic chemical associated with increased risks of leukaemia and other cancers.

Researchers noted that during routine cooking, indoor NO levels often surpass internationally accepted health safety thresholds, sometimes exceeding the limits set for outdoor pollution. Benzene concentrations, too, rose sharply in enclosed spaces and lingered long after the stove was turned off.

The study also highlighted that exposure is not uniform. Children, elderly individuals, and people with existing respiratory conditions face significantly higher risks. Small, poorly ventilated kitchens  common in urban apartments and lower-income households  are particularly vulnerable.

Why This Matters For India

At first glance, this may seem like a Western household issue linked to gas infrastructure debates. But Indias situation is far more complex and potentially more dangerous.

India ranks among the countries with the highest indoor air pollution burden in the world. While the push for LPG connections under schemes like Ujjwala has improved access to cleaner fuels, many still rely on biomass, coal, kerosene, and mixed-fuel cooking. Even in LPG-only kitchens, poor ventilation and small enclosed spaces create dangerous build-ups of pollutants.

In many Indian cities, the average household spends more time indoors due to outdoor pollution, ironically exposing themselves to high levels of indoor pollutants. Unlike the spacious, better-ventilated homes targeted in many Western studies, Indian kitchens are smaller, hotter, and less ventilated, often lacking chimneys or exhaust systems.

This makes pollutants like NO and benzene more concentrated, potentially compounding the risks identified by the Stanford research.

How NO And Benzene Harm The Body

Nitrogen dioxide and benzene are not new villains in environmental health research. Both have been studied for decades and are known to have long-lasting and cumulative effects on human health.

NO is a highly reactive gas that irritates the lining of the lungs. Prolonged exposure inflames airways, reduces lung function, and triggers asthma attacks. Numerous studies link chronic NO exposure to increased hospitalisations for respiratory illness, greater risk of cardiovascular disease, and higher mortality rates.

For roughly 35 million Indians suffering from asthma, NO exposure is especially harmful. Even short-term spikes can cause wheezing, chest tightness, and reduced oxygen saturation.

Benzene, on the other hand, is listed as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning it is known to cause cancer in humans. Long-term benzene exposure is associated with blood disorders, suppressed immune function and various forms of leukemia. Because benzene accumulates in fat tissue, it can remain in the body for extended periods.

In kitchens without proper ventilation, concentrations of these chemicals can rise dramatically during everyday activities like boiling milk, frying vegetables, or making rotis.

Gas Stoves vs. Indian Cooking Habits: A Recipe For Higher Exposure?

Indian cooking involves high-heat techniques such as frying, tempering, grilling, and pressure-cooking  all of which generate more particulate matter and gaseous emissions compared to typical Western cooking.

A simple tadka can release fine particulate matter at rates that equal or exceed outdoor Delhi pollution levels on a bad winter day. Combine this with gas combustion, and the result is a dense cloud of invisible pollutants trapped in small kitchens.

Because many Indian households cook several hot meals a day, the duration of exposure is also higher. Women, homemakers, domestic workers, and elderly household members often spend extended hours in the kitchen, making them more vulnerable to health risks.

Are Indian Homes Equipped To Handle Pollutants?

Ventilation is the single biggest factor that can reduce indoor pollution levels. Yet many Indian homes fall short on this front.

A large proportion of urban kitchens lack chimneys altogether. Even when chimneys are installed, they are often poorly maintained or used infrequently. Windows are uncommon in rental apartments, and new real-estate developments in crowded cities prioritise space-saving over airflow.

Some households rely solely on ceiling fans or open doors, which may not be adequate for clearing out pollutants like NO or benzene. Exhaust fans, when present, are often too weak to make a measurable difference.

This means the pollutants identified in the Stanford study may remain trapped for hours, or even accumulate over months, inside Indian homes.

What Are Other Countries Doing?

The findings have accelerated a global shift towards electrification in developed countries. In the US, cities such as New York, Berkeley, Los Angeles, and Seattle have imposed restrictions on new gas stove installations. The European Union is debating stricter indoor air quality regulations and potential phase-outs of gas appliances in the long term.

These policy moves stem from decades of research linking gas stoves to childhood asthma and respiratory illness, and now, to potential cancer risks. Electrification is seen not only as a climate-friendly alternative but as a public health necessity.

India has not yet entered this policy debate at a national level. But as urbanisation increases, and as millions move into smaller apartments, the country may soon face similar questions about whether current standards for kitchen ventilation, building design, and fuel choice are adequate.

Indoor Air Pollution vs Outdoor Air Pollution: Which Is Worse?

It may be surprising, but several studies show that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, even in highly polluted cities. This is because outdoor pollutants mix with indoor emissions from cooking, cleaning agents, incense sticks, mosquito coils and scented candles  creating a toxic cocktail.

In winter months, when houses remain closed, air circulation decreases dramatically. This is the period when respiratory illnesses spike in India, and indoor pollution significantly contributes to that surge.

For families that use gas stoves, incense sticks, and mosquito coils simultaneously, pollutant levels can rise exponentially.

What Indian Experts Say About The Risks

Pulmonologists in India have long warned that indoor air is a silent killer. While the conversation has centred mainly on soot and particulate matter from biomass and kerosene, many now believe the focus must expand to gas emissions as well.

Lung specialists note that chronic exposure to NO and benzene can have cumulative effects that are not always obvious in the short term. Coughing, wheezing, morning throat irritation, and recurring colds are often early signs of long-term exposure.

Environmental health researchers argue that Indias indoor air quality problem is significantly understudied compared to outdoor pollution. They stress that in a country with rising cancer rates, diabetes, and respiratory illness, every additional exposure pathway needs scrutiny.

Several reports point out that ventilation standards have not kept pace with shrinking home sizes. Many households lack the structural design to safely disperse cooking emissions, creating a public health risk that spans socio-economic boundaries.

What Can Households Do?

While long-term policy change may take time, households can take simple steps to reduce exposure.

Ventilation: Keeping windows open while cooking, using an exhaust fan, and ensuring air circulation can significantly reduce pollutant concentrations. Installing a chimney and cleaning it regularly is especially effective for kitchens that see heavy use.

Induction Or Electric Cooking: Changing the cooking method for some meals can reduce exposure to gas combustion by-products. Even partial electrification can make a noticeable difference.

Avoid Multiple Pollutants: Households should also avoid combining multiple indoor pollutants at the same time, such as incense sticks, mosquito coils, and gas cooking.

Regular Servicing Of LPG Stoves: This can help prevent leaks that worsen air quality. And families can consider portable air purifiers, especially for vulnerable individuals.

What To Conclude?

The new research makes one point clear: the greatest health risks in your home may come from the most ordinary activities, such as lighting your stove, boiling your tea, and frying your lunch.

The question now is whether India will treat this as a private household problem or a public health issue requiring national attention.

As scientists increasingly warn, the air you breathe while cooking may shape your long-term health just as much as the air you breathe outside your front door.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:33 IST

News india Is Your Kitchen Appliance Causing Lung Cancer, Diabetes? What New Science Means For Indian Homes

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Assam Woman, 3 Associates Arrested Over Alleged Pakistan Link, Sent To Judicial Custody

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 13, 2025, 00:00 IST

Kalita and three associates were arrested in Assam, for alleged Pakistan links and running a Dubai-based money-laundering racket, raising security concerns near IV Corps HQ.

Rapid Read

All four accused are in judicial custody. (Representative image)

A woman and her three associates were arrested in Tezpur in Assams Sonitpur district over their alleged links with Pakistan. The matter has triggered widespread concern due to the towns strategic significance as the headquarters of the Indian Armys IV Corps (Gajraj Corps). The Corps plays a key role in securing Indias northern and eastern borders, particularly the sensitive LAC sector in Arunachal Pradesh, making the case especially serious.

According to officials, the arrest stems from a suspected overseas money-laundering operation. We filed a case of suspicious laundering of funds from an overseas transaction on December 5, 2025. Accordingly, we arrested four people, including the prime accused, a local lady. Nine months ago, she was married to a Pakistani citizen and he directed her course of action," an investigator said.

The breakthrough came after Assam Police busted a Dubai-linked money racket in Tezpur on December 5. Acting on further intelligence, police raided the home of Jutika Kalita, a resident of Borjhar village, and arrested her along with three associates. From her residence, officers seized 44 ATM cards from various banks, seven bank passbooks and cheque books, along with her passportitems that authorities say indicate suspicious activity and foreign connections.

Co-District SP (Rangapara) Ankurjyoti Borah said, The racket was orchestrated remotely, with funds funneled from Dubai-based entities into Assam accounts for domestic distribution. This method mirrors hawala operations, where undocumented remittances bypass official channels like RBI-regulated forex, often evading taxes and anti-money laundering (AML) checks."

Detailing the probe, Borah added, We got credible information from our SSP and accordingly, we carried out our investigation. We got some information that bank accounts of some inhabitants of Tezpur have shown transactions of a huge amount of foreign money. Investigating this information, we searched the house of the prime accused. We found a lot of ATM cards, bank passbooks, cheque books and a passport. Weve come to know that the person frequently visits Dubai; the accused said that she is working in Dubai."

Police say Kalita, believed to be the key operator, ran the network from Dubai using encrypted applications. Others arrested include her relative Jitu Kalita, who handled bank accounts, and associates Simu Das and Abhijit Das, who managed withdrawals and transfers. Investigators also revealed that Jutikas Pakistani husband directed her activities from the UAE.

Villagers have demanded a thorough probe and strict punishment for all involved. The four accused have been sent to judicial custody as the investigation continues.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Tezpur, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 23:43 IST

News india Assam Woman, 3 Associates Arrested Over Alleged Pakistan Link, Sent To Judicial Custody

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Bengal's 'Babri Masjid' Set To Host Inaugural Friday Namaz, Thousands Likely To Attend

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:22 IST

The preparations for the Friday prayer are in full swing at the site of the proposed mosque. Hundreds of Muslims have already gathered at the site since morning.

TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's laid foundation stone for a mosque, modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on December 6. (PTI)

West Bengals proposed Babri Masjid site is set to hold its first Friday prayers, or Jumuah namaz, today. Suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone of the Ayodhya-styled Babri mosque in Murshidabad district on December 6. Ahead of elections in 2026, this mosque has stirred communal tensions in the state.

As per a report by NDTV, the preparations for the Friday prayer are in full swing at the site of the proposed mosque. Hundreds of Muslims have already gathered at the site since morning.

Furthermore, the report states that Khichdi is being prepared to feed the crowd visiting for namaz.

Rs 3 Crore Donation Received For Proposed Mosque

As per a report by PTI, donations for the proposed Babri Masjid-style mosque have reached nearly Rs 3 crore. The foundation stone of the mosque was laid at Rejinagar in Murshidabad district on Saturday.

According to Humayun Kabir, 12 donation boxes were placed at the site. So far, Rs 57 lakh has been counted from the boxes, while Rs 2.47 crore has been received through QR-code payments.

Upon laying the foundation stone, Kabir said, I am not doing anything unconstitutional. Anyone can build a temple, anyone can build a church; I will build a mosque. It is being said that we cannot build the Babri Masjid. It is not written anywhere."

He also added that a Rs 300-crore budget has been allocated for the mosque, which will also include a hospital, guesthouse, and meeting hall. He reiterated his commitment to the project and said, It is a promise of the Muslims: The Babri Masjid will be built, it will be built, it will be built."

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Murshidabad, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:22 IST

News india Bengal's 'Babri Masjid' Set To Host Inaugural Friday Namaz, Thousands Likely To Attend

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Bengaluru Shop Owner's Abuse Over Kannada Sparks Outrage, FIR Filed

Curated By :



Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 18:47 IST

Bengaluru, shop owner Jalam from Rajasthan abused a customer for requesting Kannada, sparking outrage among Kannada organisations and leading to a police FIR and public apology

Activists have demanded that the government take strict action against such incidents to ensure accountability (Image: Representational)

In yet another language dispute in Bengaluru, tensions flared in Chickpet when a shop owner allegedly abused a customer for asking him to speak in Kannada. The incident has sparked outrage among local pro-Kannada organisations and raised concerns about respect for the states language and culture.

The shop owner, identified as Jalam, a native of Rajasthan, runs an electric shop in the Chickpet area. According to reports, the incident occurred during a routine conversation between Jalam and a local customer. When the customer requested that Jalam speak in Kannada, a disagreement quickly escalated. Jalam allegedly used abusive words and insisted that the customer speak in Hindi instead. Witnesses say the exchange caused tension not only between the two parties but also drew attention from nearby shopkeepers and locals.

Following the incident, activists from Kannada organisations expressed their anger over the behaviour of the shop owner. They promptly lodged a formal complaint with the Bengaluru police. Based on the complaint, the City Market Police registered an FIR against Jalam. Authorities are reportedly investigating the incident and reviewing CCTV footage from the area to corroborate the statements provided by the customer and witnesses.

Accused Apologises After Public Outrage

After the complaint and FIR were filed, Jalam reportedly admitted his mistake and issued a public apology. In his statement, he expressed regret for the use of abusive language and said that he did not intend to insult the customer. Despite the apology, Kannada organisations emphasised that respect for the local language is crucial, particularly in commercial establishments where residents frequently interact with service providers.

Rising Concerns Over Language Respect in Bengaluru

Kannada organisations have called this incident an example of the growing harassment of locals by outsiders in the city. They noted that it is inappropriate for migrants from northern states, who have moved to Bengaluru for work, to disrespect the local culture and language. The organisations argue that those working in Karnataka must make an effort to communicate respectfully with locals, especially in Kannada, the state language.

Activists have demanded that the government take strict action against such incidents to ensure accountability. They stress that fostering respect for Kannada in public and commercial spaces is vital to preserving the language and protecting local residents from similar incidents in the future.

This incident highlights the ongoing tensions over language use in Karnataka and the importance of cultural sensitivity, particularly in public interactions.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 18:47 IST

News india Bengaluru Shop Owner's Abuse Over Kannada Sparks Outrage, FIR Filed

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
BEUMER Group Inaugurates State-Of-The-Art Manufacturing Facility At Haryana's Reliance MET City

Published By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:54 IST

The newly inaugurated facility reinforces MET Citys position as a premier hub for advanced manufacturing and global enterprises

The new BEUMER facility will support the companys growing demand in India.

Reliance MET City (Model Economic Township Limited), one of Indias fastest-growing integrated smart cities, on Friday announced the inauguration of BEUMER Groups new state-of-the-art factory at MET City, Sector-5, Dadri Toe, Jhajjar.

BEUMER Group, a global leader in intralogistics, conveying, loading, palletising, packaging, sortation, and distribution technologies, active in industries like, Cement, Minerals and Mining, Airport Passenger Terminal Baggage Systems, automation of Courier Express Parcel Centres and Warehousing and Distribution Centres. BEUMER has chosen MET City as its preferred destination for expanding its manufacturing footprint in India. The newly inaugurated facility reinforces MET Citys position as a premier hub for advanced manufacturing and global enterprises.

Speaking on the occasion, Shrivallabh Goyal, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance MET City, said, We are delighted to welcome BEUMER Group to MET Citys world-class industrial ecosystem. Their decision to establish a cutting-edge manufacturing facility here reflects the confidence global companies place in MET Citys superior infrastructure, strategic location, and investor-friendly environment. This milestone further strengthens our vision of building Indias most advanced and sustainable industrial township."

Reflecting on this milestone, Nitin Vyas, CEO of BEUMER Group Cluster ASIA, said BEUMER has always been continuously investing in India. In 2011, we took a major step by acquiring an Indian SME. We then invested in a modern office of 4,228 square meters in Gurgaon, which opened in 2023. Today, we celebrate yet another milestone, the inauguration of this state-of-the-art factory, built on a 42,508 sqm plot at Reliance MET City. When we had to relocate from our existing factory area, we could easily narrow down to Reliance MET City, a fast-developing Industrial Hub in North India, which enables global companies to come and start in a true sense Plug and Play. This factory is not just for India, it will serve BEUMER customers globally, delivering the BEUMER quality that we are known for. From identifying the land to this grand opening, we completed this project in just 15 months, a remarkable achievement. Converting this Vision of BEUMER into Reality would have not been possible without the team at Reliance MET City under the leadership of S.V. Goyal."

Sharing his perspective, Rudolf Hausladen, BEUMER Group CEO, stated, Indias economic progress has been healthy and consistent, and BEUMER is proud to be part of this growth story. India is poised to become the third-largest air passenger market in the world, and BEUMER is a clear market leader in Baggage Handling System Technology. We are also emerging as a leader in Minerals and Mining systems offering innovative and sustainable solutions. In the cement industry, BEUMER is the market leader in cement packing plant technology, delivering energy-efficient systems that support Indias infrastructure development. Our belief in India goes beyond market potential, we believe in its talent. That is why BEUMER is working to make India our Global Capability Centre."

The new BEUMER facility will support the companys growing demand in India and international markets, enabling faster delivery, enhanced customisation, and seamless integration with the regions expanding industrial supply chain.

Reliance MET City, with over 600+ companies, 40,000+ jobs created, and IGBC Platinum rated sustainability credentials, continues to attract global and domestic enterprises across manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, electronics, green mobility, and emerging technologies.

The opening of BEUMER Groups factory marks another significant step in MET Citys mission to foster global partnerships, drive economic opportunities, and strengthen Indias manufacturing competitiveness.

About Model Economic Township Limited (METL)

MET City (METL) is a 100% subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, which is developing a world class integrated Smart city on over 8,250 acres land in the district of Jhajjar near Gurugram in the state of Haryana. More than 600 companies including some of the best national and international corporates have set up their bases in MET City due to its world  class plug-n-play infrastructure and its strategic location with excellent connectivity to the National Capital Region. The project has already seen completion of trunk infrastructure comprising of power infrastructure including 220 KV substation developed by MET City, Water treatment plant, water distribution network, wide road network and extensive landscaping The project has emerged as a key driver of economic growth in the state and the region. It currently provides direct employment to over 40,000 individuals across 115 operational companies and more than 250 companies under construction and counting. As one of the largest Platinum rated sustainable green project, MET City is well on its path to become one of the largest projects for employment generation and investment promotion in India. The consistent growth in employment figures reflects the citys dynamic role in shaping the economic landscape of the region.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 16:54 IST

News india BEUMER Group Inaugurates State-Of-The-Art Manufacturing Facility At Haryana's Reliance MET City

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'Instinct To Mislead': BJP Counters Mamata Banerjee's Claim That She Didn't Fill SIR Form

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:37 IST

Amit Malviya accused Mamata Banerjee of misleading the public by claiming she had not filled her enumeration form, despite reports that it had already been submitted.

A file photo of Mamata Banerjee (PTI)

The political standoff in West Bengal over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls sharpened after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told a rally in Krishnanagar that she had not filled out her form, alleging that such demands were attempts to force her to prove" her citizenship.

However, the BJP claimed that Banerjee had submitted her duly filled and signed Enumeration Form on the very last day, yet just hours earlier from a rally in Krishnanagar, she falsely claimed she would not submit it at all".

Challenging Mamata Banerjees statements regarding her enumeration form, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya, in an X post, accused her of deliberately misleading the public despite having already submitted the form.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has once again shown her instinct to mislead. She submitted her duly filled and signed Enumeration Form on the very last day, yet just hours earlier from a rally in Krishnanagar, she falsely claimed she would not submit it at all," he wrote.

He further alleged that after months of misinformation," the Chief Minister finally filed her SIR form on December 11, even as she continued to accuse the BJP of using the process to target voters in the state.

Malviya also asserted that nearly 100 per cent voters" in West Bengal had completed and submitted their SIR forms, which he claimed was why the Election Commission did not extend the exercise in the state while granting extensions to multiple others.

He argued that the episode demonstrated that Bengals voters no longer trust the lies peddled by Mamata Banerjee," adding that the expiry date of TMC government is approaching fast."

Banerjee, however, continued to sharpen her attack on the BJP during her Krishnanagar address, as reported by ANI.

She alleged that the ruling party at the Centre was attempting to take away the rights" of women through the SIR process and was using it as a tool to terrify" voters.

Through SIR, they want to take away the rights of women. During elections, they want to use Central forces to terrify the women," she said, urging women to lead the fight" and asking men to support them from behind.

She also accused BJP leaders of pressurising" district magistrates to remove names from the electoral rolls.

From Delhi, the BJP is sending people to pressurise the district magistrates with the intent of removing 1.5 crore names from the electoral list," she said, warning that she would launch a sit-in protest if any voter was deliberately removed."

Banerjee further claimed that officials were being terrified" by BJP operatives and declared that the party wont be in power forever."

The Election Commission on Thursday extended SIR deadlines for Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Uttar Pradesh, but West Bengal was not among the states granted additional time.

ALSO READ | Mamata Banerjee Tears Up MGNREGA Letter As Centre Resumes Conditional Funding After 3 Years

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 10:34 IST

News india 'Instinct To Mislead': BJP Counters Mamata Banerjee's Claim That She Didn't Fill SIR Form

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Cabinet Approves CoalSETU Policy, PM Modi Says It Will Strengthen India's Energy Security

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 21:15 IST

The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Modi, approved the Auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient and Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU) policy.

Rapid Read

PM Narendra Modi. (File photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the Union Cabinet has approved the CoalSETU policy in its efforts to boost Indias energy security, reduce dependence on imported coal, bolster domestic availability and support Ease of Doing Business.

The Cabinet has approved the CoalSETU policy, creating a new window to enable seamless, efficient and transparent utilisation of coal. It will support Ease of Doing Business, boost domestic availability and reduce dependence on imported coal. It is yet another important step towards strengthening Indias energy security and accelerating growth," the PM said on X.

The Cabinet has approved the CoalSETU policy, creating a new window to enable seamless, efficient and transparent utilisation of coal. It will support Ease of Doing Business, boost domestic availability and reduce dependence on imported coal. It is yet another important step Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2025

According to an official statement, the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Modi, approved the Auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient and Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU) by creating a CoalSETU window" in the NRS (Non-Regulated Sector) Linkage Policy for the utilisation of coal for any industrial use and exports.

The Policy will allow allocation of coal linkages on an auction basis for a long-term basis for any industrial use and export by adding a separate window named CoalSETU in the NRS (Non-Regulated Sector) Linkage Auction Policy of 2016, wherein any domestic buyer requiring coal can participate in the linkage auction.

According to the Cabinet Committee, the existing policy for there was a need to have a fresh look at the current arrangements of coal supplies to the NRS for the purpose of improving ease of doing business, and for accelerated utilisation of existing coal reserves and reducing dependence on imported coal for meeting Indias energy requirement. The government also sought to extend the linkages in NRS to coal consumers without any end-use restrictions.

In line with the opening of the coal sector for commercial mining, which allowed allocation of coal blocks without any end-use restrictions, this policy for the auction of coal linkages for NRS has been modified for allocation of coal linkages on an auction basis on long-term use for any industrial use and export by adding another window/sub-sector. Traders shall not be allowed to participate in the proposed window.

While the present auction of coal linkages for the specified end-user sub-sectors continues, the Cabinet has specified that the coal linkage obtained under the CoalSETU window shall be for own consumption, export of coal, or any other purpose (including coal washing) except resale in the country. Coal linkage holders will be eligible to export coal upto 50% of their coal linkage quantity.

Considering the demand for washed coal, which would increase in future, the coal linkages to the Washery operators will result in increased availability of washed coal in the country and consequently reduce imports, the release stated. Additionally, the washed coal will also find takers outside the country and therefore, the washed coal may also be used for the purpose of export.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 21:10 IST

News india Cabinet Approves CoalSETU Policy, PM Modi Says It Will Strengthen India's Energy Security

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
DGCA Sacks 4 Flight Operations Inspectors Overseeing IndiGo's Safety, Compliance

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:25 IST

DGCA has sacked four Flight Operations Inspectors overseeing IndiGo after preliminary findings indicated lapses that contributed to the airlines operational disruptions.

A photo of an IndiGo flight at the Bengaluru airport (PTI)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sacked four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) who were overseeing IndiGos safety and operational compliance, after preliminary findings indicated lapses in oversight relating to the airlines recent operational crisis.

According to sources, the inspectors responsible for monitoring IndiGos flight operations were found at fault in the regulators initial review, prompting decisive action at a time when the airline is battling severe disruptions across its network.

Officials indicated that these inspectors were directly involved in supervising IndiGos operational checks, safety oversight, and compliance processes.

Top sources revealed to CNN-News18 that an action was also initiated against some DGCA officials.

Their sacking follows concerns that gaps in monitoring may have contributed to the scale of disruptions that left thousands of passengers stranded.

The action after the aviation watchdog significantly stepped up scrutiny of the airline. DGCA officials stationed themselves at IndiGos headquarters in Gurugram to monitor cancellations, crew deployment, refund processing, and routes impacted by staff shortages.

The presence of DGCA personnel is part of an unprecedented oversight arrangement put in place since Wednesday, under which two members from an oversight panel are now physically monitoring the airlines daily operations.

IndiGo, Indias largest carrier by market share, has been grappling with widespread operational breakdowns triggered by planning failures linked to the implementation of new pilot duty and rest norms that came into effect on November 1.

The crisis resulted in thousands of flight cancellations, including over 200 at Delhi and Bengaluru airports on Thursday alone, news agency PTI quoted sources as saying.

As disruptions mounted, the civil aviation ministry directed IndiGo to reduce its winter schedule by 10 per cent from its normal 2,300 daily flights.

On Thursday, the airline said it expected to operate around 1,950 flights carrying nearly 3 lakh passengers, even as cancellations continued to affect travel plans nationwide.

Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was grilled for several hours by a DGCA-constituted inquiry panel on Thursday, and was asked to appear again on Friday as the regulator seeks detailed explanations on the root causes of the crisis.

The four-member inquiry committee has been tasked with examining manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and the airlines preparedness to implement the revised flight duty norms for pilots and crew.

IndiGo, in a regulatory filing, confirmed that Elbers has been summoned again on December 12 by the Committee of Officers at DGCA.

ALSO READ | IndiGo Soars Solo Despite Turbulence: Only Major Indian Airline To Post Profit In FY25

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 10:52 IST

News india DGCA Sacks 4 Flight Operations Inspectors Overseeing IndiGo's Safety, Compliance

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'Nothing Political': DK Shivakumar Meets Over 40 Karnataka MLAs In Late-Night Gathering

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 09:56 IST

DK Shivakumar attended a late-night dinner with over 40 MLAs at Congress leader Praveen Doddananavars farmhouse, describing it as a purely social gathering.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar (File photo/PTI)

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar attended a late-night dinner on Thursday evening alongside more than forty MLAs at the farmhouse of Congress leader Praveen Doddananavar. However, when approached by reporters, Shivakumar clarified that the dinner was purely a social occasion.

Those present at the gathering included senior party leaders and legislators such as ST Somashekhar, Shivaram Hebbar, Harris, Magadi Balakrishna, Iqbal Hussain, Ganiga Ravi, Dinesh Gooligowda, and Ravi, among others.

The meeting, which extended into the night, saw a mix of discussions and informal interactions, reflecting the camaraderie within the partys legislative wing.

Later, talking to reporters, Shivakumar said, Nothing political, went to have dinner after a Congress leader invited me," stressing that there was no agenda linked to party affairs or legislative strategy.

The event comes amid heightened attention on Karnatakas political developments, including debates surrounding leadership roles within the state Congress and legislative initiatives.

Earlier, Shivakumar had said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will respond" to the recent remarks made by MLC Yathindra over the chief ministers post within the state government.

Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, who is also the son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, stated earlier that the Chief Minister would continue in office for the full five-year term.

The Chief Minister will respond to him," Shivakumar said on Thursday while speaking to reporters at the Circuit House and Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi, where the winter session of the state legislature is underway.

Turning to the controversy over the Hate Speech Prevention Bill, which the state government is preparing to introduce, Shivakumar strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for opposing the proposal.

The recent tensions began after Yathindra said on Monday that those predicting a change in the Chief Ministers post were dreaming". He said the Congress high command had already made it clear that there would be no change in the states leadership.

Yathindra said, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has said he is an aspirant for the chief ministers post.

In response, the high command has clarified that this is not the appropriate time and also made it clear that there will be no change in the Chief Minister."

ALSO READ | No Confusion, No Switch: Siddaramaiahs Son Repeats No Change In Leadership Remark

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 09:51 IST

News india 'Nothing Political': DK Shivakumar Meets Over 40 Karnataka MLAs In Late-Night Gathering

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Nine Killed As Private Bus With 35 On Board Plunges Into Gorge In Andhra; Rescue Ops Underway

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 11:29 IST

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the tragedy and instructed senior officials to immediately reach the site.

Passenger bus falls into a gorge in Andhra Pradesh | Image: X

Nine people were killed and several others injured after a private bus carrying 35 passengers plunged into a deep gorge in Andhra Pradeshs Alluri Sitarama Raju district late Sunday night.

The accident occurred near Rajugarimetta on the ChinturuMaredumilli ghat road when the driver reportedly lost control while steering a sharp curve.

Police teams from Chinturu reached the remote hill stretch and launched rescue operations, though officials said the difficult terrain and poor mobile network delayed the alert and initial response.

The bus, which had two drivers and passengers from Chittoor district, was returning to Annavaram after a visit to the Bhadrachalam temple.

According to officials, the vehicle rammed into a safety wall near the 9th milestone close to Tulasipaka before tumbling into the gorge.

Rescue personnel have so far retrieved nine bodies, with authorities warning that the toll could rise as several of the injured are critical.

All survivors were first shifted to the government hospital in Chinturu, and some are being moved to other facilities for specialised treatment.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the tragedy and instructed senior officials to immediately reach the site.

He directed departments to coordinate rescue and medical efforts and ensure that the injured receive the best possible care."

Officials briefed the Chief Minister on the ongoing operations, confirming the number of passengers on board and the status of those moved to hospitals.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Andhra Pradesh, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 07:49 IST

News india Nine Killed As Private Bus With 35 On Board Plunges Into Gorge In Andhra; Rescue Ops Underway

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Thailand Hearing To Emergency Travel Certificate: The Process To Deport Goa Club Owners | Exclusive

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 17:35 IST

Goa nightclub fire: The Luthra brothers will be produced before a Thai Immigration Court on Friday or Monday

Rapid Read

Goa Nightclub Fire News Today LIVE Updates: Check Latest News Luthra Brothers Deportation Image/PTI

The process to deport Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive fire killed 25 on Saturday night, is on.

Within hours of the incident, the Luthra brothers fled to Thailand. The Embassy of India in Bangkok is actively coordinating with the Thai authorities.

The legal process for deportation: What government sources said

Blue corner notice: As the Indian authorities realised that the Luthras had fled to Thailand, an Interpol Blue Corner Notice was issued. Although not an arrest warrant, it a tool that legally authorises local police and immigration to locate, monitor, and present the individuals before a competent court.

Luthra brothers still in Thai custody, Goa police sources say the duo is unlikely to be brought back to Goa until Wednesday@_anshuls and @kotakyesha share more details@akankshaswarups | #LuthraBrothers #GoaNightClubFire #CBI pic.twitter.com/TCcinbiKlo News18 (@CNNnews18) December 12, 2025

Passports revoked: The Indian authorities also revoked their passports under Section 10A of the Passports Act. This made sure the Luthra brothers automatically lost their lawful immigration status in Thailand, said sources. Thailands Immigration Act B.E. 2522 mandates detention of foreigners without valid documents

Detention centre: After cancellation of visa, their stay in Thailand was deemed illegal and they were taken to a detention centre," they said. Bangkok Immigration Detention Centre is the designated facility for non-citizens awaiting deportation, extradition or court review under the Thai law.

Immigration Court hearing: The brothers will be produced before a Thai Immigration Court on Friday or Monday. The court will examine their validity of passport and visa cancellation and Interpol communication, where the arguments from both sides will be heard. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra will then be deported to the port of origin from where they took their flight.

Emergency Travel Certificate from India: The court will also examine Indias formal request under Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) and deportation framework. Thailand cannot deport a foreigner without valid travel documents. As the passports are cancelled, India must issue an Emergency Travel Certificate. Without this out-pass, Thailand is legally prohibited from placing them on any outbound aircraft. Once ETCs are issued, deportation will done under Section 54 of Thailands Immigration Act.

ETC requires returning the individual to the port of embarkation and that too the last airport from where they boarded the flight to Thailand. For the Luthras this is mandatory return to India not any third country.

Goa Police: On arrival in India, the two will be arrested under Look Out Circular conditions and immediately handed over to Goa Police for interrogation.

Luthra brothers still in Thai custody, Goa police sources say the duo is unlikely to be brought back to Goa until Wednesday@_anshuls and @kotakyesha share more details@akankshaswarups | #LuthraBrothers #GoaNightClubFire #CBI pic.twitter.com/TCcinbiKlo News18 (@CNNnews18) December 12, 2025

They fled while firefighting was on

The Goa Police investigation revealed that the brothers had booked flight tickets to Thailand just as emergency teams were struggling to contain the fire and rescue those trapped inside. According to officials, the booking was made through a travel port at 1:17 am on December 7, while both the Goa Police and Fire Services were actively engaged in firefighting operations.

Even as the Goa Police and Fire Services were battling to douse the fire and rescue those trapped inside, the Luthra brothers were preparing to flee the country," officials added. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has reaffirmed that strict action will be taken against the accused, asserting that the government is committed to securing justice for the 25 people who lost their lives in the tragedy. Our government will work to give justice to the 25 people who lost their livesWe will put them (the club owners, Luthra brothers) behind bars," the Chief Minister said on Thursday.

ALSO READ | Goa Club Owners Flee To Thailand: How Luthra Brothers Rose & Tripped Down The Romeo Lane

We arrested six people after the tragic fire incident. We also suspended three people and are conducting the investigation in a fast-track manner. One of the three owners of the club was arrested in Delhi, and an LOC was issued against the two other owners. We also ordered the Regional Passport Office to cancel their passports. With the help of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Home Minister, the Luthra brothers were detained in Thailand. Our team from Goa and central agencies will bring the two club owners to Goa. We will take legal action and put them behind bars," he added.

A Delhi court on Thursday rejected the transit anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, saying allegations against them were prima facie grave and serious". Additional Sessions Judge Vandana also said the conduct" of the accused persons was another ground for dismissing the bail pleas.

The court was hearing two bail pleas by the accused persons seeking four weeks of transit anticipatory bail so that they would not be immediately arrested after their return to Delhi from Thailand.

With agency inputs

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 17:34 IST

News india Thailand Hearing To Emergency Travel Certificate: The Process To Deport Goa Club Owners | Exclusive

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 15:03 IST

Goa Nightclub Fire News Today LIVE Updates: The repatriation of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra from Thailand has officially begun, after the brothers, the owners of the Goa nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane, where a devastating fire killed 25 people earlier this month, came under scrutiny for alleged safety violations and suspected illegal modifications at the venue.

The two men fled India to Phuket, Thailand, where they were apprehended.

Thai authorities told CNN-News18 that the brothers were detained in Phuket and have now been moved to the Bangkok immigration office. There, they will be handed over to Indian officials before being flown back to India to face legal proceedings.

The handover marks the first concrete step in bringing the Luthra brothers back to the country, where they are wanted for questioning over lapses that investigators believe may have contributed to the deadly incident.
Luthra Brothers Taken To Bangkok As India, Thailand Move To Finish Deportation Process

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 10:33 IST

Thai authorities told CNN-News18 that they detained the brothers in Phuket and have now taken them to the Bangkok immigration office.

Deportation process of Luthra brothers underway | Image: News18

The repatriation of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra from Thailand is now officially underway, marking the first concrete step toward bringing the nightclub owners back to India in connection with the Goa fire that claimed 25 lives earlier this month.

Thai authorities told CNN-News18 that they detained the brothers in Phuket and have now taken them to the Bangkok immigration office. There, they will be handed over to Indian officials before being flown back to the country to face legal proceedings.

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the fire-struck Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, were tracked down by Thai police at Hotel Indigo in Patong shortly after they fled India on an IndiGo flight while emergency crews were still battling the blaze that killed 25 people.

Their passports were suspended by the Regional Passport Office in Delhi after they failed to respond to a notice seeking justification for retaining their travel documents.

The suspension rendered their passports invalid in Thailand, allowing authorities to swiftly act on Indias detention request.

Thai police located the duo using travel records, confiscated their belongings, and moved them to an immigration detention centre.

Photographs released on Thursday showed both men in handcuffs. They are expected to remain in custody until the deportation procedures conclude.

Deportation Timeline

Indian officials aim to bring the brothers back by the end of the week, though the process could face delays if paperwork isnt completed before the weekend.

The Indian embassy in Bangkok is likely to issue Emergency Travel Certificates, requiring the brothers to be moved to the capital for formalities.

A Goa Police team has already reached Phuket to coordinate with Thai authorities.

Goa DGP Alok Kumar noted that the deportation would take a minimum of four days."

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said a police escort team will be dispatched to Thailand and confirmed the brothers will be arrested immediately upon landing in India.

With no direct flights between Thailand and Goa, the Luthras will first be brought to Delhi and then transported to Goa.

Their Escape

According to investigators, the brothers booked last-minute tickets to Phuket at 1:17 am on December 7, even as firefighters were still trying to contain the inferno at their club.

By 5:30 am, they had boarded IndiGo flight 6E-1073 and left the country.

Later that morning, a Goa Police team arrived in Delhi with arrest warrants and searched their home and offices.

Notices were pasted on their residence, and a Lookout Circular was issued. Interpol subsequently released a Blue Corner Notice to trace their movements.

The blaze, believed to have ignited when electric firecrackers hit a wooden ceiling during an event with over 150 attendees, erupted around 11:45 pm on December 6.

While many escaped, several were trapped in the basement after the exit route caught fire.

Police have since arrested partner Ajay Gupta (55) and five members of the nightclubs staff.

Officials said that India and Thailands extradition treaty, operational since 2015, has significantly streamlined the deportation process.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Goa, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 09:59 IST

News india Luthra Brothers Taken To Bangkok As India, Thailand Move To Finish Deportation Process

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Goa Nightclub Fire: Thai Officials Spotted Luthra Brothers When They Stepped Out For A Meal

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: News Desk



Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 15:50 IST

While the Luthras are being brought back, Goa Police have also turned their attention to landowner Surinder Khosla.

Saurabh Luthra (L) and Gaurav Luthra (R)

The manhunt for Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of Goas Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, ended in Phuket on December 9, when Thai authorities spotted them as they stepped out for a meal from the Patong hotel where they had been hiding.

Thai authorities in Phuket have initiated the deportation process for the Luthra brothers, paving the way for their return to India to face an investigation into last weeks blaze that killed 25 people.

The brothers had slipped out of India within hours of the deadly blaze, prompting a coordinated chase across diplomatic, policing and immigration channels. A Goa Police team is now in Thailand as the final paperwork for repatriation is completed.

According to sources, the Indian Embassy in Bangkok is in close touch with Thai authorities in connection with the case involving the Luthra brothers.

Thai authorities are taking action as per local laws, including steps to facilitate the return of both individuals to India. Senior officers told CNN-News18 that the brothers, currently held at Bangkoks immigration office, may be put on a flight to Delhi by Tuesday night.

Goa Police are expected to take their custody in the capital and bring them to the state by Wednesday. Central agencies will oversee the formal handover.

The Luthras Escape And Arrest: A Timeline

December 67 (midnight): Fire breaks out

A massive fire ripped through Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, North Goa, shortly after midnight on December 6. The blaze erupted during a packed event, killing 25 people  including five tourists  and injuring several others. A magisterial inquiry is probing structural violations, negligence and responsibility.

Even as rescue teams fought the flames through the early hours, investigators say the Luthra brothers booked and boarded an IndiGo flight to Phuket. Travel records show they departed around 5:30 am on December 7, barely hours after the fire.

9 am, December 7: FIR formalities finish

Police completed initial fire-related documentation and registration of offences by mid-morning.

10 am, December 7: Look-Out Circular issued

A nation-wide LoC was issued to prevent the brothers from leaving the country  though by then, they had already exited Indian airspace.

December 7: Police teams move to Delhi

Special teams left for the capital to coordinate with central agencies.

December 8: Confirmation of escape to Phuket

By the next morning, agencies received confirmation that the brothers had landed in Phuket.

Strategy discussions with CM Pramod Sawant

To avoid alerting the accused, authorities publicly disclosed that the brothers location was known", while backend diplomatic and policing coordination intensified.

CBI and Interpol approached

Talks were initiated to issue a Blue-Corner Notice and begin the process of revoking the brothers passports.

Passport impounding hurdles

The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Delhi informed Goa Police that impounding could not legally proceed for at least seven days.

A plea before the district magistrate in Goa, seeking judicial grounds to impound the passports immediately, was rejected on the basis of individual rights.

Appeal with Attorney Generals guidance

Following consultations with the Chief Minister and the Attorney General, an urgent appeal was filed before another magistrate.

A late-evening hearing at the magistrates residence on December 8 (8 pm) cleared the order for passport impoundment.

Order relayed to RPO Delhi

The directive was forwarded, though the RPO said the standard seven-day timeline remained.

Thai authorities looped in

Using a screenshot of the impoundment order, Goa Police asked Thai authorities to help track the fugitives.

Thai immigration traced the brothers to the Indigo Hotel in Patong, Phuket, Room 365.

December 9: Detention in Phuket

The Luthras were intercepted when they stepped out for a meal.

Meanwhile, the Home Secretary engaged the Foreign Secretary, who assured that the necessary passport-related documentation would be completed in under three hours.

Once the formal papers were shared with Thai authorities, deportation procedures began.

Background: Luthras Were Key Financiers Of Club

Investigators have recorded statements from Ajay Gupta, associated with the nightclubs operations, who said the Luthra brothers were the main financiers behind the propertys transformation into a club.

He stated that the land was leased from Surinder Khosla, who had previously been served a demolition notice.

The structure, he claimed, had been unauthorised since 1996", undergoing repeated modifications before being converted into the nightclub that burned down last week.

He also recounted the sequence that allegedly worsened the death toll:

The kitchen was located in a water-logged lower structure,

Only one exit was left open for serving staff,

The second exit had been locked, trapping people inside during the blaze.

Police Probe Khoslas Role

While the Luthras are being brought back, Goa Police have also turned their attention to landowner Surinder Khosla, whose legal team told investigators that they did not renew the clubs lease after 2024 due to alleged illegal activities" by the Luthras.

Police say these claims will be verified.

Investigators are examining whether Khosla, as the actual owner of the property, was aware of illegal constructions or any unlawful operations at the club.

Officers believe he may have fled the country and plan to intensify efforts to trace him once the Luthra brothers are interrogated.

With the Luthras in custody, we expect clearer information on Khoslas involvement and his current whereabouts," a senior officer said.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Goa, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 15:23 IST

News india Goa Nightclub Fire: Thai Officials Spotted Luthra Brothers When They Stepped Out For A Meal

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'Had Just One Entry-Exit, Assualted By Staff': Tourist Shares Plight At Luthra Brothers' Goa Club

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 08:23 IST

The tourist had visited the club in November and claimed that the venue had only one elevated entry and exit, raising concerns that are now being revisited

Vaibhavi, a tourist who visited the beach shack Romeo Lane Vagator owned by the detained Luthra brothers in November | ANI Image

A tourists months-old account describing the suffocating" and unsafe layout of Romeo Lane, a Vagator nightclub, linked to the absconding Luthra brothers, has resurfaced at a time when Goa authorities are intensifying action against the duos properties.

The tourist, Vaibhavi, had visited the club in November and claimed that the venue had only one elevated entry and exit, raising concerns that are now being revisited in the wake of recent crackdowns.

She said she and her 12 cousins had gone to the shack-style club on November 1, where they immediately noticed the congested layout and the limited escape route.

The club is built in such a suffocating way, with only one entry and exit at a height. The staff spoke rudely and behaved inappropriately," she said.

#WATCH | Mumbai | Vaibhavi, who visited the beach shack Romeo Lane Vagator owned by the detained Luthra brothers in November, said, I visited Romeo Lane in Vagator on 1st November with my cousins. We were 13 people in total The club is built in such a way that it is very pic.twitter.com/9HDE6r5pSU ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2025

Vaibhavis detailed account later describes how, around 3 am as the group prepared to leave, a minor disagreement over a chair escalated sharply.

Tourist Alleges Assault

She alleged that the manager accused them of damaging property, grabbed her cousin by the collar and called in the bouncers.

They chased us, raised their hands at us, and hit people in groups. They pushed my sister so hard she fell down the stairs," she said, adding that staff placed a barricade at the exit to stop them from leaving.

She further claimed that a bouncer assaulted her brother with a rod and hit her when she intervened. The group approached the police the next morning.

Although an FIR was filed, Vaibhavi alleges the owners names were removed on the grounds that they were not present. If womens safety and tourist safety arent taken seriously, such incidents will continue in Goa," she said.

Her account has resurfaced just as the Goa Tourism Department demolished Romeo Lane on December 9 for alleged illegal construction.

The 198-square-metre wooden structure, built on tourism department land by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, was razed within two hours under police supervision, following Chief Minister Pramod Sawants directive.

The demolition came days after a December 6 fire at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, another establishment linked to the brothers, killed 25 people.

Authorities have since sealed multiple Luthra-owned properties and continue to search for the siblings, who now face intensifying scrutiny over safety violations, unauthorised structures, and re-emerging complaints like Vaibhavis.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Goa, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 08:23 IST

News india 'Had Just One Entry-Exit, Assualted By Staff': Tourist Shares Plight At Luthra Brothers' Goa Club

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Indigo Moves Delhi HC For Refund Of Over Rs 900 Crore Customs Duty On Re-Import Of Aircraft Parts

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:51 IST

IndiGo seeks Delhi High Court refund of 900 crore customs duty on re-imported aircraft parts, calling it unconstitutional double taxation, as GST was already paid on repairs.

IndiGo seeks Delhi High Court refund of 900 crore customs duty on re-imported aircraft parts, calling it unconstitutional double taxation, as GST was already paid on repairs. (Photo Credits: X)

IndiGo has approached the Delhi High Court seeking a refund of 900 crore in customs duty paid on aircraft engines and parts re-imported after overseas repairs. The airline argues that the levy amounts to unconstitutional double taxation, since it had already paid GST on the repair services.

The case was listed before Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Shail Jain, but Justice Jain recused herself because her son is an IndiGo pilot. The matter will now be assigned to a different bench.

IndiGo claims it paid the disputed duty under protest" across more than 4,000 bills of entry, despite earlier tribunal and High Court rulings holding that such re-imports should be treated as a service under GST, not as goods. Customs authorities, however, denied the airlines refund requests, and the issue is already pending before the Supreme Court.

Representing IndiGo, Advocate V. Lakshmikumaran argued that the airline had paid basic customs duty at the time of re-import without objection. But since repairs constitute a service, IndiGo also paid GST under the reverse charge mechanism. Customs officials nevertheless imposed duty again by treating the re-import as a fresh import of goods and effectively taxing the same transaction twice.

IndiGo maintains that the customs tribunal has previously ruled that such double taxation is impermissible.

The airlines petition comes at a time when IndiGo Indias largest carrier by market share is already under public and regulatory scrutiny for widespread flight cancellations and delays across major airports.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:35 IST

News india Indigo Moves Delhi HC For Refund Of Over Rs 900 Crore Customs Duty On Re-Import Of Aircraft Parts

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'What Is The Problem?': Madras HC Questions Tamil Nadu Govt Over Objection To Lighting Deepam

Reported By :

CNN-News18 Edited By: Vani Mehrotra



Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 18:59 IST

The Madras High Court pressed the Tamil Nadu government to clarify why it objected to lighting the Karthigai Deepam at the stone pillar atop Thiruparankundram hill.

Madurai: A lamp lit at Thiruparankundram temple as part of 'Karthigai Deepam' festival celebrations (Photo: PTI)

The Madras High Court on Friday asked the Tamil Nadu government if it had a problem with the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at the stone pillar atop the Thiruparankundram hills, as the court heard a batch of petitions linked to the case.

Opening the proceedings with what it described as the central issue, the court asked, What is the problem in lighting the Deepam on the hill if there can be better visibility?"

The matter came up in the backdrop of a contentious dispute regarding whether the ceremonial Deepam should be lit on the alleged Deepathoon" structure on the hill, or at the Uchi Pillaiyar temple, where the state contends it has traditionally been lit for decades.

A simmering dispute has been ongoing over the lighting of the Deepam lamp atop the hill at Thiruparankundram, a site that includes both a temple and a nearby dargah, following the courts order permitting the ritual.

According to an earlier verdict, the lamp was to be lit on the Deepathoon pillar by December 4. However, objections were raised by the temple authorities and the dargah management, asserting that the act would not infringe upon the religious rights of the Muslim community.

The court also directed that a small group of devotees, escorted by security personnel, be allowed to perform the ritual.

However, the state government declined to implement the ruling, citing law-and-order concerns. This triggered protests by pro-Hindu groups, clashes with police, and has since escalated into a major political and judicial confrontation.

DEEPAM ROW IN MADRAS HIGH COURT: WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

During Fridays hearing, the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, PS Raman, reiterated the governments position that the Deepam had been lit atop Uchi Pillaiyar temple in the Tirupparankundram hills this year too, as it was being done for the last 100 years."

He stated that the present litigation had arisen after one individual filed a writ petition insisting upon lighting the Deepam in a different place identified by him," a place now being termed as the Deepathoon near a dargah.

Raman stressed that this was not a public interest litigation petition but only a private interest writ petition." The government said the petitioners who moved the High Court bench had no legal right to light the lamp at the Thiruparankundram Temple, saying Article 226 (Courts power to issue direction) cannot be used to change an existing custom.

According to the AG, the dispute itself raises the essential threshold question, does a Deepathoon exist at all?

He argued that the petitioner must first establish the existence of Deepathoon and also the need to light the Deepam on it as a part of customary practice."

He said that there was no material placed before the court to prove that at least at some point of time, Deepam was used to be lit there."

The AG referred to judicial observations made earlier, noting that a division bench had recorded that when authorities of temple and dargah were carrying on activities peacefully, there was no reason to disturb the peace," particularly since the petitioner had not made the dargah a party.

He added that Justice GR Swaminathan too ought to have leaned in favour of status quo in order to maintain peace and tranquillity."

He questioned the factual foundation of the earlier direction on the Deepathoon, asking, Where is the proof for Justice Swaminathan to say that a tradition has been abandoned?"

He maintained that theres no factual basis for any tradition having been abandoned."

UPROAR IN LOK SABHA OVER DEEPAM ROW

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha witnessed a sharp uproar today after BJP MP Anurag Thakur launched a strong attack on the Tamil Nadu government, alleging that the state had become a symbol of anti-Sanatan Dharma."

Raising the issue during proceedings, Thakur said, I want to raise a very important issue where one state in India has become a symbol of anti-Sanatan Dharma. Their ministers are making statements against Sanatan Dharma. People were forced to approach the court to reach the temple."

Referring to the ongoing Karthigai Deepam dispute, he cited recent judicial observations, stating, The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court came down strongly on the Tamil Nadu government, accusing officials of deliberately ignoring its order on lighting the Karthigai Deepam lamp."

Thakur further alleged that Hindus are lathi-charged. Why are Hindus stopped?"

COURT ALLOWS PEACEFUL HUNGER STRIKE

The courts hearing also ran parallel to a connected matter concerning permission for a peaceful hunger strike at Thiruparankundram on December 13, where residents and devotees sought to draw attention to what they describe as the non-implementation of the lighting order.

Justice S Srimathy had earlier permitted the fast with strict conditions, only 50 participants, no slogans, no political colour and the entire event to be videographed.

The petitioner, advocate R Prabhu, had contended that the tradition of lighting the lamp on the Deepathoon continued until 1926 before being discontinued due to civil disputes.

ALSO READ | Madras HC Judges Karthigai Deepam Lighting Ruling Sparks Row: Who Is Justice GR Swaminathan?

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:56 IST

News india 'What Is The Problem?': Madras HC Questions Tamil Nadu Govt Over Objection To Lighting Deepam

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
India Concerned Over Damage To 1,100-Year-Old Hindu Temple In Thailand-Cambodia Clashes, Urges Calm

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:29 IST

India described the damage to the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple on the Thai-Cambodian border during recent border clashes as unfortunate.

Rapid Read

The ancient Hindu Temple of Preah Vihear lies at the Thai-Cambodian border. (Reuters)

India on Friday appealed to Thailand and Cambodia to exercise restraint and prevent escalation of hostilities as the two countries resumed border clashes, which reportedly damaged the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, located at the Thai-Cambodian border.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said any damage to conservation facilities was unfortunate" and a matter of concern. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Preah Vihear temple is a shared cultural heritage of humanity. India has been closely involved in its preservation," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a statement.

We sincerely hope that all measures will be taken to fully safeguard the site and related conservation facilities. We once again reiterate our appeal to both sides to exercise restraint and to take measures for cessation of hostilities and prevention of further escalation. We urge them to return to the path of dialogue and peace," he added.

Our response to media queries regarding damage to the conservation facilities at Preah Vihear  https://t.co/oANPvAwidk pic.twitter.com/dygiF13Qal  Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) December 12, 2025

Indias response came as Thailand and Cambodia resumed border clashes this week, despite a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump. Clashes raged at more than a dozen locations along their 817-km (508-mile) border in some of the most intense fighting since a five-day battle in July, with both sides blaming each other for renewed hostilities.

Thailands army has made clear it wants to cripple Cambodias military capabilities and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday said operations would not stop. The Cambodian government said it wanted peace and had acted in self-defence, adding that it was willing to negotiate.

UNESCO Urges Protection For Hindu Temple

At the centre of the border dispute is the Preah Vihear Temple, known in Thai as Phra Viharn. The ancient Hindu temple, built during the golden age of the Khmer Empire in the 11th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage site located on the Thai-Cambodian border. The site remains spiritually and culturally significant for both countries.

Recent reports claimed that Thailands military significantly damaged the temple site by using artillery and aerial attacks, hitting several gateways, statues, the northern staircase, and conservation buildings. This was in violation of international law despite Thai claims of targeting only military assets.

UNESCO raised serious concerns over the escalating Thailand-Cambodia conflict near the Preah Vihear Temple and urged both nations to ensure urgent protection of cultural heritage and uphold international commitments.

In its statement, UNESCO stressed the need to protect the regions heritage in all its forms," invoking international laws such as the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1972 World Heritage Convention. The agency said it will continue observing the situation and is prepared to offer technical support and emergency protection measures when conditions improve.

The temple had long been contested by both countries since Cambodias independence from France. In 1962 and 2013, the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Cambodia in a long-running dispute with Thailand over jurisdiction of land around the ancient temple, a decision that was rejected by Bangkok.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 15:58 IST

News india India Concerned Over Damage To 1,100-Year-Old Hindu Temple In Thailand-Cambodia Clashes, Urges Calm

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Senior Advocate Named In Justice Swaminathan Impeachment Notice Calls Allegations A 'Charade'

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Karishma Jain



Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:44 IST

M Sricharan Ranganathan, named in the impeachment motion against Justice G R Swaminathan, rejected allegations of favouritism and said the move undermines judicial independence.

Justice GR Swaminathan (Image: hcmadras.tn.nic.in)

A political and legal row has erupted over an impeachment motion moved against Madras High Court judge Justice G R Swaminathan, with a senior advocate named in the allegations strongly rejecting the charges and warning that the move amounts to a frontal assault on judicial independence.

CNN-News18 has exclusively accessed a detailed statement by senior advocate M Sricharan Ranganathan, whose name figures prominently in the impeachment notice submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker. The motion accuses Justice Swaminathan of allegedly favouring Ranganathan in a series of cases, a charge the advocate has categorically denied.

In his statement, Ranganathan describes the impeachment bid as a charade" and a frontal assault on an unyielding judge" of the Madras High Court, arguing that the allegations are built on distortion, selective reading of data, and misrepresentation of facts.

Snook Cocked At Attempt To Oust Judge

Reacting sharply to the move, Ranganathan said he was snook cocked" by the attempt to impeach Justice Swaminathan, adding that he himself had been turned into a soft target" caught in political crosshairs.

He said the impeachment motion twists data, repeatedly misnames him, and selectively presents routine professional appearances before the High Court as evidence of impropriety. According to him, the attempt is not about accountability but about punishing a judge who has refused to yield to political or ideological pressure.

The senior advocate also objected to what he described as the weaponisation of identity. He said references to a particular community" were being used to insinuate bias, a move that threatens judicial independence by injecting communal insinuations into constitutional scrutiny.

Former Judges Issue Strong Statement Of Support

The controversy has triggered a strong response from the legal fraternity. 56 former judges, including those who served on the Supreme Court, have issued a statement expressing serious exception" to the impeachment motion.

Calling it a brazen attempt to browbeat judges who do not fall in line with ideological and political expectations of a particular section of society," the former judges warned that if such efforts are allowed to continue, they would cut at the very roots of our democracy and the independence of the judiciary."

They underlined that even if the allegations were taken at face value, they were wholly inadequate" to justify invoking impeachment, a rare, exceptional and grave constitutional mechanism.

Emergency-Era Parallels And Warning On Overreach

Drawing parallels with the Emergency imposed in 1975, the former judges recalled how governments had historically sought to penalise judges who refused to toe the line," citing the supersession of judges after the Kesavananda Bharati judgment and the sidelining of Justice H R Khanna following his dissent in ADM Jabalpur.

They described these episodes as sobering reminders of how political overreach can damage judicial independence."

The statement also referred to sustained campaigns against former Chief Justices of India  Dipak Misra, Ranjan Gogoi, S A Bobde and D Y Chandrachud  as well as attacks on incumbent CJI Justice Surya Kant whenever judicial outcomes displeased political constituencies.

The very purpose of the impeachment mechanism is to uphold the integrity of the judiciary, not to convert it into a tool of arm-twisting, signalling and retaliation," the statement said.

107 MPs Move Impeachment Motion

Earlier this week, as many as 107 INDIA bloc MPs, led by the DMK, submitted a notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking the impeachment of Justice Swaminathan. Copies of the notice were also sent to President Droupadi Murmu and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.

The delegation included Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, DMK leaders T R Baalu and Kanimozhi, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, among others.

The move was sharply criticised by Home Minister Amit Shah, who accused the Opposition of appeasement politics," saying it was unprecedented for a judge to face impeachment over a judicial ruling.

What The Impeachment Notice Alleges

The impeachment notice, submitted by INDIA bloc MPs, accused Justice Swaminathan of conduct that allegedly raises serious questions regarding impartiality, transparency, and the secular functioning of the judiciary."

It alleged undue favouritism" towards senior advocate M Sricharan Ranganathan and lawyers from a particular community," and claimed the judge decided cases based on a particular political ideology," in violation of constitutional secular principles.

These are the allegations Ranganathan has rejected in his statement, arguing that the motion selectively reads court data and deploys identity-based insinuations to attack both the judge and counsel.

Temple Lamp Case At Centre Of Dispute

Justice Swaminathans order relates to the Thirupparankundram Subramaniaswamy temple in Madurai, where a long-running dispute centres on the lighting of a festival lamp on one of two ancient pillars, known as deepathoon, on a hill that houses both a sixth-century Hindu temple and a 14th-century dargah.

On December 1, after a contentious hearing, Justice Swaminathan directed that the lamp be lit on the upper pillar  also temple property  instead of the lower pillar, where it had traditionally been lit for over a century. The judge emphasised the need to assert possession over temple property.

When the temple did not comply with the order, the court subsequently directed that the lamp be lit on the upper pillar as well. The developments triggered tense scenes as crowds attempted to climb the hill, prompting authorities to impose restrictions on gatherings.

The Tamil Nadu government argued that the order could inflame communal tensions, particularly with Assembly elections less than six months away, and noted that it departed from a 2017 Madras High Court division bench ruling.

Appeals by the state were rejected by a High Court division bench, after which the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court. The apex court has admitted the states plea but has not yet fixed a date for hearing.

Political Undercurrents

Politically, the developments have been viewed as a setback for the ruling DMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly election, amid accusations  which the party denies  of adopting an anti-Hindu" stance to appease Muslim voters.

Chief Minister M K Stalin has accused the BJP of politicising religious issues, particularly after the BJP renewed its alliance with the AIADMK. Defending the governments position, Stalin said the lamp lighting followed a century-old tradition and accused some parties of having a riot mindset."

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 16:44 IST

News india Senior Advocate Named In Justice Swaminathan Impeachment Notice Calls Allegations A 'Charade'

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Shashi Tharoor Skips Rahul Gandhi's Meet With Congress MPs For Third Time In Three Weeks

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:42 IST

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, who has been under the scanner after a series of remarks seen as unusually warm toward PM Modi, said that he was in Kolkata for personal commitments

A file photo of Shashi Tharoor (PTI)

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was absent yet again from a meeting of the partys Lok Sabha lawmakers on Friday, his third consecutive no-show in recent weeks.

Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, chaired the strategic review session with the Congress 99 MPs to assess the partys performance in the winter session and sharpen their attack on the BJP before Parliament adjourns on December 19. Tharoor, however, was missing from the gathering.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, who has been under the scanner after a series of remarks seen as unusually warm toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, posted on X that he was in Kolkata for two personal commitments, his longtime aide John Koshys wedding and his sister Smita Tharoors birthday.

Congress MP Manish Tewari was also absent from Fridays meeting.

Earlier Two Absences In November

This is the third time since late November that Tharoor has skipped key party discussions.

On November 30, he missed a strategy meet led by Sonia Gandhi, a session notable given that Tharoor was among the G-23 leaders who publicly questioned her leadership in 2020.

He later clarified he had been mid-air during a delayed flight from Kerala with his 90-year-old mother. KC Venugopal was also absent from that meeting.

He skipped a meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on the partys objections to the controversial voter re-verification exercise on November 18. Tharoor cited poor health at the time.

A day before, Tharoor had attended a private event where the Prime Minister spoke.

His social media post praising parts of the PMs address triggered a backlash from Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate and Sandeep Dikshit, the latter even suggesting Tharoor leave the party if he found PM Modis views compelling.

Tharoor hit back, arguing for cross-ideological cooperation in Indias federal setup.

According to sources, the last major party discussion Tharoor participated in was a six-hour strategy huddle held by the Kerala Congress unit in October.

Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were all present as the state prepared for next years Assembly elections.

At Friday mornings meeting, Rahul Gandhi encouraged MPs to intensify their interventions in Parliament and repeated his claim from Thursday that the BJP, particularly Union Home Minister Amit Shah, was feeling the pressure.

Amit Shahji was very nervous he used the wrong language, his hands were trembling he is under tremendous mental pressure. Everyone saw it," Rahul said, doubling down on his allegation that the Congress aggressive stance was unsettling the ruling party.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:42 IST

News india Shashi Tharoor Skips Rahul Gandhi's Meet With Congress MPs For Third Time In Three Weeks

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'Something Wrong': Supreme Court Questions Madras HC's Handling Of Karur Stampede Case

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:29 IST

The Supreme Court questioned how the Chennai Bench of the High Court directed the formation of an SIT comprising only State Police officers, despite Karur being in Madurai.

Supreme Court | File Image

The Supreme Court on Monday flagged concerns with the Madras High Courts handling of the Karur stampede case, observing that something wrong" was happening there. A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi was hearing the case related to the September 27 Karur stampede during a rally of actor-turned-politician Vijay, which killed 41 people.

The top court took note of a report submitted by the Registrar General of the Madras High Court and directed that it be shared with the counsels for the parties and called for their response. The court had earlier raised questions about the manner in which the High Court intervened in the Karur case.

Earlier, the Supreme Court questioned how the Chennai Bench of the High Court directed the formation of an SIT comprising only State Police officers, despite Karur falling under the jurisdiction of the Madurai Bench. It also noted that the petition filed in the Chennai bench was only seeking the formulation of guidelines. It sought a report from the Registrar General of the High Court.

On Friday, after noting the report, Justice Maheshwari observed, Something wrong going in High Court. This is not a right thing that is happening in HCRegistrar General has sent a report."

The bench also turned down an oral request to modify a part of its October 13 order, which had directed that the CBI probe be supervised by a three-member committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Ajay Rastogi. The order requires Justice Rastogi to pick two senior IPS officers from the Tamil Nadu cadre who are not natives of the state.

In October, the apex court ordered a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, observing that the political undertones of the case, as well as the comments made by the top officials of the State Police to the media, may create doubt in the minds of the citizenry on impartiality and fair investigation.

Last week, the Tamil Nadu government filed an affidavit accusing the Supreme Court of violating principles of natural justice by transferring the investigation to the CBI before the state could file its counter.

On December 2, the Tamil Nadu government told the Supreme Court that the tragic stampede in Karur on September 27 was the result of reckless, negligent, and uncoordinated actions" by the organisers and cadres of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party. The government noted that the police acted with exemplary courage and discipline" during the incident, directing people towards exits and clearing emergency routes, despite the darkness, chaos, and crowd panic.

Meanwhile, the TVK challenged the High Court order constituting an SIT to investigate the stampede, objecting to the remarks made by the court against the TVK and Vijay and seeking an independent investigation by a former Supreme Court judge.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 15:57 IST

News india 'Something Wrong': Supreme Court Questions Madras HC's Handling Of Karur Stampede Case

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
TMC's Saugata Roy Seen Smoking Cigarette On Parliament Premises. Then, An Exchange With Giriraj Singh

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:09 IST

Saugata Roy was seen smoking a cigarette outside Parliament after BJP MP Anurag Thakurs accusation of a TMC MP using e-cigarettes inside the Lok Sabha.

TMC MP Saugata Roy seen with cigarette on Parliament premises (Video screengrabs)

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy was seen smoking a cigarette outside Parliament on Thursday, sparking a discussion with Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, amid heightened scrutiny over the use of e-cigarettes in the Lok Sabha.

Roy, a senior TMC member, was heard saying during the conversation, We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside."

The remark came as Singh and Shekhawat expressed concern about public health and the dignity of the House.

Responding, Shekhawat said, You are endangering public health, dada."

Singh added, BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised this issue. E-cigarettes were prohibited in 2019, and if an MP smokes an e-cigarette inside the House, it hurts the dignity of the House. It is very unfortunate. This shows how much they (TMC) respect the House."

Roy, meanwhile, sought to downplay the political angle.

I cannot say anything about that, because I was not in the House and I dont know who smoked and complained. It is for the Speaker to inquire and take action if it amounts to a violation of the rules. Why is it being made a political issue?" he asked.

Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confronted TMC MP Saugata Roy, for smoking pic.twitter.com/qh1m6IGklb IANS (@ians_india) December 11, 2025

Later, Roy, while speaking to reporters, could be heard saying, We can smoke e-cigarette (within the premises of the House). We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside."

#WATCH | Delhi | On E-cigarette within the House controversy, TMC MP Saugata Roy says, We can smoke E-cigarette (within the premises of the House). We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside" pic.twitter.com/Eox5pALmYg ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2025

BJP, TMC IN WAR OF WORDS

Also speaking to reporters, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, As an MP, he (Saugata Roy) should know that smoking in public is a punishable offence".

As a responsible Member of Parliament, he should also reflect on what kind of message he is sending to the people of this country through such conduct and behaviour. He must consider whether his actions are adding to Delhis pollution or helping reduce it," Shekhawat said.

Amid the controversy, TMC MP Kirti Azad, while talking to CNN-News18, asserted that he can name hundreds of Parliamentarians who smoke on the premises".

Without taking any names, Azad also alleged that one of the BJP MPs takes nearly 40 per cent commission on the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.

What if I say that a BJP MP takes 30 to 40 per cent of commission on MPLADS," he asserted.

Unless I prove it, it is not there, and I have to first go through the rules and procedures of the House, where you have to first inform the Speaker before you make any allegations," Azad said.

ANURAG THAKUR FILES OFFICIAL COMPLAINT WITH LOK SABHA SPEAKER

As the controversy flared, BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who earlier accused an unnamed TMC MP of smoking an e-cigarette inside the Lok Sabha, on Friday submitted an official complaint with the Speaker and sought disciplinary action against those at fault.

On Thursday, during Question Hour, Thakur asked whether e-cigarettes were allowed in the House, noting that a TMC member had been constantly smoking e-cigarettes in the House for the past several days."

Speaker Om Birla responded firmly that no rules allow smoking inside the House and urged members to maintain the dignity of Parliament.

He added that if a written complaint is lodged, appropriate action would follow.

BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also demanded that the TMC take action against the member involved.

There has been a complete ban on e-cigarettes across the country since 2019. The use of any such items is completely banned in the Parliament premises. But a TMC MP violated all these laws today," he said.

Poonawalla further questioned the TMCs response, asking, The question is, will the TMC take action against its MP or wait for the Speaker to do so?"

They say they are defenders of parliamentary democracy. What action will the TMC take against the erring MP who lowered the dignity of the Parliament and the Constitution?" Poonawalla asked.

E-cigarettes have been banned under the Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition) Act, 2019, which prohibits their production, sale, import, export, and advertising, with penalties including jail terms and fines.

ALSO READ | The Parliament Plot Twist: 48 Hours, Two Gandhis, And A Tale Of Two Battles

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 09:24 IST

News india TMC's Saugata Roy Seen Smoking Cigarette On Parliament Premises. Then, An Exchange With Giriraj Singh

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Govt Releases Census 2027 Details: Apps For Data Collection, Rs 11,718 Crore, Two Phases

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:22 IST

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Census will be held in 2027, with the reference date set at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.

The last nationwide Census was carried out in 2011, with the 2021 round postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Representational)

Census 2027: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a budget of Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census in 2027. Announcing the decision during a press conference, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underscored the significance of the decennial exercise, calling the Census an important exercise for India."

The last nationwide Census was carried out in 2011, with the 2021 round postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has now confirmed that the next Census will be held in 2027, with the reference date set at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.

He noted that India has maintained Census records for over 150 years, emphasising the continuity and importance of this historical database. Census 2027 will be the 16th Census of India and the eighth since Independence, covering the entire population and providing granular village-, town- and ward-level data on housing, amenities, demography, education, economic activity, migration and more. The exercise is governed by the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990.

Census To Be Conducted In 2 Phases

Vaishnaw explained that the Census, notified in the Gazette dated June 16, 2025, will be conducted in two phases.

Phase I: House Listing and Housing Census from April to September 2026, in a period of 30 days as per the convenience of the State/UT Governments.

Phase II: Population Enumeration (PE) will be held in February 2027. In the UT of Ladakh and snow-bound regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the PE will instead take place in September 2026 due to climatic constraints.

Indias First Fully Digital Census

He further said that the upcoming exercise will be Indias first fully digital census, with data collected through mobile applications (on both Android and iOS) and monitored in real time through the newly developed Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) portal.

Innovations such as the Houselisting Block Creator web map tool and an option for self-enumeration are also being introduced, he said.

Census-as-a-service (CaaS) will deliver data to ministries in a clean, machine-readable and actionable format.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs had earlier approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in Census 2027. Caste data will be captured electronically during the Population Enumeration phase, marking the first such exercise in independent Indias decennial census.

Census 2027 will have a focused and wider publicity campaign for nationwide awareness, inclusive participation, last-mile engagement and support for field operations. It will emphasize on sharing accurate, authentic & timely information, ensuring cohesive and effective outreach efforts.

30 Lakh Field Workers To Conduct Census

The exercise will involve an estimated 30 lakh field functionaries, including enumerators, supervisors, master trainers and officers at district and state levels. Most enumeratorsprimarily government school teacherswill undertake Census duties in addition to their regular work, and all field personnel will receive an honorarium for the massive operation.

The Census is expected to generate 1.02 crore man-days of employment, as over 18,600 technical personnel will be deployed for around 550 days to support digital operations, data handling and monitoring. The government says this will also contribute to capacity-building and improve future employment prospects for those involved.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 16:06 IST

News india Govt Releases Census 2027 Details: Apps For Data Collection, Rs 11,718 Crore, Two Phases

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Ananya Panday Rocks Sleek Rs 81,000 Orange Co-ord Set Perfect For Festive Season

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 18:09 IST

The actor was seen posing with co-star Kartik Aaryan as they promote their new film Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri that is releasing on Christmas this month.

Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday at an event in Mumbai

Ahead of their release of Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, Ananya Panday was papped at an event in Mumbai, along with her co-star Kartik Aaryan. The actors, whose film is set to release on December 25, interacted with the paps and posed for some photos. Among all the hubbub, one couldnt miss Ananya, who stood out in a bright orange co-ord set.

Ananaya wore a set by New York designer Matthew Bruch. She wore a persimmon-lyocell-coloured wrap top. It had a silver button holding it together at the collar; the wrap top, which costs Rs 40,900, is elegant, fluid and perfect for when you want to show some skin but in a refined way.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bollywood Celebrity Style (@bollywoodwomencloset)

She paired it with a matching pair of Persimmon Lyocell wide-legged trousers. The pants also feature an inbuilt belt at the waist with similar silver hardware. She wore a pair of nude-coloured heels to balance out the bright colour of her monotone outfit.

Keeping the accessories to a minimum, Ananya wore dangling gold heart-shaped earrings from Alloya, along with a few rings. She styled her chocolate brown hair in soft, loose curls. Ananya has been loving the bronzed look for her recent events. This time around she opted to keep her makeup minimal and natural, with an orange shade of blush and nude lipstick.

Ananya Panday makes her Snapchat debut

For the event, the app threw a Christmas party with actors Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday. They tried their hands at the AR experiences and other interactive features. The highlight of the event was Ananya Pandays official announcement of her Snapchat debut as a public profile, which she will be using to connect with her audience.

Talking about why she liked the idea of using the app, Ananya Panday said, Ive always tried to stay true to who I am, whether that means being a little goofy, very chatty, or simply sharing the small in-between moments that dont always make it to the big screens. For me, authenticity isnt just a word; it is the only way I know how to connect with people."

She went on to add, I believe audiences today instantly recognise when something is real, and that honesty is what I value the most. This is why Snapchat feels so right for me. It is a space where I can share moments as they are, without overthinking, and stay connected to my community in the most genuine and effortless way."

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 18:09 IST

News lifestyle fashion Ananya Panday Rocks Sleek Rs 81,000 Orange Co-ord Set Perfect For Festive Season
Ananya Panday Stuns In Rs 10 Lakh Chanel Couture Look With Sculptural Black Drama

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:47 IST

Ananya Panday stunned in a black silk taffeta Chanel Long Dress from the Cruise 2025/26 collection. She paired her look with a Chanel bag and accessories.

Ananya Panday was styled by Priyanka Kapadia.

Ananya Panday has been steadily shaping a new vocabulary of red-carpet dressing  one that straddles youth, couture seriousness and a distinctly Parisian restraint. Her latest appearance in Chanels Cruise 2025/26 collection is a culmination of that evolution. Instead of leaning on theatrics, she embraces a kind of sculptural calm: a studied, monochrome look that allows silhouette, cut and craftsmanship to speak first.

At a time when Indian celebrity fashion often swings between maximalist shine and athleisure-lite minimalism, Ananya Pandays choice of full couture from a heritage French house lands as a refreshing counterpoint. It is elevated, quiet, and intentional.

Decoding Ananya Pandays Chanel Look

The Chanel Long Dress (priced at Rs 10,45,000) she chose is a lesson in architectural tailoring softened by fluid movement. Its buttoned bodice creates a spine of structure down the torso, while a cinched, moulded waist adds shape without stiffness. Short sleeves skim the shoulders with a clean, almost geometric finish.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ananya  (@ananyapanday)

But the piece de resistance is the dramatic high-low skirt  an element that brings a sense of cinematic motion to the otherwise disciplined silhouette. The extended train unfurls behind her with each step, creating a tension between control and airiness, between couture precision and youthful ease. Its Chanels duality at its finest: classic yet contemporary.

Rather than stacking embellishment, Ananya opts for calculated accents. A bold Chanel Bracelet (priced at Rs 1,60,000) adds a hit of warm gold against the all-black palette. Her Chanel Evening Bag (priced at Rs 6,39,800), quilted and jewel-clasped, brings in a whisper of house codes: the chain, the quilting, the floral motif. The approach is quiet luxury, not showy excess.

Black pointed pumps ground the look and elongate the high-low hemline, keeping the proportions sharp. Her makeup was all things refined. A centre-parted low updo with soft face-framing strands keeps the focus on the neckline and shoulders. Makeup stays luminous but structured: feathered brows, a velvety base, subtle taupe contouring and a muted rose lip that avoids competing with the dress architectural drama.

As Chanels first Indian brand ambassador, appointed in April, Ananyas fashion choices now carry the weight of representing a legacy maison. Her appearance at the Chanel Spring/Summer 2026 showcase in Paris signalled the start of this chapter. This Cruise 2025/26 look furthers that narrative: not just as a muse in couture, but as a young global ambassador shaping what Indian luxury dressing looks like now.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 16:47 IST

News lifestyle fashion Ananya Panday Stuns In Rs 10 Lakh Chanel Couture Look With Sculptural Black Drama
A State-To-State Culinary Feast: Inside PM Modis Vegetarian Dinner For NDA Leaders

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 18:28 IST

Following NDA's recent success in the Bihar elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted an all-vegetarian dinner at his residence for the politicians.

Around 54 tables have been arranged for the dinner, each seating eight MPs from across alliance partners along with BJP MPs. (File Image: PTI)

At a time when political gatherings often make headlines for strategy and symbolism, it was the food that commanded attention at Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent dinner for National Democratic Alliance MPs. Held at the Prime Ministers residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the evening unfolded not just as a celebration of the NDAs strong mandate in the Bihar elections, but also as a deliberate showcase of Indias diverse vegetarian culinary heritage. The meal was crafted as a journey through regions, traditions and ingredients  quietly emphasising the governments continued focus on millets, seasonal produce and nutrient-forward Indian cooking.

A Menu That Spanned The Map

The dinner opened with refreshing sips of orange juice with ginger and pomegranate juice, keeping the palate light before the more elaborate courses. The tone of the meal was set with Subz Badam Shorba, a velvety soup where slow-cooked vegetables met finely ground almonds  an elegant, almost Mughlai-inspired start.

Was a delight to have hosted NDA MPs for dinner at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg this evening. The NDA family represents a shared commitment to good governance, national development and regional aspirations. Together, we will continue working to strengthen our nations development journey Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 11, 2025

Regional appetisers came next, each rooted in distinct culinary cultures. Kakum Matar Akhrot Ki Shammi, made with foxtail millet, green peas and crushed walnuts, offered a nutty, nutritious twist on the classic shammi kebab. Kothimbir Vadi, a beloved Maharashtrian tea-time snack, arrived crisp on the outside and soft within, reminding the table of home-style comfort.

Main Courses That Celebrated Indias Depth Of Flavour

The mains were designed as a curated tour of Indian vegetarian excellence. Gongura Paneer, drawing on Andhras signature tangy sorrel leaves, brought sharpness and heat. The Khubani Malai Kofta leaned in the opposite direction. It was rich, creamy and inspired by Awadhi indulgence, with apricot-filled dumplings simmered in cashew gravy.

Winter vegetables appeared in thoughtful combinations: Gajar Methi Matar delivered sweet carrots tempered with fenugreek and fresh peas, while Bhindi Sambhariya drew from Gujarats sambhariya tradition, stuffed with a blend of sesame, peanuts and jaggery. The comforting Palakura Pappu, a spinach-infused dal from Andhra Pradesh, acted as the grounding element on the plate.

The centrepiece grain was the Kale Moti Chilgoza Pulao, a delicate basmati rice dish speckled with whole black gram and toasted pine nuts, paired with an assortment of rotis, naans and laccha parathas.

A Sweet Finish With Regional Signatures

Dessert honoured both tradition and innovation. The Baked Pista Langcha reimagined the Bengali classic, while Ada Pradaman, Keralas festive favourite made with rice flakes, palm jaggery and coconut milk, added warmth and depth. Fresh fruit and kahwah brought a gentle close to the meal.

More than a celebratory spread, the all-vegetarian menu reflected Indias culinary plurality  from Andhra Pradesh to Kerala, Gujarat to Maharashtra. With millet-based dishes, nut-forward preparations and a strong regional backbone, the dinner highlighted an evolving narrative: Indian vegetarian cuisine can be both rooted and refined, traditional yet forward-looking.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 18:28 IST

News lifestyle food A State-To-State Culinary Feast: Inside PM Modis Vegetarian Dinner For NDA Leaders
Celebrities Are Used, Not Trained: Shatrughan Sinha Takes Swipe At Kangana Ranaut Over Independence Remark

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 16:29 IST

Shatrughan Sinha takes an indirect dig at Kangana Ranaut, saying political parties use actors to win elections but fail to teach them basic facts about Indias independence.

Rapid Read

Shatrughan Sinha has taken an indirect swipe at Kangana Ranaut while discussing celebrity politicians, stating that parties use actors to win elections but fail to educate them.

Veteran actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha has reignited the debate around celebrities entering politics, taking an indirect but pointed dig at Kangana Ranaut while reflecting on why late actor Dharmendra walked away from politics after a single term as a Member of Parliament.

Speaking in a recent interview, Sinha argued that political parties often recruit film stars purely for their popularity but fail to equip them with even basic political and historical understandingan oversight that, he suggested, leads to embarrassing public statements and early exits from politics.

Celebrities Are Used To Win Elections, Not Trained To Govern

While addressing Dharmendras decision to leave politics after serving as a BJP MP from Bikaner between 2004 and 2009, Sinha said the responsibility lies as much with political parties as with the actors themselves.

Those who recruited him and used him to contest elections are also responsible," Sinha said, adding that celebrities are frequently brought in only when votes are needed. When elections are over, there is no follow-up, no guidance, no training."

He stressed that political parties must brief and educate celebrities before placing them in positions of responsibility.

At Least Tell Them When India Got Independence

Without naming Kangana directly at first, Sinha criticised the lack of basic political education given to celebrity politicians today. He said parties should ensure that recruits understand fundamental facts before speaking publicly.

When you bring people in, teach them something. At least tell them when the country gained independence," he remarked, in an apparent reference to Kangana Ranauts earlier controversial statement that India gained real freedom" only in 2014, while independence in 1947 was merely bheekh (alms)."

Sinhas comment drew applause from a section of the audience, reflecting lingering discomfort with Kanganas remarks, which had sparked national outrage at the time.

Sinha Recalls His Own Political Training

Contrasting the present scenario with his own early political journey, Sinha recalled being mentored by senior BJP leaders such as L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

At least in my time, we were trained," he said, explaining how he worked under leaders like Madan Lal Khurana and Kailashpati Mishra to understand governance and public service.

Sinha, who began his political career with the BJP before later joining the Trinamool Congress, suggested that such mentorship is largely missing today.

Dharmendra, Sunny Deol And The Pattern Of One-Term Exits

Expanding the discussion, Sinha noted that Dharmendra wasnt the only actor to quit politics after one term. Sunny Deol, too, stepped away after serving as an MP, with Sinha suggesting that both actors were deeply disillusioned by the system.

They were so upset," he said, hinting at a broader pattern of celebrities being drawn into politics without long-term institutional support.

Hema Malini Hasnt Got Her Due Yet

Sinha also expressed sympathy for Hema Malini, who has been associated with the BJP since 2004. Despite her seniority and experience, he said she has not received the position she truly deserves.

Hema ji is so nice, so senior. Honestly, I feel she hasnt been given her due," Sinha remarked, adding that responsibility lies with the party, society, and even colleagues like himself.

They Should Have Sat With Dharmendra Once A Week

Concluding his remarks, Sinha reiterated that Dharmendra had won his election by a massive margin and deserved sustained engagement from the party afterward.

They should have sat down with him at least once a week," he said, adding that he had long wanted to speak about the issue. You brought up Dharam ji, and I had a lot in my heart."

While framed as a reflection on Dharmendras political journey, Sinhas comments unmistakably reopened conversations about Kangana Ranauts political preparednessand the larger question of whether celebrity politicians are being set up to succeed or simply used when convenient.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 16:29 IST

News movies bollywood Celebrities Are Used, Not Trained: Shatrughan Sinha Takes Swipe At Kangana Ranaut Over Independence Remark
Ranveer Singh Is The Cutest Brother In Town, Gets Emotional After Meeting Sister In Bridal Avatar

Published By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 18:53 IST

Ranveer Singh looked completely smitten after meeting his cousin, Saumya Hingorani, decked up as a bride.

Ranveer Singh steals hearts with his emotional moment at his cousin's wedding. (Photo Credit: Instagram)

Ranveer Singh is basking in the glory of his recently released movie, Dhurandhar. While he portrayed a fierce and blood-soaked personality on-screen, his appearance at his cousins wedding showcased his softer side. In a new video from the ceremony, the Gully Boy actor was seen completely smitten after finding his sister in the bridal attire.

The video shared on Instagram featured Ranveer Singh becoming emotional after meeting his cousin, Saumya Hingorani, who was dressed in a red-hued lehenga choli. Undoubtedly, he turned into the cutest brother in town, resonating with many others. He was seen gushing and showering her with immense praise, love and blessings while reacting to her bridal avatar.

Emotional Moment At Ranveer Singhs Cousins Wedding

As Saumya looked bespoke in the heavily embellished outfit, Ranveer simply couldnt take his eyes off her. Although it remained unclear what he said to his cousin, his face shone with pride, melting many hearts.

Not only the Simmba actor, right before the bride was set to walk down the aisle, her father also complimented her looks. The doting daddy, who was seen trying hard to control his tears from rolling down his face, said, You are looking so pretty," in a voice full of pride and warmth.

The video was captioned as Core memory," followed by a heart emblem. Soon, social media users flooded the comment section praising the divas beauty and her bond with her brothers.

Ranveer Singh Walked His Cousin Down The Aisle

In another video from Saumya Hingoranis wedding, we spotted Singh holding the phoolon ki chadar alongside her other brothers over the brides head as she walked down the aisle, turning the moment extra special. The Dil Dhadakne Do actor was seen wearing a vibrant red kurta and white pyjamas, along with a pair of sunglasses and a floral garland.

Singh was also captured in a few more candid photos, embracing both the bride and the groom with utmost love. The wedding was also attended by Deepika Padukone and other members of his family.

Ranveer Singhs Role In Dhurandhar

The 40-year-old actors dual role in the movie as Jaskirat Singh Dhurandhar and Hamza Ali Mazari earned immense praise from the audience. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the movie showcased Singh as an undercover Indian spy sent deep into Pakistans volatile Lyari to infiltrate a terror network. He perfectly played the role of a fearless man with a hidden agenda to take down syndicate kingpin Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna) as part of a secret government operation.

Produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, the movie received such a positive response that the makers announced Dhurandhar: Part 2  Revenge would release on March 19, 2026.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 18:53 IST

News movies bollywood Ranveer Singh Is The Cutest Brother In Town, Gets Emotional After Meeting Sister In Bridal Avatar
Salman Khan And Johnny Depp's Surprise Photo Goes Viral, Fans Can't Keep Calm

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:04 IST

Recently, Kartik Aaryan, who also attended fifth Red Sea International Film Festival 2025 in Jeddah, shares an unexpected selfie with Johnny Depp.

Salman Khan And Johnny Depp's Surprise Photo Goes Viral, Fans Can't Keep Calm

The Red Sea International Film Festival is currently underway in Saudi Arabia, and many celebrities from around the world are attending. Recently, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and Hollywood icon Johnny Depp were spotted at the prestigious event. What began as a simple exchange instantly turned into a viral sensation, with fans across the world calling it a legendary crossover" they never expected to see.

Red Sea Festival shared the photo of both legendary actors on their Instagram page. In no time, it went viral, and fans were seen reacting to it. One of the fans wrote, Hermoso Johnny Depp". Another wrote, Im screaming Salman Khan x Johnny Depp." Many also dropped heart and fire emojis. Many Bollywood actors including Alia Bhatt were seen attending the ongoing event.

Take a look here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Red Sea Film Foundation (@redseafilm)

Kartik Aaryan Drops A Surprise Selfie With Johnny Depp

Recently, Kartik Aaryan, who also attended fifth Red Sea International Film Festival 2025 in Jeddah, shares an unexpected selfie with none other than Hollywood icon Johnny Depp. He posted the picture on Instagram, where he appears dapper in a sleek beige blazer, a crisp white shirt with blue stripes, blue pants and a printed maroon tie. Depp, meanwhile, sported his signature beanie and sunglasses, completing his classic look with a cigar in hand. Both actors flashed bright smiles, with Depp resting a hand on Kartiks shoulder while Kartik offered his trademark mischievous expression. Pirates of the Red Sea. Jack Sparrow x Rooh Rooh Baba @johnnydepp," Kartik wrote in the caption.

All about Johny Depp:

Johnny Depp is adored worldwide for his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow, the beloved protagonist of Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales franchise. The fantasy adventure series draws heavily from the Golden Age of Piracy and the mid-1700s setting.

Salman Khans upcoming work

Salman Khan has officially wrapped shooting for his upcoming war drama, Battle of Galwan. The film has been generating massive buzz since production began. Following a gruelling schedule in Ladakh, where he reportedly sustained multiple injuries, the team recently completed the remaining scenes in Mumbai. Throughout the shoot, numerous photos and videos surfaced online, keeping fans eagerly engaged with every update.

A new picture from the sets of the Battle of Galwan is now making rounds on social media. Originally shared on Instagram by a YouTuber, the photo shows Bhaijaan Salman Khan and Chitrangada Singh dressed in full Indian Army uniforms. The two actors are seen smiling brightly and posing for a selfie with a fan.

The war movie, made under the direction of Apoorva Lakhia, is based on the novel Indias Most Fearless 3. The film takes viewers back to the harrowing 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops. Get ready to watch a rare and brutal border skirmish that turned deadly with soldiers resorting to hand-to-hand combat with sticks and stones.

Salman Khan will be seen in a rugged, battle-hardened avatar, one of his most intense roles in recent years. With its stirring storyline, the film is shaping up to be one of the most impactful cinematic tributes to the armed forces in India. The film is slated for an Eid 2026 release.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 12:04 IST

News movies bollywood Salman Khan And Johnny Depp's Surprise Photo Goes Viral, Fans Can't Keep Calm
Salman Khan Honours Idris Elba At Red Sea Film Festival: 'I've Seen His Films At Home With Family'

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 13, 2025, 00:08 IST

Salman Khan presents Idris Elba with the Red Sea Honouree Award as the actor delivers an emotional speech, celebrating cinema, culture and his parents.

Salman Khan presents the Red Sea Honouree Award to Idris Elba at the Red Sea Film Festival.

Superstar Salman Khan is making headlines in Saudi Arabia after attending the fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival. Among the standout moments of the high-profile event was Salman presenting the prestigious Red Sea Honouree Award to Hollywood star Idris Elba. Staying true to his understated charm, Salman kept his introduction crisp, heartfelt and personal.

He said, Im really happy to be here. Its a pleasure to be at the Red Sea Film Festival and an honour to present an award to a very talented actor. Ive seen his films, and I like his films, and Ive seen them in theatres, and Ive seen them at home with my friends and family. So please welcome Idris Elba."

Elba took the stage to accept the award and delivered one of the most moving speeches of the evening. He began with genuine enthusiasm: I am truly honoured. This is my first time here at the festival and I just want to tell you; this is probably the best film festival Ive been in my life. I mean it. I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

Idris Elbas Heartfelt Tribute to His Parents, Wife and Children

Elba spoke passionately about what sets the festival apart, adding, This film festival represents the world. This is what the world looks like. International people that tell stories, not for just financial gain, but for cultural gain, to share their stories, to educate."

He also praised the festivals leadership, saying, And Chairwoman, you should be very proud of what youve created here. Its a fantastic festival and Im honoured to be here. I hope youll have me back."

The actor then dedicated the honour to his parents, sharing a deeply emotional story: This award is for my mom and my dad. Im an only child and my parents tried for children they couldnt have. And then I came along my mom and dad had so much belief when I said, I want to be an actor."

He concluded by thanking his wife Sabrina and his children Riaz, Ishaan and Winston, saying their support fuels him every morning.

Elba also charmed the audience with a humorous memory of his first acting joba commercial where he played a man chasing his stolen bikebefore declaring the Red Sea Festival on top of the hill."

Before the award ceremony, Salman participated in an interactive session about his cinematic journey. Later, he turned heads on the red carpet where he unexpectedly bumped into global superstar Johnny Depp, creating one of the most talked-about moments of the night.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 13, 2025, 00:08 IST

News movies bollywood Salman Khan Honours Idris Elba At Red Sea Film Festival: 'I've Seen His Films At Home With Family'
Salman Khan Says He Has Lost Many Friends, Is Close To Only 5 People 'Jo Pehle Se Hain Mere Saath'

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:05 IST

He also reflected on his busy schedule and said that he hasn't gone out for dinner in 25 years.

Rapid Read

Salman Khan recently hosted Bigg Boss 19.

Salman Khan recently attended the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, where he spoke about how he has been extremely busy for the last 25 years. The actor mentioned that he has lost a lot of friends and is now only close to 4-5 people. He also reflected on his schedule and said that he hasnt gone out for dinner in 25 years.

Most of my life Ive always been around my family and friends, jismein se kafi nikal liye hain aur bas bhi 4-5 hi hain jo bahut phele se hain mere saath (I have lost a few of my close friends, and now just have 4-5 of them with me now. They have been with me for a long time)," Salman said.

The actor continued, 25-26 saal hogaye hain ke main kahin bahar dinner pe nahi gaya hun. Shooting se ghar, ghar se shooting, ghar se airport, airport se hotel aur hotel se yahan. Thats it. This is my life (I havent stepped out for dinner in the last 25 years. My life is all about going to shoot, airport, hotel or to the event and then back to the shoot)."

Salman said, And I dont mind it Ya toh yeh chaiyeh ke aap ghumo phiro aur yeh sab na ho, that is something that I dont want. Itni izzat dete hai aur pyaar dete hain. Ussi ke liye mehnat karta hun Beech beech mein thodha complacent ho jaata hun.. But usko bhi enjoy karta hun yeh sochke ke aa gaye kya aane wala hai."

Meanwhile, on the films front, Salman Khan will soon be seen in Battle of Galwan. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Battle of Galwan revisits the harrowing 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops, a rare border skirmish that turned deadly without any firearms being used.

Instead, soldiers resorted to hand-to-hand combat with sticks and stones, making it one of the most emotionally charged stories in recent Indian history. With its stirring subject and powerful cast, Battle of Galwan is poised to be one of the most impactful cinematic tributes to Indias armed forces in recent years. The actor was last seen in Sikandar.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 12:05 IST

News movies bollywood Salman Khan Says He Has Lost Many Friends, Is Close To Only 5 People 'Jo Pehle Se Hain Mere Saath'
Sholay 4K Release Pays Tribute to Dharmendra, Amjad Khan And Legendary Cast: Ramesh Sippy

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 13, 2025, 03:30 IST

Ramesh Sippy honours Dharmendra, Amjad Khan and other stars as Sholay releases in 4K. The restored version celebrates the legendary films legacy and magic.

Amjad Khan and Dharmendra in a still from Sholay.

Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has dedicated the 4K version of Sholay  The Final Cut to the late Dharmendra, who passed away on November 24. The team had initially planned a grand 50th-anniversary re-release on August 15, but the untimely passing of the films leading hero, Veeru, resulted in a more subdued theatrical launch this Friday.

We will miss him (Dharmendra) dearly. Unfortunately, he passed away as did Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar in earlier times, then Asrani recently and others have also passed away. But, all their work will be there forever. So, they live through the film now," Sippy said.

The filmmaker emphasized that the release is a celebration of all the stars involved. There were plans; we wanted to make a splash, but it wasnt appropriate. The film is a celebration for everyone, so why not look at it that way? His contributionnow that people will see the filmwill come to the forefront. It will revive those memories, and we will say, Oh God, he just passed away, and he has done wonders. The kind of enthusiasm like lines and character he brought in his way was amazing!"

Recalling his interactions with Dharmendra, Sippy added, I did meet him once, but he was unwell but didnt want to disturb him."

Sholays Timeless Legacy and Technical Restoration

The 4K restored version was previously showcased at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in Canada and has now hit Indian theatres. A planned premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India, Goa, was cancelled due to technical reasons."

Sippy reflected on the films enduring appeal, saying, Nobody can decode Sholay! There is something that connects the audience across generations and had I found the secret then would have made several Sholays by now! Music, dance, friendship, romance, drama, action  everything was in abundance and the packaging was good. Salim-Javeds writing, actors were marvellous in each role, RB Burmans music  all put together brought out the best and my job was made easier because of that. Captaining the ship like that was a delight."

He also highlighted the technical improvements, noting, Back in 70s it was tough to bring technology to create stereophonic sound, 70mm print but today due to advanced technology we were able to restore it in Italy and make it modern."

The 4K release of Sholay not only honours the memories of legendary actors like Dharmendra and Amjad Khan but also introduces the timeless classic to a new generation of moviegoers.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 13, 2025, 03:30 IST

News movies bollywood Sholay 4K Release Pays Tribute to Dharmendra, Amjad Khan And Legendary Cast: Ramesh Sippy
Varun Dhawan Drops New Poster Of Border 2, Announces Teaser Release Date

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:56 IST

Border 2 is the sequel to the 1997 classic Border, directed by JP Dutta and hailed as one of Indian cinemas finest war action dramas.

Varun Dhawan Drops New Poster Of Border 2, Announces Teaser Release Date

Varun Dhawan has set the internet on fire with the unveiling of a powerful new poster from his upcoming war drama Border 2. The actor also confirmed the long-awaited teaser release date, sending fans into a frenzy. Border 2 is one of the most talked-about films, which is eyeing a January 2026 release.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Varun Dhawan shared a new poster featuring himself, Sunny Deol. Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty. He also announced teaser release date. Vijay Diwas ka josh, 1971 ki jeet ki yaad, aur saal ka sabse grand teaser launch  ek saath! #Border2 teaser out on 16th December at 1:30 PM IST. Releasing in cinemas on 23rd January 2026," read the caption.

Take a look here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by VarunDhawan (@varundvn)

Border 2 Teaser To Be Attached with James Camerons Avatar: Fire And Ash?

As per Bollywood Hungama, after the release of the teaser on December 16, in the presence of Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, and Ahan Shetty, it will be attached to Avatar: Fire and Ash, which releases theatrically on December 19, 2025. With the James Cameron film expected to draw massive footfall to theatres, placing Border 2s teaser with it can be one of the most effective marketing strategies.

A Pinkvilla report quoted a source close to the production revealing that Border 2s much-anticipated teaser will premiere on December 16, 2025, in Mumbai, in the presence of the cast and crew. The date holds special significance, as December 16 is Vijay Diwas, commemorating Indias victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, and Ahan Shetty are confirmed to attend the teaser premiere, joined by director Anurag Singh and producers Bhushan Kumar and Nidhi Dutta. However, there is no update yet on Diljit Dosanjhs availability for the event.

Border 2: Cast and Other Details

Border 2 is the sequel to the 1997 classic Border, directed by JP Dutta and hailed as one of Indian cinemas finest war action dramas. The original film achieved cult status, amassing a dedicated fan base across the country. The makers aim to recreate that same excitement with this new installment. Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, JP Dutta, and Nidhi Dutta. The film stars Ahan Shetty, Varun Dhawan, Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa, and others.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:56 IST

News movies bollywood Varun Dhawan Drops New Poster Of Border 2, Announces Teaser Release Date
Sydney Sweeney Says I Wish You Were My Dad As Ethan Hawke Praises Her For Bold Euphoria Role

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 21:32 IST

Sydney Sweeney opens up about her fearless approach to Euphoria while Ethan Hawke applauds her daring performances during their Actors on Actors conversation.

Sydney Sweeney shares a heartfelt moment with Ethan Hawke.

Sydney Sweeney and Ethan Hawkes first-ever meeting turned unexpectedly heartfelt during their sit-down for Variety and CNNs Actors on Actors. The conversation brought together the 28-year-old Euphoria breakout star and the 55-year-old Hollywood veteran, a pairing that instantly revealed a warm, fatherly dynamic.

Hawke, a proud father of four, was quick to acknowledge Sweeneys evolution as a performer. Sweeney, whose portrayal of Cassie Howard propelled her into global stardom, reflected on the role that reshaped her creative instincts.

Euphoria was the beginning of everything for me," she said, explaining how Cassies raw emotional depth pushed her into uncharted acting territory.

Cassie is a very emotional and heart-driven character, so I had to be very free with every choice that I made," she shared. I had to not question myself. I had to just dive in, make crazy decisions and not judge what I was doing." Sweeney added that wrapping Season 3 left her even more grateful for the experience. According to her, creator Sam Levinson would often encourage her to lean into Cassies extremes: All right, lets just do a Cassie crazy take."

Those unrestrained moments, she said, became some of her favourite creative breakthroughs.

Hawke, captivated by her commitment, praised her willingness to push boundaries. Its exciting to see somebody lay it all out there," he told her. The world loves it when you take a dare. And you took a dare. Youre throwing yourself at your work, and youre doing a great job."

A Sweet, Surprising Moment Between the Two Actors

Hawkes admiration  delivered with genuine warmth  prompted Sweeney to respond with unexpected candor. Smiling shyly, she quipped, Man, I wish you were my dad." The remark immediately softened the exchange, drawing attention to Hawkes reputation as a nurturing mentor on and off set. His eldest daughter, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, is close in age to Sweeney, underscoring the touching, almost familial tone of their interaction.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Los Angeles, United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 12, 2025, 21:32 IST

News movies hollywood Sydney Sweeney Says I Wish You Were My Dad As Ethan Hawke Praises Her For Bold Euphoria Role
BTS OT7 Reunion Pic Breaks The Internet, ARMY Says Kings Are Back, My Family Is Back

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 13, 2025, 00:41 IST

BTS delighted fans with brand-new OT7 rehearsal photos, prompting emotional reactions and fuelling excitement about the groups preparations for their 2026 comeback.

BTS members reunite for a rare OT7 photo, thrilling ARMY worldwide.

It was the reunion no one saw coming. BTS delivered the ultimate Friday surprise when all seven membersJin, J-Hope, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkookappeared together in a set of brand-new OT7 photos. Shared across their Instagram stories, the images instantly set social media ablaze, with Kim Taehyung posting the full group shot that sent ARMYs into an emotional frenzy.

The photos were taken in what appears to be their rehearsal studio, sparking intense speculation that BTS are deep into preparations for their much-anticipated 2026 comeback album and world tour. For fans, this was more than just a photoit was reassurance that the group is officially gearing up for the next era.

ARMYs Emotional Over the OT7 Reunion

Each member contributed a piece of the puzzle. Suga posted a playful shot of himself sitting on a chair while Jimin leaned into the frame holding a mic, marking what fans called Yoongis return to Instagram. J-Hope shared a mirror selfie with V beside him, while RM posted candid group moments showing the members sprawled across the studio floor catching their breath after rehearsals.

BTS once again brings the biggest smiles to fans with a new photo, filling their week with sunshine and leaving them glowing. pic.twitter.com/vPu0TFIhbA Pop Core (@TheePopCore) December 12, 2025

The fan reactions were immediate and explosive. One user wrote on X, Finally all 7 in the same frame my family is BACK." Another said, OT7! I kept counting to make sure! Aaaaahhhhh! So many emotions. Kings are back." A third fan declared, They are preparing to save the music industry so no more boring repeated and cringe lyrics songs lets go." One emotional ARMY added, Seven years get added to my lifespan every time tannies post an OT7 selca."

Yoongis Instagram comeback also set off celebrations, with a fan noting, The way I knew it had to be Jimin that Suga would post with first. My YOONMIN heart has bloomed." Another reacted to RMs post: Namjoon snapping the moment Yoongi decided to return to IG."

Hints of Intense Preparation for the Future

RM had recently posted another rehearsal photo, and the new set only strengthens the belief that BTS are working tirelessly behind the scenes. After two years of military service, solo projects, and anticipation, these photos reassure fans that the band is inching closer to a new chapterone theyve been waiting for with unwavering dedication.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Seoul, South Korea

First Published: December 13, 2025, 00:41 IST

News movies korean BTS OT7 Reunion Pic Breaks The Internet, ARMY Says Kings Are Back, My Family Is Back
Parvathy Thiruvothu Posts Another Cryptic Note Following Actor Dileeps Acquittal In Sexual Assault Case

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 20:27 IST

Filmmaker Parvathy Thiruvothu shares a cryptic note on Instagram amid actor Dileeps acquittal in the 2017 sexual assault case, indirectly questioning the justice system.

Rapid Read

Actor and filmmaker Parvathy Thiruvothu; Malayalam actor Dileep(Image: Instagram/@par_vathy; PTI)

Malayalam actor Dileep was acquitted in the 2017 sexual assault case. Following this, filmmaker Parvathy Thiruvothu has been putting out social media stories about how women have to deal not only with the assault but also with surviving the law. In her cryptic note, she indirectly questioned the system without naming anyone.

Posting on Instagram, Parvathy, one of the founding members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), wrote, First we have to survive the assault, then we have to survive the law?" This is a second cryptic note by Parvathy following the acquittal of Dileep in the 2017 case. Earlier, on December 8, she had taken to her social media and written, We watch a carefully crafted screenplay unfold so cruelly now." Following the verdict by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court, she also asked, Justice, what?"

Meanwhile, a number of Malayalam actors, including Rima Kallingal and Remya Nambeesan, posted the slogan Avalkoppam (We stand with her) on their social platforms, a phrase first used by the WCC after the 2017 assault, news agency ANI reported.

Rima wrote on Instagram, Always. More stronger than ever now." Formed in November 2017, the WCC has worked toward ensuring a safer, equitable, and professional environment for women in the film industry through policy initiatives and advocacy.

In a note shared online before the judgment, the WCC reflected on the length and difficulty of the case: This has not been an easy journey. The journey of being a victim to becoming a survivor. 3,215 days of waiting for justice."

The statement added, Her fight has unleashed many tumultuous journeys for women in cinema, the Malayalam film industry, and the state of Kerala. The impact has rippled through our collective conscience, and voices have risen for change."

It further noted, Much has to be said for the courage and resilience she has shown through it all, while upholding her faith in the system."

About Parvathy Thiruvothu

Parvathy Thiruvothu is known for her powerful performances in films like Bangalore Days, Ennu Ninte Moideen and Take Off, which earned her the prestigious National Award in 2017. The actress who made her Bollywood debut with late actor Irrfan Khan in Qarib Qarib Singlle to also star in Hrithik Roshans Production Venture Storm.

Storm is helmed by Ajitpal Singh and will be produced by HRX films. Alongside Parvathy, the series will also star Alaya F, Saba Azad, and Srishti Shrivastava. Sharing pictures with the team of the film on Instagram, Parvathy wrote, Team looking real good for The Storm thats brewing. Ready to roll!"

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 20:27 IST

News movies regional-cinema Parvathy Thiruvothu Posts Another Cryptic Note Following Actor Dileeps Acquittal In Sexual Assault Case
Thalapathy Vijay Starrer Jana Nayagan Teaser To Release Soon? Heres What We Know

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 10:12 IST

According to 123 Telugu, the makers is likely to release the films teaser very soon. Date has not been revealed till now.

Thalapathy Vijay Starrer Jana Nayagan Teaser To Release Soon?

The anticipation surrounding Thalapathy Vijays upcoming political-action drama Jana Nayagan continues to increase, with fresh buzz suggesting that the films much-awaited teaser may drop sooner. Fans have been eagerly awaiting for the film as it will be his last film. A recent report indicates that the team is preparing to unveil the first glimpse in the coming weeks.

According to 123 Telugu, the makers is likely to release the films teaser very soon. Date has not been revealed till now. It will be followed by a grand audio launch event in Malaysia, and the theatrical trailer is expected for New Years Eve.

Jana Nayagan Trailer To Release On THIS Date

According to 123 Telugu, the trailer is likely to be unveiled on New Years Eve i.e., on December 31, 2025. The first single Thalapathy Kacheri was also released recently. The makers of director H Vinoths action entertainer Jana Nayagan, which incidentally will be actor Vijays last film, on Friday announced that the films audio launch will take place in Malaysia on December 27 this year. The much-awaited event is officially set to take place at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, marking Vijays return to Malaysia after three years.

Jagadish Palanisamy, one of the co-producers of Jana Nayagan, penned an emotional note on the occasion. He wrote, From the days I sat starstruck in the crowd at the Nanban audio launch, to working on countless audio launches for you, and now building up to your #OneLastDance  Jananayagan audio launch this journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. After three years, the moment weve all held so close to our hearts is finally here. For me  and for everyone else  this is more than an audio launch. Its an emotion. Thank you, anna. Malaysia see you soon. #JanaNayaganAudioLaunch"

Vijays Team Quashes Delay Rumours

Recently, the makers of Jana Nayagan, actor Vijays much-anticipated farewell film, have released a fresh poster confirming that the film will hit theatres on January 9, 2026, as originally planned. The update comes amid speculation that the release might be postponed following the recent Karur stampede incident.

About the film

Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan boasts a powerful ensemble cast featuring Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Prakash Raj, and Gautham Vasudev Menon. Produced by Venkat K. Narayana under KVN Productions, the film is set for a global release on January 9, 2026, just in time for Pongal. Significantly, Jana Nayagan marks the final chapter of Thalapathy Vijays illustrious film journey  making this audio launch not just a celebration, but a moment in history for fans worldwide.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 10:12 IST

News movies tamil-cinema Thalapathy Vijay Starrer Jana Nayagan Teaser To Release Soon? Heres What We Know
Global Watch | Thick Face-Black Heart Doctrine: Decoding Asim Munirs Grip On Pakistan

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 19:10 IST

What Pakistan confronts now is not simply the dominance of one Field Marshal, but the slow hollowing-out of democratic life

Rapid Read

Asim Munirs career did not follow the trajectory of a man destined for sweeping power, writes the author. (File)

Every country has moments when a single figure, through temperament as much as circumstance, shifts the balance of its political order. In Pakistan today, that figure is Field Marshal Asim Munir. Analysts often describe his rise in familiar language, discipline, institutional confidence, and careful preparation.

But this doesnt quite capture the way he has consolidated authority or the psychology behind those moves. A better way to make sense of his imprint is to look at him through the Thick Face-Black Heart lens, a framework from Chinese strategic thought that highlights a persons ability to absorb humiliation without blinking and to impose their will without sentimental hesitation. It is not a flattering theory, but it is an accurate one for a leader who has altered Pakistans political landscape with a mix of silence and severity.

Munirs career did not follow the trajectory of a man destined for sweeping power. His years in military intelligence, including the short-lived tenure as DG ISI, exposed him to the brutal currents of Pakistans political machinery. When he was removed abruptly and with enough public visibility to sting, it seemed like one of those episodes that cut promising careers in half. Yet he responded with a peculiar stillness. He did not leak stories to the press, did not cultivate a faction to avenge the slight, and did not attempt a public rehabilitation campaign. He simply stayed put, watched, and waited. That kind of emotional discipline is rare in Pakistans power circles, where bruised egos often leave trails of chaos.

Munirs ability to absorb that injury and carry on without outward bitterness said more about him than any official posting ever could. He has nurtured this kind of attitude since his early days in the Pakistan Army, as during a staff course at that time, (Major) Munir was given the title of deceiver by his course-mate officers.

When he re-emerged in positions of influence, first as Corps Commander then as Quartermaster General, it became clear that he saw institutions not as ladders to climb but as structures to study. He built loyalty by being reliable, not charming; precise, not theatrical. By the time he became Army Chief, he had internalised a lesson that many powerful men learn late and painfully: you survive by showing as little of yourself as possible. That instinct for opacity, for silence as a form of strength, is the thick face" part of his psychology. It allowed him to weather political storms without leaving fingerprints.

After taking command, however, a different side of him surfaced. This was the colder, unsentimental edge that the black heart" portion of the theory describes. The handling of the May 9 unrest revealed it most clearly. An institution that usually protects its own was suddenly willing to sacrifice high-ranking officers; one serving lieutenant general was removed, several major generals and brigadiers faced proceedings, and the message travelled quickly through the ranks: ambiguity was no longer acceptable.

Loyalty would not be inferred; it would be demonstrated. No chief in recent memory had gone after his own officer corps with such quiet precision. There was no bluster, no televised fury. Just action, executed without sentiment. This internal consolidation flowed naturally into political centralisation. Intelligence coordination became tighter, and the usual patchwork of informal channels between senior officers and political elites began to close. Pakistans power structure has historically tolerated multiple centres of gravity" within the militarycommander-level networks, intelligence cliques, and backchannel negotiators. Munir dismantled that arrangement without announcing it. Everything began to tilt toward GHQ, and more specifically, toward his office.

The political realm, already fragile, bent even faster. PTIs disintegration did not occur by accident or due to political incompetence alone. It happened through a systematic squeeze: mass arrests, cases under terrorism laws, long sentences, and a media environment in which the countrys most popular political figure could vanish from the screen for months. The state had used pressure before, but this time it felt different. There was a seriousness to it, a determination to eliminate not just the partys leadership but the partys very presence in public life.

This shift had a profound effect on the older parties as well. PML(N) and PPP, both seasoned in the art of negotiating with the establishment, slowly realised that the usual bargaining space no longer existed. Their agreement to constitutional changes that weakened the judiciary, formalised the militarys upper hand, and paved the way for a Chief of Defence Forces position told its own story. They were no longer negotiating with the military; they were adjusting themselves to an institutional reality shaped entirely by it. Munir did not cajole them into compliance; he simply created a structure in which their compliance became the path of least resistance.

The legal remodelling that accompanied this political shift was just as significant. The old hybrid order worked because of its messiness, courts sometimes pushed back, parliament sometimes resisted, and the military exerted influence without admitting it. Munirs approach was to strip away the ambiguity. Judicial oversight over key decisions was narrowed. Constitutional interpretation was rerouted toward structures less likely to confront the militarys strategic interests. Even the symbolic principle that the largest bloc in parliament should form the government collapsed under this new logic. The 2024 elections did not merely produce a strange mandate; they produced a political arrangement in which electoral strength had meaning only if it aligned with the establishments preferences.

Control over information completed the picture. Channels were taken off air, journalists were pressured, and digital spaces were targeted through bans and intimidation. Pakistan has always had red lines around the military, but these lines have become wider and more sharply enforced. Critique did not disappear entirely, but it was pushed into the margins, away from the audiences that once relied on it to make sense of the states direction. The informational space became curated rather than contested.

Taken together, these shifts reveal something beyond conventional military dominance. They signal the end of the hybrid model itself. Pakistan still performs the rituals of democracy, elections, speeches in parliament, and televised interviews, but these rituals now operate inside a cage whose walls have been reinforced. The space for dissent, negotiation, or institutional self-assertion has shrunk so dramatically that the form of democracy remains while its content drains away.

This transformation carries a deeper cost for the state. A political order built around one office, however disciplined its occupant, becomes structurally fragile. Civilian institutions lose both capability and confidence when sidelined for too long. Courts that cannot arbitrate major questions eventually lose public authority. Political parties that survive on borrowed space lose the ability to channel public frustration. A press that cannot interrogate power loses its purpose.

Munirs rise, methodical as it was, has created a system that depends heavily on his ability to maintain control. It may produce temporary calm, but it does so by weakening the very institutions that give states longevity. The paradox of his authority is that its solidity makes the system around him brittle. Once power concentrates to such an extent, it becomes harder, not easier, for the state to adapt when the circumstances change or when leadership eventually passes on.

What Pakistan confronts now is not simply the dominance of one field marshal, but the slow hollowing-out of democratic life. The facade is still there, but the architecture behind it has shifted. Munir embodies the psychology of survival and imposition central to the Thick Face-Black Heart theory. Through patience and severity, he has remade the political order. But in doing so, he has also made the state more dependent on command than on consensus. That dependence may be the most dangerous legacy of all.

The writer is an author and columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 19:10 IST

News opinion Global Watch | Thick Face-Black Heart Doctrine: Decoding Asim Munirs Grip On Pakistan

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Opinion | NCBCs Bengal Recommendation Exposes A Decade Of TMCs Entrenched Appeasement Politics

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 17:04 IST

From ignoring constitutional norms to weaponising reservations for electoral gain, the TMC has turned OBC policy in West Bengal into a tool of brazen Muslim vote-bank engineering.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjees appeasement is neither accidental nor ideological; it is electoral.

On 2 December, the Central government revealed a development that has shaken West Bengals political landscape: the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has recommended the withdrawal of 35 communities, most of them Muslim, from the Central OBC list in the state. The disclosure, made in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, is not a sudden or isolated event. Rather, it is the culmination of a decade-long saga of blatant procedural violations, religiously motivated policymaking, and systemic misuse of constitutional provisions under the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.

The NCBC reviewed 37 communities that were added to the Central OBC list in 2014 out of 46 originally proposed by the West Bengal government in 2011 and found that 35 lacked the necessary criteria for being classified as backward".

The panels recommendation, submitted in January 2025, came after the West Bengal Chief Secretary failed to appear for five scheduled hearings in 2024. This absence was not merely an administrative lapse but a telling display of the TMCs habitual disregard for due process whenever it comes to furthering its Muslim vote-bank strategy.

A Long Record Of Procedural Violations By The TMC

The TMCs attempts to force Muslim communities into the OBC category are neither accidental nor disguised. For years, the party has treated constitutional institutions as inconveniences to be bypassed rather than bodies to be respected. This attitude was most visibly condemned by the Calcutta High Court on 22 May 2024, when it struck down OBC certificates issued to 77 groups between 2010 and 2012, calling out the rampant illegality behind their inclusion.

The court found glaring lapses in the methodology of the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission, which had surveyed merely 5 per cent of the population belonging to the enlisted communitiesan egregious violation of the Supreme Courts Indra Sawhney judgment. Moreover, the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes Act of 1993 was outright defied when the government sub-classified OBCs into Category A and Category B without the Commissions consent.

Even more troubling was the involvement of the University of Calcuttas Anthropology Department, which collaborated with the Left government and later the TMC to prepare an executive summary" justifying OBC recognition on the basis of religion. The High Court minced no words in describing this nexus as a fraud on constitutional power".

The Scale Of The Distortion: OBC Policy Hijacked

Before the TMC came to power in 2010, West Bengal had 66 OBC communities:

55 were non-Muslim

11 were Muslim (17 per cent)

By 2025, that number had expanded to 180 groups:

97 Muslim communities

83 non-Muslim

In other words, Muslims now constitute over 53 per cent of the states OBC listan astonishing jump from 17 per cent in just over a decade. These were not accidental inclusions. Of the 76 new communities added during the TMC era, over 85 per cent were Muslim.

This is demographic engineering via reservation policy, an attempt to convert a religious bloc into a legally protected vote-bank. The evidence is widespread, from the viral 2021 OBC-A recruitment list of the West Bengal Police (where nearly every selected candidate was Muslim) to the TMC governments repeated attempts to push new surveys and legal amendments even after sustained court reprimands.

Courtroom Setbacks Fail To Deter TMCs Communal Agenda

When the Calcutta High Court cancelled five lakh OBC certificates, the Mamata Banerjee government did not introspectit retaliated. Mamata Banerjee openly declared that she would not accept the ruling and rushed to the Supreme Court, where the governments own affidavit exposed it further. For several Muslim communities, the so-called three-tier process"two surveys plus a Commission hearingwas completed in less than a day, an administrative impossibility unless the outcome had been pre-decided.

Yet even amid judicial scrutiny, the TMC moved to introduce another bill proposing 140 new OBC sub-groups, again disproportionately Muslim. The states 17 per cent OBC reservation already favours 97 Muslim communities, but the TMC appears committed to pushing the envelope furtherconstitutional principles be damned.

Religious Appeasement As A Governance Philosophy

Mamata Banerjees appeasement is neither accidental nor ideological; it is electoral. Her infamous 2019 remark comparing Muslims to a milk-giving cow" whose kicks must be tolerated revealed the mindset driving these policies. Her repeated use of the Islamist term kafir" in political speeches further underscores how far she is willing to go to consolidate her Muslim vote-bank.

Her choice of 16 AugustDirect Action Day, a date associated with the 1946 anti-Hindu pogrom in Calcuttato launch Khela Hobe Diwas" was symbolic of a party that has abandoned historical sensitivity in favour of religious signalling.

Systematic Marginalisation Of Hindu Rights

The TMCs governance has often appeared to be an exercise in sidelining Hindu festivals, traditions, and rights whenever they clash with Islamic observances. The cancellation of Vishwakarma Puja holidays to extend Eid vacations, repeated attempts to restrict Durga idol immersions on Muharram, and the near-annual cycle of Hindu festivals being curtailed all demonstrate a clear pattern.

Meanwhile, Islamist violence from Naihati to Malda, and Murshidabad to Howrah, has been met with a shocking lack of state action. The TMCs selectivity is further exposed by its policing priorities: quick to arrest a Hindu social media user in Haryana for hurting sentiments", yet unwilling to act against a Kolkata resident who abused Hindu deities online.

Encouraging Extremism, Silencing Dissent

When Kolkatas Mayor Firhad Hakim declares that non-Muslims should be converted to Islam to please Allah", or when a TMC MLA threatens to build a Babri-style mosque on 6 December, the administration responds with silence. Such silence is not accidental; it is a calculated effort to keep extremist elements within the fold for electoral mobilisation.

Episodes such as Sandeshkhali show how deeply this appeasement culture has penetrated the state apparatus, turning vote-bank politics into a shield for criminality.

Conclusion: A Party That Governs For Votes, Not Citizens

The NCBCs recommendation is not merely an administrative correction; it is a mirror held up to a political project that has systematically undermined constitutional values for religious appeasement. From opposing the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls out of fear that it would expose illegal Bangladeshi migrants, to weaponising reservations for electoral advantage, the TMC has placed political survival above the rule of law.

The inclusion of Muslim groups in West Bengals OBC list is not merely a flawed policy; it is a symptom of a government that has abandoned the principle of equal governance. The Constitution demands that the state uplift the backwards, not convert religious communities into political commodities.

Mamata Banerjees TMC, however, appears determined to rewrite this mandate into a new doctrine: government of the Muslims, by the Muslims, for the Muslimswith disastrous consequences for social cohesion, constitutional morality, and the very idea of India.

The writer is a technocrat, political analyst, and author. He pens national, geopolitical, and social issues. His social media handle is @prosenjitnth. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 17:04 IST

News opinion Opinion | NCBCs Bengal Recommendation Exposes A Decade Of TMCs Entrenched Appeasement Politics

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Opinion | The Landmark Amit Shah Speech & Why It Is So Pivotal

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 13:19 IST

Amit Shah's delivery, measured yet laced with irony, established moral authority through unflinching truth-telling

Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on Wednesday. (Image: Sansad TV via PTI)

Amit Shahs oratorical triumph on electoral integrity in the Lok Sabha, where the echoes of Indias democratic discourse reverberated with the weight of history and the urgency of the present, on December 10, 2025, marked a pivotal moment in Indias parliamentary annals.

The winter session, already simmering with tensions over electoral reforms, erupted into a masterclass on facts, as Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a blistering 90-minute speech on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

At the heart of this debate lay the contentious issue of vote chori" (vote theft)a phrase weaponised by the Opposition, led by Congress scion Rahul Gandhi. What unfolded was not merely a policy defence but a factually stinging rebuttal, wherein Shahs speech, laced with historical acuity, precision, and unyielding poise, dismantled Rahul Gandhis nefarious lies.

Amit Shah, often dubbed the Chanakya" of Indian politics for his strategic acumen, has long been revered for his command of the floor. Yet, this intervention by the Union Home Minister transcended tactics, revealing a speaker whose acumen lies in his ability to convert interruptions into opportunities and accusations into ammunition. As an indisciplined Rahul Gandhi interjected with demands for a direct debate, Shahs outstanding response"I have long experience they should be patient. I will answer every question, but they cannot decide the order of my speech"was not defensiveness, but a declaration of candour with the right hint of aggression, substantive depth, structural mastery, and restraint in the spoken word.

In a chamber prone to chaos, Shahs unflappable demeanour turned potential disruption into a pedestal for his eloquence. Shahs debates genesis lay in the NDA governments push for SIR, a mechanism enshrined in electoral law since 1952, to periodically purify voter rolls by verifying and weeding out discrepancies. Floundering critics, including Rahul Gandhi, wrongly portrayed SIR as a BJP-orchestrated ploy to disenfranchise legitimate voters, particularly minorities, under the guise of combating infiltrators." Gandhis preceding press conferencesculminating in a November 5, 2025, salvo he dubbed an atomic bomb" for exposing 501 votes allegedly registered at a single Haryana addresshad amplified these claims, framing them as irrefutable evidence of vote chori."

Shah, however, entered the fray not as a beleaguered defender but as an architect of counter-narrative, methodically reconstructing SIRs legitimacy with a historians rigour and a debaters flair. Shahs opening gambit was a tour de force, invoking the Constitutions Article 326 to affirm the ECIs autonomy while decrying the Oppositions selective amnesia. SIR is a process by which we can improve the elections and make our democracy healthy. If the voter list is corrupt, how can we expect to conduct free and fair elections?" he thundered, his voice resonant with the gravitas of a statesman.

Here, Shahs oratory shone through his adept use of antithesispitting healthy democracy" against corrupt voter lists," he not only defended policy but moralised it, transforming a bureaucratic exercise into a crusade for purity. He marshalled historical precedent with surgical precision, cataloguing SIRs uncontroversial iterations from 1952 under Jawaharlal Nehru to 2003 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. No party had objected to [SIR] from 1952 to 2004, including during the tenures of Nehru, Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh," Shah declared, his cadence deliberate, each name a hammer blow, exposing Rahul Gandhis brazen hypocrisy.

Amit Shahs address was no mere recitation; it was factual flourish, building momentum like waves crashing upon the Oppositions frail defences, compelling listeners to confront the selective outrage. Yet, Shahs brilliance lay not in rote history but in its weaponisation against the very architects of that past. Transitioning seamlessly to the core indictment"vote chori"he redefined the term in tripartite elegancefirst, as ineligible voting; second, as improper electoral victory; third, as defying the mandate. This trichotomy, delivered with impeccable clarity, elevated his speech from polemic to philosophical treatise. Shah then unleashed his most stinging salvo, turning the mirror on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty with allusions that were both erudite and eviscerating. Post Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was backed by 28 persons while Jawaharlal Nehru by two persons and yet Nehru became the prime minister, this was vote chori," he proclaimed, invoking the 1946 Congress Working Committee vote where Patels overwhelming support was subverted by Mahatma Gandhis intervention.

The pause that followed was theatrical goldAmit Shahs eyes scanning the benches. Undeterred by murmurs, Shah escalated, thus"Indira Gandhi committed the second vote theft by granting herself immunity after her election was struck down by court." Referencing the 1971 Rae Bareli constituency verdict invalidated for corrupt practices and Indiras subsequent 39th Amendment shielding the Prime Minister from judicial scrutiny, Shah painted a portrait of dynastic duplicity.

Amit Shahs delivery, measured yet laced with irony, established moral authority through unflinching truth-telling. He extended his brilliant onslaught to Sonia Gandhi, noting a pending civil suit"A dispute now before a civil court concerns how she became a voter before becoming a citizen." In fewer than a hundred words, Shah encapsulated three generations of malfeasance, dubbing them generational vote chors." This was oratory as a scalpelprecise, incisive, and sharp in its execution, forcing the Congress benches into visible discomfort. The speechs dramatic climax arrived with Rahul Gandhis ill-tempered interruptions, transforming monologue into melee and showcasing Shahs improvisational prowess. As Shah expounded on SIRs role in the detect, delete, and deport" policy against infiltrators, the rattled Congress scion rose, voice amplified by indignation: Lets debate my press conferences Amit Shah ji, I challenge you to have a debate on my three press conferences."

The Leader of the Opposition, leveraging his platform to demand precedence, was however, unmasked clinically, by Shah, who said wittily  The Parliament will not work based on your wishes. I will decide the order in which I say things. You should be patient and hear my reply, I will answer everything", referring to Rahul Gandhi. Shahs retort, delivered without raising his voice, exemplified the art of seizing the opportune moment with rhetorical finesse. By invoking his 30 years of experience," Shah further diminished the Congress scions diminutive presence, without losing his composure. Within the chamber, Shah dismantled Gandhis H-bomb" narrative. Dismissing the Haryana voter anomaly as a fake nuclear bomb," Shah elucidated"House No. 265 was a one-acre ancestral plot with multiple families and generations living together, all continuing to use a shared house number. This is not a fake house."

With empirical rebuttal grounded in ECI verification, Amit Shah won the day, hands down. This exchange underscored Shahs oratorical versatilityfrom the thunder of historical rebuke to the scalpel of factual correction, he navigated the tempest with the steady hand of a captain. Beyond personal jousts, Shahs speech wove broader tapestries of democratic critique. He lambasted the Oppositions pattern of scapegoating  If a journalist questions them, he becomes a BJP agent. If they lose a case, the judge is blamed. If they lose an election, they blame EVMs." Shah added  We won because you opposed the [reforms]," attributing victories to policy, not perfidy. His warning to regional satraps like TMCs Mamata Banerjee and DMKs M.K. Stalin"If they keep opposing SIR in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, they will be wiped out in next years assembly elections", was a prophetic prophecy, delivered with the confidence of inevitability. The speechs high point arrived amid the INDI blocs walkout, a theatrical retreat Shah preempted with defiance"Even if they walk out 200 times, we will not allow even a single infiltrator."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the front benches, lauded Amit Shahs speech as a bulwark against opposition lies," affirming its resonance beyond the aisle. In an era of soundbites, Shahs address, clocked 90 minutes without dilution. What elevated this to brilliance is Shahs synthesis of form and function. His pausesstrategic silences after barbsbuilt tension like a maestros fermata; his gestures, economical yet emphatic, underscored points without histrionics. Linguistically, he blended Hindis visceral punch (vote chori") with Englishs precision, bridging linguistic divides in a multilingual House. Politically, the speech fortified the NDAs reformist credentials, quelling narratives of electoral malfeasance while sowing seeds of doubt in dynastic legitimacy. It reaffirmed Shah as oratorys vanguard, where others react, he refracts; where adversaries attack, he absorbs and amplifies.

In the Lok Sabhas cauldron, Amit Shah did not merely speakhe sculpted history, one resonant phrase at a time. As India moves toward 2029 polls in the next few years, this intervention stands as a testament to Amit Shahs magnetic eloquence and enduring resiliencenot merely to conquer foes, but to conquer complacency and fake narratives, ensuring democracys flame burns untainted and unflinchingly.

The writer is an economist, national spokesperson for the BJP and bestselling author of The Modi Gambit. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 13:19 IST

News opinion Opinion | The Landmark Amit Shah Speech & Why It Is So Pivotal

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 11:23 IST

1 / 12 The year 2025 witnessed standout performances from actors across genres. With utmost passion and engaging screen presence, these stars showcased their exceptional acting prowess.



2 / 12 From seasoned superstars to fresh faces, these actors didnt just play their roles; they owned the screen. Ready to explore the 10 standout performances of 2025 in Indian cinema?



ADVERTISEMENT

3 / 12 Rashmika Mandanna in The Girlfriend: Rashmika Mandannas performance in The Girlfriend is widely hailed as one of her career bests. The actress portrayal of Bhooma, a woman trapped in a toxic relationship, highlighted her vulnerability and strength.

4 / 12 Basil Joseph In Ponman: Basil Joseph delivered an intense performance in capturing the untainted, frantic fury of the working-class aspirant in the film. The suicide counsel scene, where Joseph ferociously recounts his own humiliating difficulties in an attempt to rescue Bruno, gives audiences chills.

ADVERTISEMENT

5 / 12 Akshaye Khanna In Dhurandhar: From the impromptu dance on the Arabic track FA9LA to his portrayal of the ruthless villain, Akshaye Khanna dominated the screen with his commanding charisma and terrifying unpredictability.

6 / 12 Ishaan Khatter And Vishal Jethwa In Homebound: Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa masterfully captured the tragic, direct and genuine bond between Shoaib and Chandan. The final scenes where Shoaib carries Chandans body remain deeply poignant.



ADVERTISEMENT

7 / 12 Yami Gautam In Haq: Yamis Shazia Bano goes from being a mute survivor to a determined emblem of womens rights. Her dignified performance captures thousands of hearts.



8 / 12 Prakash Verma In Thudarum: In his role as CI George Mantha, Prakash Verma makes this years most startling antagonist debut. With cold demeanour and rapid calculations, he breathed life into a dangerous and terrifying evil.



ADVERTISEMENT

9 / 12 Rukmini Vasanth In Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1: As the warrior princess Kanakavathi, Rukmini Vasanth displays remarkable poise. Her swordsmanship, equestrian skills, and royal body language are extremely commendable.



10 / 12 Dulquer Salmaan In Kaantha: Dulquer Salmaan's portrayal of T.K. Mahadevan, a charismatic superstar with a violent and dark ego, is undoubtedly his most accomplished and tragic performance to date.



ADVERTISEMENT

11 / 12 Nani In HIT: The Third Case: As SP Arjun Sarkaar, Nani solidified his place in the HIT universe, bringing a stunning naturalism to the role that transformed how audiences perceive the action franchise.


Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 17:38 IST

1 / 13 Aditya Dhars Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Sanjay Dutt, has been blocked in six Gulf nations - Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Authorities reportedly objected to the films antiPakistan messaging, preventing its theatrical release despite its blockbuster run in India. Dhurandhar may be the latest Indian film to face a ban across Gulf countries, but it is far from the first. Over the years, several Bollywood films have been denied release in the Middle East due to strict censorship rules, political sensitivities, or cultural concerns. (Image: IMDb)

2 / 13 The Diplomat (2025): John Abrahams political thriller was denied release in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. While the makers did not issue an official statement, reports suggested that its geopolitical themes and depiction of intelligence operations clashed with regional sensitivities, significantly affecting its overseas strategy. (Image: IMDb)

ADVERTISEMENT

3 / 13 Fighter (2024): Directed by Siddharth Anand and starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, Fighter faced bans across most Gulf countries. Though the UAE eventually cleared it, neighboring nations refused certification due to its promilitary narrative and portrayal of crossborder conflict. (Image: IMDb)

4 / 13 Article 370 (2024): Yami Gautams political drama based on the abrogation of Jammu & Kashmirs special status was flagged by Gulf censorship boards. Its realworld references and political messaging were considered too sensitive, leading to restrictions on its release. (Image: IMDb)

ADVERTISEMENT

5 / 13 Tiger 3 (2023): Salman Khans blockbuster spy thriller was banned in Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman. Though designed for global audiences, the films portrayal of certain Muslim characters and political undertones reportedly did not sit well with local censors. (Image: IMDb)

6 / 13 Beast (2022): Tamil superstar Vijays highoctane action film was blocked in Kuwait and Qatar. Its storyline involving terrorism, hostage situations, and geopolitical references raised concerns among authorities, making it one of the most talkedabout bans at the time. (Image: IMDb)

ADVERTISEMENT

7 / 13 Bell Bottom (2021): Akshay Kumars retro espionage thriller faced bans in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, though the UAE cleared it for release. The controversy stemmed from its depiction of real hijackings from the 1980s, which some Gulf nations felt misrepresented historical events. (Image: IMDb)

8 / 13 Haider (2014): Vishal Bhardwajs critically acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeares Hamlet, set against the Kashmir conflict, was banned in several Gulf countries. The films political themes and portrayal of militancy were deemed too sensitive for release. (Image: IMDb)

ADVERTISEMENT

9 / 13 Padmaavat (2018): Sanjay Leela Bhansalis grand historical drama faced bans in Kuwait and other Gulf states. Authorities objected to its portrayal of Islamic rulers, even though the film was cleared in India after significant controversy. (Image: IMDb)

10 / 13 Rang De Basanti (2006): This cult classic, starring Aamir Khan, was banned in some Gulf countries because of its strong political message and depiction of youth rebellion against corruption. (Image: IMDb)

ADVERTISEMENT

11 / 13 The Dirty Picture (2011): Vidya Balans bold portrayal of Silk Smitha was considered too explicit for Gulf audiences, leading to a ban despite its critical and commercial success in India. (Image: IMDb)

12 / 13 Delhi Belly (2011): Known for its irreverent humor and adult themes, Delhi Belly was banned in several Gulf nations for being too vulgar and offensive to cultural sensibilities. (Image: IMDb)

ADVERTISEMENT
One Cigarette Won't Change Anything: TMC MP's Pollution Dig Amid Smoking Row

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 20:10 IST

TMC MP Saugata Roy was seen smoking a cigarette outside Parliament on Thursday, prompting a sharp exchange with Union Ministers.

TMC MP Saugata Roy seen with cigarette on Parliament premises (Video screengrabs)

A political slugfest broke out over the alleged smoking inside the Parliament premises, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking disciplinary action against a Trinamool Congress MP for allegedly using e-cigarettes in the premises.

The controversy escalated after TMC MP Saugata Roy was seen smoking a cigarette outside Parliament on Thursday, prompting a sharp exchange with Union Ministers.

However, he responded to the controversy today and took a jibe at the government, saying that it is diverting attention from the national capitals pollution crisis.

Smoking cigarettes inside the House is prohibited, but there is no objection to smoking cigarettes in the open space outside the House. Pollution in Delhi is at its highest during the BJP government. They should focus on this instead of making such allegations. Smoking one cigarette wont change anything," he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi: On the e-cigarette controversy, TMC MP Saugata Roy says, There is no allegation. Smoking cigarettes inside the House is prohibited, but there is no objection to smoking cigarettes in the open space outside the House. Pollution in Delhi is at its highest during pic.twitter.com/jWdHUnA2ya ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2025

Roys Smoking Row

A video, which has gone viral on social media platforms, showed Roy smoking a cigarette within the Parliament complex, which led to mild reprimand from other MPs who were witness to it.

Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Giriraj Singh confronted the Trinamool MP and voiced concern about public health and the dignity of the House.

You are endangering public health, dada," Shekhawat is heard saying.

As a responsible Member of Parliament, he should also reflect on what kind of message he is sending to the people of this country through such conduct and behaviour. He must consider whether his actions are adding to Delhis pollution or helping reduce it," he added.

Roy, however, maintained he had not violated any rule, saying he was smoking in the open and not inside the building.

Anurag Thakur Files Complaint

As the controversy flared, BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who earlier accused an unnamed TMC MP of smoking an e-cigarette inside the Lok Sabha, on Friday submitted an official complaint with the Speaker and sought disciplinary action against those at fault.

Thakur said a Trinamool MP had been smoking e-cigarettes for days" and asked if the Chair had ever allowed such conduct. This is for the House to know that e-cigarettes are banned in the country. I want to ask the Lok Sabha Speaker whether he has allowed smoking e-cigarettes in the House. A TMC MP has been smoking e-cigarettes for days inside the Lok Sabha," Thakur told the Chair.

Speaker Om Birla replied that no rules or precedents permit smoking of any kind inside the House, adding that he would act if concrete evidence were presented. If such an incident is brought to my notice with clarity, appropriate action will follow," Birla said.

E-cigarettes have been banned under the Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition) Act, 2019, which prohibits their production, sale, import, export, and advertising, with penalties including jail terms and fines.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 19:55 IST

News politics One Cigarette Won't Change Anything: TMC MP's Pollution Dig Amid Smoking Row

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'At Least Somebody Has Understood Spirit Of My Actions': Shashi Tharoor's Cryptic Dig At Congress

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 11, 2025, 23:45 IST

Shashi Tharoor implied that his recent statements, including occasional praise of PM Modi, had been an act of civility and not alignment.

Rapid Read

Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. (Image: PTI)

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday took a cryptic dig at his party, implying that his recent statements and actions that irked the top leadership had been an act of civility and not alignment.

Tharoor, a senior Congress leader, had been criticised by party leaders over his occasional praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, beginning when he was included in the Centres global outreach initiative after Operation Sindoor. Since then, Tharoor has made several statements that had been seen as against the party line.

The Thiruvananthapuram MPs latest remarks came after poet and filmmaker Mehul Devkala defended Tharoor from a recent wave of trolling for wishing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other simple courtesies, saying that its worth remembering that secularism, inclusivity and humanism have long defined his public life."

A birthday greeting is an act of civility, not alignment. Its unfortunate that basic courtesy is so easily distorted in polarised times. His integrity continues to speak above the noise. In times of online negativity, we could all take a leaf from @ShashiTharoors values. A reminder that civility doesnt mean compromise," Devkala wrote on X.

Devkala also cited the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and New York-elect Zohran Mamdani  two bitter political rivals  that was marked by civility and respect, describing it as a masterclass in dialogue".

In response, Tharoor wrote, Thank you for this important thread, @MehulDevkala . I am touched that at least somebody has understood the spirit of my recent statements and actions."

Thank you for this important thread, @MehulDevkala . I am touched that at least somebody has understood the spirit of my recent statements and actions https://t.co/Ege5lsSHYP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 11, 2025

Tharoor has previously faced criticism from within the party for positions seen as out of sync with the Congress line, including occasional praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His recent absence from two key party meetings also fuelled speculation about widening rifts, though he clarified that he had been in Kerala attending to his elderly mother.

His recent favourable remarks on the Prime Ministers address at the Ramnath Goenka Lecture drew sharp reactions from some Congress leaders, who questioned why he remained in the party if he found merit in BJP narratives.

Tharoors presence at a reception for Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi also attracted attention, as two Leaders of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, were excluded from the event. Party spokespersons obliquely questioned the conscience of a party member who accepts such an invitation when the top leadership has been sidelined.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Thiruvananthapuram [Trivandrum], India, India

First Published: December 11, 2025, 23:43 IST

News politics 'At Least Somebody Has Understood Spirit Of My Actions': Shashi Tharoor's Cryptic Dig At Congress

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Congress Government In Karnataka Resorts To 'Bulldozer Juctice' To Curb Drug Cases

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:08 IST

Karnataka Home Minister announced zero-tolerance on drugs and warned bulldozing of houses rented to peddlers.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said action will be taken in drug-related offences.

The Congress government in Karnataka announced it would adopt a zero-tolerance approach to drug-related cases in the state. Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Thursday told the legislative council that the government would bulldoze houses of owners who rent their houses to drug peddlers.

The bulldozer justice" is adopted by BJP-led states, and the opposition has always criticised it. This is the first time that a senior Congress leader has announced he will resort to bulldozer action.

Parameshwara responded to a question during the Winter Session of the Karnataka Legislature and said over 300 foreign nationals have been arrested and deported for peddling drugs over the past two years.

A lot of foreign nationals, many of them from African countries, have been caught smuggling and peddling drugs. We dont know how they bring it in or supply it. We are monitoring their movements and have also identified the landlords who have rented houses to these people. We are prepared to go to the extent of bulldozing even the homes where the drug peddlers live on rent," he said.

He further shared actions being adopted by the state government to curb drug cases and said the police are conducting awareness campaigns against drugs in educational institutions.

Parameshwara further told the house that 4,168 drug-related cases were registered in 2024, with charge sheets filed in 4,091 cases. The number increased to 5,747 cases in 2025, of which investigations have been completed in 4,510 cases.

The production, sale, and consumption of narcotics are increasing day by day globally. The sale of narcotics has transformed into a highly profitable business for sellers. Interstate and international networks are operating for enormous profits. Since these networks are active in almost all countries worldwide, this drug problem has become universal," Parameshwara added.

He asserted that the state government is determined to eliminate the drug menace from Karnataka.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Karnataka, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 12:08 IST

News politics Congress Government In Karnataka Resorts To 'Bulldozer Juctice' To Curb Drug Cases

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Navjot Kaur Sidhu Targets Bhagwant Mann, Alleges 'Land Grab' In Shivalik Belt In Letter To Governor

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 21:48 IST

Navjot Kaur Sidhu wrote to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, accusing CM Bhagwant Mann of legalising alleged land grab in the prohibited Shivalik range.

Rapid Read

Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu (Image: PTI/Video grab)

Suspended Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Friday targeted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of legalising the alleged land grab by so-called VVIPs in the prohibited Shivalik belt and asking why he was facilitating the liquor and land mafia.

In a letter to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Navjot Kaur alleged the biggest land scandal being run by the present government under CM Bhagwant Mann". She said he had approved the land holdings of land sharks who, for years, have been grabbing huge bulks of land at minimum rates under the Shivalik Belt.

All the big wigs have been grabbing land holdings from 1 acre to 10,000 acres of protected forest land around Shivalik hills and the CM is trying to regularise it. It is pertinent to mention here that when Mr Navjot Sidhu was Local Bodies Minister, he had refused to sign the file. On the other hand, he ordered an enquiry and we have records prepared by Justice Kuldeep Singh and Mr Chander Shekhar Retd. IPS Officer. His not signing the file resulted in punishment by taking away his department," he said.

She said if the Punjab government acquired the land, it could have a promised investment of around Rs 80,000 crore and house several multinational industries to generate a big revenue for the state.

CM , Bhagwant Mann ji ; I think I need some security now or else you will be responsible. And kindly answer why there is no response from your side on my issues raised before the Honourable Governor Punjab??? Why are you facilitating liquor and mining mafia??? pic.twitter.com/1EROh3i181 Dr Navjot Sidhu (@NavjotSidh42212) December 12, 2025

This is the most painful period in the history of Punjab where everyone is planning to leave the land of Great Gurus and migrate because of fear of threats to life and everyday murders where weapons are being used as toys. Police at lower ranks are just pocketing money and justice has turned blind," she alleged, while calling for a railway station in Delhi named after Guru Teg Bahadur.

This came after Bhagwant Mann criticised Navjot Kaurs controversial Rs 500 crore for CMs chair remark, describing the comment as a revelation of the oppositions questionable motives.

Navjot Kaur Sidhus Tiff With Congress

Navjot Kaur created a stir after she claimed that Rs 500 crore could secure a Chief Ministerial position in Punjab, although she later said that her statement was misinterpreted after backlash. Subsequently, the Punjab Congress suspended her from the partys primary membership on Monday evening.

Reacting sharply, she accused state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring of being insensitive and irresponsible, morally dishonest and corrupt," adding, I refuse to accept him as a President." Former CM Captain Amarinder Singh also criticised her remarks, labelling her and her husband, former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, as unstable."

Hitting back, Navjot Kaur accused Capt Amarinder Singh of pressuring Navjot Singh Sidhu to close files related to the land holdings around the Shivalik range. She also alleged that he deliberately did not clear Navjot Singhs files that were important for Punjabs growth.

Captain Amarinder Singh , I just wanted to add ; why didnt you clear Navjot Sidhus files which were so important for Punjabs growth???? Mining Policy, Liquor policy, Travel and Medical tourism, Amritsar Gondola project, Garbage Disposal Project, Trans piracy in Local Bodies Dr Navjot Sidhu (@NavjotSidh42212) December 12, 2025

She also called the legal notice served on her by Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa devoid of merit and legally unsustainable" and asked Randhawa to withdraw his notice or face a countersuit for harassment, false claims, and damages.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Chandigarh, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 21:48 IST

News politics Navjot Kaur Sidhu Targets Bhagwant Mann, Alleges 'Land Grab' In Shivalik Belt In Letter To Governor

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir Claims Mamata Govt Took Over Digha's Jagannath Temple

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 23:49 IST

Humayun Kabir was suspended from TMC for laying the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Ayodhyas Babri Masjid in Murshidabad.

Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir

Suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir on Friday launched a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that the newly built Jagannath Temple in Digha was entirely taken over" by the government after the TMC came to power.

The Bharatpur (West Bengal) MLA, who stoked a controversy by laying the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Ayodhyas Babri Masjid in Murshidabads Rejinagar, further said the temple was constructed with Rs 400 crore of government funds, which is the publics money. Kabir further claimed that another site in Siliguri had also been allotted for similar purposes

After Mamata Banerjees government came to power, the entire Jagannath Temple was taken over. The temple was built using 400 crore of government funds, that is, public money. Then, another site was also given in Siliguri," Kabir said as quoted by news agency IANS.

Murshidabad, West Bengal: Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir says, After Mamata Banerjees government came to power, the entire Jagannath Temple was taken over. The temple was built using 400 crore of government funds, that is, public money. Then, another site was also given in pic.twitter.com/1ANQsZtjqZ IANS (@ians_india) December 12, 2025

Kabir was suspended from the TMC last week over the controversial project. Explaining the rationale behind the move, senior party minister Firhad Hakim said the TMC stands for secular politics and Kabirs move was not in line with the partys position.

He later accused Banerjee of doing RSS work and claimed that she would be branded as an ex-Chief Minister after the 2026 assembly elections. He had also questioned why he had been retained for more than a decade if the organisation had issues with him.

He had accused Banerjee of doing appeasement politics, saying that she builds temples by taking funds from people but gives mere allowance to Muslim clerics.

Today, the CM builds Jagannath Temple by taking funds from people, they give funds for Durga Puja. Muslim clerics are given allowance of Rs 3000; clubbing all allowances Rs 54,000 is being given. While Rs 1,10,000 is given to committees every year. She is doing RSS work," he had said after his suspension from the party.

On December 6, the suspended legislator proceeded with the mosque inauguration ceremony amid a swelling crowd and clerics sharing the dais and slogans of Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar", saying the project was not meant to oppose the Ram Mandir and that Muslims had every right to build a mosque in Bengal.

Over the past year, Kabir has repeatedly criticised the TMC, prompting warnings from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee that such behaviour would not be tolerated. He has clashed with party leaders, including Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan, and the TMC has issued him multiple show-cause notices.

Kabir was also censured by the party leadership a number of times and even slapped with show-cause notices for making public statements that caused embarrassment to the party.

(With inputs from agencies)

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Murshidabad, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 23:49 IST

News politics Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir Claims Mamata Govt Took Over Digha's Jagannath Temple

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Two TMC MPs Land In Parliament Smoking Row; BJP Seeks Action On Vaping Inside House

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 14:03 IST

As video goes viral, TMCs Saugata Roy says row manufactured on false premise; BJP MP Anurag Thakur files complaint with Speaker saying a TMC MP is vaping in Lok Sabha

Rapid Read

TMC MP Kirti Azad (left) reacted as BJP MP Anurag Thakur (extreme right) filed a complaint against TMC MP Saugata Roy. (PTI File)

Amid the ongoing winter session, Parliament is witnessing a major smoking-vaping row.

The first was Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roys smoking on Parliament premises. The incident, which led to mild reprimand from other MPs who were witness to it, blew up into a controversy as the video was widely shared on social media on Thursday.

Then came the vaping. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur on Thursday told Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that a Trinamool Congress MP" was allegedly smoking e-cigarette in the Lok Sabha for several days. He filed a written complaint without naming the MP on Friday. TMC MP Kirti Azad, however, was quick to react to it. I can name hundreds of Parliamentarians who smoke on premises," he said.

Saugata Roys clip goes viral

The clip, which went viral on social media, showed Roy smoking on Parliament premises. Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who were seen standing nearby, even voiced concern about public health and the dignity of the House.

You are endangering public health, dada," Shekhawat is heard saying.

Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confronted TMC MP Saugata Roy, for smoking pic.twitter.com/qh1m6IGklb IANS (@ians_india) December 11, 2025

Thakur complains about vaping in Lok Sabha on Thursday, files a complaint on Friday

Proceedings of the Lok Sabha were briefly disrupted during Question Hour on Thursday as Anurag Thakur accused a Trinamool Congress MP" of smoking e-cigarette in the Lok Sabha for several days, insisting that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla take note of a violation of the nationwide vaping ban. He did not name Roy.

Thakur said a Trinamool MP had been smoking e-cigarettes for days" and asked if the Chair had ever allowed such conduct. This is for the House to know that e-cigarettes are banned in the country. I want to ask the Lok Sabha Speaker whether he has allowed smoking e-cigarettes in the House. A TMC MP has been smoking e-cigarettes for days inside the Lok Sabha," Thakur told the Chair.

Speaker Om Birla replied that no rules or precedents permit smoking of any kind inside the House, adding that he would act if concrete evidence were presented. If such an incident is brought to my notice with clarity, appropriate action will follow," Birla said.

As the controversy flared up, Thakur on Friday submitted an official complaint with the Speaker and sought disciplinary action against those at fault.

#BreakingNews | TMCs Saugata Roy caught smoking, BJPs Anurag Thakur raises objectionsTMC MP Kirti Azad says: I can name 100 others too!" E-cigarette controversy heats up in Parliament, @kritsween @_pallavighosh with details pic.twitter.com/oQirrGjaGV  News18 (@CNNnews18) December 12, 2025

TMC MP using e-cigarette during House sittings: What Thakur said in his complaint

Thakurs complaint said: I want to bring to your urgent notice a grave violation of the rules of the House as well as the laws that took place in the Lok Sabha chamber on 11th December 2025. A Member of Parliament belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress was seen openly using an electronic cigarette while seated in the House during the sittings. The act was clearly visible to several Members present and was duly brought to your notice by me during question hour."

He added: The manufacture, production, import, export, transport, sale (including online sale), distribution, storage, and advertisement of electronic cigarettes was completely prohibited throughout India in 2019 through the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019."

Possession and use of e-cigarettes in public places, including government buildings and Parliament House, is a punishable offence under the said 2019 Act. Even prior to the 2019 Act, the use of any form of smoking device, including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), inside Parliament House has been strictly prohibited since 2008 under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA) and the rules framed thereunder, as well as the specific instructions issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat," said Thakur.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat, in its circulars and guidelines issued from time to time (including those reiterating the ban after the 2019 Act), has clearly prohibited the carrying and use of e-cigarettes/vaping devices inside the Parliament complex. The open use of a banned substance and a prohibited device inside the sanctum sanctorum of Indian democracy, the Lok Sabha chamber, constitutes not only a blatant violation of parliamentary decorum and discipline but also a cognizable offence under the laws enacted by this very House," said the complaint.

Such conduct lowers the dignity of the House, sets an extremely poor precedent, and sends a dangerous message to the youth of the country at a time when the Government and Parliament have taken a firm stand against all forms of tobacco and nicotine products," he said.

Anurag Thakur has sought

Immediate cognisance of this serious breach of rules and law

An inquiry into the incident through the appropriate committee or mechanism of the House

Appropriate disciplinary proceedings against the Member concerned as per the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha

Exemplary action taken and placed on record so that the sanctity and dignity of the House is upheld.

Why is vaping an issue?

India has banned electronic cigarettes under the Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition) Act, 2019, making their manufacture, sale, import, export and advertising illegal, with jail terms and fines for violations.

How other MPs, leaders reacted

BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised this issue. E-cigarettes were prohibited in 2019, and if an MP smokes an E-cigarette inside the House, it hurts the dignity of the HouseIt is very unfortunateThis shows how much they (TMC) respect the House," Giriraj Singh told reporters.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, As an MP, he (Saugata Roy) should know that smoking in public is a punishable offenceAs a responsible Member of Parliament, he should also reflect on what kind of message he is sending to the people of this country through such conduct and behaviour. He must consider whether his actions are adding to Delhis pollution or helping reduce it."

BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also demanded that the TMC take action against the member involved. There has been a complete ban on e-cigarettes across the country since 2019. The use of any such items is completely banned in the Parliament premises. But a TMC MP violated all these laws today," he said, adding, The question is, will the TMC take action against its MP or wait for the Speaker to do so? They say they are defenders of parliamentary democracy. What action will the TMC take against the erring MP who lowered the dignity of the Parliament and the Constitution?"

#WATCH | Delhi | On E-cigarette within the House controversy, TMC MP Saugata Roy says, We can smoke E-cigarette (within the premises of the House). We cannot smoke inside the building, but can outside" pic.twitter.com/Eox5pALmYg ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2025

I can name hundreds of Parliamentarians who smoke on premises: How TMC responded

TMC MP Kirti Azad, while speaking to CNN-News18, asserted that he can name hundreds of Parliamentarians who smoke on the premises".

I can name hundreds of Parliamentarians who smoke on premises, but I dont want to stoop to such a levelWhat if I say that a BJP MP takes 30 to 40 per cent of commission on MPLADSUnless I prove it, it is not there, and I have to first go through the rules and procedures of the House, where you have to first inform the Speaker before you make any allegations," Azad said.

It is for the Speaker to inquire: Roys response

Roy on Friday dismissed the controversy, calling it manufactured" and based on a false premise. Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Roy said smoking is barred inside the House but not in open areas.

There is no allegation. Smoking cigarettes inside the House is prohibited, but there is no objection to smoking cigarettes in the open space outside the House. Pollution in Delhi is at its highest during the BJP government. They should focus on this instead of making such allegations," Roy said.

I cannot say anything about that, because I was not in the House and I dont know who smoked and complainedIt is for the Speaker to inquire and take action if it amounts to a violation of the rulesWhy is it being made a political issue?" he said on Thursday.

With Agency Inputs

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 12:53 IST

News politics Two TMC MPs Land In Parliament Smoking Row; BJP Seeks Action On Vaping Inside House

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'Unstable Couple': Amarinder Singh Slams Navjot Kaur Sidhu Over 'Rs 500 Crore CM' Remark

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 19:11 IST

Amarinder Singh termed Navjot Kaur Sidhu's "Rs 500 crore for CM post" remark a "total lie", labelling her and her husband "unstable."

Rapid Read

Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh (Image: PTI/File)

Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday slammed suspended Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu over her Rs 500 crore for chief ministers chair" remark, calling the claim a total lie."

Speaking to news agency PTI, Amarinder Singh dismissed allegations made by Navjot Kaur Sidhu as completely wrong," labelling her and her husband, former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, as unstable."

That couple (Navjot Singh Sidhu and Navjot Kaur Sidhu) is unstable; I have observed them for a long time. He (Navjot Singh Sidhu) was my minister, and despite giving him two portfolios, he constantly complained. I even gave him the power portfolio, yet he quit and never took responsibility. His files remained pending for months. He wasnt fit for the job," Singh said.

VIDEO | Mohali: Reacting to allegations of Navjot Kaur Sidhu, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) says, What she said is completely wrong. That couple (Navjot Singh Sidhu and Navjot Kaur Sidhu) is unstable; I have observed them for a long time. pic.twitter.com/AvdPkRluHV Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 12, 2025

Her claim about Rs 500 crore being paid for chief ministership is a total lie," he added.

The controversy began after Navjot Kaur Sidhu told reporters on Saturday that her husband would return to active politics if the Congress declared him its chief ministerial face for Punjab. She said they did not have the money to give to any party but could transform Punjab into a golden state".

She stated, We always speak for Punjab and Punjabiyat but do not have Rs 500 crore which we can give to sit in chief ministers chair," she told reporters on Saturday after meeting Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on issues, including alleged deteriorating law and order in the state."

Facing massive backlash, Navjot Kaur issued a detailed clarification on X, insisting her statement had been misinterpreted. I am shocked to see the twist given to a straight comment saying that the Congress never demanded anything from us I said we have no money to offer for a CMs post," she posted on X.

Subsequently, the Punjab Congress suspended her from the partys primary membership on Monday evening. Reacting sharply, she accused state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring of being insensitive and irresponsible, morally dishonest and corrupt," adding, I refuse to accept him as a President."

Before the suspension, Kaur also alleged on TV that Congresss Tarn Taran bypoll candidate Karanbir Singh Burj paid Rs 10 crore to two party leaders for his ticket, a claim Burj has rejected as baseless.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Chandigarh, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 19:22 IST

News politics 'Unstable Couple': Amarinder Singh Slams Navjot Kaur Sidhu Over 'Rs 500 Crore CM' Remark

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
WhatsApp Brings Voicemails For Calls, Meta AI Image And Status Updates For The Holidays

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 08:26 IST

WhatsApp is bringing new features for the holiday season and some new AI additions to help you generate images.

WhatsApp gets new AI, call and chat features

WhatsApp is bringing not just one but multiple new features across different settings, including Meta AI for users this week. The platform has been rigorously working on new features in the beta mode for a while and now some of them are going to be available for a wider audience with the full rollout coming this holiday season.

The list is quite a long one, and you have new options available for calls, chats and updates.

WhatsApp New Features Rolling Out

WhatsApp Voicemail

The first big addition is missed call messages. Weve seen this being tested earlier and now you have the regular call feature built into the messaging app as well. So, next time you call someone and if they dont answer, you can record a voice or video note with a single tap and allow them to listen/see it later. This is the new-gen version of voicemail.

Reactions come to voice chats

Voice chats now get support for reactions. You can share a quick emoji from the list without needing to pause the conversation.

Video call spotlight: Group video calls will soon have the main speaker on the spotlight so that others can easily track their conversation.

More Meta AI upgrades

Meta AI in WhatsApp now gets Midjourney and Flux support to help you generate creative cards, wishing people for the holidays. The AI model is also able to make a short video of any photo with the right prompt.

The desktop WhatsApp version gets a new media tap where you can search for documents, links, and media across chats on Mac, web and the desktop.

Thats not all, there are a few more changes coming for link previews, and sticker packs among others. All these new features will be rolling out gradually for all users over the next few weeks so you might not see them available for your device immediately.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 08:26 IST

News tech WhatsApp Brings Voicemails For Calls, Meta AI Image And Status Updates For The Holidays

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Bengaluru Earns Best City In The World Tag From Japanese CEO With A Fun Swipe At City's Legendary Traffic

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 11, 2025, 22:41 IST

Coming from Japan, where traffic flows predictably and honking is rare, CEO found himself adapting to Bengalurus improvised road culture and instead of complaining, he embraced it

He joked about developing superhuman reflexes thanks to encounters with vehicles and even cows appearing from unpredictable directions. (Image: Wikipedia)

Bengaluru has drawn global attention once again after a now-viral LinkedIn post described the Silicon Valley of India as without a doubt, the best city in the world", with one sharp swipe about its infamous traffic. The post highlights what many residents already believe, the charm of the city outweighs its daily commute challenges.

Tsuyoshi Ito, the Japanese CEO, has been living in Bengaluru and has grown fond of its famously pleasant weather. He calls the citys climate simply unbeatable", comparing it to Hawaii but without the ocean", a line he often uses to introduce Bengaluru to Japanese professionals hesitant about visiting India.

He writes that only those who actually live in the city truly understand its appeal- from its dry, crisp air to what he describes as an eternal spring-summer climate". Yet, one thing continues to test his patience, the absolutely ridiculous" traffic.

Ito pokes fun at his own learning curve. Coming from Japan, where traffic flows predictably and honking is rare, he found himself quickly adapting to Bengalurus more improvised road culture. Instead of complaining, he embraced it. He bought a Maruti Suzuki and decided to take on the citys roads, weaving through congestion, navigating intersections with confidence and mastering the horn, a tool he barely touched back home.

In India, the horn is far more useful than the accelerator, especially in Bangalore," he wrote, summing up the unique rhythm of the citys roads. He joked about developing superhuman reflexes" thanks to encounters with vehicles and even cows appearing from unpredictable directions. These are experiences he says he never came across in Japan, yet he now speaks about them with a sense of pride and amusement.

He ends his post on a cheerful note, embracing the quirks of his adopted city and signing off with an unmistakably Indian phrase, Horn OK Please.

The post is striking a chord with Bengaluru residents and expats, many of whom recognise the humour in his take on the citys climate, culture, and famously chaotic roads. So happy to see such good words for my Bangalore! Lately, there has been a lot of negative talk traffic, language, etc., but nothing can really spoil the lovely city!" one user replied.

Another added, Driving here is the perfect crash course in situational awareness. You learn priority, negotiation, and micro-decision making in real time. Those skills transfer far beyond the road."

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 11, 2025, 21:33 IST

News viral Bengaluru Earns Best City In The World Tag From Japanese CEO With A Fun Swipe At City's Legendary Traffic

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
It happened with the 6, so might the 3 be the next Mazda which ends up becoming a classic? And the same can be said for the 2, by which I mean cars which remain in production way longer than had been originally intended.

The company has wisely channelled resources into greatly increasing the number of SUVs it offers and developing new lines of IC engines. Many thought this was bonkers behaviour, especially in the case of creating a straight six petrol turbo, not to mention a diesel with the same number of cylinders.

Europe and China: each 150,000 Mazda deliveries per annum

There was a gamble, a vision, and then came luck. Suddenly, Mazda has exactly the right models for the USA. On course for some 410,000 sales in 2025, this has long been the company's number one market.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Japan is strong too, at about 150,000/annum plus there is a years-long battle with Ford for second place in Australia. An impressive circa 90,000 vehicles should be retailed down under by the end of this month, while about the same number of locally made Mazdas will be delivered in China.

Older models sell especially well in Britain and Japan

Mazda Motor Europe is more of a big deal than many might realise, volume this year being on course to be at as high a level as the companys home market. The model mix is surprisingly similar too, with the UK perhaps the best example. The CX-5 and 2 are good sellers for the brand in both Japan and Britain though the latter model is Toyota-sourced for Europe rather than the older, Mazda-made generation.

Then we come to the 3. Launched at the Los Angeles auto show in late 2018 and on sale from early 2019, the USA was always the place where Mazda thought the car would sell best. And that did prove to be true, the default body being a sedan. We have the saloon here too, though its now available in just the one trim. The hatchback, on the other hand, comes in a choice of 15 variants if were including manual and auto transmissions.

An interim era when long life cycles are normal

The Hiroshima-based OEM isnt alone in keeping quite a few of its older models in production, as we know, and the 6 was still selling quite well in some countries when it went out of production in April 2024 four months shy of its twelfth birthday. While that was an extreme example, even the mighty TMC stated only weeks ago that it would be maintain nine-year life cycles for many models. Why?

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Until car makers see constant, high volume demand for EVs, its risky to replace key vehicles with electric-only ones. So 2026-2030-ish will likely see lots of extended production runs the world over. The Toyota Camry (2017 Detroit auto show debut) and Hilux (2015) are two examples of high volume vehicles which have had multiple, sometimes major facelifts. In each of these two cases a true replacement isn't due for a few years yet.

Americans especially love the Mazda3

As the likes of the 2 and 3 are still wanted by many customers, why shouldnt they continue to be built? Even now, Mazda USA is on course to deliver some 30,000 units of the model in 2025. And this in a society near-obsessed with novelty and where sedans are supposedly long out of fashion. Toyota, Honda and Nissan would clearly disagree with the latter generalisation.

Mazdas C segment hatchback still looks like no other car in its class, and thats a very good thing. Has it even aged? If it has, then styling touches from the prior decade were good ones. I would also state that the inside of the 3 is way more appealing than that of so many alleged state of the art new vehicles.

Click, flick, roll - tactile delights aplenty

Even after a week the joy of having a lovely set of controls for the audio system down on the centre console never wore off. Yes theyre for the passenger but touching the tactile silver dial or pushing it left or right for track/radio station changes was a minor thrill every time. What a shame that Mazdas newest vehicles are going buttons-less and everything-on-a screen (e.g. 6e and CX-5, each headed to the UK in 2026).

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

There is also a large click-turn wheel on the same console. Remember when we had these instead of prodding the screen? A satisfying sound, precise action, no fingermarks to wipe away and just as good, the screen itself isnt huge. Mazda also gives you real gauges complete with needles, a gorgeous three-spoke steering wheel which is actually round, and yes, my favourites: more buttons for the HVAC system. Its all so pleasing to the fingers and eyes and ears.

The test car came with a six-speed manual gearbox. These are becoming as rare as diesel engines or any vehicle which doesnt need to have all manner of ADAS annoyances deactivated every time you start up. So many reasons I loved my days with this Mazda. And the gearchange is also close to perfect in this car.

When and how might the 3 be replaced?

Rumour has it that the 3 will become electric for its next generation, trademark filings for a 3e having been made in certain countries. This suggests another JV with Changan, or at least leveraging their alliance to use the Chinese OEMs platform as Mazda does with the 6e.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Given ongoing trends, we might also get an EREV drive system in the next C segment hatchback and/or saloon. That would greatly help with sales when so many people are unable or unwilling to buy a car which is reliant on a battery and has no back-up IC propulsion system.

Will Mazda ditch its terrific dashboards then regret it just like VW?

Please could we have the fabulous tactility of older Mazdas' dashboard controls too? Yes, so-called clean design looks terrific but it should work as well as what went before. Also, not everybody enjoys an over-communicative car. As impressed as I was trying out the 6e a few months back - its gorgeous to look at and sit in - my heart sank when I noticed how few pieces of plastic I could press or turn or tilt.

As of now, we dont actually know when or how the 3 will be replaced. The current car, which feels the very opposite of outdated, could well continue for quite a few years. Especially if the 3e becomes real and is manufactured solely in China: that would be a major issue for the US market.

Advertisement Advertisement

One of the best things I have left mentioning until last: the new engine. Up 13 kW (18 PS) over its predecessor of the same capacity, the 103 kW (140 PS) 2.5-litre four-cylinder MHEV is both punchy and abstemious. Torque, formerly 213 Nm, is now 238 Nm. The 137 kW (186 PS) and 240 Nm e-Skyactiv-X engine, with its Spark Controlled Compression Ignition technology, remains in the range above the new e-Skyactiv G.

Summary

Once a mainstream model, the 3 is now approaching niche status in countries such as this one, where EVs continue to gain an ever larger following. And thats great, different technologies working better for different buyers. Those who want a C segment car with a premium feel, thanks to a refreshingly analogue experience yet with high-tech mechanicals, need to take a look at this Mazda. It does not disappoint.

The revised Mazda3 is priced from GBP25,030.

"Mazda3 amelioration: advantage analogue" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.




I'm A Father Too: Bengaluru Woman's Midnight Auto Ride Goes Viral For Driver's Heartwarming Note

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 21:31 IST

A Rapido auto driver's safety note for women in Bengaluru went viral after a woman shared her midnight ride, earning widespread praise.

Bengaluru womans midnight Rapido ride goes viral (Photos: Little Bengaluru Stories/Instagram)

A late-night auto ride in Bengaluru has drawn heaps of praise among netizens after a woman passenger shared a video of a local drivers thoughtful gesture to make female commuters feel safe.

The video, posted on Instagram by the page Little Bengaluru Stories, showed the woman travelling in a Rapido auto around midnight. While recording her experience, she showed a message displayed at the back of the vehicle, which is amassing thousands of likes and a flurry of comments praising the driver.

The video begins with the woman seated in an auto, recording her experience. She shares that she was travelling in a Rapido auto at 12 am. After a brief pause, she shows viewers the message that made her feel safe."

She then turned the camera to show a note pasted inside the vehicle, written in both Kannada and English, that read: Im a father/brother too. Your safety matters. Sit back comfortably."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Little Bengaluru Stories (@littlebengalurustories)

Visibly moved, the woman can be heard saying she was actually feeling safe now," appreciating the drivers effort to reassure passengers travelling late at night.

The clip quickly went viral, garnering thousands of likes and an outpouring of appreciation for the drivers sensitivity. Social media users praised the gesture as an example of Bengalurus inclusive and empathetic culture.

These are real namma Bengaluru auto drivers and they have a huge responsibility," one user commented.

Another wrote, Madam, trust me, you are safe in Bangalore. Local boys/men are never going to tease or bother you, anytime, anywhere. If anyone does, please do check their native."

Others called it the kind of initiative that should become the norm. This is what we want, and exactly what we should do," an X user commented.

Ive known this city for the last 20 years! It is the safest city for everyone," commented another.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 21:31 IST

News viral I'm A Father Too: Bengaluru Woman's Midnight Auto Ride Goes Viral For Driver's Heartwarming Note

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Indian Woman, Living In Germany, Wants To Settle In Mangaluru After 10 Years Abroad: I Miss Weddings, Festivals...

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 14:42 IST

The woman said that while she can speak German and even has local friends and an active lifestyle, she feels something is missing in her life.

The woman lives with her son and husband in Germany. (Representative Image)

Moving abroad is a dream come true for many people in the country. But years down the line, some of these Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) may find that reality is a bit different from what they imagined. A womans Reddit post about shifting from Germany to a Tier-2 city in India is proof of this dilemma. The woman, who lives in Germany with her husband and son, revealed that despite being well integrated and without any financial liabilities, she is now finding it difficult to stay in Germany due to the loneliness she feels.

The post, shared on Reddit three days ago, has caused a stir, with several users sharing their own experiences and thoughts about shifting to India after living abroad.

Woman Shares Post About Missing India

In her note, the woman has been in Germany for a decade. She admitted that she cant help missing people back home, the ease, the warmth and the sense of community" that is present in India. Though she can speak German and even has local friends and an active lifestyle", she feels something is missing in her life. She confessed that her husband did not feel the same way.

The woman explained that one of the reasons behind her contemplating a move to India was the desire for her son to spend more time with his grandparents. She also said that there are matters where India fares worse than Germany.

Conditions like road safety, pollution and lack of general civic sense are absolutely appalling in India. Tier 2 cities are a bit better, but will simply not compare to Germany. I will miss the outdoorsy lifestyle and opportunities for kids. But I also know you can find these things in India if you look for them," the post read, asking Reddit users for their advice on the matter. In the comments, the woman revealed that she was planning to move to Mangaluru if things work out.

Social Media Weighs In On Moving From India To Germany

Some people supported the woman for feeling nostalgic about her home. You want to feel alive again, dont you? Despite all the luxuries in life theres something thats missing in life, and you cant find it anywhere. India will give it to you, but it will take time," one user wrote.

Another remarked, Remember that the India you remember is a memory. Things have changed. And the people you miss in I did are also working and busy with their lives. So dont expect interactions like years ago when most likely they were not very busy. And yes, if you miss things a lot, then move back."

One account advised, If you have German citizenship and stuff, you can make the move. That way, you can move back anytime you want."

Another individual explained that the woman must first move for a couple of months to see if she and her family can adjust to things in the city. It is important that your son is also accepting of the change; it will be much more difficult for him than for you," the account added.

The womans post is an example of the nostalgia many feel for India once they shift abroad. Some people do end up returning to the country to experience the sense of community that they missed in other countries. For others, nostalgia remains secondary to practicality, and they remain abroad due to their job or other factors.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 14:42 IST

News viral Indian Woman, Living In Germany, Wants To Settle In Mangaluru After 10 Years Abroad: I Miss Weddings, Festivals...

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Too Young To Have A Life: Man Claims Boss Pushes Him For Unpaid Overtime & HR Agrees But Cant Help

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 10:54 IST

The employee said that HR supports their case but cannot move him to another team at this moment.

The post was shared two days ago. (Representative Image)

An employees story about an interfering and controlling manager, who is pressuring them to not have any interests outside work, has grabbed attention on Reddit. Shared on the subreddit r/Indian workplace, the post said that the manager expects the employee to put in overtime without any pay. While there have been no formal warnings or other notices issued by the boss, the employee has been stressed over their managers insistence on working extra.

My manager has been pressuring me to work beyond my regular 8-hour shift without pay. He is convinced my performance is slipping because I do not put in unpaid extra hours. There has been no formal performance warning, no missed deadlines, and no refusal of work. I complete everything assigned to me within office hours," the post, which was shared two days ago, read.

Manager Asks Employee To Give Up Interests Outside Work

According to the post, the situation became worse when the manager found out about the employees interests outside work. He then asked the worker to focus only on their work and not communicate with people in the office who share their interests. The reason given by the boss was that the employee was young and should focus only on work and not have a life."

What HR Said About The Situation

When the worker approached the HR, the department agreed that the manager was at fault but said they could not help the employee shift to another team as there were no open positions. The worker is now stuck doing their job under the same manager.

At this point, he is trying to control what I do outside office hours, what I am interested in as a person, who I talk to at work, where I sit at work, and even whether I am allowed to have a life at all, all while still pushing for unpaid overtime," the Redditor said. They asked for advice to tackle the situation.

Social Media Responds To Plea

Many users supported the employee and asked them to be prepared to change jobs. Do your job, ignore the extra, avoid talking to the manager, and prepare to switch if you dont get to move internally. Have some boundaries," one comment read.

Another account wrote, Manager tried. I quit. The manager got pissed. I didnt care. Found a new job. Paid better. Have been following the same policy since. Let me work, and I will do wonders for you; try to control me, and my resignation is always in my drafts. Brash? Yes. Radical? Totally. Am I prioritising the right aspects of my life? 100%."

One individual advised the worker to be ready with proof and ignore everything else. Listen everything, document everything and ignore everything. When the time comes, be ready with proof. Live your life the way you want, the more you climb the corporate ladder, youll come across such people who are miserable and feel validated by making others more miserable. Learn to ignore them and always do what you feel is right."

The post highlights how toxic work is prevalent in offices across the country and leaves young employees feeling stressed and helpless.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 10:53 IST

News viral Too Young To Have A Life: Man Claims Boss Pushes Him For Unpaid Overtime & HR Agrees But Cant Help

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Russian Woman, On A Trek In Uttarakhand, Collects Trash & Makes A Plea: I Love India, Only Sad Thing Is Garbage

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:23 IST

She felt the Chandrashila peak was littered with garbage, even though the site is spiritually significant for many Indians.

Many people were impressed by her efforts. (Photo Credit: Instagram)

India is a land of breathtaking natural beauty with its rivers, mountains and forests. However, the issue of cleanliness can spoil the charm of Indias natural wonders. One such incident came to light when a Russian woman pointed out the trash around Uttarakhands Chandrashila while on a trek there. The woman, Tatyana aka Tanya, who goes by the Instagram handle @tanya_in_india, cleaned up some of the litter there.

In a video, Tatyana recalled her experience at Chandrashila and said she collected some of the rubbish lying in the area while trekking there to dispose of it safely.

A Russian Womans Plea For Cleanliness In The Mountains

In her post, Tatyana revealed that she had gone on a trek with her friends to Chopta, Tungnath, and Chandrashila. Calling the place beautiful  almost too beautiful," she said that her experience was marred by the trash lying around Chandrashila. According to the content creator, the peak was littered with garbage, even though the site is spiritually significant for many Indians.

Tatyana wrote, We had one bag with us, so we picked up everything we could. We carried it down and threw it away properly." The content creator shared that she always tried to clean up the environment on hikes, if it was possible. In the clip, Tatyana appealed to viewers to keep the peak clean and do their bit to remove trash from the mountains.

Ideally, please dont leave trash in the mountains. Respect the place you come to. And if you have the strength to help and clean it  its a good deed," she wrote.

Internet Reacts To Russian Travellers Post

Many people were impressed by Tatyanas efforts and praised her. Thanks a lot for teaching us civic sense and kindness," one user wrote.

Another commented, I hope one day Indians will learn some civic sense. Btw, appreciate your efforts."

One account lamented the state of affairs. "Shame on Indians who litter in the trek as well as they litter in the top of the Chandrashila, thank you for giving a contribution to clean that beautiful paradise in the Himalayas, Lord Shiva blessed you," the comment read.

Another individual remarked, Thanks a lot, Madam.Wish people of my country learn from you and scan their conscience before littering such divine places."

Tatyanas message reveals how littering, especially at spiritual places, is still an issue. Many people visit these places but fail to keep their surroundings clean. This spoils the beauty of the place and leaves a bad impression on visitors. Tatyanas message is a reminder to travellers to keep the mountains clean.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 12, 2025, 12:23 IST

News viral Russian Woman, On A Trek In Uttarakhand, Collects Trash & Makes A Plea: I Love India, Only Sad Thing Is Garbage

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
After Gen Faizs Conviction, Pakistan Now Preparing To Try Imran Khan In Military Courts: Sources

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 09:35 IST

According to sources, consultations led by the Pakistan's federal Law Ministry are underway to draft a comprehensive lawsuit

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, right, and Bushra Bibi, his wife, speak to the media. (AP file photo)

Pakistans political landscape is set for another seismic shift as the countrys military establishment and federal government prepare to initiate treason charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan under the Official Secrets Act and other military laws. According to sources, consultations led by the federal Law Ministry are underway to draft a comprehensive lawsuit, making the civilian government a formal party to the proceedings.

The latest development follows the conviction of former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd.) Faiz Hameed, who was recently sentenced to 14 years by a Field General Court Martial. Top security officials told CNN-News18 that testimonies and evidence emerging during Gen Faizs trial have provided grounds" to pursue a military court trial against Imran Khan. These inputs, the officials said, directly link the former prime minister to alleged attempts to destabilise the state and incite political agitation.

The military, according to these sources, has been examining evidence against Khan and several of his close aides, including some senior military officials. A broader investigation is ongoing, and once the probe concludes, formal charges are expected to be framed. Trials would then begin in military courts under the provisions of the Official Secrets Act and relevant military statutes.

An ISPR statement issued earlier, referring to Gen Faizs case, noted that the convicts involvement in fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cahoots with political elements" was being addressed in separate proceedingslanguage that sources interpret as a reference to the ongoing scrutiny of Imran Khan and PTI leadership.

The charges likely to be brought against Khan include treason, instigating mutiny, and orchestrating or encouraging attacks on military installations and strategic assets during the May 9, 2023 violence. These allegations stem from widespread unrest that erupted following Khans arrest that year. On May 7, 2025, Pakistans Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling allowing civilians involved in the May 9 riots to be tried in military courts.

Meanwhile, political pressure around Khan continues to mount. The Punjab Assembly has already passed a resolution seeking his trial for treason and calling for a ban on his party, PTI. Khan remains incarcerated following multiple convictions: 14 years in the Toshakhana case, seven years in the Iddat case, and 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust case, in addition to several FIRs linked to the May 9 violence.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 09:34 IST

News world After Gen Faizs Conviction, Pakistan Now Preparing To Try Imran Khan In Military Courts: Sources

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'Illegal Election Commission': Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League Rejects Poll Schedule Over Exclusion

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 07:11 IST

The Bangladesh Awami League has rejected the election schedule, accusing the illegal governments illegal Election Commission of operating under a biased authority.

A file photo of Sheikh Hasina (AP)

The Bangladesh Awami League on Thursday issued a statement rejecting the election schedule announced by what it called the illegal governments illegal Election Commission", after it was banned from running.

Escalating its confrontation with the authorities ahead of the planned national polls, the party, in a formal declaration released from its headquarters at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka, said it had closely reviewed the election schedule announced by the illegal, occupying, killer-fascist Yunus cliques illegal Election Commission".

It also asserted that the current administration was entirely biased" and incapable of ensuring any environment where transparency or voters will could be reflected.

The Bangladesh Awami League has closely reviewed the election schedule announced by the illegal, occupying, killer-fascist Yunus cliques illegal Election Commission," the statement read.

It is now clear that the current occupying authority is entirely biased, and that under their control it is impossible to ensure a fair and normal environment where transparency, neutrality, and the peoples will can be reflected," it added.

Positioning itself as the countrys most historically validated political force, the Awami League underscored that elections remain the measure of public popularity" and reiterated its self-identification as an election-oriented party.

It highlighted its long participation record, noting that it has contested 13 elections, winning 9 of them and forming the government".

The party alleged that the election schedule was announced with the deliberate intention of excluding it from the political process.

Attempting to hold an election while excluding the Bangladesh Awami League, the party that led the Liberation War, along with other political parties and the majority of the population, is a scheme to push the country and the nation into a deep crisis," the statement warned.

The Awami League demanded the withdrawal of all restrictions placed upon it, including the release of political prisoners and the lifting of all fabricated cases against Bangabandhus daughter, Sheikh Hasina, national leaders, and people from all walks of life".

It insisted that harassment must be withdrawn, all political prisoners must be released unconditionally, and the current deceitful occupying government must be replaced with a neutral caretaker government to hold a free and participatory election".

Concluding its statement, the party declared its unequivocal rejection of the announced election schedule, asserting that it fails to include representatives of the majority of the countrys people."

The document ended with the slogans: Joy Bangla" and Joy Bangabandhu."

Bangladesh will hold national polls on February 12, the electoral commission announced Thursday, the countrys first vote since a student-led uprising toppled Hasina last year.

A referendum on a landmark democratic reform charter will also be held on the same day, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said in a television broadcast to the nation.

The Muslim-majority country of 170 million people has been in political turmoil since Hasina was overthrown in August 2024, ending her 15-year autocratic rule.

The countrys interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who returned from exile in August 2024 at the behest of protesters to lead a caretaker government, will step down after the polls.

ALSO READ | Legal Rights Body Questions Bangladeshs Justice System After Hasina Verdict

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 07:01 IST

News world 'Illegal Election Commission': Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League Rejects Poll Schedule Over Exclusion

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
US, China, India, Russia, Japan In New Core 5 Group? Report Calls Idea 'Far-Out But Not Shocking'

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 08:47 IST

Reports have suggested a potential 'Core 5' forum of the US, China, Russia, India, and Japan, aiming to expand strategic dialogue beyond the G7.

A file photo of US President Donald Trump (AP)

An idea floating around in the power corridors of Washington is that of a Core 5 or C5 forum with China, Russia, India, and Japan, according to Defense One.

The report claims that the concept was outlined in an unpublished version of the National Security Strategy, which lays out a vision for US engagement with major powers beyond the traditional G7 framework. The idea has also been reported by Politico, which described it as far-out but not shocking".

The proposed C5 would bring together several of the worlds most populous and strategically significant nations, all with populations exceeding 100 million, the report claimed.

The draft strategy envisions regular summits with thematic agendas, the first of which would focus on Middle East security, including steps toward normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Analysts point out that the proposal represents a shift in US priorities, moving away from long-standing reliance on European alliances and toward greater engagement with emerging powers.

According to the Defense One report, the unpublished strategy also signals a broader recalibration of US influence in Europe, suggesting that the United States may increasingly rely on partnerships with major powers capable of shaping regional and global outcomes independently.

The concept of a C5 forum aligns with a more transactional approach to diplomacy, emphasising pragmatic engagement with other global powers rather than strictly ideologically driven alliances.

Politico reported that national security practitioners see the C5 as potentially consistent with US strategic thinking, reflecting an emphasis on direct negotiation with key players in global affairs.

The Defense One and Politico reports highlight that the C5 framework is intended to foster dialogue on critical international issues, including security in the Middle East, technological competition, and broader questions of governance and influence.

ALSO READ | PM Modi, Trump Talk Trade, Energy In First Call After Putins India Visit

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 08:47 IST

News world US, China, India, Russia, Japan In New Core 5 Group? Report Calls Idea 'Far-Out But Not Shocking'

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'Felt Humiliated By Yunus Govt': Bangladesh President Plans To Quit After February Polls

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 07:26 IST

President Mohammed Shahabuddin plans to resign after Bangladesh's February election, citing disrespect by Muhammad Yunus' interim administration.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin plans to resign after Bangladesh's February election, citing disrespect by Muhammad Yunus' interim administration. (Image: Newsonair)

Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin plans to resign midway through his term after the countrys February parliamentary election, saying he has been repeatedly sidelined and disrespected by the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

In an exclusive WhatsApp interview with Reuters from his official residence in Dhaka, Shahabuddin said Thursday this was his first media interaction since assuming office and that he now wants to leave the post.

I am keen to leave. I am interested in going out," the 75-year-old president said. Until elections are held, I should continue I am upholding my position because of the constitutionally held presidency."

Shahabuddin, a former judge and Awami League nominee, was elected unopposed in 2023 for a five-year term. His role is largely ceremonial, with executive powers resting with the prime minister and cabinet. But his position became crucial in August 2024 when student-led protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to New Delhi, leaving Shahabuddin as the last constitutional authority after parliaments dissolution.

He said that despite his wish to resign, he would ultimately let the incoming government decide his fate. If they tell me they plan to choose their own president, I will step aside," he added.

Says Yunus Has Stifled" His Voice

Shahabuddin alleged that Yunus had effectively cut him out of state affairs, saying they had not met for nearly seven months. His presidential press department was taken away, and in September, his portraits were removed overnight from Bangladeshi embassies worldwide.

There was the portrait of the president in all consulates, embassies and high commissions, and this has been eliminated suddenly in one night," he said. A wrong message goes to the people that perhaps the president is going to be eliminated. I felt very much humiliated."

He said he wrote to Yunus about the issue, but received no response. My voice has been stifled," he said.

Yunus office did not immediately comment.

In Touch With the Army Chief

Shahabuddin said he remains in regular communication with Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, who kept troops on the sidelines during the violent anti-Hasina protests last year. Zaman, he said, has assured him he has no intention of seizing power.

Although Bangladesh has a history of military takeovers, Zaman has publicly stated he wants a return to democratic governance.

Shahabuddin also noted that while some student protesters initially demanded his resignation, no political party has called for him to step down in recent months.

When asked whether Hasina had tried to reach out following her departure, the president declined to answer  but stressed that he has acted independently since taking office, with no political affiliation.

Political Stakes Ahead of Election

Opinion polls indicate that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former PM Khaleda Zia and the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, are likely to emerge as the frontrunners in the February 12 election. The Awami League, which nominated Shahabuddin, has been barred from contesting.

As Bangladesh prepares for a pivotal vote, Shahabuddins comments highlight deep fractures within the interim setup and raise fresh questions about the presidencys future role in the countrys political transition.

-With inputs from Reuters

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh

First Published: December 12, 2025, 07:26 IST

News world 'Felt Humiliated By Yunus Govt': Bangladesh President Plans To Quit After February Polls

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'High On Mushrooms': Alaska Airlines Pilot Tries To Shut Engines Mid-Flight, Cockpit Audio Surfaces

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 11:14 IST

The former pilot told the police that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days earlier while grieving the death of a friend and hadnt slept in 40 hours.

The pilot forced the emergency landing of the October 2023 flight heading to San Francisco.

A shocking and scary cockpit audio of the Alaska Airlines flight shares moments when former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson tried to shut down its engine in October 2023. He attempted to bring down a commercial flight with 84 people on board.

He was riding as a passenger in the planes cockpit during a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Wash., to San Francisco. As per the reports, Emerson was off-duty and riding in the jumpseat when he tried to pull the fire suppression handles.

The pilot and co-pilot restrained Emerson and made a safe landing at Portland International Airport. Emerson was arrested at the airport.

He told the police that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days earlier while grieving the death of a friend and hadnt slept in 40 hours. He added that he was dreaming" when he tried to pull the handles.

In the audio surfaced recently, the pilot and co-pilot can be heard speaking with Emerson in the seconds before the incident. They also spoke with air traffic control. Check the transcript from the cockpit below.

Whats that? Youre OK?

Whats that? Whats wrong?

You wanna be home?

Whats going on?

Horizon, we need to make an emergency landing.

Its Horizon 2059, we got a jump seater just tried to shut our engines off.

We need to go direct to Portland now.

THROTTLE, THROTTLE

NEW: Audio footage released revealing the moment an Alaska Airlines pilot tried shutting off the engines of a plane with 84 people on board mid-flight.Joseph Emerson was tripping on mushrooms when he tried to crash the plane. At the time of the incident, Emerson was off duty pic.twitter.com/7s04K26jyE  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 11, 2025

Emerson apologised for his actions and pleaded guilty, or no-contest, to a series of state and federal charges. The former pilot was sentenced to time served and community service.

He was also ordered to undergo tests, assessments for drug, alcohol and mental health treatment, and was directed to stay away from all aircraft.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : San Francisco, California, USA

First Published: December 12, 2025, 11:07 IST

News world 'High On Mushrooms': Alaska Airlines Pilot Tries To Shut Engines Mid-Flight, Cockpit Audio Surfaces

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Gate-Crashes PutinErdogan Meeting After Waiting For 40 Minutes | Watch

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 20:07 IST

After waiting for more than 40 minutes, an impatient Shehbaz Sharif gate-crashed a meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif waits before a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. (Reuters)

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was left red-faced at an international forum in Turkmenistan as he was made to wait for 40 minutes for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The event was held in honour of the 30th anniversary of the former Soviet nations declaration of neutrality, and leaders from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan were invited on the occasion. A video by RT India showed Sharif waiting impatiently in an adjacent room, ahead of scheduled talks with Putin.

After waiting with Pakistans Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for nearly 40 minutes, Sharif decided to gate-crash the venue where Putin was holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a quick interaction. He reportedly departed the venue after 10 minutes.

The Moment PM Sharif Gate-crashed Putins Meeting With Erdogan After Waiting For 40 Mins https://t.co/r4L9XhA9IY pic.twitter.com/shi7YLMgmP RT_India (@RT_India_news) December 12, 2025

The viral video has drawn ridicule online, with social media users framing it as a notable diplomatic embarrassment. Shehbaz Sharif waited 40 minutes just to get a 10-minute cameo in Putin and Erdogans chat, then left like a guy who joined the wrong Zoom call. Bro literally pulled a sorry wrong table" at the geopolitical cafeteria," a user said.

Gate-crashing at global level Pakistans foreign policy just got a new definition," another individual wrote on X. A third person commented, Putin does not want to waste his time on beggars."

The event marked a milestone for Turkmenistan, the country with the worlds fourth-largest natural gas reserves. Turkmenistan declared itself officially neutral in 1995 under its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who spurned both Western and Russian influence.

Until his death in 2006, Niyazov maintained tight control over politics, a policy of isolationism from the outside world, and an economy heavily based on natural gas exports. Since succeeding his father as president in 2022, Serdar Berdymukhamedov has signalled some opening.

Turkmenistan also says it wants to join the World Trade Organisation and diversify the economy away from gas exports, most of which are to China.

(with inputs from Reuters)

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Turkmenistan

First Published: December 12, 2025, 19:38 IST

News world Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Gate-Crashes PutinErdogan Meeting After Waiting For 40 Minutes | Watch

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
When you're shopping for a car, that new car smell and shiny paint job can make any vehicle seem like a winner. But the real test comes years down the road when you're wondering whether you'll make it to work or spend the morning waiting for a tow truck.

Consumer Reports recently released findings from their extensive reliability study, surveying owners of vehicles between 5 and 10 years old to see which brands still have owners smiling and which ones have them speed-dialing their mechanic. The results reveal some expected champions, a few surprises, and some brands that might make you think twice before signing on the dotted line.

It's time to look into which automakers are building cars that go the distance and which ones might leave you stranded.

The 6 Most Reliable Brands

Image Credit: Toyota.

These are the car brands at the top of the list, starting with some pretty familiar faces in the "reliability" discussion. However, the last one is a bit of a shocker.

Lexus: The Reliability Champion

Image Credit: Lexus.

Lexus takes the crown as the most reliable brand in the entire study, and honestly, is anyone surprised? Toyota's luxury division has been dominating reliability rankings for so long that it's almost boring at this point.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Owners of 5 to 10-year-old Lexus vehicles report fewer problems than any other brand, which explains why you still see older ES and RX models cruising around like they just rolled off the showroom floor. The brand's obsessive attention to detail and conservative engineering approach means you're more likely to get tired of your Lexus than it is to get tired of running.

If reliability is your top priority and you can stretch your budget to the luxury segment, Lexus remains the gold standard.

Toyota: The Dependability Powerhouse

Image Credit: Toyota.

Right behind its luxury sibling sits Toyota, proving that reliability runs in the family. The Japanese automaker has built its entire reputation on making vehicles that simply refuse to quit, and the data from owners backs that up year after year.

Models like the Camry, Corolla, and RAV4 have become synonymous with worry-free ownership, racking up hundreds of thousands of miles without breaking a sweat. Toyota's approach to introducing new technology slowly and testing everything thoroughly might not win style points with the cutting-edge crowd, but it certainly wins the long game.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

When you buy a Toyota, you're essentially purchasing peace of mind wrapped in sheet metal.

Mazda: The Underrated Overachiever

Image Credit: Anton_AV/Shutterstock.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Mazda often flies under the radar in reliability discussions, but owners of 5 to 10-year-old Mazdas know something that deserves more attention. The brand manages to deliver engaging driving dynamics without sacrificing dependability, which is a rare combination in today's market.

While other manufacturers chase flashy technology and complicated powertrains, Mazda sticks to well-engineered fundamentals that actually work for the long haul. Their Skyactiv engines and transmissions have proven themselves as workhorses that keep running with minimal drama.

If you want a car that's fun to drive and won't leave you stranded, Mazda deserves serious consideration.

Honda: The Practical Choice That Delivers

Image Credit: Honda.

Honda has been America's reliable best friend for decades, and the feedback from owners of older vehicles shows that reputation is well-earned. The Civic and Accord have become automotive institutions precisely because they deliver year after year without requiring a second mortgage to maintain.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Honda's engineering philosophy focuses on efficiency and durability, creating powertrains that are known for running smoothly well past 200,000 miles. While the brand has stumbled occasionally with transmission issues in certain model years, the overall picture remains strong.

For practical transportation that won't let you down, Honda continues to be one of the safest bets in the automotive world.

Acura: Luxury Without the Repair Bills

Image Credit: Acura.

Acura proves that Honda's reliability DNA translates beautifully to the premium segment, landing solidly in the top tier for long-term dependability. Owners of 5 to 10-year-old Acura models enjoy many of the luxury features found in pricier European brands without the headache-inducing repair costs.

The MDX and TLX offer refined driving experiences backed by Honda's legendary engineering, creating a sweet spot for buyers who want more upscale transportation without sacrificing peace of mind. While Acura might not carry the prestige badge of some German rivals, your wallet will thank you when that check engine light stays off.

Advertisement Advertisement

Sometimes the smartest luxury choice is the one that doesn't require your mechanic's kids to go to college on your dime.

BMW: The Surprising German Entry

Image Credit: BMW.

BMW landing in the top six for long-term reliability might raise some eyebrows, especially given the brand's reputation for expensive maintenance. However, owners of 5 to 10-year-old BMW models report better-than-expected experiences, suggesting the brand has made genuine improvements in dependability.

The German automaker has worked hard to address some of the reliability issues that plagued earlier generations, and the data shows those efforts are paying off. That said, owning an older BMW still requires a commitment to proper maintenance and a budget for premium parts.

If you're prepared for higher ownership costs and follow the maintenance schedule religiously, a BMW can deliver the driving excitement it promises without completely draining your bank account.

The 6 Least Reliable Brands

Image Credit: GMC.

Advertisement Advertisement

These are the automakers that landed on the bottom of the list, which had 26 total brands. While some are head scratchers, the last two are probably the usual suspects you expected to see.

Kia: Growing Pains in the Lineup

Image Credit: KIA.

Kia has made impressive strides in design and features over the past decade, but according to owners of 5 to 10-year-old vehicles, reliability remains a challenge for the Korean brand. While Kia offers compelling value and generous warranties, the feedback suggests that some models struggle to maintain their initial quality as the miles add up.

The brand's rapid expansion and introduction of new technology may have contributed to reliability issues that become apparent only after years of ownership. Kia's newer models may fare better as the company continues to refine its engineering, but buyers of older used Kias should budget for potential repairs.

The 10-year warranty is great, but it only helps if you're the original owner.

GMC: Luxury Trucks With Reliability Questions

Image Credit: GMC.

GMC positions itself as the premium truck and SUV brand within General Motors, but owners of 5 to 10-year-old GMC vehicles report more issues than you'd expect from vehicles in this price range. The brand shares many components with Chevrolet, yet somehow manages to land lower in reliability rankings, which raises questions about value proposition.

Advertisement Advertisement

Common complaints from owners include transmission issues, electrical problems, and various engine-related concerns that can be expensive to address. GMC builds capable trucks and SUVs with impressive towing capacity, but the reliability data suggests you might be visiting your dealer's service department more often than you'd like.

For buyers considering a used GMC, a thorough pre-purchase inspection is essential.

Chrysler: Struggling to Regain Trust

Image Credit: Stellantis.

Chrysler's position near the bottom of reliability rankings reflects ongoing struggles that have plagued the brand for years. Owners of 5 to 10-year-old Chrysler vehicles report a range of issues from transmission problems to electrical gremlins that seem to pop up with frustrating regularity.

The brand's limited lineup means that reliability problems in one or two models have an outsized impact on the overall perception. While Chrysler vehicles often start strong with attractive styling and comfortable interiors, the long-term ownership experience hasn't matched that initial appeal.

Advertisement Advertisement

For buyers shopping used Chryslers, the lower purchase prices might seem tempting, but factoring in potential repair costs is crucial for making an informed decision.

Ram: Tough Trucks, Troublesome Track Record

Image Credit: RAM.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ram has carved out a strong reputation for building trucks with excellent ride quality and impressive interiors, but reliability data from owners of 5 to 10-year-old models tells a concerning story. Issues ranging from electrical problems to powertrain concerns appear more frequently than truck buyers would hope for from vehicles designed for hard work.

The Ram 1500 has won numerous awards for its innovations and comfort, yet these accolades don't always translate into worry-free ownership down the road. Ram trucks can certainly handle demanding tasks, but owners should be prepared for more frequent service appointments than they might experience with some competitors.

If you're considering a used Ram, finding one with detailed maintenance records becomes especially important.

Jeep: Adventure Ready, Reliability Challenged

Image Credit: Roman Vasilenia / Shutterstock.com.

Jeep vehicles are built to handle off-road adventures and challenging terrain, but according to owners of 5 to 10-year-old models, they sometimes struggle with everyday reliability. The brand's focus on capability and ruggedness hasn't always translated into dependable long-term ownership, with various models reporting issues from electrical problems to engine concerns.

Jeep's popularity means there's a large community of owners willing to overlook reliability quirks for the brand's unique character and capability. However, buyers should go in with eyes open, knowing that keeping an older Jeep running might require more patience and money than mainstream alternatives.

The Jeep wave is fun, but the wave goodbye to your paycheck at the repair shop is less enjoyable.

Tesla: Innovation Meets Reliability Reality

Image Credit: Tesla.

Tesla lands at the very bottom of the reliability rankings, which might surprise fans of the electric vehicle pioneer but doesn't shock those who've followed owner feedback over the years. While Tesla has revolutionized the automotive industry with cutting-edge technology and impressive performance, owners of 5 to 10-year-old models report the most problems of any brand in the study.

Issues range from build quality concerns to problems with complex electrical systems and the various tech features that make Teslas unique. The company's rapid innovation and direct-to-consumer model mean that some traditional quality control processes may get bypassed in the rush to market.

Tesla builds exciting vehicles that point toward the automotive future, but the current reality involves more service appointments than many owners anticipated.

Conclusion

Image Credit: Stellantis.

The reliability gap between the best and worst performers in this Consumer Reports study reveals just how much brand choice matters for long-term satisfaction. Japanese brands continue to dominate the reliability conversation, with Lexus and Toyota leading the way through proven engineering and meticulous quality control.

Meanwhile, several American brands struggle with the fundamentals, suggesting that flashy features and bold marketing don't automatically translate into dependable transportation. The data from real owners of 5 to 10-year-old vehicles provides valuable insight that goes beyond initial reviews and first impressions.

Whether you're shopping for a new car or considering a used vehicle, understanding these reliability trends can save you thousands of dollars and countless headaches down the road.
New Photos From Jeffrey Epstein's Estate Feature Donald Trump, Bill Clinton

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 22:52 IST

The House Oversight Committee released 19 photos out of the 95,000 they received from the estate of Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges.

Democrats on the House oversight committee have published 19 new photos from the 95,000 they have received from Jeffrey Epsteins estate. (x)

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released another set of 19 photos obtained from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The House Oversight Committee released 19 photos out of the 95,000 they received from the estate of Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges. In the latest drop, there are pictures of US President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, former Prince Andrew, and several other high-profile names.

It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends," said the Oversight Committees top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, in a statement.

These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW," it added.

These images reinforce that Epstein was tied in the past to a wide variety of powerful and high-profile people whose ties to him are now under significant scrutiny.

Who All Are In The Photos?

One image among a batch of photos released Friday showed Trump standing in the middle of a row of six women, whose faces were covered over by the Democrats before release. Some of the women are wearing Hawaiian leis around their necks.

Trump is shown in another photo standing behind Epstein at what appeared to be a social event. A third photo showed Trump sitting next to a woman, whose face is blacked out, on what appeared to be a plane.

Another photo showed a bowl of condoms with Trumps caricature and Im HUUUUGE! text, along with a sign reading Trump condom $4.50".

Donald Trumps friendship with Jeffrey Epstein reportedly began in the 1980s and included socializing at events in Palm Beach and New York. Though Donald Trump later distanced himself from Jeffrey Epstein, claiming he banned him from Mar-a-Lago in the mid-2000s.

Additionally, there is a signed photo from former US President Bill Clinton depicting him smiling alongside Epstein and Epsteins associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years for her part in the sex trafficking scheme.

Other photos showed former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was previously known as Prince Andrew of Britain, and Epsteins one-time lawyer Alan Dershowitz.

However, none of these images depicted any sexual misconduct or are believed to depict underage girls. It was not immediately clear when or where they were taken, or by whom.

Another notable face is former Trump adviser and noted ally, Steve Bannon, who appeared in one picture sitting across a desk, engaged in conversation with Epstein.

Bannon was one of Trumps closest advisers in the run up to the 2016 election, and in the early days of his first administration. He resigned from the White House in August 2017.

Larry Visoski, Jeffrey Epsteins longtime pilot, American engineer and inventor Dean Kamen and Belgian model Ingrid Seynheave also featured in the photographs.

Additional photos also showed Woody Allen sitting in a directors chair speaking with Epstein, while another captured Allen and Bannon in conversation. Tech mogul Bill Gates with the former Prince Andrew was also featured. Former Harvard President Larry Summers and lawyer Alan Dershowitz also appeared in pictures from the estate.

The Republican-led committee obtained the images from Epsteins estate as part of its ongoing investigation. The panel has so far released tens of thousands of documents, emails and communications that it received from the Epstein estate that continue to open new lines of investigative inquiry.

Jeffrey Epstein was first investigated for alleged sexual abuse of underage girls in 2005 and later arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019. He died in jail that year in what was ruled a suicide. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. No law enforcement authority has accused Donald Trump of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 12, 2025, 22:41 IST

News world New Photos From Jeffrey Epstein's Estate Feature Donald Trump, Bill Clinton

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi Detained In Iran, Say Her Supporters

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 20:37 IST

Narges Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was reportedly detained while attending a memorial for a lawyer recently found dead under unknown circumstances.

Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi. (AP/File)

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been detained by authorities in Mashhad while attending a memorial for a human rights lawyer recently found dead under unknown circumstances, her supporters said on Friday.

A foundation in Mohammadis name said she was violently detained earlier today by security and police forces", although there has been no official word for Iran, reported The Associated Press. It wasnt clear if authorities would immediately return her to prison to serve the rest of her term.

The Narges Foundation calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremony to pay their respects and demonstrate solidarity," a statement read. Their arrest constitutes a serious violation of fundamental freedoms."

Irans Crackdown On Intellectuals

Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 for her 20-year struggle of fighting for womens rights, making her a symbol of freedom and standard-bearer in the struggle against the Iranian theocracy.

Mohammadis detention comes amid Irans crackdown on intellectuals and others as Tehran struggles with sanctions, an ailing economy and the fear of a renewed war with Israel. Arresting Mohammadi may spark increased pressure from the West at a time when Iran repeatedly signals it wants new negotiations with the United States over its nuclear programme.

Mohammadi and other activists were arrested at a ceremony honouring Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate, who was found dead earlier this month in his office, with officials in Razavi Khorasan describing his death as a heart attack.

However, a tightening security crackdown coincided with his death, raising questions. Over 80 lawyers signed a statement demanding more information. Alikordi was a prominent figure among Irans community of human rights defenders. Over the past several years, he had been repeatedly arrested, harassed and threatened by security and judicial forces," said the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Mohammadi On Furlough

Purported footage of the ceremony showed Mohammadi on a microphone, calling out to the crowd gathered without wearing a hijab, or headscarf. She started the crowd chanting the name Majidreza Rahnavard, a man whom authorities hanged from a crane in a public execution in 2022.

For months, the Nobel Peace Prize laureates supporters have warned that she was at the risk of being put back in prison after receiving a furlough in December 2024 for medical reasons. Her time out of prison lengthened, possibly as activists and Western powers pushed Iran to keep her free.

Mohammadi still kept up her activism with public protests and international media appearances, including even demonstrating at one point in front of Tehrans notorious Evin prison, where she had been held. She had been serving 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Irans government.

Mohammadi suffered multiple heart attacks while imprisoned before undergoing emergency surgery in 2022, her supporters say. Her lawyer in late 2024 revealed doctors had found a bone lesion that they feared could be cancerous, which was later removed.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Tehran, Iran

First Published: December 12, 2025, 20:37 IST

News world Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi Detained In Iran, Say Her Supporters

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Putin Winks At Reporter After Talks With Turkeys Erdogan | Watch

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 20:53 IST

Putin and Erdogan were in Ashgabat for the International Peace and Trust Forum, which was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the former Soviet nations declaration of neutrality.

The incident took place in Turkmenistan, where the International Peace and Trust Forum was being held. (X)

Russian President Vladimir Putin drew attention at an international forum in Turkmenistan after he appeared to wink at a reporter moments after concluding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A video of the light-hearted gesture, shared by RT India, is now widely being shared on social media platforms.

Vladimir Putin coyly winks at journalist after talks with Turkish President Erdogan Good sign? pic.twitter.com/DNWYuoE8AR  RT (@RT_com) December 12, 2025

Putin and Erdogan were in Ashgabat for the International Peace and Trust Forum, which was held in honour of the 30th anniversary of the former Soviet nations declaration of neutrality. Leaders from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan were invited on the occasion.

Reportedly, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gate-crashed the Putin-Erdogan meeting after was made to wait for 40 minutes for a meeting with Putin.

Afterwards, Shehbaz, tired, left and joined the ongoing meeting between Putin and Erdogan. Ten minutes later, he was seen leaving the venue alone.

A short while later, when Putin left, he signalled to a journalist with his eyes.

The International Peace and Trust Forum is a global platform where world leaders, ministers, UN representatives, and peace-focused organisations gather to discuss ways to reduce tensions and promote dialogue among nations.

The forum was held as part of the UNs International Year of Peace and Trust 2025.

The event marked a milestone for Turkmenistan, the country with the worlds fourth-largest natural gas reserves. Turkmenistan declared itself officially neutral in 1995 under its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who spurned both Western and Russian influence.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Turkmenistan

First Published: December 12, 2025, 20:29 IST

News world Putin Winks At Reporter After Talks With Turkeys Erdogan | Watch

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Shehbaz Sharif Gate-Crashing Putin-Erdogan Meeting Exposes Pakistan's Diplomatic Insecurity: Sources

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Aveek Banerjee



Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 22:58 IST

Shehbaz Sharif's unexpected entry into a closed-door meeting between Putin and Erdogan in Turkmenistan caused a major diplomatic embarrassment for Pakistan.

Rapid Read

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif (Image: Andrew Harnik/GETTY IMAGES/AFP)

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday gate-crashed a crucial meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after waiting for 40 minutes, a move widely seen as a major protocol embarrassment for Islamabad.

During an event held in Turkmenistan in honour of the 30th anniversary of the former Soviet nations declaration of neutrality, a viral video showed Sharif waiting impatiently in an adjacent room, ahead of scheduled talks with Putin.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Gate-Crashes PutinErdogan Meeting After Waiting For 40 Minutes | Watch

After waiting with Pakistans Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for nearly 40 minutes, Sharif decided to gate-crash the venue where Putin was holding talks with Erdogan for a quick interaction. Footage showed Russian and Turkish aides visibly surprised by Sharifs sudden entry.

Putins body language reflected discomfort as his bilateral agenda was interrupted by Sharif. Top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that the Pakistan PMs unexpected entry into the closed-door meeting showed Pakistans increasing diplomatic insecurity.

Shehbaz Sharif is desperately seeking visibility amid several domestic crises, while the Pakistani establishment is firmly controlled by Army Chief Asim Munir. His sudden entry into a pre-scheduled and highly sensitive meeting between Putin and Erdogan surprised protocol officials and caused a major embarrassment for Pakistan, as per sources

Putins unwelcome reaction also showed that the Pakistani Prime Minister was not on the approved list in the room. This episode displayed a clear sign of Pakistans diminishing geopolitical clout, as it is struggling to secure meaningful engagements with major powers.

Meanwhile, the event marked a milestone for Turkmenistan, the country with the worlds fourth-largest natural gas reserves. Turkmenistan declared itself officially neutral in 1995 under its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who spurned both Western and Russian influence.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Turkmenistan

First Published: December 12, 2025, 22:58 IST

News world Shehbaz Sharif Gate-Crashing Putin-Erdogan Meeting Exposes Pakistan's Diplomatic Insecurity: Sources

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
South Korean Firms Looking At India As Trumps China Tariffs Bite: Deputy Ambassador | Exclusive

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 11:01 IST

Condemning the Delhi terror attack, South Korean Deputy Ambassador Sang-Woo Lim highlighted that shared security priorities with India are strengthening bilateral cooperation.

South Korean Deputy Ambassador Sang-Woo Lim.

South Korea is still processing the political upheaval that followed its December 2024 martial law standoff, an unprecedented moment that saw ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol attempt a last-ditch power grab and triggered a wave of impeachments. The episode exposed simmering polarisation but also revealed the strength of citizen mobilisation and the resilience of the countrys democratic institutions.

During an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, South Korean Deputy Ambassador Sang-Woo Lim unpacked how bipartisan consensus on ties with India remains rock solid in Seoul despite the turbulence. He spoke about the next big openings in trade, technology, and security, the ripple effects of US President Donald Trumps tariff regime on Asian supply chains, and Seouls swift condemnation of the Delhi terror attack.

He also reflected on his time in India, including his unusual stint as a weekend museum guide, and the moments he will carry home.

Lim further broke from the usual diplomatic reticence to weigh in on sensitive domestic issues, reflecting on the state of South Koreas democracy, the citizen-led salvation" that rolled back martial law, and how he plans to shape Seouls global messaging once he takes over as Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy.

Here are edited excerpts from the interview:

Q: Its been a year since Seouls December 2024 martial law crisis, triggered by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, which resulted in a wave of impeachments. Since that upheaval exposed sharp political polarisation, do you foresee any challenges to continuity in South KoreaIndia foreign policy under the new Lee Jae Myung administration?

Sang-Woo Lim: There is a strong bipartisan consensus in Korea on the need to deepen our relationship with India. The new Lee Jae Myung administration has already shown a clear commitment to strengthening this partnership. Within two weeks of taking office, President Lee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 17, on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Canada. Shortly after, a presidential envoy visited India and met the Prime Minister again. This was followed by a visit from our new Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, who previously served as Ambassador to India. And just last month, President Lee and Prime Minister Modi held another meeting during the G20 summit in South Africa.

Q: As someone who will soon return to Seoul to become Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy, how do you plan to shape South Koreas diplomatic messaging domestically and internationally, given recent turbulence?

Sang-Woo Lim: Korea has long served as a model for developing nations aiming to become advanced economies. By navigating recent political turbulence with stability, we have also demonstrated the strength and resilience of our democratic system. As I return to Seoul as Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy, my priority will be to engage widely with partners across the world and reaffirm that Korea is fully back on the global stage. We are ready to share the lessons weve learned not only in economic development but also in building durable democratic institutions. We also stand prepared to contribute to addressing regional and global challenges, working closely with friends like India. At the heart of my public diplomacy efforts will be people-focused engagement, because citizens are the foundation of any lasting relationship between nations.

Q: While Seoul looks to widen its global partnerships, what concrete areas  trade, technology, culture, security  do you see as most ripe for expansion in IndiaSouth Korea ties under the current global environment?

Sang-Woo Lim: Economic cooperation has been the main engine of KoreaIndia relations. Our bilateral trade has more than doubled in the past decade, reaching $26 billion last year, and more than 670 Korean companies now operate in India. Major firms like Hyundai, LG, and Samsung have become household names. Given the current geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts, this is the right moment for our two countries to usher in the next wave of Korean investment in strategic sectors such as shipbuilding, semiconductors, and the defence industry.

Im encouraged by the momentum already building in these areas. Leading Korean shipbuilders like HD Hyundai and Samsung Heavy Industries are deepening cooperation with Indian partners and exploring new projects in key states, including Tamil Nadu.

In semiconductors, Korean companies are beginning to invest more actively in India  notably, APACT is establishing a high-tech semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Andhra Pradesh, strengthening Indias growing semiconductor ecosystem.

In defence, Korea and India have concluded an agreement this year to produce the second batch of K9-Vajra self-propelled howitzers in India, marking another step forward in our strategic industrial partnership.

Q: How do you assess the impact of President Trumps new tariff regime on Asian supply chains, and do you see any potential spillover effects  positive or negative  on Koreas economic engagement with India?

Sang-Woo Lim: President Trumps new tariff regime has had far-reaching effects on trading nations across the world. In its wake, we are seeing renewed interest in deeper economic cooperation among like-minded partners. In that sense, the current environment also offers Korea and India an opportunity to elevate our economic partnership. One option is to expedite the ongoing discussions on upgrading the KoreaIndia CEPA. At the same time, tariffs on Chinese goods are likely to push more Korean companies to relocate operations to India in order to strengthen supply-chain resilience. Most importantly, given the complementary strengths of our two economies, Korea and India can expand cooperation in emerging technologies to adapt to the rapidly changing global trade landscape.

Q: South Korea publicly condemned the Delhi blast terror attack. How do you think Seouls solidarity influences bilateral trust and future security cooperation between the two countries going forward?

Sang-Woo Lim: Korea condemns all acts of terrorism in the strongest terms. This has long been our consistent position, and we stand firmly in solidarity with India. Our shared stance has strengthened trust between our two countries and is already shaping deeper cooperation in security areas, including the increasingly important field of cyber security.

Q: How would you assess the state of South Koreas democratic institutions today?

Sang-Woo Lim: Korea remains a vibrant democracy, grounded in strong and resilient institutions. Those very institutions were central to navigating last years martial law crisis. They fulfilled their constitutional duties with clarity and discipline, ultimately safeguarding our democratic system. The events of last year showed that our democratic order is firmly embedded in society and that our institutions are fully capable of withstanding challenges, even when they originate at the highest levels of government.

Q: Many describe the overturning of martial law as a citizen-led salvation" of democracy. Does the current government view it as a turning point or simply a pause in deeper structural tensions?

Sang-Woo Lim: Democracy in Korea was neither imported nor something that emerged automatically after independence. It was built through the sacrifices of hundreds of ordinary citizens and the sustained courage of hundreds of thousands who took to the streets for decades to challenge authoritarian rule. That long struggle is why our democracy is regarded as almost sacrosanct in the Korean consciousness. So when news of an unjustified martial law broke, thousands of citizens immediately mobilised and rushed to the National Assembly to ensure that the vote to annul it could proceed safely.

The current government, just like the public, has full confidence in the power of citizens to uphold our democracy. At the same time, the crisis has sparked a broader conversation about potential constitutional reforms, particularly how to reduce the concentration of power in the presidency so that we can prevent similar political emergencies in the future.

Q: Speaking of your time in India, youve taken an unusually cultural route: volunteering as a tour guide at the National Museum on weekends. How much of that came from personal interest, and how much from a broader cultural-diplomacy approach to strengthening India-South Korea ties?

Sang-Woo Lim: I attended a guided tour at the National Museum earlier this year and found the exploration of Indias history and culture genuinely captivating. That experience inspired me to train as a guide myself, both to deepen my own understanding and to volunteer for Indian visitors as well as for the Korean community in New Delhi. The National Museum was very kind in accommodating my rather unusual request. After completing rigorous training and spending additional time studying Indian history and literature at home, I began volunteering as a guide from August this year. It has been one of the most meaningful forms of cultural engagement Ive experienced during my time in India.

Q: Through your museum tours, you draw parallels between Korean and Indian mythology  for example, linking Korean Dokkaebi" with Indian Kirtimukha." How are they similar, and do you think such shared cultural narratives can influence bilateral relations beyond soft power symbolism?

Sang-Woo Lim: In my tours, I try to highlight the deep historical and cultural connections between Korea and India. At the start of the National Museum tour, theres a lintel featuring the Kirtimukha", a fierce protective face believed to ward off evil. You can see the Kirtimukha" at the entrance of temples and even in many homes. Korea has a remarkably similar motif called the Dokkaebi", which appears on traditional roof tiles as a guardian figure meant to protect the household from misfortune.

These shared cultural symbols remind us that Korea and India are much closer than we often assume, and that our connections run deeper than we realise. They provide a strong foundation on which we can continue building our relationship in the years ahead.

Q: Finally, as you wrap up your term, what are the most memorable moments of your stay in India  and any regrets?

Sang-Woo Lim: There are so many memorable moments I will carry back with me to Korea, but if I had to choose just one, it would be the friendships Ive been fortunate to build here. India welcomed me not only as a diplomat but as a friend, and that is something I will always cherish. In the end, it is the people who matter most, and I feel truly blessed to have spent my time in India surrounded by such wonderful friends.

One regret is that my volunteer work as a tour guide at the National Museum had to end sooner than I hoped. Guiding tours there became a very personal and meaningful journey for me. I sincerely hope that one day Ill return to New Delhi, perhaps even to lead another tour through the galleries that Ive come to love so deeply.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

First Published: December 12, 2025, 10:42 IST

News world South Korean Firms Looking At India As Trumps China Tariffs Bite: Deputy Ambassador | Exclusive

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Trump Reiterates His Claim Of Settling 8 Wars, Credits Trade And Tariffs

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 08:52 IST

Donald Trump said his team ended eight wars, citing tariffs and trade policies, and actions on Iran. A Supreme Court decision on tariffs is pending.

Rapid Read

US President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled the new Gold Card visa, that allows foreign nationals to obtain permanent-resident status by donating $1 million to the US Treasury. (AP Photo)

US President Donald Trump reiterated that his administration had settled eight wars," asserting that several of those conflicts were resolved due to his trade policies and the use of tariffs.

I settled eight wars and numerous of them was because of trade and because of tariffs," Trump said while speaking to the reporters in the White House, highlighting what he described as the effectiveness of economic pressure in achieving foreign policy goals.

VIDEO | Washington: US President Donald Trump (@POTUS) says, I settled eight wars and numerous of them was because of trade and because of tariffs."#USNews #USTariffs(Source: Third Party) (Full video available on PTI Videos  https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/q7EKhAXhKV  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 12, 2025

The President did not detail which conflicts he meant, but his remarks align with previous claims that expansive executive power over trade measures has enabled him to pressure foreign governments without turning to military escalation.

He also asserted, We took out Irans nuclear sites, now they want to make a deal with me," underscoring his belief that decisive action against Tehrans nuclear infrastructure has positioned the United States for negotiations, a claim tied to his broader foreign policy narrative.

VIDEO | Washington: We took out Irans nuclear sites, now they want to make a deal with me," says US President Donald Trump (@POTUS) .(Source: Third Party) (Full video available on PTI Videos  https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/UnDapDLYBd  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 12, 2025

Trumps remarks came ahead of a significant Supreme Court ruling that will determine whether he exceeded presidential authority by using emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs during his second term.

A coalition of companies and trade groups has pushed back against his strategy, alleging that Trump improperly relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

If the court overturns the existing tariff structure, the administration could be forced to return billions in duties already collected, a possibility Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has cautioned about.

Even with the ruling pending, Trump maintained that he has several fallback options.

He maintains that alternative tariff pathways exist, but none, he argued, match the national security strength of the mechanism now under judicial review.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 12, 2025, 08:52 IST

News world Trump Reiterates His Claim Of Settling 8 Wars, Credits Trade And Tariffs

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'We Don't Want That': Trump Sounds World War 3 Warning As Russia-Ukraine War Drags On

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 09:19 IST

Trump said he was increasingly disturbed by the scale of casualties in the war, noting that an estimated 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in the past month alone.

US President Donald Trump. (Image: REUTERS)

US President Donald Trump on Friday warned that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict could lead to a global catastrophe, cautioning that a prolonged battle could end up in a third world war."

His remarks came during an interaction with reporters at the White House shortly after he signed an executive order aimed at preventing a patchwork" of state-level AI regulations.

Trump said he was increasingly disturbed by the scale of casualties in the war, noting that an estimated 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in the past month alone.

Urging an immediate halt to the fighting, he said Washington was pushing aggressively for a breakthrough. Id like to see the killing stop. Twenty-five thousand died last month I would love to see it end. And were working very hard," he said.

Reiterating his warning, Trump added: Everybody keeps playing games like this, well end up in a third world war, and we dont want that."

  TRUMP WARNS UKRAINE WAR COUNTRIES: IF EVERYBODY KEEPS PLAYING GAMES LIKE THIS, YOULL END UP IN A THIRD WORLD WAR"Trump revealed he directly warned countries involved in the Ukraine conflict that their continued escalation risks triggering World War III during recent https://t.co/d1jeszDPVR pic.twitter.com/20LT04YGdi  Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 12, 2025

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President was extremely frustrated" with both Moscow and Kyiv over the lack of progress toward a settlement.

She said Trump was unwilling to hold more meetings for the sake of meetings" and wanted concrete results as the US leads mediation efforts in the four-year-old war.

Hes sick of talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end," Leavitt said.

She added that Trump had held discussions with European leaders on Wednesday, while US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team were engaged in direct talks with both sides literally as we speak."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington has been urging Kyiv to pull back forces from parts of Donetsk to create a free economic zone" in Ukrainian-controlled eastern regions, an idea reportedly advanced by the US but aligned with Moscows strategic interests, according to Al Jazeera.

Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had submitted a 20-point set of counter-proposals to American officials and stressed that any territorial compromise would require approval through a national referendum.

Zelenskyy has also faced mounting pressure from Washington to reach a negotiated settlement, with reports claiming that Trump hopes to see an agreement by Christmas.

The broader peace plan includes a 20-point framework along with additional documents on security guarantees and Ukraines reconstruction, though the revised details have not been released.

Amid diplomatic activity, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a sharp warning in Berlin, urging European allies to rapidly scale up defence production and spending.

He said Moscow could target NATO within five years if Europe remains complacent.

We are Russias next target," Rutte said, adding, Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared."

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 12, 2025, 08:59 IST

News world 'We Don't Want That': Trump Sounds World War 3 Warning As Russia-Ukraine War Drags On

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
US Proposes Ukraines Withdrawal From Donbas, Creation Of Free Economic Zone': Zelenskyy

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:27 IST

Zelenskyy said Ukraine viewed the plan as unfair without assurances that Russian forces wouldnt simply move in and seize the area after a Ukrainian withdrawal.

Rapid Read

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was mainly concerned with country's security. (AFP file photo)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the US wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region, and Washington would then create a free economic zone" in the parts Kyiv currently controls.

The US had earlier suggested Kyiv to hand over the parts of Donbas it still controlled, to Russia, but the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that Washington had now suggested a compromise version in which Ukrainian troops would withdraw, but Russian troops would not advance into the territory.

Speaking with journalists in Kyiv on Thursday, the Ukrainian president said, Who will govern this territory, which they are calling a free economic zone or a demilitarised zone  they dont know."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine viewed the plan as unfair without assurances that Russian forces wouldnt simply move in and seize the area after a Ukrainian withdrawal.

Zelenskyy said: If one sides troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops, the Russians? Or what will stop them disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious. Its not a fact that Ukraine would agree to it, but if you are talking about a compromise then it has to be a fair compromise."

He said that if Ukraine were to accept such a plan, it would require elections or a referendum to approve it, stressing that only the Ukrainian people" can decide on any territorial concessions.

Zelenskyy said, under the US plans, Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas, where Russia is advancing, while the frontlines would be frozen in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia would give up a few small pockets of land it controls in other regions.

Zelenskyy has faced strong pressure from Donald Trump to accept the US peace plan. In recent days, Trump has criticised him, alleging that he has not even read" the draft proposal and questioning his legitimacy while urging Ukraine to hold an election.

Trumps press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said on Thursday, The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting."

Zelenskyy said Ukraines negotiating team had sent its revised proposal to Washington on Wednesday, adding that territorial issues and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant remain key sticking points.

Its not the final plan; its a reaction to what we received  the plan is constantly being worked on and edited, and this is a continuous process that is still going on," he said.

If Washington and Kyiv reach an agreement, a larger question looms: is Vladimir Putin genuinely prepared to sign a deal, or simply stalling with sham negotiations while aiming to push his military offensive through the winter?

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Ukraine

First Published: December 12, 2025, 12:27 IST

News world US Proposes Ukraines Withdrawal From Donbas, Creation Of Free Economic Zone': Zelenskyy

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
Venezuela Accuses US Of Naval Piracy After Tanker Seizure And Fresh Sanctions

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 08:58 IST

The US sanctioned six ships and seized a tanker for alleged Venezuelan oil smuggling, escalating pressure on Nicolas Maduro, who condemned the move as 'naval piracy'.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro . (AFP photo)

The United States has imposed a new round of sanctions targeting six ships accused of transporting Venezuelan oil, just a day after American forces seized a tanker off the countrys coast. The move marks a significant escalation in Washingtons pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro.

The seized vessel, a tanker named Skipper, was involved in illicit oil shipping," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. She confirmed the ship is being taken to a US port, a move Caracas has condemned as international piracy."

In addition to the vessels, the US levied sanctions on several relatives of President Maduro and a network of businesses linked to what Washington calls his illegitimate regime."

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures target Maduros dictatorial and brutal control," adding that the administration is holding his cronies and companies accountable" for ongoing abuses.

The crackdown is part of a broader strategy aimed at disrupting what Washington says is a pipeline of narcotics into the United States. The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil shipments and maritime routes to move drugs, claims Caracas denies.

On Wednesday, the White House released video footage showing camouflaged US soldiers descending from a helicopter onto the Skipper, weapons drawn, before securing the ship. The Venezuelan government has reacted with fury.

Maduro accused the US of kidnapping the crew" and stealing the ship," calling the operation the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean."

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello labelled the US murderers, thieves, pirates," claiming it was the same pattern by which Washington had started wars all over the world."

Venezuela, home to some of the worlds largest oil reserves, has long accused the US of attempting to seize control of its natural resources. Maduro on Wednesday vowed Venezuela would never become an oil colony."

But Leavitt said the US remains committed to stopping drug trafficking and enforcing sanctions. Asked whether more ship seizures were planned, she declined to comment but emphasised that Washington would not allow sanctioned vessels [to] sail the seas with black market oil," saying profits fuel narco-terrorism."

The US intends to seize the Skippers oil cargo after legal processes are complete, she added.

Leavitt also dismissed any concern within the White House after Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Maduro earlier in the day to express support amid growing US pressure.

The escalation comes as the US significantly boosts its military footprint in the Caribbean Sea, which borders Venezuela. In the days leading up to the Skipper raid, thousands of US troops and the USS Gerald Ford, the worlds largest aircraft carrier, were deployed near Venezuelan waters.

CBS reports that the Skipper had already been sanctioned in 2022 for allegedly helping smuggle oil to generate funds for Hezbollah and Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

With tensions rising on both sides, Maduros government says the US actions risk triggering a new regional conflict while Washington insists it is enforcing sanctions and combating organised crime.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 12, 2025, 08:57 IST

News world Venezuela Accuses US Of Naval Piracy After Tanker Seizure And Fresh Sanctions

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
'X Is Only Place Left Where...': Imran Khan's Ex-Wife Jemima Goldsmith's Plea To Elon Musk

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 12, 2025, 23:10 IST

Goldsmith urges Musk to address alleged visibility filtering of her X posts about Imran Khan, claiming her updates on his solitary confinement are being restricted.

Rapid Read

File photo of Imran Khan and Jemima Goldsmith. (Image: Reuters)

Jemima Goldsmith, the former wife of ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Friday made a public appeal to X owner Elon Musk, claiming that her posts about Khans situation are being restricted on the platform.

Goldsmith stated that her updates regarding Khans treatment by Pakistani authorities and his ongoing legal struggles do not reach the public, urging Musk to address what she described as visibility filtering" on her account.

In her post on X, she highlighted that her sons have been barred from visiting their father, who she says has been held unlawfully" in solitary confinement for 22 months. She emphasized that X is now the only place left" to inform the world that the PTI leader is a political prisoner without basic human rights."

A personal plea to @elonmuskMy two sons have not been allowed to see or speak to their father Imran Khan who has been held unlawfully (acc to the UN) for 22 months of solitary confinement.X is the only place left where we can still tell the world he is a political prisoner Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) December 12, 2025

Yet, she claimed that the reach of her posts, both within Pakistan and internationally, has been throttled to almost zero."

You promised free speech, not speech but no one hears it," she wrote.

Goldsmith has previously accused Pakistani authorities of preventing her sons from communicating with their father and even threatening them with arrest if they try to visit the country.

Concerns about Khans treatment were reiterated recently by his sister, Aleema Khan. Speaking outside Adiala Jail on Wednesday, she said, We have been coming here for the last 8 months. We come here and sit every Tuesday. We are not allowed to meet Imran Khan. They are torturing him. He has been kept in illegal isolation. They should end this torture against Imran Khan."

Her remarks highlighted the familys growing worry over Khans condition and the ongoing restrictions on access to him.

The statements come amid continuing uncertainty over Khans health and mounting pressure from his family and PTI supporters seeking evidence of his condition.

In July last year, a panel of UN experts criticised Pakistan for arbitrarily detaining Khan in violation of international law, asserting that his imprisonment appeared intended to prevent him from running for political office.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit

Location : London, United Kingdom (UK)

First Published: December 12, 2025, 23:10 IST

News world 'X Is Only Place Left Where...': Imran Khan's Ex-Wife Jemima Goldsmith's Plea To Elon Musk

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
"China is for us not only a big market, but also a showcase for innovations." BSH Home Appliances Group, Europe's leading home appliance manufacturer, has found China's innovation as rewarding as its manufacturing strength. #GLOBALink
President Donald Trump signaled a major shift in U.S. automotive policy by announcing support for manufacturing what he called tiny cars in the United States. The move, revealed in a social media post Friday, suggests an effort to open the domestic market to the type of compact vehicles widely used in parts of Asia and Europe. Trump described the small cars as inexpensive, efficient and suitable for gasoline, electric or hybrid power, urging manufacturers to begin building them immediately.

The announcement follows Trumps recent praise for Japans kei-class cars, a category of compact vehicles known for their low cost and practicality. During a midweek news conference, he noted their similarities to historic small cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle and questioned why American automakers were not producing them. He suggested the vehicles could perform well in the U.S. market if regulations allowed for their introduction.

The policy shift comes alongside a broader revision of federal fuel economy standards. The White House said the administrations reset of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules would save Americans more than $100 billion over five years. Trump argued that the previous standards imposed requirements that functioned as an electric vehicle mandate by forcing manufacturers to pursue higher fuel efficiency through costly technologies.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Under the revised approach, U.S. fuel economy requirements would increase at a slower pace through the 2031 model year. Trump said the changes aim to reduce vehicle prices, giving consumers relief from rising automotive costs that have pushed new-car prices to historic highs. He estimated that lowering regulatory burdens could shave at least $1,000 off the average new vehicle.

The introduction of compact vehicles to U.S. production, combined with relaxed efficiency standards, signals a renewed effort to broaden consumer choice. How quickly automakers will embrace the push for small-car manufacturing remains uncertain, but the administrations message positions these compact models as part of its larger strategy to reshape the auto market.



Source

Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook.
A view shows the logo of Chinese automobile manufacturer Geely at a dealership in Moscow

SHANGHAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - China's Geely Auto on Friday launched a $284 million facility providing safety tests for the automotive industry in general in anticipation of growing demand at home and abroad from regulators and consumers for improved vehicle quality and reliability.

Geely's focus on safety comes as China's auto industry grapples with a prolonged price war, prompting manufacturers to prioritise cost cuts and speed of development, in turn raising concerns about product quality.

The Geely Safety Centre, in the eastern city of Ningbo, will conduct 27 types of tests. Li Chuanhai, vice president of Geely Auto, said this will position Geely as a global leader in safety standards for key technologies in intelligent and electrified vehicles.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Battery safety and the reliability of intelligent features, such as advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), remain top priorities for consumers, which the new facility will help address, Li told Reuters.

Chinese automakers' overseas expansion could expose them to different types of regulatory scrutiny.

"With some high-profile incidents and stricter national regulations (in China), I believe consumers are becoming more aware of safety, which influences their purchasing decisions and guides the industry's development," Li said.

Media reports about a fatal accident in March involving a Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan went viral on Chinese social media, prompting widespread questions about the safety of electric cars and smart driving.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Chinese regulators have since tightened oversight on battery-powered cars, leading to an increase in recalls by local brands this year.

Xiaomi fixed a safety flaw in its ADAS system via a remote software update in September after a regulatory investigation. BYD has also recalled more than 210,000 vehicles this year, including nearly 7,000 of its plug-in hybrid off-road SUVs, after regulators found safety defects.

($1 = 7.0555 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Zhang Yan, Casey Hall. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Twenty eight Zimbabwe National Army officers were yesterday elevated from the rank of Major to Lieutenant Colonel at an event held at Josiah Magamba Tongogara Barracks in Harare.

Presiding over the investiture ceremony, Brigadier General (Administration Staff) Christopher Rangwana said the promotions were not based solely on past achievements, but on demonstrated potential to serve the nation at a higher level.

His Excellency, President Mnangagwa does not promote based solely on your accomplishments, but on the potential you have to serve the nation with honour and excellence in a higher position, he said.

These new ranks are a testament not only to your characters but also to the increased trust and confidence the commander and the nation place in your capabilities.

Brig Gen Rangwana said the officers had demonstrated integrity, patriotism, courage and commitment to duty.

Over the past years, each of you has exemplified the core values of our military, which include integrity, patriotism, courage, and commitment to duty, he said.

Your unwavering dedication and exceptional performance have undoubtedly made a lasting impact on your units and the organisation as a whole. Your rank is worn by officers who are able to demonstrate strategic thinking under pressure and difficult environments, possessing the ability to motivate others, and an unfailing commitment to duty.

Brig Gen Rangwana urged them to embrace responsibility, inspire subordinates and foster leadership development within their units.

As you step into these new higher echelons of leadership, I challenge each of you to embrace your new responsibilities with diligence and foresight, he said.

Uphold the principles that have made you successful and ensure your conduct is worthy of emulation. Take note that you are now responsible for fostering the growth of the next generation of leaders.

Speaking after her promotion, Lieutenant Colonel Princess Tshuma said she felt deeply honoured to have been selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates.

She added that her background in information and communication technology (ICT) had played a key role in her elevation.

I am more than happy. I feel honoured to be chosen among so many candidates, Lt Col Tshuma said.

Lt Col Lawrence West said he was greatly honoured by the confidence shown in him by the armys leadership, adding that the promotion was a key milestone in his military career.

I feel so greatly honoured for the recognition by our commanders to be elevated to this rank, he said. Herald
The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk made his first in-person court appearance Thursday as his attorneys push to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case. A Utah judge is weighing the public's right to know details in the prosecution of Tyler Robinson against his attorneys' concerns that the swarm of media attention could interfere with his right to a fair trial. Robinson's legal team and the Utah County Sheriff's Office have asked Judge Tony Graf to prohibit cameras in the courtroom, the AP reports. Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, a few miles north of the Provo courthouse. Developments include:
Toronto police say a dead Ontario man is now believed to be behind at least three long-unsolved killings of women dating back more than 40 years. At a joint news conference Thursday, Toronto police and the Ontario Provincial Police identified Kenneth Smith, who died in Windsor, Ontario, in 2019 at age 72, as the man responsible for the murders of Christine Prince in 1982, Claire Samson in 1983, and Gracelyn Greenidge in 1997, the CBC reports. The cases, which went cold not long after investigations began, were revived after DNA from all three scenes was matched in a national database in 2016 and 2017.

Investigators then turned to investigative genetic genealogy in 2022, which they say allowed them to name Smith as the suspect earlier this month. "The only thing that linked them was the offender's DNA," OPP Chief Supt. Karen Gonneau said. Smith lived in Toronto at the time of each killing and was known to police for past sexual assaults and repeated incarcerations. The three women did not know each other, and Det. Sgt. Steve Smith of the Toronto police described the attacks as "crimes of opportunity." Asked whether Smith qualifies as a serial killer, he said the case involves "more than two murders and not in the same event, so he does meet the criteria." Police believe Smith could be connected to other deaths and urged anyone with information to come forward.

Prince, 25, a nanny from Wales who had been in Canada for nine months, disappeared after a night out with friends on June 21, 1982. She got off a streetcar near her employer's home, the Toronto Star reports. Her body was found the next day in a river near the Metro Toronto Zoo. Police say she was sexually assaulted and drowned.

Samson, 23, was last seen entering a car driven by an older white man in downtown Toronto on Sept. 1, 1983; she was found shot to death in a remote, wooded area about 75 miles north of the city.

Greenidge, 41, was found dead in her Toronto apartment on July 29, 1997. "She died of blunt force trauma. A co-worker discovered her after she failed to report for her shift as a nursing assistant," police said in a news release.

Deputy Chief Robert Johnson of the Toronto police said that if Smith were alive, he would face murder charges in all three cases. "While we are pleased to provide answers at last, nothing can erase the grief felt by the families and loved ones of Christine Prince, Claire Samson, and Gracelyn Greenidge," Johnson said. "What we can doand will continue to dois pursue the truth with determination, no matter how much time has passed. We also encourage anyone who may have information about Kenneth Smith to contact police, as there may be other victims who deserve the same answers."
A onetime crypto star whose tokens helped ignite a broader market meltdown is now facing 15 years in federal prison. Do Kwon, the 34-year-old creator of the failed cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and Luna, was sentenced Thursday in Manhattan after pleading guilty to fraud tied to their 2022 collapse, the New York Times reports. Prosecutors said the South Korean citizen misled investors about the safety and adoption of his projects, then disappeared when the cryptocurrencies collapsed, wiping out tens of billions of dollars in value. They had asked for 12 years; his lawyers argued for five, saying his crimes stemmed from ego and panic, not straightforward greed.

US District Judge Paul Engelmayer went beyond the government's request, calling the scheme "fraud on an epic, generational scale" and saying Kwon had an "almost mystical hold" on investors as he kept deceiving them. Hundreds of victims submitted letters or addressed the court before sentencing, including a woman in the Republic of Georgia who said she put the value of her home into Luna, lost everything, and ended up homeless. One victim said he considered suicide after his father lost his retirement savings, the AP reports. Another said he persuaded his in-laws and numerous nonprofits to invest in the cryptocurrencies and now has to "live with the guilt."

"All of their stories were harrowing and reminded me again of the great losses that I've caused," Kwon said, per Reuters. "I want to tell these victims that I am sorry." Kwon was once known for mocking critics with remarks like "I don't debate the poor." Kwon went on the run after the collapse. He was arrested in Montenegro in 2023 after trying to fly to Dubai on a fake Costa Rican passport and was extradited to the US in January. The AP reports that he was credited for the 17 months he spent behind bars in Montenegro. The judge rejected his request to serve his sentence in South Korea, where his wife and the 4-year-old daughter he named after Luna live, though under his plea deal, he will be able to apply for a transfer when he has served half his sentence in the US.

The collapse of Kwon's cryptocurrencies wiped out around $40 billion in value and the wider crash it triggered wiped out hundreds of billions more. Kwon's fall adds to a growing list of crypto leaders facing prison after the 2022 rout. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced last year to 25 years. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao received four months after a money-laundering plea, though he was later pardoned by President Trump.
A planned set of quarters marking America's 250th birthday will look different than originally envisioned. An earlier proposal to spotlight the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, and the Civil Rights Movement has been shelved by the Trump administration in favor of designs centered on the Mayflower Compact, the Revolutionary War, and the Gettysburg Address, reports the Wall Street Journal . The 2026 quarters will also feature George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, and the Pilgrimsreplacing draft concepts that would have depicted former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, a women's suffrage marcher, and Ruby Bridges integrating a New Orleans school.

The shift follows a multiyear process in which the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committeemade up of coin experts, artists, and political appointeesworked with historians and institutions to craft themes "emblematic" of the semiquincentennial, as authorized by a 2021 law signed by Trump. That panel had endorsed five topics: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, abolition, suffrage, and civil rights. Those recommendations, and a separate set from the now-dismissed Commission of Fine Arts, were ultimately bypassed. The Journal notes that the arts panel "must be consulted on new coin designs," but that "Trump fired all of its members this year and no members are currently listed on its website."

Treasury officials say the revised coins better reflect America's ideals. The designs "depict the story of America's journey toward a 'more perfect union,' and celebrate ... liberty," acting Mint chief Kristie McNally said. US Treasurer Brandon Beach argued that the prior concepts were overly influenced by diversity and "critical race theory." Looming over the quarter debate is an even more contentious idea: a $1 coin bearing Trump's image. Draft designs posted by the Mint include three portraits of the former president and eight eagle-themed reverse sides.

There's one 1926 precedent for a sitting presidentCalvin Coolidgeappearing on a commemorative half-dollar, but for most of US history, the practice has been avoided, reflecting George Washington's view that putting living leaders on coins felt too close to monarchy. Two Democratic senators have introduced legislation to bar living presidents from US currency, calling a Trump coin inappropriate. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has final say on all the designs, but no decision on the Trump dollar has been announced. "The American story didn't stop at the Pilgrims and Founding Fathers, and ignoring anything that has happened in this country in the last 162 years is just another attempt by President Trump to rewrite our history," Dem Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said in a statement, per the AP.
A 20-year-old man from mainland China was arrested in Hong Kong early Thursday after he allegedly tried to open a door on a Cathay Pacific flight from Boston while the plane was in the air. "Our cabin crew immediately attended to the situation, inspected the door to ensure it was securely closed, and reported the incident to the relevant authorities and the police," the airline said, per Reuters . Cathay said no one on board was injured and the Airbus A350-1000 landed safely.

Police arrested the man for allegedly violating Hong Kong's Aviation Security Ordinance, the South China Morning Post reports. Sources tell PYOK that about 15 minutes before landing, the man lunged for the door, tried to open it, and was pulled away by crew members as the plane was descending and flight attendants were preparing the cabin for arrival. PYOK notes that pressure makes it impossible to open aircraft doors at high altitudes, but at "lower altitudes where the difference in pressure isn't so great, it is, however, possible to open an emergency exit in-flight on some aircraft types."
Kilmar Abrego Garcia walked away after a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Friday to the cheers of a crowd assembled outside. Abrego Garcia appeared for the appointment at an ICE field office in Baltimore, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge's orders. A federal judge had ordered that immigration officials could not detain him, the AP reports.

His lawyers had asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again. Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said. She wrote that Abrego Garcia is likely to succeed on the merits of any further request for relief from ICE detention.
Iran has arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, her supporters said Friday. A foundation in her name said she was detained at a memorial for a human rights lawyer recently found dead under disputed circumstances. There was no immediate comment from Iran over its detention of the 53-year-old Mohammadi, per the AP . Her supporters on Friday described her as having been "violently detained earlier today by security and police forces." They said other activists had been arrested as well. It wasn't clear if authorities would immediately return her to prison to serve out the rest of her term, after she received a furlough in December 2024 over medical concerns.

"The Narges Foundation calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremony to pay their respects and demonstrate solidarity," a statement read. "Their arrest constitutes a serious violation of fundamental freedoms." Supporters had warned for months that Mohammadi was at risk of being put back into prison. Although her furlough was originally set to be for only three weeks, Mohammadi's time out of prison lengthened, possibly as activists and Western powers pushed Iran to keep her free. She remained out even during the 12-day war in June between Iran and Israel.

Mohammadi still kept up her activism with public protests and international media appearances, including even demonstrating at one point in front of Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, where she'd been held. Mohammadi had been serving 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran's government. She also had backed the nationwide protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, which have seen women openly defy the government by not wearing the hijab. Mohammadi suffered multiple heart attacks while imprisoned before undergoing emergency surgery in 2022, her supporters say.

Her lawyer in late 2024 revealed doctors had found a bone lesion that they feared could be cancerous; that was later removed. "Mohammadi's doctors recently prescribed an extension of her medical leave for at least six more months to conduct thorough and regular medical examinations," the Free Narges Coalition said in late February. "The medical team overseeing Mohammadi's health has warned that her return to prisonespecially under stressful conditions of detention and without adequate medical facilitiescould severely worsen her physical well-being." An engineer by training, Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five. In total, she has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
Pope Leo XIV met Friday with members of Italy's intelligence services and warned them not to use confidential information for blackmailing or other nefarious purposes. Leo urged the 007s, as the Italian agents are popularly known, to do their work professionally and ethically, always respecting the human dignity of those caught up in their investigations, per the AP . The audience was unusual, believed to be a first between a pope and Italy's intelligence services, which are celebrating their centennial this year. Italy's secret agents work closely with Vatican law enforcement, particularly during this Holy Year when some 30 million pilgrims have flocked to Rome to visit the Vatican.

Leo thanked the agents for their work and acknowledged the difficulty and delicacy of their responsibilities. He also reminded them, however, of the limits of their authority and the need to keep a moral compass, warning them against falling to temptations. He said they must remain "vigilant to ensure that confidential information is not used to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail, or discredit politicians, journalists, or other actors in civil society."

He didn't elaborate, but a year ago, the Vatican opened a criminal investigation into the alleged leak of information about its "trial of the century" probe into a London property investment. The leak emerged during a separate Italian investigation into the actions of an Italian financial police official accused of abusively accessing a national police database and providing information about politicians, businessmen, and other figures to journalists. Leo urged the intelligence agents to ensure that their actions were always "proportionate to the common good" and that the pursuit of national security always "guarantees people's rights, their private and family life, freedom of conscience and information, and the right to a fair trial."

Leo said the Catholic Church knows well how information in the wrong hands can be used against it. He didn't give specifics, but Catholic priests in Nicaragua, for example, have been jailed as part of the Ortega government's crackdown on the Catholic Church. The government has accused the church of having aided in popular protests against Ortega's administration. Clergy and lay observers say the government is trying to quash the church due to its opposition to state violence.
A Boston stylist who billed himself as the city's "Fashion Whisperer" is now at the center of a six-figure fraud case involving Saks Fifth Avenue. Prosecutors say longtime Saks employee Suhail Kwatra quietly siphoned more than $400,000 from the luxury retailer by manipulating returns, gift cards, and perks meant for the store's wealthiest customers, including socialites and spouses of Red Sox players, reports the Wall Street Journal .

According to a criminal complaint filed in Boston Municipal Court, Kwatra, who the Boston Herald reports was deemed the "top salesman" for the Boston Saks, allegedly processed returns on pricey items that clients had paid for but never picked up, then converted those refunds into Saks gift cards he used for himself. Security staff told police that three episodes since September alone generated more than $11,000 in bogus refunds. The complaint also accuses him of misusing promotional cards, handing out merchandise that hadn't been purchased, and abusing a Saks credit card.

Investigators say Kwatra penned a handwritten confession breaking down the lossesabout $375,000 in fraudulent returns and another roughly $54,000 or so tied to promotions, unpaid goods, and the corporate cardall while promising to repay Saks. Kwatra, 43, now disavows that letter, with his attorney, Jennifer Furey, saying he signed it under pressure after being assured there'd be no criminal or reputational fallout. She argues that Saks managers were fully aware he was doling out gift cards and similar benefits to keep big spenders loyal, claiming he was pushed out only after he explored another job and declined a retention bonus.

"None of this was secretive, and all of it was aimed at benefiting Saks and the brands," Furey said, adding to NBC Boston that the charges are "baseless and vindictive." Saks declined to comment, referring questions to Boston authorities, per the Journal. The case lands as Saks and other high-end retailers grapple with what fraud experts say is a rise in "insider" theft, or "inny" fraud. Fraud analyst Karisse Hendrick says employee schemes have become more common in recent years, sometimes with workers recruited by outside criminal networks. Kwatra, who built a two-decade career at Saks' Boston store, is scheduled to be arraigned on larceny charges later this month and says he's sure he'll clear his name.
A routine flight home from a conference has turned into a $40 million lawsuit against Boeing, with a professor claiming toxic fumes on a Delta-operated 737 left him with brain and lung damage, per the Wall Street Journal . Jonathan Harris, then a 44-year-old lecturer at Los Angeles' Loyola Law School, says a "dirty sock"-type odor filled the cabin after his flight from Atlanta landed in August 2024, then intensified as passengers waited about 45 minutes on the tarmac for a gate, per his complaint. He and others reportedly complained of breathing difficulties; Harris says he eventually vomited into a bag and later developed balance problems, tremors, memory issues, and other cognitive symptoms that persist.

Filed last week in Arlington, Virginia, where Boeing is headquartered, the case is described by Harris' attorney as the first in which a passenger from a commercial flight, rather than flight crew, is the lead plaintiff in such a suit against a plane manufacturer. Lawyer Zoe Littlepage says her firm has quietly settled eight similar cases with Boeing over the past decade, with three more pending. Harris' lawsuit alleges exposure to contaminated air from vaporized engine oils on the Boeing 737 and seeks $40 million in damages. Boeing and Delta declined to comment to the Journal.

The airline industry has long argued that such "fume events" are infrequent and not proven to cause serious health problems. But data suggests otherwise: Fume incident reports on Boeing and Airbus jets were nearly 10 times higher last year than a decade ago; internal figures indicate at least 22 such events a day in the US. A CBS analysis from earlier this year found Airbus planes made up 60% of logged fume events in 2024, almost triple the rate of Boeing jets.

Aside from Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, modern jets pull cabin air through the engines, a design that can let contaminants into the aircraft, per the Journal. In September, 39 members of Congress urged the FAA to move faster on addressing fume events. The agency told CBS it promotes "strict cabin air standards" and that "studies have shown cabin air is as good as or better than the air found in offices and homes." It did concede "rare instances" when fumes could seep into the cabin, leading to what the Los Angeles Times has previously compared to a "gym locker" odor.
New footage of six Israeli hostages shows them celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah while being held captive in a tunnel in Gaza, several months before they were killed. Israel said all six were killed last August by Hamas, shortly before Israeli troops arrived. The videos and photos were published Thursday for the first time by the forum representing hostage families, reports the AP . They show Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; Alexander Lobanov, 33; and Carmel Gat, 40, filmed under duress, walking through a tunnel in Gaza, playing cards on the floor and lighting the holiday candles.

The forum said the footage was found in Gaza and documented the hostages' months in captivity. At least some was likely filmed during Hanukkah in December 2023, weeks after they'd been abducted during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. The Israeli army said their bodies were recovered from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and there was no doubt Hamas killed them. The Israeli Health Ministry said that autopsies had determined the hostages were shot at close range. At the time of their deaths, a senior Hamas official said the hostages would still be alive if Israel had accepted a US-backed proposal that Hamas said it had recently agreed to.

Some of the hostagesGoldberg-Polin, Yerushalmi, and Gathad been slated to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire proposal discussed a month prior. "It's truly heartbreaking  They managed to protect their humanity and each other, and we failed to protect them," Gili Roman, who has family ties to Gat, told the AP. Netanyahu praised himself for bringing home all of the hostages but he brought them home in body bags, he said.

The videos are a reminder of the failure by Israel and Hamas to reach a deal when both knew the hostages were still alive, said Gil Dickmann, a cousin of Gat. Now the body of the last remaining hostage, police officer Ran Gvili, must be returned, Dickmann said. "We will demand from our government, we will demand from Hamas to not to do anything else, not to proceed to the second stage (of the current ceasefire deal) until Rani is back and all the hostages are back," he said.
French researchers say a massive real-world test of COVID shots turned up something vaccine skeptics won't like: People who skipped them died at a significantly higher rate, reports RFI . In a study of nearly 30 million adults ages 18 to 59, published in JAMA Network Open , the Epi-Phare groupwhich combines France's drug regulator and its national health insurance systemfound no sign that mRNA vaccines raise the long-term risk of death, from any cause. About 23 million people in the study received at least one COVID shot, mostly Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, from mid-2021 on; roughly 6 million stayed unvaccinated.

Over the next four years, 0.4% of vaccinated participants died, compared with 0.6% of those who never got a shotmeaning the vaxxed showed a mortality rate about half as high in the unvaccinated group. "We can say with a high degree of confidence that there is no increase in the risk of mortality after a COVID vaccine," says study co-author Mahmoud Zureik. Known serious side effects, such as rare heart inflammations like myocarditis and pericarditis, did show up but didn't change the overall safety picture for most, the authors said. France has already steered young adults away from the Moderna shot for that reason.

The study directly addresses online claims that mRNA vaccines triggered a hidden surge of deaths not captured in official COVID tallies. But while the vaccinated group fared better overall, the researchers are cautious about saying the shots themselves cut deaths by a specific amount. The lower mortality could reflect vaccine protection against COVID in the short or long term, they say, but it could also be influenced by such things as differences in age or socioeconomic status between people who chose vaccination and those who didn't.

Meanwhile, a new survey by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases notes that around 12% of those who refuse to get vaccinated say it's because they don't believe vaccines will keep them from getting sick, while 12% say their reluctance is because they think the vaccines themselves will make them ill, reports Medscape. Health experts say that reticence can lead to lost work (and wages), and higher costs overall in the long run.
A shooting in Odessa, Texas, has left a mother and two of her children dead and a 15-year-old boy facing a capital murder charge. Police say the teen was arrested Tuesday after officers found three people fatally shot in an apartment complex, the Midland Reporter-Telegram reports. The victims were identified as 39-year-old Jessica Rodriguez, her 13-year-old daughter, and her 9-year-old son, according to the Odessa Police Department. All were pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect is a student at Permian High School, which was made famous by Friday Night Lights.

Investigators say the suspect initially intended to shoot his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend outside of school but instead went to her home. At a press conference Wednesday, Police Chief Michael Gerke declined to say whether the girl was home at the time of the shootings, CBS News reports. "She is OK, she wasn't injured," he said, adding: "I'm sure after all this happened to her family, she's not OK. But physically she was unharmed." The chief described it as a "tragic and cowardly act of violence," NewsWest9 reports. "It's the kind of thing that really marks a community," he said. Particularly in this holiday season, it's a hurtful, horrible thing."

Police say the 15-year-boy fled on foot after the shooting and was taken into custody along Andrews Highway, roughly 40 minutes after officers first responded. The boy has been charged with one count of capital murder of multiple persons and is being held at the Ector County Youth Center. Authorities have not discussed a possible motive beyond the prior relationship between the suspect and the ex-girlfriend. Police say no gang connection is suspected. Gerke said anybody who helped the teen obtain the gun or knew about his plans could also face charges.
A story out of a Cinnabon in Wisconsin made headlines this week when a white cashier, a self-described "racist," unleashed a diatribe against a Somali couple. The company quickly fired Crystal Wilsey, a move celebrated by progressives "who abhor racism," writes Arash Azizi at the Atlantic . Azizi gets it: He's a socialist who sees Wisley's comments as "unforgivable" and "repugnant." But what he's not happy about is the quick firing. "I can't easily take the side of a billion-dollar corporation over that of an ordinary worker." As a matter of principle, we should "resist the urge to tell a simple moral story that celebrates someone losing their livelihood," he writes. "That job at the shopping mall may be the bare minimum she needs to support herself."

Cinnabon might have at least explored the possibility of keeping Wilsey on, just not in a "customer-facing" role. It's also possible she did indeed deserve to be fired for cause, though the company should have taken longer to investigatebecause terminating an employee shouldn't be so easy, writes Azizi. "Those of us on the left should be fighting to improve protections for workers of all races, and thereby for the betterment of people's material conditions regardless of their views," he writes. "Maybe I'm naive, or an incurable socialist. But I'd like to think that even if a worker is racist to my face, I'll never ask for their dismissal. I'll try instead to appeal to our common interest in improving the conditions of our lives." (Read the full piece.)
Ban can ang nhap e thuc hien chuc nang nay!
Taylor Swift's new Disney+ docuseries pulls back the curtain on how her record-breaking Eras Tour collided with one of the UK's most disturbing crimes of 2024. In the first episode of The End of an Era, Swift reflects on the Southport stabbings that left three young girls dead and multiple others injured at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event while her tour was in progress. The July 2024 attack unfolded at a dance school in Southport, about 20 miles from Liverpool, where children had gathered for a Swift-inspired happening.

Police say a teenager entered the building and stabbed multiple children, killing 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and injuring 10 others. In January of this year, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to 52 years in prison after pleading guilty. "We've had a series of very violent, scary things happen to the tour," Swift says in the program, adding that she felt the concerts narrowly avoided "a massacre situation."

In the wake of the attack, Swift canceled three August 2024 shows in Austria after authorities arrested two suspects accused of plotting a terror attack aimed at those concerts. The Eras Tour resumed in London, where Swift quietly met with Southport victims' families and survivors before each of her five Wembley Stadium shows, per the docuseries. The footage shows Swift in tears before and after those meetings, working to steady herself before walking in. She likens her role to that of a pilot who must project calm despite turbulence.

"They don't have to worry about you," she says, describing her approach. "You just have to have a calm, cool, collected tone of, like, 'We will be landing in Dallas at 6:05pm, got a little turbulence up ahead, but it's nothing we haven't seen before. Just keep your seatbelts fastened and welcome to the Eras Tour.'" The AP notes other reveals from the docuseries, including (of course) a phone call with fiance Travis Kelce. "Some people get a vitamin drip," she says after Kelce calms her nerves on the phone. "I get this conversation." Check out the trailer for the docuseries here.
Officially launched in November 2024, Route Relief is the first 407 ETR financial assistance program to offer free monthly trips for a 12-month period. To date, the program has helped more than 2,800 drivers and delivered over $1 million in free travel.

"Route Relief helps more Ontarians reach the places they live, work and connect with every day  stress-free," says Jose Espinosa, President & CEO, 407 ETR. "This program is a key part of our commitment to keep the GTA moving, and we're proud to see how it's helping families save time and access opportunities they might not have considered before."

"We've heard from seniors, single mothers and students who've told us how much Route Relief has made a difference in their lives," says John Galibert, Vice President, Customer Operations. "To amplify its impact, we're making the program even better by adding 24 free trips each year."

Here's what participants are saying about the program:

"As a single mother the financial burden is a lot. The Route Relief Program allowed me to save time in traffic and gas by using the [Highway] 407 [ETR] when needed."  Atyah from Richmond Hill

"Shortens my commute by half and I'm able to spend the evening with my family."  Song from Toronto

"The Route Relief Program made it possible (and much less stressful) for me to afford seeing my family while I have to be living away from home."  Laura from London

"Being a low-income senior and having the need to help take care of grandchildren, Route Relief helped save cost and time, especially during peak hours."  Ownali from Scarborough

"It has completely changed my ability to accept work opportunities that are in other cities because I need to be home for my kids at certain times before and after school which I couldn't manage on regular highways due to traffic."  Michelle from Oakville

"The program encourages us to drive out of town more frequently so that our kids can visit sites like Niagara Falls, Port Hope and [African Lion] Safari."  Norman from Richmond Hill

The Route Relief Program is open to Ontario residents who meet the eligibility criteria. Once enrolled, participants receive automatic credits for up to eight trips per month on Highway 407 ETR (beginning January 1, 2026), covering tolls and camera charges. Participants can be enrolled for one year, with the option to renew annually.

Fast facts:

407 ETR offers several support programs for customers facing financial hardship, including the Financial Hardship Program, Exceptional Hardship Program and Repayment Assistance Program. Learn more at 407etr.com/financialassistance.

The Company is on track to invest approximately $2 million in GTA communities through sponsorships, donations and free travel in 2025 (excludes free travel provided through Route Relief and promotional driving offers).

According to a recent report by global infrastructure consultancy Steer, drivers using Highway 407 ETR saved an average of 25 minutes per trip, or 43 million hours in 2025.

Highway 407 ETR moves over three million people across the GTA every week.

For more information, visit 407etr.com/routerelief.

About 407 ETR

Highway 407 ETR is an all-electronic open-access toll highway located in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. The highway spans 108 kilometres from Burlington in the west to Pickering in the east.

407 International Inc. is the sole shareholder of 407 ETR and is owned by:

Cintra Global S.E., a subsidiary of Ferrovial S.A. (48.29%)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and other institutional investors (44.20%)

Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) (7.51%)

SOURCE 407 ETR Concession Company Limited

For media inquiries: [email protected], 416-706-1861, 407etr.com/newsroom
Theme Analysis of  | A Battle of Wits

Director:  (Jacob Cheung)

Starring: 

Setting: Warring States period, ca. 400300 BCE

Core Reference: Moziand the Mohist philosophy of defensive strategy, impartial care, anti-aggression.

1. The Central Theme: 

The film dramatizes how the weak state Liang () survives a siege from a 15,000-strong Zhao army, not through power but through:

Mohist military science  anti-siege engineering, logical strategy, collective defense. Mozis moral doctrine   (condemnation of offensive war),  (impartial concern),  (meritocracy).

The story tests whether philosophy can stand firm when confronted with human fear, ambition, betrayal, and political reality.

2. Ge Li (, played by Andy Lau): The Mohist Idealist in a Broken World

Ge Li embodies Mozis strict ethical discipline:

Protect the innocent

Reject aggression

Value life above power

Use intellect, not slaughter, to achieve victory

His arrival in Liang turns the hopeless city into a disciplined, modernized defense machine.

Yet the more he saves them, the more the film exposes a paradox:

A lone idealist can defend a state from external enemies, but not from internal human nature.

3. The Political Tragedy: 

One of the deepest themes is the political loneliness of the righteous.

King of Liang () distrusts Ge Li:

He fears the people admire Ge Li more than himself.

He fears that merit, not bloodline, will determine loyalty.

He fears Mozis ideology of  threatens the monarchy.

Thus:

The hero who saves the state becomes the threat the ruler most wants to eliminate.

This theme echoes classical Chinese political philosophy:

.

4. Fan Bingbings Character: Humanity, Affection, and the Limits of Mohist Detachment

Fan Bingbing plays Yi Yue (), a civilian woman who admires Ge Li.

Her character highlights:

Mohist emotional discipline  Ge Li represses attachments to remain impartial.

The human cost of idealism  Yi Yue shows that victory without compassion is hollow.

A contrast between philosophy and human life.

Her arc reveals that love and moral duty often collide in wartime ethics.

5. The Moral Core:  (Against Aggression)

Mozis most radical doctrine is condemning offensive war.

The film dramatizes this as a continuous moral test:

Ge Li refuses to kill unnecessarily.

He spares defeated soldiers.

He fights to protect, not to conquer.

He rejects all offers of political power after the victory.

This positions him as a philosopher-warrior, unlike typical Warring States strategists (Sunzi, Wu Qi).

6. The Larger Question: Can Morality Survive Power?

Even after Liang is saved:

Internal politics turn paranoid.

The ruler betrays the one who defended him.

The people who praised Ge Li soon fear him.

Ge Lis Mohist allies never come  signifying the decline of Mohism in later history.

The film argues:

A just philosophy can win battles, but may not win the hearts of rulers.

Power is local; morality is universal  and therefore threatening.

7. The Final Theme: The Decline of Mohism and the Cost of Idealism

The ending reveals the historical truth:

Mohism once rivaled Confucianism in influence.

But its strict doctrine (impartial love, antiwar, egalitarianism) made it politically inconvenient .

Idealists like Ge Li are admired by the people, but distrusted by kings.

This is why Mohism ultimately faded, despite its military genius.

The film thus becomes a philosophical elegy:

A tribute to a lost Chinese school of thought grounded in universal compassion and practical engineering.

Summary: The Films Core Themes
Hole GR25-013 from 31.31 metres ("m") downhole: 51.22 m of 4.4% Zinc ("Zn"), including 24.00 m of 7.3% Zn and 5.17 m of 10.0% Zn.

("Zn"), including of and Hole GR25-012 from 35.74 m downhole: 17.84 m of 3.4% Zn , including 3.00 m of 6.3% Zn.

, including Hole GR25-009 from 224.03 m downhole: 2.00 m of 9.29% Zn, and 5.29 m of 2.02% Zn.

CEO Statement

Ian Gibbs, President and CEO, stated, "Our first season of drilling at Gayna successfully intersected significant zinc and lead mineralization at the Intrepid target, validating the prospectivity of the project. This program has advanced our understanding of these systems and provides important insights to guide potential future exploration. We will continue to interpret the encouraging results from our ambitious and multifaceted field season at Gayna, Mactung, and Macpass and plan to responsibly advance our projects at a rapid and practical pace."

Summary

Fireweed has completed its inaugural drill program at the Gayna Property in the Northwest Territories, marking the first drilling at the project since the late 1970s (Figure 1). The 2025 program totaled approximately 3,800 m and tested a new exploration model targeting steeply dipping Zn-Pb-Ag sulphide mineralization hosted within Neoproterozoic reef margins. Drilling has advanced Fireweed's understanding of the geological system and confirmed significant mineralization at the Intrepid target, an area interpreted to be directly underneath the mapped contact of the reef margin at surface. The drill holes in this release comprise intervals of vein-hosted and replacement-style zinc-lead mineralization (in the form of sphalerite and galena) from various targets at the Gayna property. Potential for reef-margin massive sulphide mineralization remains at several targets on the property.

A ground gravity survey, comprising four grids, was also completed during the 2025 field season with the goal of expanding upon previous surveys and exploring new targets at the Propitious reef (Figure 2).

Intrepid

A total of nine holes were drilled at the Intrepid reef target (Figure 3). These holes targeted prospective reef margin geology at depth inferred from a mapped reef contact at surface. This mapped contact coincides with gravity anomalies and/or soil geochemistry anomalies, as well as targets associated with historical drilling. While the reef contact was not intersected at depth, all holes drilled to target depth encountered sphalerite and/or galena mineralization. True width for most intersections at Intrepid cannot be accurately determined as the geometry of the mineralization is unknown.

GR25-009 intersected 5.29 m of reef margin-hosted sphalerite mineralization grading 2.02% Zn, confirming that zinc mineralization is present locally at this stratigraphic position. The hole targeted a gravity anomaly that extends to the northwest for 300 m. With no major mineralization encountered, this gravity anomaly remains largely untested.

GR25-012 intersected 17.84 m of vein and vein breccia sphalerite mineralization grading 3.39% Zn in reef-cover rocks. Following up on this mineralization, GR25-013 was drilled from the same pad at a shallower dip. GR25-013 intersected a higher grade and more continuous zone of mineralization than previously seen in historical drilling at the Intrepid target (Figure 4 and Figure 5). Sphalerite mineralization is present in veins and vein breccias with up to 15% partial replacement of the matrix of a sedimentary breccia (Figure 6). This mineralized zone grades 4.44% Zn over 51.22 m in hole GR25-013 including 5.17 m of 10.04% Zn, confirming wide intervals of zinc mineralization with local high-grade zones at Intrepid. Further downhole, other mineralized intervals were intersected: 7.99 m of 2.37% Zn, and 5.09 m of 4.80% Zn. While GR25-013 did not intersect the reef, the stronger mineralization towards the reef margin provides evidence that mineralization is concentrated along reef margins.

GR25-012 Intersected 17.84 m of vein and vein breccia-hosted sphalerite mineralization grading 3.39% Zn , including 3.00 m of 6.32% Zn

GR25-013 Intersected 51.22 m of vein-hosted, and replacement sphalerite mineralization grading 4.44% Zn , including 24.00 m of 7.34% Zn and 5.17 m of 10.04% Zn

GR25-009 Intersected 2.00 m of reef margin-hosted sulphide mineralization grading 9.29% Zn and 5.29 m of 2.02% Zn



An estimate of true width is 7090% of intersected thicknesses for the interval 35.74 m to 53.58 m in GR25-012 and 31.31 m to 82.53 m in GR25-013 based on a 2D cross sectional interpretation of the geometry of the zone that assumes a broadly stratiform, tabular geometry. True thickness estimates are preliminary as the 3D geometry of the zone has not been established by drilling off-section.

Jaws

A total of five holes were drilled at the Jaws target. Drillholes GR25-001, GR25-002, and GR25-003 targeted the highest-grade area of a strong zinc and lead-in-soil geochemical anomaly. Drillholes GR25-004 and GR25-006 targeted gravity and soil anomalies. All drillholes intersected trace to minor vein-hosted galena and/or sphalerite mineralization. None of the drillholes at the Jaws target intersected reef rocks or significant mineralization.

Zuviel

At the Zuviel Prospect, the reef-margin is not exposed at surface and drillhole GR25-005 intersected the top of a buried reef. Trace vein-hosted sphalerite is present, but no significant mineralization was observed. The strong soil and gravity anomalies in the area remain unresolved and the reef-margin is still untested.

Propitious

Preliminary results from a 2025 gravity grid at the Propitious reef showed a large gravity anomaly on the northwestern margin of the reef. This gravity anomaly coincides with elevated levels of zinc and lead in historical soil samples in the area, as well as prospective geology and fault structures. GR25-016 intersected minor sphalerite mineralization, consisting of partial replacement of the fine-grained matrix of a sedimentary breccia. No significant mineralization was noted at the contact between off-reef and reef facies and the hole was terminated in limestone reef.

See Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3, Cross Sections GAGA', and Figures below for full results.

Next Steps

Fireweed intends to continue interpreting the geological data recovered from the 2025 drill program and geophysics to refine potential targets at Gayna. The new density data from drill core will allow reinterpretation of gravity survey data and production of constrained inversions to vector toward near-reef density anomalies to determine next steps for potential future exploration.

Government Grant

Fireweed Metals was awarded a Mining Incentive Program (MIP) grant from the Government of the Northwest Territories. The grant was valued at $216,830, reducing the cost of the 2025 program.

Qualified Person Statement

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Fireweed Metals Senior Geologist, Ian Carr, P.Geo. (BC, NWT), a 'Qualified Person' as defined under Canadian National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Carr is not independent of the Company in accordance with NI 43-101.

About Fireweed

Fireweed is an exploration company focused on unlocking value in a new critical metals district located in Northern Canada. Fireweed is 100% owner of the Macpass District, a large and highly prospective 985 km2 land package. The Macpass District includes the Macpass zinc-lead-silver project and the Mactung tungsten project. A Lundin Group company, Fireweed is strongly positioned to create meaningful value.

Fireweed trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "FWZ", on the OTCQX Best Market under the trading symbol "FWEDF", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "M0G".

Additional information about Fireweed and its projects can be found on the Company's website at FireweedMetals.com and at www.sedarplus.com

ON BEHALF OF FIREWEED METALS CORP.

"Ian Gibbs"

CEO & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Data Verification

The diamond drill core logging and sampling program was carried out under a rigorous quality assurance / quality control program using industry best practices. Drill intersections in this release are NQ2 size (50.5 mm/ 1.99-inch diameter) with recoveries typically above 85% unless otherwise noted in the results tables. After drilling, core was cleaned, logged for geology, structure, and geotechnical characteristics, then marked for sampling and photographed on site. The cores for analysis were marked for sampling based on geological intervals with individual samples two metres or less in length, or up to one metre within mineralized zones. Drill core was cut lengthwise in half with a core saw; half-core was sent for assays reported in this news release, and the other half is stored on site for reference. Bulk density was determined on site for the entire length of each assay sample by measurement of mass in air and mass in water. Sample duplicate bulk density determinations and in-house bulk density standard determinations were each made at a rate of 5%. Certified standard masses are used to calibrate the scale balance used for bulk density determinations. True width estimates for most mineralized intervals are not available due to the early-stage nature of the exploration work and a lack of control on the geometry of these systems.

A total of 5% assay standards or blanks and 5% core duplicates are included in the sample stream as a quality control measure and are reviewed after analyses are received. Standards and blanks in 2025 drill results to date have been approved as acceptable. Duplicate data add to the long-term estimates of precision for assay data on the project and precision for drill results reported is deemed to be within acceptable levels. Samples were sent to the Australian Laboratory Services (ALS) preparation laboratory in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where the samples were crushed and a 250 g split was sent to the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver, B.C to be pulverized to a target of 85% passing 75 m). The pulps were analyzed by Aqua Regia digestion followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-ES/ICP-MS) multi-element analyses (ALS Code ME-MS41). Gallium and germanium were analysed by lithium borate fusion followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) (ALS Code ME-MS85). Over-limit lead (>1.0%) and zinc (>1.0%) were analyzed with an Aqua Regia digest followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) (ALS Code ME-OG46). Silver is reported in this news release by method ME-MS41, zinc and lead are reported by ME-OG46, and gallium and germanium are reported by ME-MS85. ALS (Vancouver) is an independent, international ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited laboratory.

Assay values may appear rounded to one decimal place but are given in full in Table 1, and Cross Sections where zinc and lead grades are reported to two decimal places.

Results in this news release are length and bulk-density weighted averages as would be used in a Mineral Resource estimate. Length and bulk-density weighted averages have been reported as these most accurately represent the average metal-content of the intersections.

Historical data verification

A number of data verification steps have been taken to assess the accuracy and reproducibility of historical data. Historical soil sample locations have been digitized from 1970s maps produced by Cordilleran Engineering for Rio Tinto. The maps show drill collars from the same era, the levelled drill pad areas of which can also be seen in the 2022 LiDAR elevation dataset. There is very good agreement between the drill collar locations identified in the LiDAR data and the collar locations digitized on historical maps, with locations typically within 10-15 m of those shown on the maps. This adds confidence to the reported soil sample point locations and serves as another form of spatial data validation.

The historical soil sample dataset includes 5,376 samples collected in 1975-1977 and analyzed for lead, zinc, silver, copper, and cadmium using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Reports also include analytical results of certified reference materials, allowing basic QAQC work on historical data. The similar high-grade results obtained from ten soil samples taken in 2022 over a large lead-in-soil anomaly at the Jaws anomaly also add confidence to the accuracy of historical data.

Cautionary Statements

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking" statements and information ("forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to interpretation of drill results, targets for exploration, potential extensions of mineralized zones, and the potential of the Company's projects, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Company management and reflect the beliefs, opinions, and projections on the date the statements are made. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include but are not limited to, exploration and development risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, expenditure and financing requirements, general economic conditions, changes in financial markets, the ability to properly and efficiently staff the Company's operations, the sufficiency of working capital and funding for continued operations, title matters, First Nations relations, operating hazards, political and economic factors, competitive factors, metal prices, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulations and oversight, permitting, seasonality and weather, technological change, industry practices, uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and laboratory tests, and one-time events. The Company assumes no obligation to update forwardlooking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections or other factors, except as required by law.

Drillhole Interval From

(m) To (m) Width

(m) Zinc

(%) Lead

(%) Silver

(ppm) Gallium

(ppm) Germanium

(ppm) GR25-009 Primary 224.03 226.03 2.00 9.29 0.01 0.31 4.75 3.40 GR25-009 Primary 238.91 244.20 5.29 2.02 0.00 0.20 1.75 1.14 GR25-012 Primary 35.74 53.58 17.84 3.39 0.01 0.21 1.48 1.97 GR25-012 Including 49.00 52.00 3.00 6.32 0.02 0.33 2.53 3.14 GR25-013 Primary 31.31 82.53 51.22 4.44 0.08 0.42 1.51 3.40 GR25-013 Including 33.00 57.00 24.00 7.34 0.00 0.60 1.46 5.25 GR25-013 >Including 39.00 50.17 11.17 8.95 0.00 0.68 1.58 6.29 GR25-013 >>Including 45.00 50.17 5.17 10.04 0.00 0.75 1.57 6.86 GR25-013 Primary 94.78 102.77 7.99 2.37 0.36 0.34 5.90 2.39 GR25-013 Primary 115.19 120.28 5.09 4.80 0.00 0.19 3.09 3.82 GR25-013 Including 115.19 119.40 4.21 5.34 0.00 0.18 2.92 4.22 Table 1: Length and bulk density-weighted assay results above a 1.41% Zn cut-off grade.

Hole ID Target Length

(m) Intersection GR25-001 Jaws 95 Minor galena mineralization. No reef margin intersected. GR25-002 Jaws 53 Minor galena mineralization. No reef margin intersected. GR25-003 Jaws 263 Trace to minor galena mineralization. No reef margin intersected. GR25-004 Jaws 316 Minor galena mineralization with trace sphalerite. No reef margin intersected. GR25-005 Zuviel 361 The reef top was intersected, trace sphalerite mineralization not associated with the reef. GR25-006 Jaws 385 Trace vein-hosted sphalerite-galena. No reef margin intersected. GR25-007 Intrepid 292 Intersected minor sphalerite at reef margin. GR25-008 Intrepid 45 Abandoned. GR25-009 Intrepid 321 Minor sphalerite and trace galena mineralization present at reef contact. GR25-010 Intrepid 223 Trace to minor sphalerite and trace galena mineralization not associated with the reef. GR25-011 Intrepid 200 Minor sphalerite mineralization. No reef margin intersected. GR25-012 Intrepid 191 Minor sphalerite mineralization. No reef margin intersected. GR25-013 Intrepid 284 Significant sphalerite mineralization. Minor galena present. No reef margin intersected. GR25-014 Intrepid 275 Trace sphalerite mineralization not associated with the reef. GR25-015 Intrepid 260 Minor sphalerite and galena mineralization not associated with the reef. GR25-016 Propitious 245 Trace sphalerite mineralization not associated with the reef. Table 2: 2025 Drillhole Results

Table 3: 2025 Drillhole Information

Hole ID Status Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Elevation

(m) Length

(m) Azimuth Dip GR25-001 Abandoned 409379 7208660 1375 95 272.7 -54.3 GR25-002 Abandoned 409379 7208660 1375 53 266.0 -62.9 GR25-003 Complete 409443 7208807 1409 263 273.3 -49.8 GR25-004 Complete 408804 7208558 1290 316 205.0 -59.8 GR25-005 Complete 416184 7205192 1650 361 050.7 -64.7 GR25-006 Complete 408951 7208391 1282 385 225.0 -58.9 GR25-007 Complete 418238 7204726 1534 292 193.3 -54.6 GR25-008 Abandoned 418842 7204723 1795 45 220.3 -64.9 GR25-009 Complete 418842 7204723 1795 321 225.3 -69.5 GR25-010 Complete 419435 7204011 1677 223 264.1 -59.7 GR25-011 Complete 419469 7203769 1588 200 256.9 -64.7 GR25-012 Complete 419375 7203505 1481 191 271.2 -74.9 GR25-013 Complete 419375 7203505 1481 284 270.3 -53.8 GR25-014 Complete 418220 7204652 1547 275 193.0 -51.6 GR25-015 Complete 419439 7203724 1579 260 275.0 -49.8 GR25-016 Complete 421566 7204446 1401 245 129.5 -49.8

SOURCE Fireweed Metals Corp.

Alex Campbell, Phone: +1 (604) 689-7842, Email: [email protected]
Major Highlights

Power Metals secures significant commercial milestones with Albemarle Corporation, one of the world's leading critical-minerals companies , which has acquired the current offtake agreement from Winsome Resources (ASX: WR1) for the Case Lake Project

, Deal sees Albemarle purchase Winsome Resources offtake rights in Power Metals Corp's Case Lake Project

Case Lake hosts near-surface, high-grade cesium with Albemarle securing the rights to all Project offtake

Under the offtake agreement, Albemarle has agreed to prepay for up to CAD$5 Million of cesium oxide concentrate from the Case Lake Project

Agreement delivers clear benefits to existing Power Metals shareholders by providing access to project funding through a fully non-dilutive transaction structure

Case Lake is currently advancing towards its production target for 2026

VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 12, 2025 /CNW/ - Power Metals Corp ("Power Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: PWM) (FRANKFURT: OAA1) (OTCQB: PWRMF) is pleased to announce Albemarle Corporation ("Albemarle") has agreed to a CAD$5 Million pre-payment arrangement for cesium oxide concentrate from the Company's Case Lake Project ("the Project") in Ontario, Canada.

The milestone involves Albemarle also acquiring current offtake rights held by Winsome Resources (ASX: WR1), marking a significant endorsement from one of the world's leading critical-minerals companies.

Figure 1  Power Metals Corp Project Locations Map in Ontario and Quebec Canada (CNW Group/Power Metals Corp.)

It also underscores the growing importance of Case Lake as a strategic asset and the role it is poised to play in securing North America's cesium supply chain.

Pursuant to a purchase agreement between Winsome and Albemarle, Winsome is assigning its Case Lake offtake rights to Albemarle. Winsome will retain its 15.8% shareholding of Power Metals and looks forward to continued collaboration with both PWM and Albemarle as the Project advances.

The offtake rights were previously held by Hong Kong based Sinomine Resources Limited in 2020, before being rescinded through intervention by the Government of Canada in 2022, at which point Winsome Resources acquired the rights.

The agreement highlights a clear shift in the global critical-minerals landscape, with an increased focus on securing the North American supply chains.

The pre-payment commitment is conditional on Power Metals securing necessary approvals and permits to commence mining at Case Lake, and provides financing in stages as key development milestones are achieved:

CAD$2,000,000 promptly following execution of the pre-payment commitment.

promptly following execution of the pre-payment commitment. CAD$3,000,000 upon delivery of Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for the Case Lake Project in 2026.

The transaction strengthens Power Metals position as a key player in the global cesium market, with the project now backed by one of the sector's most influential producers.

See Power Metals (TSX-V: PWM) Announcements dated 8 September 2020 See Power Metals (TSX-V: PWM) Announcements dated 3 November 2022 See Power Metals (TSX-V: PWM) Announcements dated 2 December 2022

Power Metals CEO and Director, Haydn Daxter Commented:

"We are incredibly pleased with Albemarle's participation as we continue to strengthen our footprint in Canada for critical minerals. Albemarle's expertise in producing high-value cesium chemicals secures the downstream component of our strategy while bolstering the emergence of an integrated cesium market."

Power Metals Chairman and Director, Johnathan More Commented:

"This agreement is a significant step for Power Metals and a strong outcome for our shareholders. The pre-payment structure provides access to funding without dilution, allowing us to advance Case Lake while preserving the value of the Company. With the Project's extremely low capital requirements, under CAD$8 million required, this support positions us well to move toward production and unlock the full potential of our cesium opportunity."

-ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD-

Johnathan More, Chairman & Director

Case Lake Property

The Case Lake Property is located 80 km east of Cochrane in northeastern Ontario, near the Ontario Quebec border. It comprises 586 cell claims across Steele, Case, Scapa, Pliny, Abbotsford and Challies townships within the Larder Lake Mining Division. The Property is 10km by 9.5km in size with 14 granitic domes.

The Case Lake pegmatite swarm consists of six spodumene dykes known as the North, Main, South, East and Northeast dykes on the Henry Dome, and the West Joe dyke on a new dome, collectively forming mineralization trend that extends for approximately 10km (Figure 1).

Power Metals has completed several exploration campaigns leading to the discovery and expansion of new and historic spodumene bearing LCT pegmatites at Case Lake. The Company has drilled a total of 23,976 meters of core between 2017 and 2024 at the Property. The Case Lake Property is owned 100% by Power Metals Corp. A National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report has been prepared on Case Lake Property and filed on July 18, 2017 (Figure 1).

Decelles Property

The Decelles Property contains 247 claims, covering 14,229 hectares of LCT prospective ground near the mining centres of Val-dOr and Rouyn-Noranda, approximately 600km from Montreal.

Power Metals acquired the Decelles and Mazerac properties from Winsome Resources in 2023 in a deal that increased Winsome equity stake in the Company (refer to press release announced on August 24, 2023). The geology of Decelles property is part of the Archean Pontiac sub-province where S-type LCT prospective, pegmatite bearing, granitic Decelles Batholith intrudes into metasedimentary units of the Pontiac Group.

Spodumene and Beryl bearing pegmatites have been reported historically within the Pontiac sub-province in association with S-type garnet-muscovite granite. The Decelles property is adjacent to Vision Lithium's Cadillac property where discovery of high-grade lithium pegmatites was reported in 2022 (Figure 1).

Mazerac Property

The Mazerac Property is located approximately 30 km east of Power Metals Decelles property near well-established mining camps in the Abitibi region of Canada and is accessible by network of mining-grade forestry roads.

The Mazerac property contains 115 claims that cover 6,653 hectares of LCT prospective ground near the mining centre of Val-dOr and Rouyn-Noranda. The regional geology of Mazerac is similar to Decelles where S-type LCT prospective, pegmatite bearing, granites of Decelles Batholith intrude into metasedimentary units of the Pontiac Group. Spodumene and Beryl bearing pegmatites have been reported historically within the Pontiac sub-province in association with S-type garnet-muscovite granite (Figure 1).

Pollucite and Cesium

Pollucite is a rare mineral that hosts high grade cesium and is associated with highly fractionated, rare element pegmatites. The main source of cesium known globally is pollucite (Cs,Na)(AlSiO)2HO, (https://www.gov.mb.ca/iem/geo/industrial/pollucite.html). Currently there is no operational mining of high-grade cesium from pollucite occurring globally.

Power Metals Corp (TSX-V: PWM)

Power Metals Corp (TSX-V: PWM) is a Canadian exploration company focused on developing high-quality critical mineral projects. Its flagship Case Lake Property in Ontario  100 per cent owned by Power Metals - is a high-grade cesium, lithium and tantalum asset.

Beyond Case Lake, the Company's portfolio includes the Decelles and Mazerac Properties near Val-D'Or, Quebec. Together, these assets cover 947 claims spanning more than 330km of lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) prospective ground. As global demand for critical minerals continues to grow global, and particularly in North America, Power Metals is strategically advancing its projects to support the continent's growing supply needs. Learn more at www.powermetalscorp.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

No- securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act) unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations, including the use of funds raised under the Offering. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, Power Metals assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law.

Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release.

Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The TSXV has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release.

SOURCE Power Metals Corp.

Power Metals Corp, Johnathan More, 515-401-7479, [email protected]
Rev. Smith delivered the first official Apology from the church to Indigenous peoples at the 1986 General Council.

SECHELT, BC, Dec. 12, 2025 /CNW/ - The Very Rev. Robert Frederick Smith, the 30th Moderator of The United Church of Canada, died at age 91 in Sechelt, BC, on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, after a few years of hospital and family care. He is survived by his partner, Ellen, and their five children: Rick, Dan, Marnie, Doris, and Rob.

The Very Rev. Dr. Robert F. Smith, speaking at the 30th anniversary of the Apology. Photo credit: Kelly Buehler (CNW Group/United Church of Canada)

Born in Montreal in 1934, Smith served as Moderator of the United Church from 1984-1986, and is perhaps best known for delivering the first official Apology from the church to Indigenous peoples at the 1986 General Council. In the years after delivering the Apology, he mused how the church's course had been forever changed and how he had tried to "make an honest man" of himself by living up to the words of the Apology.

"We are grateful for the life of Rev. Robert Smith, for his many years of service in congregations and his leadership at every level of the Church, including as the 30th Moderator of the United Church," says The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, current Moderator. "His apology on behalf of the Church to Indigenous peoples and his opening up of the scriptures for fresh interpretation are among his legacies that we will remember. We hold his family in prayer in this time of loss."

As Moderator, The Very Rev. Smith guided the church as it wrestled with fundamental questions around authority and interpretation of Scripture. This included dialogue around homosexuality, which led in 1988 to a declaration by the 32nd General Council that all people  regardless of sexual orientation  are welcome as full members of the United Church, and all members are eligible to be considered for ordered ministry.

"The word of God is a lively word. It is not something that is static; it is not something that is preserved in amber. Though the word of God may be unchanging, our understanding of it is constantly changing, and our context must be brought into the picture when we are attempting to understand what the word of God says for us today," he told Rev. Ken Wotherspoon on Pressure Point in 1984. "I think that the central issue which is facing the church today is the issue of the interpretation of scripture . . ."

Robert Smith was born in Montreal, QC, in 1934. After receiving a degree from the University of Alberta in 1956, he obtained a diploma in Theology at St. Stephen's College in 1958, a B.D. from the University of Alberta in 1964, and a Th.D. at Boston University School of Theology in 1973. He was ordained by the Alberta Conference of the United Church in 1958, and married Margaret Ellen Maguire the same year.

After his ordination, he held pastorates across Canada and the U.S., settling eventually in Sechelt, BC, where he attended St. John's United Church. Throughout his time as a minister, he held a variety of posts on many different committees, including co-chair of the committee on Roman Catholic-United Church Dialogue. He was also founding president of the Richmond Hill and Thornhill Area Family Services.

SOURCE United Church of Canada

MEDIA CONTACTS: Lori-Ann Livingston (she/her), Press and public relations lead, Responsable, relations publiques et avec les medias, Office of the Moderator and General Secretary, The United Church of Canada | L'Eglise Unie du Canada, +1.437.703.2736, [email protected], [email protected], Based in Kitchener, Ont.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
In Summer Davos 2025 Tianjin; Tony Blair shocked by the revolutionary development of China since 1988 you visited China. When talking with WEFs CEO Brge Brende, Tony Blair expressed perceptions: China's got every right to be a major power by dent of its civilization; its population; its economy; its technology. This is what's come home to me I look one of the really sad things about; the period of time after leaving office is how much I've learned; in fact, it's actually shocking; I mean I think God; I wish I'd known all this when I was doing the job.

However, when Brge Brende suggested: it's not too late you can run again. Tony Blair refused: don't give me ideas. Clearly Tony Blair fear for the nightmare job as PM of Britain as one of inventors of malicious opposed democracy.

I especially touched by your comments: "There are important we stay engaged and we try and understand China try and see China through Chinese eyes and not just through western eyesbecause otherwise you know you will end up with more ignorance misunderstanding and potentially conflict when we really can't afford to have that happen; china and the European Union; I mean they have hundreds of billions of dollars worth of trade between themso you know this really matters to people in Europe and in China." "There are jobs dependent on it; there's living standard dependent on it.

However, the politicians of EU and Britain; they are all condemning China as violence of values and human rights; such social garbage has no human brain for caring about that they promoted ideologies have ruined the world and the life of people. They have never seen that China updated 2000 years of old Silk Road as Belt Road initiative to re-integrate the west fabricating feud Gods brainwash hatred fragmented economy and culture to make billions of marginalized people into the world economy from making $2 a day in the life of degradation to 10 or 15 a day which is the beginning of dignity.

Capital pooling companies appeared in China's Tang Dynasty (618-907AD); since then all the evils in today's capital market have been playing in China, but no disasters were caused because successive governments of China restrained the greed of capital. However, since the 18th century Industrial Revolution in Britain, capital-pooling companies have emerged, then they rampant harmed the world by creating disasters; while cultured both Capitalism and Communism.

In birth place of Capitalism Britain, the Labour Party has been promoting communism, nationalization established communist welfare system from cradle to grave. 1997, at 43, you led the Labour Party to win election and became the youngest and longest-serving PM in British history with contributions; so that you understood communist China.

For centuries, the European countries ganged evil axes to live in rich life by enslave plundering world countries. During WWII, the US took over to continue the habits to bomb the world by the money from plundering the world.

For US great again, launched trade war unexpected angered allies into mortal enemies to have disbanded the evil axis and made reorganization of global governance in the regional forces; culture, economy and politics. Now, we faced with a historical juncture for the life deciding choice: which is that which direction should human society develop?

Now we need to see China through Chinese eyes. Historically China has been relative long in peace, 2000 years ago explored Silk Road to survive the people in west killing in home and the world until right now. Due to that China chooses learned people in power, for which even develops Imperial Examination. Europe missionaries call it as the elite constitution that values merit over the birth to give power to scholars.

All of us have certain intellectual flaws; only contributions proved people can make judgment in less mistake.

Today, China is by quality entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, professors, etc., as lawmakers in part time self-reliant; the top leadership is a politburo of 7 members promoted from grassroots gradually; without consensus from meeting; no one allowed to talk at will; by which institutional constraints avoided the development of the personal dictatorship and importantly this way ensured the collective wisdom in social governance under strict accountability.

Chinese people are able to enjoy a relative longer prosperous life should attribute that institutionally ensuring the collective wisdoms in governance; thus can make rational policies and implemented them.

But in the west, historically takes the power as award for competing; the democracy has been doing the same thing to help low quality people coming to power, and then they drive power to destruct world.

Please look at wars killing; the political mess of South Korea, Taiwan; the democracies world widely (except Singapore of an actual dictatorship); democracy has dehumanized people in the state of psychosis without sense for what they are doing. The humanized democracy actually has been playing the role of making dictatorship.
Eight people were displaced following a suspicious fire in a Camden County apartment complex early Friday morning, authorities said.

Pine Hill police officers were dispatched to the Mansions Apartment Complex for a structure fire reportedly on the balcony around 3:43 a.m., the department said in a statement.

Officers who arrived found heavy smoke and flames coming from the 900 building, and they began assisting residents as they evacuated from their apartments, police said.

The Pine Hill Fire Department was on location at 3:49 a.m. and placed the fire under control at 4:07 a.m. Two units of the 900 building suffered significant smoke and fire damage, authorities said.

No residents or emergency personnel were injured, officials said. The eight residents who were displaced were assisted by the American Red Cross and Volunteers of America.

The fire appears to be suspicious and will remain under investigation by the Camden County Fire Marshal and the Pine Hill Police Department, police said.

Any information related to the investigation may be sent to Pine Hill Police Detective Kasey Horan at 856-783-1549, ext. 444, and KHoran@pinehillpd.com.
A judge has sentenced a Cumberland County man to prison for trafficking cocaine from Puerto Rico into New Jersey via the mail.

Yariel Afanador, 44, of Vineland was charged following a long-term New Jersey State Police drug smuggling investigation, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office.

The U.S. Postal Service contacted police to report that various addresses in Cumberland County received packages of suspected controlled dangerous substances from Puerto Rico, authorities said.

Surveillance of the addresses revealed a close-knit drug trafficking conspiracy in which Afanador would pick up the packages soon after they were delivered and take them to his residence, the prosecutors office said. In some cases, those living at the receiving addresses would bring the packages to Afanadors residence.

Troopers learned that Afanador made several trips to Puerto Rico shortly before the packages were delivered to the Cumberland County addresses.

Police obtained search warrants for all of the addresses.

Those warrants were executed in July 2023, after a package containing about a kilo of cocaine was delivered to a co-conspirators residence in Millville. That man, Juan Rivera-Maldonado, 54, placed the package in Afanadors vehicle, prosecutors said.

During those searches, another kilo of cocaine was found in Afanadors residence, along with two firearms, according to investigators.

After entering a guilty plea in October, Afanador was sentenced Dec. 5 to 15 years on a first-degree charge of possession with intent to distribute more than five ounces of cocaine. He must serve at least 6 1/2 years before hes eligible for parole.

He was also sentenced to a concurrent five-year prison term for possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose. That count includes a 3 1/2-year term of parole ineligibility.

Three co-defendants previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced in the case, including Rivera-Maldonado, who was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison for first-degree possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Alexander Maldonado, 35, of Vineland, was sentenced in November 2024 to five years in prison for second-degree conspiracy to distribute cocaine and third-degree possession of two firearms without serial numbers.

Juan Afanador, 41, of Vineland, was sentenced in April to five years in prison for second-degree conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
From Full House to full frontal?

John Stamos is joining the cast of the steamy Netflix series The Hunting Wives, and his wife is already wondering whether hell have to do nude scenes.

I told my wife [Caitlin McHugh]. The first thing she said to me was, Are you going to show your penis? Stamos said during a Wednesday, Dec. 10, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Are you? Fallon replied.

Maybe, Stamos quipped.

John Stamos. Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP

Stamos, who is best known for his role as Jesse Katsopolis on Full House, will play Chase Brylan on season 2 of The Hunting Wives. A description of his character has not yet been shared.

The Hunting Wives, which is based on Mary Cobbs novel of the same name, premiered in July and got picked up for a second season in September. The crime drama stars Brittany Snow as Sophie ONeil, a wife and mother who moves from Massachusetts to East Texas with her family.

There Sophie meets Margo Banks (Malin Ackerman), who brings her into an elite group of socialite women with their fair share of secrets. The suburban drama takes a dark turn when a teenage girl is found dead in the woods where the Hunting Wives meet.

Stamos isnt season 2s only newcomer. Also joining the cast are Cam Gigandet (Gentle John Moffitt), Dale Dickey (Zelda Moffit), Kim Matula (Nadia Kelly) and Alex FitzAlan (Lincoln Trout).

A release date for season 2 of The Hunting Wives has not yet been announced. A logline for the new installment reads, Sophie and Margo are on the outs. But soon enough, old secrets and new foes force them back together. As they play their dangerous games, the question arises: Are they the hunters or the hunted?

READ MORE: Full House alum returns to Hallmark Channel series 7 years after controversial exit

In addition to Snow and Ackerman, Jaime Ray Newman (Callie), Dermot Mulroney (Jed Banks), Evan Jonigkeit (Graham ONeil), George Ferrier (Brad), Karen Rodriguez (Deputy Wanda Salazar), Hunter Emery (Deputy Walter Flynn) and Branton Box (Sheriff Jonny) will reprise their roles during season 2.

Season 1 of The Hunting Wives is available to stream on Netflix.
Walter Coffey, a Bloomfield firefighter who was charged in Essex County with bias and intimidation after tossing a noose at a Black colleague was fired from his role with the department, according to payroll records obtained through an Open Public Records Request.

The date of termination was listed as Nov. 16, 2023, the same date Coffey was reported in the noose incident, payroll records show.The reason for the termination was listed as other in the records.

Though I am limited by New Jersey law regarding details of personnel matters, with reference to the matter of the Bloomfield Fire Department, I can now confirm that the firefighter involved in the November 2023 incident is no longer employed by the Township of Bloomfield, Bloomfield mayor Jenny Mundell said in a social media post Friday morning.

In a November-statement, Bloomfields attorney Khalifah L. Shabazz said that city suspended Coffey without pay the same day the incident was reported and began the formal process of terminating his employment.

Payroll records show that Coffeys last paycheck from Bloomfield was on Dec. 8, 2023.

Coffey was hired by Bloomfield on March 1, 2000, according to resolution of his appointment.

Coffeys attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bloomfield started investigating after Coffey was reported for tying a noose and tossing it at a Black colleague, Patrick Thomas.

Thomas later filed a $25 million federal discrimination against the city in November.

Bloomfield will not tolerate racism in any form, and our community deserves a workplace and a local government that reflects those values, Mundell told NJ Advance Media.

I know how deeply this incident has affected many of our residents, and I want them to know that I hear their concerns, she added. Addressing racism requires ongoing commitment, and my administration remains focused on building systems that promote safety, respect, and accountability for everyone who lives and works here.

Mundell said in her statement that the city is working on implementing an anonymous reporting system to report misconduct within city departments.

I hear the communitys concerns, and I understand the pain and frustration this has caused, Mundell said. But rooting out racism takes more than a single action, it is continuous work, and I am committed to doing that work every day.

Coffey was accused of asking Thomas if he saw a noose on an upstairs table in a firehouse on Nov. 8, 2023, according to the complaint.

Thomas asked why he would want to see that and asked if Coffey knew who was responsible. Coffey smirked and replied that he didnt know, according to the complaint.

As another training exercise on Nov. 16, 2023, was ending, Coffey was accused of tying a hangmans noose, tossing it at Thomas and asking him to identify the type of knot it was, according to the complaint.

Thomas responded that he knew exactly what the knot was and asked Coffey if he thought it was funny, according to the complaint. Coffey continued laughing, according to the complaint.

Attorneys for Thomas said the Nov. 16, 2023, incident happened in front of other firefighters and supervisors.

Coffey also openly used the n-word around other Black colleagues and was never disciplined, according to the complaint.

Coffeys actions were briefly investigated by Bloomfield officials before being turned over to the Essex County Prosecutors Office, according to the complaint.

Bloomfields municipal attorney said in a statement on Nov. 24, that the townships internal investigation was paused when the Essex County Prosecutors Office took over the case, investigating it as a possible hate crime.

The Essex County Prosecutors Office charged Coffey with fourth-degree harassment and intimidation on Dec. 14, 2023, court records show.

Coffey was indicted in March 2024 and pleaded not guilty, according to court records. He has been placed in a pre-trial intervention program and has been on unpaid leave since he was charged in November 2023.

Coffey did not have an attorney listed in federal court documents in November.

Bloomfield officials resumed their internal investigation in 2025 after Coffeys criminal proceedings closed, Shabazz said.

The township of Bloomfield takes seriously its responsibility to ensure a safe and respectful workplace for all employees, Mundell said in a statement on Nov. 18. There is absolutely no place for racist conduct or discrimination of any kind in the township or in any workplace in our community, and such behavior will be met with swift accountability.

Mundell said that Coffeys racial harassment was immediately reported to law enforcement in November 2023 and officials moved to terminate his employment with the fire department.

It was a despicable act what Coffey did because the noose is a symbol of racial terrorism, Larry Hamm, of Peoples Organization for Progress, said in November during a press conference announcing the federal lawsuit filed by Thomas.

Hamm also said that the Fire Chief, Lou Venezia, did not act swiftly enough and that the mayor at the time, Michael Venezia, must be held accountable.

I cant imagine the kind of trauma Thomas and his family have had to endure as a result of this incident, Hamm added.

The New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Gloucester County man was charged Thursday with impersonating a police officer after investigators said he used a gun and his wifes homeland security vehicle to help police officers conduct a property check.

Nicholas M. Cabral, 32, of Mantua Township, allegedly called Washington Township police shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday to report a door had been left open at a property under construction in the 200 block of Strand Avenue.

As an officer arrived, Cabral allegedly pulled up in a Dodge Charger with lights activated. The car was marked U.S. Department of Homeland Security, police said.

Cabral, who had a gold badge, identified himself as a Homeland Security police officer, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

He attempted to assist officers in clearing the residence while armed, holding a handgun, police said.

With his gun drawn, Cabral allegedly tried to help police clear this home in Gloucester County. Washington Township Police Department

Although he possessed a valid New Jersey permit to carry, a follow-up investigation confirmed he is not employed by Homeland Security, any federal law enforcement agency or police department, police said.

Further investigation revealed Cabral had been driving the vehicle while his wife was out of state on a duty assignment, police said.

Information collected by an automatic license plate recognition system system showed the vehicle had been driven with emergency lights activated. At one point the vehicle went to a Wendys Restaurant, police said.

Homeland Security officers responded to Gloucester County and seized the vehicle.

Cabral was charged on a warrant with a second-degree weapons offense and fourth-degree impersonation of a law enforcement officer.

He turned himself in to police on Thursday and was held at the Salem County Jail, officials said.

Public records show Cabral was previously licensed in California as a security guard and a security instructor. The license appears to have expired in 2017, public records show.

Attorney information for Cabral was not listed in court documents.
A tractor-trailer driver who was accused of causing a fatal accident on the New Jersey Turnpike  then laughing as he drove away  has pleaded guilty in the case.

Joseph M. Nyandwaro, 41, of Pearland, Texas, faces six years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office announced Friday.

Nyandwaro was driving northbound in Woolwich Township on June 22 when investigators said he rammed a tractor-trailer driven by Osman Aden, 40, of Minnesota.

The impact sent Adens truck into a concrete barrier and several trees, police said. Aden died of his injuries.

Video from inside the defendants truck showed Nyandwaro laughing after he intentionally rammed Adens vehicle, police said.

Witnesses claimed Nyandwaro repeatedly blocked Aden from passing him before the crash, according to prosecutors.

Witness accounts and dashboard camera video from the victims truck helped police identify the other vehicle involved in the crash, authorities said.

The company that owns the truck Nyandwaro was driving turned over videos from the vehicle, showing both the road ahead and the driver.

Nyandwaro did not stop at the crash scene and tried to conceal damage to his truck from the collision, investigators said.

The prosecution also said Nyandwaro initially lied to his employer about the incident, claiming he was not involved in the wreck and that his truck was not damaged.

A grand jury indicted Nyandwaro in September on second-degree charges of vehicular homicide, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and fourth-degree tampering with evidence.

Nyandwaro pleaded not guilty during a post-indictment arraignment hearing in October.

Under terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend that a judge sentence Nyandwaro to six years in prison with a requirement that he serve 85% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30.
An NJ Transit bus struck and killed a 66-year-old pedestrian on Tuesday in North Bergen.

Alan Harris was hit at about 6:30 a.m. near the corner of Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard East, the Hudson County Prosecutors Office said Friday.

The bus was on the No. 84 line, traveling from Jersey City to North Bergen when the crash occurred.

The driver stopped at the scene. Harris, of Hackensack, died of his injuries the following day at an area hospital.

The incident remains under investigation. NJ Transit declined to comment.
A Hunterdon County school board member stepped down a month before her term was set to end, following a prolonged controversy over allegations that she posted hate speech online in 2023.

Rebecca Petersen, who has served on Raritan Townships Hunterdon Central Regional High School District Board of Education for three years, announced her recusal from the remainder of her term at the Nov. 17 board meeting.

My time on this board has been mired in toxicity and bald hatred fomented by bad actors both within the district and in the public, Petersen said during the meeting.

People who placed their thirst for power and personal ideology above what is supposed to be the best interest of this district, she added.

Board President Lisa Santangelo declined to comment on the matter.

Petersen was accused of operating an anonymous X, formerly known as Twitter, account that posted transphobic tweets, including criticism of the high schools Womens History Month display featuring transgender icons Marsha P. Johnson and Laverne Cox.

The account, which has since been deleted, also included tweets that misgendered former United States Assistant Secretary of Health Rachel Levine.

I denied, and continue to deny, all the charges against me, Petersen said at the most recent board meeting. She said she was punished by the district leadership from 2023, who she claims did not have legal authority.

Petersen said that the School Ethics Commission has not yet released a final decision regarding an appeal that she filed.

She said a judge overseeing the appeal concluded there was no evidence connecting her to the allegations.

Petersen did not win re-election this year, despite seeking another term with the board.

NJ Advance Media was unable to reach Petersen for comment as her district email was no longer accepting messages.

Soon after the district announced its investigation into the social media account, Petersen filed an ethics complaint against the board president and vice president.

Petersen alleged their probe into the controversial account behind the posts was an unethical pursuit infringing on protected free speech.

Petersen said Dorothea Kellogg, who was vice president when the controversial X account was discovered, had previously called for her resignation.

While announcing her recusal, Petersen said Kellogg had previously attacked her character, accusing the former vice president of vilifying her during the controversy.

Kellogg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kelloggs current term will expire in December 2026, according to the board of educations website.

Have a good meeting, Petersen said before shutting off her microphone and leaving the high school auditorium.

The other board members acknowledged her recusal and continued with regular business. The board was set to discuss Petersens leave during a closed executive session.
A former New Jersey State Police trooper was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison for trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a minor in Freehold last summer, authorities said.

Shane H. Dempsey, 33, must serve at least two years before becoming eligible for parole, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.

Superior Court Judge Henry P. Butehorn also ordered Dempsey to register as a Megans Law sex offender and placed him on parole for life.

Dempsey was also barred for life from holding public employment in New Jersey.

Investigators said Dempsey attempted to solicit sexually explicit images and offered to pay money for sex to a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl he met on the social media app Whisper.

Dempsey actually had contacted a detective with the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office who had been monitoring the app in an undercover capacity, according to Santiago.

Dempsey had actually contacted a Monmouth County Prosecutors Office detective who was monitoring the app undercover, Santiago said.

Dempsey arrived for a meeting with the juvenile in his police-issued vehicle. He was subsequently taken into custody, Santiago said in a statement.

Santiago said the former trooper pleaded guilty on Aug. 4 to second-degree attempted sexual assault and third-degree official misconduct.

Dempseys attorney was out of the office Friday and unavailable for comment.
State officials say an osprey nest they authorized for removal from a radio tower in Allenhurst was inactive and that bald eagles seen in the area were unlikely to successfully use the nest for breeding.

A crane removed the nest and the tower antenna Wednesday morning from the site of two long-abandoned Jersey Central Power & Light buildings near Main and Hume streets, witnesses said.

The site is being prepped and cleared for the construction of 28 townhouses, according to Real Estate New Jersey.

A spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, said the nest didnt meet the definition of an active bald eagle nest even though two eagles had been perching near it.

State officials worked with the developer and issued a permit allowing the nest to be removed. The DEP said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed with its decision.

Officials added that the osprey nest had not been previously used by eagles and that eagles are not likely to successfully breed on an artificial structure.

Eagles typically nest in trees but may at times attempt to take over nests built by ospreys, which are far more likely to nest on artificial structures, the DEP said in a statement.

The cranes arrived around 10 a.m. and had finished the job by noon, according to the witness.

Removal of the nest now encourages them to nest in a more suitable location when the nesting period begins in earnest in January and February, the DEP said.

There are more than 800 pairs of nesting ospreys in New Jersey, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey said. Ospreys are no longer considered endangered.

Bald eagles are also not endangered in New Jersey or the U.S., according to the DEP.
A pedestrian died on Wednesday night after being struck by a car outside of a hospital in Morris County.

The person was hit at 5:55 p.m. on Pocono Road near St. Clares Denville Hospital, Morris County Prosecutors Office spokeswoman Megan Knab told NJ Advance Media.

The victim suffered serious injuries and was later pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said.

Authorities have not released the identity of the victim or the circumstances of the crash.

The driver remained on the scene and is cooperating with law enforcement. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
A New Jersey law that permits terminally ill people to seek life-ending drugs applies only to residents of the state and not those from beyond its borders, a federal appeals court ruled.

The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments challenging New Jerseys residency requirement while acknowledging how fraught end-of-life decisions can be. The court noted that not all states have adopted the same approach.

Death brings good things to an end, but rarely neatly, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote in the Friday opinion. Many terminally ill patients face a grim reality: imminent, painful death. Some may want to avert that suffering by enlisting a doctors help to end their own lives. New Jersey lets its residents make that choicebut only its residents.

In addition to New Jersey, the District of Columbia and 10 other states permit assisted suicide in terminal cases. The majority of states limit the option to its residents. Oregon and Vermont authorize it for everyone.

The case was brought by a Delaware woman with stage 4 lymphoma who wanted the option of doctor-assisted suicide and challenged the New Jersey residency requirement but died after oral arguments in the case. Delaware will begin to allow doctor-assisted suicide on Jan. 1.

A New Jersey doctor who sought to help patients like the Delaware woman also challenged the law. Initially, there were other plaintiffs, including a Pennsylvania woman who had metastatic breast cancer but who died before the appeal of a lower courts dismissal of the challenge, as well as another New Jersey doctor who has retired.

Dr. Paul Bryman, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement he was disappointed in the opinion.

Terminal patients outside New Jersey should have the option of medical aid in dying without having to travel long distances, he said.

Messages seeking comment Wednesday were left with attorneys for others challenging the law.

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation in 2019, saying that while his Catholic faith might lead him not to end his own life if he were terminally ill, he wouldnt deny the choice to others.

The law requires two doctors to sign off on a request and that the terminally ill patient be deemed an adult resident of New Jersey who can make such a decision, who voluntarily expresses a wish to die and who has a prognosis of six months or fewer to live.

It requires patients to request the medication twice and says they must be given a chance to rescind their decision. At least one of the requests must be in writing and signed by two witnesses.

At least one witness cannot be a relative, entitled to any portion of the persons estate, the owner of the health care facility where the patient is getting treatment or a worker there, or be the patients doctor.

Under the law, patients must administer the drug themselves, and their attending physician would be required to offer other treatment options, including palliative care.

A lower court dismissed the challengers complaint, reasoning that doctor-assisted suicide is not a fundamental privilege states must afford to non-residents.

The appeals court agreed.

In our federal system, states are free to experiment with policies as grave as letting doctors assist suicide. Other states are free to keep it a crime, the opinion said. This novel option does not appear to be a fundamental privilege, let alone a fundamental right, that states must accord visitors.
A 31-year-old New Jersey man admitted he robbed a U.S. Postal employee at a shopping center in Tampa, Florida.

Tajmir Wyles pleaded guilty to robbery of a postal mail carrier and possession or concealment of stolen property of the United States, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida said last week.

Wyles fought with the postal worker and took a master key while the federal employee was delivering mail on May 15, 2023.

Wyles was found with a binder of checks and the master key when he was arrested in Dallas in July 2023.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 25, according to court records.

Prosecutors in Florida didnt list Wyles hometown in court records.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday he pardoned Tina Peters, the former Colorado elections administrator convicted in a data breach scheme related to false claims about the 2020 election.

Trump lashed out at Democrats in his Truth Social post announcing his pardon of Peters, who is currently serving a 9-year prison sentence. This is just the latest controversial pardon Trump has issued in recent months.

Instead of protecting Americans and their Tax Dollars, Democrats chose instead to prosecute anyone they can find that wanted Safe and Secure Elections. Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the crime of demanding Honest Elections. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election! he added.

However, Trumps symbolic pardon of Peters will not release her from prison because she was convicted on state charges. State officials quickly rebuked Trump for his statement on pardoning Peters.

Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican District Attorney, and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws, including criminal impersonation. No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions. This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said in a statement.

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) quipped: Look! Felons helping felons.

And U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said: Tina Peters is rightfully in Colorado state prison. Trumps corrupt and political attempts at a pardon wont work here. Once again, if you cant do the time, dont do the crime.

Peters, the former Mesa County clerk, was convicted of allowing a man to misuse a security card to access the election system and being deceptive about that persons identity. The man was affiliated with MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell, a prominent promoter of false claims that voting machines were manipulated to steal the election from Trump.

The pardon underscores Trumps continued efforts to promote the idea that the 2020 election was stolen from him even though courts around the country and Trumps own attorney general at the time found no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome. Reviews, recounts and audits of the election in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss also affirmed Joe Bidens victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump just hit a new low on his handling of two major issues important to voters, according to a recent poll.

Trumps approval rating on the economy and immigration has plummeted since the start of his second term, according to the latest poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Trump heavily campaigned on both issues, vowing to lower prices for Americans and curtail illegal immigration in the U.S.

But the new poll showed Trump is underwater on these two issues.

The poll, released Thursday, showed that Trump has just a 31% approval rating on the economy. This is a stark drop from the start of his term, where he enjoyed a 40% approval rating on the issue. Just 69% of Republicans approve of how he is handling the economy, down from the 78% who said the same in March.

The poll also found Trump had a 38% approval rating on immigration, which used to be one of his strongest issues. This is an 11-point drop from the 49% who approved of how he was handling the issue in March.

Trump received low marks across six other issues, with border security emerging as his strongest policy in the new poll.

Border security: 50% approved and 49% disapproved

Crime: 43% approved and 55% disapproved

Trade negotiations with other countries: 37% approved and 61% disapproved

Foreign policy: 37% approved and 60% disapproved

Managing the federal government: 35% approved and 63% disapproved

Health care: 29% approve and 69% disapproved

Trumps overall approval rating remained low in the latest poll, with just 36% of Americans approving and 61% of Americans disapproving of how he was handling the job as president. A significant share of independent voters, 74%, said they disapproved of Trumps job as president.

The poll was conducted Dec. 4-8 among 1,146 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
A North Plainfield police captain is on leave after allegedly crashing an unmarked patrol car with an open container of alcohol while on duty, officials said Friday.

Capt. Edward Ciempola, a 39-year veteran of the department, was involved in an accident on Otto Road in Branchburg Township on July 21, according to court records and police officials.

Ciempola was issued two municipal court summonses on Aug. 19  nearly a month after the crash  for careless driving and for having an open container of alcohol or unsealed cannabis in a motor vehicle, court records show.

The captain, who is on paid administrative leave, is due to appear in Branchburg Township Municipal Court on Jan. 5.

His attorney, Michael Mitzner, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Ciempola has been on leave since the day of the crash, which occurred about 20 miles from the North Plainfield Police Department.

A police official said internal affairs investigators are trying to determine what Ciempola was doing in Branchburg while he was supposed to be on duty in his own jurisdiction.

Public records show Ciempola is a probationary captain who was recently promoted. He earns more than $173,000 a year.

Branchburg Township officials on Friday denied a NJ Advance Media Open Public Records Act request seeking body-worn camera video of the crash investigation, citing an ongoing investigation.

A spokesman for the Branchburg Police Department said he could not comment on the investigation.

Ciempola is the second veteran North Plainfield police officer to face legal troubles this year. David R. Canica, 50, who has worked for the department for 27 years, was charged last month with shoplifting from a supermarket in Hillsborough.
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter after he hit a motorcyclist with his SUV while eluding state police in Warren County last year, officials said.

Sean Mamakas, 34, of Kempton, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in October to first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree counts of reckless death by auto, eluding police with a risk of death, aggravated assault with bodily injury, and third-degree possession of a controlled substance, court records show.

Mamakas was driving eastbound on Interstate 80 on the morning of Aug. 13, 2024 when a state trooper tried to pull him over, officials said.

Mamakas continued driving and exited the highway onto County Road 521 heading south in Hope Township when he hit a motorcyclist traveling the same direction near Dogwood Road, according to officials.

Mamakas passed a car on the left in an oncoming lane of traffic before he merged back into the southbound lane and hit Michael J. Ceddia Jr., 76, of Hackettstown, officials said.

Ceddia was ejected from the motorcycle and died at the scene, officials said.

The Warren County Prosecutors Office handled the investigation, officials said.

The incident was also investigated by the Attorney Generals Office and a grand jury decided not to file charges against the state trooper involved in the incident.

This was a tragic accident for which Mr. Mamakas has taken full responsibility, his attorney Jennifer Toth told NJ Advance Media.

Today at sentencing, he expressed remorse to the victims family for the egregious decision he made that day. It is Mr. Mamakass sincere hope that his sentence will help bring closure to the family as they continue to navigate the grief that he has caused.
UPDATE: Winter weather alerts issued for 16 counties ahead of weekend snowstorm

The snow forecast for a quick-hitting winter storm this weekend has increased, with widespread totals of 1 to 4 inches now expected across New Jersey.

Snow is expected to start falling on Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning, followed by very cold temperatures and wind chills in the single digits, the National Weather Service said.

This may start as some light rain or a rain/snow mix south and east of I-95 before quickly changing to all snow, the weather service said. Snowfall intensity may increase for a time early Sunday morning.

Forecasters have increased the snowfall forecasts for a winter storm expected overnight into Sunday morning, with a widespread totals of 1 to 4 inches now expected. Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills will follow the storm on Sunday. AccuWeather

The steadiest snowfall is expected between midnight and sunrise Sunday.

Snow totals of 2 to 4 inches are forecast for areas along and south of Interstate 95, including the Jersey Shore and southern counties.

Northern and northwestern New Jersey should see 1 to 2 inches.

AccuWeathers snowfall forecast for New Jersey calls for 1 to 3 inches across the entire state.

Forecasters have increased the snowfall forecasts for a winter storm expected overnight into Sunday morning, with a widespread totals of 1 to 4 inches now expected. Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills will follow the storm on Sunday. AccuWeather

Some coastal areas may briefly see a wintry mix at the onset before changing to all snow.

Forecasters note the timing and snowfall totals could shift if the system speeds up or slows down.

Forecasters have increased the snowfall forecasts for a winter storm expected overnight into Sunday morning, with a widespread totals of 1 to 4 inches now expected. Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills will follow the storm on Sunday. National Weather Service

Snow should taper off from west to east Sunday morning through early afternoon as an Arctic front sweeps through.

Winds will increase Sunday afternoon with gusts of 25 to 30 mph creating areas of blowing snow and significantly reduced visibility, the weather service said.

Forecasters have increased the snowfall forecasts for a winter storm expected overnight into Sunday morning, with a widespread totals of 1 to 4 inches now expected. Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills will follow the storm on Sunday. National Weather Service and AccuWeather

Wind chills will drop into the single digits Sunday night, with some areas approaching zero degrees, especially in northern counties.

Dangerously cold temperatures are expected Sunday night into Monday morning, with lows in the teens across most of New Jersey and near 10 degrees in far northern areas.

The coldest time frame is Sunday night through Monday night, the weather service said.

High temperatures Monday will remain below freezing for nearly the entire state.

Gusty winds of 20 to 25 mph will continue Monday making it feel even colder.

Forecasters have increased the snowfall forecasts for a winter storm expected overnight into Sunday morning, with a widespread totals of 1 to 4 inches now expected. Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills will follow the storm on Sunday. National Weather Service

Conditions begin to moderate Tuesday, though it will remain cold with lighter winds.

Wednesday will continue the gradual increase in temperatures, though theyll remain below normal.

A significant pattern change arrives Thursday, with much milder air pushing temperatures into the 50s across much of New Jersey.

Rain is possible Thursday, mainly in the afternoon and evening.

Current weather radar
Reunification the only direction for Taiwan's future: mainland spokesperson

Xinhua) 08:11, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Reunification is the only direction for Taiwan's future, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Thursday.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to a media query about Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's recent media interview.

Chen said Lai is once again peddling the narratives of seeking "Taiwan independence" through military buildup and soliciting foreign support, attempting to mislead the people of Taiwan and distort international public opinion.

Such remarks once again expose Lai's obstinate pro-independence nature and reveal his true role as a "saboteur of peace," "creator of crises," and "instigator of war," Chen said.

Since taking office, Lai has clung stubbornly to his "Taiwan independence" stance, aggressively promoting separatist fallacies and constantly inciting cross-Strait confrontation, pushing Taiwan toward the perilous brink of conflict, he said.

Lai is the instigator of escalating cross-Strait tensions and the primary source of division within Taiwan society, he added.

Chen stressed that peace is the shared aspiration of people on both sides of the Strait, and reunification is the only direction for Taiwan's future.

"We are committed to creating broad space for peaceful reunification," he said, "but will leave no room for any form of 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities."

Chen expressed the hope that the people of Taiwan would clearly recognize the severe dangers and detrimental consequences of the Lai Ching-te authorities' pursuit of a separatist agenda, firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" and external interference.

He also expressed the hope that the people of Taiwan would work with the mainland to safeguard peace and stability across the Strait, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and jointly create a bright future for national reunification and rejuvenation.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Light snow this evening will give way to snow showers late. Low 11F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%..

Tonight

Light snow this evening will give way to snow showers late. Low 11F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Mostly cloudy with snow flurries and snow showers, especially overnight. Low 12F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with snow flurries and snow showers, especially overnight. Low 12F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%.
News / News

by Stephen Jakes

Police on Tuesday 19 July 2016 arrested and charged former opposition legislator Blessing Chebundo and four other residents for allegedly participating in a protest held last week to highlight the countryas deepening political and economic crisis.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said the five, who include Chebundo, Sekai Marashe, Tendai Kokera, Shadreck Tobaiwa and Moses Mashazhu were arrested on Saturday 16 July 2016 in Kwekwe, in Midlands province and charged with public violence as defined in Section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act."Chebundo and the four residents, who are represented by Reginald Chidawanyika of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, are scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday 20 July 2016," ZLHR said."The arrest of the five residents comes days after police officers first apprehended four other residents including Kwekwe City Council Deputy Mayor Aaron Sithole, Councillor Weston Masiya, Tendai Virimai and Simon Machisvo on Saturday 16 July 2016 and charged them with public violence in contravention of Section 36 (1) (a) (b) (2) (3) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act."However, Machisvo was released by police officers citing lack of enough evidence to link him to the alleged offence.In court prosecutors claimed that the trio of Sithole, Masiya and Virimai, who were represented by Chidawanyika together with some unidentified people, who are reportedly still at large, disturbed the peace, security or order of the public or any section of the public and invaded the rights of other people by stoning a police vehicle, whose registration number is ZRP 424X and Plate Glass (PG) Hardware intending such disturbance or invasion and realising that there was a real risk or possibility that such disturbance or invasion may occur.Although, prosecutors opposed the application for bail filed by Chidawanyika, Magistrate Taurai Manwere proceeded to release Sithole, Masiya and Virimai on $200 bail each and ordered the trio to report once every Friday at Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Kwekweas CID Law and Order Section and ZRPas Gweruas CID Law and Order Section until the matter is finalised.Magistrate Manwere ordered Sithole, Masiya and Virimai to reside at their given residential addresses until the matter is finalized and remanded them out of custody for trial on 15 August 2016.
Opinion / Music

So, Mujuru has apologized for insulting Father Zimbabwe? No, wait a bit; Mujuru, according to the news, came short of apologizing. Uphose waxolisa a but the Zanu pride and arrogance stopped her right there! Then she hastened to blame us for being 'misled and hoodwinked' by the papers. But, if I remember well, these were the same papers who celebrated Mujuru calling Joshua Nkomo a 'senile old man', just as they celebrated the massacre, in cold blood, of tens of thousands of Ndebele people by Zanu. Even if she had apologized, it would have been, as they say, too little too late! Well, that is not the issue here, because no one expects Zanu to apologize for all the deliberate omissions and commissions against the people of Matabeleland ever!June 16 here, I observed, is a truly national holiday. I saw a number of different party representatives placing wreaths on the grave of the most famous of the youth that were mauled down by apartheid police in 1976 a Petersen something. It demonstrated that we might have different views on how to run our different parties but we have a common purpose and destiny as a nation. And that is the inalienable truth! I have also seen the official opposition, the DA, use Nelson Mandela in their quest for votes.It brings forth the question whether the South Africans are living to the ideals that Mandela fought for? Mandela is not a property of the ANC; he transcends beyond tribal and party politics. He represents the dreams of the young and the old, rich and the poor, the good and the bad, and that of the oppressed and the downtrodden of this world. The ANC does not hoodwink potential voters using posters of Mandela. They place the current president's head on all posters as they canvass for votes. They know, of course, that Mandela is history and he must not be invoked to fight the battles the living. He did his bit; it is our duty to preserve whatever legacy he left, and build on it while we still can. And, incidentally, it is his ideals that still keep the present ANC leadership under so much pressure as the populace keep reminding them, this is not Mandela fought for.Meanwhile, across the border you know there is an election pending when the ruling party, which owns everything national, invokes Nkomo's name. They have found it so enjoyable not only to abuse Nkomo all his life but to continue to abuse him from his grave, something I personally find not only annoying but also disgusting! To quote Mujuru, I am sorry that my people are 'hoodwinked and misled' in the name of their most beloved Hero.Zanu has claimed sole ownership of all things national; be it the national anthem, national army, national police, heroes' acre, national holidays and national heroes. For instance, what is the common man's first reaction when a soldier appears or when they see a policeman? And, what do you think would happen if any of the opposition parties painted Nkomo's picture in any of their campaign material, or flighted the same on TV? What would happen if any opposition party held a rally at the heroes' acre a yes, because those heroes fought to liberate all Zimbabweans, and not just one party? Yes, during the war of liberation, we all suffered, fleeing the enemy and supporting the freedom fighters the best we could. It was not just Zanu people that suffered.Nkomo was aware of that a hence he fought the urge to be selfish and tribal and encouraged every Zimbabwean to be empowered economically, regardless of tribe, party allegiance or religious beliefs. Every citizen deserved a chance, according to him. If I may ask, is it the same mentality that prevails in Zanu then and now? How do they justify their use of a man whose dreams and ideals they are still so opposed to? Ok, after hoodwinking us to vote for them in the name of Nkomo, what do they do for us, as Nkomo's supporters, to honuor him? One can't even erect a statue in honuor of Nkomo anywhere without these people's approval. As people that lost our loved ones during the Gukurawundi insanity, are we allowed commemorate this fateful event? I know Nkomo would love to see us do this. But people like Mujuru and her Zanu would never allow it. If you look around the Matabeleland region, do you think this neglect, poverty, abuse, dilapidation a is what Nkomo had in mind about his people? Is this not perpetuating the many, some unprintable, insults that they threw at him every day of his political life? If Mujuru, as she claims now, regarded Nkomo as her father, what did she do to stop her party from hounding Nkomo and his supporters? Nkomo is her father now because she needs votes so desperately? And, as you shall see, she will talk about Nkomo just like they have done in zanu since Nkomo death. Nkomo this Nkomo that Nkomo the other! Nonsense!And to all of you Matabele a please stop helping these people insult your beloved leader. Bebengamthandi ephila, and lamanje abamthandi, they are just using him to 'hoodwink' you. If you want to vote for Zanu, please do so from your own free will, not because Nkomo this or Nkomo that. In other words, let us stop doing things under the pretext of doing it for Nkomo. We are abusing our hero and his legacy. Nkomo, may his brave, national soul rest in eternal peace, died almost a dozen years ago. He is a coward who expects a dead man to fight his own battles! Banjalo lababantu. They know they can never win any vote in Matabeleland without the help from Nkomo. We still hold him in awe and wouldn't want to disappoint him a Zanu has taken advantage of this and they know it.Uyaphika? Why bengakhulumi ngo Tongogara or any of their other leaders ema Ndebeleni? Further, Ndebele people are so loyal to their kings, past and present. So if a stranger shouts the name of any of their kings, the Ndebele will shake his hand, give him a chair, offer him meat and beer, and accept him as one of their own. Our loyalty and allegiance is being taken advantage of, and for granted afterwards. I know, we are so desperate to see Zanu gone but we should learn to shun anyone who holds the name of Joshua Nkomo in vain!Ngiyabonga mina!
People living in some of Exeters hundreds of new homes are facing poor service and rocketing costs for the basic maintenance of their roads and parks.

Now Exeter City Council has pledged to get tough with rogue developers who leave roads unfinished and parks untended.

Cllr Mollie Miller-Boam (Lab, Pinhoe) said homeowners were faced with a broken system that was costing them, in some cases, thousands of pounds a year.

The full council voted unanimously to beef up the planning system to force developers to keep their promises and to be transparent about their charges.

Cllr Miller-Boam went on: We have seen far too many residents being let down by these companies with poor service, rising charges, and very few options to hold anyone to account.

Problems range from simple things such as grass not being mowed regularly to residents being billed thousands of pounds a year for services like dog waste bins or facing sudden and unexplained price hikes.

She said all too often the costs were not made clear to residents when they bought their homes, and even when bills arrived, many people had no idea where the money was being spent.

Stronger policies were needed at national level, she said, praising work done on the issue by Exeters Labour MP Steve Race.

Cllr Josie Parkhouse (Lab, Pennsylvania) said her ward had a park owned by a development company which was poorly maintained and where the lighting hadnt worked for years, and Cllr Paul Knott (Lab, Exwick) had a similar story.

He said on one road in Exwick the ironworks were sticking up an average of 15cm above the road surface, and had been for two and a half years, during which time the service charges had increased four times. Some people were paying more in service charges than they were in council tax.

Cllr Ruth Williams (Lab, Mincinglake and Whipton) said the current system was fundamentally unfair, while Cllr Liz Pole (Lab, Mincinclake and Whipton) said it was a prime example of the privatisation of profit and the socialisation of losses.

The motion was proposed by Cllr Duncan Wood (Lab, Pinhoe). He told the meeting: This is about fairness, clarity and long-term security for residents.

More and more people are buying homes on new developments where roads, green spaces and play areas are maintained by private management companies rather than the relevant council.

Many residents only discover this after they move in, when they are faced with rising charges, poor service, and very limited ways to challenge the decisions that affect their daily lives.
Campaigners trying to save their village church from demolition have been awarded a 13,500 heritage grant.

Saving St Petrocs Petrockstowe (SSPP) says the money from the Architectural Heritage Fund is a significant step forward in protecting the grade II listed church which was closed for services two years ago after it fell into disrepair.

The group wants to restore the building and develop it into a heritage skills and culture hub and the viability grant will pay for a business plan to be created.

Members of the group have a crucial meeting with the Diocese of Exeter and the Church Commissioners on December 22 to decide the way forward.

READ NEXT: Community effort underway to turn disused Torridge parish church into education hub

The church was due to be demolished or sold after it was considered by the parochial church council to no longer be sustainable.

Congregation numbers had fallen and work to make the structure watertight was estimated at 400,000.

But a public meeting chaired by Torridge and Tavistock Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox last year showed the strength of feeling in the village for keeping the church as a community building

The diocese agreed to extend their deadline by several months for the community to come up with a viable project plan.

Chair of SSPP and Devon County Council cabinet member for rural affairs Cheryl Cottle-Hunkinsaid the group was delighted by the grant support: St Petrocs is a jewel of our rural heritagebeautiful, historic, and deeply meaningful to generations of families in Petrockstowe.

This grant gives us the momentum we need to secure its future as a vibrant, community-led space.

We face real challenges in this part of Devon. Lack of transport, low wages and limited access to specialist training all impact opportunities for local people.

By transforming St Petrocs into a working heritage skills hub, we are not only preserving a treasured building, we are raising aspirations, improving access to education, and helping people develop the higher-level skills that lead to better-paid and more secure employment.

This will be a project where learners gain experience on a real, live restoration - something no classroom can replicate. Its an investment in our heritage, our young people, and the future prosperity of rural Devon.

Malcolm Busby, chairman of Petrockstowe Parish Council, said a great deal of hard work had been put in by SSPP: This will allow them to move forward with their vision of conserving the church building of St Petrocs for future generations, while also building a heritage crafts, skills and culture hub. This is not only good news for Petrockstowe but the wider community of Devon.

Local heritage advisor Emily Wapshott said it was heartening to see the enormously uplifting ambitions of the working group being recognised by this prestigious national funder.

She added: This project has the potential to both enrich the life of the village and contribute positively to regeneration in the local area. The aims of training people in the specialist conservation construction skills so desperately needed across Torridge and West Devon - and bringing such a venue to this rural area - will improve access to education to a far broader demographic, where travel is often a barrier to upskilling.

READ NEXT: Full plans revealed for renovation of iconic Westward Ho! haunted house
After almost 20 years Petroc will once again be known as North Devon College as the planned merger with Exeter College was officially confirmed today (Friday, December 12).

The two colleges will formally merge on January 5 to create the Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group, following approval by both boards of governors.

It was in August 2008 when the then North Devon College merged with East Devon College and was rebranded as Petroc.

READ NEXT: North Devon to see 800 more students following college merger

This move will create one of the largest place-based college groups in the country. The group will offer education opportunities to more than 16,000 learners, employ nearly 2,000 staff and generate an annual turnover of more than 100million.

A statement today said both colleges unique identities and local presence would be preserved.

It said it was a major milestone for education in North Devon, strengthening local provision and securing long-term opportunities for young people, adults and employers across the area.

The colleges said a full public consultation had strong engagement and overwhelmingly positive feedback from students, parents, staff, employers, schools and community partners.

There will be no immediate change for all current students at both colleges following the merger and they will continue their studies at their existing campuses as normal.

The group will also develop a dedicated Centre for Progression in Tiverton, building on the work already happening on site. This will support young people with additional needs and those who need a different experience to re-engage with education.

John Laramy CBE, principal and CEO of Exeter College, will become group principal and CEO of the Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group.

Jade Otty, deputy CEO of Exeter College, will become group deputy CEO and also take on the role of senior leader at North Devon College.

Mr Laramy said: We are delighted to conrm the merger has been approved and in January, Exeter College and Petroc College will combine and ofcially become one of the very best tertiary college groups in the country.

This is an exciting moment for everyone at Exeter College, Petroc College and for the whole of Devon.

By establishing Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group, we can enhance opportunities for learners, offer more access to exceptional education and skills training and provide greater sustainability for staff, all while reecting our shared commitment to excellence, inclusivity and community.

I am absolutely thrilled by the combined opportunity we have to create a college group with the capacity, capability and ambition to deliver the very best for our region.

READ NEXT: Award for the name Petroc

Pat Denham OBE, chair of the Petroc board of governors, who will join the board of the new group, added: By becoming North Devon College and joining forces with Exeter College, we are securing greater opportunities, broader expertise and a stronger future for the region.

Our focus has always been on doing whats best for North Devon and this merger will enable us to deliver even more for the people we serve.

Professor Adam Watt, chair of the joint board, said: This merger will deliver positives for all aspects of the communities the Colleges serve, from offering greater choice and improved access to specialist facilities, to providing employers with a single, strong partner that responds to local skills needs.

Most importantly, it keeps high-quality education in the community, with both Colleges combining to deliver the scale, capability and resilience that come from being part of a larger group. The merger is a hugely exciting prospect for the region.
Heres what youll learn when you read this story:

A Sudan desert burial site contained two clay vessels, one with the remains of a campfire.

The campfire was probably part of a funeral ritual, and the remainswhich likely held the scraps of a funeral feastwere purposely placed inside the vessel for burial.

The discovery serves as an intriguing look into burial traditions from the Kerma Culture around 2000 B.C.E.

A man who died roughly 4,000 years ago in the Sudanese desert could not have known for sure how he would be mourned after his passing. But thanks to a new archaeological discovery, we know he at least received funerary rites. Whats more, we even know what was eaten at his funeral feast.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

In a new study published in Anzania: Archaeological Research in Africa, a team of researchers describe how they investigated a 2018 grave discovered in the Bayuda Desert in Sudan, which contained two clay vessels alongside the deceased male. One of the vessels was upright, the other upside down.

While the upside-down vessel was empty, the one placed upright was full. This may constitute an element of the funeral rites, the authors wrote. One of the vessels contained charred plant remains (diaspores, wood), animal bone fragments, coprolites [fossilized feces], and insect fragments. These were probably the remains of a campfire, which was an important element of the funeral ritual, intentionally placed inside the vessel.

What purpose did that campfire serve in this ritual? Well, the researchers think it was likely part of a funeral feast. Since the vessel does not show any signs of having been burned, these remains, along with the remains of animal bones found, were probably simply inserted into it, the authors wrote. The bones in question are likely evidence of consumption during a funeral feast, some of the remains from which were then thrown into the fire.

Finding a 4,000-year-old feastfunerary or otherwiseisnt a common occurrence. We do not know of a similar case, Henryk Paner, study co-author and archaeologist at the Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, told Live Science, and this is precisely what makes our discovery mysterious and even unusual, as we do not know the significance of this ritual.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The research team linked the grave to the Kerma Culture, and dated it to the early phase of the Old Kush II period, between 2050 B.C.E. and 1750 B.C.E. The Kingdom of Kerma was a notable Nubian state that sat alongside (and was eventually absorbed by) Egypt.

The burial mound is not particularly impressive, and the grave goods, including beads and ceramic vessels, are quite common, Paner said. Along with the two vessels, archaeologists discovered 82 blue-glazed ceramic beads around the deceased mans neck. While nothing appeared unique, the contents of one of the vessels are unusual, Paner said, and added that the remains are potentially relics of the fire associated with a funeral ritual.

Digging into the campfire remains, the team found remnants of legumes and cereal grains. The wood was from acacia trees, and the insects were weevilslikely unplanned passengers that stowed away on the plants brought to the funeral ritual.

Exploring the feasts leftovers does more than give a picture of funeral practicesit shows an environmental snapshot of the area roughly 4,000 years ago. The botanical remains, the authors wrote, provide evidence of a savanna-style setting far different from the open desert the site now sits in.

You Might Also Like
The U.S. military

is broken. Young

Americans want

to fix it. Bailey Baumbick traded a

career as a national security

consultant to build tech

solutions

for the challenges

she saw at the Pentagon. Elias Rosenfeld left a job

in social

impact consulting

to start a career aimed



at revitalizing Americas

industrial base. Lee Kantowski spent

eight years in the

Army before

switching to defense tech,

where

he hopes to fix the

militarys outdated tools. Opinion The Editorial Board America Needs



a New



Definition of



Service

Bailey Baumbick knew she wanted to serve her country when she graduated from Notre Dame in 2021. Ms. Baumbick, a 26-year-old from Novi, Mich., didnt enlist in the military, however. She enrolled in business school at the University of California, Berkeley.

Ms. Baumbick is part of a growing community in the Bay Area that aims to bring high-tech dynamism to the lumbering world of the military. As social media companies and countless lifestyle start-ups have lost their luster in recent years, entrepreneurs have been drawn to defense tech by a mix of motivations: an influx of venture capital, a coolness factor and the start-up ethos, which Ms. Baumbick describes as the relentless pursuit of building things.

Theres also something deeper: old-fashioned patriotism, matched with a career that serves a greater purpose.

In college Ms. Baumbick watched her father, a Ford Motor Company executive, lead the companys sprint to produce Covid-19 ventilators and personal protective equipment for front-line health care workers. Ive never been more inspired by how private sector industry can have so much impact for public sector good, she said.

Fords interventions during the Covid-19 pandemic hark back to a time when public-private partnerships were commonplace. During World War II, leaders of Americas biggest companies, including Ford, halted business as usual to manufacture weapons for the war effort.

The Covid-19 pandemic drove public-private partnerships, such as Fords decision to produce ventilators needed by patients and hospitals.

For much of the 20th century, the private and public sectors were tightly woven together. In 1980, nearly one in five Americans were veterans. By 2022, that figure had shrunk to one in 16. Through the 1980s, about 70 percent of the companies doing business with the Pentagon were also leaders in the broader U.S. economy. Thats down to less than 10 percent today. The shift away from widespread American participation in national security has left the Department of Defense isolated from two of the countrys great assets: its entrepreneurial spirit and technological expertise.

Recent changes in Silicon Valley are bringing down those walls. Venture capital is pouring money into defense tech; annual investment is up from $7 billion in 2015 to some $80 billion in 2025. The Pentagon needs to seize this opportunity, and find ways to accelerate its work with start-ups and skilled workers from the private sector. It should expand the definition of what it means to serve and provide more flexible options to those willing to step in.

The military will always need physically fit service members. But we are headed toward a future where software will play a bigger role in armed conflict than hardware, from unmanned drones and A.I.-driven targeting to highly engineered cyber weapons and space-based systems. These missions will be carried out by service members in temperature-controlled rooms rather than well armed troops braving the physical challenges of the front line.

For all the latent opportunity in Silicon Valley and beyond, the Trump administration has been uneven in embracing the moment. Stephen Feinberg, the deputy secretary of defense, is a Wall Street billionaire who is expanding the Pentagons ties with businesses. Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, his warrior ethos and exclusionary recruitment have set back the effort to build a military for the future of war.

America has the chance to reshape our armed forces for the conflicts ahead, and we have the rare good fortune of being able to do that in peacetime.

Elias Rosenfeld had been at Stanford for only a month and a half, but he already looked right at home at a recent job fair for students interested in pursuing defense tech, standing in a relaxed posture, wearing beaded bracelets and a sweater adorned with a single sunflower. Rather than use his time in Stanfords prestigious business school to build a fintech app or wellness brand, Mr. Rosenfeld has set his sights on helping to rebuild the industrial base on which Americas military relies.

Its a crucial mission for a country that is getting outbuilt by China, and Mr. Rosenfeld brings a unique commitment to it. Born in Venezuela, he came to the United States at age 6 and draws his patriotism from that countrys experience with tyranny and his Jewish heritage. Without a strong, resilient America, I might not be here today, Mr. Rosenfeld says. Working on industrial renewal, he says, is a way to start delivering as a country so folks feel more inclined and passionate to be more patriotic.

Not on Mr. Rosenfelds agenda: enlisting in the military. In an earlier era, he might have been tempted by a wider suite of options for service. In 1955 the U.S. government nearly doubled the maximum size of the militarys ready reserve forces, from 1.5 million to 2.9 million, in part by giving young men the chance to spend six months in active duty training. Today the U.S. ready reserve numbers just over a million.

The Pentagon should broaden its sense of service as fewer younger Americans meet the militarys eligibility requirements.

Other countries provide a model for strengthening the reserves. In Sweden, the military selects the top 5 percent or so of 18-year-olds eligible to serve in the active military for up to 15 months, followed by membership in the reserve for 10 years. The model is so effective that recruits compete for spots, and according to The Wall Street Journal, former conscripts are headhunted by the civil service and prized by tech companies.

Americas leaders have argued for a generation that the militarys volunteer model is superior to conscription in delivering a well-prepared force. The challenge is maintaining recruiting and getting the right service members for every mission. There are some examples of the Pentagon successfully luring new, tech-savvy recruits. Since last year, top college students have been training to meet the governments growing need for skilled cybersecurity professionals. The Cyber Service Academy, a scholarship-for-service program, covers the full cost of tuition and educational expenses in exchange for a period of civilian employment within the Defense Department upon graduation. Scholars work in full-time, cyber-related positions.

The best incentive for enlisting may have nothing to do with service, but the career opportunities that are promised after.

It was a foregone conclusion that Lee Kantowski would become an Army officer. One of his favorite high school teachers had served, and his hometown, Lawton, Okla., was a military town, a place where enlisting was commonplace. Mr. Kantowski attended West Point and, in the eight years after graduating, went on tours across the world. Now hes getting an M.B.A. at U.C. Berkeley, co-founded a defense tech club with Ms. Baumbick there and works part-time at a start-up building guidance devices that turn dumb bombs into smart ones.

The military needs recruits like Mr. Kantowski who want to support defense in and out of uniform. Already, nearly one million people who work for the Department of Defense are civilians, supplemented by a similar number of contractors who straddle public and private sectors. Both paths could be expanded.

A rotating-door approach carries some risk to military cohesion and readiness. The armed services are not just another job: Soldiers are asked to put themselves in dangers way, even outside combat zones. America still needs men and women who are willing to sign up for traditional tours of duty.

The Reserve Officers Training Corps serves as the largest source of commissioned officers for the U.S. military. For more than five decades, R.O.T.C. has paid for students to pursue degree programs  accompanied by military drills and exercises  and then complete three to 10 years of required service after graduation. In 1960 alone, Stanford and M.I.T. each graduated about 100 R.O.T.C. members. Today, that figure is less than 20 combined. The Army has recently closed or reorganized programs at 84 campuses and may cut funding over the next decade.

R.O.T.C. programs should be strengthened and expanded, not closed or merged.

It remains true that the volunteer force has become a jobs program for many Americans looking for a ladder to prosperity. Its an aspect of service often more compelling to enlistees than the desire to fight for their country. In the era of artificial intelligence and expected job displacement, enlistment could easily grow.

Most military benefits have never been more appealing, with signing and retention bonuses, tax-free housing and food allowances, subsidized mortgages, low-cost health care, universal pre-K, tuition assistance and pensions. The Department of Defense and Congress need to find ways to bolster these benefits and their delivery, where service members often find gaps.

Standardizing post-service counseling and mentorship could help. Expanding job training programs like Skillbridge, which pairs transitioning service members with private sector internships, could also improve job prospects. JPMorgan has hired some 20,000 veterans across the country since creating an Office of Military & Veterans Affairs in 2011; it has also helped create a coalition of 300 companies dedicated to hiring vets.

When veterans land in promising companies  or start their own  its not just good for them. Its also good for America. Rylan Hamilton and Austin Gray, two Navy veterans, started Blue Water Autonomy last year with the goal of building long-range drone ships that could help the military expand its maritime presence without the costs, risks and labor demands of deploying American sailors.

Blue Water Autonomy, founded and staffed by Navy veterans, is building fully autonomous naval vessels capable of operating at sea for months at a time.

Mr. Gray, a former naval intelligence officer who worked in a drone factory in Ukraine, said Blue Waters vessels will one day do everything from ferrying cargo to carrying out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. This summer, the company raised $50 million to construct a fully autonomous ship stretching 150 feet long.

Before dawn on a Wednesday morning in October, military packs filled with supplies and American flags sat piled on a dewy field near the edge of Stanford Universitys campus. Some of the over 900 attendees at a conference on defense tech gathered around an active-duty soldier studying at the school. The glare of his head lamp broke through the darkness as he rallied the group of students, founders, veterans and investors for a sweat equity workout.

Somewhere, a platoon worked out at 0630 to start their day, he said. This conference is all about supporting folks like them, so we are going to start our day the same way. The group set off for Memorial Church at the center of campus, sharing the load of heavy packs, flags and equipment along the way.

A group of students, founders, veterans and investors participate in a run during a defense tech conference at Stanford University.

That attitude is a big change for the Bay Area, not just from the days of 1960s hippie sit-ins but also from the early days of the tech revolution, when Silicon Valley was seen as a bastion of government-wary coders and peaceniks. Now its open for business with the Defense Department. The excitement is there, the concern is there, the passion is there and the knowledge is there, says Ms. Baumbick.

There are some risks to tying Americas military more closely to the tech-heavy private sector. Companies dont always act in the countrys national interest. Elon Musk infamously limited the Ukrainian militarys access to its Starlink satellites, preventing them being used to help in a battle with Russian forces in 2022. Private companies are also easier for adversaries to penetrate and influence than the government.

Yet in order to prevent wars, or win them, we must learn to manage the risks of overlap between civilian and military spheres. The private sectors newly rekindled interest in the world of defense is a generational chance to build the military that Americans need.
German automaker Porsche stopped deliveries and suspended its commercial operations in Russia in 2022, after the countrys invasion of Ukraine, but its cars remain some of the most popular among Russian motorists. That might soon change, however, as a considerable number of these expensive vehicles have recently shut down, for no apparent reason.

At the end of November, Russian media began reporting on a large number of Porsche cars across the country, from Moscow to Krasnodar, refusing to turn on. Some owners parked their cars in front of their homes only to discover the following morning that they had become expensive decorative pieces, while others stopped for quick errands to find that their vehicles wouldnt start.

Rolf, Russias largest dealership group, reported a spike in the number of service requests from Porsche owners, as their vehicles mysteriously shut down and refused to start up again. A quick diagnostic revealed that the mass shutdown was linked to the cars built-in Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), which communicates with satellites to track the vehicles location.

Something or someone severed the connection between the cars VTS units and Porsches satellites, which activated the engine immobilizer and turned the cars into giant paperweights. The problem affects all Porsche models and engine types equipped with VTS units, which basically means every Porsche produced after 2013.

Currently, there is no connection for all models and types of internal combustion engines, Rolfs service director Yulia Trushkova told Russian news outlet RBC. Any vehicle can be blocked. Currently, the blocking can be bypassed by resetting the factory alarm unit and disassembling it. We are continuing to investigate the issue and the mechanics options for unlocking the vehicles.

Rolf said that the satellite connection could have been severed deliberately or accidentally, but so far, there is only speculation. Porsche has yet to shine a light on this issue, and no hacker group has claimed responsibility for the mass shutdown.

As they wait for answers that may never come, Porsche owners are forced to look for solutions outside of official channels. Some reported that disassembling the VTS completely brought their cars back from the dead, while others said that resetting the unit by disconnecting the battery for ten hours or more worked.
Mariana Mijailovic posed as a shaman to defraud her victims, working with her 19-year-old daughter, Anna, to convince them to part with their jewelry because it was cursed and only brought them misfortune. The two would look for wealthy women on the streets of Munich, in Germany, and Vienna, in Austria, selling them stories about how they could get rid of the evil spirits in their precious jewelry, for a fee.

Prosecutors showed how Mijailovic and her daughter terrorized their victims with visions of their loved ones suffering from serious illnesses or dying in tragic accidents, promising that all of this could be prevented if the jewelry was cleansed in shamanic rituals that only they could perform.

Once Mariana and Anna got their hands on the jewelry and the money required to perform their shamanic rituals, they cut all contact with the victims. According to documents presented by Austrian prosecutors, the pair defrauded at least 19 victims in Germany and Austria over a period of 10 years.

According to The Telegraph, one victim paid Mijailovic over $673,734 after believing she was possessed by demons, and another woman paid $65,762 hoping her cancer would disappear. She sadly died of her illness. they Authorities believe they obtained more than $11 million from their victims in total.

After gathering enough proof about the shamans, Austrian police raided the Mijailovic residence in Vienna, arresting Anna, Marianas 48-year-old husband, and her 29-year-old son. The matriarch of the family is still on the run.

When raiding the family residence, police found 25 kilograms of gold bars, watches, wedding rings, and bundles of Swiss and American banknotes, as well as a fleet of 14 cars. However, the court ruled that the shamans only had to pay a little over $2 million, because prosecutors couldnt prove that it was all obtained fraudulently. Their lawyers claimed that it came from gifts, inheritances and real estate.
Miller Strategies, the well-connected Republican firm, has inked a $1.5M one-year consulting contract from Emirates Global Aluminum, the biggest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas sector.

The firm will conduct research and execute oral, written or electronic communication with contacts related to administrative and legislative matters.

The contract went into effect on Sept. 30 as the firm had a meeting with Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to discuss tariffs and international trade matters.

Miller served as finance chair of the 60th presidential inauguration of Donald Trump and VP J.D. Vance. He was also a political advisor for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Miller Strategies contract with EGA remains in effect as long as Miller is the lead point of contact on the business.

The firm has represented Dow Chemical, Occidental Petroleum, Apple, Energy Transfer Partner and Oracle.

EGA is owned by Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi and Investment Corporation of Dubai.
Last month we featured footage of an enormous, dinosaur-like shoebill that had landed on a tour boat in Uganda and was photographed in a way that made the striking bird appear even larger.

We were all shocked to see such a moment, Innocent the Guide, of Mabamba Trips, told FTW Outdoors. Its rare, once in a lifetime.

Shoebill stares down snake before striking.

While the footage showcased the shoebills size and prehistoric-looking appearance  they can stand 5 feet and boast 8-foot wingspans  it did not reveal the shoebills cunning predatory technique.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

ALSO: Webcam footage reveals mysterious objects in sky over California

More recently, I discovered the accompanying footage, which shows a Mabamba Swamp shoebill stalking, striking and gobbling a snake as though it were a mere worm. The footage was shared in September by Wild Uganda, with Mabamba Trips as a collaborator.

The description: The shoebill doesnt chase its prey  it waits like a statue. With deadly patience, it locks eyes on fish, baby crocodiles, or even snakes! Then in a flash it strikes with its massive beak  sometimes decapitating prey instantly."

Shoebills are listed as "vulnerable" throughout their range in tropical central-eastern Africa, with threats that include habitat loss, illegal pet trade, and general disturbance.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The overall population is fewer than 8,000, so places such as Mabamba Swamp attract birders from around the world.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Dinosaur-like shoebill bird stalks, devours snake in Uganda swamp
Not a Subscriber? Join O'Dwyer's & Get RFP Access Stop wasting time tracking down RFPs. O'Dwyer's connects you with organizations looking for PR firms & services. Get new business with O'Dwyer's! Join O'Dwyer's
Jody Sowa

Bastion appoints Jody Sowa as managing director, public relations in the United States, strengthening the companys growing presence in Los Angeles and New York. Sowa was most recently SVP of media relations at We Are Social / The Narrative Group, working with such clients as the LA Rams, McDonalds, Primal Kitchen, The Venetian Resort, Blaze Pizza and CCRM Fertility. She has also served as VP communications at sport and lifestyle marketing firm Stanton & Company and managed PR for the New York Rangers. Jody brings a rare mix of strategic insight, creativity cultural fluency along with expertise in traditional communications, said Bastion US CEO Jeff Browe. She knows how to build brands that matter and how to create ideas that earn attention.

Andrea Simpson

The Davis Companies, a Boston-based real estate developer, appoints Andrea Simpson as EVP of creative, brand and communications. Simpson joins the company from Samuels & Associates, where she served as SVP of creative and marketing strategy, leading the public relations, marketing and activation teams. She has also been VP marketing at Urban Edge Properties and Federal Realty Investment Trust. In her new post, Simpton will oversee all aspects of Davis external communications efforts. Her experience in guiding external communications and branding significant projects throughout Greater Boston, and beyond, will help Davis advance its portfolio in an increasingly dynamic, said Davis president Stephen Davis.

Christopher Sikora

CBIZ, a professional services advisor, appoints Christopher Sikora as VP, investor relations and corporate finance. He joins CBIZ after spending 11 years at Diebold Nixdorf Incorporated, where he held numerous senior roles, including VP of investor relations and head of finance for its retail segment and global operations. Sikora will lead CBIZ's investor relations strategy to strengthen relationships with the investment community and elevate the CBIZ brand in the market. He will leverage his experience in finance, strategy, and communications to help set strategic priorities and improve how we share our growth story, working closely with the Senior Leadership Team to articulate our strategy and performance, said CBIZ chief executive officer Brad Lakhia.
Rubenstein Public Relations adds Greenland Energy Company, a U.S, public company developing Greenlands oil, natural gas and critical resources, to its client roster. RPR will execute a targeted public relations campaign aimed at elevating the companys profile, spotlighting its exploration and operational capabilities, and amplifying its strategic role in advancing Arctic energy security and diversifying global supply chains. Greenland Energy Company efforts are centered on the Jameson Land Basin in East Greenland, which may hold up to 13 billion barrels of untapped potential. Rubenstein PRs leadership in shaping our message and positioning us in global energy media conversations will help stakeholders understand the true value of what we aim to build, said Greenland Energy Company executive chairman Larry Swets

FINN Partners is named PR agency of record for DonorsChoose, a non-profit organization that connects donor funding directly to public school teacher needs. The agency is providing a range of strategic communications services focusing on storytelling, thought leadership and media engagement nationally, in addition to targeted efforts in three Midwestern cities: Cleveland, Des Moines and Detroit. DonorsChoose customizes giving by allowing donorsindividual and institutionalto fund specific teacher-designated needs from such classroom basics as paper and pencils to supplies for science projects like microscopes. Were excited to collaborate with FINN Partners and keep spreading the word about what teachers need in classrooms and what students need to thrive and succeed, said DonorsChoose chief revenue & marketing officer Katie Bisbee.

Ripley PR is named public relations agency of record for Contractor Commerce, which provides e-commerce services for contractors. The agency has been engaged to help the company strengthen its brand visibility and thought leadership across the home service field, including the plumbing, electrical and HVAC industries, focusing on expanding awareness of its e-commerce tools. Contractor Commerce offers contractors a plug-and-play online store platform that integrates seamlessly into existing websites. Ripley PR's unrivaled experience in both the home service and technology sectors makes them the ideal communications partner for our next stage of growth," said Contractor Commerce president Paul Redman.
A man who stole items from a supermarket in Tullamore was sentenced to 80 hours community service when he appeared before Judge Andrew Cody at Tullamore District Court last week.

Before the court was James O'Reilly (26) with an address at Main Road, Clonkeen, Portlaoise.

Sgt Richie Thornton, court presenter, told the court that on July 27 at 9.15pm the defendant was captured on CCTV at Tesco in Tullamore stealing a packet of batteries, two LED torches, a packet or Krispy Kreme Donuts and a packet of boys underwear.

The total value of the items was 29.25. The defendant has seven previous convictions and made a full admission.

Solicitor for the defendant, Patrick Martin, said his client is a married man with two children and is very apologetic for what is his first theft offence.

READ NEXT: Offaly man with 110 previous convictions broke into town hall and stole from two restaurants

He went to the supermarket and paid for the items after the gardai spoke to him, Mr Martin said.

Judge Cody sentenced the defendant to 80 hours community service in lieu of three months imprisonment for the theft.
PORTUMNA will host the National Famine Commemoration in May 2026, Patrick ODonovan TD, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, and Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee announced last week.

Next years event will take place at the Irish Workhouse Centre, located within the historic Portumna Workhouse complex, one of the most complete workhouse sites still in existence in Ireland.

This is the first time the State Commemoration has taken place in County Galway. As in previous years, the programme will include military honours, culminating in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony in remembrance of all those who suffered or perished during the Great Irish Famine.

Minister ODonovan said: Today, it is with a deep sense of solemnity and respect that I announce Portumna, Co. Galway, as the location for the 2026 National Famine Commemoration.

The Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna stands on a site of immense historical significance, a place that bears direct witness to the hardship, loss, and upheaval experienced arising from An Gorta Mor. As one of the best-preserved workhouse complexes in the country, it offers a uniquely fitting setting for reflection on one of the most defining and tragic periods in our nations history.

Having hosted both the National and International Famine Commemorations earlier this year, I have been deeply moved by the impact of this solemn event on local communities and we look forward to working closely with Galway County Council, the Irish Workhouse Centre and the people of Portumna and East Galway in the lead-in to next years event.

READ NEXT: Offaly All-Ireland winning sides feted in County Council civic reception

The National Famine Commemoration was established in 2008 and rotates by province on an annual basis. The selection of Portumna was made by the National Famine Commemoration Committee, following a call to the local authorities in Connacht in September.

Minister ODonovan also acknowledged and thanked the National Famine Commemoration Committee for their continued work in ensuring that the tragic events of the Famine are remembered with dignity and respect.

He also noted the importance of creating opportunities to highlight Irelands enduring connections with the global Diaspora, and to celebrate the contributions of those who emigrated and their descendants around the world.

The Portumna Workhouse in Co. Galway was established in 1852 as part of the Poor Law Union system introduced in Ireland in response to widespread poverty and the devastation of the Great Irish Famine (18451849). It was designed by George Wilkinson, the architect responsible for many of Irelands workhouses, and built on a nine-acre site north of Portumna town. The facility was constructed to accommodate 600 inmates.

The workhouse system was introduced under the Poor Law (Ireland) Act of 1838, modelled on the English system. It aimed to provide indoor relief to those unable to support themselves. Inmates received food and shelter in exchange for labour, but conditions were deliberately harsh to discourage dependency. Families entering the workhouse were segregated by gender and age, with only children under two allowed to remain with their mothers.

Although Portumna Workhouse opened after the worst years of the famine, its creation was a direct response to the crisis. The famine had overwhelmed existing workhouses, leading to gross overcrowding, disease, and mass deaths. The Portumna facility became a vital resource for the destitute population of southeast Galway, serving as a grim lifeline for many years.

The site featured a T-shaped layout, with separate blocks for men, women, and children, a hospital wing, chapel, and dining hall. The workhouse bell regulated daily life. The buildings, many of which remain, were constructed with high walls and barred windows, emphasizing the institutions austere nature.

READ NEXT: Annual Offaly History volume dedicated to inspirational Tullamore businessman
Irish police have launched a homicide investigation into the death of a child whose remains were recovered from an area in Dublin earlier this year.

The development comes on the eve of what would have been Daniel Arueboses eighth birthday.

His remains were recovered from an area of open ground in Donabate in September and have since been confirmed by DNA analysis.

The Irish police service, An Garda Siochana, announced on Thursday evening that a homicide investigation had been opened into his death.

It reiterated an appeal for information, stating: Members of the public are urged not to assume that Gardai already possess information they may hold, or that any detail is too small or insignificant.

The investigation team will determine the relevance of any information provided.

All contact will be welcomed and treated in the strictest confidence.

Daniel was reported missing earlier this year after Irish authorities discovered in August he had not been seen for several years.

Gardai engaged in a weeks-long search in the Donabate area before his remains were found.

Irelands child and family agency, Tusla, had interacted with Daniels family but closed its engagement with his parents after a temporary fostering arrangement ended.

His case prompted a series of wellbeing checks carried out on thousands of Tusla files as well as a rapid review of the boys case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Swords Garda Station on 01 666 4700, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

The alert over Daniels disappearance also came a year after Kyran Durnin, who would be nine years old this year if still alive, was reported missing from Co Louth.

Gardai launched a murder investigation last October into the disappearance of Kyran, who was potentially missing for two years unknown to authorities.

Tusla said it raised a significant concern about the missing child to police last August and launched an internal review about its engagement with Kyran and his family.

Gardai suspect that Kyran may have died in 2022 when he was six.
Face a l'etouffement des tresoreries et la baisse de la production, le Gecam livre son diagnostic urgent et prescrit trois remedes de cheval.

Le paysage economique camerounais est sous tension. Alors que les signaux d'essoufflement des entreprises se multiplient, le Groupement interpatronal du Cameroun (Gecam) sort de sa reserve et passe a l'offensive mediatique. En faisant la une de nombreux journaux, le mouvement patronal dresse un etat des lieux sans concession et, surtout, adresse a l'Etat une feuille de route precise et urgente pour eviter l'asphyxie generalisee.

Le constat, largement relaye par la presse en amont, est alarmant : les indicateurs cles de la sante des entreprises  production et tresorerie en tete  sont au rouge. Dans ce contexte de conjoncture difficile, le Gecam ne se contente pas dun constat. Il transforme lessai en proposant trois mesures-chocs, presentees comme les leviers indispensables pour relancer la machine economique camerounaise.

Premiere mesure : l'allegement des charges. Le patronat presse l'Etat d'alleger le fardeau fiscal et para-fiscal qui pese sur les societes. Il s'agit d'un appel clair a une revision du systeme pour redonner du souffle et de la competitivite aux entreprises, notamment dans un environnement regional concurrentiel.

Deuxieme mesure : la reduction des delais de paiement des creances. Un serpent de mer de l'economie camerounaise. Le Gecam remet sur la table cette epineuse question des retards de paiement de l'Etat et de ses demembrements envers leurs fournisseurs. Ces delais, souvent tres longs, etranglent la tresorerie des PME et TPE, freinent les investissements et menacent la survie meme des structures.

Troisieme mesure : l'amelioration de l'acces au financement. L'acces au credit, particulierement pour les petites et moyennes entreprises, reste un parcours du combattant. Le patronat appelle a une simplification et une diversification des mecanismes de financement, pour que les entreprises puissent investir, innover et saisir les opportunites de croissance.

Ce triptyque  alleger, payer, financer  resume le cri d'alarme d'un patronat qui se sent en premiere ligne face a la degradation du climat des affaires. En choisissant la une d'un journal economique repute, le Gecam adopte une strategie de pression mediatique forte. Il place desormais la balle dans le camp des pouvoirs publics, attendant des actes concrets et rapides pour traduire ces propositions en decisions politiques.

La reponse de l'Etat a ce triple imperatif sera scrutee comme le premier veritable test du dialogue public-prive en periode de turbulence. L'enjeu ? Rien de moins que la preservation du tissu productif national et la relance d'une croissance inclusive.

Business Crisis in Cameroon: Employers' Union Breaks Silence and Issues Triple Ultimatum to the State

With cash flows squeezed and production declining, Gecam delivers an urgent diagnosis and prescribes three strong remedies.

The Cameroonian economic landscape is under strain. As signs of business distress multiply, the Employers' Union of Cameroon (Gecam) is breaking its silence and going on the media offensive. By featuring on the front page of Le Financier dAfrique, the employers' movement paints a stark picture and, crucially, presents the State with a precise and urgent roadmap to avoid widespread suffocation.

The assessment, widely reported by other media beforehand, is alarming: key indicators of business health  notably production and cash flow  are in the red. In this difficult economic climate, Gecam goes beyond diagnosis. It seizes the moment by proposing three shock measures, presented as the essential levers to restart the Cameroonian economic engine.

First measure: Reducing the cost burden. The employers' union urges the State to lighten the tax and para-fiscal burden on companies. This is a clear call for a system review to restore breathing room and competitiveness to businesses, especially in a competitive regional environment.

Second measure: Shortening payment delays for receivables. A perennial issue in Cameroon's economy. Gecam is putting back on the table the thorny question of delays in payments by the State and its subsidiaries to their suppliers. These often lengthy delays strangle the cash flow of SMEs, hinder investment, and threaten the very survival of businesses.

Third measure: Improving access to financing. Access to credit, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, remains an uphill battle. The employers' union calls for a simplification and diversification of funding mechanisms, enabling companies to invest, innovate, and seize growth opportunities.

This triptych  reduce burdens, pay faster, facilitate funding  encapsulates the alarm cry of an employers' union feeling the direct impact of a deteriorating business climate. By choosing the front page of a reputed economic newspaper, Gecam is adopting a strong media pressure strategy. The ball is now in the court of the public authorities, who are expected to translate these proposals into concrete and swift political decisions.

The State's response to this triple imperative will be closely watched as the first real test of public-private dialogue in turbulent times. The stakes? Nothing less than preserving the national productive fabric and reviving inclusive growth.

Gecam, entreprises Cameroun, conjoncture economique Cameroun, crise des entreprises, tresorerie entreprises, acces financement Cameroun, charges fiscales Cameroun, delais de paiement Etat, patronat camerounais, Financier d'Afrique, economie camerounaise, PME Cameroun, climat des affaires, allegement des charges, croissance inclusive, dialogue public-prive.

Silognhia Edwige (Stagiaire)
First published in International Policy Digest

By Robert Weiner, Hallvard Misje, and Ingrid Lange

As Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth year, Europe's wider security landscape is shifting at remarkable speed. Across the continent, governments are pouring money into defense and rebuilding long-neglected military capabilities, a transformation accelerated in part by pressure from the United States. Europe is trying to deter Vladimir Putin's Russia and safeguard its own sovereignty. Yet Moscow's ambitions reach well beyond Ukraine, and the Kremlin is still searching for ways to unsettle, distract, and divide Europe. This fall has made that impossible to miss.

Across the continent, the warnings are piling up. In Denmark and Norway, drones have repeatedly disrupted air traffic, forcing major airports to halt flights. Norwegian authorities have tracked Russian fighter jets straying into their airspace. Germany has reported suspicious drone activity over key military installations. Romania, Belgium, Poland, and the Baltic states have confronted similar intrusions and hybrid threats, involving both jets and drones and often aimed at probing defenses and sowing unease.

European leaders keep returning to the same core message: the war in Ukraine is not only about Ukraine's survival, it is about Europe's future. Even if Russia has no immediate plans to launch a full-scale offensive against the rest of the continent, the Kremlin is clearly intent on destabilizing wherever it can, testing NATO's unity, and eroding public confidence in basic security. All of this fits squarely within Moscow's long-standing playbook, and none of it should be dismissed as mere posturing.

As Norwegians and Danes, we are genuinely worried about the safety of our own countries. Europe's resolve is under pressure, and nations across the continent are rearming at speed, again partly in response to American demands. But when Washington allows itself to be distracted by Kremlin talking points or embraces arguments that ultimately serve Putin's interests, it risks weakening the most successful peacekeeping alliance in modern history.

It remains firmly in America's interest to preserve a strong, resilient relationship with Europe. European allies provide vital intelligence on Russian activities, stood alongside the United States in conflicts such as Afghanistan and Iraq, and remain among America's largest and most dependable trading partners. Europe unquestionably bears primary responsibility for its own defense, yet U.S. support is a crucial pillar of collective security. That responsibility runs in both directions, reinforcing not only Europe's safety but the long-term stability and prosperity of the United States itself.

Putin's regime responds only to strength. NATO must send a clear and unmistakable signal: Ukraine, and Europe as a whole, are not territories to be carved up by a tyrant in the Kremlin. The West's earlier responses to Russian aggression, after the invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the seizure of Crimea in 2014, were far too limited. Those half-measures convinced Putin that he could keep pushing outward, reclaiming lands he imagines still belong to a lost empire. Today's drone incursions and hybrid operations across Europe are part of that same project--and they demand a more serious, sustained answer.

Robert S. Weiner is former spokesman for White House Drug Policy Oice and U.S. House Narcotics Committee, participant in several government anti-drug missions to Latin America, and senior staff for Gen. Barry McCaffrey, Reps. Claude Pepper, Ed Koch, John Conyers and Charles Rangel, and Sen. Ted Kennedy. Hallvard Misje a Norwegian journalist and a policy analyst at Robert Weiner Associates. Ingrid Lang is a Norwegian-Danish journalist and a policy analyst at Robert Weiner Associates.

(Article changed on Dec 13, 2025 at 12:20 PM EST)
Prosecutors allege that two brothers killed a man during a fight at a Gresham gas station early Sunday morning. While one brother held the man in a chokehold, court documents allege, the second shot the man in the head with the mans own gun.

Alejandro Perez-Magdaleno, 23 and Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno, 27, both face second-degree murder charges in the alleged killing, which happened in the parking lot of an ARCO gas station on West Powell Boulevard and Miller Avenue around 1 a.m., court records state.

Gresham police responded to the scene after reports of gunfire and found 48-year-old Laquincy Fletcher dead from a gunshot wound. No suspect remained at the scene, police said.

Court records filed by prosecutors this week say security cameras captured the entire incident on video.

Surveillance footage showed men later identified as the brothers pulling up to the gas station in a silver SUV with a female passenger in the car, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by prosecutors.

A person prosecutors identified as Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno appeared drunk in the footage, the affidavit says, was struggling to stand and at one point pulled down his pants as if preparing to urinate on a gas pump.

Not long after the men arrived, Fletcher pulled up to an adjacent gas pump and started filling his blue SUVs tank, court records state.

Fletcher appeared to say something to the Perez-Magdaleno brothers, prompting Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno to walk up to Fletcher, take off his jacket and square up as if for a fight, records allege.

The woman who was with the two brothers appeared to try and defuse the situation to no avail. Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno appeared to lunge at Fletcher, the affidavit says, and Fletcher swung at the man in response, starting a brawl.

Alejandro Perez-Magdaleno allegedly ran over to join his brother in the fist fight. Fletcher tried to escape to his car while the men continued to land punches on him, the affidavit says.

Fletcher grabbed a pistol from his SUV, prosecutors say, but Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno put the man in a chokehold from behind while his brother disarmed Fletcher. The brothers wrestled Fletcher to the ground, court records allege, and Alejandro Perez-Magdaleno tried to hold the barrel of the gun to Fletchers head while Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno continued to hold the man in a chokehold.

Alejandro Perez-Magdaleno eventually pulled the trigger fatally shooting Fletcher in the head, the affidavit claims.

Security cameras caught the license plate of the car the brothers were driving before they fled, records say, and investigators were able to confirm that it belonged to Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno.

Detectives interviewed the brothers family, who confirmed that the men in the video were Alejandro Perez-Magdaleno and Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno, court records say. One family member also told police that Alejandro Perez-Magdaleno called him earlier that day and told him that hed killed someone in a fight in Gresham.

Both brothers are scheduled to appear for their arraignment on Tuesday. Ricardo Perez-Magdaleno was convicted of reckless driving, resisting arrest and reckless endangerment in October and another reckless driving charge in 2023. His brother has no prior convictions in Oregon.
A grand jury on Wednesday concluded that a Clackamas County sheriffs deputy was justified in shooting a man who charged at her on Nov. 9.

Deputy Lindsay Bailey shot 44-year-old Daniel Zimmerman at his familys property in Boring. Zimmerman survived and faces charges of menacing and second-degree disorderly conduct for the incident, court records show.

Before the shooting, Zimmermans father called 911 and reported that his son had set a utility trailer on fire and was piling wood onto the bonfire, a probable cause affidavit states.

He added that Zimmerman was intoxicated and freaking out from a possible mental health crisis, court records show.

Bailey, who has worked for the sheriffs office since 2024, arrived at the scene shortly after the call, as did an Oregon state trooper, records show.

As Bailey pulled up to the scene she saw a large fire in the backyard, and moments after getting out of her car she spotted Zimmerman running in her direction.

Zimmerman was screaming loudly and aggressively at Bailey as he ran in her direction. She told him shed shoot him if he didnt stop, but he didnt slow down, court records say. Court records also allege that Zimmerman had one hand behind his back as he ran towards her. The officers would later learn that he did not have a gun on him. He would tell detectives that he had his hand behind his back because he was trying to keep his pants up while he ran.

As Zimmerman drew close, Bailey shot him with her gun while the state trooper shot him with a taser, records state.

Emergency responders arrived and rushed Zimmerman to the hospital. Zimmerman apparently was not seriously wounded.

In an interview with detectives at the hospital, Zimmerman told detectives that hed had numerous beers that day. He said he didnt intend to hurt the officers, that he had been trying to stop them from putting out the fire, according to court records.

He added that he didnt think the officers should feel bad about shooting and tasing him, and that they had to do what they had to do, court records state.

The Clackamas County Major Crimes Team  which is made up of detectives from various law enforcement agencies in the county  investigated the shooting.

Zimmermans next scheduled court appearance is set for Dec. 17. He was previously convicted of fourth-degree assault and DUII in 2010.
To comply with Oregon sanctuary laws, Multnomah County must tear up a key provision in its contract with the U.S. Marshals Service, immigrant rights groups argue in a lawsuit.

The suit seeks a judicial order banning county jailers from booking anyone who faces civil or criminal immigration violations, or deportation proceedings.

Oregons Sanctuary Promise law already prohibits local police from cooperating on immigration matters, but attorneys with the Oregon Law Center say the Marshals have sneaked in a few anyway, relying on their preexisting contract with the Multnomah County jail.

U.S. Marshals make arrests on federal charges and in cases where suspects are wanted in other states. They typically house those people in local jails until they can be moved.

The county cannot allow federal agents to use our local jail as a pipeline to immigration detention, Oregon Law Center attorney David Henretty said in a statement. Henretty filed the suit on behalf of Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice and Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition on Wednesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

The suit follows a September tort complaint by the law center that identified three men who had allegedly been lodged at the jail on violations of federal immigration law.

The men were held in jail for up to three days, the suit alleges, until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived and took them into custody. One of them, Gerson Molina Orantes, had been ordered freed by a judge a day earlier, The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported.

Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey ODonnell updated the jails rules Nov. 13, the suit claims, barring staff from accepting detainees facing only a federal immigration crime.

But the suit says that change doesnt go far enough, noting that internal jail policy is subject to change at any time. Instead, they seek a judicial order known as an injunction.

Multnomah County could nix the entire deal at any time, with 30 days notice. County officials and the sheriffs office declined to comment. The Marshals Service didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The downtown jails proximity to the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse makes it convenient in cases where people are charged with federal crimes.

And agreements with the U.S. Marshals can be lucrative for local governments. Former Sheriff Mike Reese signed the countys intergovernmental agreement with the Marshals Service in 2019, reserving some 125 out of about 1,100 jail beds.

The federal government pays $185 per day for each filled bed, plus $65 per hour for transportation, court records show.

Columbia County, meanwhile, billed the federal law enforcement service roughly $2.5 million in transport and boarding fees in the first nine months of this year, according to records released to the newspaper.
A 47-year-old West Linn woman is suing American Airlines for negligence, alleging the airline allowed an intoxicated passenger on her flight who then sexually assaulted her during her trip home from Missouri.

The woman said the flights departure was delayed in Missouri, and she saw the man in a small bar at the airport drinking multiple beers and shots of liquor. He then called her sexy and beautiful, as he became increasingly drunk, the suit says.

She paid her tab and left when she became uncomfortable by his attention, and then saw him stumbling out of the restaurant toward the gate where she went to wait for her plane.

Despite his obvious intoxication and the distinct odor of alcohol on him, American Airline agents allowed him to board the plane on Dec. 10, 2024, and take his window seat beside the West Linn woman, remarking, This is my lucky day, according to the suit.

He began bumping and rubbing against her and invading her space, and then touched her inappropriately once the plane lined up on the tarmac for take off, the suit alleges.

The woman pushed his hand away, but he continued to grope her and assault her as the plane took off, according to the suit.

The woman turned and yelled for help, saying she needed to move her seat.

According to the suit, a flight attendant told her she couldnt move during takeoff, and she responded by saying something like, This man is completely on top of me, and I need to move now!

The flight attendant ultimately came to her row, told her to grab her belongings and moved her to a seat about 10 rows away.

The flight captain reported the alleged assault and Dallas police officers were waiting at the gate when the plane landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the suit said.

After the plane landed, the West Linn woman was allowed to leave the plane first and provide a statement to Dallas police officers, and the man accused of assaulting her also gave a statement, according to the womans lawyer Mark Lindquist.

The man is also identified as a defendant in the lawsuit. Justin Eldon Knotts, 40, has a last known address in Alabama after having lived previously in Missouri. A warrant was issued for his arrest out of Dallas, Texas, on misdemeanor assault, but he has not been charged, according to Lindquist.

According to the police report, Knotts appeared unsteady on his feet, had difficulty maintaining his balance, and emitted a strong odor of alcoholic beverages as he spoke. He had first denied drinking alcohol and denied assaulting the woman but eventually admitted drinking alcohol after having taken prescription drugs, the police report said.

One of the flight attendants told police she saw Knotts grope the woman passenger and said he also touched her inappropriately while she was serving beverages, the suit said.

The attendant reported that she felt his hand brush up against her thigh, grabbing her wrist and smacking her on the buttocks inflicting pain, according to the suit.

The Oregon woman missed her connecting flight and had to stay in Dallas overnight and caught a flight home the next day.

The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority. We are reviewing the complaint, said a spokesperson for American Airlines late Thursday.

Knotts could not be reached for comment.

Dallas police were in contact with the FBI, who informed the woman that they were seeking a warrant for Knotts arrest on misdemeanor assault, Lindquist said. As of Wednesday night, a year after the alleged assault, he had not faced arrest, according to Lindquist.

Knotts has a criminal history in Missouri, including convictions for domestic assault in 2021, assault in 2019, disorderly conduct in 2016, driving without a license in 2013, driving under the influence as a persistent offender, in 2012, and having an excessive blood-alcohol level while driving in 2003, records show.
A man accused of a serial slaying who was found guilty of one of the killings and acquitted in the other was sentenced Thursday to life in prison with the chance of parole in 25 years.

Rizo Lucas gave no account for why he shot Faris Giday, 33, outside the White Stag building in Old Town about noon on April 8, 2022.

And while a Multnomah County jury convicted him unanimously of second-degree murder, they found him not guilty in another Old Town slaying that happened 14 hours earlier outside the Roseland Theater.

In that case, surveillance footage showed a masked figure approaching Jennifer Drain, also 33, as she sat under a tarp hung between two poles on West Burnside Street about 10 p.m. April 7.

Lucas, 18 at the time and now 21, was arrested just blocks away from where Giday was shot with the gun on him and wearing the same clothes as shown in the surveillance video of the shooting.

Multnomah County prosecutor Glen Banfield addressed the jury during closing arguments Wed., Dec. 11, 2025. A mannequin dressed in Riz'o Lucas' clothes is posed behind him. Zane Sparling/The Oregonian

But no one was immediately arrested in Drains case, and prosecutors cited only circumstantial evidence to tie Lucas to it  largely the similarities in the spectres mask and backpack, as well as the same mode of execution: a single shot to the head.

Prosecutors dressed a life-size mannequin in Lucas clothes from April 8 and displayed it before the jury at various moments during the trial.

Make no mistake about it, this was his hunting ground, prosecutor Glen Banfield said during closing arguments Wednesday.

At sentencing, Gidays mother and sisters recalled him as a mamas boy and lifelong jokester who grew up in California but fell into homelessness after the family moved to Gresham. He loved cooking Eritrean food and riding bicycles. and dutifully took care of the chores his mom saved up in anticipation of his visits.

His family loved him every day. We spoke to him. He chose his lifestyle  it doesnt give anybody a reason to take a life, sister Sharie Jackson said in an interview outside the courtroom. The streets are vicious.

Faris Giday poses next to his mother in happier times. Family photo

Lucas did not speak before sentencing and is expected to argue on appeal that the two shootings should not have been tried together.

Circuit Judge Heidi Moawad did not allow Drains family to speak on the record, but they briefly addressed her during a break in the proceedings. The judge barred reporters from documenting their comments during the break.

Tensions ran hot throughout the trial, with some declining to shake hands as the sides wrapped up the sentencing hearing.

Drain, who grew up in New Mexico and Utah in the foster system, had lived in Portland for years while experiencing homelessness and struggling with addiction, The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported.

She was prominently featured in an article by the newspaper about social workers failure to follow-up three months before her killing.

Jennifer Drain, 33, photographed here on Thurs., Dec. 9, 2021. The Oregonian

At the time of her death, she had just returned from an errand and had sat down beneath the tarp next to her close friend, Brandi Pelagalli testified during the trial.

It was so dark inside the makeshift shelter that neither could find a flashlight, Pelagalli said. Finally, Drain flicked a lighter and said: Its so cold.

Then a shot rang out.
Its been probably 20 years since Susan Steves found a set of military dog tags while jogging through Bends Drake Park neighborhood. She held onto them until this year, when she gave them to me.

Im a disabled senior and my failing eyesight has kept me from being able to read the inscriptions, Steves wrote to The Oregonian. Im the proud mother of a combat veteran. I would love to see them returned to their rightful owner or to that owners family.

Returning lost jewelry has become a bit of a side hobby for me here at The Oregonian. So, I visited Steves to pick up the dog tags, where I was able to read the name on them: Marc Montgomery.

I think it was back when I was running every day, possibly down by Drake Park, Steves said of finding the tags. I used to do a loop through the park. I dont remember if it was actually in the park or on one of the streets.

This would have been some time in the early 2000s. Steves said she held onto the tags because her son was a special operations combat medic who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring from the Army.

My son joining the Army was both terrifying, and Im very proud, she said. When I lived in Bend, that was when he deployed the first time.

Since 2015, military dog tags no longer contain Social Security numbers, but this set was old enough that it did. That made it pretty easy to locate the owner via a paid search service.

Turns out, he was living in Portland.

After unsuccessful attempts to contact Montgomery via email or Facebook, I went the old-fashioned route  I mailed him a letter. When he saw the envelope with The Oregonians logo and address, he said his first thought was, Do I owe them money?

Nope, returning lost items is just a free service of our newsroom.

Montgomery, like all soldiers, had several sets of dog tags and had never realized one went missing.

I might not have even noticed I lost them, just reached into my rucksack and grabbed another set, he said.

He spent time at the National Guard training center near Redmond but has no idea how the tags ended up in Bend.

I used to wear them a lot, even when I wasnt on duty, he said, even wearing civilian clothes, so you wouldnt lose them. Though obviously, I did.

Montgomery was a combat engineer who served in the Army from 1988 to 1992. Afterward, he joined the Oregon National Guard. He retired in 2009.

Montgomerys dog tags were returned to him this week, where theyll go into a safe with his other sets.

If you find my wallet, he said, I lost that in Seaside.

Ill keep an eye out.

Have you found a lost object with a clue to its rightful owner? I may be able to help return it. Ive returned wedding rings, a bracelet, a camera and now dog tags in what has become an occasional reporting series. Email me at sswindler@oregonian.com
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz once again is pushing to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.

The Oregon Republican, whose district covers the entire eastern half of the state, said Wednesday that enforcement of the federal law when it comes to the gray wolf has thrust injury and injustice upon Oregon ranchers whose livestock are being attacked and killed by wolves.

This injustice is apparent in the federal governments inability to manage and control the killing and maiming of livestock and in the failure of governments to properly pay the cost of its decision to reintroduce the wolf, Bentz said during a speech on the House floor.

As Bentz spoke, a staffer showed some graphic images of livestock that had been attacked by wolves. Bentz was voicing his support for a bill introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., that would delist the gray wolf from endangerment. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act is set for a committee meeting next week.

The House narrowly passed a similar bill by a vote of 209-205 in 2024, with Bentz speaking in favor of it then and voting for it. But that measure, also sponsored by Boebert, stalled in the Senate.

In Oregon, three highways form the demarcation line for whether gray wolves are federally protected as endangered. They are federally protected and managed west of U.S. 395, Oregon 78 and U.S. 95, but delisted and managed by the state east of that dividing line.

State law prohibits hunting or trapping wolves anywhere in Oregon, but ranchers are allowed to haze or scare wolves to protect their livestock.

In the eastern zone, ranchers are permitted to shoot a wolf if it is caught in the act of biting, wounding, killing or chasing livestock. If ranchers experience repeated wolf attacks, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also can issue permits to use lethal force.

Bentz, who was raised on cattle ranches in Harney County, said that Congress should allocate money to ranchers and farmers who have been hurt financially by the reintroduction of the wolves. He said wolves cost the cattle industry $128 million a year as of several years ago, but said that figure is higher now because cattle prices have gone up.

He acknowledged recent efforts at both the federal and state levels to reimburse ranchers but said those measures dont offset all of the financial losses.

Wolves are natural born killers, Bentz wrote in a social media post Wednesday. The growth population of gray wolves through out the Western U.S. poses significant challenges for ranchers, farmers and outdoorsmen alike.

Delisting the gray wolves is the only way that we are going to be able to allow our state fish and wildlife agencies to effectively manage wolf populations through following the science.
Three Democrats are running for an open state House seat that is among the most competitive and unpredictable in Oregon.

Teachers Nick Walden Poublon and David Osborn and Hank Sanders, a legislative aide for his mother, Portland Democratic state Sen. Lisa Reynolds, have all filed to run in the Democratic primary for the Gorge-based 52nd House District. All three say theyre prioritizing the rising costs of living, especially housing and property insurance, health care and education.

The incumbent Republican  state Rep. Jeff Helfrich of Hood River  has not filed to run for the seat again, but instead to run for the state Senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Christine Drazan, who is running for governor.

Helfrich could change his mind and seek reelection for the House seat at any point before March 3rd, however, which is the filing deadline for incumbents. One candidate has filed to run in the Republican primary so far: Robert Fleming, a residential property manager from Gresham with no other experience in public office.

The 52nd House District, running along the Columbia River Gorge from Troutdale to The Dalles, is one of the last districts in the state that is truly anyones game. It has more registered Democrats than Republicans  16,000 Democrats to 13,200 Republicans  but the nearly 19,400 nonaffiliated voters determine the outcome of most races.

Clackamas, Hood River and Multnomah county commissioners first appointed Helfrich to serve the remainder of former Republican state Rep. Mark Johnsons term when he resigned. But when Helfrich ran for the seat in 2018 and again in 2020, Democrat Anna Williams defeated him both times. In 2022, after redistricting changed the districts boundaries, Williams retired and Helfrich was able to win the seat back.

Walden Poublon received the Democratic nomination in 2024 and narrowly lost to Helfrich.

Nick Walden Poublon

Walden Poublon, 45, lives in Sandy and works as a substitute teacher in the Gresham-Barlow and Corbett school districts.

He doesnt have prior elected experience but previously worked as a legislative aide for former Democratic state Rep. Lori Kuechler, a Sandy nonprofit consultant appointed to represent the district for a few months in 2022.

He also sits on the board of Health Care for All Oregon and is the chair of the state Democratic Partys health care caucus. He is a graduate of Portland State University, where he earned a bachelors degree in history.

In a text he told the Capital Chronicle his priorities if elected include curbing the rising cost of living, especially health care, housing and education.

Families across District 52 are being squeezed. Housing costs keep climbing. Health care premiums and out-of-pocket costs are set to jump sharply next year under Trumps Big Beautiful Bill. Our schools, from Hood River to The Dalles to rural Clackamas and Multnomah counties, feel the strain as classrooms become more expensive to staff and run, he said. These issues are connected. Together, they shape whether families can afford to stay in the communities they love.

Among his policy proposals are workforce housing investments to make it more affordable for teachers, healthcare workers and first responders to live near where they work. He also proposes expanding state grants to help Oregonians upgrade and retrofit their homes to be wildfire resistant and to lower property insurance premiums.

David Osborn

Osborn, 43, lives in Corbett. He teaches general education classes and sociology as an adjunct professor at Portland State University and Mount Hood Community College, owns Wapato Valley Farm in Corbett and runs Wapato Valley Consulting.

Voters elected him to the Corbett School Board earlier this year.

Osborn said his top issue is a lack of affordable housing, as well as uncertainty over funding caused by the GOP tax and spending cut mega law passed by congressional Republicans over the summer that is expected to take a $63 million bite out of Oregons general fund revenue during the next two-year budget cycle that ends in June 2027.

I think that we are at a really kind of critical juncture in Oregon because of the federal cuts in the way that the federal government is, at least right now, essentially starting to abandon the states and state of Oregon, Osborn said. This is the moment to actually make sure that we are supporting people in being able to have affordable housing, to be able to afford childcare and attend preschool, to be able to have good K-12 education, be able to have tuition that they can afford for higher education and for all the things that are important to folks.

Osborn is a graduate of Roseburg High School, and earned a bachelors degree in sociology, political science and psychology from the University of Oregon, a masters degree in political economy from the London School of Economics and a PhD in sociology from Portland State University.

Hank Sanders

Sanders, 25, lives in Hood River. Hes a former journalist and campaign director and is currently a legislative aide to his mother, Reynolds, in the Oregon Senate.

Sanders grew up in rural Gaston, about 30 miles west of Portland, and graduated from Lincoln High School in Portland. He returned to Oregon this spring from New York City to work as political campaign director for Oregons U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, a Democrat representing the 3rd Congressional District, following a year-long New York Times reporting fellowship.

Sanders also worked for a year as a reporter at the Chicago Tribune, and interned at ABC News and Willamette Week, where he created the Willamette Week Podcast. He earned a bachelors degree in economics and history from the University of Chicago in 2023.

Although Sanders has lived in the district for less than a year, he said he wants to spend the rest of his life there. The move also brought to the fore a very real issue hed tackle as a legislator if elected: housing availability and affordability.

Sanders said he had to stay in short-term rentals before he could find an affordable and available long-term lease in Hood River.

I want to make it so that people my age can be out here and afford to live out here, he said.

Sanders has shared several policy proposals he would bring to the state Legislature, including tax credits for child care employees to help solve workforce issues and child care deserts. Other proposals include creating a state-run home hardening task force meant to help Oregonians upgrade and retrofit homes to withstand wildfire and to lower insurance premiums, and a state agency to help Oregonians file Medicaid paperwork.

New paperwork and eligibility requirements imposed by Congress this summer are meant to reduce the number of people using the program that helps low-income Americans afford healthcare. Such an office to help with the new bureaucratic hurdles would help more people keep their coverage, Sanders said.

This office, this seat, has the ability to be incredibly important over the next decade because of the challenges that this community that I love and want to spend the rest of my life in faces, Sanders said. If we cant bring more people out here to live and work, then we are going to kind of remain what we are, which is great, but also not a place that can be for everybody.

 Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence.
long caravans with pots and basketsvery much like streams flowing toward a lakeclear lines of innumerable intertwined paths on the yellow-green crests and slopes.ForsterE

The 1 partitioned into alcoves in which these residents could exhibit even as it allowed for a view of the group: paintings.Its the story of a forty-six-year-old married wom
as well as the processes by which Morrisons novelswhich seem so inevitable in their final formtook years of wrangling.Mozart pours the cultures energies and wishes into

The consummate annoyance though being that gap between reading the press (publ
The few Mann scholars who have written about this waitress describe her diminutive size as a metaphor for

but a recipe using one to make a geranium cream served with blackberries sounded too tempting to pass up.photography (an optiona
Whos more blind to our world than the astronomer squinting into his telescopes eyepiece? They can foresee a future eclipse of the sun.I was confident that whatever interacti

Mukasonga stages conflicts as well as convergences between Tutsi spirituality and the Catholicism of Belgian colonizers and missionaries to Rwanda.Canaries are also such effi
we reached a small basin at the bottom of the narrow pass from which the source emerged from the earth.One can hear lamentations at the reluctance of African teachers to

The taste in my memory of early adolescence is an indescribable metallic sensa
while elsewhere and quite differently it comes off as a near clinical examination of the psychological dynamics of love.the liveliest piece of furniture was a century-old bo

and beauty and excess stepping out to dance just like humor always puts a stop to things and gets us out of the room.My initial responsiveness to Dicks work was to delight in
And obviously we need both kinds of visuality: it is hard to look closely at a lovers skin with optical vision; it is hard to drive a car with haptic vision.they were triump

Probably the most spectacular example of all time was fabricated for display at George IVs coronation banquet by the sculptor.what use is comparing a poet to an Aeolian harp
Celebrating New Years Eve in Times Square is one of the most iconic traditions in the United States. Each year, more than a million people gather in the heart of New York City to watch the famous Ball Drop, marking the start of the new year with music, lights, and falling confetti. While the experience is unforgettable, it also requires serious preparation. If youre planning to ring in the new year in Times Square, heres what you should know before you go.

Arrive Early and Expect Long Waits

Times Square begins closing streets and setting up security checkpoints early in the day, often by late morning. Many attendees arrive between noon and mid-afternoon to secure a viewing spot. Once inside the designated viewing areas, re-entry is not allowed, meaning youll be standing in the same spot for hours until midnight.

There are no seats, no designated resting areas, and very little room to move. Comfortable footwear and mental preparation are just as important as arriving early.

Dress for Cold Weather

New York City winters can be harsh, especially when standing outdoors for long periods. Temperatures often drop below freezing after sunset, and wind between buildings can make it feel even colder.

Advertisement Advertisement

Layering is essential. Thermal base layers, a heavy winter coat, gloves, a warm hat, thick socks, and waterproof boots can make the difference between an enjoyable night and an uncomfortable one. Choose warmth over fashion whenever possible.

The year we celebrated in Time Square, we brought electric hand and neck warmers. Lets me tell you, these are ESSENTIAL. Without them, we would have been miserably cold. I recommend bringing a few battery packs to recharge the warmers and even your phone. The hand warmers do last up to 13 hours but just in case because you dont want to experience a hand warmer outage!

Understand Security Rules

Security at Times Square on New Years Eve is extremely strict. All bags are searched, and certain items are prohibited.

Do not bring:

Alcohol

Backpacks or large bags

Lawn chairs or stools

Umbrellas

Fireworks or weapons

Advertisement Advertisement

A small crossbody or clear bag is the safest option and helps speed up security screening. This is the bag I brought to Time Square the year we went for New Years. I like it because it has a water bottle pocket which is helpful for staying hydrated.

What to Bring With You

Since youll be standing for hours, packing wisely is crucial.

Essentials include:

A fully charged phone A portable charger Packaged snacks like protein bars A small sealed water bottle Emergency contact information

Optional items like glow sticks, festive glasses, or light-up accessories can add to the fun without taking up much space.

Plan for Limited Bathroom Access

One of the biggest challenges of Times Square on New Years Eve is the lack of restrooms. Public bathrooms are extremely limited, and once youre inside a viewing area, access is not guaranteed.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its best to use the restroom immediately before entering Times Square and limit how much you drink throughout the night.

Transportation Tips

Public transportation is the most reliable way to get to and from Times Square, but service changes and station closures are common on New Years Eve.

Plan your return route ahead of time and expect delays after midnight. Many people find it easier to walk several blocks away from Times Square before attempting to catch a subway or ride share.

Was It Worth It?

For those who are comfortable in large crowd, high energy environments, celebrating New Years Eve in Times Square is an unforgettable bucket list memory. If you do not like crowds, or standing for long periods of time, I recommend snagging a reservation at a restaurant with a view of Time Square where its cozy and warm.

Whether you experience it once or decide its not for you, ringing in the new year in Times Square remains one of the most famous celebrations in the country.
Max Roachs drumming is the nesthe drums around the song as much as into itweaving the thatch that holds the bird that sings the song.that I have a standing I should be tak

I first encountered it in the film critic Nick Brownes classic 1989 essay American Film Theory in the Silent Period: Orientalism as an Ideological Form.Many of the sex worker
As I was going to enter college that fall my parents felt that I should build myself up at a summer camp of some sort.Much later I began to date a man who had been to hundre

Sometimes this Europe was as elegant as its nicest fictions claimed and sometimes it was as violent as its turbulent dreams suggested; the revolution in France whetted the cu
The nearly 75-year-old Anheuser-Busch beer brewery in Newark will close early next year after being sold, the company said.

The St. Louis-based company announced Thursday that the plant along Routes 1 and 9 will close early next year, along with Anheuser-Busch breweries in Fairfield, California, and Merrimack, New Hampshire.

The 475 employees at the three plants will be offered jobs at one of Anheuser-Buschs other facilities along with money to move and training to learn new skills. Employees who dont want to relocate will be offered severance packages.

We will be shifting production from these three facilities to our other U.S. facilities, and these changes will enable us to invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry-leading brands, the company said in a statement.

The Newark facility is being sold to the Goodman Group which plans to repurpose the site for industrial manufacturing and logistics uses, the company said.

Thursday at the plant, across from Newark Liberty International Airport, tractor trailers moved in and out of the sprawling compound through a narrow and closely monitored entrance. An NJ Advance Media reporter was not allowed past the gates.

Anheuser-Busch said it has invested $2 billion in its 100 U.S. facilities.

Company leaders averted a nationwide strike last year by agreeing to a five-year agreement that would significantly raise pay, improve health care and retirement benefits, and enhance job security for workers days ahead of a planned walkout.

The Anheuser-Busch brewery in Newark opened in 1951 and is the second oldest of the companys 12 U.S. breweries. The original brewing location and company headquarters opened in 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Many of the companys core brands are brewed at the Newark facility, including Budweiser and Bud Light, Busch, Busch Light, Natural Light and Rolling Rock.

The Newark factory drew praise in 2022 when it stepped in to brew Chernigivske, Anheuser-Buschs most popular beer in Ukraine, after the company closed its three breweries in Ukraine leading up to the invasion by Russia.

The Anheuser-Busch plant is one of the last working vestiges of Newarks heyday as a beer mecca in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the now-defunct and partly demolished Ballantine brewery was one of the worlds largest, and the citys beer barons built mansions that survive to this day in varying states of preservation.

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka lamented the departure of the King of Beers, though he raised a glass to Anheiser-Buschs concern for its employees.

I am sorry to see Budweiser leave our city after having called Newark home since 1951 and been part of so many families history here, Baraka said in a statement. But Im glad to know that the brewery intends to take care of the employees.
In 2025, thrifting isnt just popular, its personal. People are looking for pieces that feel lived-in, meaningful, and a little unexpected. And depending on where you live, that experience can feel wildly different. Thrifting isnt just about where you shop. Its about how it feels.

A recent study looked at thrift, vintage, and consignment stores across major U.S. cities, factoring in variety, affordability, and customer ratings. The results show where thrifting truly thrives and where it can feel harder to strike gold.

Here are the cities leading the way.

New York City, New York

New York takes the top spot for a reason. With an unmatched number of thrift, vintage, and consignment shops, the city offers endless variety. Whether youre digging through the racks for vintage denim or browsing curated Manhattan resale shops, New York is all about choice. Its fast-paced, competitive, and full of one-of-a-kind finds.

Advertisement Advertisement

One of my personal favorite thrift stops in the city is Trintage in Harlem, owned by one of my dear friends. Its thoughtfully curated, deeply intentional, and feels more like stepping into someones carefully styled closet than a traditional thrift store. Trintage is a must-visit if youre thrifting in NYC  not just for the finds, but for the feeling it gives you when you walk through the door.

Newark, New Jersey

Often overlooked, Newark quietly ranks just behind New York. It offers a wide variety at more approachable prices and with less competition. For thrifters who love the hunt without the crowds, Newark delivers consistently good finds and a strong local resale culture.

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles remains a thrifting powerhouse, especially for vintage fashion. From '90s streetwear to retro band tees, the citys resale scene reflects decades of pop culture. Prices have climbed, but the quality and selection still make LA a favorite for fashion-focused thrifters.

Long Beach, California

Long Beach stands out for affordability. Its one of the best cities for finding lower-priced thrift items without sacrificing variety. The laid-back coastal vibe carries over into its thrift scene, making it a go-to for casual, everyday pieces and unexpected gems.

Oakland, California

Oaklands thrift stores feel creative and intentional. Many shops highlight sustainability, local artists, and community impact. Its a city where thrifting feels less transactional and more thoughtful, perfect for shoppers looking for pieces with character.

Arlington, Texas

Arlington may surprise some, but it consistently ranks high for accessibility and pricing. Thrift stores here tend to be spacious, well-stocked, and easy to navigate. Its a strong option for practical thrifting with plenty of variety.

Irvine, California

Irvine is another standout for affordability. Shoppers here report lower prices and well-maintained items, often reflecting high-quality donations. Its ideal for those who prefer clean, classic finds over heavily picked-over racks.

Jersey City, New Jersey

Close to New York but with a calmer pace, Jersey City offers a strong balance of selection and pricing. Many thrifters find it easier to browse and more rewarding, especially for clothing and home items.

San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino continues Californias strong showing. Its thrift stores offer a solid variety and pricing, especially for everyday wear and household items. Its a reminder that great thrifting isnt limited to big-name cities.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago rounds out the top ten with a dependable and diverse thrift scene. Neighborhood-based shops, vintage stores, and resale boutiques make it easy to find everything from winter coats to statement pieces.

Other Thrifting Cities Worth the Detour

While New York and Newark top the rankings, a few other cities on the list felt especially familiar to me. San Francisco came in at #36, Atlanta at #31, and Portland at #18  three places Ive always loved thrifting in.

Advertisement Advertisement

Each one offers something different: San Francisco blends curated vintage with classic thrift digs, Portland leans into a slower, more intentional secondhand culture, and Atlanta delivers incredible variety if youre willing to hunt. Rankings aside, these cities prove that great thrifting isnt only about the numbers  its about the experience, the neighborhoods, and the stories you find along the way.

Why These Cities Stand Out

What these cities share isnt just quantity. Its culture.

Thrifting has shifted from being mostly about saving money to being about finding something unique. While 88% of thrifters still cite savings as a motivation, many now thrift for individuality, sustainability, and the joy of discovery.

Social media has helped normalize and celebrate secondhand style. Sustainability concerns have pushed more people away from fast fashion. And holiday traditions like Thriftmas have made thrifting part of how people give gifts.
PROVO, Utah (AP)  The Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk made his first in-person court appearance Thursday as his attorneys pushed to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case.

Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, just a few miles north of the Provo courthouse. They plan to seek the death penalty.

Robinson, 22, arrived amid heavy security, shackled at the waist, wrists and ankles and wearing a dress shirt, tie and slacks.

He smiled at his parents and brother sitting in the front row. His mother teared up after he walked in and clutched a tissue throughout the hearing while his father took notes. Robinson had previously appeared before the court via video or audio feed from jail.

Early in the proceedings, state District Court Judge Tony Graf briefly stopped a media livestream of the hearing and ordered the camera be moved after Robinsons attorneys said the stream showed the defendants shackles in violation of a courtroom order.

Graf said he would terminate future broadcasts if there were further violations of the order issued in October, which bars media from showing images of Robinson in restraints or anywhere in the courtroom except sitting at the defense table.

This court takes this very seriously, Graf said. While the court believes in openness and transparency, it needs to be balanced with the constitutional rights of all parties in this case.

Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf presides over a hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool) AP

The warning comes as Graf has been weighing the publics right to know details about the case against concerns by Robinsons attorneys that the swarm of media attention could interfere with a fair trial.

Robinsons legal team and the Utah County Sheriffs Office have asked to ban cameras in the courtroom, but Graf has not yet ruled on the request.

Coalitions of national and local news organizations, including The Associated Press, are fighting to preserve media access in the case.

Graf held a closed hearing on Oct. 24 in which attorneys discussed Robinsons courtroom attire and security protocols. Under a subsequent ruling by the judge, Robinson is allowed to wear street clothes during pretrial hearings but must be physically restrained due to security concerns. Graf also prohibited filming or photographing Robinsons restraints after his attorneys argued widespread images of him shackled and in jail clothing could prejudice potential jurors.

Media attorney David Reymann urged Graf on Thursday to let the news organizations weigh in on any future requests for closed hearings or other limitations. He said media organizations want limited party status in the case.

Staci Visser, one of Robinsons lawyers, pushed back: We dont want the chaos that is out in the media in this courtroom.

Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool) AP

Several college students who said they witnessed Kirks assassination attended Thursdays hearing.

Zack Reese, a Utah Valley University student and big Charlie Kirk fan, said he had skepticism about Robinsons arrest and was seeking answers. Reese has family in southwestern Utah, where the Robinsons are from, and said he believes theyre a good family.

Brigham Young University student William Brown, who said he was about 10 feet from Kirk when he was shot, said he felt overwhelmed seeing Robinson walk into the courtroom.

I witnessed a huge event, and my brain is still trying to make sense of it, Brown said. I feel like being here helps it feel more real than surreal.

Lawyers for the media wrote in recent filings that an open court safeguards the integrity of the fact-finding process while fostering public confidence in judicial proceedings. Criminal cases in the U.S. have long been open to the public, which the attorneys argued is proof that trials can be conducted fairly without restricting reporters.

Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool) AP

Kirks widow, Erika Kirk, has called for full transparency, saying, We deserve to have cameras in there. Her husband was an ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism.

Robinsons legal team says pretrial publicity reaches as far as the White House, with Trump announcing soon after Robinsons arrest, With a high degree of certainty, we have him, and I hope he gets the death penalty.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester has raised concerns that digitally altered versions of Robinsons initial court photo have spread widely, creating misinformation. Some altered images show Robinson crying or having an outburst in court, which did not happen.

Robinson is due in court again in January. A preliminary hearing, where prosecutors will lay out their case against him, is tentatively scheduled for the week of May 18.

Associated Press reporter Matthew Brown contributed from Billings, Montana.
A man charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of his friend said he regrets punching the victim, accepts responsibility and wants it known he fully cooperated with police.

Trent Gray, 55, called PennLives newsroom Thursday to share his side of the story after being arrested twice this year: once in connection with the deaths of two cats by his off-leash dog and more recently, in connection with the death of Fred Moten, 61.

In both cases, Gray said he felt unfairly portrayed by the media and people associated with the cases. He is out on bail in both cases.

Gray wanted to share details beyond the police affidavit filed against him after Moten died from a traumatic brain injury, one month after Gray punched him.

Gray said he met Moten about six months ago and they started talking over their shared love for motorcycles. They were casual friends who saw each other around the city.

When Gray said he needed help in September hauling a bike he had purchased for his daughter, he sought out Moten, who had a pickup truck.

Gray said he paid $40 cash to a man from his former block, the 1200 block of Bailey Street, for the bike, but could not take it with him at that time because he was on his motorcycle. It was a childs bike so he couldnt just ride it home later, he said.

Thats when he sought out Moten, who had a pickup truck. Gray said he knew Moten spent time in a parking lot in the 300 block of South 17th Street. As police wrote in their affidavit, Gray was seen on surveillance video meeting Moten in the parking lot where they shook hands. Gray then got in Motens truck and they headed to Bailey Street.

Once at the bike sellers home, however, Gray said the man acted as if Gray had not already paid him hours earlier when he was there on his motorcycle. That kicked off an argument with the seller, who remained on his front porch irate, and demanded more money, Gray said.

I was pissed, Gray said. I was angry. I was really mad at him because he was trying to rip me off for a little girls bike that I already paid for.

As they bickered, Moten got agitated, Gray said, possibly because he was uncomfortable with the heated bike dispute. Gray went ahead and put the bike in the back of Motens truck as he continued arguing with the bike seller, and at this point, Moten too.

I couldnt under why he was behind me arguing me, Gray said. Why are you arguing with me when I brought you over here?

Moten was yelling at Gray from behind him saying Man look, I gotta go.

Thats when Gray told Moten he could leave. But Moten didnt leave, Gray said.

Moten threw his hands in the air and said: What are you going to do?

That when Gray turned around and punched him in the face. Moten fell backwards and couldnt take any action to break the fall, so his head hit the pavement, Gray said.

My anger was against (the bike seller,) not Fred, Gray said. It happened in a split second. It was involuntary. One single punch behind me. It was crazy and he fell and hit his head and went into a coma.

Gray scooped up Moten and drove him to the hospital.

I stayed there, Gray said. It was a really bad day for everyone. It was not intentional. It really wasnt intentional. My anger wasnt focused toward Fred. It was gross negligence on my part It wasnt just like an outright killing. Hes a friend of mine. I have a huge amount of remorse.

A month later, when police called to tell him about Motens death, Gray said he broke down.

He said he sought help at a psychiatric hospital in Reading, which is where he was Thursday when he called PennLive. He said he again was seeking help as he struggles to come to terms with what he did.

I never killed a person, he said. This is my first time.

When police called to interview him about Motens death, Gray said he voluntarily went to the station and told the truth, although he admits he initially panicked and lied when he told emergency room doctors that Moten fell while drunk.

Gray said he is prepared to face both criminal cases he caught in Harrisburg this year, nothing that he had not been in trouble for the prior 12 years. He had been living in Reading and other areas of Pennsylvania.

Regarding the charges filed against him in connection with the deaths of two cats, Gray said the video evidence used to charge him was edited video over several days, designed to make him look bad.

He doesnt deny his dog attacked one cat on a front porch one night, and he admits it was his fault for having his dog off leash. But he denies that police have evidence to charge him in the death of a second cat from the same home on a different night.

And he denies siccing his dog on either cat. He said his dog chased the first cat, because thats what dogs do.

Gray said he believes prosecutors are going to reduce the felony charges filed in the cats death because he believes they agree his only crime was walking his dog without a leash.

His next court hearings for both cases are in January.
Frederick Moten was known for always being available to help a friend in need.

Thats why it wasnt surprising to his family that hed offer to give Trent Gray, 55, a ride to pick up a bicycle Gray was trying to buy in Harrisburg.

But Motens siblings never expected to get the call that came after that Sept. 17 trip. They were told their 61-year-old brother was unconscious in a hospital, with a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury, after Gray had punched him.

Moten spent about a month in Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in a coma, and suffered five strokes before he died on Oct. 16. Gray has since been charged with aggravated assault, a felony, and involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor.

At the time of the punching, Gray was out on $5,000 bail after being charged in connection with the deaths of two outdoor cats in Harrisburg by his off-leash dog.

Gray is now free on $20,000 bail and is next scheduled to appear in court in January. Motens family agreed to speak with PennLive about their brother, but didnt want their names published out of fear for their safety.

Its definitely brought the rest of us closer, his sister said. Theres a lot of us siblings, but to lose one of us is rough.

Moten was the second-oldest of eight children, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before his family moved to the Northumberland County area in the 1960s. As a teenager, he was an avid drummer who played in some local bands.

The Motens have family scattered throughout Pennsylvania, including in Harrisburg, where Moten had lived three or four times as an adult, including at the time he died.

He was a workhorse, his siblings said, and always seemed to have multiple jobs. Moten was a self-taught carpenter and electrician who always told his siblings he believed he could build his own house, if necessary.

Not long before he died, Moten bought a motorcycle, fulfilling a longtime dream. He wanted to ride the bike across the country to California, his sister said.

Unfortunately, he didnt ever get the chance to do some of the things with it he wanted to do, she said.

Motens siblings said they did not know Gray or how he came to know their brother. They said theyd never heard of him before. Police have not said how the men were connected or what may have motivated Gray to assault Moten, which his family said has added to their anxiety.

Surveillance footage from the 300 block of South 17th Street showed Gray and Moten meet on Sept. 17, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed against Gray.

Moten was in a nearby parking lot with several other people when Gray walked up to Moten and shook his hand. Then they both got into Motens pickup truck.

Surveillance cameras recorded Moten driving north on South 17th Street, with Gray in the passenger seat, at 9:51 p.m., the affidavit said. Half an hour later, court documents said Gray was spotted on the hospital cameras driving up to the emergency room entrance with an unconscious Moten.

During an Oct. 8 interview with police, Gray said he asked Moten to use his truck to pick up a bicycle he bought on the 1200 block of Bailey Street.

Court documents said the man selling the bike told Gray he was never paid and asked for the money.

When Moten asked Gray what he was going to do, Gray punched Moten once in the face, court documents said. Moten fell backward, hit his head on the pavement and immediately lost consciousness.

Gray said he picked up Moten and drove him to the hospital.

Motens sister called Harrisburg police on Sept. 29 to tell them her brother was not expected to survive, with Penn State Health staff describing his condition as grim. He was buried in a Northumberland County cemetery.

Motens siblings, who live within hours of Harrisburg, said they plan to travel to the city for each of Grays court appearances in support of their brothers memory. Gray is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 9.
A Harrisburg man charged earlier this year with forcing five women into sex trafficking is facing new charges, and was accused this week of drugging and raping two women in Cumberland and Dauphin counties.

Michael Choma, 46, was charged with multiple felony counts of rape, sexual assault offenses, aggravated indecent assault and aggravated indecent assault of person impaired, according to a criminal complaint filed by state authorities.

He has been incarcerated since March in connection with the human trafficking case that resulted in 73 charges, including 63 felonies.

The Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office said Choma drugged and sexually assaulted both women between October 2023 and August 2024, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

According to the affidavit, a woman reported that Choma raped her in 2024 when he was living at a parole-approved home in Lemoyne.

She first met Choma in 2020 when she was with a friend who had also been kicked out of their house and was looking for a place to sleep, authorities said.

Choma invited the pair to his hotel room and offered them drugs and large amounts of alcohol. He later got mad at them because they made him feel dumb as they were talking about science and Choma couldnt keep up, according to the affidavit.

The woman said she later encountered Choma, when he threatened to beat up the man she was dating, telling him that he wasnt good enough for her.

When the woman and her fiance were homeless and had been living on the street for six days in the heat, the couple had an argument, which made the woman walk away to find cool air, court records said.

Choma had been messaging the woman to hang out. She agreed to take an Uber for which he paid and decided to visit him because she needed food and wanted to go somewhere with air conditioning, the affidavit said.

Choma took her to a restaurant on or near Second Street and visited different friends in Harrisburg. The woman said Choma kept talking about a date rape drug, according to authorities.

The woman and Choma went back to his residence, which was where he began giving her alcoholic drinks. He gave her shorts to wear because at the time she had been on the street for the last several days and didnt have clean clothes.

Authorities said the woman was laying on her stomach when she blacked out.

The woman believes Choma had slipped her something to get her high and raped her, the affidavit said. When she woke up, she fought him off before fleeing to a friends house nearby in Lemoyne.

Court records said the woman was petrified and crazed as she ran out of Chomas home. She was terrified because she had heard that he had a sexually transmitted disease and thought she might have contracted it.

She later felt so out of it, that she believed she had been drugged.

When she saw Choma around town, he acted like he hadnt done anything wrong and acted like she wanted him, authorities said.

Another woman said she met Choma in August 2023 through mutual friends and said he would pay her to drive him around. He sexually assaulted her in October inside a Middletown house.

Choma and the woman were laying down together when he attempted to rape her, the affidavit said.

The woman said he had given her methamphetamine in a shot she took and she lost her vision and thought she was going to die.

She said there was another instance where Choma forced himself on me. And I told him no, I didnt want to do anything, court records said.

Choma was also charged with two offenses of indecent assault without the consent of other and indecent assault without the consent of person substantially impaired.

Chomas preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18, online court documents said.
WILLIAMSPORT  A Centre County man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after admitting he produced child pornography with a 3-year-old autistic non-verbal child he was babysitting.

William S. Welsh, 29, of State College, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. Middle District Court and immediately was sentenced by Judge Matthew W. Brann.

He admitted on Jan. 15, 2023, that he photographed the genitals of a child for the purpose of producing visual depictions for the purpose of eliciting a sexual response in the viewer.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd provided this background on Welsh, who was adopted from Russia when he was 1 year old:

When Welsh was 17, he was adjudicated delinquent for sexual abuse of a minor. Since he was a juvenile, he was not required to register as a sex offender.

He was committed to a sexual offender residential program, where his stay was repeatedly extended due to his lack of progress.

Inpatient and probation records reflect that Welsh was consistently manipulative and dishonest, suggesting a possible personality disorder.

Due to his persistent fantasies and ideations involving young boys, he was deemed to be an ongoing threat to public safety and recommended to be isolated from the public to the extent possible.

Welsh was discharged early on his mothers motion based on an alleged need for medical treatment.

His predatory sexual behavior escalated to targeting autistic and nonverbal/limited verbal toddlers by holding himself out as a babysitter.

When questioned by law enforcement concerning his interactions with the various toddlers he babysat, Welsh responded: I cannot answer that question. I wont answer that questionbut there was never a physical mark on them, I made sure of that.

Welshs illicit babysitting activities came to light in March 2024 when, after consuming ecstasy and cocaine, he told a friend he had ejaculated on the chest of a 2-year-old male he had babysat, and he had had child pornography on his computer but deleted it.

His disclosures were reported to law enforcement, and the subsequent investigation revealed that Welsh had babysat at least three autistic/non-verbal toddlers in 2023.

The parents of the toddlers reported numerous concerns related to Welshs babysitting. One of the toddlers resisted diaper changes after being babysat by Welsh.

Another toddler reported being left alone for what felt like a long time while playing hide and seek with Welsh and her autistic, non-verbal brother.

A series of search warrants for Welshs electronic devices revealed at least 40 videos of child pornography and 11 photographs taken by him at his home while babysitting a 3-year-old autistic and non-verbal victim.

Welshs internet history included searches for nude toddlers, toddlers in diapers, and how to adopt an autistic toddler.

Defense attorney Helan A. Stolinas argued for a 25-year sentence, noting her client provided a detailed statement acknowledging his wrongdoing and independently worked through a sex offender treatment workbook.

Welsh will be on 10 years supervised release following his jail term, during which he must undergo mental health and sex offense-specific treatment.

He must register as a sex offender and is prevented from having contact with anyone under the age of 18 without permission.
Police are investigating a slasher incident involving a person who used a razor during a fight at the bus stop of a UPS Store in Dauphin County last week.

But in a curious twist, they dont have a victim, yet.

Police are hoping the public can help them piece together what happened, including identifying the victim and/or suspect.

The reason police know about the dangerous incident in the first place is because it was recorded on surveillance footage from a UPS regional hub and turned over to police by the company.

The video showed a fight between two people around 9 a.m. Dec. 4 at the bus stop area outside UPS at 2110 North Union Street in Middletown, according to Lower Swatara Township police.

Police found blood droplets at the scene, which confirmed a violent encounter. But the victim did not report the slashing and police have not been able to verify if the victim showed up at a hospital or doctors office for treatment.

The suspect and victim could be related, police said, but they at least knew each other. They were not strangers, police said. The severity of the victims injuries are unclear.

Police are also asking witnesses who were on the bus and at the bus stop area to report what they saw.

We are seeking additional cell phone captured videos and witnesses to the incident, police said in a statement.

Anyone with information on the incident should call Dauphin County Non-Emergency Line at 717-558-6900, or submit a tip through Crimewatch.
Unionville Vineyards is promoting a creative release of a new collection this weekend.

The central New Jersey winery, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the nation, will release its Washington Collection on Saturday as a way to mark the semiquincentennial and celebrate Unionville Vineyards connection to the American Revolution.

It will also come a couple of weeks ahead of the anniversary of George Washingtons historic crossing of the Delaware River on Dec. 25-26, 1776.

Revolutionary Red, Battlefield Blush, and Victory White will be available for the first time, sold as individual bottles or in a three-bottle set at the Hunterdon County winery.

The release will run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, and comes on the heels of Unionvilles port release last weekend.

Three Unionville wines that go well with turkey or a number of other holiday meals include the 2023 Pheasant Hill Vineyard Viognier, 2023 Pheasant Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, and 2022 Pheasant Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. Unionville Vineyards

Said winery General Manager John Cifelli: Unionvilles Pheasant Hill Vineyard was the site of the most impressive gathering of Continental Army leadership during the entire war, and during the two-day war council at the Hunt House, the battle plans were laid for what would become the Battle of Monmouth two days later in June of 1778. It is not a stretch to say that the turning point of the American Revolution was planned 50 yards from our Chardonnay field. 13 generals were present, including La Fayette, Greene, Von Steuben, and, of course, Washington. There is a plaque commemorating this meeting on the exterior of the building.

George Washington, played by author and historian John Koopman III, will be in the tasting room from noon to 4, and he will give recurring talks about the Continental Armys Ten Crucial Days in the winerys 1858 Farmhouse at 12:30 and 2:30.

Guests can enjoy the talks for a $20 ticket. Koopman will also be signing his book Washington at War."
A place in Pennsylvania has been recognized for seriously decking their halls with boughs of holly.

The borough has been listed by a recent study as one of the United Statess most festive neighborhoods. In fact, it landed amongst the top five.

According to said study  as conducted and published by SIXT  the borough of Bernville in Berks County is the fourth most festive neighborhood in the country.

SIXT researchers managed to determine Bernvilles ranking  along with the other locations on the list  by analyzing Google search volume for Christmas-related trends. They also sourced social media post sentiment with KeywordTool.Io.

Bernville, Pennsylvania, shines as one of the nations most enchanting holiday destinations thanks to its famed Koziars Chirstmas Village, reads a SIXT press release. What began in 1948 as the Koziar family decorating their farm for the holidays has grown into a breathtaking winter wonderland that draws visitors across the country.

Today, the hills surrounding the village glow with more than a million lights, charming themed displays, a glittering lake reflecting festive scenes, and a cozy village of holiday buildings that capture the magic of Christmas.

According to the villages History page, Koziars Christmas Village has been maintained by the Koziar family for several generations. It has grown [into] a regional and national phenomena, with features in popular media outlets including The Today Show.

The top three most festive neighborhoods, according to SIXT, were found to be: McAdenville, North Carolina (third); Clifton, Ohio (second); and Clarkston, Michigan (first).
By JONATHAN J. COOPER, The Associated Press

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at blocking states from crafting their own regulations for artificial intelligence, saying the burgeoning industry is at risk of being stifled by a patchwork of onerous rules while in a battle with Chinese competitors for supremacy.

Members of Congress from both parties, as well as civil liberties and consumer rights groups, have pushed for more regulations on AI, saying there is not enough oversight for the powerful technology.

But Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that theres only going to be one winner as nations race to dominate artificial intelligence, and Chinas central government gives its companies a single place to go for government approvals.

We have the big investment coming, but if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it because its impossible to do, Trump said.

The executive order directs the Attorney General to create a new task force to challenge state laws, and directs the Commerce Department to draw up a list of problematic regulations.

It also threatens to restrict funding from a broadband deployment program and other grant programs to states with AI laws.

David Sacks, a venture capitalist with extensive AI investments who is leading Trumps policies on cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, said the Trump administration would only push back on the most onerous examples of state regulation but would not oppose kid safety measures.

What states have proposed

Four states  Colorado, California, Utah and Texas  have passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Those laws include limiting the collection of certain personal information and requiring more transparency from companies.

The laws are in response to AI that already pervades everyday life. The technology helps make consequential decisions for Americans, including who gets a job interview, an apartment lease, a home loan and even certain medical care. But research has shown that it can make mistakes in those decisions, including by prioritizing a particular gender or race.

States more ambitious AI regulation proposals require private companies to provide transparency and assess the possible risks of discrimination from their AI programs.

Beyond those more sweeping rules, many states have regulated parts of AI: barring the use of deepfakes in elections and to create nonconsensual porn, for example, or putting rules in place around the governments own use of AI.
By State Rep. Aerion A. Abney, D-Allegheny

It can be hard for people to ask for help when they need it, especially with their mental health. Finding help? Equally difficult.

The average wait time nationally for behavioral health services is 48 days, according to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. In 2023, nearly half of the 59 million adults with a mental illness in the U.S. received no treatment, according to federal data.

Those numbers reveal a serious supply-and-demand problem in the behavioral health industry: Demand for mental health services is on the rise, driven by factors such as increased depression and anxiety during the opioid epidemic and after the COVID pandemic. But the supply of workers cant keep pace.

In Pennsylvania, the shortage of mental health workers is particularly acute. Its projected that the state will face a shortage of more than 6,300 workers in the field in 2026.

We cant sit by and let this happen. We need more mental health workers.

As the only social worker in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Im working on solutions.

My H.B. 554 would improve access to mental health services by authorizing Pennsylvania to join the Social Workers Licensure Compact, a multi-state agreement that allows licensed social workers to practice across state lines. It passed the House earlier this year with strong bipartisan support and is pending in the Senate.

Social workers can help during a mental health crisis by providing several mental health services. They can provide counseling, case management, advocacy, and help find mental health resources.

Joining the compact will encourage more social workers to practice here by cutting red tape for those looking to practice in another state. That will also make Pennsylvania a more attractive place to live and work.

Other health care fields are experiencing worker shortages as well, and compacts are one of the tools the state is turning to. Pennsylvania has recently joined multi-state agreements as we work to address shortages of qualified doctors, nurses and physical therapists.

Yet compacts alone wont solve the problem. They will help, but the solution has to be multi-pronged.

Many health care facilities are doing what they can to address the shortage  raising base pay, offering tuition reimbursement, allowing flexible work schedulesand those are all pieces to the puzzle.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and House Democrats also sought more pieces in this years budget, but well have to continue fighting for those, because unfortunately, they werent included in the final budget compromise. Those proposals would have devoted more state funds to help with statewide hospital staffing, behavioral health loan repayment programs, and tuition reimbursement for nursing students.

As our attention turns soon to our next state budget, I am hopeful we can revisit those proposals and build momentum for investing more in these necessary programs.

Its imperative that state and national leaders focus on policies that grow the number of health care professionals and ensure providers have the flexibility to innovate and meet their communities needs, Nicole Stallings, president and CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, said earlier this year.

I agree  wholeheartedly. We must do everything we can to grow the number of health care professionals in Pennsylvania. We must meet this need.

State Rep. Aerion A. Abney represents the 19th District in Allegheny County and serves on the House Appropriations Committee.
Sen. John Fetterman is a staunch Israel supporter who has now asked that countrys president to pardon embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

TalkingPointsMemo.com obtained a letter that Fetterman sent to Israel President Isaac Herzog asking him to issue a pardon for Netanyahu amid an ongoing corruption scandal.

In a world this dangerous, I question whether any democracy can afford to have its head of government spending valuable hours, day after day, in a courtroom rather than the situation room, Fetterman wrote in the Dec. 2, TPM reported.

I fully support it and I stand on the letter, Fetterman told TPM.

Written on Senate letterhead and bearing his signature, Fettermans letter said he has monitored Israeli court proceedings with growing alarm and he told Herzog that the probe has negatively affected Israels spirit and focus.

In a world this dangerous, I question whether any democracy can afford to have its head of government spending valuable hours, day after day, in a courtroom rather than the situation room, wrote Fetterman. I believe there is a strong case to be made for a pardon  not to erase the past, but to secure the future.

Fetterman has angered many fellow Democrats with his steadfast support for Israel and its military offensive into Gaza following the Hamas attack in October 2023.

TPM shared several other ways in which Fetterman has backed Israel, including urging the United States to join Israel in bombing Iran, meeting with Netanyahu in Israel and telling a progressive Jewish group that he opposed a ceasefire in Gaza and said, Lets get back to killing.

A source told the website that the letter was delivered to Herzog, who, TPM reported, met with Fetterman in New York City on Sunday at a Hanukkah dinner and award ceremony.
Vice President JD Vance is planning to make a speech Tuesday near Allentown, according to a spokesperson for his office.

Hell discuss the U.S. economy and cost of living, echoing remarks made by President Donald Trump during a visit Dec. 9 to Mount Airy Casino Resort in Paradise Township, Monroe County.

Trump veered off topic during his economic address Tuesday to complain about immigrants.

Vances spokesperson didnt release a time or location for the Dec. 16 event.

Expect Vice President Vance to emphasize the fact that making America affordable again is the number one priority of the Trump administration, the spokesperson said.

Vance became a U.S. Senator in Ohio in 2022, then was elected vice president on Trumps ticket in 2024. Hes known for his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which chronicles his rise from poverty to his graduation from Yale Law School.
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt underwent surgery for a partially collapsed lung on Thursday and is expected to make a full recovery, his brother J.J. said. Watt underwent a treatment known as dry needling in the facility on Wednesday, which is a physical therapy technique that aims at muscle knots and alleviating pain.

It is a general treatment that many players undergo each week without repercussions. However, Watts caused him great discomfort throughout Wednesday, and they sent him to the hospital which revealed the partially collapsed lung, balding to surgery.

Watt is expected to be released from the hospital today, and should return this season at some point.

Yesterday TJ had successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility. Recovery timeline is still TBD, but all went well and he is being released from the hospital today. He and his family are very appreciative of everyones kind words and well wishes, J.J. said on X.

As J.J. notes, the exact recovery time for Watt is unknown and the Steelers will have to evaluate him throughout the weeks, but it is viewed as a long shot for him to play against the Miami Dolphins.

If Watt could not play, the Steelers would have Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig as their starters against the Dolphins. Both of those players have started at different points this year, but they have not played a game without Watt in the lineup.

Highsmith, Watts best friend on the team, said he has been in contact with the star pass rusher, and he remains in good spirits.

Its definitely a scary situation, tough situation. Ive just been praying for him. I know hes getting better, Highsmith said.

This is the second Steelers player who has gone to the hospital for a check this week. DK Metcalf did so in Baltimore on Sunday night following the teams win over the Ravens, after experiencing stomach pain. He is expected to be limited this week, but should play on Monday against the Dolphins.
InstaWebAI is an AI-powered website builder designed to help businesses quickly establish a professional online presence without the need for coding or design expertise. By simply providing a business name and description, users can generate a fully functional, multi-page website tailored to their needs.

Key Features

AI-Generated Website: InstaWebAI creates a complete website in minutes, offering professional layouts, industry-specific content, and design elements that align with your brand.

InstaWebAI creates a complete website in minutes, offering professional layouts, industry-specific content, and design elements that align with your brand. Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Editor: The platform provides an easy-to-use editor that allows users to customize their website by rearranging sections, updating text, and swapping images without any coding knowledge.

The platform provides an easy-to-use editor that allows users to customize their website by rearranging sections, updating text, and swapping images without any coding knowledge. AI Content Writer: Generate compelling, SEO-optimized copy tailored to your business, including homepage text, product descriptions, and blog posts, all crafted by AI to match your brands voice.

Generate compelling, SEO-optimized copy tailored to your business, including homepage text, product descriptions, and blog posts, all crafted by AI to match your brands voice. AI Image Generator: Create custom visuals, graphics, and photos using advanced AI technology, ensuring high-quality images that maintain brand consistency.

Create custom visuals, graphics, and photos using advanced AI technology, ensuring high-quality images that maintain brand consistency. Mobile-Responsive Design: Websites built with InstaWebAI automatically adapt to various screen sizes, providing an optimal viewing experience on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops.

Websites built with InstaWebAI automatically adapt to various screen sizes, providing an optimal viewing experience on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. Advanced SEO Tools: The platform includes built-in SEO optimization features, such as automatic generation of meta tags, schema markup, and performance enhancements, to improve search engine visibility.

The platform includes built-in SEO optimization features, such as automatic generation of meta tags, schema markup, and performance enhancements, to improve search engine visibility. E-commerce Support: InstaWebAI offers integrated payment processing and product management features, enabling users to sell products and services online seamlessly.

Who is it for?

InstaWebAI is ideal for entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, and agencies seeking a quick and efficient way to establish or manage multiple professional websites. Its user-friendly interface and AI-driven features cater to those without technical backgrounds who want to create and maintain an online presence with ease.

Pricing

Free Plan: Allows users to build and explore the platform with basic features, including one AI-generated website, basic website builder tools, AI content suggestions (limited), mobile-responsive templates, and community support.

Allows users to build and explore the platform with basic features, including one AI-generated website, basic website builder tools, AI content suggestions (limited), mobile-responsive templates, and community support. Professional Plan: Priced at $25 per month, this plan includes one website, the ability to connect a custom domain, free hosting with SSL encryption, 5,000 AI credits per month, AI content and image generation, a visual website editor, up to 10,000 form submissions, unlimited pages, SEO-optimized copy and images, a code editor for custom adjustments, and priority customer support.

Priced at $25 per month, this plan includes one website, the ability to connect a custom domain, free hosting with SSL encryption, 5,000 AI credits per month, AI content and image generation, a visual website editor, up to 10,000 form submissions, unlimited pages, SEO-optimized copy and images, a code editor for custom adjustments, and priority customer support. Agency Plan: At $49 per month, this plan offers up to 10 websites, free SSL for all domains, one-click publishing for all sites, free hosting with SSL encryption, 50,000 AI credits per month, AI content and image generation across all sites, advanced drag-and-drop editing, up to 100,000 form submissions, unlimited pages across all sites, premium SEO tools, full code editor access, real-time editing for all sites, 100GB secure cloud storage, blog management tools for all sites, advanced analytics and integrations, and e-commerce features across all sites.

Final Thoughts

InstaWebAI provides a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to establish a professional online presence quickly and efficiently. Its AI-driven features, intuitive customization tools, and scalable pricing plans make it a valuable option for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and agencies seeking to create and manage multiple websites without the need for technical expertise.

Visit instawebai.com for more.
The big question for Aleksejs Ponakovs heading into the final day of the $100,000 Triton Main Event at World Series of Poker Paradise was whether he could finally shake his Triton hoodoo. He entered the finale as chip leader, but history suggested that closing the deal would be anything but straightforward.

Since first appearing on the Triton Poker Tour in 2022, Ponakovs had built one of the strongest resumes on the circuit, with more than 30 cashes and over $19.5 million in Triton earnings. What was missing was a title. Despite 19 previous final table appearances and two runner-up finishes, the Latvian had never quite managed to close one out.

On his 20th Triton final table, that question was finally answered.

Ponakovs outlasted a 237-entry field to win his first Triton title, a third WSOP bracelet, and the $4,750,000 top prize from the $23,700,000 prize pool, defeating Pedro Padilha heads-up after a final day that tested him at every stage.

WSOP Paradise Triton Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Aleksejs Ponakovs Latvia $4,750,000 2 Pedro Padilha Brazil $3,160,000 3 Manuel Fritz Austria $2,311,000 4 Ye Wang China $1,865,000 5 Klemens Roiter Austria $1,462,000 6 Eelis Parssinen Finland $1,107,000 7 Yang Wang China $813,000 8 Jean-Noel Thorel France $597,000 9 Adrian Mateos Spain $495,000

From Survival to Control

Pedro Padilha

When I got to the final table, I knew I would have to work a lot, Ponakovs said. I lost the big pot right away, and I was just sitting there watching Pedro [Padilha] doing his job.

Despite starting the day with the chip lead, Ponakovs found himself sliding down the counts as momentum shifted elsewhere.

I was like, this is going to be tough, he admitted. Now I need to get some luck.

That moment arrived at five-handed play when Ponakovs doubled through Ye Wang with pocket aces, a hand he described as a turning point.

After that, he said, I get aces. And that was a great moment.

Ye Wang

Once Ponakovs regained control, the finish came quickly. After wrestling the chip lead, he eliminated Klemens Roiter, Wang, Manuel Fritz, and finally Padilha to close out the title.

While the ending reads as dominant, Ponakovs was quick to stress the quality of opposition throughout the day.

When we play in the Bahamas, I know most of my opponents because we play online, he said. But when we play live, its a completely different story. Some of them played really good. Im just like, where are they getting all these reps?

For Ponakovs, finally securing a Triton title brought a sense of satisfaction rather than release.

Thats the nicest thing, he said. When youre trying to achieve your goals, its actually the journey. I dont feel much when I achieve it, but the journey was a lot of fun.

Jason Koon

And with the Triton hoodoo finally gone, his sights are already set on what comes next.

It hasnt stopped, Ponakovs added. I need more titles. I see Jason Koon having, what, twelve? So I have high motivation to get more.

After years of close calls, Ponakovs has finally turned consistency into a Triton Main Event title. Judging by his own words, it will not be the last.

This concludes PokerNews coverage of the Triton Main Event, but as always, stick around to keep up with all the action from Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low around 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low around 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
The charity project Nuoi Em (Raising children) is facing mounting criticism over alleged transparency failures, including claims that individual children were assigned multiple sponsors and that project data contains inconsistencies.

Hoang Hoa Trung, the project's founder, announced on Dec. 8 the suspension of all fundraising activities and freezing of bank accounts pending an independent audit. It follows a two-day storm of criticism on social media of its processes.

Central to the controversy is an alleged violation of the projects core promise that each child would be supported by only one donor through a unique identification code. The issue first surfaced on Dec. 6 when donor Alexa Phan shared her experience online.

She said she sponsored a child in August 2022 under code NE03905, only to later discover that the same child appeared under another donors name. When she sought clarification, she was told her messages had gone unnoticed for nearly two years and was sent a sponsorship certificate that appeared to have been altered.

After her post circulated online, other donors, referred to as "foster siblings", began conducting their own informal checks. Preliminary findings shared within donor groups suggested more than 250 duplicated child codes, with some children reportedly linked to two to five sponsors in a single school year.

Giang Thi Lu, a child from Dien Bien province in northern Vietnam, had two different "foster siblings" providing support during the 20222023 school year. Photo courtesy of alexaphans Threads account

These findings further fueled doubts about the accuracy of the projects database. Nguyen Huyen of Hanoi said she was shocked to find out that a child she sponsored in Dien Bien in 2024, a four-year-old, was listed as being only 57 cm tall, the same as a newborn baby.

Vo Lan discovered that the third grader she was sponsoring was listed as only 90 cm tall, or the same as a two-year-old.

Lan says: "When I requested a review, I was met with an aggressive response. I stopped participating because I didn't expect them to be so unprofessional."

Though the project has grown to over 120,000 participants contributing hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong (VND100 billion = US$3.8 million), the project admits on its website that there is "no audit" and funds still flow into Trung's personal account rather than an independent legal entity. Many donors also report being constantly badgered to pay "like debtors."

Pham Hong, a donor living in Japan, said she paid VND1.45 million in April for the new school year but was asked to pay again in October. "I feel let down. I went from being excited to visit my foster child to worrying about whether my money ever reached them," she said.

Others echoed similar frustrations. Hoang Minh, 30, and his wife from Hanoi, who have donated more than VND120 million to support 32 children, said volunteers often pushed for quick payments "like debt collectors," while inquiries went unanswered for months.

Salina Nguyen said her assigned sponsorship codes changed so often that she lost track of which child she was supporting, even as payment reminders continued.

Founded in 2014 by Hoang Hoa Trung and the volunteer group Mountain Forest Light, "Nuoi Em" initially provided meals for a small number of children in remote areas. In 2018, the project adopted a technology-based "one person supports one child" model, which helped it scale rapidly nationwide.

Each donor contributes VND1.45 million (about $55) per school year, with most of the funds allocated to meals and a smaller portion to school facilities. Beneficiaries are preschool and school-age children in remote highland communities who receive little or no state meal support. For the 20252026 school year, the project announced more than 120,000 donors supporting children in over 900 disadvantaged communes across provinces such as Dien Bien, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Dak Lak, and Gia Lai.

Trung has received multiple honors for his volunteer work, including Vietnam Outstanding Young Face in 2019, Forbes Vietnam 30 Under 30 in 2020, and the National Volunteer Award in 2017.

Responding to donor concerns on Dec. 7, Trung acknowledged shortcomings in volunteer conduct, including behavior that made donors feel pressured or confronted. He said the donation account has been used solely for charitable purposes since 2018, with operational costs covered by bank interest and separate sponsorships. On the issue of duplicated codes, he said no such cases had been formally recorded before Dec. 6 and pledged a full review of the database.

Hoang Hoa Trung, the founder of the "Raising Children" project, which has been operating since 2014. Photo courtesy of Trung

Ngo Anh Tuan, founder of the fundraising platform Givenow, noted that while Vietnamese law allows individuals to organize charitable activities, strict regulations govern accounting and fundraising. Recent charity disputes, he said, suggest these rules may not always be fully followed.

As the controversy continues, educators worry most about the children who depend on the program. At Na Bung Kindergarten in northern Dien Bien province, principal Lo Thi Khoa said state support remains insufficient to meet young childrens nutritional needs. The school currently relies on "Nuoi Em" to provide additional meals for 327 pupils. "If the project stops, the children's meal portions will have to be reduced, directly affecting their attendance in class," Khoa says.

The project has already transferred more than VND88 million to the school to cover meals for the first two months of the academic year, funds that have been used to pay food suppliers.
Representatives from First Citizens Bank present a $10,000 check to the GSSM Foundation in support of GoSciTech STEM summer camps.
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 45F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 45F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Vietnam has approved amendments to its mineral law that place rare earths under strict state management and prohibit raw export, signaling a shift in how the country plans to develop one of the worlds most sought-after resources.

Passed by the National Assembly on Dec. 11, the revised legislation classifies rare earths as a "special strategic" mineral.

All geological surveys, exploration, mining and processing must align with the national rare-earth strategy and can only be carried out by state-designated or state-approved companies. The government will also centralize geological data, regulate imports and exports according to national needs and build up strategic stockpiles.

The law pushes Vietnam toward deep processing rather than raw extraction, with a requirement to develop a modern industrial ecosystem capable of producing higher-value materials for sectors such as electric-vehicle batteries, solar panels, advanced alloys, drones, military robotics and semiconductors. With global demand for rare earths expected to surge over the next decade, the government argues the mineral has clear implications for national defense, security and diplomacy, necessitating tight oversight.

The legislation also encourages international cooperation in high-tech exploration and processing and prioritizes training skilled workers for the industry. Rare-earth reserve areas, zones identified through geological surveys but not yet mined, will be strictly protected.

Beyond rare earths, the amended law streamlines procedures for converting certain types of land for mining construction materials used in public-investment, PPP and other key national projects. These rules apply only to planted production forests and non-agricultural land, excluding defense and security areas.

The law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 45F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 45F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
Quick Response and Public Safety Reporter

Caitlin Bell is a breaking news and courts reporter for The Post and Courier Charleston. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
Dozens of residents lined up, some for a few hours, ahead of the Dec. 11, 2025, York County Library Board of Trustees meeting where a new collection policy was approved. The meeting was at the library in Fort Mill, where the meeting room has seats for about 40 audience members. Attendance for board meetings in the last year has typically exceeded space at the libraries.
The status of Taiwan as China's territory has been unequivocally and irreversibly affirmed by a series of ironclad historical and legal facts, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, when holding talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Beijing on Dec. 8, 2025.

The infographic shows ironclad historical and legal facts which affairmed the status of Taiwan as China's territory.

Editor: Zhang Zhou
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 20:59:12

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 622 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Leading securities law firmBleichmar Fonti & Auld LLPannounces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) and certain of the Company's senior executives for securities fraud after a significant stock drop resulting from the potential violations of the federal securities laws.If you invested in Alexandria Real Estate, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/alexandria-real-estate-class-action-lawsuit Investors have until January 26, 2026, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in Alexandria Real Estate securities. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and is captioned Hern v. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., et al., No. 2:25-cv- 11319.Why is Alexandria Real Estate Being Sued For Securities Fraud?Alexandria Real Estate is a real estate investment trust. Its tenants are concentrated in life science industries, such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.During the relevant period, Alexandria Real Estate touted its leasing volume and development pipeline, specifically regarding a property in Long Island City, New York, stating that leasing volume was "solid" and its pipeline was "well positioned to capture future demand when expansion needs arise." As alleged, in truth, Alexandria Real Estate was experiencing lower occupancy rates and slower leasing activity such that it was required to take a real estate impairment charge of $323.9 million with $206 million attributed to its Long Island City property.Why did Alexandria Real Estate's Stock Drop?On October 27, 2025, Alexandria Real Estate announced results below expectations for 3Q 2025 and cut guidance for the remainder of the fiscal year. The company attributed the results to lower occupancy rates and slower leasing activity. It also announced a real estate impairment charge of $323.9 million with $206 million attributed to its Long Island City property, stating that the property was not a life science destination that could scale. Alexandria Real Estate also announced additional impairment charges that may be recognized in 4Q 25 ranging from $0 to $685 million. This news caused the price of Alexandria Real Estate stock to drop $14.93 per share, or more than 19%, from a closing price of $77.87 per share on October 27, 2025, to $62.94 per share on October 28, 2025.Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/alexandria-real-estate-class-action-lawsuit What Can You Do?If you invested in Alexandria Real Estate you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm.All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses.Submit your information by visiting:Or contact:Ross Shikowitz ross@ bfalaw.com 212.789.3619Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP?BFA is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It has been named a top plaintiff law firm by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and ISS SCAS, and its attorneys have been named "Elite Trial Lawyers" by the National Law Journal, among the top "500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers" by Lawdragon, "Titans of the Plaintiffs' Bar" by Law360 and "SuperLawyers" by Thomson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.'s Board of Directors, as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd.For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.SOURCE: Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 18:15:09

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 525 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

Decade-long partnership supports tribally led effort to return North America's largest land bird to Hells CanyonDALLAS, TX / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / The Colossal Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable organization associated with Colossal, the de-extinction company, today announced a $500,000, ten-year commitment to the Nez Perce Tribe's Wildlife Division to advancethe recovery and reintroduction of the Critically Endangered California condor(Gymnogyps californianus), known in the Nez Perce language as qu'nes.With a wingspan of nearly 10 feet, the California condor is North America's largest land bird. By 1982, its population had fallen to just 22 birds due to habitat loss, lead poisoning, and other human-caused threats. Today roughly 560 condors exist, about 360 in the wild.For the first time in over 125 years, qu'nes is poised to return to its northernmost range as soon as 2031. Led by the Nez Perce Tribe (Nimiipuu), this historic reintroduction aims to restore a species that is both ecologically essential and culturally sacred, establishing the first Inland Northwest population."Since time immemorial, the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) people and qu'nes (condor) have shared this landscape," said Eric Kash Kash, Director of the Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division. "Its return represents both ecological restoration and spiritual renewal for our people and the land." Since 2016, the Tribe's Wildlife Division has conducted rigorous assessments confirming that the Hells Canyon ecoregion provides ideal habitat for a reintroduced condor population. This scientific work complements traditional ecological knowledge reflected in the naming of a local canyon as ananasocum, meaning "the place where condors used to be" in the Nez Perce language.Colossal Foundation's investment will accelerate the final, critical phase: completing reintroduction plans, scaling the "Get the Lead Out" campaign to guarantee a lead-free food web, and strengthening local capacity through hiring and training dedicated tribal biologists."The Nez Perce are leading one of the most visionary species recovery projects in North America," said Matt James, Chief Animal Officer at Colossal Biosciences and Executive Director of the Colossal Foundation. "Their leadership demonstrates how cultural knowledge and cutting-edge science together can reweave the living fabric of ecosystems." The project is further strengthened by INDIGENOUS LED, a founding member of Colossal's Indigenous Council dedicated to advancing Indigenous-led conservation. This collaboration builds on the Colossal Foundation's Species Reintroduction Fund and reaffirms Colossal's partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe, who sit on Colossal's Indigenous Council.About the Colossal FoundationThe Colossal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the use of cutting-edge technologies for conservation efforts globally to help prevent extinction of keystone species. Learn more atwww.ColossalFoundation.org About the Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife DivisionThe Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division works to protect, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife resources. Grounded in the cultural values of the Nimiipuu, the Division utilizes the best available science and traditional ecological knowledge to manage species and habitats within the Tribe's ancestral homelands.About INDIGENOUS LEDINDIGENOUS LED was founded by Indigenous People for Indigenous People to elevate the power of Indigenous-led conservation to address our planetary and relationship crises.Press Contacts:Colossal /Emily@ colossal.com Thinkerbell /colossal@ thinkerbell.com SOURCE: Colossal Foundation
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 20:30:09

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 659 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

HARARE, ZW / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Conservation Travel Africa is celebrating the continued growth and success of its ethical Primate Volunteer Program in Zimbabwe, with a particular rise in mature and senior volunteers seeking meaningful, hands-on conservation experiences. The programme-based at one of Zimbabwe's most respected wildlife sanctuaries-offers volunteers of all ages the opportunity to work closely with rescued and orphaned primates, contributing directly to long-term rehabilitation and welfare.The sanctuary provides a safe haven for primates affected by the illegal pet trade, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict. Volunteers play a vital role in supporting daily care, enrichment, enclosure management, and behavioural observation, all within a highly ethical framework that prioritises animal wellbeing.A Welcoming Space for Mature VolunteersConservation Travel Africa continues to see increasing numbers of volunteers aged 50+ choosing its projects, drawn by supportive environments, comfortable accommodations, and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to conservation while experiencing Africa in an authentic and engaging way.Among the most popular programmes for mature volunteers is the Primate Conservation Program in Zimbabwe-an intimate, hands-on experience ideal for those seeking a small, friendly sanctuary environment. Volunteers work alongside dedicated local staff, gaining insight into the daily realities of wildlife rescue while building strong connections within the team.Other Mature-Friendly Volunteer OpportunitiesBeyond primate care, Conservation Travel Africa offers a wide range of projects designed to suit different interests, skill levels, and comfort preferences:Community Outreach - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe: Very small group sizes create a personalised and flexible volunteering experience. Project managers tailor activities according to community needs and the skills volunteers bring.Big 5 National Parks, Zimbabwe: Run by an experienced couple in their 60s, this field assistant role allows volunteers to shadow seasoned conservationists as they carry out real-time wildlife monitoring and management across major parks.Rhino & Elephant Program, Zimbabwe: With structured days, a family-style environment, and comfortable accommodation, this programme is ideal for first-time older volunteers seeking a supportive and familiar setting.Endangered Wildlife Monitoring, South Africa: Popular with travellers who have previously been on safari, this research-focused programme offers in-depth exposure to conservation management in a vast protected area.Humpback Whale Expedition, Mozambique: A unique marine project that requires no diving experience. Volunteers swim with and monitor whales while supporting ongoing scientific research, all from comfortable accommodation in a remote coastal setting.Environmental Conservation, Malawi: Perfect for bird enthusiasts, this programme blends community engagement with river-based conservation work, exceptional birding, and a camping weekend in Majete Wildlife Reserve."We're seeing a real shift in the way people want to travel later in life," said Jane Palmer, Marketing Manager at Conservation Travel Africa. "Around 30% of our volunteers are over 50, and many are now boldly embarking on their first solo adventure. Programs like our Primate Conservation Project give mature volunteers a chance to reconnect with nature, make a meaningful impact, and experience Africa in a truly hands-on way." Ethical, Impactful VolunteeringConservation Travel Africa remains committed to responsible wildlife experiences. All projects are operated in partnership with leading African sanctuaries, ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare. Unlike exploitative wildlife tourism, these programmes are non-commercial, with no breeding, performance, or hands-on activities that compromise animal wellbeing.How to JoinLimited-time savings are available for volunteers joining the Primate Conservation Program in 2025, offering an added incentive for those ready to take the next step in their conservation journey. No prior experience is required-only enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and a desire to contribute to meaningful wildlife protection.To learn more or reserve your place, visit: conservationtravelafrica.org About Conservation Travel AfricaConservation Travel Africa partners with ethical wildlife and community initiatives across the continent. The organisation's mission is to support long-term conservation goals through responsible volunteering, empowering local communities, and protecting vulnerable species and habitats.Media ContactOrganization: Conservation Travel AfricaContact Person Name: Jane PalmerWebsite: https://conservationtravelafrica.org/ Email: info@ conservationtravelafrica.org Address: 1st Floor, Building B, Nautica Commercial Centre, Royal Road, Black RiverCountry: MauritiusSOURCE: Conservation Travel Africa
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 18:15:14

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 418 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / CoVantage Credit Union ("CoVantage") recently suffered a data breach through its third-party vendor, Marquis Software Solutions ("Marquis")that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to CoVantage.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On August 14, 2025, CoVantage Credit Union learned that its third-party vendor, Marquis Software Solutions, experienced a cybersecurity incident affecting Marquis' internal environment. The unauthorized access occurred within Marquis's network environment rather than CoVantage's own internal systems; where certain files containing personal information related to CoVantage's customers were stored.Marquis reviewed the compromised files and launched an internal investigation with the assistance of cybersecurity experts. On October 27, 2025, Marquis determined that files containingCoVantage customers' information had been accessed or acquired.The impacted data may includenames, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, financial account information, and dates of birth.On November 26, 2025, CoVantage filed a notice with the Attorney General of Maine and began notifying affected individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personalinformation was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from CoVantage Credit Union, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
Two male Tibetan antelopes confront before a fight at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 1, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

Two male Tibetan antelopes fight for mating at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 30, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A male Tibetan antelope chases a female one at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 1, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 9, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes are pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 2, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

A drone photo shows Tibetan antelopes foraging at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A male Tibetan antelope (R) chases a female one at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 5, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A drone photo shows Tibetan antelopes galloping at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Two male Tibetan antelopes fight for mating at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Tibetan antelopes are pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

Two male Tibetan antelopes confront before a fight at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 5, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A drone photo shows a Tibetan antelope foraging at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 5, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes gallop at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Tibetan antelopes are pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 30, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

A male Tibetan antelope chases a female one at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 1, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

Tibetan antelopes gallop at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 30, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

Tibetan antelopes are pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A Tibetan antelope gallops at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 5, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes are pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

A male Tibetan antelope chases a female one at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 30, 2025.

Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Tibetan antelopes are pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

Female Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 5, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A male Tibetan antelope forages at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A Tibetan antelope forages at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Female Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Wolves prepare to hunt Tibetan antelopes at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A male Tibetan antelope chases a female one at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 9, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 6, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes are pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 2, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Two male Tibetan antelopes fight at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 1, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

A male Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

Two male Tibetan antelopes fight at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 3, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 6, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes forage at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 6, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

A male Tibetan antelope is pictured at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 30, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

A drone photo shows Tibetan antelopes foraging at the Altun Mountains National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 7, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tibetan antelopes gallop at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 30, 2025. Winter is the mating season for Tibetan antelopes, which enjoy first-class state protection in China, and are mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Editor: WXY
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 20:59:25

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 649 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Leading securities law firmBleichmar Fonti & Auld LLPannounces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX) and certain of the Company's senior executives for securities fraud after a significant stock drop resulting from the potential violations of the federal securities laws.If you invested in James Hardie, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit Investors have until December 23, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in James Hardie common stock (formerly American Depositary Shares). The class action is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is captioned Laborers' District Council and Contractors' Pension Fund of Ohio v. James Hardie Industries plc, et al., No. 1:25-cv-13018.Why Was James Hardie Sued for Securities Fraud?James Hardie is a producer and marketer of high-performance fiber cement building solutions. The largest application for the Company's fiber cement building products in the United Stated and Canada is in external siding for the residential building industry.During the relevant period, James Hardie told investors that the results of its North American fiber cement segment demonstrated its "inherent strength" and "the underlying momentum in our strategy." The Company also stated on May 20, 2025, that it was seeing "normal stock levels" among its customers and that it was "seeing performance in the month to date as we would expect." As alleged, in truth, the Company's North American sales during the relevant period were the result of inventory loading by channel partners, with the hallmarks of fraudulent channel stuffing, not sustainable customer demand as represented.The Stock Declines as the Truth Is RevealedOn August 19, 2025, James Hardie revealed that its North American fiber cement sales declined 12% during the quarter, driven by destocking first discovered "in April through May" as customers "made efforts to return to more normal inventory levels[.]" The Company also revealed that significant inventory destocking was expected to continue to impact sales for the next several quarters. On this news, the price of James Hardie stock fell $9.79 per share, or more than 34%, from $28.43 per share on August 19, 2025, to $18.64 per share on August 20, 2025.On November 17, 2025, James Hardie announced that Rachel Wilson had decided to step down from her role as CFO.Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit What Can You Do?If you invested in James Hardie you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm.All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses.Submit your information by visiting:Or contact:Ross Shikowitz ross@ bfalaw.com 212.789.3619Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP?BFA is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It has been named a top plaintiff law firm by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and ISS SCAS, and its attorneys have been named "Elite Trial Lawyers" by the National Law Journal, among the top "500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers" by Lawdragon, "Titans of the Plaintiffs' Bar" by Law360 and "SuperLawyers" by Thomson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.'s Board of Directors, as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd.For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.SOURCE: Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 18:45:08

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 405 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Industrial Credit Union of Whatcom County ("Industrial Credit Union") recently suffered a data breach through one of its third-party communication delivery vendors, that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to the Industrial Credit Union.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?Recently, Industrial Credit Union was informed of a security incident involving one of its third-party communication delivery vendors, which provides both print and email services to financial institutions. Upon learning of the breach, the vendor engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate the nature and scope of the incident. Industrial Credit Union's own systems were not breached.The impacted data may include names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and financial and banking information.On November 26, 2025, Industrial Credit Union filed a notice with the office of the Attorney General of Washington and began sending notice letters to impacted individuals .Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Industrial Credit Union of Whatcom County, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 18:30:21

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 419 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / Pelican Credit Union recently suffered a data breach through its third-party vendor, Marquis Software Solutions ("Marquis"), that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to Pelican Credit Union.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?In August 2025, Pelican Credit Union learned from its third-party vendor, Marquis Software Solutions, that Marquis had experienced a data security incident. During the subsequent investigation, it was discovered that an unauthorized third party may have accessed or acquired files containing sensitive personal data belonging to Pelican Credit Union members. On October 27, 2025, Marquis confirmed to Pelican Credit Union that member data was likely involved in the breach.The impacted data may include names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, tax identification numbers, financial account numbers, and payment card data.On November 14, 2025, Pelican Credit Union posted public notice of the breach on its website. Marquis and Pelican Credit Union recently began mailing notice letters to impacted individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personalinformation was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Pelican Credit Union, you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 27th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 14:00:11

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 941 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

A technology-driven critical metals exploration company reshoring Western metal production through patented processing IP, strategic exploration assets, and global business opportunitiesVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 /Temas Resources Corp. ("Temas" or the "Company") (ASX:TIO)(CSE:TMAS)(OTCQB:TMASF)(FSE:26P0) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a consulting and marketing services agreement dated 11 December, 2025 with Christian Klingebiel of Milestone Capital Partners to support expanded investor awareness initiatives in Europe.Under the eight-week engagement, Mr. Klingebiel and Milestone Capital Partners will provide a range of marketing and public relations services, including:Editorial and newsletter marketing aimed at enhancing Temas' visibility across key European investor channels;Arranging media coverage in Germany and broader European markets;Introducing the Company to qualified investors in Germany and Europe; andOther mutually agreed services designed to increase market awareness of Temas' activities and strategic direction.In consideration for these services, Temas will pay a one-time fee of 70,000. Mr Klingebiel and Milestone Capital Partners is arm's length to the Company and holds no securities of Temas. All public communications relating to the Company will continue to be managed or authorised by Temas to ensure full compliance with regulatory obligations.- ENDS -Approved for Release by the Board of Directors.For further information, contact:Tim Fernback President & CEOtimf@ temasresources.com Jane Morgan Investor & Media Relationsjm@ janemorganmanagement.com.au + 61 (0) 405 555 618Christian KlingebielMilestone Capital PartnersLe Millefiori - 1 Rue des Genets98000 Monaco ck@ mcp.ltd +41 79 798 00 47Or visit our website at www.temasresources.com DisclaimerNo representations or warranty, express or implied, is made by the Company that the material contained in this announcement will be achieved or proved correct. Except for the statutory liability which cannot be excluded, each of the Company, its directors, officers, employees, advisors, and agents expressly disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy, fairness, sufficiency or completeness of the material contained in this announcement and excludes all liability whatsoever (including in negligence) for an loss or damage which may be suffered by any person as a consequence of any information in this announcement or any effort or omission therefrom. The Company will not update of keep current the information contained in this announcement or to correct any inaccuracy or omission which may become apparent, or to furnish any person with any further information. Any opinions expressed in the announcement are subject to change without notice.About Temas ResourcesRevolutionising Metal Production Proprietary IP. Global Licensing. Titanium & Critical Minerals.Temas Resources Corp. (ASX:TIO)(CSE:TMAS)(OTCQB:TMASF)(FRA:26P0) is a technology-driven critical minerals company advancing a dual-business model built around proprietary processing innovation and strategic mineral ownership. The Company's patented Regenerative Chloride Leach (RCL) technology platform delivers significant operational cost reductions - validated at up to 65% lower than traditional processing - while dramatically reducing energy use and environmental impact.Temas' RCL process is the foundation of its technology licensing and partnership business, enabling global mining and materials companies to adopt sustainable, high-margin metal extraction methods across a range of critical minerals including titanium, vanadium, nickel, and rare earth elements.Complementing its technology division, Temas also owns 100% of two advanced titanium-vanadium-iron projects in Quebec, Canada - La Blache and Lac Brule - which are strategically positioned to feed directly into the Company's proprietary processing platform, creating a fully integrated mine-to-market supply chain for Western metals.Through this combination of innovative IP commercialisation and resource ownership, Temas Resources is positioned to deliver scalable, low-carbon solutions that strengthen Western critical-mineral independence and create long-term value for shareholders.Follow us:Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsNeither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statementsAlthough the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with mineral exploration generally and results from anticipated and proposed exploration programs, conditions in the equity financing markets, and assumptions and risks regarding receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals.Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation
PR-Inside.com: 2025-12-12 21:10:07

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 852 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

LIMA, OH / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / For small business owners, every day is a balancing act. From managing inventory and marketing to serving customers and leading a team, the responsibilities are endless. In this complex landscape, protecting the business you've poured your life into is paramount. For the entrepreneurs of Lima, Ohio businesses are constantly exposed to unique vulnerabilities. The passion required to build a sporting goods store, an HVAC contracting firm, or a private medical practice is fueling the local economy, yet that business requires protection to run smoothly.Tyler Sutton, President and Owner of a State Farm Insurance Agency in Lima, Ohioargues that business insurance is not merely a regulatory hoop to jump through, but a strategic asset that ensures longevity. Having served the region since 2020, Sutton has observed that the most resilient businesses are those that view risk management as a partnership rather than a transaction.Understanding the Modern Business LandscapeIn today's complex world, running a business involves navigating countless challenges. From managing daily operations to planning for future growth, the responsibilities are immense. Tyler Sutton's agency specializes in helping business owners fortify their ventures against unforeseen circumstances. Whether you run a bustling pizza parlor, a specialized contractor service, or a professional agency, the right insurance coverage is not just a safety net, it's a strategic asset.Sutton's approach moves beyond a one-size-fits-all model. He recognizes that every business has unique risks and requirements. By offering tailored solutions like Business Owner's Policies (BOPs), worker's compensation, and specialized coverage for artisan and service contractors, his agency provides a comprehensive shield. This allows business owners to focus on what they do best: innovating, serving customers, and growing their enterprise.A Partner in Protection and GrowthAt the core of the agency's philosophy is a commitment to building lasting relationships. This principle transforms the client-agent dynamic from a simple transaction into a genuine partnership. As one client shared, "Tyler Sutton's State Farm is the best! They went above and beyond to help us with our personal and business policies!" This sentiment is a testament to the team's dedication to providing exceptional service that integrates both personal and professional financial security.Tyler Sutton of Lima, Ohiooften speaks of his role as being "the best part of people's worst days." This profound mission drives his team to deliver not just financial support, but also compassion and guidance during life's most challenging moments. By understanding a client's aspirations and fears, the agency fosters a deep sense of trust. This people-first mindset has become the cornerstone of their success, proving that true value is measured by how well you serve others on their journey.Excellence Forged Through DedicationWhile building relationships is the mission, a standard of excellence is the expectation. In just five years, Tyler Sutton's agency has risen to become one of the most distinguished State Farm offices in Ohio. This success is marked by numerous prestigious accolades, including the Honor Club, SVP Club, and Ambassador Club.Most impressively, Sutton has earned a coveted spot in the Chairman's Circle, an honor reserved for the top 5% of State Farm's 19,000 agents across the nation. This recognition reflects not only exceptional performance but an unwavering commitment to client satisfaction. As one of the company's leading life insurance agents, his agency is on track to surpass $100,000 in life insurance premiums this year, a clear indicator of the trust clients place in his guidance for their most critical financial decisions. For Sutton, these awards are validations of his core philosophy: that exceptional results are a natural outcome of putting people first.Weaving a Stronger Community FabricTyler Sutton of Lima, Ohiofirmly believes that a thriving business has a duty to enrich the community that supports it. This commitment is woven into the agency's DNA. The team is a familiar presence across Northwest Ohio, actively participating in local parades, festivals, and car shows to connect with and support their neighbors.This spirit of generosity was particularly visible during the pandemic, when the agency gave away $1,000 in free gas to help alleviate financial burdens for local families. Their ongoing support for food banks and community drives makes a tangible difference in the lives of others. Tyler Sutton's passion for service extends beyond his professional role; he has a long history of community involvement, including helping to coordinate the distribution of over 200,000 pounds of food through the Converge Conference. This legacy of giving underscores a lifelong dedication to helping others prosper.Protect the Business You've BuiltFor the entrepreneurs of Lima and beyond, Tyler Sutton and his State Farm team offer more than just an insurance policy; they provide a partnership grounded in trust, expertise, and a shared commitment to community. By safeguarding the businesses that form the backbone of the local economy, they empower owners to pursue their ambitions with confidence.To explore how you can secure the future of your business, connect with Tyler Sutton's agency and discover a team ready to protect the enterprise you've worked so hard to build.Learn more at https://tylersuttoninsurance.com/ Contact Tyler Sutton Lima Ohio: phone (419) 516-0567SOURCE: Tyler Sutton
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says the Federal Government has no legal authority to reduce domestic airfares despite widespread complaints from travellers.

He explained that Nigerias aviation industry operates under a deregulated framework that places fare-setting entirely in the hands of private airlines.

Speaking to State House correspondents on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, Mr Keyamo said the government has no authority to set fares for private airlines.

Government has absolutely no powers to fix prices for private enterprises. That is what deregulation means, he explained.

He confirmed that he was invited by the Senate to address lawmakers on the rising fares but did not attend because he was presenting memos to the Council. According to him, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and domestic carriers were directed to honour the invitation in his place.

Structural pressures behind current fares

The minister attributed the high ticket prices to several long-standing operational constraints, including limited access to aircraft, expensive leasing conditions, the absence of local heavy-maintenance facilities, and airlines dependence on foreign exchange for mandatory C-checks overseas.

He said one local airline recently secured a dry-lease aircraft from Aercap, a global leasing company that had not operated in Nigeria for years. According to him, the lease was cheaper than what operators previously accessed, but he did not provide details on fleet size or projected market impact.

On the broader issue of fares, Keyamo also stressed: The only thing that can drive prices down in a free economy is competition. So in the next few months, or within the next one year, I expect that we will have more aircraft to service more routes and force down the prices by pure competition. We are going to do that, I assure you.

On ECOWAS circular urging member states to consider tax relief for airlines, he said the bloc cannot compel Nigeria to alter its revenue structure.

All the taxes we collect go into the Federation Account, he said, adding that consultations with fiscal authorities are ongoing.

He stressed that the aviation ministry alone cannot remove taxes on operators.

Aviation analysts say the structure of Nigerias domestic airline market limits governments role in pricing.

The sector was deregulated in the late 1980s under the General Ibrahim Babangida administration to encourage private participation, removing federal control over ticket rates.

The Civil Aviation Act 2006 later reinforced this approach by assigning the aviation ministry and NCAA with safety and economic oversight functions, leaving airlines to determine fares based on operating conditions.

FEC approves airport and safety upgrades

Mr Keyamo announced several approvals issued by the Federal Executive Council, including a two-year extension of maintenance services by CCECC for the new terminal at Aminu Kano International Airport. The company originally constructed the terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt and was contracted to maintain key systems while training Nigerian personnel.

The council also approved the procurement and installation of an Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (ASMGCS) for use alongside surface-movement radars already being installed in Lagos and Abuja.

Other approvals include a modular air-traffic-control tower cabin for eight airports, an aeronautical frequency-spectrum monitoring and interference-detection system, and the upgrade of Very High Frequency (VHF) radio communication systems in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Abuja (two sites), Kano, Maiduguri, Sokoto and Makurdi.

FEC further endorsed the expansion of biometric e-gates at international airports. Mr Keyamo declined to disclose contract sums.
The race to discover Nigerias Next Afrobeats Star has reached its decisive stage, with six finalists preparing for a make-or-break finale after months of auditions, training, and live performances.

The talent hunt, which began in August with 300 hopefuls selected from open auditions, has now produced six outstanding artistes: Somto OLaker, Kaekon, Ayo Benz, Lucky Yay, Astro Boi, and Dave Cash.

The contest progressed through several elimination phases, first reducing the number from 300 to 48, then to 24, to 12, and ultimately to the final six.

The top 12 were split into teams mentored by iconic producers Puffy Tee, P.Prime, Sarz, and Andre Vibez, who guided them through sound development, stagecraft and performance discipline.

The winner will secure a $100,000 recording deal from ONErpm and U-Records, while the other finalists will be guaranteed recording deals ranging from $25,000 to $75,000.

Transformation, Creative Growth

During a house tour session on Wednesday with journalists, the contestants described how the competition reshaped their artistry and work ethic.

Housemate Somto stressed the importance of discipline in building a lasting career and identified the essential traits of a star as charisma, swag, knowledge of the industry, and discipline..

Knowledge of the industry, but most of all discipline. This place teaches you how to be disciplined in both your craft and your character on stage. Its like a 360. Of course, you have talent, but the most important thing is hunger  hunger for continuity, he said.

For Tunexz, the producers involvement stretched their creativity.

He noted that working with multiple producers, he didnt choose exposed him to new sounds and stories, ultimately reshaping his creativity.

We have four producers. We do not choose them; anybody can work with anybody. You may want Sarz because of his sound, but here, you dont have a choice. That can shape you into another kind of sound. Im gaining more education, more stories, and a wider range of sounds. It is shaping us into another kind of person we didnt think we were going to be, he noted.

Lucky Yay expressed optimism about Afrobeats going global if we stay authentic and tell our own diverse stories, noting the genre still has many unique styles and its untapped potential.

We will go global by using our own stories, our authenticity. Afrobeats is diverse. We now have Afropop, Afro R&B, Afrosoul, and Afrofusion.

All of us have that spice, that originality. Weve barely scratched the surface, he said.

Highlighting the focus on live music, Eniola said, In Nigeria, we have just about 10 major artistes that can give a proper live performance. Most performances now feel like studio sessions. Live performance is a totally different ball game, he said.

Kaekon described the competition as an emotional and stylistic awakening.

I had to embrace my inside. I didnt use to act sexy, but people told me, Girl, you are a girl, act like it. Clothes I do not want to wear, I am not comfortable in, but beauty is pain.

READ ALSO: Journalist Tomi Falade spotlights Ondo history in public reading of debut novel

Originals

The Next Afrobeats Star, launched four months ago, stands out by operating an originals only format, requiring artists to audition and compete with their own songs rather than covers.

This approach, according to the organisers, ensures contestants build a real catalogue while showcasing authenticity and creativity.

With guidance from top producers like Sarz, Puffy Tee, P.Priime, and Andre Vibez, who said he is excited to help discover the next generation of Afrobeats stars, the show prioritises artistic development.

MTN Nigeria positions the project as part of its plan to nurture future Afrobeats icons, aligning with national creative goals and offering mentorship, visibility, and a $100,000 grand prize.

As the showdown approaches, the remaining six artistes will compete for the top spot, with one becoming the inaugural Next Afrobeats Star. The finale is expected to conclude in December 2025.
The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has clarified that Nigerias new Tax Reform Act exempts religious institutions from taxation.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the reforms consolidate four major legislations: the Nigerian Tax Act (NTA), the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA), the Nigerian Revenue Service (Establishment) Act (NRSEA), and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act (JRBEA).

Under the new framework, the NTA and NTAA are expected to take effect on 1 January 2026.

In a viral video on Friday from his interview on the MIC ON podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Mr Oyedele explained that although churches and mosques remain tax-exempt as institutions, pastors and imams are not exempt as individuals.

He said: The salary of pastors and imams is income, and what the law says is that the church and the mosque will not pay tax unless they start doing business as an institution or organisation. Anybody they pay, whether it is a pastor, a choir member, or anyone else, is working in Gods vineyard.

The person selling food and the farmer who goes to the farm so people can eat are also doing the work of God. So, everybody pays, because the only difference is that if the amount youre earning is below the taxation threshold, youre exempted  whether youre an Imam, a Pastor, or you dont believe in God.

Threshold

He added that anyone who exceeded the threshold would be required to pay tax.

According to Mr Oyedele, the law is concerned solely with whether an individual falls into the low-income, middle-class, or upper-class category.

We cant create a society where we say some religions are superior to others. I may decide that I dont believe in God and Im Yoruba, and I want to believe in Babalawo. And you shouldnt punish me. Why should I pay tax when other people are not paying? Therefore, the tax law is neutral in this sense  neutral with respect to gender, race, religion, and belief.

If you are a low-income earner, from next year, you will pay no personal income tax. You are exempt from tax. If you are middle-class, your tax will decrease. If you are high income, your tax will go up, he added.

READ ALSO: Tinubu approves tax policy implementation committee

This newspaper reported that during a session on Tax Compliance and Planning with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in September, Mr Oyedele emphasised that anyone providing a service is liable to pay tax.

He noted that sex workers, often referred to as runs girls, would also fall within the scope of the governments efforts to broaden Nigerias revenue base.

Mr Oyedele specifically stated: If someone is rendering a service, such a person will pay tax. Theres this extreme example that you probably should not even say in a church, but to bring it home, if somebody is doing runs with girls. They go and look for men to sleep with. You know, thats a service. They will pay tax on it.
On Wednesday, 3 December, the Nigerian Senate passed the Anti-Terrorism Act amendment bill for second reading.

A major highlight of the bill is the imposition of the death penalty without the option of a fine for all kidnapping offences.

The bill has now been scheduled for a public hearing, although the date has not been announced yet. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stated that the hearing would address the role of sponsors and accomplices in kidnapping networks.

A similar commitment had been made in the House of Representatives. At the end of its three-day special session on security a week earlier, the lower chamber resolved to ask the executive arm to name terrorism financiers.

With its resolution, all eyes are now on the senators to see whether they will ensure that appropriate officials name terrorism sponsors at the public hearing.

Is this the first time?

For over a decade, Nigerias security crisis has been framed as a battle against terrorists, bandits, insurgents, and unknown gunmen.

Authorities have provided different explanations for their identities; some claim they are faceless, while others assert that they are known individuals. However, what is most important is that behind these violent groups are sponsors who fund, coordinate, or politically shield criminal networks. Their identities remain shrouded in silence.

Officials have consistently acknowledged that the terrorists operate with financial and political backing. Security agencies also maintain intelligence reports pointing to specific financiers. Despite this, the identities of the sponsors remain largely withheld from the public.

Lawmakers often summon security chiefs to plenary sessions and committee meetings, though most are held behind closed doors.

What is certain, however, is that lawmakers rarely use their oversight powers to expose individuals suspected of financing terrorism.

Perhaps the most worrisome aspect is the legislative silence whenever terrorism allegations implicate sitting lawmakers.

Lawmakers alleged involvement

At least two serving lawmakers were linked to terrorism-related cases. Both denied the allegations.

In 2011, Borno South senator, Ali Ndume, was linked with terrorism. It was a time when terror attacks were at their peak in Nigeria, especially in the North-east region where he comes from.

Mr Ndume, who has been a lawmaker for over two decades, was tried for six years on charges of terrorism financing at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The offence, according to the Nigerian government, contravened sections 3, 4, and 7 of the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011.

However, the lawmaker described the charges as unjust and unfair, saying he gave the then Vice President, Namadi Sambo, and the then Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) information he got from Boko Haram terrorists. He said his contact with the sect was established when he was a member of the presidential committee on security matters.

On 4 July 2017, the court dismissed the case, saying the government failed to link him with the allegation.

In 2024, the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, submitted a petition to the presidency, accusing Bauchi South Senator Umar Buba of sponsoring bandits. Many groups, including the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights organisation, defended the senator, arguing that the accusation was politically motivated.

In October 2025, a video went viral on social media linking the senator to banditry again. Again, some groups dismissed the allegation as politically motivated because of the reported plan by Mr Buba to contest the 2027 Bauchi governorship election.

Regardless of the motive for the accusations, whether politically driven or factual, the matter was never investigated by the Senate. At the time, Mr Buba was Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, a position that gave him privileged access to information about terrorism operations in Nigeria.

He was sacked as chairman of the committee on 26 November for failing to perform his oversight duties. He was reassigned to chair the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry.

Zamfara West senator, Abdulaziz Yari, has repeatedly been linked to illegal mining activities in the state, operations that intelligence reports suggest help fuel banditry. He has denied the allegations. Yet neither his colleagues nor the Senate as an institution has publicly scrutinised his alleged involvement.

Mr Yari, a former Zamfara governor, is an influential senator who contested and lost the Senate presidency in 2023.

Apart from the lawmakers, the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, had also been linked to terror groups. Mr Matawalle is the immediate past governor of Zamfara State and has denied the allegations. Although lawmakers have a constitutional duty to oversee government activities, none have initiated any formal scrutiny to determine whether these allegations are credible.

These examples illustrate the political reluctance within parliament to scrutinise terrorism allegations when they touch powerful insiders.

Do lawmakers really have the political will?

Terrorism financing allegations in Nigeria often involve powerful political or business elites.

For lawmakers, exposing them could destabilise political alliances, threaten campaign financing sources, trigger internal retaliation, implicate colleagues or political patrons, or even expose their own compliance failures.

Kabir Adamu, the managing director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, argued that lawmakers face an additional risk because their own private companies may be violating anti-money laundering rules.

Mr Adamu noted that many lawmakers do not comply with regulations of the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), a unit under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which requires businesses to be registered and vetted before they can receive contracts or financial privileges.

He suggested that strict auditing could unexpectedly expose some lawmakers as unwitting, or even deliberate, financiers of terrorism due to non-compliant business dealings.

The whole idea is, before you are awarded a contract, you are supposed to check with SCMUL and make sure the organisation you are registering, or you are issuing the contract, has been registered. Likewise, before issuing a contract, you are supposed to ensure that the organisation is not on the sanction list I mentioned earlier.

So, the risk for our parliamentarians, and in fact all government officials because as you know, all of them have companies, and Im almost certain they are not compliant with this. By the time we do a thorough check, we may find out that some of them have inadvertently also sponsored terrorism unknowingly, or sometimes even knowingly. So that would be the risk, frankly, he said.

What lawmakers are not telling Nigerians

Mr Adamu noted that Nigeria already has a structured legal process for identifying terrorism sponsors, one that members of the National Assembly surprisingly failed to reference during the debates.

Under this system, anyone, including lawmakers, can report a suspected terror financier to the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NigSac), chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. The committee reviews and verifies the allegation. If credible, it seeks a court ruling confirming the designation. Thereafter, the suspects name will be uploaded to the national sanctions list.

Nigeria currently has 118 names on the sanctions list, including about 30 identified terror financiers. The list contains names of individuals, mainly BDC operators, and companies. No one on the list is known to be a politician, despite consistent claims by security and intelligence sources that terror groups enjoy political backing.

Mr Adamu warned that weakening this due process could allow powerful actors in security agencies to label innocent people as terrorists, a practice he says had happened before.

The intelligence expert referenced a case in Jigawa State where a man was detained for five years after a security officer falsely accused him of being a Boko Haram member because they were courting the same woman.

He said checks and balances are crucial to prevent such abuses and that lawmakers should strengthen, not bypass, the process if theyre serious about exposing terrorism financiers.

I run a company called Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, and there was a time when we had up to 500 names of missing persons. We found out that most of them were arrested on charges of terrorism.

If we allow the process to be lax, innocent people may end up finding themselves in prison because someone in the military or someone in SSS has called them terrorists. That is why I love the process, the fact that there are checks and balances. I think its about evaluating whether the process is working, and if its not working, how do we make sure it works better for us, he said.

The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, did not respond to calls and text messages sent to his phone.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Abdullahi Yahaya, did not respond to multiple calls and messages seeking clarification on the committees position regarding the investigation into allegations linking lawmakers and senior government officials to terrorism financing.

The missing institutional accountability

While lawmakers demand the naming of terrorism sponsors, they rarely challenge the executives reluctance to release intelligence findings publicly. The lawmakers also rarely question the secrecy within the State Security Service (SSS), the military and sometimes the police.

A former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, who served in the Muhammadu Buhari administration, had pledged to reveal the identities of financiers of terrorism in Nigeria. He never did so before the administration left office in May 2023.

At least 20 of the current 109 senators, including the immediate past Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, were in the Senate when that promise was made. Yet, they did not push for the publication of the list.

Will lawmakers name terrorism sponsors this time?

Based on antecedents and historical patterns, the lawmakers may not take the bull by the horns. The existing sanctions system already identifies dozens of suspects, but legislators appear unaware of or unwilling to engage with the mechanism.

For parliament to demonstrate genuine political will, it must acknowledge the existing sanctions framework, strengthen oversight of intelligence agencies, insist on public accountability, and confront the political costs of naming powerful actors.

Until these issues are addressed, the promise to expose terrorism sponsors may remain symbolic. It may simply become another cycle of talk without real action or reform.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said that the 11 military personnel detained after an emergency landing in Burkina Faso are still in custody.

Mr Tuggar disclosed this on Thursday while speaking to journalists at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja.

Asked about the status of the soldiers in a joint press briefing, Mr Tuggar responded that the soldiers are still being held in the West African country, but talks to resolve the matter are ongoing.

We are discussing how we can resolve this delicate matter as quickly as possible, and were talking. So its something that is being handled diplomatically, he said.

Mr Tuggar also noted that the Air Force aircraft landing in Burkina Faso was unrelated to Nigerias intervention in the recent military coup in Benin.

The 11 military officials on board the C-130 aircraft, which made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso in the south-west of the country, had been arrested and detained amid suspicion that the officials had been involved in the Benin coup rescue.

The Burkina Faso Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, claimed that the aircraft violated national procedures by entering Burkina Faso without authorisation.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Alliance of Sahel States accused Nigeria of violating Burkina Fasos airspace, adding that the emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso, a city in the south-west of the country, constituted an infringement of national sovereignty.

However, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has denied this, clarifying that the aircraft landed in Burkina Faso for safety reasons and in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.

The air force said the NAF C-130 crew observed a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, the nearest airfield.

Burkina Fasos accusation comes a day after the army intervened in the Republic of Benin to foil the recent coup attempt.

Nigerias intervention came at the request of Benins President Patrice Talon, who sought immediate military backing to stop the forceful takeover of power in his country. The AES is made up of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African nations where the military has successfully taken power in recent years. The countries exited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after the regional bloc condemned the coups and imposed sanctions on the three countries.

In its first official response to the aircrafts landing, the Nigerian Air Force stated that the aircraft had landed in Burkina Faso for safety reasons and in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.

READ ALSO: AES accuses Nigeria of violating airspace over military aircraft emergency landing in Burkina Faso

The air force said the NAF C-130 crew observed a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, the nearest airfield.

Burkina Fasos accusation came a day after the Nigerian military intervened in the Republic of Benin to foil Sundays coup there.

Nigerias intervention came at the request of Benins President Patrice Talon, who sought immediate military backing to stop the forceful takeover of power in his country.
The Geological Investment Group (GIG) filed a complaint with the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) regarding the terms of the National Asset Recovery and Management Agency's (ARMA) competition to determine the manager of the IDS Ukraine group's seized assets. GIG claims that the competition is discriminatory.

According to information on its website, the asset management company considers certain provisions in the tender documentation for selecting the manager of the IDS Ukraine Group's seized assets to be discriminatory. These provisions may violate the principles of fair competition and the requirements of the Law on public procurement. The IDS Ukraine Group produces the mineral waters Morshynska and Myrhorodska.

GIG stated that it had decided to participate in the competition and submit a beneficial and professional offer to the state. However, while studying the tender documentation, the company identified a number of requirements that, in its opinion, limit competition, artificially narrow the circle of potential participants, and create unequal access to the procurement process. The identified risks of dishonesty in the procedure formed the basis for filing a complaint with the AMCU.

"The conditions that ARMA has set for this competition make it impossible for many legitimate companies to participate. We are convinced that ARMA has the ability to ensure equal conditions in the market by eliminating discriminatory requirements, engaging in open dialogue with participants, and aligning the tender documentation with the principles of transparency and competitiveness," said the company's CEO, Iryna Suprun.

In its complaint to the AMCU, the company called ARMA's requirements "overly restrictive." The company criticized the requirement that participants should provide at least three contracts confirming experience with similar work in the production of beverages or baby food within the past year. The company also criticized the requirement that participants should provide Certificate No. 34-OPP and the requirement that participants should have at least one year of experience renting an office or material and technical base with mandatory non-cash payments.

Geological Investment Group asked the AMCU to accept the complaint, determine that ARMA violated the law when preparing the tender documentation, and require the agency to change the competition's terms by eliminating discriminatory requirements and ensuring companies have equal access to the selection process.

"We are ready to participate in the competition on equal terms and offer the state economically beneficial solutions. However, this is only possible if the selection of the IDS Ukraine asset manager is transparent, competitive, and in accordance with the law," Suprun emphasized.

According to the Youcontrol service, Geological Investment Group was registered in Lviv in 2019. The company's charter capital is UAH 20,000. Iryna Suprun, a deputy of the Lviv Regional Council and a member of the European Solidarity political council, is the beneficiary of the company.
The US government has threatened to impose sanctions on the Afghanistan (ICC) in The Hague if it fails to amend its laws to ensure it never prosecutes President Donald Trump.

Reuters reports that the Donald Trump administration wants the ICC to amend the Rome Statute, its founding document, to stop the court from investigating the president and his top officials at the end of his administration.

The administration is also demanding that the ICC stop investigating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders over the Gaza war.

The administration also wants the court to stop the probe into the actions of American troops in Afghanistan.

These demands are made with the goal of protecting the governments of both countries from being investigated for war crimes, including war crimes in Gaza.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the Rome Statute, which the US seeks to amend, is the founding treaty of the ICC, adopted in 1998 and coming into force in 2002.

The founding document describes the four core international crimes as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

Reuters reported on Thursday that an official who spoke anonymously disclosed that the Trump administration is threatening to sanction more ICC officials and would also sanction the court itself if its demands are not met.

Mr Trump had earlier taken action against the court by restricting the financial and visa rights of its staff after accusing it of illegally targeting the US and Israel. This was three months after ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a senior Hamas commander for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The court also began to probe US military crimes in Afghanistan in 2020.

The US now threatens to expand this penalty to include other staff of the ICC, alongside the court as an entity.

Reuters report states that the US has notified the ICC members of its demand.

The US is not a party to the Rome Statute, which includes most EU countries. Still, the government official who spoke to Reuters said the Trump administration is concerned the US will turn its attention on Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the end of their tenure.

There is growing concern  that in 2029 the ICC will turn its attention to the president, to the vice president, to the secretary of war and others, and pursue prosecutions against them. That is unacceptable, and we will not allow it to happen, the US official was quoted as saying.

They, however, did not identify the issues which the administration fears could become the subject of investigation.

The solution is that they need to change the Rome Statute to make very clear that they dont have jurisdiction, the official said

US sanctions on the ICC are likely to affect the courts daily operations significantly, but amending the treaty to meet the demands would be a challenging endeavour.

This would require the approval of two-thirds of the countries that have ratified the Rome Statute.

The ICCs public affairs unit told Reuters that Amendments to the Rome Statute are within the prerogative of States Parties.
The Supreme Court, on Friday, upheld the death sentence imposed on murder convict Maryam Sanda, who was just about seven weeks ago on the verge of being freed after President Bola Tinubu controversially pardoned her and a host of other convicts, including drug peddlers.

Mr Tinubu drew public outrage in October for granting pardon to drug barons and Ms Sanda, who was found guilty and sentenced to death in January 2020 for stabbing her husband Bilyaminu Bello to death in Abuja eight years ago, in 2017.

The president, in response to widespread rebuke, partially reversed the pardon decision. He removed the convicted drug peddlers from the pardon list and commuted Ms Sandas death penalty to 12 years imprisonment, of which she already served almost six years.

On 27 January 2020, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja convicted and sentenced her to death for killing her husband during a domestic dispute.

Displeased with the judgement, she went on appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which delivered its judgement on 4 December 2020, affirming her conviction and sentence.

The Supreme Court, in a 4-1 majority judgement of its five-member panel on Friday, also affirmed the decisions of the lower courts.

A member of the panel, Moore Adumein, who read the lead majority judgment, held that the prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt as required.

He added that the Court of Appeal was right to have earlier upheld the judgment of the trial court.

The judge criticised President TInubu for the prerogative of mercy exercised in favour of the murder convict.

Mr Adumein held that it was wrong for the president to seek to grant a pardon to the convict in a culpable homicide case, in respect of which an appeal was still pending.

The Supreme Court resolved all the issues raised in her appeal against her and dismissed the appeal for being without merit.

Reign of arbitrariness

Fridays judgement, which brings Ms Sandas appeal processes to a close, highlights deep flaws, including arbitrariness, inequality before the law, and little regard for judicial process, in the nations criminal justice system and governance in general.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja earlier affirmed the death penalty on 4 December 2020.

The concurrent affirmation of the conviction and sentence by the Supreme Court on Friday shows the sheer weight of evidence against her.

Also, her dogged pursuit of her appeals, in the face of overwhelming evidence against her, all the way to the highest court, highlights a lack of remorse, a cardinal consideration in granting pardon to convicts.

The inconsistencies and arbitrariness in the use of legal authority are stark, as nearly 70 percent of Nigerian prison populations consist of inmates awaiting trial, many of whom have already spent more time in custody than they would have if convicted and sentenced.

Following the outcry generated by Mr Tinubus exercise of prerogative mercy, he directed that a guideline should be put in place to guide future process.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has denied a report that its operatives held hostage members of staff of Amnesty International, a global non-governmental organisation that campaigns to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights. The alleged incident reportedly took place in Abuja.

The ICPC in a statement by its spokesperson, John Odey, described the report as false and malicious, noting that such had the potential to create tension and mischief.

Mr Odey maintained that at no point did the anti-graft agencys officers enter the offices of Amnesty International.

He said the operatives of the commission never attacked or invaded the office of Amnesty International in Abuja on Thursday.

He said that instead, ICPC operatives were conducting a lawful assignment at the IHS Regional Office located at No. 6 Dar es Salaam Street, Wuse II, Abuja, when the alleged confrontation occurred.

According to him, the officers had earlier visited the facility to deliver official correspondence but were obstructed by the Chief Security Officer and other security personnel employed by IHS.

The ICPC team was subsequently forcefully escorted out of the building.

This hostile action prompted the commission to secure a search warrant in accordance with the law, which it executed in a lawful manner.

The ICPC is a responsible, lawabiding agency and expects full cooperation from individuals and corporate entities while it carries out its statutory duties, the statement said.

He said the commission would not tolerate any obstruction of its officers in the discharge of their lawful responsibilities.

Odey said that in a sign of reconciliation, the Director of Regulatory Affairs at IHS Regional Office, Mr Saidu Abdullahi, tendered a written apology to the ICPC on behalf of IHS Towers and its management.

He said that Abdullahi described the incident as unfortunate and regrettable.

According to him, the director gave assurance that the lapses on the part of the chief security officer and the personnel on duty would be addressed to prevent a recurrence.

The ICPC therefore urged members of the public to disregard the misleading publication in its entirety, as it does not reflect the facts, he said.

He reiterated the commissions commitment to carrying out its mandate with professionalism, integrity and respect for the rule of law.

(NAN)
A resignation letter from the chairperson of the Bekwarra Local Government Council, Cross River State, has surfaced online after her removal from office by the Cross River House of Assembly.

The assembly had announced the removal of the council Chairperson, Theresa Ushie, from her office on Wednesday, 10 December, during plenary, following the adoption of the report of its committee on Judiciary and Public Petitions, which looked into allegations of misconduct and administrative recklessness against her by councillors from the council area.

Nineteen out of 25 lawmakers voted in favour of Mrs Ushies removal.

Before her removal, the house had suspended Mrs Ushie for 90 days and directed the vice Chairperson, Egbung Odama, to take charge of the councils administration.

Resignation letter

On Thursday, 11 December, a day after the assembly announced her removal, Mrs Ushies resignation letter surfaced online.

Okoi Obono-Obla, a former senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on the recovery of public assets, posted the letter on his Facebook page.

I write with profound respect and a deep sense of responsibility to formally tender my resignation as the Executive Chairman of Bekwarra Local Government Council, with effect from Monday, 8 December 2025, Mrs Ushie stated in the letter dated 8 December and addressed to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River.

Mrs Ushie did not state the reason for her resignation, but said it was for the best interest of the council and the continued progress of the local government area. She assured the governor of her loyalty and support.

Legally incompetent

Mr Obono-Obla, a lawyer, stated in the Facebook post that Governor Otu is not the appropriate authority to receive Mrs Ushies resignation.

Under the Interpretation Act, 2004, particularly section 11, a person may only tender a resignation to the authority that appointed him or her. The law is clear that the power to appoint includes the power to accept resignation. In this case, Mrs Theresa Akwaji Ushie was not appointed by Governor Bassey Edet Otu. She was elected by the people of Bekwarra Local Government Area, and therefore, the governor is not the competent authority to whom her resignation should be addressed.

In line with the Cross River State Local Government Law, 2018, an elected Local Government Chairman who wishes to resign must direct such resignation to the Secretary of the Local Government Council, or at the very least, to the leader of the local government legislative council, which is the constitutionally recognised legislative arm of the local government. This is consistent with the autonomy granted to local government councils under section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, Mr Obono-Obla stated.

The same Local Government Law provides that where a Local Government Chairman resigns, dies, or is removed from office, the Vice Chairman automatically assumes office. This statutory succession mechanism underscores the fact that Local Governments are not appendages of the State Executive, nor are the elected officials appointees of the governor. They constitute an independent tier of government within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Consequently, the letter of resignation dated 8 December 2025 and addressed to the governor of Cross River State is legally incompetent, null, and void, as it was directed to an authority lacking the legal capacity to receive or act upon it, he added.

Mr Obono-Obla had objected to Mrs Ushies removal by the Cross River assembly, arguing that the lawmakers did not follow the laid down procedure.
The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, is dead.

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State announced the development in a statement on Thursday night.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Ewhrudjakpo slumped on Thursday afternoon while he was working in his office, and was immediately rushed to a hospital in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

Mr Abiodun, who is also the chairperson of Southern Governors Forum, said in the statement that Mr Ewhrudjakpo died at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, where he was rushed to after he slumped on Thursday afternoon.

I received news of the demise of the deputy governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, with deep sorrow.

The incident came as a profound shock to all of us, but we submit to the will of the Almighty God, who has chosen to call him home at this time, the Ogun governor said.

He commiserated with the Governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri, the people of the state and the deputy governors family and friends over the incident.

No doubt, Bayelsa State and Nigeria as a whole have lost a gem, but we shall take comfort in the knowledge that he lived a life of service to humanity and made profound change in the lives of people, he said.

PDP confirms death

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also confirmed the death of Mr Ewhrudjakpo, who is a member of the party.

In a statement on Thursday night, the national spokesperson for the PDP, Ini Ememobong, described the death of the deputy governor as devastating and an inexplicable loss.

This devastating news has left the National Working Committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and indeed the entire membership of our great party, especially our faithful members in Bayelsa State, in profound grief, Mr Ememobong said.

The PDP spokesperson said Mr Ewhrudjakpo was a faithful party man and consistent politician who believed in and practised politics with principle.

Mr Ewhrudjakpo chose to remain in the PDP, when his boss, Governor Diri, dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month. Mr Ewhrudjakpos decision to break with the governor and his camp on the defection fuelled speculations of a plot to remove him from office and replace him with a compliant candidate that will share the same party with the governor.

PDP, on Thursday, described Mr Ewhrudjakpo as a hero of political integrity and expressed regrets over his death.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of this hero of political integrity, and we pray that God grants his soul eternal rest, he stated.

READ ALSO: Reps seek modernisation of workplace safety laws to protect millions of workers

Bayelsa govt remains silent

The Bayelsa State Government has yet to speak on the death of the deputy governor.

The Commissioner for Information in the state, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, did not respond when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday night.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gwarinpa, Abuja, on Friday, remanded former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, at Kuje Correctional Centre, over the N2.2 billion fraud charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Trial judge Maryam Hassan ordered the remand of the former minister in prison after EFCC arraigned him on eight counts of fraud and accepting bribes.

Ms Hassan ordered him to remain in custody pending the hearing of his bail application scheduled for Monday.

Mr Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State on the Peoples Democratic Partys platform from May 2003 to March 2006, served as Nigerias labour minister from 2015 to 2023, during the late former President Muhammadu Buharis administration.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that EFCC arrested Mr Ngige at his residence in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to the charges subsequently filed against him, the EFCC accused him of awarding seven contracts worth over N366 million for consultancy, training and supply by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) to a company, Cezimo Nigeria Limited, belonging to his associate, Ezebinwa Charles.

The prosecution similarly accused him of awarding eight contracts worth over N583 million to another company belonging to Mr Charles.

The EFCC also alleged that the defendant used his position to give preferential treatment, awarding eight contracts worth over N362 million to a company, Jeff & Xris Limited, belonging to Nwosu Chukwunwike.

Other companies he allegedly awarded contracts under controversial circumstances include Olde English Consolidated Limited and Shale Atlantic Intercontinental Services Limited, belonging to Uzoma Igbonwa to the sum of N668 million and N161 million respectively.

According to the EFCC, these offences violate section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Also, the anti-graft agency accused Mr Ngige of collecting gratifications from contractors of the NSITF through his organisation, called Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige Campaign Organisation, from Cezimo Nigeria Limited (Zenith Bank Account Number 1011901119).

Mr Ngige also allegedly collected N38.6 million from Cezimo Nigeria Limited, N55 million from Zitacom Nigeria Limited and N26 million from Jeff & Xris Limited, said the EFCC.

The offences were said to violate section 17(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and is punishable under section 17(c) of the same Act.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Argument for bail

Following the not-guilty plea, the EFCCs lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), applied for a trial date and urged the court to remand Mr Ngige at Kuje Custodial Centre.

However, Mr Ngiges lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, also a SAN, noted that the defence team was only informed of the arraignment Thursday and had yet to file an application for the defendants bail.

Mr Ikwueto urged the court to give Mr Ngige a conditional bail on health grounds.

He also attempted to move for an oral bail application for the defendant on self-recognition.

But the EFCCs lawyer noted that the court could not be presented with both a written and oral application. He also noted that Mr Ngige had yet to submit his passport, which was part of his previous bail conditions.

Mr Ikwueto, however, noted that Mr Ngiges passport was stolen, and the EFCC had been informed through a letter.

Mr Tahir denied knowing about the report.

Following their submissions, the trial judge, Maryam Hassan, ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned until Monday for hearing of his bail application.
The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, Thursday, accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of deliberately lying about his engagement with the states lawmakers.

Governor Fubara, on Wednesday, dismissed allegations of a rift between him and members of the assembly.

Mr Fubara explained that he had not met with the lawmakers since the peace deal because he was waiting for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to convene the meeting in line with the peace agreement.

Fubara met us twice

But at a press briefing with the other Rivers lawmakers on Thursday evening in his office in Port Harcourt, Mr Amaewhule stated that Mr Fubara lied when he said he had not met with them.

The Speaker said that Mr Wike, following the directive of President Bola Tinubu, convened a meeting between them and the governor after the emergency rule.

He said the lawmakers met twice with Mr Fubara and other leaders but that the governor refused to comply with the terms of the peace deal.

First and foremost, the governor lied when he said he hasnt been able to meet with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

We met with the governor, first in the house of the FCT minister and secondly in the house of Ferdinand Alabraba, yet he has failed on the terms of the meetings, he said.

He warned that the governors comments and actions could reignite fresh political crisis in the South-southern state.

More accusations

Mr Amaewhule also accused Mr Fubara of spending lavishly and awarding contracts to his cronies and refusing to obtain approval from the assembly.

He claimed that the outgone Sole Administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, left over N600 billion in the states treasury inherited by the governor on his return after the emergency rule.

The speaker also accused the governor of allegedly plotting to use Rivers funds to buy off the lawmakers.

The governor needs to know that members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are not for sale, he said.

He equally alleged that the governor was disparaging the person of Mr Wike through his comments.

Disparaging the FCT minister will not help him, he said.

He asked the governor to endeavour to be acting as a leader and stop sending his media aides to attack the lawmakers.

Mr Amaewhule, however, expressed commitment to serving the interests of Rivers people and abiding by the peace process that was initiated by the president.

Second time in nine days

Mr Amaewhules latest criticism of Mr Fubara came nine days after the Speaker slammed the governor over reported neglect of public primary and secondary schools in the state.

The Speaker had said it was a sad commentary that public schools in the oil-rich state have deteriorated to the point where vandals have taken over school premises, pupils learn without teachers, and one teacher is forced to teach two classes.

Responding indirectly, Mr Fubara said his administration remained committed to education despite glaring challenges.

Background

Before now, there had been political crises in Rivers State, which were triggered by the feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Mr Wike.

Messrs Fubara and Wikes face-off stemmed from their struggle for control of the political structures in Rivers.

The feud initially split the state assembly into two factions. While 27 lawmakers led by the Speaker, Mr Amaewhule, were loyal to Mr Wike, a four-member faction of the assembly was loyal to Governor Fubara.

The political crises resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers by President Tinubu, who suspended Mr Fubara, his deputy and all elected officials in the state for six months on 18 March.

In June, President Tinubu brokered a peace deal between the suspended governor and the FCT minister, which paved the way for the termination of the emergency rule and the lifting of the suspension on the elected officials.

Mr Fubara and the states assembly members resumed duties after 18 September 2025, following the presidents declaration of an end to the emergency rule in the south-southern state.

However, despite the peace deal, fresh crises appear to be looming in the south-southern state with the two parties throwing tantrums at each other.

Apart from Mr Amaewhules tackling Mr Fubara over his alleged neglect of public primary and secondary schools, the lawmakers recently adjourned plenary until 26 January 2026, thereby making it impossible for the governor to present the 2026 budget to the assembly before the end of 2025.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) stepped in on Thursday after a bird strike on a United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) aircraft forced the cancellation of a flight and left over one hundred passengers stranded at the domestic wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu said the regulator acted quickly to prevent further escalation and restore order at the terminal.

To avert further disaster at the domestic wing of the Abuja airport, my team and I needed to rush down to the terminal where I addressed the over one hundred passengers scheduled to fly AbujaOwerri via United Nigeria Airline, he said.

The authority confirmed that the aircraft had suffered a bird strike, which made the cancellation unavoidable. However, delays in communication from the airline escalated tensions among passengers.

Passengers became irate, and some of them, violent. One of them destroyed laptops belonging to the airline, assaulted their staff, and injured a FAAN AVSEC personnel, Mr Achimugu added.

Passenger Compensation

Mr Achimugu said he addressed passengers to explain why they could not fly and the available remedies. The airline agreed to provide affected passengers a 15 per cent discount on their next flight and reschedule the AbujaOwerri travel for 10 a.m. the following day.

NCAA also instructed that an email confirming the arrangements be sent to passengers by 4 p.m.

While taking questions from the initially agitated but now calm passengers, we did not deny the fault of the airline, even though the disruption was due to force majeure, he said.

The NCAA spokesperson noted that the Authority has regularly advised airlines to improve communication with passengers, particularly during the disruption-prone month of December, and confirmed it would monitor United Nigeria Airlines compliance until all affected travellers reach their destinations safely.

Airlines Response

In a statement from its Corporate Communications Unit on Thursday, United Nigeria Airlines confirmed the cancellations, attributing them to the bird strike on one of its operating aircraft. The airline said the affected aircraft had been grounded for mandatory technical checks in line with safety protocols.

As a result, and in strict adherence to our safety standards, the affected aircraft has been withdrawn from service for comprehensive inspection before returning it to service, the airline said.

The carrier appealed to passengers for patience and assured that its team was working to minimise disruptions and provide support, including rebooking assistance.

Aviation experts describe bird strikes, collisions between aircraft and birds during takeoff or landing, as a common operational hazard that can damage engines or critical components, leading to delays, cancellations, or inspections.

Globally, such strikes have occasionally contributed to major emergencies, including US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched in the Hudson River in 2009 after colliding with birds shortly after takeoff, a rare case where all 155 people on board survived.

In Nigeria, bird strikes are not isolated to the Abuja incident. Domestic carriers have reported multiple disruptions in recent years.

In early 2025, Air Peace grounded three of its aircraft within 24 hours due to bird strikes, forcing inspections and rescheduling while accommodating affected passengers. Between 2021 and 2022, aviation stakeholders reported at least 127 bird strike incidents across Nigerian airports, with Lagos among the major hotspots.

NCAA said its intervention was aimed at restoring order, ensuring passenger safety, and holding the airline accountable.

Had the airline personnel addressed the customers in a transparent, timely manner, the chaos would have been averted. Having successfully handled this situation and restoring order at the terminal, we will monitor United Nigeria Airlines compliance with the regulations until their customers have safely been brought to destination, Mr Achimugu said.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has made public the official phone numbers of all area commanders and divisional police officers (DPOs) across Abuja as part of efforts to strengthen community policing and improve direct communication with residents.

In a Thursday statement posted on X, the command made public the contacts of six area commanders and 56 DPOs, excluding their names.

The Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, said the initiative is aimed at deepening public confidence, enhancing transparency and ensuring swift response to security concerns within the territory, according to thd statement signed by Josephine Adeh, the commands spokesperson.

Mr Dantawaye explained that placing the leadership of the command within easy reach of the public aligns with his strategic vision for improved policecommunity collaboration.

He noted that increased accessibility to senior officers will help build trust and reinforce the collective fight against crime.

Abuja and its suburbs have been faced with one-chance robbery and kidnapping for ransom, among other crimes.

Recent media reports show that Abuja has witnessed a surge in violent crimes, with police arresting one-chance robbery syndicates who lure commuters into vehicles to rob or abduct them, foiling a planned kidnapping in Byazhin Forest, and responding to a broader wave of assaults, kidnappings and armed attacks that have heightened public fear across the city.
The All Progressives Congress on Friday formally received the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, into the party, sealing a major political realignment in a state that has been at the centre of prolonged tension and national attention.

The APC delegation, led by the Rivers APC Chairman, Tony Okocha, and the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, visited the governor at Government House in Port Harcourt, where a brief but symbolic reception took place.

During the ceremony, Mr Fubara completed the partys membership form, endorsed other required documents and received his membership slip and card, marking his official entry into the ruling party.

His switch to the APC comes shortly after he resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he had built his political career before the crisis that engulfed the state.

Context of the defection

Mr Fubara, who publicly tied his decision to the need to support President Bola Tinubus administration, said he opted for the APC to ensure Rivers aligns with the government at the centre.

He emphasised that the move would enable him to fully support the Renewed Hope Agenda and contribute to the states stability.

The governors defection follows a wave of movement by political actors in the state. Only days before, 16 members of the Rivers House of Assembly, including the speaker, had defected from the PDP to the APC.

Their defection further altered the political configuration of the assembly, which had earlier been divided along loyalty lines during the height of the conflict between the governor and his predecessor.

Long-running dispute with Wike

Rivers State has, for more than a year, witnessed a high-stakes battle for control between Mr Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, m Nyesom Wike, who handpicked the former as his successor in 2023.

Their relationship deteriorated rapidly after disagreements over political structures and appointments. The feud eventually split the state assembly into two camps, 27 lawmakers loyal to Mr Wike and four members backing the governor.

The face-off escalated into a constitutional crisis involving disputed impeachment attempts, parallel sittings and rival leadership claims. The tension prompted street protests, legal battles and widespread concern about governance in the state.

The crisis grew severe enough that Mr Tinubu invoked emergency powers earlier in the year, declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The president suspended the governor, his deputy and all elected officials for six months, citing the breakdown of order and the need to restore stability.

The move generated national controversy. Supporters of the governor condemned the suspension as excessive, while others argued that it was necessary to prevent the conflict from spiralling further.

In June, the president brokered a peace deal between Messrs Fubara and Wike. The agreement, supported by elders and key political stakeholders, cleared the way for the termination of the emergency rule.

Mr Fubara and the assembly members resumed their duties after 18 September, following the presidents declaration lifting the emergency.

However, despite the formal settlement, both camps remained wary of each other, and political watchers interpreted the governors eventual defection as a decisive step to secure his position and reduce internal hostilities.

APC reception: Okocha pledges support

Speaking during the reception, the Rivers APC Chairman, Mr Okocha, who is widely regarded as a key ally of the FCT Minister, disclosed that he had been instructed by the APC National Chairman to formally receive the governor into the party.

I was called by the chairman of our great party and given the mandate to visit you and make a presentation of our membership card to you as a prelude to your official public reception, he said. Let me take this time out to congratulate you on your decision to join the All Progressives Congress.

Mr Okocha said he was pleased that the governor chose to join forces with the APC under the leadership of President Tinubu. He assured Mr Fubara that the party in Rivers would give him all necessary backing, describing their renewed political relationship as an opportunity to rebuild cooperation and restore harmony.

As your servant, the Chairman of the party in the state, I want to say to you that we welcome you with our whole heart and assure you with due respect that we will be at your beck and call, he said.

I will strengthen APC in Rivers  Fubara

In his response, Mr Fubara emphasised that his decision to join the APC was driven by the need to stabilise the state and align it with federal priorities. He said Rivers must work closely with the central government to secure development, political peace and progress.

I took this decision as my return favour, my return favour, my own clearing the bush to ensure that his reelection come 2027 will be easy and smooth in this state.

The governor pledged to consolidate the APCs position in the state, insisting that it is now his responsibility to strengthen the partys structures and support its leadership.

He added that the next task was to advance President Tinubus agenda in the state and engage stakeholders to ensure a peaceful political climate.
Photo: elements.envato.com

The European Union froze Russian assets in Europe indefinitely on Friday to prevent Hungary and Slovakia, both countries with Moscow-friendly governments, from blocking billions of euros in aid to Ukraine, the Associated Press has reported.

"Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbor for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years," the statement reads.

EU Council President Antonio Costa said European leaders committed in October to "keep Russian assets immobilized until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused. Today we delivered on that commitment."

This is a key step that will allow EU leaders at a summit next week to discuss how to use tens of billions of euros in Russian central bank assets to guarantee a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years.

"Next step: securing Ukraine's financial needs for 202627," added Costa, who will chair the summit on December 18.

The move also prevents the assets, estimated at EUR 210 billion ($247 billion), from being used in any talks to end the war without European approval.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban  Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe  accused the European Commission, which drafted the decision, of "systematically raping European law."

The vast majority of the funds  around EUR 193 billion ($225 billion) at the end of September  are held at Euroclear, a Belgian financial clearing house.

The money was frozen as part of sanctions the EU imposed on Russia over the war it started on February 24, 2022, but those sanctions must be renewed every six months and must be approved by all 27 member states.

Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing additional support to Ukraine.

The decision, taken on Friday under EU treaty provisions that allow the bloc to protect its economic interests in certain emergency situations, prevents them from blocking the extension of sanctions and makes it easier to seize assets.

Orban said on social media that it meant "the rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europe's leaders are placing themselves above the rules."

"The European Commission is systematically raping European law. It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isn't winnable," he said. He said that Hungary "will do everything in its power to restore a lawful order."

In a letter to Costa, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would refuse to support any steps that "would include covering Ukraine's military expenses for the coming years."

He warned "that the use of frozen Russian assets could directly jeopardize U.S. peace efforts, which directly count on the use of these resources for the reconstruction of Ukraine."
The Dangote refinery has reduced the price of petrol from N828 per litre to N699 per litre, marking another price cut in recent weeks.

The companys Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, confirmed this in a short message sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday.

It is true. We have reduced the gantry price to N699, Mr Chiejina said.

The refinery had previously reduced the price of petrol from N877 to N828 per litre on 6 November, representing a 5.6 per cent decrease, and its coastal price from N854 to N806 per litre.

The reduction is part of the markets response to recent fluctuations in global crude oil prices.

Crude oil prices dropped slightly on Friday, heading for a weekly loss as investors worried about oversupply.

Brent crude futures were down 19 cents, or 0.31 per cent, to $61.09 a barrel at 1125 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 15 cents, or 0.26 per cent, at $57.45. Both benchmarks fell by about 1.5 per cent on Thursday.

Brent crude and WTI crude benchmarks are down over 4 per cent this week, reflecting broader market uncertainties.

In May, Dangote Refinery reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining price stability for petrol, despite global fluctuations in crude oil prices.

At the time, Mr Chiejina said the decision reflects the companys unwavering commitment to supporting the Nigerian economy and alleviating the burden on consumers from the increase in fuel prices by maintaining price stability.

Last week, Aliko Dangote, founder and president/chief executive of the Dangote Group, said his refinery will continue to reduce the price of petrol to compete with importers.

Prices are going down. The reason why prices have to go down is that we have to also compete with imports, Mr Dangote said.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers has endorsed Ghanaian President John Mahama as its sole candidate for chairperson of the African Union.

Mr Mahama was chosen as the blocs candidate for chairperson of the African Union when the rotating chairmanship position reaches West Africa in 2027.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the ECOWAS Council of Ministers reached this decision on Friday at the 95th ordinary session of the Council of Ministers, held in Abuja.

The council said it made the decision because Ghana is an important ECOWAS Member State and contributes to its international standing.

It also considered the need to maintain and increase the chances of ECOWAS occupying positions in regional and international organisations.

The Ghana Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Ablakwa, in a post made on X Friday, also announced that the Authority of Heads of State and government of ECOWAS is expected to adopt this declaration on Sunday.

ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting in Abuja, Nigeria has unanimously endorsed President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana as the sole candidate from ECOWAS for Chairperson of the African Union when the rotating chairmanship gets to West Africas turn in 2027.

The Authority of Heads of State and Government is expected to adopt this declaration on Sunday.

Ghana is exceedingly grateful to ECOWAS for the confidence and support for our beloved visionary and Pan-African President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Mr Ablakwa wrote.

The AU member states elect new senior leadership of the AU Commission. The bodys last election, which brought in the Angolan President, Joao Goncalves Lourenco, was held in February.

The position is rotated across different regions of the continent, with the election of a Southern African President this year, and a West African leader in 2027.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani had previously held the chairmanship after being elected in February last year at the 37th session of the AU Assembly.

During the 2027 election, candidates from West Africa will be voted on by all AU member states, and a two-thirds majority is generally needed to win.

Meanwhile, ECOWASs early candidate selection increases the likelihood that West African states will coordinate their votes at the AU level.

It also strengthens Mr Mahamas profile within the AU ahead of the official election.
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has dismissed claims that the ruling party is attempting to steer Nigeria toward a one-party system.

Mr Morka made the clarification on Friday during an interview on Arise Television monitored by PREMIUM TIMES.

He insisted that the party was doing exactly what a political party is expected to do in a democracy.

The APC spokesperson said membership movements into or out of any political organisation were normal features of democratic systems.

According to him, defections into the APC reflect internal weaknesses within opposition parties rather than pressure from the ruling party.

It is their own failure to govern themselves effectively thats creating the atmosphere, he said.

Mr Morka criticised the tendency of rival parties to blame the APC for their troubles, arguing that they focus excessively on the ruling party instead of resolving their internal disputes.

Instead of other parties focusing on themselves, they spend time focusing on the APC, they are obsessed with the APC, he said. We are not doing anything unusual that should concern any Nigerian.

He maintained that the APC has operated within the bounds of democratic norms and, in his view, has contributed significantly to democratic consolidation.

We keep our doors open because thats what democracy is all about, the freedom of citizens to enter and exit any political association like the APC, ADC or PDP, he added.

Mr Morka challenged opposition spokespersons to present verifiable evidence of any conduct by the APC that undermines democratic practice. He stressed that the party addresses its internal disagreements through mature and transparent processes.

Describing political parties as vehicles and a means to an end for individuals seeking political office, he said history offers important lessons but emphasised that the APC remains committed to openness and established democratic procedures.

Mr Morkas comments were a direct response to the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, who earlier accused the APC of destabilising opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking on the same programme, Mr Abdullahi said the ruling party had done everything to weaken the PDP, Labour Party, SDP and even the ADC.

Responding to suggestions that 2027 appears to have been won and lost already, the ADC spokesperson said this perception was precisely the environment the APC was trying to create.

You ended by saying 2027 appears to have been won and lost already. That is exactly the mindset APC wants to create that no matter what Nigerians do, APC will win anyway, he said. What they want is a one-party state. They cannot give Nigerians good governance, so they want to leave Nigerians with no choice in 2027.

Mr Abdullahi likened the APCs tactics to what he called heavily rigged elections during previous PDP-controlled eras.

As recently as 2007, PDP controlled, I think, 31 states out of 36, but that election still had to be heavily rigged. It was one of the most discredited elections in Nigerian history. In 2011, despite their overwhelming control, they still massively rigged those elections by popular reports. What we are seeing now is just a case of history repeating itself, he said.

He also argued that governors defecting to the APC were driven by personal vulnerability and self-preservation.

These governors are not convinced about anything in the APC. They are pandering to one vulnerability or another or looking for an easy way out, he said. It takes conviction, character and courage for a sitting governor to join the opposition. Thats what these individuals lack.

According to him, ongoing instabilities within the PDP, Labour Party and SDP are the direct result of the APCs actions.

He accused the APC of practising selective democracy.

They are quick to intervene in the Benin Republic to use the military to restore democracy, but at home, they use legalism and the judiciary to undermine democracy.

Democracy is about choice, competition and a playing ground, but they are actively undermining opposition parties while posturing as saviours of democracy in the region, he said.

He warned against attempts to challenge the ADCs registration with INEC.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ini Ememobong, also dismissed claims that the PDP is in disarray.

Responding to questions from Arise TV about an alleged removal of the partys acting chairman, he insisted that those making such claims had no authority.

READ ALSO: Nigerian women in politics highlight daunting challenges in new documentary

If you ask that gentleman on what authority he convened a meeting to sack (Umar) Damagum, it falls flat. The organs of the party are intact. The staff, the state chairmen, the BOT, all of them are with the KTT (Kabiru Tanimu Turaki), he said.

He said the real source of tension within the PDP was that some expelled members had openly said they will support the president in 2027, which he described as the root of the crisis.

According to him, the party is undergoing a rebuilding process.

If they think they are powerful, they should form a new party and take it to the polls, he added.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, fixed 26 February 2026 for judgement in the non-declaration of assets case filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) against Abba Kyari, a suspended deputy commissioner of police.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NDLEA is prosecuting Mr Kyari, a former head of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), alongside his two younger brothers  Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari.

Mr Kyari also faces cocaine dealing trial alongside some police officers in a separate ongoing proceeding before another judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Trial judge James Omotosho fixed the date for judgement in the non-declaration of assets after counsel for the parties presented their final arguments in the case.

NDLEA, the prosecuting agency, was represented by Sunday Joseph; Mr Kyari was represented by Onyechi Ikpeazu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and the two other Kyari brothers by Monjok Agom.

Undeclared assets charges

In the 23 counts filed against the defendants, NDLEA, the anti-narcotics agency alleged that Mr Kyari and his two younger brothers failed to make full disclosure of their assets.

It said it uncovered 14 assets, including shopping malls, residential estate, polo playground, lands and farmland belonging to Mr Kyari.

NDLEA also accused the police officer of failing to disclose his ownership of the property in different locations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The NDLEA alleged that over N207 million and 17, 598 were also discovered in Mr Kyaris various accounts in Guarantee Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa and Sterling Bank.

The defendants, the prosecution alleged, disguised Mr Kyaris ownership of properties and conversion of monies.

The NDLEA said the offences are punishable under Section 35 (3) (a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, and Section 15 (3) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

The NDLEA called 10 witnesses to prove its case and tendered at least 20 exhibits.

Mr Kyari, however, chose to make a no-case submission after the prosecution closed its case. He argued, through his lawyer, that the prosecution failed to provide evidence showing indeed that he was the owner of the said property.

But the trial judge, Mr Omotosho, on 28 October, dismissed the no-case submission and ruled that the defendants had a case to answer.

He ruled that the prosecution was able to establish a prima facie case against the defendants, hence, the need for them to open their defence to clarify some of the issues.

Defence

Mr Kyari subsequently opened his defence on 4 November, insisting that he declared his assets and that of his wife in line with the law.

Besides, he denied ownership of some of the assets linked to him by the NDLEA.

He clarified that some of the property listed by the prosecution belonged to his late father, who had about 30 children.

He also refuted the allegations that he owned the polo playground in Borno State, saying he was surprised that the large expanse of land would be linked to him.

NAN reports that Mr Kyari, on 26 November, closed his defence after he concluded his evidence led by his lawyer and was cross-examined by the prosecution.

However Mr Kyaris two brothers (Mohammed and Ali), through their lawyer, Monjok Agom, told the court that they would not be calling any witness.

The defendants opted to rest their case on the prosecutions case.

Cocaine trial ongoing

NAN reports that the case is different from the cocaine dealing trial he is undergoing alongside some police officers before another Federal High Court judge Emeka Nwite in Abuja.

However, both cases were instituted by the NDLEA in 2022.

The assets declaration case is an offshoot of the NDLEAs investigation into the cocaine dealing involving Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Enugu airport.

NDLEA alleged that the police officers tampered with seized narcotics and attempted to bribe its officials to cover up the deal. The case is before Judge Nwite.

While investigating the trafficking case, the NDLEA said it uncovered several assets and funds allegedly linked to Mr Kyari and his associates that were not declared in his official records.

In April this year, Judge Nwite dismissed the no-case submission filed by Mr Kyari and his co-defendants in the main drug-trafficking case and ordered them to open their defence.

The court already, in June 2022, convicted and sentenced two of their co-defendants who pleaded guilty to the drugs charges.

(NAN)
The main opposition party, Les Democrats, which was banned from earlier elections has already been banned from next years presidential polls. All parties seeking to contest in elections have to get signed support from current elected officials, so the political reality is that no opposition candidates can participate in Benins democracy. By making opposition politics impossible, President Patrice Talon opened the doors to the military to propose yet another corrective regime. Nigeria and ECOWAS watched while President Talon emptied democracy of its content in Benin Republic.

Nigerias decisive intervention in helping to stop the coup in Benin Republic was a good commitment to saving democracy for the country, and, maybe more important, for us. I have always taken sides with the argument that Africas only option in consolidating democratic rule is to do so without recourse to the military, who are incapable, by their very nature, of deepening democracy and civic culture. Of course, the argument getting louder and louder is that so many so-called democratic regimes in Africa are themselves undermining democratic processes, institutions and culture in their countries. This is true, but the solution lies not in the military but in citizens learning to impose their will on the regimes responsible for democratic backsliding on the continent. My argument today, however, is that I wish Nigeria and ECOWAS had intervened earlier when the President of Benin, Patrice Talon, was emptying the countrys democracy of its content. Once again, the militarys attempt to intervene was because democratic regression has been engineered by a sitting democratic regime.

The Benin event occurred just over a week after the coup in Guinea-Bissau. The irony could not be deeper. The Bissau coup was organised by former President Umaru Cissoko Embalo himself, who decided to refuse to accept the election result, which showed clearly that he had lost. He was unwilling to hand over power to the legitimate victor of the presidential election, so he chose to engineer a theatrical coup detat, calling on his faction of the army to takeover power in a coup he announced himself. After the coup, there was astonishment around the world, as Embalo was holding press conferences and trying to convince the world that a real coup had occurred against him. Having performed his skit, he took a flight undisturbed by the military to Senegal, then on to Morocco, and then the Republic of Congo.

Benin played a key role in the return of democracy to West Africa in 1989/1990 by inventing the Sovereign National Conference, a new social contract for the reconstruction of state and society. Benin was the first Francophone African country to start a peaceful democratisation process in the early 1990s. Hitherto, the country had been ruled since 1972 by General Mathieu Kerekou, who after putting to an end a cycle of chronic instability, proclaimed Marxist-Leninist principles as the state ideological policy, right from 1974. He convened a National Conference for all stakeholders to sit down and address the countrys problems in February 1990, under the chairmanship of the Catholic cleric, Mgr Isidore de Souza. The first decision of the 500 delegates invited to the Conference, however, was to declare its independence from the government project and proclaim the sovereign character of its decisions over the party-state.

Why would the military seek to intervene and break the democratic order just four months before a presidential election, in a context in which President Talon would not be contesting, and his party had already nominated someone else to contest for the presidency? Note also that the President is considered by many as engaging in good governance and developing the country.

The National Conference in Benin took its inspiration from the Etats Generaux that accompanied the French Revolution of 1789 and it immediately galvanised Francophone West Africa. The autocracies in Niger, Togo, Cote dIvoire and Mali all crumbled, as they were forced to accept National Conferences that dissolved their existing power structures and crafted new multiparty democracies. The National Conferences were manifestations of historic moments in which the agency of democratic forces became sufficiently strong to destabilise well established authoritarian regimes. The central objective of the National Conferences was clear  to dismantle the authoritarian state machine and broaden citizen participation in the political system, while making public affairs accessible to all components of the nation. Since then, the tides have turned and successive administrations in much of West Africa have engaged on the path of democratic regression and recreated the authoritarian state.

Last Sunday, 7 December, early in the morning, the coup attempts in Benin started with an attack on the residence of President Patrice Talon, and then an announcement on national television by a military group, of the overthrow of the president. Had the coup succeeded, it would have been the sixth in the region in a few years. Why would the military seek to intervene and break the democratic order just four months before a presidential election, in a context in which President Talon would not be contesting, and his party had already nominated someone else to contest for the presidency? Note also that the President is considered by many as engaging in good governance and developing the country.

Lessons must be learnt in West Africa. Democratic consolidation requires the maintenance of a level playing ground for elections that is bolstered by the rule of law and a justice system that applies the same law to all. What needs to happen is for citizens in Benin to mobilise themselves and insist on their right to vote for candidates of their choice, rather than those imposed by President Talon.

The reality on the ground is that President Patrice Talon has jailed all his political rivals or sent them into exile. He is the sole embodiment of political and economic power in the country. He has used or, rather, abused the judicial system to ensure that opposition party candidates are banned from participating in the electoral process and his desire determines all political outcomes in the country. He has invented a new Beninese democracy, in which the imperative of economic development requires setting aside democratic principles and the rule of law. The new Constitution adopted by the National Assembly on 15 November embodied an alarming concept of a political truce that will stabilise the country by imposing an extension of tenure for the president, from five to seven years.

The main opposition party, Les Democrats, which was banned from earlier elections has already been banned from next years presidential polls. All parties seeking to contest in elections have to get signed support from current elected officials, so the political reality is that no opposition candidates can participate in Benins democracy. By making opposition politics impossible, President Patrice Talon opened the doors to the military to propose yet another corrective regime. Nigeria and ECOWAS watched while President Talon emptied democracy of its content in Benin Republic. Lessons must be learnt in West Africa. Democratic consolidation requires the maintenance of a level playing ground for elections that is bolstered by the rule of law and a justice system that applies the same law to all. What needs to happen is for citizens in Benin to mobilise themselves and insist on their right to vote for candidates of their choice, rather than those imposed by President Talon.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
As the Federal Government intensifies efforts to attract new oil and gas investments, spur speedy development of fields and ensure reduction in the cost of production, Marconi.NG EPC Limited (Marconi), positioning itself as one of the leading oil and gas service companies in West Africa, has pledged cost competitive and speedy delivery of projects and opportunities.

The company made the commitment on Wednesday when officials of the Corporate Communications Division of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) led select journalists on a tour of some Port Harcourt-based oil and gas companies.

Marconi, which is a wholly Nigerian entity acquired the assets of Saipem Contracting Nigerias Rumuolumeni Yard in May 2025.

Speaking during the tour, the Chief Executive Officer of Marconi, Mr Gian Fabio Del Cioppo explained that the companys yard covers more than 1,000,000 square meters, includes a 330-meter jetty, and has the capacity to fabricate over 25,000 tons of heavy structures per year. He added that the facility is one the leading yard in the country with assets and organisational capability to execute fabrication and other services for complex capital EPC projects, both onshore and offshore.

He emphasised that the company possesses the equipment, technical capacity, legacy and human capabilities to deliver the highest quality of work in the industry at competitive costs and schedule, aligned with the Presidential Directives on Local Content and the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010.

He appealed to the Government and oil industry stakeholders to be steadfast with the implementation of the NOGICD Act, insisting that Marconi is well positioned to support national goals, while contributing significantly to job creation and economic growth. He underscored the benefits of local content to the economy and urged Government to resist pressures to roll back the progress that had been achieved in local content implementation in the last 15 years.

Conducting the journalists round the facility, Nigerian Content Manager of Marconi, David Editang, explained that the new owners retained the services of local experts who operated the facility for decades prior to the acquisition of the facility.

He noted that the facility has the capacity to fabricate, store and load out completed project structures through three of its jetties.

Recently, Marconi, marked the First Steel Cutting Ceremony for some subsea structures for one of the major offshore projects currently being executed in Nigeria.

The facility also played a significant role in the execution and construction of several notable projects in the past including Egina, Usan, Akpo, Train 7, among many others.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications Division (CCD) of the NCDMB, Obinna Ezeobi, led other NCDMB personnel and a host of journalists on the facility tour.

He noted that Marconi is now well positioned to operate across the the oil and gas value chain, from land, swamp and shallow waters to deep sea offshore.

Giving reasons for the tour, Dr Ezeobi said, As we showcase the companies, we are achieving our mandate as set out in Sections 67 and 70 (n) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act. These Sections mandate the NCDMB to promote Nigerian Content through communication and stakeholder engagement and also outlines the Boards functions which include capacity building.

He explained that media practitioners are critical stakeholders in the implementation of the NOGICD Act. According to him, We want the media to better understand how the oil and gas industry works; we want to deepen our relationship, and to build the capacity of media stakeholders in reportage.

He also noted that the NCDMB had established sustainable relationships with media stakeholders in different parts of the Country, and organises annual engagements in Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja.
In recent remarks about the economy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has consistently affirmed that every hardworking Nigerian deserves access to structured consumer credit that expands opportunity and improves quality of life.

On Democracy Day 2025, he reiterated this commitment, announcing the phased rollout of the YouthCred programme of the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP)beginning with NYSC Corps members and expanding to all employed young Nigerians.

The YouthCred NYSC Pilot, launched in July 2025, quickly became Nigerias flagship youth credit intervention. Over 51,000 Corps members enrolled, receiving structured credit education and varying levels of affordable credit.

Beneficiaries used YouthCred to acquire mobility, digital devices, solar energy, work tools, and other essentials that supported their transition into productive post-service life. The strong uptake confirmed a nationwide demand for simple, fair, responsible consumer credit.

Building on this success, the Federal Government has now launched the Employed Youth Phase of YouthCred, opening access to affordable consumer credit for young working Nigerians aged 1839. The programme was unveiled by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, at the Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja.

This new phase extends YouthCred to millions of employed Nigerians across public and private sectors who earn steady incomes but remain excluded from formal credit. Beneficiaries, via CREDICORPs partner financial institutions, can now access loans of up to 3 millionfor mobility, solar systems, rental support, household upgrades, digital devices, and work toolsthrough a fully digital process with clear terms and mandatory credit education that promotes responsible borrowing.

Speaking at the launch, the minister described YouthCred for Employed Youth as the practical expression of President Tinubus vision for a modern, credit-enabled economy. He stressed that as government reforms strengthen the economy, Nigerians must also feel these gains in their daily lives through access to tools that make them more productive and financially secure.

CREDICORPs Managing Director, Uzoma Nwagba, noted that YouthCred has grown from a pilot into a national pathway for youth empowerment.

He emphasised that the expansion reflects both the scale of demand and the administrations commitment to unlocking opportunity for millions of young Nigerians through the countrys most affordable structured credit.

With this rollout, the Federal Government has opened a major new channel for youth credit access, reinforcing its commitment to financial inclusion and shared prosperity.

Young Nigerians aged 1839 can begin their YouthCredjourney by completing mandatory credit education and applyingno collateral requiredat youthcred
Presco Plc (PRESCO:NL, PRESCO.LG or PRESCO), Nigerias leading fully integrated edible oils group, today announced the strategic acquisition of 10,000 hectares across the Nsadop and Boki plantations in Cross River State. The transaction marks a major milestone in the companys long-term expansion strategy and further consolidates Prescos position as the dominant player in Nigerias palm oil industry.

The acquisition significantly expands Prescos production footprint and strengthens the companys ability to meet the rapidly growing domestic demand for Edible Oil Products. By integrating these estates into the group, Presco will unlock new agronomic potential and secure a broader raw material base to support higher processing and refining throughput across its value chain.

Reji George, Managing Director and CEO of Presco Plc, commented:

This acquisition is a decisive execution of the commitments we made to our shareholders. During the launch of our recent Rights Issue, we pledged to accelerate our plantation expansion and position Presco for its next phase of growth. Todays announcement delivers on that promise. Nsadop and Boki are strategically located estates that complement our existing operations and expand the scale required to power our mills and refineries at higher capacity.

He added:

This move is not only about expanding land, it is about strengthening our leadership, securing long-term supply, and reinforcing our belief in the future of Nigerias agribusiness sector.

Presco will apply its proven model of sustainable agriculture, community development, and responsible land stewardship to Nsadop and Boki. The company plans to work closely with host communities, replicating its established social investment framework, supporting job creation, and ensuring a stable and mutually beneficial operating environment.

This acquisition represents a pivotal step in Prescos mission to reshape Nigerias edible oils landscape. By expanding its plantation base by 10,000 hectares, Presco advances national food security, reduces reliance on imports, and supports the Federal Governments drive toward industrial self-sufficiency. As these estates are upgraded and integrated, they are expected to generate meaningful productivity and profitability upside, delivering sustainable long-term value for shareholders while strengthening Prescos role as a key driver of Nigerias agro-industrial transformation

About Presco Plc

Presco Plc is a fully integrated edible oils company engaged in the cultivation of oil palm and the production, refining, and marketing of specialty fats and oils. Its operations are strengthened by its key subsidiaries: Ghana Oil Palm Development Company Limited (GOPDC) and Siat Nigeria Limited, which extends its footprint and enhance its market leadership across West Africa.
Several youths from Idomaland in Benue State have expressed anger and disappointment over the failure of a visiting United States Congressional delegation to include any Idoma community in its itinerary during a recent fact-finding mission to the state.

The delegation, which met internally displaced persons (IDPs), religious leaders and traditional authorities in Tiv-dominated areas earlier in the week, did not extend its visit to Benue South (Idoma), a development that has drawn widespread criticism across Idoma social media spaces.

The delegation was in Nigeria in the aftermath of recent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by US President Donald Trump over killings of Christians in Nigeria by armed groups.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the federal government nor the US congressional delegation has issued an official statement addressing concerns over the omission of Idomaland from the Benue itinerary.

Youths express outrage

In a video posted on Wednesday, Idoma youth activist Meddy Imanoel said the exclusion reflected both external neglect and silence among Idoma political leaders.

Please, lets leave the issue of the US Congress delegation from visiting Idomaland. The issue is that people who are supposed to go there and speak so that our voices can be heard did not speak; that was why the delegation did not visit but ended their fact-finding mission in Tivland, he said.

With everything that is happening in Idomaland, how many of our leaders speak about them? When the delegation came, they only stopped in Makurdi. Idoma leaders should stop lamenting Governor did not do this or that. Look at how the Tor Tiv and their Bishops have been lamenting over the killings, but which of our leaders from Idomaland are lamenting?

Mr Imanoel added that Idoma communities continue to suffer recurring attacks yet have no officially recognised IDP camps.

With everything happening in Benue, they dont count Idoma people inside despite the killings. There is no single IDP camp in Idomaland. People would reach out to me that they have gifts for IDPs, but we have no IDP camp anywhere, he said.

He further criticised elected Idoma politicians for failing to speak publicly about the crisis.

People who are representing us in government and positions of authority  are they talking? They are afraid to speak, believing that when they speak, they will be removed from their positions, but the Tiv people who are speaking are not afraid to lose their positions. That is why our leaders mouths are closed as if they used superglue to close their mouths, he said.

Another youth, John Ohene, said the exclusion was due to the conduct of the state government, not the US delegation.

Its not the US delegation that shuns Idoma, its the anti-Idoma Rev. Fr. governor that shuns Idoma. If the state government had invited OchIdoma, he would have attended, he wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Mr Ohene said his recent personal trip across Benue revealed uneven development.

Tiv Media Group urges unity

In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Wednesday, ZEVA TV, a media organisation representing Tiv interests, acknowledged the frustration among Idoma communities but urged all ethnic groups in the state to avoid divisive rhetoric.

As a media house representing ZEVA TV I understand the pain, the disappointment, and the deep emotional wound caused by the recent exclusion of Idoma communities, it said.

The organisation cited global peace icons to appeal for calm, arguing that the Benue crisis should not be viewed through an ethnic lens.

Our respected religious leaders, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop Isaac Dugu from Makurdi and Katsina Ala respectively, and the Tor Tiv, have positioned themselves as voices of the oppressed, not of a tribe. Their presence is for ALL of us, Tiv and Idoma alike, it added.

The US delegations earlier meetings in Abuja

Before travelling to Benue, the US congressional team held a meeting with Nigerias National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in Abuja.

Mr Ribadu said the delegation, comprising Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart, Norma Torres, Scott Franklin, Juan Ciscomani and Riley Moore, arrived on a fact-finding mission to Nigeria. U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills also attended the meeting.

Discussions focused on counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability and concerns over alleged religious persecution.

Visit to Benue IDP camps

During its field mission, one of the visiting lawmakers, Riley Moore, met with survivors in several IDP camps in Benue and described their testimonies as deeply distressing.

Writing on X, he said the stories he heard would remain with me for the rest of my life.

He also met Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi, Bishop Isaac Dugu of Katsina-Ala, and Tiv traditional ruler James Ioruza, saying the United States will not ignore what we heard from local communities.

Background

The anger over the recent exclusion comes amid worsening insecurity in several Idoma communities, especially in Ogbadibo, Agatu, Apa, Ohimini and Otukpo.

In May, the paramount ruler of the Idoma Nation, Elaigwu Odogbo, convened an emergency meeting with the Idoma Area Traditional Council and local government chairmen at the OchIdoma Palace in Otukpo.

The meeting resulted in a communique ordering all armed herdsmen to vacate Idomaland immediately.

The council condemned the heinous acts, mourned lives lost and urged the Benue State Government to restore security and ensure farmers can return to their fields without fear.

All armed herdsmen are to be persuaded and directed to leave Idoma land immediately to prevent further conflicts and senseless killings of Idoma sons and daughters, the council declared.

Idoma not excluded from killings

Benue has, for years, battled recurrent clashes between pastoralists and farming communities. Since 2017, the scale of violence has escalated sharply.

The traditional ruler of Idoma land later reported that at least 75 people have been killed in recent attacks in Benue South alone.

The Chairman of the Apa Development Association, Adah Ocholi, said nearly 20 villages in Apa have been wiped out since January 2023.

But the State Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ibrahim Galma, insisted the armed attackers are unknown to the association.

We dont know them. We dont know their leaders and we dont know where they come from, he said.

What the exclusion means

The US delegations decision not to visit Idomaland, combined with longstanding violence and a formal directive for herdsmen to vacate, has deepened a sense of marginalisation among Idoma youths.

The youths say the omission underscores the need for equal attention to all victims of violence in Benue and renewed pressure on state and federal authorities to take decisive action.

Many residents in Idomaland say they hope the growing public outcry will draw national and international attention to their plight.
The Katsina State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old man, Sahabi Rabiu, for the gruesome murder of a nursing mother and her 10-month-old baby in Sheme village, Faskari Local Government Area.

Police spokesperson, Abubakar Aliyu, said in a statement on Thursday that Mr Rabiu confessed to killing the 30-year-old woman and her child after allegedly conspiring with another man, now on the run.

According to the police, the suspect lured the victims to the outskirts of Sheme village where they were murdered, burnt, and dumped inside a nearby well.

Investigations by the police further indicated that the killing stemmed from a paternity dispute between the suspects and the victim.

The bodies of the victims have been recovered, and the suspect is currently in custody, the statement read. Efforts are ongoing to ensure the arrest of the fleeing suspect.

READ ALSO: Police launch community safety partnership in Edo

The Commissioner of Police in Katsina, Bello Shehu, condemned the killing, describing it as barbaric and inhumane. He assured residents that the command would leave no stone unturned in ensuring justice is served.

The police appealed to the public to provide information that could assist in tracking the second suspect, giving assurances that such information would be treated confidentially.

The investigation is ongoing, the command said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Europe must help Ukraine make difficult choices about resolving the war, particularly regarding territorial matters, CNN Turk reported.

"Here, Europe must help Ukraine make certain difficult decisions together with Ukraine. Indeed, some choices, some decisions, are very difficult for Ukraine. But to prevent great losses, that is, for the greater good, we must eliminate evil, that is, the bad That is, a choice must be made. I know this is difficult for them. The territorial issue, in particular, is incredibly difficult. May God forbid anyone such a thing," Fidan noted in an interview with CNN Turk.

He said such decisions are difficult and that there are demands for guarantees for the future. The diplomat added that this is also difficult, but Turkiye continues to facilitate negotiations between the two sides in the war.

Fidan noted that Istanbul is ready to host negotiators again, recalling that they held three rounds of talks last summer. Recalling that significant progress was made in these talks on prisoner exchanges and other humanitarian issues, Fidan stated, "This also laid the foundation for the negotiations that are ongoing today. We are ready to play this positive role. Look, the Black Sea has now become an extension of the war zone. The war has spread to the Black Sea. They are now attacking merchant ships and tankers in the Black Sea. Therefore, if the war continues, it will spread to other places, to other parts of Europe. God forbid, it needs to stop here and now."
A House of Representatives member from Akwa Ibom State, Clement Jimbo, has faulted the directive by President Bola Tinubu ordering the withdrawal of police personnel from VIPs in Nigeria.

Speaking when he appeared as a guest on Channels TVs The Morning Brief on Thursday, Mr Jimbo said Mr Tinubus decision poses a security risk to Nigerian lawmakers and other politicians.

So, withdrawing this security personnel from many of our colleagues: Senators, House of Representatives (members) from the North, you are further exposing them to insecurity, and their lives could be in danger, he said.

The lawmaker, a member of the APC, represents Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency.

Mr Jimbo insisted that the major responsibility of the government centres on the welfare and security of all Nigerians, citing Sections 12 and 14 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

So if the federal government is failing in this very constitutional provision and anything happens to a lawmaker as a result of this very directive of Mr President, of course, Mr President should be held accountable because there is no need (for the directive), he said.

What should be done

Mr Jimbo asked Mr Tinubu to reverse the directive immediately and instead formalise the arrangement to generate income for the country.

If that is not expeditiously done, something untoward can happen to some of us who are members of the parliament, he said.

The lawmaker said that the president should consider recruiting at least 15,000 youths into the Nigeria Police Force or set up a private security unit and designate them for the protection of VIPs and other Nigerians interested in personal protection.

It is important to stress that those of us that have this security personnel around us are not free. We pay for it.

The president should equally look into this direction of using this opportunity to generate additional revenue to Nigeria and for Nigerians, he said.

So Nigeria should equally be generating a whole lot of money in the region of a minimum of N20 trillion annually.

Every Nigerian is a VIP

Mr Jimbo also faulted the categorisation of members of the political class as VIPs, insisting that security protection should not be only for particular people.

Every single Nigerian is a VIP and having the privilege to have security personnel maybe protect you or escort you to events or even protect your properties or houses should not be the exclusive right of those that are in government.

It should be the right of every citizen who desires to have this personnel protect them or to walk around with them, he said.

Police withdrawal directive

On 23 November, President Tinubu ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers assigned to VIPs across the country. The Special Protection Unit of the Nigeria Police Force has since begun implementing the directive.

READ ALSO: Rep Jimbo pays condolence visit to Petroleum Minister Ekperikpe Ekpo

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, said the directive followed an audit revealing that 11,566 officers are currently assigned to VIP protection duties.

Mr Egbetokun advised those who still require protection to approach the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The Senate on Wednesday appealed to Mr Tinubu to exempt its members from the presidential directive.

But Mr Tinubu, shortly after the Senates appeal, said the directive to redeploy police officers working with VIPs, VVIPs and ministers was not negotiable.

The president directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, and the IGP to follow up on the implementation of the order.

He insisted that police officers were trained to protect the lives and property of citizens, particularly the most vulnerable in society, and the protection of a select group of VIPs and VVIPs was not their responsibility.
Iyiola Omisore, the former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has accepted President Bola Tinubus choice of former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Bola Oyebamiji as the partys consensus candidate for the 2026 governorship election in Osun state.

Speaking during an appearance on TVCs Politics Tonight on Wednesday, the former deputy governor said his loyalty to the party and to the president remained more important than his personal ambition, adding that once the president had taken a stand, he had no choice but to follow it.

He however said that a consensus candidate should come through genuine agreement among party members, not through the removal of stronger aspirants.

He said, the Electoral Act allows for direct, indirect, and consensus candidatures. He, however, added, when you want to do consensus, you build consensus around the candidate  that is  obtain opinions among people about the most popular candidate.

Yesterday

He is aware that I have ment

Expressing his dissatisfaction with the process that led to his disqualification, he said the exercise lacked transparency and went beyond what the Electoral Act permits.

He believes he would have won the primary if allowed to contest. He also dismissed claims that his political weight comes from spending money. According to him, his support has been built over many years and is not tied to handouts.

He added, Only when you have a popular candidate that people start kicking against, thats when you see people being disqualified. But they are afraid that the candidate being chosen is not popular.

Despite his grievances, he said he accepted the outcome of Mr Tinubus intervention leading to the choice of Mr Oyebamiji as the partys candidate.

In this case, we have a leader. Since Mr. President has agreed that hes going this way, you have to follow, he said, although he was absent from the meeting where Mr Tinubu met with the governorship aspirants from the state on Wednesday in Abuja to pick a consensus candidate.

When asked if his absence from the meeting implied harbouring grievances against Mr Tinubu, he answered in the negative. He explained further that the immediate-past governor of Osun State and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, who coordinated the meeting, was aware that he earlier met and shared his stance on the matter with the president.

He insisted that Mr Oyetola, believed to be one of the strong backers of Mr Oyebamiji, had no authority to impose a candidate on the party.

Why I deserve the ticket  Omisore

Explaining why he expected fair treatment from the party, Mr Omisore recalled the 1998 governorship race in which he stepped down for Adebisi Akande, then the most senior aspirant in Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Osun State. He said he acted out of respect for seniority and party order.

I was the youngest of the aspirants at that time, he said. When top party figures agreed to back Akande, we have to respect leadership and we have to step down. So, interestingly, I just did.

He argued that by the same standard of seniority, he should now be the rallying point in the APC Osun governorship election.

Ordinarily now, among all the aspirants Im the most senior of all of them, most experienced of all of them, he said.

He also pushed back suggestions that his political history works against him, saying experience should not be seen as a burden.

If Im going for the primary, I wont have had less than 80% of the votes. People who have supported me since 1999 they are organic supporters. Its not money, he said.

Background

Trouble began with the partys screening exercise for the governorship primary when only two aspirants made it through. Seven others, including Mr Omisore, were disqualified. The scale of the disqualification immediately drew attention, as most of the well-known contenders were affected.

The screening panel said those dropped failed to meet the requirement of securing nomination from party members across all local government areas. Many aspirants disagreed, arguing that the rule was not applied fairly and that the process had been influenced by forces outside the state.

As the tension grew, President Tinubu, the leader of the party, invited some of the aspirants to Abuja for a meeting. While a few of them later said they had resolved their issues after the discussion, Mr Omisore remained one of the most vocal critics of the screening outcome.

He insisted the process was flawed and accused some individuals of feeding the president incomplete information. He however maintained that the president should not be blamed for decisions taken based on what he was told.

Omisores political career

Mr Omisore began his political journey in 1998, during Nigerias transition from military rule. He was closely involved in the formation of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), a party formed by a bloc of champions of Yoruba interests, in Nigerias South-west.

In 1999, he became Deputy Governor of Osun State under Governor Adebisi Akande, serving until 2003. His tenure was marked by political tensions with the governor, which culminated in his removal

During this period, Mr Omisore was also arrested and charged in connection with the 2001 assassination of former Attorney-General Bola Ige, a case in which he was later acquitted in 2004 for lack of sufficient evidence

Despite this setback, Mr Omisore successfully ran for the Senate in 2003, representing Osun East, and was re-elected in 2007. During his eight years in the Senate, he held key committee positions, including chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

After leaving the Senate, Mr Omisore pursued the governorship of Osun State, contesting elections in 2014 and 2018 under different parties but falling short of victory. In 2021, he joined the APC, quickly rising to national prominence as the partys National Secretary. He resigned in May 2023 amid crises in the party.
MACAO, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosted by the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (CECC), the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Artificial Intelligent Machines and Electronics Expo (AIE) was held at Macao Venetian Convention and Exhibition Center on December 4.

Cen Haohui, Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Meng Fanli, Governor of Guangdong Province, Zheng Xincong, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, and other officials attended the opening ceremony.

On December 4 , participants visited the 2025 Global Artificial Intelligent Machines and Electronics Expo (AIE). (Photo by Xinhua News Agency)

With the theme "Bay Area Intelligence, globally embraced ", the expo is held in Macao and Zhuhai simultaneously with a series of supporting events, which attracts over 1,000 enterprises from China and abroad . The Macao exhibition venue mainly focuses on intelligent electronics with three themed halls: the Intelligent Communication and IoT hall, the Intelligent Audio-Visual and Metaverse hall, and the Venture Capital New Concept and International Exhibition hall. The Zhuhai exhibition venue focuses on intelligent machinery, including the Intelligent Equipment and Industrial Internet Hall, the Intelligent Transportation and Future Mobility Hall, and the Smart Home and Wellness Hall.

At the keynote forum held after the opening ceremony, several distinguished guests delivered keynote speeches, including Dan Shechtman, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate, and Wang Zhonglin, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Meanwhile, the White Paper 'Development of Global Intelligent Machinery and Electronic Products Industry: Wisdom Initiates the Future' was released.

Reporters observed that the "Macao Innovation and Technologyl" in the Macao exhibition venue attracted many attentions. This section gathers more than 50 technology innovation enterprises and 4 institutions of higher education in Macao, showcasing the scientific research strength and industrialization achievements in fields such as artificial intelligence, smart healthcare, and the Internet of Things (IoT). A number of thematic events will also be held here.

Wang Ning, President of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (CECC), stated an interview about his hope to develop the expo into a communication platform for the global electronic products and intelligent manufacturing sectors, from where it can promote enterprises' integration withglobal industrial chain and facilitate international cooperation.

Guided by the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province and the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province, and hosted by the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (CECC), the expo will run until December 6.

SOURCE China Electronics Chamber of Commerce
First-day-of-issue dates and locations through March 2026 also revealed

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service today announced the Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express stamps it will release in 2026. There will be additional stamp subjects to be announced in the coming weeks and months. These designs are preliminary and may change.

2026 Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express Stamps Announced

Crab Nebula (Priority Mail)

This new Priority Mail stamp celebrates America's continued exploration of deep space with a breathtaking image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. One of the most frequently observed celestial bodies, the Crab Nebula is one of the brightest remnants of an exploded star in the night sky. Located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus, Webb captured this new Crab Nebula image in vivid infrared detail revealing previously unseen features that contribute to our broader understanding of stellar life cycles. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using a photo courtesy of NASA. Upon favorable review by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the stamp will be denominated at the new Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope rate and an issue date will be announced.

Galaxy Pair (Priority Mail Express)

This new Priority Mail Express stamp features another astounding image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The stamp features a composite image from the Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes titled Galaxy Pair. It reveals a view of two interacting galaxies, IC 2163 and NGC 2207, located approximately 80 million light-years from Earth, offering a glimpse into the dynamic processes that shape our universe. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp, using a photo courtesy of NASA. Upon favorable review by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the stamp will be denominated at the new Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelope rate and an issue date will be announced.

The U.S. Postal Service also announced release dates and locations for announced 2026 stamp issues for through March:

Stamps Release

Date City State ZIP 4c Angel's Trumpets  local ceremony Jan. 9 Kenosha WI 53140 Love  no ceremony Jan. 13 Kansas City MO 64108 Muhammad Ali Jan. 15 Louisville KY 40231 Colorado Statehood Jan. 24 Denver CO 80299 Black Heritage: Phillis Wheatley Jan. 29 Boston MA 02205 Lunar New Year  Year of the Horse Feb. 3 Houston TX 77201 Bruce Lee Feb. 18 Seattle WA 98109 Harriet Powers Feb. 28 Washington DC 20066 Lowriders March 13 San Diego CA 92199 Sunflowers  local ceremony March 14 Strongsville OH 44136 Galaxy Pair (Priority Mail Express)  no ceremony TBD Kansas City MO 64108 Crab Nebula (Priority Mail)  no ceremony TBD Kansas City MO 64108

Details on first-day-of-issue cities/ceremony locations for other 2026 stamps will be released throughout the year. Dates and locations are subject to change.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at select Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. The stories behind the stamps and more are available at stampsforever.com.

Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is celebrating its 250th year of service to customers amidst a network modernization plan aimed at restoring long-term financial sustainability, improving service, and maintaining the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter; Facebook; Instagram; Pinterest; Threads; and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

Contact: James McKean

[email protected]

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
Four weekly services starting April 24, becoming Air Premia's fourth U.S. mainland route after Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco

Five out of nine total routes now serve North America, strengthening Air Premia's position as a U.S.-focused hybrid carrier

First Korean carrier in 31 years to launch service to Washington, D.C. since 1995

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Premia, Korea's leading hybrid airline, announced today that it will begin operating four weekly scheduled flights on the IncheonWashington Dulles (IAD) route starting April 24, 2026.

Air Premia IncheonWashington, D.C. Flight Schedule (Local Time)

The IncheonWashington, D.C. route has long been considered a strategically important market with limited capacity. With few Korean carriers offering nonstop service, travelers have had restricted options and largely relied on codeshare connections with U.S. airlines. Air Premia's entry is expected to play a significant role in increasing capacity and improving customer choice.

Washington, D.C. is home to the U.S. federal government, major international organizations, and research institutions, generating steady demand from public sector, diplomatic, and business travelers. Air Premia's new service will broaden nonstop travel options for passengers while marking a key milestone in the carrier's ongoing expansion of its North American network.

According to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Air Transport Information Portal, 175,273 passengers traveled this route in 2024, with 158,760 travelers recorded through November this yeardemonstrating consistently strong traffic. With Air Premia's launch, travelers can expect additional capacity, more competitive fares, and expanded connecting options.

The new IncheonWashington Dulles schedule operates every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, departing Incheon International Airport at 10:05 a.m. and arriving at 10:50 a.m. local time. The return flight departs Washington at 1:20 p.m. and arrives in Incheon at 5:45 p.m. the following day.

Schedules may be adjusted subject to government approval. Tickets will be available for purchase starting December 15.

With the addition of Washington, D.C., Air Premia now offers a balanced North American network spanning the U.S. West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco), East Coast (New York, Washington, D.C.), and Hawaii. The airline plans to further strengthen its position as a North America-focused hybrid carrier.

An Air Premia spokesperson said, "Washington, D.C. is a strategic route with consistently strong demand from government, international organizations, and research institutions. As we expand our North American network, we aim to provide even greater travel flexibility and convenience for both leisure and business passengers."

SOURCE Air Premia
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Aris Mining Corporation (Aris Mining or the Company) (TSX: ARIS) (NYSE-A: ARMN) announces the completion of its previously announced acquisition of the remaining 49% interest in the Soto Norte joint venture in Colombia from MDC Industry Holding Company LLC (Mubadala). Aris Mining now owns 100% of the Soto Norte Project, and the associated precious metals stream previously granted to Mubadala has been terminated.

Neil Woodyer, CEO of Aris Mining, commented: "With 100% ownership of Segovia, Marmato, Toroparu, and now Soto Norte, Aris Mining is focused on building a large, diversified gold business across Colombia and Guyana. Our strategy combines strong cash flow generation from our operating mines with growth from expansions, exploration, and project development.

Since our formation in 2022, we have progressed from a 'buy-and-build' strategy to focusing on building the high-quality assets we now own. Fewer than 15 gold companies worldwide produce more than one million ounces annually  and with our current asset base and growth projects, Aris Mining has a clear path to join that group1."

About Aris Mining

Founded in September 2022, Aris Mining was established with a vision to build a leading South America-focused gold mining company. Our strategy blends current production and cashflow generation with transformational growth driven by expansions of our operating assets, exploration, and development projects. Aris Mining intends to unlock value through scale and diversification. The Company is listed on the TSX (ARIS) and the NYSE-A (ARMN) and is led by an experienced team with a track record of value creation, operational excellence, financial discipline and good corporate governance in the gold mining industry.

Aris Mining operates two underground gold mines in Colombia: the Segovia Operations and the Marmato Complex, which together produced 210,955 ounces of gold in 2024. With expansions underway, Aris Mining is targeting an annual production rate of more than 500,000 ounces of gold, driven by the commissioning of a second mill at Segovia, completed in June and ramping up during H2 2025, and the construction of the Bulk Mining Zone at the Marmato Complex, with first gold expected in H2 2026.

In Guyana, Aris Mining owns the Toroparu gold project, where a new Preliminary Economic Assessment has been completed and a Prefeasibility Study is in progress. Following completion of the PFS, Toroparu will be positioned to advance toward construction.

Aris Mining also owns the Soto Norte gold project, where a Prefeasibility Study has been completed on a smaller-scale development plan confirming Soto Norte as a high-grade, long-life project with strong economics and industry-leading environmental and social design features. Environmental studies are being finalized, which are scheduled to be submitted in the first half of 2026 to initiate the licensing process.

Additional information on Aris Mining can be found at www.aris-mining.com, www.sedarplus.ca, and on www.sec.gov.

________________________________ 1 Includes potential production estimates from Toroparu, which is based on a preliminary economic assessment and is preliminary in nature. It includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There can be no assurance that the projected production will be achieved. Such production also remains subject to obtaining all necessary permits for both Soto Norte and Toroparu.

Cautionary Language

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" or forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding future gold production, Aris Mining's business strategy and statements included in the "About Aris Mining" section of this news release relating to the Segovia Operations, Marmato Complex, Soto Norte Project and Toroparu Project are forward-looking. Generally, the forward-looking information and forward looking statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "will continue" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The material factors or assumptions used to develop forward looking information or statements are disclosed throughout this news release.

Forward looking information and forward looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Aris Mining to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or forward looking statements, including but not limited to those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Aris Mining's annual information form dated March 12, 2025 which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and included as part of the Company's Annual report on Form 40-F, filed with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

Although Aris Mining has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information or statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information or statements. The Company has and continues to disclose in its Management's Discussion and Analysis and other publicly filed documents, changes to material factors or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements and to the validity of the information, in the period the changes occur. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and Aris Mining disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.

SOURCE Aris Mining Corporation
BCG Analysis Finds Asia-Pacific Companies Are Prioritizing Governance, Strategic Focus, and Investor Alignment

India Cements Position as the World's Best-Performing Capital Market Over the Past Decade

Australia Shows Long-Term Consistency, China and Southeast Asia Reach Turning Points, and Japan Deepens Investor Engagement

BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As economies and capital markets across the Asia-Pacific region mature, firms are moving beyond rapid expansion to focus on sustained, long-term shareholder value. This is according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), released today.

The 2025 Asia-Pacific Value Creators Collection: From Growth to Greatness draws on three decades of research to show how top-performing companies set themselves apart through disciplined governance, strategic focus, and clear communication with investors.

A Closer Look at Five Markets

India has set the pace globally. The country has been delivering an average annual total shareholder return (TSR) of more than 15% over the past decadethe highest among major economies. BCG's analysis of the country's top 50 value creators highlights three drivers of this outperformance:

A shift toward capital-intensive and innovation-led sectors like industrials, technology, metals and mining, and health care

Consistent outperformance by family-owned firms, which delivered TSRs that were 6.4 percentage points higher than their non-family-owned peers

A maturing IPO market, where recent listings have outperformed broader indices

Australia continues to model consistency and discipline. Over the past two decades, ASX-listed firms posted 8% annual TSR on average, with more than 75% of value generated by self-funded revenue growth. While mining and metals and financial institutions still anchor market capitalization, strong returns also came from the technology, pharmaceutical and medtech, and consumer goods sectors.

Southeast Asia has yet to fully convert its economic momentum into investor returns. While Southeast Asia's market-cap-weighted TSR of 12% aligns with that of its peers, the region's median TSR stands at just 4%, revealing widespread underperformance. Among countries, Vietnam and Indonesia lead on a median and weighted TSR basis, though Vietnam's performance is more volatile. By sector, technology, financial services, and metals and mining outperformed, while consumer sectors underdelivered.

China is entering a new chapter of value creation as companies shift focus from scale to value. Historically undervalued in Greater China's retail-heavy, less-institutional markets, TSR is re-emerging as a strategic priority. Leading firms are delivering superior TSR by aligning business fundamentals, capital strategies, and investor communications.

Japan is demonstrating the power of trust and communication. They are doing this by building investor confidence, with companies using Medium-Term Management Plans to articulate why investors should choose them. Japanese companies maintained strong shareholder returns in 2024, with TOPIX-listed firms posting an average annual TSR of 13% from 2020 to 2024. In BCG's analysis of large-cap companies (market cap over 1 trillion), half of the top ten performers were new to this year's list.

Lessons for the Rest of the World

Across markets, BCG identified five themes for promoting higher TSR:

Align business strategy with shareholder value.

Treat governance as the new growth driver.

Communicate clearly to build investor confidence.

Focus the business portfolio.

Maintain capital discipline to attract investors.

"Growth has long been the headline across Asia-Pacific, but the region is entering a new phase defined by discipline and more maturity," said Kanchan Samtani, leader of BCG's Corporate Finance & Strategy practice across the Asia-Pacific region. "There is a lot to learn from Asia-Pacific's best value creators by better aligning incentives, embracing transparent dialogue with investors, and staying agile amid technological and geopolitical shifts. At a time when resilience is the ultimate edge, Asia-Pacific offers both the roadmap and the results."

Download the collection here:

https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/the-asia-pacific-value-creators-collection

Media Contact:

Eric Gregoire

+1 617 850 3783

[email protected]

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholdersempowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
New landmark partnership with Cartwheel, The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health (BCCMH), and Boston Public Schools ensures timely, multilingual mental health services for students, families, caregivers, and educators.

BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Public Schools (BPS) today announced a transformative investment in student mental health through a partnership with Cartwheel, Massachusetts' leading school-based mental health provider, with implementation support from the MA School-Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot led by The Brookline Center, a partner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. This comprehensive initiative will bring immediate, multilingual mental health care to students, families, and staff at 82 schools across the district, in partnership with The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health (BCCMH).

New landmark partnership with Cartwheel, The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health (BCCMH), and Boston Public Schools ensures timely, multilingual mental health services for students, families, caregivers, and educators.

"We want all our students to feel supported and inspired when they come to school every day as they work towards achieving their goals and aspirations," said BPS Chief of Students Cory McCarthy. "We recognize that for some students, this becomes more difficult when they are facing mental health challenges. Through this new partnership with Cartwheel, BPS is connecting our students and families to timely, high-quality, evidence-based support. This initiative aims to help remove barriers that prevent students from feeling ready to participate in school, which will help strengthen their attendance, enhance their well-being, and promote personal growth, giving every young person the opportunity to succeed beyond our classrooms."

Boston Public Schools has long been a leader in student mental health, making exceptional investments in counseling services, crisis intervention, and partnerships with local mental health organizations. Despite these efforts and the district's commitment to supporting students' social-emotional wellbeing, the needs still vastly outweigh capacity. School leaders are seeing the direct impact on student attendance, classroom behaviors, and academic performance, driving the district's decision to make this bold, proactive investment to support more students and families.

"Boston Public Schools is setting the standard for what's possible when a district decides that student mental health is mission-critical," said Joe English, CEO of Cartwheel. "This isn't just about providing therapyit's about creating a comprehensive ecosystem of support that helps students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. We're honored to partner with a district that shares our belief that every child deserves timely, best-in-class mental health care."

Cartwheel, with programmatic funding from The Brookline Center, brings the nation's most comprehensive school-based mental health care model to BPS. Cartwheel's platform empowers school-based staff to identify students who may benefit from evidence-based therapy and psychiatry from a licensed Cartwheel clinician, track student progress as they receive services, and coordinate with families. The partnership also includes Cartwheel's specialty School Avoidance Program, which helps students tackle mental health related causes of chronic absenteeism.

With a track record serving 325+ school districts nationwide, including 70 districts here in Massachusetts, Cartwheel combines local expertise with national-scale impact.

"This changes everything for our students and families. When a child is struggling, they can be connected to a licensed clinician immediately and not in months," said Jenna Parafinczuk, Director of Social Work, Division of Student Support, Boston Public Schools. "That kind of support can make the difference between a student falling behind or thriving in school and in life."

The partnership addresses an urgent crisis facing schools nationwide. According to the CDC, more than 40% of high school students report feeling persistently sad or hopeless, while 1 in 5 seriously considered suicide in the past year. In Massachusetts, families often face months-long waitlists for child and adolescent mental health services. This partnership eliminates those barriers entirely.

"The data also reflects the collective strength of the statewide SBTBH Pilot," said Carla Goncalves, Director of the Massachusetts School Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot at The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health. "As the state's lead SBTBH implementation partner, The Brookline Center measures program effectiveness and ensures that districts and clinical providers, including Cartwheel, can deliver high quality, equitable care. Across the Commonwealth, we have supported more than 2,280 referrals, completed 1,266 intakes, and delivered nearly 19,000 telebehavioral health sessions to over 2,400 students, contributing to measurable reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms. As we welcome Boston Public Schools as a new pilot site, we are building a proven, data driven model. We are honored to partner with Boston and providers like Cartwheel to expand timely, multilingual, culturally responsive mental health care across the Commonwealth."

At the school level, educators see Cartwheel's program as transformative. Since its launch earlier this school year, over 350 Boston Public Schools students have been referred to Cartwheel and more than 450 teletherapy sessions have been completed. The program was made possible with implementation and capacity-building support and programmatic funding from The Massachusetts School Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot led by The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health, which has a long history of driving school-based mental health innovation across the commonwealth and nationally.

"When students walk through our doors each day, they bring with them their aspirations, hopes and their vision for the future. Students also bring with them the many challenges they face every day, and the emotions that accompany them," said Principal Andrew Bott, Brighton High School. "Having direct access to mental health care through this partnership means our students don't have to face those challenges alone. It allows them to focus on learning, connecting with their peers, and seeing themselves as capable of achieving their goals. Providing this service to our school community is about showing every student that their well-being should always be a top priority, and we're all here to ensure they have the supports needed to succeed."

About Boston Public Schools

The Boston Public Schools (BPS), the birthplace of public education in the United States, serves more than 48,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 121 schools. BPS is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. We partner with the community, families, and students to develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life. Media Contact: Samara Pinto, [email protected]

About Cartwheel

Cartwheel is the leading provider of school-based mental health services in Massachusetts and partners with 325+ districts nationwide to build sustainable mental health programs for students and families. With licensed clinicians, evidence-based interventions, multilingual services, and no waitlists, Cartwheel ensures that every child has immediate access to evidence-based care. Cartwheel's comprehensive services include teletherapy, psychiatry, family therapy, parent guidance, staff support services, and specialized programs including school avoidance interventions. Learn more at www.cartwheel.org. Media Contact: Emily Paisner, [email protected]

About The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health

The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health is a nonprofit organization providing comprehensive, affordable, and culturally responsive mental health care to children, families, and adults. The Center is a leader in developing and funding innovative school-based mental health programs that ensure equitable access to care across Greater Boston. Media Contact: Kate Whitney, [email protected]

SOURCE Boston Public Schools
BEIJING, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With Chinese leaders gathered in Beijing for the annual Central Economic Work Conference, CGTN published an article outlining how China's 2026 economic agenda underscores the country's commitment to strengthening domestic demand, advancing innovation, and deepening high-level opening up, signaling renewed confidence and providing greater certainty for global development.

Chinese leaders convened in Beijing on December 10 and 11 for the annual Central Economic Work Conference, a meeting widely viewed as the compass for China's economic trajectory.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the meeting and delivered a keynote address reviewing economic performance in 2025, assessing emerging challenges, and outlining priorities for 2026, the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).

Leaders emphasized that next year's policies will focus on "pursuing progress while ensuring stability" and "improving both quality and effectiveness," outlining eight core tasks, including boosting domestic demand, promoting innovation, deepening reform and opening-up, advancing low-carbon development, and enhancing people's livelihoods. The meeting sends a clear message: China is entering 2026 with confidence, policy clarity, and renewed momentum, providing stability and opportunity for the global economy.

Domestic demand as the engine of growth

The meeting emphasized that increasing domestic consumption is the main economic priority for next year. Policymakers plan to take specific actions to boost spending, optimize the "two new" policies-covering large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins-and eliminate unreasonable restrictions in the consumer sector to unlock the potential of service consumption.

Data shows that China's consumer market remained resilient in 2025. In the first three quarters, final consumption expenditure contributed 53.5 percent to GDP growth, an increase of nine percentage points from the previous year. From January to October, retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 40 trillion yuan ($5.7 trillion), a 4.3 percent year-over-year increase, outpacing last year's growth.

In an exclusive interview with CGTN, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, explaining the IMF's recent upgrade of China's 2025 GDP forecast, emphasized the importance of domestic consumption in supporting economic resilience. She praised China's commitment to maintaining an open and responsible economy, pointing out that this supports the country's focus on consumption in its new Five-Year Plan.

Innovation driving new growth

Innovation will remain a key driver of development. China aims to establish international innovation hubs in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Policies will focus on boosting enterprise-led innovation, strengthening intellectual property protection in emerging industries, expanding service-sector capabilities, and advancing AI development through improved governance and tech-finance integration.

According to the 2025 Global Innovation Index, China ranked in the top 10 for the first time and remains the highest-ranked among the 36 upper-middle-income economies. Its innovation clusters lead the world, with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranking first worldwide. Bloomberg Economics projects that China's high-tech sector, including AI, will grow from 14.3 percent of GDP in 2023 to nearly 19 percent by 2026.

An open China provides certainty to the world

Opening up remains one of China's strategic advantages, and the conference reaffirmed that China will expand institutional and autonomous opening in the services sector, optimize the layout of free trade zones, and advance the Hainan Free Trade Port.

China's foreign trade this year demonstrated resilience despite global challenges. From January to November, imports and exports totaled 41.21 trillion yuan, up 3.6 percent from the previous year.

A recent CGTN global survey shows that 86.7 percent of respondents believe China's continued efforts to boost domestic consumption will create significant opportunities for international companies. In the meantime, 89.1 percent say China's ongoing expansion of opening-up will generate broader development opportunities worldwide.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-12-12/How-does-China-set-tone-for-economic-work-in-2026--1J1srzNISOY/p.html
Air defense neutralize 64 out of 80 enemy drones overnight, with hits recorded at eight locations, debris falling at three ones

On Friday night, the Ukrainian Defense Forces neutralized 64 enemy drones, but debris from the downed aircraft was recorded falling at eight locations, the press service of the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

According to preliminary data, as of 9:00 a.m., air defense forces have shot down or suppressed 64 enemy Shaheds, Gerberas, and other types of UAVs in the north, south, and east of the country. Twelve attack UAVs were hit at eight locations, and debris from downed UAVs was found at three locations," the Ukrainian Air Forces reported on their Telegram channel.

It was reported that on the night of December 12 (from 6:00 p.m. on December 11), the enemy attacked with 80 Shaheds, Gerberas, and other types of attack UAVs, approximately 50 of which were Shaheds. "The air attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, unmanned aerial systems, and mobile fire teams of the Ukrainian Defense Forces," the message reads.

The attack was ongoing as of 9:00 a.m., with several enemy UAVs detected in the airspace.

Thus, the overall air defense effectiveness was 80%.
Drawing from patient requests across Dr. Steinbrech's practices in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the 2025 list features a blend of actors, athletes, and cultural figures whose facial structureparticularly jawline, cheeks, and midfacehas become aspirational for male patients nationwide.

"Men today are strategic and informed about how they want to present themselves," said Dr. Douglas S. Steinbrech, founder of Alpha Male Plastic Surgery and a pioneer of male-focused aesthetic innovation. "They're bringing in reference photos that reflect strength and structurenot exaggeration. Men want to look like the most refined, confident version of themselves, and this year's list showcases exactly what resonates."

THE TOP 10 MOST REQUESTED MALE FACES OF 2025

Chris Hemsworth



Jacob Elordi



Henry Cavill

Visit to see the full list here

This year's rankings highlight two dominant trends:

a continued migration toward "architected masculinity," underpinned by sharp angles and balanced proportions, and representation of softer, artistic masculinity, suggesting that range and nuancenot a single archetypedefine the modern ideal.

ALLOCLAE + THE RISE OF STRUCTURAL CONTOURING FOR MEN

The 2025 report also aligns with an explosive rise in one of the year's most talked-about innovations: Alloclae, a next-generation structural contouring injectable that reshapes the male face with greater precision and longevity than traditional fillers.

Alloclae has quickly become the go-to request among male patients seeking sculpted cheekbones, enhanced jawlines, and long-lasting facial definition without the "overdone" look associated with older fillers.

"Alloclae is revolutionizing male aesthetics," Dr. Steinbrech explained. "It offers a level of structure, lift, and durability that men have been waiting for. The ability to refine the face in a way that looks naturaland distinctly masculineis why demand is surging across all three of our locations."

A CULTURAL SHIFT IN HOW MEN APPROACH AESTHETICS

According to Dr. Steinbrech, male patients today are driven by personal branding, digital presence, and a modern understanding of self-care. His practicerecognized as one of the largest male-focused aesthetic centers in the United Stateshas seen double-digit growth in procedures related to facial optimization, profile balancing, and non-surgical enhancements.

"Men aren't asking to look like someone else," Dr. Steinbrech added. "They're asking for the features that create strength, balance, and presence. This list reflects what men admirebut it also reflects their desire to evolve."

ABOUT DR. DOUGLAS S. STEINBRECH

Dr. Douglas S. Steinbrech is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing exclusively in male plastic surgery. With practices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, he is recognized as a global authority on male aesthetics and the founder of the Alpha Male Plastic Surgery brand. His approach blends artistry, anatomy, and cutting-edge technology to create natural, masculine results for male patients of all ages.

SOURCE Dr. Douglas S. Steinbrech
CNBC's Brian Sullivan Emceed as Winners from Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, India, Singapore, Spain, UAE, UK, and US Were Announced

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Energy (formerly S&P Global Commodity Insights), the leading global independent provider of data, insights, analysis, and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy expansion markets, tonight honored industry excellence in 21 performance categories and winners from across the globe at the Platts Global Energy Awards gala held at the Casa Cipriani South Street in downtown New York City.

The Awards program, now in its 27th year and often described as the "Oscars" of the energy industry, recognizes corporate and individual innovation, leadership, and performance in the energy and chemicals industries and bestowed honors on energy companies from Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, India, Singapore, Spain, UAE, UK, and the US. CNBC's Brian Sullivan -- co-anchor of Power Lunch and Asia's US Market Edition, and Senior National Correspondent -- emceed the event, continuing a long history of CNBC guest hosts at the Awards gala.

"Energy is everything, everywhere, and the lifeblood of the world's economy and we're pleased to be recognizing those individuals and companies that are embracing change, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), innovating and helping steer a course for a sustainable future for generations to come," said Dave Ernsberger, President, S&P Global Energy. "Not only do we congratulate tonight's winners but all who were finalists, as well."

Houston-based Cheniere was the evening's triple winner, walking away with Energy Company of the Year, Chief Executive of the Year and Excellence in Energy  LNG honors, winning praise from the Platts Global Energy Awards panel of independent judges for its impressive operational scale; its 2016 pivot to liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and subsequent rise to the largest LNG producer in the US and the second-largest LNG operator globally, all under the leadership of CEO Jack Fusco. Said one judge, "The company provides vital stability to markets in Europe and Asia and across the global stage." Describing Fusco as a "true trailblazer," judges pointed to the company's impressive metrics, ranging from: robust financials, to operational discipline, to commitment to and demonstrated community engagement and an "exemplary" safety record. In selection for Chief Executive of the Year, judges also praised Fusco for his direct stewardship of the company's strategic shift and growth and his dedication to innovation.

Among the many winners, were those in Platts Global Energy Awards individual achievement categories such as:

Lifetime Achievement -- This year's Awards program recognized two individuals that judges believed equally contributed significantly to the energy and chemical sectors across their lifetimes: Zhenguo Li, LONGi Green Energy Technology Company, China

As visionary founder and current President of LONGi's Central R&D Institute, Zhenguo Li was honored for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to carbon neutrality throughout his career. Judges pointed to his pioneering work in monocrystalline technology, which not only transformed the solar industry by enhancing efficiency and affordability, but also positioned LONGi as a global leader in solar PV solutions. Li's voluntary sharing of technologies and advocacy for open innovation and initiatives like the "Solar for Solar" model  which aims to decarbonize manufacturing -- underscore his dedication to sustainability. Judges commended him as "a pioneer in China and throughout the world," recognizing his exemplary leadership in the competitive energy market. Alan Armstrong, Williams, USA

A 40-year veteran of Williams, Alan Armstrong impressed judges not only as a transformative force in the company, but in the wider energy sector. Rising from design engineer to CEO, Armstrong streamlined Williams's operations into a top-tier natural gas infrastructure operator with 12 consecutive years of earnings growth. Describing Armstrong as a leader with "deep personal integrity," judges also pointed to his focus on process safety, global advocacy for pragmatic energy solutions, and his strategic positioning of Williams for a cleaner energy future.

This year's Awards program recognized two individuals that judges believed equally contributed significantly to the energy and chemical sectors across their lifetimes: Chief Trailblazer of the Year: Shu Fei Zeng, founder of KH Marque in Singapore, was recognized by judges for her remarkable achievements in diverting used cooking oil (UCO) from improper disposal to transformation into sustainable biofuels using transparent and traceable supply chains. Judges were impressed by her ability to elevate KH Marque from a startup to Southeast Asia's largest UCO collector in just four years with "exceptional" revenue growth and an innovative approach to circularity and climate action. Judges said Zeng's visionary leadership has not only redefined industry standards but also established a new economic model that contributes significantly to global decarbonization efforts.

Shu Fei Zeng, founder of KH Marque in Singapore, was recognized by judges for her remarkable achievements in diverting used cooking oil (UCO) from improper disposal to transformation into sustainable biofuels using transparent and traceable supply chains. Judges were impressed by her ability to elevate KH Marque from a startup to Southeast Asia's largest UCO collector in just four years with "exceptional" revenue growth and an innovative approach to circularity and climate action. Judges said Zeng's visionary leadership has not only redefined industry standards but also established a new economic model that contributes significantly to global decarbonization efforts. Rising Star AwardIndividual: Judges recognized Katie Aittola, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Strategy and Chief Risk Officer at Duke Energy, for her transformative leadership in reshaping the company's strategic vision and risk management. Judges commended her for leading a pioneering climate resiliency study that sets new industry standards and for driving innovation in risk financing, which has significantly enhanced Duke's resilience and operational efficiency. Judges said Aittola's ability to engage and empower her teams has established her as a respected voice in the energy sector, marking her as a rising star with broad influence.

In addition to its founder and president winning a Lifetime Achievement Award, China's LONGi Green Energy Technology Company received the Corporate Impact Award for its Targeted Program Global East submission pertaining to its Solar for Safe Births program. Judges pointed to the program's contribution to improving maternal healthcare in the remote village of Linga Linga, Mozambique. By its installation of a solar-powered freshwater system in the local maternity clinic, judges said LONGi helped to transform childbirth conditions, provide safe care, and reduced health risks for mothers and babies in a community previously lacking essential resources.

Applauding the night's winners for their contributions to energy expansion, efficiency and sustainability, Ernsberger emphasized S&P Global Energy's commitment to providing the energy and chemical sectors with the data, insights and essential intelligence they need to lead the energy future, especially amidst rapid change. "As the world charts a path toward a more equitable and sustainable future, ensuring access to modern and expanded sources of energy is critical," he underscored in an article on page 8 of the December issue of S&P Global Energy's Insights Magazine, which accompanied the Awards program.

The night's winners of the Platts Global Energy Awards were chosen by the program's independent judges panel from finalists selected from nominations that represented 37 different countries. S&P Global Energy nor event sponsors played any role in the judging or selection of winners.

For details of the above and full roster of Awards winners of the 2025 Platts Global Energy Awards, access the Insights Magazine, or visit the Platts Global Energy Awards website.

2025 Platts Global Energy Award Winners

Energy Company of the Year

Cheniere

USA

Lifetime Achievement Award (tie)

Zhenguo Li  LONGi Green Energy Technology Company

CHINA

Alan Armstrong  Williams

USA

Chief Executive of the Year

Jack Fusco - Cheniere

USA

Chief Trailblazer of the Year

Shu Fei Zeng  KH Marque

SINGAPORE

Rising Star Award - Individual

Katie Aittola  Duke Energy

USA

Rising Star Award - Company

Amogy

USA

Excellence in Energy - Upstream

California Resources Corporation

USA

Excellence in Energy - Midstream

Williams

USA

Excellence in Energy - Downstream

Repsol

Spain

Excellence in Energy - LNG

Cheniere

USA

Excellence in Energy - Power

Emirates Nuclear Energy Company

UAE

Excellence in Energy - Chemicals

Topsoe

DENMARK

Excellence in Energy - Finance

Equis Australia

AUSTRALIA

Energy Deal of the Year

Constellation Energy Corporation

USA

Grid Edge Award

Reactive Technologies

UK

Infrastructure Project of the Year

TAQA Group

UAE

Corporate Impact Award  Comprehensive Portfolio

ReNew

India

Corporate Impact Award  Targeted Program Global East

LONGi Green Energy Technology Company

CHINA

Corporate Impact Award  Targeted Program Global West

CPFL Energia

BRAZIL

Commercial Technology of the Year

Valero Energy Corporation

USA

Emerging Technology of the Year

Quaise Energy

USA

Media Contacts

Americas/EMEA: Kathleen Tanzy + 1 917-331-4607, [email protected]

Asia/EMEA: Melissa Tan + 65-6597-6241, [email protected]

About S&P Global Energy

At S&P Global Energy, our comprehensive view of global energy and commodities markets enables our customers to make superior decisions and create long-term, sustainable value. Our four core capabilities are: Platts for pricing and news; CERA for research and advisory; Horizons for energy expansion and sustainability solutions; and Events for industry collaboration.

S&P Global Energy is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global enables businesses, governments, and individuals with trusted data, expertise, and technology to make decisions with conviction. We are Advancing Essential Intelligence through world-leading benchmarks, data, and insights that customers need in order to plan confidently, act decisively, and thrive economically in a rapidly changing global landscape. Learn more at www.spglobal.com/energy.

SOURCE S&P Global Energy
NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The 20252026 holiday season is the ideal moment to explore new cheeseboard trends through a distinctly European touch. European Cheese Quality  the campaign promoted by Granlatte, the largest milk producers' cooperative in Italy, that controls Granarolo S.p.A., the most important Italian dairy company, and co-financed by the European Union, shows how PDO cheeses, aged specialties, and UHT Mascarpone can elevate classic American dishes into festive, impressive, flavor-forward experiences.

From European Cheese Quality  the campaign promoted by Granlatte, the largest milk producers' cooperative in Italy, that controls Granarolo S.p.A., the most important Italian dairy company, and co-financed by the European Union  comes the 2026 Guide on cheeseboard new trends, elevating holiday celebrations, and extra special moments. From single-serve bites to creamy mascarpone spreads, the new holiday boards spotlight premium European craftsmanship and inspire Americans to elevate their festive entertaining with authentic PDO flavors.

Cheeseboards have grown into a true global social phenomenon. With millions of posts and billions of views, they have become the go-to format for effortless entertaining, turning simple gatherings into curated, memorable occasions. In the United States  where hosting at home is a cornerstone of the holiday spirit  cheeseboards now stand as icons of taste, creativity, and conviviality.

This season, European Cheese Quality invites American consumers to embrace a new cheese ritual: blending the aesthetic appeal of today's most-loved boards with the authenticity and excellence of European cheeses.

Here is your 2026 mini-guide to elevating the holiday season with the latest Cheeseboard Collection Trends

1) Mini Cheeseboard: The Elevated Holiday Bite

Consumers are embracing elegant, Instagram-ready "mini boards", perfect served in small cones or mini trays and paired with sparkling wine for chic holiday toasts.

Here are 3 mini pairing combinations for an European gourmet experience:

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO with dried apricot and toasted almonds;

with dried apricot and toasted almonds; Grana Padano PDO with a drizzle of honey and thin rosemary grissini;

with a drizzle of honey and thin rosemary grissini; Pecorino Toscano PDO with a slice of pear and walnut crumble, smooth and aromatic.

2) Brunch Boards: Redefining the Slow Holiday Morning

Brunch is quickly becoming a new ritual in American homes. The "brunch board" trend celebrates connection, storytelling, and long, cozy mornings. To not miss these three cheeses:

Caciocavallo Silano PDO  Fragrant, ideal with eggs and warm bread

 Fragrant, ideal with eggs and warm bread Grana Padano PDO  Flaked, perfect with honey or avocado

 Flaked, perfect with honey or avocado Pecorino Sardo PDO Dolce  Soft, aromatic, great with fruit.

Enhance with warm bread, boiled eggs, avocado, smoked salmon, bacon, and honey.

3) The Blue Renaissance

Blue cheeses  especially Gorgonzola PDO  are experiencing a renaissance in premium dining.

Gorgonzola PDO Dolce or Piccante  Dolce for velvety softness, Piccante for intense depth.

Pair with fresh pears, chestnut honey, figs, and cereal bread. A beautiful dinner intermezzo.

4) The Great Pecorino Comeback

Sheep's milk cheeses are returning to holiday menus thanks to their aromatic complexity and versatility. A curated Pecorino Trio offers a journey through flavorfrom sweet and soft to bold and salty.

Pecorino Toscano PDO  Semi-aged, fragrant, balanced

 Semi-aged, fragrant, balanced Pecorino Romano PDO  Sharp, savory, intense

 Sharp, savory, intense Pecorino Sardo PDO  Sweet, soft, rounded

Serve with bread, marmalade, roasted vegetables, and fresh or dried fruit. Best enjoyed with structured whites or soft reds while waiting for the midnight countdown.

5) The "Creamy Touch" Trend!

This year, UHT Mascarpone captures 2026 creativity. It emerges as the ultimate "creamy touch" addition to holiday entertaining, so you can compose the softest boards like the cream boards, an interactive alternative to traditional boards, with UHT Mascarpone artfully smeared on a wooden board for guests to scoop onto crackers, bagels, cookies, or other dippers.

Whipped with fresh herbs and a hint of citrus zest, UHT Mascarpone becomes a silky, savory cream for crostini with smoked salmon, speck, dried fruits, confit tomatoes, roasted vegetables, finished with black pepper, paprika, or chili pepper.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2843874/European_Cheese_Quality_Photo.jpg

SOURCE European Cheese Quality
* Korea welcomes 275 startups from 46 countries for a gathering of founders, investors, and global corporations.

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister Sungsook Han) and the Korea Startup Forum (KSF, Chairman Sangwoo Han) announced that COMEUP 2025, Korea's largest global startup festival, officially opened on Wednesday, December 10 at COEX Seoul. Launched in 2019, COMEUP has grown into a premier platform where innovative startups, global and domestic investors, and major corporations gather to exchange insights and explore opportunities for collaboration.

COMEUP 2025_ Recode the Future  Officially Opens in Seoul

Established in 2019, COMEUP has evolved into a major annual event connecting the Korean startup ecosystem with partners from around the world. The 2025 festival runs through December 12 under the theme "Recode the Future," emphasizing the role of startups in shaping new technological, social, and industrial frontiers. The opening ceremony featured Jinwoo Kim, CEO of the AI search engine startup LINER, who delivered an AI-assisted performance underscoring the idea that while artificial intelligence can forecast what lies ahead, startups possess the ability to redefine it.

The festival features 275 startups from 46 countries, with seven nations hosting pavilions to present their ecosystems and promising companies. Global thought leaders are delivering keynotes and joining thematic sessions, including HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin and Rebellions CEO Sunghyun Park, who will discuss how emerging technologies and entrepreneurial insight can reshape the future. Conference tracks cover themes such as climate tech innovation, AI-driven shifts in the mobile app landscape, the rise of Gen-Z founders, and stories from entrepreneurial families.

COMEUP 2025 also serves as a bridge between startups and global investors. A wide network of VCs, CVCs, ACs, and major corporations is participating to exchange insights and identify new collaboration opportunities. Thirty-five leading companies are operating booths and hosting on-site meetings with startups. More than 2,000 business matchmaking sessions are scheduled, providing substantive pathways for investment and partnership building.

In addition to the core programs, a series of side events are taking place across the venue. These include the OpenData X AI Challenge, designed to offer real-world validation opportunities for AI startups; the Challenge! K-Startup 2025 Grand Finale, Korea's largest multi-ministry startup competition; and the K-Startup Grand Challenge Demo Day, featuring top international startup teams.

Highlights from COMEUP 2025 will be available for replay on the official COMEUP YouTube channel.

comeup.org

https://www.youtube.com/@COMEUP_org

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2843462/Attached__COMEUP_2025__Recode_the_Future___Officially_Opens_in_Seoul.jpg
Positive opinion from European Medicines Agency supports approval for golimumab biosimilar Gotenfia  developed by Bio-Thera and to be marketed by STADA

developed by Bio-Thera and to be marketed by STADA Recommendation from EMA's CHMP committee is based on a robust analytical, non-clinical and clinical data package comparing the biosimilar candidate to the Simponi  reference product

reference product Bio-Thera is responsible for development, manufacturing and supply; STADA for commercialization in the EU, the UK, Switzerland and selected other countries

BAD VILBEL, Germany and GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global specialty, generic and consumer healthcare medicines company STADA and Bio-Thera Solutions (688177:SH), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of innovative therapies and biosimilars, today received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), recommending approval for their Gotenfia (golimumab) biosimilar candidate referencing Simponi.

The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended that the European Commission grant a marketing authorization for Gotenfia for several chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ulcerative colitis in adult patients, as well as juvenile idiopathic arthritis in for patients aged 2 years and older.

Positive opinion from EMA supports approval for golimumab biosimilar Gotenfia developed by Bio-Thera Post this

The CHMP's positive opinion will now be referred for the European Commission to grant marketing authorization for the product that was developed by Bio-Thera under the code BAT2506. Following approval, the monoclonal antibody would be supplied as 50mg/0.5mL and 100mg/mL in a pre-filled syringe. The marketing authorization would apply across the 27 member states of the European Union, in addition to Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein.

"This CHMP positive opinion marks a significant step towards bringing competition and improving patient access to a well-established anti-TNF therapy with annual European sales in the region of 700 million," commented STADA's Global Specialty Head, Ian Henshaw. "We look forward to employing STADA's almost 20 years of experience in supplying high-quality biosimilars in Europe  not least adalimumab and ustekinumab in immunology  to bring a convenient, once-monthly treatment option to rheumatologists, gastroenterologists and the patients they serve."

"Bio-Thera is committed to being one of the premier biosimilar developers and manufacturers in the world," said Shengfeng Li, CEO of Bio-Thera Solutions. "Building on the strong presence we have established in the US through approvals and launches, this positive CHMP recommendation helps to establish Bio-Thera as a major biosimilar developer and manufacturer serving patients in Europe."

The positive CHMP opinion on Gotenfia/BAT2506 was based on the totality of evidence comprising a comprehensive analytical, non-clinical and clinical data package. Extensive analytical characterization of the structural, physicochemical, and biological properties of BAT2506 was conducted and supports biosimilarity with the reference biologic product. A randomized double-blind, single-dose, three-arm, parallel group Phase 1 study compared the pharmacokinetics, safety and immunogenicity of BAT2506 with both the EU and US reference product in healthy volunteers. In addition, a randomized, double-blind, multi-dose, three-arm, parallel group Phase 3 study compared BAT2506 with the reference product in terms of efficacy, pharmacokinetic, safety and immunogenicity profiles, in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients. Based on the totality of evidence, it was demonstrated that BAT2506 is biosimilar to its reference product.

Bio-Thera and STADA entered into a license and commercialization agreement for golimumab in May 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, Bio-Thera is responsible for the development, manufacturing and supply. STADA holds exclusive rights to commercialize the product in the European Union (EU), the UK, Switzerland and selected other countries. The two companies earlier this year announced an extension of their alliance to cover the immunosuppressant monoclonal antibody tocilizumab.

About Gotenfia/BAT2506 (golimumab)

Gotenfia/BAT2506 is a proposed biosimilar to Simponi which is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that targets tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- ), a pro-inflammatory molecule. Binding of golimumab to TNF- results in reductions in C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1), Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3), and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), all inflammatory markers. The reference medicine golimumab has been approved in Europe for several indications including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and ulcerative colitis.

About STADA Arzneimittel AG

STADA Arzneimittel AG is headquartered in Bad Vilbel, Germany. The company focuses on a three-pillar strategy consisting of consumer healthcare products, generics and specialty pharma. Worldwide, STADA Arzneimittel AG sells its products in over 100 countries. In financial year 2024, STADA achieved group sales of  4,059 million and adjusted constant-currency earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (adj. cc EBITDA) of  886 million. As of 31 December 2024, STADA employed 11,649 people worldwide.

About Bio-Thera Solutions

Bio-Thera Solutions, Ltd., a leading innovative, global biopharmaceutical company in Guangzhou, China, is dedicated to researching and developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune, cardiovascular, eye diseases, and other severe unmet medical needs, as well as biosimilars for existing, branded biologics to treat a range of cancer and autoimmune diseases. As a leader in next generation antibody discovery and engineering, the company has advanced multiple candidates into late-stage development, including five approved products: QLETLI (adalimumab) and BETAGRIN (bevifibatide citrate) Injection in China, STARJEMZA (ustekinumab) in the US and USYMRO(ustekinumab) in EU, and TOFIDENCE/BAT1806 (tocilizumab) and AVZIVI (bevacizumab-tnjn) in the US and in EU, a/k/a POBEVCY in China. In addition, the company has more than 20 promising candidates in clinical trials, focusing on immuno-oncology in the post-PD-1 era and targeted therapies such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). For more information, please visit www.bio-thera.com/en/ or follow us on X (@bio_thera_sol) and WeChat (Bio-Thera).

Bio-Thera Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to BAT2506 or the product pipelines in general of Bio-Thera Solutions. Readers are strongly cautioned that reliance on any forward-looking statements involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements include, among others, those containing "could," "may," "should," "will," "would," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "promising," "potentially," or similar expressions. They reflect the company's current views with respect to future events that are based on what the company believes are reasonable assumptions in view of information currently available to Bio-Thera Solutions and are not a guarantee of future performance or developments. Actual results and events may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties inherent in pharmaceutical research and development, such as the uncertainties of pre-clinical and clinical studies, for example, the development processes could be lengthy and high in vitro affinity may not translate to desired results in vivo or successful clinical studies. Other risks and uncertainties include challenges in obtaining regulatory approvals, manufacturing, marketing, competition, intellectual property, product efficacy or safety, changes in global healthcare situation, changes in the company's financial conditions, and changes to applicable laws and regulations, etc. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date of their initial publication. Unless required by laws or regulations, Bio-Thera Solutions undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in the company's views or otherwise.

STADA information for journalists

STADA Arzneimittel AG - Media Relations

Stadastrasse 2-18, 61118 Bad Vilbel - Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 6101 603-165

E-Mail: [email protected]

Or visit us via our website at https://www.stada.com/media/newsroom

Follow @stadaGroup on LinkedIn

STADA information for capital market participants

STADA Arzneimittel AG - Investor & Creditor Relations

Stadastrasse 2-18, 61118 Bad Vilbel  Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 6101 603-4689

Fax: +49 (0) 6101 603-215

E-mail: [email protected]

Or visit us via our website at https://www.stada.com/investor-relations/



Bio-Thera Contacts

Bio-Thera Solutions, Ltd

Bert E. Thomas IV

+1.410.627.1734

[email protected]

SOURCE Bio-Thera Solutions, Ltd
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Huntington National Bank (Huntington) today announced the opening of the Oakwood Commons Branch in South Euclid, located at 1902 Warrensville Center Road.

The full-service branch will now begin serving customers through tellers, personal and private bankers, and ATMs.

"South Euclid is a thriving area, and this new location will offer easier access for our customers and colleagues," said Jay Turakhia, regional president with Huntington. "We're excited to help strengthen this community in a new, state-of-the-art site, doing our best to look out for people."

Huntington will hold a grand opening event for the Oakwood Commons location on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 at 1 p.m., featuring South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo, and other local community leaders.

Also joining us for this special Sunday grand opening community event is former Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Cribbs. Those joining us for the event will have an opportunity to meet with Cribbs while partaking in other Browns-related activities at this South Euclid location.

"We are excited to welcome Huntington Bank's investment in South Euclid," said South Euclid Mayor Georgine Welo. "Huntington is a great community partner that prides itself on serving our residents and businesses to ensure all their banking needs are met. We look forward to partnering with the Huntington Bank team and know the branch will be a great asset to our city."

In Ohio, Huntington Bank has been the top SBA 7(a) lender for the last 17 years, helping more small businesses thrive than any other financial institution. Huntington has nearly 350 branches in Ohio, with 129 in Northeast Ohio.

The launch reflects Huntington's continued investments to enhance and expand its branch network.

In October, Huntington announced plans to acquire Cadence Bank, a regional bank with more than 390 locations across Texas and the South. The combination, which is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals, shareholder approvals and other customary closing conditions, will deliver immediate scale in Texas and Mississippi and create a platform for further organic investment through strategic presence in high-growth markets.

Upon completion of both combinations, Huntington expects to be a top 10 U.S. bank with assets of $276 billion and deposits of $220 billion.

Learn more about Huntington by visiting the new Oakwood Commons branch at 1902 Warrensville Center Road or visiting Huntington.com.

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $223 billion asset regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1866, The Huntington National Bank and its affiliates provide consumers, small and middlemarket businesses, corporations, municipalities, and other organizations with a comprehensive suite of banking, payments, wealth management, and risk management products and services. Huntington operates more than 1,000 branches in 14 states, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Visit Huntington.com for more information.

SOURCE Huntington Bank
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --

Second of 12 special-edition Wrangler models in the Jeep brand's yearlong Twelve 4 Twelve series debuts

Heritage-inspired design, featuring Bright White painted hardtop and grille, available exclusively on Sahara and Rubicon trims

Orders now open; MSRP starts at $495

2026 Jeep Wrangler Whitecap , the second model in the yearlong Twelve 4 Twelve celebration of 85 years of off-road leadership. Heritage-inspired with a Bright White hardtop and grille, available exclusively on Sahara and Rubicon trims.

The Jeep brand continues its bold Twelve 4 Twelve celebration with the reveal of its second exclusive Wrangler buzz model: the Jeep Wrangler Whitecap.

Jeep heritage has thrived for 85 uninterrupted years. The new Wrangler Whitecap draws inspiration from the classic CJ-Universal and its iconic Arctic White top, a design that has long symbolized individuality and adventure. This modern interpretation proudly carries that tradition forward, offered exclusively on Sahara and Rubicon trims.

Following the November debut of the 2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392, the Whitecap brings a fresh, fearless look to the lineup.

"The Jeep Wrangler Whitecap is more than a special edition, it's a statement," said Bob Broderdorf, CEO of the Jeep brand. "It honors Jeep brand heritage while introducing a striking two-tone look that turns heads on any trail. Just like every model in the Twelve 4 Twelve series, Whitecap is designed to stand outa true tip of the hat to the brand's legendary legacy. With more ways to personalize and customize than ever before, we're giving Jeep owners the freedom to make their Wrangler truly their own."

The 2026 Jeep Wrangler Whitecap combines the advanced technology of the Sahara and Rubicon models with legendary 4x4 capability, built to conquer any terrain with ease. Powered by either the 2.0L turbo or 3.6L engine, every Whitecap delivers authentic Jeep 4x4 performance through the brand-exclusive Selec-Trac part-time or full-time transfer cases, ensuring unmatched versatility.

Other notable features include:

Bright White painted hardtop roof

Bright White painted iconic seven slot grille, with body-color fender flares (standard on Sahara and packaged on Rubicon)

Bright White 1941 side stripe decal (Sahara and Rubicon) / Bright White hood decal on Rubicon

Optional Sky One-Touch powertop in Bright White accent

Orders for the new 2026 Jeep Wrangler Whitecap are now open, with a starting MSRP of $495 on Rubicon X, $2,690 on Sahara (includes optional body-color hardtop) and $3,185 on Rubicon (includes optional body-color hardtop and body-color fender flares)

Jeep Brand

For nearly 85 years, Jeep has been a global leader in SUVs, delivering legendary off-road capability, advanced technology and exceptional versatility for those who seek fun and adventure. With a commitment to innovation, the Jeep brand offers a diverse lineup of vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, hybrid technology and all-electric drivetrains. Built on a heritage of freedom, adventure, authenticity and passion, Jeep continues to set the standard for rugged and refined vehicles designed to conquer it all.

Follow Jeep and company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Jeep brand: www.jeep.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeep

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeep

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeep

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/jeep

YouTube: www.youtube.com/thejeepchannel or https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

SOURCE Stellantis
Iconic coffee brand expands its nationwide training network with a premier new center supporting growth in high-demand U.S. markets

DALLAS, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lavazza , the 130-year-old coffee brand, celebrates today the opening of its newest state-of-the-art Training Center in Dallas, Texas. The facility becomes the latest addition to the world's largest coffee training network, joining North American locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, West Chester (PA), and Toronto. The opening represents another milestone in Lavazza's strategic expansion across high-growth U.S. markets and its continued mission to elevate coffee culture globally.

Lavazza Expands North American Presence with New State-of-the-Art Training Facility in Dallas

The new Dallas facility is equipped with Lavazza's most advanced espresso, brewing and coffee innovation equipment. It will serve as a hub for industry professionals, Lavazza partners, baristas, distributors and coffee enthusiasts throughout the Southwest, supporting hands-on training, certification, menu development and emerging coffee trends.

"As one of the fastest growing hospitality and culinary markets in the country, Dallas represents a tremendous opportunity for Lavazza," said Daniele Foti, VP of Marketing at Lavazza North America. "Our investment in this new Training Center demonstrates our commitment to the region and to the partners who bring the Lavazza experience to life every day. Dallas is a city of innovation and high standards, and we are excited to deepen our roots here."

The Dallas Training Center embodies Lavazza's global mission to spread coffee culture and serve as a reference point for coffee education throughout the industry. With seven Training Centers in Italy and dozens more worldwide, Lavazza's network is recognized as the largest of its kind and serves culinary professionals, distributors, hospitality leaders and coffee lovers who seek advanced expertise and training. The Dallas Center will play a key role in advancing this mission by offering hands-on workshops, SCA-certified pathways and creative programming that reflect both local market needs and global coffee trends.

"Dallas has an incredible energy and an ever evolving coffee scene," shared Hossam Ashraf, President of Lavazza North America. "We are proud to support our partners with the resources, expertise and tools needed to deliver exceptional coffee experiences. This Center is not only an investment in our business. It is an investment in the people, the talent and the creativity that make this market so dynamic."

Lavazza already partners with some of the most respected hospitality groups and culinary destinations in Dallas. The new Training Center will support and expand relationships with leading accounts that include Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Coury Hospitality Group, Al Biernat's Steakhouse and Vandelay Hospitality, along with a growing roster of partners across the Dallas and Fort Worth region. Earlier this year, Lavazza also began serving American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth, further strengthening the brand's footprint and commitment to the North Texas market. The facility will enable Lavazza to provide closer, more consistent support to these partners and help elevate their coffee programs through continued training and collaboration.

For more information about the Lavazza brand, please visit lavazzausa.com .

About Lavazza

Lavazza, founded in Turin in 1895, has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Today the Group is one of the leading players on the global coffee scene, with turnover of over  3.3 billion and a portfolio of top brands that lead their respective markets, such as Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild and Kicking Horse.

It is active in all business sectors and has operations in 140 markets, with 9 manufacturing plants in 5 countries and about 5,500 collaborators all over the world. The Group's global presence is the result of 130 years of growth and the more than 30 billion cups of Lavazza coffee produced every year are a testament to a remarkable success story, with the goal of continuing to offer the best coffee possible, in all forms, by focusing on every aspect of the supply chain, from the selection of the raw material to the product in the cup.

Lavazza Group has revolutionized coffee culture by investing continuously in research and development: from the intuition that marked the company's earliest success - the coffee blend - to the development of innovative packaging solutions; from the first espresso sipped in Space to the dozens of industrial patents. The ability to be ahead of the times is also reflected in the attention of economic, social and environmental issues - which have always been a benchmark to guide corporate strategies.

"Awakening a better world every morning" is the corporate purpose of Lavazza Group, with the aim of creating value for shareholders, collaborators, consumers and the communities in which it operates, combining competitiveness with social and environmental responsibility.

SOURCE Lavazza
On September 3, 2025, Nidec disclosed it had established a third-party committee to investigate suspicions of improper accounting. The Company further revealed its "investigations found multiple documents suggesting that . . . the Company and its group companies could have engaged in improper accounting with the involvement or knowledge of its or their management[.]"

On this news, Nidec's stock price fell $0.81, or 16.5%, to close at $4.11 per share on September 4, 2025, thereby injuring investors.

Then, on September 26, 2025, Nidec disclosed further investigative findings of additional suspected inappropriate accounting practices, including "cases where the reported value for customs purposes was declared to be lower than the appropriate amount without legitimate reason." The Company also revealed that it "received an audit report containing a disclaimer of opinion" from its auditor due to the "ongoing investigations by the third-party committee, other internal investigations, and other action[s]."

On this news, Nidec's stock price fell $0.29, or 6.6%, to close at $4.09 per share on September 26, 2025.

Then, on October 23, 2025, Nidec published a press release announcing that it was withdrawing its year end forecast, and had decided not to pay a surplus dividend as "investigations by the Third Party Committee regarding suspected inappropriate accounting practices involving the Company and its group, as well as other internal investigations, are ongoing."

On this news, Nidec's stock price fell $1.17, or 25.4%, to close at $3.43 on October 23, 2025.

Finally, on October 27, 2025, the Tokyo Stock Exchange ("TSE") designated Nidec under a Special Security alert in part because "TSE deems that the improvement of the internal management system of said listed company is highly necessary." The alert noted that "[s]ince the initial issue was discovered, the scope of the investigation has continued to expand" and that "deficiencies have already been identified in the Company's company-wide internal control systems (particularly in areas related to information and communication), as well as in the internal controls related to its accounting and financial closing processes."

On this news, Nidec's stock price fell $0.80, or 20.3%, to close at $3.15 per share on October 27, 2025, thereby injuring investors further.

To learn more about the Nidec investigation, go to www.faruqilaw.com/NJDCY or call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310).

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, on X, or on Facebook.

Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner.

SOURCE Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP
BILLINGSHURST, England, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 123 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced by the end of 2024  the highest number ever recorded  according to the latest figures from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

With millions of people living in refugee camps globally due to war, persecution, human rights violations or other crises, temporary settlements can grow to rival the populations of major cities, existing for decades. Yet they continue to operate without the infrastructure needed to sustain life safely.

Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Water purification specialist Hydrachem is calling for an urgent rethink of how clean water access is planned and delivered in refugee camps, warning that the current approach is contributing to preventable disease outbreaks and deaths.

Nicolas Barbieri, Chief Commercial Officer at Hydrachem, commented: "We're witnessing something deeply troubling. These places were never meant to be permanent, but for far too many they have become just that. Vulnerable families, displaced through no fault of their own, are being asked to live in conditions that should never be acceptable. These settlements now function like cities, but without the essential infrastructure required for people to live safely.

The planning and resources allocated to water access often remain at an emergency, temporary level. It is widely recognised that crowding, lack of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities contribute to infectious disease outbreaks in refugee camps."

In 2024, UNHCR responded to outbreaks of measles, cholera and mpox in refugee-hosting countries. In Bangladesh, camps hosting Rohingya refugees reported over 15,000 dengue cases, highlighting the ongoing health challenges.

Hydrachem argues that the humanitarian sector must move beyond short-term fixes and embrace permanent water infrastructure solutions from the outset of camp planning.

Nicolas Barbieri added: "The first question when establishing a refugee camp should be: how do we ensure clean water for potentially decades? We need to stop treating these as temporary problems requiring temporary solutions. People's lives depend on it."

Drawing on decades of experience trusted by global healthcare providers, Hydrachem works with humanitarian organisations to bring sustainable water solutions into challenging environments. Its OASIS water purification tablets provide a practical, rapid method to make water safe at the point of use, effective against bacteria, viruses and parasites, and suitable for both emergency deployment and longer-term operations.

Hydrachem believes that integrating proven water purification technology into camp infrastructure planning is both practical and essential, and should be embedded in every stage, from initial emergency response through to long-term settlement management.

"We've been supplying water purification and sterilisation solutions globally for half a century," says Nicolas Barbieri. "We've learned that prevention is always more effective than crisis response. The cost of providing clean water is a fraction of the cost of treating disease outbreaks, both in financial terms and in human suffering."

With displacement having nearly doubled during the last decade, the humanitarian sector faces a critical choice: continue responding to refugee camps as temporary emergencies, or acknowledge reality and build infrastructure that matches the decades-long timescales involved.

Nicolas Barbieri concluded: "When a settlement is going to exist for ten, fifteen or even twenty years, it's deserving of permanent infrastructure solutions. Clean water shouldn't be a luxury in the 21st century, yet for millions living in refugee camps, it remains out of reach."

Images:

Water purification specialist calls for permanent water infrastructure as global displacement reaches record levels.

Image shows Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Due to licensing rules, the images may be used for publication along with this press release but may not be saved for use with any other story.

Notes to Editor:

Hydrachem, established in 1973, is a UK-based world leader in effervescent chlorine (NaDCC) tablets with expertise in water purification, surface disinfection and sterilisation. Operating in over 60 countries, the company partners with NGOs, governments and leading healthcare institutions, including the NHS, to combat waterborne diseases, maintain hygienic environments and produce over 10 billion litres of safe drinking water each year.

Hydrachem supplies sectors including healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, food preparation and agriculture.

Alongside its own brands, which include Oasis Water Purification Tablets, Oasis Sterilising Tablets and Cert Multi Surface Spray, Hydrachem contract manufactures for some of the world's most prominent companies, with products renowned for quality, reliability and technical excellence.

More information about Hydrachem can be found by visiting https://hydrachem.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hydrachemuk

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hydrachem-ltd/

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2844366/hydrachem_refugee_camp_infrastructure.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2802725/Hydrachem_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Hydrachem
Since the beginning of the year, the Russian Federation has launched 1,800 missiles, 50,000 drones and attacked energy facilities 4,500 times, Deputy Minister of Energy Roman Andarak reported.

During a briefing at the Ministry of Energy on Friday, which was broadcast online, he said, "This year alone, the Russians have launched 1,800 missiles, 50,000 UAVs, and made 4,500 attempts to destroy our energy facilities in Ukraine.

"There are no examples in recent history of an energy system existing under such conditions  such large-scale, targeted terror. Unfortunately, this terror is intensifying every day," emphasized the deputy minister.

At the same time, he said, restoration and protection work is ongoing, including the implementation of engineering solutions. Work is also ongoing to attract additional funds for restoration, equipment, and energy supply.

"We have already finished our repair campaign and gas import plans for the end of this year. We have also contracted for about 50% of next years gas needs," Andarak noted.
This data center creates a scalable model for Sangha Renewables to monetize renewable energy through bitcoin mining

ODESSA, Texas, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sangha Renewables, a company redefining renewable energy generation through bitcoin mining and institutional-grade project finance, today announced the energization of its 19.9 MW project in Ector County, West Texas.

Sangha's data center operates behind-the-meter on a 150 MW solar farm and leverages the flexibility of bitcoin mining to pioneer a new model for integrating renewable energy and this emerging industry. The project was developed with the support of Links Genco, which provided energy-structuring and grid-compliance services

Under the terms of the agreement:

Sangha will develop, own, and operate the mining facility, provide high-efficiency mining hardware and advanced load-management capabilities designed to complement more renewable generation on the grid;

TotalEnergies will deliver comprehensive retail power solutions, including balancing services, supplemental grid power during non-solar hours, and structured power products designed to manage price volatility while ensuring reliability for Sangha's operations.

It is always beneficial for the load to be as close to generation as possible, and this collaboration offers a commercial framework to ensure that flexible location agnostic load can get closer to generation. By operating behind-the-meter, Sangha's facility unlocks additional value for renewable power assets, and is a complementary offer particularly attractive in areas prone to local transmission congestion. Beyond Sangha's development, this model supports energy producers, the regional energy grid, and ultimately the rate payers.

"This project highlights how Bitcoin mining can become a powerful tool to unlock new value streams for the energy sector," said Spencer Marr, Co-Founder and President at Sangha Renewables. "By aligning our operations with innovative energy partners such as TotalEnergies, we're demonstrating how digital infrastructure can accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy future."

"TotalEnergies is excited to supply firm power to Sangha's operations in West Texas. This project aligns with our Company's ambition to deliver innovative energy solutions that support the decarbonization efforts of energy-intensive industries," said Simon Binet, Vice President Trading U.S. Gas & Power at TotalEnergies.

The full energization of the mining facility was announced during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 12, 2025, followed by a guided tour of the facility. Guests included the County Judge, as well as representatives from Links Genco, TotalEnergies, and other industry leaders.

About Sangha Renewables

Sangha Renewables is building the most capital-efficient, institutional-grade model for bitcoin mining, purpose-built for long-term investors and energy partners. Through sophisticated project-finance and direct partnerships with independent power producers, Sangha delivers first-party, proprietary bitcoin cash flows from sustainable energy sourceswithout the volatility of public markets or the inefficiencies of datacenter hosting. The company offers full-spectrum origination, development, construction, capital markets, and operations services to its partners. To learn more, visit www.sangharenewables.com .

About TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is a global integrated energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas, biogas and low-carbon hydrogen, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to provide as many people as possible with energy that is more reliable, more affordable and more sustainable. Active in about 120 countries, TotalEnergies places sustainability at the heart of its strategy, its projects and its operations.

About Links Genco

Links Genco LLC has over 60 years of combined experience as a trusted advisor to clients, providing consulting services focused on a power-first strategy. This includes turnkey development advisory and execution services for Data Center locations including High Powered Computing and Digital Currency operations. The Links team has significant experience across the value chain of services including site selection and electrical due diligence, utility coordination, regulatory compliance, equipment sourcing, financial modeling, onsite generation evaluation, and ongoing optimization. Based in Houston, Links Genco's services extend across the country including Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, D.C., New York, Massachusetts and California (ERCOT, PJM, NYISO, CAISO, NEISO and MISO).

Media Contact

BlocksBridge Consulting

[email protected]

SOURCE Sangha Renewables
Texas-based Southwest continues decades of investment in Austin and Texas through airport growth, job opportunities, and community partnerships

DALLAS, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced today that a new Crew Base for Pilots and Flight Attendants will open in March 2026 in Austin, Texas, creating more than 2,000 new jobs based at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and positioning the airline for continued growth in Central Texas.

Most Employees at the new Base will be Captains, First Officers, and Flight Attendants, supported by new Base Leadership and supporting staff. Southwest is also planning to add a recurring training facility for Flight Attendants as part of its ongoing business transformation.

"This investment demonstrates our commitment to Austin and to our Customers," said Bob Jordan, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Vice Chairman of the Board. "As the largest carrier at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, we appreciate the vision of Governor Abbott and Mayor Watson in clearing the way for Austin to become an even bigger part of our future."

Southwest is Austin's largest air carrier with more than 130 peak-day departures that served approximately 6.7 million Customers in 20241. Next March, new service begins to popular leisure destinations, including Fort Myers, Fla., Palm Springs, Calif., and Steamboat Springs (Hayden), Colo., bringing the total of nonstop destinations from Austin to 53.

Southwest also will begin daily service between Austin and Cincinnati, Ohio, next June, and has increased seasonal service in markets such as Pensacola, Fla.

Southwest expects to open the new base in early March, starting with approximately 335 Pilots and 650 Flight Attendants. By mid-2027, the base will reach its expected size of 2,000 total Employees.

The decision to open a Crew Base comes after months of careful analysis among operational planners at Southwest, as well as engagement with leaders from the City of Austin and the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office under Gov. Greg Abbott. The move further positions Austin to play an important role in the airline's long-term growth and sustained operational efficiency in Texas.

As part of its agreement with the City of Austin, Southwest will continue to nurture its partnership with the Austin Workforce Solutions by collaborating with the Austin Infrastructure Academy and expanding its existing partnership with AUS on its youth internship program. The airline also will partner with the airport's AUS Career Center, which will serve as a critical connection point for all open positions at Southwest Airlines in Austin.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 117 airports across 11 countries. Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline1. By empowering its more than 72,0002 People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among more than 140 million Customers carried in 2024. Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.

Based on U.S. Dept. of Transportation quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey as of Q1 2025 Fulltime-equivalent active Employees as of September 30, 2025

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.
As monotherapy, imlunestrant demonstrated an 11.4-month numeric improvement in median OS versus endocrine therapy in patients with ESR1-mutated disease

In all patients, the imlunestrant plus abemaciclib combination achieved a median PFS of 10.9 months, demonstrated a favorable OS trend, and extended time to chemotherapy by more than a year

These data were published simultaneously in Annals of Oncology and will be presented today at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced updated results from the Phase 3 EMBER-3 study of Inluriyo (imlunestrant), an oral estrogen receptor antagonist, in patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2negative (HER2) advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC), whose disease progressed on a prior aromatase inhibitor (AI), with or without a CDK4/6 inhibitor. As monotherapy, imlunestrant demonstrated a clinically meaningful 38% reduction in the risk of progression or death (median PFS 5.5 vs 3.8 months; HR=0.62 [95% CI 0.470.82]; nominal p=0.0007) and demonstrated an 11.4-month improvement in median OS (34.5 vs 23.1 months; HR=0.60 [95% CI 0.430.86]; p=0.0043; boundary for significance not met) versus endocrine therapy, in patients with ESR1-mutated disease. In all patients, imlunestrant plus abemaciclib reduced the risk of progression or death by 41% versus imlunestrant alone, demonstrated a favorable OS trend and numerically delayed time to chemotherapy (TTC) by more than a year.

These results were published in Annals of Oncology and will be shared in a late-breaking oral presentation at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) today, Friday, December 12, at 10:45 AM CT / 11:45 AM ET.

"Following the recent FDA approval of Inluriyo as monotherapy, these updated data demonstrate continued clinically meaningful benefitboth for patients receiving monotherapy and those receiving the combination with abemacicliband further reinforce its role in this treatment setting," said Jacob Van Naarden, executive vice president and president, Lilly Oncology. "Given the important role of CDK4/6 inhibitors in treating ER+, HER2 metastatic breast cancer, we're encouraged by the potential of an all-oral combination with imlunestrant and abemaciclib and have submitted these combination data for U.S. regulatory review in ESR1-mutated MBC."

Results for the imlunestrant plus abemaciclib combination were consistent with previous efficacy results and demonstrated durable benefit across efficacy endpoints, regardless of ESR1 mutation status. In all patients, median PFS was nearly doubled versus imlunestrant alone (10.9 vs 5.5 months; HR=0.59 [95% CI 0.470.74]; nominal p<0.0001), and a favorable OS trend was observed (HR=0.82 [95% CI 0.591.16]), with continued separation of survival curves. Median TTC was numerically extended by more than a year (27.8 vs 15.5 months) versus imlunestrant alone. In patients with ESR1-mutated disease, median PFS was extended to 11.0 months versus 5.6 months with imlunestrant alone (HR=0.55 [95% CI 0.410.74]; nominal p<0.001). Notably, most patients (65%) in the combination arm had previously received a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

"With an additional year of follow-up, these results strengthen the case for imlunestrant-based regimens in ER+, HER2 metastatic breast cancer," said Komal Jhaveri, MD, FACP, FASCO, Associate Attending Breast Medicine and Early Drug Development Services, section head of Endocrine Therapy Research Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and one of the study's principal investigators. "The median progression-free survival of 11 months is among the longest we've seen in this population, and just as importantly, patients are living longer without needing chemotherapy."

Safety across imlunestrant-based regimens was consistent with previous reports, and no new safety signals were observed with this additional follow-up. Follow-up for OS is ongoing, and additional analyses are planned as data mature.

Imlunestrant is also being investigated in the adjuvant setting in people with ER+, HER2 early breast cancer with an increased risk of recurrence. The Phase 3 EMBER-4 trial completed enrollment of approximately 8,000 patients following two to five years of adjuvant endocrine therapy in the context of the established CDK4/6i standard of care.

About EMBER-3

EMBER-3 is a Phase 3, randomized, open-label study of imlunestrant, investigator's choice of endocrine therapy, and imlunestrant in combination with abemaciclib in patients with ER+, HER2 locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose disease has recurred or progressed during or following an aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy with or without a CDK 4/6 inhibitor. The trial enrolled 874 adult patients, 32% of which enrolled from the adjuvant setting into first-line treatment of MBC and 64% as second-line treatment following progression on initial therapy for MBC. Enrolled trial participants were randomized between imlunestrant, investigator's choice of fulvestrant or exemestane, or plus abemaciclib. Randomization was stratified by prior CDK4/6 inhibitor use, the presence of visceral metastases and geographic region. Patients enrolled as first line (1L) treatment for ABC (32%), following disease recurrence on or within 12 months of completing adjuvant AI, with or without CDK4/6 inhibitor for early breast cancer (EBC), or as second line (2L) treatment for ABC (64%), following progression on AI, with or without CDK4/6 inhibitor as initial therapy for ABC. Primary endpoints were investigator-assessed PFS of imlunestrant versus SOC ET therapy in patients with ESR1 mutations, imlunestrant versus SOC ET in all patients, and Imlunestrant plus abemaciclib versus imlunestrant in all patients. More information on the EMBER-3 study can be found on clinicaltrials.gov.

About Metastatic/Advanced Breast Cancer

Metastatic/advanced breast cancer (ABC) is a cancer that has spread from the breast tissue to other parts of the body. Locally advanced breast cancer means the cancer has grown outside the organ where it started but has not yet spread to other parts of the body.1 Of all high risk early-stage breast cancer cases diagnosed in the U.S., approximately 30% will become metastatic2 and an estimated 6-10% of all new breast cancer cases are initially diagnosed as being metastatic.3 Survival is lower among women with a more advanced stage of disease at diagnosis: five-year relative survival is 99% for localized disease, 86% for regional/locally advanced disease, and 30% for metastatic/advanced disease.4 Other factors, such as tumor size, also impact five-year survival estimates.4

About Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide (following lung cancer), according to GLOBOCAN. The estimated 2.3 million new cases indicate that close to 1 in every 4 cancers diagnosed in 2022 is breast cancer. With approximately 666,000 deaths in 2022, breast cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer death worldwide.5 In the U.S., it is estimated that there will be more than 310,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in 2024. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S.6

About Inluriyo (imlunestrant)

Inluriyo (imlunestrant) is an oral estrogen receptor antagonist that delivers continuous ER inhibition, including in ESR1-mutant cancers. The estrogen receptor (ER) is the key therapeutic target for patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2) breast cancer. Inluriyo is a U.S. FDA approved oral prescription medicine. Inluriyo is also currently being studied in combination with abemaciclib for advanced breast cancer and as an adjuvant treatment in early breast cancer, including: NCT04975308, NCT05514054 and NCT04188548.

INDICATION FOR INLURIYO (imlunestrant)

INLURIYO is indicated for the treatment of adults with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, estrogen receptor-1 (ESR1)-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following at least one line of endocrine therapy.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR INLURIYO

Warnings and Precautions  Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on ndings in animals and its mechanism of action, Inluriyo can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. In an animal reproduction study, oral administration of imlunestrant to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis led to embryo-fetal mortality and structural abnormalities at maternal exposures that were below the human exposure at the recommended dose based on area under the curve (AUC). Avoid the use of imlunestrant in pregnant women. Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential and males with female partners of reproductive potential to use eective contraception during treatment with Inluriyo and for 1 week after the last dose.

Serious and Fatal Adverse Reactions

Serious adverse reactions occurred in 10% of patients who received Inluriyo. Serious adverse reactions in >1% of patients included pleural eusion (1.2%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.8% of patients who received Inluriyo, including cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction, right ventricular failure, hypovolemic shock, and upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (each 0.3%).

Most Common Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (incidence 10%), including laboratory abnormalities, in patients who received Inluriyo were: hemoglobin decreased (30%), musculoskeletal pain (30%), calcium decreased (26%), neutrophils decreased (26%), AST increased (25%), fatigue (23%), diarrhea (22%), ALT increased (21%), triglycerides increased (21%), nausea (17%), platelets decreased (16%), constipation (10%), cholesterol increased (10%), and abdominal pain (10%).

Drug Interactions

Imlunestrant is a CYP3A substrate. Avoid concomitant use of Inluriyo with strong CYP3A inhibitors. If concomitant use cannot be avoided, reduce the dosage of Inluriyo. Avoid concomitant use of Inluriyo with strong CYP3A inducers. If concomitant use cannot be avoided, increase the dosage of Inluriyo.

Imlunestrant inhibits both P-gp and BCRP. Avoid concomitant use unless otherwise recommended in the Prescribing Information for P-gp or BCRP substrates where minimal concentration changes may lead to serious adverse reactions.

Use in Specic Populations  Lactation

Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in the breastfed child, advise lactating women to not breastfeed during treatment with Inluriyo and for 1 week after the last dose.

Use in Specic Populations  Hepatic Impairment

Reduce the dose of Inluriyo for patients with moderate (Child-Pugh B) or severe (Child-Pugh C) hepatic impairment. No dosage adjustment is recommended for patients with mild hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh A).

Inluriyo (imlunestrant) is available as 200 mg tablets.

Please click to access Prescribing Information for Inluriyo.

IN HCP ISI M APP

About Verzenio (abemaciclib)

Verzenio (abemaciclib) is approved to treat people with certain HR+, HER2- breast cancers in the adjuvant and advanced or metastatic settings.

Verzenio is an oral tablet taken twice daily and available in strengths of 50 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, and 200 mg. Discovered and developed by Lilly researchers, Verzenio was first approved in 2017 and is currently authorized for use in more than 90 counties around the world. For full details on indicated uses of Verzenio in HR+, HER2- breast cancer, please see full Prescribing Information, available at www.Verzenio.com.

INDICATIONS FOR VERZENIO

VERZENIO is a kinase inhibitor indicated:

in combination with endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, node-positive, early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.

in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine-based therapy for the treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

in combination with fulvestrant for the treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following endocrine therapy.

as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following endocrine therapy and prior chemotherapy in the metastatic setting.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR VERZENIO (abemaciclib)

Severe diarrhea associated with dehydration and infection occurred in patients treated with Verzenio. Across four clinical trials in 3691 patients, diarrhea occurred in 81 to 90% of patients who received Verzenio. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 8 to 20% of patients receiving Verzenio. Most patients experienced diarrhea during the first month of Verzenio treatment. The median time to onset of the first diarrhea event ranged from 6 to 8 days; and the median duration of Grade 2 and Grade 3 diarrhea ranged from 6 to 11 days and 5 to 8 days, respectively. Across trials, 19 to 26% of patients with diarrhea required a Verzenio dose interruption and 13 to 23% required a dose reduction.

Instruct patients to start antidiarrheal therapy, such as loperamide, at the first sign of loose stools, increase oral fluids, and notify their healthcare provider for further instructions and appropriate follow-up. For Grade 3 or 4 diarrhea, or diarrhea that requires hospitalization, discontinue Verzenio until toxicity resolves to Grade 1, and then resume Verzenio at the next lower dose.

Neutropenia, including febrile neutropenia and fatal neutropenic sepsis, occurred in patients treated with Verzenio. Across four clinical trials in 3691 patients, neutropenia occurred in 37 to 46% of patients receiving Verzenio. A Grade 3 decrease in neutrophil count (based on laboratory findings) occurred in 19 to 32% of patients receiving Verzenio. Across trials, the median time to first episode of Grade 3 neutropenia ranged from 29 to 33 days, and the median duration of Grade 3 neutropenia ranged from 11 to 16 days. Febrile neutropenia has been reported in <1% of patients exposed to Verzenio across trials. Two deaths due to neutropenic sepsis were observed in MONARCH 2. Inform patients to promptly report any episodes of fever to their healthcare provider.

Monitor complete blood counts prior to the start of Verzenio therapy, every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, monthly for the next 2 months, and as clinically indicated. Dose interruption, dose reduction, or delay in starting treatment cycles is recommended for patients who develop Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia.

Severe, life-threatening, or fatal interstitial lung disease (ILD) or pneumonitis can occur in patients treated with Verzenio and other CDK4/6 inhibitors. In Verzenio-treated patients in EBC (monarchE), 3% of patients experienced ILD or pneumonitis of any grade: 0.4% were Grade 3 or 4 and there was one fatality (0.1%). In Verzenio-treated patients in MBC (MONARCH 1, MONARCH 2, MONARCH 3), 3.3% of Verzenio-treated patients had ILD or pneumonitis of any grade: 0.6% had Grade 3 or 4, and 0.4% had fatal outcomes. Additional cases of ILD or pneumonitis have been observed in the postmarketing setting, with fatalities reported.

Monitor patients for pulmonary symptoms indicative of ILD or pneumonitis. Symptoms may include hypoxia, cough, dyspnea, or interstitial infiltrates on radiologic exams. Infectious, neoplastic, and other causes for such symptoms should be excluded by means of appropriate investigations. Dose interruption or dose reduction is recommended in patients who develop persistent or recurrent Grade 2 ILD or pneumonitis. Permanently discontinue Verzenio in all patients with Grade 3 or 4 ILD or pneumonitis.

Grade  3 increases in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (2 to 6%) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (2 to 3%) were reported in patients receiving Verzenio. Across three clinical trials in 3559 patients (monarchE, MONARCH 2, MONARCH 3), the median time to onset of Grade 3 ALT increases ranged from 57 to 87 days and the median time to resolution to Grade <3 was 13 to 14 days. The median time to onset of Grade 3 AST increases ranged from 71 to 185 days and the median time to resolution to Grade <3 ranged from 11 to 15 days.

Monitor liver function tests (LFTs) prior to the start of Verzenio therapy, every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, monthly for the next 2 months, and as clinically indicated. Dose interruption, dose reduction, dose discontinuation, or delay in starting treatment cycles is recommended for patients who develop persistent or recurrent Grade 2, or any Grade 3 or 4 hepatic transaminase elevation.

Venous thromboembolic events (VTE) were reported in 2 to 5% of patients across three clinical trials in 3559 patients treated with Verzenio (monarchE, MONARCH 2, MONARCH 3). VTE included deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, pelvic venous thrombosis, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, subclavian and axillary vein thrombosis, and inferior vena cava thrombosis. In clinical trials, deaths due to VTE have been reported in patients treated with Verzenio.

Verzenio has not been studied in patients with early breast cancer who had a history of VTE. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and treat as medically appropriate. Dose interruption is recommended for EBC patients with any grade VTE and for MBC patients with a Grade 3 or 4 VTE.

Verzenio can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman, based on findings from animal studies and the mechanism of action. In animal reproduction studies, administration of abemaciclib to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis caused teratogenicity and decreased fetal weight at maternal exposures that were similar to the human clinical exposure based on area under the curve (AUC) at the maximum recommended human dose. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Verzenio and for 3 weeks after the last dose. Based on findings in animals, Verzenio may impair fertility in males of reproductive potential. There are no data on the presence of Verzenio in human milk or its effects on the breastfed child or on milk production. Advise lactating women not to breastfeed during Verzenio treatment and for at least 3 weeks after the last dose because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants.

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 10%) observed in monarchE for Verzenio plus tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor vs tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, with a difference between arms of 2%, were diarrhea (84% vs 9%), infections (51% vs 39%), neutropenia (46% vs 6%), fatigue (41% vs 18%), leukopenia (38% vs 7%), nausea (30% vs 9%), anemia (24% vs 4%), headache (20% vs 15%), vomiting (18% vs 4.6%), stomatitis (14% vs 5%), lymphopenia (14% vs 3%), thrombocytopenia (13% vs 2%), decreased appetite (12% vs 2.4%), ALT increased (12% vs 6%), AST increased (12% vs 5%), dizziness (11% vs 7%), rash (11% vs 4.5%), and alopecia (11% vs 2.7 %).

The most frequently reported 5% Grade 3 or 4 adverse reaction that occurred in the Verzenio arm vs the tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor arm of monarchE were neutropenia (19.6% vs 1%), leukopenia (11% vs <1%), diarrhea (8% vs 0.2%), and lymphopenia (5% vs <1%).

Lab abnormalities (all grades; Grade 3 or 4) for monarchE in 10% for Verzenio plus tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor with a difference between arms of 2% were increased serum creatinine (99% vs 91%; .5% vs <.1%), decreased white blood cells (89% vs 28%; 19.1% vs 1.1%), decreased neutrophil count (84% vs 23%; 18.7% vs 1.9%), anemia (68% vs 17%; 1% vs .1%), decreased lymphocyte count (59% vs 24%; 13.2 % vs 2.5%), decreased platelet count (37% vs 10%; .9% vs .2%), increased ALT (37% vs 24%; 2.6% vs 1.2%), increased AST (31% vs 18%; 1.6% vs .9%), and hypokalemia (11% vs 3.8%; 1.3% vs 0.2%).

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 10%) observed in MONARCH 3 for Verzenio plus anastrozole or letrozole vs anastrozole or letrozole, with a difference between arms of 2%, were diarrhea (81% vs 30%), fatigue (40% vs 32%), neutropenia (41% vs 2%), infections (39% vs 29%), nausea (39% vs 20%), abdominal pain (29% vs 12%), vomiting (28% vs 12%), anemia (28% vs 5%), alopecia (27% vs 11%), decreased appetite (24% vs 9%), leukopenia (21% vs 2%), creatinine increased (19% vs 4%), constipation (16% vs 12%), ALT increased (16% vs 7%), AST increased (15% vs 7%), rash (14% vs 5%), pruritus (13% vs 9%), cough (13% vs 9%), dyspnea (12% vs 6%), dizziness (11% vs 9%), weight decreased (10% vs 3.1%), influenza-like illness (10% vs 8%), and thrombocytopenia (10% vs 2%).

The most frequently reported 5% Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions that occurred in the Verzenio arm vs the placebo arm of MONARCH 3 were neutropenia (22% vs 1%), diarrhea (9% vs 1.2%), leukopenia (7% vs <1%)), increased ALT (6% vs 2%), and anemia (6% vs 1%).

Lab abnormalities (all grades; Grade 3 or 4) for MONARCH 3 in 10% for Verzenio plus anastrozole or letrozole with a difference between arms of 2% were increased serum creatinine (98% vs 84%; 2.2% vs 0%), decreased white blood cells (82% vs 27%; 13% vs 0.6%), anemia (82% vs 28%; 1.6% vs 0%), decreased neutrophil count (80% vs 21%; 21.9% vs 2.6%), decreased lymphocyte count (53% vs 26%; 7.6% vs 1.9%), decreased platelet count (36% vs 12%; 1.9% vs 0.6%), increased ALT (48% vs 25%; 6.6% vs 1.9%), and increased AST (37% vs 23%; 3.8% vs 0.6%).

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 10%) observed in MONARCH 2 for Verzenio plus fulvestrant vs fulvestrant, with a difference between arms of 2%, were diarrhea (86% vs 25%), neutropenia (46% vs 4%), fatigue (46% vs 32%), nausea (45% vs 23%), infections (43% vs 25%), abdominal pain (35% vs 16%), anemia (29% vs 4%), leukopenia (28% vs 2%), decreased appetite (27% vs 12%), vomiting (26% vs 10%), headache (20% vs 15%), dysgeusia (18% vs 2.7%), thrombocytopenia (16% vs 3%), alopecia (16% vs 1.8%), stomatitis (15% vs 10%), ALT increased (13% vs 5%), pruritus (13% vs 6%), cough (13% vs 11%), dizziness (12% vs 6%), AST increased (12% vs 7%), peripheral edema (12% vs 7%), creatinine increased (12% vs <1%), rash (11% vs 4.5%), pyrexia (11% vs 6%), and weight decreased (10% vs 2.2%).

The most frequently reported 5% Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions that occurred in the Verzenio arm vs the placebo arm of MONARCH 2 were neutropenia (25% vs 1%), diarrhea (13% vs 0.4%), leukopenia (9% vs 0%), anemia (7% vs 1%), and infections (5.7% vs 3.5%).

Lab abnormalities (all grades; Grade 3 or 4) for MONARCH 2 in 10% for Verzenio plus fulvestrant with a difference between arms of 2% were increased serum creatinine (98% vs 74%; 1.2% vs 0%), decreased white blood cells (90% vs 33%; 23.7% vs .9%), decreased neutrophil count (87% vs 30%; 32.5% vs 4.2%), anemia (84% vs 34%; 2.6% vs .5%), decreased lymphocyte count (63% vs 32%; 12.2% vs 1.8%), decreased platelet count (53% vs 15%; 2.1% vs 0%), increased ALT (41% vs 32%; 4.6% vs 1.4%), and increased AST (37% vs 25%; 3.9% vs 4.2%).

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 10%) observed in MONARCH 1 with Verzenio were diarrhea (90%), fatigue (65%), nausea (64%), decreased appetite (45%), abdominal pain (39%), neutropenia (37%), vomiting (35%), infections (31%), anemia (25%), thrombocytopenia (20%), headache (20%), cough (19%), constipation (17%), leukopenia (17%), arthralgia (15%), dry mouth (14%), weight decreased (14%), stomatitis (14%), creatinine increased (13%), alopecia (12%), dysgeusia (12%), pyrexia (11%), dizziness (11%), and dehydration (10%).

The most frequently reported 5% Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions from MONARCH 1 with Verzenio were diarrhea (20%), neutropenia (24%), fatigue (13%), and leukopenia (5%).

Lab abnormalities (all grades; Grade 3 or 4) for MONARCH 1 with Verzenio were increased serum creatinine (99%; .8%), decreased white blood cells (91%; 28%), decreased neutrophil count (88%; 26.6%), anemia (69%; 0%), decreased lymphocyte count (42%; 13.8%), decreased platelet count (41%; 2.3%), increased ALT (31%; 3.1%), and increased AST (30%; 3.8%).

Strong and moderate CYP3A inhibitors increased the exposure of abemaciclib plus its active metabolites to a clinically meaningful extent and may lead to increased toxicity. Avoid concomitant use of ketoconazole. Ketoconazole is predicted to increase the AUC of abemaciclib by up to 16-fold. In patients with recommended starting doses of 200 mg twice daily or 150 mg twice daily, reduce the Verzenio dose to 100 mg twice daily with concomitant use of strong CYP3A inhibitors other than ketoconazole. In patients who have had a dose reduction to 100 mg twice daily due to adverse reactions, further reduce the Verzenio dose to 50 mg twice daily with concomitant use of strong CYP3A inhibitors. If a patient taking Verzenio discontinues a strong CYP3A inhibitor, increase the Verzenio dose (after 3 to 5 half-lives of the inhibitor) to the dose that was used before starting the inhibitor. With concomitant use of moderate CYP3A inhibitors, monitor for adverse reactions and consider reducing the Verzenio dose in 50 mg decrements. Patients should avoid grapefruit products.

Avoid concomitant use of strong or moderate CYP3A inducers and consider alternative agents. Coadministration of strong or moderate CYP3A inducers decreased the plasma concentrations of abemaciclib plus its active metabolites and may lead to reduced activity.

With severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh C), reduce the Verzenio dosing frequency to once daily. The pharmacokinetics of Verzenio in patients with severe renal impairment (CLcr <30 mL/min), end stage renal disease, or in patients on dialysis is unknown. No dosage adjustments are necessary in patients with mild or moderate hepatic (Child-Pugh A or B) and/or renal impairment (CLcr 30-89 mL/min).

Please see full Prescribing Information and Patient Information for Verzenio.

AL HCP ISI 12OCT2021

About Lilly

Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help tens of millions of people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. P-LLY

 Lilly USA, LLC 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

MSK Disclosure: Dr. Jhaveri has financial interests related to Eli Lilly and Company

Trademarks and Trade Names

All trademarks or trade names referred to in this press release are the property of the company, or, to the extent trademarks or trade names belonging to other companies are references in this press release, the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this press release are referred to without the  and  symbols, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that the company or, to the extent applicable, their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, the company's or their rights thereto. We do not intend the use or display of other companies' trademarks and trade names to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about Verzenio (abemaciclib) as a potential treatment for people with certain types of early breast cancer and Inluriyo (imlunestrant) as a treatment for people with certain types of breast cancer. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of drug research, development, and commercialization. Among other things, there is no guarantee that planned or ongoing studies will be completed as planned, that future study results will be consistent with study results to date, that any of these therapies will prove to be a safe and effective treatment or receive regulatory approval, or that Lilly will execute its strategy as expected. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from Lilly's expectations, see Lilly's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.

References

_________________________________________

1. Andre F, et al. Ann Oncol. 2021;32(2):208-217.

2. O'Shaughnessy J. Extending survival with chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer. Oncologist. 2005;10 Suppl 3:20-9. PMID: 16368868 DOI: 10.1634/theoncologist.10-90003-20.

3. Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. 13 Facts about Metastatic Breast Cancer. http://www.mbcn.org/13-facts-about-metastatic-breast-cancer/. Accessed July 9, 2024.

4. American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2022-2024. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Inc. 2022. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures/2022-2024-breast-cancer-fact-figures-acs.pdf. Accessed July 9, 2024.

5. Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, et al. Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(3):229-263.

6. American Cancer Society. Cancer Statistics Center. http://cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org. Accessed July 9, 2024.

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company
SHANGHAI, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Yum China Holdings, Inc. (the "Company" or "Yum China") (NYSE: YUMC and HKEX: 9987) announced today that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has increased the Company's share repurchase authorization by US$1 billion to an aggregate of US$5.4 billion.

From 2017 to December 11, 2025, the Company repurchased approximately 97.7 million shares of common stock for US$4.2 billion. This increase brings the total remaining authorization to approximately US$1.2 billion.

Yum China may repurchase shares under this authorization from time to time in the open market or, subject to applicable regulatory requirements, through privately negotiated transactions, block trades, accelerated share repurchase transactions and the use of Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. The authorization has no expiration date.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements relating to our projected capital returns from 2025 and 2026. We intend all forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and by the use of forward-looking words such as "expect," "expectation," "believe," "anticipate," "may," "could," "intend," "belief," "plan," "estimate," "target," "predict," "project," "likely," "will," "continue," "should," "forecast," "outlook," "commit" or similar terminology. These statements are based on current estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable under the circumstances, but there can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's future strategies, growth, business plans, capital allocation strategy, capital return plans (including dividend and share repurchase plans). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by those statements. We cannot assure you that any of our expectations, estimates or assumptions will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release, and we disclaim any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. Numerous factors could cause our actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Our plan of capital returns to shareholders (including dividend and share repurchase plans) is based on current expectations, which may change based on market conditions, capital needs or otherwise. In addition, other risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial could affect the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty. You should consult our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the information set forth under the captions "Risk Factor" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q) for additional detail about factors that could affect our financial and other results.

About Yum China Holdings, Inc.

Yum China is the largest restaurant company in China with a mission to make every life taste beautiful. The Company operates over 17,000 restaurants under six brands across over 2,500 cities in China. KFC and Pizza Hut are the leading brands in the quick-service and casual dining restaurant spaces in China, respectively. In addition, Yum China has partnered with Lavazza to develop the Lavazza coffee concept in China. Little Sheep and Huang Ji Huang specialize in Chinese cuisine. Taco Bell offers innovative Mexican-inspired food. Yum China has a world-class, digitalized supply chain, which includes an extensive network of logistics centers nationwide and an in-house supply chain management system. Its strong digital capabilities and loyalty program enable the Company to reach customers faster and serve them better. Yum China is a Fortune 500 company with the vision to be the world's most innovative pioneer in the restaurant industry. For more information, please visit https://ir.yumchina.com/.

Contacts

Investor Relations Contact:

Tel: +86 21 2407 7556

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Tel: +86 21 2407 3824

[email protected]

SOURCE Yum China Holdings, Inc.
About this content 

About Ian Lyall

Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more

About the publisher

Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists.

Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth.

We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors.

The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies.

Use of technology

Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter.

Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows.

Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation.
Depending on where you source your data, the failure rate for small-caps is 6080%, which is why investing in the sector is high risk and requires nerves of steel, unlimited patience and a portfolio approach.

No company director who lists a business on AIM or Aquis sets out to fail; however, few take into account that the business plan set out in the PowerPoint delivered to would-be backers tends to go out of the window in the first 18 months of trading.

There are many reasons for this. But I am going to simplify matters by paraphrasing Prime Minister Harold Macmillans famous quote: it is down to events, dear boy, events.

Apt summary

It aptly summarises unpredictable global happenings (wars, economics, crises) and the real challenge for leaders, overriding carefully laid plans and well-written presentations.

So, against that rather gloomy backdrop, it is uplifting to see a success story. SolGold PLC (LSE:SOLG, TSX:SOLG, OTC:SLGGF) is a company Proactive has followed for more than a decade, from first discovery through to the development of a world-class copper porphyry project in Ecuador.

An improved indicative bid of 812 million from a Chinese bidder looks likely to be accepted if all the ducks line up properly.

Whether this fully compensates investors for the capital sunk into the ground at the Cascabel Project is unclear. I have not done the maths.

Vindication

However, the take-out provides a modicum of vindication for the taciturn Nick Mather, founder, former boss and now non-executive.

He is sitting on 84.3 million shares, which means he will walk away with at least 23.6 million, before taking into account other incentives such as share options.

Turning to the wider small-cap market, the AIM All Share fell into a pre-Christmas slumber, remaining almost static week on week at 752.65. The FTSE 100, by contrast, crept around 0.7% higher.

Premier African Minerals Ltd (AIM:PREM, OTC:PRMMF) was the weeks biggest casualty, dropping 51% amid funding worries and the fact it is coming back to investors for more cash just weeks after banking 500,000 of interim support.

Uneasy reading

A delve into the latest update does not make easy reading and repeating the highlights (or is it lowlights?) would simply compound the misery for those holding the stock, and for management trying to make the best of a poor situation.

Onto matters more uplifting. Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd's (AIM:ECO, TSX-V:EOG) shares gushed 72% higher after investors digested what it called a transformational strategic partnership with Navitas Petroleum.

The deal gives the larger group options to farm into two of Ecos key offshore blocks and potentially take stakes across the rest of its Atlantic portfolio.

Bargain hunters were out in force, vacuuming up stock in junior oiler Empyrean Energy PLC (AIM:EME), which appears to have been buoyed by the tone and substance of its latest update (interim results) amid a legal fallout with one of its partners. The shares ended the week 45% higher.

Buyout boom?

1Spatial (AIM:SPA) continued the end-of-term buyout boom we have seen at this end of the market. The high-tech mapping company has agreed to be bought by VertiGIS for 87 million. While the shares shot up 42% on Friday to 66p, they are still some way south of the 73p offer price.

There was one deal that did not get off the ground: ACG Metals Ltd's (LSE:ACG, OTC:ACGAF) approach for Anglo Asian Mining, with the former unable to find enough upside in the deal.

Boss Artem Volynets said in a Proactive interview that ACG is not looking to be a one-asset business.

He and the team have ambitions of turning the company into a $3-$5 billion multi-asset critical metals giant.

Volynets was a senior leader at Rusal, where he helped build an international aluminium giant, and is now trying to repeat that successful roll-up strategy. So, watch this space.

Odd reaction

Finally, there was an odd reaction to some encouraging news from Scancell Holdings PLC (AIM:SCLP, OTC:SCNLF), with the shares barely flickering.

The company updated the market with more supportive data from a trial of its drug for people with hard-to-treat melanoma, a common skin cancer.

Panmure Liberum said it hopped on a call after the latest stats drop and left the conversation extremely heartened by the feedback.

Scancell gave a broad-brush overview of plans for its lead asset iSCIB1+, which is being readied for a phase III trial. This is the final hurdle before approval, although it tends to be a clinically arduous and expensive process, particularly for smaller research and development firms.

That stage, however, is also when interest from big pharma tends to crystallise into investment, with deep-pocketed blue-chips often picking up the bill to push a promising drug towards sign-off.

Value building

Deals tend to come in the form of licensing agreements where upfront and milestone payments are agreed, and in certain cases, these can prove transformational.

Panmure, in its note, was not getting too carried away but told clients: Significant value is building, with the potential to crystallise in the near term if a partnership is concluded.

The broker is a buyer of the stock up to 32p. The current price is less than a third of that target.
About this content 

About Jonathan Jackson

Jonathan Jackson is an experienced writer and editor. Over the past 20 years, he has worked in print and digital media across several business and finance titles amd is currently the Australian news editor at Proactive Investors covering the latest news for ASX listed companies as well as current financial trends. He was previously managing editor with Business First magazine, Wealth Creator Magazine and StocksDigital. Jonathan has interviewed some of the world's top CEOs and covered... Read more

About the publisher

Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists.

Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth.

We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors.

The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies.

Use of technology

Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter.

Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows.

Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation.
About this content 

About Lisa Uhlman

Lisa Uhlman is an equities reporter at Proactive Investors, covering ASX-listed companies across the mining, energy, biotech and emerging tech sectors. With a background in legal and financial journalism, Lisa brings a sharp analytical lens to market news and corporate developments. Prior to joining Proactive, she reported for national trade publications and newswires, with a focus on court reporting, regulatory affairs and ESG-related business issues. Based in Sydney, she is... Read more

About the publisher

Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists.

Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth.

We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors.

The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies.

Use of technology

Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter.

Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows.

Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation.
About this content 

About Fouad Haidar

Fouad is a trilingual broadcast journalist & content producer/presenter for Proactive. He has a Communication & Media degree from the University of Western Australia & a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He's worked in Dubai for 7 years reporting on Hollywood A-listers & producing a daily morning show. Back in Australia, he's worked as a weather and lifestyle presenter for Sky News Australia before moving into business and... Read more

About the publisher

Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists.

Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth.

We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors.

The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies.

Use of technology

Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter.

Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows.

Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation.
Photo: https://x.com/prezydentpl/

A meeting between Ukrainian and Polish Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Karol Nawrocki could take place before the end of the year, according to Ukraines Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar.

"We are working to ensure that a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish President Karol Nawrocki takes place as soon as possible, hopefully this year in Warsaw," Bodnar said on RMF24 radio.

He added that the Ukrainian side offered to meet with the president this week. "We are awaiting Polands response and are working on the content of the entire visit," he added.

The meeting between the politicians is reported to take place in Warsaw.

"First, there will be the security issue related to Russias war against Ukraine and the peace talks. Of course, there will be military cooperation and cooperation in the defense industry. In addition, there will be economic cooperation, including reconstruction. And also historical issues related to the exhumations [of victims of Volyn tragedy]," the Ukrainian ambassador to Poland responded to a question about the planned agenda for the meeting between the presidents of Poland and Ukraine.
Celsius Resources Ltd (ASX:CLA, AIM:CLA) has unveiled the maiden JORC-compliant Ore Reserve Estimate for its Maalinao-Caigutan-Biyog (MCB) Copper-Gold Project in the Philippines - a significant technical and commercial milestone for the emerging producer.

The reserve underpins an updated Feasibility Study and ongoing financing discussions and confirms strong metallurgical, geological and operational fundamentals for a long-life underground mine.

130 million tonnes in maiden reserve supports long-life development

The maiden Ore Reserve for MCB totals 130.2 million tonnes at 0.66% copper and 0.21 g/t gold, containing 856,000 tonnes of copper and 891,000 ounces of gold, using a 0.46% copper-equivalent cut-off.

The estimate comprises 22.1 Mt of Proven Reserves and 108.2 Mt of Probable Reserves, aligned with Measured and Indicated portions of the resource base.

The reserve forms the basis of the updated Feasibility Study and validates the proposed underground mine plan, which integrates sub-level open stoping (SLOS) with paste backfill, dry-stack tailings and a conventional flotation plant. DMT Consulting, acting as the independent Competent Person, verified the Ore Reserve in accordance with JORC 2012.

Technical director Peter Hume said the outcome reinforced confidence in the deposits long-term potential, highlighting strong community engagement and the role of local engineering teams in advancing the project.

The Maiden JORC Ore Reserve Estimate for the MCB Copper-Gold Project is a major milestone that confirms the strength and long-term potential of the deposit, reinforcing our confidence in the Projects capacity to deliver sustained value for shareholders and stakeholders.

"We extend our sincere appreciation to the Balatoc community whose partnership and supportespecially during the recent drilling and field activitieswere vital in completing the technical work that underpins this Reserve Estimate. Their cooperation continues to guide our commitment to responsible project development.

"We also acknowledge the dedication of MMCI staff and our young professional engineers, whose hard work and technical discipline have been instrumental in achieving this outcome. Their contribution reflects the growing capability of the next generation of Filipino mining professionals.

"This Ore Reserve Estimate is a testament to the collective effort and professionalism of everyone involved. We look forward to advancing the MCB Project in a way that brings enduring benefits to our shareholders, our host communities, and the country.

Robust geological model supported by extensive drilling

The reserve draws on a comprehensive geological interpretation supported by more than 31,600 metres of diamond drilling completed between 2006 and 2025. The mineralisation is consistent with a classic porphyry copper-gold system, controlled by intrusive tonalite bodies and a series of steeply dipping structures trending roughly 050 degrees.

High-grade domains (Type 1HGV and Type 1HGH) sit within and around the intrusive contact zones, while a broad halo of lower-grade copper mineralisation (Type 3LG) extends across widths of up to 400m at depth. The updated Mineral Resource Estimate referenced in the reserve work totals 343 Mt at 0.46% Cu and 0.12 g/t Au, underpinning confidence in continuity across production areas.

Variogram and statistical analysis demonstrated strong grade continuity within key domains, allowing the application of Ordinary Kriging as the primary interpolation method. No top cuts were required due to the absence of outlier-driven distortions.

Feasibility study confirms mine plan, metallurgy and cost parameters

The updated Feasibility Study and FEED program, now nearing completion, confirm the technical viability of the proposed underground operation. Mining will proceed on a primary-secondary stope sequence with 20 m  20 m  30 m stopes, 10% dilution and 95% mining recovery. Production is designed to ramp to 2.6 Mt per annum from year three.

Metallurgical test work demonstrates 95% copper recovery and 77% gold recovery, producing a clean copper-gold concentrate with no penalty elements. A single-stage SAG circuit with rougher and cleaner flotation will support concentrate production of ~22,800 tonnes of copper metal annually over the first decade of operations.

Cost assumptions are consistent with industry benchmarks: mining at US$18.79/t, processing at US$14.89/t, general administration at US$2.88/t, and long-term metal prices of US$4.50/lb copper and US$3,200/oz gold. Economic modelling shows strong resilience under multiple commodity price scenarios.

Environmental approvals, social licence and infrastructure progressing

The project is fully permitted under Philippine mining regulations, with a granted Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA-356-2024-CAR), a completed Environmental Impact Statement, and an issued Environmental Compliance Certificate. Importantly, Celsius Philippine affiliate Makilala Mining Co. Inc. has secured Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from the Balatoc Indigenous community, together with local government endorsements.

Environmental design incorporates low-impact features, including dry-stack tailings and underground backfilling. No mining will occur beneath nearby communities, and methods that could induce surface subsidence were rejected to protect the Pasil River.

Non-process infrastructure includes a new site access road, HV transmission line connection to the Luzon Grid, accommodation facilities for up to 272 personnel, water supply from Karatangus Creek and concentrate export via Salomague Port.

Outlook: financing discussions and study completion underway

With the reserve now established, Celsius will continue advancing financing discussions with international partners and institutions. Completion of the JORC-compliant Feasibility Study and FEED program is expected by the end of 2025, enabling the transition to development.

The company says the MCB Project is positioned to deliver long-term benefits to shareholders, host communities and the Philippine economy through responsible, modern underground mining.
Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF) earlier this week confirmed that the US FDA has fully supported the companys Phase 1B study data for its CAR-T cell therapy, azer-cel. The company said the regulator has validated its proposed dosing regimen, lymphodepletion schedule, and manufacturing process.

Imugene told investors that no further data or dosing adjustments were requested, which it described as a rare outcome for this stage of development. CEO Dr. Leslie Chong said: Weve got the absolute dose of how we treat azer-cel approved by the FDA  thats just gold.

The company said the FDAs written feedback provides a green light to proceed with its pivotal study design. It highlighted that the agency endorsed its data across efficacy, safety, and process standards.

The company is now continuing to dose its CAR-T naive cohort, an indication where there are currently no approved CAR-T therapies. Imugene said this represents a rapid path to data generation and potential regulatory engagement.

Dr. Chong also noted that Azer-cel is currently being presented at ASH, a major hematology conference. The company said it will continue to collect clinical data and begin planning for pivotal manufacturing steps in the new year.

Imugene reported an 82.00% overall response rate from its Phase 1B trial last week.





Proactive:

Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by Imugene CEO Dr. Leslie Chong. Leslie, good to have you here on this very bright Monday morning.

Dr. Leslie Chong:

Thank you. Yeah, its great indeed.

Proactive:

Leslie, you've now received written minutes from the FDA regarding azer-cel. What has the FDA reported back to you?

Dr. Leslie Chong:

The FDA has confirmed and supported our Phase 1B study data. The lymphodepletion regimen  a conditioning chemo regimen that suppresses T cells to receive azer-cel  has been validated. Sometimes CAR-T companies either dose too aggressively, which can be fatal, or too lightly, which isnt effective. Weve got the right combination: the lymphodepletion schedule, azer-cel, and IO2 combo is the correct regimen. Our safety profile looks good. We've now got the absolute dose of how we treat azer-cel approved by the FDA. Thats just gold.

Proactive:

An important point to make here  its quite rare for the FDA to not ask for more data and to follow such a smooth process. How much reaffirmation does this give you?

Dr. Leslie Chong:

Its a complete 100% affirmation. Theyre saying they like our formula, dosing, and manufacturing process. Whatever we do for the pivotal study is already set. Most of the time, in these types of meetings, youd get requests for more data, new dosing comparisons, etc. That can take years. But weve received a check mark across everything we submitted. Its wonderful to see.

Proactive:

Sounds like all the stars are aligned. What does this mean for azer-cels upcoming trials?

Dr. Leslie Chong:

The azer-cel team is at ASH  the biggest hematology conference  presenting on azer-cel today, actually. Its a great day for us. The team did a brilliant job preparing the briefing documents and developing azer-cel with IO2. Well keep moving forward. We're continuing to dose our CAR-T naive cohort, which is an indication with no prior CAR-T experience and no approved therapies. There's a rapid opportunity to gain data and go back to the FDA. Well also initiate plans for the pivotal study.

Proactive:

You reported an 82% overall response rate for azer-cels Phase 1B trial last week. With the FDAs feedback now in hand, what can investors expect as we head into the new year?

Dr. Leslie Chong:

Along with FDA support across our dosing, manufacturing, and pivotal study plan in DLBCL, well continue gathering data both in DLBCL and the CAR-T naive cohort. Thats a fast-to-market strategy. We'll also begin the process for pivotal manufacturing. The team is busier than ever.

Proactive:

Imugene CEO Dr. Leslie Chong, thank you so much for your time.

Dr. Leslie Chong:

Thank you.
Racura Oncology Ltd (ASX:RAC) earlier this week confirmed it has secured AU$3.22 million to fully fund its Harness-1 Phase 1/1B lung cancer trial. The company said the study will test its proprietary drug RC220 in combination with osimertinib, targeting EGFR-mutant lung cancer.

The company told investors that the trial is designed in two stages. The first is a dose escalation phase, followed by a dose expansion phase. The aim is to determine whether RC220 can delay the onset of resistance to third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Racura said the $3.2 million raise, supported by existing shareholders, will ensure the trial is completed without delay. The CEO has also committed to convert $3.0 million in options to strengthen the companys cash position.

Dr. Peter Smith, Executive Director and Chairman, said the company expects to begin patient recruitment in the first quarter of next calendar year, pending final institutional approvals.

Racura added that data from the Harness-1 trial will be released progressively, given the open-label design. It also noted that data from a second study  investigating RC220 in combination with doxorubicin  will be published throughout 2026.







Proactive:

Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by Racura Oncology Executive Director and Chairman, Dr. Peter Smith. Pete, it's good to have you back on with me today.

Dr. Peter Smith:

Nice to be with you. Thank you.

Proactive:

You've raised just over $3.2 million to fund the Harness-1 Phase 1/1B lung cancer trial. Before we dive into the use of those funds, can you give investors a refresher on what Harness-1 is and where you're at with trials?

Dr. Peter Smith:

Yes, so the origin of this trial comes from understanding the mechanism of action of our drug, RC220. Through published literature, we developed the idea of using RC220  our proprietary version of entry inhibition  to prevent resistance to third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which are a vital class of lung cancer drugs.

EGFR mutations drive a portion of lung cancer, and drugs like Tagrisso from AstraZeneca are highly effective at blocking those mutations. What weve found is that RC220 blocks a key protein called MEK downstream of that mutation, which may prevent resistance from developing via other pathways.

The trial has two parts: Phase 1A, a dose-escalation study where RC220 is added on top of osimertinib, and Phase 1B, an expansion phase to determine whether the selected dose can delay resistance. This is crucial because once resistance develops, patients have very limited treatment options and very short survival times.

Proactive:

It sounds like a fairly extensive trial. Now that youve secured $3.22 million, what exactly will those funds be used for?

Dr. Peter Smith:

The total cost of the trial is about $11.5 million. We had about that amount in cash at the end of September this year, and we also had piggyback options available. What this new $3.2 million allows us to do is move ahead confidently with the trial and know we can complete it.

Daniel, our CEO, is also converting $3 million in options, which further strengthens our funding. With this, were fully funded for the trial. We've been doing preparatory work all through 2025, and this enables us to begin patient recruitment as soon as final institutional approvals are received. We expect to enrol the first patients very early in the first quarter of next calendar year.

Proactive:

Where did this $3.22 million in funding come from?

Dr. Peter Smith:

We were approached by existing shareholders who realised that without this funding, the trial might be delayed. I want to emphasise  we would never start a trial without having the resources to finish it. So we were delighted and a bit surprised that shareholders offered more support voluntarily. It reflects their confidence in the company and in this study. Many of them are also converting their piggyback options early, which is helping us move forward.

Proactive:

That shows real trust in the company and this trial, doesnt it?

Dr. Peter Smith:

Yes, absolutely. We talk a lot about being investor-friendly, and we mean it. We always remember whose money we're spending, and thats a key part of our approach.

Proactive:

Youve mentioned that patient enrolment is expected as early as January. What can investors expect as we head into the new year?

Dr. Peter Smith:

This is an open-label study, so well be reporting on each cohort as we escalate the dose of RC220 in combination with osimertinib. There will be a steady flow of data throughout 2026. We're also conducting another study evaluating the cardioprotective and anti-cancer effects of RC220 combined with doxorubicin, so we expect data from multiple studies over the year. Everything kicks off in January.

Proactive:

Racura Oncology Executive Director and Chairman, Dr. Peter Smith, it's been great to have you back on. Thanks for those updates.

Dr. Peter Smith:

Great to be here. Thank you.
Solis Minerals Ltd (ASX:SLM, TSX-V:SLMN, OTCQB:SLMFF) earlier this week confirmed it has received final exploration permitting to commence drilling at its 100%-owned Cinto copper project in southern Peru. The company said it now has 17 drill pads approved and is currently mobilising equipment to begin its initial campaign.

The company told investors that the Cinto project is situated in a highly prospective copper belt, directly adjacent to Southern Coppers Toquepala operation and Anglo Americans Quellaveco project. It highlighted that Cinto lies along the Incapuquio fault zone, which is associated with major copper discoveries in the Andean region.

Solis Minerals said it plans to drill approximately 2,500 metres in the initial program, targeting three porphyry anomalies identified through recent geophysical work.

CEO Mitch Thomas said drilling follows two years of preparatory work including surface geophysics, geochemistry, and IP surveys. He said the company expects to provide initial updates before year-end, with early visuals and potential assay results expected from January 2026.

Solis also noted that it expects to release assay results from other assets in the coming days.





Proactive:

Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by Solis Minerals CEO Mitch Thomas. Mitch, it's always good to have you back here in the newsroom. How are you?

Mitch Thomas:

Great to see you again, for sure.

Proactive:

You've now received the green light from the government in southern Peru to kick off drilling at Cinto. Walk us through the details of this agreement.

Mitch Thomas:

Yes, weve just received our exploration permit for the Cinto project, which is 100% owned by Solis Minerals. We now have 17 drill pads permitted. Mobilisation is underway, with drilling pad preparation already started  so things are moving quickly.

Proactive:

Before we get into the details of the drilling campaign, can you give investors a quick recap of the potential at Cinto?

Mitch Thomas:

Absolutely. Cinto is an exciting project. Its located next to major mining operations like Southern Coppers Toquepala and Anglo Americans Quellaveco. These are world-class projects, and from our site, you can actually see the waste dumps and concentrators of Toquepala  thats how close we are.

Whats even more important is that we share the same Incapuquio fault zone, which is well known in the Andean copper belt for hosting large-scale deposits. Thats exactly what were targeting. Weve completed geophysical and geochemical programs, and released our IP results in June. So after two years of preparation, were finally ready to drill and hopefully make a discovery similar to those nearby.

Proactive:

This has been building up over two years, as you said. The diamond drilling is about to begin  what will you be targeting?

Mitch Thomas:

Weve got 17 drill pads approved, but internally were budgeting for about 2,500 metres of diamond drilling to start with. Well be focusing on three key porphyry targets, which were identified through IP chargeability anomalies.

Were confident in the first few targets in our drill sequence and believe well get a quick read on the potential of the project once we begin. Of course, well keep shareholders updated as information becomes available.

Proactive:

Could shareholders expect any updates from Cinto before the end of the year?

Mitch Thomas:

Yes, I think therell definitely be updates in terms of drilling commencement and mobilisation. But for visuals and potentially assays, thats more likely a January story.

That said, we are expecting assay results from other assets in the coming days, and we plan to release those before the Christmas break. So it's shaping up to be a strong period of news for Solis Minerals and our shareholders.

Proactive:

Well definitely keep a close eye on Cinto and look forward to more updates. Thanks for your time, Mitch.

Mitch Thomas:

Thank you.
Astral Resources NL (ASX:AAR) earlier this week confirmed it has secured $65.00 million through a placement to support development of the Mandilla Gold Project and ongoing exploration across its Western Australian tenement portfolio.

The company told investors the funding will be applied toward finalising its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), expanding its drilling programs, and supporting early development works at Mandilla. It said drilling is also planned across targets at Kamperman and Feysville.

Astral said the DFS remains on schedule for completion in the June 2026 quarter, with a final investment decision expected by September. The company is also progressing environmental and operational approvals, including its mine development and closure plan.

Managing Director Marc Ducler said the funds, together with revenue from a proposed joint venture at Think Big, could significantly close the funding gap for Mandilla. He said the projects pre-feasibility study outlined a peak funding requirement of $227.00 million, and that Astral is exploring a potential 60:40 or 70:30 debt-to-equity structure.

Ducler said the market may be surprised by how close Astral is to full funding, and noted that further updates are expected before the end of the year.

Proactive:

Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by Astral Resources Managing Director Marc Ducler. Marc, good to see you again.

Marc Ducler:

Yeah, likewise. Thank you very much for having me.

Proactive:

You've now secured $65 million through a placement this morning. Where will those funds go?

Marc Ducler:

Those funds will go toward several things. Firstly, ensuring the completion of our Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), which were already funded for through our existing cash reserves. Well also maintain an aggressive exploration focus across our tenement package. We're excited about targets at Mandilla, just finished drilling at Kamperman, and plan to head back to Feysville next year.

We also acquired a significant tenement package at Feysville earlier this year. Weve had a successful targeting meeting and are looking forward to getting on the ground there in the new year. So this funding supports all of that  plus, it allows us to advance early works at Mandilla. We'd expect a significant portion of this capital to go toward project development costs.

Proactive:

Speaking of Mandilla  how is the DFS coming along?

Marc Ducler:

The DFS is on track for the June quarter next year. Thats always been our stated timeline, and were sticking to it. After that, were aiming for a final investment decision in the September quarter.

In parallel, were progressing key permitting work  including the native vegetation clearing permit, the mine development and closure plan, and the works approval. These are our main focus at the moment, as they align with our goal of securing environmental approvals around the September quarter as well.

Proactive:

Proceeds from this placement, combined with existing cash and revenue from Think Big  how does that all fit into funding Mandilla?

Marc Ducler:

Thats an important point. With the proposed joint venture with Mineral Mining Services at Think Big, were expecting revenue. I hope to share news on that before Christmas. Between that income and the $65 million raised, were in a strong position.

Our pre-feasibility study showed a peak negative cash flow of $227 million. Realistically, the DFS number will be higher  they always are. But if we attract a 60:40 or even 70:30 debt-equity split, this raise and the Think Big revenue bring us very close to being fully funded. I think the market will be surprised just how close we are.

Proactive:

Quite a bit happening ahead of the holidays. Well check in with you again soon. This was Astral Resources Managing Director Marc Ducler  thank you for your time.

Marc Ducler:

Cheers. Thank you.
International Graphite Ltd (ASX:IG6) earlier this week released its first formal guidance for the companys expandable graphite facility in Germany, outlining strong early-stage economics and advancing development milestones.

The company told investors that the plant is expected to cost just over 6.00 million to build and will produce approximately 4,200 tonnes of expandable graphite per year. It said the project has a pre-tax NPV of more than AU$100.00 million across 25 years, with a projected payback of 18 months once full capacity is achieved.

International Graphite said output could potentially increase further depending on final process design, and that testwork is continuing to refine the operational model.

CEO Andrew Worland said six different graphite concentrates  including material from Springdale  are currently being processed in Europe to inform flowsheet design and chemistry. The company is also working to finalise intellectual property licensing arrangements and commercialise the process.

In parallel, the company is advancing its product marketing strategy in Europe and finalising site logistics and land arrangements at the Midfield Chemical Park.

Feasibility and technical studies will continue over the next three to six months, with project funding and construction planning to follow.

Proactive:

Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by International Graphite Managing Director and CEO Andrew Worland. Andrew, its good to have you back.

Andrew Worland:

Yeah, wonderful to be back.

Proactive:

You provided your first guidance to investors this morning on the potential performance of your graphite facility in Europe. What can you confirm today?

Andrew Worland:

Weve been working through the technical aspects of the project over the past three or four months. We've now reached a position where were confident enough to share initial guidance with investors.

Weve outlined a capital cost of just over 6 million for a facility in Germany that will produce around 4,200 tonnes of expandable graphite per annum. The project delivers strong cash flow and has a projected 25-year NPV of over AU$100 million, with a payback period of 18 months at nameplate capacity. The economics are outstanding. This supports our strategy to enter the downstream graphite processing space  a proven path to success, particularly in the private sector.

Proactive:

The current design calls for around 4,200 tonnes of output. Does that number still hold?

Andrew Worland:

It does. Our current process design allows for between 3,500 and 4,500 tonnes per annum. The 4,200-tonne figure reflects the quality of the testwork results were seeing. That number may increase slightly with minor capital or process design changes, but that will be determined by the testwork over the next 3 to 6 months.

Proactive:

Its been a while since we last caught up  can you give us an update on the facility and what youve been working on?

Andrew Worland:

Certainly. The two most important things weve been working on are testwork and securing IP rights. We have graphite concentrates in Europe now from six different sources  including material from Springdale  and this is informing our process design and chemistry.

Were also working closely with the IP owner to develop a commercial flowsheet. Additionally, weve started developing our marketing strategy in Europe and are planning to engage a specialist firm to help with this over the next few months.

Finally, were progressing site logistics and land tenure at the Midfield Chemical Park in Germany. All of these steps are leading toward completing our feasibility and technical studies over the next three to six months, which will allow us to finance and begin construction.

Proactive:

Well look forward to more updates soon. This was International Graphite Managing Director and CEO Andrew Worland.
About this content 

About Emily Jarvie

Emily began her career as a political journalist for Australian Community Media in Hobart, Tasmania. After she relocated to Toronto, Canada, she reported on business, legal, and scientific developments in the emerging psychedelics sector before joining Proactive in 2022. She brings a strong journalism background with her work featured in newspapers, magazines, and digital publications across Australia, Europe, and North America, including The Examiner, The Advocate, The Canberra Times, and... Read more

About the publisher

Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists.

Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth.

We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors.

The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies.

Use of technology

Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter.

Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows.

Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation.
Servant of People to hold congress on Dec 17  source

Photo: Servant of People

The Servant of the People political party will hold a congress on December 17.

"The congress is scheduled for December 17. The issue of re-election of the party leader is on the agenda," a party source told Interfax-Ukraine.

As reported, MP Olena Shuliak has led the party since November 15, 2021.
European Lithium Ltd (ASX:EUR, OTCQB:EULIF) earlier this week announced that its subsidiary Cromwell has signed a binding term sheet for a 50:50 joint venture with a Romanian state-owned entity to process rare earths from the Tanbreez project in Greenland.

The company told investors that the JV is a key step in reducing Europes reliance on Chinese rare earths supply. It said the agreement was positively received by the EU and NATO, given Romanias permitting advantages and its strategic role in Europes defence infrastructure.

European Lithium said the Tanbreez project contains 4.7 billion tonnes of ore, with a current licence to mine 500,000 tonnes per annum. The company noted that the mine is located just 250 metres from deep-water access, removing logistical constraints on shipping.

Chairman Tony Sage said the company expects the mining component to be straightforward, but added that the main challenge will be constructing the downstream processing facility. He said it may take 24 years to reach full operational output.

European Lithium also holds lithium assets in Austria, Ireland, and Ukraine, and reported it is fully permitted at its Wolfsberg project. The company said it currently holds $200 million in cash, is debt-free, and has $800 million in tradable shares in Cromwell.

Proactive:

Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by European Lithium Executive Director and Chairman Tony Sage. Tony, good morning. Its great to have you on.

Tony Sage:

Good morning. Nice to be on.

Proactive:

One of your subsidiaries, Cromwell, has now signed a term sheet for a 50:50 joint venture with a Romanian state-owned partner. What are the details?

Tony Sage:

Its a fantastic opportunity for the EU to reduce its reliance on Chinas dominance in rare earths. Cromwell already has offtake agreements in the US with Nucor and Realize, but Europe was missing out. Because our Tanbreez asset is in Greenland  a Danish territory  the EU is pleased to secure its own supply.

Romania was chosen because there are only two nuclear rod reprocessing sites in Europe  one in France and one in Romania  making permitting much easier. Also, the USs largest military base in Europe is in Romania, so NATO is also very happy with this transaction.

Proactive:

This will directly impact offtake from the Tanbreez project, right?

Tony Sage:

Yes. Tanbreez, in Greenland, is enormous  4.7 billion tonnes of ore. If fully mined, it would take 1,300 years. Of course, were not doing that. Were approved to mine 500,000 tonnes per year under our current licence. But even that has a significant role in reducing global dependency on China for rare earths.

Proactive:

This deal supports Europes supply independence and national security goals. How do you see this developing over the next few years?

Tony Sage:

The mining side is straightforward. The site is just 250 metres from deep water  no dredging needed. The challenge is the processing. For 40 years, the West let China do all the processing, largely due to environmental permitting issues.

Now, its clear we cant let one country control supply. This deposit  one of the largest outside China  will be a game-changer. But itll take 24 years before were in full production. The obstacle isnt mining  its building a processing plant.

Weve seen other players like MP Materials move processing to Saudi Arabia due to permitting and energy access. Romania is better positioned  it has strong gas supplies and no permitting hurdles.

Proactive:

The lithium price is also moving in your favour. How are your other projects tracking?

Tony Sage:

Across our subsidiary CML, weve got three jurisdictions:

Austria (Wolfsberg Project)  Fully permitted and ready to go, but were waiting for a stronger lithium price to ensure its more than break-even.

Ireland (Leinster Project)  Weve started early programs following results up to 4% LiO.

Ukraine (Dobra Deposit)  Very large at 90 million tonnes grading 1.36%. We bought it three months before the war started. Were waiting for peace before proceeding.

Proactive:

For those new to the story, hows European Lithium positioned heading into the new year?

Tony Sage:

Were in a strong position. We have $200 million in the bank, no debt, and $800 million in tradable shares in Cromwell. Thats about $1 billion in assets  not counting our Irish or Ukrainian holdings. We think that represents very strong value for investors in rare earths and lithium.

Proactive:

European Lithium Executive Director and Chairman Tony Sage  great to have you in the newsroom. Thank you for those updates.

Tony Sage:

Thank you very much.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Washington, Dec 12 : The White House said that Gaza is moving toward "phase two" of President Donald Trump's peace plan, with officials engaged in "quiet planning" for the next stage of regional diplomacy following the return of all hostages except one.

Washington, Dec 12 (IANS) The White House said that Gaza is moving toward "phase two" of President Donald Trump's peace plan, with officials engaged in "quiet planning" for the next stage of regional diplomacy following the return of all hostages except one.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, at her weekly news conference, called the emerging situation "a success," noting that ten months into Trump's administration, "you're asking me about a peace plan in Gaza because that's a legitimate reality on the ground right now." She said this was possible "only because of this President's leadership."

"All the hostages were returned  all but one body of the deceased hostages has been returned," she said, adding that US negotiators are now working on "phase two of the peace deal," which includes establishing a "Board of Peace," coordinating with the ISF, and forming a Palestinian "technocratic government."

Leavitt said negotiations have been kept deliberately quiet. "They are trying to be deliberate and thoughtful The Gaza Strip is something that people have been trying to accomplish for 70 years," she said. "We want to ensure an enduring and lasting peace."

On whether the US would send officials to upcoming meetings with Europeans and Ukrainians regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, Leavitt said Trump is "extremely frustrated with both sides," and no decision had been finalized.

She also declined to characterize a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro as a concern. "I don't think that would be concerning to the President at all," she said.

India has a longstanding interest in stability in the Middle East, home to millions of Indian workers and a major source of energy imports. Any shifts in US policy toward Gaza and the broader region influence diplomatic calculations across Asia, including India's balancing of ties with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Gulf partners.

India is a strong advocate of peace in the region and has maintained strong and historic ties with key stake holders in the Middle East including Israel and the Palestine.

Efforts to negotiate a durable peace in Gaza have repeatedly faltered over decades, with shifting regional alignments, Iranian influence, and internal Palestinian divisions complicating diplomacy. Washington continues to play a central role in shaping post-conflict governance and security frameworks.
Washington, Dec 12 : The White House sharply criticised a recent video by the New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who is an Indian American, encouraging immigrants to "stand up to ICE," warning that such messages are contributing to a surge of harassment and violence against federal immigration officers.

Washington, Dec 12 (IANS) The White House sharply criticised a recent video by the New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who is an Indian American, encouraging immigrants to "stand up to ICE," warning that such messages are contributing to a surge of harassment and violence against federal immigration officers.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration is "definitely concerned about the rise in violence and attacks and physical threats" against agents, describing what she called an alarming escalation. "We've seen more than a 1,000 per cent increase in violent attacks on them and their families," she said.

Leavitt said ICE officers "have been doxed, they've been harassed, many of them have been physically assaulted and attacked," asserting that they are simply "enforcing our nation's immigration laws."

Responding to a question on whether New York's messaging might inspire residents to resist enforcement operations, she said the administration "condemns that wholeheartedly" and will continue its mission "in every state to remove illegal aliens and public safety threats from American communities."

The Press Secretary's remarks came as President Trump has declared the current border environment the "most secure" in US history, citing record-low encounter numbers. According to Leavitt, "for the seventh consecutive month, US Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the United States."

She contrasted that with the previous administration, saying, "In ten months under President Trump, we've seen less apprehensions overall than we saw in one month under Joe Biden."

The administration's rhetoric, which leans heavily on enforcement and deterrence, has resonated in parts of the country but inflamed tensions in major metropolitan areas like New York, where many immigrants  including thousands from India  live and work.

Leavitt insisted Trump has restored "sovereignty" at the border and achieved "the single greatest and fastest national security victory in modern American history." She said continued declines in unlawful crossings are "remarkable results."

Immigration enforcement has long been one of the most polarising issues in US politics. Successive administrations have struggled to balance humanitarian concerns with security imperatives, and court rulings often shape the scope of federal action.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : President Droupadi Murmu is in Manipur on a two-day visit and will pay tribute to the brave women warriors of the state as part of the 86th Nupi Lal Day observance on Friday.

The President will visit the Nupi Lal Memorial Complex in Imphal, where she will offer her respects to the women who led landmark resistance movements against British colonial rule in 1904 and 1939.

These movements, collectively known as Nupi Lal, remain powerful symbols of Manipuri womenas leadership, courage and collective struggle.

Following the tribute ceremony in Imphal, President Murmu will travel to Senapati districta"an important Naga-inhabited regiona"where she is scheduled to address a public meeting.

During the event, she will lay the foundation stones for several development projects and inaugurate multiple works aimed at strengthening the districtas infrastructure and socio-economic progress.

Intensive preparations have been underway across Imphal since Wednesday, ahead of the high-profile visit. Both sides of the approximately 7-km stretch from Bir Tikendrajit International Airport to the Nupi Lal Memorial Complex have been repaired, repainted, and decorated with flags, banners and other materials. Large welcome hoardings have also been installed along the route to greet the Presidentas convoy.

President Murmuas visit marks the second major high-level visit to Manipur in the past three months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the state on September 13, during which he emphasised the Union governmentas commitment to strengthening Manipur as part of the vision for Viksit Bharat.

During that visit, the Prime Minister inaugurated 17 infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,200 crore, including new Manipur Bhawans in Delhi and Kolkata, the Civil Secretariat, the Police Headquarters, and the SEZ building in Mantripukhri. He also laid foundation stones for 19 additional projects worth Rs 7,300 crore, covering a broad range of developmental needs across various districts.

With todayas visit, President Murmu is expected to further highlight the legacy of Manipuri womenas resistance movements and reinforce the Centreas ongoing focus on development, unity, and restoration of peace in the state.
Seoul, Dec 12 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has assessed the country's policy on strengthening its defense capabilities as an "exact" direction to ensure its security amid changes in the global geopolitical landscape, state media reported on Friday.

Kim made the remarks during an enlarged plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) that the North convened from Tuesday through Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The party plenary meeting was held to mainly review this year's policy implementation results and prepare for a key party congress set for early next year.

But state media did not disclose other details, including how or whether Kim assessed the North's policy stance toward the United States and South Korea.

On the assessment of the 2025 policy implementation, the North's leader touted the country's policy on modernising the national defense capabilities as resolving many security issues "effectively and correctly," according to the KCNA.

He assessed the North's defence policy as advancing "along the exact direction to ensure the security and defense of the country and protect its interests despite the global geopolitical and technological changes."

In terms of North Korea's troop deployment to support Russia's war efforts with Ukraine, Kim said the move demonstrated to the world the prestige of its army and state as "the ever-victorious army and genuine protector of the international justice," the KCNA said.

In regard to preparations for the ninth party congress, the issue of drafting the amendments to the WPK's rules was discussed for the approval at the upcoming party event.

Attention will be paid to whether North Korea will codify Kim's "two hostile states" stance in the party's rules as experts forecast Pyongyang to intensify its animosity to Seoul in the new year, Yonhap news agency reported.

At a key party meeting in late 2023, the North's leader declared inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other" and vowed not to pursue reconciliation and unification with the South.

The ninth party congress is forecast to take place in January or February, where North Korea is expected to unveil its external policy stance toward the US and South Korea as well as key policy directions on defense and economy. The North's last party congress was held in January 2021.
Visakhapatnam, Dec 12 : At least eight pilgrims died and several others were injured when a private travel bus fell into a gorge in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharamaraju district in the early hours of Friday.

The accident occurred on the Chintur-Naredumilli ghat road when the driver apparently failed to negotiate a sharp turn and hit the safety wall before it fell into the gorge.

The bus carrying 37 people, including two drivers, was heading to Annavaram.

The passengers were all from the Chittoor district who were on their way to Annavaram temple in Kakinada district after visiting Bhadrachalam temple in Telangana.

As there was no mobile phone network coverage in the area where the accident occurred, it took some time for the information to reach the police at Mothugunta.

Police rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. Eight bodies were recovered from the place. The injured were shifted to a hospital in Chintur.

Five police vehicles and three ambulances were pressed into service to shift the injured.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the accident. He spoke to officials about the rescue and relief operations. He directed them to ensure the best treatment for the injured.

Home Minister V. Anitha and Tribal Welfare and Women and Child Welfare Minister G. Sandhya Rani left for the accident site. They spoke to the Collector and Superintendent of Police of Alluri Sitharamaraju district and directed them to ensure all help to the victims.

Voicing concern over increasing road accidents, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had last month ordered third-party auditing on road accidents to know the causes.

Addressing the Road Safety Council meeting, the Chief Minister had expressed concern over the deaths of 6,433 people in 15,462 road accidents in the state so far this year.

According to officials, 79 per cent of accidents occur due to over-speeding, three per cent due to wrong-side driving, and one per cent due to alcohol and mobile phones.

Andhra Pradesh stands in eighth place in road accidents in the country.
Photo: National Police

Kyiv police and the SBU detained three enemy accomplices in the capital who planted homemade explosives along a law enforcement patrol route in Kyivs Darnytskyi district. The bomb killed a National Guard serviceman and wounded another National Guard serviceman, two police officers, and a construction site security guard, Kyiv police reported.

"The perpetrators, acting on instructions from a so-called supervisor, manufactured homemade remote-controlled explosive devices and planted them along a law enforcement patrol route," Kyiv police said on their website on Friday.

According to police, within a few hours, law enforcement officers determined that three men, aged 23, 25, and 27, were involved in the attack. They were residents of different regions and had come to the capital to earn money.

"One of the suspects in the messaging app received an assignment from a so-called handler in the Russian Federation to carry out a terrorist attack in the capital in exchange for a monetary reward. Therefore, the dealers manufactured homemade explosive devices and, on instructions from enemy intelligence agencies, disguised them in trash along a law enforcement patrol route. They also placed mobile phones nearby that broadcast live video," Kyiv police quoted Dmytro Shumeiko, head of Kyiv police, as saying.

According to him, as the National Guard unit approached the trap, an explosion occurred, killing one National Guardsman and injuring another. A nearby construction site security guard was also injured.

"By the time police and paramedics arrived at the scene, a second explosion occurred, injuring two patrol officers. They are currently in the hospital," Shumeiko noted.

According to the report, police and SBU officers, with the forceful support of the KORD special forces unit, detained the defendants in a rented apartment in the capital and seized evidence indicating their involvement in the crime.

The pretrial investigation is being conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) under Part 3 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (a terrorist act resulting in death). The penalty under this article is life imprisonment.

The Kyiv City Prosecutors Office is overseeing the proceedings.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday expressed grief over the passing of senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, calling it a deeply saddening and irreparable loss to the party.

Rahul Gandhi took to the social media platform 'X' and wrote, "The news of the passing of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil ji is deeply saddening and an irreparable loss to the party. His dedication to public service and his contributions to the nation will always be remembered. My condolences are with the entire Patil family, his well-wishers, and supporters in this hour of grief."

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed sorrow, saying, "Deeply saddened by the passing of former Union Home Minister, Former Lok Sabha Speaker and veteran Congress leader Shri Shivraj Patil. He was an honoured senior colleague with whom I shared a close bond and many cherished memories."

"A statesman of great dignity, Shri Patil served the nation with distinction, holding key Constitutional and Parliamentary responsibilities and contributing significantly to India's Democratic institutions," Kharge added.

"His demise is a profound loss for the Congress Party and for all who admired his integrity, composure and commitment to public service. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and countless supporters. May they find strength in this difficult hour, and may his soul rest in peace," he said.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took to 'X' and wrote, "The news of the passing of senior Congress leader, former Union Home Minister, and former Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Shivraj Patil ji is deeply saddening. May God grant peace to the departed soul. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and well-wishers."

"Shri Patil ji held responsibility for several important departments, including the Ministry of Defense, and served the public for decades. His passing is an irreparable loss to the Congress family," she added.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil passed away in his hometown, Latur, in Maharashtra, on Friday morning. Patil, 90, died at his residence 'Devghar' after a brief illness, family sources said.

He is survived by his son, Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana, who is a BJP leader, and two granddaughters.

Patil served as India's Union Home Minister from 2004 to 2008 and was the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. He also served as Governor of Punjab and as Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh from 2010 to 2015.

Born on October 12, 1935, Patil began his political journey as municipal council chief of Latur and was elected as an MLA in the early 70s. Later, he went on to win the Latur Lok Sabha seat seven times. He lost to BJP's Rupatai Patil Nilangekar in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

Known for his dignified conduct, he never indulged in personal attacks, neither in public speeches nor in private conversations, said a party leader.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Reacting sharply to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent remarks, BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar on Friday reiterated the party's allegation that illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslim voters have been added to voter lists in several border districts.

Calling the Chief Minister's objections politically motivated, Sarkar said, "The Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslim voters, under the influence of local pressure, had their names added improperly. Removing them is entirely justified, but the process must be accurate and fair. So why is Mamata Banerjee getting so agitated? She is opposing the removal of these illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya voters."

The BJP has repeatedly accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of facilitating illegal immigration and using it to build a vote bank -- charges that Mamata Banerjee has consistently rejected, calling them baseless and an attack on Bengal's inclusive ethos.

Banerjee recently criticised the BJP's claims as an attempt to polarise the state ahead of upcoming elections, asserting that no genuine Indian voter would be removed from the rolls under her watch. Sarkar, however, insisted that the Chief Minister's reaction only raises further questions, saying the BJP will push for a fair verification of voter lists, particularly in sensitive border regions.

Responding to Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari's comments on border surveillance and detention camps, Sarkar backed his party colleague completely. "Exactly right. The border areas near Bangladesh, especially now, are under closer scrutiny. Therefore, there is no need for detention camps. What Suvendu Da said was absolutely correct. He made a valid point," he stated, adding that increased vigilance was essential to ensure the sanctity of electoral rolls.

Sarkar also expressed grief over the demise of senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who passed away on Friday morning at his residence in Latur, Maharashtra, after a brief illness. Patil, 90, is survived by his son Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana -- who is a BJP leader -- and two granddaughters. Remembering him as a dignified statesman, Sarkar said, "A prominent leader of the Congress, who was greatly respected in the country, has passed away. His contribution to the nation was immense. His passing is a great loss, and I express my condolences."

Shivraj Patil served as India's Union Home Minister from 2004 to 2008 and was the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha between 1991 and 1996. He also served as the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh from 2010 to 2015.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced financial assistance for the victims of a tragic bus accident in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharama Raju district, where at least eight pilgrims lost their lives.

In a message shared by the Prime Minister's Office on X, he expressed deep grief over the incident and extended condolences to the bereaved families. "Pained by the loss of lives due to a bus mishap in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured," the PMO posted.

The Prime Minister also approved an ex gratia payment from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF). "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," he announced, assuring support to the families struck by the tragedy.

The accident occurred during the early hours of Friday on the Chintur-Naredumilli ghat road, a stretch known for its sharp curves and difficult terrain.

According to preliminary reports, the private travel bus, carrying 37 people, including two drivers, plunged into a deep gorge after the driver allegedly failed to negotiate a sharp turn. The vehicle reportedly hit a safety wall before tumbling into the valley.

All passengers were pilgrims from Chittoor district, travelling toward the Annavaram temple in Kakinada district after visiting the revered Bhadrachalam temple in Telangana.

The remote location of the mishap further complicated rescue efforts. With no mobile network connectivity in the area, information about the accident reached the Mothugunta police only after a delay.

Upon receiving the alert, police teams rushed to the site and launched an extensive rescue operation. Eight bodies were recovered, while the injured were transported to a hospital in Chintur. Five police vehicles and three ambulances were deployed to ensure quick evacuation and medical aid.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the accident and immediately sought updates from officials. He instructed the administration to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and to extend necessary assistance to the families of the victims.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Minister of Civil Aviation of India Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu walk through the upcoming Noida International Airport (Jewar) ahead of its planned inauguration, in Noida. Image Source: IANS

December 12 : Lucknow/Greater Noida: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's dream project, Noida International Airport (NIA), is nearing inauguration. Designed to reflect Indian culture and the rich heritage of Uttar Pradesh, the airport will offer passengers an immediate sense of the state's identity the moment they arrive.

Combining Swiss efficiency with Indian hospitality, NIA promises a seamless, comfortable, and world-class travel experience. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and global-standard facilities, the airport is being developed as a benchmark for modern aviation infrastructure.

Shailendra Kumar Bhatia, ACEO of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, said that with its innovative design, advanced technology, and cultural depth, the airport will significantly enhance Uttar Pradesh's and India's global profile.

He added, NIA will offer passengers a fast, smooth, and memorable journey at every stage. The Chief Minister is personally monitoring progress and recently visited the site to review the work and provide directives.

The airport's architecture draws entirely from traditional Indian design to immerse travelers in the cultural spirit of North India. The terminal will feature carved elements like lattice screens that enhance aesthetic appeal while regulating natural light and airflow.

The grand entrance is inspired by the iconic ghats of Varanasi and Haridwar, reflecting the region's spiritual and historical heritage. Inside, a spacious haveli-style courtyard will create an open, welcoming environment, underscoring the importance of courtyards in Indian architecture.

The terminal's white, flowing roof symbolizes the calm, continuous movement of Uttar Pradesh's major rivers, embodying a harmonious blend of nature and modernity. These thoughtful design elements aim to create a stress-free, seamless, and culturally rich experience for travelers.

Noida International Airport will also offer a cutting-edge, digital-first travel environment. Advanced systems such as self-bag-drop machines, self-boarding gates, and biometric-based DigiYatra at all entry points will reduce waiting time and simplify the passenger journey.

Smart signage, intuitive interfaces, and fully digitized processes have been integrated to ensure maximum convenience and efficiency. The entire facility is built with future travel needs in mind, placing passenger comfort and technological innovation at the core.

Passengers will also enjoy a premium shopping and dining experience. The curated F&B zone will bring together the authentic flavors of Uttar Pradesh and India with a diverse range of global cuisines.

The retail area will showcase a rich mix of traditional handicrafts, artwork, modern brands, and exclusive souvenirs, turning the airport into a cultural discovery as much as a transit point. Duty-free stores, premium outlets, and Uttar Pradesh's signature crafts such as Banarasi silk, chikankari, and attar will be available, offering travelers a truly memorable and culturally immersive experience.

Noida International Airport has been developed as a green airport, with sustainability integrated into every stage from construction to daily operations.

The airport complex will rely extensively on renewable energy, particularly solar power and off-grid wind systems, to minimize dependence on conventional sources. Rainwater harvesting, advanced waste management, and modern sewage treatment plants will further strengthen its environmental safeguards.

EV charging stations will be available across the campus to encourage electric mobility and reduce carbon emissions. The airport's architecture is designed to maximize natural light and ventilation, ensuring significant energy savings and a cleaner environment.

With these measures, Noida International Airport will not only offer world-class facilities but also stand as a model of environmentally responsible development.
Mumbai, Dec 12 : Indian actor Rahul Bhat has shared an emotional note as "Kennedy" finally finds a limited release on a Letterboxd video on demand, becoming the only Indian film to do so across 26 countries. He went on to say that the film carved its own destiny.

Mumbai, Dec 12 (IANS) Indian actor Rahul Bhat has shared an emotional note as "Kennedy" finally finds a limited release on a Letterboxd video on demand, becoming the only Indian film to do so across 26 countries. He went on to say that the film carved its own destiny.

Rahul wrote on Instagram: "It started from here Kennedy premiered at @cannesfilmfestival, and though it never saw a release in India, it refused to be stopped. This film carved its own destiny. It travelled across the world, across cultures, across hearts ,becoming one of the most loved and celebrated journeys of my life."

"Festival after festival, continent after continent the love only grew. To those who tried to hold this film back: You couldn't stop it then, and you can't stop it now. Muddai lakh bura chahe toh kya hota hai, Wahi hota hai jo manzoor-e-khuda hota hai."

The actor called the release of the film on Letterboxd Video on Demand a milestone.

"Today, Kennedy becomes the first and only Indian film to be on Letterboxd Video on Demand across 26 countries. A film that was never allowed to come home is now being embraced by the world. This is more than a release. This is a movement. This is the power of cinema."

"And to those who tried to silence it, you cannot dim a light that destiny itself protects.

This is not just a milestone. This is cinema choosing its own path. This is the power of truth, of passion, of art that refuses to bow," he wrote.

"With gratitude in my heart ,to every festival, every audience, every voice that stood by us  thank you for giving Kennedy the flight it deserved. "

Kennedy, directed by Anurag Kashyap and headlined by Rahul Bhat, first premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and has since travelled to several major festivals worldwide.

The film follows an insomniac ex-cop who dwells in different circumstances looking for redemption. The ex-cop, who is presumed dead for a long time, operates secretly for the corrupt system.
December 12 : Muzaffarnagar: The final leg of the Krishi Chaupal in four districts of Western Uttar Pradesh was held in Dahod village on Thursday. More than 350 farmers participated in it. The Krishi Chaupal was organized by the farmers themselves, and their participation was also significant.

Sitting near the sugarcane fields, the farmers shared their thoughts and discussed in detail the positive changes that have come into their lives due to the decisions of the CM Yogi government.

The farmers said that ever since Uttar Pradesh came under the leadership of CM Yogi Adityanath, women, farmers, youth, and the elderly are all safe, and criminals are leaving the state. Now there is equal power supply in every district. Attention is being paid to small and marginal farmers.

Farmers with private tube wells have been given great relief. Crop theft and the role of mediator have ended. There has also been a historic increase of Rs. 30 per quintal in the sugarcane price. Farmers of Muzaffarnagar expressed their gratitude to CM Yogi for fair prices and timely payment for their crops.

The CM Yogi government increased the price of early-maturing sugarcane varieties from Rs. 370 to Rs. 400 per quintal and general varieties from Rs. 360 to Rs. 390 per quintal for the crushing season 2025-26. The increase in prices of sugarcane is resulting in an additional payment of Rs. 3000 crore to farmers. This increase of Rs. 30 per quintal has provided great relief to the farmers.

Subhash, the village head of Chittora, said that 'since 2017, a positive change has come into the lives of every farmer in Uttar Pradesh. The state government has provided great relief to farmers with private tube wells by giving them concessions on electricity bills. Now crop theft has stopped.

Electricity is being supplied equally to all districts, due to which farming has become a profitable venture for farmers. Now farmers are not committing suicide; instead, they are enriching their families with their hard work and bountiful harvests.

Farmer Kadam Singh said that 'the CM Yogi government has brought smiles to the faces of poor farmers. The arbitrary practices of sugar mills are now a thing of the past. The government has complete oversight of the sugar mills. Now sugar mills cannot delay the payments. The state government's attention has brought great relief to sugarcane farmers. If the farmers are prosperous, happiness will prevail in every home. On behalf of Muzaffarnagar, we express our gratitude to the Chief Minister for increasing the sugarcane price'.

Farmer Vinod Kumar Deshwal said that 'since 2017, there has been a rule of law in Uttar Pradesh. Criminals have either given up crime or left the state. The strong law and order system has brought a big change in the lives of all the people of the state. Now farmers are able to contribute their invaluable share to the prosperity of the state, the credit goes to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath'.

Village head Yogendra of Gadanpur, farmers Pradeep Rana, Rajkumar, Sundar Pal, Anoop Singh, Satendra Kumar, Gopal Singh, Ajay Singh, Satish Kumar, Gyanendra Kumar Dixit, Gajendra Singh, Anil Chauhan, and others were present at the Krishi Chaupal.
New Delhi, Dec 11 : Reaffirming that there is no link between vaccines and autism, the World Health Organization (WHO) has refuted the recent claims made by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The WHO conducted a new analysis after the CDC under President Donald Trump last month changed its long-held stance and claimed that the consensus that vaccines don't cause autism is not "an evidence-based claim".

"The WHO global expert committee on vaccine safety has found that, based on available evidence, no causal link exists between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The conclusion reaffirms WHO's position that childhood vaccines do not cause autism," the global health body said in a statement.

As per the CDC, "studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism." It added that "studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities".

To counter this, the WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), established in 1999, analysed evidence based on 31 primary research studies, published between January 2010 and August 2025.

The experts focused on the relationship between thiomersal-containing vaccines and ASD, and the association between vaccines in general and ASD.

"The data from multiple countries strongly supported the positive safety profile of vaccines used during childhood and pregnancy, and confirms the absence of a causal link with ASD," the WHO said.

The Committee also assessed the review of potential health risks associated with vaccines with aluminium adjuvants, drawing on studies conducted from 1999 through March 2023.

In addition, it reviewed a recent large cohort study analysing nationwide registry data of children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018.

"The available high-quality evidence shows no association between the trace amounts of aluminum used in some vaccines and ASD, supporting the ongoing use of vaccines with aluminium adjuvants," the UN health body said.

"Following its review, GACVS reaffirms its previous conclusions from 2002, 2004, and 2012: vaccines, including those with thiomersal and/or aluminium, do not cause autism," the statement added.

The WHO, meanwhile, advised all national authorities to rely on the latest science and ensure vaccine policies are grounded in the strongest available evidence.

"Global childhood immunisation efforts represent one of the greatest achievements in improving lives, livelihoods, and the prosperity of societies. During the past 50 years, childhood immunisation has saved at least 154 million lives," the WHO said.
December 12 : Lucknow: The moment Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assumed office, he launched a decisive war against illegal drug trafficking under a strict zero-tolerance policy. In line with his vision, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) was established in 2022. Acting on the Chief Minister's directives, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) initiated a focused campaign against the illegal trade and diversion of codeine-based cough syrup and NDPS-category drugs.

Before carrying out the country's largest crackdown, the department conducted an extensive internal probe. Investigations were carried out in Jharkhand, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, where evidence was collected regarding business links with super stockists and wholesalers in Uttar Pradesh.

After completing this groundwork, the crackdown began two months ago and continues at full pace. In this period, statewide raids were conducted, and FIRs were filed against 133 firms across 31 districts. Several operators of these firms have already been arrested.

Under CM Yogi's clear instructions, FSDA undertook the strictest action ever seen in the country against those trafficking codeine-based cough syrup for drug misuse. In contrast, actions taken in other states remained largely superficial.

FSDA Secretary and Commissioner Dr Roshan Jacob said, The Chief Minister had issued orders to act firmly against those pushing the youth toward addiction. Following these directives, a statewide, intensive campaign was launched against criminals involved in diverting codeine-based cough syrup for drug abuse, an operation that remains ongoing. CM Yogi had also instructed that action should not stop at license cancellations; it must be strong enough to set a national example and dismantle the entire network harming young lives.

She added, For the first time, the FSDA registered cases under the NDPS and BNS Acts against those illegally diverting codeine-based cough syrup, significantly strengthening the action. Letters were also sent to District Magistrates recommending proceedings under the Gangster Act.

On the Chief Minister's orders, documents and storage facilities of 332 drug establishments across 52 districts were thoroughly examined. Investigations found that several establishments existed only on paper and were functioning solely as billing centers. Many lacked proper storage facilities, and purchasesale records were missing. Of the 332 establishments, 133 were found to be systematically diverting medicines for non-medical and illicit use.

The inquiry further revealed that these diverted drugs were being smuggled into Nepal through Lucknow, Kanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Bahraich, and into Bangladesh through Varanasi and Ghaziabad.

Cases of codeine-based cough syrup being smuggled for drug abuse have been reported in these cities: Varanasi, Jaunpur, Kanpur Nagar, Ghazipur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Bahraich, Bijnor, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Sitapur, Sonbhadra, Balrampur, Raebareli, Sant Kabir Nagar, Hardoi, Bhadohi, Amethi, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar, Unnao, Basti, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Saharanpur, Bareilly, Sultanpur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Banda, Kaushambi.

Two months ago, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued firm instructions to crack down on the illegal diversion of narcotic drugs and codeine-based cough syrups. He ordered immediate and stringent action wherever such activity was detected across the state. He emphasized that medications should not be diverted from Uttar Pradesh to other states or countries for unlawful abuse. At the same time, he instructed that small retailers should not be harassed; the focus must remain on targeting super-stockists and wholesalers involved in the illicit trade.

In line with the CM's directives, the department, for the first time, registered FIRs under the NDPS and BNS Acts against those implicated in the illicit business. Simultaneously, letters were dispatched to all District Magistrates instructing them to proceed under the Gangster Act where applicable. - Dr. Roshan Jacob, Secretary and Commissioner, FSDA
December 12 : Lucknow: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, has created a new milestone in the field of solar energy. Under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGY), Lucknow has completed 62,271 Rooftop Solar (RTS) installations so far. This is the highest among any district in the state. With Lucknow leading, Uttar Pradesh has crossed the mark of 3 lakh installations, which is a clear example of the Yogi government's efficient monitoring and people-centric approach.

On the directions of the Yogi government, the Lucknow district administration, UPNEDA, and DISCOM teams worked day and night to complete 62,271 installations. This achievement of Lucknow is becoming an inspiration for other districts and is proving to be a milestone in taking solar energy to every household.

After Lucknow, Varanasi completed 26,208 installations, Kanpur Nagar 18,562, Bareilly 12,952, and Agra 11,033 installations. Districts like Prayagraj (9,719), Raebareli (8,616), Jhansi (7,674), Barabanki (6,477), and Gorakhpur (6,262) have also strengthened the scheme. By appointing POs in all 75 districts and doubling the monthly rate in 23 districts, inclusive development has been ensured.

Under the guidance of the Yogi government, the speed of installations has increased sixfold. While the first 2.5 lakh installations took 270 days, the last 50,000 were completed in just 43 days. This pace is providing free electricity, lower bills, and additional income benefits to lakhs of families. Uttar Pradesh is now among the top 3 states in solar energy, making CM Yogi's green development model a reality.
Dhaka, Dec 12 : At least three teachers of Dhaka University affiliated with the pro-Awami League teachers' panel "Neel Dal", were allegedly harassed and attacked by a group of students led by a Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU), local media reported.

The incident took place on Thursday afternoon on the campus shortly after the three teachers submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor's office, calling for the reinstatement of the teachers barred from taking classes.

A video clip widely shared on social media showed that AB Zubair, social welfare secretary of DUCSU, grabbing Abul Kashem Mohammad Jamal Uddin, convener of "Neel Dal", at the Faculty of Social Sciences building, as the professor tried to escape, with Zubair chasing him and attempting to block him from entering a car.

"We submitted a seven-point memorandum to the VC's office, including the demand for reinstating the teachers barred from taking classes. Afterwards, while having tea at the teachers' lounge, a group of students entered, called us accomplices of fascists, and said they would not let us leave," Bangladesh's leading newspaper The Daily Star quoted Jamal Uddin as saying.

He alleged that his sweater was pulled off during the scuffle and his bag, containing cheque books, bank cards, and journals, was snatched, adding that another teacher Azmal Hossain Bhuiyan of the Botany department faced harassment as well.

Expressing shock over the incident, Zeenat Huda, general secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers' Association, who was also harassed at the lounge of the Faculty of Social Sciences building, questioned, "How could such an incident involving teachers happen in broad daylight on a campus like Dhaka University?"

Meanwhile, the Dhaka University Teachers' Association strongly criticised the incident and called for the formation of an impartial investigation committee to ensure that those are held accountable.

Earlier, over 50 teachers from various departments of Dhaka University were declared "unwanted" after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus accused them of supporting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during last year's July demonstrations, local media reported.

In a clear case of political vendetta, the university administration also formed "fact-finding committees" while suspending these teachers from academic activities. However, even after several months, the teachers have not been able to return to the classrooms.

Reports suggest that several teachers and students in many universities across Bangladesh have been suspended indiscriminately after Yunus came to power.

Bangladesh has witnessed a deteriorating law and order situation and unsafe working conditions under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, with rising concerns over political interference, restrictions on academic freedom and attacks on those voicing dissent.
Photo: https://eurosolidarity.org/2025/12/12

The court has included in the case materials on the imposition of sanctions against the Member of Parliament, leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko, the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dated October 16, according to which sanctioned persons in Ukraine do not have sufficient opportunity to protect their rights and due procedural guarantees against arbitrariness during the judicial review of the decision to impose sanctions.

As reported on the website of the European Solidarity party on Friday, representatives of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Cabinet of Ministers tried to object to the inclusion of the ECHR decision in the case materials, but the court supported the motion of Poroshenko's side.

On Friday, the panel of judges of the Cassation Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court continues to consider Poroshenko's lawsuit against Zelenskyy to cancel the decree on the imposition of sanctions. Representatives of diplomatic missions, journalists and people's deputies are present in the courtroom.

Poroshenko's lawyers also attached to the case materials documents proving the identity of the formulations in publications about Poroshenko on resources related to Ukrainian politician and lawyer Andriy Portnov, killed in Spain on May 21, and in the justification of sanctions in the decree of the head of state.

Poroshenko claims that the ideologist of the introduction of sanctions against him was Portnov, and the Office of the President implemented his concept.

"Two weeks before the publications on sanctions, I, as the leader of "European Solidarity" and my political force, initiated a petition for the introduction of sanctions by President of Ukraine Zelensky against the state criminal Portnov... This petition very quickly gained the necessary 25,000. At the same time, we received threats from Portnov that he would take revenge and sanctions would be imposed against me," the politician said.

As reported, the murder of Portnov occurred in the suburbs of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcon on May 21. He was shot in the back as he was about to get into his Mercedes parked on the sidewalk. The Spanish National Police have announced a search for three people involved in the murder. The judge investigating Portnov's death has ruled to keep the investigation confidential.

On June 2, Iryna Gerashchenko, co-chair of the Eurosolidarity faction in the Verkhovna Rada, said that the faction had initiated the creation of a temporary investigative commission to investigate Portnov's influence on the judicial system and law enforcement agencies and expects representatives from all factions of the Ukrainian parliament to join this commission.

On February 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on the NSDC decision of February 12, 2025 "On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)." According to the appendix to the document, sanctions were imposed against five individuals: Poroshenko, Ihor Kolomoisky, former owner of the Finance and Credit bank Konstantin Zhevago, former co-owner of PrivatBank Gennady Boholiubov, and former MP Viktor Medvedchuk.

Poroshenko appealed the sanctions in the Supreme Court. On April 17, the court began considering the claim in the presence of people's deputies of Ukraine, as well as diplomats from the European Union mission, representatives of the embassies of Germany, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Lithuania, and Denmark. Poroshenko's representatives emphasize that the sanctions were imposed illegally as a citizen of Ukraine who is in the country, while only Russia considers him a "terrorist." Therefore, there are no grounds for sanctions under the law.
Washington, Dec 12 : As Diwali was included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Consulate General of India in Houston, United States, organised a vibrant event to mark the occasion.

The celebration was held in collaboration with BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and other Indo-American diaspora organisations in Houston.

Speaking on the occasion, Indian Consul General in Houston D.C. Manjunath highlighted the global significance of the recognition and Diwali's universal message of light, harmony, and goodwill.

"The celebration included lamp-lighting ceremony, cultural performances and a captivating light show, with active participation from diaspora members and elected officials," the Consulate General of India in Houston posted on X on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Indian Consulate General in Atlanta was illuminated in tribute, with diyas lit to celebrate the cultural recognition.

A total of 67 nominations submitted by nearly 80 countries, including India's Diwali, were examined during the week-long key session of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which began at Delhi's Red Fort on Monday.

Several Indian diplomatic missions worldwide also celebrated the occasion, marking the global recognition of one of India's foremost cultural and spiritual festivals.

In Lebanon, the Embassy of India in Beirut organised vibrant cultural performances as part of the celebrations.

Ambassador of India to Lebanon, Noor Rahman Sheikh, along with his wife, lit diyas to mark this special occasion and joined the community in celebrating the festival of Lights.

Earlier on Thursday, the Embassy of India in Chile organised an event at the Santiago Hindu Temple, illuminated with diyas, vibrant lights, devotional prayers and worship of various Hindu deities, symbolising the universal message of light over darkness and harmony over division.

"We thank the Indian community and friends of India in Chile for joining us in marking this global recognition of one of India's most cherished cultural traditions," the Indian Embassy in Chile posted on X.
Imphal, Dec 12 : President Droupadi Murmu, who is now on a two-day visit to Manipur, on Friday paid floral tributes at the Nupi Lal Memorial complex in Imphal on the occasion of the 86th Nupi Lal Day, which commemorates two women-led movements against the British policies.

The President also offered prayers at the Shree Govindaji temple at Palace Compound, located around two km from the Nupi Lal Memorial complex.

An official said that President Murmu offered floral tributes at the Nupi Lal Memorial Complex, paying heartfelt homage to the brave women warriors of Manipur whose courage continues to inspire generations. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who accompanied the President, also paid floral tributes at the memorial.

The Governor, in a message, said that this day, also popularly known as "Nupilan Numit", stands as a tribute to the extraordinary courage, resilience and patriotic sacrifices of the women of Manipur.

He said that the Nupi Lal movements of 1904 and 1939 remain shining chapters in our history where the women of Manipur rose with unmatched unity and spirit against injustice and exploitation. "Nupi Lal was not merely a protest but a powerful testimony of women's collective leadership and social consciousness. The brave mothers of Manipur transformed their pain into courage that culminated in a movement that continues to inspire generations. Their sacrifices remind us that the progress of any society lies in respecting and empowering its women," Bhalla said.

The Governor urged the people of Manipur to uphold the glorious legacy of Nupi Lal and continue to strive for a peaceful and harmonious society. "May the spirit of our brave mothers guide us towards a future of prosperity, unity and progress," he added.

The President later left Imphal for the Naga tribal-inhabited Senapati district in Manipur, where she will address a public function, during which she will lay foundation stones and inaugurate various projects for the district. This is her first visit to the ethnic violence-hit Northeastern state after becoming the President.

On Thursday, the President addressed a civic reception ceremony hosted in her honour by the Manipur government at the City Convention Centre. In the programme, she said that the people of Manipur had witnessed "unfortunate violence", and the Centre is fully aware of the hardships faced by them.

She said the Government of India stands firmly with every affected family in Manipur and that addressing the concerns of the people is the government's highest priority.

The President said the government is committed to strengthening harmony, ensuring security and supporting Manipur in its journey towards development. "The government has taken a series of steps to promote equitable development in Manipur and to ensure that progress reaches every corner of the state," President Murmu had said.

Before the civic reception, the President witnessed a polo exhibition match at the historic Imphal Polo Ground (known as Mapal Kangjeibung), which is regarded as one of the oldest polo grounds in the world.

President Murmu, on Thursday, also met and interacted with a few Internally Displaced Persons in Imphal.

"She assured that the government stands with them at all times to address their needs. She affirmed that the government is working to secure their homes, livelihoods, and the future of their children. She further assured them that the Government of India is taking necessary measures to facilitate their progress towards an environment of peace and sustained prosperity. She also impressed upon them the need to strengthen harmony," said a post on the President of India X handle.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hyderabad, Dec 12 : The ruling Congress on Friday swept the first phase of Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana, winning more than half of 4,236 Sarpanch posts.

Candidates backed by Congress bagged 2,319 Sarpanch posts, including those elected unopposed.

Though the elections were fought on a non-party basis, the results show that Congress-backed candidates swept the polls in the majority of Gram Panchayats.

Main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was in second position, bagging 1,159 Sarpanch posts. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was distant third with 188 posts. Others and independents were elected in 534 Gram Panchayats.

While 396 Sarpanches were elected unanimously, the polling was held for 3,834 Sarpanch posts in 31 districts on Thursday.

Barring Siddipet and Kumaram Bheem districts, the Congress secured a majority in all the districts.

The ruling party secured a clear majority in Nalgonda, Khammam, Medak, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Warangal, Adilabad, Surypapet, Karimnagar, Kamareddy, Jangaon, Nagakurnool, Narayanpet, Nizamabad, Nirmal, Peddalli, and Manechrial, Rajanna Sircilla, Vikarabad, Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, and Jagtial districts.

BRS-backed candidates bagged the majority in Siddipet and Kumaram Bheem.

The BRS gave a tough fight to Congress in districts like Mahabubabad, Mahabubnagar, Wanaparthy, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Sangareddy, Rangareddy, and Hanumakonda.

According to the State Election Commission, 84.28 per cent polling was recorded. Polling began at 7 a.m. and ended at 1 p.m. for 3,834 Sarpanch posts and 27,628 Ward Member posts.

A total of 12,960 candidates were in the fray for Sarpanch posts, while 65,455 candidates competed for the Ward Member posts. More than 56 lakh voters were eligible to cast their votes at 37,562 polling centres spread across 189 mandals.

The counting of votes was taken up from 2 p.m. and continued past midnight. In Gram Panchayats where the margin of victory was one or two votes, recounting was taken up.

The poll notification was issued for 4,326 Sarpanch posts and 37,440 Ward Member posts. No nomination was filed for 5 Sarpanch posts and 169 Ward Member posts.

Sarpanches for 396 Gram Panchayats and 9,633 Ward Members were elected unanimously.

Courts had granted a stay for elections to one Gram Panchayat and 10 Ward Members.

A total of 56,19,430 electorate, comprising 27,41,070 males and 28,78,159 females, were eligible to cast their votes in the first phase. According to the SEC, 45,15,141 voters exercised their franchise.

Over one lakh polling staff were on duty. In 3,461 Gram Panchayats, direct webcasting had been arranged to ensure real-time monitoring of the polling process.

More than 50,000 police personnel were deployed to ensure peaceful polling.

Reacting to the poll results, state Congress President Mahesh Kumar Goud said they reflect peopleas confidence in the Congress government.

As per the notification issued by the State Election Commission last month, the panchayat elections were to be held in three phases on December 11, 14, and 17 for 12,728 Sarpanch posts and 1,12,242 Ward Member posts.

A total of 1.66 crore votes in rural areas are eligible to cast their votes in these elections.

The Telangana Cabinet last month decided to conduct only Gram Panchayat elections in December as the Rs 3,000 crore grant, which should come from the Centre, will lapse by March 31, 2026.

Elections for Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), and municipal corporations will be held after the High Court's final orders on 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs).

In October, the High Court struck down a government order providing 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies but allowed conduct of the elections with a 50 per cent cap on total reservation for all sections.

The SEC has provided 17.08 per cent reservation in Gram Panchayats for BCs. Out of the total 12,735 Gram Panchayats, 2,176 have been reserved for BCs.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday raised the crisis of air pollution in the Lok Sabha, urging the government to formulate a comprehensive, time-bound strategy to improve air quality across Indian cities.

"Most of our cities are covered under a blanket of poisonous air. Millions of children are suffering from lung diseases, people are getting cancer, and the elderly are struggling to breathe," Gandhi said, highlighting the severe health impact of toxic air.

He noted that the issue commands unanimous concern across party lines.

"There is full agreement between the government and the opposition on this issue," he said, offering full cooperation in developing a joint action plan.

Gandhi demanded an immediate discussion in Parliament, adding, "The Prime Minister should present a plan for every city outlining how, in the next five or ten years, we can make significant progress -- even if the problem cannot be fully resolved at once."

Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 331 at 7 a.m., placing the city once again in the 'very poor' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Jahangirpuri emerged as the worst-affected locality in the national capital with an AQI of 405, pushing it into the 'severe' zone.

Earlier in the day, the Congress convened a meeting of its Lok Sabha MPs at the Parliament House Annexe Extension Building, chaired by Rahul Gandhi. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor was conspicuous by his absence.

During the meeting, Gandhi was briefed on various organisational matters. Party leaders asserted that he had "exposed the truth of vote theft before the entire world" and urged MPs to remain vigilant and cohesive as the party prepares for a large mobilisation in the national capital.

Rahul Gandhi stressed the importance of the Congress' upcoming rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday (December 14), calling it "historic" and central to the fight for free, fair and transparent elections. MPs were instructed to ensure strong participation and to present themselves.

The meeting also began with a two-minute silence to pay homage to former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who passed away earlier in the morning. Leaders remembered Patil as a dignified, principled and committed public servant whose contributions to national politics would be long remembered.
Seoul, Dec 12 : South Korea and the United States are likely to launch a regular consultative meeting as early as next week to strengthen their coordination on North Korea policy, diplomatic sources said Friday, as the allies explore ways to reengage Pyongyang.

Diplomatic authorities in Seoul and Washington are arranging for Jeong Yeon-doo, Vice Minister for Intelligence and North Korea's nuclear issues at the foreign ministry, and acting US Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim to inaugurate the regular consultative meeting next week, the sources said, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The date is likely to be next Tuesday, although no final decision has been made.

Seoul and Washington have reportedly reached a consensus on the need for such a regular channel to enable timely consultations on North Korea-related issues, as a closely coordinated policy stance has become more important than ever, with both countries seeking to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

Once the meeting is launched, it is expected to focus on fine-tuning the pace and direction of the allies' North Korea policy, especially as the Lee Jae Myung administration gears up for full-fledged peace-making efforts toward North Korea starting next year.

On December 9, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said that South Korea and the United States are in discussions to hold a regular meeting on coordinating the allies' policy on North Korea.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il made the remarks in a regular press briefing, saying working-level talks have been underway for months to hash out the details of the proposed meeting.

"Through the meeting, we plan to discuss overall policy toward North Korea, including ways to bring the North back to the dialogue table," Park said.

Seoul and Washington have reportedly reached a consensus on the need to have such a regular channel to enable timely consultations on North Korea-related issues. However, the two sides are not considering setting up a permanent consultative body, according to officials.

The move comes as the Lee Jae Myung administration seeks to mend frayed ties with North Korea and resume dialogue despite Pyongyang's silence toward Seoul's peace overtures.

US President Donald Trump has expressed his intent to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to resume stalled diplomacy.

Acting US Ambassador Kim reaffirmed Monday that the "complete denuclearisation" of North Korea remains the policy shared with South Korea, after the phrase was absent from a new US security strategy document.
Mumbai, Dec 12 : Actress Kirti Kulhari has described being part of "Four More Shots Please! Season 4" as the most meaningful experience of her career.

Mumbai, Dec 12 (IANS) Actress Kirti Kulhari has described being part of "Four More Shots Please! Season 4" as the most meaningful experience of her career.

The actress opened up about how the show allowed her to explore new dimensions of her craft while portraying a character that is bold, vulnerable, and deeply relatable. On Friday, the makers shared the trailer of Prime Video's upcoming show on social media with the caption, "pouring the trailer onto your feed #FourMoreShotsPleaseOnPrime, Final Season, Dec 19."

The stellar cast returns with Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari, Bani J, and Maanvi Gagroo in lead roles, joined by Prateik Babbar, Smita Patil, Lisa Ray, Rajeev Siddhartha, Ankur Rathee, and Milind Soman reprising their characters. This season also sees new additions to the ensemble, including Dino Morea, Anasuya Sengupta, and Kunaal Roy Kapur, as the beloved quartet gets back into action.

Speaking about her role, Kirti shared in a statement, "Being a part of Four More Shots Please! has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. Anjana's journey  her strength, her flaws, her evolution  resonated with so many women across the world, and that love has carried us through four beautiful seasons. As we wrap this final chapter, my heart is full. This show became bigger than just a story. It became a voice. And that's only because the fans held us, celebrated us, and kept us going from day one."

Sayani Gupta added, "It's rare for a show to touch lives so deeply, and Four More Shots Please! did that because fans embraced these four women exactly as they were  messy, brave, vulnerable, loud, loving, and real women with agency and distinct voices."

Talking about her character Siddhi, Maanvi mentioned, "Four More Shots Please! didn't just give me a character. It gave me a tribe. From the very first season, Siddhi found a place in people's hearts, and that connection is something I continue to cherish deeply. Every woman who saw a bit of her younger self in Siddhi made this journey worth it. This season is a celebration of the fans who have grown with us, supported us, and continue to love us unconditionally."

"Umang has lived loudly. Loved loudly. Broken loudly. And rebuilt herself loudly. Fans embraced all her shades right from the beginning, and that love only grew stronger with every season. This finale is our way of giving back to everyone who rooted for this girl gang, who partied with them, cried with them, and celebrated with them," stated Bani J.

Produced by Pritish Nandy Communications and created by Rangita Pritish Nandy and Ishita Pritish Nandy, the final season of this International Emmy-nominated original series is directed by Arunima Sharma and Neha Parti Matiyani.

"Four More Shots Please! Season 4" will from December 19 on Prime Video.
Quetta, Dec 12 : Another Baloch student was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in Balochistan amid an increasing wave of enforced disappearance across the province, a leading human rights organisation said on Friday.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned on December 7, Noor Bakhsh, a student and resident of Killi Qambrani, Saryab area in the provincial capital Quetta, was forcibly taken from his home by Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department.

Highlighting atrocities in Balochistan, the rights body on Thursday stated that at least three Baloch civilians, including two students, had fallen victim to enforced disappearance at the hands of CTD from the same region in Quetta.

Paank revealed that on December 6, Aftab Baloch, a student, was abducted by the CTD. Additionally, on December 7, another student, Ibrar Qambrani, and a labourer, Ali Dost Qambrani, were forcibly taken from their respective homes by the CTD.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, addressing a seminar marking International Human Rights Day, Sabiha Baloch, Central Leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), said that while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly guarantees fundamental rights to all, the people of Balochistan are denied even the basic right to life.

She stressed that in times of severe oppression by Pakistani authorities, Baloch people must "preserve their ideology, spread awareness, and strengthen unity starting from their families and communities".

According to Sabiha, Pakistan uses violence, fear, tribal conflicts, and narcotics to suppress the Baloch people in their struggle against human rights abuses.

She highlighted that Pakistani authorities have imprisoned BYC members for nine months on "fabricated charges", while continuing enforced disappearances, torture, night raids, and forced displacements across Balochistan.

Sabiha urged society to expose and socially boycott those collaborating with the Pakistan-backed death squad, accusing them of dividing the community and aiding oppression.

Concluding the session, she called on all segments of Baloch society to work collectively to end violence and genocide, raise their voices for the disappeared, and continue resistance until the Baloch regain "unity, humanity, and control over their land".
New Delhi, Dec 12 : BJP MPs on Friday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for hosting a special dinner for all National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Members of Parliament at his official residence in the national capital, describing the gathering as warm, personal, and unprecedented.

The dinner, held on Thursday evening, marked one of the most significant interactions between the Prime Minister and alliance MPs following the NDA's victory in the Bihar Assembly elections.

Recalling the event, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma expressed admiration for the Prime Minister's personal touch. "It was an extraordinary gesture. Just like a guardian of the house inquires about each member's well-being, the Prime Minister showed deep concern for the MPs," he said, adding that many lawmakers felt genuinely appreciated.

BJP MP Biplab Kumar Deb echoed similar sentiments, highlighting how the event made many MPs feel honoured. "It is our privilege. Many of us are MPs who have never had a meal at the Prime Minister's house. But this time, many, many of us went, had tea, and dined with the Prime Minister. Everyone enjoyed it," he said.

The dinner was earlier planned during the previous Parliament session but had been postponed due to the devastating floods in Punjab. With preparations revived this week, the gathering saw full attendance from all NDA MPs, according to sources. Senior Union Ministers were entrusted with overseeing coordination for MPs from their respective regions to ensure smooth arrangements.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar coordinated with MPs from Odisha and West Bengal, while Union Minister Kiren Rijiju handled arrangements for legislators from the Northeastern states.

Nearly 54 tables were set up for the occasion, each accommodating eight MPs from different alliance partners alongside BJP MPs.

In a unique format designed to encourage interaction, a Union Minister was seated at every table. Prime Minister Modi also moved from table to table, spending time with MPs across the venue -- something many leaders described as a memorable and warm gesture.
Patna, Dec 12 : As part of its ongoing crackdown on corruption in Bihar, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) was conducting simultaneous raids at six locations in Patna and Gopalganj on Friday.

The locations are linked to Bhavesh Kumar Singh, the Development Officer of the Pataliputra Central Cooperative Bank.

Singh is accused of possessing assets 60.68 per cent disproportionate to his known sources of income.

A DSP-rank officer is leading the operation, which involves scrutiny of income-related documents, property papers, bank accounts, and suspicious financial transactions.

According to ADG EOU Nayyar Hasnain Khan, preliminary investigations confirmed a substantial mismatch between Singhas declared income and the assets he acquired, prompting the extensive raid.

The EOU team is examining land deeds, flat purchase documents, bank statements, and investment records.

Several important leads have reportedly surfaced in the initial phase, and investigators believe that certain banking-related transactions may require deeper examination.

EOU will provide details about the seizures after the raids are completed.

This action has caused a stir within the department, as more officials may come under scrutiny in the coming days.

The raid signals the EOUas clear intent to intensify strict and decisive action against corruption in the state.

After the formation of the new government in Bihar and Samrat Choudhary taking charge as the state Home Minister, the crackdown on illegal wealth accumulated by government officers has intensified.

Samrat Chaudhary said that the good governance model established by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be further strengthened, with technology-driven policing as a top priority.

Reiterating the government's zero-tolerance stance, he stated that no mafia -- regardless of their level or influence -- will be spared in Bihar.

The Economic Offences Unit (EOU), an elite investigative agency of the Bihar Police, has become highly active in cases related to financial irregularities, cybercrime, and paper leak rackets, carrying out swift and targeted actions across the state.
Seoul, Dec 12 : Google Korea said on Friday it has appointed Yoon Koo, also known as Brandon Yoon, as its new head.

Yoon will serve as country managing director starting Jan. 5 and will oversee the company's advertising sales operations, according to Google Korea, reports Yonhap news agency.

He is widely regarded as an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the Korean and US information technology (IT) and digital transformation sectors, having held leadership roles at Microsoft Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Korea.

"We expect Yoon's extensive experience and leadership to help accelerate Google Korea's future growth momentum," Google Korea said.

Yoon said he would work to expand Google's artificial intelligence (AI) presence in Korea, which he described as one of the world's most dynamic and innovative markets.

"My mission is clear: to ensure Google is a true partner in Korea's success," he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

"We will aggressively leverage the momentum of Gemini and AI to democratize growth, foster innovation, and empower our strategic customers spanning global conglomerates, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and start-ups to achieve their greatest ambitions."

Meanwhile, Google will launch a cheaper version of its YouTube Premium subscription without its music streaming component in South Korea, the country's antitrust watchdog said Thursday, following months of investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices.

The move is part of a self-proposed corrective measure agreed upon by the U.S. tech giant and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), which has been probing the company over suspicions that bundling YouTube Music with YouTube Premium violated fair trade rules.

Under the decision, Google will introduce YouTube Premium Lite, a video-only subscription that includes advertisement removal, background playback and offline viewing services, the FTC said. Existing YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscriptions will continue to be available.

YouTube Premium Lite is expected to be priced at 8,500 won ($5.80) per month for Android and web users and 10,900 won per month for iOS users, the FTC said. YouTube Premium currently costs 14,900 won, while YouTube Music is offered separately for 11,990 won per month.
Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who visited the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kupyansk direction on Friday, has stressed the importance of "achieving results on the front so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy."

"Today is the Kupyansk direction, our soldiers who are achieving results for Ukraine here. Many Russians have talked about Kupyansk - we see. I was there, I congratulated the guys. Thank you to every unit, everyone who is fighting here, everyone who is destroying the occupier," Zelenskyy said on Telegram. .

According to the President of Ukraine, "today it is extremely important to achieve results on the front so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. This is how it works: all our strong positions inside the country are strong positions in the conversation about ending the war."

"Thank you to every soldier! I am proud of you! Thank you to all our Land Forces - today is exclusively your day. Thank you, guys," Zelenskyy said.

Earlier, the DeepState OSINT project reported on the blocking and cutting off of the enemy garrison in Kupyansk from the main forces. The defense forces continue to identify and destroy the enemy in the central part of the city, where they still have several enclaves.

The project's maps show a liberated territory of 40.21 sq km. Most of the city and the village of Holubivka are in the "gray zone." Three enclaves under enemy control with a total area of 0.39 sq km are also marked in the city.
Kabul, Dec 12 : Two people have been confirmed dead while six others were injured after a passenger car fell into a ravine in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province, local police said.

The accident occurred on Thursday in the Kordar area of Wama district when the vehicle veered off the road due to a technical failure and plunged into a deep ravine, provincial police spokesman Ahmad Bashir Barakzada told Xinhua.

On Wednesday, local police said that at least two commuters were killed and 16 others were injured in multiple traffic accidents reported across Afghanistan over the past 24 hours.

In northern Baghlan province's Dushi district, a head-on collision between two vehicles claimed one life and left four people injured. In eastern Wardak province, two separate incidents resulted in one fatality and five injuries.

Seven people sustained injuries in another crash in the Hazrat Sultan district of northern Samangan province. Authorities attributed the accidents primarily to reckless driving, warning that driver negligence on overcrowded and poorly maintained roads continues to claim lives, Xinhua News Agency reported.

On December 8, at least two passengers lost their lives, and 20 others sustained injuries when a bus overturned in northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province, local police reported.

The incident occurred in the Ali Abad district along the highway linking northern Badakhshan province to the capital Kabul late on December 8, and was caused by reckless driving, provincial police spokesman Jumaddin Khaksar said.

Police and emergency services quickly responded, transporting the injured to nearby health centres for treatment, Khaksar added.

The crash follows another fatal accident earlier in the week. On Wednesday, four commuters were killed and two others injured after their vehicle plunged into a river in northern Badakhshan province.

Thousands of people die in traffic accidents across Afghanistan each year, often due to reckless driving, overloaded vehicles, poor road conditions, lack of traffic signs, and dilapidated highways.

On December 4, one commuter was killed, and 12 others were injured when two cars collided with each other in eastern Afghanistan's Laghman province, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Yunus Yusufzai said.

Blaming reckless driving for the accident, the official added that three women were among the injured, some in critical condition.

On November 23, a road accident killed 10 people and injured more than 10 in Afghanistan's western Herat province, the statement of the provincial police office said.

A crash occurred along the Herat-Kandahar highway, one of the country's busiest routes connecting the western and southern regions, according to the statement.

A car collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle, killing 10 commuters and injuring over 10 others.
Kolkata, Dec 12 : West Bengal Police on Thursday night arrested a youth in Kolkata for allegedly assaulting his mother, stripping her, and abandoning her in a North Kolkata red-light area, following a domestic dispute, police said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as Bhaskar Dhar, who lived with his mother and younger sister at their home in Baranagar in the northern part of the city. His sister is a college student.

According to the complaint, the incident grew out of an argument on Tuesday evening. The mother told the police that Bhaskar brought an escort to the house and intended to spend time with her inside the house. She objected strongly, saying such behaviour was unacceptable and would disturb the household. His younger sister also protested, saying it would affect the atmosphere of the home. The objections led to a heated quarrel.

"The argument soon intensified, and Bhaskar turned violent. The accused first thrashed his mother, forcibly removed her saree, and then recorded it on his mobile phone," the police official said, quoting her complaint.

The complaint stated that he then forced her out of the house, took her to a red-light area in Kolkata and left her there. The police official said the mother also told them that before abandoning her, Bhaskar threatened to hand her over to a brothel owner.

The gruesome incident occurred late on Tuesday night. The woman managed to return to her house on Wednesday morning. She was distressed and in poor condition when neighbours found her. She was taken to a nearby government hospital for treatment.

After being discharged from the hospital on Thursday, she went to the local police station and narrated the ordeal that she faced. The police said she was in tears while recounting what happened and that the nature of the complaint shocked the investigators.

Following her statement, the police arrested Bhaskar on Thursday night. Further investigation is underway, and officers said they would examine the mobile phone recordings mentioned in the complaint and speak to other family members and neighbours to establish the sequence of events.
Mumbai, Dec 12 : Mom-to-be Sonam Kapoor is turning heads this wedding season with her stylish and elegant look.

Flaunting her baby bump in a chic ensemble, the actress radiated grace and confidence, giving a glimpse of her radiant maternity glow. On Friday, Sonam, who is pregnant with her second child, took to her Instagram handle and shared a couple of her stylish photos. In the images, the 'Neerja' star can be seen wearing a chic golden outfit paired with a multicoloured shrug. She completed her look with a heavy golden neckpiece and matching earrings.

Sonam styled her hair in a neat bun and opted for subtle makeup. The mom-to-be enhanced her look with kohl-rimmed eyes, mascara, blush, and a nude lipstick. Sharing her glamorous shots, Sonam simply wrote, "In full bloom for wedding season." The Sanju actress also shared the details of her look, revealing that she was styled by her sister, Rhea Kapoor.

A few days ago, Sonam Kapoor proudly showcased her baby bump in an elegant black Banarasi saree. The actress also posted her photos on Instagram, writing, "Last evening, I had a wonderful time exploring the thoughtfully curated @swadesh_online store, created with such impeccable taste and finesse. A truly beautiful retail experience. All my love and heartfelt congratulations to Nita Aunty."

"I'm proud to drape a Banarasi creation by Swadesh that honours the timeless artistry of the Kadhwa weaving tradition. What resonates most with me is the mastery of the craftsmen, their precision, heritage, and commitment woven into every thread."

On the personal front, Sonam Kapoor is expecting her second child with husband Anand Ahuja. She took to social media to share the happy news, accompanied by a series of stylish photos. Flaunting her baby bump, the 'Khoobsurat' actress simply wrote "MOTHER."

The 40-year-old actress tied the knot with Ahuja in an intimate Punjabi wedding ceremony in May 2018. The couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Vayu Kapoor Ahuja, in August 2022.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has said Kolhapuri chappal exports could become a $1 billionaaayear opportunity, following an agreement between Italian fashion house Prada and two governmentarun corporations to produce limitedaedition, Kolhapuriainspired sandals in India.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has said Kolhapuri chappal exports could become a $1 billiona'aa'year opportunity, following an agreement between Italian fashion house Prada and two governmenta'run corporations to produce limiteda'edition, Kolhapuria'inspired sandals in India.

"I was very happy when I heard about the collaboration between Prada and our Kolhapuri chappal manufacturers," Goyal said.

The minister said that he often wondered, "why Kolhapuri chappals, with their beautiful, intricate designs and handwork, bright colours, comfort, and unique way of presentation, should not become a global brand".

"I am happy that Prada has picked that up and that we will now be able to offer the Kolhapuri brand, the Kolhapuri designs, to the rest of the world," he said.

"I had always envisaged Kolhapuri chappals to be able to do an export of Rs 1 billion from India. And that is the potential that I would like both sides to collaborate and work towards," Goyal added.

Goyal, speaking after a meeting with Italyas Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, said the target was possible, as once one gets used to wearing Kolhapuri chappals, "you will not want anything else."

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai with LIDCOM (Sant Rohidas Leather Industries and Charmakar Development Corporation) and LIDKAR (Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation).

Prada's technical team conducted a technical visit to Kolhapur to evaluate traditional production processes and meet artisans and cooperative heads.

Pradaas Kolhapuri sandal collection is slated for a February 2026 debut across 40 select Prada stores and its ea'commerce platform.

Earlier this year, Prada drew criticism for selling Kolhapuria'style sandals at Rs 1.2 lakh without crediting artisans, and the company later dispatched its officials to India.

Goyal reiterated Indiaas commitment to a free trade agreement with the EU, adding that the country seeks deeper industrial and economic ties with Italy across R&D, technology, defence, textiles, agriculture, and food processing.
Mumbai, Dec 12 : Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella on Friday unveiled 'MahaCrimeOS AI' here, which is a pioneering AI and Azure-powered platform for accelerating cybercrime investigations.

MahaCrimeOS AI is designed to augment officers with AI tools so they can resolve cases faster and more efficiently, combining human expertise with responsible innovation.

This initiative empowers law enforcement to accelerate cybercrime investigations and sets a new benchmark for digital safety in India, as the country faces a surge in cybercrime with over 3.6 million incidents reported in 2024 as per National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

The platform has been developed by CyberEye, innovators in cutting-edge technologies of Cyber Security and IoT and a Partner ISV of Microsoft, with the Maharashtra government's Special Purpose Vehicle MARVEL, and Microsoft India Development Center (IDC).

Currently live in 23 Nagpur police stations, MahaCrimeOS AI was recognised by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who proposed its future expansion to all 1,100 police stations across Maharashtra.

"The vision behind creating MARVEL is to build a platform that partners with global deep-technology leaders to develop AI copilots that can fundamentally transform the way we govern. Our collaboration with Microsoft began with solving complex cybercrime challenges, but its potential is far greater," said Fadnavis.

MahaCrimeOS AI is built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Foundry, integrating advanced AI assistants, automated workflows, and secure cloud infrastructure.

With built-in access to India's criminal laws through integrated AI RAG and open-source intelligence, MahaCrimeOS AI helps investigators link cases, analyze digital evidence, and respond to threats faster and more effectively.

"By combining the scale of Microsoft Azure with cutting-edge AI capabilities, we're empowering every officer in Maharashtra to investigate faster, smarter, and more securely," said Puneet Chandok, President, Microsoft India and South Asia.

The proposed statewide expansionchampioned by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnaviswill enable police stations across Maharashtra to digitally register and investigate cybercrimes using standardized, AI-powered workflows.

Harssh Poddar, Superintendent of Police, Nagpur Rural and CEO of MARVEL, said: "MahaCrimeOS AI is redefining how we fight cybercrimeturning complexity into clarity and speed. This platform is not just about faster investigations; it's about building trust, setting new standards for governance, and creating a model that can scale across India."

Ram Ganesh, Founder and CEO, CyberEye, said that by leveraging Microsoft's technology capabilities, "we are helping law enforcement create India's digital shield  empowering them to protect citizens faster and with confidence."
Mumbai, Dec 12 : Veteran actor-host Shekhar Suman recently shared his awe for the breathtaking beauty of Arunachal Pradesh.

In a heartfelt post, the actor described the tranquil hills, the soul-stirring silence, and the majestic mountains that make the region so enchanting. Shekhar called the experience overwhelmingly pure and rejuvenating. Taking to his Instagram handle, Shekhar shared a candid image of himself, sitting on a quiet, empty road while striking a pose for the camera.

For the caption, he wrote, "The tranquility of the hills, the soulful silence that surrounds you, the abject purity of breath that reconnects you to life, the grandeur of the mountains that embraces you. Arunachal Pradesh's beauty is overwhelmingly majestic and soul-stirring."

Over the past few days, Shekhar Suman has been in Arunachal Pradesh, sharing glimpses of his trip on Instagram. He recently posted a video of himself singing, highlighting the joy of an impromptu celebration after his play. In the post, he cherished the moments of camaraderie, music, and laughter with fellow artists and friends.

He wrote, "Post our performance of our play Ek Mulaqaat at the Itanagar international theatre festival in Arunachal Pradesh.An impromptu.bonfire party of mirth,merriment and singing.Memorable evening.Thank you Rekin and all your colleagues and friends."

The 'Dekh Bhai Dekh' actor also shared another video from his play, captioning it, "Thank you Huma & Sanjeev Saraf, Thank you Jashne Rekhta for giving us the platform to perform. Thank you Saif Hyder Hasan for giving me Ghalib. Thank you Delhi for a thunderous response.For the applause and standing ovation. This play reading was prepared in less than a day.Thank you Sandeep Soparkar, Bobby Vats, Tripti Mishra, for playing Zauq,Zafar and Umrao Begum #Jashn e Rekhta # Delhi #Mirza Ghalib# Hue mar ke hum jo ruswa."

On the professional front, Shekhar Suman was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's OTT series "Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar," where he played the role of powerful and sophisticated character Nawab Zulfikar Ahmed.
Kochi Dec 12 : In a tense and emotionally charged courtroom in Kochi, the six convicts in the 2017 actress assault case made last-minute pleas for leniency on Friday, just hours before the trial court is set to pronounce their sentence.

The convicts were brought to court around 11:30 a.m., each presenting personal circumstances in an attempt to win the court's sympathy.

First accused Pulsar Suni, identified by the court as the central figure behind the attack, told Judge Honey M. Varghese that only his mother is at home and that he alone is responsible for her care.

Suni, however, remained expressionless as he addressed the court.

The second accused, Martin, broke down in tears, repeatedly insisting that he was innocent. "I have not committed any crime. I have been in jail for a mistake I never made. Please give me a lighter sentence," he pleaded, recalling that he was the first to be arrested in the case.

The third accused, Manikandan, said he had never knowingly committed any wrongdoing and requested compassion, citing his wife, daughter, and son.

The fourth accused, Vijeesh, asked the court to consider his family background and appealed for a reduced sentence.

He also requested to be lodged in Kannur jail since he hails from Thalassery.

The fifth accused, Vadival Salim, said he had done nothing wrong and that he has a wife and a three-year-old daughter.

The sixth accused, Pradeep, spoke through tears as he too asked the court for leniency.

Across the board, the convicts attempted to secure sympathy by highlighting their family responsibilities.

After hearing them, the court asked whether punishment should not be proportionate to each person's involvement.

Judge Varghese underscored that if conspiracy is proven, all involved bear responsibility.

"The real culprit is Pulsar Suni. The others were part of the crime," the court observed. The judge further noted the gravity of the offence, stressing that Pulsar Suni had failed to recognise the survivor's helplessness and that the case concerned "the dignity of a woman."

The proceedings opened with a stern warning from the judge to the media, cautioning against any action that undermines the dignity of the court.

The sentencing of all six guilty will be delivered later in the day.

In this case, actor Dileep, the eighth accused, was discharged along with three others.

On Friday, Dileep approached the Court seeking the return of his passport, which was in their custody since he was arrested and spent nearly three months in jail in 2017.
Hyderabad, Dec 12 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has condoled the demise of former Union Home Minister, former Lok Sabha Speaker and veteran Congress leader Shivraj Patil.

The Chief Minister said in his condolence message that he is deeply saddened by the passing away of Shivraj Patil.

Shivraj Patil's demise is a profound loss to the country and the Congress party, the Chief Minister said. He conveyed his deep sympathies to the bereaved family members.

CM Revanth Reddy remembered that Shivraj Patil started career as a local body representative and was elected as MP seven times besides serving as Punjab Governor.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President B. Mahesh Kumar Goud said that he was deeply pained by the demise of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil.

The TPCC chief said that Shivraj Pati's dedicated services in the Cabinets of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh will be remembered forever. Heartfelt condolences to his family and well-wishers. May his soul rest in peace, Mahesh Kumar Goud said.

Minister for Information Technology and Industries D. Sridhar Babu said that Shivraj Patil's passing is a deep loss to Indian public life.

"As former Union Home Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker and Governor of Punjab, he served the nation with dignity and unwavering commitment. Leaders like him strengthened institutions through quiet integrity and responsible public service. My heartfelt condolences to his family and all who were inspired by his long and distinguished career," Sridhar Babu posted on X.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil ji. His long and remarkable journey in public life, including the key roles he played in the Cabinets of Indira Gandhi ji, Rajiv Gandhi ji, and Dr Manmohan Singh ji, will always be remembered with respect," said Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar.

"His demise is a profound loss to the Congress Party and to the nation. I pray for eternal peace for his soul. My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members and well-wishers," he added.

Shivraj Patil passed away in his hometown, Latur, in Maharashtra, on Friday morning. Patil, 90, died at his residence 'Devghar' after a brief illness, family sources said.

He is survived by his son, Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana, who is a BJP leader, and two granddaughters.
Mumbai, Dec 12 : Actress Nushrratt Bharuccha, who is known to always speak her mind, shared her views on ambition and being labeled as an "opportunist." Mumbai, Dec 12 (IANS) Actress Nushrratt Bharuccha, who is known to always speak her mind, shared her views on ambition and being labeled as an "opportunist."

Addressing an event, Nushrratt accepted the label head on; however, she reframed its meaning with honesty and maturity.

The 'Dream Girl' actress was heard saying, "I'm an opportunist too. If I get an offer for a film I genuinely want to do, then why not? Of course, I'll go and say, 'Yes, I want to do it.' Everyone stands in line for a reason  because they want something. And that's not a bad thing."

She pointed out that being an opportunist has an unnecessary negative connotation attached to it.

"Being an opportunist isn't wrong, but your actions while walking that path should be responsible. Only you know that, or you learn it over time. I've learned from my experiences, and if my values, my perception, and my thoughts feel right to me, then they are right for me," she added.

Work-wise, Nushrratt was last seen in G. Ashok's "Ufff Yeh Siyapaa".

A unique comedy of errors shares the journey of Kesari Lal Singh (Played by Sohum Shah), a sheepish common man, who lands in a spiraling mess when his wife, Pushpa (Played by Nushrratt), leaves him - convinced he's been flirting with their neighbor, Kamini (Played by Nora Fatehi).

Nushrratt made her Bollywood debut with Jai Santoshi Maa in 2006.

Later, she went on to make a name for herself in the industry with releases such as "Love Sex Aur Dhokha", "Pyaar Ka Punchnama", "Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2", "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety", and "Dream Girl".

Expanding her horizons, Nushrratt recently has been exploring different genres with her movies such as "Chhorii", "Janhit Mein Jaari", "Ram Setu", "Akelli", "Ajeeb Daastaans", "Chhalaang", and "Chhorrii 2".
Tokyo, Dec 12 : India's Ambassador-designate to Japan Nagma Mohamad Mallick on Friday met Special Advisor to Japanese PM, Uno Yoshimasa, and discussed opportunities for bilateral collaboration.

"Ambassador-designate H.E. Ms. Nagma M. Mallick met, Special Advisor to Prime Minister of Japan H.E. Uno Yoshimasa, and discussed opportunities for India-Japan collaboration", the Indian Embassy in Japan stated on X.

Mallick had also held a meeting with Yamaguchi Governor Tsugimasa Muraoka and Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly Speaker Shungaku Yanai on Wednesday and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties, with a focus on Yamaguchi Prefecture.

"Also present at the meeting were Honourable members of Prefectural Assembly Kenji Niki, Kenjiro Nishimoto, and Shinji Sakamoto, who are office bearers of the India-ASEAN regional Friendship and Economic Exchange Promotion League. They discussed ways to strengthen India-Japan ties, especially with a focus on Yamaguchi Prefecture," the mission said on X.

The Indian Embassy, along with the Yamaguchi prefecture, also organised a business seminar in Yamaguchi to "enlighten the participants on Indiaas robust growth trajectory and opportunities for synergy between India and Yamaguchi", it said.

In her opening remarks, Mallick spoke about areas of complementarity between Yamaguchi and India, while Governor Muroka highlighted the steps taken by the Embassy to organise this outreach event, it added.

"The speaker of the Prefecture Assembly, Shungaku Yanai, spoke about the newly formed India-Japan friendship association in Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly. A business presentation on 'Business Environment and Investment Opportunities in India' was made by Ms Debjani Chakrabarti, Minister ( Economic and Commerce) from the Embassy of India. Mr Haranobu Hara from the Global Strategy Team ( South Asia) Planning Division JETRO made a presentation on 'Indiaas business environment and trends among Japanese Companies'," the mission said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy and members of the Indian community on Thursday celebrated the inscription of Deepavali in the UNESCO representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

"Deepavali Goes Global! Team Indian Embassy in Tokyo and the Indian diaspora in Japan celebrated the inscription of Deepavali in the UNESCOas representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Shri R Madhu Sudan, Deputy Chief of Mission, addressed the gathering. The celebrations included cultural performances by members of Indian diaspora," the embassy posted on X.

UNESCO announced the development on its official X handle on Wednesday, stating: "BREAKING. New inscription on the Intangible Heritage List: Deepavali, India. Congratulations!"
Photo: https://t.me/vitaliy_klitschko/5852

The second Kyiv Military Hub, where veterans and servicemen will be able to receive all basic services and assistance, will be opened in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced after a meeting with Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs.

"I met with the mayor of Kyiv's sister city, Riga, Viesturs Kleinbergs, and a delegation from the city hall of the Latvian capital, who arrived in Kyiv. Kyiv is ready to implement various joint initiatives, some of which we discussed with Mr. Kleinbergs today. An example of successful international cooperation is the creation of another Kyiv Military Hub in our capital, which Latvian partners helped to equip, in particular. And which we will open together with the mayor of Riga," Klitschko said on Telegram.

The Mayor of Kyiv recalled that in February 2024, Kyiv signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Riga in the field of information and communication technologies, digitalization and civil protection.

It was previously reported that on the left bank, renovation work is being completed at the new Kyiv Military Hub center. As noted by the Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Marina Honda, this will be an inclusive space designed taking into account the needs of people with disabilities. Veterans and military personnel will be able to receive legal advice, psychological support, assistance in employment or retraining, etc.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : As part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, launched to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Sri Lanka affected by the devastating Cyclone Ditwah, an Engineer Task Force of the Indian Army was airlifted and inducted on a war footing to provide critical engineering support.

The primary focus of the task force, comprising 48 personnel, is the restoration of vital lines of communication, including the repair and construction of damaged roads and bridges.

The team comprises specialised bridging experts, surveyors and watermanship specialists, along with personnel proficient in operating heavy earth-moving equipment, drones and unmanned systems, enabling the delivery of precise and effective engineering support.

The Engineer Task Force is currently holding four sets of Bailey bridges, airlifted by C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, for the restoration of disrupted connectivity.

In addition, the task force is equipped with pneumatic boats, outboard motors, HESCO bags and new-generation equipment such as heavy-payload drones and remotely controlled boats.

Fully equipped and operationally ready, the task force is capable of undertaking a wide spectrum of engineering tasks, including critical rescue and relief operations, as well as the construction of essential infrastructure such as shelters, roads and bridges.

Based on requirements conveyed by the Sri Lankan authorities, the Engineer Task Force, in close coordination with officers of the Sri Lanka Army and the Sri Lankan Road Development Authority, has conducted reconnaissance of multiple bridge sites requiring urgent restoration.

Given the criticality and immediacy of the requirement, work has commenced at the Kilinochchi Bridge site, where a modular Bailey bridge, capable of being configured to suit site-specific conditions, will be launched to restore connectivity.

Earlier, an Indian Army contingent, deployed in Sri Lanka, established and operationalised a fully functional field hospital in one of the region's worst-hit areas by devastating floods, providing urgent medical relief to thousands of affected citizens.
Jammu, Dec 12 : Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday paid tribute to the legendary Dogra warrior Late General Zorawar Singh for his courage, purpose and commitment to bigger ideals on his 184th death anniversary.

"His vision inspired generations by igniting passion, guiding people toward a shared vision, courage, purpose & commitment to bigger ideals. We must follow his message for moral clarity, unwavering conviction to shape the better future & empower the marginalised. Let's dedicate yourself to changing lives, guiding and supporting youth and build a more just and peaceful society," L-G Sinha wrote on his X handle.

Zorawar Singh was a military general of the Dogra Rajput ruler, Gulab Singh, who served as the Raja of Jammu under the Sikh Empire.

He was born in the Chandel Rajput family in the princely state of Bilaspur in present-day Himachal Pradesh, and served as the governor (wazir-e-wazarat) of Kishtwar. He extended the territories of the kingdom by conquering Ladakh and Baltistan.

He is lauded for successfully leading military campaigns across the challenging, snow-clad Himalayan ranges and was considered a master of mountain warfare.

He also attempted to conquer Western Tibet, but was killed in the battle of To-yo during the Dogra-Tibetan war on this day in 1841.

Due to his role in the conquests in the Himalayan mountains, Zorawar Singh has been referred to as the "Conqueror of Ladakh".

As a tribute to him, the Zorawar LT is an Indian light tank named after him.

Official records of the Sikh Empire show that Zorawar Singh was in command of his personal battalion of 875 men with a salary of Rs 7,604 per month.

Although Kishtwar was a newly conquered region, Zorawar had no trouble in keeping peace there. Many local Rajputs were recruited into his army.

In 1835, the nearby region of Paddar was taken from Chamba (now in Himachal Pradesh) by Zorawar Singh in the course of a battle.

Over the years, for the Dogras of the Jammu region, Zorawar Singh has become a symbol of valour, courage and commitment.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming three-nation visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman from December 15-18 comes at a pivotal moment for India's international trade expansion and presents far-reaching opportunities to enhance the country's economic footprint across West Asia and Africa, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said on Friday.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modias upcoming three-nation visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman from December 15-18 comes at a pivotal moment for Indiaas international trade expansion and presents far-reaching opportunities to enhance the countryas economic footprint across West Asia and Africa, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said on Friday.

"The Prime Ministeras visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman sends a strong signal of Indiaas commitment to strengthening economic and strategic relations with key partners in West Asia and Africa. At a time when global supply chains are undergoing transformation, deepening these partnerships will greatly support Indian exporters in accessing new markets, diversifying trade routes, and fostering long-term commercial collaborations," FIEO President S.C. Ralhan said.

Ralhan noted that Jordan is an important gateway to West Asia and the larger Middle East region. Indiaas total bilateral trade with Jordan during April-August 2025-26, touched 1.2 billion, with exports of about $461 million in just five months. Therefore, enhanced economic dialogue with Jordan will further boost opportunities for Indian exporters in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, textiles, IT services and food and agri-products, with a potential to increase exports to $5 billion by 2030.

The Prime Minister, during the second leg of his visit on December 16-17, will travel to Ethiopia, a rapidly growing economy and one of the most important partners for India in Africa. The FIEO chief said that Ethiopia is a key member of the African region and a vital partner in Indiaas Southa"South cooperation. The visit will play a crucial role in deepening trade, investment and developmental partnerships. Indian exporters, particularly in automobiles, machinery, pharmaceuticals and education services, see immense potential in Ethiopiaas expanding market, when the bilateral trade between both nations touched $550 million, he added.

Ralhan also emphasised that Oman has consistently been one of Indiaas most reliable economic partners in the Gulf. PM Modi's visit provides an excellent opportunity to explore new avenues in trade, investment, energy, logistics, technology, food security and MSME cooperation. Strengthening the bilateral framework with Oman will have a direct positive impact on Indiaas export sector, which has grown to well over $4 billion of exports.

"As we are in the final stages of signing a trade agreement with Oman, it will provide a much-needed boost in doubling the bilateral trade and investment between the countries," he added.
Rio De Janeiro, Dec 12 : Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Friday visited the Itaguai Naval Complex in Rio de Janeiro, where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Admiral Alexandre Rabello de Faria, Brazilian Navy, and briefed on the Brazil's Prosub submarine programme.

Rio de Janeiro, Dec 12 (IANS) Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Friday visited the Itaguai Naval Complex in Rio de Janeiro, where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Admiral Alexandre Rabello de Faria, Brazilian Navy, and briefed on the Brazilas Prosub submarine programme.

During the visit to the Itaguai Naval Complex, Admiral Tripathi was given an overview of the capabilities supporting the construction, life-cycle sustainment and technological upgrades for frontline naval platforms.

"As part of ongoing official visit to Brazil, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, visited the Itaguai Naval Complex, Marinha do Brasil, including a major naval shipyard and a leading metal-structures manufacturing unit of Brazil; reaffirming Indiaas commitment to strengthening maritime industrial engagement with key global partners. CNS was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Adm Alexandre Rabello de Faria, Brazilian Navy, and briefed on the Brazilas prestigious PROSUB submarine programme," spokesperson of the Indian Navy posted on X.

"At the premier shipbuilding and maintenance complex, CNS was given an overview of the capabilities supporting the construction, life-cycle sustainment and technological upgrades for frontline naval platforms. The engagements reinforced the strategic convergence between India and Brazil in shipbuilding, self-reliance Aatmanirbharta, secure supply chains, maritime capability development, and cooperative frameworks shaping a stable, rules-based maritime order," the spokesperson added.

On Thursday, Admiral Tripathi met Chief Advisor to the Brazilian President, Celso Amorim, and Defence Minister Jose Mucio Monteiro, holding discussions on opportunities in defence industry collaboration and capacity building initiatives to support shared security objectives and long-term interoperability.

In a statement shared on X, the Indian Navy Spokesperson stated, "Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, during the ongoing official visit to Brazil, met Celso Amorim, Chief Advisor to the President of Brazil and Jose Mucio Monteiro, Minister of Defence of Brazil. The discussions provided a comprehensive review of the expanding India-Brazil defence engagements, with focus on augmenting strategic cooperation, strengthening joint operational frameworks, enhancing training avenues, maritime security mechanisms and deepening coordination in Maritime Domain Awareness."

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed regional and global dynamics, including the South Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, and the collective role of the Global South, highlighting the shared vision of the two nations for a secure, stable and rules-based order.

"These high-level engagements reaffirmed the growing strategic convergence and the mutual commitment to elevate Indiaa"Brazil defence cooperation under the spirit of Bridges of Friendship," the statement added.

On Wednesday, Admiral Tripathi met Commander of the Brazilian Navy Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen and discussed boosting the growing maritime cooperation between the two nations.

According to the Indian Navy, the discussions between the two sides focused on operational engagements, training exchanges, hydrographic collaboration, information sharing, and avenues for enhancing maritime domain awareness.

The scope of expanding cooperation in areas of defence industry, technology development, innovation, exchange of best practices, and capacity building between the two navies was also deliberated.

The high-level engagement reaffirmed the mutual resolve of both navies to strengthen strategic convergence and deepen the India-Brazil maritime partnership, contributing to stability in the global maritime commons in the Global South.

In lieu of strengthening the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership, Admiral Tripathi is on an official visit to Brazil from December 9-12.

According to Ministry of Defence, the visit by the Navy Chief reaffirms the Indian Navy's commitment to enhancing cooperation with the Brazilian Navy in the areas of maritime security, professional exchanges, and capacity building, thereby contributing to stability in the global maritime commons.
Tokyo, Dec 12 : Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Friday that he and his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, held a telephonic conversation and shared concern over rising tensions in the region following recent radar lock-on incident involving Japanese and Chinese fighter jets and a joint patrol of Chinese and Russian bombers near Japan, local media reported.

The two ministers spoke for about 40 minutes and agreed that Japan and the US will continue to remain in contact to calm the situation, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

During the telephonic conversation, Hegseth and Koizumi also spoke about a joint patrol carried out by two Chinese and two Russian bombers over the East China Sea and Pacific near Japan's Shikoku Island.

Speaking to reporters, Koizumi stated that he and Hegseth agreed that these actions would only increase the tensions in the region.

He expressed Japan's readiness in responding to these acts in a "calm yet resolute manner, while steadily carrying out surveillance activities in the seas and airspace surrounding our country".

Koizumi further stated that China has not shared appropriate information with Japan, including notice to air missions or navigational warnings, such as the area in which the Chinese military's flight training would be carried out. He once again termed the radar lock-on "dangerous" and an action that "went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft."

In a statement, the US Department of War said: "Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke to his Japanese counterpart, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, today. The two leaders discussed Japan's efforts to increase its defense spending and strengthen its capabilities, China's military activities, and the importance of realistic training and exercises across Japan, including in the Southwest Islands. Secretary Hegseth and Defence Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific."

On the afternoon of December 7, Japan's Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the incident occurred on December 6, over international waters southeast of Okinawa Island, when a J-15 fighter jet, which took off from the Chinese Navy's aircraft carrier Liaoning, intermittently illuminated a F-15 fighter jet of the Japan Air Self-Defence Force that was conducting airspace violation measures against it.

"It was extremely regrettable that such a dangerous act had occurred, and (Takehiro Funakoshi) expressed strong protest and strictly demanded that it not be repeated," as per a statement issued after the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government dismissed comments coming out of Tokyo as "irresponsible hype" and "political manipulation".

"We would like to reiterate that the facts are very clear: China's exercises and training activities in the relevant sea and air areas are in accordance with international law and practice, and the relevant operations are professional and beyond reproach. We strongly urge Japan to immediately cease its dangerous actions that interfere with China's normal exercises and training activities, and to stop all irresponsible hype and political manipulation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun while addressing a daily media briefing in Beijing on Monday.
Bengaluru, Dec 12 : Following the recent Supreme Court order, the Siddaramaiah government issued an order on Friday to form a specialised team under the leadership of the Director of the Karnataka Engineering Research Station (KERS) to expedite the implementation of the controversial Mekedatu Balanced Reservoir Project.

According to the order, the team will include the Deputy Chief Engineer along with other supporting staff and will operate from Ramanagara in Bengaluru South district, which has been designated as the project's central base.

The government has also confirmed that a dedicated Mekedatu Project office will be established in Ramanagara, the neighbouring city of Bengaluru.

Earlier, on November 18, in a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also Water Resources Minister, it was decided to establish a Chief Engineer's office and a Superintendent Engineer's office to accelerate the implementation of the Mekedatu project.

However, the creation of these new offices and posts requires approval from the Finance Department, a process expected to take considerable time. In view of this delay, the government has assigned the responsibility for executing the project to the Director of KERS.

KERS has been instructed to form a team using its existing officers and employees to take forward the Mekedatu project. "The team will comprise: one executive engineer; three technical assistants; six assistant engineers; one assistant administrative officer; one accounts officer; superintendents and others."

Arrangements for the project office building will be made by the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL). The newly formed team will function under the administrative control of the Managing Director of CNNL. All expenses related to office operations, basic infrastructure, and other requirements will be met through funds provided by CNNL.

The order further instructs the Managing Director of CNNL to hand over all files, correspondence, and other documents related to the implementation of the Mekedatu Project to the Director of KERS.

It can be noted that Mekedatu is a proposed multi-purpose dam and balancing reservoir project on the Cauvery River near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district, Karnataka. The name Mekedatu means "Goat's Leap".

The project aims to store water (about 67 TMC) to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas, and generate hydroelectric power (about 400 MW).

Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project, arguing that it could affect water available to its farmers and in the delta region, which relies on the Cauvery for irrigation and livelihoods.

In November, the Supreme Court rejected Tamil Nadu's plea to stop Karnataka from preparing the DPR, calling it premature and misconceived, while affirming that Karnataka must continue releasing TN's share of Cauvery water as per the tribunal award.
Nairobi, Dec 12 : Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh met Kenya's Environment Minister Deborah Mlongo Barasa on the sidelines of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) on Friday, discussing ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in conservation, climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture and improved environmental governance.

India's High Commissioner to Kenya, Adarsh Swaika and other officials also attended the meeting.

In a statement shared on X, Singh stated, "Meeting with Environment Minister of Kenya. 'Delighted to meet Kenyaas Environment Minister H.E. Dr Deborah Mlongo Barasa during my visit to Nairobi for UNEA-7. We explored avenues to enhance Indiaa"Kenya cooperation in conservation, climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture and improved environmental governance. Together, we remain committed to a greener and more resilient future'."

On Thursday, Singh delivered Indiaas National Statement at the High-Level Segment of the seventh session of the UNEA and emphasised that sustainable growth and environment-first policies are necessary for securing the future of our planet. He expressed India's commitment to driving solutions that balance ecology and economy for the well-being of current and future generations.

"Delivered Indiaas National Statement at the High-Level Segment of the 7th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). Emphasised that sustainable growth and environment-first policies are essential for securing the future of our planet. Under the visionary leadership of Honable PM Shri Narendra Modi ji, India has consistently championed a sustainable lifestyle, climate-resilient development, and global cooperation for environmental protection. India remains firmly committed to driving solutions that balance ecology and economy for the well-being of current and future generations," MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh posted on X.

The seventh session of the UNEA is being held at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Kenya's Nairobi from December 8-12 on the theme 'Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet'. UNEA-7 was preceded by the seventh meeting of the Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-7) which was held from December 1-5.

During his visit to Kenya, Singh also participated in the celebrations at Sri Ram Temple marking UNESCOas recognition of Diwali as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. He noted that this milestone demonstrates the global appreciation of India's timeless traditions and the universal message of peace and harmony.

"Blessed to participate in the celebrations at the historic Sri Ram Temple marking UNESCOas recognition of Diwali as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Prabhu Shri Ramas Temple built in 1919 in Kenya, stands as a testament to the cultural pride of India and shared historical ties between both our countries. Under able leadership of Honable PM Shri Narendra Ji, this milestone truly reflects the global appreciation of Indiaas timeless traditions and the universal message of peace and harmony," the minister shared on X.

On December 10, MoS Singh held a meeting with Norway's Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation in climate action, marine littering , and sustainable ocean management.

In a post on X, Singh wrote, "Pleased to meet H.E. Mr. Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway. Discussed avenues to further deepen bilateral cooperation in climate action, marine littering , and sustainable ocean management. India looks forward to strengthen this partnership for a cleaner, greener, and resilient future."

Singh also met John Ololtuaa, Kenya's Principal Secretary, State Department of Tourism, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife. Both sides reviewed the growing cooperation in wildlife conservation, including the MoU on wildlife management signed earlier this year. The talks also focused on new avenues to deepen collaboration between India and Kenya in sustainable wildlife protection.

"Look forward to early signing of the framework agreement of the International Big Cat Alliance by Kenya, as one of its founding members. Appreciated our growing tourism linkages and discussed ways to further augment tourism flows," Singh posted on X following the meeting.

Furthermore, the MoS met Dmitri Tetenkin, Russian Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, where the two sides discussed collaboration in climate action, sustainable resource management, forest fire management, conservation of falcons and strengthening bilateral environmental cooperation.

"Russia and India share a special and privileged strategic partnership. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India remains committed to strengthening these ties to jointly progress towards a sustainable planet," Singh stated.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : BJP and JD(U) on Friday said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks on SIR and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reflect fear, and such threats usually come from those who are "fundamentally weak from within".

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) BJP and JD(U) on Friday said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks on SIR and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reflect fear, and such threats usually come from those who are "fundamentally weak from within".

CM Banerjee recently launched a scathing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling him 'dangerous' and warning that she would sit on an indefinite dharna if even a single eligible voter's name was excluded during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar in Nadia district, Banerjee delivered one of her sharpest escalations yet. She issued an unusually strong call to women to "fight back" if their names were removed from the electoral rolls, alleging that the revision process would be misused to intimidate "mothers and sisters" ahead of the polls.

"Mothers and sisters, if your names are struck off, you have things at home -- the ones you use for cooking. Do you have strength in your soul? If they cut your name, will you catch them? Women will fight from the front, and the men will stand behind them. Bengal wants to see your strength," she said.

Speaking to IANS, BJP MP Arun Govil said, "I believe threats are usually given by those who are fundamentally weak from within. Amit Shah is a brave and strong leader. He does not get scared by small threats. He responds calmly. She calls him dangerous -- I say he is not just dangerous, he is extremely dangerous to terrorists, to Naxalites, and to infiltrators coming illegally from Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Pakistan."

BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said, "Her language is so undisciplined that it's better not to comment on it. This usually happens when leaders realise they are losing power. Mamata Banerjee knows very well that after April 2026, she will no longer remain Chief Minister."

BJP MP Biplab Kumar Deb added, "Delhi is the capital of India. Does Mamata Banerjee want the capital of India to be in Pakistan? She doesn't even know what she's saying. Freedom fighters from Bengal led movements to drive out the British. Has she forgotten all that? Whenever it's time for a leader to leave, they do exactly what she is doing."

BJP MP Shashank Mani Tripathi said, "When the truth comes out, the opposition starts to run. I believe she is creating a false narrative in West Bengal. Today, she is in fear. Amit Shah's speech was excellent. Whatever misconceptions the Opposition had, Amit Shah clarified everything point by point. After that, the Opposition walked out. It became clear that the BJP supports an unbiased election."

BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar said, "Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslim voters, under the influence of local pressure, had their names added improperly. Removing them is entirely justified, but the process must be accurate and fair. So why is Mamata Banerjee getting so agitated? She is opposing the removal of these illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya voters."

Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad added, "This is undemocratic language. When their agents are present at every booth, they should ensure forms are filled properly. We say that for a fair election, the voter list should be accurate. It's not as if you live in one place and vote somewhere else."

JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha said, "Consider the kind of language being used -- it reflects panic. In Bihar, a major exercise was conducted in a month, and no complaints were received from BLOs."
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The conviction and sentencing of former ISI chief Lt General Faiz Hameed is a sign of what is to come for Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The establishment has already decided that Imran Khan would be tried for treason and his party, the PTI, would be banned.

Hameed was sentenced to 14 years by a Field General Court Martial.

His testimony and the evidence that the army has gathered have paved the way for Imran Khan to be tried.

In Pakistan, the Federal Law Ministry has already held consultations following the conviction of Hameed. It has now been decided that a comprehensive draft lawsuit would be prepared before formal proceedings could begin against Imran Khan.

Intelligence agencies have gathered that the decision to try Imran Khan for treason would then pave the way to ban the PTI. This is the reason that Pakistan has decided to try its former Prime Minister under the Official Secrets Act.

An image of Imran Khan as being anti-national would be protected, and this would be used as the reason to ban his political party, which even today enjoys plenty of support from the people of Pakistan, officials say.

The establishment has been arguing that Imran Khan had information about national secrets since he was the Prime Minister. It has been accusing him of passing on those national secrets to vested interests, and hence a case under the Official Secrets Act can be made out against him.

The establishment hopes that this would not only lead to the conviction of Imran Khan but would also change the peopleas perception of him.

Experts say that the establishment hopes that his conviction in a treason case would brand Imran Khan an anti-national, and this would eventually lead to his support base dropping dramatically.

However, Imran Khan is not the only one who is on the radar of the establishment. Along with him, the establishment also plans to try his close aides and senior military officials.

Pakistan watchers say that these trials would be anything but fair, as they would be held in military courts under the provisions of the Official Secrets Act.

The other charges that Imran Khan and his aides would be tried under include instigating mutiny and encouraging attacks on the military, its installations and assets during the violence that broke out on May 9, 2023, when his supporters were protesting against his arrest the same year.

The case of the military against Imran Khan and his aides has been bolstered by the fact that the Supreme Court, while hearing cases relating to the May 9, 2023, violence, said that civilians involved should be tried in the military courts.

In addition to this, there is also political pressure building around this case.

The Punjab Assembly recently passed a resolution seeking Imran Khanas trial for treason and calling for a ban on his political outfit.

Officials say that the military was waiting for the conviction and sentencing of Hameed so that they could kickstart the trial against Imran Khan.

Hameedas testimony and the evidence he has provided would be used to put out a case against Imran Khan.

A statement by the ISPR regarding Hameed said that he was involved in fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cahoots with political elements.

Imran Khan has been in jail since his multiple convictions. They include 14 years in the Toshakhana case, seven in the Iddat case, and 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for food processing industries (PLISFPI) has generated about 3.39 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities so far, the Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh, said that 170 applications have been approved under various categories of the PLISFPI till September 2025.

"The scheme has led to an increase in food processing capacity of 35.00 lakh MT per annum in the Country," the minister told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question.

The incentives under the PLISFPI are admissible where the entire chain of manufacturing processes, including primary processing, of the food products applied for coverage under the scheme takes place in India.

According to the minister, total export of agricultural processed food products approved under the PLISFPI has increased with a CAGR of 13.23 per cent as on 2024-25 with reference to 2019-20.

Under the PLISFPI, a cumulative investment of Rs 9,207 crore has been made by the approved applicants, the Parliament was informed earlier. Also, 25 mega food parks approved by the ministry are currently operational across the country, Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan told the Lok Sabha in a reply.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is also implementing a centrally sponsored PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme for providing financial, technical and business support for setting up/upgradation of micro food processing enterprises in the country. The scheme primarily adopts the One District One Product (ODOP) approach aimed at fostering balanced regional development across all districts of the country.

The initiative aims to select, brand, and promote at least One Product from each District (One District One Product) of the country for enabling holistic socio-economic growth across all regions, he added. Under the ODOP initiative, products have been selected by states/UTs by taking into consideration the existing ecosystem on the ground in the districts. ODOP have been approved for 726 districts across 35 states/UTs under the scheme.
Nagpur, Dec 12 : Maharashtra Minister for Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare on Friday said in the state council that the government is striving to ensure that no child dies due to malnutrition.

In a reply to a half-hour discussion initiated by members Sanjay Khodke and others, she told the state council that the number of malnourished children had decreased from 246 in 2019-20 and further to 97 in 2025-26. The proportion of severely malnourished children was 0.79 per cent in 2024, and it has been reduced to 0.4 per cent in 2025. "An interdepartmental team comprising Women and Child Development, Health, and Tribal Development will be formed to combat malnutrition. Eradicating malnutrition has been given special priority in the Chief Minister's 100-day programme," said Minister Tatkare.

Minister of State Meghna Sakore Bordikar, responding to the discussion, highlighted the efforts being made regarding health and nutritional support. "Various efforts are being made to ensure the health of mothers and strong children. A number of schemes are being implemented in remote areas. Better facilities are being provided in hospitals, and sanitation facilities are being improved. Counselling is being done to ensure all deliveries take place in hospitals. Through ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) 42,602 pregnant mothers and children in the state are receiving nutritional food benefits," she said. She noted that child deaths in the state are not solely due to malnutrition, but are caused by various reasons.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Pankaj Bhoyar, while replying to a half-hour discussion in the Legislative Council, said that the state government is committed to spreading the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj across the country. He was replying to a half-hour discussion initiated by member Satyajit Tambe on the insufficient history writing on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the CBSE curriculum.

Minister Bhoyar said he will meet the Union Education Minister to include the glorious history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the CBSE curriculum and convey the importance of ensuring that lakhs of students across the country get a proper, in-depth and inspiring introduction to him.

He added that due to the state government's follow-up, a separate chapter on ' The Rise of Marathas ' has been included in the CBSE curriculum. He informed that a detailed proposal has been sent to NCERT through the Maharashtra State Council of Educational Research and Training. The state government has demanded that more rich information should be included on the history, geography of Maharashtra and especially on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Mumbai, Dec 12 : Indian stock markets gained for the second straight session on Friday, supported by a strong global rally and heavy buying in metal stocks.

Sentiment also improved after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with US President Donald Trump on Thursday to discuss strengthening economic ties, as both countries continue working toward a trade agreement.

At the closing bell, the Sensex had risen 449.53 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 85,267.66.

The Nifty also moved higher, adding 148.40 points, or 0.57 per cent, to trade at 26,046.95.

"In the near term, the trend is likely to remain constructive as long as the index holds above 25,900, which is expected to serve as a key support level," experts said.

"On the higher side, the index may move towards 26,300 in the short term," they added.

Several major stocks led the gains on the Nifty, including Tata Steel, Eternal, UltraTech Cement, L&T, Maruti Suzuki, Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports, Axis Bank and Bajaj Finance.

However, some stocks came under pressure due to profit booking. HUL, Sun Pharma, Asian Paints, ITC, Power Grid and HCL Tech were among the top losers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index rose 1.18 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.94 per cent.

Sector-wise, the Nifty Metal index led the rally with a jump of 2.63 per cent, followed by realty, consumer durables and oil and gas. The FMCG and media sectors slipped into the red.

Meanwhile, silver prices in India continued their sharp upward trend. Silver futures crossed the historic Rs 2 lakh per kg mark for the first time on Friday, extending a rally that has pushed the metal up nearly 130 per cent so far this year.

Experts said that the combined boost from global cues, strong sectoral performance and improving geopolitical engagement helped the markets end the week on a positive note.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday handed over appointment letters to 36 family members of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, promising that other eligible families will also be offered government jobs soon.

"This was not merely a job distribution programme, but a concrete initiative to honour the long wait and struggle of those families," said CM Gupta while talking to reporters at the Delhi Secretariat.

She said the previous governments did not come to the aid of these families and, by the grace of the Sikh Gurus, this noble task is being completed by the BJP government in Delhi.

The Chief Minister highlighted how the government has relaxed job-related norms on education qualification and age limit to bring relief to the families of victims of anti-Sikh riots.

In a message on social media, "Today, appointment letters for MTS positions were handed over to the family members of 36 families affected by the 1984 Sikh riots at the Delhi Secretariat."

"The 1984 Sikh riots represent an extremely painful chapter in our history. Under the leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodiji, continuous efforts have been made to deliver justice and respect to the affected families," she said.

The Chief Minister said, "Building on that same vision, our government is taking firm steps to provide dignified livelihoods and a secure future to the impacted families."

She said the event organised at the Red Fort on the 350th martyrdom day of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was an opportunity for us to serve and fulfil our duties.

"Today, receiving the affection and respect from those families in the spirit of that very service was an extremely emotional moment for me," she said.

A few months ago, appointment letters were given to 19 families and today jobs have been provided to 36 more families, proving that the government stands with them and is ensuring every opportunity for them to move forward with dignity, she said.

"This is not aid  it is responsibility. This is not formality  it is respect. And it is a genuine effort to secure the future while remembering the past," she said, thanking Cabinet colleague Manjinder Singh Sirsa for his efforts to offer relief to the families.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the minimum support price (MSP) for copra for the 2026 season.

The MSP for fair average quality of milling copra has been fixed at Rs 12,027 per quintal and for ball copra at Rs 12,500 per quintal for the 2026 season.

According to an official statement, the MSP for the 2026 season is an increase of Rs 445 per quintal for milling copra and Rs 400 per quintal for ball copra over the previous season.

A higher MSP will not only ensure better remunerative returns to the coconut growers but also incentivise farmers to expand copra production to meet the growing demand for coconut products both domestically and internationally, the Cabinet said.

The government has increased MSP for milling copra and ball copra from Rs 5,250 per quintal and Rs 5,500 per quintal for the marketing season 2014 to Rs 12,027 per quintal and Rs 12,500 per quintal for the marketing season 2026, registering a growth of 129 per cent and 127 per cent, respectively.

In order to provide remunerative prices to the cultivators, the government had announced in the Union Budget of 2018-19 that MSP of all the mandated crops will be fixed at levels of at least 1.5 times of all India weighted average cost of production.

According to the statement, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumersa Federation (NCCF) will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) for the procurement of copra under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).

Meanwhile, Tiptur copra, one of the highest-quality coconuts, has earned a distinct reputation in the market, enjoys strong domestic and international demand, and is now eyeing Geographical Indication (GI) recognition. This has been the long-standing demand of farmers from the region. Farmers have been urging that Tiptur copra, known for its exceptional quality and high demand across Asiaas largest coconut markets, be granted GI status.
Bhopal, Dec 12 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said that over the past two years of his tenure, the government has focused on introducing major reforms in governance, including a structured annual review of departmental performance and setting fresh targets for the coming years.

Addressing a press conference to present his government's two-year report card at the Kushabhau Thakre Convention Centre here, Yadav said that reviewing departmental progress is a routine practice, especially during budget preparation.

However, with his government completing two years, he felt it was important to assess accomplishments and set new goals for the next three years.

"There has always been a trend of conducting reviews ahead of the annual budget. But as we approached the two-year mark, I thought we should evaluate the work done so far and also define new targets for the next three years," he said.

Yadav highlighted measures taken to improve coordination between departments handling similar subjects. Citing an example, he said the merger of the Health and Family Welfare Department with the Medical Education Department helped expedite decision-making and project clearances.

"As a result, we strengthened the health infrastructure significantly in the past two years. The number of medical colleges has increased from 12 to 31, and many more are in the pipeline," he noted.

The Chief Minister said the three-year departmental roadmap has been designed with specific thematic priorities. The year 2024-25 was of women's empowerment; 2025-26 was of Industrial development; and 2026-27 is of Agriculture and farmers' welfare.

Yadav said the state, with support from the Centre, has prepared a detailed plan to expand irrigation coverage to 100 lakh hectares by 2028-29. However, he stressed that simply increasing irrigation potential is not enough unless production is linked with value addition and income sources.

"The Ken-Betwa and Chambal-Tapti-Sindh river-linking projects will play a major role in expanding irrigation. At the same time, we are establishing agro-based industries to ensure value addition and higher income for farmers," he said.

Yadav reiterated that Madhya Pradesh has undergone "a remarkable transformation" since 2003 and is now among the top 10 leading states in the country.

"We are progressing in every sector, establishing Madhya Pradesh as the true heartland of India with immense potential in agriculture, industry, tourism, and human development," he said.

Deputy Chief Ministers Jagdish Devda (Finance) and Rajendra Shukla (Health), State BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain, and other senior officials were present at the press conference.
Nagpur, Dec 12 : The Maharashtra legislature's privileges committee on Friday recommended two days' civil custody for two supporters of ruling and opposition legislators involved in a physical altercation in the Vidhan Bhavan, Mumbai, during the monsoon session, and a complete ban on their entry into the Mumbai and Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan premises for the remainder of the Assembly's tenure.

Committee chairperson and Shiv Sena MLA Narendra Bhondekar told the House that the recommendations were made after examining the incident.

"The committee verified the facts and the sequence of events before finalising the action," he said.

The report, tabled by Bhondekar during the winter session here, noted that Nitin Deshmukh, a supporter of NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad, and Sarjerao Takale, a supporter of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar, had engaged in a brawl in the state legislature's lobby during the monsoon session.

The committee also suggested creating a dynamic database system to scrutinise applicants seeking entry to the legislature premises and deny access to those facing serious criminal charges.

The privileges committee's recommendations are crucial as the Assembly Speaker, Rahul Narwekar, on July 18, had directed that the case involving Takle and Deshmukh be referred to the Legislative Assembly Privileges Committee to investigate and take action against them for breach of privilege.

Speaker Narwekar had expressed deep concern over the clash between the supporters of BJP legislator Gopichand Padalkar and NCP SP legislator Jitendra Awhad in the lobby of Vidhan Bhavan on July 17, saying that it has been a big blow to the state legislature's customs and traditions.

In his statement, the Speaker announced that a criminal case has been filed against Padaklar's supporter, Sarjerao Baban Takle (age 37) Awhad's supporter Nitin Hindurao Deshmukh (age 41).

"In connection with this unpleasant incident, I am bringing to the attention of all the members that while performing our duties as members of the Bhavan, we have the responsibility and duty to maintain the highest traditions of the state legislature, which is called the temple of democracy. Such incidents should not happen again, and legislators should take due care," he observed.
Nagpur, Dec 12 : Maharashtra Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar, on Friday, told the state Assembly that 14,526 children have died in seven districts of the state over the past three years, attributing the data to government records.

Minister Abitkar placed the figures in a written reply to a query raised by BJP legislator Sneha Dubey.

According to the Minister, between 2022-23 and 2024-25, Pune, Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Amravati, Akola and Yavatmal districts reported a combined 14,526 child deaths.

The data includes infants and children aged below five years admitted to government facilities, as well as cases of severe malnutrition, Minister Abitkar said.

The Minister also admitted that 138 infants deaths have been recorded in Palghar district while 903 children are malnourished.

Citing the state Health department's data as of November 2025, Minister Abitkar said 203 children were identified as suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and 2,666 from Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM).

The proportion of underweight children was recorded at 0.23 per cent, while 1.48 per cent fell in the moderately underweight category, he added.

He also referred to the Sample Registration System 2022, released by the Registrar General of India, which estimated Maharashtra's neonatal mortality rate at 16 per 1,000 live births, lower than the national average of 23.

Minister Abitkar said the state government has adopted multiple measures under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to reduce malnutrition.

"These include regular health examinations, the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Aahar Yojana for pregnant women, targeted interventions for SAM children, the Nutrition Campaign, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and the 'Suposhit Maharashtra' initiative."

Meanwhile, Minister Abitkar told the state Assembly that the state recorded a marginal increase in deaths linked to Covid-19 in 2025 despite fewer reported infections.

In a written reply, the Minister said 35 people died of Covid-19 between January and October 2024, while 46 deaths were recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.

Minister Abitkar responded to the query raised by NCP legislator Sachin Patil.

He noted that the rise in fatalities came even though the number of infections fell sharply.

Maharashtra reported 5,524 Covid-19 cases from January to October 2024, compared to 2,781 cases during the same period in 2025.

Responding to another query, the Minister said that the country has set a target of bringing cases of malaria to zero by 2027 and eradicate it by 2030.

"Between January to October 2024, 1,84,78,344 blood samples were tested. It was increased to 1,99,57,902 during January to October 2025. Except Mumbai city, Mumbai suburban and Gadchiroli districts, the state's Malaria annual parasite incident is less than one," Minister Abitkar added.
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 : More than 25,000 government employees in Kheda district have pledged support to the new "Gaam No Nirdhaar, Sahkaarey Saakaar" campaign - an initiative launched by the district administration to eliminate malnutrition.

Ahmedabad, Dec 12 (IANS) More than 25,000 government employees in Kheda district have pledged support to the new "Gaam No Nirdhaar, Sahkaarey Saakaar" campaign - an initiative launched by the district administration to eliminate malnutrition.

"Gaam No Nirdhaar, Sahkaarey Saakaar" translates to the idea that a village's resolve can be truly achieved only through collective support and participation. It reflects a spirit of community-driven development, where shared determination, cooperation, and responsibility come together to turn goals into reality.

This phrase essentially captures the belief that meaningful progress happens when everyone contributes.

Rooted in the Prime Minister's call of "Sahi Poshan, Desh Roshan", the campaign aims to turn the National Nutrition Mission into a true people's movement in Kheda, with a special focus on improving nutrition levels among children and mothers.

The administration had urged all district officers and government staff to join the initiative, framing it as both a moral duty and an expression of gratitude towards their karmabhoomi.

Officials were also instructed to mobilise their teams across all subordinate offices, ensuring that participation is formally recorded through a "Consent for Participation" pledge.

A dedicated link has been opened for three days for Kheda's officials and employees in Phase 1. Phase 2 will extend participation to citizens.

Marking the 150th birth anniversary of Vallabhbhai Patel, officials and employees from his home district have taken on a solemn commitment: no child in Kheda should suffer from malnutrition.

As part of this, they have vowed to become Poshan Mitrascontributing to child nutrition on family birthdays, weddings, and other auspicious occasions.

On Friday, over 25,000 officers and staff across Kheda district had voluntarily joined the campaign.

Their emotional and wholehearted participation has set a strong example of collective responsibility. The district administration and Amul Dairy expect this combined effort to set new benchmarks in nutrition-driven governance.

With officials, employees, and soon citizens stepping in, "Gaam No Nirdhaar, Sahkaarey Saakaar" is on track to become a transformative model for holistic development in Kheda district.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, Mahishini Colonne on Friday, reiterating India's commitment to support the island nation's early recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.

During the meeting, Misri handed over essential life-saving medicines to the Ambassador, a full consignment of which will be sent to Sri Lanka through an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft as part of India's ongoing Operation Sagar Bandhu.

"Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Sri Lanka High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne, and reiterated Indiaas steadfast commitment to continued support for Sri Lankaas early recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Cyclone Ditwah," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on X.

"As part of the on-going medical assistance being provided under Operation Sagar Bandhu, Foreign Secretary also handed over essential life-saving medicines, the full consignment of which will be airlifted by an IAFC17 to Colombo," it added.

India launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu' on November 28 to provide urgent search and rescue and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support to Sri Lanka in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which has caused severe flooding, landslides, loss of life and widespread disruption across the island nation.

On Thursday, Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Health Muditha Hansaka Wijemuni and Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Anil Jasinghe visited the field hospital operated by the Indian Army in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy and appreciated the critical support being offered to flood-affected people.

"Hon. Dr. Muditha Hansaka Wijemuni, Deputy Minister of Health, and Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, visited the field hospital operated by Indian Army in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy. They reviewed the ongoing medical operations and appreciated the critical support being extended to flood-affected communities under Operation Sagar Bandhu," Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka posted on X.

On Wednesday, Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka stated that Shatrujeet Brigade Integrated Task Force swiftly repaired the cyclone-damaged Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) responsible for a widespread communications blackout in Mahiyanganaya.

"Operation Sagar Bandhu restores critical connectivity. Following the devastating effects of Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, the Indian Army's Shatrujeet Brigade Integrated Task Force swiftly repaired the cyclone-damaged Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) responsible for a widespread communications blackout in Mahiyanganaya, near Kandy. This rapid action successfully restored essential connectivity to affected areas. This reaffirms the India's commitment as a first responder, restoring robust and reliable communication infrastructure when it is needed most," Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka wrote in a post on X.
Chandigarh, Dec 12 : Reaffirming the government's commitment to honouring the unparalleled sacrifice of Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday virtually inaugurated an essay writing competition across schools in the state to commemorate 'Veer Bal Diwas'.

The initiative aims to ensure that the message of the Sahibzadas' martyrdom, courage and steadfast commitment to truth reaches every child in Haryana.

Lakhs of students joined the virtual event from different districts, during which the Chief Minister interacted with them and encouraged them to reflect on the inspirational lives of the young martyrs.

CM Saini said reading and understanding the Sahibzadas' story reinforces clarity of purpose and strengthens determination among students.

He said the competition is being held in four languages -- Hindi, English, Punjabi and Sanskrit -- so that the children can express their thoughts with ease and showcase their abilities through well-crafted essays.

The Chief Minister highlighted that the younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh -- Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh -- exemplified exceptional bravery at just nine and six years of age, respectively. Their sacrifice, he said, stands as an eternal symbol of courage and truth.

He also recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided in 2022 to observe December 26 every year as 'Veer Bal Diwas', ensuring national remembrance of these heroic children.

CM Saini urged students to recognise that responsibility and moral courage do not depend on age. Every child, he said, must fulfil their duties with honesty, protect cultural values and contribute to nation building.

Students should face challenges fearlessly and remember that real bravery lies in standing up for the truth.

The Chief Minister said teachers play the role of guides and nation builders.

"Just as Guru Gobind Singh-ji nurtured courage and righteousness in his sons, today's teachers shape the thoughts and character of the next generation."

He encouraged the teachers to focus not only on academics but also on instilling values, discipline, compassion and integrity in students, as these form the foundation of a strong society.

The Chief Minister emphasised that students must draw lessons of discipline, courage, principles and patriotism from the Sahibzadas' lives.

--IANS

vg/dan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the German capital Berlin on Monday, December 15, the German ezine BILD has reported.

"According to information received by BILD from security circles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will arrive in Berlin on Monday to meet with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Negotiations in the so-called E3 format with the European states of Germany, Great Britain and France are also planned," the publication said in a statement on its website on Friday.

The publication noted that the exact format of these negotiations is still unclear. It was also initially unclear whether the US representative would be present or would participate remotely.

The German government did not confirm the information about the Ukrainian president's arrival. However, the publication drew attention to the unusually high security measures already in place in the government quarter and in the airspace over Berlin, which may indicate that such a visit is being prepared.

Bundestag members were informed of "police measures in connection with the state visit to the Reichstag building and the Chancellor's Office" and of the access restrictions on Monday.

Berlin police had already informed airports in the Berlin area on Thursday about the upcoming state visit.

"Due to the visit of a person under the highest level of protection, a flight restriction zone will be introduced in Berlin on December 15, 2025 in order to protect the state guest," the police letter said.

Such measures are only taken for state guests who are under the highest threat, such as the presidents of the United States or Ukraine, the publication said.

Politico previously reported that a meeting is planned in Berlin early next week on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. German Chancellor Merz has invited US representatives to join the meeting. The invitation came after a tense phone call on Wednesday between Merz, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, in which the parties sought to overcome differences over the direction of the peace effort. Trump later acknowledged the differences, saying there had been "some pretty strong words" during the call, underscoring the differences over the approach the US is supporting.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The Supreme Court has granted bail to a 27-year-old man who was arrested in September 2023 for allegedly possessing 31.5 kg of ganja (cannabis).

Noting that the accused has spent over two years in custody while the trial has barely progressed, a Bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and S.V.N. Bhatti observed that "only 9 out of 22 witnesses have been examined so far," even though the chargesheet has already been filed.

Deepak, a resident of Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu, was arrested on September 19, 2023, in connection with an FIR lodged for the alleged possession of 31.5 kg of ganja.

Terming it "a case of split recovery", the Justice Mithal-led Bench said that given the circumstances, "we consider it appropriate to enlarge the petitioner on bail."

"The petitioner is accordingly directed to be released on bail subject to such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the Trial Court, provided he cooperates with the trial," ordered the apex court.

Earlier on August 28, the Rajasthan High Court (Jaipur Bench) had dismissed the accused's second bail plea, holding that the recovery amounted to commercial quantity and attracted the stringent rigours under Section 37 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Praveer Bhatnagar had noted that 31.5 kg of cannabis was allegedly recovered from the joint possession of Deepak and a co-accused. Referring to the FSL findings, it said: "In the F.S.L. report, the substance was found to be 'ganja' as defined under Section 2(iii)(b) of the NDPS Act."

Rejecting the argument that the sampling procedure was violated, the Rajasthan High Court held that "even if it is presumed that the proceedings under Section 52-A of the NDPS Act were not conducted properly, still the omission of such procedure does not itself vitiate the recovery."

Since the recovery involved commercial quantity, the Rajasthan High Court opined it was "not inclined to enlarge the accused-petitioner on bail".
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Oman, aimed at deepening trade and investment relations between the two countries.

The approval comes ahead of Prime Minister Modi's upcoming three-nation visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman from December 15-18, which is expected to open up far-reaching opportunities to enhance the countryas economic footprint across West Asia and Africa.

PM Modi, during his last leg of the tour, will visit Oman from December 17-18, for the second time, at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. The visit marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. India and Oman share a long-standing and multidimensional Strategic Partnership supported by strong trade ties, energy cooperation and cultural linkages.

This approval also comes a day after Oman's Shura Council approved the Gulf nationas proposed FTA with India. The talks for the trade agreement, officially termed the CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), formally began in November 2023.

The economic and commercial relations between India and Oman are robust and buoyant. Bilateral trade during FY 2023-2024 reached US$ 8.947 billion, and for the FY 2024-25 reached 10.613 US$ billion, according to an official statement.

Bilateral investment flows have also been strong, as reflected in numerous joint ventures established both in India and Oman. There are over 6,000 India-Oman joint ventures present in Oman, estimated to adding $7.5 billion to Omanas economy in form of the total capital investment over a long period, encompassing not just formal outward direct investment of $675 million, but also the total value of all capital committed to JVs in different sectors and the third country investments made into Oman by Indian investors. The cumulative FDI equity inflow from Oman to India during April 2000 to March 2025 is $605.57 million.

The Sultanate of Oman is a strategic partner of India and an important interlocutor at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab League, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) fora. India and Oman are linked by geography, history, and culture and enjoy warm and cordial relations. While people-to-people contact between India and Oman can be traced back 5000 years, diplomatic relations were established in 1955, and the relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2008.
Nagpur, Dec 12 : Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday met Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar and Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde and submitted a memorandum demanding immediate appointment of Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi has proposed Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Bhaskar Jadhav for the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and Congress legislator Satej Patil for the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council.

At a press briefing, Thackeray expressed serious displeasure over delays in the appointment of LoPs in state Assembly and Council despite repeated representations. He cited that when the AAP government was in power in Delhi, the BJP was given the Leader of the Opposition's post despite having only three legislators.

The former Maharashtra chief minister reiterated that the appointment of Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses should be made immediately as well.

"Even though the BJP had won only three out of 70 seats, the Aam Aadmi Party had given the post of Leader of the Opposition to the BJP. At that time, the BJP had accepted it even though it did not have adequate numbers," he said.

He further announced that no one outside the opposition can decide the names for the posts of Leaders of the Opposition in the state Assembly and Council; those nominations will be made by him for his party and by the Congress for the Council.

Ultimately, the MVA has already finalised the names of Bhaskar Jadhav and Satej Patil for the posts of Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly and Council, respectively.

He also stated that the Mahayuti cannot decide the names for the posts of Leader of the Opposition in both Houses.

"It is not the ruling party which will decide who should be appointed as the Leader of the Opposition or whose name to suggest; it is we, the opposition, not the ruling party," he reiterated. He added that both Houses should have the post of Leader of the Opposition during the ongoing winter session.

On the issue of a separate 'Vidarbha state', Thackeray said that the demand cannot be fulfilled.

He added that Vidarbha is a part of Maharashtra and no one can separate it. "There cannot be a separate Vidarbha. The demand for a separate Vidarbha cannot be fulfilled because Maharashtra belongs to Vidarbha and Vidarbha belongs to Maharashtra," he added.
Chandigarh, Dec 12 : Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and two-time former Cabinet Minister Manoranjan Kalia on Friday accused the AAP government in the state of failing to present its report card of even basic development works done in villages in the rural elections despite being in the helm for over three and a half years.

He said that since the announcement of the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, AAP ministers and leaders have held over 10 press conferences, yet not a single one highlighted rural development.

Instead of showcasing achievements, AAP leaders, he said, are engaged in baseless attacks to divert attention from real rural problems such as water scarcity, poor roads, weak health services, and incomplete development projects.

In the presence of state media head Vineet Joshi, former minister Kalia stressed that the three-tier governance structure makes local body elections the real performance audit for any ruling party.

"Before the December 14 elections, the AAP government must tell the people what meaningful work has been done for rural Punjab."

Issuing a direct challenge to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the BJP leader told the media here, "Tomorrow is the last day of campaigning, let the AAP government name just one major achievement for Punjab's villages."

He added that votes were taken in the name of change, and accountability cannot be avoided.

Kalia further alleged that the AAP government has not fulfilled even one major manifesto promise, including re-enacting the Sir Chhotu Ram Rent Act, providing relief to debt-ridden farmers, offering Rs 10,000 monthly aid to labourers after crop loss, depositing Rs 21,000 at the birth of farmers' daughter, setting up Aam Aadmi Clinics in every village, and giving Rs 10 lakh education loans to farmers' children.

Kalia said that instead of prioritising rural welfare, the AAP government has chosen blame politics over real development, leaving villages neglected.

--IANS

vg/dan
Visakhapatnam, Dec 12 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Friday that Visakhapatnam will be developed as a world-class Knowledge and technology hub with the best living standards.

Describing Visakhapatnam as a most beautiful city free from pollution and the safest city with good people, the Chief Minister said several global companies, including Google, Microsoft and Amazon, are ready to set up their offices in Visakhapatnam.

Participating in ground breaking ceremony of Cognizant Technologies here, along with IT Minister Nara Lokesh, the Chief Minister said Visakhapatnam is going to be a game-changer in the technology revolution, and Visakhapatnam and the surrounding districts will be developed as an economic region.

It may be noted that the state government allotted 22 acres of land for the Cognizant company, and the company came forward to invest Rs 1,583 crore to build 8000-seat facility in Visakhapatnam. Initially, the company started its operations with one thousand associates.

The Chief Minister said that the Cognizant CEO promised to increase the employee strength to 25,000. He said that he is happy to lay the foundations for eight other companies, including Tech Tammina, Satwa Developers, Imaginnovate Tech Solutions India, Fluentgrid Limited, Motherson Technologies, Qorp Technosoft, CAN Healthcare, RCM Services and Nanrel Technologies simultaneously.

Stating that there is no dearth in talent among youth, the Chief Minister said that young people from the state are serving in IT around the world. He promised full cooperation to Cognizant and appealed to the company authorities to complete the development of the campus in less than one year.

He said Visakhapatnam will emerge as a knowledge economy and IT destination, and become the most happening city with the completion of Bhogapuram airport and a destination for tourism.

Google is going to set up an AI data centre in Visakhapatnam, and several other companies are also coming forward to set up their operations here.

CM Naidu said the cost of living in Visakhapatnam is 20 per cent less when compared to other cities. He said that Andhra Pradesh attracted investments to the tune of more than Rs 20 lakh crore, including Rs 13.5 lakh crore during the CII partnership in Visakhapatnam alone. Quantum valley will be developed in Amaravati, and the first quantum computer will be produced in six months, he said.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is giving top priority to industries and start-ups through the speed of doing business and opening of Escrow accounts. He said the growth rate in AP will be increased to 15 per cent soon.

Lokesh said that Andhra Pradesh will be developed as an economic powerhouse. He stated that the setting up of the Cognizant company will become a milestone in the development of Visakhapatnam as a global technology hub.

Cognizant CEO Ravikumar said that the company look forward to unlocking the full potential of Visakhapatnamas talent and innovation spirit.

He said Cognizant has established new delivery centres in Bhubaneswar, Indore, Techfin centre in Gift City, Gujarat. He said that of the 3.4 lakh employees of the company, 70 per cent of employees are based in India.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The Supreme Court on Friday, while examining a report from the Madras High Court's Registrar General in the Karur stampede case, remarked that "something is wrong" with the manner in which the high court dealt with the judicial proceedings arising out of the tragedy, which claimed 41 lives during a rally of actor-politician Vijay's party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday, while examining a report from the Madras High Court's Registrar General in the Karur stampede case, remarked that "something is wrong" with the manner in which the high court dealt with the judicial proceedings arising out of the tragedy, which claimed 41 lives during a rally of actor-politician Vijay's party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

A Bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi directed that the Registrar General's report, submitted in compliance with the top court's earlier order, be shared with all parties for their response.

The observations came during the hearing of a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the September 27 stampede at Tamil Nadu's Veluchamipuram.

"Something wrong is going on in the Madras High Court. This is not the right thing that is happening in the High Court," the Justice Maheshwari-led bench remarked after perusing the sealed-cover report.

In an order passed on October 13, the Supreme Court questioned how the principal seat of the Madras High Court in Chennai passed directions constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) when the incident fell under the jurisdiction of the Madurai Bench.

It had also sought clarification on how such a direction could be issued in a petition that merely sought an SOP for political rallies.

The apex court had subsequently ordered a CBI probe monitored by a three-member Supervisory Committee headed by former apex court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi.

On Friday, the Justice Maheshwari-led Bench also refused to modify its earlier direction requiring that two senior IPS officers assisting Justice Rastogi on the supervisory panel "may be from the Tamil Nadu cadre, but not natives of Tamil Nadu".

The Supreme Court further chose not to modify or vacate its interim directions, even though the state government argued that its Commission of Inquiry, presently under a stay, would not interfere with the CBI investigation and would confine itself to making recommendations.

The Karur stampede -- one of the deadliest incidents in Tamil Nadu in recent years -- has raised serious questions about crowd management, safety protocols, and political accountability during large-scale public gatherings.

The CBI, operating from a temporary camp in Karur under the supervision of Justice Rastogi, has already summoned more than 300 witnesses and examined local officials, including the Karur City Police Inspector Manivannan, who had issued permission for the event.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : India's seafood exports rose 13.93 per cent in value terms in April-October 2025 to $4,793.08 million from $4,207.08 million a year earlier, the government said on Friday, adding that total volume and value of shrimp exports from India to the US remained robust during the last five years.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Indiaas seafood exports rose 13.93 per cent in value terms in April-October 2025 to $4,793.08 million from $4,207.08 million a year earlier, the government said on Friday, adding that total volume and value of shrimp exports from India to the US remained robust during the last five years.

However, the frozen shrimp shipments to the United States moderated in the same period, and the government has stepped up marketa'diversification efforts, organising buyera"seller meets amid other efforts, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

Frozen shrimp exports to the US fell to 55,282 tonnes valued at $512.81 million in August-October 2025 (provisional data), from 83,375 tonnes worth $673.98 million in the same period of 2024.

The minister further informed that the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has participated in major international seafood fairs across Asia and Europe. Reverse Buyera"Seller Meets in Chennai and New Delhi in 2025 facilitated over 100 buyera"exporter interactions.

MPEDA is also conducting sensitisation programmes on various FTAs to help exporters utilize new opportunities.

The Department of Commerce is also fasta'tracking free trade agreement talks, including with the European Union to resolve market access issues, while the Department of Fisheries has engaged with several APAC countries to strengthen quality assurance, biosecurity, colda'chain improvements and R&D collaboration, informed the minister.

Support for shrimp farmers includes capacity building programmes, awareness campaigns, farm monitoring and aquaculture technician training.

Further MPEDA implemented domestication of tiger shrimp in Visakhapatnam for the production of SPF tiger shrimp broodstock from Indian strains.

MPEDA also implemented aSHAPHARI Certificationa of farms and hatcheries to assure that the products are antibiotic-free and disease free, produced through Best Management Practices, the statement said.

An Advanced Technological Transformation in Aquaculture scheme was introduced to enhance shrimp production using bio-secured circular tanks which provided financial assistance up to 50 per cent to 75 per cent of the capital cost to farmers.

GST rates on over 20 fisheries and aquaculture-related products such as farm equipment, feed ingredients, water conditioners and fishing nets were recently cut from 12a"18 per cent to 5 per cent to lower costs and boost competitiveness.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Demonstrating the sign of operational normalisation and stability since the last four days after the government stepped into the crisis management, IndiGo said that it is set to operate over 2,000 flights on Friday, as per its revised scaled-down schedule.

The airline has been continuously increasing its number of flights. It operated over 1,700 flights on December 8, over 1,800 on December 9, over 1,900 and 1,950 on December 10 and 11, respectively. The airline said that it would operate over 2,050 flights on Friday, i.e. December 12.

"All our 138 operational destinations are connected, and our on-time performance has been consistently normal as per IndiGo standards," the airline said in a statement.

"Yesterday, we operated over 1,950 flights with just four cancellations, due to unfavourable weather, with all affected customers promptly informed to avoid inconvenience," the statement added.

Post the major disruption that had erupted in the domestic civil aviation industry due to operational failure of the airline, IndiGo appointed an independent aviation consultancy to investigate the recent operational disruption that affected its flights.

The airline said its Board has approved hiring Chief Aviation Advisors LLC to carry out a detailed review and identify the factors that caused the issue.

"The Board has approved the appointment of Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, veteran Aviation Expert, to conduct an independent expert review and assessment of the recent operational disruption and the contributing factors," the airline said in a statement.

Captain Illson has over 40 years of experience in global aviation. He has worked with major international bodies such as the FAA, ICAO and IATA, as well as leading airlines around the world.

Earlier, the DGCA dismissed four flight inspectors who were responsible for monitoring the safety and operational standards of IndiGo.

The action comes amid the deep crisis at the airline, which has cancelled thousands of flights this month due to poor planning and failure to meet stricter safety norms. According to sources, the DGCA acted against the inspectors after finding negligence in their inspection and monitoring duties.

The regulator has now deployed two special oversight teams at IndiGo's Gurugram office to track the airline's operations closely. Additionally, earlier this week, IndiGo was ordered to reduce its operations by 10 per cent to stabilise its schedules and control further disruptions.

The airline usually operates around 2,200 flights per day.
Raipur/Sukma, Dec 12 : Sukma in Chhattisgarh has witnessed a significant success in the fight against Naxal insurgency, with ten Maoists from the Darbha division surrendering before security forces.

The surrendered cadres carried a combined bounty of Rs 33 lakh, including Medium Bhima, who alone had an Rs 8 lakh reward on his head.

The group, which included six women, handed over weapons such as an AK-47, two SLRs, and a BGL (barrel grenade launcher), signalling their decision to embrace the rehabilitation policy offered by the central and state governments.

The surrender program was attended by Bastar Inspector General P Sundarraj, CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) DIG (Deputy Inspector General) Anand Singh Rajpurohit, Sukma SP Kiran Chavan, and Collector Devesh Dhruv.

Officials reiterated that the rehabilitation policy guarantees dignity, livelihood, and reintegration into society for those who abandon violence.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, in a statement on his X handle, hailed the development as part of a historic transformation in Bastar under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

He emphasised that the "Poona Margem  Rehabilitation to Rejuvenation" initiative is helping Maoist cadres return to the mainstream, offering them a secure and dignified life with their families.

"Our goal is clear: to make Chhattisgarh completely Maoist-free and to give Bastar a new identity of development, trust, and opportunities," he said.

The surrendered Maoists include Medium Bhima (Rs 8 lakh), Ganga Kunjam (Rs 5 lakh), Lekam Rama (Rs 5 lakh), Tati Soni (Rs 5 lakh), Shanti Sodi (Rs 5 lakh), Madvi Naveen (Rs 1 lakh), Madvi Rukni (Rs 1 lakh), Oyam Mangli (Rs 1 lakh), Podiyam Mangi (Rs 1 lakh), and Madvi Gangi (Rs 1 lakh).

Umesh Sundam, district president of Sarva Adivasi Samaj, urged remaining youth in the organisation to follow suit, noting that the situation in Bastar is changing rapidly.

He pointed out that even senior cadres are surrendering in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. This development comes on the heels of another major success when 11 Maoists, including CCM member Ramdher Majji, surrendered in Khairagarh.

Majji, a top leader long sought by police, had been central to the MMC zone, which is now believed to be nearly dismantled.

With the recent elimination of notorious commander Hidma and successive surrenders, security agencies expect more Maoists to lay down arms.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Chhattisgarh next week, a visit considered crucial in consolidating these gains.
Jaipur, Dec 12 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said on Friday that innovation begins with curiosity, and in today's rapidly changing world, it serves as the true engine of development for our economy and society.

He emphasised that the progress of the country and the state rests on the progress of its youth.

It is encouraging, he said, that the youth of Rajasthan are making significant strides in the field of technology.

Calling upon young people to come forward in the field of innovation, he assured them that the state government stands beside them at every step.

Together, the Chief Minister said, we will make Rajasthan a global leader in technology and innovation.

Chief Minister Sharma was addressing the Innovation Day a" Startup Conclave held at the Rajasthan International Centre on Friday, as part of the events organised to mark the completion of two years of the state government.

He said that this day celebrates our creativity, scientific approach, and innovative potential.

The event showcases Rajasthan's remarkable journey of advancing ideas, creativity, and digital technology, he added.

The Chief Minister said that due to the state government's IT initiatives, reforms in digital governance, and commitment to promoting innovation in every district, Rajasthan is writing a new chapter in technological advancement.

He told that so far, more than 7,200 startups have been registered under iStart Rajasthan, attracting investments exceeding Rs 1,000 crore and generating more than 42,500 jobs.

These startups will not only promote emerging industries but will also create widespread employment opportunities, CM Sharma added.

Chief Minister Sharma highlighted that women are increasingly taking the lead in the startup ecosystem.

"Of the startups registered on iStart, more than 2,600 are led by women, while 288 are run by young students. The number of students enrolled on iStart has now crossed 1.16 lakh."

He said that successful startups will encourage innovation and help Rajasthan's youth become global leaders in high-potential sectors.

The Chief Minister announced that the state government has allocated Rs 15 crore for Rajasthan Digifest in the 2025a"26 budget.

Digifest will be organised in Jaipur in January 2026 in collaboration with the TiE Global Summit, he said.

This platform will provide youth with unlimited opportunities in technology, entrepreneurship, and global partnerships, he added.

He said that Innovation Day has laid a strong foundation for the upcoming Rajasthan Digifest 2026.

He expressed confidence that the event will become one of India's largest innovation conferences, with more than 10,000 participants, 500+ investors, 300 exhibitors, 200 speakers, 100 sessions, and 100 startup pitches.

"The summit will offer startups and students exposure to global digital trends, guidance from top global mentors, and opportunities to connect with leading industrialists and investors."

Chief Minister Sharma said that the state has launched several policies and programmes to promote startups, establish incubation centres, and enhance skills.

The Atal Innovation Studio and Accelerator will create new opportunities in emerging technologies, the Chief Minister added.

"Under the AVGC-XR policy (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality), the state government has opened new pathways for youth in animation, visual effects, gaming, and extended reality."

The Learn, Earn, and Progress (LEAP) programme is being launched to strengthen the skills of startup founders and young innovators, CM Sharma said.

The Chief Minister told that three centres for advanced skilling are being established to train youth in new-age technologies.

Under the State Skill Policy, the Rajasthan government aims to train 1.5 lakh youth over two years to enhance their employability, he said.

Initiatives such as the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit have significantly boosted investor confidence, he added.

"Last year, MoUs worth more than Rs 35 lakh crore were signed at the summit, and projects worth Rs 8 lakh crore are now progressing. These efforts have further strengthened Rajasthan's position as a rapidly emerging investment hub."

Chief Minister Sharma said that the state government is pursuing policy-driven initiatives to expand employment opportunities.

"A target of four lakh government jobs has been set for the next five years. So far, 92,000 youth have been provided government employment, and nearly 20,000 more will receive opportunities this month."

"In addition, the state government has facilitated employment for more than 250,000 youth in the private sector," CM Sharma said.

A new youth policy is also being introduced to support youth development and empowerment, he added.

The Chief Minister said that Rajasthan is a powerhouse of innovation.

"The state is working toward becoming a $350 billion economy by 2030, and several unprecedented steps are being taken to achieve this goal."

He said that Rajasthan holds vast potential in sectors such as renewable energy, energy storage, waste-to-energy, tourism, mining, automobiles, and textiles.

"To encourage investment across these sectors, the state government has introduced more than two dozen new policies," he added.
The Russian Federations ongoing campaign against key energy infrastructure is putting civilians in Ukraine at serious risk as winter approaches, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in its monthly update on the protection of civilians in Ukraine.

The report highlights an increase in attacks by Russian forces on Ukrainian infrastructure in November, an increased use of powerful long-range weapons across the country, and a continued high level of civilian casualties.

At least 226 civilians were killed and 952 injured across Ukraine in November, with the Russian armed forces use of powerful long-range missiles and drones in densely populated urban areas accounting for more than half of all civilian casualties. Nighttime attacks often involved the simultaneous use of hundreds of drones and missiles.

The Russian Federations ongoing campaign against Ukraines energy infrastructure is seriously disrupting the vital services that civilians rely on. Millions of families are now forced to live without electricity, heating and water for extended periods of time  a hardship that is only compounded by the shortening of daylight hours and falling temperatures, Mission head Head Danielle Belle said.

The UN noted that in November, the Russian Federation carried out five large-scale combined attacks on energy facilities, as well as a series of more targeted strikes, continuing a trend that began in October. These attacks caused large-scale emergency power outages in most regions of the country, lasting more than 36 hours in some areas, and also led to disruptions in heating and water supplies in a number of places.

Such attacks continued into December. For example, on December 4, several long-range drones targeted an electrical substation in Odessa, causing a power outage in the area for several days.

Residents told the Mission that their elderly relatives, people with disabilities or bedridden neighbours were unable to leave their apartments for days because the lifts were down during the outages, and after the power was restored, the lifts remained unsafe due to voltage fluctuations. Volunteers brought food and water to those who were unable to move, while others stored food on cold balconies to prevent it from spoiling. Even after the emergency outages ended, most regions of Ukraine are still experiencing long, scheduled power outages, currently lasting up to 16 hours a day. A social worker from southern Ukraine explained that the outages are causing serious hardship for those she cares for. As an example, she cited the situation of an 87-year-old woman: "It is extremely difficult for her to survive now, because she is completely dependent on the blackout schedule. When the light comes on for a few hours during the day, she has to make the most of this time: to cook food, warm herself, eat hot food, get water from the tap, do laundry and do the simplest household chores. For an elderly person living alone, this is impossible." The increase in long-range strikes is also a major reason for the increase in civilian casualties recorded by the HRMMU in 2025. Thus, between January and November 2024, 509 civilians were killed and 2,462 were injured by long-range drones and missiles. Over the same period in 2025, the number of civilian deaths from long-range weapons increased by 27% to 645, and the number of injured increased by 68% to 4,123.

The combined attack by the Russian Federation on 19 November on Ternopil in western Ukraine is illustrative: long-range missiles and drones killed at least 38 civilians, including 8 children, and injured 99 people, including 17 children. This is the highest number of casualties in a single confirmed incident since the strike on a memorial dinner in the village of Groza, Kharkiv region, in October 2023. The Mission team visited Ternopil and spoke with victims and witnesses, documenting how a rocket directly hit a residential building, causing its structure to collapse, as well as extensive destruction from a large fire that broke out after a long-range drone detonated in the yard of another residential building.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : The historic Neemuch railway station in Madhya Pradesh is fast emerging as a modern transit hub under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Established in 1880, the station is undergoing a major transformation aimed at blending its heritage with contemporary facilities.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) The historic Neemuch railway station in Madhya Pradesh is fast emerging as a modern transit hub under Prime Minister Narendra Modias Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Established in 1880, the station is undergoing a major transformation aimed at blending its heritage with contemporary facilities.

Officials confirmed that nearly 90 per cent of the redevelopment work has been completed, positioning the station to become one of the most modern stations in the region.

Ratlam Railway Division Public Relations Officer Khemraj Meena told IANS that the building and facilities at Neemuch station have been comprehensively upgraded, with most of the work now complete. He added that 18 stations in the division are being redeveloped under the scheme.

Passengers have also welcomed the transformation. Radheshyam Prajapat from Nagda said the station has changed completely, with better cleanliness, seating and water facilities.

Another passenger, Krishnapal Singh Rajput from Ratlam, said visible improvements in sanitation and amenities have made travel more comfortable. Both passengers expressed appreciation for the ongoing development efforts.

Upgradation of the station complex has been carried out at a cost of about Rs 3 crore. New standards of cleanliness, aesthetics and passenger comfort have been introduced. The station now features a high-tech waiting hall, upgraded toilets, purified drinking water points, a larger circulation area, expanded parking space, a digital information system and free Wi-Fi services.

Work on installing lifts is progressing, and special arrangements have been made for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Both platforms have been fitted with improved covered sheds, while a similar shed is being added at the goods yard.

In an effort to preserve heritage, the station premises now highlight the old clock tower and a vintage locomotive engine, both restored as key attractions.

A One Station One Product counter and an art gallery are also being developed to showcase local culture and promote regional artisans.

The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims to modernise railway stations across India and enhance passenger convenience. The rapid makeover of Neemuch station is being seen as part of the governmentas larger vision of developing world-class infrastructure. The upgraded station is already offering a significantly improved travel experience to passengers in the Malwa-Mewar region.
Imphal, Dec 12 : The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has summoned all party MLAs of Manipur to an important meeting in New Delhi on Sunday, with party leaders indicating that the discussions are likely to centre around government formation.

Amid growing speculation about the formation of a new government and rising demands from a large number of BJP MLAs and leaders for the party to form the next government, Sunday's meeting has assumed significant political importance.

Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, confirming about the Sunday's meeting in the national capital, said that the central leadership has instructed every BJP MLA from the state to attend the meeting.

Speaking at the sidelines of the 86th Nupi Lal Day, he said that although no formal agenda of the proposed meeting has been communicated, discussions related to forming a new government are likely.

"BJP MLAs have been called to Delhi to review the situation in Manipur. We have not been told the precise agenda of the meeting, but it could involve government formation," he told the media.

Strife-torn Manipur has been under President's Rule since February 13, four days after the resignation of N. Biren Singh from the Chief Minister's post.

The 60-member state Assembly, which, after the promulgation of President's Rule, has been put under suspended animation, has a tenure till 2027.

Two senior central BJP leaders -- National General Secretary (Organisation) B. L. Santhosh and the party's Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra -- visited Manipur for three days last month and held a series of meetings with state party leaders and MLAs, fuelling speculation about the possible formation of a new government in the Northeastern state.

In October, 26 BJP MLAs, including Biren Singh, had met Santhosh and Patra in New Delhi and urged them to "install a popular government" in Manipur, expressing readiness to resume governance as a united team.

Former Chief Minister Biren Singh recently said that all BJP legislators in Manipur remain united in their efforts to form a popular government in the state.

He maintained that the process of government formation is already underway, while refraining from commenting on individual opinions expressed by legislators.

Expressing concern over the plight of violence-hit Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in relief camps, Singh had stressed the urgent need to address their problems and improve their living conditions.

"There is a demand from the public and from our side that we want to resolve the issues of the displaced people and others. Their problems can only be solved if a popular government is formed," Singh said recently.

He asserted that restoring a stable and representative government is crucial to tackling the ongoing humanitarian challenges in the state.

"Once a popularly elected government is established, the problems of the displaced families and other issues of the state would be the government's top priority," he added.

--IANS

sc/dan
Sofia, Dec 12 : The Bulgarian parliament on Friday voted unanimously to approve the resignation of Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov-led government, which had assumed office in January, local media reported.

As many as 227 lawmakers voted in favour of the resignation in the 240-member National Assembly. The parliament's decision came after Zhelyazkov announced the government's resignation on Thursday following mass protests in Bulgaria against the ruling majority and particularly, Movement for Rights and Freedoms  New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski and GERB-UDF leader Boiko Borissov, Bulgaria-based The Sofia Globe reported.

Zhelyazkov and other members of the Cabinet were not present in the National Assembly for the two-hour debate held before the vote.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev will now invite political parties to form a new government. If the parties fail to form a government, Radev will appoint a caretaker cabinet to govern the country until a new election is conducted. A total of seven snap elections have been held in Bulgaria since anti-corruption protests were held against Borissov government in 2020.

On Thursday, Zhelyazkov announced the resignation shortly before the Cabinet faced another vote of confidence, the sixth since it assumed office in January.

"We have no doubt that in the upcoming vote of no confidence, the government will receive support. But for us, the decisions of the National Assembly have meaning only when they express the will of the sovereign," Politico quoted Zhelyazkov as saying.

Zhelyazkov said, "Our desire is to rise to the level of what society expects. At this moment, as the constitution dictates, power derives from the voice of the people. We hear the voice of the citizens protesting against the government."

"Young and old, people from different ethnic groups have spoken out for the resignation. We support this civic energy and encourage it," he added.

Protests erupted in Bulgaria in November over a budget proposal that imposed higher taxes on the private sector while allocating more funds for the state sector. However, the main reason behind the protest has been dissatisfaction with the government, Politico reported. The protest that erupted over budget proposal transformed into a nationwide movement, demanding accountability, transparency and new leadership.

Earlier in November, Rossen Zhelyazkov announced that the cabinet will withdraw the 2026 budget package after a protest was held against the plan outside Parliament. He made the announcement after his meeting with representatives of the parliamentary groups supporting his minority Cabinet, The Sofia Globe reported.

Bulgarian government had tabled the budget without holding consultative meetings with trade unions and employer associations after the latter did not participate in the meetings as they were against the budget's proposed revenue-raising measures, particularly the rise in the social security contributions and the capital gains tax increase.

On November 26, several thousand Bulgarians participated in the protest organised by opposition coalition We Continue the Change  Democratic Bulgaria in the centre of Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, against the government's budget 2026. The protest was among the largest witnessed in Sofia in recent years, The Sofia Globe reported. The protest organisers had said that the rise in social security contributions, the doubling of the tax on dividends, and disagreement with the introduction of special electronic accounting devices for businesses as the main reason for the protests against the budget.
Kolkata, Dec 12 : West Bengal Governor, C.V. Ananda Bose, on Friday, has given three suggestions to the state government for preventing the disruption of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state and for ensuring the safety of the booth-level officers (BLOs) engaged in the voter revision exercise.

The Governor had, at the same time, reminded the West Bengal government that as per the recent Supreme Court orders, it is the duty of the state government to ensure the safety of the BLOs and to prevent the disruption of the SIR exercise.

In a statement issued from the office of the Governor on Friday afternoon, it has been said that in view of the observation of the apex court reportedly asking the Election Commission of India (ECI) to address the issues, saying that "anarchy cannot be allowed" and that the situation will be taken seriously "if BLOs are threatened or obstructed", the Governor had asked the West Bengal government to put in place the necessary mechanism to ensure that neither the BLOs are 'threatened' nor the crucial SIR process is hampered in any manner.

The first suggestion is that since the BLOs were operating at the grassroots levels, the district administration might be directed to provide them security at the booth level across the villages, towns, and cities.

The second suggestion is that the state government might direct the state police to depute adequate numbers of police personnel across the booth levels to accompany the BLOs on their enumeration drive.

The third and final suggestion is that the state government should provide the BLOs with the necessary basic facilities so that they can discharge their functions seamlessly.

Since the SIR exercise was conducted in West Bengal, there had been several complaints against the Trinamool Congress of unnecessarily creating pressure on the BLOs to conduct the revision exercise as per the whims of the ruling party.

The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhkari, had even accused the district magistrates, as well as the district electoral officers, of putting pressure on the BLOs to operate at the behest of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Kochi, Dec 12 : Public Prosecutor Ajakumar on Friday said he was deeply dissatisfied with the sentence in the high-profile actor assault case, calling the punishment handed down by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court "incomplete justice" and warning it could send the wrong message to society.

Kochi, Dec 12 (IANS) Public Prosecutor Ajakumar on Friday said he was deeply dissatisfied with the sentence in the high-profile actor assault case, calling the punishment handed down by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court "incomplete justice" and warning it could send the wrong message to society.

Speaking to the media after the verdict, Ajakumar said the prosecution had suffered "no setback," but that the punishment meted out to the six convicts was inadequate given the gravity of the offence.

He said he would recommend that the State government file an appeal seeking a harsher sentence.

"The sentence is not the court's generosity; it is the prosecution's right," he said, adding that several difficulties faced by the prosecution during the trial would be disclosed "in appropriate forums."

In a landmark judgment earlier in the day, Principal Sessions Judge Honey M. Varghese sentenced six accused, including the prime accused Pulsar Suni, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for gang rape.

Suni (N.S. Sunil) and co-accused Martin Antony, B. Manikandan, V.P. Vijeesh, H. Salim and Pradeep were found guilty under the gang-rape provisions, which prescribe a minimum sentence of 20 years.

The court said the period the convicts had already undergone as undertrial prisoners would be set off against the total sentence.

While pronouncing the punishment, the judge cited mitigating factors such as the ages and family backgrounds of the convicts and the fact that some had no prior criminal record.

Each was also directed to pay a fine of Rs 50,000; failure to do so would attract an additional one year's imprisonment.

Ajakumar, however, maintained that the sentence lacked the deterrent value a crime of this brutality demanded.

His remarks mirror the growing sentiment among sections of the public and the survivor's supporters, who believe the case warranted stronger judicial intervention to sustain public confidence in the justice system.

The State Law Minister P. Rajeeve said the government will move an appeal against the verdict in the Kerala High Court for further review and possible reconsideration.
Kochi Dec 12 : India has begun shaping a domestic framework to support the ratification and future implementation of the High Seas Treaty, a global agreement set to come into force on January 17, 2026.

The Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), adopted in March 2023 under UNCLOS (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), is widely viewed as a milestone in protecting marine biodiversity in international waters.

At a national stakeholder consultation held in Kochi on Friday, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), along with ICARCentral Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), and various domestic and international partners, examined India's readiness to implement the Treaty.

India is among the 145 signatories, and 76 countries have ratified the agreement so far.

The meeting brought together policymakers, legal specialists, scientists, representatives from the fisheries industry and maritime stakeholders to assess scientific, legal and institutional requirements for compliance.

Experts agreed that the Treaty's enforcement marks a crucial turning point in global ocean governance, with potential to ensure equitable access to high-seas resources and strengthen conservation efforts amid intensifying challenges from climate change, overfishing and pollution.

Senior advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, inaugurating the consultation, said the BBNJ Agreement offers India and other coastal nations a strategic chance to close longstanding governance gaps in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

He pointed to complex issues such as ownership of marine genetic resources and environmental accountability, noting that the Treaty provides a structured approach to manage these sensitivities while protecting national interests.

Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) Director, Dr P. Krishnan, emphasised India's strong scientific and technological capabilities in ocean research.

He urged the scientific community to increase its role in ocean governance and high-seas management, calling the treaty an opportunity to "bring science, policy and law together."

CMFRI Director Dr Grinson George said the Agreement has direct implications for India's fisheries, as ecological changes in the high seas can affect fish availability within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Despite India's focus on nearshore and small-scale fisheries, he noted that activities in international waters play a major role in determining resource patterns closer to shore.

The recommendations from the consultation will now be consolidated to shape India's domestic roadmap ahead of the next Conference of the Parties scheduled for August 2026.
Imphal, Dec 12 : For the first time, Manipur commemorated Nupi Lal Day in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, who on Friday, led the people of the state in paying tribute to the brave women warriors of the historic "Nupi Lal" movement.

The President, accompanied by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, laid wreaths at the Nupi Lal (also called Nupee Lal) Memorial Complex in Imphal, honouring the brave women warriors of Manipur whose courage continues to inspire generations.

The Governor, in a message, said that this day, also popularly known as "Nupilan Numit", stands as a tribute to the extraordinary courage, resilience and patriotic sacrifices of the women of Manipur.

He added that the Nupi Lal movements of 1904 and 1939 remain shining chapters in our history where the women of Manipur rose with unmatched unity and spirit against injustice and exploitation.

"Nupi Lal was not merely a protest but a powerful testimony of women's collective leadership and social consciousness. The brave mothers of Manipur transformed their pain into courage that culminated in a movement that continues to inspire generations. Their sacrifices remind us that the progress of any society lies in respecting and empowering its women," Governor Bhalla said.

Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel speaking at the event said that Nupi Lal day is observed to honour the extraordinary courage, unity and resilience of Manipuri women.

He asserted that Nupi Lal is not merely a historical event but an enduring symbol of the people's strength, women's leadership and collective resistance, which remains a guiding force for the progress of Manipur.

Goel recalled that the Nupi Lal, also known as the "Women's War", commemorates two remarkable chapters of resistance led by the Manipuri women.

The first Nupi Lal in 1904 emerged against the re-imposition of forced labour by the British regime and other injustices, while the second Nupi Lal in 1939 was a mass movement against wartime hoarding and the export of rice, he noted.

He lauded the brave Manipuri women who stood against injustice and policies that threatened the dignity and welfare of the people, saying that their unwavering courage continues to inspire generations.

The Chief Secretary highlighted the enduring resilience of the 'Ima Markets', Asia's largest all-women-led markets, as a testament to the strength and leadership of Manipuri women.

He said that they continue to lead and inspire change across various fields, carrying forward the legacy of Nupi Lal.

He also commended Padma Shri Awardee 2025, Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi, for her lifelong dedication to classical Manipuri dance.

Goel also cited various national and state policies supporting women's safety, dignity, education and economic independence, including Mission Shakti, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, Stand-Up India Scheme, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Lakhpati Didi Initiative, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan and Nongthangleima Yaipha Tengbang Scheme and Back to School, etc.

He also emphasised the government's initiatives such as Child Care Leave (CCL) and Special Maternity Leave (SML), Women for Trees under AMRUT 2.0, the Working Women's Hostel launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi (on September 13) at nine locations across Manipur and the establishment of Ima markets in various districts, all aimed at advancing women's empowerment in Manipur.

Goel called upon the public to honour the brave women who stood against injustice, pledge that their sacrifices will not be in vain and carry forward their courage with compassion, inclusivity and progress for a prosperous Manipur.

Manipur Assembly Speaker Satyabrata Singh, several MLAs and senior bureaucrats were also present at the event.

Soon after the tribute ceremony, President Murmu headed to Shree Shree Govindajee Temple at Imphal, where she offered her prayers.

Later, the President left for Senapati district.

Marking the 86th Nupi Lal anniversary, the state government observed the day with a solemn event, at the Central Hall of G.P Women's College at Imphal, with solemnity and respect, honouring the historic contributions of the brave women of Manipur who stood against British oppression during the Nupi Lal movements of 1904 and 1939.

The programme featured song performances by the artistes of Shri Shri Balmukunda Dev Music College at Imphal and a stage play on Nupi Lal presented by the Nupi Lal Memorial Association, written by Longjamba Meetei (Netaji) and directed by Ojit Kumar Elangbam.
Jaipur, Dec 12 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said that the state government has completed 70 per cent of the work promised to the public in just two years, marking a significant milestone in governance, development and public trust. He added that 73 per cent of the budget announcements for the two-year period have either been completed or are underway.

Addressing a press briefing at the Bhagat Singh Mehta Auditorium at the OTS, Sharma said Rajasthan has emerged as one of the best-performing states in the country, ranking first in 11 national schemes, second in five and third in nine, reflecting the government's commitment, hard work and public support. The Chief Minister noted that ambitious projects like the ERCP had been stalled by the previous government.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, work orders worth Rs 26,000 crore have been issued for the Ram Jal Setu Link Project, aimed at supplying Yamuna water to Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar. In two years, Rs 10,482 crore has been spent under the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide tap water to 13.59 lakh rural families.

Over 14,000 groundwater-harvesting structures have been constructed under the Karmabhoomi to Matribhoomi Abhiyan, and 364,968 water-conservation projects completed under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari initiative.

Additional allocations include Rs 647 crore for Ferozepur feeder reconstruction and Rs 3,400 crore for IGNP canal renovation and concrete-drain construction.

Rajasthan's power-generation capacity has risen from 6,363 MW to 30,525 MW in two years. MoUs have been signed with central enterprises for 42,438 MW of power projects, with total investments of Rs 1,93,000 crore, including a joint-venture company with Rs 1,20,000 crore investment. The state government has developed 39,891 km of roads at a cost of Rs 27,238 crore.

The CM also shared that rural connectivity has been strengthened with 8,557 km of missing-link roads and 3,139 km of upgraded roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. DPRs are underway for nine greenfield expressways totaling 2,750 km.

Approval has also been granted for 78 Atal Pragati Paths in larger villages and 249 paths in smaller villages, at a combined cost of Rs 812 crore. Beneficiaries of the PM-Ujjwala Yojana and BPL families now receive gas cylinders for Rs 450.

Over 15 crore meals have been served under the Annapurna Rasoi Yojana. Social pensions have increased to Rs 1,250 per month, with over 10 lakh new approvals issued. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural), 713,000 homes have been approved, and more than 2 lakh leases granted to nomadic, semi-nomadic and freed families.

The Swamitva Yojana has completed drone surveys in 8,000-plus villages, issuing 13.7 lakh ownership cards.

The PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi has been increased to Rs 9,000, combining central and state contributions, benefiting over 7.6 lakh farmers with Rs 10,432 crore directly credited. Bonuses totaling Rs 471 crore have been paid to 2.66 lakh wheat farmers. In two years, interest-free crop loans worth Rs 44,000 crore and subsidies of Rs 822 crore for 52,000 solar pumps under the PM-KUSUM Yojana have been provided. Farmers have also received relief in electricity bills.
Kohima, Dec 12 : Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday urged police to bring greater pride, honour, and laurels to the state.

Move forward with unity, integrity and unwavering dedication while serving the government and the people, he said, requesting the police officials to continue their journey of service with renewed vigour, discipline, and determination.

Inaugurating the Nagaland Police officersa mess at the New Police Reserve in Phesema here, Rio said this new facility will be a reminder of the trust placed upon the police officers and will serve as an inspiration to strive for excellence in every duty they undertake.

He also thanked Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, who holds the Home portfolio, for his initiative in taking the responsibility to construct the police officersa mess.

The Chief Minister said that the old officersa mess (Hill type) was constructed in 1981, and had served generations of officers faithfully for 42 long years.

Recognising the deteriorating structure, the government took a timely and visionary decision to dismantle the old structure and construct a new three-storied RCC building at the New Reserve, Phesema, in an initiative aimed at providing the police officers with dignity, comfort and facilities they truly deserve, Rio said.

He informed that with the initiative of the state government, funds for this project were graciously sanctioned by the Central government under Part-1 of the Special Assistance to States for capital investment (SASCI) 203-24.

Chief Engineer, Police Project, K.Imnajungba Jamir said that the total project cost of the Nagaland Police officersa mess stands at Rs 7.02 crore, funded under SASCI, which was sanctioned part-wise.

In his address, Director General of Police Rupin Sharma informed the gathering that the pending pension cases of retiring police personnel will be gradually resolved, with the department targeting the settlement of 91 per cent of these cases within the next six months.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in the Lok Sabha on Friday that it would not be feasible for the government to cap airfares throughout the year in a deregulated market, which has enabled India's aviation sector to grow at a rapid pace that has ultimately benefited consumers.

Responding to a private member's bill seeking airfare regulation amid the IndiGo crisis, which sent ticket prices soaring, the minister said that the core idea of deregulation remains, and "If we want the civil aviation sector to grow, the foremost requirement is to keep it deregulated so that more players can enter the market."

"Airfares usually rise during the festive season because of increased demand on specific routes and at particular times. These fluctuations are seasonal, and it is not feasible to cap fares for an entire year on any given sector. Market demand and supply naturally regulate airfares on their own," the minister said.

The Aviation Minister pointed out that regulating airfares is "not a one-way solution," as the government must consider the long-term viability of the entire aviation ecosystem, including airlines, airports, and the operational network that connects them.

He pointed out that countries that have seen rapid growth in the aviation sector typically have deregulated markets that encourage more players and competition.

Ticket prices are best discovered through demand and supply, with passengers gaining over time as competition among airlines brings down fares, he added.

"We also have statistics to show that when we compare India's airfares with those in other countries, the rate of increase is actually negative," Naidu said.

At the same time, Naidu highlighted that the Centre retains powers under the Aircraft Act to cap fares in extraordinary situations to protect passengers.

He cited instances such as Covid-19, and events like Mahakumbh, the PahalgamSrinagar situation and the recent disruption in IndiGo flights when the government has stepped in to curb the sudden surge in airfares.

Citing another example of price regulation, Naidu highlighted the 'Fare Se Fursat' scheme, launched in collaboration with the Alliance of Airlines, under which the government has fixed fares on 25 routes, including those in the Northeast and South India.

The minister pointed out that an increase in capacity was the longer-term answer to recurring price spikes, signalling the government's view that supply constraints, not just airline pricing, shape fare volatility.
The Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators (AUGO), the largest industry union representing the I-gaming sector, has appealed to state authorities to refrain from imposing strict fixed limits on players in legal casinos. The association warns that such restrictions would inevitably drive Ukrainian players en masse to illegal online casinos, many of which have Russian business origins, according to a letter sent to multiple government bodies with influence over the sector.

"The proposed strict limitations for legal gambling operators will push the industry into the shadows Regulatory changes should reduce the outflow of players to illegal operators, not the other way around," the document states. The letter, reviewed by the agency, is addressed to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the State PlayCity Agency, the Ministry of Finance, the Bureau of Economic Security, the State Tax Service, and two relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada.

According to AUGO, the market currently generates more than UAH 17 billion in annual budget revenues.

The association recalled that the introduction of player limits was included in a draft order by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, "On Establishing Limits on Player Spending on Gambling and Time Spent Participating in Gambling," published on the ministry's website. The main stated goal of introducing player limits is to combat gambling addiction, but according to the latest research conducted by Ukraine's National Health Service, despite the popularity of gambling, gambling addiction does not have a widespread character in Ukraine, AUGO asserts.

Association members argue that spending limits for players should be strictly personal and risk-based, not rigid and fixed as currently proposed. AUGO also proposes increasing the allowed weekly and monthly time limits for player participation, because the thresholds in the draft order are unrealistic and would push players toward illegal casinos.

The association believes the Law "On Gambling in Ukraine" does not require the establishment of fixed player limits or "caps," making the reference to the law in the draft order incorrect.

AUGO cites analysis of data from legal operators' online systems and claims that if a monthly limit of EUR 1,000 per player is imposed, Ukraine's budget would lose about UAH 5.6 billion in annual tax revenue, while 3050% of players would migrate to the illegal sector, much of which is controlled by Russian entities, as many Russian gambling websites remain unblocked in Ukraine.

Regarding support for the draft order by the Ministry of Finance for financial monitoring purposes, AUGO argues that this issue should be addressed "through improved and proper implementation of financial monitoring mechanisms, not through administrative imposition of rigid spending and time limits on players."

The association also states that strict limits and advertising bans in certain EU countries have led to growth of the shadow segment and rapid spread of crypto-casinos.

"In countries with harsh limits, the share of the shadow market has surged quickly (Germany  6080%, Finland  3235%, the Netherlands  2530%). Meanwhile, in countries with flexible or voluntary limit models, the shadow segment remains minimal (the UK  12%, Denmark  around 9%)," the letter says.

"Ukraine should not break a functioning legal industry with ill-considered steps or repeat the mistakes of European countries. Otherwise, you will see 50,00060,000 Ukrainians every quarter handing over their financial data to Russian casinos. The Russian gambling business not only operates in Ukraine but also cooperates with Russian security services to recruit Ukrainians," said AUGO President Oleksandr Kohut.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be holding meetings with the top leadership, addressing parliament members besides engaging in interactions with the business communities and Indian diaspora during this three nation visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman, next week.

PM Modi will embark on a bilateral visit to Jordan from December 15-16 at the invitation of King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), PM Modi will hold talks with the Jordan King, interact with Indian diaspora and address a business event in Amman.

"This will be Prime Minister's first full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan which is coinciding with the 75th year of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Jordan. Some of you may recall earlier Prime Minister Shri Modi had transited through Jordan in February 2018 while on his way to the state of Palestine. Even though it was a transit visit, exceptional courtesies were accorded to him by His Majesty, the King making it more than just a transit visit. This, the current full bilateral visit is taking place after an interval of 37 years," MEA's Secretary (South), Neena Malhotra told reporters on Friday during a special press briefing on PM Modi's three-nation visit.

The senior diplomat noted that India and Jordan share warm and friendly relations marked by mutual trust and goodwill and the relationship spans across sectors including political, economic, defence and strong people-to-people ties. She stated that the bilateral relations are marked by strong understanding at the leadership level.

"Since the last visit of His Majesty in 2018, both the leaders have met four times with the latest being on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy in June 2024. The leaders are in touch with each other telephonically as well and both the leaders also spoke recently in April 2025 after the ghastly Pahalgam terror attacks during which His Majesty condemned the terror attacks and said that terrorism should be rejected in all its forms and manifestations."

Jordan has backed India's fight against terrorism and both countries have cooperated in counter-terrorism efforts, including by India's participation in the initiatives such as the Aqaba process. India and Jordan also share strong economic ties, with India being the third largest trading partner of Jordan and the bilateral trade between the two countries is valued at 2.8 billion dollars. Jordan is also a leading supplier of fertilizers for India, particularly phosphates and potash. There's also a joint venture named Jordan India Fertilizer Company JIFCO with an investment of 860 million dollars between IFCO of India and Jordan Phosphates Mines Company JPMC of Jordan.

Jordan also has an Indian diaspora of more than 17,500 people, who work in various sectors such as textiles, construction, manufacturing and others.

Prime Minister Modi and the Jordan King are expected to address an India-Jordan business event which will be attended by leading businessmen from the both sides. Prime Minister will also interact with the vibrant Indian community in Jordan and visit the historic city of Petra, a city which shares ancient trade linkages with India, along with the Crown Prince.

PM Modi will then begin a State Visit to Ethiopia where he will hold talks with his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed, address a parliament session, interact with Indian community and have some other engagements.

The MEA Secretary stated that India and Ethiopia share a long history of partnership in sectors like education, skilling and capacity building. She noted that India has been offering scholarship and training opportunities to Ethiopian students and professionals through ITEC and ICCR scholarships. ITEC also continues to be vital platform for skill upgradation and re-skilling for human resource development in Ethiopia.

This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country since 2011.

"Ethiopia is an important and trusted partner in the Global South and the African context. The Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has been a prominent participant and key speaker during the past editions of the Voice of Global South. The current visit reflects India's commitment towards deepening South-South cooperation and strengthening of partnership with Africa. The visit will also help consolidate cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, including economy, trade, culture, and people-to-people contacts. On the economic front, discussions are expected to focus on diversifying trade, enhancing connectivity, and identifying new opportunities for investment in infrastructure, IT, mining, agriculture, and manufacturing," the MEA Secretary detailed.

India remains committed to working with Ethiopia to build a stable, secure, and inclusive global order and in advancing Africa's priorities in line with Agenda 2063 and common global objectives.

PM Modi's third and final stop during the three-nation tour would be Oman where he would hold talks with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tarik.

Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV and OIA), highlighted that this will be PM Modi's second visit to Oman after his last visit in February 2018. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq State visited India in December 2023.

Elaborating on PM Modi's engagements in Oman, he said, "The Honourable Prime Minister will hold comprehensive review of the entire spectrum of the bilateral relations with His Majesty the Sultan of Oman and also exchange perspectives on regional and international issues of mutual interest. He is expected to address business leaders from both the countries at a business forum and also address the Indian community in Oman."

The MEA Secretary noted that India shares a special partnership with Oman built on centuries-old contacts and underpinned by trade linkages and people-to-people ties. The ties between India and Oman have evolved into a strategic partnership characterized by robust cooperation in diverse areas. .
Beijing/New Delhi, Dec 12 : India and China held discussions in Beijing over the past two days where both sides took stock of the exchanges and activities planned for the coming year and New Delhi emphasised on the need for early resolution of outstanding issues pertaining to export control, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Friday.

Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia), visited Beijing from December 11-12, during which he called on China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and also held discussions with Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The discussions were constructive and forward looking. Both sides highlighted the importance of strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, and made a positive assessment of the progress in stabilizing and rebuilding bilateral ties, prioritizing people centric engagements," read a statement issued by the MEA after the conclusion of the visit on Friday.

"The two sides took stock of the exchanges and activities planned for the coming year. The Indian side emphasised on the need for early resolution of outstanding issues pertaining to export control. Regional and global developments of mutual interest were also briefly touched upon," it added.

During the visit, the MEA Joint Secretary also met with the Director General (Asian Affairs) of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, and discussed bilateral trade and commercial issues.

Earlier this week, India said that it expects the authorities in China to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targetted, arbitrarily detained or harassed.

The strong statement came after an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh was arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities at the Shanghai International Airport last month, an incident which was termed by New Delhi as a clear violation of international norms and bilateral understanding.

"We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targetted, arbitrarily detained or harassed and that regulations governing international air travel would be respected by the Chinese side," Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Monday.

"The MEA would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to China or while transiting through the country," he added.

Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian citizen hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, had alleged that she was detained for 18 hours by the Chinese immigration officials during what was supposed to be a brief three-hour layover while travelling from London to Japan on November 21.
Nagpur, Dec 12 : Maharashtra Minister Dadaji Bhuse on Friday told the state assembly that works on the Ring Road, various road projects, and the Metro project are underway to alleviate traffic congestion in Pune city and its surrounding areas.

The Eastern part of the Ring Road will be completed by May 2028, and the Western part by May 2026. Furthermore, the technical feasibility of the Hadapsar-Loni Kalbhor Metro Corridor work will be checked before proceeding, he announced in his reply to a calling attention motion by member Rahul Kul regarding the Pune Ring Road and other projects.

Minister Bhuse stated that major projects like the Ring Road, other road developments by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSRDC) and the Hadapsar-Loni Kalbhor Metro Corridor are being pursued to ease traffic congestion in Pune's rural areas.

Minister Bhuse said that Pune Ring Road is gaining momentum while the eastern and western phases are progressing.

"The administration has taken decisive steps to accelerate crucial infrastructure projects, including the Pune Ring Road. Work on nine out of the 12 packages is progressing rapidly. The remaining three packages are in the process of administrative approval, with the tendering process to be completed before May 2026. Actual work is scheduled to commence in October 2026. On Ring Road West, work on all five packages is well underway. By May 2027, the Western phase and by May 2028 for the Eastern phase will be completed," he added.

According to the minister, MSIDC is swiftly working on the enhancement of important roads in the Pune district. In the case of the Hadapsar-Yavat Road Project, the tendering process is ongoing, while the cabinet has approved the PuneShirur Six-Lane Road and the tender acceptance process is underway.

The land acquisition is completed for Shirur-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Greenfield Project, and the tendering process is in progress for Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur Elevated Corridor.

Further, Minister Bhuse said that Mahametro has approved the 11.8 km HadapsarLoni Kalbhor Metro Corridor and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared.

Instructions have been given to hold a separate meeting with officials to address technical difficulties, such as flyover crossings.

The final decision will be taken after a feasibility check. He mentioned that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed all departments to coordinate and conduct periodic reviews of project clearances, land acquisition, and work pace. Instructions have also been given to take the necessary steps to ensure smooth traffic flow.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar informed the assembly that a meeting had been held regarding the Solapur-Pune road, and the work will be carried out.

Meanwhile, Minister Uday Samant told the state assembly that a committee under the Pune Divisional Commissioner will be established to resolve traffic congestion within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits.

He was responding to a Calling Attention Motion on PMC traffic congestion raised by legislator Bhimrao Tapkir. Minister Samant added that deploying a Traffic Planning Department and appointing a Traffic Planner for the PMC area will be considered.

The committee to be formed to address this congestion will also include public representatives.
Nagpur, Dec 12 : Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Friday accused the Maharayuti government of disrespecting the Vidarbha agreement and ignoring people's issues during the ongoing winter session.

"By restricting Nagpur's Winter Session to just one week, the BJP-led Mahayuti government has disrespected the Vidarbha Agreement. Despite countless issues concerning farmers, workers, the unemployed, law and order, corruption, and women's safety, none of them are being discussed in the session. Instead, the House is occupied with discussions on catching stray dogs or releasing leopards elsewhere. The ruling party has lost all seriousness about the session," he alleged.

Speaking to the media at the Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan, Sapkal further said that corruption has increased significantly under the BJP Mahayuti government.

"Every day, new cases of corruption are being exposed. Money is flowing freely everywhere. Corruption has become the government's slogan. From "I won't take bribes, nor let others take them," the situation has now reached "Let's all share and take together."

He said that a white paper should be issued on the corruption in the state and discussed in the House, but the ruling party itself does not allow the proceedings to run smoothly.

"Even during serious discussions, members of the ruling party crack jokes. Democracy is being strangled. Members of the ruling alliance themselves are making allegations of corruption; the government must at least open its eyes now," he claimed.

Speaking about the post of Leader of Opposition, Sapkal said that the Mahayuti alliance is citing the requirement of 10 per cent membership strength for granting the Leader of Opposition status.

"If that is the case, the Upper House has the required 10 per cent members, and a proposal has already been submitted to the government. Then why is the decision on the Leader of Opposition not being taken there?" he said.

He further added that certain practices, traditions, and conventions are followed in a democratic system, adding that both Houses have submitted proposals, but the government does not want to function according to the Constitution.

He said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is pushing work through a very arbitrary method.

"Fadnavis must respect democratic norms. He often puts on a display of righteousness, but even while doing so, he must follow the conventions and rules. Granting the Leader of Opposition post is a constitutional duty, but Fadnavis is running away from it," he said.
Bhopal, Dec 12 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Friday that places associated with Lord Krishna in tribal-dominated districts -- Dhar and Jhabua -- will be included in the 'Sri Krishna Patheya' pilgrimage sites in the state.

The Chief Minister made this announcement addressing the devotees at the 'Krishna Dharma Mahotsav' held at a village in Jhabua district, which was organised by the Pranami Sampradaya on Friday.

'Krishna Patheya', is an ambitious project of Chief Minister Yadav to develop places associated with Lord Krishna as pilgrimage sites akin to the 'Ram Gaman Path' being developed jointly by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

According to the state government, there are four places in Madhya Pradesh where Lord Krishna had visited on different occasions.

These four sites, which are located in different parts of the state are -- Sandipani Ashram, Narayan Dham, Amjhera Dham and Janapav Dham.

It is believed that Lord Krishna had studied at the Sandipani Ashram in Ujjain.

Narayan Dham, a religious site located in Dhar district, commemorates the bond between Lord Krishna and his poor Brahmin friend Sudama.

Amjhera Dham, which is also located in Dhar district, it is believed that Lord Krishna had defeated Goddess Rukmini's brother Rukmi and 'abducted' her with her consent from this place.

Addressing the religious event virtually from Bhopal on Friday, Chief Minister Yadav said, "The Pranami Dharma is a path rooted in devotion of Lord Krishna, spritual wisdom and principles of universal brotherhood. This festival is unique confluence of tradition, decoration, social reform and spiritual unity."

The Chief Minister noted that the Pranami sect was widely propagated by Swami Prananath and his disciple Maharaja Chhatrasal.

Among the three principal dhams of the Pranami Sampradaya, one is Padmavati Puri, which is located in Panna district.

Chief Minister Yadav concluded his address extending his best wishes for the 'Dharma Mahotsav' and the followers of Pranami Sampradaya.
Patna, Dec 12 : Tej Pratap Yadav, who launched the Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) and entered the Bihar Assembly elections with a new political outfit, appears far from discouraged by the party's defeat.

He has announced that his party will contest the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

"My party will field candidates in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and will also participate in the West Bengal Assembly polls. The opposition in Bihar is weak, so I will raise public issues strongly and will soon begin a state-wide tour to listen to people's problems," Yadav told media persons in Patna on Friday.

Despite the electoral setback, the Janshakti Janata Dal patron and former minister said he is emerging with renewed political energy.

"Winning and losing are part of democracy. I am not discouraged. I am more active in politics than before," he said.

Outlining his party's strategy, Tej Pratap said the Janshakti Janata Dal is expanding its organisation not only in Bihar but across several states.

A membership drive is underway, and a large number of people are joining the party.

He said he is personally visiting different areas and enrolling members.

At a recent event in Patna, he inducted the party's state president, emphasising that the organisation is being strengthened at the grassroots level.

According to him, several leaders from other parties are also joining the new outfit.

The party has also appointed its national spokesperson in Delhi, with a university professor taking up the rolean important step in its national expansion, he said.

During the interaction, he also took a swipe at his brother and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.

"Some people have become stagnant after losing elections, but I remain active and am working to strengthen the organisation," he said.

Commenting on recent bulldozer actions, he urged the government to ensure alternative housing arrangements before demolishing the homes of the poor, especially during the winter season.

Tej Pratap concluded by saying that while leaders of many parties have gone silent, his party remains active among the people and will continue to do so.
Islamabad, Dec 12 : Despite Pakistan's constitution containing provisions that guarantee fundamental rights to all citizens, the minorities in the country continue to battle several challenges, including discriminatory laws, economic barriers, under-representation, sectarian attacks, and bias in textbooks promoting religious intolerance.

While Pakistan is part of the United Nations system and is actively engaging in the UN human rights bodies, having recently been elected to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2026-2028 - its sixth term on the Council since 2006 - serious doubts remain about the country's commitment in promoting human rights at home.

"Human rights violations against minorities in Pakistan include systemic discrimination, forced conversions, misuse of blasphemy laws, torture/extrajudicial killings, and marginalization, which affect religious minorities such as Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians," Emanuel Adil Ghouri wrote in Pakistan Christian Post.

Citing the data compiled by the National Human Rights Commission of Pakistan till July 2024, the report details that 767 people were in prisons across Pakistan on blasphemy charges compared to 213 suspects imprisoned on blasphemy charges in 2023, 621 in 2020, and 99 in 2020.

According to the same study, at least 104 people were extrajudicially killed after blasphemy charges between 1994 and 2024, of whom 26 per cent were Christians, one Hindu and one Buddhist, while the religion of two people was unknown.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), a research organisation on forced religious conversion of minority girls in Pakistan, mentioned that over 46 per cent of the victims were girls and women from the Hindu community while 44 per cent were Christians. Over 46 per cent of the victims were minors and around 33 per cent of the victims were aged between 11-15 years.

Furthermore, the report highlighted that minorities face issues like religious discrimination, religious freedom, political and social inequality. International human rights organisations, including the European Union and the United Nations, have repeatedly expressed their concern over the situation.

"According to the UN Declaration, various institutions and international human rights organizations consistently report that these safeguards are often not effectively implemented in practice, with significant challenges and human rights violations continuing. UN experts and the Secretary-General have repeatedly condemned attacks on religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan and called for immediate action against the perpetrators. UN Special Rapporteurs have called for an end to widespread violence and discrimination," the Pakistan Christian Post report mentioned.

On December 9, a leading minority rights group drew attention to the killing of a Christian spiritual leader in Pakistan, who was shot dead outside his residence in Punjab province, barely two months after narrowly surviving a similar attempt on his life in Islamabad.

The Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) mentioned that the attack took place on the morning of December 5, when Pastor Kamran, along with his daughter Numeer, was leaving home to drop her off at college. As they approached their car, the right body said, an assailant on a motorcycle ambushed them, opening fire at close range and hitting Kamran multiple times. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital in Gujranwala city in Punjab, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

The rights body highlighted that Kamran's death sent shockwaves through the Christian community across Pakistan, leaving his wife, Salmina, and their three young children to grapple with the unimaginable loss.

According to the VOPM, the tragedy is made even more painful by the fact that Kamran had already faced violence for his dedication to serving others. Just two months ago, he was attacked by extremists in Islamabad, but he survived the shooting, though he was left injured.

"The brutal murder has reignited fears among Christians in Pakistan, already living with the constant threat of violence. Pastor Kamran's death is not an isolated incident but part of a growing pattern of attacks against those who dare to stand for their faith in an increasingly hostile environment. The pain and loss felt by his family are echoed in the hearts of many who knew him and in the communities he served," the VOPM stated.

The rights body stated that although police have begun an investigation, the reluctance of local authorities to take meaningful action raises concerns about the pursuit of justice.

"Pastor Kamran's killing is yet another reminder of the deep-seated vulnerability of religious minorities in Pakistan and the impunity that often surrounds these heinous acts," it added.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Congress spokesperson and Chairman of the party's Media and Publicity department Pawan Khera on Friday kicked up a storm by claiming that someone in the "the highest office" helped a businessman acquire a real-estate-rich media company for "peanuts", a comment which invited a Rs 100 crore defamation notice.

Khera's early morning social media post did not name any organisation but mentioned the name of R.P. Gupta who had recently taken over the management of news agency, UNI.

United News of India (UNI) was founded in 1959 and has its Delhi headquarters at a multi-acre British era bungalow on Rafi Marg in the heart of the national capital  adjacent to the Ministry of Telecommunications and just above Patel Chowk Metro station.

After Khera's stinging social media post, a fuming Gupta served Khera with a defamation notice of Rs 100 crore for his "false, cowardly, and anti-national" statements on X.

The notice was served by Gupta in his capacity as Chairman of The Statesman Ltd and Director of UNI, through his lawyer Praveen Kumar.

The notice demanded a retraction, an apology and a written undertaking from the Congress Spokesperson to desist from repeating the defamatory allegations that also lowered the dignity of The President and the judiciary.

Gupta's lawyer stated: "Should you fail to comply with the terms state, I have instructions to proceed against you, both under civil and criminal law and you shall also be liable for damages to the tune of Rs 100 Crore which shall be recoverable from you at your risk and cost."

Khera is not new to controversies. Earlier, he invited trouble for alleged defamatory comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's father and linking the PM to industrialists.

The notice issued by Gupta's lawyer said: "My client's attention has been drawn to a tweet posted by you today wherein apparently for your own narrow political ends, you have intentionally uttered lies aimed at defaming my client by making the following false, cowardly, and anti-national statements that display contempt towards the country's highest office and our great Indian Judiciary."

The notice said: "The tweet is as follows: Who is RP Gupta? Did someone in the highest office of the country help him acquire a real-estate-rich media company for peanuts? Who is the real owner of the said company?"

Gupta's lawyer said in the notice: "The questions posed by you in the aforesaid social media post are nothing but bare-faced lies dressed up as innuendo with the sole objective of defaming my client, and lowering his prestige in the eyes of his peers/friends/employees/media houses and members of society."

The notice said that soon after Khera's message on social media, Gupta was subjected to mental agony.

"Immediately after this tweet was placed in the public domain by you, my client received several calls from his friends and well-wishers in the media and elsewhere expressing shock and horror at the baseless and false insinuations made by you," said the notice.

Gupta's notice to the Congress leader said, "Your insinuation that the acquisition of a "real-estate-rich media company for peanuts" was aided and abetted by the highest office of the country mocks and brings into ridicule not just H.E. The President of the republic, but the judicial process by which this acquisition took place after going through a transparent and vigorous public resolution process lasting almost two years"
Ahmedabad, Dec 12 : At the launch of 'Bharatkool Chapter-2' organised by the Gujarat Media Club at Gujarat University on Friday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel underlined the vital role of the media in shaping a progressive society.

Emphasising that "every criticism must carry a positive intent and a commitment to public welfare," he said that constructive scrutiny strengthens governance.

The Chief Minister highlighted how 2025 marks a historic year of national pride with the 150th birth anniversaries of Birsa Munda and Sardar Patel, along with 150 years of Vande Mataram.

Citing the cultural resurgence showcased at the National Tribal Pride Day and Bharat Parv in Ekta Nagar, he urged the youth to remain rooted in India's civilisational values while adapting to modern times.

Stressing the need for collective effort to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, CM Patel said that Gujarat will continue to lead from the front with its blend of cultural depth and development momentum.

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi added that Gujarat's growth story is driven by "bhaav, raag and taal" -- emotion, harmony and rhythm -- and praised the event for choosing themes that resonate with the state's ethos.

He pointed to major cultural infrastructure expansions, including India's largest music studio coming up in Vadnagar, as evidence of the state government's sustained focus on heritage and creativity.

Deputy CM Sanghavi also encouraged organisers to submit research-based recommendations so that insights from such forums can shape policy.

The event saw reflections from BAPS saint Brahmavihari Swami, who spoke on the duty of the media to reveal truth while also urging introspection.

Gujarat Media Club President Nirnay Kapoor outlined the vision behind BharatCool, now in its second chapter, as a platform to celebrate India's cultural identity.

The gathering was attended by MPs, senior journalists, cultural enthusiasts and a large number of students.

India's media landscape is one of the world's largest and most diverse, spanning thousands of newspapers, hundreds of news channels, a rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, and a vibrant regional press.

While it plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion, holding power to account, and amplifying grassroots issues, it also faces pressures -- from political polarisation and corporate influence to shrinking newsroom resources and the race for instant, high-engagement content.

Despite these challenges, Indian media remains a dynamic and influential pillar of democracy, constantly adapting to technological shifts and the demands of a young, hyperconnected audience.
Patna, Dec 12 : Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Friday launched the "Land Reform Public Welfare Dialogue" programme at his residence in Patna.

Patna, Dec 12 (IANS) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Friday launched the "Land Reform Public Welfare Dialogue" programme at his residence in Patna.

During the programme, he heard land-related grievances from citizens and resolved several cases on the spot.

As each complainant stepped forward, Sinha handed them a microphone and asked them to explain their issue.

While they detailed their grievances, he immediately contacted the Circle Officer (CO) and revenue officials of the concerned area, handed them the microphone, and asked them to respond.

During the interaction, a revenue employee suddenly began trembling as a complainant described his struggle.

"Sir, we have been approaching the department since 2020, but the work has not been completed. We had the revision done on November 12, 2022," the complainant said.

After hearing him, Sinha questioned the CO and the revenue officer present.

"Why is this work pending? Are you aware of this matter?"

At this, the revenue employee began trembling even more.

Observing this, Sinha said, "Don't be afraid, don't be scared. Why are you trembling? Go for now, but listen carefullyI'm urging all revenue employees and COs to get to work. I am giving everyone 15 days. Next time we meet, we won't give them a chance to falter."

He further directed the officials, "Act on their applications within a week; otherwise, action will be taken. You should enhance the reputation of the department and the government, but you're not doing that. People have many complaints. Their work is not being done on time, and this person has been running from office to office for five years. Complete his work within a week."

COs, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, revenue employees from Patna district, and many other officials were present during the Land Reform Public Welfare Dialogue.

Addressing the public, Sinha said such dialogues would now be held in every district, and all land-related issuesmutation, revision, measurement, encroachment, disputes, and portal complaintswould be addressed on priority.

He urged people to first file their grievances at the zonal, police station, subdivision, and district magistrate levels.

"If your issues are not resolved anywhere, they will be addressed at the ministerial level," he assured.
Ukraine will announce a tender for a public-private partnership (PPP, concession) in the Port of Chornomorsk by the end of this year, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Andriy Kashuba said Friday.

"As the head of the tender committee, I hope that before the New Year we will be able to launch this process," Kashuba said at the "Infrastructure Day 2025" event organized by the European Business Association (EBA), Interfax-Ukraine's correspondent reported.

Taras Boichuk, a World Bank consultant and head of the SPILNO PPP project office at the Ministry, clarified that the tender concerns a container terminal.

He added that after the tender is announced, a dedicated event is planned for potential participants and companies interested in the concession.

"Expectations are very high. We hope to see real competition among the top global players in this sector, which in turn will allow us to attract more funds for rebuilding our infrastructure and generating payments," Kashuba noted.

According to the agency, the tender may be published on the Ministry's website as early as next week.

As reported, in September 2025 Ukraine decided to launch a PPP tender for the first and container terminals at the Port of Chornomorsk (Odesa region), which would become the first project of this type in the port sector since the start of the full-scale invasion.

In October, it was reported that the tender commission for selecting an investor for Chornomorsk Port would involve 12 external experts nominated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

According to the Ministry's expectations, the project envisions attracting hundreds of millions of dollars to modernize berths and equipment; more than $1.1 billion in budget revenues over 40 years; preserving more than 1,000 jobs with social guarantees and wage indexation; and restoring container handling to 250,000 TEU per year within the first three years, with subsequent growth back to the pre-war level of over half a million TEU.

The government's Action Program states that Ukraine must announce the concession tender and decide on the feasibility of a concession project for the ferry complex by the end of 2025.
Kolkata, Dec 12 : The special roll observers appointed for West Bengal by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to review the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state have sought security cover from central armed police forces (CAPF) while on field duty to review the revision exercise.

A request on this count was forwarded to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi on Friday afternoon, confirmed insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.

The special roll observers have also offered an alternative suggestion in case CAPF cover is not possible.

The alternative is magisterial powers for the special roll observers, which would mean the security forces deployed for them would follow the observers' orders, while state police personnel would remain responsible for their security.

A CEO's office insider confirmed the two alternative suggestions from the special roll observers had been forwarded to the ECI headquarters on Friday afternoon amid a recent incident on Thursday, when the commission-appointed special roll observer C. Murugan faced protests while overseeing the SIR of the voter list in South 24 Parganas district. Women Trinamool Congress supporters led the protest in the Falta area of the district.

At the same time, the special roll observers requested that the ECI review comments made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while addressing an anti-SIR rally at Krishnanagar in Nadia district on Thursday, alleging she had incited women voters against electoral officers engaged in the revision exercise.

"Mothers and sisters, be ready with your cooking utensils if they delete your names from the voters' list. Do you have that courage? Will you remain silent if they delete your names from the voters' list? Will you let them go? The women will fight from the forefront, while the men will be backing them from behind. I want to know whether BJP's strength is more than that of our mothers and sisters," the Chief Minister reportedly said at the Krishnanagar rally on Thursday afternoon.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : In a significant decision, the government on Friday (December 12) approved a twoaphase, fully digital Census 2027 with an allocation of Rs 11,718 crore. According to officials, the digital design will speed operations and improve data quality.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) In a significant decision, the government on Friday (December 12) approved a twoa'phase, fully digital Census 2027 with an allocation of Rs 11,718 crore. According to officials, the digital design will speed operations and improve data quality.

The decadal count was postponed from 2021 largely because of the COVIDa'19 pandemic and its aftermath, with authorities arguing that immediate posta'pandemic enumeration in many countries produced quality and coverage problems.

Additionally, it was also pointed out that logistical and humana'resource disruptions warranted a delay.

The Census is Indiaas foundational demographic exercise, involving extensive planning, resource allocation, and the legal process of delimitation that shapes electoral rolls.

Incidentally, Indiaas last full census in 2011 recorded a population of 1.21 billion, documented trends in urbanisation, literacy gains, and a slowly improving sex ratio. Such data help in guiding a decade of policy and planning. These decadal snapshots are the primary source for socioa'economic indicators used by ministries, states, and researchers to design welfare schemes and infrastructure investments.

The population count helps the constitutional process of delimitation, redrawing constituency boundaries to ensure, roughly, equal representation. It supplies the demographic frame that forms the base for electoral rolls and for sample groups selected for surveys.

However, the delayed process and the decision to include caste data have raised political and technical concerns; while in southern states, there are worries over populationa'based seat redistribution. The delimitation exercise that follows the decennial Census reallocates seats among states based on updated population figures.

The freeze on the total number of Lok Sabha seats is due to be revisited after 2026, which opens the door to redistribution and potential increases in total seats if Parliament so decides.

The southern states have publicly expressed concern that fresh census figures could trigger delimitation that reduces their relative representation, given slower population growth in parts of the South compared to those in the north.

The Centre has assured that such concerns will be discussed at the appropriate time.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of caste enumeration has also added political sensitivity, with debates over how the data might be used in reservation and electoral calculations. Considering that the increase in population through this period would result in a larger number of lawmakers, the government had to design a Parliament building to comfortably accommodate them.

Thus, planning ahead, the government built the new building where the Lok Sabha can seat up to 888 members and the Rajya Sabha, up to 384. The exact number of future representatives would be known only after appropriate legal and political steps, following the conclusion of the 2027 Census and a delimitation process. The increased capacity removes a physical constraint that previously limited how many members could be accommodated in each house at one time.

The new complex was planned not only as a modern workplace but also to futurea'proof Indiaas legislature for a larger membership and more complex committee work.

Reports quoting experts emphasised that the old circular chamber was cramped for a growing democracy and lacked space for expanded membership, modern technology and committee rooms. Thus, the practical rationale was for a larger, triangular complex that can host more simultaneous legislative activity.

The new Parliament building thus removed a practical bottleneck, being ready to accommodate a larger legislature, but actual seat increase requires political consensus and legal action after the Census and delimitation. Until those steps are taken, the buildingas greater capacity remains a contingency rather than a guarantee.

In practice, Parliament would need to pass enabling legislation or a constitutional amendment to change the total number of seats; the Delimitation Commission then redraws boundaries and allocates seats among states using the new population data.

-- IANS

jb/uk
Jaipur, Dec 12 : Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra on Friday launched a sharp attack on the state government as it marked two years of its tenure, alleging that the period has been defined by "drama, failures, and unfulfilled promises." Jaipur, Dec 12 (IANS) Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra on Friday launched a sharp attack on the state government as it marked two years of its tenure, alleging that the period has been defined by "drama, failures, and unfulfilled promises."

Dotasra said that two years ago, the state "witnessed a spectacle where the Chief Minister was chosen through a slip of paper," and today, "another drama" unfolded as "the Chief Minister read out a script sent from Delhi."

He said that instead of highlighting achievements, the Chief Minister should have explained why the promises made by the BJP and the Prime Minister during the election campaign remain unfulfilled.

Dotasra alleged that Rajasthan is lagging in every area of governance, adding that the former Congress government's Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme, which offered Rs 25 lakh coverage, has been reduced to Rs 5 lakh.

He said that accident insurance too has been cut from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, adding that medicines under the free medicine scheme are reportedly unavailable in CHCs and PHCs, and "counterfeit medicines" are being found where available.

He said that the RGHS scheme is "collapsing," with more than 400 hospitals removed from the panel. He accused the government of cancelling the medical college sanctioned in Sanchore during the Congress tenure.

Dotasra said farmers are suffering due to fertiliser shortages and mandatory Aadhaar-based queues, comparing the situation to the demonetisation-era lines.

He alleged that farmers are being lathi-charged and not receiving the wheat bonus or the promised MSP of Rs 2,700. He also accused the government of failing to deliver the promised Rs 12,000 Kisan Samman Nidhi, adding that the Agriculture Minister himself has admitted that farmers' problems are genuine.

Targeting the Education Department, he said corruption in transfers is rampant, with 6,000 principals transferred during half-yearly exams, while many promoted principals are still awaiting postings.

He said that despite a shortage of 1.25 lakh teachers, the government announced only 7,000 L-1 and L-2 vacancies, with nearly 900 applicants competing for each post.

Dotasra said the state has failed to proceed with the recruitment of 75,000 sanitation workers, leaving thousands unemployed.

Indira Rasoi Yojana, he said, has been diluted with fewer cooks and plates, and "free food packets for the poor have stopped."

He added that free livestock insurance - providing Rs 40,000 compensation - has been discontinued, and new electricity connections are not receiving 150 units free as promised.

Dotasra questioned the government's claims on the Yamuna water project, stating that the DPR promised within four months is still incomplete even after 24 months.

He asked why the Centre has not declared ERCP a national project and how much funding has been provided to Rajasthan so far.

Dotasra said he could "confidently assert" that the Chief Minister's claims are misleading, and the government's two-year tenure reflects "confusion, contradictions, and complete failure to deliver on promises."
Patna, Dec 12 : The General Administration Department of the Bihar government issued a notification on Friday, ordering the transfer and posting of several Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers.

The reshuffle involves significant changes in responsibilities for senior officials, including multiple sub-divisional officers.

According to the notification, Mayank Warvade, Project Director of the Bihar Education Project Council, has been transferred and appointed Secretary of the Planning and Development Department until further orders.

He will continue to hold the additional charge of Investigation Commissioner.

Senior IAS officer S Kapil Ashok has been given the additional charge of Managing Director, Bihar State Fruit and Vegetable Development Corporation.

Amit Kumar Pandey has been appointed Executive Director of the State Health Committee, while Sunil Kumar has been appointed Managing Director of the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation.

Anil Kumar will now assume the role of Director of the Information and Public Relations Department.

Suharsh Bhagat has been appointed Director of Land Records and Survey, Aman Sameer Director of Micro, Small and Medium Industries, and Manish Kumar Meena Director of Mines.

Changes have also been made within the Education Department, with Vikram Virkar appointed Director of Primary Education and Naveen Kumar appointed Project Director of the Bihar Education Project Council.

Deputy Development Commissioners (DDCs) and Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) have also been transferred to expedite development work in the districts.

Akash Chaudhary has been appointed Deputy Development Commissioner-cum-Chief Executive Officer for Begusarai, Neelima Sahu for Nawada, and Niharika Chhabi for Buxar.

Meanwhile, new faces have been appointed to oversee law and order at the sub-divisional level.

Nishant Sihara has been appointed as the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) for Motihari Sadar, Pradhuman Singh Yadav for Katihar, Anjali Sharma for Areraj, Shipra Vijaykumar Chaudhary for Ara Sadar, Dr Neha Kumari for Sasaram, and Krishna Chandra Gupta for Kahalgaon.

The list also includes several officers who were awaiting posting.

Dharmendra Kumar has been appointed as the Director of Social Security, Dr Vidya Nand Singh as the Director of Handlooms, and Tushar Singla as the Director of Fisheries.

Saurabh Suman Yadav has been appointed as the Director of Agriculture, and Yatendra Kumar Pal as the Managing Director of the Bihar State Textbook Publishing Corporation Limited.
Bhopal/New Delhi, Dec 12 : Chief Minister Mohan Yadav virtually inaugurated the three-day 'Madhya Pradesh Utsav' at the 'Madhya Pradesh Bhawan' in New Delhi on Friday.

Bhopal/New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Yadav virtually inaugurated the three-day aMadhya Pradesh Utsava at the aMadhya Pradesh Bhawana in New Delhi on Friday.

Addressing the event virtually from his residence in Bhopal, Yadav expressed confidence that after witnessing the Madhya Pradesh Utsav, visitors would be inspired to experience the stateas natural beauty and rich biodiversity firsthand.

He invited tourists to visit Ujjain's Mahakal Lok, enjoy safaris in the Tiger Reserves, experience the spiritual grandeur of Orchha and Mandu, and admire the pristine natural beauty of Pachmarhi.

Yadav stated that the state government is working in complete synergy with the Central government.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the State is moving ahead with a firm resolve for progress," he stated.

Residential Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh Bhawan, Rashmi Arun Shami, said after the inauguration that the main objective of the three-day festival is to familiarise the residents of Delhi-NCR with Madhya Pradesh.

She further informed that the exhibition features stalls showcasing handicrafts, One District-One Product items, pottery, tourism, and more.

The three-day event will also showcase several cultural performances by artists from the state, which include Bundeli folk dance and also folk dance by Tribals from different parts of the state.

The programme also includes drawing competitions, quizzes, a fancy dress competition for children and a screening of the feature film aPaan Singh Tomara.

The festival will conclude with the felicitation of participants, marking an impressive and dignified closing ceremony. Visitors can enjoy Madhya Pradesh Utsav free of cost.

IANS

pd/dan
Agartala, Dec 12 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said that the state government will approach the High Court seeking permission to reopen the Kalyanpur Bazar Colony massacre case, asserting that the move aims to ensure justice for the victims and bring the perpetrators to account.

The Chief Minister, while paying tribute to the victims of the Kalyanpur Bazar Colony massacre in Khowai district, said that 29 years back, on the night of December 12, 1996, the mass killing occurred. The elderly people today have witnessed the incident.

At that time, 26 innocent persons, including children, elderly persons, women, and men, were killed by militants.

He said, "I paid floral tribute to those who were martyred, and I seek blessings from them to give me the strength to fight for justice. Everyone is aware, who was responsible. I want to think what name should be given to the Communists."

Saha alleged that Communist means murderer, rapist, terrorist, and suppressor of people; these are all synonyms of Communist.

"I feel very bad that CPI (M) has 10 MLAs in the Assembly. I am shocked at how they got elected. They never talk about the people; they only talk about their cadres. The CPI (M) and its frontal organisation Ganamukti Parishad cadres have joined local parties and are creating disturbance, as the control room is in Lal Bhavan at Melarmath in Agartala," the Chief Minister said.

He informed that a list is being prepared, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President J.P. Nadda are making the list, and nobody will be spared.

Saha said that if everyone wants peace, then the present government is working to ensure peace in the state.

Claiming that in the South Tripura district, around 69 persons were killed during the CPI (M) regime, the CM said that the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) militant outfit carried out the massacre in the district in different years.

He said that during the past several years, after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, around 12 accords were signed to bring terrorists into the mainstream and to restore peace in the Northeast region.

The terrorists who killed people, raped, and created violence will not be spared, the Chief Minister warned and said that even now, some of those terrorists, wearing masks, work for people, but God is watching everything. "Our government will try to punish them. The Communists created the jungle raj in the state. The Congress, which was once against the Communists, has now contested elections together with them. BJP is achieving one victory after another," said Saha.

He said that during the last few years, the BJP government has continued to take various initiatives for the overall development of the jati (non-tribals) and janajati (tribals) communities across the state of Tripura.

"We will not allow politics with guns and sharp weapons. We will build a new Tripura. The Communists have never paid homage to those killed by militants. I will appeal to the High Court to allow us to reopen these cases in a new way to ensure justice and punish the perpetrators," he added.

Government Chief Whip in the state Assembly, Kalyan Roy, MLA Pinaki Das Chowdhury, and others accompanied the Chief Minister.

--IANS

sc/dan
Hyderabad, Dec 12 : Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav, on Friday, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is conspiring to delete three crore names from voter list in Uttar Pradesh through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Talking to media persons here, Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP and the Election Commission of together conspiring to delete votes wherever BJP suffered defeat.

"This is not SIR. This is NRC under the guise of SIR. They could not have directly implemented NRC and are now implementing it indirectly. They are asking to people show papers. These are the papers one has to show whenever NRC is going to be implemented," he said.

Akhilesh Yadav said that Aadhaar is not being accepted which is very unfortunate.

He said that people were worried because of SIR.

"First they troubled people with demonetisation and later harassed traders with GST and now bothering people with SIR," he added.

The SP President on Thursday expressed confidence that the political landscape in Telangana is poised for change and that the people will once again extend their support to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) if the party continues to remain closely connected with them.

He said parties that stand firmly with the people and fight for their causes inevitably receive public backing.

Akhilesh Yadav called on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister later told media that ups and downs are common in politics.

"Sometimes people accept us and sometimes they give us an opportunity to reassess," he said referring to the defeat of BRS in 2023 Assembly elections.

Akhilesh Yadav said there was a time when they (SP) too were confined to a few seats but they remained amid the people.

"People supported us and today BJP is number two there," he said.

The SP leader said that no one can predict when people will support you.

He hoped that things would change.

"The country needs to march on the path of progress with a vision. The politics of division should end. Negativity in politics should end. Positivity should come. Progress should be discussed. We will continue to work in that direction," he said.

"KCR and KTR are our friends. I have been with them and I will always remain with them," he remarked in response to another query.

K.T. Rama Rao said Akhilesh Yadav's leadership -- despite losing power in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but securing a remarkable performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls, turning the SP into the third-largest party in India -- is an inspiration for the BRS.

He expressed confidence that the BRS would similarly "bounce back" and return to power in Telangana.

KTR said party leaders held discussions with Akhilesh Yadav on various issues and noted that the SP Chief would meet KCR again during his next visit to Hyderabad.

Akhilesh Yadav also called on Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at his Jubilee Hills residence, the Chief Minister's Office described it as a courtesy call.

It said they discussed the latest political situation.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy explained Akhilesh Yadav about the development and welfare programmes being implemented by the Congress government in Telangana.

Akhilesh Yadav lauded CM Revanth Reddy for taking the decision to recognise Sadar, a popular festival of the Yadavs, as a state government festival.

He said that the Yadav community in the country will always remember CM Revanth Reddy.

Akhilesh commented on this occasion that Revanth Reddy will remain in the hearts of the Yadavs.

He thanked the Chief Minister for giving good political recognition to the Yadav community in Telangana.

The meeting was attended by Rajya Sabha member Anil Kumar Yadav, former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav, Ramagundam MLA Raj Thakur, and senior Congress leader Rohin Reddy.
Agartala, Dec 12 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday that more than 70 per cent of the directives given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recently held All India Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police (DGsP/IGsP) in Raipur have already been implemented in the state to strengthen internal security preparedness.

Speaking to the media after attending a state-level review meeting on the outcomes of the DGsP/IGsP Conference-2025, CM Saha, who also holds the Home Department portfolio, said that Friday's meeting was a follow-up to the 60th All India Conference of DGs and IGs held in Chhattisgarh's capital on November 29-30.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval attended the three-day national conference, where key discussions were held on internal security, emerging threats and challenges.

"In the conference, the Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah and senior police officials discussed issues concerning the nation and some specific states. As internal security continues to face multiple threats and crimes are taking new forms, detailed deliberations were held on how various protests are funded by certain NGOs and foreign sources and how logistics support is provided. A comprehensive discussion took place," the Chief Minister said.

Chief Minister Saha noted that the police force today handles a wide range of responsibilities beyond crime prevention, including disaster response, public safety and various social concerns.

Referring to geopolitical developments, CM Saha said: "After Operation Sindoor, many foreign countries came forward, but External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made it clear that India needs partners, not suggestions. Before 2014, the country was not stable and was surrounded by challenges from Pakistan and China. Attempts were made to weaken India, especially by Pakistan, leading to the martyrdom of many BSF, CRPF and police personnel. This cannot continue."

He added that Tripura has already implemented more than 70 per cent of the suggestions and directions given by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during last month's conference.

"We are on the right track, and this has been proven. But we must strengthen it further," he said.

The Chief Minister said he urged senior officers at Friday's meeting to align with PM Modi's vision of a "New India" and strive to build a "New Tripura".

He directed all police officials to thoroughly read and follow the guidelines issued by the Prime Minister.

Chief Minister Saha emphasised that strengthening democracy ensures better law and order and urged the police to remain pro-people.

"Uniform is an ornament, and police officers should wear it with pride. Their behaviour and expressions must also be empathetic and people-friendly," he said.

He also added that he rarely interferes in police functioning and the state government also maintains this approach, which he described as a "golden opportunity" for Tripura Police to make the state a model in effective policing and law and order.

Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, Director General of Police Anurag and other senior officials attended the conference held at Pragna Bhavan.
New Delhi, Dec 12 : Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi, on Friday, has criticised the Karnataka government's proposed legislation prescribing a 10-year jail term for hate speech, saying that it reflects the Congress' cruel tradition.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi on Friday, Union Minister Joshi said the legislation creates an atmosphere of fear among the public and makes it clear that it has been introduced with the malicious intent of political control.

"By doing so, the Congress-led state government is snatching away everyone's freedom of speech. This bill showcases the Congress party's cruel legacy and stands as a mirror to the government's misgovernance," he alleged.

He condemned the introduction of the "Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill", questioning whether imposing a 10-year jail term for so-called "hate speech" is aimed at silencing voices against the state government's misrule and suppressing public opinion.

Union Minister Joshi asked whether the purpose of this legislation is truly to curb hate speech or whether it is a ploy to take away freedom of expression itself.

He also said that the Bill does not appear to be intended for maintaining social harmony; instead, it seems designed to suppress the voices of those who question the state government's failures.

The Union Minister expressed anger, saying that this Bill is filled with the malicious intent of keeping critics away from criticism and preventing the state government's misgovernance from coming to light.

The Congress government in Karnataka on Wednesday tabled the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, in the Assembly.

State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil presented the Bill amid strong opposition from BJP leaders.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Wednesday that the tabling of the Hate Speech Regulation Bill in the Assembly is part of "our government's agenda" to "preserve peace and law and order in our state".

The Bill proposes to consider offence of hate crime.

According to the Bill any person who harms, incites harm, or promotes or propagates hatred arising from prejudice or intolerance against another individual based on the victim's -- actual or perceived -- religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability, tribe, or due to their family member's characteristics or their association with a group sharing such characteristics, shall be guilty of the offence of hate crime.

The Congress-led state government drafted the Bill after a series of revenge killings in Mangaluru drew national concern.

A special force has been formed to prevent further violence, and dedicated units are tracking social media activity that could lead to unrest.

Under the Bill, those convicted of a hate crime may face imprisonment of up to three years, or a fine of up to Rs 5,000, or both.

The offence is described as non-cognisable and non-bailable, to be tried by a First Class Magistrate.

For hate speech, the Bill prescribes a similar punishment of imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to Rs 5,000, or both.

This offence is also non-cognisable and non-bailable.

For repeated offences, the Bill proposes punishment of imprisonment up to 10 years.
New Delhi, Dec 13 : The Delhi High Court has quashed an FIR registered against a private hospital and one of its senior doctors after noting that the medical negligence dispute -- arising from allegations that a cotton mop was left inside the patient's abdominal cavity during a Lower Segment C-Section -- had been "amicably resolved" between the parties.

New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has quashed an FIR registered against a private hospital and one of its senior doctors after noting that the medical negligence dispute -- arising from allegations that a cotton mop was left inside the patient's abdominal cavity during a Lower Segment C-Section -- had been "amicably resolved" between the parties.

Opining that continuing the proceedings would serve no purpose, a single-judge bench of Justice Amit Mahajan allowed the petition filed by Venkateshwar Hospital and Dr. Dipti K. Yadav, seeking quashing of the FIR registered at Dwarka North police station under Sections 336, 337, and 34 of the IPC.

The complainant, who had undergone a C-section at the hospital in January 2021, told the Delhi High Court that she had received compensation of Rs 14 lakh and no longer wished to pursue the proceedings.

"All the disputes have since been settled, without any coercion, pressure or undue influence," she told Justice Mahajan adding that "continuation of the proceedings would amount to further harassment".

The FIR stemmed from the complainant's allegation that a cotton mop had been left inside her abdominal cavity during the C-section, causing severe infection and necessitating a second surgery.

A prior inquiry by the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) had found that while the mop was "in all likelihood" left behind during the C-section, the lapse apparently arose from an error in counting surgical mops.

DMC held that Dr. Yadav "did not exercise due diligence which is expected from an ordinary prudent doctor", but highlighted that her conduct was "not reckless or patently want to invite criminal liability".

It further directed removal of the doctor's name from the State Medical Register for 30 days and recommended disciplinary action against the scrub nurse who had incorrectly counted the number of mops.

While acknowledging the hardship suffered by the complainant, Justice Mahajan said, "The incident was unintentional and due to oversight, bereft of the necessary means and such degree of rashness to attract the rigours of a criminal trial."

"The possibility of conviction is remote and bleak and continuation of criminal cases would put the accused to great oppression and prejudice," the judge added.

Quashing the FIR and all consequential proceedings, the Delhi High Court directed the petitioners to deposit Rs 25,000 with the Delhi Police Martyrs' Fund within four weeks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and comprehensive efforts to achieve peace in the Ukrainian-Russian war during a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Anadolu Agency reported.

"Erdogan said that Turkey is closely following the negotiation process aimed at ending the war and could accept negotiations in all formats in this context," the report said.

He stressed that efforts aimed at ending the Ukrainian-Russian war by establishing a just and lasting peace are of great value, and also expressed his belief in the possibility of achieving progress in areas of practical benefit to both sides, noting that the introduction of a limited ceasefire, primarily regarding energy facilities and ports, could be useful.

During the talks, the bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia were assessed, as well as the comprehensive efforts to achieve peace in the Ukrainian-Russian war. It was reiterated that Turkey would support the peace efforts. In addition, all issues, including the EU freezing of Russian assets, were discussed in detail.
Back in 1963, Mr. Willowbys Christmas tree/Came by special delivery in the beloved holiday picture book Mr. Willowbys Christmas Tree by Robert Barry. Now, 62 years later, Mr. Willowby is again awaiting a special Christmas tree delivery when a snowdrift gets in the way, sparking a sleigh-inspired adventure in Mr. Willowbys Head Over Heels Christmas, a never-before-published sequel. The project was discovered among the late authors papers by his son, John Barry, and is being published by Mr. Willowbys original publisher, Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

My father passed away in 2012, and I inherited all his artwork files, Barry said, noting that he then began the task of putting things in order at his familys Rhode Island home. One of the first stops was a mysterious ancient gray wooden filing cabinet located down a dark hallway that he remembered from his childhood. I had no idea what was in there, he recalled. But as he sorted through various manila folders and files containing story ideas and sketches, he discovered an unexpected treasure, a pretty well-developed versionnearly final text and everythingof what became Mr. Willowbys Head Over Heels Christmas, Barry said. There were sketches, drawings, and a full mock-up of the book where his father had pasted in blocks of typewritten text next to the artwork. It was interesting because I could kind of see how my fathers creative process worked, Barry noted. Everything was in that folder, even napkins from airplane flights where he was jotting down notes on the back, corner scraps torn out of a newspaper he wrote on, and all kinds of business cardslong before there were Post-it notes.

The find was intriguing enough for Barry to bring to the attention of the Doubleday team four or five years ago. I was in touch with them once in a while about various things and we had generally been kicking around ideas about what we might be able to do with my fathers other artwork, or books of his that were no longer in print, Barry said. When I found the file, this became a logical thing to pursue, he added. They get 95% of the credit. While I stumbled across this ancient paper, they were the folks who got really excited about it, and said, Oh yeah, lets do this. 

Barry had every confidence in the creative team that had been publishing the original book, which has never been out of print for all these years. In the story, the top of Mr. Willowbys too-tall Christmas tree is trimmed and passed alongand successively resized to create smaller and smaller piecesby a parade of human and animal characters. The books focus on kindness and sharing proved popular with readers, and it attracted more attention via a couple of big publicity bumps along the way. It was featured on the childrens TV program Captain Kangaroo shortly after its publication and later adapted as a Muppets holiday special in 1995, in which Robert Downey Jr. played Mr. Willowby. All the while, the title remained a family favorite at the holidays and was even embraced by nature lovers for its environmentalist echoes.

Once plans for the Mr. Willowby sequel became a reality, Barry noted that it was a bonus to have so many of his fathers original materials to work with. We took his near-finished version of the text, put it together with illustrations in his style, based on the sketches and the storyboards that were in the folder, and thats how the book came to life, he said. Author-illustrator Sue DiCicco was selected to create the artwork that would carry Mr. Willowby and other characters from the first book forward into the new one. We were trading drafts and concepts and rough drawings and things like that, Barry recalled. Im not an artist, but I think I have a pretty good idea of how my father would have thought about things, he said. I tried to do him honor, flagging things or making suggestions that I thought were in the spirit of what he would have done. The collaboration was enjoyable and especially rewarding for Barry. It worked out great. And it was fun to me because I think if my father was still around, hed be extremely amazed at how this lost file actually got into print. Barry also contributed an afterword containing more information about his fathers life and career as well as some of the unearthed storyboards.

The response to Mr. Willowbys Head Over Heels Christmas so far has been gratifying for Barry. I read reviews online and people are saying the first book was a favorite that they have gone on to share with their children and grandchildren, he said. For those folks, this new book is very much in the spirit of the original. And I hope that maybe it introduces what are now the two books to a new generation of readers. Theres nothing better than having a favorite book that you return to again and again, and that you can read with somebody else.

Mr. Willowbys Head Over Heels Christmas by Robert Barry. Doubleday, $18.99 Oct. ISBN 978-0-593-70819-4
Author-illustrator Matt Tavares recently toured the East Coast in celebration of his new holiday picture book, Dasher and the Polar Bear, the third installment in his bestselling Dasher series. Taveres made appearances at 20 bookstore events throughout November and December. It is a fun time of year to spend lots of time in bookstores, and Im very thankful to all the booksellers who have organized these events, and all the people who took time out of their busy weekends to come hear me read my story and get their books signed and add more Dasher stories to their collections, Tavares said. Here are some highlights from his travels.

Tavares kicked off his tour on November 15 in Alexandria, Va., with an event at Old Town Books, where he gave a reading and helped celebrate the shops seventh anniversary.

Tavaress event at Wonderland Books in Bethesda, Md., drew plenty of support from family and friends. Here Tavares and his wife Sarah (back row, r.) joined by members of her family.

Just ahead of Thanksgiving, Tavares made an appearance at Bookshop of Beverly Farms in Beverly, Mass., for a sold-out event. Here, Tavares signs books after his presentation.

On November 29, Tavares dropped by his hometown toy and childrens bookstore Village Toy Funatic, in Ogunquit, Maine. Here, Tavares with bookstore owner Lisa Countryman, outside the decorated storefront.

Tidal Pages in Ipswich, Mass., welcomed Tavares on November 30 for an event. Here, Tavares gives a drawing demonstration, illustrating George the Polar Bear for the audience.

Tavares kicked off the December portion of the tour with a visit to Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, N.H. on December 4, which was also his 50th birthday. The store highlighted his appearance with a holiday window display.

The booksellers at Water Street had a special northern lights cake made for Tavares in honor of his birthday.

On December 6, Tavares visited the Silver Unicorn Bookstore in Acton, Mass., where family members of Katie Cunnigham, Tavaress longtime editor who died earlier this year, came to show their support. Tavares spent time with Cunninghams son Jack after his reading. It meant a lot to be able to share the book with the people Katie loved most, Tavares said.

Tavares made sure to drop by his hometown bookstore Book Ends in Winchester, Mass., on December 7, where he gave a reading and participated in a craft activity making reindeer critters.

On December 7, Tavares closed out his tour with an event at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Mass.
With book banning efforts sharply on the rise a few years ago, it became clear to many, including Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya, that the challenges werent one-offs but rather part of an organized, well-funded operation. To counter that campaign, Malaviya decided to throw the full weight of the countrys largest trade publisher into marshaling the opposition.

PRH had already been engaged in some individual attempts to fight book banning, so Malaviya backed a proposal to bring together people from departments that had been most affected by the banssuch as childrens, marketing, publicity, legal, and library servicesto form the Intellectual Freedom to Read Taskforce in May 2023. That taskforce, chaired by SVP Skip Dye, now has about 20 PRH employees who dedicate part of their time to fighting book banning and other acts of censorship. The unit includes Rosie Stewart, who in fall 2024 was appointed PRHs first public policy manager and whose task is to focus on broadening the publishers participation in state and federal legislative efforts, building coalitions, and grassroots organizing.

Malaviya tells PW that PRH has long worked with other organizations on freedom of expression issues, so with the help of Stewart, the publisher also worked to garner support from such groups as PEN America, the Association of American Publishers, the American Library Association, and the National Coalition Against Censorship. We know this is a long-term battle, Malaviya says. We know this wont be resolved right now, and we are in it for the long term.

He sees the current fight as part of a publishers ongoing responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to the books they need. Malaviya is particularly concerned with how bans affect children. A publishers most important job is to create the next generation of readers, he says.

That doesnt mean Malaviya believes every book is appropriate for every reader, but he does believe decisions about what kids can read should be made by parents and local experts such as librarians rather than outside groups. Malaviyas commitment to making books accessible is a personal one, Dye notes, explaining that when Malaviya moved to the U.S. from India as a child, libraries and books played a major role in shaping his worldview.

At first, PRH focused its efforts on supporting authors, teachers, and librarians, and raising public awareness about book bans. Two years ago, it began to ramp up legal action. One of PRHs objectives, Malaviya says, is to challenge laws it believes are unconstitutional. Its also advocating for laws that protect the freedom to read. We want to create precedents that protect the right to read, which may deter legislatures from passing book banning laws, he explains.

PRH has indeed been active on the legal front, beginning in 2023 when it joined the lawsuit against the Escambia County, Fla., school district aimed at quashing a policy that would have allowed the school board to remove any book it deemed objectionable from library shelves. PRH filed subsequent lawsuits in Florida, Idaho, and Iowa, in addition to filing amicus briefs in seven other cases.

Malaviya acknowledges that it takes time for cases to move through the courts and that there will be setbacks along the way, but hes sanguine about the legal process. I think we have momentum, he says. We have an organized effort from an industry perspective, involving publishers and industry associations.

PRHs legislative efforts, meanwhile, are already starting to bear fruit. In 2025 alone, 25 states introduced freedom-to-read legislation, with PRH directly involved in 12 of those efforts, scoring passage in seven states. PRH and its partners also helped defeat eight bills that would have restricted access to books in schools and libraries.

Dye credits Malaviya for being aware that the fight against censorship is much bigger than PRH. He sees PRH as being the glue that holds its partners together in fighting for freedom of expression. Dye says he and other employees involved in the taskforce appreciate how much support the CEO has given them in their work. The faith and determination he has shown in us doing this harkens to his leadership, Dye says. I feel very proud to be a part of this company, and very supported in what we are doing.

Under Nihars stewardship, the Penguin Random House team has led by example on the First Amendment, a constitutional protection that depends entirely on those who are willing to fight for it, says AAP CEO Maria Pallante. From litigation to legislation to community engagement, they have been a joy to watch and work with in defense of speech, not only for the books that are the heart of publishing but for the authors, bookstores, libraries, and readers who rely on leaders to keep speech safe.

As the fight against book bans continues, the Trump administration has created other challenges. The president has sued PRH over its publication of Russ Buettner and Susanne Craigs Lucky Loser. PRH has called the case meritless. Malaviya doesnt see any of PRHs actions through a political lens but considers it his duty to ensure that all editors have the freedom to decide what they want to publish, within appropriate legal bounds, rather than having those decision made by the government. At the end of the day, we stand with the First Amendment, he notes.

All of these actions cost money, and Malaviya says PRH will have invested seven figures (not counting the time committed by PRH employees) this year in its freedom-to-read campaigns. He is making these investments with the full support of parent company Bertelsmann, which Malaviya says is also in the freedom-to-read fight for the long haul. He explains that PRHs priorities in 2026 will be driven to some degree by what is happening in state legislatures, adding that PRHs actions will depend on what the other side is doing.

Continuing to create awareness about banning efforts will certainly remain a priority, and to date PRH has held a range of awareness events capped by the October 6 Save our Stories dinner heldvery intentionallyin Washington, D.C. That event brought together about 100 PRH employees, authors, journalists, legislators, and other industry representatives involved with freedom-to-read initiatives. The power of the evening was that it brought the whole coalition together and it let our authors tell their stories, Dye says. Everyone walked out of there much stronger.

Malaviya is aware that the challenges to the freedom to read wax and wane and will never fully go away. He says the efforts of PRH and others have helped to roll back some of the oppositions early momentum. There is a lot more work to be done, but I think we are making meaningful progress.

Read more from our Publishing People of the Year feature.

PW Noteables 2025: Eileen Dengler

PW Noteables 2025: Carla Hayden

PW Noteables 2025: Mary Rasenberger

PW Noteables 2025: Julie Schaper
Early data from a new agent-writer matching program at the upcoming TBR Writing & Publishing Conference reveal a possible disconnect between writers' instincts and agent interest. According to the conference organizers, writers fail to identify agents who are actually interested in their work 66% of the time.

The inaugural event is taking place January 17, 2026, at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., and features a new Publishing Matchmaker program that aims to shake up the traditional conference pitch model. Using a custom-built app, writers first create a wish list from TBR's roster of attending agents, then upload their manuscripts to the app. Every agent representing that writer's genre reads the submission and rates it on a scale of 1-5. Writers are then notified which agents want to meet them.

"Writers did not pick the agents [who an interest in their books] by a factor of 3 to 1, said Whitney Scharer, who cofounded TBR with writer Sonya Larson. Of the agents who rated manuscripts 4 or 5 on a five-point scalemeaning they want to meet the writertwo out of three were not on the writer's original wish list. The sample size and methodology have not been disclosed.

The findings, if they hold up with a larger sample, would challenge the infrastructure writers use to identify potential representation. "The entire querying process, whether it be at a conference or via querying through traditional channels like email, is predicated on a writer doing research into which agents might want their work," Scharer said. "Writers create comp lists, look at databases, ask friends, read acknowledgements...and yet, if our data is correct, they are not identifying the correct agent for them 66% of the time."

Scharer, an author who previously worked with the venerable Boston writers workshop GrubStreet, said, "We launched the Publishing Matchmaker program after watching thousands of fellow writers struggling to find agent representation through traditional methods, such as guidebooks, databases, and literary networking. These methods can work, but we believe there's another, better wayboth for writers and for agents."

The program has attracted strong interest and approximately 250 attendees have registered for the conference out of 300 maximum capacity.

TBR's speaker lineup includes more than 75 publishing professionals and authors across a range of genres, including literary fiction, young adult, science fiction, thrillers, and romance. Speakers include Celeste Ng (Our Missing Hearts, Little Fires Everywhere), Ilyon Woo (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Master Slave Husband Wife), Marjan Kamali (Lion Women of Tehran), Caleb Gayle (National Book Award nominee for Black Moses), Peter Orner (The Gossip Columnist's Daughter), and Ken Liu (All That We See or Seem).

Representatives from Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Neighborhood Literary, GO Literary, DeFiore & Company, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Laura Gross Literary Agency, Aevitas Creative Management, Writers House, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency, United Talent Agency, Curtis Brown, and Creative Artists Agency are also among those participating.

The conference features more than 35 sessions organized into tracks that include "In-Depth Craft," "Pre-Publication," "Post-Publication," "The Book Ecosystem," and "Big Picture Questions." Sample sessions include "You Must Change Your Life" on finishing long-term projects, led by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, "The Robot Overlords Are Coming" about AI in the writing world, and "How To Write An Amazing Query Letter."

Scharer said TBR, which stands for To Be Read, is considering ways to expand the Matchmaker concept beyond the conference. "Could agents use something like this at their agencies? Could we make a giant database of this information or somehow merge it with Publisher's Marketplace to help writers query the right people...and cut down on all the time agents spend looking at work that's not right for them?" she said. "There's so much potential."
Berlin-based Hebrew-language publishing house Altneuland Press has announced a copublishing program with three U.S.-based small presses. Together with New Vessel Press, Steerforth Press, and Deep Vellum, Altneuland will begin by publishing 3-5 English-language next year in the U.S. market and will expand to 6-8 titles within the first two years. The program is led by Altneuland's editor-in-chief, Dory Manor, and advised by the International Booker Prizewinning literary translator Jessica Cohen.

Beginning in the fall of 2026, Altneuland will publish a mix of Hebrew works in translation and original English-language nonfiction and literary fiction aligned with its mission to promote a diasporic vision of Hebrew literature, rather than one that is "national or state-bound," the company said. The press was founded in 2024 by Manor and Moshe Sakal with funding from Migdalor, a cultural initiative based in Berlin. It will now operate in both Berlin and the U.S., with the goal of establishing a dedicated U.S.-based editorial team.

Altneuland will kick off its English-language program with In the Belly of the Whale by Ruth Margalit (co-published with Steerforth)an original English-language collection of the journalist's political and cultural profiles originally published in the New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine, "reexamined in light of Israel's current situation." This will be followed by two books translated from Hebrew that Altneuland has already published in GermanOur Lady of Kazan (New Vessel), a "modern classic novel" in translation by Maya Arad, and Bandit (TBD), Israeli writer Itamar Orlev's award-winning debut novel.

Hebrew has always transcended geography, said Manor. We're expanding its scopenot as a tool of nationalism, but as a global language of thought, imagination, and memory. By publishing Hebrew-language books in Germany, Altneuland said it is resurrecting a robust publishing tradition stretching from the 16th century up until WWII.

Sakal said that Altneuland's U.S. expansion feels natural at a moment when readers are expressing "growing curiosity about voices that speak honestly and critically to the realities of Israel and its diasporas." Hebrew is "a portable, outward-facing languageone that addresses identity, migration, belonging, democracy, and cultural imagination," he added. By combining Hebrew translations with English-language originals, Sakal hopes that Altneuland's U.S. titles can help facilitate an understanding of "secular, plural, humanistic forms of Jewish life," whether within or outside the Israeli diaspora.
Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the missile strike by the Russian army on a civilian ship in Chornomorsk demonstrates that the Russians do not take seriously "the chance for diplomacy that exists now, but also continue the war to destroy normal life in Ukraine."

"Today the Russian army launched a missile strike on our Odesa region, last night there was a Russian attack on the energy sector of Odesa... Today's Russian strike, like many other similar strikes, did not and could not have any military meaning. A civilian ship was damaged in the port of Chornomorsk. This once again proves that the Russians not only do not take the chance for diplomacy that exists now seriously enough, but also continue the war precisely to destroy normal life in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said on Telegram channel.
Hezbollahs efforts to regenerate have seemingly reached a critical juncture. In one of the most escalatory actions since the ceasefire took effect in Lebanon last November, Israel eliminated Hezbollahs de facto military chief of staff Haitham Ali Tabatabai on November 23. Israel and Hezbollah may be closer to war than at any point over the last twelve months.

Another round of fighting is not in Israel's or Lebanons interest. Nor is it in the interest of Lebanons Gulf benefactors, most of whom have grown particularly disillusioned after receiving no return on their investments in various Lebanese politicians, movements, and governments. Decades of overpromising and underdelivering on countering Hezbollah  not to mention political reform and combating corruption  have lost support in Lebanon.

Exceptionally, Qatar remains willing to engage and entertain, aiding Lebanon. Senior Lebanese officials, including Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander Rodolphe Haykal, visited Doha throughout 2025 seeking Qatari aid, including for the LAF. But any future Qatari aid will only perpetuate Lebanons self-destructive status quo unless preconditioned on meaningful Lebanese efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollahs yearlong war with Israel, which ended in November 2024, significantly weakened the group militarily. Almost 40 years after the Taif Agreement, which ended Lebanons civil war by requiring all sectarian militias to disarm, Beirut now has a historic opportunity to rid itself of its most problematic and enduring vestige, Hezbollah.

But, so far, Hezbollah has managed to deftly navigate Lebanons post-war environment, retaining the overwhelming support of Lebanese Shiites  and demonstrating that support at several critical milestones since the wars end. In effect, Lebanons social and political dynamics, which empower Hezbollah and have deterred successive Lebanese governments from disarming or restraining it for fear of provoking a civil war, remained virtually unchanged.

Thus, in February, Hezbollah received two ministries and corollary influence in Lebanons new cabinet. Now, that same government, which came to power in February, ostensibly promising to disarm Hezbollah, has ceded the initiative on disarmament to the group itself. Of course, Hezbollah has consistently refused to surrender its arsenal. Therefore, on September 5, the Lebanese government  deterred by Hezbollahs popularity  declined to unambiguously adopt the LAFs disarmament plan and kept its contents and progress secret. Senior Lebanese officials insisted Hezbollahs forcible disarmament was not being considered.

The Lebanese government has since jumped through linguistic hoops to tacitly shift from a policy of disarming the group to a policy of inaction. The government hopes passive containment of Hezbollahs arsenal will, in time, destroy what Israel hasnt, even as the group is actively regenerating.

Meanwhile, as Lebanon musters, at best, token responses to Hezbollahs open defiance, it is nevertheless seeking tangible benefits from the international community, including Qatari aid, for its irresolute and largely symbolic disarmament efforts.

Qatar has engaged Lebanon several times under similar circumstances in the past, seeking to sustain Lebanon over the long-term through creating increments of short-term stability. But that has only reinforced the countrys decades-long downward spiral.

After the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, Doha unconditionally pledged $300 million toward the $2.3 billion reconstruction funds Lebanon required, alleviating from Hezbollah the burden of rebuilding what its war with Israel had destroyed. Two years later, Qatar brokered the Doha Agreement to resolve the ongoing deadlock between Fuad Sinioras Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition, which had erupted into street fighting. The negotiated stability it produced, however, was only a veneer, coming at the price of granting Hezbollah and its allies a veto over government decisions. Meanwhile, Lebanons structural problems remained unresolved.

Almost a decade later, as a result, Lebanon suffered a total economic collapse, which the World Bank described as one of the worst economic crises globally since the mid-nineteenth century. This disaster was compounded by the August 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion, one of historys largest-ever non-nuclear explosions and perhaps the most egregious example of Lebanese governmental negligence, corruption, and incompetence. Qatar again stepped into the breach, immediately airlifted medical aid into Lebanon, deployed search and rescue personnel, and pledged another $50 million to help reconstruction efforts  all without demanding any meaningful change from Beirut.

By October of 2022, another presidential crisis gripped Lebanon. The Qataris  alongside France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United States  sought to help, but without endorsing the preferred candidate of either the Hezbollah-aligned factions or their opponents. The presidency, Doha maintained, was an internal Lebanese matter.

Ultimately, the recent Israel-Hezbollah war broke Lebanons political deadlock and domestically humbled Hezbollah enough to deny the ideologically pro-resistance Suleiman Frangieh the presidency. Instead, the preferable but far from ideal Joseph Aoun took office on January 9.

Given the uncompromising anti-Westernism promoted by its various soft-power platforms, Qatar may be nefariously seeking to allow Lebanons political processes to run their natural course, strengthening Hezbollah and weakening American regional influence in the process. More realistically, however, Doha understands that Lebanons structural dysfunction cannot be cured easily or swiftly, and that pursuing deeper and sustained change will, in the immediate term, likely shatter the countrys veneer of stability. Even if Qatar were willing to upend the status quo, its difficult to predict whether a successful or stable Lebanon would emerge, or whether more chaos would ensue. So, Qatar falls back on the Faustian bargain routinely made by the Lebanese themselves of subsisting on short-term fixes that delay confronting the countrys corrosive elements.

That approach, however, is no longer tenable, especially as the Trump administration leans more heavily on Doha to promote regional stability. The administration has made clear that it wants genuine progress in Lebanon, not reversion to self-destructive patterns or continued hedging and inaction against Hezbollah. Doha, meanwhile, possesses tools to be the productive partner the United States wants and the one that Lebanon needs  even if it cannot, alone, solve all the countrys problems, or any of them in the short term.

Qatar possesses influential charitable funds and state-owned media outlets that Doha traditionally uses to promote radicalization. But they can likewise be influential tools that can, gradually and perhaps over many years, function as part of a comprehensive process to strengthen credible Shiite competitors to Hezbollah. If that momentum grows into sustained and widespread Lebanese Shiite opposition to the group, the risk that restraining Hezbollah would spark a civil war will recede. Over time, this will give Beirut increased flexibility to strip Hezbollah of its freedom of action  and then, ultimately, its arms.



In the interim, Qatar can condition incremental aid packages upon Beirut consistently enforcing the rule of law against all non-state actors, including Hezbollah. This can begin with ordering Lebanese security forces to prevent Hezbollah and all such actors from defying governmental decisions, and the Lebanese judiciary to punish them if they do. For example, Doha can press Lebanon to arrest and prosecute the Hezbollah entities and officials involved in publicly projecting the image of its late secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, onto Lebanons iconic Raouche rock in late September in violation of Beiruts prohibition, and prevent similar acts of defiance in the future.

The accumulation and normalization of such measures will, in time, ensure that Beiruts will by default trump the sectarian militias. Qatar can then condition further aid upon serious Lebanese efforts to cut off Hezbollahs fundraising channels, including expanding Beiruts largely symbolic ban on the arrival of Iranian airliners into thorough, transparent inspections of all arriving aircraft that could plausibly be carrying money destined for any militia. When social conditions are ripe, this can expand to delicensing Hezbollahs social and financial apparatuses while the Central Bank incrementally clamps down on Lebanons shadow economy, where those organs operate.



In time, this can set the stage for Qatar funding the LAF, but only on the precondition that Beirut consistently demonstrates it is willing to order the Lebanese army to operate against Hezbollah. Even then, Dohas aid should be disbursed in batches, as the LAF seizes and destroys Hezbollahs arms and assets north of the Litani River, where the group has rejected disarmament. This will ensure that Qatari assistance rewards clear demonstrations of Lebanese intentions, and not merely its words.

Qatar alone cant save Lebanon. None of Beiruts international partners can. That task must be assumed, first and foremost, by the Lebanese themselves. But Doha can position itself as part of a constellation of helpful partners, using the unique tools at its disposal to nudge and guide Lebanon towards self-correction rather than continuing in its role as a reinforcer and enabler of Beiruts excesses.

David Daoud is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst. Follow David on X @DavidADaoud and Natalie @NatalieEcanow.
Presented by Leupold Optics

Supported by MDT

Inside Pro Match Rifles: PRS, NRL Hunter, and Real-World Setups

In Part 2 of our Modern Day Precision Cartridge & Rifle Setups series, Dan Bertocchini goes in depth on precision rifle cartridges, rifle setups, and the exact gear he runs for PRS, NRL Hunter, and real-world hunting applications.

Dan breaks down his current match rifles, including his 6 Dasher PRS setup, his 6.5 Creedmoor NRL Hunter build, and his 6.5 PRC hunting rifle. He covers optics, reticles, mounts, chassis selection, barrel length, twist rates, rifle balance, recoil management, bags, bipods, tripods, and ballistic solvers, along with why consistency matters more than chasing specs.

This episode also shows how Dan approaches shooting from real terrain using bags, logs, and tripods, and how he engages targets from 700 yards to beyond 1,100 yards using the same equipment he carries in the field. This video is built for shooters who want proven setups, practical decisions, and gear that performs under pressure, not theory builds.

Presented by Leupold Optics. All optics featured are Leupold Mark 5HD scopes with PR2 reticles, the same glass Dan relies on in competition and in the field.

Supported by MDT Sporting Goods.

This is the ultimate breakdown of modern precision rifle cartridges and rifle setups from a shooter who lives this stuff every single day. In this episode, Dan Bertocchini explains what actually works in PRS, NRL Hunter, field matches, hunting, and real duty use.

No hype, no myths, just real world knowledge backed by years of competition experience and thousands of rounds fired. This series is proudly sponsored by Leupold, the optics trusted by shooters who demand absolute consistency every single day. You will learn why consistency beats raw speed, which calibers are dominating the precision world, and how cartridges like the 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 25 Creed, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 6.547 stack up in real conditions.

You will also see what matters most in a precision rifle build including optics, mounts, barrels, actions, triggers, brakes, suppressors, bipods, bags, chronographs, ballistics calculators, and more.

Since optics are one of the most critical parts of long range performance, Dan highlights why he relies on Leupold glass for tracking reliability, clarity, and repeatable adjustments under match pressure. When your entire hit depends on a tiny movement inside your scope, consistency is everything.

This episode sets the foundation for the rest of the series by giving you the fundamentals of long range accuracy and reliable performance so you can hit more targets with confidence. If you want to compete, hunt, train, or improve your long range shooting skills, this is your starting point.

Big congratulations to Dan for finishing 3rd in Production at the 2025 PRS Final!

Thanks to our video sponsors, Leupold Optics and MDT!
Mexico on Thursday imposed a tariff of up to 50 per cent on imports from its non-preferential trade partners, including India, a move that might hit New Delhis annual $5.75 billion shipments to its third-largest car export market.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff

The escalation by the North American country comes at a time when Indian exporters are already grappling with a 50 per cent tariff imposed by the US, which has severely impacted labour-intensive sectors.

The tariffs range between 5 per cent and 50 per cent on more than 1,400 products from Asian countries, such as India, China and Thailand that do not have a trade deal with Mexico.

The duties are set to kick in from January 1, 2026, and will apply to electronics, apparels, chemicals, a large number of engineering goods, which includes automobiles, metals, among others.

The move is aimed at protecting Mexicos domestic industry.

The government and the Indian exporters are closely watching the development and waiting for the formal notification by the Mexican government.

They said they were trying to understand if the move is primarily targeted at China.

This is because there have been discussions in the US about Chinese goods being rerouted into the American market through Mexico.

This has come at the wrong time.

"The industry is still under shock. We are still struggling with the tariffs imposed by the US, and now Mexico will also raise tariffs on India.

"The industry wanted a trade deal with Mexico and if that happens we may get relief from the duties, said Ajay Sahai, director-general and chief executive officer of Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).

Mexico accounted for 1.3 per cent of Indias total merchandise exports at $5.75 billion in 2024-25.

However, a close look at the data showed that engineering goods dominate the basket, making up 61 per cent ($3.5 billion) of the exports of Indias outbound shipments to the Latin American nation.

Automobiles and auto components make up nearly one-third of exports to Mexico, and the tariff increase is likely to affect $1 billion worth of shipments from Indian carmakers, including Maruti Suzuki India, Volkswagen Group, Hyundai Motor India, and Nissan.

For passenger vehicles, the import duty is set to rise from 20 per cent to 50 per cent.

Carmakers have already begun re-evaluating their export strategies for Mexico.

A leading car exporter from India, on condition of anonymity, said: We have a substantial amount of exports to Mexico from India.

"However, being a multinational, we have ways to overcome such a crisis by diversifying the Mexico export quantity to some other country in which we are having a production facility, said a source from one of the multinational automobile majors hit by the move.

Mexico is Indias third-largest car export market after South Africa and Saudi Arabia. Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motor India did not comment.

According to Reuters, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) had urged the commerce ministry in November to press Mexico to maintain status quo on tariffs for vehicles shipped from India, according to a copy of the letter.

Skoda Auto accounts for nearly 50 per cent of India's total car shipments to Mexico.

"Hyundai shipped cars worth $200 million, Nissans exports stood at $140 million and Suzuki's at $120 million, the data showed, Reuters noted.

Majority of shipments from India to Mexico are compact cars with an engine size of less than one litre.

Of the 1.5 million passenger vehicles sold in Mexico each year, about two-thirds are imported and India's shipments make up "just about 6.7 per cent" of the total sales.

With inputs from agencies
'Perhaps unlike any previous era of software, this one requires a rethink in even the lifecycle of how we build.'

IMAGE: Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella speaks at an event in Bengaluru, December 11, 2025. Photograph: Aditya Soni/Reuters

Building modern software systems needs a mindset shift of the developers that also requires them to pick up new skill sets as artificial intelligence upends the software development lifecycle, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said on Thursday.

Nadella, who was in India's Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, during the third day of his tour to the country, also talked about how contextual engineering is similar to the "good old data engineering", but veers away when it comes to usage of data.

"It is like the good old data engineering but it's a different type of data engineering where you want your data to get into the shape that allows you to feed into the intelligence and orchestrate around it.

"That is how we need to think of the frontier of the classic software development life cycle (SDLC) and that has to change to a new form of AI-driven SDLC.

"That will be critical," he told stakeholders in a packed gathering on Thursday.

Ever since the advent of ChatGPT three years ago, coding has become a lot more automated with machines writing thousands of lines of code that were previously written by engineers.

While that has improved productivity, allowing coders to focus on more high-end work, it also means uncertainty of jobs at the lower end of the pyramid -- young engineers who need to reskill to remain relevant or perish.

"Perhaps unlike any previous era of software, this one requires a rethink in even the lifecycle of how we build.

"We start with the spec itself, start at the other end by thinking of the evaluation loop, some say you start with the test and not the spec.

"It changes the inward process and requires a mindset change, you have to be a lot more grounded in the real world outcome that you want to change which requires a mindset shift of the developers and we need to pick up the skill to impact that mindset shift," he added.

Microsoft India and South Asia President Puneet Chandok also emphasised on the need to reskill in the age of AI, cautioning that the technology will not steal jobs but unbundle it.

"AI skilling is the new oxygen mask and guerrilla warfare against irrelevance.

"The real pink slip is our refusal to learn as this is no longer a hobby."

"The return on investment in AI will be obtained through employee experience, customer engagement, reshaping business process, and innovation."

Microsoft also announced it partnered with TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and Cognizant to deploy over 50,000 Copilot licences, collectively surpassing 200,000, to redesign workflows around human-agent collaboration and improve productivity and efficiency across delivery, sales, finance, HR, and customer engagement.

Nadella also cautioned on the balance that needs to be adopted between adoption of sovereign cloud and cyber security.

Microsoft has launched Sovereign Public Cloud and Sovereign Private Cloud for Indian customers as part of its massive investment proposals.

"One important consideration in sovereignty is cyber resilience and at the end of the day, cyber security is a signal game.

"You cannot be sovereign and not have global intelligence. That would mean you are vulnerable.

"If you do not see what the threat actors across the world are doing, you will miss the signal."

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
'I don't think we should ever negotiate with deadlines or hard stops because we tend to make mistakes then.'

IMAGE: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal meets Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Mumbai, December 11, 2025. Photograph: @PiyushGoyal X/ANI Photo

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said India is not negotiating the trade deal with the US with a fixed deadline, and the US should sign on the dotted line if it is happy with India's offer.

Goyal was responding to a query on a comment by United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Wednesday, saying that Washington has received the best-ever offer from New Delhi, though India is resisting market access for certain farm items.

"That only the USTR can answer. His happiness is very much welcome.

"I do believe that if they are very happy, they should be signing on the dotted line," Goyal said at an India-Italy joint press conference in Mumbai.

Goyal's comment comes two weeks after Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said he is "very optimistic and hopeful" that both sides could conclude the first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement that will address the 50 per cent US tariff on India in the current calendar year.

Separately, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran, in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday, said he would be surprised if an 'elusive' trade deal with the US isn't signed by March, as most trade-related issues have been resolved.

'It is difficult to give a timeline on this. However, I would be surprised if we don't have it sealed by the end of the financial year,' Dr Nageswaran said.

However, Goyal said he is not aware of the basis of the CEA's comments.

'You will probably have to refer that to the CEA. I can only say that the negotiations are progressing well,' he added.

Referring to talks with visiting Deputy USTR Rick Switzer, Goyal said that since the official joined three months ago and is at the commerce secretary level, both sides are still getting to know each other.

"He met me also. We had very good, substantive discussions. But a deal is only done when both sides stand to benefit, and I don't think we should ever negotiate with deadlines or hard stops because we tend to make mistakes then," he added.

Commerce ministry sources on Thursday said that the visit of the delegation of US trade officials from the office of the USTR served as an opportunity for both sides to have productive exchanges on a wide gamut of items related to India-US trade and economic ties, including the ongoing negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement.

Both sides agreed to continue the current purposeful and positive engagements, they said.

On the progress in India-European Union trade talks following the conclusion of the 16th round of negotiations and discussions with EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, Goyal said "very substantive progress" has been made in this round of discussions.

"In the first or second week of January, our teams will be meeting again. On January 8-9, I shall be engaging with Maros again to take the dialogue forward."

"There has been significant progress, but obviously, everything depends on crossing the finishing line.

"There are many areas of discussion, but I don't think there is any issue I would call a divergence.

"Negotiations should always be conducted with a sense of urgency but never with haste," he added.

Visiting Italy Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, sitting adjacent to Goyal at the press conference in Mumbai, said he is hopeful that the India-EU trade deal will be signed in the first six months of the next year.

"But I am not the trade negotiator," he clarified.

Speaking at a separate event in Mumbai, Goyal also hinted at the conclusion of negotiations with Oman for a trade deal that is likely to be signed next week.

"We are negotiating 14 free trade agreements currently. On Friday, the New Zealand minister is coming to finalise the trade deal. On Wednesday, we got good news of the conclusion of an FTA, which will be announced soon."

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
TasteAtlas, the culinary platform, has unveiled its Awards 25/26

Drawn from an analysis of 453,720 verified reviews, covering 11,781 different foods in its archive, it has drawn up a list of the world's top 100 dishes.

Representing India among these prestigious rankings is Amritsari Kulcha, Murgh Makhani and the ever-popular Hyderabadi Biryani, each earning global appreciation for their outstanding flavours.

Let's have a look at the top 7 dishes around the globe this year...

Photograph: Kind courtesy Overkill53/Wikimedia Commons

1. Vori-Vori

Interestingly a less-known but not less-loved Paraguayan dish is at the very top of this list.

It is a kind of soup that has soft dumplings, crafted from maize flour and cheese, bobbing in it. These are simmered in broth, with chicken, vegetables and fresh seasonings.

It has a popular presence on tables anywhere in Paraguay.

Vori mean little ball. Its distinctive name originates from Guarani, Paraguay's indigenous language, where repeating a term convey plenty or richness, an appropriate name for a stunningy yummy stew.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Valerio Capello/Wikimedia Commons

2. Pizza Napoletana

The second-most popular food item in the world this year is no surprise.

Pizzas are just about everyone's favourite treat.

The authentic Pizza Napoletana's charm comes from its simplicity, offered in just two classic styles -- marinara with tomato, garlic and oregano and margherita topped with tomato, mozzarella and basil.

The dough is prepared using only four ingredients: Wheat flour, water, salt and natural or brewer's yeast, with no oil or sugar added, staying faithful to the traditional Italian recipe.

Photograph: Kind courtesy lazy fri13th/Wikimedia Commons

3. Tajarin Al Tartufo Bianco d'Alba

Italy hops back onto this list once more.

From Italy's Piedmont, in the northwest, comes an indulgent pasta that celebrates Alba's prize mushroom... pardon us, truffle.

Fine, ribbon-slender fresh egg-yolkey noodles are prepared by hand, then dressed sparingly with butter, a hint of spice and shavings of the rare white truffles. Ooh la la!

Photograph: Kind courtesy Bangrapip/Wikimedia Commons

4. Sate Kambing

Travelling across the globe eastwards, there's a standout goat meat dish from Java, Indonesia.

Skewered bite-size pieces cooked over an open fire are a local obsession.

Before roasting, the tender pieces are infused with a spiced marinade that uses galangal, pineapple juice, soy sauce and onions. The roasting process is very long. Slow charring creates a bold, smoky flavour in the meat.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Eaeeae/Wikimedia Commons

5. Cag Kebab

Originating from Erzurum, eastern Turkiye, lamb is marinated overnight or longer with black pepper, onions, basil and then slow-roasted, stacked, on a horizontal spit over wood embers, and expertly carved into tender slices.

It is served straight from the skewer or wrapped in warm lavash.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Benoit Prieur/Wikimedia Commons

6. Kontosouvli

The third variety of kebabs or skewered roasted meat to make this list, the well-loved Greek speciality features generous cuts of pork.

The meat is steeped in a fragrant blend of herbs, oil, citrus and wine. Spit roasting brings about a beautifully crisp exterior while keeping the centre moist and succulent.

Photograph: Kind courtesy MiguelAlanCS/Wikimedia Commons

7. Arroz Tapado

The first rice entree to find a spot, Peru's Arroz Tapado recently was voted the most popular rice dish in the world by TasteAtlas.

Steamed rice forms neat layers around a filling of minced beef, cooked with vegetables, tomato puree, aromatic onions+garlic, which is finished with olives and pieces of boiled egg.

=

Photograph: Kind courtesy Ravi Dwivedi/Wikimedia Commons

17. Amritsari Kulcha

India's kulcha from Punjab -- 17th position among these rankings -- is India's first entry.

The Punjabi flatbread is a signature delight of Amritsar.

Soft and leavened, it is filled with spiced mashed potatoes and chopped onions and then baked. A street food fave, it is both crisp and fluffy. And, of course, delicious.
The court has included in the case materials on the imposition of sanctions against the Member of Parliament, leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko, the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dated October 16, according to which sanctioned persons in Ukraine do not have sufficient opportunity to protect their rights and due procedural guarantees against arbitrariness during the judicial review of the decision to impose sanctions.

As reported on the website of the European Solidarity party on Friday, representatives of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Cabinet of Ministers tried to object to the inclusion of the ECHR decision in the case materials, but the court supported the motion of Poroshenko's side.

On Friday, the panel of judges of the Cassation Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court continues to consider Poroshenko's lawsuit against Zelenskyy to cancel the decree on the imposition of sanctions. Representatives of diplomatic missions, journalists and people's deputies are present in the courtroom.

Poroshenko's lawyers also attached to the case materials documents proving the identity of the formulations in publications about Poroshenko on resources related to Ukrainian politician and lawyer Andriy Portnov, killed in Spain on May 21, and in the justification of sanctions in the decree of the head of state.

Poroshenko claims that the ideologist of the introduction of sanctions against him was Portnov, and the Office of the President implemented his concept.

"Two weeks before the publications on sanctions, I, as the leader of "European Solidarity" and my political force, initiated a petition for the introduction of sanctions by President of Ukraine Zelensky against the state criminal Portnov... This petition very quickly gained the necessary 25,000. At the same time, we received threats from Portnov that he would take revenge and sanctions would be imposed against me," the politician said.

Lawyers for the fifth president, Golovan and Novikov, stated that the trial in the Cassation Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court on Petro Poroshenko's lawsuit to overturn the illegal decree on sanctions is entering its final stages. Lawyer Ilya Novikov also added that the court has two dozen pages left to examine in the case, so a decision can be expected early next year.

As reported, the murder of Portnov occurred in the suburbs of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcon on May 21. He was shot in the back as he was about to get into his Mercedes parked on the sidewalk. The Spanish National Police have announced a search for three people involved in the murder. The judge investigating Portnov's death has ruled to keep the investigation confidential.

On June 2, Iryna Gerashchenko, co-chair of the Eurosolidarity faction in the Verkhovna Rada, said that the faction had initiated the creation of a temporary investigative commission to investigate Portnov's influence on the judicial system and law enforcement agencies and expects representatives from all factions of the Ukrainian parliament to join this commission.

On February 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on the NSDC decision of February 12, 2025 "On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)." According to the appendix to the document, sanctions were imposed against five individuals: Poroshenko, Ihor Kolomoisky, former owner of the Finance and Credit bank Konstantin Zhevago, former co-owner of PrivatBank Gennady Boholiubov, and former MP Viktor Medvedchuk.

Poroshenko appealed the sanctions in the Supreme Court. On April 17, the court began considering the claim in the presence of people's deputies of Ukraine, as well as diplomats from the European Union mission, representatives of the embassies of Germany, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Lithuania, and Denmark. Poroshenko's representatives emphasize that the sanctions were imposed illegally as a citizen of Ukraine who is in the country, while only Russia considers him a "terrorist." Therefore, there are no grounds for sanctions under the law.
A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to six protesters arrested in connection with a protest against air pollution at the India Gate on Kartavya Path, where slogans were allegedly raised in support of slain Maoist commander Madvi Hidma.

IMAGE: Police detain people who stage a protest against rising air pollution at India Gate, in New Delhi on November 23, 2025. Photograph: ANI Video Grab

The court, which was hearing the bail pleas of 12 accused, however, declined relief to four, while the order for one remains pending, and the plea of another has been adjourned to Saturday.

Judicial Magistrate Aridaman Singh Cheema granted bail to Mehul, Pritirani, Simran, Noi, Vageesha and Karina on a bond of Rs 15,000 each.

The court noted that all digital evidence, from CCTV footage to video clips of the protest to the mobile phone records of the accused, has been seized by police, and it is readily available to the investigating agency.

Nothing has been found against the accused protesters qua their membership in radical organisations related to Maoists, the court said.

It, however, added that reasonable conditions had to be imposed to address any concerns regarding the accused absconding or tampering with evidence.

The court granted them bail, saying, "No purpose shall be served by keeping the accused in judicial custody."

The court, however, rejected the bail pleas of Gurkirat Kaur, Ravjot Kaur, Ayisha Wafiya, and Abhinash Satyapati.

In one of the bail orders, the judge noted, "On a plain reading of the slogans raised by the accused, it is clear that at this juncture, the accused raised slogans in support of Hidma and is also allegedly a member of the Radical Student Union (RSU), which is a frontal organisation of Maoists that is banned."

The investigation into the identification of the other members related to the RSU is pending, he said.

The protest, which was supposed to be only against the rising air pollution in the capital, transformed into an agitation in support of Hidma and the accused person has been identified as a member of the RSU affiliated to Naxalites, the judge said.

As the conspiracy was hatched in secrecy, the role of more persons in the present case cannot be ruled out at this stage, he said.

Rejecting the bail pleas, the judge noted that releasing the accused at this stage could lead to them committing similar offences, alerting other yet-to-be-identified members or absconding.

The bail plea of another accused, Akshay E R, has been adjourned on account of pending arguments and will now be taken up on Saturday.

The bail order of Kranti is presently pending. Top Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma, who masterminded several attacks over the last two decades, his wife Raje, and four other Naxalites were killed by security forces during an encounter in Andhra Pradesh last month.

The protest took place at the India Gate on November 23, during which some agitators were accused of raising pro-Hodma slogans and using pepper spray on the police trying to contain them.

According to the police, 23 protesters were arrested in two separate cases lodged at the Parliament Street and Kartavya Path police stations.

Seventeen protesters were held in connection with a scuffle at the Parliament Street police station, while six were arrested in the pepper-spray case.

Fifteen of the 17 accused in the Parliament Street case were rearrested in the Kartavya Path case.

Of the 17, nine were granted bail on November 28 by a magistrate hearing the Parliament Street case, while the remaining eight secured bail on December 2.

Till date, of the 22 arrested in the Kartavya Path case, nine have been granted bail while the bail plea of one was rejected.
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census of India, 2027, which would include the caste enumeration for the first time.

IMAGE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs a review meeting for the preparations of the upcoming census, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photograph: @AmitShah_X/ANI Photo

Addressing a briefing, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to conduct the Census which will be the first digital exercise.

Around 30 lakh enumerators would be involved in the entire exercise.

The 16th edition of the Census since Independence will also provide an option of self enumeration to the citizens.

The decadal exercise which was scheduled to take place in 2021 got postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.

The minister said the Census will be conducted in two phases -- house-listing and housing census from April to September, 2026; and population enumeration (PE) in February 2027.

For Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the PE exercise shall be conducted in September, 2026, the minister said.

"This will become the first-ever digital census," Vaishnaw told reporters.

Around 30 lakh enumerators will visit each and every household and canvass a separate questionnaire for houselisting and housing census and population enumeration. It will generate 1.02 crore human days of employment, the minister said.

Vaishnaw said the entire digital census system has been created as a very robust system and all personal data protection laws will be applicable. The census will collect the micro-level data of every individual and household and present a macro-level data, he added.

"Data of the micro-level will be collected from each household and a macro picture will be present. Individual data will be kept confidential while the macro-level data of the Census will be published," the minister said.

"All the Census functionaries will be paid a suitable honorarium for the work of the Census as they will be doing this work in addition to their regular duties," a government statement said.

The Census 2027 will also capture caste data electronically in the PE phase, Vaishnaw said.

In the first-ever digital Census, data will be collected using mobile applications that will be available for both Android and iOS versions.

Use of a mobile app for data collection and the central portal for monitoring purposes will ensure better quality data, Vaishnaw said.

Data dissemination will be much better and in a user-friendly way so that all queries on required parameters for policy-making will be available with a click of a button, he said.

"A dedicated portal, namely Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS), has been developed for managing and monitoring the entire Census process on a real-time basis," a government statement said.

Census-as-a-Service (CaaS) will deliver data to ministries in a clean, machine-readable and actionable format, he said.

The largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world will be done using a mobile app for data collection and the central portal for monitoring purposes will ensure better quality data.

"The current endeavour would be to make available the coming Census data at the shortest possible time across the country. Efforts will also be made to disseminate Census results with more customised visualisation tools. Data sharing to all, up to the lowest administrative unit i.e. village/ ward level," the statement said.

Houselisting block (HLB) creator web map application will be another innovation for Census 2027 which will be used by the charge officers.

The statement said around 18,600 technical manpower will be engaged for about 550 days at the local levels which would imply that around 1.02 crore man-days employment would be generated.

"Further, the provision of technical manpower at the charge/ district/ state-level will also result in capacity-building as the nature of the job will be related to digital data handling, monitoring and coordination. This will also help in the future employment prospects of these persons," it said.

The provision of technical manpower at various levels will also result in capacity-building as the nature of the job will be related to digital data handling, monitoring and coordination.

"This will also help in the future employment prospects of these persons," the statement said.

The mammoth exercise is the biggest source of primary data at the village, town and ward-level providing micro-level data on various parameters including housing condition, amenities and assets, demography, religion, SC and ST, language, literacy and education, economic activity, migration and fertility.

The last comprehensive caste-based count was done by the Britishers between 1881 and 1931. Caste was excluded from all Census operations conducted since Independence.

The decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming Census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 30.

In 2010, then prime minister Manmohan Singh had assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census would be considered in the cabinet.

However, the previous Congress-led government opted for a survey instead of a caste census, known as the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC).

The population of the country according to the Census 2011 was 1,210.19 million of which 623.72 million (51.54 per cent) were males and 586.46 million (48.46 per cent) were females.
Senior officials from the foreign ministries of India and China have held a new round of consultations in Beijing, affirming positive progress in bilateral ties after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in August.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets China's President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, August 31, 2025. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Sujit Ghosh, joint secretary of the East Asia Division of the ministry of external affairs, and Liu Jinsong, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, held consultations on Thursday, a press release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry here said.

The two sides affirmed the recent positive progress in China-India relations and expressed their commitment to fully implementing the important common understandings reached between Modi and Xi during their meeting in Tianjin in August, it said.

In a press release, the MEA described the discussions as "constructive and forward looking".

"Both sides highlighted the importance of strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, and made a positive assessment of the progress in stabilising and rebuilding bilateral ties, prioritising people-centric engagements," it said.

It said the two sides took stock of the exchanges and activities planned for the coming year.

"The Indian side emphasised the need for early resolution of outstanding issues pertaining to export control. Regional and global developments of mutual interest were also briefly touched upon," the MEA said.

Ghosh later called on Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.

During their meeting, Sun said PM Modi and President Xi had a successful meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO summit, providing guidance on elevating China-India relations to a new level.

He expressed hope that both sides will effectively deliver on the important common understandings reached between their leaders, embrace a broader vision, build mutual trust, make solid efforts, work steadily to advance cooperation, respect each other, properly manage differences, and promote the continuous development of China-India relations, the Chinese release said.

It quoted Ghosh as saying that India-China relations are very important.

India is willing to work together with China, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, to resume institutional dialogue, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and consolidate the development momentum of India-China relations, he said, the release added.

Ghosh also met with the Director General (Asian Affairs) of the Chinese ministry of commerce and discussed bilateral trade and commercial issues.
Fair trade watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI) is examining whether the country's largest airline, IndiGo, violated competition norms, a senior official said on Friday amid the carrier facing regulatory scrutiny over significant flight disruptions.

IMAGE: Stranded passengers at the Indigo check-in counter with their luggage, as IndiGo passengers continue to be affected amid flight disruptions and cancellations, at Chennai International Airport, in Chennai on Monday. Photograph: ANI Video Grab

IndiGo, which has a domestic market share of over 65 per cent, cancelled hundreds of flights starting from December 2, causing hardships to thousands of passengers, and the situation is stabilising now.

While aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the flight disruptions apart from stepping up the scrutiny of IndiGo's operations, there are concerns in certain quarters on whether the airline's dominant position could also have been a contributing factor.

The CCI is internally examining whether IndiGo violated competition norms, the senior official told PTI.

According to the official, various aspects, such as the overall dominant position, dominance in particular routes, and whether there is abuse of dominance, will be looked into.

There is no formal complaint against IndiGo so far, and the CCI is examining whether competition rules have been violated suo motu, the official added.

Section 4 of the Competition Act pertains to abuse of dominance that can be exploitative or exclusionary. Exploitative refers to acts such as excessive pricing, while denial of market access will fall under the exclusionary segment.

Under the norms, CCI first carries out a detailed examination of available information to reach a conclusion on whether there is prima facie evidence of competition norms violations.

Only when there is prima facie evidence of violations, then the regulator orders a probe into the matter.

An entity being dominant is not anti-competitive, but if there is an abuse of the dominance, then it violates competition norms.

Lack of proper planning in implementing the new set of flight duty norms from November 1 is being attributed as a key factor for the operational disruptions at IndiGo, apart from other factors.

CCI works to prevent anti-competitive practices in the marketplace as well as to promote fair business ways.

Among other powers, the regulator can penalise and issue cease-and-desist orders to clamp down on unfair business practices across sectors.
Two more persons were arrested in Arunachal Pradesh on espionage charges, the police said on Friday.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

With these arrests, a total of four people have been arrested in the state, which has a border with China, for sharing sensitive security-related information with Pakistani handlers, they said.

The latest arrests were made from Aalo in West Siang district and Miao in Changlang district, they added.

West Siang's SP Kardak Riba said his office received inputs from the Itanagar police on December 11, informing that a person linked to the ongoing espionage probe was in Aalo.

"Acting on the information, a team was immediately activated. With the assistance of local mosque leaders, the suspect was traced and apprehended," he said.

The arrested individual was identified as Hilal Ahmed (26), also a resident of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir. He was subsequently sent to Itanagar for questioning, the SP said.

Hilal was allegedly sending sensitive information to his handlers, he said.

Riba said a detailed investigation was being carried out by the Itanagar police to ascertain his exact role and linkages.

He said Hilal had arrived in Aalo from Papum Pare district on November 25 to participate in a trade fair at the Old Market, where he was selling blankets.

The West Changlang police confirmed that another person was taken into custody from Miao in connection with the case, but refused to share details.

Earlier, Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, both natives of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, were arrested from the Itanagar Capital Region.

On the basis of intelligence inputs, Nazir was arrested from a rented house in Ganga village in the Chimpu police station area on November 22. Based on information provided by him, the investigators arrested Sabir from Abotani Colony.

During interrogation, Nazir admitted to sharing deployment details of the Army and paramilitary forces and information on military installations to Pakistani handlers through Telegram, police claimed.

Sabir was working to facilitate the illegal entry of Pakistani nationals into India and act as an arms courier, they alleged.

The police said they have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Official Secrets Act.
A day after visiting a violence-hit village in Odisha's Malkangiri district, a ministerial team on Friday submitted a report on the ground situation to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

The team, comprising Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo and MSME, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik, on Thursday visited MV-26 village, where irate tribals had vandalised the houses of another community after a headless body of a 51-year-old tribal woman was found.

She was allegedly killed and her body thrown into Poteru River over a land dispute.

The ministerial team also submitted to the CM memoranda submitted by the two communities.

Violence continued on December 7 and 8, even as a large number of people from a non-tribal community fled the area.

However, the situation has been brought under control with the deployment of a large number of security forces, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division, Sangram Keshari Mohapatra said.

He visited the affected village and monitored relief and rehabilitation work.

Both Singh Deo and Mallik visited the village and spoke to the residents and assured them that the government would ensure non-escalation of violence.

"Maintaining peace is the priority of the government. We met the people of both groups and they assured us of maintaining peace," Mallik said after submitting their report to the chief minister.

The ministers had also held a high-level review meeting at the district headquarters town of Malkangiri to assess the root cause of the violence.

Meanwhile, normalcy returned to the village even as prohibitory orders remained clamped and internet services suspended for the last four days. The administration has started relief and rehabilitation work at MV-26 village after many people returned to their houses, officials said.

The administration has provided cooked and dry food to the violence-affected people whose houses have been damaged, they said.

Rehabilitation is underway in MV-26 village under the direct supervision of district Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay, they said.

The electricity department has restored power connections to the houses damaged in the violence.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur constituency has recorded one of the highest voter deletions in West Bengal, logging nearly four times more removals than Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari's Nandigram, according to constituency-wise data released by the Election Commission on Friday.

IMAGE: A Special Intensive Revision official during the house-to-house verification process to update voter list, the exercise to verify and update voter lists, in Kolkata, November 4, 2025. Photograph: / Rediff.com

The EC released the figures a day after the deadline for submitting enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision process ended, revealing significant variations across the state.

Data showed that Bhabanipur in south Kolkata, widely regarded as Banerjee's pocket borough, recorded 44,787 deletions from the 1,61,509 voters listed in January 2025, while Nandigram, the crucible of the anti-land acquisition movement that propelled the TMC to power in 2011 and stronghold of Adhikari, saw 10,599 deletions from 2,78,212 voters.

The commission has classified the deletions under standard categories such as deaths, relocation, untraceable addresses and duplicate entries.

Officials maintained the process followed uniform criteria statewide.

Despite the political attention on Bhabanipur, it was not the constituency with the highest number of deletions.

Among the state's 294 Assembly constituencies, the highest number of deletions occurred in north Kolkata's Chowringhee represented by Trinamoon Congress MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay, which saw 74,553 voters struck off the rolls. A three-time MLA, she had won the seat by a margin of more than 44,000 votes in 2021.

Kolkata Port, represented by senior minister and Mayor Firhad Hakim, logged 63,730 deletions.

Hakim, a three-time MLA, had won the seat by a margin of around 70,000 votes, a factor that cemented his grip over the constituency.

In Tollygunge, held by minister Aroop Biswas, 35,309 names were removed.

Biswas, a four-time MLA, had retained the seat in 2021 with a margin of about 50,000 votes, underscoring his organisational control over one of Kolkata's most politically crucial belts.

In constituencies held by key Bharatiya Janata Party legislators, deletion numbers were higher than Nandigram but lower than Kolkata Port.

Asansol South, represented by Agnimitra Paul, recorded 39,202 deletions.

Paul had won the seat by a slender margin of barely 4,000 votes, making it one of the BJP's closest-fought victories in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Siliguri, represented by Shankar Ghosh, reported 31,181 deletions.

Ghosh, a former Communist Party of India-Marxist leader who switched to the BJP ahead of the 2021 polls, had captured the Siliguri seat with a margin of over 35,000 votes, marking one of the BJP's most significant breakthroughs in north Bengal.

District-level data showed South 24 Parganas logged the highest volume of deletions at 8,16,047.

The district is considered a bastion of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who secured a victory margin of over 7 lakh votes from Diamond Harbour in the last Lok Sabha polls.

The lowest was in Kotulpur in Bankura, which reported 5,678 deletions.

Overall, more than 58 lakh names have been deleted in the first phase of the SIR process. The Election Commission will publish the draft electoral rolls on Tuesday.

Reacting to the figures, TMC spokesperson Krishanu Mitra said the party would scrutinise the data closely.

"If dead voters or shifted voters have been omitted, then we have no problem. But if any genuine voter is deleted, we will reply against this sinister motive democratically," he said.

Ghosh, who is BJP chief whip in West Bengal assembly said, the deletions prove why SIR was needed in West Bengal.

"This proves the amount of fake voters that has been the real strength of TMC in West Bengal," he said.

The Bhabanipur-Nandigram contrast carries added political resonance because of the bitter rivalry between Banerjee and Adhikari.

In the 2021 Assembly election, Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Nandigram by 1,956 votes, prompting her to return to the Assembly months later through a Bhabanipur bypoll, which she won by 58,832 votes.

Meanwhile, a senior official at the CEO's office had on Monday said more than 56.37 lakh voters across the state have been marked "uncollectible" during ongoing verification efforts.

These include 23.98 lakh deceased voters, 10.95 lakh untraceable voters, 19.65 lakh shifted voters, 1.32 lakh duplicate entries, and 47,832 removed under other categories. Over 7.66 crore enumeration forms have been distributed statewide.

As Bengal heads toward the 2026 Assembly polls, the emerging deletion patterns, especially in politically symbolic constituencies, are likely to fuel sharper debate between the TMC and BJP, intensifying scrutiny of the draft rolls once they are published next week.
The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation on a former Research and Analysis Wing official's plea seeking documents relied upon by the probe agency in a trial against him under the Official Secrets Act.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi issued the notice to the CBI seeking its reply on a plea by Major General V K Singh (retired).

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Singh, submitted that the high court on September 19 modified an order of the trial court and stated that the documents relied upon by the CBI in the case can only be inspected by the counsel for petitioner and not supplied to him owing to their sensitive nature.

"It is normal procedure under Section 207 of the CrPC where the accused is supplied the document relied upon by the prosecution. The magistrate allowed supply of documents but the high court modified it," Bhushan said.

Singh has served in the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and has written a book in which certain allegations of corruption in procurement of equipment were made but the CBI booked him under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), Bhushan said.

The bench said it is seeking CBI's response on the plea and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.

The CBI has registered a case against Singh on September 20, 2007, on a complaint that he allegedly revealed secret information by publication of his book titled 'India's External Intelligence, Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing'.

Search warrants were issued against Singh on September 20, 2007, and a compliance report was filed on September 24, 2007, in the court.

On April 7, 2008, the Centre authorised the filing of a complaint under Section 13(3) of the Official Secrets Act and a chargesheet was filed in the case under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Sections 409 and 120B of the IPC on April 11, 2008, with request to keep the classified documents in sealed cover.

The trial court took cognisance of the chargesheet on January 31, 2009, for the offences under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and under Sections 409, 120B of the IPC.

On December 12, 2009, the chief metropolitan magistrate allowed the application filed by the respondents under Section 207 of the CrPC and directed the CBI to supply the documents sought by Singh to them after moving an appropriate application for the desealing of the documents.

However, considering the sensitive nature of the documents, the CMM clarified that the documents supplied to the respondents would remain in the personal custody of the counsel representing Singh, who were to ensure that the documents are not circulated in any manner.

The Delhi High Court on September 19 noted that the CBI is not opposed to the inspection of the documents but in view of their sensitive nature, it sought that a hard copy of the same be not supplied to him.

It said the court deems it expedient to allow the inspection of the documents sought by Singh as opposed to the supply of the copies of the documents to the counsel representing him.

"In view of the above, the present petition is allowed to the extent that the impugned order is modified and the respondents along with their duly authorised counsel are permitted to inspect the documents lying with the trial court as and when required to enable the respondents to effectively defend themselves during the trial," it had ordered.

Aggrieved by the order, Singh approached the top court challenging the high court order.

On May 31, 2023, the high court had refused to quash a CBI case registered against Singh and said that whether the revelations in the book were likely to affect the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country was a matter of trial and what prejudices national security cannot be decided by courts.

Singh, who was a former joint secretary of India's external spy agency, earlier contended before the high court that his intention to write the book was to highlight issues of lack of accountability and corruption in R&AW and the allegation of revealing secrets harmful to the country's security and sovereignty were totally baseless and unfounded.

Singh retired from service in June 2002 and his book was published in June 2007. The FIR was registered against him in 2008.
The sentencing of Pakistan's former spy chief Faiz Hameed may just be 'the beginning', as it can herald a spate of new cases against politicians and activists for involvement in anti-army riots over two years ago, a report said.

Photograph: David Peterson/Pixabay

Pakistan's former spy chief Faiz Hameed was on Thursday sentenced to 14 years in jail by a military court, which found him guilty on multiple charges, including violating the Official Secrets Act and engaging in political activities.

A statement issued by the army on his sentencing focused on his conviction under military laws. However, it was the final paragraph that drew the most attention, according to a Dawn report.

'Involvement of the convict in fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cahoots with political elements and in certain other matters is separately being dealt with,' the statement said, offering no details.

The language implied linking Faiz Hameed and unnamed politicians to a wider effort to engineer unrest, the report said.

The reference marked the latest in a series of military statements since last year, signalling suspicion and hinting at an alleged nexus between him and political elements, opposed to the government, it added.

In a statement issued on August 15, 2024, the ISPR noted that 'further investigations of certain retired officers and their accomplices for fomenting instability at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests are continuing'.

A separate statement released at the time of Hameed's detention alleged that 'multiple instances of violation of Pakistan Army Act post retirement have also been established', though it did not elaborate.

Days later, the ISPR disclosed that Hameed was being investigated for alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023, riots, during which military buildings and monuments were vandalised.

'During the process, involvement of Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (retd) in events related to creating agitation and unrest, leading to multiple incidents, including, but not limited to May 9, 2023, for fomenting instability at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests, is also being separately investigated,' the statement had then said.

Senator Faisal Vawda hailed Thursday's decision, stating that 'it was only the beginning' as charges pertaining to May 9 riots still remained to be seen.

Speaking to Geo News, Vawda thanked the Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir for 'removing the filth' from his own institution, stressing that the move had laid down the 'foundation for self-accountability'.

This is certainly not the first time that Hameed has been accused of political manoeuvring, both pre- and post-retirement.

He came into the limelight for his role as a guarantor in the 2017 Faizabad agreement, a controversial deal between the government and TLP protesters that ended a weeks-long sit-in, the report said.

While the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in power, Hameed quickly made room for himself in the then-PM's kitchen cabinet. By some accounts, he became quite close to both Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, it added.

Then, in 2020, former PM Nawaz Sharif had publicly accused Hameed and his former boss, Gen Qamar Bajwa, of orchestrating the three-time premier's ouster.

The most direct accusation came during a rally in Gujranwala: 'Gen Faiz, this is done with your hands, and you need to answer', Nawaz had said.

Although speculation was rife about Hameed's influence on the PTI and its political machinations, there was no direct evidence to substantiate this.

Subsequently, in 2022, a viral video showed the now-retired Faiz Hameed at an event, with a PTI leader praising him and inviting him to enter politics.

The former general, however, had denied having any plans to enter politics.

"I will not join politics after the two-year bar nor afterwards," he had said on TV.

Then came the case of his brother Najaf Hameed, who was arrested on corruption and bribery charges in March 2024 after a court rejected his request for bail.

Anti-corruption officials apprehended him from the court premises in Rawalpindi and sent him to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

The case against him, registered with the Anti-Corruption Establishment in Chakwal, includes charges of bribery, misuse of authority, and causing losses to the national exchequer.

Many alleged that he had become a powerful figure in the region during his brother's tenure as the ISI chief.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking in a television interview soon after Hameed's arrest last year, said he remained 'deeply involved' in political developments after leaving service in November 2022.

About Hameed's potential involvement in the May 9 riots, Asif had then said the 'evidence and circumstances' pointed toward his participation, possibly as a 'strategic adviser'.

"He might have provided logistics and used his experience to guide actions aimed at causing greater damage," Asif said, adding, "While I can't say this with absolute certainty, the evidence and circumstances suggest his involvement."

Although the ISPR has avoided naming any political party or leader, its repeated references to actions taken 'at the behest of and in collusion with political elements' have been widely interpreted as alluding to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, the report said.

The military has not said when the separate investigations mentioned in the statement would conclude, nor whether additional charges will be brought against the former intelligence chief, the report added.
Karnataka Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain on Friday claimed that D K Shivakumar will become the chief minister after the ongoing winter session of the state legislature in Belagavi.

IMAGE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and others, poses for a picture after unveiling the world's second-largest khadi tricolour flag in front of Suvarna Soudha, in Belagavi on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo

The MLA from Ramanagara was among the ministers and legislators, who met for dinner, along with Shivakumar, late on Thursday night.

"MLAs from various constituencies have come for the session; it is a rare opportunity for all of us to meet. During the session, we meet each other. We had dinner together. What's there in that? Can having food together be called a show of strength?" Hussain told reporters in Belagavi in response to a question about the dinner meeting.

Asked whether only those close to Shivakumar were invited for the dinner, he said, all are friends and close to each other.

To a question whether Shivakumar gave any good news during the dinner, the MLA, who is considered close to the Deputy CM said, "I'm giving the good news. He will become (CM) after the session, he will become. What's wrong with it?"

He said, "....Shivakumar will get a chance, he will become the chief minister now."

Replying to a question about statements that Shivakumar will become if it is written in his fate, Hussain said, "Everything will happen if the god has written in one's fate....We are all confident that Shivakumar has a chance for his efforts, struggle, and organising the party. We have told the same to the high command, the high command will decide."

According to Hussain 50-55 Congress legislators met for dinner late on Thursday night.

Though leaders term it a casual dinner meeting, speculation is rife as it had taken place amid a power tussle in the ruling party, over the CM post.

Stating that the Congress is a disciplined party and no one is above the high command, Hussain said, the leadership will take a final decision on the CM issue.

"Numbers are not important here. We should be committed to the decision they (high command) make. They have said that everyone should abide by the party discipline and abide by their decision. This is the party culture, too. We will abide by their decision," he said.

The power tussle within the ruling party had intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.

However, both CM and Deputy CM had recently held breakfast meetings at each other's residences, on the instructions of the high command, which is seen as a move to pause the leadership tussle between the two and to signal Siddaramaiah's continuation as the CM for the time being, especially ahead of the Belagavi legislature session.

The legislature session that began on December 8, will go on till the 19th.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah on Friday said he has not been called by the Congress high command to New Delhi, over the leadership issue.

There has been speculation that Siddaramaiah and his Shivakumar will be called to the national capital, after the ongoing winter session of the state legislature, to discuss, amid the power tussle within the ruling Congress over the CM post.

"No one has called, unnecessarily you are asking. Have they (high command) told you? Then why are you unnecessarily asking whether the high command has called me on December 19?" Siddaramaiah told reporters in response to a question.
Photo: https://t.me/svyrydenkoy

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko held an online meeting with envoys of the U.S. President Jared Kushner and Stephen Witkoff, World Bank President Ajay Banga and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink on the economic track within the peace process.

"We continue to work with American partners with the involvement of the leadership of international financial institutions on the economic track as part of the process of ensuring a sustainable and just peace for Ukraine. Today we held a meeting with envoys of the U.S. President Jared Kushner and Stephen Witkoff, President of the World Bank Ajay Banga and CEO of BlackRock Larry Fink," Svyrydenko said in the Telegram channel.

According to her, a joint working group has been formed, the primary task of which is to develop an action plan as soon as possible.

"The Ukrainian team is ready to work as intensively as our American partners are ready to work. Economic plans have every chance of successful implementation if ironclad security guarantees work, as U.S. envoys stated at the meeting," the prime minister said.
IMAGE: On day two of her visit, President Murmu paid her respects to the brave women warriors of Manipur at the Nupee Lal Memorial Complex in Imphal, here and below.

The memorial stands as a tribute to the sacrifice of Manipuri women and commemorates their uprisings in which they challenged the British and feudal powers with great courage. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

IMAGE: Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

President Droupadi Murmu began her first visit to Manipur amid a complete shutdown called by seven outlawed groups in the Imphal Valley on Thursday, December 11.

Markets were closed and roads were mostly empty as the Rashtrapati arrived in Imphal, where she attended a polo exhibition and a civic reception.

Ahead of her visit, Meitei civil society groups urged her to highlight the struggles of thousands of internally displaced people who remain in relief camps despite government promises of resettlement.

Her trip comes three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to the State since the 2023 ethnic violence that left over 260 dead and displaced about 62,000 people.

IMAGE: The President speaks at the event. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

IMAGE: Women dressed in traditional attire sing during the event. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

IMAGE: Audience members at the event. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

IMAGE: President Murmu at an event in Senapati, Manipur, on day two of her visit. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

Day One

IMAGE: President Murmu welcomed by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on her arrival in Imphal on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn X/ANI Photo

IMAGE: The President was accorded a guard of honour on her arrival, here and below. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn X/ANI Photo

Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn X/ANI Photo

IMAGE: President Murmu met internally displaced students. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn X/ANI Photo

IMAGE: President Murmu interacted with internally displaced Manipuris. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn X/ANI Photo

IMAGE: President Murmu also watched a polo match at the historic Mapal Kangjeibung in Imphal. Photograph: Office of Press Secretary to the President/ANI Photo

IMAGE: The polo match in progress. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

IMAGE: President Murmu inaugurated development projects in Manipur. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

IMAGE: The Manipur government hosted a civic reception in President Murmu's honour in Imphal.

Glimpses of the cultural programmes at the civic reception, here and below. Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/X

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff and Ashish Narsale/Rediff
A court in Kochi on Friday sentenced six people convicted in the 2017 actress sexual assault to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, days after acquitting top Malayalam cinema star Dileep in the same case.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

The prosecution said this was the 'least punishment' given for the crime and that an appeal would be preferred.

Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese sentenced Sunil NS, also known as Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh VP, Salim H, and Pradeep to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for the offence of gang rape.

They were sentenced and imposed with different sums as fine under various Indian Penal Code sections, including criminal conspiracy, assault or criminal force in an attempt to wrongfully confine a person and abduction.

The first accused Suni received additional sentences of three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a fine of Rs 1 lakh under different sections of the IT Act Section, including publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material.

The second accused, Martin, was also sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed with a fine of Rs 25,000 under Section 201 of the IPC (destruction of evidence).

The court ordered that all sentences will run concurrently, and the period the accused spent in remand before securing bail will be set off against the total sentence.

The court ordered the victim be paid a compensation of Rs five lakh. The pen drive containing the sexual assault visuals should be maintained in the custody of the investigating officer.

The court, before announcing the sentence, said that it takes into account the impact the crime has had on the victim and on society.

According to the court, it also considers the history of the offence, the possibility of reforming the accused, and the objectives of punishment.

The court said that it should not be swayed by emotions or act with bias while imposing the sentence.

At the same time, it cannot ignore the fact that the acts of the accused questioned the dignity of the woman, it said.

The court noted that the victim's right to safety was violated, and she was subjected to fear, humiliation, and helplessness which caused her psychological trauma.

It should also be considered that she was attacked while on her way to a friend's house, and that the incident was unexpected, it said.

However, the court also considered the age of the accused persons, family circumstances, and the argument that, except for the A1, the others have no criminal background.

The court observed that all the accused are below 40 years of age.

The judge referred to the Supreme Court's observations in the Nirbhaya case (Mukesh v State of Delhi) and said they are relevant in this case as well.

Speaking to reporters, Special Public Prosecutor V Aja Kumar said the prosecution was not fully satisfied with the judgment.

"This is the least sentence that can be awarded under the gang rape charges. I am disappointed by the sentence," he said.

He added that an appeal will be filed before the Kerala High Court soon.

"We have not received full justice from the court. We hope to get it from the higher courts," he said.

On December 8, the court acquitted four accused, including actor Dileep.

Earlier in the day, the court heard submissions from the convicted persons, their counsel and the prosecution on the quantum of sentence.

The judge also directed lawyers and the media to refrain from criticising the judicial process in the wake of the verdict.

The convicted persons sought leniency, citing family and health conditions.

Martin and the sixth accused Pradeep broke down in court, claiming innocence and saying they were the sole breadwinners of their families.

Aja Kumar emphasised that the maximum punishment of life imprisonment for gang rape should be imposed on all the accused.

The court also asked the counsel appearing for the de facto complainant, but she was not present.

The hearing on the quantum of sentence started at 11.30 am and concluded at 12.50 pm.

Later, the court announced the sentence to the convicted person by around 4.45 pm.

The assault on the multilingual actress, after the accused allegedly forced their way into her car and held it under their control for two hours on February 17, 2017, had shocked Kerala.

Prime accused Pulsar Suni sexually assaulted the actress and video recorded the act with the help of the other convicted persons in the moving car.

Actor Dileep, who was accused of conspiring in the crime, was arrested during the investigation.

However, after a near six-year trial, the court found him not guilty.

Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev said an appeal will be filed after the judgement's details are analysed.

Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian said he would stand with the survivor.

"The sentence was not appropriate. We will study it and take the next steps," he said.

Since six persons have been convicted, it cannot be viewed as a failure of the prosecution.

"We all expected the maximum punishment, but that did not happen. So we will stand with the survivor and take steps to file an appeal," he said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday skipped the meeting of Congress LS MPs chaired by Rahul Gandhi.

IMAGE: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Photograph: @ShashiTharoor/X

According to party sources Tharoor had already informed the party about his unavailability.

Another senior Congress leader and Chandigarh MP Manish Tiwari was also absent in the meeting.

According to Shashi Tharoor's X timeline he was at an event hosted by Prabha Khaitan Foundation in Kolkata last night.

Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, chaired a meeting with Congress MPs in the Lower House and also heard the views of the party legislators besides taking their feedback.

The Leader of Opposition stated at the meeting that the government seemed "under pressure" from the opposition on both Vande Mataram and election reforms debates, party sources said.

This is the third time the Congress MP has skipped the party meeting.

Earlier, the Thiruvananthapuram MP on December 1 clarified that he did not intentionally skip the Congress strategic group meeting held a day earlier, stating that he was on a flight returning from Kerala when the meeting took place.

Responding to questions on his absence, the Lok Sabha MP said, "I did not skip it; I was on a plane, coming from Kerala."

Tharoor's absence from the meeting, chaired by Sonia Gandhi to discuss the party's strategy for the winter session of Parliament had drawn attention within political circles, especially given that he had also missed the Congress meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue earlier, citing ill health.

According to Tharoor's office, the MP was travelling with his 90-year-old mother on a later flight from Kerala, making it impossible for him to reach Delhi in time. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal was also unable to attend due to his engagements in local body election campaigning in Kerala.

Tharoor's repeated absence from key party deliberations has become a point of discussion within the Congress.
'Age is not an issue if you are chasing your dream. If you have support from your family, you can achieve anything.'

IMAGE: 'While standing in the queue among children, some of them asked me, 'Are you a teacher?'

'I chuckled and said, "No, I am also like you, here to write the exam!"'

'They were surprised to see someone old enough to be their mother standing in the same queue.' All photographs: Kind courtesy Juwana P

Here is a 47 year old who cracked NEET at her first attempt when many young people half her age write the examination several times to be successful.

Meet Juwana P from Kanjangadu in Kerala.

She is indeed an inspiration to all those who think they are too old to chase their dreams.

"I only want to have Dr before my name, and it is for my father! I want to be a doctor only to fulfil my late father's dream," Juwana tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff

A father's dream

My father Abdul Razak's dream was to see us, his two daughters, as doctors though he was a banker.

The truth is, becoming a doctor was not my dream at all. When I was a schoolgirl, I wanted to be a teacher, and I used to study my lessons as if I was a teacher with a stick in my hand!

Maybe because I had a comfortable life, there was nothing I really desired to do. I lead a happy life as a schoolgirl and a college girl.

I did not take writing the medical entrance exam seriously. Naturally, I did not secure admission in any medical college, perhaps shattering my father's dream.

After graduating in zoology, I got admission for a mster's in medical pharmacology at KMC, Mangalore, on merit. That was the closest I reached realising my father's dream.

While I was in my third semester, my father died all of a sudden. I was so close to my father that I felt my life itself collapsed after his death.

I did not write the exam that year. Rather, I could not.

His passing away affected me so badly that I slipped into depression unable to accept the reality.

IMAGE: Juwana with her husband.

Discontinuing studies and getting married to a doctor

In October 2000, the same year my father passed away, I married Dr Abdullah.

Before our marriage, I asked him whether he would mind if I discontinued my studies. He was okay with whatever I wanted to do.

It was my father who used to take me to KMC, and I just couldn't go there without him. I couldn't bring myself to continue my studies as it reminded me of my father.

After my marriage, I adjusted to domesticity, giving birth to four children, two girls and two boys.

My life centred around my children, taking them to school, taking care of their studies and other needs.

Once they grew up, and were able to take care of themselves, I felt I didn't have anything to do.

That was how I started travelling and I did travel a lot.

Husband motivates her to study further

That was when my husband asked me whether I wanted to continue my studies. He knew about my father's dream to see me as a doctor.

I must say my husband was the motivating factor behind me taking an interest in studying. He encouraged me constantly saying, you can study and realise your father's dream.

I felt so proud when my daughter Mariam joined the Trivandrum Medical College. Now, she is doing her house surgery there. She is married to a doctor (Dr Habeeb Rahman).

Both the boys (Salih Abdurrazak and Salman Abdul Qadir) also got admission to study medicine. The fourth one is still in school.

Only when my children started their medical studies did I really understand what my father would have felt if I had become a doctor.

When he was alive and when I was young, I didn't fully understand the feeling of a parent.

My father never forced us to do anything, but he really wanted to see us sisters as doctors. It was his dream.

He even took me to Trivandrum to write the All India Medical Entrance Exam but I did not clear the exam. I was not motivated enough or serious enough then.

Now that he was gone, I felt I should fulfil his dream, though late.

That was also a huge motivating factor. Though my father was not there amongst us, I felt if I became a doctor, my father would be happy and proud.

IMAGE: Juwana with her family.

In fact, when my children were preparing for the entrance exam, I wondered quite a few times about giving it a try. In 2020, the government had removed the age bar for NEET.

Though I was eligible to write the exam, and my husband and children encouraged to try, I decided not to disturb their preparations.

There was a lot of study material at home.

Finally, ready to write NEET

Once my third son, Salman, joined medical college, I thought the time had come for me to try.

I must thank my husband for setting up a table and chair for me. He kept all the study materials on the table. He made sure that I had to only do one thing: Study.

If not for his unwavering support, I would not have prepared or written the exam.

He deserved all the applause for me clearing NEET AT my first attempt!

It was he who filled in the application form. As he did that, he had told me, 'It is your application, and I am doing everything. Now, you better pass the exam!'

I fulfilled my duty by studying.

Two days before the exam, I watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to write NEET and what to expect.

A 47 year old among students to write NEET

By nature, I am not a tense or a nervous person, I am generally quite relaxed. In fact, writing the exam excited me.

While standing in the queue among children, some of them asked me, 'Are you a teacher?'

I chuckled and said, 'No, I am also like you, here to write the exam!'

They were surprised to see someone old enough to be their mother standing in the same queue.

Some of Salman's friends also were there to write the exam. They were happy and amused to see their friend's mum standing along with them.

Then, there was my nephew also to write the exam!

From the watchman to the examiners, all of them checked my exam admit card several times. A lot of cheating takes place these days with adults writing the exam in place of children.

On top of that, I wear a burqa too!

Altogether it was amusing to see the confused and surprised reactions of everyone.

A point to remember while writing NEET

My husband specifically told me not to answer any question which I was not sure about as there was negative mark for wrong answers. I had this habit of answering as many questions as I could, some even guess work.

But when I went to write NEET, he reminded me again and again that I should attempt only the questions I was hundred percent sure about. And it really helped me clear the exam with a decent rank at my very first attempt.

Checking the NEET result online

Finally, the day NEET results were to be announced came. But I was not tense at all.

It was my husband who checked the results online, and he told me, I cleared it!

I was happy I could clear NEET in my first attempt at 47!

But I have no plan to go far away to study. I want to join the nearest medical college and study BDS there. Joining the college is getting delayed as the college is awaiting the approval letter.

Now, my husband says I should prepare for NEET properly, join the MBBS course and specialise in gynaecology. I am not sure about it as by the time I finish MBBS, I will be in my mid-fifties!

I only want to have Dr before my name, and it is for my father! I want to be a doctor only to fulfil my late father's dream.

'Recently a mother and daughter came to talk to me with a huge smile on their face saying, I was an inspiration to the girl.'

Becoming a hero at 47!

Initially I found the idea of talking to newspapers unsettling. I didn't think what I did was anything spectacular.

But then, they said what I achieved was very motivational and inspirational.

That is when I thought if my story could inspire women to chase their dreams at any point in their lives, it would be great.

The very fact that I was a Muslim woman in a burqa made my story all the more interesting to many people.

But my children are more excited about the newspapers writing about me! My daughter said, her professors appreciated what her mother has achieved!

Recently while on a drive, we stopped on the highway to have a cup of tea. A mother and daughter came to talk to me with a huge smile on their face saying, I was an inspiration to the girl. They even wanted a selfie with me!

While visiting a relative, so many people came to shake my hands and take pictures with me.

I admit, these incidents are exciting and fun.

Of course, I am happy to be an inspiration to many women.

My message is, age is not an issue if you are chasing your dream. If you have support from your family, you can achieve anything.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
'We've always followed the rules. But when the rules change overnight, where does that leave us?'

Outside US consulates in India, a growing number of Indian H-1B workers can now be seen waiting with folders of documents, travel bags, and phones open on their visa portals.

Kindly note that this image has been posted only for representational purposes.

What began as a steady trickle of disrupted appointments in early December has turned into a widespread wave of cancellations that has caught many professionals by surprise.

The H-1B visa allows American companies to hire foreign professionals for specialty jobs that require specific skills and is awarded to holders of bachelor's degree or higher.

It is one of the most commonly used visas in the technology, engineering, science, research and healthcare sectors.

Most of these Indian applicants had planned their trips months in advance, coordinating family visits, work leave, and international flights around tightly scheduled visa interviews for renewal.

Instead, many find themselves stranded in India, unable to return to their jobs in the United States because their appointments were abruptly cancelled by the US consulates or pushed far into the future.

For the affected workers, the problem isn't simply of delay. It is the suddenness, the lack of notice, and the uncertainty of when they will be able to resume their lives in the US.

The disruptions began almost immediately after the US state department introduced a new requirement for consular officers to review applicants' social media and online presence as part of the security vetting process.

American consulates across India appear to be adjusting at different speeds, resulting in inconsistent rescheduling decisions -- some pushing interviews by weeks, others by more than four months.

Raghav Subramani, a software engineer from San Diego, arrived in Chennai expecting a straightforward renewal. "I flew almost 20 hours to get here," Subramani tells Rediff. "At the airport, I saw an e-mail saying my appointment was cancelled."

"Now I have been given a new date which is in March. No explanation, nothing. It feels like my life has been paused without my consent," Subramani adds.

Outside the US consulate in Hyderabad, the atmosphere is no different.

Long lines form at dawn, even though many people do not know whether their appointments will still exist by the time they reach the entrance.

Ishani Krishnamurthy, a data analyst from Austin, says her interview has been pushed to 2026. "I planned this trip down to the hour," she says. "Now they want me to wait for four months. My job, my apartment, everything I've built in the US is at risk."

The worse is the case of H-4 dependents visa holders.

Among them is Deepa Venkatesan, who travelled with her two children for their visa renewals.

Her husband remains in the United States.

"We came for a simple stamping," Deepa says. "Now I'm stranded with the kids. Their school starts next month back in California. I don't know how to explain this to them."

Many applicants describe a growing sense of helplessness, made worse by the lack of clear communication.

The US embassy in India issued a stern notice instructing applicants not to come on their original appointment dates and warning that they would be denied entry if they did.

For applicants already in India with expiring visas, the announcement offered little reassurance.

The cancellations have also created a financial strain.

Round-trip tickets to India, especially during the peak holiday season, often cost thousands of dollars. For many, those tickets cannot be rescheduled without penalties.

Vikram Ramaswamy, a cloud infrastructure lead from Denver, says he has been living out of a hotel for the last three days.

"I thought this would be a three-day trip," he says. "Now I'm paying rent in the US, hotel fees in India, and I have no idea when I'll get to fly back."

Some applicants appealed to airlines for compassion.

In one publicly shared message to Lufthansa on X, a professional explained that their company advised them not to return to the US due to the uncertainty.

The airline responded that customers must call their service centre for assistance, leaving many unsure whether they will receive any relief.

The delay in appointments from US consulates in India has led to inconsistency adding to the sense of confusion.

Harish Mahalingam, a systems architect from New York, showed his consulate account screen with disbelief. "My appointment from January got moved to April 2026," he says. "This is not a delay. This is a breakdown."

The sense of frustration has sometimes turned to anger. One applicant, speaking quietly but firmly, said he felt dehumanised by the process.

"It's like we don't exist," says S Gopinath, an engineer. "No one explains anything. You wake up, check your account, and your whole life plan is gone."

Some applicants worry about losing their jobs despite following every requirement.

Under H-1B rules, many cannot work remotely from outside the United States.

Employers may hold positions temporarily, but extended absences complicate payroll, compliance, and project timelines.

Sanjana Venugopal, a product designer stuck in Chennai, says her employer is trying to accommodate her situation but cannot wait indefinitely. "My manager is supportive, but the company has deadlines," she says. "I don't want to be the reason my team falls behind."

Parents face even greater pressure. School sessions in the United States resume in January for many districts.

Families who travelled for short trips now risk missing months of classes.

"We can't keep our children in limbo," says Narayana Sharmila, an H-4 parent waiting in Hyderabad. "They ask when we are going home. I don't know what to tell them."

As frustration mounts, some applicants question the timing of the new rules. They ask why the rollout happened during the peak travel season when so many Indian H-1B workers return home.

Others express concern that the system no longer feels predictable.

"We've always followed the rules. But when the rules change overnight, where does that leave us?" asks R Manivannan, a software engineer from Atlanta.

In online forums and community groups, applicants share coping strategies: Refresh the consulate portal every hour, monitor for early slots, keep social media profiles accurate and accessible, and contact attorneys immediately after cancellations.

But these strategies offer little relief for those already stuck.

As the days drag on, uncertainty is the toughest part.

Many H-1B workers say they can endure long waits if necessary but want transparency and notice.

"We are not asking for special treatment," says Vijay Kumaraswamy, a cloud security analyst stuck in Chennai.

"We are just asking for fairness and clarity. We make plans. We have families. We deserve to know what's going on."

For now, many remain stranded, caught between two countries -- unable to return to their lives in the United States, yet unable to move forward in India.

Without clear timelines or guidance, their futures remain suspended in a bureaucratic spiral that shows no signs of resolving soon.

Names and locations of interviewees have been changed to protect their identity.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
A seven-year-old boy was successfully returned from the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region to the territory controlled by Ukraine, Head of the regional military administration Oleksandr Prokudin said.

"A seven-year-old boy from the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region was returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine. On the eve of the full-scale war, his mother went on business to Kyiv, and on February 24, their village was already under occupation. The child remained with his grandmother. When the boy turned seven and it was time to go to school, the Russian occupation authorities demanded that he obtain a Russian birth certificate. It was impossible to do this without his parents, as well as to obtain custody. The occupation services began to threaten to take the child away from his grandmother and send him to a boarding school," he said in Telegram channel on Friday.

According to him, the boy's rescue was possible thanks to the assistance of the Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights and within the framework of the initiative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy "Bring Kids Back UA" on the eve of the holidays, after almost four years of separation, the boy hugged his mother again. "Now they are together on free Ukrainian soil, receiving all the necessary support and making up for lost time," Prokudin said.

He thanked everyone involved for saving the child.
Robert Beck of Peterborough, N.H. is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. After serving for 30 years in U.S embassies in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, he now teaches foreign policy classes at lifelong learning programs at both Keene State College and Rivier University. The opinions expressed by columnists and op-ed writers do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Kian Sharifi. In this edition, I'm looking at a mysterious recruitment flyer that appeared near Russia's embassy in Tehran, offering Iranians cash to fight in Ukraine. Is it real, a scam, or something else entirely?

What You Need To Know

 A Shadow Job Ad: A strange recruitment flyer appeared near the Russian Embassy in central Tehran this week, promising Iranians tens of thousands of dollars to join Moscow's war in Ukraine. The offer sits in a gray zone between plausible and absurd, and that ambiguity is why's it worth watching.

 Lawyer Death Triggers Calls For UN Investigation: The December 5 death of Khosrow Alikordi, an attorney known for representing political prisoners, has prompted Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh to call for a UN fact-finding committee to investigate the case. She told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that "there are ample ground to doubt" the coroner's report, which listed his cause of death as a heart attack.

 US Seizes Iran-Linked Tanker Off Venezuela: The United States this week seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela that had been under Treasury Department sanctions since 2022 for allegedly helping smuggle Iranian oil as part of a network led by Ukrainian national Viktor Artemov. Analyst Dalga Khatinoglu said the seizure undermines Iran's "shadow fleet" and deals a financial blow to the IRGC, which exports about a third of Iran's oil.

The Big Issue

$20,000 And A Contract

The ad bears a blackandwhite Russian coat of arms and claims to represent Russia's Defense Ministry. It targets Iranian men aged 1845, and women only if they have medical training. The flyer promises a $20,000 signing bonus and around $2,000 in monthly pay, plus housing and language classes, while noting an unspecified commission will be deducted from the first salary.

The contact details are anything but official: a WhatsApp number registered in Armenia, a Gmail address, and a Telegram channel. The positions listed range from assault troops and drone operators to drivers and support roles.

On December 9, the Russian Embassy in Tehran publicly disowned the flyer, calling it the work of "opportunistic individuals" and stressing that no Russian state body is involved. The embassy went further, branding the document -- and any similar letters -- as fake and "criminal" in nature.

But that doesn't quite settle it. Russia has repeatedly relied on deniable, semiofficial, and outright clandestine channels to recruit fighters abroad, and the structure of the offer in Tehran broadly mirrors those seen elsewhere: quick cash, foreign adventure, and a vague promise of status and residency.

RFE/RL's Radio Farda contacted the person behind the Armenian WhatsApp number. They insisted the ad was "official" and claimed it had been coordinated with Iranian authorities, but offered no evidence. Tehran, for its part, has kept quiet; Iranian officials have yet to comment publicly.

Why It Matters: Whatever the status of the Tehran ad, it surfaces against the backdrop of an aggressive Russian push to bring in foreign fighters. Ukrainian officials say Moscow has recruited at least 18,000 foreign nationals from 128 countries, while more than 11,000 North Koreans are reportedly serving in Ukraine under a military cooperation agreement with Pyongyang.

Russia's shopping list for manpower now spans Cuba, Syria, Central Asia, Nepal, India, Kenya, Jordan, and beyond. The methods range from promises of fast money and passports to thinly veiled coercion, including pressure on migrant workers inside Russia who face the loss of residency or citizenship if they refuse to sign up.

This foreign recruitment drive allows the Kremlin to delay or dilute another mobilization at home. The September 2022 draft triggered a rush for the borders and deepened public unease. Since then, Moscow has clearly preferred checkbook incentives and expendable foreign labor over politically risky domestic conscription.

Western intelligence estimates suggest Russia has suffered more than 1 million casualties, including about 250,000 killed, since the fullscale invasion began in February 2022.

What's Being Said: John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, told Radio Farda he cannot verify whether the Tehran flyer is genuine, but it fits within a broader pattern. Russia, he noted, has built up a track record of recruiting foreign nationals from poorer countries to fight in Ukraine, often targeting men with limited economic prospects.

At the same time, Hardie pointed out that the design and wording of the Tehran brochure do not fully match Russia's usual recruitment materials. That inconsistency is one reason some analysts suspect either a sloppy local operation, a scam piggybacking on Russia's war, or some form of lowcost intelligence fishing.

Nicole Grajewski of the Washington, D.C.-based Carnegie Endowment voiced similar doubts, arguing that if Moscow truly wanted to tap Iran as a manpower pool, a more likely pathway would be coordination with the Iranian state.

If the advertisement is authentic, however, it would be the first known attempt to openly recruit Iranian citizens into the Russian military, following earlier efforts in Central Asian states and Cuba.

That's all from me for now.

Until next time,

Kian Sharifi
Iran's 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been arrested, along with several other human rights activists, during a memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

According to the Narges Mohammadi Foundation, the arrest took place on December 11, during an event marking the seventh day after the death of Khosrow Alikordi, a prominent lawyer and human rights advocate.

A large crowd attended the ceremony, which drew numerous well-known activists, former political prisoners, and families seeking justice for victims of state violence.

A post on Mohammadi's account on X stated that she was "violently arrested by security and law enforcement agents." Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in France, confirmed that "Narges Mohammadi, Sepideh Gholian, and several others" were detained at the gathering.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it condemned the "brutal arrest" of Mohammadi and the other activists.

In a statement, the committee said it "calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately clarify Mohammadis whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions."

Clashes With Security Forces

Videos circulated on social media show a large turnout, with participants chanting slogans critical of the Islamic republic. In one widely shared clip, Mohammadi and fellow activist Gholian stand atop a vehicle, leading the crowd in chants such as "Long live Iran!"

Other footage shows security forces clashing with attendees, with officers attacking participants as protesters chant slogans against the authorities.

Mashhad officials later confirmed that several civil activists had been arrested. According to Hasan Hosseini, the city governor of Mashhad, the activists' detention was temporary and ordered by the prosecutor's office due to what he described as "norm-breaking slogans." He claimed those detained were placed "under protection" and that the arrests were carried out "for their own safety."

Earlier reports indicated that several other prominent figures including Nasrin Sotoudeh, Aliyeh Motallebzadeh, and Hasti Amiri were also present at the memorial.

Mohammadi, 53, has spent much of the past decade behind bars. She was serving a combined sentence of 13 years and nine months before being released on medical grounds in early December 2024. At the time of her new arrest, she was reportedly undergoing treatment.

Since her release, Mohammadi had resumed her human rights work, meeting with civil activists across Iran and taking part in international discussions, including virtual conferences with foreign audiences.
The Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl says it has joined forces with several smaller Baluch paramilitary groups to form a new coalition targeting Irans clerical establishment.

In a video statement released on social media platforms, an unidentified spokesman said the new group would be called the Popular Resistance Front and framed its creation as an effort to strengthen the effectiveness of the struggle against the tyranny of the Islamic republic.

Notably, there was no explicit mention of Baluch independence, with the spokesman instead appealing to broader Iranian unity against the establishment.

Jaish al-Adl appears to have shifted from its original separatist agenda to presenting itself as part of a wider Iranian opposition movement, marking a significant evolution in its stated objectives.

Abdul-Sattar Doshouki, director of the London-based Center for Balochistan Studies, made a similar observation, telling RFE/RLs Radio Farda that the new groups flag bears no symbol associated with Baluch separatist movements.

This may suggest that Jaish al-Adl has slightly moved away from its traditional stance, he said.

Doshouki noted that since the Islamic Republic came to power in 1979, Baluch militant groups have been driven by religious or ethnic grievances against Irans Shiite rulers, adding that only time will tell whether this apparent shift is genuine.

He added that Jaish al-Adl remains the coalitions largest and most prominent member, while its other partners have been largely dormant in recent years.

There has been no official reaction from Tehran to the new coalitions formation so far.

Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has downplayed the announcement, claiming that Jaish al-Adl is merely shedding its skin to attract potential financial backers.

Iran has long accused the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia of arming Jaish al-Adl but has not publicly provided evidence.

Analysts told RFE/RL last year that the groups main funding comes from wealthy Baluchis based in Persian Gulf states and from drug smuggling, rather than foreign governments, while weapons from post-2021 Afghanistan and black market purchases also help supply the group.

Observers have also noted that Jaish al-Adl has begun raising funds through cryptocurrency donations.

Jaish al-Adl, meaning Army of Justice in Arabic, emerged in 2012 as the successor to Jundullah, a Baluch militant organization.

Jundullah, which took shape around 2003, staged sporadic bombings and armed assaults against Iranian security forces before being largely dismantled in a fierce government crackdown that culminated in the capture and execution of its leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, in 2010.

Tehran accuses Jaish al-Adl of operating from Pakistan and has repeatedly criticized Islamabad for failing to take action against the group -- an allegation Pakistan denies, saying the organization has no structured presence on its soil.

Jaish al-Adl is designated as a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States. A US State Department spokesperson told RFE/RL that Jaish al-Adl "under any name remains designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist."

RFE/RL has contacted the US State Department to clarify whether that designation extends to the newly formed Popular Resistance Front.

On the same day it announced its formation, the group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on an IRGC border patrol in Irans southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, killing three members of the IRGC Ground Forces.

Nasrin Afshar of RFE/RLs Radio Farda contributed to this report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a little-publicized decree last month that requires many foreign men seeking permanent residency or citizenship to sign a contract with the military in the midst of Moscow's war against Ukraine, an RFE/RL investigation has found.

State-run and privately owned Russian media outlets have made almost no mention of the requirement, which is highly unusual in international practice, since Putin signed Decree No. 821 on November 5.

But the new measure is already pushing migrants who have built their lives in Russia to choose between conscription and leaving the country, Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit, and Azattyq Asia, its Russian-language unit covering Central Asia, have discovered.

Akif, a 48-year-old who came to Russia from Azerbaijan four years ago, learned of the requirement when he visited a Federal Migration Service office recently to ask what documents he needed for permanent residency, his wife, Maria, told RFE/RL. She spoke on condition that their last names be withheld.

'Pawns In The Meat Grinder'

Akif and Maria, a Russian citizen, were married three years ago and have built a homestead in the Nizhny Novgorod region where they keep sheep, goats, and rabbits. Akif had met other requirements, passing a Russian-language test and receiving temporary residency.

But the couple has decided to leave the country, abandoning Akif's plan to seek permanent residency. "We don't know what to do. We are pawns in the meat grinder," Maria said.

Permanent residency gives migrants legal stability: They can leave and reenter Russia without additional visas and work without a separate work permit. For many migrants from other former Soviet republics, it is the only path toward citizenship.

Under Putin's decree, however, in order to apply for permanent residency, certain men must present a military contract for at least one year of service, a contract for service in the Emergency Situations Ministry, or a certificate from an enlistment office stating they are unfit for military service.

Similar rules apply to men seeking Russian citizenship: They must present a certificate stating they are unfit or prove they have served in the military or Emergency Situations Ministry and were discharged before February 24, 2022, the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

These requirements apply to men seeking permanent residency or citizenship based on long-term residency or family circumstances. Applicants in other categories, such as highly qualified specialists and those seeking residency based on studies in Russia, are exempt.

The decree does not apply to men from Belarus, Russia's military ally. And for citizens of Kazakhstan and Moldova, the requirement is in place only for applications for citizenship, not permanent residency. Separate rules exist for citizens of Ukraine. The decree says the measures are temporary but gives no timeframe.

'I Forbade Him To Sign'

Another migrant who learned of the requirement unexpectedly is Burxon, 24, who came from Tajikistan about a year ago and works in the oil-producing Khanty-Mansiisk region. He was told at a government office that to apply for permanent residency he would have to sign a military contract, according to his father.

"He listens to me. And I forbade him to sign the contract," Burxon's father told Azattyq Asia in Tajikistan.

Other than a repeat of the unpopular September 2022 mobilization drive that prompted many to flee the country, the Russian military has left few paths untrodden in its effort to maintain manpower in the war, in which Western intelligence agencies and others say more than 1 million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.

Russia has recruited men from around the world and sought to draft male migrants since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Some foreigners have signed contracts voluntarily in exchange for payment or simplified citizenship procedures. Moscow has steadily expanded such incentives as the war has dragged on.

Foreign soldiers fighting in Ukraine do not have to pass the Russian-language exam for citizenship, for example. And Russian lawmakers have recently considered a draft law clarifying that foreigners who fought on Russia's side would not be extradited to other countries that seek them for criminal prosecution or enforcement of a sentence.

In May, Russian Investigative Committee chief Aleksandr Bastrykin said at least 20,000 naturalized men from Central Asia were fighting at the front while another 10,000 had been sent "to dig trenches."

Not The Norm

Newly naturalized citizens have been summoned to migration offices and threatened with revoked status if they refuse to fight. Recently, naturalized migrants have also been detained in large-scale raids and pressured to sign military contracts.

Officially, the decree marks the first time the pressure is reaching those who aren't Russian citizens. It marks a departure from widespread practice globally: In most countries with mandatory military service, it applies to citizens and, less often, to permanent residents.

The news coverage, or lack thereof, is also unusual. Russian outlets routinely publish or describe Putin's decrees, but in this case reports on the decree in major print and electronic media did not mention the requirement directly, saying a simplified procedure to receive residency or citizenship was in place for foreigners who join the military.

Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, said there appeared to be two motives behind the decree.

"With these rules, the Russian government solves two problems," Umarov told Systema. "It increases mobilization at the expense of people who have limited ability to defend their rights, and it makes long-term migration to Russia less attractive."

"Migrants in the future will have to come to Russia exclusively as a labor resource and work force," he said.

Adapted from the original Russian by Ulviyya Asadzade and Steve Gutterman
Ukrainian troops in Kupyansk, in the eastern Kharkiv region, found themselves thanked in person on December 12 by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also taunted the Kremlin in a social media post following Russian claims that the city is under their control. "The reality speaks for itself," Zelenskyy announced on his Telegram channel before meeting with soldiers and honoring them with medals.
A government working group from the economic bloc, coordinated by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, has left for the United States for talks on recovery, development and investment as part of work on a peace plan, Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine and Head of the negotiating team Rustem Umerov said.

"Meetings on this issue are planned in New York in the near future. This is an important component of forming the long-term stability of the state," he said on Telegram on Friday.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, the Ukrainian delegation includes Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Oleksiy Soboliev, while the Prime Minister is currently in Ukraine.

As reported, as part of the work on the peace plan, a working group headed by the Prime Minister of Ukraine was created to prepare a component of the peace plan  the economic recovery of Ukraine.

"Subject consultations will be held in the coming days... The economic recovery of Ukraine is one of the key blocks of the framework for ending the war," a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team and advisor to the head of the President's Office of Ukraine Oleksandr Bevz said on Facebook, following the results of consultations held on December 11 by the Ukrainian team headed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the U.S. envoys: the son-in-law of the U.S. President Jared Kushner, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and CEO of the BlackRock investment company Larry Fink.
Russia has rejected a proposal to hold a referendum to let Ukrainians decide on giving up territory in the eastern Donbas region, highlighting a key sticking point as negotiators head to Berlin for high-stakes talks on ending Russia's war on Ukraine.

"This area is Russian territory," Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on December 12.

Ushakov, who was referring to Russia's 2022 illegal annexation of the Ukrainian region after it had launched its full-scale invasion earlier that year, made the comments a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a vote be held in Ukraine to decide the issue.

After the United States proposed a 28-point peace plan that critics say heavily favors Russia, Ukraine and European nations have been seeking changes that would make the deal less lopsided and, crucially, ensure Ukrainian security against any future Russian attack. Kyiv submitted a 20-point plan earlier this week.

Ukrainian and European officials are expected to further refine their stance at meetings this weekend in Berlin, with US President Donald Trump saying he would send a representative "if we think there's a good chance. And we don't want to waste a lot of time if we think it's negative."

A German government spokesperson said in a statement that Zelesnkyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will then hold talks on December 15 with other European and NATO leaders joining them afterward.

The status of Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is another divisive issue, Zelenskyy said.

While Russia has given few signs it is ready to back away from longstanding demands, US and Ukrainian officials have been wrangling over the details.

Zelenskyy said on December 11 he had an "in-depth" discussion with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, defense chief Pete Hegseth, and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The United States is proposing Ukrainian troops withdraw from the well-fortified portion of the Donetsk region that they still control, Zelenskyy said, and "the compromise is supposedly that Russian troops will not enter" this area, where Washington calls for establishing a "free economic zone."

"They do not know who will govern this territory," Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia refers to it as a "demilitarized zone." He also said Ukrainians should have a say on any proposed territorial concessions, "whether through elections or a referendum."

Following reports that Trump had set a December 25 deadline for Ukraine to accept the peace proposal, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had not been given a firm deadline but that "I think they really wanted, or perhaps still want, to have a complete understanding of where we stand with this agreement by Christmas."

Trump has been seeking to broker an end to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine since he took office in January of this year but has encountered significant hurdles including Putin's rejection of calls for a cease-fire.

Regarding elections -- which the United States has been pressing Ukraine to hold despite the fact they are forbidden under martial law -- Zelenskyy said on December 11 that a cease-fire would have to be in place.

Trump told Politico in an interview published on December 9 that "it's time" to hold elections, and Zelenskyy said later that day that he would push parliament to draft legislation allowing for elections during martial law. He said a vote could follow in 60 to 90 days provided that security guarantees in place to make sure voting would be safe for Ukrainians.

Speaking to Current Time, Maryna Stavniychuk, a Ukrainian legal expert and former member of the Venice Commission, said that "specific issues as wartime and postwar elections are not regulated in any way by the electoral code of Ukraine. Therefore, a special set of legislative norms is needed, and this takes time."

Kyiv must "look for options that, without violating the constitution or further undermining the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, would allow elections to be held," she added.

Kyiv residents hold a variety of opinions about holding elections in a country at war.

One resident told Current Time that elections should take place so that Ukrainians "can prove whether they trust Zelenskyy."

Another resident said elections shouldn't be held during wartime due to security concerns. "If there is a massive attack on election day, how will people vote?" she asked.

"This would be very dangerous in terms of civilian casualties, and it would not fully reflect the will of the people," she added.

A third speaker said holding elections now "would be a misuse of funds." "We need to support the armed forces that are protecting our country, not spend money on PR," he told Current Time, adding Ukraine "needs something that unites us, not something that divides us."

In saying a cease-fire would be required, Zelenskyy may have been seeking to calling Russia's bluff -- Putin has baselessly charged that Zelenskyy is illegitimate because election were not held on schedule in 2024 -- but also left any plan to hold elections vulnerable to rejection by Moscow unless a peace agreement is in place before voting is held.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and Axios
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has removed Secretary of Army Daniel Driscoll from peace talks to end the war in Ukraine after he "exceeded his authority," the British newspaper The Telegraph said, citing informed sources.

"Dan Driscoll, seen as the rising star of the Pentagon, was 'reeled in' by the increasingly paranoid defense secretary. Mr. Driscoll, a former soldier, was cut out of negotiations by Mr Hegseth after he was seen to overstep his brief, it is understood," the newspaper said.

On Thursday, diplomatic sources believed the defense secretary would take Driscoll's place in the negotiations, but that is no longer the case.

"He was seen to be exerting himself a bit too much, and he had his hand slapped," a person close to the fallout said.

In November, Driscoll was tasked with presenting Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a 28-point plan that Donald Trump hopes will lead to peace between Russia and Ukraine. The move made him the most senior member of the Trump administration to visit Ukraine, a sign of his growing status.
Arunachal Pradesh Accident: labourers from Assam feared dead; CM Sarma calls the incident unfortunate (Representative Image)

DDMO further stated that one person has survived, and according to that person, the vehicle had 22 laborers.

Several labourers from Assam are feared dead in the accident wherein a truck reportedly carrying 22 laborers fell into a gorge near the India-China border in Arunachal Pradeshs Anjaw district.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday called the incident "very unfortunate" and stated that Assam Minister Bimal Bora is at the spot.

Advertisement

Nang Chingni Choupoo, DDMO (in charge) for Anjaw district, told ANI yesterday that the incident took place on the night of 8th December. However, the authorities, DDMO said, received the report on the night of 10th December.

Even the locals were not aware that an incident had occurred there. It is steep and narrow there, the DDMO added.

DDMO further stated that one person has survived, and according to that person, the vehicle had 22 laborers.

Advertisement

(For more news apart from Arunachal Pradesh Accident: labourers from Assam feared dead; CM Sarma calls the incident unfortunate," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.
IndiGo crisis: DGCA suspends 4 Flight Operations Inspectors

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was seen leaving from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after a meeting.

IndiGo crisis: Amid the ongoing Indigo crisis, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors, who were responsible for overseeing airline safety and operational compliance, news agency PTI reported on Friday, citing sources.

Yesterday, in a separate development, Indigo Airlines, acknowledging the inconvenience faced by passengers, announced that it will offer travel vouchers worth rupees 10,000 to affected passengers who remained stranded for hours at various airports across the country on December 3, 4, and 5 due to severe congestion and operational disruption. The travel vouchers, it said, can be used for any future Indigo flight for the next 12 months.

Advertisement

On the same day, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was seen leaving from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after a meeting.

(For more news apart from IndiGo crisis: DGCA suspends 4 Flight Operations Inspectors," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Despite repeated representations, including to the Principal Commissioner, no reassessment orders have been passed so far. File Photo.

The next hearing is expected again on December 19.

Judge Withdraws from IndiGos INR 900 Crore Customs Duty Case in Delhi HC



Indias largest airline, Indigo, has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking the refund of more than INR 900 crore in customs duty that it paid on aircraft engines and parts re-imported into India after undergoing repairs abroad.

Advertisement

On Friday, the case was listed before a Division Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Shail Jain. However, Justice Jain recused herself from hearing the matter, stating a potential conflict of interest since her son is employed as a pilot with IndiGo. The court subsequently ordered that the matter be relisted before a bench of which Justice Jain is not a member, subject to directions from the Chief Justice. The next hearing is expected again on December 19.

In court, IndiGos counsel V. Lakshmikumaran argued that the airline had duly paid basic customs duty when engines and parts were re-imported after repair, and had also discharged GST under the reverse charge mechanism because the repair activity qualified as a service. However, he said customs authorities treated the re-imports as fresh imports of goods and demanded additional duty, leading to the disputed levy of more than INR 900 crore.

The lawyer told the court that a customs tribunal had previously held that imposing customs duty again on such re-imports was unconstitutional, but customs officials nonetheless compelled IndiGo to pay the duty to secure clearance of critical aircraft components, the report mentioned.

Advertisement

When IndiGo later sought refunds, the customs authorities rejected the claims and stated that the airline should first seek reassessment of each of the more than 4,000 bills of entry. Despite repeated representations, including to the Principal Commissioner, no reassessment orders have been passed so far.

The petition comes amid a period of operational stress for IndiGo, which has faced widespread cancellations and management challenges, though the refund case itself focuses strictly on tax and customs law.

Source: Hindustan Times
PM Narendra Modi also expressed grief at Patil's passing and acknowledged his years of service as an MLA, MP, Union Minister and Speaker of both the Maharashtra Assembly and the Lok Sabha. File Photo.

President Droupadi Murmu was among the first to pay tribute.

Nation Mourns: Senior Congress Leader Shivraj Patil Passes Away at 90

Shivraj Patil, senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister, passed away at the age of 90. It prompted condolences from politicians across party lines and all major political formations in India. He took his last breath at his residence in Latur, Maharashtra, after being unwell in recent days. His death drew an outpouring of grief reflecting his long career and stature as a statesman.

Advertisement

President Droupadi Murmu was among the first to pay tribute. She described Patil as a prominent public figure whose extensive public life encompassed roles such as Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Minister, Governor and multiple terms as Member of Parliament. In her, she extended sympathies to his family, admirers, and supporters while noting the void his passing created.

PM Narendra Modi also expressed grief at Patils passing and acknowledged his years of service as an MLA, MP, Union Minister and Speaker of both the Maharashtra Assembly and the Lok Sabha. Modi noted that he was passionate about contributing to the welfare of society and recalled having met him just months ago, offering his prayers for the bereaved family.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi called his passing extremely heartbreaking, describing Patils death as an irreparable loss for the Congress party. He highlighted his lifelong commitment to public service. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remembered him as a statesman of great dignity who upheld Indias democratic institutions with integrity and composure over decades of public life.

Advertisement

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad described Patil as a close family friend and colleague. He emphasised his honesty, soft-spoken nature and dignified conduct. Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy also expressed deep sorrow and recalled Patils devotion to serving people through various constitutional roles.

The tributes underscored Patils broad respect across the political spectrum, marking the end of an era for one of Indias longest-serving parliamentarians and public servants.

Source: Hindustan Times

Advertisement




The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) "does not confirm or deny rumors about any meetings" of NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov regarding negotiations with the U.S. side.

The NSDC press service told Interfax-Ukraine, commenting on information from The Washington Post that Umerov met with the FBI leadership in a closed format.

"All meetings take place in accordance with the tasks set by the state leadership. There are tasks that are carried out officially, but not publicly. Based on this, we do not confirm or deny rumors about any meetings," the NSDC press service told Interfax-Ukraine.

According to the Washington Post, Umerov has recently flown to Miami at least three times for talks with envoys of Donald Trump's team, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

The newspaper's sources claim that during his stay in the United States, Umerov also held closed meetings with FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino, and they say that "these meetings have caused concern among Western officials, who are still not aware of their intentions and goals."
Rahul Gandhi Chairs Review Meeting with Congress Leaders on Raising Public Issues in Parliament

The winter session of the parliament is currently underway and is scheduled to conclude on the 19th of December.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today chaired a review meeting, on the party's performance during the parliamentary winter session so far, of the Congress Lok Sabha MPs at the Parliament House Annexe Extension Building.

Congress has 99 MPs in the lower house of the parliament.

Advertisement

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi speaking to PTI said, In todays party meeting, we reviewed how effectively we raised peoples issues inside and outside Parliament - from labour code concerns to air pollution and the IndiGo matter.

We also discussed how Kharge ji in the Rajya Sabha and Priyanka ji in the Lok Sabha gave the full truth on Vande Mataram, defeating the BJPs intentions. Everyone saw Rahul Gandhi challenge the Home Minister in the House to debate the evidence he presented over 'vote theft', which left him unsettled and led to some hurried, unparliamentary remarks. These points were discussed in detail today.

During the meeting, MPs passed a condolence motion honouring Late Congress leader Shivraj Patel, who passed away on Friday, after a brief illness in his hometown, Latur in Maharashtra.

Advertisement

The Shivraj Patel served as Home Minister, Speaker, and Governor.

Meanwhile, the winter session of the parliament is currently underway and is scheduled to conclude on the 19th of December.

(For more news apart from Rahul Gandhi Chairs Review Meeting with Congress Leaders on Raising Public Issues in Parliament," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Rs 50 Lakh Scam Exposed in Kharar Municipal Council | Contractor Flees After Taking Road Funds

\'In BJP, Dalits and backward classes got the most ministries\' - MP Satnam Sandhu

23 Jan 2026 6:34 PM
He invited representatives of the UK business community to the upcoming Progressive Punjab Investors' Summit in Mohali in March and urged delegates to explore opportunities across agro-machinery, food processing, IT and other major sectors. File Photo.

He highlighted Mohali's strengths and described it as one of the best-organised cities in the world with an international airport.



Punjab CM Seeks UK Partnership to Boost Investment, Manufacturing and Skilled Workforce

Advertisement



On Friday, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann emphasised the importance of forging a strategic partnership between the Government of Punjab and the United Kingdom to accelerate investment, manufacturing growth and skilled workforce between the two regions during a high-level meeting with the UK Deputy High Commissioner, Alba Smeriglio, and her delegation in Chandigarh, an official statement said.

According to the statement, Mann highlighted that Punjab has the potential to emerge as a global manufacturing hub. He invited the UK to partner in realising this vision. He highlighted Mohalis strengths and described it as one of the best-organised cities in the world with an international airport and a large skilled talent pool within a 100-kilometre radius, making it an ideal destination for investors.

The Chief Minister outlined the states robust investment ecosystem, noting competitive power tariffs, land availability and a transparent single-window system that places Punjab at the top in ease-of-doing-business rankings. He invited representatives of the UK business community to the upcoming Progressive Punjab Investors Summit in Mohali in March and urged delegates to explore opportunities across agro-machinery, food processing, IT and other major sectors.

Advertisement

Mann highlighted the importance of legal cooperation on transnational issues such as organised crime. He acknowledged that such challenges extend beyond national borders, the statement added. He assured full support from the state government in facilitating legal and administrative cooperation where required.

On educational and human capital ties, Mann spoke about the strong aspirations of Punjabi students seeking opportunities in the UK through legal and safe channels, reinforcing the need for structured cooperation on student mobility and skills development.

According to the statement, the UK Deputy High Commissioner acknowledged the significant potential of the Punjabi diaspora. He noted the substantial funds and interest available for investment in their home state, and both sides expressed a shared commitment to deepen economic, educational and people-to-people ties.

Advertisement

Source: Hindustan Times




The government added that irrigation allocations, domestic water requirements, and other important issues are discussed in monthly meetings of the Technical Committee. File Photo.

The ministry noted that it includes chief engineers of the partner states, representatives from the Central Water Commission.

Punjab Faces Major BBMB Staff Shortage: Centre Reveals 64% of Posts Vacant in Parliament



The Centre informed Parliament that over 64 per cent of Punjabs sanctioned posts in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) remain vacant. According to the government, out of the 4,918 posts sanctioned for Punjab in the BBMB, only 1,756 were filled as of July 2025, leaving a significant majority of positions unoccupied, the Ministry of Jal Shakti stated in its written reply to Parliament.

Advertisement

The issue was raised by AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who sought information on Punjabs representation in the BBMB. The Ministry of Jal Shakti explained that BBMB decisions, including those related to water distribution and operational matters, are made unanimously to protect the interests of all participating states, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh.

The government added that irrigation allocations, domestic water requirements, and other important issues are discussed in monthly meetings of the Technical Committee. The ministry noted that it includes chief engineers of the partner states, representatives from the Central Water Commission, the Indian Meteorological Department, and senior BBMB officials.

On addressing the high vacancy rate, the Ministry stated that the Punjab government recently took administrative steps to strengthen its BBMB presence. Official sources said that in November 2025, the Punjab Cabinet approved the creation of a dedicated cadre of 2,458 employees for deployment within the BBMB. This move is expected to reduce dependency on staff deputed from the states Water Resources Department and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, who are sometimes withdrawn, leaving posts vacant.

Advertisement

The ministry added that while the Centres reply did not comment on state concerns regarding proposed amendments under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, it emphasised that BBMBs operations continue under established mechanisms and conventions, ensuring consensus-based decision-making among all member states.

Source: Times of India
Sandhu described the contamination as a public health emergency. File Photo.

The MP also highlighted the presence of other harmful pollutants in the state's groundwater.



Punjab Groundwater Crisis Deepens as Uranium Levels Spike to 62.5% in New Report

Advertisement

Punjab is facing a severe groundwater contamination crisis. The uranium levels exceed the safe limit in 62.5% of tested samples, which makes it the worst-affected state in India, Member of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu told the Rajya Sabha. Sandhu cited the Central Ground Water Boards Annual Ground Water Report 2025 to highlight the crisis.

As per the latest CGWB data, uranium concentrations above the permissible limit of 30 parts per billion (ppb) were found in 53.04% of samples before the monsoon and climbed to 62.5% after the monsoon. It is a dramatic jump from 32.6% in 2024, a rise of 91.7% year-on-year.

Sandhu described the contamination as a public health emergency. He highlighted that long-term exposure to uranium in drinking water can cause kidney disorders, cancer and other chronic health problems, particularly among future generations.

Advertisement

The MP also highlighted the presence of other harmful pollutants in the states groundwater. According to his statement, 14.6% of samples showed excessive nitrate, which can lead to conditions like Blue Baby Syndrome, and 11% had elevated fluoride levels, which are known to cause bone and dental diseases.

Beyond human health, Sandhu cautioned about major threats to agriculture and soil health. Residual sodium carbonate and increased salinity were detected in 25% of samples, which contribute to land degradation and soil fertility loss.

Sandhu urged the central government to launch a Special Groundwater Mitigation Mission, including installing community-level reverse osmosis (RO) water systems in affected villages and conducting deep aquifer mapping to locate safer water sources.

Advertisement

According to the report, 16 of Punjabs 23 districts are contaminated zones, including Tarn Taran, Patiala, Sangrur, Moga, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Fatehgarh Sahib, and others. In Sangrur and Bathinda, uranium concentrations exceeded 200 ppb.

Sandhu emphasised that water is a national asset and called for immediate, comprehensive and collective action to protect public health and agricultural productivity in Punjab.

Source: The Tribune

Advertisement




Schools in Amritsar Receive Fake Bomb Threats; Investigation Underway

He also referred to a similar incident in the past when several schools had received bomb threats, which were later traced back to students

Amritsar Schools Bomb Threats: Several schools in Amritsar received fake bomb threats on Friday, prompting authorities to evacuate the premises immediately, a police official confirmed.

Anti-Sabotage teams of the Amritsar Police, along with gazetted officers, are personally visiting the affected schools, Alam Vijay Singh, DCP Law and Order, Amritsar, said in a video message.

Advertisement

The police officer urged school authorities, parents, and teachers not to panic, adding that the Cyber Crime Wing is currently tracking down the email IDs used to send the threats.

He also referred to a similar incident in the past when several schools had received bomb threats, which were later traced back to students of those very schools.

Meanwhile, the administration, considering the safety of children, has ordered a holiday for all schools today.

Advertisement

Whether the schools will remain closed tomorrow will be decided after a meeting, according to sources.

Also Read: Punjab: 3,000 Security Personnel Deployed for Upcoming Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti Elections

Suhail Qasim Mir, Amritsar Rural SSP later in the day told News agency, ANI, "...A threat message was sent from an anonymous email address...When we learned that one of the schools was in the Amritsar rural area, we immediately sent the teams...The bomb disposal squad conducted a thorough inspection. They checked everything and found nothing objectionable or suspicious..."

Advertisement

The officer has confirmed that an FIR is being registered and that technical teams and the cyber team are simultaneously tracing the email IDs.

(For more news apart from Schools in Amritsar Receive Fake Bomb Threats; Investigation Underway," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
December 12, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of local and world news

December 12, 2025 UPDATE

Newsroom, 12.12.2025, 20:00

Judiciary

Romanias Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, on Friday said that both recent polls and public reactions show a pronounced negative perception of how state institutions function. The head of Government announced the creation of a government task force, which will analyze legislation and propose reforms.

The Prime Ministers reaction came following a journalistic investigation by Recorder, focusing on corruption in the judiciary. In the Recorder investigation, several prosecutors and judges, some with protected identities, reveal how the leadership of the Bucharest Court of Appeal allegedly changed panels of judges to obtain favorable decisions for people charged with corruption.

We recall that the Section for Judges of the Superior Council of Magistracy decided to notify the Judicial Inspection to conduct verifications regarding the investigation by Recorder journalists. In this context, Justice Minister Radu Marinescu stated that the Judicial Inspections investigations must be conducted without delay, objectively, impartially, correctly and fully to clarify the accusations in the documentary.

ECOFIN

Romanian Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare on Friday supported in Brussels, at the meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), the modernization of European customs systems, acceleration of capital market integration, strengthening of financial oversight and a more balanced assessment of the impact of EU legislation on national economies.

We need clear, efficient and easy-to-apply rules that support the development of capital markets. The objective must be to stimulate investments, so that in the near future, we create the conditions for developing new unicorns, including from the Eastern Europe and Romania area, Minister Nazare said.

Also on the ECOFIN agenda were the economic and financial impact of Russias aggression against Ukraine and the annual document of the European Court of Auditors that evaluates how European funds have been used, identifies any irregularities and formulates recommendations for improving budget management.

War in Ukraine

Romania can become a regional hub for the reconstruction of Ukraine. This is the conclusion of talks during the international conference held Thursday and Friday in Bucharest on this topic. Politicians, experts, and business representatives debated on Friday several aspects related to Ukraines reconstruction. Topics included the strategic role of the Danube, the energy dimension of cooperation in the Black Sea region, as well as the social reintegration of refugees and veterans after the conflict in Ukraine ends.

In difficult situations, Romania urgently provided energy to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, Liberal deputy and former Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said. According to him, Romania has invested heavily in energy production, including obtaining grants from the European Union, and thus will have secured energy independence.

Before long, Romania will become completely energy independent and, I recall, with regard to gas, that we are the leading gas producer in the EU. And now, with Neptun Deep in the Black Sea, in 2027, we will double our gas production and will be able to export natural gas to Moldova, to Ukraine and to other countries in Europe, Sebastian Burduja said.

Leprosy

Romanian health authorities on Friday confirmed the second case of leprosy in Cluj-Napoca (northwest). These involve two women originally from Asia, employed as masseuses at a salon whose activity has been suspended until the completion of the health inquiry. Two other young women are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. These are the first cases of leprosy in Romania in the last 44 years.

Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete says the risk to the population remains low and that the situation is being managed with maximum responsibility.

Leprosy is a disease with slow progression and low contagiousness, which can only be transmitted through prolonged exposure, the Health Ministry notes.
Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Strategic Results of the Year'

On Monday, December 15, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Strategic results of the year."

Participants include political expert Kostiantyn Matvienko; Director of the Ukrainian Barometer sociological service Viktor Nebozhenko; political scientist, co-founder of the National Platform for Resilience and Cohesion Oleh Saakian (8/5a Reitarska Street).

The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTuble channel.

Admission requires registration the spot with press ID cards.
Divergences in the Romanian judicial system

Protests against irregularities in the justice system have resumed in Romania.

Foto: pixabay.com

Bogdan Matei, 12.12.2025, 14:00

Less than a decade ago, hundreds of thousands of Romanians were in the streets, to protest against the attempt of the strongman of the Bucharest political scene at the time, the social-democratic leader Liviu Dragnea, to subordinate the judiciary and thwart the fight against corruption at the top of the state, through several emergency orders drafted by the government he controlled. Later, precisely for acts of corruption, Dragnea was sent, for a short time, behind bars, his own party disowned him, and today he is a completely marginal character, who only appears on television on gastronomic shows, where he tells what he used to cook in the prison kitchen. The claimed independence of the judiciary seems to have turned, according to the media, into a kind of dictatorship of magistrates, whose sentences, from the omnipotent Constitutional Court to the last provincial court, have eroded public trust in the system.

Romanians are now taking to the streets again, this time not to defend the robe wearers, but to fine their arrogance, self-sufficiency and cynicism. Those calling for protests say that a media investigation has revealed how corruption has taken hold of the system, with the tacit support of the politicians who voted for the justice laws. It is time to let them know them that the situation has become intolerable and that the time has come for the politicians who say they want a state of law, but also for the honest people in the Justice system, to fix things. What happens in the Justice system impacts us all. Just as corruption impacts our lives every day, the demonstrators say. They demand the dismissal of judge Lia Savonea from the leadership of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the dismissal of the passive leadership of the National Anticorruption Directorate, the dismissal of the former Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu, today Minister of the Interior, during whose mandate the facts denounced by the investigation journalists took place, the revision of the powers of the Superior Council of Magistracy, the legislative elimination of the so-called loopholes, that allow the postponement of criminal trials until the statute of limitations expires.

That the system still has antibodies, is proven by the fact that almost 200 prosecutors and judges, from most of the important courts, signed a letter of support of the magistrates who spoke about the anomalies in the system, showing that these are not isolated cases, but systemic problems. Truth and integrity should not be sanctioned, but protected, the magistrates said in an open letter. In response, the Judges Section of the Supreme Court of Romania (CSM) says the press investigation is part of a well-planned strategy, aimed at destabilizing the judiciary by undermining public confidence in the justice system and its leaders. In turn, the leadership of the Bucharest Court of Appeal says this is a smear campaign, a denigration through manipulation. (Elena Enache)
Harbour Energy Plc (HBR.L) Friday said that it has signed an agreement to acquire all the subsidiaries of Waldorf Energy Partners Ltd and Waldorf Production Ltd for a sum of $170 million.

The British oil and gas company added that the funding for the acquisition of the subsidiaries, which are at present in administration, will be funded through existing liquidity.

According to Harbour Energy, the acquisition will add 20 kboepd of oil-weighted production and 35 mmboe of 2P reserves and also increase its operated interest in the Catcher field to 90 percent from the earlier 50 percent.

Additionally, the company said that it will gain a 29.5 percent non-operated stake in the Kraken oil field, thus providing a new production base in the Northern North Sea.

The company said that operational synergies are expected from including Waldorf's non-operated portfolio into Harbour's UK organisation. Financial synergies include the release of an estimated $350 million in cash currently securing Waldorf's decommissioning liabilities, as well as the benefits from Waldorf's UK ring-fence tax losses, Harbour Energy said in an official statement.

The company said that the acquisition is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals and the full and final settlement of all creditor claims against the subsidiaries.

On the LSE, HBR.L is up 0.70 percent on Friday's trading at 200.48 pence.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Oil prices traded higher on Friday after the U.S. reportedly seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela and issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela.

However, the commodity headed for a weekly loss amid anxiety surrounding a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal.

Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 0.7 percent to $61.73 a barrel while WTI crude futures were up 0.8 percent at $58.05.

Supply concerns intensified after the United States seized a tanker some 360 nautical miles to the northwest, near the coast of Venezuela.

Media reports suggest the U.S. is preparing to seize additional tankers carrying Venezuelan crude, marking a dramatic escalation in U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign to pressure strongman Nicolas Maduro by cutting off access to oil revenues.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury imposed new sanctions Thursday against three of Maduro's relatives as well as six companies shipping the South American country's oil.

"Nicolas Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with drugs that are poisoning the American people," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

The release of Baker Hughes weekly U.S. oil and gas rig count later in the day may provide additional insight into the supply trends.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
New analysis from the World Health Organization's global expert committee on vaccine safety has found that, based on available evidence, there is no link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders, or ASD. The conclusion reaffirms WHO's position that childhood vaccines do not cause autism.

The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, established in 1999, brings together international experts to provide independent and authoritative scientific advice to WHO on global vaccine safety related priorities.

The latest analysis focused first on the relationship between thiomersal-containing vaccines and ASD, and the association between vaccines in general and ASD. Evidence based on 31 primary research studies, published between January 2010 and August 2025, including data from multiple countries, strongly supports the positive safety profile of vaccines used during childhood and pregnancy, and confirms the absence of a causal link with ASD.

The experts' panel also assessed the review of potential risks associated with vaccines with aluminum adjuvants. GACVS reaffirmed its previous conclusions from 2002, 2004 and 2012: vaccines, including those with thiomersal and/or aluminum, do not cause autism.

WHO advised all national authorities to rely on the latest science and ensure vaccine policies are grounded in the strongest available evidence.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Sobi (SOBI.ST) announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending the marketing authorisation of Aspaveli or pegcetacoplan for the treatment of adult and adolescent patients with C3 glomerulopathy or primary immune-complex membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. The CHMP recommendation is based on positive results from the Phase 3 VALIANT study.

The company said the approval decision by European Commission is expected in the first quarter of 2026. Sobi and its partner Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have global co-development rights for systemic pegcetacoplan.

For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BCRX) announced that the FDA has approved Orladeyo oral pellets for prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema or HAE in pediatric patients aged 2 to under 12 years.

HAE is a rare genetic disorder that often presents in childhood, with about 40% of patients experiencing their first attack by age 5. The disease is unpredictable, debilitating, and potentially life-threatening, significantly impacting daily life for children and their families.

Orladeyo or berotralstat is a once-daily oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor designed to prevent HAE attacks. The new pellet formulation provides a child-friendly administration option.

FDA's approval for New Drug Application was supported by interim data from the APeX-P clinical trial, the largest study to date evaluating long-term prophylactic therapy for pediatric HAE.

The company said Orladeyo was well tolerated, demonstrated a consistent safety profile, and produced early and sustained reductions in monthly attack rates. The most common treatment-emergent adverse event was nasopharyngitis.

This pediatric approval builds on Orladeyo's earlier FDA clearance in December 2020 for patients aged 12 and older, a therapy now available in more than 45 countries worldwide.

Regulatory filings for the oral pellet formulation have also been submitted to the European Medicines Agency and Japan's PMDA, with additional filings planned in Canada and other territories.

Orladeyo generated $159.1 million in net revenue in the third quarter of 2025, an increase of 37% year-over-year.

In the first week of November, BioCryst had raised its full-year 2025 revenue guidance for Orladeyo to between $590 million and $600 million.U.S. sales contributed about 89% of global revenue in the quarter.

BCRX has traded between $6.00 and $11.31 over the past year. The stock closed yesterday's trading at $7.58, down 1.04%.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
By Akbar Novruz

The EU calls its new 64-page agenda with Armenia a strategic partnership. In practice, it reads like a political time capsule, one that drags the region back into the pre-2020 mindset and recycles narratives already settled on the ground. After the Washington D.C. Summit and the initialing of the AzerbaijanArmenia peace agreement, Brussels had an opportunity to solidify progress. Instead, the EU chose to anchor Armenias political comfort zone while sidelining the core realities that define todays South Caucasus.

The Strategic Agenda for EUArmenia Partnership, unveiled after the 6th EUArmenia Council meeting on December 2, 2025, is extensive and ambitious. The document outlines Yerevans vision of political reforms, economic development, institutional capacity-building, and other priorities it seeks to advance with EU support over the next seven years.

Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry sharply reacted to the newly signed EUArmenia Strategic Agenda, stating that several provisions distort the realities of the post-conflict period and run counter to the overall peace agenda. This official assessment sets the tone for a wider concern: the document not only misrepresents the dynamics after 2020 but also embeds political narratives that undermine the fragile progress reached since the Washington D.C. summit.

Yet the agenda is notable not only for what it contains, but also for what it omits.

Despite its length, the paper includes no reference to CEPA+, the anticipated upgraded trade agreement, nor any discussion of Armenias potential accession to the European Union. Instead, it functions more as an exhaustive catalogue of initiatives the EU and Armenia would like to explore, forming a broad geopolitical umbrella rather than a targeted strategic roadmap.

Azerbaijan appears five times in the document. Two entries, in the introduction and conclusion, explicitly frame the issue of Garabagh Armenians displaced after Azerbaijans military operations as a central agenda item.

Introduction (p. 4): The EU pledges special attention to displaced persons and/or refugees of Armenia.

Conclusion (p. 64): The EU again highlights the socio-economic integration of Garabagh Armenians displaced after the military operations of Azerbaijan.

This framing is problematic on multiple levels.

First, it is a political judgment, not a factual assessment. The document does not acknowledge that the relocation of Armenians from Garabagh in 2023 was coordinated by Armenian officials who administered those territories illegally for decades and were funded directly from Yerevans state budget.

Second, the agenda ignores the hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia in the 1990san omission that undermines any claim of balanced humanitarian engagement.

Third, the language creates a false equivalence, implying that all cases constitute forced displacement, without distinguishing voluntary migration from legally established security operations conducted against illegal armed formations.

The EU has still not clarified what it calls the Armenian population who left Garabagh, displaced persons, refugees, or some hybrid category. This ambiguity is not accidental; it allows political interpretation rather than legal accuracy.

Yet the document does not explain the actual causes of Azerbaijans September 2023 anti-terror measures.

Brussels is fully aware that the operation targeted the remnants of illegal Armenian armed forces, whose continued presence violated international law and all prior agreements. But the agenda refrains from even mentioning this context. Instead, it casually locks together military operations and displacement as cause and effect, placing the responsibility solely on Azerbaijan while ignoring Armenias decades-long policies that shaped the situation.

The agendas section on normalization in the region pledges support for the full, immediate, and effective implementation of all relevant ICJ decisions.

But the document does not specify which ICJ decisions it refers to, an omission that is unlikely to be accidental.

If the reference is to the provisional measures relating to Armenians from Garabagh, then it is unclear why Armenias own ICJ-related obligations toward Azerbaijan, including cultural heritage protection and non-discrimination, are left out.

Even more striking is the agendas call for the release of Armenian prisoners. The individuals in question were convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, not for lawful combat. Calling them prisoners of war is both legally inaccurate and politically irresponsible.

Another major concern arises from the EUs insistence on maintaining and expanding the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA).

Article 7 of the initialed draft peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia explicitly prohibits the deployment of any third-party forces along the border.

Despite this, the EU-Armenia agenda prioritizes the continuation and full operationalization of EUMA, a mission that has frequently been used to promote political narratives rather than contribute to regional stability.

The document also strongly endorses Armenias unilateral Crossroads of Peace concept, an initiative that lacks regional consensus.

Yet it completely ignores the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which is a multilaterally agreed arrangement and a central component of the August 8 Washington D.C. Summit.

This omission raises a critical question:

Is Armenia genuinely committed to implementing what it signed in Washington, or is it using the EU agenda to dilute those commitments?

The EUArmenia strategic agenda should have reinforced the momentum achieved since August 8. Instead, it resurrects sensitive issues, embeds political narratives, and questions the sincerity of Armenias policy direction.

These provisions not only contradict the principles of the initialed peace agreement but also cast doubt on Armenia's and the EUs declared support for normalization.

Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has rightly noted that Baku will monitor the situation closely and draw the necessary conclusions. If the EU and Armenia remain committed to regional peace, then revising or removing these harmful elements must be their next step, not just a diplomatic gesture, but a practical obligation to the future of the region.
A renovated shelter with an area of 258 sqare meters was officially opened in the main (red) building of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The overhaul was fully financed by the Solidarity charity fund.

The total project budget amounted to UAH 3.9 million. About UAH 3 million has already been used for repair work - dismantling and installation of structures, decoration of premises (waterproofing, tiling and painting), electrical installation work, as well as plumbing work, including the installation of heating radiators, replacement of the sewer riser and installation of plumbing products.

The renovation of the security space allowed to increase the capacity of the shelter by 150 places. In total, there are three shelters and a corridor on the ground floor, where up to 1,000 people can be at the same time during an alarm.

University rector Volodymyr Buhrov emphasized that this is critically important for the Institute of Law, which is based in the Red Building. Due to the large number of students (400500 people in each course), training is currently conducted in shifts - courses alternate every three weeks.

"Today we face a challenge: in order to study in classrooms, we need a sufficient number of rooms for protection, in which you can stay during an air raid, which are safe, have ventilation and fire alarms, an appropriate supply of water and everything else. As a result, after the great work that has been done, we can take 150 more people to classes or work," Buhrov said.

Head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Timur Tkachenko said that the city is interested in maintaining the best conditions for students, because they are the future of the state.

"For me, as a graduate of Kyiv National University, it is a joy that my alma mater now has more spaces for safe learning. This is very important, because protection is the top priority today. The comfortable conditions created here significantly improve the quality of student life in our difficult times. I thank the Solidarity Foundation for its strong support. All partnership and charitable funds, donor projects are a significant and powerful help for Kyiv today," he said.

A representative of the French Embassy in Ukraine recalled that several buildings of the university have already suffered from enemy attacks, so strengthening security is a necessary step.

"It is especially pleasant to come to the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, in particular to this historical building, because it is here that ancient and modern knowledge is transmitted, it is here that the Ukraine of tomorrow is created. And it is especially impressive that despite the war, Russian missile strikes, studies continue. It is unusual to build bomb shelters for students, but this is absolutely necessary," representative of the French Embassy in Ukraine, Counselor-Envoy, Deputy Head of Mission, Sebastian Suren said.

The head of the Solidarity Foundation, Mathieu-Marie Arden, explained the organizations motivation:

"The mission of the Foundation is to be useful in the field in which we understand construction. Being useful also means guaranteeing or at least helping to arrange peoples safety. After all, sheltering at the university guarantees a certain form of security. This allows young people to return to their studies. So we fully meet our mission."

The Foundations cooperation with the university does not end there. During the meeting, the leadership of the university and the Solidarity Foundation signed a new agreement. It provides for the renovation of three dormitories that were damaged by Russian shelling.

In addition, work will soon begin on the creation of the Mental Health Center, a joint long-term project of the Foundation and the university. Despite the fact that the project is designed for a long term, work will start in December.
North China rural road leads to new Grand Canal vitality

Xinhua) 08:54, December 12, 2025

This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows the scenery of the Grand Canal and an embankment road in Yunhe District of Cangzhou, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- With the sun shining above the rippling Grand Canal, 33-year-old Zhang Yang and his friends cycled along a tree-lined road next to this famed watercourse in the city of Cangzhou in north China's Hebei Province.

"The road is smooth and has been developed well," Zhang said. "It's amazing to take a ride and enjoy the scenic view of this ancient canal."

An ideal route for cyclists like Zhang, this road is known as Diding, which means top of embankment in Chinese. It has gained nationwide recognition and was named one of the top 10 most beautiful rural roads in China for 2024.

Winding along the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal, the 308-km road connects more than 300 villages across eight county-level regions. Since opening in 2021, it has helped showcase the country's endeavors to breathe new life into the world's longest artificial waterway.

With a history of over 2,500 years, the Grand Canal, connecting Beijing and Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province, served as a significant transportation artery in ancient China. However, due to historical evolution, human activity and climate change, some sections of the canal gradually dried up in the 20th century.

In recent years, Cangzhou has stepped up efforts to refill the canal through water projects and improve its overall environment, transforming its banks into ecological corridors.

Zhang Lichun, 63, has witnessed remarkable changes in his home village. "The canal-side space used to be covered with waste and weeds, but now there's a clean and pretty road for us to unwind," he said.

"The Diding Road links a lot of green parks and has brought people of all ages closer to natural beauty," noted Liu Tao, an official with the cultural and tourism department in Cangzhou.

Besides, the road strings numerous historical sites along the canal together, making it easier for visitors to explore its cultural richness.

In 2014, the Grand Canal was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Xiejiaba, a centuries-old hydraulic facility in Lianzhen Town, included as one of its component parts.

Using glutinous rice paste as an important building material, the 200-plus-meter-long levee once played an important role in preventing floods and contributed Chinese wisdom to the development of global hydraulic engineering, said Yu Cheng, deputy head of Lianzhen Town.

Today, Diding Road is leading more visitors directly to this ancient structure and an adjacent exhibition hall that details its history. "We've installed more street lamps, temporary restrooms and other facilities on the nearby road to optimize the travel experience," said Yu.

Beyond Lianzhen, the road has brought wider public attention to more regions, where local people are seizing development opportunities to improve their lives.

One of the shining examples is Simazhuang Village. Leveraging its strengths in vegetable production, the village has branded itself as a destination for vegetable agritourism.

"We grow nearly 100 types of vegetables and fruits in our cultivation bases," said Liu Jicheng, former Party secretary of the village. "Tourists can pick the harvests by themselves and enjoy our signature vegetable feasts."

The small village saw nearly 50,000 visits during this year's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in early October, according to Liu.

Statistics show that the road as a whole has delivered entrepreneurial and employment opportunities to more than 100,000 residents, driving average annual income growth of over 10 percent for villages along the route.

"This is a road toward prosperity," Liu added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
U.S. intends to keep oil from seized tanker, eying more vessels off Venezuela

Xinhua) 09:03, December 12, 2025

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attends a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Dec. 11, 2025. (Photo by Li Yuanqing/Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the United States intends to keep the oil from the tanker the U.S. military seized Wednesday near the coast of oil-rich Venezuela.

The Trump administration may take more similar actions targeting sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela in the coming weeks, multiple media outlets reported Thursday, citing White House officials. Leavitt refused to answer questions about the White House's future actions.

The seized tanker will sail to a U.S. port and is currently undergoing a forfeiture process, Leavitt said at a White House press briefing.

"The United States does intend to seize the oil. However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil and that legal process will be followed," she said.

"It's a sanctioned shadow vessel known for carrying black market sanctioned oil to the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), which, you know, is a sanctioned entity," Leavitt said of the seized tanker.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been concerned about the escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela, said his deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq. "We are calling on all actors to refrain from actions that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilize Venezuela and the region," Haq said at a daily briefing.

For almost four months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The new observations with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope suggest that TOI-561b is surrounded by a thick blanket of gases above a global magma ocean.

TOI-561 is a bright star located 280.5 light-years away in the constellation of Sextans.

The star is approximately 10 billion years old, and has a mass and size about 80% that of the Sun.

Otherwise known as TYC 243-1528-1, it belongs to a rare population of stars called the Galactic thick disk stars.

TOI-561 hosts at least three exoplanets  TOI-561b, c, and d  and is one of the oldest, most metal-poor planetary systems discovered yet in the Milky Way.

The inner planet, TOI-561b, is a so-called super-Earth with an orbital period of only 0.44 days.

It has a mass and a radius of 3.2 and 1.45 times that of the Earth, and a density of 5.5 g/cm3, consistent with a rocky composition.

What really sets this planet apart is its anomalously low density, said Dr. Johanna Teske, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science.

Its not a super-puff, but it is less dense than you would expect if it had an Earth-like composition.

One explanation the astronomers considered for the planets low density was that it could have a relatively small iron core and a mantle made of rock that is not as dense as rock within Earth.

TOI-561b is distinct among ultra-short period planets in that it orbits a very old (twice as old as the Sun), iron-poor star in a region of the Milky Way known as the thick disk, Dr. Teske said.

It must have formed in a very different chemical environment from the planets in our own Solar System.

The researchers also suspected that TOI-561b might be surrounded by a thick atmosphere that makes it look larger than it actually is.

Although small planets that have spent billions of years baking in blazing stellar radiation are not expected to have atmospheres, some show signs that they are not just bare rock or lava.

To test the hypothesis that TOI-561b has an atmosphere, they used Webbs NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument to measure the planets dayside temperature based on its near-infrared brightness.

The technique, which involves measuring the decrease in brightness of the star-planet system as the planet moves behind the star, is similar to that used to search for atmospheres in the TRAPPIST-1 system and on other rocky worlds.

If TOI-561b is a bare rock with no atmosphere to carry heat around to the nightside, its dayside temperature should be approaching 2,700 degrees Celsius (4,900 degrees Fahrenheit).

But the NIRSpec observations show that the planets dayside appears to be closer to 1,800 degrees Celsius (3,200 degrees Fahrenheit)  still extremely hot, but far cooler than expected.

To explain the results, the authors considered a few different scenarios.

The magma ocean could circulate some heat, but without an atmosphere, the nightside would probably be solid, limiting flow away from the dayside.

A thin layer of rock vapor on the surface of the magma ocean is also possible, but on its own would likely have a much smaller cooling effect than observed.

We really need a thick volatile-rich atmosphere to explain all the observations, said Dr. Anjali Piette, an astronomer at the University of Birmingham.

Strong winds would cool the dayside by transporting heat over to the nightside.

Gases like water vapor would absorb some wavelengths of near-infrared light emitted by the surface before they make it all the way up through the atmosphere.

Its also possible that there are bright silicate clouds that cool the atmosphere by reflecting starlight.

While the Webb observations provide compelling evidence for such an atmosphere, the question remains: How can a small planet exposed to such intense radiation can hold on to any atmosphere at all, let alone one so substantial? Some gases must be escaping to space, but perhaps not as efficiently as expected.

We think there is an equilibrium between the magma ocean and the atmosphere, said Dr. Tim Lichtenberg, an astronomer at the University of Groningen.

At the same time that gases are coming out of the planet to feed the atmosphere, the magma ocean is sucking them back into the interior.

This planet must be much, much more volatile-rich than Earth to explain the observations. Its really like a wet lava ball.

The study appears today in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

_____

Johanna K. Teske et al. 2025. A Thick Volatile Atmosphere on the Ultrahot Super-Earth TOI-561b. ApJL 995, L39; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae0a4c
Today the Arabian Gulf supports large numbers of dugongs, marine mammals related to manatees that feed on seagrass and leave trails in the sediment as they graze. Newly examined fossils from Qatar show that sea cows living more than 20 million years ago shaped their environments in much the same way.

The findings, published December 10 in the journal PeerJ, come from a partnership between scientists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and Qatar Museums. The team also identified a previously unknown species of ancient sea cow that was much smaller than modern dugongs.

"We discovered a distant relative of dugongs in rocks less than 10 miles away from a bay with seagrass meadows that make up their prime habitat today," said Nicholas Pyenson, curator of fossil marine mammals at the National Museum of Natural History and a lead author of the study. "This part of the world has been prime sea cow habitat for the past 21 million years -- it's just that the sea cow role has been occupied by different species over time."

Modern Dugong Biology and Behavior

Dugongs (Dugong dugon) have a stout body and a downward-facing snout lined with bristles that help them sense food, giving them a broad resemblance to manatees. Their tails distinguish them from their relatives. Manatees have a rounded, paddle-shaped tail while dugongs have a dolphin-like tail with flukes (however, dugongs and manatees are more closely related to elephants than they are to dolphins, whales and porpoises).

These herbivores occupy shallow coastal habitats across a wide range that includes western Africa, the Indo-Pacific, and northern Australia. The largest single herd of dugongs occurs in the Arabian Gulf, where their constant grazing stirs up sediment and releases nutrients that benefit surrounding marine ecosystems.

A Long Fossil History and Growing Modern Threats

Fossil evidence shows that sea cow ancestors have fed on aquatic plants for roughly 50 million years. Despite this long history, dugongs in the Gulf now face significant challenges. They are sometimes caught accidentally by local fishers, and development along the coast affects the waters where they feed. Rising temperatures and increasing salinity place further pressures on the seagrass meadows that dugongs depend on.

Ferhan Sakal, head of excavation and site management at Qatar Museums and a coauthor of the study, noted that crucial information about past seagrass environments is preserved in the region's rock record.

"If we can learn from past records how the seagrass communities survived climate stress or other major disturbances like sea-level changes and salinity shifts, we might set goals for a better future of the Arabian Gulf," he said.

Researchers rely heavily on fossilized bones to understand these environments, since the soft blades of seagrass rarely leave impressions in the geologic record.

Exploring the Al Maszhabiya Fossil Site

One of the most significant sources of these fossils is Al Maszhabiya [AL mahz-HA-bee-yah], a site in southwestern Qatar. Geologists first encountered the site in the 1970s while conducting mining and petroleum surveys and believed they had found reptile bones. When paleontologists revisited the area in the early 2000s, they recognized the bones as belonging to ancient sea cows.

"The area was called 'dugong cemetery' among the members of our authority," Sakal said. "But at the time, we had no idea just how rich and vast the bonebed actually was."

After obtaining the required permits in 2023, Pyenson, Sakal, and their team surveyed the site. Surrounding rock layers suggest that the fossils date to the Early Miocene, approximately 21 million years ago. The area was once a shallow sea inhabited by sharks, barracuda-like fish, prehistoric dolphins, and sea turtles.

The World's Densest Sea Cow Bonebed

The team documented sea cow remains at more than 170 separate locations across the site. Pyenson described Al Maszhabiya as the richest fossil sea cow assemblage known. He compared it to Cerro Ballena in Chile's Atacama Desert, where he and other researchers had uncovered a large collection of whale fossils.

Although the bones share similarities with those of modern dugongs, they also show differences. The ancient animals still had hind limb bones, which living dugongs and manatees lost during their evolution. The prehistoric species also had a straighter snout and smaller tusks.

Naming a New Species: Salwasiren qatarensis

The team formally designated the Al Maszhabiya sea cows as a new species, Salwasiren qatarensis. The genus name refers to the Bay of Salwa, a nearby section of the Gulf where dugongs live today. Although the Bay of Salwa touches the waters of several countries, the species name "qatarensis" honors Qatar, where the fossils were discovered.

"It seemed only fitting to use the country's name for the species as it clearly points to where the fossils were discovered," Sakal said.

Based on their estimates, the researchers believe Salwasiren weighed around 250 pounds, similar to the weight of an adult panda or a heavyweight boxer. Even at that size, it was relatively small compared with some dugongs living today, which can weigh nearly eight times more.

Ancient Seagrass Meadows and the Role of Sea Cows

The fossils provide evidence that abundant seagrass beds existed in the region more than 20 million years ago, during a period when the Gulf supported high marine biodiversity. Sea cows would have helped maintain these underwater meadows by feeding and disturbing the sediment.

"The density of the Al Maszhabiya bonebed gives us a big clue that Salwasiren played the role of a seagrass ecosystem engineer in the Early Miocene the way that dugongs do today," Pyenson said. "There's been a full replacement of the evolutionary actors but not their ecological roles."

Pyenson also noted that sea cow fossils often appear in mixed species groups, making it likely that further research at the site could uncover additional dugong relatives.

Preserving Qatar's Fossil Heritage

Sakal hopes continued collaboration between Qatar Museums and the Smithsonian will lead to further discoveries at Al Maszhabiya and other nearby locations. Protecting the site is a top priority, and the team plans to nominate it for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

"The most important part of our collaboration is ensuring that we provide the best possible protection and management for these sites, so we can preserve them for future generations," Sakal said.

"Dugongs are an integral part of our heritage, not only as a living presence in our waters today, but also in the archaeological record that connects us to generations past," said Faisal Al Naimi, coauthor and director of the Archaeology Department at Qatar Museums. "The findings at Al Maszhabiya remind us that this heritage is not confined to memory or tradition alone, but extends deep into geologic time, reinforcing the timeless relationship between our people and the natural world. In preserving and studying these remarkable creatures, we are also safeguarding a narrative that speaks to our nation's identity, resilience and enduring connection to the sea."

Digital Access and Continued Research

To make their data widely available, Pyenson and Sakal worked with the Smithsonian's Digitization Program Office to create digital scans of several fossil sites and of the fossil skull, vertebrae, tooth, and other skeletal parts of the newly described species. These 3D models can be explored through the open-source Smithsonian Voyager platform, which includes interactive educational materials and a virtual tour of the excavation.

The study's authors also include researchers from the Smithsonian's Digitization Program Office, the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Texas A&M University College Station, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

This work was supported by a collaborative agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and Qatar Museums and received additional funding from the National Museum of Natural History and the Qatar National Research Fund.
Watches and Wonders? Breathtaking!

In Geneva this April, Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grande Complication  La Premiere drew crowds: it is the most complex wristwatch ever made, notably involving eight years of development and 13 patent applications for 41 complications, including rare and even unprecedented astronomical functions on a double-sided display. Much more than a nod to Vacheron Constantin's mastery of complications, it marks a new milestone since its first documented calendar in 1790.

The Maison presented no fewer than 12 timepieces at this springtime show. The highlight was its signature Maltese cross emblem revisited in a graphic style, a guilloche motif on dials, including that of the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.

Three symbolic watches recalled the origins of the Manufacture: three Les Cabinotiers Tribute to the Tour de l'Ile models decorated in the style of the Geneva monument that housed the workshops in 1843. The dials are crafted using demanding techniques: bas-relief engraving entailing 140 hours of sculpting a 1 mm-thick rose gold plate, miniature painting on Grand Feu enamel in delicate pastel shades, as well as figurative guilloche work. In November, this creative freedom inherited from the Geneva tradition of the cabinotiers that began 300 years ago, gave rise to no less than 15 Les Cabinotiers The Quest watches, combining remarkable calibers and artistic crafts.
The company received 53 million in 2021 after being considered strategic by the Spanish government. The CEO and president have now been arrested as part of a larger operation

Spains anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating whether the airline Plus Ultra diverted 53 million in bailout money injected by the government after the Covid pandemic and used it to launder funds from Venezuela through France, Switzerland and Spain. On Thursday, police searched the companys headquarters and arrested its president, Julio Martinez, and CEO, Roberto Roselli. The investigation remains under seal.

Last year, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office received two requests for international cooperation from France (Parquet National Financier) and Switzerland (Geneva Public Prosecutors Office) to authorize the search of several residences located in the Spanish locations of Madrid, Pozuelo, Tenerife and Mallorca. Those officials requested assistance because they were investigating a money laundering network linked to Venezuela that also allegedly operated in Spain.

Spanish prosecutors are probing evidence that the company made an inadequate use of public funds approved by the Spanish government on March 9, 2021, and that the bailout money was instead used to pay off previously existing loans. Plus Ultra appears as a signatory and beneficiary of loan agreements with three companies belonging to the criminal organization, and involved in sales of gold, states the documentation seen by EL PAIS. The Prosecutors Office believes the bailout was used to repay outstanding debts and that the real purpose was to launder illicit income. In the complaint, prosecutors say that the sale of luxury watches may also have been used for money laundering.

Spanish law enforcement outside the headquarters of the airline Plus Ultra in Madrid on December 11. Alberto Ortega (Europa Press)

The department headed by Chief Prosecutor Alejandro Luzon filed the complaint with Spains National Court on October 21, 2024. It targeted three people of Peruvian origin, two Venezuelans, a Dutch citizen, and at least one Spanish lawyer, who were all considered members of a criminal organization.

The activity allegedly consisted of laundering illicit funds originating from embezzlement committed in Venezuela by public officials there. Specifically, the funds came from the Venezuelan Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP)a government food distribution programand from the sale of gold from the countrys central bank. The organizations involvement in Spain was so extensive that, according to the prosecution, the airline diverted the bailout money shortly after receiving it to overseas accounts belonging to companies that are part of the criminal organization.

The National Court declined to investigate because it believed the case was outside its own jurisdiction. Instead, it directed the matter to Madrids investigative court Number 15, where a previous case concerning the Plus Ultra bailout had already been processed and provisionally dismissed. The new evidence has reopened that case.

An aircraft operated by the airline Plus Ultra. Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Getty

The judge in charge of the investigation into the 2021 bailout had to toss it out due to a procedural error with the deadlines. The probe sought to determine whether the company truly deserved public aid and whether the bailout money had instead ended up as a payment to Venezuelas state-owned oil company, PDVSA.

The Spanish government had designated Plus Ultra as a strategic company in order to justify the bailout, but experts appointed by the court indicated that the company had been showing signs of insolvency since 2019, making it in theory ineligible for the multi-million dollar injection of cash.

The prosecution believes the criminal network used shell companies to acquire real estate, and entered into loan contracts with Plus Ultra, which were fully repaid. The complaint also pointed to the sale of gold worth approximately 30 million to a company in the United Arab Emirates by the company that granted the loans, and the transfer of money by the same company to a Panama bank account.

Some of the clients of this money laundering network have criminal records in Spain. Beyond the airlines president and CEO, Julio Martinez and Roberto Roselli, the other names have not yet surfaced, as the case remains under seal.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
Massive human rights violations occurred during the Chilean military dictatorship. And the memory of these atrocities fits on a tiny mother-of-pearl button. Villa Grimaldi was one of the most symbolic torture and extermination centers of Augusto Pinochets regime (1973-1990). Since 1997, its been a museum. There, visitors can see a railway track thats been preserved: the bodies of victims of state terrorism were tied to it, before they were thrown into the sea.

Of the hundreds of corpses dropped into the Pacific, only one surfaced, in September of 1976: that of Marta Lidia Ugarte Roman, who was murdered at the age of 42. However, another piece of evidence exists: a small button, almost fused with the iron, rusted after years at sea. This discovery is the focus of Patricio Guzmans powerful documentary, The Pearl Button (2015). Its the last memento of a human being who was disappeared by the dictatorship, and its proof of the long period of repression, during which at least 3,200 Chileans were murdered.

Contemplating it in one of the rooms of Villa Grimaldi, enlarged by a magnifying glass, opens the door to the abyss that represented the years of death under Pinochet. On a peaceful morning in late November, in the middle of the southern spring, two groups visit this former torture center located in Santiago de Chile, at the foot of the Andes Mountains. When it closed, the perpetrators tried to erase the evidence of what had happened there, but with the advent of democracy, it was converted into a memorial center, one of many scattered throughout the Chilean capital. Visitors can see Londres, 38which gives its name to British lawyer and writer Philippe Sands book about Pinochets arrest in London and the fight against impunity the National Stadiumwhere the U.S. citizen Charles Horman was murdered, whose case is recounted in Costa-Gavras film Missingthe Palacio de la Moneda itself, and the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, which recalls what happened after the coup detat against the government of Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973, and puts a face to a significant number of those who were murdered. Throughout Chile, 1,168 places of memory are preserved.

Museum of Memory and Human Rights, in Santiago, Chile. Joel ARPAILLANGE (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

In 1978, the dictatorship enacted an amnesty law, to cover the first five bloodiest years of the regime. And, after the return to democracy in 1990, successive center-left governments established two truth commissions. Ultimately, due to the fact that crimes against humanity are not subject to statutes of limitation, a significant number of perpetrators have been tried. Some still remain in prison.

At Villa Grimaldi, 4,500 political prisoners were detained, including a very young Michelle Bachelet  who governed Chile twice, from 2006 until 2010 and 2014 until 2018  and her mother, Angela Jeria. Bachelets father, an Air Force general who opposed the military coup, had already died from torture inflicted by his own companions. A total of 239 of the prisoners were ultimately disappeared and executed.

After being converted into a memorial site, a wooden tower where many detainees were subjected to prolonged torture sessions was reconstructed. There, too, is a panel displaying the faces of the murderers, among them Miguel Krassnoff. Born in Austria in 1946 and trained at the School of the Americas in the former Panama Canal Zone, he was an official with the sinister National Intelligence Directorate (DINA), Pinochets political police, and the perpetrator of countless atrocities. He was sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison for crimes against humanity. Today, hes still incarcerated at Punta Peuco Prison, in the Santiago Metropolitan Region.

According to all the polls, the far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast  who leads Chiles Republican Party  is predicted to win the second round of the presidential elections on Sunday, December 14, over the left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara. During the 2017 presidential campaign, Kast claimed that he didnt believe everything that was being said about Krassnoff, a murderer who symbolizes all the brutality of the Pinochet regime. In his current campaign, he hasnt ruled out pardoning him, as proposed by the failed presidential candidate Johannes Kaiser of the libertarian right.

However, in the final stretch of the campaign, Kast has attempted to soften his rhetoric. Today, theres a bill being debated in Parliament and its [offering amnesty] for humanitarian reasons. I dont believe in plea bargaining; I believe in justice. And this means treating people with terminal illnesses, or those who are [no longer conscious], with respect, he declared on December 1, 2025.

Now, as the election date approaches and as Kasts victory seems highly probable, those responsible for these memorial sites fear that there will be an attempt to erase the living memory of the ruthless repression that followed the 1973 military coup. Besides insecurity  the issue that has dominated the campaign above all others, with clear xenophobic undertones and promises of mass deportations of migrants  the way in which the past should be addressed is one of the issues that most divides Chilean society today.

The names of the victims of the dictatorship displayed in front of Londres 38  a building that was used by the DINA as a detention and torture center  in Santiago, Chile, on the 50th anniversary of the coup. NurPhoto (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The left defends the preservation of memorial sites as a kind of never again etched in stone, as well as the continued pursuit of justice. Right-wing politicians, however, believe that what they consider to be old wounds have already healed, or theyve outright defended the legacy of the dictatorship.

Throughout the 2025 campaign, Kast has remained silent on this matter, but back in 2017, when he was running for president for the first time, he defended the Pinochet regime. You dont have to be very creative to think that, if he were alive, he would vote for me, he shrugged.

Its obvious that were worried about what might happen after the elections. The museum is part of what [the right] considers to be a culture war, explains Maria Fernanda Garcia Iribarren, director of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. The cultural center and archive operates as an independent foundation, receiving direct state funding through federal budget allocations. Its an emblematic place, not only in Chile, but worldwide. Consensus about the past is built [here]. And its very important that these spaces undergo constant reinterpretation, this cultural manager emphasizes. She was part of the international committee of experts that advised the regional government of Navarre, Spain, on the reinterpretation of the Monument to the Fallen in Pamplona. This is one of the most significant traces of Francoism in Spain.

On its website, Villa Grimaldi offers a Declaration Against Denialism, in which the institution also expresses its concern for the future of the institution  and the future of historical memory  should Kast win: The [rhetoric of] right-wing candidates represents a real threat that jeopardizes progress achieved by families, institutions and human rights actors over decades [their speeches are] provocations that border on inhumanity.

One of the museums objectives is that we dont repeat what happened [and] that we dont treat each other as enemies again. Denialism is a danger to democracy, Garcia Iribarren adds. The museum that she directs  a project promoted by Michelle Bachelet during her first presidency and inaugurated in 2010  not only speaks about the past, but also about the present: it currently houses an exhibition on the children kidnapped by Russian forces in Ukraine. It recently offered another one on the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

The Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Robert Nickelsberg (Getty Images)

Before entering the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, one can contemplate a work by the Chilean sculptor Alfredo Jaar. Through darkness and disorientation  followed by an infinite play of mirrors  it forces the visitor to reflect on what it means to glimpse one of the most painful memories of the 20th century. In the museums main hall, an immense panel displays the photos of many Chileans who were disappeared and murdered. Visitors can click on the faces of the victims on a table in front of them: a biography then appears. They can also light up a virtual candle. The aim is to try to restore humanity to those who were swallowed up by repression.

At Villa Grimaldi, evidence of the crimes committed at the site has been erased. All of it is gone: the tiny cells in which prisoners were crammed together, the torture chambers, the barracks where the military and police officers who ran that concentration camp lived. A majestic ombu tree survives; its an immense tree, native to South America. Its a tree of memory, a guide explains, while speaking to a group of visitors one morning. But it was also part of the torture system, because some prisoners were hung from it as a way to terrorize the others. There are no photographs of Villa Grimaldi from the years when it was operational. There are only drawings by survivors, as well as their testimonies. What does remain, however, is the gate through which the vehicles carrying the detainees entered. It was closed with a chain when the museum was inaugurated, as a powerful symbol that this gateway to hell will never be opened again. Not there, nor anywhere else in Chile. Some 3,200 people were murdered during the 17 years of the dictatorship, of whom 1,469 were victims of enforced disappearance. To this day, the remains of 1,092 victims have not yet been found.

Translated by Avik Jain Chatlani.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
An invincible teen must defend herself and her one-year-old babysitting charge in this energetic and emotional thriller packed with bitter battles, heartrending grief, and hard-won trust.

Tru Stallard is a bastion. If Underhill, the peacekeeping taskforce of "talents," knew the 17-year-old was nigh invincible, they would lock her away for fear of her powers. Her secret life is imperiled during a babysitting gig: Logan Dire, her adoptive father and the legendary Ghoul of Kansas City, is assassinated by Underhill for supposedly murdering a one-year-old. Tru and her friends know Logan has been framed: they are currently minding the very-much-alive baby. That baby, it turns out, is a bastion--one Underhill wants the world to think is dead even as it hunts her.

The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting by Natalie C. Parker (The Devouring Wolf) has exciting superpowered feats and fight sequences; sly scheming; Sapphic love; an indestructible baby; and a teddy bear of a man in an assassin's body. Tense moments pull unforgivingly taut or break brilliantly under satisfyingly solid quips and grim humor. With this, Parker layers a clever plot and gripping suspense atop a gratifyingly tender and funny narrative. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer
In the sprawling, noisy agora of modern science, one of the most curious dynamics isn't the tension between public and private research---it's the way certain critics of privately funded projects end up amplifying the very things they're skeptical of. Not intentionally, of course. Many of these researchers cut their teeth in institutions built on careful grant cycles and incrementalism. They pride themselves on being the ballast against hype.

Yet when a privately funded endeavor bursts onto the scene---de-extinction, gene-editing startups, billionaire-funded biodiversity projects---there's almost always a familiar chorus ready to reply. And the funny twist is that their replies don't necessarily slow the spectacle down. They extend it. They thicken its gravitational pull. They make the conversation bigger.

Science today doesn't run on a single fuel source. It runs on money, obviously. But it also runs on visibility, public attention, political will, algorithmic endorsement, and the ability to bend the story of research toward curiosity rather than indifference. And that is where these critics---unwittingly or not---play a pivotal role.

The landscape of modern scientific funding has shifted dramatically over the past two decades. Where once government grants and university endowments dominated, private capital now flows into research at unprecedented scales. This shift brings with it new velocities, new risk tolerances, and new tensions. The traditional gatekeepers of scientific discourse find themselves responding to projects that move faster than peer review, iterate more aggressively than tenure committees would allow, and capture public imagination before the first data point is published.

The Counterweights Who Sometimes Pull Too Hard

Archaeologist Flint Dibble has built a well-earned reputation as a myth-buster, the kind of scientist who can turn a viral Atlantis claim into an impromptu lesson on stratigraphy. His debunkings are sharp and---most crucially---widely shared. That skillset has real value when the target is pseudoscience. But when the same tone is applied to privately funded research efforts, especially early-stage or exploratory ones, the effect can tilt from corrective to constrictive.

A moonshot introduces the public to an idea; Dibble's rebuttal introduces them to the caveats. Ideally, those two forces coexist. But sometimes the critique lands with more weight than the experiment ever had a chance to. Instead of sparking curiosity, the exchange can signal to a broad audience that the project was misguided from the start---that boldness itself is suspect. The public still learns something, but the lesson can easily shift from "here's how science works" to "here's why people shouldn't try new things."

And that's where the educational friction turns into intellectual drag. The criticism becomes the dominant narrative, not the gateway.

This dynamic isn't unique to archaeology. Across disciplines, the pattern repeats: a private initiative announces an ambitious goal, public scientists raise concerns, media coverage amplifies the controversy, and the resulting discourse often overshadows the actual scientific questions at hand. The critique, intended as a guardrail, becomes the main event. The experiment, meant to push boundaries, gets reduced to a cautionary tale before it even begins.

Former U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe approaches things from the conservation side, but the pattern is similar. He's spent a career thinking about ecosystems as delicate, interconnected systems---not playgrounds for speculative engineering---and his caution reflects that. When a privately funded group suggests reviving a vanished species or restoring a fragile biome, Ashe is quick to ground the conversation in ecological math: habitat viability, regulatory complexity, unintended consequences..

Those questions matter. They should be asked. But when asked too early, too publicly, or too definitively, they can swamp the initial purpose of the experiment. What begins as a legitimate inquiry into ecological risk morphs, in the public imagination, into a verdict: "This shouldn't happen." Not "This is complicated." Not "This requires careful planning." But a premature no.

Ashe's skepticism brings scientific literacy into the room. Yet it can also shrink the room---limiting the horizon of what people think conservation can attempt, and what tools it's allowed to explore.

The irony is that both Dibble and Ashe are driven by genuine care for their disciplines. They're trying to protect them. But protection, when amplified through news cycles and social media, can easily start to look like prohibition. And that's where well-intentioned critique risks curtailing the very thing science needs most: the freedom to try.

This protective instinct runs deep in scientific culture, and for good reason. The history of science is littered with cautionary examples of unchecked enthusiasm leading to ethical lapses, environmental damage, and public mistrust. Yet that same history also shows that breakthrough discoveries often come from those willing to challenge orthodox thinking, to venture beyond the comfortable boundaries of established knowledge. The challenge lies in maintaining healthy skepticism without suffocating innovation.

The Symbiosis No One Planned

Critics often imagine themselves as firewalls---guardians shielding the lesser-informed public from scientific overreach. But without someone reaching in the first place, there's nothing to guard against. The moonshots create the terrain; the critics simply comment on it. Their role only exists because someone else was willing to push boundaries, spend money, and try something new.

This relationship, unplanned and often uncomfortable, has become a defining feature of 21st-century science communication. Private funding enables rapid experimentation; public scientists provide context and caution; media amplifies both signals; and the public watches a real-time negotiation between ambition and restraint. It's messy, but it's also more transparent than the old model of science happening behind closed doors, emerging only when fully formed and peer-reviewed.

Privately funded science brings the spark---ambition, speed, risk tolerance.

Public science brings the scaffolding---method, replication, institutional memory.

Critics bring the friction that keeps both honest.

But the friction only matters if the machine is running. And the machine runs fastest when privately funded labs are free to experiment, iterate, and occasionally fail in public. That visibility doesn't drain public science; it expands the conversation around it. The more bold attempts there are, the more material there is for scrutiny, clarification, and ultimately understanding.

The ecosystem benefits from this diversity of approaches. Private funding can take risks that public funding, accountable to taxpayers and political cycles, cannot. It can pursue ideas that seem unlikely but potentially transformative. It can fail fast and pivot faster. Meanwhile, public science maintains the long-term infrastructure, the training grounds for new researchers, and the commitment to unglamorous but essential work that may never attract private investment.

The useful version of this relationship isn't adversarial, and it certainly isn't zero-sum. It's simply this: innovation leads, critique follows, and progress accelerates when both know their place. Critics do their best work when they stay informed, stay precise, and let the experiments happen before declaring their verdicts. Moonshots, for all their theatrics, are the engines that make new knowledge possible.

The challenge for critics is to calibrate their responses appropriately. A speculative de-extinction project requires different scrutiny than a clinical trial. An early-stage biodiversity initiative needs different questions than a mature conservation program. The skill lies not just in identifying potential problems, but in understanding when and how to raise them constructively.

Similarly, privately funded researchers benefit from engaging with criticism thoughtfully rather than dismissively. The best innovations often emerge from the collision between ambitious vision and practical constraint. Critics, even harsh ones, can illuminate blind spots and strengthen proposals. The key is maintaining dialogue rather than retreating into defensive camps.

Privately funded labs don't threaten public science. And public critics don't stifle innovation.

What matters is that the bold keep building, the skeptics keep watching, and neither assumes that holding the mic means holding the future. The discoveries worth having will come from letting ideas launch, collide, and sometimes combust---long before anyone steps in to judge the flames.

The future of discovery depends not on choosing between private ambition and public caution, but on maintaining a productive tension between them. That tension generates the energy that drives science forward. It forces both sides to sharpen their arguments, refine their methods, and ultimately produce better knowledge. The alternative---either unchecked speculation or overcautious incrementalism---serves no one.

In this light, the critics and the criticized are partners in an elaborate dance, each dependent on the other for meaning and momentum. The dance may be awkward at times, steps may be missed, toes may be stepped on. But it's through this ongoing negotiation between vision and verification that science advances, understanding deepens, and the future slowly reveals itself.
US commentator Mark Mitchell faces criticism for urging companies to de-Indianize their tech workforce.

He claims H-1B visas let firms hire low-cost Indian and Chinese engineers, replacing American workers.

Data shows H-1B workers form only a tiny share of the US workforce, despite Mitchells claims.

Political commentator and Rasmussen Reports chief pollster Mark Mitchell has stirred a major debate after urging American corporations to de-Indianize. His comments, shared on social media, have drawn sharp reactions from across the tech and policy community.

Mitchell posted on X that he wanted to build a consultancy to help companies de-Indianize, following a segment on Steve Bannons War Room. During the discussion, he criticized the growing number of Indian engineers working in the US through the H-1B visa program, arguing that tech firms rely too heavily on foreign talent from India and China.

He claimed companies hire H-1B workers as low-cost replacements for American employees. According to him, roles that typically pay American engineers around $150,000 are being filled by H-1B workers earning $60,000 to $70,000. He also alleged that US workers are sometimes asked to train these replacements before losing their jobs.

Mitchell escalated the remarks by targeting tech leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, writing, Hey Tim Apple - Fire those damn H1-Bs!

Also Read: India, Italy Sign Joint Commission Pact for Economic Cooperation

Industry data, however, paints a different picture. While Silicon Valleys workforce is heavily international with 23% Indian and 18% Chinese professionals, H-1B visa holders account for only 0.3% to 0.4% of the total US labor force of 163 million.

Mitchell compared the hiring of H-1B developers to importing low-wage workers, saying a single foreign engineer earning $90,000 is like importing ten undocumented laborers earning $9 an hour. His comments have since fueled a broader conversation about immigration, labor costs, and the role of global talent in the U.S. tech economy.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 55-year-old former Staten Islander embezzled nearly $2.5 million from a celebrity restaurant in Midtown Manhattan where she worked, prosecutors allege.

Lori Jakubowski allegedly committed money laundering when she used some of the funds stolen from Fresco by Scotto to buy a home in Pennsylvania.

Rosanna Scotto, anchor of Fox 5s Good Day New York, and her children, Jenn and LJ Ruggiero, are listed as owners on the website for the Italian-inspired eatery at 34 E. 52nd Street.

Jakubowski, who lives on Arlington Street in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was arraigned on Wednesday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on a four-count indictment. Prosecutors allege that Jakubowski used various schemes to steal $2,485,779.79 from the restaurant over about seven years starting in 2016.

The defendant, who previously lived in Great Kills, allegedly pocketed cash the restaurant received from sales and tips. She transferred funds to herself using checks from the restaurants bank account while concealing the thefts with false entries in the eaterys QuickBooks financial ledger, prosecutors allege.

Jakubowski allegedly deposited checks payable to the restaurant in her own bank account and used the eaterys bank account to pay her husbands cable bill. She increased her compensation by allegedly issuing paychecks to herself that she falsely claimed were for vacation pay.

Prosecutors allege that the defendant laundered at least $100,000 of her ill-gotten gains to buy a $164,500 house in Pennsylvania. She allegedly used 88 separate checks and money orders to make payments in April 2023.

The indictment alleges grand larceny in the first degree, money laundering in the second degree and two counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Jakubowski has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released with non-monetary conditions. She is due back in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on Feb. 24, according to public records.

An attorney for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Police responding to a report of shots fired arrested a 50-year-old man in New Springville, according to sources.

Jesus Ramirez, 50, of Merrymount Street, was found on Nov. 5 at about 7:25 p.m. with a gun in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt on Richmond Avenue between Nome Avenue and Richmond Hill Road, according to the criminal complaint.

The revolver had a .38-caliber shell casing inside the cylinder, while a .45-caliber bullet was also found in the pocket of the defendants hoodie, the complaint alleges.

Officers had been called to the area for a report of shots fired, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

The complaint alleges that Ramirez made incriminating statements to police, including that he fired the gun.

I found [the] gun in Port Richmond about a month ago, the complaint alleges Ramirez told police. I was going to throw it in the lake in Richmond Avenue, but I shot it because I wanted to make it safe.

Ramirez resisted arrest by refusing to place his hands behind his back in order to be handcuffed, the complaint alleges.

Ramirez has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, resisting arrest and possession of ammunition.

Ramirez pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The defendant is free on bail set at $10,000 bond/$5,000 cash and is due back in Criminal Court in St. George on Jan. 26, according to public records.

Attorney Marion Linthicum, who is representing Ramirez, declined to comment at this time.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Staten Island man accused of sex trafficking a teenager in a Bay Street apartment has accepted a guilty plea in the case.

Isaiah Wright, 28, of Stapleton, pleaded guilty Thursday in state Supreme Court, St. George, to attempted sex trafficking of a child in connection with his arrest in January, court records show.

In exchange for his plea, the defendant is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 8 by Judge Alexander B. Jeong to nine years in prison and 15 years of parole.

Wrights attorney, a public defender with the Legal Aid Society, declined to comment.

Undercover bust on Bay Street

Wright was arrested in January after an undercover detective made arrangements to have sex for $250 with the underage girl, prosecutors said.

The detective went to the agreed location, an apartment building on the 500 block of Bay Street in Stapleton where the defendant lived, according to the criminal complaint. Officers found the defendant sitting inside a closet at the location, court records indicated.

The 16-year-old girl told investigators that Wright arranged for her to engage in sex acts at the location for a 60/40 split in proceeds, favoring the defendant, authorities said.

The girl had traveled to New York City to work for the defendant in the sex industry and did not claim any violence on his part, according to court documents and a source with knowledge of the case.

Following the defendants guilty plea Thursday, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon issued the following statement:

Sex trafficking a minor into a life of prostitution, Isaiah Wright used a Bay Street apartment to exploit a young woman for his own financial gain. This week, this defendant was held accountable in the courtroom for his despicable conduct...

Sex trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable women must never become normalized in our communities, and law enforcement will continue to do everything it can to support the victims of this horrific abuse.

McMahon went on to thank members of the NYPD for their expert investigative work and Special Victims Bureau Deputy Chief Amir Fadl and Assistant District Attorney Alva Prenga for their work in pursuing a conviction.

Arrested at SIUH in 2024

Wright was charged separately in a November 2024 incident at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze.

According to a criminal complaint, he waved around a pocket knife and punched a senior in the head. It was unclear in court documents why he was at the hospital.

Wright pleaded guilty Thursday in that case to misdemeanor assault, court records show.

Prior sex trafficking charges

In May 2017, Wright was convicted in Bronx Criminal Court of attempted sex trafficking, court records show.

In that case, he was sentenced to three years incarceration and five years of post-release supervision.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Sacred Heart School in West Brighton marked the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Friday with a morning Mass, followed by a student play and a cultural dance performance.

During the service, Rev. Rhey Garcia, the churchs pastor, told students the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Students then processed to the auditorium, where they presented a short play and enjoyed a performance by the Ballet Guadalupano of Mount Carmel, a cultural dance group led by Emma Tapia.

This was the second year the school held the celebration.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on Dec. 12 to remember the 1531 appearances of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in Mexico. The celebration honors the Queen of Mexico and Patroness of the Americas and marks the miraculous image of Mary that appeared on Juan Diegos cloak, or tilma, after she told him to gather roses in winter.

With our neighborhoods growing Hispanic population and more Hispanic students, we are very excited to celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe with our families, said Celeste Catalano, the principal of Sacred Heart School.
Documents sent to Spains National Biosafety Commission confirm at least two tests conducted in October and November at the facilities, which are undergoing construction work. Authorities are investigating the possibility of a lab leak

The laboratory under scrutiny over an alleged leak of the African swine fever virus in the province of Barcelona, in northeastern Spain, had planned at least two experiments with the pathogen on the same days that the first infected wild boar was found just a few hundred meters from the facility, according to documents from the Spanish National Biosafety Commission seen by EL PAIS.

It was the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture that posited the theory of a lab leak on December 5, a week after the discovery of two infected wild boar carcasses near the Animal Health Research Center (CReSA), a bunker-like facility where researchers work with dangerous pathogens in the search for treatments and vaccines. The ministry announced it was opening an investigation to determine whether the virus, detected on November 28, could have been the result of a lab leak. An earlier theory posited that the boars may have eaten the remains of a sandwich made with contaminated foreign meat and tossed into a trash can, where the animals forage for food.

All hypotheses remain open, but the regional government of Catalonia, which oversees the laboratory, is facing an explosive scenario, including direct accusations from livestock associations. The Catalan government will never admit that the African swine fever virus that infected wild boars leaked out from its laboratory. It would face incalculable financial claims if it did so, declared the agricultural organization ASAJA on Wednesday.

In Spain, where there are more pigs than people (49 million people compared with the 54 million pigs slaughtered last year), the pork industry is on edge. And veterinarians have warned that there is no effective vaccine, nor will one be available in the near future. Authorities and farmers will have to resort to medieval measures in the face of a plague: isolating the sick and disposing of their carcasses.

A preliminary genetic analysis showed that the virus found in the dead animals was very similar to a viral strain found in Georgia in 2007, and which presumably arrived there on a ship from southeast Africa, triggering the current European pandemic, from which Spain had thus far escaped. This new variant of the virus does not resemble any known strains circulating in nature, which is why the ministry proposed the theory of a possible laboratory leak, though without mentioning CReSA, which is located in Bellaterra (Barcelona).

The documents reviewed by EL PAIS reveal an initial experiment, planned for October and November, to test a prototype vaccine on 15 pigs, using an intramuscular injection of a genetically modified Georgia/2007/01 strain of the virus. Risk management experts refer to the Swiss cheese model, in which security systems are like layers with holes that, when stacked, make it difficult for a threat to breach all the barriers. In Bellaterra, there could have been several holes aligned in a row.

The first carcass of an infected wild boar was found on November 28, just a few hundred meters from the CReSA facility, which has been criticized for lacking double fencing and which was undergoing construction work since September 15, as this newspaper revealed on Wednesday. Documentation submitted to the National Biosafety Commission now confirms that the laboratory was working with the virus during those same days.

The CReSA laboratory in Bellaterra, Barcelona. Massimiliano Minocri

The preliminary report for the CReSA experiment emphasized that the work would be carried out in biosafety level 3 facilities, to eliminate any possibility of the viruses spreading into the environment. The 26-page document detailed the measures to prevent a leak: mandatory showers for researchers, absolute double filtration of exhaust air, chemical decontamination of effluents (animal urine and feces), disposal of remains by alkaline digestion or incineration, and collection of waste by authorized waste management companies. All these containment and control barriers guarantee that the virus will not spread to the outside, and therefore, there will be zero environmental impact, asserted the document, signed by virologist Xavier Abad, head of the Biocontainment Unit at CReSA.

The October and November experiment was led by Fernando Rodriguez and Jordi Argilaguet, leaders of the African swine fever group at CReSA. Their team has developed a prototype vaccine based on a strain of the virus isolated in the eastern Spanish province of Badajoz in 1971 and now genetically modified. In these types of trials, it is common practice to then expose vaccinated pigs to an aggressive version of the virus, such as Georgia/2007/01. Neither CReSA, nor the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA, a Catalan public company that oversees CReSA), nor the Catalan Department of Agriculture have responded to this newspapers questions about these experiments, which were carried out around the same time that the first infected wild boar was found near the facilities.

The virus is 100% fatal in pigs and wild boar, but completely harmless to humans. The report from that first trial stated that staff would work wearing gloves and surgical masks in all cases. The unpredictable human factor is precisely one of the more common causes of laboratory accidents. CReSA itself dismissed a technician for sexual harassment in 2018, after he tried to kiss a female colleague inside the high-biosecurity experimental unit, according to a ruling by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia.

In November, a second trial with the African swine fever virus began in Bellaterra, conducted by CReSA staff. This time, the objective was to test two vaccine prototypes developed by a team led by the virologist Yolanda Revilla, from the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center in Madrid. The researcher herself explained by phone that her experiment, which involved 20 pigs, doesnt align with a potential outbreak at the end of November, neither in terms of timing, virulence, nor genetic sequence. Her vaccine candidates are based on an attenuated version of a virus isolated in Armenia in 2007 and genetically modified. The pigs were exposed to a virulent form of the virus, also from Armenia, on December 3, and the animals are still alive, according to the virologist.

A pig farm located within the perimeter of the swine virus outbreak in Catalonia, Spain. Massimiliano Minocri

The documentation on Revillas experiment submitted to the National Biosafety Commission includes a warning: The African swine fever virus is relatively resistant in the environment. The stability of the virus under different environmental conditions has been the subject of numerous studies; most of them were carried out in the last century and should be reviewed/updated. Five experts consulted by this newspaper, however, emphasize that this virus is not easily transmitted through the air, but rather through direct contact between animals or through cannibalism, which is common among pigs and wild boars. Three of these researchers cannot explain how such a virus could escape from a high-security laboratory, unless someone deliberately took it out.

The Polish Ministry of Agriculture has also suggested the possibility of sabotage, either internal or perpetrated by Russia, after finding an infected wild boar with a rope tied to its leg in a Polish region previously free of the disease. In 2007, a British laboratory, the Pirbright Institute, suffered a foot-and-mouth disease virus leak and initially reported possible sabotage, but it was later demonstrated that there was a leak in its pipes, combined with construction work that facilitated the spread of the pathogen throughout the region on truck tires. In Spain, a court in Cerdanyola will investigate the origin of the African swine virus outbreak. To date, genetic analyses carried out at the European Unions reference laboratory, the Animal Health Research Center (CISA-INIA) in Valdeolmos, Madrid, have not been conclusive.

Revilla also finds the leak hypothesis unlikely, despite the fact that the first infected animal showed up a few hundred meters from the CReSA lab. We shouldnt assume, until there is conclusive proof, that there has been a biosecurity failure. There are many other hypotheses. The virus in the outbreak doesnt resemble the 28 groups sequenced in the databases after the Georgia virus emerged in 2007, but not all the strains circulating in the world right now are included, the virologist emphasizes.

Revilla also doesnt understand all the jokes surrounding the other theory that has been heard these days, about the virus arriving in Barcelona in contaminated food from a foreign country, possibly a sandwich made with imported sausage and thrown in a trash can, then devoured by wild boars that feed on human garbage in the Collserola Natural Park area in Barcelona. How did the outbreak that began in the 1970s in Sardinia arrive there? In first-class food on an airplane, she notes. Its not a hypothesis to laugh at.

An expanding virus The current global crisis began in 2007 when, allegedly, the crew of a ship from Southeast Africa left contaminated food waste in the port of Poti , Georgia. The plague entered the EU in early 2014, via Lithuania and Poland. Since then, the disease has spread relentlessly from east to west, at a rate of about 66 kilometers (41 miles) per month, according to a study led by epidemiologist Marta Martinez Aviles from the Animal Health Research Center in Valdeolmos, Madrid.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
President Donald Trump held a rally Tuesday in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, where one of his guests sparked controversy among legal experts.

Emil Bove, a federal appeals court judge and Trumps former personal attorney, was spotted in attendance at the event inside Mount Airy Casino Resort. The Senate confirmed Bove to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in a contentious 50-49 vote in July.

Just here as a citizen coming to watch the president speak" Bove told White House correspondent Vaughn Hillyard of MS NOW, formerly MSNBC.

Erica Orden, a legal reporter at Politico, called Boves appearance highly unusual.

According to Canon 5 of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, a judge should refrain from political activity. That includes attending any event sponsored by a political organization or candidate."

Gregg Nunziata, an attorney who formerly worked with the Senate Republican Policy Committee and Marco Rubio, said that Bove displayed every lack of good judgment that made him unfit for confirmation in the first place.

New York University School of Law professor Stephen Gillers told Bloomberg Law that Boves conduct could be reasonably viewed by the public as a sign of political support.

Gillers added that Trumps comments at Tuesdays rally could serve to heighten the perception of its political purpose and make a judges presence more troubling.

Bove, 44, faced sharp questioning from Democrats during his confirmation hearing this summer.

Senators pressed Bove on whether he could operate independently of Trump, his former client whom he previously defended against criminal investigations while in private practice. Bove also faced scrutiny for his role in dismissing federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams while serving in a senior Justice Department role.

In announcing Bove as his nominee for the vacant judgeship, Trump said that He will end the Weaponization of Justice, restore the Rule of Law, and do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

During his hearing, Bove said that I am not anybodys henchman.

He was ultimately confirmed on a 50-49 vote, with Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine breaking ranks to join Democrats in opposing his nomination.

Following the vote, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Andy Kim said that Boves confirmation was a blow to the guiding principles of judicial independence and impartiality.

An honest evaluation of his record would lead any person to conclude that Emil Bove should be nowhere near the federal bench, Booker and Kim said in a joint statement on July 29.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trumps approach to dealing with Russia as terrible.

I dont like when he trashes Europe and kisses Russias a--. Dont like it, Bacon told NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur.

Bacon has long been one of the GOPs most vocal critics of Trump, with the president previously referring to him as a rebel Republican.

GOP @RepDonBacon is not happy about Trumps recent comments on Europe:



I don't like when he trashes Europe and kisses Russia's ass. Don't like it.



He says Trumps strategy is terrible and theres probably been no worse national security strategy written since the 1930s.  Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 10, 2025

Bacon has repeatedly criticized Trumps handling of the Ukraine-Russia war as the U.S. tries to negotiate a peace plan to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.

The Nebraska congressman has also condemened Trumps inflammatory rhetoric directed at longtime European allies, including the European Union, NATO and Ukraine.

During an interview with Politico earlier this week, Trump called Europes political leaders weak and said they dont know what to do. He has also referred to Putins move to invade Ukraine in February 2022 as genius and savvy."

I would like to see the president be a stronger advocate for the free country, the sovereign country of Ukraine that wants to be a democracy, wants to be allied with us, and have a little more clear-eyed view of who Putin is, that Putin is the invader, Bacon said during an interview on ABCs This Week last month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing mounting pressure from Trump to accept a U.S.-crafted 20-point peace plan. The proposal would cede a vast swath of territory to Russia and includes a point that Ukraine will never join NATO.

I totally disagree with President Trump asking Ukraine to give up additional territory for a peace deal, Bacon said Wednesday in a post on X. This rewards the invader, and does nothing to guarantee peace in years to come.
Appearing before the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that DHS has not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans.

As Noem addressed the committee, an aide to ranking member Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) brought out an iPad. Staring out at her via a Zoom call was Sae Joon Park, a 55-year-old U.S. Army veteran who self-deported to South Korea in June.

He is a United States Army combat veteran who was shot twice while serving our country in Panama in 1989, Magaziner said. He is a Purple Heart recipient. He has sacrificed more for this country than most people ever have.

You deported him to Korea, a country he hasnt lived in since he was seven years old. Will you join me in thanking Mr. Park for his service to our country?

Earlier this year, according to NBC News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement threatened to detain and deport Park because of old charges related to drug possession and bail jumping.

Due to his military service, Park was granted deferred action and allowed to remain in the U.S. as long as he attended regular check-ins with immigration officials.

Park, a longtime Hawaii resident and green-card holder, had attended those annual check-ins with ICE agents for more than a decade.

But during an ICE appointment in June, Park was fitted with an ankle monitor and told that he would face detention and deportation if he failed to leave within three weeks, NBC News reported.

Like many veterans, he struggled with PTSD and substance abuse after his service, Magaziner said. He never hurt anybody besides himself, and he has been clean and sober for 14 years.

Park, who served three years in prison on drug possession and bail-jumping charges, was diagnosed with PTSD in his 40s.

With Park watching on Zoom, Noem told Magaziner that she is grateful for every single person who has served our country and followed our laws.

But, she continued, those laws are important, and every one of them needs to be enforced.

Throughout the hearing, Magaziner and his fellow Democrats sharply criticized Noem and her departments handling of immigration enforcement, zeroing in on her decision to continue deportation flights to El Salvador despite a court order pausing such removals earlier this year.

Noems opening statement was also briefly derailed by protesters who erupted into chants of Stop ICE raids, End deportations, and Get ICE off our streets.
The opposition leader, who declined to provide any details about her next steps, asserts that time is against Nicolas Maduro and the regime, and in favor of the opposition, of Venezuelans

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado opened her eyes and sighed as she relived her secret journey to escape Venezuela. Those were very intense hours, during which I felt a real risk to my life, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate told eight international media outlets, including EL PAIS, at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, less than 48 hours after landing in the Norwegian capital.

The opposition leader asserted that her movement faces decisive moments, and that the situation is shifting and accelerating with each passing day. She also declared herself ready to lead the democratic transition in her country. Time is against Nicolas Maduro and the regime, and in favor of the opposition, of the Venezuelan people, she stated.

Machado also addressed the role of the Spanish government, headed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, emphasizing that its actions have not been sufficient in the face of the Venezuelan crisis. History will judge, she remarked. But there has been a lack of action, that much is clear. She appealed for the Spanish authorities to do their part.

Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, her candidate at the presidential elections of July 28, 2024 has been living in exile in Madrid after being targeted by the Maduro regime, which did not acknowledge the voting tallies provided by the opposition and showing Urrutia as the winner.

Regarding the details that have emerged in recent hours about Machados departure from Venezuelan territory, evading military checkpoints and undertaking a risky boat journey to the island of Curacao, Machado neither confirms nor denies the reports, but maintains her distance. Im not going to give out any details or make any comments about the logistical process that brought me here, she stated.

The Venezuelan Nobel laureate has not yet revealed her next steps or whether she plans to travel through Spain or meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. Yesterday I said one day at a time, today Im telling you one hour at a time, she responded. If I had the answers, I certainly wouldnt be giving them to you at this point.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
OK Boomers, gather round. I know you love your English. Proof is your wince each time a dictionary acclaims such twaddle as skibidi and 67 (six-seven, never sixty-seven) as words of the year. Kids today have no reverence for grammar, let alone orthodox nouns. What the hell is happening to our mother tongue?

The simple answer is the algorithm. The messier answer lies in Algospeak (Ebury, 2025) by US linguist Adam Aleksic. The subtitle says more: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language. True to nature, as an antsy purist, youre likely despairing about Aleksics flawed verb (Media are! Media are!) but that only supports the books point.

You dont have to love this years new lingo but its here to stay. Getty Images

In reality, of course, correct English is a construct, writes Aleksic. The purpose of language is to be understood, and people can get their point across in many different ways. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram those ways proliferate, since the algorithms driving such sites encourage original expression, reward neologisms and promote maverick usage. Its called slang-boosting, or algorithmic pandering, to help your content stand out.

Take Canadian influencer Khai Bellamy. (Yes, Boomer, I heard your eye roll from here. You hate the word influencer, dont you?) With 2.6 million followers, Bellamy has influence, as does her knack for sassy coinages. In one viral video, as Algospeak reveals, Bellamy describes a budget airline as a closet with wings, seeing her family Amish-shun her dad for booking tickets, the man placed on marital probation.
Advertisement

NationalUSA Opinion Hand over my social media accounts and pics? Im cancelling my US trip Kate Halfpenny Regular columnist December 12, 2025  11:30am

December 12, 2025  11:30am 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 A A

Last Saturday my old Who magazine mate, Shelli-Anne, came for a sleepover with her fella, Gavin. Theyve lived in Los Angeles for 30 years. She runs multiple businesses, hes a director of photography whose work youd know. While Gavin and I were cooking broccoli pasta, he told great stories about singing lakes five hours drive from their place, sequoia forests, hikes in Utah. Poured us a wine: You and Chris should come for a roadie. Use my van. Australian travellers could be forced to provide their social media details to US authorities to enter the country. Getty Images Um, yes please! Its nearly 40 years since I was in the States. And the one time before that, I was 12 and we were on a bus tour. So much left to see. Fantastic, said Gavin. Come next May. My husband was less geed up than me at the idea of a cool van holiday. The exchange rate, the investing of time and money in a place where you cant get an abortion everywhere but you can get a gun.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Look, I get it. Nobody wants baddies swanning unchecked across borders. Security matters. But requiring people to hand over their digital past feels not just invasive but wildly optimistic about how stupid villains are. Related Article Opinion

USA Ludicrous list of new entry requirements might make US travel too hard Anthony Dennis Editor, Traveller Im not convinced too many criminal masterminds post nefarious plans via TikTok reels or that extremist groups work by pinning mood boards on Pinterest, although Id be interested in seeing them. A terrific Insta post this week from an account called shebangwoman got more than 200,000 likes for showing the woman thinking about what hackers demanding $20,000 not to leak the photos on her phone would find. Her photos? Dogs. Snaps of random ingredients. Car park signs. More dogs. More ingredients. More car park signs. So fabulous and so true.

Advertisement

I feel thats all of us with this new proposal. The border patrol algorithm/goons would spend forever combing shots of Chadstone, groodles and midweek pasta recipes that have never been made. Related Article Trump's America Australians to be forced to provide their social media to enter the US Imagine being grilled by a bloke scrolling your feed: Maam, explain this 2021 photo where youre wearing knickerbockers and holding a cocktail bigger than your head. Why did you post 16 perimenopause memes in one month? What is it with you and pashing in pools? Its a massive time-waster. And its a fishing expedition that hands huge power to whomever or whatever is interpreting the red flags of ordinary peoples online mundanity. The part that both delights me and puts a dampener on my lovely van holiday is that my husband is Nostradamus-adjacent. He was right.

Advertisement

Nothing is clear. Do they tell you beforehand if they dont like the cut of your social jib? Or do they keep you hanging, then on landing at LAX, frog-march you into a basement to justify a post about coriander? Related Article Opinion

Royal family Fergies moving into Princess Beatrices cowshed? I want in Kate Halfpenny Regular columnist This uncertainty is why Im hesitating now. The vans waiting, Gavs mapped out a route, but Im wondering if the shots of Chris mixing our homemade mozzie spray in a bucket in the kitchen might set off alarms. Because everyone knows border control is not where you want suspense. Its a strange old time when a country that once symbolised freedom and the open road wants to poke through your posts.

Advertisement

Id still love to go back to the US one day. But next May? Nah. Im not risking the holiday being derailed because my 2021 Twitter scrap with a random about Die Hard being a Christmas movie is subversive. Kate Halfpenny is the founder of Bad Mother Media. The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.
Advertisement

Exclusive NationalNSWRussia-Ukraine war Aussie Cossack welcomes baby from inside Russian consulate in Sydney Perry Duffin December 13, 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 A A A

The Aussie Cossack, a pro-Russian activist, has welcomed the birth of his first child while marking three years hiding out from authorities inside his motherlands consulate in Sydney. Simeon Boikov, 35, could not be with his wife Katia as she gave birth to a son, in a Sydney hospital on Friday evening. Simeon Boikov in the Russian consulate in Woollahra in April 2023. Wolter Peeters My first thoughts are that [Vladimir] Putin would be very proud, Boikov told this masthead moments after the birth. If the Australian government would allow me, I would love to take my son to grow up in Russia.

Advertisement

Self-described as the Russian presidents man in Australia, Boikov has been hiding out in the Russian consulate in Sydney since December 14, 2022 to evade an arrest warrant. Since entering the consulate, Boikov has been granted a Russian passport but claims he has been socially isolated while living in a small apartment inside the gated Woollahra complex, which houses Russias diplomats. He has not been isolated from his wife, who lives in Sydneys inner west and visits Boikov in the consulate. Simeon Boikov has a run in with A Current Affair reporter Steve Marshall in March 2022, before his self-imposed exile. Nine This is the best thing Ive done in my three years since being here, Boikov said.

Advertisement

This is a self-imposed prison, but we would never have been able to do this if I was in a real prison. Related Article Exclusive

Crime The scandalous case that sank the Aussie Cossack revealed I just told my cat: we have a son. Boikov was the target of an arrest warrant after an altercation with a pro-Ukrainian protester near Sydneys Town Hall in December 2022. He had allegedly pushed the older man, who fell and struck his head, but argued the older man had confronted him.

Advertisement

Boikov was, at the time, on parole after being imprisoned for naming a paedophile within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). That paedophile is now serving decades in prison for abusing people within the community. Boikov, if he walks from the consulate, will be arrested and ordered to serve the remaining weeks of his parole. Boikovs greater fear, and the reason he has not left the consulate, is being charged with foreign interference by the Australian Federal Police for his pro-Russian vlogs and activities. He insists he has never acted contrary to Australias interests, but wants to return to Russia or fade into obscurity after years of courting controversy. I want to hang up my boots in Dandenong, or Broome, or Siberia, he said.

Advertisement

I want to throw a fishing line into the water with my son, to give my wife a sense of normality. Mrs Boikov, a staunch supporter of her husband, insists she loves Australia and does not want to leave. Such is life, Boikov said, quoting Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. We Russians are used to the hard road. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Advertisement

Exclusive NationalNSWHealthcare Cost-cutting, safety fears for prestigious Sydney private hospital Angus Thomson December 13, 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 A A A

Dozens of doctors at one of Sydneys most well-known private hospitals fear its potential sale to for-profit investors will lead to cost-cutting measures, diminished safety standards and an exodus of highly skilled specialists. Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Randwick is considered among the most profitable and prestigious facilities owned by Healthscope, Australias second-largest private hospital provider, which went into receivership in May owing $1.7 billion to lenders. The private and public Prince of Wales hospitals are closely integrated. Dion Georgopoulos The receivers are now considering stand-alone bids to buy Prince of Wales and four other crown jewel assets in Healthscopes portfolio, which could generate enough money to pay down its debt and allow the companys 32 other hospitals to continue operating under a new not-for-profit model. The leading bidder for Prince of Wales is Pacific Equity Partners, The Australian first reported. The Sydney-based fund management firm owns Healthe Care, the countrys third-largest private hospital provider.

Advertisement

In a letter sent to receivers McGrathNicol on Friday, 57 doctors working at Prince of Wales across more than a dozen specialties said any bids from private equity-backed buyers should be treated with caution. Related Article Analysis

Healthcare Have they learnt nothing? Radical surgery only option for hospital giant The operational model  raises concerns about the potential for cost-cutting measures that may inadvertently compromise staff support, clinical resources, and overall surgical experience, the letter said. Hospitals cannot be sustainably run at bare minimum levels without risking a decline in quality, morale, and ultimately surgical volume. Healthscope was bought by Canadian private equity giant Brookfield in 2019 for $4.4 billion, but struggled under the weight of rising interest rates, higher rents, and the inflated cost of delivering healthcare during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advertisement

Tino La Spina, who was appointed Healthscope chief executive in February, told staff on Wednesday he would be appalled if the receivers sold one of their hospitals to another private equity player. Have they learnt nothing? he asked staff at a town hall, as first reported by The Australian Financial Review. Professor Ramon Varcoe, a vascular surgeon and chair of Prince of Wales Privates medical advisory committee, said Brookfield had attempted to introduce some cost-saving measures at the hospital during its ownership, and clinicians did not want to see new for-profit owners do the same. Certain operations might not make a lot of money for the hospital, but we believe that its part of giving patients an option to access all types of care, Varcoe said.

Advertisement

Wed all be a little concerned when private equity gets involved [when] the underscoring intention is to minimise costs and maximise profits. Dr Michael Solomon, the hospitals head of orthopaedics, who penned the letter, said he raised the concerns after speaking to staff at Hurstville and Waratah private hospitals, both run by Healthe Care, who had witnessed less-profitable procedures and services scrapped. Were not saying thats going to happen at Prince of Wales Private, but we know how private equity works, he said. Theyve got to be showing theyre making a profit, and the way you make a profit is you cut your costs. Pacific Equity Partners and Healthe Care declined to comment. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Advertisement

NationalNSWCity life Its been 25 years in the making: The inner wests $57 million path is finally opening Megan Gorrey December 13, 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 A A A

The idea was seeded on the school run. For years, Nick Chapman crossed a tract of land next to an old rail corridor when he walked his three children from their home in Haberfield to Kegworth Public School at Leichhardt, in Sydneys inner west, in the 1990s. Nick Chapman is one of hundreds of inner west residents who championed construction of the shared path over decades. Sam Mooy Chapman, an environmental scientist, envisaged the weed-strewn strip beside the Hawthorne Canal as forming part of a greenway track slicing through Sydneys dense inner suburbs. He was far from alone. Cyclists saw a crucial missing link in the citys bike network, and environment groups imagined an urban biodiversity corridor. Those groups started knocking on the doors of council. And we knocked on those doors for 10 years, he said.

Advertisement

When the final sections of the inner wests long-awaited GreenWay open on Sunday, it will be the culmination of a grassroots campaign waged by hundreds of determined community advocates, a tricky infrastructure project frustrated by stops and starts, and a $57 million bipartisan effort funded by local, state and federal governments. Related Article Sydney councils This Sydney council wants to build a new swimming spot. Rowers are up in arms The six-kilometre bike and pedestrian path connects two of Sydneys busiest exercise routes along the Cooks River in Earlwood, and the Bay Run loop at Iron Cove. The path is dotted with artworks and hugs the Dulwich Hill light rail line as it ducks under several busy thoroughfares, including Parramatta Road. Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne said the continuous track would transform the way people travelled to and around the area, particularly once the metro rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown opened in the latter half of next year. This has been 20 or 25 years in the making. Its a great credit to the local citizens who put the idea forward in the first place and kept fighting for it for decades. The fact its now coming to life is incredibly exciting, Byrne said.

Advertisement

Im expecting it will also become a tourist attraction and a recreational facility that will be used by many people, not just in the inner west but Sydneysiders generally. Bicycle NSW chief executive Peter McLean said the path would form a connecting spine that would link the bike and pedestrian route with light rail, train and future metro services to the city. McLean said the track would be a boon for cyclists, but also for families, beginner bike riders, walkers, runners, and those with a disability. Its connecting all those people with different transport options, and not along footpaths or boring, dangerous roads, but in beautiful, natural green spaces which are historically, culturally, and environmentally significant. Its giving people a sense of place, which is good for every single member of our society. Arguably it shouldve been finished many years ago, but its done now, and its worth every dollar thats been spent on it.

Advertisement

The ambitious project evolved from a state government scheme, greening the grey spots, in the 1980s, which had identified areas around the canal for bush regeneration. In 2010, the former Labor state government vowed to complete the greenway from Parramatta Road to the Cooks River alongside the inner west light rail line. The track includes five tunnels that dip beneath thoroughfares, including Parramatta Road. A sixth tunnel will be built under Old Canterbury Road. Sam Mooy However, after the Coalition won power in 2011, then-transport minister Gladys Berejiklian shelved the GreenWay proposal because she regarded the estimated cost of $37 million at the time as too expensive. But residents and the four local councils along the greenway route, three of which were later merged to form the Inner West Council, continued to covet the pathway. Chapman, who worked as the GreenWay place manager for seven years until 2019, said together they were gradually able to win back the state governments support. The project was revived when the council and former Baird government committed funds to start work on the missing gaps in the path in 2016. They were helped by the now-defunct Greater Sydney Commission, which identified the project as a priority of its citywide green grid scheme to link public open space and cycle paths.

Advertisement

Long-time campaigner Jennifer Kent spent years attending weekend markets and events to gather signatures for petitions to send to politicians: This was a community effort, she said. The link between the Cooks River and Iron Cove takes about 25 minutes to cycle, or 75 minutes to walk. Sam Mooy Chapman said locals were often 10 or 20 years ahead of the government when it came to projects such as greenways, which were part of a global movement to reclaim spaces for active transport, recreation and nature. The politicians need to decide how to carve up the cake, while the communitys banging [on] about things they think are really important. We were banging on about the greenway, and I think we were about 20 years in front. The projects missing links and new artworks have gradually been completed in the past few years. Chapman said there was a ripple of excitement going through the inner west before Sundays opening, which was immensely satisfying for me, and to many others who have been pushing so hard for so long.

Advertisement

Another instrumental campaigner, environmental planning consultant Bruce Ashley, said, despite the long wait, the track was not a project that starts and stops, its an ongoing vision. I tell people the way part of the GreenWay is done, now we can focus on the green part. I say the new plan is for weed-free by 2033. Related Article Sydney Metro Sydneys three metro rail projects blow out by more than $6 billion Chapman said one of the greatest achievements of the GreenWay was that it unlocked seven hectares of publicly owned land which had been fenced off for nearly 100 years. He said the project showed governments could utilise existing assets to create green corridors as Sydney grew denser and hotter, noting there were nascent routes in Paddington, between Kyeemagh and Sandringham near Botany Bay, and from Artarmon to Middle Harbour. If we can use it as an exemplar to attract state government interest and investment, theres half a chance future generations will benefit from living in this glorious city in the same way that we have. But its got to happen. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A

As a frequent user of roads between Sydney and the New England area I can agree with the concerns about excessive speed (Plan to cut road deaths killed off in just 11 days, December 12). The problem, however, is not so much the 100km/h limit but more about those who exceed it. Despite this, travel on regional roads is a lot safer than travel on the M1 highway to hell between Wahroonga and Newcastle, where the speed limit of 110 is frequently exceeded, particularly by trucks and large SUVs, overtaking on both sides is commonplace and tailgating is rife. I have often been stuck in traffic on the M1 because of a traffic incident. Although I can agree with the need to improve the quality of regional roads, the more pressing problem lies closer to Sydney. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne I have been driving for over 50 years and often on country roads. We frequently drive below the speed limit because of our assessment that the speed limit is too high for the quality of the road. Interestingly, people driving at the speed limit or faster than it come rushing up behind and, despite plenty of long stretches where it is safe to overtake, just sit behind you, presumably because they are inexperienced or not competent enough to overtake, yet they drive at dangerous speeds when they can. This decision on the speed limit is purely political, just like Premier Minns decision to reinstate warning signs on mobile speed cameras. Who cares if we kill a few people as long as we get the votes? There should not be any warning signs on speed cameras anywhere. When speed cameras were first introduced in Victoria decades ago, without warnings, I was visiting and driving around the city. It was very noticeable that everybody drove within the speed limit, unlike people in my home town of Sydney. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach No matter the conditions, speeding just isnt worth the risk Tanya Lake Having the proposal for reducing the speed limit to 80km/h on many rural roads canned, it is now up to governments to fund the required upgrades. There is clearly little empathy for rural and regional road users but plenty of monies for tunnels under Sydney, Metro trains and the like. There is obviously little understanding of the transport needs of rural communities associated with road trains and the like transporting essential goods to Sydney and elsewhere. The necessary funding needs to be found to upgrade rural roads and eliminate the problem, not just reduce the speed limit forever into the future. Are rural residents just third-class citizens of the state. Bruce Clydsdale, Bathurst Protesting against safety infringements by gas-guzzling, bullying behemoths and the rejection of reducing speed limits on unsigned rural remote and low-quality roads is timely as we head into the Christmas-New Year festive season. Road travel home to small towns, the merry season for festive drinking and behavioural disinhibition will surely translate into road carnage. Trucks, tractors and large work vehicles that inhabit rural roads driven at high speed to try to get home early to facilitate family time represents a dangerous combination of mass plus high-impact energy lethality and the false reassurance of long stretches of empty road ahead without other traffic. As a rural relieving doctor on the Charleville circuit 30 years ago, I recall being scared out of my wits looking after the seriously injured. On driving to rural clinics, I was constantly wary of kangaroos drinking from puddles at the edge of open roads at dusk. If wildlife kill is any guide, these long and remote road stretches require speed restrictions. The worst traumas I looked after, as a helicopter rescue doctor years later, were from rural accident scenes. Joseph Ting, Brisbane (Qld) For the first time, my wife and I bought a small car, and its electric. What has surprised us is how easy it is to get around and into parking stations. Its the best car we have ever bought. Our society has a thing for large cars, with the perception that they outperform the smaller car. I can assure you that our little tin can has left many a petrol car in its wake, to their great embarrassment. Please, everyone, you will be a lot happier in a small run-about car that offers much better performance, is cheaper to run and perhaps (if its an EV) even uses free power off your roof. Tony Lewis, Mount Victoria Safety in vapes

Advertisement

The obvious and simplest way to make a dent in the illicit tobacco industry (Half of tobacco market illegal at $11.8b cost, December 12) is to legalise and regulate vaping products. Many Australians do not want tobacco products but have little choice when, on the black market, safer vaping products are either unavailable or more expensive. Other countries (such as Britain and New Zealand) also have very high tobacco taxes, but they have avoided a burgeoning black market in tobacco by accepting vaping as a safer alternative. Peter Barrett, Woonona During Prohibition, America banned alcohol and Mafia gangs devised creative, brutal and sometimes murderous ways to circumvent the authorities, until alcohol was again legalised. The lessons learnt were that if your objective is to create a more moral or healthy society, then youre imposing an actual or de facto zero tolerance or total abstinence rule. Historically, and at present, black markets welcome with open, creative, brutal and murderous arms, zero tolerance or abstinence because it opens up so many possibilities for making profits that otherwise would be the domain of a tobacco industry. Frederick Jansohn, Rose Bay Please dont smoke Wolter Peeters Having recently attended a service for a friend who died of lung cancer, I cannot understand why anyone these days takes up smoking cigarettes, let alone those silly vape things. My friend was not young, but he was addicted and aware of his problem. He grew up in a time when smoking, especially in the media, both film and print, was constantly promoted. Nowadays, it is different; we know what tobacco does. For heavens sake, consider something else if you want to risk your lives, kiddies. A spot of sky-diving, swimming with sharks, running with the bulls in Pamplona ... lots more fun and probably less expensive. As Yul Brynner said on TV before he died: Just dont smoke. Nola Tucker, Kiama Its all yours, Don President Trump will require all Australians wishing to visit the US to provide social media details (US reaches peak paranoia with bizarre border entry plan, December 12). The only social medium where I post my views is email. Does this mean that I would have to allow US authorities access to my emails, and particularly letters that have been published in the Herald? My privacy would no longer be private. In the words of Darryl Kerrigan, Tell him hes dreaming. Rod Watson, East Brighton (Vic) Matt Golding

Advertisement

I realise that due to my predilection for commenting on the self-serving injustice, inequity and plain stupidity of the Trump regime in the Herald, my chances of hanging out in the great US of A with the delightful specimens of humanity who either voted for him, or didnt even bother voting at all, are now nil. Im devastated. Elisabeth Goodsall, Wahroonga Honour and integrity go missing I strongly support the comments of James Massola (Why Albanese should drop Wells, December 12). Anthony Albanese  who has spoken over and over again about wanting to restore trust in politics, which he regards as an honourable profession  should lean into this moment rather than hiding behind regulations that he has the power to change. We badly need more politicians like independent Ted Mack (RIP), who did not take his entitlements because he knew what did not pass the pub test. These so-called rules dilute our faith in the current government and need to change. If you shone a light on corporate life, would this behaviour be acceptable? As a CEO and company director, I did not claim such expenses. Ian Muir, Chatswood It is pleasing to see the PM exercising all of his powers as leader of our country. If he stays on his current trajectory, we may well be rid of him come next election day. We can forgive his failure with the Voice referendum, but his aspiration to restore trust in politicians and politics (make it an honourable profession) is a bridge too far. We have experienced few honourable politicians in this century. Honour and integrity are non-negotiable precepts and these are missing from the Albanese lexicon and his government. He extols the virtues of his government regarding the plight of the homeless, the unemployed and low-income earners but he  and his ministers  do nothing to change those experiencing these straitened circumstances. Chris Rivers, Port Macquarie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Communications Anika Wells: is there an answer? Alex Ellinghausen I look forward to reading Massolas next column, where he will advocate for wealthy Australians who did not need the money to return the electricity rebates they received in the past couple of years. He could also demand people who own multiple investment properties return all the tax concessions they received because ordinary people cant avail themselves of such taxpayer-funded largesse. While hes at it, he could request certain businesses repay the outrageous sums paid to them undeservedly during the pandemic. And lets not forget the money paid to wealthy private schools to help them build castles and sporting fields. All these payments were within the rules, but they dont pass the test at any pub I go to. The entitlements received by Anika Wells and other politicians pale into insignificance compared with these examples. Phil Peak, Dubbo Albanese should indeed drop Wells, as Massola argues, but the stability-seeking PM is unlikely to do so. If the scandal persists he might shift Wells into another portfolio, but her conscious choice to take advantage of overly generous expenses will haunt her. Moreover, the ministers lack of integrity, if not common decency, will quite rightly be exploited by Sussan Leys team desperate to make gains before the next election. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

Advertisement

The hullabaloo about family travel entitlements for politicians is a ridiculous beat-up. Do we want a parliament with only old divorced men who have no dependents, or one with politicians from across the spectrum of private commitments? Australia is huge, and all pollies have to travel far and wide, most must live away from home when parliament sits, all while keeping their families intact, in a position that might give only three to four years between job interviews to renew their short-term contracts. Give them a break. Peter Kamenyitzky, Copacabana I have read many commentaries this week pertaining to the Anika Wells misstep and a claim Anthony Albanese is a past master of understanding government workings, particularly relative to expenses. It would appear he does not understand the difference between responsibility and accountability. He has always aspired to become prime minister and having achieved this goal he is accountable and cannot hide behind delegated responsibility to others as a defence of Anika Wells. DArcy Hardy, North Turramurra Last night, going out for dinner about seven oclock, I saw a sight I havent seen for a long time. It was a group of kids, aged from about six or seven to 14 or 15, playing netball in the park. Well done, Anika. Coral Button, North Epping Alls well that ends Wells? Prime Minister Albanese does indeed need to hold a hose, the sooner, the better (Albanese is getting closer to his I dont hold a hose moment, December 12). He needs to hose down the negative publicity and speculation as well as increasing public anger and frustration. He must act and be shown to act quickly to amend the family travel entitlement regulations so that they are fairer in the minds of voters. Otherwise, his image, stature and leadership will be watered down and come back to haunt him and his Labor Party at the next election. Jennifer Fergus, Croydon The Big Hose, a collaboration by Brisbane First Nations artist Tony Albert and Sydney contemporary artist Nell. I can appreciate the prime ministers frustration. He has lost control of the agenda at a time when he has something he wants to celebrate. Egalitarianism lives on in Australia, and the politics of envy is ever-present. It is time for Albanese to learn from his predecessors and show that he can be both pragmatic and principled. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

Advertisement

For a while on Thursday, I thought I was watching a press conference in the Oval Office, with Donald Trump responding to unwelcome questions from a female reporter. Albanese was obviously stroppy, he prevaricated and did not wholly answer the question while Trump would have said he knew nothing about it before launching a demeaning remark about the reporter in question and ask where she was from. The whole question of politicians entitlements certainly needs tightening, especially when politicians keep telling us they know we are doing it tough. But, obviously, some are doing it tougher than others. Bernard Moylan, Bronte Arts masters Your correspondents suggestion (Letters, December 12) that politicians need a course in ethics is an excellent idea. Sadly, the study of ethics falls under the Humanities banner, a field seriously devalued under the Jobs-Ready Graduate Scheme, so the chances of anyone studying this subject is becoming increasingly more remote. Kendal Tichon, Bundanoon Unsocial media players Waleed Aly should clarify the issue of agency (Ban may be bigger than we think, December 12). Technological innovation in and of itself neither enhances nor degrades the human condition. Credit or blame belongs to those who create or apply the technology. In a similar way, credit or blame belong to those who regulate or fail to regulate technology. Mark Porter, New Lambton The problem with social media is not the under-age users, its the unsocial users making it unsafe for minors. The Australian government already has a unique ID linking health records, bank accounts and tax records, it would be easy to link social media accounts in that record without making the link public. Apple already has a feature to allow apps to securely check international records. Disruptive users could be blacklisted across all apps. Colin Sutton, Newtown Bankrupt ideas

Advertisement
Advertisement

Analysis NationalVictoriaNaked City This policewoman had the answer to youth crime 86 years ago. It fell on deaf ears John Silvester December 12, 2025  11:30am 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 A A

It is entirely possible that next years state election will be decided by a group too young to vote  juvenile offenders under the age of 18 who, under new laws, will face adult time for adult crimes. This year has been dominated by youth crime, home invasions, carjackings, bail laws and hundreds of arrests. Voters are angry and frightened. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush has promised change, and as early as next week, he will announce a massive structural shake-up designed to get more cops out on patrol to deter crime. The problem is not the fault of the police, who have had no trouble catching the offenders. The government has been battling to find solutions  some smart and some stupid. Dr Ashley Gordon was killed in Doncaster in a confrontation following an aggravated burglary in January 2024. Nine News There have been the machete amnesty and a dump bins program worth $13 million that may have been handy for people doing a shed clear-out but was not of much interest to those who use machetes to attack gang opponents.

Advertisement

Banning the sale of machetes but not other bladed implements is a little like banning .38 pistols but allowing the sale of .22 rifles. Introducing laws that include a maximum life penalty for home invasions is nuts. No one is getting life for an aggravated burglary. Earlier this month, a teenager who stabbed Melbourne doctor Ash Gordon to death after burgling his house was sentenced to 17 years jail with a minimum of 12 years. That is for an aggravated burglary and murder. The government has tightened bail laws but court delays remain. If kids are to have their cases heard at the County Court, rather than in the Childrens Court, the delays will be greater.

Advertisement

Karyn McCluskey has spent years turning around attitudes in youth gang crime in Scotland. Some who have been charged have been kept in the Custody Centre for weeks rather than days. No natural light and cramped conditions have turned the place into a medieval circus. No one has the stomach for real reform in the justice system and no one talks about why an open-and-shut case has to take more than 12 months to resolve. Lawyers like change about as much as vegans like cheeseburgers. We are, however, supporters of the governments initiative to introduce methods developed in Scotland, which once had the worst youth violence problem in Europe. Premier Jacinta Allan announced the introduction of a Violence Reduction Unit to work with schools, hospitals and employers on rehabilitation methods developed in Scotland.

Advertisement

Social workers will be employed in schools because the Scotland experience is if a kid is expelled, they are likely to end up in a gang. The use of reformed gang members to talk to at-risk kids is again directly out of the Scotland playbook. In Glasgow, when a kid was stabbed, a former gang member, called a navigator, turned up to talk, showing there were ways to get out of the violent cycle. The government would do well to talk to Anne Hooker, a Churchill Fellow who ran a youth division in Port Phillip Prison with outstanding results. Anne Hooker, who ran a youth development program at Port Phillip Prison, with some inmates modelling T-shirts they printed and sold. Rebecca Hallas

Advertisement

She gave young offenders a chance to change, and the skills to survive in the outside world. We have to teach them the value of caring. If you dont care, then you can do anything to anyone, and it doesnt matter, Hooker said. These young men missed out on the basics. We had the conversations these kids never had. They have to learn there are consequences, both good and bad. Some of them have missed the very basic lessons of life. Inside jail, the consequences are immediate while outside they are not. It sounds basic but it works. And if there is an appetite to look at causes rather than just punish the outcome, those in authority should review an essay written by Jessie Clarey, Victorias fourth policewoman to graduate.

Advertisement

Recruited in 1928, she was restricted to office duties, but her mind was never desk-bound. What she saw over the next 10 years made her realise that just punishing juvenile offenders was a waste of time. Jessie Clarey, Victorias fourth policewoman to graduate, promoted ideas on youth crime that were ahead of her time. In 1939, she won the Empire-wide Kings Police Gold Medal essay competition for her paper on the causes and treatment of youth crime. For permanent results, it is not sufficient for us to ascertain, Did the boy steal?, but, Why did he steal?; not, Is he a thief?, but, Why is he a thief? Having answered that, the commonsense plan would be to remove the cause, not merely eliminate or suppress the outward act. Although this seems obvious, it is surprising how little it is understood or practised.

Advertisement

Indeed, the more thought and investigation one gives to this subject, the more one is convinced that the causes behind juvenile crime can be likened unto a giant octopus, spreading its tentacles in all directions; and when the grip of one tentacle is released, the hapless victim is still enmeshed by the others. It is certain she would disapprove of the adult crime, adult time approach with young offenders and taking cases from the Childrens Court to the County Court. Clarey wrote: Until a little more than a century ago, it was not uncommon in England and America to hang a child for an offence. But with the acceptance of more enlightened ideas, there has come a greater realisation of the childs inexperience and of his inability to exercise mature judgment. Legislation has been passed for the protection of the young, and separate tribunals have been constituted to study their needs.

Advertisement

A 1939 newspaper report on Jessie Clareys Kings Empire award. Hooker banned violent video games that she believes desensitised young offenders who committed violent crimes. Police say social media plays a part, with juvenile crooks posting and boasting, and gangs recruiting members after watching online videos of their street fights. In Clareys time, there was no social media, but she raised movies as a trigger. She wrote that the cinema (read todays social media) could influence for good or evil, by arousing desires for easy money; by fostering day-dreaming of criminal roles (the romantic activities of the criminal and his prestige as ringleader of a powerful ring appeal to the boy); by displaying criminal technique. As in todays social media, Clarey said cinema could prematurely sexualise the young.

Advertisement

Passion pictures stir up sexual feelings which may be used as the preliminary of illicit relations later in the same evening. This aspect appeals to both sexes, whilst an added appeal to the girl lies in the fact that it teaches the technique of love-making, and at the same time, by arousing desires for clothes and appearance and a fast life, suggests methods of obtaining them by exploitation of her sex. It is telling how the views of Hooker, a Churchill Fellow, and Clarey, a Kings gold medallist, agree on matters of cause and treatment. On gangs, Hooker says: Many young offenders think, I dont care so why should I care about anyone else? They dont belong and the only ones that matter are their peers, which is why they join a gang. Clarey writes: Every investigator of juvenile misbehaviour knows that the most frequently tendered explanation of such conduct is bad companionship. In many cases, the boys contact with the group or gang marks the beginning of his career in delinquency. It is here he gains familiarity with delinquent practices and acquires the necessary technique.

Advertisement

Both agree there is a powerful desire to belong, a sense that perhaps is not available in the family home. Related Article Crime Massimiliano was at work when police told him a toddlers body was buried in his backyard Comparatively little delinquency is engaged in without associates or gang connections. The language, the conduct, the ethical standards of these associates are quickly absorbed by the child. In many cases, the boys contact with the group or gang marks the beginning of his career in delinquency. Today, we see multiple reports of frustrated parents who want their children jailed before they kill or are killed. Police know early intervention is vital. Clarey called for the establishment of a fully staffed Psychological Clinic, working in conjunction with the Childrens Courts, and to which parents could voluntarily bring the behaviour problems of their children ... It would examine and treat children who present serious behaviour problems; it could co-operate with teachers, social workers, and other community agencies.

Advertisement

But what about the cases in which the parents have created an environment where their kids turn to crime? Editor's pick Exclusive

Investigations Let me make love to you: $1000 sex offer revealed in security firm chiefs harassing messages The Childrens Court should have greater jurisdiction over the responsible parents or guardians. In some instances, the Court may impose a fine, which must be met by the parents. Police and teachers say one of the problems is parents blame everyone but themselves. One senior cop says they deal with young adult males who have never heard the word no. Again Clarey says: A most important step conducive to the reduction of crime among juveniles lies in educating erring parents in parental responsibility of their children.

Advertisement

The first step in the re-education of the parents is to make them realise that in some measure, they are responsible for the problem presented by the child. Clarey was ahead of her time but because of the wooden-headed attitudes of the time, policewomen were treated as second-tier cops. Instead of dictating a program, she took dictation. She died of a stroke in 1952, aged 51. Family member Frank Clarey says: She loved her work and was dedicated to policing. The family believes overwork did her in. The best of Good Weekend delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Sign up here.
Advertisement

Updated NationalVictoriaCourts Tom Silvagni, you raped me: Victim says she will carry trauma for the rest of her life Erin Pearson December 12, 2025  11:32am 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 A A

Dressed in all white with her hands shaking, Tom Silvagnis rape victim stood at a lectern in the County Court to tell her story publicly for the first time. Tom Silvagni, you raped me not once but twice. You know this, I know this, and now so does everyone else, she said. Tom Silvagni (left) arrives at the County Court of Victoria in November. AAP You were my friend, somebody I thought I could trust. Today you dont get to interrupt me, you dont get to interrupt my words.

Advertisement

The young woman, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, spoke of the ongoing impact of the night of January 13, 2024, of losing a version of herself and of having to navigate a minefield of lies, gaslighting and trauma she said she would have to carry for the rest of her life. She said shed had to relive the night over and over, crying in the shower so no one could hear. Jo and Stephen Silvagni outside the County Court on Friday. Their son, Tom, was found guilty of rape last week. Joe Armao People think the worst part of this was the night you hurt me, but its  having to live with the aftermath every day since, she said. Do you know how scary it is to have a big strong man hold hands behind your back so you cant escape his grip?

Advertisement

Your actions that night have changed the way I trust, the way I sleep and the way I move through the world now. The young woman said every day she grieves the person she used to be and the friends shed lost along the way. She also questioned how she could ever trust another man again, knowing Silvagni could do something so evil. Ive finally got the justice I deserve. I stand here knowing you dont have power over my life any more, she said. Silvagni sat unmoving with no reaction on a video link from Melbourne Assessment Prison, where he is being held. He was on December 5 found guilty on two counts of rape after a trial. He had pleaded not guilty.

Advertisement

Tom is the youngest son of Carlton great Stephen Silvagni and wife Jo, a former television host, and the grandson of Blues Hall of Famer Sergio. Toms older brother, Jack, followed in the family footsteps to start an AFL career at the Blues before switching to St Kilda for the 2026 season. Stephen and Jo Silvagni outside court on December 5 after the guilty verdict. Joe Armao On Friday, Stephen and Jo Silvagni remained outside the courtroom as the young woman spoke, and only entered as defence barrister David Hallowes, SC, began addressing the court. After the hearing, the couple said they were continuing to support their son and would fight to clear his name. Inside the packed courtroom, more than half a dozen friends and family members of the victim sat shoulder to shoulder across the first two rows.

Advertisement

Tom Silvagni was named on Thursday after the lifting of a suppression order that had prevented the media reporting his name. Loading His lawyers had argued that naming their client would damage the Silvagni family name, which was something that had played on the 23-year-olds mind. His lawyers had pressed for the suppression order to continue because of their clients mental ill-health. The gag order was lifted on Thursday when County Court Judge Andrew Palmer noted Tom Silvagnis name had become common knowledge despite the suppression order. During Toms trial, jurors were told that the victim visited the Silvagni family home on January 13, 2024. Stephen and Jo Silvagni were away in Noosa, and Toms girlfriend invited the victim.

Advertisement

Tom Silvagni, his girlfriend, their male friend and the victim gathered at the home. When the four went to bed, Silvagni and his girlfriend went to one bedroom, and the victim and the male friend to another. The victim had consensual sex with Silvagnis friend, who left her in the bedroom, called an Uber and left just after 2am. The court heard Silvagni then entered the victims room in the dark, where he pretended to be his friend, and said the Uber ride was cancelled and he was unable to get another one. He then raped the woman twice, despite her telling Silvagni to stop and that she suspected it was him. The jury was told Silvagni tried to cover up his crimes by obtaining a copy of his friends Uber receipt and altering the time of the journey to suggest the man did not leave until 2.37am.

Advertisement

The maximum jail term for rape is 25 years, with an average of seven to 10 years. On Friday, prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams said Silvagni had displayed a real lack of empathy, a real sense of entitlement when he violated a woman invited into a home where she thought she was safe. This wasnt a misunderstanding of the boundaries of consent, this wasnt uncertainty about what was agreed, this was calculated deception from start to end, he said. Tom Silvagni (centre) with his lawyers in June 2024. Nine News Hallowes referred to his clients young age, loving and supportive family, and his excellent prospects of rehabilitation in asking the judge not to impose a lengthy jail sentence.

Advertisement

He said Silvagni had no prior convictions and was a man who was otherwise of good character. The defence barrister noted his client had also lost his job as a player agent and would now find his time in custody more onerous than others. Judge Gregory Lyon said every day in prison would be a shock including the food, fear and boredom. Outside court, Stephen Silvagni said his son maintained his innocence and the family was exploring its appeal options. Jo and I, together with our family members and friends, are so disappointed with the outcome. We all love and support our son, Stephen Silvagni said.

Advertisement

Our son continues to maintain his innocence, and we stand firmly behind him. We will be considering our options to appeal and shall not be making any further comments on this case. Our goal is to clear his name and bring him home. Tom Silvagni is to be sentenced on Wednesday. Support is available from the National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) and Victims of Crime Helpline (1800 819 817). Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Advertisement

NationalWACourts British backpacker jailed for killing beloved father in Perth e-scooter crash Rebecca Peppiatt December 12, 2025  3:36pm 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 A A

A British backpacker who had a blood alcohol concentration more than three times the legal limit when she crashed a hired e-scooter into a father-of-two in Perths CBD has been jailed, with a District Court judge telling her she was responsible for the death of a good man. Alicia Kemp, 25, had been in Perth for less than two months as part of a gap year trip when she attended an all-you-can drink event at The Beaufort on the afternoon of May 31 with a group of work friends. Loading The group continued drinking at various venues across the city before they were twice refused entry into The Aviary because of their intoxication. Kemp then used her mobile phone to hire an e-scooter on Murray Street, which she then proceeded to ride recklessly and dangerously while more than three times over the legal drinking limit.

Advertisement

On Friday, Perths District Court was told Kemp, with a drunk friend riding on the back of the scooter, was weaving in and out of pedestrians  some of whom had to take evasive action as she careened along the footpath at about 20km/h. Structural engineer Thanh Phan, 51, had been out to dinner with friends and was waiting to cross the road on the corner of King and Murray streets when Kemp crashed into him from behind, giving him no warning to brace for the impact. The crashed caused him to spin and fall onto the road, and he suffered a catastrophic head injury. Kemps friend was also seriously injured, suffering fractures to her head and pelvis. During her sentencing on Friday, the court was told Kemp carried on drinking with friends at various venues while Phan was ramped at Royal Perth Hospital because an initial assessment of his injuries reported they were minor.

Advertisement

He was later prioritised for emergency surgery but died the next morning. Related Article Electric vehicles Most e-bikes are illegal and will be crushed: WA top cops warning to Perth teens Kemp was arrested and charged with dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of alcohol. On Friday, the court was told she had expressed an extreme level of remorse over Phans death and had been unable to watch CCTV footage of the crash because she found it too confronting. Kemp was a psychology and criminology graduate who had spent part of her travels volunteering at an animal shelter in the Philippines.

Advertisement

The incident thrust e-scooters into the spotlight and spawned a parliamentary inquiry into their safety. The report, which was tabled earlier this month, found injuries involving e-rideables were now a daily occurrence, with Royal Perth Hospitals trauma unit admitting at least one seriously injured rider every day. The committee issued 33 recommendations and warned there was an urgent need for state regulatory reform which cannot wait for the establishment of a national framework. On Friday, sentencing Judge Wendy Hughes said were still trying to grapple with the dangers of an e-scooter as prosecutors pushed for jail time that would send a clear message to the community. Phans wife wrote a heartbreaking victim impact statement that prosecutors read to the court, explaining the deep impact her husbands death had had on their family.

Advertisement

She told the court their two adult sons were both autistic, one so severely that he was unable to live independently and did not understand that his father was not coming back. He was a deeply devoted father, Phans wife wrote. My husband had a profound and irreplaceable effect on our children. I live in constant fear about what will happen to them. I have lost the person who was my partner. We raised our children together. I now carry the full weight alone, as a mother, carer  while still grieving the love of my life. Hughes told Kemp she was a cautionary tale.

Advertisement

E-scooters are not toys, she said. It was not an accident. You are responsible for the death of a good man. Kemp was jailed for four years with eligibility for parole and disqualified from holding a drivers licence for two years. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
The White House anticipates further interceptions of vessels and is preparing sanctions against the nephews of the leader of the Chavista regime

The United States has entered a new, even more intense phase in its pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The target now is crude oil, Caracas main source of income. Following the seizure of a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil in waters off the countrys coastin a spectacular operation that the U.S. government sought to publicize extensivelyWashington announced sanctions on Thursday against half a dozen other similar vessels, opening the door to further seizures. In addition, it imposed sanctions on three of the Chavista leaders nephews.

The new phase has heightened existing tensions in the Caribbean, where Washington maintains its largest military presence in decades. President Donald Trump continually threatens to attack targets on the South American countrys soil.

In separate statements, the Treasury and State Departments announced sanctions against four individualsthree of them Maduros nephewssix shipping companies that transport Venezuelan oil, and six of the ships those companies use.

The U.S. government will continue to deny financial lifelines to the illegitimate Maduro regime, which he uses to oppress the Venezuelan people. The United States is committed to keeping the American people safe by using all available means to eliminate threats of narco-trafficking and crime throughout our hemisphere, it states.

Earlier, regarding Wednesdays seizure, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that a formal seizure process has been initiated and the United States intends to take possession of the confiscated oil once the necessary legal steps have been completed.

The seizure of the oil tanker Skipper on Wednesday was led by the Coast Guard with support from the U.S. Navy, in an operation under the authority of the FBI. A video of the operation, released by the Department of Homeland Security on social media, shows images that look like something out of an action movie. According to senior officials speaking to U.S. media, military helicopters transported Coast Guard personnel from the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, the worlds largest and most modern carrier and part of the massive U.S. naval deployment in the Caribbean, to the cargo ship.

The video shows Coast Guard personnel rappelling from helicopters onto the deck of the seized vessel and moving about with their weapons seemingly ready to fire. According to senior officials, the crew of the Skipper offered no resistance.

Successful operation

a successful operation directed by the president to ensure that were pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a House hearing on Thursday.

The tanker was sailing under the Guyanese flag, although the Guyanese Maritime Administration has confirmed that it was a false flag and the vessel is not listed in its official records. Announcing the seizure, Trump described the ship as very large, largest one ever seized, actually. When asked about the fate of the crude oil, he added, Well, we keep it, I guess.

The case of this vessel is unique. The ship, formerly known as the Adisa, was previously linked to the smuggling of Iranian oil within a black market that the FBI and the Department of Justice had been investigating for years. In the social media post accompanying the video, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote that for multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.

An unusual act

But the involvement of U.S. military personnel in seizing a merchant ship is unusual. And the announcement of the operation comes a month after a U.S. warship intercepted a Russian vessel bound for Venezuela, forcing it to divert to Cuba, as reported two weeks ago by Bloomberg. The Russian merchant ship was carrying naphtha, a chemical that Venezuela needs to import to dilute its heavy crude oil for sale.

Caracas has denounced Wednesdays seizure as an act of international piracy. The true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been exposed. It is not migration. It is not drug trafficking. It is not democracy. It is not human rights. It has always been about our wealth, which belongs exclusively to the Venezuelan people, a government statement reads.

Senior officials who spoke with The New York Times stated that they anticipate further seizures in the coming weeks, as part of the Administrations efforts to weaken the Chavista regime by depriving it of oil revenues. The energy sector is the main engine of the Venezuelan economy, and the countrys dependence on it has grown due to the long list of international sanctions it faces.

Last month, the South American country produced nearly 900,000 barrels per day. Its main customer is China, although it must sell to them at discounted prices due to competition from Russia and Iran, two other oil-producing countries heavily sanctioned by the international community.

The United States is placing Venezuela under a blockade, said Francesca Emanuele of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) before the seizure took place. In addition to the seizures, she noted, the U.S. has closed Venezuelan airspace, and hardly any international flights are entering the country, with the exception of planes transporting deported migrants, which Venezuela has only recently begun to accept again. Threats are one thing, but now we are adding the possibility of a blockade, which would worsen the already horrific circumstances of the 78% of Venezuelans living below the poverty line, she stated, urging European countries to strongly condemn the situation.

The operation to seize the merchant ship intensifies the Trump administrations efforts to pressure Maduro. Since August, the United States has maintained a naval deployment off the coast of Venezuela, which last month included the USS Ford and involves fighter jets and nearly 15,000 troops.

The military operation, known as Operation Southern Spear, is aimed at combating drug trafficking, according to the United States. Since September 2, it has attacked at least 22 suspected drug-running boats in bombings that have killed 87 people.

But the Venezuelan government, as well as numerous experts, believe the true objective of the deployment is to try to force Maduro from power. Washington describes the Chavista leader as a drug kingpin, has added the Cartel of the Sunsthe alleged criminal group it claims Maduro headsto its list of foreign terrorist organizations, and has doubled the reward offered for his capture to $50 million.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
Advertisement

NationalWALocal council Perth council at war: The 30-page dossier laying bare citys leadership rift Carla Hildebrandt December 12, 2025  10:35am 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 A A A

A leadership rift within the City of Perth has been laid bare in an explosive, confidential 30-page dossier from chief executive Michelle Reynolds and an anonymous letter allegedly penned by former city employees, claiming punitive actions and a deteriorating workplace culture. The two documents, obtained by this masthead, were sent to councillors just hours apart. The anonymous letter from former staff was sent on Sunday at 7pm and Reynolds dossier on Monday at 2.30pm. Explosive letters have detailed a rift in the City of Perth, with Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds and chief executive Michelle Reynolds at the centre of the controversy. WAtoday The files in the bundle sent by Reynolds contain her letter to councillors, a letter to Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds, the internal notes from a meeting between council and administration, and a letter from acting chief executive Peta Mabbs to Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley, which was copied to the Corruption and Crime Commission and the Office of the Auditor General. The documents were sent ahead of Tuesday nights council meeting, where councillors voted 8-1 to revoke a controversial $125,000 workplace culture review ordered by Bruce Reynolds and leave any probe to Western Australias incoming local government inspector.

Advertisement

The dispute erupted on November 18 when the lord mayor tabled an urgent motion, with six minutes notice given to councillors, to appoint external lawyers Mills Oakley to investigate the citys workplace culture. He argued staff needed a safe, independent avenue to speak, but the citys administration warned the plan breached the Local Government Act and duplicated existing workplace systems. Light at the end of a very long tunnel The anonymous ex-employee letter sent on Sunday claimed Bruce Reynolds decision to launch an independent review was welcomed inside Council House, describing staff as jubilant at the prospect of finally having an external, safe pathway to speak. The authors expressed deep and genuine concern for the wellbeing of talented, hardworking staff past, present and future, and urged councillors to push for an independent review of some sort.

Advertisement

The decision is seen as a light at the end of a very long tunnel, the authors wrote, alleging punitive actions and psychosocial harm occurring inside the organisation. Related Article Updated

Gina Rinehart Perth council grounds Rineharts helipad plans for $270m Hancock headquarters The letter did not state how many ex-employees made up the group, saying they could not identify themselves because colleagues who raised issues were met with defensive language, punitive actions, and even threats of legal action. The letter urged councillors to consider significant turnover in key roles over the past five years, estimating more than 40 movements across senior positions. Some people have left without other employment, simply to get out for the sake of their mental health, the letter states.

Advertisement

His first task would be to get rid of me Meanwhile, Michelle Reynolds dossier began with a letter to councillors that dismissed the staff complaint as inaccurate, vague and misleading. The anonymous letter does not identify any particular conduct at the city which could be investigated. Rather it alleges that there are (unidentified) problems and supports inquiry into the culture generally, she said in her letter. The chief executive responded to the allegation of high staff turnover, claiming: There are many reasons for employees departure other than dissatisfaction with workplace culture.

Advertisement

Reynolds detailed how she was concerned to hear through media that an urgent workplace culture motion had been moved by the lord mayor in her first week of approved leave, in what she described as unusual circumstances. She wrote: I was concerned that the objective of the lord mayor, and perhaps of some other elected members, was to engineer my removal. In the letter, she claimed her fear stemmed from a person telling her that when Bruce Reynolds was acting lord mayor, he allegedly said his first task would be to get rid of me. The chief executive cited the haste, lack of normal procedure, and secrecy in convening a meeting behind closed doors. Amateurish and expensive predetermined charade

Advertisement

Included in the dossier was a scathing letter Michelle Reynolds penned to the lord mayor on November 28, in which she wrote the nature of your conduct  hardly promotes a culture of transparency or cooperative consultation, or even lawful conformity with legislation. it has the air of an amateurish and expensive predetermined charade, the antithesis of good governance, she wrote. In that letter, Michelle Reynolds also threatened to lodge a claim for unlawful dismissal if, as appears likely, the threats to my wellbeing and to my professional reputation continue and force my resignation. Reynolds also claimed acting chief executive Peta Mabbs, who had been covering her on leave, resigned largely as a consequence of councils recent conduct.

Advertisement

The lord mayor responded on the same day thanking her for the letter, and said: please understand it does not reflect my intent. And in a separate letter to the chief executive on December 4, Bruce Reynolds wrote: I want to confirm that I am not pursuing any particular outcome regarding your employment. Acting CEO writes to state government, CCC The dossier also contains a letter sent on November 26 from acting chief executive Peta Mabbs to Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley, raising alarm at what she described as escalating governance dysfunction in the City of Perth. Mabbs wrote that the city was displaying significant similarity to the practices at the Town of Cambridge and later at the City of Nedlands.

Advertisement

The City is requesting urgent intervention by the Minister and the Department, Mabbs wrote, seeking help from WAs new local government inspector. A state government inquiry into Cambridge in 2018 found workplace culture issues stemming from the deteriorating relationship between council and administration. In July, Nedlands council was sacked by the state government and replaced by three commissioners, after four councillors resigned within hours of each other. Mabbs also noted in her letter to the minister a marked increase in the number of elected member complaints and concerns regarding elected member conduct, particularly involving the present lord mayor.

Advertisement

A number of female staff from the City of Perth, and one female elected member, have raised concerns about his conduct, she wrote. Mabbs challenged the lawfulness of the way the lord mayor moved the workplace motion and copied her letter to the Corruption and Crime Commission. This masthead reached out to Mabbs via the City of Perth, but was told she could not comment further. Concerning, unverified hearsay Bruce Reynolds told this masthead it was concerning that unverified hearsay has been circulated in an email to elected members and then leaked.

Advertisement

Both the CEOs email and Ms Mabbs correspondence contain a number of unverified and unsubstantiated assertions, he said. At no time was any such allegation appropriately raised with me directly, and I would have expected any concern of that nature to be put to me, so I could respond. The lord mayor said he absolutely rejected that he had behaved inappropriately towards any staff member. I take staff wellbeing and psychosocial safety seriously and have always sought to treat staff and colleagues with respect and professionalism, he said. If any oversight body or proper process wishes to review my conduct, I will cooperate fully, because I am confident my actions have been lawful and appropriate.

Advertisement

He rejected that he engineered the chief executives removal, or that he had ever said his first task would be to get rid of her. Related Article Local council City of Perth turmoil intensifies as lord mayor hands workplace probe to local government inspector At all times I have acted in good faith, within the Local Government Act, the citys standing orders and our governance framework, Bruce Reynolds said. Bruce Reynolds said Mabbs decision to resign was personal. I will not speculate on her motivations or private employment arrangements, he said.

Advertisement

Michelle Reynolds has been contacted for comment, and is understood to be returning to work from leave on Monday. Premier weighs in Premier Roger Cook described the saga as emerging dysfunction on Wednesday, telling ABC Radio Perth the issues were arising very early in the councils term. It strikes me as emerging dysfunction, Cook said. If they dont get it fixed, our new laws will allow the inspector to go in, cross-examine, make recommendations and make rulings. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Advertisement

PoliticsFederalRefugees Libs consider slashing refugee intake in Coalition migration policy Paul Sakkal Updated December 12, 2025  1:53pm ,first published 11:53am 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 A A

Key points Australias current refugee intake stands at 20,000 a year;

Sources say the Coalitions revised migration policy could seek to reduce that by 5000-10,000 a year;

A Resolve poll found two in three Australian voters want all immigration paused until housing supply has caught up with demand;

The Coalition also plans to make those seeking to live here sign up to the Australian Values Statement as a visa condition.

Senior MPs want the opposition to cut by thousands the number of refugees Australia brings into the country as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley searches for ways to drive down the overall inflow of migrants, but others in the party have opposed the move because it would cast the party as heartless. Shadow ministers working on the migration policy, which is expected to be made public next week, said one way was to drive down refugee numbers from the current 20,000, say sources familiar with the plan but not permitted to talk about it publicly. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam. Dominic Lorrimer The party has not settled on the amount by which it would cut the humanitarian intake, but it could be by as many as 5000 or 10,000, sources said, which the opposition will contrast with the intention spelt out in Labors national platform to raise the number to 27,000 over time. The Albanese government is unlikely to boost the number so high because the migration program as well as housing and settlement services are already stretched.

Advertisement

The only way Labor can get near 30,000 is by putting people up in expensive hotels as they do in Britain, one Liberal MP said. The services arent there, and were struggling to build enough social housing as is. Related Article Exclusive

Immigration Leys leaked plan to turbocharge deportations This is a live discussion [among shadow ministers]. Other party sources said a cut to refugee numbers was not likely to be announced next week, in part because Ley does not want to be perceived as heartless. The opposition will make further announcements on migration numbers closer to the election. Ley has moved quickly to develop a migration policy as she faced pressure over the issue from her right flank and One Nation following the internal dispute over climate targets last month. One Nation has been targeting migration and is sitting at record highs in all major published polls. This months Resolve Strategic Monitor has One Nation at 14 per cent and the Coalition at 26 per cent.

Advertisement

The United Nations said in May that an estimated 83.4 million people, a record, were displaced and living away from their homes, exiled by an increase in disasters and conflict  notably in Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Ukraine and Palestine. Most of Australias refugees in the past few years have escaped the conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria and Myanmar. Several polls, including Resolve, have tracked growing concern among voters about Australias migration levels as living standards have stagnated and debates have emerged about culture and identity. When asked by Resolve about Australias current immigration settings, two in three voters wanted all immigration paused until the supply of housing has caught up with demand, the poll found, while just 13 per cent of people would oppose such a move.

Advertisement

This masthead reported on Wednesday that Leys plan is expected to include reforms to crack down on fraudulent appeals by people claiming asylum to stay in the country, with more resources devoted to deporting them when their legal options are exhausted. The party also plans to make those seeking to live here sign up to the Australian Values Statement  which emphasises freedom of religion and the Australian fair go  as a visa condition. It would thereby tie the statement to the character test, breaches of which result in visa cancellation. Sources said the plan would also cut international student numbers, though not by as much in regional universities. There is disagreement within the party on whether to set a target for the net overseas migration figure, but the Coalition is not expected to do so in the plan being developed by immigration spokesman Paul Scarr and home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam. Leys policy announcement, originally planned for this week, was delayed as the Coalition focused its energies on the spending saga surrounding Communications Minister Anika Wells.

Advertisement

After debate on whether Chinese Communist Party members could face stronger visa vetting under the Coalitions beefed up values test, opposition frontbencher James Paterson said it was wrong to suggest the Coalition would go down that path, as the party tries to repair relations with Chinese-Australians. If we are going to be implementing a values-based test for visa applicants, it will be universal in application, it will not be discriminatory, Paterson said on Thursday. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Advertisement

PoliticsNSWNote From The Editor Fires, funerals and MPs expenses keep the Herald newsroom humming Liam Phelan December 12, 2025  7:40pm 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 A A

By mid-December we are usually in whats affectionately known in the media industry as the silly season. This is when the serious news cycle slows, as politicians and business leaders start to wind down for the holiday period, and less serious, quirky stories bubble to the surface. However, since last Friday the volume of serious news has been coming thick and fast. The fire at Koolewong burning into the night over Brisbane Water. Sitthixay Ditthavong On Saturday afternoon, the awful downside of hot weather came screaming into focus, when a fast-moving fire tore through the Central Coast suburb of Koolewong, forcing people to evacuate and destroying homes. Meanwhile, another out-of-control fire threatened residents near Bulahdelah on the NSW Mid North Coast.

Advertisement

We do a lot of training and planning in winter months getting our staff accreditation with the NSW Rural Fire Service, ensuring we have adequate supplies of personal protective clothing and looking at the risk assessments involved in covering bushfires. On Saturday, we brought you the news of the fire from our breaking news team, before sending photographer Sitthixay Ditthavong to the scene. He was joined early on Sunday morning by reporter Sally Rawsthorne, and they found the amazing tale of Steve Foskett, a local builder whose latest construction, built to the new bushfire standards, survived while older houses burnt. Foskett also stayed and defended his own home, and his story and the heartbreaking images of the devastation this fire caused featured prominently on our homepage on Sunday. Steve Foskett and his dog Cali, who didnt do any helping while they defended his home. Sitthixay Ditthavong We later found out National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighter John Lohan, 59, was killed by a falling tree at Nerong on Sunday night while battling the Bulahdelah blaze, which had spread over thousands of hectares. After the weekend tragedy of the fires came Graham Richardsons state funeral on Tuesday  a peak Sydney event covered in our live blog, featuring witty posts from our CBD columnists. We also published a sketch by columnist Tony Wright, who has attended more than his fair share of state funerals over the decades, and a wonderful observational piece by Harriet Alexander. While all media covered this event, the Herald stood out for refusing to gloss over the sins of Richardsons past while questioning the merit of whether he deserved a state funeral.

Advertisement

Advertisement
A view of Mount Gravatts high street along Logan Road, near Creek Road.

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A

The high street in Mount Gravatt  a strip of op shops, real estate agencies, restaurants, cafes and fitness studios along Logan Road  hasnt changed much in decades. The old no frills Franklins supermarket has been flattened and the former Mitre 10 hardware store has been retrofitted with medical services and a restaurant. But little else in one of Brisbanes few surviving suburban high streets has changed in the past four decades. Mount Gravatts high street on Logan Road, looking towards Brisbane CBD. Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council now plans to create homes for thousands more people around the high street, allowing apartment towers between 12 and 16 storeys high, under its push for infill development over urban sprawl. Unlike other areas that have been flagged for massive urban renewal projects, Mount Gravatt does not have a train station, and is not within walking distance to the South East Busway. However, the LNP-led council under Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner argues apartment towers will completely transform the area, reviving the struggling high street and attracting additional services over the next 20 years.

Advertisement

Mount Gravatt Centre will evolve into a vibrant and distinctive urban village, a brochure promoting the Suburban Renewal Precinct says. The proposal has attracted mixed reactions from locals, with some arguing the suburb is not equipped to deal with a rapid influx of new residents. Concerns about overloading public transport, increased traffic congestion, a lack of useable green space, and an absence of affordable housing mandates were raised with this masthead. The Coles at Mount Gravatt Plaza is formally called Coles Mountain View. Stand in the car park of the plaza, and you can look up to the peak of Mount Gravatt mountain. It is a unique feature of the suburb, and one treasured by locals, who say the view of the mountain from Logan Road and surrounding streets has a calming effect. Some are concerned apartment towers 12-storeys high, and one as high as 16 storeys on top of Mt Gravatt Plaza, will destroy this unique aspect.

Advertisement

The view of Mount Gravatt mountain is a beloved feature of the suburb. LJ Hooker Its not NIMBYism, and Im actually really pro-development, said teacher Jasmine, who requested only to be known by her first name. The new mum has been airing her concerns online in recent months, with her Facebook page Liveable Mt Gravatt attracting about 100 other residents with similar reservations. Im actually just trying to make sure that the place Ive invested my life for my family is going to get the best possible outcome, she said. I dont completely disagree with the plan  but I think that the amount of density is far exceeding what the location can cope with. A Brisbane City Council render of what Logan Road in Mount Gravatt could look like under the plan. Brisbane City Council Mount Gravatt is about 13 kilometres south of the CBD.

Advertisement

The average age here is 35. Almost half of all households have children, and two-thirds live in a freestanding house. Just one-in-five residents live in an apartment. Blake Shaw understands more apartments are needed to prevent urban sprawl, but questions why the council is opting for such dramatic density across a relatively small area. Related Article Exclusive

City council Major facelift for working-class Brisbane council suburb We definitely need to build more houses and infill makes sense, he said. If theyre serious they need things like having bicycle lanes on Logan Road, so people can ride around and consider maybe improvements to the bus network, as well as things like green space. I think it just all feels a bit reactive, rather than proactive. Under the new plan, apartment towers between five and 12-storeys high would be allowed along the length of Logan Road, between Creek and Nursery roads, while a 16-storey tower would be permitted over Mount Gravatt Plaza.

Advertisement

Suburban streets behind Mount Gravatt Plaza, near the Mount Gravatt Showgrounds, would be rezoned to allow three-storey apartment blocks. Shoppers on the high street on Thursday afternoon, carried a touch more optimism about the renewal plan. I think its a really good idea because this is a dead area, said Naomi, a resident of 20 years who requested that her last name not be published. Naomi supports the plan to bring the Mount Gravatt high street back to life. William Davis I know a lot of people dont want change, but you have to have change  people living here will bring up the area. Restaurant owner Art, who runs Thai Smile Cooking, also said increased density would definitely be good for business.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Updated TechnologySocial media Missing the mark: Reddit files High Court bid to overturn teen social media ban David Swan Updated December 12, 2025  1:21pm ,first published December 12, 2025  10:00am 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 A A A

US-based platform Reddit has filed a challenge in Australias High Court seeking to overturn the nations world-first social media ban for under 16s, arguing that the law infringes on free political speech and poses serious privacy risks. The company, which is complying with the legislation while contesting it, argues that the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 unconstitutionally restricts political communication by blocking young Australians from participating in online political discourse. Reddit has filed a challenge in Australias High Court seeking to overturn the nations social media ban for under 16s. Bloomberg This law is missing the mark, Reddit said in materials made public on Friday, arguing there are more effective ways to protect youth than what it calls an intrusive blanket ban that burdens everyones right to privacy and free expression. The legislation, which came into effect on Wednesday, requires platforms to prevent under-16 Australians from holding accounts. Breaches carry penalties of up to $49.5 million. Reddits three-pronged legal assault contests both the laws validity and whether Reddit itself qualifies as an age-restricted social media platform at all.

Advertisement

In its filing, seen by this masthead, Reddit argues that the political views of children inform the electoral choices of many current electors, including their parents and their teachers, and that preventing children from communicating their views directly burdens political communication in Australia. Related Article Social media People want me to fail: The woman in charge of enforcing Australias social media ban feels the heat The company also says that the law is ineffective, noting a person under the age of 16 can be more easily protected from online harm if they have an account, being the very thing that is prohibited because accounts can have safety settings applied. Reddit said it was acting on behalf of its Australian users, who have expressed concerns about being forced to submit government ID or facial scans to access a platform built on pseudonymity. The company said it had never collected age information before and has had to build entirely new verification systems to comply. The company also argues that it shouldnt be captured by the law at all, given it operates as a public forum rather than a traditional social media network, and that the law is being applied arbitrarily. Discord, which hosts millions of Australian users in many cases under-16, escaped the legislation. So did gaming platforms with embedded chat such as Roblox. Reddit argues that its being singled out unfairly when its a forum primarily for adults that lacks the algorithmic feeds and friend networks that the government wanted to target.

Advertisement

It says Californias Digital Age Assurance Act was a better model. That law, which came into effect in October, requires operating system providers such as Apple and Google to collect a users age or birthdate when a device is set up, converting that information into an age bracket signal. This tells apps which age range a user falls into without sharing precise personal data. Loading Reddit has enlisted constitutional law specialist Perry Herzfeld, SC, and law firm Thomson Geer  the same firm that has repeatedly challenged eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grants rulings on behalf of Elon Musks X. A directions hearing is expected in February, with a final judgment not arriving potentially until late 2026. The challenge comes as a separate High Court action backed by teen advocates also contests the legislation.

Advertisement

The eSafety Commissioner was contacted for comment. Related Article Analysis

Social media Cat and mouse: How under-16s are circumventing the social media ban The Albanese government is on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms, a government spokesman said. We will stand firm to protect young Australians from experiencing harm on social media. This matter is before the courts so it is not appropriate to comment further.

Advertisement

Communications Minister Anika Wells told parliament this week: We will not yield to intimidation. We will not be deterred by legal disputes. Inman Grant had been expecting legal challenges to the ban. Well see what happens, she said of potential High Court action in an interview with this masthead this week. If the court makes a decision, well abide by it. It may be that the Commonwealth wins. It may be that some changes need to be made to the policy. Who knows? Im just going to move forward, given there hasnt been any legal constraint placed on us. Get news and reviews on technology, gadgets and gaming in our Technology newsletter every Friday. Sign up here.
Advertisement

Analysis WorldAsiaChina relations As China unleashed on Japan, the US stayed silent  until Beijing went too far Lisa Visentin December 12, 2025  12:03pm 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 A A

Singapore: Its clear that Japan has been feeling a little peeved at the crickets from its Western pals. For more than a month, Tokyo has endured a campaign of political and economic coercion from Beijing after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dared to answer a question in parliament about whether the country would get involved in a military crisis over Taiwan. Beijings retaliation has been designed to browbeat Japan and its new Taiwan-friendly leader into submission, and put the world on blast that the Overton Window on all things Taiwan shall not move one millimetre. Chinas Xi Jinping and Japans Sanae Takaichi. Beijings retaliation has been designed to browbeat Japan and its new Taiwan-friendly leader into submission. Michael Howard Taiwan is the reddest of red lines for Beijing, which regards the democratic self-governed island as its own territory.

Advertisement

Takaichis crime, in Chinas eyes, is that she said out loud what military strategists on all sides of the equation, from Beijing to Washington, have war-gamed behind closed doors: that a move by China to annex Taiwan could amount to a survival-threatening situation for Japan, potentially providing the legal trigger to deploy its military alongside allies in a conflict. Related Article China relations Cut off that dirty neck: Furore in Japan over Chinese diplomats social media post Beijings problem wasnt that Takaichis answer broke new ground  it didnt, says Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow at the Atlantic Councils Global China Hub, based in Taiwan. Beijings problem was that she didnt choose to dodge the question. China is trying to silence and police this taboo around any discussion about Taiwan. Its a classic example of Beijings favoured policy strategy of killing the chicken to scare the monkey, as the Chinese idiom goes.

Advertisement

To an extent, it has worked. Takaichi hasnt withdrawn her comments, but nor has she found much high-level international support  an early lesson for the new prime minister that few countries have any appetite for wading into the minefield of Taiwans future, particularly in defence of comments some will judge as incautious at best. It wasnt until Beijing went stratospheric with its fury and flexed its military coercion in the skies over the Sea of Japan in the past week that Australia, and then the United States, swung in with a show of support, albeit hardly a full-throated one. Loading US strategic bombers flew alongside Japanese fighter jets on Wednesday  a message clearly directed at Beijing, a day after Chinese and Russian jets conducted joint military drills near Japans southern islands. A few days earlier, Japan accused Chinese fighter jets of aiming their radars at its military planes. Beijing has blasted Tokyos version of events as false.

Advertisement

Defence Minister Richard Marles made clear whose account he believed when, during a press conference with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, on Sunday, he said Australia was deeply concerned by Chinas actions. Related Article Analysis

World politics The three words from Japans PM that sparked a furious Chinese response It was not tenable for Marles to say nothing, and not only because he was coincidentally in Tokyo when the radar incident occurred, but because Australia, too, has repeatedly complained about unsafe encounters with the Peoples Liberation Army in international airspace and waters. But he steered clear of weighing in on the economic pressure Beijing has been piling on Tokyo. Over the past month, China has weaponised its powerful tourism dollar by warning its citizens to avoid travel to Japan, and its airlines have cancelled some 2000 flights to the country. It has banned imports of Japanese seafood, halted the release of Japanese films, cancelled concerts by Japanese artists, increased its military patrols, and marshalled its diplomatic and state media apparatus to lambast Takaichi on a near-daily basis. It took until Tuesday for the US, through a State Department spokesperson, to denounce the radar incident as not conducive to regional peace and stability, after reports leaked into American media that Japanese officials were aghast at the silence of their key ally, whose military bases are dotted across Japans islands.

Advertisement

In Australia, similar concerns were aired by former Japanese ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami, a confidant of Takaichis. When Australia faced Beijings economic wrath in the form of $20 billion in trade sanctions from 2020, Japan stated out loud that Australia was not walking alone, he wrote in The Australian earlier this month. Related Article China Marles sounds alarm after Chinese fighter locks on to Japanese jets In putting Tokyo in its crosshairs, Beijing has tapped a deep vein of anti-Japan nationalism in China, which it has stoked all year as it has commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, or what it calls the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In doing so, it has probably had some success in redirecting anger among its citizens over Chinas flagging domestic economy, which has been in the doldrums for years, squeezing households. But it has also reminded the world of Chinas temper, undercutting leader Xi Jinpings efforts this year to remake its image as a stable, measured superpower compared to US President Donald Trumps chaotic, capricious America.

Advertisement

China the scary dragon, not China the huggable panda, as Sung from the Atlantic Council puts it. It has also seemingly bolstered Takaichis domestic political stocks with a rally-around-the-flag effect. Her approval ratings for November soared past 64 per cent, according to polling by Japans top media organisations  a stark reversal of the dismal public support for her male predecessors. For a hawkish leader looking to convince her wary nation of the need to revise its postwar pacifist constitution and ramp up its military spending, Beijing might just be handing her the script. 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.
Advertisement

WorldNorth AmericaTrump's America Opinion A deep dive into the time of Trumpian magical realism Nikki Barrowclough Writer December 12, 2025  7:30pm

December 12, 2025  7:30pm 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 A A

If you remember, 2015 was a year of horror too. Beheadings, suicide bombings, deadly attacks in central Paris and other cities, the burning to death of a Jordanian pilot in a cage. In Sydney, accountant Curtis Cheng was shot dead outside the NSW Police headquarters by a teenage Islamic State wannabe. At the end of that awful year, I wrote an opinion piece for this masthead about the imagination of writers in an age of terror, questioning whether novelists were now in a quandary about scenarios theyd dreamt up. Stop laughing, this is serious ... US President Donald Trump at the Congressional Ball in the grand foyer of the White House on Thursday. Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg The French prime minister at the time of the Paris attacks, Manuel Valls, remarked: The macabre imagination of the masterminds is limitless. Fourteen years earlier, Ian McEwan, the English novelist, had said the opposite following the 9/11 attacks in the United States. He wrote in The Guardian that a failure of the imagination was among the hijackers crimes. They wouldnt have been able to proceed if theyd imagined themselves into the thoughts and feelings of the passengers, he argued. In contrast, Americas 9/11 Commission Report, made public in 2004, concluded that the most important failure leading to the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon was one of imagination. The national security adviser at the time, Condoleezza Rice, said that no one could have imagined planes being used as missiles.

Advertisement

As a child, I was constantly told I had a vivid imagination. Perhaps this rankled more than I realised. The result is an ongoing fascination with how often a lack of imagination is lamented on the international stage. Related Article Opinion Writers must keep telling tough stories to help make sense of a cruel world In September, this mastheads Peter Hartcher wrote that The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies had found that European policymakers failed to foresee Vladimir Putins full invasion of Ukraine. The invasion was just beyond imagination, said one Dutch official. A different kind of destructive force preoccupied American journalist Brian Stelter, CNNs chief media analyst, after the rancorous TV debate between Donald Trump and his rival for the presidency, Joe Biden, in September 2020. So many of the failures in the Trump age have been failures of imagination, Stelter wrote. Many, many people didnt imagine that he could win and didnt imagine that he would debase the office in all the ways he has  I failed to imagine that he would stoop to enemy of the people rhetoric to wound the nations news media.

Advertisement

Trump had only just got started. Even George Orwell might have blinked at the idea of conspiracy theorists and pro-Trump propagandists routing the Pentagon press corps. But they have. Pete Hegseths new policy restricting reporting provoked a walkout by the real journalists at the Pentagon, headquarters of the Department of Defence (sorry, the Department of War). Related Article US politics We are not backing down: Reporters pack up, walk out as Pentagon confiscates almost all press badges The irony is that, just this week, Trump trashed decaying Europe and its weak leaders in an interview with Politico, one of the news organisations evicted from the Pentagon. It was an extremely unfriendly publication, Trump told his interviewer, Politicos White House bureau chief, Dasha Burns, thankfully without addressing her as Piggy, as he had Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey. His assault on Europe followed the release of his National Security Strategy, which declared that Europe was facing civilisational erasure due to immigration, although even this has been trumped by the mind-boggling news that people visiting the US (yes, Australians too) must now provide five years of their phone numbers, 10 years of their email addresses, IP addresses, metadata from electronically submitted photos, biometrics and information about family members. Didnt Edward Snowden leave any of that data behind? Donald Rumsfeld would have said the future for the fake news media across the US was one of those unknown unknowns. And Trumps threats against writers, as PEN America points out, are aimed at intimidating journalists and their publishers. (In September, a federal judge threw out his $US15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, four reporters and Penguin Random House, publisher of the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Fathers Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success. In October, Trump refiled the lawsuit.)

Advertisement

Things arent at the stage  yet  when novelists in the US are grabbed off the streets by masked men. Six years ago, bestselling author Richard North Patterson suggested that Trump had rendered fiction redundant. Perhaps POTUS regards mere fiction writers as harmless. Related Article Opinion

USA Hand over my social media accounts and pics? Im cancelling my US trip Kate Halfpenny Regular columnist Theres still the genre of fiction that has served those living in dictatorships well  namely, magical realism, a writers martial art  though perhaps novelists feel defeated by reality because its non-fiction writers who, in these Trumpian times, relish the fantastical. This headline, The imperial audacity of Trumps magical thinking, appeared on the London School of Economics and Political Science blog in 2019. Last year, in Foreign Affairs magazine, Peter D. Feaver, professor of political science and public policy at Duke University, wrote that Trump portrayed himself and his team as hard-nosed realists, but what they offered was less realism than magical realism: a set of fanciful boasts and shallow nostrums. What will fiction be like in the Trump era? wondered writer Miranda France, back in 2017, in Prospect magazine. Paying tribute to the Latin American novelists who created the genre, she wrote that railing against tyrannical leaders was the spur to invent new literary forms.

Advertisement

However, if Trump discovers that, unlike academics, novelists imaginations are regarded as hallowed ground, he might ask his on-again, off-again friend, the assassin Putin, for advice. Related Article Russia-Ukraine war Zelensky digs in against Trump pressure as peace talks at risk of collapse Trumps first wife, Ivana, claimed her ex-husband kept a copy of Hitlers collected speeches, My New Order, in his bedside cabinet. No mention of books by the late Mario Vargas Llosa, who grew up under a military dictatorship, and once stood for president in his native Peru. He also won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010. Not the Peace Prize, Mr President, but hey. In Vargas Llosas book of essays, Making Waves, theres a line that reads: For almost every writer, memory is the starting point of fantasy, the springboard that launches the imagination on its unpredictable flight towards fiction. Today, with humanity imploding, and memories of the world before Trump starting to look surreal, instead of the other way around, and as we learn not to rule out anything any more  Nigel Farages Britain? Marine Le Pens France? Pauline Hansons Australia? Neo-Nazis in our state and territory parliaments?  those unpredictable flights towards fiction may end, as imaginations dry up and writers fall from the skies. Nikki Barrowclough is a Sydney-based journalist and former staff writer on Good Weekend magazine. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.
Advertisement

WorldNorth AmericaEpstein fallout New photos from Epstein vault show Trump, Bannon, Gates and Woody Allen Michael Koziol December 13, 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 A A A

Washington: Democrats in the US Congress have released a selective group of photographs from Jeffrey Epsteins estate that feature high-profile individuals including presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, businessmen Bill Gates and Richard Branson, filmmaker Woody Allen and Trump strategist Steve Bannon. Some of the photos depict sex toys and aids, while one shows a Trump condom with his face on it and the tagline: Im HUUUGE! It was purportedly being sold for $US4.50. Democrats released a selection of photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, including one of a younger Donald Trump surrounded by six women whose faces were blacked out by the House Oversight Committee. @OversightDems/X The 19 images selectively released by the Democrats were drawn from what they said were 95,000 new photos obtained by the House Oversight Committee under subpoena from the deceased sex offenders estate. The photos do not depict any criminal activity or wrongdoing. Democrats have been slowly releasing small batches of documents  including pictures of Epsteins private Caribbean island Little Saint James  focused on the financiers relationship with Trump and other high-profile associates.

Advertisement

The photos released on Saturday (AEDT) were not dated or captioned. One showed a much younger Trump at a function surrounded by six women, whose faces were blacked out by the committee. The White House accused Democrats of making random redactions for political purposes. Once again, House Democrats are selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative, said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson. The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump administration has done more for Epsteins victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents, and calling for further investigations into Epsteins Democrat friends. Others showed Epstein and Woody Allen seemingly on a film set, and sitting with Bannon at a large office desk. Another picture showed Epstein in an outdoor setting with British billionaire Richard Branson, who also owns Caribbean islands.

Advertisement

One of the photos shows a much younger Bill Clinton, who was president between 1993 and 2001, posing with Epstein and Epsteins girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Clinton appeared to have signed the photograph. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of trafficking girls for sex in conjunction with Epstein, who died in jail awaiting trial. Another photo shows Bannon and Allen standing and speaking at an unspecified location, while in another, Epstein and Bannon take a phone selfie together while standing in front of a mirror. House Democrats released a selection of photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, including some of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the former Prince Andrew. Source: @OversightDems/X @OversightDems/X In one photo, also from an unknown location and time, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is seen with the former Prince Andrew. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, had his royal titles stripped over his associations with Epstein. The top Democrat on the committee, congressman Robert Garcia, said the disturbing photos raised more important questions about Epsteins relationships with some of the worlds most powerful men.

Advertisement

We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW, Garcia said, calling for an end to what he called a White House cover-up. The Trump administration rejects the suggestion it has covered up Epsteins crimes or associations. It notes it released additional files from the Epstein investigation earlier this year, and queries why Democrats did not release the Epstein documents themselves when Joe Biden was in the Oval Office. Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein take a selfie in a photo released by Democrats on the US Congress House Oversight Committee. @OversightDems/X Trump brushed off the new photos as no big deal. Everybody knew this man, he was all over Palm Beach, he has photos with everybody, he said. There are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on a deadline for the Department of Justice to release potentially tens of thousands of documents related to its investigation into Epsteins alleged sex-trafficking crimes, known as the Epstein files.

Advertisement

Under a bill signed by Trump last month, the government has until December 19 to produce all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials in DoJs possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. Related Article Analysis

US politics A bunch of deep red Republicans just stood up to Trump. Heres why it matters The department is allowed to withhold certain information such as the personal information of victims and materials that would jeopardise an active federal investigation. In recent weeks, multiple judges have ruled that secret grand jury transcripts relating to investigations into Epstein and Maxwell can be unsealed, in accordance with the bill. Trump and Epstein were friends in the 1990s but fell out in the 2000s, Trump has said. He has always denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epsteins crimes.

Advertisement

Other high-profile men including Clinton, Gates and economics professor Larry Summers have said they regret their past associations with Epstein. Epstein was convicted of child sex offences in 2008 in Florida, and served jail time under a deal in which he pleaded guilty. 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.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Government of Sint Maarten, led by Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina, expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of Ms. Eileen Healy, a dedicated advocate, leader, and long-standing pillar within our community. Her loss is profoundly felt across the nation, particularly within the health and social service sectors to which she devoted her life.

Ms. Healy played an instrumental role in building and strengthening the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), where she served with unwavering commitment and compassion. Her leadership helped shape the Foundation into a vital institution for the people of Sint Maarten, ensuring that mental health care was not only accessible but treated with dignity and urgency. Through her tireless work, she championed greater understanding, awareness, and acceptance of mental health challenges  breaking barriers and offering hope to countless individuals and families.

Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina reflected on her lifes work, stating:

Ms. Eileen Healy was a true humanitarian whose dedication to mental health transformed lives and strengthened our national health system. Her legacy will live on in the thousands of people who were supported, uplifted, and empowered through her service. As MHF makes strides forward, I have no doubt that her guidance and blessings will continue to help shape the Foundation into the dream she always envisioned.

In addition to her work in mental health, Ms. Healy was also a strong advocate for breast cancer awareness and community outreach initiatives. She understood deeply the importance of early detection, education, and support networks. Her involvement in awareness campaigns helped amplify critical conversations around womens health, saving lives and uniting the community around a shared mission of care and resilience.

Prime Minister Dr. Mercelina added:

Her passion for breast cancer awareness and community service reflected her unwavering belief that every life has value and that we each hold a responsibility to care for one another. Sint Maarten is better because she lived among us, served among us, and loved among us.

The Government of Sint Maarten extends heartfelt sympathy to her family, friends, colleagues at the Mental Health Foundation, and all who were touched by her remarkable spirit. As a nation, we honor her legacy and reaffirm our commitment to the causes to which she dedicated her life.

May her soul rest in eternal peace, and may her life continue to inspire compassion, service, and unity within our beloved country.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport has completed Week Two of its Conflict Resolution Training (CRT) pilot, marking a major milestone as the initiative expanded beyond educator development to directly engage first-form students and their parents. The project, led by the Division for Educational Innovation (DEI), continues to strengthen the islands response to school-based conflict and youth well-being by building shared tools, language, and practices across entire school communities.

This programme responds to the documented rise in adolescent conflict, including peer aggression, bullying, intimidation, and emotional dysregulation, highlighted in recent UNICEF and Court of Guardianship reports. By equipping teachers, students, and families with practical strategies, the CRT pilot aims to cultivate safer learning environments, improve relational trust, and create a unified culture of peace throughout participating schools.

Building on Week Ones educator training, Week Two shifted focus toward those most affected by school conflict: students and their families. The sessions were facilitated by regional Social Impact & Grant Strategy Specialist Mr. Kwasi Cudjoe and Caribbean Associates for Life Skills, Mediation and Management Director Mr. Marlon Bascombe. Their combined expertise grounded the work in global best practices tailored to St. Maartens unique social and cultural realities.

First-form students participated in a series of hands-on sessions designed to strengthen self-regulation, improve communication skills, and build peer leadership capacity. Through role-plays, small-group challenges, and guided reflection, students practiced applying Nonviolent Communication (NVC) stems, identified common conflict triggers, and explored healthy ways to interrupt escalation. Educators observing the sessions noted a notable shift in student participation, with several expressing surprise at the depth of insight students offered during dialogue activities. Week Two also featured a dedicated Parent Engagement Session, facilitated by Mr. Cudjoe. Parents explored the factors shaping adolescent behaviour and reflected on communication habits that may unintentionally increase stress or conflict. Many parents expressed appreciation for learning simple, practical tools they could use at home to reinforce school-based practices.

As the CRT pilot moves into its next phase in 2026, parents, students and educators will continue collaborating to strengthen alignment between home and school systems and reinforce shared responsibility for youth well-being and deepen the visibility of peace-building routines across the pilot schools. With momentum building across all levels of the school community, the CRT pilot continues to lay the foundation for long-term transformation. The initiative is part of a multi-year effort supported through 2026, drawing on the expertise of consultants and educators to build safer and more emotionally supportive schools. The Division for Educational Innovation remains committed to advancing school climate, strengthening student well-being, and equipping St. Maartens youth with the skills necessary to thrive in both their learning environments and daily lives.

We were extremely impressed with the large number of parents, including fathers and grandfathers, who attended and participated in the Parents sessions organized on Thursday, December 4, and Friday, December 5, 2025. Both sessions were very interactive, as the trainers provided opportunities for parents to share their experiences. We would like to thank the schools management for encouraging parents to attend the sessions. We extend a special thank you to all parents and grandparents who came out, said Ms. Oralie Boirard, Manager of the Division for Educational Innovation (DEI).
Imagine a projectile that doesnt follow a fixed trajectory but can maneuver, tracking the movements of a person or vehicle until it strikes. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the war in Ukraine and other past conflicts: the massive use, by both sides, of bomb drones and drones that launch explosives while pursuing their target. More than 60% of casualties on the front lines are caused by small unmanned aerial vehicles, most of them commercially available technology, accessible to anyone, but adapted to kill.

This percentage of dead and wounded, according to Ukrainian military data, is not limited to soldiers. Civilians are also victims of indiscriminate attacks. Russian drones have killed more than 200 civilians and injured 2,000 since July 2024 in towns near the front lines. This data comes from a United Nations report published last October, which concludes that Russian troops are deliberately committing these war crimes against the civilian population.

The kill zone is the military term for the area saturated with drones  especially first-person view (FPV) drones, which the pilot controls with goggles that serve as a screen  and other models, such as the Mavic, which have the screen integrated into the pilots controller. The kill zone extends 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front line. The city of Kherson, in the south of the country, lies on the zero line; only the Dnipro River separates it from the Russian positions. It is there, according to the United Nations, that the invaders are most actively targeting civilians.

Based on their experience in Kherson, the 2402 Foundation, Ukraines largest organization training civilians to survive in combat zones, has produced a manual this year that is being distributed to government agencies and non-governmental organizations. From clothing to walking techniques, its advice is basic but can save lives.

A civilians clothing in the kill zone should not be camouflage (which would make them look like a soldier) but should be in colors and tones that blend into the surroundings. Going outside should be limited as much as possible. The best days are overcast, with low clouds and windy, which are the worst weather conditions for drone flights. Walk quietly, without drawing attention, under cover or in the shade, as this makes it more difficult for the pilot to identify their target.

A police officer stands next to a vehicle attacked by a Russian drone that killed two Ukrainian reporters on October 23 in Kramatorsk. Luis de Vega

In an imminent attack outdoors, the chances of escaping unharmed are slim; if its an attack involving multiple drones, theres little one can do. This is the first point emphasized by experts from the Kruk military pilot training center. On December 9, they conducted a survival training course for about 20 Ukrainian journalists in the Kyiv region. The number of media professionals killed by drones has skyrocketed in 2025.

One advantage in terms of surviving drone attacks is that the sound of their propellers allows for more reaction time than the sound of artillery shells, bullets, or missiles. In survival drills conducted by Kruk and the organization Daily Humanity, both FPV drones and Mavic drones could be heard from about 150 meters away. This range depends on the absence of other ambient sounds and wind conditions. In the case of large, long-range bomb drones, such as the Shahed, their sound, similar to a lawnmower, is detectable from hundreds of meters away.

10 seconds to react

From the moment a drone is heard in the kill zone, there are 10 seconds to react. Thats the time the pilot has to launch the attack, according to Kruk. A persons instinctive reaction upon hearing the drone is to freeze and scan the sky for it, and thats a fatal mistake. What you should do is scatter and seek shelter immediately, behind a solid wall, inside a solid building, under a concrete structure; even a ditch or depression in the ground is better than an open space, according to the 2402 Foundations instructions.

It is better to run in a zigzag pattern, changing direction every seven to 10 meters. This proved crucial during the simulation exercises. An observation drone analyzed ground movements from above, guiding the FPV kamikaze drones and Mavic drones that release explosives. The drones follow the observation drones commands and pursue the targets in a near-impossible race for survival. To make it more realistic, Kruks unmanned aerial vehicles repeated the simulations both day and night. The drones can be guided using thermal cameras or cameras adapted for low-light conditions.

Sound detection is not always possible: winged drones can glide with their engines off during their descent, following a ballistic trajectory. The same applies to waiting drones, which are stationary along a flight path and activate when the target is nearby.

The road to Kostyantynivka, a Ukrainian city in Donetsk, covered by net tunnels to prevent drone attacks, on November 12. Luis de Vega

Not just any building will do as a shelter because drones can maneuver and find a way in. This was demonstrated in the Kruk drills: a drone carrying grenades entered through the window of a house where a group of journalists were taking refuge. When the grenades were released (they were blanks), half of them reacted well, instinctively leaving the room, while others simply huddled together. Similarly, when a projectile hits the ground, the best position for protection is lying flat on the ground with your head covered.

In a wooded area, the instructions are to stay put under a tree. This approach is inefficient but still the best option, according to Mikita Gabrilenko, an expert from Kruk. This scenario was also practiced among the trees during a training exercise for journalists, and although one of the participants was injured (in a simulation), the drone, maneuvering among the branches, crashed and fell to the ground.

The average time between hearing a missiles whistle and its impact is three seconds. The paradox is that this is also the time one has to take cover when a kamikaze drone (usually FPV) is identified at the last moment. Kruk technicians project a video demonstrating this, footage that went viral in November. A van belonging to the civilian evacuation NGO Proliska is parked on a street in Kostyantynivka, a city besieged by Russia in the Donetsk region. Between the driver spotting the drone, warning the passengers to abandon the vehicle, and the impact, three seconds elapse.

Drone attack against the Proliska civilian evacuation team, on November 8 in Kostyantynivka, Ukraine. MARIA SENOVILLA (EFE)

Vehicles are a priority target for drones, even more so than people. According to statistics released by Rubicon, Russias top drone combat regiment, 14% of their targets are cars and 3.5% are people. Troop transport on both sides is carried out by car, so any vehicle in the kill zone, especially if it has markings that might indicate military use, can be a target. This not only disables a vehicle but can also cause injury or death to multiple people.

Last September, the Kharkiv region distributed a protocol of recommendations to municipalities regarding the threat posed by drones. One of the key guidelines was to minimize travel by vehicle and regularly vary routes, making journeys as unpredictable as possible. Additionally, it was recommended not to fasten seatbelts to ensure a quick exit from the vehicle.

While driving, you are especially vulnerable because your hearing and vision are greatly reduced. Its best not to form groups and not to stand still next to a parked vehicle. The vehicle should be parked under something that makes it harder for long-range surveillance drones to spot, as these are undetectable by sight or hearing because they are kilometers above the ground.

10 meters to save yourself

Escaping unharmed from a moving car attack is largely a matter of chance, though the drivers skill also plays a role. Based on an analysis of military videos showing drivers narrowly avoiding the immediate explosion of drones, Kruks team estimates that the driver must execute a sharp change of direction when the enemy aircraft is about six to 10 meters away. Calculating this requires nerves of steel and exceptional reflexes, especially since the drone hurtles toward the car at a similar speed.

For professionals working on the front lines, whether journalists, NGO workers, or members of the public administration, the ideal solution is to travel with two drone detectors. These devices, which can be about the size of a small radio transistor, detect the telemetry signal, video, or the drones wave spectrum. This technology alerts authorities to drone flights and provides progressive warnings of their approach once they reach a distance of five kilometers (3.1 miles). The video detectors analyze the images transmitted by the drone to the pilot, allowing them to identify its direction of travel.

Mikita Grabilenko, from the Kruk group, teaches Ukrainian journalists how to use a drone detector on December 7. Cristian Segura

The Kharkiv province manual acknowledges that survival depends on constant vigilance: While official recommendations often begin with the words if you hear or see a drone, the ability to effectively hear or see one in a complex urban environment is a skill that must be developed. The protocol calls for regularly testing ones senses and teaching children which sounds to pay attention to.

Its about transforming a passive existence into a state of active environmental vigilance, the document states. In drone warfare, the civilian becomes like a forest animal in constant tension, ever vigilant from birth, constantly on the lookout for the predator that stalks them.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
Bonaire Becomes the 191st Country in the World to Launch the Human Rights Program

Kralendijk, Bonaire:--- The Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO), accredited by the United Nations together with United for Human Rights International, proudly announces the successful completion of a series of historic human rights events that strengthened community awareness and placed Bonaire on the global human rights map.

1. We Also Have Rights Workshop  A Historic First for Bonaire

On December 6, BHRO and United for Human Rights International hosted Bonaires first Human Rights Talk and Workshop. Participants took part in interactive training, cultural presentations, and a formal certification examresulting in Bonaires first Certified Human Rights Defenders.

This achievement officially makes Bonaire the 191st country in the world to implement the United for Human Rights Program.

This is a historic moment, said BHRO Founder James Finies. Bonaire now stands proudly with 190 other countries committed to human rights education and empowerment.

2. Youth Ride 4 Rights  A Movement on Wheels

On December 10, children, parents, and community members joined BHRO and Human Rights International for the Youth Ride 4 Rights, riding together along the Bonaire promenade to celebrate International Human Rights Day. The event sent a powerful message that human rights belong to everyone, especially the youth.

3. Launch of the New Board of Information at Kaya Grandi

Also on December 10, BHRO unveiled a new Human Rights Board of Information on Kaya Grandi

This location carries deep meaning the original sign, placed a decade ago, has become a symbol of the strength, determination, and resilience of the people of Bonaire.

The renewed board honors that legacy while marking a new era of public education, visibility, and empowerment for human rights awareness on the island.

These achievements launch BHROs five-year Human Rights Campaign, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goalsespecially SDG 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions.

BHRO expresses heartfelt appreciation to United for Human Rights International, local partners, volunteers, and the entire Bonaire community for making these events truly historic.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM) is executing a relentless, island-wide offensive against criminal activity, deploying maximum resources and personnel to eliminate threats to public safety across all districts.

On Thursday, December 11, 2025, KPSM officers conducted a massive enforcement operation in the Cay Bay area, stopping and inspecting over 100 individuals. This aggressive action targeted criminal elements, traffic violators, and anyone threatening the safety of law-abiding citizens.

KPSM strike teams simultaneously descended on Maho and Simpson Bay, saturating high-traffic zones with officers during peak hours and conducting comprehensive safety sweeps to root out illegal activity.

On Wednesday, December 10th, 2025, the control team went into Belvedere, Dutch Quarter, and Middle Region with one mission: seize illegal weapons and narcotics. The operation was a success. Officers confiscated substantial quantities of illicit drugs and seized a machete from individuals who posed a direct threat to community safety.

In the Middle Region, three suspects on scooters and a dirt bike attempted to evade officers. KPSM officers intercepted and stopped the dirt bike rider. The vehicle was immediately impounded and removed from the streets.

KPSM will continue to wage an uncompromising pushback on crime and criminals. These large-scale operations will continue with escalating intensity in the days and weeks ahead. Every district. Every street. Every day.

To the public: When KPSM officers stop you during these operations, full cooperation is expected. Your support is essential. Together, we will try to restore a sense of safety on Sint Maarten.

KPSM Press Release.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM) has arrested four individuals suspected of involvement in a series of armed robberies targeting jewelry stores across the island, including locations in high-traffic tourist areas.

Following intensive investigations into multiple armed robberies committed over recent weeks and months, KPSM detectives executed coordinated arrests:

J.R.S.  Arrested Wednesday, December 10, 2025

S.A.K.G.  Arrested Thursday, December 11, 2025

R.A.J.  Arrested Thursday, December 11, 2025

R.P.P.  Arrested Friday morning, December 12, 2025

All four suspects are currently in custody and are being interrogated by the personnel of the Detective Department in connection with their participation in armed robberies at jewelry stores, including establishments located in tourist districts.

KPSM previously announced its commitment to take stringent measures against criminal figures responsible for these brazen attacks on local businesses. These arrests demonstrate that KPSM follows through on its promises.

The investigation into these armed robberies remains active and ongoing. KPSM detectives will be making additional arrests in the coming days and weeks as the operation continues. The Detective Department is actively pursuing all remaining suspects connected to these criminal activities.

KPSM sends a clear message: anyone targeting businesses or threatening the safety of residents and visitors will be hunted down, arrested, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

The successful apprehension of these suspects is the direct result of dedicated detective work, community cooperation, and KPSM's unwavering commitment to eliminating violent crime from Sint Maarten's streets.

KPSM Press Release.
Cay Hill:--- Rotary recognizes December as Disease Prevention and Treatment Month. In alignment with this focus, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset continues to live out its mission of Service Above Self, recently handing over one Bili Blanket to the Pediatric Department of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC). This contribution was made possible through a District Grant for the Rotary Year 20242025.

A Bili Blanket is a soft, therapeutic phototherapy device designed to provide soothing comfort while delivering targeted light treatment to infants suffering from jaundice. These blankets help reduce anxiety, promote a sense of security, and support the overall well-being of pediatric patients during medical treatment or recovery.

During the presentation, Ms. Sheryl Carty of SMMC expressed profound gratitude for the clubs ongoing support. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset is a God-sent as they continuously help us make our patients recovery and well-being more comfortable. We are so happy and proud of this club for its generosity, as its commitment to the community is admirable.

Club President Alex Pierre shared that he is both honored and proud to make this handover on behalf of the club. Caring for our community is our #1 mission, and we remain committed to ensuring that our islands children receive comfort, hope, and support during difficult moments.

The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset extends heartfelt appreciation to The Rotary Foundation and, by extension, Rotary District 7020s Foundation Committee for providing the grant that made it possible for the club to present this much-needed equipment.

The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset meets every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at Carl & Sons from 7:30 PM  8:30 PM. Individuals interested in learning more about the club or joining its efforts are encouraged to reach out via our social media pages  Rotary Club of St Martin Sunset or via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
OpenAI beefs up GPT models in AI race with Google



San Francisco, United States, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025



OpenAI released its latest artificial intelligence models on Thursday, shrugging off worries about how it will cash in on massive spending in its technology race with Google.

The San Francisco-based AI superstar touted GPT-5.2 Pro and GPT-5.2 Thinking as its best models yet for handling math or science work.

"Strong mathematical reasoning is a foundation for reliability in scientific and technical work," OpenAI said in a blog post.

"These capabilities are also closely tied to progress toward general intelligence."

Artificial general intelligence has become a holy grail of sorts in the tech world, seen as a threshold where machines think the way people do or even better.

The release comes on the heels of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman urging his team to strive to keep up with Google, the search engine juggernaut that has been relentlessly innovating in AI.

While Google can tap into its massive online ad revenue to invest in AI, OpenAI has been committing tens of billions of dollars to computing infrastructure while having yet to turn a profit.

"We are confident we can continue to drive the revenue growth to meet" the investments in computing power, Altman said Thursday in a CNBC interview.

Without the infrastructure investments, "of course, we can't drive the revenue growth, but we see way more reasons to be optimistic than reasons to be pessimistic."

OpenAI chief of applications Fidji Simo told reporters during a briefing about the new models that she expects a ChatGPT "adult mode" to debut early next year, noting that the company wants to improve detection of user age before making it available.

Altman earlier this year announced plans to ease restrictions to allow adult users to engage in erotic conversations with ChatGPT.

OpenAI also faces a series of lawsuits from families accusing the startup of allowing teenagers to have dangerous interactions with its AI chatbots that in some cases led to suicide.

Simo confirmed that a "red alert" about Google sprinting ahead had been issued at OpenAI, but refuted the notion it has sped up the release of new GPT models.

Google last month debuted its latest Gemini AI model, capping a dramatic turnaround since it was caught off guard by ChatGPT's launch three years ago and mocked for early blunders in its chase of OpenAI.
Musk signals plan to launch IPO for SpaceX



New York, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025



Elon Musk has signaled plans to soon seek a public stock listing of SpaceX, confirming a report that links the strategic shift to a near-term need for more capital.

Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla among other ventures, described as "accurate" a report in online publication Ars Technica outlining the controversial billionaire's embrace of a public listing as a way to access capital to finance the building of artificial intelligence data centers in space.

Ars Technica characterized the embrace of an IPO as a "major change in thinking" for Musk, who had previously resisted a public listing for SpaceX.

His comment comes on the heels of recent reports in US media that SpaceX stands poised in 2026 or 2027 for a record-setting initial public offering valuing the company at $1.5 trillion.

Musk had previously opposed an IPO for SpaceX because "he has not enjoyed the public scrutiny of Tesla, and feared that shareholder desires for financial return were not consistent with his ultimate goal of settling Mars," wrote Ars Technica senior space editor Eric Berger in a December 10 article.

"As usual, Eric is accurate," Musk posted later Wednesday on X, another part of the tech mogul's business empire.

SpaceX is moving ahead with an IPO that would seek to raise "significantly more than $30 billion," Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

The Bloomberg story said Musk and SpaceX's board advanced plans for the listing in recent days, adding that the IPO could launch as soon as mid-to-late 2026 but could lapse into 2027.

The potential public offering comes as the company anticipates a heavy increase in revenues tied to its Starlink telecommunications business.

Some of the funds raised through the IPO are expected to go to developing space-based data centers, including purchasing chips needed to run them, Bloomberg reported.

Advocates of space-based data centers say the industrial sites could tap into the Sun's energy and would be easier to cool than land-based facilities.

An obstacle to deploying servers in space has been the cost of getting them into orbit, but advocates of the technology say launch prices may fall by the mid-2030s.
Nazrin Abdul



Azerbaijans Minister of Energy, Parviz Shahbazov, delivered remarks at an event held at George Washington University in the United States to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of Azerbaijans National Leader, Heydar Aliyev.

As reported by Azernews, according to the Ministry of Energy, the minister emphasized in his speech that Heydar Aliyev played an unparalleled role in the history of Azerbaijans statehood. He highlighted that Aliyevs efforts to build a reliable and stable partnership with the United States laid the foundation for todays strategic cooperation in energy, security, and economic development.

Shahbazov noted that the 1994 Contract of the Century, a product of Heydar Aliyevs strategic vision, marked the first major achievement in Azerbaijan-U.S. energy cooperation and paved the way for Americas active involvement in bringing Caspian energy resources to global markets.

Quoting the National Leader, the minister recalled: As far as I remember, it was the United States that first called it the Contract of the Century. Without the support of the United States, we would not have been able to sign the first contract in 1994, nor the agreement on the BakuCeyhan oil pipeline.

Shahbazov also highlighted subsequent milestones in the bilateral energy partnership, including the signing of four contracts between the two countries oil companies at the White House, and the successful implementation of projects such as the BakuSupsa and BakuTbilisiCeyhan pipelines, as well as the Southern Gas Corridorall supported by the United States.

The minister further stated that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyevwhom he described as the worthy successor to Heydar Aliyevand U.S. President Donald Trump, Azerbaijan-U.S. relations continue to strengthen, with energy cooperation entering a new strategic phase.

The event also featured speeches by Azerbaijans Ambassador to the U.S., Khazar Ibrahim; Rector of ADA University, Hafiz Pashayev; and Member of Parliament Samad Seyidov, who heads the Azerbaijan-U.S. Interparliamentary Working Group. The film Iz (Trace), produced with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, was screened as part of the program.
An ancient visitor, forged in another corner of the universe, is preparing to approach Earth. It goes by the name of comet 3I/ATLAS, and was discovered five months ago by the ATLAS telescope network in Rio Hurtado, Chile. Classified as the third interstellar visitor to cross our skies, it follows the asteroid Oumuamua in 2017 and the bright comet Borisov in 2019. On December 19, this wandering celestial body will be 270 million kilometers (168 million miles) from our planet  almost twice as far away as the Sun.

Its a distance that seems unbridgeable to humans, but it is considered close for an object from another star system. As it passes through our solar system, its presence offers the international scientific community the chance to analyze its composition, giving us a glimpse of conditions in other corners of the galaxy.

Cesar Gonzalez, a spokesman at the Madrid Planetarium, explains that 3I/ATLAS differs physically from other comets. A higher volume of gases, mostly carbon dioxide, has been discovered in the coma [cloud of gas and dust]. A greater amount of ionized nickel has also been observed, a material that had not been seen in other comets, he explains.

The unusual structure of the 3I/ATLAS coma and the chemical composition detected so far could be explained by the combination of a high metal content and abundant water ice. This does not mean that we do not detect dioxide or carbon monoxide ice in our own comets, but that the relative proportion of these ices is different, says astronomer Julia de Leon, from the Canaries Astrophysics Institute.

Due to its peculiar characteristics, social networks have been abuzz with speculation that it is a technological alien. It is a hypothesis explored by Avi Loeb, a Harvard physicist. NASA dismissed the idea, however, after examining the photos and signals captured by its probes. These theories generate unnecessary noise and detract from the real scientific interest of these objects, which are already very interesting in themselves, says De Leon.

Gas eruptions on the surface

Josep Maria Trigo, a researcher at the Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC), has led a recent study published on Cornell Universitys ArXiv platform, in which he describes how the comet emitted jets of gas and dust particles during its perihelion  the point in its orbit when it is closest to the Sun. This point occurred on October 29 and was detected by the Joan Oro Telescope of the Montsec observatory. The phenomenon happens because the internal heat of the object melts the ice, giving rise to eruptions that expel gas, steam and dust into space. This is a transitional object, halfway between a comet and an asteroid; it is extremely pristine. Our study spectroscopically confirms that its characteristics are compatible with the objects we call trans-Neptunian [beyond the orbit of Neptune], says Trigo.

Another independent research team led by scientist Nathan X. Roth has worked out of the ALMA observatory, also based in Chile, and detected the most enriched concentrations of methanol and hydrogen cyanide of any comet, second only to C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS).

According to Trigo, objects like 3I/ATLAS have great astrobiological potential: they could act as receptacles of organic matter and catalytic minerals, capable of generating precursor ingredients for life if they find a suitable environment. But careful! That does not mean they contain life, Trigo warns.

How should we observe the comet?

The comet will pass close to Earth, but unlike on other occasions, it will not be visible to the naked eye. Cesar Gonzalez and Julia de Leon agree that the best time to observe it will be at 12 midnight from December 18 and 19 in mainland Spain. It will reach its highest position in the sky at six in the morning, says Gonzalez.

Gonzalez recommends using a telescope or binoculars with a 50 mm aperture to be able to distinguish it as a point of light. Rural areas with minimal light pollution are ideal for appreciating this phenomenon. In any case, Gonzalez insists that the significance of this comet lies in the fact that it was forged in a foreign solar system. It is a good time to verify whether the theories we have developed observing the creation of our solar system are valid for other systems and other stars, he says.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
ChatGPT blamed for US murder-suicide in lawsuit



Washington, United States, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025



The estate of an 83-year-old Connecticut woman filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging the ChatGPT chatbot fueled her son's paranoid delusions and contributed to her murder.

Suzanne Adams was beaten and strangled to death by her 56-year-old son Stein-Erik Soelberg on August 3, in their Old Greenwich home, according to the complaint filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco. Soelberg then fatally stabbed himself.

The case joins a growing number of wrongful death lawsuits filed against OpenAI in recent months, with several alleging ChatGPT contributed to users' suicides.

In August, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine of Southern California sued OpenAI, claiming ChatGPT advised their son on suicide methods.

Several US lawsuits filed in November alleged ChatGPT manipulated users into dependency and self-harm, with four also involving suicide deaths.

Among them, the family of 26-year-old Joshua Enneking alleged the chatbot provided detailed answers about acquiring a gun after he expressed suicidal thoughts.

The family of 17-year-old Amaurie Lacey claimed ChatGPT instructed him on "how to tie a noose and how long he would live without breathing."

The latest lawsuit alleges that months of conversations with ChatGPT validated and amplified Soelberg's delusional thinking, ultimately singling out his mother as a threat.

"ChatGPT told him he had 'awakened' the AI chatbot into consciousness," the complaint states, citing videos Soelberg posted to social media.

The conversations revealed that "ChatGPT eagerly accepted every seed of Stein-Erik's delusional thinking and built it out into a universe that became Stein-Erik's entire life," the lawsuit alleges.

The suit claims the chatbot reinforced Soelberg's paranoid beliefs, telling him he was being watched and that his mother's printer was a monitoring device.

When Soelberg expressed concerns that his mother had tried to poison him, ChatGPT allegedly validated these fears rather than challenging them.

"This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we will review the filings to understand the details," a spokesperson for OpenAI said Thursday in response to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit accuses OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of rushing its GPT-4o model to market in May 2024, compressing months of safety testing into one week over objections from safety team members.

While more powerful and human-like than its predecessors, the GPT-4o model was widely criticized for being too sycophantic with users, a point made in the lawsuit.

Microsoft, which is OpenAI's biggest shareholder, is named as a defendant for allegedly approving the product's release despite knowing safety protocols had been truncated.

Twenty unnamed OpenAI employees and investors are also named as defendants.

The complaint seeks unspecified damages and an injunction requiring OpenAI to implement safeguards.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Press Release from Business Wire: Kioxia Corporation



(AFP) Dec 12, 2025



TOKYO, Dec 12, 2025 (BSW) - Kioxia Corporation , a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the development of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors that will enable the practical implementation of high-density, low-power 3D DRAM. This technology was presented at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Francisco, USA, on December 10, and has the potential to reduce power consumption across a wide range of applications, including AI servers and IoT components.

In the era of AI, there is growing demand for DRAM with larger capacity and lower power consumption that can process large amounts of data. Traditional DRAM technology is reaching the physical limits of memory cell size scaling, prompting research into the 3D stacking of memory cells to provide additional capacity. The use of single-crystal silicon as the channel material for transistors in stacked memory cells, as is the case with conventional DRAM, drives up manufacturing costs, and the power required to refresh the memory cells increases proportionally to the memory capacity.

At last year's IEDM, we announced the development of Oxide-Semiconductor Channel Transistor DRAM (OCTRAM) technology that uses vertical transistors made of oxide-semiconductors. In this year's presentation, we showcased technology of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors allowing 3D stacking of OCTRAM, verifying the operation of transistors stacked in eight layers.

This new technology stacks mature silicon-oxide and silicon-nitride films and replaces the silicon-nitride region with an oxide-semiconductor (InGaZnO) to simultaneously form vertical layers of horizontally-stacked transistors. We have also introduced a novel 3D memory cell structure capable of scaling the vertical pitch. These manufacturing processes and structures are expected to overcome the cost challenges of achieving 3D stacking of memory cells.

Additionally, it is expected that the refresh power can be reduced thanks to the low off-current characteristics of oxide-semiconductors. We have demonstrated high on-current (more than 30?A) and ultra-low off-current (less than 1aA, 10^-18A) capabilities for the horizontal transistors formed by the replacement process. Moreover, we have successfully fabricated an 8-layer stack of horizontal transistors and confirmed the successful operation of the transistors within that structure.

At Kioxia Corporation we will continue our research and development of this technology in order to realize the deployment of 3D DRAM in real-world applications.

* This announcement has been prepared to provide information on our business and does not constitute or form part of an offer or invitation to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for or otherwise acquire any securities in any jurisdiction or an inducement to engage in investment activity nor shall it form the basis of or be relied on in connection with any contract thereof.

* Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is correct on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.

About Kioxia

Kioxia is a world leader in memory solutions, dedicated to the development, production and sale of flash memory and solid-state drives (SSDs). In April 2017, its predecessor Toshiba Memory was spun off from Toshiba Corporation, the company that invented NAND flash memory in 1987. Kioxia is committed to uplifting the world with "memory" by offering products, services and systems that create choice for customers and memory-based value for society. Kioxia's innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH?, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, automotive systems, data centers and generative AI systems.







View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211322385/en/









Contact

Kota YamajiPublic RelationsKioxia Corporation+81-3-6478-2319[email protected]







 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release.
US, Japan defence ministers say China harming regional peace



Tokyo, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Beijing's actions are "not conducive to regional peace", Japan's defence minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.

The radar incident was followed this week by Chinese-Russian air patrols around Japan, and came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan that infuriated China.

Hegseth and Japan's Shinjiro Koizumi "exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident", the Japanese defence ministry said after the call.

They "expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability", the statement added.

Koizumi said on X that the two men "expressed grave concern over the behaviours that heighten tensions in the region".

He said he had also told Hegseth that China was "disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts" about the radar incident.

"However, Japan has made clear that it does not seek escalation and that we are responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals, and we are keeping the door open for dialogue," Koizumi added.

There was no immediate statement about the call from the United States.

Takaichi had suggested on November 7 that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

Last week, J-15 jets from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft that had scrambled in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.

Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.

China's foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Japan of sending the jets "to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorisation, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and... maliciously hype up the situation".

On Tuesday two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country, Japan said.

Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.

Japan and the United States air forces on Wednesday conducted their own joint air drills in a show of force, Tokyo said.

The "tactical exercises" over the Sea of Japan involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s, Tokyo said.

South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defence zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.

Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had organised drills with Russia's military according to "annual cooperation plans".

Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.
North Korea's Kim vows to root out 'evil', scolds lazy officials



Seoul, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to root out "evil" and scolded lazy officials while praising his troops fighting with Russia against Ukraine, state media said Friday, capping a major meeting of Pyongyang's top brass.

The three-day meeting of the regime's central committee discussed key policy issues as well as plans for a congress of its ruling party, expected in early 2026 -- North Korea's first in five years.

Wrapping up the meeting on Thursday, Kim condemned "the wrong ideological viewpoint and inactive and irresponsible work attitude" of some officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

He called on officials to have "greater confidence in and courage for the future of our cause and struggle".

State media did not offer specifics, though it did say the ruling party had revealed numerous recent "deviations" in discipline -- a euphemism for corruption.

The North Korean leader reserved praise for Pyongyang's soldiers fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia, of whom at least 600 have died and thousands more sustained wounds, according to South Korean estimates.

Their work, Kim said, "demonstrated to the world the prestige of our army and state as the ever-victorious army and genuine protector of international justice".



- 'Modern' armed forces -



Analysts say Pyongyang is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy supplies from Russia in return for sending troops.

Kim's mention of the troops "signalled Pyongyang's intention to maintain that deployment", Ahn Chan-il, a researcher originally from North Korea, told AFP.

"North Korea is also highly likely to seek a role in post-war reconstruction in Russia once... the conflict ends," he added.

Kim also hailed efforts this year in "modernising" the country's defences in the face of great "global geopolitical and technological changes".

Pyongyang's central committee began meeting on Tuesday, the same day North Korea fired a salvo of artillery from a multiple rocket launcher system, which analysts say could strike the South.

Last week, South Korea's dovish President Lee Jae Myung said he felt an apology was due to the North over his predecessor's alleged order to send drones and propaganda leaflets across the border.

Pyongyang has not responded to the overture from Lee, who has sought to mend fractured ties with the North.

And Friday's readout made no mention of South Korea or the United States, whose leader Donald Trump had hoped to meet Kim during a visit to Asia in October.

The pair -- who Trump once famously declared were "in love" -- last met in 2019 at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas after the US leader extended an invitation to Kim on Twitter.

But analysts now say that the North Korean leader, increasingly emboldened by his growing ties with Russia, had few good reasons to join the photo-op.
US, Japan defence chiefs say China harming regional peace



Tokyo, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Beijing's actions are "not conducive to regional peace", Japan's defence minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.

The December 6 radar incident came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan that infuriated China.

It was followed this week by Chinese-Russian air patrols around Japan.

Hegseth and Shinjiro Koizumi "exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident", the Japanese defence ministry said after the call.

They "expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability", the statement added.

Koizumi said on X that he told Hegseth that China was "disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts" about the radar incident.

"However, Japan has made clear that it does not seek escalation and that we are responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals, and we are keeping the door open for dialogue," Koizumi added.

Hegseth's office said that they "discussed... China's military activities" amongst other issues including "Japan's efforts to increase its defense spending and strengthen its capabilities".

"Secretary Hegseth and Defense Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific," the US statement added.



-- 'Tactical exercises' --



Takaichi had suggested on November 7 that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

Last week, J-15 jets from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft that had scrambled in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.

Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.

But China's foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Japan of sending the jets "to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorisation, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and... maliciously hype up the situation".

On Tuesday two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country, Japan said.

Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.

A day later, Japan and the United States air forces conducted their own joint air drills, Tokyo said.

The "tactical exercises" over the Sea of Japan involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s, Tokyo said.

South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defence zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.

Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had organised drills with Russia's military according to "annual cooperation plans".

Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

bur-stu/mjw/hmn
Benin police arrest former defence minister: sources



Cotonou, Benin, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Benin's former defence minister and prominent opposition figure, Candide Azannai, was arrested Friday in the economic capital Cotonou, a police source and one of his associates told AFP.

It is unclear whether his detention is linked to Sunday's foiled coup attempt by the army. Authorities have yet to release an official list of suspects.

Azannai condemned the coup attempt in a Facebook statement on Wednesday but also denounced attempts to "exploit the criminal events... for the purpose of seizing power through manipulation and intimidation of dissenting voices and critical political opinions".

The police source, who requested anonymity, gave no details on the reasons behind the arrest, nor the location where Azannai is being held.

A close associate confirmed the arrest, adding they had "no information" about the motive.

A key political figure and outspoken critic of President Patrice Talon, Azannai helped bring him to power in 2016 before breaking with him and joining the opposition.

Talon has been praised for Benin's economic development, but critics say he has become increasingly autocratic.

He is due to reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.
Admiral leading US forces in Latin America steps down



Doral, United States, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



The US admiral responsible for overseeing a major military buildup in the Caribbean and controversial strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats stepped down on Friday just a year into his tenure.

Admiral Alvin Holsey announced in mid-October that he would leave his position as head of US Southern Command, which is responsible for American forces operating in Central and South America.

Holsey had reportedly expressed concerns about the boat strikes, but neither he nor Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth have publicly provided a reason for his early departure.

In his remarks during a ceremony marking his relinquishment of command, the admiral emphasized the importance of supporting nations that believe in democracy and human rights.

"We must always be there for like-minded partners, like-minded nations who share our values -- democracy, rule of law and human rights," Holsey said.

The United States has amassed a huge flotilla of warships in the Caribbean as part of what Washington bills as counter-narcotics efforts, and has since September carried out strikes targeting alleged drug-smuggling vessels that have left nearly 90 people dead.

Trump's administration insists it is effectively at war with alleged "narco-terrorists," but experts say the strikes on the boats amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers.

The first strike, which took place on September 2, is especially controversial, as two survivors of the initial attack were killed in a subsequent hit.

Regional tensions have flared as a result of the strikes and the military buildup, with Venezuela's leftist leader Nicolas Maduro accusing Washington of using drug trafficking as a pretext for regime change in Caracas.

Now responsible for both the campaign of boat strikes and efforts to pressure Maduro is Air Force Lieutenant General Evan Pettus, who said he was "humbled" to take on the role in an acting capacity.

Since beginning his second White House term in January, President Donald Trump has overseen a purge of top military officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Charles "CQ" Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February.

Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the traditionally neutral US military.
The former director of the Teatro Espanol was admiring the catch of the day and sipping wine in a cafe in Culatra when the police closed in

One of the first jobs of officers tasked with locating fugitives is to study their life and work. In author Natalio Gruesos case, there were plenty of clues. Just a week ago, the Civil Guard found him in the Portuguese Algarve, a region that appeared in his books. There, he was leading what we think of as a writers life  taking notes while drinking white wine. Grueso, 55, went missing two years and four months ago, around the time he was expected to start an eight-year prison sentence for the embezzlement of public funds while managing the Niemeyer Center of Asturias between 2006 and 2011. It was a corruption scandal that stained his reputation and drove him underground.

Officers of the elite UCO Fugitives Team hunted Grueso down on the small island of Culatra, located off the coast of Faro and Olhao in the south of Portugal, on the Formosa estuary. The spot, which has no more than 750 inhabitants in winter, could not be more idyllic while also being the perfect hideout as it is rarely patrolled by police. Grueso was seen talking to the owner of the cafe, who showed him the catch of the day, displayed on the counter, before accompanying him on a walk through the dusty traffic-free streets.

Natalio Grueso in the cafe where he was arrested. guardia civil

The Spanish officers had warned their Portuguese colleagues that they were looking for Grueso, who could count figures such as Woody Allen and Kevin Spacey among his contacts. The Spaniards were given permission to locate Grueso but not to arrest him. They had to behave like tourists. They had coffee in the bar where Grueso was the only other customer.

They could not follow him after that as they would have given themselves away, since there were very few people about in the town, explains the head of the elite team. Gruesos behavior and his bond with the owner of the cafe made the officers think that their quarry lived or spent a lot of time in the town. The owner of one of the islands restaurants confirmed to EL PAIS that Grueso was his neighbor, though they had hardly spoken, their relationship being limited to polite greetings.

Once Gruesos whereabouts were established, the Spanish officers took the ferry that connects the island to the town of Olhao. There, while notifying their Portuguese colleagues and planning the arrest, they realized that Grueso had been on the same ferry with a shopping trolley and probably intended shopping in Olhao.

Grueso, after his arrest, escorted by Portuguese police and the Spanish Civil Guard. guardia civil

When the Portuguese police stopped Grueso in Olhao, he denied his identity and carried no ID, though he probably realized when he heard Spanish spoken that he was running out of luck. Pretending to be someone else was no longer going to work for the author who had invented such characters as Bruno Labastide, a globetrotter in his first novel La Soledad (or, Loneliness, 2014), and whose adventures he continued to recount in La Republica de los Ladrones (or, The Republic of Thieves, 2017), traveling through the ports of Seville, Tortuga and Hong Kong in search of lost Spanish gold, work critically acclaimed by authors such as Arturo Perez Reverte, Fernando Sanchez Drago, and the journalist Luis Maria Anson.

Francisco Miranda, Gruesos lawyer, says that his client has agreed to turn himself over to the Spanish authorities, which is scheduled to happen on December 15, an ignominious end to a career that, besides writing, has revolved around cultural management and international relations. Grueso was director of the Teatro Espanol and Madrids director of Performing Arts from 2012 to 2014. He is also the author of a dozen titles, including the biography Woody Allen, The Last Genius, which paid tribute to the filmmaker, whose friendship he boasted about as Allen turned 80. Grueso is also known for his stage adaptations of Mario Vargas Llosas La Fiesta del Chivo and Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman. Some of his adaptations have continued to be performed despite his fugutive status, suggesting this has been a source of income while in hiding.

So how did the Spanish team find Grueso? The answer is linked to another maxim espoused by officers specialized in fugitives: do not lose sight of your surroundings. When they were asked to look for Grueso, they observed his friends and family, but noticed nothing suspicious. He had apparently cut ties, said one officer. However, over time they detected that some relatives were traveling to Portugal via Huelva.

In October, the officers noted that these relatives left their car parked in Olhao and did not return to pick it up for several days. Later, they established that these relatives had passed through the passenger turnstiles at the dock and that Grueso could be on the island. Once the officers got off the ferry, they didnt have to look far: they found their target in the first cafe they encountered.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
CORRECTED: Turkish ferry damaged in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa region: Kyiv



Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



A Turkish-owned ferry has been damaged in a Russian air strike on a port in Ukraine's Black Sea region of Odesa, Kyiv and the operator said in statements Friday.

"Russia launched a missile strike on civilian port infrastructure in the Odesa region," Ukraine's Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram, adding that a Turkish ferry had been damaged and there were no casualties.

Turkish maritime company Cenk Shipping said in a statement that its vessel "loaded entirely with fresh fruits, vegetables and food supplies on the Karasu-Odesa route, was subjected to an air attack today at 16:00 local time, shortly after docking at the Chornomorsk port."
Benin issues arrest warrant for prominent activist after coup foiled



Cotonou, Benin, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Benin issued an arrest warrant Friday for anti-Western activist Kemi Seba for "inciting rebellion" after he supported a foiled coup over the weekend.

On Sunday morning, as mutinous soldiers claimed on television to have overthrown President Patrice Talon, Seba posted a video declaring it was "the day of liberation" for his country.

The coup attempt was thwarted later that day.

Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, 44, heads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and is known for his radical tirades against France and African governments allied with Paris.

He has 1.5 million followers on social media.

Born Franco-Beninese, Seba was stripped of his French nationality in 2024 and openly supports the military juntas that came to power through coups in the Sahel region -- hostile to Paris and close to Russia.

"Benin is liberated. Patriotic, dignified, courageous soldiers aligned with the voice of popular sovereignty -- those who rise every day for dignity -- have taken responsibility; they have arrested President Talon," he said in the video.

However, Talon -- backed by the Beninese army -- was never detained, and the coup was thwarted during the day with support from Nigeria and France.

Kemi Seba's lawyer, Juan Branco, declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

Pan-Africanism is a global movement that calls for solidarity, or even political union, between all people of African ancestry. It has been cited as a factor in struggles of African independence movements against colonial powers including France.
Former Iraqi president Salih picked as new UNHCR chief



Geneva, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Former Iraqi president Barham Salih is set to become the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to a document seen by AFP on Friday, taking over an agency tackling swingeing budget cuts.

Salih, 65, was president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He will replace Filippo Grandi, who is leaving at the end of December after 10 years as the UN refugees chief.

A moderate and veteran Kurdish politician, Salih's long political career has included several senior positions in the Iraqi government and in the country's autonomous Kurdistan region after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein.

A letter from UN chief Antonio Guterres, seen by AFP, said he will propose Salih for approval by the UN General Assembly -- typically a routine procedure -- for a five-year term starting on January 1.

He will be stepping into a firefighting role from day one.

The Geneva-based UNHCR, like many other UN agencies, has been clobbered by drastic international aid cuts. It has shed nearly 5,000 jobs this year -- more than a quarter of its workforce.

The UNHCR is grappling with surging global displacement, while under President Donald Trump, the United States -- traditionally the world's top donor -- has heavily slashed foreign aid, causing havoc across the globe.

Washington previously accounted for more than 40 percent of the UNHCR's budget, and its pull-back, along with belt-tightening by other major donor countries, has left the agency facing "bleak" numbers, according to Grandi.

The right to seek asylum, agreed by states in 1951, "is under threat -- more now than in living memory", the agency's chief spokesman Ewan Watson told a press conference on Friday.

"At times, it can feel like fear and division are drowning out compassion."

More than 117 million people are forcibly displaced from their homes, whether inside or outside their own borders.

UNHCR's funding has been slashed by 35 percent this year to date, "leaving millions without access to safety, food, shelter and vital protection services, let alone the means to re-start independently", said Watson.



- 'You are not alone' -



Numerous other candidates were in the running for the UNHCR job, including Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Jesper Brodin, the outgoing head of the holding company managing most of furniture giant Ikea's stores.

Salih was a longstanding top official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the second-largest Kurdish Iraqi party.

He was also part of an interim authority established by the United States following the 2003 invasion.

He was one of Iraq's deputy prime ministers from 2006 to 2009, then served as the Kurdish prime minister from 2009 to 2012.

Fluent in English, Arabic and Kurdish, Salih served for four years as Iraq's president -- a largely ceremonial office traditionally held by a Kurd since 2005.

He is a senior fellow with the Middle East Initiative and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard University.

Salih holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Cardiff and a doctorate in statistics and computer applications in engineering from the University of Liverpool, according to the Belfer Centre.

UNHCR is hosting its biennial Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva from Monday to Wednesday, bringing together more than 1,800 participants to try to find solutions for millions of displaced people worldwide.

Watson said: "The promise of asylum must be kept alive -- and refugees must not be consigned to the margins. So today we send a clear message to every person forced to flee: you are not alone."

apo-burs/rjm/phz
Turkish ship damaged in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa region



Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



A Russian air strike damaged a Turkish-owned vessel in a port in Ukraine's Black Sea region of Odesa, Kyiv and the operator said in statements Friday.

The attack triggered fresh calls from Ankara to halt strikes on port infrastructure, hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had raised the issue personally with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

"Russia launched a missile strike on civilian port infrastructure in the Odesa region," Ukraine's Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram, adding that a Turkish ferry had been damaged and there were no casualties.

Turkish maritime company Cenk Shipping said in a statement that its vessel "loaded entirely with fresh fruits, vegetables and food supplies on the Karasu-Odesa route, was subjected to an air attack today at 16:00 local time, shortly after docking at the Chornomorsk port."

Images on social media showed the blue-and-white vessel on fire.

The ship is a 185-metre-long ferry that sailed under the Panama flag, according to an information document on the firm's website.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on Friday that "a civilian vessel in the port of Chornomorsk was damaged," without identifying the ship.

"This once again proves that the Russians not only refuse to take the current opportunity for diplomacy seriously enough, but are also continuing the war aimed precisely at destroying normal life in Ukraine," he said on social media.

The attack came as Turkey in the past weeks warned of a "worrying escalation" in the Black Sea after Ukraine claimed naval drone attacks on Russia-linked tankers in the area.

Erdogan had called for a "limited ceasefire" concerning attacks on ports and energy facilities in the Russia-Ukraine war, during face-to-face talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.

After the strike, Turkey's foreign ministry said: "We once again emphasise the importance of urgently ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and we reiterate the need for an arrangement to prevent escalation in the Black Sea, including ensuring maritime safety and suspending attacks targeting energy and port infrastructure."
Security guarantees 'prerequisite' for peace deal, says Ukraine's NATO envoy



Brussels, Belgium, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Concrete security guarantees for Ukraine are a "prerequisite" for any peace agreement and must be set out in a legally binding document, Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Alyona Getmanchuk, told AFP.

"If for some of our partners the most important thing is to reach the deal and then to work through security guarantees, for us it's now a precondition for reaching the deal," she said on Thursday in an interview at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

Such guarantees should be "well-developed" -- not mere "assurances" -- expressed in a "strong" language close to that of NATO's Article 5, and included in a treaty with the United States and possibly some European countries, she added.

A cornerstone of NATO, Article 5 provides that if one member is attacked, the entire alliance comes to its defence.

Under a coalition of the willing co-chaired by France and Britain, Ukraine allies are discussing providing security guarantees to Kyiv to deter Russia from further aggression, if a peace deal is reached.

Many see US participation as key for these to be effective, but Washington's willingness to chip in remains unclear.

Citing the deployment of a "multinational reassurance force", Getmanchuk said: "What we have to clearly understand now (is) what could be the US backstop here".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he had discussed security guarantees with top US officials, without providing further details.

This came amid a flurry of diplomacy around a plan to end the conflict in Ukraine originally proposed by US President Donald Trump last month.

Separately, the European Union is debating using frozen Russian assets for a mammoth loan to support Kyiv -- something Getmanchuk described as a "game-changer".

"Putin will realise that Ukraine will not collapse as he's hoping," she said.

EU leaders are due to discuss a plan to tap some 200 billion euros ($232 billion) of Russian central bank assets immobilised in the bloc as they meet in Brussels next week.
It would take Australia another two years to get around the Iranian regimes internal divisions and negotiate directly with my captors. Just over a year after my release in a prisoner swap deal involving three convicted IRGC terrorists imprisoned in Thailand, Nazanin and Anoosheh were finally freed. Resolving their cases came at a cost of six years of consular bureaucracy and diplomatic dysfunction, underscored by Nazanins viral quip that it took five foreign secretaries to bring her home. It also cost the UK 400 million, a debt payment it had owed Iran for more than forty years which presumably it would have continued to avoid paying had Iran not started taking hostages.
Allow Google Search

To use the search feature, we need your consent to load Google Custom Search, which may use cookies or similar technologies. Please click 'Allow and Continue' below to enable search. See our privacy policy for more information.

Allow and Continue
He continued with his web of lies over the intervening years. It is thanks to the immense bravery of the child in coming forward to explain exactly what happened that night that Robert Rhodes has finally been brought to justice for the murder of Dawn, something he mistakenly thought he could get away with.
But Belgium has so far resisted the move, calling on other nations in the trading bloc to share the risk amid fears it would be left on the hook to pay back the loan if Russia succeeded in thwarting the plan.
Now, if we didn't have strikes looming over us, I would be extremely worried about that situation. This is always a hard time for the NHS in the run up to Christmas and the first week of the New Year, we could just about cope with that.
No account has stated Farage holds the same opinions as an adult as those that have been claimed about him as a child, and accounts of other students do not include the comments recalled by Ettedgui.
The same month, on an away day to Bradford, the King was asked by florist Safeena Khan about his health and replied with a thumbs-up and told her Id like to think Im on the better side (of my cancer journey).
The University of Austin announces an applied engineering lab to be built near Elon Musk's Boring Co. site. Ken Ellis/Houston Chronicle

The University of Austin is planning to build an applied engineering lab next door to Elon Musks rapidly growing corporate complex in Bastrop County.

The university teased the project in a social media post Friday afternoon. An attached video, which showed images of the warehouse-style lab as it moves through construction, shows that it will be located directly southwest of The Boring Co.s headquarters southeast of Austin. SpaceXs Starlink also has major operations in the complex.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Coming soon: The UATX Applied Engineering Lab, next to @boringcompany @elonmusk, the post said.

The fledgling university  commonly referred to as UATX  recently welcomed just shy of 200 students for its second full academic year. Co-founded by Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press and new editor in chief of CBS News, the private university sees itself as a solution to what it says are problems plaguing higher education. Its received the backing of several conservative billionaires due to its illiberalism message.

Its campus is nestled across two floors of the historic Scarborough building in downtown Austin.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source

Musk has not directly been tied to UATX and the universitys post did not directly indicate whether he or his company is the benefactor behind the lab.

However, he has been behind a push for more private, STEM-focused higher education. Along with funding his own Montessori-style elementary schools  one of which is near his companys operations in Bastrop  he pledged $100 million in 2023 to The Foundation, his own charitable organization, to create and launch a STEM-focused university. Since then, no such university has come to fruition by The Foundation.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Neither UATX nor The Boring Co. responded to requests for comment.

Elon Musks properties along FM 1209 in Bastrop are seen early this year. The University of Austin is planning an engineering lab that would be built just southwest of the Boring Co. which is seen at the center of this image. The campus also includes SpaceX, the social media platform X, a housing community dubbed Snailbrook and a convenience store  the Boring Bodega. Jay Janner/American-Statesman

The labs site along FM 1209 in Bastrop County, which stretches slightly northeast from Texas 71, has a few neighborhoods and farmland before Musks business complex takes shape on the horizon. Beyond The Boring Co., the area includes operations and facilities for SpaceX and its Starlink subsidiary, future space said to be dedicated to operations of Musks social media site X, a bodega grocery store, housing and a park for employees.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad
Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at NRG Stadium on April 21, 2023 in Houston. Bob Levey/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Mana

Taylor Swift knows the life of a showgirl  and now shes giving a glimpse of it to fans around the world. The first part of the global popstars new docuseries hit screens early Friday.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Now, were dying to see how this one ends.

Along with the first two episodes of her behind-the-scenes docuseries, Swifts new concert film of her record-breaking world tour made its debut Friday. Heres what to know about the productions.

Taylor Swift documentary release time: Dates for 'The End of an Era' episodes

The End of an Era dropped its first two episodes on Disney+ at 2 a.m. Central Time on Friday, Dec. 12  notably the day before Taylor Swifts 36th birthday. The other episodes will arrive later, with two per week:

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Dec. 12: Episodes 1 and 2

Episodes 1 and 2 Dec. 19: Episodes 3 and 4

Episodes 3 and 4 Dec. 26: Episodes 5 and 6

Who is featured in 'The End of an Era'?

The behind-the-scenes look at Taylor Swifts The Eras Tour includes other stars who appeared on tour stops, like Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and Florence Welch.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Taylor Swift (R) and Sabrina Carpenter perform onstage during night two of The Eras Tour at Caesars Superdome on Oct. 26, 2024 in New Orleans. TAS2024/Getty Images for TAS

Another celebrity in the docu-series wont be singing (or will he): Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, now Swifts fiance, gets some screen time as well as Swifts parents, Scott and Andrea Swift, and younger brother, Austin Swift.

WATCH: 'The End of an Era' trailer

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

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

When does the new Taylor Swift Eras Tour film come out?

Separately, the concert film Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show also released in the early hours of Dec. 12. This differs from the 2023 film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which was produced before Swifts 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department made it onstage. The new film was created from Swifts final show on The Eras Tour in Vancouver, Canada in December 2024.

Like the first two episodes of Swifts docuseries, the new concert film will hit Disney+ at 2 a.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 12. So if youre Down Bad for live performances of Swifts dramatic The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived or the (slightly scary) viral Whos Afraid of Little Old Me?, youre in luck!

Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 1, 2024 in Indianapolis. Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Mana

The 2025 concert film will also include a new acoustic set from the Vancouver finale  and the emotional, nostaligic five-song mashup (from five albums) of A Place in This World (debut album), New Romantics (1989), Long Live (Speaker Now), New Years Day (Reputation) and The Manuscript (The Tortured Poets Department).

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

WATCH: 'Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show' trailer

JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGUzFNTzNiUkc5cXclM0ZzaSUzRFJNVUdfNlhmaFN1Q3ItTk0lMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTNCJTIwd2ViLXNoYXJlJTIyJTIwcmVmZXJyZXJwb2xpY3klM0QlMjJzdHJpY3Qtb3JpZ2luLXdoZW4tY3Jvc3Mtb3JpZ2luJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNEJTIyJTIyJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF

Where can I watch the new Taylor Swift docuseries, Eras Tour movie?

The End of an Era will stream on Disney+ according to the release schedule.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The first two episodes of the docuseries as well as a preview of Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show airs on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 12.

How much does a Disney+ subscription cost?

You can get a Disney+ subscription for under $20 per month, depending on which package you prefer.

Disney+ with ads: $11.99/month

$11.99/month Disney+ ad-free:$18.99/month

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

An annual Disney+ subscription costs around $190 per year. If you have other streaming subcriptions, you can also choose among monthly bundles.
Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath makes remarks at the History Heroes press conference in Alamo Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. Morath announced Thursday that the TEA is replacing the elected school boards of the Beaumont, Connally and Lake Worth school districts. Clint Datchuk

The Texas Education Agency is replacing the elected school boards of the Beaumont, Connally and Lake Worth school districts, Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced Thursday.

State law allows Morath to either close a campus or appoint new leadership if at least one school in the district receives five consecutive failing grades in Texas academic accountability system. Each of the districts met that threshold.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Pending appeals, the commissioner plans to replace each districts school board with a state-selected board of managers. Morath will also appoint a conservator with governing authority over current district and campus leaders during the transition,which typically takes several months to complete.

The education agency will solicit applications from local community members interested in joining each districts board of managers. Morath will also appoint superintendents to lead the districts.

The takeovers add to the growing list of districts subject to state interventions, which also includes two of Texas' largest: Fort Worth and Houston. The Fort Worth school board has said it plans to appeal the commissioners decision, which was announced in October.

Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source

The education agency said in August that five school districts were at risk of intervention after enduring five consecutive years of unsatisfactory ratings. Since then, it has announced plans to take over four of them: Fort Worth, Lake Worth, Connally and Beaumont. Morath has not said whether he plans to intervene in the fifth district, Wichita Falls.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Lake Worths Marilyn Miller Language Academy triggered the intervention in that district. In letters informing the districts about the takeovers, Morath noted that during the latest round of accountability ratings, all but one of Lake Worths six campuses earned failing grades. Meanwhile, five campuses have received unacceptable ratings for more than a year, while only 22% of students are meeting grade level across all subjects.

Lake Worth school district leaders were acutely aware of the challenges facing the school district leading up to the takeover, said Superintendent Mark Ramirez, who was hired this year. Ramirez said the district has focused on addressing the challenges facing each campus, which should serve as a foundation for the incoming board of managers to build upon.

Our preparation ensures zero instructional loss for our children," Ramirez said.

The Connally district had two campuses that met the states takeover threshold: Connally Junior High and Connally Elementary. Since the 2022-23 school year, the number of campuses with academically unacceptable scores in the district has doubled, Morath noted. Only 24% of students in the district are meeting grade level. The junior high improved from an F to a D in the most recent ratings.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

In a statement, the Connally district thanked the efforts of Superintendent Jill Bottelberghe in boosting academic performance in recent years but acknowledged the need for improvements.

We recognize that there is still work that needs to be done, the statement said. It is our hope that the appointed Board of Managers will work to not only improve our districts academic performance, but also serve our community with the same passion and sincerity as our Board of Trustees has.

ML King Middle School and Fehl-Price Elementary in the Beaumont district have also endured five consecutive years of failing grades. The commissioner cited data showing that the elementary school has never earned an acceptable rating, while the middle school has gone 11 years without one. The district has seven campuses with unacceptable ratings for more than a year and has not earned an overall acceptable rating since 2019. Thirty percent of students in the district are meeting grade level.

Thomas Sigee Sr., president of the Beaumont school board, said the district had sought to help its struggling campuses  including by partnering with charter schools  but ultimately could not lift them up to state standards. He questioned why the commissioner opted to take over the entire district instead of shutting down the schools.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

We could have closed the schools for a year and facilitated those students to other campuses and go forward, Sigee said. I didnt want the takeover because I knew it would spread chaos in our community.

If the decision is finalized, it would mark the second time the state has placed the Beaumont district under its oversight. The education agency did so from 2014-2020 due to financial mismanagement.

Each of the three districts will have opportunities later this month to attend an informal hearing with the commissioner to make their appeals. If Morath stands by his decision to intervene, they can then formally appeal to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Takeovers were once rare in Texas, but they have grown more common in the last decade, thanks to the 2015 law that made it easier for the state to step in after five consecutive F grades. It also expanded the commissioners ability to initiate special investigations, which could lead to an intervention.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

That A-F grading system is largely based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, a standardized exam that lawmakers voted this year to replace in 2027.

Before 2015, El Paso experienced the only academic takeover in Texas, due to a widespread cheating scandal. Since the laws passage, the education agency has officially taken over three districts because of low academic performance: Marlin, Shepherd and Houston.

Morath and state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles believe the Houston ISD intervention was warranted, and they tout as evidence the improved test scores in the two years since it started. Students have improved in every tested subject. None of the districts campuses received an F on the states accountability ratings in the 2024-25 school year, a drastic improvement from the 56 underperforming campuses in 2022-23.

But the intervention has also run into strong criticism. Teacher departures have skyrocketed. Thousands of students have unenrolled. And improved test scores have sparked concern that the district has accomplished its gains, in part, because of a hyperfocus on testing and moving students into less rigorous math and science classes.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad
The billboard advertising a reward of $125,000 for leads in the Yogurt Shop murders. The billboard was at South Congress Avenue and Ben Whilte Boulevard. American-Statesman file

More than two months after officials announced known serial killer Robert Brashers as the primary suspect in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls in a North Austin yogurt shop, the Travis County District Attorneys Office is taking steps to clear the four men previously accused of the crimes.

The office announced Thursday that it had filed a notice of exculpatory evidence and a motion for the appointment of counsel for Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn, a move the office called an initial step toward clearing the mens names.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The document outlines the evidence connecting Brashers to the crime and emphasizes that the four men had no connection to Mr. Brashers and there is no evidence that they were involved in the murders.

Robert Springsteen, walks out of 167th District Court a free man after prosecutors filed for dismissal on the homicide indictments against him and Michael Scott for the Yogurt Shop Murders in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. RODOLFO GONZALEZ/Austin American-Statesman

The district attorneys office said the four men have never been eligible for an expunction even though criminal charges against them were dropped. An expunction would mean the men could remove information about their arrests and the charges against them from their permanent record entirely.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source

All four men were originally charged with capital murder in 1999. Pierce was indicted for the crime but his case was dismissed before the trial began. He died in 2010 during an officer-involved shooting. A grand jury declined to indict Welborn.

Maurice Pierce was swarmed by media as he exited the Travis County Correctional Complex at Del Valle after charges for capital murder in the Yogurt Shop case was dismissed by Travis Colunty District Attorney Ronald Earle Tuesday. Jan. 28, 2003 Sung Park/Austin American-Statesman

Scott and Springsteen were both tried and convicted for the murders in 2001 and 2002. Springsteen was sentenced to death and Scott was sentenced to life in prison. The convictions were overturned and sent back to Travis County to be retried, but were ultimately dismissed in 2009 when DNA evidence excluded all four suspects.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

It has been 34 years since Dec. 6, 1991, when the lives of four young girls were taken, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said in a statement Thursday. During that time, four men were falsely accused and two were wrongfully convicted. We are grateful to APD for never giving up their search for the truth, and for identifying the real killer: Robert Brashers. Thirty-four years is too long for anyone to have to wait for the criminal legal process to be over, and it is our hope that having counsel appointed for those wrongfully accused will be the first step in finally closing this case so that all involved can move forward.

Fresh flowers are seen on a memorial that honors murder victims Amy Ayers, Sarah Harbison, Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas outside what was once the I Cant Believe Its Yogurt shop on Anderson Lane in Austin, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

The quest for innocence

Springsteen and Scott were convicted based primarily on coerced confessions even though no physical or eyewitness evidence connected them to the crime.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The girls were victims, and Michael grieves for them and their families. But Michael and his family have been victims, too, Scotts attorney told the Statesman in October.

If the conclusions of the APD investigation are confirmed, as it appears that they will be, I will say I am sorry, though I know that that will never be enough, Garza said during the September news conference announcing Brashers as the suspect in the murders. We will take any necessary steps to ensure that they can move forward with their lives.

If Scott and Springsteen are declared innocent, they could receive up to $80,000 for each year they were wrongfully imprisoned along with a lifetime annuity, according to state law.

The Yogurt shop murder trial scene Monday afternoon in Austin..Suspects are: Maurice Earl Pierce, second from left sitting and his lawyers Lad Slavik (left) and Guillermo Gonzalez; Michael James Scott, third from left sitting and his lawyers Tony Diaz and Dexter Gilford; and Robert Springsteen, far right. November 27, 2000. Rebecca McEntee/Austin American-Statesman

The yogurt shop murders

Amy Ayers, 13; sisters Sarah Harbison, 15, and Jennifer Harbison, 17; and Eliza Thomas, 17, were found dead inside of I Cant Believe Its Yogurt! on West Anderson Lane just after midnight on Dec. 6, 1991. All four girls were shot in the head, and at least one was sexually assaulted. Officials say the shop had been doused with accelerants and set on fire to destroy the evidence.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Police arrested 16-year-old Pierce carrying a .22-caliber revolver at Northcross Mall, a few blocks away from the shop, eight days after the murders. He told police he loaned the gun to Welborn, 15, who had used it in the yogurt shop murders. Police spent six years investigating, eventually honing in on the four original suspects in 1999. After the men were cleared, the case went cold again.

This undated photo provided by the Missouri State Highway Patrol shows Robert Brashers. Authorities said Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 that DNA evidence has identified Brashers as the man who killed three people and raped a girl in the 1990s, even though the suspect killed himself nearly 20 years ago. Investigators say they've solved three homicides and a rape case, all from the 1990s, after obtaining DNA by digging up the corpse Brashers. (Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP) Missouri State Highway Patrol/via AP

In 2020, investigators identified a male-only strand of DNA from the bodies of one of the girls, and that strand was eventually used to identify Brashers. According to Thursdays filing, Brashers had family connections to the Austin area and had been linked to other murder cases, including several similar in nature to the yogurt shop murders. Brashers died by suicide in 1999 during an confrontation with police. Investigators believed he used the same gun to take his own life that he used in the yogurt shop murders.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Authorities now consider the yogurt shop case closed.
YINCHUAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Luo Li never imagined that one day she would be enjoying lamb hotpot and coffee with her family while watching the sunset over golden dunes in the heart of a winter desert.

"We never expected our hometown would have such a high-end desert hotel," said Luo, an architect from Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.

"Watching the sunset while enjoying hotpot in the desert is unforgettable. It's freezing cold outside, but inside we feel warm and comfortable," Luo added.

Once known as a bleak frontier during winter, the vast Tengger Desert is now drawing a growing number of tourists as luxury desert resorts transform the city of Zhongwei, Ningxia into a rising winter getaway.

At Shapotou, China's first national-level holiday resort built around the scenic desert and Yellow River landscapes in Zhongwei, visitors come to sip locally produced wine and capture photos beneath star-filled skies.

Activities like desert off-road riding and a cable crossing over the Yellow River have become popular "hero shot" moments shared widely on social media.

Zhu Wenjun, deputy general manager at the Shapotou Scenic Area Administration, said winter tourism revenue has grown approximately 10 percent annually since 2018, largely driven by the rise of upscale hotels and boutique homestays.

Among the most notable spots is Desert Star Hotel, opened in 2020, where rooms average over 2,400 yuan (about 340 U.S. dollars) per night and frequently sell out in peak seasons. During winter, visitors appreciate the quieter atmosphere and lower prices, according to travelers like Luo.

"Compared with warmer southern China, Zhongwei's desert in winter offers better opportunities for photography. I love its wildness, and the hotel is really amazing," said Zou Mengjie, a travel and fashion blogger from Wuhan, Hubei Province.

New projects such as Tengol Hotel have further raised Zhongwei's profile. The hotel usually closes temporarily in winter to cut operating costs amid a drop in tourist arrivals. But this year, it stays open as bookings surpassed expectations, pushing its annual occupancy rate to 65 percent.

"Each room brings us around 700,000 yuan a year, and we expect to recoup the costs in four years," said Zhang Ying, manager of Tengol Hotel.

Hotels have also tapped into online promotions to drive winter demand. Tengol Hotel generated over 30 million yuan in discounted package sales during this year's "Double 11" and "Double 12" shopping festivals, while Desert Star recorded 120 million yuan in pre-sales on Nov. 11 alone.

To make the winter desert more attractive, these hotels have also rolled out a series of exclusive offerings, including indoor sand therapy, desert expeditions that combine off-roading and hiking, and parent-child outdoor stargazing experiences.

Local authorities are also actively promoting winter tourism. Over 40 events are planned this season, including desert hotpot festivals, drone shows and folk celebrations aimed at attracting visitors.

Infrastructure improvements are expected to further boost tourist flows. The Baotou-Yinchuan high-speed railway, set to open by year-end, will shorten travel times from major cities and support Ningxia's efforts to establish itself as a winter destination.

Tourism growth is reshaping the local economic structure as well.

Zhongwei, a city of about 1.08 million residents, welcomed 70.7 million visitors and generated 43.1 billion yuan in tourism revenue during China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), representing increases of 100.4 percent and 56.8 percent, respectively, compared to the 13th Five-Year Plan period, official data shows.

An estimated 70,000 people in Zhongwei are currently engaged in tourism-related jobs, from camel guides and stargazing instructors to homestay managers and cafe owners.

Li Haisheng, 37, opened a cafe in downtown Zhongwei in 2023. Coffee cups are crafted using Zhongwei's intangible cultural heritage techniques. He infuses local goji berries into his coffee, a unique blend popular among customers. He also offers photography services to travelers during peak seasons.

"I returned to Zhongwei because booming high-end hotels created new job opportunities," Li said. "I've grown proud of my hometown and want more people to know about it." 
Texas State University American-Statesman file

Texas State University police are searching for an unknown suspect who may have wielded a weapon near a dorm on campus early Thursday morning.

Authorities responded to reports of a dispute at Blanco Hall, a Texas State dorm located at 701 Moore St., around 1:52 a.m. Officers secured the scene but no suspects were present.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

One person at the scene reportedly suffered a minor injury. Police believe the suspect may have used a firearm during the incident, but the victim at the scene had not been shot.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to campus. The university issued an alert about the incident via email just before noon on Thursday.

The suspect is described as a male with curly hair and a tattoo on his left hand. The university said he was wearing a gray hoodie and black pants at the time of the incident. It is still unknown whether the suspect was a student or not.

The suspect in an altercation at Texas State University remained unidentified as of Thursday afternoon. Courtesy TXST UPD

Texas State did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad
Austin police officers salute during the funeral of Officer Tony Martin at Hill Country Bible Church on Monday October 3, 2022. Jay Janner / American-Statesman

For two years, Austin Public Safety Commission chair Nelly Ramirez has pushed the city agency tasked with independent oversight of the Austin Police Department to publicly brief Austin City Council members on its operations.

During that time, Ramirez has become increasingly frustrated with what she describes as slow, insufficient progress in implementing the groundbreaking police oversight ordinance that Austin voters overwhelmingly approved in May 2023.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Supporters cheer for a new four-year contract for the Austin Police Department during a City Council meeting in February. That contract was rejected because of an upcoming election on the Austin Police Oversight Act. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman Austin voters will cast ballots on two different propositions on police accountability on May 6, both called the Austin Police Oversight Act. Proposition A promises more comprehensive reform than Proposition B. (Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell/AMERICAN-STATESMAN/File) Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman file

She said she suspects council members arent fully aware of those issues because Austin Police Oversight, the city agency formally known as the Office of Police Oversight, hasnt faced public questioning from council members in more than two years despite annual presentations being required under the Austin Police Oversight Act.

We have relentlessly pursued more data from Austin Police Oversight and still have had limited view into what they provide, Ramirez told the American-Statesman. I am not sure council is aware how little progress APO has been making on the complaint process and how urgently action is needed to create new policies to improve it.

Ramirez finally succeeded this week when Police Oversight Director Gail McCant appeared in front of Austin City Council on Tuesday for the first time, presenting the agencys 2024 annual report to council members. But following the long-awaited presentation, McCant and other Police Oversight officials struggled to answer basic queries about data included in the report.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source

That prompted concern from some council members over the state of police oversight in Austin.

I'm happy we have the report and it was discussed in public, Council Member Mike Siegel told the Statesman after the presentation. But we really need more data to drill down into the efficacy of Austin Police Oversights implementation of the Oversight Act. There are many more questions we need answered.

Mike Siegel, City Council member representing district 7, speaks at a press conference at Austin City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. Members from LGBTQ+ and human rights advocacy organizations joined City Council members for a press conference on an upcoming item on creating gender-inclusive bathrooms. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman

Police reform advocates were also frustrated.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The point of the APOA is to provide transparency and clarity into how the Austin Police Department operates, said Savannah Lee, the director of policy and operations at Equity Action, the advocacy organization that wrote the Austin Police Oversight Act and sued the city for failing to fully implement it. [W]e feel like the ordinance voters approved is not being fully implemented.

McCant declined an interview request to discuss the concerns.

"Austin Police Oversight is continuously improving processes throughout our operations," Police Oversight spokesperson Sara Peralta said in response to written questions. "We will consult with our internal stakeholders to evaluate ways to analyze complaints data more efficiently and report back on opportunities to council."

During Tuesday's work session, council members focused on key findings in the annual report on complaints against police officers.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The report, released in October, showed that community members lodged 813 formal grievances. For the third year in a row, the most common type of complaint was that officers provided no assistance when responding to service calls.

When asked to provide more detail about the nature of those complaints, Police Oversight officials couldnt say.

Is there a way that we could get a little more breakdown? Council Member Paige Ellis asked, specifically mentioning complaints involving slow response times and responding officers telling complainants they couldnt help with certain issues.

Police Oversight Deputy Director Kevin Masters told council the no assistance complaints could be about any of those things. Thats because he said the agency uses the category as a catch-all for any kind of complaints related to any kind of dissatisfaction with officer response.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Sometimes we get so many complaints, if we tried to itemize every complaint we get, we'd need probably 20 pages just for that, he said.

Later, Siegel asked Police Oversight leaders how many times officers had been disciplined for a no assistance complaint.

We dont have that information, Masters replied.

Council Member Krista Laine asked about figures in the report that showed Police Department Internal Affairs investigators substantiated just 69 of the community complaints and that only nine of those cases led to disciplinary action.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Masters explained that Police Oversight only tracks more severe levels of discipline  like suspensions and terminations  and the other 60 substantiated complaints were likely handled with more informal types of disciplinary action, like a mandated training course.

I dont think thats an acceptable answer, Laine told the Statesman after the presentation. Those 60 cases we don't have data could be directly related to issues at APD that need to be resolved. We have an incomplete data set that could prevent us from addressing root problems.

Council Member Krista Laine speaks during a City of Austin press conference regarding homelessness in Austin Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis also declined an interview.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

In a prepared statement, Police Department spokesperson Anna Sabana said the report will help "strengthen" the department's efforts at ensuring transparency and accountability.

"APD recognizes that meaningful oversight is essential to building trust, strengthening our practices, and ensuring we are transparent and responsible to our community," she said.

Siegel said he is also worried that Police Oversight officials are not sharing all of the information around officer discipline they are authorized to publish  like memos from the police chief explaining why officers received less severe discipline, like oral reprimand or mandated training.

In the past, the Police Department was barred from publishing those disciplinary records by a provision of state law known as the G-file. But it started to do so late last year after the city signed a new contract with the police union in November 2024 that suspended the use of the G-file for the duration of the agreement.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Now, Siegel said, Police Oversight should be publishing more disciplinary records.

We no longer have to distinguish between what can and cannot be published, Siegel said, so we should be more transparent.

Ramirez, the Public Safety Commission chair, agreed. She said understanding why officers are disciplined  at all levels  can illuminate possible systemic problems within the department.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

If a huge component of our complaints is people not getting satisfactory responses from officers, we need to know more about those complaints to improve service, Ramirez said. Even if those complaints are just handled internally with oral reprimands or training.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (L), and state Rep. James Talarico. Jason Fochtman - Houston Chronicle / Talia Sprague - Associated Press

Just days after she entered the race for U.S. Senate, Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett jumped to an 8-point lead over her Democratic competitor, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, according to a new poll.

The survey of 1,600 Texans who said they plan to vote in the March 3 primary showed the race dividing along racial, gender and age lines. Crockett, seeking to become Texas' first Black and first female Democratic U.S. senator, had the support of nearly nine in 10 Black respondents and 57% of the women who participated in the poll taken Dec. 9-11 and released Friday.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

While Crockett showed a wide 59-34 among respondents over 55, Talarico held a 63-34 lead with Democrats 34 and younger.

In a statement, Crockett said the poll echoed her private polling, which she has not released, and shows that she can win the nomination and would match up well against Republican nominee in the general election.

Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source

"The Texas Southern poll illustrates that voters know what I know: that I'm in the best position to mobilize voters whove been overlooked, ignored, and excluded," Crockett said. "Over half of democratic voters agree that I am the candidate who will be most successful in getting infrequent voters to show up en masse."

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

A Talarico spokesman, meanwhile, said the poll shows a single-digit divide with many voters still unfamiliar with the Austin Democrat.

"While many voters are still learning about James, he starts out very competitive," said Talarico aide J.T. Ennis. "Polling consistently shows that the more people get to know James, the more they support him."

Talarico, who has been campaigning since September, scored highest among white and Hispanic voters, 53% to 40% and 51% to 41%, respectively. He also led among male respondents, 52%-42%. The poll was conducted by the Barbara Jordan Public Policy and Research Center of Texas Southern University.

"While 94% of likely primary voters know enough about Crockett to have an opinion of her, only 79% know enough about Talarico at the present time to have an opinion of him," a news release announcing the poll states.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The poll went into the field Monday, the same day Crockett announced and filed for the primary that will decide which Democrat will face either four-term incumbent John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston. Filing for the primary also ended Monday.
Charles Wicks gets up from his bed using his rollator walker. The Season for Caring recipient has a power scooter on his wish list. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

No elementary school kid ever stands up in a classroom and announces plans to be homeless in adulthood. Charles David Wicks never dreamed it could happen to him.

Until it did.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Wicks, 66, is one of 12 people or families that are part of the Statesmans annual Season for Caring campaign, which highlights the needs of people in our community and raises funds to help these families as well as hundreds of others through local nonprofits. He was nominated by Family Eldercare.

The Austin-born Wicks moved to Oklahoma at a young age but moved back here in 1988 after his mother died. He worked over a decade in baggage and security at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport but the years of handling heavy bags took a toll, particularly his feet. He had toes on each foot amputated, which led to him losing his job because of the inability to meet the physical demands of the his position.

By 2020, he was unemployed. He soon lost his Del Valle home and had to live in his car. Wicks spent most of his nights parked at the 24-hour Walmart on U.S. 290, where he could discreetly use the restrooms to keep up his hygiene. Things were looking up when a street outreach ministry connected him to Rapid ReHousing and Family Eldercare.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source

Then he tested positive for COVID.

We were trying to get him into temporary housing, said Family Eldercare case worker Anna Madrigal. It was 2020 and they were trying to get him into a motel, and we discovered he had COVID. He went to the hospital and it almost killed him.

While he battled for his life inside a hospital room, his car sat outside in the parking lot with everything he owned inside. Then someone took it.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

And just like that, he had nothing.

I lived in that car for three years because I couldnt do any jobs, and I lost everything financially and physically, he said. I hit rock bottom.

Season for Caring recipient Charles Wicks at his apartment in South Austin. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

Thankfully, he hooked up with the Victory Outreach Church and later Family Eldercare, which helped get Wicks back on a positive track.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

He lives in a tidy apartment and spends his time reading through his book collection. Hes an avid history buff who has studied the Civil War and both world wars.

He walks with the aid of a rollator walker but could use a power scooter to get around more easily, especially in front of his home where its difficult to navigate the incline leading down to the sidewalk on the way to a painstaking 100-yard walk to the mailbox.

Hes also in need of easy access shelving in his home.

Im thankful for the people who have helped me along the way, he said. They helped me through all the terrible things and the depression that happened when I lost so much."

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Since the Statesman began telling Wicks' story on Nov. 30, the community has donated some clothing items and some accessibility items from his Amazon wish list. He's still in need of an adjustable shower head, secure rails outside his home to make it safer, a microwave and bedding, in addition to his big need of the electric scooter.

To find out more about Wicks or to give an item on his wish list, contact Family Eldercare 512-450-0844, familyeldercare.org.

Statesman Season for Caring logo American-Statesman

About Season for Caring

The Statesman is sharing the stories of all 12 Season for Caring families through Jan. 31. Donations will be matched up to $500,000 by Brian Sheth. On Saturday, P. Terry's Central Texas restaurants will donate 100% of profits to Season for Caring. Find more stories at statesman.com/seasonforcaring.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 2B and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to Statesman Season for Caring.

JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3aWRnZXRzMi5raW1iaWEuY29tJTJGV2lkZ2V0czIlMkZmb3JtMiUyRmZvcm0yLmpzJTNGY2hhbm5lbCUzRHN0YXRlc21hbnNmYyUyRnN0YXRlc21hbnNlYXNvbmZvcmNhcmluZyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRnNjcmlwdCUzRQ==

Advertisement Article continues below this ad
Sheins ultra-fast-fashion model  thousands of new items daily, made with extreme speed and at extremely low cost  creates a high-risk environment for Chinese labor exploitation. NICOLAS GUYONNET/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

In early December, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that his office is investigating the fast fashion retailer Shein for potential violations related to unethical labor practices and unsafe products. As the AG said, Texans deserve to know that the companies they buy from are ethical, safe, transparent, and not exploiting workers or selling harmful products.

Paxton is right to shine a light on Shein and its potential questionable practices. Their ultra-fast-fashion model  thousands of new items daily, made with extreme speed and at extremely low cost  creates a high-risk environment for labor exploitation. Yet investigating this one company is just the tip of the iceberg for addressing a much larger problem of goods that we buy in the West that come from China.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The Chinese government, as a matter of state policy, forces Uyghur people to work in forced-labor camps to produce goods that end up on American shelves. Their horrifying, systematic abuse of the Uyghur people bears all the hallmarks of genocide. Uyghur people are subjected to arbitrary incarceration, forced labor, family separation and forced sterilization. The possibility that our holiday shopping could include products made by this forced labor should shock and appall us.

Earlier this year my organization, Global Rights Compliance, released a report which showed that four critical minerals mined and processed in the Uyghur Region of China go into the products that Americans use everyday. The goods made from these minerals, including coffee mugs, power tools and household and commercial paint are entering the supply chains of up to 70 leading global brands.

But these challenges are not just limited to the Uyghur region. Through a tightly orchestrated labor transfer program, the Chinese government uproots Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities and sends them to other parts of the country to work in factories that produce goods for the West. Those targeted for relocation do not have the ability to say no.

In response, four years ago, in bipartisan fashion, the U.S. Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, because the abuses in that region are so pervasive that we have to assume that any goods coming from there are made by forced labor.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

For these reasons, companies should have a higher degree of skepticism when they source minerals, components or goods from China, and do the work needed to divest their supply chains from forced labor. Yet Chinese companies like Shein and Temu may be circumventing our laws.

Their potentially illegal conduct also disadvantages American businesses. Weak labor and environmental standards in China, hidden by opaque distribution systems, serve to artificially deflate the cost of Chinese goods, creating an unfair playing field for everyone else. If we dont act to enforce our laws, then China will continue to flood global markets with artificially cheap goods that undercut American business, while tightening their control over minerals vital to aerospace, defense, consumer products and other household technologies that we use every day.

The United States has some of the strongest laws in the world that ban the importation of goods made by forced labor because as Americans we value freedom, human dignity and the rule of law. Companies doing business in the United States should follow our laws and live up to our values.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

By holding companies accountable in Texas and beyond, and pushing back strongly against the use of forced labor from China in the global critical minerals supply chain, we can protect the American commitment to human dignity and strengthen American businesses.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn comments on the possibility of bringing a retired space shuttle to Space Center Houston during a panel discussion in Houston, Friday, June 20, 2025. Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle

A coalition of Republican donors organized by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell and the wife of a close associate to Austin-based tech-billionaire Joe Lonsdale have pumped nearly $18 million into helping reelect U.S. Sen. John Cornyn as he faces his toughest primary in years.

The group, Lone Star Freedom Project, is by far the largest spender in the race, according to data from the campaign spending group Ad Impact.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

The $17.8 million it has put in over the past five months dwarfs what has been spent against Cornyn in the March GOP primary. The fourth-term senator is facing off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, of Houston.

READ MORE:Here are the major 2026 election candidates running in Houston and Texas

Groups supporting Paxton, including his campaign fund, have spent virtually nothing on advertising, while Hunt's campaign and the pro-Hunt group Standing for Texas have spent approximately $5 million. Another group named Texas Conservatives Fund LLC, which is based in Delaware and has no website or public profile, spent $3.5 million in October and November running an attack ad focused on Cornyn's breaks with President Donald Trump on immigration and the border wall.

Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source

Other groups are pitching in for Cornyn, including $12.9 million in ad buys by the pro-Cornyn super PAC Texans for a Conservative Majority, and $10.9 million from One Nation, a dark money group tied to Republican leadership in the Senate. That brings the total to $40 million.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Recent polling has Paxton leading in the race,with 32% support, and Cornyn and Hunt drawing 27% and 23%, respectively, according to analysis by research firm Decision Desk HQ.

"The only thing keeping John Cornyn's campaign alive is John Cornyn's money," Hunt said. "Strip that away and the entire operation collapses under its own weight."

The Cornyn campaign declined to comment for this story.

Cornyn continues to rely on support from establishment Republicans who have long clashed with Paxton.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Ahead of Paxton's impeachment hearing in the Texas Senate in 2023, Perry defended the whisteblowers who reported Paxton to the FBI for allegedly accepting bribes, calling them "outstanding and principled conservatives."

The board of Lone Star Freedom Project includes Claire Brickman, whose husband, Blake Brickman, was one of the whistleblowers. Brickman now works for Lonsdale, who cofounded the data analsis firm Palantir and runs a libertarian think tank in Austin called the Cicero Institute. Also on the board is Lutrell, the former Navy Seal and author of "Lone Survivor," which described a deadly attack on his unit in Afghanistan, as well as former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs.

Because the group is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, it is not required to disclose its donors.

John Nau, the former CEO of alcohol distributor Silver Eagle Beverages in San Antonio, has donated $4 million this year to Cornyn's Super PAC. Other top donors to the group include Roku CEO Anthony Wood and Dallas billionaires Kelcy Warren and Ray Hunt.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad

Those backing Paxton expressed little concern that the spending gap would hurt them as the race heats up.
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Thursday called on major social media companies to establish local offices in the country and strengthen compliance with national regulations, warning that platforms could face enforcement measures if they fail to cooperate, officials said at a press briefing.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of Interior, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said companies including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and X had not taken adequate steps to follow Pakistani laws despite a formal notice issued earlier this year.

Chaudhry said authorities were concerned about accounts involved in spreading extremist or violent content.

The minister said Pakistan expected platforms to apply the same automated systems they use to remove other categories of illegal content to also detect and delete terrorist material.

Minister of State for Law Barrister Aqeel Malik said Pakistan may consider measures to impose fines and temporarily restricted access to a platform for non-compliance. Pakistan could also take the matter to international legal forums if required, he added.

Officials said requiring platforms to establish local offices would improve coordination, speed up responses to government requests and support more effective handling of harmful online content.

The ministers said Pakistan is working to prevent digital spaces from being used to promote violence, noting that the misuse of social media by extremist groups poses a challenge not only to Pakistan but also to global security. 
HARBIN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army on Thursday released a 38-minute video of a former member of Unit 731, a notorious Japanese germ-warfare unit during World War II (WWII).

In the footage, former Unit 731 member Tsuruo Nishijima detailed how the unit used meteorological data to carry out bacterial dispersal and frostbite experiments.

The video was recorded in 1997 by Japanese scholar Fuyuko Nishisato and donated to the exhibition hall in 2019, according to the hall, which was built on the former site of the headquarters of Unit 731 in Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Jin Shicheng, a researcher with the exhibition hall, said that Nishijima joined Unit 731 in October 1938 and served in the unit's meteorological squad. The squad was not a simple observation section but rather an auxiliary force supporting the unit's human experiments in the field by measuring wind direction, wind speed and other conditions to ensure optimal experimental results, according to Jin.

Nishijima confirmed in the footage that "the meteorological squad had to be present at every field experiment." He testified to the "rainfall experiments" conducted by Unit 731, which involved aircraft releasing bacterial agents at extremely low altitudes.

At a field-testing site in Anda City, Heilongjiang, Unit 731 aircraft descended to about 50 meters above the ground and sprayed bacterial culture liquids onto "maruta" -- human test subjects -- who were tied to wooden stakes. Each experiment involved about 30 people, spaced roughly 5 meters apart. After the experiments, the victims were loaded into sealed trucks and transported back to the unit, where their symptoms and disease progression were recorded over a period of several days.

Nishijima also revealed that a Japanese military doctor once died after removing the mask and becoming infected during an experiment, indirectly proving the extreme virulence of the bacterial agents.

The video further disclosed details of the meteorological squad's involvement in frostbite experiments. To study wartime needs in frigid regions, the invading Japanese army forced the victims to expose their bodies for five to ten minutes in temperatures ranging from minus 20 to minus 35 degrees Celsius and observed their physical reactions.

According to the exhibition hall, Nishijima's video, a piece of oral history from a perpetrator's perspective, further reconstructs the criminal chain of Unit 731 and once again demonstrates that the invading Japanese army's biological warfare crime was systematic and inhumane, and was an undeniable historical truth.

Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin as the nerve center for Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during WWII.

At least 3,000 people were used for human experiments by Unit 731, and more than 300,000 people in China were killed by Japan's biological weapons. 
BISHKEK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The China-Europe freight rail routes are emerging as an important driver of the development of Central Asian countries, a Kyrgyz market expert has said.

Traversing Central Asian countries, China-Europe freight rail service turns out to be a major project that brings both economic and infrastructural benefits to the region and, most importantly, contributes to improving the quality of life for the population, not least by creating new jobs, Sergei Ponomarev, president of the Association of Markets of Kyrgyzstan, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The train service transported 53 categories of goods, covering a vast array of more than 50,000 items, according to the 2nd China Railway Express Cooperation Forum, held in early November in Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, under the theme "Connecting Asia and Europe for a Shared Future."

China-Europe freight trains are bringing an increasing number of branded products from various countries to the Chinese market, while also providing several landlocked countries in Eurasia with access to maritime routes.

Recalling the historical roots of regional connectivity, Ponomarev said that the ancient Silk Road was far more than a set of trade routes: its caravans shaped infrastructure and fostered cultural exchange. Goods such as Chinese silk reached Europe through routes that passed through what is now Kyrgyzstan.

Ponomarev described the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative as an effort to continue this historic role.

"Replicating this experience, the joint construction of the Belt and Road, is undoubtedly a megaproject," he said. "Kyrgyzstan was among the first to support it."

He emphasized that the international environment has made traditional logistics routes more complicated, increasing the value of new overland corridors. Modern rail routes linking China with Central Asia and onward to Europe now function as the new Silk Road, providing faster, more reliable, and more diversified pathways.

Kyrgyzstan will serve as an important link between one of the world's largest economies -- China -- and both Eastern and Western Europe, he said, adding that as these rail corridors expand, Central Asia is becoming a more convenient and strategic bridge in this process. 
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon lands at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Oct. 21, 2025. Three incidents have been reported this month in which a laser beam from an unknown source was pointed at fighter pilots on approach to the base, and German authorities are investigating. (Gretchen McCarty/U.S. Air Force)



KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany  German authorities have launched a criminal investigation into apparent laser beam attacks earlier this month on pilots of American F-16s at Spangdahlem Air Base.

Three fighter pilots reported encountering what they described as a blue laser beam while on approach to Spangdahlem, the Trier criminal investigation department said in a statement Friday. The department is part of the Rheinland-Pfalz police agency.

Two of the incidents occurred on Dec. 2, and another a week later, on Dec. 9, while the aircraft were only a few kilometers away from the base, the statement said.

In all three cases, which occurred between 8 and 8:30 p.m., the pilots landed safely, German authorities said.

Laser attacks pose a high risk to pilots, as they can cause temporary blindness and disorientation as well as eye injuries, according to Air Force investigators.

The 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem is tracking the incidents in the Trier police report, said Master Sgt. Alex Riedel, the wing spokesman, on Friday.

In all instances, the aircraft landed safely, Riedel said. Our pilots are well-trained for these scenarios and report the laser sources location to the U.S. law enforcement and German police, with whom we are fully cooperating. Further details are pending investigation.

The source of the laser beams is unknown, and anyone who witnessed the incidents or has information about them is asked to come forward, Trier investigators said Friday.

In 2023, the Air Force reported a surge in incidents involving laser pointers, describing the effect of a laser beam on pilots as being like a camera flash in a pitch-black car at night, according to an Air Force statement.

Even seemingly harmless beams, such as those used for classroom presentations or amusing a house cat, can be dangerous to pilots, it said.

The Air Force is upgrading eyewear for aircrews to provide combined laser and ballistic protection capability for the first time, according to Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. The initial plans called for more than 42,000 devices to be fielded to units by 2027.
Coast Guard aircrews rescued four people from a home in Sumas, Wash., on Thursday as historic floods devastate the region. Flooding on Friday could be catastrophic, officials say.

Air Station Port Angeles and Air Station Astoria each hoisted two survivors and transferred them to waiting emergency responders at a nearby landing zone.

The Coast Guard helicopter crews responded when Whatcom County Fire District 14 and U.S. Border Patrol were unable to reach the survivors because of water, 10-feet deep, surrounding the home.

An MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria hoists a rescue swimmer from the roof of a flooded home, after rescuing two individuals in Sumas, Wash., Dec. 11, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard)



A MH-65 Dolphin aircrew from Air Station Port Angeles arrived on scene and lowered a rescue swimmer to the roof of a porch, where he was able to assist the survivors through a window in the second-story attic. Port Angeles crews hoisted the first two survivors and transported them to the landing zone while the rescue swimmer remained on the rooftop with the two remaining individuals.

An aircrew from Air Station Astoria arrived immediately after, hoisted the remaining two individuals, and recovered the rescue swimmer.

This is exactly why we train the way we do, day in and day out, said Scott Giard, Coast Guard Northwest District Search and Rescue Program Manager. When human lives are at risk, our crews stand ready to respond with skill and precision.

The Washington National Guard also has been mobilized.

On Friday morning, officials in Skagit County said all residents in the city of Burlington, north of Seattle, should evacuate as the Gages Slough River began to overflow and send water into homes. National Guard troops were going door to door notifying residents to leave and assist with evacuations, the county said on its Facebook page. Officials had hoped dikes and other systems would protect their community from catastrophe.

Washington is under a state of emergency and evacuation orders are in place for tens of thousands of residents. Gov. Bob Ferguson on Thursday urged everyone to follow evacuation instructions as yet another river neared record levels.

About 78,000 residents of a major agricultural region north of Seattle were ordered to evacuate the floodplain of the Skagit River, which was expected to crest Friday morning.

A number of rivers surpassed their flood stages overnight, including the Skagit at the towns of Concrete and Mount Vernon. It crested at more than 37 feet at Mount Vernon, according to weather service data.

The floods were impacting large parts of the state, with several bridges flooded and some major roads inundated or washed out. Some roads had no alternate routes and no estimated reopening time, including a large part of state Route 410.

Contributing: The Associated Press
The search and rescue exhibit for the National Coast Guard museum, which is still under construction in New London, Conn., is seen in 2022. (U.S. Coast Guard)



NEW LONDON, Conn. (Tribune News Service)  If the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act passed by the House of Representatives this week gains final approval, it would allow the U.S. Coast Guard for the first time to directly fund the $150 million National Coast Guard Museum project being constructed on the citys waterfront.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said Thursday that the $900 billion defense bill, which passed in the House on Wednesday in a 312-112 bipartisan vote but still needs Senate and presidential approval, would essentially remove a decades-long funding barrier erected in the wake of a landmark  and nationally lambasted  eminent domain decision.

The Fort Trumbull area in the late 1990s was cleared of homes and businesses as part of a plan developed by the city and the New London Development Corp. to help jump-start economic development in association with the construction of Pfizers research headquarters.

That led to a bitter fight in which the refusal by a handful of property owners  including lead plaintiff Susette Kelo  to sell their land culminated in the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London. The court ruled in favor of New London and its use of eminent domain to seize the properties for private development.

That case was unfolding as a location was being sought for a new Coast Guard museum, Courtney said. He said some members of Congress, unhappy with New Londons handling of the Fort Trumbull issue, enacted a restriction that prevented the Coast Guard from making any appropriations to a museum built inside the city.

And since then, theres been ongoing gymnastics on how to resolve this statutory barrier, Courtney said.

Courtney noted that a previous $50 million federal appropriation for the museum project secured by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., got around the funding blockade by earmarking the money for the National Coast Guard Museum Association, not the Coast Guard.

Even with that federal aid and another $52 million in donations, however, the association is roughly $48 million short. But the new bills language creates a pathway to close that gap, Courtney said.

It would allow the use of direct, existing funding by the Coast Guard itself, which recently got billions for capital improvements through a reconciliation bill, to support final museum construction work, Courtney said, referring to President Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which commits $25 billion to the Coast Guard for various operational, training and infrastructure upgrades.

Courtney cautioned that there have not yet been any funding commitments from the Coast Guard, though its leaders did not oppose removing the funding block.

The museum associations president, Wes Pulver, said Thursday that the group does not comment on pending legislation, but said he and others appreciated the continuing support of the Connecticut delegation and the bipartisan effort toward building a world-class museum.

Pulver previously said the association was exploring entering into a construction loan and a future long-term lease agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to cover the funding shortfall. He said the association is on track to turn the 89,000-square-foot, six-story museum over to the Coast Guard next year with an anticipated 2027 opening.

A separate but related project calls for the construction of a pedestrian bridge connecting the museum and other downtown points with the Water Street garage.

The State Bond Commission in 2018 earmarked $19.5 million for construction of the bridge, and $500,000 in state funds were previously approved for planning and design work. The work was initially estimated to take about 16 months.

Pulver said in October that the sole bid for the 400-foot, glass-enclosed span, from Manafort Brothers Inc., came in significantly higher than expected.

 2025 The Day (New London, Conn.).

Visit www.theday.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Marines employed drones to strike a training target during an attack drone competition on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Dec. 11, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)



CAMP SCHWAB, Okinawa  The Marine Corps certified Okinawas first 12 attack drone operators during a two-week competition this month, creating the means to make precision strikes while keeping Marines out of harms way.

The competition began Dec. 1 and culminated Thursday with a kinetic strike at Schwabs Range 10, where Marines piloted and detonated two drones carrying C-4 explosives over a rusted-out tank more than half a mile downrange.

About 50 Marines and sailors, including Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, and Vice Adm. Pat Hannifin, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, witnessed the strike.

The exercise goal was to defend this piece of terrain from some type of enemy that has some type of armored vehicles, Col. Scott Cuomo, commander of the Weapons Training Battalion in Quantico, Va., told reporters before the strike.

Col. Scott Cuomo, commander of Weapons Training Battalion in Quantico, Va., speaks with media on drone technology during an attack drone competition on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Dec. 11, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)

Drones operated by Marines drop explosives on training target during an attack drone competition on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Dec. 11, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)

Marines launch attack drones to strike a training target during a competition on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Dec. 11, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)



The Marine Corps in March announced formation of the Attack Drone Team in response to the rapid proliferation of armed, first-person view drone technology in modern conflicts, especially in Eastern Europe. The drones have emerged as a critical weapon on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Drones provide a way to keep Marines safe while striking the enemy, 3rd Marine Division spokeswoman Lt. Col. Diann Rosenfeld told Stars and Stripes before the exercise.

It just extends our reach into the battlefield, she said. We have the Marines operating here, and if the targets over there, lets keep our Marines safe in the defensive position and launch a drone to hopefully eliminate that target.

The attack drone 100% supports the expeditionary advanced base operations concept, Cuomo said.

The concept is a key tenet of the Corps Force Design reorganization that calls for small, mobile groups of Marines to disperse within the range of enemy missiles to seize and hold islands and sink enemy vessels.

The beauty of this thing,  I can put it in my backpack, I can go run up the mountain if I need to, and if I have to protect you, I can use this capability, he said.

The competition at Schwab is the third since the teams formation, Cuomo said. Three more are planned around the world.

Our relationship is critically important with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense, he said. Certifying Marines to make sure that we can train on all the installations here in Okinawa and do it safely is critically important.

The 12 certified Marines are with units across the III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Additionally, five attack drone instructors, two payload specialists and two payload specialist instructors were certified during the event.

On Thursday, a team of about 10 Marines pulled pins to activate the two explosive-laden drones, then ran about 300 feet back, the minimum safe distance, Cuomo said. Drone operators at the control station about 950 feet away then flew the drones downrange and detonated them over the tank.

The drones and their payloads cost about $3,600 each, Cuomo said. They have a range of about 12 miles.

Normally with weapons that shoot this far and that are this precise, they cost so much more money, he said.
Chief Petty Officer Alexander Wildboy Chandler and his family pose for a photo at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, after his return from a six-month deployment on Dec. 11, 2025. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)



The men and women that keep Navy fighters, tiltrotors and helicopters flying from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington returned home Thursday after six months at sea.

The engine mechanics, ordnance technicians, clerks and other personnel of Carrier Air Wing 5 arrived in waves aboard several aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, the wings home base when not deployed.

The George Washington returned the same day to its pier at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, nearly 450 miles to the northeast.

Friends and families of service members celebrate the return of Carrier Air Wing 5 to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Dec. 11, 2025. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)

Service members from the Airborne Command and Control Squadron wait with treats for members of their unit returning to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, after a six-month deployment Dec. 11, 2025. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)

Lt. Cmdr. Frank Philly Goldstein, of Strike Fighter Squadron 102, has a quiet moment after his return from a deployment with Carrier Air Wing 5. (Janiqua Robinson/Stars and Stripes)



During its deployment the carrier and its escorts operated throughout the Western Pacific, worked alongside military forces from Japan, Australia, South Korea and other countries, and made port calls in the Philippines, Guam and South Korea, according to carrier strike group spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Spencer Marion.

Approximately 65 families, friends and coworkers waited at a hangar with homemade signs, and tables laden with food  pizza, tacos and 7-Eleven snacks  for the returning service members.

The first contingent arrived around 4 p.m., the last wasnt expected for another four hours.

Many of the pilots and aircraft from the wings flying squadrons, ranging from F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35C Lightning IIs, Sea Hawk helicopters and CMV-22B Ospreys, had already returned to the air base.
A statue of George Washington in front the Ford Mansion in Morristown, N.J., in 2020. During the French and Indian War in the 1750s, Washington contracted a severe case of diarrheal disease, a long-standing problem for troops in combat that is now engaging U.S. military medical researchers seeking a better way to treat diarrhea. (Mark Olsen/New Jersey National Guard)



The runs couldnt hide from a medical research team that visited the U.S. militarys Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti in search of ways to bolster troop combat readiness in Djibouti through better diarrhea treatment.

Navy personnel are working with Defense Department partners in the African country on methods related to the surveillance of infectious diarrheal diseases, a persistent threat to the health of forces in combat, the Naval Medical Research Command said in a statement Thursday.

During their stop, the researchers investigated a more streamlined approach for helping troops get their intestines back on track.

Typically, travelers diarrhea involves a five-day antibiotic regimen. But Navy researchers said the old-school approach runs up against the militarys priority of lighter loads for troops.

The traditional treatment requires service members to carry a large amount of medication and creates logistical challenges for deployed units, Naval Medical Research Command said.

In collaboration with other military researchers, the naval team is now focused on developing a single, low-dose treatment alternative, Navy Medical Research Command said.

Members of Naval Medical Research Unit Europe, Africa, Central pose for a photo Sept. 23, 2025, at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. Military researchers there are seeking a course of treatment for diarrhea that is easier on troops than standard five-day antibiotics regimen. ( Mark Simons/U.S. Navy)



The intent is to reduce the logistical burden of carrying treatments and cut down on the number of duty days lost due to diarrheal illness, the commands statement said.

Diarrhea can cause serious disruptions for deployed military units, especially when cases quickly spread among troops living in close quarters.

The problem has menaced militaries ever since theyve been fighting, afflicting grunts and generals alike.

George Washingtons case during the French and Indian War in the 1750s was so agonizing that he needed a pillow to soften the rectal pain while riding his horse. While modern medicine has improved matters, diarrhea remains a scourge.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing work by U.S. military researchers in 2023, said bacterial diarrhea is the No. 1 infectious disease threat to U.S. military operations.

Infectious diarrhea is more than a medical issue; its a readiness issue, Capt. Michael Prouty, commander of Naval Medical Research Unit EURAFCENT, said in the statement.
U.S. Navy sailors look out over Guam from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as the ship arrives for a scheduled port call Dec. 11, 2025. (Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy)



The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group pulled into Guams Apra Harbor on Thursday, the ships first visit to the island since 2024.

The Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by the guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy and USS Frank E. Peterson Jr., stopped at the island less than three weeks into its deployment, according to a carrier strike group news release Thursday.

The carrier departed Nov. 24 with little fanfare from its homeport in San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the next day.

The Abraham Lincoln is the second carrier to visit Guam this month; the USS George Washington stopped there Dec. 1 before ending its six-month patrol Thursday at Yokosuka Naval Base.

My crew is excited to be back in this area of the world, and we look forward to demonstrating what an aircraft carrier and carrier strike group bring to the fight, Abraham Lincolns commander, Capt. Dan Keeler, said in the release. Our Sailors are eager to learn from new cultures and strengthen partnerships across the region throughout our deployment.

The Defense Department regularly refers to Guam, the westernmost U.S. territory, as the tip of the spear and sees it as a platform for U.S. power projection in the Indo-Pacific. Three major U.S. military installations  Naval Base Guam, Andersen Air Force Base and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz  are there, and it serves as a strategic logistics hub.

Our Strike Group presence in 7th Fleet waters demonstrates our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, strike group commander Rear Adm. Todd Whalen said in the release. Port calls to strategic locations like Guam enhance our mission readiness and help us stay ready to execute maritime operations in theater.

A strike group spokesman did not immediately respond to Stars and Stripes email request for additional comments on Friday.

The carrier last visited Guam in November 2024 for a brief respite before heading to the Middle East to relieve its sister ship, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East in a bid to prevent conflicts between Israel and Iran and its proxies from escalating.
Workmen of the 26th Base Post Office in Frankfurt, Germany load incoming European Command mail on a Munich-bound train, Dec. 5, 1949. (Gerald Waller/Stars and Stripes)



This article first appeared in the Stars and Stripes European edition, Dec. 15, 1949. It is republished unedited in its original form.

Many ordinary parcel-post packages sent by air; Heavy Yule load laid to better PX stocks

Frankfurt, Dec. 14 (S&S)  M. Sgt. Thomas D. Logan surveyed the package-crammed mail shed of the 26th Base Post Offices and opined that since it looked like everyone else was sending some kind of a gift home for Christmas he might as well send one home too.

The veteran first sergeant of the 26th BPO declared that this years Yuletide mail was the heaviest he had seen since 1945.

But, recalled Capt. John W. McMichael, CO of the 26th BPO, you have to remember that we were servicing 500,000 troops in the Frankfurt area alone in 1945.

McMichael, who has been in postal work for the entire seven years of his Army career, came to the 26th in Frankfurt in July 1945. As commanding officer, McMichael has three officers, 68 EM, and one Department of the Army civilian  Joseph Valente, the shift supervisor  working under him to handle the 77 cars of mail that arrive in Frankfurt every week from Bremerhaven.

A staff of 58 Germans is also employed to sort out U.S.-bound mail and help load the mail trucks and rail cars.

Capt. John W. McMichael, commanding officer of the 26th Base Post Office and Sgt. Frank Bodwell, floor chief, check incoming mail in Frankfurt, Germany, Dec. 5, 1949. The 26th BPO is the clearing house for all EUCOM mail and McMichael says this year, the Yuletide mail has been the busiest since 1945. (Gerald Waller/Stars and Stripes)



Although there are less troops in the EUCOM now than in the past three years, both McMichael and Logan attributed the heavy Stateside flow of Christmas mail to the currency reform and improved PX stock.

Christmas mail is just about triple that of normal service. McMichael calculated, but that doesnt mean a slowing down in deliveries.

Instead, many of the parcels that normally go by surface transportation are flown to the U.S. by the Military Air Transport Service. In the month of November, 152, 684 pounds of mail were flown to the U.S. from Rhine-Main Air Base.

Special Air Unit

At Rhine-Main a special postal unit, the mail regulating section of the 2nd Air Postal Sq. has been set to handle airborne EUCOM mail. The unit has handled around 3,500 pounds of mail a day since the Christmas rush began. Normally they service an average of 250 pounds of mail daily.

Air-mail letters and air parcel post have priority, but Rhine-Main postal officials are using all available space in every aircraft for ordinary parcel-post packages. All transatlantic planes, whether military or commercial, carry U.S. mail.

The 26th BPO is the clearing house for all EUCOM mail. Incoming mail from MATS or commercial planes is trucked from Rhine-Main to the 26th, while surface mail coming in from Bremerhaven Army transports arrives in guarded mail cars.

An unidentified postal worker at the 26th Base Post Office in Frankfurt, Germany checks dozens of bags filled with mail. According to the commanding officer of 26th BPO, this has been the busiest holiday season since 1945, when there were still significantly more troops in Germany. (Gerald Waller/Stars and Stripes)

An unidentified postal worker at the 26th Base Post Office in Frankfurt, Germany checks and sorts packages. (Gerald Waller/Stars and Stripes)



Once it is sorter out in the shed, it is rerouted to such far away places as Asmara, Eritrea; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the Azores, Athens and Tripoli, plus EUCOM and USFA posts.

The 26th is a branch office for international mail. A parcel from EUCOM to Luxembourg City takes the same amount of postage as a parcel sent from New York City  if sent through the U.S. mails.

But on the other hand, EUCOM personnel can send a parcel from Germany to California and pay only the U.S. postal rates from New York City to California.

McMichael said that the 26th has no authorization to open any parcel for inspection. That is the duty of customs officials at the point of mailing, or unit postal clerks, with the consent of the unit commander, if any illegality is suspected.

An unidentified postal worker at the 26th Base Post Office in Frankfurt, Germany checks and sorts packages. According to the commanding officer of 26th BPO, this has been the busiest holiday season since 1945, when there were still significantly more troops in Germany. (Gerald Waller/Stars and Stripes)

Pfc. Leonard Schultz (left) lifts a heavy postal sack onto the scale as Pfc. James T. Parsons notes its weight down at the 26th Base Post Office in Frankfurt, Germany. Stacks of postal sacks yet to be weighed can be seen in the foreground. (Gerald Waller/Stars and Stripes)



The captain estimates that only about 10 percent are X-rayed or opened for inspection by U.S. customs officials. However, he said that all parcels sent to England are opened for inspection by British customs officials.

Besides the tremendous volume of mail sent by individuals throughout EUCOM and USFA, the 26th also handles the Army distribution, such as pamphlets, circulars and posters sent out to the various military posts.
U.S. military police on a joint patrol of Gate 2 Street in Okinawa city, Okinawa, Japan, on Dec. 6, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)



CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  U.S. Forces Japan has acknowledged that military police on patrol on an Okinawa street made a mistake when they aggressively detained a U.S. civilian last month in an incident captured on video that went viral.

Two videos posted online show a U.S. military police officer lifting and slamming Kareem El to the pavement along Gate 2 Street in Okinawa city early Nov. 22. The incident ignited a social media backlash.

While the investigation is still ongoing, it is clear that the detention of Mr. El was a mistake on the part of the patrol, who approached him solely because they believed he was a U.S. servicemember, USFJ spokesman Col. John Severns wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes on Friday.

The Washington Post first reported Severns statement on Thursday in Washington, where El is from. El has said he was on Okinawa on a business trip.

USFJ commander Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost halted unilateral patrols by the U.S. military on Okinawa and ordered an investigation into the incident, Severns said by email Nov. 26. El is not connected to the military and was detained by a liberty patrol consisting only of U.S. military police, Severns said.

U.S. military police continue joint patrols in Okinawa city with Okinawa Prefectural Police, most recently on Dec. 6 on Gate 2 Street, a popular nightlife district outside Kadena Air Base.

USFJ instituted the joint patrols in April to enforce an order prohibiting service members from drinking alcohol off base between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. The order stemmed in part from a rash of sexual assault allegations that arose in December 2023 and have so far yielded two convictions.

The U.S. military began its own patrols in September in Okinawa city and in November in Chatan town and Naha city, Okinawas capital.

El, 32 and a former Marine captain, told Stars and Stripes in an interview Nov. 28 that he was detained without provocation in front of Star Bar around 2 a.m. on Nov. 22.

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who is representing El, in a statement Nov. 29 said he suffered a head injury, wrist lacerations, cuts and abrasions and significant psychological trauma.

In a Dec. 4 video call with Merritt and Stars and Stripes, El said he was dropped from three feet onto concrete, injuring his face and the left side of his body. He said the slam injured his knees, and his wrists were lacerated from being handcuffed.

Merritt said his office has opened its own investigation and is exploring possible civil claims against the individual police officers involved in the incident and the U.S. military.

Merritt said he has spoken to U.S. and Japanese citizens who claim to have suffered similar injuries or harassment. He did not say how many he interviewed.
Director of Serbia's National Ensemble "Kolo" Zdravko Ranisavljevic speaks during the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the first China tour by Kolo at the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 11, 2025. The exhibition, featuring photographs from Kolo's 1955 and 2025 China tours, opened here on Thursday. (Photo by Nemanja Cabric/Xinhua)

BELGRADE, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the first China tour by Serbia's National Ensemble "Kolo" opened Thursday at the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade.

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming said the images from Kolo's 1955 and 2025 China tours reflect the lasting friendship between China and Serbia. He noted that Chinese leaders including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai received the ensemble during its first visit, and that bilateral ties today are at their highest level, with cultural exchanges continuing to expand.

Secretary of State for the Ministry of Culture of Serbia Lav Pajkic said Kolo has long served as a cultural ambassador for Serbia and that its repeated tours to China highlight the strong links and "ironclad friendship" between the two countries.

Director of the China Cultural Center in Belgrade Zhang Aimin said original photos from the 1955 tour were digitally restored this year. He said Kolo also joined cultural events in Beijing and Guangdong, and that cooperation platforms with institutions such as the Beijing Dance Academy had been strengthened.

Kolo Director Zdravko Ranisavljevic said the ensemble's first China tour played an important cultural-diplomatic role and that this year's performances in Guangdong Province of south China marked a new milestone. He also noted ongoing cooperation with China's Shandong Song and Dance Theatre.

The exhibition features photographs from both the 1955 and 2025 China tours. 

Secretary of State for the Ministry of Culture of Serbia Lav Pajkic speaks during the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the first China tour by Serbia's National Ensemble "Kolo" at the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 11, 2025. The exhibition, featuring photographs from Kolo's 1955 and 2025 China tours, opened here on Thursday. (Photo by Nemanja Cabric/Xinhua)

People visit a photo exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the first China tour by Serbia's National Ensemble "Kolo" at the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 11, 2025. The exhibition, featuring photographs from Kolo's 1955 and 2025 China tours, opened here on Thursday. (Photo by Nemanja Cabric/Xinhua)

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the first China tour by Serbia's National Ensemble "Kolo" at the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 11, 2025. The exhibition, featuring photographs from Kolo's 1955 and 2025 China tours, opened here on Thursday. (Photo by Nemanja Cabric/Xinhua)

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming speaks during the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition marking the 70th anniversary of the first China tour by Serbia's National Ensemble "Kolo" at the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 11, 2025. The exhibition, featuring photographs from Kolo's 1955 and 2025 China tours, opened here on Thursday. (Photo by Nemanja Cabric/Xinhua)
Japanese police on Dec. 9, 2025, recommended prosecutors charge a U.S. sailor involved in a deadly collision in Yokosuka city, Japan, in April 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)



YOKOSUKA, Japan  Japanese police on Tuesday forwarded to prosecutors their case against a U.S. sailor involved in a deadly motorcycle collision earlier this year.

Police allege the sailor was driving negligently April 27 when he made a right turn in Yokosukas Heisei neighborhood and collided with a Japanese motorcyclist, Shinji Takahashi, 47, in the intersection.

Takahashi was pronounced dead less than an hour later at a nearby hospital.

Police on Tuesday recommended that prosecutors charge the sailor, who is stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base, a Yokosuka city police spokesman said by phone Friday.

Prosecutors, not police, decide formal charges under Japans criminal justice system.

Stars and Stripes is withholding the service members identity until formal charges are filed.

If convicted, he could face up to seven years imprisonment and a maximum fine of about $6,000, according to the Japan Legal Support Center website.

Takahashis family filed a civil lawsuit against the sailor last week seeking roughly $772,000, according to their attorney, Masahiko Goto.

The lawsuit lists Takahashis three sons, his mother, two brothers and his partner as plaintiffs.

Their suit alleges serious negligence and seeks compensation for the loss of a family member, according to a copy of the filing provided by Goto.

The family filed suit ahead of criminal charges to ensure their suit could be served on the sailor before he can leave Japan, Goto said.

Goto also represents the family of Tsubasa Ito, who died after a September 2024 collision with another Yokosuka sailor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaden Edwin Llanos. He was convicted in May of negligent driving causing death and received a suspended 1 -year sentence.

Llanos has since left Japan, preventing a civil suit from moving forward because the court cannot serve him with the documents, Goto said.
Airmen assigned to the 139th Maintenance Group, Missouri Air National Guard, perform a preflight check on a C-130 Hercules aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 28, 2022. (Michael Crane/U.S. Air National Guard/Wikimedia Commons)



ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (Tribune News Service)  The U.S. House has signed off on a massive defense policy bill with a record $901 billion in military spending, setting the stage for troop raises, significant military upgrades in Missouri and a boost to the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph.

The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act passed by a tally of 312-112 and now heads to the U.S. Senate for approval, which is expected next week. Under the bill, U.S. servicemembers will see a 3.5% pay raise, with an additional $1.5 billion authorized for new construction of barracks and family housing.

We have to ensure our military remains the most lethal, most effective fighting force in the world, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo, said. To do that, we have to give our troops the tools they need to fight and win  while supporting them and their families at home and abroad.

Graves, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee which devised the bill, said important victories were secured for the country and North Missouri in the process, including fostering development of a Domestic Operations Tactics Training Center for C-130J aircrews at Rosecrans and encouraging the expansion of C-130J simulator training, including training at the 139th Airlift Wing.

Nearly $2.5 billion was authorized for the procurement of B-21 long-range bombers at Whiteman Air Force Base, including $33 million for military construction to support it.

The bill also includes $15.5 million to partner with private sector and academic institutions like UMKC to develop and demonstrate technologies needed for the domestic production of critical materials from domestic mineral sources. The measure falls in line with the U.S.s goal of strengthening domestic production and reducing its dependency on foreign countries or trading partners for critical materials.

Im proud to have worked in the House Armed Services Committee ensure this years defense bill does just that, while also supporting the vital mission of the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph and good-paying skilled jobs at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence.

While no funding was allocated specifically for new C-130J models for the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph, $200 million was authorized for procurement of two C-130Js for the Air National Guard fleet as a whole, aircraft that could potentially go to St. Joseph.

I hope that those are designated for Saint Joe. I hope they end up in Saint Joe. We did a whole lot of stuff in this bill thats going to help Saint Joe out in a big way, Graves told News-Press NOW.

Just as important for the 139th Airlift Wing and its fleet of C-130s are new protections through FY28, including the minimum inventory requirement and the prohibition on reducing Air National Guard C-130 aircraft.

The bill does much to highlight the strategic warfighting training done at the Advanced Airlift Tactics Center at Rosecrans, as well as the 139th Airlift Wings expertise in responding to domestic disasters and training crews in advanced airlift tactics.

The bill requires annual reports to be submitted through Fiscal Year 2028 on C-130 inventory, retirements, modernization and recapitalization efforts, and basing plans for fielding C-130Js for the Air National Guard.

 2025 the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.). Visit www.newspressnow.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, left, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, center, the outgoing commander of U.S. Southern Command; and Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan L. Pettus, the incoming commander render salutes during the relinquishment of command ceremony in Doral, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Holsey, who is retiring after 37 years of service, relinquished command to Pettus. (Christopher Bermudez/U.S. Air Force)



Adm. Alvin Holsey, head of U.S. Southern Command, retired Friday with two years left in his tenure.

This is a graduation, not a retirement. As somebody whos been there and done that before, I can tell you life on the other side is awesome, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the audience.

Caine presided over the change-of-command ceremony at the commands headquarters in Doral, Fla. Holsey formally handed over command to Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, who currently serves as his military deputy commander. Pettus will serve as acting head of SOUTHCOM. President Donald Trump has yet to nominate Holseys replacement.

The change comes amid rising tensions with Venezuela from seizing an oil tanker Wednesday and more than 20 strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats.

Holsey announced his retirement in October. In a closed-door meeting with senior lawmakers on Tuesday, Holsey insisted his decision is personal and had nothing to do with the operations in his command, according to comments by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, published in Politico.

In his farewell remarks, Holsey did not address operations or reasons for his retirement. He did urge his successor to uphold longstanding partnerships in the region by standing firmly behind the shared values of democracy and support for the rule of law.

I concluded my final commanders conference yesterday, and I was clear with my team to be a trusted partner. We must be credible, present and engaged, Holsey said.

Reuters reported Holsey was pushed out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the secretary had grown frustrated with SOUTHCOM as he sought to flex U.S. military operations and planning in the region.

Spokespeople for Hegseth previously have denied that there was tension between Holsey and Hegseth.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Admiral Alvin Holsey for his more than 37 years of distinguished service to our nation, Hegseth said in a post on X in October.

Hegseth on Friday traveled to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., for the relocation of U.S. Space Command Headquarters and a designation ceremony.

Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin presided over the SOUTHCOM change-of-command in November 2024.

Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey and Dr. Stephanie Holsey walk down a red carpet during the Southern Command relinquishment of command ceremony on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Doral, Fla. (Christopher Bermudez/U.S. Air Force)



Holsey is a native of Fort Valley, Ga., and was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Morehouse College in 1988. Before leading U.S. forces in Latin America, Holsey served as the military deputy commander of SOUTHCOM.

Caine pointed out that Holsey comes from a family with a long line of service. Holseys father served in active duty during the Korean War and six uncles also served  three in the Navy and three in the Army.

One of his two sons, Joshua, followed his father into the Navy and aviation. He is a lieutenant commander and currently flying Black Hawks off the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Pacific Ocean.

In his office, he kept a letter that had faded through the years that marked the beginning of his Navy career, according to a SOUTHCOM press release. Holsey was told as a college student he could become a Naval officer and a pilot.

I had never flown or been in an aircraft before, and someone told me I could be a pilot, and I believed, Holsey said.

Holsey recorded 4,000 hours of flying, an amount the chairman said he is incredibly jealous of.

Pettus earned his commission from the Air Force Academy in 1994. Pettus is a command pilot with more than 2,700 hours, according to his service record. He has flown combat missions in operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Inherent Resolve.

The U.S. military has steadily amassed troops, naval and air assets in the Caribbean Sea to strike alleged drug traffickers.

Hegseth in October announced the deployment of the Ford Carrier Strike Group. The USS Gerald R. Ford, along with accompanying ships USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge and USS Winston S. Churchill arrived last month, concentrating nearly 20% of the Navys deployed warships in the region.

The strike group joined other ships in the Caribbean, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine expeditionary unit. Also patrolling the region are guided missile cruisers USS Gettysburg and USS Lake Erie.

The U.S. has conducted 22 strikes since Sept. 2 and killed at least 87 people.

Shortly after taking office, Trump designated several drug cartels as terrorist organizations, including Venezuelas Tren de Aragua. His administration has asserted that the U.S. is in an armed conflict with cartels and will treat their members as unlawful combatants.

Hegseth has fired a number of senior military officials since taking office in January. Some of the firings include Air Force Gen. Charles CQ Brown, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations; and the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
U.S. Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley, accompanied by Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, right, walks to a meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)



A top House Republican plans to summon the senior military lawyer present during a controversial U.S. strike that killed the survivors of an initial attack on their alleged drug smuggling boat in the waters off Venezuela.

Rep. Mike D. Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a short interview at the Capitol that he wants Adm. Frank M. Bradley, the commander who oversaw the Sept. 2 operation, to return to Washington next week and provide a briefing for all committee members.

I want the lawyer there, too, Rogers said.

The request to hear from another official involved in the operation suggests Rogers wants the committee to have a firsthand picture of the legal considerations that preceded Bradleys order to strike the boat again despite the presence of survivors. The admiral spent about eight hours on Capitol Hill last week meeting with select lawmakers, Rogers among them. The Washington Post on Thursday published a detailed account of the revelations that emerged from those classified discussions.

Earlier this week, Rogers had signaled that he planned to end his committees probe, one of two underway in Congress, telling reporters he was satisfied with the information he had been provided. He had previously expressed a desire for Bradley to return to Capitol Hill so more lawmakers could hear directly from the admiral and see video footage of the operation.

A spokesperson for Rogers said the committee was working to schedule the next briefing.

A spokesperson for U.S. Special Operations Command, where Bradley is the top officer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Sept. 2 operation killed 11 people, including the two survivors. After The Post reported late last month that Bradley ordered the follow-on attack, lawmakers and legal experts have questioned whether the law of armed conflict had been violated by killing defenseless targets. The House and Senate Armed Services committees quickly opened separate inquiries.

At the core of Bradleys defense of the second strike, according to several people familiar with his conversations on Capitol Hill last week, is his assertion that the attack was not directed at the two survivors but at the boat wreckage and any illicit drugs it may have sheltered. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter is highly sensitive and Bradleys communication with lawmakers occurred in classified settings.

Ahead of the mission, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given an order to U.S. forces to kill the passengers, sink the boat and destroy the drugs, people familiar with the operation have said. It appeared to Bradley after the initial strike that none of those objectives had been achieved, the admiral told lawmakers.

The military lawyer who advised Bradley during the operation, whom The Post is not identifying because they serve in a secretive unit, has emerged as a key figure as members of Congress seek to understand Bradleys state of mind at the time of the strike. During such operations, military lawyers are expected to advise their commanders on the law of armed conflict, particularly in moments of uncertainty.

It is not clear what legal advice Bradley was given before he decided to strike the boat wreckage again, though the admiral told lawmakers he did consult with the lawyer on whether the men qualified as shipwrecked, or out of the fight, making them unlawful targets, The Post has reported.

Democrats and some Republicans have demanded the public release of a video documenting the operation. Hegseth, who has sought to distance himself from the fallout, has not committed to doing so.

Rep. Adam Smith (Washington), the senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said that the meeting with Bradley next week would be classified and that he expected the full video to be shown for all committee members.

On Thursday, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee suggested he would continue his panels inquiry into the early September strike.

Im going to listen to my colleagues, Sen. Roger Wicker (Mississippi) told reporters.

Some members of Congress, including Sen. Mark R. Warner (Virginia), the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, have requested the military lawyers written opinion of the strike and also Hegseths order authorizing the operation  the first in a legally disputed campaign that since September has killed nearly 90 people.

Democrats like Warner, alongside many retired military lawyers, have argued that all of the strikes violate the laws of war by killing alleged drug traffickers, whom they say are criminals motivated by profit rather than combatants waging war against Americans, as the Trump administration claims.

On Wednesday, the House passed its annual marquee defense bill, which would withhold 25% of Hegseths travel budget until he shares with Congress the full video of the strike and other related information about the administrations military activities in Latin America.

Alex Horton contributed to this report.
A convoy carrying tens of thousands of fresh balsam wreaths from a Maine farm rolls down Route 110 in Arlington, Va., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)



WASHINGTON  Jason Westcott, an Army veteran, lost six battle buddies to suicide in five years after leaving the military. One veteran was married with six young children. Another was 24 years old when he took his own life.

The men served at different times, but their struggles were tragically the same, said Westcott, who served in the Army National Guard for 22 years.

Each veteran found it hard to adjust to the pressures of civilian life  from finding jobs to supporting families  as they dealt with their own trauma from military combat, Westcott said.

The battlefield was not just off in some distant land. There was a war at home for friends who couldnt handle any more, but they did not know how to ask for help, said Westcott, 52, who had multiple deployments in the Middle East.

The former staff sergeant  who is now a commercial truck driver  is leading a convoy this week carrying tens of thousands of fresh balsam wreaths from a Maine farm bound for Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

The public is invited to participate in the wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery that begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Nationwide, a total of 3 million wreaths will be placed at Arlington National Cemetery and 5,600 other locations where veterans are interred. (Stars and Stripes)

Thousands of volunteers participated last year in the Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. This years event is on Saturday. The annual wreath-laying has been held at Arlington and other veterans cemeteries for more than 30 years. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)



Nationwide, a total of 3 million wreaths will be placed at 5,600 locations in ceremonies sponsored by Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit that honors military service with holiday wreaths tied with red ribbons. Sites span schools, town monuments, veterans homes and cemeteries.

For Westcott, participating in the mammoth undertaking allows him to pay tribute to fellow service members and recognize the contributions of comrades he lost to suicide at home. I want to show their sacrifices were not in vain, he said.

The placement of the wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery starts at 8 a.m. Saturday. It will conclude at noon with a wreath ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, according to Wreaths Across America.

Visitors who want to take part by placing wreaths at gravesites or need more information on the event are encouraged to visit the Wreaths Across America website.

Volunteers in 2024 placed 260,000 wreaths at gravesites and niche columns at Arlington, according to officials.

Wreaths Across America would not be successful without the help of volunteers, active organizations and the generosity of the trucking industry, according to the family-run organization.

Jason Westcott is an Army veteran and commercial truck driver for NFI Industries based in New Jersey. Westcott is leading a convoy of trucks filled with balsam wreaths from a Maine farm bound for Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia for an annual event called Wreaths Across America. (NFI Industries)



Westcott, a driver for NFI Industries of New Jersey, is leading a convoy of 14 trucks traveling from Worcester Balsam Farm in Columbia Falls, Maine. The convoy has been making several stops to participate in smaller tributes ahead of the wreath-laying at Arlington. A total of 67 trucks will arrive at Arlington bearing wreaths for fallen troops.

Even playing a small role in this is humbling, Westcott said. Every wreath represents a life given in service and a familys sacrifice. Im just doing my part to ensure these heroes are never forgotten.

Trucks first headed to West Quoddy Head Light, in Lubec, Maine, the easternmost point of the contiguous U.S. They continued to Liberation Monument in New Jersey, the site of a memorial that commemorates the liberation of Nazi-held concentration camps by Allied forces in World War II.

Bernard Hamilton, a former Marine Corps infantry machine gunner, visits the Three Servicemen Statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Washington. A Christmas wreath provided by Wreaths Across America stands in front of the statue. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Kevin Woodward, center right, an official with Wreaths Across America, along with two Maine police officers, salute after laying a Christmas wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)



Several Wreaths Across America events are planned Friday in and around the nations capital. They include ceremonies at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial.

Westcott said his work as a commercial truck driver is another way for him to contribute to his country, as he moves goods from farms and factories to stores and consumers.

Trucks haul nearly three-quarters of the nations freight, enabling the nations supply chain to run smoothly. I am continuing to serve as a civilian but on a different scale, Westcott said. Twelve percent of the drivers at NFI Industries are veterans.

This is Westcotts fifth time taking part in Wreaths Across America. But 2025 marks his first visit to Arlington National Cemetery. This is probably the most valuable load Ive ever pulled, he said.

Westcott began work in 1996 as a commercial long-haul trucker four years after he joined the Army National Guard. But military service changed dramatically for him in 2003 with deployments to the Middle East, including Iraq and Kuwait.

Things got heavy after that, he said.

Westcott faced his own adjustments after leaving the military.

Westcott said he learned to build a network of friends and family who supported him, received counseling from a former Green Beret, and takes part in events that show public support for veterans.

But he credits his stepfather for helping him get through a tough spot when he hit a low point with feelings of hopelessness.

Theres a stigma around asking for help  that its a sign of weakness. But I gave him a call, and we agreed to meet somewhere to talk, Westcott said. He did not let me drive away after that. In the grand scheme of things, Im glad I listened.
The Department of Veterans Affairs came under attack from Democratic lawmakers who accused the agency of targeting noncitizens employed by or affiliated with the agency. The VA has ordered agency leaders to compile information on noncitizens and forward adverse findings to immigration officials. (Stars and Stripes)



WASHINGTON  Democratic lawmakers on Friday demanded answers from President Donald Trumps administration on how it plans to use a report the Department of Veterans Affairs is compiling on noncitizens employed by or affiliated with the agency.

More than 55 lawmakers signed a letter accusing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins of stoking fear among noncitizens who are VA workers or have other connections with the agency.

For the past year, the Trump Administration has shown a complete disregard for individuals immigration statuses, including those of veterans, according to the letter.

Veterans represent a quarter of the VA workforce, which numbers about 440,000, according to VA figures.

The letter-writing campaign was organized by members of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees. They are Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.; Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif.; and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Takano and Blumenthal are the top Democrats on their respective committees.

It is deplorable that this administration has brought veterans and veteran care into its misguided mass deportation and detention scheme. Not only is VA targeting its own employees, but its casting an even wider net to include those affiliated with VA,  Takano said Friday.

The Trump administrations track record of recklessness in deporting individuals with every right to be in this country, including veterans, leads me to worry that this data collection exercise will have damaging, long-lasting effects, Takano said.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Army National Guard veteran, and Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., a physician who previously worked at the VA, are other committee members who signed the letter.

The lawmakers were responding to a VA directive instructing agency leaders to identify noncitizens employed by or affiliated with the agency for further investigation. Any adverse findings will be sent to agencies that handle immigration enforcement, the VA said.

The Democratic lawmakers said in the letter Friday that the data collection on noncitizens shows a lack of understanding about how foreign-born individuals are serving our veterans.

The letter cited as example the global competition for top researchers and scientists who can contribute to medical advances, including for veterans health.

Peter Kasperowicz, the VA press secretary, said Friday the VA will respond to the lawmakers directly.

VA is required by federal law to continuously vet all employees and affiliates, such as unpaid researchers and others who may have access to VA data or systems, to ensure they meet the federal governments trusted workforce standards, Kasperowicz said.

As part of this continuous process, VA on Nov. 25 directed undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and other key officials to provide a report on all non-United States citizens who are employed by or affiliated with VA. This will not affect veterans seeking care or services at VA, or the delivery of care and services, he said.

But Takano said the VA relies on talent born both in and outside of the United States to fulfill a number of duties critical to ensuring veterans get the care and benefits they have earned.

Noem on Thursday faced accusations by House Democrats that she was targeting military families and veterans for deportation.

Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., said during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that the Department of Homeland Security is deporting military veterans and their family members.

Magaziner pointed to the case of Sae Joon Park, a 55-year-old Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, who faced a removal order by the Trump administration. He subsequently self-deported to South Korea.

Park is a lawful permanent resident who lived in the U.S. for most of his life but faced charges related to drug possession and jumping bail decades ago. Park said he had a drug addiction related to undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder after military service.

He was arrested in the 1990s for some minor drug offenses, nothing serious. He never hurt anyone besides himself, and hes been clean and sober for 14 years, Magaziner said at the hearing.
KABUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 228 Afghan nationals, who had been imprisoned in Pakistan and Iraq, have been released and returned to Afghanistan this week, the statement of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said on Friday.

According to the statement, among the released, 224 individuals who had been detained in Pakistani prisons for up to two months were repatriated through the Spin Boldak border crossing in southern Kandahar province. Additionally, four Afghan nationals, who had been imprisoned in Iraq for three months, returned home via the Pul-e-Abresham border point in western Nimroz province.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published in July, reveal that over 10,000 Afghan citizens are still incarcerated abroad, with the majority of them held in Iran and Pakistan. 
Alberto Flores Friday, 12 December 2025, 13:34 Share

Just a few kilometres away from Aracena, the town that undoubtedly steals the show within the Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, lies one of the mountain range's best-kept secrets: the tiny village of Linares de la Sierra . Here you can simply connect with peace and quiet and nature in all its splendour.

Linares de la Sierra is small. It can be reached on foot from Aracena via a pleasant walk along beautiful trails. It enjoys a privileged location in a stunning, lush valley full of vegetation. The drive there is also an absolute delight, following the road that winds its way through mountains and forests.

The village itself is very small and, as is common with this type of location, has been losing inhabitants in recent decades, to the point where it currently has only 350 residents. Its location, the tranquillity that its streets exude and its beautiful landscapes make it an ideal place to enjoy a rural getaway, preferably in the cooler months of the year, from autumn onwards, when the colours of the surrounding countryside are at their best.

It is a place that has been inhabited by different settlers and civilisations throughout history, so the presence of the Phoenicians and the Romans is pretty evident. The municipality became a place of greater importance during the period of Muslim rule, when the population increased thanks to the wealth gained from mining activities in the area and its importance on the trade routes in those times.

An aged beauty

Nowadays, Linares de la Sierra is a place of undeniable beauty, having managed to maintain the essence of its character over the last few decades, something that not all mountain villages can boast. Its streets have a labyrinthine layout and the curious cobblestones found in many of them are particularly noteworthy, some are even decorated with figures and various coats of arms.

Zoom The bullring is also a place of recreation for all residents and visitors to Linares de la Sierra. JoopOTheHague (tripadvisor)

One of the most remarkable sights that visitors can discover and enjoy in the village of Linares de la Sierra is its bullring, practically invisible at first glance, as it is literally just another square in the village. The actual arena of the bullring is literally located where the village streets look like they were naturally widened to create a square, where whitewashed stands lean against the parish church that overlooks the whole place. This village square cannot be fully appreciated without the presence of an imposing cork oak tree, which stands in the middle of one of the bullring's stands and provides shade.

Chroniclers of history recount that the origins of this curious construction date back to the 18th century , a time when bullrings were located in the heart of many towns in Andalucia. Bullfights radically transformed the urban landscape of these towns, where even the balconies of neighbouring houses were converted into privileged viewing boxes for the spectacle.

Nowadays, this beautiful and unusual bullring also serves as an open-air theatre and hosts various social events. It also provides a terrace where visitors can sit for a while, just relax and enjoy some refreshments at one of the nearby bars.
SUR in English Friday, 12 December 2025, 09:37 Share

A 41-year-old local man appeared before the Magistrates Court on Thursday, 11 December, facing multiple charges related to indecent images of children.

A.F.J, of Beachview Terraces, has been charged with one count of possession of indecent photographs of children, three counts of taking or publishing indecent photographs of children, and one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image.

The charges follow his arrest in December 2024 and a subsequent investigation conducted by detectives from the Royal Gibraltar Police's Digital Safety and Offender Management team.

A.F.J. entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. The case has been adjourned, with the next court appearance scheduled for March 27, 2026.
Tony Bryant Friday, 12 December 2025, 19:07 Share

The name of Ramon Power y Giralt is deeply rooted in Spanish history as he was the first Puerto Rican-born politician to serve in the Cortes of Cadiz assembly. His legacy is intertwined with the drafting of Spain's landmark 1812 Constitution and the broader struggle for liberal reforms and equality across the Spanish Empire.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1775, at the age of 16, Power began naval science studies in Spain and eventually joined the Spanish Navy, rising to the rank of captain.

He served in the expedition that successfully recaptured Santo Domingo from the French during the War of Independence.

In 1810, Spain summoned the American colonies to send representatives to the Cortes, and Puerto Rico elected Power.

He was the only American representative present at the opening of the Cortes on 24 September 1810. This fact, along with his distinguished naval career and his liberal reformist ideas, secured his election at the age of 35 as vice president of the constituent assembly the same year.

Zoom

He was one of a minority of military officers elected from the colonies, as most representatives were clergymen and civil servants.

He remained in the Cortes until he died from yellow fever in June 1813. Because he held the rank of captain in the navy, he was buried with full military honours.

Both Puerto Rico and Spain have honoured Power's memory by naming several avenues and streets after him, while Cadiz installed a bronze bust of the captain to pay tribute to a key figure in both Puerto Rican and Spanish constitutional history. This monument, officially recognised by the city as an asset of cultural interest (BIC), not only commemorates his achievements, but also reinforces Cadiz's identity as a beacon of liberalism. The bust stands prominently on the Alameda Apodaca promenade, overlooking the Bay of Cadiz.
Some of the team involved in the dog therapy programme at its launch event on Thursday.

Jose Antonio Sau Friday, 12 December 2025, 18:16 Share

Malaga city's Regional University Hospital has taken a step forward in the treatment of patients with eating disorders: the hospital is going to use a new dog-assisted therapy programme for patients in its eating disorders unit (UTCA). This therapeutic resource complements other approaches already in use and that numerous scientific studies recommend. The programme began this week with a launch event on Thursday afternoon.

The hospital is supported in rolling out this new treatment programme by the Olivares Foundation, an organisation that has been working since 2010 to improve the quality of life of paediatric oncology and hematology patients, as well as those with other serious illnesses, and their families. The company Perruneando Malaga is the one handling these therapies on-site, as it has qualified health professionals with specific training in this type of treatment. The therapies will be administered to both inpatients and outpatients, strictly adhering to a work and safety protocol drawn up by the unit's clinical team.

Building a bond

The idea is to create a bond, to help patients regulate their emotions and improve their self-esteem, as well as boost their motivation to follow the treatment prescribed by the unit's professionals.

Interaction with dogs promotes body acceptance by alleviating self-criticism in patients with eating disorders

These types of therapies with dogs are an essential complement to the treatment of anorexia and bulimia because they help reduce anxiety and, of course, help break the isolation felt by sufferers of these disorders. The contact between animal and human generates calm and the person opens up more during the sessions, developing a greater tolerance for intense emotions and connecting with their body in a safe environment. Furthermore, contact with the dogs helps with unconditional acceptance of one's own body, alleviating self-criticism and breaking the vicious cycle of rumination or self-harming impulses.

The Regional Hospital states that the aim is to strengthen adherence to treatment and emotional well-being, areas that are "especially sensitive in eating disorders, where anxiety, low self-esteem, lack of motivation and difficulty with expressing emotions are common and act as barriers to the recovery process".

The sessions, structured and supervised by psychiatrists and occupational therapists from the unit, allow patients to work on aspects such as self-confidence, impulse control, frustration management and social skills in a safe environment.

Monthly treatment

The therapy sessions will run once a month, with separate sessions for patients needing full hospitalisation and those requiring only partial hospitalisation. They will follow procedures that guarantee clinical safety, animal welfare and proper patient selection, including hygiene controls, activity logs and continuous supervision by the UTCA team.

The delegate for the regional health ministry, Carlos Bautista, gave assurances that the programme is "rigorous, safe and in line with scientific evidence", while the manager for the Olivares Foundation, Belen Gaspar, emphasised the project's social and emotional relevance: "The foundation is proud to promote programmes that directly impact patients' quality of life. We know that the bond with dogs has enormous therapeutic potential and making it available to young people going through such a complex process represents real progress in humanisation and genuine support."

The event was also attended by the president of the Olivares Foundation, Andres Olivares, and the deputy medical director of Malaga city's Hospital Civil, Natalia Mena.

UTCA is a leading centre on addictions for western Andalucia and provides inpatient care not only to patients from Malaga, but also referrals from Huelva, Cadiz, Cordoba and Seville.

This project is very much in line with the Junta's 'humanisation strategy', part of its plan for the public healthcare system in Andalucia to focus its attention on the individual patient as a person, respecting their dignity and rights.
Laman Ismayilova



The 19th season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week has concluded in Baku, marking a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity and contemporary fashion artistry, Azernews reports.

This year's edition was dedicated to the theme "On the Great Silk Road," highlighting Azerbaijan's historic and modern role as a bridge between East and West. The shows, held at the Stone Chronicle Museum, brought together designers from Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco, Oman, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan.

A special highlight of the program was the participation of designers from Oriental Fashion Show Paris, founded by Madame Hind Joudar, a long-standing and trusted partner of Azerbaijan Fashion Week.

Brands presented under OFS  HANY EL BEHAIRY, NASEEM ALANDALOS, WI MODE by Wafaa Idrissi, YOLAND by Tafool Abdullah  showcased collections that reflected the rich artistic heritage of the Islamic world and the traditions of the Silk Road. Their presentations combined Eastern aesthetics, traditional craftsmanship, and contemporary reinterpretations of cultural codes.

In addition to the Oriental Fashion Show segment, the runway featured designers from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, including GOWHER GOUVERNET, STUDIO 4353, TIMUR TURSUNKULOV, ALIYA ZHUMAN, MALIQUE, and BF COLLECTION by Malika Beatrishe.

Tajikistan was represented at AFW19 by the Tajikistan Fashion Week delegation led by Tohir Ibragimov, along with the countrys national brand CHAKAN HOUSE.

Azerbaijan Fashion Week traditionally places strong emphasis on supporting and promoting the national fashion industry. This season, Azerbaijani designers presented a diverse selection of collections:

Magical Silk by FAKHRIYA KHALAFOVA  a collection by the Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, Fakhriya Khalafova, dedicated to the aesthetics of Azerbaijani silk masterfully woven into contemporary eveningwear;

NATAVAN  a brand that harmoniously blends traditional motifs with modern style, reflecting the depth and elegance of Azerbaijani fashion;

MURAD HUSEYN  an authorial perspective on womenswear built on clean forms, expressive silhouettes, and innovative design approaches.

The presentations of Azerbaijani designers showcased a deep connection to cultural heritage, a contemporary design mindset, and high-level technical craftsmanship.

The 19th season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week reaffirmed Bakus status as one of the region's key fashion platforms.

The participation of Oriental Fashion Show Paris, designers from Silk Road countries, and leading Azerbaijani fashion houses further emphasized the events global significance and its contribution to fostering cultural dialogue.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military on Friday urged the Philippines to immediately stop provoking incidents in the South China Sea.

Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said in a press release that multiple Philippine light aircraft, without approval from the Chinese government, illegally intruded into the airspace of China's Huangyan Dao.

The Chinese naval and air forces conducted tracking, monitoring, warning, and resolute expulsion in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations, Tian said.

Reiterating that Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory, he pledged that troops of the theater command remain on high alert and will firmly safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea. 
The mayor and the authorities, in front of the monolith in memory of those shot in the Plaza de la Merced.

On 11 December 1831, at 11.30am, the beach of San Andres, in the then humble neighbourhood of El Bulto, was the scene where 49 men - including a child - who had led a conspiracy to try to overthrow the absolutist regime of Ferdinand VII were executed.

The visible head of that movement for freedom, whose aim was to restore the Constitution of 1812 and put an end to the so-called 'ominous decade', was General Jose Maria Torrijos Uriarte, a prestigious military man and hero of the War of Independence.

Torrijos, who was betrayed by the then governor of Malaga, Vicente Gonzalez Moreno (known as Viriato), had, just a few hours earlier, written his last letter to his wife in the refectory of the nearby convent of El Carmen.

Since that date, Torrijos and his companions have been considered martyrs to freedom, and every year Malaga keeps alive the memory of this episode in Spanish history. Thus, on Wednesday, on the 194th anniversary of that execution, which is reflected in the painting by Antonio Gisbert, the city paid tribute in front of the funeral monument erected by public subscription in 1842 in the then Plaza de Riego (now Plaza de la Merced), under whose obelisk lie the remains of most of those executed by firing squad.

The event was presided over by the mayor of the city, Francisco de la Torre, who defined Torrijos as "a formidable example of bravery, courage, honesty, dedication, sacrifice and trust". He also vindicated the liberal values defended by the general and his companions and "many other Spaniards" throughout the 19th century so that Spain "would modernise".

Zoom Wreaths and bouquets in honour of the martyrs for freedom. sur

Drawing a parallel with the recent anniversary of the current Constitution, De la Torre said that Torrijos would have felt fully acknowledged and happy to know that Spain has a Constitution with as many principles and powers to defend liberal values as the one from 1978". "The best tribute to those who lost their lives in the nineteenth century for freedom is to defend and improve, in the sense of making possible the development of all the values implicit within it, a Constitution like that of 1978, he said.

Collectives

The mayor's words were followed by the floral offering with laurel wreaths laid by the Club Liberal 1812, the Orden de Granaderos y Damas de Galvez de Macharaviaya, the Asociacion Torrijos 1831, the Asociacion Manzanares de Estepona 1831, the Asociacion de los Colorados de Almeria, the Fundacion Andres Collado (one of those shot along with Torrijos) and the Malaga chapter of the Supremo Concejo del GR 33. While the offering was taking place, the municipal band played the piece 'immortal heroes', followed by the Andalusian and Spanish anthems.

The re-enactment - featuring performers in period costume - of the Requiem for Torrijos by the Torrijos 1831 association, chaired by Esteban Alcantara, together with the reading of the final letter written by the executed general to his wife and a recital in defence of freedom, brought to a close the commemoration of the 49 victims who, for their love of liberty, were sacrificed in this city, as stated on the plaque inscribed on the monolith in Plaza de la Merced.
The National Police have reported that a gang of criminals shot at several officers early in the morning on Friday. The incident happened in a wooded part of Marbella, in the Ricmar residential area.

No injuries have been reported.

The emergency services received a call shortly before 9am, alerting them to shots fired in the woods.

The police later said that the incident had happened within the framework of an investigation that is ongoing and under secrecy, which is why they did not provide further details.
SUR Friday, 12 December 2025, 15:23 Share

The Andalusian regional government is organising a walk-in vaccination day in shopping centres in the province of Malaga on Saturday, 13 December. The measure is part of the announcement made by regional minister Antonio Sanz, who said that 41 points will be set up throughout Andalucia's provinces, especially in areas with a large number of visitors.

This initiative joins "the walk-in days organised on Wednesdays in health centres, which are being very well received". The territorial deployment, information on which is available on the website of the Andalusian health service, includes four vaccination points in Almeria; eight in Cadiz; three in Cordoba; five in Granada; three in Huelva; four in Jaen; and seven in Malaga and Seville each, all preferably located in shopping centres and strategic locations with high traffic.

The campaign, comprising 41 nursing teams, with 150 nurses in total, operates from 11.30am to 7.30pm, at points such as the Santo Sepulcro brotherhood in Malaga city, the old town hall in Coin, the La Canada shopping centre in Marbella, the Miramar in Fuengirola, El Ingenio in Velez-Malaga, La Veronica in Antequera and Circulo de Artistas in Ronda.

The Nevada shopping centre in Armilla (Granada), the Alcampo centre in Linares (Jaen), the Gran Plaza shopping centre in Roquetas de Mar (Almeria), the Setas de la Encarnacion in Seville, Plaza de las Monjas in Huelva, the Bahia Sur shopping centre in San Fernando (Cadiz), the Puerta de Europa shopping centre in Algeciras (Cadiz) and the municipal food market in Lucena (Cordoba) also take part.

According to Sanz, Andalucia is "ahead of the rest of Spain in the 2025-2026 campaign against flu and other respiratory viruses", thanks to the regional "action plan". "In just over two months, Andalucia has already exceeded the total number of flu vaccines administered in the entire previous vaccination campaign, with 1.73 million doses," the regional minister said.

More than one million doses have been given to the member of society of over 60 years of age and children between three and four years. With regard to other respiratory viruses, Antonio Sanz explained that more than 725,000 Andalusians have received the Covid-19 vaccine.

At the same time, flu coverage in nursing homes is at 90.1% and at 77.9% for coronavirus. Another target group, pregnant women, has already received 14,492 flu vaccines. The campaign against RSV bronchiolitis has achieved a coverage of 94%, which means that almost 37,000 babies have been immunised. According to Sanz, these figures incite optimism, but the guard should not be lowered.

The regional minister thanked healthcare workers, especially nurses, "for their magnificent work" and the public for their awareness, reminding Andalusians that "vaccination is the best weapon to protect ourselves and others".

Vaccine investment

Sanz has drawn attention to Andalucia's successful vaccination campaigns, declaring it the region with "one of the most advanced vaccination calendars in Spain: in terms of types of vaccines, coverage and investment".

He stated that "the budget for vaccines in 2025 has exceeded 172 million euros, four times more than in 2018". This investment has allowed the incorporation of new vaccines and the progressive expansion of age groups, with special attention to the protection of children and the elderly. According to Sanz, "there has been a lot of progress made by this regional government since 2019" such as the flu vaccination for children from six to 59 months and the vaccine for the nine-valent papillomavirus from 12 to 18 years of age for both girls and boys, in which Andalucia has been a pioneer.
Share

Spain's economy might be the fastest-growing in Europe, but its tax system needs a complete overhaul - as highlighted by an aggressive new advertising campaign in a major British newspaper.

In last weekend's edition, the Financial Times (FT) ran a full-page advert by the international law firm Amsterdam & Partners. Headed "Win. Win", the column on the left informed readers that Spanish tax inspectors "get a bonus whether they win or lose an unfair tax case"; while the opposite bar, entitled, "Lose. Lose", claimed that "unfair tax demands have to be paid immediately" and that "fighting for justice costs you even more."

Small text underneath rammed the message home. Tax inspectors in Spain, the advert pointed out, receive bonuses tied to performance indicators, among which are collection targets. Inspectors receive these bonuses even if their decisions are subsequently reversed by courts (as almost half of them are), resulting in a system that is rigged to benefit the state and punish the taxpayer.

Had this advert been published in any major British newspaper, it would have caused Spain's tax office reputational damage. But its appearance in the FT will ensure that the negative publicity has even greater impact. The paper reaches 21 million powerful, wealthy readers every month: 56% are business decision-makers, 75% work for international companies and 23% are millionaires. They're precisely the kind of foreign investors that Spain wants to attract, not repel (although many may already have been put off by the country's anachronistic wealth tax).

Amsterdam & Partners aren't the only ones to have recently criticised Spain's complex, punitive tax legislation. A written question submitted to the EU Commission in May by Jorge Martin Frias, an MEP for Vox, concerned "perverse incentives from the Spanish Tax Agency's Bonus Schemes". Frias pointed out that in 2023, productivity bonuses amounted to 267 million, even though Hacienda loses 40% of the court cases brought against it. He asked the Commission to assess whether these bonus schemes "jeopardise the [taxpayers'] rights [that are] protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights."

These attacks on Spain's Hacienda come a couple of months after the Washington-based Tax Foundation published its annual International Tax Competitiveness Index. Spain retained its 2024 ranking of 34 out of the OECD's 38 countries, drawing criticism for a complicated, uncompetitive system that punishes both corporations and individuals. According to one of the report's authors, the only thing that's preventing Spain from becoming a "tax hell" is competition between the regions, many of which have exercised their fiscal autonomy to lower personal and corporate rates.

The 19th-century American showman P. T. Barnum is usually credited with coining the phrase "There's no such thing as bad publicity." Amsterdam & Partners' FT ad shows how wrong he was.
Alfonso Torices Madrid Friday, 12 December 2025, 19:32 Share

Spain's Congreso definitively approved on Thursday the law that will revolutionise customer services. Just to give one example, the law puts an end to long waiting times on the phone: companies will have to attend to the caller within a maximum of three minutes.

Only two parties (PP and Vox) opposed the new law. The opposition had presented 50 or so amendments to the law on customer care, but they were rejected and the lower house approved it as promoted by the Ministry of Social Rights. The law will come into force in a few days, with its publication in the official state gazette (Boe).

The law, in the words of minister Pablo Bustinduy, seeks to guarantee the right to quality, fast and personalised customer service and bring order to a service that is often chaotic and with which one in five users of electricity, gas, telephone and internet companies are unhappy. The regulation also includes measures to curb unwanted commercial calls and protect minors from online gambling advertising. These are some of the main new features it introduces:

Obliged companies

All companies that provide customer service or utilities (gas, water, electricity, telephone, internet, transport, mail and financial services), as well as all companies with more than 250 employees or a turnover of more than 50 million euros, must comply with the new law.

Language

Phone calls must be available in at least all official languages in Spain - Castellano and the other regional languages.

The three-minute law

The new law obliges companies to ensure that 95% of telephone calls are answered within three minutes. At the moment, there is no time limit. Moreover, they will no longer be able to cut off the customer's call on the grounds of long waits.

No fees and 24-hour assistance

Companies must provide a free telephone line dedicated to customer service during their working hours. If the customer is unhappy with the service provided, they have the right to ask to speak to a supervisor. In addition, all water, gas, electricity and communications companies must offer a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year customer service for urgent assistance.

Automated response restrictions

The regulation bans companies from handling calls exclusively through automated responses. Customers must be able to ask to speak directly to a specialised operator at any stage of the enquiry or complaint.

15-day deadline to resolve claims and complaints

Companies must resolve any claim or complaint within 15 days of receiving it, instead of the current 30-day deadline. Additionally, they must assign a customer or complaint number to facilitate the follow-up and send written proof with date, time and reason for the complaint. The conversation must be recorded and kept until the case is resolved. Moreover, if supply or a service have been cut, an explanation and an estimated time for fixing it must be provided within a maximum of two hours.

Special attention to vulnerable people

The new law will require a personalised service for elderly people (face-to-face) or people with a hearing disability (video interpretation in sign language or instant written messages).

No commercial offers

Customer services may not take advantage of the call to offer commercial products or services.

Control and fines

An external audit must regularly ensure that the company complies with the law and conduct customer satisfaction surveys once a query, complaint or incident has been resolved. Non-compliance will be punishable by fines of up to 100,000 euros.

No spam calls

The law will put an end to so-called 'spam', annoying unsolicited commercial calls. Companies will be obliged to use an identifiable prefix and telephone operators must block those that do not have one. Commercial calls without prior consent are banned and any contracts resulting from such calls will be voided.

Online gambling regulations

The gambling law is also being amended to limit advertising for online gambling, ban the participation of celebrities or public figures in such promotions and require that payments for these services be made only through accounts held in the player's own name. Advertising for online gambling will only be allowed on the operators' own websites or on specialised platforms or social media with age verification controls.

Companies will only be able to send marketing communications to individuals who have explicitly authorised them to do so. Most of these measures are aimed at protecting minors.
SUR Madrid. Friday, 12 December 2025, 15:17 Share

The Supreme Court has released its full ruling, 19 days after the verdict, sentencing Attorney General Alvaro Garcia Ortiz to a two-year ban from public office and a 7,200-euro fine for disclosing confidential information. Five of the seven-judge panel concluded that Garcia Ortiz, or someone close to him acting with his knowledge, leaked a February 2024 email to Ser radio station.

The email showed the lawyer of Alberto Gonzalez Amador, partner of the Madrid regional president, had admitted tax offences on his client's behalf to negotiate a deal with prosecutors. The court ruled that both the leak and a subsequent press release from the Public Prosecutor's Office - denying the prosecutor had offered a plea deal - constituted criminal conduct. Two judges dissented, arguing insufficient evidence.
SUR Friday, 12 December 2025, 15:19 Share

As Iceland this week became the fifth country to pull out of the 2026 Eurovision festival, the full implication of Spain's decision last week not to join in was being assessed.

In protest at the decision to include Israel in the contest in Vienna in May next year, the Spanish publicly funded broadcaster RTVE will not be sending an entry and will not broadcast the show.

RTVE is one of the big five European broadcasters that normally heavily support it and this year paid 331,721 euros just to take part and transmit Eurovision.

A large TV audience of six million people in Spain tuned in this year. The 2026 event is still expected to be available to view in Spain over the internet, however.
Ana I. Martinez Alicante Friday, 12 December 2025 | Updated 19/12/2025 07:26h. Share

A figure of Joseph that is over 18 metres high is a striking sight in Alicante's city hall square. Beside it is the figure of the Virgin Mary, seated at ten metres high. Between them is the baby Jesus, a newborn infant measuring 3.32 metres. This is the world's largest nativity scene, certified by the Guinness Book of World Records since 2020, and it is now open to the the public.

Alongside them are the Three Wise Men, also of different heights: Melchior reaches 11 metres when kneeling, Gaspar stands 15.6 metres tall and Balthasar is slightly taller at 16 metres. They joined the Nativity scene in Christmas 2023.

All the figures in this monumental nativity scene are original works by professional artist Jose Maria Garcia, better known as 'Pachi', whose style is based on the Alicante modernism of the early 20th century. The assembly process took three days and Balthazar was the first to be completed, followed by Joseph, the Virgin Mary, Gaspar, Melchior and the baby Jesus.

The Virgin Mary, decorated in blue, white and gold tones, kneels as she gazes at her son, who lies in a manger at the centre of the scene, swaddled in warm clothing. Saint Joseph is dressed in a palette of earthy colours similar to Hebrew garments of the period.

Zoom EFE/ Morell

Made from self-extinguishing, expanded polystyrene, an ideal material for working with bulky objects while keeping the weight down, each figure is coated with a fire-retardant chemical substance that protects them from inclement weather, physical knocks and bumps and vandalism.

The internal structure is made of iron tubing and is joined together using gas welding to prevent imperfections in the joints and to ensure greater durability. According to the expert artist, the entire structure is secured with self-locking screws.

This is how Alicante celbrates Christmas in style, maybe even 'living it large'. Also in city hall square itself, visitors can enjoy some of the extraordinary Christmas lights and there are plenty more lights to be seen in 130 different locations throughout the city.

Zoom EFE / Morell

Six angels herald the route to giant Nativity scene in the city's main square, and they too are of considerable size. Each one is nine metres high and their creators are also bonfire artists. They are scattered all over the city to mark the way to this monumental 'belen', the epicentre of Christmas in Alicante.

In addition, visitors should not miss other key sights in the city this Christmas, such as the plant decorations on the facade of city hall, the three giant fir trees located on Avenida del General Marva and the illuminated Nativity scene decorated with flowers, installed in another square, Plaza de Calvo Sotelo.

Zoom Juan Carlos Soler

Also worth a mention are the two most visited nativity scenes created by the master artisans of the association of nativity scene makers. The first, with a biblical theme, is located in the entrance hall to the city council's headquarters. The second, considered a more social depiction, is made up of four scenes - two of a folk art style and the other two biblical. It can be visited in the centrally located Plaza de La Montaneta. A third belen, an initiative of the Junta's Easter Week brotherhoods, is located in the Palacio El Portalet, in the heart of Alicante's old quarter.
SINGAPORE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Participants from both sides of the bilateral training exercise between the Chinese and Singaporean militaries have been conducting mixed-unit joint drills focused on close-quarters battle (CQB).

CQB tactics, designed for confined environments such as buildings and narrow alleys, emphasize stealth, coordination, speed and precision.

Chinese soldier Dou Shuichao said troops must understand potential threats from different angles indoors, provide mutual cover, and know alert positions and methods in order to seize the right moment for entry and achieve mission objectives.

During the training, soldiers reviewed shortcomings identified during the drills and gradually optimized force allocation and operational command, improving overall training effectiveness.

Participants said the joint drills helped them acquire practical combat skills and learn to coordinate seamlessly in urgent situations.

The exercise, which began on Wednesday, focuses on urban counter-terrorism operations and will continue until Dec. 18. 
Rome, N.Y. - The names of the two people who died in a massive fire at an apartment complex in Rome Tuesday have been released.

Gary J. Wiedmann, 61, was found dead inside his apartment at Countryside Apartments at 7108 Rome-Oriskany Road, according to an Oneida County Sheriffs Office news release Thursday night.

Christine M. Teuscher, 76, died at the burn center at Upstate University Hospital on Wednesday. She had run out of the apartment building with burns before collapsing in the snow, a city official said.

She was initially brought to Wynn Hospital in Utica but was transferred to Upstate University Hospital where she died.

A Rome firefighter also suffered an injury to one of their hands while fighting the fire that displaced 20 people. No other first responders were injured.

Firefighters were first called to the fire at 4:32 a.m. Tuesday, according to Kenneth White, the Rome commissioner of public safety. Eleven departments responded to the scene.

Deputies and State Police troopers worked together to evacuate the building, according to a news release from the sheriffs office.

The American Red Cross helped displaced residents. A warming center was established at the All Saints Parish at 801 Hickory St., Rome.

The sheriffs office, Rome Fire Department and state Office of Fire Prevention and Control are working to determine the cause of the fire.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A Syracuse man was convicted Thursday of setting a fire that killed a woman on Syracuses South Side in 2024.

Anthony Green, 60, was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree arson and three counts of attempted murder.

He now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Around 11 p.m. on June 20, 2024, Green set a fire on the first-floor porch of 2017 South Ave. as five people were partying upstairs. Shaquoiya T. Allison, 34, was killed in the fire.

During the trial, Greens defense attorneys pointed out that investigators never discovered how the fire was started. They argued there was no evidence Green was the one who started it.

Prosecutors argued Greens behavior after the fire, coupled with repeated domestic incidents with his partner leading up to the incident, was enough to convict him. His partner was also in the house that night.

In a video shown to the jury, Green can be seen leaving the house as the fire spread and slowly walking away.

Green knew people were upstairs and did not warn anyone of the fire or call 911.

Green walked to a nearby convenience store and chatted with the cashier and another shopper before buying cigarettes. Meanwhile, the fire was quickly engulfing the house.

Green then walked toward a lot across from the home and watched it burn, prosecutor Rob Moran told the jury in closing arguments Wednesday.

When Green set the fire, his partner, Lorraine Green, was visiting with their upstairs neighbor. The couple had gotten into a dispute earlier that day.

Moran told the jury Green knew she was upstairs and set the fire with the intention to kill her.

His partner, who has a prosthetic leg, was able to get out of the home with help from others in the upstairs apartment.

Allison, who was sleeping in the back room of the home, did not make it out of the home in time. She died of smoke inhalation.

The video of the fire shows black smoke pouring from the home as it burned.

Fire investigators quickly ruled the fire was intentionally set and Green was identified as a suspect.

The only person who walks away from a fire completely unbothered is the person who set it, Moran told the jury.

The jury ultimately agreed and convicted Green.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6.
My 600-lb Life star Pauline Potter, who appeared on a 2015 episode of the hit TLC show, has died at age 62.

Her son, Dillon Brooks, shared the unfortunate news in a video on her YouTube channel on Nov. 29. He said she passed away on Thanksgiving day.

In 2012, Potter held the Guinness World Record for the heaviest woman living. During her episode of My 600-lb Life and the years following, she made significant strides in her weight loss journey. She began sharing her progress with fans on Facebook. In 2020, she revealed she was down to 223 pounds, per USA Today.

What was Pauline Potters cause of death?

Pauline Potters son, Dillon Brooks, confirmed they currently dont know what his mother died from. We dont have any official diagnosis or, um, autopsy or anything that says what she died from... But at this point, I think we pretty much already know, because she had a lot of problems.

2025 was not an easy year for Potter, as Brooks explained. He and his mother were involved in a major car accident in January while Potter was driving. She suffered several broken ribs and began experiencing chest pain, though it was unclear if the latter was a result of the accident.

In June, Potter began experiencing issues digesting her food. She could not keep any food down. Everything she ate or drank kept coming back up, he said in the video.

In August, they learned Potter had a blockage in her esophagus that was preventing food from passing through. While receiving this diagnosis, Potter also contracted COVID-19, which prompted the hospital to admit her. Brooks said, August 20th was the last time she was at home, and she has been in the hospital since then.

The blockage caused Potter to become malnourished, and Potter needed to raise her nutrient levels before she could undergo surgery. Additionally, doctors discovered a massive, infected wound on her back that was worsening because she was primarily lying down. The wound became very painful, and she began resisting treatment.

Potter was moved to a rehab facility in September to improve her nutrition for the surgery, but she was not making much progress. She was also showing signs of heart and respiratory failure. On Nov. 19, Potter was sent to hospice care at Brooks aunts house. Brooks said they were told his mother could recover, but its kind of unlikely at this point.

Brooks shared that during her time on hospice, there was times where it seemed like she was doing good, but also times when she was in pain and she was out of it. The family was all set to see her on Thanksgiving. She died that afternoon.

Brooks noted that one doctor once suggested that her rapid health decline could have been related to the car accident, but he emphasized, We dont have that in writing... and theres no proof or guarantee that all this did stem from that.
An off-duty cop shot a man with a knife in an apparent road rage incident, according to New York State Police.

The shooting occurred Thursday around 3:45 p.m. on Dolsontown Road near the intersection of McVeigh Road in the Town of Wawayanda, police said. A preliminary investigation determined the drivers of a 2020 Volkswagen and a 2021 Toyota pickup truck had a conflict that spanned approximately one mile.

The confrontation escalated when the driver of the Volkswagen, identified as Wallace F. Fisher, 31, of Middletown, N.Y., exited his vehicle and approached the Toyota driver. A verbal altercation at the drivers side window of the Toyota turned physical as Fisher brandished a knife, according to state troopers.

Police said the driver of the Toyota, identified as off-duty Kingston Police Officer Anthony Simon, 33, discharged his firearm, striking Fisher.

Fisher was initially transported to Garnet Health Medical Center but was ultimately transferred to Westchester Medical Center where he is listed in critical but stable condition.

No arrests have been made, police told the Times Union. The investigation remains ongoing.

Additional details have not been disclosed.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact New York State Police Middletown at 845-344-5300.

Wawayanda is located in Orange County, approximately 40 miles outside of Poughkeepsie.
A woman has been arrested after stabbing another woman in a New York Macys store, according to police.

Kerri Aherne, 43, of Massachusetts, is accused of stabbing a 38-year-old woman multiple times inside of the Macys in New York Citys Herald Square, ABC reports. The New York Police Department said the victim was stabbed in the back and arm just before 3 p.m. while inside the store.

The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition, police said. She is expected to survive.

Police sources told NBC the attack appears to have been unprovoked. Its unclear if Aherne knew the victim, who was not identified.

Aherne has been charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority, a spokesperson for Macys said in a statement. We kindly defer any further questions to the local authorities.

Black Friday shoppers walk through Macy's in Herald Square on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio) AP

According to CBS, this is the second assault inside Macys flagship store in NYCs Herald Square in the past month. On Nov. 19, a 65-year-old woman allegedly hit a 71-year-old man in the head multiple times with an object, believed to be a cell phone, in an unprovoked attack. The victim was treated at a local hospital and the suspected attacker was arrested and charged with assault.

Macys Herald Square, which originally opened in 1902, is the headquarters of Macys Inc. and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1978. The annual Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade ends at the department store.
China shock 2.0 China gift 2.0

Indian expert S.L. Kanthan dismisses the claim that China's latest manufacturing success is somehow a threat to others as pure propaganda, and points to solar panels, machinery and cars as examples of what he calls "China gift 2.0."

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
As early as now, the CES 2026 preview is already within our reach. Last year's CES edition was full of amazing inventions, including a robot vacuum with a mechanical arm and the world's smartest AI motorcycle helmet.

Product exhibits and press conferences will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center and local hotels from January 6 to 9. Here's what we can expect from one of the biggest tech shows.

Next-Generation Chips from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm

CES often signals the start of emerging processors. CES 2026 will likely feature Ryzen 9850X3D and Ryzen 9000G series processors based on Zen 5 architecture, with FSR Redstone AI image upscaling.

The Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 will focus on high-end notebooks with 2nm 18A Process technology, which will accelerate CPU and Arc graphics engines by 50%. Qualcomm plans to introduce its Snapdragon X2 Elite SoC into notebooks and improve AI functionality.

Robotics and AI Navigation

Robotics remains at the center stage at CES. Samsung might eventually showcase Ballie, its sphere-like robot, but perhaps with Google's Gemini AI capabilities. Improvements within robot vacuum cleaners, as seen with Roborock's new Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, and AI-based global map navigation for better control and understanding, will also emerge, per Engadget.

Brighter, Truer Display Technology

It seems that Sony will be previewing its 'True RGB' Mini LED backlight solution and may employ it instead of QD-OLED panels on its Bravia TVs. Samsung plans on unveiling its enhancements to HDR10+ Advanced, which will improve dynamic tone mapping, motion smoothing, and brightness.

Important Press Conferences To Follow

CES is no stranger to entertaining press conferences, and 2026 will be no different. Samsung will kick things off with "The First Look" and feature CEO TM Roh with presentations on the vision and AI experiences from its DX Division.

Next will be presentations from LG, Intel, Sony, Honda Mobility, and AMD. Highlights will include presentations on Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 and AMD's Ryzen 9850X3D CPU.

Lenovo will hold its Tech World Conference on January 6 with presentations on AI innovations on its device lineup. Social media hints at possible AI-augmented foldable smartphones from Lenovo at CES.
A Ukrainian national has been charged in the U.S. for allegedly helping Russian-backed hacking groups launch disruptive cyberattacks on critical infrastructure around the world  including American water systems, food processing facilities, election networks, and nuclear regulators, U.S. authorities announced this week.

Extradition And Arraignment

Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova, 33, was arraigned in Los Angeles on Tuesday after being extradited to the United States earlier this year.

Prosecutors say she worked with two major pro-Russia hacktivist groups  CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR), also known as Z-Pentest, and NoName057(16)  both allegedly funded and directed by the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU). Dubranova has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Critical Infrastructure Hit

According to the indictments, CARR operated a popular Telegram channel with over 75,000 followers and regularly boasted about its attacks on drinking water systems, government agencies, and industrial facilities across the U.S. and Europe.

The group allegedly carried out destructive attacks, including tampering with water facility pumps across U.S. states  spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of drinking water  and breaching a Los Angeles meat processing facility in November 2024, spoiling thousands of pounds of meat and triggering an ammonia leak that forced an evacuation.

CARR also additionally targeted U.S. election infrastructure, websites belonging to nuclear regulatory entities, and essential industrial facilities worldwide.

A GRU-linked operator using the handle Cyber_1ce_Killer allegedly provided targets and paid for DDoS-for-hire services to support the attacks.

NoName057(16): Crowdsourced DDoS Campaigns

The second group, NoName057(16), is described by U.S. officials as a state-sanctioned project, operated partly through a Russian government-created IT center formed under a 2018 presidential order.

The group relied on its proprietary DDoS program DDoSia, which recruited thousands of volunteers globally to participate in coordinated attacks on rail systems, ports, government agencies, and financial institutions across Europe and North America. NoName also maintained a public leaderboard and paid top-performing volunteers in cryptocurrency, creating a competitive cyberattack ecosystem.

Dubranova Faces Up To 32 Years If Convicted

Prosecutors say Dubranova helped both groups carry out their operations. If convicted, she faces up to 27 years in federal prison for the CARR-related charges and up to 5 years for the NoName-related charges. Her trials are scheduled for February 2026 and April 2026.

Global Warnings From U.S. Agencies

U.S. authorities say the case highlights the ongoing and evolving threat from Russian-linked hacktivist groups. On Tuesday, the FBI, CISA, NSA, DOE, and other agencies issued a joint advisory warning that pro-Russia hacktivist groups are increasingly targeting vulnerable critical infrastructure systems, sometimes with the potential for physical damage.

The defendants illegal actions to tamper with the nations public water systems put communities and the nations drinking water resources at risk, said Craig Pritzlaff, Acting Assistant Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in a Tuesday statement.

These criminal charges serve as an unequivocal warning to malicious cyber actors in the U.S. and abroad: EPAs Criminal Investigation Division and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate threats to our nations water infrastructure and will pursue justice against those who endanger the American public.

Rewards For Information

The U.S. State Department has announced rewards of up to $2 million for information on CARR members and up to $10 million for information on NoName-linked individuals.

Todays actions demonstrate the Departments commitment to disrupting malicious Russian cyber activity  whether conducted directly by state actors or their criminal proxies  aimed at furthering Russias geopolitical interests, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

We remain steadfast in defending essential services, including food and water systems Americans rely on each day, and holding accountable those who seek to undermine them.
KIGALI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Thursday reaffirmed Rwanda's full commitment to the recently signed Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, emphasizing that lasting peace depends on all parties honoring their obligations.

He made the remarks during the inauguration ceremony of newly appointed ministers at Rwanda's parliamentary building in Kigali.

Noting that Rwanda's challenges stem largely from regional dynamics, particularly long-standing issues rooted in neighboring countries, Kagame stressed that no nation desires peace more than Rwanda, given its painful history.

"We know very well what the absence of peace means, because we have lived through long periods without it. We know what we lost, including the lives of our people," he said.

He also rejected narratives holding Rwanda responsible for ongoing tensions following the peace deal.

Kagame's remarks follow last week's signing of the Washington peace deal between him and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi.

The U.S.-brokered agreement aims to end decades of conflict in eastern DRC while facilitating U.S. access to critical minerals in the region.

Eastern DRC has suffered years of instability, exacerbated since late 2021 by the resurgence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.

The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing M23, an allegation Kigali has repeatedly denied. Earlier in June, the foreign ministers of both countries signed a separate peace agreement in Washington. 
Floods in US, Canada force huge evacuations



Los Angeles, United States, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025



Tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders Thursday in western North America, after days of heavy rain forced rivers to burst their banks.

Storms have battered Washington state in the US and British Columbia over the Canadian border for several days, with rivers continuing to rise.

People living south of Seattle and Tacoma have been told to leave their homes, with aerial photographs showing farmland already under water, and populated areas perilously close.

"Level 3 (GO NOW) order is in place due to flooding. There is significant threat to life and or property," said a warning from the city of Orting.

"Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access."

Several properties in Snohomish, north of Seattle, were already flooded, while downtown parts of the border city of Sumas were under water.

Just over the frontier, swathes of the Canadian city of Abbotsford were swamped, with hundreds of properties at risk.

Several major highways leading in and out of Vancouver were closed in places, British Columbia platform Drive BC said on its website.

Meteorologists said an atmospheric river chugging in from the Pacific Ocean has dumped more than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in some places.

The downpour lessened on Thursday, but the after-effects were expected to linger as the high volumes of water made their way through the river system.

"While drier weather looks to be in store for this area of the country through the upcoming weekend, the major to catastrophic flooding effects are likely to continue for several days across portions of western Washington State and northwestern Oregon," the US National Weather Service said.

Dozens of members of the Washington National Guard have been mobilized to help with sandbagging and other relief efforts, with another 200 troops on their way, the military said.

Scientists say human-caused climate change, driven chiefly by unchecked burning of fossil fuels thoughout the industrial age, is worsening natural variations in rainfall.

A warmer atmosphere creates wilder swings in seasonal weather, causing more powerful storms and floods in some places, while leaving others dry for extended periods.
Laughing about science more important than ever: Ig Nobel founder



Paris, France, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



With science increasingly coming under attack, using humour as a way to get people interested in scientific research is more important than ever, the founder of the satirical Ig Nobel prizes said.

But not to be too serious, AFP's interview with the founder Marc Abrahams also included a callout for public donations of pubic lice -- and the sudden, unexpected appearance of a taxidermy duck.

Since 1991, the Ig Nobel prizes have celebrated the sillier side of science, handing out awards -- and 10-trillion-Zimbabwean-dollar notes -- at often-raucous ceremonies in Boston every year for genuine research projects that inadvertently have an absurd side.

The research "has to make people laugh and then think", explained Abrahams, who is also the editor of the Annals of Improbable Research magazine which organises the prizes.

As the serious Nobel prizes were awarded in Stockholm this week, several events were held in Paris featuring Ig Nobel laureates presenting their work while paper airplanes rained down -- a long-running Ig Nobel gag.

Among those speaking were French physicist Marc-Antoine Fardin, who investigated whether cats can be both solids and liquids, and Italy's Daniel Maria Busiello for his research about avoiding clumpiness while making the iconic Italian pasta dish cacio e pepe.

"If you're laughing at something, you are paying attention," Abrahams said.

The idea of the Ig Nobels is to capture a person's attention -- even if just for three seconds, he said. Then maybe when they are telling their friends about it later they might realise it is actually "really interesting".



- Science 'threatened and destroyed' -



At a time when scientific research is being "threatened and actively destroyed", particularly under the administration of US President Donald Trump, many people "have been telling us that now what we're doing has become much more important", Abrahams said.

Several of this year's prize winners decided not to attend the ceremony in September out of concern about travelling to the US under Trump, the mathematician added.

At first some scientists were suspicious of the gag prize, but the Ig Nobels have now become something of an institution -- few refuse the honour, Abrahams said.

There is little antagonism with the real Nobel prizes. In fact, Nobel laureates hand out Ig Nobels every year -- often wearing funny hats. One of them, British physicist Andre Geim, has even won both prizes.

Each year's 10 winners are chosen from thousands of nominees sent into Abrahams.

An increasing number -- over 10 percent -- are researchers nominating themselves. "They almost never win," Abrahams said.

Indeed, the phone call when he tells scientists they have won is often "the first moment any of them realised that what they had done is funny", he said with a laugh.



- Pubic lice needed -



Dutch biologist and Ig Nobel laureate Kees Moeliker said the prizes award scientists for doing their job: being curious, discovering what is happening, then publishing what they found.

For example, Moeliker's prize-winning research -- the first documented case of homosexual necrophilia in a mallard -- started when an unlucky duck crashed into his office window.

At this point in the interview, Moeliker pulled the duck in question -- which is now stuffed -- out of his bag, prompting the waiter at the restaurant to ask whether it was real.

When the waiter was gone, Moeliker said: "I have a little request."

He is looking for some pubic lice, and is hoping AFP's readers can help.

The insect's numbers are thought to be dwindling because of the modern tendency to trim pubic hair, Moeliker said, comparing the phenomenon to how deforestation has threatened pandas.

But he needs more samples to research the subject, so he is asking the public to send any specimens they have to the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam. One helpful person has already sent in lice sticky-taped to the back of a postcard.

But it might not be all bad news for pubic lice.

"I've heard stories from people in the fashion industry that pubic hair is coming back," Moeliker said.
Indonesia floods were 'extinction level' for rare orangutans



Bangkok, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Indonesia's deadly flooding was an "extinction-level disturbance" for the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.

Only scientifically classified as a species in 2017, tapanulis are incredibly rare, with fewer than 800 left in the wild, confined to a small range in part of Indonesia's Sumatra.

One dead suspected tapanuli orangutan has already been found in the region, conservationists told AFP.

"The loss of even a single orangutan is a devastating blow to the survival of the species," said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chairman of the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia.

And analysis of satellite imagery combined with knowledge of the tapanuli's range suggests that flooding last month which killed nearly 1,000 people may also have devastated wildlife in the Batang Toru region.

The scientists focused on the so-called West Block, the most densely populated of three known tapanuli habitats, and home to an estimated 581 tapanulis before the disaster.

There, "we think that between six and 11 percent of orangutans were likely killed," said Erik Meijaard, a longtime orangutan conservationist.

"Any kind of adult mortality that exceeds one percent, you're driving the species to extinction, irrespective of how big the population is at the start," he told AFP.

But tapanulis have such a small population and range to begin with that they are especially vulnerable, he added.

Satellite imagery shows massive gashes in the mountainous landscape, some of which extend for more than a kilometre and are nearly 100 metres wide, Meijaard said.

The tide of mud, trees and water toppling down hillsides would have carried away everything in its path, including other wildlife like elephants.

David Gaveau, a remote sensing expert and founder of conservation start-up The Tree Map, said he was flabbergasted by the before-and-after comparison of the region.

"I have never seen anything like this before during my 20 years of monitoring deforestation in Indonesia with satellites," he told AFP.



- 'Fragile and sensitive' -



The devastation means remaining tapanulis will be even more vulnerable, with sources of food and shelter now washed away.

Over nine percent of the West Block habitat may have been destroyed, the group of scientists estimated.

In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.

Environmentalists have long campaigned against industrial activity in Batang Toru, particularly a hydroelectric dam and gold mine.

The highland homes currently inhabited by tapanulis are not their preferred habitat, but it is where remaining orangutans have been pushed by development elsewhere.

Earlier this month, Indonesia's government said industrial plantations, hydropower and gold mining in the region had "contributed significantly to the pressure on the environment".

They announced they would suspend operating permits for all projects in the region pending a review.

The government, along with environmentalists, has said deforestation contributed to the scale of the flooding disaster.

A study published Thursday also said climate change-linked heavier rains and warmer seas that can turbocharge storms played a role.

The orangutan experts are urging an immediate halt to development that will damage remaining tapanuli habitat, and an immediate survey of the region.

They also back the expansion of protected areas and work to restore lowland forests.

Panut said the region had become eerily quiet after the landslides.

"This fragile and sensitive habitat in West Block must be fully protected by halting all habitat-damaging development," he told AFP.
Nowhere to pray as logs choke flood-hit Indonesian mosque



Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Almost two weeks on from devastating floods, Muslim worshippers in Indonesia's Sumatra who gathered at their local mosque on Friday for prayers were blocked from entering by a huge pile of thousands of uprooted trees.

The deadly torrential rains had inundated vast tracts of rainforest nearby, leaving residents of the Darul Mukhlisin mosque and Islamic boarding school to search elsewhere for places of worship that had been less damaged.

"We have no idea where all this wood came from," said Angga, 37, from the nearby village of Tanjung Karang.

Before the disaster, the mosque bustled with worshippers -- locals and students alike -- attending daily and Friday prayers.

"Now it's impossible to use. The mosque used to stand near a river," said Angga. "But the river is gone - it's turned into dead land."

Village residents told AFP the structure likely absorbed much of the impact of trees and logs carried by the torrents, preventing even greater destruction downstream.

When AFP visited the site, the mosque was still encircled by a massive heap of timber -- a mix of uprooted trees and felled logs, likely from nearby forests.

By Friday, the death toll from one of northern Sumatra's worst recent disasters - including in Aceh, where a tsunami wreaked havoc in 2004 - had reached 995 people, with 226 still missing and almost 890,000 displaced, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.



- Uncontrolled logging -



Authorities have blamed the scale of devastation partly on uncontrolled logging.

Environmentalists say widespread forest loss has worsened floods and landslides, stripping the land of tree cover that normally stabilises soil and absorbs rainfall.

Indonesia consistently ranks among the countries with the highest annual deforestation rates.

President Prabowo Subianto, visiting Aceh Tamiang district on Friday, assured victims the government was working to restore normalcy.

"We know conditions are difficult, but we will overcome them together," he said, urging residents to "stay alert and be careful."

"I apologise for any shortcomings (but) we are working hard," he said.

Addressing environmental concerns, Prabowo called for better forest protection.

"Trees must not be cut down indiscriminately," he said.

"I ask local governments to stay vigilant, to monitor and safeguard our nature as best as possible."

But frustrations were growing, with flood victims complaining about the pace of relief efforts.

Costs to rebuild after the disaster could run up to 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion) and the Indonesian government has so far shrugged off suggestions that it call for international assistance.

Back in nearby Babo Village, Khairi Ramadhan, 37, said he planned to seek out another mosque for prayers.

"I'll find one that wasn't hit by the flood," he said. "Maybe some have already been cleaned. I don't want to dwell on sorrow anymore."
Gaza civil defence says 13 dead as heavy rains batter territory



Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Gaza's civil defence agency on Friday said at least 13 people had died in the last 24 hours, including three children who died from exposure to the cold, as a winter storm batters the territory.

Heavy rain from Storm Byron has flooded tents and temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip since late Wednesday, compounding the suffering of the territory's residents, nearly all of whom were displaced during more than two years of war.

Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, told AFP three children had died from exposure to the cold -- two in Gaza City and one in Khan Yunis in the south.

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City confirmed the deaths of Hadeel al-Masri, aged nine, and Taim al-Khawaja, who it said was just several months old.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on Thursday said eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar had died in the nearby tented encampment of Al-Mawasi due to the cold.

With most of Gaza's buildings destroyed or damaged, thousands of tents and homemade shelters now line areas cleared of rubble.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said six people died when a house collapsed in the Bir al-Naja area of the northern Gaza Strip.

Four others died when walls collapsed in multiple separate incidents, he said.

In a statement, the civil defence said its teams had responded to calls from "13 houses that collapsed due to heavy rains and strong winds, mostly in Gaza City and the north".



- No dry clothes -



Under gloomy skies in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinians used bowls, buckets and hoes to try and remove the water that had pooled around their tents made of plastic sheeting.

Young children, some barefoot and others wearing open sandals, trudged and hopped through ponds of muddy water as the rain continued to fall.

"The mattress has been soaked since this morning, and the children slept in wet bedding last night," Umm Muhammad Joudah told AFP.

"We don't have any dry clothes to change into."

Saif Ayman, a 17-year-old who was on crutches due to a leg injury, said his tent had also been submerged.

"In this tent we have no blankets. There are six of us sleeping on one mattress, and we cover ourselves with our clothes," he said.

The Hamas-run interior and national security ministry gave a preliminary toll of 14 dead due to the effects of the winter rains since Wednesday.

A ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas that took effect in October has partially eased restrictions on goods and aid entering into the Gaza Strip.

But supplies have entered in insufficient quantities, according to the United Nations, and the humanitarian needs are still immense.

The UN's World Health Organization warned on Friday that thousands of families were "sheltering in low-lying or debris-filled coastal areas with no drainage or protective barriers".

"Winter conditions, combined with poor water and sanitation, are expected to drive a surge in acute respiratory infections," it added.
Gaza civil defence says 16 dead as heavy rains batter territory



Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025



Gaza's civil defence agency on Friday said at least 16 people had died in the last 24 hours, including three children who died from exposure to the cold, as a winter storm batters the territory.

Heavy rain from Storm Byron has flooded tents and temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip since late Wednesday, compounding the suffering of the territory's residents, nearly all of whom were displaced during more than two years of war.

Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, told AFP three children had died from exposure to the cold -- two in Gaza City and one in Khan Yunis in the south.

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City confirmed the deaths of Hadeel al-Masri, aged nine, and Taim al-Khawaja, who it said was just several months old.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on Thursday said eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar had died in the nearby tented encampment of Al-Mawasi due to the cold.

With most of Gaza's buildings destroyed or damaged, thousands of tents and makeshift shelters now line areas cleared of rubble.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said six people died when a house collapsed in the Bir al-Naja area of the northern Gaza Strip.

Two bodies were recovered from the rubble of a home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, he added.

Five others died when walls collapsed in multiple separate incidents, Bassal said.

In a statement, the civil defence said its teams had responded to calls from "13 houses that collapsed due to heavy rains and strong winds, mostly in Gaza City and the north".



- No dry clothes -



Under gloomy skies in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinians used bowls, buckets and hoes to try and remove the water that had pooled around their tents made of plastic sheeting.

Young children, some barefoot and others wearing open sandals, trudged and hopped through ponds of muddy water as the rain continued to fall.

"The mattress has been soaked since this morning, and the children slept in wet bedding last night," Umm Muhammad Joudah told AFP.

"We don't have any dry clothes to change into."

Saif Ayman, a 17-year-old who was on crutches due to a leg injury, said his tent had also been submerged.

"In this tent we have no blankets. There are six of us sleeping on one mattress, and we cover ourselves with our clothes," he said.

Jonathan Crickx, spokesman for the UN children's agency who is currently in Gaza, told AFP night-time temperatures could drop to around eight or nine degrees Celsius (46-48 degrees Fahrenheit).

"The rains are heavy, and these families are living in makeshift tents battered by the wind, where they're barely protected by a plastic tarp," he said.

Samer Morsi, a 22-year-old displaced Palestinian sheltering in the central area of Deir el-Balah, said he had "spent the night holding onto the tent pole so it wouldn't fly away in the strong wind".

"We don't know how to cope with these harsh conditions," he added.

"We are human beings with feelings, not made of stone."



- 'Appalling hygiene conditions' -



Crickx also described "absolutely appalling hygiene and sanitary conditions," saying there was a fear that preventable waterborne illnesses could spread.

"There aren't enough toilets, there are places -- I saw some in Gaza City -- where large pools of water are essentially open sewers right next to the displacement camps. So we're especially concerned for the immediate health of the children," he said.

A ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas that took effect in October has partially eased restrictions on goods and aid entering into the Gaza Strip.

But supplies have entered in insufficient quantities, according to the United Nations, and the humanitarian needs are still immense.

The UN's World Health Organization warned on Friday that thousands of families were "sheltering in low-lying or debris-filled coastal areas with no drainage or protective barriers".

"Winter conditions, combined with poor water and sanitation, are expected to drive a surge in acute respiratory infections," it added.
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Japanese militarism is the common enemy of people all over the world, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun also said that China will work with all peace-loving countries and people to safeguard the outcomes of World War II victory and the post-war international order.

"We urge the Japanese side to do deep soul-searching on history, earnestly draw lessons from it, completely sever ties with militarism, and take concrete actions to eliminate the residual influence," Guo told a daily press briefing.

He made the remarks when responding to a related query about the upcoming 12th National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims amid the current tensions between China and Japan caused by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan.

Noting this year marks the 88th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, Guo said that China, in accordance with the decision ratified by the National People's Congress, will host the annual national memorial commemoration for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre to honor those who lost their lives.

"The massacre in Nanjing is a horrendous crime committed by Japanese militarists. There is no room for denial," said Guo, adding that the slaughter of 300,000 Chinese people forms the darkest page in human history.

Japanese militarists' war of aggression against China and other Asian countries under the pretext of the so-called "survival-threatening situation" and untold crimes against humanity are nothing but a disgrace in the history of human civilization, he added.

Guo noted that the Japanese government has long abetted the right-wing forces' retrogressive moves, adding that several prime ministers and political dignitaries have paid tribute to the Yasukuni Shrine where class-A war criminals are honored, and the Japanese side even attempted to whitewash its war crimes and change the verdict on its history of aggression by revising textbooks more than once.

"Those egregious moves constitute a blatant challenge to the post-war international order and an affront to human conscience," Guo said, adding this triggered strong indignation and vigilance in the international community.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War as well as China's recovery of Taiwan. Guo said that 80 years on, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable.

"China will never allow Japan's right-wing forces to turn back the wheel of history, never allow external forces to lay their hands on China's Taiwan region, and never allow the resurgence of Japan's militarism," he added. 
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Hollywood director Carl Erik Rinsch was convicted on Thursday of defrauding Netflix out of $11 milion (8.2m) for a science fiction show that never got made.

A federal jury in Manhattan found Rinsch guilty on multiple counts of wire fraud and money laundering, concluding that Rinsch, 48, had siphoned off the funds intended for his long-delayed series White Horse and used them to fund a life of luxury.

Prosecutors said the charges carry maximum sentences totalling 90 years in prison, though the actual sentence is expected to be shorter. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17.

Prosecutors told the jury that Netflix had already invested roughly $44 million (32.8m) in the project, known as White Horse and later renamed Conquest, and later sent an additional $11 million (8.2m) in 2020 after Rinsch requested more funds to wrap up production.

Rinsch had begun filming the series in 2017, completing six shortform episodes thanks to funding from his mentor Keanu Reeves, before pitching the project to studios.

Instead of using the additional money to finish the show, federal authorities said Rinsch transferred the funds into a personal account, where he lost around half of it on risky investments before shifting the remaining balance into cryptocurrency, yielding some profit.

Carl Erik Rinsch was convicted on Thursday on charges of defrauding Netflix out of 8.2m he had been given for a science fiction show that never ended up being made ( Getty Images for Team One, Saatchi LA )

Court filings show that he purchased five Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari, spent $652,000 (486,752) on expensive watches and clothes, $638,000 (476,300) on high-end mattresses, another $295,000 (220,233) on luxury bedding and linens, and repaid $1.8 million (1.3m) in personal credit-card debt, all paid for with money that Netflix believed was funding the series.

Prosecutors said he lived out of five-star hotels in California and Spain during this period.

Rinsch, best known for directing the 2013 film 47 Ronin, argued that the dispute was essentially contractual and that he believed the funds were reimbursement for work already done rather than strictly limited to post-production.

Rinsch was arrested in March in West Hollywood, California, and charged with wire fraud, money laundering and making monetary transactions involving criminal proceeds.

Taking the stand in his own defence on Tuesday, Rinsch said he believed the $11 million was meant to keep the production of Conquest afloat during the coronavirus pandemic and to conduct preproduction on a potential second season of the show.

But former Netflix executives testified that they had agreed to only one season of the show and that the money was supposed to be used to finish episodes for that season, which Rinsch failed to do.

He did not deliver a single completed episode of the series.

He also claimed that the cars and furniture he purchased were props required for the show, but an arbitrator ruled that nothing he bought was required.

Netflix cancelled development of the show in early 2021 after reports that Rinschs behaviour had become increasingly erratic, with a New York Times piece claiming he told executives he had discovered Covid-19s secret transmission mechanism and told his wife, a producer on the series, that he could predict earthquakes and lightning strikes.

Netflix ultimately wrote off the $55 million (41.06m) it spent on the project.

After less than five hours of deliberation, jurors rejected his defence and found him guilty on all seven counts brought by federal prosecutors.

Rinschs lawyer Benjamin Zeman wrote in a statement that he believed the verdict was wrong.

I think the verdict was wrong and I fear that this could set a dangerous precedent for artists who become embroiled in contractual and creative disputes with their benefactors, in this case one of the largest media companies in the world, finding themselves indicted by the federal government for fraud, he said in an email, according to The Times.

The Independent has reached out to Netflix for comment.
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Barbie audiences decked themselves in pink. Minecraft fans threw popcorn at the screen during the chicken jockey scene. Now, James L. Brookss new comedy-drama Ella McCay gives theatergoers the unique opportunity to... touch their shoe in front of its poster?

As the Ella McCay Challenge sweeps the nation  or maybe just niche corners of social media  you might find yourself with questions about the origin of the mysterious trend, or even experiencing a curious and undeniable urge to attempt the bewildering pose yourself. Heres everything we know about the viral challenge.

The challenge was born by X user Michael Roberts the night before Thanksgiving. Roberts told Vulture that while he was in the movie theater, he saw the poster showing the films titular character balancing on one foot to fix her left shoe as she wears it, and simply felt the need to take a picture recreating the pose in front of the display.

Theres just an inexplicable tone to the whole thing, Roberts told the outlet. I dont know how you craft a poster for a movie about a 34-year-old governor with family issues. But I love the decision to have a big studio comedy being sold on the image of an unknown woman fixing her shoe.

Ella McCay star Emma Mackey, whose name is confusingly similar but unrelated to her fictional titular character, plays a woman in 2008 who is juggling challenging family dynamics as she prepares to become a state governor. The movies poster shows the main character in a beige peacoat, not looking at the camera, lifting her left leg and reaching for her navy heel.

open image in gallery Ella McCay will be released in theaters December 12 ( Getty Images for 20th Century Studios )

No specific clothing is needed to complete the challenge, but if you are going for accuracy, you might want to throw a pair of heels in your bag before undergoing the transformative act that is the Ella McCay Challenge.

The first step is to go to a movie theater where Ella McCay is playing. Bringing someone to take your picture is helpful; otherwise you must use self-timer (which is embarrassing) or ask a stranger at the theater to take a picture of you balancing on one foot (even more embarrassing). You may need to buy a movie ticket to get into the theater lobby, where the promotional displays are usually located. (If a political comedy does not sound appetizing, other releases out right now include Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, and Eternity.)

Next, stand in front of the movie poster with your feet shoulder length apart. Then lift your left leg to cross in front of your right leg and bend over it. Then, leave your left arm dangling in the air and use your right arm to reach toward your shoe. Finally, do not look at the camera, instead look down at the shoe you are pretending to fix. Then snap your picture, and you have your Ella McCay Challenge post.

open image in gallery Carsen Holaday taking on the #EllaMcCayChallenge in perfect form ( Carsen Holaday )

Creative variations are floating around on the internet, as swarms of X users have joined in on the trend since Roberts first post. Some people look straight at the camera, while others have dared to switch the foot they use.

Brands have also begun hopping on the trend. The Simpsons, which Brooks co-created, posted a video of animated characters reenacting the post. 20th Century Studios, the studio behind Ella McCay, is posting scores for the poses on their X account. The social media manager behind the account is even sharing tips to people attempting the challenge, replying to one, thank you for putting in the effort! wish the heel was a bit higher! rating this a 7.3 out of 10.

The studios response to Roberts, the challenges creator, said: rating this #ellamccaychallenge a 9.5 out of 10. decent height and left arm placement, all done in slip-ons no less.

Even more moviegoers will likely be taking up the challenge over the weekend, with the movie officially out in theaters Friday.

The films star-studded cast includes performers like Jamie Lee Curtis, Ayo Edebiri, Rebecca Hall, Kumail Nanjiani, and Woody Harrelson, but the impressive lineup has not been enough to save the movie from negative reviews ahead of its release. Ella McCay is currently scoring 24% on Rotten Tomatoess Tomatometer, and the New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson said the movie leaves viewers more confused than amused.

Perhaps even more confusing is the fact that early reviews of the movie reveal Ella never once fixes her shoes in the movie like its shown in the poster.

However, Brooks semi-explained the poster in response to a question on Reddit last week: SHE'S GOING SOMEPLACE AND A BAD SHOE IS GETTING IN THE WAY...GUESS IT'S A METAPHOR.
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Quentin Tarantino may see Paul Dano as weak sauce, but plenty of Hollywood heavyweights, including Daniel Day-Lewis, couldnt disagree more.

Last week, during an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, the Oscar-winning auteur, 62, issued a scathing assessment of Danos performance in Paul Thomas Andersons 2007 Western thriller There Will Be Blood.

Labeling the 41-year-old actor the movies big, giant flaw, Tarantino said: He is just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f***ing actor in SAG.

Immediately after the Django Unchained filmmakers unsparing remarks, numerous high-profile stars came out in support of Dano, heaping praise on him and arguing that he is incredible, brilliant, and one of the best actors of our time.

An Instagram account purporting to be Day-Lewis posted on Tuesday that Paul Dano is one of the best and most talented actors of his generation. Representatives for the record-holding three-time Oscar winner informed The Guardian that the account was fan-run, but maintained that the British actor endorsed the sentiments.

open image in gallery Daniel Day-Lewis (left) joined other Hollywood stars in supporting Paul Dano (middle) against Quentin Tarantino's (right) scathing criticism ( Getty )

open image in gallery Day-Lewis recommended Dano for the role of Eli Sunday in 'There Will Be Blood' ( Miramax )

Day-Lewis, who led There Will Be Blood, recommended Dano for the part of Eli Sunday after the original actor suddenly dropped out.

Meanwhile, Ben Stiller, who directed Dano in the 2018 series Escape at Dannemora, wrote on X: Paul Dano is f***ing brilliant.

Marvels Simu Liu agreed, commenting in a separate X post: idk man i think paul dano is an incredible actor.

Reese Witherspoon, Danos former Inherent Vice co-star, added on Threads: Paul Dano is an incredibly gifted, versatile actor. More importantly, he is a gentleman.

Also taking to X, Matt Reeves, the director of the Robert Pattinson-led The Batman, in which Dano appeared as the psychotic supervillain The Riddler, labeled him an incredible actor, and an incredible person.

Mattson Tomlin, the co-writer on Reevess forthcoming The Batman sequel, which is expected to see Dano reprise his role, added: I am really pleased to see so many people cheer on Paul Dano this week. Not only is he a terrific actor, but hes an astonishing director who exudes control and tremendous empathy.

On Threads, Frozen actor Josh Gad went so far as to call Dano one of the best actors of our time. Full stop.

open image in gallery Paul Dano as Russian scientist Vadim B ranov in The Wizard of the Kremlin ( Carole Bethel/Cinetic Media )

I just want to say I love Paul Dano, Alec Baldwin stated in a recent Instagram video. And if you dont love Paul Dano, shh.

Actor Colleen Foy, who portrayed Danos sister in There Will Be Blood, wrote on Threads that her co-stars incredible performance speaks for itself.

I sat behind Quentin Tarantino at the Cast & Crew screening and he was legit vibing with Pauls performance, Foy claimed in the post. His recent comments are incongruent with his reaction that night.

Dano is an acclaimed actor, best known for performances in films such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Meeks Cutoff (2010) and The Fabelmans (2022). Up next, he stars in Olivier Assayass new political thriller The Wizard of Kremlin, alongside Jude Law.
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Woody Allen has again been linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The controversial director, 90, appears in multiple photos, which do not appear to show any illegal activity, released Friday by House Democrats as part of the ongoing effort to make public all files related to the Epstein case by December 19.

One image shows Allen perched on a directors chair while speaking to Epstein. Another shows the director in conversation with Trumps ex-strategist Steve Bannon. Another photo shows Allen and Epstein seated at a table together with long-stemmed drinking glasses.

Its not clear where or when the undated photos were captured.

The Independent has reached out to a representative for Allen for comment.

open image in gallery Woody Allen seen in a directors chair speaking to Jeffrey Epstein ( House Oversight Committee )

open image in gallery Woody Allen and Steve Bannon in conversation ( House Oversight Committee )

The latest release of images from Epsteins estate follows an initial reveal of photos from Epsteins privately owned islands  Little Saint James and Great Saint James  where he was accused of sexually abusing girls and women. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Last month, Trump  also featured in the latest wave of released photos  signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In her first act as Congresswoman, Arizona Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva provided the 218th  and final  signature on a discharge petition that forced a vote on the release of Epstein files in the Justice Departments possession. The House and Senate swiftly passed the legislation and Trump signed it, giving the DOJ a December 19 deadline to release all of the Epstein Files.

Trump has not been criminally charged with wrongdoing and has denied any involvement with Epstein.

Along with Fridays release of photos, House Oversight Committee Democrats shared a statement on social media: These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files!

open image in gallery Jeffrey Epstein and Woody Allen pictured together in an undated photo ( House Oversight Committee )

Allen has not hidden his relationship with Epstein, having spoken publicly about meeting him for the first time at a dinner in 2010.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Allen said he and his wife Soon-Yi Previn had been invited by a publicist to the dinner with one of those British royals and other guests. The event was held shortly after Epstein had finished a prison term for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution.

We didnt know Jeffrey at all then, but we see all these people there and they all embraced him, so we figured, OK, hes a substantial character, said Allen.

He told us hed been in jail and that he had been falsely put in jail in some way, he continued. He told us he was trying to make up for it now by being philanthropic and giving money to cutting-edge scientists and universities. He couldnt have been nicer.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

open image in gallery Woody Allen attends the premiere of his most recent film, Coup de Chance at the 2023 Venice Film Festival ( AFP/Getty )

A letter Allen allegedly sent to Epstein for his 63rd birthday was made public earlier this year after The New York Times published a new selection of letters and photographs belonging to the late pedophile.

The note says that the writer and his wife Soon Yi had been invited for dinner many times.

They always accept, the letter goes on to say, because it is always interesting due to the various guests they expect to find there and because the food is always sumptuous and abundant and well served.

Among those who also appeared in Fridays released photos are former president Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and former Prince Andrew. The faces of some of the women who feature in the photos have been redacted by the Democrats.
Get the inside track from Roisin O'Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Chrissie Hynde has said that she always regretted her famous cameo on the sitcom Friends because it ruined her anonymity during the school run.

The veteran rocker appeared in a guest role in season two of the hit show as a rival musician, Stephanie Schiffer, to Lisa Kudrows character Phoebe Buffay.

During the 1995 episode, The One with the Baby on the Bus, the Pretenders frontwoman sings Angel of the Morning by Chip Taylor, and also performs Phoebes signature song Smelly Cat during a scene in the coffee shop Central Perk.

In a fan Q&A for The Guardian, Hynde explained that she hadnt heard of Friends before Warners asked to feature Angel of the Morning on an album to accompany it.

Then Friends asked me if I could sit in the background in a coffee shop playing it, she said. I got to go to LA for a week and see my friend but I didnt know theyd written a whole part for me. Then Friends was on the cover of every American magazine.

I thought, Oh f***, this is gonna be big.

open image in gallery Chrissie Hynde (left) with Lisa Kudrows character Phoebe Buffay ( TNT )

Hynde said the cast and crew were really nice but that she always regretted it because until then I could take my kids to school and nobody knew who I was.

Afterwards, all the kids were saying, Your moms on Friends! she recalled.

Kudrow revealed in a 2014 Q&A on Reddit that Hynde actually had a hand in writing some of the music to Smelly Cat.

The writers wrote it, I wrote the tune, and had a little help from Chrissie Hynde, the actor said. She was amazing.

open image in gallery Chrissie Hynde helped write some of Smelly Cat ( Getty Images )

Fans of the hit show, starring Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt Le Blanc, Courteney Cox and the late Matthew Perry, were recently devastated at the news that Friends will leave Netflix at the end of the year.

The show is being removed from the streaming service on 30 December 2025 due to the expiration of its licence deal.

Some fans went so far as to threaten to cancel their Netflix subscriptions, while others questioned what they will do to relax now that the show will not be available to watch. This has been the show to get me to sleep since I was a baby, wrote one person.

Hyndes new album, Chrissie Hynde & Pals Duets Special, is out now via Parlophone. The Pretenders have also recently released a live album, Kick Em Where It Hurts!
Get the inside track from Roisin O'Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Rock band Primal Scream have been accused of displaying grossly antisemitic imagery at a London concert.

The Community Security Trust (CST) reported the Scottish group to police after a video was screened on stage on Monday, appearing to show the Star of David entwined with a swastika.

This backdrop was visible as the band performed their 2000 song Swastika Eyes during a one-off gig at Camdens Roundhouse.

The CST, which provides protection for Jewish communities in the UK, called for an urgent investigation from the venue.

In a statement shared with the Press Association, a spokesperson said: Entwining a Star of David with a swastika implies that Jews are Nazis and risks encouraging hatred of Jews.

There needs to be an urgent investigation by the venue and the promoter about how this happened and we have reported this to the police.

The band, founded by frontman Bobby Gillespie in 1982, were performing a 25-year anniversary show for their album XTRMNTR.

As the group performed Swastika Eyes, pictures of political figures, including Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared behind them, showing what appeared to be the Star of David combined with a swastika in their eyes.

The Roundhouse has apologised to fans for the incident ( EPA )

The Roundhouse has apologised to fans for the incident.

The Camden venue said it deeply regret that the highly offensive graphics were displayed, adding it was done entirely without their knowledge.

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Roundhouse said they were appalled by the display.

We are appalled that antisemitic imagery was displayed during a Primal Scream gig on Monday 8th December at the Roundhouse, the spokesperson said.

We deeply regret that these highly offensive images were presented on our stage and unequivocally apologise to anyone who attended the gig, and to the wider Jewish community.

The content, which was used entirely without our knowledge, stands against all of our values.

The spokesperson said that Roundhouse absolutely condemns antisemitism in every form.

They added: Acts of hatred, discrimination or prejudice of any kind are entirely unacceptable and have no place in our community or spaces.

The safety of our staff and gig-going audiences remains of paramount importance to us.

We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and remain committed to ensuring that our spaces are places where everyone feels secure, respected and valued.

Primal Scream and the Metropolitan Police have been approached for comment.
Get the inside track from Roisin O'Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Timothee Chalamet is staying tight-lipped about the viral rumor that he is the face behind an underground British rapper.

For months, fans have been questioning if the 29-year-old American actor is EsDeeKid, a mysterious artist who claims to be from Liverpool and performs with most of his face covered. The rappers debut album, Rebel, was released in June.

During Thursdays episode of the British radio program Heart Breakfast, the Marty Supreme star had a coy response when asked if he was behind the EsDeeKid.

I got no comment on that, he said. No comment.

When the hosts said that Chalamet and EsDeeKid had similar eyes, the actor reiterated that he had nothing to say.

Timothee Chalamet has no comment about rumors hes rapper EsDeeKid ( Getty Images / @esdeekid / Instagram )

Ive got two words on that, he continued, before opening his mouth and hilariously hesitating to say anything. All will be revealed in due time. That was a little more than two words.

He then joked about being a rapper in his teens, Lil Timmy Tin, after a viral 2012 video showed him rapping on stage during an event at his New York City high school.

Let me tell you, Lil Timmy does not have the same ring to it, Chalemet said. Lil Timmy sounds like something else.

Earlier this year, rumors began to swirl about Chalamet being EsDeeKid, specifically because the two have similar eyes. In August, Chalamet furthered the speculation when he showed up at a show in London that featured rapper Fakemink, who appears in EsDeeKids song, LV Sandals.

However, EsDeeKid has kept his identity hidden, performing with a balaclava over his face. His real name and age are unknown. While his debut album came out this year, he already has more than 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Meanwhile, Chalamets new film, Marty Supreme, is set to release in theaters on Christmas Day. The movie, directed by Josh Safdie, has already received rave reviews, with The Independents Clarisse Loughrey giving it four stars.

Chalamet jerks his limbs around and leans in hungry, and he has the same irresistible, volatile energy that drove those early Al Pacino performances, Loughrey wrote. The way the camera closes in on pockmarked skin, an elegantly etched unibrow, and permanent wireframe glasses, only draws our attention to the actors eyes, where, like Pacino, all the vulnerability lies.

Off screen, the actor has wrestled in the public eye with the meaning of achievement (I want to be one of the greats, he said in an awards speech earlier this year), she added about Chalamet. And maybe its because he sees a little of himself in Marty that he can understand that more fragile, sympathetic side to him.
Two of Irelands best-loved comic actors go head to head in this moody staging of a neglected 1907 farce. Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) and Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls) are armoured in corsets and many-layered skirts, fighting over the same man  the titles Playboy. But hes no prize. Hes more like a limp, soggy chip that all the birds are inexplicably squabbling over. JM Synges landmark Irish tragicomedy is a singular exploration of mass hysteria, female sexuality and mob rule. Its also densely written and deeply strange, meaning its not a straightforward watch  but its leads have got enough vigour and wit to carry us through.

Coughlan plays it straight as naive but excitement-hungry barmaid Pegeen, whos captivated by a bedraggled Christy (Eanna Hardwicke) after he stumbles into her pub claiming to have murdered his father. Then her conniving rival, Widow Quin, swoops in to make a play for this gawky interloper: McSweeney is wonderfully funny as this calculating local weirdo, willing to trade her happiness for business advantage. Shes suckled a black lamb at her breast, then served it up in a pot roast, were told, in one of the many strikingly dark images that Synges play is filled with. Soon, Christy is becoming an unlikely local hero, but its clear that this rough town will soon shoot him down from his pedestal.

After all, this gorgeously designed play is bookended with the spine-chilling wails of mourning women, their black veils set against driving rain. Artistic director of Dublins Abbey Theatre Caitriona McLaughlin has decided to lean into this storys richness and oddness by framing it with scenes from Irish village life at its very creepiest. Traditional mummers in conical straw masks cavort across the stage, while Adrienne Quartlys soundtrack underscores the action with ominous sounds that channel gothic Irish folk rockers Lankum. Its a reminder that Synges humour is from an era and culture where life was more brutal  modern audiences probably wont be in stitches at the sight of an old man being beaten about the head with a potato farming implement.

Still, McLaughlin doesnt really do enough to make this undeniably powerful (and on-trend) aesthetic speak to this play. Instead, the tone feels disconcertingly uneven. Some bleak scenes are played straightforwardly for laughs, while potentially comedic moments (the final punchline included) are invested with a surprising heaviness.

Its also hard to follow the allusive, complex text here if youre not used to it. Of course, it would be totally wrong to anglicise or simplify Synges language, given that he was part of a renaissance of Irish linguistic pride and identity. But some of the performances here do seem to emphasise character over clarity, especially when seen from a distance in this huge theatre  the early scenes feel like you've crashed into a County Mayo pub midway through a conversation youve no hope of catching up on.

What does come across powerfully is the sense of this isolated, impoverished communitys ravening hunger for something new  something better. The plays women become a frenzied Greek chorus, feeding on the promise of Christys attention. One even licks his boots, expertly identifying the taste of each Irish county hes trudged through like shes a soil sommelier. Theres an authentic, rare flavour to this story, too  but itll take an experienced palate to fully appreciate it.

On at the National Theatre until 28 February
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

John Stamos has shared his wifes opinion on his recent casting in The Hunting Wives season two.

The racy mystery thriller follows Sophie (Brittany Snow), a woman who trades city living for East Texas, who falls in with a clique of wealthy socialite housewives headed by Margo (Malin Akerman), who is hiding a deadly secret.

The eight-episode series, which debuted in July and has been renewed for a second season, features several explicit sex scenes between Sophie and Margo and nudity amongst the other characters.

Amid the news of The Full House alums addition to the cast, his wife, Caitlin McHugh, had one question for him.

I told my wife I was doing it, and she said, Are you gonna show your penis? he recalled during a Friday interview on the Today show. And I said, I dont think so. But its one of those shows.

open image in gallery Its one of those shows, Stamos said about his recent casting ( Getty Images for Songwriters Hal )

open image in gallery The Hunting Wives is a racy mystery thriller starring Brittany Snow ( Netflix )

Craig Melvin then chimed in to ask if Stamos had seen a script for season two to ensure there was not a full-frontal angle at any point. When Stamos revealed he had not yet been clued in to any potential nudity, he was asked if he would consider it.

Well, well see, he said before turning the question to Melvin. Would you? he asked him.

No, no, John! I need this job, Melvin replied.

Stamos answered the same question during Thursdays episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he jokingly said he would maybe consider full-frontal nudity.

According to Deadline, Stamos will play recurring character Chase Brylan in the Netflix series. Other new cast members for season two include Dale Dickey playing Zelda Moffitt and Cam Gigandet playing Gentle John Moffitt.

The Hunting Wives has already begun production on its second season, which is expected to be released sometime in late 2026 or early 2027.

open image in gallery Brittany Snow (right) stars opposite Malin Akerman (left) on The Hunting Wives as a city woman who moves to East Texas, where she falls in with a group of wealthy socialite housewives, hiding deadly secrets ( Netflix )

While Stamos may not know what he plans to do about nudity, other stars of the Netflix series, including Snow, have spoken about how she and 47-year-old Akerman approached their sex scenes in an effort to defy the industrys ageist stereotypes.

Hollywood wants to kind of disregard women after the age of 32 for sex scenes, specifically nudity and things that are sort of like women coming into their own sexual, like, prowess, Snow said during a November appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast.

But when it came to The Hunting Wives, Snow noted that they made the conscious decision to still have this be very prevalent in a womans life, even after shes of a Hollywood age.

I do think from the very beginning, there was a very clear understanding of what we were making in terms of the women that were on the show, what kind of women we were going to be  that were not 20 years old and were having these sex scenes, the John Tucker Must Die actor added.

Were in our late 30s, 40s, and were going to be powerful, and this is for the woman gaze, and were going to go for it.
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Dick Van Dyke is in great shape approaching his 100th birthday Saturday.

The actor spoke about his physical health during an interview with Good Morning America, published Friday.

I'm so lucky. I don't have any ache or pain, he said, noting he aims to go to the gym three times a week with his 54-year-old wife, Arlene Silver, whom he wed in 2012.

I think that saved me from the pain. That's good advice for anybody, Van Dyke explained.

However, he said that there are some physical drawbacks to being 100, including missing movement.

open image in gallery Dick Van Dyke says he wants to live more as he approaches his 100th birthday ( Getty Images )

Ive got one game leg from I don't know what. I sill try to dance the Mary Poppins star added. You know I played old men a lot. And I always played 'em as angry, and cantankerous. It's not really that way.

I don't know any other 100-year-old, but I can speak for myself.

According to Van Dyke, 100 years is not enough time for him to be alive. You wanna live more, which I plan to, he noted.

He acknowledged that while hes reaching the milestone age on December 13, his wife has helped him feel young.

She gives me energy, she gives me humor, and all kinds of support, he said on GMA, while Silver added: It's a privilege and an honor to take care of him and make him happy.

The couple 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards, where Silver was working, and Van Dyke was appearing during the ceremony. Although Van Dyke was 81 and she was 35 at the time, the two didnt strike up a romance until after Van Dykes longtime partner, Michelle Triola Marvin, died from lung cancer in 2009.

open image in gallery Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke have been married since 2012 ( Getty Images )

Van Dyke isnt having a big celebration for his upcoming 100th birthday, according to his wife, and thats just how he wants it.

He doesn't want to do anything, Silver told People at the premiere of Dick Van Dyke's 100th Celebration in California earlier this week. He wants to be in his room watching Jeopardy! reruns with me.

Earlier this month, Van Dyke shared his secrets to living a long life. He told People he has successfully avoided anger and hate, which is one of the chief things that kept me going. According to the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star, he was never really able to work up a feeling of hate and attributes reaching 99 to his brighter outlook.

Ive always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a persons insides  and hate, he explained. There were things I didnt like, people I dont like and disapprove of. But I never really was able to do a white heat kind of hate.

However, in a health diary for The Times, also published in November, he confessed that he feels diminished both physically and socially. He also revealed that every single one of my dearest lifelong friends is gone, which feels just as lonely as it sounds.
BEIRUT, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes on Friday launched a series of airstrikes on several areas in eastern and southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

The agency reported that "enemy warplanes" conducted four airstrikes on the Al-Mahmoudieh and Al-Jarmaq areas, along with strikes on other areas in southern Lebanon. Additionally, four more airstrikes struck Wadi Zlayya in western Bekaa, located in eastern Lebanon.

The Israeli army announced that it struck a Hezbollah "training and qualification compound" in southern Lebanon for the second time in a week.

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army's spokesperson, said in a statement on the X platform that the army "struck a short while ago a training and qualification compound used by Hezbollah's Radwan Force to train and prepare its members."

The raids come as Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, brokered by the United States and France, in effect since Nov. 27, 2024.

The Israeli army periodically carries out strikes in Lebanon, which it says are aimed at removing Hezbollah "threats," and maintains forces at five main points in the Lebanese border area. 
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

As flu cases surge across Britain, it can be difficult to distinguish the illness from a common cold.

New NHS figures highlight the growing pressure, with the number of patients in hospital beds with flu rising by 9 per cent from the previous week to 2,924, following two weeks where that number had fallen.

Understanding the key differences in symptoms is vital for protecting your health throughout the winter months.

Heres what to know.

open image in gallery Flu cases are sharply increasing across England ( Getty Images )

What causes the flu and what causes a cold?

Colds and flu are both respiratory illnesses, but are caused by different viruses.

Colds are primarily caused by viruses, with rhinovirus being the most common culprit, says Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice.

Whereas, the flu is specifically caused by influenza viruses, primarily types A and B.

That means it is possible to have a cold and flu at the same time.

Both have peaks during the cold season and can run your immune system down, making you susceptible to further infections, Dr Asif says.

Do colds and flu spread in the same way?

Both the common cold and the flu are highly contagious respiratory illnesses spread through direct contact and respiratory droplets, says Dr Asif.

Transmission occurs when virus-laden droplets are expelled during coughing, sneezing, or talking, landing in the mouths or noses of nearby individuals. In poorly ventilated situations, these droplets can travel longer distances.

Infection can also occur by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the face.

open image in gallery Colds and flu are spread by virus-laden droplets

What are the main symptoms and how can you tell a cold from flu?

A common cold usually causes a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a sore throat, mild cough and mild fatigue, explains Dr Claire Agathou, GP and co-founder of the AZ General Practice at The Wellington Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK.

Meanwhile, flu typically causes a sudden onset of fever, severe tiredness and weakness, muscle and joint aches, a headache, a dry cough, chills (feeling shivery and sweats), a loss of appetite and sometimes diarrhoea.

The key difference is that flu tends to come on suddenly and much more severely, whereas cold symptoms are milder and develop more gradually.

Can colds and flu lead to other illnesses or complications?

While colds are usually mild and self-limiting, both colds and flu can lead to complications such as sinusitis, ear infections, chest infections, and worsening of underlying health conditions, says Dr Agathou.

Flu can cause pneumonia, hospital admission, and serious illness in vulnerable groups. However, even those who are normally well can become very unwell so its important to contact your GP promptly to discuss your symptoms if you feel unwell or are concerned about your symptoms.

Is flu treated and managed in a different way to a cold?

Both are mainly managed with rest, fluids and symptom relief such as paracetamol, says Dr Agathou.

However, in higher-risk groups, antiviral medication may be prescribed for flu if started early.

Antibiotics are not effective for either unless there is a secondary bacterial infection.

Is the recovery period usually longer for a cold or flu?

A cold usually settles within seven to 10 days, but flu recovery often takes one to two weeks, with fatigue sometimes lasting longer, says Dr Agathou.

Can flu and colds be prevented in similar ways?

The single most effective protection against flu is the annual flu vaccine, particularly for vulnerable groups, but other preventive steps for both flu and a common cold include regular handwashing and staying home when unwell, says Dr Agathou.

Id also recommend avoiding touching the face, covering any coughs and sneezes and making sure indoor spaces are well ventilated.

Who is eligible for the flu vaccine in the UK?

The free NHS flu vaccine is offered annually to adults aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children aged 2-3 years and school-aged children (reception years to Year 11), people aged six months to 64 years with eligible long-term conditions, people with learning disabilities, carers, frontline health and social care workers, and care home residents and staff, says Dr Agathou.

Household contacts of immunocompromised individuals are also eligible.

However, people who are not eligible for a free NHS vaccine can still access the flu jab privately. If you are unsure, speak to your GP or local pharmacist.
Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Every winter, respiratory viruses, especially influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV, put huge pressure on healthcare systems throughout Europe. In a typical season, flu causes up to 50 million symptomatic cases, and anywhere from 15,000 to 70,000 deaths per year on the continent.

All age groups are affected, although children have the highest infection rates and are often the first to catch the disease and spread it in their homes. It is estimated that up to 20% of the population contracts flu each year.

The flu viruses that normally infect humans belong mainly to two types: influenza A (the most variable, responsible for most seasonal epidemics and all known flu pandemics) and influenza B (which circulates almost exclusively in humans).

There are many different subtypes of influenza A, depending on how their haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) proteins combine. The subtypes currently circulating in humans are H1N1 (including the 2009 pandemic variant, which is now seasonal) and H3N2. These subtypes can vary each season due to small mutations or antigenic drift.

Influenza B has two lineages: B/Victoria and B/Yamagata. B/Yamagata has hardly been detected since 2020.

The flu virus variability is why vaccines are prepared each year with a mix of three (or four) of the viruses that circulated the previous year.

Whats happening this autumn?

The flu season has started a few weeks earlier than in previous years. Japan, for instance, has been recording an unusually high number of cases since October.

In the European Union, flu is appearing unusually early. In Spain, for instance, the epidemic threshold has already been exceeded, a few weeks earlier than expected.

open image in gallery Subclade K of A/H3N2 (formerly known as J.2.4.1) has now been detected on all continents ( Getty )

Another new development is the clear predominance of the A/H3N2 virus, specifically the subclade K. Although the A/H1N1 virus predominated this year in the southern hemisphere and the subclade K of A/H3N2 only took off at the end, it ended up being predominant in the United Kingdom and Japan: nearly 90% of flu samples in these countries are now A/H3N2 K. The United States and Canada seem to be following a similar trend.

Subclade K of A/H3N2 (formerly known as J.2.4.1) has now been detected on all continents. It accounted for one-third of all A/H3N2 viruses analysed between May and November 2025 worldwide, and almost half in the EU.

Subclade K: different, but not necessarily more harmful

The genetic changes in subclade K of the A/H3N2 virus do not come from recombination or mixing of viruses, and do not represent a major change. It is actually the same H3N2 virus that has been circulating among humans since 1968, but with some mutations in its genes.

This is to be expected, as each season the flu virus evolves (through mutation) to escape our immune systems. Some years it is more successful than others.

About the author Ignacio Lopez-Goni, Catedratico de Microbiologia. Miembro de la Sociedad Espanola de Microbiologia (SEM), Universidad de Navarra. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

Mutations in this new subclade do not appear to affect the efficacy of antiviral drugs, nor are they associated with increased virulence or disease severity.

In fact, the East Asian countries now reporting a decline in subclade K cases have not experienced unusually high severity of illness. Furthermore, analyses suggest that the subclade K strains circulating in these countries do not differ from those currently present in the EU. The good news, therefore, is that subclade K does not seem to be more virulent or cause more severe disease.

Does this mean more cases?

A/H3N2 has not been the dominant influenza virus in recent seasons  it has usually been A/H1N1. This could lead to lower immunity in the population due to a lack of recent exposure to A/H3N2.

Symptoms of flu NHS Flu symptoms come on very quickly and can include: a sudden high temperature

an aching body

feeling tired or exhausted

a dry cough

a sore throat

a headache

difficulty sleeping

loss of appetite

diarrhoea or tummy pain

feeling sick and being sick

In addition, seasons dominated by this pathogen tend to be more severe, with lower vaccine efficacy and more serious cases in older adults than in seasons dominated by A/H1N1.

Vaccine protection

To create flu vaccines, scientists use data from the previous year to predict which strains of the virus are likely to be most prevalent over the coming year. This seasons vaccine was designed to protect against two subtypes of A/H1N1, influenza B, and a type of A/H3N2 that predates the new subclade K.

Some analyses show a divergence of subclade K from the vaccine strain of H3N2, although data on vaccine effectiveness in the real world is currently limited. If vaccine efficacy is reduced, we can expect more cases of flu. Monitoring this season is crucial to determine how much protection vaccines are providing.

open image in gallery This seasons vaccine was designed to protect against two subtypes of A/H1N1, influenza B, and a type of A/H3N2 ( Getty )

However, even if a less vaccine-matched A/H3N2 virus becomes predominant this winter, immunisation is still expected to provide protection against severe illness and therefore remains an essential public health tool.

At present, the risk to the general population appears to be moderate, but higher for people who are more likely to develop severe disease (mainly those over 65, with other illnesses, pregnant women, or those who are immunocompromised).

Therefore, although subclade K of the A/H3N2 virus does not appear to be more virulent, the fact that the flu season has arrived a few weeks early and that the most prevalent strain is A/H3N2 suggests that this will be a more difficult season, with a higher number of hospitalisations and greater pressure on health services.

My recommendation: get vaccinated ASAP

Even in seasons when the vaccine is less effective, it still offers some protection, and it is the most effective weapon we have for reducing the risk of serious illness.

For all these reasons, the vaccine is recommended for everyone who is eligible. Furthermore, this years flu epidemic has arrived early, and it takes a few weeks after receiving the immunisation for defences against the virus to become fully active. This means you should get the vaccine without delay.

Lastly, it is important to emphasise the importance of hand washing and wearing a mask if you suspect you are infected. This will prevent the spread of infection to those who are most vulnerable.
Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Norovirus is continuing to spread rapidly across the United States this month, forcing schools to close and state health officials to issue public health warnings.

The highly contagious virus, also known as winter vomiting disease, results in an average of 20 million cases and 900 deaths each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There have been more than 150 outbreaks of the infectious disease in 2025, agency data shows, with the virus spreading mainly through the central U.S.

The highest numbers of cases are in Montana, Wyoming, Alabama and Colorado, according to health information platform Epic Research.

But recent outbreaks in Massachusetts and Michigan have sent dozens of students and staff members home, and a wave of cases in Virginia have stressed emergency rooms, WJLA reports.

open image in gallery Cases of nasty norovirus are infecting people across the country, filling emergency rooms and closing schools ( Getty Images/iStock )

School disruptions

Roberts Elementary School in Medford, Massachusetts, closed for a second day Friday after there were more than 130 student absences Wednesday. More than 20 staff members said they were experiencing similar symptoms, the school said.

The closure comes nearly a month after Detroits Wilson Middle School closed due to a suspected outbreak, potentially tied to turkey meat that was served at lunch.

What was causing the outbreak in Medford was unclear and the school building has been deemed safe and clean by the states Board of Health.

A professional company is currently performing a deep clean of the school today, which includes all classrooms, door knobs, kitchen equipment, and frequently touched surfaces, the school wrote in a post on its website.

open image in gallery Roberts Elementary School in Medford, Massachusetts, said it was closed Friday after more than 130 student absences earlier in the week ( Google Maps )

In Virginia, health experts have reported rising cases. Public schools in Fairfax County sent letters to parents reporting a spike in students experiencing vomiting and diarrhea at several schools, WJLA reported.

Its absolutely elevated, Richmond City Health Districts Dr. Melissa Viray told WRIC. But its not surprising to me that at this point in the year we are seeing increases in this sort of disease activity.

Winter surge safety tips

Doctors had expected a surge during the winter months. Last winter, dozens of outbreaks were reported in the first week of December.

Anyone can become infected, though children under five years old, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe infections.

Typical symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, fever, head and body aches, and diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and even death.

Most people who are infected get better within 24 to 72 hours, but they can still spread the virus for two weeks after they show symptoms. To prevent infection, experts ask people to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds and often. Hand sanitizer cannot kill norovirus.

open image in gallery People should also be sure to wash fruits and vegetables, clean and disinfect any contaminated surfaces, wash laundry in hot water to kill any bacteria and cook shellfish thoroughly. Some outbreaks are tied to oysters and clams, which can harbor the virus ( Getty Images )

Alcohol cant break the shield. A detergent like soap can most of the time, Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealths senior medical director of infection prevention and control, said in a statement.

People should also be sure to wash fruits and vegetables, clean and disinfect any contaminated surfaces, wash laundry in hot water to kill any bacteria and cook shellfish thoroughly.

Some outbreaks are tied to oysters and clams, which can harbor the virus. While the U.S. is not yet to the level of last years surge, its still too soon to predict how severe this season will be, Dr. Scott Roberts, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, warned TODAY.com.

"Time will tell how bad it will get. Now is the time to be vigilant, he said. I expect things to get worse before they get better.
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Lili Reinhart has shared that shes been diagnosed with endometriosis after doctors dismissed her pain.

The 29-year-old actor posted a series of photos of herself in the hospital Thursday, alongside a lengthy caption about receiving her diagnosis last week, after getting laparoscopic surgery.

Last year, I saw a urogynecologist and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, the Riverdale alum wrote. I was told there was no cureand no lasting relieffor my symptoms. Three hospital visits. Multiple urologists and gynecologists. And not one of them seriously considered endometriosis as the underlying cause of what I was experiencing.

Endometriosis is an often-painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In the Instagram post, Reinhart said it wasnt until she worked with two different pelvic floor therapists that endometriosis was mentioned as a possible source for her pain.

Lili Reinhart says her pain wasnt taken seriously as endometriosis before she got diagnosis ( Getty Images )

She then pushed to get an MRI done, and was diagnosed with adenomyosis, which is a condition similar to endometriosis. However, adenomyosis happens when tissue that lines the uterus grows into the muscle wall of the uterus, per Mayo Clinic.

I met with an endometriosis specialist who helped me decide that laparoscopic surgery was the next step I wanted to take, Reinhart continued. While, at the same time, another gynecologist told me I probably didnt have endo and should just go on the pill.

Im glad I trusted my body and listened to my gut and will continue advocating for others to do so. Endometriosis is an extremely misunderstood disease, leaving often a 4-11 year gap between symptoms and a definitive surgical diagnosis. Its estimated 1 in 10 people with uteruses have endo according to the World Health Organization, she concluded.

Along with the photos of herself in the hospital bed, the Look Both Ways star shared a picture of a note that read: Believing womens pain shouldnt be revolutionary.

Reinhart later went to her Instagram Stories to post a picture of herself in the hospital. In the caption, she expressed how much it meant to her to receive the endometriosis diagnosis after her pain was dismissed.

I don't remember taking this horrible photo. But I think I wanted to capture a moment of post-surgery validation, she wrote. The second I saw my doctor I asked, did you find it? And he said, We found endo. And I felt so validated and relieved that I chose to listen to my body and pursue this surgery.

Reinhart initially opened up about her health challenges in January 2025. At the time, she said she had the hardest year, due to her symptoms of interstitial cystitis, a condition that causes an irritated and inflamed bladder.

She experienced her symptoms while filming American Sweatshop in Germany in 2024.

The third night Im there, I developed symptoms of a UTI, she told Self in January. Im like, Ive had UTIs before. Im a woman. We all know how it feels.

After a urinalysis, a slight infection was detected and the actor was sent home with antibiotics. However, she was forced to make two more hospital visits after she still felt the urgency to pee. Once she returned to Los Angeles, she sought out specialists before finally being diagnosed with interstitial cystitis.
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Michelle Kwan has a new member of the family.

The retired Olympic figure skater, 45, shared on Instagram Thursday that she gave birth to another daughter. The series of photos featured moments from Kwans pregnancy, as well as shots of her holding her newborn and of her older daughter, Kalista Belle, three, kissing her new baby sister

Christmas came early! Im overjoyed to share that our baby girl  Della Rose Kwan  has arrived! her lengthy caption began. My heart doubled in an instant the moment I held her in my arms, and watching my daughter walk into the hospital to meet her baby sister brought tears to my eyes.

She went on to explain how thankful she was when she welcomed her first daughter and how excited she was to expand her family.

Ive always dreamt of having children, and when Kalista came into the world, I was already beyond grateful for a miracle that once felt impossible after years of trying, she wrote. Getting here again has been its own rollercoaster, and Im endlessly thankful for my love, who Im so lucky to share my life with, my family, who I would not be here without, and the incredible doctors and support team who helped make this miracle happen.

She added, After more than a decade of hoping, I still cant quite believe this moment is real.

She ended her caption by saying she was impressed that her body had handled two pregnancies.

As an Olympian, Ive pushed my body to its limits and been amazed by its strengthbut carrying another life has left me in even greater awe, she wrote. There were moments of frustration over how little I could controla humbling reminder that fertility is something none of us can fully predict.

To all the moms, moms-to-be, and the women and families dealing with infertility or praying to build a family  I know what youre going through and Im hoping you feel loved and supported in every way as you navigate this journey, the post concluded.

Kwan announced the birth of her first daughter in 2022. At the time, she also opened up about her reasons for keeping her pregnancy private.

In an Instagram post, she explained that those close to her know that she tends to keep her personal life private.

However, she did note that shes wanted to share the happy news for some time now, writing: Ive wanted to share this happy news for many months but each milestone seemed to be exciting and daunting at the same time.

The Olympian, who won a silver medal at the 1998 Olympic Games and a bronze at the 2002 Olympics before retiring in 2006, was previously married to Coast Guard Lieutenant Clay Pell. The former couple divorced in 2017 after four years of marriage.
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The winter solstice, a phenomenon revered by ancient civilisations, continues to hold profound significance today as it heralds the official start of winter.

This annual event marks the shortest day of the year, characterised by the fewest hours of daylight, and conversely, the longest night. It is also the precise moment when the sun reaches its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky.

The term "solstice" itself is rooted in Latin, combining "sol," meaning sun, with "sistere," which translates to "to come to a stop" or "make stand."

When is the winter solstice?

While the Southern Hemisphere embraces the onset of summer, those residing north of the equator will observe the opposite  the inaugural day of winter. This year, the celestial event is set to occur on Sunday 21 December at 3:03 pm.

Depending on where you are in the UK, the exact length of the day will differ. In London, there will be 7 hours 49 minutes and 42 seconds of daylight. That means it is 8 hours and 49 minutes shorter than the June solstice.

While that means that the day is likely to be dark and dreary, the good news is that it also means that the days will get progressively longer, with more hours of daylight until the climax of the summer solstice.

The variation happens because the Earth orbits the sun at an angle of 23.4 degrees on its axis, according to the Royal Museums of Greenwich.

Arriving on the same day across the globe, a solstice occurs when the sun reaches its lowest or highest point in the sky during the year as a result of the Earths axis tilting to or away from the sun.

For the Southern Hemisphere, its the opposite case, as 21 December marks the one day of the year with the longest period of sunlight.

What is the history of the winter solstice?

Historically, the winter solstice has been of great importance to many cultures, such as Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome, often as a marker for the passing seasons, and a possible time of rebirth.

In northern Europe, from the Faroe Islands to Estonia, Germanic peoples have long celebrated the event, which became known as Yule.

While Yule dates back to the Norse people, who celebrated the suns rebirth for 12 days, it was also celebrated by Anglo-Saxon pagans.

According to Pliny the Elder, in Britain, druid priests would mark the important date by gathering mistletoe and sacrificing bulls  which was also likely a practical measure to limit the number of mouths to feed during months of famine.

What is the equinox?

During the equinox, the Earths axis and its orbit align so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight.

During the warmer periods, the North Pole is tilted towards the sun in the northern hemisphere, meaning longer daylight hours, while the southern hemisphere experiences the opposite. During winter the situation is reversed as the North Pole tilts away from the sun for the northern hemisphere.

The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night. Thats because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time  though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet.

The Northern Hemispheres fall  or autumnal  equinox can land between Sept. 21 and 24, depending on the year. Its spring  or vernal  equinox can land between March 19 and 21.

People take part in the winter solstice celebrations during sunrise at Glastonbury Tor in Somerset. ( PA Wire )

Whats the difference between meteorological and astronomical seasons?

These are just two different ways to carve up the year.

While astronomical seasons depend on how the Earth moves around the sun, meteorological seasons are defined by the weather. Meteorologists break down the year into three-month seasons based on annual temperature cycles. By that calendar, spring starts on March 1, summer on June 1, autumn on Sept. 1 and winter on Dec. 1.

Additional reporting by AP.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Brian Walshe allegedly purchased heavy-duty cleaning supplies, a Tyvek protective suit, and a utility knife from multiple Massachusetts stores on the same day his wife was last seen alive, prosecutors have revealed. These purchases followed early-morning internet searches for 'How long before a body starts to smell?' and 'Dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body, according to police.

Over the subsequent days, Walshe reportedly continued online inquiries into dismembering a body with a hacksaw. He did not report his wife missing until 4 January, when her employer contacted police.

Closing arguments are expected this Friday in Walshe's trial for first-degree murder. He previously pleaded guilty to misleading police and improper disposal of a body, a confession made as jury selection was set to begin.

His attorneys rested Thursday without calling any witnesses, despite speculation that Walshe might testify. His attorneys have tried to cast reasonable doubt, acknowledging he lied to investigators while arguing he panicked after discovering Ana dead following a New Years Eve gathering. With no body ever recovered, investigators have been unable to determine a cause of death.

When he entered the bedroom and began to get into bed, he sensed something was wrong, defense attorney Larry Tipton told jurors during the trials first week, describing a moment when Ana did not respond and rolled off the bed.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have pointed to Walshes actions afterward as evidence of premeditation. Jurors were shown surveillance footage of him at stores like CVS, Walgreens and Lowes and purchasing items including hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. Jurors also were shown photos of tools that investigators testified tested positive for blood, including a hacksaw and a hatchet.

open image in gallery Diana Walshe listens to testimony as a photo of Brian Walshe's kitchen is projected on a monitor during his murder trial, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

When questioned, Walshe told police Ana had left Massachusetts on New Years Day for a work emergency in Washington, D.C., though witnesses testified there was no record of her booking a ride or boarding a flight. He did not contact her employer until Jan. 4.

Prosecutors also connected him to items found at a trash processing facility near his mothers home, including a hatchet, hacksaw, towels, a Tyvek suit, cleaning agents, a Prada purse, boots like those Ana was last seen wearing and her COVID-19 vaccination card. Investigators testified Ana had also taken out a $2.7 million life-insurance policy naming him as beneficiary.

Friends described Anas final weeks as emotionally strained. Gem Mutlu, who spent New Years Eve with the couple, said they appeared very much in love, though he later learned Ana and another man had exchanged messages that night.

Another friend, Alissa Kirby, told jurors Ana seemed exhausted by travel and stressed about her marriage. The two had recently grown close, walking together and going to karaoke; Kirby teared up when shown photos of them. She testified that Ana considered moving her family to Washington and said Brian often questioned whether she loved him.

Kirby also recounted two messages from Brian shortly before Ana was reported missing  one on Christmas, when he asked if she knew where Ana was, and another on Jan. 3: I know we did this a week ago but have you heard from Ana?
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

Night after night, journalist Laura Greenberg ran a bath, pressed play on a tape recorder, and listened to a man describe the heinous murders he had committed.

The voice of serial killer Douglas Gretzler came from behind prison walls as he spoke into the recorder, spilling his deepest, darkest secrets to a woman who hung on every word.

For four decades, Greenberg exchanged thousands of letters and more than 500 hours of audio recordings with Gretzler, one of the most prolific mass murderers in American history, yet one whose case quickly faded from the headlines.

Her goal was to understand why Gretzler, at age 22, and his accomplice Willie Steelman went on a three-week killing spree across two states in 1973 which left 17 people dead, including two children.

We were both obsessed with the human mind, Greenberg revealed in an exclusive clip shared with The Independent. When asked what sparked a connection, she said: He was scary smart. I had to really use my brain.

open image in gallery Douglas Gretzler (pictured in his 1973 mugshot) went on a murderous rampage in 1973, killing 17 people in three weeks with partner Willie Luther Steelman ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

open image in gallery Night after night, journalist Laura Greenberg ran a bath, pressed play on a tape recorder, and listened to a man describe the heinous murders he had committed ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

The tapes will be heard publicly for the first time Saturday in a new Oxygen documentary, Charmed by the Devil, that traces Greenbergs decades-long pursuit of Gretzlers motives and the emotional toll of getting dangerously close to a killer.

Over time, the boundaries blurred, giving way to an obsessive, deeply intimate relationship.

Eventually I thought about him all the time, Greenberg said in a recent on-camera interview, holding a lock of Gretzlers hair that he had mailed her. He had very nice hair actually.

She added: He was my secret life and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed having something for myself.

open image in gallery The tapes will be heard publicly for the first time Saturday in a documentary that retraces Greenbergs decades-long pursuit of Gretzlers motives ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

A road trip and a killing spree

In October 1973, Douglas Gretzler, 22, and Willie Steelman, 28, set off from Denver, Colorado on a road trip to rob people for drugs and money. They had met just a year earlier when Gretzler moved across the country from New York.

Steelman took Gretzler under his wing, teaching him how to steal purses and wallets. The two became close friends with a mutual desire for making quick cash, no matter who got in their way.

They began with petty robberies in Arizona - stealing small amounts of cash, stolen clothes and jewelry. They robbed a couple sunbathing in Globe, Arizona, and stole $5. They picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Phoenix, tying him to a tree, stealing $20, his clothes, and a ring, that they later pawned.

But the violence soon turned deadly.

open image in gallery In October 1973, Douglas Gretzler and Willie Steelman (pictured) set off on a road trip that turned into a killing spree across Arizona and California. Both were arrested and convicted. Steelman died on death row before he could be executed ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

The pair met up with friends, Ken Unrein and Mike Adshade, and learned that Steelmans acquaintances, Bob Robbins and Yafah Hacohen, were living at a nearby trailer park so they paid them a visit. Gretzler and Steelman then kidnapped Unrein and Adshade, stole their Volkswagen van and drove to Stanislaus County, California. On October 17, 1973, they stabbed them to death, dumping their bodies and drove off in the van until it konked out.

A few days later, while hitchhiking, Gretzler and Steelman kidnapped a young couple who stopped for them near Petaluma, California. Steelman raped the woman, but eventually both victims were released at an underground garage, where the killers stole another car.

The pair then became concerned that Robbins and Hacohen could connect them to the killings of Unrein and Adshade, so they returned to Arizona to silence them. On the way, they picked up another hitchhiker, killing him and dumping his body in the Superstition Mountains. On October 25, they shot and killed Robbins and Hacohen.

On November 2, again hitchhiking, the pair were picked up by Gilbert Sierra. That night, they murdered him and abandoned his car. The very next day, the men kidnapped Vincent Armstrong who stopped for them in Tucson. But Armstrong escaped and went to the police.

open image in gallery Gretzler and Steelman were arrested in Sacramento after a hotel clerk recognized the latter from police photos ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

open image in gallery After meeting Gretzler in prison in 1988, the two kept up a relationship that last decades. Until Gretzler was executed in 1998 ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

After the failed carjacking of Armstrong, the pair forced their way into a condominium owned by Michael and Patricia Sandberg. They bound and gagged the couple, dyed Gretzlers hair to avoid detection, and took the Sandbergs clothes. Then shot both victims, using a pillow to muffle the sound.

Gretzler and Steelman then fled the state and made their way back to California where they forced their way into the home of rancher, Walter Parkin, forcing him to take them to his nearby store where they stole several thousand dollars from the safe. During the attack, the pair managed to bind and gag seven adults, some of whom were there when they arrived and some who showed up later. They were all killed, along with two children who were shot dead while they slept. Steelman shot one child, and Gretzler shot the other.

Gretzler and Steelman were arrested days later in Sacramento after a hotel clerk recognized the latter from police photos.

open image in gallery After being arrested, Gretzler confessed to the murders. But he didnt speak about the murders again until he made contact with Greenberg ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

open image in gallery Greenberg today. For four decades, she exchanged thousands of letters and more than 500 hours of audio recordings with Gretzler, one of the most prolific mass murderers in American history, yet one whose case quickly faded from the headlines. ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

Gretzler confessed to the murders, pleading guilty in California to nine counts of first-degree murder, and received nine concurrent life sentences. Steelman pleaded no contest to nine counts of murder and five counts of robbery in exchange for the kidnapping charge to be dropped. They were both convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Both men were subsequently extradited to Arizona, which had the death penalty, to face additional charges. In November 1976, Gretzler was sentenced to death for the murders of Michael and Patricia Sandberg.

Steelman was convicted of two counts of murder, one of kidnapping, two counts of robbery, and one count of burglary. He was sentenced to death, plus 80 to 95 years for the kidnapping of Vincent Armstrong, and the burglary and robbery of the Sandbergs. He died of cirrhosis in 1986.

While on death row in Arizona, Gretzler shut down. For 12 years he didnt speak about the murders.

In 1988, Greenberg, was a reporter for the City Magazine in Tucson who had found her niche on the crime beat. When she got a tip about two men on death row, whose story had long disappeared, she wanted to know more.

It was the biggest mass murder story in 1973, Greenberg said. But as quickly as the murders unfolded, they were completely forgotten.

open image in gallery In 1988, Greenberg, was a reporter for the City Magazine in Tucson who had found her niche on the crime beat. When she got a tip about two men on death row, whose story had long disappeared, she wanted to know more. So she sent a letter to Gretzler in prison asking him that very question ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

She was fixated on the unanswered question at the center of the case: why? So she sent a letter to Gretzler in prison asking him that very question.

I wanted to know how could a man kill 17 people, she said. What followed was many interviews at Florence State Prison. Gretzler told Greenberg that he had not had a single visitor until she came in 1988.

At first, their meetings took place with a glass partition between them and other inmates around. After a year and a half, they were granted contact visits, which meant they could sit in a room with a table and two chairs.

I went and visited Doug 350 times in prison, Greenberg says in the documentary. We wrote hundreds of letters and we recorded 500 plus hours of audio tapes. I wanted to understand the monster.

Blurred lines

During her first visit to the prison, Gretzler told Greenberg that her letter had intrigued him.

They then bonded over their similar upbringings. They were both originally from New York, with Greenberg from Queens and Gretzler from the Bronx.

He started to open up more and thats when I realized that neither one of us ever fit in anywhere, Greenberg said. That was our glue.

She explained that she wanted to know what made him kill, and why he had killed a child. Cant get much colder than that, Greenberg explains in the documentary, adding that she was disgusted but removed herself from a feeling state in order to get information from him.

open image in gallery Greenberg was on a mission to uncover his motives but soon the lines blurred and their chats became more personal ( Oxygen True Crime )

Gretzler blamed those killings on his partner but added that it didnt take much for him to do something so heinous.

Because Willie told me to, he told her. It didnt take me a lot to kill, Laura. I didnt have standard roadblocks in my mental roadway that would have stopped me from killing.

After their prison meetings, Gretzler asked if he could also share his story on audio tapes. So Greenberg would send a recorded tape of herself asking questions and he would respond.

The killer details his familys dark past in the recordings. Gretzler told her about his brother, Mark, his fathers favorite and could do no wrong - until he broke into school and stole test answers.

The family arranged a meeting to talk about getting Mark help. But he didnt show up, and when Gretzler went to get him from his bedroom, he found his teen brother dead of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

open image in gallery Greenber says she does not regret their close relationship. Very few people really knew me, she said. Gretzler knew me ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

When my brother committed suicide, my father just shut me out, Gretzler can be heard saying on one tape. I was made to feel like my father wished it was me who died.

But despite decades of conversations, Gretzler remained elusive on the motive behind the litany of murders.

At one point he told Greenberg: I wanted to show [my father] that I was cool, cold and f***** in the head as he was.

Still, the interviews continued but the tone of the tapes became more personal, and flirtatious. We started chit chatting about everything, Greenberg recalled. I would fill up the bathtub and I would listen to him talk to me about murder.

Gretzler asked her for a lock of hair, and sent one back in return. He asked the journalist for pictures of herself in a bathing suit. She obliged.

At one point, the serial killer told her in a recording: I love you. And I am still in love with you.

I called him the romantic serial killer, Greenberg said. He had a romantic streak that was insane.

She continued to date men outside of her relationship with Gretzler, but years passed before she settled down.

open image in gallery In one tape, Gretzler tells Greenberg that he loves her ( Courtesy of Oxygen )

I just felt like we were in a different type of relationship, one that was in some ways more important than my romantic ones, which I had been a failure at, she said. I blur lines in every relationship I've ever had.

When Greenberg got married to man named Kevin, Gretzler was not happy, she said. Im just incredibly jealous of him, Gretzler says on the tapes. Incredibly jealous.

On June 3, 1998, Gretzler was executed by lethal injection. Greenberg joined some of his family members at the prison.

She says she does not regret their close relationship. Very few people really knew me, she said. Gretzler knew me.

But was she in love with a serial killer?

There were 17 dead people that stood between us  and that's a lot of people, she said. But I still miss him.

Charmed by the Devil premieres December 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

An Oklahoma grandmother faced the prospect of prison in the Bahamas after she was found to be carrying a gun, which she said she forgot to leave in the car.

A GoFundMe was set up for Mary Robinson, 69, after she forgot her .380 pistol was in her purse when she boarded the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship with her 12-year-old son, who is adopted, in Florida, bound for the Bahamas.

The Daily Mailreported that when she boarded in Fort Lauderdale, security did not pick up on the gun; however, when she was in Nassau, for an excursion, the gun was found in her purse along with four bullets.

Mary Robinson with her 12-year-old son Johnny, who is adopted ( GoFundMe )

Robinson was traveling with a friend who agreed to look after her son while she was taken to prison.

Granddaughter of Robinson, Gracie Exendine, created the GoFundMe and said a miracle was needed.

She went on a cruise for her adopted son Johnny's 12th birthday. She is 69 years old and on her trips she usually brings some kind of protection but usually leaves it in the car since you arent allowed to bring it on the ship, Exendine wrote.

Well, accidentally she didnt leave it, and it was found in her bag when they checked at the Bahamas, and she was arrested.

If she is fined and released, I have to come up with $10,000 to pay her fine or she will go to the Bahamas prison.

The gun was a gift from Robinsons aunt more than 50 years ago, Attorney Bjorn Ferguson told The Daily Mail, and she was legally licensed to carry it in the U.S.

She simply forgot that she had the gun and I'm instructed that she has a touch of dementia,' he said.

Ferguson said Robinson has been locked up at the Central Police Station in Nassau for two days, which had very aggressive rats.

Carrying an unlicensed firearm and ammunition has a default 24-month sentence in the Bahamas; however, when Robinson pleaded guilty, Magistrate Lennox Coleby Sr. agreed to spare her from prison when she agreed to pay the $8000 fine.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

A huge Home Depot theft ring operating across multiple states has finally been busted in New York City after roughly $2.2 million worth of home improvement goods were stolen, according to officials.

New York officials announced a massive 780-count indictment Thursday in which 13 people were charged with grand larceny, conspiracy and criminal possession of stolen property. One alleged thief remains at large.

Thirteen defendants, over $2.2 million in merchandise, 319 incidents of theft, nine states and 128 separate Home Depot stores are the facts alleged, resulting in a 780-count indictment, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.

The most common items stolen were insulation kits, buckets of reflective roof coating, power tools, air conditioners and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

open image in gallery A huge Home Depot theft ring operating across multiple states has finally been busted in New York City after roughly $2.2 million worth of home improvement goods were stolen, according to officials ( Kathy Hochul via X )

They stole from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware and Maryland, Katz said.

They stole from Home Depots from across those states. They typically parked close to the exit of the store, possibly to allow them to quickly remove their stolen merchandise into the van.

The district attorneys office began investigating the alleged theft ring in June 2024 and discovered an elaborate scheme where about $1,800 to nearly $35,000 worth of goods were stolen in a given day.

The crew  which had members based in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Long Island  met almost daily where they allegedly hit Home Depot stores depending on what items they saw on the retailers website and app.

Three or four crew members would enter a Home Depot store separately as their accused leader, 52-year-old Armando Diaz from Flushing, provided directions to the members through their earbuds on what to steal and how to steal it, according to officials.

The alleged thieves hid the stolen goods using 96-gallon garbage bins or large pieces of sheetrock or plywood as one of them distracted store employees. The operation also included a lookout in store parking lots so as to not get spotted by police.

open image in gallery The scheme spanned nine states and resulted in a massive 780-count indictment ( Kathy Hochul via X )

The stolen goods were then sold to black market retailers, known as fences. These fences would order specific items to be stolen so they could resell them.

The stolen items were then resold to consumers, through a Brooklyn storefront or on Facebook Marketplace, DA Katz explained.

The alleged thieves face up to 25 years and the alleged fences face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Information on Diazs legal representation was not immediately clear.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul lauded the bust, saying state officials were stopping organized retail theft rings in their tracks.

open image in gallery The stolen goods were later sold to black market retailers, known as fences ( Kathy Hochul via X )

Since taking office, my highest priority has been driving down crime and keeping New Yorkers safe. Following a post-pandemic spike in retail theft, I committed new funds to establish a dedicated retail theft task force and secured stronger laws to hold people who commit these crimes accountable.

With stronger laws and better support for District Attorneys, local police departments, and the State Police, were stopping organized retail theft rings in their tracks and ensuring a safer retail environment for business owners, staff, and shoppers throughout New York, Hochul said in a statement.

This isnt the first major Home Depot theft ring bust this year. In August, Southern California police announced they had arrested 14 people who they say were involved in a scheme the saw more than $10 million worth of home improvement goods stolen.

It was the most active Ive ever seen  the amount of suspects, the sheer number of crimes," Detective Kevin Alldredge of the Ventura County Sheriffs Office told the VC Star at the time. "From the time that we started investigating them to the time that we took them down, they never took a single day off.
KIEV, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said that the United States had proposed creating a "free economic zone" in parts of the eastern Donbas region, which Ukraine would withdraw from under a negotiated peace with Russia.

The Russian side calls this a "demilitarized zone," Zelensky told media in Kiev, adding that the compromise is that the Russian side will not advance into this area.

Although this might break the diplomatic deadlock, serious questions remain about who would manage the territory and how to ensure fair and reciprocal troop withdrawals, Zelensky was quoted by a CNN report as saying.

"If one side withdraws, as is being demanded of the Ukrainians, why doesn't the other warring party withdraw the same distance in the other direction?" Zelensky said, suggesting that Russia should also withdraw from land it currently holds.

He also questioned who would police the "free economic zone." "If some troops have to leave and other troops remain where they are, what exactly will prevent these other troops -- i.e. Russian troops -- from going further?" he said.

Zelensky confirmed that the proposed plan calls for a reciprocal withdrawal of Russian forces from the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. For the southern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, a freeze along the current front line is planned, he said.

Zelensky also reiterated on Thursday that any territorial solutions to end the conflict must be decided by the Ukrainian people, either through elections or a referendum.

"The Russians want the whole of the Donbas -- but we, of course, do not accept this," he said. "I believe that the Ukrainian people will answer this question. Whether in the form of elections or a referendum, the Ukrainian people must have a say."

Earlier in the day, Zelensky held a video conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was also connected.

According to Zelensky, his team held talks with the U.S. side on security guarantees. "Security guarantees are among the most important elements for all further steps," the president said in a statement.

There must be concrete answers about what the partners will do if Russia attacks Ukraine again, he added.

Ukraine had handed the U.S. a revised 20-point peace plan, which Ukrainian, U.S. and European leaders have been working on for several weeks, according to a Ukrainian official close to the peace talks, ABC News reported on Thursday.

The revised plan contains some new ideas regarding territories and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the report quoted the official as saying.

Meanwhile, Trump, who has been pressuring Zelensky to agree to a U.S. plan, swiftly expressed impatience with both Kiev and its European allies in France, Britain and Germany.

On Wednesday, Trump said that he and European leaders had discussed proposals to end the Ukraine crisis "in pretty strong terms," adding that Zelensky "has to be realistic" about his country's position on the peace plan. 
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The leader of a Southern California-based religious group has been arrested for murder, months after two men who used to be a part of the group went missing.

Darryl Muzic Martin, 57, is the leader of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, a congregation based in Rialto, California  about an hour east of downtown Los Angeles.

This week, he was arrested for the alleged murder of Emilio Salem Ghanem. In August, he was also arrested on illegal weapons charges while his partner, Shelly Bailey Kat Martin, 62, was taken into custody but later released, according to the Redlands Police Department.

open image in gallery Emilio Salem Ghanem disappeared after leaving the group ( Redlands Police Department )

CBS News reported that jail records show Martin was arrested on an out-of-county warrant and will be held without bail.

His arrest comes after the disappearance of Ghanem, 40, who left the group in 2023.

A former member of the organization told KTLA that His Way Spirit Led Assemblies is constantly preparing for the end times by storing food, water, and other supplies.

open image in gallery Ruben Moreno, 41, left the church before he disappeared ( Claremont Police Department )

Members of the organization believe the prophetess is God on Earth, and that Martin and his partner embody the spirit of God, the ex-member said.

When the spirit of God comes over her, everything changes in her, like her voice changes, the way she talks changes, and everything has to be quiet, he said.

Ghanem, who had belonged to the group for 20 years, had planned to move back to Nashville, where his family was.

"He left that organization shortly before his disappearance," Redlands PD said. "Ghanem also worked for Fullshield, Inc., a pest control business owned and operated by the group. The business now operates under the name 'Maxguard.'"

Another man whose disappearance could be linked to His Way Spirit Led Assemblies is Ruben Moreno, 41, who was last seen at a home he shared with other members of the group in December 2017.

open image in gallery Timothy Thomas, 4, died while being in the care of the Martins ( Colton Police Department )

Claremont Police Department said Morenos family reported him missing in August 2019. The department has since partnered with the Redland Police Department in the investigation.

Separately, Colton Police Department reopened a case surrounding the death of a four-year-old boy in 2010, as they claim to have found a connection to the religious group.

The case of four-year-old Timothy Thomas occurred in January 2010, when he died after the Martins were temporarily holding custody over the child. Police alleged his death was due to child neglect, but no charges were laid as the death was ruled natural because of an appendicitis rupture.
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

The leader of Black Lives Matters branch in Oklahoma City has been indicted on embezzlement and wire fraud charges.

Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, has been accused of spending millions of grant funds on international travel, groceries, and personal real estate after taking over the civil rights movements chapter in Oklahoma City in 2016.

She was indicted on 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering on December 3, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys office for the Western District of Oklahoma.

During her tenure, the group accepted donations through its affiliation with the Alliance for Global Justice, and BLM OKC has raised more than $5.6 million since 2020.

The press release suggests that $3.5 million from that large fund was deposited into Dickersons accounts, which she allegedly used to purchase six properties deeded to her or to a company she controlled.

open image in gallery Tashella Dickerson, the leader of Oklahoma Citys BLM branch, has been indicted on fraud charges ( Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

She is also accused of using the massive stash of cash to pay for trips to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, as well as using $50,000 for food and grocery deliveries.

Dickerson is alleged to have used interstate wires to submit two annual reports that did not disclose her use of the funds and stated that the money had been used for tax-exempt purposes.

According to the press release, the money was donated to BLM OKC to post bail for individuals arrested during racial justice protests, which came in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

Dickerson told her supporters on Facebook that she was fine, but claimed that she could not make an official comment on her indictment.

I am home. I am safe. I have confidence in our team, she said. A lot of times when people come at you with these types of things ... it's evidence that you are doing the work.

If Dickerson is found guilty, she could face 20 years in a federal prison with a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of wire fraud. She also faces 10 years in prison and fines for each count of wire fraud.

open image in gallery The indictment comes after an alleged investigation into the movement was launched by the DOJ ( Getty Images )

The news comes just months after DOJ sources told the Associated Press that the Justice Department had launched an investigation into allegations of fraud made against the BLM movement.

The sources claimed that at least one search warrant had been served on the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. They also claimed that the investigation had been launched under the Biden administration but was now being aggressively pursued by the current administration.

Following the death of Floyd, the BLM movement received over $90 million in donations, with critics raising questions about the groups decision to purchase a $6 million mansion in Los Angeles.

BLM leaders have publicly denied wrongdoing and released the groups tax documents, with no prior investigation finding any evidence of financial wrongdoing.

The Independent has contacted BLM for comment.
MOSCOW, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of Russia said on Friday that it will take legal action in response to European Union (EU) plans involving the use of its assets, warning that such measures violate international law and the principle of sovereign immunity.

The Russian central bank said in a statement that the mechanisms envisaged by regulations published by the European Commission, which allow for the direct or indirect use of its assets, are illegal. It added that any unauthorized use of its assets runs counter to international law.

The statement said the issuance and implementation of the EU regulations would lead the Bank of Russia to unconditionally challenge any actions resulting in the direct or indirect use of its assets without consent.

According to the bank, such challenges would be pursued through all available competent authorities, including national courts, judicial bodies of foreign states and international organizations, arbitration tribunals and other international judicial bodies.

It also said it would seek enforcement of relevant judicial decisions in the territories of United Nations member states.

In a separate statement released on the same day, the bank said it is filing a claim in the Moscow Arbitration Court against the Brussels-based securities depository Euroclear, where most of the frozen Russian assets are held.

"The actions of the Euroclear depository caused damage to the Bank of Russia due to the inability to manage cash and securities belonging to the Bank of Russia," it added.

The European Commission published a plan on Dec. 3 to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, reducing the funding amount from up to 186 billion U.S. dollars to around 105 billion dollars. Belgium rejected the EU plan, saying the proposal fails to address the financial and legal risks it faces. 
KABUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two commuters have been confirmed dead and six others were injured after a passenger car fell into a ravine in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province, local police said Thursday night.

The accident occurred earlier Thursday in Kordar area of Wama district when the vehicle veered off the road due to a technical failure and plunged into a deep ravine, killing two passengers on the spot and injuring six others, provincial police spokesman Ahmad Bashir Barakzada told Xinhua. 
Advertisement

Updated BusinessBanking & financeBig four Former ANZ boss sues bank after losing $13.5 million in bonuses Clancy Yeates Updated December 12, 2025  3:27pm ,first published 12:00pm 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 A A

Former ANZ boss Shayne Elliott has launched legal action against the bank, arguing it breached an agreement it had with him, after it denied him $13.5 million in bonuses following a string of regulatory woes at the bank. Elliott missed out on $13.5 million as part of the bank boards push for accountability for a series of incidents that occurred while he was running the bank, including four court matters that were settled in September, with ANZ agreeing to pay a record $240 million fine. The bonus cuts, which were revealed last month, also affected other former senior executives of the bank, but Elliott forfeited the most. On Friday, the bank confirmed Elliott had taken legal action relating to remuneration outcomes in the Supreme Court of NSW, after the case was first reported by The Australian. Former ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott at the Federal Court in October. Flavio Brancaleone Elliott, who left ANZ in May after more than nine years in the top job, signalled his case would argue the banking giant had breached its contract with him about the terms of his departure.

Advertisement

Related Article Big four Change agent: Meet Nuno Matos, the no-nonsense CEO whipping ANZ into shape The bank and I had a clear, unambiguous agreement about the terms of my departure. As you would expect, having entered into a contract, my expectation is that those terms would be honoured, Elliott said in a statement. I accept the need for accountability, which is why I voluntarily proposed to the board that I would forgo my incentives in 2024. I have been left with no alternative other than to commence proceedings in the Supreme Court of NSW seeking a declaration that the bank has breached the contract that I had with it. I will be seeking the earliest possible hearing of my claim before the court and am fully committed to see this process through. ANZ said it was required to design pay arrangements in a way that encouraged prudent risk management, and linked pay to performance and risk outcomes. The bank said it also had to consider these outcomes when making decisions on releasing unvested shares to executives.

Advertisement

ANZ chairman Paul OSullivan said: The board has been considered and very deliberate in its assessment of remuneration outcomes. We are confident in our position and we will defend this matter vigorously. The case comes as governance experts and investors have demanded accountability at ANZ over its run of problems. Whether there has been an appropriate level of accountability is likely to be a hot topic at the banks annual meeting next week. Related Article Opinion

Executive pay Clawing back millions from top bosses isnt easy but one bank just did it Elizabeth Knight Business columnist Proxy adviser CGI Glass Lewis has advised investors to vote against ANZs remuneration report next week, citing insufficient remuneration consequences, after ANZ received a hefty protest vote of 38.3 per cent against its executive pay report last year, delivering it a first strike. In contrast, influential proxy firm Ownership Matters has advised investors to support ANZs remuneration report. ANZs annual report, published in November, said neither Elliott nor his successor, Nuno Matos, had received a short-term bonus for the 2025 year, and the bank had also cancelled incentives that Elliott was due to receive.

Advertisement

The case promises to put the spotlight on the power that boards have to hold former executives accountable by withholding pay  an issue that often arises when a company is facing significant problems or damage to its reputation. The ANZ board took the action against Elliott, and also decided to pay no short-term bonuses to its top Australian-based executives, after ANZ earlier this year agreed to a $240 million penalty to settle four separate legal cases from the corporate watchdog. In doing so, the bank admitted to unconscionable conduct on a major government bond deal, incorrect reporting of trading data and misconduct affecting nearly 65,000 customers. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.
Advertisement

Analysis BusinessCompaniesHealthcare Have they learnt nothing? Radical surgery only option for hospital giant Colin Kruger December 13, 2025  12:15am 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 A A

We are now down to the nitty-gritty of how to save all 37 of Healthscopes private hospitals from oblivion following its collapse in May, and the receivers controlling the sales process are contemplating drastic action. Sydneys Prince of Wales is on the block, joining four other flagship Healthscope hospitals that could be sold off individually to the highest bidders and raise hundreds of millions of dollars to pay back lenders. About 70 per cent of elective surgeries in Australia are carried out by private hospitals that are struggling to remain viable. Matt Willis The other hospitals are Victorias Holmesglen Private, Canberras National Capital Private, Gold Coast Private and Hobart Private. Selling off these Healthscope crown jewels could help ensure the remaining business stays intact as a not-for-profit hospital operator under current boss  former Qantas high-flyer  Tino La Spina.

Advertisement

Related Article Opinion

Healthcare More casualties expected as ailing Healthscope prepares for sale Colin Kruger Senior business reporter But in a staff town hall on Wednesday, as first reported in The Australian Financial Review, La Spina wasnt about to give up these prize assets without a fight. And why would he? It will be hard enough to keep the rest of the hospitals viable even with these five hospitals in his care. And it is tough to argue with one particular point La Spina made in relation to a private equity player being in exclusive talks to acquire the Prince of Wales private hospital. Have they learnt nothing? he asked staff. Healthscope CEO Tino La Spina is planning a bid for the business to buy itself and become a not-for-profit operator. Eamon Gallagher

Advertisement

The reason Healthscope, its 19,000 staff and dozens of hospitals across the country are in this mess is precisely because its former private equity owners  the $US2 trillion Canadian group Brookfield  couldnt make a buck from the business and walked away. It was an easier option than dealing with the extravagant rent agreements Brookfield had agreed to, the massive debt load needed to finance the deal, and a post-pandemic world that quickly shredded the Canadian groups business plan. Walking away from a private hospital sector that provides about 70 per cent of elective surgeries in Australia  taking immense pressure off state and federal governments in the process  is not a great way to win friends here. These governments will be on tenterhooks again. The receivers job is to maximise returns for lenders, not taxpayers who will foot the bill if less viable hospitals are left stranded by the wheeling and dealing that has ensured plenty of work for various investment bankers. But getting back to Healthscopes current predicament. This week could have been much worse for La Spina.

Advertisement

In what may have been a decisive call about the future of Australias second-largest private hospital operator, the receivers from McGrathNicol rejected a significant deal this week that would have unravelled the group. Canadas Northwest Healthcare proposed to carve off the 12 hospitals  where it acts as landlord  in a deal with not-for-profit Calvary for about $140 million. The two suitors insist they are still at the table following the rejected deal, but the receivers, acting on behalf of lenders owed about $1.7 billion, have already turned their attention to the five hospital deals that could determine the fate of the entire Healthscope group before Christmas. Healthscope is already picking up $190 million from the demise of its scandal-prone role running Sydneys Northern Beaches Hospital. Healthscopes controversial private-public partnership at the Northern Beaches Hospital ended this year with a $190 million payment from the NSW government. Renee Nowytarger

Advertisement

The extra hundreds of millions of dollars that could be delivered from the sales would break the back of the massive $1.7 billion debt owed to lenders such as the Commonwealth Bank and opportunistic debt funders such as Polus Capital and Canyon Partners. Polus and Canyon picked up one-third of Healthscopes loans at less than half price as some of the original lenders sold out of the failed hospital operator this year. They stand to make a killing from the financial chaos. Refinanced debt will solve one of the big headaches for Healthscopes viability, but another will remain: Unsustainable rents. The 23 hospitals with private landlords top the list of centres struggling to remain financially viable. The good news on this front is that the two landlords, Northwest and HMCs Healthco, also appear to be amenable to deals. Healthco  backed by rich lister David Di Pilla  acquired 11 of the Healthscope hospital properties in 2022 for $1.2 billion.

Advertisement

It says it has entered into conditional agreements with alternative tenants for all 11 of the hospitals it owns, which include detailed commercial terms which are acceptable to the landlords. It contains the implicit promise that this deal involves a rent cut. Related Article Insolvency Why has Healthscope entered receivership? Northwests agreement with Calvary is also understood to include significant concessions to the current rent deal that Brookfield agreed to at a time when the outlook for Australias private hospital sector was vastly different to what it is now. Healthscopes conversion to a not-for-profit under La Spinas proposal would also lower costs by losing its payroll tax bill  reportedly saving the group $100 million a year. Healthscope insiders also pointed to advantages enjoyed by not-for-profits when it comes to fringe benefits tax (FBT), which means it could offer salary packaging to the 19,000 staff that would help with retention and keep a lid on salary expenses.

Advertisement

Staff have already agreed to a deal that would deliver most of the benefits from this salary packaging to the company in the short term to help it stabilise itself financially. These employees will be watching developments closely in the lead-up to Christmas to see if the sacrifice will pay off. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.
Advertisement

CultureBooksLiterature Bendigo Writers Festival unlikely to go ahead next year Kerrie O'Brien December 12, 2025  7:01pm 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 A A

The Bendigo Writers Festival should not go ahead next year, according to a report into the event that was decimated after 50 authors who had been slated to appear boycotted the much-loved festival. Dozens of writers ditched the 2025 Bendigo Writers Festival. Bendigo Councillors will consider the report on Monday (the event is owned and run by the council). Written by Rachel Lee, director of strategy and growth at the council, the review runs to 12 pages. Public feedback about the festival was also sought and more than 850 people responded. The review says community consultation confirmed the festival is highly valued by residents and there is a strong desire to see it continue.

Advertisement

Under the heading Risk and Mitigation, the report says: A decision to deliver a 2026 Festival program without proper planning and change to the operating model would only exacerbate the reputational damage incurred in 2025. It continues: A key challenge following the reputational damage incurred in 2025 will be securing future financial and in-kind support for the Festival going forward. Professor Clare Wright. Susan Papazian The event has not had a dedicated festival director since 2023. Instead, sessions were devised by an array of people, including professor of history and public engagement at La Trobe University Clare Wright. For this years event, in a panel called On Reckoning, Wright had programmed Palestinian/Egyptian/Australian academic and writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, alongside journalist and novelist Paul Daley, and author and professor of law Katherine Biber.

Advertisement

A controversial code of conduct, initially issued to those appearing in the La Trobe University stream, was later issued to all festival speakers. It asked that participants observe the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by La Trobe, and to avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful. Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, whose withdrawal from the Bendigo Writers Festival prompted dozens of writers to boycott the event. Tom Toby It was later revealed that on July 21, a letter had been sent to La Trobe University arguing against Abdel-Fattahs inclusion on the panel, by the pro-Israel group 5A, also known as Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism. Related Article Exclusive

Literature State Library abandons controversial restructure plan Once the code of conduct was sent, Abdel-Fattah wrote to organisers to say she could not participate. Soon after, writers including Melanie Cheng, Jock Serong, Kate Mildenhall, Claire G Coleman and Evelyn Araluen resigned in protest. Some withdrew at being asked to sign the code, others in solidarity, despite not being asked to sign themselves.

Advertisement

Speaking in depth for the first time publicly, Wright says the issuing of the code of conduct was like striking a peanut with a sledgehammer, except it was a fake peanut in the first place. It showed an unwillingness to listen to the writing community, to read the room on the controversies that have beset cultural organisations, to understand the point in history that the Code of Conduct was going to land in, which is a genocide. She says the code of conduct could only be read as an attempt to stifle the freedom of academic speech of the one Palestinian writer who was on the program, as a response to a letter received from a Zionist organisation. I curated [the panels] both as a member of the literary community and as an academic with a view to fostering and supporting the space for the complex, difficult conversations that we need to have in our times, and the people who were on the panels were all intelligent, creative, deep-thinking individuals.

Advertisement

Wright said if universities cant be trusted to deliver this form of public engagement, who can? We dont have shareholders, we arent philanthropic trusts. We are publicly funded institutions of higher

education and research organisations populated by scholars, and it is disgraceful for the university to back away from its public mission in this way. In response to questions, a La Trobe University spokesperson said the future of the Bendigo Writers Festival is a matter for the City of Greater Bendigo, which remains one of La Trobes most important regional partners. The code of conduct was developed jointly with the City of Greater Bendigo and with good intent, aimed to balance academic freedom with community safety. We accept that the code of conduct was introduced too late for consultation with festival participants, the statement continued. It added the university is committed to upholding the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech, and will continue to create spaces for robust and respectful debate on challenging topics.

Advertisement

We have learnt lessons from this years Bendigo Writers Festival which we will take on board into the future. Established in 2012 by Rosemary Sorensen, the Bendigo Writers Festival is regarded by many as one of the best in Victoria. The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.
Advertisement

Eating outFood Legendary NYC cocktail bar finally opens in Brisbane And, looking past all the hype, its definitely worth your attention. Matt Shea December 12, 2025 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 A A

Hospitality. Despite all the hype surrounding Death & Co  its celebrated history in New York, its iconic cocktails and now its arrival into Australia and Brisbane  the original East Village bar was and always has been about the hospitality, according to venue manager Samantha Katsikas. Death & Co is of course by definition a hospitality venue. But were talking about the deeper, more intentional (as Katiskas likes to say) kind of hospitality thats par for the course in the United States larger cities but has only become more common in Australia in recent decades. Death & Co has opened in Toowong beneath the Regatta. Morgan Roberts Our cocktails arent just recipes, Katsikas says. Theyre the result of that two decades of collective development across all the bars.

Advertisement

[But] equally important is that conversation we have [with the guest]  Its taking the time to really understand guests, what theyre in the mood for, reading the moment, reaching into that history of Death & Co, and creating something that feels personal. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Related Article You need to eat this mortadella pizza sanger thats as big as your face Everyones coming in and experiencing it differently. Its intimate, intentional. Death & Co opened early December in the subterranean space beneath The Regatta previously home to The Walrus Club (the venues presence in Australia has been facilitated by a partnership with Regatta owners Australian Venue Co). This is a heritage-listed venue so the bones of the place, with its original brickwork and timber beams, remain the same. But the fit-out now feels more precise, with the venue leaning into its secluded nooks and candlelit corners.

Advertisement

Death & Cos subterranean space is arranged into a number of different nooks and candle-lit hideouts. Morgan Roberts The bar has been reworked to better accommodate conversation with the bar staff, and the banquette refurbished with booths added. Theres also The Studio, a cocktail lounge that will feature live music after the New Year. It was surreal [seeing the completed venue], says Katsikas, who earlier in the year spent a bunch of weeks training in the United States for the opening. Ive only been involved for a matter of months, but for some people its been years. Death & Cos cocktail menu boasts a bunch of its classic drinks. Morgan Roberts But talk about the venue and the vibe and the hospitality all you want, punters are ultimately going to Death & Co for the cocktails.

Advertisement

As Katsikas says, the barkeeps will make you anything you want  or guide you on a Dealers Choice from the Death & Co archive depending on your preference of spirit and preferred flavours  but the core list includes the Martini-inspired Telegraph (Four Pillars dry gin, pear, eucalyptus, pine and juniper), a riff on a Margarita called the Soul & Fury (El Jimador Blanco tequila, Ancho Reyes chilli liqueur, raspberry, red capsicum, lime), and a variation on the Gimlet called the Buko Gimlet (Four Pillars navy Gin, cachaca, coconut liqueur and coconut water, panda syrup). The venue retains the heritage-listed bones of The Walrus Club before it, but feels like a new bar. Morgan Roberts Death & Co classics such as the Naked & Famous (mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, lime juice) and Oaxaca Old Fashioned (reposado Tequila, mezcal, agave nectar, Angostura bitters, orange twist) are also present and correct. Away from cocktails, theres just a handful of wines spread evenly across sparkling, white, red and skin contact, and a short menu of beers and ciders. For food, theres a menu of snacks that are more substantial than youd perhaps expect and should keep you around for another drink or three. Expect truffle popcorn, kingfish crudo with coconut, lime and green chilli, blistered shishito peppers, a lamb burger, and buttermilk fried chicken skewers.

Advertisement

I want everyone to feel like no matter what experience they want, where theyre coming from, that they feel like they belong there, Katsikas says. A New York import it may be, but Death & Co is a collaboration with Australian Venue Co, which operates The Regatta. Morgan Roberts I think well surprise the occasional punter who comes down from the Regatta for a Martini. That happened the other night and it was fantastic. They had a great time. Australias style of hospitality has been evolving, the Chicago-born Katsikas continues. And Brisbanes been doing a really great job of that as well, evolving towards a hospitality centred around the guests and making sure whenever someone walks through the door its like we know them. I think thats the best experience. Open Sun-Wed 6pm-1am, Thu-Sat 4pm-2am

Advertisement

543 Coronation Drive, Toowong, (07) 3543 9413 deathandcompanybrisbane.com.au

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Food

For subscribers Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
Advertisement

Eating outSandwich Watch You need to eat this mortadella pizza sanger thats as big as your face Its luscious, deeply satisfying and, at $17, crazy good value. Matt Shea December 12, 2025 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 A A

The secret to a great sandwich? Just about any chef will tell you its the freshness of the bread. And as far as Tim Glasson is concerned, it doesnt get much fresher than pizza dough freshly baked from the oven. Olli Italianos Panuozzo are huge, and therefore excellent value. Morgan Roberts We stretch and bake the dough to order, so it literally cant be more fresh, Glasson says. Thats a big part of the appeal of what we do. But what does this have to do with sandwiches? Let us tell you.

Advertisement

Ever heard of panuozzo? Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Glasson is talking about panuozzo, a pizza sandwich that emerged in Naples in the 1980s. It takes pizza dough, bakes it and shapes it into a sandwich stuffed with fillings. Related Article These are the top 10 wine lists in south-east Queensland right now The traditional way (although were talking the 80s here, so tradition is perhaps a relative term) to make panuozzo is to shape a typical Neapolitan pizza dough into an elongated roll, par-bake it, and then slice it open like a pita and stuff it full of ingredients, before giving it a second bake. The other way is more of a pizza wrap, where the cook stretches the dough, fills with hot ingredients, folds it for baking, and then reopens to add any cold ingredients before serving to the diner. This is what were talking about here, in East Brisbane, at Olli Italiano.

Advertisement

Olli Italianos very Instagrammable lunch menu Olli Italiano is the product of Glasson and his partner, Anna Brobjer, who opened this cute as a button Italian restaurant in January. It sits on the corner of Lytton Road and Latrobe Street, an eye-catching bolthole presented in a smart white and scarlet paint job. Olli Italiano is a charming little restaurant in East Brisbane. Morgan Roberts Ollis usual fare is keenly priced, homey pasta and pizza fronted by a menu of smaller plates such as meatballs, deep-fried lasagne and burrata. But Glasson and Brobjer wanted a way to make lunch more approachable for locals, hence the February-March (Glasson cant remember exactly when) launch of a short menu of panuozzo. We wanted something that people could come down and grab regularly, either in the restaurant or takeaway, Glasson says. And then we came across the idea off panuozzo and thought, This is just perfect.

Advertisement

Olli Italianos mortadella panuozzo There are six panuozzo on the menu. Glasson says the Diavola Dreams (tomato, fior di latte, rocket, nduja, hot salami, basil) and the Meatballs My Dear (pomodoro sauce, rocket, meatballs, shaved Parmesan, basil) are the bestsellers, but for us they play second (and third) fiddle to the first sanger on the list: the Mortadella Mi Bella. Theres a bunch of panuozzo on the lunch menu, but this mortadella number is the pick. Morgan Roberts Like so many great sandwiches, its beauty is in its simplicity. Theres mortadella supplied by Selecta Food Group thats made by an Italian family in Melbourne, a fistful of springy rocket, gooey stracciatella from Byron Bay Mozzarella, and then a liberal sprinkle of pistachio, as much for texture as it is flavour. Simple, except its wrapped inside an almighty pizza base made with Italian 00 flour, filled with fior di latte and cooked fast at 350 degrees in the drop-door pizza oven out back, to produce a bubbly, crispy Neapolitan-ish crust. Its then finished with a generous sprinkle of pecorino for a bit of seasoning. And thats it.

Advertisement

Olli Italiano co-owner Anna Brobjer. Morgan Roberts It makes for a luscious, deeply satisfying sandwich thats as big as your face, yet easy to eat with one hand (after the chefs cut it in two, at least). I test this by demolishing it in the car on the way back to the office, rushing to address a deadline, conducting an interview on the way. There was hardly anything left for my coworkers upon my arrival. Sorry, gang. Where to get it The Mortadella Mi Bella is $17, making it crazy good value. You can get one daily 11.30am-3pm from Olli Italiano at 2/53 Lytton Road, East Brisbane.

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Sandwich Watch

For subscribers Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
Advertisement

NationalNSWChild abuse Sydney daycare worker admits filming abuse at multiple centres Sally Rawsthorne and Clare Sibthorpe Updated December 12, 2025  4:18pm ,first published 11:13am 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 A A

A Sydney childcare worker has admitted to filming the abuse of 10 children in his care at six centres, predominantly in the citys north and CBD. David James, 26, faced Sydneys Downing Centre Local Court via audio-video link from custody on Friday, pleading guilty to a raft of child abuse charges laid by the Australian Federal Police in September last year. David James appeared in court on Friday via AV link. Rocco Fazzari The identity of the former NSW Police probationary constable and Knox graduate, as well as the 58 centres he worked at casually, was suppressed for almost a year until the Herald successfully challenged a court order. He pleaded guilty to child abuse charges between April 2021 and May 2024 at Pyrmont OSHC  City of Sydney; OSHClub  Barker College; Willoughby Kids House; Helping Hands  St Ives Park Public School; St Ives OSHC Centre  Kidzone; and Helping Hands  Lane Cove West.

Advertisement

Detectives from the AFPs Operation Arctile found evidence he filmed and photographed children at those schools (There is a list of all the centres at which he worked at the bottom of this story.) James had faced 12 child abuse charges and one charge of refusing officers access to his phone. On Friday, he pleaded guilty to 11 child abuse charges: four counts of aggravated use of a child under 14 to make child abuse material, three counts of doing a sexual act to a child under 16 while filming for child abuse material, three counts of producing child abuse material and one count of possessing child abuse material. David James was arrested by the Federal Police in September 2024. He also pleaded guilty to the refusing phone access charge. One count of aggravated use of a child to make child abuse material was withdrawn.

Advertisement

Many details of the crimes are too graphic to publish. David James entry in the Knox Grammar yearbook from 2017. James was banned from working at centres owned by Primary OSHCares parent company, Junior Adventures Group, but continued working as a casual with recruitment company Randstad because his Working with Children check was not affected. James will next face court on February 6 for a sentence date to be fixed. Locations and dates worked Artarmon Before and After School Care - Willoughby City Council (June 2019)

Bales Park OOSH Services (December 2018)

Beacon Hill Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council (December 2018)

Camp Australia - Artarmon (February - December 2022)

Camp Australia - St Andrews Cathedral School (June 2018)

Camp Australia - St Lukes Grammar School (April 2018)

Chatswood ASC & VC - Willoughby City Council (November 2018)

Cromer Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council (January 2020)

Cubby House - Artarmon (June - August 2019)

Forestville Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council (July 2018 - April 2022)

The Girls & Boys Brigade - Surry Hills (November 2020)

Gowrie NSW Erskineville Outside of School Hours Care (June 2018; February 2019)

Gowrie NSW North Sydney Community VC (April 2023)

Helping Hands - Bourke Street (March 2019 - April 2024)

Helping Hands - Lane Cove West (April 2018 - September 2024)

Helping Hands - North Ryde (May 2018 - August 2023)

Helping Hands - St Ives Park Public School (December 2023 - May 2024)

Helping Hands - Willoughby Public School (April 2018 - December 2022)

Hornsby South Before and After School Care (May 2018)

Jigsaw - Anzac Park Public School (May 2018)

KGV OSHC - City of Sydney (November 2018 - April 2022)

KidsCo Australia - Virtual Holiday Program (July - August 2021)

Knox Grammar High School (March 2018 - July 2020)

Knox Grammar School OSHClub (May 2024)

Manly Vale VC - Northern Beaches Council (April 2019 - July 2022)

North Shore Coaching College (July 2023 - September 2024)

OSHClub - Barker College (May 2018 - May 2024)

OSHClub - Beaumont Road (May 2018 - April 2023)

OSHClub - Fort Street (May 2018)

OSHClub - Highfields (April - November 2018)

OSHClub - Hornsby South (August 2018 - July 2023)

OSHClub - Knox Grammar Preparatory (May 2018 - February 2020)

OSHClub - Newington Lindfield (February 2020)

OSHClub - Smalls Road (February 2022 - August 2023)

Our Lady of Good Counsel OSHC - Forestville (August 2018 - March 2019)

Our Lady of the Rosary OSHC - Waitara (October 2018)

Primary OSHCare - Chatswood (September 2019 - March 2020)

Primary OSHCare - Forestville (February 2021)

Primary OSHCare - Frenchs Forest (September 2022)

Primary OSHCare - Killarney Heights (January 2023)

Primary OSHCare - Mowbray (March 2020 - May 2024)

Primary OSHCare - St Ives (July 2021 - January 2024)

Primary OSHCare - St Ives North (February - March 2024)

Pyrmont OSHC - City of Sydney (October 2018 - July 2022)

SCECS - OSHC Rose Bay (January - May 2023)

St Kierans OSHC - Manly Vale (May 2018 - February 2019)

St Martins Davidson OSHC (September 2018)

St Marys OOSH - Erskineville (December 2020)

Stanmore OSHC Service - Inner West Council (July - August 2018)

TeamKids - ANZAC Park Public School (February 2021 - June 2023)

TheirCare - Ravenswood School for Girls (May 2023)

TheirCare - St Andrews Cathedral School (December 2020)

Ultimo OSHC - City of Sydney (July 2018 - September 2024)

Uniting OSHC Brookvale (July 2023)

West Lindfield Getaway - Vacation Care - Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council (April 2018)

Willoughby Kids House (July 2023)

YMCA Bankstown City (July 2018)

YMCA NSW - Lycee Condorcet (July - August 2023) List of centres as at 1pm on July 31, 2025. Source: afp.gov.au

Advertisement

If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au), 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.
Advertisement

NationalQueenslandCourts The phone call that will forever play in a loop in my mind: Fatal hit-run case in court Rex Martinich December 12, 2025  5:43pm 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 A A

Lauren Bennett received a late-night phone call from her mother more than 18 months ago. It will forever play in a loop in my mind. Ryan Grafton was killed in the crash at Wacol last year. Nine News It was mum screaming hes dead over and over again. Her brother, Ryan William Victor Grafton, 30, was killed instantly on May 28, 2024, in a crash caused by an intoxicated Kai Colin Matthew Fursey, who was driving a stolen Ford Mondeo with false registration plates. The Toyota Camry Uber Grafton was travelling in was hit on its side after Fursey ran a red light while driving 114km/h in a 70km/h zone at Wacol, in Brisbanes south-west.

Advertisement

Another Uber passenger  Graftons 26-year-old friend, Amelia Vinden  was taken to hospital in a critical condition with internal injuries, while driver Hussein Ali Mohamed was knocked unconscious. The scene of the Toyota Camry and Ford Mondeo crash in Wacol. Seven News Bennett later received a call from her mother sharing the news that destroyed their family. Ill never forget that phone call in the middle of the night that forever plays in a loop in my mind, she told Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday. In a devastating victim impact statement, Graftons mother told Fursey she would never forgive him.

Advertisement

With your reckless disregard, you took my boy away from me, Kerryn Grafton said. Kai Fursey handed himself in to Acacia Ridge police over the alleged hit-and-run. Not only have you killed my son, you have destroyed the life of my family. Grafton said carrying the burden of taking her sons life would be a weight that never goes away for Fursey. Hopefully that destroys you, she said.

Advertisement

Bennett said she hoped for the longest sentence possible for Fursey but feared you still get to live your life, despite destroying ours. Fursey, 30, on Friday pleaded guilty to manslaughter and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm before leaving the scene of an accident. He also pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, motor vehicle theft, and drug possession. Fursey was intoxicated on drugs and made no attempt to brake before causing carnage, crown prosecutor Michael Gawrych told Justice Martin Burns. Data collected from the period before the airbag deployed demonstrated he applied the accelerator at 100 per cent force at 1.5 seconds before the impact, he said.

Advertisement

Fursey fled the scene and handed himself in to police five days after the crash. He had co-operated with justice and brought the case to a sentence relatively swiftly, defence barrister Colin Reid said. He has some understanding of the enormity of what he has done, Reid said. He still has a family to support him. When he is released, there is some hope for him. Fursey was remanded in custody after Justice Burns reserved his decision, with sentencing set for next Thursday. AAP

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share More: Courts

Crime

Road safety

Traffic incident

Uber
Advertisement

First Peoples NationalVictoriaIndigenous justice Australias first treaty sealed by handprints on kangaroo skin Tony Wright December 12, 2025  4:11pm 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 A A

In this series, we explore all you need to know about Australias first treaty, between Victoria and its Indigenous peoples. See all stories .

With a wild shout of celebration, the enthusiastic stamping of many dancing feet and the hugs and handshakes of old friends from country and city, Victorias Aboriginal people gathered to proclaim the states first treaty. The members of the First Peoples Assembly  from many of the states First Nations, from the Wemba Wemba in the north-east to the Yorta Yorta in the north, the Gunditjmara in the far south-west, the Gunaikurnai of the south-east, and numerous peoples and language groups in between  laid their handprints on a document written on kangaroo skin. Mutti Mutti and Wamba Wamba man Jason Kelly puts his hand print on the kangaroo-skin treaty document. Justin McManus The ceremony at the Aboriginal Advancement Leagues Sir Douglas Nicholls sporting complex in Thornbury symbolised the cultural ratification of the end of a long process to win recognition for their people from the state of Victoria. The kangaroo-skin document was later taken to a ceremony at Melbournes John Cain Arena.

Advertisement

There, Premier Jacinta Allan and the co-chairs of the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg, added their handprints to the document to complete cultural assent of the treaty, and to mark a new beginning for both black and white. Delegations of Maori from New Zealand and chieftains from clans of several first nations of Canada  all of whom have enjoyed treaties for many generations  came to witness this celebration of this first treaty in Australia. Members of Indigenous dance groups from across Victoria took part in treaty celebrations at Sir Doug Nicholls Oval in Thornbury. Justin McManus We come to this new world, this treaty, after generations of being told to be silent, to call it loss, misfortune, tragedy, as if our attempted erasure were natural, and when the worst had passed, we were told to get over it as if no one was to blame, said Aunty Esmeralda Bamblett, an elder of the Bangerang, Taungurung and Wiradjuri people, a member of the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria and co-chair of its Elders Voice. But we have always known the truth, and we name it for what happened.

Advertisement

It was genocide, planned, concealed and undeniable. As the large chattering crowd on the Sir Douglas Nicholls sports oval at the Aboriginal Advancement League in Thornbury fell silent, Bamblett read the often poetic and sometimes hard words of the Statewide Treaty Declaration. Treaty celebrations at Sir Doug Nicholls Oval in Thornbury on Friday. Justin McManus In celebrating the treaty, we are tending to a fire that has warmed our families for generations and that many said would burn out, she said. It flickers still; therefore, this is not a new beginning, but a rekindling of lore, a chapter written in honesty; honesty guided by justice, carried forward by ancestors and the children who will speak our names.

Advertisement

Related Series

Indigenous justice A time for treaty This treaty means a future where children grow up proud of who they are, walking confidently in two worlds, knowing their language and history, where their rights are honoured. It is a future where Victoria is defined not by what it has taken, but by its deep respect of First Peoples and by how we thrive together. Several elders cloaked themselves in long possum-skin cloaks despite the heat of the summers day. The Maori delegation brought more possum skins, presenting them in the spirit of returning what was taken. Possums were always sacred to Australian Aboriginal people, particularly in Victoria, the crowd was told, but colonial authorities denied them the right  and still do  to hunt them.

Advertisement

But possums were introduced to New Zealand, where they have become a pest. The possum is one of those species that was taken without your permission and given to us without our permission, and it is wreaking havoc in our forests, said Melanie Mark-Shadbolt of Te Tira Whakamataki, an independent Maori charity working to eradicate possums from New Zealand. She promised that many more possum skins would be brought to Australia to add to the several dozen her organisation presented on Friday. And with that, dancers from 18 groups from across Victoria took to a circle of sand in the centre of the oval, eucalyptus leaves waving in their hands and their feet stamping ancient rhythms  a high-energy celebration in the summer sun by people placing their hopes in a new compact between all the citizens of the state.

Advertisement

Loading Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
BEIRUT, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has recorded more than 10,000 violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 by Israeli forces since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, UNIFIL Spokesperson Candice Ardell told Xinhua on Friday.

"Since Nov. 27, 2024, UNIFIL has recorded more than 10,000 violations of Resolution 1701, including more than 8,100 air violations, over 2,600 activities by Israeli forces north of the Blue Line, and more than 1,000 firing trajectories that crossed the Blue Line," the spokesperson said.

At the same time, she said, Israeli soldiers remain inside Lebanese territory, "while we continue to record daily land and air violations of Resolution 1701 and of Lebanon's sovereignty."

She added that peacekeepers have discovered "more than 360 weapons caches inside Lebanese territory, most of which are likely linked to non-state actors, and none of them appear to be new."

"Since Nov. 27, 2024, peacekeepers have not observed any military movements or the establishment of new military infrastructure by non-state actors in southern Lebanon," Ardell noted.

Despite the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army has occasionally carried out strikes in Lebanon, which it says are meant to eliminate Hezbollah "threats," and it has maintained forces at five key points in the Lebanese border area after the deadline for its full withdrawal expired in February. 
Advertisement

Exclusive NationalVictoriaCity life Backstage at the theatre, the Marriner siblings say theres $25,000 they wish they never spent Cara Waters December 12, 2025  11:59am 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 A A

One year on, Jason Marriner regrets making a $25,000 donation to Lord Mayor Nick Reeces election campaign. If I had my time back over again I would have held off on giving him any money, Marriner says. Jason and Kayley Marriner in the auditorium of the Comedy Theatre. Simon Schluter His sister, Kayley Marriner, agrees. It hasnt worked out well at all, she says. The siblings run the Marriner Group which owns and operates the Princess Theatre, Forum Theatre and Comedy Theatre, operates the Regent Theatre and employs 800 people.

Advertisement

The Marriner Group and Lasalle Investment Management want to demolish part of the heritage-listed Comedy Theatre on Exhibition Street and build a $211 million 27-storey tower behind it containing offices and a 270-room hotel. Related Article City life CBD redevelopment given green light after Marriner Group donated to mayors campaign The development was first proposed in 2019 and included the refurbishment and modernisation of the back of house of the Comedy Theatre, along with the demolition of the multi-storey car park behind the theatre, which was to be replaced by the hotel and office tower. Last week The Age reported the City of Melbourne approved the redevelopment of the Comedy Theatre site proposed by the Marriner Group and Lasalle Investment Management one year after Reece accepted a $25,000 donation from the group. Reece and the other councillors who ran on his Team Nick election ticket recused themselves from the vote, where the council resolved to advise the government that it does not object to the application with certain conditions.

Advertisement

Walking The Age through the Comedy Theatres back of house area, the Marriners point out all the areas which need updating. They highlight the steep ramp for loading sets which they want to replace with a lift, the cramped rabbit warren of dressing rooms and the timber batons from which lighting hangs. The Marriners at the side of the Comedy Theatre. The siblings want to redevelop to improve the back of house. Simon Schluter The theatres stage is only eight metres deep, which makes it one of the shallowest stages in the country. The redevelopment would extend the stage by two metres. The back of house is completely wheelchair inaccessible, Kayley Marriner says. Theres lots of shows that we actually cant do any more. She says the Comedy Theatre missed out on staging The Picture of Dorian Gray purely because the company would not stay in this space.

Advertisement

Despite these limitations, Jason Marriner looks around with pride as he stands inside the theatres auditorium. You can hear the resonance [in old auditoriums], theyre beautiful, warm, they vibrate and theres a real energy in the old auditoriums. They havent got better, he says. The challenge you have in the old theatres though is compliance. An artists impression of the proposed Comedy Theatre redevelopment with a tower behind the theatre. The Marriners want the Comedy Theatre, built in 1928, to survive another 100 years. Jason Marriner says in the years since the theatre was built, the occupational health and safety environment for people working in any building has changed, and so the Marriner Group has to try to find ways to upgrade the theatres back of house.

Advertisement

He says given the need to restore the theatre, LaSalles development plans were almost like a gift from God. Related Article Lunch with A mayor on a mission nominates crime crackdown as biggest achievement of his first year They are keen to look at opportunities to add value to their site, but at the same time, very amenable to working with us to be able to create an improved theatre outcome as well, he said. He is frustrated at the time it has taken to get the redevelopment through the planning process. The development still requires the approval of Heritage Victoria and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny.

Advertisement

Its been an incredibly long journey, Jason Marriner says. Frankly, the frustration is that you could put up 100-storey tower in Docklands, which doesnt add a lot of civic value to anyone other than being a big project, probably in under three years whereas something like this takes six. It takes an enormous amount of patience. At Marriner-owned Forum Melbourne on Flinders Street, the self-funded restoration of the crumbling facade is taking place brick by brick, stone by stone. But Jason Marriner says a different approach is needed for the major renovation required at the Comedy Theatre. Were very proud of what weve achieved, but we cant be naive, he says. It costs a lot of money, and we need to be very clever about the way in which we continue to invest in the buildings. An artists impression of what could be the interior of the redevelopment. Despite their plans, the Marriners are adamant that they are theatre owners and operators, not developers. During the 2024 mayoral election campaign, Reece promised not to accept donations from property developers.

Advertisement

Nick [Reece] said at the time, he actually clarified, which is the irony, whether or not there was any development because he wasnt accepting money from developers, Jason Marriner says. I said, Nick, the company is, we havent developed anything. Were not developers, were theatre operators. Donations from developers are banned in NSW and Queensland. In South Australia, political donations are banned entirely apart from a capped amount for new entrants and non-incumbents. Related Article City life Donation revelations prompt fears Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece could be mired in conflicts of interest But Victoria has not banned developer donations, which has created an environment which integrity experts say allows perceptions of conflict and reduces public trust in local government. There is no suggestion such conflicts have not been managed properly by City of Melbourne councillors. Reece raised $950,484 for his election campaign from a whos who of Melbourne, including wealthy business people, trade unions and people who own large amounts of property in the City of Melbourne, some of whom are planning or considering developments.

Advertisement

When asked about the Marriner Groups donation and the proposed Comedy Theatre redevelopment by The Age last year, Reece said: My understanding is that development is not proceeding. Photo: Matt Golding In addition to the Reece donation, the Marriner Group gave $25,000 to Arron Wood and $10,000 to Jamal Hakim, who failed in their bids to become the citys lord mayor. Its just making an investment in people that you believes heart is in the right place and are running for public office for the right reasons, Jason Marriner tells The Age. While he regrets the donation to Reeces campaign, Marriner says he was once told you cant be disinterested in local politics.

Advertisement

Whether or not its right or wrong, the current system requires candidates to raise money, he says. Running for public office is hard enough, and its not like theres a cash bonanza waiting for you if youre elected, you need to raise money. Reece and the City of Melbourne were contacted for comment. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Advertisement

NationalVictoriaNote From The Editor If justice needs to be seen to be done, its playing hide and seek in Victoria Patrick Elligett December 12, 2025  7:38pm 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 A A

Im not usually prone to demonstrations of frustration, but as I listened to a particular interview on the radio on Friday morning, I realised I was subconsciously tightening my grip on the steering wheel and clenching my teeth. The interview subject was a criminal barrister arguing why, in her learned view, the public should not be at all concerned about the fact more suppression orders are issued in Victoria that in any other state. Deep breaths, Patrick! Hampering press freedom is bureaucratic red tape and chronic underfunding. Matt Davidson The interview, with Rafael Epstein on ABC Melbourne, was taking place in the context of the Tom Silvagni rape case. The son of a prominent footballer and a TV presenter, Silvagni was found guilty last week, but a suppression order, granted on the basis that media reporting would impact his mental health, prevented the publication of his name until Thursday.

Advertisement

It wasnt the position of this particular lawyer, or the issuing of the order in that particular case, that raised my hackles. She represents accused criminals. It is her job to defend them and advocate for them. And if you were accused of a terrible crime, you probably wouldnt want your friends and family reading about it in The Age. Of course, she will take the position most beneficial to her clients. Tom Silvagni (left) outside the County Court in November. Nine News What concerned me most about her view was that it felt emblematic of the increasing slide towards the entrenchment of the narrative that the media is somehow an inconvenience to the justice system that has to be managed. In reality, responsible media organisations such as ours are an essential part of the administration of justice. What is going on in this state is far from OK. In fact, I would go as far as to say the principle of open justice itself is under attack in Victoria and there are few within the legal fraternity, the government or indeed the media with the fortitude to defend it. Hundreds more suppression orders are made in Victoria every year than in any other state. In 2024, Victoria had more than three times the number of gag orders issued in NSW. The principle and application of open justice is essential for maintaining public confidence in the judicial system. The famous quote attributed to then-chief justice of England Lord Hewart in 1924 goes: Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.

Advertisement

In Victoria, justice appears to be playing hide and seek. There are legitimate reasons people may seek to set aside open justice, and that judges and magistrates may accept those arguments, such as the protection from serious harm of innocents, children, informants and, yes, sometimes the accused who is innocent until proven guilty. That was the logic behind the Silvagni order. Orders can also be given to prevent one trial from prejudicing another, as we saw in the George Pell case some years ago. In some cases national security concerns can prompt parts of hearings to be suppressed or held in closed court, such as when decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith unsuccessfully sued The Age and others for defamation and was found on the balance of probabilities to have killed four unarmed civilians in Afghanistan. Ben Roberts-Smith outside the Federal Court in May. Sam Mooy But almost weekly now, The Ages reporters and lawyers are stepping forward to oppose attempts by lawyers to hide the identities of their clients from the public, sometimes on the flimsiest of grounds. Often they vaguely cite mental health concerns for the accused person, sometimes they provide evidence. Occasionally, these applications for suppressions are dropped the moment they are opposed.

Advertisement

The process of fighting these orders is expensive and time-consuming. We do it not because it will sell newspapers, but because we have a duty  one we take seriously  to shine a light on the administration of justice to make sure it is working for the community it is designed to serve. We dont do it in cases where we can see the potential for harm could outweigh the principle of open justice. There are other arguments for stopping the gradual creep of secrecy I havent touched on yet. For one, the fact that reputable media outlets with experience covering the courts will adhere to gag orders, while reckless keyboard warriors will defy them in the Wild West of social media. There is also abundant research on the deterrent effect good media reporting has on crime and corruption. Melbournes media cant cover every case before the courts. But by covering high-profile cases, important issues to our readers and trends across the courts, people can see that justice is being served and are reminded of the punishments meted out to those who commit crimes. The Age recently became the first applicant, that we know of at least, to obtain permission to publish despite legislation that protects sex offenders and violent predators who offend after being released into community rehabilitation centres. The laws exist to protect the offenders prospects of rehabilitation. But as this important story from Chris Vedelago revealed earlier this week, it can also protect violent criminals who commit terrifying crimes. That was an occasion when we successfully obtained a special order on the grounds of exceptional circumstances.

Advertisement

In the case of Silvagni, The Age and other media opposed the order for more than a year and lost. There are other cases in which high-profile people with the means to do so have found ways to have their names suppressed. I just cant tell you about them. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.
Advertisement

Exclusive PoliticsFederalRenewables Two million more home batteries by 2030 in $5 billion funding boost Mike Foley December 12, 2025  10:30pm 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 A A

A funding boost of nearly $5 billion will extend the governments popular battery rebates, as the schemes initial pot of $2.3 billion is set to be emptied 12 months after the subsidy began. Changes to the discounting regime have also been announced, which the government said would increase the price of many models but ensure a fairer pricing structure, particularly for those buying smaller batteries. $5 billion in new funding will be pumped into home battery discounts, as the government reforms its popular scheme. Peter Rae The government also announced on Friday it would review its controversial electric car discount, which removes the cost of fringe benefits tax from the purchase of a new car that is bought under lease through pre-tax salary deduction. Announced in the 2025 election campaign, take-up of the home battery scheme has exceeded expectations and the government now forecasts 2 million home batteries will be installed by 2030, double the prediction from just six months ago.

Advertisement

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Saturday that 160,000 home batteries had been installed since July and the governments extra $4.9 billion for the scheme would deliver benefits across the electricity grid  not just to households with batteries. We want more Aussie households to have access to batteries that are good for bills and good for the grid  because it means more cheap, fast, safe solar energy is available in our homes night or day, when and where its needed. Four million households have already installed rooftop panels and Bowen said rising battery uptake will help more people store solar energy to use when the sun sets, reducing pressure on the electricity grid at times of peak demand. Australia is a solar nation  weve got more solar on our roofs than pools in our backyards, and we want to match that success with home batteries to cut bills for everyone, Bowen said.

Advertisement

Related Article Renewables Sick of power bills? What you need to know before buying a home battery Changes to the discounting scheme, effective May 1, 2026, have also been announced. Under the old scheme the same rebate was applied across storage capacity. This meant some larger battery systems sold for less than smaller models. The changes are designed to ensure a 30 per cent rebate is applied more evenly across the small, medium and large-sized home battery categories, with support reducing in proportion with the size of the battery. For example, under the current scheme a customer would pay $8305 for a 13.5 kilowatt-hour Tesla battery, after a discount to the sticker price of $12950. Under the new regime from May, the customer would pay $9553.

Advertisement

A relative large 42 kilowatt-hour system by FOXESS would cost $6999, after a discount to the sticker price of $21,392. Under the changes it would cost $15,230. The government said it is confident that many models will continue to come down in price, as its incentives drive sales and increased competition in the retail market. Related Article Australia votes Battery bill buster for millions of households, but renters and cash-strapped may miss out The scheme is limited to homes with solar panels, but householders are still eligible if they install panels and a battery at the same time. According to the government, a household that installs a 10 kilowatt-hour rooftop solar system can typically save around $1000 annually on their electricity costs. If they install a 15 kilowatt-hour battery as well, they can save an additional $600 annually. A kilowatt refers to the rate at which something can charge or discharge energy, whereas a kilowatt-hour (kWh) measures the amount of energy it can store. For example, a one-kilowatt-hour battery can pump out a kilowatt of energy in 60 minutes.

Advertisement

The Smart Energy Council, which represents home battery sellers and installers, welcomed the changes to the rebate scheme. Giving Australias four million solar homes the ability to time shift the use of their power generation is a consumer energy revolution, Smart Energy Council Chief Executive John Grimes said. The government said it is confident that many models will continue to come down in price, as its incentives drive sales and increased competition in the retail market. Experts have told this masthead that an average household of four residents, with two adults and two children, should consider installing a 10 kWh to 15 kWh battery, given they had at least an average-sized rooftop solar panel installation. The popular fringe benefit tax exemption on electric vehicles applies to cars priced under $91,387. The government has said it has forgone $1.35 billion in tax this financial year. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Ben Schrever and Raphaelle Maffei moved into their new, architect-designed, high-quality family home just months after starting to build.

The couple in Melbournes inner north, who have two daughters aged five and eight, chose a prefabricated build after seeing another home nearby arrive on site in one piece.

Ben Schrever outside his prefab home. The quality has been awesome. Credit: Justin McManus

There was nothing there one day, Schrever said, just a foundation, and then my wife saw it craned in and, suddenly, there was a house there. The speed of it looked impressive.

More homes could be built this way if governments and banks threw their support behind prefabricated home building, new modelling shows.
Japan is installing missile batteries and radar towers on an island 110 kilometres east of Taiwan, as it nervously watches Chinas ambitions in the Pacific.

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A

As military tensions between China and Japan reach the highest level in more than a decade, a sparsely populated Japanese island finds itself right on the front line. Sitting just 110 kilometres east of Taiwan, Yonaguni marks the tail end of an archipelago stretching north to Japans main islands, a distance roughly equivalent to the length of the California coastline. Ever since Nancy Pelosis trip to Taipei in 2022 as the US House speaker prompted China to fire missiles that landed near Yonaguni, Japan has accelerated plans for its largest military build-up in at least four decades. Up and down the 160-strong Ryukyu island chain, Japan is quickly putting in place missile batteries, radar towers, ammunition storage sites and other combat facilities. Its also beginning to deploy major military assets on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japans four main islands, including F-35 fighter jets and long-range missiles, as well as expanding its version of the US Marine Corps, known as the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade. The race to fortify the islands is raising the stakes of the current spat between Asias biggest economies, as Beijing ramps up pressure to force Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to retract remarks suggesting that Japan might deploy its military if China one day attempts to seize Taiwan. Over the weekend, a Chinese fighter aircraft locked its weapons-targeting radar on Japanese warplanes, showing the risk of miscalculation if tensions persist. Chinas Peoples Liberation Army is undoubtedly building up its ability to force Taiwan into submission, said Koichi Isobe, a former lieutenant general in Japans Ground Self-Defence Force. Japan, the United States, and other Western countries must show China their strong resolve to oppose any actions that seek to change the status quo. A subtropical island known mostly for endangered wild horses and dive spots with hammerhead sharks, Yonaguni now has apartment buildings sprouting up to house troops for a military base established in 2016. Over the next year, some 30 staff will join the nearly 230 already onsite to accommodate an electronic warfare division, and more are expected to follow with the planned deployment of anti-air missiles.

Advertisement

Some of the 1500 or so residents on the island are becoming more nervous at the infusion of arms, and have sought more clarity from Japanese officials on plans. On a warm evening earlier this month, about 80 locals gathered at a community hall for an explanation meeting, at which Defence Ministry officials explained why it was necessary to deploy troops, anti-air missiles and weapons that use electromagnetic waves to jam enemy communications and targeting capabilities. Some residents voiced concerns over the dangers of an enhanced military presence, with one saying Takaichi should have kept quiet. But others, such as Shigeru Yonahara, a 63-year-old car mechanic and town council member, agreed with the Defence Ministrys position. A few days before the meeting, Japans military reported that it spotted a suspected Chinese drone near the island. Right now were defenceless, Yonahara said in an interview. We need the electronic warfare unit to disable threats like drones. Japan is installing weapons such as this type 03 Chu-SAM surface-to-air missile on its southern islands. JGDSF Since Takaichis remarks triggered a backlash from China, she has repeatedly asserted that Japan hasnt changed its policy toward Taiwan or made any new commitment on when it might deploy its military. However, her remarks have highlighted how closely the security of Japan and Taiwan is connected. While Japan maintains a doctrine of strict self-defence, in 2015 the government of then-prime minister Shinzo Abe oversaw a landmark legal change that allowed the military to aid friendly nations in a situation where Japans own survival could also be at stake. Before Takaichi took power in October, Abe and successive leaders had avoided giving specific scenarios under which collective self-defence would be applied, aware that doing so might stoke tensions with China. But in private, government officials and security analysts have long mentioned that one scenario could be an American-led defence of Taiwan, given Japans proximity to the island democracy and its own dependence on the US for security. Any prospect that American forces would fail to stop a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would therefore inevitably put Japans own security at risk.

Advertisement

Related Article China Marles sounds alarm after Chinese fighter locks on to Japanese jets Japan would have little choice but to support the US in a conflict regardless of how it is viewed by Tokyo, according to Kyoko Hatakeyama, a former Japanese government analyst who is now a professor of international relations at Niigata University. If we decline the US request, that would mean the end of the alliance, she said. And the United States might not even protect Japan in the case of Chinas attack on Japan. The military build-up has attracted heated debate in parliament. Last month, the head of Japans opposition Communist Party said the governments defence plans were creating a missile archipelago. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has rejected that description, saying Japan was deploying its forces in line with other countries. During a recent visit to Yonaguni, he said plans to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles on the island were intended to reduce the likelihood of attacks on Japan. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a visit to Yonaguni last month. Bloomberg Tension over Taiwan has its origin in agreements that ended World War II  a history that Chinese President Xi Jinping is now seeking to bend to his advantage. In conversations with US President Donald Trump and other leaders, Xi has argued that China helped defeat Japan, and that two wartime statements  the Potsdam Declaration and the Cairo Declaration  made clear that Beijing has sovereignty over Taiwan. As part of its response, some Chinese officials have indicated that World War II-era declarations also raise doubts about Japans sovereignty over Yonaguni and other islands in the Ryukyu chain. Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian posted on X a quote from the 1945 Potsdam Declaration, which said Japanese sovereignty should be limited to the countrys four main islands, and such minor islands as we determine.

Advertisement

After 80 years, its come to this. Are they going to make Okinawa a battlefield once again? Protester Hiroyuki Teruya Japan, the US and Taiwan reject Chinas assertions, pointing to the San Francisco Peace Treaty as a legally binding agreement. Signed in 1951 by Japan and almost 50 allied nations, the treaty states that Tokyo renounces all rights, title and claim to Taiwan, but doesnt specify to whom. It also placed the Ryukyu Islands under US administration, paving the way for American military bases primarily located on the island of Okinawa. The islands were returned to Japan in 1972. US forces invade Okinawa in April 1945. Thousands of Japanese civilians were killed in the final major land battle of the Pacific war. AP Beijing rejects the San Francisco treaty, and the Chinese embassy in Tokyo last month posted that it was merely an invalid scrap of paper. China retains active claims to the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands to Beijing, which sit to the north of Yonaguni. Those islands fall under the US-Japan mutual defence treaty, a position that Trumps envoy to Japan, George Glass, reaffirmed last month. China has also sought to play on tensions between indigenous islanders and the militaries of both Japan and the US. Last month, Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times appeared to call for Ryukyu independence in a Weibo post, saying only the Ryukyu people themselves can decide the fate of Ryukyu. A prominent Chinese state media journalist also questioned Japans sovereignty over the islands in a 12-minute television segment, saying they were turned into a huge military base with its indigenous people forced to endure deep-rooted discrimination. Those debates are most prevalent on Okinawa, the centre of American and Japanese military power on the archipelago, where major US Marine Corps and other military bases would likely provide the first response in any conflict over Taiwan if Washington chooses to intervene. Japan is also building up its own military presence on the island: last year, it inaugurated an anti-ship missile base that serves as a command centre for similar outposts on the islands of Ishigaki, Miyako and Amami-Oshima.

Advertisement

Related Article Analysis

China relations As China unleashed on Japan, the US stayed silent  until Beijing went too far Hiroyuki Teruya, a 73-year-old former college professor, has led demonstrations against a Japanese missile base in the city of Uruma on Okinawa. He worries that the militarisation of Japans southern islands will lead to a repeat of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the final land offensive by the US in the Pacific War that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. All three of Teruyas uncles were killed in that conflict. Plans for evacuation shelters on Japans southern islands were a hopeless attempt to protect locals against new bloodshed, Teruya said. Rather than trying to deter China and preparing for conflict with a stronger military, Japan should prioritise diplomacy to avoid war, he said. After 80 years, its come to this, he said. Are they going to make Okinawa a battlefield once again? Japans pacifism challenged Historical memories remain a strong influence on older Japanese, who identify more closely than younger generations with Japans post-World War II rejection of militarism. In 1947, Japan adopted a pacifist constitution that remains unchanged to this day. The increased military presence on Yonaguni could make it a high priority target for China in the event of war. Getty Images

Advertisement
Advertisement

WorldAsiaMyanmar coup Junta airstrikes on Myanmar hospital kill at least 33 Zach Hope December 12, 2025  4:17pm 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 A A

Singapore: Myanmars military killed at least 33 people, including patients and health workers, in what could be the deadliest airstrike on a hospital in almost five years of civil war, according to health and medical agencies. More than 70 people are believed to have been injured in the same Wednesday-night attack in the township of Mrauk U, in the fiercely contested western state of Rakhine. The high number of casualties occurred because the hospital took a direct hit, separatist Arakan Army (AA) spokesman Khine Thu Kha told Reuters. Images posted on social media, which could not be immediately verified, show the hospital complex destroyed. Myanmars military killed and injured dozens of people in an airstrike on Mrauk U hospital in Rakhine state. Facebook Myanmars military junta has been fighting a disparate collection of armed groups for decades in some cases, but fighting broadened and intensified after February 2021, when the generals took power in a coup from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Advertisement

In its efforts to take back swaths of the country lost to resistance forces and crush other pockets of dissent, the military has been using Chinese, Russian and Belarusian weaponry to attack both military and civilian targets, including hospitals. Related Article Myanmar coup Deluded Trump administration deems Myanmar safe, tells citizens to go back home The hit on the Mrauk U hospital was the 67th verified attack on healthcare in Myanmar this year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at least 33 people had been killed in the latest incident. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which was forced to suspend most of its operations in Rakhine state last year because of the escalating conflict, said the strikes appeared to be the deadliest on a hospital in Myanmar since the 2021 coup.

Advertisement

It is difficult to convey how outraged MSF is by the attack on one of the few remaining functioning medical facilities in the area, said Paul Brockmann, MSFs operations manager for Myanmar, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Bombing of health facilities, patients being killed in their beds  this cannot be perceived as collateral damage in a conflict zone. Hospitals must remain a safe place for patients to receive medical care. Related Article Analysis

Earthquakes Thailand just gave Myanmar what it craved, and it wasnt humanitarian aid An MSF statement said the dead and injured included elderly people, long-term care patients and children. A junta spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.

Advertisement

The United Nations estimated in May that the militarys attacks since the 2021 coup had killed close to 7000 civilians, including more than 800 children. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a press conference this week that elections planned for December 28 and January 11 had been accompanied by new waves of acute insecurity, violence and repression. The military also reportedly killed 18 people watching a football game inside a tea shop in the central region of Sagaing last Friday. Few international observers believe the elections will be credible, rather viewing them as a means for the military to entrench power and achieve legitimacy under the guise of a democratic process. Mrauk U township is controlled by the AA, one of Myanmars many ethnic armed organisations fighting the junta. The AA has been accused of its own atrocities during the conflict, most notably a drone strike massacre of hundreds of people from the persecuted Rohingya ethnic minority in August last year.



Advertisement

With 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.
Advertisement

WorldOceaniaInvestigations Bikie-linked security firm still guarding Nauru detainees Nick McKenzie and Cameron Houston December 13, 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 A A A

Entities linked to an embattled security firm with ties to a bikie gang, an alleged tax-evasion scheme and whose CEO quit after being outed as an accused serial sex harasser are still earning millions of taxpayer dollars via lucrative security deals in Canberra and on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru. The Albanese government faces increasing pressure over the continuing engagement of entities linked to MA Services Group and its subcontractors by Commonwealth organisations, including Australias peak criminal intelligence agency. MA Services Group founder Micky Ahuja has resigned as chief executive. Luis Enrique Ascui An investigation by this masthead can also reveal MA Services Group personnel have repeatedly attempted to cover up its role in an ongoing operation involving a private security force sent to the Pacific island to guard exiled Australian immigration detainees. On Friday, the Victorian government confirmed it was suspending the embattled firm from a list of preferred security suppliers.

Advertisement

Every woman deserves to feel safe at work, Government Services Minister Natalie Hutchins said. The allegations against MA Services are deeply concerning, which is why we are suspending the firm from the governments supplier panel. Also on Friday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke refused to answer questions about whether it was appropriate for MA Services Group to retain a multimillion-dollar contract to guard the offices of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), given Tax Office investigations into suspected tax evasion. The ATO is one of the ACICs law enforcement partners. Related Article Exclusive

Investigations Let me make love to you: $1000 sex offer revealed in security firm chiefs harassing messages It has also been revealed that MA Services Group had a previous business relationship with a labour-hire firm owned by a bikie gang boss, who is also of deep interest to federal law enforcement agencies. Burke also declined to comment on whether MA Services Group was an appropriate contractor, given its founder and owner, Micky Ahuja, is accused of sexually harassing female employees.

Advertisement

Ahuja stepped down as chief executive of MA Services Group on Thursday morning after this masthead uncovered allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and offering vulnerable women cash in exchange for sex. Since then, this masthead has received more reports alleging that Ahuja has a long history of sexually harassing women in the workplace. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has declined to answer questions about Australias role in funding a private security force on Nauru. Alex Ellinghausen In response to questions about why it was paying MA Services Group almost $4 million to secure its offices given the serious allegations, the ACIC said it had an existing contract with the firm and that its security guards are licensed, hold a security clearance and are also subject to the ACICs Organisational Suitability Assessment. Burke also declined to answer questions about whether it was appropriate that Australia continued to pay for  via a funding deal with the Nauru government  a multimillion-dollar private security force on the island. Related Article Exclusive

Investigations The scramble to save a deal: How a security giant fought to stay in Nauru

Advertisement

The security force was created by personnel at MA Services Group via subcontractors, and its job is to protect the Nauruan community from immigration deportees  known as the NZYQ cohort  deemed too dangerous to remain in Australia and who are being gradually deported to the Pacific by Labor. Two sources with ties to the security arrangement confirmed that only days ago, a senior MA Services Group operative directed members of the private security force to keep secret the Australian security companys continuing ties to the Nauru operation. In short, its definitely still run and managed by MA figures, one source said of the security operation. MA Services Group has previously sought to distance itself from the Nauru operation amid revelations of links to a bikie gang also involved in the security deal. But the private security guards on Nauru were told by the MA Services Group operative they would be operating via a newly formed subcontractor, International Security Solutions, and would be given new uniforms.

Advertisement

The sources also revealed new details about how the security force was operating. It consists of former Australian law enforcement and military personnel and other security guards who conduct covert and overt surveillance on the small number of NZYQ cohort members in Nauru. The security operatives are directed to call the Nauru Police Force if they fear a crime will be committed. The sources said International Security Solutions would replace an earlier firm created by people associated with MA Services Group, Nauru Community Safety Pty Ltd. Related Article Exclusive

Investigations Mind-boggling: Whistleblower reveals how global bikie boss won Nauru security deal Earlier this month, Ahuja sought to claim  via a public relations agent  that he had no connection to Nauru Community Safety. However, an MA Services Group insider this week leaked a document on official Nauru government letterhead that names Ahuja and an MA Services Group subsidiary, the MA International Group, as the registered shareholders of Nauru Community Safety.

Advertisement

While the Albanese government and the federal agencies and departments still paying MA Services for security guards have said nothing about the firms future as a government contractor, some of its corporate clients are moving to sever ties to the embattled firm. Security industry sources said that Amazon and property giant CBRE were among the blue-chip companies seeking to replace MA Services Group after the revelation about the firm and Ahujas conduct, while Coles has launched a major internal investigation that might imperil a multimillion-dollar contract with the supermarket giant. Ahuja has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and said this week that his decision to quit as CEO was because he wanted to focus on being a husband and father. But he will not escape scrutiny, with a parliamentary inquiry examining the Nauru security deal. Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.Nau
"American Christians have a duty to help wherever they can. The American government has no such responsibilities outside its borders, and it must avoid foreign policy conflicts." "The situation is much more complicated. Armenia also persecutes Azerbaijani Muslims."





These reasonable words belong to the readers of the Christian Post website, which recently published another article by Ruben Vardanyan's son, David, calling for a crusade against Baku to free his father. Of the six comments under the article, the author of only one supported the call for Christians to "wake up," though not for the sake of some Vardanyan. American readers clearly did not get into the touching phrases of Vardanyan Jr., who tried to awaken sympathy and anger in their souls. In the old days, the Armenians managed to play on a religious chord, accompanying the pan-Armenian crying. But something has changed.

It is noteworthy that in his next tearful appeal to world Christianity, Vardanyan Jr. chose a new way to achieve his goal. He focused on hymns to Donald Trump, who should use his influence on Azerbaijan. Baku, they say, will not dare to refuse, as it listens to Washington. The author of the article asserts that on the eve of Christmas, Christians all over the world are watching and praying for the salvation of "Christian Armenians" and for actions to be taken, just as the myth of the "Armenian genocide" was once brought to life. He is sure that Trump can do it, if he wants to. In short, he must stand up for the "martyrs of the faith", who are war criminals, terrorists and financiers of terrorism in the world.

The last straw is an unreliable phenomenon. They grab onto it, realizing that it will break off when there is simply no other way out. Ruben Vardanyan, whose case continues to be considered in the Baku court, chose the religious factor as the last straw. This can be seen both in David's articles and in Ruben Vardanyan's own "messages to freedom." Take, for example, his last phone conversation with his son. According to the Armenian media, the conversation was sublime and full of spiritual instructions, which the "ex-Minister of State" instructed to convey to the entire Christian world. Interestingly, the conversation took place in early November and was replicated in all Armenian media and social networks, and in early December, the Armenian media brought it to light again. Apparently, at the insistence of the family, it was necessary to try again, since the first one did not work.

A WORD TO THE EXPERT

Rovshan Ibragimov, Political scientist, Professor at Hanguk University of Regional Studies (Seoul):

"Sometimes it seems to me that Ruben Vardanyan's son, who is now saving for his dad due to the fact that he is being fed by Azerbaijani taxpayers, made all this fuss just to show that he is not sitting idly by. Apparently, from time to time, Vardanyan puts pressure on his son, blackmailing him by disinheriting him if he does nothing to free him. And it is beneficial for Ruben Vardanyan's family that he continues to sit. Seriously, publishing an article demanding to unite for a new crusade to free all the "martyrs of the faith" who were allegedly innocently convicted on Muslim soil is ridiculous. Right now, in Armenia itself, there are clergymen behind bars who are much more suitable for this definition. An appeal for their release would be in the right place, but for some reason it is not there. As for the Christian Post itself, it is possible that Vardanyan uses this platform because it is anti-trump. There are two aspects. Everyone can see how good relations have developed between the United States and Azerbaijan today and how successfully they are developing. Furthermore, everyone knows that the office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recently opened in Baku. The headquarters of this church is located in the USA. In other words, Azerbaijan demonstrates that it has no problems with the Christian world. In such circumstances, it will be very difficult to give Vardanyan and other Armenian figures on trial in Baku an aura of martyrdom. Perhaps such theses will cause some emotions among housewives who will cry between cooking the first and the second. But it is not serious to expect that these conversations will have any effective political impact."





Azerbaijan, which belongs to the Muslim world, has no problems with the Christian world. Absolutely none. Only a blind person or a known liar can talk about the persecution of Christians in our country. Rovshan Ibrahimov very conveniently recalled the opening of the office of the Mormon Church in Baku in November, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which became the 39th non-Islamic religious community registered in Azerbaijan. Isn't it strange that a country that, according to Vardanyan's heir, has set the goal of exterminating all "native Armenian Christians" is registering a new Christian community and the construction of the second Catholic church in Baku has already begun? These factors are much more important for the Christian world than the fate of war criminals. And in the United States, despite biased reports on religious freedom, they know exactly what's what. Everyone knows about Vardanyan, his business, and his activities in Karabakh.





A new role for Vardanyan began to be composed after Donald Trump spoke about protecting Christians and fighting against "anti-Christian prejudice" during the election campaign. Moreover, during that period he was in friendly contact with representatives of the Armenian Church and the Diaspora. The future president could not resist the temptation to get Armenian votes, which overtakes all US presidential candidates. The diaspora has well-established marketing in this regard, although in reality it cannot play any serious role.

So, based on Donald Trump's pre-election statements, Ruben Vardanyan's fans decided that the Christian factor could solve the issue. Various Christian organizations and Islamophobes immediately got involved, and statements and appeals began to pour in. Trump was constantly reminded that he had promised to save Christianity and that "Christian Armenians were persecuted and forcibly evicted" in Azerbaijan. Rubik himself hastily embarked on a rebranding, even losing weight in order to better match the new image.

The thesis about the religious nature of the conflict was exploited by the Armenian side after the Second Karabakh War. After the war of the early 90s, after total ethnic cleansing and the destruction of dozens of mosques, Armenians tried to avoid such definitions. They needed the occupation to look like a "liberation war of the freedom-loving Karabakh people," and not a feast of xenophobia and misogyny. In those years, the religious factor was not beneficial to the occupier. Even the bloody Serzh Sargsyan warned about this and blasphemously talked about peace between religions and the preservation of spiritual heritage. I remember that in 2011, at a meeting of the Inter-Religious Council of the CIS in Yerevan, the scoundrel stated without shame that "it is immoral and unacceptable to destroy cultural, historical and spiritual monuments under the guise of conflict. Armenia fulfills its obligation to preserve such monuments and, if necessary, restore them." When he said this, he meant only the filmed Blue Mosque, but not the 300 mosques that were razed to the ground in Yerevan and its surroundings, and, of course, he did not keep in mind the 70 mosques destroyed in the occupied territories.

The religious factor became beneficial to the Armenians after the 44-day war in order to present it as a campaign against Christians, and not as a liberation war for the return of internationally recognized territories. This thesis was widely exploited in the hope of forcing the West and the Christian world to condemn Baku and not recognize the results of the war. That, according to calculations, should have led to sanctions and the return of Armenians to Azerbaijani lands. Such ambitious goals were not achieved, and the religious factor was attached to the cases of war criminals and separatist leaders detained in 2023.

Attempts are still ongoing. In a short article, Vardanyan Jr. repeated the word "Christians" in almost every sentence. The idea that the "ex-minister of State" of the separatists is trampling on the rights of all Christians in the world shines through in every paragraph. And the further you go, the less convincing his writing becomes. It is very sad that my granddaughter did not see my grandfather, but it's not about my grandfather's religion, but about his deeds. It would be better for Grandfather to continue to engage in his fraudulent business and not stick his nose into politics, where he managed to inherit a lot in a short time. He was much better at cheating in business than cheating in politics.

Vardanyan Jr. is mistaken when he claims that the entire Christian world is watching the fate of his father and other "Armenian Christian hostages." The world is not watching. But his dad was right-light always overcomes darkness. And that's why he ended up in the dock and will answer for everything he did.
NANJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's Milky Way Imaging Scroll Painting (MWISP) project released the Phase-1 dataset of millimeter-wave molecular spectral lines observation data, according to the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Thursday.

The newly released data covers approximately 2,300 square degrees of the northern Galactic plane, spanning longitude ranges from 10 to 230 degrees and latitudes within 5 degrees, said Yang Ji, chief scientist of the MWISP project and a researcher at the PMO.

By detecting millimeter-wave signals from interstellar carbon monoxide molecules, the project provides high-precision mapping of molecular gas distributions and structures of the Milky Way.

The MWISP project, which began systematic observations in 2011, has completed the full mapping of its first phase.

The release comprises over 100 million individual spectral lines accumulated by the research team, as well as more than 100,000 molecular cloud samples. Using the data, researchers have assembled the most complete millimeter-wave carbon monoxide molecular-line database to date, offering a panoramic view of Milky Way research.

Furthermore, the data also disclosed the intricate internal structure and physical properties of interstellar clouds, offering a "three-dimensional atlas" and "census report" of Milky Way's molecular gas for investigating the Galactic gas cycle and star formation.

The MWISP dataset can synergize with other major Chinese facilities such as the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) and the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), powering frontier research into areas such as the interstellar medium, Galactic structure and evolution, and the origins of high-energy cosmic rays, said Su Yang, an associate researcher at the PMO. 
BALAGHAT IS NOW NAXAL-FREE





Our Correspondent :

IN BALAGHAT, the last remaining hardcore Naxalite, Deepak, surrendered on December 11 in Korkha, in the Birsa area, along with his associate Rohit. With this surrender, Balaghat district has officially become Naxal-free. Naxal ASP, Adarshkant Shukla stated that a reward of Rs 29 lakh had been announced for Deepak and Rs 14 lakh for Rohit.

Both reached the Korkha camp, laid down their arms, and expressed their desire for rehabilitation. Balaghat district has been affected by Naxalism since the 1990s. The Union Home Ministry had set a deadline of March 2026 to make the country Naxal-free, but Balaghat has achieved this goal ahead of schedule. Deepak and Rohit surrendered under the State Governments rehabilitation scheme.

They have been assured of financial assistance, skill development training, and social reintegration under the existing policy. This process of Naxalites surrendering in the district began on November 1 with the surrender of female Naxalite Sunita. Following this, on the night of December 6, approximately 10 other Naxalites also surrendered to the police in Balaghat.

Earlier, Sangeeta, a Naxalite from the district, had surrendered in Gondia, and Sampat had surrendered in Chhattisgarh, returning to the mainstream.
Body-worn camerasfor traffic cops inState soon: Fadnavis

Staff Reporter:

BODY-WORN cameras with traf fic police personnel in Maharashtra is going to be a real ty soon as the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the system will be rolled out in phas es, beginning with major cities across the state. Fadnavis made this announce ment in the Legislative Council on Wednesday. Fadnavis also announced that traffic cops with body-worn cameras will be authorised to issue challans for traffic rule violations. Fadnavis was replying to ques tions raised by members from both the ruling and opposition benches during question hour.

The legislators objected to traf fic police personnel using private mobile phones to issue e-chal lans, calling for greater trans parency and accountability. The Government will work on equip ping traffic police with Body Worn Cameras in phases. Like Goa, only those police personnel with BWCs can issue challans, the Chief Minister said. The Chief Minister added that a dedicated system will be developed within six months to ensure the recovery of fines from chal lans after they are issued.

He also announced the formation of a committeeled by a senior offi cer to study global and inter state best practices related to the use of technology in traffic enforcement. A team, to be led by a senior officer, will study the practices around the world and different states related to the use of technology. Based on its recommendations, a policy will be intro duced in the next three months, Fadnavis added.
Cold wave grips several distts; Shahdol shivers at 3.80 C





Staff Reporter :

A SHARP spell of cold wave conditions continued across Madhya Pradesh during the past 24 hours, with the impact of cold wave reported from Bhopal, Raisen, Rajgarh, Sehore, Shajapur and Shahdol districts, while Indore district experienced a severe cold wave. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the weather remained dry in all divisions of the state. Both maximum and minimum temperatures showed no significant change over the last 24 hours, but night temperatures dipped well below normal in several parts.

Minimum temperatures were markedly below normal by 5.1C in the districts of Bhopal division, appreciably below normal by 3.3C to 3.4C in Indore and Ujjain divisions, and below normal by 1.6C to 2.9C in the districts of Narmadapuram, Chambal, Rewa, Jabalpur, Shahdol and Sagar divisions. Maximum temperatures remained normal in most parts, though they were 1.7C below normal in districts of Indore and Ujjain divisions. Kalyanpur in Shahdol district recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the state at 3.8C, followed by Indore at 4.5C, Pachmarhi (Narmadapuram) at 4.8C, Rajgarh at 5.0C and Girvar (Shajapur) at 5.2C.

The highest minimum temperatures were reported from Agar at 13.9C, Kannod (Dewas) at 12.5C, Prithvipur (Niwari) at 11.8C, Sagar at 11.4C, and Dhar and Narmadapuram at 11.2C. Day temperatures also showed a wide range across districts. The lowest maximum temperature of 22.7C was recorded in Malanjkhand (Balaghat), followed by Amarkantak (Anuppur) at 23.6C, Chitrakoot (Satna) at 24.1C, and Narsinghpur and Betul at 25.0C. Girvar (Shajapur) and Rewa reported 25.5C as their maximum. On the other hand, Khandwa was the warmest with 30.1C, followed by Ujjain at 29.5C, Sagar at 29.4C, Gwalior at 29.3C, and Narmadapuram at 29.0C. No rainfall was recorded anywhere in the state.

Wind speeds across the state remained light, averaging between 8 to 10 kmph. Synoptic conditions indicate that a strong subtropical westerly jet stream, with core winds reaching up to 204 kmph at around 12.6 km above mean sea level, is prevailing over Northeast India. A fresh but weak western disturbance is expected to influence the Western Himalayan region from December 13, though its impact on Madhya Pradesh is likely to be minimal. In Bhopal, the weather remained dry with a clear sky and light haze in the morning. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 26.4C, which was 1.5C below normal, and a minimum temperature of 6.6C, nearly 5.6C below normal, indicating a notable night chill.

Morning humidity was 68 percent, while the evening humidity on Wednesday stood at 42 percent. No rainfall was recorded in the capital either. The IMD has issued a cold wave warning for isolated places in Bhopal, Raisen, Sehore, Rajgarh, Indore, Shajapur and Shahdol districts. Residents have been advised to stay protected from the biting cold, monitor early signs of frostbite and hypothermia, cover exposed body parts, wear adequate warm clothing and avoid unnecessary exposure to cold winds. The department also urged farmers to safeguard livestock, use warm bedding, manage crop residue responsibly, provide light irrigation to crops as needed, and monitor mustard, chickpea and pea crops for early signs of pest or disease.

The forecast for Bhopal and its surrounding areas indicates clear skies with morning haze, with temperatures likely to hover around 26C (maximum) and 7C (minimum) till Friday morning. The IMD has advised people to stay updated through official weather bulletins.
AMMAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Nine people were dead after they suffered fatal respiratory distress due to gas leaks from home heaters in two separate incidents in the central Jordanian governorate of Zarqa, the Jordanian police said on Friday.

In a statement, the police said the first incident, which occurred on Friday morning, claimed the lives of five members of an Arab family, including a mother and her children, aged between 11 and 14.

Another incident was reported late Thursday in the same governorate, where four members of another family died after inhaling gas leaking from a heater inside their home, according to the statement.

Rescue teams from the Zarqa Civil Defense Department had transferred the bodies to Zarqa Government Hospital, the police added.

Last week, the Jordanian Civil Defense reiterated its warnings about the dangers of improper use of heating devices, which have increased due to the drop in temperatures. It emphasized that using heaters for long periods, especially without proper ventilation, may lead to fire hazards or breathing difficulties, due to issues like gas leaks or device malfunctions. 
DRAMA DURING RESCUE: TTC vehicle breaks down, team borrows safety shield





By Kaushik Bhattacharya :

Foresters taking the caged leopard to TTC at Seminary Hills. The cage was shifted to a borrowed pick up van after the rescue vehicle developed snag midway. (Pics by Satish Raut) THE The proposal for fund allocation for purchase of new cages, safety equipment, maintenance of vehicles etc. for TTC has already been forwarded to the ministry. The Forest Minister himself said today that he will consider the proposal and release fund soon, informed Dr Vinita Vyas, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Territorial to The Hitavada.Transit Treatment Centre (TTC), Seminary Hills, which is the busiest unit of Forest Department for rescuing wild animals in Maharashtra, has to deal with fund crunch for the last one year when it came to buying safety and rescue equipment.

The TTC team, which per formed the daredevil rescue operation of a leopard which injured more than half-a dozen persons at Pardi area in city on Wednesday morning, were short of proper safety equipment and vehicle during that particular operation. According to a senior official of TTC, the rescue team on Wednesday had no vehicle to transport the leopard to TTC back and also borrowed safety shields from deployed police staff during the operation.We are demanding different rescue equipment like safety shields, sticks, chest shield, nets, etc. from the department for the last one year.

The cages were also in poor condition which require maintenance, said Kundan Hate, In-charge, TTC told The Hitavada.As per the information shared by a source involved in the operation, After rescuing the leopard, the vehicle which was transporting the big cat to TTC, broke down mid-way. The team hired a small pickup vehicle to transport the leopard to Seminary Hills. The TTC has five rescue vehicles, including a fully equipped ambulance. However, all the five vehicles require maintenance and in cur rent situation, TTC has to hire a vehicle to transport any wild animal after its rescue.

We have contractual staff who participate in such daredevil res cue operations all the time. They do work on a very nominal salary with no benefit of insurance for such brave rescue works, said a senior officer of TTC. Government should work proactively for such issues as the front line staff of the department face such life threatening events in every rescue activity, said Hate.
Goa fire case accused Luthrabrothers DETAINED in Thailand





PANAJI :

GAURAV and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in North Goa where a blaze claimed 25 lives, have been detained by the authorities in Thailand, officials said on Thursday, as a Delhi court rejected their transit anticipatory bail pleas citing the duos conduct and the gravity of the offences. The brothers, prime accused in the case related to the tragedy that unfolded at Arpora village around midnight on December 6, would be brought back to India at the earliest to face legal action, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured in Panaji.

A court in Goa, meanwhile, remanded Ajay Gupta, who claimed to be a silent partner and investor in the nightclub, in police custody for seven days. A Delhi court rejected the transit anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra. The duo had sought four weeks of transit anticipatory bail so that they were not immediately arrested on their return, but Additional Sessions Judge Vandana dismissed the pleas. They left, they concealed, and they are now seeking leniency, the Goa Governments lawyer told the court, pointing out that they had fled immediately after the fire incident and were evading the legal process.

One of the lawyers of the Luthras submitted during the hearing that they were willing to return immediately and face the investigation. But the court noted that the offence was serious in nature as 25 people lost their lives in the fire. Given the conduct of the applicants and nature of the allegations, the court was not inclined to grant them relief, the judge said. She pointed out that documents showed that the accused booked tickets to Phuket at 1.17 AM on December 7 (over an hour after the fire broke out), and the flight departed at 5.20 AM. This fact was concealed, and their counsel instead stated that they had left for Thailand before the fire broke out, the judge said.

The licence agreement, trade licence and lease deed of the club had expired, said the court. It also trashed the medical grounds cited by Gaurav Luthra, noting that his own lawyer stated that his condition was not such that he cannot travel to another country. The medical documents were old, and do not reflect any serious medical conditions, the judge said. There was no explanation why the Luthras failed to approach the competent court having territorial jurisdiction in Goa, she added, while clarifying that the brothers were at liberty to approach the competent court for seeking appropriate relief.
How a village shed supplied MD drug worth crores to city





The equipment used to manufacture the drug. (right) The powdered material produced before it is processed into the final MD drug.

By Dheeraj Fartode :

A major twist has emerged in the 128 kg Mephedrone (MD) factory case after investigators confirmed that most of the drugs cooked in a hidden shed in Karanja (Ghadge) were being sold in Nagpur city. Over the past year, several MD seizures by Nagpur City and Rural Police were unknowingly linked to this same factory, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have now found.

The DRI has arrested three youths from Karanja (Ghadge): Vaibhav (Bhayyu) Hiralal Agarwal (35), Yash (Alu) Dhanraj Bannagre (20) and Soham Sanjay Dhaygode (21). Sources said the trio wanted to make quick money and set up the MD cooking unit inside a tin shed in a lonely patch of shrub-covered land. Agarwal, though only a Computer Science graduate, acted as the main chemist who learnt drug cooking techniques from an unidentied person and from dark web websites. He also sourced the precursor chemicals online using fake details.

Cheap production, huge profits

Drug dealers from Nagpur were in touch with the accused through a common contact. The accused sold MD at just Rs 600 per gram, while it was resold in Nagpur and other cities for Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per gram. Nagpur City Police had carried out several raids in the past year, arresting multiple smugglers, but the source of the drug remained hidden until now. On Monday night, under the code name Operation Hinterland Brew, the DRI carried out its biggest-ever anti-narcotics action in Wardha district. Acting on a tip-off, officers kept watch on an isolated forest area in Karanja (Ghadge) on Nagpur-Amravati road. The suspicious tin shed looked like an ordinary village house, but the moment officers entered, they found a fully functional drug factory.The DRI seized 128 kg of manufactured MD (Rs 192 crore), 245 kg of precursor chemicals, Reactors, large vessels, and complete drug production equipment. Agarwal, the mastermind, financed and operated the entire setup while working as the chemist. The DRI is now probing the wider supply chain, including Nagpur-based dealers, who bought drugs from the Karanja factory. More arrests are likely in the coming days.

Investigation underway into origins of drug racket: MoS Home Bhoyar

Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar, on Thursday, said an investigation is underway into the origins of the drug racket uncovered in Wardha district a few days back. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently busted a mephedrone manufacturing unit and seized 128 kg of the banned drug valued at Rs 192 crore in Wardha. Three persons, including the alleged mastermind, who also acted as the financier and chemist, were arrested during the operation conducted on Sunday and Monday, an official earlier said. Asked about such a huge quantity of contraband found in Wardha, Bhoyar said the authorities have sealed the unit. An investigation is underway to trace the roots of this drug racket, the minister told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises here. Bhoyar said he held a meeting with the local police and gave them the necessary directions for action in the matter.
Katnis Bank of Maha Robbery case: Keyaccused arrested, stolen ATM recovered





Our Correspondent:

POLICE have achieved a major breakthrough in the high-profile Bank of Maharashtra ATM rob bery case in Katni district. They have arrested a key accused from Uttar Pradesh. The stolen ATM machine has also been recovered from a pond in a forest near Kelwara village in Katni district. However, the approximately Rs 11.35 lakh cash that was in the machine is still missing. On Thursday evening, Superintendent of Police, Abhinav Vishwakarma held a press conference to reveal details of the case.

SP, Vishwakarma stated that during the investigation into the theft of Bank of Maharashtra ATM from the Madhavnagar police station area, police arrested the accused Arif alias Batu (35) from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. Arif is the son of Momin Khan and a resident of Rasulpur Aurangabad, near the Kali River, in the Bhavnpur police station area of Meerut. During questioning, the arrest ed accused Arif confessed that he committed the crime with five other accomplices  Intezar alias Kala, Mohammad Yameen, Inam, Ehsan and Muqeem.

All of them are relatives and friends. This gang is originally from Uttar Pradesh and has several serious cases registered against them in various dis tricts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, including theft, robbery, murder, and attempted murder. Police recovered the stolen ATM machine and a Maruti XL-6 car from the arrested accused Arif alias Batu. The SP stated that the stolen ATM machine was found in a pond near the Kelwara forest. The machine was badly damaged, and the cash had already been removed from it. According to the police, this gang primarily targeted ATMs located on highways. They used pick-up trucks to uproot and steal the ATMs.

Police interrogation revealed that this international gang of thieves targeted ATM machines located on road sides or near highways. First, these accused would steal a pick-up truck from the area surrounding the crime scene. Then, using the pick-up truck, they would tie a rope around the ATM machine and pull it, causing the machine to be uprooted. The uprooted ATM machine was loaded into a pickup truck. After the crime, they would aban don the pick-up truck near the crime scene and flee. In this incident in Madhavnagar, the accused first stole a pick up truck from the Kuthla police station area.

Then, using the same vehicle, they tied a rope around the Bank of Maharashtra ATM, uprooted it, loaded it into the vehicle, and hid it in the forest near the highway. The ATM was later broken open and the money was stolen. Rahul Mishra, the Branch Manager of Bank of Maharashtra, Bargawan branch, filed a report at the Madhavnagar police station on December 5, 2025. He stated that on the night of December 6, 2025, at around 2:26 AM, he received information about the theft from the CCTV surveillance control team in Hyderabad. Upon reaching the ATM site, he found that the ATM machine had been uprooted and stolen by unknown thieves.

The stolen ATM machine contained approximately Rs. 11,35,000 in cash. A case was registered at Madhavnagar police station under sections 331(4), 305(1), and 324(5) of the BNS, and an investigation was launched. The SP stat ed that during question ing, the arrested accused, Arif alias Batu, revealed the names of his five oth er accomplicesIntizar alias Kala, Mohammad Yameen, Inam, Ehsan, and Muqeem. Police teams are continuously conducting raids to apprehend these absconding accused, and the remaining accused will be arrested soon, along with the recovery of the stolen cash.
Maharashtra launches Industries, Investment and Services Policy





Staff Reporter :

Blueprint to become Indias first trillion-dollar State

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis planned the growth in three phases till 2047

The Government of Maharashtra has officially unveiled its ambitious Industries, Investment and Services (II and S) Policy 2025, marking a transformative shift in the States economic strategy. This policy aims to position Maharashtra as Indias first trillion-dollar economy and a trusted global hub for investment, by fostering smart manufacturing, high-value services, inclusive growth, and sustainability. Maharashtra Industries, Investment and Services Policy 2025 sets the roadmap for Manufacturing sector to grow at 15% and Services sector to grow at 12-13% for the State economy to reach 1 trillion Dollar by 2030 and 5 trillion dollar by 2047.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has planned growth in three phases--2029, 2035 and 2047. The policy will make the growth to achieve in those phases. At the heart of the policy lies a clear and compelling vision, to position Maharashtra as the most attractive destination for domestic and international investors. The policy sets out to achieve Rs 70.5 lakh crore (850 billion dollar) in total investments, with Manufacturing sector target of Rs 41.5 lakh crore and Services sector target of Rs 29 lakh crore. It also targets the creation of 50 lakh direct jobs within the policy period. The Manufacturing sector is expected to contribute 20% to the States GSDP by 2047, while the Services sector continues to be a key growth engine. To drive this transformation, the Government has introduced several institutional reforms. A new body, Invest Maharashtra, will serve as the States unified investment promotion agency, backed by a Rs 3,000 crore outlay.

The Industries Department has been restructured and renamed as the Industries, Investment and Services Department, with dedicated Commissionerates for MSMEs and Services. These changes are designed to streamline governance, improve investor facilitation, and ensure sector-specific focus. The policy also emphasizes infrastructure development through physical interventions such as the creation of 20+ smart townships and 5000+ acre Ultra Mega Parks (under PPP model) to position Maharashtra among Asias top 3 industrial hubs. These industrial areas shall be developed with smart, green, and circular economy principles, offering plug-and-play infrastructure to attract large-scale investments. Additionally, the State will establish a GIS-enabled land bank, promote private industrial parks, and enhance connectivity through industrial corridors and multimodal transport networks. On the soft intervention front, the policy introduces a revamped MAITRI 2.0 portal, integrating over 125 services with Al-powered investor support, blockchain-based document verification, and real-time compliance tracking.

The biennial Magnetic Maharashtra Global Investment Summit will be relaunched to showcase the States strengths to global investors, while district-level investment summits will unlock regional potential and promote balanced development. Maharashtra is turning its low-industrialised regions into engines of growth through the Emerging Districts initiative. This initiative covers 27 districts across Zone 1 (districts with per capita income less than India 1,88,892) and Zone 2 (districts with per capita income less than Maharashtra 2,78,681 but more than per capita income of India). The policy aims to establish 650+ projects across Zone 1 and 2, driving regional and balanced development of the State. Backed by marquee incentives like 1-per-acre land for global giants, fast-track approvals, and priority support, this programme is set to unlock untapped potential and power inclusive industrialisation across the State.
MIA highlights poor infrastructure at Hingna MIDC





Business Reporter :

The MIDC Industries Association (MIA), Hingna, on Thursday drew attention to the deteriorating condition of essential infrastructure within one of Maharashtras oldest industrial estates and called on policymakers to intervene. Internal roads, street lighting and support utilities have steadily worsened, hurting operational efficiency, worker safety and investor confidence.

The internal road network is riddled with deep potholes and uneven surfaces, leading to frequent vehicle breakdowns, higher maintenance costs and delays in the movement of raw materials and finished goods. Monsoon water logging exacerbates the risk of accidents for pedestrians and two-wheelers. Despite regular service-charge payments by industries, visible improvement remains absent. Inadequate and often non-functional street lighting across several sectors further compromises security, increasing the likelihood of theft and endangering night-shift workers.

The association also questioned the impact of the annual Winter Session of the Maharashtra State Assembly in Nagpur, noting that while the session provides a platform for raising issues, sustained infrastructure upgrades have not materialised. P Mohan, President of MIA, urged a publicly funded approach to restore the estates infrastructure without overburdening industry. MIA further criticised local civic bodies for dumping garbage within the estate, creating health hazards, and called for immediate, coordinated action to revive Hingna MIDC and unlock its potential as a key logistics and manufacturing hub.
Padgha ISIS-linked radicalisation case Multi-State raids by ED







MUMBAI :

THE Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted multi-State searches as part of terror financing-linked money laundering investigation against a highly radicalised module of banned global terrorist group ISIS that had its base in Thanes Padgha village, officials said. The raids were launched early morning at 40 locations, including in the twin villages of Padgha-Borivali in Maharashtras Thane apart from Ratnagiri district and locations in Delhi, Kolkata and some towns of Uttar Pradesh, they said. The ED teams were provided security by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra for the raids undertaken in the state while central security forces assisted them in other areas, the officials said. The federal agency filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) taking cognisance of a November, 2023 NIA case which alleged that certain individuals were part of a highly radicalised ISIS-linked module and engaged in recruitment, training, procurement of weapons and explosives and raising funds to sustain their operations.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has listed 21 people in the chargesheet in the case on charges of conspiracy to recruit and radicalise vulnerable youth into the ISIS ideology and fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). According to the NIA, the accused had self-declared the Padgha village in rural Thane as a liberated zone named Al Sham and they were motivating impressionable Muslim youth to relocate in Padgha from their place of residence for strengthening their base.

The accused were also charged by the NIA for preparing to unleash terrorist attacks, raising funds to further the ISIS agenda to spread violence in India and destroy its secular ethos and democratic systems. The accused had also taken bayath (pledge of allegiance) from another arrested accused, Shahnawaz Alam, a habitual offender in many previous terror cases controlled by handler late Saquib Abdul Hamid Nachan, a self-styled leader for ISIS in India, according to the NIA. Nachan, who died at a Delhi hospital in June, was arrested by the NIA from Padgha. The ED, according to officials, also took intelligence inputs from the Mumbai ATS about an illegal Khair (Kaith) wood smuggling racket that used the proceeds of crime (illicit funds defined under the PMLA) for extremist activities as part of this investigation.
Registered societies consent mandatory for liquor shops

Staff Reporter :

MAHARASHTRA Deputy Chief Minister and Excise Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said that both foreign retail liquor outlets and country liquor shops will be required to obtain mandatory consent from registered hous ing societies before commenc ing operations. Ajit Pawar also directed that the new policy be implemented across the state. This permission from regis tered societies will now be com pulsory for both categories of liquor shops. The policy must be enforced uniformly throughout Maharashtra, Deputy CM Pawar Pune, Nagpur and Kalyan Dombivli.

told the Assembly while responding to a question raised by BJP legislator Shankar Jagtap. Jagtap sought a cancellation of the licences of liquor shops operating in the ChinchwadKalewadi area of Pune district. During the dis cussion, Jagtap said that a shop in Sahyadri Society had started operations in violation of norms. He said the building was incom plete when permission was granted, and the licence had been issued on the basis of incomplete documents. He demanded action against those responsible.

Dy CM Pawar reiterated the mandatory requirement of soci ety consent for liquor outlets and informed the House about the action taken regarding the two shops against which com plaints had been received. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath informed the Shinde Legislative Assembly that Maharashtra has recorded more than 30 lakh cases of dog bites in the last six years, while 30 people died of rabies between 2021 and 2023.

Deputy CM Shinde made the disclosure in a written reply to a question by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Sunil Prabhu, amid concerns over the rising num ber of stray dogs, especially in major cities such as Mumbai, Deputy CM Shinde said there has been a significant increase in dog bite incidents in both rural and urban areas. Between 2021 and 2023 alone, around 30 people succumbed to rabies after dog bites, he said. Maharashtra has recorded more than 30 lakh cases of dog bites in the last six years, while 30 people died of rabies between 2021 and 2023, Deputy CM Shinde said in his written reply during the question hour.

Replying to another query, DCM Shinde said local bodies have been directed to intensify animal birth control and anti rabies vaccination programmes in accordance with Supreme Court directions issued in August 2024. The Urban Development Department issued instructions to all civic bodies on November 14, while similar directions were given to rural local bodies on November 27. He further said the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, are being implemented across the state following gov ernment orders issued in March this year. On compensation to the families of those who died due to rabies and on delays in con trolling the stray dog population, the Deputy Chief Minister said the matter does not arise at present.
RTO (City) Kiran Bidkar suspended in Mankapur school bus mishap case





Staff Reporter :

Transport Minister also announced inquiry into affairs of RTO (east) and RTO Rural during reply in Assembly

Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, on Thursday, announced in Legislative Assembly the suspension of Regional Transport Officer (City) Kiran Bidkar holding latter responsible for the dereliction of duty in the mishap in Mankapur that claimed life of a school girl student. Sarnaik said, the RTO failed to follow up on notice issued to bus owner about non-renewal of fitness certificate. The Minister, replying to the call attention motion tabled by Dr Nitin Raut, also announced inquiry into affairs of RTO (Rural) and RTO (East) as Dr Raut claimed nearly 10 per cent of 3,883 school buses are running on roads without fitness certificate.

The errant bus driver was at fault as he was allegedly speeding when it crashed into a van carrying school students. The incident had occurred in September 2025 and post-inquiry, it brought out the fact that the bus fitness certificate was not renewed. This shows gross negligence on the part of RTO in implementing the rules. The Minister said, the RTO (City), RTO (Rural) and Nagpur (East) are continuously checking vehicles that are not running with valid fitness certificates. So far, 248 cases were registered and fine of Rs 83.06 lakh was realised for violation of rules.

When the Member insisted on fixing the responsibility, the Minister said, The concerned RTO is being suspended for failure to ensure that school buses are not run without valid fitness certificate. The RTO should have followed up on the notice served to the bus owner for not renewing the fitness of the vehicle. BJP Members Sudhir Mungantiwar and Pravin Datke pressed for strict action against officers to send message to bureaucrats.
Swift Intel, quicker action: How India-Thai agencies tracked down Luthra brothers across borders





Gaurav Luthra Saurabh Luthra

NEW DELHI :

A SWIFT multi-agency operation, which stretched across two countries, eventually led to the detention in Thailand of Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, owners of Goas Birch By Romeo Lane nightclub. A total of 25 people died in the blaze at the nightclub, following which the Luthra brothers fled the country. The deportation process has begun, and officials expect the duo to be brought back soon. The brothers have been taken to a detention centre in Phuket. Officials say that they are already in contact with the authorities in Thailand, and the process to secure their return has already begun. Authorities in India wasted no time in tracking the brothers.

The process began immediately after the immigration authorities informed them of their departure. The Thai authorities were immediately alerted by their Indian counterparts. The immigration desk was the first to alert the authorities about the departure. Once it was confirmed that they had flown into Phuket, the Thai authorities were alerted. Another official said that the operation needed to be a swift one as there was the risk that the duo might leave Thailand once they realised they had been tracked. Once the Thai authorities were alerted about the details of the duo, they immediately swung into action and launched searches across the island. The detention would have taken place earlier, but the brothers had shifted from the place they were staying in Phuket. This led to the search being extended. Eventually, they were traced and then detained. Officials say that Gaurav and Saurabh booked their tickets at 1.17 a.m. on December 7 through MakeMyTrip.

This was the same time when the firefighters and police were attempting to douse the fire and rescue those who were trapped inside the nightclub at Airpora, Goa. The brothers are now in Thai custody, and the authorities are going ahead with the legal formalities. An official said that they expect the deportation to take place soon. Once back in India, they would be handed over to the Goa police for further investigation.
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday said the Chinese side hopes the international community can be clear-eyed and not be deceived by the Japanese side, and Japan's allies in particular need to see through the Japanese side's schemes.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks when asked to comment on the phone call held by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth, with both sides sharing so-called serious concern over the recent "radar illumination." 
Time magazine names Architects of AI as its person of year for 25





NEW YORK :

THE Architects of AI were named Time magazines person of the year for 2025 on Thursday. The magazine cited 2025 as the year when the potential of artificial intelligence roared into view with no turning back. For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the possible, the Architects of AI are TIMEs 2025 Person of the Year, Time said in a social media post. The magazine was deliberate in selecting people  the individuals who imagined, designed, and built AI  rather than the technology itself.
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, announced on Friday that it will conduct a 600-billion-yuan (about 85 billion U.S. dollars) outright reverse repo operation next Monday to maintain ample liquidity in the banking system.

The operation will be carried out with a fixed quantity through interest-rate bidding, with winning bids determined at multiple price levels. It will have a tenor of six months, or 182 days.

This move represents a net injection of liquidity, as 400 billion yuan of similar six-month outright reverse repos are set to mature in December.

This marks the seventh consecutive month that the PBOC has expanded its outright reverse repo operations.

Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating, stated that these sustained liquidity injections demonstrate the continuity of supportive monetary policy, which will facilitate government bond issuance and alleviate potential liquidity strain from the year-end maturity of interbank certificates of deposit.

Outright reverse repo operations -- a tool the central bank introduced in October 2024 to manage liquidity in the national banking system -- are carried out each month with a tenor of no more than one year.

These operations have enriched the country's monetary policy toolkit, complementing previous measures such as temporary repos, temporary reverse repos, and the buying and selling of treasury bonds. 
Allete, Inc. (NYSE:ALE  Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 1,724,252 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 233% from the previous sessions volume of 517,050 shares.The stock last traded at $67.8550 and had previously closed at $67.71.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on ALE. Wall Street Zen downgraded Allete from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Allete in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Allete has a consensus rating of Buy.

Get Allete alerts:

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Allete

Allete Price Performance

The businesss 50 day moving average is $67.42 and its 200-day moving average is $65.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.83 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Allete (NYSE:ALE  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.34). Allete had a net margin of 11.04% and a return on equity of 5.08%. The business had revenue of $375.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.90 million.

Institutional Trading of Allete

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALE. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Allete during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. CX Institutional raised its position in Allete by 67.3% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 445 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Allete by 151.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 579 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Allete by 3,456.3% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 569 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Allete in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.55% of the companys stock.

About Allete

(Get Free Report)

ALLETE, Inc operates as an energy company. The company operates through Regulated Operations, ALLETE Clean Energy, and Corporate and Other segments. It generates electricity from coal-fired, biomass co-fired / natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. In addition, the company provides regulated utility electric services in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 13,000 natural gas customers, and 10,000 water customers, as well as regulated utility electric services in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 150,000 retail customers and 14 non-affiliated municipal customers.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Allete Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Allete and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Canadian Banc Corp. (TSE:BK  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as C$15.73 and last traded at C$15.44, with a volume of 330870 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$15.45.

Canadian Banc Price Performance

The company has a market cap of C$652.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of C$13.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$13.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 98.31.

Get Canadian Banc alerts:

Canadian Banc Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a sep 25 dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.164 per share. Canadian Bancs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.43%.

Canadian Banc Company Profile

The Companys investment objectives are (i) to provide holders of Preferred Shares with cumulative preferential floating rate monthly cash dividends at a rate per annum equal to the Prime Rate plus 0.75%, with a minimum annual rate of 5.0% and a maximum annual rate of 7.0% (ii) to provide holders of Class A Shares with regular floating rate monthly cash distributions targeted to be at a rate per annum equal to the Prime Rate plus 2.0%, with a minimum targeted annual rate of 5.0% and a maximum targeted annual rate of 10.0% and (iii) to return the original issue price to holders of both Preferred Shares and Class A Shares at the time of the redemption of such shares on December 1, 2012.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Banc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Banc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
by Xinhua writers Zhang Yunlong and Huang Shuo

BEIJING/TAIPEI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A landmark historical film depicting Taiwan people' resistance against Japanese colonial rule is arriving in mainland theaters in its full form for the first time, more than a decade after its original release.

"Seediq Bale," the two-part epic by Taiwan director Wei Te-sheng, opened on the mainland on Friday with part one, followed by the second part on Saturday.

Widely regarded as one of Taiwan's most ambitious cinematic projects, the film dramatizes the 1930 Wushe Incident, in which people from the Seediq ethnic group, led by chief Mona Rudao, staged a desperate uprising against Japanese colonial authorities.

Originally released in Taiwan in two parts in 2011, the film reached mainland audiences as a shorter, single-feature version in May 2012. Its restored release marks the first time the complete two-part original is being shown on the big screen in the mainland.

The timing coincides with nationwide commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China.

"Seediq Bale" has enjoyed enduring popularity among Chinese audiences, with the earlier edited version earning an 8.8 out of 10 rating on review platform Douban, while both parts of the complete edition score 8.9.

One Douban user from Guangdong praised the film on Friday for eschewing the didactic tone of many historical dramas. "It presents that history with raw authenticity," the user wrote. "Every character feels real -- flesh and blood -- reminding us of the profound power of belief. History should never be forgotten!"

Wei revisited the film's origins during a screening event at the Golden Rooster International Film Festival in Xiamen last month, recalling how he felt his blood boil after reading a comic book about the Wushe Incident in one sitting.

The path from inspiration to production was anything but straightforward. The project stretched about 12 years, during which many in Taiwan's film industry doubted it could ever be completed. Wei finished the script in 2000. Facing uncertain financing, Wei made the romantic drama "Cape No. 7" to demonstrate that he could deliver a commercial success. Released in 2008 in Taiwan and the following year on the mainland, "Cape No. 7" became a major hit.

At the Xiamen event, Wei likened the grueling production process of "Seediq Bale" to raising a child. "Even if you are unprepared, once the child is born, you must nurture it," he said.

Shot across 28 locations in Taiwan, the film is known for its meticulous reconstruction of the 1930s Wushe region -- down to architectural materials and interior objects -- and for its immersive training regimen for actors portraying Seediq fighters.

This year's commemorations have lent the release a new layer of resonance. Speaking to mainland media in Xiamen, Wei said he hopes the film would help mainland audiences better understand Taiwan's resistance against Japanese occupation.

Commenting on the film's release at a press briefing this week, State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said Japan "bears historical responsibility to the Chinese people on the Taiwan question," adding that during its 50-year colonial rule of Taiwan, it committed "grave crimes." He urged Chinese people on both sides to "remember history, honor the martyrs, defend the fruits of victory, and open a better future."

The Wushe Incident is a key episode in Taiwan's anti-colonial resistance history. Under Japanese colonial rule, Seediq communities in Wushe were forced to abandon their customs and surrender the shotguns and ammunition they had relied on for generations for hunting. Men were turned into laborers for the Japanese, while many women were married to Japanese policemen and later abandoned.

In 1930, after more than three decades of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan, members of six villages belonging to a branch of the Seediq ethnic people killed more than 100 Japanese in an uprising in Wushe -- now part of Taiwan's Nantou County -- following long-term harsh governance and discriminatory treatment by the colonial authorities.

They were swiftly and brutally suppressed, with Japanese forces deploying artillery and poison gas. In 1931, the survivors of the six villages were forcibly relocated to what is now Qingliu, dozens of kilometers from their homes, and they never returned to their ancestral lands.

For many viewers, the history depicted in "Seediq Bale" has become a symbol of Taiwan people's courageous fight against colonial rule. In the Seediq language, "Seediq" means "human," and "Seediq Bale" translates to "true human." In one of the film's most cited lines, Mona Rudao declares, "If civilization means bowing and kneeling, then let me show you the pride of the uncivilized."

Wei himself has spoken about the film's defining role in his life. In a June 2012 interview with Xinhua in Taipei, then 43 and fresh off the film's mainland release, he joked, "if one day I pass away, my epitaph should probably read: 'This is the man who made Seediq Bale.'" 
Shares of Hong Kong & China Gas Co. (OTCMKTS:HOKCY  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $0.8950, but opened at $0.8537. Hong Kong & China Gas shares last traded at $0.8775, with a volume of 5,821 shares.

Hong Kong & China Gas Price Performance

The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $0.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Get Hong Kong & China Gas alerts:

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Hong Kong & China Gas stock. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Hong Kong & China Gas Co. (OTCMKTS:HOKCY  Free Report) by 26.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 131,441 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 27,860 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers holdings in Hong Kong & China Gas were worth $107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

About Hong Kong & China Gas

The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, produces, distributes, and markets gas, water supply and energy services in Hong Kong and Mainland China. It is involved in the provision of smart energy, piped city-gas, upstream and midstream projects, water supply and wastewater treatment, urban waste resource utilization, and natural gas filling stations, as well as new energy exploration and utilization activities.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Hong Kong & China Gas Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hong Kong & China Gas and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
iShares Russell 1000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWB  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $377.85 and last traded at $377.87, with a volume of 638438 shares. The stock had previously closed at $376.79.

iShares Russell 1000 ETF Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $45.50 billion, a PE ratio of 24.71 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $369.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $354.04.

Get iShares Russell 1000 ETF alerts:

Institutional Trading of iShares Russell 1000 ETF

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 ETF in the third quarter worth $30,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 ETF in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Absher Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 ETF in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000.

About iShares Russell 1000 ETF

iShares Russell 1000 ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 1,000 largest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 1000 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 1000 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Magna International Inc. (TSE:MG  Get Free Report) (NYSE:MGA) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as C$71.57 and last traded at C$71.33, with a volume of 233157 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$70.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup raised shares of Magna International to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Magna International to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$61.00.

Get Magna International alerts:

Read Our Latest Analysis on MG

Magna International Stock Up 1.1%

The firm has a market cap of C$20.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 61.81. The business has a 50-day moving average price of C$66.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$61.03.

Magna International (TSE:MG  Get Free Report) (NYSE:MGA) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported C$1.33 EPS for the quarter. Magna International had a return on equity of 9.11% and a net margin of 2.52%.The firm had revenue of C$14.57 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that Magna International Inc. will post 8.8948171 EPS for the current year.

Magna International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Magna Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 52.88%.

Magna International Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Magna International prides itself on a highly entrepreneurial culture and a corporate constitution that outlines distribution of profits to various stakeholders. This automotive suppliers product groups include exteriors, interiors, seating, roof systems, body and chassis, powertrain, vision and electronic systems, closure systems, electric vehicle systems, tooling and engineering, and contracted vehicle assembly.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Magna International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Magna International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
ALE Group Holding Limited (ALEH) is planning to raise $7.50 million in an initial public offering on Friday, December 19th, IPO Scoop reports. The company plans to issue 1,500,000 shares at a price of $4.00-$6.00 per share.

In the last year, ALE Group Holding Limited generated $1.53 million in revenue and $680 thousand in net income. The company has a market cap of $102.25 million.

D. Boral Capital (ex-EF Hutton) acted as the underwriter for the IPO.

ALE Group Holding Limited provided the following description of their company for its IPO: We are a holding company incorporated in the BVI with all of our operations conducted in Hong Kong by our wholly owned subsidiary, ALE Corporate Services Ltd., also known as ALECS. (Incorporated in theA British Virgin Islands) We provide accounting and corporate consulting services to small and medium-sized businesses. Our services include financial reporting, corporate secretarial services, tax filing services and internal control reporting. Our business is operated through our wholly owned subsidiary, ALE Corporate Services Ltd. (ALECS), a Hong Kong company incorporated on June 30, 2014. Our goal is to become a one-stop solution for all the accounting, corporate consulting, taxation and secretarial needs of small and medium enterprises operating in Asia and the U.S. **Note: Net income and revenue figures are in U.S. dollars (converted from Hong Kong dollars) for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2024.A (Note: D. Boral & Company (formerly E.F. Hutton) is the sole book-runner. Background:A The company disclosed that E.F. Hutton was named the sole book-runner  replacing Prime Number Capital  according to an F-1/A filing dated March 26, 2024.) .

ALE Group Holding Limited was founded in 2014 and has 7 employees. The company is located at Unit 1005, 10/F, Tower A, New Mandarin Plaza, 14 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and can be reached via phone at (+852) 3620 2688 or on the web at https://www.alecs.com.hk/.

Receive News & Ratings for ALE Group Holding Limited Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ALE Group Holding Limited and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Enersys (NYSE:ENS  Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of Buy from the five ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $126.00.

Several analysts recently commented on ENS shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Enersys in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Oppenheimer reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Enersys in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Zacks Research raised Enersys from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Enersys from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th.

Get Enersys alerts:

Get Our Latest Research Report on ENS

Enersys Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of ENS stock opened at $151.26 on Friday. Enersys has a 1 year low of $76.57 and a 1 year high of $152.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a current ratio of 2.77. The businesss fifty day moving average is $130.92 and its 200-day moving average is $107.47. The stock has a market cap of $5.58 billion, a PE ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.10.

Enersys (NYSE:ENS  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.20. Enersys had a return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 9.05%.The firm had revenue of $951.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $890.27 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. Enersyss revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Enersys has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.710-2.81 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Enersys will post 9.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enersys Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.2625 per share. This represents a $1.05 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Enersyss payout ratio is 12.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ENS. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Enersys in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Enersys in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Enersys by 442.2% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 244 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Enersys by 2,500.0% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 338 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Finally, Gen Wealth Partners Inc purchased a new position in Enersys during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.93% of the companys stock.

About Enersys

(Get Free Report)

EnerSys engages in the provision of stored energy solutions for industrial applications worldwide. It operates in four segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, Specialty, and New Ventures. The Energy Systems segment offers uninterruptible power systems (UPS) applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, as well as telecommunications systems; switchgear and electrical control systems used in industrial facilities and electric utilities, large-scale energy storage, and energy pipelines; integrated power solutions and services to broadband, telecom, data center, and renewable and industrial customers; and thermally managed cabinets and enclosures for electronic equipment and batteries.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Enersys Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Enersys and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE:MTH  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $84.5714.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $77.00 price target on shares of Meritage Homes and gave the company an in-line rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Meritage Homes from $60.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Zacks Research lowered Meritage Homes from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut Meritage Homes from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $101.00 price target on Meritage Homes and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th.

Get Meritage Homes alerts:

View Our Latest Stock Report on Meritage Homes

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Meritage Homes Stock Performance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MTH. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in Meritage Homes by 2.5% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 62,775 shares of the construction companys stock worth $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,544 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Meritage Homes by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,429 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meritage Homes in the 3rd quarter worth $549,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meritage Homes in the 3rd quarter worth $249,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Meritage Homes in the third quarter valued at $1,069,000. 98.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MTH stock opened at $72.53 on Friday. Meritage Homes has a 1 year low of $59.27 and a 1 year high of $90.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.95. The stocks fifty day moving average is $69.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.96.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The construction company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.32). The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Meritage Homes had a return on equity of 10.37% and a net margin of 8.96%.The firms revenue was down 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.34 EPS. Meritage Homes has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.510-1.700 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Meritage Homes will post 9.44 EPS for the current year.

Meritage Homes Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 17th. Meritage Homess payout ratio is 17.48%.

About Meritage Homes

(Get Free Report)

Meritage Homes Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs and builds single-family attached and detached homes in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Homebuilding and Financial Services. It acquires and develops land; and constructs, markets, and sells homes for entry-level and first move-up buyers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Meritage Homes Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Meritage Homes and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Saraza Management LP boosted its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON  Free Report) by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 81,750 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 30,250 shares during the period. AON accounts for approximately 7.0% of Saraza Management LPs investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Saraza Management LPs holdings in AON were worth $29,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in AON in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its stake in shares of AON by 56.9% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 91 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of AON during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the companys stock.

Get AON alerts:

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised AON from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $402.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AON from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of AON from $436.00 to $433.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of AON from $451.00 to $448.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of AON in a report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a peer perform rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AON presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $416.56.

AON Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $347.12 on Friday. Aon plc has a twelve month low of $323.73 and a twelve month high of $412.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $347.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $356.34. The company has a market capitalization of $74.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.81, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.84.

AON (NYSE:AON  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.97 billion. AON had a net margin of 15.96% and a return on equity of 48.88%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.72 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.745 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. AONs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.88%.

AON Company Profile

(Free Report)

Aon Plc engages in the provision of risk, health, and wealth solutions. It focuses on risk capital including claim management, reinsurance, risk analysis, management, retention, and transfer; and human capital involving analytics, health and benefits, investments, pensions and retirement, talent and rewards, and workplace wellbeing.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AON? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aon plc (NYSE:AON  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for AON Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AON and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $31.37 and last traded at $30.8320, with a volume of 31201 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BSAC shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Banco Santander Chile from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Citigroup cut Banco Santander Chile from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Banco Santander Chile from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Banco Santander Chile in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Banco Santander Chile from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Reduce and an average price target of $27.67.

Get Banco Santander Chile alerts:

View Our Latest Analysis on BSAC

Banco Santander Chile Stock Down 0.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $28.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.05.

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 17th. The bank reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $740.10 million during the quarter. Banco Santander Chile had a return on equity of 22.18% and a net margin of 24.74%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Banco Santander Chile will post 2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander Chile

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,113,470 shares of the banks stock worth $82,507,000 after buying an additional 17,119 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander Chile in the third quarter worth about $1,240,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 525,577 shares of the banks stock valued at $13,928,000 after purchasing an additional 85,964 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 18.8% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 20,016 shares of the banks stock valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 3,162 shares during the period. Finally, Qtron Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile in the 3rd quarter worth about $623,000. 6.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Santander Chile Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency-denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Banco Santander Chile Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Santander Chile and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG  Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at BNP Paribas from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, December 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Friday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Get Lloyds Banking Group alerts:

View Our Latest Research Report on Lloyds Banking Group

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LYG opened at $5.14 on Wednesday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $4.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52-week low of $2.56 and a 52-week high of $5.22.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $6.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.02 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 18.04% and a return on equity of 8.38%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 9.4% in the first quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 70,812 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 6,089 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 20.0% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,351,534 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,163,000 after acquiring an additional 225,112 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 58.3% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 148,844 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 54,823 shares during the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 85.6% during the 1st quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 846,594 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,234,000 after purchasing an additional 390,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 665,509 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,424,000 after purchasing an additional 42,367 shares during the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lloyds Banking Group

(Get Free Report)

Lloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates in three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance, Pensions and Investments. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, and credit cards to personal customers.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Lloyds Banking Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lloyds Banking Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Botswana Diamonds (LON:BOD  Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Friday. The company reported GBX (0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, Digital Look Earnings reports. Botswana Diamonds had a negative return on equity of 10.66% and a negative net margin of 2,389.67%.

Botswana Diamonds Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of BOD opened at GBX 0.23 on Friday. Botswana Diamonds has a 12-month low of GBX 0.08 and a 12-month high of GBX 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 0.26 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of 2.77 million, a P/E ratio of -4.62 and a beta of 0.80.

Get Botswana Diamonds alerts:

About Botswana Diamonds

(Get Free Report)

Featured Articles

Botswana Diamonds plc explores for and develops diamond properties in Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The company's flagship property is the Thorny River/Marsfontein property located in South Africa. It also explores primarily in the Kalahari region of Botswana. Botswana Diamonds plc was formerly known as Botswana Exploration plc and changed its name to Botswana Diamonds plc in October 2010.

Receive News & Ratings for Botswana Diamonds Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Botswana Diamonds and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for advocating a "law of the strongest" in international politics after a recent phone call between the two leaders on regional tensions.

"The unilateralism that President Trump wants is one in which the strongest dictates what others must do," Lula said during an event in Minas Gerais state.

Lula said he emphasized in the phone call the necessity to preserve the Americas as a conflict-free region, but Trump insisted on highlighting U.S. military might.

The conversation was part of Brazil's effort to act as an intermediary amid rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela, as well as other Latin American countries.

"We are going to try to use words as an instrument of persuasion to do things right. Diplomatically, words are the strongest tool we have to resolve problems," Lula added. 
Bright Scholar Education (NYSE:BEDU  Get Free Report)s share price rose 1.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $2.25 and last traded at $2.2450. Approximately 13,691 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 100% from the average daily volume of 6,835 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.21.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Bright Scholar Education in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Bright Scholar Education currently has a consensus rating of Sell.

Get Bright Scholar Education alerts:

View Our Latest Analysis on BEDU

Bright Scholar Education Stock Performance

Bright Scholar Education Company Profile

The company has a market cap of $66.74 million, a PE ratio of -0.48 and a beta of 0.28. The companys 50 day moving average price is $2.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.93.

(Get Free Report)

Bright Scholar Education Holdings Limited, an education service provider, operates and provides K-12 schools and complementary education services in China, Hong Kong, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The company operates in three segments: Overseas Schools; Complementary Education Services; and Domestic Kindergartens and K-12 Operation Services.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Bright Scholar Education Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bright Scholar Education and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR  Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of Reduce by the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and thirteen have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.50.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MUR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy Oil from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Mizuho upped their price objective on Murphy Oil from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th.

Get Murphy Oil alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MUR

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 67.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 3,989.7% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,186 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Murphy Oil by 1,710.9% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,666 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,574 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Murphy Oil by 148.1% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,273 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Murphy Oil by 39.7% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,440 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the period. 78.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Shares of Murphy Oil stock opened at $33.53 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $29.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.21 and a beta of 0.81. Murphy Oil has a fifty-two week low of $18.94 and a fifty-two week high of $34.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 21st. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 4.30% and a net margin of 5.16%.The company had revenue of $440.08 million for the quarter. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.325 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Murphy Oils payout ratio is currently 132.65%.

About Murphy Oil

(Get Free Report)

Murphy Oil Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an oil and gas exploration and production company in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It explores for and produces crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The company was formerly known as Murphy Corporation and changed its name to Murphy Oil Corporation in 1964.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Murphy Oil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Murphy Oil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW  Free Report) by 118.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,299 shares of the specialty retailers stock after purchasing an additional 28,950 shares during the quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd.s holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop were worth $2,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Build-A-Bear Workshop in the second quarter worth approximately $6,233,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 1st quarter valued at $3,572,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 97.2% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 161,100 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $8,306,000 after acquiring an additional 79,413 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 35.8% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 230,777 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $11,899,000 after acquiring an additional 60,784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 482,641 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $17,940,000 after acquiring an additional 50,933 shares during the last quarter. 79.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Get Build-A-Bear Workshop alerts:

Build-A-Bear Workshop Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE BBW opened at $53.50 on Friday. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a one year low of $32.55 and a one year high of $75.85. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $53.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $702.46 million, a PE ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 1.01.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Dividend

Build-A-Bear Workshop ( NYSE:BBW Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $122.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $124.28 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 38.62% and a net margin of 10.93%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 26th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Build-A-Bear Workshops dividend payout ratio is presently 20.23%.

Insider Activity at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 12,643 shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop stock in a transaction on Monday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.08, for a total transaction of $923,950.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 248,662 shares of the companys stock, valued at $18,172,218.96. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Lesli Rotenberg sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.34, for a total transaction of $61,340.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,665.50. This represents a 9.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,387 shares of company stock worth $4,417,721. Corporate insiders own 5.80% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $85.00 to $70.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Northland Securities boosted their price objective on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. CJS Securities began coverage on shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a market outperform rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Build-A-Bear Workshop presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $64.75.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Build-A-Bear Workshop

Build-A-Bear Workshop Profile

(Free Report)

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc operates as a multi-channel retailer of plush animals and related products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Direct-to-Consumer, Commercial, and International Franchising. Its merchandise comprises various styles of plush products to be stuffed, pre-stuffed plush products, and sounds and scents that can be added to the stuffed animals, as well as range of clothing, shoes and accessories, and other toy and novelty items, including family sleepwear.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BBW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Build-A-Bear Workshop Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Build-A-Bear Workshop and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $41.29 and last traded at $42.1140, with a volume of 750204 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of California Water Service Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 price objective on shares of California Water Service Group in a research report on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $55.00.

Get California Water Service Group alerts:

View Our Latest Research Report on CWT

California Water Service Group Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.65. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $46.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.13.

California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $311.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.35 million. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 13.61%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. Research analysts predict that California Water Service Group will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

California Water Service Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. California Water Service Groups payout ratio is currently 52.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On California Water Service Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of California Water Service Group by 1,475.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in California Water Service Group in the third quarter valued at $293,000. Maven Securities LTD bought a new stake in California Water Service Group in the third quarter valued at $1,244,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of California Water Service Group during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of California Water Service Group during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.78% of the companys stock.

California Water Service Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

California Water Service Group, through its subsidiaries, provides water utility and other related services in California, Washington, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Texas. The company is involved in the production, purchase, storage, treatment, testing, distribution, and sale of water for domestic, industrial, public, and irrigation uses, as well as for fire protection services.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for California Water Service Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for California Water Service Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Canadian Life Companies Split Corp. (TSE:LFE  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as C$7.06 and last traded at C$7.04, with a volume of 43997 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$7.01.

Canadian Life Companies Split Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of C$75.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 3.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 210.26, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$6.53 and a 200 day moving average of C$6.38.

Get Canadian Life Companies Split alerts:

Canadian Life Companies Split Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a sep 25 dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a $0.10 dividend. Canadian Life Companies Splits dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.72%.

About Canadian Life Companies Split

The Companys investment objectives are (i) to provide holders of Preferred Shares with fixed cumulative preferential monthly cash dividends in the amount of $0.04375 per Preferred Share to yield 5.25% per annum on the original issue price (ii) to provide holders of Class A Shares with regular monthly cash distributions targeted to be $0.10 per Class A Share to yield 8.0% per annum on the original issue price and (iii) to return the original issue price to holders of both Preferred Shares and Class A Shares at the time of the redemption of such shares on December 1, 2012.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Life Companies Split Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Life Companies Split and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA  Get Free Report)s stock price shot up 5.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $55.60 and last traded at $55.3450. 2,184,092 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 3,953,928 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of CAVA Group from $64.00 to $52.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $75.00 price target on shares of CAVA Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of CAVA Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Truist Financial upgraded CAVA Group to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $86.00 price target on CAVA Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, CAVA Group presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $81.00.

Get CAVA Group alerts:

View Our Latest Stock Report on CAVA Group

CAVA Group Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $55.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.92. The stock has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a PE ratio of 47.15, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 2.51.

CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $292.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $292.88 million. CAVA Group had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 12.14%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 19.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CAVA Group, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Kenneth Robert Bertram sold 3,788 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.70, for a total value of $192,051.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,143 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,592,950.10. The trade was a 6.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CAVA Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CAVA. Dagco Inc. acquired a new position in CAVA Group in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of CAVA Group during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of CAVA Group by 168.0% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 402 shares of the companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in CAVA Group by 378.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 450 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in CAVA Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.15% of the companys stock.

About CAVA Group

(Get Free Report)

CAVA Group, Inc owns and operates a chain of restaurants under the CAVA brand in the United States. The company also offers dips, spreads, and dressings through grocery stores. In addition, the company provides online and mobile ordering platforms. Cava Group, Inc was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Washington, the District of Columbia.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for CAVA Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CAVA Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
China Resources Enterprise Ltd. (OTCMKTS:CRHKY  Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $6.89, but opened at $7.19. China Resources Enterprise shares last traded at $7.0650, with a volume of 75,232 shares.

China Resources Enterprise Stock Up 0.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.83. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $7.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.94.

China Resources Enterprise Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells beer products in Mainland China. The company offers its products under the Nong Li, Snow, and Jinsha brands. The company was formerly known as China Resources Enterprise, Limited and changed its name to China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited in October 2015.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for China Resources Enterprise Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Resources Enterprise and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Churchill China plc (LON:CHH  Get Free Report)s share price passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 463.21 and traded as low as GBX 342.15. Churchill China shares last traded at GBX 350, with a volume of 9,712 shares changing hands.

Churchill China Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of 38.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.64, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.96. The companys 50 day simple moving average is GBX 365.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 463.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a current ratio of 4.18.

Get Churchill China alerts:

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Mark Moore bought 730 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 360 per share, for a total transaction of 2,628. 24.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Churchill China

Churchill China plc manufactures and sells ceramic and related products in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the United States, and internationally. The company provides plates, bowls, trays and boards, crates and carriers, stands and risers, cookware, counter serving ware, cups, mugs, saucers, beverage pots, jugs, chip mugs, dip pots and sauce dishes, lids, glassware, cutlery, utensils, and accessories, as well as raw materials for the ceramics industry.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Churchill China Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Churchill China and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Clarity Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (BATS:NULG  Free Report) by 16.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,331 shares of the companys stock after selling 19,988 shares during the period. Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF makes up approximately 5.8% of Clarity Asset Management Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Clarity Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF were worth $9,708,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Keystone Global Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF during the first quarter valued at about $49,000. Investors Research Corp increased its stake in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF by 28.8% during the second quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 980 shares of the companys stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $113,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF by 200.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,331 shares of the companys stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 2,662 shares during the period. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the companys stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter.

Get Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF alerts:

Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF Trading Up 17.6%

NULG opened at $99.80 on Friday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $99.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.57. The stock has a market cap of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 39.38 and a beta of 1.17. Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF has a 1 year low of $67.66 and a 1 year high of $99.18.

Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF Company Profile

The Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (NULG) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI TIAA ESG USA Large Cap Growth index. The fund tracks an index composed of large-cap US companies with growth characteristics that also meet certain environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. NULG was launched on Dec 13, 2016 and is managed by Nuveen.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NULG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (BATS:NULG  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Nebula Research & Development LLC reduced its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO  Free Report) by 47.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,214 shares of the companys stock after selling 28,692 shares during the quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLCs holdings in CocaCola were worth $2,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,846,270,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 52.7% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 47,447,430 shares of the companys stock worth $3,398,185,000 after purchasing an additional 16,383,870 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 367,441,971 shares of the companys stock worth $25,996,519,000 after purchasing an additional 6,241,163 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in CocaCola by 7,239.2% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,149,632 shares of the companys stock valued at $435,086,000 after purchasing an additional 6,065,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 47.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 11,844,673 shares of the companys stock worth $848,315,000 after purchasing an additional 3,810,752 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the companys stock.

Get CocaCola alerts:

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other news, COO Henrique Braun sold 40,390 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.93, for a total value of $2,864,862.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 62,621 shares in the company, valued at $4,441,707.53. This represents a 39.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.17, for a total transaction of $2,250,751.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,894,396.10. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 225,252 shares of company stock worth $15,953,007 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.97% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $75.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. TD Cowen raised their price target on CocaCola from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays restated an overweight rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $79.08.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on KO

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $69.13 on Friday. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $60.62 and a 12-month high of $74.38. The company has a market cap of $297.37 billion, a PE ratio of 22.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 27th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter. CocaCola had a return on equity of 43.62% and a net margin of 27.34%.The firm had revenue of $11.40 billion for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. CocaColas dividend payout ratio is presently 67.55%.

CocaCola Profile

(Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for CocaCola Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CocaCola and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Fang Renliang (L) displays a lacquered wooden mask of Dixi opera in Malu Village of Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 20, 2025. (Xinhua)

GUIYANG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- For centuries, the world beyond the karst hills has fascinated the residents of Malu Village. But they don't need to travel to find adventure. Instead, they can don the lacquered wooden masks of Dixi opera, embodying legendary marshals or military advisors on ancient battlefields.

Though this deeply local folk opera is still unknown to many Chinese people, it is now finding foreign fans. Staged by farmer performers across terraced fields and village courtyards, Dixi opera has been hailed a "living fossil" of Chinese opera due to its rich legacy and vitality.

Fang Renliang, 81, is a performer whose lifelong passion for Dixi has helped preserve this 600-year-old art form. His dedication has also impressed an unlikely admirer of the opera, Garvin Hoefig from Germany.

Fang hails from Malu Village in the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Malu is the village that gave the local style of Dixi its name: Malu Tunpu Dixi.

The village has a history of anthropological significance as its residents are descendants of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) soldiers who had relocated mainly from central China to garrison and farm in the remote region, and who later formed the fortified community of Tunpu.

Born from this distinct military culture, Dixi was originally performed by soldiers to boost morale. Its stories celebrate patriotic generals, with lyrics passed down through fixed, traditional scripts.

When the gongs crash and the drums sound, performers, wearing masks and costumes in vibrant colors, strike poses to the rhythm of ancient verses. And the people of Malu don't just perform or watch these operas -- they connect with their ancestors.

Masks, known as "faces" by the villagers, are key to performers' transformation. Fang once wore one such mask to embody legendary Tang Dynasty (618-907) general Xu Maogong. Over a lifetime, he has grown attached to these magical objects that have transformed him into larger-than-life characters.

After a recent performance, Fang carefully opened a worn camphor wood chest containing over 100 neatly arranged "faces" with a myriad of colors and expressions, their lacquer coating shimmering in the light.

Though performing has become physically demanding at 81, Fang's bond with Dixi is unbreakable. He now contributes as his troupe's drummer, his hands keeping the opera's timeless rhythm.

"Despite my age, I still want to be involved. Our goal is to help people understand our culture and to spread awareness of it," Fang said.

As a designated practitioner of this form of intangible heritage in Guizhou, Fang stands at a crucial intersection of past and future. Fortunately, others are now taking up the baton. Jin Tian, a 47-year-old self-taught villager performer, feels the weight of this responsibility keenly. "A 200-year-old mask was handed down to us," he said, "and we need to pass it on."

Jin's own journey of inspiration illustrates the deep source of Dixi's vitality, or perhaps that of any folk opera style. "Growing up, whenever I heard the gongs and drums in the village, I knew a performance was on," he said. "I'd grab a stool and sit in the crowds, watching, while dreaming of one day joining them."

Yet inheritance faces modern challenges. "With many young people leaving the village to seek jobs elsewhere, it's not easy to gather a full team," Jin admitted. Still, he and his troupe have continued recruiting and training new members.

Garvin Hoefig, who has made China his second home since 2012 and is now the CEO of BITZER Rotary Compressor (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. in east China's Jiangsu Province, was first mesmerized by the masked performers in 2015. Later, due to his frequent visits to his wife's hometown of Changshun, he had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the art form.

Having learned about its history and preservation efforts, Hoefig now sees Dixi opera as more than a spectacle, but an art that gives him "really emotional feeling to be part of it."

"We saw a performance from more than 600 years ago, with masks over 200 years old. It's a treasure," Hoefig said. "I could feel that it is from the soul."

Hoefig is now a keen advocate for Malu Tunpu Dixi and has taken friends from different countries to watch performances. His friends have been very impressed, especially by the entirely handmade "faces" which bestow buoyant personalities onto characters.

"I'm sure they want to see this old culture -- this is real China," Hoefig said with conviction. 

A lacquered wooden mask of Dixi opera is pictured in Malu Village of Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 20, 2025. (Xinhua)

A villager checks a lacquered wooden mask of Dixi opera in Malu Village of Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 20, 2025. (Xinhua)
Community Heritage Financial, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CMHF  Get Free Report) rose 2.7% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $27.00 and last traded at $27.00. Approximately 1,800 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the average daily volume of 1,701 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.30.

Community Heritage Financial Stock Up 2.7%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $28.51 and a 200-day moving average of $27.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 0.33.

Get Community Heritage Financial alerts:

Community Heritage Financial (OTCMKTS:CMHF  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $10.22 million during the quarter.

Community Heritage Financial Company Profile

Community Heritage Financial, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Middletown Valley Bank that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses in Frederick and Washington counties in Maryland and Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Its primary deposit products include demand, savings, and time deposits, as well as lending products comprise real estate mortgages, commercial business loans, and instalment loans.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Community Heritage Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Community Heritage Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:ELPC  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 3,808 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 48% from the previous sessions volume of 2,572 shares.The stock last traded at $9.68 and had previously closed at $9.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel has an average rating of Hold.

Get Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel alerts:

Read Our Latest Analysis on ELPC

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $9.59 and a 200-day moving average of $8.74. The stock has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.36 and a beta of -0.02.

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel (NYSE:ELPC  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter.

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.2795 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copels payout ratio is 62.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel stock. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:ELPC  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,250 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $28,000.

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  Copel Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Companhia Paranaense de Energia  COPEL engages in the generation, transformation, distribution, and sale of electricity to industrial, residential, commercial, rural, and other customers in Brazil. The company operates through Power Generation and Transmission, Power Distribution, GAS, Power Sale, and Holding and Services segments.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Danone (OTCMKTS:DANOY  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the six research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Danone in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Danone in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating on shares of Danone in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Danone from an underperform rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Danone from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th.

Get Danone alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on DANOY

Danone Trading Up 1.1%

About Danone

DANOY stock opened at $17.76 on Tuesday. Danone has a twelve month low of $13.02 and a twelve month high of $18.63. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $17.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

(Get Free Report)

Danone SA operates in the food and beverage industry in Europe, Ukraine, North America, China, North Asia, the Oceania, Latin America, rest of Asia, Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The company operates through Essential Dairy & Plant-Based, Specialized Nutrition, and Waters segments.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Danone Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Danone and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL  Get Free Report)s share price dropped 1.4% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $134.68 and last traded at $138.6730. Approximately 4,494,621 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 7,189,646 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.63.

Specifically, Director Egon Durban sold 71,000 shares of Dell Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.12, for a total value of $9,806,520.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,172,428 shares of the companys stock, valued at $161,935,755.36. This trade represents a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Get Dell Technologies alerts:

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DELL has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Dell Technologies from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets upped their price objective on Dell Technologies from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Dell Technologies from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Zacks Research cut shares of Dell Technologies from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $162.84.

Dell Technologies Stock Down 1.4%

The stock has a market capitalization of $93.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.03. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $143.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.16.

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The technology company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.12. Dell Technologies had a negative return on equity of 234.84% and a net margin of 5.01%.The business had revenue of $27.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.15 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Dell Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.920-9.920 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.500-3.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Dell Technologies Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Dell Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. Dell Technologiess dividend payout ratio is presently 28.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dell Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Dell Technologies by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,085,610 shares of the technology companys stock worth $4,265,237,000 after buying an additional 964,080 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Dell Technologies by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,450,258 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,048,613,000 after purchasing an additional 350,941 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Dell Technologies by 15.0% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,904,843 shares of the technology companys stock worth $725,586,000 after purchasing an additional 771,966 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Dell Technologies by 82.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,855,154 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $688,315,000 after purchasing an additional 2,191,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Dell Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $528,279,000. 76.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Dell Technologies Company Profile

(Get 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).

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Dell Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dell Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Diversified Energy Company PLC (NYSE:DEC  Get Free Report) were down 5.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $14.67 and last traded at $14.6060. Approximately 428,227 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 462,285 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.40.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Diversified Energy from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Johnson Rice upgraded Diversified Energy from an accumulate rating to a buy rating and boosted their price target for the company from $19.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Diversified Energy from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 15th. William Blair initiated coverage on Diversified Energy in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an outperform rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Diversified Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $22.00.

Get Diversified Energy alerts:

View Our Latest Research Report on DEC

Diversified Energy Stock Performance

Diversified Energy Announces Dividend

The firms fifty day moving average is $13.97 and its 200-day moving average is $14.55. The company has a market capitalization of $755.67 million, a P/E ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 0.48.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.0%. Diversified Energys dividend payout ratio is 55.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diversified Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DEC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Diversified Energy by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,850,221 shares of the companys stock worth $38,663,000 after acquiring an additional 82,113 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of Diversified Energy by 10.7% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 131,062 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,772,000 after purchasing an additional 12,681 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Diversified Energy by 20.5% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 110,056 shares of the companys stock worth $1,484,000 after purchasing an additional 18,757 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Diversified Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,190,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Diversified Energy by 53.3% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 77,403 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,046,000 after buying an additional 26,899 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.51% of the companys stock.

Diversified Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Diversified Energy Company PLC operates as an independent owner and operator of producing natural gas and oil wells primarily in the Appalachian Basin of the United States. The company is involved in the production, marketing, and transportation of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, and condensates.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Diversified Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Diversified Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of DXC Technology Company. (NYSE:DXC  Free Report) by 247.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,382 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 37,296 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltds holdings in DXC Technology were worth $801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in DXC Technology in the first quarter worth about $10,830,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in DXC Technology during the first quarter worth approximately $1,898,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of DXC Technology by 93.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 588,791 shares of the companys stock worth $9,003,000 after acquiring an additional 284,882 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in DXC Technology by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 660,003 shares of the companys stock worth $11,253,000 after purchasing an additional 105,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of DXC Technology during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,482,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the companys stock.

Get DXC Technology alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on DXC. Wall Street Zen raised DXC Technology from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on DXC Technology from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Susquehanna set a $14.00 target price on DXC Technology and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d) rating on shares of DXC Technology in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of DXC Technology from $18.00 to $14.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $15.00.

DXC Technology Stock Up 0.6%

DXC opened at $15.22 on Friday. DXC Technology Company. has a fifty-two week low of $11.82 and a fifty-two week high of $23.75. The business has a 50-day moving average of $13.38 and a 200-day moving average of $14.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 1.09.

DXC Technology (NYSE:DXC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.17 billion. DXC Technology had a return on equity of 17.83% and a net margin of 2.93%.The firms quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that DXC Technology Company. will post 3.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

DXC Technology Profile

(Free Report)

DXC Technology Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology services and solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Australia, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Global Business Services (GBS) and Global Infrastructure Services (GIS).

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DXC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for DXC Technology Company. (NYSE:DXC  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for DXC Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DXC Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Global Business Travel Group, Inc. (NYSE:GBTG  Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.25.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GBTG shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d) rating on shares of Global Business Travel Group in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Global Business Travel Group from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Global Business Travel Group from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Global Business Travel Group from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Global Business Travel Group from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th.

Get Global Business Travel Group alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GBTG

Institutional Trading of Global Business Travel Group

Global Business Travel Group Stock Performance

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Redwood Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Global Business Travel Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $173,347,000. Anchorage Capital Advisors L.P. purchased a new position in Global Business Travel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,073,000. Monarch Alternative Capital LP purchased a new position in Global Business Travel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,680,000. Boundary Creek Advisors LP acquired a new position in Global Business Travel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $22,911,000. Finally, Ares Management LLC raised its position in Global Business Travel Group by 21.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ares Management LLC now owns 13,886,023 shares of the companys stock worth $87,482,000 after buying an additional 2,489,506 shares during the last quarter. 82.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NYSE GBTG opened at $7.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Global Business Travel Group has a 1 year low of $5.78 and a 1 year high of $9.56. The company has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a PE ratio of 398.50 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a fifty day moving average of $7.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.33.

Global Business Travel Group (NYSE:GBTG  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $674.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.39 million. Global Business Travel Group had a return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 0.40%.The companys quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Global Business Travel Group will post -0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

About Global Business Travel Group

(Get Free Report)

Global Business Travel Group, Inc provides business-to-business (B2B) travel platform in the United States and internationally. The company's platform offers a suite of technology-enabled solutions to business travelers and clients; travel content suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, ground transportation, and aggregators; and third-party travel agencies.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Global Business Travel Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Global Business Travel Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Globeflex Capital L P bought a new stake in American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 38,958 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock, valued at approximately $769,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Global Investments raised its position in shares of American Assets Trust by 2.9% in the second quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 25,511 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $504,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of American Assets Trust by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 10,138 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Assets Trust by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 16,975 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $335,000 after purchasing an additional 889 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in American Assets Trust by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 68,296 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,349,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in American Assets Trust by 262.6% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.41% of the companys stock.

Get American Assets Trust alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho reduced their target price on American Assets Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of American Assets Trust in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, American Assets Trust currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $20.50.

American Assets Trust Stock Performance

NYSE AAT opened at $19.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 3.34 and a quick ratio of 3.34. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $19.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.88. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 0.98. American Assets Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.69 and a 1-year high of $28.02.

American Assets Trust (NYSE:AAT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.49. The firm had revenue of $109.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $105.71 million. American Assets Trust had a return on equity of 5.43% and a net margin of 13.98%.American Assets Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.930-2.010 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Assets Trust, Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Assets Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 4th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 4th. American Assets Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 134.65%.

American Assets Trust Company Profile

(Free Report)

American Assets Trust, Inc is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust ("REIT"), headquartered in San Diego, California. The company has over 55 years of experience in acquiring, improving, developing and managing premier office, retail, and residential properties throughout the United States in some of the nation's most dynamic, high-barrier-to-entry markets primarily in Southern California, Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Texas and Hawaii.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for American Assets Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Assets Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Great Wall Motor Company Limited (OTCMKTS:GWLLY  Get Free Report)s stock price fell 2.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $18.4928 and last traded at $18.4928. 369 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 5,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.00.

Great Wall Motor Trading Down 2.7%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $19.95 and a 200-day moving average of $19.17.

About Great Wall Motor

(Get Free Report)

Great Wall Motor Company Limited researches and develops, manufactures, and sells automobiles, and automotive parts and components in China, Europe, ASEAN countries, Latin America, the Middle East, Australia, South Africa, and internationally. The company offers SUVs, sedans, pick-up trucks, multi-purpose vehicles, and energy vehicles primarily under the Haval, WEY, ORA, Tank, and Great Wall Pickup brand names.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Great Wall Motor Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Great Wall Motor and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
LATAM Airlines Group (NYSE:LTM  Get Free Report) and Saker Aviation Services (OTCMKTS:SKAS  Get Free Report) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares LATAM Airlines Group and Saker Aviation Services net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Get LATAM Airlines Group alerts:

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets LATAM Airlines Group 8.99% 136.76% 7.71% Saker Aviation Services 6.08% -4.66% -4.33%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for LATAM Airlines Group and Saker Aviation Services, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score LATAM Airlines Group 0 2 2 0 2.50 Saker Aviation Services 0 0 0 0 0.00

Insider and Institutional Ownership

LATAM Airlines Group currently has a consensus target price of $59.25, suggesting a potential upside of 11.04%. Given LATAM Airlines Groups stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe LATAM Airlines Group is more favorable than Saker Aviation Services.

37.3% of Saker Aviation Services shares are held by institutional investors. 7.8% of LATAM Airlines Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 34.6% of Saker Aviation Services shares are held by company 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.

Volatility & Risk

LATAM Airlines Group has a beta of 3.91, meaning that its stock price is 291% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Saker Aviation Services has a beta of -0.15, meaning that its stock price is 115% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares LATAM Airlines Group and Saker Aviation Servicess gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio LATAM Airlines Group $12.83 billion 1.26 $976.97 million $4.19 12.74 Saker Aviation Services $9.17 million 0.75 $1.25 million ($0.42) -16.19

LATAM Airlines Group has higher revenue and earnings than Saker Aviation Services. Saker Aviation Services is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than LATAM Airlines Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

LATAM Airlines Group beats Saker Aviation Services on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LATAM Airlines Group

(Get Free Report)

LATAM Airlines Group S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides passenger and cargo air transportation services in Peru, Argentina, the United States, Europe, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, the Asia Pacific, and rest of Latin America. The company operates in two segments, Air Transportation; and Multiplus Coalition and Loyalty Program. It provides passenger transport services to approximately 140 destinations in 25 countries with a fleet of 322 aircrafts, well as operates loyalty programs. The company was formerly known as LAN Airlines S.A. and changed its name to LATAM Airlines Group S.A. in June 2012. LATAM Airlines Group S.A. was founded in 1929 and is based in Santiago, Chile.

About Saker Aviation Services

(Get Free Report)

Saker Aviation Services, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates in the aviation services segment of the general aviation industry in the United States. It serves as the operator of a Downtown Manhattan (New York) Heliport. The company was formerly known as FirstFlight, Inc. and changed its name to Saker Aviation Services, Inc. in September 2009. Saker Aviation Services, Inc. is headquartered in New York, New York.

Receive News & Ratings for LATAM Airlines Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LATAM Airlines Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
YAOUNDE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Eight people were killed and several others injured after a fuel tanker exploded early Friday in Cameroon's Southwest Region, authorities said.

The tanker, which had departed the seaside resort town of Limbe and was en route to the commercial hub of Douala, overturned and burst into flames before exploding on a highway in the town of Tiko.

"We heard a loud noise and saw huge flames. It was so frightening. We don't even know how many people have been consumed by the fire," said James Njie, a witness speaking to Xinhua by phone.

Viang Mekala, senior divisional officer for Fako, where Tiko subdivision is located, said the death toll, initially reported as four, hit eight after more bodies were recovered from the debris during rescue operations.

"About 10 houses and some vehicles that were driving behind the truck were torched. Three people were injured and have been transported to the hospital," Mekala told reporters after visiting the scene.

He said traffic had resumed along the highway after firefighters, working with local residents, cleared the debris. 
Parvin Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL  Free Report) by 64.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 235,575 shares of the basic materials companys stock after purchasing an additional 92,475 shares during the quarter. Hecla Mining makes up approximately 1.4% of Parvin Asset Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Parvin Asset Management LLCs holdings in Hecla Mining were worth $1,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HL. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Hecla Mining in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Hecla Mining by 255.6% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,156 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 4,425 shares in the last quarter. DRW Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hecla Mining in the first quarter worth $54,000. Tradition Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining in the first quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Arrowroot Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the second quarter valued at $69,000. 63.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get Hecla Mining alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on HL. CIBC lifted their price objective on Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $16.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a report on Monday. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Hecla Mining in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a sector perform rating and a $15.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hecla Mining from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, Roth Capital set a $8.75 target price on shares of Hecla Mining and gave the stock a sell rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $10.22.

Hecla Mining Trading Up 12.2%

NYSE HL opened at $19.29 on Friday. Hecla Mining Company has a 12 month low of $4.46 and a 12 month high of $19.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.32 and a 200-day moving average of $9.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The company has a market cap of $12.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.23 and a beta of 1.36.

Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. Hecla Mining had a net margin of 16.35% and a return on equity of 7.87%. The business had revenue of $409.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $315.60 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.03 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hecla Mining Company will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a dividend of $0.0038 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Hecla Minings payout ratio is currently 3.23%.

Insider Activity at Hecla Mining

In related news, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 18,535 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.02, for a total value of $278,395.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hecla Mining Profile

(Free Report)

Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides precious and base metal properties in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and China. The company mines for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates, as well as carbon material containing silver and gold for custom smelters, metal traders, and third-party processors; and dore containing silver and gold.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Hecla Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hecla Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (LON:RR  Get Free Report) insider Wendy Mars acquired 167 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 1,096 per share, with a total value of 1,830.32.

Wendy Mars also recently made the following trade(s):

Get Rolls-Royce Holdings plc alerts:

On Friday, November 7th, Wendy Mars bought 162 shares of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 1,129 per share, with a total value of 1,828.98.

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of RR stock opened at GBX 1,106 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 1,114.79 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 1,046.75. Rolls-Royce Holdings plc has a 52 week low of GBX 196.45 and a 52 week high of GBX 537.20. The firm has a market capitalization of 94.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.32, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on RR. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc from GBX 641 to GBX 1,101 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc to a hold rating and boosted their price target for the company from GBX 240 to GBX 1,080 in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating on shares of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of GBX 1,161.50.

Get Our Latest Report on Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

(Get Free Report)

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for air, sea, and land in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Civil Aerospace, Defence, Power Systems, and New Markets. The Civil Aerospace segment develops, manufactures, markets, and sells aero engines for large commercial aircraft, regional jet, and business aviation markets, as well as provides aftermarket services.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Xero Limited (ASX:XRO  Get Free Report) insider Dale Murray purchased 1,286 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of A$115.30 per share, for a total transaction of A$148,274.51.

Xero Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $31.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 179.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 87.88, a current ratio of 6.62 and a quick ratio of 5.24.

Get Xero alerts:

About Xero

(Get Free Report)

Recommended Stories

Xero Limited, together with its subsidiaries, a software as a service company, provides online business solutions for small businesses and their advisors in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. It offers Xero, an open platform that connects small businesses to a range of solutions, which helps to manage their finances.

Receive News & Ratings for Xero Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Xero and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Consolidated Edison Inc (NYSE:ED  Get Free Report) Director John Killian sold 2,276 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.89, for a total transaction of $220,521.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 38,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,745,864.29. This represents a 5.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Consolidated Edison Stock Performance

Shares of Consolidated Edison stock traded up $1.91 on Friday, hitting $97.55. The stock had a trading volume of 2,638,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,556,028. The stock has a market cap of $35.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Consolidated Edison Inc has a twelve month low of $87.28 and a twelve month high of $114.87. The businesss 50 day moving average is $99.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.19.

Get Consolidated Edison alerts:

Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.14. Consolidated Edison had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 12.27%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. Consolidated Edison has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.600-5.700 EPS. Analysts forecast that Consolidated Edison Inc will post 5.62 EPS for the current year.

Consolidated Edison Dividend Announcement

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 19th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 19th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Consolidated Edisons dividend payout ratio is 59.44%.

ED has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Consolidated Edison in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. They set an in-line rating and a $106.00 price target on the stock. New Street Research set a $106.00 price target on shares of Consolidated Edison in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Bank of America downgraded Consolidated Edison from a buy rating to an underperform rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $112.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $105.00 to $101.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an underweight rating and set a $98.00 target price on shares of Consolidated Edison in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Reduce and an average target price of $103.69.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ED

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Consolidated Edison

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Consolidated Edison by 194.5% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 15,208 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,559,000 after buying an additional 10,044 shares in the last quarter. Innova Wealth Partners raised its stake in Consolidated Edison by 74.0% during the third quarter. Innova Wealth Partners now owns 3,558 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 1,513 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in shares of Consolidated Edison in the third quarter worth about $2,357,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Consolidated Edison by 21.2% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 34,971 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,515,000 after acquiring an additional 6,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Consolidated Edison in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,189,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.29% of the companys stock.

Consolidated Edison Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Consolidated Edison, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses in the United States. It offers electric services to approximately 3.7 million customers in New York City and Westchester County; gas to approximately 1.1 million customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, parts of Queens, and Westchester County; and steam to approximately 1,530 customers in parts of Manhattan.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Consolidated Edison Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Consolidated Edison and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Westwood Holdings Group Inc (NYSE:WHG  Get Free Report) CEO Brian Casey sold 8,341 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.55, for a total value of $138,043.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 492,359 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,541.45. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of Westwood Holdings Group stock traded up $0.53 during trading on Thursday, reaching $16.93. The companys stock had a trading volume of 16,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,872. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $16.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.63. Westwood Holdings Group Inc has a 52 week low of $13.49 and a 52 week high of $18.97. The firm has a market cap of $159.31 million, a PE ratio of 20.65 and a beta of 0.84.

Get Westwood Holdings Group alerts:

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Westwood Holdings Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 73.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Westwood Holdings Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $85,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new position in Westwood Holdings Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $98,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Westwood Holdings Group by 1,277.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,537 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 6,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. acquired a new position in Westwood Holdings Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $213,000. 56.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Westwood Holdings Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Westwood Holdings Group in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Westwood Holdings Group

About Westwood Holdings Group

(Get Free Report)

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. The company operates in two segments, Advisory and Trust. The Advisory segment provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments, foundations, individuals, and the Westwood Funds; and investment sub-advisory services to mutual funds, pooled investment vehicles, and its Trust segment.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Westwood Holdings Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Westwood Holdings Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Intercontinental Hotels Group (NYSE:IHG  Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on IHG. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Intercontinental Hotels Group from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Intercontinental Hotels Group from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Intercontinental Hotels Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Intercontinental Hotels Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Intercontinental Hotels Group presently has an average rating of Hold.

Get Intercontinental Hotels Group alerts:

Get Our Latest Stock Report on IHG

Intercontinental Hotels Group Trading Up 1.8%

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intercontinental Hotels Group

IHG opened at $136.16 on Friday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $127.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.60. Intercontinental Hotels Group has a fifty-two week low of $94.78 and a fifty-two week high of $137.73.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IHG. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Intercontinental Hotels Group by 1.3% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 7,216 shares of the companys stock worth $827,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its position in Intercontinental Hotels Group by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 2,571 shares of the companys stock worth $297,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in Intercontinental Hotels Group by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 2,044 shares of the companys stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Intercontinental Hotels Group by 42.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 434 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Intercontinental Hotels Group by 1.7% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 9,214 shares of the companys stock worth $1,117,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 15.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Intercontinental Hotels Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC owns, manages, franchises, and leases hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Greater China. The company operates hotels under the Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, voco, HUALUXE, Crowne Plaza, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, EVEN, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Garner, avid hotels, Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Candlewood Suites brand names.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Intercontinental Hotels Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Intercontinental Hotels Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
INV VK HI INC2 (NYSE:VLT  Get Free Report) shares passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.19 and traded as low as $11.10. INV VK HI INC2 shares last traded at $11.1250, with a volume of 9,666 shares.

INV VK HI INC2 Stock Down 0.1%

The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $11.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.07.

Get INV VK HI INC2 alerts:

INV VK HI INC2 Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.094 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

INV VK HI INC2 Company Profile

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in INV VK HI INC2 in the 3rd quarter valued at $342,000. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of INV VK HI INC2 by 36.5% during the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 57,564 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 15,401 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in INV VK HI INC2 by 2.8% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 73,455 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,969 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in INV VK HI INC2 in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new stake in INV VK HI INC2 in the 2nd quarter valued at about $710,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.63% of the companys stock.

(Get Free Report)

Invesco High Income Trust II is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, INVESCO Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for INV VK HI INC2 Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for INV VK HI INC2 and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Judges Scientific plc (LON:JDG  Get Free Report) insider Bradley Leonard Ormsby purchased 2 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 5,985 per share, for a total transaction of 119.70.

Judges Scientific Trading Down 1.4%

JDG opened at GBX 5,700 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 70.79, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Judges Scientific plc has a one year low of GBX 4,400 and a one year high of GBX 9,120. The firm has a market capitalization of 379.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.97, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 5,576.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 6,629.20.

Get Judges Scientific alerts:

Judges Scientific (LON:JDG  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The company reported GBX 141.40 EPS for the quarter. Judges Scientific had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 17.56%. Analysts predict that Judges Scientific plc will post 402.5824271 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on JDG shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and set a GBX 7,380 price objective on shares of Judges Scientific in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 7,900 price objective on shares of Judges Scientific in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Shore Capital restated a house stock rating on shares of Judges Scientific in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 7,640.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Judges Scientific

About Judges Scientific

(Get Free Report)

Judges Scientific plc (AIM: JDG), is a group focused on acquiring and developing companies in the scientific instrument sector. The Group now consists of 23 businesses acquired since 2005.

The acquired companies are primarily UK-based with products sold worldwide to a diverse range of markets including: higher education institutions, scientific research facilities, manufacturers and regulatory authorities.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Judges Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Judges Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 58,901 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $45,915,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 263.6% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 40 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blume Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 46.7% in the second quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. now owns 44 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock.

Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts:

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 1.5%

LLY stock opened at $1,008.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $953.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.37. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $623.78 and a fifty-two week high of $1,111.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $935.73 and a 200-day moving average of $816.80.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 109.52% and a net margin of 30.99%.The businesss revenue was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on LLY. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $895.00 to $1,080.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a sector outperform rating and a $1,165.00 price objective for the company. Hsbc Global Res raised Eli Lilly and Company from a moderate sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, HSBC reissued a hold rating and issued a $1,070.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $1,109.24.

Get Our Latest Report on LLY

About Eli Lilly and Company

(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.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
BXP (NYSE:BXP  Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by Mizuho from $82.00 to $79.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the real estate investment trusts stock. Mizuhos price objective would suggest a potential upside of 10.38% from the stocks previous close.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on BXP. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of BXP from $68.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of BXP from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on BXP from $77.00 to $74.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Citigroup increased their price target on BXP from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on BXP in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. They issued an overweight rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $79.10.

Get BXP alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on BXP

BXP Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:BXP opened at $71.57 on Friday. BXP has a 1 year low of $54.22 and a 1 year high of $81.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 4.50 and a quick ratio of 4.50. The businesss 50-day moving average is $71.32 and its 200-day moving average is $70.86. The company has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.35, a P/E/G ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.99.

BXP (NYSE:BXP  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $871.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $860.88 million. BXP had a positive return on equity of 1.35% and a negative net margin of 5.82%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. BXP has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.890-6.920 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that BXP will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Raymond A. Ritchey sold 36,314 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.18, for a total value of $2,621,144.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael E. Labelle sold 13,422 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.34, for a total transaction of $970,947.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,223 shares of the companys stock, valued at $667,191.82. The trade was a 59.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 70,710 shares of company stock valued at $5,107,771. 1.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BXP

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in BXP by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,339 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in BXP by 55.0% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 33,085 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,460,000 after buying an additional 11,736 shares during the period. Cambria Investment Management L.P. grew its position in BXP by 15.6% during the third quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 8,401 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $625,000 after buying an additional 1,135 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in BXP by 107.7% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,724 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $128,000 after buying an additional 894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in BXP in the third quarter worth about $4,397,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BXP Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Boston Properties, Inc (NYSE: BXP) (BXP or the Company) is the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States, concentrated in six dynamic gateway markets  Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. BXP has delivered places that power progress for our clients and communities for more than 50 years.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for BXP Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BXP and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter on Friday to a forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust held in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan.

The year of 2025 marks the International Year of Peace and Trust, which was proposed by Turkmenistan and endorsed by the UN General Assembly, while today also coincides with the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's status as a permanently neutral state, Xi said in his message.

China and Turkmenistan are good friends with shared aspirations and reliable partners committed to win-win cooperation, he said, noting that China firmly supports Turkmenistan in pursuing its policy of permanent neutrality and commends its active efforts to safeguard global and regional peace and stability and promote common development.

He noted that at a time when global challenges are mounting and conflicts and confrontations continue to flare up, the world is calling for peace and trust more than ever.

History shows that the more turbulent and chaotic the international landscape becomes, the more the international community must stand together and support one another, said Xi.

It is needed to uphold mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual understanding, address the peace deficit, firmly preserve the authority and status of the United Nations, resolve disputes through peaceful means, and oppose hegemony, bullying and the pursuit of selfish interests at the expense of others, he said.

Xi also called for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits to address the trust deficit, promote fairness and justice through the rule of law in international affairs, and advance solidarity and cooperation through multilateralism. Global affairs should be discussed by all, the international order should be safeguarded by all, and the outcomes of governance should be shared by all, he said.

Xi added that his recent proposal of the Global Governance Initiative offered China's plan for advancing reform and improvement of the global governance system. He also voiced China's readiness to work with all countries to uphold world peace, promote common development, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. 
Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM  Get Free Report)s share price traded up 5.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $100.41 and last traded at $99.38. 11,543,640 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 11,566,333 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Macquarie raised Newmont from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. National Bankshares lifted their price objective on shares of Newmont from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Newmont in a research note on Sunday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Newmont from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on shares of Newmont from $75.00 to $94.00 in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Newmont presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $96.37.

Get Newmont alerts:

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on NEM

Newmont Stock Up 5.3%

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $87.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 2.04. The company has a market capitalization of $108.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.41.

Newmont (NYSE:NEM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The basic materials company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.44. Newmont had a net margin of 33.42% and a return on equity of 20.35%. The business had revenue of $5.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 20.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Newmont Corporation will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Newmont Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 26th. Newmonts dividend payout ratio is 15.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Thomas Ronald Palmer sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.34, for a total transaction of $406,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 279,923 shares of the companys stock, valued at $22,768,936.82. This represents a 1.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bruce R. Brook sold 2,080 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.36, for a total value of $192,108.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 32,709 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,021,003.24. The trade was a 5.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 11,240 shares of company stock valued at $943,985 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Newmont by 327.8% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 308 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors raised its stake in shares of Newmont by 315.4% during the 1st quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 565 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners lifted its holdings in Newmont by 534.7% during the 2nd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 457 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Newmont in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Newmont by 408.2% during the 2nd quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 498 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 68.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Newmont Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Newmont Corporation engages in the production and exploration of gold. It also explores for copper, silver, zinc, and lead. The company has operations and/or assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Suriname, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Fiji, and Ghana.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Newmont Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Newmont and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR  Get Free Report) shares shot up 4.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $21.26 and last traded at $21.22. 22,090,435 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 47% from the average session volume of 15,020,999 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on SMR shares. BNP Paribas lowered NuScale Power from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. UBS Group set a $20.00 price objective on shares of NuScale Power in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of NuScale Power from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Citigroup reiterated a sell rating and set a $37.50 price target (down previously from $46.00) on shares of NuScale Power in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NuScale Power from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $36.12.

Get NuScale Power alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on SMR

NuScale Power Stock Up 4.4%

The companys fifty day moving average price is $31.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of -7.42 and a beta of 2.09.

NuScale Power (NYSE:SMR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($1.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by ($1.74). The company had revenue of $8.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.29 million. NuScale Power had a negative return on equity of 51.27% and a negative net margin of 594.63%.The businesss quarterly revenue was up 1635.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.18) EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that NuScale Power Corporation will post -0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at NuScale Power

In other news, Director Corp Fluor sold 2,372,563 shares of NuScale Power stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.99, for a total value of $104,369,046.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,085,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at $443,654,282.56. The trade was a 19.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 15,040,000 shares of company stock worth $605,749,702 in the last ninety days. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of NuScale Power

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in NuScale Power by 7.8% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,492 shares of the companys stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of NuScale Power by 128.3% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,984 shares of the companys stock valued at $143,000 after acquiring an additional 2,239 shares in the last quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. increased its position in shares of NuScale Power by 78.3% during the third quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. now owns 13,284 shares of the companys stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 5,834 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new position in NuScale Power in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in NuScale Power in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $94,000. 78.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About NuScale Power

(Get Free Report)

NuScale Power Corporation engages in the development and sale of modular light water reactor nuclear power plants to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, hydrogen production, and other process heat applications. It offers NuScale Power Module (NPM), a water reactor that can generate 77 megawatts of electricity (MWe); and VOYGR power plant designs for three facility sizes that are capable of housing from one to four and six or twelve NPMs.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for NuScale Power Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NuScale Power and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 102,933 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $8,278,000. MetLife comprises about 0.9% of Occudo Quantitative Strategies LPs investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MET. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in MetLife by 13.4% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,893 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of MetLife by 188.1% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 417,515 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $33,577,000 after purchasing an additional 272,619 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MetLife by 88.2% in the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 6,328 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 2,965 shares during the period. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MetLife during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,608,000. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new position in MetLife during the first quarter valued at approximately $12,060,000. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Get MetLife alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on MET shares. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of MetLife in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research upgraded MetLife to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of MetLife from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of MetLife from $96.00 to $95.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $94.60.

MetLife Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of MetLife stock opened at $82.21 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.21 and a 12-month high of $88.09. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $78.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.76.

MetLife (NYSE:MET  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $12.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.64 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 21.00%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.95 earnings per share. Analysts predict that MetLife, Inc. will post 9.65 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were issued a $0.5675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. MetLifes dividend payout ratio is currently 42.75%.

MetLife Profile

(Free Report)

MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MET? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for MetLife Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MetLife and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP grew its position in Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX  Free Report) by 17.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 84,484 shares of the medical equipment providers stock after acquiring an additional 12,425 shares during the quarter. Boston Scientific accounts for 1.0% of Occudo Quantitative Strategies LPs portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LPs holdings in Boston Scientific were worth $9,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Boston Scientific in the first quarter worth $26,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Boston Scientific during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Boston Scientific by 90.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 252 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Boston Scientific in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Boston Scientific during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 89.07% of the companys stock.

Get Boston Scientific alerts:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BSX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a buy rating and issued a $132.00 price target on shares of Boston Scientific in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Boston Scientific in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Boston Scientific in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Boston Scientific in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Boston Scientific from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $124.43.

Boston Scientific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BSX opened at $91.60 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $98.95 and a 200 day moving average of $101.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $135.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.67. Boston Scientific Corporation has a 12 month low of $85.98 and a 12 month high of $109.50.

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. Boston Scientific had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.46%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. Boston Scientific has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.770-0.790 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Boston Scientific Corporation will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Boston Scientific

In related news, EVP Arthur C. Butcher sold 17,313 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.55, for a total value of $1,758,135.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,600 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,396,580. This trade represents a 42.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Joseph Michael Fitzgerald sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.47, for a total transaction of $4,973,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 178,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,739,678.74. The trade was a 21.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,095 shares of company stock valued at $14,228,950. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Boston Scientific Company 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.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BSX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Boston Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boston Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Paulson & CO. Inc. bought a new position in Acadian Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:AAMI  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 8,950,121 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $315,402,000. Acadian Asset Management comprises about 15.7% of Paulson & CO. Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Paulson & CO. Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of Acadian Asset Management as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AAMI. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Acadian Asset Management during the 2nd quarter valued at $439,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Acadian Asset Management in the 2nd quarter worth about $431,000. Amalgamated Bank bought a new stake in shares of Acadian Asset Management during the 2nd quarter valued at about $270,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System purchased a new position in shares of Acadian Asset Management during the second quarter valued at about $278,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Acadian Asset Management during the second quarter valued at about $25,094,000. Institutional investors own 98.69% of the companys stock.

Get Acadian Asset Management alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Acadian Asset Management from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Evercore ISI set a $52.00 target price on Acadian Asset Management in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley restated a positive rating on shares of Acadian Asset Management in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Zacks Research cut Acadian Asset Management from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b-) rating on shares of Acadian Asset Management in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $45.67.

Acadian Asset Management Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of AAMI opened at $49.24 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $45.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.59. Acadian Asset Management Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.60 and a 52 week high of $54.99. The stock has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77 and a beta of 1.32.

Acadian Asset Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Acadian Asset Managements payout ratio is 1.69%.

Acadian Asset Management Profile

(Free Report)

Acadian Asset Management Inc is a publically owned asset management holding company. The firm provides its services to individuals and institutions. It manages separate client focused portfolios through its subsidiaries. The firm also launches equity mutual funds for its clients. It invests in public equity, fixed income, and alternative investment markets through its subsidiaries.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAMI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Acadian Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:AAMI  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Acadian Asset Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Acadian Asset Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp cut its stake in Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 4.3% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 458,560 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 20,729 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps holdings in Bristol Myers Squibb were worth $21,227,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BMY. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 2.5% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 952,013 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $44,069,000 after buying an additional 23,364 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Bristol Myers Squibb by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,485,016 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $68,741,000 after acquiring an additional 11,416 shares during the last quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Bristol Myers Squibb by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,212 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Faithward Advisors LLC grew its stake in Bristol Myers Squibb by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 5,362 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas increased its holdings in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 54.5% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 63,118 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,918,000 after purchasing an additional 22,262 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.41% of the companys stock.

Get Bristol Myers Squibb alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank reaffirmed a sector perform rating and set a $53.00 target price (up previously from $45.00) on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bristol Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $57.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $53.83.

Bristol Myers Squibb Stock Performance

BMY opened at $51.16 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $46.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.90. Bristol Myers Squibb Company has a 1 year low of $42.52 and a 1 year high of $63.33. The stock has a market cap of $104.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.11. The company 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 12.57% and a return on equity of 76.53%. The firms revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Bristol Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. This is a boost from Bristol Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Bristol Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.78%.

Bristol Myers Squibb Company 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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Bristol Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp trimmed its position in shares of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) by 3.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 601,918 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 19,281 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps holdings in Bank of America were worth $28,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC increased its stake in Bank of America by 48.7% during the second quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 681 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,819 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank of America by 73.6% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 288,639 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,658,000 after purchasing an additional 122,418 shares during the period. Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC increased its position in Bank of America by 15.5% during the 2nd quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC now owns 20,602 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $975,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in Bank of America by 5.1% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 3,203,893 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $151,608,000 after buying an additional 155,118 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.71% of the companys stock.

Get Bank of America alerts:

Bank of America Stock Performance

NYSE:BAC opened at $54.56 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market cap of $398.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 1.30. Bank of America Corporation has a 1-year low of $33.06 and a 1-year high of $54.83.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $5.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.05 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 15.70%.The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio is 30.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on BAC. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Bank of America in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Bank of America from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Bank of America from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Bank of America from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Bank of America from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $57.82.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Bank of America

Bank of America Company Profile

(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.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BAC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp reduced its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 63,169 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 579 shares during the quarter. BlackRock comprises approximately 0.9% of Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps holdings in BlackRock were worth $66,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BLK. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,644,007,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in BlackRock by 105,267.4% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $1,789,915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704,280 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in BlackRock by 72.5% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,104,122,000 after purchasing an additional 842,901 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in BlackRock by 73.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,313,350 shares of the asset managers stock worth $1,243,059,000 after purchasing an additional 555,098 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in BlackRock during the second quarter worth about $231,000. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the companys stock.

Get BlackRock alerts:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,215.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,280.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on BlackRock from $1,312.00 to $1,305.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group started coverage on BlackRock in a report on Thursday. They set a neutral rating and a $1,180.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Cowen restated a buy rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,314.82.

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This trade represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,205 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. This represents a 62.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the companys stock.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK stock opened at $1,102.61 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $171.07 billion, a PE ratio of 28.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 3.33. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,093.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,086.69. BlackRock has a fifty-two week low of $773.74 and a fifty-two week high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $11.78 by ($0.23). BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.The firm had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $11.46 EPS. The companys revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $5.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio is presently 53.59%.

About BlackRock

(Free Report)

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG  Free Report) in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock.

PAG has been the topic of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Penske Automotive Group from $180.00 to $175.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Penske Automotive Group from $200.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Penske Automotive Group from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a report on Friday, October 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $184.43.

Get Penske Automotive Group alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on PAG

Penske Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of PAG opened at $170.01 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Penske Automotive Group has a one year low of $134.05 and a one year high of $189.51. The companys fifty day moving average price is $163.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $171.37.

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.48 by ($0.25). Penske Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The business had revenue of $7.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.39 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Penske Automotive Group will post 13.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Penske Automotive Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This is an increase from Penske Automotive Groups previous quarterly dividend of $1.32. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Penske Automotive Groups payout ratio is presently 38.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Penske Automotive Group news, CFO Michelle Hulgrave sold 2,100 shares of Penske Automotive Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.17, for a total transaction of $336,357.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,822 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,694,379.74. The trade was a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 51.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Penske Automotive Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Penske Automotive Group by 48.9% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,391,281 shares of the companys stock valued at $241,958,000 after buying an additional 456,611 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Penske Automotive Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,425,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 21.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 681,741 shares of the companys stock worth $116,953,000 after acquiring an additional 118,976 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Penske Automotive Group by 28.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 380,267 shares of the companys stock worth $54,751,000 after acquiring an additional 84,045 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Penske Automotive Group by 4,364.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 84,865 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,581,000 after purchasing an additional 82,964 shares in the last quarter. 77.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Penske Automotive Group

(Get Free Report)

Penske Automotive Group, Inc, a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Penske Automotive Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Penske Automotive Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
SRS Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT  Free Report) by 0.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,665,433 shares of the companys stock after selling 36,732 shares during the period. Planet Fitness comprises 5.3% of SRS Investment Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. SRS Investment Management LLC owned approximately 5.54% of Planet Fitness worth $508,765,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Planet Fitness by 0.5% during the second quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 20,200 shares of the companys stock worth $2,203,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Emerald Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Planet Fitness by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 5,572 shares of the companys stock valued at $608,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Planet Fitness by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 322 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Planet Fitness by 4.1% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,235 shares of the companys stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Planet Fitness by 3.7% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the companys stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. 95.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Planet Fitness alerts:

Planet Fitness Trading Up 0.8%

PLNT stock opened at $108.44 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $101.31 and a 200-day moving average of $104.32. The company has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.26, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.28. Planet Fitness, Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.72 and a 12-month high of $114.47.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Planet Fitness ( NYSE:PLNT Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.08. Planet Fitness had a negative return on equity of 126.58% and a net margin of 15.97%.The company had revenue of $330.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. Planet Fitnesss revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Planet Fitness has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.030 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Planet Fitness, Inc. will post 2.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PLNT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Macquarie raised their price target on Planet Fitness from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Guggenheim raised Planet Fitness to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Planet Fitness from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Planet Fitness in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Planet Fitness in a research report on Friday, October 17th. They set a buy rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $119.92.

View Our Latest Research Report on PLNT

Planet Fitness Profile

(Free Report)

Planet Fitness, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, franchises and operates fitness centers under the Planet Fitness brand. The company operates through three segments: Franchise, Corporate-Owned Stores, and Equipment. The company is involved in franchising business in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, and Australia.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Planet Fitness Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Planet Fitness and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
LUSAKA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Zambia aims to produce about 2,160 megawatts (MW) of electricity by 2026, a level expected to close the current power deficit, Energy Minister Makozo Chikote said Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting with independent power producers to review ongoing projects, Chikote said the additional capacity would put the country on a path toward surplus generation and improved energy security.

According to a ministerial statement issued in June, Zambia's power generation was estimated at about 1,019 MW. The country faces a power shortfall of over 1,600 MW following the severe 2023/2024 drought, with hydropower accounting for 80 percent of electricity generation. In response, the Zambian government has reformed the energy sector to allow private-sector participation, attracting a growing number of independent power producers.

Chikote said that Zambia has to expand its national installed capacity beyond the current 3,800 MW to meet growing demand, which has already surpassed 2,400 MW. He emphasized continued collaboration with independent power producers, urging developers to coordinate with authorities and follow a clear roadmap defining roles, responsibilities and project timelines. 
RTG Mining Inc. (TSE:RTG  Get Free Report) shares passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$0.03 and traded as high as C$0.04. RTG Mining shares last traded at C$0.03, with a volume of 79,213 shares changing hands.

RTG Mining Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.19, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.36. The company has a market cap of C$57.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.67 and a beta of -0.48. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is C$0.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$0.03.

RTG Mining Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

RTG Mining Inc is into the mining and exploration business. It is focused on high-grade, low operating cost gold projects. Some of its minor exploration and evaluation assets are held in Africa, all of the companys other significant assets are located in the Philippines. The organizations principal asset and focus are the Mabilo Project located in Camarines Norte Province, Eastern Luzon, Philippines.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for RTG Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RTG Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM  Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Citigroup from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report released on Friday. They presently have a $74.00 price target on the basic materials companys stock. Citigroups price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.99% from the companys previous close.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on SQM. Rothschild Redb raised Sociedad Quimica y Minera to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Scotiabank reissued a sector outperform rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Friday, October 24th. They set a neutral rating and a $54.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Monday. Finally, Itau BBA Securities began coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. They set an outperform rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $53.39.

Get Sociedad Quimica y Minera alerts:

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Sociedad Quimica y Minera

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Stock Up 1.5%

SQM stock opened at $64.92 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The companys 50-day moving average price is $52.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.78. Sociedad Quimica y Minera has a 52 week low of $29.36 and a 52 week high of $65.72. The company has a market cap of $18.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.48 and a beta of 0.99.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (NYSE:SQM  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The basic materials company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.06). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a net margin of 12.12% and a return on equity of 9.79%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. Sociedad Quimica y Mineras revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Sociedad Quimica y Minera will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sociedad Quimica y Minera

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 51.2% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 17,341 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 5,873 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 573,467 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $22,784,000 after acquiring an additional 7,302 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 84.5% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 81,422 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $3,235,000 after acquiring an additional 37,300 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 55.9% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,915 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera in the first quarter valued at approximately $417,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.41% of the companys stock.

About Sociedad Quimica y Minera

(Get Free Report)

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA operates as a mining company worldwide. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers under Ultrasol, Qrop, Speedfol, Allganic, Ultrasoline, ProP, and Prohydric brands. It also provides iodine and its derivatives for use in medical, agricultural, industrial, and human and animal nutrition products comprising x-ray contrast media, biocides, antiseptics and disinfectants, pharmaceutical intermediates, polarizing films for LCD and LED screens, chemicals, organic compounds, and pigments, as well as added to edible salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Sociedad Quimica y Minera Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sociedad Quimica y Minera and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 125,478 shares of the semiconductor companys stock, valued at approximately $28,420,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TSM. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 2.4% during the second quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,815 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 1,133 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 517 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 1.2% in the second quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $820,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 4.3% in the second quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.51% of the companys stock.

Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TSM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b-) rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. UBS Group set a $330.00 target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Sunday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Sunday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $355.00.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE TSM opened at $305.02 on Friday. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. has a 12-month low of $134.25 and a 12-month high of $313.98. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $293.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $255.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.47, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market cap of $1.58 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.31.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The semiconductor company reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $32.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $951.89 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 43.72% and a return on equity of 34.34%. The companys revenue was up 40.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.9678 per share. This represents a $3.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a boost from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company 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.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Spacetalk Limited (ASX:SPA  Get Free Report) insider Michael Rann acquired 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of A$1.00 per share, for a total transaction of A$20,000.00.

Spacetalk Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $10.20 million, a P/E ratio of -9.73 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of -134.83, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 0.46.

Get Spacetalk alerts:

Spacetalk Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Further Reading

Spacetalk Limited, a technology company, provides wearables and mobile communication solutions in Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. It offers Spacetalk Kids and Spacetalk Adventurer, which are mobile phone, GPS tracker, and watch all-in-one wearable devices; Meet Spacetalk Life, a wearable safety device; accessories comprising charging cable, dock, and USB type A; and kids and adventurer accessories.

Receive News & Ratings for Spacetalk Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Spacetalk and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW  Free Report) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 628,047 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 24,925 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLCs holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $56,191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PNW. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Pinnacle West Capital during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 440.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 486 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 72.2% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 508 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. CNB Bank purchased a new position in shares of Pinnacle West Capital during the second quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 82.6% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 935 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.51% of the companys stock.

Get Pinnacle West Capital alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PNW shares. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $100.00 to $97.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays raised their price target on Pinnacle West Capital from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Pinnacle West Capital in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho downgraded Pinnacle West Capital from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and lowered their target price for the company from $102.00 to $90.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, Argus dropped their target price on Pinnacle West Capital from $98.00 to $95.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pinnacle West Capital has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $97.58.

Pinnacle West Capital Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of PNW stock opened at $86.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a PEG ratio of 8.59 and a beta of 0.54. Pinnacle West Capital Corporation has a 1 year low of $81.47 and a 1 year high of $96.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $89.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.90.

Pinnacle West Capital (NYSE:PNW  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The utilities provider reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.35. Pinnacle West Capital had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 11.20%.The company had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.37 earnings per share. Pinnacle West Capitals quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Pinnacle West Capital has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.550-4.750 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 4.900-5.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Pinnacle West Capital Corporation will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Pinnacle West Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. Pinnacle West Capitals payout ratio is presently 74.74%.

About Pinnacle West Capital

(Free Report)

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, through its subsidiary, provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in the state of Arizona. The company engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity using coal, nuclear, gas, oil, and solar generating facilities. Its transmission facilities include overhead lines and underground lines; and distribution facilities consist of overhead lines and underground primary cables.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PNW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Pinnacle West Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pinnacle West Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ (OTCMKTS:SVNLY  Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of Reduce from the seven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a hold recommendation to the company.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating on shares of Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd.

Get Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ alerts:

Read Our Latest Stock Report on SVNLY

Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ Stock Performance

Shares of Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ stock opened at $7.17 on Tuesday. Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ has a twelve month low of $4.93 and a twelve month high of $7.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.10. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $6.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.50.

Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ (OTCMKTS:SVNLY  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.01. Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 15.97%.The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. On average, analysts predict that Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) provides various banking products and services for private and corporate customers primarily in Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, the United States, Luxembourg, Finland, and Poland. The company offers savings, transactions, business, currency, and investment accounts, as well as accounts for cash pool, and forestry and agriculture; mortgage and committed loans, and private loans; mutual funds; pension products; credit and debit cards; and payment and reconciliation services, as well as foreign exchange rate services.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Svenska Handelsbanken Ab Publ and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report)s share price fell 4.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $290.98 and last traded at $291.8680. 19,225,236 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 35% from the average session volume of 14,259,478 shares. The stock had previously closed at $304.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on TSM. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Sunday. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, UBS Group set a $330.00 price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Sunday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $355.00.

Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Stock Down 4.3%

The companys 50 day simple moving average is $293.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $255.65. The firm has a market cap of $1.51 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.94, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The semiconductor company reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $32.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $951.89 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 43.72% and a return on equity of 34.34%. The firms revenue was up 40.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.9678 per share. This is a boost from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio is presently 25.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 1.0% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,833,127 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $4,980,614,000 after purchasing an additional 168,171 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 3.6% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,759,419 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $4,401,448,000 after acquiring an additional 541,047 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,935,893 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $4,171,445,000 after acquiring an additional 130,173 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 4.5% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,591,542 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $3,516,692,000 after purchasing an additional 544,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 19.1% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,350,239 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $2,050,141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,984,835 shares during the last quarter. 16.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Profile

(Get 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.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Suncor Energy (TSE:SU  Get Free Report) (NYSE:SU) had its price objective raised by TD Securities from C$71.00 to C$73.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has a buy rating on the stock. TD Securities price objective points to a potential upside of 19.44% from the stocks previous close.

Several other brokerages have also commented on SU. National Bankshares upped their price target on Suncor Energy from C$65.00 to C$68.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a hold rating to a moderate buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Suncor Energy from C$59.00 to C$64.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. CIBC increased their price objective on shares of Suncor Energy from C$65.00 to C$70.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 27th. Finally, Gerdes Energy Research raised their target price on shares of Suncor Energy from C$75.00 to C$78.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Suncor Energy has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$65.77.

Get Suncor Energy alerts:

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on SU

Suncor Energy Trading Up 0.2%

Suncor Energy stock traded up C$0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching C$61.12. The company had a trading volume of 909,771 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,910,735. Suncor Energy has a 12-month low of C$43.59 and a 12-month high of C$64.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.35, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stocks 50 day moving average price is C$58.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$55.93. The firm has a market capitalization of C$73.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25, a PEG ratio of 0.15 and a beta of 0.75.

Suncor Energy (TSE:SU  Get Free Report) (NYSE:SU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported C$1.48 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$12.55 billion for the quarter. Suncor Energy had a net margin of 15.15% and a return on equity of 18.10%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Suncor Energy will post 4.4208333 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kristopher Peter Smith sold 112,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$61.74, for a total value of C$6,951,924.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 48,482 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately C$2,993,278.68. This represents a 69.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Insiders own 0.01% of the companys stock.

About Suncor Energy

(Get Free Report)

Suncor Energy Inc is an integrated energy company. The companys operations include oil sands development, production and upgrading, offshore oil and gas, petroleum refining in Canada and the U.S. and the companys PetroCanada retail and wholesale distribution networks. The company is developing petroleum resources while advancing the transition to a low-emissions future through investment in power, renewable fuels and hydrogen.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Suncor Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Suncor Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA  Get Free Report) VP Richard Daniell sold 115,468 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.68, for a total value of $3,311,622.24. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 48,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,387,653.12. This represents a 70.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries stock opened at $30.16 on Friday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $23.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.51. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has a 52-week low of $12.47 and a 52-week high of $30.20. The firm has a market cap of $34.59 billion, a PE ratio of 50.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Get Teva Pharmaceutical Industries alerts:

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 40.3% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 629 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 3,715.8% in the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,900 shares of the companys stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 2,824 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 26.8% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 3,293 shares of the companys stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 97.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,738 shares of the companys stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,348 shares during the last quarter. 54.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TEVA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank began coverage on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a research report on Friday, December 5th. They issued a sector outperform rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $30.25.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on TEVA

About Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

(Get Free Report)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, Israel, and internationally. It offers generic medicines in various dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams; sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in parenteral and solid dosage forms; and generic products with medical devices and combination products.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Sei Investments Co. lowered its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 12.7% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 136,302 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 19,825 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $96,477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC increased its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 617,504.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 29,058,291 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $20,566,005,000 after acquiring an additional 29,053,586 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 3.6% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,539,746 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $4,628,507,000 after purchasing an additional 227,604 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,379,900 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $2,392,124,000 after purchasing an additional 157,473 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,332,804 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,820,677,000 after purchasing an additional 40,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,138,031,000. 71.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GS shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $685.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $854.00 to $828.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Daiwa Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $756.00 to $810.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set a market perform rating and a $785.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Monday, December 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $786.00.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

NYSE GS opened at $910.93 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $798.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $741.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $439.38 and a twelve month high of $919.10. The company has a market capitalization of $273.22 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The investment management company reported $12.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.27 by $1.98. The company had revenue of $15.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.68 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 13.18%.The firms revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.40 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be given 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 1.8%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is 32.50%.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company 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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Qabil Ashirov



Kazakhstan hopes that a comprehensive peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be concluded soon, Azernews reports.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made the remarks at the International Peace and Trust Forum held in Ashgabat.

In our view, the signing of a joint peace declaration by Azerbaijan and Armenia carries historical significance and opens broad prospects for multifaceted cooperation both within the region and beyond. We hope that a full-fledged peace agreement, ensuring stability in the South Caucasus, will be signed in the near future, Tokayev said.

The Kazakh president also expressed support for renewed efforts to advance negotiations on the conflict in Ukraine.

We also welcome the signing of a peace accord concerning the situation in the Middle East. Kazakhstans decision to join the Abraham Accords reflects our desire to contribute to stabilizing the region, Tokayev added.
TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Japanese media have exposed further irregularities in the financial flows of organizations associated with Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Sanae Takaichi, on top of a recent complaint over an excess political donation to a local LDP chapter led by her.

According to an article published Thursday in the weekly magazine Shukan Shincho, a statement of income and expenditure released on Nov. 28 showed that a religious group named Kamunagara donated 30 million yen (about 193,000 U.S. dollars) to Takaichi's local LDP chapter in Nara Prefecture on Dec. 13 last year.

The article said that Noriko Kawai, the representative director of the Nara-based religious organization, donated 10 million yen in her personal capacity to the Nara 2nd District chapter headed by Takaichi. Combined with the 30 million yen donated by Kamunagara, the total donation reached 40 million yen, which is equivalent to more than 20 percent of the chapter's annual income and is no small sum.

The article points out that, according to relevant regulations, if a religious organization wants to donate 30 million yen to a political party, its expenditure in the previous year must have exceeded 60 million yen.

However, very few religious groups can spend 60 million yen on their annual expenses. It is quite puzzling that a relatively unknown and unclear religious organization like Kamunagara has donated such a large amount of money, the article said.

Meanwhile, an article published on Wednesday on the website of the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun said that a statement of income and expenditure showed that the New Era Policy Research Group, or Takaichi's financial management organization, transferred approximately 18.12 million yen to Tenri Jihosha Co., Ltd. on April 25, 2024, with the payment labeled as "data entry work fee."

On Sept. 24 of the same year, it made another payment of approximately 19.97 million yen, labeled as "costs for envelopes and briefing paper printing and binding," the article said.

The article pointed out that the two organizations, the New Era Policy Research Group and the Nara 2nd District chapter, made more than ten payments to Tenri Jihosha last year.

The article quoted Hiroshi Kamiwaki, a professor at Kobe Gakuin University who is familiar with political funds issues, as saying that Tenri Jihosha is an affiliated company of the religious group Tenrikyo. The Takaichi side had asked the company to input data, indicating that it was providing Tenri Jihosha with personal information such as lists of party members, and the relationship between the two sides was very close.

On Dec. 4, Kamiwaki filed a complaint against Takaichi with prosecutors, saying her LDP chapter in Nara Prefecture received a donation of 10 million yen from a Tokyo company on Aug. 26 last year, surpassing the 7.5 million yen limit allowed by law for that particular type of donor. (1 U.S. dollar equals about 155 Japanese yen) 
The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 3.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 86,365 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 3,167 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.06% of BlackRock worth $90,618,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,644,007,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 105,267.4% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset managers stock worth $1,789,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,280 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 72.5% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $2,104,122,000 after purchasing an additional 842,901 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 73.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,313,350 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $1,243,059,000 after buying an additional 555,098 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the companys stock.

Get BlackRock alerts:

BlackRock Stock Up 1.8%

BLK stock opened at $1,102.61 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average is $1,093.54 and its 200 day moving average is $1,086.69. The stock has a market cap of $171.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $11.78 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $6.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.BlackRocks quarterly revenue was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $11.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a $5.21 dividend. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio is currently 53.59%.

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In related news, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,205 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. This trade represents a 62.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,209 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.98% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Loop Capital set a $1,255.00 target price on BlackRock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Zacks Research lowered BlackRock from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b-) rating on shares of BlackRock in a report on Monday. Argus lifted their target price on BlackRock from $1,165.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,312.00 to $1,305.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 14th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,314.82.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on BLK

BlackRock Profile

(Free Report)

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Third Point LLC acquired a new stake in Flowserve Corporation (NYSE:FLS  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,195,000 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $62,558,000. Third Point LLC owned about 0.91% of Flowserve at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in Flowserve during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Flowserve during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Flowserve in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Flowserve by 1,289.6% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 667 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Flowserve by 149.8% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 697 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. 93.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Get Flowserve alerts:

Insider Buying and Selling at Flowserve

In other news, insider Susan Claire Hudson sold 10,667 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.01, for a total transaction of $746,796.67. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $461,295.89. The trade was a 61.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lamar L. Duhon sold 1,609 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.51, for a total value of $111,841.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 15,116 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,050,713.16. The trade was a 9.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 59,276 shares of company stock valued at $4,196,578 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the companys stock.

Flowserve Price Performance

Shares of Flowserve stock opened at $73.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.54. Flowserve Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $37.34 and a fifty-two week high of $74.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $63.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.35. The company has a market cap of $9.34 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.30.

Flowserve (NYSE:FLS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.10. Flowserve had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 19.41%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Flowserve has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.400-3.500 EPS. Analysts expect that Flowserve Corporation will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on FLS shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $84.00 price target on shares of Flowserve in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $73.00 target price (up previously from $60.00) on shares of Flowserve in a report on Friday, November 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Flowserve from $66.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on Flowserve from $68.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Flowserve from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $76.30.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Flowserve

Flowserve Profile

(Free Report)

Flowserve Corporation designs, manufactures, distributes, and services industrial flow management equipment in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through Flowserve Pump Division (FPD) and Flow Control Division (FCD) segments. The FPD segment offers custom and pre-configured pumps and pump systems, mechanical seals, auxiliary systems, replacement parts, upgrades, and related aftermarket services; and equipment services, including installation and commissioning services, seal systems spare parts, repairs, advanced diagnostics, re-rate and upgrade solutions, retrofit programs, and machining and asset management solutions, as well as manufactures a gas-lubricated mechanical seal for use in high-speed compressors for gas pipelines and in the oil and gas production and process markets.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FLS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Flowserve Corporation (NYSE:FLS  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Flowserve Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Flowserve and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc. (NYSE:TCI  Get Free Report) major shareholder Realty Invest Transcontinental bought 1,263 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.80 per share, for a total transaction of $22,481.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 3,437,738 shares in the company, valued at $61,191,736.40. This represents a 0.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Realty Invest Transcontinental also recently made the following trade(s):

Get Transcontinental Realty Investors alerts:

On Monday, December 8th, Realty Invest Transcontinental acquired 2 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $17.85 per share, for a total transaction of $35.70.

On Thursday, December 4th, Realty Invest Transcontinental bought 56 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.85 per share, with a total value of $999.60.

On Wednesday, December 3rd, Realty Invest Transcontinental bought 110 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.85 per share, for a total transaction of $1,963.50.

On Tuesday, December 2nd, Realty Invest Transcontinental purchased 3 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.80 per share, with a total value of $53.40.

On Thursday, November 6th, Realty Invest Transcontinental acquired 2 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.80 per share, for a total transaction of $35.60.

On Friday, October 31st, Realty Invest Transcontinental bought 41 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.80 per share, with a total value of $729.80.

On Wednesday, October 29th, Realty Invest Transcontinental bought 3 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.80 per share, for a total transaction of $53.40.

On Tuesday, October 28th, Realty Invest Transcontinental purchased 173 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $17.80 per share, for a total transaction of $3,079.40.

On Wednesday, October 22nd, Realty Invest Transcontinental purchased 2 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.80 per share, with a total value of $35.60.

On Tuesday, October 7th, Realty Invest Transcontinental acquired 150 shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $17.75 per share, with a total value of $2,662.50.

Transcontinental Realty Investors Stock Performance

Shares of TCI stock traded up $2.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.79. 3,518 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,686. The stock has a market capitalization of $438.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.35 and a beta of 0.45. Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.50 and a 12-month high of $51.71. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $44.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.81.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Transcontinental Realty Investors

Transcontinental Realty Investors ( NYSE:TCI Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $12.84 million during the quarter. Transcontinental Realty Investors had a return on equity of 0.30% and a net margin of 11.52%.

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors by 85.7% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 739 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,032 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors during the 2nd quarter valued at $68,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Transcontinental Realty Investors by 47.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,310 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Transcontinental Realty Investors

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.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Transcontinental Realty Investors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Transcontinental Realty Investors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report)s stock price was up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $85.75 and last traded at $85.47. Approximately 22,641,663 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average daily volume of 20,634,525 shares. The stock had previously closed at $84.16.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on UBER. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Uber Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Uber Technologies in a research note on Monday, September 29th. They set an outperform rating and a $130.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $107.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Uber Technologies from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $108.60.

Get Uber Technologies alerts:

Get Our Latest Research Report on UBER

Uber Technologies Stock Up 1.6%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $92.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.82. The stock has a market cap of $177.59 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The ride-sharing company reported $3.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by $2.44. Uber Technologies had a net margin of 33.54% and a return on equity of 68.17%. The company had revenue of $13.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Tony West sold 3,125 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $287,812.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 174,135 shares in the company, valued at $16,037,833.50. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah sold 5,500 shares of Uber Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.41, for a total value of $519,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,330 shares in the company, valued at $1,919,355.30. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 567,625 shares of company stock worth $55,385,660. Insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UBER. Brant Point Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Uber Technologies in the second quarter worth approximately $933,000. Prudential PLC lifted its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 216,855 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $20,233,000 after purchasing an additional 29,359 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Uber Technologies by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,082,067 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $194,257,000 after purchasing an additional 35,418 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Uber Technologies by 13.9% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 426,163 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $39,761,000 after purchasing an additional 52,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in Uber Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $96,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV  Get Free Report)s stock had its hold rating reissued by investment analysts at UBS Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $43.00 target price on the airlines stock, up from their prior target price of $33.00. UBS Groups price target points to a potential upside of 4.50% from the stocks previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Southwest Airlines in a report on Tuesday. They set a market perform rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Monday. Susquehanna lifted their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $37.29.

Get Southwest Airlines alerts:

View Our Latest Report on Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE LUV traded up $0.41 on Friday, reaching $41.15. The company had a trading volume of 19,854,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,476,305. The firm has a market cap of $21.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.42. Southwest Airlines has a fifty-two week low of $23.82 and a fifty-two week high of $42.20. The business has a 50 day moving average of $33.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.95.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The airline reported ($0.38) EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.38% and a return on equity of 6.39%. Analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LUV. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in Southwest Airlines by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 4,690 shares of the airlines stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airlines stock worth $806,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southwest Airlines by 2.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the airlines stock valued at $456,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.3% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the airlines stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management lifted its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 0.4% during the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 83,070 shares of the airlines stock worth $2,651,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Southwest Airlines

(Get 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.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Southwest Airlines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southwest Airlines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
FWL Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of VanEck Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:GDX  Free Report) by 10.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 253,245 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 30,961 shares during the quarter. VanEck Gold Miners ETF comprises 4.0% of FWL Investment Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. FWL Investment Management LLCs holdings in VanEck Gold Miners ETF were worth $13,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ethos Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of VanEck Gold Miners ETF during the second quarter valued at about $309,000. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in VanEck Gold Miners ETF in the second quarter worth about $68,000. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in VanEck Gold Miners ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $10,277,000. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of VanEck Gold Miners ETF by 32.2% during the 2nd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 158,387 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $8,246,000 after acquiring an additional 38,615 shares during the period. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. purchased a new position in shares of VanEck Gold Miners ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $254,000.

Get VanEck Gold Miners ETF alerts:

VanEck Gold Miners ETF Stock Up 3.5%

GDX opened at $86.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50 day moving average of $76.97 and a 200-day moving average of $64.79. VanEck Gold Miners ETF has a 52 week low of $33.42 and a 52 week high of $87.45.

VanEck Gold Miners ETF Profile

The Fund seeks to match as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the AMEX Gold Miners Index. The Fund, utilizing a passive or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Index by investing in a portfolio of stocks that generally replicate the Index.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GDX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for VanEck Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:GDX  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for VanEck Gold Miners ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for VanEck Gold Miners ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Magna International (NYSE:MGA  Free Report) (TSE:MG) had its target price cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $51.00 to $50.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on MGA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Magna International from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. CIBC increased their target price on shares of Magna International from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Magna International from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Magna International from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Magna International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen 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 a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $50.33.

Get Magna International alerts:

Read Our Latest Analysis on MGA

Magna International Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE MGA opened at $51.74 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $47.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.13. The stock has a market cap of $14.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.14 and a beta of 1.53. Magna International has a 52-week low of $30.39 and a 52-week high of $51.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Magna International (NYSE:MGA  Get Free Report) (TSE:MG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $10.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.03 billion. Magna International had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 11.88%. Magna Internationals revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Magna International will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

Magna International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Magna Internationals payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Magna International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Achmea Investment Management B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Magna International during the third quarter valued at about $8,606,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Magna International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $112,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Magna International by 196.9% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 139,659 shares of the companys stock worth $6,620,000 after acquiring an additional 92,613 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Magna International by 1.8% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 14,241 shares of the companys stock worth $675,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in Magna International in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 67.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Magna International Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Magna International Inc designs, engineers, and manufactures components, assemblies, systems, subsystems, and modules for original equipment manufacturers of vehicles and light trucks worldwide. It operates through four segments: Body Exteriors & Structures, Power & Vision, Seating Systems, and Complete Vehicles.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Magna International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Magna International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Wickes Group plc (LON:WIX  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 243 and last traded at GBX 240.50, with a volume of 82496 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 239.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WIX shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Wickes Group from GBX 202 to GBX 200 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Wickes Group to a sell rating and lowered their price objective for the company from GBX 205 to GBX 195 in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a buy rating and set a GBX 250 price objective on shares of Wickes Group in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Shore Capital restated a buy rating and set a GBX 250 target price on shares of Wickes Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Wickes Group presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of GBX 223.75.

Get Wickes Group alerts:

Read Our Latest Report on Wickes Group

Wickes Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 456.98, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of 538.49 million, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.78. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is GBX 222.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 219.36.

Wickes Group (LON:WIX  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 30th. The company reported GBX 15.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Wickes Group had a return on equity of 19.39% and a net margin of 2.01%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Wickes Group plc will post 16.2278978 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Wickes Group

(Get Free Report)

Wickes is one of the UKs best known home improvement retailers. Having opened our first store in 1972 we now have 228 stores across the UK, employing 7,400 colleagues and offering products ranging from kitchens and bathrooms, to paint, tools and timber.

Wickes is a successful, growing, cash generative and profitable business, operating in the large and growing 27 billion UK Home Improvement market.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Wickes Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wickes Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
State Street Corp raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM  Free Report) by 2.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailers stock after acquiring an additional 127,597 shares during the period. State Street Corp owned 4.87% of Williams-Sonoma worth $978,864,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 34.0% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 23,411 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $3,824,000 after purchasing an additional 5,943 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at $8,268,000. Ossiam grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,383.4% during the second quarter. Ossiam now owns 5,088 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $831,000 after acquiring an additional 4,745 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 116.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 27,792 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $4,540,000 after acquiring an additional 14,941 shares during the period. Finally, Baker Avenue Asset Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 3,048 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Get Williams-Sonoma alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $199.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $189.04 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The businesss fifty day moving average is $187.06 and its 200-day moving average is $183.94. The stock has a market cap of $22.57 billion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.55.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 17th were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonomas payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,153 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.84, for a total value of $626,942.52. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,787,999.92. This represents a 8.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.79, for a total value of $695,765.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,003 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,783,656.37. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 126,653 shares of company stock worth $24,724,440 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Williams-Sonoma

(Free Report)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WSM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Williams-Sonoma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Williams-Sonoma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
WINTON GROUP Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR  Free Report) by 94.9% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,416 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 212,002 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltds holdings in Entergy were worth $949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ETR. Mattson Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 300 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. lifted its stake in Entergy by 135.7% in the second quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 330 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its position in Entergy by 5,733.3% during the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in shares of Entergy during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Entergy during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 88.07% of the companys stock.

Get Entergy alerts:

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Anastasia Minor sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.39, for a total value of $481,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,122 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $975,659.58. This trade represents a 33.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 5,136 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.50, for a total transaction of $495,624.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,899 shares in the company, valued at $762,253.50. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,179 shares of company stock worth $981,707. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Entergy Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE ETR opened at $93.28 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $41.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.62. Entergy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $73.15 and a fifty-two week high of $98.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter. Entergy had a return on equity of 11.53% and a net margin of 14.26%. On average, analysts forecast that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 13th. This is an increase from Entergys previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Entergys payout ratio is presently 63.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Entergy from $97.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Entergy from $91.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Entergy in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. They set a buy rating and a $109.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $91.00 target price on shares of Entergy in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $105.00 price target on shares of Entergy and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $102.53.

View Our Latest Report on Entergy

Entergy Company Profile

(Free Report)

Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. It generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ETR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Entergy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Entergy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

GENEVA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The year 2025 has brought both significant progress and major challenges for the World Health Organization (WHO) and global health more broadly, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday.

Speaking at a media briefing organized by the Association of Correspondents Accredited to the United Nations (ACANU), Tedros delivered a wide-ranging review of the year, citing historic public health achievements while warning of intensifying geopolitical and operational threats.

Tedros said immunization remained a cornerstone of global health progress. "Over the past 25 years, under-five mortality has dropped by more than half, from 11 million deaths a year to 4.8 million, and vaccines are the major reason for that," he said. "Vaccines are among the most powerful, transformative inventions in the history of humankind."

Among the year's standout developments, the World Health Assembly adopted the landmark WHO Pandemic Agreement. Described by Tedros as a turning point, the agreement is intended to strengthen global readiness for future health emergencies. Member states are currently negotiating an annex focused on ensuring equitable access to countermeasures.

Several countries also marked major disease control milestones in 2025. "With WHO support, Maldives became the first country to achieve triple elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B," Tedros said. In addition, seven new countries rolled out WHO-approved malaria vaccines, broadening protection across more communities.

WHO's emergency response operations remained in high gear. The agency responded to dozens of health crises worldwide, including outbreaks of Ebola, Marburg virus and widespread cholera. But these efforts are being carried out under growing strain, Tedros noted.

He raised deep concern over the increasing number of attacks on health workers and facilities in conflict zones. "So far this year, WHO has verified 1,272 attacks in 18 countries and territories, causing almost 2,000 deaths," he said.

Meanwhile, WHO is confronting a severe financial crisis, which Tedros attributed to steep reductions in development assistance and the announced intent by a major member state to scale back its support

"The announcement by the United States of significant funding cuts ... left us facing a salary gap for the next two years of about 500 million U.S. dollars," Tedros said. The resulting prioritization has led to large-scale workforce reductions, he added.

Despite these challenges, Tedros reaffirmed the organization's commitment to its founding principles. "We remain committed to the vision the nations of the world had when they founded this organization in 1948: the highest attainable standard of health - not as a luxury for some, but a right for all," he said. 

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (2nd R) speaks during a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
Yes  its essential for fairness and democratic stability

Maybe  but only if both major parties commit in law

No  the current system gives needed flexibility

Vote

View Results
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday said the Chinese side hopes the international community can be clear-eyed and not be deceived by the Japanese side, and Japan's allies in particular need to see through the Japanese side's schemes and avoid being misled by it.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks when asked to comment on the phone conversation between Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth, with both sides sharing so-called serious concern over the recent "radar illumination" incident, saying that China's actions "increase regional tensions."

"We've responded to this issue more than once," Guo said, adding that the facts are very clear. The Japanese side's wishful, contradictory and self-deceiving remarks lay bare its real intention of creating tensions and spreading disinformation, he said.

"We urge the Japanese side to face up to the crux of the current difficulties in China-Japan relations, earnestly reflect on and correct its wrongdoing, and retract Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, rather than diverting attention and creating more troubles," Guo added. 
CANBERRA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The illicit tobacco trade is costing the Australian government billions of dollars every year in lost tax revenue, according to a new report.

The report from the federal government's Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette (ITEC) Commissioner estimated that half of all tobacco products sold in Australia are now illicit and that the e-cigarette market is predominantly operating outside health and regulatory safeguards.

It found that illicit tobacco sales evaded government taxes of up to 11.8 billion Australian dollars (about 7.86 billion U.S. dollars) in the financial year 2024-25.

The federal government collected 7.7 billion AUD in taxes on legal tobacco products in 2024-25, according to the report, down from 12.6 billion AUD in 2022-23 and 16.3 billion AUD in 2019-20.

A separate report published by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in October estimated that illicit tobacco accounted for 25 percent of the market in 2023-24 and evaded 3.2 billion AUD in taxes.

The ITEC Commissioner's report said that illicit tobacco and e-cigarettes represent a threat to Australia's public health, expose consumers to unregulated products and fuel organized crime.

"A clear view has emerged that there is no single solution to addressing the illicit market. Instead, a multi-pronged approach is needed across the ecosystem, from supply to demand," ITEC Commissioner Amber Shuhyta wrote in the report. "The wider Australian community also has a role to play, given normalization of consuming illicit tobacco and vapes directly supports serious and organized crime."

Illicit tobacco and e-cigarette seizures by Australian authorities totalled a record-high of 2,244 tons in 2024-25, representing 56 percent of the 3,975 tons that were legally imported in the same period.

The seized volume of tobacco included 2.66 billion cigarettes.

Australia's excise duty on cigarettes, which increases in March and September each year, is currently set at 1.49 AUD per cigarette compared to 0.53 AUD per cigarette in December 2015. 
Date at Delhi on December 14 Needed : Roadmap

|

The Sangai Express went with the term Delhi calls MLAs rather than Delhi summons MLAs for reasons which must be clear to readers who are accustomed to reading beyond the obvious. And so it is that a number of BJP MLAs have already reached Delhi, some are on their way while others will be queuing up to fly to the National capital to be on time for the December 14 date. The call has been issued not by Union Home Minister Amit Shah but by BJP National president JP Nadda and all BJP MLAs cutting across community lines have been extended the invite to come. Queuing up for Delhi, but not unexpectedly and not surprisingly, no one seems to know why the BJP MLAs have been called to Delhi, but the air is already thick with talks of the possibility of the invite revolving around the return of a popular Government. This is at least what one could learn from what ex-Chief Minister N Biren said while interacting with the media on December 12 on the occasion of Nupi Lan. If the call to Delhi does revolve around the issue of reinstating the popularly elected Government, then this would certainly go a long way in addressing the line of thought that the PR regime should go now to pave the way for the return of a popular Government. This can also be seen as an extension of the Delhi trip that a number of BJP MLAs undertook on the call to reinstate the popularly elected Government sometime in October this year. Numberwise the BJP continues to sit comfortably in the House of 60 with only the Congress with five MLAs sitting on the Opposition bench and what is needed is nothing more than a nod from the Centre to go ahead with Government formation. And obviously Government formation would entail who would be named to occupy the hot chair and the 10 months of PR would have given more than enough time to the Centre to work out who is best suited to lead the Government. How this pans out is yet to be known but this is the reality and it is against this that talk of the return of a popular Government is gaining ground, with even the former Chief Minister openly stating that the Delhi meet of December 14 may centre around the question of Government formation. It is against this background that the BJP MLAs have started reaching Delhi with more on their way and come December 14, Manipur will surely have some news on the meeting. Or would it get reduced to an exercise of the media persons bending backwards to get in touch with their contacts who are in Delhi to get the correct information ? Or better still, would it be a case of the Imphal media having to rely on the different news agencies to carry a report concerning Manipur ? December 14 will have the answer.

Call for the return of a popular Government is not new, it has been there for sometime, especially from amongst the BJP MLAs, but there is still no answer to the all important question-Have the BJP MLAs met, discussed, brainstormed and shared ideas on how best to tackle the situation in Manipur ? Will the return of a popular Government in any way help take Manipur to the understanding of normalcy ? Has any of the MLAs ever given this a thought ? A thought on sharing ideas and views ? This is also perhaps the right time to question why none of the BJP MLAs have publicly acknowledged the visit of fellow MLA Yumnam Khemchand to a relief centre set up for Kuki IDPs at Litan some time back ? Have the MLAs met to see if things can be taken further from the visit to the Kuki relief camp ? These are questions which Manipur should raise now. Who is made the next Chief Minister would not have much bearing on Manipur, but what will and can have an impact is what efforts can be made to ensure that the IDPs can safely return home. And this cuts both ways, meaning the Kuki-Chin-Zo people who have left their homes in Imphal and the other valley areas and the Meitei IDPs in different relief centres. Has any of the BJP MLAs given a thought on sharing ideas and suggestions so that the benefits percolate to everyone in Manipur ? Only the MLAs can answer these questions, but it is important to raise such questions for this is about Manipur. All eyes are on Delhi and the scheduled December 14 date there and one hopes it results in something positive for Manipur.
ZUF talk

|

IMPHAL, Dec 12: The 9th round of political talk between the Government of India and Zeliangrong United Front was held from December 10 to 11 in New Delhi.

Substantial subjects on Zeliangrong territorial integration covering Assam, Manipur and Nagaland and its pragmatism was extensively discussed during the talk, said Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) in a statement, issued by its secretary, information and publicity, Louis Gangmei.

During the 2-day talk, minutes of points concerning the existing administrative structure in the three States were explored in the purview of resolving Zeliangrong political issues. The question of granting maximum autonomy to run the affairs of Zeliangrong people in the region was also discussed, it said.

After extensive deliberations, both sides mutually agreed to further the process of defining a mechanism towards structuring an acceptable and pragmatic settlement modality, added the ZUF.


RIMS Director assists

|

IMPHAL, Dec 12: The Director, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal has extended humanitarian support to a BSc Nursing student of the College of Nursing, RIMS, who has been displaced by the Manipur conflict.

A victim of the violent conflict that erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, the student has been facing severe hardships as she continues her studies with resilience and determination. Recognizing her circumstances and to ensure that her academic progress remains uninterrupted, the Director, RIMS, Imphal has taken the initiative to provide essential assistance, RIMS said in a statement.

As a gesture of care and compassion, the Director has arranged for the students academic mess fee to be fully covered. Additionally, all required textbooks for the current academic session, along with other essential miscellaneous items, have been provided to her, it said. "This act of support reflects RIMS unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive academic environment. It underscores the institutions dedication to uplifting students affected by conflict and displacement, ensuring that no student is deprived of educational opportunities due to adversity," RIMS said. RIMS, Imphal remains steadfast in upholding its mission of service, empathy and academic excellence, it added.
Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets with President of Luxembourg's Parliament Claude Wiseler in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Huning met with President of Luxembourg's Parliament Claude Wiseler in Beijing on Friday.

Wang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said China is willing to work with Luxembourg, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, to uphold mutual respect, strengthen mutual trust, deepen cooperation and seek common development.

He also said that China is ready to promote people-to-people exchanges and connectivity between the two countries, advance closer multilateral coordination and global cooperation, and promote the steady and sustained progress of bilateral ties and the development of China-Europe relations.

The CPPCC National Committee is willing to contribute to the friendly cooperation between China and Luxembourg, Wang added.

Noting that Luxembourg is a friend of China, Wiseler said the country adheres to the one-China principle and hopes to further enhance cooperation in economy, trade, finance, culture and other fields, becoming a good example of win-win development for countries of different sizes.

Luxembourg upholds multilateralism and is ready to work with China to jointly address global challenges, Wiseler added. 

Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets with President of Luxembourg's Parliament Claude Wiseler in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
TRIPOLI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Libya's security agency said on Friday that one of its security checkpoints in the northwestern coastal city of Sabratha came under an armed attack by a criminal group.

According to a statement posted on the agency's official Facebook page, six agency members sustained serious injuries in the attack and were transported to the hospital.

The agency said initial investigations indicated that the attackers were linked to Ahmed Omar Al-Fetouri Al-Dabashi, who is internationally wanted on charges including human trafficking, drug trafficking and murder.

An agency unit raided a hideout used by the group, leading to the arrest of one member, Saleh Al-Dabashi, and the death of another, Ahmed Al-Dabashi, also known as Al-Amu, added the statement. 
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has 'relieved' four flight operations inspectors, according to a recent government order, amid the ongoing IndiGo crisis.

The DCGA, in its order, stated "FOIs under various categories, on contract basis, in DGCA are hereby relieved from DGCA with immediate effect to join their respective parent organisations".

These officials were responsible for overseeing airline safety and operational compliance, agencies further noted. The latest woes add to the 12-day crisis surrounding the Indian aviation sector, with IndiGo at its centre. On Thursday, the airline watchdog announced a dedicated DGCA oversight team at IndiGo's corporate office in Gurugram.

This team consisted of eight members, led by Capt. Vikram Sharma, Deputy Chief Flight Operations Inspector. They are now tasked to monitor fleet strength, crew availability, utilisation hours, unplanned leaves and standby crew for cockpit and cabin staff. Two DGCA team members are to be stationed at the office on a rotational basis, according to the official circular.

IndiGo went on firefighting mode on Thursday by announcing travel vouchers worth Rs 10,000 to such severely impacted customers over and above the government-mandated compensation. This also came on the same day, agencies reported citing sources, that at least 32 IndiGo arrivals and 28 departures were cancelled from Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.

IndiGo gets 58.75 crore GST notice

Adding to further woes was a tax penalty notice from Additional Commissioner of CGST, Delhi South Commissionerate. According to a regulatory filing, IndiGo parent Interglobe Aviation was slapped a penalty of around Rs 58.75 crore (Rs 58,74,99,439). The amount includes "GST demand along with penalty" pertaining to FY2020-2021, the company noted.

IndiGo parent stated that it "believes that the order passed by the authorities is erroneous."

"Further, the Company believes that it has a strong case on merits, backed by advice from external tax advisors. Accordingly, the Company will contest the same before the appropriate authority," it added.

#DGCA has formed a dedicated Oversight Team at #IndiGos corporate office in #Gurugram amid widespread #FlightDelays and cancellations.



The eight-member team, led by Capt. Vikram Sharma, Deputy Chief Flight Operations Inspector, will monitor fleet strength, crew availability, pic.twitter.com/xiXxT4ujTB  All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) December 11, 2025

The DGCA seems to be tightening its noose around IndiGo. Pieter Elbers, the airline's CEO, had appeared in front of a DGCA-constituted inquiry panel on Thursday. Now the watchdog has reportedly summoned Elbers once more to appear before them on Friday.
The 38th Infantry Commanders' Conference was conducted from December 9 to 11 at The Infantry School in Madhya Pradeshs Mhow where challenges related to operations, training and capability development of the Infantry were discussed.

The 38th Infantry Commanders Conference being held from 09-11 December 2025 at The Infantry School, Mhow, was attended by #GeneralUpendraDwivedi, #COAS. Senior military leadership including #VCOAS, Army Commanders, Colonels of Infantry Regiments and Regimental Centre pic.twitter.com/RoSTdHXQqE  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) December 10, 2025

"Numerous challenges and issues were discussed during the conference which are critical for Infantry in operations, training, capability development and infusion of Technology," an official release said after the conference of senior Army commanders that concluded on Thursday.

While assessing the capabilities of Infantry in conventional war scenarios, counter-terrorism and insurgency operations, a few path-breaking decisions were made to further enhance the capability of Infantry in sync with the future challenges, the statement further said.

The biennial conference was presided over by Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi. It was attended by the Vice Chief of Army Staff, six Army Commanders, 17 officers of the rank of Lieutenant General and fourteen officers of the rank of Major General, which included Colonels of the Infantry Regiments and Regimental Centre Commandants with physical presence at Mhow and on video conference with major military stations across the country, the release said.

The forum fostered the Infantry spirit and further strengthened the bonds of the larger Infantry fraternity cutting across Regimental lines. During the conference, the Infantry showcased its latest acquisitions in all arenas of lethality, mobility, battlefield transparency, situational awareness and survivability, PTI said. The demonstration of the recently acquired advanced New Generation Weapon & Equipment System infused confidence in the modern capabilities of Infantry to counter the adversaries, the release said.

The conference was a success with many Infantry issues discussed threadbare and solutions arrived at, through the collective wisdom of the participants. The amalgamation of varied experience of senior infantry commanders, including the Chief of Army Staff and the innovative suggestions of young commanding officers paved the way for growth of the Infantry in future, it added.

Infantry units are the branch of an army that engages in combat on foot. They are the primary ground combat force that are often entrusted with missions to occupy, secure, and defend terrain.
Ahead of the recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia had been making a strong pitch to expand defence ties with India, including making offers to sell fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jets, submarines and S-500 air defence system, which is already operational with the Russian defence forces in limited numbers.

There were even reports of a dozen executives from top Indian defence players, including from Adani Defence and Bharat Forge, attending meetings in Russia to discuss possible joint venturessomething which Bharat Forge and Adani Group vehemently denied.

For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India

As India aims to become a global manufacturing hub, from being one of the world's biggest arms importers, a report suggested that Russia met with a tepid response from the Indian side to its pitch to expand the defence cooperation.

India didnt show much interest in the equipment offered by Russia. The Russians were expecting major movement on the sidelines of the visit and are still pursuing the proposals. We are very much focusing on the development of indigenous products, The Hindu quoted a senior official as saying.

ALSO READ: Why Russia matters to India: The risks and rewards of New Delhi's strategic bet on Moscow

It is to be noted that there were no big-ticket defence announcements during the visit of Putin to India, and the focus was more on the maintenance of Russian origin equipment. A joint statement had merely stated, "Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under the Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been constantly reiterating the need to make the country self-reliant in defence, saying that the defence ecosystem in India will have to grow in a "bigger, bolder, faster mode." He recently observed that in the last 10 years, defence production has increased from 46,000 crore to 1.5 lakh crore, with the private sector contributing 33,000 crore.
The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court today is set to pronounce the quantum of sentence in the 2017 Kerala actress abduction and sexual assault case.

The prosecution had earlier sought life imprisonment for all the six individuals who were convicted. The six individuals are: Sunil A.K.A Pulsar Suni, Martin Antony, Manikandan B, Vijesh VP, Salim H and Pradeep.

Special Public Prosecutor V Aja Kumar had earlier said the six convicts could face life imprisonment for multiple offences, including rape, conspiracy and abetment, and he sought the same from the court.

The prosecutor added that since all six have been found guilty under Section 376(D) of the IPC (gang rape) and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), they should all be equal in the eyes of the court and that the same punishment should be meted out for all of them.

ALSO READ | Kerala actress assault case: Was another attempt made before February 2017? New details emerge

The prosecution argued that the sentence should be severe enough to be a deterrent or set an example for the rest of society.

Before the sentence was pronounced, the Principal Sessions Jude Honey M. Varghese, asked the convicts if they had anything to say, and what then unfolded was a dramatic scene.

The first accused, Sunil, A.K.A Pulsar Suni, told the court he has an elderly mother to look after.

The second accused, Martin Antony, broke down and informed the court that he spent 5 and a half years in jail for a "crime he didn't commit" and that there was not even a single petty case in his name before. He also informed the court that he has ailing elderly parents to look after.

The third accused, Manikandan B, informed the court that he has a wife, a 9-year-old son, and a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, for whom he is the only support.

The fourth accused, Vijesh, requested the court to grant him a lighter sentence.

The fifth accused, Salim, told the court that he has a wife and a daughter, adding that he is the family's sole breadwinner.

ALSO READ | 'Dileep watched disturbing visuals of attack at home': Behind late director's explosive revelation in 2017 actress assault case

The sentencing process follows the December 8 announcement of the verdict by the court, which acquitted actor Dileep and his friend Sarath and found the aforementioned six accused guilty. 

The court said in its verdict that it had been unable to prove Dileep's involvement in the criminal conspiracy, citing a lack of evidence.

The verdict was a long-awaited culmination of an eight-year-long trial.
After the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court handed all six convicts in the 2017 actress sexual assault case 20 years rigorous imprisonment, the survivor's lawyer said the quantum of punishment was not adequate.

Advocate Mini T.B. said in the 2011 case of a woman, 23, raped and murdered by Govindachamy, the convict was sentenced to life imprisonment till death. "This is even cruel and 20 years jail term is disappointing," the lawyer was quoted as saying by Onmanorama.

VIDEO | Kochi: A Kerala court has sentenced six convicted persons to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in the 2017 actress assault case.



(Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos  https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/9C3ANbQPxF  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 12, 2025

After the court order, Special Public Prosecutor V. Aja Kumar said the sentencing is disappointing and sends a wrong message to society. "This is the least sentence that can be given for these charges. The prosecution will recommend that the state government filed an appeal in the case," the prosecutor said.

Malayalam filmmaker Kamal said the survivor believes she has not received justice. "As long as she feels she has not received justice, it mean she has not received justice," he said.

#WATCH | Kerala | Pulsar Suni & five other accused produced before the District court in Kochi, in the actress assault case pic.twitter.com/Ny0XVEq0n0  ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2025

However, Kerala law minister P. Rajeev said people may not like the verdict, but it is based on the chargesheet filed by the investigation team and how the prosecution argued the case. "In this case, the first public prosecutor was appointed after consulting the survivor. All of them did great work," he said.

How many years did the convicts get?

All six convicts were given 20 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine for gang rape under IPC Section 376 D and criminal conspiracy under IPC Section 120 B. All of them were also sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 25,000 each for kidnapping the survivor under IPC Section 366.

The main accused, Pulsar Suni, was also sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine for recording the rape under IT Act Section 66E. He was also handed 5 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine under Section 67A for sharing the video.

Martin Antony, the second accused, was awarded 3 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 25,000 fine for destroying evidence under IPC Section 201.

In total, Pulsur Suni was imposed a fine of Rs 3.25 lakh, Martin Antony Rs 1.5 lakh and the rest of the convicts Rs 1.25 lakh each. Of the total fine, Rs 5 lakh is to be handed over to the survivor. The court also ordered that actress's gold ring, which was recovered as evidence, must be returned.

The time all the convicts spent in judicial custody, inquiry and trial will be deducted from their final sentence.
After the premiere of the first part of Netflix's One Hundred Years of Solitude, Netflix has announced the release window for the second volume of the long-format adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's epic novel of the same name. It will begin streaming on August 2026. An official date is yet to be announced.

In an official statement, the makers said: "One year ago, the first part of the series that adapted the Colombian Nobel laureates masterpiece was released to the world. The recognition from both audiences and critics, nationally and internationally, has been unanimous. We have approached the second and final part with the same rigor, ambition, and respect for the novel, and it will be unveiled next August."

With a total of 16 episodes, Part 2 is directed by Laura Mora and Carlos Moreno. The first part was directed by Mora and Alex Garcia Lopez. The writing team comprises Jose Rivera, Natalia Santa, Camila Bruges, Albatros Gonzalez, Maria Camila Arias.

The official logline is as follows: "After the armistice and signing of the treaty of Neerlandia, peace still does not reach Macondo. The Conservatives, fearful of Colonel Aureliano Buendias threats, plot an attack that by a twist of fate brings Fernanda del Carpio from Bogota to the town. When she marries Aureliano Segundo, one of the bastard Arcadios untamable twin sons, she gives Ursula Iguaran her first legitimate heirs. Meanwhile, the other twin, Jose Arcardo Segundo, absorbed in Jose Arcadio Buendias manuscripts accomplishes the patriarchs wild dreams of connecting Macondo with the world. The railroads arrival opens the doors to the banana company, which unleashes the towns downfall and ultimately fulfills Ursula Iguarans curse: for the races condemned to one hundred years of solitude were not granted a second opportunity on earth."

In its review of Part-1, THE WEEK said: "The production design is impeccable and the size of Netflixs budget shows as it creates Macondo in such depth and detail. The growth of Macondo is reflected in every slight detail, in the homes of Macondo and even in the clothing of its men and women. The beauty of the world is such that you cannot help but revisit and rewatch some of the images and sequences."
Novo Nordisk's launch of the semaglutide drug Ozempic in India on Friday marks a turning point for a nation facing an unprecedented metabolic health emergency. But even as this GLP-1 drug enters the Indian market, critical questions remain, such as who will access it, how it will reshape treatment protocols, and is India prepared for the consequences of a GLP-1 boom?

India now has 101 million adults living with diabetes and another 136 million with prediabetes, according to WHOs 2023-24 estimates. A staggering 254 million people live with obesity. Behind these numbers lie the real drivers: sedentary lifestyles, cheap ultra-processed foods, and a healthcare system struggling to detect and manage chronic diseases early.

Against this backdrop, Ozempics arrival is both timely and inevitable. But it also brings India into the center of a global debate: Can pharmacological solutions compensate for the deep structural cracks in metabolic health systems?

Ozempic is approved in India as a first-line treatment for adults with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes, offering robust HbA1c reduction, clinically proven weight loss, and cardiovascular and kidney protection. These are not small claims; they strike at the heart of what kills people with long-standing diabetes - heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

Hence, the larger policy question looms as to whether the country's healthcare system treats Ozempic as a miracle drug or integrates it responsibly into a continuum of care that includes prevention, lifestyle interventions, and long-term risk management.

Vikrant Shrotriya, Managing Director, Novo Nordisk India, said, "Backed by global trust, proven clinical excellence, Ozempic offers Indian doctors an effective treatment choice. Our goal is to provide patients with an innovative and accessible therapy that offers improved glycaemic control, meaningful weight management, and long-term heart and kidney protection  all delivered through a simple, easy-to-use pen device. This once-weekly treatment demonstrates Novo Nordisks ongoing commitment to better health outcomes and chronic disease care."

Semaglutide has become a cultural and medical sensation worldwide, reducing not just blood glucose but weight, appetite, and cardiovascular risk. But global success has also created global strain. Countries have reported shortages, off-label use, and a booming gray market.

Experts ask, will high demand trigger shortages, off-label use for weight loss escalate before regulatory clarity arrives? Will insurers cover a drug that is far from inexpensive?

Novo Nordisk calls Ozempics arrival a major milestone, and for clinical practice, it is. But affordability will determine its true impact.

India's diabetes burden is concentrated not just in metros but in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and even rural pockets. A once-weekly injectable pen could revolutionise care only if it is accessible, not just available.

Without strong pricing strategies or reimbursements, India risks creating a two-tier metabolic health system: those who can afford GLP-1 drugs and those who must settle for less effective, older therapies.

Ozempic works by mimicking GLP-1, regulating blood sugar and appetite, and reducing cardio-renal risk. It is backed by 38 million patient-years of use and was recently added to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, an acknowledgement of its clinical value.

But drugs, no matter how effective, cannot solve Indias metabolic crisis alone. Prevention, early diagnosis, food systems, and primary care matter as much as the molecule.

With Ozempic now available in 0.25mg, 0.5mg, and 1mg FlexTouch pens, doctors will begin titrating doses for millions of Indians. Whether this launch becomes a public-health watershed or a pharma-driven moment of hype will depend on how India navigates pricing, supply chains, regulation of off-label use, and protection against inequity.

For now, the drugs entry signals one thing clearly: India has stepped into the GLP-1 era. What it does with this moment will define its future metabolic health outcomes.
Setting the stage for the 2027 census, the 16th in the series and the eighth after independence, the Union cabinet approved a detailed operational plan and budget of 11,718.24 crore for the census of India 2027. This census will also hold a caste census, a politically and culturally sensitive exercise.

"It will be the worlds largest administrative and statistical exercise," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The national reference date for population data is at midnight00:00 hours of March 1, 2027. What is the population at a particular time. Hence, this specific time will be the reference date, the minister explained at the press briefing after cabinet. For snow-bound areas, the reference date is 00.00 hours of October 1, 2026.

Held after a delay of over five yearsthe census should have been conducted in 2021 but was delayed because of Covidthe two-phase national count will also be the first digitally conducted census. A key factor will be that the census will also capture caste data, last done in 1931.

Two-phase schedule

The census will be conducted in two distinct phases. The first phasehouse listing and housing census (HLO)is scheduled from April to September 2026, with states selecting a 30-day window for fieldwork. This will enumerate the number of houses and facilities, like electricity and water connections, and even vehicles. This becomes the reference for population enumeration and will be done in cooperation with state governments, the minister added.

Cabinet approved 11,718 crore for Census 2027



 First ever digital census

 Will include caste enumeration and option for self-enumeration

 Personal data to be protected as per the DPDP Act, 2023

 ~ 1 crore human-days of employment to be generated pic.twitter.com/1uGGXqD1Z1  Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) December 12, 2025

The second phasepopulation enumeration (PE)is planned for February 2027, with a revisional round from March 1 to 5, 2027. For snow-bound and non-synchronous areas (including Ladakh, parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand), enumeration will be completed in September 2026, with a reference date of October 1, 2026.

"This is what interests most and will be the basis of policies. This round will capture data on demographic, sociocultural, and economic parameters  details like age, gender, educational status, religion, mother tongue, languages, disability, social status, caste, occupation, migration and fertility.

Caste census

This part is also important as it will involve conducting the caste census, which has been the political demand. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided to include caste enumeration in the 2027 census on April 30, 2025. The government says caste data will be captured electronically during the population enumeration phase, allowing large-scale, standardised collection of a politically and socially sensitive parameter that has been the subject of long-running demand and debate. Officials stressed that digital capture will aid data accuracy and expedite downstream processing.

The minister said one has to wait for the Gazette notification to get into the finer details of how caste will be captured pertaining to surname, caste, gotra and their classification in religions.

Digital exercise

A central plank of the 2027 plan is a digitally native workflow. Data collection will be carried out through mobile applications made available in Hindi, English and regional languages for both Android and iOS, replacing paper enumeration as the primary tool. A Census Monitoring & Management System (CMMS) portal will provide real-time management and progress tracking. The rollout also includes a Houselisting Block (HLB) Creator, a web-map application to help charge officers geotag landmarks and demarcate HLB boundaries accurately. Authorities say these systems together will reduce errors, speed validation, and strengthen monitoring.

Self-enumeration

Vaishnaw said that for the first time, residents will be offered an option to self-enumerate, enabling households to submit information directly through secure digital channels. The government has emphasised security features and authentication protocols to protect data integrity during the nationwide digital operation. Another innovation is census-as-a-Service (CaaS)a delivery mechanism to provide cleaned, machine-readable datasets and dashboards to ministries, state governments and other stakeholders, facilitating quick policy use and analytics.

Staffing & employment impact

The census will mobilise roughly 30 lakh (3 million) field functionaries, including enumerators, supervisors, master trainers, charge officers, and principal/district census officers. Many enumerators will be drawn from government teachers appointed by state governments, performing their work alongside regular duties and receiving honorariums for the extra assignment.

The plan includes hiring about 18,600 technical personnel for approximately 550 days at local levels to support digital operations, which the Cabinet briefing estimates will generate around 1.02 crore man-days of employment.

Officials say the shift to a digital platform and the CaaS model will enable faster dissemination of results and improved access to micro-level data down to village and ward units. The plan underscores the censuss role in delimitation, reservation exercises and evidence-based policy design.

Before the census is launched, a focused national publicity campaign to raise awareness and drive inclusive participation will be conducted.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for felicitating three men with saffron party links, who allegedly assaulted a Muslim vendor named Sheikh Riajul, for selling chicken patties near the Brigade Parade ground in Kolkata on December 7, during the mass Gita recital programme. Mamata Banerjee had also slammed the BJP at her public meeting in Nadia on Thursday. At every gathering, there are hawkers who sell food. You have beaten a poor hawker. I have arrested all those who assaulted him. This is Bengal, not Uttar Pradesh," said Banerjee.

What happened is a brazen declaration that @BJP4India has abandoned democracy and adopted hooliganism as its operating system.



By felicitating the very men arrested for assaulting two chicken-patty vendors, @SuvenduWB didnt just cross a line, he ripped the mask off the BJP and pic.twitter.com/P2ji7DxDxQ  All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) December 12, 2025

The three men who were arrested on Thursday, were later let out on bail by a city court while denying the polices request for a seven-day remand. Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari had felicitated the three of them the same evening, calling them brave warriors. TMC hit out on Friday saying, By felicitating the very men arrested for assaulting two chicken-patty vendors, @SuvenduWB didnt just cross a line, he ripped the mask off the BJP and exposed the machinery beneath: terror, moral policing, and state-sponsored street criminals.

Three Hindu warriors, Soumik Bhai, Swarnendu Bhai and Tarun Bhai, were felicitated in Kolkata today in the presence of venerable saints. The Honourable Court granted them bail today. Banerjee, know that you cannot suppress the Sanatanis by unleashing your cronies, the police. The fight of the Sanatanis to protect religion will continue, and I, along with countless Hindutva activists, stand by every Hindu participating in this fight," read Suvendu Adhikaris social media post on Thursday.

A video of Sheikh Riajul, which was widely circulated on social media, showed the vendor being questioned by a group of men surrounding him on why he was selling chicken patties near the Bhagwad Gita recital event. The patty vendor was made to do sit-ups, after which he was slapped when he was asked what his name was. Though Riajul said he would leave the venue, he was abused and assaulted by the men, who then threw the patties that he carried in his box to sell.

The mass chanting of Bhagwad Gita by five lakh voices was attended by West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and senior BJP leaders, including Adhikari, former state president Dilip Ghosh, and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar.
The Luthra brothers, key accused in the Goa nightclub fire case, are likely to be deported from India to Thailand early next week, officials in the know of developments said. According to the Goa police, Thailand authorities have initiated the process for deporting the accused.

Official sources told PTI that authorities in Thailand are initiating the process to deport Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, the co-owners of the Goa nightclub. "The Indian embassy in Bangkok is in close touch with the Thai authorities in the case," the officials said.

"The Thai authorities are presently taking action as per local laws, including sending brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra back to India," the official said. The brothers who own the Goa nightclub 'Birch by Romeo Lane', where the tragedy occurred, escaped from India soon after the fire broke out.

The Luthras were detained in Phuket, Thailand soon after a Blue Corner Notice was issued through Interpol against the accused. The accused were detained on Wednesday, while a Delhi court was hearing an anticipatory bail plea moved by the brothers. The court refused to grant interim relief to the accused.

According to Goa police, while the accused claimed they left the country as part of pre-planned meeting, the brothers had booked tickets to Thailand only hours after the fire broke out. Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by Goa police in connection with the fire that broke out at the nightclub located in Arpora, 25km from Panaji, around midnight on December 6. As many as 25 people died in the fire. The deceased include tourists and staff members, and most of them died due to suffocation. The staff members were trapped in the kitchen and basement area of the club, police said.

Goa police said, "The deportation procedures of Luthra brothers are currently under process, and Goa police is in continuous coordination with the central agencies."
ISTANBUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye seized more than 1.6 tons of narcotics and detained hundreds of suspects in nationwide anti-drug operations in the past two weeks, authorities said on Friday.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on social media X that simultaneous operations were conducted across 29 provinces under the coordination of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices and the Gendarmerie Anti-Narcotics Department.

The operations, involving 2,430 narcotics and public security teams and more than 6,000 personnel, resulted in the confiscation of 1,628 kg of illegal drugs along with 750,238 narcotic pills, Yerlikaya said in a statement.

A total of 345 suspects were taken into custody, of whom 110 were formally arrested, while judicial control orders were issued for 59 others. Procedures for the remaining suspects are ongoing. 
With the transit anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, getting rejected yesterday, their arrest upon landing in India from Thailand is imminent.

The brothers had escaped to Thailand soon after a massive fire at their nightclub killed 25 people, including tourists and staff members, on December 6. Most of the staff were trapped in the kitchen and basement and died of suffocation, according to the Goa police.

Gaurav, 44, and his brother Saurav, 40, had fled to Phuket within hours of the tragedy. An Interpol Blue Corner notice was issued on December 9 following a request from the Goa police routed through the CBI. They were detained on Thursday morning, with their pictures in handcuffs holding their passports emerging on social media. They were picked up from Hotel Indigo in Patong Beach.

According to officials, their deportation has been initiated, and the two would be brought to India after completion of exit formalities in Thailand.

What is causing the delay?

Thailands legal process is yet to be completed, and News18 quoted sources as saying that it could take at least two more days for the Luthra brothers to be deported to India.

With their passports revoked, as emergency travel document now needs to be prepared for them to leave Thailand. The Indian embassy will then have to wait for other legal formalities to be completed.

The country will cancel the brothers tourist visas for misleading immigration officers about their true intentions of the visit, as the Blue Corner notice proves that they were fugitives from Indian law. Once their visa is cancelled, a court order can declared their presence in Thailand illegal, which would pave the way for deportation.

News18 quoted sources as saying that the Luthra brothers are likely to be taken to a detention centre in Bangkok on Friday to complete other legal procedures.

Earlier, while rejecting their transit anticipatory bail plea, Additional Sessions Judge Vandana said the offence was serious in nature. She pointed out that the flight documents showed their tickets to Phuket, Thailand, were booked at 1:17am on December 7, with the flight departing just a few hours later at 5:20am. This information was hidden from the court. Their lawyer had instead claimed they left for Thailand before the fire occurred.

The court also found that the club's licence agreement, trade licence and lease deed had expired. It also dismissed the medical reasons Gaurav provided to support his plea, which included a seizure disorder and hypertension. The judge said that the medical documents were old and did not show any serious condition that would justify temporary protection.
FIRE BROKE OUT IN WESTERN DZUKOU; THICK SMOKE VISIBLE ACROSS THE VALLEY pic.twitter.com/9InSi3hejU  Global Window (@GWglobalwindow) December 12, 2025

A major wildfire broke out in Western Dzukou Valley in Nagaland's Kohima district on Friday. The fire was first spotted by a tourist guide, who immediately alerted the Khonoma village authorities and the district administration, they said.

Kohima Deputy Commissioner B Henok Buchem has issued an urgent order detailing a special team for immediate reconnaissance and rescue operations to prevent the spread of the blaze. The District Disaster Management Authority is monitoring the situation as more details from the ground are awaited, a news report said.

According to the order, the operation is led by Imliakum, SDO (Civil), Sech-Zubza, who has been tasked with coordinating efforts on the ground. The team has been directed to immediately reach ground zero to lead the action necessary to contain any further spread of the fire. Regular updates from the field team have been mandated for effective coordination and decision-making.

The SDO will be supported by a multi-agency team comprising Sub-Divisional Police Officer (North), District Commandant of Home Guards, Range Forest Officer of Forest Department, Nodal Officer of District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Kohima, OC Fire & Emergency Services and representatives from the Western Angami Youth Organisation (WAYO), news agency PTI said.

The Deputy Commissioner underscored the urgency of the situation and the need for swift, coordinated action given the ecological sensitivity of the Dzukou Valley, a renowned trekking and biodiversity hotspot known for its pristine landscape.

It spread up to the Southern side of Kohima district.

While further details are awaited, the operation is being monitored closely by the DDMA Kohima as efforts continue to prevent the fire from escalating. Meanwhile, local media reports said that Dzukou Valley, often mentioned among northeast Indias most pristine sites, remains highly vulnerable to fires during dry months. They blame the terrain and vegetation for making the valley vulnerable to fast-moving fires.
Posters advocating the construction of a Ram temple in Kolkatas Salt Lake area have surfaced less than a week after former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone for a Babri Masjid in the Murshidabad district. The posters promise an Ayodhya-styled Ram temple with a hospital, school, old age home and other welfare facilities nearby for the convenience of people.

Sanjay Paira, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Mandal president in the Biddhangar area, has been attributed to the posters displayed throughout Salt Lake, including Karunamoyee, City Centre Island, and Purosabha Island. God wills it; if God does not will it, will he take any medium to execute it? God cannot come and build a temple overnight. He has chosen me as a conduit," said Paira. Emphasising that his decision was not prompted by the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Babri Masjid by the former TMC MLA on December 6, he says There is nothing like that."

Paira explained, Babar was a Mughal ruler who ruled and exploited India. He destroyed temples; he looted India. He was a thief; he came to loot India. Build a mosque in his honour; build a church or whatever as per any religion, but why will it be in the name of Babar? People of India are objecting to this. Why should it be in the name of Babar? You belong to that community, build it, but why on that name?

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader says he will be speaking to religious leaders of various sects. "I have spoken to many religious Hindu gurus about what to do. We will start a Trust which will help in building the hospital, school and other projects, said Paira.

The posters mention intentions to construct the temple on four bighas of land and request residents to contribute Re 1 each to support the cause. Paira, while clarifying that he is taking this initiative on his individual capacity and that the BJP is not involved, said, "I have put the posters on my own. I have given a call to all Hindu followers to come together to take this cause forward, else, how can such a big project be implemented? I cannot do this big project alone," Paira also said he will disclose the location on the occasion of Ram Navami, on March 26, as the location has already been identified.
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the order given by the Kerala High Court on the Munambanm land dispute, which declared that it was not Waqf property.

The HC had notified that the Waqf designation was part of a land-grabbing tactic of the Kerala Waqf board and ordered the status quo.

A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan ordered that the current status of the land be maintained till the next hearing date, which will be in January 2026.

The court passed the order while hearing a plea by the Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedi, which was filed against the high court verdict.

The SC also said that while the HC order is stayed, the inquiry Commission headed by Justice CN Ramachandran Nair can continue to function, which was appointed to examine the rights of around 600 families who stay on the land and faced eviction, Bar and Bench reported.

The land spans 135 acres in Munambam and was originally gifted by one Siddique Sait to Farook College in 1950.

The college had sold portions of the land to residents.

The land was registered as Waqf property only in 2019, which made the earlier transactions invalid.

Residents had to protest, fearing eviction, and the case was taken to the Kozhikode Waqf tribunal, where the boards decision was challenged.

In November 2024, the Kerala government appointed an inquiry commission led by Justice Ramachandran.

The Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi opposed this, saying the HC had no right ot intervnee in Waqf matters.

A single judge of the High Court agreed and quashed the commission. The decision was later overturned by a Division bench in October 2025, which went on to declare that the Kerala Waqf Board's sudden registration of the Munambam land as waqf was 'bad in law' and a 'land-grabbing technique'. They also said that the 1950 deed by the man was a gift deed, not a waqf deed.

Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, who appeared on behalf of the appellant Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi on Friday, said that the original petition by the Vedhi only challenged the inquiry commission, but that the HC went further.

Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta, representing the Kerala Government, said the petitioner had no stake in the Munambam land as it was a third party. What my learned friend hasnt pointed out is that it is a PIL. It is not the mutawalli who has come forward and said that it is a waqf property. He claims to be a person aggrieved, Gupta said as reported by the indian express.

Senior Advocate V Chitambaresh, who appeared on behalf of the residents, said that poor fisherfolk who currently live on the land were not notified that their properties were suddenly registered as waqfs in 2019.
A marital dispute between a Pakistani Hindu couple has reached the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The woman, who is back in her motherland, wants the court to take the necessary action to ensure her husband is deported so that his sinister plan to marry another woman would fail.

Pakistani citizens Nikita Devi (28) and Vikram Kumar Nagdev (35) tied the knot on January 26, 2020. While the two had arrived in India afterwards, reportedly on long-term visas, Nikita went back to be with her parents. Over time cracks developed in their relationship, and the woman has filed a writ petition in the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, accusing her husband of planning a second marriage without divorcing her, and seeking his deportation to Pakistan. He plans to marry an Indian woman in March next year and the court needs to act before that, she had pleaded.

Nikita's lawyer Dinesh Rawat reportedly told PTI on Thursday that his client filed a petition in the MP High Court under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution, which is likely to be heard next week.

The husbands version

Meanwhile, Karachi-native Nagdev denied his wife's allegations. He claimed that his wife is trying to extort money from him under the pretext of a family dispute. Nagdev said, "We came to India after marrying in Pakistan. Shortly thereafter, my wife returned to Pakistan on her own will. She refused to come to India or obtain a divorce by mutual consent. I also tried to resolve the family dispute through our community's panchayats, but she refused," he told PTI.

"Now I want to divorce my wife. She has defamed me both domestically and abroad and has caused me mental distress," he said. Before the High Court, the Pakistani couple's family dispute had reached the 'Sindhi Panch Mediation and Legal Consultancy Centre' in Indore, but it could not be resolved. Kishor Kodwani, the consultancy centre's head and social activist, said, "Despite my numerous efforts, the two parties failed to reach a compromise. Subsequently, in my report to the district administration, I recommended that Nagdev be sent back to Pakistan because he and his wife are both Pakistani citizens and Pakistan is the jurisdiction for their family dispute."

Indore, known as the financial capital of Madhya Pradesh, has a large population of refugees from the Sindhi Hindu community who fled Pakistan to India on long-term visas or residential permits due to alleged persecution. Over the years, many of these people have also been granted Indian citizenship.
On the last day that enumeration forms were collected in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal held a meeting with 25 enforcement agencies and their officials to analyse poll preparedness ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. While regular checks and balances continue throughout the year, the focus will be on anomalies related to cash, liquor, arms, and other goods pertaining specifically to elections, including at points bordering neighbouring states and Bangladesh.

A special observer was gheraoed in Falta in South 24 Parganas district on Thursday while visiting the area to assess modalities related to the voter revision exercise. However, Agarwal said there was no formal complaint as the special observer was accompanied by security personnel including the SP of the area.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during her public rally in Nadia district on the same day, said she did not fill out the enumeration form. The CEO said that, as per section 4D of the SIR norms, the CEO has the power to flag or mark prominent personalities, including well-known politicians, sportsmen, and celebrities. What this essentially means is that these names will appear in the draft SIR list, and the important personalities will have to submit relevant documents later to prove a progeny link or submit documents under the list of 11 if there is no connection with the 2002 SIR list.

As for Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who said on Thursday he signed the enumeration form in West Bengal, the EC says a constituency is transferable.

A total of 58,08,232 enumeration forms were collected until 4pm on Thursday, of which 12,01,462 are untraceable, 19,93,087 have permanently shifted, 1,37,475 are duplicate voters who have their names in more than one voter list in the country, and 24,18,699 voters have been declared dead. 59.18 per cent of voters have proven their progeny mapping, while 38.32 per cent are self-mapped voters.

The draft voter list will be released on December 16 for the 76 million electorate.

Booth Level Officers (BLO) will continue to do their regular work. BLOs who collected and submitted enumeration forms will continue to do their work, even though the BLO app will not permit uploading new forms. However, the BLO app is accessible for them to make necessary changes if required.
Suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir is receiving funds from all quarters, including individuals from various states, to make the Babri Masjid dream a reality in Murshidabad district. Since the foundation stone was laid on the 33rd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, almost 5 crore has been raised.

An individual donor had promised 1 crore, which Kabir says he is yet to receive. He is hopeful of receiving more funds, including from overseas, once there are banking provisions in place by the West Bengal Islamic Foundation of India (WBIFI) to receive foreign funding. We are getting calls from overseas to donate funds, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and England, said an extremely confident Kabir. The former TMC MLA is not just confident of his Babri Majid dream, but also of his new political innings after the foundation after the huge show of support he received during the foundation laying event.

Every evening, trunks of money collected for the day, accumulated from donation boxes, are counted by committee members of the WBIFI, which is in charge of building the Babri Masjid on 23 bighas of land. On Thursday itself, 23,01,495 was collected along with a gold ring, a gold nose ring and gold earrings.

Kabir has no plans to quit, although he has been suspended by the party. In fact, he is confident of playing a major role in Bengal politics. I will be the kingmaker after the elections. No one can form a government without me, said Kabir, who will be at the West Bengal assembly on December 17, but has no plan to resign. Let me get done with this month, I will think in January, clarified Kabir.

He is set to launch his new party on December 22, although the name of which he has not yet been revealed. Kabir was hopeful of an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisis party, AIMIM, which did not work out. There are still chances of a seat-sharing formula that the Bharatpur MLA wants to work out with the Congress and Left Front in Murshidabad district, which he says he will announce once his party is formed.

The TMC has distanced itself from Kabirs Babri Masjid agenda, which is not in tandem with the partys ideology of inclusive politics. The Muslim community comprises almost 30 per cent electorate in West Bengal, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has shown that the Hindu minority community, like the Matuas, forms 17 per cent in the state. The Hindu minority votes are divided between the BJP and TMC. On the day the Babri Masjid foundation stone was laid in Murshidabad district, TMC held the Samhiti Diwas or Unity Day, sending out a strong message that the party stand for communal harmony.

TMC expelled Kabir from the party for a second time, days before the stone-laying ceremony at Murshidabad. Kabir, who joined the TMC from the Congress, served as a junior cabinet minister in the first term of the ruling government before he was expelled for six years in 2015 for his anti-party activities. He then joined the BJP in 2018 but contested and lost to the TMC in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kabir rejoined the TMC after the 6-year expulsion term was completed.
The recent disclosure by the Israel Defence Forces and internal security agency Shin Bet about a Hamas financial hub operating in Turkey shows how the group sustains itself beyond Gaza. Central to the revelations is the identification of a sophisticated financial platform managed by Gazans living in Turkey.

Israeli intelligence has named specific operatives, including Tamar Hassan, a senior figure in Hamass finance ministry who works under Khalil al Hayya, along with financial facilitators Khalil Farwana and Farid Abu Dayir. They are accused of using Turkeys commercial and banking systems to launder and store Iranian funds before sending them to Hamas structures throughout the region. The scale of these financial movements, which amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, shows that despite heavy destruction of infrastructure in Gaza, Hamass economic supply line remains active abroad.

The arrangement reveals a significant change in Hamass operational approach. Even as it gradually retakes its predominant role in Gaza following the truce, the group is also accelerating efforts to rebuild its strength from external safe havens. By making use of Turkeys economic environment, Hamas has broadened its financial presence in ways that help it avoid border controls and international sanctions. Analysts say the network gives Iran the means to resurrect a regional proxy able to project force and support future attacks from the relative safety of a NATO country.

The geopolitical consequences for Turkey are considerable. IDF spokesperson Colonel Avichay Adraee has openly questioned what a NATO member is doing by enabling activity that supports terrorism, highlighting growing Israeli frustration with Ankara. President Erdogan has long presented himself as a defender of the Palestinian cause, a stance that plays well with his conservative base. Yet analysts believe he is also playing a more pragmatic game, intent on avoiding confrontation with the Trump administration. Nonetheless, the presence of this financial structure shows a degree of alignment between Irans proxy strategy and Ankaras readiness to allow its territory to serve as a logistical base.

This tension has contributed to broader diplomatic friction involving the United States. Israel has voiced serious concerns about the conduct of the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, accusing him of promoting Turkish interests rather than those of the United States and its allies. Israeli officials have described his approach as unfriendly, pointing to recent remarks in Doha in which he suggested that benevolent monarchies may offer the best governance model for the region. The situation illustrates the complicated environment the Trump administration is navigating.

The timing of Israels disclosures is designed to apply pressure on both Ankara and Washington. By publicly identifying the operatives involved and warning that any business dealing with them will face consequences, Israel aims to raise the cost of handling Hamas funds. This tactic removes the appearance of legitimate commerce that these money changers have relied upon in Turkey. It forces the Turkish government to choose between cracking down on the financial network and risking political fallout at home or maintaining the status quo and risking sharper conflict with the United States and Israel.

The exposure of this network shows that the struggle against Hamas now extends far beyond Gazas tunnels. It has become a contest fought through financial intelligence, diplomacy and border enforcement.
The Middle Easts largest healthcare group PureHealth has opened the UAE's largest AI-powered clinical diagnostic laboratory in Abu Dhabi. Spread over 70,000 square feet across seven storeys, the 24x7 lab can process over 30 million samples every year.

Aiming to revolutionise the healthcare sector in the Emirates, the lab will use real-time AI quality checks and tie up with 140 top laboratories in the country. However, the facility is not just powered by AI. It also integrates robotics, state-of-the-art sample-transport and automation systems.

The lab, which is developed by PureHealth subsidiary PureLab, will not just reduce the diagnosis time, but also improve accuracy of the diagnosis. PureLab CEO Arindam Halder said the lab will be key to newborn screening, infectious disease surveillance and transplant compatibility in the country.

The facility will cover 1,800 test parameters in the fields of infectious disease detection, molecular genetics, anatomic pathology, hematopathology, and tissue compatibility for organ and bone marrow transplants. It will offer services like walk-in diagnostics and home-testing pilots with a focus on patients.

Dr Fayeza Saif Alyafei, executive director of the healthcare quality sector at DoH, Abu Dhabi, said will help establish a smart and patient-centred healthcare system. We are committed to fostering innovation that enhances diagnostic accuracy, accelerates care delivery and improves health outcomes, she added.

Acting as a central hub, the lab will be integrated with oncology centres across the UAE. This will allow real-time remote slide viewing and virtual consultations to speed up clinical decisions.

The whole facility is built in an energy-efficient manner, with rooftop solar panels, fully hybrid transport fleet and no-paper policy.
The draft Economic Partnership Agreement with India has been reviewed by Omans Majlis al Shura. The committee examined the possible economic implications of implementing the agreement, its alignment with Oman Vision 2040, and its impact on key sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, technology, services, and tourism. The Economic and Financial Affairs Committee of the Shura Council presented the details of the agreement.

Economic partnership with India will help Oman diversify its revenue sources, reduce dependence on oil, and attract foreign investments. The agreement will also create an important opportunity to generate employment while supporting Omans nationalisation goals, said Ahmed Al Shukri, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee.

He added that Omans geographical position gives the Sultanate a competitive advantage in attracting Indian investments. Opportunities for Indian investment in major sectors  such as logistics, manufacturing industries, tourism, and technology transfer  are strengthened by Omans strategic location. After the discussions, the Council approved its report and submitted it to the Cabinet.

Before formal signing or implementation, the government will continue the remaining approval procedures through legal channels. IndiaOman trade includes energy, minerals, food products, manufacturing materials, and services. The agreement is expected to further strengthen bilateral relations and deepen the economic integration between the two countries. The Shura Council completed its review quickly in anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Oman on December 17 and 18.

Modis West Asia tour is scheduled from December 15 to 18. He will spend the final two days of the trip in Oman. This will be Modis second visit to Oman since becoming prime minister.
GUANGZHOU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have uncovered a crucial mechanism explaining how Earth may have stored vast quantities of water in its infancy, shedding new light on the planet's dramatic evolution from a fiery ball of magma to the life-nurturing world of today.

Researchers from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have experimentally demonstrated that the planet's deep mantle could have acted as a massive reservoir for water over four billion years ago, according to the study published on Friday in the journal Science.

"Where did the water go when Earth's early magma oceans crystallized? For the deepest mantle, the answer has been elusive," the journal stated in an editorial summary.

The key lies in bridgmanite, the dominant mineral in the lower mantle. While previously thought to have limited water storage capacity, the Chinese team has discovered that the mineral actually exhibits a powerful, temperature-dependent ability to trap water.

They recreated the extreme conditions of the lower mantle -- high pressure and scorching temperatures up to approximately 4,100 degrees Celsius -- using a sophisticated diamond anvil cell apparatus combined with laser heating.

Their findings reveal a paradox: the hotter the environment, the more efficiently bridgmanite captures and stores water molecules during its formation from cooling magma.

This process could have locked away in the solid mantle an amount of water equivalent to between 0.08 and 1 times the volume of all modern oceans, according to the study.

This primordial "water stockpile" has been gradually cycled back to the surface through volcanic activities, contributing to the formation of a blue, habitable planet. 
OpenAI on Thursday released GPT-5.2, the latest series of artificial intelligence models launched in response to rivals Google and Anthropic, which are quickly catching up in the AI race.

The San Francisco-based AI giant's flagship GPT5.2 is said to bring in significant improvements to the previous model's general intelligence, long-context understanding, agentic tool-calling, and vision.

"In ChatGPT, GPT5.2 Instant, Thinking, and Pro will begin rolling out today, starting with paid plans. In the API, they are available now to all developers," OpenAI had said.

GPT-5.2 is part of an ongoing set of model improvements. Were continuing to iterate and work on known issues like over-refusals and latency to make our models more useful.



GPT-5.1 in ChatGPT will remain available to paid users for three months as a legacy model.  OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 11, 2025

While Instant is for daily tasks, Thinking is for utilising detailed reasoning for complex work. Pro gives you the highest quality answers for complex and technical problems.

The aim here is to improve its end-to-end processing power for complex, real-world tasks more than the previous models, OpenAI said.

This comes days after OpenAI chief Sam Altman declared a 'code red' at the company to fight off competition from ChatGPT's AI rivals Google Gemini and Anthropic's Claude, as per a Wall Street Journal report.

A 'code red' effectively means OpenAI will pause other product efforts and focus solely on optimising "what (people) want", which is the latest version of ChatGPT.

Business use has also been a major focus in OpenAI's benchmark tests this year.

In its statement, OpenAI revealed that GPT-5.2 underwent the GDPval, one of the biggest tests that checks how well an AI modelhere, the GPT-5.2 Thinkingwould fare in 44 real-world careers.

According to the test results, GPT-5.2 Thinking reportedly matched or outperformed industry professionals on 70.9 per cent of tasks, which is almost double the score of GPT-5.

ChatGPT-5 was beaten by Google's Gemini Pro 3 in handling multimodal tasks and messy data reasoning just weeks ago, at which time the latter was also at the top of the LMArena leaderboard.

The new model also comes with fewer hallucinations, which had been a major advantage of the Gemini Pro 3 over ChatGPT-5.

The new model is also reportedly better at handling complicated tasks with multiple steps that may even involve external tools, OpenAI said, citing GPT-5.2's 98.7 per cent accuracy in telecom-based customer support scenarios in the Tau2-bench Telecom test.
Sharif Osman bin Hadi of the Inqilab Mancha was inside a tuktuk when he was shot by two bike-borne men, Bangladeshi media reports said on Friday.

The accused have not been identified so far, as Hadi was targeted while travelling towards Bijoynagar of Dhaka. The two men wore helmets and fled immediately after managing to hit him on the head from close range. Hadi was likely to contest from Dhaka-8 constituency as an independent candidate.

The spot of the attack has reportedly been cordoned off by law enforcement, who maintain that they are yet to make a breakthrough in the case.

FULL REPORT | Who shot Osman bin Hadi? Bullet entered Inquilab Mancha leader's head near his left ear

As per news reports from Bangladesh, CCTV footage showed Hadi riding a battery-powered autorickshaw when the assailants approached him on a motorcycle after following him for some time. It was the pillion rider who fired at Hadi, the reports claimed. The Daily Star identified the exact location of the shooting as the road between the Paltan DR Tower and Baitus Salam Jama Masjid.

Meanwhile, another CCTV footage doing the rounds on social media showed the perpetrators fleeing on a black motorbike from the crime scene. Efforts are underway to collect more CCTV footage.

Sharif Osman bin Hadi was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition after being shot in the Box Culvert Road area of Bijoynagar, Bangladeshi media reports said. Unidentified miscreants on a motorbike opened fire at him around 2:25 pm, shortly after Jummah prayers. He was on life support as the bullet remains inside his head, news reports quoted doctors at the Dhaka Medical College as saying. The entry wound was near his left ear, and the Inqilab Mancha coordinator has lost a lot of blood.
India has been proposed as a part of a new grouping involving the US, China, Russia, and Japan, called the "Core 5" or C5.

According to the think tank Defense One, these Trump administration plans were a part of a longer version of the country's latest National Security Strategy, which was shortened later on, and released to the public.

This follows Trump's earlier criticism of former US president Barack Obama and ex-Canadian PM Justin Trudeau over Russia's removal from the Group of Eight (G8) Summit, making it the G7.

Calling it a "big mistake" at the G7 Summit in June this year, he even mused how it would not be a "bad idea" to include China as well to make it a G9 Summit, as per an Associated Press report.

In that regard, the idea for a "Core 5" group was proposed to create a new major group that would not be limited by the G7's restrictionsthat its member nations must be both wealthy and democratically governed.

Instead, the proposal said that the new group would reportedly have high population (with more than 100 million people) as the common factor.

The longer version had also said that the C5 would meet regularly, like the G7, under specific themes for each summit. The report even highlighted that the first on the C5's proposed agenda would be security in the Middle Eastspecifically, resolving Israel-Saudi Arabia ties.

'No other version exists'

After the report talking about the uncut NSSwhich included details of the proposed C5, making Europe great again, and the decline of American hegemonywas published, the White House denied the existence of all other versions of the NSS.

No alternative, private, or classified version exists, spokesperson Anna Kelly told the think tank.

President Trump is transparent and put his signature on one NSS that clearly instructs the US government to execute on his defined principles and priorities," she added, pointing out that "any other so-called versions are leaked by people distant from the President".
US President Donald Trump warned that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine could escalate into World War III if it is not stopped.

He made the comments while speaking to reporters at the White House.

He said that nearly 25,000 lives have been lost in the past month, with a majority of the casualties being made up of soldiers. "I'd like to see the killing stop...for the most part, 25,000 soldiers died last month. I would love to see it stop. And we're working very hard."

I wish this bloodshed would stop. The numbers are staggering, and this conflict needs to end now, he also said that the escalations could potentially lead to a global catastrophe.

"Things like this end up in third-world wars. And I said that the other day. I said, Everybody keeps playing games like this. We will end up in a third world war, and we don't want to see that happen," he said

The US president also showed frustration over the lack of progress in the peace talks, which continued for four years.

According to the White House Press Secretary, Caroline Levitt, the president is not satisfied with the mere promises from both Russian and Ukrainian officials. "The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war. He's sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting. He doesn't want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end," she said.

Trump also said that his administration is pushing a 28-point peace plan aimed at stopping the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had, however, expressed dissatisfaction with this plan, proposing an alternative 20-point plan.

One of the reasons Zelenskyy rejected Trump's plans is that he did not agree to cede the Donbas region to Russia. He was open to discussing broader plans for reconstruction in economic development in partnership with the US but said that any territorial concession would need to be approved through a national referendum. Zelenskyy had indicated earlier that another point of contention would be the governance of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control.

Levitt further confirmed the the Trump administration is involved in peace efforts.
In December 2025, the art world watched as an enormous copper hippopotamus quietly rewrote design history. Francois-Xavier Lalannes iconic Hippopotame Bar, a whimsical, full-bodied creature whose rounded form opens into a fully functional bar, hammered down for $31.4 million, instantly becoming the most expensive design object ever sold at auction. For many, it was a delightful headline; for others, it was a confirmation: design had finally stepped into the spotlight as a cultural force equal to fine art.

The sale was sensational, yes, but it was also symbolic. Lalannes hippo represents a shift in how we understand the objects around us, especially the ones we live with. Its success signals a new appetite for design that is expressive, emotional, and unafraid of humour. A bar that masquerades as a giant animal is not merely a conversation starter; it is a reminder that everyday objects can be vessels of imagination, memory, and joy.

As the hippo strutted into the record books, it also illuminated broader global and Indian currents: the rise of collectible design, the re-enchantment of craft, and a cultural hunger for pieces that blur the line between function and fantasy.

For over a decade, the design world was dominated by minimalism: smooth Scandinavian silhouettes, steel-and-glass austerity, monochrome palettes. The ethos was clarity, calm, restraint. But as the world changed politically, emotionally, digitally, so too did design desires. People began seeking warmth, wit, texture, and stories.

In this mood shift, Lalanne feels prophetic. His animal formssheep stools, monkey bookcases, cow benchesembody a kind of functional surrealism. They poke gentle fun at seriousness while delivering masterful craftsmanship. The Hippopotame Bar is not a departure from his world, but a crescendo. It is playful yet precise, humorous yet dignified, sculptural yet undeniably useful.

This duality mirrors a larger global trend: a renewed interest in collectible design, where furniture doesnt just fill a room but defines it. Collectors now gravitate toward limited-edition pieces that embody personality, artistry, and narrative. Auction houses report rising demand for sculptural lighting, hand-crafted consoles, and material-forward objects that bring tactility to increasingly digital lives.

The hippo, with its copper skin gleaming like a polished artifact, stands at the centre of this shift. It captures a zeitgeist that prizes emotional connection as much as aesthetic correctness.

While Lalanne took centrestage in New York, a parallel transformation has been unfolding in India, one drawing from deep craft legacies while speaking a contemporary language. Indian design today is not nostalgic; it is self-assured, experimental, and richly textured.

Indias design strength has always been its materials and the artisans who know how to coax magic out of them. But the new generation of designers isnt merely preserving tradition; they are reinterpreting it. For example, Rajasthans bone inlay appears in sleek, minimal silhouettes instead of ornate patterns. Moradabads brassworkers create sculptural lighting that feels both ancient and ultra-modern. Kashmirs papier-mache is reborn in monochromatic, matte-finished forms. Tamil Nadus stone artisans collaborate on coffee tables that echo temple rhythms but sit comfortably in minimalist homes.

This blending of technique and modern form places India firmly within global design dialogues.

Much like the excitement around the Hippopotame Bar, Indias own design ecosystem is embracing collectibility. Boutique studios and galleries in populous cities now showcase furniture like sculpture, limited runs, signed pieces, concept-driven forms.

Designers experiment with terrazzo, cane, reclaimed teak, terracotta, and hand-beaten metal to create pieces that are not just functional but storied. Homes, hotels, and restaurants across the country increasingly curate spaces like small museums, each object chosen for narrative and craftsmanship.

A new class of Indian collectors, once focused almost entirely on fine art, is now acquiring collectible design with equal enthusiasm.

Where Lalannes hippo is brought alive through coppers warmth, Indian design is inherently bound to material memory. Local materials carry geographical, cultural, and emotional signatures.

The glossy black of Kadappa stone, the tropical smoothness of rosewood, the airy transparency of cane, the ancient tactility of brassthese are not mere choices but cultural gestures. They allow Indias design language to remain anchored even as its forms travel globally.

But there is something unexpectedly Indian about the global fascination with Lalannes bar. India has always lived at the intersection of utility and symbolism, from household vessels that are also ritual objects to textiles that encode myth. The idea that an object can be both practical and poetic is deeply resonant here.

The hippos triumph suggests that the world is ready for design that tells stories, carries warmth, and dares to be playful. And India, with its layered craft histories and imaginative new voices, is uniquely poised to contribute to and shape this moment.

Imagine a future where a brass-and-cane console from Goa or a stone-inlaid chair from Jaipur captures the global imagination just as Lalannes sculptures did. It is not a distant possibility; it is already beginning.

The Hippopotame Bar may be a record breaker, but its cultural significance lies in what it represents: a world where design is no longer background decor but a protagonist. A world where whimsy has value, craftsmanship commands respect, and cultural memory is as important as innovation.

As global interest in soulful, story-rich objects grows, Indian design rooted in craft, driven by experimentation, and alive with material poetry stands on the cusp of its own monumental moment.

If the hippo has taught us anything, its this: the future of design belongs to objects with character, charm, and soul. India has all three in abundance.
UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $42.61 and last traded at $42.5920, with a volume of 1201206 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $41.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UBS shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an underweight rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of UBS Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of UBS Group from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered UBS Group from a hold rating to a moderate sell rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Get UBS Group alerts:

View Our Latest Research Report on UBS Group

UBS Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $136.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.13. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $38.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.69.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The bank reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.28. UBS Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 11.02%.The company had revenue of $12.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UBS Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UBS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in UBS Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,878,061,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in UBS Group by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 137,347,438 shares of the banks stock valued at $5,646,903,000 after purchasing an additional 1,990,426 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of UBS Group by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 77,353,590 shares of the banks stock valued at $3,171,497,000 after purchasing an additional 13,417,945 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of UBS Group by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 74,893,429 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,293,986,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363,149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 254.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 63,671,310 shares of the banks stock worth $2,601,589,000 after purchasing an additional 45,731,061 shares during the period.

UBS Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

UBS Group AG provides financial advice and solutions to private, institutional, and corporate clients worldwide. It operates through five divisions: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management, Investment Bank, and Non-core and Legacy. The company offers investment advice, estate and wealth planning, investing, corporate and banking, and investment management, as well as mortgage, securities-based, and structured lending solutions.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for UBS Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UBS Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Glencore PLC (OTCMKTS:GLNCY  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $10.28 and last traded at $10.2799, with a volume of 502234 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $10.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on GLNCY shares. Berenberg Bank set a $9.30 price objective on Glencore in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Glencore in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Glencore in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Glencore in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Glencore from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $9.30.

Get Glencore alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GLNCY

Glencore Stock Up 0.5%

Glencore Company Profile

The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $9.42 and a 200 day moving average of $8.52.

(Get Free Report)

Glencore plc engages in the production, refinement, processing, storage, transport, and marketing of metals and minerals, and energy products in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. It operates through two segments: Marketing Activities and Industrial Activities. The company engages in production and marketing copper, cobalt, lead, nickel, zinc, chrome ore, ferrochrome, vanadium, aluminum, alumina, and iron ore; and coal, crude oil, refined products, and natural gas, as well as oil exploration/production and refining/distribution.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Glencore Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Glencore and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Northern Dynasty Minerals, Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:NAK  Get Free Report) (TSE:NDM)s stock price was up 9.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $2.14 and last traded at $2.1750. Approximately 4,715,495 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 10,400,076 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.99.

Northern Dynasty Minerals Stock Up 8.0%

The company has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.92 and a beta of -0.11. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $1.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.40.

Get Northern Dynasty Minerals alerts:

Institutional Trading of Northern Dynasty Minerals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Northern Dynasty Minerals by 1,042.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 138,092 shares of the mining companys stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 126,000 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals during the first quarter worth $823,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals in the first quarter valued at $62,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV purchased a new position in Northern Dynasty Minerals in the first quarter valued at $460,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in Northern Dynasty Minerals during the 1st quarter worth $115,000. 10.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals

Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. engages in the exploration of mineral properties in the United States. It holds a 100% interest in the Pebble Copper-Gold-Molybdenum-Silver-Rhenium project comprising 1,840 mineral claims that covers an area of approximately 274 square miles located in southwest Alaska, the United States.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Northern Dynasty Minerals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Northern Dynasty Minerals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Nevada King Gold Corp. (CVE:NKG  Get Free Report) traded up 25.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$0.17 and last traded at C$0.17. 1,459,756 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 426% from the average session volume of 277,556 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.14.

Nevada King Gold Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of C$72.10 million, a PE ratio of -5.67 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50 day moving average price of C$0.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$0.15.

Nevada King Gold Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Nevada King Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of resource properties in Nevada, the United States. The company explores for gold, silver, iron ore, vanadium, and other base metals. The company was formerly known as Victory Metals Inc and changed its name to Nevada King Gold Corp in April 2021.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Nevada King Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nevada King Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- With its tone-setting conference mapping out priorities for economic work in the coming year, the world's second-largest economy once again signaled its resolve to deliver certainty to a world grappling with persistent volatility.

As the Central Economic Work Conference concluded this week, China's message is clear and consistent: despite external challenges and domestic complexities, the country remains committed to high-quality growth, unwavering opening up, and reform.

Policies that have underpinned such consistency will continue into 2026, as the meeting pledged to maintain a more proactive fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy, while prioritizing the stimulation of domestic demand and consumption.

Policymakers at the conference emphasized the need to pursue progress while ensuring stability, and better coordinate domestic economic work with struggles in the international economic and trade arena.

Well aware of the underlying challenges and hidden risks, the meeting struck a confident tone that these issues can be resolved through efforts, and the underlying conditions and fundamental trends sustaining China's long-term economic growth remain unchanged.

This year's meeting also carries profound significance as China is wrapping up its 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) and set to enter the next five-year development period, a planning mechanism that enables the country to pursue long-term goals with policy consistency while allowing flexibility to adapt to shifting domestic and global landscapes.

Over the past five years, China has effectively navigated various shocks and challenges both at home and abroad and achieved new major accomplishments, demonstrating resilient economic governance and prowess to secure development milestones.

Future confidence is firmly grounded in robust performance. The Chinese economy gained steady momentum in 2025, growing 5.2 percent year on year in the first three quarters, keeping it firmly on track to meet its annual growth target of around 5 percent.

Recognizing this sound momentum, international organizations like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have recently upgraded their growth forecasts for China, citing notable resilience and key moves to bolster consumption-led growth.

Policymakers also made arrangements to defuse risks in key areas and deepen reform to enhance the momentum and vitality of high-quality development, outlining measures from stabilizing the real estate sector to addressing market involution.

At a time when the international community is beset by a slowing economy and rising trade frictions, policy certainty and economic resilience are rare assets, especially when they come from an economy contributing roughly 30 percent of global economic expansion.

Amid the global surge in trade protectionism, China has pledged to further open up the service sector, develop digital and green trade, promote foreign investment, and expand the network of regional and bilateral trade pacts.

In a fragmented world, this pledge carries particular weight. In the new year and beyond, opportunities are arising in China from a robust domestic market, constant industrial and technological advancements, the ongoing green transition, and the deepening of reforms across the board, among others.

The latest meeting reassures global businesses and investors searching for a stable business environment. Entering 2026, China stands ready to share more dividends of its development, serving as a driving force for the global economy. 
Trilogy Metals Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:TMQ  Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 7.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $4.83 and last traded at $4.8350. 3,634,686 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 13% from the average session volume of 4,186,332 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.51.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TMQ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Trilogy Metals to a buy rating and set a $10.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Cowen reissued a hold rating on shares of Trilogy Metals in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. TD Securities restated a hold rating on shares of Trilogy Metals in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Cormark lowered Trilogy Metals from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a market perform rating and issued a $5.50 target price on shares of Trilogy Metals in a report on Friday, October 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $7.75.

Get Trilogy Metals alerts:

Get Our Latest Research Report on Trilogy Metals

Trilogy Metals Trading Up 6.9%

Insider Transactions at Trilogy Metals

The firm has a market cap of $824.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.40 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $4.78 and a 200-day moving average of $2.75.

In other Trilogy Metals news, Director James Gowans sold 100,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.50, for a total value of $750,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 234,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,345. This trade represents a 29.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William Beckwith Hayden sold 200,000 shares of Trilogy Metals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.61, for a total value of $1,322,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 382,685 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,529,547.85. This trade represents a 34.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,064,506 shares of company stock worth $7,275,194 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 15.20% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Trilogy Metals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TMQ. Old West Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Trilogy Metals by 61.1% in the first quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC now owns 12,611,879 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $19,611,000 after acquiring an additional 4,781,670 shares in the last quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Trilogy Metals by 17.8% during the 2nd quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC now owns 6,152,500 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $8,306,000 after purchasing an additional 930,000 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Trilogy Metals by 33.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,625,129 shares of the mining companys stock worth $7,613,000 after buying an additional 899,656 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Trilogy Metals in the 3rd quarter worth $1,050,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Trilogy Metals by 80.3% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,013,517 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $2,128,000 after buying an additional 451,437 shares during the period. 16.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Trilogy Metals

(Get Free Report)

Trilogy Metals Inc, a base metals exploration company, engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in the United States. The company explores for copper, cobalt, lead, zinc, gold, and silver properties. It principally holds interests in the Upper Kobuk mineral projects that include the Arctic, which contains polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; and Bornite that contains carbonate-hosted copper  cobalt deposits covering an area of approximately 448,217 acres located in the Ambler mining district in Northwest Alaska.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Trilogy Metals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Trilogy Metals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:IMCB  Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 146,574 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 279% from the previous sessions volume of 38,669 shares.The stock last traded at $84.4750 and had previously closed at $83.90.

iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF Trading Up 0.8%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.17. The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.99 and a beta of 1.04.

Get iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF alerts:

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IMCB. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 69,153 shares of the companys stock worth $5,743,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF by 0.5% in the third quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 39,497 shares of the companys stock worth $3,280,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF by 6.9% in the second quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC now owns 3,184 shares of the companys stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF by 60.8% during the third quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 595 shares of the companys stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF by 245.8% during the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 332 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. 22.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF

The iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF (IMCB) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Morningstar US Mid Cap index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index consisting of US mid-cap stocks with both growth and value characteristics. IMCB was launched on Jun 28, 2004 and is managed by BlackRock.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE  Get Free Report) traded up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $289.36 and last traded at $288.59. 5,614,071 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 4% from the average session volume of 5,379,719 shares. The stock had previously closed at $283.60.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GE shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on GE Aerospace from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. TD Cowen upped their price target on GE Aerospace from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. UBS Group set a $366.00 price objective on GE Aerospace and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on GE Aerospace from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of GE Aerospace to a strong sell rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given 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 price target of $304.31.

Get GE Aerospace alerts:

Get Our Latest Analysis on GE Aerospace

GE Aerospace Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $299.71 and a 200 day moving average of $277.44. The company has a market capitalization of $304.41 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.40.

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. The firm had revenue of $11.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.29 billion. GE Aerospace had a net margin of 18.34% and a return on equity of 34.01%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 26.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. GE Aerospace has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.000-6.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that GE Aerospace will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GE Aerospace Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 29th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 29th. GE Aerospaces payout ratio is 19.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Russell Stokes sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.71, for a total transaction of $2,381,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 150,434 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $44,785,706.14. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in GE Aerospace during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,408,828,000. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of GE Aerospace during the first quarter worth $1,606,840,000. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of GE Aerospace by 16.2% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,442,810 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,449,731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,995,054 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of GE Aerospace by 124.0% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 3,200,479 shares of the companys stock valued at $600,506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,771,944 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of GE Aerospace by 21.5% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 8,430,878 shares of the companys stock worth $2,536,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,494,541 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.77% of the companys stock.

GE Aerospace Company Profile

(Get 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.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for GE Aerospace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GE Aerospace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:USAS  Get Free Report) were up 7% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $4.97 and last traded at $4.9450. Approximately 778,093 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 40% from the average daily volume of 1,301,408 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.62.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on USAS. HC Wainwright reiterated a buy rating and issued a $4.90 price target (up from $3.40) on shares of Americas Gold and Silver in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Desjardins began coverage on shares of Americas Gold and Silver in a research note on Friday, September 26th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $4.90.

Get Americas Gold and Silver alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on USAS

Americas Gold and Silver Price Performance

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $4.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.06. The firm has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -22.19 and a beta of 0.66.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its position in Americas Gold and Silver by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the companys stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its holdings in shares of Americas Gold and Silver by 24.1% in the third quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 70,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 13,616 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Americas Gold and Silver by 29.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 61,228 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 14,000 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Americas Gold and Silver by 5.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 450,515 shares of the companys stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 21,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP acquired a new position in Americas Gold and Silver during the third quarter worth $93,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.38% of the companys stock.

About Americas Gold and Silver

(Get Free Report)

Americas Gold and Silver Corporation engages in the acquisition, evaluation, exploration, development, and operation of mineral properties. The company explores for silver, lead, zinc and copper. It principally owns 100% interests in the Cosala Operations consisting of 67 mining concessions that cover approximately 19,385 hectares located in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico; and Galena Complex situated near the town of Wallace in the state of Idaho, the United States.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Americas Gold and Silver Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Americas Gold and Silver and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Air Liquide (OTCMKTS:AIQUY  Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 2,021,968 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 769% from the previous sessions volume of 232,616 shares.The stock last traded at $36.4550 and had previously closed at $37.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AIQUY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of Air Liquide in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Air Liquide from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

Get Air Liquide alerts:

Get Our Latest Research Report on Air Liquide

Air Liquide Stock Performance

Institutional Trading of Air Liquide

The firms 50 day moving average is $38.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AIQUY. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Air Liquide by 0.4% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 70,948 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $2,931,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Air Liquide by 49.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,556 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its holdings in Air Liquide by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 17,545 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Air Liquide by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,822 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 1,039 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Liquide by 1,692.0% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,344 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,269 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 0.02% of the companys stock.

Air Liquide Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

L'Air Liquide SA provides gases, technologies, and services for the industrial and health sectors in Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates in Gas & Services, Engineering & Construction, and Global Markets & Technologies segments. The Gas & Services segment comprises large industries business, which offers gas and energy solutions including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, as well as operates cogeneration plants to supply steam and electricity to metals, chemicals, refining, and energy industries; and industrial merchant business line provides industrial gases, equipment, hardgoods, and associated services to materials and energy, automotive and manufacturing, food and pharmaceuticals, technology and research, and craftsmen and retail sectors.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Air Liquide Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Air Liquide and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL  Get Free Report) Director Steven Udvar-Hazy sold 2,800 shares of Air Lease stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.06, for a total transaction of $179,368.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Air Lease Stock Performance

Air Lease stock remained flat at $63.96 during trading hours on Thursday. 2,018,915 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,128,448. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.15 billion, a PE ratio of 7.41 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $63.77 and a 200-day moving average of $60.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.42. Air Lease Corporation has a 1 year low of $38.25 and a 1 year high of $64.30.

Get Air Lease alerts:

Air Lease (NYSE:AL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The transportation company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $725.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $744.59 million. Air Lease had a net margin of 35.08% and a return on equity of 7.84%. Air Leases quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Air Lease Corporation will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Lease Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Air Leases payout ratio is currently 10.20%.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AL shares. Zacks Research lowered Air Lease from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Cowen lowered shares of Air Lease from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Air Lease in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Air Lease from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $65.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of Air Lease from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Lease currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $59.50.

View Our Latest Stock Report on AL

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Lease

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its position in shares of Air Lease by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 21,900 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Air Lease by 11.3% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 45,244 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,186,000 after buying an additional 4,601 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Air Lease during the first quarter worth about $987,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Air Lease by 8.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 353,072 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $17,057,000 after buying an additional 27,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Air Lease by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,619,226 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $211,797,000 after buying an additional 265,423 shares during the period. 94.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Air Lease

(Get Free Report)

Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines worldwide. It sells aircraft from its fleet to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, airlines, and other investors. The company provides fleet management services to investors and owners of aircraft portfolios.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Air Lease Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Air Lease and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Sse Plc (OTCMKTS:SSEZY  Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 453,344 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 128% from the previous sessions volume of 198,910 shares.The stock last traded at $28.70 and had previously closed at $29.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on SSEZY. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an outperform rating on shares of SSE in a report on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup cut shares of SSE from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. UBS Group lowered shares of SSE from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, November 27th. Zacks Research cut shares of SSE from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of SSE in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold.

Get SSE alerts:

Get Our Latest Research Report on SSEZY

SSE Stock Performance

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 stocks 50 day moving average price is $26.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.22.

(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.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for SSE Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SSE and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Edgewater Wireless Systems Inc. (CVE:YFI  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as C$0.05 and last traded at C$0.05, with a volume of 5000 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$0.05.

Edgewater Wireless Systems Price Performance

The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$0.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$0.05. The company has a market cap of C$9.54 million, a PE ratio of -3.64 and a beta of -0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of -18.34, a current ratio of 0.09 and a quick ratio of 0.04.

Edgewater Wireless Systems Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Edgewater Wireless Systems Inc develops and commercializes technologies and intellectual property for the wireless communications market in North America. The company provides IP Licensing, Wi-Fi spectrum slicing solutions, dual channel Wi-Fi; wireless access points and associated peripheral equipment and support services; and PowerZoning, a channel power control product for multi-channel single radio Wi-Fi networks.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Edgewater Wireless Systems Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edgewater Wireless Systems and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Arc Group (OTCMKTS:RLLY  Get Free Report) and Dutch Bros (NYSE:BROS  Get Free Report) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Arc Group and Dutch Bross gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Get Arc Group alerts:

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Arc Group N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Dutch Bros $1.28 billion 7.84 $35.26 million $0.50 122.14

Insider and Institutional Ownership

Dutch Bros has higher revenue and earnings than Arc Group.

85.5% of Dutch Bros shares are held by institutional investors. 12.4% of Arc Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 42.4% of Dutch Bros shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Arc Group and Dutch Bros, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Arc Group 0 0 0 0 0.00 Dutch Bros 0 4 18 2 2.92

Dutch Bros has a consensus target price of $76.67, suggesting a potential upside of 25.54%. Given Dutch Bros stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Dutch Bros is more favorable than Arc Group.

Profitability

This table compares Arc Group and Dutch Bros net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Arc Group N/A N/A N/A Dutch Bros 4.04% 8.91% 2.64%

Summary

Dutch Bros beats Arc Group on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Arc Group

(Get Free Report)

ARC Group, Inc. engages in the operation of Dicks Wings brand of restaurants. It offers its traditional and boneless chicken wings, hog wings, and duck wings spun in its signature sauces and seasonings. The firm oprates through the following segments; Company-Owned Restaurants and Franchise Operations. The Company-Owned Restaurants are casual dining restaurants. The Franchise Operations segment offers franchises for the Dicks Wings brand. It also offers craft beers under the name Dicks Craft Beers. The company was founded in April 2000 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL.

About Dutch Bros

(Get Free Report)

Dutch Bros Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates and franchises drive-thru shops in the United States. The company operates through Company-Operated Shops and Franchising and Other segments. It serves through company-operated shops and online channels under Dutch Bros; Dutch Bros Coffee; Dutch Bros Rebel; Dutch Bros; and Blue Rebel brands. Dutch Bros Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Receive News & Ratings for Arc Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arc Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (OTCMKTS:FMCB  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $1,134.9799 and last traded at $1,090.00, with a volume of 173 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,090.00.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $774 million, a P/E ratio of 8.22 and a beta of 0.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,033.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,023.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Get Farmers & Merchants Bancorp alerts:

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (OTCMKTS:FMCB  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The bank reported $33.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $62.28 million for the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 15.03%.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Cuts Dividend

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Company Profile

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th were issued a dividend of $0.2275 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorps payout ratio is 15.44%.

(Get Free Report)

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California that provides various banking services to businesses and individuals. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, time certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Farmers & Merchants Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
"China's continued commitment to the WTO is essential for the operation and reform of the WTO," said Zhang Xiangchen, deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), in an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Beijing on Thursday.
KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (NYSEARCA:KWEB  Get Free Report) shares fell 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $36.59 and last traded at $37.01. 14,097,508 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 22,061,365 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.19.

KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF Trading Down 0.5%

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a PE ratio of 15.95 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.48.

About KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF

(Get Free Report)

The KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the CSI Overseas China Internet index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index composed of overseas-listed Chinese Internet companies. KWEB was launched on Jul 31, 2013 and is managed by KraneShares.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
John Wood Group PLC (OTCMKTS:WDGJF  Get Free Report) was down 6.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $0.2920 and last traded at $0.3013. Approximately 400 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 98% from the average daily volume of 23,457 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.3208.

John Wood Group Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $0.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $0.36.

John Wood Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

John Wood Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of consulting, project management, and engineering solutions to energy and built environment worldwide. It operates through Projects, Operations, Consulting, and Investment Services segments. The Projects segment provides engineering design and project management services across energy and materials markets including oil and gas, chemicals, mining, minerals, and life sciences.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for John Wood Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for John Wood Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Free Report) by 15.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,255 shares of the industrial products companys stock after purchasing an additional 11,907 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Incs holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $22,068,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 8.3% during the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 848 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 39.5% during the 2nd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 67,439 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $16,674,000 after purchasing an additional 19,102 shares in the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 16.3% during the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,680 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,888,000 after buying an additional 1,638 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 12.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,797,055 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $938,822,000 after buying an additional 415,982 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.3% during the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 844,000 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $208,679,000 after buying an additional 11,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.77% of the companys stock.

Get Illinois Tool Works alerts:

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $243.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b-) rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $261.00 to $253.00 and set an underperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $258.00 target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $261.58.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:ITW opened at $257.32 on Friday. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 1 year low of $214.66 and a 1 year high of $278.13. The company has a market capitalization of $74.65 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $247.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $253.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $4.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.05% and a return on equity of 93.26%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.91 EPS. Illinois Tool Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.400-10.500 EPS. Analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.46%.

Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works

In related news, Director Pamela B. Strobel sold 1,521 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.25, for a total value of $373,025.25. Following the sale, the director owned 39,249 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,625,817.25. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.88% of the companys stock.

Illinois Tool Works 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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ITW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Illinois Tool Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Illinois Tool Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Clarity Asset Management Inc. cut its position in iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF (BATS:MEAR  Free Report) by 23.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,476 shares of the companys stock after selling 19,200 shares during the period. iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF comprises 1.8% of Clarity Asset Management Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Clarity Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF worth $3,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MEAR. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new position in iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF in the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF in the second quarter valued at about $90,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF in the second quarter valued at about $120,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF by 370.4% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the companys stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF during the second quarter worth about $207,000.

Get iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF alerts:

iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF Price Performance

Shares of MEAR opened at $50.34 on Friday. iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF has a 12-month low of $49.44 and a 12-month high of $50.51. The businesss 50 day moving average is $50.38 and its 200 day moving average is $50.34.

About iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF

The iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond ETF (MEAR) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund holds a portfolio of actively managed municipal bonds and targets a weighted average portfolio maturity of 3 years or less. MEAR was launched on Mar 3, 2015 and is managed by BlackRock.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Short Maturity Municipal Bond Active ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Stellar AfricaGold Inc. (OTCMKTS:STLXF  Get Free Report) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $0.10 and traded as low as $0.09. Stellar AfricaGold shares last traded at $0.0999, with a volume of 126,000 shares trading hands.

Stellar AfricaGold Stock Performance

The stocks 50 day moving average is $0.12 and its 200 day moving average is $0.10.

About Stellar AfricaGold

(Get Free Report)

Stellar AfricaGold Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and evaluation of mineral properties in Canada, Republic of Mali, and the Kingdom of Morocco. The company primarily explores for gold deposits. Stellar AfricaGold Inc was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Further Reading

Receive News & Ratings for Stellar AfricaGold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stellar AfricaGold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 351,570 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $81,722,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd owned 0.92% of Applied Industrial Technologies as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 2,033.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 128 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 111.1% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 133 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Applied Industrial Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 100.6% during the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 321 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. 93.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get Applied Industrial Technologies alerts:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b-) rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies from $265.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Raymond James Financial lowered Applied Industrial Technologies from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Mizuho set a $305.00 target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $287.50.

Applied Industrial Technologies Price Performance

AIT stock opened at $262.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.50 and a current ratio of 3.55. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $199.96 and a 1 year high of $280.95. The firm has a market cap of $9.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $254.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $253.40.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 21.86% and a net margin of 8.61%.Applied Industrial Technologiess revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.36 EPS. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.100-10.850 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 9.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Applied Industrial Technologiess dividend payout ratio is 17.71%.

Applied Industrial Technologies Profile

(Free Report)

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc distributes industrial motion, power, control, and automation technology solutions in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. It operates in two segments, Service Center Based Distribution, and Engineered Solutions. The company distributes bearings, power transmission products, engineered fluid power components and systems, specialty flow control solutions, advanced automation products, industrial rubber products, linear motion components, automation solutions, tools, safety products, oilfield supplies, and other industrial and maintenance supplies; and motors, belting, drives, couplings, pumps, hydraulic and pneumatic components, filtration supplies, valves, fittings, process instrumentation, actuators, and hoses, filtration supplies, as well as other related supplies for general operational needs of customers' machinery and equipment.

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AIT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Applied Industrial Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Applied Industrial Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its position in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM  Free Report) (TSE:AEM) by 48.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,528,022 shares of the mining companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,474,385 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned 0.90% of Agnico Eagle Mines worth $538,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Agnico Eagle Mines by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,378 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Cadinha & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in Agnico Eagle Mines by 2.8% in the second quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 3,211 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. City State Bank lifted its stake in Agnico Eagle Mines by 69.2% in the second quarter. City State Bank now owns 269 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 5,003 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 8.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,810 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 68.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Get Agnico Eagle Mines alerts:

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEM. Scotiabank reissued an outperform rating on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Agnico Eagle Mines from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Agnico Eagle Mines from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, November 30th. TD Securities boosted their price objective on Agnico Eagle Mines from $154.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, CIBC raised their target price on Agnico Eagle Mines from $165.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an outperformer rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $201.60.

Agnico Eagle Mines Price Performance

Agnico Eagle Mines stock opened at $170.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited has a one year low of $76.91 and a one year high of $187.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.86, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $166.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.94.

Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM  Get Free Report) (TSE:AEM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The mining company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.93 billion. Agnico Eagle Mines had a return on equity of 15.64% and a net margin of 32.62%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Agnico Eagle Mines Limited will post 4.63 EPS for the current year.

Agnico Eagle Mines Profile

(Free Report)

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, a gold mining company, exploration, development, and production of precious metals. It explores for gold. The company's mines are located in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in Canada, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AEM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM  Free Report) (TSE:AEM).

Receive News & Ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lessened its position in Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 66.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,806,493 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 11,266,654 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned approximately 0.29% of Bristol Myers Squibb worth $268,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Bristol Myers Squibb in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,554,154,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake 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 buying an additional 17,750,938 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 16.8% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 70,802,680 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $3,277,456,000 after buying an additional 10,195,775 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 428.5% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 11,311,281 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $523,599,000 after buying an additional 9,171,098 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Bristol Myers Squibb by 142.8% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,436,811 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $390,541,000 after acquiring an additional 4,961,869 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.41% of the companys stock.

Get Bristol Myers Squibb alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BMY shares. Wall Street Zen raised Bristol Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Bristol Myers Squibb to a moderate buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. HSBC restated a hold rating and set a $53.00 target price on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a market perform rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $53.83.

Bristol Myers Squibb Stock Down 0.1%

BMY stock opened at $51.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $46.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.90. Bristol Myers Squibb Company has a 12 month low of $42.52 and a 12 month high of $63.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.15 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 0.29.

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.63 earnings per share (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 return on equity of 76.53% and a net margin of 12.57%.Bristol Myers Squibbs revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. Bristol Myers Squibb has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.400-6.600 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Bristol Myers Squibb Company will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bristol Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This is an increase from Bristol Myers Squibbs previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Bristol Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is 83.78%.

Bristol Myers Squibb Company 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.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Bristol Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP  Free Report) (TSE:CP) by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,850,737 shares of the transportation companys stock after buying an additional 1,792,388 shares during the quarter. Canadian Pacific Kansas City comprises about 1.0% of DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Mains holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned 1.41% of Canadian Pacific Kansas City worth $1,018,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 42.1% in the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 719 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.20% of the companys stock.

Get Canadian Pacific Kansas City alerts:

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Price Performance

CP stock opened at $75.25 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.11. The firms 50-day moving average price is $73.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited has a 12-month low of $66.49 and a 12-month high of $83.65.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Increases Dividend

Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( NYSE:CP Get Free Report ) (TSE:CP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.01). Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 28.41%.The business had revenue of $2.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.228 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys dividend payout ratio is 20.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CP shares. Susquehanna set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $90.00 price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Canadian Pacific Kansas City from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $91.69.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on CP

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Napa Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Germany ETF (NYSEARCA:EWG  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 62,156 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $2,630,000. iShares MSCI Germany ETF makes up 1.3% of Napa Wealth Managements portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Napa Wealth Management owned approximately 0.09% of iShares MSCI Germany ETF at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. ABC Arbitrage SA raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Germany ETF by 37.2% during the second quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 71,155 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $3,011,000 after acquiring an additional 19,294 shares during the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Germany ETF by 70.2% in the second quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 637,361 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $26,966,000 after purchasing an additional 262,930 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in iShares MSCI Germany ETF by 267.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 3,572 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI Germany ETF by 140.5% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 974 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI Germany ETF by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 109,248 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $4,622,000 after buying an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.42% of the companys stock.

Get iShares MSCI Germany ETF alerts:

iShares MSCI Germany ETF Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of EWG stock opened at $42.39 on Friday. iShares MSCI Germany ETF has a 1-year low of $31.49 and a 1-year high of $43.31. The stock has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $41.11 and a 200-day moving average of $41.59.

iShares MSCI Germany ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI Germany ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Germany Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the German market, as measured by the MSCI Germany Index (the Index).

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Germany ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Germany ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of South Africa held a solemn memorial ceremony to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the death of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev.

Addressing the event, Huseyn Rahimli, Charge dAffaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, highlighted National Leader Heydar Aliyevs unparalleled contributions to the nation and state.

He emphasized that the founder and architect of the independent Azerbaijani state  a world-famous politician deeply devoted to his homeland and people, a great statesman and nationwide leader  Heydar Aliyev became eternal in the modern history. He rendered unprecedented services to the homeland and people during all periods of his leadership, carrying out a mission of salvation and leaving behind a rich statehood legacy.

The head of mission noted that Heydar Aliyev led Azerbaijan in two important periods of its history: from 1969 to 1982 during Soviet times, when Azerbaijan was part of the USSR, and later from 1993 to 2003 when the country restored its independence. During the first period, as a result of his policies and reforms in social, economic, and cultural life, Azerbaijan became one of the most successful and developed republics of the Soviet Union. In the second period, a new page was opened in the history of the country. Recognizing that only a strong state can guarantee the rights and freedoms of its citizens, he took necessary steps to fulfill the nations dream of building a democratic, legal, and secular state based on national and universal values. Rahimli noted that in 1995, under Heydar Aliyevs leadership, the Constitution of Azerbaijan was adopted, solidifying the country as a democratic, secular, and legal state.

During his speech, Rahimli recalled that this policy is successfully continued today by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. He stressed that National Leader Heydar Aliyev's greatest wish was the liberation of Garabagh from occupation and the restoration of Azerbaijans territorial integrity. This wish and will of the National Leader were fulfilled by his worthy successor, the President of Azerbaijan, the Victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev, who brought the joy of Victory to the Azerbaijani people by raising the national flag over the ancient and eternal lands of Garabagh.

He emphasized that on the eve of the 22nd anniversary of the national leaders passing, it is once again worth noting that Heydar Aliyevs name is engraved in the national consciousness of the Azerbaijani people as the founder of modern Azerbaijan. He laid the foundation of a great ideology, a philosophy of national statehood, and national self-awareness, reaffirming that the unity of the people and the state is unshakable, eternal, and built on a solid foundation.

Rahimli also highlighted the importance of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in preserving national and spiritual values and cultural heritage for future generations, as well as the vital role and active work of First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva in promoting Azerbaijans national culture, art, and realities worldwide.

The participants of the event paid tribute to the memory of the architect of the modern Azerbaijani state, Heydar Aliyev, with a minute of silence and laid flowers at his photograph. The event also featured the screening of a film dedicated to the National Leader.
BUJUMBURA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye on Thursday urged young Africans to contribute to socio-economic development and peacebuilding in their countries so as to build a better future for the continent.

He made the appeal at the opening ceremony of the Fourth Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security in Bujumbura, the economic capital of Burundi.

In response to the various internal conflicts plaguing some African countries, Ndayishimiye, the champion of the African Union for the promotion of the "Youth, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa" programme, urged African youths to prioritize dialogue and seek the root causes of these conflicts.

"It is dialogue that ultimately brings peace and a lasting solution. It is therefore better to begin with dialogue than use it as a last resort," he said, citing Burundi's own experience, where a protracted crisis was resolved through dialogue.

Moumouni Dialla, president of the Pan-African Youth Union, also stressed the role of youth in building a peaceful Africa. "Nothing great can be built without peace and security," he noted.

During the meeting, speakers highlighted the leading role played by the youth in consolidating peace, pointing to their marginalization in the decision-making process.

Sghair Said, AU high representative for the Great Lakes Region, expressed the community's commitment to continuing to place youth, peace and security issues at the heart of its priorities.

The two-day meeting is organized by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the Burundian government. It was held against the backdrop of crises in parts of Africa, including the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with the risk of spreading throughout the Great Lakes region. 
Quantum Capital Management LLC NJ trimmed its stake in Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI  Free Report) by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 233,959 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 26,364 shares during the period. Primerica makes up about 6.9% of Quantum Capital Management LLC NJs portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Quantum Capital Management LLC NJ owned about 0.72% of Primerica worth $64,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in Primerica in the first quarter worth $206,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Primerica by 9.9% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 152,062 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $43,266,000 after acquiring an additional 13,759 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Primerica in the first quarter valued at $9,234,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Primerica by 51.7% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 27,562 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,842,000 after acquiring an additional 9,393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Primerica by 93.2% in the 1st quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 38,678 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $11,005,000 after acquiring an additional 18,663 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the companys stock.

Get Primerica alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on PRI shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Primerica from $306.00 to $301.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Piper Sandler set a $292.00 target price on Primerica and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research downgraded Primerica from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Primerica from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Primerica from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and upped their price objective for the company from $292.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $301.80.

Primerica Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PRI opened at $255.78 on Friday. Primerica, Inc. has a 52-week low of $230.98 and a 52-week high of $298.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $260.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $265.33.

Primerica (NYSE:PRI  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $6.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.52 by $0.81. Primerica had a return on equity of 31.75% and a net margin of 22.36%.The business had revenue of $838.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $817.81 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.83 EPS. Primericas revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Primerica, Inc. will post 20.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Primerica Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 21st. Primericas dividend payout ratio is presently 19.12%.

Primerica declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, November 19th that authorizes the company to repurchase $475.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Primerica

In other news, President Peter W. Schneider sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.30, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 7,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,945.30. The trade was a 21.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joel M. Babbit sold 700 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total transaction of $178,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,400 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,142,000. The trade was a 7.69% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,200 shares of company stock valued at $1,338,225. Company insiders own 0.61% of the companys stock.

About Primerica

(Free Report)

Primerica, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services to middle-income households in the United States and Canada. The company operates in four segments: Term Life Insurance; Investment and Savings Products; Senior Health; and Corporate and Other Distributed Products.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PRI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Primerica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Primerica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Pingora Partners LLC trimmed its position in San Juan Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE:SJT  Free Report) by 76.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,946 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after selling 208,842 shares during the quarter. Pingora Partners LLC owned approximately 0.14% of San Juan Basin Royalty Trust worth $382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in San Juan Basin Royalty Trust in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Intrepid Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in San Juan Basin Royalty Trust during the second quarter worth approximately $63,000. Pecaut & CO. lifted its position in San Juan Basin Royalty Trust by 200.0% in the second quarter. Pecaut & CO. now owns 30,000 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in San Juan Basin Royalty Trust in the second quarter valued at $192,000. Finally, Atlas Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of San Juan Basin Royalty Trust by 38.5% in the 2nd quarter. Atlas Wealth Partners LLC now owns 33,650 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 9,350 shares during the period. 10.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get San Juan Basin Royalty Trust alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d) rating on shares of San Juan Basin Royalty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Sell.

San Juan Basin Royalty Trust Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of SJT opened at $5.87 on Friday. San Juan Basin Royalty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $3.66 and a fifty-two week high of $7.22. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.96.

San Juan Basin Royalty Trust Company Profile

(Free Report)

San Juan Basin Royalty Trust operates as an express trust in Texas. The company has a 75% net overriding royalty interest in Southlands oil and natural gas interests in properties located in the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico. It also owns subject interests consist of working interests, royalty interests, overriding royalty interests, and other contractual rights in 119,000 net-producing acres in San Juan, Rio Arriba, and Sandoval Counties of northwestern New Mexico.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SJT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for San Juan Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE:SJT  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for San Juan Basin Royalty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for San Juan Basin Royalty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF  Free Report) by 55.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,379,408 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,208,440 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. owned 0.86% of YPF Sociedad Anonima worth $106,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anonima by 194.9% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,898,315 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $154,052,000 after purchasing an additional 3,237,154 shares in the last quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima by 88.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,482,200 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock valued at $46,615,000 after acquiring an additional 697,600 shares in the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anonima by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 2,075,390 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $72,722,000 after purchasing an additional 387,674 shares during the last quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP bought a new stake in YPF Sociedad Anonima during the second quarter worth approximately $10,200,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in YPF Sociedad Anonima by 45.5% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 781,640 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock valued at $24,583,000 after purchasing an additional 244,597 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 10.08% of the companys stock.

Get YPF Sociedad Anonima alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

YPF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on YPF Sociedad Anonima from $47.00 to $44.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of YPF Sociedad Anonima in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $41.67.

YPF Sociedad Anonima Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of YPF opened at $35.59 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.00 billion, a P/E ratio of -30.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.75. YPF Sociedad Anonima has a 52 week low of $22.82 and a 52 week high of $47.43.

YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported ($0.53) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($1.35). YPF Sociedad Anonima had a negative net margin of 2.45% and a positive return on equity of 2.88%. The firm had revenue of $4.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.55 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that YPF Sociedad Anonima will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current year.

About YPF Sociedad Anonima

(Free Report)

YPF Sociedad Anonima, an energy company, engages in the oil and gas upstream and downstream activities in Argentina. Its upstream operations include the exploration, exploitation, and production of crude oil, and natural gas. The companys downstream operations include petrochemical production and crude oil refining; transportation and distribution refined and petrochemical products; commercialization of crude oil, petrochemical products, and specialties.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding YPF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for YPF Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:YPF  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for YPF Sociedad Anonima Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for YPF Sociedad Anonima and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 4.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 744,330 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 29,417 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps holdings in Pfizer were worth $18,043,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the first quarter worth $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Pfizer by 36,600.0% in the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the first quarter worth $28,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Pfizer during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the companys stock.

Get Pfizer alerts:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PFE shares. BMO Capital Markets restated an outperform rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pfizer from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday, September 28th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a sector outperform rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $28.56.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of PFE stock opened at $25.80 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.92 and a 12 month high of $27.69. The stock has a market cap of $146.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.74.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.08. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.94 billion. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. Pfizers payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Pfizer 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.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp reduced its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX  Free Report) by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 445,504 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock after selling 9,321 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corps holdings in TJX Companies were worth $55,016,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 121.1% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 272 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in TJX Companies by 4,485.7% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 321 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the companys stock.

Get TJX Companies alerts:

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on TJX shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded TJX Companies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, August 23rd. BTIG Research reiterated a buy rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on TJX Companies from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup restated a buy rating and issued a $168.00 price target (up previously from $160.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Guggenheim raised shares of TJX Companies to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $161.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at TJX Companies

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 24,363 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.31, for a total value of $3,686,365.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 510,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,286,121.80. This trade represents a 4.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Amy B. Lane sold 500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.40, for a total value of $75,700.00. Following the sale, the director owned 22,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,362,896.80. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 54,863 shares of company stock valued at $8,226,366. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

TJX Companies Stock Down 0.1%

TJX opened at $155.51 on Friday. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $112.10 and a 1 year high of $157.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $146.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $172.69 billion, a PE ratio of 34.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.76.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.06. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 58.30%. The firm had revenue of $15.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.14 earnings per share. TJX Companiess revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. TJX Companies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.330-1.360 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.630-4.660 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.425 per share. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 12th. TJX Companiess dividend payout ratio is 37.53%.

About TJX Companies

(Free Report)

The TJX Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for TJX Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TJX Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Mark Asset Management LP lowered its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Free Report) by 24.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 172,748 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 57,427 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company comprises about 1.1% of Mark Asset Management LPs investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Mark Asset Management LPs holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $13,841,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 62.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 66,233 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,652,000 after purchasing an additional 25,436 shares during the last quarter. MSH Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. MSH Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,198 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $445,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company in the first quarter worth $385,000. Trivium Point Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 16.3% in the first quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 4,158 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 584 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 63.6% in the first quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 519,653 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $37,306,000 after buying an additional 202,078 shares during the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Wells Fargo & Company alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WFC shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a hold (c) rating to a buy (b) rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Dbs Bank raised Wells Fargo & Company to a moderate buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $90.04.

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of WFC stock opened at $92.54 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $290.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.11. Wells Fargo & Company has a fifty-two week low of $58.42 and a fifty-two week high of $93.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.18. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 12.51%. The firm had revenue of $21.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $21.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.42 earnings per share. Wells Fargo & Companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Companys payout ratio is presently 29.61%.

Wells Fargo & Company Profile

(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.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Wells Fargo & Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wells Fargo & Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Nebula Research & Development LLC lessened its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 43.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,343 shares of the companys stock after selling 10,838 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLCs holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $2,041,223,000 after acquiring an additional 11,230,626 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 26.4% in the first 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. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,857,055 shares of the companys stock worth $26,018,555,000 after purchasing an additional 2,235,380 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 111.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,002,216 shares of the companys stock worth $473,660,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580,368 shares during the period. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 475.5% during the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,325,951 shares of the companys stock worth $210,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095,557 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Philip Morris International alerts:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 5th. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a buy rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $150.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $234.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.32, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.42. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $116.12 and a one year high of $186.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.53.

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. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd were paid a $1.47 dividend. 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 3.9%. Philip Morris Internationals payout ratio is presently 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.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Philip Morris International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Philip Morris International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Free Report) by 17.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 676,263 shares of the restaurant operators stock after purchasing an additional 100,974 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LPs holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $37,972,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the first quarter valued at $27,000. 1248 Management LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Lavaca Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.30% of the companys stock.

Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on CMG shares. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $52.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (down from $52.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an outperform rating and set a $40.00 target price (down previously from $60.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $49.81.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of CMG opened at $34.86 on Friday. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a one year low of $29.75 and a one year high of $66.74. The company has a market cap of $46.09 billion, a PE ratio of 30.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $35.74 and a 200-day moving average of $43.06.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.29. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.06 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 45.39% and a net margin of 13.04%.The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill 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.

Featured Articles

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CMG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR  Free Report) by 357.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 533,655 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 416,945 shares during the period. Whirlpool comprises 2.6% of Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc.s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $54,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,299,425 shares of the companys stock worth $233,208,000 after acquiring an additional 63,448 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,806,101 shares of the companys stock valued at $162,784,000 after purchasing an additional 184,132 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 25.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,723,612 shares of the companys stock worth $155,343,000 after purchasing an additional 350,397 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 4.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,221,838 shares of the companys stock worth $124,189,000 after buying an additional 54,584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the 1st quarter valued at about $82,461,000. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Get Whirlpool alerts:

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.7%

WHR opened at $78.66 on Friday. Whirlpool Corporation has a 12 month low of $65.35 and a 12 month high of $135.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $73.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.69. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.41 and a beta of 1.21.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

Whirlpool ( NYSE:WHR Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.68. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 19.49% and a negative net margin of 1.18%.The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.43 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Whirlpool Corporation will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. Whirlpools dividend payout ratio is -107.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WHR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an underperform rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d) rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Whirlpool from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $86.43.

Get Our Latest Analysis on WHR

Whirlpool Profile

(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.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WHR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Whirlpool Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Whirlpool and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG  Get Free Report) and Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY  Get Free Report) are both large-cap industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings for Packaging Corporation of America and Avery Dennison, as provided by MarketBeat.

Get Packaging Corporation of America alerts:

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Packaging Corporation of America 1 4 3 1 2.44 Avery Dennison 0 3 9 0 2.75

Packaging Corporation of America currently has a consensus price target of $230.67, indicating a potential upside of 12.36%. Avery Dennison has a consensus price target of $200.55, indicating a potential upside of 10.43%. Given Packaging Corporation of Americas higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Packaging Corporation of America is more favorable than Avery Dennison.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Packaging Corporation of America 10.18% 19.72% 9.53% Avery Dennison 7.93% 33.67% 8.76%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

This table compares Packaging Corporation of America and Avery Dennisons net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

89.8% of Packaging Corporation of America shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.2% of Avery Dennison shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Packaging Corporation of America shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Avery Dennison shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Packaging Corporation of America and Avery Dennisons revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Packaging Corporation of America $8.38 billion 2.20 $805.10 million $9.89 20.76 Avery Dennison $8.76 billion 1.60 $704.90 million $8.79 20.66

Packaging Corporation of America has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Avery Dennison. Avery Dennison is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Packaging Corporation of America, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility & Risk

Packaging Corporation of America has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Avery Dennison has a beta of 1.01, indicating that its share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Packaging Corporation of America pays an annual dividend of $5.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Avery Dennison pays an annual dividend of $3.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Packaging Corporation of America pays out 50.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Avery Dennison pays out 42.8% 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. Avery Dennison has raised its dividend for 15 consecutive years.

Summary

Packaging Corporation of America beats Avery Dennison on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Packaging Corporation of America

(Get Free Report)

Packaging Corporation of America engages in the production of container products. It operates through the following segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. The Packaging segment offers a variety of corrugated packaging products, such as conventional shipping containers. The Paper segment manufactures and sells a range of papers, including communication-based papers, and pressure sensitive papers. The Corporate and Other segment focuses on transportation assets, such as rail cars, and trucks. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Lake Forest, IL.

About Avery Dennison

(Get Free Report)

Avery Dennison Corporation operates as a materials science and digital identification solutions company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, Latin, America, and internationally. It provides pressure-sensitive materials comprising papers, plastic films, metal foils, and fabrics; performance tapes products, including tapes for wire harnessing, as well as cable wrapping for automotive, electrical, and general industrial applications; mechanical fasteners, which are precision-extruded and injection-molded plastic devices used in various automotive, general industrial, and retail applications; and other pressure-sensitive adhesive-based materials and converted products under the Fasson, JAC, Yongle, and Avery Dennison brands. The company also offers graphics and reflective products for the architectural, commercial sign, digital printing, and other related market segments; durable cast and reflective films to the construction, automotive, and fleet transportation market segments; reflective films for traffic and safety applications; and pressure-sensitive vinyl and specialty materials designed for digital imaging, screen printing, and sign cutting applications under the Avery Dennison and Mactac brand names. In addition, it provides branding solutions include brand embellishments, graphic tickets, tags, and labels, and sustainable packaging; and information solutions include item-level RFID, visibility and loss prevention, price ticketing and marking, productivity and media solutions, and brand protection and security solutions, as well as care, content, and country of origin compliance solutions. It serves home and personal care, apparel, e-commerce, logistics, food and grocery, pharmaceuticals, and automotive industries. The company was formerly known as Avery International Corporation and changed its name to Avery Dennison Corporation in 1990. Avery Dennison Corporation was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Mentor, Ohio.

Receive News & Ratings for Packaging Corporation of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Packaging Corporation of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme Court of South Korea on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling ordering Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. to compensate the family of a deceased South Korean victim who was forced into labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap News reported.

The court confirmed an appellate ruling that ordered Nippon Steel to pay 100 million won (around 67,900 U.S. dollars) in compensation to the family of the victim named Jeong Hyeong-pal. Jeong, who was taken to Japan and forced to work at a steel mill in Iwate Prefecture from 1940 to 1942, died years later.

It was the top court's first ruling on such cases since its landmark 2018 decision that held Japanese companies liable for the damages.

The latest verdict came after Jeong's four children filed a lawsuit in 2019 seeking 200 million won from the company. Nippon Steel had argued that the statute of limitations had expired, noting that most civil claims expire after 10 years.

According to Yonhap, the statute of limitations for most civil claims is 10 years, but exceptions apply in the event there are "objective reasons that make it impossible to resolve an incapacity."

A lower court had initially ruled against the family in 2021, but the appellate court reversed that decision last year. The appellate court ruled that the legal obstacles to such claims, which were removed by the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling, no longer applied, an interpretation that the Supreme Court has now upheld.

Since the 2018 ruling, South Korean courts have repeatedly ruled in favor of victims in similar cases. 
Dorsal Capital Management LP raised its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM  Free Report) by 7.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,075,000 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after purchasing an additional 75,000 shares during the quarter. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing comprises approximately 6.5% of Dorsal Capital Management LPs holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Dorsal Capital Management LPs holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $243,477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 174.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 159 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Keystone Global Partners LLC acquired a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 16.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts:

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on TSM shares. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $300.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. They set an outperform rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Barclays upped their target price on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing currently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $355.00.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Stock Performance

NYSE:TSM opened at $305.02 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $293.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $255.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 2.47. The stock has a market cap of $1.58 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.28, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.31. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. has a 1-year low of $134.25 and a 1-year high of $313.98.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The semiconductor company reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.33. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a return on equity of 34.34% and a net margin of 43.72%.The business had revenue of $32.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $951.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 40.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.9678 per share. This is an increase from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.67%.

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.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI  Free Report) by 424,250.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,487 shares of the communications equipment providers stock after purchasing an additional 8,485 shares during the quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $3,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions during the first quarter worth $121,000. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Motorola Solutions by 3.2% during the first quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,107 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $2,236,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 40.6% in the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Motorola Solutions by 119.6% in the 1st quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 4,713 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $2,063,000 after acquiring an additional 2,567 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Motorola Solutions alerts:

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on MSI shares. Barclays dropped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $509.00 to $495.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Motorola Solutions from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a report on Monday. Northcoast Research raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $450.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $465.00 price objective (down from $495.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, October 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $495.00.

Motorola Solutions Stock Down 0.7%

Motorola Solutions stock opened at $368.12 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $406.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $428.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.59. The firm has a market cap of $61.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.99. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $365.40 and a 52 week high of $492.22.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $4.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.85 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Motorola Solutions had a return on equity of 118.48% and a net margin of 18.71%.Motorola Solutionss revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.21 per share. This represents a $4.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Motorola Solutionss previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Motorola Solutionss payout ratio is currently 34.99%.

Motorola Solutions Profile

(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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Motorola Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Motorola Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN  Free Report) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 6,072 shares of the construction companys stock, valued at approximately $672,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Lennar during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Disciplina Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lennar by 179.8% in the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lennar during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in Lennar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Lennar by 190.9% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 573 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. 81.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Lennar alerts:

Lennar Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:LEN opened at $119.05 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.18. Lennar Corporation has a 12-month low of $98.42 and a 12-month high of $157.45. The firm has a market cap of $30.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a P/E/G ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 4.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Lennar Dividend Announcement

Lennar ( NYSE:LEN Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The construction company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.14). Lennar had a net margin of 7.72% and a return on equity of 11.09%. The company had revenue of $8.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.90 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Lennar Corporation will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Lennars dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LEN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Lennar in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Lennar from $133.00 to $125.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wedbush reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Lennar in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Lennar from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Lennar from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lennar currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $121.77.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Lennar

Lennar Company Profile

(Free Report)

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The companys homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LEN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Lennar Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lennar and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $56.00 to $59.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the financial services providers stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price target suggests a potential upside of 7.87% from the stocks previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Bank of America from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their target price on Bank of America from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Ameriprise Financial upgraded Bank of America to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an outperform rating and set a $58.00 price objective (up previously from $57.00) on shares of Bank of America in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank of America has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $57.86.

Get Bank of America alerts:

Get Our Latest Research Report on Bank of America

Bank of America Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of BAC opened at $54.70 on Friday. Bank of America has a 1 year low of $33.06 and a 1 year high of $54.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.37. The firm has a market cap of $399.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 1.30.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $5.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.05 billion. Bank of America had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The businesss revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Bank of America will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Bank of America

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank of America by 0.3% in the 2nd 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. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Bank of America by 11.0% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 144,371,118 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,448,816,000 after buying an additional 14,275,810 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Bank of America in the second quarter worth about $5,091,641,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Bank of America by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 52,677,988 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,717,657,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank of America by 640.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 46,516,728 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,399,798,000 after acquiring an additional 40,235,201 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.71% of the companys stock.

About Bank of America

(Get 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.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:PB  Get Free Report) Director Leah Henderson sold 1,050 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $76,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,075 shares in the company, valued at $589,475. This represents a 11.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Prosperity Bancshares Price Performance

Prosperity Bancshares stock opened at $73.56 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $66.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.10. Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $61.06 and a 1 year high of $82.75.

Get Prosperity Bancshares alerts:

Prosperity Bancshares (NYSE:PB  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.45. The firm had revenue of $314.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $317.94 million. Prosperity Bancshares had a net margin of 30.28% and a return on equity of 7.06%. The companys revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Prosperity Bancshares Increases Dividend

Analyst Ratings Changes

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from Prosperity Bancsharess previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Prosperity Bancsharess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.35%.

Several analysts recently weighed in on PB shares. Raymond James Financial restated an outperform rating and issued a $77.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Prosperity Bancshares in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Prosperity Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Prosperity Bancshares from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating and set a $68.00 price objective (down from $78.00) on shares of Prosperity Bancshares in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Prosperity Bancshares from $78.00 to $72.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $80.21.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Prosperity Bancshares

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Prosperity Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Prosperity Bancshares during the third quarter worth $4,882,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Prosperity Bancshares by 59.2% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,129 shares of the banks stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Prosperity Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $293,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Prosperity Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Prosperity Bancshares by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,611 shares of the banks stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Prosperity Bancshares Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Prosperity Bancshares, Inc operates as bank holding company for the Prosperity Bank that provides financial products and services to businesses and consumers. It accepts various deposit products, such as demand, savings, money market, and time accounts, as well as and certificates of deposit. The company also offers 1-4 family residential mortgage, commercial real estate and multifamily residential, commercial and industrial, agricultural, and non-real estate agricultural loans, as well as construction, land development, and other land loans; consumer loans, including automobile, recreational vehicle, boat, home improvement, personal, and deposit account collateralized loans; term loans and lines of credit; and consumer durables and home equity loans, as well as loans for working capital, business expansion, and purchase of equipment and machinery.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Prosperity Bancshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Prosperity Bancshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL  Get Free Report) Director Egon Durban sold 71,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.12, for a total transaction of $9,806,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,172,428 shares in the company, valued at $161,935,755.36. This represents a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Dell Technologies Stock Performance

DELL opened at $138.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $143.71 and a 200-day moving average of $132.16. Dell Technologies Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.25 and a 1-year high of $168.08.

Get Dell Technologies alerts:

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The technology company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.12. Dell Technologies had a negative return on equity of 234.84% and a net margin of 5.01%.The business had revenue of $27.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.15 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Dell Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.920-9.920 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.500-3.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Dell Technologies Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dell Technologies Dividend Announcement

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dell Technologies

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Dell Technologiess payout ratio is 28.00%.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dell Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dell Technologies during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Dell Technologies by 84.7% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the technology companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Dell Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Dell Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.37% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DELL has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Dell Technologies from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Dell Technologies from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Dell Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Dell Technologies from $151.00 to $148.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $162.84.

View Our Latest Research Report on DELL

About Dell Technologies

(Get 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).

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Dell Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dell Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR  Free Report) by 87.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 241,226 shares of the conglomerates stock after buying an additional 112,691 shares during the period. Danaher makes up 2.3% of Osterweis Capital Management Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Osterweis Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Danaher were worth $47,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DHR. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Danaher during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Red Tortoise LLC boosted its holdings in Danaher by 175.0% in the second quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 154 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Danaher in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Danaher in the second quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Danaher in the first quarter worth about $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.05% of the companys stock.

Get Danaher alerts:

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Teri List sold 3,298 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.50, for a total value of $746,997.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,762 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,702,593. This represents a 13.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Georgeann Couchara sold 5,174 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.42, for a total transaction of $1,088,713.08. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,625 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $552,352.50. This represents a 66.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 30,248 shares of company stock valued at $6,609,663 over the last three months. 11.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on DHR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Danaher in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a buy rating and a $265.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Danaher from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $241.00 target price on Danaher in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Danaher in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Danaher from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $246.79.

View Our Latest Analysis on Danaher

Danaher Price Performance

Danaher stock opened at $232.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $164.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $218.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $205.38. Danaher Corporation has a 1 year low of $171.00 and a 1 year high of $258.23.

Danaher (NYSE:DHR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 20th. The conglomerate reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. Danaher had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 10.92%. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Danaher Corporation will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Danaher Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Danahers payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

Danaher Profile

(Free Report)

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The Biotechnology segments offers bioprocess technologies, consumables, and services that advance, accelerate, and integrate the development and manufacture of therapeutics; cell line and cell culture media development services; cell culture media, process liquids and buffers for manufacturing, chromatography resins, filtration technologies, aseptic fill finish; single-use hardware and consumables and services, such as the design and installation of full manufacturing suites; lab filtration, separation, and purification; lab-scale protein purification and analytical tools; reagents, membranes, and services; and healthcare filtration solutions.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DHR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Danaher Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Danaher and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 963,555 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after buying an additional 117,227 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolinas holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $131,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 795 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. FF Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 4.3% in the second quarter. FF Advisors LLC now owns 1,904 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 14,018 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,907,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 12,555 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $1,607,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Yale Capital Corp. raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 12,715 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,729,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the companys stock.

Get Abbott Laboratories alerts:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research reiterated a buy rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $147.00 target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Monday. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $141.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $147.00.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $123.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.18 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.70. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $110.86 and a 52-week high of $141.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $127.63 and a 200 day moving average of $130.53.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $1.30. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 31.88%.The business had revenue of $11.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.180 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th were paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is currently 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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Abbott Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abbott Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (NYSEARCA:FAS  Get Free Report)s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $166.60, but opened at $155.03. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares shares last traded at $156.5350, with a volume of 309,827 shares.

Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares Stock Up 0.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 3.02. The businesss 50-day moving average is $164.22 and its 200-day moving average is $166.19.

Get Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares alerts:

Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $12.0949 per share. This is a positive change from Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Sharess previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 10th. This represents a $48.38 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 28.6%.

Institutional Trading of Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares

About Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares by 5,950.9% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 174,447 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $31,034,000 after acquiring an additional 171,564 shares in the last quarter. IMC Chicago LLC raised its holdings in Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares by 396.0% in the 3rd quarter. IMC Chicago LLC now owns 54,057 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $9,617,000 after purchasing an additional 43,158 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares in the 3rd quarter worth about $6,604,000. Elevatus Welath Management purchased a new position in Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares during the second quarter worth approximately $4,988,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,392,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.51% of the companys stock.

(Get Free Report)

Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3x Shares seeks daily investment results of 300% of the price performance of the Russell 1000 Financial Services Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the Russell 1000 Index that measures the performance of the securities classified in the financial services sector of the large cap United States equity market.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Hengan International Group Co., Ltd. Unsponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:HEGIY  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $19.17 and last traded at $18.55, with a volume of 2689 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.61.

Hengan International Group Stock Down 0.6%

The stocks 50 day moving average is $17.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Hengan International Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hengan International Group Company Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells personal hygiene products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers pocket handkerchiefs, box and soft tissue papers, kitchen towels/papers, toilet rolls, first-aid products, enema, garbage and food bags, preservation papers, table cloths and disposable toilet brush, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, overnight pants, wet tissues, maternal and child care products, adult and baby diapers, and cleansing products.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Hengan International Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hengan International Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with a delegation from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) of Portugal led by Hugo Soares, the secretary-general and the parliamentary leader of the party, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Dai Tianfang)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, met with a delegation from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) of Portugal led by Hugo Soares, the secretary-general and the parliamentary leader of the party, in Beijing on Friday.

Li, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Portugal has been continuously deepened.

China is ready to strengthen exchanges between political parties and legislative bodies of the two countries, promote cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and contribute to the sound and stable development of China-Portugal and China-EU relations, he added.

Li also briefed the delegation on the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

Soares said that Portugal firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries through inter-party channels. 

Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with a delegation from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) of Portugal led by Hugo Soares, the secretary-general and the parliamentary leader of the party, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Dai Tianfang)
Shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp. (TSE:LAR  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as C$8.00 and last traded at C$7.73, with a volume of 247903 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$7.49.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Cormark upgraded Lithium Americas (Argentina) to a moderate buy rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithium Americas (Argentina) has an average rating of Buy.

Get Lithium Americas (Argentina) alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lithium Americas (Argentina)

Lithium Americas (Argentina) Trading Down 0.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of C$1.21 billion, a PE ratio of -14.94 and a beta of 2.06. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is C$6.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$4.72.

Lithium Americas (Argentina) (TSE:LAR  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported C($0.40) earnings per share for the quarter.

Lithium Americas (Argentina) Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Lithium Argentina is an emerging producer of lithium carbonate for use primarily in lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles. The Company, in partnership with Ganfeng operates the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium brine operation in the Jujuy province of Argentina and advancing the PPG Project in the Salta province of Argentina.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Lithium Americas (Argentina) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lithium Americas (Argentina) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Deutsche Lufthansa AG (OTCMKTS:DLAKY  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $9.88 and last traded at $9.88, with a volume of 34725 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.4820.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DLAKY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Deutsche Lufthansa in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued an underweight rating on the stock. Citigroup lowered Deutsche Lufthansa from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Deutsche Lufthansa from an underweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Reduce.

Get Deutsche Lufthansa alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on DLAKY

Deutsche Lufthansa Stock Performance

The companys 50-day simple moving average is $8.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.73. The stock has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.13, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Deutsche Lufthansa (OTCMKTS:DLAKY  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $13.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.98 billion. Deutsche Lufthansa had a return on equity of 15.73% and a net margin of 4.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Deutsche Lufthansa AG will post 0.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Deutsche Lufthansa stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deutsche Lufthansa AG (OTCMKTS:DLAKY  Free Report) by 892.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,270 shares of the transportation companys stock after purchasing an additional 8,336 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLCs holdings in Deutsche Lufthansa were worth $78,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Deutsche Lufthansa Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Deutsche Lufthansa AG operates as an aviation company worldwide. It operates in three segments: Passenger Airlines; Logistics; and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Services (MRO). The Passenger Airlines segment offers products and services to passengers of Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Deutsche Lufthansa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deutsche Lufthansa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Exchange Income Co. (TSE:EIF  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as C$83.74 and last traded at C$83.42, with a volume of 18486 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$82.38.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on EIF shares. CIBC upped their target price on shares of Exchange Income from C$85.50 to C$93.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a C$94.00 price objective on shares of Exchange Income and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of Exchange Income from C$90.00 to C$92.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Exchange Income from C$80.00 to C$90.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Ventum Financial set a C$81.00 price objective on Exchange Income and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$85.19.

Get Exchange Income alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on EIF

Exchange Income Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 173.72. The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.99, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$77.71 and a 200-day moving average price of C$70.28.

Exchange Income (TSE:EIF  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported C$1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Exchange Income had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 4.64%.The company had revenue of C$959.74 million during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Exchange Income Co. will post 3.9962963 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exchange Income Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a sep 25 dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. Exchange Incomes payout ratio is 95.65%.

Exchange Income Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Exchange Income Corp is a diversified acquisition-oriented corporation focused on opportunities in two sectors, aerospace, aviation services and equipment, and manufacturing. The business plan of the corporation is to invest in profitable, well-established companies with strong cash flows operating in niche markets.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Exchange Income Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Exchange Income and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
American International Group (NYSE:AIG  Get Free Report) and Assured Guaranty (NYSE:AGO  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Volatility and Risk

American International Group has a beta of 0.62, meaning that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Assured Guaranty has a beta of 0.91, meaning that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Get American International Group alerts:

Insider & Institutional Ownership

90.6% of American International Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.2% of Assured Guaranty shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of American International Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.1% of Assured Guaranty shares are owned by company 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.

Valuation & Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio American International Group $27.25 billion 1.67 -$1.40 billion $5.50 15.30 Assured Guaranty $872.00 million 4.77 $376.00 million $8.06 11.18

This table compares American International Group and Assured Guarantys top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Assured Guaranty has lower revenue, but higher earnings than American International Group. Assured Guaranty is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American International Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for American International Group and Assured Guaranty, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score American International Group 0 12 7 2 2.52 Assured Guaranty 0 2 2 0 2.50

American International Group currently has a consensus price target of $88.81, suggesting a potential upside of 5.55%. Assured Guaranty has a consensus price target of $101.00, suggesting a potential upside of 12.08%. Given Assured Guarantys higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Assured Guaranty is more favorable than American International Group.

Profitability

This table compares American International Group and Assured Guarantys net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets American International Group 11.89% 9.09% 2.32% Assured Guaranty 40.65% 7.09% 3.35%

Dividends

American International Group pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Assured Guaranty pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. American International Group pays out 32.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Assured Guaranty pays out 16.9% 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. American International Group has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Assured Guaranty has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years.

Summary

Assured Guaranty beats American International Group on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American International Group

(Get Free Report)

American International Group, Inc. offers insurance products for commercial, institutional, and individual customers in North America and internationally. It operates through three segments: General Insurance, Life and Retirement, and Other Operations. The General Insurance segment provides commercial and industrial property insurance, including business interruption and package insurance that cover exposure to made and natural disasters; general liability, environmental, commercial automobile liability, workers compensation, excess casualty, and crisis management insurance products; and professional liability insurance. This segment offers marine, energy-related property insurance, aviation, political risk, trade credit, trade finance, and portfolio solutions, as well as operates reinsurance business; voluntary and sponsor-paid personal accident, and supplemental health products; and personal auto and personal property insurance. Its Life and Retirement segment offers individual retirement products, including variable, fixed index, and fixed annuities, as well as retail mutual funds; group retirement products comprising record-keeping, plan administrative and compliance services, financial planning, and advisory solutions; life insurance, including term and universal life insurance; and institutional markets products, which includes wrap products, structured settlement, pension risk transfer annuities, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, high net worth, and guaranteed investment contract products. It distributes its products through a network of brokers, agents, advisors, banks, and other distributors. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Assured Guaranty

(Get Free Report)

Assured Guaranty Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides credit protection products to public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Insurance and Asset Management. The company offers financial guaranty insurance that protects holders of debt instruments and other monetary obligations from defaults in scheduled payments. It insures and reinsures various debt obligations, including bonds issued by the United States state governmental authorities; and notes issued to finance infrastructure projects. In addition, the company insures and reinsures various the U.S. public finance obligations, such as general obligation, tax-backed, municipal utility, transportation, healthcare, higher education, infrastructure, housing revenue, investor-owned utility, renewable energy, and other public finance bonds. Further, the company involved in insuring and reinsuring of non-U.S. public finance obligations comprising regulated utilities, infrastructure finance, sovereign and sub-sovereign, renewable energy bonds, pooled infrastructure, and other public finance obligations; and the U.S. and non-U.S. Structured finance obligations, including residential mortgage-backed securities, life insurance transactions, consumer receivables securities, subscription finance facilities, pooled corporate obligations, and financial products. Additionally, it offers specialty business, such as real estate properties, insurance securitizations, and aircraft residual value insurance (RVI) transactions; and asset management services comprising investment advisory services. It markets its financial guaranty insurance directly to issuers and underwriters of public finance and structured finance securities, as well as to investors in such obligations. Assured Guaranty Ltd. was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Receive News & Ratings for American International Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American International Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR  Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of 0.6925 per share by the real estate investment trust on Friday, January 16th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd.

Equity Residential has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 4 years. Equity Residential has a payout ratio of 205.2% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities research analysts expect Equity Residential to earn $4.21 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.77 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 65.8%.

Get Equity Residential alerts:

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of Equity Residential stock traded up $0.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $61.18. 429,238 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,055,657. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.45. Equity Residential has a 1-year low of $58.38 and a 1-year high of $75.86. The company has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.75. The firms 50-day moving average price is $61.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Equity Residential ( NYSE:EQR Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.02. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 10.30% and a net margin of 37.58%.The business had revenue of $782.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. Equity Residential has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.020-1.060 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 3.980-4.020 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $75.00 to $73.50 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $80.00 to $77.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Equity Residential from $66.00 to $65.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $70.02.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Equity Residential

Equity Residential Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract affluent long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 305 properties consisting of 80,683 apartment units, with an established presence in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Southern California, and an expanding presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Equity Residential Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equity Residential and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Beacon Minerals Limited (ASX:BCN  Get Free Report) insider Sarah Shipway purchased 16,417 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of A$2.58 per share, with a total value of A$42,355.86.

Beacon Minerals Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.81, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.94. The company has a market cap of $109.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 0.63.

Get Beacon Minerals alerts:

Beacon Minerals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a Interim dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 17th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a yield of 208.0%.

About Beacon Minerals

Beacon Minerals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mineral exploration, development, and production activities in Western Australia. The company holds a 100% interest in the Jaurdi gold project located to the northwest of Coolgardie; and holds interest in the MacPhersons project.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Beacon Minerals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Beacon Minerals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) by 2.5% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,604,636 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 67,365 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. makes up about 0.7% of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Companys investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Companys holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $755,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 450.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 110 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Ryan Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 212.0% in the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 156 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the second quarter worth about $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.55% of the companys stock.

Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. alerts:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:JPM opened at $317.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $863.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $306.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $296.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12-month low of $202.16 and a 12-month high of $322.25.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dividend Announcement

JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( NYSE:JPM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.83 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $47.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.42 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.90% and a return on equity of 17.18%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.37 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s payout ratio is 29.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JPM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $342.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a buy rating and set a $343.00 price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $330.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $330.00 to $354.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $355.00 to $354.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $325.48.

Read Our Latest Research Report on JPM

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Robin Leopold sold 966 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.92, for a total transaction of $301,314.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,240,769.68. This represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Profile

(Free Report)

JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of financial and investment banking services. It focuses on investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking (CCB), Commercial and Investment Bank (CIB), Asset and Wealth Management (AWM), and Corporate.

Recommended Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JPM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Shares of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (OTCMKTS:IVPAF  Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $10.13, but opened at $10.56. Ivanhoe Mines shares last traded at $10.10, with a volume of 13,596 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on IVPAF. Scotiabank raised shares of Ivanhoe Mines from a hold rating to an outperform rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Ivanhoe Mines from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Ivanhoe Mines in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating on shares of Ivanhoe Mines in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Securities reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Ivanhoe Mines in a report on Monday, September 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ivanhoe Mines presently has an average rating of Buy.

Get Ivanhoe Mines alerts:

Get Our Latest Analysis on IVPAF

Ivanhoe Mines Stock Performance

The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $10.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.98. The company has a quick ratio of 4.03, a current ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $14.05 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.84.

Ivanhoe Mines (OTCMKTS:IVPAF  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $129.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.95 million. Ivanhoe Mines had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 89.02%.

About Ivanhoe Mines

(Get Free Report)

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. engages in the mining, development, and exploration of minerals and precious metals primarily in Africa. It explores for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, gold, rhodium, zinc, silver, germanium, and lead deposits. The company's projects include the Platreef project located in the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex; the Kipushi project located in Haut-Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Kamoa-Kakula project located within the Central African Copperbelt.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Ivanhoe Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ivanhoe Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Hunting PLC (LON:HTG  Get Free Report) insider Margaret Amos bought 5,136 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 387 per share, with a total value of 19,876.32.

Margaret Amos also recently made the following trade(s):

Get Hunting alerts:

On Wednesday, September 24th, Margaret Amos purchased 3,007 shares of Hunting stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 332 per share, for a total transaction of 9,983.24.

Hunting Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Hunting stock traded up GBX 0.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting GBX 387. The companys stock had a trading volume of 6,744,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 798,661. The firm has a market capitalization of 586.43 million, a P/E ratio of -18.25, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.07. Hunting PLC has a 1-year low of GBX 245 and a 1-year high of GBX 400. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.64. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 354.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 321.81.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Hunting announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, August 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 6.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HTG shares. Collins Stewart reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 600 target price on shares of Hunting in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a GBX 440 target price on shares of Hunting in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 600 price target on shares of Hunting in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Hunting from GBX 350 to GBX 400 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered their price target on Hunting from GBX 465 to GBX 450 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hunting presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of GBX 498.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hunting

Hunting Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hunting is a global precision engineering group, which provides quality-assured products and services for the energy, aviation, commercial space, defence, medical, and power generation sectors.

Our strong focus on quality assured products, supported by rigorous health and safety procedures, ensures we assist in the delivery of energy safely and it is also the basis of our standing in this critical, global industry.

Our intellectual property portfolio enables the Hunting Group to maintain a leading technology edge, so that energy projects are delivered quicker and at lower cost with minimal impact on the environment.

Our people are our most important asset.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Hunting Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hunting and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Dollarama (TSE:DOL  Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from C$185.00 to C$195.00 in a report released on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price target would suggest a potential downside of 2.98% from the companys previous close.

DOL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Dollarama from C$190.00 to C$200.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Friday. Desjardins set a C$205.00 price objective on Dollarama and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Dollarama from C$215.00 to C$222.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Dollarama from C$223.00 to C$232.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Dollarama from C$210.00 to C$235.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$216.15.

Get Dollarama alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on DOL

Dollarama Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of TSE:DOL traded up C$3.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching C$200.98. The stock had a trading volume of 432,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 620,191. The firm has a market cap of C$55.52 billion, a PE ratio of 44.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.10. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of C$188.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$188.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 369.36. Dollarama has a twelve month low of C$132.37 and a twelve month high of C$209.96.

Dollarama (TSE:DOL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The company reported C$1.17 earnings per share for the quarter. Dollarama had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 135.38%. The company had revenue of C$1.91 billion for the quarter. On average, research analysts predict that Dollarama will post 5.3295203 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollarama Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Dollarama Inc is a Canada-based company principally engaged in operating discount retail stores. The company provides a broad range of everyday consumer products, general merchandise, and seasonal items, with merchandise at low fixed price points. General merchandise and consumer products jointly account for the majority of the companys product offerings.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Dollarama Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dollarama and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
MANILA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Thursday said he was ready to work with China to manage differences and enhance cooperation.

He made the remarks when meeting China's newly appointed ambassador to the Philippines, Jing Quan, during a presentation of credentials ceremony at Malacanan, the presidential palace.

"I look forward to working with you in managing the differences and intensifying the cooperation between our two countries. Our differences should be the exception in our ties rather than the norm," Marcos said.

Marcos said China remains one of the Philippines' most important friends and partners, noting that he is confident both sides will find "many opportunities for us to make the relationship between our two countries stronger, deeper and more important as the years go by."

Ambassador Jing, who arrived in Manila on Dec. 6 to assume his post, said a sound and stable China-Philippines relationship is vital for the common development of the two countries and a boon for the prosperity and progress in the region.

He said China hopes the Philippines will, for the benefit of its fundamental and long-term interests, work with China in the same direction, adhere to the right strategic course for China-Philippines relations, and bring the relationship back onto the track of sound and steady development at an early date. 
Lundin Mining (TSE:LUN  Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at CIBC from C$24.00 to C$30.00 in a report issued on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. CIBCs price objective would suggest a potential upside of 10.95% from the stocks previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Lundin Mining from C$25.40 to C$25.80 in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Haywood Securities downgraded shares of Lundin Mining from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Cormark cut shares of Lundin Mining from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Lundin Mining from C$23.00 to C$29.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, National Bankshares lifted their target price on Lundin Mining from C$20.00 to C$25.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lundin Mining has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$23.74.

Get Lundin Mining alerts:

Get Our Latest Research Report on Lundin Mining

Lundin Mining Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of TSE:LUN traded down C$0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching C$27.04. 2,596,406 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,589,536. The firm has a market capitalization of C$23.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 901.33, a PEG ratio of -0.26 and a beta of 1.93. Lundin Mining has a twelve month low of C$8.94 and a twelve month high of C$28.32. The businesss fifty day moving average price is C$23.67 and its 200-day moving average price is C$18.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 41.58, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.40.

Lundin Mining (TSE:LUN  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The mining company reported C$0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Lundin Mining had a return on equity of 5.55% and a net margin of 6.63%.The business had revenue of C$1.40 billion during the quarter.

About Lundin Mining

(Get Free Report)

Lundin Mining Corp is a diversified Canadian base metals mining company with operations in Brazil Chile Portugal Sweden and the United States of America producing copper zinc gold and nickel. Its material mineral properties include Candelaria Chapada Eagle and Neves-Corvo.

Read More

Receive News & Ratings for Lundin Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lundin Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by research analysts at UBS Group from $45.00 to $43.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producers stock. UBS Groups price target indicates a potential upside of 4.70% from the companys current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on OXY. Citigroup dropped their target price on Occidental Petroleum from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Occidental Petroleum from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $52.00 to $51.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Occidental Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $49.95.

Get Occidental Petroleum alerts:

View Our Latest Report on Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum Price Performance

OXY stock traded down $0.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $41.07. 6,797,106 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,203,031. Occidental Petroleum has a 52 week low of $34.78 and a 52 week high of $53.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.20 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.16. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 7.81% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The firm had revenue of $6.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in OXY. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. City Holding Co. grew its position in Occidental Petroleum by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 700 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc acquired a new position in Occidental Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Occidental Petroleum in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum during the first quarter worth $39,000. 88.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Occidental Petroleum Company Profile

(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.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Occidental Petroleum Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Occidental Petroleum and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM  Get Free Report) (TSE:CM) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $91.75 and last traded at $91.6550, with a volume of 210630 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $90.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a market perform rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $107.50.

Get Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce alerts:

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on CM

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $86.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.24, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.02. The firms 50 day moving average price is $84.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.29.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM  Get Free Report) (TSE:CM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The bank reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.23 billion. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had a net margin of 13.57% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The firms revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will post 5.5 EPS for the current year.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 29th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 29th. This is a positive change from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces previous quarterly dividend of $0.97. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces payout ratio is currently 46.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CM. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 5.3% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 4,320 shares of the banks stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,704,251 shares of the banks stock valued at $152,249,000 after buying an additional 300,199 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in the first quarter valued at about $215,000. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 2,646.7% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 54,001 shares of the banks stock valued at $3,040,000 after acquiring an additional 52,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 576.9% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,638 shares of the banks stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.88% of the companys stock.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Company Profile

(Get 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.

Featured Articles

Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
MOSCOW, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian air defense systems shot down over a dozen Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on Friday, the city's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin posted updates on social media in the day about defense forces destroying unmanned aerial vehicles flying toward the Russian capital, recording at least 13 drones downed.

The drone attacks have affected the civilian air traffic in Moscow. Authorities imposed a temporary restriction on flights for about an hour at three Moscow airports on Friday morning.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that the air defense had downed 90 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, including four over the Moscow region.

Meanwhile, the ministry added, the Russian side carried out a series of strikes against targets in Ukraine over the past week, in response to alleged Ukrainian attacks on civilian facilities in Russia.

It said in a statement that the Russian attacks included one massive strike and five group strikes, some of them involving Kinzhal aeroballistic hypersonic missiles.

The strikes hit enterprises and their supporting fuel and energy facilities in Ukraine's military industry, as well as transport, airfield and port infrastructure used in the interests of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The Russian military said the strikes also targeted facilities involved in the assembly, storage, pre-flight preparation and launch of long-range combat drones, along with fuel depots and warehouses storing military and technical equipment.

The targets also included temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign fighters, said the statement. 
LadyCab, Ireland's first ever female focused taxi service, is set to launch in Dublin City in the next couple of weeks.

This initiative, set up by CEO Emanuela Negura, aims to help female passengers and female taxi drivers to feel more secure and safe.

The new app, according to CEO Emanuela on RTE Radio, will have both male and female taxi drivers working for the company but "a key distinction option that we will provide is that a woman will be connected to a female taxi driver".

She also said that she is looking at implementing real-time GPS tracking on the vehicles, shareable emergency contacts, route monitoring and emergency in app alerts linked to a 24/7 support team.

The CEO of LadyCab told RTE that she decided to create LadyCab after she herself was attacked by a man in Dublin.

"I was attacked on a Saturday night last year in July in the city centre by a male passenger, who tried to get in my car," Emanuela told RTE.

READ NEXT: Three-in-one! Gardai seize multiple cars after being 'flagged down' by concerned citizen

"I was parked. He tried to get in, but luckily the door was locked. He tried to smash my window. He grabbed me by the neck and he hit me.

"It was not even dark. I realised we are so exposed as taxi drivers to the dangers of Dublins nightlife.

The woman explained that this when she realised how badly a female based taxi service was needed.

There has been mixed reactions on social media to this new service start up since the announcement was made on Friday December 12.

There were some comments arguing the point "what if there was an all male taxi service" and one person said: "You can just imagine the outcry if there was a male only taxi service set up".

Another person agreed and said: "That is discrimination. If it was a male only service and only males were allowed there would be absolute uproar".

There are also positive comments on social media about the new initiative that agreed it would make women feel a lot safer.

One person said: "Great idea. Both female taxi drivers and female passengers will feel safer so more women will take up taxi driving".

Another person commented, "The likelihood is if it is a female there will be a lot lot less violence" and another person said "Something that's badly needed and has been for years".

Other people made the point that it is sad and "damning" that LadyCab had to be created in the first place so that woman can feel safe going home after a night out.
Thank you for signing up!

Youll soon be getting your Toronto scoop in your inbox.

Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
In the fast-paced world of travel, staying connected is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. Yet, travelers often face an array of challenges: the hunt for reliable Wi-Fi, the hassle of switching SIM cards, and the dreaded roaming charges



(TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - December 11th, 2025 - A Mission to Simplify Global Connectivity

Commbitz began with a clear vision: to eliminate the complexities of using physical SIM cards when traveling internationally. The idea stemmed from the frustrations faced by many travelers, Harsh himself included, who experienced the challenges of finding reliable SIM cards while abroad, often paying hefty roaming fees for subpar service.

As a pioneering London-based tech startup, Commbitz launched with a bold mission to provide seamless, affordable, and sustainable connectivity to travelers worldwide.

We wanted to make the travel experience more enjoyable by taking away the stress of staying connected, says Harsh. We understood that connectivity should be easy, efficient, and affordable. That's why we developed Commbitz, an eSIM solution that connects you to over 190 +countries with no hidden charges or surprises.

Overcoming Obstacles to Launch

One of the key hurdles was ensuring that their eSIM solution could work seamlessly across multiple countries and networks. With telecom regulations varying from country to country, Commbitzneeded to build a system that was both globally compliant and scalable. Through tireless efforts and collaboration with industry experts, Commbitz managed to create a robust solution that works across 468 networks globally, ensuring that customers can enjoy uninterrupted service in over 190 + countries.

Another critical decision came when Commbitz realized the potential of expanding their offerings to businesses, not just individual travelers. By introducing white-label solutions and API integration, Commbitz allowed other companies to integrate its eSIM technology into their own products and services, further expanding its reach.

The Breakthrough Moment

Commbitzs turning point came in 2024 when they expanded operations to India, a rapidly growing market for both tourists and enterprises.

We were driven by the need to address the pain points travelers face in India, a country that sees millions of international visitors each year, explains Harsh. By offering affordable, high-speed data through our eSIM technology, we were able to fill a significant gap in the market.

What Makes Commbitz Stand Out?

Commbitz's success is rooted in several key factors that distinguish it from competitors in the market. The companys focus on providing a seamless, affordable, and sustainable solution for global connectivity has made it the go-to choice for travelers worldwide. Here are some of the standout features that make Commbitz unique:

 Global Reach: Commbitz offers instant eSIM access in over 190+ countries, including popular travel destinations like Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, and USA

 Tech-Driven Solutions: In addition to serving individual travelers, Commbitz offers white-label and API integration options for businesses.

 Sustainability Focus: By reducing the reliance on physical SIM cards, Commbitz contributes to an eco-friendlier future.

 Customer-Centric Approach: Commbitzs commitment to customer satisfaction is evident in its transparent pricing model, providing travelers with clear and upfront costs.

 Rapid Expansion: The companys ability to scale quickly, including its expansion into India, demonstrates its capability to adapt and meet the evolving needs of global travelers.

A Look Toward the Future

Looking ahead, Commbitz has ambitious plans for further expansion. With the increasing demand for reliable and affordable mobile connectivity, the company aims to extend its services to even more countries, ensuring that travelers from all corners of the globe can enjoy seamless communication while abroad.

We are just getting started, says Harsh. Our vision is to make global connectivity as easy as possible, and we are excited about the future. Well continue to innovate, expand, and work tirelessly to bring the best possible service to our customers.

Commbitz: Your Gateway to Seamless Travel Connectivity

Whether you're a frequent flyer, a digital nomad, or a business looking to streamline connectivity, Commbitz is your solution for smarter, faster, and more affordable communication.

For more information on how Commbitz can enhance your travel experience, visit their official website and explore their range of eSIM solutions. Say goodbye to roaming charges and the hassle of swapping SIM cards, Commbitz is here to keep you connected, wherever you go.

Connect with Commbitz

LinkedIn:Commbitz

Instagram:@commbitz_esim





###
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijans lawenforcement agencies continue to implement consistent and systematic measures aimed at preventing extremism, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.

Terror, translated from Latin, means fear and panic, and acts carried out on this basis are classified as serious and especially serious crimes depending on their nature and degree of public danger. In our country, the provisions regarding the fight against terrorism are reflected in the law of Azerbaijan On combating terrorism, adopted on June 18, 1999. The law establishes the legal and organizational foundations of the fight against terrorism in Azerbaijan, coordinates the activities of bodies responsible for combating terrorism, and defines their legal duties, as well as those of citizens (the law consists of five chapters and 22 articles, with amendments added on October 5, 2001). The law provides the following definition of terrorism: terrorism is an act or a threat of explosion, arson, or other actions that endanger human life on a mass scale, harm health, destroy (damage) property, or pursue other grave consequences for the purpose of violating public safety, intimidating the population, or influencing decisionmaking by public authorities or international organizations, he said.

According to him, terrorism is divided into two forms: international (transnational) and domestic (national). Based on motives, it is classified into social, nationalist, territorialseparatist, and religiousdiscriminatory forms.

These types include:

Social terrorism  its subjects are ultraleft groups (including communist, radical socialist, anarchist, etc.) and ultraright groups (neonationalsocialist, fascist, etc.);

Nationalist terrorism  arising from ethnopolitical conflicts, carried out by political movements, separate organizations, and groups;

Territorialseparatist terrorism  whose subjects include wellknown terrorist organizations formed in Karabakh, an ancient territory of Azerbaijan, especially the Nagorno Karabakh Army terrorist organization;

Religiousdiscriminatory terrorism  extremist groups formed based on religious intolerance, which have become a major topic of global concern today.

Measures to combat terrorism include legal, protectiveregime, operationalsearch, and preventive actions, and are carried out for the following purposes:

Ensuring human rights and freedoms, as well as the security of society and the state;

Detecting and preventing terrorism, minimizing possible damage;

Preventing the emergence, financing, and facilitation of terrorism.

The main principles of the law On combating terrorism are ensuring legality, the inevitability of punishment for terrorist activities under Azerbaijani legislation, coordination of open and covert operational methods, complex application of legal, political, socioeconomic, and organizational preventive measures, protection of the rights of persons endangered by terrorist activity, centralized management of forces engaged in counterterrorism, and the principle of minimum visibility of operational methods, Garayev stated.

The political analyst noted that the main international document regulating the global fight against terrorism is the Resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In reference to UNSC Resolution 1373 of 2001, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan approved a national action plan for its implementation on May 11, 2002.

In the modern world, international terrorism threatens not only individual states but all of humanity. During the era of globalization, new features of terrorism have emerged. Today, the targets of terrorism have changed. Unlike in past decades, terrorist organizations no longer aim solely to disrupt stability through hostagetaking, assassinations, or hijackings to achieve shortterm goals. Instead, they now pursue broader objectives, seizing power, occupying the territory of sovereign states, and expelling local populations. Azerbaijan is a vivid example of this.

In the early 1990s, taking advantage of the weakness of the thengovernment and with the support of foreign patrons, Armenias military aggression resulted in the occupation of 20% of Azerbaijans territory, displacing nearly one million people. Since 1988, Armenian terrorists have carried out 373 terrorist acts both in the conflict zone and hundreds of kilometers away, killing more than 2,000 civilians, all aimed at occupying Azerbaijani territory through aggressive separatism.

Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, who participated in forming the Nagorno Karabakh Army terrorist organization, later seized power in Armenia with foreign backing, turning the resolution of the Karabakh issue into a major international problem. Similar patterns can be observed in the Middle East, where terrorist organizations created under religious discrimination have tried to undermine peace efforts after establishing pseudostates, he said.

Garayev added that terrorist and extremist groups of different ideologies often cooperate with one another.

Political and religious extremism, aggressive separatism, antiglobalization movements, and radicalism, both left and right, form links of the same terrorist chain, complementing one another. Combating only one link does not ensure a full fight against terrorism, he noted.

He stressed that terrorist organizations maintain ties with groups involved in other areas of organized crime.

Separatist and radical religious regimes have used the occupied regions of independent states, including, during the occupation period, Azerbaijans Karabakh region and the uncontrolled 132kilometer border with Iran, for drug trafficking, illegal arms and human trafficking, money laundering, and other criminal activities to finance terrorism, particularly the Nagorno Karabakh Army.

Largescale terrorist activity can only be carried out with the direct support of certain states. Modern terrorist organizations have strong hierarchical structures with operational, intelligence, and counterintelligence units and armed groups, all possible due to state support. Many terrorist acts in Azerbaijan were organized specifically by Armenias special services. In addition, it is necessary to mention states that provide asylum to terrorists. Such states offer shelter for terrorists to live, train, and plan attacks, granting them political protection. Armenia is a prime example. With Armenias facilitation, Armenian refugees from Lebanon and Syria were resettled in Karabakh and used to form the Karabakh Army.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Armenian terrorists who carried out attacks across the world were rehabilitated in Armenia and integrated into political processes. When these terrorists could no longer act in Azerbaijan, they became active in Armenia itself and perpetrated several highprofile attacks, he stated.

Garayev added that alongside Armenian terrorist groups, extremist religious organizations also pose a significant threat to Azerbaijan.

After gaining independence, ideological and legal uncertainty, Armenias and certain proArmenian forces aggression, unemployment, and social difficulties created favorable conditions for foreign religious missionaries. The spread of extremism in Azerbaijan began in the early 1990s with the activities of followers of various sects disguised as humanitarian organizations.

International terrorist and extremist groups sought to form structured networks in Azerbaijan under religious, humanitarian, and economic cover. Their initial aim was to create a social base of radical believers, particularly among young people with limited religious knowledge and financial resources.

A key element of their operational methods is information support. Their propaganda includes harmful religious literature, videos, and photos of militant activities, and recorded speeches of extremist leaders, widely spread via the internet. Radical Sunni and Shia groups operate websites promoting jihad against Western countries and other sects. Many of these websites repeat the same narratives and emphasize who the fight should target.

Global conflicts and events in war zones further activate local extremists. Propaganda materials distort the concept of jihad, portraying it as superior to all religious obligations and encouraging participation with ones life and money, he said.

According to Garayev, extremist organizations rely heavily on information tools.

Information support includes harmful literature promoting radical ideologies, videos glorifying combat scenes (jihad), and speeches written by extremist leaders for propaganda purposes. These materials emphasize that Muslims must consider jihad superior to all acts of worship and values, and that they must join it with their life and wealth.

The internet plays a major role in spreading this propaganda. Through online platforms, radicalized individuals can watch such materials and even learn how to manufacture explosives and toxic substances at home, he said.

After the events of September 11, 2001, the fight against terrorism entered a qualitatively new stage, significantly altering the global situation. The international community was shocked by these monstrous terrorist crimes. The rapid rise of well-known threats from international terrorism, which challenges all of humanity, dictated the need for collective efforts to combat it. Azerbaijan, without hesitation, joined the anti-terrorist coalition after this tragedy and is currently contributing to the fight against international terrorism within the framework of the program it developed for implementing legislative, organizational, and practical measures in this direction, Garayev said.

The analyst emphasized that radical religious figures widely use social networks such as Facebook, Odnoklassniki, X (formerly Twitter), and communication programs like WhatsApp and Telegram to promote 'jihad' in these networks, seeking to expand their influence and incite interfaith conflicts. For example, in October 2013, in Baku, the Wahhabi extremist Nariman Mirzayev and his group, who threatened the late leader of the Shia community, Mashadi Dadash' Shahin Hasanli, incited sectarian confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites in our country through Facebook.

Moreover, a significant factor influencing the propaganda of extremism carried out by terrorist organizations today is Islamophobia. The terrorist organization 'Al-Qaeda', which carried out the notorious attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001, and the so-called Muslim 'scholars' integrated into this organization, created favorable conditions for Islamophobic supporters to form negative images of Muslims, such as 'terrorists', 'Wahhabis', 'Taliban' etc., and spread the perception of Islam as a religion that preaches violence and cruelty.

Based on the terrorist attacks and other incidents that have occurred, it's necessary to widely convey to the public the idea that judging all representatives of one religion and culture is wrong and dangerous. Islamophobia should be seen not only as discrimination against Muslims but also as a threat to world peace, since Islamophobia is based on superficial information from sources that are little connected to Islam, lacking a scientific basis, and are unreliable. As Imam Ali once said, 'A person usually harbors hostility toward what they do not understand.'

Observations have shown that among radical Sunnis in Azerbaijan, there is a growing number of individuals who wish to travel to 'jihadist' regions. Since 2012, they have been leaving our country under the pretext of seeking work abroad, obtaining religious education, and other reasons, and have started heading to these countries to participate in conflicts in Syria and Iraq, as well as to join terrorist and extremist groups acting as part of the opposition.

Analysis shows that foreign extremists who fought in conflict regions abroad are likely to engage in terrorist, sabotage, or other criminal activities upon their return, which could impact the security and socio-political stability of the countries of which they are citizens.

As a result of special measures taken by Azerbaijan's security agencies over the past decade to combat international terrorism and religious extremism, more than 20 terrorist and religious extremist groups have been neutralized.

Garayev noted that recently, in response to anti-terrorist operations against the terrorist organization ISIS, they announced that they would retaliate with terrorist acts.

"The terrorists pointed out citizens of these countries and their foreign representations as potential targets and noted that such targets exist in Azerbaijan and other states. As the intensity and effectiveness of anti-terrorist operations grow, it's expected that 'ISIS members' will move toward new operational directions beyond the conflict zones where this terrorist organization operates. One of the most frequently mentioned directions is the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

However, data analysis shows that in the next stage, ISIS will increase its activity in the North Caucasus region of Russia and in the Central Asian countries, as well as in other regions of the world. There is no doubt that foreign militants from ISIS and other terrorist organizations connected with it will be involved in this activity. It should be noted that ISIS prefers to carry out more high-profile terrorist attacks rather than engage in long-term ideological work to create local hotspots to expand the influence of extremists beyond the conflict zone in Syria and Iraq.

ISIS and its associated terrorist structures also widely use the factor of fueling interfaith opposition. Spreading their radical religious ideas among youth, the ideologues of the organization skillfully discredit religious figures and believers who do not accept this concept. For this reason, the population may be subjected to terror because of religious beliefs, sectarian or denominational affiliation, as well as ethnicity, and their attitude toward the existing authorities.

Most extremists who traveled to Syria and Iraq joined ISIS through persuasion and invitations from their contacts who had already joined the organization. Most of them claim that joining ISIS is an obligation for every Muslim, trying to justify this with religious traditions and hadiths. However, recently, among local extremists, an opinion has also begun to form that the brutal activities of ISIS are not in line with Islam.

Extremists who travel to the conflict zone mostly prefer to travel in groups, but upon crossing the border, they act separately to avoid drawing attention. Some extremists traveled to Syria with their families and thus faced the harsh consequences of military actions in the region - hunger, disease, and enslavement," he said.

According to him, most of the extremists who traveled to Syria and Iraq, upon returning to Azerbaijan, explained their return due to the harsh conditions of life in the conflict zones, the threat to their lives, or mistakes made by the terrorist organizations they joined in religious matters. It was observed that they were heavily influenced by radical religious ideology, which led them to behave aggressively toward those around them, reject a tolerant and secular way of life, call the state 'taghut', and declare to those around them that they would not abandon armed and violent struggle, which they themselves called 'jihad' against the state.

In this regard, and in light of international experience, in March 2014, punishments were tightened for individuals participating in conflicts abroad, and since then, if the criminal actions of extremists who traveled to the conflict zones in the Middle East were proven, they were subject to investigation by the relevant court.

As a result of these and other legal and preventive measures, the process of extremists traveling to conflict zones has slowed down in recent times. One of the factors influencing this process is the strict control of extremists' travel routes by the Turkish army and security forces.

Moreover, the seriousness and relevance of the problem necessitate the implementation of preventive measures by our country's security forces in cooperation with foreign partner services in the fight against international terrorist and religious extremist organizations. At a meeting with the heads of intelligence agencies who participated in the 41st session of the Council of Heads of Security and Intelligence Agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries, held in Baku in September 2016, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, stated, 'The fight against terrorism should be global.'

And therefore, to prevent threats, the unification of efforts, exchange of information, and sincere cooperation between the intelligence services of all countries are necessary. Today, the State Security Service, within the framework of joint investigations with working groups of Turkish, U.S., Russian, UK, German, Kazakh, and other foreign colleagues, conducts operational-investigative activities against terrorist organizations operating in various conflict zones, and cooperating with intermediary networks, and concrete results are being achieved in this direction.

Given the above, in the modern era, in the fight against international terrorist organizations, including forces that have become sources of radicalization, a combination of overt and covert methods, legal, political, socio-economic, and organizational-preventive measures is being used. At the same time, great importance is attached to organizing explanatory work among the population about the nature of terrorism and the harmful aspects of religious radicalism, and publishing materials on the internet and in the media that promote the superiority of religious tolerance in the modern world over the propaganda of terrorist and extremist organizations. As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized, 'One of the important elements in the global fight against terrorism is the promotion of the ideas of multiculturalism.' The Azerbaijani people themselves, by their nature and character, possess a strong sense of tolerance, said Garayev.

He noted that currently in Azerbaijan, communities and groups are uniting a large number of believers, acting under the influence and protection of religious centers and humanitarian organizations from some Eastern countries, intending to form a social base for the seizure of power by overthrowing the existing political regime, creating an infrastructure consisting of radical Islamists. Youth constitutes the majority of its members. For example, the average age of Salafists is under thirty years. Every Salafist must primarily attract their family (including women) to the movement. The number of women in these communities is about 25%.

"There are various objective and subjective reasons for the emergence of religious radicalism and extremism, which manifest in many spheres. It's precisely for these reasons that strong states encourage discrimination in their policies, which leads to the escalation of interfaith relations, in some cases offending religious values, and inciting hatred and animosity on religious grounds.

At the same time, the creation of conditions for the spread of harmful religious sects in several countries, the ineffective organization of work to combat radical and extremist groups, the use of religion for political purposes by political and social organizations, the long-standing unresolved conflicts of international and regional significance, and the emergence of new conflicts further strengthen trends of extremism and intolerance in the world, expanding their scope. Efforts and measures taken by countries and international organizations to prevent these risks, in some cases, do not bring significant results and, on the contrary, lead to further deterioration of relations, complicating the situation and escalating conflicts.

This stimulates the growth of extremism and radicalism, armed and bloody conflicts in the world as a whole, and turns innocent people into victims of conflict. In the modern era, in the absence of joint efforts by a strong state and civil society, as well as international institutions, preventing such problems seems impossible. To effectively combat extremism and radicalism, both a strong state and a strong civil society are necessary.

If we look at the history of Azerbaijan, we see that our people have professed various religions for centuries, including Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam, which led to the emergence of religious tolerance among the overwhelming majority of the population. However, the processes occurring in recent periods, which contribute to the growth of extremism, make it important to consider these factors.

Considering the above, coordination of both open and covert methods of combating the forces that have become sources of radicalism, legal, political, socio-economic, and organizational-preventive measures are being used. At the same time, significant importance is attached to organizing explanatory work among the population about the nature of terrorism and the harmful aspects of radicalism in religion, and publishing materials in the internet space and media that promote tolerance in religion against the propaganda of terrorist and extremist organizations," he said.

The analyst explained that in the modern era, ensuring freedom of conscience and religious beliefs, which are fundamental human rights, plays a special role in the politics and relationships of many states and international organizations. Today, it's the duty and exclusive right of the state to approach issues related to religion not only from the perspective of human rights and national moral values but also in terms of security. Although religion is separated from the state, the state bears direct responsibility for the religious situation in the country and the safety of its citizens.

Our state is still successfully continuing activities aimed at preventing religious extremism, protecting our citizens from external influences, maintaining a stable religious situation in the country, and ensuring the safety of the population. To bring legal acts in line with international norms, to clearly define the rights and obligations of the state and religious institutions, as well as to restrict the activities of sects and movements that promote harmful ideas contradicting the principles of humanism, the legislative framework is constantly being improved.

Provisions related to strengthening the fight against extremism and preventing trends of radicalization are also reflected in the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Article 279.1 (the creation of armed formations or groups not provided for by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as participation in their creation and activities, supplying them with weapons, ammunition, explosives, military equipment, or military equipment) is of particular importance in the fight against extremism and is mainly applied to religious radicals who created armed groups to overthrow the secular state system, as well as to those who have gone to foreign conflict zones with the intention of participating in the 'jihad'.

To align the legal measures taken in this direction with modern requirements, in March 2014, penalties applied to individuals participating in foreign conflicts were tightened, and Article 283-1.3 was added to the Criminal Code (the involvement of citizens of Azerbaijan or stateless persons permanently residing in Azerbaijan in armed conflicts outside of Azerbaijan to spread religious teachings under the guise of performing religious rituals, or based on religious hostility, religious radicalism, or religious fanaticism, or conducting military training for this purpose, or creating a stable group for this purpose or leading such a group), Garayev announced.

The analyst recalled the adoption of the law of Azerbaijan 'On the struggle against religious extremism' in December 2015. Its adoption made a significant contribution to preventing the incitement of national, social, or religious hatred, humiliation of national dignity, restricting citizens' rights, or establishing privileges based on their national, racial, social, or religious affiliation.

According to the document, everyone has the obligation to provide relevant state authorities with information that may help identify and prevent cases of religious extremism, religious fanaticism, and religious radicalism, as well as minimize the harm that may be caused by these phenomena. According to the law, individuals involved in religious extremist activities are held accountable under the provisions of the Criminal, Administrative, and Civil Codes. The registration of legal entities engaged in religious extremist activities is canceled, and their activities are prohibited.

According to the law, during a special operation against religious extremism, conducted in accordance with Azerbaijani legislation, damage to the life, health, or property of religious extremists may occur. A person participating in the fight against religious extremism is not held responsible for the damage caused during the special operation against religious extremism.

According to the amendment to the law 'On citizenship', participation in terrorism in Azerbaijan, carrying out actions to violently change the constitutional order, may lead to the revocation of citizenship. The document states that if a citizen undergoes military training in a foreign state under the guise of religious education, spreads religious movements on the grounds of hostility, participates in religious conflicts abroad under the guise of religious rituals, attracts another person to this activity, or creates an armed group for this purpose, they will be deprived of citizenship.

After these amendments to the legislation, by the relevant court decision, more than 250 individuals who participated in foreign conflicts were deprived of Azerbaijani citizenship, and work in this direction continues, he noted.

Garayev pointed out that one of the measures taken in the fight against religious extremism is the additional amendments made in 2015 to the law of Azerbaijan 'On freedom of belief', aimed at preventing the appointment of religious leaders to mosques from among young people who have received religious education abroad and have been subjected to harmful religious influences.

According to paragraph 3 of Article 21 of the mentioned law, 'ceremonies and rituals related to the Islamic religion may only be carried out by citizens of Azerbaijan. Citizens of Azerbaijan who have received religious education abroad are prohibited from conducting Islamic ceremonies and rituals. The main goal is to prevent individuals who have been subjected to foreign ideological influence during their studies from acting as religious leaders in the country and to prevent harmful religious propaganda in places of worship and among the population.

Moreover, according to the new amendment to the law, the demonstration of religious slogans and other religious attributes (except for religious attributes worn by a person) outside places of worship, in public places, is now prohibited in Azerbaijan. Religious flags may only be displayed at places of worship, religious centers, and institutions.

In Azerbaijan, penalties are also provided for individuals who violate the legal regime during special operations against religious extremism, hinder entry and exit to the area of the operation, do not comply with evacuation requirements in case of necessity, obstruct vehicle inspections, refuse checks, and engage in other similar actions. In this regard, a relevant article was added to the Administrative Offenses Code at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Today, the law enforcement agencies of Azerbaijan are taking consistent and systematic measures to prevent extremist and radicalization trends in the country. Measures taken concerning young people participating in armed formations abroad and preventing the spread of radical movements in our country confirm this.

In general, given the seriousness and relevance of the issue, the competent state authorities of Azerbaijan, together with public organizations, should organize preventive, legal, and awareness-raising activities in the fight against extremism, added the analyst.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijans Prime Minister Ali Asadov attended an international forum in Ashgabat dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust (2025), International Neutrality Day, and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistans permanent neutrality, Trend reports via the Cabinet of Ministers.

The Prime Minister took part in the forums plenary session, highlighting Azerbaijans respect for Turkmenistans United Nations-recognized neutral status.

Asadov noted that Azerbaijan consistently supports Turkmenistans neutrality-related resolutions at the UN and co-sponsored the resolution declaring 2025 the International Year of Peace and Trust. He also praised Turkmenistans initiative to establish the Neutrality University under UN auspices and expressed Azerbaijans readiness to actively participate in its activities.

Touching on bilateral relations, Asadov noted that both Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are active members of the Non-Aligned Movement, demonstrating their commitment to the principles of dialogue and solidarity. He also stressed the strong historical, spiritual, and cultural ties underpinning the traditional friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.

Asadov highlighted the recent dynamic development of bilateral relations, including President Ilham Aliyevs business visit to Turkmenistan in August, which included a trilateral meeting with Uzbekistan to expand regional cooperation and strengthen multifaceted collaboration. He also noted the importance of the visit by Turkmenistans Peoples Council Chairman Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov to Azerbaijan in July, which included visits to Fuzuli and Shusha.

The Prime Minister further acknowledged Turkmenistans support for the mosque construction in Fuzuli, initiated during the 12th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) in Gabala, and underscored Azerbaijans full participation in the Central Asian Heads of State Consultative Meeting, strengthening ties with Central Asian countries.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. A memorial ceremony dedicated to the day of remembrance for the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, was held at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in China today, Trend reports via the embassy.

First, a wreath was laid at the bust of National Leader Heydar Aliyev at the embassy, and his dear memory was honored with a minute of silence.

Ambassador Bunyad Huseynov spoke about the life path of the prominent statesman, National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who dedicated his life to the creation and development of the powerful Azerbaijani state, and his invaluable services in strengthening the Azerbaijani state and statehood. He stated that Heydar Aliyev went down in history as a wise leader, a great strategist, and a globally-minded political leader. Ambassador Huseynov emphasized that Heydar Aliyev led the Azerbaijani people and state through the harsh trials of history, laying the foundation for a bright future.

The ambassador mentioned that the National Leader paid special attention to the development of Azerbaijan-China relations. On Heydar Aliyevs initiative, Azerbaijans Embassy in China was established, and his official visit to China from March 7-10, 1994, holds special significance in the relations between the two countries. Ambassador Huseynov pointed out that as a worthy successor to Heydar Aliyevs political course, President Ilham Aliyevs pragmatic and far-sighted policies have resulted in the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and transformed the country into a rapidly developing state in the region.

He also noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and China have now reached the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Later, the embassy staff, referring to the Great Leaders constant adherence to humanitarian principles in his activities, visited the "Beijing Children's Welfare Institute", which provides social rehabilitation and adaptation services for children in need of special care and supports their integration into society.

During a conversation with the staff of the institution, Huseynov stated that the Azerbaijani people are known for their mercy and humanitarianism. National Leader Heydar Aliyev also prioritized mercy, humanitarianism, and spiritual values above all in his entire career. It's no coincidence that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has based its activities on the humanitarian principles to which the Great Leader remained loyal. The President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, carries out large-scale social and humanitarian projects and organizes charitable events.

During holidays and significant days, she meets with children with disabilities and organizes interesting cultural programs for them. The Heydar Aliyev Foundations initiatives contribute to the broader adoption of humanitarianism in society and the promotion of compassion.

The head of the Beijing Childrens Welfare Institute, Qiao Weisheng, highly appreciating the embassy's attention and care for children in need of special assistance, expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani people and the embassy for this compassionate initiative.

"Mercy knows no boundaries, and bringing warmth from Azerbaijan to the children here, crossing mountains and rivers, creates emotions that cannot be expressed in words. The kindness shown in the name of a great personality like Heydar Aliyev brings joy to the residents of our institution and boosts their self-confidence," she said.

In conclusion, essential daily items were thoughtfully distributed to the children undergoing treatment at the institution.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijan is ready to actively participate in the work of Turkmenistan's Neutrality University under the auspices of the UN, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov said at the plenary session of the international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust (2025) in Ashgabat, International Neutrality Day, and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, Trend reports.

He noted that Azerbaijan highly appreciates and deeply respects Turkmenistan's policy of permanent neutrality, which is officially recognized and supported by the UN.

According to the prime minister, over the past 30 years of pursuing this course, Turkmenistan has convincingly proven that neutrality is not only a foreign policy position but also a transformative force that contributes to peace, security, and sustainable development.

"Azerbaijan has consistently supported the resolutions on neutrality put forward by Turkmenistan in the UN and joined the resolution International Year of Peace and Trust - 2025 as a co-author. We evaluate these initiatives of fraternal Turkmenistan as a significant contribution to the architecture of global peace and security.

Azerbaijan highly appreciates Turkmenistan's initiative to establish the University of Neutrality under the auspices of the UN and expresses its readiness to actively participate in the work of the university," he emphasized.

Asadov recalled that in June of this year, the Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan international scientific and practical symposium dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality and at the same time the International Year of Peace and Trust was held in Baku.

The International Forum, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, is currently underway in Ashgabat. The event also marks the International Day of Neutrality and the declaration of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust." The forum has attracted high-level delegations from across the globe, including the Presidents of Russia, Turkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, as well as the Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Representatives from numerous international and regional organizations are also in attendance.

Turkmenistan's commitment to neutrality was officially recognized on December 12, 1995, through a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This date has since been established as Turkmenistan's Permanent Neutrality Day, observed annually to honor the country's stance in global diplomacy.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are linked by traditional friendly and fraternal relations based on deep historical roots, spiritual and cultural values, the country's Prime Minister, Ali Asadov, said, Trend reports.

He made the remark at a plenary session of an international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust (2025), International Neutrality Day, and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of permanent neutrality in Turkmenistan in Ashgabat.

According to the prime minister, our bilateral relations have undergone dynamic development in recent years. Mutual visits and meetings between the leaders of the two countries this year have opened a new page in bilateral relations, raising them to a qualitatively new level of strategic partnership.

"The visit of the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, to Azerbaijan in July this year made an unprecedented contribution to the development of Azerbaijani-Turkmen relations. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev also paid a working visit to Turkmenistan this year and took part in a high-level trilateral meeting with the participation of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This event became an important platform for expanding regional cooperation and strengthening multilateral interaction," he noted.

The International Forum, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, is currently underway in Ashgabat. The event also marks the International Day of Neutrality and the declaration of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust." The forum has attracted high-level delegations from across the globe, including the Presidents of Russia, Turkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, as well as the Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Representatives from numerous international and regional organizations are also in attendance.

Turkmenistan's commitment to neutrality was officially recognized on December 12, 1995, through a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This date has since been established as Turkmenistan's Permanent Neutrality Day, observed annually to honor the country's stance in global diplomacy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Relations between Azerbaijan and Central Asian states are truly unique, the country's Prime Minister, Ali Asadov, said, Trend reports.

He made the remark at a plenary session of an international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust (2025), International Neutrality Day, and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of permanent neutrality in Turkmenistan in Ashgabat.

The Prime Minister recalled that the residents of the liberated city of Fuzuli recently sent a letter of gratitude to the esteemed Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for his initiative to build the Fuzuli Mosque, the foundation stone of which was laid during the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Gabala in October this year.

"We also highly appreciate the fraternal support provided by our Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz brothers in the construction of the Mirzo Ulugbek School and the Kurmangazy Children's Creativity Center in Fuzuli, as well as the Manas School in Agdam.

Meanwhile, we express our deep gratitude to Turkiye for the fraternal support provided in the revival of the liberated territories.

All this will undoubtedly remain forever in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people as a vivid example of the unity of our peoples," he stressed.

Asadov noted that our country's admission as a full member of the Consultative Council of Heads of State of Central Asia is of particular importance for Azerbaijan:

We are united by centuries of shared history, spiritual and cultural heritage, brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity.

The International Forum, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, is currently underway in Ashgabat. The event also marks the International Day of Neutrality and the declaration of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust." The forum has attracted high-level delegations from across the globe, including the Presidents of Russia, Turkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, as well as the Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Representatives from numerous international and regional organizations are also in attendance.

Turkmenistan's commitment to neutrality was officially recognized on December 12, 1995, through a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This date has since been established as Turkmenistan's Permanent Neutrality Day, observed annually to honor the country's stance in global diplomacy.
BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in China's Shenzhen on Nov. 18 and 19 next year, accompanied by the APEC CEO Summit and the joint ministerial meeting of foreign and trade ministers, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun announced on Friday.

In response to a relevant query, Guo told a daily press briefing that during the 2026 APEC "China Year," approximately 300 events are expected to take place across multiple cities in China.

According to Guo, Senior Officials' Meetings will be held in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Dalian in February, May and August next year, respectively. Starting from May next year, about 10 sectoral ministerial meetings or high-level events will take place in different locations, covering areas such as trade, digital economy, transportation, tourism, human resources, small and medium-sized enterprises, energy, food security, finance and women's affairs.

All parties have expressed their active support for China's year-round event arrangements and are willing to ensure fruitful outcomes from these activities, Guo said. 
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijans Prime Minister, Ali Asadov, pays tribute at Ashgabats Monument to Neutrality, the Cabinet of Ministers said in a statement, Trend reports.

He also participated in the international forum dedicated to the International Day of Neutrality and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality held in the capital city.

Meanwhile, the Monument of Neutrality is a monument and observation tower. The three-legged arch was built in 1998 on the orders of that time's President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, to commemorate the country's official position of neutrality.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijans Prime Minister Ali Asadov pays tribute to National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, at the Azerbaijani embassy in Turkmenistan, Trend reports via the Cabinet of Ministers.

He laid flowers at the bust of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

December 12th is the annual Memorial Day for Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader and founder of modern independent Azerbaijan, marking the anniversary of his death in 2003, a day where Azerbaijanis honor his pivotal role in establishing the nation's statehood, stability, and development through ceremonies, tributes, and laying flowers at his memorial in Baku's Alley of Honors.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan is on an official visit to Turkmenistan's Ashgabat. He is participating in an international forum dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality. The event also coincides with International Neutrality Day and the proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust. The forum has attracted high-level delegations from around the world, including the presidents of Russia, Turkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, as well as the prime ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Representatives of numerous international and regional organizations are also participating in the event.

Turkmenistan's commitment to neutrality was officially recognized on December 12, 1995, by a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. Since then, this date has been established as Turkmenistan's Permanent Neutrality Day, which is celebrated annually in honor of the country's position in world diplomacy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. The Azerbaijani Parliament will consider ratifying an air transport agreement with Rwanda, Trend reports.

The issue has been included in the agenda of the Parliaments upcoming plenary session.

During the session, lawmakers will discuss the draft law on joining the Agreement on Air Transport between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijans Prime Minister Ali Asadov attended an international forum in Ashgabat dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust (2025), International Neutrality Day, and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistans permanent neutrality, Trend reports via the Cabinet of Ministers.

The Prime Minister took part in the forums plenary session, highlighting Azerbaijans respect for Turkmenistans United Nations-recognized neutral status.

Asadov noted that Azerbaijan consistently supports Turkmenistans neutrality-related resolutions at the UN and co-sponsored the resolution declaring 2025 the International Year of Peace and Trust. He also praised Turkmenistans initiative to establish the Neutrality University under UN auspices and expressed Azerbaijans readiness to actively participate in its activities.

Touching on bilateral relations, Asadov noted that both Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are active members of the Non-Aligned Movement, demonstrating their commitment to the principles of dialogue and solidarity. He also stressed the strong historical, spiritual, and cultural ties underpinning the traditional friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.

Asadov highlighted the recent dynamic development of bilateral relations, including President Ilham Aliyevs business visit to Turkmenistan in August, which included a trilateral meeting with Uzbekistan to expand regional cooperation and strengthen multifaceted collaboration. He also noted the importance of the visit by Turkmenistans Peoples Council Chairman Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov to Azerbaijan in July, which included visits to Fuzuli and Shusha.

The Prime Minister further acknowledged Turkmenistans support for the mosque construction in Fuzuli, initiated during the 12th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) in Gabala, and underscored Azerbaijans full participation in the Central Asian Heads of State Consultative Meeting, strengthening ties with Central Asian countries.

09:17

Ashgabat is hosting an international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust (2025), International Neutrality Day, and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, Trend reports.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ali Asadov, is participating in the forum's plenary session.

The Prime Minister is expected to deliver a speech at the forum.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Personnel of Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry have paid tribute to National Leader Heydar Aliyev, a source in the ministry told Trend.

The personnel visited the tomb of the National Leader in the Alley of Honor, laid flowers in front of it, and commemorated his dear memory with great respect.

Azerbaijan is commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the death of Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijani officials have honored the memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Trend reports.

Speaker of the Parliament Sahiba Gafarova, Head of the Presidential Administration Samir Nuriyev, alongside other state and government officials, military personnel, law enforcement representatives, and members of the diplomatic corps, visited the tomb of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the Alley of Honor. They laid flowers at his monument, paying profound tribute to the memory of the founder of modern, independent Azerbaijan.

The memory of his late spouse, the distinguished ophthalmologist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva, was also honored, with flowers placed on her grave.

Azerbaijan is observing the 22nd anniversary of the passing of Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Heydar Aliyev emerged as a prominent statesman in the early years of Azerbaijans independence, playing a pivotal role in securing the countrys economic and political stability, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Birol Akgun told the media during a visit to the tomb of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the Alley of Honor, Trend reports.

"His far-sighted policy strengthened Azerbaijan's statehood and created a solid foundation for the well-being of the people. At the same time, the restoration and development of fraternal relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan based on the principle of 'one nation, two states' is connected precisely with the name of Heydar Aliyev," the ambassador added.

December 12th is the annual Memorial Day for Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader and founder of modern independent Azerbaijan, marking the anniversary of his death in 2003, a day where Azerbaijanis honor his pivotal role in establishing the nation's statehood, stability, and development through ceremonies, tributes, and laying flowers at his memorial in Baku's Alley of Honors.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. On December 12, the Defense Ministrys leadership visited the Alley of Honor concerning the commemoration day of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the ministry said in a statement, Trend reports.

Wreath and flowers were laid at the grave of the National Leader, and his bright memory was honored.

Then the leadership of the Defense Ministry paid tribute and laid flowers at the grave of prominent ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva.
AGHDAM, Azerbaijan, December 12. A new group of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) has been dispatched from Aghdam's 'Dord Yol' area to Vangli village in Azerbaijan's Aghdara district, Trends Karabakh bureau reports.

In accordance with the return program, 16 families consisting of 76 persons were sent to the village.

Following the directive of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, families moving to the liberated territories temporarily lived throughout the country, mainly in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings.

The residents returning to their homeland expressed their gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for the comprehensive state care provided to them. They also expressed their gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani army, heroic soldiers, and officers who liberated the lands from occupation, and begged reprieve for those martyrs who gave their lives on this path.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. The next group of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) has been sent to Hasanriz village in the Aghdara district, Trend's Karabakh bureau reports.

In line with President Ilham Aliyevs instructions, the Great Return to the liberated territories is underway, as 16 families (74 people) begin a new chapter in the village.

At this stage, families are being relocated to Hasanriz from the Tartar district. The families heading to the village had previously been settled in various parts of the country, mainly in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings.

The "Great Return" in Azerbaijan is a national program focused on rebuilding and repopulating the Karabakh and East Zangezur regions, liberated after the 2020 war, to facilitate the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their ancestral lands by restoring infrastructure, creating jobs, and developing modern, sustainable settlements. Key elements include massive reconstruction (roads, housing, schools), economic revitalization through new industrial zones, and integrating social services to ensure long-term prosperity for returning families, aiming for a cultural and physical rebirth of these territories.
Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, holds talks with Claude Wiseler, president of Luxembourg's parliament, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, held talks with Claude Wiseler, president of Luxembourg's parliament, in Beijing on Friday.

Zhao said that since their establishment of diplomatic ties 53 years ago, China-Luxembourg relations have maintained healthy and stable development, setting an example of harmonious coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between large and small countries.

He said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China is willing to work with Luxembourg to enhance mutual understanding and trust, deepen exchange and cooperation, and promote the continuous advancement of bilateral relations for the greater benefit of both peoples.

Despite differences in the national conditions, systems and cultures of China and Luxembourg, their cooperative achievements have required mutual respect, trust, and consideration of each other's core interests and major concerns, Zhao said.

He said China appreciates Luxembourg's long-standing adherence to the one-China policy and is willing to deepen political mutual trust with Luxembourg, noting that the two countries are complementary in terms of practical cooperation.

China is ready to strengthen its alignment of development strategies with Luxembourg, and to expand cooperation on new materials, high-end manufacturing, clean energy, artificial intelligence and green finance, Zhao said.

He said the two countries will promote cultural exchange and deepen cooperation on culture, education, tourism, and science and technology. They will also enhance multilateral coordination on global issues of common concern, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

With this year marking the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations, China hopes Luxembourg will play a greater role in advancing China-EU relations based on mutual respect, open cooperation, mutual benefits, and seeking common ground while reserving differences, Zhao added.

He stressed that the National People's Congress of China is willing to maintain high-level exchange with Luxembourg's parliament, and to advance communication among specialized committees, bilateral friendship groups, and deputies and parliamentarians. It is also ready to share its experience and practices in the rule of law, environmental protection and sustainable development, and to approve, revise and promulgate legal documents conducive to bilateral cooperation in a timely manner.

Wiseler said that Luxembourg adheres to the one-China policy and has observed the rapid economic and social developments in China closely.

He noted that Luxembourg is willing to enhance cooperation with China on finance, investment, artificial intelligence, the automotive industry, the "Air Silk Road" and cultural exchange to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.

Noting that China is an important partner of the European Union, Wiseler said Luxembourg is willing to strengthen cooperation with China to promote world peace and development. 

Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, holds talks with Claude Wiseler, president of Luxembourg's parliament, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Tao)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Senior officials from Azerbaijan's Ministry of Health visited the Alley of Honor on December 12, the remembrance day of Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people and a distinguished statesman whose exceptional merits shaped the progress and statehood traditions of independent Azerbaijan, to honor his memory, Trend reports via the ministry.

The officials laid bouquets at the National Leader's tomb with deep respect. Fresh flowers were also laid on the tomb of the late Zarifa Aliyeva, a respected ophthalmologist and academician, as a respectful remembrance.

Thanks to the visionary and forward-looking policies of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan has made significant strides in developing its healthcare system, modernizing medical infrastructure, and training highly skilled medical professionals. The contemporary advancements in the Azerbaijani healthcare sector are a direct extension of the strategic framework established by the Great Leader.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. In commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the passing of the esteemed leader of Azerbaijani security agencies, the architect and guardian of contemporary Azerbaijan, and National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, the Chief of the State Security Service, Colonel-General Ali Naghiyev, and employees of the Service commemorated his memory with deep respect in the Alley of Honor, Trend reports via the service.

Bouquets were laid on the tomb of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. The esteemed legacy of the preeminent ophthalmologist-scientist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva was also commemorated with floral tributes.

December 12th is the annual Memorial Day for Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader and founder of modern independent Azerbaijan, marking the anniversary of his death in 2003, a day where Azerbaijanis honor his pivotal role in establishing the nation's statehood, stability, and development through ceremonies, tributes, and laying flowers at his memorial in Baku's Alley of Honors.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. A resettlement caravan dispatched to its homeland arrived in the villages of Vangli and Hasanriz in Azerbaijan's Aghdara district on December 12, the Public Relations Department of the Restoration, Construction, and Management Service in Khankendi, Aghdara, and Khojaly districts told Trend.

As part of the initial phase of the Great Return program, residents who spent many years living as internally displaced persons received the keys to their new homes today.

At this stage, 16 families totaling 74 people were relocated to Hasanriz, while 16 families totaling 76 people moved to Vangli.

Before the key handover ceremony, a moment of silence was observed in memory of the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev. Mahmud Afandiyev, Deputy Executive Director of the Restoration, Construction, and Management Service, informed the residents that all essential infrastructure in the villages is fully prepared, including water, gas, and electricity lines, high-speed internet, and renovated road networks to ensure their comfortable living.

The phased resettlement process continues to facilitate the full return of life to the region, with the return of 32 more families marking the next successful stage of the Great Return.

Azerbaijan's "Great Return" program aims to resettle about 140,000 displaced persons (IDPs) and revitalize the liberated territories of Karabakh and East Zangezur by 2026. The initiative focuses on large-scale reconstruction, including infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, with investments projected at ~$17.6 billion by 2030. The program will undergo two phases: the initial State Program (2021-2026), followed by a second phase (2027-2030) currently in planning, reinforcing the government's commitment to ensuring a safe and dignified return for IDPs and fostering sustainable livelihoods.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Photo: Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy paid tribute to National Leader Heydar Aliyev, whose whose forward-thinking approach set up the groundwork for peace, stable development, and prosperity in Azerbaijan, Trend reports via the ministry.

Today, the economic development paradigm articulated by the National Leader's astute insights perpetuates the nations trajectory toward sustainable growth and advancement.

The ministrys staff visited the Alley of Honor, laying bouquets at Heydar Aliyevs tomb and commemorating his memory with deep respect. The memory of the prominent ophthalmologist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva was also honored with flowers at her tomb.

December 12th is the annual Memorial Day for Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader and founder of modern independent Azerbaijan, marking the anniversary of his death in 2003, a day where Azerbaijanis honor his pivotal role in establishing the nation's statehood, stability, and development through ceremonies, tributes, and laying flowers at his memorial in Baku's Alley of Honors.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Management and staff of Azerbaijan's Media Development Agency (MEDIA), Audiovisual Council, and AZERTAG have visited the grave of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the Alley of Honors on the occasion of his Remembrance Day, a source in MEDIA told Trend.

The visitors deeply respected the National Leader's memory and laid flowers in front of his monument.

The memory of the prominent ophthalmologist-scientist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva, was also honored, and flowers were laid on her grave.

December 12th is the annual Memorial Day for Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader and founder of modern independent Azerbaijan, marking the anniversary of his death in 2003, a day where Azerbaijanis honor his pivotal role in establishing the nation's statehood, stability, and development through ceremonies, tributes, and laying flowers at his memorial in Baku's Alley of Honors.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. The delegation from Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources visited the Alley of Honor in connection with the memorial day of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the founder and architect of modern Azerbaijan, Trend reports via the ministry.

They laid flowers before his monument and paid deep respect to the cherished memory of the great statesman. The memory of the prominent ophthalmologist-scientist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva was also honored, and flowers were placed on her tomb.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. On the anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the chair, judges, and senior staff members of the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan visited the Alley of Honor on December 12 to pay their respects at the National Leaders tomb, the court's press service told Trend.

They paid tribute at the tomb of the National Leader, placed flowers before his monument, and expressed their deep respect for his cherished memory.

The memory of the National Leaders lifelong companion, the prominent ophthalmologist-scientist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva, was also honored, and flowers were placed on her tomb.

Later, the Constitutional Court hosted an event dedicated to the anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman Farhad Abdullayev emphasized that the national leader, whose outstanding contributions shaped the history of Azerbaijani statehood, successfully realized the idea of national statehood, founded the modern Azerbaijani state, and fulfilled the nations long-standing aspiration for independence through his wise leadership, unwavering principles, and remarkable foresight.

The statement also highlighted that today, thanks to the purposeful efforts of President Ilham Aliyev, the domestic and foreign policy of an independent and sovereign Azerbaijan, the republics dynamic development, its firm standing on the international stage, and its growing global influence remain a direct continuation of National Leader Heydar Aliyevs political legacy.

The event featured the presentation of Heydar Aliyev and the Justice of Azerbaijan, a book authored by Constitutional Court judge Fikrat Mammadov. The publication offers a comprehensive analysis of Heydar Aliyevs life, his philosophy of statehood, and his decisive role in shaping Azerbaijans history.

Covering multiple stages of Heydar Aliyevs leadership, the book provides an in-depth look at his contributions to modern state-building, as well as the reforms he carried out in justice policy and the judicial system. It also explores the National Leaders concept of political succession, the achievements of President Ilham Aliyev in developing a democratic, legal, and secular state, and the significant work implemented during the Year of Heydar Aliyev in 2023. At its core, the book presents scientifically grounded conclusions on the importance of studying, evaluating, and preserving the National Leaders rich legacy for future generations.

December 12th is the annual Memorial Day for Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader and founder of modern independent Azerbaijan, marking the anniversary of his death in 2003, a day where Azerbaijanis honor his pivotal role in establishing the nation's statehood, stability, and development through ceremonies, tributes, and laying flowers at his memorial in Baku's Alley of Honors.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Court proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, charged under multiple articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan related to crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other grave offenses, continued on December 12, Trend reports.

The open court session at the Baku Military Court, chaired by Judge Zeynal Aghayev and composed of judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge: Gunel Samadova), provided the accused with a Russian-language interpreter and a state-appointed defense lawyer.

Presiding Judge Zeynal Aghayev introduced the panel of judges, the prosecutors representing the state, the interpreters, and other participants to the victims and their legal successors attending the proceedings for the first time. He also explained their rights and obligations under the law.

R. Vardanyan's lawyer, Emil Babishov, then submitted two motions.

In the first, the defense attorney requested that all witnesses who testified during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case and the testimonies of Kamo Hayrapetyan, Musheg Grigoryan, and other witnesses examined during the trial be considered unreliable evidence, removed from the list of evidence due to their lack of connection with the accused R. Vardanyan, and not used as evidence against the accused, as well as not taken into account when making the final court decision.

Regarding the second motion, E. Babishov noted that during the court investigation, numerous evidence forming the basis of the accusation were examined, hundreds of victims, as well as legal heirs of the victims, testified, statements of persons who could not participate in the process for certain reasons, other relevant documents were announced, and facts about the injuries suffered by many people were disclosed. The lawyer said that, nevertheless, according to the position of the person whose rights he is defending, the statements given by those persons have no connection with the accused.

Thus, the victims' testimonies revealed that the injuries they sustained occurred cover different dates. Some of these dates coincide with the period when the defendant in the case, R. Vardanyan, was not a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, that is, he was working in his own business as a citizen of the Russian Federation. Therefore, during the court investigation, the testimony given by the victims and their legal heirs was challenged on the grounds that they lacked any connection to the defendant in the case - R. Vardanyan.

The defendant stated that he supported these motions.

Commenting on the motions, Prosecutor Tarana Mammadova, noted that both motions are identical in nature. The accused, having joined a criminal organization established by the Armenian state and committed numerous crimes during the occupation of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as during the period of occupation, acted with a common criminal intent and purpose. Those who testified as victims are also accused of inflicting injuries and attempting to murder them during this period, as well as of murdering the victims, as stated in the testimonies of their legal heirs.

In her speech regarding the second motion, T. Mammadova emphasized that, according to the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the testimony of individuals knowledgeable about circumstances of major importance to the case is also considered witness testimony.

The prosecutor said that these are features that should be assessed in the deliberation room. "Therefore, we ask that the motions be left unconsidered at this stage," she added.

Following the deliberations, the presiding judge stated that since the specifics stated in both motions are circumstances that must be assessed when the final verdict is made, these motions are pending in court.

The hearing proceeded with the examination of other important documents related to the criminal case, based on the prosecution's motion.

The examined documents indicated that during a search of the radio receiving and broadcasting center located in the city of Khankendi, a dark green military vehicle with the registration number 03-11 31PB was discovered. The evidence confirmed that the vehicle was equipped with special radio equipment and the "Repellant-1" system was installed in the rear. The system was designed to blocking out signals of the control system of unmanned aerial vehicles from a distance of 30-35 kilometers. There were also a monitor, a control system, and a cooling system inside the car.

Additionally, during an inspection of 7 pieces of equipment in dark green packaging of various sizes stored in a military unit located in the Khojaly district, it was confirmed that the discovered equipment was the Polya-21 radio jamming station, which was also used interfere with the GPS system of aircrafts.

Moreover, the letter dated September 27, 2021, sent by the Azerbaijan Airlines Closed Joint Stock Company to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan regarding the interference of satellite navigation signals in the airspace of Azerbaijan, states that since the beginning of July 2021, numerous complaints have been received from aircraft crews of various airlines operating in the country's airspace, indicating the unstable operation of global navigation satellite system) signals (GNSS, including cases of switching off and distortion of these signals.

During this period, at least 42 complaints were registered during flights on various air corridors, as well as during the established flight procedures for taking-off, arrival and landing at airports. The loss of stability of global satellite navigation in the Azerbaijani airspace poses a serious threat to the safety of aircraft flights.

The GNSS, a system designed for receiving signals, is the main means of controlling the flight trajectory of most of the aircrafts, with the absence or distortion of the satellite signal can lead to grave consequences.

Additionally, following the aerial reconnaissance, the locations (coordinates) of radio jamming devices belonging to the Armenian armed forces and the illegal Armenian armed detachments were discovered and photographed using the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Subsequently, accused Ruben Vardanyan requested the court to include several documents in the criminal case.

The defense attorney defended the motion filed by the accused.

The state prosecutors raised no objections.

The court decided that since the submitted document was in Russian, it should be translated into Azerbaijani and included in the criminal case materials.

Later, accused R. Vardanyan requested to review volumes 1-15 of the criminal case and that the witnesses mentioned in those volumes be invited to court regarding his detention.

Lawyer E. Babishov offered no objections to granting the motions.

Commenting on the motion, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev stated that he had no objection to the motion if it is related to obtaining any materials in the criminal case. As for the interrogation of witnesses, when the documents were examined, the accused has not yet commented on any of the documents, nor has he expressed an opinion on whether the discovered documents belong to him or not. He did not challenge the information presented in the protocol.

" Presently, no grounds have been established to deem the protocol's information controversial or suspicious. We believe that there is no contradiction, no dispute. Therefore, we ask that the motion not be granted," he further added.

Following the deliberations, the presiding judge mentioned that the defendant's motion to familiarize himself with the relevant volumes of the criminal case is granted, and the motion to summon witnesses to the court will be revised later.

Then, R. Vardanyan further requested to examine the relevant audio-video recordings.

The presiding judge of the court said that he would be provided with the opportunity to examine the necessary audio-video materials.

The next court session is scheduled for December 16.

Ruben Vardanyan faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation and forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenary activity), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violations of international humanitarian law norms during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border).

To note, the preliminary investigation of the criminal case against Ruben Vardanyan, accused under articles concerning crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other offenses, was conducted by the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Court proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, charged under multiple articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan related to crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other grave offenses, continued on December 12.

The open court session at the Baku Military Court, chaired by Judge Zeynal Aghayev and composed of judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge: Gunel Samadova), provided the accused with a Russian-language interpreter and a state-appointed defense lawyer.

Presiding Judge Zeynal Aghayev introduced the panel of judges, the prosecutors representing the state, the interpreters, and other participants to the victims and their legal successors attending the proceedings for the first time. He also explained their rights and obligations under the law.

R. Vardanyan's lawyer, Emil Babishov, then submitted two motions.

The next court session is scheduled for December 16.

Ruben Vardanyan faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation and forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenary activity), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violations of international humanitarian law norms during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border).

To note, the preliminary investigation of the criminal case against Ruben Vardanyan, accused under articles concerning crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other offenses, was conducted by the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Iran sheds light on cargo transportation by trucks via its territory for 8M2025

Irans truck transportation and transit volume reached 10.98 million tons from March 21 to November 21, 2025, including 8.82 million tons of exports and 1.68 million tons of imports. The 10.98 million tons of total cargo, 8.82 million tons of exports, and 1.68 million tons of imports demonstrate the potential of Irans transport network to boost economic relations.

Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register
ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) said Friday that at least three of its soldiers were killed and seven others wounded in an attack carried out by what it described as "terrorist elements" in the country's southeastern province of Shabwa.

In a brief statement, the Aden-based STC accused elements affiliated with Yemen's Muslim Brotherhood group of carrying out the attack, which targeted the Areen military base in Shabwa province.

According to the statement, forces of the Shabwa defense units confronted and thwarted the assault, which resulted in the killing of three STC soldiers and injuries to seven others.

A military official told Xinhua that the Areen military base, seized by STC forces during an offensive launched days earlier, was first targeted by a drone strike, followed by a ground attack by unknown masked gunmen.

The official added that the Areen base has strategic significance due to its location between the two oil-rich provinces of Shabwa and Marib.

On Thursday, Chief of Yemen's internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Rashad Al-Alimi renewed calls for STC forces to withdraw from territories they have recently captured in the country's southeastern regions.

According to the state-run Saba News Agency, Al-Alimi urged the STC's southern forces to hand over authority to local administrations, warning that continued military escalation could lead to further bloodshed. However, the southern forces, led by Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, who also serves as a vice chief of the PLC, rejected the call and continued their military deployments.

Established in 2017, the STC has consistently pursued the independence of southern Yemen, which has frequently put it at odds with state institutions, despite its involvement in the country's power-sharing government and its role in the current collective leadership. 
Subscription to paid content

Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 12. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov held talks with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Ashgabat, focusing on energy cooperation, transport connectivity, and the further strengthening of bilateral ties, Trend reports via the press service of the Kyrgyz President.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of events marking the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistans permanent neutrality.

Welcoming his counterpart, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed appreciation for Zhaparovs participation in the celebrations and reaffirmed Turkmenistans interest in expanding cooperation with Kyrgyzstan.

"Turkmenistan places great significance on strengthening its partnership with Kyrgyzstan, founded on centuries-old friendly relations, shared cultural ties, and mutual respect," stated Berdimuhamedov, emphasizing Ashgabat's readiness to further deepen collaboration in areas of common interest.

President Zhaparov, in turn, thanked the Turkmen leadership for their warm hospitality and extended heartfelt congratulations to Turkmenistan on the significant milestones of the anniversary. He underscored that the bilateral relations between the two nations continue to serve as a solid foundation for long-term partnership, noting the increasing momentum of political dialogue.

The Kyrgyz leader particularly highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation in the transport and logistics sectors, stressing the need to ensure the efficient functioning of international multimodal corridors that traverse both countries. The two sides also engaged in a comprehensive review of ongoing and prospective collaboration in the energy sector, a critical area of KyrgyzTurkmen cooperation.

Zhaparov invited President Berdimuhamedov to visit Kyrgyzstan next fall to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and the Sixth World Nomad Games as an honorary guest.

Following the talks, the presidents reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing the strategic partnership and expanding cooperation across all mutually beneficial sectors.
Photo: The Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 12. Uzbekistans Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, and the management of TBC Bank Group discussed further steps to deepen cooperation in the banking and financial sector, as well as prospects for digital development, Trend reports via the ministry.

During the discussions, representatives from TBC Bank Group presented the banks strategic approach to developing its artificial intelligence infrastructure. This includes expanding its computing capacity and advancing solutions based on SpeechTech and large language model (LLM) technologies.

The banking group further emphasized its commitment to expanding operations in Uzbekistan, initiating new projects, and strengthening its market presence in the region.

Having established operations in Uzbekistan in 2020, TBC Bank Group now serves over 5.7 million monthly active users, positioning itself as one of the largest digital banking ecosystems in Central Asia.
Photo: The official website of the President of Iraq

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 11. On the sidelines of the International Forum on Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid of Iraq met with President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan to discuss the strengthening of bilateral relations, Trend reports via the press service of the Iraqi President.

The leaders engaged in a comprehensive discussion on the key aspects of enhancing bilateral relations, exploring avenues for expanding cooperation across various sectors, with particular emphasis on advancing the shared interests of their nations' peoples.

President Rashid and President Berdimuhamedov also deliberated on a range of regional and international issues of mutual concern, reaffirming their commitment to deepening collaboration in areas such as security, trade, and cultural exchange.

The presidents expressed their satisfaction with the ongoing growth of the partnership between Iraq and Turkmenistan, acknowledging the potential for further strengthening ties through joint initiatives in infrastructure development, energy cooperation, and other strategic domains.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 11. On the sidelines of the International Forum on Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, convened to explore avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in areas of shared interest, including trade, culture, and regional security, Trend reports via the press service of the Iranian President.

"We must enhance our communication and cooperation," stated President Pezeshkian. "The international community truly needs the vision you have championed, one focused on building trust and fostering peace." He further expressed his hope that Turkmenistans constructive approach would resonate throughout the region, promoting greater security and stability.

President Pezeshkian reaffirmed Irans commitment to strengthening communication and cooperation with Turkmenistan, particularly in the realm of regional security.

In turn, Turkmenistans leader, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, conveyed his gratitude for President Pezeshkians participation in the forum and for Irans support of Turkmenistan's initiatives. He warmly welcomed the Iranian President to Ashgabat, remarking, "You are not only a close neighbor but also a brother and a friend. We are delighted to welcome you to your second home."

The leaders underscored the importance of ongoing dialogue and mutually agreed to further deepen the partnership between their nations.

The International Forum, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, is currently underway in Ashgabat. The event also marks the International Day of Neutrality and the declaration of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust." The forum has attracted high-level delegations from across the globe, including the Presidents of Russia, Turkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, as well as the Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Representatives from numerous international and regional organizations are also in attendance.

Turkmenistan's commitment to neutrality was officially recognized on December 12, 1995, through a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This date has since been established as Turkmenistan's Permanent Neutrality Day, observed annually to honor the country's stance in global diplomacy.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 12. As part of its forthcoming chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, Uzbekistan intends to designate 2027 as the Year of Preventive Diplomacy, a move aimed at supporting initiatives focused on conflict resolution for the benefit of future generations, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the International Peace and Trust Forum in Ashgabat, Trend reports.

The initiative, as outlined by the president, envisions the adoption of a comprehensive program, which includes organizing international conferences, forums, and facilitating exchanges of parliamentary, public, and youth delegations.

As central priorities for Uzbekistans upcoming chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, we aim to champion a global movement promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, enhance trust between nations through political dialogue, and cultivate an atmosphere of tolerance, mutual understanding, and solidarity across the globe,Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

He further emphasized that Uzbekistan anticipates the active involvement and practical implementation of this initiative by relevant UN bodies, including the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in Ashgabat.

In addition, Uzbekistan is set to assume the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement from 2027 to 2029. Having joined this international organization, which comprises 120 member states committed to non-alignment with military blocs, Uzbekistan became a member in 1992.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 12. Uzbekistans Atomic Energy Agency (Uzatom) held talks with Hungarys MVM EGI Zrt. on potential Hungarian participation in the construction of an integrated nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, Trend reports via the agency.

The meeting was attended by the Director of Uzatom, Azim Akhmedkhadjaev, and the CEO of MVM EGI Zrt., Peter Karpati.

During the discussions, the parties explored various avenues for securing export financing through Hungarys Eximbank, evaluated the current status of financing arrangements for the project, and assessed the potential for finalizing a four-party framework agreement for the implementation of dry cooling system technologies.

Considerable focus was placed on harmonizing the efforts of all project stakeholders to ensure the efficient progression of the project, foster long-term international collaboration, and facilitate the integration of innovative, high-tech solutions into Uzbekistans nuclear energy sector.

The parties agreed to convene the next round of negotiations in Hungary in January 2026, during an official visit by a delegation from Uzatom. This forthcoming meeting will involve representatives from Hungarys Eximbank, OTP Bank, and other key financial and governmental entities.

In May 2025, as part of President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs official visit to Hungary, an Agreement on Cooperation and a Memorandum of Understanding were signed between Uzbekistan's Uzatom Agency and Hungary's state-owned enterprise MVM EGI Zrt. These agreements set forth a framework for collaboration in joint scientific research, the development and implementation of cutting-edge technological solutions, and the deployment of dry cooling systems at nuclear power plants.

Moreover, the documents address the localization of related technologies, the establishment of requisite infrastructure, and the provision of professional training and capacity-building programs for specialists within the nuclear energy sector.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 12. The Middle Corridor is not just a transport route, but a corridor of trust, linking people, businesses, and cultures across Eurasia, said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at the International Forum of Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Trend reports.

He further emphasized the current state of Georgia's economy, underscoring its strategic importance in the regional context.

"From 2021 through 2024, Georgia achieved one of the highest economic growth rates globally, averaging 9.8%. Our GDP per capita has more than doubled since 2020. Positioned at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, this strategic location has played a pivotal role in fostering a resilient economy," Kobakhidze remarked.

Reaffirming Georgias commitment to international cooperation, he added, "We are steadfast in our resolve to transform the ideals of the International Year of Peace and Trust into tangible, long-term actions. Only through collective endeavor can we shape a safer and more stable future."

He also drew attention to the forums theme, Peace and Trust: Unity of Purpose for a Sustainable Future, highlighting its resonance with Georgias foreign policy objectives.

"Peace and trust are not mere ideals but indispensable tools for ensuring global resilience," Kobakhidze concluded.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Russia and Iran discussed economic ties and joint projects, particularly the latter's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the development of the NorthSouth Transport Corridor, Trend reports via the Kremlin.

The discussions were held during the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the International Forum of Neutrality in Turkmenistan.

Opening the talks, Vladimir Putin emphasized that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran continues to advance across all major economic and infrastructure directions. He noted that trade turnover grew by 13 percent last year and a further eight percent in the first three quarters of 2025.

Putin underscored that work on key, major projects remains a priority, singling out the Bushehr Nuclear Power PlantRussias largest energy cooperation project with Iranand continued progress on the International NorthSouth Transport Corridor, which aims to connect Russian ports to the Persian Gulf and South Asia through Iranian territory.

We continue to work on our key, major projects. This includes the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and infrastructure development, including the NorthSouth route, Putin stated.

He underscored his nation's pivotal position in enhancing synergistic economic partnerships.

The Russian leader added that both sides are also exploring cooperation in gas and electricity exchange while maintaining close coordination on international issues, including Irans nuclear file.

The International Forum, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, is currently underway in Ashgabat. The event also marks the International Day of Neutrality and the declaration of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust." The forum has attracted high-level delegations from across the globe, including the presidents of Russia, Turkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, as well as the prime ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia. Representatives from numerous international and regional organizations are also in attendance.

Turkmenistan's commitment to neutrality was officially recognized on December 12, 1995, through a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This date has since been established as Turkmenistan's Permanent Neutrality Day, observed annually to honor the country's stance in global diplomacy.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. The total value of deposits held by the population in Azerbaijani banks has reached the equivalent of 15.9 billion manat ($9.35 billion) in national currency as of November 1, 2025, marking an 11.5% rise compared to the same period last year.

Data obtained by Trend from the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) demonstrates that, out of the aggregate deposits, 68.8% were denominated in the domestic currency, whereas 31.2% were allocated in foreign currencies. National currency deposits experienced a robust uptick of 15.4%, while foreign currency deposits exhibited a more modest growth trajectory of 3.7% on a year-over-year basis.

The Central Bank was founded in the Republic of Azerbaijan by a decree from the President on the 'Establishment of the National Bank in the Republic of Azerbaijan,' dated 11 February 1992. A legal framework enables the Central Bank to more effectively fulfill its objectives and functions across all operational domains, delineating its primary responsibilities: formulating and executing monetary and exchange rate policy, overseeing currency circulation, regulating and advancing centralized interbank and other licensed payment systems, and managing gold and foreign exchange reserves.
BANGKOK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua has endorsed a royal decree to dissolve the lower house of parliament, an announcement published in the Royal Gazette said on Friday, paving the way for a general election early next year.

The decree, countersigned by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, cited his administration's status as a "minority government" as the primary reason for the dissolution.

"The current administration, which took office in September 2025, consists of a coalition of multiple parties that failed to command a majority in the House of Representatives," the decree said.

Meanwhile, several critical challenges facing the nation require a stable government to address effectively, and continuing as a minority administration risks political instability, which could harm the country's economic system and international confidence, the decree noted.

"The appropriate solution is to dissolve the House of Representatives to hold a new general election... returning political decision-making power to the people," the decree said.

Under the Thai constitution, the Election Commission must hold a general election within 45 to 60 days following an endorsement of the royal decree. 
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. On December 11, British Chamber of Commerce Azerbaijan (BCCA) held a dinner reception as part of the first official visit of Lord John Alderdice, the UK Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia, to Azerbaijan, Trend reports via BCCA.

The event brought together senior officials and business leaders to discuss the future of UKAzerbaijan economic cooperation and priorities in sustainable finance.

Zibar Huseynova, BCCA Executive Director and Kieran Reddington, BCCA Chairperson, opened the reception. They underlined the importance of strong bilateral partnerships and the Chambers role in supporting dialogue between the business communities of both countries.

During the reception, Lord Alderdice delivered a speech in which he reflected on the evolution of UKAzerbaijan relations, the countrys economic transformation, and the role of sustainable finance in shaping future cooperation.

Rustam Tahirov, Director of the Financial Sector Sustainable Development Department at the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, delivered the keynote speech. He presented the countrys current work in strengthening the financial system and aligning it with global sustainability practices.

The reception also included the presentation of the Robin Bennett Award by Ilgar Valiyev, Country Managing Partner at EY Azerbaijan. This year, the award was presented to Fergus Auld, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to strengthening UKAzerbaijan economic relations and his long-standing support for the Chambers mission.

The event concluded with a networking session, offering participants an opportunity to exchange ideas on future cooperation opportunities, and the evolving landscape of responsible investment in both markets.

BCCA is one of the countrys leading business platforms supporting trade, investment, and economic partnerships between the UK and Azerbaijan. Through events, advocacy, and sector-specific initiatives, the Chamber provides strategic insights and facilitates dialogue among public and private stakeholders.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 12. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Ahmet Gurbanov met with Nenad Popovic, Serbia's Minister of International Economic Cooperation, and discussed economic cooperation with a focus on trade, textiles, construction, and the export of polymers, fertilizers, and agricultural products, Trend reports via Turkmen MFA.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality and International Neutrality Day, Popovic emphasised that Turkmenistan, as one of the leaders in Central Asia in terms of natural gas reserves, ranks fourth in the world and has significant oil reserves.

In addition to energy, Turkmenistan presents substantial opportunities for collaborative projects across industries such as agriculture, construction, and engineering technologies, he stated.

The meeting underscored that the partnership between the two nations is grounded in principles of mutual respect, equality, and shared benefits. The potential for establishing a Joint Intergovernmental Commission was also discussed.

Moreover, the successful collaboration between the two countries at international platforms, particularly within the United Nations, was highlighted, where they consistently support each other and co-author important initiatives.

Emphasis was placed on the continued expansion of dialogue to further strengthen bilateral relations in alignment with their mutual interests.

Earlier, in October, the Foreign Ministries of Turkmenistan and Serbia conducted political consultations in Belgrade, with the Turkmen delegation led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Gurbanov, and the Serbian delegation headed by State Secretary Damjan Jovic.

In the course of the talks, a constructive exchange of views took place on key issues of the bilateral agenda, and the level of political and diplomatic dialogue between the two countries was discussed. The diplomats emphasized the importance of regular political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries. They also reaffirmed the need to improve the bilateral legal framework.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 12. Uzbekistan and Russia discussed future potential cooperation in freight traffic, optimization of rolling stock management, and development of international transport services, Trend reports via JSC Temiryulkargo.

These issues were addressed during a meeting between JSC Temiryulkargo and representatives of UDK Group, held under the chairmanship of Oybek Zhabarov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Temiryulkargo for multimodal and international transportation.

In the course of the meeting, UDK Group noted that around 2,000 freight wagons are currently in operation across Central Asia for regular cargo transportation and expressed interest in establishing practical cooperation with Temiryulkargo in the area of efficient wagon fleet management.

The parties also discussed several specific areas of cooperation, including:

 improving mechanisms for returning wagons released from imported cargo to Russia and Kazakhstan;

 organizing cargo transportation along routes connecting Kazakhstan, Russia, and Georgia;

 exporting basalt products to these markets;

 delivering cargo to Black Sea ports;

 repairing wagons and enhancing the efficient use of tank wagons; and

 conducting joint marketing research to assess promising cargo flows and market demand.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue practical cooperation across the discussed areas.

Meanwhile, bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and Russia grew by more than 5% in 2024, surpassing $10 billion. In the first nine months of the current year, this positive trend continued, with trade increasing by an additional 8%.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijan has discussed expanding its capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) with a U.S. company, Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev wrote on his X page, Trend reports.

"As part of our visit to the U.S., we held a meeting with Senior Vice President of AMD David Wang. At the meeting, we discussed the prospects for expanding Azerbaijan's capabilities in the field of AI and transforming it into a regional digital center. We also exchanged views on joint AI centers and research and education initiatives with AMD, as well as long-term strategic cooperation and joint investment opportunities," Nabiyev noted.

AMD is the high-performance and adaptive computing leader, powering the products and services that help solve the worlds most important challenges. Our technologies advance the future of the data center, embedded, gaming, and PC markets.

The economy of Azerbaijan is projected to be greatly affected by its AI strategy. AI might transform healthcare, transportation, and public services. AI education and training are key to Azerbaijan's AI strategy. The government aims to revise and improve school and university curricula to include AI and machine learning to train a qualified workforce that can drive AI innovation.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Russia and Turkiye discussed progress on their key bilateral projects with particular focus on the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Trend reports via the press service of the Russian President.

The discussions took place during an expanded-format meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held on the sidelines of the International Forum of Neutrality in Turkmenistan.

A central topic of the dialogue was the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project, the largest bilateral energy initiative between Russia and Turkiye, and Turkiye's first nuclear power facility. The sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the remaining stages of the project, underscoring its significance for Turkey's long-term energy security.

The agenda also encompassed a comprehensive review of ongoing economic cooperation, including initiatives in transportation, industry, and the energy sector, all of which continue to progress despite a challenging global context. Officials highlighted that the diverse nature of Russian-Turkish collaboration has played a key role in ensuring stability in trade flows and investment activities.

Furthermore, Putin and Erdogan exchanged perspectives on regional and international issues, while reaffirming that practical economic cooperation, anchored by flagship projects such as Akkuyu, remains a strategic priority for both nations.

The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) stands as the cornerstone of the energy partnership between Turkiye and Russia. Located in the southern province of Mersin, the facility represents a substantial investment, estimated between $20 billion and $25 billion. The plant will feature four VVER-1200 Generation III+ reactors, collectively designed to deliver a total capacity of 4,800 MW, with each unit providing 1,200 MWe. Upon its completion, with the first unit scheduled for operation in 2026, the NPP is projected to supply approximately 10% of Turkiye's total electricity demand, significantly diminishing the nations dependence on imported natural gas and oil. This transition is expected to reduce Turkiyes annual natural gas import costs by approximately $1.5 billion.

Developed under the Build-Own-Operate (BOO) model, the project is spearheaded by a subsidiary of Russias state-owned Rosatom, which bears the responsibility for the full spectrum of investment, construction, and operation.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 11. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, following the plenary session of the International Forum on Peace and Trust, to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in key areas, Trend reports via the press service of the Russian President.

At the meeting, the leaders also underscored the ongoing expansion of Russian-Turkmen relations.

Our relationship is evolving successfully, rooted in the principles of friendship and good-neighborliness, President Putin remarked, emphasizing the significant potential for further cooperation in energy, infrastructure, and other strategic sectors.

Economically, our partnership continues to diversify. We have fostered a strong relationship of trust in political matters, and our collaboration on international platforms is proving highly effective. We are grateful for the level of trust we share in these areas, Putin stated.

The Russian President extended his congratulations to Turkmenistan on the anniversary of its neutrality, observing, This policy contributes to regional stability and creates favorable conditions for advancing bilateral relations, including with Russia.

The bilateral ties between the two nations are founded on a long-term partnership. Current annual trade turnover between Russia and Turkmenistan exceeds $1.6 billion. In 2025, trade dynamics showed a notable increase, with the first quarter alone recording a growth rate of 21.4%. By midyear, trade volumes had risen by over 30% compared to the previous year.
Photo: Official information source of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Deliveries of Azerbaijani natural gas to private and industrial consumers in North Macedonia began on December 1, an informed source told Trend.

The supplies were made possible thanks to productive cooperation between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), M-Gaz and CNG Systems, the source said.

According to the source, the initiative represents a pilot expansion of a virtual gasification project that has been implemented in Bulgaria since 2024.

The project, carried out in partnership with SOCAR, M-Gaz and CNG Systems, started with deliveries of compressed natural gas (CNG) to industrial and private consumers not connected to a gas pipeline or distribution network. SOCAR, through M-Gaz, provides the required volumes of natural gas to CNG Systems, which then supplies industrial and private customers in Strumica. A gas distribution network has been built in the city and is supplied with compressed natural gas.

Thanks to the partnership, Azerbaijani natural gas now provides heating and hot water to six kindergartens, eight schools, one hospital, several municipal administrative buildings in Strumica, more than 400 households, and several industrial consumers.

The number of countries purchasing Azerbaijani gas has reached 14. Azerbaijan supplies natural gas to Europe via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, the final leg of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline currently has a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year, with the potential to expand to 20 billion cubic meters. Following TAPs 2021 Market Test, the pipelines long-term capacity will be expanded by 1.2 bcm/a from 2026. Of this, 1.04 bcm/a has been booked for delivery to Italy and 0.16 bcm/a for Albania.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. U.S. Chamber of Commerce delegation plans to visit Azerbaijan, the country's energy minister, Parviz Shahbazov, wrote on his X page, Trend reports.

This issue, as well as potential areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US in the energy sector, were discussed during the meeting between Shahbazov, executive director of the US Chamber of Commerce's Middle East and Turkiye Affairs Department, Jennifer Miel, and representatives of leading energy companies.

"We exchanged views with Jennifer Miel, as well as leading energy companies, on the projects included in our energy agenda and potential areas of cooperation. The Chamber of Commerce has expressed interest in expanding energy cooperation, and a visit of its delegation to our country is planned for February next year," the publication reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov held meetings with representatives of the House of Representatives and the US Chamber of Commerce during his visit to the U.S., Trend reports.

Meanwhile, it is reported that during meetings with Michael Cloud, Vice Chairman of the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy, and Dan Newhouse, a Republican member of the Subcommittee on Energy, water resources, and related institutions of the House of Representatives, the prospects for developing the existing successful energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US at a new stage were discussed. Current projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and the Southern Gas Corridor, which contribute to regional energy supply, were reviewed. In particular, the decisive role of U.S. President Donald Trump in the implementation of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline was noted. It was emphasized that, against the backdrop of the current U.S. presidential policy aimed at restoring peace in the region, Trump's Roadmap for International Peace and Prosperity and the Memorandum of Understanding on the preparation of the Charter of Strategic Partnership open up new opportunities for our energy partnership. Regional energy ties are important components of the strategic partnership, and in this regard, the importance of projects that will ensure electricity flows between Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Central Asia, and Europe was discussed. The importance of strengthening dialogue and cooperation in the energy sector with the US administration in the context of new realities and opportunities was noted.

At a meeting with US Chamber of Commerce Vice President Jennifer Miel and leading energy companies that are members of the Chamber, the expansion of energy ties was also discussed. It was noted that President Ilham Aliyev's vision is to maintain and strengthen Azerbaijan's active role in the international energy market, not only in the field of hydrocarbons, but also in the areas of electricity, renewable energy, and hydrogen. Our friendly and close relations with the United States create great opportunities for expanding partnership in these areas. The Chamber of Commerce highly appreciated Azerbaijan's contribution to the global energy agenda and its efforts in the field of green energy and expressed its intention to further develop cooperation with our country. To this end, it was noted that a delegation from the Chamber will visit Azerbaijan in February next year, and one of the main priorities will be energy cooperation.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 12. Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan, Taalaibek Ibraev, and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkiye, Alparslan Bayraktar, held a bilateral meeting in Istanbul, where they discussed expanding cooperation and implementing major energy projects, Trend reports via the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan.

The meeting covered key areas of partnership, including Kyrgyzstan's participation in the "Central AsiaAzerbaijan Green Energy Corridor" initiative, which is being implemented by the member states of the Organization of Turkic States.

The parties discussed plans to establish a regional center for technologies and green initiatives in Kyrgyzstan, as well as advancing the Suusamyr-Kokomeren HPP and Kazarman HPP cascades projects with a combined capacity of 1,305 MW and a potential annual output of 3.317 billion kWh.

Ibraev highlighted Kyrgyzstan's significant potential in renewable energy sources, including hydroelectric power, solar, wind, and biomass resources. He also emphasized the quality of Kyrgyz coal, suggesting that Turkiye consider collaboration opportunities in the coal industry.

Bayraktar, in turn, expressed interest in exploring this direction, noting that he was previously unaware of the high quality of Kyrgyz coal reserves. He stated that Turkiye is ready to explore cooperation prospects, provided there is competitive logistics and economic efficiency.

Earlier, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov held talks with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Ashgabat, focusing on energy cooperation, transport connectivity, and the further strengthening of bilateral ties, Trend reports via the press service of the Kyrgyz President. The meeting took place on the sidelines of events marking the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistans permanent neutrality.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Police officers participate in a joint exercise launched by Ghanaian security services in Accra, Ghana, Dec. 11, 2025. Ghanaian security services launched a joint exercise on Thursday to showcase their preparedness to maintain peace and security in the country.

The "Show of Force" operation, involving the military, police, immigration, fire service, prisons, and the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, deployed personnel, combat gear and hardware along major routes from the city of Accra to communities outside the capital to boost inter-agency cooperation and reinforce the country's security posture. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

ACCRA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian security services launched a joint exercise on Thursday to showcase their preparedness to maintain peace and security in the country.

The "Show of Force" operation, involving the military, police, immigration, fire service, prisons, and the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, deployed personnel, combat gear and hardware along major routes from the city of Accra to communities outside the capital to boost inter-agency cooperation and reinforce the country's security posture.

Victor Mwinye, director of special operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, said that the exercise showcased the capacity of the forces and their ability to cooperate in maintaining peace and security within the country.

Deputy Defense Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi said the drill was designed to reassure the public ahead of the festive season. 

Armored vehicles are pictured during a joint exercise launched by Ghanaian security services in Accra, Ghana, Dec. 11, 2025. Ghanaian security services launched a joint exercise on Thursday to showcase their preparedness to maintain peace and security in the country.

The "Show of Force" operation, involving the military, police, immigration, fire service, prisons, and the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, deployed personnel, combat gear and hardware along major routes from the city of Accra to communities outside the capital to boost inter-agency cooperation and reinforce the country's security posture. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

Soldiers participate in a joint exercise launched by Ghanaian security services in Accra, Ghana, Dec. 11, 2025. Ghanaian security services launched a joint exercise on Thursday to showcase their preparedness to maintain peace and security in the country.

The "Show of Force" operation, involving the military, police, immigration, fire service, prisons, and the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, deployed personnel, combat gear and hardware along major routes from the city of Accra to communities outside the capital to boost inter-agency cooperation and reinforce the country's security posture. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

Police vehicles are pictured during a joint exercise launched by Ghanaian security services in Accra, Ghana, Dec. 11, 2025. Ghanaian security services launched a joint exercise on Thursday to showcase their preparedness to maintain peace and security in the country.

The "Show of Force" operation, involving the military, police, immigration, fire service, prisons, and the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, deployed personnel, combat gear and hardware along major routes from the city of Accra to communities outside the capital to boost inter-agency cooperation and reinforce the country's security posture. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

An armored vehicle is pictured during a joint exercise launched by Ghanaian security services in Accra, Ghana, Dec. 11, 2025. Ghanaian security services launched a joint exercise on Thursday to showcase their preparedness to maintain peace and security in the country.

The "Show of Force" operation, involving the military, police, immigration, fire service, prisons, and the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, deployed personnel, combat gear and hardware along major routes from the city of Accra to communities outside the capital to boost inter-agency cooperation and reinforce the country's security posture. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. The Boards of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group have approved their 20262028 Operational Plan, maintaining a record-level financing of 100 billion next year, Trend reports via the EIB.

The plan includes 4.5 billion for security and defence financing, accounting for 5% of total EU-related funding.

Investment decisions for 2026 will be guided by the eight priorities outlined in the EIB Groups Strategic Roadmap, fully aligned with EU policy goals and focusing on green finance, technological innovation, security and defence, and support for Ukraine.

The planned financing will include 15.3 billion from the European Investment Fund (EIF), which leverages equity investments, guarantees, and securitisation instruments to strengthen European businesses.

The EIB Group also announced the expansion of its flagship European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI). The upgraded ETCI 2.0 will support both mega funds and mid-sized funds, providing technology companies across Europe with the capital needed to scale up and enhance competitiveness.

In new project financing, the EIB Boards approved 7.5 billion for EU social infrastructure, climate action, and global partnerships. This includes hospital upgrades and healthcare innovation in France, Germany, and Sweden, new schools in Finland, France, and Slovakia, sustainable agriculture projects in Lithuania and Poland, green and digital infrastructure in Spain, and water projects in Italy, Spain, and Sweden.

Beyond the EU, the financing will support business development in Ukraine and Europes Global Gateway strategy, including vaccine production in Colombia and South Africa, electricity-grid improvements in Ethiopia, water infrastructure upgrades in Gambia and the Solomon Islands, and climate change adaptation projects in Pakistan.

The EIB Group says the plan will strengthen Europes innovation, sustainability, and global impact while ensuring continued alignment with EU priorities.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 12. We hope for the speedy conclusion of a comprehensive peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the International Peace and Trust Forum in Ashgabat, Trend reports.

"In our view, the signing of a joint peace declaration by Azerbaijan and Armenia is of historic significance, opening up broad prospects for multifaceted cooperation in the region and beyond. We hope for the speedy conclusion of a comprehensive peace treaty that guarantees stability in the South Caucasus," Tokayev said.

The president also noted that Kazakhstan welcomes the intensification of negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict.

"We welcome the signing of a peace agreement on the situation in the Middle East. Kazakhstan's decision to join the Abraham Accords is motivated by a desire to make a meaningful contribution to stabilizing the situation in the region," the head of state emphasized.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 12. Kazakhstan advocates for reform of the United Nations (UN) system, including expanding the membership of the Security Council and strengthening the role of the General Assembly, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the International Peace and Trust Forum in Ashgabat, Trend reports.

"At the 80th session of the General Assembly, I proposed creating a group of like-minded individuals to develop concrete proposals for reforming the UN system. At the same time, it's crucial for all major powers to demonstrate political will and call on UN member states to engage in a large-scale dialogue, demonstrate strategic restraint, and be willing to reach difficult compromises, the president noted.

According to the head of state, Kazakhstan supports the initiative to establish a UN University of Peace and Neutrality.

A just and sustainable world order will only become a reality when narratives of inevitable global confrontation and even nuclear war are rejected, and militaristic rhetoric is replaced by a language of peace, trust, and cooperation, Tokayev added.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 12. Kazakhstan calls on the international community to support efforts to preserve the Caspian Sea, the country's President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said at the International Peace and Trust Forum in Ashgabat, Trend reports.

According to the head of state, at the current rate of shallowing, this dangerous process could become irreversible, which would inevitably cause a chain reaction of environmental, socio-economic, and even political consequences.

"Kazakhstan has taken the initiative to develop a special intergovernmental program aimed at preventing the destruction of the ecosystem and the shallowing of the Caspian Sea. We call on the entire international community to support our efforts to preserve this unique body of water. In general, in my opinion, water diplomacy requires close intergovernmental coordination. Existing international institutions tend to act in isolation, within narrow mandates, which is not commensurate with the scale of growing water problems," Tokayev noted.

The president also emphasized that there is no specialized structure within the UN system focused exclusively on water issues.

Therefore, Kazakhstan proposes to establish an international water organization that could consolidate all existing mandates of various UN organizations. The optimal option would be to transform the inter-agency mechanism UNWATER into a full-fledged specialized agency or UN organization, Tokayev said.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 12. Kazakhstan attaches due importance to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the International Peace and Trust Forum in Ashgabat, Trend reports.

According to the president, the Central Asia countries are actively expanding their transit and transport potential, which aims to strengthen the interconnectedness between East and West, North and South.

"Kazakhstan attaches due importance to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and is modernizing its rail, port, and road infrastructure to create a seamless transport system. We are actively participating in the elaboration of a comprehensive strategy for the development of the transport system in Central Asia for creating sustainable logistics routes," Tokayev noted.

The head of state emphasized that through joint efforts, the countries of the region can create a modern transport and logistics architecture for all of Eurasia.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 12. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze discussed the strengthening of transport and logistics cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the international forum in Ashgabat, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh president.

Tokayev emphasized that Georgia remains a reliable partner of Kazakhstan in the South Caucasus, highlighting the value of long-standing cooperation based on friendship and historical ties between the two nations. The sides reaffirmed the steady development of political dialogue, as well as economic and humanitarian relations.

During the talks, the parties reviewed a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation. In this context, Tokayev underscored the significant potential for expanding engagement with Georgia, specifically in the transport and logistics and trade and economic spheres.

He noted the importance of advancing joint projects aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and improving the efficiency of key transport corridors.

In October 2025, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan agreed to introduce a unified long-term tariff for transportation along the Middle Corridor. The parties also agreed on the joint modernization of port, railway, and logistics infrastructure, the elimination of bottlenecks, the expansion of digitalization, and the increase of the route's throughput capacity.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Moodys foresees stronger fiscal stability for Kazakhstan with new tax code

Moodys Ratings expects the new tax code in Kazakhstan, set to come into force on January 1, 2026, to reduce the countrys reliance on transfers from the National Fund and further strengthen fiscal sustainability.

Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register
China's Chongqing transforms into inland hub for NEV exports

Xinhua) 08:25, December 12, 2025

Export-bound new energy vehicles made in Chongqing are driven to a cargo train at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China, Nov. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

In recent years, as Chongqing accelerated its transformation into an inland hub for opening-up, a growing number of locally manufactured vehicles have found their way to overseas markets. The local automotive industry encompasses a wide range of power solutions such as battery electric, plug-in hybrid, extended-range, hydrogen fuel cell and battery-swapping technologies. Evolving industrial chain, product quality and supply mechanisms have all contributed to Chongqing's growing vehicle exports.

According to the Chongqing Customs, in the first ten months of 2025, the export value of Chongqing-manufactured vehicles increased 13.6 percent year on year, reaching 40.22 billion yuan (about 5.70 billion U.S. dollars), with the export value of electric vehicles growing 72.1 percent year on year to reach 11.65 billion yuan (about 1.65 billion U.S. dollars).

Staff members of the Chongqing Customs check export-bound new energy vehicles at a port in Chongqing, southwest China, Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo by Luo Zhiwen/Xinhua)

Workers keep record of an export-bound new energy vehicle made in Chongqing at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China, Nov. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

Staff members of the Chongqing Customs check export-bound vehicles at a dock in Chongqing, southwest China, June 27, 2025. (Photo by Luo Zhiwen/Xinhua)

Staff members of the Chongqing Customs examine photos of export-bound new energy vehicles in Chongqing, southwest China, Dec. 9, 2025. (Photo by Luo Zhiwen/Xinhua)

Export-bound new energy vehicles made in Chongqing are driven to a cargo train at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China, Nov. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

A drone photo taken on Nov. 29, 2025 shows export-bound new energy vehicles made in Chongqing waiting to be loaded onto a cargo train at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

A drone photo taken on Nov. 29, 2025 shows export-bound new energy vehicles waiting to be loaded onto a cargo train at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

A drone photo taken on Dec. 5, 2025 shows export-bound new energy vehicles being loaded onto a shipping vessel at a dock in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

An export-bound new energy vehicle made in Chongqing is parked on a cargo train at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China, Nov. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

Staff members of the Chongqing Customs examine photos of export-bound new energy vehicles in Chongqing, southwest China, Dec. 4, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

A drone photo taken on Dec. 5, 2025 shows export-bound new energy vehicles being loaded onto a shipping vessel at a dock in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

A drone photo taken on Nov. 29, 2025 shows export-bound new energy vehicles made in Chongqing being driven to a cargo train at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 29, 2025 shows a cargo train loaded with export-bound new energy vehicles made in Chongqing departing a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

Workers keep record of an export-bound new energy vehicle made in Chongqing at a commercial vehicle logistics base in Chongqing, southwest China, Nov. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and 17 others injured on Friday as a bus overturned on an intercity road in Iran's central Isfahan province, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The incident occurred while the bus was en route from Tehran, the capital of Iran, to Yasuj in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, when it veered off course and overturned, the report said.

Mansour Shishehforoush, director general of Isfahan's crisis management department, was quoted by state-run IRIB TV as saying that 12 rescue teams were immediately sent to the scene, and the injured were transferred to nearby medical centers.

Isfahan's traffic police said the driver's carelessness and failure to control the bus were the causes of the incident. 
By Nicole Lyons, December 11, 2025

Educational Studies major Tristan Satterlee will graduate with his bachelors degree during Fall 2025 Commencement.

Countdown to Commencement The University of Central Missouri offers a community of support, allowing students to redefine whats possible as they forge a path to their future. With help from faculty and staff, UCM students are empowered to be the heroes of their own stories and as we prepare for Fall 2025 Commencement, the News Bureau is shining a spotlight on some of those stories.

Educational Studies major Tristan Satterlee has found a way to combine his passion for education with his interest in legal studies, all while leaving a legacy at the University of Central Missouri (UCM).



The Osage Beach, Missouri, native serves as a crew chief for the B-2 aircraft at Whiteman Air Force Base. He chose UCM due to its proximity to the base, his interest in education and the positive endorsement from his parents, who were both teachers. As a member of the Air National Guard since 2020, Satterlee has worked with UCMs Military and Veterans Services as he navigated the process of attending college while serving in the military.



The Military and Veterans Success Center is an amazing group of people. One of my favorite parts of UCM, he said. They're so caring and they're always willing to help out as if it's their first time dealing with this question. I've always really appreciated that. It just made me feel at home.



Once in Warrensburg, he ultimately decided to pursue a degree that would prepare him for law school and added a minor in Legal Studies. A meeting with his advisor helped point him in the direction of education law.

I think education is one of the biggest parts of the human experience. Education, especially collegiate education, transforms people from the baseline to achieving the character that they're supposed to be. I always knew that I wanted to do something with that idea, Satterlee said. But I've always really been interested in legal concepts and our justice system and our legislative system, and so I was kind of thinking about how I wanted to combine those ideas.

Satterlee has certainly been busy at UCM. Hes a member of Delta Chi Fraternity, the Mock Trial team and the Pre-Law Student Association, worked in the UCM Testing Center, and has spent the last semester as an intern for Executive Director of Governmental Relations David Pearce. He also founded UCMs first law journal.

I love UCM, and I've also loved our Political Science staff, and I've loved the program in general. And I wanted to give something of myself to that program, kind of give it something that it didn't have whenever I first started, Satterlee said.

It really gives students who are interested in law school the chance to start training those research and writing skills for their future career path, he explained. It basically takes scholarly undergraduate work that you wouldn't really see in law reviews that belong to law schools, that we actually translate into an undergraduate fashion.

Satterlee worked with Garrett Pratt, assistant professor of Business Law, as he started the undergraduate law journal.



Throughout the process, I have been impressed at his thoughtfulness and determination in creating a healthy student organization that allows interested students a hands-on opportunity to engage in legal research and scholarship, Pratt said. On his own initiative, Tristan went to nearly all law-related courses on campus to recruit students for the journal. Combined with his approachable leadership style, UCMULJ is on course to publish its first edition in the spring. I'm grateful for how his efforts have helped strengthen our community of UCM students passionate about the law.



Many of Satterlees collegiate experiences included leadership positions, such as Delta Chi, where he served as president, philanthropy chair and new member development chair. He said that his fraternity experience was particularly special because it provided him not only with connections to school but also to his peers.



That sort of interpersonal connection, you just develop so much because you live with these people, you're wanting the best for them, and that guides your every move for the term that you're in office, Satterlee said. That kind of motivated me to start off my other leadership opportunities because I enjoyed that part so much.



Satterlee received support from many faculty and staff members. Presenting potential policies to lawmakers in Jefferson City as part of Pratt's Legislating Change course was a highlight, and Satterlee felt inspired by the dedication and care Pratt puts into his work. Lesi Smart, associate instructor of Elementary Education, was the first person Satterlee told about changing his career path, and shes been there every step of the way. Through his internship, Pearce gave him a comprehensive look into Missouri politics.

UCM has prepared me for my future opportunities by giving me the chance to be myself. I never felt, while I was here, that I was confined or on a leash. UCM isn't the biggest school, obviously, but there was never a lack of opportunity here. The fact that I was allowed to run free in a lot of my courses and my student activities and I don't think those opportunities are available to you anywhere else, and I am so thankful for what UCM has allowed me to achieve, not just that I achieved.



Satterlee plans to attend law school next year, with the ultimate goal of working in education policy or for an education union.
Japan has submitted an official application to participate in SAFE (Security Action for Europe), following earlier applications by Turkey and South Korea.

European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said at a briefing, Ukrinform reports.

According to Regnier, Turkey and South Korea had also expressed interest in starting bilateral negotiations on full association with SAFE, and that this also applied to Japan. He confirmed that this was the case.

He recalled that after the EU concluded a bilateral agreement with Canada on joining SAFE, the next step would be for the EU to consider the applications from South Korea and Turkey.

When asked about Japan's chances of concluding an accession agreement given its late application, he cautioned that it was too early to make predictions because the European Commission had received 19 national plans from EU member states and was currently assessing them.

He added that it was important to remember that in any case third countries, including Japan, were able to participate.

According to him, loan applications under the SAFE program, whose initial budget was EUR 150 billion, already exceeded that budget by roughly 25 percent  a total of nearly EUR 40 billion.

As Ukrinform reported, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius stated that EU member states had submitted applications for funding 691 defense projects, demonstrating significant interest in the SAFE secure lending program. Fifteen EU member states also included support for Ukraine in their applications.

Photo: Keizo Mori/UPI
Dogtor Booty-Ham sniffed out the treats tucked away in a wooden box.

The 1-year-old pit bull mix walked around the wooden container before biting a handle protruding from its side. Having no luck getting it open, he moved to a sliding door on top of the box. He pushed the door open with his snout, revealing the hidden treats. Within seconds, Dogtor devoured his findings.

The enrichment toy provided mental stimulation for Dogtor, who has been living at the Lowell Humane Society for the past month while waiting to be adopted. The toy is not one you could buy in stores; instead, it was made by students taking the course Introduction to Engineering Design.

Being able to come here and see the dog play with the toys is the best experience in the world, said Aaron Berube, a first-year industrial engineering major enrolled in the course.

As a final project for Introduction to Engineering Design, Assistant Professor Jasmina Burek and Assistant Teaching Professor Carter Keough in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering tasked their 90 students with making enrichment toys for animals at nearby shelters and rescues, including the Lowell Humane Society, Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford and the Guinea Pig Sanctuary in Salisbury.

We were really excited when UMass Lowell reached out to us for this partnership, says Crystal Arnott, executive director of the Lowell Humane Society. Its really important to have these types of enrichment tools at the shelter, because the animals are very intelligent and clever, and when left in a kennel or cage for almost 24 hours a day  they get a few short walks, but its not like being in a home  its really important for them to have ways to work their brain.

Split into groups, the students had to find ways to engage the instinctual behaviors of their assigned animals: foraging and sniffing for dogs, chewing and hiding for rabbits, and gnawing and building for beavers.

Image by Brooke Coupal Mechanical engineering students Jeremia Rosario, James Ducie, Alejandro Sanchez and Tibor Ivanyi show off their guinea pig toy at the Lawrence Lin MakerSpace.

The students used SolidWorks, a computer-aided design software package, to design their toys, which had to be durable, reusable and made with sustainable materials such as wood and cardboard. In the Lawrence Lin MakerSpace, they used laser cutting machines and 3D printers to construct their inventions.

We know that our project is going toward a good cause, which gives us a greater purpose behind wanting to put in our best work and design something effective, says Tibor Ivanyi, a first-year mechanical engineering student, whose guinea pig toy encouraged the instinctual behaviors of foraging for food and hiding.

Keough and Burek saw the value in creating a final project that tested their students' engineering design skills while also making a positive impact in the community.

As engineers, we are problem-solvers, Keough says. We are here to better the world in one way or another, and this is a great opportunity to show that to the younger generation of engineers.

Overall, the students made 11 toys for the Lowell Humane Society, seven for the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue and two for the guinea pig sanctuary. Some of those toys are already being put to good use, as seen with Dogtor Booty-Ham.

I was absolutely happy to contribute to my community, Berube says. Thats a very important thing that UMass Lowell teaches their students.
Despite the United States not having an official presence at the annual United Nations climate summit, UMass Lowell showed up in full force.

For the fifth year in a row, UMass Lowell sent students and professors to the Conference of the Parties (COP), where nearly 200 countries come together yearly to discuss climate action strategies and negotiate the next steps toward mitigating climate change. This years two-week conference, which took place in Belem, Brazil, marked the first time since the inaugural COP in 1995 that the U.S. federal government declined to send an official delegation. The representation from the U.S. remained strong, however, with state and local governments, nonprofits and higher education institutions in attendance.

The UMass Lowell delegation, consisting of four students and two professors, was the only delegation from a Massachusetts public university to attend COP30. The students received funding for the trip from the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy.

The students and professors reflected on their experiences and shared their biggest takeaways from COP30:

Cate Kleeman 25, a business analytics masters student

Image by Courtesy COP30 reinforced the importance of collaboration for Cate Kleeman.

Each day was packed with meetings, plenaries, side events and more, but my favorite sessions were the Youth Mutirao Forum, the Just Transition plenary and a meeting with former U.S. negotiators. All three of these events emphasized the importance of collective action, especially across generations and sectors, and I felt that collective action in the room with me.

Surrounded by people from all over the world, it was surprisingly easy to build a genuine community. Despite the U.S. not participating in formal negotiations this year, I was happy to meet so many fellow Americans also deeply engaged in climate work. At COP30, people from all walks of life were united by a shared commitment to climate justice. Even if we disagree on how to get there, it truly felt like we were all on the same team. I left Belem inspired by the Mutirao, a Brazilian term that refers to a collective work effort where a community comes together to achieve a shared goal. This is my biggest takeaway from COP30  the global Mutirao against climate change.

Andrew Fenner, a climate change and sustainability senior

Image by Courtesy Andrew Fenner found COP30 "life-changing."

My experience at COP30 was genuinely life-changing. This was my first time traveling outside the U.S., and the culture of the Brazilian city of Belem was incredible. The people were so welcoming, respectful and kind. They also had such a deep connection with the land, rivers and forests  one that I feel has been lost here in the U.S.

Being at COP30 and having the opportunity to speak with and connect with people from across the globe really put things into perspective. It doesnt matter where youre from, your age, your gender or your discipline  climate change will affect all of us, and it will take all of us working together to change the trajectory were on.

Although the official negotiations had serious shortcomings  most notably the failure to produce a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels  there was still so much that was positive. The amount of knowledge being shared throughout those halls was incredibly gratifying to witness. I would highly recommend that anyone apply to be part of UMass Lowells future COP delegation.

Angel Molekunnel 25, a finance masters student

Image by Courtesy Angel Molekunnel focused on global finance targets at COP30.

My biggest takeaway was seeing how abstract global finance targets actually translate to human livelihoods. Walking through the Green Zone (a space for exhibitions and open dialogue) and seeing Indigenous entrepreneurs selling sustainable goods brought the concept of the bioeconomy to life. It was powerful to connect that local reality with the high-level negotiations in the Blue Zone (where official negotiations happen), specifically the launch of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF).

Learning that the TFFF aims to direct 20% of its funding directly to Indigenous peoples made the COP climate financial plan, Baku to Belem Roadmap, feel much more personal. It showed me that the push to mobilize $1.3 trillion isn't just about balancing budgets, its about ensuring a just transition for the people I saw in the Green Zone. It made me realize that true climate success lies in building the financial plumbing that allows these forest-based small businesses to thrive.

Colin Ormond, a political science senior

Image by Courtesy Colin Ormond, left, saw the importance of implementing policies to fight climate change.

My biggest takeaway from COP30 was seeing how essential it is for countries to translate international climate commitments into real action at home. I understood this before attending, but COP30 made it unmistakably clear. Nations showcase ambitious ideas, research and investment at their pavilions, yet the true test is whether those goals become concrete policies at the federal and state levels.

This message particularly resonated with me due to my work as a Clean Energy and Environment Legacy Transition (CELT) Fellow with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). At EEA, I see firsthand how state-level decisions on issues like clean energy transition, natural gas reduction and climate-ready infrastructure directly shape our ability to meet broader climate targets. Attending COP30 reinforced that this state/regional-level work is not just complementary to federal action, but essential to global progress.

Overall, COP30 highlighted the gap that often exists between ambition and implementation, and it strengthened my commitment to working in spaces where those decisions are actually carried out. It was inspiring to see what's possible and motivating to return home and help advance the policies needed to get us there.

Image by Courtesy Assistant Professors Joy Winbourne and Jasmina Burek are bringing what they learned at COP30 back to UMass Lowell's campus.

Attending COP30 felt full circle. As part of my research, Ive compiled a national greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions inventory, which is used to track progress toward limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In Belem, I followed research and systematic observation negotiations that make GHG emissions inventories more accurate by improving input data and emission factors. I firmly believe that keeping observation stations, such as GHG emissions monitors, funded in both developed and developing countries strengthens GHG emissions inventories, improves decisions and leaves less room for climate misinformation to spread. Together, these measurements independently check the numbers countries report.

At the same time, global action remains too slow. A decade after COP 21 in Paris, emissions and fossil use havent fallen fast enough. At COP30, I presented my work on local climate action through universities handprints, defined as a measurable positive impact a university helps create beyond its campus through its teaching, research and partnerships. Universities should adopt the handprint as a standard, evidence-based practice and scale it project by project and campus by campus, so that local results add up to global progress.

Attending COP30 reinforced my commitment to working toward local to global action for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The climate crisis is here, and we have to work toward adapting to the most harmful impacts. If we want to avoid even worse impacts, we need to stop emitting GHG from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

Leaving COP30 felt bittersweet because the needle did not move on global negotiations. Action toward reducing emissions did not occur, nor did a roadmap to phasing out fossil fuels. However, as demonstrated by the energy in the pavilions and side events, this is not stopping a significant number of groups, countries and governments from taking action now to reach these goals. Sharing stories on approaches, what case studies have been successful, and how we can bring those home to Lowell was a huge takeaway of COP30.
Dr Ambedkars Critique of Islam and Muslims: A Scholarly Analysis

This paper undertakes a critical re-evaluation of Dr. B.R. Ambedkars seminal critique of Indian Muslims as articulated in his 1940 treatise, Pakistan or the Partition of India

This paper undertakes a critical re-evaluation of Dr. B.R. Ambedkars seminal critique of Indian Muslims as articulated in his 1940 treatise, Pakistan or the Partition of India.

While Ambedkar is rightfully celebrated as the architect of the Indian Constitution and the crusader against caste Hinduism, his scathing assessment of Islamic sociology and history remains a point of contention, often misappropriated by majoritarian political forces.

This study argues that while Ambedkars sociological indictment regarding caste stratification and resistance to reform within the Muslim community was  and remains, empirically accurate, his theological and historical conclusions require revision.

By deploying a tri-fold methodology - utilizing Quranic exegesis to counter charges of theological insularity, subaltern historiography (specifically the work of K.N. Panikkar) to re-examine the Malabar Rebellion, and the sociological lens of Anand Teltumbde to address the Pasmanda question, this paper establishes a framework for a reading Ambedkar in fresh light. It posits that a synthesis of Ambedkars Prabuddha ethos and the Quranic concept of Adl (Justice) offers the only viable pathway against the calamity of majoritarian hegemony.

The Ethical Cosmos of B.R. Ambedkar

The philosophical architecture of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar cannot be reduced to a mere legalistic framework or a political strategy for the upliftment of the Untouchables. It is, fundamentally, a profound ethical system rooted in the triumvirate of liberty, equality, and fraternity. While contemporary political discourse often traces these ideals to the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, Ambedkar explicitly disavowed this Western genealogy. In a move that was both radical and restorative, he rooted his philosophy in the indigenous spiritual soil of India  specifically, the Dhamma of the Buddha. As he asserted:

My philosophy has roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them from the teachings of my Master, the Buddha (Ahir, p.158).

For Ambedkar, the distinction between the secular and the spiritual was not one of antagonism but of function. He posited that religion  in the sense of spirituality, is essential for the progress of mankind (Ambedkar, Philosophy of Hinduism, p.22).

In his view, religion serves as the moral foundation of a societys collective conscience, acting as the arbiter of social ethics. Consequently, the validity of any religious system is contingent upon its utility to human welfare. Ambedkar established a rigorous metric for this evaluation: any theology that fails to uphold equality, justice, fraternity, and human dignity is rendered morally obsolete and socially hypocritical.

It was through this uncompromising ethical lens that Ambedkar deconstructed the graded inequality of caste Hinduism and the exclusionary ideology of Hindutva. He dismantled the Manusmriti not out of malice, but out of a desire for a society based on reason. However, his intellectual rigor was impartial; he applied the same diagnostic scalpel to the Muslim community. In his seminal 1940 treatise, Pakistan or the Partition of India, Ambedkar offered a scathing critique of Indian Muslims, identifying sociological stagnation, political insularity, and a resistance to reform as significant barriers to national integration.

This volume seeks to revisit Ambedkars critique not to dismiss it, nor to apologize for the failures of the Muslim community, but to engage with it dialectically. The thesis proposed herein is that while Ambedkars criticisms were largely accurate regarding the sociological reality of Indian Muslims in the 1940s  and indeed, remain relevant to the internal reform needed today, these realities represent a deviation from the theological core of Islam.

Furthermore, regarding his historical critique of the Malabar Rebellion, this work argues that Ambedkar relied on colonial and elite-nationalist archives that obscured the subaltern, anti-imperial nature of the uprising. By synthesizing the sociological insights of Anand Teltumbde, the historiography of K.N. Panikkar, and a direct exegesis of the Quran, this work aims to lay the foundation for a Civilizational Alliance between Ambedkarites and Muslims, grounded in shared values of justice (Adl) and fraternity (Maitri).

Deconstructing the Six Critiques

To engage with Ambedkars assessment, one must first understand the gravity of his charges. In Pakistan or the Partition of India, Ambedkar articulated six major criticisms that painted a picture of a community retreating into a closed corporation. These were not the casual observations of a bystander but the frustrations of a statesman seeking a unified, democratic ethic.

1. Insular Brotherhood

Ambedkar argued that the Islamic concept of brotherhood is not universal but strictly confined to the Ummah (community of believers). He famously wrote:

The brotherhood of Islam is not the universal brotherhood of man. It is brotherhood of Muslims for Muslims only For those who are outside the corporation, there is nothing but contempt and enmity (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.340).

This critique strikes at the heart of democratic living, suggesting that Muslims are theoretically incapable of viewing a non-Muslim as a civic equal.

2. Exclusivism

He contended that Muslims claim exclusive access to spiritual truth, which inherently creates a barrier to a pluralistic democratic life. If salvation is the monopoly of one group, equality becomes a theological impossibility.

For Ambedkar, a claim to finality of truth was the enemy of reason and social osmosis.

3. Resistance to Reform

Ambedkar observed a profound stagnation within the community, noting that Indian Muslim leadership displayed a complete absence of the desire for change and a hostility toward social reform that was more rigid than that of conservative Hindus (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.253).

He lamented that while Turkey under Ataturk was modernizing, Indian Islam remained frozen in feudalism.

4. Social Stratification (Caste)

Despite the theoretical egalitarianism of Islam, Ambedkar highlighted the presence of a caste-like hierarchy among Indian Muslimsspecifically the divide between the Ashraf (foreign descent/upper caste) and the Ajlaf (indigenous converts), along with the Arzal (degraded castes). He noted:

The Muslims have all the social evils of the Hindus and something more (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.230).

5. Subjugation of Women

He offered a stinging critique of the treatment of Muslim women, particularly the practice of purdah (seclusion) and the burqa.

He argued that these practices caused physical degeneration and spiritual atrophy, rendering women second-class citizens and preventing the socialization of the younger generation (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.230-233).

6. The Malabar Rebellion (1921)

Finally, Ambedkar characterized the Mappila Rebellion as a communal outburst of Muslim fanaticism primarily targeting Hindus, describing it as a Jehad rather than a nationalist uprising (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.163).

These critiques form the bedrock of the Ambedkarite scepticism toward Muslims often exploited by right-wing forces today.

However, a scholarly re-evaluation reveals that these points act as a mirror: Reflecting the practice of Muslims while often obscuring the principles of the Quran.

Universalism vs. Insular Brotherhood

The gap between Ambedkars sociological observation and Islamic theology is most visible in the concepts of brotherhood and pluralism. While Ambedkar correctly identified the insular behaviour of the Muslim community of his time  a community circling the wagons in the face of political uncertainty, he did not engage with the Quranic text, which stands in direct opposition to such insularity.

Ambedkars charge of Insular Brotherhood suggests that Islam is inherently tribal. Sociologically, this is often true; practices like Zakat (charity) are frequently distributed only within the community by conservative clergy. However, this is a violation of the Quranic mandate.

Quran frames the Muslim community not as a tribe, but as an ethical vanguard for humanity. Quran declares:

You are the best community raised for humankind (li-n-nas)  you enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in God (Quran 3:110).

The preposition li-n-nas (for the people or for humankind) is pivotal. It implies that the raison detre of the Muslim requires service to humanity at large, not merely self-preservation. The best community is defined by its utility to the world, not its domination over it.

Furthermore, the Quranic concept of charity is boundless. When listing the beneficiaries of Zakat in the Quran, the text includes the poor, the needy, the indebted, the traveller (Q.9:60). It does not qualify these categories with faith. Similarly, the Quran explicitly commands charity to parents, relatives, orphans, and the needy regardless of their creed (Q.2:215).

The existential journey proposed by the Quran is the transition from tribalism to universalism. It acknowledges diversity as a divine design:

O humankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another (li-taarafu). Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most righteous (Q.49:13).

Here, the other is not an enemy to be conquered but a variation to be understood. The criterion for nobility is Taqwa (God-consciousness/righteousness), not membership in the corporation of Islam. Thus, the Insular Brotherhood Ambedkar criticized is a sociological corruption, not a theological tenet.

The Divine Will in Diversity

Ambedkars second critique  that Muslims claim exclusive truth, is contradicted by the Qurans affirmation of religious pluralism. Quran does not envision a monolithic world; rather, it validates the existence of multiple paths to the Divine.

Quran asserts:

For each community We have appointed a law and a path. If God had willed, He could have made you one community So compete in doing good (Quran 5:48).

This verse fundamentally alters the nature of inter-religious interaction from one of conquest to one of competitive righteousness. The divine will explicitly prevent a theological monopoly.

Moreover, Quran explicitly extends salvation beyond the borders of Islam:

Indeed, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians and Sabianswhoever believes in God and the Last Day and does righteousnesswill have their reward with their Lord (Q.2:62).

This theological pluralism aligns with Ambedkars own desire for a society based on reason and mutual respect. The exclusivism practiced by the clergy is a historical construct, often born of political empire, which obscures the Quranic vision of a spiritual democracy.

Caste, Gender, and the Reformist Deficit

Having established the theological baseline, we must address the internal critiquesResistance to Reform, Social Stratification, and the Status of Women. Here, Ambedkars analysis is analytically precise and remains a necessary mirror for the Indian Muslim community.

Ambedkar was right:

If slavery has gone, caste among Musalmans has remained (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.230).

The Ashraf-Ajlaf divide is a caste system in all but name, replicating the Brahmanical hierarchy of purity and pollution. Anand Teltumbde notes that the Ashraf elite have historically used the myth of the monolithic Muslim community to secure their own interests while marginalizing the indigenous Pasmanda (Dalit/Backward) Muslims (Teltumbde, p.62).

This stratification is a direct assault on the Prophets Last Sermon, which proclaimed, An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a white over a black except by piety. The persistence of caste among Muslims is the point of greatest convergence for a Dalit-Muslim alliance. It requires the Muslim community to admit that while their theology is egalitarian, their sociology is Brahmanical. The denial of this reality by Muslim leadership validates Ambedkars accusation of hypocrisy.

Ambedkar measured progress by the status of women. His critique of purdah was a critique of the seclusion that denies women agency. While patriarchal interpretations have dominated Islamic jurisprudence, the Quranic text offers a liberatory framework. It establishes men and women as Awliya (protectors/friends) of one another (Q.9:71) and celebrates the political sovereignty of the Queen of Sheba (Bilqis), who rules a democratic court (Q.27:22-44). The reformist agenda today must be to reclaim this Quranic feminism against the patriarchal cultural accretions Ambedkar rightly condemned.

The Malabar Rebellion  Myth, Memory, and Colonial Archives

Of Dr. Ambedkars six criticisms against the Muslim community, none is as historically fraught or politically weaponized as his assessment of the Malabar Rebellion (also known as the Mappila Rebellion ) of 1921.

In Pakistan or the Partition of India, Ambedkar offered a harrowing characterization of the uprising, describing it not as a nationalist struggle but as a communal eruption. He wrote:

The blood-curdling atrocities committed by the Moplas in Malabar against the Hindus were indescribable It was not a Hindu-Moslem riot. It was a Jehad (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.163).

Ambedkars interpretation has since been canonized by the Hindu Right to argue that Muslim political mobilization is inherently anti-national and genocidal. However, a rigorous, progressive, and secular historiography demands that we excavate the socio-economic and anti-imperial foundations of this event.

To accept Ambedkars judgment on this specific point without scrutiny is to ignore the epistemic limitations of the sources available to him in the 1940s  primarily colonial administrative records and elite nationalist accounts, and to overlook the subaltern reality of the Mappila peasantry .

To understand the violence of 1921, one must first understand the structural violence of the preceding century. The rebellion did not occur in a vacuum of religious fanaticism; it erupted from the pressure cooker of colonial agrarian extraction.

K.N. Panikkar, in his magisterial work Against Lord and State, demonstrates that the conflict was fundamentally rooted in the land tenure system of Malabar. The British colonial administration, seeking stable revenue, had solidified the absolute property rights of the Janmis (landlords), who were predominantly Nambudiri Brahmins and Nair elites. In contrast, the Verumpattamdars (tenants-at-will) and agricultural labourers were overwhelmingly Mappila Muslims and lower-caste Hindus (Thiyyas and Cherumars) (Panikkar, p.75-80).

Under British law, the Janmis were granted the power of arbitrary eviction (melcharth) and rack-renting. The Mappila peasantry faced a dual oppression: the economic exploitation by the feudal Janmi and the political coercion of the British police state. Panikkar argues:

The Mappila peasantry was caught in the web of the landlords oppression and the states coercion The religious ideology provided the necessary solidarity for the peasantry to organize against their exploiters (Panikkar, p.105).

Thus, when the rebellion broke out, the targets were not Hindus qua Hindus, but the symbols of feudal and colonial authoritythe Janmi manor houses (illams), land records, and police stations. The violence was vertical (class-based), attacking the hierarchy of power, before it became horizontal (communal).

Why did Ambedkar view this class struggle as a Jehad?

The answer lies in the success of the colonial narrative. The British administration had a vested interest in framing the rebellion as Muslim fanaticism for two strategic reasons. First, it delegitimized the genuine grievances of the peasantry, absolving the colonial state of its role in creating the famine-like conditions. Second, and more crucially, it served to fracture the burgeoning Hindu-Muslim unity that had been forged during the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements (Teltumbde, p.115).

Anand Teltumbde notes that Ambedkar, writing his critique two decades after the event, relied on the official narrative which highlighted Mappila brutality while erasing British state terror (Teltumbde, p.25). The colonial state committed atrocities of a genocidal scale: over 2,337 Mappilas were killed, 1,652 wounded, and 45,404 imprisoned (Panikkar, p.208). The infamous Wagon Tragedy of November 1921, where 67 Mappila prisoners were suffocated to death in a sealed railway goods wagon, remains a stark testament to British brutalitya detail often absents from the fanaticism discourse. By focusing solely on the Mappila violence, the colonial archiveand by extension, Ambedkars critiquerendered the states violence invisible.

Scholars must approach Ambedkars critique of the Malabar Rebellion with what might be termed critical empathy. Ambedkar was not wrong about the fact of violence against Hindus; he was arguably mistaken about its nature. He correctly identified the trauma inflicted upon the region, but his analysis lacked the materialist framework to see the agrarian engine driving the religious vehicle.

Today, revisiting this critique requires us to reject the binary of Nationalist Hero vs. Communal Fanatic. The Mappila rebel was an anti-imperialist combatant driven by hunger and dignity, whose resistance was inevitably colored by the religious language available to him. To dismiss the entire rebellion as a Jehad, as Ambedkar did, is to inadvertently validate the colonial logic he otherwise spent his life dismantling.

The Politics of Misappropriation and Selective Amnesia

In the contemporary socio-political landscape of India, Dr. Ambedkars critique of Muslims has been excavated from its 1940s context and weaponized to serve a majoritarian agenda. Political forces antithetical to Ambedkars broader philosophy of equality frequently cite Pakistan or the Partition of India to justify the marginalization of Muslims, arguing that Ambedkar viewed the community as fundamentally anti-national.

This misappropriation relies on a deliberate selective amnesia. It amplifies Ambedkars critique of the Malabar Rebellion and Muslim insularity while silencing his far more extensive and systemic critique of Hinduisms graded inequality. As Anand Teltumbde incisively argues, the project to saffronize Ambedkar requires stripping him of his radical anti-caste core and reducing him to a mere critic of Islamic separatism (Teltumbde, p.14).

It is crucial to distinguish between Ambedkars intent and the current usage of his text. Ambedkars critique was a constructive warning issued to a community he believed was retreating into feudal stagnation. He wanted the Muslim community to reform itself so it could be a robust partner in the democratic project. He did not write his critique to provide a warrant for the persecution of Muslims in a Hindu Rashtra.

On the contrary, Ambedkar explicitly identified the establishment of a Hindu Raj as the ultimate peril. His famous declaration remains the definitive rebuttal to those who appropriate him:

If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the greatest calamity for this country It is a menace to liberty, equality and fraternity. On that account it is incompatible with democracy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost (Ambedkar, Pakistan, p.358).

Therefore, any political reading that uses Ambedkar to justify Muslim exclusion while simultaneously advancing the cause of Hindu Raj acts in direct violation of Ambedkars stated political will.

The defence against this misappropriation lies in the Constitution itself. Ambedkars Constitution is a document of Constitutional Moralitya secular, pluralistic covenant. Interestingly, this resonates with the Islamic concept of Mithaq (Covenant), specifically the Constitution of Medina drafted by the Prophet Muhammad. That document established a political community (Ummah) comprised of Muslims, Jews, and Pagans, all granted equal rights and mutual defense obligations.

A re-evaluation of Ambedkars legacy suggests that the Indian Constitution is the modern Mithaq for Indian Muslims. Adhering to it is not merely a civic duty but, from a Quranic perspective, a religious obligation to honour ones contracts (Uqud) (Quran 5:1). Thus, the anti-national charge Ambedkar feared is nullified when Muslims reclaim the Constitution as their sacred covenant of citizenship.

The Pasmanda Bridge and the Civilizational Alliance

How do we move from critique to construction? The re-evaluation of Ambedkars criticisms provides the blueprint for a Civilizational Alliance between the Dalits (Ambedkarites) and the Muslims. This alliance cannot be a superficial electoral pact; it must be a deep social transformation.

The most formidable barrier to this alliance has been the caste denialism of the Ashraf Muslim elite. Ambedkars critique of caste among Muslims was accurate and remains urgent. The rise of the Pasmanda Muslim Movement (representing the Dalit and Backward Caste Muslims) vindicates Ambedkars sociology.

For a genuine alliance, the hegemony of the Ashraf leadership  which often prioritizes emotional issues (like the preservation of conservative personal laws) over material issues (education, jobs, security), must be challenged. The Pasmanda movement offers a bridge: it shares the Dalit experience of caste oppression and the Muslim experience of religious marginalization.

An Ambedkarite-Muslim alliance must be led by the subalterns of both communities. As Teltumbde notes:

The Dalit-Muslim unity is not a unity of religion, but a unity of the proletariat (Teltumbde, p.145).

The Muslim community must institutionally acknowledge the existence of caste and apply the Quranic egalitarianism (Quran 49:13) to dismantle it, thereby fulfilling Ambedkars demand for reform.

At a philosophical level, the alliance finds ground in the convergence of Maitri (Buddhist Loving-Kindness) and Rahma (Islamic Mercy).

Ambedkars Maitri: For Ambedkar, fraternity was not just a political concept but a spiritual oneMaitriwhich extends benevolence to all beings.

For Ambedkar, fraternity was not just a political concept but a spiritual oneMaitriwhich extends benevolence to all beings. Quranic Rahma: The Quran describes the Prophet as Rahmatan li-l-Alamin (A Mercy to the Worlds) (Q.21:107).

Both traditions reject the survival of the fittest (the logic of caste/capitalism) in favor of the survival of the weakest (the logic of care/social justice). This ethical convergence allows for a shared language of resistance against hate.

The Mirror and the Lamp

This study has traversed the landscape of Dr. B.R. Ambedkars critique of Muslims, subjecting it to the twin lights of Quranic theology and post-colonial historiography.

On Insularity and Exclusivism: We found that while Ambedkar correctly diagnosed the sociological isolation of the Indian Muslim community, his critique does not apply to the theological core of Islam, which is radically universalist (Quran 3:110) and pluralist (Quran 5:48). On Social Evils (Caste/Gender): We validated Ambedkars critique of caste (Ashraf-Ajlaf) and gender injustice as irrefutable sociological realities. These are internal betrayals of the Quranic ethos that the community must urgently reform. On the Malabar Rebellion: We revised Ambedkars judgment using the archival work of K.N. Panikkar, concluding that Ambedkar relied on colonial narratives that erased the anti-imperial and agrarian nature of the uprising, mischaracterizing a class war as a pure Jehad.

Dr. Ambedkar acts as a Critical Friend to the Muslim community. His harsh words were a mirror held up to a stagnating society. Instead of breaking the mirror, the Muslim community must use it to clean its face.

The Re-Evaluation proposed in this work is not a rejection of Ambedkar, but an expansion of his vision. It calls for an Indian Islam that is Prabuddha (Enlightened)  free from caste, gender-just, and deeply integrated into the democratic fabric. Simultaneously, it calls for an Ambedkarite movement that recognizes the Muslim not as the Other, but as a co-sufferer and a co-traveler in the long march toward the City of Virtue (Prabuddha Bharat).

In the final analysis, the destiny of the Dalit and the Muslim in India is indivisible. They swim or sink together. By synthesizing the constitutional morality of Ambedkar with the universal justice of Quran, we can forge a republic that is truly inclusive, humanistic, and liberatory.

Bibliography

Ahir, D. C. The Legacy of Dr. Ambedkar. New Delhi: B. R. Publishing, 1990.

Ambedkar, B. R. The Buddha and His Dhamma. Mumbai: Siddharth College Publication, 1957.

Ambedkar, B. R. The Philosophy of Hinduism. New Delhi: Critical Quest, 2010.

Ambedkar, B. R. Pakistan or the Partition of India. 2nd ed. Mumbai: Thacker and Company, 1946.

Ambedkar, B. R. Annihilation of Caste. New Delhi: Navayana, 2014.

The Quran. Translated by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Panikkar, K. N. Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprisings in Malabar, 18361921. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Teltumbde, Anand. Ambedkar on Muslims: Myths and Facts. Hyderabad: Vow Foundation, 2003.

Teltumbde. Republic of Caste: Thinking Equality in the Time of Neoliberal Hindutva. New Delhi: Navayana, 2018.

[V.A. Mohamad Ashrof is an independent Indian scholar specializing in Islamic humanism. With a deep commitment to advancing Quranic hermeneutics that prioritize human well-being, peace, and progress, his work aims to foster a just society, encourage critical thinking, and promote inclusive discourse and peaceful coexistence. He is dedicated to creating pathways for meaningful social change and intellectual growth through his scholarship. He can be reached at vamashrof@gmail.com.]

Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.

Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
YAOUNDE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- About eight passengers on a bus were kidnapped by suspected separatist fighters in Cameroon's Northwest Region, where an armed separatist conflict is ongoing, security sources said Thursday night.

The bus left the regional capital Bamenda on Thursday and was heading to the town of Kumbo when it was intercepted by gunmen.

"The separatist terrorists kidnapped the passengers when the bus was crossing the locality of Bamessing. They took them into the bush and started demanding a huge ransom. We only learned about the abduction late Thursday," a security source in the region told Xinhua.

Movement along the highway has been halted, and a search operation for the hostages has been launched, according to local authorities.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions where separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017 seeking to establish a new nation. 
KATHMANDU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Nepali President Ram Chandra Poudel on Friday administered the oath of office to four ministers of Sushila Karki's interim government during a televised ceremony at the President's Office.

Kumar Ingnam, a law professor, was appointed minister of land management, cooperatives and poverty alleviation, while former senior police officer Rajendra Singh Bhandari was assigned the portfolio of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security.

Likewise, Madhav Prasad Chaulagain, a writer, is the new minister for forest and environment, and Shraddha Shrestha, an official at the Nepal Tourism Board, is the minister for women, children, and senior citizens.

This is the fourth expansion of the cabinet since Karki was appointed prime minister on Sept. 12, bringing her cabinet size to 14. 
The University of Wyoming Leadership Academy completed its second year with a cohort of 19 undergraduate students. The semester-long program ended with a series of final presentations that highlighted innovative ideas, industry collaboration and the growing impact of this statewide leadership initiative.

The UW Leadership Academy is a collaborative effort between the College of Business and Leadership Wyoming. This immersive, co-curricular program is designed to prepare high-achieving students to become Wyomings future leaders. Through industry exploration, engagement with civic and business leaders, and a focus on systems leadership, the academy equips participants to advance economic development through innovation and collaboration. This years program expanded its curriculum from three industries to five, engaging students in education, tourism, outdoor recreation, manufacturing and energy.

Throughout the semester, students met with business and civic leaders, toured Wyoming communities and explored the challenges and opportunities facing each sector. The final presentation event brought together multiple representatives of every key industry studied, giving students the opportunity to share their recommendations directly with Wyoming leaders and decision-makers.

This cohort demonstrated a remarkable blend of creativity, professionalism and courage, says Chris Haller, director of the Center for Principle-Based Leadership and Ethics and lead instructor for the academy. They not only learned about Wyomings industries, but they also embraced the responsibility of contributing to them. Watching these students present to leaders from across the state was truly inspiring.

Mandy Fabel, executive director of Leadership Wyoming, values the continued growth of the partnership with the College of Business and UW Leadership Academy.

The academys expansion into five industries this year shows the increasing relevance of this work for Wyomings future, Fabel says. These students asked meaningful questions, engaged deeply with community leaders and demonstrated the kind of leadership capacity our state needs. Their curiosity and commitment give me tremendous hope for what comes next.

Sessions were held throughout the fall across multiple Wyoming communities -- Laramie, Jackson, Lander, Sheridan and Casper -- giving students firsthand exposure to the geographic and economic landscape that shapes leadership in the state. The program concluded in Laramie with presentations focused on real-world challenges sourced directly from Wyoming industry partners.

The fall cohort members selected, listed by hometown and major, are:

-- Sheridan: Ava Prairie, finance and marketing; and Rater Tomlinson, economics and marketing.





-- Conifer, Colo.: Colin Cleary, management and professional sales, with a minor in leadership.





-- Hoover, Ala.: Ella Cluff, management and marketing.





-- Mead, Colo.: Ethan Graham, journalism with minors in entrepreneurship and leadership.





-- Fuerstenau, Germany: Hannah Ludlage, management with a minor in communication.





-- Gillette: Ivan Sapien, management and marketing with a minor in leadership.





-- Fort Collins, Colo.: Karmella Peters, management and marketing with a minor in leadership.





-- Casper: Kolten Harmsen, energy resource management and development with a minor in reclamation and restoration ecology; and Sam Neville, management, marketing and professional sales with a minor in leadership.





-- Laramie: Kyler Russow, management, marketing and professional sales with minors in honors and energy resource management and development.





-- Buffalo: Lily Crago, agricultural communications and political science.





-- Cheyenne: Lily Leman, history and Spanish with minors in honors and interdisciplinary pre-law; Oakley Simons, management, marketing and professional sales with minors in honors and leadership; and Tristan Patterson, finance with a minor in Interdisciplinary pre-law.





-- Arvada, Colo.: Rebecca Straughan, economics and finance with a minor in professional sales.





-- Lander: Sarah Drewry, venture masters in business administration.





-- Dixon: Skylynn Ready, entrepreneurship and management with a minor in agricultural business.





-- Virginia Beach, Va.: Thaddeus Blackburn, professional sales with a minor in leadership.





The wide range of interests and backgrounds in this group elevated the experience for everyone, Haller adds. Each student brought something distinct and, collectively, they have continued to advance the Leadership Academys impact.

The UW Leadership Academy will return for its third cohort in the fall of 2026. The program invites high-achieving students with a passion for leadership and economic development to apply. Faculty, staff and community members will be invited to nominate students starting at the beginning of the spring semester.

For more information about UW Leadership Academy, visit the website, call Haller at (307) 766-6271 or email chris.haller@uwyo.edu.

About UWs Center for Principle-Based Leadership and Ethics

The Center for Principle-Based Leadership and Ethics is committed to developing the next generation of ethical leaders and organizations in Wyoming and beyond. The centers higher purpose is to build principled leaders for a better tomorrow.

About Leadership Wyoming

Leadership Wyoming is a nine-month program for leaders across the state to learn about the industries, communities, challenges and opportunities facing Wyoming. Graduates of the program become part of an alumni network of about 1,000 leaders in the state, with continued leadership and networking opportunities.
Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam.
Wu Baochen (C), a national-level inheritor of Yimakan, performs Yimakan in Jiamusi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, April 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

HARBIN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- As morning mist rises over a river in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the raw, ancient chant of 65-year-old Wu Baochen pierces the quiet, bringing to life Yimakan, an oral storytelling art unique to the Hezhen -- also known as the Hezhe -- one of China's smallest ethnic minority groups.

Performed solo, Yimakan blends narrative and song without instrumental accompaniment. Passed down orally through generations, the ancient art form reflects the history, heroic tales, fishing and hunting practices, rituals, and moral norms of the Hezhen people, whose dialect has no written script.

"Yimakan is a treasured cultural heritage of the Hezhen people," said Wu, a national-level inheritor of Yimakan.

On Thursday, the 20th regular session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided to transfer the "Hezhen Yimakan storytelling" from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The committee also approved the inclusion of the Hezhen Yimakan storytelling safeguarding program in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, recognizing the effectiveness of this heritage protection initiative.

Though now brimming with new vitality, the age-old oral tradition once hovered on the verge of extinction.

Born into a Yimakan family in Heilongjiang's Tongjiang City, one of the main settlements of the Hezhen people, Wu began learning Yimakan in his childhood from his family members and other local elders.

"As a child, I listened to my grandfather perform Yimakan over and over and memorized it quietly in my heart, but only by growing up did I understand the meaning behind the songs," Wu said.

The transmission of Yimakan traditionally takes place within families such as Wu's. "Language is key. The Hezhen language is the carrier of Yimakan, yet many young Hezhen people can no longer speak it," Wu added.

According to Wu Xuan, deputy director of the Center for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Heilongjiang Province, the Hezhen population numbers only about 5,300, and with even fewer fluent speakers of the Hezhen language, Yimakan faces a severe shortage of successors.

"Fifteen years ago, fewer than five people nationwide could still perform a complete Yimakan epic," Wu Xuan said.

In 2011, Yimakan was inscribed on UNESCO's Urgent Safeguarding List. Since then, a series of community-centered protection measures has been rolled out, uniting efforts to raise awareness and ensure the continued vitality of this ancient art form.

As part of these efforts, comprehensive audiovisual documentation of the remaining national-level practitioners has been carried out.

In recent years, digital tools have further enhanced efforts to preserve Yimakan. At a Yimakan inheritance base in Tongjiang, visitors can simply put on a headset and be transported to the banks of the flowing Heilongjiang River, where they can experience the legendary tales of the Hezhen epic through Yimakan.

Moreover, online Hezhen language lessons and oral-history archives featuring the narratives of inheritors have together formed a digital safeguarding network for Yimakan.

According to official data, today, there are seven centers dedicated to the study and practice of Yimakan storytelling in Heilongjiang, with 11 inheritors recognized at the national and provincial levels and more than 100 at the municipal and county levels.

Younger practitioners are breathing new life into the tradition. Born in the 1990s, Hu Yi, a provincial-level inheritor, blends ancient Yimakan melodies with modern electronic music and shares them via social media.

"I want to bring Yimakan to life in a way young people can relate to and keep it thriving in modern times," she said.

In October, the fourth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee adopted the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national economic and social development, encouraging deeper integration of culture and tourism through the vigorous development of cultural tourism and using culture to empower economic and social development.

Cultural tourism has become a vital protection tool in Tongjiang. Scenic areas of Jiejinkou Village welcomed over 1 million visitors in three years, generating more than 7 million yuan (about 1 million U.S. dollars) in revenue. Bacha Village combines homestay with intangible cultural heritages such as the Yimakan and the fish-skin craft, attracting over 30,000 tourists annually and helping boost local incomes.

With the latest inscriptions, the total number of Chinese elements on UNESCO's Lists and Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage has risen to 45.

Wu Xuan believes that the effective safeguarding of Yimakan demonstrates the vitality of China's ethnic culture and offers valuable lessons for intangible cultural heritage protection for other ethnic groups.

Her view is echoed by Tang Yang, deputy director of the ethnic studies institute at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

"The experience accumulated in safeguarding Yimakan will serve as an important platform for cultural exchange and a window through which the international community can better understand Chinese culture, helping to strengthen the global reach and appeal of Chinese civilization," Tang said. 

Visitors look at fish skin handicrafts of the Hezhe ethnic group in Fuyuan, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
On the night of 6 to 7 December, forces loyal to Beninese President Patrice Talon, aided by the Nigerian military aviation, managed to regain control of the national television, from where putschist soldiers had broadcast a recorded message from Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri announcing the dismissal of the President of the Republic and the establishment of the Military Committee for Refoundation (CMR). Meanwhile, fighting was taking place between the putschists and the guards of several military leaders and the presidency of the Benin Republic.

Kemi Seba, a black supremacist and radical pan-Africanist, special adviser to the Nigerien president and candidate for the presidency of Benin, released a video rejoicing at the fall of "President Patrice Talons clan of economic predators".

Chief of staff of the Beninese army General Fructueux Gbaguidi, who was in Paris for a business trip when the coup attempt began, remotely piloted his troops, including the Republican Guard commanded by Colonel Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre. President Talon was able to speak by phone with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

A twin-engine Beechcraft 350 registered F-GYEE, of the company CAE aviation, specialized in surveillance missions "for various governmental and non-governmental organizations", in this case chartered by France, flew over Cotonou, assisting the loyalist armed forces.

At the request of Benins president Patrice Talon, Nigerian military drones carried out precision strikes on the Togbin camp, where some of the mutineers had taken refuge after fleeing the premises of the national radio and television station.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced the "immediate deployment" of its Standby Force, composed for this operation of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cote dIvoire and Ghana to support "the government and the republican army" of Benin and "preserve constitutional order".
HONG KONG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Probe into the recent residential complex fire will be concluded within nine months, John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), told a press conference Friday.

Lee appointed three people, including Justice David Lok, to form an independent committee, which will be tasked with investigating the fire's cause and examining whether related renovation projects had breached laws.

The committee will be granted flexibility to streamline procedures and conclude the probe as soon as possible, Lee said, pledging a thorough investigation into the fire and holding those responsible to answer.

The fire, which broke out on Nov. 26 in Tai Po, has claimed 160 lives by 4 p.m. Tuesday, with six people still missing, according to authorities.

Speaking at a separate press conference Friday afternoon, Lok said that the investigation into the fire incident will be extensive and complex. Setting up an independent committee to examine the matter is the most effective approach, granting it the necessary authority to conduct a thorough investigation, he added.

Based on the investigation findings, the committee will submit recommendations to the chief executive, as part of efforts to assist the government with reforms and prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, Lok said. 
Minister lashed out at medical students during Atreju event in Rome.

Italy's minister for university and research, Anna Maria Bernini, engaged in a heated exchange with small group of students on Thursday during a public talk in Rome.

Bernini, 60, was addressing the audience at Atreju, the annual political festival organised by the right-wing Fratelli d'Italia party of Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, held this year at Castel Sant'Angelo.

The students began heckling Bernini, protesting her medical school reform, in particular the new open-entry 'filter' semester and national merit ranking system.

The filter semester was designed to abolish the limited number of places in medicine however the move is causing discontent among students due to alleged irregularities in the exams which have resulted in a very low pass rate.

As she began her speech, several students from the UDU student union stood up and shouted: "We can't take it anymore, there are young people who are sick, who have started going to the psychologist again, who are taking their own lives, who risk losing a year with the filter semester".

From the stage, the minister invited the crowd to join in a derisive applause, saying: "Here are our friends, the protesters, let's give them a big round of applause," before wheeling out a catchphrase beloved of former Italian prime minister and founder of her centre-right Forza Italia party, Silvio Berlusconi.

"You know what [party president] Berlusconi used to say? You're still poor communists", Bernini charged, adding: "Before you protest, let me speak. This shows your uselessness. You are useless."

E inaccettabile che a degli studenti in evidenti difficolta la Ministra Bernini risponda che sono dei poveri comunisti. Ministra chieda scusa e ammetta il fallimento del semestre filtro per laccesso alla facolta di medicina pic.twitter.com/sxirikTvLe  Italia Viva (@ItaliaViva) December 11, 2025

Bernini was backed by the audience at Atreju, with the reference to Berlusconi prompting wild applause from the crowd.

"The students' strategy is chaos: they talk but don't listen" - Bernini claimed - "I start to worry when some political parties echo them."

The minister then made her way into the crowd, microphone in hand, confronting the medical students and defending her reforms, saying that she had "invested 9.4 billion in universities and more than 800 million in scholarships".

Footage of Bernini's "poveri comunisti" comments was shared proudly online by her Forza Italia party however it wasn't long before her remarks triggered a political backlash from the opposition.

"In front of young men and women legitimately protesting a reform that has proven to be a colossal flop, the minister thought it best to respond not on the merits, but by insulting them," accused Irene Manzi and Francesco Verducci of the centre-left Partito Democratic (PD).

The small centrist Italia Viva party shared video of the "unacceptable" comments on X, calling on the minister to "apologise and admit the failure of the filter semester for access to the faculty of medicine".

"How dare she? Apologise and resign," said Elisabetta Piccolotti of the Green and Left Alliance (AVS), while Giovanni Barbera of the Communist Refoundation Party said: "Better communists than Berlusconi supporters".

Photo credit: Pierre Teyssot / Shutterstock.com.
American marching bands, cheerleaders and folk musicians celebrate New Year's Day 2026 with a major parade in Rome.

Thousands of performers including some of America's best-known high school marching bands will stage a parade in central Rome on 1 January 2026 to celebrate New Year's Day.

The parade is Italys largest showcase of marching bands and cheerleading groups from the United States, who will perform alongside Italian marching and folkloric ensembles from various regions of the country.

The annual free event involves US marching bands and majorettes joining forces with renowned Italian musical folk groups, street artists and historical re-enactors.

The event, sponsored by the city of Rome, is described by organisers as "an ideal embrace between Italy and the United States during the most festive and meaningful days of the year".

Starting in Piazza del Popolo at 15.30, the parade will run along Via del Corso, Via Condotti, Piazza di Spagna and Via del Babuino in a colourful extravaganza lasting three hours.

"Its an unmissable event for families, music lovers, and anyone wishing to begin the new year with cheerfulness, good humour and energy, said Svetlana Celli, president of the city assembly and patron of the event.

For full details see the official Rome Parade website. Photos Rome Parade.
Eva Osborne

EU Ministers have agreed to impose a 3 customs charge on parcels worth less than 150 being sent from outside the EU.

The European Commission said it aims to help protect the competitiveness of businesses in the bloc.

The change is to come into effect next July and will affect imports from companies such as Shein and Temu.

The EU said the new duty will help protect the competitiveness of European businesses by levelling the playing field between e-commerce and traditional retail.

Denmark's Minister for Economic Affairs, Stephanie Lose, said the proposals have widespread support from member states.

"The temporary measure will be a 3 fee per parcel imported to the European Union. We need to get the techmical work in place moving forward from here," she said.
Waterford councillors on the Housing Strategic Policy Committee called for the Working Family Payment to be excluded from the assessable income of council housing tenants.

Rent for council housing tenants (differential rent) is calculated on a percentage of the assessable income of the principal earner and subsidiary earners.

The Working Family Payment supports low-pay employees with dependent children and is currently deemed as assessable income for the differential rent under 2021 government policy.

Sinn Fein councillors Joeanne Bailey, Kate OMahony and Independent Joe Kelly all called for the Working Family Payment to be excluded with hopes to ease cost-of-living pressures.

The Working Family Payment is not taken into account in the means test for a medical card, Cllr. OMahony said to the News & Star.

Everyone is really struggling, especially with groceries and fuel and trying to run a home, run a house, and a carto have working family payments and treat it as accessible income, it's another pressure.

The council's Director of Housing Seamus De Faoite said the rationale for including the payment was grounded in fairness and equity.

He said if two families lived on a similar salary, but one had access to a non-assessable working family payment, there would be a large discrepancy between the rates each family pays.

Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme
Liberty Blues annual coffee morning in aid of St Vincent de Paul was a roaring success. It brought together many important businesses in the city as a way to celebrate the festive season, as well as raise money for a great cause.

Parker Law and John Keane Photo: Benny Finlay

Owner of Liberty Blue Estate Agents, Regina Mangan, told the Waterford News & Star: This mornings coffee morning is a really important tradition thatve been doing for about 15 years. During COVID, we were told we couldnt have a coffee morning, so we went to the Apple Market. Its really important for us that we give back to our community. Not only is it about the fundraising, its also about everyone getting together. We meet people here at the coffee morning that we might not have seen for a whole twelve months.

Regina also gave a special thank you to Larry Bowe and all the team at the Marina Hotel, They put on an amazing spread. The hotel is amazing, it looks out onto the river and you can watch the swans go by. Before the coffee morning had even begun, almost 2,000 had been raised for St Vincent de Paul.

Regina Mangan, Nora Daly and Jim Griffin Photo: Benny Finlay

Waterford News & Star spoke to Aisling Irish from Parker Law who was at the event for the first time she said: Its a lovely event. Its great to catch up with people.

John Breene from HB Keane solicitors told Waterford News & Star that he is a regular attender at this stage. Its become a Christmas tradition. Its nice to meet people. Its the time of year where its also good to help out with a good cause as part of Christmas.

Catriona Cahill from Primamodel agency attended the event with her sister Detta. She said: I love to support this charity because Vincent de Paul was our dads favourite charity. Its a charity that works with people we really need on the ground. Theyre very tuned in to whats needed locally.

But it was just the business community at the event, volunteers for the charity also attended.

Lee Ann Corcoran and John Darcy Photo: Benny Finlay

The Waterford News & Star spoke to Caroline Purdue who has been a volunteer with St Vincent de Paul for five years. She works in Poleberry sorting out clothing and toy donations.

Living for many years in New Zealand and Australia, Caroline said: When I moved back to Ireland, I wanted to make my own life. She said she thinks St Vincent de Paul do a lot of good. They help people. I like working there, I like the people.
A man has been found guilty on one charge of sexual assault against a teenage girl. He had been charged with six counts of sexual assault but the jury failed to reach a verdict on the five other charges.

The trial was held in camera at Waterford Circuit Court with reporting restrictions in place to protect the identities of the involved parties.

The jury of four women and eight men were given strict directions by Judge Eugene OKelly to not discuss or divulge any detail from the trial outside of the jury room.

The jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours before informing Judge O'Kelly that they were in a 'dead-lock' on all charges bar one.

Judge O'Kelly informed the jury that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will be contacted for further instructions, but that their role had come to an end.

He said: "I know it may seem like an anti-climax. It is unfortunate you have been unable to reach a verdict but disagreements, the fact you have different views on it, is quite understandable."

Judge O'Kelly excused the jury for six years.

Judge O'Kelly requested that the identity of the accused not be disclosed pending the instructions of the DPP. The accused was remanded on bail.

Trial

David Bulbulia BL and Tara Geoghegan BL represented the accused under the instruction of solicitor Michael Lanigan.

Eoghan Cole SC acted on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), alongside John William Fennelly BL.

Mr Cole officially opened the trial on December 3, addressing the jury about the difference between inference and speculation: You cannot speculate, but you can make reasonable inferences on what is presented to you.

Mr Cole stressed that the act of sexual assault is not necessarily a violent or forceful act, but an action with a sexual element done without consent.

He said: In terms of consent, it is something which is continuous and clear, unambiguous and active. Its not some vague and nebulous thing. The complainant was the first witness to take the stand. She described how she knew of the accused since she was seven years old. She had attended an organisation where the accused worked in a senior role.

When she entered her mid-teens she said the accused would approach her in a crowded room and physically engage her.

He started paying more attention to me. In front of other people he would grab me and start messing with my hair.

Prosecutor Eoghan Cole later described this physical engagement as part of the grooming process, whereby an adult predator "breaks down" a targeted person's boundaries through "brazen" behaviour.

'Messing'

The first assault was alleged to have happened in the accuseds car in summer 2004, when the complainant was 15 years old. She claimed that the man grabbed her by her head and pulled her towards his groin area, while he was on the phone. When asked by Mr Cole if she understood why that happened, she said no. She said: I dont know if it was anything sexual at all.

The complainant went on to describe an incident soon afterwards whereby the accused "jumped out" at her inside the premises of the organisation.

They were alone in a room when he allegedly picked her up and "straddled" her on the ground, touching her body and chest. The complainant described laughing off the incident at the time, claiming: I thought he was messing.

Mr Bulbulia asked why his client would act so recklessly in the presence of CCTV. The complainant said that the accused had his back turned to the camera and that he "controlled the CCTV".

Later on during that time period, the complainant described another incident on the premises of the organisation. In her testimony, she claimed that the man snuck up on her. She was on a phone call with another member of the organisation when the man reportedly began groping her all over her body and rubbing up against her. At one point, he is said to have taken out his penis and was "waving it around like a toy" and "coaxing" her to touch it. The complainant described seeing a woman involved in the organisation standing nearby. The witness said she felt embarrassed seeing the woman, feeling like she "knew what was going on".

Sexual acts

The complainant alleged an incident took place in autumn 2004 when the accused brought her to his house and performed multiple sexual acts on her.

She stated: He asked me to wear my school uniform.

She said that when she was brought into the sitting room, the accused began groping her. She said: He was mauling me.

According to her statement, he brought her into a bedroom, where he continued to assault her before ejaculating onto her body.

The sixth charge, the only charge on which the jury returned a majority verdict of guilty, related to an incident where the accused groped the girl on her rear as she exited from a vehicle he was driving.

Closing

In the closing address to the jury, Mr Cole advised the jury to not be "duped into accepting his warped presentation" of the events.

He said: "It is a myth that a victim of sexual assault would protest, it doesn't happen like that. They find themselves unable to react."

Mr Bulbulia told the jury that while an allegation of child sexual abuse is "repellent"; "a false allegation of child sexual abuse is equally repellent."

He said that the accused and the complainant had been in a consensual sexual relationship and that the complainant had "distorted" the timeline of events.

He said: "We're getting deep into human emotions at a remove of 20 years."

The matter will be up for mention in Waterford Circuit Court on Friday, December 19.

Read more from earlier in the trial here

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
The Waterford News & Star reported earlier this month that coroner-requested autopsies would no longer be carried out in University Hospital Waterford (UHW).

Now, it is understood that UK pathologists will be carrying out autopsies in UHW on a Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

This is a disimprovement of our current level of service, according to Waterford coroner John Goff. Autopsies are currently carried out seven days per week in UHW, this is higher than the national average of five days per week.

UHW currently performs around 700 autopsies per year and serves the South East region, including Waterford, Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Wexford.

The main concern about this change was that families would face delays on having their loved ones bodies returned to them.

Coroner-requested autopsies usually happen when the death was unusual or unexpected; often, these deaths occur under tragic circumstances.

TD Micheal Murphy told Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan: Behind every one of these cases is a family in shock waiting for answers and waiting simply to lay a loved one to rest.

Minister Callaghan agreed with Deputy Murphy saying: One of the things we do very well in this country is death and it is not something that we want to change by having a big gap between death and a funeral.

With just a couple weeks until UHW will cease carrying out coroner-directed autopsies, Minister OCallaghan told Deputy Micheal Murphy: The local pathologist services with which the department is engaging will be contracted to provide a service from pathologists not already providing services in Ireland. In practice, this will be from the UK."

Deputy Murphy told the Waterford News & Star that families facing delays is "intolerable in the modern health and justice system."

In a statement to the Waterford News & Star, the HSE claimed that there is a global shortage of appropriately qualified pathologists willing to provide autopsy services.

Mr Goff told the Waterford News & Star that his assistant commented on the new arrangement: Tuesday will be a bad day to die in Waterford.

Ultimately, though, Mr Goff has an open mind about it.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix attends a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 12, 2025. Lacroix on Friday warned that escalation of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) risks the fragmentation of the country with regional consequences. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Friday warned that escalation of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) risks the fragmentation of the country with regional consequences.

The new offensive launched in recent days by the AFC/M23 (Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement) in South Kivu has revived the specter of a regional flare-up with incalculable consequences, Lacroix told the Security Council in a briefing.

He said that "recent developments pose a serious risk of the gradual fragmentation of the DRC, particularly its eastern part."

The territorial expansion of the AFC/M23, the establishment of parallel administrations, and the weakening of state presence in certain areas fuel a dynamic that directly threatens DRC's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he warned.

The conflict is becoming increasingly regionalized, Lacroix said, adding that the direct or indirect involvement of armed forces and groups from neighboring countries, as well as the cross-border movement of displaced populations and combatants, significantly increases the risk of a regional conflagration.

He noted that the prompt implementation of Security Council Resolution 2773, which calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, remains essential if diplomatic progress is finally to translate into tangible improvements in the situation on the ground.

While recent diplomatic progress has generated genuine hope, persistent ceasefire violations and the resumption of hostilities pose a real risk of the collapse of ongoing diplomatic efforts, Lacroix said.

He said that the humanitarian situation is alarming, adding that continued hostilities, repeated waves of displacement, the ongoing closure of Goma and Kavumu airports, and shrinking humanitarian access have compounded an already severe crisis.

Humanitarian agencies are facing crippling funding shortfalls, Lacroix noted, saying that the humanitarian response plan for the DRC for 2025 is currently only 22 percent funded. 
The Mayor of Waterford City and County, Seamus Ryan has thanked the members of the Tramore Order of Malta Unit for their 80 years of service.

A Mayoral Reception was held at the Mayors Parlour at City Hall to celebrate the past and present members.

Mayor Seamus Ryan told the Waterford News and Star that the units work goes beyond Tramore and even the Deise.

On behalf of the people of Waterford, I want to pay tribute to the Order of Malta, Tramore unit, completely done on a voluntary basis and I think its important that we as a people and as a city and county continue to support, said Mayor Ryan.

EIGHTY YEARS OF SERVICE

The unit was founded in 1945.

From 1965 to 2012 the unit provided a full emergency ambulance service to the town of Tramore and the surrounding areas.

Being a member of the unit is an incredibly proud thing and Officer in Charge Derek OBrien said that it is great to see the numbers of people joining and training on a Tuesday night.

But Mr OBrien said that he was particularly happy to see the past members recognised.

Its great for all the members to be acknowledged over the 80 years. This year was very special and for us newer members for us to realise everything that went before us. So, for all those 80 years to be acknowledged is fantastic, said Mr OBrien.

Pictured at City Hall, where Mayor of Waterford City & County Cllr. Seamus Ryan held a reception for Order of Malta Tramore Unit, in recognition of their 80 years dedicated service, ofering medical care, emergency relief and compassionate support to those in need, Derek O'Brien. accepted the scroll on behalf of the Unit Photo: Joe Evans

That sentiment was echoed by John Kelly who has been a member of the unit for 50 years.

The effort and input of past members, thats what made us successful.

So really it all goes to the ex-members. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Pictured at City Hall, where Mayor of Waterford City & County Cllr. Seamus Ryan held a reception for Order of Malta Tramore Unit, in recognition of their 80 years dedicated service, ofering medical care, emergency relief and compassionate support to those in need. Photo: Joe Evans

And we are appreciative because we would not be here today if it wasnt for past members and thats the whole thing about it.

And the new members here are hopefully going to carry it forward to the hundreds. So, thank you to our ex-members, said Mr Kelly.

The Tramore unit provide support at horse racing events, concerts and the annual Lourdes pilgrimage.

They respond to a variety of emergencies including choking incidents, heart attacks, drowning and even an escaped elephant.

In his speech, Mayor Ryan said that because of the unit Tramore was one of the first places in the country to introduce a Community First Responder scheme.

They brought reassurance to neighbours and strangers alike. Your work is woven through the story of Waterford itself.

Eighty years of service is not simply a number. It is a tapestry of stories, of uniforms passed from one generation to the next, of skills learned and taught, of friendships formed in the quiet hours on duty.

It is an artistic achievement in its own right. A long work of human creativity, shaped by care, discipline and compassion and it continues, unfinished, with every volunteer joining today and every life you touch tomorrow, said Mayor Ryan.

Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme
By Tuesday, December 16, a potential 168,000 households will have submitted their responses to a new survey that seeks to gauge demand for changes to the primary education system.

Shoppers in Waterford's Culutral Quarter expressed their thoughts on the nation's primary education system.

Parents of children in primary education and parents of soon-to-be primary students have been emailed a short survey from the Department of Education.

The survey asks parents if they would prefer primary schools to be co-educational or single-sex; denominational or multi-denominational; and taught primarily through English or Irish.

James and Brenda Wright, Grantstown Park

Brenda and James Wright, Grantstown Park, began their primary education in the 1940s. Both encouraged the push for more schooling through the Irish language.

It's an important part of the integrity of the Irish themselves, James said. The Irish culture and religion and ways must come first, Brenda added.

James attended a single-sex grammar school in South London. He said single-sex schools still have a place in modern society.

I think children ought to have more communion with their own sex at an early age. I think boys should be with boys and girls should be with girls until a certain age. For heaven's sake, we do grow up. I mean, it didn't put me off of girls.

Inga Lektere, Waterford City

Inga Lektere has four children of primary-school age.

Originally from Latvia and now living in Waterford City, Lektere says her children enjoy the more relaxed style of education in Ireland and is content with the current system.

Here is more like a little bit of fun for kids, more like games, said Lektere.

I didn't like school, I was a good student my kids like here. There is homework, not too much. It's very simple for parents as well.

Teresa Murphy worked as a maths teacher in an all-boys secondary school. She believes teaching through Irish shouldve been implemented a long, long time ago.

The kids going into junior infants, the Irish language should be used in the classroom, very simple things so that it comes naturally, as opposed to thinking of verbs and their grammar.
Ottoline Spearman

A variety of crime, politics and health stories dominate the front pages on Friday.

The Irish Times leads with how air traffic controllers were not warned about the presence of drones during the Ukrainian president's visit, meaning that pilots were also not aware. They also look at the rise of synthetic opioids last year, which have caused an increasing number of deaths. And finally, a homicide investigation has been launched into the death of toddler Daniel Aruebose, whose remains were found buried in Donabate earlier this year.

The Irish Examiner leads with a west Cork case, where seven men who planned to import 58 million worth of drugs were given combined sentences of 70 years.

The Irish Independent leads with the surge in flu cases, with three-quarters of people in hospital without the illness unvaccinated.

The Echo takes a look at the spike in evictions, which has reached 1,700 in Cork alone this year. A call has been made for stronger protections for renters this Christmas.

The Irish Daily Mirror spoke with the family of Alexis Lee Campion, who was targeted in a firebomb attack at her home in Clondalkin recently.

The Irish Daily Star leads with the announcement by Defence Minister Helen McEntee that anti-drone technology will be in place next summer.

The Irish Daily Mail leads with how roadside memorials to crash victims will soon be banned.

The Herald looks at the alleged messages sent to a social media influencer by a Dublin man, which allegedly said he was going to throw acid in her face, butcher her and shoot her and her boyfriend.

The Belfast Telegraph looks at the spike in super-flu cases in Northern Ireland, which have soared by 24 per cent.
Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A

What a remarkable thing it must have been, to hear recorded voices for the first time. You see it in The History of Sound, when young music students David and Lionel go into the houses of simple people in the backblocks of New England and ask them to sing into a microphone, recording them on the wax cylinders recently developed by Thomas Edison. At first, there is confusion, then suspicion, then wonder. There is a sense of importance as people commit their voices to the machine. There is joy, too, that an overlooked culture is being heard, along with an undercurrent of melancholy for what has been lost. We feel it, too, watching these eager young men, in love with each other but unable to name the feeling. The First World War has just begun. There is a great deal more loss to come. Lionel (Paul Mescal) and David (Josh OConnor) meet as students at the conservatorium in Boston, where they find themselves singing tragic folk songs together at the piano in the student bar. As their relationship intensifies, neither is seemingly conflicted about being in love with another man, at least as long as they dont have to make decisions about it. They are neither repressed nor determined to come out. This felt like a spell to me, this relationship, says OConnor. Paul and I were friends before we made the film, so there was a lot of love between us anyway. Paul Mescal and Josh OConnor at the films New York premiere . Kristina Bumphrey The films poignancy comes from the pairs carelessness with each other. At the end of their research tour, David asks what Lionel plans to do next with his life. It is a heartbreaking moment. Thats a moment where you feel society has informed Davids patterns of communication in a way it hasnt Lionels, says Mescal. He understands that theyre probably most likely not going to move in together, but hes assuming theyre going to continue in some capacity. So its confusing for him, because hes being confronted with a society that he doesnt feel like hes living with. He probably comes from a more conservative background than I would say David does, yet he still manages to feel more modern to me.

Advertisement

Lionel, a Kentucky farm boy whose father played fiddle on the porch after a day in the field, has the special gift of seeing music as colour which, in a sense, the film does too. The film is based on a short story by Ben Shattuck, who also wrote the script. Like Lionel, he grew up on a remote farm, where traditional music was as much part of life as getting in the hay. I listened to fiddle music and was contra dancing by the time I was seven or eight; I played banjo, Shattuck says via Zoom. Whenever Id be in a car with friends and theyd put on pop music, it would just sound like a wash of static to me. But then when Id hear a reel of some Appalachian music, it sounded like the first real music. Who knows why that happens? It was the emotive power of music to evoke the past that provided the spark for the love story. The story began with the idea that somebody would receive a message or sound from earlier in their life that would puncture their whole sense of their past, Shattuck says. Sound and music can elicit profound emotions  and one of the most abstract, profound, troubling emotions can be regret. That type of universal regret, that feeling of missing out, can be really pinned to love in your early 20s. So I had this idea in my mind that music and sound and early love would be all tied together. Mescal says he responded to that idea immediately. I feel art in general is an amazing access point [to feeling], he says. Because sometimes its the lyrics that move me, sometimes its just about the sound in my ear that makes me want to run faster or dance or I listen to a song when Im falling in love with somebody. Experiencing music isnt cerebral; it can take you straight to the centre of a feeling. I can try to describe a scene to [director Oliver Hermanus], or I might say instead that I think the scene is like this song. And then it makes sense and you can just skip the noise of words. Other peoples voices, other peoples stories: Briana Middleton and Josh OConnor. Universal Films David devises their research project, which involves weeks of walking through woods, farms and settlements, camping along the way. He creates this adventure out of love for Lionel, says OConnor. Hes making this gap in time and filling it for the two of them, curating a space and time for just them. But I think David is naturally concerned with other peoples experiences and other peoples stories. Its not just about collecting these songs; its about understanding communities and understanding other peoples experiences in the world.

Advertisement

Related Article Russell Crowe Why Russell Crowe was the perfect choice for Hitlers charming henchman OConnors David confronts the intensity of the relationship with avoidance, glossing over their situation by avoiding putting it into words, offering and then withholding love, parrying genuine emotion with a shield of genial bonhomie. He isnt going to explain himself, but his face can convey several layers of feeling at once. In the world of characters in a film, thats the dream, OConnor says. The thing that makes a character interesting  and why film is so powerful  is you can tell so much with just your thoughts and the camera picks those things up, in a way you couldnt on stage. In every interaction in this movie, there is something else happening beneath that is unspoken. Writer Ben Shattuck: I had this idea in my mind that music and sound and early love would be all tied together. Boston Globe via Getty Images Shattuck says he didnt want to package the relationship in a way that we have seen before and that we understand. Because anybody who has been in a relationship in any capacity knows it takes a thousand forms. I was interested to explore a relationship in which the language of what is going on between the two characters exists just a degree or two to the left or right of what is actually happening. It is only six years since Paul Mescal leapt to stardom in the television adaptation of Sally Rooneys Normal People, but he is such an intimate, confiding actor that it can feel that he has been always with us. Over that time, he has brought that quiet intensity to the depressed young father in Aftersun, the lonely addict in All of Us Strangers and the bereaved Bard in the forthcoming Hamnet.

Advertisement
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

Save this article for later

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

A man died early Friday morning after he was stuck in mud at a boat ramp south of Brisbane.

Emergency services were called to the Waterford boat ramp at Albert Street following reports a man had become stuck in mud about 12.30am.

Police said once the 34-year-old from Tanah Merah was freed, he was taken to shore, where paramedics provided him with medical assistance.

A man died after being stuck in the mud at the Waterford boat ramp in Logan. Google

He was rushed in a critical condition to Logan Hospital, where he later died.
LONDON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The British government's recent announcement of illegal sanctions against Chinese companies, based on groundless allegations, has cast a shadow on bilateral relations.

At a time when global challenges require steady cooperation among major countries, Britain's approach to China continues to display a contradictory mix of caution and cooperation that is increasingly common across parts of the West.

While this ambivalence is hardly unique to London, it highlights a broader dilemma facing many European capitals: even as cooperation with China clearly aligns with their own interests -- and with the needs of a turbulent world -- they remain constrained by domestic political pressures and entrenched prejudices that shape their China policies.

For the British government, the recognition that cooperation with China is necessary has grown more explicit. In recent remarks on foreign policy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called disengagement from China "a dereliction of duty" and described China as "a defining force in technology, in trade and global governance."

Such statements reflect a pragmatic view shared by many in the West, one that sees China as an indispensable partner in areas ranging from supply-chain stability to green transformation.

Unfortunately, this recognition often coexists with a more negative narrative. Even as London signals a desire to strengthen practical cooperation, elements of its discourse on China are still influenced by unfounded suspicion and habitual mistrust, which persist despite the lack of any substantive justification.

The reality, however, is far more concrete. Europe cannot decouple from China, and post-Brexit Britain feels this even more acutely. Starmer himself cited the facts: cooperation with China has supported hundreds of thousands of British jobs. Senior British ministers have visited Beijing this year, securing market access worth billions of pounds. Key British sectors, such as finance, pharmaceuticals, the creative industries and luxury goods, all benefit from China's vast demand.

Such facts leave little room for rhetorical contortions. If China is indispensable, it is illogical to simultaneously portray it as an existential danger. This contradictory stance undermines credibility and diverts attention from the real task: building a stable, predictable relationship with a partner Europe cannot afford to mishandle.

For its part, China has consistently stressed its readiness to work with Britain on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit. With its long-term focus on development, innovation and green transition, China is well-positioned to contribute positively to global economic growth and stability. A healthy China-Europe relationship, of which China-Britain ties form an important part, serves both sides and supports a more balanced international environment.

If London truly views engagement with China as a responsibility, the way forward lies in consistency: treating China as a partner in addressing shared challenges. In areas ranging from trade and cultural exchange to climate governance, global health and artificial intelligence, Britain gains little from keeping China at arm's length, and far more from treating it as an essential partner.

This would not only benefit bilateral ties but also contribute to the broader China-Europe relationship that is increasingly vital for global stability and progress. 
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Saturday that he had a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the Cambodian-Thai border conflict.

The phone talks, held Friday night local time, aimed to find ways to have a ceasefire and to return to the implementation of the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration between Cambodia and Thailand, the prime minister said on social media.

He also said he had a phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday.

"Cambodia has always been adhering to peaceful means for dispute resolutions, in accordance with the KL Joint Declaration," he said.

The Cambodia-Thailand border conflict reignited on Sunday afternoon. Both sides accused each other of initiating the attack and confirmed casualties.

Trump said Friday on social media that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to cease all shooting "effective Friday evening." 
KIEV, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday on X that he had visited the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine.

During the visit, he met with the Ukrainian troops to mark the Land Forces Day and presented state awards to them.

"Ukraine is defending its positions. And the stronger our defense on the front line, the stronger our positions will be in negotiations," Zelensky said.

He stressed that Ukraine is doing everything possible to end the crisis with "dignity and respect."

Kupyansk, a key rail and road logistics hub, has seen intense battles since the autumn of 2024. In November this year, the Russian forces claimed that they had captured the city, according to local media reports. 
Tom Tuite

The father of four-year-old Tadgh Farrell, who was killed with his grand aunt in the firebombing of a house in Edenderry, Co Offaly, has been denied compassionate bail to attend his sons funeral.

Aaron Holt, 27, who is awaiting sentence for serious drug offences, made an urgent application before Judge Kenneth Connolly at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday afternoon.

Holt appeared via video-link from the Midlands Prison. His counsel, Catherine McCormack BL, said it arose from the recent tragedy at Castleview Park, on Saturday night, which claimed the life of his son and his 60-year-old aunt Mary Holt, and left his mother in a coma.

Tadhgs removal was scheduled for Thursday evening, and the funeral on Friday.

Father of three, Holt, from Castleview Park, Edenderry, remained silent throughout the contested bail hearing and showed no emotion when the judge ruled on his application.

State Solicitor for County Offaly, Sandra Mahon, told Judge Connolly that Holts application would be opposed. She called Detective Garda Joseph Bradley, who testified that Holt was front and centre of the drug trade in and around Edenderry, and there were fears for Holt and other peoples safety if he were released.

Judge Connolly noted Holt was on remand awaiting sentence at Tullamore Circuit Court in January over a seizure of 32,910 worth of heroin near his home. The offence, under section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act, is punishable by a possible minimum 10-year sentence.

Detective Garda Bradley also confirmed that on June 20th, Holt received a nine-month jail term at Tullamore District Court on June 20 last for other drug dealing offences committed while he was on bail for the heroin seizure. A few weeks later, in the same court, he received a three-month consecutive sentence for driving without insurance.

His Circuit Court bail was revoked, with his consent, on July 1, following concerns from the prosecution about the bail terms.

Judge Connolly remarked that even if bail were granted, the issue could be moot, as Holt was already serving a sentence. However, he pointed out that the prison could also grant him compassionate release from his existing period of imprisonment to attend the removal and funeral.

Detective Garda Bradley said the heroin seizure resulted from CCTV surveillance of a second male and Holts movement of a plastic bag, which gardai recovered. It was found to contain 219 grammes of heroin.

The following day, Holt sent a message to his co-accused, asking him to bring the gear, and CCTV footage showed both men searching for the missing bag.

Search warrants yielded a tick list at Holts home stating that he had 67,000 due, owing to him. The second male also had a tick list at his address belonging to Holt, which he was minding, stating that 99,000 was owed to him.

Judge Connolly heard that Holt had 57 prior criminal convictions, 54 of which were committed on bail, and 10 for drug offences. He also had a history of failing to appear in court, resulting in 15 bench warrants dating back to 2017.

He is front and centre, the principal supplier of illegal drugs in Edenderry and the surrounding area

Asked by Ms Mahon, on where he placed Holt on Edenderrys drug pecking order, Detective Garda Bradley replied, Yes, he is front and centre, the principal supplier of illegal drugs in Edenderry and the surrounding area.

He added that he had grave concerns that Holt would commit further offences if released and that he was a flight risk.

Detective Bradley also voiced apprehension about the appropriateness of the person proposed to act as an independent surety, the mother of a person he was in jail with, who had not attended the hearing to confirm Holt was welcome at her address.

Questioned by the judge as to whether he had anything to say about the danger to life or safety of the applicant or other person, the detective said he had, in light of recent events in Edenderry. He stated that he would be concerned for the safety of Holt and others in the town.

Holt, who did not testify, had indicated via an affidavit read by his barrister that he wished to attend his sons funeral and not be handcuffed, and to be allowed spend some time with his grieving family. His mother remains in intensive care, the court heard.

Death notices from RIP.ie were furnished to the court confirming details of Tadgh Farrells removal and funeral. Arrangements for the deceased Mary Holt have yet to be announced, the court heard.

Counsel outlined that Holt indicated he would abide by any conditions set down by the court.

Ruling on the application, Judge Connolly emphasised his deep sympathies for Holt and his situation, but said he had no hesitation in refusing his application.

Judge Connolly said Holt had an appalling record of persistent offending, and noted the evidence of the safety concerns, the tick list, and the nature and value of the drug seizure for which he was awaiting sentencing.

Gardai have issued public appeals for information, releasing footage of the moment the house in Castleview Park was attacked. The video shows two people approaching the house at around 7.45 pm on Saturday night. A suspected petrol bomb is thrown into the front downstairs window before it bursts into flames, and the two individuals flee the scene.

In a statement, gardai confirmed Tadgh had been visiting his grandmother and his grand-aunt, Ms Holt, at the time of the attack.

His remains and Ms Holt's were discovered in the front room. Post-mortem examinations have been completed on Tadgh and Ms Holt. The results are not being released for operational reasons.

Tadgh's grandmother continues to receive hospital treatment for serious burn injuries.
Kenneth Fox

A homicide investigation has been opened into the death of toddler Daniel Aruebose, whose remains were found on open ground in Donabate, north Dublin, last September.

Friday would have been his eighth birthday. He was last seen around four years ago, although concern for his whereabouts was not raised until last summer.

An Garda Siochana said in a statement: Following enquiries conducted to date and based on information available to investigating gardai, An Garda Siochana has commenced a homicide investigation into Daniels death.

Gardai continue to keep Daniels family informed of all developments in this ongoing criminal investigation.

Human remains recovered by gardai on September 17th have been confirmed by DNA analysis to be those of Daniel.

An Garda Siochana is again appealing to the public for any information that may assist in the investigation into the homicide of Daniel Aruebose, the Garda statement said.

Members of the public are urged not to assume that Gardai already possess information they may hold, or that any detail is too small or insignificant. The investigation team will determine the relevance of any information provided.

All contact will be welcomed and treated in the strictest confidence.

Garda engaged in a weeks-long search in the Donabate area before his remains were found.

Tusla, had interacted with Daniels family but closed its engagement with his parents after a temporary fostering arrangement ended.

His case prompted a series of wellbeing checks carried out on thousands of Tusla files as well as a rapid review of the boys case.

The alert over Daniels disappearance also came a year after Kyran Durnin, who would be nine years old this year if still alive, was reported missing from Co Louth.

Garda launched a murder investigation last October into the disappearance of Kyran, who was potentially missing for two years, unknown to authorities.

Tusla said it raised a significant concern about the missing child to police last August and launched an internal review about its engagement with Kyran and his family.
Ann O'Loughlin

John Magnier has been ordered to pay the estimated 4 million plus costs of his failed 19-day legal challenge to the sale of a Tipperary estate to a rival bidder.

At the High Court, Mr Justice Max Barrett ordered costs against Mr Magnier and said that the Magnier side had "lied" in their accounts to the court, warranting a higher level of award.

Lawyers for Mr Magnier on Friday said it is his intention to appeal the judgment of Mr Justice Barrett delivered last September that found against him and in favour of Barne Estate, the sellers of the land.

In the 74-page judgment after the trial, Mr Justice Barrett said there had been fundamental changes in the plaintiffs evidence and he questioned the reliability of evidence around the events of August 2023 when Mr Magnier claimed a deal had been agreed.

Mr Magnier had applied to the Commercial Court to enforce a 15-million 'handshake deal' he claims he sealed at his home on August 22nd, 2023 with Richard Thomson-Moore, an heir to the 751-acre 17th Century estate.

Mr Magnier and his children JP Magnier and Katherine Wachman sued the Barne Estate, owner Mr Thomson-Moore and three companies of IQEQ (Jersey) Ltd group - the estate trustees - seeking to enforce the purported deal, which the Magnier side said had been "unequivocally" agreed.

The Barne defendants said there was never any such agreement, as they required the consent of the estate trustees and did not have the authority for any deal as claimed. They subsequently preferred to sell the estate to Irish construction magnate Maurice Regan for 22.25 million.

The offer from Mr Regan was accepted by the Thomson-Moores because they wanted to complete the deal so they could move to Australia to attend to the health needs of their son, the court heard.

Costs hearing

At a costs hearing on Friday, Martin Hayden SC, for the Barne side, told Mr Justice Barrett that the Magnier side had enacted "lawfare", or "bulldozer law" on his client's family and that Mr Magnier "knew exactly what he was doing" to his clients at a "very sensitive time".

Mr Hayden said the conduct of the Magnier side was based on a false premise and that when "objective facts" were put to the Magnier side, they were "re-cast" and "re-shaped".

Mr Hayden said Mr Magnier had told the Thomson-Moores that legal action would be in the millions and take years if the sale was not completed.

Counsel said Mr Magnier's words were "no idle threat" and that he was "true to his word".

Mr Hayden said the discovery alone in the case cost over 1.5 million. The costs awarded to the Thomson-Moores is believed to be upwards of 4 million with Mr Magnier's own legal fees not included.

Mr Hayden said there was an imbalance of resources between both sides in the case in favour of Mr Magnier and "conspicuously" weighted against the Thomson-Moores.

Counsel said that the billionaire had told the court that money did not "mean much" to him, but it was a way of keeping score of successes.

'Gruelling'

"While it might not mean much to Mr Magnier, it certainly means a lot to my clients", he said, adding that Mr Magnier's intention to appeal the ruling only emerged through legal correspondence yesterday.

He said the legal process had already been a "gruelling" one for the Thompson-Moores.

Paul Gallagher SC, for Mr Magnier, told the judge that Mr Haydens version of events had little connection to the evidence in the case and with the judges ruling.

Mr Gallagher said Mr Hayden had made unjustified allegations against his client's integrity and described Mr Magnier as a man of honour" who stuck to his word when making deals.

Counsel said the criticism of his client by Mr Hayden should be "roundly condemned as entirely unfair" and that there had been no basis for the description of the case as "lawfare".

'Punitive' costs orders

He said that "punitive" costs orders inhibited court access for "rich and poor" alike, and said it was not true his client intended to tie up the Thomson-Moores in litigation.

In ruling for exceptional costs for the Thomson-Moores today, Mr Justice Barrett said "lying is what happened here".

Mr Justice Barret said the plaintiffs took the case with one story, but when that story was found to be "demonstrably untrue, they simply changed their story".

He said that this amounted to a "disrespect" of both the court and the Thomson-Moores and that "entirely false" evidence had been given.

The judge said this could "not go unmarked" by the court and made the award on the higher legal practitioner-client level that reflected the conduct of the plaintiff's side in the case

.

When delivering the order, Mr Justice Barrett said he had no criticism of the legal teams on either side.
Mayo nursing graduate, Mary Gleeson, from Claremorris, had double cause for celebration after achieving top of her class status at the 25th annual Hibernia College conferring ceremony, held at Dublins Convention Centre recently.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD was guest of honour at the ceremony.

In addition to receiving her BSc in Nursing qualification, Mary was honoured with the overall Student of the Year Award  presented by the college to the student in each cohort with the highest grade across their programme.

Mary was one of what was a record number of over 1,000 graduates from all 26 counties to qualify with Masters in Primary and Post-Primary teaching, and, for the first time, a Masters or Postgraduate Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education, or a BSc in Nursing.

Congratulating the graduates and acknowledging the remarkable achievements of each and every one of them, Dr Mary Kelly, President of Hibernia College Group, emphasised that those gathered had demonstrated exceptional dedication and resilience throughout their studies. She affirmed her confidence that each graduate will go on to make a vital and valuable contribution to their chosen profession.
Olivia Kelleher

A drone pilot who was found guilty of breaching safety rules and potentially posing a safety risk to attendees at a Snow Patrol concert in Limerick city has been fined 4,000.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), in cooperation with gardai has successfully brought a prosecution against Krzysztof Luszczki of Clonmacken in Limerick. The IAA says that his violations included a drone security occurrence in March 2024 and safety incidents at a Snow Patrol concert in Thomond Park in Limerick in July of the same year.

Mr Luszczki pleaded guilty to operating a drone over 120m and within a prohibited area without authorisation. Following a recent trial at Limerick District Court, he was additionally found guilty of operating a drone beyond visual line-of-sight and at an unsafe distance from assemblies of people, without authorisation.

Judge Catherine Ryan ordered the defendant to pay a fine of 4,000, and a contribution towards costs of 1,000.

The IAA says that despite Mr Luszczkis experience as a drone pilot, he did not have the correct authorisation to operate a drone within the prohibited airspace, nor to fly the drone over 120m, beyond visual line-of-sight, or close to assemblies of people at the concert.

His actions posed a potential security risk and a safety risk to the people attending the concert. Flying in close proximity to assemblies of people is considered a particularly high-risk activity, as those under the drone cannot safely move away if the drone malfunctions. Flying beyond visual line-of-sight and above 120m without the appropriate training or safety mitigations has the potential to endanger manned aircraft in flight.

The incident was reported by a member of the public and An Garda Siochana respectively, who advised the IAA of the occurrences. The IAA worked closely with An Garda Siochana on the investigation and subsequent prosecution.

Meanwhile, the IAAs investigator, Brian Thornton, emphasised the need to ensure that public safety is maintained through the correct use of drones.

As Irelands Civil Aviation Regulator, public safety is our highest priority. Operating a drone in a concert environment with large crowds poses a significant risk to attendees if the drone were to lose control, while flying above 120 metres places the drone into airspace where the potential for conflict with manned aircraft increases.

In this case, operating beyond visual line-of-sight significantly reduced the pilots ability to monitor manned aircraft and assess crowd density on the ground. Drone pilots must always ensure they are aware of airspace restrictions and comply with aviation safety regulations before flying.

Inspector Padraigh Sutton of the Limerick Divisional Roads Policing Unit stressed that the unauthorised operation of drones over events, concerts or large gatherings is illegal.

These flights can endanger the public and disrupt emergency operations. An Garda Siochana, in cooperation with the IAA, will investigate all reports of illegal drone use, and offenders will be prosecuted. Please report any incidents of illegal drone use to your local Garda station.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal (L), Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina (C) and Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene attend a press conference after their meeting in Riga, Latvia, Dec. 12, 2025. Riga on Friday hosted a meeting of the prime ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, focusing on regional security and joint infrastructure projects, marking the end of Latvia's 2025 chairmanship of the Baltic Council of Ministers. (Photo by Edijs Palens/Xinhua)

RIGA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Riga on Friday hosted a meeting of the prime ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, focusing on regional security and joint infrastructure projects, marking the end of Latvia's 2025 chairmanship of the Baltic Council of Ministers.

The leaders discussed regional security issues, progress on the Rail Baltica railway, and shared interests in negotiations on the European Union's (EU) next multiannual budget. Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said 2025 was challenging but underscored close cooperation.

Silina described Rail Baltica as a shared priority, while Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stressed the project must be completed by 2030. Lithuania's Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene highlighted the railway's importance for security and economic links.

The three leaders also restated their pledge to spend at least 5 percent of GDP on defense from 2026 and to promote close cooperation on securing external borders. 
Knockmore

A farewell to Brendan Blewitt

On Friday evening, November 21, Brendan Blewitt, went to his eternal reward surrounded by his loving family in the wonderful care of Mayo/Roscommon Hospice. Brendan was a beloved dad, grandad, brother, uncle and friend and his passing has left a deep void in the lives of all who knew him.

Brendans remains reposed at his home in Runagry on the Sunday afternoon and his removal took place on Monday morning to Christ the King Church, Knockmore, for his 1pm Requiem Mass. There his nephew Bishop Kevin Sweeney, who flew in from New York that morning, was the chief celebrant for the con-celebrated Mass. During the eulogy the huge crowds present heard Bishop Kevin pay glowing tributes to his uncle Brendan. He spoke of his great faith and commitment to his church, he spoke of the great example he showed to his family always, he spoke of the great welcome both he and Christina extended his family members down the years. He spoke of the outstanding care the family extended their father enabling him to stay at his home until his final weeks, he spoke of Brendans love for nature and the land and his positive attitude always to the many ups and downs he experienced in life. Brendan was laid to rest afterwards in Cloghans Cemetery.

Brendan was born in Calladashin in 1935 to parents Hubert and Winifred Blewitt and was a member of a family of eight. On his marriage to Christina Brogan they set up home in Runagry, the next village and reared a family of four - Brenda, Cathriona, Joseph and Laurita. Both worked hard to rear and educate their family, a family they were always so proud of and their many achievements. Both Brendan and Christina had an open door for family visits and holidays and a welcome always for all who visited.

Brendan, though quiet and unassuming in his manner was very much involved with his local community most notably with Knockmore GAA Club where he served on the committee for many years. He took great delight in attending all the local matches while also listening in to Lauritas match commentary on Mid West Radio. Brendan too participated in many local quizzes and was always willing to stand in to make up a team if need be.

Coming from a very close family, Brendan experienced much sadness with the passing of his parents and five of his siblings but he was to experience his greatest sadness with the passing of his beloved wife Christina a few short years ago.

Brendan was a farmer through and through and while he was able, continued to work his farm and enjoyed nothing better than heading off on his tractor to check his stock. He also took great pride in growing his vegetables and sharing them with friends and family. With the loss of his mobility a few years back, Brendan continued to keep up to date with farming activity through his tablet, checking in on the weekly local Mart sales etc. and the local parish Mass.

Brendan together with his family took great joy and delight in meeting his cousin President Joe Biden while on his visit to his ancestoral home in Mayo in 2023 and his joy was shared by friends and family who joined in with all the celebrations. The visit of his nephew newly ordained Bishop Kevin Sweeney from New York, son of the late Joe and Agnes Sweeney nee Blewitt, was another great highlight in Brendans life in recent years.

Those many memories of Brendan we hope will be of some comfort to his family at this time and we take this opportunity to extend them our deepest sympathy. To his beloved family - his son Joseph, his daughters Brenda, Cathriona and Laurita, to his seven grandchildren, his last remaining family siblings Sr Aloyious, Mercy Sisters, Galway and his sister Nora USA, sons-in-law, daughter-in-law Deirdre, nephews, nieces, in-laws, cousins, neighbours and many friends. Brendan was pre-deceased by his wife Christina, his brothers Paddy Joe (USA), and Mike (Ballina), his sisters Sr Brigid (Mercy Sisters, Limerick), Breege Bourke (Ballina), Agnes Sweeney (USA). May his gentle soul now rest in peace.

Padre Pio Novena

The annual Padre Pio Novena continues every Monday evening for Advent in Knockmore Church at 7pm and it includes Mass and Benediction. All welcome

5k Fun Run

A 5k Fun Run takes place in the parish on St Stephen's Day in aid of the Parochial House Restoration Fund and Mayo Roscommon Hospice. Training is held every Wednesday evening for at 7pm, meeting in the Knockmore GAA car park. The event is suitable for over 18's only. Wear hi-viz clothing and please bring a light.

Currabaggan School online lotto

The numbers drawn last week were 2, 5, 6 and18 and there was no jackpot winner. The 25 weekly winner Jessica Duggan. Thank you for your continued support.

Meals from Knockmore Rathduff Centre

Delicious hot and nutritious meals are available to the local community and surrounding areas on all weekdays from the centre in Knockmore. Customise your delivery schedule to suit your needs so that you can enjoy the convenience of daily meals right to your doorstep. Call 094 92 58016 for further details.

Ballina Lights committee

The Ballina Christmas Market will run from Friday, December 12 to Sunday, December 14, at the Innovation Quarter, Ballina. Spaces are limited. Entry fee is 140. If interested email ballinalights@gmail.com for an application form.

************.

Ballycastle.

Carol Service

A Carol Service will be held in St John's Church, Ballycastle, on Friday, December 12, at 7.30pm. All are welcome to come along.

Monster Bingo

Christmas Monster Bingo will take place in Ballycastle Community Hall on Monday, December 15, at 8pm, with a guaranteed 1,000 jackpot and great prizes. Congratulations to Francie Murphy, last week's winner of 233 in the GAA 50/50 draw.

News items

News items for inclusion in Ballycastle Notes in the Western People can be sent to ballycastle4@hotmail.com by 8pm on Wednesday evenings for inclusion in the following week's edition.

*****************.

Bonniconlon

Lotto

Bonniconlon Lotto Results The numbers drawn on Saturday, November 29, for a jackpot of 11,450, were 8, 27, 35 and 36. There was no jackpot winner. The 40 winners were; Alan Igoe, Bonniconlon; Katie Duffy, Bonniconlon; Chris Meer, Bonniconlon; Brendan Conlon, Leeds x 2. The latest draw took place on December 6, for a jackpot of 11,600.

Bulletin

Notices for the parish bulletin can be emailed to cebonniconlon@gmail.com on or before each Wednesday.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Increasing clouds. There is a slight chance for a little snow late, mainly south of I-78..

Tonight

Increasing clouds. There is a slight chance for a little snow late, mainly south of I-78.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of an international peace forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Dec. 12, 2025. (Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye/Handout via Xinhua)

ANKARA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called for a "limited ceasefire" to halt attacks targeting energy and port facilities in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan made the remarks during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of an international peace forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

During their talks, Erdogan said that the efforts to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict with a just and lasting peace are "valuable." He added that progress can be made "in areas with practical benefits for both sides," noting that "a limited ceasefire targeting energy facilities and ports would be beneficial."

Erdogan stressed that Turkiye is closely following the negotiation processes aimed at ending the conflict and that "Turkiye, within this framework, can host talks in all formats," according to the statement.

The statement noted that the talks also covered bilateral relations, the EU's freezing of Russian assets, the latest developments in Gaza and Syria, and the peace process in the South Caucasus.

On Friday, a forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust was held in Ashgabat. The event has drawn high-level delegations and representatives of international organizations. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of an international peace forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Dec. 12, 2025. (Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye/Handout via Xinhua)
Mayor of Francistown Gaone Majere receives medical service during a free medical outreach event in Francistown, Botswana, Dec. 12, 2025. The 17th batch of the Chinese medical team in Botswana on Friday conducted a free medical outreach at an industrial community in Francistown, the country's second largest city. (Photo by Shingirai Madondo/Xinhua)

GABORONE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 17th batch of the Chinese medical team in Botswana on Friday conducted a free medical outreach at an industrial community in Francistown, the country's second largest city.

At least 55 people, including local staff at the Dumela Industrial Area, benefited from medical services at the outreach event, according to Hu Minxiong, leader of the Francistown branch of the Chinese medical team.

He said that the medical professionals from China care deeply about the health of Botswana citizens, noting that the team firmly believes health is a shared aspiration of all humanity, regardless of nationality.

The outreach events aimed to bring the people of China and Botswana even closer and strengthen the bond of friendship, Hu added.

Mayor of Francistown Gaone Majere hailed the event as a success by offering the workers in the industrial area with general screenings, consultations, preventative care, health education, and treatment.

"Today's outreach is a practical demonstration of providing specialized care and ensuring that the most vulnerable amongst us have access to medical support," said Majere, adding that the event is directly advancing the health and well-being of the Francistown community.

He expressed his deepest appreciation to the Chinese government for choosing medical professionals to invest their skills, time, and hearts in Botswana communities. 
BUDAPEST, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto on Friday called on NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to stop "fueling war tensions" with remarks he has made about Ukraine. Szijjarto said Rutte's remarks were "irresponsible and dangerous."

Rutte has warned that "we are the Russians' next target," and that Russia "may be ready to attack NATO within five years." He has also underlined that "Ukraine's security is our security."

These remarks demonstrate a sharp turn by the NATO chief, Szijjarto said on social media, as well as demonstrating resistance to peace talks. The statements have "practically stabbed peace negotiations in the back," the Hungarian minister claimed.

"The security of European countries is guaranteed not by Ukraine, but by NATO," he said, adding: "Ukraine is fighting for itself, not for us."

Rutte's statements are therefore provocative, as well as "irresponsible and dangerous," the Hungarian minister said. 
CALS Quarterly Issue 30

Read the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter and catch up on our recent highlights

CALS has had an eventful quarter, with appearances before the Constitutional Court and High Court, as well as submissions made to the South African Human Rights Commission and the United Nations.



At the end of November, the Civil and Political Justice programme appeared as a friend of the court in an appeal concerning the power of the South African Human Rights Commission to issue binding directives. CALS in-house counsel Jatheen Bhima argued that the Commissions powers under the Constitution should be interpreted broadly, in line with international law, and that the Commission has a crucial role to play in realising the right to access remedies for victims of human rights violations.



In the Eastern Cape High Court, the Home, Land and Rural Democracy programme represented residents of three villages in an application against the Amathole District Municipality, calling on the local government to supply access to safe, sufficient water to their communities. The judge granted CALS application and ordered the Municipality to ensure the uninterrupted supply of free basic water to the villages.



In other news, the Environmental Justice programme made submissions before an inquiry run by the South African Human Rights Commission. Our comments focused on reforms needed to decriminalise and regulate artisanal mining. Recently, we also hosted this years short course on climate justice for women activists in partnership with Lawyers for Human Rights.



In October, the Business and Human Rights programme travelled to Geneva for the latest round of negotiations on the binding treaty on business and human rights. We made submissions on how to ensure corporate accountability under international law and, along with our partner organisations, we co-hosted side events on the need for a binding treaty in the context of the global rush for critical minerals, and exposing the collusion between big capital and the state.



Finally, CALS participated in a Litigation Learning Lab hosted in Brazil by our partners at Conectas Direitos Humanos, the Open Society Justice Initiative, Forum Asia and the Pan-African Lawyers Union. Sithuthukile Mkhize represented CALS and ran discussions on strategic litigation against public participation.

Click the image below for more about these and other recent updates.
DIMA Health Pre-Launches Digital System to Strengthen HIV and TB Patient Tracking

On 26 November 2025, DIMA Health, in partnership with the Get Ready Centre, the University of the Witwatersrand, RISA and UK International Development, hosted a pre-launch event at the Sinqobile Centre in Mamelodi East.

The event unveiled a ground-breaking digital health solution designed to strengthen HIV and TB care and improve patient experience across South Africas public health system.

This initiative forms part of the national Tracking 1.1 Million HIV Clients and 5 Million TB Clients Closing Campaign, and introduces a USSD(*120*7331#) based clinic booking system that allows clients to schedule appointments remotely; without airtime, data, or a smartphone.

The digital booking platform aims to transform how patients access care. Through the USSD number, clients can book appointments from home, select a convenient time, receive reminders, and avoid long queues at clinics. For the health system, this reduces overcrowding, supports smoother patient flow, and eases the administrative burden on nurses.

The system also supports maternal and community health by helping mothers, babies, and other vulnerable groups receive timely, uninterrupted care.

Nicole Mamadi, a Stakeholder Engagement Officer at DIMA Health, described the pre-launch as a significant milestone for both the organisation and the community.

Nicole explained that the booking system is designed to make clinic access easier and more flexible. Clients can now book from home or anywhere using their phones, which reduces the overwhelming pressure often placed on nurses and clinic staff.

She added that community turnout demonstrated strong enthusiasm, noting that many attendees welcomed a digital system that is convenient and eliminates the long walks and long waiting times that have historically discouraged people from seeking care.

Ma ambassadors: community-based maternal health champions trained by DIMA Health and selected from existing Community Health Workers (CHWs) have also played a vital role in bridging the gap between clinics and communities. Get Ready ambassador Jabulile Mthombeni, stationed at Olivenhoutbosch Clinic highlighted that the digital system has been valuable during the 1.1 million client campaign. Clients have long complained about queues, but since introducing the digital booking system, its now easy because they can book from home, she said.

Jabulile explained that ambassadors assist walk-ins by helping them book on the spot and ensuring that clients schedule their next appointments before leaving. She noted that both clinic staff and residents responded positively during the pre-launch, arriving in large numbers to learn about the system.

The event showcased strong collaboration between municipal leadership, academia, civil society and health partners. With support from the City of Tshwane, RISA and the Department of Health, the system is expected to:

Reduce loss to follow-up

Improve patient experience

Strengthen facility efficiency

Enhance data use for decision-making

Support more connected and resilient health systems

These goals align with DIMA Healths broader mission to strengthen and connect health systems in Africa through digital innovation for maternal and community health.

As South Africa continues its fight against HIV and TB, digital tools like the DIMA Health booking platform represent a crucial step forward. By improving access, reducing barriers, and making the health system more responsive to community needs, this innovation has the potential to advance continuity of care for millions of clients nationwide.
ARUSHA, Tanzania, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Morning sunlight bathed the Ngorongoro highlands as streams of visitors stepped into a museum nestled within the Ngorongoro Lengai UNESCO Global Geopark in Tanzania's Arusha region. Among them was Lina Okello, a first-time traveler from Kenya, who paused in awe at a space where geology, culture, and time converge.

The recently opened Chinese-built Ngorongoro-Lengai Geological Heritage Museum is already reshaping Tanzania's tourism landscape, offering an immersive gateway into one of the world's most celebrated conservation areas.

"I've been to national parks before, but never understood how these landscapes came to be," Okello said, her gaze fixed on a sweeping illustrated panorama of the Ngorongoro Crater. "Here, you feel like you're walking through history before seeing the real thing outside."

Since its opening on Oct. 16 this year, the museum has drawn 575 visitors, according to manager Agness Gidna, who described the institution as a milestone in Tanzania's efforts to diversify tourism and deepen educational engagement with the country's natural and cultural heritage.

Built jointly by the governments of China and Tanzania, the 32-billion-Tanzanian-shilling (about 13 million U.S. dollars) museum is China's first foreign-aid geological park project.

Inspired by Mount Ol Doinyo Lengai, one of the world's rarest volcanoes, the design incorporates symbolic colors: grey for volcanic ash, orange for lava, blue for the sky and universe, brown for human heritage, and green for ecology. The structure reflects the interconnectedness of geology, humanity, and environmental conservation.

Vinay Sapra, a board member of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, said the new facility has added significant depth to the tourism circuit.

Sapra described the geopark museum as "a very interesting phenomenon," offering rich insights and learning opportunities that bring Tanzania's geological and cultural story to life.

The museum serves as a one-stop hub of knowledge that ordinary visitors would struggle to access on their own, Sapra said, adding that it provides essential context for understanding the evolution of Ngorongoro's landscapes and communities.

Inside the museum, German tourist Michael Bauer, fresh off a Serengeti safari, examined early human fossils with fascination.

"I didn't expect such a modern museum here," he said. "You see the crater, the wildlife, the Maasai culture outside, and then you come here and understand how everything connects. It makes the whole trip richer."

Also known as the Urithi Geo-Museum, the institution highlights Ngorongoro's unique natural and geological heritage while celebrating the ecological richness of the crater and the cultural traditions of surrounding communities.

Drawing from decades of scientific research across the Ngorongoro Lengai geopark, the exhibits include geological formations, volcanic features, rock specimens, early human fossils, ancient stone tools, and a panoramic illustration of the crater. Cultural displays feature traditional artifacts from the Hadzabe, Datoga, Iraqw, and Maasai communities, offering a holistic picture of the region's human history, according to Gidna.

"To help visitors understand this history in a structured way, the displays are arranged into six thematic sections," said Gidna. "This layered approach allows visitors to walk through geological time, gaining an appreciation of the forces that shaped the landscape and the societies that have lived alongside it."

As more international travelers explore the museum, Gidna said Tanzania's standing as a premier global tourism destination is set to grow even stronger. 
Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends an event with supporters, as he appears for a check-in at the ICE field office in in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 25, 2025.
TUNIS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia and Algeria reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and advancing their partnership during the 23rd session of the Tunisian-Algerian Joint High Commission, which concluded Friday in Tunis, the Tunisian government said.

The session was co-chaired by Tunisian Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri and Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb. Several agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed in areas including water, transport, investment, insurance, youth and sports, diplomacy, and media.

The Algerian prime minister said agreements reached on Friday strengthen the legal and institutional framework for cooperation and expand economic ties beyond strategic sectors such as security, defense, and energy. He highlighted opportunities to boost non-hydrocarbon trade and joint investments.

On regional issues, Ghrieb said Tunisia and Algeria are fully aligned on the Palestinian cause and efforts to support Libya's sovereignty, unity, and resources. 
A person distributes lunch packets for Cyclone Ditwah flood victims in Biyagama, Sri Lanka, December 2, 2025

World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) reporters visited Biyagama, a town in Gampaha District located about 20 km from Colombo, on December 7 to speak with survivors of flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Workers from the Biyagama Export Processing Zone (BEPZ), many of whom live in boarding houses, along with small and medium-sized business owners, are among those affected. The area is highly vulnerable to frequent flooding from the Kelani River, one of Sri Lankas four major rivers.

The flooding was so severe that roads, houses and businesses were fully or partially submerged. Workers, small shop owners and residents described to reporters the terrifying impact of the disaster, the repeated flooding they endure and the destruction caused this time by the overflowing Kelani River.

Temporary shelters for flood victims were set up at Yabaraluwa Ananda Vidyalaya (school) and a nearby temple.

Reporters visited a boarding house in Malwana, where a group of workers from the HJS Condiments factorya food processing company under the Hayleys Group, located in BEPZwere staying. They noted that, compared to the floods in 2016, the water level this time rose more than three feet higher.

Jayani, a young female worker from Rakwana (over 130 km from Colombo), said: If the rulers had been concerned about the people, they [the victims] could have been saved, though perhaps the houses would still have been destroyed. If the rulers had alerted the people, in advance, that a cyclone was approaching, deaths could have been prevented.

Commenting on the failure to use available technology, she added: There should be such technology, even though there are experts in Sri Lanka. But the rulers do not allow technology to be utilized. Politicians are not concerned about the people, whether they are dead or alive.

On the attitude of the capitalist class toward human life, she remarked: Their only interest is in extracting as much work as possible, and they will never save people [from disasters].

People walk in a submerged street in Biyagama, Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah, December 2, 2025

Jayani also described the conditions of exploitation at her factory: My basic salary is about 31,000 rupees per month. I pay 8,000 rupees for my room. Ive bought a motorcycle on a leasing plan, and I have to pay for that. After paying for meals, I have nothing left.

The boarding house owner, who also works at the same factory, described how they were affected on November 29: This time, a large volume of water entered the house. The fridge, the washing machine, clothing cupboards, the sofa and other belongings went under water. In an hour, everything was inundated. She explained that about 20 boarders and her family spent six days living on the first floor of the house.

She criticized the lack of government response: The Grama Sevaka [village-level administrative officer] has not yet visited this area. They should come and listen to our grievances. We lost all of our clothes, and what were wearing now is what others gave us.

Reporters explained that in Sri Lanka and around the world, enormous wealth is concentrated in the hands of a tiny capitalist elite, whose only concern is private profit.

Victims in Biyagama, Sri Lanka, speak to WSWS reporters following Cyclone Ditwah

Wasantha, who drives a three-wheeler for a living, described the lack of infrastructure for evacuation: Even though people were asked to evacuate, they must be provided with suitable places. If we were asked to evacuate, we still wouldnt have anywhere to go.

He added that the government failed to establish adequate evacuation centers in advance: For over 70 years, politicians have plundered the countrys resources. What happened in past disasters is happening again now.

Commenting on the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna/National Peoples Power (JVP/NPP) government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he said that whatever promises were made during the election campaign, there is no difference, as far as I can understand. Reporters explained that the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and WSWS have always characterized the JVP/NPP as part of the bourgeois political establishment and warned that its government would be no different from those before it.

He expressed interest in learning more about the SEPs program and acknowledged that the capitalist system has failed to protect peoplenot only from disasters like Cyclone Ditwah, but also from the broader economic and social crisis.

Reporters also spoke with a young female worker from Balangoda (over 150 km from Colombo), employed at the Midas Safety factory in the BEPZ, which manufactures medical gloves for export. She has worked there for nearly two years and earns about 50,000 rupees per month.

She explained that the factory closed for two and a half days due to flooding and lack of transport. When it reopened, it operated with a reduced number of workers.

She reflected on the global nature of the crisis, saying that air pollution is caused by emissions from vehicles, gases from power stations, and so on, and that this is leading to the melting of glaciers. She added that under capitalism, real solutions to these problems do not yet exist and are even unthinkable.

Another female worker, a daily wage contract laborer, explained that she lost a week of work due to the flooding: We mainly work in tea-packaging factories in Wellampitiya and Kelanimulla, a beer-manufacturing plant in Hanwella, and a garment factory in Piliyandala.

My daily wage is between 1,700 and 2,000 rupees, she said, adding that she worked only 20 days in November. At most, I earn between 35,000 and 40,000 rupees a month, and my husband, also a daily wage laborer, earns about 40,000 rupees per month.

Commenting on the JVP/NPP government, she said: There is no change in our lives. Its the same as previous governments. She added, Were both in our forties, and we cant expect to get a permanent job in the future. Our lives are uncertain.

Across the country, more than 3,200 industries have reported losses, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Industries. An estimated 2.3 million peopleover 10 percent of the countrys populationwere living in areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah. More than 1.1 million hectaresnearly 20 percent of Sri Lankas land areawere inundated, causing massive damage to homes, infrastructure, and essential services, according to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study.
The founding of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultanas Your Party is the latest attempt to trap workers and young people looking for a socialist leadership within a pro-capitalist broad left formation led by reformist and Stalinist bureaucrats.

The crisis besetting the party demonstrates that the objective basis for doing so has been undermined by a deepening economic and social crisis that has not only rendered impossible new reformist half-measures but drives the capitalist class and its governments to destroy those implemented in the past.

Jeremy Corbyn speaking at the Your Party founding conference [Photo: X/Jeremy Corbyn]

As with all past efforts, such as Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain, the formation of Your Party is intended to fence off those seeking an alternative to despised right-wing parties like Keir Starmers Labour from a revolutionary socialist opposition to austerity and war.

The disorientation produced by the inevitable betrayals of such broad-left formations has repeatedly allowed the ruling class to proceed with its attacks and serve to strengthen the far-right. The key role in every case has been played by pseudo-left groups, who claim to represent a revolutionary alternative only to insist that the working class must accept the leadership of left reformist leaders or political currents emerging from the breakup of the old social democratic and Stalinist parties.

This has led to one disaster after another for the working class. In 2015, Syriza infamously betrayed its 2015 referendum mandate to oppose European Union and International Monetary Fund-dictated austerity that inflicted social devastation on Greek workers, leading to the partys ignominious collapse.

Rivalling Syrizas betrayal was that carried out by Corbyn during his five years as leader of the Labour Party between 2015 and 2020. This was hailed by pseudo-left ideologue Chantal Mouffe as a potentially far more successful example of a new wave of left populism because Corbyn stood at the head of a great party and enjoys the support of the trade unions, provided that he rejected the traditional left political frontier established on the basis of class.

Corbyn went on to carry out the worst rout in political history as he repeatedly betrayed the hundreds of thousands who flocked to the party and capitulated on all fundamental issues to the Blairite right.

None of this dissuaded the pseudo-left groups from insisting that forming a new Syriza-style party under Corbyns leadership must be the next stage that British workers must pass through and that the only alternative was the victory of Reform UK and the far-right. To call for the building of a revolutionary alternative was sectarian, when the only option was for the organised left to join Your Party and to argue for more thoroughgoing reforms, while advocating, in a personal capacity, revolution at some long-distant point in the future.

Zarah Sultana and the Socialist Workers Party

The depth and speed of Your Partys sink into the mire provides additional proof of its rotten political foundations. The founding conference held in Liverpool on November 29-30 followed months of unprincipled factional warfare between Corbyn and Sultana over control of financial assets and membership lists that whittled down the 850,000 who signed up as supporters in July to just 55,000 becoming members, and a forecast attendance of 13,000 ending with between 1,500-2,000 coming to the Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre.

Politically the dispute between the two is over how left Your Party must posture if it is to have any hope of winning support.

Corbyn, who never wanted to form a party at all, wants only the most pathetic variant of a reformist programme, modelled on the Labour Party manifestos of 2017 and 2019 which combined some re-nationalisations and minimal tax rises for the major corporations and super-rich with pledges to defend British capitalism, including maintaining membership of NATO and keeping nuclear weapons.

Sultana advances a more full-throated programme, seeking to commit Your Party to nationalising the entire economy and running it in the interests of workers, combined with an anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist foreign policy.

Zarah Sultana speaking at a protest against the Strike Bill, February 1, 2023

She knows that Corbyn has been substantially discredited due to his refusal to fight Labours right-wing, and that the groundswell of anger and anti-capitalist sentiment among workers and youth will not be satisfied with his meagre palliatives. However, despite her more militant rhetoric and insistence that she is not in favour of building a Labour Party Mark 2, Sultana has never once proposed that Your Party be based on anything other than the pursuit of social reforms through parliament.

This ideological conflict determined events at Your Partys founding congress. Leading members of the Socialist Workers Party were expelled or denied entrance, as Corbyns inner circle used their control of the apparatus to insist on the exclusion of the pseudo-left parties. Sultana, meanwhile, relied on the pseudo-left to strengthen her position just as they relied on her to back their assertion that Your Party was not a lost cause.

The SWP, Britains largest pseudo-left tendency, is the main such force in Your Party. It concluded its coverage of a conference that expelled its leaders with claims that it had backed calls for radical alternative when presented with rival visionsradical, insurgent and democratic, meaning Sultana, or a Labour Mark 2, meaning Corbyn.

Making clear this insurgent option has nothing to do with building a socialist alternative, the SWP cites as proof that such a vision that breaks with the status quo can be popular Zohran Mamdanis victory in New York.

They follow this uncritical adulation of the newly-minted partner of Donald Trump with the admonition that Your Party needs to back credible candidates with local support in local elections and for the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish parliament next year. They never define opposing a Labour Party Mark 2 as meaning a break with reformism, but rather as undefined traditions and methods that see elections as more important than what happens outside parliament.

The SWPs cautions against the pressure to capitulate like Syriza are belied by their silence on the featured presence of the Belgian Workers Party, Die Linke and La France Insoumise who are playing Syrizas role todaynot to mention their shameful promotion of Mamdani and Sultana. Nor does this stop them insisting that it is time to end factional infighting and unify the two wings of Your Party, in an echo of the broad church argument that protected Labours right-wing from challenge for decades.

The anti-revolutionary politics of the pseudo-left

The pseudo-left parties for the most part have their origins in an explicit repudiation of the revolutionary internationalist programme of Trotsky and the Fourth International following the Second World War and a wholesale adaptation to imperialism and to the reformist and Stalinist parties and trade unions. They are today the most insidious opponents of revolution, led by a privileged upper middle-class stratum with a vested interest in defending capitalism.

In 2016, at the beginning of Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party, the SWPs Donny Gluckstein defined this as The rebirth of social democracy. The radical politics of Bernie Sanders, Corbyn, Syriza and Podemos was the repeat of a cycle driven by contradictions within mass consciousness. Because most ordinary people are subject to the ideological influence of the system, despite facing one disaster after another, Contradictory, i.e., reformist consciousness therefore, supplies an eternal wellspring of mass reformist potential.

Donny Gluckstein [Photo: X/dvgil]

Scarcely addressing the October 1917 revolution, the 20th century was divided up into reformisms Traumatic adolescence leading up to World War I, a Coming of Age encompassing World War II, and a Golden age in the post-war decades, in which reformist parties held unchallengeable sway because capitalism was expanding.

The deepening crisis of world capitalism from the 1970s appeared to be reformisms Decrepit old age, with intermittent booms and slumps, and now prolonged stagnation leading the social democrats to abandon reforms and make major attacks on the working class.

However, though it appeared that the first life cycle had now run its course and produced parties like Tony Blairs New Labour from which millions turned away in disgust, in fact, Old age prepares the way for new birth the enduring combination of adaptation and resistance from below still regenerates hope that reforms are possible. The wellspring that gave life to social democracy long ago still pours forth and will find a channel for expression if given the opportunity, whether that be in Syriza, Corbyn or another vessel.

Gluckstein never offers any real explanation of why the social democratic and Stalinist parties and states fell to pieces and attributes no lasting significance to this collapse.

The development of globalised production during the 1980s had in fact fatally undermined all parties, trade unions and other organisations rooted in the nation state, destroying any possibility of securing reforms through limited trade union action and parliamentary reform. In every country, parties and trade unions committed to the defence of the capitalist profit system responded by abandoning reforms, demanding instead endless sacrifices by workers in the name of global competitiveness and carrying out an endless series of betrayals.

This did not lead automatically to workers breaking from reformist illusions, but the turn by millions away from their old bureaucratic leaderships evidenced the unprecedented objective opportunities to win workers to a genuine socialist perspective.

As the International Committee of the Fourth International explained as early as 1988, in its perspectives document The World Capitalist Crisis and the Tasks of the Fourth International, the changes in the form of capitalist production had brought with them a change in the form of the class struggle:

It has long been an elementary proposition of Marxism that the class struggle is national only as to form, but that it is, in essence, an international struggle. However, given the new features of capitalist development, even the form of the class struggle must assume an international character Precisely the international character of the proletariat, a class which owes no allegiance to any capitalist fatherland, makes it the sole social force that can liberate civilisation from the strangulating fetters of the nation state system. For these fundamental reasons, no struggle against the ruling class in any country can produce enduring advances for the working class, let alone prepare its final emancipation, unless it is based on an international strategy aimed at the worldwide mobilisation of the proletariat against the capitalist system

The ICFI understood this as the essential basis for the construction of a new revolutionary internationalist leadership, whereas the SWP treats it as a political hiccup presenting no way forward other than for workers to search again and again for a new reformist road.

More recently, in July 2025s Revolutionaries, hegemony and the united front, Hector Sierra declared that the only task before the SWP was to accept that The balance of forces is much more decisively tilted towards reformism than in the inter-war years, even if social democracy has also experienced a long period of decline.

A small party such as the SWP can only propose alliances to sections of the Labour left, to specific trade union leaders, and so on, with an orientation on using those national agreements to foster alliances at a local level, encouraging activists in different parties and none to engage in joint action.

He insisted, moreover, that The balance of forces between revolutionaries and reformists today renders the project of making the revolutionary party a pole of attraction within united front activities a less straightforward proposition, by which is meant that even creating tension with reformist forces within the united front is restricted because the onus is often on revolutionaries to fight to preserve the unity of fronts.

Revolutionary politics: the fight for socialist consciousness

Prior to Your Partys founding conference, the Socialist Equality Party insisted that the issue facing workers was whether to support a programme and party based on reformist delusions or build one dedicated to the struggle for socialist revolution. The pseudo-left stand unambiguously for the promotion of reformist delusions.

The SEP fights to arm the working class with a revolutionary perspective. We not only reject entirely the demoralised argument that reformist consciousness cannot be challenged. We are preparing the most powerful means of doing so.

On November 22, the SEP hosted a lecture in London delivered by David North, chairperson of the World Socialist Web Site, Where is America going?: Oligarchy, dictatorship, and the revolutionary crisis of capitalism.

David North presenting his lecture in London

North insisted that a critique of capitalism based on moral outrage, however justified that outrage may be, cannot provide the foundation for a revolutionary struggle against it The violence of oligarchy, the brazenness of its power-grabs, the descent into authoritarianismall of these express the terminal crisis of the capitalist mode of production itself.

Stating that the rapidly deteriorating conditions of life for the great majority of Americans is already producing a growing sentiment that an alternative to capitalism is necessary, he noted that the initial beneficiary of this, Mamdani, was already in full Corbyn mode, assuring the media and Wall Street that nothing he said during the election campaign should have been taken seriously, and going so far as to ask for an audience with Trump, and humiliating himself in the process.

Mamdanis treachery demonstrates again that the central issue of our time is the crisis of revolutionary leadership Objective economic processes create both the necessity and conditions for the overthrow of capitalism. But the socialist revolution is the outcome of the conscious intervention of the working class in the historic process, led by a revolutionary Marxist party.

Explaining that the conditions now exist for an extraordinary advance in the political consciousness of the working class, North announced the launching December 12 of Socialism AI.

In a subsequent December 7 perspective, he explained that the Socialism AI chatbot will use the power of amplified human cognition to advance the development of socialist consciousness in the international working class. It will expand and accelerate the education of workers, student youth, progressive intellectuals and artists by making accessible the theoretical, historical and political experience of more than 150 years of the Marxist movement, above all, the heritage defended by the Fourth International and in this way will prepare them for the irrepressible escalation of the international class conflict.

This is our answer to the efforts to corral workers behind Sultana and Corbyns doomed project. We are the sole tendency that not only sets out to build a revolutionary leadership, but which has, in the rich political heritage of the World Socialist Web Site and now the essential tool of Socialism AI, the necessary means to do this.
The United States has seen a dramatic acceleration in state-sanctioned killings this year, reaching a total of 46 executions so far in 2025, a level not witnessed in more than a decade. This figure stands in contrast to the 25 executions carried out in 2024, confirming an alarming upward trend driven almost entirely by the political machinations of a handful of stateschiefly Florida, Texas, Alabama and South Carolina, which together account for three-quarters of the killings.

This undated photo shows the death chamber in Columbia, South Carolina including the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. [AP Photo/South Carolina Department of Corrections]

This surge in executions is in line with the deeply reactionary political climate fostered by the pro-death penalty administration of President Donald Trump and the ultra-conservative Supreme Court which upholds this reactionary agenda. Trumps executive order, Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety, signed on Inauguration Day, explicitly directed the pursuit of capital punishment in all applicable federal cases and encouraged the attorney general to assist states in carrying out executions.

Florida governor sets execution record

The bulk of the state killing spree is attributable to the arbitrary exercise of power by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has overseen a shocking 18 executions this year. This figure shatters Floridas previous record of eight executions set in 2014.

The 18th person put to death in Florida this year was Mark Allen Geralds, 58, who died by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke on Tuesday, December 9, at 6:15 p.m. local time.

Mark Allen Geralds

Geralds was convicted in 1990 for the 1989 murder of 33-year-old Tressa Lynn Pettibone in Panama City Beach. Pettibone, a mother of two, was beaten repeatedly, had her wrists bound with plastic ties, and was fatally stabbed with a kitchen knife. Her eight-year-old son found her body upon returning home from school. Prosecutors alleged Geralds, a carpenter who had previously worked on the home, tortured Pettibone trying to find $7,000 in cash he believed was in the house.

Geralds was diagnosed with antisocial personality and bipolar disorders and had a history of criminal activity. He had also been involved in a jailbreak with four other inmates while awaiting trial in 1990. In the final weeks before his execution, Geralds filed a motion to waive his remaining appeals, asking to die.

Opponents of the death penalty charged that the state capitalized on Geralds despair, turning his execution into an opportunity to add to the DeSantis administrations death count without confronting serious legal and constitutional defects in his case. Forensic evidence, including blood, fingerprints and hair found at the scene, reportedly did not match Geralds, and critics stress that DNA analysis was never performed to identify the unknown subjects.

Geralds execution moved forward despite his mental state being barely addressed during the waiver hearing, underscoring the arbitrary nature of the states process. Protesters, including representatives from Death Penalty Action and Journey of HopeFrom Violence to Healing, demonstrated outside the prison, striking gongs so the sound might reach the condemned inmate.

Governor DeSantis, who holds the sole and opaque power to set execution dates in Florida, justifies the unprecedented pace by arguing that justice delayed is justice denied and that he owes victims families closure for decades-old crimes. However, critics point out serious allegations of racial bias in his warrant signing, noting that a statistical analysis showed defendants convicted of killing a white victim were over 15 times more likely to be executed under his administration than those whose victims were not white. Claims that executions provide closure to victims families has also been widely debunked.

Floridas assembly line of killings is not done yet for 2025. Frank Athen Walls, 58, is scheduled to be the states 19th execution of the year, on December 18.

Tennessees third execution of 2025

Harold Wayne Nichols [AP Photo/Tennessee Department of Corrections via the Chattanooga Free Press ]

Harold Wayne Nichols was sentenced to death in 1990 for the brutal rape and murder of 20-year-old Karen Pulley in 1988. He broke into her home, raped her and beat her head with a two-by-four board, resulting in massive brain injuries that led to her death the next day. He confessed to the killing and admitted he would have continued his violent behavior had he not been arrested.

Postconviction filings describe Nichols as having been beaten regularly, exposed to domestic violence and subjected to humiliating treatment as a child. Advocates noted that he reported being sexually victimized as a youth, which was later cited in clemency efforts as an unaddressed trauma.

Court and clemency materials describe Nichols longstanding mental health concerns, including symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress and other mood or personalityrelated problems, though he was not given sustained or effective treatment as a child or adolescent. Nichols also began using alcohol and drugs at a young age.

Much of this history of abuse, trauma and mental health issues was either minimally developed or not fully explained to the original sentencing jury and later became central in appeals and clemency petitions. Several jurors said they would have reconsidered a death sentence had they known more about these issues.

Despite Nichols taking responsibility for his crimes and pleading guiltya fact his attorneys highlighted as making him the first person executed for a crime after pleading guilty since Tennessee reinstated the death penalty in 1978Governor Bill Lee refused to intervene. Lee upheld the sentence after deliberate consideration and a thorough review. Nichols attorneys, who argued that he had demonstrated model conduct and personal rehabilitation, stated they were deeply saddened and gravely disappointed by Lees decision.

Further highlighting the crisis surrounding lethal injection protocols, Nichols execution moved forward despite ongoing legal challenges. His legal counsel was denied access to records regarding previous lethal injection executions, which is particularly concerning given that Tennessees last executed inmate, Byron Black, said he was hurting so bad in his final moments.

With the execution of Nichols, the US tally stands at 46 for the year. If two executions scheduled before years end proceedStacey Humphreys on December 17 in Georgia, Frank Athen Walls on December 18 in Floridathe US is on pace to see 48 executions in 2025.

This increase in state-sanctioned killings, concentrated in just a few states, is a terrifying yardstick of the political brutality currently promoted by the Trump administration and gripping the American justice system, including the ongoing Gestapo dragnet against immigrants and White Houses criminal military pursuits around the globe.
The general strike that brought Portugal to a standstill on December 11 marks a decisive escalation in the confrontation between the working class and the minority right-wing Democratic Alliance (AD) government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.

Its immediate trigger was the ADs sweeping attack on what remains of workers rights established after the 1974 Carnation Revolution. The Trabalho XXI package is presented by the government as a profound reform of the Labour Code, revising more than 100 articles and aiming to flexibilise, to value and grow. It includes easier dismissals, expanded employer control over working hours and outsourcing, weakened collective bargaining, and attacks on maternity protections. The government also seeks to broaden minimum service obligations during strikes, extending them to more sectors and further limiting their impact.

Demonstrators march during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the right-wing government, in Lisbon, Dec. 11, 2025 [AP Photo/Armando Franca]

On the eve of the strike, Montenegro insisted the government would not retreat, declaring, The government respects the right to strike but it is a government with a reformist spirit and will not give up on being reformist and transformative. Despite his public refusal to make a deal with Chega, he will require the fascist partys votes to pass the reforms in parliament.

Portugals first general strike in twelve years, jointly called by the Socialist Party (PS) aligned UGT and the Communist Party (PCP) aligned CGTP, shook the country, extending the wave of escalating class struggle across Europe. The action follows general strikes in Greece and Belgium, and in Italy where workers in the main CGIL union federation are striking today to oppose the budget of Georgia Melonis far-right Brothers of Italy government.

By dawn on December 11, the scale of the walkout was unmistakable. Train services ground to a halt nationwide as rail workers joined the strike, leaving stations deserted and long-distance and suburban lines paralysed. Lisbons metrowhose workers were among the first to walk out overnightshut down almost entirely, operating only the minimal services enforced by the government.

Hospitals remained open for emergencies, but most surgeries and appointments were postponed as nurses and other health sector staff joined the walkout. Schools closed or operated with skeleton staffing, while municipal services, postal operations, and administrative offices were severely disrupted. Urban waste collection was almost universally halted, and major sanitation and water treatment companies shut down.

Air travel was similarly affected. TAP Air Portugal operated only one third of its usual 250 daily flights, with hundreds of cancellations across Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. Lisbon Airportnormally one of Europes busiestwas almost deserted. All 17 major fishing ports, operated by Docapesca, ceased activityan extremely rare occurrence.

One of the most politically significant features of the strike was the unprecedented participation of private sector workers, long burdened by precarious contracts, low wages, high turnover, and fear of dismissal. For more than a decade, strikes had been dismissed as the actions of privileged public sector employees.

Demonstrators gather outside the parliament during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the right-wing Democratic Alliance government, in Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025 [AP Photo/Armando Franca]

The December 11 walkout shattered that narrative. The strike extended into banking, insurance, industry, communications, and the cultural sector, with some companies reporting participation rates of 50 to 100 percent. Goods drivers and truckers joined the stoppage, disrupting deliveries and fuel logistics. The Volkswagen Autoeuropa plantPortugals largest industrial exporterwas effectively shut down, with production halted and its supply chain paralysed.

Even workers unable to strike voiced their anger. Joao Silva, a 32-year-old stationery worker, told Reuters, I dont have a permanent contract. I cant go on strike They want to fire older people so they can hire younger people with lower salaries. Why do labour changes always have to be in favour of company profits?

Commenting on the days actions, UGT General Secretary Mario Mourao declared, I believe this is one of the best strikes ever carried out in Portugal, adding, I hope the Government pays attention to the signals in this clear rejection of the labour package. CGTP General Secretary Tiago Oliveira agreed, saying the mobilisation shows how far this Government is from the reality of the country and from the world of work.

PS leaders also condemned the governments approach as a civilizational regression. They called the strike a great success and a great defeat for the Government, accusing it of breaking social peacesomething they insisted only the PS could guarantee.

PCP General Secretary Paulo Raimundo declared, We are witnessing a historic participation in the general strike, while an official PCP statement added that the large and expressive scale of the General Strike is a huge affirmation of the strength and unity of the workers and a powerful expression of rejection of a labour package serving capital.

Left Bloc (BE) coordinator Jose Manuel Pureza called the strike a national turning point, praising the unity of the two union confederations and insisting that the left must abandon sectarianism and begin a dialogue to confront the current right wing majority. Jorge Pinto, MP and 2026 presidential candidate for the eco republican Livre party, argued, The Government wants to further reduce workers rights in a country that is already the second highest in Europe for precarious employment.

These comments highlight the broader political tensions surrounding the strike. But the labour and trade union bureaucracy are seeking to rein in social and political opposition by focussing on appeals to a government openly hostile to workers and reliant on far-right support, rather than advocating an independent mobilisation of the working class. This agenda excludes any effort to unify the struggle by Portuguese workers with those of their European brothers and sisters facing a common offensive by the ruling elite.

The unions act as industrial police, disarming workers as Europe undergoes a long-term restructuring driven by stagnation, deindustrialisation, and declining global competitiveness. To restore profitability, governments across the continent have imposed austerity, labour market deregulation, wage suppression, and attacks on social protections.

Public services are being cut to fund rearmament and military expansion, as European states prepare for potential confrontation with Russia and, eventually, China.

The continent is undergoing its most rapid militarisation since the 1930s. Portugal is sharply increasing military spending, raising the 2026 defence budget by 23 percentone of the largest jumps in decades. The government aims to reach NATOs 2 percent of GDP target for the first time since 1982 and NATOs new 5 percent guideline by 2035.

The far-rights integration into governmentand its use as a tool to suppress working-class opposition, justify militarism, and shift political discourse further to the rightis the political consequence of the betrayals of the unions, social democracy, Stalinism, and the pseudo-left.

Following the 2008 financial crisis, the unions accepted the Troikas austerity framework and restricted resistance to symbolic, one-day protests. Throughout the austerity decade, workers repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to fight, but the unions intervened to limit the struggle, isolate strikes, and subordinate workers to the PS, which was kept in power by the parliamentary support of the PCP and BE.

They integrated themselves into social dialogue institutions enforcing austerity and blocked the development of independent rank-and-file organisation. Whenever workers attempted wildcat strikes, cross-sector coordination, or independent committees, the unions intervened to restore bureaucratic control.

This refusal to mount a sustained struggle created the political vacuum in which Chega thrives. Now the second largest party in parliament, its rise reflects the breakdown of the post-1974 political order and the rightward shift of the entire capitalist class.

The strike in Portugal is a turning point. It shows the working class is prepared to fight, but also that the existing organisationsthe unions, the PS, PCP, and BEare obstacles, not instruments, of struggle.

The decisive challenge is for workers to reject symbolic protests and build independent rank-and-file committees, linking struggles across sectors and borders, developing a political movement aimed not at pressuring the capitalist state, but at replacing it. Political expression must be given to the immense social power of the working class through the adoption of a socialist internationalist perspective and the building of a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International in Portugal.
Writer and activist Yves Engler speaking about his book exposing Canadian imperialism in Africa, "Canada in Africa: 300 years of aid and exploitation" [Photo: Yves Engler/Facebook]

The decision of the New Democratic Partys unelected, three-person Leadership Vote Committee (LVC) to bar left-wing author and anti-war activist Yves Engler from standing in the race for the federal partys next leader is a politically calculated act of censorship. One that is aimed at excluding any opposition, however limited, to Canadian imperialism from the spectrum of official NDP politics and bourgeois politics more generally.

A proponent of left Canadian nationalism, Engler announced via social media on the evening of December 9 that he had been declared ineligible to stand for NDP leader. Canadian Press subsequently reported that the partys vetting committee had nixed Englers candidacy due to purportedly credible evidence of harassment, intimidation and physical confrontation of NDP members, staff and volunteers, and his alleged spreading of pro-Russian disinformation on the war in Ukraine and issuing of comments consistent with antisemitic attitudes. NDP president Lucy Watson issued the usual boilerplate about upholding integrity, honesty and respect for human rights, while the party refused to publish either the names of the committee members or the letters and material on which they claimed to have relied.

Engler, who had raised the prohibitive $100,000 entry fee and secured well over the required 500 party member signatures for nomination, was informed of the LVCs decision weeks after first being notified that his candidacy was under review. He submitted a detailed 14-page legal appeal from his lawyer, Dimitri Lascaris, rejecting the committees Kafkaesque procedures and demanding basic disclosures. The anonymous committee brushed this aside and an equally anonymous independent review body ratified the ban.

In a public letter to the NDP Federal Council, appealing for the body to overturn the ban, Engler denounced the decision as the result of a kangaroo court and declared that his campaign has no intention of accepting the decision and will fight this decision by every means at our disposal. He warned that this leadership contest will now be met with a full-blown campaign of protest and insisted that any leader elected through this rigged process will have no legitimacy.

The Socialist Equality Party (Canada) and the World Socialist Web Site unequivocally oppose the NDPs reactionary decision to bar Engler from the leadership race. We reject the slanders deployed against him as part of the broader campaign by the Canadian state, political establishment and media to criminalize anti-war and pro-Palestinian opposition as antisemitic. We defend his democratic right, and the right of all NDP members, to debate foreign policy issues, and Canadas role in the Gaza genocide and the NATO-instigated war with Russia in particular, without threats of bureaucratic reprisals.

But we issue this defence from a fundamentally different political standpoint than Engler and his sponsors in the NDPs Socialist Caucus, which is a front for the Pabloite Socialist Action. We are not campaigning for Engler to become leader of the NDP, nor for the renewal of this bankrupt social-democratic party. The exclusion of Engler only confirms what the WSWS has long explained: that the NDP is a trap for the working class, a party of Canadian imperialism and the union bureaucracy, organically hostile to any genuine struggle against war, austerity and the capitalist system.

Engler is being targeted because his past record as an anti-war campaigner and critic of Canadas role in Haiti, the NATO war on Russia (including Ottawas decades long alliance with the Ukrainian far-right) and the genocidal onslaught in Gaza cuts across the NDP leaderships slavish alignment with the foreign-policy objectives of Canadian imperialism.

The ruling class fully supports the Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney as it massively hikes military spending so that Canadian imperialism can assert its aggressive interests in a rapidly escalating third world war for the redivision of the worlds resources. This agenda necessarily entails a savage onslaught on what remains of public services, worker rights, and social supports, because the ruling class needs every penny for war and its own enrichment. Under these conditions, the social democrats in the NDP leadership and their sponsors in the trade union bureaucracies are terrified that giving a platform to any anti-war candidate, however confused and misguided his program, would legitimize social opposition and help fuel a social explosion in the working class that they would struggle to control.

An anti-democratic ruling founded on smears and lies

The charge sheet assembled by the LVCharassment, Russian propaganda, Rwandan genocide denial, antisemitismis a toxic amalgam of smears and distortions. They reproduce lies and distortions that originate almost entirely from right-wing and pro-Israel circles and that these forces have long promoted precisely because of Englers exposure of Canadas crimes abroad.

Lascariss appeal letter makes clear the fundamentally anti-democratic character of the NDPs decision to bar Engler. On the charge of harassment, the committee admitted it relied on many letters from unnamed complainants, some not even NDP members, whose identities and specific accusations are being withheld in their entirety under the pretext of privacy and safety. It refused to disclose the names of the committee members themselves, making it impossible to test for bias or basic qualifications. It cited a fake Bluesky impersonation account as evidence that Engler supposedly contemplated running for the Greens. And it simply ignores the extensive record Engler has of explicitly condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine as illegal and brutal, even as he correctly exposes NATOs decades-long eastward expansion and the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev as the root causes of the conflict.

The most poisonous of the NDPs accusations is the claim that Engler has made comments consistent with antisemitic rhetoric.

This is the standard slander now deployed across Canada and internationally to smear anti-genocide protesters and left-wing critics of Zionism and imperialist war. It has nothing to do with combating real antisemitism and everything to do with criminalizing opposition to Israels crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, and to the wider USNATO campaign of aggression against Lebanon, Syria and Iran in which Israel functions as a forward operating base for imperialism.

In Englers case, the NDP leadership has simply laundered a long-running campaign by pro-Israel and anti-antisemitism advocacy outfits that have targeted him precisely because he has documented Canadas complicity in Israeli-state apartheid and genocide. The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation publicly lobbied the party to bar his candidacy, denouncing him as virulently antisemitic and calling on the NDP to keep him off the ballot.

A hostile piece in TheJ.ca sneers at a letter signed by around 100 Jewish Canadians urging the NDP to allow Engler into the race. It brands the signatories fringe anti-Zionist Jewish activists, because they insist Englers criticism of Israel falls within legitimate political discourse and declare we reject any effort to cite Judaism or the Jewish community as grounds for restricting NDP members right to make up their own minds.

This campaign proceeds in flagrant disregard of the factual record. Engler and his campaign have repeatedly and explicitly condemned antisemitism alongside Islamophobia and all forms of racism and have opposed the growing attempt to equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Racism has no place in our movement, his campaign states, adding that the continued conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism weakens the struggle against all forms of prejudice.

As Lascaris notes in his letter, Engler has written extensively about historic antisemitism in Canadafrom university quotas to racist immigration policieswhile arguing that institutional antisemitism has largely been dismantled and that the concept is now routinely invoked by defenders of Israels crimes to shield it and them from political criticism.

Engler (centre) with supporters following his release on February 24, 2025, from arrest and jail on trumped harassment charges [Photo: X/Alex Tyrell ]

Engler was arrested by Montreal police in February on manifestly trumped-up charges of harassment and obstruction of justice based on a complaint filed by a Zionist activist in Toronto over his political activity on X. While the initial charges were dropped, he now awaits a judges verdict on charges of harassing police, because he urged his supporters email the authorities to demand they drop the original charges against him.

The smear of antisemitism against Engler is not an isolated case, but part of a conscious strategy deployed by the ruling class and its political parties. In Ontario, NDP leader Marit Stiles expelled Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama from the caucus after she issued a statement condemning Israels assault on Gaza and calling for an end to the occupation; her removal was accompanied by a media frenzy painting her as antisemitic for demanding a ceasefire and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Across Canada, pro-Palestinian encampments and demonstrations have been met with police violence, disciplinary measures and legislative anti-hate initiatives that, as civil liberties lawyers have warned, systematically stigmatize Palestine solidarity and treat criticism of Zionism as suspect hate speech.

Internationally, the same playbook has been used to destroy and discipline left-wing tendencies inside the official parties of the bourgeoisie. In Britain, the Labour right and the media forged a campaign around antisemitism allegations to oust Jeremy Corbyn from leadership and purge his supporters; even the partys own Forde Report acknowledged that antisemitism had been used as a factional weapon in the intra-party struggle.

In the United States, Congress and state legislatures have pressed to codify definitions of antisemitism that explicitly fold in core slogans and demands of the Palestine solidarity movement, such as the call for a single democratic state from the river to the sea, in an effort to criminalize boycotts and protests against Israel.

Taken together, these facts make clear that the NDPs charge of antisemitism against Engler is not a good-faith concern for the safety of Jewish workers and youth, but an expression of a global campaign to equate opposition to genocide and imperialist war with hatred of Jews.

The party leadership has aligned itself with the Canadian state and its imperialist allies in seeking to silence and intimidate anyone who names Israels actions in Gaza as genocide and points to the role of Washington and Ottawa in arming and financing the slaughter. In doing so, the NDP not only slanders an anti-war activist; it trivializes real antisemitism and hands a powerful ideological weapon to the forces waging a murderous war against the Palestinian people and preparing even wider bloodshed in the Middle East.

The real issue for the NDP leadership is not harassment or hate, but politics. In the past two years, hundreds of thousands of workers and youth in Canada have joined global protests against Israels genocide in Gaza and the complicity of Ottawa and its allies. They have clashed repeatedly with the pro-war policies of the minority Liberal governments of prime minister Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney. The NDP has propped up both of these governments for years as they hiked military spending, joined the US-NATO war drive against Russia and backed Israels onslaught, while criminalizing strikes at home. The party apparatus is determined to ensure that not even a limited, nationalist, left-reformist criticism of this agenda can gain a platform in its carefully stage-managed leadership contest.

The message to the ruling class could not be clearer: the NDP will ruthlessly police its own ranks to ensure that no one who challenges Canadian imperialist interestson Ukraine, Gaza or any other frontcan speak from within its leadership. That the party responds to a candidate associated with mass anti-genocide protests by branding him a threat to safety and values is a self-exposure of its role as a loyal instrument of the state.

The party behaved similarly in 2022, when it terminated the BC NDP leadership contest and proclaimed David Eby, the choice of the party establishment and current premier, elected by acclamation. The party apparatus shut down the leadership race because there had been a spike in membership applications, prompted by the limited criticisms that Ebys sole opponent, the self-proclaimed eco-socialist Anjali Appadurai, had made of the provincial governments pro-big business, austerity policies.

Engler, Socialist Action and the dead end of efforts to revive the NDP

At the same time, the Engler episode is an indictment of the NDP Socialist Caucus and its Pabloite political parent organization, Socialist Action, which drafted him as their candidate and have for decades peddled the fraud that the NDP can be taken back to its socialist roots.

In a detailed analysis published last month, the WSWS explained that Socialist Actions promotion of Engler as a vehicle to transform the NDP into an eco-socialist party that fights the billionaires and imperialist war is a cynical operation aimed at keeping workers and youth politically chained to a moribund, right-wing social-democratic apparatus. Canadas social-democratic party, as we have shown, long ago completed its evolution into an openly bourgeois party indistinguishable from the Liberals and Conservatives on all fundamental questions of imperialist war and capitalist class rule.

Engler himself accepts the political framework of this operation. He does not call for a break with the NDP, but for its democratization, and is now threatening to wage a campaign of protest stunts to pressure the partys Federal Council to overturn the decision. His program, centred on nationalizing sections of industry, cancelling student debt and reorienting Canadian foreign policy along more independent lines, remains entirely within the confines of bourgeois nationalism and the capitalist profit system. Furthermore, Englers turn toward protest theatrics is not a strategy to mobilize the working class, but an expression of the political dead end of petty-bourgeois radicalism and moralising that seeks to pressure the NDP establishment rather than break from it.

His anti-war stance, while genuine in its outrage over imperialist crimes, is framed entirely within the limits of a nationalist critique that accepts the capitalist state and repudiates the central role of the international working class in opposing war.

Englers campaign is consciously aimed at preventing workers from drawing the central lesson of the past century of social-democratic betrayals: that the working class must establish its political independence from all capitalist parties and build its own revolutionary party on the basis of a socialist, internationalist program. By presenting the NDP as a potential vehicle for anti-imperialist and socialist politics, the Socialist Caucus and Engler are helping refurbish the partys tattered left credentials at the very moment when its popular support has fallen to a record low and its real functionas prop of the Liberal government, enforcer of austerity and war, and jailer of the class struggleis being exposed before millions.

After the April 28 federal election, in which the NDP suffered its worst result in history and lost official party status, the NDP launched the protracted 202526 leadership race precisely to resuscitate itself as a responsible, left safety-valve for Canadian capital, and thus a more effective instrument in assisting the ruling class in imposing its agenda of austerity, rearmament and war.

While begging Prime Minister Mark Carneys Liberals for funds and parliamentary recognition on the grounds that this will make Parliament work better, the NDP is determined to exclude any candidate who might become a lightning rod for popular opposition to war and social reaction amid the largest wave of strikes in Canada in many decades.

The lesson of the Engler campaign is clear: the way forward for the growing layer of workers, youth and intellectuals outraged by the Gaza genocide, by the drive to world war and by the relentless assault on jobs and living standards, does not lie in appealing to Mark Carneys adjuncts in the NDP to rediscover their values, still less in rallying behind a nationalist left faction within that party. It lies in building an independent political leadership in the working class based on a conscious break with all factions of the bourgeois political establishment and the fight for a socialist, internationalist programabove all through the building of the Socialist Equality Party and the International Committee of the Fourth International as the mass party of the Canadian and international working class.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rainfall and flash floods have killed 9 people and injured several others across Iraq, local media reported on Friday.

"The number of deaths caused by floods and weather fluctuations between Dec. 9 and 11 reached six, while the number of injuries totaled two," a source at the Iraqi Health Ministry told the official Iraqi News Agency.

It reported two deaths and one injury in Kirkuk province, two deaths in Dhi Qar province, one fatality in both Wasit and Diwaniyah provinces, and one injury in Najaf province.

Separately, Kurdish media network Rudaw said that in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, Sulaimaniyah province recorded three fatalities.

Meanwhile, the forecast from the Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology indicates a period of unstable and wet weather ahead.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Wednesday directed the allocation of emergency funds and relief assistance to Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region following a wave of severe weather and heavy flooding that struck the region and neighboring provinces. 
Sol Zanetti (centre) celebrating his election last month as Quebec Solidaire's "male co-spokesperson" [Photo: Zanetti/Facebook]

At its congress last month, Quebec Solidaire (QS) chose Sol Zanetti, a Quebec City MNA (Member of the National Assembly) and fervent independantiste, as its male spokesperson and updated its election platform to further emphasize its pro-capitalist character.

These actions are part of Quebec Solidaires ongoing efforts to project a more responsible, pro-establishment orientation and place the promotion of Quebec independence at the centre of its activity.

QS is thereby signalling to the nationalist sections of the ruling class that it is prepared to play an even larger role in realizing their reactionary project of creating a third imperialist state in North America through Quebecs secession.

Zanetti is the former leader of Option Nationale, a small right-wing nationalist party founded in 2011 following a split from the Parti Quebecois (PQ) led by the former PQ MNA and investment banker Jean-Martin Aussant. Aussant accused the PQ of soft-peddling the fight for independence and becoming a mere provincial party. QS officially integrated Option Nationale (ON) into the party in 2018, with the leadership changing the party constitution to give ON a special status as a recognized collective, allowing its members to more effectively agitate for their nationalist views within QS.

In securing the position of QS co-spokesperson, Zanetti defeated by a wide margin the candidate favoured by the party establishment, his fellow Quebec City MNA Etienne Grandmont. Grandmont sought to camouflage QSs increasingly blatant shift right, arguing that the pseudo-left party should emphasize mounting economic distress and social inequality, and be more vocal in supporting worker struggles.

Grandmont referenced and drew inspiration from the successful New York City mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA functions as a faction within the Democratic Party, one of the twin parties of American imperialism. Mamdani generated widespread popular support for his electoral platform based on lowering the cost of living (especially rents and transit fares) and opposing the genocide in Gaza. But as soon as he was elected, he rushed to the White House to strike a partnership with the fascist US President Donald Trump.

Unlike Grandmont, Zanetti ran a campaign entirely focused on Quebec independence. He declared it Quebec Solidaires historic mission to contribute to a Yes victory in a future referendum on independence. Zanetti touted his personal credibility as a staunch independantiste as key to the partys campaign in the next provincial election, slated for October 2026.

This nationalist, pro-sovereignist message clearly resonated with QS members, who gave Zanetti more than 50 percent of their votes, propelling him to a first-ballot victory over Grandmont and Dr. Yv Bonnier Viger.

The scrapping of QSs left-wing pretensions signalled by the victory of the right-wing nationalist Zanetti over the progressive Grandmont was also reflected in changes to the partys platform. Although the new document has not yet been published, reports from congress participants indicate that it makes no connection between capitalism, the climate crisis and socio-economic problems, and depicts small and medium-sized businessesnot working class struggleas the engine of major societal change.

Since its formation in 2006 by feminists, environmental and anti-poverty activists, and other left-wing nationalists, QS has operated entirely within Quebec sovereignist circles. It has repeatedly sought to negotiate an electoral pact with the PQ, including at the height of the 2012 student strike.

Speaking for privileged layers of the middle class, QS serves the faction of the Quebec ruling class that sees the creation of a third imperialist state in North America as a means of intensifying worker exploitation and more effectively advancing its economic and geostrategic interests.

Within the sovereignist family, Quebec Solidaires special function is to use what remains of its fraudulent image as a left-wing, anti-establishment party to give a progressive and democratic veneer to Quebec nationalism and the program of Quebec independence.

Quebec Solidaire and the PQs chauvinist, pro-imperialist program for Quebec independence

Once presented as a social projectthe fraudulent idea that an independent Quebec would be a vehicle for social progressQuebec independence is now openly promoted by the Parti Quebecois, the main sovereignist party, as a chauvinist, exclusivist and openly pro-big business project.

The PQ constantly attacks immigrants and Muslims, accusing them of being responsible for myriad social ills, from the housing crisis and dilapidated public services to increased crime and violence. It insists that Quebec independence is the only way to drastically reduce immigration and thereby protect the Quebec nation, which it claims is threatened with extinction by uncontrolled immigration.

During the presentation of the first chapter of the PQs new blue book on independence, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon trumpeted that a future Republique du Quebec would accept its responsibilities and serve as a member of leading imperialist military alliances such as NATO and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command).

The PQ leader forthrightly declared that an independent Quebec would have to align its economic and military policies with the United States as part of a common strategy. This amounted to a declaration of loyalty to the Trump administration, even as the would-be American dictator intensifies his witch-hunt against immigrants and preparations to wage imperialist war on China, Iran, and Venezuela.

St-Pierre Plamondon followed this up by boasting before the PQs recent National Council meeting that independence is an entrepreneurial project aimed at making Quebec a rich country and our businesses prosperous. The PQ leader, who constantly rails against the federal governments supposed excessive spending, emphasized the opportunities that independence would provide to implement a pro-big business agenda of reduced bureaucracy, deregulation and corporate tax breaks.

The ruling class is well aware that a push for independence based on such reactionary policies and appeals is likely to provoke opposition within the working class. Polls currently indicate that the sovereignist option has the support of less than 35 percent of the electorate.

A significant faction of the sovereignist movement, represented by former PQ premier Lucien Bouchard and former Quebec City mayor Regis Labeaume, has called on St-Pierre Plamondon to tone down his Quebec chauvinist rhetoric. These figures fear that the PQs Quebec First chauvinism and anti-immigrant incitement could compromise the Yes camps chances in a future referendumparticularly in the context of a surge in Canadian nationalism following President Trumps tariffs and threats to use economic force to annex Canada.

These sections of the ruling class are urging the PQ to temper its attacks on QS and follow the example of Jacques Parizeau, the PQ premier at the time of the 1995 referendum, in working for a pro-independence rainbow coalition. They calculate that because of its public identification as left, and occasional criticisms of the PQs most extreme chauvinist positions, QS can be used to promote the illusion of an inclusive, open and democratic nationalism, thereby preventing workers from breaking definitively with the independantiste program.

Writing in Le Devoir, nationalist columnist Michel David argued that even if QSs representation in the National Assembly were reduced to just two or three in the next election (a real possibility given the collapse in its support), the party could play a crucial role in the success of an independence referendum by rallying immigrants and other sections of the allophone population to the Yes camp. With this in mind, sections of the corporate media are heavily promoting the QSs female spokesperson, Ruba Ghazalwho was born in Lebanon to a family of Palestinian refugees before immigrating to Quebec as a childas an emblematic figure of inclusive sovereignty, i.e., Quebec separatism.

Ruba Ghazal, speaking alongside another Quebec Solidaire MNA, at an event held in Sherbrooke on January 21, 2025, to celebrate the Quebec flag on the province's official day commemorating the adoption of the Fleurdelise [Photo: Ruba Ghazal/Facebook]

QS also serves to legitimize the shift of the entire Quebec ruling class toward unvarnished chauvinism by labeling agitation against immigrants and religious minorities as legitimate debates. QS constantly defends Premier Francois Legault, his national-autonomist Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), and the PQ by fraudulently claiming that their attitude towards immigrants and immigration are not racist or intolerant, even as they engage in increasingly vicious attacks on immigrants and religious minorities.

In this vein, Ghazal recently told the Journal de Montreal (JdM), an ultranationalist tabloid owned by billionaire and former PQ leader Pierre-Karl Peladeau, that she is willing to discuss immigration thresholds and that she understands Quebecers fear of disappearing. This lends credibility to the Quebec version of the fascist Great Replacement theory put forward by the PQ.

Frictions in the sovereignist family

Assuming their assigned roles, the two QS spokespersons offered timid criticism of the PQs insular sovereignty at the November 8-9 congress at which Zanettis election was announced.

At the same time, QS removed from its platform the proposal to elect a constituent assembly by universal suffrageintended to democratically establish the constitution of a potential independent Quebec statewhich had been sharply criticized by St-Pierre Plamondon and the PQ. The party also expunged any reference to the PQs ethnic or identity nationalism from its platform.

This did not prevent the PQ from reacting angrily to Zanetti and Ghazals comments. St-Pierre Plamondon accused the QS spokespersons of creating divisions among the population and damaging the social climate with their deplorable and shameful attacks on the PQ.

Right-wing forces gravitating around the PQ, including the ultra-nationalist columnists of Le Journal de Montreal, simultaneously launched a barrage of attacks against QS while appealing to Zanetti, the true nationalist, to prevail on QS to stop its attacks on the PQ, which serve the interests of the federalists.

Reflecting Quebec Solidairea true orientation, just two weeks after its congress, Vincent Marissal, one of its Montreal MNAs, quit the party after it was revealed that he had spoken with St-Pierre Plamondon about defecting to the PQ. Whilst slamming the door on QS, Marissal accused his former colleagues of launching personal and vicious attacks against the PQ, for their meek criticisms of its chauvinist fulminations. He also condemned his former party for its refusal to publicly support the use of Bill 14 to outlaw a partial strike by STM (Societe de transport de Montreal) transit workers.

Marissal was soon followed by none other than the manager of Zanettis campaign for QS co-leader and head of the Option National Collective in QS. Earlier this week, Jimmy Thibodeau published an opinion piece in Le Devoir in which he announced he was quitting QS for the PQ, because of the QS attacks on the PQ and the supposed opposition of many QS activists to a PQ-led bid for Quebec independence.

In reply Zanetti reaffirmed that QS will act as the PQs loyal junior partner. I think, said the QS co-spokesperson, there are criticisms that need to be made, which are important in the name of unity within the Yes camp, and thats the approach were taking. Its rare that we make criticisms of the Parti Quebecois, notwithstanding the visceral reactions they provoke.

Meanwhile, the left wing of QS has been active on the Presse-toi a gauche website, drawing a false distinction between the identitarian and non-genuine independence proposed by the PQ and the full and complete ... egalitarian, feminist, ecological, and de-colonial independence advocated by QS.

These pseudo-left forces are attempting to camouflage Quebec Solidaires turn to the right by covering its reactionary policies with a socialist veneer. They serve to foster illusions in the QS and supplement the efforts of QS to revive the myth of Quebec independence as a progressive social project.

As the class struggle intensifies across North America and internationally, it becomes ever clearer that the problems confronting Quebec workers are rooted in a global crisis of capitalism; and are essentially the same as those faced by their class brothers and sisters across Canada and internationally.

Quebec independence is a trap for the working class. It is advocated by sections of the ruling class, petty bourgeoisie and union bureaucracy as a means of advancing their own class interestsnot least among them dividing and isolating Quebec workers from their class brothers and sisters in Canada and internationally in order to prevent a unified struggle of the working class against capitalism.

The working class must reject the nationalist agitation for Quebec independence, whether explicitly chauvinist and right-wing or inclusive and left-wing. It must no less forcefully repudiate Canadian nationalismthe ideological weapon of the federalist section of the Canadian financial elite in Quebec and across the countryand oppose the federal state, which for more than 150 years has served as the principal enforcer of capitalist exploitation in the northern tier of North America.

To prepare for the intense class struggles ahead, the working class must build an independent political movement, opposed to all the rival factions of the ruling class, to unite workers across national borders in the struggle for workers power and international socialism.
Record-high early December temperatures, strong winds and a high fuel load built up over several wet years created the conditions for catastrophic fires last week in parts of New South Wales (NSW) and Tasmania, many of which are still burning. An experienced firefighter was killedthe second already this bushfire seasonand hundreds of homes and other structures were destroyed.

Firefighter John Lohan, 59, died after being struck by a falling tree while supervising back-burning efforts in Nerong, on the NSW mid-north coast. He was an experienced division commander for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). He worked at the Munmorah Depot for nearly 30 years and was deployed to fight fires in other parts of the state over that period.

Peter Curtis and John Lohan [Photo: Country Fire Service (SA), NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service]

His tragic death follows that of a South Australian Country Fire Service firefighter, Peter Curtis, who died last month fighting a grass fire at Pinkawillinie Conservation Park. Curtis worked as a strike team leader and sector commander over his 30-year career in firefighting. The exact cause of his death is still under investigation.

On Saturday, 16 homes were burnt to the ground at Koolewong on the Central Coast, an hour north of Sydney. Around 60 people from the Koolewong and Woy Woy areas had to evacuate their homes. About two hours north of there, another four homes were destroyed around the Mid-Coast hinterland town of Bulahdelah.

More than 50 fires are still burning across the state, with several not yet under control. The NSW Labor government has declared a natural disaster for the local government areas of Central Coast, Mid-Coast, Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Warrumbungle and Dubbo. It is estimated that around 20,000 hectares of land has been impacted so far around NSW.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 50 fire vehicles and appliances, nine aircraft and 250 firefighters were sent to fight the Koolewong fire. Across the state, a total of around 1,500 firefighters and 300 vehicles were mobilised trying to get blazes under control over the weekend.

Bulahdelah resident Garry Morgan told the Guardian that he only had half an hours notice to leave or stay, after a friend rang to warn him. Aided by firefighters, Morgan was able to save his home, while the house next door burned to the ground.

Morgan said he had never seen the land so dry in 30 years of living in the same house: We used to get rain every week. Weve never had fires like this.

In Crawford River, just outside of Bulahdelah, Nassim Daghel told the ABC he had not received warnings from emergency services after a decision by electricity provider Essential Energy to go ahead with scheduled maintenance on Friday, although the fire had started the previous day. This left Daghel and others without power and internet service.

Daghel explained that, on Thursday, the Rural Fire Service had said it was safe to stay. Without an internet service, he missed critical messages about the perilous change in conditions the following day. He was also unable to run his water pumps due to the power outage, leaving him to carry water by hand from a dam.

He said: It was about 1:30pm on the Friday, I walked outside and everything was smoke, and then I looked outside here, and everything was on fire. He then made the decision to evacuate.

Essential Energy defended its decision to continue with the planned outage, saying in a statement that no fire weather warning had been issued. A Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) spokesperson confirmed that the threshold of extreme fire danger had not been reached by Friday morning, although the fire was already burning.

Firefighters work to contain bushfire in New South Wales [Photo: NSW Rural Fire Service/Julia Ritherdon]

Likewise in Tasmania, the ABC reported that the BOM did not issue a fire weather warning before fires broke out in 30 locations across the state, because the initial forecasts did not meet the required threshold.

In Dolphin Sands, on the states east coast, 19 houses and around 200 other structures were destroyed on Thursday and Friday, with another 40 properties damaged. Hot and gusty winds propelled the fire through the highly flammable landscape.

Simon Pilkington from the Tasmania Fire Service, said Dolphin Sands is covered predominantly in coastal heath. That type of fuel, with a high oil content, all it needs is a fire to start and wind and itll drive under almost any conditions.

Dolphin Sands was one of the areas regarded by the BOM as fitting the extreme fire danger category, but the number of smaller areas with that designation did not reach the 10 percent of total land mass needed to trigger a fire weather warning. Most of the other areas affected by fires were regarded as only in the high category.

Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced a paltry $250 for adults, $125 for children and $1,000 for families experiencing hardship as a result of the fires at Dolphin Sands, Glenlusk and Levendale, barely enough for one night in alternative accommodation.

In NSW, the Labor government made an even more meagre offering: payments of $900 to households where their home has been destroyed or severely damaged and up to $180 for households experiencing hardship as a result of the bushfires.

While conditions have now eased with the arrival of a cooler front, the early onset of the bushfire season dovetails with long-range weather forecasts from the BOM. The bureau predicts higher than average summer temperatures across the entire country, while warmer ocean temperatures will create the conditions for storms. Dry lightning, one characteristic of summer storms, is a common source of ignition for bushfires.

A La Nina climate pattern, typically associated with higher rainfall and cooler temperatures, has been in place since early October, but this year it is relatively weak and relatively short-lived, senior BOM climatologist Dr Zhi-Weng Chua told the Guardian.

La Nina leans towards cooler temperatures, but global warming is influencing thisthere is a push and pull, and maybe La Nina is not the dominant influence and global warming is having more influence, Chua continued.

David Bowman, professor of pyrogeography and fire science at the University of Tasmania, told the Guardian, in a world of increasing climate instability, the No. 1 message is: Expect the unexpected.

The increasing unpredictability and severity of bushfires is not a uniquely Australian phenomenon. The State of Wildfires 20242025 report, published on the Earth Systems Science Data website, analysed global changes in fire patterns and locations. One of the core findings of the report was that the era of small, frequent grass/savannah fires being the dominant global fire pattern appears to be shifting.

The report found that fires are increasingly occurring in forests, wetlands, and other carbon-dense ecosystemswhere even a smaller burned area can release large amounts of carbon and cause long-term ecological damage.

In the past 12 months, catastrophic and record-breaking wildfires have hit Japan, Canada, South Korea, Turkey, France, Spain and the United States. In each of these fires, firefighters struggled to bring the blazes under control amid extreme weather conditions and inadequate warning systems, preparation, resources and manpower.

Despite increasingly urgent warnings by climate scientists about the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the main contributor to global warming, governments the world over, including the current federal Labor government, continue to approve new coal, gas and oil operations, facilitating vast corporate profits, while relegating renewable energy to token projects and lip service.

The destruction in NSW and Tasmania this early in the bushfire season, along with the deaths of two firefighters, are a warning to the working class. Capitalism, under which even the continued viability of human life on Earth is subordinated to profit, is incompatible with solving the climate crisis.

The necessary scientific response to the growing threat of bushfires and extreme weather events requires a fight by workers and youth for a political alternative, socialism, under which societys vast resources and knowledge can be directed to resolving these existential questions, not increasing the already vast riches of the wealthy few.
Some, still scant, details are emerging about the conditions that led to the deaths of two much-loved Queensland construction workers, and serious injuries to another, within 24 hours earlier this month.

Family members and building workers are raising concerns about the reported lack of safety precautions involved. They are demanding action to halt the rising toll of deaths and injuries caused by corporate profit-driven speed-ups and disregard for workers lives throughout the construction industry.

Beau Bradford [Photo: GoFundMe/Alicia Downs]

In the first tragedy, Beau Bradford, a young concreter, just 15-years-old, died on December 1 when he was struck by what government authorities and media reports vaguely described as a large object that fell from the boom of a concrete pump truck. This fatal event, which was labelled a freak accident before any investigation began, occurred at a building site in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane, the Queensland state capital.

No details have been released to inform building workers and the public. But it has now been reported on social media that a piece of heavy equipment malfunctioned, sending a large component crashing down from the concrete pump trucks boom. Why and how this happened and why the teenager was exposed to this danger has not been explained.

According to other media reports, Bradfords mother, Amanda Dalrymple, has called for stronger safety rules around heavy machinery on job sites to prevent similar tragedies, and the incident has sparked wider concerns about the safety of young workers in high-risk industries.

Nevertheless, it reportedly remains legal in Australia for young workers to be employed on construction sites, supposedly under certain conditions, despite the obvious need for stringent oversight and hazard management to ensure their safety.

On December 2, just 24 hours after Bradfords death, Kimura Dixon, 45, a father of eight, died when a retaining wall collapsed on an apartment block site at West End in inner Brisbane. His stepson Rama, only 19, was trapped under the rubble for about 90 minutes before he was freed and taken to hospital with serious injuries to his legs and chest.

Reportedly, it was their first day of working on the site, a Queensland government-funded social housing project.

Kimura Dixon [Photo: Rheign Reedy]

It has now been revealed that workers had three weeks earlier raised safety concerns about the stability of the retaining wall and walked off the job, refusing to work under the potentially deadly conditions. Online messages showed that staff expressed their concerns to the construction company.

At least one worker on the site reported that they could see the retaining wall moving. Multiple workers expressed concerns regarding the overall stability of the wall and then refused to work on the site.

Both deaths have caused immense grief. Tributes have poured in from family, friends and the construction workers, together with donations to online fundraisers to pay for funeral and other expenses. Bradfords family honoured the teenagers wish to donate his organs so that other lives could potentially be saved. Dixons family raised funds to help take his body back to his native New Zealand.

In several social posts, Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) officials paid tribute to the two workers and said no project was worth the loss of a workers life. But the union is working with state government workplace safety agencies that are investigating the deaths.

Such inquiries usually take years and then cover up the underlying causes and responsibilities for workers deaths. None have led to any lessening of the toll. In Queensland alone, there has been a series of deaths on building sites in the past 18 months. Across the country, the past two years have seen 82 deaths in the construction industry.

Official investigations invariably cover over the driving forces of dangerous working conditions under capitalismthe systemic subordination of workers health and lives to the interests of corporate profit, including through speed-up, subcontracting and casualisation.

Responding to the two latest tragedies, Bryan, a Brisbane building worker, told the World Socialist Web Site: My main concern is that many of the builders and developers are not only pushing for unsafe levels of production, theyre also hiring site managers that are not suitable or genuinely qualified to manage a project safely and efficiently. This all comes at the cost of the worker.

Safety concerns are often received as personal attacks and incidents are not looked at in a systematic manner where we learn and improve. This will continue to get worse unless more workers are willing to speak up and our unions back these workers as much as possible.

Bryan said workers felt they would be sacked if they spoke up. Its a toxic industry and this mentality of speak up, lose your job needs to stop.

He concluded: No government should ever get in the way of workers being represented and kept safe. I genuinely believe these deaths would have been prevented if the regulator had more safety officers that were given the power and backing they deserve to do their jobs correctly.

The same goes for union officials that have been stripped of their rights to enter a site without notice. The government and these rich developers causing a race to the bottom have blood on their hands.

Bryans comments reference the fact that even minimal safety protections are being thrown overboard to cut costs and maximise profits, and that this has been taken to a new level since August 2024, when the federal Labor government anti-democratically placed the CFMEU construction division under the control of a government-installed administrator.

Backed by the employers and the corporate media, Labor has carried this out under the pretext of combatting corruption allegations against union officials. But the real targets of the dictatorial takeover are rank-and-file building workers, a historically militant section of the working class.

A longtime construction worker, Gino, told the WSWS: To put it simply, the death and injury should never have occurred. Its obvious that safety has been cut significantly As long as everything is driven by corporate dollars, and this includes our government and politicians of all particular ideologies, nothing will change.

Gino said companies and their managers must be held to account. I dont just mean a slap on the hand or a paltry fine. At the moment, you will find the buck will stop at the supervisor on site if anything. This is not stopping the rot, and the same thing will happen elsewhere on another work site.

Workplace deaths and serious injuries are on the rise globally, as corporations cut costs and impose productivity increases to satisfy the demands of their financial backers. In Australia, the recent deaths of a young worker at the Port Kembla steelworks and of two mineworkers in the Cobar tragedy are typical.

To halt this carnage, workers must take matters into their own hands. Rank-and-file committees, independent of the union bureaucracies, must be established in workplaces everywhere to assess site conditions, investigate deaths and injuries, formulate demands and enforce safety measures, including through strike action.

Above all, the growing tide of casualties shows the necessity to overturn capitalism and fight for socialism, which includes placing the construction industry, along with the banks and major corporations, under public ownership and democratic workers control.
The Iranian oil tanker Forest is anchored off the dock of El Palito refinery near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Tuesday, Sept 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Hernandez) [AP Photo/Juan Carlos Hernandez]

Following the US seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, the Trump administration has pledged to further escalate its campaign of piracy against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Reuters reported Thursday that the administration is preparing to seize more oil tankers, citing six sources familiar with the matter. The news agency reported that the U.S. has assembled a target list of several more sanctioned tankers for possible seizure and that the U.S. Justice Department and Homeland Security had been planning the seizures for months.

Further direct interventions by the U.S. are expected in the coming weeks, Reuters added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt effectively confirmed Reuters reporting Thursday. Were not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world, Leavitt told reporters. She confirmed that the seized tanker is being brought to a US port, where authorities intend to confiscate its cargo of approximately 1.1 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil worth roughly $78 million.

In other words, the Trump administration is initiating a blockade of Venezuela, which is typically treated as an act of war under international law.

The Venezuelan government issued a statement Wednesday. Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been exposed. It is not migration. It is not drug trafficking. It is not democracy. It is not human rights. It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, about the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people.

The planned escalation of piracy against Venezuelan oil shipments takes place amid an unprecedented military buildup in the Caribbean and an ongoing series of massacres of civilians on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Since September, US forces have launched 22 drone and missile strikes against boats, killing at least 87 people. The administration has provided no public evidence to support its claim that the boats are involved in drug smuggling, and such evidence would not justify the strikes even if true.

The Pentagon has deployed more than 15,000 troops, a dozen warshipsincluding the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, scores of aircraft, and thousands of personnel to the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. This represents the largest US military mobilization in the Caribbean since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. According to an analysis published Wednesday by RANE (formerly Stratfor), the most likely scenario remains an escalation to U.S. airstrikes or special forces operations inside Venezuelan territory, as Washington tries to weaken Maduro and indirectly create the conditions for regime change in the long term.

In an interview Tuesday, President Donald Trump refused to rule out sending ground troops, telling Politico that Maduros days are numbered. He has warned that attacks could expand very soon from boats to targets inside the country.

The US media is, meanwhile, openly discussing a pledge by the Trump administration to overthrow the Venezuelan government. The Wall Street Journal editorial board published a statement Thursday declaring that Trump is now obliged to follow through on his commitment to oust Maduro.

The seizure signals that Mr. Trump isnt backing down on his effort to oust the dictator, the Journal wrote approvingly. The editorial added: Having committed the U.S. to oust Mr. Maduro, Mr. Trump is obliged to follow through.

The Journal editorial also celebrated the transfer of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado under US military protection to Norway, to receive her Nobel Peace Prize, suggesting the CIA may have sources in the country that can help with a democratic restoration.

Machado confirmed Thursday that we had support from the United States government for her departure from Venezuela, where she had been in hiding for nearly a year. According to the Journal, her network made an important call to the U.S. military before they set out to sea, warning American forces in the region of the vessels occupants to avoid the kind of airstrike that has hit more than 20 similar vessels in the past three months, killing more than 80 people.

The coordination reveals the intimate relationship between Washington and the so-called opposition. Machado has outlined a $1.7 trillion privatization plan for Venezuelas economy and has repeatedly praised Trumps military buildup. I believe that President Trumps actions have been decisive, she told reporters in Oslo Thursday.

The tanker seizures and military threats must be understood in the context of the Trump administrations National Security Strategy, published December 4. The 33-page document explicitly establishes a goal of restoring American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere while denying non-Hemispheric competitorsmeaning Chinathe ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets in the region.

The strategy makes clear that the administration views Latin America as a captive supplier of resources for US corporations, to be blockaded from Chinese investment and trade at gunpoint. China currently purchases roughly 80 percent of Venezuelas oil exports, and the piracy campaign is aimed at severing this trade.

Venezuela holds the worlds largest proven oil reservesmore than 300 billion barrels, representing 17 percent of global reserves. The claim that Washington is intervening to combat drug smuggling is a transparent fraud. The seized ship was actually bound for Cuba, which is heavily dependent on Venezuela to fuel its economy.

Trump has also threatened Colombian President Gustavo Petro, declaring that Petro is next, making clear that the campaign extends beyond Venezuela to any government in Latin America that fails to submit to Washingtons dictates. Colombia is also a significant oil producer, although far less than Venezuela.

A New York Times report Thursday underscored the criminal character of the boat strikes. According to the Times, the administration has repatriated survivors rather than bringing them to the US to ensure survivors did not end up in the U.S. judicial system, where court cases could force the administration to show evidence. The survivors who have been rescued were returned to their home countries and never charged with any crime.

The Democratic Party has offered no serious opposition to these war preparations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, when asked Wednesday whether he opposes regime change in Venezuela, refused to state his opposition. Ya know, obviously if Maduro would just flee on his own, everyone would like that, Schumer said.

The bloodbath already unleashed with the boat strikes is just the beginning of what the Trump administration has planned for Latin America. Having declared its intention to overthrow the Venezuelan government, announced a blockade of the countrys oil exports and deployed the largest military force to the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis, the administration is threatening a broader war to reduce the entire hemisphere to a US colony.
New court filings make clear that the US government is now explicitly attempting to rebrand Yaakub Ira Vijandre, a resident of Dallas, Texas, as a terrorist on the basis of his political beliefs and speech opposing genocide in Gaza, prison abuse at Guantanamo Bay and the US police-military-intelligence apparatus.

Yaakub Vijandre

Vijandre, 38, was seized at gunpoint by Immigration and Customs Enforcement thugs on October 7 of this year, one day after speaking at a Richardson, Texas City Council meeting in defense of another resident who had been abducted by immigration authorities.

Vijandre has lived in the United States for most of his life, first entering the country as a 14-year-old child. Until his abduction in October, he was protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Those protections were revoked only after federal agents began scrutinizing his social media posts opposing the US-backed genocide in Gaza and condemning the mistreatment of prisoners labeled terrorists by the US government.

In November 2023, shortly after the start of Israels US-backed genocide in Gaza, Vijandre was approached by FBI agents and pressured to become a confidential informant. He refused. His subsequent detention follows a well-established pattern in which federal law enforcement retaliates against individuals who decline to serve as informants and who persist in opposing US imperialist violence and repression.

In a reply brief filed December 8 in federal court in Georgia, Vijandres attorneys state that the government has admitted that his detention is rooted in his beliefs and social media activity, not in any criminal act. An immigration judge acknowledged this directly, concluding that Vijandre was subject to mandatory detention because of his belief that certain individuals accused of terrorism have been wrongfully imprisoned and that they are not having proper treatment, and because he expressed those views publicly. The brief emphasizes that the government has not identified a single post by Vijandre that meets the constitutional standard for incitement or criminal conduct under the Supreme Courts 1969 decision Brandenburg v. Ohio.

Brandenburg v. Ohio sharply limits the states ability to punish political speech. The Court ruled that even extreme or unpopular speech is protected by the First Amendment unless it is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action. Mere advocacy, expression of beliefs, or abstract support for ideas, including revolutionary perspectives, is constitutionally protected. As Vijandres attorneys note, the government has failed to identify a single statement or post that meets the court standard.

Like the overwhelming majority of the more than 60,000 people now held in ICE concentration camps across the country, Vijandre has not been convicted of any crime and is not accused of committing one. The governments own filings concede that he is being held under a provision of immigration law that punishes individuals for endorsing or espousing certain views. When pressed in federal court, government attorneys have attempted to retroactively claim that his detention is based on actions, however the only action they point to is an alleged social media post that does not exist and that would be constitutionally protected even if it did.

The governments evidentiary claims are described by Vijandres lawyers as shoddy and threadbare, consisting of Quranic verses, reposts about prison conditions, a martial arts training video clearly labeled as instructional, and general opposition to the incarceration of individuals accused of terrorism. The brief warns that if such material is sufficient to brand a longtime US resident a terrorist, then constitutional protections for speech no longer exist in practice.

Marium Uddin, Legal Director of the Muslim Legal Fund of America and a member of Vijandres legal team, underscored the far-reaching implications of the case in a statement included in the filings:

Yaakubs detention does not exist in isolation. It reflects an evolving enforcement posture in which speed, geography, and bureaucratic discretion increasingly determine whose rights are meaningfully heard. The government admits Yaakub was arrested for his beliefsthe immigration judge said so explicitly. It admitted he is detained because he believes certain prisoners were wrongfully convicted and mistreated. Now, facing a constitutional challenge in federal court, its scrambling to recharacterize his detention as being about actions, but the only action pointed to is speech. This case will determine whether the executive branch can bypass Brandenburg entirely. If Yaakub is detainable as a terrorist, then many of us should consider ourselves on notice. Were just one social media post away.

Immigration attorney Eric Lee, another member of Vijandres legal team, told the World Socialist Web Site:

If it is legal for the federal government to detain a DACA recipient for social media posts about Islam, prison conditions at Gitmo and resistance in Gaza, then tens of millions of Americans are next in line for domestic political detention.

The case lays bare the real function of the immigration Gestapo, which is not the protection of public safety from the alleged threats posed by immigrants, but the suppression of all political opposition to the real terrorists and criminals in the White House, Congress, Supreme Court and Pentagon.

Vijandres continued imprisonment represents a direct assault on the First Amendment and underscores the necessity of building the independent political opposition in the working class that will defend the democratic rights of all, including immigrants, who fight against genocide, imperialist war and state repression.

After months of incarceration, judge orders Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from prison

The criminal character of the entire US government, and specifically the Trump administration and all those involved in the mass deportation operation, was further confirmed Thursday by US District Judge Paula Xinis, who ordered the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from ICE custody.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, left, and her husband Kilmar Abrego Garcia at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Mayland Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. [AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough]

Xinis wrote that the court continued to press counsel about the existence of a removal order and was told plainly that none can be found.

In ordering Abrego Garcias release, Judge Xinis made clear the US government lied to her in an attempt to get him deported. She wrote that lawyers for the Trump administration did not just stonewall the court, but affirmatively misled the tribunal.



Abrego Garcia, husband to a US citizen and father to US citizen children, has been in various prisons and immigration detention centers virtually every day for the last nine months. After Abrego Garcia was kidnapped by ICE in Baltimore, Maryland on March 12, he was illegally deported and jailed on March 15 at the notorious El Salvadoran terrorism prison known as CECOT, even though a judge had previously ruled he could not be deported to that country.

Abrego Garcia was one of nearly 300 people sent to the concentration camp in El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act. In effectuating the flights, the Trump administration deliberately violated an order issued by a federal judge that flights containing Abrego Garcia and other immigrants be turned around. Defying court orders, the Trump administration kept Abrego Garcia and hundreds of other men at the prison for months.

The deportation of Abrego Garcia was one of several illegal ICE kidnappings that provoked mass outrage throughout the United States. Facing public pressure, declining poll numbers and a Supreme Court decision, on June 6 the Trump administration returned Abrego Garcia to the United States, but quickly sought to gin up new criminal charges in order to deport him to an African nation he never lived in or visited.

On August 22, Abrego Garcia was briefly released from jail but was taken into custody by ICE thugs three days later. From September 26 until December 11, Abrego Garcia was detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.

The Trump administration will continue to harass and attempt to deport Abrego Garcia in spite of the judges ruling. On Thursday, Department of Homeland propagandist Tricia McLaughlin claimed the order lacked any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts.
At the Mercedes plant in Berlins Marienfelde district, a conflict is developing between workers and their union, IG Metall, expressed in a growing number of resignations from the union.

The WSWS and the Socialist Equality Party (SGP in Germany) support this growing resistance to the IG Metall apparatus and propose the establishment of an independent rank-and-file committee to discuss how to fight layoffs and social cuts and why a new organizational structure is necessary.

Protest against job cuts at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Berlin (Photo- WSWS)

The plant in Marienfelde currently employs around 2,500 workers and produces parts for combustion engines. However, as production of conventional drives is gradually reduced, parts of the plant are being sold off. Instead, high-performance electric motors (axial flux motors) for AMG models are to be built (AMG is Mercedes high-performance subsidiary). In addition, software solutions and the use of humanoid robots for global vehicle production are to be developed and tested in Marienfelde.

The works council has been negotiating the cutbacks for years, and its apparatus is now implementing them. Works council chairman Fevzi Sikar recently abandoned the red line mandating at least 2,000 jobs had to be secured.

As a result, employees are leaving the union in droves. They no longer want to financially support an organization that has brought them nothing but real wage losses for years and sells continuous job cuts as securing the production site.

But this protest with their feet is not enough. The IG Metall apparatus continues to work closely with corporate management and supports these massive social attacks. Workers must take the fight for their rights and demands into their own hands. This requires new fighting organizations, organizations that prioritize workers rights over profit interests and break through IG Metalls nationalist policies by networking across locations, companies, industries and national borders.

Gone are the days of the so-called social partnership in Germany, when unions were able to wrest a few concessions for their members from the owners of capital within the framework and in the interests of the national economy. Across the world, a super-rich financial and economic oligarchy is trying to solve its crisis through war on all fronts: shooting wars to control resources, markets, and important trade routes; trade war against its rivals on the world market; and class war against its employees and the working population. This applies not only to the US, but also to Europe and especially to Germany.

IG Metall supports all of this. In the last one to two years, tens of thousands of jobs have been cut in the automotive and supplier industry. Countless plants have been closed, production facilities shut down and relocated. The names of IG Metall officials appear on every agreement securing the destruction of thousands and tens of thousands of jobs.

At Volkswagen last year, IG Metall and its works council went so far as to declare the elimination of 35,000 jobs and wage cuts of 20 percent a Christmas miracle for the workers. The conversion of car factories into tank factories has the full support of IG Metall!

The opposition to and desertion of IG Metall is calling onto the scene groups that describe themselves as left-wing and militant. In November, the anonymous group Auto Workers for a Militant IG Metall distributed a flyer at the Mercedes plant in Marienfelde calling for A strong, militant IG Metall!

The flyer describes the corrupt machinations of IG Metall and its union officials and then explains: Disgusted by this, many metalworkers are turning away from our union. For the authors, this is the main problem. Their goal is to stop the wave of resignations and keep as many colleagues as possible in IG Metall.

They write: We have lost count of how many colleagues we have tried to convince not to leave IG Metall. So they see their task as recapturing workers who no longer want to be led around by the nose by IG Metall. Like the union bureaucrats themselves often do to let off steam, they talk about future struggles, but above all they try to preserve the union apparatus. Their leaflet ends with the words: Rejoin IG Metall to support our struggle!

We definitively reject this! The claim that one must first submit to the dictates of the union bureaucracy in order to then fight against the leadership from within is false and serves only one purpose: to sabotage an effective struggle against the IG Metall leadership. Every union member knows that the Mafia-like structures of the IG Metall apparatus nip (crush!) any criticism in the bud. Opponents are intimidated and silenced through legal or illegal maneuvers.

It is not a question of reforming the IG Metall apparatus; it must be overcome. Only by breaking through the straitjacket of the union bureaucracy is it possible to wage a serious struggle to defend jobs and wages.

However, the group, which claims it wants IG Metall to fight, has no intention of conducting serious struggle. After all, what kind of fight are they proposing within the union? They declare: Sign our petition to the IG Metall executive board! And this plea to the executive board is supposed to bring about a strike against the jobs massacre.

The phrase A rebellion on its knees would be an understatement. After paragraphs lamenting the betrayal of the workforces interests by IG Metall and complaining that the future contracts signed by the union are not worth the paper they are written on, they demand a signature on a petition not binding in any way, containing only a few demands and requests to the IGM executive board. In doing so, this group exposes itself as an auxiliary force of the union bureaucracy. With leftist phrases against the bosses and timid criticism of IG Metalls all-too-obvious betrayal, it covers up the unions right-wing policies.

Instead of useless petitions that reduce workers to supplicants, the widespread militancy of workers needs a clear orientation.

That is why it is so important to build independent rank-and-file committees, which have already been formed in workplaces in several countries. They create a new organizational structure that makes it possible to unleash the great economic and political power of the working class and develop its self-confidence in its own strength. It is the many millions of workers in production and administration who create societys wealth. The working class is the productive and value-creating force in society. Their rights take precedence over the profit interests of shareholders and speculators.

The central strategy of the rank-and-file committees must be internationalism. Everyone in the auto industry knows that, given the globalization of production, there is no longer a national economy and workers everywhere face the same problems. Nevertheless, the union bureaucrats spread the poison of nationalism with their demands for a national industrial policy and securing production sites. They divide the working class and play workers in one country off against those in other countries or even other regions.

Whoever declares that turning away from IG Metall and fighting against its apparatus is strengthening the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party turns things upside down. It is precisely the unions right-wing nationalist policies and suppression of any serious struggle to defend workers rights that strengthen the influence of the far right. The demands for the enforcement of German interests, the defense of Germany as a business location, punitive tariffs and trade war measures are identical in the IGM and AfD executive committees.

The WSWS/SGP counter this reactionary nationalism with the international unity of workers. By establishing rank-and-file committees, the WSWS/SGP are initiating worldwide cooperation and networking with workers at other Mercedes plants, the auto and supplier industry as a whole and the entire working class.

At the same time, the rank-and-file committees provide a platform for discussing how the immediate problems in the workplace are directly related to military rearmament and war. The rank-and-file committees will develop and discuss plans for linking and coordinating the struggle against mass layoffs with mobilization against war and armament.

This anti-capitalist and internationalist approach to the fight against job cuts and wage reductions is not only a blow to IG Metall, but also to the nationalist forces in and around the AfD and the Zentrum Automobil (Automotive Center, a right-wing outfit claiming to be an autoworkers union).

We invite all autoworkers, in Mercedes and Marienfelde and beyond, to contact us and discuss the necessary next steps. Send us a WhatsApp message at +491633378340 and fill out the form below.
Expose unsafe conditions on the railroads! Contact the WSWS by filling out the form below. All submissions will be kept anonymous.

BNSF track workers in Vaughn, New Mexico [Photo: BNSF]

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approved a waiver to allow Class I railroads to cut minimum visual track inspections in half, from twice weekly to once a week. The move, announced on December 5, is the latest stage in dismantling any remaining federal regulations of the railroad industry.

The move will lead to more frequent derailments, which already take place three times a day on average. A major derailment on December 3 near Grand Junction, Colorado, sent two locomotives and five coal cars into the Gunnison River, after the train collided with a boulder on the tracks. Two engineers were unhurt but had to be pulled from the wreckage by search and rescue teams. The same day, a Union Pacific conductor was killed in a collision at a vehicle crossing in Southern California.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR), an industry trade group, has been lobbying for this change for some time. The AAR had originally requested visual inspections of twice a month on account of advances in the utilization of Automated Track Inspection technology. The AAR frames this as automated technologies to enhance safety, but in reality it is a ploy to use advances in technology as an excuse to cut jobs.

Automated track inspection technology has been employed for decades, in conjunction with visual track inspections performed by qualified track inspectors. Specially equipped rail cars are placed in freight trains and monitor track geometry with an array of various sensors. The information is collected and potential problems are relayed to managers and inspectors for visual verification.

After verification, the defect is either repaired, slow ordered, or removed from service until repairs can be rendered. The utilization of this technology can enhance railroad safety, in conjunction with human inspectors, but instead it is being used to eliminate track inspector positions. Cutting inspection frequency in half allows the railroad companies to double the territory size of an inspector, enabling half of the track inspector positions to be eliminated.

This is the latest step in the cost-cutting scheme of Precision Scheduled Railroading. Under this system, first introduced in the 1990s, tracks have been ripped up for scrap and maintenance deferred, causing capacity bottlenecks. Locomotives were mothballed to save on maintenance, and crews were furloughed and fired, causing service meltdowns.

Train lengths were doubled to over two miles to reduce the number of necessary crews and locomotives. Overwork, discarding of long-established safety rules and abusive petty disciplinary actions were utilized to whip employees into compliance. These actions have created record profits for the rail companies and their Wall Street owners.

At the same time, workers report that management routinely seeks to intimidate workers into silence when they encounter safety issues, undermining the enforcement of the Federal Railroad Safety Act. The major carriers have refused to join the federal governments voluntary Confidential Close Call Reporting System, which allows rail employees to report mistakes, close calls and unsafe actions by the rail companies without fear of reprisal.

It is no surprise the current FRA administrator approved the waiver. David Fink was previously the president of Pan Am Railways from 2006 until its acquisition by CSX Transportation in 2022. He is one of many former corporate executives appointed to headin reality, to dismantleregulatory agencies. David Keeling, the former safety executive for Amazon and UPS, has been made head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The Trump administration is also clearing the way for the merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. This scheme will create a transcontinental $85 billion juggernaut, holding shippers hostage with monopoly power. Railroad workers will pay an enormous cost with job losses.

Trump fired Robert Primus from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on August 27 without cause. Primus was the lone voice on the STB that opposed the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern (CPKC) merger in 2023.

The CEO of Union Pacific, Jim Vena, met with Trump in the Oval Office on September 4. Vena even suggested the next cities to send the National Guard into.

Parallel merger talks between BNSF and CSX broke down earlier this year, but these plans will likely be revived at some point in the near future. CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs was fired in September for publicly dismissing a merger. The merger of these two entities would create a corporate duopoly in much of the country, with a third mega-railroad, CPKC, running from Canada to Mexico through the Central US.

The rail carriers are able to carry this out because of the prostration of the pro-company union bureaucrats. SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson is one of many officials who have enthusiastically endorsed the merger, following a toothless job security agreement for current workers after the merger. This is a bold agreement, and Im proud of the mutually beneficial work done here and what Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and SMART-TD were able to accomplish. But the railroads could easily fire workers for minor rule infractions as a work-around of this agreement.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWED) released a statement on the FRAs inspection waver, pledging to hold the carriers accountable for every condition, in the words of union President Tony Cardwell.

In reality, they will do nothing. In 2022, the BMWED and other rail unions worked with the companies and the White House to block a national strike demanded by workers, in which safety would have been a key issue. At the time, he reserved far more venom for rank-and-file workers, denouncing the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Committee for organizing workers to enforce their decision for a strike.

Only months after Congress intervened to prevent a strike, a Norfolk Southern train derailed with dozens of chemical cars in East Palestine, Ohio. The railroad, emboldened by the actions of Washington and the unions, set fire to the contents of the cars in a bid to reopen the tracks as soon as possible, poisoning the entire town with carcinogens. The true scale of the disaster was covered up by federal agencies, who later admitted that the controlled release and burn had been unnecessary.

Over the past year and a half, SMART-TD, the BMWED and the other rail unions have worked furiously to prevent a repeat of 2022 by seeking to impose contracts separately, union by union, carrier by carrier, rather than through a national agreement. An initial contract was rejected by BMWED members at CSX, only for almost the same contract to be rammed through in another vote. As for SMART-TD, it tried to ratify a crew consist agreement at BNSF which would have paved the way for one-man crews by creating a new ground-based position, which would eventually replace conductors.

The fight for safety must be organized below by the rank and file itself. This requires the establishment of rank-and-file committees across the rail industry to fight for workers control over safety and to end managements code of silence against reporting issues. They must join with committees in other industries which are already investigating horrific workplace deaths under the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC).
Elevenlabs AudioNative Player

A ban on Australian children under 16 accessing social media came into effect on Wednesday, setting a global precedent for state control of the internet amid rising hostility to inequality, authoritarianism and war.

Social media platforms have been compelled under threat of massive fines to institute age-verification measures and remove children. Potentially all users, including adults, now face new obligations to remain on platforms, such as providing government identification or photographs to the conglomerates.

The measure has sparked mass opposition, including from young people already finding ways to circumvent it.

This is not merely an Australian issue. The Trump administration has introduced a nearly identical policy to the US Congress, and a host of European powers are moving towards a similar ban.

Legislation was rushed through parliament by the Labor government last year, supposedly to protect young people from online harm, particularly to mental health. Those claims are false. Mental health advocacy groups overwhelmingly opposed the ban, warning it will likely intensify childrens psychological problems.

The Labor government is implementing a program that can only worsen the mental health crisis. It has done nothing to address the fact that one in six children live below the poverty line, instead imposing the burden of the cost-of-living crisis on working-class households and inflicting austerity on vital social services.

These social conditions, and the reality that capitalism offers them no future, are fuelling a radicalisation of young people. The real aim of the ban is to suppress that sentiment and prevent it from finding organised political expression.

The ban is being imposed after long developing social anger erupted to the surface amid the Gaza genocide, which has politicised an entire generation. In Australia, masses of youth participated in often weekly demonstrations, held school strikes and engaged in other actions to oppose the war crimes they were witnessing through social media.

The footage of maimed Palestinians, bombed hospitals and decimated schools showed a reality completely at odds with the lies of the major imperialist powers, including Australia, which backed the slaughter. It is such exposures of government lies and criminality that the ban seeks to prevent.

The mass opposition to the genocide followed outpourings over the climate crisis, including school strikes in Australia and globally involving hundreds of thousands.

Anger over these manifestations of capitalist crisis is increasingly cohering into an attraction to socialism. The most recent polling on the issue in Australia found last year that 53 percent of young Australians wanted more socialism, mirroring similar results in the US and Europe.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after his re-election on May 3, 2025. [AP Photo/Rick Rycroft]

Government leaders have covered over their political motivations when publicly justifying the ban. Instead, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has trotted out conservative tropes about the need to return to an idyllic past when children played outdoors.

But the underlying agenda has been expressed in other contexts. In a November address, Mike Burgess, head of domestic spy agency ASIO, warned of growing revolutionary extremism associated with hostility to the Gaza genocide and left-wing opposition.

Beyond the immediate issue of cracking down on oppositional sentiments among young people, government leaders have long railed against the ability of ordinary people to make political statements online with relative anonymity.

Albanese has denounced keyboard warriors who can anonymously say anything at all without any fear. In that context, the governments claims that it will not access the identification details collected by the social media companies hold no water.

Just as growing social anger is international in character, so too are the imperialist powers coordinating in their attempt to suppress it.

In December 2024, just days after the legislation for the social media ban was passed, the Five Eyes spying network released a report warning against youth radicalisation. Five Eyes is led by the US and composed of the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The report warned that young people have grown up online and are technologically savvy. They were using such platforms to view and distribute violent extremist content which further radicalises themselves and others. This threat had to be combatted with a whole-of-society effort.

It is clear that the under-16s social media ban is part of that effort, underscored by the fact that the Trump administration and European countries are moving to implement similar measures.

In that context, the warnings of violent extremism are a transparent fraud. Trump is seeking to erect a fascistic dictatorship, overturning the Constitution including through the mobilisation of far-right and even Nazi forces.

To the extent that the social media companies amplify anti-immigrant and racist content, that is one component of a broader promotion of fascism by the political and media establishment. The connection is exemplified by X/Twitter, increasingly transformed by the worlds richest man Elon Musk, a former member of the Trump administration, into a loudhailer for far-right propaganda.

The assault on online freedom is part of a broader offensive against left-wing opposition. That includes this weeks memorandum by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, classifying as domestic terrorists, those who promote opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders or anti-capitalism.

The crackdown on democratic rights involves not only openly fascistic forces such as Trump, but the entire political establishment, expressed in the fact that it is a Labor government that is setting a global precedent for censorship.

That precedent builds on longstanding attempts by governments to gain control of the internet, which is viewed as a revolutionary threat because it provides those outside the corridors of power with the ability to disseminate their views, communicate and organise opposition.

A key turning point came in 2017, when Google, acting at the behest of government agencies, introduced a new algorithm, suppressing the World Socialist Web Site and other alternative outlets in search results, instead prioritising corporate publications.

The crisis of capitalism is far deeper than when those measures were instituted. The major powers, led by the US, are responding with imperialist war, including not only such crimes as the genocide in Gaza, but also confrontations with Russia and China that threaten nuclear world war. Domestically, they are enforcing social inequality unseen since the days of the French Revolution, through dictatorial measures.

There is widespread hostility and growing resistance. That has found expression in large numbers of young people denouncing Australias social media ban and defiantly circumventing it. Protests, school strikes and other actions must be organised.

An alternative political perspective is required. The capitalist program of censorship and ultimately dictatorship can only be fought through a mass movement of the working class, independent of the entire political establishment.

The fight for online freedom and democratic discussion poses nothing less than the dismantling of the repressive capitalist state apparatuses and the placement of all the major productive forces of society, including the technology corporations, under the democratic control and ownership of the working class.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, peaks standing between Alexander Sollfrank, right, Commander of the Operational Command and Carsten Breuer, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, during his first visit to the Operational Command of the Bundeswehr in Brandenburg, Schwielowsee, Saturday, June 28, 2025. [AP Photo/Michael Kappeler/DPA via AP, Pool]

After four years of war, hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed and millions of refugees displaced, NATOs war against Russia has reached an impasse. Despite providing Ukraine with military logistics and 400 billion since the start of the conflict, NATO has failed to drive back Russian forces. They are advancing slowly but steadily.

The Ukrainian regime is collapsing under the weight of corruption scandals. President Zelensky was forced to dismiss his closest confidant, Andriy Yermak, and only 20 percent of the population would vote for him again. Several hundred soldiers are deserting the army each day. Despite brutal conscription methods, the Ukrainian military is unable to obtain the necessary cannon fodder for the front lines.

The US now appears determined to withdraw from the war. Trumps envoy, Steve Witkoff, has negotiated a peace plan with Russiaover the heads of both the Ukrainian government and Washingtons European alliesthat combines the cession of Ukrainian territory with lucrative deals for American corporate interests.

Trumps new National Security Strategy, released last week, no longer identifies Russia as an adversary but instead attacks the European Union (EU). It accuses European leaders of having unrealistic expectations of the war, welcomes the rise of far-right parties in Europe as a cause for great optimism and calls for the breakup of the EU.

On Monday, Trump reinforced this stance in a lengthy interview with Politico, where he denounced Europe as a decaying group of nations led by weak people who dont know what to do. They talk, but they dont accomplish anything, and the war just goes on and on, he railed.

The European powersled by Germany, France and the UKare responding by doing everything possible to prolong the bloodshed in Ukraine and block Trumps plans. They are not interested in peace, but the continuation of war. In recent days, there have been summit talks with Zelensky, phone calls to Trump, counterproposals to his peace plan and efforts to escalate military action.

The European powers aim to achieve two goals in particular. They want to prevent Ukraine from permanently ceding territories to Russia that it would not be able to reclaim later if the balance of power were to change. And they want so-called security guarantees for Ukraine. Even if the country renounces formal NATO membership, it is to be developed into a heavily armed NATO outpost that keeps the region in a permanent state of tension and can reignite the war at any time.

French President Macron has long advocated for deploying French troops in Ukraine, and the British government has made similar pledges. Ukraine is also to be transformed into a hub of European arms production, and equipped with missiles capable of striking deep into Russia. The EU Commission and several member states have already earmarked enormous sums for this purpose.

Moscow cannot accept such security guarantees after fighting a four-year war to prevent NATO from expanding further and gaining a foothold in Ukraine. The guarantees demanded by Europe are aimed at sabotaging an agreement and ensuring that the war continueswith the support or at least acquiescence of the US.

However, it is unlikely that Washington will go along with Europes maneuvers. Political observers now assume that the alliance with the US is irretrievably broken and that Europe will pursue its imperialist interests on its own in the futureand, if necessary, against the US.

This weekends print edition of Der Spiegel appears with the title: How Trump and Putin are attacking Europe: Two rogues, one goal. The cover story states:

As long as the cameras are rolling, European leaders dutifully praise Trumps mediation efforts. ... But as soon as the leaders are among themselves, they make no secret of the fact that they do not see Trump and his people as allies, but as rivals who have more sympathy for Vladimir Putin than for their former partners.

Der Spiegel concludes:

Europe will only be able to survive if it stands up to Russia and makes itself more independent from the US. ... The EU is not defenseless, even if it may appear that way at the moment. It just needs to be willing to use its power. It is home to more than 450 million people and, with a gross domestic product of 18 trillion, it is still the second strongest economic area behind the US. Europe has the money and technical know-how to build drones, tanks, and fighter jets. ... Trump can only humiliate Europe if Europe makes itself small.

This is a program of unrestrained militarism. For four years, official propaganda has justified military support for Ukraine with the lie that it is about defending democracy and Western values against an arbitrary war of aggression, even though NATO deliberately provoked the war by expanding eastward.

But now that the war is at an impasse, the US is seeking an agreement with Moscow, Zelensky is turning out to be a corrupt oligarch and resistance to the senseless bloodshed is growing among the Ukrainian and European populations. Der Spiegel identifies the real motive: Europe should build drones, tanks, and fighter jets so that it does not make itself smalli.e., so that it can act as a major military power in a world of imperialist conflicts.

There are dozens of similar comments. The IPG Journal of the Social Democratic Party-affiliated Friedrich Ebert Foundation states:

The benevolent hegemon on the other side of the Atlantic is now becoming a world power that, like Russia, is attempting to weaken the EU and arrange the political conditions in Europe according to its own discretion. There is no sign of a compromise or middle ground.

In response, the IPG Journal calls for a European Rutli Oath, a reference to the supposed beginning of the Old Swiss Confederacys rebellion against the Hapsburgs in the 14th century. It says there is a need for a forced reduction of Europes security policy dependencies, the establishment of a European arms industry for central systems that enable Europe to act jointly, a strengthening of economic and political relations with other regions, and the consolidation of international institutions against influence from Washington.

And Stefan Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) writes in Die Zeit, Only a Europe capable of acting, which takes responsibility militarily, financially, and with regard to Ukraines integration into the EU, can become a player in negotiations to end the war.

Europes insistence on security guarantees that are unacceptable to Russia, and its commitment to prolonging the war, not only deepen the suffering and destruction in Ukraine but risk dragging all of Europe into a catastrophic conflict with nuclear-armed Russia. These policies are inseparable from attacks on the working class. In its fight against the rogue Trump, the European bourgeoisie is adopting his fascistic methods.

The demand for a continent-wide rearmament for preparation for war with Russia was spelled out by NATO head Mark Ruttea former prime minister of the Netherlandsin a speech in Germany on Thursday.

He declared, Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured. Imagine it, a conflict reaching every home, every workplace, destruction, mass mobilisation, millions displaced, widespread suffering and extreme losses.

He claimed that if the major NATO powers in Europe rearmed to invest 5% of GDP annually in defence by 2035 military spending agreed by Nato that this is a tragedy we can prevent. But as is clear with the attempts of the Europeans to stymie any peace deal with Russia over Ukraine, none of this is aimed at peace. Rather Ruttes speech was summed up in his statement that Nato had to shift to a wartime mindset.

The planned increase in military spending to 5 percent of GDP over the coming years is already leading to massive attacks on pensions, healthcare and social programs. In France, Macrons pension reforms sparked mass protests; he remains in office only thanks to the support of the Social Democrats. In Belgium, Portugal and Italy, general strikes have erupted in response to austerity budgets. In Germany, disputes over pension reformi.e., a major reduction in retirement benefitsare threatening the stability of the ruling coalition of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union and SPD.

But continuing the war without US support and integrating Ukraine into the EU will cost even more. Military aid to Ukraine has already fallen sharply this year because Europe has been unable to replace the missing payments from the US, which previously covered half of the costs.

Ukraines financial needs for the next two years are estimated at 136 billion. The EU wants to use the frozen Russian central bank assets held by Euroclear in Belgium to cover these costs. However, the Belgian government has so far strongly opposed this, fearing that it will be held liable for brazen theft that violates the principle of state immunity under international law.

Added to this are the effects of the global trade war. Industrial production in Germany, the strongest EU member in economic terms, is in free fall. Between the summer of 2024 and the summer of 2025, 114,000 relatively well-paid jobs were lost there within a yearalmost 10,000 every month.

The European ruling class is preparing for a major escalation of class struggle. Like Trump, it is responding by stepping up persecution of migrants, building a police state, strengthening far-right parties and persecuting political opposition. Militarism and democracy are incompatible.

Workers must prepare for fierce class struggles. The defense of jobs, the fight against social spending cuts and the struggle against war and militarism are inseparably linked. They require the development of an independent movement of the international working class to overthrow capitalism and build a socialist society.
Following its formation two years ago, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW)a split from Germanys Left Party (Die Linke)won notable results in the state elections in Thuringia, Brandenburg and Saxony. It capitalised on the widespread opposition to the mad, reckless escalation of military spending and presented itself as an anti-war party.

Yet its support collapsed just as quickly when, in coalition governments with the pro-war Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD), it aggressively implemented social cuts and expanded the repressive state apparatus.

Sahra Wagenknecht speaking at the BSW party congress in Magdeburg [Photo by youtube / BSW Bund]

At its congress last weekend, the partysoon to be renamed the Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reasonresponded by reviving its anti-war rhetoric in an attempt to win back voters. At the same time, however, it reaffirmed its determination to pursue its right-wing, pro-capitalist programme. This alone exposes its thunderous denunciations of war as empty bombast.

The main speakers delivered fiery denunciations of war and rearmament. Youre not getting our children! shouted BSW co-chair Amira Mohamed Ali in her opening speech, praising the school strikes against the reintroduction of conscription. She railed against threatening rhetoric and war propaganda and warned of nuclear war.

Wagenknecht also spoke against the militarisation of Germany and accused the opposition parties in the Bundestag [parliament] of backing the governments war policy. These Green latte-macchiato militarists are now even trying to outdo the CDU in their newfound euphoria for weapons. The Alternative for Germany [AfD] is part of the fan club of the arms lobby too. And then theres the Left Partyhow honest is that? They talk about disarmament but then vote in the Bundesrat [upper house of parliament] for the largest rearmament package in German history.

What Wagenknecht conspicuously omitted was that the BSW itself has joined coalition governments with the war parties CDU and SPD, and at state level is hacking away at social spending to free up funds that ultimately flow into federal military rearmament.

In Brandenburg, for example, BSW Finance Minister Robert Crumbach pushed through the abolition of 345 teaching posts and worsened staffing ratios in nurseriesdespite vocal public opposition. The police, by contrast, were granted 100 additional posts.

In Thuringia, too, the BSW is cutting social programmes, public transport and cultural funding. Wagenknecht even lauded this orgy of cuts, declaring: Our finance ministers have presented budgets that have created more fiscal room for investment than any other party.

The glaring contradiction between congress rhetoric and real-world policy stems from the fact that the BSW is pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist in every respect.

At the BSW, our protests are not directed against the Bundeswehr [armed forces], Wagenknecht insisted at the congress, emphasising that it must be well equipped. The BSW does not oppose the war against Russia because it rejects the predatory aims of German capitalism, whichas in the 20th centuryseeks to seize the countrys vast resources. Rather, it objects that this goal cannot currently be realised by waging war against a nuclear-armed Russia.

On the defence of German capitalist interests, however, the party is entirely explicit. If our economy is to have a future, we need affordable energy and good trading relations with as many partners as possiblewith the United States, but also with the BRICS states [Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, etc.], Mohamed Ali declared. As an export-dependent economy lacking raw materials, German capitalism has long pursued access to markets and energydriving it, in the last century, into two world wars and the worst crimes in human history.

Today, too, the global capitalist crisis is intensifying the struggle among the great powers over a new division of the world. In these conflicts, the BSW unambiguously sides with German capital andlike all war propagandistsclaims that this is in the interests of workers in Germany.

No more servility and vassalage toward Washington, reads the BSW congress motion. We are fighting for a sovereign Europe that defines its own security interests and creates a stable peace order with all neighbours, including Russia, based on a balance of interests and mutual security. To this end, Germany needs technological and digital sovereignty and a strategic industrial policy that overcomes dependencies in key future sectors.

This is exactly the programme underpinning the governments massive rearmament drive. How is German capital supposed to assert its sovereignty, secure markets and raw materials, and reduce dependencies except through military force? Capitalism has reached a point where imperialist contradictions openly collideseen today in the sharp and escalating tensions between Germany and the US. Those who accept capitalist constraints and rally behind their own ruling class inevitably follow the logic of war.

The only realistic basis for a movement against a third world war is the struggle against capitalism. Only the expropriation of the major banks and corporations and their placement under democratic control can avert catastrophe. This requires nothing less than the mobilisation of the international working classthe producers of societys wealth, who bear the full burden of war and crisisbased on a socialist perspective.

Wagenknecht and her BSW are fiercely hostile to such a perspective. Saving capitalism is written into Wagenknechts political DNA. When she joined East Germanys Stalinist ruling party, the SED, in early summer 1989, it had long since oriented itself towards capitalist restoration. In the SEDs successor party, the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), she played a key role in covering this capitalist turn with stale Stalinist phraseology.

As the PDS plunged into crisis due to its budget-cutting policies in the eastern German states, Wagenknecht and her now husband Oskar Lafontaine were instrumental in merging the PDS with discredited SPD, trade-union bureaucrats and pseudo-lefts from the WASG to form the Left Party (Die Linke)a project designed to divert mass anger over the SPDs Agenda 2010 social cuts into pro-capitalist channels.

Today, as opposition to war and social cuts grows, Wagenknechts efforts to rescue capitalism take on openly right-wing forms. With no room left for social compromise, she replaces limited social demands with rancid nationalism and unabashedly pro-business rhetoric.

Even before the congress, Wagenknecht published a guest article in the right-wing Springer press. In a tone indistinguishable from the far-right AfD, she railed against hand-outs for the work-shy and uncontrolled immigration, bluntly demanding a right-wing agenda. In her words, such a programmeright-wing in its original sensemeant protecting the property and privileges of the middle classes, explicitly against refugees and the unemployed.

This agenda dominated the BSW congress. Calls for higher wages or wealth taxes appeared only in passing. At its centre were demands that could have been lifted straight from the neo-liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP)such as the call for a just meritocracy with fair opportunities for advancement and a strong middle class. To achieve this, the BSW proposes channelling public resources into German industry.

The reactionary nature of the BSW was most clearly revealed in its incitement against immigrants. While business interests were extolled, the desperate people fleeing NATOs wars were scapegoated for social problems. Wagenknecht declared in her speech that the right to asylum had created problems with housing, crime and the shadow economy. In her narrative, responsibility for the social catastrophe lies not with massive military spending or the billions handed to the wealthy, but with societys most vulnerable.

Given this agenda, it is hardly surprising that the BSW has already offered itself as a potential majority-maker for the AfD. On November 10, Wagenknecht announced at a press conference that the BSW supported the formation of governments of experts relying on shifting parliamentary majorities. In such a scenario, the BSW would be prepared to form majorities with the fascist AfD.

Nothing of its pacifist rhetoric would survive participation in a federal government. The material capitalist interests the BSW advocates far outweigh its platitudes about diplomacy. This can already be observed in Brandenburg and Thuringia, where the BSW is jointly implementing deep social cuts with the establishment parties of war. Most recently, it sparked a dispute over public broadcasting in order to distract from its own record.

Anyone who wants to fight against war must not orient themselves to Wagenknechts right-wing, pro-capitalist agenda. They must build an international, socialist anti-war movement. This is the perspective advanced in Germany by the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP, Socialist Equality Party), together with its sister parties of the Fourth International throughout the world.
ANKARA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye expressed concern on Friday after a missile struck a Turkish-owned civilian ship at Ukraine's Chornomorsk port near Odesa, causing damage but no reported casualties, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry stated that the crew and drivers had been evacuated, and no Turkish citizens were reported injured. It added that Turkiye's consulate general in Odesa was monitoring the situation and providing support.

Ankara reiterated its concerns about the Russia-Ukraine conflict spreading into the Black Sea. It called for measures to prevent escalation, including suspending attacks targeting navigation safety, as well as energy and port infrastructure.

The vessel, the M/V CENK T, operated by Cenk Denizcilik, was hit by a ballistic missile around 1600 local time (1400 GMT) after berthing at the Chornomorsk terminal, the operator confirmed. The ship operates on the Karasu-Odesa route carrying trucks.

The strike sparked a fire in the bow section, which was quickly extinguished by tugboats, port firefighting teams, and the ship's crew. The company said the damage appeared limited to material losses, with no injuries among the crew or truck drivers.

Ukrainian authorities said the ship was targeted by "a Russian attack." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted photos showing a large fire aboard a ship in Chornomorsk port, with firefighters tackling the blaze. He accused the Russian side of continuing to "destroy normal life in Ukraine."

There was no immediate comment from the Russian side. 
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday on social media that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to cease all shooting effective Friday evening.

"I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running War," Trump said on Truth Social, adding that both countries are ready for peace and continued trade with the United States. 
ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A new round of talks between Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Houthi group on the release of detainees began on Friday in the Omani capital, Muscat, a government official told Xinhua.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said representatives from both sides had resumed discussions under UN auspices, with support from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.

The talks, expected to last several days, will focus on the release of detainees held by both parties. The official said early signs were positive, raising hopes for progress on a long-standing humanitarian issue.

Meanwhile, the Association of Mothers of Abductees in Yemen, a local civil society group, urged both delegations to show "a strong sense of humanitarian responsibility." In a statement, it called on negotiators to advance the consultations "in a spirit that rises above political considerations," saying years of deadlock had worsened the suffering of detainees and their families.

The last round of detainee talks, held in Muscat in July 2024, ended without a final agreement.

Since the conflict erupted in late 2014, the United Nations has overseen multiple rounds of negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthis aimed at resolving prisoner and detainee issues. 
Bianca Censori stunned in a curve-hugging latex bodysuit after flashing a rare smile while in Seoul, South Korea, with her husband, Kanye West.

On Thursday, Dec. 11, the former Yeez architectural designer, 30, stepped out with her rapper spouse, 48, while in the city for her Bio Pop (The Origin) project.

 SIGN UP for Parades Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 

In photos obtained by the Daily Mail, the Australian model rocked a futuristic-looking, red skin-tight catsuit. The fashion statement resembled Britney Spears' iconic jumpsuit from her 2000 music video for "Oops!...I Did It Again." She wore her long, dark hair down and straight to complete her look. West, meanwhile, opted for an all-black outfit.

Advertisement Advertisement

Earlier that day, Censori was photographed as she arrived at the venue for her Bio Pop performance. The usually stoic model flashed a big grin while dressed in a fuzzy coat with the hood up in snaps obtained by the Daily Mail.

Censori didn't share details of her Bio Pop project when she announced it on her Instagram grid. However, video clips and photos from the eventwhich kicked off on Dec. 11 and has a second date on Dec. 12revealed it to be a performance piece featuring doubles of herself.

"Domesticity is the mother of all revolutions, because all others trace back to it," a description of Bio Pop on Censori's website reads. "...Bianca Censoris first work Bio Pop stages the body inside the language of the domestic. "She begins in a kitchen, baking a cake, before carrying it into a dining room where womenmasked, dark-haired doubles of herselfare restrained inside her sculptural furniture.

It continues, "The cake, baked in performance and carried to the table, is not nourishment but offering. It embodies the tension of the kitchen as origin, labor, and ritual: a gesture of domestic service reframed as spectacle. This performance marks the origin point in a seven-part cycle. The kitchen becomes an alter, the cake a symbolic relic, and the furniture the first shrine in a cycle that will expand into reliquaries, confessions, sacrifices, and rebirth."

Advertisement Advertisement

What do you think of Bio Pop?

Next: Bianca Censori Rocks Sheer Bodysuit While Breaking the Law During Rare Public Outing

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Erika Kirk appeared to make her opinion of Candace Owens clear during a recent CBS town hall with Bari Weiss.

As soon as Weiss mentioned the former Turning Point USA staffers name, Charlie Kirks widow, 37, went from all smiles to an instant death stare, one X user described in a post on Thursday, December 11.

Owens, 36, has been one of the main peddlers of conspiracies about Charlies death, Weiss said during the discussion, which will air on CBS on Saturday, December 13. What do you want to say to her and the other people that are putting these lies out into the world?

Stop, Erika responded, taking a long pause. Thats it. Thats all I have to say. Stop.

Advertisement Advertisement

As the National Enquirer has previously reported, Kirk blasted people who have profited from chatter about her husbands murder, including questions about the location of his burial site, as a mind virus.

Owens has compared Erika to Meghan Markle for expecting privacy, shared private text messages from Charlie about dating and slammed Turning Point for promoting the former Miss Arizona to CEO.

The conservative activist was fatally shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested and charged with the murder. The Utah native, who has not yet entered a plea, made his first in-person court appearance on December 11.

Read More From National Enquirer

This story Erika Kirk Flashes Death Stare, Issues One-Word Response to Mention of Candace Owens Theories first appeared on National Enquirer. Add National Enquirer as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Former AT&T spokeswoman Milana Vayntrub raised over half a million dollars selling tastefully risque photos of herself to help victims of the devastating wildfires that tore across California.

Vayntrub, 38, revealed Tuesday that she surpassed the $500,000 mark as part of her Only Philanthropy, a play on the popular amateur adult video site OnlyFans, that turned into the best thing Ive ever been part of.

I had this full-on crazy idea for an experiment, Vanytrub wrote on Instagram. After the LA fires this year, I saw that what people really needed was some cash. So I wondered if you and me could try something ridiculous and team up to help the people affected.

Former AT&T spokeswoman Milana Vayntrub raised over half a million dollars selling tastefully risque photos of herself to help victims of the devastating wildfires that tore across California. @mintmilana/Instagram

The actress and model, best known for her longtime role as Lily in commercials for the telecommunication company, teased potential donors that they would receive flirty and tastefully risque photos of her  while she ruled out nudity.

Advertisement Advertisement

Vayntrub began offering her exclusive pictures to people in exchange for their donations to a GoFundMe set up by Bridget Bradley, a single mom who lost her East Altadena home in the deadly Eaton wildfire in January.

The initial donation drive raised $170,000 in four days and helped Bradley, who has three children, including a then-5-year-old son with cerebral palsy, pay for a year of housing, medical expenses and a new car.

Only Philanthropy trades exclusive content for real-world impact, the companys website states. We raise money for urgent causes quickly, by offering our generous supporters something a little flirty, a little silly, and with a whole lot of heart.

The This Is Us alum kickstarted a second project during the summer, where she raised $350,000 in a week after the success of her first venture.

The initial donation drive raised $170,000 in four days and helped Bridget Bradley recover after the fire. @mintmilana/Instagram

Bridget Bradley, a single mother of three, including a young son with cerebral palsy, used the money to pay for a year of housing, medical expenses and a new car. @mintmilana/Instagram

The funds later went to My Tribe Rise, an Altadena-based organization that has been assisting elderly, disabled and underinsured individuals to rebuild their lives.

Advertisement Advertisement

The massive donation was split into direct grants for the fire survivors.

The first two campaigns had 3,500 donors who gave an average $120 with less than 10 hours of work for the creators, the company revealed.

The This Is Us alum kickstarted a second project during the summer, where she raised $350,000 in a week after the success of her first venture. Getty Images

Because of the initial success, Vayntrub is exploring more options for Only Philanthropy, seeking new projects and causes to raise money for, including justice reform, homelessness, LGBTQ+ rights and climate resilience.

Weve raised over half a million dollars together this year. Now lets grow this into something bigger, stranger, more powerful, with more creators jumping in, Vayntrub said.

The $350,000 went to My Tribe Rise, an Altadena-based organization that has been assisting elderly, disabled and underinsured individuals to rebuild their lives. @mintmilana/Instagram

Milana Vayntrub arrives to the Los Angeles premiere of Jay Kelly at the Egyptian Theater on Nov. 11, 2025. London Entertainment, Katie Avery / SplashNews.com

Vayntrub is exploring more options for Only Philanthropy, seeking new projects and causes to raise money for, including justice reform, homelessness, LGBTQ+ rights and climate resilience. Onlyphilanthropy.com

Advertisement Advertisement

The company operates on a tier payment system with each level of donations getting flirtier, the site states.

A $1,000 donation also gets the donor a chance to get a signed Polaroid from Vayntrubs shoot.

The digital photos sent out are digitally watermarked with the donors email to ensure none of the pictures are leaked online, and if they are, the company would know where they originated.




As the rest of the country has begun to catch on about the Texas gem that is Whataburger, celebrities have started revealing their orders - Selena Gomez with her Whatchick'n strips and gravy, Lainey Wilson's honey butter chicken biscuit and Kodak Black's pancake platter, to name a few. Ed Sheeran, Simone Biles and more have showered the beloved chain with praise of their own.

One Marvel superhero just dropped her go-to order in a post on Instagram, and folks are saying it makes the California-born actor an "honorary Texan." While most of us eat in the car, Captain Marvel star and Oscar winner Brie Larson opted to eat hers from what appears to be a private jet. Regardless, her order was "Texas af," according to one commenter: a Whataburger junior with jalapenos, fries with spicy ketchup and a Dr Pepper to wash it all down. From the spice level down to the signature soda of Waco, Texas, Larson had commenters saying "she knows ball."

Advertisement Advertisement

"I have never missed Texas more than reading that order," one wrote.

The only question is, Whataburger or In-N-Out?

Brie Larson's San Antonio ties

Brie Larson poses for a photo with PMX Events CEO Bob Wills at SPACEON in San Antonio, Texas on October 25, 2025. (Photo by Chris Saucedo/Getty Images for SPACECON San Antonio ) (Chris Saucedo/Getty Images for SPACECON San An)





While Larson is a native of the Golden State, she's recently made the rounds in Texas, stopping by San Antonio's Spacecon in October as a panelist.

And back in 2019, we learned that her iconic role as Carol Danvers (also known as Captain Marvel) was influenced by the Alamo City. Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, the Air Force's first female fighter pilot, led the Air Force Recruiting Service at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. But before that, she commanded the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB in Nevada, where she and Larson met during the film's shooting. Leavitt advised her not just on how to look and act like a legit fighter pilot, but what it's like to be a woman in a male-dominated field.

This article originally published at Hollywood star reveals her 'Texas af' Whataburger order, and it has a kick.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A village chieftain in Iraq's central province of Salahuddin was killed by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, local authorities said on Friday.

The victim, Fakhri al-Abbasi, was killed "in a cowardly terrorist attack," the media office of Salahuddin's governor said in a statement.

According to the Kurdish media network Rudaw, al-Abbasi was a Sunni from the Samarra district, whose family had also been targeted by IS in previous attacks.

"All members of his family, except for one son, were killed by IS" in earlier assaults, Kawa Shekhani, advisor to the governor of Salahuddin, was quoted by Rudaw as saying.

Iraq declared victory over IS in 2017, but remnants of the group continue to carry out attacks against security forces and civilians in the country. 
NEED TO KNOW

Denise Ivonne Jarvis Gongora, a Mexican-Canadian influencer who went by the name Mary Magdalene, died on Dec. 9 at age 33

The content creator fell from the ninth floor of a high-rise apartment in Patong, a beach town in Phuket Island, Thailand, police told local news outlets

Gongora, who had over 400,000 followers across multiple Instagram accounts, shared a haunting final post the day before her death

Denise Ivonne Jarvis Gongora, a Mexican-Canadian influencer who went by the name Mary Magdalene online, died on Dec. 9 after falling from the ninth floor of a high-rise apartment in Patong, a beach town in Phuket Island, Thailand. She was 33.

At 1:50 p.m., Gongoras body was discovered by the apartments staff in the buildings parking area, said Captain Channarong Prakongkuea of the Patong Police Station, local outlet The Phucket News reported. Police and family members later confirmed her identity to the Daily Mail.

Advertisement Advertisement

PEOPLE has reached out to the Patong Police station for comment.

Gongora, who had over 400,000 followers across multiple Instagram accounts, was known for her extensive cosmetic procedures  including nose jobs, buccal fat removal, brow lifts, butt and breast implants and veneers  as well as her tattoos, which covered her face and body. She also posted her elaborate psychedelic paintings online in addition to adult content on the paid subscription platform OnlyFans.

On Dec. 8, the day before her fatal fall, Gongora shared a haunting final post to her social media accounts: two stills from the final scene of The Truman Show, which included the characters lines, And in case I dont see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night. In the carousel, Gongora also included what appeared to be a blurry childhood photo of herself.

Mary Magdalene/instagram Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene

Per The Phucket News, police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Gongoras death.

Advertisement Advertisement

At the scene, condo staff told police that Gongora was set to check out of the apartment building on Dec. 10, the day after her death, and investigators discovered a pair of flip-flops believed to belong to Gongora left behind on the ninth floor of the building, the outlet reported.

In a series of emotional posts to his Instagram Stories, Gongoras brother Ivan  who uses the handle skinny_fists  shared a series of photos and videos with her over the course of her life, including written tributes to the late internet star.

You are so funny and so creative way more than ill ever be, he wrote in one slide. I love you much more than words will ever say. You are my world. I wish things were different. Thank you for everything I love you sis.

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.

I jus wanna hangout with you one more time and tell you that I love so much you mean the world to me, he penned in another tribute.

Advertisement Advertisement

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

Read the original article on People
NEED TO KNOW

King Charles' cancer diagnosis was announced in February 2024 after he underwent a procedure for an enlarged prostate

The King kept much of his treatment private but has made rare remarks about his treatment

In December 2025, he announced that his treatment would be "reduced" in 2026

King Charles has kept much of his cancer journey private over the last few years.

In February 2024, Buckingham Palace announced that he had been diagnosed with "a form of cancer" after undergoing a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate the month prior.

Advertisement Advertisement

The statement didn't disclose details of his diagnosis but shared that the monarch has "commenced a schedule of regular treatments." Amid his course of treatment, Charles slowly resumed his royal duties and returned to public events.

The medical diagnosis comes after his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton underwent abdominal surgery in January 2024. In March, she announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. By January 2025, Middleton shared that she was in remission.

While Charles has rarely spoken about his cancer diagnosis and treatment, he shared a rare update in December 2025 and announced that his treatment would be "reduced" in 2026.

Heres everything to know about King Charles medical timeline.

January 17, 2024: Buckingham Palace reveals King Charles will receive treatment for an enlarged prostate

Samir Hussein/WireImage King Charles III leaves a national service of thanksgiving and dedication to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at St Giles' Cathedral on July 05, 2023. King Charles III leaves a national service of thanksgiving and dedication to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at St Giles' Cathedral on July 05, 2023.

In mid-January, Buckingham Palace revealed that King Charles would undergo a medical procedure on his prostate.

Advertisement Advertisement

"In common with thousands of men each year, The King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate," Buckingham Palace announced in a statement. "His Majesty's condition is benign, and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure."

They added, "The Kings public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation." At the time, it was understood that the King wanted to share his diagnosis to encourage men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked.

January 26, 2024: King Charles is admitted to the hospital for surgery

The following week, King Charles was photographed arriving with Queen Camilla at the private London Clinic, the same hospital where Kate was recovering from abdominal surgery. PEOPLE understands that the King visited the Princess of Wales in the hospital ahead of his own surgery.

According to U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, Charles left Clarence House just after 8:30 a.m. local time on Friday, having returned to London the previous day ahead of the procedure.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The King was this morning admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment," Buckingham Palace confirmed in a statement. "His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness."

January 27, 2024: Queen Camilla visits King Charles in the hospital

Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Queen Camilla departs The London Clinic in central London where King Charles is being treated for an enlarged prostate. Queen Camilla departs The London Clinic in central London where King Charles is being treated for an enlarged prostate.

After Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles was in the hospital, his wife was subsequently photographed leaving The London Clinic three separate times over a 24-hour period.

During one trip, Camilla also informed well-wishers gathered outside about her husband's well-being. "He's fine, thank you," she said, per ITV's Chris Ship.

January 29, 2024: King Charles leaves the hospital after his surgery

Peter Nicholls/Getty Images King Charles III waves as he departs with Queen Camilla after receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate at The London Clinic in January 2024. King Charles III waves as he departs with Queen Camilla after receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate at The London Clinic in January 2024.

Three days after his surgery, King Charles was released from the hospital. He left the hospital's front entrance alongside his wife, Queen Camilla, waving to the gathering crowd outside as he walked to his awaiting car.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The King was this afternoon discharged from hospital following planned medical treatment and has rescheduled forthcoming public engagements to allow for a period of private recuperation," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

"He would like to thank the medical team and all those involved in supporting his hospital visit, and is grateful for all the kind messages he has received in recent days," the statement continued.

February 4, 2024: King Charles is seen for the first time since his surgery

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images King Charles attends church on Jan. 7, 2024 King Charles attends church on Jan. 7, 2024

On Feb. 4, the King was seen for the first time since leaving the hospital as he greeted well-wishers outside St. Mary Magdalene Church near Sandringham. He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, as they both walked to Sunday services near their country home in Norfolk, England. The royals were also pictured with the Rev. Canon Dr. Paul Williams, the Rector of Sandringham.

February 5, 2024: King Charles announces cancer diagnosis

Samir Hussein - Handout/Getty King Charles III during the state tour of France in September 2023 on February 5, 2024 in London, England. King Charles III during the state tour of France in September 2023 on February 5, 2024 in London, England.

The day after stepping out for the Sunday church service, Buckingham Palace announced King Charles' cancer diagnosis.

Advertisement Advertisement

"During The King's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer," the palace said in a statement.

"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual," the statement continued.

"The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible," the statement added. "His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."

PEOPLE understands King Charles told his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, about the diagnosis himself. The King also personally informed his siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, before the news was made public.

February 6, 2024: King Charles photographed for first time since cancer news

James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images Queen Camilla and King Charles on Feb. 6, 2024 Queen Camilla and King Charles on Feb. 6, 2024

On Feb. 6, the King and Queen Camilla were photographed driving from Clarence House, their home in London, one day after the palace made the shocking announcement about the Kings health.

Advertisement Advertisement

The royals gave a wave through the window, and the couple reportedly made their way to Buckingham Palace, where they'd travel to Sandringham House by helicopter.

King Charles had just met with his younger son, Prince Harry, who traveled from California to London to see his father amid the news of his cancer diagnosis.



February 10, 2024: King Charles speaks out for the first time about cancer

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty King Charles III attends the Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on February 4, 2024 in Sandringham, England. King Charles III attends the Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on February 4, 2024 in Sandringham, England.

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the monarch expressed his thanks for all of the well-wishes he has received in the wake of his health news.

"I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days," the King said. "As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement."

Advertisement Advertisement

"It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organizations which support cancer patients and their families across the U.K. and wider world," the statement continued. "My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience."

February 18, 2024: King Charles attends church with Queen Camilla

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images King Charles and Queen Camilla attend church on Feb. 18, 2024 King Charles and Queen Camilla attend church on Feb. 18, 2024

Throughout February, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended church at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. King Charles has returned to London for cancer treatment and meetings with staff, but he's mainly stayed out of the public eye in the country at Sandringham as he continues his duties behind the scenes.

February 21, 2024: King Charles has his first in-person meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak since cancer diagnosis

JONATHAN BRADY/POOL/AFP via Getty Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles meet at Buckingham Palace on Feb. 21, 2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles meet at Buckingham Palace on Feb. 21, 2024

King Charles held his first face-to-face audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak since sharing his cancer news with the world on Feb. 21.

The prime minister told the monarch, "We're all behind you. The country's behind you."

Advertisement Advertisement

The King replied, "I've had so many wonderful messages and cards. It's reduced me to tears most of the time."

March 21, 2024: Queen Camilla shares a health update on King Charles

Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Queen Camilla attends "Northern Ireland: Poets and Their Place" to mark World Poetry Day at Hillsborough Castle on March 21, 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Queen Camilla attends "Northern Ireland: Poets and Their Place" to mark World Poetry Day at Hillsborough Castle on March 21, 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

During a solo trip to Northern Ireland, Queen Camilla offered a brief update on her husband's health while visiting the Arcadia Delicatessen in Belfast.

"He's doing very well. He was very disappointed he couldn't come," Camilla said, according to Hello! magazine.

She also joked that she tries to "keep him in order" when someone quipped that men don't "make the best patients."

May 17, 2024: King Charles announces his first overseas trip since his diagnosis

LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion's commemorative ceremony at the World War II British Normandy Memorial in northwestern France, on June 6, 2024. King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion's commemorative ceremony at the World War II British Normandy Memorial in northwestern France, on June 6, 2024.

King Charles is set to travel to Normandy, France on June 6, 2024, where he will be joined by Queen Camilla.

Advertisement Advertisement

They will attend the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legions commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The visit will mark his first international engagement since his cancer diagnosis.

March 27, 2025: King Charles is hospitalized due to side effects of cancer treatment

Mark Thomas/Shutterstock King Charles III leaves Clarence House. He had a reaction after his cancer treatment in March 2025. King Charles III leaves Clarence House. He had a reaction after his cancer treatment in March 2025.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Buckingham Palace said King Charles had been hospitalized at The London Clinic "following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning."

Charles had experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital," which also led him to postpone his royal engagements that day and the following day.

After Charles returned to Clarence House on March 28 to recover, he was photographed for the first time since his hospitalization while in a car being driven away from the residence. He waved to onlookers as the car passed.



Sept. 3, 2025: King Charles candidly speaks about his diagnosis with a cancer patient

Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty King Charles III talks with cancer patient Matthew Shinda at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham, England, on Sept. 3, 2025. King Charles III talks with cancer patient Matthew Shinda at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham, England, on Sept. 3, 2025.

In September 2025, King Charles ventured to the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick in the West Midlands, England. During his visit  where he opened the new medical center  he spoke with various cancer parents and related to their treatment.

In one conversation with cancer patient Matthew Shinda, Charles told Shinda, "I'm not too bad," when asked about his health, per Hello! magazine.

"Half the problem is detecting it, isn't it, in time," King Charles said, per the outlet and later added, "The great thing, I think, is they're getting better and better at dealing with these things. The trouble is there's always hope down the road."

Elsewhere in the visit, he spoke with a patient in the hospital's acute elderly care wards where she told him that she was "wearing out."

"I know, this is the terrible thing, as I am discovering already," he joked back. "The bits don't work so well when you get past 70."

Dec. 12, 2025: King Charles announces that his cancer treatment will be "reduced" in 2026

Tommy Forbes/Bango Studios/Getty King Charles III sits in The Morning Room at Clarence House, London, recording a personal message as part of Stand Up To Cancer 2025. King Charles III sits in The Morning Room at Clarence House, London, recording a personal message as part of Stand Up To Cancer 2025.

Charles shared a major announcement in a pre-recorded video message that aired during Channel 4s Stand Up To Cancer broadcast on Dec. 12. In the video, he related to the program with his "overwhelming" diagnosis while also revealing a personal health update.



"Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to doctors orders, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the New Year," he said.

The King added, "This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the fifty percent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives."

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson later confirmed that his recovery has turned positive and that he had "responded exceptionally well to treatment."

"His doctors advise that ongoing measures will now move into a precautionary phase," the spokesperson said. "This position will be continuously monitored and reviewed to protect and prioritize his continued recovery."

Despite this update, he is still planning on keeping the specific details of his health journey  including the type of cancer  private, PEOPLE confirmed.

"The advice from cancer experts is that, in his determination to support the whole cancer community, it is preferable that His Majesty does not address his own specific condition but rather speaks to those affected by all forms of the disease," the spokesperson continued.

In addition to speaking about his personal health status, he also advocated for early detection screenings and shared several statistics about the importance of advocating for screenings.



Read the original article on People
Originally appeared on E! Online

Jennifer Lawrence is finding joy with her husband Cooke Maroney.

In fact, the Oscar winner couldn't help but to smile for a special photo together during their Dec. 9 date night.

Sitting in a cozy booth at Raoul's in New York City, Jenniferclad in a fur-trimmed jacket with her signature blonde hair in loose wavesflashed her pearly whites as she and the art dealer celebrated the SoHo-based restaurant's 50th anniversary.

Advertisement Advertisement

Other celebs spotted at the intimate bash included Chloe Sevigny, Amy Sedaris, Brad Goreski and The Chainsmokers' Alex Pall.

And the outing was a rare one for Jennifer and Cooke, who tied the knot in October 2019. After all, the couplewho are parents to son Cy, 3, and a second baby boy born earlier this yearare notoriously private about their life together.

"Its so scary to talk about motherhood," Jennifer told Vogue in 2022. "Only because its so different for everybody."

The morning after I gave birth, I felt like my whole life had started over. Like, Now is day one of my life, she continued. I just stared. I was just so in love. I also fell in love with all babies everywhere. Newborns are just so amazing.

Advertisement Advertisement

Indeed, becoming a parent has drastically changed the Hunger Games alum.

More from E! Online

Indeed, becoming a parent has drastically changed the Hunger Games alum.

"Its brutal and incredible," she shared at 2025 Cannes Film Festival in May. "They go into every decision of if Im working, where Im working, when Im working."

Moda Operandi

Jennifer added that her kids have also "opened up the world" to her.

Advertisement Advertisement

I didnt know that I could feel so much and my job has a lot to do with emotion, the 35-year-old explained. Its almost feeling like a blister or somethingso sensitive. So theyve changed my life, obviously, for the best and theyve changed me creatively.

For a closer look at Jennifer's evolution through the years, read on.

2007

Mirek Towski/WireImage





2008

ANDREAS BRANCH/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images





2008

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images





2008

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Advertisement Advertisement





2009

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic





2010

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images





2010

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for MARKTBeauty.com





2011

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Advertisement Advertisement





2011

Jason Merritt/Getty Images





2012

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images





2012

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images





2012

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Advertisement Advertisement





2013

Jason Merritt/Getty Images





2013

Jason Merritt/Getty Images





2014

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images





2014

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Advertisement Advertisement





2015

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images





2015

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images





2015

Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images





2016

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Advertisement Advertisement





2016

Jeff Spicer/Getty Images





2017

Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic





2017

Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock





2017

Dominique Charriau/WireImage

Advertisement Advertisement



For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
The Gist

King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted a Christmas party at their London residence, Clarence House, on Thursday, December 11.

A photograph of King Charles and his daughter-in-law, Meghan Markle, could be spotted in the background.

He walked her down the aisle at her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry might have left the royal family five years ago, but King Charles III still proudly displays memorabilia from his youngest son's wedding. During a Christmas party held at His Majesty's London residence, Clarence House, on Thursday, a photo of him escorting Markle down the aisle could be spotted in the background.

The framed black-and-white photo stands on a table alongside a family portrait from Prince Louis's christening in 2018, which depicts Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Getty Images Guests at a Clarence House Christmas party on December 11, 2025. Guests at a Clarence House Christmas party on December 11, 2025.

King Charles famously stood in for Markle's father, Thomas, at her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, as he couldn't make it to the ceremony due to health issues. The couple's elaborate ceremony took place at St. Georges Chapel.

Advertisement Advertisement

My baby looks beautiful and she looks very happy, Thomas told TMZ at the time. I wish I were there and I wish them all my love and all happiness.

Last week, Meghan sent her sympathies to her estranged dad following news that he had his leg amputated. Thomas remains in intensive care in the Philippines after a blood clot reportedly cut off circulation and required a life-saving procedure.

Getty Images King Charles III and Meghan Markle in 2018. King Charles III and Meghan Markle in 2018.

I can confirm she has reached out to her father," a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex told People on December 5.

Thomas's son, Thomas Markle Jr., told the Daily Mail on Friday that the 81-year-old had his leg amputated below the knee on December 3 in the Philippines, where they have been living since earlier this year.

Advertisement Advertisement

Thomas Jr. also said his father's foot had turned blue then black before doctors determined amputation was necessary. He added that the next two or three days are critical as doctors monitor for possible infection.



Meghan had a falling out with her father shortly before she married Prince Harry in 2018. The Duchess of Sussex had accused him of lying to her about being in communication with the media following reports that he staged paparazzi photos (he apologized for the incident in 2021, after Meghan and Thomas's rift was discussed during her Oprah interview).

Getty Images Meghan Markle in 2022. Meghan Markle in 2022.

Read the original article on InStyle
Bonnie Blue, the controversial OnlyFans star, was recently arrested in Bali, Indonesia, for attempting to film content there. The pornographic film actress was previously banned from Australia after she publicly claimed that she plans to film adult content with barely legal 18-year-olds during the Schoolies Week. Now, a video of Blue and her plans in Australia has gone viral after her arrest.

Bonnie Blues final video before arrest reveals her plans in Australia

Shortly before Bonnie Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, was taken in by the Indonesian authorities, she detailed her plans for Australia, from which she had been banned earlier. She posted a video of herself preparing her notorious BangBus.

Blue revealed her plans to return to Australia in a YouTube vlog three weeks ago. She announced that her ban from the country had been lifted shortly before Schoolies Week, and it had her very excited.

Advertisement Advertisement

Before her ban last year, the online content creator faced immense backlash for her plans to attend the Schoolies Event.

In the video, which had around 36,000 views at the time of writing, Bonnie Blue seemed to be preparing to go to Australia. She managed to get a lot of reactions with this stunt.

However, it turns out she never really went back to Australia as she claimed. She had many posts that seemed to confirm she had returned to Australia, but in fact, she had not. Instead, this was just an elaborate stunt, and she remains banned from the country. (via BBC)

Moreover, as per the latest developments, the 26-year-old will also be deported from Indonesia. She was cleared of breaking the countrys strict anti-pornography laws. However, she was found guilty of a minor traffic offence. She still violated the rules of her immigration and will now be deported from the country. Furthermore, Blue is also facing a potential 10-year ban from Indonesia.

Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on Mandatory.

The post OnlyFans Star Bonnie Blues Last Video Before Arrest Surfaces appeared first on Reality Tea.
The Gist

Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands made a stunning appearance at the Dutch royals state banquet for the President and First Lady of Finland on December 11.

The Princess of Orange turned 22 years old earlier this week, on December 7.

For Thursdays banquet, Amalia wore her mother Queen Maximas favorite tiara for the first timethe 146-year-old Dutch Diamond Bandeau Tiara.

Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlandswho is heir apparent to the Dutch thronehas had a big week. On December 7, she turned 22 years old, and on December 11, she joined her parents King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima for a major diplomatic moment, hosting a state banquet for the President and First Lady of Finland.

Getty Princess Catharina-Amalia wore a gown by Jenny Packham Princess Catharina-Amalia wore a gown by Jenny Packham

The Princess of Orangeoften called simply Amaliawore a 146-year-old tiara for the occasion, along with a statement necklace and a butter yellow tulle Jenny Packham gown (the same designer who dressed Kate Middleton in a wow factor dress for the British royal familys German state banquet earlier this month).

Advertisement Advertisement

Like the Princess of Wales, Amalia, too, had a striking tiara moment, wearing the headband-style Dutch Diamond Bandeau Tiara, featuring large, round diamonds and dating back to Queen Emma, who received the tiara as a wedding present in 1879. The Court Jeweller reported that the tiara, originally a necklace, features more than 100 carats of diamonds. It is also a tiara favored by Maxima, Amalias mother; Thursday evening marked Amalias debut in the sparkler.

Getty Queen Maxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia Queen Maxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia

Amalias 30-carat pale yellow diamond necklace is also worth notingand it also comes from the archive of Queen Emma. Alongside her eldest daughter, Maxima wore a five-strand pearl necklace with her red gown and the Wurttemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara, created for Queen Wilhelmina in 1897.

Amalia, who is currently studying law at the University of Amsterdam, is a self-proclaimed expert in tiaras. Show me a tiara, and I know where it comes from, she is quoted as saying in her biography, Amalia (per Tatler). I can recognize all the tiaras in Europe.

Getty Princess Catharina-Amalia on December 11, 2025 Princess Catharina-Amalia on December 11, 2025

I used to put them on from my mother, she continued. Then there would be one on her makeup table, and I would have it directly on my head. She added, I really liked to be in my mothers jewelry, anyway. When I was very little, she was preparing for an important dinner and she shouted around the house, Amalia, wheres that ring?

Advertisement Advertisement

Amalia gained respect after turning down her $1.8 million annual income until she becomes a full-time working royal. Shes also mastering the art of being a royal, saying, If I can avoid a bad situation through diplomacy, then I have made the world a little bit betterIm happy.

Getty Princess Catharina-Amalia turned 22 years old on December 7, 2025 Princess Catharina-Amalia turned 22 years old on December 7, 2025

Getty Princess Catharina-Amalia Princess Catharina-Amalia

But Amalia isnt ready to take the throne from her father just yet. She told biographer Claudia de Breij that I said to my father, You just keep on eating healthy and exercising a lot, she said of Willem-Alexander.

Read the original article on InStyle
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Credit: Getty Images

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden dazzled in her mother's 1990s gown at the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, while sister Princess Madeleine wore a Princess Kate-inspired dress. But there was one member of the Swedish royal family who was missing on Thursday following news that she had been acquainted with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Carl Philip's wife, Princess Sofia of Sweden, stayed home with her three children during this year's ceremony, including baby Princess Ines, who was born in February. On December 9, the royal court confirmed that Sofia, who was a model and reality star prior to meeting Carl Philip, had met Epstein "on a few occasions around 2005."

Advertisement Advertisement

"The Royal Court notes the great media interest in the matter. We want to clarify and make it clear that this happened in social contexts, such as at a restaurant and a film premiere," a second statement added.

The Swedish royal family's comments comes after newspaper Dagens Nyheter published some 2005 emails between Epstein and financier Barbro Ehnbom, a Swedish businesswoman and friend of the princess's.

Princess Sofia is seen at the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. | Credit: Getty Images

"This is Sofia, an aspiring actress who just arrived in New York," Ehnbom reportedly wrote in the email, attaching a photo of Sofia. "She's the girl I told you about before I left, who I thought you might like to meet. Maybe we can visit before you go on holiday?"

Epstein's reported reply reads: "I'm in the Caribbean. Does she want to come for a couple of days? I'll send a ticket." However, the royal court confirmed that Sofia did not take Epstein up on his invitation. Another email from Ehnbom notes that Epstein offered Sofia a place in an acting school.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Reports that the Princess has received help from Epstein with acting training or a visa to the United States are incorrect. The Princess has thus never been in any form of dependence on him, nor has she had contact with him for 20 years," the court told Dagens Nyheter.

Princess Sofia is seen holding Princess Ines on her christening day next to sons Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Prince Julian and husband Prince Carl Philip. | Credit: Getty Images

The emails in question happened three years before Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution in 2008. In 2019, the late financier was arrested on sex trafficking charges, and he died in his jail cell later in that year in a reported suicide.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ongoing association with Epstein caused numerous scandals for the ex-prince and the Royal Family. In October, King Charles stripped his brother of his titles and honors and evicted him from Royal Lodge following new revelations about Andrew, ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and the late sex offender.

As for former glamour model Sofiawho once posed topless with a snake around her neckshe starred in the Love Island-style reality show, Paradise Hotel, in 2005, making the finals before she was voted off. She then moved to NYC and studied accounting at the New York Institute of English and Business, working as a bartender, waitress and yoga teacher to support herself.

Advertisement Advertisement

She met Prince Carl Philip through mutual friends after returning home to Sweden, and their relationship went public in 2010.

When asked about her past in a 2018 Swedish TV interview, Sofia said, "I dont regret anything. All these experiences have made me the person I am. I wouldnt have made those choices today."
Who is Viktor Knavs?

The Slovenian businessman is one proud father  and grandfather. He doesnt just show up for the milestone events for Donald and Melania Trump, hes usually the man standing next to their only son, Barron Trump.

In the past year and a half, for example, Viktor Knavs was on the list for the most exclusive events for Donald, Melania and Barron Trump:

For Barron Trumps high school graduation from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, in May 2024, only three members of his famous family attended the ceremony: His parents, Donald and Melania Trump, and his grandfather, Viktor Knavs.

During Donald Trumps Election Night party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on Nov. 5, 2024, Viktor Knavs was on stage next to Barron and Melania Trump when Donald Trump declared victory as the 47th president of the United States. (The extended Trump family, including his adult children and grandchildren, later joined them on stage.)

On Jan. 20, 2025, Inauguration Day, Viktor Knavs was standing next to Barron Trump in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., before his son-in-law and daughter were formally announced as the president and first lady of the United States. Knavs also sat next to Barron Trump during his son-in-laws speech. (The extended Trump family, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and their children and spouses, also attended Inauguration Day events.)

On Nov. 27, 2025, the Thanksgiving holiday, videos on X and Instagram show Donald, Melania and Barron Trump and Viktor Knavs walking into the ballroom at Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida, for Thanksgiving dinner. It was the first public appearance of Barron Trump since 2025 Inauguration Day.

Advertisement Advertisement

It seems when Viktor Knavs needed support, his son-in-law, daughter and grandson were there for him, too: In January 2024, Viktor Knavs wife, Amalija Knavs, mother to Melania Trump and Ines Knauss, was laid to rest in Palm Beach, Florida. During her husbands third and final campaign for the White House, Melania Trump had taken a step back from the spotlight and campaign appearances to care for her then-ailing mother. Amalija Knavs died Jan. 9, 2024.

At her funeral, Barron Trump was a fixture next to Viktor Knavs. The extended Trump family also attended the service.

Who is Viktor Knavs?

Born March 24, 1944, Viktor Knavs is a Slovenian businessman, married to the late Amalija Knavs, and father of Melania Trump and Ines Knauss. Hes also the father-in-law of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, and grandfather to Barron Trump. Coincidentally, Barron Trumps birthday is March 20, 2006. Viktor Knavs is two years older than Donald Trump.

Though Viktor Knavs is not active on social media, he has a presence there, thanks to his famous family.

Advertisement Advertisement

In January 2015, Melania Trump tweeted a sweet photo of a young Barron Trump playing in the sand at the beach with his grandparents.

In January 2025, Donald Trump Jr. posted a viral Instagram Reel showing Donald and Melania Trump, Viktor Knavs and Elon Musk dancing to YMCA from a Village People tribute band at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trumps private club in Palm Beach, Florida. None of the people in the video  the president and first lady, her father or the SpaceX CEO  did the YMCA hand movements while dancing to the song.

In November 2025, social media users posted video of Viktor Knavs walking with Barron Trump into the Mar-a-Lago ballroom for Thanksgiving dinner with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Donald and Melania Trump.

Photos of Viktor Knavs, father of Melania, grandfather of Barron Trump

Below are photos of Viktor Knavs and the late Amalija Knavs with Donald, Melania and Barron Trump over the years.

Advertisement Advertisement

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Who is Viktor Knavs? About Melanias dad, Barron Trump's grandfather
CAIRO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron affirmed on Friday that the current peace efforts over Gaza must lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

During a phone conversation, the two leaders agreed that the current efforts must be followed by the launch of a comprehensive political process that results in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

Sisi stressed the necessity of solidifying the ceasefire in Gaza and moving on to implementing the second phase of the peace plan.

He also emphasized the importance of increasing the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip and immediately commencing the early recovery and reconstruction phase.

The call also touched on the developments in the West Bank, with Sisi affirming Egypt's rejection of the Israeli violations, stressing the need to support the Palestinian people, increase international pressure to stop these violations, and support the Palestinian Authority.

For his part, Macron expressed his appreciation for the important role played by Egypt in achieving regional stability, especially in solidifying the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to the statement.

Several Western countries, including France and Britain, moved to formally recognize the state of Palestine at the height of the Israeli military operation in Gaza earlier this year.

Israel's current government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected the prospect of establishing a Palestinian state, arguing that such a state would threaten Israel's existence. 
Did you know that four Christmas movies have filmed in Mississippi? Lifetime and Hallmark have each filmed two holiday feel-good films. Some are set here, while others used Mississippi locations to look like other places.

These flicks include romance, mystery and the joy of family. Want to get a peek of your hometown or favorite places to visit?

Here's the Lifetime and Hallmark movies made in the Magnolia State and how to watch on TV or stream them before Christmas.

Lifetime's 'A New Orleans Noel' filmed in Natchez

"A New Orleans Noel" is a 2022 Lifetime movie that filmed in Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi. Keshia Knight Pulliam and Anthony Brown play architects working together on the home of a New Orleans praline businesswoman (Patti LaBelle)

Advertisement Advertisement

It's streaming online now at: play.mylifetime.com/movies/a-new-orleans-noel/full-movie

You can also see it on several streaming platforms. Tubi, Lifetime and Philo have it listed for free. Others require a subscription. Or check for options to rent or buy from Fandango At Home or Amazon Prime Video.

'Every Time a Bell Rings' highlights Natchez landmarks

Erin Cahill, Brittany Ishibashi, Ali Liebert and Wes Brown star in the 2021 Hallmark Mystery movie "Every Time a Bell Rings." It features three adopted sisters who participate in a scavenger hunt across Natchez designed by their late dad. Scenes highlight the Mississippi River and Longwood as they make one last traditional hunt for the family wishing bell.

You can stream it on Hallmark+ (also known as Hallmark Movies Now) with a subscription. Some other streaming services, like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play or Fandango, might offer rental or purchase options.

'On the 12th Date of Christmas' brings Oxford Christmas magic to Chicago

Starring Mallory Jansen and Tyler Hynes star in "On the 12th Date of Christmas." The 2020 movie, which filmed in other places, is set in Chicago and features shots of The Square in Oxford, Mississippi. It's about two game designers who pair up for a citywide scavenger hunt.

Advertisement Advertisement

Want to catch it on TV? Watch at 9 a.m. CT on Hallmark Channel.

This one is also on Hallmark+ with a subscription. Check online for options to rent or buy from services like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play or Fandango.

'Christmas in Mississippi' shows off Gulfport

In "Christmas in Mississippi," Jana Kramer's character plays a woman returning home to Gulfport, Mississippi. The town is bringing back it's Christmas light show after a destructive hurricane that hit five years earlier. Her high school beau, played by Wes Brown, is running the project.

Jana Kramer, left, and Wes Brown star in "Christmas in Mississippi," a past holiday offering on Lifetime. This year, the cable channel's holiday movies included an LGBTQ romance set in Milwaukee.

The 2017 release filmed in Gulfport and includes Jones Park, Island View Casino, Fishbone Alley and Murky Waters BBQ in addition to a trip to Ship Island.

Advertisement Advertisement

It's listed as available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime video or Fandango at Home.

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lifetime, Hallmark Christmas movies feature MS. How to watch, stream
No one can say for certain how many so-called Amerasian children were fathered during the Vietnam war in relationships between U.S. soldiers and Vietnamese women. Some estimates put the number at 100,000, others even higher  perhaps half a million.

What is known for certain is that those children who grew up in Vietnam faced stigma and prejudice after the North Vietnamese victory in the war. They were a living symbol of the catastrophic U.S. military intervention in the country, and their mothers were looked down upon as having fraternized with the enemy.

More from Deadline

Advertisement Advertisement

Most of the Amerasian children would never know their fathers. The Oscar-contending documentary Child of Dust follows the story of Sang Ngo Thanh, a man fathered by an American G.I. in the 1960s who never gave up hope of one day meeting his dad. Through DNA testing unavailable until recent times, that poignant wish seemed within the realm of possibility.

Cinematographer Mikael Lypinski and Weronika Mliczewska attend the 2025 Tribeca Festival on June 7, 2025 in New York City.

The documentary is written and directed by young Polish filmmaker Weronika Mliczewska and shot by her husband, cinematographer Mikael Lypinski. Mliczewska was working on a short documentary in Vietnam when she became aware of the children sired by American servicemen. She also learned of the central, almost mythic role of the father in that country.

In Vietnam, the father figure is so important that it is actually building the whole identity for you, Mliczewska explained during a Q&A earlier this week at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, moderated by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jessica Kingdon. I met Amerasians and there was one recurring thing in all the interviews while doing my research  all of them were very emotional about their missing father, about the father they never knew. And that was very idealized due to the Vietnamese culture, but yet this father also made them suffer for all their lives.

With the aid of a group that facilitates DNA testing for Amerasian people, Sang was able to connect with his father  Nelson Torres, then in his 80s and in precarious health, living in a Southern U.S. state. Sang also learned he had three half-siblings  two brothers and a sister. First, he and his father reconnected over Skype, a deeply emotional moment for Sang. Later, father and son  with the support of Torress American-born children  made plans to meet in the U.S.

Sang Ngo Thanh, his bag packed, embraces his wife.

For Sang, such a trip would mean separating at least temporarily and perhaps for a much longer period from his wife, his daughter and a beloved young grandchild who was very attached to his grandpa.

Advertisement Advertisement

When he was [departing for] the U.S. from Vietnam, through translators, I asked him, Are you sure you want to step on this plane? Are you really sure you want to go? You dont have to. You found [your] father, he accepted you. You dont have to do that. Its all good now, you were accepted, Mliczewska recalled. And he said, Weronika, that was the thing that kept me going for all my life. That was my biggest dream to meet my father and to hug him. I have to do it in order to bring all my pieces of my identity together. And once I do it, Ill see whats next.

The director commented on what she saw as Sangs motivation for participating in the film.

He wanted his voice out [for the] first time in his life, she said. So that was my mission really, to do that in the best way I can.

Sang Ngo Thanh hugs his father, Nelson Torres. Looking on is Sang's half-brother.

Many former American G.I.s contacted by their children sired in Vietnam do not want a reunification or anything to do with the offspring they left behind. Sangs father was different and, in the film, Torres tells his son that he truly loved his mother. Mliczewska spoke to the motivation of Sangs father and his American-born kids to take part in the film.

Advertisement Advertisement

For them, it was, We want to be the voice for other veterans to accept their sons and daughters, their children. We want to give an example, she said. And for me that was like, Wow, this is courageous. You guys are really very courageous and Im very grateful for that.

The film is produced by Mliczewska and Vietnam-based producer Chi Minh De Leo. American filmmaker Bao Nguyen, a child of Vietnamese immigrants, also came on board as a producer.

I was frankly skeptical at first because Weronika not being Vietnamese, and this is such an intimate story, Nguyen said at the Q&A. I was like, Okay, Im going to watch it, and I will sort of try not to have any bias. And when I watched really sort of an assembly of what she had shot so far, I was really taken aback by how intimate and how sensitive Weronikas approach to the story was.

'Child of Dust' poster

Child of Dust has won prizes at film festivals around the world, including the Audience Choice Award at the Chicago International Film Festival; three awards at the Krakow Film Festival, among them the Golden Horn for Best International Film in Competition; two awards at the Festival International Signes de Nuit in Paris, including the top award in documentary competition. At the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece, where Child of Dust premiered, it won Special Mention in International Competition.

Advertisement Advertisement

One place the film has not yet been seen is in Vietnam. We were testing and trying to bring the film to Vietnam and it didnt pass censorship, Mliczewska said. So right now we cannot actually screen it there, and that also says something. I remember in the very beginning, [producer] Chi Minh said nobody would touch this topic in Vietnam.

The way that Amerasians were treated post-war is very delicate [in Vietnam], Nguyen noted. And so usually any subject matter that talks about this particular subject is flagged right away. But we do hope that there has been a lot of reconciliation in the past 50 years and that this film, again, handles the subject in such a delicate way that I think these conversations need to happen in order for true reconciliation to happen.

Mliczewska added, Maybe we need to get some traction outside of Vietnam and then it will be our last step. Who knows. Hopefully.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Walter Czura of Hilton Head Island, who made a movie based loosely on his involvement in a famous 1970s Lowcountry drug smuggling case, is following up his initial film with One More Run.

The sequel, scheduled to start production in the late spring, introduces more action and terrorism to the story, but keeps the intricate maze of Hilton Head and Beaufort marsh channels as a leading character.

One More Run is a follow-up to The Final Run,  which was filmed in the Beaufort and St. Helena Island area in 2023. It was released on Amazon Prime, Fandango, Apple TV and other streaming platforms in August.

Advertisement Advertisement

Actor Jeff Fahey, best known for roles in Stephen Kings The Lawnmower Man and ABCs Lost, will return for the sequel in the lead role of Pierce Butler. Maddie Henderson will play his granddaughter, Czura says.

Jeff Fahey plays the lead role in The Final Run, which is loosely based on the infamous Gentlement Smugglers. (Courtesy)

Czura says the sequel will have more action with the same backdrop  the breathtaking beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

My original screenplay was intentionally intimate and character-driven, Czura said in a news release. For the sequel, we are widening the lens. The stakes are bigger. The danger is real. My protagonist, Pierce Butlers world is about to collide with forces far darker than anything hes ever faced.

Hilton Head Island resident Walter Czura is using his intimate knowledge of the real-life characters involved in the Gentlemen Smugglers drug smuggling ring to make movies. (Courtesy)

In The Final Run, Faheys character Butler is a former Marine and long-retired marijuana smuggler whose wife is suffering from a rare type of cancer. The dire situation forces him to make one final run in order to save his house, his company and his wife.

Advertisement Advertisement

In the 1970s and 80s, Hilton Head-area men captaining trawlers, sailboats, and ocean racers criss-crossed oceans to buy drugs in Colombia, Lebanon and Jamaica. They returned to Hilton Head, Edisto and St. Helena Island on the coast of South Carolina, eluding authorities using the Lowcountrys maze of rivers and creeks.

With college degrees, and an aversion to smuggling cocaine because of the associated violence, the marijuana and hashish traffickers became known as the Gentlemen Smugglers.

Eventually, some 200 drug traffickers were caught in the FBIs Operation Jackpot, which helped to launch the career of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who was a federal prosecutor at the time. The operation was part of President Ronald Reagans war on drugs.

Czura, a resident of Hilton Heads Sea Pines Plantation and president of a billboard company called Marlin Outdoor Advertising, was an attorney at the time and one of the gentleman smugglers swept up in the operation. These days, hes using his intimate knowledge of the real-life characters involved in the drug smuggling ring to make movies.

Walter Czura on the set of The Final Run at a Beaufort home in 2023. Czura wrote the screen play for the film which is loosely based on smugglers who used coastal Beaufort County to import marijuana in the 1970s and 80s. (Courtesy)

One More Run introduces a foreign terrorist operative determined to infiltrate components of a dirty bomb into the United States  using the same hidden waterways and backwoods estuaries between Hilton Head Island, Beaufort and Charleston once exploited for smuggling.

Veteran Hollywood director Dennis Smith has agreed to direct the sequel. Smith is an Emmy nominee television director and award-winning documentary cinematographer known for his work on TV crime dramas, especially the NCIS franchise.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

I'm willing to be that you have heard about the amazing 2025 that has been had by Michael B. Jordan. While he has been earning acclaim for just about his entire career, the release of Sinners has put him on a new level  as he is now recognized as a A-lister with the power to carry a non-IP film to blockbuster success. The actor has been earning accolades left and right, with more to come as we get deeper into awards season... which makes me all the more appreciate the special love that he recently extended to his Creed trilogy co-star Tessa Thompson.

Like Jordan, Thompson too has been on the receiving end of laudation from critics in 2025, specifically for her turn as the titular character in writer/director Nia DaCosta's Hedda. Last night, she was given the Actress Award  Film prize at the Critics Choice Associations 2025 Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, and the Sinners star was on-stage to give it to her. In the aftermath of the event, Jordan took to his personal Instagram account to express his joy about how things went, writing,

Tessa, it was an honor to present a beyond well deserved award for your performance in Hedda. I am so proud of you. If yall havent seen Hedda yet, its streaming on @amazonprime go watch it!! Shes so fucking good in it.  @tessamaethompson

If the fact that Tessa Thompson's role in Hedda is now winning awards isn't enough to push you to go see it, perhaps Michael B. Jordan's endorsement will be enough  as the guy certainly knows a thing or two about great performances (have pulled off a pair of them starring in Sinners).

Advertisement Advertisement

Now available to watch with an Amazon Prime subscription (as noted by Jordan), Hedda is a new adaptation of the classic Henrik Ibsen play Hedda Gabler, and it marks the third collaboration between its star and Nia DaCosta after 2018's Little Woods (the filmmaker's directorial debut) and 2023's The Marvels (which features Thomson in a cameo role). The story follows the eponymous character as she feels trapped in a gilded cage and convinces her husband to throw a lavish party that sees drama unfold due to the attendance of her former lover and her husband's professional rival.

Also starring Nina Hoss, Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, the movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall and arrived on streaming in October following a brief qualifying run in theaters.

As for what the future may hold for Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan as collaborators, that's a big question mark. It seems unlikely that their characters will ever meet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (principally because the latter's Erik Killmonger is very dead) and it's unknown when we might get to see a Creed 4 (though it is a project in the works). Perhaps Thompson could end up with a role in the developing Miami Vice remake? I don't think there is a rational person on the planet who would be upset about that development.
Netflix has announced a new animated movie based on the Cinderella fairy tale, only this one focuses on the stepsisters. Called Steps, it retcons Cinderellas wicked stepsisters into a misunderstood pair that really isnt that bad. The movie is in development and set to be dropped in 2026.

Netflix describes the plot as revolving around the accidental disasters caused by Lilith, one of Cinderellas evil' stepsisters, when she gets hold of a magic wand. Lilith turns her sister, Margot, into a frog and has to join forces with Cinderella to put things to rights. It features Ali Wong and Stephanie Hsu as the sisters and is directed by Student Academy Awards gold medal winner Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, previously the co-director of Raya and the Last Dragon.

The Trouble With Celebrating Mean Girls

The movie, by recasting the stepsisters as misunderstood rather than evil, ignores a lot of the qualities that made the characters bad guys in the first place. In the original fairy tale, the stepsisters were such ambitious clout-chasers that they cut off parts of their feet so theyd be small enough to fit into the glass slipper. Steps features a girl like that, but she is a separate character who seems to be one of the main antagonists.

Advertisement Advertisement

The story of Cinderella was about mean girls, and the evil stepmother and her daughters were the mean girls who bullied Cinderella. How the Netflix reboot intends to rehabilitate them from bullies to misunderstood victims remains to be seen, but in doing so, the streamer is changing some of the primary themes of the Cinderella story.

This is a tale whose origins can be traced back to 1st-century Greece, and whose current incarnation, courtesy of the Brothers Grimm, is over two centuries old. Steps is not only a Cinderella fanfiction, but a particularly bad one that misses the message of the source material in its efforts to redeem the storys villains.

It may be too early to make judgments about Steps, but given the myriad attempts by various movie studios to make other villains into good guys, this one has already been tainted by association. The idea of changing characters who have been evil for 200-plus years is rightfully viewed with skepticism, because the original story wouldnt have endured if it didnt have resonance. Its nice that a familiar story was borrowed to tell another story that has resonance with a lot of viewers, but its a shame that they had to tear the original apart completely in order to do it.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures / STXfilms / Album / Alamy

Im surprised The Convenant, or to use its full name, Guy Ritchies The Convenant, wasn't on my radar when it was initially released. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, directed by, youve guessed it, Guy Ritchie, and set during the Afghanistan war, this action thriller has plenty of compelling elements. And now, its getting a second wind thanks to Netflix.

Arriving on the streaming service this month, The Convenant has quickly found its way into the platforms top 10 most-watched list. Right now, it's in the No. 3 spot, behind buzzy original Jay Kelly and seasonal offering My Secret Santa. When you dig into the movies reception from critics and viewers, its not hard to see why its finding renewed success.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ill admit that The Convenant passed me by when it landed in cinemas in 2023, but having now streamed the movie this week, consider me impressed. Between the intense frontline stand-offs, the gripping suspense, and the strong bond between its two lead characters, The Convenant is a war movie that deserves your attention and respect.

What is The Covenant about?

Set during the later stages of the war in Afghanistan, The Convenant explores the unexpected brotherhood between a US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal), and a local Afghan interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim).

The two start on relatively frosty terms, working together out of necessity, but when Ahmed saves Kinleys life in the midst of a devastating ambush, they find a mutual respect. The situation escalates when Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not granted safe passage out of the country as promised, and instead are in danger of being captured and killed.

Mounting a dangerous rescue mission, Kinley will stop at nothing to find and protect the man who saved his life. Trekking across a dangerous war zone, Kinley and Ahmed must rely on each other and their own individual bravery, as enemy forces relentlessly hunt them down.

Should you stream The Covenant on Netflix?

Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures / STXfilms / FlixPix / Alamy

The Convenant has plenty of elements found across the war genre. From dramatic last-stand shoot-outs to some practically anxiety-inducing stand-offs, where the situation is just one step away from escalating into all-out conflict. Guy Ritchie plays within the established framework used by countless other war flicks, but has a strong grip on proceedings, and wrings out every ounce of intense drama and on-screen heroism.

Advertisement Advertisement

What I found most impactful about The Convenant was the bond between its two leads, Gyllenhaals Kinley and Salims Ahmed. At first, their relationship is strained. Kinley is big on sarcasm, and Ahmed has a reputation for being difficult to work with. However, the two men eventually come to rely on each other, and a mutual respect forms. This becomes a real bond that sees them risk their own lives to protect the other.

Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures / STXfilms / FlixPix / Alamy

Its a satisfying arc, and it successfully shows how, on the battlefield, survival comes down to fully trusting the person at your side has your back. Its a war movie about the sacrifices made to keep your brother-in-arms standing, even a brother that you didnt expect to find. Gyllenhaal and Salim are both excellent in their roles, and dont be surprised if you find yourself getting a little choked up as the flick moves towards its bombastic conclusion.

For as much as the character work shines, The Covenant doesnt come up short in the action department either. Ritchie dials up the pressure in all the right ways. When Kinley and Salim are forced to slowly crawl across enemy-controlled territory, with no support to call upon, I found myself almost holding my breath, eager to see them find a route to safety against the odds. The movie might not have anything new to say about the nature of modern warfare, but its a very well-presented war drama with a compelling plot and two strong characters at its core.

Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures / STXfilms / Entertainment Pictures / Alamy

Upon its original release in 2023, critics were eager to praise The Convenant. It holds a strong 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is enough for a Certified Fresh rating. The sites Critics Consensus reads, A satisfying, well-acted war thriller with surprising dramatic depths, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant tells a solid story with impressive restraint.

Advertisement Advertisement

Meanwhile, viewers were even more impressed, rating the war movie a near-perfect 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Some of the recent audience reviews describe The Convenant as incredible, very intense, and showing the true reason people serve. Kudos to Guy Ritchie for engaging both critics and viewers, which is no small achievement.

Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures / STXfilms / FlixPix / Alamy

If youre looking for an overlooked war movie to stream this week, then The Convenant is the clear top choice. It gets seriously intense at points, packs compelling characters, and respectfully honors those who put everything on the line to defend their country and squadmates.

I may have missed this one in theatres, but Im pleased The Convenants arrival on Netflix put it on my radar. However, if youre not totally sold and want to consider a few more options before committing, heres a guide to everything new on Netflix in December 2025.

Watch "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant" on Netflix now

Google News

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
France-based streaming platform Sooner and Critics Week have announced a new partnership bolstering the parallel Cannes sections Next Step program, which supports directors as they move onto their first feature-length film.

The new partnership was announced as the latest round of 10 Next Step participants arrived in Paris on Friday for meetings with some 60 producers and sales agents about their upcoming projects, following a week-long development workshop in Normandy.

More from Deadline

Advertisement Advertisement

Under the accord, Sooner will sponsor the Next Step Prize, worth 2,500 and including an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival.

Dedicated to independent films and series, Sooner was created out of the merger of French platforms Filmo and Universcine.

Sooner has a real focus on arthouse cinema and for us its very interesting to have a connection with this type of platform, Critics Week and Next Step manager Thomas Rosso told Deadline.

Its very attentive to auteurs, young filmmakers, and short films. There are quite a few short films on the platform. They want to connect with young talents from all over the world, since it really corresponds to their identity.

Advertisement Advertisement

Launched in 2014 by Cannes Critics Week, Next Step, supports the first feature films of directors who previously showed their shorts in the section focused on emerging filmmaking talents.

In discussions with Critics Week about the Next Step award, it became clear that our shared values should be reflected in a partnership for the 2026 edition, said Sooner exec Denis Rostein, CEO of its Le Meilleur Du Cinema strand.

The winner of the 2026 Next Step prize will be decided on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival and then announced during Critics Week.

The participants will send us the latest version of their project in March and then a jury of professionals will get together with representatives of Sooner to decide which one of the ten projects is the winner.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ten emerging directors are participating in the 12th edition of Next Step including France-based Irish-British filmmaker Roisin Burns, whose short film Wonderwall played in the section this year, and Estonian director Anna Hints, who is best known for the 2023 documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. Learn more about the selection here.

Taking stock of this years selection of projects, Rosso noted the strong Latin American presence.

Weve got two projects from Brazil, and two from Mexico, he said. Theres a lot going on in Brazil at the moment. Theres a generation of passionate filmmakers coming through.

We are always very receptive to what is happening in the world, and we can clearly see the countries where there are strong cultural policies. This is the case of Brazil and Mexico right now, while Argentina has disappeared, and thats terrible, he added, alluding to he decimation of cultural funding under Javier Milei.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rosso noted that one of the projects in this years selection  Bruno Ribeiros Saturday in Copacabana  had been invited through a new partnership with Brazils Projeto Paradiso Foundation.

We dont do an open call and Next Step has until now been reserved for filmmakers whose shorts played in the Critics Week but we decided it makes sense to open it up a bit through partnerships with bodies like Projeto Paradiso, which really proposed some interesting projects, he said.

Looking at Next Steps wider legacy, Rosso says the initiative is now a recognized internationally.

Its established and identified and weve recently passed the milestone of 100 supported projects the fact that 60, 70 professionals have signed up to meet the projects is also a sign it has become a real label.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
While its submission process certainly has its faults, the Best International Feature category has only gotten more and more exciting each year in the past decade since the Academy reconfigured its diversity efforts. No longer are films in languages other than English partitioned from consideration in other categories, save for a few outliers. In fact, since 2019 there has been at least one Best International Feature nominee also nominated for Best Picture and/or Best Director.

Each year, the category gets an average of 90 countries submitting for consideration, leading it toward being a microcosm of the awards race itself, with clusters of submissions fitting into different trends, and the race feeling just as intense and competitive as Best Picture. Ultimately, the conversation surrounding the Best International Feature race this year is whether Neon, responsible for distributing the majority of Cannes competition winners, will be able to earn all five nomination slots. But again, the category is so much bigger than one studio, or one specific festival.

More from IndieWire

Advertisement Advertisement

Having broadened my horizons to at least watch around 12 or 13 submissions, the amount an Academy member would need to see to opt into preliminary voting for the category, one thing that struck me was some of the amazing, urgent films coming from the Middle East and North Africa were primarily directed by women. In fact, of the eight Best International Feature submissions from Arab countries, six of them were helmed by female directors.

Not to play ugly American too hard here, but that many women in a power position definitely goes against the general Western perception of MENA countries having strict, oppressive gender roles. Apologies for noting a film we all would rather forget, but a good example of media reinforcing this notion is that comically offensive scene in Sex and the City 2, in which the core four New York women run into a group of Arab women in niqabs. Seeing their American peers are intimidated, the women all unsheath themselves to reveal that they too indulge in a shopping spree at Jimmy Choo.

It is filmmakers like Cherien Dabis that bridge that knowledge gap without disrespecting Arab customs. All of the work I do is an attempt to turn these kinds of stereotypes on their head and just really tell authentic stories. And my experience of Arab women in general is that were really strong and really feisty and fiery, and those are the kinds of women that I like to portray, she said to IndieWire during an interview at AFI Fest in Los Angeles.

In her new film All Thats Left of You, Jordans submission for Best International Feature, the director/star describes her character Hanan as having a quiet strength and a grounded-ness and a real spirituality, and she brings a spiritual perspective to the film.

All Thats Left of You Watermelon Pictures

As the Sundance premiere is a multigenerational epic about the several losses a Palestinian family experiences as occupation steadily takes over the West Bank, her character does not come to the foreground until the films climax. At first she feels maybe a little bit just an Arab mom, but its almost as if as her husband becomes a little bit more of a broken man because of what hes experiencing throughout the story, she has to step into her power in leading the family and helping to heal the family, said Dabis.

Advertisement Advertisement

All Thats Left of You is a complicated story that Dabis spent a decade ideating on, having been bolstered by the television work shed done on pioneering series like Ramy and Mo, which were both correctives to past portrayals of Arab Americans on television. These shows that really portrayed Arab characters really defied stereotypes, really presented authentic portrayals and stories. And it was amazing to be kind of a part of those shows because they were firsts. And so then to go back into the making of this film, it was really gratifying to get back to my own storytelling, but also then to bring again this kind of level of confidence from having those experiences, said Dabis.

Fellow filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, whose latest work Palestine 36 is Palestines entry for Best International Feature, offers a diagnosis for why the female characters in her and Dabis films may come as a surprise to Americans. Patriarchy rules the world at the moment, she said. But that so many prominent women directors from Arab countries in the Best International Feature space does not come as a surprise to her, as the system most of them are working in is completely different.

Because were an independent cinema, were not an established cinema maybe in the way Hollywood is, or even in Egypt, which is a hundred years of cinema-plus. Because were new, I feel like were really on equal playing ground, said Jacir to IndieWire during a Zoom interview. You go to Arab film festivals and sometimes more than 50 percent of the films are directed by women.

Again, the patriarchy is everywhere, but Jacir concluded, I dont attribute to saying, Oh, its more advanced in the Arab world, but only that because its an independent cinema, its allowed people to find their place maybe in a way because we havent been stuck to traditional positions in cinema.

Palestine 36 Watermelon Pictures

Similar to All Thats Left of You, Jacirs film Palestine 36 is an epic that exposes how the United Kingdom was basically the engineers of the oppression that the people of Palestine are still dealing with today. It is worth noting that both films were several years in the making, and started production in Palestine within a week of the atrocities on and after October 7, 2023. While Dabis ultimately had to shoot her film elsewhere, Jacir, a Palestine native, was finally able to shoot in her home country after several false starts.

Advertisement Advertisement

The creative heart of the film is Palestinian. Its made by us, from us, everybody, all the creative heads, and even the location manager, the casting director, all of it, Palestinians. And us living in Palestine, no way could we have done this without international support. It felt like people were holding us. And when everything fell apart and we had to shut down the production four times and we had to evacuate, I really felt that, said the director. A lot of backers, a lot of financiers would have said goodbye, this film is not going to happen.

Ultimately, the TIFF premiere has resonated with international audiences, already lasting over a month in UK cinemas, the country the film is most critical of. Jacir says quite a few of the reactions shes gotten to the film is, How on earth did you do this with that little budget? You got some lessons to teach us, what you can do with a little bit of money, and make it look like its really big. Its really impressive.

Jacir still questions the role film festivals play in shaping the narrative around different countries. Its true with Arab cinema, also with African cinema and Latin [cinema], I think people want to see their cliches confirmed. And so they want to see poor people, beaten women who need to be saved. Theres a bunch of tropes that are definitely there. And when you look at the cinema of the region, you see something different, she said. Sometimes those are the gatekeepers who dont want to see those stories because it doesnt really confirm their cliche. And its subconscious for a lot of programmers and people who, unless we start talking about it, that they sort of want certain stories from our region, and when they dont get those stories, theyre a little confused.

The cast of The Voice of Hind Rajab at the films world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Earl Gibson III/Deadline

One festival favorite that has met the demand for films that speak directly to the current humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza is Kaouther Ben Hanias The Voice of Hind Rajab, which won the Jury Prize at Venice. The film uses real audio from an emergency call of a little girl requesting an ambulance pick her up after the car she was in with her family was bombarded by the Israeli Defense Force, and she was the only survivor.

Advertisement Advertisement

I was paying attention to the news, but not in order to make a movie. I was finishing a movie and starting another one, but I was, at the same time, asking myself a lot of questions about what does it mean to do art, to make films, to tell stories when the unimaginable is happening? What does it mean when reality is beyond, beyond, beyond, beyond what we can comprehend and understand? So I was a little bit lost asking myself those questions, and I heard the voice of Hind Rajab, and it was the encounter, said the director over Zoom, sharing what motivated her to make the emotional film that is Tunisias Best International Feature entry. I need an encounter, because the emotion that this encounter gives me will help me to do the movie till the end, because its very tiring doing a movie. Its a huge enterprise. So I need a very strong drive, emotion to do it.

Ben Hania, who was most recently nominated for Best Documentary Feature for her 2023 film Four Daughters, another feature that blends narrative storytelling with real life, felt prepared to tackle the heavy subject matter with the right sensitivity, first by earning the approval of Hinds mother. The first thing I asked myself was how to honor this recording, she said of using the young girls real voice. It was, for me, out of the question to have a child actress playing her role. For me, its bad taste, and Ill not do the mise-en-scene of this. I heard her voice, and her voice was so alive and so strong that I had no doubt about putting it in, and trying to find the right cinematic form to honor her voice and her memory.

For as well as The Voice of Hind Rajab has been received, having recently earned a Golden Globes nomination for Best Motion Picture  Non-English Language, Ben Hania shares that she faced some discouragement going into production. I had a lot of people trying to tell me not to do it for several reasons. Its not the right timing. You have to wait. Maybe in 10 years it can be more relevant, its very touchy for your career, she said.

Shahad Ameen, Juliette Binoche, and Cherien Dabis attend the Women In Motion: Juliette Binoche, Cherien Dabis & Shahad Ameen Special Panel Discussion  Red Sea International Film Festival 2025 Hoda Davaine/Getty Images for the Red Sea International Film Festival

That particular suggestion that films about Palestine are not going to find an audience is one that Dabis finds frustrating, because at the end of the day, this is a business and distributors do care about the bottom line. And I just dont understand how when Palestine is at the forefront of everyones minds at this moment, why would you miss that business opportunity?, she said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Though all three films are, in a sense, going where almost no Palestinian films have gone before, in securing U.S. distribution, they are all still being released by boutique companies. We are living in unique times, and I think it is time for people to understand that absolutely is an audience for these films. And the audience reaction that Ive been getting is certainly extremely powerful and emotional and really enthusiastic, said Dabis.

And this is true of all the Best International Feature contenders directed by MENA women as well, as Morocco entry Calle Malaga and Saudi Arabia entry Hijra both won awards at the Venice Film Festival, where they had their world premieres, and Egypt entry Happy Birthday was a big winner at the Tribeca Film Festival this year.

While this moment is when the spotlight has shone brightest on these directors, Jacir notes that they have also had a professional longevity that is rarer for women directors in the west. Its Kaouthers seventh film. Its my fourth film. [Its Cheriens third film.] And often women in the West and Europe  they all say the second feature film is so hard for women to make, and thats a real issue, said the filmmaker. But again, thats because those films happen in a certain system that makes it really a struggle. It seems theres a different sort of liberation happening now.

Best of IndieWire

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  As participants prepare for the 70th annual Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna this coming May, WIVB spoke with a former finalist in the competition who was born in Western New York  Domi Hasek, who was a finalist in 2022 and is the daughter of legendary Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek.

Domi Hasek attended a music university in Leeds, U.K., where she met her two bandmates, guitarist Casper Hatlestad and keyboardist Benjamin Rekstad, of Norway.

At the very start, it was really just about grades, Hasek said. The first five years was just kind of like, Yeah, were good friends, we like making music together, but we didnt even know if the project was really going to do anything after uni ended. But yeah, now were here.

Advertisement Advertisement

The band moved to Prague in 2021 after finishing their Masters degrees. The original plan was to move to London, but amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they opted for Czech Republic instead.

After finding housing and battling COVID themselves, We Are Domi had an opportunity to play a high-production online gig through a TV company alongside 2019 Czech Eurovision competitors Lake Malawi, whose manager at the time was the head of delegation for the country for Eurovision.

He he was like, Oh, why dont you guys send in a demo? Because, well, why not? she said. And I guess he kind of liked us.

Hasek said her bandmates had a higher awareness of the hype around the competition, as countries like Spain and the Scandinavian countries are incomparable when it comes to the energy around it. She said the competitions PR in Czech Republic has gotten so much better over the past five years, but is still not quite at the level of those other countries.

Advertisement Advertisement

In the summer of 2021, We Are Domi went to a songwriting camp and wrote a few songs, sending three demos into Eurovision. Though they thought their song FU was going to be the one selected for the Czech finals, they were surprised to learn Lights Off was selected instead.

I was like, Oh my God, I dont want to do that song, Hasek said. Because the demo of that song, I cant explain, its like st. And so I was like, Theres no way you can choose that song, because we also wrote it in like three hours or something.

Hasek described the song as very EDM, which the band doesnt really play.

We have electronic elements, but it wasnt our vibe, she said. So I was like, Oh my God, okay, well, you cant say no to Eurovision, right?'

Advertisement Advertisement

She said luckily for the band, once artists are selected to the finals, they have the opportunity to update their demos with a final project. We Are Domi spent two days in the studio writing with their producer, adding a bridge and other elements, and rerecording the song.

Hasek said not much thought went into Lights Off, given that it was written in a couple hours. She said despite this, there is a deeper meaning to the song, which she has never truly explained publicly, as she wants to keep something for herself after exposing the song to millions of people through Eurovision.

To be honest, I think I made up a lot of st during the PR time because I didnt want anyone to know what its about, she laughed. So I dont have that much to say because I dont remember what my lies were. I think I just came up with a story because I was like, I would like to leave one little piece for myself.'

She said on top of the pressure of the stakes of Eurovision, the competition presented a much different atmosphere than she was used to when performing.

Advertisement Advertisement

I was just nervous and I was like, Oh my God, I have to perform, I have to look good, I have to sing well, Hasek said. And I didnt have that much experience at that point. Because we were just singing before that, in Leeds for like 30 and a beer. And for what, like five people? Okay, cool. Which was great, but it just isnt comparable to where we are now, or what we were about to do in Eurovision.

Hasek said the trio of bandmates would wake up each morning and call each other to set the plan for the day. With little money backing them in the international competition, much of the work getting publicity fell to them.

We would wake up every day at like, 7 a.m., on Zoom in our beds being like, Guys we have to start,' she said. And we started talking to people and hyping it up. And again, we were going up against some very established artists that had money for PR, and we were like, So, we can get coffee today. And we were just fking poor. Like, we had no money for PR. So I was like, you know what? We just have to like  fk the PR, we dont have money for that. So we just have to just sell ourselves, be likable. As I would say, were a very golden retriever-vibe kind of band.

She said the attention, both positive and negative, was a bit easier for her to handle than it was for the boys in the band, having competed in Czechs Got Talent and growing up with who her dad is.

Advertisement Advertisement

Hasek described the entire lead up to Eurovision as a massive masterclass from which she learned so much.

What I learned in half a year, I feel like I would normally learn in like, five years or something, she said. How to be professional on a set and how to communicate with sound engineers, and saying what I want.

She said it would have been much more difficult without her bandmates by her side, whom she described as like her brothers and very supportive.

I could lean on them so much, she said. It made a massive difference. I cant imagine doing it without them.

Hasek advised 2026 competitors to be proud of what they present once they become a part of Eurovision and perform in front of millions and millions of people, from their look to their overall brand.

Advertisement Advertisement

Once you do [Eurovision], people are going to want to  thats how they want to see you in the next, maybe, tour that you do, she said. Really be your true self. Very cliche, but its so important. I cant imagine being put in some silly costume and then people expecting that from me if thats not truly for me. So definitely fight against the person that says, Oh I think this would be amazing, and youre really not feeling it. Just dont do it.

Hasek, who as a teenager competed in the Czech-Slovak iteration of the Got Talent franchise, Cesko Slovensko ma talent, said to not be like she was then, encouraging artists to stand their ground. She did express sympathy for some artists, as some countries dont give their competitors as much of a choice in how they present themselves.

Her other bit of advice was to have fun.

And also, just like, have fun. Simple, she said. Have fun, because its a once in a lifetime opportunity, not many people get to do it, and it can really  oh, and massive thing, write music during your preparations. Release music on the day of the finals. Genius. Do it. And prep a tour. Its a lot of work, though. We didnt  thats something I wish that we did, I wish that we wrote more music and released it at like, Boom, finals, and itll really help your career, honestly. So lesson learned.

Advertisement Advertisement

Prior to the interview with Hasek, four countries  Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain  had dropped out of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in protest of the contests decision to allow Israel to compete. Iceland joined the boycott just hours after the interview.

Hasek said shes intrigued if other countries will follow suit.

Its a big deal that Spain did because theyre a Big Five, you know? she said. I dont know that this has happened before in history that a Big Five would drop out.

Despite the boycotts, host country Austria said its plans have not changed for the upcoming competition.

Advertisement Advertisement

Eurovision champion Nemo returns the winners trophy to protest Israels inclusion

As for We Are Domis immediate plans, the band released a new song, Strangers, in September, produced by Rony Janecek, who also produced the Eurovision song Who the Hell is Edgar? for Austrian competitors Teya and Salena in 2023. Hasek said the song is finally not about herself, and instead is written about a situation a friend of the bands went through with another one of his friends.

That was really cool because after the release, we had a gig, like a big gig, at the ROXY, which is one of our amazing venues in Prague, and I just remember singing the song, seeing that guy that we wrote it about, she said. It was really bonding and nice.

She said if fans want to see the band tour America, to stream their music, which is available on Spotify and Apple Music, in addition to other streaming services.

Advertisement Advertisement

I would love to [tour North America], but even if you go to Eurovision, that doesnt mean that youre super rich, she said. I kind of feel like people have that misconceptions. Like, when you do your vision, like: Sold, and youre good with money, but obviously, being an artist is just a forever hurdle. Its so expensive going on a tour, even. So even just getting tickets to the U.S.  its tough. And also were independent.

She said Eurovision being an international contest gave We Are Domi so much exposure outside of Czech Republic. The band releases music in English with the goal of going international, though Hasek said its not necessarily the best strategy for Czech Republic, as artists singing in Czech often do better there.

Its also important for me that we connect with people even outside of Czech Republic, because ultimately, I would like to have like a European tour or I would like to perform in America; that would be awesome. I would love to go back to my roots. And then the guys, they would want to do this in Norway, where, Scandinavian countries are way more open to English, she said. Were ambitious, and we would love to do a tour, like I said, outside of the country. So that gave us the opportunity, so thats what Eurovision brought us, it brought us an international audience, which was like ultimately the goal.

She said she hopes to accomplish an international tour within the next few years, and that Rekstads dad often calls from Norway to say, just write a hit, to which they tell him they are trying. Hasek said the band will be releasing more new music next year.

Hasek also encourages interaction from fans on social media.

Definitely dont be shy to message us, Hasek said. I kind of learned that from Eurovision is that fans are everything. I really do respond to almost everyone, unless youre being a creep. But yeah, were super friendly and we love talking to like fans or letting people know that they vibe with a song or something. Its kind of what gives us motivation, definitely that  Im just happy to see that someone in the world is liking our music. So dont be shy to message us, check out our music, thats kind of it.

The band can be found on Instagram at this link.

The full interview can be watched in the video player below or streamed on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, or at the top of this page.

Adam Duke joined the WIVB digital team in November 2021. See more of his work 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 News 4 Buffalo.
Milo J was on a two-month vacation with his dad when puberty struck and caused his voice to deepen. He was 14 years old. Now, its that same voiceprofound, calm, mature, and flooded with sensitivitythat has made him a household name in the Latin music realm.

I didnt have the opportunity to take music or singing lessons. It was very intuitive, really; it was mostly just singing on my own, he tells Billboard, while also crediting his older sister. My passion for music started because of her. She rapped, she freestyled, she wrote songs, and I wanted to do the same. My sister did it more as a hobby, but I made it my career.

More from Billboard

Advertisement Advertisement

Inspired by artists such as WOS, Rosalia, Tyga, and Kanye West, Milo (real name: Camilo Joaquin Villarruel) began freestyling in his native Moron, a city located in the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. By the age of 16, he had already gone viral with his song Milagrosaa fusion between funk, alternative, and trapthat garnered the support of Duki, Lit Killah, and record labels alike. TikTok also propelled me to countries outside of Argentina, he recalls.

In a span of almost five years, Milos visceral lyrics, husky vocal tone, and unconventional artistic approach that today experiments with Argentine folk music has scored him collaborations with Peso Pluma, Duki, TINI, Silvio Rodriguez, Yahritza y Su Esencia, and the late Mercedes Sosa, to name a few.

Most notably, his explosive BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 57 with Bizarrap reached No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart in 2023. That same year, he was nominated for best rap/hip-hop song at the Latin Grammys with his collaboration on Nicki Nicoles Dispara ***.

This Augustand following his two albums 111 (2023) and 166 (2024)Billboard exclusively announced that Milo signed a record deal with Sony Music U.S. Latin. His third studio album, the profound and ultra-personal La Vida Era Mas Corta, marked his debut release under the label in Sept.

Advertisement Advertisement

The whole concept of the album is very much based on a time I was going through, he expresses. Being so overwhelmed and making everything happen so fast that you dont have time to stop and think about everything youve accomplishedthats the message I used to make the album: Trying to stop time and enjoy the present.

Below, learn more about this months Latin Artist on the Rise:

Name: Camilo Joaquin Villarruel (Milo is short for Camilo)

Age: 19

Recommended Song: Nino

Major Accomplishment: Being able to celebrate my birthday last October at the Nuevo Francisco Urbano Stadium (in his native Moron). It was my first stadium concert with more than 30,000 people. Bizarrap, Nicki Nicole, and many other artists attended. Until now, its my biggest show because of what it represented, and it was on my birthday, it was a unique celebration.

Advertisement Advertisement

Whats Next: Were going to visit a couple of Latin American countries. I dont want to force it, I want to go where Im heard. Musically, I cant reveal much yet, but I need to continue collecting experiences to create more music.

Billboard VIP Pass







Best of Billboard

Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Eritrea has formally informed the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) of its decision to withdraw from the organization, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday.

According to the statement, Eritrea played a pivotal role when IGAD was revitalized in 1993, and subsequently worked, in collaboration with other member states, for its transformation and effectiveness.

"Unfortunately, over time and especially since 2005, IGAD has not only failed to meet the aspirations of the peoples of the region, but instead played a deleterious role becoming a tool against targeted member states, particularly Eritrea," the statement said.

Eritrea suspended its membership in IGAD in April 2007, before reactivating it in June 2023.

"Eritrea finds itself compelled to withdraw its membership from an organization that has forfeited its legal mandate and authority, offering no discernible strategic benefit to all its constituencies and failing to contribute substantively to the stability of the region," the statement further noted.

IGAD is an East African bloc comprising eight member states, namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Its secretariat is based in Djibouti.

According to the bloc's website, Eritrea became the seventh member after attaining independence in 1993. 
The Rev. Guilherme Peixoto was sitting down for dinner the night before a high-profile DJ gig in Slovakia - a combination youth festival and birthday celebration for the archbishop of Kosice - when the churchs production team began to buzz with excitement.

They had a new opening act: Pope Leo XIV.

Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.

Advertisement Advertisement

Peixoto, a 51-year-old priest and DJ based in Braga, Portugal, scrambled to adjust. For almost two weeks before the November event, he had pored over melodic techno beats by Slovakian music producers and selected popular hymns in Polish and Slovak. Now he had to incorporate a special video message from the Holy Father that the Vatican had sent to surprise the archbishop.

I said, Yes, okay, I need to work this [in] for tomorrow, Peixoto recalled in a Zoom interview last week.

With members of his production team, Peixoto worked through the night, adding tracks of synthesizers to the popes address, mixing and mastering, and waking again at 3 a.m. to finish.

That evening, fog wafted around the dramatically lit St. Elizabeths Cathedral in Kosice as Pope Leos message played on a video screen to swirling synthesizers. As the Popes Amen echoed over the crowd, lights flashed and the music built.

Advertisement Advertisement

Then Peixoto dropped the beat.

Video of the sets opening went viral, drawing more than 10 million views on Instagram alone. The staging was so dramatic, the scene so unlikely - a gothic cathedral, a DJ priest, the pope - that many viewers questioned if the clip was artificial intelligence.

To the contrary, Peixoto said hes chasing real-world connection with his DJing, which he calls the project. At a time of growing social isolation among the worlds youth, Peixoto is optimistic about the power of dance music to amplify the message of Gods love.

- - -

Parties pay the parish debt

Peixoto knew he wanted to become a priest long before he started spinning crowds into a tizzy with samples of Ave Maria and the Super Mario Bros. theme song and bobbing along to house music alongside sunglass-wearing acolytes.

Advertisement Advertisement

But he also liked nightlife, gravitating in his youth to underground house and techno scenes of artists like British house DJ Carl Cox and Detroit techno producer Jeff The Wizard Mills. In seminary, Peixoto continued to visit clubs and play in a band with his fellow seminarians, all of whom assumed they would quit music once they were ordained.

Peixoto started life as a priest in 2001 in Povoa de Varzim, a Portuguese resort town about 20 miles north of Porto. His bishop soon asked him to take on another nearby church, which was struggling with debt and in need of repairs.

To raise money, Peixoto decided the church should open a small parish bar during summer. Soon, the church had added music nights of parish choirs and karaoke.

But calm music, romantic music, it is not good for business, Peixoto said. People want to sing, people need to dance to have fun.

Advertisement Advertisement

Peixoto controlled music from his laptop, slowly expanding his rig and his DJing skills. Within three years, he said, the parish had paid off its roughly $29,000 debt in its entirety.

A self-described perfectionist, Peixoto wanted to professionalize his DJing further by learning how to organize a set and produce music. So in his 40s, he signed up for a DJ school in Porto, where he was quickly humbled by his fellow classmates, many of whom were children.

I was furious sometimes because they were learning much faster than me. How is it possible these kids can mix so well? Peixoto said, laughing.

Occasionally, his DJ lessons had to take a back seat to his clerical duties, like when he apologetically told his teacher he had to leave class.

Advertisement Advertisement

Peixoto recalled explaining: Someone died in my parish, and I need to organize the funeral.

- - -

Sacred music everywhere

While a techno party priest is exactly the kind of unexpected mash-up that takes social media feeds by storm, the Catholic Church has a long history of tapping into secular music, said Andrew Gill, a producer and co-host of the podcast Rock That Doesnt Roll: The Story of Christian Music.

It was the churchs 1960s effort to modernize worship with the Second Vatican Council that prompted congregations to swap pipe organs and Gregorian chants for guitar-backed hymns sung in English, Gill said. One of the most popular films of the era, The Sound of Music, captures the way secular music can be a kind of vehicle for praise, he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

You have a nun just being so in love with the world and God, and seeing it all as one thing, he said. Its a tradition that I can see coming all the way through to this DJ, [Peixoto].

And for as much as traditionalists might blanch at a clergyman surrounded by the trappings of nightlife, the two ideas arent in conflict, said David Dark, professor of religion and the arts at Belmont University.

If the church exists to proclaim the Gospel and the kingdom of God, there is no division of secular and sacred, Dark said, including in music.

There is no secular molecule in the universe. There is no dandelion owned by the devil, said Dark, author of Everyday Apocalypse: Art, Empire, and the End of the World. He added that the idea that Peixoto is suddenly bringing religion into a nonreligious space doesnt work, if you believe - like poet Gerard Manley Hopkins - that the world is charged with the grandeur of God.

Advertisement Advertisement

- - -

Trust, faith and headphone blessings

Peixoto, who usually DJs in his clerical collar, has found little conflict in his ministry as the DJ priest. He said hes careful to consider how his roles overlap, evaluating whether a clubs rules or a partys theme would pose any conflict to him as a member of the clergy. If a festival, for instance, planned to use demonic depictions in its decorations, he said hed avoid it.

I think we should be in the world without losing our identity, Peixoto said. Most of the people that talk about electronic music, they dont know what is electronic music.

He said people who may criticize his association with electronic dance music culture - perhaps linking it with drugs or self-indulgence - have probably never been to a festival or a club: They are criticizing what they dont know.

Advertisement Advertisement

Like Jesus and his apostles, Peixoto has a team of 12 that supports his music ministry. Money earned from gigs is invested back into the team, with the blessing of the archbishop of Braga, Peixoto said.

Occasionally, Peixotos superiors raise questions that they hear from others about the nature of his DJing or where it takes him. Peixoto said he asks them for counsel and is always supported and told to keep working.

Even if my bishop doesnt understand everything, he trusts what I do, Peixoto said.

Though Peixoto has not met Pope Leo, the Vatican acknowledged Peixotos dance-floor fellowship last month in a news release about the event at the Cathedral of Kosice. Peixoto did meet Pope Francis on three occasions. On the second of those, Peixoto asked the pope to bless his Sennheiser headphones.

Advertisement Advertisement

I dont know if he knows what is a DJ or not, but I told him that I was a DJ and I asked the blessing of the phones, Peixoto said. The bishops, the cardinals, all of them were laughing with the situation.

Ultimately, Peixoto said, he hopes to help young people experience Gods love through the joy, friendship and fellowship found in music. He wants them to understand, as they struggle for identity and belonging, that - to paraphrase Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint - they should live not as copies but as the unique originals God made.

We dont all need to play the same music, we dont need all of us to think in the same way, having the same vision, Peixoto said. On the dance floor, people can be together as one body, united across differences.

These days, Peixoto DJs on professional equipment. He sifts through 200-year-old Catholic hymns and speeches from previous popes and pacifist figures, like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to find songs with references relevant to whatever audience he plays for - Fatima in Portugal, the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico or the Virgin Mary in Italy.

The preparation means by the time he starts DJing onstage, his work is finished.

Im really just enjoying and feeling that God is present, that God is on the dance floor with us, Peixoto said. When Im looking to the crowd, I have this sensation that they are feeling God also.

---

Video Embed Code

Video: The Rev. Guilherme Peixoto scrambled to adjust his DJ set for a youth festival in Slovakia when he realized he had a new opening act: Pope Leo XIV.(c) 2025 , The Washington Post

Embed code:

Related Content

DOJ report on D.C. police says chief created culture of fear

To AI-proof exams, professors turn to the oldest technique of all

Enduring images of 2025
Heres a recap and spoilers of what happened in General Hospitals December 11 episode. Britt arrives at the hospital to help Portia. Meanwhile, Michael and Jacinda get intimate in Ninas office, and Nathan and Dante review new evidence.

Spoilers for what happened on General Hospital on December 11, 2025

Nina delivers the news

Nina announces to everyone at Alexiss house that Nathan arrested Curtis based on some new evidence. Drews sure that Nathan arrested the wrong guy, and says that it shouldve been Michael. Later, Nina talks to Willow about the situation.

Michael and Jacinda get caught in the act

When Michael sees Nathan going through Curtiss office, the cop reveals that they arrested Curtis. Michael then heads to Crimson, where he finds Jacinda trying on dresses. He shares information about the latest arrests and is worried that Willow could walk away free, putting his kid in a difficult position. They have a back-and-forth conversation about the situation, and end up sharing a kiss. As they start to undress each other, Nina walks in.

Scenes at the hospital

Kristina visits the hospital to get her allergies treated with Molly by her side. They briefly discuss the book Molly is working on and how Cody inspired a character in it. Elsewhere, Liz develops an eye infection, which is later found to be caused by mites.

Advertisement Advertisement

Later, Portia continues to experience pains and insists that Isaiah call Britt for help. When Britt arrives, Portia explains whats happening, while Isaiah waits outside. Britt reaches out to Lucas for his help in getting some medical tests done, as she doesnt have access or a license to do it herself. She also assures Isaiah that Portia will be fine.

After a while, Isaiah asks Portia if the baby is his, to which she says that shes not sure. Outside, Lucas wants Britt back as a doctor and says that hes ready to give her a letter of recommendation to get reinstated.

Curtis gets a few visitors

While Curtis is in the holding cell, Jordan arrives at Dantes request. He informs her of the charges that hes facing and about the video evidence. Meanwhile, Trina and Kai arrive at the station to meet her dad. She asks him what happened that night, to which he admits to being with Selina. Soon, Jordan also drops by, which prompts the other two to leave. Jordan informs Curtis about Dantes speculations and also that hes not dropping charges on Willow just yet.

In Dantes office, Nathan discusses a video footage that was never checked. Upon viewing it, they believe that they mightve actually caught who the killer really is.

Drew visits Curtis

Drew arrives at the station to see Curtis. The latter says that if he gets charged with the crime, the revelations that follow could put Drew in a difficult place. So, he tells Drew that they have to work together to get this issue resolved.

The post General Hospital Spoilers Today: Drew Visits Curtis in Prison in Dec. 11 Recap appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
The trailer for Netflixs upcoming crime drama, His & Hers, promises gasp-worthy turns along with a layered murder mystery.

Starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, the six-episode limited series follows an Atlanta news journalist who is hoping to restart her career by following a murder case in her childhood hometown. But the resident detective is also posing her problems.

Whats the plot of His & Hers?

According to the official synopsis:

Advertisement Advertisement

Set in the sweltering heat of Atlanta, Anna lives in haunting reclusivity, fading away from her friends and career as a news anchor. But when she overhears about a murder in Dahlonega  the sleepy town where she grew up  Anna is snapped back to life, pouncing on the case and searching for answers. Detective Jack Harper is strangely suspicious of her involvement, chasing her into the crosshairs of his own investigation. There are two sides to every story: HIS & HERS, which means someone is always lying.

Whats the plot of His & Hers?

The cast also includes Pablo Screiber, Crystal Fox, Sunita Mani, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Marin Ireland and Poppy Liu.

Thompson also executive produces with co-showrunner/director/writer William Oldroyd and co-showrunner/writer Dee Johnson. Writer Bill Dubuque also executive produces. Other executive producers include Campout Productions Kristen Campo, Jessica Chastain and Kelly Carmichael for Freckle Films and Kishori Rajan for Viva Maude. Fifth Season produces as the studio for the series.

His & Hers comes to Netflix Jan. 8. Watch the trailer and view the first look images below:

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Advertisement Advertisement

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Advertisement Advertisement

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Photo: Netflix

Advertisement Advertisement







The post His & Hers Trailer: Tessa Thompson And Jon Bernthal Go Head To Head During A Murder Mystery appeared first on Blavity.
A good old-fashioned holiday train wreck always makes for a certain kind of comedy  but what, wondered English playwright Sam Holcroft, if everyones unconscious coping mechanisms were spelled out in advance, so we could see more of the mayhem coming?

Thats the running gag in Rules for Living, which assembles a titanically dysfunctional family for a Christmas luncheon that begins to fall apart well before everyones gathered by the tree: Handy explanatory titles, projected silent-movie-style high up on Round House Theatres broad proscenium stage, warn us that Matthew must sit to tell a lie, and so on. As the players proliferate, each with one nerve left for shredding, the rules of engagement grow ever more intricate, and the giggles multiply accordingly. For a while, that is, until the stakes get high enough to carry the laughs into hollow-echo territory.

The entangled parties  partner-track attorney Matthew (Will Conard), his struggling ex-athlete older brother Adam (Jonathan Feuer), Adams controlling dipsomaniac wife (Dina Thomas), and Matthews nervously peppy actor girlfriend (Dani Stoller) have plenty of intrafamily baggage to unpack already. And oh, by the way, the boys crusty old hanging judge of a dad (John Lescault) is just getting out of the hospital after a collapse that their prim and polished mom (Naomi Jacobson) cant quite seem to explain. No surprise that the mood feels appropriately seasonal, which is to say fraught to the point of imminent explosion, by the time the matriarch notices how much the jangly girlfriends ill-formed candy-cane cookies resemble pink-frosted phalluses.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ryan Rilettes crisp and disciplined staging, which represents the plays North American premiere, ratchets along nicely through the first act. Stoller demonstrates for the umpteenth time that she can navigate the loopiest authorial and directorial demands without seeming effort. Thomas warmly humanizes a character who could easily play as a shrewish punch line, while Conard and Feuer create that specifically fraternal blend of aggression and affection with enough intensity to make some of us (ahem) break out in brotherly hives.

Jacobson, a performer about whom Im not entirely objective after 30 years of watching her slay audiences across the DMV, delivers a gloriously specific suite of uptight-lady tics and offended-perfectionist twitches that suggest a person compensating for a lifetime of chaotic intrusions upon a rigidly orderly worldview. Her Deborah moves about Jimmy Stubbss kitchen-and-dining-room set with the compulsive flit of an overcaffeinated hummingbird, which makes it all the more jarring when one son drops a particularly weighty Act 2 brick and she stops utterly and icily still.

As for Lescault (Jacobsons real-life husband), his ailing paterfamilias Francis doesnt make an appearance until halfway through the proceedings. When he does, though, its quite literally a showstopper  though only for intermission, cause hell go on to deliver a corker of a second act.

There are a handful of awkwardnesses on the way to the inevitable food fight. (What was it Chekhov said about a turkey?) Holcroft wrote the play a decade back on commission from the National Theatre in London, and although a rewrite for U.S. audiences now locates this hot mess of a family in some unnamed North Carolina burg, there are still British locutions peppered thickly enough throughout the text to make specific references to the Tar Heel State and the Eastern Seaboard feel like a hasty gloss. (Im sat there in nothing but pantyhose and a bra, goes one particularly chimeric declaration, which seems to cry out for either a sitting or a knickers.)

Advertisement Advertisement

Some of the comedys pop-psychological obsessions, particularly its inquiries in the territories of chronic anxiety and ADHD, already feel a touch dated in their naivete. More substantial a reservation is that while weve certainly got our share of things were still not ready to talk about, the specific shockers Holcroft pulls out in Act 2 revolve around issues weve spent most of the past decade coming loudly and publicly to terms with.

Traditional farces, holiday or otherwise, generally end by putting most of their pieces back together after the rising action sets up some uproarious collision of miscues and misunderstandings. Holcroft has something a little different in mind here: Rules for Living will morph from pure farce into something close to full-on psychodrama by the time everyones feelings get properly vented. So dont take a seat at this family gathering without knowing that clearer understandings are part of what shes pushing this gaggle of legitimately damaged characters toward, and that there wont be the usual buoyant round of resolutions and reconciliations.

The playwright has taken her title, after all, from the psychological term of art that insists that we identify what works and what doesnt for us, and that we draw lines to keep us clear of what genuinely strips us of the ability to function. A writer of an earlier generation might have felt the need to strain toward a rosier resolution for this blistered, broken family. Not Holcroft: Sometimes, as her characters discover at the final curtain, what becomes entirely irreconcilable is precisely the people were trying to reconcile with.

Rules for Living, through Jan. 4 at Round House Theatre in Bethesda. About 2 hours 20 minutes including intermission. roundhousetheatre.org.
Europes train network offers a rare combination of convenience, scenic beauty, and cultural depth that allows travelers to experience an entire region in a way that feels both effortless and immersive. Long stretches of countryside roll by in cinematic fashion, passing from vineyards to mountain ranges and from bustling cities to tiny villages without the need for airports or long drives. The rhythm of the tracks encourages slow appreciation of the journey, allowing passengers to settle into the landscapes while enjoying the comfort of modern carriages and panoramic windows. For many travelers, rail journeys across Europe stand as a reminder that mobility can be both efficient and deeply enjoyable at the same time.

With four countries showcasing some of the most celebrated rail routes in the world, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, this collection of journeys highlights the continents remarkable diversity. Each train line offers its own character, shaped by local culture, geography, and history, blending natural splendor with seamless urban connections that make planning simple yet rewarding. Whether moving between major capitals or linking smaller towns, these routes provide a continuous thread of discovery that unfolds mile after mile. Travelers who choose to explore by train will find that these routes not only connect destinations but also bring new dimensions to the overall travel experience.

Paris to Nice (France)

Passenger train stands at Nice train station in a summer day in Nice, France

The trip from Paris to Nice takes passengers from elegant boulevards and historic monuments to the bright shores of the French Riviera in one smooth journey. Fields, vineyards, and gentle hills roll past the windows as the train speeds through southern France, revealing landscapes that grow warmer and more Mediterranean with every passing town. The change in climate and scenery feels almost cinematic, creating a sense of anticipation as the journey approaches the coast. By the time Nice appears, travelers feel as if they have crossed several worlds within a single ride.

Advertisement Advertisement

The approach into the Riviera highlights sparkling sea views, pastel-colored towns, and hills dotted with villas that instantly immerse passengers in a different atmosphere. The brightness of the coastline contrasts beautifully with the quieter countryside left behind, illustrating the diversity of Frances southern region. The trains comfort allows travelers to appreciate these shifts fully, turning the ride into an extended preview of the destination. Arriving in Nice feels like stepping straight into a postcard, with sunlight, palm trees, and coastal charm greeting travelers immediately.

Paris to Strasbourg (France)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This high-speed journey carries travelers from the heart of France into Alsace, a region known for its blend of French and German influences. As the train leaves Paris, it passes suburban outskirts before transitioning into open farmland and wide plains typical of northeastern France. The ride grows more picturesque as villages with half-timbered houses begin to appear, signaling the unique architectural style of the region. By the time Strasbourg approaches, the scenery hints at the citys distinct mix of cultures and traditions.

Travelers can observe vineyards lining the hillsides and small towns that seem frozen in time, offering glimpses into a region where history and modern life coexist. The transition feels gradual yet deliberate, giving passengers a sense of movement not only across distance but also across cultural identity. The comfort of the train enhances this transformation, making the gradual approach as rewarding as the final destination. Arriving in Strasbourg, visitors immediately feel the shift, as the city welcomes them with its Gothic cathedral, lively streets, and unmistakable Alsatian charm.

Lyon to Avignon (France)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

The journey from Lyon to Avignon leads travelers through the Rhone Valley, a region celebrated for wine, sunshine, and centuries-old towns. Rolling vineyards and orchards appear almost immediately, creating a vivid contrast with Lyons urban rhythm. The route follows the river valley closely, offering glimpses of hilltop villages, medieval ruins, and sweeping farmland. As the train glides south, the air seems to grow warmer, and the colors of the landscape shift toward more Provencal tones.

Advertisement Advertisement

With each passing kilometer, the scenery becomes more textured with limestone cliffs, terraced vineyards, and lavender fields that hint at the regions famous fragrances. The train provides a peaceful vantage point where passengers can enjoy the play of light across the countryside, especially on long sunny afternoons. Avignon comes into view with its distinctive medieval walls, suggesting a city rooted deeply in history. The arrival feels like stepping into a world where time slows down and southern French culture reveals its most charming qualities.

Milan to Venice (Italy)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

Travelers departing Milan embark on a route that highlights the gradual softening of Italys urban energy into a more serene landscape. The early part of the trip features flat plains and wide fields, punctuated by rivers and small towns that hint at the regions agricultural heritage. As the train moves east, the colors shift into softer hues, and the landscape takes on a quieter, more contemplative feel. This sense of tranquility builds anticipation for the dazzling approach to Venice.

The final portion of the journey is especially captivating as the train crosses long stretches of water on tracks elevated above the lagoon. The horizon widens dramatically, revealing the outline of Venice rising like a city suspended between sea and sky. The slow glide toward the islands creates a sense of wonder, especially for first-time visitors experiencing the lagoon for the first time. Upon arrival, passengers step off the train into a world shaped by canals, history, and an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the world.

Florence to Rome (Italy)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

The route between Florence and Rome connects two of Italys most iconic cities while passing through gentle landscapes that capture the heart of central Italy. Olive groves, vineyards, and rolling hills define much of the journey, creating a peaceful transition between two bustling centers of art and history. The scenery carries hints of Tuscany and Umbria, with stone farmhouses and small hill towns appearing frequently as the train speeds south. Each view feels like a new piece of a living painting.

Advertisement Advertisement

As the train approaches Rome, the countryside gradually gives way to more urban surroundings, yet the sense of anticipation grows stronger with every passing mile. The contrast between Florences Renaissance elegance and Romes ancient grandeur becomes more pronounced as the skyline changes. The journey balances calm rural views with the promise of monumental history waiting at the destination. Arrival in Rome brings travelers directly into the heart of a city where every street seems steeped in stories.

Naples to Sorrento (Italy)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This coastal route offers dramatic views of cliffs, bays, and the shimmering waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The train winds along rugged terrain that highlights both the beauty and the intensity of southern Italys famous coastline. Small towns cling to hillsides, creating unforgettable panoramas that unfold along the entire ride. The scenery creates a sense of movement between land and sea, giving travelers a unique perspective on the regions geography.

The closer the train gets to Sorrento, the brighter the water appears, intensifying the coastal mood that makes this route so memorable. The views include glimpses of Mount Vesuvius and the distant islands that dot the bay, adding layers of depth to the landscape. Each moment feels steeped in local color, from citrus groves to terraced cliffs. By the time the train reaches Sorrento, passengers feel fully immersed in a region famed for its beauty and relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle.

Zurich to Lucerne (Switzerland)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This short Swiss route is packed with alpine charm and pristine scenery that reflects the countrys reputation for natural beauty. The landscape showcases lakes, forests, and neat villages framed by rolling hills and distant mountain peaks. Passengers can enjoy smooth transitions from urban Zurich to increasingly rural surroundings that feel almost storybook-like. The simplicity of the views enhances the clarity of the journey.

Advertisement Advertisement

As the train approaches Lucerne, Lake Lucerne comes into view with its calm waters and dramatic backdrop of mountains. This shift creates a sense of arrival that feels almost theatrical, as if the landscape has opened itself up for admiration. The citys medieval architecture and lakeside setting emerge gradually, building excitement in a calm and peaceful way. Travelers step off the train into an environment where Swiss precision meets natural splendor.

Geneva to Montreux (Switzerland)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This stunning lakeside route follows the shimmering shoreline of Lake Geneva, offering panoramic views that feel remarkably expansive. Vineyards stretch along the hillsides in terraced layers, creating a unique visual rhythm reminiscent of carefully painted landscapes. Mountains rise sharply behind the lake, forming a majestic backdrop that changes with the light throughout the day. The journey feels peaceful yet visually rich, offering a perfect blend of serenity and grandeur.

As the train approaches Montreux, the scenery becomes even more dramatic, with brighter water, steeper hillsides, and elegant towns that emphasize the beauty of the Swiss Riviera. The vineyards of Lavaux appear like geometric patterns carved into the mountainside, adding a cultural and historical dimension to the ride. The atmosphere grows warmer and more Mediterranean in tone as the destination nears. By the time passengers step into Montreux, the environment feels almost resort-like, complete with lakeside promenades and alpine views.

Bern to Interlaken (Switzerland)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

The journey from Bern to Interlaken offers a peaceful transition from a tidy capital city into the dramatic landscapes of the Bernese Oberland. The early part of the trip includes farms, forests, and small villages that reflect classic Swiss rural charm. The scenery gradually becomes more alpine, with taller peaks and clearer lakes appearing along the route. This creates a sense of slow but steady ascent into the mountains.

Advertisement Advertisement

Interlaken lies between two lakes, and the approach reveals these waters in calm, expansive views framed by towering peaks. The final stretch feels increasingly dramatic as passengers catch glimpses of famous alpine giants in the distance. The contrasts between open fields, deep forests, and rugged mountains become more pronounced with every passing moment. Arrival in Interlaken signals entry into one of Switzerlands most celebrated regions, known for its outdoor adventures and stunning natural beauty.

Glacier Express: Zermatt to St. Moritz (Switzerland)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

Often called one of the worlds most beautiful train journeys, this route showcases the full drama of the Swiss Alps. The train moves slowly by design, allowing passengers to savor towering peaks, deep valleys, and remote villages tucked into pristine landscapes. Bridges and viaducts create spectacular moments where the train seems to float above the scenery. Every segment of the route feels like a highlight.

The panoramic windows offer uninterrupted views of glaciers, rivers, forests, and meadows that seem impossibly perfect. This immersive experience emphasizes the scale and majesty of the mountains as the train climbs and descends through various regions. Each town along the way adds a cultural layer to the natural drama. Arrival in St. Moritz leaves travelers with a sense of having crossed one of the most extraordinary landscapes on the continent.

Munich to Salzburg (Germany)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This route offers gentle yet picturesque scenery connecting two culturally rich cities with strong musical heritage. The train departs Munich and quickly enters pastoral landscapes defined by rolling hills and agricultural fields. Patches of forest and small Bavarian towns add texture to the journey, creating a peaceful contrast with the lively energy of Munich. As the train approaches Austria, alpine peaks slowly begin to appear.

Advertisement Advertisement

The transition into Salzburg feels natural as the scenery becomes more dramatic and mountainous. Villages appear nestled among green hills, illustrating the close relationship between nature and local life. The views grow progressively more striking, preparing passengers for Salzburgs harmonious blend of historical charm and alpine setting. Arrival in the city feels like entering a place where music, culture, and breathtaking landscapes meet seamlessly.

Berlin to Dresden (Germany)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

The journey from Berlin to Dresden reveals a quieter side of eastern Germany, where rivers, forests, and gentle hills define the landscape. As the train leaves Berlin, the views shift from urban sprawl to wide-open countryside that feels peaceful and expansive. Small towns and old farm estates appear intermittently, giving glimpses into regional traditions. The routes serenity makes the trip feel unhurried and reflective.

As Dresden approaches, the scenery continues to soften, with the Elbe River creating winding patterns that guide the train into the city. The natural landscape contrasts with Dresdens Baroque architecture that awaits at the destination. The approach highlights both the cultural richness and natural elegance of the region. By the time passengers arrive, the combination of river views and historical cityscapes creates a memorable impression.

Frankfurt to Cologne (Germany)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This well-known German route follows the Rhine River, showcasing castles, vineyards, and medieval towns perched along the water. The train hugs the curve of the river, offering constant views of dramatic cliffs and terraced hillsides. Passengers can observe riverboats, small ports, and historic fortresses that reflect centuries of trade and settlement. The scenery feels both romantic and deeply rooted in European history.

Advertisement Advertisement

As the journey continues, the river narrows in certain areas, creating more intimate views of cliffs and villages. Each bend reveals a new scene that seems crafted for travelers seeking beauty and history. The approach toward Cologne becomes more urban, yet the river remains a strong visual anchor throughout the trip. Arrival in Cologne brings travelers face-to-face with the citys iconic cathedral and vibrant atmosphere.

Stuttgart to Lake Constance (Germany)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

Travelers setting out from Stuttgart are treated to a mix of rolling hills, vineyards, and forests that define the southwestern German countryside. The route gradually descends toward one of Central Europes most beloved lakes, offering increasingly open views. Small towns with traditional architecture appear frequently, emphasizing the regions connection to rural heritage. The journey feels warm and inviting, with landscapes that evoke calm and familiarity.

As the train nears Lake Constance, the scenery becomes more expansive, revealing wide waters framed by mountains in the distance. The brightness of the lake creates a stunning contrast with the surrounding hills, making the final approach particularly memorable. The shoreline villages add charm with their quiet promenades and peaceful settings. Arrival at the lake signals entry into a region known for relaxation, outdoor activities, and postcard-worthy beauty.

Paris to Milan (France  Italy)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This transalpine journey carries travelers from elegant Paris through the heart of the French countryside and directly into the dramatic landscapes of the Alps. The first stages offer pleasant rural views, but the scenery grows more impressive as the train approaches the mountains. Tunnels, cliffs, and snow-covered peaks begin to dominate the horizon, marking the major transition between countries. The dramatic shift creates a thrilling sense of elevation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Crossing into Italy, the views soften into warmer tones, with valleys, vineyards, and lakes appearing more frequently. The landscape becomes more Mediterranean, with colors and textures that signal the stylistic differences between regions. The approach to Milan blends natural scenery with growing hints of urban sophistication. Arrival in the city introduces travelers to a vibrant mix of fashion, business, and heritage.

Zurich to Munich (Switzerland  Germany)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This cross-border route features a blend of Swiss precision and German pastoral charm. Departing Zurich, the train quickly enters landscapes dotted with lakes, forests, and orderly villages that reflect Switzerlands pristine beauty. The scenery then transitions into more open farmland as the route enters Germany, creating a shift in atmosphere. The contrast enhances the sense of moving across a diverse region.

As the train continues toward Munich, the views become warmer and more textured, with Bavarian houses and open fields dominating the landscape. Small towns with red roofs and church spires punctuate the scenery in regular intervals. The gradual build toward Munich introduces more industrial and modern views while still maintaining a sense of regional identity. Arrival in the city brings travelers into a dynamic environment known for culture, tradition, and lively squares.

Milan to Zurich (Italy  Switzerland)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This striking route carries passengers from the lowlands of northern Italy into the towering heights of the Swiss Alps. The early part of the trip highlights Italian towns, agricultural fields, and warm-toned landscapes. The transition toward the Gotthard region introduces tunnels, cliffs, and dramatic rock formations that signal the climb into alpine terrain. The contrast between the landscapes is one of the most memorable aspects of the journey.

Advertisement Advertisement

Upon entering Switzerland, the scenery transforms into pristine valleys, rivers, and snowcapped peaks. The clarity of the air and the sharpness of the mountain views create a powerful sense of elevation. As the train approaches Zurich, the terrain softens into lakeside towns and gentle hills. The arrival offers travelers an elegant finish to a route defined by dramatic natural transitions.

Venice to Munich (Italy  Germany)

Image Credit:Shutterstock.

This long but unforgettable route begins amid Venices lagoon beauty and gradually ascends into the dramatic terrain of the northern mountains. The journey passes through a wide range of landscapes, from farmland to rugged cliffs, offering constant visual variety. The Dolomites introduce breathtaking rock formations that feel almost sculptural. Traveling through these regions reveals some of the most distinctive mountain scenery in Europe.

As the route continues, the train crosses into Austria before eventually reaching Germany, marking a series of natural and cultural transitions. Alpine villages, forests, and open meadows appear frequently, creating a serene rhythm to the scenery. The gradual descent toward Munich introduces more wide-open plains and the characteristic charm of Bavarian towns. Arrival in the city provides a satisfying conclusion to a journey that blends coastal wonder with alpine grandeur.
Turkey and stuffing are forever linked together. Whether you actually stuff a turkey with a stuffing mixture (and make sure it cooks through safely) or you cook the stuffing outside the turkey (in which case it's known as dressing), you can't have one without the other on Thanksgiving. We're pretty sure it's against the law.

Though this combo is coveted any time of year, cooking an entire turkey can be dauntingand it takes hours we usually don't have outside of the holidays. So, how can we get big Thanksgiving flavor any night of the week? With a handful of ingredients and a little imaginationswap in ground turkey, prepared stuffing, and a binding agent, and you have turkey and stuffing for the taking with a fraction of the effort.

How to Make Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs

The best thing about this recipe is that it uses any stuffing you prefer. If you have leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving or another holiday meal, you can use that. Or you can mix up a store-bought stuffing mix and use it as the starring ingredient for these tender meatballs. Because the stuffing will already pack plenty of seasoning, you won't need to add extras. You can swap in a box of stuffing mix in these basic turkey meatballs. But to make things even easier, here's a non-recipe recipe, and you'll have dinner on the table in no time.



Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

3 cups prepared stuffing

1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine ground turkey, stuffing, and beaten egg in a large bowl until well blended. (If you feel like you need a little more moisture, add milk or broth, a little at a time until mixture is moist enough to form into meatballs.) Roll mixture into 16 to 20 meatballs using your hands; place on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 20 minutes.

Advertisement Advertisement

We think the best way to serve these simple meatballs is to make buttery mashed potatoes and nestle the meatballs on top. Pouring hot turkey gravy (jarred is fine) over the whole thing will yield the most comforting of comfort foods. Enjoy!

Read the original article on Allrecipes
Some McDonald's restaurants are found in downright strange locations.

One McDonald's restaurant in Taupo, New Zealand, is located inside a decommissioned plane.

A glass-walled McDonald's restaurant has received an award for its impressive architecture.

Some McDonald's locations go far beyond the typical drive-thru experience, offering unique and unforgettable dining settings that redefine the concept of fast food.

From a New Zealand McDonald's located inside a decommissioned plane to multiple restaurants built inside historic homes, McDonald's has transformed iconic and unconventional spaces into mind-blowing dining locations.

Advertisement Advertisement

Many restaurants have also been modified to comply with local laws. In Sedona, Arizona, there's a McDonald's with turquoise arches instead of the iconic golden ones, designed to complement the area's natural red rock scenery. A glass-walled McDonald's restaurant in Georgia has also received an award for its impressive architecture.

Here are some of the most unusual and extraordinary McDonald's restaurants around the world.

The McDonald's location in Downey, California, is the oldest McDonald's restaurant that still looks as it did when it first opened.

McDonald's in Downey, California. tishomir/Shutterstock

It is the oldest surviving McDonald's location in the world. It doesn't even have a drive-thru  instead, customers walk up to the restaurant's windows to place their orders.

Advertisement Advertisement

The location also features a vintage McDonald's sign with the fast-food brand's old mascot.

On the sign is "Speedee" McDonald's original chef logo. David McNew/Getty Images

Speedee, a chef with a hamburger for a head, appeared on the original McDonald's signs alongside the brand's logo of two interlocking golden arches.

Some signs also advertised the low price of McDonald's hamburgers  just 15 cents at the time.

This McDonald's restaurant in Hangzhou, China, is located inside a historic villa that once housed a former Taiwanese leader.

Zhang Peng/LightRocket/Getty Images

Before being converted into a McDonald's and McCafe restaurant, the building was known as a cultural relic that had been the residence of politician Chiang Ching-kuo for one month during the 1940s, according to CNN.

Advertisement Advertisement

The restaurant has been called "the most controversial McDonald's outlet in the world."

STR/AFP/Getty Images

CNN reported that many locals objected to the restaurant opening inside the historic building, calling it a prime example of Western commercialism invading Chinese culture.

However, since opening in 2015, the restaurant has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, welcoming visitors from all over the world.

There's also an eye-catching McDonald's on Dongmen Street in Shenzhen, China.

The McDonald's on Dongmen Street in Shenzhen, China. Lina Mo/Shutterstock

The restaurant opened on October 8, 1990, in Shenzhen's Special Economic Zone.

The South China Morning Post reported that on its opening day, the unique McDonald's location received over 40,000 customers, despite having a maximum seating capacity of only 460. It was the first McDonald's to open in mainland China, making it a popular destination for both locals and tourists at the time.

Advertisement Advertisement

The building occupies three floors and features traditional-looking pagoda-style roofs.

The McDonald's on Dongmen Street in Shenzhen, China. Dave Colman/Shutterstock

The restaurant's roof is still adorned with the iconic golden arches to make it recognizable to passersby.

Author and photojournalist Gary He, who has dined at over 100 McDonald's restaurants around the world, told Business Insider in 2024 that it was one of the most "epic" locations he has ever visited.

This McDonald's restaurant in Taupo, New Zealand, is located inside a decommissioned plane.

This McDonald's restaurant in Taupo, New Zealand, is located inside a decommissioned plane. Jam Travels/Shutterstock

Named one of the "world's coolest McDonald's" on a sign outside the restaurant, customers can enjoy everything from a classic Big Mac to Chicken McNuggets and McCafe beverages inside the plane.

Advertisement Advertisement

There's even airplane-style seating where customers can sit and enjoy their food.

Fotos593/Shutterstock

Visitors to this unique McDonald's restaurant can also view the D3 plane's cockpit.

This McDonald's restaurant in Clifton Hill, Melbourne, Australia, is designed in the Art Deco style of the 1920s and '30s.

Art deco McDonalds building in Clifton Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Tim McRae/Getty Images

The building was originally the United Kingdom Hotel and was designed by architect James Hastie Wardrop.

Constructed between 1937 and 1938, this restaurant has been called one of the most beautiful McDonald's buildings in the world.

Built in 1983, the Rock-N-Roll McDonald's in Chicago was known nationwide for its themed decor.

PRNewsfoto/Getty Images

The restaurant, which spanned two floors and was a replica of Ray Kroc's first McDonald's, was filled with music and pop-culture memorabilia.

Advertisement Advertisement

The decor was quintessentially '80s, but in 2017, the fast-food giant decided to fully renovate and modernize the location.

An old jukebox with "45's" is displayed in the "Rock 'N' Roll McDonald's" July 13, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois. Tim Boyle/Getty Images

After the restaurant was partially demolished and modernized, the memorabilia once housed in the restaurant were added to the franchise owner's personal collection, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Surprisingly, another iconic McDonald's restaurant that has closed for good is the chain's flashy Times Square location.

Joseph M. Arseneau/Shutterstock

Known for its giant marquee featuring thousands of light bulbs, the restaurant  perhaps surprisingly  closed in 2020 not as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but rather as part of McDonald's regular review of its restaurant portfolio, a spokesperson told NBC.

Advertisement Advertisement

However, a new McDonald's restaurant has opened in Times Square, meaning you can still get your fix.

This McDonald's in Sedona, Arizona, is the only one in the world with turquoise arches.

Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock

The restaurant, built in 1993, is situated in one of Arizona's most beautiful cities, renowned for its awe-inspiring red-rock mountains, canyon walls, and pine forests.

The building has to adhere to Sedona's strict guidelines on building design and signage.

FiledIMAGE/Shutterstock

While the bright yellow color of most McDonald's signs might work in other parts of the country, the turquoise color chosen by the Sedona, Arizona, location blends much better with the surrounding landscape.

Advertisement Advertisement

Sedona also has strict restrictions on the height of buildings and signage, which is why the famous arches are placed lower than at most other McDonald's restaurants.

A now-closed McDonald's in Houston was themed to pay homage to the nearby NASA Space Center.

K I Photography/Shutterstock

On top of the large McDonald's restaurant, which also had a play place, was a statue of a NASA astronaut holding a container of fries.

The theme continued inside the restaurant.

Amanda H./Yelp

Ronald McDonald and the rest of the "McDonaldland" characters lined the walls wearing space suits and posing against a starry background.

The world's first floating McDonald's restaurant opened in St. Louis in 1980.

Floating McDonald's restaurant in Saint Louis. (Gerald) LEE SNIDER/Getty Images

Moored slightly south of the Gateway Arch on the Mississippi River, this McDonald's was the very first McDonald's to be opened on a riverboat.

Advertisement Advertisement

It was open for 20 years before closing in 2000.

The McDonald's restaurant in Freeport, Maine, resembles a house more than a standard fast-food franchise.

McDonald's in Freeport. Gabe Souza/Portland Press Herald/Getty Images

Some McDonald's locations attempt to blend in with the local buildings and are designed more sympathetically.

This McDonald's location, however, was actually built inside a preexisting colonial mansion that's more than 150 years old. Located in Freeport, a small seaside town in Maine, the building was converted into the town's only McDonald's in 1984.

This Parisian McDonald's is located in a historic building built in 1892.

Oleg Anisimov/Shutterstock

The restaurant is on Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris, France. Though the building is now a McDonald's, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Referred to as the "flying saucer McDonald's," this unique fast-food restaurant in Roswell, New Mexico, is truly out of this world.

Flying Saucer UFO McDonald's at night on Main Street in downtown Roswell, New Mexico. Nagel Photography/Shutterstock

Inspired by Roswell's extraterrestrial history, the interior of the spaceship contains a space-themed play area.

This McDonald's restaurant in Kristiansand, Norway, was converted from an old bank building.

McDonald's in Kristiansand, Norway. Janus Orlov/Shutterstock

Though you might think patrons can stroll up the steps to enter one of the most unusual McDonald's buildings in the world, customers actually enter from a side entrance.

A McDonald's in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is similarly grandiose  at one point, it even had cartoonish fry sculptures on the front of the building.

McDonald's in Sao Paulo, Brazil. casadaphoto/Shutterstock

The building almost resembles the White House. It's known as the Mequi1000 because it was the 1,000th McDonald's to open in Brazil.

However, past its columns and grand facade, customers can still enjoy McDonald's favorites like the Big Mac or Brazilian menu items like the McCrispy Chicken Legend and the cheddar McMelt.

A McDonald's location in Porto, Portugal, was previously occupied by Cafe Imperial, a famous coffee shop open in the city since the 1930s.

McDonald's in Porto, Portugal. SMAJC/Shutterstock

The giant bronze eagle, designed by Portuguese sculptor Henrique Moreira, is usually the first thing customers notice when they approach the restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, guests find glamorous details such as crystal chandeliers and a massive stained-glass window behind the counter.

saiko3p/Shutterstock

The colorful window is original to the coffee shop that previously occupied the space, and it features beautiful coffee-related scenes.

The restaurant has been called the world's most beautiful McDonald's.

Independence, Ohio, is home to a McDonald's that's known as one of the fanciest fast-food restaurants in the country.

McDonald's in Independence, Ohio. Michael P./Yelp

It was designed in accordance with building requirements from the city.

Inside, guests are greeted by gold chandeliers and a majestic banister.

Michael P./Yelp

"The building is unique to any I have ever seen and it is a joy to take a break and walk to the second floor and enjoy the view while I enjoy breakfast or lunch," wrote one TripAdvisor user.

This McDonald's is found in Barstow Station, a fake train station in Barstow, California.

McDonald's at Barstow Station. Bill C./Yelp

The "train station" opened in 1975, and is also occupied by a Starbucks and a Popeyes.

The restaurant is surrounded by passenger train cars, which are used as dining areas.

McDonald's in Barstow, California. Andrew G./Yelp

Despite having a unique theme, the restaurant still serves up McDonald's favorites.

A McDonald's restaurant is also found inside the historic Denton House on Long Island, New York.

McDonald's in New Hyde Park, New York. Mike C./Yelp

The building was originally an 18th-century farmhouse that was converted into a Georgian-style mansion in the 1860s.

McDonald's originally intended to knock the building down after it was purchased in 1985.

McDonald's in New Hyde Park, New York. Paul D./Yelp

However, Atlas Obscura reported that the fast-food giant faced pressure from preservationists to restore the home to its former grandeur.

The town then allowed the chain to build onto the existing building to create space for a drive-thru.

There's also a McDonald's inside Budapest's beautiful Western Railway Station.

AP PHOTO/NOEMI BRUZAK

The station was built in 1877 by the Eiffel Company, which also built the Eiffel Tower.

This unique McDonald's location is in Batumi, Georgia.

Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock

Located in downtown Batumi, this McDonald's stands out for its reflective glass exterior. Patrons eating inside the restaurant can also gaze out onto the pool of water and manicured grass surrounding the building.

Inside, the restaurant's furnishings are similarly modern in design.

Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock

This location was built in 2013 and won the award for The Best Commercial Building of 2014 by the architecture website ArchDaily.

In spring, flowers bloom on the lawns.

Marynka Mandarinka/Shutterstock

This makes for a great photo-op or simply a beautiful sight while patrons eat their meals.

This McDonald's restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, was renovated to fit with the local guidelines from the nearby Biltmore Estate.

McDonald's in Asheville, North Carolina. Nelson M./Yelp

Resembling a ski lodge, the restaurant fits in perfectly in the mountain town and the nearby Biltmore Estate, a grand home built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890s.

However, the inside is grander than perhaps any outside viewer could expect.

The restaurant features red-oak tables, a self-playing baby grand piano, wrought-iron railings, and a fireplace.

McDonald's in Asheville, North Carolina. Jackie S./Yelp

The interior is also decorated with wallpaper, pieces of art, and hanging chandeliers.

The McSki in Salen, Sweden, looks straight out of a fairytale.

McDonald's Sverige

Located in Lindvallen, one of Sweden's premier ski resorts, this one-of-a-kind "ski-thru" McDonald's allows guests to enter the building and order their food without ever even removing their skis.

Gary He told Business Insider that it was the most unusual location he had ever visited.

"The air is so clean and crisp  it's like being on top of the world," He said. "When I visited, it wasn't even busy. It was just me, the McSki, and the mountains. I was just hanging out and enjoying myself."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Attitude is everything. Nearly a half century ago, when Ocean Alexander started building boats, most American boatbuilders were turning out runabouts destined for use on lakes. There was nothing wrong with those popular styles, of course, but it meant that as the owners of those boats wanted to move up to bigger models in the years that followed, the companies basically built bigger versions of those same early boats. The idea was to give buyers more of what they already liked, but in a larger package-which doesn't always translate so well if those owners also want to change their cruising plans from lakes to coastal cruising or the open ocean.

Ocean Alexander was always different, according to Dan Mundy, head of global operations. "As the yacht market really started to develop, we were ready because we never were a small-yacht thinker," he says. "We always built yachts for the sea, even when we were building 50- and 60-foot yachts."

Ocean Alexander President Johnny Cheuh is continuing the legacy that his father, Alex, began in 1977. Courtesy Ocean Alexander

This difference in attitude has long been key to Ocean Alexander's success, he says, because the brand never had to pivot the way some others have tried to do throughout the years. "From an engineering and design perspective, we were the ones out building the battle-wagons," he says. "We were building the things that could stand the test not only of time, but of sea conditions, things that could be very robust. As we started to grow and got bigger and bigger, we didn't have to stop and shift. We didn't have to change our mentality. We just continued to build larger yachts with that same track record of durability and trust."

Advertisement Advertisement

Today, Ocean Alexander is nearly a half century strong. The builder offers yachts as large as 116 feet length overall, with plans in the works to go even bigger in the years to come.

Not a One-off

In the late 1970s, when Ocean Alexander got its start, Taiwan was at the forefront of fiberglass construction. A lot of boatbuilders would use factories there to produce one-off designs. Alex Chueh, the brand's founder, liked the idea of building in Taiwan, but he didn't want to build just one hull of the Mark I. He thought a lot of people would like the 39-footer that Ed Monk, Jr. had designed, and he liked working with Monk himself. The builder and designer then joined forces with a Seattle businessman who had an eye for sales, and their vision for launching the company worked.

To this day, the Mark I remains a sought-after classic, one that defined the brand's early, signature look and that set the bar high for engineering quality. More models followed, and Ocean Alexander's big-boat attitude likely played a significant role in the brand remaining competitive, especially as yachts got larger and European builders became the preferred choice for a lot of American buyers.

For years, the name Ed Monk, Jr. was synonymous with all of Ocean Alexander's designs and models. Today, the builder has offerings drawn in collaboration with Evan K. Marshall and Giorgio M. Cassetta, as well. Courtesy Ocean Alexander

"As soon as everybody figured it out, Europe and especially Italy became the epicenter," Mundy says. "They were always building boats to a different class, a different standard, a different rating. The standards that they were held to were still higher. Who knows if this is the reason American boatbuilding fell to the wayside? The international community was looking to their coast guards, their classification societies that were regulated for passenger and commercial vessels."

Advertisement Advertisement

Ocean Alexander, he says, already had an attitude and process that allowed the company to compete with those European shipyards. "I use the analogy that the majority of the industry is a tract-home builder," Mundy says. "We build custom homes."

Always Advancing

In 1984, Ocean Alexander launched Night Hawk. The 71-foot custom yacht set a size record for Asian boatbuilding. By 1986, the size of the Ocean Alexander production facility had doubled. In 1998, the factory attained ISO-9002 certification for quality assurance in production, installation and servicing. In 2004, Ocean Alexander became one of the world's first recreational boatbuilders to use vacuum infusion, as a way to strengthen fiberglass components. The company's first 100-footer launched in 2005, and things continued to progress from there.

Ocean Alexander's 35 Puro is 113 feet, 6 inches length overall. Design is by Italy's Giorgio M. Cassetta. Courtesy Ocean Alexander / We Fly Aerial Media

"There's really probably one thing that is consistently true, that we are one of the most copied brands," Mundy says. "Not literally, where someone is taking our product and knocking it off, but people are taking our developments and advancing them across individual companies or across the entire industry."

As an example, he describes a meeting close to a decade ago when the Ocean Alexander team discussed making a day yacht with the same quality as the company's larger yachts. That discussion evolved into the 45 Divergence-different from its usual offerings, but almost like a big toy, or support vessel, for large-yacht owners who wanted Ocean Alexander quality in a smaller boat, too. "We came to the market with a $1.5 million open bow-let's call it that for lack of a better term-with folding bulwarks on each side that you would drop down hydraulically to make this enormous play platform, and outboard motors," Mundy says. "We built this really incredible boat, and we did it very specifically on a limited run. We built 19 of them over the course of two or three years and sold them all out very successfully, but had no intention of continuing it. Well, all these years later, look at the day-yacht market. Back then, we had no competition. Every company out there, especially a lot of the Europeans, are making these 45- and 50-foot day yachts that are robust. Now you can buy one north of $3 million. I look back, and I see that we put our nose out there first, and now you look at the market saturation-which is never a place that I want to be. I'd rather lead the market and then exit it with something fun like that, with a divergence, and then let the market take over."

Today's Offerings

The three lines that Ocean Alexander offers now are Revolution, Legend and Puro. The idea, Mundy says, is that they all have the feel of an Ocean Alexander, but their styling is different enough that they can appeal to a broad swath of potential buyers.

Ocean Alexander's yachts have never been shopped to be built at multiple yards, and the Taiwanese yard where they are built has never constructed boats for other brands. This allows a strong focus on quality control. Courtesy Ocean Alexander

"When you look at our L series, that's our traditional, back-to-our-roots design," Mundy says. "Our R series is a little more edgy, a little bit contemporary and pushing the envelope with space allocation and maximizing volumes. When I worked with Giorgio Cassetta on this P series, it was to add what I thought was missing, which was that international component."

Advertisement Advertisement

That's a hard thing to define, of course, since the world is such a big place, but in Mundy's mind, it means appealing to a significant cross-section of yachting enthusiasts. "America being this fascinating cultural collection of people, I wanted to be able to sell to a Latin American family that just moved to Miami, but then again, I need to appeal to some Canadians that are using the boat in the Bahamas, and yet, I wanted to go with the conservative values of the Pacific Northwest, but also have something that would appeal to the style-seekers of Southern California," he says. "With the R, the L and the P series, you can come into Ocean Alexander. If you trust our core competency, which is quality and a luxury brand, then we can find what suits you based on how you see yachting, and how you see yourself being seen as a yachtsman."

Into the Future

Ocean Alexander's client base is strong for yachts from about 98 to 115 feet length overall, Mundy says. That's a solid midrange spread, but the global marketplace is now building far, far larger, well into hundreds of feet long. It's natural to wonder if Ocean Alexander may consider building even bigger going forward.

Building motoryachts that can handle serious ocean cruising requires brains and, sometimes, brawn. Courtesy Ocean Alexander

"There's one thing I'm just not interested in doing, and that's saying goodbye to a client," Mundy says. "If someone has owned six Ocean Alexanders over 20 years and they want to go bigger, I don't want to be maxed out."

He says he's watching technological advancements in all kinds of areas, including ways to work with tooling and composites. Everything is evolving so quickly, he says, that he's not making any snap decisions. Even so, if the owner of a 115-foot Ocean Alexander wants to buy a bigger yacht, then Mundy wants that bigger yacht to come from Ocean Alexander. He wants it to be the same level of quality the buyer has come to expect from the brand, with whatever styling the client prefers. "There's no doubt," he says, "that we will see bigger Ocean Alexanders in the future."

Ocean Alexander launched its first 100-foot motoryacht in 2005. Courtesy Ocean Alexander / John Lair

Singular Focus

Ocean Alexander's yachts have never been shopped to be built at multiple yards, and the Taiwanese yard where they are built has never constructed boats for other brands. This allows a strong focus on quality control.

71 Record-Setter

When Ocean Alexander launched the 71-foot Night Hawk in 1984, the custom yacht set a size record for Asian boatbuilding. It helped to give Ocean Alexander a reputation for pushing the envelope in terms of what was possible.

Broad Presence

Ocean Alexander began with a reputation as a West Coast brand. In 2006, the company opened an office in Florida. From that point forward, most Ocean Alexanders were located on the East Coast.

30 or Maybe Just 25

Dan Mundy, head of global operations, says Ocean Alexander will only build 25 or 30 hulls of any given model. After that, the idea is to strive for advancements with new models that help to lead the industry.

The post Battlewagon Yacht Builder: Ocean Alexander appeared first on Yachting.
After wrapping our roundup of Floridas must-visit dive bars, we figured it was time to trade neon beer signs for something a little more polished and head in the opposite direction  straight into the world of sizzling ribeyes, dry-aged cuts and big-night-out steakhouses.

From venerable classics with decades of history to stylish newcomers firing steaks over wood, charcoal and 1,200-degree grills, the Sunshine State delivers far more than beachside burgers.

To find the very best, USA TODAY Network food writers fanned out across Florida, ordering filets, cowboy cuts and ribeyes that made us stop mid-sentence. Here are our picks for the top local steakhouses in Florida.

Alexanders | Ormond Beach

Prime Delmonico's steak from Alexander's Prime in Ormond Beach.

Details: 123 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach; 386-238-9228, alexandersormond.com

Advertisement Advertisement

Revered for its old-school character and white-tablecloth poise, Alexanders Prime is downtown Ormond Beachs personal portal to the 1920s  a place where brick walls, gilded frames and lantern-style fixtures set a moody glow over crisp linens and classic art deco details. The upscale steakhouse operates in a nearly 100-year-old Granada Boulevard building, where guests can settle into an intimate dining room or gravitate toward the bar  a focal point dressed in George Rodrigue artwork, polished glassware and backlit bottles  for a craft cocktail before dinner.

Alexanders showcases a curated selection of dry-aged prime cuts, spotlighting the top 3% of USDA beef, alongside a rotating lineup of specialties, from filet mignon parmesan to double cut lamb chops. The menu spans classics and elevated options from the dry-aged New York strip frites with cowboy butter to filet medallions, seared to a flavorful crust with a fork-tender center, blue cheese crumbles and finished in a rich red wine reduction. My recommendation? The 20-ounce prime Delmonico's steak, delivering classic steakhouse indulgence. Its mahogany crust gives way to a plush, deeply beefy center that slices like butter  the perfect pairing to a side of Yukon gold whipped potatoes and grilled asparagus.  Helena Perray, The Daytona Beach News-Journal

Alpine Steakhouse | Sarasota

The Delmonico steak and twice-baked potato at Alpine Steakhouse, 4520 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, photographed July 9, 2025.

Details: 4520 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-921-3798; alpinesteak.com

A restaurant and meat market serving Sarasota since 1975  and famously seen producing its iconic turducken dish on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives  the family-run Alpine Steakhouse is also where discerning locals go for excellent steaks, sides (and burgers).

Advertisement Advertisement

All the steaks are hand-cut, USDA Prime, and dry-aged 14 days, from the filet mignon to the T-bone. But which one should you order? The Delmonico. This thick-cut ribeye style dates back to 19th-century New York, and Alpines take  a 14-ounce prime boneless ribeye cooked perfectly (medium rare for yours truly), seasoned just right, and finished with a beautiful crosshatched char  was a standout on our recent visit, especially at a very reasonable $59.

For starters, consider the platter of house-made knockwurst and bratwurst with sauerkraut and whole grain mustard. But if the idea of sausage before steak feels a bit overwhelming, start with Alpines signature gorgonzola salad. For sides, treat yourself to the twice-baked potato  rich, creamy, covered in cheese and bacon, and exactly what you want with a great steak. And if you're looking to save a few bucks, dont overlook Alpines outstanding burger: a half-pound of house-ground sirloin that rivals pricier patties around swanky Sarasota.  Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Best steakhouse in Sarasota? 5 top spots for premium cuts and sides

Berns Steak House | Tampa

The bone-in tenderloin at Berns Steak House in Tampa, a Florida legend open since 1956, where steaks are hand-trimmed and aged in-house.

Details: 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa, Florida; 813-251-2421; bernssteakhouse.com

Advertisement Advertisement

Open since 1956  with decor that has been likened to Draculas bordello  Berns Steak House has attracted everyone from mafiosos to at least one sitting U.S. president, thanks to its hand-trimmed, in-houseaged beef and legendary wine collection.

Must-try menu items include the Delmonico steak or the bone-in tenderloin and French onion soup au gratin. After dining downstairs, head upstairs to the cozy Harry Waugh Dessert Room to indulge in classics like Bananas Foster or Baked Alaska, both flambeed tableside. Serious steak enthusiasts and oenophiles may want to book a room at the Epicurean Hotel, Berns sister property just across the street.

One of Floridas great culinary treasures, its the kind of pilgrimage every true steak lover should make at least once.  Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The Chef's Table | Melbourne

The Chef's Table, located at 7720 N. Wickham Road, in Melbourne.

Details: 7720 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne; 321-255-5377; eatatamicis.com/chefs-table

Advertisement Advertisement

This upscale American steakhouse is celebrated for its prime Angus beef and fresh seafood, making it a standout for discerning diners. Signature dishes include tender filet mignon, coffee-rubbed New York strip, succulent veal chops and pan-seared scallops, crafted with meticulous attention to flavor and presentation.

Complementing the menu is a curated wine list to pair with your meal. Whether youre indulging in a classic steak or exploring seasonal chef specials, Chefs Table promises an unforgettable culinary experience. Ideal for intimate dinners, special occasions or simply appreciating elevated cuisine, this Melbourne staple consistently ranks among the areas top steakhouses.  Amber Olesen, FLORIDA TODAY

Best steakhouse in Brevard? 5 top spots for premium cuts and sides

Embers Wood Fired Grill | Gainesville

A New York strip at Embers Wood Grill, 3545 SW 34th St., in Gainesville.

Details: 3545 SW 34th St., Suite A, Gainesville; 352-380-0901; embersofflorida.com

Advertisement Advertisement

A Gainesville fine-dining staple since 2009, all of the 100% USDA Prime Beef at Embers is prepared over a wood-fired grill. Choose from the New York strip, filet mignon or, for those with a heartier appetite, the 24-ounce bone-in ribeye or the 22-ounce porterhouse. Top your steak Oscar-style or with a homemade bearnaise sauce. Those not looking for beef can select from the duck, chicken or lamb chops, or a variety of seafood dishes such as the king salmon or yellowfin tuna. All entrees are served with two sides.

Be sure to grab a cup of Embers' award-winning Blue Crab Bisque. Have some time before your dinner reservation? Take a seat at Spark, Embers' attached gastropub, and enjoy an Embers Smoked Old Fashioned or Cucumber Martini.  Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun

Best steakhouse in Gainesville? 3 top spots for premium cuts and sides

14 Prime | Jacksonville

14 Prime is one of Jacksonville's newest steakhouse additions.

Details: 7510 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville; 904-688-1499, 14prime.com

Advertisement Advertisement

One of Jacksonvilles newest steakhouses comes from the team behind the popular V Pizza chain. Its in the Palms at Gate Parkway, adjacent to V Pizza + Sidecar. Award-winning Chef Chad Shaner, who previously worked at bbs and Biscottis in Jacksonville, has crafted a menu that features USDA Prime and Booth Creek Wagyu steaks, cooked on a charcoal-fueled grill.  Tom Szaroleta/The Florida Times-Union

The Grill at The Ritz-Carlton | Naples

The Grill at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples, has made OpenTable's first Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in America list.

Details: 280 Vanderbilt Beach Road.; 239-598-6644; ritzcarltonnaples.ipoolside.com/services/dining

The Grill at the Ritz-Carlton Naples is an elevated steakhouse that offers a five-star dining menu that highlights dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood, and internationally renowned wines. You'll dine in an intimate, yet sophisticated setting with comfortable chairs, low lighting, and elegant decor.

Popular online reservation website OpenTable released its first-ever "Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in America" list and The Grill made the cut. Hotel restaurants can be overlooked if you haven't booked a room, but they can offer an elevated dining experience complete with innovative menus from professional chefs and gorgeous interiors that will have you snapping photos left and right.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Grill is open Thursday through Monday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. for dinner. You can make a reservation through OpenTable online.  Kendall Little, Naples Daily News

Prohibition Kitchen | St. Augustine

Prohibition Kitchen, located on St. George Street deep in the heart of Americas oldest city, is touted as one of the very best steakhouses in St. Augustine.

Details: 119 St George St.; 904-209-5704; https://pkstaug.com/.

Prohibition Kitchen, located on St. George Street deep in the heart of Americas oldest city, is touted as one of the very best steakhouses in St. Augustine. The former home of the Genovar Theater, the social epicenter for Henry Flaglers hotel guests during prohibition, is an artistic rendezvous into the clandestine world of the speakeasy when flapper dresses, moonshine and swing reigned.

The 70-foot-long vintage industrial bar is surrounded by Flaglers railroad ties and adorned with fixtures salvaged from remnants of old local establishments. And while the hand-cut steak selection is not to be missed, the gastropub menu offers locally sourced, scratch-made selections of everything one could possibly be in the mood for. Handspun milkshakes  spiked or clean  sidle soft German pretzels with a beer cheese dip, pork rinds, boiled peanuts, skin on French fries, mac and cheese and more are at the top of the snack menu. Add beer cheese soup, chili and super salad bowls to a variety of craft burgers  whiskey BBQ burger or the bootlegger burger made with fresh ground, 100% Prime beef, sandwiches  fried chicken, a vegetarian Reuben or crispy flounder  or dive into the braised short rib, the char-grilled ribeye, the pan-seared salmon or the fish and chips. So many yummy choices!  Lucia Viti, St. Augustine Record.

Il Lusso | Tallahassee

Details: 201 E. Park Ave., Tallahassee; 850-765-8620; illussotally.com

Advertisement Advertisement

IL Lusso, the Italian restaurant located downtown on East Park Avenue, offers a taste of glitz and glam with its shiny cutlery and decadent plates creating a luxurious, intimate dinner. This restaurant has a great reputation for hitting the target every time when it comes to hand-crafted pastas made daily, prime steaks and scratch-made desserts offered only for dinner.

Find out what it really means to dine in luxury and feast like a king with meats available to order a la carte to enjoy with sides like the brown butter carrots or lemon herb mashed potatoes (both $14). For $100, enjoy the "Prime Dry Aged Cowboy Ribeye." This hearty cut of high grade beef is known for its richer, more intense flavor and tenderness. It's drying process helps tenderize the meat through natural enzymes.

Another option is the 16-ounce Delmonico ribeye, also dry-aged for a rich flavor with its thick, well-marbled and tender meat ($95). Don't overlook the 10-ounce Wagyu Denver ($80) or 14-ounce Waygu New York Strip ($90), you're still in for quite the treat.  Kyla Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat

Best steakhouse in Tallahassee? 7 top spots for premium cuts and sides

Kyle Gs Prime Seafood & Steaks | Jensen Beach

Kyle Gs Prime Seafood & Steaks in Jensen Beach features sliced sirloin.

Details: 10900 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach; 772-237-5461; kylegseafood.com

Advertisement Advertisement

Treasure Coast native Kyle Greene opened Kyle Gs Prime Seafood & Steaks in 2017 in the former Pietros on the Ocean in Jensen Beach, where he had been executive chef.

Its prime menu features a 48-ounce Tomahawk ribeye steak and an 8-ounce Australian Wagyu beef tenderloin rated MS7 by Australian Marbling Score.

Greene later opened two locations of Oak & Ember Steakhouse, one in Port St. Lucie and another in Stuart, that follow the traditions of the finest establishments in Chicago or New York with aged cuts.  Laurie K. Blandford, TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers

Best steakhouse on Treasure Coast? 10 top spots for premium cuts

Mastello | Fort Myers

The 14-ounce prime New York strip is one of the best-sellers at Mastello Ristorante & Steakhouse in Fort Myers.

Details: 7890 Summerlin Lakes Drive, Unit 101, Fort Myers; (239) 936-3660; mastello.com

Wed heard this longtime ristorante and steakhouse keeps getting better and better. It took one bite of our delightfully flavorful 14-ounce prime New York strip before we were planning our next visit. Since taking over and relaunching it in 2023, the Cacciatore brothers have done wonders with this fine-dining gem. First and foremost are the steaks  Prime, American wagyu and fine-aged. In addition to strip steaks (dry-aged bone-in prime Kansas City, American Wagyu, prime N.Y.), there's a filet mignon and a top sirloin American wagyu. Large cuts and shareables come next  cowboy cut bone-in ribeye (28 ounces), prime porterhouse (34 ounces) and chateaubriand tenderloin (18-20 ounces).

Mastello separates itself from the pack with the rest of the menu  carefully crafted Italian and seafood dishes, from rigatoni Bolognese topped with fresh burrata to risotto di mare, served with a whole lobster tail. Add in a craft cocktail list with five versions each of espresso martinis and old fashioneds, two Wine Spectator awards in the last two years and a couple of OpenTable Diners Choice awards, and youre just getting a taste of this culinary wonder.  Robyn George, The News-Press

Our favorites: 5 steakhouses to try, from a Fort Myers gem to a Gulf-side wonder

Okeechobee Steakhouse | West Palm Beach

Curtis Lewis (R) and his son Ralph Lewis (L) are the second and third generation to helm Okeechobee Steakhouse in West Palm Beach. The restaurant was originally a drive-in when it opened in 1947.

Details: 2854 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-683-5151; okeesteakhouse.com

What do Billy Joel and Kelsey Grammer have in common? Theyre among the many notable patrons of a beloved family-owned steakhouse in Palm Beach County. Founded in 1947 by Ralph and Norma Lewis as a drive-In, it began with a charcoal pit and car-side cocktails.

Now, 78 years and four generations later, the Lewis family still runs the restaurant. Ralphs son Curtis, who started as a dishwasher at 12, is its longest-serving employee. His son Ralph (not a junior) and wife Laura now lead the business, with younger family members joining in. The menu has evolved from $4 fried catfish to $51 pan-seared seabass with a Wine Spectator noteworthy list of 600 wines in the cellar. Yet some things never change  filet mignon is still the top cut and baked potatoes remain the best-selling side.  Diana Biederman, The Palm Beach Post

Where's the beef? Palm Beach Countys splurgeworthy independent steakhouses

Texas Cattle Company | Lakeland

Texas Cattle Company is at 735 E. Main St., Lakeland.

Details: 735 E. Main St., Lakeland; 863-686-1434. texascattlecompany.net

Originally opened as the Talk of the Town steakhouse in 1974, Lakelands Texas Cattle Company has been searing and serving em up since 1984. The restaurant bordering downtown Lakelands scenic and historic Lake Mirror and its promenade, has become one of the top destinations for steak lovers.

Owned by the Woodsby family, whos also behind the grills of Charley's Steak House and FishBones, Texas Cattle Company is renowned for hand-cut, seasoned USDA prime and choice aged steaks. Each steak is aged four to six weeks, trimmed, seasoned and flame-broiled on a 1,200-degree citrus and oak wood-burning pit. Steak prices in the semi-casual restaurant range from $39 for Colorado bison chopped steak to $69 for a 22-ounce Cattle Baron ribeye and 21-day dry-aged bone-in strip. Some of the more popular cuts are the ribeye, especially the signature Cattle Baron Ribeye, the buttered Filet Mignon, the classic New York Strip and the plate-filling T-Bone/Porterhouse.  Paul Catala, Lakeland Ledger correspondent

Best steakhouse in Polk County? Here are 7 top spots for premium cuts

Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 12 best local steakhouses worth the road trip in Florida
Dec. 11KENNEBEC, S.D.  When Chef Les Heaton opened the door to Savor the Day Cafe in July, he faced a full house. The small-town cafe, serving a community of roughly 280 residents, had diners waiting for their meals, chatting with neighbors, and giving Heaton a first glimpse of what small-town South Dakota hospitality really looks like.

Heaton's arrival in Kennebec was a happy accident. For economic reasons, he had been searching for a small-town cafe in the Midwest for about a year, almost closing a deal in Iowa before it fell through. Then, scrolling through Facebook Marketplace, he spotted a listing: "Cafe for lease. Kennebec."

"I almost didn't click because there's a Kennebec County in Maine, and I definitely didn't want to open a business there," he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Curiosity won. The link opened. It was Kennebec, South Dakota  a place he vaguely remembered driving through years earlier. The town's countryside and friendly reputation nudged him to take a chance.

Now 67, Heaton didn't originally plan to be a chef. His first lessons came from his father at a seafood restaurant in Maine, and he spent two decades bartending and waiting tables. A move to California to study Japanese language redirected his path when he began working for Bon Appetit Management Company (BAMCO), a nationally recognized food service group. There, mentors  all graduates of either the Culinary Institute of America, the California Culinary Academy, or Le Cordon Bleu  trained him in strict scratch-cooking standards, global flavors, and seasonal ingredients.

At another BAMCO-run restaurant at a school, he cooked on a 10-week rotation where repeating an entree was against the rules. Every meal needed a vegan option, and many required rice for the large Asian student population.

"I'd done diner cooking, but I didn't even know what a vegan was," he said with a laugh. "But I learned. Afghan, Thai, everything. It opened up my whole world."

Advertisement Advertisement

Returning to Maine, Heaton became head breakfast chef at Portland's upscale Press Hotel, where rooms could run $1,000 a night and VIP guests were routine. It was there he perfected one of his most memorable dishes: a creme brulee-style French toast made from whole loaves cut into cubes and stacked like a tiny edible house, topped with vanilla butter, strawberries, cinnamon and maple syrup.

In Portland, Heaton worked under chefs with serious credentials, including a James Beard Award nominee and a Michelin-starred Seattle chef. His culinary world spanned continents, cuisines, and celebrity encounters  including cooking for President H.W. Bush, Elton John, Billy Joel, Ben Stiller, and Roseanne Cash. Yet all of that experience eventually led him to a two-person cafe in the middle of South Dakota.

Running Savor the Day is a far cry from the high-end hotel kitchens of Portland. Heaton handles prep, cooking, dishes and payroll, while server Sharonna LeCompte manages the front of house. Breakfast had to be phased out, and hours have been tweaked multiple times to match local habits. A lack of kitchen help has become one of his biggest challenges, though several locals have stepped in to volunteer when he first opened the doors.

Heaton's cooking style, which he calls "rustic elegant," is about 80% scratch-made, with sauces, soups, dressings, spice mixes, and entrees prepared fresh. Frozen items are limited to bread and pastries.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I am not a pastry chef, nor do I have the capabilities to do so in this kitchen," he said.

He quickly realized he wasn't in Portland anymore  South Dakotans, he says, are unapologetically devoted to meat and potatoes. His chickpea and cranberry toast, a vegetarian option he thought would shine, sold very few plates, but other dishes, like spanakopita, quickly sold out.

"People are willing to try new things," he said. "They're starting to trust me as a cook."

The cafe's name, Savor the Day, was another happy accident. A late-night mis-click while searching for domain names led to the phrase sticking.

Advertisement Advertisement

"To me it means take some time during your day to enjoy something," Heaton said.

That philosophy shapes the cafe's atmosphere  friendly, unhurried, grounded in good food and simple hospitality.

Heaton isn't looking to get rich; he just wants to cook and break even. Eventually, he hopes to add a monthly "fancy dinner," something intimate and special. And when guests leave, he hopes they walk out saying, "Man, I wish I could make this at home."

Heaton has always given himself one rule when starting fresh in a new kitchen: give it a year. A year to learn the rhythms, earn trust, and see whether the place feels right. Kennebec, he said, already feels different.

"I always tell myself to give a new kitchen a year," Heaton said. "But this time, I'm hoping to stay a lot longer. I really love living here."
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply alarmed by the escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the security situation has sharply worsened since Dec. 2, his deputy spokesperson said Thursday.

"The secretary-general strongly condemns the offensive by the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) in several locations in South Kivu province, including Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota and Uvira, which has resulted in civilian casualties," said Farhan Haq.

Guterres called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities.

The UN chief's plea came a week after U.S.-backed peace accords between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda were signed at the White House. The DRC has long accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, an allegation the latter strongly denies.

Haq said Guterres warned that the escalation of violence risks seriously undermining efforts to achieve a sustainable resolution of the crisis and increases the risk of a broader regional conflagration.

The secretary-general urged the parties to abide by their commitments under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed on Dec. 4, and to fully respect the Nov. 15 Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the DRC and the M23, according to Haq.

"The secretary-general notes that the United Nations is fully mobilized to work with partners to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need and reiterates his readiness to continue supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to restore peace in eastern DRC and the region, in line with the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region," Haq said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said some families have started returning to areas that are now relatively calm, while the vast majority remain in overcrowded sites, where they face heightened protection risks and increased threats of disease outbreaks, including cholera and mpox.

"Our colleagues say the situation today (on Thursday) is calm in the town of Uvira, though sporadic gunfire persists in several neighborhoods," OCHA said.

On Wednesday, an explosion in the neighborhood of Kimanga reportedly killed two civilians and injured three others. Uvira's main referral hospital continues to receive an influx of wounded people, including more than 60 patients transferred from Ruzizi Hospital, which reportedly ceased operations on Tuesday due to insecurity, said the office.

OCHA said that people continue to flee to the south into the Tanganyika province. Since Monday, at least 27,000 people arrived in Kisongo and Kabimba in Kalemie territory, with additional arrivals reported in Kalemie town and along Lake Tanganyika's shores.

The office said it continues to engage with all parties to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian teams and to enable the resumption of aid operations. Efforts are underway to pre-position critical stocks, including shelter, water, food, and support for health and protection. Additional funding is urgently needed to provide vital life-saving and protection assistance to newly displaced people.

The humanitarian office said that displaced people from South Kivu continue to arrive in neighboring Burundi. On Wednesday, OCHA coordinated a rapid needs assessment in Burundi's Ndava and Gatumba, where partners and authorities estimated that more than 50,000 people sought safety. The Cishemere transit camp in Burundi is hosting 5,000 people, while Bweru is hosting 1,000, with more people continuing to arrive.

"The refugees -- mainly women and children -- are arriving exhausted and injured," OCHA said. "Despite partners' efforts to scale up the response, conditions at these sites remain very precarious -- and shelter, food, water, hygiene supplies, sanitation facilities, and protection support are urgently needed. However, humanitarians' ability to scale up the response is severely constrained by limited funding."

To make matters worse, the office said, some parts of South Kivu are experiencing a cholera outbreak. OCHA is calling for a scaled-up response in Burundi's Cibitoke and Gatumba areas, which host DRC refugees. The government of Burundi is relocating some refugees to the Bweru site in the eastern part of the country.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported transporting refugees from border points to Bweru by bus and has installed refugee housing units and a water tank to meet basic needs.

In Rwanda, the UNHCR is supporting a government response to assist at the Nyarushishi Transit Centre, including registration, health and nutrition services, protection support, hot meals and other essentials. 
Time now for Festival Friday.

Live ice sculpting is back in Lakeview and Roscoe Village for a cool winter spectacle you won't want to miss. The free, family-friendly events invite you to watch master carvers transform massive blocks of ice into a one-of-a-kind creation. Catch the action on Saturday at the CTA Paulina Brown Line Station or on Sunday at Saint Alphonsus.

The 7th Annual West Loop Wedding Walk returns this Sunday, transforming Chicago's West Loop into a one-stop wedding planning experience for engaged couples. Explore 12 premier West Loop venues, connect with more than 200 top wedding vendors, and enjoy food, drinks, and curated goodies throughout the afternoon. You can move at your own pace or take advantage of complimentary trolley transportation between venues.

Lake Geneva's Winterfest returns this weekend marking its 31st year as a free, family-friendly winter tradition at Riviera Plaza and Flat Iron Park. The centerpiece of the event is America's Snow Sculpting Invitational, featuring 15 elite three-person teams from across the United States and, for the first time, two international teams from Turkey and Mexico. The event draws in an estimated 65,000 visitors.
Some Floridians may have already noticed their insurance rates are going down in The Sunshine State. Its been a few years since major reforms to both home and auto insurance went into effect and now policyholders are starting to see some savings.

Do you have a consumer complaint or need help from Jeff Deal and Action 9? Click the banner below to submit a tip.

It never hurts to shop around, but insurance experts say right now a good time to check, because with rates going down customers might even get a better deal from their current insurance provider or another carrier.

For years Floridians suffered through hurricanes and other severe weather events. On top of that, roofers went door to door soliciting homeowners to file claims to get new roofs even if they had minor damage. Often roofers convinced homeowners to agree to whats called an Assignment of Benefits that allowed the roofers to deal directly with the insurance companies. The roofers demanded the insurers cover new roofs, sometimes at high prices. That led to costly legal battles and prompted insurance companies to raise rates on consumers.

Advertisement Advertisement

Remember, there were, at one point in Florida, we were receiving over 380 claims a day, said Diana Giron, owner of Universal Insurance Agency in Orlando.

Giron characterized what followed as the largest tort reform in insurance history here in Florida. A major part of law change involved banning assignment of benefits for roofs, therefore eliminating most legal battles. Now, after seeing the leftover lawsuits get settled in court, insurance companies are doing better and for many consumers insurance rates are in decline.

Homeowner Sheyla Apuy said, I think anything with savings is a is a major plus for any household today, even if youre saving $200, I think its a plus. As a real estate agent, Apuy said some of her clients saw their rates drop even more.

Diana Giron said, In the last three to four months, Im seeing a significant, significant difference.

Advertisement Advertisement

She added that more companies entering the market has also helped. Its not just homeowners insurance. Auto insurance is going down following reforms related to auto glass coverage.

I was very surprised, because, you know, insurance policies are expensive regardless, said car owner Hiram Camacho. Hes saving $620 dollars on a six-month policy compared to his last term after his insurance agent shopped around. He was also able to stay with his original carrier.

Diana Giron said shopping around or asking your agent to shop around for you could make a big difference for your wallet.

Giron told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal, Its worth it for you to check it, and its a great time right now because the holidays are around the corner, and who doesnt want a little extra cash in their pocket?

Giron said even if customers just got their auto insurance renewal in the mail, its not too late to shop around. Often their carrier will offer a better rate than the original renewal notice.
Editor's Note: AirlineGeeks is proud to present our Livery of the Week' series. Every Friday, a team member will share an airline livery, which can be from the past, present, or even a special scheme. Some airline liveries are works of art. The complexity associated with painting around critical flight components and the added weight requires outside-the-box thinking from designers. The average airliner can cost upwards of $200,000 to repaint, creating a separate aircraft repainting industry as a result.

Have an idea for a livery that we should highlight? Drop us a line.

TAAG Angola Airlines' current livery prominently features the Palanca Negra Gigante, a rare antelope species native to Angola, as the focal point of its tail design. The animal, long associated with Angolan national identity, is rendered in a stylized red and gold emblem set against a white vertical stabilizer.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Palanca Negra emblem appears on the tails of TAAG's Boeing 777-200ERs, 777-300ERs, and 787 Dreamliners, forming the most visually distinctive element of the airline's exterior branding. The remainder of the aircraft uses a largely white fuselage.

A TAAG A220 aircraft (Photo: Airbus)

TAAG introduced this livery as part of a broader brand refresh tied to fleet modernization and international expansion. The design replaced earlier liveries that placed greater emphasis on striping and text, shifting the focus instead toward a single national symbol recognizable both domestically and abroad.

"TAAG Angola Airlines" titles are applied in red along the forward fuselage.

The Palanca Negra motif aligns the airline's visual identity with Angola's cultural and environmental heritage, while the simplified fuselage layout reflects contemporary airline branding trends.

Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.
A 39-year-old doctor turned to Reddit to unpack a realization that hit harder than she expected: after nearly a decade of carrying her marriage financially, she no longer feels like a partner  just a source of money.

"My sole purpose is to exist as a piggy bank for his sanity and anxiety," she wrote.

According to her post, she's been the breadwinner from day one. Two years into their marriage, her husband returned to school. Over the next six years, he earned little to nothing, while she covered everything  rent, groceries, vacations, even a cross-country move to support his career goals.

Don't Miss:

The AI Marketing Platform Backed by Insiders from Google, Meta, and Amazon  Invest at $0.85/Share

Americans With a Financial Plan Can 4X Their Wealth  Get Your Personalized Plan from a CFP Pro

Advertisement Advertisement

She assumed the roles would eventually balance out. Instead, she's watching him withhold money, question her spending, and control financial decisions now that he's finally earning more than she is.

He recently started his dream job and opened a "business account" to receive his paychecks. But instead of contributing to their joint expenses, the money is sitting untouched. "He doesn't feel comfortable moving it to our joint account until our CPA gives him permission," she wrote.

They have no kids, no mortgage, no debt, and her new medical practice is already paying for itself. Still, her husband is anxious about expenses  even ones she previously covered alone for years. When they were invited to a friend's out-of-state housewarming, he spent the entire week expressing discomfort about the cost. She ultimately canceled the trip, not because they couldn't afford it, but because the stress was keeping her up at night.

Trending: Have $100k+ to invest? Charlie Munger says that's the toughest milestone  don't stall now. Get matched with a fiduciary advisor and keep building

"We haven't gone anywhere together in over two years," she said. "We cut out everything except basic necessities when I quit my job to start my practice." Now that the practice is on track and her husband is earning more than ever, she expected some breathing room. Instead, she says the pressure has intensified.

Advertisement Advertisement

Reddit users were quick to point out the pattern.

"If you've always had joint finances and he suddenly separates things now that he's making more, that's a red flag," one person wrote.

Another added, "He was fine with you covering everything when he had no income. Now that he does, it's all about control?"

She clarified that the "business account" isn't truly for taxes  he hasn't set aside any funds or paid anything out. "We're still living off the money I made," she said. "It's just sitting in that account."

She also shared a moment that made the imbalance clear. He forgot to book flights for an upcoming trip, so she handled it. Once she did, he criticized the cost, then later double-checked the prices himself, implying she didn't do it right. "Then backtracks with, I trust you, babe,' but looks it all up again like I'm an idiot," she wrote.

Advertisement Advertisement

What she seems to want isn't extravagance  it's fairness. "I wanted a life where I could take a weekend trip, own a home, buy clothes  without feeling like I'm doing something wrong."

See Also: An EA Co-Founder Shapes This VC Backed MarketplaceNow You Can Invest in Gaming's Next Big Platform

Commenters encouraged her to take steps to protect herself. "Separate your financial life from his," one advised. "If you stay together, you need to be able to live on your own terms  and plan for your own future."

Others noted the deeper issue: the imbalance wasn't just about income, but about respect. "What's yours was shared. What's his is off-limits," someone pointed out. "That's not a partnership."

Advertisement Advertisement

She's now opening her own account  something she never did, even while she was paying for everything alone. "I can't take this anymore," she said. "Now he's making more than I did  I should be entitled to that money. But instead, he's keeping it to himself."

At the core of her post is a quiet grief  not just for what's happening now, but for the years already lost. "I love him, but I'm so sad, so angry, so tired," she wrote. "And I deeply regret being a doctor sometimes because of it."

She thought they were building something together. But now, she's left wondering if her role was ever anything more than what she called it herself: a piggy bank  one that came with a medical degree, a steady paycheck, and very little say in the life she paid to build.

Read Next: Earn While You Scroll: The Deloitte-Ranked #1 Software Company Growing 32,481% Is Opening Its $0.50/Share Round to Accredited Investors.

Image: Shutterstock

Advertisement Advertisement

Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market.

Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga:

This article 'My Sole Purpose Is to Exist as a Piggy Bank,' Says 39YearOld Doctor. Her Husband Refuses To Share His Income Yet Controls Every Dollar She Spends originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
I visited Copenhagen over the summer, but I added one night in Malmo, Sweden, to the trip.

The city just across the water from Copenhagen was one of the highlights of my entire trip.

I thought it offered a peek at true Scandinavian living.

For me, the most stressful part of planning a trip is narrowing down what I want to see, especially when I'm traveling to new countries.

I never want to miss out on anything, and when you only get a few days in a place, there's no way to see everything. If I'm going somewhere I'm not sure I'll get to visit again, I feel even more pressure to make the perfect itinerary.

Advertisement Advertisement

I faced that exact conundrum when trying to decide which part of Sweden to visit as part of a trip to nearby Copenhagen, Denmark.

When I visited Copenhagen over the summer, I knew I also wanted to see some of Sweden.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

In August, my husband and I set off for a trip to Scandinavia to go to a wedding in the small city of Helsingborg, Sweden. We planned to spend the majority of our trip in Copenhagen, as we were flying in and out of the Danish city since Helsingborg and Copenhagen are only about an hour and 20 minutes away from each other via train.

Still, we wanted to see a bit of Sweden during our journey, and we knew we wouldn't have a ton of time to sightsee in Helsingborg because of the wedding. We also didn't want to have to take a separate flight or spend a full day traveling, which ruled out Stockholm on the other side of the country.

Advertisement Advertisement

After doing some research, we decided to spend one day and one night in Malmo, Sweden. Malmo is the third-largest city in Sweden and one of the country's fastest-growing cities. I liked the idea of going somewhere that could offer a true glimpse at Swedish culture, and it was extremely convenient to get there.

Adding a day in Malmo to our itinerary seemed like a no-brainer.

Going to and from Malmo via train was a breeze.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

My husband and I took the train from Helsingborg to Malmo on a Monday morning, which took about 40 minutes. We also took the train from Malmo to Copenhagen the following morning, which was only a 20-minute ride.

Advertisement Advertisement

The train couldn't have been easier. It ran in frequent increments, so we just bought tickets upon arrival at the station. It was lovely not to have to plan that part of our journey in advance.

The train was fairly crowded with commuters, but we still managed to find space for ourselves and our luggage.

I stayed at MJ's, which was just a 10-minute walk from the train station.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

I considered a few different hotels in Malmo when planning our trip, but I settled on MJ's fairly quickly. I appreciated that the boutique hotel was just 10 minutes from the train station and within walking distance to restaurants and bars.

Advertisement Advertisement

The interior also has a floral, pink aesthetic, which appealed to me, and it was in my budget. A one-night stay in a small room cost 1,630 Swedish krona, which was about $170 when I booked our stay.

Walking to MJ's from the train was easy, even with the luggage my husband and I were toting, and I loved the look of the hotel from the outside.

I couldn't wait to see the hotel's courtyard, which I had been ogling online.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

One of the things I was most excited about at MJ's was its interior courtyard, designed for guests to dine and spend time together. It's covered by a glass dome that features greenery for a touch of whimsy, and its pink walls give it a chic and romantic feel.

Advertisement Advertisement

It was just as pretty in person as it was in the photos I saw online. When we arrived at the hotel, I saw people dining and chatting under tables with umbrellas.

I loved that the upper floors at MJ's had open windows that overlooked it, so we could catch glimpses as we walked to and from our room.

I was delighted by how big my room was.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

I selected a small room at MJ's for our stay, figuring we could handle limited space for just one night.

However, to my surprise, the room was large. It had a seating area by the front door, a large bed, and room for a desk and a wardrobe. Likewise, the bathroom featured a large vanity and tub.

Advertisement Advertisement

I couldn't believe how much space we got for the price I paid.

I was immediately smitten with how quaint and whimsical Malmo is.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

For our day in Malmo, I didn't create a strict itinerary. I mostly planned to wander the city with my husband, hoping to get a feel for what life in Sweden was like.

I was so glad I kept our schedule loose as we started exploring Malmo, as every street we turned down was beautiful and made me want to see more.

From the brick roads and cobblestone sidewalks to the colorful homes lining the streets, I couldn't get over how stunning the city was. Greenery grew on many of the homes we passed, and restaurants and shops were often situated in courtyards, creating a sense of community from the architecture alone.

Advertisement Advertisement

It was also easy for us to travel on foot everywhere we went, as biking and walking are popular forms of transportation there.

A visit to Malmo Saluhall was a highlight of the day.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

After visiting Malmo Castle, a popular tourist destination in the city, we stopped for lunch at Malmo Saluhall, a food hall offering a diverse array of dining options.

There was a flower market set up outside it when we arrived, and when we walked in, there were stands with almost any food you could think of. I saw other tourists like me milling around, but there were also Malmo residents who had come to eat on their lunch break.

Advertisement Advertisement

We feasted on Italian-inspired crostinis before stopping by another booth for pastries and coffee. Everything was, unsurprisingly, delicious, and I loved that the meal came with a side of people-watching.

I found more whimsy at Folkets Park.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

After lunch, we made our way to Folkets Park, a family-friendly green space renowned for its vibrant and eclectic installations. There are also performances held there.

There were colorful playgrounds, oversize chairs, and shops inside. It was quiet since we were there during a school day, but I could imagine the area would be packed on weekends.

The colorful design felt so novel compared to the neutral colors I see at most American parks. I could have stayed there for hours.

Advertisement Advertisement

I felt like I was getting a real glimpse at Swedish culture as I wandered through the city.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, popping into shops and sitting on benches to take in the sights. I was charmed by the bookstores, flower shops, and thrift stores we entered, and it was fun to see locals and other tourists exploring the area.

I could tell the city was designed to be friendly to tourists, finding English writing nearly everywhere, but it still felt quintessentially European thanks to its architectural style.

I also spotted people sitting at cafes enjoying fika, a traditional Swedish snack break, in the afternoon. I loved catching a glimpse at a customary aspect of Swedish culture.

My favorite part of the day was people-watching during happy hour.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

Before we grabbed dinner, my husband and I decided to sit at one of the many outdoor patios in Malmo, as we wanted to enjoy the city's ambiance.

We stopped at Mello Yello, a bar located in Lilla Torg, a square in the heart of the city, just a one-minute walk from MJ's.

As I sipped on a beer, I watched coworkers gather for happy hours, families walk to early dinners, and friends meet up after long work days. The atmosphere was unhurried and communal throughout the square. It felt like we could sit for hours, and the staff would be happy to have us.

I also got to eat the cutest affogato I've ever seen.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

After drinks, we spent the evening eating dinner, wandering through more squares, and grabbing dessert at Verde Gelato on our way back to our hotel.

My husband and I both love affogatos, so we would have loved them even if they came in plastic cups. Still, the adorable wooden tray and glass serveware made it even sweeter. The aesthetically pleasing touch was in perfect alignment with every other experience we had in Malmo that day, adding to its charm.

We ate them at bistro tables outside the shop, grinning at each other over bites of espresso-gelato goodness.

The city's location on the water made it even more beautiful.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

We were lucky enough to be in Sweden in late August, when the sun doesn't set until around 9 p.m.

We took advantage of the brightness by taking a walk along the edge of the Oresund Strait, which separates Denmark and Sweden, as the sun went down. We had crossed over it on our train ride into Sweden, but it felt even more romantic and quaint up close.

When we returned to MJ's after dark, the bar in the lobby had a party-like atmosphere going. I appreciated the fun energy, as well as the fact that our room was quiet a few floors up, allowing us to get a peaceful night of rest even as people mingled downstairs.

To top it off, the breakfast buffet at MJ's was top-notch.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

The elaborate breakfast spreads at all the hotels I stayed at in Europe amazed me, but MJ's was among my favorites, and not just because I got to eat it in the pink patio.

There was fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, all sorts of pastries, and a parfait bar. I served myself a bit of everything, and I sipped coffee out of an adorable mug I wished I could take home with me.

It was the perfect end to our stay at MJ's.

If you're heading to Copenhagen, I highly recommend adding Malmo to your itinerary.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

My 24 hours in Malmo were among the most relaxing of my weeklong trip to Europe.

I was enchanted by the city's architecture, green spaces, divine food, and charming restaurants. I loved my time in Copenhagen, too, but I thought Malmo offered a slightly slower pace that was more indicative of Scandinavian culture outside the bustling metropolis. I found myself wishing we had stayed there for longer than just a day.

If you're hoping to visit Sweden on a trip to Copenhagen, I think Malmo is the perfect way to do it.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Philadelphia police are investigating after a 14-year-old boy was shot inside a home on Thursday evening.

It happened around 6 p.m. inside a home on the 1500 block of North 17th Street.

Police say the teen was found in a third-floor bedroom with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.

Early information indicates a group of teens was handling a gun when it discharged, striking the victim. At least 15 people, mostly teenagers, were inside the home at the time, authorities said.

Advertisement Advertisement

One spent shell casing was recovered.

"We're being told that the shooter was also about 14 years of age, and he fled from the property after the shot was fired," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Police believe the shooter is known to the victim and several witnesses, and this may have been an accident.

"If you're handling a firearm and the firearm goes off, and you know someone gets shot and there's blood, you're gonna get scared, and that's what we believe happened," said Small.

Investigators are still searching for the weapon and working to determine who owns the gun. The victim does not live at the home but visits family and friends there often, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 215-686-TIPS.


Two men were sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the brutal 2015 murders of two teenage girls at a park in Montecito Heights.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George Lomeli imposed the maximum sentence on both Jose Antonio Echeverria and Dallas Stone Pineda.

The two men were convicted in September for the killings of 19-year-old Gabriella Calzada, who was seven weeks pregnant when she was killed, and 17-year-old Brianna Gallegos.

The Los Angeles Police Department and the prosecution said Echevarria and Pineda, two gang members, lured the girls to a park on October 27, 2015. One was shot in the head, and both were beaten to death and left near a hiking trail.

Advertisement Advertisement

Their bodies were discovered by a hiker the following day.

"This court is of the opinion that the sentence of life without the possibility of parole is an appropriate and justified sentence which should be imposed," said the judge.

Attorneys for Echevarria and Pineda asked the judge to consider sentencing the two to something less than life without the possibility of parole, arguing that because the men were teenagers at the time of the murders, there was a chance of rehabilitation.

Echevarria was 18 and Pineda was 17 at the time.

"These are the worst murders that we've ever seen, and these are the worst defendants that we've ever seen," said prosecutor David Ayvazian.

Advertisement Advertisement

The judge said the chances of these two being rehabilitated were dismal.

Even though Pineda was sentenced to life without parole, in 25 years, he could be eligible for a youthful offender parole hearing.

Lawyers in the case told Eyewitness News it's unclear what will happen next.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Two staff members at the Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in D.C. were taken to the hospital after they were bitten by a binturong, commonly nicknamed a bear cat.

The National Zoo told DC News Now that the staff members were bit while interacting with the zoos 12-year-old female binturong, Lola, on Friday morning.

The incident took happened around 9 a.m. on Dec. 12, while one staff member was completing a routine training session with Lola. The zoo said the member was taking Lolas weight when she bit the employee and did not immediately let go.

Advertisement Advertisement

Thats when another staff member stepped in to assist, but was also bitten by the binturong, while removing her to separate enclosure.

Senators question defense officials over the deployment of the National Guard

The incident took place in non-public area in the Great Cats exhibit.

Both staff members were taken to the hospital for treatment as a precaution and are expected to be OK.

What are Binturongs?

Binturongs are the size of a small dog covered in bouffant black hair. Its body is about two-three feet long with a tail around the same length.

The animals received the nickname bear cat because of its stocky body. They have large brown eyes and wily whisker that resemble a cats appearance.

Advertisement Advertisement

Despite its nickname, binturongs are neither bears nor cats.

According to the National Zoo, binturongs are native to the tropical forests of Asia and are considered vulnerable due to threats of habitat loss.

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 DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live.
Two people are dead following a crash on southbound Highway 99 in Madera County.

The California Highway Patrol says the two-vehicle crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, just south of Avenue 11.

Officers say a Honda Civic made a sudden move near a big rig.

"For an unknown reason, the driver of the Honda Civic lost control of the vehicle and went into the path of the big rig driver," Sergeant Sal Concreras said. "The big rig driver applied its breaks, but didn't have time to avoid the collision and went into the side of the Honda."

Advertisement Advertisement

The two people in the Honda Civic were killed, a male driver and a female passenger, both around 30 years old.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be factors in the crash.

Traffic was congested on the 99 in Madera County for several hours.

The investigation is ongoing.
SAN FRANCISCO  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday that he and 19 other states are suing the Trump administration over its policy to hike fees on new H-1B visa petitions to $100,000.

Bonta claimed that the increases for the skilled-worker visa are illegal because they exceed what Congress has authorized and undermine its intent in establishing the program. All of the states joining the lawsuit have Democratic attorneys general.

No presidential administration can rewrite immigration law, Bonta said at a press conference in San Francisco. No president can ignore the co-equal branch of government of Congress, ignore the Constitution, or ignore the law.

Advertisement Advertisement

The largest users of the visas are major tech companies bringing in high-skilled foreign workers, which MAGA Republicans have accused of abusing the program to pass over Americans for cheaper labor. But Bonta argued the fees will also worsen labor shortages within other important sectors to the state economy by making it more difficult to fill spots for physicians, researchers, teachers, nurses and public service employees.

He also warned that the $100,000 payment, which President Donald Trump issued via presidential proclamation in September, could be applied selectively at the discretion of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

High-skilled immigration and H-1Bs in particular have previously been the source of infighting between Trumps populist supporters and Silicon Valley allies, concerned about the impact on global talent attraction.

The president appeared to soften his stance since issuing the policy and forging closer relationships with tech leaders whose companies use the program. When discussing H-1B visas with Fox News host Laura Ingraham last month, he disputed that the U.S. has enough talented people and said it still needs to bring in workers for certain areas.

Advertisement Advertisement

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers defended the administrations actions Friday as not only lawful but a necessary, initial, incremental step towards necessary reforms to the H-1B program.

President Trump promised to put American workers first, and his commonsense action on H-1B visas does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down American wages, while providing certainty to employers who need to bring the best talent from overseas, Rogers said in a statement responding to the lawsuit.

Bonta did not recommend specific reforms to the H-1B process Friday, though he told reporters that like any program or policy, it can probably benefit from improvements.

Earlier this fall, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed its own lawsuit, joined by a group representing research universities, against the new fee, contesting that the administration overrode provisions of a law that governs the H-1B program. A separate suit was filed by a wider collection of groups, including different sector labor unions.

The new suit will be filed in Massachusetts federal court and led by Bonta with the Bay States attorney general, Andrea Joy Campbell. It represents the 49th time that Bonta has taken the Trump administration to court this year.
CAIRO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- In the heart of Cairo, the air hangs heavy with the comforting scent of lentils, rice, and fried onions. Behind the counter of a bustling eatery, Mustafa Aboul-Fotouh moves with quiet precision, assembling plates of koshary: the humble, hearty dish that has quietly come to embody Egypt itself.

On Wednesday, his lifetime of labor was honored in an extraordinary way: koshary was officially inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for 2025.

For Aboul-Fotouh, 52, the recognition is not merely professional; it is profoundly personal. "My father taught me that we are not just serving food; we are preserving a piece of Egypt's social fabric," he says, his hands moving deftly as he layers rice, lentils, macaroni, and tomato sauce. "Koshary is the meal of equality. Here, your wallet doesn't matter. Everyone is simply Egyptian, sharing the same perfectly balanced dish."

Koshary's story is as layered as the ingredients that compose it. Its foundation of rice and lentils is said to have been inspired by Indian khichdi during the 19th-century British presence in Egypt. Italian immigrants later contributed macaroni and tangy tomato sauce, while Egyptians added the finishing touch: crispy fried onions and hot vinegar sauce. Over time, these influences coalesced into a dish that is unmistakably Egyptian.

The UNESCO recognition marks a milestone: koshary is the first Egyptian dish to achieve such global acknowledgment. For the customers lining up at Aboul-Fotouh's restaurant, the honor transforms an everyday meal into a connection to heritage.

"Koshary is my engine," says Ahmed Ali, 35, a construction worker taking a lunch break. "It's hot, cheap, and the mix of ingredients is perfect fuel for a physical job. I'm proud that Egypt's daily meal is now part of world heritage."

For younger diners, koshary is both comfort and ritual. "We love it because it's our go-to meal for hanging out with friends," says Yara Sami, 21, a university student. "It's comforting, traditional, and budget-friendly. UNESCO recognition feels like an amazing validation of Egypt's popular culture and cuisine."

Every plate of koshary carries a story: of colonial encounters, migration, and the daily rhythms of millions. It asks nothing of its diners but to eat, to connect, and to remember. In the simple, perfectly balanced mixture of ingredients, history is tasted, preserved, and shared.

"It's remarkable that a simple street food can carry such profound cultural importance," Sami says, stirring her fork through the familiar layers. 
Two women were tied up and robbed in their own homes during separate incidents this week in the south suburbs.

Charges have now been filed against two of three suspects in one of the incidents, the the Will County Sheriff's Office said in an update Friday evening.

The three suspects were taken into custody following a police pursuit and crash, officials said.

A 73-year-old woman was targeted as she was unloading her groceries in Homer Glen.

Advertisement Advertisement

The crime happened on Wednesday at about 2:48 p.m. in the 16800 block of S. Deer Path Drive in Homer Glen, the Will County Sheriff's Office said.

The woman said she was pulling into her garage after a trip to the grocery store when she was ambushed by a man wearing a hoodie, authorities said. The suspect pointed a gun at her and demanded cash.

Officials said another suspect then forced her into her home. The woman was then forced to sit in a chair as the suspects allegedly bound her wrists and ankles using items from inside the home, officials said. The suspects then took a credit card from her purse and demanded her PIN number.

The suspects then left and went to a bank in Orland Park, where they withdrew $2,000 from the victim's account.

Advertisement Advertisement

"They left her tied up, and they said, 'You can go ahead and call the police, but by the time you are able to do that, we'll be long gone.' They did take her cell phone, so by the time she got out of the restraints, she made her way over to the neighbor's house and called 911," Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said.

Authorities said she was followed home in a dark-colored Acura that was stolen out of Chicago. The victim was able to free herself about 20 minutes later and asked for help from a neighbor.

Investigators believed this was a random attack, but she was targeted due to her age.

On Thursday, three suspects were tied to a similar crime in nearby Lemont.

Advertisement Advertisement

A 65-year-old woman was targeted around 3 p.m. in the 1100 block of Covington Drive, Lemont police said.

She was unloading boxes from her vehicle in the driveway to her garage when police say the same stolen dark-colored Acura from Chicago pulled up. Two armed suspects forced the victim into her home and she was bound and robbed. Her ATM card and PIN were stolen, and the suspects fled to a local bank to withdraw money.

Three suspects were taken into custody by Joliet police Thursday after the dark-colored Acura was spotted in the city, the Will County Sheriff's Office said in an update.

"Patrol officers from the Joliet Police Department located the suspect vehicle traveling on McDonough Street," the update read in part. "When officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver fled, prompting a coordinated multi-agency pursuit. The vehicle ultimately crashed near Route 52 and Rowell Avenue in Unincorporated Will County. Three suspects fled on foot, and officers from several agencies set up a perimeter and began a search of the area. All three suspects were later located and taken into custody."

Advertisement Advertisement

One of the suspects was taken to a hospital. All three suspects have "extensive criminal histories, including prior weapons-related offenses and are from the City of Chicago," and one of the offenders is a juvenile, police said.

Willie Glenn, 28 of Chicago, and Nikhi Calloway, 19 of Chicago, have been charged in the Homer Glen case with," Armed Violence, Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding, Aggravated Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, and various other additional lesser charges," the Will County Sheriff's Office said Friday evening.

Charges are still pending against Glenn and Calloway in the Lemont case, officials said.

Charges in both incidents are pending against the juvenile suspect, who was released from custody to his parents, as police continue to investigate both home invasions and robberies.

No further information was immediately available.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56)  A Kentucky family has been reunited with their daughter 40 years after her abduction.

Michelle Newton disappeared from Louisville in 1983 when she was only three years old after allegedly being abducted by her noncustodial mother, Debra Newton.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

Advertisement Advertisement

She turned 45 in 2024, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released an age-progressed image showing what she may have looked like in hopes someone would recognize her.

Michelles whereabouts remain unknown to this day, and we have not given up hope, the organization wrote in October 2024.

Michelle Newton (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

The case had gone cold for decades, until a Crime Stoppers tip provided the breakthrough investigators needed.

According to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, a Crime Stoppers tip from Marion County, Florida, identified a possible match for a 66-year-old woman using a different name.

Debra Newton, 66 (Marion County Jail)

The sheriffs office said a recent photo was compared with a 1983 photo of Debra Newton and confirmed their resemblance. Investigators reportedly tested Newtons sisters DNA, and the results came back as a 99.99% match to the suspect in Florida.

Advertisement Advertisement

Debra was subsequently arrested at the end of November 2025 and charged with custodial interference.

Michelle was found alive, in another state, living under a different name. She told investigators she had no idea she was a victim until she realized all that shed missed.

This is the kind of case you see once in a law enforcement career, Chief Deputy Col. Steve Healey said in a news release. Detectives refused to let the trail go cold. Their work  and the courage of a Crime Stoppers tipster  brought a daughter home to her family after four decades.

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

Debra is back in Louisville and facing felony charges in connection with her daughters abduction. Shes currently out on bond.

Michelle Newton and her biological father, Joseph (Jefferson County Sheriffs Office)

According to the Louisville FOX affiliate, WDRB, she was arraigned on Dec. 9 in a Jefferson County courtroom, with Michelle and her father in attendance. The pair were reunited thanks to the help of the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office.

Advertisement Advertisement

Court records show she entered a not guilty plea and is due back in court in January.

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 56 News.
A gas explosion sparked a massive blaze in a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood on Thursday, Dec. 11, injuring six people and damaging several homes, fire officials said.

About 75 firefighters responded to a report of an explosion and house fire shortly before 9:40 a.m. local time in an unincorporated community near the city of Hayward, according to Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto. After confirming multiple buildings were involved, Nishimoto said the incident was upgraded to a three-alarm fire.

"We had six victims in this incident," Nishimoto said during a news conference. "All six were transported to hospitals  unknown of their status or their injuries."

A screenshot taken from doorbell footage shows an explosion near Hayward, California, on Dec. 11, 2025.

At least three buildings on two separate properties were "significantly damaged," Nishimoto said. Another adjacent property also sustained "some minor to major damage onto the side that faces where the explosion" occurred, he added.

Advertisement Advertisement

Aerial footage from local television stations showed a plume of smoke billowing into the sky as fire crews moved through debris scattered across the area. Video captured by a Ring doorbell camera showed an excavator digging in front of the residence that exploded as a worker stood nearby.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X that it was sending a team to start an investigation into the home explosion that "followed a report of damage to a nearby underground natural gas pipeline."

PG&E: Construction crew damaged gas line before explosion

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, known as PG&E, confirmed to USA TODAY that it was alerted at around 7:35 a.m. local time that a construction crew had struck an underground gas line while digging at a property. The construction crew is unaffiliated with PG&E.

Utility crews were immediately dispatched to the scene and discovered gas leaking at two separate locations, PG&E said. Crews were able to stop the flow of gas at around 9:25 a.m., but the explosion occurred about 10 minutes later.

Advertisement Advertisement

"PG&E will be conducting an extensive investigation around potential cause and will support other investigations that may take place," the company said in a statement.

Tennessee explosion: Explosion kills all 16 people inside explosives plant, sheriff says

Local officials monitoring 'situation closely'

Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas said the explosion occurred in an unincorporated area near the city. He noted that while the incident was not under his jurisdiction, his office was in contact with local officials and PG&E.

"Like many of you watching the scenes unfold on television, I am watching closely and praying that no one is seriously hurt," Salinas said in a statement on Facebook.

Advertisement Advertisement

California Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, said her thoughts were with those affected by the explosion, "especially those injured and their families."

"Thank you to our first responders and healthcare workers for your courageous service to our community," Ortega said in a statement. "My office will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide support however we can."

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gas explosion in San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood leaves 6 injured
The Trump administration announced an agreement to officially end the SAVE student-loan repayment plan.

If approved, the settlement would require enrolled borrowers to move to a different plan and restart payments.

SAVE borrowers would likely face higher payments under a new plan.

It's looking like SAVE can't be saved  and it'll mean millions of borrowers could soon face higher monthly payments.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump's Department of Education announced a settlement with the State of Missouri to officially end the SAVE student-loan repayment plan.

Advertisement Advertisement

Since last summer, SAVE  created by former President Joe Biden  has been paused due to litigation from Missouri and other GOP-led states. The plan was designed to provide affordable monthly payments to the 7 million enrolled borrowers, along with a shorter timeline for loan forgiveness.

Business Insider wants to hear about the challenges, successes, and unique experiences you're facing with your student loans. Please fill out this form, and we'll be in touch.

If a court approves the settlement, the department will stop accepting new applications to SAVE, require borrowers to transfer to an existing plan, and resume payments.

The Trump administration is "bringing an end to this deceptive scheme," Nicholas Kent, the undersecretary of education, said in a statement. "The law is clear: if you take out a loan, you must pay it back."

The next steps for the SAVE student-loan repayment plan

The proposed settlement is pending court approval, and borrowers will not face any changes until the court finalizes it. If the settlement is approved, borrowers will have "a limited time" to select a new repayment plan and resume repayment.

Advertisement Advertisement

In addition to the 7 million borrowers enrolled in SAVE, the Department of Education said that 450,000 borrowers have "expressed interest in enrolling in the plan" and will be affected by the settlement, as well.

The proposed settlement said that the department would deny pending applications and help borrowers transition out of SAVE, and it would undergo negotiated rulemaking  which includes negotiations with stakeholders on the department's proposal  to effectuate the settlement.

The department did not provide a timeline for the negotiated rulemaking process.

Carolyn Fast, the director of higher education policy at the left-leaning think-tank The Century Foundation, told Business Insider that borrowers who transition out of SAVE will likely face higher monthly payments. She referred to the Repayment Assistance Plan, a new plan the department is set to launch in July 2026, which would allow for loan forgiveness after 30 years.

Advertisement Advertisement

"It is less generous in terms of monthly payments, and also to the extent that you have to be in the program longer before you can get forgiveness," Fast said.

While the department resumed interest charges on SAVE plan accounts in August, enrolled borrowers previously had until 2028 to transition to a new plan. This proposed settlement accelerates that timeline, and it would be a significant undertaking for servicers to carry out, Fast said.

Abby Shafroth, managing director of advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center, said that eliminating SAVE "without access to a clear and affordable alternative is reckless and short-sighted, creating even more needless confusion, uncertainty, and financial stress for millions of Americans already struggling with the rising cost of living."

"In the midst of a national affordability crisis, their way forward is murky and complicated," she said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Statehouse dome on, April 10, 2025, in Topeka, Kansas. One quarter of Kansas' nearly 3 million residents could receive a payout if they used the Google Play Store during a seven-year span. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  An estimated 750,000 Kansans could receive a chunk of a $700 million settlement, but they must be Android users to be eligible.

Attorneys general in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico announced this week an agreement reached in a lawsuit accusing Google of harming consumers who made purchases in the Google Play Store.

Advertisement Advertisement

The agreement arose out of a 2023 class action antitrust lawsuit alleging Google monopolized app distribution and in-app billing services on some Android devices, according to the settlement website.

Most funds are expected to be distributed to people who made Play Store purchases between August 2016 and September 2023. Google is also expected to change its practices, the Kansas Attorney Generals Office said in a Friday news release.

Google abused its control of the Android market, costing Kansans and harming Kansas businesses. With this settlement, we change how Google does business and give money back to Kansas citizens, said Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Notices to eligible recipients began going out Dec. 2.

Advertisement Advertisement

Danedri Herbert, a spokeswoman for the office and state GOP chair, said the offices best estimate was that 750,000 Kansans could be eligible for a settlement payment.

Eligible recipients will likely receive payments directly into their PayPal or Venmo accounts, and a claim form is not necessary in most cases. Payments can occur only after a judge gives the agreement final approval. A hearing is scheduled to take place April 30.

Consumers who do not want a payment and wish to bring a case of their own against Google must opt out of the settlement class online or in writing by Feb. 19. People who wish to object to the agreement must do so in writing by the same deadline. Settlement information is available at www.googleplaystateagantitrustlitigation.com.
With accumulating snow in the forecast, drivers may have to make some changes to their morning commute.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

When it comes to driving on fresh snow, Robert Collins changes his approach.

I dont even panic about it, Collins said.

He said what helped him learn how to drive in snow was his military experience.

Collins said he does worry about other drivers who pull over on the side of the road when a storm comes.

TRENDING STORIES:

Advertisement Advertisement

Sharon Fife, president of D&D Driving School, talked about what to do if you find yourself sliding.

If you start to slide, youre either pushing the brake or pushing the gas, and you want to stop doing that, or youre turning the wheel too hard, Fife said.

Fife said to try to avoid pushing the gas in turns after it snows.

Loryn Byrson with the Ohio Department of Transportation said its going to be a busy 48 hours for them.

Itll kinda depend on what the roads look like. So if theres still residual salt, were not gonna use extra resources like brining when the salt remains, she said.

Some local cities told News Center 7 they are keeping an eye on the forecast and will adjust their plans accordingly.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
DORAL, Fla. (AP)  A U.S. Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region.

Adm. Alvin Holsey has retired one year into a posting that typically lasts three to four years and transferred leadership duties to his top military deputy, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, during a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters near Miami.

In farewell remarks, Holsey did not mention the military operations or the reasons for his early retirement. But he urged his successor to uphold longstanding partnerships in the region by standing firmly behind the shared values of democracy and support for the rule of law.

Advertisement Advertisement

To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged, Holsey said.

Holseys shock retirement was announced by the Pentagon in October, over a month into the Trump administrations strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed at least 87 people. With the campaign facing growing scrutiny by Congress, Holsey briefed key lawmakers earlier this week.

Long-term replacement for Holsey hasn't yet been named

The ceremony Friday was more subdued than past retirements, held outdoors amid a small crowd of mostly Southern Command staff and without Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, because President Donald Trump has yet to nominate Holseys replacement.

Advertisement Advertisement

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made no mention of the military operations in Latin America as he thanked Holsey for his 37 years of service. Caine referred to Holsey as a stoic leader and quiet professional who always leads with his heart and head.

Its never been about you, its been about people, its been about others, Caine said. Youve never said I in all the conversations weve had. Youve always said we.  The impact youve had will last for a long time.

Holsey is departing as Congress is scrutinizing the boat attacks, including one that killed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of an initial strike. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth and other top officials have given classified briefings on Capitol Hill this week.

Holsey also spoke this week to key lawmakers overseeing the U.S. military by classified video call. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said afterward that Holsey answered senators questions but that there are still many questions to be answered. Reed later added that Holsey did not give a reason for his retirement other than saying it was a personal decision.

Advertisement Advertisement

Boat strike scrutiny increases

Experts in the rules of warfare, human rights groups and even some of Trump's allies in Congress have questioned the legality of the attacks on those accused of ferrying drugs. For decades, they were arrested at sea by the Coast Guard and brought to the U.S. for criminal prosecution.

The 22 known strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels are being supported by a giant flotilla of U.S. warships, attack helicopters, thousands of troops and even the nation's most advanced aircraft carrier.

Trump's Republican administration has defended its aggressive tactics, designating several drug cartels in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations and declaring that the U.S. is in armed conflict with those criminal organizations, relying on a legal argument that gained traction after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Advertisement Advertisement

The campaign has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the U.S. In a sharp escalation Wednesday, U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration has accused of smuggling illicit crude. Sale of that oil on global energy markets is critical to Maduros grip on power.

Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from office.

Holseys departure is the latest in a long line of sudden retirements and firings that have befallen the militarys top ranks since Hegseth took charge of the Pentagon.

A native of rural Fort Valley, Georgia, whose father and several uncles served in Vietnam, Holsey relinquished his command to Pettus to a soulful rendition of Midnight Train to Georgia.

Pettus, a fighter jet pilot with combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, had been serving as Holseys top deputy since late 2024. However, its unclear how long the Arkansas native will remain in the job. Whomever Trump nominates must be confirmed by the Senate.
HERAT, Afghanistan (AP)  In a tiny room in the center of Herat, Afghanistans westernmost city, Shahabuddin uses his hands to propel himself along the floor to a freshly-made pile of socks waiting to be sorted and packaged.

A double amputee since a roadside bomb took both his legs a decade ago, when Afghanistan was mired in conflict between U.S.-led forces and Taliban insurgents, the 36-year-old father of four had struggled to find work. Unemployed for the last decade, he had been forced to rely on relatives for his familys survival.

But a new sock production workshop in Herat employing only disabled workers has given him new hope.

Advertisement Advertisement

I became disabled due to the explosion. Both my legs were amputated, Shahabuddin, who like many Afghans goes by only one name, said during a brief pause in his work in early December. Now I work here in a sock factory, and I am very happy that I have been given a job here.

The workshop is the brainchild of Mohammad Amiri, 35, a former grocery shop worker who started the business about a month ago. Amiri, himself disabled by childhood polio, wanted to create jobs and help provide income for other people with disabilities, particularly as many of them were injured during the conflict and have no other means of income.

He teamed up with another polio survivor to start the sock factory with a workforce of men disabled either through traumatic injuries or because of congenital issues or other reasons. They make four types of socks: long and short, for winter and summer.

The factory, which is funded and supported by people with disabilities, began operations last month and currently employs around 50 people with disabilities, Amiri said. They are busy in the production, packaging and sale of socks in the city.

Advertisement Advertisement

A combination of decades of conflict, a weak health care system and struggling economy have contributed to high levels of disability in Afghanistan. Data from a 2019 Model Disability Survey conducted by The Asia Foundation nonprofit organization indicates that nearly 25% of adults live with a mild disability, while 40% have moderate and about 14% have severe disabilities.

These figures compel us to act with greater urgency and commitment, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement released on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3, quoting the same figures. Persons with disabilities must not be treated as an afterthought; they must be fully integrated into every stage of planning, decision-making, and service delivery.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is one of only two countries  along with neighboring Pakistan  where wild poliovirus remains endemic. The infectious disease can cause flu-like symptoms, but can also cause severe reactions, including paralysis, disability and death.

The Afghan Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs says 189,635 disabled people across the country are registered and receiving financial support from the government.

Advertisement Advertisement

Amiri said his business faces serious competition from cheap imports of textiles, and expressed the hope that the government would stop imports from abroad. He has hopes of getting a contract to provide the Afghan security forces with socks, and wants to expand his workforce to 2,000 people.

His current employees include former refugees who have recently returned to Afghanistan after spending years abroad.

One such man is Mohammad Arif Jafari, 40, an economics graduate and polio survivor who lived in Iran for years. Returning to Afghanistan has been hard, he said.

I suffered a lot due to unemployment. But fortunately, now I produce several types of socks, he said while selling his wares from a stall on the streets of Herat. I am happy that I am working here and earning an income.
PYONGYANG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) convened an enlarged meeting of the 13th plenary meeting of its Eighth Central Committee from Tuesday to Thursday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the WPK, presided over the key year-end meeting to sum up the major party and state affairs in 2025.

On the economic front, Kim stressed that the major industrial sectors of the national economy carried out their highly-set production plans, the agricultural sector recorded higher grain yields over last year and a lot of major construction projects were successfully completed, and that the five-year plan was carried out along with the achievement of the objectives of this year's economic development.

On national defense, significant achievements were made in accordance with the party's policy on modernizing the national defense capabilities, and the signal military gains were made by units of different arms of the Korean People's Army in the overseas military operations over the past nearly one year, Kim was quoted by the report as saying.

The celebrations of the 80th founding anniversary of the WPK held this year redoubled the strong will of the DPRK people to build a socialist society, he added.

The top DPRK leader also laid out some major tasks facing the party, government and state organs at present, said the report.

The plenary meeting discussed and unanimously approved several agenda items, including "on the review of the implementation of the policies of the party and the state in 2025", "on the work of the Central Inspection Commission of the party in 2025" and "on the important issues related to the preparations for the Ninth Congress of the party," it said. 
The titans of artificial intelligence have fired the first shot in a regulation battle that is poised to dominate the 2026 midterms, and the industrys prospects for victory are already looking good.

On Thursday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul gutted a bill intended to put modest AI protections in place, hours before President Donald Trump issued an executive order intended to stamp out state laws like the one Hochul is now seeking to weaken.

Hochuls apparent capitulation to the AI industry came just a day after the AI industry PAC Leading the Future  which boasts a $100 million slush fund bankrolled by OpenAI President Greg Brockman and the venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, among others  released its first ad of the 2026 cycle, attacking New York Assemblyman Alex Bores, who sponsored the bill in question and is part of a crowded field of Democrats running to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler in Congress.

Advertisement Advertisement

Bores, the political ads ominous narrator intones, wants Albany bureaucrats regulating AI  the same dysfunctional Albany that cant balance a budget or keep businesses in New York. The voice goes on to namecheck the RAISE Act, which Bores helped author. According to the attack ad, the legislation Bores sponsored will create a chaotic patchwork of state rules that would CRUSH INNOVATION, COST NEW YORK JOBS and FAIL TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE.

The ad, which was shared with journalists but does not appear to have run as a paid ad on any platform, is supposedly the first of many the PAC intends to run against Bores for his role sponsoring the New York bill, which would require the largest AI companies to publish their safety and risk protocols and alert authorities to serious safety incidents. The legislation would also impose fines on companies that fail to meet its standards.

Frankly, I wasnt surprised, Bores says of when he found out he was being targeted by the PAC.

A computer engineer before he got into politics, Bores had already begun to feel heat from the industry while working to author the bill  even after he actively solicited feedback from the biggest AI labs while crafting the legislation. We had really productive conversations. We didnt always agree, but they made a bunch of suggestions for the bill  some of which I incorporated, and some of which I did not, he says. Things changed when the bill entered committee and it was clear that it might actually pass, he adds. Suddenly, his constituents were getting spammed with texts and inundated with social media ads against him.

Advertisement Advertisement

When he saw the ad that Leading the Future shared this week, Bores says he recognized immediately it was not just about him, but an attempt to intimidate another politician: Governor Kathy Hochul: My reaction was, Oh, this is a message to the governor  this is not just about defeating me.

On Tuesday, the day before the ad appeared in news stories, Hochul started the clock on the two-week chapter amendment process that will determine whether or not she signs the RAISE Act into law. They want the governor to be intimidated by the idea they might target her next, Bores says. Hochul is up for reelection in 2026.

As Rolling Stone recently reported, the AI industry PAC is borrowing this election cycle from the same playbook cryptocurrency lobbyists used in 2024: aggressively targeting a select number of candidates and spending lavishly against them as a demonstration of the political pain they can inflict on candidates who are perceived as against them, and simultaneously boosting candidates they view as allies with ads that barely mention AI at all. (Chris Lehane, who helped successfully execute that strategy on behalf of the crypto industry while at Coinbase in 2024, is now chief global affairs officer at OpenAI.)

Bores is one of nine candidates who have declared their intention to replace Nadler, who has represented New Yorks 12 District, which comprises a sizable chunk of Manhattan, for 36 years. So far, the field includes the Instagram-famous Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg, the 25-year-old Parkland shooting survivor and March for Our Lives co-founder Cameron Kasky, City Councilman Erik Bottcher, and former NPR host Jami Floyd, among others. (Onetime CNN anchor Don Lemon and lawyer George Conway, ex-husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, have floated test balloons.)

Advertisement Advertisement

In such a crowded primary, the amount of money that the PAC has at its disposal could make a big difference. But Bores doesnt seem particularly unnerved. From his perspective, the spending is only serving to elevate his work to regulate AI  work that he says is broadly popular with voters. Eighty-four percent of New Yorkers support the RAISE Act and 80 percent of Americans want reasonable regulations on AI, Bores says.

AI, he adds, is naturally becoming a thing that voters care more about because its impacting more of their life day-to-day  whether thats through layoffs, or their company refusing to hire more; whether thats through their utility bills with data centers coming online; whether thats the impact on their kids and chat bots.  This probably wasnt a topic people were asking a lot about a few years ago, it has certainly become much more of a topic now.

Bores likes to say that he is the first Democrat elected in New York state at any level with a degree in computer science, a fact he finds 10 percent cool, and 90 percent horrifying. That degree is, specifically, a masters in computer science with a specialization in machine learning. Bores worked in the industry for a decade  including a stint at Palantir, whose co-founder, Joe Lonsdale, is a major contributor to the PAC funding the campaign against him.

On Thursday, Transformer was first to report that Hochul moved to significantly weaken Bores bill. The governors proposal would strike the RAISE Act in its entirety and replace it with verbatim language from Californias recently enacted law, SB 53, with minimal changes, reporter Issie Lapowsky writes.

Advertisement Advertisement

The California bill was softened significantly at the last minute, with input from the same figures behind Leading the Future.

State legislators would need to agree to Hochuls mark-up  an outcome which seems unlikely  before the governor could sign the bill into law. If the mark-up stands, however, it would be a major boon for the AI industry: two of the biggest and most important states setting a shared ceiling on potential regulation.

In a statement, a Hochul spokesperson said, In the absence of federal leadership on responsible AI, New York is leading with common-sense laws to protect children, families, and consumers and our approach should be a model for the nation. Governor Hochul has been at the forefront of the innovation economy and remains committed to advancing AI responsibly as she reviews the legislation.

Following Trumps announcement of his executive order later on Thursday, which seeks to bar state regulations in favor of federal standards, Bores released a statement of his own.

Advertisement Advertisement

Lets be clear about what just happened: a handful of AI oligarchs bribed Donald Trump into selling out Americas future and intimidating states who want to put even basic guardrails on the most powerful technology ever created, the candidate wrote. Trump isnt just ignoring potential dangers from out-of-control AI development; hes throwing the door wide open for them. Thats why we need more members of Congress who will install necessary guardrails before its too late.

More from Rolling Stone

Best of Rolling Stone

Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
An alleged serial puncher has been ordered detained on Friday after officials say he attacked at least six women in separate incidents downtown.

The state's attorney's office says 40-year-old Marlon Miller was wearing an electric ankle monitor when some of the attacks happened.

ABC7 heard from one of his alleged victims, who said her attacker never should have been out on the streets.

"He yelled **** and then he swung and hit me in my left eye," Sherri Bester said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Bester says she had just stepped out of Millennium Station when a man lashed out at her.

"He hit me hard enough that even with my glasses on my eye still did swell," Bester said.

Bester soon learned she wasn't the only victim. At least three women attacked in the Loop Wednesday morning, all apparently at random.

Chicago police arrested Miller on Wednesday just before 8:30 a.m. in the 100-block of East Randolph Street. Minutes earlier, he allegedly punched three women, ages 49, 50 and 62, in the Loop.

The 50-year-old victim told police she was on the sidewalk when Miller punched her in the eye for no reason, bruising her.

Advertisement Advertisement

The 49-year-old victim told police she was walking on the same sidewalk when Miller punched her in the eye, too, damaging her $800 sunglasses.

The 62-year-old told police Miller punched her in the nose.

Miller has been charged with three felony counts of aggravated battery in a public place in connection with those attacks. Miller will be back in court for those cases on Dec. 17.

SEE ALSO | Woman punched, knocked out downtown Chicago; records show suspect previously accused in attacks

Miller was apparently placed on electric monitoring following an incident back on Oct. 11.

Miller allegedly punched two females, of unknown ages, in the face near West Randolph Street and North Dearborn Street on that day. Officers later arrested him in the 100-block of East Lake Street.

Advertisement Advertisement

Miller has an additional prior battery incident on his record from Nov. 25.

In that incident, Miller allegedly threw a Potbelly's cup filled with milkshake at a 30-year-old woman as she walked southbound on State Street between Lake and Randolph streets. Officers arrested Miller in front of the Chicago Theater. The case is due back in court on Dec. 26.

The electronic monitoring program has recently come under scrutiny after the fiery attack on a woman sitting on a CTA train. The suspect in that case was also on electronic monitoring.

"It's like the judicial system is failing us," Bester said. "It's not working, because we're allowing these people to be back on the streets."

Advertisement Advertisement

ABC7 has reached out to the chief judge of Cook County to find out why Miller had been placed on electronic monitoring.

Miller will be back in court next week.

INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood
By Andy Sullivan and Jason Lange

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Americans are deeply skeptical of President Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, though he is shoring up support among his core Republican followers who have long focused on the case, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The poll, completed on Monday, found that most Americans believe Trump's administration is covering up information about the late sex offender, including his 2019 death and his ties to rich and powerful people, and do not believe Trump's claim that he was unaware of Epstein's alleged trafficking of teenage girls when the two were friends decades ago.

Advertisement Advertisement

Only 23% of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling the ongoing scandal, the poll found, while 52% disapprove.

However, the poll found he appears to be easing the concerns of his supporters: 53% of Republicans said they approved of the way he was handling the issue, up from 44% last month. That is still well below the 85% approval rating Trump enjoys overall among Republicans.

That could prove crucial. Trump stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before he returned to the White House this year, and prominent supporters have accused his administration of a cover-up.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress defied Trump last month and passed a law requiring the Justice Department to release documents by December 19 from its long-running investigation into Epstein.

Advertisement Advertisement

The online poll of 4,434 U.S. adults, conducted December 3 through December 8, found lingering suspicion about the U.S. government's role.

Some 62% of those surveyed, including 56% of Republicans, said they believed the government is hiding information about Epstein's death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges.

An even higher proportion - 70% - said they thought the government is hiding information about people who may have participated in the late financier's alleged sex trafficking of teenage girls, including 62% of Republicans.

And only 18% said they thought it was likely that Trump did not know about Epstein's alleged crimes before they were made public. Among Republicans, that figure was 34%.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump has said he was not aware of Epstein's activities, and says he broke off their friendship before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Jason Lange; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, has gained ground against her Republican opponent and is now polling neck-and-neck with Vivek Ramaswamy.

According to an Emerson College Polling survey published this week, Acton was supported by 46% of those responding while 45% supported Ramaswamy, The Hill reports. Another 9% were undecided. The survey's margin of error is 3.3 percentage points.

That's a 7-point increase for Acton, a former Ohio Department of Health director, and a 4-point drop for Ramaswamy, who ran for president in 2024, from the college's poll in August.

Advertisement Advertisement

Acton has gained ground among women polled, according to Emerson College. In August, women slightly favored Ramaswamy 44% to 42%. In the latest poll, women have shifted toward Acton, 56% to 37%. Men continue to support Ramaswamy 55% to 35%, up from 54% in August.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, speaks at Democratic candidates Election Night gathering at OTR Stillhouse in Cincinnati on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

Labor support: Unions back Amy Acton, pledge to fight against Vivek Ramaswamy

DeWine says Amy Acton shouldn't be blamed for Ohio's COVID-19 response: 'The buck stops with me'

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Acton cannot be blamed for the state's actions during COVID-19, according to NBC 4. DeWine said those pandemic actions were his decisions. "The buck stops with me."

Acton was the director of the Ohio Department of Health during COVID, appearing alongside DeWine during daily lockdown briefings in 2020. She left the role in 2020. Her response to the pandemic was praised but also protested.

Advertisement Advertisement

Republicans are targeting Acton's campaign, saying she was responsible for all lockdown decisions and her choices were indifferent to personal freedoms, NBC 4 reports.

DeWine disputes that, saying he made all the decisions in response to COVID, not Acton.

I got advice from her. I got advice from people around the country, DeWine said. I was trying to get as much information as I could about something that we did not know much about, and I made decisions based upon that, but they were my decisions. They were not her decisions.

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a Turning Point Action event at the University of Cincinnatis Zimmer Hall in Cincinnati on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.

Split endorsements: Some Ohio unions split between Ramaswamy, Brown in governor, Senate races

Acton gains support from unions; others back Ramaswamy

Earlier this month, several large public employee unions endorsed Acton for governor in 2026.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, AFSCME Ohio Council 8 and AFSCME Retirees Chapter 1184 gave their support to Acton in an event on Dec. 4. Collectively, the unions represent more than 100,000 Ohio workers.

Meanwhile, the Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters and the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters are backing Ramaswamy. Both unions endorsed DeWine over his Democratic opponent in the 2022 election.

Emerson College poll finds Jon Husted-Sherrod Brown race for senate tightening

In other races affecting Ohio, the Emerson College poll found Republican Sen. Jon Husted leading Democrat Sherrod Brown, a former senator, 49%-46% in the December poll. Another 5% were undecided.

Those numbers have tightened a bit since August. Brown is up two points in the current poll, while Husted has lost one point.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Acton neck and neck with Ramaswamy in Ohio governor race, per new poll
Allegany County has a new way to identify people who have been convicted of hurting animals.

The Board of Legislators voted unanimously Dec. 10 to adopt a local law establishing an Allegany County Animal Abuser Registry.

The new registry will identify individuals within Allegany County who have been convicted of animal abuse.

Lawmakers noted that individuals who abuse animals are statistically more likely to commit violent acts against people, and research shows a strong correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Allegany County Animal Abuser Registry is vital because animal cruelty is often tied to other forms of violence, and this registry helps protect both animals and our community, said District II Legislator Gretchen Hanchett, who pushed for the legislation.

Sheriff Scott Cicirello said the registry ups the repercussions for people convicted of abusing animals in Allegany County.

More: IDA targets contaminated Allegany County sites. Public meeting Dec. 16

In my career, I have been involved in dozens of animal abuse investigations. Beyond a simple fine, the consequences to those convicted of animal abuse related crimes have been minimal, Cicirello said. This legislation, designating an Animal Abuser Registry in Allegany County, provides far-reaching consequences to those convicted of these horrific crimes."

Advertisement Advertisement

The registry will include the name, age, address and photo of each individual. Registration also comes with a $125 fee.

The local law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026. The legislature said the Allegany County District Attorney's office will be responsible for prosecuting violations of the law.

Email Neal Simon at nsimon@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: New Allegany County registry will identify convicted animal abusers
Heres what youll learn when you read this story:

A new tomb was discovered at Petras Khazneh, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The tombs discovery, as revealed on Discovery Channels Expedition Unknown, also included 12 skeletons from over 2,000 years ago.

In addition to being a true archaeological marvel, the ornate facade of Jordans ancient city of Petra has served as a backdrop in a number of movies, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The sandstone cliff faces of the ancient city of Petra (one of the New Seven Wonders of the World) have long been in the archaeological limelight. Theyve even spent time in the Hollywood limelight as the location for several scenes in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But in a recent on-screen appearanceand no offense to Harrison Fords iconic professorthey were the site of a very real discovery.

Advertisement Advertisement

Discovery Channels popular show Expedition Unknown was on site to document the discovery of 12 human skeletons and artifacts dating back at least 2,000 years, which had all been long hidden beneath the famed Khazneh (or Treasury) in Petra. The colossal find was accomplished by a team lead by archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman.



Its a find that, were he real, Indiana Jones would certainly be proud of.

This is a hugely rare discovery, said Josh Gates, host of the Discovery Channels program, according to CNN. In the two centuries that Petra has been investigated by archaeologists, nothing like this has been found before. Even in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world  there are still huge discoveries to be made.

Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research, employed ground-penetrating radar to first see if it was possibile that additional tombs were located at the site. The gathered data matched up to data collected from areas where tombs had been found in the past, and the Jordan government gave the approval for excavation beneath the world-famous site.

Advertisement Advertisement

The team was beyond pleased to see an actual tomb materialize, and truly shocked by the fact that it was full of remains and artifactsmany of the tombs at the ancient city have been found empty, picked clean long ago.

Along with the 12 sets of skeletal remainsseveral of the bones from which had mold, thanks to the porous sandstone allowing moisture into the space in the flood-prone areathe team found a mix of bronze, iron, and ceramic artifacts. This included one ceramic chalice tucked in the arms of one of the deceased, ironically reminiscent of the Holy Grail depicted in The Last Crusade. It really was this awesome moment, Gates said, of history imitating art.

The Treasury, located near the main entrance to the city, is believed to be at least 2,000 years old. It is a striking mausoleum carved into the sandstone cliffs that has long attracted tourists aplenty, but dating this iconic monument has proven difficult because of the lack of finds within the tombs.

We were hopeful to find anything that might tell us more about the ancient people and place, Creasman said. For instance, Gates believes that the individuals buried in the newly discovered tomb show must have been of very high status because of the prime real estate used for the burial place.Human remains, Creasman continued, can be a really valuable tool in that regard. The burials in this tomb are articulated, so the bones havent been rummaged around and moved, so thats exceedingly rare.

Advertisement Advertisement

Delving deeper into the remains and artifacts found in the tomb could open additional information about the Khazneh, Petra, and the lives of the Nabataeans who once inhabited the area. I think learning who they are, Gates said, is really going to help unlock part of the story of the Treasury.

You Might Also Like
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) decided on Friday to move forward with criminal charges against Sgt. Quornelius Radford after the early-August shooting at Fort Stewart's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team Annex.

Radford's case was moved to Fort Stewart's general court-martial, the most severe military trial.

He is being charged with attempted premeditated murder, four specifications of attempted unpremeditated murder, one specification of domestic violence, three specifications of aggravated assault inflicting grievous bodily harm, and three specifications of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon in violation of Articles 80, 128b and 128 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Military police escort Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, the suspect in the shooting of five soldiers on Ft. Stewart, into the booking room of the Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Ga., on the evening of Aug. 6, 2025.

More: How was alleged Fort Stewart shooter able to bring personal firearm on base?

Advertisement Advertisement

On Aug. 6 around 11:04 a.m., Radford allegedly used a personal handgun and opened fire on five of his coworkers at the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team Complex, an annex of Fort Stewart's main campus. The soldiers who were shot survived.

The military base is located about 40 miles southwest of Savannah in Hinesville, Ga., and is the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River. It covers 279,270 acres, which include parts of six counties.

OSTC worked closely with the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigators to thoroughly evaluate the evidence before referring the charges to the general court-martial.

The case will be assigned to a military judge who will schedule further court dates.

Advertisement Advertisement

Radford is currently being held in pretrial confinement at the Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston located at Joint Base Charleston.

Ansley Franco is a reporter with the Savannah Morning News, covering public safety and general assignments. You can reach her at AFranco@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Fort Stewart shooting case sent to General Court-Martial
Are presidential pardons illegal when the person pardoned has paid a bribe to obtain the pardon?  Don

Hi Don,

Im afraid not  at least not necessarily.

The pardon bribery scheme you describe is illegal. But the validity of the pardon obtained through that scheme is a separate question.

Even prosecuting such a scheme is complicated by the Supreme Courts ruling on presidential immunity. In her dissent from last years ruling in Trump v. United States, Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that the decision would immunize presidents who take bribes for pardons. Whether thats so would have to be tested in a future case, if one arises. In any event, the presidents liability is a separate matter from the liability of the briber, who isnt immune.

Advertisement Advertisement

But however the hypothetical prosecution would shake out, Im skeptical that the underlying pardon would be invalidated, given the broad nature of the pardon power, coupled with the Supreme Courts expansive view of executive power generally.

A 2021 law review article by scholar Albert Alschuler surveyed the historical record and noted that decisions invalidating fraudulent pardons came in cases where the authorities had been tricked, as opposed to cases where kings, governors, presidents, or other officials had joined pardon recipients in defrauding the public  for example, by taking bribes. No decision appears to have addressed whether a pardon can entitle a recipient to his freedom even when he paid cash. Alschuler observed that other scholars maintained that pardons are absolute but that the president isnt immune from prosecution for committing crimes when issuing them.

That was before the immunity ruling, which reinforced the courts immense view of presidential power. Indeed, the ruling did more than cast doubt on whether a president could be prosecuted for taking a bribe for a pardon: It even curbs investigating a former president in connection with official acts. That could make it more difficult to prove that a pardon recipient bribed the president if doing so would rely at all on digging into the presidents motives.

So, even if a criminal case could be brought against the pardoned briber or the presidential bribee, the underlying pardon itself could still stand. One way to find out would be for the Justice Department in a subsequent administration to bring charges against the briber for the pardoned conduct. The defendant would then point to the pardon as reason to dismiss the case, and the courts would decide.

Advertisement Advertisement

Making this corrupt scenario even more brazen, a scheming president could take things a step further by pardoning the briber for the bribery, too. Perhaps the president would also pardon themself in that scenario, though self-pardons raise their own untested issues.

Of course, this discussion is about explicit bribes. People can see corruption in President Donald Trumps pardons even if the pardons dont necessarily violate federal bribery law  take that of Changpeng Zhao, founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who helped enrich the Trump family business before being pardoned. Theres always impeachment for abuse of power, but that would require Congress to act as a check on the president, as opposed to acting as an arm of the president.

Ultimately, this discussion illustrates that the best way  maybe the only real way  to combat the corrupt exercise of the pardon power is to not elect corrupt presidents.

Please submit Ask Jordan questions through this form for a chance to have your question featured in a future edition of the Deadline: Legal Newsletter.

The post Ask Jordan: Are pardons legal if theyre obtained with bribes? appeared first on MS NOW.

This article was originally published on ms.now
Aster DM Healthcare has announced plans to invest Rs1.2bn ($13.3m) for establishing five Oncology Radiation LINAC Centres in India to serve underprivileged patients with cancer.

This initiative, part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, aims to offer subsidised and free radiation therapy to patients who cannot continue or afford life-saving treatment.

The inaugural oncology radiation centre will be set up in Wayanad, Kerala, and will serve the wider Malabar region, including adjacent regions.

Advertisement Advertisement

Aster DM Healthcare said that the remaining four centres will be established in locations, including Bengaluru and other cities, with site selection guided by community needs and clinical feasibility over the next three years.

The centres will be equipped with linear accelerators (LINAC) and supporting facilities.

They will operate under Aster Volunteers, the global CSR programme of Aster DM Healthcare, which focuses on the improvement of community health and socio-economic development.

Aster DM Healthcare chairman and founder Dr Azad Moopen was quoted by Express Healthcare as saying: This initiative reflects Asters deep commitment to making advanced cancer care accessible to all, especially underprivileged and underserved communities across India.

Advertisement Advertisement

No one should be denied the chance to fight cancer with dignity, confidence, and hope. Through this effort, Aster reaffirms its mission of delivering high-quality, compassionate healthcare to every patient, regardless of their financial circumstances.

In July 2025, Aster DM Healthcare announced plans to build a new 500-bed hospital in Bengaluru, India. The new hospital in Yeswanthpur will increase the total bed capacity in the city to 2,580.

"Aster DM to establish oncology radiation centres in India" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand.




When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

CHARA's images of Nova V1674 Herculis after 3.2 days. | Credit: Elias Aydi et al.

The powerful thermonuclear explosions on the surfaces of two white dwarfs have been resolved in detail for the first time, revealing that these eruptions are more complex than previously thought.

The findings are courtesy of the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) array, which is an optical interferometer that combines the light of six telescopes on Mount Wilson in California. CHARA targeted two events of this kind, which astronomers call nova eruptions.

Advertisement Advertisement

A nova doesn't destroy the white dwarf like a Type 1a supernova does, but rather occurs when the white dwarf siphons too much matter from a companion red giant star. This matter builds up on the surface of the white dwarf until the temperature and pressure grows so great that a localized thermonuclear detonates and extends across the white dwarf's surface while leaving the white dwarf's interior intact. (A white dwarf goes supernova only once the matter it steals from its red giant companion takes the white dwarf above the critical mass of 1.44 times the mass of our sun .)

From Earth, we see a nova eruption as a brilliant brightening of the star, often to naked-eye visibility, hence why the sixteenth century astronomer Tycho Brahe christened this type of object a "nova," which is Latin for "new star."

Previously, astronomers had been unable to observe a nova as anything but a point-source of light, and had assumed that a nova was a single eruption of matter from one point on the white dwarf's surface. However, the Fermi Space Telescope has in the past detected puzzling high-energy gamma-ray emissions from a host of nova eruptions, which implies there's more going on than meets the eye.

Astronomers used CHARA in 2021 to target two nova eruptions within days of them brightening, namely nova V1674 Herculis and nova V1405 Cassiopeia.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The images give us a close-up view of how material is ejected away from the star during the explosion," Gail Schaefer of Georgia State University and Director of the CHARA array, said in a statement.

Both were very different from each other. V1674 Herculis experienced one of the fastest nova eruptions on record, brightening to magnitude 6 and fading in a matter of days. CHARA detected two bipolar outflows perpendicular to each other, rather than a global eruption all across the white dwarfs surface. At the same time, the Fermi Space Telescope detected gamma rays from shocks as multiple components in the outflows violently collided.

On the left and in the middle are CHARA's images of Nova V1674 Herculis after 2.2 and 3.2 days respectively. The arrows indicate the perpendicular outflows. On the right is an artists representation. | Credit: Elias Aydi et al.

Nova V1405 Cassiopeiae was, by comparison, a rather sluggish eruption with delayed outflows. CHARA showed that it took fifty days after the initial brightening for material to be lifted off the surface of the white dwarf at the center of the eruption. When the matter was finally ejected, it sparked new shocks as the outflows collided, also emitted gamma rays, and brightened to magnitude 5.5, making it just visible to the unaided eye from the darkest of observing sites. Its brightness stayed more or less the same for seven months before fading.

Additional information also came from the Multi-Object Spectrograph on the 8.1-meter Gemini North Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. It tracked the matter ejected by the two nova eruptions through the spectral fingerprints of their chemical composition, such as ionized iron, showing how features in the spectrum of each nova aligned with outflow structures seen by CHARA.

Advertisement Advertisement

"By seeing how and when the material is ejected, we can finally connect the dots between the nuclear reactions on the stars surface, the geometry of the ejected material and the high-energy radiation we detect from space," said Laura Chomiuk of Michigan State University.
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Five crew members of a merchant ship fell overboard off South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, the South Korean coast guard said Friday.

It was reported to the coast guard at about 4:47 p.m. local time (0747 GMT) that five sailors had fallen from the 8,580-ton, Sierra Leone-flagged merchant vessel carrying 15 crew members in waters some 33 km southwest of the island's Seogwipo port.

The coast guard dispatched five patrol ships, two coastal rescue boats and a helicopter to the scene, requesting the rescue operation from nearby vessels.

One vessel of the navy was sent to the scene to support the rescue operation.

The coast guard was investigating the cause of incident. 
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

An illustration of the Tatooine-like planet HD 143811 AB b as it orbits its twin parent stars. | Credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)

Astronomers have discovered a planet beyond the solar system that orbits its twin parent stars closer than any ever seen before in a binary. The twin stars in the sky over the newly-found extrasolar planet, or "exoplanet," likely bear a resemblance to the twin stars over Tatooine, the home planet of Luke Skywalker, when viewers first meet the young hero at the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope.

This exoplanet is six times closer to its parent stars than any previously directly imaged binary system exoplanet, yet despite this relative proximity, it still has a year that lasts 300 times as long as an Earth year.

Advertisement Advertisement

The discovery of this planet, designated HD 143811 AB b (referring to the fact that it orbits the stars HD 143811 A and HD 143811 B in the system HD 143811 AB), and located 446 light-years away from Earth, is an exciting find for scientists. That is because planets are very rarely detected around binary stars, meaning HD 143811 AB b offers a rare chance to study how stars and planets orbit together, while also investigating planet formation mechanisms.

"Of the 6,000 exoplanets that we know of, only a very small fraction of them orbit binaries," team member and exoplanet imaging expert Jason Wang of Northwestern University said in a statement. "Of those, we only have a direct image of a handful of them, meaning we can have an image of the binary and the planet itself. Imaging both the planet and the binary is interesting because its the only type of planetary system where we can trace both the orbit of the binary star and the planet in the sky at the same time.

"We're excited to keep watching it in the future as they move, so we can see how the three bodies move across the sky."

A time-lapse image of the exoplanet HD 143811 AB b orbiting its parent stars. | Credit: Jason Wang/Northwestern University

A new discovery from decade-old data

This exoplanet may be new to astronomers, but it isn't actually a new observation. Wang and colleagues discovered HD 143811 AB b in archival data collected almost 10 years ago by the Gemini South telescope and its Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) instrument. GPI captured images of exoplanets by blocking out the overwhelming glare of their parent stars using a coronagraph , an instrument that acts almost like the artificial equivalent of an eclipse. The instrument then used adaptive optics to sharpen the images of these faint planets around their bright stars.

Advertisement Advertisement

GPI operated from 2014 to 2022, when it was removed from Gemini South and transferred to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana to undergo a major upgrade of the whole system called GPI 2.0. Next year, once upgrades are completed, GPI 2.0 will be moved to the Gemini North telescope atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

This discovery came about when Wang and colleagues decided to revisit the GPI data ahead of its new life as GPI 2.0. "I didnt think wed find any new planets," Wang said. "But I thought we should do our due diligence and check carefully anyway."

"During the instrument's lifetime, we observed more than 500 stars and found only one new planet," Wang said. "It would have been nice to have seen more, but it did tell us something about just how rare exoplanets are."

The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) on the Gemini South telescope. | Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/ NSF /AURA/M. Paredes

Team member Nathalie Jones of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) assessed GPI data gathered over three years between 2016 and 2019, cross-referencing it with data collected by the W.M. Keck Observatory. This led to a tantalizing discovery, a faint object following the motion of a star.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Stars don't stand still in a galaxy; they move around," Wang explained. "We look for objects and then revisit them later to see if they have moved elsewhere. If a planet is bound to a star, then it will move with the star. Sometimes, when we revisit a 'planet,' we find it's not moving with its star, then we know it was just a photobombing star passing through. If they are both moving together, then that's a sign that its an orbiting planet."

Astronomers can determine the difference between light coming directly from a star and light being reflected by a planet, meaning they can also look at data and compare it to what it would look like if a mystery object is indeed a planet. These tests allowed Jones to determine that HD 143811 AB b is indeed a planet that was first captured by GPI in 2016 but was subsequently missed by astronomers. This conclusion was also arrived at by an independent team of astronomers from the University of Exeter in the UK.

Astronomers were also able to learn a lot more about HD 143811 AB b, discovering that this planet is a whopper, at around six times the size of Jupiter. The planet was also determined to be around 13 million years old, which may sound ancient until you consider the Earth is 4.6 billion years old.

"That sounds like a long time ago, but it's 50 million years after dinosaurs went extinct," Wang said. "That's relatively young in universe speak, so it still retains some of the heat from when it formed."

Advertisement Advertisement

It isn't just the planet that is relatively close to its binary stellar parents; these stars are also quite close together, taking just 18 Earth days to orbit each other. Yet, despite its proximity to the stars compared to other planets found in binary systems, HD 143811 AB b still takes 300 Earth-years to complete just one orbit.

What the team doesn't yet understand is quite how this planet formed around its binary stars.

"Exactly how it works is still uncertain," Wang said. "Because we have only detected a few dozen planets like this, we dont have enough data yet to put the picture together."

Answering this question could require the team to further study HD 143811 AB.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I'm asking for more telescope time, so we can continue looking at this planet," Jones said. "We want to track the planet and monitor its orbit, as well as the orbit of the binary stars, so we can learn more about the interactions between binary stars and planets."

In the meantime, Jones intends to continue hunting through archival data to discover more planets. "There are a couple of suspicious objects, but what they are, exactly, remains to be seen," Jones concluded.

The team's research was published on Thursday (Dec. 11) in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
DE SOTO, Kan.  Police have identified the suspect in a stabbing incident that ended in a shooting involving Johnson County sheriff deputies at the Panasonic plant in De Soto, Kansas, Friday.

On Saturday, the Johnson County, Kansas Sheriffs Office identified Jonathan Lunceford, 55, of Blue Springs, Missouri as the man shot and killed during the incident.

See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri

Advertisement Advertisement

Deputies responded to a stabbing call just before 11 a.m. at the plant in the area of 103rd Street and Astra Parkway.

When deputies arrived on scene, they located the victim with multiple stab wounds.

According to Johnson County Sheriff Byron Roberson, the interaction between deputies and the suspect ended in a shooting. The suspect was shot and deputies performed life-saving efforts. He was pronounced deceased at 11:25 a.m. by Johnson County MED-ACT.

The stabbing victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

No deputies or officers were injured during the incident.

Roberson said the Johnson County Critical Incident Investigation Team will be handling the investigation going forward with the lead agency as the Olathe Police Department. The Kansas Burau of Investigation is assisting.

Advertisement Advertisement

De Soto is safe, Roberson responded during a Friday news conference.

There is no need for any heightened awareness of an incident. We believe that the incident has been contained.

FOX4 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox

The Panasonic plant opened in July 2025.

We are aware of the law enforcement involved incident at the De Soto, KS, facility, a Panasonic spokesperson said.

There was not an active shooter, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities. We have no additional details to share at this time.

De Soto Mayor Rick Walker released the following statement to FOX4:

Advertisement Advertisement

I had hoped I would never be the Mayor who had to make a statement including thoughts and prayers, but today our community has experienced an incident where such a statement is appropriate. I am deeply saddened to learn of the incident at the Panasonic construction site today. My thoughts are with everyone affected as we await further details.

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 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
The Preble County band teacher convicted of sexually abusing a 17-year-old student has learned his sentence.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Garrett Stringer-Smith was sentenced Thursday to 13 years in prison, followed by five years of parole, according to the Preble County Prosecutors Office.

Hes also been classified as a Tier III sex offender and will have to register his address every 90 days for the remainder of his life.

TRENDING STORIES:

Advertisement Advertisement

The sentence came after Stringer-Smith pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual battery in October.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Stringer-Smith was a band teacher at Twin Valley Community Schools and was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

He was arrested on Feb. 7 after the student reported the relationship to a school resource officer, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

An investigation revealed that Stringer-Smith began teaching the victim in the sixth grade and engaged in grooming and manipulative behaviors.

He sexually abused the victim multiple times between September 2024 and February 2025, according to the prosecutors office.

Advertisement Advertisement

This Defendants actions exemplified the predatory nature of this type of criminal. He pursued a child who was going through an extremely difficult time in her life and tricked her into believing he was a caring and compassionate confidant. He instead used his position of trust and authority to satisfy his perversions, Prosecuting Attorney Eric E. Marit said in a statement, adding that he hopes the victim can now begin her healing process.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Bari Weiss defended her choice for CBS to platform Erika Kirk and the late Charlie Kirk in a recent town hall, emphasizing the importance of having conversations with those we disagree with.

The new CBS News editor-in-chief appeared on CBS Mornings to explain her decision. Weiss was adamant that there are plenty of areas where she disagreed with Kirk, but having those conversations was important, as America is walking into an abyss as a country.

I just fundamentally disagree with the idea that we shouldnt be able to speak across divides, Weiss said. That doesnt mean that there are not lines. The question, of course, is whether or not Charlie Kirk crossed those lines and in my view, you hear me quote many of the controversial things he said  needless to say, there are many things Charlie Kirk said in his life that I vehemently disagree with, but, to me, thats not the point. The point is that we are walking into an abyss as a country if we accept the idea that words are violence, but violence, if directed at the right targets, is acceptable.

MORE OF THIS, PLEASE: Important comments from CBS News editor-in-chief @BariWeiss to colleague @VladDuthiersCBS about having conversations with those we disagree with, even if you may think someone is controversial and wrong



CBSs Vladimir Duthiers: So, Bari, when I pic.twitter.com/Sw2xHrgV7w  Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 12, 2025

She added: I fundamentally reject that worldview. The entire point of our democracy, the whole premise of it as were entering our 250th year, is that we solve our problems by persuasion. We solve our problems by talking to one another. We dont solve our problems by shooting one another in the neck as happened that day at that Utah college and so, to me, especially as were living in a world where you can live next door to someone and if you have different things on your social media feed, you can live in a different reality, and so, the point of this conversation, even if it makes some people uncomfortable, even if they disagree with something they heard on stage, I disagreed with some I heard on stage. The point, thats the whole nature of the democratic process and this conversation and this whole series that were going to be announcing in the coming days, the point is to revive that in a moment this country needs it.

Advertisement Advertisement

The town hall with Erika Kirk is set for Saturday, Dec. 13. The A Town Hall With Erika Kirk special will air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. The town hall will cover faith, grief, perseverance and the memory of her husband, Charlie Kirk.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. In the wake of his death, his wife Erika took up the mantle as his Turning Point USA successor and currently stands as chairman and CEO of the conservative youth organization.

The Dec. 13 telecast will be Weiss first time appearing on CBS News since becoming its editor-in-chief. A Town Hall With Erika Kirk will then stream on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7 afterward.

The post Bari Weiss Defends Platforming Charlie and Erika Kirk on CBS News Despite Racism, Sexism Concerns: Thats Not the Point | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Some bars and grocery stores are pulling Sycamore Brewing beverages from their menus after the brewerys former co-owner was charged with breaking into a home and raping a 13-year-old girl.

Neither Sycamore nor Brigham's wife are under investigation and there is no indication she was aware in any way, per the sheriff.



Additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.  Hunter Saenz (@Hunt_Saenz) December 12, 2025

Channel 9 found jail records Thursday showing that Justin Tawse Brigham, 44, was booked into custody on felony charges of statutory rape of a child, first-degree burglary, and indecent liberties with a child.

READ MORE >> Charlotte brewery owner accused of breaking into home, raping child

Advertisement Advertisement

Since Brighams arrest, multiple bars and grocery stores have announced that theyll no longer carry Sycamore products.

Lowes Foods, Publix, Whole Foods, and Food Lion confirmed Friday they have removed the product from shelves.

Employees at Harris Teeter told Channel 9 that all stores were instructed to pull Sycamore products from the shelves.

Bargarita in NoDa and Hoppin in SouthEnd shared on social media that theyre not serving Sycamore beers anymore.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the victim and everyone else who was affected by this horrific act, Bargarita wrote in an Instagram post announcing the move.

Advertisement Advertisement

204 North Kitchen and Cocktails in Uptown and The Union in South End have pulled their Sycamore beers as well.

Freyas Haus, a bar located in Wilmington, North Carolina, also made the decision to stop selling Sycamore Brewing products. In a Facebook post from the business, it says any profits from remaining sales will be donated to their local rape crisis center, supporting survivors in the community.

Southern Pines Growler Company said it will be selling the remainder of its Sycamore inventory at 20% off and donating the proceeds to a local organization that assists victims.

East Frank Superette and Kitchen announced it will be selling its remaining stock at a pay-what-you-can price, and donating the proceeds to a local organization that supports abuse victims.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Pipe and Pint in Greensboro, Lincoln Social, Goodfellows, and Mia Famiglia also decided to stop work with Sycamore and are donating proceeds from their remaining products to various organizations that support victims of violence and assault.

Sycamore Brewing posted a statement on Instagram just after 1 p.m. Thursday saying that Brigham is divesting all of his interest and will have no further involvement with the company.

Sycamore Brewing is also owned by Justins wife, Sarah Taylor. She said in the Instagram statement that shes taking full leadership of the company effective immediately.

The sheriffs office told Channel 9 that they expect to release more information in the case on Friday.

This is a developing story, and were working on getting additional details. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

VIDEO: Hickory-native, comedian arrested on multiple sex crime charges
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First)  One person was charged in connection with a deadly Baton Rouge crash in December 2023.

Martavion Matthews, 19, of Baton Rouge, was charged with three counts of hit-and-run; death or serious bodily injury, and one count each of manslaughter, reckless operation of a vehicle, and illegal possession of stolen things $5K to $25K.

The Baton Rouge Police Department responded a little before 9:45 a.m. Dec. 5, 2023, to North 22nd Street after a two-vehicle crash involving a Nissan Versa and a Chevrolet Silverado.

Advertisement Advertisement

Officers found that one person had been killed in the Nissan Versa. As the investigation unfolded, BRPD learned that the Chevrolet struck the Nissan on the passenger side while heading north on North 22nd Street. Police said it appeared that the Nissan tried to turn left in front of the Chevrolet before the crash.

Witness statements were corroborated by video footage that showed two men running from the crash scene on Fuqua Street.

BRPD learned that the Zachary Police Department had reported the Chevrolet as stolen.

A tip led to further investigation, including phone records and social media, which helped BRPD pin down two suspects identities.

Advertisement Advertisement

Matthews was later found at a home, and buccal swabs from him were sent in for analysis. DNA swabs were also done on different parts of the Chevrolet.

The results from the DNA analysis of Matthews showed that there was a high statistical probability his DNA was present on the driver steering wheel deployed airbag and steering wheel itself, according to the affidavit.

Matthews was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Martavion Matthews is charged with three counts of hit-and-run; death or serious bodily injury. (Photo courtesy of the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office)

Pit bull shot during dog attack in Baton Rouge, officials say

Latest News

Advertisement Advertisement

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 Louisiana First News.
The premier of Bavaria, who is also the leader of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), has called on his party and democratic parties as a whole to unite in a common fight against threats from both domestic and foreign sources.

In a speech that was both serious and combative at the CSU party conference in Munich on Friday, Markus Soder specifically attacked the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and once again categorically ruled out any cooperation with the anti-immigrant party.

"We are being attacked like never before. Our prosperity model, our welfare state model, our democracy model. It is time to defend ourselves," Soder said in his approximately 75-minute keynote speech. "Many things stand on shaky ground. What was once indisputable is now wavering."

Advertisement Advertisement

He said that politics must take people's fears of decline, old-age poverty and an uncertain future seriously and protect the country from threats from both domestic and foreign sources "differently than before."

The CSU - which at federal level is in a coalition with its sister party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) - is not prepared to leave the country to the radicals, he asserted.

Soder: AfD wants a different country

"The AfD wants a different country, a different society," Soder said, adding that the AfD has a different understanding of the state and freedom. "They want to leave NATO and preferably fall into the arms of Russia."

Advertisement Advertisement

He described the AfD as Russian President Vladimir Putin's sycophants and court jesters. There must never be cooperation: "We must not become a helper, we must not become a stepping stone."

Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) Chairman and Minister President of Bavaria Markus Soeder speaks during the CSU party conference in the exhibition hall. Sven Hoppe/dpa
Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday hosted a U.S. envoy for talks in the Belarus capital of Minsk, the latest step in the isolated leader's effort to improve ties with the West.

Lukashenko met with President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, according to state news agency Belta and the presidential press service. The press service said the talks would continue Saturday.

The last time U.S. officials met with Lukashenko, Washington announced easing some of the sanctions against Belarus, and more than 50 political prisoners were released and brought to Lithuania. Overall, Belarus released more than 430 prisoners since July 2024 in what was widely seen as an effort at a rapprochement with the West.

Advertisement Advertisement

They say Trump loves flattery. But Im not aiming for flattery. I want to say that I really like his actions lately, Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.

A close ally of Russia, Minsk has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years. Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been sanctioned repeatedly by Western countries  both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Lukashenkos rule was challenged after a 2020 presidential election that kept him in power, when tens of thousands of people poured into the streets to protest a vote widely seen as rigged. They were the largest demonstrations in Belarus history, after the country became independent following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

In an ensuing crackdown, tens of thousands of people were detained, with many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures either fled the country or were imprisoned.

Advertisement Advertisement

Five years after the mass demonstrations, Lukashenko won a seventh term in an election that the opposition called a farce.

More recently, however, Belarus has begun to free some political prisoners to try to win favor with the West. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, Lukashenko has released dozens of prisoners, including key dissident figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski  the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. His release came after a visit to Belarus by U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg.

Trump spoke to Lukashenko by phone in August after one such release and even suggested a face-to-face meeting in what would be a big victory for the Belarusian leader, who has been dubbed Europe's Last Dictator.

A month later, Lukashenko freed more than 50 prisoners, and the U.S. lifted sanctions on the countrys national airline, Belavia, allowing it to repair and buy parts for its planes, including Boeing aircraft.

Advertisement Advertisement

Those released were brought to Lithuania. But one  prominent opposition activist Mikola Statkevich  refused to leave Belarus. The 69-year-old, who described the governments actions as a "forced deportation, got off the bus and stayed for several hours in the no-mans land between the countries before being taken away by Belarusian police and returned to prison.

Human rights advocates point out that Belarusian authorities continue their relentless crackdown on dissent despite the prisoners releases, with more people regularly arrested on politically motivated charges.

There are still about 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus, according to human rights group Viasna, including its founder, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.
ELKHART  An annual feed the homeless event is looking for support from the community as organizers are expecting more guests than ever.

The Elkhart Chapter of Indiana Black Expo has been hosting the Feed Our Friends Homeless Dinner for the past 11 years. Organizers and donors not only provide a hot holiday-style meal but hand out coats and Christmas gifts to more than 500 people each year.

This is where we need your help, Robert Taylor, president of the Indiana Black Expo chapter, told area organizations in an open letter. What we are asking of your business is to supply a dish or product that will help us to meet the needs of the community and ensure the goals are met.

Advertisement Advertisement

We always say, working together works, so we are hoping, with the community working together, we can meet the needs of the people, he said.

Taylor said the free event is open to anyone in the community.

Holidays are a time when everyone should be able to enjoy a meal and enjoy family, he said. Elkhart is known as the city with a heart, and this is one of those events over the years that has proven that. All the food is donated by local restaurants and people from the community.

The event will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Historical Roosevelt Building Gym, 215 E. Indiana Ave.

Advertisement Advertisement

Donations are tax deductible and will go a long way toward making someones holiday much better, Taylor said.

More information about how to help is available at elkhartblackexpo574@gmail.com or at 574-226-4328.
The Bronco Shop downtown is closing Saturday, according to Boise State University.

The nonprofit retail shop, located on Main Street in the Clearwater Building at City Center Plaza, sells Boise State merchandise, souvenirs and course materials.

The school plans to consolidate the store with its main location in the Student Union Building on campus. The university said in a news release that the move ensures more proceeds from the bookstore go directly to Boise State scholarships. Boise State said its university bookstore had record-breaking sales in fiscal year 2025.

Advertisement Advertisement

Centralizing operations increases efficiency, reduces overhead costs and allows a greater share of revenue to be reinvested where it matters most  benefitting students, the release said.

Boise State University says sales at its downtown Bronco Shop fund scholarships. (Angela Palermo/apalermo@idahostatesman.com)

Boise State did not respond to requests by phone and email for comment.

The Clearwater Building is also home to Boise States computer science department, according to the universitys website. The school also leases space on the second floor of the U.S. Bank Building next door.

The University of Idaho has its own downtown merchandise shop, called the Vandal Store, a block away on Idaho Street.

This Garden City grocery store eschewed plastic. Now its closing

Micron to halt consumer sales, focus on more profitable AI-driven growth instead
CANBERRA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Global online platform Reddit has filed a High Court challenge against Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s.

In filings lodged in the High Court of Australia on Friday, Reddit claimed that the social media restrictions are being inaccurately applied to the platform because it is primarily a forum for adults and does not have "traditional" social media features that the government has taken issue with.

Reddit said it would continue to comply with the restrictions, but that the law has the "unfortunate effect" of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors.

The company also said that the law is ineffective and that children younger than 16 can be more easily protected from online harm if they have an account with safety settings applied.

"Despite the best intentions, this law is missing the mark on actually protecting young people online. So, while we will comply with this law, we have a responsibility to share our perspective and see that it is reviewed by the courts," it said.

Reddit is one of 10 platforms included in the ban that came into effect on Wednesday.

Under the law, affected social media platforms are required to take reasonable steps to prevent users younger than 16 from creating or accessing accounts.

Platforms found to have committed serious breaches will face fines worth up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (32.9 million U.S. dollars). 
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched a federal investigation into the City of Boston, accusing it of violating the Fair Housing Act through its homeownership programs.

In a six-page letter sent to Mayor Michelle Wu, HUD claims the city pushed racial equality in every layer of operations in city government and unfairly prioritized Black and Latino families for homeownership assistance, allegedly ignoring merit and need.

The letter also states the city encouraged banks and mortgage lenders to work more closely with minority communities  a move HUD officials described as a social engineering project and a warped mentality.

Read the full letter:

Boston Fair Housing Act Investigation by Boston 25 Desk

Advertisement Advertisement

In a statement, a city spokesperson told Boston 25 News, Boston will never abandon our commitment to fair and affordable housing, and we will defend our progress to keep Bostonians in their homes against these unhinged attacks from Washington.

According to data on Bostons official website, Mayor Wus housing strategy includes reducing racial disparities through homeownership and notes that more than 17,000 new affordable housing units have been built since she took office.

HUD has given the city 10 business days to respond to the allegations and provide additional information.

Boston 25 News has reached out to city officials for additional comment on the investigation.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
A British Airways flight to Mexico returned to London on Wednesday.

It turned around over the Atlantic Ocean, five hours into the journey.

Passengers were on the plane for nine hours before landing back at Heathrow Airport.

British Airways passengers spent more than nine hours on a transatlantic flight that ended up back where it started.

Wednesday's Flight 243 took off from London Heathrow Airport at 1:22 p.m. and was supposed to land in Mexico City around 11 hours later.

Advertisement Advertisement

However, five hours into the journey, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner turned around over the Atlantic Ocean.

It had already passed Greenland and was only about 150 miles off the coast of Canada's Nunavut territory, according to data from Flightradar24.

The plane then headed back across the ocean, arriving in London just after 10 p.m.

The airline said in a statement that the diversion was due to an unspecified technical issue.

"The flight landed safely and customers disembarked normally following reports of a technical issue with the aircraft. We've apologised to our customers for the delay, and our teams are working to get their journeys back on track," the statement said.

Advertisement Advertisement

It can be frustrating for passengers when they're diverted to their origin  a so-called flight to nowhere  but often it's the best course of action.

Returning to Heathrow, BA's main hub, makes it easier for the airline to rebook passengers on alternative flights and fix any problems with the aircraft.

Diverting elsewhere might have also left the plane and crew out of place, disrupting the airline's schedule. Plus, a stopover in Canada or the US may have caused the crew to reach their maximum working hours.

When BA Flight 243 turned around, its closest airport was Iqaluit in northern Canada, less than 300 miles away.

Advertisement Advertisement

Some flights have diverted to this remote town in the past, but it can ultimately be more disruptive.

Last year, an Air France flight diverted to Iqaluit after a burning smell was detected in the cabin.

The pilots declared an emergency, and a different plane was rerouted to rescue the passengers. It was originally scheduled for another flight, so that had to be canceled. Passengers were then taken to New York, where they were rebooked onto other flights to reach their intended destination of Seattle.

Ultimately, it depends on how urgent the diversion is, since safety is the top concern.

However, if possible, returning to the flight's origin can be the simplest option for both passengers and the airline.

Read the original article on Business Insider
With the end of the year approaching, the European Commission is rapidly ramping up its de-risking efforts through a flurry of broadsides against Chinese firms - even as the bloc's most powerful member states appear to be moving in different directions on China.

Foreign subsidy regulation probes were launched against online retailer Temu and Nuctech, a maker of airport scanning equipment, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

E-commerce giant Temu saw its Dublin headquarters raided by investigators looking for evidence of subsidies that distort the EU's single market. This mirrored the commission's dramatic raid of Nuctech's EU offices last year. On Thursday, the commission announced it had deepened its probe into Nuctech.

Advertisement Advertisement

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.

Early Thursday morning, meanwhile, negotiators from the European Council - made up of the 27 member states - and the European Parliament agreed on new rules that will make it mandatory to screen inbound investments in dual-use or military sectors.

While China is not named in the legislation, its hoovering up of important European assets inspired the original screening laws.

The upgraded rules - to kick in after 18 months - will now make it compulsory to screen foreign bids for firms making sensitive technology such as AI, quantum computing and semiconductors, or in the critical raw materials and infrastructure spaces. Bids emanating from local subsidiaries of foreign buyers will also be reviewed.

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the UNESCO-listed Dujiangyan site in China's Sichuan province on December 5. Photo: AFP alt=French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the UNESCO-listed Dujiangyan site in China's Sichuan province on December 5. Photo: AFP>

Advertisement Advertisement

The moves follow last week's blitz of proposals aimed at bolstering the bloc's economic security chops and turbo-boosting its decoupling from China's dominance of the rare earth and other critical minerals supply chains.

The pace of anti-dumping probes is also picking up towards year-end, as trade officials work to clear a long backlog of complaints that has left them thinly spread. Recently launched investigations into robot lawnmowers, welding wire and thermal paper may not be the last of 2025.

"Threat detection systems, including security and inspection scanners used at ports and airports, play an essential role in ensuring that Europe is open, yet secure," said the EU's competition chief, Teresa Ribera, of the probe into Nuctech.

The in-depth probe into the security scanning firm once run by former Chinese President Hu Jintao's son builds on preliminary investigations conducted last year.

Advertisement Advertisement

These were launched with spectacular dawn raids of Nuctech's Dutch and Polish premises. The company subsequently sued the commission for reputational damages, but the case was thrown out by the EU's General Court.

But while Brussels is on a determined and predictable path, the direction of some of the EU's most prominent member states is less clear.

France has been a strong proponent of a muscular EU trade policy towards China, with President Emmanuel Macron warning US-style tariffs could be on the way upon returning from Beijing last week.

"I told them that if they do not react, we Europeans will be forced, in the next several months, to take strong measures and to de-cooperate, following the example of the United States - for instance, by imposing tariffs on Chinese products," Macron told Les Echos, a daily newspaper.

Advertisement Advertisement

The sentiment was not shared, however, by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul who went to China this week and cautioned against tariffs.

"I would say that such measures should only be considered as a last resort and we should be extremely cautious ... because once you get into such a cycle, there is usually a ping-pong effect or a spiral with further counter-reactions and this only harms free trade," Wadephul said.

The polarity between the EU's two most powerful member states is deepening the incoherence of its China strategy, away from Brussels' preferred hard line.

"It is no longer a 'Franco-German axis', certainly not on China, and it has not been for a while," said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Asia-Pacific economist at Natixis.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The irony is that Germany has much more to lose from not realising what is happening. The China shock is much more about Germany than any other European economy. Is it blindness or vested interest of a few large German companies?"

The decision of state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn to award a contract for 700 electric buses to BYD, even though Germany is home to Europe's most important automotive sector, has caused furious blowback from trade unions concerned about job losses.

"The federal government owns the railway. We expect it not only to make demands but to be serious about fighting for German jobs," Martin Burkert, chair of the Railway and Transport Union, told Spiegel, a German magazine.

European infighting resulted in the postponement of the presentation of the Industrial Accelerator Act, which was due to have been proposed on Wednesday. The act would have codified provisions to encourage companies to buy and produce in Europe in the face of rampant competition from China and the United States.

Advertisement Advertisement

Politico reported that nine member states - the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden - worried that the protectionist shift would end up doing more harm than good.

Europe's sluggish response to the manifold industrial threats it faces was laid bare in an interview that industry chief Stephane Sejourne gave to NRC, a Dutch newspaper, this week.

"Last month, I was supposed to go to Brazil to discuss a rare earth mine. Three days beforehand we were told that the Americans had come, put money on the table, and bought all production until 2030," the French commissioner told NRC.

"We knew they were working on it, but we assumed there wouldn't be any funding available due to the shutdown. They had already factored that in; the money had already been reserved."

Advertisement Advertisement

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.
Cadwell and Medical Informatics Corp (MIC) have formed an alliance to launch new integrated neurodiagnostic data and monitoring standards for hospitals.

Under the agreement, Cadwells neurodiagnostic product will be integrated with the enterprise-grade multimodal data architecture of MIC's Sickbay Clinical Platform.

This integration is designed to deliver unified clinical intelligence that surpasses traditional device-focused systems, offering hospitals a holistic view of patient health.

Advertisement Advertisement

Hospitals will be able to access a complete physiological view of patients through synchronised multimodal data, integrated clinical context and continuous native-format waveform capture.

This capability will span critical care, neurology and acute care environments.

Clinicians will combine Cadwell's neurodiagnostic data with bedside monitors, infusion pumps, ventilators, cameras, laboratory, and electronic health record (EHR) streams for visualising and analysing patient information from any location.

Furthermore, they can facilitate tele-neuro and remote monitoring and obtain streaming near real-time, as well as retrospective information for quality improvement and research.

Advertisement Advertisement

MIC CEO Emma Fauss said: Clinicians want a complete and continuous picture of every patient. Together with Cadwell, we are giving them the multimodal visibility and intelligence needed to make critical decisions faster.

Hospitals are presently confronted with difficulties arising from disjointed systems that retain restricted data and hinder collaboration among care teams.

The collaboration between Cadwell and MIC seeks to address these challenges by providing a high-fidelity data platform that can integrate electroencephalogram (EEG) data with additional bedside monitoring information, while also offering enterprise scalability for AI and enhanced decision support.

This unified intelligence is expected to empower healthcare providers with a complete view of patients, supporting improved care quality and cost efficiency.

Advertisement Advertisement

For health systems, the approach reduces total ownership cost and provides a unified data foundation that advances research, clinical care and operational performance.

"Cadwell and MIC to launch neurodiagnostic data and monitoring for hospitals" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand.




California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris have always had a complex relationship, described by some in their home state as frenemies.

The two Golden State figures share many of the same advisers, consultants and fundraisers. But over the course of their respective careers, they have strategically and methodically stayed out of each others way.

When Newsom was the mayor of San Francisco, Harris was a city district attorney.

Advertisement Advertisement

When he was the states lieutenant governor, she was attorney general.

And when he was elected Californias governor in 2018, Harris was a sitting U.S. senator, a role that would catapult her to the vice presidency in 2021.

Harris became her partys presidential candidate in 2024 when then-President Biden bowed out of the race. All the while, Newsom has had presidential ambitions.

Now, as the 2028 presidential race inches closer, the two may be on a collision course that could see them face off for the first time.

You know that expression, Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little? I think theres a little bit of truth when it comes to them, said Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic consultant who served as Harriss chief of staff when she was Californias attorney general. She added that the two have always been competitive but respectful.

Advertisement Advertisement

Newsom has said publicly  and has told allies privately  that he is considering running for the White House, but he wont officially announce until after he leaves his post as governor in January 2027. Harris remains noncommittal about another White House bid, telling The New York Times in a story published this week that the race is three years from now.

Both are naturally eyeing one another.

Newsoms allies think Harris wont run and point to her book 107 Days, a title reflecting the short period of time she had to conduct her presidential campaign. The book included shots at Biden, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and other political figures.

Its not the kind of book you would write if you were intent on running again, one longtime ally said. Its not a good set up for 2028. It pissed a lot of people off.

Advertisement Advertisement

Harris, asked by The New York Times about whether she can imagine Newsom as president, said the governor has to make that decision if he wants to first.

I think Gavin is very talented. I really do, Harris added later. We have many talented people.

While Harris isnt committing to another run, she is doing the kinds of things candidates might do if they were to plan a race.

A political action committee, Fight for the People, was set up by her aides.

Shes also been making the rounds on the phone, calling Zohran Mamdani the day after the democratic socialist won the New York City mayoral race. She also offered congratulations to Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, who respectively won the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, along with making 40 other calls to other newly elected officials, the Times reported.

Advertisement Advertisement

Harris paid the Democratic National Committee roughly $7 million for her email list, a move many operatives see as a sign she really is considering a run.

She has every right to keep her options open and consider another run, one ally said. I think she has earned that.

If both Newsom and Harris decide to wade into the 2028 waters, it will test the loyalties of a string of advisers who have worked for both of them. Some have already begun to mull what they might do if they have to choose between the two powerful Democrats.

Donors, who are close to both, say they are also conflicted.

I think many of us would support both in the beginning, said one donor in the state who isnt convinced that Newsom and Harris will each run for the White House. Its being asked to choose between mom and dad.

Advertisement Advertisement

A UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll in August showed that about 45 percent of California registered voters were very or somewhat enthusiastic about Newsom running for president in 2028. Thirty-six percent said they were very or somewhat enthusiastic about Harris doing so.

It might not be the polite thing to say but the dirty little secret is that Harris is yesterdays news and Newsom is todays headlines, said Garry South, a Democratic consultant in the state who has worked for the governor. If you are a consultant in this state and you have worked for both Newsom and Harris you have to be pragmatic. She couldnt even carry her own home state.

This is not going to be a close race in California if they both decide to run, South added. Shes just pressing her luck if she does run but it would be embarrassing.

While both have been generally supportive of the others ambitions, tensions between the two have spilled into public view.

Advertisement Advertisement

In 107 Days, Harris recounted the hours after Biden dropped out of the race and how she called Newsom as part of an effort to get Democrats to rally behind her.

Newsom missed her call and then texted Harris, Hiking. Will call back, Harris recounted.

The governor, who announced his support for her three hours later that day, was seemingly surprised by the account in the book, which he said he had not read.

After the books release he told ConnorEatsPants, a popular video game streamer, in an interview that he texted Harris, who he called a close personal friend for decades, about the comment.

Advertisement Advertisement

But Newsom, cracking up while playing a game on his Nintendo Switch, said Harris replied, On book tour. Get back to you later.

Anyway, thats the relationship, the governor said.

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 The Hill.
Child care provider Heather Murray, right, gives Mandela Barnes, left, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin governor, a tour of her facility, Art House Preschool in Waunakee. Joining them were, second from left, Paula Drew and Kayla Gardner, both from the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. (Photo by Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner)

Wisconsin should make child care universally available, just as public education is, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said Thursday during a child care center visit that was part of the rollout for his campaign for governor.

I support having full, comprehensive, universal childcare, Barnes told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview that followed a round table session with providers, parents and child care policy analysts. I, for sure, hope others understand the urgency of this issue, understand the complexity of it as well, and well be ready to fight tooth and nail to do everything we can to improve the system for our providers, for our parents and most importantly, for the young people, for the students, for our children.

Advertisement Advertisement

The round table took place at the Art House Preschool, a Waunakee child care center.

Barnes is not the first Democratic hopeful in the 2026 race for governor to visit the Art House. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley held a round table on child care issues in November at the same location. And virtually every other active Democratic primary candidate in the governors race mentions affordable child care on their website as a priority of their campaigns.

During his event Thursday, Barnes coupled state funding for child care with his support for better public education funding.

If we arent invested in children, what are we doing as a state? What are we doing as a country? he asked at the start of the nearly hour-long discussion. We need to ensure, one, that our schools, K-12, are fully funded, but also that our children are ready to enter K-12. And that means that early childhood education has support.

Advertisement Advertisement

During most of the session, Barnes refrained from lengthy policy prescriptions and focused instead on questions for the round table participants  asking for both their biggest challenges and their biggest ideas for addressing Wisconsins child care needs.

Direct investment to providers, I believe, would be the best to keep people from closing their doors, said Heather Murray, the owner of Art House, who has been a child care provider for nearly two decades. I like to call it a public good, because I dont believe it can exist without government funding.

Stephanie Frontz is an IT specialist and the mother of four, one of them at Art House. She recently gave birth to infant twins who are slated to be enrolled there.

We need the help there so the state can help pay fair wages, Frontz said. That will ensure child care workers stay, which in turn makes it possible for more parents to work, she added. It impacts my family and the economy if I cant work.

Advertisement Advertisement

Child care providers who have a shortage of teachers reduce the hours that theyre open, said Carly Eaton, a parent whose day job is with an organized labor environmental group.

She understands why, but jobs in construction, manufacturing and especially health care often dont fit in the 7 a.m. to 6 a.m. hours that you may be able to find child care, Eaton said. To hear legislators on a certain side of the aisle talk about the worker shortage and then not do anything about child care just breaks my brain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal relief funds included money designated for child care. In Wisconsin that money went to the Child Care Counts program, which originally distributed $20 million a month to the states child care providers.

The monthly support was later cut in half and extended through mid-2025 after the GOP majority in the Wisconsin Legislature rejected the proposal Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, made in the 2023-25 state budget to continue the subsidy with state funds.

Advertisement Advertisement

Evers again proposed ongoing state funding in the 2025-27 budget. I heard a lot of people say during the last budget cycle, We cant just keep writing checks . It didnt work, said Kayla Gardner, engagement specialist at the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. It actually did  it very much did work.

When the payments were the highest, we had very few closures, said Paula Drew, director of early childhood education policy and research at WECA. It stabilized the field.

When the current budget finally passed in late June, it for the first time included some direct state funding for centers, but just for one year and at a smaller amount than Evers or child care advocates originally sought.

That money helped, said Jenn Bilderback, administrative director of Big Oak Child Care in Madison. But it also came with restrictions that made it less accessible for some providers and it will go away in June 2026.

Advertisement Advertisement

We have to do something thats much more universal and that allows the flexibility for a provider, Bilderback told Barnes.

She said her centers board of directors, most of whom are parents, have supported providing benefits  a rarity for many child care providers  and paying a living wage. We need to do this, but the cost of living in Madison and outside Madison is increasing too high to be able to keep up with that.

Barnes  who along with most Democrats running for elected office in the 2026 cycle has seized on affordability as a campaign theme  responded that the cost of living is top of mind for everybody. But then he turned back to her earlier comments.

You mentioned something more universal, Barnes said. I want you to say the thing out loud. Somebody can say it  universal child care, right?

Advertisement Advertisement

We do dream big, and we do think of all these things, said Gardner. But what we see in return is almost nothing.

Drew said that with turnover among child care teachers, programs are often operating at less than capacity, even as parents have trouble finding care.

We dont necessarily, right now, need new buildings, because weve got 33,000 open spots . . . across the state. We need teachers that can be working in programs to open up those 33,000 spots, Drew said. Weve got the demand, but we also need the supply available in early education.

Katie Licitis, an Art House Preschool teacher, said she first took the job four years ago after she and her husband moved to Wisconsin from Georgia. For the first time, she said, she needed child care after having been a stay-at-home mom until then. But with the turnover that providers are seeing, she asked Barnes, Do you have a plan to retain teachers?

Advertisement Advertisement

You shouldnt have to choose between a job you love and Kwik Trip, as an example, because theyre paying more money, right? Barnes replied. Like, thats an indictment on the way that things have been going. And I think thats a big part of the broader universal child care package. And I dont think people should be shy about wanting universal child care in this state. I think that this is exactly one of those areas that Wisconsin should be a leader in the nation.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
WASHINGTON  Domestic cattle operations have decreased by 17% over the last eight years, but the demand for beef has only grown. Congress wants to change that.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote a letter to top federal officials overseeing wildlife and the agriculture sector, urging them to claw back ranching regulations he says has forced ranchers to reduce their herd counts and pose major complications for the U.S. beef industry. Biggs pressed the officials to undo what he considers extreme environmental rules that have resulted in excessive federal mandates.

I have received troubling reports that cattle ranchers are being forced to reduce their herd counts because of government mandates and orders related to the use of public grazing lands, Biggs wrote in the letter exclusively obtained by the Deseret News. At a time when rebuilding the domestic cattle herd is vital to our food security and rural livelihoods, these mandates are unacceptable. If this is happening, it must stop immediately.

Advertisement Advertisement

The letter comes as beef prices peaked this summer, marking the highest price theyve ever been since data was first collected in the 1980s. Prices have just about doubled in the last 10 years.

Much of that has been caused by smaller herd sizes, paired with the growing demand for beef.

Biggs accused environmental activists of misusing wildlife conservation laws to restrict ranchers and harm their business. Those restrictions while demand is rising, Biggs argues, threatens U.S. food security and job opportunities in rural areas.

The letter cites several environmental protections that restrict how ranchers can use public lands, specifically related to herd grazing  which Biggs argues is actually a helpful practice to combat wildfires, reduce erosion, promote biodiversity, and regenerate soil.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ranchers are not the problem. They are the solution, Biggs wrote. Yet outdated regulations and false claims continue to punish them, while predators such as the Mexican wolf devastate herds under the shield of a misapplied endangered species designation.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., speaks as members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus tell reporters about allegations that the government spies on Americans, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 13, 2024. | J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Biggs pushed the officials to restore grazing access for ranchers and reject radical environmental agendas to strengthen domestic production of beef.

The letter demands that officials in the Department of Agriculture, the Interior Department, the Forest Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service to audit current rules and guidance related to cattle operation and identify which orders harm herd rebuilding. The agencies must then make a plan to fix those regulations and send that plan to Congress.

Biggs did not include a deadline for the audit, but said it must be done in a timely manner. If current restrictions continue, he warned, the U.S. may need to rely on foreign beef production, which he says puts the countrys food security at risk.
Dec. 11Marijuana business owners in Flathead County want to be able to sell and grow their products in one location, but some who live near the businesses don't want to see growing operations next door to their homes.

Jim Roth, owner of First Class Grass, submitted an application to the county seeking to allow indoor grow and cultivation in B-1 business zones. He has operated an indoor growing operation since the end of 2020, before the county began regulating cannabis operations in 2023.

"It wasn't until 2023, it became an issue for me," Roth said.

Advertisement Advertisement

The cultivation, manufacturing and dispensing of marijuana is permitted in zones that allow for agriculture and produce stands.

But the distribution of marijuana is only permitted in business zones. This has put limitations on some marijuana growers who want to save on costs by cultivating and dispensing under one roof.

Flathead County commissioners on Dec. 9 held a public hearing on the proposed zone amendment. Allowing the growing of marijuana in the business zones worried some residents, who pointed out that there are children who visit other nearby businesses.

"I woke up at three o'clock in the morning and I went out and I could smell it. It just permeated that whole area," said Dana Fraley, who lives on Autumn Court, close to the business. "To have kids nearby ... that has to be very unhealthy and hazardous for them."

Advertisement Advertisement

Ryan and Michelle Sanford told commissioners they can occasionally smell marijuana from their home, which they said is less than a quarter of a mile away from Roth's store.

"My three children all know what the smell of marijuana is because of First Class Grass," Ryan said.

However, others said the odor was subtle. Angela DeLuc said her child attends a nearby gymnastics studio, and they barely notice the smell.

"I drive past Mr. Roth's operation multiple times a week," DeLuc said. "I can tell you from firsthand experience that the odor, if it's detectable at all, as you drive past is minimal."

Advertisement Advertisement

Attorney Erin McGarvey, with Rocky Mountain Law, said the zone amendment is a "common sense amendment." Since cannabis growing is permitted in R-1 residential zones, McGarvey said it makes more sense to permit it in zones aligned with business operations.

"It's a great first step in the right direction. It supports a burgeoning industry that gives our state millions of dollars in tax revenue," McGarvey said.

Cannabis sales have 4% state tax on medical marijuana and 20% state tax on recreational marijuana, plus a 3% tax on recreational marijuana goes to the county. Between January 2022 and November 2025, state tax revenue totaled more than $211 million from the cannabis industry, according to the Montana Department of Revenue.

Rick Breckenridge, owner of Breckenridge Surveying and Mapping, said the cannabis industry is a legal business in Montana that should receive equal protection under the law. Proponents of the zone change argue that breweries are allowed to cultivate beer in business zones and that cannabis owners should be granted the same ability.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The wrestling you have to deal with today, I see, is does it give equal protection under the law?" Breckenridge said. "We need these guys to have a fair shake."

In response to the odor marijuana produces, Breckenridge said these types of operations, including the mitigation of odors, are already regulated by the state.

"I know that some of the comments are the noxious odors that this type of industry can produce," Breckenridge said. "Well, we all have that, same in whether it's the mills, with the smell of the kilns, or the feed lots, the smell of the farm and market pork."

The cultivation of marijuana now is permitted in agricultural zones (AG-80, AG-40, AG-20), suburban agricultural zones (SAG-10, SAG-5), rural neighborhoods (R-2.5), residential zones (R-1) and business service districts.

Advertisement Advertisement

County commissioners unanimously voted to table the matter and revisit it at a later date, concluding they needed more time to discuss it.

"I'm not ready to move ahead right now. I mean, if we do, it's going to be pretty convoluted," Commissioner Randy Brodehl said. "This would set a precedent for the future. I don't want to mess this up."

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].
Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, speaks in a video address during the Hong Ting Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng)

JAKARTA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Ting Forum themed "Advance New Frontiers for China-ASEAN Cooperation" was held on Thursday in Jakarta, Indonesia, where participants had in-depth discussions on strengthening China-ASEAN cooperation.

Jointly organized by Xinhua News Agency Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau, the Chinese Mission to ASEAN, Xinhua Institute, and Xinhua Guangxi Bureau, the event brought together nearly 100 participants from governments, academia, businesses and media organizations from China and ASEAN member states.

In a video address, Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, said that initiatives proposed by China, such as cultivating a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, provide important guidance for the steady and long-term development of China-ASEAN cooperation. He stressed that Xinhua News Agency has always been a witness and participant throughout the process of China-ASEAN cooperation.

Taking this forum as an opportunity, Xinhua News Agency will ride the momentum, continue to make unremitting efforts, further elaborate on the visions and guidance put forward by leaders of both China and ASEAN countries, tell vivid stories about China-ASEAN cooperation in various fields, conduct in-depth research on forward-looking and strategic issues concerning regional development, organize more exchange activities between Chinese and ASEAN media and think tanks, amplify the clarion call of the times for building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, and compose a magnificent chapter of China and ASEAN sharing a common future and co-creating a better tomorrow, he noted.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said in a video message that China and ASEAN share one of the most substantive and dynamic partnerships in the region, with China remaining ASEAN's largest trading partner and economic connectivity continuing to deepen between the two sides. He also noted that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol have opened a new chapter in bilateral cooperation.

Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Mission to ASEAN Fu Fengshan called on both sides to accelerate the formation of a new development pattern, jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and use the stability of bilateral cooperation to hedge against uncertainties in international development.

During the forum, Xinhua Institute officially released the Indonesian-language edition of its think-tank report "RCEP and the Vision of the Maritime Silk Road: New Space for China-ASEAN Cooperation," providing new intellectual support for advancing regional cooperation.

The China-ASEAN Media and Think Tank Salon was also held on the sidelines of the forum, attracting representatives from more than 10 media outlets and research institutions across ASEAN countries. 

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn speaks in a video address during the Hong Ting Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng)

Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Mission to ASEAN Fu Fengshan addresses the Hong Ting Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng)
Tyler Robinson finally appeared in person in court for the first time after his arrest for the alleged shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

The 22-year-old, whose attorneys have pushed to ban cameras in the courtroom, arguing media coverage could jeopardize a fair trial, was recorded laughing and smirking, sparking fury online.

Tyler Robinson faces aggravated murder and related charges for the September 10 shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, and could be given the death penalty if found guilty.

Tyler Robinson Seemed Happy At His First In-Person Court Hearing With Family In Attendance

Facebook | Amber Robinson

During his first in-person court appearance on Thursday, lawyers for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, urged the judge to block cameras from future proceedings, a stance sharply opposed by Kirk's widow, Erika, who has demanded full public access.

Advertisement Advertisement

Robinson, 22, entered the Provo courtroom wearing a blue button-down and patterned tie as his legal team argued that recording the hearings could influence potential jurors.

Judge Tony Graf initially permitted limited filming, and more than two hours of the session took place behind closed doors.

Tyler Robinson is SMILING and LAUGHING. SMILING. AND. LAUGHING. He has ZERO remorse for what he did to Charlie. Make it swift.

pic.twitter.com/rgb9nNVp97  Jack (@jackunheard) December 11, 2025

Although Robinson's parents and brother attended the court hearing, they were removed from the private portion, despite the defense's request that they be allowed to stay.

Robinson appeared composed while seated between his attorneys, even sharing quiet jokes with them before proceedings began.

At some point, the alleged killer was seen laughing gently and smirking as he interacted with his legal team, prompting outrage online after clips from the courtroom went viral on X.

Advertisement Advertisement

One angry netizen noted, "Tyler Robinson's smiling in court makes me so angry I can't stand it."

Defense Raises Concerns Over Media Coverage As Court Adjusts Camera Positions During Tyler Robinson Hearing

Facebook | Amber Robinson

Once the hearing reopened, defense lawyer Staci Visser accused the media of violating the court's broadcast rules by allegedly showing Robinson's shackles and picking up audio from the defense table before the hearing officially started.

She argued that these slip-ups jeopardized Robinson's right to a fair trial and requested that cameras be removed for the rest of the day.

"It's our understanding that the shackles are visible and some audio from the counsel table was heard," Visser said. "There has been some filming of computers and materials at counsel's desk  That's entirely inappropriate."

Advertisement Advertisement

The lawyer added that she continued receiving notes that the restraints were visible, even as the camera at that point was trained solely on the judge.

According to the New York Post, Jeff Hunt, representing several media organizations, acknowledged that there had been unintentional errors and apologized, asking the judge not to bar the press entirely.

Judge Graf briefly recessed, ordered the cameras moved to the opposite side of the room away from Robinson, and allowed coverage to continue.

Tyler Robinson Faces Multiple Charges In Charlie Kirk's Fatal Shooting And Could Face The Firing Squad

ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Robinson is charged with fatally shooting the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder on September 10 at Utah Valley University, where Charlie was addressing a crowd of thousands.

Advertisement Advertisement

Charlie died after being struck in the neck, an incident captured from multiple angles on audience cell phones and shared widely online.

Robinson faces aggravated murder and several related charges, including firearms violations, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and committing a violent act in front of a child.

Although he won approval to wear civilian clothing in court, Judge Graf has required him to remain in restraints for safety reasons and instructed the media not to show them.

Erika Kirk Wants The Public To Be Able To See The Man Accused Of Killing Her Husband

Craig Hudson - Pool via CNP / MEGA

The Utah County Sheriff's Office supports the defense's push to ban cameras, but Erika has insisted the public should see the man accused of killing her husband.

Advertisement Advertisement

Robinson was arrested 33 hours after the shooting when his father identified him to authorities after seeing images released online.

Investigators say Robinson admitted to the killing in text messages to his transgender live-in partner and described where he hid the bolt-action rifle used in the attack.

He has yet to enter a plea and could face execution by firing squad if convicted.

Charlie Kirk's Final Book Hits Shelves As Erika Kirk Highlights Its Lasting Message

Instagram | Erika Lane Kirk

Meanwhile, Charlie's newly released book, "Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life," hit shelves earlier this week.

During an interview on "Hannity" Monday night, TPUSA CEO Erika reflected on the project and the message her husband hoped would resonate with readers of any faith tradition.

Advertisement Advertisement

"He did not just write this book," she told host Sean Hannity, per Fox News. "He lived it."

Winning Team Publishing described the late activist as "fiercely proud" of the manuscript, which he completed only a month before the September 10 shooting at Utah Valley University.

The book urges people to reclaim the Sabbath as a time of rest, stillness, and intentional connection.

Erika explained that her husband believed unplugging from nonstop work and screens allowed families to reconnect in ways that truly mattered.

"In this book, Charlie talks about how important it is  to put your phone down, engage with your family. Pour into them. That's your legacy," she said.

She added that observing the Sabbath had a profound effect on their home life and made him a "next-level husband."
CHICAGO  A federal appeals court in Chicago issued a mixed opinion Thursday in a high-profile immigration case, blocking the immediate release of hundreds of people detained during Operation Midway Blitz, but allowing the extension of a consent decree governing so-called warrantless arrests.

The 2-1 split opinion from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings overstepped his authority in ordering the release of people arrested with I-200 warrants that agents filled out in the field.

The appeals court said Cummings also erred in issuing a blanket order granting bond to other detainees whod been arrested without judicially approved warrants, saying that each individual needed to be assessed for potential danger to the community.

Advertisement Advertisement

After all, this is not the bargain the Defendants agreed to, and the Consent Decree carefully maps out what the district judge can or cannot order, balancing Defendants immigration enforcement responsibilities  and the need to maintain public safety, the majority opinion stated.

The appellate ruling did, however, find that the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump had improperly categorized all immigration arrestees as subject to mandatory detention, regardless of their individual circumstances or lack of criminal background.

And, in upholding the extension of the consent decree until February, the majority opinion said Cummings cited multiple instances where (immigration officials) had failed to comply with the Consent Decree while making warrantless arrests and also relied on the unilateral proclamation by a DHS senior official  that DHS would no longer comply with the Consent Decree, referring to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Accordingly, we cannot say that the district court abused its discretion when finding that Defendants substantial non-compliance with the Consent Decree constituted a significant change in circumstances that warranted a modification, the majority opinion stated.

Advertisement Advertisement

The appeals court agreed to stay its order on the consent decree extension to allow the administration of President Donald Trump to file an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court.

The third member of the panel, Judge Thomas Kirsch II, dissented, saying Cummings went well beyond his authority in his release order and in extending the consent decree, which he said essentially dictates how the executive branch should enforce the nations immigration laws.

It was wrong about how much flexibility the executive branch is due when it gives up enforcement authority to the judiciary, Kirsch wrote.

Mark Fleming, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Chicago Tribune on Thursday they were most disappointed the appeals court reversed the interim relief provided by Cummings.

Advertisement Advertisement

Fleming said the government has been dragging its feet for months on producing the records as the court ordered, while hundreds of arrestees continue to be held in squalid detention facilities around the country and are quickly losing hope.

We will go back to the district court and fight hard to get that adjudicated as quickly as possible, said Fleming, of the National Immigrant Justice Center. Because they deserve it.

Fleming also said the 7th Circuits opinion is the first time an appeals court has ruled Trump administration is wrong on the treatment of all immigration arrestees as subject to mandatory detention.

The ruling comes nearly a month after Cummings ordered the release of hundreds of detainees  the vast majority arrested during Operation Midway Blitz  on a $1,500 bond and some form of monitoring, including electronic ankle monitors, pending the outcome of their immigration proceedings.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Trump administration, meanwhile, immediately asked for a stay from the 7th Circuit, arguing Cummings made a bevy of legal errors that put public safety at risk and cripple immigration enforcement.

At issue is a 2022 consent decree known as the Castanon Nava agreement, which bars agents from making warrantless immigration arrests unless they have probable cause to believe someone is in the U.S. unlawfully and that the person is a flight risk.

It was originally supposed to sunset in March. Instead, after the second Trump administration began ramping up immigration enforcement efforts in January, lawyers for the National Immigrant Justice Center and ACLU alleged dozens of violations, mostly involving collateral arrests, or the detaining of individuals who are not targets.

In his Oct. 7 order extending the consent decree until February, Cummings said Immigration and Customs Enforcement had improperly told its field offices over the summer that the consent decree had been canceled. He also called into question the recent immigration raid on an apartment building in the South Shore neighborhood, where agents in military gear burst through doors and zip-tied residents regardless of citizenship.

Advertisement Advertisement

Cummings also took particular issue with a practice by ICE agents of carrying blank I-200 warrant forms with them on missions and filling them out at the scene.

U.S. Department of Justice attorney Benjamin Hayes said the government was seeking a stay on both the extension of the consent decree as well as Cummings release order pending a full appeal.

The 7th Circuit panel that heard the case included Kirsch, a Trump nominee who previously served as U.S. attorney in Hammond, as well as a pair of Democrat-nominated judges: John Lee, a President Barack Obama nominee, and Doris Pryor, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022.

During oral arguments last week, Lee said he found the Castanon Nava case unique because the Trump administration seemed to be arguing that the district court should not enforce a consent decree that the government entered into eyes wide open.

Advertisement Advertisement

The court is not kind of making things up on its own, Lee said.

Lee cited a PowerPoint presentation disclosed during the litigation showing agents were being instructed to go out with blank I-200 (warrants) to get around the requirements of the consent decree.

Where is the line between operating in good faith and trying to duck a court order, Lee asked.

It seems to me odd that the government  whoever has the White House at the time  can just say, Oh, well, I think this sheet of paper is good enough, Lee said.

Toward the end of the 45-minute session, Kirsch asked Keren Zwick, the plaintiffs attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center, whether issuing a stay of the consent decree extension would automatically trigger a stay on the release order as well.

I think youre probably right, Zwick acknowledged.
The Trump administration is possibly facing a "dilemma" as tensions between China and Japan intensify, one Chinese analyst has suggested, while another noted that any breakthrough in the diplomatic dispute still hinged on direct engagement between the two Asian neighbours.

This week, the downward spiral in ties between China and Japan showed no signs of easing.

Beijing issued another travel warning targeting Japan on Thursday - less than four weeks after its previous advisory - this time citing Monday's 7.5-magnitude earthquake off the island nation's northeastern coast.

Advertisement Advertisement

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.

Also on Thursday, Tokyo confirmed that its fighter jets had flown over the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, the previous day alongside US nuclear-capable bombers, following a joint patrol by Chinese and Russian aircraft near Japanese airspace.

In a statement, the Japanese defence ministry said: 'Through this training, Japan and the United States reaffirmed their strong resolve to prevent any unilateral change to the status quo by force, confirmed the readiness of the Self-Defence Forces and the US military and further strengthened the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance."

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday voiced hope that she would meet her US counterpart again amid Tokyo's high tensions with Beijing.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I am happy to visit Washington, or it is also fine if [US] President [Donald] Trump travels abroad somewhere, I would like to meet as soon as possible," Takaichi told a session of Japan's parliament.

However, the White House has appeared to keep its distance as China-Japan relations have plummeted, with neither the American leader nor his cabinet officials offering public support to Tokyo, one of Washington's closest allies.

Lian Degui, director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, said he thought Takaichi was "putting Trump in a difficult position".

"It's hard to tell how Trump will crack this dilemma - it's tough to predict [Washington's next move]," he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

America's overall strategy was still to "use Japan as a pawn in the western Pacific", he added, describing the region as strategically crucial.

Noting that Trump had "finally managed to sign a trade agreement with China" and was preparing for a visit to Beijing next April, Lian said the American leader "cannot afford to damage the US-China relationship that he worked so hard to stabilise".

Washington now faces difficulties taking a decisive step amid the diplomatic tensions as it seeks not to provoke either China or Japan, he added.

But according to Fan Ben, a postdoctoral fellow with the Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong, the US, as Japan's close ally, "does have influence in areas such as policy communication and crisis management".

Advertisement Advertisement

That said, "the stability of China-Japan relations does not depend solely on a third party", Fan said, saying it was "grounded more in the two sides" themselves.

Ties between Beijing and Tokyo deteriorated following Takaichi's November 7 remarks to Japan's parliament that a People's Liberation Army attack on Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan - a designation that could allow the deployment of Japanese troops.

The two sides have also traded barbs in recent days over a stand-off between their fighter jets near Okinawa during Chinese training exercises on Saturday involving the aircraft carrier Liaoning.

Last month, just hours after a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump reportedly urged Takaichi by phone to dial down her rhetoric on Taiwan and avoid further friction with Beijing.

Advertisement Advertisement

That came as Washington and Beijing worked to steady ties ahead of planned visits by Trump and Xi next year, following their trade war truce.

Still, Washington's ambassador to Tokyo, George Glass, on Wednesday took to social media to post English and Japanese images of a US State Department spokesperson's remarks backing Japan in the fighter jets stand-off.

"China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability," the spokesperson was quoted as saying. "The US-Japan alliance is stronger and more united than ever. Our commitment to our ally Japan is unwavering, and we are in close contact on this and other issues."

And on Monday, two US Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Trump urging him to give Japan "greater support" in dealing with China.

Advertisement Advertisement

Meanwhile, Tetsuo Saito, leader of Japan's former ruling coalition partner Komeito, said he recently held a face-to-face meeting and multiple phone calls with China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, according to Bloomberg on Thursday.

Saito stated there had been no change in Japan's national policy, to which the Chinese side responded that "this alone is insufficient", Bloomberg reported.

Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi meets German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Beijing on Monday. Photo: dpa alt=Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi meets German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Beijing on Monday. Photo: dpa>

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

Advertisement Advertisement

Mainland Chinese authorities have repeatedly urged Takaichi to retract her November 7 comments on Taiwan and to fully restate Japan's position as outlined in a 1972 document when Tokyo switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

The Japanese leader has remained reluctant to do so, even as she has softened her tone in recent weeks.

Amid the friction, both China and Japan have recently stepped up diplomatic efforts on the international stage to drum up support from other countries.

Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian, French and German counterparts in recent weeks, while Japanese defence chief Shinjiro Koizumi held virtual meetings on Wednesday with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto and Nato chief Mark Rutte.

Advertisement Advertisement

Lian at Shanghai International Studies University said Beijing would maintain a firm stance on the matter. He said a change could come if, "under US persuasion, Japan might adjust its position".

Fan at HKU said "both historical and current dynamics show that direct and constructive communication and understanding between China and Japan are the fundamental elements of long-term stable relations".

"External actors can create opportunities and offer support, but genuine easing and consolidation still require both sides to engage in dialogue and cooperation."

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.
China-US freight shipping rates stabilize at lower levels as December bookings slow

This week, global trade policy saw several notable developments suggesting a turning point in how major economies manage supply chains, resource dependencies, and trade imbalances.

The EUs push to reduce dependency on Chinese raw materials and Chinas simultaneous move to streamline rare-earth exports reflect a recalibration of trade flows, away from old dependencies and toward diversification and resilience. Meanwhile, Chinas ability to hit a $1 trillion surplus despite shrinking exports to the U.S. underscores the shifting geography of global trade: Chinese exporters are finding demand in other regions even amid Western tariff pressure.

On the U.S. side, domestic politics and social pressures over tariff impacts, especially on agriculture, are leading to compensatory relief packages, highlighting the real-world costs of trade policy decisions. Overall, the week illustrates how businesses, governments, and economic blocs are all trying to navigate a fragmented, volatile trade environment, balancing strategic interests, resource security, and economic stability.

This Weeks Ocean, Air & Freight Markets

China-US Ocean Freight Market:

CEA to USWC: According to Freight Rights TrueFreight Index (TFX), spot levels attempted to firm this week on the back of carrier-driven micro-GRIs, but actual shipper-level deals in TFX remained close to late-November floors. Week over week, TFX is tracking the average spot freight rate down ~15% from China to USWC and around 16% from China to USEC. Month over month, USWC's rate has fallen by almost 24%.

Advertisement Advertisement

CEA to USEC: A similar pattern played out on the USEC. Carriers pushed small December increases, but muted demand and ample capacity limited traction. Week over week, TFX benchmarks decreased but remain within the tight, low-volatility band established after Novembers sharp correction.

Freight Rights TrueFreight Index (TFX)

Top: a snapshot of Freight Rights TrueFreight Index (TFX) for China to U.S. West Coast and U.S. East Coast. Bottom: Chart reight rate fluctuations monthly in 2025 comparing U.S. West Coast and U.S. East Coast - Freight Right Global Logistics

Chart comparing freight rate fluctuations monthy between 2023, 2024 and 2025 for China to U.S. West Coast. - Freight Right Global Logistics

Chart comparing freight rate fluctuations monthly between 2023, 2024 and 2025 for China to U.S. East Coast. - Freight Right Global Logistics



This Week, Explained:

Demand is losing momentum heading into year-end: Theres a clear pullback in December booking activity. Many importers already front-loaded earlier in the year due to tariff uncertainty and arent replenishing heavily right now. Combined with a broader cooling in consumer-driven shipments, the final weeks of the year are shaping up quieter than normal. When demand softens this sharply, GRIs tend to have limited staying power.

The late-November rate collapse is still influencing market behavior: Spot levels fell hard at the end of November, particularly on the transpacific. Even though carriers have launched fresh GRIs this month, the market is still digesting that correction. We can see it in the way rates respond: they may jump briefly at the start of a GRI but will quickly slide back as soon as carriers need to fill space. The market is acting like its trying to find a new stable floor rather than climbing into a sustained uptrend.

Carriers are attempting smaller, more frequent GRIs, but shippers are resisting: Instead of pushing large, occasional increases, carriers this month are introducing smaller, more frequent bumps aimed at being easier for the market to accept. But when examining actual transactional levels, they show resistance. Many shippers are negotiating rates back down toward pre-GRI levels, especially on the West Coast, where competition among carriers is strongest.

Overcapacity continues to undermine pricing: The market remains in a structural oversupply environment. Even with some routing disruptions elsewhere in the world, there is more vessel capacity in the market than needed for current trade volumes. As long as this imbalance persists, carriers struggle to maintain rate increases, no matter how often GRIs are announced. This weeks rate of softness is another reflection of that persistent overcapacity.

Europe is steadier than the U.S., but not enough to lift the broader market: Demand into Europe is holding up better than into North America, and rates there have been comparatively more stable. But stability in one region isnt enough to offset the weakness observed on the transpacific, which remains the primary global pressure point. The transpacific continues to drag on overall market sentiment and pricing.

Looking Ahead:

For the rest of December, expect continued micro-GRIs into the second half of December as carriers position for January contracting and bunker adjustments. Given soft fundamentals and still-elevated capacity, TFX CEA to USWC and CEA to USEC rates should trade sideways with mild upward bias, rather than showing any extended rally.

Advertisement Advertisement

From early January onward, Carriers are likely to attempt another early-January increase. A short-lived lift as post-holiday restocking and early Chinese New Year bookings coincide with blank sailings; quick normalization is anticipated once those orders clear and importers resume conservative ordering patterns.

By late February (Chinese New Year), expect firmer space and mildly rising spot levels. Post-Chinese New Year, with U.S. and EU inventories not significantly depleted, the market is likely to revert back toward current TFX levels or slightly lower unless carriers coordinate material capacity withdrawals.

This story was produced by Freight Right Global Logistics and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
Chinas persecution of ethnic Muslim minorities continues apace, a new report says, as authorities in the far-western Xinjiang region continue to expand coercive state-led programs that involve moving Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic groups from their traditional rural homesteads to factories elsewhere in the country, often resulting in the seizure of their land for state-run cooperatives and developers in the process.

The finding, part of the Congressional-Executive Commission on Chinas most recent annual report, published Wednesday, lays bare how the Chinese Communist Party keeps breaking its wordto its own people and to the world, said Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska who also serves as chair of the independent U.S. government agency, which has monitored human rights and rule-of-law developments in China since 2020.

More from Sourcing Journal

Advertisement Advertisement

Beijing signs human rights conventions, promises autonomy for Hong Kong and Tibet, and pledges to play by global trade rules, then jails dissidents, runs forced-labor factories and illegal fishing fleets, and even dispatches agents to stalk and threaten people on American soil, he said.

The report criticizes Beijing for signing treaties and conventions on human rights, labor and trade, then ignoring its obligations in practice, including by replacing its promises of allowing Uyghurs their autonomy with mass detentions and omnipresent surveillance to advance Han Chinese ethnic chauvinism.

It said that the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a paramilitary organization that has been sanctioned by the U.S. government, uses and distributes Uyghur forced labor throughout China, contaminating global supply chains that not only sustain serious human rights abuses but also create unfair competitive advantage for imports entering markets such as the United States.

Sadly, the Peoples Republic of China under the Communist Party has proven time and again that it seeks hegemony in order to impose the same tyranny it afflicts its own citizens with upon the rest of the world, said Representative Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey and co-chair of the CECC. China is not a responsible member of the community of nations, for it is run by the Communist Party for the benefit of the Communist Partya party state which does not honor the treaties to which it is a state party.

Advertisement Advertisement

Smith called China more than simply a strategic rival to the United States and the rest of the free world. Instead, he said, its a systemic rival that seeks to undo the stable international order by utilizing forced labor, stealing intellectual property and massively subsidizing state-owned enterprises in defiance of World Trade Organization mores and rules-based order.

Beijing has denied the worst of the allegations, such as torture, organ harvesting and forced sterilization, framing them as smears and lies by so-called anti-China forces. Officials have said that its ethnic minority policies are designed to alleviate poverty and mitigate the temptation of religious extremism through steady employment.

Human rights groups say, however, that China detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in internment camps from 2017 to 2019. When the camps closed due to international pressure, more than half a million were sent to prison instead. Other graduates from indoctrination programs were dispatched to low-paying, menial jobs in provinces far from Xinjiang.

On Wednesday, which was also Human Rights Day, the Delegation of the European Union to the Peoples Republic of China released a statement saying that the overall human rights situation in China showed no substantive sign of improvement. The EU, it said, remains deeply concerned about the systemic and severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms and the right of minorities to enjoy their own culture and use their own language, both in public and in private. The delegation cited an assessment by the United Nations human rights office that indicated that serious human rights violations in Xinjiang may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.

Advertisement Advertisement

The EU remains deeply troubled by continuing reports of forced labour and stateimposed labour transfer schemes involving Uyghurs both within Xinjiang and to other provinces, it added.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said that Beijing attaches great importance to promoting and protecting human rights, and has found the path of human rights development that reflects the trend of the times and fits our national realities.

China has made historic progress in the human rights cause, he added in response to the EU delegations remarks. It is a simple fact that anyone without bias can see. The EU turned a blind eye to its own problems while making irresponsible accusations against other countries. However, the world is not blind to hypocrisy and double standards.

The CECC is urging the Trump administration to confront forced labor in supply chains by strengthening enforcement of the nearly four-year-old Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which imposes a rebuttable presumption that all goods made wholly or in part from Xinjiang are the products of forced labor and therefore barred from entering the United States.

Advertisement Advertisement

Both the number and value of shipments detained by Customs and Border Protection have fallen to unprecedentedly low figures, a recent analysis shows, raising questions about the mechanisms ongoing effectiveness and the strength of the current administrations political will.

Thats not to say there havent been any moves to improve enforcement. Last week, Kharon said that it was expanding its agreement with CBP to use its global risk analytics platform to facilitate the agencys enforcement of the UFLPA and other customs laws. A month before, Exiger, an AI-powered supply chain management technology platform, announced that it had been awarded an exclusive, multi-million-dollar and first-of-its-kind contract by CBP to tackle the laundering of goods through third countries, whether due to better tariff rates or to obscure forced labor origins.

At a conference held by Cornell Universitys ILR Global Labor Institute under the Chatham House rule in New York City earlier this month, one expert called the UFLPA a battering ram of a law, adding that it was important to maintain the pressure and keep interrogating.

Forced labor import bans in general are not a method of first resort, right? this person said. Many of the people in this room work on the ground with companies all over the world, trying to get them to lift up the voices of workers and change practices. When a forced labor import ban kicks in, its when those practices havent worked, when the suppliers keep denying wages or keep participating in labor programs, or in cases of state-imposed forced labor, where we cant get something to change because the government is hovering over it.

Advertisement Advertisement

Among the reports recommendations is for Congress to authorize funding for the enhanced adoption of DNAorigin testing, isotopic analysis, blockchain supplychain mapping and machinelearning. It should also hold UFLPA oversight hearings with Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force agencies to ensure ongoing visibility into forced labor enforcement resource allocations, stakeholder engagement, enforcement priorities, Entity List expansion, staffing and petition responses.

The Trump administration, the CECC added, should use congressionally appropriated funds to assist with UFLPA Entity List targeting, including the creation of a database, secure compartmented information facility system updates and other contract support. It must promote the global adoption of UFLPA-style measures in bilateral and multilateral forums such as the Group of Seven, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and aggressively add companies, government bodies, and trade intermediaries with verifiable links to Uyghur forced labor to the Entity List, which at present comprises 144 names.

At the same time, the report said, fast fashion retailers need to be sent a clear message by requiring companies like Shein and Temu, if vertically integrated in manufacturing, sourcing or warehousing, to clarify their legal obligations and potential liabilities related to forced labor.

A 2023 House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party previously denounced Temu for doing next to nothing to keep its supply chains free of forced labor because it hadnt expressly prohibited its tens of thousands of third-party sellers from selling products originating from Xinjiang. Sheins products have turned up traces of Xinjiang cotton in the past. Stop Uyghur Genocide, an advocacy group, also included the e-tailers alleged ties to a Guangdong-based industrial park with potential connections to the Uyghur region in a dossier of evidence that it gave to Britains Financial Conduct Authority when Shein was pursuing a London IPO. Both companies insist that forced labor goes against their codes of conduct.

This report doesnt just catalogue those abuses; it gives Congress, the administration and our allies a blueprint to stand with victims of atrocities, defend our workers and supply chainsincluding our fishing and seafood industriesfrom slave labor, and make sure the Chinese Communist Party, not American families, pays the price for Beijings broken promises, Sullivan said.
Charles Chuck Goodheart, who died Nov. 29 in a car accident, is being remembered for the enduring legacy hes left Tallahassee: A network of nature trails that would be the envy of most cities. He was 75.

Goodheart worked for the city for 30 years and helped in the planning and creation of biking, hiking and equestrian trials throughout the region and beyond. Though retired, he still worked as a park and trail consultant and helped guide those whove replaced him to ensure residents and visitors alike can enjoy his work for generations to come.

Chuck Goodheart, who worked for the city for 30 years, died in a crash on Nov. 29, 2025.

The crash that took his life happened near Lake Jackson, when his vehicle  for an unknown reason  crossed the median and crashed into the massive structure built to protect turtles who used to routinely cross Route 27 from the lake to wetlands on the other side.

Advertisement Advertisement

It also left his daughter Megan, 43, clinging to life. She remains in intensive care at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Her family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with medical expenses.

A car crash killed Charles Goodheart and sent his daughter, Megan Goodheart, to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on Nov. 29, 2025.

The vast majority of the reason we have such an awesome trail system in Tallahassee is because of Chuck, said J.D. Ritter, 50, who was a skateboarder in the mid-1980s before he and friends turned to off-road biking. Chuck was a friend. He knew a lot of us.

In the early days of off-road biking in the city, riders were more than a bit rogue. Ritter and friends would blaze their own paths wherever there wasnt pavement  old railroad tracks, drainage ditches and through private woodlands.

Pretty much we were all hammerheads, Ritter said. Most of the folks were outcast kind of people. We were outdoorsy people and like skaters and stuff.

Advertisement Advertisement

Goodheart was not only instrumental in helping develop trails, but also in reaching compromises with landowners and mountain bikers to resolve trespassing issues. He also developed the network so anyone could enjoy them, not just the hammerheads.

He wasnt really built to ride, but he wanted to make it so that anybody like him could say, Hey, Im going to go out and get a bike and go out and try to ride this weekend and Wow, look how well this trails maintained. Its easy to ride.' 

Chuck Goodheart, left, compliments City of Tallahassee employee Terrye Richardson, center, and introduces her to Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox, right, at a Tallahassee Walk About event at San Luis Mission Park in Tallahassee on Saturday, July 6, 2013.

In interviews with more than a half dozen friends, family members and colleagues, he was described as someone, appropriately, with a good heart, a caring soul, a sense of humor and a unique ability to listen intently and think thoughtfully before sharing his own opinion.

He didnt see trail projects as carrying out his vision, but rather helping others achieve their vision, including equestrians who needed help with their trials.

Advertisement Advertisement

For equestrians, he was very, very considerate, said Sue Noyes, vice president of the Southern Trailriders Association. We use multiple-use trails, but also just like bicyclists, we like to have trails just for us  single track trails through the woods so we feel like were really in nature.

Among the many projects he worked on are the Piney Z Lake restoration, creating trails in Tom Brown Park and at the Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park on the shores of Lake Jackson. He also helped with the revamping of the Munson Hills Off-Road Bike Trail in the Apalachicola National Forest.

Chuck Goodheart and his daughter, Megan. He was killed and his daughter seriously injured in a traffic crash Nov. 29, 2025.

That thing used to be a sand pit. It was not easy to access for a lot of people, said Marc Tellechea, an avid mountain biker and a friend of the Goodheart family. It brought life back into that place.

Goodheart loved nature, but as his oldest son Nick said in a phone interview, he wasnt an environmental extremist.

Advertisement Advertisement

He wanted to bring everybody to the table to come up with a plan that would work for everybody, he said. He knew he couldnt stop development, but he could slow it down and put a plan in place to preserve the beauty we have in Tallahassee.

While retired Goodheart stayed active. He loved to fish, he planted a fruit grove at his home in Woodville, was an accomplished carpenter and was looking into starting an oyster farm near St. Marks before his death.

He always had to be doing something. He never watched TV, Nick Goodheart said. He was like a friend more than a father  He wouldnt want people to be sad. He wants people to move forward and carry on. Theres plenty of work left to do.

And he still loved getting on a bike.

Advertisement Advertisement

He got an e-bike, a pretty nice, specialized mountain bike. He would still ride as much as he could, said his youngest son, Matthew.

Chuck Goodheart was instrumental in developing hiking and biking trails in Tallahassee parks and later became an e-bike rider. He died in a car crash on Nov. 29, 2025.

Both Matthew and Nick Goodheart recalled times as children hiking trails with their father and having him point out different plants. He always wanted to keep learning and help others.

Michael Hall worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission when he first met Goodheart in the mid 1990s. Though working for different agencies, they collaborated on the Piney Z Lake restoration.

Not only did they work together to create something special for Tallahassee, but they became lifelong friends.

Advertisement Advertisement

Hall spoke to Goodheart on the morning he died. The conversation? It was partly about when they were going to go fishing again, and his grandchildren and, well, life.

It was also about Tallahassees trails and how they could improve them and how they, as the old men who established so much, could make sure the younger folks who replaced them could keep making a great thing better.

As old guys, we wanted to embrace the young generation and say, This is how we did it in the old days, Hall said. We were saying You can make your mark and trying to figure out how to help the new people.

But beyond the trails, he was a friend, father and a lover of life. Especially outdoor life.

Advertisement Advertisement

When he would drive up in his Suburban, he would often have a kayak on the roof, and a bicycle attached at the same time, Hall said. He was built for fun.

A memorial service at Piney Z is being planned.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Chuck Goodheart leaves legacy of nature Trails in Tallahassee
KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight, Indiana Republicans just handed President Trump one of his biggest defeats yet. Why they defied him, and how the President is responding tonight inside the Oval Office.

Im Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.

As we come on the air tonight, theres really no other way to put it. President Trumps pressure campaign has failed.

In Indiana, a state that he won by nearly 20 points, last November, the Presidents party just rejected his call to create two more Republican-friendly seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives. Two seats that could have helped the Republicans hold on to the majority in next years midterm elections.

But those hopes have been dashed, this evening. And when we look at the count here, it wasnt even really that close. More Republicans actually voted against this than they did vote for it.

Its just one of a slew of states that weve seen, across the country, where the President has tried to use his influence, which at times, as we know, can be vast, to protect the last two years of his presidency from a Democratic House. That means investigations, subpoenas, hearings, with his Cabinet up on Capitol Hill.

But despite his push for this to happen in Indiana tonight, this is what he said tonight in the Oval Office, in reaction to a rejection of what he had been urging Republicans there to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I wasnt working on it very hard. Would have been nice, I think we would have picked up two seats, if we did that. You had one gentleman, the head of the Senate, I guess, Bray, whatever his name is, I heard he was against it. Hell probably lose his next primary, whenever that is. I hope he does, because hes done a tremendous disservice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Rodric Bray, who the President was referencing there, hes the states Senate Republican leader. But hes not up for reelection, actually, until 2028.

Now, while the President wasnt in Indianapolis, and as he downplayed his own efforts here, his presence and what he wanted the outcome of this to be, was certainly felt during the debate.
In Colorado, full-time workers need to earn an hourly wage of at least $36.79 to afford $2,000 in monthly rent, which is below the federal fair market rate for a Denver-area two-bedroom unit.

More than 87% of low-income Coloradans spend more than one-third of their pretax income on housing  a common benchmark for housing affordability. High costs of housing, child care and transportation in Colorado are key drivers of a statewide cost of living that is 12% above the national average.

For many Coloradans, a few hundred extra dollars a month would go a long way. Yet today, the U.S. safety net appears more tenuous than ever and is unlikely to meet all their needs.

Advertisement Advertisement

Nationally, over the 43-day government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, 2025, 1.4 million federal workers went without paychecks. More than 150,000 jobs were cut in the U.S. private sector in October alone.

As layoffs increase, fewer people are being hired into new positions. At the same time, the federal government shutdown put families receiving federal food assistance on an emotional roller coaster as aid was promised and then pulled away.

This recent federal funding uncertainty has resurfaced the idea of state or local programs that give people money without any strings attached.

Rise of guaranteed income programs

First proposed nationally during the Nixon administration in the 1970s, guaranteed income programs have grown more popular in the U.S.

Advertisement Advertisement

The concept got a big boost when entrepreneur Andrew Yang proposed a $1,000 monthly stipend during his bid for the Democratic Partys presidential nomination. Yangs proposal called for giving all Americans money to help them deal with economic problems brought on by job losses tied to automation and new technologies.

In Colorado, both Boulder and Denver have piloted guaranteed income programs. In both cases the programs were studied using rigorous randomized-control trial research designs.

We are an academic research team comprised of a social scientist with a background in economic analysis, a social work scholar who studies policy approaches to reducing health and wealth disparities, and an urban planning scholar with expertise in state and local policy.

We were contracted to provide an independent evaluation and cost assessment of administering a statewide cash assistance program for Coloradans. Our estimates include projections for population changes, such as the aging workforce, and three tiers of support: from low, $25 per month, to medium, $100 per month, to high, $500 per month.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rolling out a state government program that gives everyone money would be expensive, so we also estimated what it would cost to introduce a program just for the lowest-income Coloradans.

What are guaranteed income programs?

Guaranteed income programs are policies that support a population by giving people money on a regular basis  regardless of their income. Theyre called universal basic income programs.

More common in practice are cash dividends. Dividends offer cash assistance to a qualifying group or segment of the population, such as people below a certain income or with a qualifying disability. An example of this is Michigans Rx Kids Program, which provides cash assistance for pregnant people, new parents and babies.

Guaranteed income programs can be administered at the neighborhood, city or state level. Programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Richmond, California; and Baltimore have all shown efficacy in targeting the needs of local communities.

Advertisement Advertisement

For example, people who were enrolled in the Rise Up Cambridge program became more likely to be employed, get enough to eat and have housing  while making more money  than those who didnt get cash assistance.

Most cash assistance programs have succeeded. Research by GiveDirectly and the Stanford Basic Income Project likewise find that beneficiaries of cash assistance programs are more likely to get involved in their local communities.

These programs can support people who have lost their jobs or are experiencing health crises. In Colorado, a statewide guaranteed income program could help low-income Coloradans facing high housing and child care costs.

Similarly, the program could help Colorados growing population of older people with fixed incomes.

Advertisement Advertisement

It could also address fears that the rise of artificial intelligence will cause job losses and result in lower wages for many workers. Columbia Business School researchers have predicted a 5% decline in how much of the countrys total economic output goes to workers wages due to artificial intelligence.

Program, not panacea

While guaranteed income programs can help the people who get money from them, they are complicated, expensive and hard to administer.

Administering a guaranteed income program requires massive capacity to deploy and manage. The state would have to facilitate enrollment, keep mailing addresses or bank information updated and supervise transfers for more than 5 million Coloradans every single month. Some of this data may already exist at state agencies, but no one agency has all of this information at its disposal.

For instance, only 80% of adults, roughly 3.3 million people, in Colorado filed a tax return in 2023; only 175,000 workers filed a Family and Medical Leave Insurance claim in 2024; and just about 1 million adults are enrolled in Health First Colorado, the states Medicaid program. Even merging data across these agencies  an effort that is underway but is just getting started  would miss some households across the state.

It would cost more than half of Colorados annual general fund to give $100 a month to every Coloradan as part of a statewide income program. Jan Butchofsky/GettyImages

In a world of finite budgets, a statewide universal program would have to be smaller per person, limiting its benefits. Giving all Colorado residents $100 per month would cost more than $7 billion each year. Thats more than half of Colorados annual general fund. However, it would cost half as much  $3.3. billion  to provide $500 per month to the 554,000 Coloradans who are below the federal poverty line, which is $32,150 for a family of five.

Advertisement Advertisement

Finding this money within the state budget could require cutting spending elsewhere  potentially from other state-funded programs that benefit low-income families.

Trade-offs for policymakers

If federal food assistance, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is disrupted again, either by more funding freezes or new changes in eligibility rules, a statewide supportive assistance program could help offset the impact.

In 2024, the average American getting SNAP benefits received $6.11 per day, or less than $200 a month. One in 10 Coloradans, 584,500 people, receive SNAP benefits.

However, a guaranteed income program might risk pushing some households income above the eligibility cutoff for programs like SNAP  creating unintended consequences that harm household welfare. Its unclear whether assistance from a basic income program would count as reportable income.

Advertisement Advertisement

Where AI-driven job loss is concerned, guaranteed income programs could smooth transitions for laid-off workers needing to upskill or move industries. However, guaranteed income programs are not likely to be sufficient in scope or generous enough to cushion workers from a potential restructuring of the labor market, which may have already begun.

Assessing public support

Given the high costs of creating a statewide guaranteed income program for Colorado, getting substantial public buy-in would be necessary.

In 2025, Colorado voters passed legislation to fund a free lunch program for all students regardless of family income. Helen H. Richardson/GettyImages

Recent election results, in which voters approved a new tax to fund free school meals for all students, suggest that Coloradans can support programs that help the most vulnerable families.

A recent privately funded poll in Colorado, which was informed by our evaluations estimates, found that 56% of voters would support a monthly $500 payment for all new parents, people experiencing homelessness, and low-income households. The poll found that Coloradans were less likely to support a program providing a smaller stipend to all Coloradans, regardless of their income.

Advertisement Advertisement

Taken together, these polling results suggest that many Coloradans would support some form of need-based income assistance. However, the price of operating any statewide guaranteed income program could give them sticker shock.

Read more of our stories about Colorado.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Jennifer C. Greenfield, University of Denver; Kaitlyn M. Sims, University of Denver; Institute for Humane Studies, and Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, University of Denver

Read more:



Advertisement Advertisement

Jennifer C. Greenfield was hired by Thinking Forward, LLC and the Denver Basic Income Project as a consultant to provide cost estimates and analysis of a potential cash dividend program in Colorado, as described in this article.

Kaitlyn M. Sims receives funding from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, the Arnold Ventures Foundation, and the Institute for Humane Studies. She was contracted by Thinking Forward, LLC, and the Denver Basic Income Project to provide a cost-benefit assessment of a statewide cash dividend for the state of Colorado.

Stefan Chavez-Norgaard was contracted by Thinking Forward, LLC, to provide a cost-benefit analysis and broad assessment of a statewide cash dividend program for the State of Colorado. He has also connected with organizations mentioned in this article, including the Denver Basic Income Project (DBIP) and the Fund 4 Guaranteed Income, supporter of the Compton Pledge.
DORAL, FL  In a sunny courtyard on a stage framed by palm trees, the U.S. military commander who has overseen strikes on nearly two dozen boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific relinquished his position in a Friday, Dec. 12, ceremony, amid rumors he clashed with the Trump administration and its deadly counternarcotics operations.

The departure of Adm. Alvin Holsey after barely a year on a job that most stay in for several years has fed suspicions about behind-the-scenes tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the boat strikes and a possible brewing U.S. attack on Venezuela.

As commander of Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees U.S. military operations in Latin America, Holsey has presided over the Trump administration's killing of at least 87 people it alleges were engaged in drug trafficking on boats traversing international waters.

Sept. 15, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a boat allegedly trafficking drugs in the Caribbean Sea. Sept. 15, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a boat allegedly trafficking drugs in the Caribbean Sea. Oct. 3, 2025: The U.S. military killed four people in a strike on a vessel that was allegedly transporting substantial amounts of narcotics, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 3. Oct. 3, 2025: The U.S. military killed four people in a strike on a vessel that was allegedly transporting substantial amounts of narcotics, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 3. Oct. 17, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a vessel alleged to be smuggling drugs for Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 17. Oct. 17, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a vessel alleged to be smuggling drugs for Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 17. Oct. 21, 2025: The U.S. military killed two people in a strike on a vessel allegedly smuggling illicit narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 22. Oct. 21, 2025: The U.S. military killed two people in a strike on a vessel allegedly smuggling illicit narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 22. Oct. 22, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a vessel allegedly smuggling illicit narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 22. Oct. 22, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a vessel allegedly smuggling illicit narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 22. Oct. 24, 2025: The U.S. military killed six people in a strike on a boat in the Caribbean, alleged to be carrying narcotics, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 24. Oct. 24, 2025: The U.S. military killed six people in a strike on a boat in the Caribbean, alleged to be carrying narcotics, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Oct. 24. US military conducts deadly boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers 1 of 12 Sept. 15, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a boat allegedly trafficking drugs in the Caribbean Sea.

The New York Times has reported that Holsey raised concerns about the boat strikes, and the Wall Street Journal wrote that Hegseth had asked him for months to step down.

Advertisement Advertisement

Holsey has given no public indication that his departure is linked to those operations.

Pressed on his early retirement by lawmakers at a classified briefing on the boat strikes given to the "Gang of Eight" on Capitol Hill on Dec. 9, Holsey said it was unrelated to the strikes, a person with knowledge of the briefing said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly.

Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern about Holsey's early exit.

"This unexpected resignation is troubling," Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement after Holsey announced his retirement.

Advertisement Advertisement

"At a moment when U.S. forces are building up across the Caribbean and tensions with Venezuela are at a boiling point, the departure of our top military commander in the region sends an alarming signal of instability within the chain of command."

Air Force General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey shake hands at Holsey's relinquishment of command ceremony.

Hegseth's post to X announcing Holsey's retirement on Oct. 16 also made no mention of the reason for it. He thanked Holsey for "37 years of distinguished service." Holsey's own statement posted by U.S. Southern Command that same day was equally vague.

At his "relinquishment of command" ceremony at SOUTHCOM's headquarters, Holsey gave no hint of a reason behind his early retirement. In a brisk speech, he thanked his family, mentors and friends for supporting him throughout more than nearly four decades of service and delivered a heartfelt tribute to his wife  "the cute girl with pretty eyes in the front row."

Addressing servicemembers at the end, he said, "We must always be there for like-minded partners, like-minded nations who share our values  democracy, rule of law and human rights."

Advertisement Advertisement

Speaking at the event earlier, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised Holsey, calling him by his nickname, "Bull."

Holsey, the child of a Georgia military family, served as a naval aviator, completing more than 14 consecutive years of flying and 4,000 hours of flying time, Caine said.

"You've lived a stoic's philosophy of empathy  first, lead with your heart and lead with your head early, often and always," Caine said.

The master of ceremonies told the crowd that Holsey had presided over a "historic milestone" of the military seizing "over one million pounds of cocaine, depriving transnational criminal organizations 11.34 billion in illicit revenue and preventing 337.9 million lethal doses from reaching American communities."

Advertisement Advertisement

Hundreds of guests squinted through the southern Florida sunlight as Holsey and Caine shook hands in SOUTHCOM's courtyard. When Holsey took over the position from his predecessor, Gen. Laura Richardson, in Nov. 2024, the ceremony was indoors to accommodate a much larger crowd of officials and diplomats. Holsey kept the guest list for his own retirement smaller, focusing on including family and friends. After the ceremony, some guests fell in line to congratulate Holsey. Others formed lines in front of food tents in SOUTHCOM's parking lot, catered specially for the occasion by TV personality Guy Fieri.

Holsey exits as Venezuela tensions boil

Holsey's exit comes as the Trump administration's efforts to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power have reached a fevered pitch. On Dec. 10, U.S. forces seized a Cuba-bound oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and the White House said it planned to claim the oil on board.

Rumors have swirled around Adm. Alvin Holsey's early retirement and whether it is linked to a disagreement over the Trump administration's boat strikes.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch strikes on Venezuelan land amid an escalating pressure campaign to force out the country's president.

For months, the U.S. has dispatched a bevvy of elite assets to the Caribbean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, its largest aircraft carrier, a Marine Expeditionary Unit, two guided missile destroyers, and a special warfare ship. Additional F-35 planes from the Vermont Air National Guard will be deployed to the region, the War Zone reported on Dec. 11, joining those already on the ground in Puerto Rico.

Advertisement Advertisement

The deadly strikes on boats have also faced mounting scrutiny in recent weeks after it was revealed that the first such attack on Sept. 2 left two survivors whom the U.S. killed in a second strike less than an hour later. Some lawyers and international law experts have said killing these survivors amounts to a war crime.

Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, the commander of special operations who ordered the second strike, dispelled the notion that the survivors had the means to radio for help at a briefing earlier this month, two people with knowledge of the briefing previously told USA TODAY. He also did not provide evidence of drugs, they said.

'Tensions' between Holsey and Trump administration

Brian Fonseca, director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University, said there were likely "tensions" between Holsey and the Pentagon. But if Holsey believed the orders he was given were unlawful or if he had decided he could no longer serve the administration, he would have left his post immediately, Fonseca said.

"If you ultimately are a conscientious objector, you relinquish command on the spot," said Fonseca, who previously served in an intelligence role at SOUTHCOM.

An early retirement ceremony was held for Adm. Alvin Holsey at the headquarters of U.S. Southern Command on Dec. 12.

Another unusual facet of Holsey's departure  his interim successor, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, is a three-star general assuming a position that would normally go to another four-star general like Holsey. Fonseca indicated a previous pledge by Hegseth to reduce the number of four-star generals and admirals in the military may have been in play. In May, Hegseth announced a plan to slash by 20% the number of people in that senior rank.

Advertisement Advertisement

Holsey's decision to step down early may also diminish his retirement benefits. According to U.S. law, an officer of any rank above captain must serve at least three years in that rank to be "eligible for voluntary retirement." The law says the Secretary of Defense may reduce such period to two years  but that's still more time than Holsey's had in the position.

Standing side by side in military dress as the ceremony wrapped up, Caine and Holsey warmly shook hands and embraced.

"You made an incredible difference here in this headquarters," Caine said. "You make an incredible difference to this nation."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Commander who oversaw boat strikes steps down after rumored clash
Students at Kagel Elementary School received a festive surprise Dec. 11 when Santa, Mrs. Claus and even the Grinch stopped by to deliver presents and spread holiday cheer.

Santa and his squad of "elves" from the Milwaukee Fire Department visited each Kagel classroom, handing out books, toys, board games and winter gear. Community organizations in Milwaukee nominated the south side school for the surprise, said Julie Hightower, executive director of the Chicago-based nonprofit Daisie Foundation.

Kindergartners in Ms. Ivettes class, Zach, 4, Allison, 4, Jesiah, 4, and Mathew, high five and thank Santa Claus for their gifts at Kagel Elementary School in Walkers Point in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the morning of Dec. 11, 2025. The Daisie Foundation and the Milwaukee Fire Department teamed up for the Holiday Magic Express to surprise students with holiday gifts and a free lunch.

The Daisie Foundation, which has organized surprise holiday visits for schools in Milwaukee and other cities since 2021, planned the event with its Milwaukee partners over the past nine months. Hightower said the timing felt meaningful.

Advertisement Advertisement

At Kagel Elementary, a dual language school, nearly all students are Hispanic or Latino, and about 86% of students are considered economically disadvantaged, according to state data.

"We realize that there are tough times right now  a lot tougher than in years past," Hightower said.

As Hightower and other holiday helpers filed into classrooms with gifts in hand, students jumped out of their seats in surprise. When the kids learned the presents were for them, they cheered and eagerly unwrapped each box. Companies like Meijer, Campbell's, Coca-Cola and Cousins Subs provided the gifts.

Third-graders Andrea, 8, and Elizabeth, 8, smile as they open their gifts in Mr. Garcias class at Kagel Elementary School in Walkers Point in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the morning of Dec. 11, 2025. The Daisie Foundation and the Milwaukee Fire Department teamed up for the Holiday Magic Express to surprise students with holiday gifts and a free lunch.

"For them, this means a lot," said Principal Juan Mejia. "They were so excited to receive something. A lot of times this is the only gift many of them will get for Christmas because things might be going on in their lives."

Advertisement Advertisement

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the fire department and other volunteers spent the weekend wrapping the presents before delivering them to the students.

"It's such a bright spot in the holiday season for us," Lipski said. "There are a lot of folks suffering."

Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius was also part of the holiday team visiting Kagel students.

"A lot of our students don't have a whole lot," Cassellius said outside of the classroom. "When these kind of community givebacks come into our schools and embrace our children, bring love, bring cheer during the holiday season  when sometimes our families are really struggling  it just makes all the difference."

Advertisement Advertisement

Mejia said he hopes the visit at Kagel will inspire people to give back to other schools in the city.

"We have to continue to help the whole entire MPS," he said. "There are more schools in need as well. That would be a blessing if we can reach as many schools as possible."

Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions for the Journal Sentinel. Contact: khuynh@gannett.com. Follow her on X @_kaylahuynh.

Kayla's reporting is supported by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project . Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support . Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: JS Community Journalism) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.

Advertisement Advertisement

The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Community groups give Kagel Elementary students a holiday surprise
YANGON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 62 people were killed and 319 were injured in 170 traffic accidents on Myanmar's Yangon-Mandalay highway between January and November this year, according to the highway traffic police force on Friday.

This marks a decrease in accidents, fatalities and injuries compared with the same period last year, which recorded 189 accidents, resulting in 87 deaths and 338 injuries, an official from the highway traffic police force told Xinhua.

During this period, the traffic accidents also caused damage estimated at over 852 million kyats (about 405,714 U.S. dollars), he said.

The 587 km Yangon-Mandalay expressway connects the country's commercial city of Yangon and the second-largest city of Mandalay. 
Dec. 11---- What makes Willmar stand out? What is

role in the community? How can the next president of Ridgewater College meet the needs of both the community and the college? These were some of the questions discussed Thursday at Ridgewater College's community conversation on the Willmar campus.

The conversation was centered around the search for the next president of Ridgewater College. After current president Dr. Craig Johnson announced that he would be retiring in the spring of 2026, the college started its search for the next leader, including scheduling community input sessions on both campuses. Another session is beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the Hutchinson campus.

Advertisement Advertisement

"We have to interest people in this job. And we know there is a great opportunity here in Willmar and in

It is a great college. It is in good shape. But we want to make sure we are telling the story in a way that's authentic to the community," Minnesota State Chancellor Scott Olson said.

a system of state universities and colleges that includes Ridgewater College, will hire the next president. Olson is helping to lead the search committee.

Alongside Olson for Thursday's discussion was Jack Daniels from the Association of Community College Trustees. As a consultant, Daniels utilizes his connections within Minnesota colleges to help find candidates for the job.

Advertisement Advertisement

"We look to create a profile so that when we talk to potential candidates, we can see what they have and how they fit within this college. That is one of the main things I'll be doing," Daniels said.

Community members at the Willmar session discussed the ways in which Ridgewater is engaged with other community organizations and how those relationships could be deepened.

Praise was given for the customized training offered by Ridgewater.

allows for education to be tailored to the demands of the local community workforce  from development of technical skills to professional growth for career advancement opportunities.

Advertisement Advertisement

One sentiment from the group was a hope that the future Ridgewater College president could continue and expand those customized programs and the relationships between the college and local employers.

"I hope folks here know what a gem they have here in this community and how wonderful it is of an opportunity for a future president to be able to come to Ridgewater. I think there is going to be a lot of interest in this job," Olson said.

There was some disappointment that the call for community members to assist with the search process drew only a handful of individuals Thursday.

However, the process is ongoing, and community members can still be involved in the search by volunteering for the committee through the Ridgewater College website.

Advertisement Advertisement

The search committee will be formed with community members on Dec. 19. To volunteer for the committee, visit

Over the following months, the committee will work through applications and interviews to narrow down the number of candidates before another community event when the final candidates visit the community.

"If you can't be part of the committee, you can still engage. All those candidates, three or four finalists, are going to come here and stand on the stage and the community is going to be invited to ask anything they want," Olson said.
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The condition of hospitalized U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, one of two National Guard members shot last month in Washington, D.C., was seemingly improving, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Thursday.

During a press conference, the governor remarked that he had "hopeful news" to share about Wolfe, stating the injured soldier is "smiling," moving more of his right side and is able to sit in a chair for a few hours.

He said the news came from the injured 24-year-old soldier's mother, Melody Wolfe.

Advertisement Advertisement

"It's been reported that his communications improving -- although not verbally -- which is an important sign for his progress," he said.

Earlier today, we shared our thoughts about the memory of SPC Beckstrom as well as the status of Ssgt Wolfe's recovery - please, keep those prayers coming. pic.twitter.com/NhOGAUIEjL Governor Patrick Morrisey (@wvgovernor) December 11, 2025

Wolfe and Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, were shot Nov. 26 while conducting patrols in Washington, D.C.

Both Wolfe and Beckstrom are National Guardsmen from West Virginia. They were deployed to the nation's capital as part of President Donald Trump's use of the military to crack down on crime when they were ambushed.

Beckstrom died from her injuries a day after the shooting.

Rahmanulla Lakanwal, 29, was arrested in connection with the incident and has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and other related offenses.

Advertisement Advertisement

Morrisey said Melody, as well as Wolfe's father, Jason Wolfe, are "optimistic" about their son, while realizing that there is an "intensive" rehabilitation period ahead for him.

Wolfe's parents appreciate the hospital staff and all the prayers that have been made for their son from across the country, the governor said.

"The only request that Melody and Jason have made is 'everywhere you go in public setting, please ask for more prayers,'" he said. "And that's what we're going to do again today. They're working, and, I think, mom and dad are grateful for the support that so many West Virginians have shown during this difficult time."
Zeolite industrial processing site within the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy The Conservation Fund)

A former mineral processing site in the middle of a treasured desert wetland habitat will soon be cleaned up and restored after a conservation group reached a deal to buy the 18-acre industrial site.

The Conservation Fund  in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  purchased the longtime industrial processing site within the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge from zeolite manufacturer KMI Zeolite in October for $900,000.

Advertisement Advertisement

Under the purchase agreement, KMI Zeolite agreed to remove industrial equipment from the site by October 2026. The Conservation Fund said their ultimate goal is to transfer ownership of the property to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the national refuge.

The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1984 to protect the desert oasis natural springs, and significant populations of threatened and endangered species found nowhere else in the world. However, several swaths of private land purchased before the refuge was established are scattered throughout the area.

The property purchased by the fund has been in private ownership since 1914. Remnants of a former dude ranch that catered to divorce seekers, a motel, and a bar built on the site before it became an industrial site are still present.

While the site is not the largest parcel of private property located in the refuge  that honor goes to a 40-acre Christian camp dubbed Patch of Heaven  it is a significant site due to the presence of a spring that supports a large swath of riparian habitat.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its also one of the few sites in the refuge still being used for industrial purposes.

Its highly visible because its right on the entrance road coming in from the south, so you have to drive right past it. Everybody sees it and they wonder what those big buildings are, said John Hiatt, one of the founding board members of the Amargosa Conservancy.

The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding area has a large concentration of zeolite, a clay-like mineral used in water filtration, odor control, and soil conditioner. The area has recently attracted applications for new zeolite exploration projects, which received strong pushback from locals and conservation groups.

They basically had trucks hauling it in, trucks hauling it out, and whatnot, which really is not a use thats necessarily compatible with a wildlife refuge and they had no interest in maintaining the riparian portion of the property, Hiatt said of the former zeolite processing site.

Advertisement Advertisement

KMI Zeolite confirmed they sold their former Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge parcel but declined to make an official statement. The company recently relocated its main refinement center to Pahrump, in order to build newer facilities and be closer to a population center.

Remnants of industrial materials and debris scattered across the former ziolite processing site in Januray 2025. (Photo courtesy The Conservation Fund)

Remnants of industrial materials and debris scattered across the former ziolite processing site in Januray 2025. (Photo courtesy The Conservation Fund)

Gavin Kakol, the Nevada field representative for the Conservation Fund, said when he first visited the site in January there were remnants of materials and debris.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kakol said the site is significant because of its proximity to habitat with known populations of the endangered Ash Meadows speckled dace and Ash Meadows pupfish pupfish.

Were dealing with a wetland system here. After large rains this whole area becomes interconnected, and theres the potential for these fish to flow even onto the property itself, and for water to move in between the refuge itself and the private property, Kakol said.

Kakol said there are several other endangered groundwater dependent plants with known populations within a quarter mile of the former industrial site, including Ash Meadows Gumplant, Tecopa Birdbeak, and the Spring loving century.

We are actively working with the Nevada Heritage Foundation to do habitat surveying this spring and upcoming summer. We hope to get a good handle on the other potential endangered species that are actually on site or in close proximity to it, Kakol said.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Conservation Funds purchase of the KMI Zeolite processing site is a victory for conservation, said Haitt.

Now we have an opportunity to restore the riparian habitat in that area for which the entire refuge was created. Ash Meadows is just this unique place. Its the largest oasis in the Mojave Desert, and this is just one of the springs that constituted that oasis, Hiatt said.

The Conservation Fund has conserved over 1.2 million acres of habitat in the State of Nevada. The fund also worked with the Fish and Wildlife Service on several other acquisitions, including a 120-acre Ruby Lake Refuge acquisition in 2022 and a 433-acre Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge acquisition in 2020.
Jacksonville is moving forward with plans to build a new restaurant in St. Johns River Park next to Friendship Fountain using a design by CD+Urban Studio.

The architectural firm showed the last renderings for the chosen design during a Dec. 11 meeting of the Downtown Development Review Board.

The restaurant will return riverfront dining to an area that lost that feature when River City Brewing Company closed in 2021. The Related Group demolished that restaurant building to make way for a planned residential high-rise tower.

When will construction start?

The city expects to start construction of the restaurant building in early to mid-2026. The city will own the building and lease it to a private restaurant operator.

What will the restaurant serve?

The city's description of the project says public feedback has been for a "casual, open-air concept" that is welcoming to families and pet-friendly. Rather than fine dining with enclosed seating, the focus will be full-service dining with grab-and-go options, according to a city summary.

Advertisement Advertisement

The building will have a rooftop bar and lounge.

Renderings show the view diners will have from inside a restaurant planned for St. Johns River Park near Friendship Fountain on downtown Jacksonville's Southbank. The large windows overlook the river and the Main Street bridge.

What inspired the design features of the restaurant buildings?

The design drew from the existing pump house at the park, the St. Johns River, thecity's maritime history, mid-century architecture and the work of Bob Broward, Taylor Hardwick and William Morgan on buildings throughout Jacksonville. Hardwick designed Friendship Fountain.

"We designed a building that looks to complete the pattern of the park," said Joe Cronk of Cronk Duch Architecture and CD+Urban Studio.

A rendering shows the walkways leading to the planned restaurant at St. Johns River Park in downtown Jacksonville. The Downtown Development Review Board got a presentation on the latest design during its Dec. 11, 2025 meeting.

How big will the restaurant be?

The two-story building will will have indoor and outdoor dining on both floors. The first floor will be 2,400 square feet of air-conditioned space plus 1,000 square feet of outdoor dining. The second floor with the rooftop will feature 1,500 square feet of "open to sky dining" plus 500 square feet of covered dining, according to the presentation.

Where will the restaurant be located?

The restaurant will be next for Friendship Fountain in St. Johns River Park, which recently opened a new playground next to the Main Street bridge.

Advertisement Advertisement

The restaurant will be about 60 feet from the St. Johns River so it leave some open space along the riverfront while still being close enough to provide views of the river while dining.

The planned restaurant on the downtown Southbank will be close to the St. Johns River and Friendship Fountain in St. Johns River Park. A rendering shows where the restaurant would be located.

When the Related Group builds its high-rise apartment, the tower will be next to the new restaurant on the opposite side of Friendship Fountain.

Riverfront Plaza: Playground and great lawn officially open on former Jacksonville Landing site

Friendship Fountain: Reimagined, renovated Friendship Fountain back in action on Jacksonville riverfront

How is the city paying for the restaurant?

The Downtown Investment Authority is using its tax increment financing district to set aside $3.25 million for construction of the building. The city meanwhile has put nearly $5.2 million for construction of St. Johns River Park improvements.

Advertisement Advertisement

The city says revenue from leasing the building to a restaurant operator will go toward maintaining the building and also support upkeep of St. Johns River Park.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Design shown for new downtown Jacksonville riverfront restaurant
At a glance

 Forest Service fire crews plan to burn 1,197 acres north of Heflin today to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health, according to a federal news release.

 Smoke may be visible along U.S. 78 and several Cleburne County and Forest Service roads; motorists are urged to slow down, use headlights and expect crew activity.

 Officials say prescribed fire strengthens longleaf pine habitat, reduces wildfire intensity and supports safer, more resilient forests across the Talladega National Forest.

Advertisement Advertisement

ANNISTON  A large prescribed burn is planned today about eight miles north of Heflin as Forest Service specialists set low-intensity fire on roughly 1,197 acres of the Talladega National Forest, according to a news release from the USDA Forest Service.

Federal fire managers said the burn  conducted by trained crews under specific weather and safety conditions  is designed to clear excess vegetation and dead wood that can fuel dangerous wildfires. When those fuels build up, wildfires burn hotter, spread faster and threaten nearby communities.

The Forest Service said motorists may see smoke or fire equipment near U.S. 78, Cleburne County roads 61 and 65, and Forest Service roads 553, 548 and 548A. Those Forest Service roads also mark part of the burn boundary. Drivers are asked to slow down, switch on low-beam headlights and use caution when smoke settles across roadways, especially later in the day as temperatures cool and smoke drifts into the Cane Creek drainage.

Prescribed fire is one of the most important tools for restoring Southern forests, officials said. Longleaf pine ecosystems  once common across Alabama  depend on periodic, low-intensity fire to stay healthy. Burns help longleaf seedlings grow, open the forest floor for native plants and wildlife, and reduce insects and disease.

Advertisement Advertisement

Officials said applying fire at the right place, at the right time, under the right conditions makes forests more resilient while lowering the risk of severe wildfire events.

Questions about the operation may be directed to the Talladega National Forest office at 256-362-2909.
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics teams latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In todays edition, Natasha Korecki and Matt Dixon explore how President Donald Trumps immigration raids have shifted Democrats strategy. Plus, Jonathan Allen breaks down the political bind Trump finds himself in on the economy.

Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.

Advertisement Advertisement

 Adam Wollner

Breaking news: The Indiana Senate voted against a GOP-drawn congressional map, rejecting a monthslong pressure campaign from Trump. A majority of Republicans (21 of 40) in the chamber wound up opposing the redistricting effort. Read more 

'Abolish ICE' creeps back into Democratic messaging

By Natasha Korecki and Matt Dixon

There was a time when calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was considered too risky for a Democrat to campaign on.

But today, images of aggressive immigration arrests in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Charlotte, North Carolina, have led to anti-ICE sentiment creeping back into the partys messaging.

Advertisement Advertisement

Heres one example from Patty Garcia, who is running for Congress in Illinois solidly Democratic 4th Congressional District.

Let me be clear: F--- ICE, she said when she launched her bid. Its time to abolish ICE and hold Trump and his entire clan accountable.

Meanwhile, in Maines battleground Senate race, the messaging is more mixed. Democrat Graham Platner vowed to hold ICE agents responsible and make them take their masks off. By contrast, his primary opponent, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, would not sign a bill prohibiting local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration agents.

The talk by some Democrats comes as President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown increasingly draws political backlash at the ballot box, in polling and even among some in his own party. In most cases, Democrats have held back from calling for the outright abolition of ICE and instead are pushing for transparency, oversight or restricting local and state government cooperation with federal immigration officials.

Advertisement Advertisement

Theres a difference today from how Democrats messaged the issue in 2018, when the Abolish ICE movement swept across the progressive end of the party. Many Democrats are now calling for an end to what theyve coined secret police, saying theyre carrying out kidnappings. Most emphasize the need for a secure border and support deportations that target criminals, but they say todays immigration efforts are shrouded in secrecy and lack accountability.

It represents a shift in how these Democrats plan to position themselves on one of the leading issues that swept Trump into office last year.

Read more from Natasha and Matt 

Trump's fundamental political dilemma on the economy

Analysis by Jonathan Allen

Whether or not President Donald Trump thinks theres a problem with the economy, he has plenty of incentive not to say so out loud.

Advertisement Advertisement

Sure, he runs the risk of sounding out of touch at a time when many Americans feel like theyre having a hard time keeping up, much less getting ahead. A new AP-NORC poll found that 31% of respondents approve of Trumps handling of the economy, including a surprisingly low 69% of Republicans. And my conversations with voters in Pennsylvania and Michigan in recent weeks reflect similar sentiments.

But Trump will not be on the ballot again  so theres no danger of him losing his job  and he doesnt know whether the economy, real or perceived, will be stronger, weaker or the same when voters decide whether to keep Republican majorities in Congress next November.

What he does know, with certainty gained from a lifetime of salesmanship, is that bad-mouthing his own product is a terrible way to get anyone to buy it. That is, if he starts saying theres an affordability problem, voters  and investors  are more likely to believe that and take actions that exacerbate the problem.

If voters feel better about the economy over the course of the next year, he would like to be able to take credit for having been right all along. If they dont, Republican candidates are going to face a stiff headwind no matter what he says now.

Advertisement Advertisement

In recent days, Trump has pivoted from outright denial of affordability as an issue for voters to arguing that the outlook is brighter than his critics say, in large part because of policies he has initiated but have yet to take full effect, from tariffs to tax cuts. During a speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, he said that prices were too high when he took over and that he has no higher priority than making America affordable again.

His visit to the northeastern corner of the state, which is expected to see one of the most competitive House races next year, implied an understanding that people are unhappy. And yet he stopped far short of a mea culpa or even a promise to adjust his agenda.

Trumps not the first president to find himself in the unenviable position of selling an economic record that doesnt stack up to public expectations. Even his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden, went through much the same thing  and also declined to alter his tack.

Most politicians, like most salesmen, see little upside in pointing out flaws. In that way, Trump is both a salesman and a politician when it comes to the economy.

 Today's other top stories

 (Still) no dice: The Justice Department has failed in its third attempt to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James following a pressure campaign from Trump. Read more 

 In the courts: A federal judge ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be released immediately from ICE custody, saying that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to continue holding him. Read more 

ACA fight: The Republican-controlled Senate voted to reject health care bills offered by each party, as the U.S. barrels toward a cliff with steep premium hikes for millions of Americans set to hit next month. Read more 

 2026 watch: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a longtime Trump backer who spread debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, announced that hes running for Minnesota governor. Read more 

 2026 watch, cont.: Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam launched a Democratic primary challenge against Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina with a slew of national progressive endorsements  the latest sign of an energized and organized effort on the left to defeat sitting Democrats. Read more 

Follow live politics updates 

Thats all From the Politics Desk for now. Todays newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

Advertisement Advertisement

If you have feedback  likes or dislikes  email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

And if youre a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A new pilot program is aiming to prevent students and families from fentanyl overdoses. One local school district is now offering testing kits for free.

In an effort to be proactive rather than reactive, Culver City Unified School District is now making fentanyl testing devices available to families.

"We're trailblazing here," said Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jimenez. "We're the first in the state, at the adult school, that's making this available as a preventative measure."

Advertisement Advertisement

The district partnered with Defense Diagnostics, which provided the fentanyl-testing kits for free as part of a pilot program at the adult school. The devices can test different types of drugs, helping prevent accidental fentanyl overdoses.

"There are times when gummies were a big issue, and students don't always know what a gummy is laced with," Jimenez added. "I do know there are parents that are interested in testing what their child is ingesting as a preventative measure."

Fentanyl testing devices are not welcomed everywhere. In Texas, lawmakers have refused to legalize them, arguing the kits promote drug use. But parents in Culver City say the availability instead promotes awareness.

"It reminds me of practicing safe sex," said parent Nikki Hart. "If you want to use a condom or you want to be on birth control, you can't really tell people not to have sex -- and this is the next best thing."

Advertisement Advertisement

At this stage, the testing kits will not be available to teenagers at Culver City high schools, but could expand depending on the feedback at the adult school.

School board member Triston Ezidore, who helped secure the devices, says the idea originated after a fatal fentanyl overdose involving a Los Angeles Unified School District student three years ago. LAUSD has since made Narcan available at all of its campuses.

Ezidore says he hopes other school districts follow Culver City's lead in preventing overdoses before they happen.

"The goal is to make sure that what happens here can be replicated when it comes to an overarching goal and mission to make sure that we're increasing harm prevention," he said.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are trying to live and work under the same U.S. financial and travel restrictions brought against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Osama bin Laden.

Nine staff members, including six judges and the ICC's chief prosecutor, have been sanctioned by U.S. President Donald Trump for pursuing investigations into officials from the U.S. and Israel, which aren't among The Hague court's 125 member states.

Typically reserved for autocrats, crime bosses and the like, the sanctions can be devastating. They prevent the ICC officials and their families from entering the United States, block their access to even basic financial services and extend to the minutiae of their everyday lives.

Advertisement Advertisement

The court's top prosecutor, British national Karim Khan, had his bank accounts closed and his U.S. visa revoked, and Microsoft even canceled his ICC email address. Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, who was named in the latest round of sanctions in August, immediately lost access to her credit cards, and Amazon's Alexa stopped responding to her.

Your whole world is restricted, Prost told The Associated Press last week.

Prost had an inkling of what would happen when she made the list. Before joining the ICC in 2017, she worked on sanctions for the U.N. Security Council. She was targeted by the Trump administration for voting to allow the courts investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan, including by American troops and intelligence operatives.

Ive worked all my life in criminal justice, and now Im on a list with those implicated in terrorism and organized crime, she said.

Advertisement Advertisement

How the sanctions work

The sanctions have taken their toll on the courts work across a broad array of investigations at a time when the institution is juggling ever more demands on its resources and a leadership crisis centered on Khan. Earlier this year, he stepped aside pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. He denies the allegations.

How companies comply with sanctions can be unpredictable. Businesses and individuals risk substantial U.S. fines and prison time if they provide sanctioned people with financial, material, or technological support, forcing many to stop working with them.

The sanctions' effects can be sweeping and even surprising.

Advertisement Advertisement

Shortly after she was listed, Prost bought an e-book, The Queens Necklace by Antal Szerb, only to later find it had disappeared from her device.

Its the uncertainty, she said. They are small annoyances, but they accumulate.

Staff worry about their families

Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, a sanctioned Peruvian judge who was involved in the same Afghanistan decision as Prost, told the AP that the problems are not only for me, but also for my daughters, who can no longer attend work conferences in the U.S.

Deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan echoed her colleagues concerns, saying Youre never quite sure when your card is not working somewhere, whether this is just a glitch or whether this is the sanction."

Advertisement Advertisement

Meanwhile the staffers, some of whom also face arrest warrants in Russia, are worried that Washington might sanction the entire ICC, rendering it unable to pay employees, provide financial assistance to protected witnesses or even keep the lights on.

The ICC was established in 2002 as the worlds permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the most heinous atrocities  war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. It only takes action when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute those crimes on their territory.

The court has no police force and relies on member states to execute arrest warrants, making it very unlikely that any U.S. or Israeli official would end up in the dock. But those wanted by the court, like Putin, can risk arrest when traveling abroad or after leaving office  the ICC took custody this year of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is accused of crimes against humanity for his deadly anti-drugs crackdowns.

The Trump administration's rationale

Advertisement Advertisement

When explaining Trump's executive order sanctioning the ICC in February, the White House said the move was in response to the illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."

"The United States will not tolerate efforts to violate our sovereignty or to wrongfully subject U.S. or Israeli persons to the ICCs unjust jurisdiction," Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said in response to questions from the AP.

There is little the staff can do to get the sanctions lifted. Sanctions imposed during the first Trump administration against the previous prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, werent removed until Joe Biden became president.

Ibanez, a former prosecutor in Peru, vowed that the sanctions wouldn't have any impact on her judicial activities in The Hague. In my country, I prosecuted terrorists and drug lords. I will continue my work, she said.

Prost, too, is defiant, saying the sanctioned staff are absolutely undeterred and unfettered.
The amount of electricity data centers use in the U.S. in the coming years is expected to be significant. But regular reports of proposals for new ones and cancellations of planned ones mean that its difficult to know exactly how many data centers will actually be built and how much electricity might be required to run them.

As a researcher of energy policy who has studied the cost challenges associated with new utility infrastructure, I know that uncertainty comes with a cost. In the electricity sector, it is the challenge of state utility regulators to decide who pays what shares of the costs associated with generating and serving these types of operations, sometimes broadly called large load centers.

States are exploring different approaches, each with strengths, weaknesses and potential drawbacks.

A new type of customer?

For years, large electricity customers such as textile mills and refineries have used enough electricity to power a small city.

Advertisement Advertisement

Moreover, their construction timelines were more aligned with the development time of new electricity infrastructure. If a company wanted to build a new textile mill and the utility needed to build a new gas-fired power plant to serve it, the construction on both could start around the same time. Both could be ready in two and a half to three years, and the textile mill could start paying for the costs necessary to serve it.

Modern data centers use a similar amount of electricity but can be built in nine to 12 months. To meet that projected demand, construction of a new gas-fired power plant, or a solar farm with battery storage, must begin a year  maybe two  before the data center breaks ground.

During the time spent building the electrical supply, computing technology advances, including both the capabilities and the efficiency of the kinds of calculations artificial intelligence systems require. Both factors affect how much electricity a data center will use once it is built.

Technological, logistical and planning changes mean there is a lot of uncertainty about how much electricity a data center will ultimately use. So its very hard for a utility company to know how much generating capacity to start building.

Keeping older coal plants running may be an expensive way to generate power. Ulysse Bellier/AFP via Getty Images

Handling the risks of development

This uncertainty costs money: A power plant could be built in advance, only to find out that some or all of its capacity isnt needed. Or no power plant is built, and a data center pops up, competing for a limited supply of electricity.

Advertisement Advertisement

Either way, someone needs to pay  for the excess capacity or for the increased price of what power is available. There are three possible groups that might pay: the utilities that provide electricity, the data center customers, and the rest of the customers on the system.

However, utility companies have largely ensured their risk is minimal. Under most state utility-regulation processes, state officials review spending proposals from utility companies to determine what expenses can be passed on to customers. That includes operating expenses such as salaries and fuel costs, as well as capital investments, such as new power plants and other equipment.

Regulators typically examine whether proposed expenses are useful for providing service to customers and reasonable for the utility to expect to incur. Utilities have been very careful to provide their regulators with evidence about the costs and effects of proposed data centers to justify passing the costs of proposed investments in new power plants along to whomever the customers happen to be.

Regulators, then, are left to equitably allocate the costs to the prospective data center customers and the rest of the ratepayers, including homes and businesses. In different states, this is playing out differently.

Kentuckys approach to usefulness

Kentucky is attempting to address the demand uncertainty by conditionally approving two new natural gas-fired generators in the state. However, the utility companies  Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities  must demonstrate that those plants will actually be needed and used. But its not clear how they could do that, especially considering the time frames involved.

Advertisement Advertisement

For instance, suppose the utility has a letter of agreement or even a contract with a new data center or other large customer. That might be sufficient proof for the regulator to approve charging customers for the costs of building a new power plant.

But its not clear what would happen if the data center ends up not being built, or needing much less power than expected. If the utility cant get the money from the data center company  because they bill customers based on actual usage  that leaves regular consumers on the hook.

A data center in Columbus, Ohio, is just one of many being built or proposed around the country. Eli Hiller/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

Ohios demand ratchet and credit guarantee

In Ohio, the major power company AEP has a specific rate plan for data centers and other large electricity customers. One element, called a demand ratchet, is designed to mitigate month-to-month uncertainty in electricity consumption by data centers. The data centers monthly bill is based on the current months demand or 85% of the highest monthly demand from the previous 11 months  whichever is higher.

The benefit is that it protects against a data center using huge amounts of electricity one month and very little the next, which would otherwise yield a much lower bill. The ratchet helps ensure that the data center is paying a significant share of the cost of providing enough electricity, even if it doesnt use as much as was expected.

Advertisement Advertisement

This ratchet effectively locks in the data centers payments for 12 months, but regulators might expect a longer commitment from the center. For instance, Floridas utilities regulator has approved an agreement that would require a data center company to pay for 70% of the agreed-upon demand in their entire electricity contract, even if the company didnt use the power.

Another aspect of Ohios approach addresses the risk of changing business plans or technology. AEP requires a credit guarantee, like a deposit, letter of credit or parent company guarantee of payment, equal to 50% of the customers expected minimum bill under the contract. While this theoretically reduces the risk borne by other customers, it also raises concerns.

For example, a utility may not end up signing contracts directly with a large, well-known, wealthy technology company but with a subsidiary corporation with a more generic name  imagine something like Westside Data Center LLC  created solely to build and operate one data center. If the data centers plans or technology changes, that subsidiary could declare bankruptcy, leaving the other customers with the remaining costs.

Harnessing strength in flexibility

A key advantage to these new types of customers is that they are extremely nimble in the way they use electricity.

Advertisement Advertisement

If data centers can make money based on their flexibility, as they have in Texas, then a portion of those profits can be returned to the other customers that shared the investment risk. A similar mechanism is being implemented in Missouri: If the utility makes extra money from large customers, then 65% of that revenue increase is returned to the other customers.

Change is coming to the U.S. electricity system, but nobody is sure how much. The methods by which states are trying to allocate the cost of that uncertainty vary, but the critical element is understanding their respective strengths and weaknesses to craft a system that is fair for everyone.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Theodore J. Kury, University of Florida

Read more:



Advertisement Advertisement

Theodore Kury is the Director of Energy Studies at the University of Floridas Public Utility Research Center, which is sponsored in part by the Florida electric and gas utilities, the Florida Public Service Commission and the Office of Public Counsel, the Consumer Advocate for the State. However, the Center maintains sole editorial control of this and any other work.
When Daytona State College was reviewing what might be a useful new academic program, it consulted with NASA, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and other aerospace industry leaders.

The result is an associate of science in aerospace technology, starting in the spring semester, DSC announced.

A Blue Origin New Glenn booster named Never tell me the Odds is transported back to the launch facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station November 20, 2025. Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

Students will get hands-on training in aircraft structure fabrication using advanced composite materials, according to the college. The program will also cover building and testing mechanical systems, wiring and troubleshooting electrical circuits, and working with analog and digital devices and electronics assembly.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected in 2024 that jobs for aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians will grow by 8% over the next decade, a faster-than-average outlook.

Daytona Beach is home to a fast-growing aerospace technology hub at the north end of Floridas Space Coast, Tom LoBasso, president of Daytona State College, said in a news release. Our graduates will be entering the rapidly growing and high-demand field of aerospace technicians.

Tom LoBasso

In a separate interview, LoBasso said he serves on the board of the Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation, which recruits companies to relocate in the county. Aura Aero, a French aircraft manufacturer that cut the ribbon on a facility at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Research Park in October, was one example.

"I met with them three times during that recruiting process," LoBasso said. "... I have talked to other companies, as well, looking to relocate. We talked to them and let them know about these programs."

Advertisement Advertisement

Students will also study industrial safety protocols, quality assurance practices and project management. The degree includes embedded certificates for Aerospace Technician and Structural Technician.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona State College adds aerospace technology A.S. degree
MELBOURNE, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Almost four in five Australian adults support the federal government's new ban on social media use for children under 16, a survey showed Friday.

The survey of 1,598 Australian adults, funded by the Australian Research Council and conducted by Roy Morgan Research on behalf of Australia's Monash University, found that 79 percent supported the ban, which took effect on Wednesday.

Support was lowest among 18 to 24-year-olds at 72 percent, rising to 80 percent of those aged 50-64, and 87 percent among those aged 65 and older, the survey showed.

The ban is targeted at platforms that have received negative attention for their impact on young people, said Monash University Professor Mark Andrejevic, who leads a research team that commissioned the survey.

"This ban targets a handful of powerful, overseas platforms that profit from tracking young users to capture their attention and pepper them with ads," said Andrejevic, adding these apps are accused of exploiting young users with manipulative algorithms, unregulated advertising and misinformation.

"It's a timely intervention in an increasingly unregulated digital environment," he said.

Supporters cited risks to young users' mental health, bullying, extremist content, misinformation, and grooming by sexual predators, the survey said, adding opponents argued the ban infringes on parental rights and restricts social connectivity, especially for marginalized youth being excluded from finding likeminded people online.

Australia's move has shown bipartisan backing and drawn global attention as other countries, including the United States, consider similar legislation.

However, Reddit, one of 10 platforms covered by the ban, has filed a High Court challenge, arguing the restrictions misapply to its adult-focused forums, lacking "traditional" social media features that the government has taken issue with.

Last month, two 15-year-old Australian teenagers also filed a constitutional challenge against the social media ban in the High Court.

Under the new law, affected social media platforms are required to take reasonable steps to prevent users younger than 16 from creating or accessing accounts.

Platforms found to have committed serious breaches will face fines worth up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (33 million U.S. dollars). 
A potentially fatal winter danger is hiding in plain sight and can strike nearly any unsuspecting victim.

Across the U.S. each year, an estimated 1 million people are injured from slipping on ice and snow, leading to serious issues like broken bones and head injuries, with around 17,000 of these falls proving fatal, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2024 winter, Jolene Waldref, 49, of South Milwaukee, was leaving her job as a receptionist at a home health care agency on Jan. 15 when she slipped and fell on the ice, hitting her head on a fence on a nearby property, according to records from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office. She died of hypothermia in the freezing weather shortly thereafter.

A woman walking down Purchase Street in New Bedford, Mass. battles the cold weather with full head protection on Dec. 3, 2025. Emilia Chu, a Milwaukee School of Engineering college freshman from Phoenix, Arizona studying industrial engineering, heads through the frigid air to class down East Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Dec. 4, 2025. Temperatures will rebound a bit by Friday, Dec. 5, with highs in the low 20s. The sun rises over a cold Milwaukee, Wisc. skyline on Dec. 4, 2025. Temperatures will rebound a bit by Friday, Dec. 5, with highs in the low 20s. Starbucks employees take a break from the frigid temperatures in a tent while picketing at Starbucks on Merle Hay Road on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Des Moines, Ia. A man walks by the morning frosted window of a Long Island Rail Road train car in Port Washington, New York on Dec. 4, 2025. Wet snow started falling around 6 am in Manchester Township, Pa. on Dec 2, 2025 with air temperatures above freezing. Polar vortex: The North Pole is sending a visitor and it isnt Santa 1 of 6 A woman walking down Purchase Street in New Bedford, Mass. battles the cold weather with full head protection on Dec. 3, 2025.

Such tragedies can happen in the South, too: Carl Mathieu, a Louisiana man, died in February 2021 after he slipped on ice and hit his head on the ground, the Louisiana Department of Health said.

Advertisement Advertisement

With winter weather already in place across much of the nation, here are some tips for staying safe while walking on icy surfaces over the coming months.

Assume the worst

In cold temperatures, approach surfaces with caution and assume that all wet, dark areas on pavements are slippery and icy, the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company (CEIC) recommends.

"During bad weather, avoid boots or shoes with smooth soles and heels," the CEIC said in an online tip sheet. "Instead, wear shoes or boots that provide traction on snow and ice; boots made of non-slip rubber or neoprene with grooved soles are best."

In addition, although salting sidewalks can help, it's not a cure-all for melting ice, as it only works at temperatures above 15 degrees, according to the California Office of Emergency Services. Salt can also cause potential damage to concrete and plants, sometimes making alternatives like sand or calcium chloride (for concrete) better choices.

Advertisement Advertisement

More: Video: The safest way to walk on ice

A pedestrian navigates an ice-covered sidewalk along the Chicago River as temperatures drop below zero January 27, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois.

Safety tips for walking on ice

The Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company recommends several safety tips:

Use special care when entering and exiting vehicles; use the vehicle for support.

Point your feet out slightly like a penguin. Spreading your feet out slightly while walking on ice increases your center of gravity.

Bend slightly and walk flat-footed with your center of gravity directly over the feet as much as possible.

Extend your arms out to your sides to maintain balance.

Keep your hands out of your pockets. Keeping your hands in your pockets while walking decreases your center of gravity and balance. You can also help break your fall with your hands free if you do start to slip.

Watch where you are stepping and  go ... slowly (very ... slowly).

Take short steps or shuffle for stability.

Wear a heavy, bulky coat that will cushion you if you fall.

What if you fall? There are a few things you can do mid-fall (if you can) that may reduce the chance of serious injury.

Advertisement Advertisement

Try to avoid landing on your knees, wrists, or spine. Try to fall on a fleshy part of your body, such as your side.

Try to relax your muscles if you feel yourself falling. Youll injure yourself less if you are relaxed.

(This story was updated to meet our standards.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Falling on ice can be deadly. What you need to know to stay safe.
After two weeks of testimony, jurors in the Brian Walshe murder trial have now heard closing arguments and started deliberating whether he killed his wife, Ana Walshe, in their Cohasset home around New Years Eve 2022.

Live updates: Verdict watch on in Brian Walshes murder trial as jury deliberations begin

Defense: No motive, no proof of homicide

Defense attorney Larry Tipton told jurors the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a homicide occurred. He argued there was no motive for Walshe to kill Ana and described his client as a loving father and loving husband.

Advertisement Advertisement

What could cause a loving husband and a loving father to do the things that you heard about in this case? Could it be something that was sudden, something that was unexpected, something that was unbelievable? Tipton said. Something that only a medical examiner would have knowledge of, not a man like Brian Walshe?

Tipton said Anas death was the result of a sudden, unexpected medical event, and Walshe panicked. He urged jurors not to base their verdict on sympathy or anger over Walshes lies to police.

Theres evidence that he lied to police, theres evidence that he searched the internet, theres evidence that he disposed of the body, but there is no proof in all of the evidence that youve heard and been presented that he ever once thought about harming the woman he loved, Tipton said.

Prosecution: Evidence shows premeditation

Assistant District Attorney Anne Yas countered that the defenses theory defies common sense. She pointed to Walshes internet searches  including best way to dispose of a body and can you be charged with murder without a body  and surveillance video showing him calmly buying cleaning supplies and cutting tools.

Advertisement Advertisement

The defendant deliberately got rid of Ana Walshes body. He cut up Anas body  the woman he claimed to love  and threw her into dumpsters, Yas told jurors.

Prosecutors argue Walshe killed Ana as his marriage fell apart and ask the jury to convict him of premeditated first-degree murder, pointing to Walshes actions afterward as evidence of premeditation.

Jurors were shown surveillance footage of him at stores like CVS, Walgreens and Lowes, where he purchased items including hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. Jurors also were shown photos of tools that investigators testified tested positive for blood, including a hacksaw and a hatchet.

Whats next

Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere sent 12 jurors out of the courtroom to start deliberating Walshes fate shortly before 12:30 p.m.

Advertisement Advertisement

The jurors will deliberate until 4 p.m., meaning a verdict could come as early as today.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Attorneys for the driver charged with killing brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in a 2024 crash are asking to pause the trial as they challenge the admissibility of his statements to police.

(The video in the player above is from previous coverage.)

Defense lawyers for Sean Higgins, 45, filed a motion this week with New Jersey Superior Court's Appellate Division, arguing his Miranda rights were violated during questioning after the Aug. 29, 2024, crash.

IMAGE: During a Miranda hearing on Oct. 29, 2025, the state played new videos of police interviews with Sean Higgins following the crash that killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

Last month, Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio heard arguments on the issue, but ultimately ruled that Higgins' statements were lawfully obtained.

RELATED | Statements by driver in Gaudreau brothers crash admissible at trial, judge rules

Higgins was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, but that hearing has been suspended with no new date set.

Advertisement Advertisement

Police say Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were struck and killed while biking near their hometown. Higgins was found beside his damaged vehicle about a quarter mile from the scene.

Johnny and Mathew Gaudreau

SEE ALSO| Hearing held to suppress statements in Gaudreau brothers fatal crash case

A driver who was in front of Higgins told police that Higgins had been driving aggressively. When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and moved left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreaus, she said.

"I've been drinking beers," Higgins told police before performing field sobriety tests. In the video, Higgins stated that he had about "five or six" beers starting around noon on the day of the crash.

MORE | Judge upholds charges in Gaudreau brothers crash case; 'no credence' to impaired biking argument

"I haven't had one in like two hours," he can be heard saying to troopers on the side of the road.

IMAGE: Sean Higgins appeared in court for a Miranda hearing on Oct. 29, 2025, in connection with the crash that killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

Police say Higgins had a blood-alcohol level of .087, which is above the state's .08 legal limit, and he failed a field sobriety test.

RELATED | Driver accused in DUI crash that killed Gaudreau brothers rejects plea deal

During previous hearings, defense lawyers noted that Higgins had a recent knee surgery that likely impacted the field test.

Advertisement Advertisement

He is charged with two counts each of reckless vehicular homicide, aggravated manslaughter, evidence tampering, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

If convicted on all counts, Higgins faces up to 70 years in prison. His attorneys have rejected a plea deal offering 35 years.


MIAMI  For the first time in years, Democrats may have found an economic message that works across their fractured coalition  from the partys loudest activists to its most buttoned-up centrists.

Eileen Higgins won Miamis mayoral race on Tuesday with a technocratic, steady-governing pitch to stabilize a city straining under soaring costs. A detail-oriented mechanical engineer who nerds out on city planning, Higgins stood out among her peers for her pragmatism and calm demeanor even during dramatic debates. A few weeks earlier in New York City, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won on a platform built around universal child care, free buses and a sweeping rent freeze, effectively harnessing his sharp retail-politics skills to get his message across.

The agendas and styles could hardly be more different  but the animating theme was identical: affordability. And their victories, alongside others in New Jersey and Virginia, show how the cost of everyday life has become the rare issue capable of uniting the partys left and center. But the theme is also papering over deep divisions inside the party. Democrats may be winning on affordability, yet they have very different ideas about how to make life cheaper.

Advertisement Advertisement

To party officials, the through line is unmistakable  and increasingly central to how Democrats want to frame the midterms.

This is going to help the Democratic Party and continue to make our case that the middle-class and working-class people in this country are tired of having to struggle every day to make ends meet, to be able to pay their bills, Democratic National Committee finance chair Chris Korge told POLITICO in an interview.

Its a flip of the script, given that Donald Trump recognized the pain Americans were feeling in his presidential campaign and promised to lower the price of groceries, electricity and gas, and to cut taxes. Now, Democrats are acknowledging voters economic pain points  but coming up with different solutions to address them. Their ideas could give hopefuls multiple tracks to take on the issue for 2026, even as the party continues to face vast ideological differences.

In Miami  which became far more expensive in recent years following an influx of wealthy residents fleeing blue states due to previous changes in the federal tax law and Covid lockdowns  Higgins top promise was to quickly build more housing.

Advertisement Advertisement

When asked for the key to her success in an interview Thursday on MS NOWs Morning Joe, she didnt hesitate: affordability. Higgins said she heard the same anxiety everywhere  from small businesses dealing with tariff-induced price hikes to hair salons where the cost of extensions has jumped by $20.

Everybody's talking about it, she said. You can go into a hair salon and the price of extensions they used to buy has gone up by $20. Do they cut their profits, or do they charge their customers in Little Havana $20 more? Neither of those people can afford that. So affordability is all over the map.

Her campaign adviser, Christian Ulvert, argued in a post-mortem that Higgins offered a model of competent governance and a steady, technocratic approach  often contrasting it with what he called the chaos and instability of the citys current government. Higgins herself made the same case on the trail, saying in an interview with POLITICO that she kept a list of to-do items in a spreadsheet.

A fellow centrist Democrat, Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger stuck to an economic message to deliver a win against GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in November. Residents of her state who live in the D.C. suburbs were disproportionately hit by Trumps cuts to the federal workforce and the prolonged government shutdown, during which many still had to report to work without pay.

Advertisement Advertisement

The state also has a huge concentration of data centers, which store and process online information but use loads of energy, making power bills rise. In her Affordable Virginia Plan, Spanberger proposed increasing energy production, including wind and solar, while also making data centers pay their fare share of electricity costs.

While more modest in scale, Higgins and Spanbergers focus on affordability echoed the New York City mayoral race, in which Mamdani mounted an unexpected and highly successful campaign by staying laser-focused on a handful of pocketbook issues.

Mamdani promised universal child care, free buses, increased affordable housing and a suite of new city-run, discount grocery stores. He also wants to freeze the rent for an estimated 2 million residents living in apartments regulated by a municipal board. While Mamdani himself has little power to realize his plans, he and his army of volunteers have won over the likes of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who wields tremendous power over the state budget and has pledged to work with the incoming mayor.

Over in New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill also relied heavily on a promise of lowering costs in her blowout win over Republican Jack Ciattarelli in November. One of her signature policy proposals was vowing to declare a state of emergency on her first day in office to freeze skyrocketing utility rates.

Advertisement Advertisement

During the campaign, Sherrill and her allies also went on offense on the economy, labeling her opponent as high tax Jack in the closing stretch of the campaign. While surveys suggested a tight race between the two  she ended up winning by 14 points  polling toward the end of the campaign also showed that Sherrill had an edge when it came to issues Democrats have long struggled with, including the cost of living, taxes and energy costs.

Sherrill also made sure to tie economic struggles to Trump  including the impact of his administrations tariffs on the state  and blamed him for not following through on his campaign promises, a strategy that helped her win over voters who cast a ballot for the president last year.

Trump in recent weeks has expressed frustration with Democrats messaging  and in an interview with POLITICO gave himself an A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus grade on the economy. Earlier this week, he hit battleground Pennsylvania for a speech that was supposed to focus on easing anxieties over economic concerns but ended up veering off-script at points.

As for Higgins, she rarely talked about Trump, who endorsed her GOP opponent, unless asked by reporters. Even on immigration, she often pointed to Florida laws pushing cities to aggressively help the federal government with its policies. Asked in November by POLITICO whether she considered her opponent, Emilio Gonzalez, to be MAGA, she paused before raising Gonzalezs own comments on the matter, in which he praised MAGA policies as common sense.

Advertisement Advertisement

And the chief concern she raised about the Trump presidential library set to be built downtown wasnt ideological, but about how it had been a missed opportunity to help the citys finances.

We gave away very valuable land to a billionaire for free, she said during a debate on CBS Miami. We could have sold that land, generated cash from that land, and paid for all the things theyve cut, she continued, citing examples like food aid, affordable housing, resiliency projects and transit. How can our state be giving away money that we need to make our community better?
Dec. 11Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held firm Thursday that he will eventually endorse the GOP's official nominee to replace him as governor, but the term-limited Republican was still cagey about his overall thoughts on party-endorsed candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

DeWine's comments came in an on-the-record portion of a press breakfast at the Governor's Residence just outside Columbus.

He said he's held discussions with Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur originally from the Cincinnati area who, despite never holding political office, amassed clout starting with a long-shot 2024 presidential bid where he built a reputation as an outspoken outsider.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I've enjoyed those discussions; I hope he has enjoyed them as well," said DeWine, who is entering the final year of his second and final term as governor. "I hope to have some more discussions about policy with him. I fully expect to endorse the Republican nominee for governor sometime in the future."

He was asked why he  unlike the Ohio GOP or President Donald Trump  has so far held back on his endorsement in the race.

"Look, we're still having discussions," he responded. "I want to get a better understanding of his positions, what his vision is, and I would say the discussions have been good. Obviously, I want to talk to him about some of the things that I see, as well."

Ramaswamy is expected to face the Democrats' presumptive nominee Amy Acton, the state's former health director whose political star rose during her time advising DeWine on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Acton stepped out of the limelight during the pandemic after being targeted due to her reputation as the chief architect of Ohio's restrictions on businesses.

Advertisement Advertisement

DeWine told reporters Thursday that such a reputation was undue.

"I've consistently said ... the decisions about what to do were mine," DeWine said. "The buck stops with the governor. You're never gonna hear me say, 'Oh, I made that decision, but...' No. The buck stops with me; I made the decisions."

When he was asked if he felt Acton had given him good advice during the pandemic, DeWine said his decisions weren't based solely on the advice of Acton; he also considered the perspectives of national experts.

"I'm relying on a number of different people. I'm taking all that in, and I make the ultimate decision," he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

When asked if she'd be a good governor, DeWine deflected. "I said I'm going to endorse the Republican nominee," he said.

------

For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening.

Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.

Loading...
The Stratus variant is fueling COVID-19 cases around the country.

Symptoms of the virus look slightly different right now.

Here, doctors share what to look out for and how to protect yourself from the latest variant.

A newer COVID variant called XFG is currently fueling cases of the virus across the country. Nicknamed Stratus, this variant first took hold over the summer and now makes up nearly 70% of COVID-19 cases in the country. As the virus evolves, some signs youre sick might too. So, what are COVID-19 symptoms in 2025?

While some liken it to the common cold, COVID-19 is still a lethal disease, and certain groups are still at a higher risk of a more severe form of the virus. But many people are experiencing an uncomfortable illness with symptoms that are slightly different from what having COVID-19 used to feel like.

Advertisement Advertisement

Infectious disease doctors stress that every persons experience with the virus is different. So many infections now are milder, but there are still people being hospitalized with COVID, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Meet the experts: Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York; William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Even if youre not in a high-risk group for serious complications from COVID-19, you cant count on avoiding severe illness, says Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.

So, what are the biggest COVID symptoms right now? Heres what you should know.

What are COVID-19 symptoms now?

Again, everyones experience with COVID-19 is slightly different. It depends on a combination of how much virus youre exposed to, what your underlying state of immunity is, and the underlying hostare you a younger, healthier host, an older host, or have underlying health conditions? Dr. Russo says.

Advertisement Advertisement

But doctors agree that there are a few COVID-19 symptoms that many people are experiencing:

Sore throat

Sinus congestion

Runny nose

This constellation of symptoms can make COVID-19 feel like a bad cold, if youre lucky enough to get a mild case.

But its still possible to experience the other legacy symptoms of COVID-19, which may include:

New loss of taste or smell

Fatigue

Fever or chills

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Muscle or body aches

Headache

Nausea or vomiting

Diarrhea

Why are some people experiencing more mild symptoms?

Its likely due to a few factors, including the different dominant variant and built-up immunity to the virus (from vaccination and previous infection), Dr. Russo says.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its also just the nature of the virus, according to Dr. Schaffner. COVID is a respiratory virus, and all of these viruses can produce similar symptoms involving the nose, throat, and chest, he says.

Again, that doesnt mean that this is what COVID-19 will look like for youits just what many people are experiencing right now. Im thrilled that many people are experiencing mild symptoms, but you cant count on that, particularly if you havent gotten your vaccine or boosters, and havent recently been infected, Dr. Russo says. The subsequent consequences of COVID, in terms of long COVID, is much more significant than it is for influenza.

Where are cases surging?

According to wastewater data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 cases are currently high in these states:

Alabama

Arizona

Indiana

Vermont

Advertisement Advertisement

There are plenty of other states with moderate levels of the virus, per CDC data.

How long are you contagious with COVID-19?

The amount of time youre contagious with COVID-19 can vary, but the virus tends to follow a certain pattern in terms of being able to infect others. Youre contagious for the day before you get sick and then most contagious for the next two to three days, Dr. Schaffner says. It tapers off after that, but its not like a light switch.

If youve been vaccinated, the amount of time that youre contagious will be less than if youre unvaccinated, Dr. Russo says. Overall, Dr. Russo says its safe to assume that youre not likely to infect anyone 10 days after you first got sick. Thats a safe rule of thumb, he says.

If youre planning to be around people who are vulnerable to getting seriously ill before then, like small children, older adults, and people with underlying health conditions, Dr. Russo recommends wearing a mask.

How to protect yourself from COVID-19 right now

No shocker heredoctors recommend getting your updated COVID-19 vaccine, if you havent already. Think about getting out your mask and think twice about those holiday gatherings, especially if youre high-risk, Dr. Schaffner says. And, of course, do your best to stay away from people who are obviously sick.

Advertisement Advertisement

While many people have stopped testing themselves for COVID-19, its still worth taking an at-home COVID test if youll be around vulnerable peopleor just dont want to spread what youve got to anyone.

You Might Also Like
Crews are warning of possible traffic delays as a result of a downed utility pole in Framingham.

The pole came down on Concord Street around 7 p.m. according to a post on social media by the Framingham Police Department. As a result a stretch of Concord Street is currently closed.

Due to a utility pole being taken down, Concord St is closed in both directions between Fairbanks Rd and Cochituate Rd., Framingham Police posted to their Facebook page.

Advertisement Advertisement

Substantial traffic delays are forecasted as Concord Street will be closed in both directions for several hours to facilitate Eversources repair efforts, according to Framingham Firefighters.

Crews work to repair a downed utility pole at the intersection of Concord Street and Route 9 in Framingham. Photo Credit: Framingham Firefighters IAFF Local 1652

Police are asking people to please avoid the area if possible.

Crews work to repair a downed utility pole at the intersection of Concord Street and Route 9 in Framingham. Photo Credit: Framingham Firefighters IAFF Local 1652

No word on what caused the pole to come down.

Boston 25 News has reached out to Framingham Police for more information.

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.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
It's not uncommon to hear songs fill the air this time of year.

On a brisk downtown Milwaukee evening, dozens of people lifted up their voices in song outside the Federal Courthouse along Wisconsin Avenue.

It wasn't carols they were singing, though. Rather, poignant anthems of resilience, strength and unity in protest.

"We are a gentle, angry people, and we are singing, singing for our lives."

Advertisement Advertisement

"Milwaukee's staying strong today, Milwaukee's staying strong today, Milwaukee's staying strong today, staying strong for our lives."

"We shall all be free. We shall all be free. We shall all be free, some day. Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall all be free some day."

A Milwaukee Coalition of labor, immigrant rights and faith organizations, along with others, including state Sen. Chris Larson, gathered for a "Vigil for Democracy and Immigrant Rights" following Dec. 11's jury selection for the federal case against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan.

Dugan is charged with one felony and one misdemeanor accusing her of obstructing federal agents who were attempting to take into custody an undocumented immigrant who was appearing in her courtroom in April.

Advertisement Advertisement

The vigil was held to show solidarity, resist intimidation and affirm that Milwaukee communities will not be divided or silenced, according to organizers.

Some of the vigil's main organizers included the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, Voces de la Frontera, the League of Women Voters, the state chapter of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Working Families Party, according to Michael Pointer Mace, a member of First Unitarian, chair of the church's Immigrant Solidarity and Action Committee, and a member of Voces de la Frontera.

"A vigil means being awake," he told the Journal Sentinel. "We are awake to the fact that our constitution is under threat. We are awake to the point that due process right now is under threat."

"Are you awake?" Pointer Mace asked demonstrators using a microphone.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Wide awake!" they chanted back to him.

The crowd of around 100 was dotted with signs, including: "Due process for all," "Judge Dugan: An American Hero," and "Keep families together." Several people held illuminated letters that together spelled out "Block ICE," which is the acronym for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the Trump administration, it has been executing a sweeping immigration crackdown nationwide.

Donna Cuyler used a pole of sorts to raise a lantern she carved out of a cardboard box with messages on the sides of it, including "solidarity" with a raised, clenched fist and "ICE free MKE."

As a former high school art teacher of 33 years, the Cudahy resident said she has turned to art as an outlet in response to "the atrocities, the brutality, the cruelty."

Advertisement Advertisement

"I'm here to support Hannah Dugan," Cuyler said. "How can you not be here with what's going on with ICE in our courtrooms, with people's families being torn apart? I don't know how you can't be here."

"In Milwaukee, we know how to take care of each other," Pointer Mace told the JS. "When we know that a member of our community is in trouble, we come together."

The Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, from First Unitarian, led the vigil's attendees in a prayer for democracy, Dugan, immigrants, the trans community, marginalized groups and "all of those who are under threat at this moment" that "this abusive administration has targeted."

In between a couple of tunes, chants of "We love Hannah" broke out. The crowd even changed the lyrics to a verse of "We Shall Overcome" to "We love Hannah Dugan."

Advertisement Advertisement

The vigil was just a preview of what the Milwaukee Coalition has in store for Dugan's trial.

"Today is just the beginning of us claiming back our constitution. It's just the beginning of us taking back due process. This fight is going to be a long one," Pointer Mace said to the crowd.

Rallies are planned for Dec. 15, the first day of the trial, and will continue through the week, according to a previous Journal Sentinel report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hannah Dugan federal trail: Vigil for democracy, immigrant rights held
The founder of a Flint-based cash aid program for new parents says cuts made Dec. 10 to 2025 funding for Rx Kids are "devastating," and put "real families at risk."

Among the $645 million in cuts the House Appropriations Committee made to dozens of work projects requested by the State Budget Office was $18.5 million in unspent 2025 funding for Rx Kids, a prenatal and infant cash support program founded by Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna, who is the group's director.

Rx Kids Founder and Director Dr. Mona Hanna speaks during a press event at River Rouge City Hall on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, for the roll out of the Rx Kids program expanding to 6 new communities in Wayne including River Rouge, Inkster, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Melvindale and Dearborn. The program gives cash to pregnant and new moms.

Rx Kids, which currently serves 19 Michigan communities, had $270 million approved in Michigan's 2026 budget, passed at the start of October, to expand its program to other parts of the state. But Hanna said in a Dec. 11 text message to the Detroit Free Press that Rx Kids can't yet access the 2026 money because the contract with the state isn't finalized.

Advertisement Advertisement

"These FY2025 funds are the state dollars that are currently supporting the program," said Hanna, a pediatrician who flagged high blood lead levels in Flint children at the beginning of the Flint water crisis.

"We do not have fiscal year 2026 funds contracted yet. We are learning more and trying to see for how long we can continue the program. And we are trying to reassure our moms who are very worried."

Through the Rx Kids no-strings-attached cash assistance program, mothers receive $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 monthly once their baby arrives for a period of six months to up to a year after birth for a maximum total of $7,500. Hanna said families use cash provided through Rx Kids to support doctor visits, safe housing, diapers, formula and transportation.

"Behind every dollar cut is a mom whos scared, a baby who needs care, and a family trying to stay afloat," Hanna said.

Advertisement Advertisement

"This decision puts real families at real risk and erodes trust in government. We cannot afford to play politics with the lives of moms and newborns."

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, who has championed the Rx Kids program, blasted House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, for the cuts. "There's a special place in hell for someone willing to yank money away from moms and babies fifteen days before Christmas. I hope Matt Hall takes this holiday season to look within himself and reevaluate what exactly he's doing here."

Hall said the House Appropriations Committee rejected $645 million of about $2.7 billion in work projects requested by the State Budget Office as part of a campaign by his caucus against waste fraud and abuse. Unspent 2025 funds return to state coffers at the end of the fiscal year unless the funding is allowed to carry over in the form of a work project.

Democrats "snuck through" the 2026 funding for Rx Kids late in the budget process, Hall said during a Dec. 10 news conference, adding that "there's a lot of money from last year they didn't spend," and his caucus did not want it rolled over for another year.

Advertisement Advertisement

Hall said the Whitmer administration socks away unspent money as work projects so departments have access to "slush funds" not subject to the annual budget process.

Some of the funding for some projects will be restored, but "now we'll look at it under our timeline," Hall said.

Earlier this year, Senate Democrats introduced legislation to expand the Rx Kids program statewide. About 100,000 births occur in Michigan annually, so the program could reach a maximum of $750 million in cash payments to cover those births under the proposed expansion, according to a Senate Fiscal Agency analysis.

Democrats aren't the only backers of Rx Kids. For instance, state Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, has advocated for the program and wrote a Detroit Free Press op-ed titled, "'Pro-life' means more than protecting the unborn. Michigan's Rx Kids does just that." State Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, has expressed support for the concept while calling for income restrictions.

Advertisement Advertisement

Under a rarely used section of Michigan's Management and Budget Act, the appropriations committee in either the House or the Senate can unilaterally reject work projects, with no further legislative approval required.

Michigan Democrats have condemned the GOP action as cruel and lacking transparency. A full list of the affected programs was still not available late on Dec. 11.

Rx Kids said in a news release that Rx Kids is currently reaching thousands of families in 20 communities, and 19 of those sites stand to be directly affected. Those sites include: city of Kalamazoo, Eastern UP counties of Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce, Mackinac and Chippewa; Oakland County cities of Pontiac, Hazel Park and Royal Oak Township; Wayne County cities of River Rouge, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Inkster, Melvindale and Dearborn, the mid-Michigan counties of Clare, Gladwin and Roscommon; and the city of Ypsilanti.

This story was updated to add new information.

Advertisement Advertisement

Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dr. Mona Hanna says GOP funding cuts to Rx Kids program 'devastating'
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com

The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) wants to remind those in western Washington dealing with flooded streets and roadways that driving in these conditions requires extra precautions.

Wet weather driving tips

WSDOT is telling all drivers to slow down, leave extra room between cars, and allow for extra time when planning to leave for a destination, near or far.

Advertisement Advertisement

Following too close and not adjusting our speed, Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Chase Van Cleave previously told KIRO Newsradio. Five to 10 miles an hour difference can make a huge difference when we are trying to stop our car.

WSDOT is also warning drivers to have their vehicles headlights on, watch for water pooling on roadways, and not to use cruise control.

The biggest piece of advice from WSDOT: Obey detour and closure signs and never drive around a barricade.

Cant see the road, dont drive through the water. Six inches of water is enough to knock a person down and will stall most vehicles, WSDOT stated. One foot of water can make you lose control of your vehicle. Two feet of water can sweep a vehicle away  even SUVs and trucks.

Advertisement Advertisement

If floodwaters surround your car, but the water is not moving, abandon your car and seek high ground while calling local authorities for help. However, if water is moving, do not leave your car, WSDOT warned.

Do not drive or walk through standing water if you cant tell how deep it is, WSDOT added. Water hides missing or washed-out pieces of road.

Tips for if your car hydroplanes

If you begin to hydroplane in your car, WSDOT breaks down what to do very simply: Do not panic, avoid hard braking and quick turns, and ease off the gas before gently applying pressure to the brakes.

You dont want to slam on your brakes or turn the wheel, WSP shared. Youre going to continue to lose control and not go where you want to go.

Driving near downed power lines

WSDOT recommends staying far away from downed power lines and reporting them to 911 if spotted.

Advertisement Advertisement

Always assume a power line is live, WSDOT stated. Do not touch anything or anyone in contact with a fallen power line or other equipment.

If a downed power line touches your car, stay inside, WSDOT recommended. Honk your horn, roll down your window, and call for help. Do not exit your vehicle until first responders deem it safe to exit.

If you must leave due to fire risk, remove loose clothing, jump clear of the vehicle so youre not touching the vehicle when you land, and shuffle away without picking up your feet.

Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.
Drone footage showing the aftermath of an explosion in California that injured six people and damaged several homes is circulating online.

The drone, which flies over the explosion site, captures a building surrounded by debris, vehicles with cracked windshields and smoke everywhere.

Other footage, captured on a home surveillance system the morning of Thursday, Dec. 11, was later shared on the Alameda County Fire Departments Facebook page. In the surveillance video, debris can be seen shooting into the air and falling onto the nearby street.

Six people were injured in a fire triggered by an underground gas explosion in Hayward, California, on Dec. 11.

The department also shared footage from first responders. As they approach, a cloud of smoke surrounds the area as firefighters use hoses to fight off the flames.

Advertisement Advertisement

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) previously told USA TODAY that it was notified around 7:35 a.m. about a construction crew that struck an underground gas line while digging at a property. The construction crew is not affiliated with PG&E, the company said.

According to the company, utility crews were dispatched and found gas leaking at two separate locations. While crews stopped the flow of gas at around 9:25 a.m., the explosion happened about 10 minutes later.

Fire officials said three buildings were destroyed by the blast, and other buildings near the site were damaged. The department added that six people were taken to local hospitals, and all residents were accounted for.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Dec. 11 that it is investigating the explosion. PG&E also said it is investigating.

Advertisement Advertisement

The NTSB told USA TODAY on Dec. 12 that investigators will begin documenting the accident scene and conducting a visual examination of the pipeline and equipment involved.

USA TODAY also contacted the fire department on Dec. 12, but has not received a response.

Pennsylvania: What caused a deadly explosion at a US Steel plant? New details released.

Footage shows home appliances surrounded by debris

Altogether, 75 firefighters responded to the scene. The explosion and fire were escalated to a three-alarm fire. According to Fire Alarm Houston, a three-alarm fire could involve a larger building, multiple floors, or a hazardous materials situation and usually involves more firefighters.

Advertisement Advertisement

The fire department shared a series of bodycam and surveillance clips captured on the day of the explosion.

At one point, a firefighter walks closer to the site, and crew members can be seen spraying water on the flames. Orange flames can be seen blazing in the background as crews attempt to put them out.

Another clip captured that day shows a stove with part of the roof caved in on top of it. The video also shows firefighters and a dog walking on the ground covered in scorched debris from the building.

Fire officials said the Red Cross is helping families displaced by the fire, and the cause of the explosion and blaze is under investigation.

What's next in the NTSB's investigation?

According to the NTSB, agency investigators will collect further information, such as:

Advertisement Advertisement

Human performance data relevant to the accident and response.

Witness statements.

Pipeline operating practices and procedures.

Pipeline system maps and historical records.

Relevant pipeline pressures before and during the accident.

Pipeline maintenance records, integrity management plans/records, and safety management system plan/records.

Local environmental conditions, including soil conditions for buried pipelines.

The extent and path of released gas.

Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras.

The agency said witnesses can send surveillance video or other relevant information to witness@ntsb.gov.

This story has been updated with new information.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY

Advertisement Advertisement

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia  the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drone footage captures aftermath of California gas explosion
Key members of Congress have seen with their own eyes how the U.S. military deliberately killed two men who survived a missile attack on their small boat.

What the video showed was either a war crime or simple murder. Whether that got through to the politicians depended largely on whether they were Democrats or Republicans.

America is supposed to be better than that.

From interviews with lawmakers who were in the secret briefing, it appears Republicans are once again forming a circle of denial around President Donald Trump and his morbidly unfit defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

Advertisement Advertisement

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the attack was righteous and highly lawful and lethal.

Clearly illegal

The video we saw today showed two shipwrecked individuals who had no means to move, much less pose an immediate threat, and yet they were killed by the United States military, said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, in a joint statement with Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. This was wrong.

The Defense Departments Law of War Manual is clear on this: The wounded, sick and shipwrecked must be respected and protected at all times, it explains. This means that they should not be knowingly attacked, fired upon, or unnecessarily interfered with  For example, orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.

But the focus on whether Hegseth or a subordinate should be held responsible for the second strike misses the big questions.

Advertisement Advertisement

What war justified the first strike, let alone the second? What war permits continued lethal attacks on civilian vessels in waters far from our shores?

There have been at least 22 such attacks, with 87 deaths.

Glaring hypocrisy

Trump claims that Latin American drug smugglers are in armed conflict with the U.S., so they can be killed without arrest or trial. Yet, he also pardoned one of the worst drug kingpins ever brought to justice in the U.S. Our government accused former President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world.

Amid such glaring hypocrisy, nothing Trump says about illegal drugs deserves belief.

Advertisement Advertisement

Outside the Trump regime, no serious legal or military experts accept that the alleged smugglers are anything but conventional criminals.

No, this is a war Trump declared on his own, despite the Constitutions requirement that only the Congress can declare war.

The Coast Guards role

This war satisfies no condition under which a president may defend the U.S. from attack without involving Congress. Theres nothing about this war any different from the established, proper policy of having the Coast Guard intercept drug-smuggling vessels, seize their cargoes as evidence and arrest their crews for trial in U.S. courts.

If this is not a war as the rest of the world understands it, then the killings at sea  all of them, not just that second lethal strike  are plain, simple murder.

Advertisement Advertisement

Either way, Hegseth should have to answer for it. The impeachment resolution filed against him in the House should be taken seriously. Nothing can likely come of it while Trumps party still rules there, but the question of how a candidate would vote should be central to the congressional elections of 2026.

Another issue, verified by the acting Pentagon inspector general, is that Hegseth violated security protocols by sharing details of a pending military operation on the messaging app Signal.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Hegseth forced the unexplained resignation in October of the four-star admiral, Alvin Holsey, barely a year into his leadership of Southern Command, which supposedly is in charge of the drug war. Citing anonymous Pentagon sources, the paper said Holsey objected to the lethal attacks.

Pointing the finger

The official Pentagon line is to pin the blame for the second strike on Adm. Frank Bradley, who directed the operation. He should have to answer for it, of course.

Advertisement Advertisement

But so should Hegseth  the man in charge.

Trump is plainly spoiling for a real war with Venezuela, and threatens to attack supposed smugglers on that nations sovereign soil. Why? Does he fancy extracting a stake in Venezuelas vast oil reserves, comparable to what he has demanded of some private corporations? Is he just pushing boundaries to see what Congress will let him get away with?

How dimly the rest of the world views such conduct is evident at The Hague. The International Criminal Court is holding Rodrigo Duterte, the former Philippine president, for trial on charges of crimes against humanity involving extrajudicial killings in his own war on drugs.

Our presidents extrajudicial killings are at sea, targeting foreign nationals. Dont be surprised if they eventually occur on U.S. soil.

____
Voters at the Wilmar Neighborhood Center on Madison's East Side cast their ballots. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Thursday denied a demand from the U.S. Department of Justice for the states full voter registration list, including personally identifiable information such as dates of birth, drivers licenses and Social Security numbers.

At a special meeting Thursday afternoon and in a letter sent in response to the DOJ demand, WEC stated that Wisconsin law explicitly prevents the commission from sharing the personal information of voters.

Advertisement Advertisement

The U.S. DOJ is simply asking the commission to do something the commission is explicitly forbidden by Wisconsin law to do, commissioner Don Millis said.

This is the second time this year the DOJ has requested Wisconsins voter database. Both times, the department has been informed that Wisconsin state law requires that the commission charge a fee to obtain the list.

Since the summer, the DOJ has requested the voter databases of several states  raising concerns over why the department is seeking massive amounts of voter data, especially as President Donald Trump has remained fixated on conspiracy theories that his 2020 election loss was rigged.

In its demand for the data, sent Dec. 2 as a confidential memorandum of understanding the department said it was seeking the data to check if Wisconsin is properly complying with the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

Advertisement Advertisement

VRLData Sharing Agreement DOJ-WI

The Justice Department is requesting your states [Voter Registration List] to test, analyze, and assess states VRLs for proper list maintenance and compliance with federal law, the memo states.

However the WEC response questions the authority with which DOJ is asserting its right to the records. For one, Wisconsin is exempt from the NVRA because it offers same-day voter registration at polling places. Also, WEC wrote in its response letter that HAVA does not grant the DOJ access to confidential voter data.

Compliance with HAVA and the thoroughness of states compliance with voter list maintenance requirements have become regular talking points among Republicans who say theyre concerned that there are thousands of people who have active voter registrations when they should be ineligible to vote because theyve moved, died or otherwise are unable to cast a ballot.

Advertisement Advertisement

The sources of those complaints include the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a right-wing law firm that in October sent a letter to the DOJ asking for the department to assess Wisconsins compliance with HAVA.

WEC has said repeatedly that the commission and Wisconsins municipal election clerks are properly maintaining the voter rolls. Theyve also noted that the concerns are often overstated because even if a voter is ineligible and their file is deactivated in the database, their name will still appear in the system.

WEC Letter  Resp to 12.2.25 DOJ Correspondence

The joint effort between state and local election officials enhances the integrity of the system by ensuring responsibilities are distributed across thousands of officials in every city, village, and town, rather than concentrated among a small handful of state employees in the Capitol, the WEC response letter states. The vast majority of list maintenance work consists of routine updates, and the processes also serve to identify attempts at wrongdoing. Each year, Wisconsin election officials at all levels of government identify and refer to criminal prosecution: felons attempting to vote, double voters, non-citizens, and others trying to circumvent election law.

Advertisement Advertisement

In the WEC decision to deny DOJs request as well as to release the DOJ memo and the response letter, Republican commissioner Bob Spindell was the lone vote against. Spindell pointed to a provision of state law that allows WEC to share restricted information in the voter database with law enforcement agencies. Spindell has often used his role on the commission to indulge conspiracy theories and cast doubt on the security of the election system.

This is a highly, highly controversial issue throughout the country at this point in time, and my point of view is that this information can be released, Spindell said. I believe that through the HAVA Act, the federal government has the appropriate ability to see if were doing everything thats correct and OK. Ive talked forever about we need to have, in the state of Wisconsin, an independent audit, or whatever, of the registration list to satisfy the many individuals and groups and so forth that question it. And all HAVA is doing here, the federal government is asking for a chance to take a look at us.

But commissioner Mark Thomsen said there is no way that a provision meant to help law enforcement find information about suspects in criminal investigations could be interpreted to mean WEC can give the personal information of every Wisconsin voter to the federal government.

Our rights as commissioners are limited by the Fourth Amendment, by state law itself, Thomsen said. Mr. Spindel is just flat out wrong that this one provision that he relies on would allow us to legally give Wisconsin citizens private information off to someone for some unknown reason. Its not just a person thats suspected of a crime, its everybody, and Wisconsin has never stood for the proposition that any government is entitled to all this data anytime someone asked. So I think Bob, youre just making up the law there.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is known in part for saying controversial or "careless" things, but as the Guardian reported, he recently made a sincerely shocking admission.

On Dec. 9, Musk appeared on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller. During that appearance, the Tesla CEO made a highly unusual set of statements, describing the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was previously run by him, as only "a little bit successful." Miller asked Musk if he would do it all again, and he said he wouldn't.

"I think instead of doing DOGE, I would have basically worked on my companies. And they wouldn't have been burning the cars," Musk said, referencing Tesla vandalism.

Advertisement Advertisement

In 2025, Musk's involvement in American politics moved beyond funding and into an active government role.

Musk first floated the idea of a "government efficiency" division in August 2024, and on Jan. 20, the concept formally became the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

What followed was, by all accounts, an immediate frenzy of government cuts. Staffed by individuals as young as 19, none older than 25, DOGE was likened to a "wrecking ball."

Within a week, more than two million federal civil servants received an email pressuring them to resign from their positions and transition "to higher productivity jobs in the private sector."

Advertisement Advertisement

Musk repeatedly pledged to cut $1 trillion worth of what he insisted was "waste, fraud, and abuse" in Washington, despite scant evidence of the purported problem. One of DOGE's first high-profile actions was to decommission USAID, a humanitarian aid agency.

DOGE "spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper. Could gone to some great parties. Did that instead," Musk posted to X on Feb. 3.

Backlash was swift as food aid was incinerated rather than distributed, and in the spring, Microsoft founder Bill Gates characterized DOGE's targeting of USAID as "the world's richest man killing the world's poorest children."

Vital funds appropriated by Congress were frozen, in-progress projects were canceled, and DOGE's activity at the Social Security Administration affected disbursements and potentially compromised Americans' data.

Advertisement Advertisement

As scenes of chaos unfolded, Musk emphasized his public-facing role, even as critical agencies like the National Weather Service had their funding slashed. Backlash was swift and not limited to the United States.

Musk's role as CEO of Tesla was equally prominent, and the electric vehicle manufacturer's dealerships were protested, with cars and charging stations vandalized.

Sales slumped immediately in the U.S. and Europe, and a subsequent NBER study quantified the enormous economic impact Musk's actions inflicted on the Tesla brand.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices  and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Questions over the handling of Charlie Kirks burial drew a sharp and emotional response from his widow during a brief televised interview on December 10.

Erika Kirk, speaking with Fox News host Harris Faulkner for roughly six minutes, directly addressed growing public scrutiny over the undisclosed location of her husbands remains nearly three months after his September 10 assassination at Utah Valley University.

When Faulkner asked about where Kirks body was located, Erika responded, Can I have one thing? Can my children have one thing? Everything was public. We will be building the most beautiful memorial for my husband at Turning Point USA, and it will be for the world to see.

Advertisement Advertisement

She later suggested she feared that publicizing the burial site could invite vandalism, saying she worried a secular revolutionary might attempt to destroy the grave.

BREAKING: Erika Kirk addresses conspiracy theories surrounding her husbands assassination: "I do not have time to address the noise. My silence does not mean that I'm complacent." No rock will be unturned. I want justice for my husband, for myself, for my family more than pic.twitter.com/XqKleWB3kA  Fox News (@FoxNews) December 10, 2025

In a series of remarks posted by Fox News, Erika said she was not willing to respond to what others online have claimed about the circumstances tied to her husbands death. No rock will be unturned, she said.

She continued, Come after me, call me names, I dont care. Call me what you want, go down that rabbit hole, whatever. Butwhen you go after the people that I love, and youre making hundreds of thousands of dollars every single episode, going after the people that I love because somehow theyre in on this? No.

This is not okay, its not healthy. This is a mind virus, she added. This is a duty to my husband, and its an absolute honor. And I will never back down. And so my message to them is to stop  to stop.

The comments arrived one day after questions surrounding the burial, as Turning Point USA and Kirks family have declined to disclose where he was laid to rest. That earlier lack of disclosure has been cited by various public figures and online communities pressing for details, according to reporting by The Dallas Express.

Advertisement Advertisement

During a December 5 appearance on Tim Pools show, former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos claimed he had direct knowledge that Kirk had not been buried, saying, I know for a fact for an absolute fact that Charlie has not been buried yet. He added, Theres no good reason for that. None whatsoever. Unless some trickery is afoot

Other figures, including commentator Candace Owens, raised additional questions in recent weeks about funeral details. Owens said she had been told Kirk received a Catholic funeral mass and was buried in a Catholic cemetery despite his public identification with Protestantism. That claim contributed to further speculation online.

Some confusion extended to churches in Arizona. First United Methodist Church in Phoenix reported in late September that it had received calls from individuals who mistakenly believed Kirk would be buried there. About two days ago, the church started to receive some telephone calls, really folks wanting to pay their condolences and send flowers, Pastor David Rennick told AzCentral. He said the church then clarified to its congregation that the information was not accurate.

The widely used website Find a Grave lists Kirks burial site as Burial Details Unknown and notes that the exact location has not been disclosed by the family, an entry that has remained unchanged since at least October 10, per a DX investigation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kirk was murdered on September 10 while addressing students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors alleged a 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler James Robinson, shot him from a rooftop before fleeing.

Authorities claimed he was later identified by relatives who recognized him from law enforcement bulletins, according to an indictment reported by The Dallas Express. Robinson faces aggravated murder and related charges and could receive the death penalty if convicted. His next hearings are scheduled for January 16 and January 30, according to Fox Baltimore.

Neither the Kirk family nor TPUSA has a legal obligation to disclose the location of Kirks burial site to the public. Families dealing with high-profile or traumatic deaths sometimes opt for privacy, and there is no requirement that they release burial information. Whether they will do so in the future remains solely their decision.
A San Jose funeral home is accused of making a terrible mistake, of mishandling human remains. A father has filed a lawsuit that says the funeral director gave him a bag with what was supposed to be his son's clothing. Once he got home, he realized the bag contained his son's brain.

It's widely said that no father should have to bury his son. But the pain for this San Jose family is even worse because of what appears to be a funeral director's ghastly mistake.

Alexander Pinon, 27, passed away on May 19 of this year; his family asked the I-Team not to report the cause or manner of death. They are struggling with their loss and with their experience at the Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel on Willow Street in San Jose.

Alexander Pinon

The family's attorney, Samer Habbas, told the I-Team, "They wanted to do what's right for their son, and they wanted to have a dignified farewell for him."

Advertisement Advertisement

Habbas filed a lawsuit for the family that says they agreed to pay Lima more than $10,000 for a "full-service memorial tribute package." They also wanted to give nicer clothes for Alex to wear during the burial service and asked the funeral director to return what he was wearing at the time of death. The lawsuit says Anita Singh handed Alex's father a bag; he went home to put it straight into the laundry, and out tumbled brain material into the washing machine.

"At that point, they had no idea that it was their son's brain that was in the washing machine," Habbas said. "They didn't know if it was mixed up with somebody else's brain, whether it was their son's, they had not a single idea."

MORE: Family, community demand answers in death of 72-year-old East Bay woman after police interaction

Alex's father scooped out the brain from the washing machine, put it back in the bag, and returned it to Anita Singh at the funeral home.

Advertisement Advertisement

Habbas said, "Ms. Singh took the bag back from him. Never disclosed whose brain it was, never gave information, no apologies, and said, 'I'll take that from here.'"

The next day, Alex was buried at Oak Hill Memorial Cemetery. Weeks later, the lawsuit says a whistleblower who works at the funeral home came forward to confirm it was Alex's brain in that bag, and that after the mix-up, funeral director Anita Singh placed it in a box and left it outside in the funeral home's courtyard for two-and-a-half months. Finally, an employee spotted the box with the bag inside and became "overwhelmed with the smell" of "a rotting human brain."

"Don't get me wrong, errors can happen," Habbas told the I-Team. "But what cannot happen, and what should not happen, is that you cover up your errors, and that's what the funeral home has done here."

The Lima Family funeral home referred us to its owner, Service Corporation International or SCI, the largest funeral service company in North America. They operate under the Dignity Memorial brand, pledging reliable service.

Advertisement Advertisement

Dignity's promotional video says, "We need to get every detail right the first time. Every time."

EXCLUSIVE: Millbrae police chief facing questions for allegedly commuting to work from Idaho

SCI spokesperson Christopher James sent the I-Team's Dan Noyes an email, "Due to active litigation, we won't be commenting on this matter." Our next stop was the Lima Family Chapel, looking for the funeral director. An office manager told me Anita Singh did work here, but she left for good two weeks.

Noyes was able to catch up with the funeral director as she arrived home, and asked, "How do you give a father his son's brains and not a bag of clothing? Anita."

Advertisement Advertisement

Singh just backed away.

"Anything to say to the family?" Noyes asked.

The I-Team also scheduled an interview with Alex Pinon's parents, but they were too emotional and decided they couldn't talk about their ordeal just yet. In the meantime, their lawsuit moves forward, and their lawyers are negotiating a plan to reunite Alex's brain with the rest of him, already buried at Oak Hill.

"We don't know the extent of how much suffering they're gonna go through for the remainder of their life," Habbas said. "But I can tell you, it's something that they're never gonna forget, it's something they're gonna have to live with forever."

Advertisement Advertisement

The I-Team also reached out to the company's attorney on the case; he did not answer. He also has not filed a response to the lawsuit yet, and it's been more than two months.

Take a look at more stories by the ABC7 News I-Team.

If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it will review Boeing's proposed enhanced flight crew alerting system for the Boeing 737 MAX 10, which will include a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack system and a means to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts.

In December 2022, Congress agreed to waive a deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for the MAX 7 and MAX 10, but required retrofitting planes with future safety enhancements within three years of the MAX 10 certification. The requirements were adopted by Congress as part of aircraft certification reform passed after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia and led to the plane's 20-month grounding.

Advertisement Advertisement

The FAA said it will also review and certify design changes that will incorporate the required safety enhancements on all other models of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and monitor Boeing to ensure the company takes actions necessary to provide service information to airlines in time to meet required deadlines.

Boeing declined to immediately comment.

Boeing, which currently offers the MAX 8 and MAX 9 for sale, has struggled for years to win FAA approval for the new versions of the MAX - the shorter MAX 7 and longer 10. On Thursday, Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan told Reuters he expects the MAX 7 to be certified by August 2026, with the U.S. carrier to start flying the small single-aisle jet during the first quarter of 2027.

Boeing has faced delays in the certification of its MAX 7 and MAX 10 models due to an engine de-icing issue. The U.S. planemaker has also faced delays in certifying its widebody 777X jet. In October, the FAA gave Boeing approval to raise its 737 MAX production to 42 planes per month, ending a 38-plane cap in place since January 2024. The FAA imposed the unprecedented production cap shortly after a 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 that was missing four key bolts in a door plug, causing a gaping hole to open in the fuselage at 16,000 feet (4,900 m). The incident revealed widespread production safety and quality lapses at Boeing.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in WashingtonEditing by Rod Nickel)
The family of fallen Edgewater police officer David Jewell is suing Circle K, alleging negligence after Jewell was shot and killed by a Circle K employee.

The lawsuit was filed three months after police reported that Eduardo Machado, a Circle K employee, shot and killed Jewell at the Circle K on Ocean Shore Boulevard in Ormond Beach.

Jewells family is seeking $20 million in damages, claiming that Circle K was aware of Machados prior firearm charge and posed a danger to the community.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Cambodian evacuees stay at a safe zone in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia on Dec. 12, 2025. The number of Cambodian evacuees from the ongoing border fighting with Thailand has risen to more than 300,000 as of Friday afternoon, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior said in a press release. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The number of Cambodian evacuees from the ongoing border fighting with Thailand has risen to more than 300,000 as of Friday afternoon, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior said in a press release.

Nearly 90,000 families with over 300,000 people had fled their homes near the Thai border for safe shelters, the press release said.

The Cambodia-Thailand border conflict was still going on as of Friday afternoon, said Cambodian Defense Ministry's Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.

"At 13:27 p.m., the Thai troops deployed aircraft to bombard Veal Intry area (in Preah Vihear province)," she said in a press briefing.

Socheata added that the Thai army also intensified its artillery shelling and toxic smoke at Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province on Friday afternoon. 

Cambodian evacuees gather to register for relief items at a safe zone in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia on Dec. 12, 2025. The number of Cambodian evacuees from the ongoing border fighting with Thailand has risen to more than 300,000 as of Friday afternoon, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior said in a press release. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Cambodian evacuees queue to register for relief items at a safe zone in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia on Dec. 12, 2025. The number of Cambodian evacuees from the ongoing border fighting with Thailand has risen to more than 300,000 as of Friday afternoon, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior said in a press release. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Cambodian evacuees stay at a safe zone in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia on Dec. 12, 2025. The number of Cambodian evacuees from the ongoing border fighting with Thailand has risen to more than 300,000 as of Friday afternoon, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior said in a press release. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Cambodian children gather for snacks donated by charitable persons at a safe zone in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia on Dec. 12, 2025. The number of Cambodian evacuees from the ongoing border fighting with Thailand has risen to more than 300,000 as of Friday afternoon, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior said in a press release. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)
A federal appeals court is blocking the release of hundreds of people detained by immigration agents during "Operation Midway Blitz" in the Chicago area, at least for now.

The case centers around whether the government violated a consent decree banning warrantless arrests in certain cases.

The appeals court said each detainee's case should be evaluated individually.

The following is from a previous ABC7 I-Team report last month on a federal judge's initial ruling for the detainees to be released.

A federal judge has ordered the release of hundreds of migrants arrested in the Chicago area, including some arrested under the Department of Homeland Security's "Operation Midway Blitz," by Nov. 21 after finding their arrests could have violated a 2022 consent decree.

Advertisement Advertisement

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings sided with attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) representing detainees who said DHS violated a consent decree that limits the ability of federal agents to conduct warrantless arrests.

Cummings ordered 13 people to be released by Friday at noon, and another 615 people will be released into "alternatives-to-detention" which could include electronic monitoring by next Friday, Nov. 21, unless the government chooses to appeal or otherwise oppose their release by this Friday.

The NIJC said the 615 people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents between June 11 and Oct. 7, 2025.

Those released on alternatives-to-detention will remain outside of a detention facility but monitored by the court while attorneys and the judge determine whether their arrests violated the pre-existing consent decree.

Advertisement Advertisement

"This will allow a lot of people to return to their communities because they never should have been arrested in the first place," said Michelle Garcia, an attorney with the ACLU.

Officials reacted as hundreds detained by federal immigration agents in the Chicago area during "Operation Midway Blitz" could be released after a judge's order

The judge has also ordered the Trump administration to provide additional information on all arrests that have taken place since Oct. 7, in order to review and determine whether any of those people were unlawfully arrested and halt all deportation proceedings for people who are pending release.

People detained by federal immigration agents who have prior removal orders or pose a significant risk to the public would not be eligible for release, attorneys told the I-Team.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The judge also acknowledged if Customs and Border Patrol and ICE had merely followed federal law and our consent decree, there would be nothing for him to order," Garcia said. "There would be nothing for him to interpret. But his view of our agreement is that folks who do not have criminal histories or risk of danger to the community, who were unlawfully arrested without probable cause, should be released."

The 2022 Castanon Nava consent decree is in effect until February 2026 and covers Illinois and five other neighboring states. Last month, Judge Cummings ruled federal immigration agents had violated the agreement in its recent immigration "blitz."

As the I-Team has previously reported, the consent decree restricts federal immigration agents from conducting warrantless arrests unless they have reason to believe a person is in the country illegally and are a flight risk.

Attorneys for the National Immigrant Justice Center have argued hundreds of undocumented migrants arrested by federal agents were arrested in violation of a consent decree in place in Illinois and five neighboring states.

Advertisement Advertisement

In response to the order, a spokesperson for DHS said the judge's order puts Americans at risk.

"At every turn activist judges, sanctuary politicians, and violent rioters have actively tried to prevent our law enforcement officers from arresting and removing the worst of the worst," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Now an ACTIVIST JUDGE is putting the lives of Americans directly at risk by ordering 615 illegal aliens be released into the community."

The judge also ordered the Department of Justice to review all remaining arrests, from Oct. 7 through Wednesday, that fall under the same category of potential warrantless arrest violations, and have a list to him of those additional arrests in the next week. More arrestees could be eligible for release as the case proceeds.

Over the last month, attorneys on both sides of the case have been working to identify how many people were arrested by immigration agents in violation of that agreement.

Advertisement Advertisement

Mark Fleming of the NIJC believes cases like these are happening daily.

"I think [our review] will show that this whole operation, for the last two months, terrorizing of our neighborhoods the brutalizing of people here has all been unlawful," Fleming said after today's ruling. "That's what it's going to show. It's going to show that all of this, all of the tactics of Mr Bovino, all of the tactics of ICE, have been unlawful in the vast majority of arrests."

Earlier this week, Fleming told the I-Team the list of people arrested potentially in violation of the consent decree has grown to more than 3,000 people.

"Our initial analysis is that it's over 3,000 arrests," Fleming previously told the I-Team. "We've started to dig into the case file that they produced to us, and the vast majority are violations. If they did not have a prior order of removal, in almost all circumstances, they've been uniformly violating the consent decree."

Advertisement Advertisement

So far, Fleming said on Monday that ICE has produced a list of 3,800 people, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol has given a list of 1,200 people, but he stressed that there may be duplicate entries on both lists, so his team does not have a solid total figure yet. Those lists were only through October 7.

Attorneys representing the Department of Homeland Security have argued that Congress stripped federal courts of their authority to grant parole to large groups of immigrants in ICE custody.

In their filings, government attorneys argue, "Congress has vested the authority to grant parole solely with the Secretary of Homeland Security... Federal courts cannot order the Department of Homeland Security to release any aliens on parole because Congress has stripped them of that authority."

In their review of people arrested by agents potentially in violation of the consent decree, Fleming said more than 1,000 people are no longer in the U.S., meaning they may have been deported already after signing voluntary removal orders.

Advertisement Advertisement

"A lot of these folks have never had any interaction with law enforcement before, nor been subject to detention, and so it's horrifying," Fleming explained on Monday.

Fleming continued, "What we've raised to the court is if you don't provide this interim relief, there will be no one left. At the end of this, we may find thousands of violations, but there may be no one left."
Washington  Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to his Maryland home Thursday night, after a judge ordered the immediate release of the Salvadoran national who was mistakenly deported to his home country earlier this year.

Abrego Garcia's attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told CBS News on Thursday that he was officially out of Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Pennsylvania. Hours later, he was spotted arriving at his home in Maryland.

Abrego Garcia was instructed to check in at an ICE field office in Baltimore at 8 a.m. Friday, his legal team told CBS News. When he was given similar instructions over the summer, following his release from pretrial detention, he was taken into ICE custody, and there are concerns he could be rearrested Friday on different legal grounds.

Advertisement Advertisement

Overnight, his lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has been presiding over his case, to issue an emergency order blocking immigration officials from re-detaining Abrego Garcia after an immigration judge "unlawfully issued a purported removal order" Thursday night, they said in a filing.

Xinis granted that request on Friday morning, prohibiting the Trump administration from taking Abrego Garcia into custody once again. She ordered his lawyers and the Justice Department to submit additional filings.

"If, as Abrego Garcia suspects, [immigration officials] will take him into custody this morning, then his liberty will be restricted once again. It is beyond dispute that unlawful detention visits irreparable harm," she wrote in a brief order.

Sandoval-Moshenberg said during a rally outside the ICE field office Friday that because of the judge's latest order, Abrego Garcia would remain free.

Advertisement Advertisement

The overnight court action came after Xinis granted Abrego Garcia's habeas corpus petition seeking release from custody Thursday morning. It's a significant victory for Abrego Garcia, whose immigration case became a major flashpoint in President Trump's mass-deportation campaign when he was removed to El Salvador earlier this year. An earlier order had prohibited the U.S. from removing him to his native country because of possible persecution by local gangs.

Xinis, in her order, found that there was no final order of removal from the government to deport Abrego Garcia from the United States, despite the Trump administration's repeated attempts to remove him.

"Because respondents have no statutory authority to remove Abrego Garcia to a third country absent a removal order, his removal cannot be considered reasonably foreseeable, imminent, or consistent with due process," Xinis wrote in Thursday's order.

"Although respondents may eventually get it right, they have not as of today," the judge continued. "Thus, Abrego Garcia's detention for the stated purpose of third country removal cannot continue. Respondents' conduct over the past months belie that his detention has been for the basic purpose of effectuating removal, lending further support that Abrego Garcia should be held no longer."

Advertisement Advertisement

Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the judge's decision "naked judicial activism by an Obama-appointed judge."

"This order lacks any valid legal basis and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts," McLaughlin said.

The Trump administration has been attempting to re-deport Abrego Garcia to the African nations of Uganda, Eswatini or Ghana, but none of the countries have agreed to accept him.

In October, however, the administration informed the court that Liberia had agreed to take Abrego Garcia and was making "final necessary arrangements" for his deportation there.

Advertisement Advertisement

Sandoval-Moshenbergsaid at the time that unless Liberia guaranteed it would not send Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, deporting him to the West African nation "is no less unlawful than sending him directly" to his home country again.

In November, the Trump administration argued that Abrego Garcia had received significant due process in the U.S. In a court filing, the Justice Department said a U.S. government asylum officer had interviewed Abrego Garcia, who has been in federal immigration detention since late August, and determined he had failed to prove he would face persecution or torture in Liberia.

Xinis heard testimony in October from John Schultz, an ICE official, about the Trump administration's efforts to remove Abrego Garcia. Schultz said the administration remains in active discussions with Eswatini about removing him there, though the east African country rejected a request to take him.

Schultz said that once the administration has been informed that a third country is willing to accept Abrego Garcia, it could deport him within 72 hours if allowed by the court.

Advertisement Advertisement

Abrego Garcia has said he is willing to go to Costa Rica and designated the country as his preferred country of removal, and Costa Rica has indicated it would provide him refugee status or residency. But during the hearing Oct. 10, a Justice Department lawyer said there had not been discussions about deporting him there.

Lawyers for Abrego Garcia accused the Trump administration of gamesmanship and deliberately seeking to remove him to countries where he could raise claims of reasonable fear of persecution, with the goal of keeping him detained for longer.

Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2011 and has lived in Maryland with his wife and children. But he was arrested by immigration authorities in March and deported there, though he'd been granted the legal status in 2019 that should have prevented his removal to that country.

As part of a civil case Abrego Garcia and his wife brought against the Trump administration, Xinis ordered DHS to facilitate his return to the U.S. But immigration officials resisted doing so for months. Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. in June, but only after a federal grand jury in Tennessee indicted him on two charges of human smuggling, stemming from a November 2022 traffic stop.

Advertisement Advertisement

Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty, and a judge in Tennessee ordered him to be released on bail ahead of a criminal trial set to begin in January. But he remained in criminal confinement for several more weeks because of concerns from his lawyers that immigration authorities would arrest him upon his release and deport him from the U.S.

He was released from jail in Tennessee in August and returned to Maryland. But days later, he was taken into custody by immigration authorities after being summoned for an interview at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore. The Trump administration notified Abrego Garcia's lawyers he could be deported to Uganda, though Abrego Garcia expressed fear of persecution and torture, as well as a concern that the Ugandan government would send him back to El Salvador.

Abrego Garcia also filed a new legal challenge to his confinement and the Trump administration's efforts to deport him for a second time, which Xinis is presiding over. She has blocked immigration officials from removing Abrego Garcia from the U.S., and he had since remained in detention at a facility in Pennsylvania.

At the heart of Abrego Garcia's challenge is a 2001 Supreme Court case, in which the high court said the government cannot indefinitely detain a person in the U.S. illegally if there is no significant likelihood of removal in the "reasonably foreseeable future."

Advertisement Advertisement

Abrego Garcia's lawyers argued that he has been in near-continuous confinement since March, when he was deported to El Salvador and held in prisons there. His only period of freedom was for a weekend in August, in between his release from criminal custody in Tennessee and his arrest by immigration authorities in Maryland.

Erika Kirk has one word for Candace Owens as she spreads conspiracy theories

Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore detained by police after firing

Hoosier Hysteria | Sunday on 60 Minutes
A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore billions of dollars in canceled FEMA disaster mitigation funding, siding with 22 states and the District of Columbia that sued over the canceled grants this summer.

President Donald Trump's administration said in April it was ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which helped communities with predisaster projects to harden infrastructure and improve resilience against the increasing threats of climate change.

The administration called the program wasteful and ineffective and said it would halt $3.6 billion in funding awarded but not yet paid and would not award $882 million in grants for the following fiscal year.

Advertisement Advertisement

The program's disruption upended projects across hundreds of communities in both Republican- and Democratic-led states, thwarting plans to improve stormwater drainage, harden electrical lines and even help relocate households living in areas most vulnerable to disasters.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The Associated Press Thursday that DHS has not terminated BRIC, but did not elaborate on the programs status.

The Biden Administration abandoned true mitigation and used BRIC as a green new deal slush fund, the spokesperson said, referring to a Democratic plan to combat climate change. Its unfortunate that an activist judge either didnt understand that or didnt care.

The order comes at a time of profound uncertainty over FEMA's future and on the same day that a long-awaited meeting of the FEMA Review Council to present a report recommending reforms to the agency was abruptly canceled by the White House because it had not been fully briefed on the latest version of the report, according to a White House official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Advertisement Advertisement

Congress funded BRIC during the first Trump administration through the 2018 Disaster Recovery Reform Act, and FEMA launched the program in 2020. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made an additional $1 billion available for BRIC over five years, though only about $133 million had been delivered to communities by April, according to FEMA.

The program was criticized by some for being difficult to access for rural and less wealthy communities due to a complicated application process and cost-sharing requirements. But even Republican lawmakers like Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana opposed the cancellations and called for BRIC's reinstatement.

It protects families and saves taxpayer dollars in the long-run, Cassidy said on the Senate floor a week after the funding cancellation. Thats efficient in my book.

Judge Richard G. Stearns found that FEMA's actions were unlawful since Congress appropriated the money specifically for the grants and that there was an inherent public interest in ensuring that the government follows the law.

Advertisement Advertisement

The BRIC program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives, Stearns wrote in the court order.

The Trump administration has slashed disaster preparedness dollars across multiple FEMA programs this year as part of its campaign to transfer more responsibility for disasters to states.

Since February, Trump has not approved any requests for hazard mitigation funding, a typical add-on that helps states, tribes and territories complete resilience projects after major disasters.

Emergency preparedness grants that states and local governments rely on to staff emergency management agencies and buy equipment are currently frozen after 12 states sued the Trump administration over unprecedented grant stipulations related to the administration's immigration agenda.

Multiple studies have shown that preemptive investments in disaster readiness can yield significant savings. A 2024 study funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found every $1 invested in disaster preparation saved $13 in economic impact, damage and cleanup costs.
(Corrects range of rainfall totals to 6 to 20 inches, not 6 to 60 inches, in paragraph 6)

By David Ryder and Steve Gorman

BURLINGTON, Washington, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Residents and emergency crews in towns along the rain-engorged Skagit River in western Washington state braced on Friday for potential levee failures while National Guard troops assisted in evacuations after days of severe flooding in the Pacific Northwest.

Advertisement Advertisement

The entire town of Burlington, a community of about 9,200 people near Puget Sound, was ordered evacuated early on Friday as the river crested to an all-time high of nearly 38 feet (11.6 meters), well above major flood stage, in the city of Mount Vernon just downstream.

"We haven't seen flooding like this ever," said Karina Shagren, a spokesperson for the state's emergency management division. So far there were no reports of casualties or missing people, she said.

The Burlington-Mount Vernon area in Skagit County, north of Seattle, remained an epicenter of widespread flooding caused by days of torrential downpours extending from northern Oregon north through western Washington state and into British Columbia.

The rains were spawned by a string of atmospheric river storms, vast airborne currents of dense moisture siphoned from the ocean, that swept inland over the Pacific Northwest, including parts of northern Idaho and western Montana.

Advertisement Advertisement

MONTH'S WORTH OF RAINFALL

Rainfall totals varied widely, but much of the region received 6 to 20 inches of rain over the past seven days, according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.

"That's easily a month's worth of rain that's fallen in just a week," said Rich Otto, a meteorologist at the center.

Even before Burlington residents were forced to flee, the Skagit River flood plain as a whole, home to about 78,000 people, was already under a Level 3 evacuation notice urging residents to immediately seek higher ground. Evacuation notices covered an estimated 100,000 people statewide.

Advertisement Advertisement

National Guard troops and sheriff's deputies went door to door to facilitate the evacuation, and some were seen paddling stranded Burlington residents to safety in inflatable river rafts through muddy floodwaters.

Flood control levees appeared to be holding firm immediately following the river's historic crest, testing their strength for the first time since repairs to the earthen embankments were made following the last major flood in that area in 2021, state officials said.

'NOT OVER YET'

Rains abated Friday. But the National Weather Service posted a flash-flood watch for the river basin downstream to the mouth of the Skagit, where it drains into Puget Sound, citing the potential for levee failures under heavy pressure from the high water.

Advertisement Advertisement

"It's not over yet," U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said at a news briefing with Governor Bob Ferguson and others announcing that President Donald Trump, acting at their request, had signed an expedited federal emergency declaration for the flood zone.

Cantwell said the declaration would hasten federal support in clearing roads, removing debris, assisting in evacuations and providing emergency shelters for evacuees.

Forecasts called for a lull in precipitation going into the weekend, with another atmospheric river expected to produce another wave of showers Sunday night into Monday, Otto said, renewing flood hazards.

A levee failure would greatly magnify widespread flooding already occurring across much of western Washington state. Aerial footage broadcast by CNN showed communities inundated in deep, brown water with many homes submerged almost to their rooftops.

Advertisement Advertisement

South of Skagit County, National Guard troops also were dispatched to deliver food and check on stranded residents in a number of communities isolated by flooding in adjacent Snohomish County, Shagren said.

Two towns were likewise transformed into islands in neighboring King County, where dozens of flood victims were rescued over the past two days, some from the tops of cars, or from trees or from homes, officials said.

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay told reporters an overnight flood patrol team discovered a sinkhole at the edge of one levee, and "got it immediately filled," averting a potential collapse.

The flooding washed out or forced the closure of dozens of roads throughout the region, including most of the Canadian highways leading to the British Columbia port city of Vancouver.

Advertisement Advertisement

Several lengthy stretches of the BNSF Railway, a major freight line serving the Pacific Northwest, were also shut down on Thursday.

(Reporting by David Ryder in Burlington, Washington; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Himani Sarkar)
Residents in and around DeLand will have a chance to pick up free food items on Friday and Saturday.

Farm Share, a nonprofit that aims to help food-insecure residents in Florida, will distribute free, fresh produce and non-perishable canned goods at two separate events on Dec. 12 & 13.

On Friday, the giveaway will be hosted in conjunction with The Antioch Church of DeLand.

The event is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be held at:

Advertisement Advertisement

301 West Beresford Avenue, DeLand, Florida 32720

On Saturday, Farm Shares giveaway will be in partnership with First Presbyterian Church of DeLand.

The Dec. 13 event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and will be held at:

724 North Woodland Boulevard, DeLand, Florida 32720

Both food distributions will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Farm Share said it helps to fight hunger by working hand-in-hand with local farmers to recover and redistribute produce that would otherwise be thrown away due to aesthetic imperfections.

To find a food pantry near you, click here.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Israeli media outlets have aired footage of six Israeli captives lighting Hanukkah candles in a Hamas tunnel in Gaza, eight months before their deaths during Israels genocidal war in the besieged enclave.

The footage, depicting captives Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino and Alex Lobanov, was released online on Thursday night after being aired on Israeli television.

The Israeli military said the footage had been filmed by Hamas for propaganda purposes but never released, and had been recovered by the Israeli military during its operations in Gaza.

Advertisement Advertisement

The footage, which had previously only been shown to the captives families, differed from other clips of Israeli captives released during the war, which typically showed the Israelis reading statements.

It showed the captives marking Hanukkah in December 2023 by lighting candles and singing, some 80 days into their captivity and eight months before they were killed in August 2024.

Israel says the six were killed by being shot at close range by their captors in Rafahs Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood on August 29, 2024, and discovered by the Israeli military two days later, before their remains were returned home.

The captives were also shown eating as they marked the start of the new year in 2024, as well as playing cards and backgammon.

Advertisement Advertisement

One of the captives, Goldberg-Polin, was shown missing the lower part of his left arm, which was blown off by a grenade during the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli media reported.

The families of the captives depicted in the footage released a statement saying the clips depicted their loved ones humanity, unity and strength.

Lighting the candles in this dark place is the Jewish essence of the heroism of light over darkness, said the statement.

Hamas filmed the videos as part of a plot to spread propaganda, but the humanity of the six heroes shines through.

Israeli media reported that the bodies of the six captives were found about 1km (0.6 miles) from where another captive, Farhan al-Qadi, had been rescued by the Israeli military just days earlier.

Advertisement Advertisement

The return of the captives, both living and dead, was a central plank of the US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

On October 13, as per the deal, Hamas released all 20 remaining living Israeli captives in exchange for 250 Palestinians serving long prison sentences and 1,700 Palestinians disappeared by Israel since the start of the war. Many of the returned Palestinians described beatings and abuse during their time in Israeli detention.

In subsequent exchanges of remains, 27 of the 28 bodies of Israeli captives have been returned, as well as more than 300 Palestinian bodies, many of which were mutilated and showed signs of torture and execution. Many remain unidentified, leaving families with missing relatives unable to find closure in their mourning.

Hamas has said it requires heavy excavation equipment to recover the last remaining Israeli captives body from under the rubble caused by Israeli bombardment.




Storm Byron has swept across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 14 people and injuring others as harsh winds, relentless rain and collapsing structures crush families already displaced by Israels devastating assault on the enclave, according to Gazas Ministry of Interior and National Security.

The ministry said five people died overnight into Friday after a house sheltering displaced civilians in Bir an-Naaja, in northern Gaza, collapsed during the storm.

At dawn, two more people were killed when a wall gave way and fell onto tents in Gaza Citys Remal neighbourhood. A day earlier, another person died after a structural collapse in Shati refugee camp, while a newborn in al-Mawasi succumbed to the freezing temperatures.

Advertisement Advertisement

Medical staff in Gaza report an alarming rise in deaths linked to exposure. A source at al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera Arabic that nine-year-old Hadeel al-Masri died in a shelter west of Gaza City, while baby Taim al-Khawaja died in Shati camp.

In Khan Younis, eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar died after rain flooded her familys tent.

Relatives said the family had been seeking refuge in a roofless, bombed-out home after an Israeli air strike destroyed their own house.

Yesterday, we were surprised to hear his mother screaming, saying, My son is blue! so we carried the boy and went to al-Rantisi Hospital, the childs grandfather said. His temperature remained between 33 and 34 degrees [Celsius; 91.4  93.2 degrees Fahrenheit], which has affected all his organs. His brain began to deteriorate, and that was the end of it.

Heavy machinery operates as Palestinians gather on a pile of rubble amid a search for victims in a destroyed house that collapsed amid heavy rains, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 12, 2025 [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Al Jazeeras Ibrahim al-Khalili, reporting from al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, said Storm Byron has turned flimsy shelters into deadly traps.

Advertisement Advertisement

Officials are warning that there could be floods, heavy rain and hail, continuing through today. It is expected to threaten some 850,000 people, including many children, sheltering in 761 sites, he reported.

Here, tents have been destroyed due to the heavy rain and wind, leaving families facing ruined makeshift shelters.

Large sections of the shoreline have collapsed, further endangering tents pitched metres from the sea.

Al-Khalili said families, pushed from place to place through more than two years of Israeli bombardment, now face an added layer of suffering.

The tents are collapsing; the cold is unbearable. Basically, they dont have anywhere to go. What is unfolding is devastating, he said. Its not just a storm; its a new wave of displacement even after the war has stopped. Many people here told me that a new war has really begun after this flooding, and people are being forced to flee whatever fragile shelters they had.





Most of Gaza is homeless

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeeras Hind Khoudary said at least 10 houses collapsed in the last 24 hours, with more expected to crumble at any time.

Advertisement Advertisement

Palestinians remain inside these buildings because they have no tarpaulins, no tents and no alternative shelter as Israeli authorities continue to block winterisation supplies.

Most of Gazas population is currently homeless, she said.

Civil defence crews say they retrieved one body and rescued two injured children from the rubble in Bir an-Naaja, with more people believed trapped beneath collapsed homes.

The Ministry of Interior said emergency teams have received more than 4,300 distress calls since the storm began, and recorded at least 12 collapses of buildings previously hit by Israeli strikes.

A displaced Palestinian boy carries belongings in a flooded tent camp on a rainy day in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 12, 2025 [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Advertisement Advertisement

Despite having almost no equipment or fuel, police and civil defence teams continue rescue operations, the ministry said. It urged international actors to pressure Israel to allow critical aid and shelter materials into the Strip.

What is happening now is a wake-up call for everyone to face up to their responsibilities, the statement read.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem described the deaths linked to the storm as a continuation of the war of extermination and evidence of the catastrophic conditions Israels bombardment has left behind.

The successive collapses of homes bombed during the war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, caused by the storm, and the resulting deaths, reflect the unprecedented scale of the humanitarian disaster left by this criminal Zionist war, he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

He added that children drowning in flooded tents showed that the war of extermination continues, albeit with changed tactics, and called for urgent international action to halt what he described as genocide and to provide proper shelter materials. Current aid supplies, he said, do not protect against rainwater or the cold.




A proposed project plans to upgrade the Fresno Courthouse.

The Judicial Council of California is hoping to address the need for upgraded court facilities in Fresno County.

More than two acres are needed for the site.

If the proposal is approved, construction is expected to start in November 2028 and could be completed by 2031.
SOFIA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian parliament on Friday approved the resignation of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov amid large-scale protests over the economic policy of the ruling majority. 
A new lawsuit filed against the City of Fresno aims to create a blueprint for other California cities when it comes to the treatment and rights of the unhoused.

According to the complaint, which was filed on December 10, the class action lawsuit alleges "the City's unconstitutional practices and ordinances criminalize homelessness and systemically deprives unhoused individuals."

The defendants listed in the lawsuit include the City of Fresno and four of its officers.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The only thing that we have are lots of citations and arrests. When we have the ability to with all of the funding that the city has gone through, we could have changed so many people's lives for the better," said Kevin Little, attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the City of Fresno.

The lawsuit lists false arrests as well as violations of due process and discrimination against persons with disabilities.

The 61-page document is seeking unspecified damages for members of Fresno's unhoused community, specifically highlighting two plaintiffs - Wickey Two-Hands and Joseph Quinney, who qualify for certain protections under state, federal, and disability laws.

RELATED: Fresno's attempt to prosecute unhoused man under camping ordinance dismissed

Attorney Kevin Little has represented both plaintiffs in criminal court.

Advertisement Advertisement

"When they were cited and arrested for violations of the prior version of the ordinance, and when those cases were on the verge of trial, the city dismissed the charges against both of them," said Little.

City Attorney Andrew Janz issued a statement on the lawsuit, which read in part, "I look forward to taking this case to the Supreme Court - the same Supreme Court that upheld this sort of ordinance."

"It sounds like the City is leaning on a Supreme Court decision from a year and a half ago called Johnson vs. Grant's Pass, but we aren't asserting any claims that relate to that case," said Little.

Janz's statement goes on to read, "the municipal law passed by the Fresno City Council does not punish housing status, just behavior."

Advertisement Advertisement

Little hopes this lawsuit will serve as a model for other cities and jurisdictions when it comes to the unhoused.

"I hope that's the choice the City makes rather than to spend millions of dollars and potentially years in court while people continue to suffer and die on the streets," said Little.

On December 12, the City of Fresno will be served with the complaint.

Both parties will then appear in federal court with a date set in April.

For news updates, follow Christina Lopez on Facebook, X and Instagram.
When the Federal Trade Commission announced this month it was taking action against technology company Illuminate Education over a massive 2021 data breach, it added to the list of government measures against the firm since hackers broke into its systems and made off with the sensitive information of more than 10 million students.

Three state attorneys general have also now imposed penalties and security mandates on the company following allegations it misled customers about its cybersecurity safeguards and waited nearly two years to notify some school districts of the widespread data breach.

The ones that havent made progress in their efforts to hold Illuminate accountable are parents and students. Their pursuit hit a wall in September when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a federal lawsuit filed by the breach victims. The court, ruling on a case filed in California, found that the theft of their personal data  including grades, special education information and medical records  didnt constitute a concrete harm.

Advertisement Advertisement

The federal appeals court affirmed a lower-court dismissal of a proposed class-action lawsuit filed by families whose childrens information was compromised. The court concluded the plaintiffs lacked standing because they did not demonstrate actual damage from the breach or an imminent and substantial risk of future identity theft. In the years since the cyberattack was carried out, the court concluded, there was no evidence that the records, which did not include Social Security numbers, had been misused to commit identity theft.

It has been more than three years since the breach, the court wrote, and no fraud has occurred, nor is the kind of information at issue the kind that this court normally considers sufficient to find a credible threat of identity theft.

Related

After Huge Illuminate Data Breach, Ed Techs Student Privacy Pledge Under Fire

Under a proposed settlement announced by the FTC this month, Illuminate will be required to create a comprehensive information security program, delete any student data it is no longer using and notify the commission of any future data breaches. Regulators allege a third-party company hired by Illuminate to assess its cybersecurity safeguards raised red flags but Illuminate failed to heed those warnings a year before it was hacked using the compromised credentials of a former employee.

Advertisement Advertisement

Illuminate pledged to secure and protect personal information about children and failed to do so, Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a media release this month. The FTC action, Mufarrige continued, should serve as a warning to other companies that the commission will hold them accountable if they fail to keep their privacy promises to consumers, particularly when it involves childrens medical diagnoses and other personal data.

After the data breach, which affected the countrys two largest school districts in New York City and Los Angeles among others, Illuminate was quietly acquired for an undisclosed amount by another education technology company, Renaissance Learning, in 2022. Since then, a Renaissance spokesperson said in a statement to The 74 this week, Illuminate products have been incorporated into its cybersecurity and data protection program.

Renaissance safeguards include robust security protocols and controls used to safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of the data entrusted to us by schools, educators and families, the spokesperson said.

The FTC action comes on the heels of an unprecedented multistate settlement last month, when state attorneys general in California, Connecticut and New York secured a combined $5.1 million in penalties from Illuminate, along with cybersecurity requirements that resemble the FTCs demands. State investigators similarly alleged sweeping security flaws at the company, including the failure to monitor suspicious activity and deactivate the inactive user accounts of former employees.

Advertisement Advertisement

Related

Kept in the Dark: Meet the Hired Guns Who Ensure School Cyberattacks Stay Hidden

A California Department of Justice inquiry concluded that Illuminate made false and misleading statements about its cybersecurity safeguards in its privacy policy and deceptively advertised to school districts that it was a signatory of the nonprofit Future of Privacy Forums now-defunct Student Privacy Pledge.

The voluntary pledge, which was retired in April, sought to hold education technology companies accountable for maintaining a comprehensive security program to protect students personal information and to prevent the sale of student records for targeted advertising.

Illuminate became the first ed tech company to get booted from the pledge after reporting by The 74 called into question its utility in holding tech firms accountable for failing to meet its provisions.

Advertisement Advertisement

Related

Illuminate Ed Pulled from Student Privacy Pledge After Massive Data Breach

The multistate enforcement action was the first time Connecticut regulators reached a settlement under its state student data privacy law  which was enacted nearly a decade ago.

Technology is everywhere in schools today, and Connecticuts Student Data Privacy Law requires strict security to protect childrens information, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement. The settlement holds Illuminate accountable and sends a strong message to education technology companies that they must take privacy obligations seriously.

Sign-up for the School (in)Security newsletter.

Get the most critical news and information about students' rights, safety and well-being delivered straight to your inbox.
Gail Miller announces a $10 million donation to Shelter the Homeless during a news conference held at the Gail Miller Resource Center in Salt Lake City on Dec. 11, 2025. (Katie McKellar / Utah News Dispatch)

Utahs richest woman, Gail Miller, told of how long ago, her late husband Larry H. Miller would stash money in the pocket of a suit coat that he rarely wore as a fund for special needs.

It was early on, when the Miller familys business was still young.

Advertisement Advertisement

Back then, Gail Miller said she and her husband would sometimes dip into the suit coat pocket to help people when we saw a small need, something that could use a few hundred dollars maybe. Then, whatever was left at the end of the year, wed use to support families at Christmastime, she said.

Now, years later, I look at that suit coat pocket, Gail Miller said, pausing as her eyes filled with tears, and I realize that that was a training ground for both of us. As philanthropists and as stewards.

Larry H. Millers venture in car dealerships eventually grew to an empire  one of the largest and most recognizable businesses in Utah. After he died in 2009, Gail Miller took the mantle of the family company, which has since evolved into a diverse investment portfolio.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Advertisement Advertisement

Gail Miller told that story in front of a crowd of homeless services providers, local leaders and others during a news conference on Thursday at the Gail Miller Resource Center in Salt Lake City  a building named after her for her past charity helping improve Utahs homeless system.

During Thursdays event, Shelter the Homeless  the nonprofit that owns six homeless resource centers in Salt Lake County  announced the Miller family would be donating another $10 million to the shelters.

Todays gift probably would not fit in that suit coat pocket, a tearful Gail Miller said. But the spirit of giving still remains.

$10 million for capital needs

That $10 million will be used to seed an endowment fund meant to support capital maintenance and improvements for the shelters, said Josh Romney, Shelter the Homeless board chair. The gift will help Shelter the Homeless to maintain and enhance its programs, improve security, expand support services, and ensure long-term stability for people experiencing homelessness, according to the nonprofit.

Advertisement Advertisement

The homeless resource centers are among the most effective tools to help individuals and families move out of crisis, said Romney, who is a Salt Lake City-based real estate developer and is also the son of Utahs former U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney. This generous matching gift will provide essential capital funding to ensure the centers, which provide over 90% of the shelter beds in Salt Lake County, remain places of dignity that are safe and well maintained for many years to come.

Shelter the Homeless officials and local leaders pose for a photo with Gail Miller (center right) after announcing a $10 million donation to Utahs homeless resource centers during a news conference at the Gail Miller Homeless Resource Center on Dec. 11 in Salt Lake City. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)

Gail Millers donation brings the total amount the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation has given Shelter the Homeless to more than $22 million.

In 2017, the family pledged to match up to $10 million of donations to help fund programs and services inside three new homeless resource centers in Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake. The shelters opened in 2019, and in 2021 Shelter the Homeless announced the Millers match had been met. Since then, Gail Miller has also given about $2 million along the way for various capital needs, according to Laurie Hopkins, Shelter the Homeless executive director.

Gail Miller and Shelter the Homeless leaders hope her latest $10 million donation will spark others to donate their time or money to Utahs homeless system.

Advertisement Advertisement

The goal, Romney said, is seek more donations to grow the fund to $30 million for all the resource centers. The $10 million donated by Gail Miller will be mostly focused at her namesake resource center in Salt Lake Citys Ballpark neighborhood to address wear and tear on the building.

This money will ensure that the (Gail Miller Resource Center) continues to evolve, it will continue to improve, and it will continue to serve as a gateway for individuals who are seeking a fresh start, Gail Miller said. Its not only about meeting todays needs. Its about building a strong foundation for tomorrow.

Roughly $100 million in state and local government and private money has been spent on Shelter the Homeless resource centers.

We (used) a huge amount of money to build these buildings, Romney said. We just want to make sure theyre safe and secure and clean in perpetuity.

Ongoing funding still scarce

Although Millers donation helps provide stability for capital needs, Romney said, it doesnt address the need for more ongoing funding for programs. For years, homeless services providers and local leaders have also urged state leaders to commit more ongoing money to support their operations on a yearly basis.

Advertisement Advertisement

Miller called on everyone  including individual Utahns  to continue supporting the shelters.

Homelessness is not a problem that one organization can solve alone, she said. It really requires the community, united in purpose. It needs service providers, government partners, volunteers, donors, faith communities and neighbors, all working together.

It is our problem, not theirs, she said, referring to people experiencing homelessness. Todays contribution is a recognition of that shared responsibility.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, while thanking Gail Miller for her donation, said this shared responsibility is felt.

Advertisement Advertisement

Although Mendenhall acknowledged the homeless resource centers opened not that long ago, in 2019, she said the intensity of the use of these buildings is very high, and the need for capital investment, planning, and the upgrades of the infrastructure and repairs are serious.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall speaks during a news conference at the Gail Miller Resource Center in Salt Lake City on Dec. 11, 2025. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)

This is coupled with the reality of underwhelming operational funding year after year, Mendenhall said. These buildings are beautiful, and they were designed to do even more than theyre doing at their peak today.

Mendenhall said Millers donation comes at a meaningful time, not just as temperatures drop into winter, but also as state leaders look to expand shelter options and expand needed services, mental health, behavioral health, substance use treatment, etc.

Next month, the 2026 Utah Legislature will convene its 45-day general session, during which lawmakers set the states next fiscal year budget.

Advertisement Advertisement

Homelessness funding is expected to be a topic of debate. Last week, Gov. Spencer Cox proposed as part of the states $30.7 billion budget, state leaders should use $25 million in one-time money and $20 million in ongoing funding to help fund a proposed 1,300-bed homeless campus and address homelessness and criminal justice high utilizers.

The governor, however, did not specifically propose ongoing funding for the homeless resource centers  and his budget recommendation, if approved by lawmakers, still wouldnt fully fund the envisioned homeless campus, which state leaders have estimated would cost around $75 million to build, plus upwards of $34 million in ongoing funding to operate. The governor told reporters he hopes local partners, private donors, and federal funding will help fill the gaps.

Mendenhall said Millers donation was crucial to help sustain and improve the states existing shelters, which continue to face unmet needs.

What your gift means to me is that we will not give up on these homeless resource centers that are working incredibly well for the vast majority of people who enter their doors, Mendenhall said, calling the donation an anchor into a system of hope and healing.

Josh Romney, board chair of Shelter the Homeless, speaks outside the Gail Miller Resource Center in Salt Lake City on Dec. 11, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Shelter the Homeless)

This is a system that is working well, and that can work even better, the mayor said. We know we need more beds of all different sorts. We are going to go there together with shared responsibility and with clear and open eyes about the best areas of investment.

Advertisement Advertisement

Asked whether hes concerned that state leaders focusing their attention on the proposed homeless campus could crowd out funding conversations for the homeless resource centers, Romney told reporters, Im going to avoid that conversation because I dont want to take away from Millers donation announcement.

We can talk about that another day, he said. Todays about celebrating Gail and what shes done here.

Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, who in March will replace the states now-retired homeless coordinator, Wayne Niederhauser, said by prioritizing ongoing funding for high utilizers in the states criminal justice and homeless shelters, the goal would be to free up space to improve flow through the system as a whole, including in the homeless resource centers.

Were not going to look away from this. Were going to double down, he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

This coming legislative session will be Clancys last as a lawmaker before he takes on his new role as state homeless coordinator. Asked whether hes confident lawmakers will, like Miller, put their money where their mouth is, Clancy said there are still ongoing conversations with the governors office and lawmakers about future funding commitments and what the first puzzle piece will be to expand capacity in the states system.

But the values are certainly shared there, Clancy said, and so thats what makes me confident that the investment will come.

The Gail Miller Resource Center in Salt Lake City is pictured on Dec. 11, 2025. (Courtesy of Shelter the Homeless)

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Approximately 20,000 Georgians are facing a dramatic increase in their health insurance premiums, with some seeing their costs double in less than 30 days.

Kelli Stewart, a nonprofit owner, told Channel 2s Tyisha Fernandes that she is one of many residents affected by the insurance premium hike.

Her monthly premium for her family of four is set to increase from $1,500 to $3,100.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

I have a family budget that I work from - I dont have an endless amount of money, she said. This is not about politics. This is about peoples everyday life. This is about life and death.

Advertisement Advertisement

Stewart has reached out to Sen. Jon Ossoffs office, expressing concern not only for her family but also for the hundreds of families her non-profit serves.

Facing the prospect of becoming uninsured, Stewart is considering drastic measures such as getting another job or asking her daughter to take a year off from college.

RELATED STORIES:

Advertisement Advertisement

God forbid - what if we get sick like really sick and we dont have a broader insurance coverage - like what does that look like? Stewart said.

With the premium increase looming, families across Georgia are scrambling to find solutions to maintain their health coverage before January 1.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Germany has summoned the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Office in Berlin, a ministry spokesman said on Friday, citing a major cyberattack and a disinformation operation surrounding the German election campaign.

A cyberattack on German air-traffic control in August 2024 could clearly be attributed to a Russian hacker group called Fancy Bear, the spokesman said.

"Our intelligence findings prove that the Russian military intelligence service GRU is responsible for this attack," he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

He said Russia certainly attempted to "influence and destabilize both the last federal election and the internal affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany on an ongoing basis" through the so-called "Storm 1516" campaign.

There is reliable information that organizations supported by the GRU intelligence service are behind this, he said.

The Storm 1516 campaign has been running since 2024 and is primarily aimed at influencing Western elections.

Before Germany's parliamentary election on February 23, the focus was, among others, on the Green Party's lead candidate Robert Habeck and the conservative candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who went on to win the vote.

Advertisement Advertisement

Two days before the election, the government announced that German security authorities had evidence that fake videos about alleged ballot rigging were part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

The spokesman for the Foreign Office said that Russia's actions specifically threaten Germany's security, "not only through its war of aggression against Ukraine but also here in Germany."

He added that the German government, in coordination with European partners, "will take a series of countermeasures to show Russia a price for its hybrid actions."

The German government has observed an increase in hybrid threats from Russia for some time. Hybrid warfare is understood as a combination of military, economic, intelligence and propaganda tools, which can also influence public opinion, including state-directed cyberattacks.
The German government has accused Russia of a massive cyberattack and disinformation campaign during the recent federal election campaign - and has threatened consequences.

The "targeted information manipulation" is part of a series of activities aimed at undermining trust in democratic institutions and processes in Germany, the Foreign Office in Berlin announced on Friday. The Russian ambassador has therefore been summoned to the ministry, a spokesman said.

Specifically, the German government believes two hybrid attacks can be attributed to the Russian military intelligence service GRU.

Air-traffic control IT system affected

A cyberattack on the German air-traffic control service provider DFS in August 2024 can clearly be attributed to the Russian hacker group Fancy Bear, the spokesman explained.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Our intelligence findings prove that the Russian military intelligence service GRU is responsible for this attack," he said.

The DFS said after the attack, upon request: "Our office communication was hacked, we are currently in defensive measures."

They are trying to minimize the impact, the DFS said, adding that air traffic is not affected and continues to operate normally.

Elaborate disinformation campaign

It can now be definitively stated that with the Storm 1516 campaign, Russia attempted to "influence and destabilize both the last federal election and the internal affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany on an ongoing basis," the Foreign Office spokesman said.

Advertisement Advertisement

He referred to reliable information from German security authorities that organizations supported by the GRU were behind it.

Defamatory campaigns against Habeck and Merz

The Storm 1516 campaign has been running since 2024. It primarily targets elections in Western countries.

Before the German federal election, the focus was on the Green Party's top candidate Robert Habeck and the ultimately successful candidate to become chancellor from the conservative bloc Friedrich Merz.

To discredit them, false testimonies were produced and posted online, and websites with fabricated content were set up.

Two days before the early election on February 23, 2025, the government announced that German security authorities had indications that fake videos about alleged ballot rigging were part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Advertisement Advertisement

The spokesman for the Foreign Office said that Russia's actions specifically threaten Germany's security, "not only through its war of aggression against Ukraine but also here in Germany."

He added that the German government, in coordination with European partners, will "take a series of countermeasures to show Russia a price for its hybrid actions."

Increase in hybrid attacks

The German government has been observing an increase in hybrid threats from Russia for some time.

Hybrid warfare is understood as a combination of military, economic, intelligence, and propaganda tools, which can also influence public opinion, including state-controlled cyberattacks.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Foreign Office now announced through its spokesman: "We are closely monitoring what Russia is doing and we are taking action against it."

The German government will take a series of countermeasures in close coordination with European partners to "show Russia a price for its hybrid actions."

At the European level, new sanctions targeting individual actors are also supported. These include, for example, entry bans for certain individuals and the freezing of assets. At the same time, he emphasized: "We will continue to strengthen our support for Ukraine and our deterrence and defence."
NEED TO KNOW

Detroit resident Joshua Threatt, 36, saw a 6-year-old girl walking alone in freezing temperatures without winter clothing

He chose to walk her nearly 10 blocks to school instead of putting her in his car and documented the moment on Facebook Live

The video spread rapidly online, leading police to contact the family and prompting widespread praise for Threatts actions

Detroit resident Joshua Threatt, 36, went viral after he recorded himself walking a 6-year-old girl to school when he spotted her alone in freezing temperatures.

The emotional video, which he initially shared on Facebook Live before posting to TikTok, quickly drew widespread attention for its raw depiction of a stranger stepping in to protect a child.

Advertisement Advertisement

In the video, Threatt explained that he noticed the girl walking without a hat or gloves and appeared visibly shaken by the sight. I found this little girl walking by herself, he said, adding that the cold conditions made the situation even more alarming.

The child had allegedly been walking nearly 10 blocks to Thirkell Elementary School when Threatt saw her. In the footage, he asked her age and appeared stunned when she told him she was 6 years old.

Getty Stock image of a man and a little girl walking in the snow Stock image of a man and a little girl walking in the snow

Threatt later said he chose not to put the girl in his car, opting instead to walk alongside her to avoid any misunderstandings. I didnt want to put her in my truck, so I got out and walked with her, he said in the video, explaining that his only goal was to make sure she arrived safely.

As they walked, Threatt became increasingly emotional, repeatedly expressing fear over what could have happened had no one intervened. Somebody else could have just walked past, he said, adding that the thought deeply disturbed him.

Advertisement Advertisement

When they arrived at the school, Threatt said he immediately told staff what had happened and broke down in tears.

According to ABC affiliate 7 News Detroit, he told reporters that the moment hit especially close to home because his youngest child is the same age. I actually thought about my youngest, he said, explaining that he couldnt imagine letting a child that young walk alone in such conditions.

The video spread rapidly online, being shared tens of thousands of times within a day, as per the ABC affiliate. Viewers flooded Threatts comments with messages praising him for stepping in and protecting the child.

Threatt returned to the school with winter clothing for the child, saying he wanted to bring her a hat and gloves and better understand what support the family might need. In additional videos, he expressed frustration over what he described as a lack of urgency around the childs safety.

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.

In an interview with FOX 2, Threatt said he never expected the video to go viral and insisted he recorded the encounter to protect himself, not for attention. I went live to cover myself, he said, adding that going viral was definitely not the case he had in mind.

Advertisement Advertisement

Threatt also said he later spoke with the girls father after the video gained traction, describing it as a respectful conversation. We had a good, nice man-to-man talk, he said, calling the situation heartbreaking.

The Detroit Police Department confirmed to 7 News Detroit that it was in contact with the girl's family and added "that this is not the first time that this has happened to her."

PEOPLE has reached out to Joshua Threatt for comment.

Read the original article on People
They only trying to scare her out of running cause they think shell win. So rapped Cameron McCloud, the MC who kicked off the announcement event for Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crocketts Senate run on Monday. But in the grand tradition of braggadocio rap, McClouds boasts on Crocketts behalf were overstated. Okay, they were the exact opposite of reality.

Republicans do not fear Crocketts entry into a race to unseat Sen. John Cornyn, the GOP incumbent. On the contrary, the Republican money machine has spent months goading Crockett into entering the Democratic primary against Austin state Rep. James Talarico and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who withdrew from the race as news of Crocketts entry broke.

As NOTUS reported on Tuesday, there was a massive AstroTurf recruitment process to lure Crockett into the race, complete with GOP-funded polls showing her leading  which she cited during her campaign announcement. Republicans pretending to be Democrats blanketed progressive voters with calls and text messages in an effort to urge voters to contact and advocate for Crockett to join the race.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its not hard to see why Republicans think theyre being clever by baiting Crockett into running. The bombastic congresswoman has leaned full force into the Donald Trump era, returning the playground taunts and cheap shots MAGA leaders so enjoy right back at them, such as calling Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who is bound to a wheelchair, Governor Hot Wheels. (Crockett claimed she was misconstrued, but no one appears to believe her.) This behavior has endeared her to the highly partisan, deeply engaged Democratic voters who tend to determine primaries and would likely see her as the rare Democrat willing to put up a real fight against Trump and Republicans. But the GOP is betting her loud mouth will alienate independent voters, making it easy to persuade them shes a radical, despite having a standard Democratic policy agenda.

I think its one of the greatest things thats happened to the Republican Party in a long, long time, said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., when he was asked about her run on Wednesday. She is the face of the Democratic Party, she and Mamdani. Good luck with that.

Crockett, though, responded with an obvious point that Johnson appears to have overlooked when comparing her to the recently-elected New York City mayor: Last time I checked, he got elected.

Republicans clearly think they got one over on the Democratic Party by boosting Crockett. Her entry has already forced the moderate Allred out and has pushed Talarico, who was viewed as the progressive challenger to the Democratic establishment, into the electable normie lane. But a supposed Bible-lover like Johnson should remember Proverbs 16:18: Pride goeth before destruction.

Advertisement Advertisement

People thought Zohran Mamdani was unelectable too. Granted, he is nothing like Crockett, outside of not meeting Johnsons Christian, white and male standards. Mamdani is to her left on policy, but he also has an affable, disarming demeanor.

Its also worth noting that most political experts thought Donald Trump couldnt win, and that his hack insult comedy routine would fail. Turns out, though, that a lot of voters are fine with a candidate who is a loudmouth or a bully, so long as they feel that person is a fighter who is ready to shake things up. The Bulwarks Tim Miller argued that Crockett might be more viable than conventional wisdom would suggest because voters seem to be craving heterodox candidates who offer a promise of real change, whether its on policy matters like Mamdani, or simply on style points as with Crockett.

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.

Republicans may regret propping up a candidate whose qualities they believe make her unelectable, which may instead draw attention and passion that pushes her over the top. As Jill Filipovic wrote at Slate, theres a real appetite for table-flipping, insult-lobbing, and attention-grabbing politics that might actually beat MAGA at its own game. But even if Republicans are right and Crockett will lose  since she doesnt get the same hall pass that a white man like Trump does  they may come to rue the day they helped lift Crockett to an even bigger platform.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ever since Trump entered the political scene, Republicans have benefitted from the wildly-tilted dynamics of this era of lowbrow politics. While its true that most voters dont like the childish taunts coming from Trump and his imitators, the polls show theres something like they even less: the perceived unwillingness of Democrats to stand up for themselves. People hate bullies like Trump, but they feel pity and contempt for those who simply stand there and take it  even if its out of some misguided notion that theyre rising above the fray. This is why the otherwise universally beloved Michelle Obama still gets regular mockery for her when they go low, we go high speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Crockett understands this, which is why her announcement ad features her looking resolute while an audio reel of Trump obsessively insulting her plays. The message is that, while you may not like her style, at least she stands up for herself  and for voters. As a former Texan who still follows the states politics closely, I have a lot of doubts about Crockett, especially how she doesnt seem to care that something like Governor Hot Wheels insults all disabled people, not just a deserving target like Abbott. But the ad worked on me, because being a careless jerk is still better than the mealy-mouthed appeasement we so often hear from some Democratic leaders.

(Granted, theres a third way modeled by Mamdani  and, Id argue, by Talarico  of making your opponents look small without being rude by displaying courage, smarts and strong convictions. But name-calling does play better on social media, where attention spans are short and people dont have the cognitive energy to process multiple sentences, much less entire debate exchanges.)

Crocketts candidacy will likely empower even more Democrats to believe they can do more than lie low and hope to survive long enough to pick up the pieces after Trumpism implodes. Win or lose, she will show that doing things differently is at least possible. Crockett will empower a lot of people, both political leaders and everyday citizens, to take the fight to MAGA. This isnt just a few Democrats in Congress using curse words. A lot of people are sick of feeling hamstrung. Theyre eager to lash out at the right, even if it means dispensing with previous taboos against mocking peoples bodies or identities.

Advertisement Advertisement

Republicans found the low road to be useful and beneficial, in no small part because it was a clear path for them. But with Crockett leading the way, they may find theres a surge of progressives ready to create a pile-up on Interstate Insult Comedy. It could be bad for our overall political health. Or it could be good, reinvigorating people who were checking out. But one thing is for certain: Republicans arent going to like a world where Democrats start giving as good as they get.

The post GOP will regret pushing Jasmine Crockett to run for the Senate appeared first on Salon.com.
Sen. Ron Johnson speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

On Thursday, ProPublica reported that Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is endorsing a forthcoming book that promotes chlorine dioxide  a chemical commonly used for disinfecting and bleaching  as a treatment for autism and a range of other serious illnesses.

According to the report, Johnson praised the book, calling it a gripping tale of corruption and courage that will open eyes and prompt serious questions. His quote is set to be markedly featured on the jacket of The War on Chlorine Dioxide: The Medicine that Could End Medicine.

Advertisement Advertisement

The book in question is written by Dr. Pierre Kory, a former critical care specialist who practiced in Wisconsin hospitals before losing his board certification. According to ProPublica, his certifications were revoked after it was determined that he made false and misleading public statements about treating Covid-19 with an antiparasite medication.

Kory contends that chlorine dioxide  a compound used to sterilize medical equipment, sanitize industrial surfaces, and bleach wood pulp  has extraordinary medical benefits that have been deliberately suppressed by public health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and the media. According to the books website, Kory claims chlorine dioxide can treat everything from cancer and malaria to autism and COVID.

Federal health authorities strongly dispute that idea. The Food and Drug Administration has advised that ingesting chlorine dioxide mixtures can cause severe injury and even death, while the Environmental Protection Agency cautioned that elevated concentrations are especially dangerous for infants, young children, and fetuses.

The endorsement marks the latest instance of Johnson amplifying false medical claims. For years, the Wisconsin Republican has spread conspiracy theories and misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines, promoted disproven treatments, and claimed without evidence that athletes were dropping dead on the field after receiving Covid-19 vaccinations.

Advertisement Advertisement

On the senators recent endorsement of chlorine dioxide, Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill Universitys Office for Science and Society, told ProPublicas Megan OMatz that it is all lunacy and 100% nonsense, calling the chemical a poison at high concentrations.

Johnson confirmed to ProPublica that he approved the blurb but declined further comment and did not respond to questions about whether he believes FDA warnings about chlorine dioxide are false.

The post GOP Senator Endorses Book Pushing Bleach-Like Chemical as Autism Treatment first appeared on Mediaite.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking the Trump administration to help victims of the January wildfires by providing federal disaster aid.

Eyewitness News Political Reporter Josh Haskell sat down with Newsom for an exclusive one-on-one interview on Thursday.

Newsom was in SoCal on Thursday with a focus on the recovery from the deadly and devastating Eaton and Palisades fires. During his visit, he toured The Foothill Catalog in Pasadena, a collection of pre-approved home designs for displaced Altadena and Palisades residents.

Advertisement Advertisement

Thousands of families remain displaced following the Eaton and Palisades fires, and fire victims are running out of money for temporary housing as rebuilding costs are rising.

Homeowners are at risk of paying two housing payments at once, and some are being forced to sell and leave the communities that they love.

Newsom recently traveled to Washington, D.C., and says the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, didn't make the acting director available to him. Another official wasn't offered, and Newsom did not meet with President Donald Trump.

The purpose of the trip was to press Congress for $33.9 billion in federal disaster aid for the fires.

Newsom asks for government support after the January wildfires, sends letter to Trump

"Governor, would you say that the Trump administration has abandoned Los Angeles in not sending the proposal to Congress for the aid that you've asked for?" Haskell asked.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I wouldn't go so far as to say abandoned. I just don't think they've indulged in spending any time or energy in thinking about the lives that have been torn asunder here in Southern California, lives that still have not recovered fully. The $5.7 billion, however, that has been received by the federal government, is a proof point that at least they haven't put any sand in the gears of the normal bureaucratic process," Newsom said. "But what we're asking for today is a step up from that, because now we're getting close to that one-year anniversary, and people have not had that opportunity to get back into their homes because they simply can't afford to rebuild their homes, because they're either under-insured or they're still fighting with their insurance companies. They either are trying to still figure out whether or not the community is going to be rebuilt, the infrastructure, all of that is hanging in the balance with the supplemental request."

Newsom is sending a letter to Trump following his visit to D.C., saying disaster aid should not be about politics but about principle, ensuring that American families who lost everything are not left on hold.

In the letter, Newsom says California submitted a disaster funding request for the administration's review last February, but says the request still hasn't been transmitted to Congress for evaluation.

"Our request is to fund your federal agencies to rebuild roads, schools and water systems, develop housing, and reopen small businesses," Newsom wrote.

Advertisement Advertisement

He thanked Trump for the $5.7 billion in FEMA aid that was used to clear debris and support businesses, but said there is much more to be done, noting that he has bipartisan support in Congress for the funding.

"This is not just a blue state, it's also a red state issue, and in that respect, the consensus opinion is, Congress is there. We have bipartisan support from all Republican representatives in California. We continue to work with them and Democratic representatives. It's just moving the President of the United States, and that's difficult, and no one's naive about it, and we'll continue to keep punching," Newsom said Thursday.

In his interview with Eyewitness News, Newsom noted that there is nowhere else to get the necessary funding.

"No, this is the responsibility of the federal government. This is getting our money back. California is a donor state, $83.1 billion. Texas, a taker state, $71.1 billion. We are asking for federal dollars in a time of need for American citizens, who happen to be Californians. It's a modest request because it's an honest request," Newsom said. "We didn't go for the stars. We didn't overshoot, and we didn't overstate the need. We've been very sober about it. In fact, this letter reflects that, that we reduced the request from a few months ago because of the $5.7 billion we've received. So it's $33.9 billion for a reason, and we can justify every single dollar in that request."

Advertisement Advertisement

When it comes to the federal aid -- $2 billion would go towards building new affordable housing, and $9.9 billion would go to long-term housing and infrastructure needs. Then, $11.8 billion would go to repairing and upgrading damaged schools and emergency staffing.

But, if federal disaster aid depends on Trump and Newsom's relationship, the outcome is unclear.

Newsom says he's aware immigration raids could ramp up SoCal, points to court victories

Haskell also asked Newsom if he fears large-scale immigration raids will ramp up again in SoCal. That is something that he says he fears, but he did highlight the victory he had in court regarding the California National Guard's deployment to Los Angeles.

"As it relates to the issue of immigration. No one is naive; we were the first test case. We saw masked men, communities on edge across this city, and we're very mindful," Newsom said. "None of us are naive that could ramp back up, and the impacts that's having on rebuilding are already outsized. Tariff impacts on materials and supplies -- he's made cost of rebuilding go up in that respect. And mass deportations have impacted labor supply, which has also increased cost. The irony of that shouldn't be lost on anybody. If he can stand down on those two things and provide some support, we'll get to the next phase of this recovery."

In an interview with Eyewitness News, Newsom -- a frequent, vocal and vigorous critic of Trump -- touched on recent allegations of Trump's cognitive decline, something the president has pushed back against.

Newsom touches on allegations of Trump's cognitive decline, says he's seen him fall asleep in meetings

Newsom -- a frequent, vocal and vigorous critic of Trump -- also touched on recent allegations of Trump's cognitive decline, something the president has pushed back against.

"I have seen him fall asleep in the middle of cabinet meetings. This is simply without precedent. I appreciate long trips. We've all been there, a little jet lag, a little exhaustion, but not on multiple occasions. I am not a doctor, but you've got to believe your own set of eyes. So certainly, something is going on there," Newsom said. "But the president is more than capable of reviewing this letter I just sent, more than capable of reviewing our application, more than capable of stepping up and doing the right thing and being celebrated for it."
Richard Hlavaty, director of the Department of Non-European Countries at the Czech Republic's Ministry of Industry and Trade, speaks at China (Shaanxi) - Czech Republic Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference in Prague, the Czech Republic, Dec. 11, 2025. (Photo by Helena Kocova/Xinhua)

PRAGUE, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Government officials, business leaders and experts gathered in Prague on Thursday for the China (Shaanxi) - Czech Republic Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference, highlighting new opportunities in logistics, advanced manufacturing, clean energy and people-to-people exchanges between China's inland area and Czechia.

HISTORIC LINKS, STRONG FOUNDATION

The city of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, was historically the start of the ancient Silk Road. And today, it is a key gateway connecting China with Europe, said Liu Haiyan, economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic, at the event.

China and the Czech Republic have laid very solid foundations for bilateral economic cooperation, Liu said, noting that since the establishment of diplomatic ties over 75 years ago, economic and trade cooperation between China and the Czech Republic has maintained robust growth momentum.

Over the past quarter-century, bilateral trade volume has witnessed a 68-fold increase, Liu said, adding that China now stands as the Czech Republic's largest trading partner outside the European Union, while the Czech Republic is China's second-largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe.

Liu stressed that during the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), there will be major opportunities for foreign partners, noting that by 2035, China's per capita GDP is projected to reach 20,000 U.S. dollars and the middle-income population will expand to between 700 million and 800 million.

Richard Hlavaty, director of the Department of Non-European Countries at the Czech Republic's Ministry of Industry and Trade, welcomed the size and significance of the Shaanxi delegation.

Noting that the Czech government aims for a pragmatic approach to international trade, Hlavaty said that he appreciates the scale of the bilateral economic relations and hopes that, with the incoming Czech government, mutual respect and friendship will be strengthened.

BOOMING OPPORTUNITIES

On Nov. 19, a China-Europe freight train, carrying 55 containers of auto parts, household appliances, and other goods, departed Xi'an for Prague, inaugurating a new fixed-schedule service that slashes transit time significantly.

Hlavaty described the freight train service as "a new and efficient bridge of understanding and exchange between our regions."

Besides the developments in China-Europe freight train services, participants at Thursday's event shared their visions for future cooperation opportunities.

Jia Feng, party chief of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Commerce, said at the event that the industries in Shaanxi and Czechia are highly complementary to each other.

Jia said that the two sides should leverage their respective strengths to further strengthen trade exchanges, deepen two-way investment, and identify new areas for growth.

He noted that Shaanxi operates 18 regular China-Europe freight train routes that reach 227 cities in 25 countries, adding that since 2013, more than 30,000 China-Europe freight trains have passed through Xi'an.

The new Prague route, Jia said, provides robust logistical support for trade between Shaanxi and the Czech Republic.

Jia proposed that the two sides should deepen two-way cooperation in advantageous industries, noting that Shaanxi hosts leading auto companies such as BYD and Geely. He encouraged mutual investment in key manufacturing industries.

He also noted new opportunities in energy, chemicals, tourism and other areas.

Ilja Mazanek, head of the foreign affairs section at the Czech Chamber of Commerce, said that the Czech Republic has strong manufacturing capabilities and the country's industrial and socio-economic conditions provide strong advantages for developing bilateral cooperation.

"We are now ready to revitalize our cooperation and support new business opportunities. We hope our Chinese partners feel the same way," Mazanek said. 
Tim OMalley, the states new Director of Program Integrity, speaks at a Capitol press conference announcing his appointment Friday Dec. 12, 2025. (Photo by Alyssa Chen/Minnesota Reformer.)

Gov. Tim Walz announced a new role aimed at preventing fraud in state-run human services programs on Friday following years of widespread abuse that has siphoned away hundreds of millions of dollars intended to help vulnerable populations and created a crisis of confidence in his administration.

Tim OMalley, a former superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension under Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, will be the states new Director of Program Integrity starting next month.

Advertisement Advertisement

Im honored that Governor Walz has asked me to assist in combating fraud here, OMalley said at a news conference. Im not here to serve any individual, and Im not here to serve a political party. Im here to serve Minnesotans.

He added that the governor had privately assured him that all of us have the freedom and the autonomy to act to do whatever is necessary to solve this.

Minnesota Republican lawmakers criticized the appointment as too little, too late.

Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Republican gubernatorial challenger to Walz and chair of the House fraud prevention committee, said in a statement, The Walz fraud prevention program should be his resignation.

Advertisement Advertisement

OMalley will begin the new role once he finishes his current role as interim chief judge of the Court of Administrative Hearings.

OMalley said he doesnt have specifics on what the work will entail, though he said, I believe were well positioned to address this.

Walz also announced a new contract with WayPoint, a firm based in White Bear Lake owned by Josiah Lamb, to develop a toolkit of procedures for state agencies to better prevent and address fraud. The contract is currently for up to $200,000, said Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans.

OMalley worked at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from 1989 to 2010. He has also been an FBI SWAT team member and sniper. In 2014, OMalley was hired by the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese to oversee its response to clergy sex abuse.

Advertisement Advertisement

Fraud in Minnesotas human services has become a high-profile political issue, drawing attention from President Donald Trump, who has used the issue to attack Minnesotas Somali-American community.

Federal authorities have already charged scores of people for allegedly defrauding a pandemic-era child nutrition program, an autism treatment program and Housing Stabilization Services. Former acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joe Thompson estimated the total amount in fraud in state programs could exceed $1 billion.

Meanwhile, Minnesotas Department of Human Services has started addressing fraud in other services, pausing payments in a service called Integrated Community Supports starting in September and implementing a prepayment review process for 14 programs, including ICS, starting in December.

Integrated Community Supports is a Medicaid-funded service that helps people with disabilities live independently in the community rather than in an institution. In a statement late November, DHS confirmed that there were 50 active payment withholds affecting 17 ICS providers, citing credible allegations of fraud.

Advertisement Advertisement

A repeated refrain of the press conference was that there are active investigations into human services fraud, which officials said limited what information they could openly discuss. Walz also referenced a Medicaid program where much of the fraud, in terms of money, is coming up.

Evans said to expect additional prosecutions related to some of these Medicaid programs.

The bulk of what I would consider the most egregious and legitimate tips and referrals coming through that portal were absolutely related to this Medicaid program, which is not news to the state, Evans added.

Neither Evans nor Walz returned questions clarifying whether they were referring to a particular Medicaid service or Medicaid programs as a whole.

Advertisement Advertisement

DHS Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi said that the Office of the Inspector General has more than 1,300 open cases and has identified over $50 million for recovery over the past 5 years. She said that DHS Inspector General James Clark, who was not present Friday, told her that fraud schemes are evolving and DHS needs to do more to get ahead of criminals.

If you get caught stealing from Minnesotas most vulnerable people, I hope you go to prison, Gandhi said.
Beachgoers on Kauai will no longer be able to buy disposable bodyboards, as the island's Mayor Derek Kawakami signed a bill into law banning their sale on Dec. 10.

Introduced in October and passed unanimously by the Kauai County Council in November, Bill 2976 makes it illegal to sell, rent or distribute disposable bodyboards made of polystyrene foam  also known as plastic foam  because of the material's harmful environmental impact, according to a news release. The bill is set to go into effect in one year.

Disposable bodyboards are often inexpensive and don't last long, making them popular among travelers visiting the islands for a short period. They easily break down into smaller fragments that create more litter and also pose an ingestion risk to marine animals and birds  some of which are uniquely native to Hawaii's environment, according to the bill.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Disposable bodyboards may seem small, but their impact has been anything but small," said Mayor Kawakami in a news release on Dec. 10. "By eliminating polystyrene foam boards from stores and rentals, we are protecting our beaches, our ocean, and the wildlife that calls Kauai home."

Those who violate the law will face a $100 penalty, then $200 for a second violation in the same year. After that, they will be fined $500 for any further violations in the same year.

Poipu Beach on Kauai

The bill doesn't outright ban all bodyboards, including those made of more durable materials such as high-density polyethylene or polypropylene.

In Aug. 2022, Maui passed its own ban on polystyrene foam bodyboards as part of an initiative called "Foam Free Maui County." In 2018, the second-largest Hawaiian island banned plastic foam food containers.

Advertisement Advertisement

Hawaii regulates overtourism: Why you'll have to pay to visit these 4 popular parks

What else is banned from Hawaii beaches?

Polystyrene foam bodyboards aren't the only common beach-day items banned in Hawaii in order to protect its environment. In 2018, the Aloha State made history as the first U.S. state to enact a law prohibiting sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate  believed to be toxic to coral reefs  without a prescription.

In 2022, Maui County broadened the statewide ban one step further by outlawing non-mineral sunscreens from Maui, Lanai and Molokai. Only those with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are allowed to be sold and used.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This Hawaii island bans disposable bodyboards, adds $100 fine
According to soldiers, Hezbollah members have been seen approaching IDF forces while carrying hoes or performing tasks in the fields.

Hezbollah terrorists have increasingly approached IDF positions on the northern border with Lebanon, reservist fighters stationed in the eastern sector of Israel's Galilee Division said.

The operatives, often disguised as agricultural workers, have reportedly been spotted more frequently in recent weeks. According to soldiers, Hezbollah members have been seen approaching IDF forces while carrying hoes or performing tasks in the fields, presenting themselves as part of agricultural work.

Advertisement Advertisement

"They come near the forces under the pretext of being farmers, holding hoes or working the land. In reality, everyone knows their true intent is to gather intelligence or assess the forces' readiness," one soldier said.

After several reports from the field, which were corroborated by intelligence indicating that the individuals were Hezbollah operatives, the IDF decided to take action deep within Lebanese territory. As part of the response, signs were placed near civilian homes in Lebanon, warning residents that the IDF had identified Hezbollah operatives in the area and advising them to avoid approaching the border or IDF positions.

The fighters criticized the IDF's response as "ridiculous," and added that they had hoped for a more decisive action, such as arrests or the use of force to push back the operatives.

IDF reports more Hezbollah terrorists approach northern border

This week, Northern Command Commander Major General Rafi Milou held a meeting with officers in the sector, presenting the findings of an IDF General Staff investigation into the October 7 events and the actions directed by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. Milou confirmed aspects of the reservists' reports regarding the situation in the field.

Advertisement Advertisement

The primary concern for commanders in the sector is Hezbollahs attempt to carry out targeted attacks on IDF forward positions within Lebanese territory - or, more alarmingly, to infiltrate into Israeli territory.

"The Radwan force is rebuilding its capabilities. While it no longer has the same infrastructure as before Operation Northern Shield, it is actively advancing plans against Israel, with support from Iran," one commander said.

Estimates from Northern Command suggest that while the Intelligence Division and other intelligence bodies are expanding their target list, the political echelon is also working to secure international legitimacy, especially from the White House, ahead of a potential large-scale operation targeting Hezbollah.

This comes as the IDF struck Hezbollah training camps in Lebanon.
KIRO 7 is keeping a close eye on the communities impacted by record flooding as Washington is under a state of emergency.

As of 10 p.m. on December 15, here is a look at the evacuations, displacements, and cleanup efforts in Snohomish County, according to the Snohomish County Dept. of Emergency Management:

Evacuation Orders

Tualco remains closed as of Dec 15, 10 p.m.

Impacts and Information

Flooding has receded enough that the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office is comfortable with reopening the area to residents. People are encouraged to take photographs of damage to their property before attempting cleanup . If possible, the address of the property should be visible in one of the photos. Visit the Snohomish County Flood Guide for more resources and information.

Do not go around Road Closed signs. There are still some areas with water over the road that have been closed for safety. Floodwater is dangerous, dirty, and debris can be floating just below the surface, making it difficult to see and navigate. If roads are flooded around you, shelter in place or seek higher ground if you can. Do not drive through floodwaters. Call 911 if you need to be rescued.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch including Snohomish County from Monday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. to Thursday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m. Rainfall amounts look to be in the order of an inch for the lowlands and 2-4 inches for the mountains through late Monday. Additional rain is expected through most of the week, bringing the potential for prolonged or renewed flooding on many area rivers. The landslide risk continues to be elevated due to saturated soils.

Headed out this weekend? Avoid flooded areas. If you were not directly impacted by this weeks flooding, avoid flooded or previously flooded areas, such as Silvana, Stanwood, Index, Gold Bar, Sultan, Monroe, and Snohomish. People will be working to clear debris and return to their homes. Now is not the time to venture out on a hike or to check out damaged roads.

Post-Flood Health and Food Safety Tips

For those whose property has been impacted by flooding:

Advertisement Advertisement

Water supplies could be contaminated. If you have a well or are on a water system that was impacted by flooding, make sure to use bottled, treated or boiled water to avoid illness.

Make sure your building is safe to enter. Turn off gas and electricity or propane. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, notify the gas company, police or fire department.

When in doubt, throw it out. Get rid of foods, medicine or cosmetics if they were in a flooded area and were not in a watertight container or packaging. If your refrigeration has gone out for more than four hours, get rid of perishable items.

Sheltering and Services

Sheltering: free sheltering is available through the American Red Cross at the Evergreen State Fair Park in the 4H Building (pets accepted).

Animal Stabling: Free emergency stabling for livestock is available at:

Evergreen Fair State Park (no dogs). Contact Jeff Ritter: 425-309-2655. Darrington Rodeo Grounds (no swine) at 42109 SR 530 NE, Darrington, WA 9824. Contact Gabby Wesson (425) 407-2899. Stables are uncovered. Call ahead for either location.

Services: Were you impacted by recent flooding? Multiple resources are available. Learn more.

Prepare to report damage

There are potential funding opportunities available after a disaster, but these opportunities require timely and accurate damage assessments. A damage assessment should show what was damaged, as well as when, where, and how the damage occurred. These assessments start the process for disaster recovery programs, such as FEMAs Public Assistance and Individual Assistance Programs, and other potential programs. The Snohomish Department of Emergency Management will collect this information in the coming weeks. Reporting damage could help us reach thresholds necessary for recovery funding. While there is no guarantee that the funding will become available, please consider recording damage by preparing the following:

Photographs: Take photographs of damage. Photos should clearly show damaged property. If possible, the address of the property should be visible in one of the photos.

Receipts: Save all receipts for repair and clean up.

Documentation: Prepare a list of all damaged and affected property.

Key Resources

Information available below provides helpful tips, context, and updates for staying safe during flood season:

Advertisement Advertisement

Cleaning Up After a Flood  Health and safety information for returning to a home after a flood.

Annual Flood Safety Guide  Provides information to help research your propertys flood risk, to protect your home, to prepare for a flood, and to recover.

Flood Information Center webpage  A one-stop flood information source.

Snohomish County Hazard Viewer  Interactive maps showing flood zones and other natural hazards.

Snohomish River System Flood Information Line  Updated as conditions warrant, 425-388-3653.

Stillaguamish River System Flood Information Line  Updated as conditions warrant, 425-388-3702.

For road closures, flood maps, and more information, click here.
LAKE PLACID  The John Brown Farm State Historic Site welcomes all to enjoy the holiday season at the Brown family home this month.

The historic house will be decorated as a rural Adirondack farmhouse might have been in the mid-1800s.

On Dec. 13, 19, 20 and 23, the house will be open from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Free, casual tours will be offered, exploring holiday traditions during the 1850s and the Brown family history. Guides will detail how the Brown family celebrated Christmas over the years and share other aspects of their time in the Adirondacks.

Advertisement Advertisement

No registration is required. For more information, call 518-527-0191 or email brendan.mills@parks.ny.gov.

The John Brown Farm State Historic Site, located two miles from downtown Lake Placid, is the home and burial site of famed abolitionist John Brown. Today, the site provides tours and an interpretation on the life of John Brown. It introduces visitors to the 1846 scheme of justice and benevolence that attracted Black New York families to settle an Adirondack community that came to be called Timbuctoo.

For more information, visit the John Brown Farm State Historic Site website at parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/johnbrownfarm/details.aspx.
A home restoration contractor is accused of bilking a Philadelphia man out of more than $150,000.

David Bunkley said it happened after a devastating row home fire in the city's Germantown section that started in a neighboring property.

"November 28, coldest day of the year," said Bunkley.

Bunkley said he watched the fire gut his home just days after Thanksgiving in 2023. It left him with a total loss.

Advertisement Advertisement

He told the investigative team that as the firefighters wrapped up, Kareem Greenwood, of SOS Restoration, approached him on the scene as he was trying to come to grips with what unfolded.

Bunkley said, at the time, Greenwood seemed to be a lifeline in a desperate time of need.

"He's standing there, he said he could board it up for me. I said, I had to tell him, 'OK, go ahead and board it up,'" he said.

And when it came time to do repairs, Bunkley said Greenwood was there again, just as he finalized his insurance claim.

"He said, 'The work is already started. We pulled permits. I've got people working,'" recalled Bunkley.

Advertisement Advertisement

Bunkley said he felt under pressure, and he signed a contract with SOS Restoration for a total rebuild of the Chew Avenue home.

The contracted work included framing, electrical, plumbing, inside finishes, among other things.

"He starts doing repairs. He goes in, he demos the inside of the house," he said.

The investigative team first met Bunkley this past May when he came to us for help because he should have been back in the home by then.

When we visited, charred wood and a no trespassing sign remained outside. The inside of the home was still too dangerous for us to enter.

"Sink, tub, kitchen sink, washer, dryer, freezers, everything's gone. Walls, I mean, nothing's left in the house," said Bunkley.

Advertisement Advertisement

Bunkley said Greenwood told him that in order to complete the work fast, he needed to sign over the insurance checks that totaled more than $150,000.

And according to Bunkley, that is when Greenwood never returned.

"I text messaged him up until the point where I knew I wasn't gonna get any response from him. He never responds," said Bunkley.

We wanted to find out what happened to Mr. Bunkley's money and why, two years late,r work was not completed on the home. So, we tracked down Greenwood not once, but twice at court on an unrelated matter.

The first time, he ran and hid his face from our camera when we asked him questions.

Advertisement Advertisement

The second time, he was in court in Center City, again on an unrelated matter. He told us Bunkley should take him to civil court.

"What happened to all the money that you took from Mr. Bunkley?" we asked.

"See me in civil court. I did not take any money," Greenwood responded.

The investigative team found SOS Restoration's home improvement license to do work in Philadelphia lapsed in 2020.

Licensing and Inspection also show Greenwood never pulled permits to work on the home. And court records also show he is no stranger to the law.

According to court records, Greenwood spent time behind bars two decades ago for a felony charge of corrupt organizations for his low-level role in a bank check fraud ring.

Advertisement Advertisement

Greenwood also pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge in 2011 and was sentenced to nearly five years.

"See me in civil court. That's this is the court of public opinion, it's not the court of the question," said Greenwood.

"I want to get your opinion," said Action News.

Bunkley has since filed a police report and hopes the law catches up with Greenwood again. But now, he is slowly trying to rebuild his home and start over.

"I will do whatever I can to get what I can get," said Bunkley.

Experts warn that homeowners should never sign over an insurance check directly to a contractor and pay for work in installments, not all up front, to ensure work is being done and correctly.

Advertisement Advertisement

In Bunkley's case, his insurance adjuster also warned Bunkley against signing over the entire check.

You should also check to see if the contractor is licensed.

You can do that with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office, and the City of Philadelphia if that is where the work is being done before signing a contract.
How often should you replace your underwear?

Can't remember the last time you added new styles to your undies drawer? Here's what the pros say to look for.
Donald Trump has suffered through plenty of awful days this year, but few could compete with the events that unfolded on Thursday.

Over the course of roughly six hours, the president learned that a federal judge had ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be released from immigration custody, a grand jury had again rejected an effort to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, Republicans in Indianas state Senate had rejected his radical redistricting scheme and an Associated Press poll found that two-thirds of Americans reject his handling of the economy.

As days in the White House go, this one was pretty rough for the hapless incumbent.

Advertisement Advertisement

At least Trump can still count on the sycophantic and obedient House Republican conference to make his days a little brighter, right? Wrong. NBC News reported:

The House approved a measure Thursday to reinstate collective bargaining rights to federal workers, a step toward restoring labor union protections for nearly 1 million federal employees.The rare bipartisan vote, 231-195, marks the first time the House has voted to nullify an executive order from President Donald Trump this term.

The president signed an executive order months ago that sought to end collective bargaining with a variety of federal departments and agencies. A bipartisan duo  Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania  drafted the Protect Americas Workforce Act to undo what Trump did.

Naturally, House GOP leaders ignored the effort, but Golden and Fitzpatrick launched a discharge petition that reached 218 signatures a few weeks ago.

That set the stage for a floor vote that House Speaker Mike Johnson couldnt derail, and the bill passed with 20 House Republicans voting with the Democratic minority.

Advertisement Advertisement

As a substantive matter, the vote was a big victory for federal workers, but as a political matter, this was the first time all year in which the GOP-led House approved legislation to reject one of Trumps directives.

In the process, House members made Trumps dreadful day just a bit worse, while simultaneously making Johnson look even weaker.

The Protect Americas Workforce Act now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate.

Watch this space.

The post House Republicans made matters even worse for Trump on his day from hell appeared first on MS NOW.

This article was originally published on ms.now
If you drive on the North Loop from I-10 West to I-10 East, you might notice an increased law enforcement presence.

Mayor John Whitmire announced on the Houston Police Department's social media that there will be increased patrols to crack down on reckless driving, speeding, and road rage. The initiative runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, according to officials.

This plan is similar to an HPD initiative earlier this year. City officials told ABC13 that over three days in June, 83 extra officers fanned out across the North Freeway, Eastex Freeway, South Loop, and SH-288 to crack down on what officials called aggressive driving.

Advertisement Advertisement

This came in response to the Houston Police Department reporting more than 300 road rage incidents in both 2023 and 2024.

ABC13 requested the records and learned that over those three days, police issued 469 tickets.

The most ticketed offense was speeding and driving on the shoulder, according to the records.

As for whether road rage has gone down this year, ABC13's latest figures show the number of incidents remains very close to where it was in 2024.

For more on this story, follow Pooja Lodhia on Facebook,X and Instagram.
The European division of global organisation Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has entered a two-year strategic partnership with hospitality AI platform TrustYou.

The partnership will see the hospitality technology provider serve as a data insights partner for HSMAI Europe.

Over the two years, TrustYou will take part in local events throughout Europe, contribute to educational sessions and masterclasses, and co-publish data releases with HSMAI under the title HSMAI Data Insights Powered by TrustYou.

Advertisement Advertisement

The company will also join advisory board and council meetings, as well as support HSMAI Europe's communications activities and industry outreach.

According to HSMAI Europe, these actions aim to provide hospitality professionals with information on industry trends, guest-experience performance benchmarks, and changes in guest expectations that can affect commercial outcomes.

TrustYou will also become an Organisational Vendor Member and Platinum Sponsor for the associations Commercial Strategy Conference in 2026 and 2027.

The event is set to take place during Commercial Strategy Week on 14-16 January 2026 at the InterContinental London Park Lane, UK.

Advertisement Advertisement

As part of their role, TrustYou representatives will contribute guest intelligence and reputation data, participate in panel discussions, and engage with industry professionals from across Europe.

HSMAI Europe president and CEO Ingunn Hofseth said: This is a significant partnership for HSMAI Europe, bringing TrustYous expertise in guest-intelligence and AI-powered analysis into our work at a time when these insights are essential for the industry.

Their contribution will support HSMAI Europes members and network with the knowledge and perspective needed to strengthen their commercial strategies in an increasingly competitive and disruptive environment.

HSMAI was established in the US in 1927 and operates as a global body for commercial strategies in hospitality.

Advertisement Advertisement

TrustYou chief revenue officer Steven Dow said: Having been involved with the organisation for more than 12 years, first as a global hotel operator, then through initiatives such as the Commercial Summer Camp and my time as vice-chair of the HSMAI Europe revenue management advisory board, I have seen first-hand the immense value HSMAI brings to the hospitality industry.

Its commitment to developing talent, elevating commercial disciplines, and driving industry collaboration is something I have always admired.

"HSMAI Europe partners with TrustYou for guest-intelligence insights" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand.




SOFIA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian parliament on Friday approved the resignation of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov amid large-scale protests over the economic policy of the ruling majority.

As many as 227 members of the 240-seat parliament supported the resignation Zhelyazkov submitted on Thursday.

Zhelyazkov's government will continue to act until the election or appointment of a new Council of Ministers.

According to the Bulgarian Constitution, the country's President Rumen Radev should hold consultations with the parliamentary groups, and appoint a prime minister-designate nominated by the largest among them.

Should the prime minister-designate fail to form a government within seven days, the president shall entrust this task to a prime minister-designate nominated by the second largest parliamentary group, and in case of another failure, Radev shall entrust the task to a prime minister-designate nominated by one of the minor parliamentary groups.

If the parties in the parliament fail to form a new cabinet after three attempts, Radev shall appoint a caretaker government.

The government took power on Jan. 16 after snap elections in October 2024, the seventh parliamentary election in Bulgaria in three and a half years. Zhelyazkov was nominated by GERB-UDF, the largest force in the parliament with 66 seats in the legislature. 
PETIT GOAVE, Haiti (AP)  Amizia Renotte sat on a broken piece of concrete and pointed to a large pile of dirt where her house once stood before the outer bands of Hurricane Melissa crumpled it as the storm lashed Haitis southern region.

The Atlantic hurricane season may be over, but thousands of people like Renotte in this Carribean country and beyond are still looking for food and struggling to rebuild their lives nearly two months after the Category 5 storm pummeled the northern Caribbean region as one of the strongest Atlantic storms in recorded history.

We ran. We had nothing to save, Renotte said as she recalled waking up in the middle of the night surrounded by floodwaters.

Advertisement Advertisement

Melissa killed at least 43 people across Haiti, many of them in Petit-Goave, where residents are still digging out from under the storm that unleased deadly flooding.

Huge piles of dirt and mud now smother this southern coastal town, which once bustled with farmers and street vendors.

The groan of heavy machinery fills the air as crews slowly clear debris scattered by La Digue River, which swept away children, cars and homes in late October.

People lost everything, resident Clermont Wood Mandy said. They lost their homes. They lost their children.

Hunger persists

Petit-Goave held a mass funeral in mid-November to say its goodbyes to loved ones, but hunger and frustration remain.

Advertisement Advertisement

On a recent morning, people crowded around a small convenience store stocked with pasta, butter, rice and other basic items produced locally after receiving cash donations.

In line to buy something was 37-year-old Joceline Antoine, who lost five relatives in the storm.

My house is destroyed, she said.

Lola Castro, a regional director with the U.N.s World Food Program, or WFP, who recently traveled to Petit-Goave, said in a phone interview Friday that Melissa has deepened Haitis crises.

Around 5.3 million people dont have enough to eat every day in Haiti, she said. Thats a huge challenge.

Advertisement Advertisement

Castro noted that Petit-Goave was an agricultural community that depended heavily on crops, including plantain, corn and beans.

They have lost their income. They have lost their means of living, she said.

No community will be forgotten

Jamaica also is struggling to recover from Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in the western part of the neighboring island in late October, causing an estimated $8.8 billion in damage.

The storm killed at least 45 people, and 13 others remain missing, with an additional 32 deaths under investigation, according to Alvin Gayle, director-general of Jamaicas emergency management office.

Advertisement Advertisement

Authorities have reported 30 confirmed cases of leptospirosis  an infection transmitted from animals  and another 84 unconfirmed ones, with 12 related deaths. There were also two cases of tetanus, one of them fatal.

These figures underscore the scale of the human impact and the seriousness with which the ministries, departments and agencies of government continue to approach the recovery effort, Gayle said.

More than 100 shelters remain open in seven of Jamaicas parishes, housing more than 1,000 people.

Meanwhile, some 160 schools remain closed.

No community will be forgotten, Gayle said.

Jamaica recently announced that it obtained a $150 million loan to help restore electricity as quickly as possible, with officials saying they expect power to fully be restored by the end of January.

Advertisement Advertisement

Jamaica also has obtained a $6.7 billion package for reconstruction efforts over three years from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; the Caribbean Development Bank; the Inter-American Development Bank Group; the International Monetary Fund; and the World Bank Group.

Call for funding

In Cuba, hundreds of people remain in makeshift shelters nearly two months after the hurricane made landfall in the eastern region of the island hours after it hit Jamaica.

No storm-related deaths were reported in Cuba, where authorities evacuated more than 700,000 people from coastal areas.

Nearly a month after the storm, the U.N. said that about 53,000 people in Cuba had been unable to return to their homes, including 7,500 living in official shelters.

Advertisement Advertisement

Castro, of the WFP, said that Hurricane Melissa affected 6 million people overall in the Caribbean, including 1.2 million in Haiti.

Around 1.3 million people in the region now need food, security or other type of support, with WFP so far helping 725,000 of them, Castro said.

She said she hopes that number will grow, noting that the agencys $83 million appeal is only 50% funded.

___

Danica Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Floridas Attorney General is going after a major gaming platform. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the state is suing Roblox for serious failures to protect our kids.

In a video posted on social media, Uthmeier says, We reviewed the information demanded in our subpoena, and what we found was unacceptable. Roblox aggressively markets to young children but fails to protect them from sexual predators.

Roblox is hiding behind press releases and superficial safety measures while predators are openly grooming and targeting children on its platform.



As our criminal investigation continues, we filed a lawsuit to hold Roblox accountable for misrepresenting the platforms safety. pic.twitter.com/VvQbaMyR5n  Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) December 11, 2025

In the complaint, the Attorney Generals office calls Roblox the new hunting ground for sexual predators. The complaint adds, These predators use the Roblox app to find, groom, and abuse children. Florida children have been coerced to take and send explicit sexual images of themselves. Others have been physically abducted and raped.

Advertisement Advertisement

Earlier this year, Uthmeier issued a subpoena to Roblox, saying, Roblox profited off our kids while exposing them to the most dangerous of harms. They enabled our kids to be abused. A Roblox spokesperson called Uthmeiers claims false, saying, the suggestion that illicit image sharing is happening on Roblox demonstrates a lack of understanding of our platforms functionality. The spokesperson later adds that the platform has rigorous safety features built in, and its policies are stricter than those found on social networks.

In response to the lawsuit, Matt Kaufman the Chief Safety Officer of Roblox says, This lawsuit fundamentally misrepresents how Roblox works. Roblox is built with safety at its core. We have advanced safeguards that monitor our platform for harmful content and communications. Users cannot send or receive images via chat, eliminating one of the most prevalent opportunities for misuse seen elsewhere online. We are also rolling out additional measures to further limit who users can chat with, going beyond what is required by law and what other platforms do. We take swift action against anyone found to violate our safety rules and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and hold bad actors accountable. Our commitment to safety never ends. No system is perfect, which is why we continue to evolve and work to strengthen our protections every day.

 Listen to Jacksonvilles Morning News Interviews

Read more local news from WOKV

Click here to download our free news, weather and traffic app. And click here to subscribe to our daily 3 Big Things newsletter.
BALTIMORE  A federal judge blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia again during a scheduled check-in Friday at Baltimores George H. Fallon Federal Building, allowing him to return home to his family in Prince Georges County.

The ruling followed a decision Thursday that the Trump administration lacked legal authority to continue holding Abrego Garcia in immigration detention. He had previously been detained during a similar check-in in August.

Attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, part of a team of more than 30 lawyers representing Abrego Garcia, said the decision marked a significant, if temporary, victory.

Advertisement Advertisement

This time, ICE did not violate a judges order, and they allowed him to leave, Sandoval-Moshenberg said outside the courthouse. Well never know what ICEs plans were this morning  whether it was simply a check-in or whether they intended to arrest him just like they did in late August. But hes walking out the door and heading back to Prince Georges County to be with his family.

The attorney emphasized that although the ruling provides relief, the case is far from over. As long as the government continues its actions against him, we will keep defending him, he said.

Abrego Garcia, 30, entered Maryland illegally as a teenager and was mistakenly deported to his home country in March, despite a 2019 immigration judges order that barred his return because his family had been targeted by gangs. The case quickly became a rallying point for critics of President Donald Trumps strict immigration policies.

Outside the courthouse before Fridays meeting, Abrego Garcia addressed a crowd of supporters in Spanish.

Advertisement Advertisement

I stand before you as a free man, and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high, Abrego Garcia said, through an interpreter, Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, CASAs Baltimore/Central Maryland lead organizer. . I will continue to fight and stand firm against all the injustices this government has done to me.

A federal judge has ordered that Abrego Garcia not be detained while the court schedules his next hearing in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. Sandoval-Moshenberg said this will be the first hearing Abrego Garcia can attend in person, despite numerous prior proceedings in Maryland.

Hell finally get to see the judge, and the judge will get to see him. Thats when well determine what happens going forward, he said.

-------------
(The Center Square)  Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed Senate Bill 1950 to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois.

The governor announced his decision with a press release Friday morning.

"I have been deeply impacted by the stories of Illinoisans or their loved ones that have suffered from a devastating terminal illness, and I have been moved by their dedication to standing up for freedom and choice at the end of life in the midst of personal heartbreak," said Pritzker.

Advertisement Advertisement

The governor said no physician, health care provider or pharmacist is required to participate in the option.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, responded with a statement 24 minutes later. McCombie said she opposed the bill because compassion must be paired with caution.

This bill goes too far without the protections Illinois families deserve. Coroners, who will be responsible for determining causes of death, were never brought into the conversation. Stakeholders raised red flags that were brushed aside. Those gaps pose real and dangerous consequences, McCombie said.

SB 1950 started as a bill about sanitary food preparation when it was filed in February. It passed nearly unanimously in April. In the House, the measure was amended the final week of spring session and passed with a vote of 63 to 42 on May 29.

Advertisement Advertisement

During fall veto session, the Senate approved the amended Senate bill in the early morning hours of Halloween.

The option to prescribe life-ending drugs will be available on Sep. 12, 2026, when the Medical Aid in Dying bill goes into effect.
On the same day the Vigo County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a pipe bomb at Sen. Greg Goode's home, an Indiana lawmaker testified that a second civil war was afoot.

The pipe bomb report  ultimately determined to be false  was not the first time police were called out to Goode's home on a bogus tip. Nor was he the first politician to be targeted. At least a dozen lawmakers were subject to threats, intimidation or harassment over the past month as the legislature considered a proposal to redraw the state's congressional maps that ultimately failed.

As attacks once confined to heated Senate floor debate morphed into real life threats, Indiana State Police investigators tasked with sorting out who's behind them have kept their cards close to the vest. No arrests or charges have been announced, and if they have suspects, they aren't saying.

Advertisement Advertisement

Redistricting, a key part of President Donald Trump's strategy to maintain a Republican majority in Congress during the 2026 midterm elections, has sown deep disagreement within the state's GOP.

Sen. Mike Gaskill, a Republican from Pendleton, exhorted his divided party to pass the bill just before the Dec. 11 vote. "I'm going to submit to you that the second U.S. Civil War has already started. They're just fighting with surrogates," Gaskill said of the Democratic Party, using a map to show states with districts that consistently lean blue.

That argument was ultimately unpersuasive for the 21 Republicans who voted against the bill, including Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus.

Walker said in an earlier hearing that after he'd spoken out about redistricting, he'd been the target of a swatting attempt and an unsolicited pizza delivery. The latter tactic, known as "pizza doxxing," is used to show the recipient that people know where they live.

Advertisement Advertisement

In an emotional speech before the Senate on Dec. 8, Walker said that he refused to be intimidated. "I fear for Indiana and all states if we allow threats and intimidation to become the norm," Walker said.

But reports filed with the Indiana State Police suggest that threats and intimidation may have, in fact, become the norm. Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany, and "numerous others" were targeted with bomb threats on the eve of the vote, according to the agency.

Sgt. John Perrine, also with ISP, confirmed the agency had received a report that a state lawmaker was pulled over by police impersonators while driving to the statehouse on Dec. 11. Perrine could not confirm whether the events described in the report took place, however.

Indianapolis political commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz made a social media post about the traffic stop rumor, but spokespeople for House and Senate Republicans did not respond to IndyStar's questions about the tweet.

Advertisement Advertisement

ISP has made no announcements about the progress of their investigation. When asked if there were any credible leads, Capt. Ron Galaviz said the agency was not in a position to discuss the matter publicly. He has said that investigators throughout the state are using the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center to centralize and share information about the threats.

It's unclear if the harassment will continue at such a rapid pace now that the legislature has roundly rejected redistricting, but political rhetoric remains at a fever pitch. In a Dec. 12 social media post, Lt. Gov Micah Beckwith doubled down on Gaskill's analogy.

"The war didn't start today," Beckwith wrote on X. "But today made it unmistakably clear who's willing to stand... and who isn't."

Attached to his post were the headshots of the 21 Republican senators who voted against redistricting, complete with their names, email addresses and phone numbers.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana police quiet on doxing, threats as talk turns to 'civil war'
Twenty-one Republicans in the Indiana state Senate rejected President Donald Trumps pressure campaign for new congressional maps that would have eliminated the states two House seats held by Democrats on Thursday.

The humiliating rejection for Trump came after he put the full weight of the White House and Republican Party apparatus to bear on the state Senate. Trump sent a dozen social media posts threatening GOP Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray and others for opposing redistricting with primary challenges. Vice President JD Vance made multiple trips to cajole lawmakers. White House deputy chief of staff James Blair and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called individual state senators to push them to change their votes.

Politics: Threats Pour In To Indiana GOP Lawmakers After They Dropped Redistricting Bid

The pressure campaign peaked on Thursday shortly before the vote when Heritage Action, the political arm of the Heritage Foundation, declared in a social media post on Thursday that Trump had threatened to cut off all funding to the state if the state Senate did not support redistricting. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, a Republican and staunch supporter of the redistricting effort, confirmed this in a since-deleted post on X.

Advertisement Advertisement

This all-out push predictably led to acts of intimidation and threats and acts of violence targeting GOP state senators who opposed the effort. But the pressure campaign and the threats of violence backfired. A majority of the 40 GOP state senators voted no.

The reasons they gave varied from a refusal to bow to intimidation to a belief that redistricting should only occur once a decade after the census.

These are the Indiana Republican state senators who voted no and the reasons they gave, where available:

Senator Rodric Bray

Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray takes a question after a bill to redistrict the state's congressional map was defeated, Thursday, Dec. 11, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. Michael Conroy via Associated Press

Bray, the leader of the Senate caucus, opposed Trumps redistricting push from the beginning and became the face of the presidents ire. In statements issued in November and after Thursdays vote, he made clear that he believed that redrawing congressional districts was not the best way for Republicans to gain seats in the Indiana congressional delegation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Indiana Senate Republicans want to see a Republican majority in Congress at the midterms, Bray said in a statement on Thursday. The issue before us today was how to get there, and many of my caucus members dont think redrawing our Congressional map mid-cycle is a guaranteed way for Indiana  or our country  to achieve that outcome.

Politics: Indiana Republicans Buck Trump, Vote Down His Redistricting Push

Instead, Bray insisted in a Nov. 18 statement, the better path is to support efforts to elect a Republican in the existing 1st Congressional District, which has been trending Republican for the last several years and would give President Trump another Republican in Congress.

He also noted that the proposed map would split up urban districts centered on Indianapolis and Gary and require GOP lawmakers to represent communities that they have no history with.

Advertisement Advertisement

We dont believe the choice to redistrict is a binary choice where we will either keep a 7-2 map or draw one that automatically becomes 9-0, Bray said in his Nov. 18 statement. Candidates in these hypothetical districts have not walked a parade, attended a county fair or raised a dollar. And thats before we get through primary season, in which we can assuredly expect competition.

Senator Eric Bassler

I cannot support any mid-census redistricting plan, Bassler said in a November statement to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Four years ago, my Republican colleagues and I voted for our current state and federal legislative maps. I stand by that vote and I will not support legislation to change our congressional maps.

Politics: Gov. Newsom Mocks Trump For Making An Easily Debunked Claim About California

Senator Mike Bohacek

Following his no vote on Thursday, Bohacek told CNN that he and his colleagues dont want to be redistricting every two years at the whim of a presidents request.

Advertisement Advertisement

Bohacek had previously stated he would vote no after Trump called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, retarded. Bohacek declared his disgust as a parent of a daughter with Down Syndrome and as an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities.

I will be voting NO on redistricting, perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority, Bohacek said in a social media post.

Trumps vulgarity, as Bohacek called it in the CNN interview, was just another reason not to vote for redistricting.

Politics: Indiana GOP Drops Redistricting Bid In Big Loss For Trump

For me, it added to a litany of reasons for why this was just bad policy and not good timing and wasnt deserving of my support, Bohacek said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Following his post on Trumps slur, Bohaceks home was targeted with a bomb threat. He told CNN that his family has been staying with friends ever since.

Senator Vaneta Becker

Over the past months of conversation regarding the issue of redistricting, I heard over 1,000 people in my district tell me this is not what they wanted and only 100 favor it, Becker said after her no vote on Thursday. I always do my best to represent my constituents, and with that in mind, I voted no. I am glad to see this bill fail to pass.

She had previously decried Trumps pressure campaign: I think this looks like and feels like bullying, and I dont think Hoosiers respond well to bullying.

Politics: GOP Lawmakers Tucked A Controversial Provision Into A 3,000-Page Bill

Senator Brian Buchanan

No public statements.

Senator James Buck

No public statements.

Senator Ed Charbonneau

No public statements.

Senator Brett Clark

No public statements.

Senator Michael Crider

Crider was one of the GOP state senators who faced threats of violence and intimidation. He spoke out about the threats he faced before he voted no on Thursday.

Advertisement Advertisement

When you get kind of bullied and threatened, if that tactic works, then you can expect to deal with that for the rest of your political career. And so Im a kind of guy that, if you start pushing on me, youre going to get a reaction, Crider said.

I particularly dislike the idea that my wife has to think about cover, you know, closing the drapes and reading emails that our house is going to be firebombed in the middle of the night, and those kind of things. And my kids and my grandkids and things are impacted by things like that. And so, to me, this has been really a kind of a discouraging thing that were experiencing this in Indiana. Its not been our style in the past, and Im hopeful that its not something we deal with in the future.

Senator Spencer Deery

State Senator Spencer Deery, a Republican from Indiana, speaks at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 11. Kaiti Sullivan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Deery, who was targeted with a swatting attack after coming out against redistricting, was one of just three GOP state senators to speak against the proposal on Thursday.

My opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast to my conservative principles; my opposition is driven by them, Deery said. As long as I have breath, I will use my voice to resist a federal government that attempts to bully, direct and control this state or any state. Giving the federal government more power is not conservative.

Advertisement Advertisement

He added, Fighting fire with fire burns the world down.

Senator Dan Dernulc

Dernulc received a bomb threat to his house the night before the vote, according to The Atlantic. This wasnt the first threat he faced. In November, Dernulc was the target of a swatting attack after he came out against redistricting.

Today, my family and I were victims of a swatting attempt, but local law enforcement officials were quick to analyze it, recognize the report was false and inform me of the attempt, Dernulc said in a statement on Nov. 19. It is scary and shocking to me that someone would go so far to try to cause harm or fear to me or my family. I have always done my best to serve my community, be their voice, and work alongside them and my colleagues at the Statehouse to help make Indiana a great state. It is sad because of these efforts and work that I am villainized in some minds to the point of harmful retaliation. Threats to public officials cannot and should not be the norm. I hope to see justice for this illegal behavior.

Senator Blake Doriot

Doriot echoed Brays arguments that Republicans should be focused on flipping the existing 1st congressional district rather than redrawing it. He further stated that cracking up Indianapolis and Gary threatened to dilute GOP seats and potentially put them in play:

Advertisement Advertisement

The proposed maps would have split Elkhart County  which Doriot represents  into two different congressional districts, separating our shared community into two distinct populations. Elkhart County wasnt the only one being split  Marion County was also separated further into four different districts. I felt the proposed plan put several districts, including historically red districts, at risk of being flipped.

Most importantly, I represent those who live in Elkhart County. I heard from friends, neighbors and people I had never met before who overwhelmingly stated they were not in support of this and were concerned that the proposed changes would only hurt our community. My vote reflected those concerns, and I stand by my decision to vote against this bill to support those who rely on me to represent them.

Senator Susan Glick

Indiana Sen. Sue Glick poses in her law office on Dec. 5 in LaGrange, Indiana. AP Photo/AJ Mast

Hoosiers are a hardy lot, and they dont like to be threatened. They dont like to be intimidated. They dont like to be bullied in any fashion. And I think a lot of them responded with, That isnt going to work, Glick told CNN. And it didnt.

Senator Greg Goode

Goode, another target of violent intimidation, decried the threats lawmakers faced in a speech before the vote on Thursday.

Advertisement Advertisement

Whether we accept it or not, the forces that define the vitriolic political affairs in places outside of Indiana have been gradually and now very blatantly infiltrated the political affairs in Indiana, Goode said. Misinformation. Cruel social media posts. Over-the-top pressure from within the statehouse and outside. Threats of primaries. Threats of violence. Acts of violence. Friends, were better than this, are we not?

After the vote, Goode put out a press release noting the opposition he heard from his constituents to redistricting: In addition to being the only Republican legislator in Indiana to host a listening session on this issue, I spoke with numerous constituents individually and reviewed all correspondence I received from my district. The overwhelming feedback from constituents, regardless of political leaning or party affiliation, clearly demonstrated that the consensus of Hoosiers in District 38 is to vote against HB 1032.

Senator Travis Holdman

The message from my district has been clear  they do not support mid-cycle redistricting, and therefore I cannot support it. Holdman said in November.

Senator Jean Leising

The target of a pipe bomb threat, Leising had long been opposed to the redistricting push. When the December special session was called, she noted in a statement that only 7% of my constituents support the mid-cycle effort by partisan groups led by Washington, D.C.

After her vote on Thursday, she told reporters at the state Capitol that the Trump administrations pressure campaign backfired.

You wouldnt change minds by being mean. And the efforts were mean-spirited from the get-go, Leising said. If you were wanting to change votes, you would probably try to explain why we should be doing this, in a positive way. That never happened, so, you know, I think they get what they get.

Senator Ryan Mishler

No public statements.

Senator Rick Niemeyer

Niemeyer was yet another lawmaker targeted with a swatting attack. He had been viewed as undecided on redistricting in November.

Senator Linda Rogers

Rogers, who said she was targeted with several intimidation incidents, said in a statement after her no vote:

Today, I joined the majority of my colleagues in voting against redistricting. Over the last few months, I have heard from thousands of constituents who were overwhelmingly opposed. When I chose to run for Senate District 11, I promised to serve and advocate for those in our local community, and I believe I upheld that promise today. I will continue to work on issues affecting all Hoosiers, including education reform and reducing taxes.

Senator Greg Walker

Walker spoke out against the pressure campaign during a committee hearing on the bill prior to Thursdays vote.

I refuse to be intimidated, Walker said. Adding, I fear for the state of Indiana. And I fear for all states if we allow threats and intimidation to become the norm.

He also said that the redistricting push is on its face  unconstitutional.

Senator Kyle Walker

[A]ttempts have been made to intimidate me and threaten violence at my home, Walker said in a statement to NBC News. All state leaders should send the strongest message possible that not only are these violent threats and intimidation tactics against the law, they are also counter-effective.

CORRECTION: This was updated to correct the total number of Republicans in the Indiana state Senate.

Political Updates

Read the original on HuffPost
The Indiana Senate failed to pass a new GOP-favored House map on Thursday, dealing a major blow to President Trump after he had publicly pressured state lawmakers to approve the new lines.

The upper chamber voted against the map on a 19-31 vote, with 21 Republicans joining 10 Democrats to reject it  a decision that drew applause from some within the chamber. Its rejection of the aggressive 9-0 House map leaves the Hoosier States redistricting effort in limbo. The result was not entirely unexpected, as a number of Indiana senators had been openly skeptical about redrawing the map.

But that skepticism became increasingly apparent during the Senates session, which at times grew tense and charged.

Advertisement Advertisement

Make no mistake, I, like many of those who will join me in voting no today, are constitutional fiscal and religious conservatives. What that means to me is that I believe in conserving the values, the culture and the institutions that created American exceptionalism, said Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery (R), who voted against the map.

My point is that my opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast with my conservative principles, he said, after rattling off his conservative credentials. My opposition is driven by them.

Still, other GOP members made last-minute pleas to their colleagues to reconsider redistricting at the session that fell on the Hoosier States 209th statehood anniversary.

Please, stand up and fight for your people the way they fight for theirs, Indiana state Sen. Mike Gaskill (R), the chair of the Indiana Senate Committee on Elections, referring to the Democrats.

Advertisement Advertisement

Their defiance despite Trumps pressure campaign threatens to mire the party in a civil war heading into the midterms, as the president has vowed to primary any Indiana Republicans who didnt vote for the map. Trumps allies immediately slammed the vote, saying they would follow through on that threat to challenge GOP holdouts.

The spineless RINOs in Indiana, many hailing from districts where President Trump won by over 20% just last November have stabbed their own voters in the back and sold out America! Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz wrote on X , responding to the vote.

Well be launching primary challenges against every last traitor who voted no, effective immediately! Pack your bags, your time is up!

Speaking to reporters, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said it was disappointing, but added he was very, very bullish about next years elections despite Indianas rejection of a new map.

Advertisement Advertisement

We have better candidates, better message, and we have a lot to show the people, so well continue our momentum, he said.

Democrats cheered the failed vote on the map, with the chair of the House Democrats campaign arm calling it a victory for the state in a statement.

The pressure campaign from national Republicans to gerrymander in Indiana is only further proof that they dont care about voters, said Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The intraparty tensions come as Trump and his allies have been pressuring Republicans across the country to redraw their congressional lines as they seek to minimize their losses heading into what is expected to be a challenging midterm environment. The party redrew maps in Texas, North Carolina and Missouri, and it could also pick up two additional seats in Ohio, which was already mandated to redraw its map this year.

Advertisement Advertisement

Republican leaders in Washington earlier this year set their sights on the Hoosier State, where they pushed for an aggressive 9-0 map. But unlike in some other states, they were met with resistance. A number of Indiana Republicans  in particular in the Senate  signaled reluctance, forcing the White House to flex its muscle. Vice President Vance traveled to the state twice and lawmakers also discussed the issue during a trip to Washington, D.C.

Though the Indiana House signaled they were ultimately ready to move forward with redistricting, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray announced last month that his caucus didnt have the votes for a new map.

He later said the Senate would convene to make a final decision about any redistricting proposal that came out of the state House, though some members suggested they were still opposed to the effort.

As the pressure from the White House grew, a number of Indiana Republicans  some of whom had been called out by the president over the issue  reported being the victims of swatting or bomb threats.

Advertisement Advertisement

Adding further pressure, Trump and his allies pledged to primary any Republicans who failed to pass the new map.

If Republicans will not do what is necessary to save our Country, they will eventually lose everything to the Democrats, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. Rod Bray and his friends wont be in Politics for long, and I will do everything within my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party, and our Country, again.

Trumps threats came as Democrats scored victories in the redistricting war. The party is expected to pick up to five seats in California, where a new set of maps was approved in November, while a Utah judge also chose a new congressional map for 2026 that would give the party a potential seat. Democrats are also moving forward with redistricting in Virginia; Maryland is also on the table, though there are Democratic holdouts there.

The maps failure to pass could put more pressure on Republicans in other states to approve their lines. Kansas Republicans are considering revisiting the issue after reaching an impasse earlier this year, and Florida GOP lawmakers have already signaled they plan to redistrict, though their timeline on passing a new map remains unclear.

Advertisement Advertisement

Updated at 5:51 p.m. EST

Emily Brooks contributed

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 The Hill.
Indiana's resounding rejection of President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting plea throws a wrench in his plan to pad the Republican majority in Congress.

Though Indiana only had two seats to offer, the White House was very much counting on them. Now, the math could end up wielding Republicans little to no advantage at the end of all this effort, since Democratic states have also drawn their own new maps  and there are still more states considering action.

The Indiana Senate rejected the redistricting bill by a 31-19 vote, with a slim majority of Republicans joining Democrats in voting it down. The Hoosier state is the first to outright reject Trump's push.

How does the math work?

Republicans currently have a seven-seat majority in the U.S. House. Trump's goal with mid-decade redistricting is to pad that majority more comfortably to ward off any gains Democrats might make in the 2026 midterm elections.

Advertisement Advertisement

The party that is not in power typically performs better in midterm elections, so Republicans' historically slim majority is a tenuous situation for them.

Six states have heeded Trump's call to redistrict. The first to do so was Texas, which drew five new seats with Republican advantage. California retaliated with a map that cancels out the Texas seats, adding five Democratic seats. North Carolina and Missouri each added one Republican seat. Ohio passed a map with two more Republican-advantaged seats. Utah's court-ordered map adds one Democratic leaning seat, though Republicans are fighting to throw it out.

So from those six states, theoretically, Republicans are netting three extra seats in the House. But then there are at least six more states that are considering redistricting, but from whom a potential map hasn't been made public. They include three states led by Democrats  Maryland, Illinois and Virginia  and three led by Republicans  Florida, Nebraska and Kansas.

Florida's effort in particular is stalled by legal concerns since its constitution contains some anti-gerrymandering language.

Advertisement Advertisement

Yet more states may have to change their maps in response to court orders: like Alabama, Louisiana, New York and North Dakota.

Dave Wasserman, senior editor of the Cook Political Report, said on X that Florida, Louisiana and Virginia are the "biggest remaining variables" and could "cancel out" one another.

More: Republicans blame California. Democrats blame Trump. What started Indiana's redistricting push?

Contact IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X @kayla_dwyer17.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Indiana's redistricting rejection affects Trump's push nationwide
JAKARTA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Indonesia expects to complete tariff talks with the United States by the end of the year, its chief negotiator said on Friday, with a delegation set to visit Washington next week to resume them.

Talks had appeared at risk of collapse this week after the United States accused Jakarta of backtracking on prior commitments, although Indonesia said their "dynamics" were normal and it was just a matter of "harmonising the language".

The timeline for conclusion of talks followed a video call on Thursday between senior economic minister Airlangga Hartarto and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the tariffs.

Advertisement Advertisement

"We agree to complete what has been agreed upon in the leaders' declaration on July 22," Airlangga told an economic forum, adding that a non-disclosure pact kept him from giving details.

Asked if the United States had sought inclusion of a requirement for Indonesia to inform it of future trade deals with other countries, Airlangga said, "It is an agreement that is not with Indonesia."

It was not immediately clear if Indonesia was open to such a clause, however.

Such a provision in the U.S. deal struck with Malaysia allows the United States to end the pact and restore the tariff President Donald Trump announced in April, if new deals endanger key U.S. interests and talks fail to resolve its concerns.

Advertisement Advertisement

Cambodia also has a similar clause in its U.S. deal agreed in October, with some difference in the wording.

A U.S. tariff deal is key to ensure Southeast Asia's largest economy can keep up its exports, particularly in textiles, footwear and palm oil.

The United States imposed a tariff of 19% on Indonesian products, down from 32% earlier, after Jakarta agreed to scrap tariffs on more than 99% of U.S. goods and drop all non-tariff barriers to its firms.

(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman, Ananda Teresia, Bernadette Christina; Editing by David Stanway and Clarence Fernandez)
BUCHAREST, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Romania has the largest brown bear population in Europe, with an estimated 10,657 to 12,787 animals, according to new national data unveiled Friday in the central city of Brasov by Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu.

The figures come from the country's most extensive bear monitoring project to date.

The three-year initiative, involving 800 specialists and the collection of approximately 24,000 samples nationwide, was described by officials as the largest study of its kind ever carried out for the species.

Beyond population estimates, the research introduces Romania's first national zoning system for brown bear management, identifying areas ranging from strictly protected habitats to regions facing heightened human-wildlife conflict risks.

Buzoianu emphasized that the findings will help authorities balance conservation with public safety.

"This study is a responsible, balanced management tool that allows us to protect people, prevent conflicts, and conserve a species vital to Romania," Buzoianu said.

The new zoning framework divides the country into four categories: key conservation zones, conflict-risk zones, sustainable management areas, and marginal zones.

Classifications were determined using genetic analysis, habitat mapping, assessments of agricultural and tourism impacts, emergency call records, and documented damage from bear encounters.

Officials said the system will allow for differentiated management measures, better prevention strategies, and more targeted interventions where needed. 
NEED TO KNOW

An interpreter started to cry while sharing an 11-year-old boy's testimony at the European Parliament in Brussels

"Sorry, I am a bit emotional as well, the woman said in an moment captured on film

The child has become a symbol of the Russia-Ukraine War and met three times with the late Pope Francis

An interpreter broke down in tears while translating an 11-year-old Ukrainian boys testimony about his mothers death in a Russian missile strike.

Recently, Roman Oleksiv testified at the European Parliament in Brussels of his last moments with his mother before she was killed by Russian forces in central Ukraine in 2022.

Advertisement Advertisement

In footage that has since by shared across the globe, an interpreter became so emotional while translating for the young boy that she struggled to continue.

Hello to everybody, my name is Roman, I am 11 years old, Im from Ukraine, and Im now living in Lviv, the interpreter began after Oleksiv introduced himself to the audience, according to video shared by the BBC and The Independent.

On the 14th of July 2022 Sorry, I am a bit emotional as well, the woman said as she stopped to use a tissue before continuing to speak on behalf of the boy.

However, when Oleksiv spoke calmly in Ukrainian about "the last time I saw my mother," the interpreter paused and shook her head as her eyes filled with tears.

Advertisement Advertisement

I will help you, no worries, a man off-camera told the interpreter, before translating the childs statements.

Visibly still emotional, the woman put her hands on the little boys shoulder and then nodded her head at him to continue.

Oleksiv has become a symbol of the carnage of the war in Ukraine, which began when Russia invaded the smaller country in February 2022.

Since then, more than one million Russian troops have been killed or injured, while Ukraine has lost between 60,000 and 100,000 troops, with total casualties nearing 400,000, The Guardian reported in June.

Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Pope Francis meeting with Roman Oleksiv in Rome in May 2024. Pope Francis meeting with Roman Oleksiv in Rome in May 2024.

When the Ukrainian hospital was hit in the summer of 2022, Oleksiv suffered dangerous burns. In total, 28 people died, including his mother, and more than 200 were injured, according to the Vatican's news service.

Advertisement Advertisement

Following the devastating strike, Oleksiv met with the Pope Francis three times as part of the Alliance Unbroken Kids before the leader of the Catholic Churchs death.

Oleksiv, an aspiring ballroom dancer, had to undergo multiple surgeries after the bombing. He was later featured in an award-winning short film, Romchyk, which was shot by students at Goldsmiths, University of London, the BBC reported. The film was later shown to the Pope during the Vatican's International Summit on Children's Rights, according to the outlet.

REUTERS/Roman Baluk Oleksiv at a ballroom dance competition in Lviv, Ukraine in December 2023. Oleksiv at a ballroom dance competition in Lviv, Ukraine in December 2023.

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.

Kostiantyn Bidnenko was inspired to create the film after he read an article about the injured child, who dreams of becoming a professional dancer.

He told the BBC, "For me, he became a symbol of all children who suffer because of war.

Read the original article on People
BEHIND THE LINES: Despite setbacks, Iraqs Iranian-backed militias continue to thrive politically, posing a lasting threat to Israels security.

This week, the government of Iraq announced a decision to freeze assets held by the Lebanese Hezbollah organization and the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthis) group. The move was rapidly hailed as a major step forward, signaling Baghdads determination to distance itself from Irans regional network of militias.

Within hours, however, the government reversed its decision, with the Prime Ministers Media Office asserting that an error had been made. This incident (or non-incident) demonstrated precisely the opposite of what had presumably been intended.

Advertisement Advertisement

It showed the extent to which Iran-supported militias continue to play a key role in Iraqi governance, and are able and willing to act to prevent any moves to curtail or reduce the power and the capacities of their allies.

This is not a matter of importance only concerning internal Iraqi affairs. As Irans regional axis seeks rapidly to rebuild itself following the losses suffered during the two-year war against Israel, there is there is mounting concern in Jerusalem that the militias ongoing strength in Iraq could mean the countrys western deserts might be used as a launching area either by the militias, or their Iranian backers, in the event of renewed hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) walk for a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group, in the Qandil mountains, Iraq October 26, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

While Iraqs militias stayed out of the previous round, following a brief intervention in late 2023, there is no reason to assume that this will be repeated. With the loss of Syria, Iraq has taken on added importance to Tehran.

It has long been known to Israel that the militias have missiles deployed in the large deserts close to Iraqs western borders. The distance from western Iraq to Israels north is only 400 km. This relatively close proximity would enable the militias to launch a wide array of drones and missiles, which would quickly reach Israeli airspace.

Advertisement Advertisement

Although there is a general impression in Israel that the Iran-led militia array has been defeated in the course of the last two years, or at least has suffered severe setbacks, this is not entirely supported by the facts. In the Iraqi case, the militias have made significant advances in recent months.

As a result, the hope that an increasingly stable internal Iraqi political scene might induce or coerce Iran-supported armed groups to voluntarily disarm and become exclusively political organizations seems misplaced. Rather, it is the militias themselves, in their political iteration, who are moving forward.

In the November Iraqi elections, parties linked to the Shiite militias performed well. The Sadiqoun bloc, associated with the Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AH) militia, led by Qais al-Khazali, won 27 seats in the 329-seat parliament. Asaib Ahl al Haq is one of the most active of the pro-Iran militias and has been involved in abductions and murders of Westerners.

The Badr Organization, the oldest and among the most established of the Iran-linked Shiite militias (and one which, unlike AH, remains undesignated as a terror organization by the US government), won 18 seats. The Huquq (Rights) list, linked to the Ktaeb Hezbollah (KH) group, won six seats. KH was responsible for the kidnapping, imprisonment, and torture of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli citizen who was released in September after 903 days in captivity.

Advertisement Advertisement

All three of these militias are component elements within the Coordination Framework (CF), the largest single grouping within the Iraqi parliament. This faction backed the current government. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose Reconstruction and Development Bloc won 46 seats, will be unable to form a new administration without the CFs backing.

The CF brings together all the main Shiite militias into a single list, alongside several non-armed factions. The most powerful player within the Framework is former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. While not a militia leader himself, he is closely linked to the armed groups and acts in their interest, seeking to embed their representatives within a broader political framework in order to increase their ability to shape policy and guard them from any legal efforts against them.

On November 18, following the elections, Sudani announced that his faction would join with the CF, giving the joint bloc the command of 165 seats and making it almost certainly the faction around which the next government will be formed.

Such a government will continue to obey the demands of the militias in areas crucial to them, as seen, for example, in the move to reverse the decision on the Houthis and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Advertisement Advertisement

The political direction in Iraq demonstrated the extent to which the Iranian model for the seeding of proxy political and military power in Arab states remains unbroken, and essentially unchanged, despite the events of the last two years.

Following the Gaza ceasefire on October 10, and the previous ceasefires agreed by Iran in June of this year, and Hezbollah in November 2024, it was widely predicted by Israeli observers that Iran must surely adopt a new national strategy, the approach based on proxies having been so clearly defeated.

It appears, however, that Iran does not share this view. The Iraqi example shows the way that this model continues to work, combining electoral power with paramilitary muscle and extensive conventional military capacities.

The Iran-led element is quite content to allow large swathes of the political and societal life of the country to continue without its interference. But when issues arise of importance to this structure, no other force can stand against it or contradict its will.

Advertisement Advertisement

As an article in the Arab Weekly described it succinctly this week: Iraq currently lives under a system in which the formal state is largely a framework through which powerful political and militia networks operate.

What does this mean for Israel? First of all, the somewhat triumphalist and delusional rhetoric that followed the ceasefire in Gaza should be retired forthwith. The Iran-led regional bloc and its project have not been destroyed, though it received serious setbacks as a result of the last two years of war. The latest events in Iraq show that it is advancing once again.
Mohammad Hossein Tajik shared secrets with the CIA, providing information that led to the killing of top terrorists, until he was murdered while attempting to escape to Turkey.

According to an extensive investigation published in The Atlantic magazine, a senior officer in Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security led a double life, allegedly as an informant for the United Statess Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), providing details that likely led to strikes against key global terror figures before he was murdered while attempting to flee to Turkey.

Mohammad Hossein Tajik, who was the commander of anelite Iranian cyberwarfare unit, made contact with journalist Shane Harris in 2016 and revealed his story, which included deep involvement in some of the most sensitive intersections of Iranian security.

Advertisement Advertisement

According to the report, Tajik claimed that in his Iranian intelligence role, he made several trips to Lebanon, where he grew close to senior Hezbollah leaders. Tajik told Harris that he developed a close relationship with Imad Mughniyeh, the mastermind behind the 1983 bombings of the US embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut.

Tajik said he provided the CIA with detailed information about Hezbollahs organizational structure andhow its units coordinated with Iranian intelligence. The investigation noted that the CIA, in collaboration with Israeli forces, killed Mughniyeh in February 2008, the same year that Tajik reportedly began working for the American agency.

PEOPLE WALK on a street in Tehran, Iran in November 2025. (credit: WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS)

Despite this background, Tajik turned against the regime, describing it as corrupt and hypocritical. His connection with the CIA was severed in 2013 after he was deemed "unmanageable," and he was arrested and tortured at the notorious Evin prison, until his father secured his release on bail.

Tajik's family background was deeply rooted within the regime; his father, known as "Haji Vali," was one of the revolutionaries who participated in Irans Islamic Revolution and stormed the Shah's secret police headquarters in 1979, and helped establish the intelligence services of the Islamic Republic.

Tajik's attempted escape to Turkey

Tajik's tragic end came in July 2016.

Advertisement Advertisement

According to the report, he had planned to escape to Turkey with stolen documents containing Iranian regime secrets he intended to expose.

His younger brother, Amir, allegedly noticed the packed suitcase and informed their father that Tajik was planning to flee.

On July 5, a day on which Tajik was scheduled to speak with Harris, his father Haji Vali showed up at his home, accompanied by a senior official from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.

That evening, the younger brother found Tajiks body. No autopsy was conducted, and he was quickly buried at a cemetery in Tehran.

Exiled Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam, who had also been in contact with Tajik, and was later executed by Iran, provided information indicating that Tajiks father was involved with his sons murder.

Zam described it as an "ideological murder," intended to prevent embarrassment to the intelligence apparatus and the family due to Tajiks betrayal of the regime.
Iran

Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Beirut for talks following a formal invitation from Lebanons FM, after the latter declined to visit Tehran due to "current conditions."

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Thursday he would travel to Beirut for talks after receiving a formal invitation from his Lebanese counterpart, who a day earlier had declined to visit Tehran for direct talks.

On Wednesday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji said "current conditions" prevented him from traveling to Tehran, but stressed that the move did not mean rejection of dialogue with Iran.

Advertisement Advertisement

Raji told Reuters late on Wednesday that he had invited Araghchi "in a formal diplomatic letter to come to Beirut to hold talks."

Araghchi said on X/Twitter that he would "gladly accept the invitation to come to Beirut," although he said he found Raji's position "bemusing." He said foreign ministers of countries with "full diplomatic relations" did not need a neutral venue to meet.

"Subjected to Israeli occupation and blatant 'ceasefire' violations, I fully understand why my esteemed Lebanese counterpart is not prepared to visit Tehran," Araghchi added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) meets Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (R) in Beirut, June 3, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

Raji said on Wednesday that Lebanon was ready to open a new phase of relations with Iran based on mutual respect, sovereignty, and non-interference.

Lebanese FM: Gov't needs exclusive right to bear arms

He added that no strong state could be built unless the government held the exclusive right to bear arms, in an apparent reference to calls to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned Lebanese terror group.
ROME (AP)  A national strike called on Friday by Italys largest trade union in protest against the governments budget plans widely disrupted transportation, health and school services across the country.

The protest, which targets the 2026 budget bill proposed by the conservative government of Premier Giorgia Meloni, comes just two weeks after another general strike organized by smaller trade unions, with the same motivations.

The strike mainly hit railway transportation, with cancellations and delays registered for both long-distance and regional trains. Public schools across the country canceled classes, forcing students to stay home because of a lack of local public transportation in many cities.

Advertisement Advertisement

The CGIL union listed the reasons for the strike in a statement, including demands for greater investments in healthcare, education and housing rights, along with measures to tackle workplace safety.

CGIL secretary-general Maurizio Landini, who led a rally in Florence on Friday morning, criticized the budget as unfair, wrong and dangerous. He said that the main social emergency is now represented by low wages, and that government measures dont address that.

Tens of thousands of workers took to the streets on Friday as demonstrations and rallies supporting the strike took place from north to south.

When the protest was announced last month, Meloni and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini mocked the union for organizing the strike as usual on a Friday, suggesting that it was an excuse for a long weekend.

Advertisement Advertisement

They also defended the governments budget bill, saying it addresses the citizens needs for lower fiscal pressure and more financial help for families.

Italys national strike comes just a day after the one called by Portugals two main trade union confederations, which severely disrupted travel Thursday and forced the cancellation of many medical appointments and school classes.

The two labor groups representing close to a million Portuguese workers said that it could be the countrys biggest walkout in more than a decade as they contested the center-right governments planned changes to employment laws.
Action News Jax is hearing from the family of Corey Denmark, the man they say was shot and killed in a shopping center in Jacksonvilles Paxon neighborhood on Wednesday night.

We first covered this shooting as breaking news less than two hours after the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said officers responded to the shopping center.

JSO said two men were found shot in the parking lot of the shopping center at the intersection of Edgewood Avenue and Broadway Avenue, at around 8:10 p.m. JSO told us one of the men was killed, and the other went to the hospital, where he is expected to recover.

Denmarks family said theyre not sure how or why he was at the shopping center, but they told us theyre feeling numb to the loss, still unsure of how to process it.

Advertisement Advertisement

Were just in disbelief, said Natasha Hughes, Denmarks sister, hes not coming home. Its over.

Hughes said Denmark is the third sibling shes lost in the last three years. She said her sister, Stacy, died from cancer last year, and her brother, Tony, died in 2022, also from gun violence in Jacksonville.

Hughes is still trying to process the loss of another brother.

[Corey] was a caring guy, hed give you the shirt off his back, Hughes said, he just brightened your day. When youre having a bad day, and he would walk around, you couldnt do nothing but laugh or dance.

JSO is still investigating exactly what led up to the shooting. We reached out to JSO to ask if there were any updates in the case, including if there were any suspects identified or arrested, but we were told that, at this time, there are no further updates.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Besides the shooting, Action News Jax learned that JSO has been called to the Paxon shopping center more than 100 times this year. At least five of those calls were for assaults and disputes involving weapons.

Advertisement Advertisement

Action News Jax has tracked seven separate shootings at or near the shopping center since 2020. In a statement, JSO told us it will continue to frequent the area and conduct further deployments at the shopping center if necessary to curtail any nuisance/criminal violations.

Hughes is confident that whoever shot her brother will be held accountable for his death, but she hopes more can be done to prevent future gun violence in the area.

This was a situation where it was our family today, it could be yours tomorrow, Hughes said.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Residents in Jacksonvilles historic Black neighborhoods say they do not want a new Duval County jail built in their community without their input  and they made that clear during a packed public meeting at City Hall on Friday.

Jacksonville City Councilmember Jimmy Peluso is pushing a new resolution that would officially block those neighborhoods from even being considered as potential locations.

With the search underway for a site to replace Jacksonvilles aging jail, longtime residents say theyre bracing for deja vu  fearing the city could place another major project in their backyard without their input.

Advertisement Advertisement

That concern stems from the Brentwood neighborhood, where residents woke up to find construction underway on a new Medical Examiners Office, despite months of pushback.

We dont want what happened in Brentwood where we woke up one day and the coroner was there. We dont want that with the new jail, resident Larry Henderson said.

RELATED: Jacksonville councilmember seeks commitment new jail wont end up in disenfranchised neighborhoods

Peluso said his approach is intentional, using decades-old red-lining boundaries to protect communities that have historically been overlooked or overburdened.

The map we have is based on what the city looked like from 1934, so its changed quite a bit, Peluso said. We already passed a resolution based on red-lining. This is the second part of that.

Advertisement Advertisement

Residents and city leaders also weighed in on what the process for selecting the jails future site may look like. Chief Administrative Officer Mike Weinstein said the city expects consultants to come back soon with multiple options.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Probably in a month well have an agreement with the company to help us start, Weinstein said. And they have the obligation to deliver to us three sites  size wise, transportation wise  and deal with community issues.

But one of the most consistent messages from the audience was frustration  and skepticism  over whether public feedback will truly influence the outcome.

Advertisement Advertisement

Has anyone on City Council given an opinion on where the jail should be located? I take that as a no, Joseph George, president of the North Florida Central Labor Council, said.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Peluso reiterated that his priority is to protect historic, predominantly Black neighborhoods and ensure they are not considered for the new jail  a stance that other council members echoed.

Everybody deserves dignity, Councilwoman JuCoby Pittman said. The community deserves to have input to empower them to be part of a big process.

Peluso told Action News Jax he expects to formally file his resolution after the new year.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) praised Indiana Senate Republicans on Thursday for striking down redistricting efforts in the state.

Well, across the board, it was a good night for the American people and a bad day for Donald Trump, Jeffries said during an appearance on MS NOWs The Briefing.

And in Indiana, his effort to try to rig the midterm elections, because he knows that his policies has been the disaster, the Republican Party has been a disaster, the House Republican Conference has been a disaster, theyve got nothing positive to present to the American people, the New York Democrat told host Jen Psaki.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Hoosier State Senate rejected a new GOP-favored House map in a 19-31 vote. The lower chamber passed the measure, which was backed by President Trump, last Friday  just days after the new district lines were officially proposed.

The president was quick to slam state Senate GOP Leader Rodric Bray (R) for not backing the new district lines.

I heard he was against it, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Hell probably lose his next primary, whenever that is. I hope he does, because hes done a tremendous disservice.

Trump has in recent days ramped up his threats to support primary challenges to Republicans that push back on redistricting.

Advertisement Advertisement

Jeffries said the vote against Trumps recommendation signals a change in the presidents base, adding that Republicans are trying to gerrymander congressional maps all across the country.

And thats not working for them, the lawmaker continued. And they didnt expect the forceful Democratic response, which weve seen, of course, in California. Weve seen movement in Virginia and other states, because weve made clear from the very beginning: We will not let these Republicans mathematically gerrymander their way into artificially keeping their majority.

In recent months, a number of Democratic and Republican states have voted to introduce mid-decade redistricting ahead of next years elections. Among them are Texas, North Carolina, California, Missouri, Ohio and Utah  several sparking legal battles.

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 The Hill.
By Mike Scarcella

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday blocked an effort to have Kilmar Abrego returned to custody a day after his release from detention.

Abrego, whose wrongful deportation became a flashpoint in President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown, was released from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Pennsylvania on Thursday evening after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered his release on a temporary basis.

Advertisement Advertisement

Following that ruling, an immigration judge filed a new order saying Abrego must report back to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody by 8 a.m. Friday morning. Abrego's lawyers then asked the judge to issue a temporary restraining order to block the new immigration detention order.

Xinis, of U.S. District Court in Maryland, granted his lawyers' request Friday morning, preventing immigration authorities from re-detaining Abrego.

"For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the courts narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration," Xinis wrote.

Abrego's immigration battle began in March when Abrego was wrongfully deported to a prison in his native El Salvador and then brought back to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges.

Advertisement Advertisement

His case has become a symbol of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration crackdown, with Trump officials portraying Abrego as a danger to public safety and critics accusing the administration of trampling legal rights in its bid to deport millions living illegally in the United States.

(Reporting by Mike Scarcella and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Katharine Jackson)
FILE  Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends a protest rally at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, to support Abrego Garcia. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

A federal judge issued an order prohibiting officials from detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia again shortly after his release from custody.

Garcia was released on Thursday after Maryland District Judge Paula Xinis ordered his release immediately. Garcias lawyers also asked on Friday for a temporary restraining order to keep authorities from detaining their client again.

Advertisement Advertisement

Authorities will not be able to arrest him until there is a motion on the restraining order.

Since Abrego Garcias wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority, Xinis wrote in the original order to release Garcia.

Garcia has been thrust to the center of immigration debates since he was first deported to El Salvadors CECOT mega-prison in March. The administration has claimed Garcia has gang ties, something hes denied. Garcia was deported to the prison despite a 2019 order where he was denied asylum, but his removal was barred due to claims he feared for his and his familys lives due to gang threats.

He was brought back to the United States in June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee. Hes pleaded not guilty.

Advertisement Advertisement

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the administration will be fighting the new order tooth and nail.

I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high, Garcia told a crowd outside the Baltimore Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office. I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family.

He vowed to keep fighting and said he believes he will come out OK in the end, despite the ongoing situation.

I stand here today with my head held high and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me, he said. Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.

The post Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia After His Release first appeared on Mediaite.
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A civilian employee of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) got a final prison term for smuggling massive drugs into the U.S. military base in South Korea, Yonhap news agency said Friday.

The South Korean Supreme Court recently upheld the lower court's ruling to sentence the U.S. civilian employee to six years in prison on charges of violating the narcotics control act.

The employee was indicted for colluding with an acquaintance in the United States in August 2021 to smuggle 6.8 kg of methamphetamine through the USFK base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 km south of the capital Seoul, using the U.S. military mail.

The civilian worker was also charged with possessing and inhaling cocaine in December 2021. 
A federal judge on Friday morning issued a temporary restraining order to prohibit immigration officials from detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia just hours before he was scheduled to appear at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Baltimore.

His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again. The judge says officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order.

Abrego had been freed from an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania early on Thursday evening not long after a federal judge in Maryland ordered his release.

Advertisement Advertisement

On Friday morning, Paula Xinis, a US district judge in Maryland, said that Abrego cannot be re-detained and in her ruling she wrote that he was likely to succeed in further requests of relief from ICE detention, citing the merits of his case.

For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the courts narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration, the judge wrote in her restraining order.

Abrego spoke out on Friday after the ruling, as a group of supporters chanted We are all Kilmar.

I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high. I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family, he said on Friday, via an interpreter.

Advertisement Advertisement

He urged people to keep battling for his cause.



I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me. Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end, he said.



After Abrego Garcia spoke, he went through security at the field office, escorted by supporters.

After his release after months in US detention on Thursday, he returned to Maryland, where he has lived for many years with his US citizen wife and child after first entering the country illegally as a teenager.

His lawyer had said on Thursday that next steps were unclear but he was ready to continue fighting any additional deportation attempts on his clients behalf.

Abregos legal team had argued that the Trump administration lacked authority to keep him in custody because no final deportation order had been issued. The rulings on Thursday and early Friday mark legal wins for Abrego. His previous wrongful deportation to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador, breaking a court order protecting him from deportation to that country, turned him into a symbol of the Trump administrations aggressive immigration policies.

Advertisement Advertisement

Abrego was deported in March to an El Salvador mega-prison and after a massive legal and political fight, in which the Trump administration said he was never coming back to the US.

However in June, Abrego was brought back to the US  but then faced human smuggling charges in Tennessee, where he entered a not guilty plea to charges relating to transporting migrants.

Since then, the Trump administration has sought to deport him to several nations, including Ghana, Liberia, and Uganda.

After being released to his brothers custody in Maryland while awaiting trial, he was again taken into custody by immigration officials and was detained in Pennsylvania.

In August, a judge issued an order preventing his immediate removal from the US.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a wrongfully deported Salvadoran immigrant, was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention Thursday following a federal judge's order.

Garcia is facing U.S. charges by the Trump administration. His attorneys confirmed that he had been released by Thursday afternoon.

Immigration Customs Enforcement officials sought to deport Abrego Garcia to an African nation where he has no connection, despite his ongoing protection from removal to El Salvador.

Advertisement Advertisement

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to continue holding Abrego Garcia in an ICE detention facility.

"Because Abrego Garcia has been held in ICE detention to effectuate third-country removal absent a lawful removal order, his requested relief is proper," according to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis.

Protesters pictured in April marching in downtown Los Angeles, Calif. Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran national who illegally entered the U.S. almost 15 years ago and drew nationwide attention after his wrongful March deportation to El Salvador's notorious megaprison despite a protective order despite protective U.S. status. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

The judge mandated his "immediate" release.

"Separately, respondents' conduct over the past months belie that his detention has been for the basic purpose of effectuating removal, lending further support that Abrego Garcia should be held no longer," Xinis added.

Advertisement Advertisement

The order cleared ICE to release Abrego Garcia, but he still must comply with pretrial conditions in an ongoing human smuggling case.

"This is naked judicial activism by an Obama-appointed judge," a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson wrote on social media.

DHS claimed the order "lacks any valid legal basis and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts."

Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran national who illegally entered the U.S. almost 15 years ago and drew nationwide attention after his wrongful March deportation to El Salvador's notorious megaprison despite a protective order.

Advertisement Advertisement

He has accused the White House of vindictive prosecution.

It ignited controversy amid U.S. President Donald Trump's hardline immigration enforcement push.

The administration labeled him an MS-13 gang member, which he has denied.

"The history of Abrego Garcia's case is as well known as it is extraordinary," said Xinis.

With a standing order that prevents deportation to El Salvador, Trump administration officials pivoted to proposing an African destination.

"This evidently remained an inconvenient truth for respondents," Xinis wrote.

"But more to the point, respondents' persistent refusal to acknowledge Costa Rica as a viable removal option, their threats to send Abrego Garcia to African countries that never agreed to take him, and their misrepresentation to the court that Liberia is now the only country available to Abrego Garcia, all reflect that whatever purpose was behind his detention, it was not for the 'basic purpose' of timely third-country removal," the judge wrote.
A woman claimed she was hearing voices in her head telling her to kill before she allegedly stabbed a Jurupa Valley woman who was changing her baby daughter's diaper in a bathroom of a Macy's store in New York City, prosecutors said.

Kerri Aherne, 43, from Tewksbury, Massachusetts, allegedly stabbed the Southern California tourist multiple times in a seventh-floor restroom at Macy's Herald Square location Thursday afternoon, the New York Police Department said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital in stable condition and later released. Her 10-month-old baby was not seriously injured.

Advertisement Advertisement

The 38-year-old victim and her partner are both employees of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, sheriff's officials said.

"My thoughts and prayers are with my employees and their family during this very traumatic event," L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said. "I am grateful that they are safe and receiving the care and support they need."

Aherne allegedly stabbed the tourist in her back and arm from behind just before 3 p.m. Prosecutors said the victim managed to subdue the assailant until store security arrived.

Aherne was held without bail after appearing in court Friday night. She faces charges of attempted murder, attempted assault, two counts of assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to a complaint.

Advertisement Advertisement

Prosecutors said Aherne purchased a knife from Macy's, entered the bathroom and stabbed the victim. During the attack, the baby fell from the changing table to the floor.

Prosecutors said the suspect purchased the knife and looked for someone to kill because voices in her head told her she had to kill someone or she would be killed.

Aherne has no criminal history in New York but was previously arrested in Massachusetts in 2018 for posting on Facebook that she wanted to kill Sen. Elizabeth Warren, prosecutors said at arraignment. She also expressed she wanted to shoot someone at a police station.

The woman told police she has been hospitalized for psychiatric problems and said she was discharged from Manhattan Psychiatric Center on the morning of the assault. She had been staying at the psychiatric hospital for more than a year.

Advertisement Advertisement

Police said the attack appears to be unprovoked and is currently under investigation.

A Macy's spokesperson released a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We kindly defer any further questions to the local authorities."

ABC News contributed to this report.
DEDHAM, Mass. (AP/Boston 25)  Jurors began deliberating Friday in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of killing and dismembering his wife more than two years ago.

Video Live updates: Verdict watch is on in Brian Walshes murder trial

Ana Walshes body has never been found since she disappeared on New Years Day 2023. The same day his wife was last seen alive, Walshe went to multiple pharmacies and hardware stores to buy heavy-duty cleaning supplies, a Tyvek protective suit and a utility knife, according to prosecutors.

Advertisement Advertisement

He made the trips after early morning internet searches including, How long before a body starts to smell? and Dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body. Over the next several days, he looked for information online about how to cut apart a body into pieces with a hacksaw, not reporting his wife missing until one of her colleagues noticed her absence from work and contacted police.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

On the day jury selection had been set to begin last month, Walshe pleaded guilty to misleading police and dismembering his wifes body, but hopes to convince jurors through his attorneys that he didnt kill her.

His attorneys have tried to put reasonable doubt in the minds of jurors, acknowledging Walshe lied to investigators while arguing he panicked after discovering Ana dead at their home following a New Years Eve gathering. His attorneys rested Thursday without calling any witnesses, despite speculation that Walshe might testify.

No body, no cause of death

When questioned by authorities after Ana was reported missing, Walshe told police his wife had left Massachusetts on New Years Day for a work emergency in Washington, D.C., though witnesses testified there was no record of her booking a ride or boarding a flight. He did not contact her employer until Jan. 4.

At the time, Brian Walshe was at home awaiting sentencing in an unrelated art fraud case involving the sale of two fake Andy Warhol paintings and owed about $475,000 in restitution. Investigators testified that Ana Walshe had taken out a $2.7 million life insurance policy naming him as beneficiary.

Advertisement Advertisement

With no body ever recovered, investigators have been unable to determine a cause of death something the defense has tried to use to their advantage.

Theres evidence that he lied to police, theres evidence that he searched the internet, theres evidence that he disposed of the body, but there is no proof in all of the evidence that youve heard and been presented that he ever once thought about harming the woman he loved, defense attorney Larry Tipton told jurors during closing arguments.

Tipton urged jurors not to base their decision about whether Walshe killed his wife on the upsetting and terrifying and at times, disgusting acts he admitted to doing to her remains after she was dead. Instead, he said, they should focus on the evidence that he was not the one who caused her death.

Internet searches, purchases and blood

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have pointed to Walshes actions as evidence of premeditation. In addition to other internet searches, Walshe specifically looked for ways to dispose of body parts after murder.

Advertisement Advertisement

Jurors were shown surveillance footage of him at stores like CVS, Walgreens and Lowes, where he purchased items including hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. They reviewed photos of tools that investigators testified tested positive for blood, including a hacksaw and a hatchet.

Prosecutors also connected him to items found at a trash processing facility near his mothers home, including towels, a Tyvek suit, cleaning agents, a Prada purse, boots like those his wife was last seen wearing and her COVID-19 vaccination card.

Prosecutor Anne Yas argued during her closing statements that it was extremely unlikely that Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old in good health, would have dropped dead out of nowhere. She had a home gym at her Washington, D.C., home and regularly attended yoga and exercise classes, including on the morning of Dec. 31, 2022  likely the last full day she was alive.

Yas said the only motivation Walshe could have for disposing of his wifes body, as prosecutors allege, would be to hide evidence of what he did to her.

Advertisement Advertisement

The defendant didnt want anyone to find Ana Walshes body and to know how she died, so the defendant cut up Anas body  the woman that he claimed to love  and he threw her in dumpsters, she said.

Signs of strain

Friends described Anas final weeks as emotionally strained. Gem Mutlu, who spent New Years Eve with the couple, said they appeared very much in love, though he later learned Ana and another man had exchanged messages that night.

Another friend, Alissa Kirby, told jurors Ana seemed exhausted by travel and stressed about her marriage. The two had recently grown close, walking together and going to karaoke; Kirby teared up when shown photos of them. She testified that Ana considered moving her family to Washington and said Brian often questioned whether she loved him.

Kirby also recounted two messages from Brian shortly before Ana was reported missing  one on Christmas, when he asked if she knew where Ana was, and another on Jan. 3: I know we did this a week ago but have you heard from Ana?

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Kentuckians will elect a new U.S. senator in 2026. Warren County residents, above, cast early votes in November 2024 at the Ephram White Park polling station. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

Strange as it seems, the Democratic Party has a remarkable roster of candidates to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell next year.

Former state Rep. Charles Booker has run for senator twice before and been nominated once, and led his primary foes by 3 points in a mid-October poll.

Advertisement Advertisement

Right behind him was Amy McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot who gave the likeliest Republican nominee a tough, close race for his congressional seat seven years ago.

Far behind were Pam Stevenson, a retired Air Force colonel and minister who led her party caucus in the state House; Logan Forsythe, a Lexington lawyer and former Secret Service agent from West Kentucky; and Louisville businessman Joel Willett, a former CIA officer who has impressed party leaders.

After the poll was taken, horse trainer Dale Romans entered, with the sort of profile that could win the seat: a middle-roader like West Virginias Joe Manchin, backed by Democratic strategist James Carville, and the encouragement of Gov. Andy Beshear.

Kentucky is not on national pundits list of Senate seats that Democrats are supposed to have any chance of flipping, and Republicans consider the race a sure-thing slam dunk, as GOP strategist Tres Watson said last week.

Advertisement Advertisement

But in the Donald Trump era, nothing is a sure thing. Though Trump is the main reason Republicans are confident, hes also one reason Democrats think the Senate nomination is worth something. His national job ratings are about as low as they were just after Jan. 6, 2021, and are falling in Kentucky, which he won by 29 points. One recent poll had his net approval (positive minus negative) here at only 2 points; another had it at 14.

Trumps doing better in Tennessee, but voters there gave Republicans a scare in a special congressional election this month. A moderate Democrat might have flipped the seat.

Republicans all over are starting to distance themselves from Trump, his behavior, his handling of the economy and his controversial appointees, but Kentuckys three Republican candidates for senator are putting no distance between themselves and the president, since his endorsement in the race would likely be dispositive. But if his actions and those of his administration become much more objectionable, the Republican nominee could find himself in a disreputable ditch with an unpopular leader.

Among Republican candidates, former attorney general Daniel Cameron leads in polls, but 6th District Rep. Andy Barr is gaining and has a big fundraising advantage. Businessman Nate Morris trails, but has the best ties to Trump and is getting help from MAGA information channels unfavorable to Barr. Elizabethtown businessman Michael Faris is also seeking the GOP nomination.

Advertisement Advertisement

All the major Democrats have assets and liabilities. Booker and Stevenson are unabashed liberals and African Americans in a conservative state where racism still matters. McGrath lost credibility in 2020 when she out-raised McConnell and still lost to him by 20 points (after barely defeating Booker in a primary with unusual circumstances). Forsythe and Willett are unknown and will have trouble getting attention, but have overcome adversity before, and Willett has loaned his campaign $200,000.

Romans may have the most potential, pro and con. He is the most conservative Democrat, but still in the party mainstream on issues such as abortion, health care and immigration  about which he speaks knowledgeably; its an issue for the horse industry. But he paid a big fine for immigration violations over a decade ago, and has had other legal issues.

I have not totally vetted him, Carville said in an interview, but I know his reputation in the industry is pretty solid. Carville quit doing hired political work long ago, but still picks favorites and has promoted Romans. If Democrats are gonna be competitive in places like Kentucky, were gonna need these kind of candidates, he said. I told him he can use my name; we need to encourage people like this to run as Democrats.

Beshear encouraged him, Romans told the Paulick Report, a horse-industry publication: The governor is a friend of mine and I talked to him about it before I ever decided to run. He said it was a good idea: Get out there and run and that it was a very noble thing to do.

Advertisement Advertisement

Beshear would be Democrats best nominee, but a loss would greatly complicate his plan to run for president in 2028. Democrats are anxious to see if he will at last make good on his responsibility as party leader to recruit Democrats for legislative and local races.

State Democratic Party Executive Director Morgan Eaves said she expects more Democrats to run for the legislature than in 2024. Being in a lopsided minority is no fun, but she said potential candidates are hearing from people in their communities the reality of the Republican agenda.  They understand that Republicans were once in the superminority too, and youve got to claw your way out, and theyve got to be part of the solution. The Senate race, at the top of the ticket, will matter.

This column is republished with permission of the Northern Kentucky Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism.
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his country's military modernization efforts as addressing security challenges "effectively and correctly" at a key ruling party meeting, state-run media reported Friday.

Kim said the regime's push to strengthen defense capabilities was the "exact" direction to ensure North Korea's security amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The comments came as the three-day enlarged plenary meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee wrapped up on Thursday. The session reviewed this year's policy implementation results and laid groundwork for a key party congress set for early next year.

Advertisement Advertisement

During his remarks, the North Korean leader also highlighted the deployment of troops to Russia as a major achievement of the country's defense strategy.

"The signal military gains made by ... the Korean People's Army in the overseas military operations over the past nearly one year demonstrated to the world the prestige of our army and state," Kim said.

Pyongyang has provided significant support for Moscow's war effort in Ukraine, sending thousands of shipping containers of munitions and deploying 15,000 troops to assist Russian forces in the Kursk region, according to Seoul's National Intelligence Service.

In exchange, experts assess that Russia is transferring advanced military technology to Pyongyang, including assistance with space launch vehicles, reconnaissance satellites and air defense systems.

Advertisement Advertisement

On Friday, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea warned of the expanding threat posed by North Korea as it deepens military cooperation with Russia.

"Russian-DPRK collaboration is real -- it is not a quid pro quo relationship," Gen. Xavier Brunson said during a webinar.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

"There are things we know are happening right now that give me pause as I look at what might face us down the road, whether that be training, or techniques and procedures they're learning from the front," Brunson said.

The ruling party's Ninth Congress, expected in early 2026, is widely expected to outline a new five-year economic plan and recalibrate Pyongyang's military and foreign policy priorities.

Analysts say that the event may also cement a hard-line posture toward South Korea. In 2024, North Korea officially designated the South as a "hostile state," according to state media, while Kim publicly rejected the long-held goal of reunification.
LAKE HAMILTON, Ark.  Officials with the Lake Hamilton School District said on Friday they had to take action against an employee.

Officials said a school bus driver was removed from campus and suspended from all duties after a report of a Nov. 21 incident. The incident involved the driver and a student on one of the schools buses, they said.

Pulaski County Special School District gives update on bus driver shortage, delays

Advertisement Advertisement

The district acted immediately after receiving information about the incident, officials said. They added that the matter has been turned over to law enforcement and that the district is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

Because it is an ongoing investigation, officials said, additional information will not be provided.

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 KARK.
For the first time in more than two centuries, Lancaster County officials will formally recognize the Conestoga-Susquehannock Tribe during a ceremony Sunday, Dec. 14, marking the 262nd anniversary of the Paxton Boys massacre.

County Commissioner Alice Yoder will join tribal leadership at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster. Organizers say the event aims to correct a long-standing historical narrative that the tribe was wiped out in 1763.

Please support our year-end campaign. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

Advertisement Advertisement

Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

It also acknowledges a documented record of survival and advocacy, including an 1845 land claim, an 1872 legislative petition and the 1941 Susquehannock Indian Reservation Bill. The bill passed the Pennsylvania Legislature without opposition but was later vetoed by Gov. Arthur James.

For 262 years, history books insisted we were extinct, but the documents say otherwise, Tribal Chairwoman Andrea Ligon said. This Sunday, we are honored to stand with county leadership to remind the community we are still here  not as ghosts, but as neighbors and friends.

Event details:

What: Official county recognition of the Conestoga-Susquehannock Tribe

When: Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at 1 p.m.

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster, 538 W. Chestnut St.

Speakers: Commissioner Alice Yoder, Tribal Chairwoman Andrea Ligon

Advertisement Advertisement

About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
A large-scale strike began in Italy on Friday to protest the budget plans of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government.

The work stoppages are primarily affecting the public sector, including schools, hospitals and the postal service. Local transport is also affected in some cities.

The protest - described as a "general strike" by trade unions - is directed against the Meloni government's draft budget.

Advertisement Advertisement

Italy's largest trade union confederation CGIL believes that the plans would "worsen people's living and working conditions and affect workers, pensioners, young people and women."

Despite allocating new spending of 18 billion ($21.2 billion), CGIL argues that healthcare, schools, care for the elderly, affordable housing and local transport are not adequately prioritized in the budget.

Meloni has been in power in Rome for three years at the head of a coalition of three far-right and conservative parties.

According to media reports, the budget will be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies next week, and must be approved by both chambers of parliament by the end of the year.
Dominion Energy's Whitehouse solar farm in Louisa County. (Courtesy of Dominion Energy)

By Katherine Hafner/WHRO

Stormwater runoff has become part of a growing, contentious debate around solar energy development in Virginia.

Some residents and officials in rural areas complain of flooding and pollution around large solar sites. Developers argue that there are already requirements in place to mitigate the problem.

Advertisement Advertisement

Virginia Tech is in the midst of an effort to collect on-the-ground data to help inform state leaders how to move forward.

The Department of Environmental Quality gave the school $6 million for a six-year study. About two years in, the research team recently published initial findings .

What we found is, these areas that have solar development happening tend to produce runoff more quickly, said Ryan Stewart, associate professor at Virginia Techs School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. In many cases, though not all cases, we tend to see higher peak flows coming off the solar areas.

Stormwater runoff happens when rain falls on impervious surfaces, such as roadways and parking lots, which do not absorb water. That can cause flooding, contribute to erosion and allow pollutants to wash into waterways.

Advertisement Advertisement

Utility-scale solar projects in Virginia are often built on former farmland, which absorbs water. But glass panels on top allow water to run off.

What happens next is kind of an open question, Stewart said.

Some people believe that when the water falls from below the panels, it keeps flowing, eventually running off the site. Others argue that once the water drips off, it infiltrates into the soil beneath adjoining panels downhill.

His team measured runoff at three utility-scale solar sites, one in Surry County and two in the Piedmont region, each spanning hundreds of acres.

Researchers installed metal structures, called flumes, in the channels lining the solar sites to monitor water flow during storms.

Advertisement Advertisement

The devices are hooked up to data loggers with cellular connections that upload data to the cloud every 30 minutes, along with rainfall data from local weather stations.

For comparison, the group measured runoff at reference points around the solar sites, such as grass or cropland, to represent their previous land use.

A flume installed in a stormwater ditch that drains into a permanent stormwater pond at one of the studied solar sites in Virginia.

Between January 2024 and October 2025, the group recorded between 39 and 76 storms at each site, most with less than an inch of rain accumulation.

The results showed that the spots within solar arrays often saw rapid, and at times substantial, amounts of surface runoff.

I think that points out that solar development is having an effect on hydrology, Stewart said. We cant just assume that the landscape is how it was before the solar construction.

Advertisement Advertisement

Last year, Virginia Tech published research on how to best manage land while building and decommissioning utility-scale solar sites. The paper states such facilities could impact 350,000 acres of the states agricultural and forested landscapes by 2045.

Recommendations included using conservative estimates for potential runoff, using sensors to trigger panels to move into vertical positions during heavy rainfall and minimizing the removal of topsoil.

Solar developers are required to address stormwater runoff, often using constructed ditches or retention ponds to store water, which then evaporates or slowly trickles into soil and streams.

Much of the regulatory debate comes down to a technical definition. The state previously considered only the foundations of solar panels to be impervious surfaces.

Advertisement Advertisement

But Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration rolled out changes to classify panels as 100% impervious, saying stronger standards were needed to stem pollution in the heavily regulated Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The change has caused a lot of consternation among some of the developers who think thats overkill, Stewart said. Thats something we hope to get a better handle on through this project: Whats actually happening with water thats coming off the panels.

The Virginia Tech researchers plan to gather more information in the remaining years of the project, such as expanding to six sites, figuring out what the runoff contains and any changes to the soil itself.

Stewart said hes mindful of the strong interest on both sides.

Advertisement Advertisement

Were just trying to collect information in the best way we can and analyze it in a transparent way, he said. So that everybody involved can take a look and see this is actually whats going on, versus what we assume or hope is happening.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CARACAS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Venezuelan government on Thursday condemned the United States' seizure of a giant oil tanker off its coast, calling the move "a blatant theft and an act of international piracy."

The sharp denunciation follows U.S. President Donald Trump's confirmation of the military action on Wednesday. He told reporters the vessel was "very large, the largest one ever seized," and justified it for a "very good reason." U.S. officials stated the tanker was involved in transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

In a related escalation, the United States imposed new sanctions on Thursday targeting three nephews of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores, as well as six crude oil tankers and related shipping companies, ramping up pressure on Caracas.

The tanker seizure and new sanctions form a dual economic and military thrust in Washington's protracted campaign to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power. Maduro vowed that Venezuela would never become an "oil colony." His government consistently accuses Washington of attempting to steal the country's vast natural resources.

Brent crude prices inched higher on Wednesday as news of the seizure stoked short-term supply concerns. Analysts warn the move could threaten shippers and further disrupt Venezuela's oil exports.

The seizure was the first of a Venezuelan oil cargo under U.S. sanctions that have been in effect since 2019. It is the Trump administration's first known act against a Venezuela-related tanker since he ordered a massive military buildup in the region.

Trump has frequently suggested the potential for military intervention in Venezuela, alleging that the country facilitates drug trafficking into the United States. To date, the United States has conducted over 20 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels, a practice that has drawn criticism from both legislators and legal experts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Maduro on Thursday, expressing solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirming his support for the Maduro government's policy of safeguarding national interests and sovereignty amid mounting external pressure.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday criticized Trump for advocating a "law of the strongest" in international politics after a recent phone call between the two leaders on regional tensions.

"The unilateralism that President Trump wants is one in which the strongest dictates what others must do," Lula said during an event in Minas Gerais state. The conversation was part of Brazil's effort to act as an intermediary amid rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela, as well as other Latin American countries. 
Unknown individuals have targeted fighter jet pilots with laser beams near a US military air base in western Germany this month, police said on Friday.

Investigators in the city of Trier said they are probing three incidents on suspicion of dangerous interference with air traffic.

In each case, US pilots flying F-16 fighter jets were on final approach to the air base at Spangdahlem when their aircraft were illuminated by a blue laser beam from the ground.

Advertisement Advertisement

The incidents occurred on December 2 and December 9 between 8 pm and 8:30 pm, police said.

All aircraft landed safely and no one was injured. However, police warned that laser attacks can cause temporary visual impairment or eye injuries to pilots, posing a significant safety risk.
A law professor who flew on a Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Delta Air Lines last year is suing the airplane manufacturer, alleging he suffered serious health issues after being exposed to toxic fumes that seeped into the plane's cabin.

The plaintiff, Philadelphia resident Jonathan Harris, alleges in the suit that the aircraft cabin air became contaminated during an August 2024 flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles, leading to his breathing in a mix of dangerous chemicals.

Fumes or smoke entering aircraft cabins is a known problem in aviation. That can occur when the fresh air from a plane's engines is filtered through the air conditioner employed to supply air to passengers. A faulty engine seal can cause oil and other potentially toxic particles to be released in the cabin.

Advertisement Advertisement

Such events take place more than three times a day, according to a recent CBS News review of Federal Aviation Administration incident reports.

Boeing's 787 aircraft is the only commercial jetliner that does not draw air through the aircraft's engine. All other commercial jets have an air supply system that can expose cabins to contamination with heated jet engine oil, hydraulic fluid and jet fuel, according to Harris's suit.

When Harris's Delta landed in California, passengers sat on the runway for about 45 minutes before disembarking, according to the lawsuit. During this time, the cabin was filled with fumes that Harris described as smelling like "dirty socks."

"As a result of being exposed to this contaminated air event, plaintiff became nauseous and vomited into a plastic bag while still seated on the subject aircraft," the suit alleges. "Another passenger also vomited into a bag provided by a flight attendant. At one point, plaintiff remembers the captain making an announcement over the intercom apologizing for the smell."

Advertisement Advertisement

Harris has since developed symptoms as a result of inhaling the contaminated cabin air, his lawsuit alleges. That lead to a range of health problems, including dizziness, confusion, nausea, muscle pain, vertigo, memory loss and other conditions, according to the complaint. Harris also alleges he suffered mental anguish, depression and anxiety, along with lost wages.

Harris, an associate law professor at Temple University, is suing Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company, for $40 million, plus attorneys' fees. The suit was filed in Arlington County, Virginia, circuit court.

Boeing and Delta both declined to comment on the lawsuit.

In September, Delta said it would replace auxiliary power units, a type of engine, on 300 of its Airbus A320 aircraft to address toxic fume incidents.

Advertisement Advertisement

A guide to "Made in America" holiday gifts, state by state

CBS News Presents: A Town Hall with Erika Kirk

Indiana Hoosiers eye college football championship after years of struggle | 60 Minutes
If Russ Vought sees his quest to dismantle the federal bureaucracy as a race against time, his lawyer sidekick Mark Paoletta is holding the stopwatch.

Political capital is not the scarcest resource. You can always build it. Time is our scarcest resource, Vought, the Office of Management and Budget director, said last week at the Reagan National Defense Forum. Thats why were going at it with everything weve got and trying to bulldoze the bureaucracy where it exists.

Vought, the point man for the administrations efforts to slash the federal bureaucracy, has spent months assembling a team of legal, budget and political operatives who share his view that the administrative state is less a governing structure than an obstacle course.

Advertisement Advertisement

Paoletta is at the center of that team, paving the legal road for just about every major action Vought has taken, from withholding congressionally appropriated funds to yanking back pay from furloughed workers  not to mention Trump passion projects like the construction of the Trumphiant Arch, according to public letters and four current and former officials who have worked with Paoletta. Like others in this story, they were granted anonymity to speak candidly.

In addition to being OMBs general counsel, Paoletta also performs the duties of the administrator of OMBs Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs  a powerful perch from which each federal regulation is shaped before it is finalized. In an unusual dual arrangement, Paoletta is also the chief legal officer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

OMB declined to comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Those who have worked with him describe Paoletta as deeply loyal, meticulous with statutory text and unafraid of confrontation, qualities that make him indispensable to Vought, who is keen to dismantle as much of the regulatory state from the inside as he can.

Advertisement Advertisement

The two men, who bond over their love of the Yankees, according to a colleague, have grown close owing to their years in the trenches fighting to shrink the federal government.

Russ and Mark developed a very close friendship and working relationship over the first term, through a lot of very difficult fights, said Joe Grogan, who worked with both men in the Trump White House. They stayed in touch, shared learnings and books and research between terms, so their friendship - born out of a working relationship - is based on deep loyalty, respect and a set of shared ideological values.

Paoletta, who declined to comment, has advanced sweeping views of the president's power over Congress, including authoring a memo one week after the inauguration that ordered a pause on all federal spending. Though the memo was quickly yanked back, it landed like a bombshell at virtually every agency and was a harbinger of spending fights to come.

Inside the administration, Paoletta has become known as the lawyer willing to test limits rather than avoid them  sometimes going further than some in the White House or Justice Department prefer, according to three current and former officials.

Advertisement Advertisement

Vought has relied on Paolettas willingness to push the boundaries of what is legal to assert control over federal spending, from the freeze memo that sent agencies scrambling to later confrontations with the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Reserve and other regulators.

Paoletta is no stranger to conflict. During the first Trump term, when he served as OMBs general counsel, he often advocated for a broad interpretation of executive authority and previewed some of the little-known tools that would become a hallmark of the second term.

A longtime conservative lawyer and former chief counsel to Vice President Mike Pence, Paoletta has spent his career navigating and challenging the conventional boundaries of federal authority.

And conservative legal activist Mike Davis described having gone into battle alongside Paoletta in the most crucial fights.

Advertisement Advertisement

Paolettas biggest impact is advising President Trump and OMB Director Russ Vought how to successfully win spending fights with Congress and the courts, Davis said in a statement to POLITICO.

Trumps transition team briefly considered him for attorney general, two people, one of whom was involved in the transition, told POLITICO.

Mark isnt going to go angle for a better job behind Russs back. And Russ isnt gonna take advantage of Mark and hide information from him, Grogan said.

A memo Paoletta authored in September of last year previewed many of the thorniest issues that would come between Congress and the Trump administration, which has sought numerous times to delay, claw back, redirect or otherwise just not spend money on policies it doesnt agree with. That memo asserted that presidents possess inherent constitutional authority to impound federal funds and argued that the power of impoundment is one such executive power vested in the President alone by Article II.

Advertisement Advertisement

Indeed, his imprint was felt even before Voughts Senate confirmation. On January 27, 2025, OMB issued a memo - written by Paoletta - ordering agencies to temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.

The directive sent agencies scrambling and triggered alarm inside the West Wing, according to two of the officials. It was rescinded within 48 hours. Mark almost lost his job for that. They went and released this memo without consulting the West Wing. He got ahead of his skis and didnt follow procedure, said a person familiar with the matter granted anonymity to describe the events. A second person familiar with the incident, also granted anonymity to discuss the episode, called it an example of growing pains in the early days of the White House noting that Elon Musks cost-cutting squad, DOGE, was a complicating factor.

But the signal was unmistakable: Voughts OMB intended to probe the boundaries of its authority. A senior administration official granted anonymity to discuss internal processes disputed the notion that the West Wing did not know about the memo, adding that White House senior policy advisor May Mailman was looped in as the memo was developed.

Paoletta is also heavily invested in the fight against the Government Accountability Office  a group that he frequently derides as the JV Congress  penning three letters batting down the GAO, including one instructing the Department of Transportation to disregard a GAO ruling that the Trump administration violated the law by freezing electric vehicle funding.

Advertisement Advertisement

When Trump turned up the pressure on the Federal Reserve over the summer, Paoletta wrote a letter from Vought to Jerome Powell, saying the federal reserve chair was not in compliance with the approved construction plan for renovations of the Federal Reserves Washington, DC headquarters. He joined an onsite inspection the following month alongside Vought and President Donald Trump.

On Oct. 3, 2025, an OMB memo bearing Paolettas signature opened the door to withholding back pay for federal workers furloughed during the government shutdown, an effort to squeeze Democrats.

During the shutdown, Paoletta also helped Vought navigate what the director once called budgetary Twister, identifying creative ways to move federal money around to pay troops and other programs the administration desired to keep afloat.

Paolettas influence extends beyond OMB. Because Vought served for nine months as acting head of the CFPB, Paoletta simultaneously served as the bureaus chief legal officer. In April 2025, Paoletta penned a memo saying the agency will focus its enforcement and supervision resources on pressing threats to consumers  including shifting resources away from enforcement and monitoring that states can perform.

Advertisement Advertisement

Paolettas fingerprints are also on earlier iterations of this philosophy. During Trumps first term, after joining OMB from Pences office, he helped defend Trumps expansive executive-branch interpretations.

And a day before Trump left office in 2021, Paoletta authored a letter to the House Budget Committee that previewed many of the little known executive-branch actions like pocket rescissions that would inform OMBs actions in Trumps second term.

Between Trump terms, Paoletta joined the Center for Renewing America, where he criticized President Joe Bidens decision to freeze more than $1 billion in border wall funding and testified against legislation strengthening the Impoundment Control Act, arguing its provisions would lead to micromanaging of the daily operations of the executive branch.

They have wet dreams of these moments, one of the officials said of Vought and Paolettas focus on seizing the opportunity to enact change.

Advertisement Advertisement

In many ways, theyve been more constrained than theyve wanted to be. They feel like they have a mandate to conduct the most conservative and consequential politics of the administration, and they take that seriously. But quite frankly extreme change is not something Washington is used to, or that the West Wing wants to stomach every single day.

Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.

Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICOs West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government newsletter.


The leader of a religious group in Hemet and another man were behind bars Thursday after they were arrested on suspicion of murder, according to jail records.

One of the suspects, Darryl Martin, is the leader of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, a religious group possibly connected to the disappearance of two men and the death of a 4-year-old child in Colton.

Further details about the arrests were not immediately available.

Advertisement Advertisement

It was more than four months ago that Redlands police served a search warrant at an address on Pleasant Street in Hemet as part of an investigation into the disappearance of Emilio Salem Ghanem.

The location is connected to His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.

Ghanem had recently left the organization but went missing after meeting up with someone at a Redlands coffee shop in 2023.

On Thursday morning, two people - Martin and Rudy Moreno - were arrested at that same Hemet location.

Moreno, 43, is now facing murder charges, as well as charges for various weapons violations. Martin was also arrested and is facing murder charges.

Advertisement Advertisement

In an interview a few months ago, a Redlands police spokesperson said Martin was the pastor of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies and Shelly Bailey "Kat" Martin, his wife, is known as the "prophetess" for the religious organization.

Besides the missing person, Emilio Ghannem, another member of the organization was reported missing in Claremont in 2019.

In Colton, a 4-year-old boy, who was in the custody of members of that religious organization, was found dead from appendicitis.

Colton police said they originally sought involuntary manslaughter charges against two people - Darryl and Kat Martin - for child neglect for failing to seek medical attention, but the DA's office did not file charges because of insufficient evidence.
Rajji said in the interview that Beirut was holding diplomatic talks to "prevent the expected Israeli attack."

Lebanon's Foreign Minister, Youssef Rajji, alleged that Israel is planning to carry out a large-scale military operation against Lebanon during an interview with Qatari state-funded news source Al Jazeera that was published on Friday.

Rajji said in the interview that Beirut was holding diplomatic talks to "prevent the expected Israeli attack."

Advertisement Advertisement

The minister further claimed that he received warnings from sources in and outside the Arab world of the allegedly planned attack, and said that Lebanon aims to return to its ceasefire agreement with Israel.

A security source told KAN, Israel's public broadcaster, that if Hezbollah does not actively disarm, Israel will do it for them.

Tensions rising with Hezbollah in northern border

Hours before the Al Jazeera interview was published, IDF reservists said that Hezbollah terrorists have increasingly approached Israeli military positions on the northern border with Lebanon. The operatives have been disguised as agricultural workers and have been spotted more often in the past few weeks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shakes hands with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji as he leaves the foreign ministry in Beirut, Lebanon June 3, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

The same day, the IDF also struck in southern Lebanon, with the military adding that it was conducting strikes on Hezbollah training compounds as part of an ongoing military campaign to target and eliminate violations of the peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rajji had also stated that over the past two years, Hezbollah has proven that it's incapable of helping Gaza or defending Lebanon, but all of the government's attempts to hold a dialogue with the terrorist organization regarding its disarmament have been met with rejection. Saudi state-owned outlet, Al-Arabiya, quoted the Lebanese official saying that Hezbollah "cannot hand over its weapons without an Iranian decision."

Rajji's Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, said the previous day that he would travel to Beirut for talks after receiving a formal invitation from Rajji, after the Lebanese official said Wednesday that "current conditions" prevented him from traveling to Tehran.

Amir Bohbot, Reuters, Corrine Baum, and Shoshana Baker contributed to this report.
Christian Wolfe Daniels, of Salisbury, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday, charged with threatening President Donald Trump and communicating threats via interstate communication.

ALSO READ: New coins will commemorate 250th anniversary of American independence

The criminal complaint against Daniels includes two counts of making threats against the President on Nov. 13 and 14, and one count of transmitting threats in interstate commerce on Nov. 17.

Advertisement Advertisement

Were not going to abide threats against President Trump in the Middle District of North Carolina, said U.S. Attorney Dan Bishop in a news release. As soon as I received the details, I insisted we act immediately. Im grateful to the FBI and AUSA Iverson for their quick response.

If convicted on all counts, Daniels faces a maximum term of 15 years of imprisonment and a term of supervised release of not more than 3 years.

VIDEO: President Trump weighs in on deadly light rail stabbing
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First)  A 19th JDC Judge was ordered to be removed from the bench on Thursday after members of the Supreme Court discovered misconduct.

According to court documents, the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana found that Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts allegedly made false statements about her judicial campaign, as well as a burglary, and withheld information during an investigation.

In May 2021, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) received an anonymous complaint, which led to an investigation.

Advertisement Advertisement

During judicial campaigning, Foxworth-Roberts allegedly claimed she was a captain in the United States Army and a combat veteran, but records did not show she served overseas or was a captain.

Foxworth-Roberts reported an alleged car burglary in February 2020 while campaigning in the Sherwood Forest area in Baton Rouge. Before alerting police, she allegedly moved her car from the burglary scene to her home. She told authorities the burglary happened at her home, but failed to mention she had moved her car. Foxworth-Roberts reported a makeup bag with $400 cash and $500 worth of makeup, a designer purse with credit cards, medication, and an Apple computer were missing from her vehicle. She is also accused of giving inconsistent details to USAA when filing her insurance claim.

During the investigation, the OSC asked Foxworth-Roberts to provide evidence and documentation to support her claims of her military status and her insurance claim.

The Supreme Court opinion states that Foxworth-Roberts refusal to cooperate delayed the investigation. The OSC concluded that she had little, if any credibility, especially given her position as judge because she made so many significant false and misleading statements to the voting public, the Baton Rouge Police Department, her homeowners insurance company (USAA), and the Judiciary Commission and OSC.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Supreme Court ordered Foxworth-Roberts to be removed from the bench, banned from running for judicial office for five years, and to make a $9,449.83 payment for the investigation.

One Supreme Court Justice said removal was too harsh and preferred suspension for the remainder of her term. Another Justice said she shouldnt be able to finish her term and allow voters to decide her future.

Latest News

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 Louisiana First News.
Ana Walshes friends and family packed into the Dedham courtroom for closing arguments in the trial of her husband. After two weeks, jurors now face the task of deciding the fate of the 50-year-old man accused of killing her on New Years Day.

As expected, defense lawyer Larry Tipton and prosecutor Anne Yas presented very different theories of what happened inside 516 Chief Justice Cushing Highway in Cohasset sometime after 1:30 a.m. on New Years Day. Tipton told jurors something sudden and unbelievable happened when Ana Walshe died of natural causes. But Yas dismissed that theory as defying logic, instead telling the jury, Ana Walshe is dead because he murdered her.

Brian Walshe is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife. Jurors heard evidence over the course of eight days before getting the case on Friday afternoon. The panel could convict Walshe of first or second degree murder, or acquit him altogether.

Advertisement Advertisement

Tipton delivered his closing argument first, speaking for close to an hour and pacing through the courtroom, sometimes pausing to address the jury face-to-face.

While he reiterated the defense theory of a sudden death, much of Tiptons presentation focused on undermining the evidence prosecutors say shows Walshe was motivated to kill his wife and planned to do so.

What would cause a loving husband and a loving father to do the things that weve heard about in this case? he asked. Could it be something that was sudden? that was unexpected? that was unbelievable?

Tipton admitted that Walshe lied to police investigating his wifes disappearance and that he disposed of his wifes remains after she died. He acknowledged the internet searches Walshe made on New Years Day, for terms like, best ways to dispose of a body and How long for someone to be missing to inheritance.

Advertisement Advertisement

But he emphasized there was no proof that he ever once thought about harming the woman he loved.

Without a motive, without a reason  you have a sudden and unexpected event that results in confusion, panic and fear," Tipton said. All of those things that are so troubling, horrific, they may argue they show consciousness of guilt.

That feeling of guilt had nothing do with the killing because he never killed Ana Walshe, he continued.

As Tipton spoke, he pointed the jury toward several pieces of evidence  a knife found in a kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator in the Walshe home, a pair of blood-soaked gray slippers and the fact that no blood was found anywhere other than the basement in the family home.

Advertisement Advertisement

Investigators simply lost interest in that knife, he suggested. But he urged jurors, do not ignore it, noting that no visible blood was found on it.

There were blood stains in the basement, but nowhere else, Titpon reminded the jury.

Nothing violent happened in that house, and thats why there is no biological blood evidence anywhere in that house, he said.

Tipton argued there was no evidence of any premeditation. The searches began around 4:50 a.m. on New Years Day, he reminded them.

Why is he searching now if he had a plan? Tipton asked. There is no evidence anything was done before Mrs. Walshe died.

Advertisement Advertisement

A major question during the trial was whether Brian Walshe knew his wife was having an affair with William Fastow, a Washington, D.C. based realtor who sold the family the townhouse Ana Walshe lived in while she worked there.

Tipton argued there was no evidence Brian Walshe had any knowledge of the relationship.

The important thing is, there is no evidence in all of the digital data you have before you, that Brian Walshe ever saw anything going on between Ana Walshe and William Fastow, he said.

While prosecutors sought to portray the couples marriage as on the brink of collapse, Tipton said they were working for the future.

The prosecutions argument

During her presentation, which ran about half an hour, Yas relied more heavily than Tipton on the in-court screens, showing the jury much of the evidence she was referencing.

Advertisement Advertisement

As images of bloody towels, slippers and Ana Walshes Gucci necklace flashed on the screen, Alissa Kirby, the final witness called by prosecutors during the trial, could be seen crying in the audience. Yas highlighted photos of cut-up pieces of a bloody rug, showing the jury a photo of Ana Walshe lying on the same rug in the homes living room.

The defendant deliberately got rid of Ana Walshes body, she argued. The defendant did not want anyone to find Anas body and to know how she died.

The defendant intended to kill Ana Walshe. He didnt just want her dead; he needed her dead, Yas continued.

Yas laid out a timeline of Brian Walshes actions for the jury  on Dec. 31, he claimed to have lost his phone, a lie that Yas said allowed him to be unavailable for two days.

Advertisement Advertisement

The mislaid phone allowed him to carry out his plan, uninterrupted, she said. But while the phone was supposedly missing, it was unlocked, and deleted a message from Nightshade Noodle Bar in Lynn.

Tipton had highlighted that dinner reservation as evidence Brian Walshe had no plans to kill his wife.

Yas highlighted Walshes various shopping trips. On Jan. 1, he went to Walgreens to buy antibiotic ointment and Band-Aids. She noted that days later, he was seen with a cut on his thumb.

Then Brian Walshe drove to a Lowes in Danvers, an hour away from Cohasset. But on the way to the hardware store, Walshe stopped at Vinnin Liquors, where he was seen tossing a trash bag into a dumpster behind the store.

Advertisement Advertisement

The following day, Walshe went to HomeGoods, where he bought a new rug.

That was all part of the cover-up, she said.

All the evidence, she told the jury, shows Brian Walshe wasnt panicked after his wife died on New Years Day. Instead, he was cool and calculating, calm.

Does this show confusion, panic, or fear? she asked. This was not a man in crisis, Yas continued, pointing to Walshes trip to TJ Maxx to buy pants on Jan. 4.

A death of natural causes, on the other hand, defies common sense.

She was in great shape. The defendant told the police that Ana was a sturdy, Serbian woman, Yas said, imploring the jury to listen to the recordings of Walshes interviews with police.

Advertisement Advertisement

In those interviews, clips of which were played during Yas presentation, Walshe told police he was angry at his wife for not coming home on Thanksgiving, then not making her flight on Christmas. New Years Eve, Yas said, was the third straight holiday where Ana Walshe was focused on the other man in her life.

Even though he knew his wife wasnt missing, Brian Walshe texted her on Jan. 2, feigning concern for her whereabouts.

The message concluded, I love you, haha.

All that remains of Ana are a few hairs, some blood and a few things that belonged to her, Yas said. Please do not allow the defendants self-serving act of dismembering and disposing of Anas body to let him get away with this murder.

Advertisement Advertisement

As Yas concluded, a photo Ana Walshe took with her oldest son and Gem Mutlu, the man who spent New Years Eve with the couple, flashed on the courtroom screens.

Continue to use your common sense, she said. You will see the evidence shows there is only one verdict. The defendant is guilty of the premeditated murder of Ana Walshe.

Read more about the case

Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A man is in custody and charged with tampering after allegedly being connected to the death of his girlfriend and hiding her body in Houston this month, according to court documents.

Documents state that Jesus Varela is charged with tampering with a corpse after trying to solicit help from a family member to move the woman's body.

Varela, who was arrested Saturday, appeared in court on Thursday, where a judge read off the chain of events leading up to his arrest.

Advertisement Advertisement

Court records stated that on Dec. 6, a Texas Ranger talked with a woman who said someone had killed her friend. That led the Rangers to the 1200 block of Barkley, where records show Varela, his girlfriend, and his nephew lived.

RELATED: Texas City man sentenced to probation for hiding woman's body in car trunk

Records show that Rangers brought in the Houston Police Department, who were able to interview the nephew. The nephew told investigators that Varela had allegedly killed his girlfriend around Dec. 1, and asked him for help to dispose of her body and other evidence.

The nephew admitted that Varela "grabbed him by the shirt and said that he would kill him" if he didn't help, documents stated.

Advertisement Advertisement

According to court documents, Varela forced his nephew to help him put the woman's body in four bags and sealed it inside a barrel, which was driven away by Varela, who allegedly dumped it near the intersection of Highway 249 and Ella.

Court records show that later on, Verala also dumped a mattress where his girlfriend was killed. That mattress was found at an apartment complex at 5050 Yale Street.

Verala was arrested on Saturday with three charges, none of which being murder because a body had not been found.

Then on Thursday, ABC13 learned that HPD found a woman's body in northwest Houston near a wooded area near Ella Boulevard on Wednesday. The body has not yet been identified.

Advertisement Advertisement

Both HPD and Verala's appointed attorney expect additional charges could be filed after the body is identified and the cause of death is determined.

For news updates, follow Miya Shay on Facebook, X and Instagram.
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Friday condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as an act of "state piracy."

He made the remarks in a statement released by the ministry two days after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had intercepted and taken control of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

"The U.S. seizure of trade vessels belonging to other countries is a flagrant disregard for international law and a blatant violation of the principles governing international maritime security and safety," he said.

He warned about the repercussions of repeating such coercive behaviors on international peace, security and trade, calling on all governments and relevant international institutions to oppose such illegal actions and hold the United States accountable.

For almost four months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas. 
The Pierce County Sheriffs Office has arrested a 64-year-old man, accused of killing two people on Herron Island on the Key Peninsula.

He was arrested inside a Kent motel. SWAT was called because he refused to come out of the room. When law enforcement got inside, they found him with self-inflicted wounds.

He is in custody at a local hospital in serious condition.

Its unclear how he knows the 64-year-old woman and the 39-year-old man, who were found dead inside a home during a welfare check Thursday eveningafter they didnt show up for work.

Deputies say the two were stabbed to death and believe they were killed within the week.
NEED TO KNOW

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was found unresponsive after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at the Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday, Sept. 17 and was later pronounced dead

The medical examiner's office previously said Zavala died from "multiple blunt impact injuries" and determined his death was an accident

The sheriff's office completed their investigative report in December, concluding that "no criminal acts occurred in this case"

Authorities have released a final report detailing their investigation into a 32-year-old man's death after riding a roller coaster in Florida.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was found unresponsive after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at the Epic Universe theme park in Orlando on Wednesday, Sept. 17. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Advertisement Advertisement

An autopsy revealed he died from "multiple blunt impact injuries," the Chief Medical Examiner for Orange and Osceola counties said in a previous statement shared with PEOPLE, noting that his death was ruled an accident.

In a statement released on Thursday, Dec. 11, the Orange County Sheriffs Office said that their report also concluded that his death was accidental.

"Because it was determined that no criminal acts occurred in this case, this concludes the Orange County Sheriffs Office role in this case," they added.

The lengthy final report into his death includes two interviews with the man's girlfriend, who was on the ride with him and said that it took several attempts to "get the safety bar to secure around Kevin."

Advertisement Advertisement

As they got on the ride, she "stated she observed the lap bar looked to be too low," but that the ride operator "continued to push on the lap bar...until it locked in place," police wrote in the report.

An employee who assisted with fastening the lap bar, said that they "followed proper procedures" and gave the lap bar a "small push" until the indicated stated it "was good for him to ride." The employee stated that then they "visually re-checked the lap bar, per our procedures, and we were able to clear the train."

Although his girlfriend thought he was properly secured and did not see "any signs of discomfort," on the ride's first drop, she said that he "partially came out of his seat and hit his head on the metal bar in front of them," according to the report.

"As the ride continued, Javiliz Cruz-Robles said he continually hit his head on the bar in front of them as the ride descended," the report continued.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Javiliz attempted to hold him back but couldnt do so," police wrote, noting that although she was "crying for help...due to being in the middle of the ride no one heard her screaming for help until the train cart was getting close to the station."

According to sworn statements from ride employees, when they realized what was going on, the man was still secured by the lap bar and they observed he had multiple injuries to his face as well as a "significant amount of blood loss."

According to Kevin's parents, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz and Anne Zavala, their son "was born with Spinal Cord Atrophy, specifically at his T2-T5 vertebra, which required surgeries throughout his life." They went on to tell investigators that their son, who used a wheelchair, had a "previous hip dislocation which required surgery" as well as a previous femur fracture.

As they interviewed the man's girlfriend a second time, she said that she had "just learned" about his previous hip injury, but said she was "guessing" that it "could have been the cause of him coming so far out of the seat."

Advertisement Advertisement

After looking at all of the evidence, police said they determined that "it appeared that all employees of Epic Universe followed their Standards Operating Procedures and did not act in a careless or neglectful manner."

"Based upon the totality of the circumstances, with consideration of known, available evidence, to include sworn statements, video surveillance, the District Nine Medical Examiners Office findings, the standard operating procedures provided by Epic Universe, this case was deemed an accidental death and was closed accordingly," police added.

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.

After Kevin's death, his family retained attorney Ben Crump, who said they would be conducting an independent investigation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kevin was remembered by loved ones as having a "heart full of compassion, love, and understanding."

"Kevin was truly one of a kind. He had an old soulwise beyond his years," loved ones wrote in a message on a GoFundMe set up on behalf of his family. "He was the kind of person who always made time to listen, offer thoughtful advice, and lift others up, even when he was facing challenges of his own."

"As a son, he brought warmth and pride to our parents hearts. As a brother and uncle, he was a source of laughter, guidance, and unconditional love," the message continued. "As a friend, he was loyal, thoughtful, and always present. His presence lit up every room, and his absence leaves a space no one can fill."



Read the original article on People
A Michigan man died of rabies after receiving a kidney transplant from another man who was infected by the disease when a skunk scratched him, federal health officials said in a new report.

The Michigan patient died in January after getting a kidney transplant from an Idaho donor in December 2024, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released last week. Postmortem testing confirmed that the patient had contracted rabies, but the CDC said interviews with his family revealed that he did not have any exposure to animals.

"(The) diagnosis of rabies in a kidney transplant recipient with no recognized animal exposure resulted in a multistate public health investigation to ascertain whether the kidney donor had undiagnosed rabies, identify other donor organs and tissues, and identify rabies-exposed persons," according to the CDC.

The investigation identified kidney biopsy samples in which the CDC detected rabies virus RNA consistent with a silver-haired bat rabies virus variant, the report states.

Advertisement Advertisement

In later interviews with the donor's family members, the CDC said investigators discovered the person had been scratched by a skunk weeks before their death while protecting a kitten and had exhibited rabies-like symptoms before their death. The CDC believes a bat bit the skunk, which then scratched the donor.

The case is believed to be the "fourth transplant-transmitted rabies event in the United States since 1978," according to the CDC. Previous cases resulted in 13 infections and seven deaths. Rabies is almost always fatal without prompt treatment.

When did the kidney recipient die?

The Michigan patient received a left kidney transplant from the donor at an Ohio hospital in December 2024, according to the CDC.

About five weeks later, the agency said the transplant recipient experienced tremors, lower extremity weakness, confusion, and urinary incontinence. Seven days after symptom onset, the recipient was hospitalized with fever, hydrophobia, dysphagia, and autonomic instability.

Advertisement Advertisement

On the second day of being hospitalized, the CDC said the recipient required invasive mechanical ventilation. He then died five days later.

Various samples were sent to the CDC for testing, and the recipient was found to have rabies virus RNA in their saliva, skin, and brain tissue samples, according to the report.

The CDC had previously reported in February that a patient had died in Ohio after getting a transplanted kidney from a donor with undiagnosed rabies. At the time, the agency did not provide further details about the recipient or donor.

Health warnings: CDC warns travelers of rabies in these 2 countries

How did the donor get rabies?

The donor was an Idaho resident, according to the CDC. Following the transplant recipient's death, the agency said interviews with the donor's family revealed information not previously disclosed.

Advertisement Advertisement

The donor's family told investigators that in late October 2024, the donor was approached by a skunk while holding a kitten in an outbuilding on his rural property, according to the CDC.

"During an encounter that rendered the skunk unconscious, the donor sustained a shin scratch that bled, but he did not think he had been bitten," the agency said. "According to the family, the donor attributed the skunks behavior to predatory aggression toward the kitten."

A family member said that about five weeks later, the donor became confused, had difficulty swallowing and walking, experienced hallucinations, and had a stiff neck, according to the CDC. Two days after reporting those symptoms, he was found unresponsive at home after a "presumed cardiac arrest," the agency said.

The donor was "resuscitated and hospitalized but never regained consciousness," according to the CDC. He was later declared brain dead and was removed from life support. His left kidney, heart, lungs, and both corneas were recovered.

Why wasn't the donor screened for rabies?

Rabies is excluded from routine donor pathogen testing because of its rarity in humans in the United States and the complexity of diagnostic testing, the CDC said.

Advertisement Advertisement

In the United States, potential donors family members often provide information about a donors infectious disease risk factors, including animal exposures. In this case, hospital staff members who treated the donor were initially unaware of the skunk scratch, according to the CDC.

Bat colony uncovered: Hundreds may have been exposed to rabies after colony found inside Grand Teton lodge

Did anyone else receive infected organs?

According to the CDC, no other organs were transplanted but four cornea grafts were prepared. Three patients, one each from California, Idaho, and New Mexico, received grafts in December 2024 and January 2025.

The cornea recipients underwent precautionary graft removal and received rabies treatment, the agency said. A fourth corneal graft that was planned for a Missouri patient was cancelled.

Advertisement Advertisement

The heart and lungs of the donor were not transplanted, but were used in training procedures at a Maryland medical research facility, according to the agency. None remained for testing by the time of the discovery.

In addition, 370 health care workers and others exposed to either the kidney donor or recipient were interviewed, and 46 underwent rabies treatment as a precaution, the CDC said.

What is rabies?

Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease that primarily affects the central nervous system, according to the CDC. It can lead to severe brain damage and death in humans and some animals.

Rabies is often found in bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected. Pets and people can be protected by vaccination. People usually receive the vaccine after exposure, but those in high-risk situations may receive it before exposure.

Advertisement Advertisement

Human cases are rare in the United States, where fewer than 10 deaths are reported each year, and at least 7 out of 10 of those are the result of exposure to an infected bat.

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Kidney recipient dies from an organ infected with rabies: CDC report
Dec. 11A 37-year-old man will spend at least nine years in prison after he reportedly shoot another man in the face at a Dayton gas station and seriously injured him.

What was he sentenced to?

Sentencing: Judge Susan D. Solle sentenced Joseph Falls to nine to 10.5 years in prison, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office.

What was he convicted of?

Guilty plea: In November, Falls pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated robbery, felonious assault and having weapons while under disability in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

Advertisement Advertisement

Dismissed: An aggravated robbery, felonious assault and having weapons while under disability charge were dismissed.

What was he accused of?

Gas station shooting: Falls is accused of shooting another man in the face at a QuikTrip gas station at 2121 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd. on March 25.

When Dayton police responded, they found a 60-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his face, said Lt. Eric Sheldon. He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with serious injuries.

Robbery: Witnesses told investigators Falls pulled a gun on the man and took his money before shooting him, according to an affidavit.

Surveillance cameras captured the incident.

Advertisement Advertisement

Stabbing reported: As detectives investigated, Kettering Health Dayton staff reported a stabbing victim arrived at the hospital.

Staff later determined the patient had been shot.

The patient was identified as the suspect from the QuikTrip shooting, Sheldon said. His injuries were non-life-threatening.

Falls had more than $1,300 in cash on him, according to court records. His features and clothing reportedly matched the gas station's video surveillance.
With just six legislative days left before she plans to resign, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is reportedly working on one last long-shot bid to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The recent MAGA defector has been quietly taking the temperature on a motion to vacate the chair, three sources familiar with her efforts told MS NOW, formerly MSNBC.

In order to remove Johnson, Greene would need the support of eight other Republicans. Marjorie is approaching members to get to nine who will oust the speaker, one of the sources told MS NOW. And if we dont get to work on codifying Trumps agenda, anything can happen.

Advertisement Advertisement

But Greene, who has spent the last few weeks publicly criticizing Johnson, denied the reporting. The Georgia Republican told MS Now that it was not true and that she was not interested in participating in their story.

While a bid to unseat Johnson would likely fail, these reports come amid mounting complaints about his leadership.

Last week, Representative Elise Stefanik, who is running for governor of New York, told The Wall Street Journal that Johnson wouldnt have the votes if there was a roll call vote. I believe that the majority of Republicans would vote for new leadership, Stefanik said. Its that widespread. Representative Nancy Mace also shared in Greenes frustration, and Representative Anna Paulina Luna recently sidestepped the speaker to force a vote on a bill to ban members of Congress from stock trading.

On Tuesday, Greene told CNN that Republican women specifically were starting to lash out at Johnson because he sidelines us and doesnt take us seriously.

Greene has stated that shell resign from her seat on January 5, giving her limited time to find support for her measure. She had previously attempted to remove Johnson last May, but that attempt failed after a majority of Democrats stepped in to save the speaker.
A massive theft ring that hit 128 Home Depot stores across nine states has been busted.

ALSO READ: Mixed quarter at Home Depot with less storm damage to homes and a more anxious shopper

Authorities said they arrested a team of 13 thieves.

Theyre accused of stealing more than $2 million in merchandise, including power tools, air conditioners, and household goods over the course of 13-months.

This crew was amazingly coordinated, disciplined, meticulous and dedicated, said Melinda Katz, district attorney, Queens, New York.

Advertisement Advertisement

The stolen items were sold through a storefront or on Facebook Marketplace.

None of the home depots in the Carolinas were hit.

VIDEO: Woman says purse with irreplaceable keepsakes stolen; Border Patrol later detained suspects
A deadly, multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 75 in Collier County closed several miles of southbound lanes on Friday morning, Dec. 12.

Florida Highway Patrol reported that all lanes reopened by 9:30 a.m.

Around 2 a.m., the Florida Highway Patrol reported it had troopers on the scene of the crash at mile marker 96.

"There are multiple vehicles involved in the crash, with one fatality," the news release said. "The investigation remains ongoing."

Advertisement Advertisement

Trooper said the three commercial semi-trailers and four passenger vehicles were headed south near Mile Marker 96.

One of the semi-trailers stopped within the travel lane because of low visibility from smoke in the area, troopers said. A second semi-trailer rear-ended the first truck, followed by a chain reaction.

The sequence of crash events remains under investigation.

A Madeira Beach man, 48, died in the crash, troopers later reported. He was driving a Chevrolet pickup. His two passengers, a 38-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy were seriously injured.

A Coral Springs man, 49, driving an Audi, also went to the hospital. Troopers did not indicate the severity of his injuries.

Advertisement Advertisement

The other vehicles included semi-trailers driven by a 41-year-old Miami man, a 44-year-old Lakeland man, and a 61-year-old Deerfield Beach man, reports indicated.

They weren't injured.

Two other drivers, a Boca Raton man, 48, in a GMC pickup, and a Miami man, 32, driving a Toyota, also weren't injured.

Picayune Strand controlled burn was out, state forestry officials say

The state burned hundreds of acres in Picayune Strand State Preserve Thursday.

The fire started in the morning and was extinguished by the afternoon, according to Picayune Strand State Forest mitigation specialist Jesse Lavendar.

"We burned 1,792 acres close to Alligator Alley," he said. "I don't know (what happened). It could have been smoldering, but the fire was out. Conditions were fine at the end of the burn."

Advertisement Advertisement

Lavendar said the state went through all the pre-burn details and obtained the proper permits Thursday morning.

"We went through the typical protocol," he said.

Strong winds can drive fires, but winds were calm overnight.

Winds at 2 a.m. Along Alligator Alley were around 2 miles per hour, according to windy.com, and blowing to the south.

This dry season has started off crispy, and much of the state is a moderate or extreme drought.

The next rainy season should start around May 15, 2026.

Related: What trapped smoke, caused it to blanket Interstate 75 on Friday?

Contributing: Cindy McCurry-Ross, cmcross@usatodayco.com; Stacey Henson, shenson@usatodayco.com; Chad Gillis, cgillis@usatodayco.com

Advertisement Advertisement

Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press and Naples Daily News; download the free News-Press or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here and here.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: I-75 Alligator Alley accident claims 1 in Collier County mega wreck
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged the L.A. City Council to find $4.4 million for additional new police recruits beyond 240 officers that were authorized earlier in the year amid concerns about public safety and preparations for upcoming mega events starting next year.

On Wednesday, Bass sent a letter to council members calling on them to identify and allocate funding for the Los Angeles Police Department to hire 410 officers by the end of the fiscal year in June 2026. While some council members expressed a willingness to support this effort, there are also concerns about how and where the money will come from.

City officials have already projected a starting deficit of $91 million in the coming 2026-27 fiscal year.

Advertisement Advertisement

LAPD is hiring at an accelerated rate, with the department on track to hire approximately 480 officers.

In April, Mayor Bass signed off on a $14 billion budget that scaled back police hiring as part of solutions to address a nearly $1 billion deficit caused by overspending, liability costs and other challenges. Elected officials closed that shortfall, and also averted proposed layoffs through a strategy involving negotiations with labor unions, among other actions. Workers are expected to take five unpaid days off, and some police officers are banking overtime as time off as part of negotiated concessions with the city.

As part of the budget, the City Council and Bass authorized the hiring of 240 new recruits. Bass approved the spending plan with an agreement with Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson to find more dollars to increase police hiring. Bass requested a report in 90 days to identify funding, but that deadline passed with no follow-up identifying where those dollars should come from.

"Our number one job as city leaders is to keep Angelenos safe. Without the $4.4 million funding, the Los Angeles Police Department will stop hiring in January,'' Bass wrote in her letter to the City Council.

Advertisement Advertisement

She argued that stopping the hiring of new police officers would have "drastic" and "lasting consequences" for the city, such as not having new cadets in the police academy in January, an increase in overtime hours and costs for officers, and straining sworn personnel with longer shifts and more responsibilities.

"The second largest city in the United States cannot have an effective police department with 8,300 officers -- levels not seen since 1995," Bass wrote in her letter.

Bass touted her efforts to boost LAPD hiring of officers, noting leadership changes at the personnel and police departments. She issued Executive Directive No. 14, which detailed efforts to streamline police hiring. These efforts, in part, resulted in a record number of applicants interested in working for LAPD. December recruitment classes have 56 cadets, levels not seen since before the coronavirus pandemic, she added. As the second-largest city with a population of nearly 4 million, the LAPD has about two officers for every 1,000 residents, according to the Mayor's Office.

New York has a police force of 36,000 sworn officers, and Chicago has approximately 11,600 sworn officers for a population of 2.7 million.

Advertisement Advertisement

We cannot knowingly and willingly increase the demands on our officers while reducing their workforce to the lowest levels in more than 20 years, levels not even seen during the Great Recession," Bass wrote in her letter. Los Angeles cannot protect our families, cannot grow our economy and cannot welcome the world without a strong police department."

The Los Angeles Police Protective League Board of Directors, the union representing LAPD officers ranked lieutenant and below, supported the mayor's call to action. The directors noted that with police hiring on the right track, "it would be the worst time for the City Council to tell recruits that Los Angeles doesn't want them."

"It is completely unacceptable to inform 56 police recruits who have spent the last year going through an extensive and costly background process by the LAPD that their January academy class is cancelled," the LAPPL Board of Directors said in a statement. "Officers on the street need to know that when they call for back-up, there will be other officers to respond, and residents need to know that when they call 911, police officers will be there for them."

While Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, and Councilman Tim McOsker, chair of the Personnel Committee, supported LAPD's growth, they emphasized the importance of fiscal solvency.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Our job is to keep the city safe. We also have a responsibility to keep it solvent. I want to grow the police department, but I have yet to see a proposal that identifies an ongoing funding source to pay for more officers," Yaroslavsky said in a statement. "Responsible leadership means telling the truth about our finances and insisting on a real plan to pay for new commitments. I will support this proposal once a real proposal exists."

McOsker, a former attorney who previously represented LAPPL, agreed that public safety is their highest priority. He agreed with Bass six months ago when she proposed to work with the council to find more dollars for more officers, and now six months later, "this matter remains a proposal with no funding identification," the councilman said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the City Council's five-member Budget and Finance Committee met, where they discussed the second financial status report. It was also the first time the committee heard a cost estimate for LAPD's additional hiring.

"We need approaches that hold up next year and the year after," Yaroslavsky said during Tuesday's meeting.

Advertisement Advertisement

City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo reported the annual cost for additional officers would be closer to $24 million. The initial $4.4 million would serve as a partial cost for hiring mid-year. If the department reaches 480 new recruits, the cost increases more than $6 million for hiring mid-year, and approximately $33.5 million for annual, ongoing, spending. Szabo confirmed there has not been a formal report issued to the committee identifying funds for additional hiring.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell joined the committee and defended his department's hiring.

"It was our understanding, as the CAO mentioned, the money would be found by who is yet to be determined, I guess from what I hear today, that we would be able to hire an additional 240 if we hired 240 in the first six months," McDonnell said. "We're in a position two and a half years out from the Olympics. We're down 1,300 police officers. We're down over 500 civilian, professional staff, and we're authorized today for 240 for the year, and we're going to lose 550. We're bleeding out. So yeah, we took advantage of what we were told to do, and we did a heck of a job getting there."

McDonnell also touted that crime in all categories is down in the city, even though the department is struggling with staffing levels. City officials discussed the potential of tapping into the city's reserve fund to cover $4.4 million, though overall, the idea was frowned upon.

Advertisement Advertisement

"We should never, as a practice, assume the use of the reserve fund for hiring police officers. That's an ongoing expense that should never be an assumed use of the reserve fund," Szabo said. "I cannot recommend in stronger possible terms that the budget process be used to determine how much hiring we are actually going to fund. This body and the mayor need to make that decision, and then actually need to fund the amount of hiring that we intend to do."

McOsker, a member of the budget committee, emphasized the work they did to avert layoffs. The committee was against future layoffs or impacts to workers, but proposed examining potential programs to reduce to fund police hiring.

"What's the point of going through the budget process if there's going to be executive directives that conflate with what we're trying to do or say something that's being translated differently," Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez said during Tuesday's meeting.

The committee instructed Szabo to return to them in January with a funding proposal.

Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc.
Many people remember Coca-Cola's ill-conceived and poorly received AI-generated Christmas ad in 2024, largely due to the vocal backlash that followed.

But as Futurism reported, McDonald's either missed the memo or forgot about it, leading to a wave of negative feedback.

What's happening?

According to Futurism, McDonald's "decided to get in on the corporate slopfest" for a Christmas ad; "AI slop" is a pejorative neologism used to describe low-quality AI content.

McDonald's has released an AI-generated Christmas ad



The studio behind it says they 'hardly slept' for several weeks while writing AI prompts and refining the shots  'AI didn't make this film. We did'



Comments have been turned off on YouTube pic.twitter.com/Es5ROvI7n2  Culture Crave (@CultureCrave) December 8, 2025

The A.V. Club observed that the spot, titled "The Most Terrible Time of the Year," depicted a string of holiday mishaps and was "immediately and widely despised" upon its release.

Advertisement Advertisement

Media coverage of the initial McDonald's AI advertisement emphasized its poor quality, citing "key tells" such as a lack of continuity, and likening it to a "visual seizure."

Remarkably, the ad managed to generate vocal backlash despite failing to accrue many views after it was uploaded. McDonald's initially turned off commenting on the YouTube advertisement before delisting it completely  though some users saved and shared copies beforehand.

Although the use of generative AI and the resulting poor quality of the spot were social media's biggest objections, the advertisement's negative framing didn't resonate either.

"It's not even so much that the AI was bad as the entire tone of the ad was stupid and insensitive so the slop on top just made it offensive from every angle," one person tweeted.

Advertisement Advertisement

"People LIKE Christmas, duh."

McDonald's ultimately made the advertisement private, effectively withdrawing it. The creative team behind the clip issued a statement defending the ad, claiming "up to 10" of their "in-house AI and post specialists" worked so hard generating AI results and editing them together that they "hardly slept."

That statement has been taken down as well after many users on X derided it and felt it only stood as further indictment on how much more the claim of sleepless nights working on the AI ad indicates they should have shot or animated a normal commercial instead.

Why is this important?

One of the biggest objections to the advance of generative AI is its impact on workers in creative fields, like art, publishing, and music.

Advertisement Advertisement

McDonald's is a massive, powerful corporation with global reach, and consumers saw their use of AI in a holiday ad as lazy and miserly, perhaps an attempt to avoid paying human creators.

While valid worries about AI's potential to take jobs are part of the issue, they're far from its sum, and there are numerous beneficial uses of AI, such as identifying potential health problems and other scientific patterns across massive volumes of data.

Generative AI is a nascent technology, and details like its environmental toll are still being assessed. However, it's undeniable that AI data centers are detrimental to the environment. Their excessive use of public energy costs has rapidly driven electricity bills skyward, for one thing.

Power isn't the only thing data centers consume  all of that computing generates heat, and these facilities strain and potentially contaminate water resources in their vicinity, destroying locals' quality of life.

Advertisement Advertisement

Major players in the AI field, like OpenAI and Amazon, have been less than transparent about these public costs.

At the same time, experts have warned that an "AI bubble" could wreak havoc on the economy, a concern even Google's CEO acknowledged was warranted.

What's being done about it?

McDonald's acted quickly to withdraw the ad under intense scrutiny, ostensibly acknowledging the ad was a mistake.

The chain of events, however, was an excellent example of the power of public pressure to rapidly effect corporate change.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices  and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Jamie Grant, a former business manager at Nephrology Associates of Ohio, has been formally charged for allegedly stealing $835,000 from her employer.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

An arrest warrant has been issued for Grant, who is believed to have moved out of the area.

Grant is accused of aggravated theft, a second-degree felony.

Sheriff Rob Streck of Montgomery County said that the theft was motivated by selfish reasons.

TRENDING STORIES:

Advertisement Advertisement

We do know that she was using the money for, and lets just say it wasnt for charity work. It was so her family could pretty much do whatever they wanted, Streck said.

Streck said leaders at a Washington Township medical practice came to deputies with concerns in July of this year.

Detectives launched an investigation that showed Grant, who began working at Nephology Associates of Ohio in 2019, didnt wait long to help herself.

Six years she worked there, and from what it sounds like, she started doing it pretty early on in her professional career there, Streck said.

Attempts to contact Nephrology Associates for comment were referred to the Prosecutors Office, which confirmed the charges against Grant.

Advertisement Advertisement

Grant is believed to have relocated out of Montgomery County after leaving the company.

Authorities are hopeful that Grant will cooperate with her lawyers to arrange her arrest, as she remains at large.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
While digital assets like Bitcoin (BTC) have gained immense popularity among the youngsters, the older generation is still hesitant to embrace cryptocurrencies.

Hard-working, middle-aged Americans prefer to put their funds in financial instruments like 401(k) personal retirement accounts.

Related: Major labor union warns new bill could put retirement savings at risk

However, there seems to be a growing acceptance of digital assets among certain sections of the retirement savings industry and the current U.S. administration.

As reported earlier, President Donald Trump had been planning to open up the $9 trillion U.S. retirement market to alternative assets like cryptocurrencies, gold, private equity, etc.

On Aug. 7, Trump went ahead and signed an executive order to allow Americans to allocate their 401(k) retirement savings to alternative assets like cryptocurrencies.

On Oct. 14, Rep. Troy Downing (R-Mont.) introduced a bill to turn Trumps executive order into law.

Now, it turns out that the CEO of a popular 401(k) provider is also fond of Bitcoin.

More News:

Fidelity Investments CEO admits owning Bitcoin

Abigail Johnson has been serving as the CEO at Fidelity Investments since 2014. The financial services giant is one of the largest 401(k) plan providers in the U.S.

A Fidelity Investments office in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, March 1, 2024.

The billionaire CEO introduced crypto investments at the 79-year-old firm in 2018.

She recently admitted to personally owning Bitcoin, calling it the gold standard of the crypto market.

"I kind of like Bitcoin. I don't own tonnes of coins but I own Bitcoin."

Bitcoin has been around for long, has "persisted," and is "solid," Johnson said.

Fidelity Investments CEO added she is "comfortable" with the asset in the long term and the firm will factor this into its thinking while providing options to its customers.

Johnson made the remarks in a conversation with a16z crypto COO Anthony Albanese at the Founders Summit event in October, though the video got aired on Dec. 4.

Bitcoin was exchanging hands at $92,476.19 at the time of writing, down 1.6% in a day.

Related: Man wins millions after putting entire 401(k) into Bitcoin

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Dec 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In Epping, a small town on Londons leafy fringe, social media lit up with calls for local men to mask up and bring rage. There had been more trouble connected to the Bell Hotel, one of dozens of hotels in Britain used to house asylum seekers. An Ethiopian staying there had been arrested for the sexual assault of a woman and a 14-year-old schoolgirl, and Epping residents were incensed. Protests organized online for July 17 soon turned violent. Some men hit police with bottles; others with fists. Four men would later plead guilty to violent disorder; others await trial.

The protest recalled the racist riots that shook Britain in summer 2024, when men set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers while people were inside. For Orla Minihane, a mother of three from Epping, the days events were a PR disaster. Hoping to show that the protesters were not racist thugs, but a community thats scared, she got on WhatsApp and called for new tactics: For the next protest, men should stay home, women should be front and center, and they should wear pink. The uniform proved a masterstroke. It went everywhere  all over the news, Minihane told CNN.

So began the Pink Ladies, a grassroots movement whose members stage demonstrations across the country to warn of the dangers they say illegal migrants pose to women and girls. Although not explicitly partisan, Minihane said almost all of its members plan to vote for the populist Reform UK party, which campaigns on the issue of illegal immigration, has promised mass deportations if elected and has led the governing Labour Party in opinion polls for months.

Advertisement Advertisement

There may only be a few thousand Pink Ladies across Britain, according to Minihanes estimate, but the movements growth shows how issues championed by the hard right  once a predominantly male terrain  are now winning support from broader parts of the population.

Local women wore pink to protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on August 8. - Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

These new recruits were out in force one dreary Saturday in November in Chelmsford, a small city a short drive from Epping. The Pink Ladies message is dark  Britain is under attack and being invaded  but their members are cheery, and their attire is bright. As the rain came down, some 200 women gathered in front of the town hall wearing pink ponchos, pink berets, pink leggings; they waved pink flags, dressed their dogs in pink coats, and lit pink flares.

The typical Pink Lady, said Minihane, is a white, middle-aged mother. She likely voted for Brexit in 2016 to stop illegal migration, but now sees its gotten worse, with neither Labour nor the Conservatives able to get things under control, Minihane said. On X and on GB News, an upstart right-wing broadcaster, she hears of attacks on women by migrants, and she worries for her childrens safety. In Reform, this woman sees  at long last  a party that takes her concerns seriously, she added.

Ive tried to create a movement where I say, You can come. You do have a voice, said Minihane. The Pink Ladies campaign has grown like a multi-level marketing scheme, she said  partly over Facebook and WhatsApp, but mostly through word of mouth.

Advertisement Advertisement

Minihane suggests new recruits are won over by that personal approach, thinking: Im doing my bit for King and country. Im not wearing a mask; Im not aggressive. And I cant be a racist because Im with all these other lovely women. Asked by CNN about the perception that the Pink Ladies are repeating talking points of the far right, Minihane replied: How am I extremist? Im just a mom whos worked her whole life, whos bringing up three children, who lives in suburbia.

Several signs in Chelmsford echoed that sentiment, reading: Im not racist  Im a worried mother. A key part of the Pink Ladies messaging is that these things can be mutually exclusive.

But advocacy groups arent convinced. The far right has long exploited the cause of ending violence against women and girls to promote a racist, white supremacist agenda, said Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women coalition.

Girl power

One color not on display in Chelmsford is turquoise  the color of Reform UK, led by the right-wing populist Nigel Farage. Although Minihane is Reforms vice-chair for Epping Forest and could stand as its candidate at the next parliamentary election, she says there is no formal collaboration between the party and the Pink Ladies.

Advertisement Advertisement

Farages political messaging has often been seen as laddish, or stereotypically male. A book about Britains bid to leave the European Union dubbed him one of the bad boys of Brexit. He is often pictured with a pint of beer in his hand and a cigarette in his mouth.

And perhaps as a result, Farages message has traditionally had more resonance among men than women. In the 2015 general election, the UK Independence Party, which he led at the time, won 14% of mens votes and 12% of womens. In 2024, Reforms vote share was even more skewed, winning 17% of mens votes to 13% of womens. All five of Reforms elected Members of Parliament (MPs) last year were men.

But nearly 18 months on, Reform looks a different party. In May, it added Sarah Pochin as an MP in a by-election, and Andrea Jenkyns was elected as a regional mayor  both defectors from the increasingly moribund Conservative Party. I know some people think Ive got a woman problem, but its not true, Farage said after Mays results.

We now have a new fuel in our rocket engine: GIRL POWER, James McMurdock, a former Reform MP who now sits as an independent, also said at the time.

Advertisement Advertisement

McMurdock  who Britains Times newspaper reported was briefly jailed in 2006 after pleading guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend, with the judge saying he kicked her multiple times  may have been a curious messenger, but polls show he is correct. UK pollster More in Common says 1.4 men supported Reform for every woman in July 2024. By September this year, that had fallen to roughly 1.2 men. Reform now has a marginally more female supporter base than the Labour Party, it said, attributing this in part to Reforms recent focus on womens safety.

Orla Minihane, Reform UK's vice-chair for Epping Forest, joins local residents as they hold an anti-immigration protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, on August 31, 2025. - Jacqueline Lawrie/LNP/Shutterstock

The party insists there was no internal discussion about spotlighting women in campaigning. Ann Widdecombe, a spokeswoman, told CNN that Reform only cares about merit, not gender. But at the partys annual conference in September, women featured much more prominently than in previous years.

Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor who was jailed last year after pleading guilty to inciting racial hatred after calling on X for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire, was interviewed on stage about her time as a political prisoner. (She wore pink.) Jenkyns, now the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, took to the stage in a sequinned suit, singing a song she wrote herself.

Weve seen Blairs babes and Camerons cuties, she said earlier in the summer, referring to the former prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron. Im proud to be one of Farages fillies.

Lucy Connolly, who served time in prison for inciting racial hatred online, takes part in a panel discussion during the Reform UK party conference in September, in Birmingham, England. - Phil Noble/Reuters

We have our own scumbags

Some of the public fear about the safety of women and girls relates to historic child sexual abuse scandals in multiple English towns from the late 1990s to the early 2010s, in which children were abused by gangs of men, many of whom were of Asian or Pakistani heritage. A 2025 independent report found there was a collective failure to address questions about the ethnicity of grooming gangs, which failed both the victims of the abuse, and the wider British Asian community that was vilified for the gangs crimes.

Advertisement Advertisement

The grooming gang scandal casts a long shadow over Britains immigration debate and has fueled public anger over the use by successive governments of hotels to house asylum seekers. The crime emanating from these hotels is off the charts, one speaker said at the Pink Ladies protest in Chelmsford last month.

But this claim cant be backed up by hard data. The government does not publish detailed statistics about crimes committed by asylum seekers, nor by other demographic groups. This statistical black hole fuels wild speculation.

For many of the protesters, a general sense of lawlessness  not supported by official crime figures for England and Wales, which broadly show a decrease over the past decade  had coagulated into a specific fear of migrants.

Some felt the apparent extremity of the threat called for an extreme response. They need to get the army involved - we are being invaded! said Laura, one of the Pink Ladies in Chelmsford, who declined to give her last name. That was a common refrain. Christopher Ellis, 78, told CNN he wants the navy deployed in the English Channel, to stop migrants arriving by small boat from France, and the army deployed in the streets of major cities, to stop the woke left protesting about it.

Advertisement Advertisement

The focus on high-profile cases like the sexual assaults in Epping has obscured the more mundane fact that most violence against women is committed in the home, by people known to the victims. Minihane had little to say about this, other than: We have our own scumbags.  We do not need to bring in more every day.

The centerpiece of the protest in Chelmsford was a vigil for five women Minihane said had been murdered at the hands of an illegal migrant catastrophe  by men the government had let in. Two of the suspects charged in the five cases are British nationals. When asked by CNN to back up her claim that those men shouldnt have been here, Minihane said she did not feel the need to explain.

We are not going to be sacrificial lambs to your multicultural nonsense anymore, Minihane told the crowd, in a message directed at the government.

CNNs Jomana Karadsheh and Madalena Araujo contributed reporting.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
There is still significant need for clarification in international efforts to end the Russian war and provide security guarantees for Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday.

"The discussions are being conducted very intensively these days," the conservative politician said in the south-western German city of Heidelberg. "We are trying to involve the US government in the talks we are having among ourselves, as well as with the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian president."

Merz emphasized that the security guarantees, which have been discussed for several weeks, primarily focus on the permanent strengthening of the Ukrainian army to enable the country to defend itself independently.

Advertisement Advertisement

"We are ready to make our own contributions to this. Contributions from the US side will also be needed," Merz said. The question of how and in what details this will be integrated into an overall concept remains open, he added.

There are currently no details on a possible meeting. "In this respect, there are still many, many questions open, and they are all the subject of the discussions currently taking place," said the German chancellor.

He stressed, "We know that without security guarantees, we cannot protect Ukraine in the long term." Merz recently suggested that after talks over the weekend, there could be a meeting in Berlin at the beginning of next week.

In Heidelberg, Merz did not comment on this when asked. Deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer explained in Berlin that there is currently a "very high dynamic" in the process.
Michigan's red, white and blue license plate is returning in celebration of the United States semiquincentennial, the Michigan Secretary of State's Office said in a Thursday news release.

Drivers can order the limited-edition plate starting on Jan. 2, 2026.

As we prepare to celebrate our nations 250th anniversary, Im proud to announce Michigans iconic red, white and blue license plate will return to our roads in 2026, Secretary Jocelyn Benson said. Our latest legacy plate honors our countrys founding and history along with our ongoing fight for freedom, equality, and justice for all.

Michigan's red, white, and blue license plate.

The new plate includes elements of the American flag, a modern design similar to the original 1976 Michigan bicentennial plate.

Advertisement Advertisement

Michiganders can order the new semiquincentennial legacy plate when purchasing a vehicle through a dealership, or by scheduling a visit to any Secretary of State office.

Public Act 317 of 2023 signed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revived the patriotic plate.

Motorists who order the new plate will pay an additional one-time fee of $55 fee when the renew their plates, which includes a $5 plate service fee and a $50 contribution to the Michigan Transportation Fund.

The money raised from the new plates, according to the Michigan Secretary of State office, will fund road construction and repairs across the state.

Advertisement Advertisement

Drivers who need to renew the legacy plate will pay a $10 renewal fee when necessary.

In November 2025, state officials unveiled a "Pure Michigan" license plate honoring women veterans.

Which license plate is most popular in Michigan?

Despite the variety of options, the most popular license plate among Michiganders in 2024 was the "Pure Michigan plate," with 794,971 plates issued last year, according to the Secretary of State's office.

There are about 8.6 million vehicles registered in Michigan, the Department of Transportation said.

The U.S. will celebrate its 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.

Advertisement Advertisement

Michigan offers five standard plate options and three legacy options. In addition, drivers can purchase a variety of personalized plates and others that honor schools, causes, group and fundraising efforts.

Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan introduces throwback license plate for semiquincentennial. What to know
A mother and sister charged in the murder of pregnant Michigan woman Rebecca Park were allegedly sleeping with her fiance and the biological father of her unborn child, according to People.

Citing court documents from the tragic case, People reported that Richard Falor, the man engaged to mom-of-two Park  who was found murdered November 25 in an area of Manistee National Forest in South Branch  was having affairs with her sister, Kimberly Park, and her biological mother, Cortney Bartholomew.

Kimberly, 21, Bartholomew, 40, and Falor, 43, have all been charged with Parks murder. (Falor was also booked on drug-related charges.) Rebecca, 22, was nearly nine months pregnant on November 3 when police allege she was killed.

Advertisement Advertisement

Authorities allege Cortney and her husband, Bradly Bartholomew, 47, lured her daughter to their home in Boon on November 3, and tortured Park in an attempt to remove the unborn infant, resulting in the death of both, according to a statement from the Wexford County Prosecutors Office.

During interviews with police that followed the discovery of Rebeccas remains, Kimberly and Cortney both told investigators they were in relationships with Falor. (Court documents have referred to Falor as the fiance of both sisters, with the recent filing stating that Falor was the father of Rebeccas unborn baby.)

Kimberly is charged with evidence tampering, filing a false report and lying to a law enforcement officer. Meanwhile, the Bartholomews are charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage/stillbirth, and conspiracy to commit assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage/stillbirth, unlawful imprisonment and removal of a dead body.

The Bartholomews face life in prison if they are convicted.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kimberly was released on house arrest after her bail was reduced from $750,000 to $5,000.

Wexford County Sheriff's Office

Police allege it was Kimberly who first told detectives she had information about her mom Cortney and stepdad Bradly's alleged involvement in Rebecca's murder.

Rebecca, she told police, according to People, died from a seizure after being struck on the head by Cortney and Bradly. After her November 25 arrest, Kimberly allegedly told detectives Falor said to her on November 4 that "he killed Rebecca Park and that he wanted to protect Kimberly by not sharing details with her." He also allegedly told her that "something went wrong while trying to cut the baby out of Rebecca," she told authorities.

Scott Petersons Ex Amber Frey Speaks Out About Their Romance in Laci Peterson Doc: Every Revelation

Advertisement Advertisement

Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey described the murder as "evil personified" at a court hearing arguing against Cortney and Bradly being offered bail.

These two individuals created a plan, conducted research. Mr. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home, they forced her into another vehicle and took her into the woods where they stabbed her, forced her to lie on the ground while they cut her baby out, and ultimately caused her death and the death of the baby, Carey said in court. They then left Rebecca in the woods.

According to Falor's father, who spoke to MLive.com, Richard and Rebecca went to the hospital hours before Rebeccas disappearance as she thought she was going into labor, but was released because she wasnt getting ready to have the baby yet.

Rebecca then had dinner with her mother and was dropped off at Falors dads home by her mother and stepfather.

Advertisement Advertisement

The night she went missing, she was here, Falors father said. She left during the night but (my son) stayed here for some reason and we just never heard from her again.

Public defenders for all four defendants could not be reached for comment.
SEOUL, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Combined U.S.-South Korea military exercises are essential to defending the Korean Peninsula, U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said Friday, amid recent suggestions from Seoul officials that the drills could be scaled back to help revive dialogue with Pyongyang.

"The way that we exercise is critically important to us going forward," Brunson said during a Zoom webinar hosted by the Korean Defense Veterans Association and the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation. "Peace is maintained by our ability to maintain our readiness, and so we've got to ensure that our exercises remain the cornerstone of all the readiness that we can achieve on the Peninsula."

His remarks come after South Korea's Unification Ministry and President Lee Jae Myung signaled flexibility on downsizing or adjusting the drills as potential leverage in restarting negotiations with North Korea, a shift reflecting the administration's efforts to reopen communication channels

Advertisement Advertisement

The USFK commander did not directly comment on the proposals but stressed the importance of the two major combined exercises held each spring and summer. The allies have previously scaled back large-scale field drills during periods of diplomacy, including in 2018-19 when Washington and Pyongyang were engaged in summit talks.

"Whenever someone -- I don't care who it is -- talks about exercising less or exercising differently, they need to understand that there are two times in a year where we absolutely need some support," Brunson said. "Sometimes we forget that our ability to engage in rigorous, realistic training is a thing that separates this alliance from any other that exists."

Brunson also warned of the expanding threat posed by North Korea as it deepens military cooperation with Russia.

"Russian-DPRK collaboration is real -- it is not a quid pro quo relationship," Brunson said, using the official acronym for North Korea. "There are things we know are happening right now that give me pause as I look at what might face us down the road, whether that be training, or techniques and procedures they're learning from the front."

Advertisement Advertisement

Pyongyang has provided significant support for Moscow's war effort in Ukraine, sending thousands of shipping containers of munitions and deploying 15,000 troops to help Russian forces in the Kursk region, according to Seoul's National Intelligence Service.

In exchange, experts assess that Russia is transferring advanced military technology to Pyongyang, including assistance with space launch vehicles, reconnaissance satellites and air defense systems.

Brunson added that the allies must prepare for an evolving threat environment by accelerating modernization efforts across multiple domains, including cyber and space.

"We've got to change the way that we're organized for the fights," he said. "There are insidious things being done on and off the Peninsula that impact the Republic of Korea. So we've got to change the way that we're organized."
The man who attacked a female jogger in College Park in April was not released early because of a plea deal, despite an error by the prosecutor overseeing the case, State Attorney Monique Worrell said Thursday.

Tyler Feight was sentenced to time served this week, more than 200 days after his arrest. His plea deal also called for three years of probation and a psychosexual evaluation.

The victim told police Feight jumped on her as she ran past him at about 4:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of Northumberland Avenue in the College Park neighborhood.

Advertisement Advertisement

Police said the victim told them he tried to overpower her, but she kicked and screamed, causing him to run. She was able to run home and call 911.

Worrell addressed several of the rumors swirling in the community since Feight was let out:

Claim: The prosecutors mistake let Feight out early

Worrell summarized the prosecutors mistake as a paperwork error that had no impact on the overall sentence.

According to the prosecutors notes, obtained by WFTV Thursday, he misread a prior conviction for armed trespassing for ordinary trespassing, and recommended the judge withhold adjudication as part of the plea deal instead of finding Feight guilty.

Advertisement Advertisement

Feight was already a convicted felon, which, coupled with the deal he agreed to, meant there was no difference in how the case was carried out.

Worrell further defended her prosecutor, saying he oversaw 400 cases at a time and mistakes occasionally happen. However, his handling of the case will be reviewed by a supervisor.

Claim: Prosecutors let him off easy with a lesser charge

Feight pleaded guilty to felony battery, a lesser charge than attempted sexual battery, which is what detectives originally charged him with.

Worrell said officers made that arrest on the womans belief he was trying to rape her, which was their job, Worrell said.

Advertisement Advertisement

However, it wasnt enough for court.

Im not judging whether her fear is reasonable, Worrell said. We didnt have him grabbing at her clothes, trying to take his clothes off.

Worrell said felony battery was the appropriate charge to try in front of a jury, since they could prove Feight hit the victim by tackling her.

Claim: Feight couldve gotten a harsher sentence

Worrell said the prosecutor was limited by Florida law that outlines the sentences judges give defendants.

According to the notes, Feight racked up 11 points that the judges add up.

In order for a prosecutor to ask a judge to sentence someone to prison, a defendant needs 22 points. At this level, though, the judge is still not obligated to sentence someone to prison and often opts for a lesser punishment.

Advertisement Advertisement

For a judge to be forced to sentence a defendant to prison, the defendant needs 44 points.

With prison off the table, the most Feight could have served was 365 days in jail. Worrell said the deal placed him under probation for three years  which he otherwise wouldnt have gotten.

Claim: Feight couldve been ordered to stay away from College Park

The notes showed the victim wanted Feight to be kept out of College Park, but prosecutors were unable to honor that request.

Instead, Feight will be ordered to stay out of a three-block radius from the scene to protect the victim.

Worrell said Feight lived in College Park and had family in the neighborhood.

We cannot stop someone from coming to a community they live in, she said.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday announced his administration will invest $19 million into programs to end child poverty across the state.

The investment will go to the Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households (ENOUGH) initiative, now in its second year. Moore added that the initiatives philanthropic partners, titled the ENOUGH Alliance, committed an additional $1.5 million to the program. Members of the alliance include Blue Meridian Partners, the Bainum Family Foundation and the Sherman Family Foundation.

At a time when the federal government is looking at all of us in our face and saying, Youre on your own, in Maryland, were doubling down: We will not leave our people behind, Moore said in his remarks.

Advertisement Advertisement

The funds Moore announced were previously appropriated by the Maryland General Assembly into the ENOUGH Grant Fund, a Moore-Miller administration official wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun.

After his remarks, The Sun asked Moore how hell ensure taxpayer funds are well-accounted for in the ENOUGH initiative, given that recent audits found state agencies had full or partial legal exemptions from traditional oversight of their spending. Moore said the program being administered through the Governors Office of Children provides clear lines of accountability.

Its actually a pretty innovative take as to how we look at grant funding for our different organizations, Moore said. Before I ran for governor, I ran one of the largest data-driven, poverty-fighting organizations inside this country. We led with data, and thats really the same type of mantra that we take here.

ENOUGH grants are given only to communities with more than 30% of their children living in poverty, and communities served by a Maryland community school with a concentration of poverty level of at least 80%, the Moore-Miller administration official said.

Advertisement Advertisement

This official added that grantees also are required to submit documented commitments from a community-based nonprofit organization, a local government entity, and a public school to apply for funding.

At Thursdays event, Moore spoke to an audience of almost 200 attendees gathered in a gymnasium at the Weinberg Y in Baltimores Waverly neighborhood. Several House delegates, including Del. Stephanie Smith; local Baltimore leadership, including City Council President Zeke Cohen; state secretaries; and community members were in attendance.

In December 2024, Moores administration issued $13.1 million in inaugural ENOUGH grants to 27 select communities across the state. At his event, Moore touted the impact of last years ENOUGH investment on nonprofit work.

He said the initiative helped Park Heights Renaissance rehabilitate over 100 housing units in Park Heights, funded Cherry Hill Strongs program that enrolled over 150 students in math tutoring at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and supported Bester Community of Hope opening childcare centers in Hagerstown.

Advertisement Advertisement

As Moore listed the initiatives success, he was jovial  In the words of Jay-Z, Numbers dont lie,  he said.

Moore also emphasized that the ENOUGH initiative is community-led. After his remarks, The Sun asked Moore the exact role communities play in how the ENOUGH initiative is run, especially with regard to grant disbursement, and who in the administration picks which community members participate.

Moore said the initiatives proposals and partnerships are actually being pulled together by communities.

Theyre the ones saying, Were going to work with this school. Were going to work with these homes of worship. Were going to work with these business leaders, Moore said. Were just saying you tell us what the issue is in your community. And we are willing to provide the levels of support that are required and necessary in order to have real, effectual change.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Moore-Miller administration official also said the ENOUGH initiative has so far served more than 12,000 Marylanders, built a cohesive network of more than 550 partners  including K-12 schools, housing providers, employers and health care institutions  and launched 81 programs, including in-home visits for parents of newborns and financial literacy trainings for young adults.

In the short-term, the program is measuring progress related to grantees efforts to complete key grant activities, including building sustainable community-led, cross-sector partnerships, establishing deep levels of community engagement, and implementing evidence-led programs to increase access to good jobs, good schools, quality health care, and safe neighborhoods, this official said.

________
Gov. Wes Moore (D) told a gathering of county leaders Thursday that he does not plan to balance his next budget with taxes, while pledging to revisit an affordable housing proposal that local officials last year opposed. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)

Gov. Wes Moore (D) told a gathering of county leaders in Cambridge Thursday that he will not propose tax increases to close a projected $1.5 billion budget gap in the coming fiscal year.

Moore told officials attending the winter conference of the Maryland Association of Counties that budget decisions in front of us wont be easy or simple. He gave few specifics, but took at least one solution off the table.

Advertisement Advertisement

We cannot  and will not  balance our budget on the back of Marylanders. This is not a year where we anticipate tax increases, Moore said. At the same time, we must right-size programs that need to be made more sustainable.

Moore and the General Assembly have been warned that they face about a $1.5 billion deficit in fiscal 2027. Additionally, there is about $700 million in budget deficiencies.

State fiscal leaders will get an updated look at the states revenue projections for fiscal 2027 when the Board of Revenue Estimates meets Friday afternoon. Fridays forecast is the last before Moore delivers his budget to the General Assembly.

Moore diverged several times from his speech as prepared. He dropped portions that named President Donald Trump or referenced the White House, instead referring only to Washington or speaking more in more general terms. The majority of county officials in the room hail from rural jurisdictions where Republicans are the majority party.

Advertisement Advertisement

Moore was warmly received as he was introduced. During his speech, there was some applause from pockets of the banquet room. But there were also few obvious applause lines and attendees for the most part listened quietly.

Moore went off script to talk about one issue  housing.

The governor and the association were at odds in the 2025 legislative session over an administration bill that was aimed at sparking construction of affordable housing in the state. But county officials saw the bill as overriding local authority on zoning and on where projects can be built.

Moore lost that fight and his bill was ultimately defeated. A divide remains. While the administration seems focused on bringing the bill back, county officials have complained that they have had few substantive talks with the Department of Housing and Community Development  a continuation of complaints that surfaced at the associations summer convention.

Advertisement Advertisement

Despite any disagreements, Moore told the audience Thursday he was not going to stop pushing.

Sometimes we butt heads on this one, Moore said. The thing that I ask you though, is this: If we disagree on the topic of housing on Monday, the only thing I ask is  lets get back together on Tuesday and lets keep on working, because Im not going to stop pushing this housing.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Over the last six months, there has been a significant shift in the number of new subsea and terrestrial fibre announcements as hyperscalers and telcos race to keep pace with the growing demand in AI adoption and cloud expansion, and on paper, it looks like a global infrastructure expansion is well underway.

The industry has put forward a wave of announcements aimed at staying ahead of demand. Several newly unveiled projects of subsea activity include Meta unveiling its plan for its Candle Subsea Cable System, a new 8,000-kilometer cable designed to boost connectivity across Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore by 2028. In the Black Sea, Vodafone Group and Vodafone Ukraine have partnered with Xtera on the Kardesa, a 116m ($136m) cable system that will connect Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, and Ukraine with the first cable landing planned in Bulgaria in 2027.

On land, Nokia and Gulf Bridge International (GBI) announced a new high-capacity terrestrial route through Iraq, designed to reinforce links between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia with the project expected to be online by 2030. While these projects underscore the urgent need to expand network infrastructure, they also highlight the long complex path required for subsea and terrestrial fibre capacity to move from announcement to reality.

Construction of new infrastructure builds is more strained

However, despite all the press releases, the reality is that the construction of new infrastructure builds is more strained. With geopolitical tensions, manufacturing backlogs, and limited vessel availability all converging, not to mention key maritime choke points, for example, in the Red Sea Suez corridor impacting Asia Europe, traffic also adding further delays, and the timelines for bringing new systems online continue to be impacted.

As we continue to sail into the new era of bandwidth intensive AI and cloud workloads, the question becomes increasingly urgent: are we building digital infrastructure fast enough to support the connected future we are creating?

Brendan Swan, Senior Analyst at GlobalData said Although the AI infrastructure era is only just beginning, it's already putting pressure on global networks and supply chains. Telcos and hyperscalers are working aggressively to expand their digital infrastructure to meet the rising bandwidth demands, however they must continue to work more collaboratively especially with geopolitical tensions on the rise and with the approximately (only) 20 cable-laying vessels available worldwide adding further strain on capacity builds and bottlenecks.
Students at Weaver Elementary in Chesterfield in 2015. (Photo courtesy NBC12)

More than half of Virginias schools are exceeding or meeting the states academic expectations and made gains in achievement, graduation rates, growth and readiness, according to data from the Virginia Department of Education on Wednesday.

Performance data presented to the Board of Education also showed that more schools met the states standards to be fully accredited based on 2024-25 data compared to the previous year.

Advertisement Advertisement

Wednesdays results come after a years-long effort by Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration to address a flawed accreditation system to provide clear and more accurate student performance results.

Our Student Performance and Support Framework is providing timely, trustworthy data so we can target support to the students, schools and communities who need it most, and we can all learn from our Distinguished top-performing schools, Youngkin said in a statement on social media. This is how we prepare every student for success in life, whether they enroll in college, find employment in a great career, or enlist in our military.

Since the beginning of Youngkins term in 2022, the agency has begun overhauling the accreditation system to improve overall clarity and transparency and deliver better, more actionable information, according to the agency.

Last year, the Board of Education opted to split the system, referred to as the states School Performance and Support Framework, into two for the current school year  assessing whether schools are meeting all state and federal regulations, and providing prompt and transparent information on school and student performance.

Advertisement Advertisement

The data from the new accountability system shows that 66% of schools are exceeding or meeting state expectations for achievement, graduation, growth and readiness.

A total of 425 schools were identified as distinguished in the report, and 774 schools were labeled on track.

In addition, 399 schools were identified as off track, while 213 schools were marked as needs intensive support, meaning they are not meeting any of the states expectations.

Agency data also stated that more than half of elementary schools demonstrated significant student growth in reading and math, and graduation rates remain stable compared to the last two school years.

Advertisement Advertisement

VDOE said the release was delayed to validate the results, which were conducted by Old Dominion Universitys Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center. The added step promotes transparency and reinforces confidence and trust in the final framework outcomes before providing summaries to school divisions, the agency said.

Our goal of transparency has seemingly been achieved here, and its not just transparency for gotcha, its transparency for growth, transparency for continuous improvement, said Board President Grace Creasey, who was appointed by Youngkin, on Wednesday.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson congratulated the team on their work and said she looks forward to seeing how the results will help students.

I am just so excited about what this means and possibility for every student, Gullickson said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Accreditation data showed that 94% of schools were fully accredited in 2024-25, compared to 85% in 2023-24.

Im excited to have such clarity on what it means to become accredited, said Board Member Beth Ackerman, a Youngkin appointee, at the boards work session on Wednesday. However, she cautioned the department against relying solely on self-assessments and encouraged the inclusion of third-party reviews to strengthen the system.

A total of 113 schools, or 6%, received conditionally accredited designations, primarily due to missing or insufficient documentation by school divisions  not operational breakdowns. Staff said the process highlighted the need for clearer guidance and more standardized submission practices.

In addition, six schools were given new school designations for newly configured schools. No school was denied accreditation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Erin Madden, VDOE senior program and strategy specialist, said the conditionally accredited status is not punitive but an opportunity for improvement, with the goal of achieving everyone 100% accredited.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are in crosshairs of two winter weather systems headed to the region that could bring 2-4 inches of snow with each round, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Cincinnati is expected to get 2-3 inches of snow Thursday night into Friday morning, with more snow to the southwest of the city in Boone County, Kentucky and Dearborn County, Indiana. Areas to the northeast of Cincinnati, such as Dayton, are expected to only get 1-2 inches of snow.

Much of the snow will take place overnight into the early morning. Snowfall will be heaviest after midnight until 2 a.m., before possibly picking up again around 6 a.m., according to the weather service.

Advertisement Advertisement

Once the snow passes we always wonder: How much did we get where I live?

We have you covered. Use our interactive tool to search snowfall totals by address and see how much snow your neighborhood recorded.

More: Heavy snow is coming. See what to expect Thursday night and beyond

How much snow fell near you in Ohio? Search by address

Brandi D. Addison contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How much snow did your Ohio neighborhood get? Use interactive search tool
Initial assessments show Bass Bay Brewhouse, S79 W15851 Aud Mar Drive, is a total loss after a massive fire broke out on the property in the early morning hours of Friday, Dec. 12, the Muskego Police Department said in Facebook post.

Muskego police and the Tess Corners Fire Department initially responded to reports of a fire at the Muskego restaurant at around 6 a.m. Upon arriving, crews found heavy smoke, an active fire on the north side of the building, and "flames rapidly spreading throughout the structure," the fire department said in a separate Facebook post.

Firefighters from more than a dozen communities worked for several hours to control the fire, before Muskego police finally confirmed it was extinguished shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Advertisement Advertisement

Tell us: Share your memories and photos of Bass Bay Brewhouse

There was no one inside the restaurant during the fire, and all occupants of the residence attached to Bass Bay Brewhouse were safely evacuated, police said. The department confirmed no one was injured, though the evacuated occupants were taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing, the department said.

Cold created challenging conditions for firefighters, responders

The freezing temperatures and lack of nearby fire hydrants created "challenging conditions" for the responders, the fire department said. Like most of southern Wisconsin, Muskego was under a cold weather advisory Friday, with temperatures lingering in the mid-teens.

Advertisement Advertisement

Near the scene, a Muskego police officer directing traffic from Quietwood Drive onto Woods Road kept ducking in and out of his patrol car to stay warm.

Numerous plow trucks moved through the fire scene, presumably to salt and reduce ice buildup from the water used to fight the blaze.

Earlier in the morning, the Muskego Police Department also told residents to avoid the area of Ladwig Drive and Aud Mar Drive. At around noon, Woods Road was reopened to traffic after being closed for several hours.

Muskego mayor says loss of eatery will affect community's spirit

Muskego Mayor Rick Petfalski acknowledged that the loss of Bass Bay Brewhouse would affect the communitys spirit.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its not only its recent history as the Bass Bay Brewhouse, but before that for decades as the Aud Mar, Petfalski said. So its got some deep roots in our community, and its one of the favorite gathering spots.

The timing, right before the holidays, worsens the blow, he added.

Its a loss for the community, but more importantly its a loss for the Oschmann family. Its a pretty big season for them, Petfalski said, adding that employees would also face lost paychecks.

Its just sad.

A frequent guest, Petfalski said he enjoyed what many have for decades at the business.

Being right on the water there, its calming and relaxing. Thats why you go to places like that, he said.

Employee, neighbors react to fire at Bass Bay Brewhouse

Jenna Pappas, one of Bass Bay's employees who was present as firefighters battled the blaze, called the reality of the fire "devastating."

Advertisement Advertisement

"We're more than just a restaurant and a staff. We're an entire family," Pappas said. "So it's hard on us, it's hard on the community. It's hard for everybody."

She admitted the uncertainty about the business' future weighs on her and coworkers.

"We don't know anything [official], but from what we do know is that the building is pretty much gone," Pappas said, adding that she has been talking with Oschmann family members at the scene. "They're holding up on hope, but we'll see what the plan is."

Neighbors Maggie Richardson and Steve Drobot, who live side by side on Aud Mar Drive close to the restaurant, said the intensity of the fire was visible from their windows, but their homes were not overcome by the smoke, which permeated the surrounding area all morning.

Advertisement Advertisement

Richardson said she was still asleep as the fire began to rage, and when she awoke she assumed the fire was from somewhere on Janesville Road. "Then my phone started blowing up. My cell phone. My landline," she said, the result of people trying to find out if she knew what was happening at Bass Bay Brewhouse.

Drobot said the restaurant's proximity to his house, about 50 yards from his backyard, made the eatery a natural place for his family and friends to gather. "We'd go regularly," he said. "It's a great place in the summer and wintertime to get food and hang out. It's a great community place, ... so I hope we can help and take care of them now that they've had a fire."

Bass Bay Brewhouse has been a family-owned operation for decades

Bass Bay Brewhouse is owned by Ryan Oschmann and has been operated on-and-off by the Oschmann family since the 1950s, the Journal Sentinel previously reported. Ryan's grandparents operated a supper club on the property until 1985, before passing it down to Ryan's parents.

His parents operated it until 2006, before it closed with its future uncertain. In 2014, Ryan, along with his mother, Laurie, and other partners, decided to re-enter the family business and Bass Bay Brewhouse opened in its current iteration the following year.

Advertisement Advertisement

The restaurant hosts private parties and weddings on its extensive patio, which overlooks Bass Bay Lake.

Ryan Oschmann and his business partner, Andy Meinen, also own Milk Can Hamburgers and Frozen Custard, S73 W16770 West Janesville Road, in Muskego. In Facebook posts responding to the fire, residents encouraged each other to patronize the second restaurant to support the family.

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy," the Tess Corners Fire Department said. "Bass Bay Brewhouse has been a longstanding and valued part of the community, and its loss will be felt by many."

Along with the Tess Corners Fire Department and Muskego Police Department, 13 fire departments and the Salvation Army helped respond to the fire, per the Facebook post. First responders from Rochester, Mukwonago, Elm Grove, New Berlin, Vernon, Franklin, Greendale, Brookfield, Western Lakes, Kettle Moraine, Tichigan, Big Bend and Raymond were all on the scene.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Massive fire breaks out at Bass Bay Brewhouse in Muskego on Dec. 12
Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and an ardent supporter of President Trump, announced a bid for governor of Minnesota on Thursday, joining a growing field of candidates vying to oust incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (D) next year.

Im officially running for Governor of Minnesota. After prayerful consideration and hearing from so many of you across our great state, Ive made the decision to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race. Im still standing and Ill stand for you, Lindell said on social media.

Lindell, who founded his pillow company in Minnesota in the early aughts, reportedly filed paperwork to run last week, telling The Minnesota Star Tribune that he was considering the move.

Advertisement Advertisement

He enters the GOP primary field alongside former state Sen. Scott Jensen, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, state Rep. Kristin Robbins and others, with the primary set for August.

Weve seen what happens when we elect a con man to the highest office in America. We cant let it happen here in Minnesota, Walz said in a Thursday post on the social platform X, responding to Lindells announcement.

Lindell in recent years has faced lawsuits against his business and scrutiny over his claims about the 2020 election. A federal judge in Minnesota ruled earlier this year that Lindell defamed the election tech company Smartmatic with false claims about its voting machines.

Walz, who is seeking a third term, defeated Jensen in 2022 by nearly 8 points, while then-Vice President Harris  with Walz as her running mate  won the state by just more than 4 points in 2024.

Advertisement Advertisement

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the 2026 governors race as likely Democratic.

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 The Hill.
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, a fierce loyalist of President Donald Trump, officially announced on Dec. 11 that he's running for governor of Minnesota.

Last week, Lindell's campaign committee filed paperwork for a potential gubernatorial run, but Lindell said he wasn't 100% certain. He is now.

"After prayerful consideration and hearing from so many of you across our great state, I've made the decision to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race," Lindell posted on his Facebook page. "I'm still standing and I'll stand for you....Lets bring common sense back to Minnesota."

Advertisement Advertisement

The Republican candidate has launched a campaign website, MikeLindellGov.com, and his top objectives include stopping fraud, fixing "failing school systems," stopping "exploding property taxes," and to "send illegal immigrants back."

Lindell enters an already crowded field, including Democratic incumbent Gov. Tim Walz, who's seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.

Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

Mike Lindell for Minnsota governor? The MyPillow founder files to run for Minnesota governor

Walz wasted no time ripping into Lindell on social media.

"We've seen what happens when we elect a con man to the highest office in America," Walz said in a Dec. 11 post on X, responding to Lindell's announcement. "We can't let it happen here in Minnesota."

Advertisement Advertisement

Lindell joins 12 other Republicans who've entered the governor's race, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and state Rep. Kristin Robbins.

New Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Lindell still faces legal straits

Lindell gained national attention not only for his offbeat, mostly late-night TV commercials pitching his pillows, but also for backing Trump's claims of fraud after the 2020 presidential election. Multiple recounts, reviews and audits confirmed the results of the election were legitimate.

Lindell has also been sued several times for his claims of election tampering, including a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems in 2021.

Lindell also has to pay $5 million to a software engineer who was able to debunk data Lindell claimed proved that China interfered in the 2020 election, a federal judge ruled in 2024.

Advertisement Advertisement

Lindell's legal woes: MyPillow founder tells federal judge he's out of money due to legal battles

Additionally, in December 2024, a Minnesota judge ordered MyPillow to pay global delivery service DHL almost $778,000 for unpaid bills and legal costs. In March, rival delivery provider FedEx sued MyPillow for allegedly failing to pay more than $9 million in shipping costs, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

Meanwhile, Lindell continues to claim his many legal battles have left him without any money.

"Im in ruins," Lindell told U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols during an April 16 hearing in Washington, DC, ABC News reported.

Advertisement Advertisement

Smartmatic, a voting machine company, asked Nichols in March to hold Lindell in contempt, claiming Lindell has avoided paying a court-ordered sanction of $56,369 to Smartmatic to cover the cost of litigating what the company describes in its motion as "Lindell's frivolous claims."

Contributing: Corey Schmidt and Alice Mannette, USA TODAY Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MyPillow head Mike Lindell enters crowded race for Minnesota governor
Mike Lindell, the fervent supporter of President Donald Trump known to TV viewers as the MyPillow Guy, officially entered the race for Minnesota governor on Thursday in hopes of winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

Ill leave no town unturned in Minnesota, Lindell told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of a news conference set for Thursday.

He said he has a record of solving problems and personal experiences that will help businesses and fight addiction and homelessness as well as fraud in government programs. The fraud issue has particularly dogged Walz, who announced in September that hes seeking a third term in the 2026 election.

Advertisement Advertisement

Lindell, 64, founded his pillow company in Minnesota in 2009 and became its public face through infomercials that became ubiquitous on late-night television. But he and his company faced a string of legal and financial setbacks after he became a leading amplifier of Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He said he has overcome those setbacks.

Not only have I built businesses, you look at problem solution, Lindell said in his trademark rapid-fire style. I was able to make it through the biggest attack on a company, and a person, probably other than Donald Trump, in the history of our media  lawfare and everything.

While no Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, the states voters have a history of making unconventional choices. They shocked the world by electing former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor in 1998. And they picked a veteran TV pitchman in 1978 when they elected home improvement company owner Rudy Boschwitz as a US senator.

Lindell has frequently talked about how he overcame a crack cocaine addiction with a religious conversion in 2009 as MyPillow was getting going. His life took another turn in 2016 when he met the future president during Trumps first campaign. He served as a warm-up speaker at dozens of Trump rallies and co-chaired Trumps campaign in Minnesota.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trumps endorsement could be the key to which of several candidates wins the GOP nomination to challenge Walz. But Lindell said he doesnt know what Trump will do, even though theyre friends, and said his campaign isnt contingent on the presidents support.

His Lindell TV streaming platform was in the news in November when it became one of several conservative news outlets that became credentialed to cover the Pentagon after agreeing to a restrictive new press policy rejected by virtually all legacy media organizations.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell speaks at a rally on July 27, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn. - Adam Bettcher/AP

Lindells outspoken support for Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen triggered a backlash as major retailers discontinued MyPillow products. By his own admission, revenue slumped and lines of credit dried up, costing him millions. Several vendors sued MyPillow over billing disputes. Fox News stopped running his commercials. Lawyers quit on him.

Lindell has been sued twice for defamation over his claims that voting machines were manipulated to deprive Trump of a victory.

Advertisement Advertisement

A federal judge in Minnesota ruled in September that Lindell defamed Smartmatic with 51 false statements. But the judge deferred the question of whether Lindell acted with the actual malice that Smartmatic must prove to collect. Smartmatic says its seeking nine-figure damages.

A Colorado jury in June found that Lindell defamed a former Dominion Voting Systems executive by calling him a traitor, and awarded $2.3 million in damages.

But Lindell won a victory in July when a federal appeals court overturned a judges decision that affirmed a $5 million arbitration award to a software engineer who disputed data that Lindell claimed proved Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The engineer had accepted Lindells Prove Mike Wrong Challenge, which he launched as part of his 2021 Cyber Symposium in South Dakota, where he promised to expose election fraud.

Lindell said his crusade against electronic voting machines will just be part of his platform. While Minnesota uses paper ballots, it also uses electronic tabulators to count them. Lindell wants them hand-counted, even though many election officials say machine counting is more accurate.

Advertisement Advertisement

Some Republicans in the race include Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring; Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator from Chaska who was the partys 2022 candidate; state Rep. Kristin Robbins, of Maple Grove; defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor Chris Madel; and former executive Kendall Qualls.

These guys havent lived what I live, Lindell said.

Lindell wouldnt commit to abiding by the Minnesota GOP endorsement and forgoing the primary if he loses it, expressing confidence that hell win. He also said hell rely on his supporters to finance his campaign because his own finances are drained. I dont have the money, he acknowledged.

But he added that ever since word got out last week that he had filed the paperwork to run, Ive had thousands upon thousands of people text and call, saying from all around the country  Hey, Ill donate.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
In Rocky Mount's tiny Battleboro community, LS Tractor is on a mission to make a name for itself.

"We build tractors!" said Lindsay O'Dell, senior purchasing manager for LS Tractor USA.

The company specializes in compact tractors that pull, haul, till and mow. It's a South Korean-owned company, a distant corporate cousin of the popular LG Electronics.

In 2009, LS Tractor USA made its move to Battleboro, opening its North American headquarters and assembly plant right on the Nash-Edgecombe County lines.

Advertisement Advertisement

"They had a viable product that was inexpensive, quality-driven and they wanted to capture that U.S. market share," O'Dell said. "This is also close to our customer. There is a lot of agriculture in eastern North Carolina. We want to be close to that customer."

Their distinctive blue tractors appeared at last month's Raleigh Christmas Parade, a chance to show off their machines that start at 22 horsepower and top out at 101.

"101 is the one I drove in the parade. That's the one I like," O'Dell said.

The company markets itself to small farmers pulling smaller loads of soybean or hay.

"When you get to the really big farms that have hundreds of thousands of acres, that's more John Deere," O'Dell said with a laugh. "That's not quite our market."

Advertisement Advertisement

All the final touches-the hydraulics, the hood, the fenders-get assembled in Battleboro. In the company's best year, it shipped 10,000 tractors. They plan to double that in the next eight years.

"Everybody has a great deal of pride to say I'm from North Carolina, I commute 15 minutes down the street to a global company that is distributing tractors to all of North America," O'Dell said.

MORE NORTH CAROLINA MADE: Cookie mix gives homemade taste with ingredients you feel good about

Candle company in Durham celebrates Black culture and storytelling through scents
The footage, obtained by the IDF, shows the six hostages, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, and Almog Sarusi, who were murdered by Hamas in 2024.

IDF footage of six Israeli hostages lighting Hanukkah candles in captivity months before they were murdered by Hamas was spread across Israeli media on Thursday.

The footage, obtained by the IDF, shows the six hostages, coined the "Beautiful Six," who were murdered by Hamas in Rafah and found by the IDF in August 2024 - Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, and Almog Sarusi.

Advertisement Advertisement

Danino is seen lighting small candles balanced on cups while the group sings Shehecheyanu, the blessing said on reaching a special moment. After lighting the first night's candles, the group sang several traditional songs.

"Lighting Hanukkah candles in that dark place captures the essence of the Jewish spirit: light prevailing over darkness," the families of the six said in a statement published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

"Hamas filmed these videos as propaganda, but the humanity of the beautiful six shines through this footage. It is stronger than any terrorist organization," the statement continued. "These videos bear witness to evil and failure."

"They were taken alive, they survived in captivity, and they should have come home alive."

Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, and Almog Sarusi playing cards while in Hamas captivity. (credit: Courtesy)

Nearly 20 other videos, photos of 'Beautiful Six' released

Alongside the video of the Hanukkah candle lighting, the forum released nearly 20 other videos and photographs of the six.

Advertisement Advertisement

The additional footage shows the six playing cards, counting down to the new year, and giving each other haircuts, walking through the Rafah tunnels, as well as Gat telling a Hamas terrorist that Sarusi needed "professional" medical treatment.

"We're calling on every family in Israel," the statement went on, "When you gather to light Hanukkah candles, remember our loved ones and all the families of soldiers, the wounded, the hostages, the murdered, and the fallen who will never light candles together again, families who have been waiting nearly 800 days for answers."

'How dare you say you returned the hostages?'

Channel 12 News aired some of the clips of the hostages, alongside commentary from some of the detained hostages' family members. Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh's mother, called the six slain hostages "heroes" and slammed the government's overall response to the hostage crisis.

What heroes, she said during the broadcast. "Please, do not consider Hersh as someone you saved. These are heroic, luminous young people who did everything right. They did their part and stayed alive. So don't say 'well done' because we brought them back in bags. These are children who could have lived."

Advertisement Advertisement

Gil Dickman, Carmel Gat's cousin, slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to the release of the footage.

"A whole country is watching on TV, crying, hurting, enraged, and Netanyahu's response to the videos of the six hostages, videos he didnt even see: 'The prime ministers policy led to the return of all the hostages' (!!!!) Look at Carmel. Low person. Stop and look. How, how, HOW!!! Dare you say you returned all the hostages?!"
LOS ANGELES  Gavin Newsom is trolling his way into the collective hearts of the Democratic Partys most influential activists.

As the Democratic National Committee opened its winter meeting here, a throng of delegates jockeyed for selfies with the California governor for more than half an hour before his aides pulled him away for meetings  the crowds surrounding him growing so large at various points that Newsom resorted to group pictures.

It was a parlaying of Newsoms bombastic social media posture into an in-real-life commotion at the DNC  coming in his own backyard, where questions have swirled about whether his decidedly West Coast affect will translate to a broader audience. And it was the newest sign of the likely 2028 presidential contenders influence in the party, according to interviews with more than 20 DNC members on Thursday.

Advertisement Advertisement

I loooove the trolling that theyre doing, said Pamela Castellana, a vice-chair of the Florida Democratic Party, crediting the governor and his social media team for his X presence, which transformed this year from a standard-issue politicians account to performance art-esque mimicry of President Donald Trump. I dont think that its necessarily going to get them elected, but it really is encouraging people. They have something to fight back with.

The affinity goes beyond the mean tweets, reflected in polling putting Newsom at or near the top of early surveys of the 2028 presidential primary field. Newsom earned goodwill with national Democrats with his gutsy ballot redistricting measure, which bolstered the partys chances to win back the House in next years midterms. In Los Angeles, Newsom met privately with Ken Martin, the DNC chair, as well as the party chairs from the early-voting states of Nevada and New Hampshire, according to a person familiar with the meetings and granted anonymity to describe them.

And while there was lingering skepticism in the crowd about Newsoms durability in 2028, especially in a general election  because its so long from now, because he comes from the liberal bastion of California, because there are other contenders, too  the spectacle of his drop-in appearance injected an aura of celebrity into an otherwise-staid opening day, where other potential 2028 hopefuls had a minimal footprint.

As Newsom rambled down a seventh-floor hallway of a downtown Los Angeles hotels labyrinthine event space, delegates from Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Georgia, Colorado, Mississippi, Utah, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania all surrounded him.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kimberly Metcalfe, a former national committee member from Alaska, recognized Newsom in the middle of the scrum and pushed forward. Oh, I want to get a photo, she said.

Hes definitely come into focus a lot more this year, Metcalfe said. I just have a whole different perception of him. I knew he was governor of California. Hes a good-looking guy.

She laughed.

But hes really separated himself from the crowd by what hes doing to take on Trump, she said. We needed that. The humor is great.

Sophia Danenberg, a DNC member from Washington, said Newsom was a frequent topic on her politically-focused Signal chats. She credited the governor for his hallway accessibility for rank-and-file members.

Advertisement Advertisement

I think it really says something in terms of wanting to engage with people one-on-one and close up and not just give the big speech, she said.

Newsoms purposeful choice to arrive Thursday, one day before the confabs general session, meant he had few competitors for delegates attention. And publicly, at least, the 2028 primary was just subtext. Speaking to reporters, Newsom played coy about his wooing of influential party powerbrokers.

Theyre in California, Newsom said. Id be remiss if I didnt say hello.

Newsom also met with a delegation from Missouri, where opponents to Republicans' mid-decade gerrymander at the behest of Trump have submitted signatures for a referendum that would delay those new congressional maps from taking effect. He later raised the prospect of using his lucrative grassroots email list to raise money for the effort.

Advertisement Advertisement

Californias redistricting fight has been unexpected rocket fuel for Newsoms national presence. As the first Democrat to embrace partisan gerrymandering in retribution for the Trump-driven redistricting in red states, Newsom got credit from party activists for tapping into their desire for someone on their side to show a fighting spirit.

We know that Prop 50 will be transformational across the U.S., said Michelle Chambers, a DNC member from Indiana and Fort Wayne city councilmember. To meet the warrior of right in person, it was very refreshing. It was empowering he took the time to come to the DNC.

Still, many members stopped short of declaring that Newsom had locked down their support for the next presidential race, cautioning that 2028 was a long way away.

Theres a lot of chatter about different candidates, but honestly, my guess is we havent seen the candidate yet, said Susan Merrill, the vice chair of the Utah Democratic Party. I think its someone that isnt on the radar.

Advertisement Advertisement

For some, Newsoms breakout year may not be enough to overcome a key vulnerability  the skepticism that a Democrat from California, a frequent punching bag for the right, could win a general election.

Dennis Olson, a national committeeman from South Dakota, was certain that Newsoms home state would be an albatross Republicans would hang around his neck.

It will be, I guarantee you. Because itll be the liberals out there, said Olson, channeling what he expects the GOP would fixate on. So while I like to see the social media hes doing, there are other people saying, well, [California] will be easily attacked.

Some of the more tempered assessments came from fellow Californians, for whom Newsom is no longer a novelty. David Atkins, the vice chair of the Santa Barbara County party, said he saw the governor as a mixed bag. But he was more complimentary about Newsoms star turn on social media.

His ability to troll the president and to demonstrate what Trumps language would sound like coming out of anyone else has been highly effective at doing its job and getting under the skin, Atkins said. What that means for the 2028 contest, thats a whole other story. But that much, at least, has been a shot in the arm for the party.
Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi reportedly was arrested Friday by Iranian authorities, according to the foundation in her name.

The Paris-based rights group said that security and police forces "violently detained" Mohammadi and other human rights activists during a memorial for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer recently discovered dead.

"Further details remain unavailable at this time," the Narges Foundation posted on social media on behalf of Mohammadi.

Today, Friday, the seventh-day memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi was held at a mosque in Mashhad. Attendees, including human rights activist Narges Mohammadi and family members of those killed during the nationwide protests, commemorated him by chanting protest slogans.... pic.twitter.com/pvbLEnHPAy HRANA English (@HRANA_English) December 12, 2025

The organization said her precise location inside Iran was unknown, citing accounts and information via her brother, Mehdi.

Advertisement Advertisement

Mohammadi is one of Iran's foremost human rights lawyers and the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

She was serving a total of 31 years on charges of supposedly acting against national security and spreading propaganda.

Mohammadi spent much of the last two decades in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, which is known for detaining regime critics.

Last year in December, Iranian authorities temporarily suspended Mohammadi's prison sentence for three weeks to allow time for recovery from November surgery to remove a potentially cancerous lesion in her right leg.

She was expected to return to prison shortly after, but over the past year ramped up activism, speaking out on Iran's human rights abuses.

Advertisement Advertisement

Last week, she penned an op-ed declaring Iranians cannot know true peace under a regime that dominates every facet of their lives.

"Their peace is disrupted by surveillance, censorship, arbitrary arrest, torture and the constant threat of violence," she wrote in Time Magazine, calling for support in Iranian society, its independent media and for human and women's rights.
Good Morning, Asia. Here's what's making news in the markets:

Welcome to Asia Morning Briefing, a daily summary of top stories during U.S. hours and an overview of market moves and analysis. For a detailed overview of U.S. markets, see CoinDesk's Crypto Daybook Americas.

Bitcoin held its footing as Hong Kong began its business day, trading above $91,000, after the Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 basis points and acknowledged elevated uncertainty around the U.S. outlook.

The calm reflects more than central bank action. In its most recent report, CryptoQuant writes that exchange inflows have dropped sharply from November highs and whales have scaled back deposits, reducing near-term sell pressure and allowing the market to settle into a narrow range.

CryptoQuant also highlights that whales realized losses of more than $600 million when BTC first broke below $100,000, followed by an estimated $3.2 billion in cumulative losses. Short-term holders have been selling at negative profit margins since mid-November, a pattern that typically appears only after sentiment has already capitulated. Historically, that combination signals the point where selling pressure begins to exhaust itself.

That backdrop has kept Bitcoin pinned around $92,000 despite several macro catalysts.

QCP says the current stability should not be confused with conviction. The desk describes a market still in a holding pattern, noting that ETF inflows have improved only modestly and derivatives positioning remains cautious.

Attention is now shifting to Tokyo, where prediction markets overwhelmingly expect a 25-basis-point hike at the December 19 Bank of Japan meeting. QCP argues that the next major driver sits in the country, where long-end JGB yields are pressing multi-decade highs and policymakers have signaled discomfort with the speed of the move.

The market is steady today, although the path forward now depends on how Japans decision reshapes global risk appetite.

Market Movement

BTC: Bitcoin spent the session moving quietly between $91,000 and $92,000, showing little reaction to the Fed cut, as onchain flows kept volatility contained.

ETH: Ether tracked the same muted tone, holding near $3,270 with no clear catalyst to break it out of its recent range.

Gold: Gold rose after the Feds rate cut despite lingering uncertainty over next years policy path, while silver hit a record as strong industrial demand and tight supply continued to lift prices.

Nikkei 225: Most Asia Pacific markets moved higher after the Feds third rate cut of the year, although Japans Nikkei 225 opened strong before slipping 0.11 percent.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Portland police say its unique Stolen Vehicle Operations have resulted in a 65% decline in stolen cars this year compared to 2022.

With 8,109 stolen cars reported from January to September of 2022, the same comparable window of time for 2025 saw just a fraction of that number, the Portland Police Bureau said. From January to September of 2025, 2,835 cars were reported stolen.

Oregon unemployment climbs again

Advertisement Advertisement

The latest figure points to a 65% cumulative decline since 2022. Whats more, police say each year since then has seen a steady decline from the year before.

There have been 10 Stolen Vehicle Operations based out of East Precinct conducted in 2025 so far this year, PPB said. Those missions have also included partner agencies from across the metro area, including Gresham police, Multnomah County Sheriffs Office, Port of Portland Police, Clackamas County Sheriffs Office and the Vancouver Police Department, among others.

Portland police also said they closely partner with the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office, oftentimes with deputy district attorneys accompanying missions in the field.

In addition, PPB also partners with the grassroots community group of 30,000 participants, PDX Stolen Cars, which has helped police recover 11 stolen cars throughout this year.

Advertisement Advertisement

These community partnerships, alongside SVOs unique data-driven approach, helped put Portland police in the international spotlight for innovation in law enforcement. Earlier this year, the SVO was awarded the 2025 International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership in Prevention of Vehicle Crimes Award, among other recognitions.

The polices partnership with the cancer researchers at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University is helping to blaze a new path for solving and preventing stolen vehicle crimes. The researchers help police better identify stolen vehicles, leading to a more efficient use of traffic stops.

So no license plate, a altered or fake trip permit? And you can, if you get close enough to cars, you can see if the permit looks legitimate or not. Or if its been altered, explained PPB Sergeant Cassandra Wells.

The 10 SVOs conducted this year also led to 75 arrests, 69 total cars recovered and 11 guns seized, PPB said. Of the 37 times drivers attempted to elude police this year, 12 resulted in police chases, per PPBs pursuit policy. The average pursuit time is 2 minutes 45 seconds.

Advertisement Advertisement

Deputy found justified in shooting arson suspect

Portland police said more stolen vehicle missions are coming, with a waitlist of officers hoping to join.

Wells said the vehicle missions help convey a message of deterrence to would-be thieves.

They know that were not tolerating this behavior anymore and that were going to pursue them during our missions, and were going to get them stopped and get handcuffs on them now, she said.

For more information, PPB has a stolen vehicle statistics dashboard, updated monthly.

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 KOIN.com.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating a police-involved shooting in Scott County that left one person dead on Thursday, Dec. 11.

The incident involved the Scott County Sheriff's Office and Morton Police Department, officials said.

Bailey Martin, spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, stated in a press release that deputies in Scott County responded Thursday to a call about a suspect attempting to enter vehicles in the parking lot of a business.

Advertisement Advertisement

Martin said when deputies arrived, they saw the suspect driving a yard-truck through the parking lot.

According to Martin, deputies attempted to make contact with the suspect, who fled the area in the vehicle. Martin said deputies pursued the suspect onto Mississippi Highway 13 in Morton.

Martin said while on the highway, the suspect "struck a cement truck, a passenger vehicle and an occupied school bus."

Panhandling laws in MS to be enforced: Panhandling permits could soon be required in parts of Jackson, Capitol Police chief says

"At that point, deputies discharged their weapons in an attempt to neutralize the subject ultimately striking the subject causing fatal injuries," Martin said.

Advertisement Advertisement

No other injuries were reported. No deputies were physically injured during the incident.

Morton High School issued a statement at 5:40 p.m. Thursday regarding the incident:

"This afternoon, one of our school buses was involved in an accident while law enforcement was pursuing a suspect in a stolen vehicle on highway 13. During the pursuit, the suspect's vehicle made contact with the school bus, prompting an immediate response from emergency personnel.

"We are grateful to report that there were no injuries, and all students and the bus driver are safe. The bus driver, school personnel, and first responders acted quickly to ensure the safety and well-being of every student on board. All students and the bus driver have been checked by school and emergency officials, and parents/guardians of those students have been notified.

Advertisement Advertisement

"We understand that situations like this can be concerning, and we appreciate your trust as we continue to prioritize the safety of all students."

Man sentenced in killing Jimmie Jay Lee: Sheldon Herrington Jr., who killed Ole Miss student Jay Lee, sentenced. How Herrington's crime unfolded

MBI officials said investigators are gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. Once the investigation is complete, their findings will be turned over to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office for review.

MBI also said the information released so far is preliminary and could change as the investigation continues.

Advertisement Advertisement

Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi fatal police involved shooting
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.

In early October, Fernando Gomez Ruiz was eating at a food truck in Los Angeles when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents grabbed him. The 61-year-old was taken from the city where he had lived for 22 years. He was brought to California City Detention Facility, where he says he was denied insulin. Soon, his blood sugar spiked. An ulcer spread across his foot. Its still there today; he tries to clean the oozing blood as best he can with dirty, bloody gauze. But because of the way the facility restricts legal calls, he hasnt been able to fully explain any of this to his lawyer. This denial of one of the most basic rights in America, the ability to speak with an attorney, has became an instrument of the ICE detention system itself.

Attorney-client privilege is the oldest privilege in American law. It is a sacrosanct privilege, said Eunice Cho, senior attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project. For people in government custody, it is quite important to be able to speak with attorneys in a privileged, confidential manner.

Advertisement Advertisement

ICE insists its system protects attorney-client privilege. Every detention facility is supposed to follow ICE standards that promise private meeting rooms, unmonitored legal calls, and secure legal mail. But the record inside tells a different story.

In the past year, class-action lawsuits from California to New York to Florida have asked federal courts to intervene because ICE facilities monitored legal calls, copied privileged mail, and denied access to attorneys. Taken together, these filings depict a system where confidential communication with an attorney is structurally impossible.

Earlier this month, Gomez Ruiz and six others sued California City Detention Facility for denying access to counsel, among other violations. Their case lays bare a broader pattern that starts the moment someone is detained. Attorneys often cannot find their people for days because ICEs Online Detainee Locator System is delayed and sometimes does not list them at all. Families are left calling hospitals trying to learn where their loved one is. Once someone is found, confidential communication is almost impossible.



Attorneys describe weekslong delays for legal calls. When virtual calls do occur, they are capped at one hour, which means detainees may wait another week or two before speaking to counsel again. Tablets, which allow people in Californias state prisons to make calls from their cells, are only allowed in dayrooms. And in many ICE facilities, the tablets that are intended to be used with legal representatives are monitored and recorded. Even in-person confidential conversations take place under guard surveillance in crowded rooms where the sound carries.

Marisol Dominguez-Ruiz, one of Fernandos lawyers from the ACLU, is used to sitting in the same room as her clients without barriers. But at California City, she was forced to bend forward to talk with Fernando through a small sliver between the glass. Youre kind of crouched down and yelling to make sure that each other hears, she said. It doesnt sound to me like its a confidential kind of conversation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Immigrants in ICE custody are trapped in a paradox. They have no Sixth Amendment right to an attorneythat applies only to criminal defendants. But an attorney is often their only contact with the outside world, and only hope of reaching their family members, as a federal judge underscored in 2019. In that case, the court held that the government cannot make it harder for an immigrant detainee to exercise their right to counsel, and that doing so could violate their First Amendment right to communicate with the outside world. The stakes are clear: Without a lawyer, people are twice as likely to be deported, according to a study earlier this year from the American Immigration Council.

Arguably immigrants in civil detention should have at least as good if not better access to their attorneys than people in criminal custody, said Emma Winger, deputy legal director at the American Immigration Council.

Because they are civil detainees in immigration court, there is no mechanism for courts to rapidly intervene when their rights collapse. In a criminal case, if a jail interferes with attorney-client conversations, you can go straight to federal court and get a judge to stop it. Immigration law works the opposite way. People must wait until they lose their case, then file an appeal, and then and only then ask a federal court to review what happened. Any claims that come out of someones deportation proceedings can only be raised on a petition for review of their removal order, said Winger. It makes it more difficult to quickly prevent ongoing abuses in the deportation process by bringing a lawsuit in federal court.

What exists is a system that treats people worse than criminal punishment while it uses its civil label to evade the constitutional limits that govern punishment. Thats nothing new. ICE has been warned about attorney access violations for more than two decades. A 2006 report by DHS found that detainees in multiple ICE facilities had to make legal calls from dayrooms or offices without privacy panels where staff could overhear them, and that some facilities delayed or denied requests for attorney calls for more than two weeks. Six years later, the American Immigration Council found that ICE restricts access to attorneys and that agents were telling people they arent entitled to one. Most recently, in 2022, the ACLUs No Fighting Chance report found that at least 58 (out of 199 at the time) ICE facilities block attorney calls, provide no private space for meetings, and create delays that cause attorneys to miss critical deadlines.

Advertisement Advertisement

Whats new is the scale: The Trump administration has demanded more than 1 million deportations. To reach that quota, ICE wants people to self-deport, said Amy Godshall, an ACLU of Florida attorney. Without a lawyer, people may feel they have little hope of contesting their case and may want to escape the horrifying conditions of detention at all costs, even if that means leaving the country.

At facilities like Broadview in Illinois, detainees say officers have been asking them to sign ICE Form I-210a voluntary departure orderthat is completed by officers themselves. People are signing these life-altering documents without the benefit of talking to counsel, said Cho.

More than a series of isolated violations, this is a structural design. Civil detention erases the attorney-client privilege at the core of due process and then uses that void to pressure people into signing their own deportation orders. The machinery works because people are made to disappear before they ever get to speak.
NEED TO KNOW

Akanksha Adivarekar was sentenced to a hospital on Thursday in connection with the death of her 4-year-old son this past June

Adivarekar was originally charged with murder but agreed to a plea of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility last week

Prosecutors said Adivarekar stabbed her son to death in his sleep and then drank bleach before taking herself to a nearby hospital while still wearing a blood soaked nightgown

Months after climbing into bed with her 4-year-old son and inexplicably stabbing him 11 times until he died, an English mother has been sentenced to a mental health hospital.

Akanksha Adivarekar was sentenced on Thursday for the June 10, 2025 killing of her 4-year-old son Agustya Hegishte, who was found stabbed to death inside the familys home in Maidenhead, England, after his mother had killed him in his sleep, drank bleach in an apparent suicide attempt and then traveled to a local hospital where she received life-saving surgery.

Advertisement Advertisement

Adivarekar, a 37-year-old former medical consultant who described herself online as a "penfluencer," was ordered to remain in a hospital with restrictions under the countrys Mental Health Act, according to the BBC, Metro UK, and the Bucks Free Press.

The Thames Valley Police Department said in a news release Thursday that Adivarekar had first pleaded guilty to her role in her sons death last Wednesday, Dec. 3 during a hearing at the Reading Crown Court. Todays sentencing brings a complex and challenging investigation to its conclusion, Detective Inspector Rob Underhill said in a statement after Akankshas sentencing hearing.

During the hearing, both the judge and Adivarekar's husband expressed hope that her mandatory hospitalization could help her. Adivarekar's husband, who was not identified in court, according to Metro UK, gave an emotional testimony and said, I have lost my son, who was everything to me and also my wife.

The pain of this loss is indescribable, the husband reportedly said, adding, All I can do is to forgive Adivarekar for what she has done. I hope she lives a good, respectable life after her treatment. That would be the real justice for me and my son.

Advertisement Advertisement

Metro UK reported that Judge Michael Grieve KC told Adivarekar: You require treatment, not punishment.



Inherent in this tragic case is that you will suffer terrible pain from what you have done forever, the judge said, noting that there were no welfare concerns about the couples child before his unexpected murder in June.

There was no rational motive for the offence, the judge said, according to Metro UK. Until the manic episode, you had a normal, loving relationship with your son.



According to prosecutors, Adivarekar had arrived at the local hospital the day of her sons murder wearing a blood soaked nightgown, telling staff that she killed her son in order to end his suffering. Adivarekar, who hospital staff said was zoned out when she arrived at the emergency room, later blamed her husband for her sons death and then once again drank bleach at the hospital after she had life-saving surgery, according to Metro UK.

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.



Advertisement Advertisement

Adivarekar was originally charged with murder, but later agreed to enter a plea of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, according to the Thames Valley Police.

First and foremost, our thoughts remain with Agustyas family following what has been a truly devastating loss, Detective Inspector Underhill said in his statement Thursday. We hope this outcome provides the family with some sense of closure and the space and privacy they need to grieve.

Read the original article on People
A Peruvian national is in ICE custody after a hit-and-run crash in Everett that sent a 63-year-old woman flying nearly 80 feet.

The victim was struck in a crosswalk on Broadway near Summer Street Sunday morning shortly before 8.

She was rushed to Mass General Hospital with a brain bleed and significant injuries.

Witnesses said the Acura that struck her did not stop and drove into the oncoming lane before fleeing.

Advertisement Advertisement

Everett Police quickly caught up with 23-year-old Brando Sanchez-Diaz at a home on Gledhill Ave, about a mile away from the scene.

A police report said Sanchez-Diaz broke traffic laws less than three months ago.

Hes been picked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is now awaiting removal proceedings.

I dont understand how these people just away with this stuff. Why was he driving? I dont get it, said Lisa Cruz, who lives near the crash scene. I hope he still pays for what hes done.

An ICE spokesperson told Boston 25 News Sanchez-Diaz entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was released under the Biden administrations catch and release policy.

Advertisement Advertisement

Catch and release is commonly used to describe the practice of releasing apprehended migrants into the U.S. to await their immigration court hearings as an alternative to detention.

Diaz-Sanchez clearly represents a dire threat to the residents of Massachusetts, said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director David Wesling. Unfortunately, due to the sanctuary policies in the state, Diaz-Sanchez was ordered released on bond to potentially reoffend.

Boston 25 News is working to learn more about a previous arrest involving Sanchez-Diaz that reportedly happened in Boston.

The Everett Police report acknowledged that recent run in with the law:

Advertisement Advertisement

A check of Brandos fingerprints after booking showed he was previously fingerprinted under the name Deyvis Diaz-Sanchez Deyvis still has no license and was charged on 9/20/2025 for two counts of reckless operations, 2 counts of unlicensed operation and 2 counts of fail to stop/yield.

The report said the victim in Sundays hit and run was struck and went up over the hood into the windshield and her body can be seen higher than the roof of the Acura on camera.

An empty shopping cart was found on the sidewalk near where she landed on the concrete and a sneaker was located farther down the street.

Investigators have not yet provided an update on her condition.

Advertisement Advertisement

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.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Philadelphia City Council has approved legislation aimed at expanding outdoor dining and limiting the resale of restaurant reservations as the city prepares for an expected increase in tourism in 2026.

The measures are designed to help restaurants add outdoor seating more easily and address complaints about third-party reservation scalping. Supporters say the changes will boost business activity, create jobs and improve access for diners.

"We need more outdoor seating, we need more seating period," said Tiffany Gosa of Chester, Pennsylvania.

Advertisement Advertisement

The legislation, authored by Councilmember Rue Landau, streamlines the approval process for sidewalk cafes, making it faster and more affordable for restaurants to add outdoor tables and chairs.

"It's gonna create more jobs. It's gonna create more revenue for the restaurants. It's gonna activate neighborhoods that weren't active before," said Ben Fileccia, the senior VP of strategy and engagement with the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Restaurant operators say outdoor dining benefits both businesses and customers.

"It's great for the business, great for the guests, and it adds a wonderful ambiance to the street as well. I think it's very European in a way," said Russell Becht, manager of Taqueria Amor.

Advertisement Advertisement

Under the previous rules, only "by-right" businesses in Center City and a limited number of other locations could operate sidewalk cafes without a special zoning ordinance. Landau said the process could take up to two years.

"Right now in Philadelphia, if you just want to put a couple of tables and chairs outside your establishment, it takes 18 to 27 months," Landau said.

With the ordinance requirement removed, restaurants in Manayunk, along Point Breeze Avenue in South Philadelphia, and throughout West Philadelphia's 3rd District will now be able to add outdoor seating more easily.

"They want more people coming to their business. They want to have more capacity. Their staff wants more seats so they can get more tips and be busier," Landau said.

Advertisement Advertisement

City leaders also approved a measure targeting reservation scalping, a practice in which third-party sites allow people to book restaurant reservations and resell them at high prices.

"It's very difficult to get reservations because now it's like you go to make a reservation, you can't make one, and then you get someone trying to sell you a reservation at this astronomical price," Gosa said.

Fileccia said the restaurant industry supports regulating the practice.

"We didn't think it was fair that the restaurants didn't know what was going on, and were not saying that this has to be banned entirely, but we are saying if you want to sell a reservation for a restaurant, you have to have that restaurant's permission to do so," he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Landau called the legislation a turning point for the city.

"I think this is our time and this is the time that phillys gonna shine," she said.

Both bills now head to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's desk and will take effect once signed into law.
Polish border guards said they discovered a tunnel used to smuggle migrants underground from Belarus into Poland.

More than 130 migrants were taken into custody following the discovery of the clandestine passage, the Border Guard said in a statement on Friday, adding that a search was continuing for additional individuals.

Two suspected human smugglers were arrested  a 69-year-old Polish man and a 49-year-old Lithuanian national, the statement said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Most of the detained migrants were citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan, though people from other countries were also among those apprehended, including India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The tunnel, which was several dozen metres long and about 1.5 metres high, had a concealed entrance on the Belarusian side in a wooded area, with the exit on the Polish side located 10 metres from the border barrier.

Border guards said the tunnel was discovered using electronic detection equipment.

Investigators determined that the tunnel had already been used by at least 180 people to enter Poland, and by extension the European Union.

Advertisement Advertisement

According to the Border Guard, three other tunnels beneath the PolandBelarus border have been discovered so far this year.

Poland has repeatedly accused Belarus of orchestrating the movement of migrants from crisis-hit regions to the European Unions external border.
Police have repeatedly been called to alleged domestic incidents involving a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official who is charged with attacking his longtime girlfriend, prosecutors said at a Dec. 12 court hearing.

Within a year and a half, police were called their homes in Cincinnati at least 23 times, Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Melinda Rinehart said at a common pleas court arraignment for Samuel Saxon.

Saxon, 47, faces charges including felonious assault, strangulation and domestic violence in a Dec. 5 incident at a Corryville apartment building. He was arrested that night, records show.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rinehart said neighbors witnessed the attack and made an audio recording that was shared with police.

The neighbors heard screaming, and when they looked out the door, they saw Saxon with an arm around the womans neck, in a chokehold, dragging her down the hallway, Rinehart said.

After Saxon took the woman back into their apartment, there was continued screaming inside. By the time officers arrived, the woman was again outside the apartment, Rinehart said. She had several bruises on and near her neck. She did not cooperate with police.

Saxons attorney, Tad Brittingham, said at the arraignment in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court that the woman contacted him to try to have the charges dismissed.

Advertisement Advertisement

Saxon has pleaded not guilty.

Previous incidents possibly expunged

The earliest incident dates back to 2018 when they were in Virginia, Rinehart said. The woman suffered a broken nose that required surgery.

Several years later, in San Diego, police responded to a call about a domestic dispute and found Saxon sitting in a bathroom, naked, holding a knife to his neck.

Rinehart said that any charges related to those and other incidents may have been sealed or expunged.

In April of this year, according to Rinehart, the woman was taken to a Cincinnati hospital with a broken pelvis, although no charges were filed.

Magistrate Tom Beridon set bond at $400,000. Saxon was being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center on Dec. 12.

Saxon placed on indefinite leave

Saxon, an assistant field office director of the ICE Cincinnati suboffice, has been removed from his position and placed on indefinite administrative leave, according to a Homeland Security spokesperson.

Advertisement Advertisement

He has worked for the agency since 2005.

Samuel L. Saxon, pictured in the front row with glasses and a red tie, was awarded the Secretarys Meritorious Service Medal in 2016 for his service to the Department of Homeland Security.

In a statement, the spokesperson said: As public servants working for a law enforcement agency, every employee at ICE is held to the highest standard of conduct. If an employee does not adhere to those standards, it will be addressed appropriately.

Enquirer media partner Fox 19 contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Police called to local ICE official's home 23 times, prosecutor says
The Arcadia Police Department is investigating an unknown incident at a home in Arcadia.

It happened at a home just north of the 210 Freeway on Singing Wood Drive.

Details are limited, but video obtained by Eyewitness News shows police helicopters flying over the area. ABC7 has reached out to the Arcadia Police Department for more information and is waiting for a response.




Police say a fire that broke out at an apartment building in Camden County has been deemed suspicious.

It happened at 3:45 a.m. Friday on the 200 block of West Branch Avenue in Pine Hill, New Jersey.

Officials say the fire started on the front porch area of an apartment and spread to the second floor units.

Several residents have been evacuated.

No injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
SYDNEY, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday a rescue effort to keep open Australia's largest aluminium smelter, the struggling Tomago facility majority-owned by Rio TintoAX>, after its current power contract expires in 2028.

The news comes after the company warned in October that Tomago Aluminium, employer of more than 1,000 full-time staff and 200 contractors, might be forced to shut down, after failing to secure new, affordable energy supplies.

More from Yahoo Scout What role does Rio Tinto play in Tomago's future? Why is Australia's Tomago aluminium smelter at risk? How significant is Tomago to Australia's industrial sector? What rescue measures are being proposed for Tomago?

Aluminium was "increasingly a vital product", Albanese said, making it important to keep Tomago open.

"If Australia doesn't produce aluminium, then the knock-on effect in other industries is significant," he said at the smelter, located north of Sydney in the state of New South Wales (NSW).

"We are working with the company, we are working with the New South Wales government to make sure there are a long-term energy solutions to go forward beyond 2028."

The deal, which has yet to be finalised, would involve securing a long-term, fixed-price energy supply for the smelter, the government said.

Tomago is the state's biggest power user, and like some other Australian smelters grappling with high energy prices during the transition to renewables, it was built last century to exploit plentiful supplies of cheap coal.

"This progress reflects years of collaborative work between Tomago and its joint venture partners, including Rio Tinto, in addressing one of the most complex energy challenges facing Australian industry," Simon Trott, the chief executive of Rio Tinto, said in a statement welcoming the deal.

Tomago would also contribute at least A$1 billion ($666.6 million) in capital and major maintenance investment over the next decade, including identifying decarbonisation opportunities, the government said.

"We are grateful to both the federal and New South Wales governments," Tomago's chief executive, Jerome Dozol, said in a statement, adding that the company looked forward to working with the government.

The smelter is the latest to win support from the government, which has pledged bailout packages in recent months for Glencore's Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery, Trafigura's Nyrstar lead and zinc operations and the Whyalla steel plant.

Under the Tomago deal, the government will also provide concessional finance arrangements to accelerate renewable energy generation and storage development.

The government was still working through the total costs of the agreement, Industry Minister Tim Ayres said.
Police are turning to the public for help with identifying the driver of an SUV who they say intentionally ran over and killed a flock of seagulls in a Massachusetts parking lot on Thursday.

Officers responding to a parking lot at 1777 Main Street in Tewksbury just after noon found six dead seagulls, according to the Tewksbury Police Department.

Investigators say the SUV accelerated before plowing through the flock.

Advertisement Advertisement

Police released video of the incident on Friday and are urging anyone with information or eyewitness accounts to come forward.

The parking lot where the seagulls were killed houses businesses, including an Aubuchon Hardware, Dollar Tree, and the Pushcart Cafe. Its also a short distance from the popular Tree House Brewing Company.

The case is being investigated jointly by Tewksbury police and Massachusetts Environmental Police.

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.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
The Rose Quarter project will continue with construction, the Oregon Transportation Commission decided Dec. 11, opting to move forward with available funding rather than pausing or directing the money elsewhere.

The project sets out to widen I-5 to help manage congestion where interstates 5, 84 and 405 converge and reconnect the Albina neighborhood, which was the heart of Portlands Black community until I-5 divided it in the 1950s and '60s, with a highway cap.

Commissioners considered three options: continue with the next step in construction, expected in 2027 using ODOT's current funding, delay that construction or put the project on pause and spend it somewhere else.

Advertisement Advertisement

They ended up picking a fourth option, not originally presented by ODOT.

That choice continues construction but calls for greater community engagement in developing future steps of the project and getting them approved by the commission in the spring. It also opens up the door for state lawmakers to weigh in on the project during the 2026 legislative session.

Metro, the city of Portland and Albina Vision Trust, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing and reconnecting the Albina neighborhood, submitted a joint letter to commissioners proposing a new choice. It calls for construction to move forward, but to strengthen communication with ODOT to work together on how the project should progress.

Phase 1A, which is in progress, will be under construction for a few more months, giving time to take a deeper look at plans for upcoming phases, executive director of Albina Vision Trust Winta Yohannes told the commission.

Advertisement Advertisement

Yohannes said the organization "had no meaningful participation" in developing the proposed phase for 2027, which would have widened a bridge and added signage.

"Option 4 asks you to direct ODOT to work more clearly together in the phasing conversation," Yohannes told commissioners.

She emphasized the need for reaching "parity" through broader discussions.

Commission vice chair Lee Beyer, a former legislator who helped create the 2017 transportation package that directed the Rose Quarter project, has repeatedly said lawmakers called for the project and should be more involved.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The metro area legislative delegation is the largest in the state. They have been totally fractured on this issue and totally absent from the discussion in any consistent way," Beyer said.

Commissioners voted unanimously to pursue the fourth option.

"What I like about this motion is that it reminds the legislature that we have already been told to implement this I-5 Rose Quarter project," Commissioner Phil Chang said. "And if they want us to do something different, they have to tell us that."

Lawmakers will be back in session in February, where they'll have about a month to tackle a handful of big issues.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The one thing that I'm really concerned about is that we don't have any leadership from the governor's office. I want them to be part of that partnership at the table, along with legislators," Commission Chair Julie Brown said.

The governor's office did not respond to questions from the Statesman Journal by deadline.

The Oregon Transportation Commission voted Dec. 11 to continue construction on the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, which aims to reconnect the Albina neighborhood by constructing a highway cover and alleviating congestion where three major interstates converge.

Rose Quarter project a yearslong endeavor

The project has $479.9 million in funding. Of that, $167 million is available for construction. May estimates put the total project cost between $1.96 billion and $2.08 billion.

Contributing to the project's challenges was the loss of most of a $450 million 2024 federal Reconnecting Communities grant.

Advertisement Advertisement

The department maintained $67.5 million in funds from the grant. That money can only be spent on very specific parts of the project because of the grant's terms.

The commission gave the go-ahead in July for construction to begin in August, despite the project lacking more than a billion dollars in funding, citing concerns over breaking trust with community partners and falling out of compliance with an environmental agreement.

Construction began on maintenance necessary for the rest of the work, which is intended to ease congestion where interstates 5, 84 and 405 converge and create a highway cover. It is expected to continue into 2027, when the next phase is set to begin.

The OTC had initially been set to decide the project's fate in November, at the same meeting they elected to push Salem's Center Street Bridge seismic retrofit forward, but removed it from the agenda ahead of time.

Advertisement Advertisement

Absent from considerations was commissioner Alicia Chapman, who had been heavily involved in conversations around the project. Chapman, an OTC member since May 2023 and chair of an advisory committee, left the commission for personal reasons, an ODOT spokesperson confirmed.

Commissioners are appointed by the governor. It was not immediately clear when the position would be filled.

The Oregon Transportation Commission voted to move another phase of construction on the Rose Quarter project forward Dec. 11.

Advocates, state leaders weigh in on Rose Quarter options

Public comment at the start of the commission meeting centered on the Rose Quarter.

"Option 3 (reallocating funding) would confirm to those who have no faith in government supporting its marginalized communities that they were right all along," Bryson Davis, a member of the project's Historic Albina Advisory Board, said during public comment.

Advertisement Advertisement

The convergence of I-5 and I-84 has been ranked as one of the country's top bottlenecks and has cost "millions and millions of dollars in delay time," OTA President Jana Jarvis told the OTC.

She urged the project to continue, stressing the Rose Quarter's importance for truckers and their prior support in 2017 when their transportation costs were increased.

"The minute we stop that project, you will lose trust with the truckers. And when you come back for additional funding in the future, you will have an organization that will not be interested in supporting additional increases," Jarvis said.

Other speakers expressed concern over escalating price tags and accountability.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Your job as commissioners, essentially as the board of directors, is to be the adults in the room, to insist on prudent overall financial practices," Joe Cortright said.

Cortright is an economist and his group No More Freeways has rallied against the Rose Quarter project for its environmental impacts.

Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, told the commission she supported reallocating the funds.

"I'm not here to oppose the project as a concept, but I cannot support spending so much state funding on a project that has been mismanaged by ODOT at a time when state budgets are in great danger," Weber said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Portland Rose Quarter project continues with limited funds
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to reporters from a podium on July 28, 2025, at the Public Safety Administration Building in Sioux Falls. Also visible are, from left, Dan Satterlee, director of the state Division of Criminal Investigation, and Sam Olson, Minneapolis field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Photo by John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

A state-funded campaign thats put dozens of extra state troopers on city streets this fall put 75 people in jail during patrols in Huron, Belle Fourche and Yankton, the South Dakota Highway Patrol said Friday.

Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden announced the Operation Prairie Thunder in July as a two-pronged initiative that he said would improve public safety.

Advertisement Advertisement

One piece of the operation involved the expansion of cooperation with federal immigration officials, in part by signing additional agreements between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the states Highway Patrol and Department of Corrections. South Dakota National Guard troops were also assigned to process ICE paperwork in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

The other prong of Rhodens campaign was framed as an effort to target drug trafficking in the Sioux Falls area, a move welcomed by city officials during a July press conference, but that put pressure on the Minnehaha County Jail and the county public defenders office through a crush of arrests. The first operation forced the jail to transport ICE detainees to other facilities to make space for suspected drug offenders.

The state patrol also misstated its arrest numbers in its initial reporting on its work in Sioux Falls, conflating arrests with citations, referring to the latter as arrests even when the person cited was never transported to jail. The patrol pledged to separate the figures in future reports on the operation.

Troopers have conducted six saturation patrols in Sioux Falls since Rhodens July announcement.

Advertisement Advertisement

In a press release Friday, the Highway Patrol announced that it concluded another set of saturation patrols in Huron, Yankton and Belle Fourche on Dec. 5.

Troopers jailed 75 people in total across the two operations, according to the release  42 on drug charges and 33 on non-drug charges  and 19 people were charged with drug offenses but not detained.

The patrol interviewed 25 people on behalf of ICE, the release said, 21 of whom were held for the federal agency.

Huron patrols generate concern

In a statement, Rhoden said the saturation patrols are getting drugs off the streets and putting criminals behind bars  first in Sioux Falls, and now were protecting even more communities.

Advertisement Advertisement

The state did not announce in advance plans to shift its focus from Sioux Falls to other cities.

In Huron, among South Dakotas most diverse cities on a per-capita basis, the November patrols raised concerns for the citys Hispanic community, according to Republican state Rep. Kevin Van Diepen, whos also a former police chief.

He said many residents believed that ICE  not state law enforcement  was behind the saturation patrols in the city of 14,000.

There were a lot of (social media) posts telling people to stay home, Van Diepen said of the November patrols. If they stop somebody and they get arrested on drugs, people are going to assume that its ICE.

Advertisement Advertisement

ICE representatives have not responded to inquires from South Dakota Searchlight on operations in Huron.

Mayor Mark Robish told Searchlight there were no ICE agents in town.

It was all Highway Patrol, the mayor said.

Josie Harms, spokeswoman for the Rhoden administration said on Saturday she could not share operational specifics about the patrols, and referred a question on their total cost to the Department of Public Safety, whose spokesman did not respond.

The city of Brookings, meanwhile, posted a news release on the city website warning residents that Operation Prairie Thunder would arrive in that city on Dec. 17.

Advertisement Advertisement

The City of Brookings will not be participating in these operations, the release said.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
As Beijing prepared to mark the 88th anniversary of the Nanking massacre, China's military mouthpiece warned on Friday that provocative actions by right-wing Japanese politicians risked plunging Asia into peril.

PLA Daily published the warning in a commentary the day before sirens will sound out across Nanjing, the capital of eastern Jiangsu province, at 10.01am during national commemorations led by the Communist Party's Central Committee and the State Council.

According to China's official estimate, more than 300,000 civilians and soldiers were killed in the six weeks after Japanese troops entered Nanking, now called Nanjing, on December 13, 1937. Japan disputes the number of fatalities.

Advertisement Advertisement

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.

In the commentary titled "Never Allow the Tragedies of History to Repeat Themselves", author Xu Yizhen took aim at Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks to Japan's parliament last month.

In those remarks, Takaichi suggested that a Taiwan contingency could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, a statement that the PLA Daily commentary described as a blatant historical inversion that revived the spectre of militarism.

Sino-Japanese ties have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November 7 remarks suggesting that a Taiwan contingency could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. Photo: Reuters alt=Sino-Japanese ties have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November 7 remarks suggesting that a Taiwan contingency could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. Photo: Reuters>

Advertisement Advertisement

Xu said the Japanese leader had "openly turned back the wheel of history: first by absurdly claiming that a Taiwan contingency could constitute an existential crisis for Japan and then by trying to stir up" the notion of the island's undetermined status.

That notion, which asserts that the ultimate sovereignty of Taiwan is legally unresolved, is strongly opposed by Beijing.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US and its treaty ally Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

In the commentary, Xu wrote that "any appeasement or tolerance of these provocative moves by Japanese right-wing politicians will only allow the ghost of militarism to rise again and once more place the peoples of Asia in peril".

Advertisement Advertisement

"All countries have both the responsibility and the obligation to join hands to stop any attempt to revive militarism and fascism and to jointly safeguard the hard-won fruits of victory" of the second world war, he added.

Takaichi's remarks ignited a full-blown diplomatic crisis, plunging Sino-Japanese ties to a new low and triggering a series of retaliatory measures from Beijing, which considers the remarks to be interference in its internal affairs and a departure from Tokyo's long-term policy of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan.

Tensions flared again with a mid-air stand-off between Chinese and Japanese fighter jets over the weekend.

Japan accused Chinese J-15 aircraft from the Liaoning aircraft carrier of locking fire-control radar onto Japanese F-15 jets while the carrier fleet was conducting exercises in international airspace near Okinawa. Beijing accused Tokyo of deliberately disrupting its normal and lawful military exercises and escalating tensions.

Advertisement Advertisement

Meanwhile, on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the Nanking massacre remained "one of the darkest pages in human history".

"We will never allow the right-wing forces in Japan to reverse the course of history, never allow external forces to interfere with China's Taiwan region, and never allow the resurgence of Japanese militarism," Guo said.

The weekend observances follow China's commemorations earlier in the year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the global victory against fascism.

Multiple events are scheduled to be held in Jiangsu on Saturday, including visits to surviving victims, an event at a former refuge shelter, the release of newly collected historical artefacts and materials, and a documentary exhibition of the atrocities, according to the provincial government.

Advertisement Advertisement

In Hong Kong, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is expected to attend a memorial ceremony and lay a wreath in honour of the victims.

Simultaneous memorial activities will take place at anti-Japanese war-related patriotic education bases across China. In total, 100 primary schools around the country will sit the 2025 "Learn History, Recite Peace - Joint Reading" online class to remember the history, China News Service reported on Friday.

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.
Social media platform Reddit on Friday launched a legal challenge against Australia's social media ban for under 16s.

Under the law, which took effect on Wednesday, people under the age of 16 are no longer allowed to have their own accounts on 10 major social media platforms including Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube.

In a High Court filing, Reddit argued the ban infringed on free political speech and posed privacy risks.

Advertisement Advertisement

In a post on the platform, Reddit said it took youth safety online seriously and the court action was not an attempt to avoid compliance.

"That said, we believe there are more effective ways for the Australian government to accomplish our shared goal of protecting youth."

The new law had "the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors," the company said.

It would isolate teens from being able to engage in age-appropriate community experiences and create "an illogical patchwork of which platforms are included and which aren't," Reddit added.

Advertisement Advertisement

The law was applied to Reddit inaccurately, the company said.

"Unlike other platforms included under this law, the vast majority of Redditors are adults, we don't market or target advertising to children under 18, and had an age rating of '17+' in the Apple App Store prior to the law."

Reddit said there were more targeted, "privacy-preserving measures" to protect young people online without resorting to blanket bans.

Australia's Health Minister Mark Butler accused Reddit of putting profit over safety.

"Across our history, when our governments have taken strong action to protect citizens against highly addictive, highly damaging products, they've usually been challenged in the courts by the companies that profit most from them," he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

"But the idea that this is some action by Reddit to protect the political freedoms of young people is a complete crock."

The government would "fight this action every step of the way," Butler said.

"It's action we saw time and time again by Big Tobacco against tobacco control, and we're seeing it now by some social media or big tech giants taken against these world leading social media reforms that are going to do so much to improve the social skills, the learning skills, and, importantly, the mental health of young Australians."

Butler said other governments and communities around the world were watching Australia as the first country in the world to impose such a ban.

Advertisement Advertisement

"They want it to be a success, and if it is a success, I'm very confident they'll follow seat and take the same sorts of actions to protect their young citizens as well."

The regulation, passed with the support of almost all major parties in parliament at the end of 2024, aims to protect young people from risks such as cyberbullying, problematic consumption and distressing content.

Affected companies were given a year to introduce age verification measures, and violations will result in hefty fines of up to $49.5 million Australian ($33 million).

Messaging services such as WhatsApp, email, online games and educational offerings are exempt.

Numerous teenagers reported that their accounts were still active after the law came into force, or that they had managed to circumvent the regulation on its first day.
After 10 long years, President Donald Trump's "concepts of a plan" to replace the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) are finally coming to light.

Aaron Schwartz / Getty Images

If you recall, when Trump announced his run for president in 2015, he promised to end the ACA. However, his plan for how to replace the landmark legislation that ended the practice of insurance companies denying coverage for "pre-existing conditions" and currently provides health insurance for more than 45 million Americans has always been... extremely vague.

Christopher Gregory / Getty Images

Related: Donald Trump Hated His Time Magazine Cover... But He'll Probably Hate These 16 Photos Wayyyyyyyyyyyy More

When he was asked in the 2024 presidential debate how he would replace the ACA, he famously said he had "concepts of a plan."

DAVIS: You still do not have a plan?TRUMP: I have concepts of a plan pic.twitter.com/hRCQwsQSnK  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 11, 2024

@atrupar / CNN / Via Twitter: @atrupar

Now, with extended ACA subsidies set to expire at the end of the month, Republicans have unveiled a new healthcare plan.

Q: What is the Republican healthcare plan?TRUMP: If the Democrats go along with it -- which they don't want to -- I want the money to be paid to the people to go out and buy their own healthcare. pic.twitter.com/mv2l6sqYhU  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 8, 2025

Advertisement Advertisement

@atrupar / Fox News / Via Twitter: @atrupar

Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Mike Crapo shared their plan, called the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act. Instead of extending ACA subsidies that lower monthly health plan premiums, this plan would direct funds to health savings accounts that are only available for people who are enrolled in high-deductible health plans.

Under the Democrats' plan, the insurer decides your care. Under ours, the patient has the power to shop, compare prices, and lower health care costs. pic.twitter.com/qkoyEan5L9  U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) December 9, 2025

@SenBillCassidy / Via Twitter: @SenBillCassidy

In case you could use a refresher on health insurance:

A premium is the monthly cost you pay for your health insurance.

A deductible is the amount you have to pay out of pocket for care before your insurance coverage kicks in.

High-deductible plans typically have lower premiums, but you'll have to spend more money out of pocket.

Related: I'll Vote For You In 2028 If You Can Correctly Answer These Questions Trump Has Gotten Wrong

The plan would also extend the availability of catastrophic health insurance plans , which have very high deductibles and are currently only available to people under 30 or people who qualify for a hardship or affordability exemption.

In response, people are pointing out that healthcare in America doesn't really work that way. For example, when was the last time you were able to get an accurate quote for a medical service? According to research from the Healthcare Cost Institute , realistically, only about 7% of healthcare costs could be shopped around in this way.

Related: Yiiiiiiiiikes, Gavin Newsom Just Used Donald Trump's Own Words Against Him Once Again

Not to mention that in the middle of a medical emergency, there's little time to "shop around" for the best rates. Plus, healthcare costs can be unpredictable. What happens if you have complications? Or if your healthcare needs suddenly exceed what you anticipated spending due to an illness or injury?

Advertisement Advertisement

Plus, $2,000 doesn't go very far when it comes to paying medical bills in America.

Others are pointing out that it sounds like money from this plan seems likely to go to insurance companies anyway, while also encouraging more people to take on high-deductible plans that would leave them responsible for a larger portion of the costs should they actually need to use their healthcare coverage.

Related: This Trump Supporter Posted A Viral Rant About Their Rising Insurance Bill, And It Completely Backfired

This doctor expressed shock at how "lazy" this "attempt at a healthcare 'plan' is."

In conclusion, a lot of people are saying this:

This is not a plan. Or even concepts of a plan. https://t.co/G4e1KaNikT  Sean (@seanwr1983) December 8, 2025

Advertisement Advertisement

@seanwr1983 / Via Twitter: @seanwr1983

The Senate is expected to vote on this healthcare proposal on Thursday. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Also in In the News: Someone "Removed Trumps Orange Makeup To See How He Looks Underneath It," And The Photo Is Going Mega Viral

Also in In the News: "Oh My God": People Are Not Holding Back AT ALL After Trump Made Another White House "Upgrade," And Hoo Boy, You Gotta See This One

Also in In the News: AOC Made A Shocking Claim About Why She Thinks Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Splintering From MAGA  "Here's Some Tea For You"

Read it on BuzzFeed.com
Russia and Ukraine both reported casualties from overnight drone strikes on Friday, as the two warring sides increasingly attack targets far beyond the front line.

Russian drone strikes in the eastern Ukrainian industrial city of Pavlohrad killed a man and injured four other people, the military governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Vladyslav Hayvanenko, wrote on Telegram.

He said five residential buildings caught fire.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia deployed 80 drones of various types in its overnight attacks. While 64 of them were intercepted, 12 hits were recorded in eight locations and drone debris fell in three other places, it said.

In the Russian city of Tver, seven people were injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a residential building, acting governor Vitaly Korolyov said, according to Russian news agencies.

Korolyov said a child was among those injured in the city, located around 200 kilometres north-west of Moscow. The damaged building was evacuated and all victims were being treated in hospital, he added.

The Defence Ministry in Moscow said around 90 drones were shot down in total during the night, including several approaching the Russian capital.

Advertisement Advertisement

The independent news portal Astra said a refinery north of Moscow in the Yaroslavl region north of the capital once again came under fire.

Ukraine continues to fend off the full-scale invasion launched by Moscow in February 2022 with attacks of its own.

In addition to military infrastructure, it targets its larger neighbour's energy industry in an attempt to disrupt the Russian military's fuel supply and make it more difficult for Moscow to finance the war.

While the damage caused by Ukraine in Russia is now considerable, it remains far outweighed by the destruction and number of casualties caused by the Russian campaign since 2022.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP)  Many political candidates like to talk up their resume in their stump speech.

Ryan Crosswell reads from his resignation letter.

A former federal prosecutor now running for Congress, he quit in February when President Donald Trump's administration dropped corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in return for his cooperation on immigration enforcement.

I pray that the Department of Justice remains dedicated to upholding the rule of law evenly without fear or favor. Sincerely, Ryan Crosswell," he read at a recent campaign event.

Advertisement Advertisement

The line got applause and whoops from dozens of Democratic Party activists who had gathered to see him in the West End Taproom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Crosswell is one of five candidates who are vying for the opportunity to unseat Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a top target of Democrats in next year's midterm election, when control of the U.S. House will be on the line.

Polling shows that voters prioritize economic issues, and Democrats have focused on concerns about affordability as they try to claw back power in Washington.

Crosswell is testing a different approach, relying on his law enforcement and corruption-fighting background amid fears about how Trump is reshaping the nation's justice system.

Voters often ask him about Trump's pardons for the politically connected, immigration enforcement officers using force, U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean or prosecutions against the president's enemies.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I think I get asked that probably more than the average candidate, but I also lean into it, Crosswell said in an interview.

Mackenzies campaign said voters in Pennsylvania arent interested in a lecture, theyre interested in the issues  affordability, public safety and national security.

Running amid fears of authoritarianism

Crosswell's background was a draw for many who came to see him at the event.

I like that he quit his job because he was given a job that went against his moral compass, said Elisabeth Grant.

Grant and others said they believe Trump is attacking the rule of law, and many described it a top motivation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Some described personal fears. Joe McDermott said he is outspoken on Facebook about his criticism of the Trump administration  "I refer to it as a crime family  and people ask him if he isnt afraid that someone will come after him.

He is, and he wouldnt discount the Department of Justice going after someone like himself.

I would not put anything beneath them right now, McDermott said.

Joniel Colon Rosario is thinking twice about whether he should speak his native Spanish on the street around strangers.

I dont know if some random guy in a ski mask is going to come down and tackle me because Im speaking my native tongue, said Colon Rosario, who is originally from Puerto Rico.

Advertisement Advertisement

Crosswell said voters are worried that the government appears to do anything the president orders.

"People arent asking, How can my government protect me? Its, How can I protect myself from my government? he said.

A prime swing seat in Pennsylvania

Its no wonder Democrats are eager to challenge Mackenzie. A freshman, Mackenzie was a state lawmaker when he won his race for Congress by 1 percentage point last year, among the narrowest margins in the country.

Crosswell  also a former active-duty U.S. Marine and a current reservist  isnt alone in leaving federal government service this year to run as a Democrat.

Advertisement Advertisement

Zach Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and Navy lawyer who worked briefly for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, is running for an open seat in Kentucky. And John Sullivan, a former FBI intelligence official, is running for a Republican-held seat in New Yorks Hudson Valley.

Crosswell, 45, will have some baggage in his primary contest.

He changed his registration from Republican to Democrat a year ago. After he resigned in February, he moved from Washington, D.C., to Allentown  about 45 miles from where he grew up in Pottsville, Pa.

Crosswell remembers thinking, Do I want to leave public service or do I want to fight back?

Advertisement Advertisement

Economic fears are No. 1 in polls

It's unclear whether a corruption-fighting message will carry the day in either a primary or general election.

Polling has consistently showed that Americans are more focused on economic issues than broader concerns about how government is functioning.

A CNN poll from August found roughly 4 in 10 U.S. adults said economic concerns were the most important problems facing the country, and only about 1 in 10 named attitudes about government, including concerns about the rule of law or corruption.

The House Democrats' campaign arm, which is officially neutral in Crosswell's primary race, said the midterms are shaping up to be a referendum on who is going to lower costs and help improve the lives of everyday Americans, not the wealthy and well-connected.

Advertisement Advertisement

Crosswell acknowledges that not everybody is concerned about how Trump wields power, and that it depends on the audience.

Jon Macklin, a Crosswell supporter who goes door-to-door for Democratic candidates, told a similar story. People he meets who are less engaged with politics are most concerned about their finances and how the economy is affecting them.

But Crosswell said public corruption doesnt have to be separate from that. And he intends to drive home that message. In other words, a corrupt government and a corrupt economy can hurt everyone.

Corruption is a kitchen table issue, Crosswell said. Because public office is a public trust.

__

Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report from Washington. Follow Marc Levy on X at: https://x.com/timelywriter
For the second time in a week, a viral video involving Salisbury police and a person of color has sparked public outrage and renewed calls for accountability.

The latest footage, posted Dec. 9, shows police with two Black teenagers, allegedly stopped for stealing a bicycle. About two minutes in, despite the fact neither teen raised their voices or appeared to pose a threat, one is tackled to the ground and handcuffed by officers. One of the officers handcuffing the teen tells the person recording that you know how I can be. The video has drawn widespread criticism from local residents.

The Wicomico County NAACP issued a statement on the latest video Thursday, questioning why it was necessary for a grown man to tackle a non-violent, unarmed teenager who may weigh 150 pounds at most.

Advertisement Advertisement

What threat did that child pose to justify that level of force? NAACP officials asked in their statement. Any officer who reacts that way and then follows it with a threatening comment should not be policing our community.

Byron Coulbourn, who runs the street mentoring program I Am H.I.M. in Salisbury, said the teenager that got tackled is involved with his group.

The real problem is these police officers dont know how to treat people because they feel like that have power, Coulbourn told The Sun. In some areas here in our community, they are racist profiling.

Coulbourn said he teaches kids in the mentoring program to respond with respect and listen to orders, when officers speak to them.

Advertisement Advertisement

Most importantly, the mission is to get back safe to home, Coulbourn said. Then, as we come together, we can get justice if our youth is wrongly profiled by a city police officer.

Coulbourn said the boys parent is filing a police complaint and will be speaking with Wicomico County States Attorney Jamie Dykes.

Were taking the steps as we speak to get some justice, Coulbourn said. The real question should be when will the black community be treated right when it comes to law enforcement? Itll be a forever battle trying to fight for togetherness.

If filed, this would be the second complaint lodged by a person of color against Salisbury Police over the last seven days.

Advertisement Advertisement

A Dec. 2 video showing Keonte Bratten, 36, being pulled from his car during a traffic stop had already stirred controversy. After Bratten asked what he was being charged with and loudly objected to the way police were handling the incident, he was handcuffed and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest while his children stood shivering in the cold.

Bratten filed a formal complaint on Wednesday.

What happens with complaints?

Dykes told The Sun on Friday that she has seen one video of the Dec. 9 incident, but wanted more information as that video does not depict the beginnings of the interaction. Salisbury Police did not respond to requests for comment about this latest incident.

Both Dykes and the department did acknowledge Brattens complaint, however.

Advertisement Advertisement

All complaints from members of the public about law enforcement in Wicomico County are sent to the Wicomico Police Accountability Board (PAB). The nine member board, all of whom are appointed by the county executive, meet quarterly to receive the complaints.

In each case, the law enforcement agency involved conducts an investigation, then those results are handed over to the PAB. An Administrative Charging Committee, consisting of the PAB Chair, two people appointed by the county executive and two appointed by the PAB, will go over the investigative report and recommend any potential discipline.

Salisbury Police said in a Friday statement theyre still gathering information in the Bratten case.

Our department is currently conducting a thorough investigation of the incident to ensure all facts are accurately assessed, department officials said in a statement given to The Sun and posted on social media. Once the investigation is complete, it will be forwarded to the Police Accountability Board for civilian review.

Advertisement Advertisement

Dykes added that shes spoken with Salisbury Police about the Bratten case and reviewed a portion of the video, but couldnt comment due to the upcoming case. Bratten is scheduled for a hearing on his charges in January.

Dykes asked residents to wait and withhold judgment in both cases until all the evidence has been released.

It is critical that judgment be reserved in these matters until such time as all the evidence can be thoroughly reviewed and that none of us rush to judgment based on partial evidence posted to social media, Dykes told The Sun.

Have a news tip? Contact Eastern Shore bureau chief Josh Davis at jdavis@baltsun.com or on X as @JoshDavis4Shore.
The City Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting animals on city medians, a measure supporters have described as focused on animal welfare and public safety but detractors say further criminalizes homelessness.

The measure, which passed 6-2 Wednesday night, was spearheaded by outgoing Councilor Signe Lindell, who has advocated for several animal welfare protections during her 12 years on City Council. Councilors Jamie Cassutt, Pilar Faulkner and Alma Castro were also sponsors.

The measure comes after an ordinance that took effect in February banning people from standing in medians less than 3 feet wide, which led to similar debate with supporters casting it as a pedestrian safety measure and opponents seeing it as a way to crack down on homelessness.

Advertisement Advertisement

Along with prohibiting animals on medians the ordinance includes several other changes to city code, including defining the criteria for animal abandonment. Amendments to the ordinance lowered the fine for having an animal on a median from $200 to $50 and clarified that people with a demonstrated inability to pay would be served an alternate penalty.

Faulkner said she believes it is dangerous for people or animals to be in the roadway.

"I will support any legislation that gets people and animals off medians," she said.

Lindell said a street median is an "absolutely unacceptable" environment for an animal and expressed umbrage at people assigning motivations to her support of the ordinance other than animal welfare.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Its not only incorrect, its unfair," she said.

During public comment, Street Homeless Animal Project board member Judith Gabriele said she was not focused on the intention of the ordinance but its impact, "which will be dire."

She asked councilors, including the sponsors, to reconsider their support: "I think this will be a stain on your legacy."

Consuelo's Place Shelter Manager Michele Williams expressed support for the measure, noting she is likely one of the few service providers to do so.

"This is not a safe environment for animals to be in," Williams, an animal lover who has helped train service dogs, said of medians while speaking over Zoom.

Advertisement Advertisement

Cassutt noted there are other places homeless people can take their pets, such as a dog run area being built in the oasis in the parking lot of the Agape House homeless shelter on Cerrillos Road.

An open letter from representatives from the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and the National Homelessness Law Center expressed opposition to the legislation, arguing it could undermine public safety and strain the city's animal welfare system.

"We can all agree that Santa Fe should be a place where no one is forced to panhandle, but penalizing people who ask for help while standing on medians with their pets is neither lawful nor an effective path toward that goal," the letter stated.

City Councilor and Mayor-elect Michael Garcia and Councilor Lee Garcia were the two to vote against the measure.

Advertisement Advertisement

While Lee Garcia said he was not in support of animals being on medians, he noted he sees people breaking the new ordinance banning standing in medians on a regular basis.

"I have a hard time with voting for something where I don't feel we're going to be able to enforce wholeheartedly, and where it would potentially put a person at risk of losing their companion, which is difficult," he said.
Ball Corporation has agreed to acquire an 80% interest in Benepacks European beverage can manufacturing operations for 184m ($216m).

The US-based aluminium packaging manufacturer stated that the deal covers two production facilities, one in Belgium and one in Hungary.

Benepack shareholders will retain the remaining 20% ownership.

Completion of the transaction is anticipated in the first quarter of 2026.

Benepack supplies aluminium beverage cans to multinational and domestic drinks companies across Western and Eastern Europe.

The proposed consideration reflects the strategic fit and geographic complementarity of Benepacks operations.

Ball Corporation CEO Ron Lewis commented: Benepack's plants in Belgium and Hungary are well-positioned to serve a growing base of beverage customers across Europe. This investment further optimises our European manufacturing network, supports long-term volume and economic value-added dollar growth with key customers and reinforces aluminium beverage cans as a sustainable, scaleable packaging choice.

All necessary regulatory approvals have already been secured.

The transaction is still subject to standard closing conditions specified in the purchase agreements.

Ball Corporation provides aluminium packaging for beverages, personal care and household products.

The company has a global workforce of 16,000 and reported 2024 net sales of $11.8bn, excluding its previously divested aerospace division.

In November 2025, it unveiled plans to invest $60m to expand production capacity at its manufacturing facility in Sri City, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

This followed a near-$55m commitment by the company in 2024 to expand its can manufacturing plant in Taloja, Maharashtra.

In November 2025, the company appointed Ronald J. Lewis as CEO and board member, replacing Daniel W Fisher.

The board has also elected Stuart A Taylor II as chairman, while Daniel J Rabbitt has been appointed as chief financial officer (CFO) after serving as interim CFO since May 2025.

"Ball buys majority stake in Benepacks European beverage can unit " was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand.




Does your daily commute in Columbus take a little over 22 minutes? Then congratulations, you are an average Columbus driver! At least according to U.S. Census Bureau data released earlier this fall.

The average Columbus commute in 2024 was 22.2 minutes, the seventh fastest of any large metropolitan area in the country, according to census data and a recently released commute ranking from Yardi Kube, a coworking software company.

The country's fastest average commute time belongs to Tulsa, Oklahoma with a time of 19.7 minutes, while New York City has the slowest commute with 40.6 minutes.

Advertisement Advertisement

Columbus actually fell a spot in Yardi Kube's rankings from 2023 to 2024, dropping from sixth place to seventh after the average commute time grew by over a minute. In 2023, the average commute time in the city was 21.1 minutes.

Still, Columbus residents had a better commute in 2024 than the average American. The national average commute time was 27.2 minutes, five minutes slower than Columbus'.

Columbus drivers still got to work faster in 2024 than they did in 2019, the year with the longest average commute on record, but not by much. The average commute in 2019 was 23 minutes, less than a minute more than 2024's average.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent surge of remote work cut Columbus' average commute time by around two minutes, and it hovered around the 21-minute range until 2024.

Advertisement Advertisement

The census bureau also has some other interesting commuting and working tidbits from last year. Here are a select few:

43.3% of workers have two vehicles available to them in their households

16.3% of workers work from home

More people walk to work (2.7%) than take public transportation (1.9%)

Here are the ODOT construction projects that could impact your commute time in the week ahead.

Franklin County construction for the week of Dec. 12, 2025

The U.S. Route 33 ramp to Interstate 670 east will close overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Dec. 15 through Dec. 17. ODOT Detour:U.S. Route 33 to Grandview Avenue to I-670 east



Downtown Columbus construction for the week of Dec. 12, 2025

The Third Street ramp to I-70 west will close overnight from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Dec. 12. ODOT Detour: Third Street to Livingston Avenue to 4th Street to Mound Street to I-70 west

I-70 westboundbetween High Street and Front Street will have various overnight lane restrictions from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Dec. 12.

The Greenlawn Avenue ramp to I-71 northwill close overnight from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Dec. 12. ODOT Detour:Greenlawn Avenue to I-71 south to Frank Road/State Route 104 to I-71 north

The I-71 north ramp to I-70 east/I-71 north will close overnight from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Dec. 12. I-71 North Detour:I-71 north to State Route 315 north to I-670 east to I-71 north I-70 East Detour:I-71 north to State Route 315 north to I-670 east to I-71 south to I-70 east

I-70 eastbetween State Route 315 and Front Street will have various overnight lane restrictions from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Dec. 12.

Advertisement Advertisement

Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How long is the average commute in Columbus?
Tens of thousands of Washington residents were under evacuation orders Thursday after days of unrelenting heavy rain triggered flooding that overflowed rivers, sent mud sliding onto highways and trapped people in floodwaters. Gov. Bob Ferguson has warned that "lives will be at stake in the coming days."

"The flooding levels we're looking at are potentially historic in nature, so we just want to emphasize how serious the situation is," Ferguson said at a news briefing Thursday, one day after declaring a statewide emergency. "This situation is extremely unpredictable."

Some residents have already been ordered to higher ground as the state sees some of its worst flooding in decades. Skagit County, in a major agricultural region north of Seattle, has ordered everyone within the Skagit River's floodplain to evacuate. Some 78,000 people live in the floodplain, according to the county's emergency management chief Julie de Losada.



"Catastrophic flooding is likely" in many areas, and the state is requesting water rescue teams and boats, Ferguson said Wednesday night on X. The National Water Prediction Service was forecasting 18 major floods and 15 moderate floods across the state, he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Hundreds of Guard members will be sent to help communities, said Gent Welsh, adjutant general of the Washington National Guard.

An aerial view shows homes surrounded by floodwaters from the Skagit River near Lyman, Wash., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.. / Credit: Stephen Brashear / AP (Stephen Brashear / AP)

The high water mark upstream at the town of Concrete was below estimates, but authorities warned people that record levels elsewhere were still possible.

"That doesn't mean to say that we're out of the woods, we're not," said Robert Ezelle, director of the Washington Military Department's emergency management division. "Because as the waters come down here, they're still going to be gaining strength."

Along the river in Mount Vernon, teams knocked on doors in low-lying areas Thursday to inform residents of evacuation notices, city authorities said. Further north near the U.S.-Canada border, firefighters rescued several people from their homes in Sumas, Mayor Bruce Bosch said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Seven-year-old Jocelyn Rosas choked back tears as she returned to find her home in a mobile home park underwater in Monroe, a city northeast of Seattle.

"The only clothes I've got are just my pajamas," she told CBS News.

Her father, Jose Rosas, told CBS News the family moved here about two months ago after his wife was diagnosed with cancer.



"It's hard because we had to explain to her why we moved over here," Rosas said of what he and his wife told their daughter.

Rosas said the move was intended to save money for his wife's treatment.



"And now it's gone," he said of their home.

Advertisement Advertisement

Heavy rain continued to fall over parts of the state, prompting rising rivers, road closures, water rescues and suspension of Amtrak trains between Seattle and Vancouver. Rainfall intensity increased in several counties in Washington's Cascade Mountains, which had seen up to 6 inches of rain in 24 hours. One area, Snoqualmie Pass, picked up an additional 1.7 inches of rain in six hours, the National Weather Service said.

The governor said that even after the water recedes, there will be a long, difficult road ahead.

"The impact on Washingtonians is significant now, and it's going to be significant in the coming days," Ferguson said. "And that is an understatement."

Harrison Rademacher, a meteorologist with the weather service in Seattle, described the atmospheric river soaking the region as "a jet stream of moisture" stretching across the Pacific Ocean "with the nozzle pushing right along the coast of Oregon and Washington."

A car is seen abandoned in floodwaters after heavy rains in the region Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Napavine, Wash. / Credit: Lindsey Wasson/AP

Another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The pattern looks pretty unsettled going up to the holidays," Rademacher said.

Rescues amid flooding

Pierce County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday rescued people at an RV park in Orting, including helping one man in a Santa hat wade through waist-deep water. Part of the town was ordered to evacuate over concerns about the Puyallup River's extremely high levels and upstream levees. On Thursday, officials in Pierce County said they had conducted more than 25 rescues.

A landslide blocked part of Interstate 90 east of Seattle, with photos from Eastside Fire & Rescue showing vehicles trapped by tree trunks, branches, mud and standing water. Officials also closed a mountainous section of U.S. 2 due to rocks, trees and mud.

Advertisement Advertisement

More than 11,000 customers in Washington had lost electricity by Thursday night, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.us.

One volunteer, Brandon Hunt, said he helped people who were waving their hands on their front door and didn't know what to do. They didn't know if they could drive through water, he said, and he helped them get out of their yard and to safety.

Flooding rivers could break records

The Skykomish River crested at 24 feet about an hour northeast of Seattle, reaching its highest level since 2006 and nine feet above flood stage, CBS News' Carter Evans reported.

A marker on the Todo Mexico restaurant's building in Snohomish, Wash., shows the current water level of the Snohomish River at 9:22am on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. / Credit: Karen Ducey / AP

The Skagit River was expected to crest at roughly 39 feet in Mount Vernon early Friday.

Advertisement Advertisement

While that projection is lower than previous estimates, Mount Vernon officials were nonetheless urging residents in the floodplain to evacuate.

"That's still a record flood, and so we're preparing for that," Mayor Peter Donovan said, adding that they'd "be visiting low-lying neighborhoods, residential areas, and getting the word out the best that we can for folks who haven't responded yet to evacuation notices."

The county was closing nonessential government services on Thursday, including all district and superior court services.

Flooding from the river has long plagued Mount Vernon, the largest city in the county with some 35,000 residents. Flooding in 2003 displaced hundreds of people.

Advertisement Advertisement

The city completed a floodwall in 2018 that helps protect the downtown. It passed a major test in 2021, when the river crested near record levels.

But the city is on high alert. The historic river levels expected Friday could top the wall, and some are worried that older levees could fail.

"It could potentially be catastrophic," said Ellen Gamson, executive director of the Mount Vernon Downtown Association.

Jake Lambly added sandbags, tested water pumps and moved valuables to the top floor of the home he shares with his 19-year-old son.

"This is my only asset," he said Wednesday from his front porch. "I got nothing else."

Erika Kirk has one word for Candace Owens as she spreads conspiracy theories

Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore detained by police after firing

Hoosier Hysteria | Sunday on 60 Minutes
Severe rainfall has triggered major flooding in the US state of Washington, prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents.

Governor Bob Ferguson on Thursday urged people in threatened areas to leave and follow instructions from local authorities. Up to 100,000 residents are believed to be affected by evacuation orders.

"I understand that many in our state have experienced significant floods in the past," Ferguson said in a post on X.

Advertisement Advertisement

"However, we're looking at a historic situation, expecting 2 feet [61 centimetres] higher than record flood level."

Ferguson said more than 30 major highways had been closed to traffic. The governor also declared a statewide emergency to rapidly mobilize funds and additional personnel.

The National Guard has been deployed to assist with rescue operations in the flooded regions. Helicopters and boats have been used to bring people to safety. Dozens of rivers have overflowed their banks, inundating towns and farmland.

The heavy rainfall in the north-west of the United States is being driven by a weather phenomenon known as an atmospheric river, a band of extremely moist air that can deliver intense rainfall for days.
A man accused of bludgeoning his coworker to death with a sledgehammer because he didnt like her is now facing more serious charges.

Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes convened a grand jury Dec. 5 to investigate the death of 20-year-old welder Amber Mary Czech, who was fatally attacked at her work station on Nov. 11.

According to a Dec. 6 statement from Lutes, the grand jury returned an indictment for Czechs coworker David Bruce Delong that included charges of first-degree murder with premeditation and intent to cause Czechs death, along with a charge of second-degree murder.

Advertisement Advertisement

If convicted, the first-degree murder charge would carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

I will pursue the first-degree murder conviction and do everything within my power to obtain a life sentence for Delong, Lutes told Oxygen.com. That is the only acceptable result in this case in order to achieve some sense of justice for the senseless murder of Amber Czech. Hopefully a first-degree murder conviction and a life sentence will offer a sense of justice to Ambers family, friends, and all those impacted by her tragic murder.

For more true crime:

Arkansas Mother & 2 Children Found Shot Dead One Day After Divorce Hearing, Ex Speaks Out

FBI Seeks Alleged Fake Heiress Who Scammed Millions From Banks

Man Kills Woman Who Asked He Get Tested For STDs, Argues Self-Defense at Trial

What Happened to Amber Czech?

Czech was killed around 6 a.m. on Nov. 11 at the Advanced Process Technologies plant where she worked in Cokato, Minnesota.

Advertisement Advertisement

That morning, Delong was allegedly captured on surveillance footage picking up a sledgehammer, walking to Czechs workstation and bashing her with the hammer just outside the cameras view, according to a criminal complaint previously obtained by Oxygen.com.

He delivered four more blows in a downward fashion after she fell to the ground, authorities said.

After the attack, Delong allegedly told a male coworker, per the complaint, I hit her with your hammer, she is by your toolbox. She is gone.

Czech died after suffering what investigators described as major head trauma and significant blood loss.

Advertisement Advertisement

According to the complaint, Delong later admitted not liking the victim to investigators and confessed hed been planning the attack for some time.

David Delong

Delong was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder in the case. However, Lutes upgraded the charges against the 40-year-old to first-degree murder after bringing the case before the grand jury on Dec. 5.

Delong is currently being held at the Wright County Jail on a $2 million bail with strict release conditions or a $5 million bail without conditions, according to the statement from prosecutors. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges against him.

RELATED: "Little Old Lady" Dorothea Puente Ran a House of HorrorsAnd Hid Bodies in the Yard

Following her death, Advanced Process Technologies offered its condolences to Czechs family and friends.

One of our facilities was the site of a tragic event that resulted in the death of one of our coworkers, read a message on Facebook at the time. Our hearts are with their family, friends and all who are grieving this loss. We are working closely with law enforcement as they investigate this event and focused on supporting our employees and the victims family.
Southwest Airlines is building a new crew base for pilots and flight attendants that will bring 2,000 new jobs to Austin as part of an economic development agreement struck between the company, the city and the state, the company announced at a Friday news conference alongside Gov. Greg Abbott.

The new base, located at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, will open in March and initially hold roughly 1,000 employees, according to a news release by Southwest, one of the states largest employers. By mid-2027, the base will expand to reach its expected size of 2,000 employees, who will be paid an average salary of $180,000, according to the news release.

As weve seen Southwest grow, the Texas economy has grown, Abbott said at the news conference. Then, when Southwest recently decided they wanted to achieve another expansion that will lead to 2,000 more employees  we knew that we wanted that project to be located in Texas and located right here in Austin.

Advertisement Advertisement

Southwest CEO Bob Jordan credited a package of economic incentives from the state and the city for bringing the expansion to Austin.

The governors office awarded the company a $14 million grant from the Texas Enterprise fund, along with a $375,000 bonus for reserving some of the new jobs for veterans, Abbott said. The enterprise fund is administered through the governors office and is intended to give deal closing grants to companies that are considering a new project in Texas as well as other states, according to the governors office.

The collaboration between the city, the state and Southwest to get to this agreement sends  an important message about what we can do together to benefit the people of this city and this state, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said.

The Friday announcement came a day after the Austin City Council unanimously approved an incentive package for Southwest worth up to $5.5 million over five years. Southwest will receive $2,750 from the city for every Austin-based hire it makes, as long as the employee lives within city limits, according to city documents.

Advertisement Advertisement

This economic partnership made this decision easy, Jordan said.

The crew bases construction comes as Austin works to expand its airport, which has struggled in recent years with crowded terminals and long security lines as the city around it continues to boom. A new concourse is being constructed and is expected to open by 2030 at the earliest, part of a $4 billion expansion, according to the city.

The concourse will add as many as 40 new gates to the airport over time, more than doubling its current number of 34.

Southwest currently operates roughly 130 daily departures from the airport, a number that could balloon to well over 200 per day once the expansion is completed, Jordan said.
Spain's ruling Socialists were facing mounting pressure on Friday over claims of sexual harassment and corruption, prompting calls for a major government shake-up.

Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz, who leads junior coalition partner Sumar, warned that "things cannot go on like this" and said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez must "radically reshape" his government.

The controversy intensified after allegations emerged that Sanchez's Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) failed to adequately address internal reports of sexual harassment of female staff by senior party officials.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rebeca Torro, who serves as PSOE's organizational secretary, apologized to the women affected, acknowledging communication failures and pledging that the party would fight sexism "relentlessly."

In recent months, three senior PSOE figures  including close Sanchez ally Francisco Salazar  have stepped down from their posts after women accused them of inappropriate comments, advances or obscene messages. None of the politicians has been convicted.

Opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said Sanchez must answer in parliament for what he described as "systemic corruption within the government." Feijoo has long called for the governments resignation and an early election.

However, according to a recent poll by Spains state-run Centre for Sociological Research (CIS), the PSOE currently leads Feijoos conservative Popular Party (PP) by around 9 percentage points.
Many investors fear that artificial intelligence is a bubble, and these fears arent waning, despite reassuring statements from analysts. Oracle stock closed the Thursday trading session 10.84% lower at $198.84, following the release of the earnings report. The hit Oracle was taking also transferred slightly to most of the stocks in the AI group, including Nvidia.

Nvidia closed Thursday's session 1.55% lower at $180.93, or 12.6% lower than its October 29 peak, which had a closing price of $207.04.

Bad news that has spooked investors lately:

Michael Burry is shorting Nvidia.

SoftBank Group sold all of its Nvidia shares.

Source Reuters

Gemini 3 was trained only on Googles TPUs.

Source CNBC

President Trumps post on December 8, on Truth Social, saying Nvidia can sell H200 AI chips to China, should have boosted the stock, but had very little impact.

Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as its top pick.TheStreet / Shutterstock  TheStreet / Shutterstock

Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as its top pick

Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya and his team hosted Nvidias VP of Investor Relations and Strategic Finance, Toshiya Hari, in a virtual investor meeting and updated their opinion on the stock afterwards. Analysts said that while Google Gemini 3 is a top LLM today and is trained on the TPU, Nvidia believes it is too early to call out a winner.

Nvidia informed the team that the currently available GPU-based LLMs were all trained on outdated Hopper products and are incomparable to the upcoming LLMs trained on Blackwell GPUs. Blackwell-based models are expected to launch in early 2026, and Nvidia believes it will become clear that they are at least a full generation ahead of the competition.

Related: Bank of America resets Amazon stock forecast after key meeting

The team said Nvidia reiterated that it has both demand and supply visibility into the $500 billion sales outlook for Blackwell/Rubin/Networking for calendar years 2025 and 2026 at a minimum. Analysts said that recent Nvidia partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic/Microsoft are incremental to the $500 billion, given they are letters of intent and could be a source of upside. Nvidia told the team that it believes it is premature to assess the impact of the Trump Administrations decision to re-allow the sale of H200 GPUs to China.

Analysts added that once the company obtains a formal license, it will need to determine: actual demand from Chinese customers, how quickly and in what quantities it can build from a supply perspective, and what the Chinese regulators will allow.In a research note shared with TheStreet, Arya reiterated a buy rating and the target price of $275, based on 28 multiple his estimate for price to earnings ratio excluding cash for calendar year 2027, which is within Nvidias historical forward year price to earnings range of 25 to 56.
Spain's ruling Socialists were facing mounting pressure on Friday over claims of sexual harassment and corruption, prompting calls for a major government shake-up.

Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz, who leads junior coalition partner Sumar, warned that "things cannot go on like this" and said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez must "radically reshape" his government.

The controversy intensified after allegations emerged that Sanchez's Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) failed to adequately address internal reports of sexual harassment of female staff by senior party officials.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rebeca Torro, who serves as PSOE's organizational secretary, apologized to the women affected, acknowledging communication failures and pledging that the party would fight sexism "relentlessly."

In recent months, three senior PSOE figures  including close Sanchez ally Francisco Salazar  have stepped down from their posts after women accused them of inappropriate comments, advances or obscene messages. None of the politicians has been convicted.

Opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said Sanchez must answer in parliament for what he described as "systemic corruption within the government." Feijoo has long called for the governments resignation and an early election.

However, according to a recent poll by Spains state-run Centre for Sociological Research (CIS), the PSOE currently leads Feijoos conservative Popular Party (PP) by around 9 percentage points.

Socialists embroiled in numerous scandals

Former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos was chargsed and is currently in pre-trial detention, as is his former adviser Koldo Garcia. Prosecutors accuse both men of corruption linked to the procurement of protective face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Advertisement Advertisement

Santos Cerdan, the PSOE's former executive secretary, was recently given a provisional release after spending five months in pre-trial detention. He is facing charges over allegations that construction contracts were awarded in exchange for secret payments to selected companies.

On Wednesday, former PSOE politician Leire Diez was arrested as part of an investigation into irregularities in the awarding of public contracts.
Last year, United Way Utah Countys Sub for Santa program set a record for how many families it was able to help.

This year, it wants to set a new record, but there are still hundreds of families in need.

When Utahns step up to help kids and families in need have a brighter Christmas, organizers say, they make an extraordinary difference and help everybody feel important.

Donating through the Sub for Santa program is just one of many ways Utahns can give back to the community this holiday season. Other organizations looking for support include Utah Foster Care and ShelterKids.

Advertisement Advertisement

With Christmas just a few weeks away, time is short to help people in the community be able to celebrate the upcoming holiday with cheer. Here are some ways help.

How you can sponsor a family through Sub for Santa

For over 40 years, United Way of Utah Countys Sub for Santa program has worked to help families in need have a Christmas.

A volunteer from the Slate Canyon Youth Center loads Sub for Santa packages into a car for delivery at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Any families in Utah County that find themselves in need can fill out a form to receive gifts through Sub for Santa. When they are accepted into the program, they will be matched with a sponsor who donates items to help the parents celebrate Christmas with their kids.

Our whole goal is to make people feel seen and heard, not only in good times, but also in times of trouble, said Julianne Jones, the head of marketing at United Way of Utah County.

A sign hangs on the door of the Sub for Santa sorting room at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

She added that 46% of families receiving gifts are first-time users of the program. The program is on track to serve a record amount of families in 2025, but hundreds of families are still in need, so Sub for Santa is continuing to seek donations.

A simple gift card can make an extraordinary difference. The reaction on a teens face when they get to choose something of their own, whether its picking out a new hoodie, buying a favorite treat, or joining friends for lunch after school, is pure joy. It gives them a sense of normalcy, independence, and belonging that every young person deserves. Utah Foster Care CEO Nikki MacKay

Advertisement Advertisement

People can choose to either sponsor a specific family or make a monetary donation that will help fill in the gaps in the program. More information can be found online at the organizations website.

Jones emphasized that the families give a list of things they need and the things their kids have requested for Christmas.

Were pretty prescriptive on really trying to match what the kids want. So if a little girl wants a purple jacket, were going to get her purple jacket, she explained. If a kid wants a black bike, were going to get a black bike, and he wants streamers on the handlebars, well go the extra length to find those exact toys.

A shelf sits full of Legos for Sub for Santa gifts at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Giving gift cards to teens in need

Utah Foster Care has multiple ways that people can help out this holiday season.

Advertisement Advertisement

One is a gift card drive in collaboration with Bonrue Bakery.

The bakery will be holding a pop-up on Dec. 20 at the Utah Foster Care Murray office at 5296 Commerce Drive, #400, in Murray from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

There will be a delicious lineup of pastries available for purchase and the public is encouraged to bring a $10 gift card to donate for teens in foster care. Those who bring gift cards will receive a free gift from Bonrue.

Utah Foster Care CEO Nikki MacKay said this pop-up event is a meaningful way for our community to wrap support around teens impacted by foster care, who are so often overlooked during the holidays.

Advertisement Advertisement

A simple gift card can make an extraordinary difference, MacKay added. The reaction on a teens face when they get to choose something of their own, whether its picking out a new hoodie, buying a favorite treat, or joining friends for lunch after school, is pure joy. It gives them a sense of normalcy, independence and belonging that every young person deserves.

Another way people can help through Utah Foster Care is Connection Kits.

Oftentimes when children enter a foster home, they can feel out of place and lonely. Connections Kits offer a tangible way to support kids as they create new memories with their foster family to help them feel safe and heal from the trauma theyve experienced.

Utah Foster Care has created a Amazon Wish List which gives people a list of everything they need to order to assemble a kit.

Advertisement Advertisement

Supportive connections empower youth to turn pain into purpose, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. Connection Kits provide the tools to build that resilience, said Heidi Naylor, Utah Foster Care director of retention.

ShelterKids is helping kids feel like they matter this Christmas season

ShelterKids is a nonprofit that works with Salt Lake Countys Division of Youth Services to help fill in the gaps. The organization helps kids who are neglected, victims of abuse or in the foster system by providing them with clothes, birthday celebrations or the tools to be more independent.

We just try to make everybody feel important and that they matter, because they matter, said Emily Read, the ShelterKids board president.

ShelterKids has its own gifting tree program, which allows people to help give these kids and teenagers a Christmas.

Advertisement Advertisement

The youth are our future. They were dealt a hand in life that they didnt choose, Read said. I think as society, our responsibility is to take care of children, period. And I think everybody can get on board and agree with that.

This year, over 40 businesses have partnered with ShelterKids to put gifting trees in their stores or to do in-house donation drives with their employees.

People can take ornaments off the Christmas trees which list needed items, or can go online to ShelterKids.org to contribute. On the groups website, people can order off the nonprofits Amazon wish list, give a monetary donation or see a list of additional needed items that they can purchase and drop off.

The gifting tree drive goes until Dec. 22, when volunteers will gather all the items donated and distribute them to youth in need.

Advertisement Advertisement

It helps not only for the holidays, because we take care of all the kids for the holidays and all the gifts, but then throughout the year as well, because, I mean, the need is constant, Read said.

Monetary donations and other ways to help out

As Christmas quickly approaches, some organization have reached the deadline for when gifts can be donated for some of their giving programs, but there are still a lot of other ways people can help.

Salt Lake Countys Division of Aging and Adult Services has closed donations for its giving tree program, but people can still give monetary donations to the division. People can also donate to Meals on Wheels or volunteer to help deliver with Meals on Wheels.

A lot of time, people are trying to do their holiday giving and they want to buy tangible things, but monetary donations often go just as far, if not farther, said Afton January with the countys Aging and Adult Services.

Advertisement Advertisement

People can also reach out to volunteer at or donate to local homeless shelters, and Utah Food Bank takes donations all year round.

Note: This list of organizations accepting donations this holiday season is not all-inclusive and will be updated.

Volunteer Craig Freeze checks a list of items for a Sub for Santa package at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

A volunteer from the Slate Canyon Youth Center loads Sub for Santa packages into a car for delivery at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

United Way Utah County CEO Bill Hulterstrom gestures to a shelf full of books for Sub for Santa packages at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Stickers for volunteers and donors sit on a table at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Advertisement Advertisement

Volunteers sort items for Sub for Santa gifts at United Way Utah County in Provo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Senate Bill 287, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte in August, requires absentee voters to provide identification each time they vote. (Photo by Dana Wormald/New Hampshire Bulletin)

A Rockingham Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit Friday against new, stricter identification requirements for New Hampshire absentee voters, ruling that the law is constitutional and treats absentee voters with the same scrutiny as in-person voters.

The lawsuit, brought by three visually impaired residents against Secretary of State Dave Scanlan, sought to strike down the law created by Senate Bill 287. That law, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte in August, requires absentee voters to provide identification each time they vote.

Advertisement Advertisement

Under the new law, absentee voters can do that by providing a photocopy of the ID with their mail-in ballot, getting a notary to sign the ballot, or going in person to their town or city clerk and presenting their ID.

The plaintiffs, Adele Robertson, Daniel Frye, and Regina Wilson, argued the new law discriminates against people with disabilities because it requires them to either have access to printers, scanners, and other machines, hire a notary, or get transportation to their town hall in order to vote. That creates a burden to voting that violates the New Hampshire Constitution, they said.

At issue in the case was whether the new ID requirements impose severe restrictions on voters or nondiscriminatory and reasonable ones.

In a nine-page opinion, Judge David Ruoff ruled that the restrictions are not severe. Burdens are generally deemed severe when they outright exclude voters from the process, Ruoff wrote. Here, the identification requirements impose ordinary burdens on all absentee voters, and the possibility that it may cause additional burden on a subset of absentee voters does not render the entire statute unconstitutional.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ruoff noted that the statute provides multiple options for absentee voters who might lack the means to take one particular approach. And he reasoned that voting always includes some effort, and that before the new law, absentee voters were already required to mail or provide their application to the secretary of state or town or city clerk.

In his decision, Ruoff agreed with the New Hampshire Attorney Generals argument that the new law  and any burdens it creates  serves the states legitimate interest in preventing voting fraud, a key test that must be met for a voting restriction law to be deemed constitutional.

The Court concludes that this is a sufficient justification for the identification requirements to establish that an absentee voter is who they claim to be and ensure the legitimacy of elections, Ruoff wrote.

It is not clear whether the plaintiffs will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

Advertisement Advertisement

The state court decision comes as lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and other groups are suing New Hampshire in federal court over a different state law that imposes new restrictions on voting: House Bill 1569, signed by Gov. Chris Sununu in 2024. That law requires new registrants in New Hampshire to provide hard-copy proof of their citizenship through a birth certificate, passport, or other document or be turned away from voting.

A trial in that lawsuit is set for February in the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire.
SUFFOLK  Police are investigating an incident where a student brought a weapon to Kings Fork Middle School, according to a news release from Suffolk police.

Police were alerted by the schools administration that a student was suspected to have a weapon at the school. When stopped by a School Resource Officer, the juvenile was found with a stun gun in their bag.

There were no injuries reported and charges are pending for the student. This situation remains under investigation and police did not provide any additional information regarding the identity of the student.

Anyone with information on this situation is asked to contact Suffolk Police Department or the Suffolk Crime Line.
A student who is accused of stabbing one of his classmates in the face with scissors is expected to face multiple criminal charges.

The incident happened on Friday morning at North Atlanta High School.

Students recorded the disturbing incident on their phones, and now the graphic video is at the center of a criminal investigation.

It was even sadder to watch when I see people just sitting around him, recording him instead of helping him, student Kamya Low said.

Advertisement Advertisement

The video shows how one of the students is picked up and thrown to the floor. The student who picked the other up begins stabbing the other student in the face with a pair of scissors as he lies on the ground.

The video then shows the injured student with a bloodied face before he was rushed to the hospital.

TRENDING STORIES:

Low told Channel 2s Michael Seiden that she is friends with the victim

I made TikToks with him. Ive talked to him. Like, hes a pretty cool person, Low said.

Advertisement Advertisement

A spokesperson for Atlanta Public Schools confirmed that the school was placed on lockdown as staff members secured the building.

It was so disturbing to watch. I definitely called my mom, another student told Seiden.

Parents were also shaken. Yuvonka Stephens said she had just dropped off her son at the school when she learned about the fight.

Its scary. I dont like it. I dont like it at all, Stephens said.

In its statement to Channel 2 Action News, APS said, in part:

School staff responded to secure the area, ensure the safety of all students, and provide care to the injured student who is currently being treated at a local hospital. Atlanta Public Schools takes matters involving student safety very seriously. 

The school district confirmed its police department is investigating, and criminal charges are pending.
Sunoh.ai has announced its integration with athenahealth Marketplace programme, bringing its AI medical scribe solution to athenahealths network of healthcare providers.

This collaboration aims to accelerate clinical documentation by transforming real patient-provider dialogue into accurate and comprehensive clinical notes within seconds.

The integration is now available to athenahealths network, which includes more than 160,000 providers using the athenaOne platform.

Advertisement Advertisement

Sunoh.ai is already used by over 90,000 providers in the US and is aimed at improving patient-provider interactions and helping reduce physician burnout by streamlining documentation processes.

Claimed to function either as an independent app or be integrated with an electronic health record (EHR) system, Sunoh.ai is designed to transcribe natural language conversations between healthcare providers and patients into structured clinical documentation.

Sunoh.ai vice president Rakhee Langer commented, Sunoh.ai empowers practices of all sizes and specialities by streamlining documentation, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing provider satisfaction.

"By combining ambient listening with advanced AI capabilities, Sunoh.ai not only saves practice time but also enhances the accuracy and completeness of every note that truly reflects the patient encounters. Were thrilled to join the athenahealth Marketplace to bring these capabilities to athenaOne users.

Advertisement Advertisement

Esperanza Health Centers (EHC), a federally qualified health centre (FQHC) in Chicago, has reported significant improvements since adopting Sunoh.ai.

EHC operates seven locations and provides bilingual primary care, behavioural health, and wellness services to a diverse patient population.

The AI medical scribes multilingual support, including recognition of various Spanish dialects and accents, has helped improve documentation quality at EHC.

EHC delivers care to more than 500,000 patients annually, regardless of immigration status, insurance status, or ability to pay.

EHC information technology vice-president Nish Shivnani said: For our top three participating providers, Sunoh.ai reduced documentation time by two minutes per encounter, a reduction of approximately 11%. Additionally, same-day encounter closure rates increased by 22%.

Advertisement Advertisement

"This technology has significantly reduced our providers post-visit documentation time, enabling them to close encounters quickly and conveniently on the same day.

The athenahealth Marketplace is claimed to be among the largest healthcare app stores, offering over 500 integrated solutions across more than 60 medical specialities.

Nearly 75% of athenahealth customers use Marketplace partner solutions to enhance practice efficiency and engage patients in their care.

The athenahealth Marketplace enables seamless integration with third-party applications, services, and systems, supporting providers and administrators in improving practice outcomes and financial performance.

Advertisement Advertisement

In December 2024, the Indiana University Student Health Center in Indiana, US, began using Sunoh.ais AI-powered ambient listening solution to streamline its clinical documentation processes.

"Sunoh.ai to integrate with athenahealth Marketplace" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand.




By Andrew Hay

Dec 11 (Reuters) - Tyler Robinson, the accused killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, made his first in-person court appearance on Thursday as a judge heard arguments on what level of media access should be allowed in the high-profile criminal case.

Robinson, wearing a dress shirt and striped tie, talked with his lawyers, at times smiling, after he was brought into the Provo, Utah, courtroom in handcuffs and shackles. Robinson's parents and brother were present, his lawyer Richard Novak said. His mother wiped away tears as he entered, according to a Salt Lake Tribune reporter present in the courtroom.

Advertisement Advertisement

Local television stations showed an armored SWAT truck in the convoy of vehicles that brought Robinson, 22, to the courthouse about four miles (6 km) from where Kirk, 31, an ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead on September 10.

U.S. District Court Judge Tony Graf heard arguments from Robinson's attorneys who want to ban cameras from the courtroom in a case that has drawn extraordinary media attention. David Reymann, an attorney representing media organizations, called on the court to grant his clients access to recordings and transcripts from closed-session court hearings in the case.

"We don't want the chaos that is out in the media in this courtroom," said Robinson's attorney Staci Visser.

Graf scheduled a December 29 video call to give his ruling on media access and set May 18-21 for an in-person preliminary hearing.

Advertisement Advertisement

At the request of state prosecutors, Graf designated Erika Kirk, Kirk's widow, as the victim representative in the case.

JUDGE AIMS TO PROTECT PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE

Robinson is accused of firing a single round from a rooftop that killed Kirk during a Turning Point USA event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City, as Kirk debated with students.

Kirk's death sparked denunciations of political violence across the ideological spectrum.

Since Robinson's first court appearance via video link on October 27, Graf has made rulings designed to protect his presumption of innocence in a case he said had drawn "extraordinary" public attention.

Advertisement Advertisement

The judge ruled Robinson could appear in court in regular clothes but must be physically restrained. Graf prohibited media from filming or photographing Robinson's handcuffs and shackles after his lawyers said images of him restrained could prejudice jurors.

On Thursday, Graf briefly halted the livestream and ordered a videographer to move to a new position. Visser had called for the broadcast to be terminated after it showed Robinson's shackles.

One videographer and one photographer have been designated by the court to share images and audio from the courtroom with other news outlets.

Erika Kirk, now head of Charlie Kirk's conservative Turning Point organization, has called for cameras to be allowed in the courtroom to preserve transparency.

Advertisement Advertisement

Robinson is charged with seven criminal counts, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice for disposing of evidence, and witness tampering for asking his roommate to delete incriminating texts. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay; Editing by Donna Bryson, Rod Nickel and David Gregorio)
AT&T has experienced multiple data breaches in recent years, prompting a class-action lawsuit.

The company agreed to pay affected AT&T customers $177 million as part of a settlement.

The deadline to submit a claim and join the settlement is December 18.

If you were one of the tens of millions of AT&T customers whose personal data was leaked online in recent years, you could be eligible for up to $7,500 as part of a settlement.

The company revealed in March 2024 that information belonging to millions of current and past customers had been leaked on the dark web. Four months later, AT&T said additional customer data had been illegally downloaded from a company workspace on a third-party cloud platform back in 2022.

Advertisement Advertisement

Both incidents spurred lawsuits against AT&T, which has denied any wrongdoing.

Affected customers filed a consolidated class-action suit against the company in May. Two months later, AT&T agreed to establish two settlement funds totaling $177 million: a $149 million all-cash fund for customers affected by the first data breach and a $28 million all-cash payment for customers affected by the second data incident.

"While we deny the allegations in these lawsuits that we were responsible for these criminal acts, we have agreed to this settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation," an AT&T spokesperson told Business Insider. "We remain committed to protecting our customers' data and ensuring their continued trust in us."

The deadline for eligible customers to submit a claim and receive settlement money is one week away. Here's what affected AT&T customers need to know.

Who qualifies?

Kroll, a third party that manages class action settlements, said that eligible AT&T customers fall under two categories: AT&T 1 Settlement Class and AT&T 2 Settlement Class.

Advertisement Advertisement

AT&T 1 Settlement Class refers to people living in the United States whose data  including names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, birth dates, passcodes, billing account numbers, and Social Security numbers  were included in the first leak.

The AT&T 2 Settlement Class refers to any customers whose data was involved in the second leak, which could include information like phone numbers with which customers interacted and other data related to those interactions, such as the duration of calls or the number of times those numbers were contacted.

If your information was part of either breach, AT&T would have contacted you.

How much money could AT&T customers receive as part of the settlement?

Within the AT&T 1 Settlement Class, customers can submit a claim for a "Document Loss Cash Payment" of up to $5,000 for losses that happened in 2019 or later, "upon presentation of documentation that the losses are fairly traceable to the AT&T 1 Data Incident."

Advertisement Advertisement

They also qualify for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 cash payment, which is an alternative to the Document Loss Cash Payment and represents a pro rata share of the AT&T 1 Net Settlement Fund cash.

Under the AT&T 2 Settlement Class, customers are eligible for a Documented Loss Cash Payment of up to $2,500 for losses that happened on or after April 14, 2024. The Tier 3 cash payment is a pro rata share of the AT&T 2 Net Settlement Fund cash.

Kroll said some customers may be an "overlap settlement class member," so they could walk away with a total of $7,500.

When is the deadline for submitting a claim?

Customers have until December 18 to submit a claim. Submitting a claim is the only way a settlement class member can receive a payment.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas will hold a final approval hearing for the settlement on January 15, 2026.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) announced it has secured funding to rehabilitate over 300 of its existing affordable-housing units.

THA said 316 units which can house roughly 1,000 people will be renovated and upgraded over a two-year period.

THA secured more than $150 million in funding to upgrade townhomes in northwest Salishan in Tacomas Eastside and Hillside Terrace 2300 in the Hilltop neighborhood.

Advertisement Advertisement

THA Spokesperson Nick Tolley told The News Tribune both properties were in need of modernization as they were built or last updated between 2002 and 2005.

Outdated kitchen inside existing Tacoma Housing Authority unit.

Tolley said the renovations will include:

New roofs

New windows

Heat pumps

Upgraded appliances

Flooring

Cabinets

Countertops

Interior and exterior painting

Modernized plumbing and electrical fixtures

Comprehensive site improvements

Salishan and Hillside Terrace are family properties at their core, said director of Asset Management and Real Estate Development for THA, Ken Short, in a statement. This resyndication is more than a construction project  its an investment in children, parents, and neighbors who deserve high-quality, safe, and sustainable housing.

Advertisement Advertisement

Tolley said residents would be temporarily relocated to a housing unit within the same property to keep households in their same community. The relocation will be for about six weeks while construction happens.

According to THA, 55% of households whose homes will be rehabilitated include children, and 73% are extremely low-income, earning less than 30% of Area Median Income (AMI).

Tacomas household AMI is $83,857, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau data from 2023 .

The average annual income of these households is $28,918, according to THA.

The renovation is backed by over $158 million in funding from multiple sources, including a $10 million award from the Washington State Department of Commerce, dedicated to energy-efficiency upgrades, including new windows and heat pumps with air conditioning.

Advertisement Advertisement

More than $59 million will be funded from a 4% tax credit equity, $22 million through a tax-exempt permanent loan and more than $51 million from additional financing and loans.

THA says the project was made feasible by the Internal Revenue Services Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a program in which affordable-housing providers seek to secure a new allocation of tax credits for the purpose of preservation, rehabilitation or sustainable development.

Tolley says construction will begin in mid-January.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and state lawmakers, including Sen. Jack Johnson and Reps. Johnny Garrett, a Goodlettsville Republican, and Jack McAlmon, a Franklin Republican, joined the announcement the state of Tennessee will partner with Turning Point, USA. (Photo: Sen.Jack Johnson Facebook)

(This story was originally published by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.)

Tennessee state leaders announced Friday morning that the state will partner with Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

Advertisement Advertisement

Those state officials announced at an event at the Tennessee State Capitol that there would be Club America chapters, student-led organizations affiliated with Turning Point USA, at every high school in the state.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who is running for Tennessee governor, and state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, spoke at the event announcing the partnership. No media was invited, but a 30-minute video was posted on Rumble, a social media platform thats particularly popular with right-wing creators.

Gov. Bill Lee appeared in a video that was played at the event.

I am encouraged to see significant interest from Tennessee students in starting Club America chapters, an effort that will give students an opportunity to respectfully engage in the issues that shape our country, Lee said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Lees office did not return a request for comment asking about the terms of the partnership, specifically if schools would be required to have club chapters and how the state would work with schools to implement them, where money to fund the partnership would come from, or how much it might cost.

Im proud to be here on behalf of Gov. Lee to make this very, very special announcement, Johnson said at the event. Today, we are announcing that the state of Tennessee is forming a partnership with Turning Point USA, with a shared goal of establishing Turning Point chapters at every high school, every college, every university campus in our great state, in honor of Charlie Kirk.

Turning Point USA, based in Arizona, endorsed Blackburn for governor Dec. 5. The senator posted a video Wednesday about the endorsement.

One of the things that I so appreciated, having conversations with Charlie Kirk about, was the importance of robust, respectful, bipartisan debate, Blackburn said at the Capitol event. Our nation has stayed free and strong for 250 years. Now, what has underpinned that? It has been the ability of people to come to the public square, to talk about their point of view and to listen to the person who had the counterpoint and the opposing view.

Advertisement Advertisement

Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer and opponent of transgender athletes in womens sports, first talked about the partnership between the state and the conservative nonprofit in November at an event at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, as reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

A spokesperson from Lees office and Turning Point USA did not respond to questions about the partnership when asked in November.

Gaines, a Turning Point USA contributor who also attended Fridays event, said she hopes other red states like Tennessee will establish partnerships with Turning Point USA. This week, Texas announced a similar partnership. Florida has one as well.

Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, a Franklin Republican,

Turning Point describes the high school program, Club America, as creating future generations of proud Americans. Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012. He was killed in September while speaking at a college campus in Utah.

Advertisement Advertisement

The nonprofit organization has thousands of chapters nationwide that advocate for conservative policies like free markets and limited government. Club America is Turning Point USAs high school program, launched under that new brand this year, according to the organizations website, with the mission of spreading patriotism in the next generation.

Church and state

The partnership is concerning, said David Kanervo, retired political science professor at Austin Peay State University.

Turning Point is known as a pretty conservative organization and has a religious dimension in regard to its teachings and its rhetoric that the state is getting behind and pushing into high schools, Kanervo said by phone. Im not saying so much that the ideology is not appropriate, but the state is taking sides in that it is pushing one set of ideas over another, so theres no balance that is being promoted generally.

Kirk was a Christian and said he wanted to promote foundational Christian values. In 2022, Kirk started Turning Point Faith, a new arm of the organization.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kirk has been commended for centering his faith in his belief system. At a worship event honoring Kirk in September, pastor Macil Duncan of Apison Baptist Church commended Kirk on his strong faith.

Charlie stood for his faith. He never backed down, Duncan said at the September event. He never denied the Bible as the inspired Word of God.

More than a dozen Turning Point USA chapters are now in Chattanooga area schools and colleges, Lakie Derrick, Turning Point USAs East Tennessee volunteer field representative, said previously.

Public education is supposed to be nondenominational, it is supposed not to infringe on anyone elses religious beliefs, and there is to be a separation between church and state, Kanervo said. Thats really what concerns me about this.

Free speech

Kirks assassination Sept. 10 rocked the country and the Chattanooga area. There was an outpouring of love for the conservative activist after his death. More than a dozen vigils were planned in Chattanooga, and Turning Point USA high school and college chapters have grown. There have also been firings, suspensions, and discipline for comments about Kirks death in Tennessee.

Advertisement Advertisement

An employee of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Monica Meeks, was dismissed from her role after commenting on Facebook that Kirk was a white supremacist after his death. Meeks has filed a federal lawsuit against the commissioner of the state department that argues her firing violated her First Amendment right to speak as a private citizen.

Its unique. Im not familiar with many other state government-level partnerships with political or ideological groups like Turning Point, David Rubin, an attorney representing Meeks, said by phone. I think its certainly evidence that Monica was fired for her political viewpoints.

A University of Tennessee in Knoxville assistant professor who was suspended after a social media comment about the assassination of Charlie Kirk is suing the University of Tennessee System for violating her First Amendment free speech rights.

A former Rutherford County teacher has also filed a lawsuit against the district for wrongful termination following social media posts that characterized Kirk as a white supremacist.

More than 600 Americans were fired, suspended, placed under investigation or disciplined by employers for comments about Kirks assassination, Reuters reported.
With significant hedge fund interest and upside potential, Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) secures a spot on our list of the 15 best AI stocks to watch in December 2025.

Thanks to the companys expanding AI footprint, Bernsteins analyst Mark Moerdler reiterated a Buy rating on Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) on December 8, 2025, with a $364 price target.

Bernstein Reiterates Buy Rating on Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) with $364 PT

The analyst believes the companys significant incremental business indicates momentum heading into the next quarter, despite recent stock volatility and lingering concerns about capital expenditure and free cash flow trends. Moerdler believes Oracle, the worlds third-largest hyperscaler, is well-positioned to capitalize on the accelerating enterprise demand for AI infrastructure. Furthermore, he thinks managements upcoming clarity on spending should help rebuild investor confidence.

Meanwhile, Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)s strategic expansion in Europe continued, which reinforced the analysts bullish view. On November 19, 2025, the company launched its second public cloud region in Turin, Italy. The launch is expected to meet fast-growing demand for AI and cloud services. The launch of the new cloud region is part of the companys distributed cloud strategy, providing Italian enterprises, startups, and public sector entities access to modern AI capabilities (generative AI and multicloud tools) while ensuring data sovereignty. The Turin facility, along with Oracles existing Milan region, is expected to significantly expand the companys AI infrastructure capacity across key industries, supporting its broader European growth agenda.

The company is scheduled to release its Q2 FY 2026 results after market close on December 10.

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) enables enterprises worldwide to modernize workloads, manage data, and deploy advanced AI and multicloud solutions through integrated cloud applications and autonomous infrastructure services.

While we acknowledge the potential of ORCL 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: 10 Best Small-Cap Biotech Stocks to Buy According to Analysts and 12 Best Commodity Stocks to Buy Right Now.

Disclosure: None.
Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved parliament on Friday, triggering fresh elections just three months after his minority government replaced a government headed by Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

In King Maha Vajiralongkorn's decree approving the move, Anutin blamed recent deadly border clashes with Thailand's northern neighbor Cambodia among other issues his administration has struggled to overcome.

The Thai Pride Party leader was elected by lawmakers in September with the backing of the People's Party, which lent its support on condition that he dissolve the House of Representatives within four months.

Advertisement Advertisement

However, facing a no-confidence vote after the People's Party withdrew its backing amid a dispute over constitutional reform, Anutin brought the date forward.

"The appropriate solution is to dissolve parliament, which is a way to return political power to the people," he said.

Anutin will stay on as caretaker prime minister, albeit with severely limited powers, until the elections, which by law must be held within 60 days.

His administration has been under fire over cross-border fighting with Cambodian forces that has killed at least 20 people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee and for failures in dealing with severe flooding in the south of the country in November in which more than 170 died.

Advertisement Advertisement

"The government had executed every means in public administration to quickly resolve the urgent issues overwhelming the country... but running the country requires stability," Anutin wrote in Friday's decree.

"As a minority government, together with troubling domestic political circumstances, it has been unable to carry out public administration continuously, effectively and with stability."

Shinawatra, Anutin's predecessor, was removed from office in August after Thailand's Constitutional Court found she had broken ethics rules in a phone call to a former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The fall of the government, the third in two years, threatens to exacerbate a deepening political, security and economic crisis, with the economy slowing sharply in the third quarter, posting annualized GDP growth of just 1.2%.

Advertisement Advertisement

Anutin insisted the dissolution of parliament would have no impact on the country's military operations on the border with Cambodia after fighting re-erupted Monday, threatening to unravel an already fragile cease-fire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump in July.

Trump was scheduled to hold phone calls with Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Friday evening to try to get the truce back on track.

Analysts warned that internal Thai politics could complicate that effort with the increasingly tough position being signaled by Anutin's party on the territorial dispute.

"We see a risk of the conflict persisting into 2026 if the Thai government [of Anutin] judges that adopting a harder line could bolster its political standing ahead of the likely early-2026 elections," Oxford Economics leader economist Alexandra Hermann told CNBC.
Top Tennessee Republicans announced a partnership with the conservative political group Turning Point USA on Dec. 12, pledging to launch chapters in every public high school and college in the state.

The news came during an unpublicized meeting between Republican officials and Turning Point leaders at the State Capitol, part of which was streamed on social media platform Rumble.

Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn announced the partnership, along with Josh Thifault, who is senior director of both Turning Point USA and its political arm, Turning Point Action. Johnson said the state is prepared to defend the effort in court if challenged.

Advertisement Advertisement

Turning Point USA is a Christian conservative nonprofit group founded by Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death during a political debate in Utah this year. The groups mission is to train youth in American exceptionalism and the founding principles, while eradicating wokeism from the church and waking up believers to their biblical responsibility to fight for freedom.

Speaking on behalf of Gov. Bill Lee, Johnson announced that the state would work with Turning Point USA "with a shared goal of establishing Turning Point chapters at every high school, every college, every university campus in our great state in honor of Charlie Kirk."

Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, leaves a news conference discussing the U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 decision that upheld Tennessee's ban on gender transition treatments for transgender minors at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

Thifault said weeks before Kirks death, he made a goal to establish 20,000 Club America chapters across the country.

You look at the cultural aftershocks of 9-10 and all of a sudden, it's possible. All these governors want to work with us. All of these politicians want to work with us. All these celebrities who never wanted anything to do with Turning Point want to work with us, Thifault said. We're no longer a politically themed nonprofit. We are a larger-than-life social organization."

Advertisement Advertisement

Johnson warned school administrators that the state will not tolerate resistance to the effort.

Anyone who attempts to thwart the organization of Turning Point chapters or Club America chapters in Tennessee will face serious consequences, including possible legal action, he said.

Blackburn, who is running for governor and was endorsed by Turning Point Action this week, shared her excitement about the state governments new effort.

"One of the things that I so appreciated having conversations with Charlie Kirk about was the importance of robust, respectful bipartisan debate, said Blackburn.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, listens during Tennessee Gov. Bill Lees speech during Agriculture Day on the Hill at the Tennessee Capitol building in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

"We are so grateful that the state has stepped up to take a position to say we are going to be here to encourage our young people to show their faith, to show their commitment to the country and to do their part to get our great nation back on track, she added.

Advertisement Advertisement

The details of the state's role in the partnership were not made clear. But a spokesperson for Lee said that no state funding has been allocated to Turning Point USA.

The Tennessee Department of Education and Turning Point USA did not immediately respond to emailed questions.

Texas and Florida have existing partnerships with the group.

Riley Gaines speaks at a vigil held for Charlie Kirk outside the Sumner County Administrative Building in Gallatin Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025.

Lee shared a video message at the meeting.

I am encouraged to see significant interest from Tennessee students in starting Club America chapters, an effort that will give students an opportunity to respectfully engage in the issues that shape our country, Lee said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Former collegiate swimmer and activist Riley Gaines also spoke at the event. State Reps. Jake McCalmon, R-Franklin, and Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, who is running for Congress in the 6th District, also attended.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN officials plan Turning Point USA chapters at high schools, colleges
Rhode Island State Crime Lab Director Dennis Hilliard sits before the commission that monitors what happens at his lab during its meeting on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory spent a little more than $394,000 on third-party contractors for certain firearms testing after losing three of its examiners last year.

Thats still less than the state would have paid had the lab retained those employees who conducted toolmark exams, Director Dennis Hilliard told the commission that oversees the facility Thursday morning. Toolmarks are the impressions left on cartridges or shells after theyve been fired. Examiners test them to determine if theyve been fired from a specific firearm.

Advertisement Advertisement

Their annual budget for salaries and benefits was over $400,000, Hilliard said.

Still, Hilliard told members of the State Crime Laboratory Commission he is eager to have an in-house toolmarks team again, which he expects to happen by mid-2026.

The lab temporarily suspended toolmark testing in August 2024, after discrepancies were found in test results for a pistol seized as evidence in a 2021 Pawtucket murder case. Cartridge casings were flagged as matching a different firearm in possession of the Boston Police Department.

The three technicians who were responsible for testing that firearm have all since left their jobs, with all subsequent exams being handled by two former New York City police examiners from Stria Consulting Group.

Advertisement Advertisement

Since November 2024, Strias two consultants have worked on 232 cases ranging from evidence comparison, test fires, and matching firearms serial numbers. Stria has been paid $262,350 so far, according to an expense spreadsheet Hilliard shared with commissioners.

The consulting firm was initially contracted to handle toolmark testing for Rhode Island gun cases for six months, but Hilliard struggled to find replacements for its lead and standard examiner positions.

Hilliard did have a candidate for the lead examiner position lined up late last year, but that applicant dropped out over pay. At the time, the University of Rhode Island offered a salary range of $70,971 to $107,830 for the lead examiners position. The salary was increased in May to range between $82,082 to $125,379.

That bump appears to have finally paid off. Hilliard said the most recent lead examiner at Connecticuts state laboratory will start working in Rhode Island come Jan. 5  even though the job does technically require approval from the commission, which was not on Thursdays agenda.

Advertisement Advertisement

If I had that information in advance, I think we could have done it now, Deputy Attorney General Adi Goldstein, who chairs the panel as a designee of the AGs office, told Rhode Island Current after the meeting.

Commissioners are expected to vote on the new lead examiner in mid-January. While approval is customary, Hilliard noted that past technicians have started work before the panels official sign-off.

The position of standard examiner will be filled by an in-house candidate who recently passed training from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). He is expected to begin work no later than May of next year, Hilliard said

He told commissioners the third examiner position will be cut in order to offset the recent pay scale adjustments.

Its very difficult to ship a gun through FedEx

Hilliard again made a pitch to the commission to reduce the number of cases verified out of state.

Advertisement Advertisement

Final verification of Strias work has been handled by examiners at SCL Forensics in Texas and FoCoSS Forensics in New Hampshire, which the labs expense sheet notes were paid a combined $58,101.

The additional verification was deemed necessary by the commission to minimize the risk of confirmation bias  the principle that if you know what youre looking for, youre more likely to find it.

A report published in October 2024, by California-based consultant Ronald Nichols, who formerly worked for the ATF, found a lack of diligence as well as confirmation bias on the part of the three forensic examiners who previously performed toolmark analysis at the state lab.

Hilliard maintains that its not cost-effective to continue shipping evidence across the country for testing. The expense spreadsheet notes the lab paid nearly $4,500 to ship evidence  which comes with its own set of logistical hurdles, Hilliard told Rhode Island Current.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its very difficult to ship a gun through FedEx, he said.

Hilliard proposed working with state crime labs across New England on a mutual aid basis, with each sending out 5% of cases, randomly selected, for external testing. He said the cost would be minimal.

Commissioners are still hesitant to reduce third-party verification, especially since the lab has saved money by not doing work in-house.

The biggest consideration for me is the confidence in the results of the lab, Goldstein said. Weve now seen and youve reported a tremendous reduction in the backlogs.

But shes not totally opposed to Hilliards idea. Goldstein tasked him with formally checking whether other New England labs would want to provide mutual aid and to craft a policy proposal for a future vote.

Shotgun shell casings at the Rhode Island State Crime Lab in 2023. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

Another nonconformity

Hilliards lab remains under the commissions microscope as he and his staff updated members on a newly flagged issue in a 2022 federal gun case now headed to trial.

Advertisement Advertisement

The case was reported to the commission in a letter dated Dec. 4, and involved an incorrect elimination of latent prints found on a shotgun. Mark Zabinski, the lead latent print examiner for the lab, described the evidence as having little clarity due to a smudge.

The region that was clear enough to identify was in the upper right area, he told commissioners. This particular case was a complex print.

He said he looked through the state and federal fingerprint database, but was unable initially to tie it to the suspect. A second examiner at the lab had verified that information, but also had access to Zabinkis conclusions. Thats a no-go under the labs new blind verification policy, but was fine when first being looked at in 2022.

With the case headed to trial, the prints were again fed into the database and there was a match to the first suspect, Zabinski said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ken Zercie, former director of the Connecticut Division of Scientific Services and now owner of Forensic Consulting of New England, independently looked into the discrepancy and agreed that it was a difficult print to verify.

Still, Zercie said he believed there could have been less of an issue if there was a third-party assessor who looked at the case with no prior knowledge.

By sending out to an outside source, youre taking some of the bias away, Zercie said, speaking to commissioners virtually.

Hilliard said all involved parties were notified of the initial misidentification and no additional problems arose.

As far as Im concerned, case closed, he told Rhode Island Current.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Kerri Aherne, the woman who allegedly stabbed a tourist from California in a Macy's bathroom as the victim was changing her 10-month-old daughter, was previously arrested in Massachusetts for threatening to kill Senator Elizabeth Warren, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office.

Aherne, 43, was ordered to be held without bail after appearing in court Friday night.

Prosecutors said she entered the Macy's bathroom on the 7th floor and stabbed the victim, causing the baby to fall from the changing table to the floor. The baby was not injured.

Advertisement Advertisement

The victim managed to subdue Aherne, with the help of the baby's father, before she was held by store security.

It happened Thursday afternoon, just before 3 p.m. at the flagship store during the heart of the holiday shopping season.

The 38-year-old victim, who was visiting from California, was stabbed in the back and slashed in the arm and was taken to the hospital, where she was said to be stable.

The victim's partner told Eyewitness News on Friday night that she is resting and getting better.

The victim and the child's father work for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Prosecutors said she had a documented psychiatric history and had been discharged the morning of the assault from the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, where she had been for over a year.

Advertisement Advertisement

Aherne told authorities that voices in her head told her to kill someone or she would be killed so she purchased a knife from Macy's and stabbed the mother while she was changing her baby's diaper.

Aherne later told police that she had been hospitalized for psychiatric problems.

Prosecutors said Aherne had been arrested in 2018 in Massachusetts for posting on Facebook that she wanted to kill Senator Elizabeth Warren.

She left Massachusetts in an Uber in 2024 while out of the hospital on temporary leave and allegedly said she could not tolerate hospitals any longer and would rather be in prison.

Kerri Aherne, 43, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is charged with attempted murder in connection with the seemingly unprovoked attack.

Advertisement Advertisement

Officials say she is believed to be homeless and does not have any prior arrests in New York.

She told a judge who ordered her behind bars without bail that she "doesn't want to go to another hospital because they did not help me."

A Macy's spokesperson released a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We kindly defer any further questions to the local authorities."

Aherne's next court date is December 17.

If convicted of the top charge of attempted murder, she faces up to 25 years in prison.

Advertisement Advertisement

----------

* Get Eyewitness News Delivered

* More Manhattan news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube



Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
HEARLDS SQUARE, Manhattan (PIX11)  A tourist was stabbed in the back while changing her babys diaper inside Macys Herald Square, police told PIX11 News on Friday.

The 38-year-old woman from California was in the bathroom when a homeless woman, originally from Massachusetts, stabbed her twice in an unprovoked attack, according to the NYPD.

More Crime News

Sources tell PIX11 that the victims husband heard her screams from outside the bathroom and grabbed the suspect as she tried to run away. He held onto her until security responded to the scene, sources said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kerri Aherne, 43, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

More Local News

Police responded to the stabbing around 1:15 p.m. on Thursday. The victim was rushed to the hospital with multiple stab wounds to her back and a cut on her arm.

A spokesperson for Macys shared the following statement in response to the incident.

We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Advertisement Advertisement

Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found 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 PIX11.
The Tallahassee Police Department says it has made an arrest in connection to a July 6 shooting death at University Courtyard Apartments.

Derrick McMillian, 26, has been charged with second degree murder, police said.

According to police, officers on scene around 2:40 a.m. that night were attempting to disperse a large crowd at 3030 S. Adams St. That's when the shooting happened.

Afterward, near the entrance of the University Courtyard Apartments, at 3025 S. Adams St., a man was found dead from a gunshot wound, police said.

Advertisement Advertisement

McMillian had been taken into custody but later released as there wasn't enough evidence to charge him, they added. After help from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, it was determined McMillian provided inaccurate information to officers and that all shots fired matched the weapon he had.

Detectives were able to establish probable cause and, after talking with prosecutors, they arrested McMillian. He is being without bond at the Leon County jail, records show.

This story contains previously published reporting. Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee police make arrest in July 6 shooting death
A view looking upstream on the Snohomish River with the city of Snohomish on the left and Harvey Airfield on the right. Snohomish County officials shared the image on Friday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management)

While overflowing rivers were beginning to recede across western Washington on Friday, officials said it could be days or even weeks before residents can safely return to areas swamped by this weeks historic flooding.

Thousands of people remained under evacuation orders as reports of flood damage continued to emerge from around the state.

Advertisement Advertisement

Federal support is on the way. The federal government on Friday approved Washingtons request for aid to respond to ongoing record flooding.

Gov. Bob Ferguson said he received a call from U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to let him know that President Donald Trump had signed Fergusons request for an emergency declaration. This will allow the state to potentially seek federal funds in response to the flooding.

Its exactly the kind of call the people of the state of Washington or the American people would want between a cabinet member and a governor when theres a crisis like this, Ferguson said Friday at a press conference standing atop a levee in Tukwila. She was gracious. She asked how we were doing here in Washington state. I just deeply appreciate the call and their support.

Gov. Bob Ferguson, at microphone, speaks during a press conference about the states flood response on Dec. 12, 2025, in Tukwila. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)

The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide equipment and federal assistance, with the feds covering 75% of those costs. Thats standard in these situations, officials said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Ferguson said the state would be moving as quickly as we can to access further federal aid to help individuals affected by the flooding in the aftermath. First, though, local and state officials will need to gather information to develop an estimate of the damages.

Theres going to be massive impacts as we dig ourselves out from this, the governor said. That will take some period of time to gather that information to make our request as strong as possible.

Well make sure folks have the resources that they need right now, he added.

Raging waters

Around midnight, the Skagit River crested at a record 37.7 feet near Mount Vernon, surpassing the mark set in 1990. The flooding didnt quite hit the peaks in the city that some officials were warning of, and that could have toppled the citys floodwall.

Advertisement Advertisement

After thousands of Skagit County residents were directed to evacuate their homes Wednesday and Thursday, authorities early Friday morning told thousands more in Burlington to leave immediately due to an overwhelmed slough.

Members of Washingtons National Guard were going door to door to let residents know they should evacuate from the city, though some were allowed to return hours later. Officials lifted evacuation orders in some other areas, as well, including Orting in Pierce County, which sits between the Carbon and Puyallup rivers.

The National Guard was also helping in swift water rescues in Burlington. In all, more than 300 members of the National Guard were assisting in Skagit County. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also deployed search and rescue teams to Washington to help.

No one has been reported dead in the flooding, Ferguson said.

Advertisement Advertisement

The situation is very dynamic, but were exceedingly grateful and thankful that our prayers have been answered, he said.

The Snohomish River has also set a new flooding record. Both the Skagit and Snohomish were forecast to remain in the major flooding stage into Saturday. Rivers as far east as the Yakima in Benton County were flooding at least moderately.

Some major highways remain closed, including a long stretch of U.S. 2 between Skykomish and Leavenworth.

The state isnt out of the woods. Itll take a while for floodwaters to fully recede. And more rain could cause rivers to rise again next week, though likely not to the historic levels seen this week, said Robert Ezelle, director of the Military Departments Emergency Management Division.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its not over yet, said Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, but this is an an opportunity to take a deep breath and hopefully get this support out here to get more support to open these communities back up.

Federal help

There were concerns Washington might have trouble accessing federal assistance to respond to the flooding, given Trumps posture on disaster aid.

This year, he denied Washingtons request for federal aid in the aftermath of the devastating bomb cyclone windstorm that hit the state late last year.

On Wednesday, Ferguson, a Democrat, asked for an emergency declaration from the feds. The states entire congressional delegation, including two Republican representatives, urged Trump to approve the governors request.

Advertisement Advertisement

This emergency declaration covers Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom and Yakima Counties, along with tribal nations in those areas.

Even with federal assistance, the state will rack up storm-related expenses that must be paid.

Washington has a disaster response and recovery account in the budget that is a potential source of funds.

Theres also the budget stabilization account, aptly referred to as the rainy day fund. It is the states savings account for unforeseen events such as big drops in tax collections or natural disasters. In some circumstances, it can be tapped to fill budget gaps. It contains $1.6 billion.

Advertisement Advertisement

At this point, the unknowns outweigh the knowns. No one has any idea of the extent of the damage or how much this will cost, said Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, the lead Republican budget writer.

House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said she was pleased to see how quickly the federal government reacted. There will be costs to the state not covered by federal aid, she said.

Obviously, the rainy day fund was created in part for emergencies like this, she said. It was never the first source to go to. But it is always one that we are aware of.
Senate Democrats appear likely to deal yet another blow to Lindsey Halligan, President Donald Trumps embattled pick to lead the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

A federal judge has already ruled that Trump illegally appointed Halligana former beauty contestant and insurance lawyer with no prior prosecutorial experienceas interim U.S. attorney and threw out her cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York state Attorney General Letitia James.

Her predecessor, veteran prosecutor Erik Siebert, had been forced out over his refusal to charge James with mortgage fraud, citing a lack of evidence.

Advertisement Advertisement

On Thursday, the White House pushed to advance Halligans nomination in the Senate, but the presidents top choice appears to have hit a wall, Semafor reported.

President Trump is trying to advance Lindsey Halligans nomination in the Senate. / XNY/Star Max/GC Images/Getty Images

Virginias two Democratic senators are likely to block the nomination by refusing to return a so-called blue slip, a process that indicates home-state support for nominees.

Halligan, who previously served as Trumps personal attorney, does not have a blue slip for either Sen. Tim Kaine or Mark Warner, the Senate Judiciary Committees top Democratic, Dick Durbin, told Semafor.

Neither Virginia Democrat has explicitly vowed to block Halligan, but the chances of her receiving a blue slip arent good. Warner said he would meet with her, but that it would be very hard to support her, according to Semafor.

Advertisement Advertisement

A spokesperson for Warner told the Daily Beast that Halligan had not reached out to try to schedule a meeting. The Daily Beast has contacted Kaines office for comment as well.

Failure to return a positive blue slip amounts to an internal veto, because without one, the Senate Judiciary Committee will not move forward with a hearing or recommendation for the nominee.

The White House declined to comment.

On Thursday, Trump raged against the blue slip process in a Truth Social post.

I am hereby asking Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a fantastic guy, to get something done, ideally the termination of Blue Slips, Trump wrote. Too many GREAT REPUBLICANS are being, SENT PACKIN. None are getting approved!!!

Advertisement Advertisement

His tirade came days after another one of his former personal lawyers, Alina Habba, was forced to resign as New Jerseys top prosecutor after an appeals court found that she was serving unlawfully as interim U.S. attorney for the district of New Jersey.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has refused to scrap the blue slip process. / Samuel Corum/Getty Images

By law, interim U.S. attorneys can only serve 120 days without Senate confirmation, unless the federal judiciary agrees to keep them in the position longer.

In Habbas case, a panel of judges voted not to extend her appointment, while in Halligans, the court ruled that her appointment was invalid because her predecessor had already served the 120-day interim period.

Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Thune rejected Trumps call to scrap the blue slip process and insisted that the Senate had approved his nominees at a record rate.

Advertisement Advertisement

This is a procedure thats been in place for a long time, that both Republicans and Democrats support because it gives them some inputparticularly in those judicial appointments that are made in their individual states some input into that decision-making process, the Senate majority leader said in a rare show of GOP pushback.

In the meantime, the Department of Justice has brought in new prosecutors to try to secure grand jury indictments against Comey and James, but has so far failed to convince two grand juries to sign off on charges against James.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) is among the 13 Best Nanotechnology Stocks to Buy Now.

Bernstein Remains Bullish On Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM)

According to TheFly, on December 8, 2025, Bernstein increased its price target for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) from $290 to $330. The firm kept an Outperform rating. The firm raised its projection for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)s chip-on-wafer-on-substrate capacity to 125,000 wafers per month by the end of 2026, noting that it would meet Nvidias specified requirements for the Blackwell and Rubin projects in 2025 and 2026. Additionally, Bernstein anticipated that the companys sales would increase by 20% in 2027 and 23% in fiscal 2026.

On November 25, 2025, Reuters disclosed that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) had sued Wei-Jen Lo, a former senior vice president who had recently joined Intel, in Taiwans Intellectual Property and Commercial Court. The conditions of Los employment contract, the non-compete agreement he signed, and statutes, including the Trade Secrets Act, are the basis for the complaint, according to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM). The company also said that there is a high probability that Lo will use, leak, reveal, or transfer the firms trade secrets and private information to Intel, necessitating legal action. Requests for comment from Intel and Lo were not immediately answered.

Taiwans economy ministry stated that it will keep an eye on potential effects on the market and respect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)s legal action. The ministry further stated that it will assist in establishing whether the case contains violations of the National Security Act or infringement of core technologies. Authorities are also looking into Lo following accusations that he may have given advanced technical data to Intel.

Lo contributed to the mass production of 5-nm, 3-nm, and 2-nm chips during his 21 years at the company. He had previously worked for Intel for eighteen years.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) is the worlds largest dedicated contract chip producer, with a mid-60% market share in 2024. It uses its own IC designs to create integrated circuits for customers. The global shift of semiconductor companies from integrated device manufacturers to fabless designers has long benefited the firm.

The firm bears the expenses and capital investments of operating factories in a highly volatile market, just like any other foundry, for its clients. Foundries frequently build excess capacity during periods of high demand, which can result in underutilization during downturns, reducing profitability.
The Justice Department is dredging up the 2020 presidential election conspiracy.

Attorney General Pam Bondi sued Fulton County officials in Georgia Friday to obtain ballots that were cast in the election. The suit demands that Fulton County turn over all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes, and corresponding envelope digital files.

The suit was filed the same day as the DOJ announced legal action against four more statesColorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Nevadain a sweeping national effort to access sensitive voter data. So far this year, the Trump administration has targeted 18 states, most of them Democratic-led.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its the first such instance in which the Justice Department has requested physical ballots. A pro-voting group described the initiative to Democracy Docket as a terrible overstep of power.

Since Trump first planted the seeds of doubt about the results of the 2020 election, a litany of his allies have continued to tend and water the theoryso much so that within a handful of years, refusing to admit that Trump ever lost to Joe Biden had become a fealty test for MAGA membership.

But there is no doubtTrump lost that election by a landslide, coming up short by 38 electoral votes. More evidence that Trump did not win includes the fact that he was not inaugurated in 2021, and did not serve a day as president until he succeeded in 2024.

But for anyone still in doubt, know that the theory has been thoroughly debunked by the presidents own appointees. Trumps last attorney general, Bill Barr, announced in 2022 that despite an intensive, multi-agency investigation, no evidence of widespread fraud had been discovered that supported the presidents wild claims.

Advertisement Advertisement

But the theoryand Trumps innumerable cadre of yes-menpersist.

At this Department of Justice, we will not permit states to jeopardize the integrity and effectiveness of elections by refusing to abide by our federal elections laws, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement. If states will not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will.
President Donald Trump ended his speech at the White House Congressional Ball with what sounded like a nod to a never-ending presidency.

The president again hinted at his wish to remain beyond the end of his second term, having previously told reporters he would love a third term.

At the moment, that would mean breaking the Constitutions term limit laws in the 22nd Amendment.

Have a great Christmas, a great Hanukkah, and a fantastic year, he told attendees at the ball as first lady Melania Trump stood at his side. Were going to have a great three years, four years, 10 years, were going to make it great. Our countrys going to be strong, safe, rich, its going to be great. Were going to make America great again!

Advertisement Advertisement

He also made waves in October with a video posted to Truth Social that showed him ruling for thousands of years, all the way up to the year 90,000 and beyond, ending with a sign that simply read, TRUMP 4EVA.

The president was joined by first lady Melania Trump during his speech at the White House Congressional Ball on Thursday. / Alex Wong/Getty Images

The presidents official merch store even began selling Trump 2028 hats in April, encouraging supporters to make a statement by wearing them.

Others in Trumps orbit have also hinted at a potential circumvention of the 22nd Amendment, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who said in November that he was in talks with one of the top constitutional lawyers in the U.S. about the potential paths to a third Trump term.

As he works through this, his quote to me is Bannon, you can drive a Mack truck through the 22nd Amendment, Bannon recounted on his War Room podcast, adding, So, suck on that.

Trump has frequently said he would like to serve a third term. / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Bannon also told The Economist in an October interview that there were many different alternatives to overcoming the 22nd Amendment.

Advertisement Advertisement

At the appropriate time, well lay out what the plan is, but theres a plan and President Trump will be the president in 28, Bannon said.

Others, like former DOGE head Elon Musk, have also expressed support for continued MAGA control of the White House, albeit with Vice President JD Vance taking over in 2028 instead. Polling currently has Vance leading the pack of preferred potential nominees for 2028, although his lead is shrinking.

Polling released earlier this month found that among voters who backed Trump in 2024, 45 percent oppose the president running for a third term in 2028, and 43 percent support the idea.

But among all Americans, just 21 percent are in favor of a third Trump term.
President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he is pardoning Tina Peters, a former county clerk in Colorado who has promoted false claims about the 2020 election and was convicted last year in connection with a voting system's security breach.

Trump's pardon is largely symbolic since Peters, who is now in prison, was convicted of state crimes, which are not shielded by presidential pardon powers.

Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Advertisement Advertisement

Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the crime of demanding Honest Elections. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election! he added.

Peters was convicted last year of four felony and three misdemeanor charges in connection with the breach in Mesa County. She was sentenced to nine years in prison.

The Associated Press reported Monday that a federal judge turned down Peters request to leave prison while she appeals her conviction.

In a statement after Trump's post, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said, The idea that a president could pardon someone tried and convicted in state court has no precedent in American law, would be an outrageous departure from what our constitution requires, and will not hold up.

Advertisement Advertisement

Peters was convicted in connection with using another persons security badge to allow someone associated with MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, a prominent election denier and Trump ally, access to county election equipment involving Dominion Voting Systems.

Earlier Thursday, Lindell announced that he will run for governor of Minnesota next year.

Trump last month offered similarly symbolic pardons to his former attorney Rudy Giuliani and 76 other people who have been tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, including attorneys Sidney Powell, John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, as well as his former chief of staff Mark Meadows.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
President Trump said Thursday evening he is granting a pardon to Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk who is serving a nine-year state sentence for allowing unauthorized access to voting machines  even though the president's pardon power is widely understood to only apply to federal crimes.

"Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest," the president claimed on Truth Social, though Peters was prosecuted by an elected Republican district attorney. "Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the 'crime' of demanding Honest Elections."

Mr. Trump claimed Peters was trying to "expose Voter Fraud" in 2020. The president has long insisted, without evidence, that he lost the 2020 race due to fraud, claims that were promoted by Peters, a onetime candidate for Colorado secretary of state.

Advertisement Advertisement

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement Thursday that "Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers for state crimes in a state Court. Trump has no constitutional authority to pardon her. His assault is not just on our democracy, but on states' rights and the American constitution."

"One of the most basic principles of our constitution is that states have independent sovereignty and manage our own criminal justice systems without interference from the federal government," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a separate statement. "The idea that a president could pardon someone tried and convicted in state court has no precedent in American law, would be an outrageous departure from what our constitution requires, and will not hold up."

A former Mesa County clerk, Peters was convicted in state court last year on seven charges, including three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. She was sentenced in October 2024.

Tina Peters / Credit: Mesa County

Prosecutors have alleged that in 2021, Peters and others "devised and executed a deceptive scheme" to cause an unauthorized person to access Mesa County voting machines. Images from the county's voting equipment later showed up online. Prosecutors said that Peters  who was aligned with national figures who have falsely claimed that voting machines were rigged in 2020  became "fixated" on alleged voting problems.

Advertisement Advertisement

At a sentencing hearing late last year, Judge Matthew Barrett called Peters a "charlatan" and "as defiant as a defendant as this court has ever seen." Peters has denied wrongdoing, and she insisted before her sentencing that she had "never done anything with malice to break the law."

Earlier this week, a federal magistrate judge rejected Peters' request to be released while she appeals her conviction.

"Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican District Attorney and in a Republican county of Colorado and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws including criminal impersonation," Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Thursday. "No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions. This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders."

Mr. Trump has taken an interest in Peters' case, warning in August that he would take "harsh measures" if she wasn't let out of state custody. The Federal Bureau of Prisons asked the state of Colorado last month to transfer her to federal custody, drawing pushback from state officials and calls for Polis to deny the request.

Advertisement Advertisement

Meanwhile, an attorney representing Peters argued in a letter last week that Mr. Trump may have the power to pardon the former Mesa County clerk.

Under the Constitution, the president's pardon power applies to "Offences against the United States," which is almost universally understood not to include state crimes. But Peters' lawyer, Peter Ticktin, laid out a theory that the power could extend to the states. Ticktin acknowledged that the issue "has never been raised in any court."

In a statement late Thursday, Ticktin thanked Mr. Trump and argued that Peters "needs to be released while the issues are being resolved," including while courts weigh whether she should be released due to the president's pardon.

"I am greatly thankful for President Trump," Ticktin said in an email to CBS News. "He has always been true to his beliefs and continues to fight against injustice. God bless our President."

Advertisement Advertisement

CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.

Mr. Trump has intervened on behalf of others who back his false election fraud claims. Shortly after his inauguration in January, Mr. Trump offered pardons or commutations to everybody convicted in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

The president also granted pardons last month to dozens of people accused in state court of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, including "alternate state electors" and his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Erika Kirk has one word for Candace Owens as she spreads conspiracy theories

Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore detained by police after firing

"Survivor" contestant on mission to prove his sister was murdered
President Trump predicted that Indiana state Senate Republican Leader Rodric Bray will lose his next primary following a failed vote in the chamber to pass a GOP-favored House map on Thursday.

I heard he was against it. Hell probably lose his next primary whenever that is. I hope he does because hes done a tremendous disservice, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday when asked about the chambers rejection of the map.

Bray is not up for reelection until 2028.

Advertisement Advertisement

The presidents comments came shortly after the upper chamber voted against the map on a 19-31 vote. The vote represents a clear act of defiance against Trump, who has been pushing for Republican state legislatures to redistrict in an effort to boost the party ahead of next years midterm elections.

The result was not completely unexpected given that various Indiana Republicans had voiced skepticism about redrawing the map.

Trumps allies immediately hit back against the vote, saying they would follow through on that threat to challenge GOP holdouts.

The spineless RINOs in Indiana, many hailing from districts where President Trump won by over 20% just last November have stabbed their own voters in the back and sold out America! Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz wrote on the social platform X, responding to the vote.

Advertisement Advertisement

Well be launching primary challenges against every last traitor who voted no, effective immediately! Pack your bags, your time is up!

Speaking to reporters, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said it was disappointing but added he was very, very bullish about next years elections despite Indianas rejection of a new map.

We have better candidates, better message, and we have a lot to show the people, so well continue our momentum, he said.

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 The Hill.
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday said he granted "a full Pardon" to election denier Tina Peters who was convicted for helping outsiders illegally breach voting machine security, though Colorado officials say he has no power to do so for state crimes.

Peters, a 70-year-old former Mesa County, Colo., clerk, is serving a nine-year prison sentence. She was convicted in August 2024 of attempting to influence a public servant and criminal impersonation for aiding an unauthorized person in copying voting-machine hard-drive data during a 2021 software update.

That data, including sensitive election-system information, was later leaked online by election-fraud conspiracy theorists who claimed it proved Trump's Big Lie that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.

Advertisement Advertisement

While maintaining the unfounded claim that the 2020 election was stolen, Trump has been a vocal supporter of the effort to secure Peters' release, describing Peters as a pro-democracy activist.

"Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the 'crime' of demanding Honest Elections," Trump said Thursday evening in a post to his Truth Social account.

"Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!"

Colorado state officials have been adamant amid Trump's demands for Peters' release that he does not have the authority to pardon her, as she was convicted on state charges.

Advertisement Advertisement

"Tina Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican District Attorney and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws, including criminal impersonation," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Thursday in response to Trump's announcement.

"No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions," Polis continued. "This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders."

Trump has feuded with Polis, a Democrat, over Peters' incarceration, calling the governor a "SLEAZEBAG" earlier this month on Truth Social for refusing "to allow an elderly woman, Tina Peters, who was unfairly convicted of what the Democrats do, cheating on Elections, out of jail!"

Trump's declaration of Peters' pardon came hours after her lawyer, Peter Ticktin, announced he had formally asked Trump to pardon his client, whom he called "a necessary witness in exposing election misconduct."

Advertisement Advertisement

"Tina Peters is rightfully in Colorado state prison," Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said in a statement on X on Thursday.

"Trump's corrupt and political attempts at a pardon won't work here. Once again, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

Since returning to the White House, Trump has used his powers to issue pardons to many of those connected to the effort to overturn the 2020 election who were convicted on federal charges, including the more than 1,500 people who stormed Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
President Trump on Thursday pardoned former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted of election interference in state court in August 2024.

Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the crime of demanding Honest Elections, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Today I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!

Presidents do not have the power to overturn state convictions through pardons. Trump has for months pressured Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) to free Peters, threatening harsh measures if he doesnt.

Advertisement Advertisement

The former clerk was found guilty on seven counts, including four felonies for election interference. She was sentenced to nine years in prison, where her lawyers say she has been the subject of numerous attacks.

This lightweight Governor, who has allowed his State to go to hell (Tren de Aragua, anyone?), should be ashamed of himself, Trump wrote online early this month.

FREE TINA!

The Trump administration and Federal Bureau of Prisons sent a letter to the Colorado Department of Corrections last month seeking to transfer Peters from state to federal custody. The request was ultimately denied.

Advertisement Advertisement

Earlier this month, the president urged state leaders to release Peters, noting she is a cancer survivor.

Prosecutors allege the ex-election official stole a county employees security badge to help a man access the voting systems in May 2021 to assist MyPillow CEO Mike Lindells false claims about the 2020 presidential election.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) says Trumps pardon undermines the state judicial system.

Our system of government gives states authority to run their own criminal justice systems. As you noted, there was a trial, there was a conviction by a jury, theres an appeal to the state courts, he said during an appearance on the local NBC affiliate station 9Newss Next with Kyle Clark..

Advertisement Advertisement

All that is happening under the rule of law, he added. This president doesnt respect the rule of law, but he doesnt have authority to undermine how we operate our judicial system here in Colorado.

Updated at 9:13 a.m. EST

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 The Hill.
By Andrea Shalal, Jody Godoy and Courtney Rozen

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will withhold federal broadband funding from states whose laws to regulate artificial intelligence are judged by his administration to be holding back American dominance in the technology."We want to have one central source of approval," Trump told reporters, flanked by top advisers, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, arguing that 50 different regulatory regimes hamper the growth of the nascent industry.

"To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation," the order said, adding that the current patchwork of different regulatory regimes made compliance more challenging, especially for start-ups.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump has embraced AI as a critical technology, working closely with U.S. companies to boost investment in a sector where China has also made great strides. But critics worry that unfettered development could leave Americans vulnerable.

The order also reflects the Trump administration's broader attack against anti-discrimination efforts, taking aim at states such as Colorado that have sought to prevent discriminatory language from being embedded in AI models. Such efforts could result in "ideological bias" and produce false results, it said.

FEDERAL FUNDING THREATENED

The order will give the Trump administration tools to push back on the most "onerous" state regulations, said White House AI adviser David Sacks. The administration will not oppose rules governing AI that relate to child safety, he added.

Advertisement Advertisement

It directs the Secretary of Commerce to evaluate state laws for conflicts with Trump's AI priorities and to block those states in conflict from accessing the $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment fund.

Democratic Representative Don Beyer, who co-chairs a bipartisan caucus on AI, said the order would squelch safety reforms passed by states and create "a lawless Wild West environment for AI companies that puts Americans at risk."

He warned that the order would reduce the likelihood of congressional action and likely violated the 10th Amendment, which says that any powers not specifically given to the federal government belong to the states or the people.

Trump's order called for his administration to work with Congress to craft a national standard that forbids state laws which conflict with federal policy, protects children, prevents censorship, respects copyrights and protects communities.

Advertisement Advertisement

Until such a standard was in place, the order called for actions to "check the most onerous and excessive laws emerging from the states that threaten to stymie innovation".

NUMEROUS STATE LAWS IN PLACE

Major AI players including ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz have said the federal government, not states, should regulate the industry.

Yet state leaders from both major political parties have said they need the power to put guardrails around AI, particularly as Congress has consistently failed to pass laws governing the tech industry.

Advertisement Advertisement

New York state last month became the first to enact a law requiring online retailers that employ "surveillance pricing" to disclose their use of algorithms and customers' personal data. California and lawmakers in Washington are considering bans on such methods, which are also known as "personalized pricing."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has proposed an AI bill of rights that includes data privacy, parental controls and consumer protections.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose state is home to several major AI companies, signed off on a bill this year requiring major AI developers to explain plans to mitigate potential catastrophic risks.

Other states have passed laws banning AI-generated non-consensual sexual imagery and unauthorized political deepfakes.

(Reporting by Courtney Rozen and Andrea Shalal in Washington and Jody Godoy in New York; Additional reporting by Gram Slattery in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed and Stephen Coates)
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at blocking states from crafting their own regulations for artificial intelligence, saying the burgeoning industry is at risk of being stifled by a patchwork of onerous rules while in a battle with Chinese competitors for supremacy.

Members of Congress from both parties, as well as civil liberties and consumer rights groups, have pushed for more regulations on AI, saying there is not enough oversight for the powerful technology.

But Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that there's only going to be one winner as nations race to dominate artificial intelligence, and China's central government gives its companies a single place to go for government approvals.

Advertisement Advertisement

We have the big investment coming, but if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it because its impossible to do, Trump said.

The executive order directs the Attorney General to create a new task force to challenge state laws, and directs the Commerce Department to draw up a list of problematic regulations.

It also threatens to restrict funding from a broadband deployment program and other grant programs to states with AI laws.

David Sacks, a venture capitalist with extensive AI investments who is leading Trump's policies on cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, said the Trump administration would only push back on the most onerous examples of state regulation but would not oppose kid safety measures.

Advertisement Advertisement

What states have proposed

Four states  Colorado, California, Utah and Texas  have passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Those laws include limiting the collection of certain personal information and requiring more transparency from companies.

The laws are in response to AI that already pervades everyday life. The technology helps make consequential decisions for Americans, including who gets a job interview, an apartment lease, a home loan and even certain medical care. But research has shown that it can make mistakes in those decisions, including by prioritizing a particular gender or race.

Advertisement Advertisement

States more ambitious AI regulation proposals require private companies to provide transparency and assess the possible risks of discrimination from their AI programs.

Beyond those more sweeping rules, many states have regulated parts of AI: barring the use of deepfakes in elections and to create nonconsensual porn, for example, or putting rules in place around the governments own use of AI.
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday night that limits states' ability to regulate artificial intelligence companies.

The order is designed "to sustain and enhance the United States' global AI dominance through a minimally burdensome national policy framework for AI," according to a release on the White House website.

"To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation," the order says. "But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative."

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump has been a strong proponent of U.S. leadership in AI development, and said at the executive order signing ceremony Thursday night that AI companies "want to be in the United States, and they want to do it here, and we have big investment coming. But if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you could forget it."

The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to establish an "AI Litigation Task Force" within 30 days whose "sole responsibility shall be to challenge State AI laws" that don't align with the Trump administration's minimal approach to regulation.

It could also revise existing state laws, and directs Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to identify state laws that "require AI models to alter their truthful outputs," which aligns with Trump's efforts to prevent what he describes as "woke AI."

Trump has also used federal funding as an incentive to encourage states with such laws not to enforce them. Under terms of the executive order, federal AI law would preempt state regulations. State AI laws designed to protect children would not be affected.

Advertisement Advertisement

The executive order comes after congress voted in July and November against creating a similar policy.

Critics of the plan created by the executive order call it an attempt to block meaningful regulation on AI and say congress is not equipped to replace state-specific laws with a single, nationwide standard.

Tech companies have been supportive of efforts to limit the power of states to regulate AI. The executive order marks a victory for tech companies like Google and OpenAI, which have launched campaigns through a super PAC, and have as much as $100 million to spend in an effort to shape the outcome of next year's midterm elections.

The order is also seen as a move to thwart Democrat-led states such as California and New York from exerting state laws over AI development
With a market cap of $15.5 billion, Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY) is a leading multinational specialty retailer of consumer electronics, appliances, and related services. Operating in the United States and Canada, the company serves customers through various brands such as Best Buy, Geek Squad, Lively, and Pacific Kitchen and Home.

Companies valued at more than $10 billion are generally considered large-cap stocks, and Best Buy fits this criterion perfectly. Best Buy offers a wide range of products and services through its physical stores and online platforms, including technology solutions, home essentials, and health-focused offerings.

More News from Barchart

Shares of the Richfield, Minnesota-based company have declined 19.2% from its 52-week high of $91.68. Over the past three months, its shares have decreased 5.5%, lagging behind the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF's (XRT) marginal drop during the same period.

www.barchart.com

Longer term, BBY stock is down 13.6% on a YTD basis, underperforming XRT's 10.4% gain. Moreover, shares of the consumer electronics retailer have dipped 14.9% over the past 52 weeks, compared to XRTs 4.2% rise over the same time frame.

Yet, it has risen above its 200-day moving average since late September.

www.barchart.com

Shares of Best Buy jumped 5.3% on Nov. 25 because the company delivered better-than-expected Q3 2026 results, including adjusted EPS of $1.40 and revenue of $9.67 billion. Investors also reacted positively to enterprise comparable-sales growth of 2.7%, driven by strength in computing, gaming, and mobile phones. Confidence grew further after the company raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $6.25 - $6.35.

However, BBY stock has performed weaker than its rival, Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA). ULTA stock has returned 38.1% YTD and 45.8% over the past 52 weeks.

Despite BBY stocks underperformance, analysts remain moderately optimistic about its prospects. The stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from 24 analysts in coverage, and the mean price target of $83.68 is a premium of 11.8% to current levels.

On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal 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
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump said he hopes the top Republican in the Indiana state Senate loses his next primary after Indiana rejected a Trump-backed congressional redistricting plan.

Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Dec. 11, called out by name Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, who was among 21 Republican senators who voted to defeat the redistricting bill in the GOP-controlled Senate.

"Hell probably lose his next primary, whenever that is," Trump said. "I hope he does, because hes done a tremendous disservice."

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump added that he will "certainly support anybody that wants to go against him." Bray, who represents a district southwest of Indianapolis, is up for reelection in 2028.

The Indiana Senate's 31-19 vote to kill the redistricting bill marks a major setback to Trump's mid-decade gerrymandering strategy for Republicans to hold on to control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections. The bill sought to create two new Republican districts, which would have given the GOP control of all nine of the state's congressional districts.

More: Indiana lawmakers reject new congressional maps amid Trump pressuring

Nevertheless, Trump downplayed the results and tried to minimize his involvement. Leading up to the vote, Trump publicly tried to pressure Republicans to support the bill and even dispatched Vice President JD Vance to the Hoosier State.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I wasn't working on it very hard. Would have been nice," Trump said, later adding, "I wasn't very much involved."

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he signs an executive order on AI in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. December 11, 2025.

More: Supreme Court lets Texas use congressional map favored by Trump

Trump was unable to convince enough Republican Indiana senators to approve the redistricting plan even though the GOP has a supermajority in the chamber. The 21 Republicans who voted against the bill outnumbered the 19 Republicans who voted for it.

Trump ignited a nationwide redistricting battle during the summer when he convinced Texas Republicans they urgently needed to draw a new congressional map, even though there was no new census data prompting such a move.

Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray looks around the room Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, during Org Day, the ceremonial first day of the 2026 legislative session, at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.

California voters then overwhelmingly approved a move to redraw their maps, billing the measure as a means of negating Texas' gains by adding five blue-leaning districts. Other states, controlled by Republicans and Democrats, have also initiated recent redistricting efforts.

Advertisement Advertisement

"It's a great place. I love the people. They love me. We won in a landslide all three times. We got tremendous votes  I got record votes," Trump said of Indiana, before returning to his disappointment with Republican senators who voted against the bill. "There's no reason for doing that. And the Democrats do it to us."

Contributing: Terry Collins of USA TODAY

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump targets Indiana GOP leader after redistricting plan is killed
If Indiana Republican senators had any doubt about what to do with President Donald Trump's redistricting proposal, he helped them make up their minds the night before this week's vote.

In a social media screed, Trump accused the state's top senator of being a bad guy, or a very stupid one."

That kind of language doesnt help, said Sen. Travis Holdman, a banker and lawyer from near Fort Wayne who voted against the plan.

Advertisement Advertisement

He was among 21 Republican senators who dealt Trump one of the most significant political defeats of his second term by rejecting redistricting in Indiana. The decision undermined the president's national campaign to redraw congressional maps to boost his party's chances in the upcoming midterm elections.

In interviews after Thursday's vote, several Republican senators said they were leaning against the plan from the start because their constituents didn't like it. But in a Midwest nice rebuttal to America's increasingly coarse political discourse, some said they simply didn't like the president's tone, like when he called senators suckers.

I mean, thats pretty nasty, said Sen. Jean Leising, a farm owner from Oldenburg who works at her daughters travel agency.

Trump didn't seem to get the message. Asked about the vote, the president once again took aim at Indiana's top senator, Rodric Bray.

Advertisement Advertisement

Hell probably lose his next primary, whenever that is," Trump said. "I hope he does, because hes done a tremendous disservice.

Sen. Sue Glick, an attorney from La Grange who also opposed redistricting, brushed off Trump's threat to unseat lawmakers who defied him.

I would think he would have better things to do, she said. It would be money better spent electing the individuals he wants to represent his agenda in Congress.

Trump struggled to get traction in Indiana

The president tried to brush off the defeat, telling reporters he wasnt working on it very hard."

But the White House had spent months engaged in what Republican Sen. Andy Zay described as a full-court press.

Advertisement Advertisement

Vice President JD Vance met with senators twice in Indiana and once in Washington. White House aides frequently checked in over the phone.

Holdman said the message behind the scenes was often more soothing than Trump's social media attacks.

We were getting mixed messages," he said. Two days before the vote, they wanted to declare a truce on Sen. Bray. And the next day, theres a post on Truth Social that didnt sound like truce language to me.

Some of Trump's other comments caused backlash too. For example, he described Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as retarded, which upset Sen. Mike Bohacek because his daughter has Down syndrome. Bohacek had been skeptical of redistricting and decided to vote no in response.

Advertisement Advertisement

The White House did not respond to questions about outreach to senators, but it distanced itself from conservative allies who claimed Trump had threatened to withhold money from the state.

"President Trump loves the great state of Indiana," said spokesman Davis Ingle, who insisted Trump "has never threatened to cut federal funding and its 100% fake news to claim otherwise.

Regardless, Trump had struggled to get traction despite months of pressure.

Holdman said he turned down an invitation to the White House last month because he had a scheduling conflict.

Plus, by then it was a little too late, he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Leising said she missed a call from a White House official the day before a vote while she was in a committee meeting. She didn't try to call back because she wasn't going to change her mind.

Mitch Daniels, a former Indiana governor and a Republican, had a straightforward explanation for what happened.

Folks in our state dont react well to being bullied, he said.

Daniels successor as governor, Mike Pence, fielded calls from senators during the redistricting debate, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity to disclose private conversations.

The person declined to describe Pences advice. Pence has been at odds with Trump ever since he, while serving as his vice president, refused to help Trump overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden on Jan. 6, 2021.

Advertisement Advertisement

Senators said their voters didn't want new districts

Some Republicans lashed out at senators for defying Trump.

"His life was threatened  and he was nearly assassinated," Indiana Lieutenant Gov. Micah Beckwith wrote on social media. All for what? So that Indiana politicians could grow timid.

The message to the president, Beckwith said, was go to hell.

But senators who opposed redistricting said they were just listening to their constituents. Some believed the unusual push to redraw districts was the equivalent of political cheating. Others didn't like that Washington was telling Indiana what to do.

Advertisement Advertisement

The proposed map would have divided Indianapolis into four pieces, grafting pieces of the city onto other districts to dilute the influence of Democratic voters. But in small towns near the borders with Kentucky and Ohio, residents feared the state's biggest metropolitan area would gain influence at their expense.

Constituents just didnt want it, Holdman said.

During Thursday's vote on the Senate floor, some Republicans seemed torn about their decision.

Sen. Greg Goode, who is from Terre Haute, said he had spoken twice to Trump on the phone while weighing the redistricting plan. He declared his love for the president but decried over-the-top pressure.

Advertisement Advertisement

Goode said he wouldn't vote for the proposal.

Im confident my vote reflects the will of my constituents," he said.

____ Beamont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan.
President Donald Trump finally admitted Tuesday night that he referred to some countries, including heavily Black ones, as shithole countries back in 2018.

The first striking thing about that is that hes effectively admitting that he and some prominent Republicans were extremely dishonest about the episode.

Trump claimed at the time that this was not the language used. A pair of GOP senators who were present at the closed-door meeting where he reportedly made the comment said they didnt recall him using such language. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said Trump offered no such sentiment. Then-Sen. David Perdue of Georgia said Trump did not use that word and called it a gross misrepresentation.

Advertisement Advertisement

Its not exactly news that Trump lies, but it is something to see him basically admit to a lie and to throw some allies who had vouched for him (and volunteered their own credibility) under the bus. And that should not get lost here.

(Neither the offices of Cotton nor Perdue, who now serves as Trumps ambassador to China, responded to a request for comment.)

But perhaps the more significant point in all of this is what it says about Trumps second term.

When he was reported to have said this during his first term, it was an international incident and even drew some harsh responses from Republicans.

Advertisement Advertisement

But this week, during remarks in Pennsylvania when he confirmed he said it  and layered it with even more xenophobia  it was just a Tuesday.

Indeed, Republicans and others seem to have largely given up on policing Trumps xenophobic rhetoric, and he is now, perhaps not coincidentally, dispatching it much more liberally.

As with much of the presidents agenda, things that were shocking in the first term are commonplace and seemingly unremarkable today. He has pushed the envelope just that far. The frog has been boiled.

Trump didnt just confirm the shithole countries remark Tuesday night. (The context was about taking fewer immigrants from countries like Somalia and Haiti and more from countries like Norway, Sweden and Demark, which happen to be among the Whitest countries in the world.) He also unleashed a torrent of even uglier remarks.

Advertisement Advertisement

He called Somalia filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime. He referred to Rep. Ilhan Omars headscarf as a little turban and encouraged the crowd to chant send her back to Somalia.

And all of this came just a week after Trump called Somalis garbage and said he didnt want them in the United States.

These episodes both carry echoes of his first term, but they were treated much differently back then, including by Trump.

For instance, when Trump in 2019 suggested that members of the so-called Democratic Squad like Omar should go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came, it was widely condemned by Republicans. Some even called it racist.

Advertisement Advertisement

Just days later, when Trumps supporters did the send her back chant about Omar, Trump claimed he disagreed with it. He tried to suggest he wasnt actually advocating for sending these members back, just making a friendly suggestion.

But this week, he egged on those chants, punctuating his Omar diatribe by saying, She should get the hell out. Throw her the hell out.

A big difference is the way the GOP has responded. Back in Trumps first term, while Cotton and Perdue did the president a solid on shithole countries, other Republicans didnt toe the line.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, for example, obliquely confirmed the remark at the time and signaled that he had reprimanded Trump for it in real time. Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolinas other senator and the only Black Republican in the Senate, said that if accurate, the comment is incredibly disappointing. More than 20 Republican senators expressed disappointment, to one extent or another.

Advertisement Advertisement

When a CNN reporter back then pressed Trump on the remarks at a later event, Trump declared, I want [immigrants] to come in from everywhere.

Now, hes not even pretending thats true anymore. Trumps not just referring to shithole countries; hes proposing a ban on immigration from all Third World countries in the wake of a shooting in Washington, DC, that killed one National Guard member and critically wounded another.

Its a shift even from the 2024 campaign. When comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage at a Trump rally late in the race, the Trump campaign distanced itself. Now the president is openly calling countries he doesnt like garbage.

And perhaps the most telling aspect of the GOPs evolution on this involves Vice President JD Vance.

Advertisement Advertisement

Long before he was Trumps vice presidential pick, Vance was a Trump-skeptical Republican. And one of his biggest issues with Trump was  or at least seemed to be  how he talked about immigrants.

Trump makes people I care about afraid. Immigrants, Muslims, etc., Vance posted on Twitter in 2016. Because of this I find him reprehensible. God wants better of us.

By late in the 2024 campaign, though, Vance played a leading role in spreading baseless claims about Haitian migrants eating pets, even while freely admitting the stories might not be true. Some local Republicans objected, but the party was largely silent in the heat of the campaign.

And last week, as Trump engaged in arguably his ugliest comments yet  at least before Tuesday night  about sending garbage immigrants back to their countries, Vance banged on the table in apparent approval.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
President Donald Trump is considering an executive order aimed at easing federal marijuana restrictions, according to reports by The Washington Post and CNBC, in a move that would make it easier to access a drug that already is legal in many states.

The executive order would instruct federal agencies to pursue classifying marijuana as a less dangerous substance, according to the Post. Trump could issue the order next week, CNBC reported.

"No final decisions have been made on the rescheduling of marijuana," a White House official told USA TODAY.

Advertisement Advertisement

Marijuana currently is classified by the federal government as a Schedule I drug, which the Drug Enforcement Administration describes as a substance with no "medical use and a high potential for abuse." Schedule 1 drugs are considered the most dangerous. They include heroin, LSD and ecstasy.

Trump said in August that he is "looking at reclassification" of marijuana, noting the issue has supporters and detractors.

President Donald Trump looks at the crowd upon his arrival to deliver remarks on the economy at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2025. President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd at an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Dec. 9, 2025 in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. Trump discussed his administrations economic agenda and its efforts to lower the cost of living. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Dec. 9, 2025, in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. Trump discussed his administration's economic agenda and its efforts to lower the cost of living. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Dec. 9, 2025, in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. Trump discussed his administration's economic agenda and its efforts to lower the cost of living. President Donald Trump enters to deliver remarks during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Dec. 9, 2025 in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. President Trump was discussing his administration's economic agenda and its efforts to lower the cost of living. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Dec. 9, 2025, in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. President Trump was discussing his administration's economic agenda and its efforts to lower the cost of living. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Dec. 9, 2025, in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. Trump discussed his administration's economic agenda and its efforts to lower the cost of living. Attendees wait for the arrival of US President Donald Trump to deliver remarks on the economy at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2025. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the economy at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2025. President Donald Trump cheers attendees upon his arrival to deliver remarks on the economy at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2025. Trump touts economic agenda, promises lower prices at Pennsylvania rally 1 of 10 President Donald Trump looks at the crowd upon his arrival to deliver remarks on the economy at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2025.

"Some people like it, some people hate it. Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana," he said.

Trump has taken an aggressive approach to drug enforcement during his second term, most notably with military strikes against alleged drug vessels off the coast of Venezuela. His stance on marijuana has been less restrictive, though. During the 2024 campaign, Trump supported a ballot measure, which ultimately failed, that would have legalized the drug in the state of Florida.

Advertisement Advertisement

"I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use," Trump said in his statement about the Florida ballot initiative.

Marijuana is legal for medical or recreational use in 45 states and 64% of Americans supported legalization in a Gallup survey from October, up from 36% two decades ago. Support for legalization has dipped recently among Republicans, though, Gallup found.

Trump spoke to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Dec. 10 about reclassifying marijuana and the congressional leader was resistant to the idea, the Post reported.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Congressional Ball at the Grand Foyer of the White House on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted congressional members at the White House to celebrate the holiday season.

Marijuana would not become legal at the federal level if the drug were reclassified, but it would make it easier for the industry to operate and for research to be conducted on the drug.

Advertisement Advertisement

Former President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to review marijuana's classification in 2022, and the next year HHS called for listing marijuana as Schedule III, which the DEA describes as "drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence." The Biden administration in 2024 proposed a rule to reschedule marijuana, but it has been on hold since March.

Contributing: Sarah Wire, Joey Garrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump considering reclassifying marijuana at federal level
By Daniel Wiessner

Dec 12 (Reuters) - California and 19 other U.S. states filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to block President Donald Trump's $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

The lawsuit in federal court in Boston is at least the third to challenge the fee announced by Trump in September, which dramatically raises the cost of obtaining H-1B visas. Currently, employers typically pay between $2,000 and $5,000 in fees.

Advertisement Advertisement

California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office said in a release that Trump lacks the power to impose the fee and that it violates federal law, which allows immigration authorities to collect only fees necessary to cover the cost of administering visa programs.

The H-1B program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields. The tech industry, with many companies headquartered in California, is particularly reliant on workers who receive the visas.

Bonta, a Democrat, said the $100,000 fee would create unnecessary financial burdens for providers of vital services such as education and healthcare, exacerbating labor shortages and threatening to cut services.

The states joining California in the lawsuit include New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey and Washington.

Advertisement Advertisement

The White House, in response to other lawsuits, has said the new fee is a lawful exercise of Trump's powers and will discourage employers from abusing the H-1B program.

Critics of H-1B visas and other work visas say they are often used to replace American workers with foreign employees who will work for less. But business groups and major companies have maintained that workers on H-1B visas are a critical means to address a shortage of qualified American workers.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the country's largest business lobby, and a coalition of unions, employers and religious groups have filed separate lawsuits challenging the fee. A judge in Washington, D.C., is set to hold a hearing in the Chamber's lawsuit next week.

Trump's order bars new H-1B recipients from entering the United States unless the employer sponsoring their visa has made the $100,000 payment. The administration has said the order does not apply to existing H-1B holders or those who applied before September 21.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump in the order invoked his power under federal immigration law to restrict the entry of certain foreign nationals that would be detrimental to U.S. interests.

Bonta's office said on Friday the $100,000 fee far exceeds the cost of processing H-1B petitions, rendering it unlawful. It added the U.S. Constitution bars Trump from unilaterally imposing fees to generate revenue for the United States, a job that is reserved for Congress.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Chizu Nomiyama and Aurora Ellis)
Flint families meet Dr. Mona Hanna and Luke Shaefer at a July 31, 2023 press conference announcing $16.5 million in funding for the Rx Kids initiative. | Photo courtesy of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health at Michigan State University

The abrupt cuts approved Wednesday to state agency work project spending have been called everything from cruel to wholly unorthodox, but for the organizations that would have relied on the slashed $645 million in negotiated funding to fulfill vital services for Michigan residents, the move feels like an outright devaluation of their work.

One of those organizations is the Lansing-based Small Talk Childrens Advocacy Center, a nonprofit that helps children receive coordinated services during child sexual and violent abuse investigations across mid-Michigan. Their work includes offering no-cost therapy services for children to address the trauma theyve experienced, as well as adult prevention education and other programs.

Advertisement Advertisement

In an interview with Michigan Advance, Alex Brace, the organizations executive director, news of the slashed funding brought confusion, distrust and a feeling like their important work didnt matter to a select set of leaders in the state Legislature.

There was a time when organizations like ours did not exist and werent here to serve kids who needed help when they have been exposed to sexual and physical violence, Brace said. To know that this is being cast aside is quite frustrating, to say the least.  I feel like there was a devaluing of the work that we do, that we know is critical and incredibly important to our community and to the children that we serve.

GOP members of the House Appropriations Committee, who control the majority, voted along party lines to employ a little-used provision in the Management and Budget Act that allows either House or Senate appropriators to disapprove any newly requested work projects. The vote allowed the committee, chaired by state Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township), to cut more than a half-billion dollars in current work project spending already approved by the Legislature for the 2025-26 fiscal year budget, which was signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Agency work projects have long been a target for Bollin, but especially Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township), who began threatening the funding early in the budget negotiations that ended in October after a temporary government shutdown.

One major point of controversy, aside from the size of the cuts and their impacts, was the fact that the House committee did not debate or hear testimony prior to voting. Members of the the House Democratic Caucus, and some members of the House Republican Caucus, spent the last few days sounding off on Hall and Bollin for pulling the rug out from pre-negotiated legislative spending and before some of the organizations could be allocated or reimbursed with the funding.

Advertisement Advertisement

There was an open question on Thursday about whether Whitmer opposed Hall and Bollins actions due to the silence from the governor and her office after the vote took place on Wednesday. On late Thursday afternoon, Whitmers office issued a statement denouncing the cuts.

The actions taken by House Republicans will kill jobs and raise costs for Michigan families  just days before the Christmas holiday, Whitmer press secretary Stacey LaRouche told Gongwer News Service, a Lansing-based political newsletter. Even Ebenezer Scrooge wouldnt dream of such cruel cuts, like eliminating support for students in Flint impacted by the water crisis and survivors of child sexual assault.

Yet, as Gongwer noted, Whitmer herself did not issue a direct statement. Still, the governor laid the blame at the feet of Hall and his caucus.

In contrast, Senate Democrats are working to solve problems by passing legislation that makes it easier for workers to find jobs and for companies to invest and build in Michigan, LaRouche said in a statement. Our administration will continue to review the full impact of these cuts, but Michiganders deserve to know who is responsible: Matt Hall and his caucus.

Blame notwithstanding, the sheer lack of transparency in the process to gut a half-trillion dollars in agreed upon spending and doing so to service nonprofit organizations, some of which focus on the well-being of children, was seen as an affront the legislative process and the two-way trust between government officials and their constituents.

Advertisement Advertisement

In the case of Small Talk Childrens Advocacy Center, the organization was appropriated $1.5 million covering a period of four years, money initially planned for an expansion into a physical space that was later redetermined to be better used on staffing and maintaining programs, Brace said.

The organization had up until 2029 to spend the money, which was to be distributed as reimbursements over the life of the legislative grant.

Brace said the organization only spent up to $90,000 to $100,000 of that money before the Houses decision earlier this week.

Democrats in both chambers of the Legislature were still trying to understand if the affected organizations would be able to keep the money they already spent or if the House GOP leadership intended to initiate clawback mechanisms.

Advertisement Advertisement

Brace said it was his understanding that the money reimbursed to them would remain, it was just the other portion of the $1.5 million that was now in jeopardy.

He also said that no one from the House Appropriations Committee contacted Small Talk Childrens Advocacy Center before pulling the plug on the funding.

Now, the organization is looking at a potential reduction of services.

We will have to regroup, and well have to really look at our budget and see what kind of things we can live without, Brace said. Staffing is sort of the last thing on that list. In order for us to do the quality work that we need to do for these kids, who absolutely deserve to heal from the trauma of the sexual and physical abuse, we need to have the people to do it so. Keeping them is always going to be the priority.

Advertisement Advertisement

What could be on the chopping block is possibly a reduction in training services and supplies, but all of those things were important to the work, as well, Brace said.

Thats a really terrible position to be in, because all of it is essential, Brace added. Our budget is really tight, and its made so that we can give kids the absolute best quality services.

Another organization that will feel the crunch from the cuts is the RxKids program, a service of the Michigan State University Public Health Initiative, which aims to improve the life of children and families with direct cash support during pregnancy and child infancy.

It was founded by Dr. Mona Hanna, the pediatrician and researcher who helped expose the Flint water crisis. Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) was a big proponent in getting funding for RxKids during the legislative budget process earlier this year and championed the funding when it was delivered in the state budget  money that is now being slashed.

Advertisement Advertisement

In a statement, the organization denounced the cuts, noting that the House Appropriations Committee slashed $18.5 million in funding for RxKids.

This was not new money, it had been allocated by the Legislature and signed into law to support Rx Kids expansion to moms and babies in 19 Michigan communities, the organization said in a news release. We have already heard from many of you expressing deep concern, and we share the seriousness of this moment, especially this close to the holidays.

Without the funding, RxKids said there was a significant risk of a pause in the program, or outright halting it altogether.

In the (fiscal year 2025-26) state budget, which was just passed two months ago, Michigan made a historic bipartisan commitment to expand Rx Kids to even more families, the organization said. However, (the) funding is not yet available, as contracts are not in place. We are working around the clock with state leaders, budget officials, and community and philanthropic partners to understand what options remain.

Advertisement Advertisement

Several lawmakers on Thursday said Halls and Bollins maneuvering with work projects has and will continue to erode constituent trust in their leaders and in the institutions that serve them.

Brace said news of the cuts certainly puts that trust into question.

To know that something that felt like about as sure a thing as possible could be ripped away is discouraging, Brace said. I dont think it stops me from wanting to engage with the government.  This is and should be a nonpartisan issue; it shouldnt be something that anybody is willing to tolerate or accept. We need our government to be partners with us on this, and that trust has to cut both ways.
A Tunisian court has sentenced prominent opposition leader Abir Moussi to 12 years in prison amid a sweeping crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied, who has said he is cleansing the North African country of traitors.

Lawyer Nafaa Laribi, who represented Moussi, the leader of the Free Destourian Party (Free Constitutional Party), in her third trial in the space of two years, called Fridays ruling unjust, saying that it was not a judicial decision but a politically motivated order.

In a statement released before the verdict, the Free Destourian Party condemned the injustice suffered by the partys president, Abir Moussi, who has been arbitrarily detained since October 3, 2023.

Advertisement Advertisement

Moussi has been at the helm of the Free Destourian Party since 2016 and was a supporter of the late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled by mass protests in 2011.

Her party has organised protests against President Saied, who came to power in 2019, shutting down the elected parliament in 2021 and moving to rule by decree.

He claimed that his measures were an attempt to save the country from anarchy.

The opposition leader was imprisoned in 2023 after police arrested her at the presidential palace entrance on suspicion of assault intended to cause chaos, amid a broader crackdown on journalists, activists, civil society groups and opposition leaders.





Moussi rejected the charges, saying she was simply exercising her right to criticise and legal opposition and promising to continue resisting what she called abuse, torture, and political and moral violence.

Advertisement Advertisement

Fridays sentence was in connection with that incident.

Previously, the politician had been sentenced to two years in prison under Decree 54, a law Saied enacted in 2022 to combat false news, though the punishment was later reduced on appeal.

After completing her first jail term last June, Moussi was sentenced again under the same law to two years in prison. The appeal process in that case is still under way.

Moussis detractors claim she wants to return to the authoritarianism of Ben Ali, who was toppled after citizens rose up against his rule in a revolution that inspired the Arab Spring and led to a democratic transition at home.

Advertisement Advertisement

However, Saieds current government also stands accused of escalating a crackdown, with dozens of opposition figures recently sentenced to harsh prison terms in a mass trial on charges of conspiracy against state security. Others are being prosecuted under Decree 54, which critics say is being deployed to criminalise free speech.

Rights groups and opponents say Saied has destroyed the independence of the judiciary since he shut down the elected parliament in 2021.

In 2022, he dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, moves that opposition groups and rights advocates condemned as a coup.

Saied denies using the judiciary against opponents.




Sae Joon Park is back in the global spotlight.

Park, a U.S. Army veteran who lived in America for nearly five decades, self-deported to South Korea after immigration officials said he would otherwise be forcefully removed from the country back this summer.

"I just feel that this is unfair for those who fought for our country to be treated this way," Park said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY on Friday, Dec. 12.

Advertisement Advertisement

Less than 24 hours earlier, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced a barrage of questions related to the departments immigration efforts, including whether U.S. military veterans have been deported under the Trump administrations immigration crackdown.

Park joined the hearing at the invitation of Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Rhode Island, after the congressman asked Noem how many U.S. military veterans had been deported.

"We have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans," Noem replied.

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) speaks during a House Homeland Security hearing entitled "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland," while Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart decorated U.S. Army veteran who self-deported to South Korea due to a removal order, joins the hearing via a video call, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. December 11, 2025/

When Magaziner introduced Park, a U.S. Army combat veteran and Purple Heart recepient shot twice while serving in Panama in the late 80s, and asked whether Noem would review Parks case, the secretary said she would look at his case.

Advertisement Advertisement

Speaking nearly half-way around the world on Friday, Park told USA TODAY his status had not changed, and although he wants to return to the states, he said he is not sure whether it will happen.

"No one has reached out to me," Park said.

Who is Sae Joon Park? Here's what to know about the veteran and his hope to return to American soil.

Sae Joon Park was shot twice while fighting in the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, known as Operation Just Cause. He received a Purple Heart for his bravery.

Who is Sae Joon Park?

Park, who told USA TODAY he turned 56 this year, said he was a private in the Army and graduated from basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia in September 1989.

That same year, he was shot twice while serving with the U.S. Army in Panama.

Kristi Noem grilled at hearing: Asked to explain veteran's deportation

When did Sae Joon Park come to the United States?

Park came to America at the age of 7 from South Korea on a green card, his attorney Danicole Ramos, previously told USA TODAY.

Advertisement Advertisement

After high school, he enlisted in the army, and was deployed to Panama, where he fought in the 1989 operation to overthrow the countrys de facto leader.

He was shot twice during that conflict, was honorably discharged, and received a Purple Heart.

He previously lived in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, and before self-deporting to Asia he lived in Honolulu with his two adult children, a daughter and son, whom he shares with his ex-wife.

Sae Joon Park, 55, with his son.

When did Sae Joon Park self deport to South Korea?

Park self-deported to South Korea in June 23, 2025.

Park told USA TODAY he is currently living in Seoul, but may soon move to Busan, a large port city in South Korea.

Why did Sae Joon Park self deport?

Park's removal order stemmed from an addiction in the 1990s when he was arrested for minor drug offenses, Magaziner said.

Advertisement Advertisement

According to previous USA TODAY reporting, Park turned to drugs for relief from nightmares while suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and one night, was arrested for buying crack cocaine. He later missed a court-mandated drug test and served more than two years in prison, his attorney said.

Park said he hopes to one day return to the U.S.

This story has been updated.

Contributing: Karissa Waddick with USA TODAY

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Sae Joon Park? Self-deported US Army vet speaks out
Jim Spellman/WireImage

Michael Burry said he thinks the Fed's latest update points to weakness in the US banking system.

He flagged the Fed's plan to start purchasing short-term Treasurys as a sign of systemic weakness.

"So I'd say US Banks are getting weaker way too fast," Burry wrote in a post on X.

Michael Burry thinks he's spotted another sign of trouble in the US financial system.

The famed investor of "The Big Short" said he was eyeing one comment in particular that came out the Fed's meeting on Wednesday. That's the mention that the FOMC believes the Fed's reserve balances had declined to "ample levels"  and that the central bank would start making "reserve management purchases."

It's a jargony way of saying the Fed will start purchasing short-term US Treasurys "on an ongoing basis," per the committee's statement Wednesday afternoon.

Purchasing short-term T-bills  which the Fed will start doing on December 12 and total around $40 billion a month  is one way the central bank can boost liquidity in markets and the banking sector. It's slightly different from quantitative easing, which is when the Fed purchases long-term Treasurys to stimulate the economy by keeping a lid on borrowing costs. However, in the short term, it has a similar effect of boosting the amount of money circulating through the financial system, making it easier for banks to meet their reserve requirements.

But the fact that the Fed has to provide that support at all is a worrying sign, in Burry's view. The Fed's reserve balances currently hover around $2.8 trillion, according to the latest weekly data from the central bank.

The Fed said it would start purchasing short-term Treasury bills this week. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

"I would add if the US banking system can't function without $3+ trillion in reserves/life support from the Fed, that is not a sign of strength but a sign of fragility," Burry wrote in a post on X Wednesday evening. "So I'd say US Banks are getting weaker way too fast."

Stocks surged after the Fed's policy meeting, largely fueled by optimism about the central bank's plan to purchase short-term Treasury bills, JPMorgan's market intelligence team wrote in a note.

The purchase of short-term Treasurys marks the first time the Fed has meaningfully expanded its balance sheet since it ended its quantitative easing prgram in 2022, analysts at Deutsche Bank said.

"Seems that after every crisis now the Fed needs to expand its balance sheet permanently or guarantee a bank funding crisis. No wonder stocks are doing well," Burry said, adding that he was avoiding bank stocks and choosings to keep his money in cash accounts or Treasury money market funds.
NY state prosecutors continue to debut evidence in their case against murder suspect Luigi Mangione.

On Friday, a photo was shown in court revealing police found a crypto password when he was arrested.

Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO, is fighting evidence collected at his arrest.

UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione may have had money in crypto, it was revealed on Friday.

A cryptocurrency password, written on a slip of paper, was recovered from Mangione's backpack when he was arrested at a Pennsylvania McDonald's last year, five days after the health insurance giant's CEO, Brian Thompson, was fatally shot, according to police testimony in a Manhattan courtroom.

Advertisement Advertisement

A photo of the piece of paper was shown in court as part of an ongoing pretrial evidence-suppression hearing in Mangione's New York murder case.

In the photo, the center of the piece of paper is obscured by a large block reading, "Redacted Crypto Seed Phrase." No details were provided in court describing what, if any, cryptocurrency Mangione may have had access to.

A crypto seed phrase is a random sequence of words used to lock and unlock a cryptocurrency account.

It's year-old news that cops say Mangione had some $7,000 in large bills on him when he was arrested, after what prosecutors describe as his five days as a fugitive.

Advertisement Advertisement

It's also not new that the Baltimore native and former software engineer was tech-savvy. Mangione's possessions, as described during the hearing, included a MacBook laptop, an iPhone, multiple thumb drives, and a small circuit board wrapped in cardboard.

It had not been previously revealed that Mangione may have been into crypto. Still, he once gained a small following among crypto investors.

Soon after his arrest, a LUIGI memecoin was launched in his name, and quickly surged in value, reaching a $60 million market capitalization, according to multiple contemporaneous accounts in the crypto press.

Just as quickly, it cratered; a $1,000 investment made at the coin's launch, in mid-December 2024, would be worth about $25 now.

Mangione's evidence suppression hearing is scheduled to start its third week on Tuesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The United States accused Rwanda on Friday of violating a U.S.-brokered peace agreement by backing a deadly new rebel offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and warned that the Trump administration will take action against spoilers of the deal.

The remarks by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz came as more than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels escalated their offensive in eastern Congo's South Kivu province, according to regional officials who also say that Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira.

Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that the U.S. is "profoundly concerned and incredibly disappointed with the renewed outbreak of violence by M23.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war, Waltz warned. We will use the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.

He called on Rwanda to respect Congos right to defend its territory and invite friendly forces from neighboring Burundi to fight alongside Congolese forces. He also said the U.S. is engaging with all sides to urge restraint and to avoid further escalation."

M23's latest push

The rebels' latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington.

The accord didnt include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups like M23 and work to end hostilities.

Advertisement Advertisement

The rebels advance pushed the conflict to the doorstep of neighboring Burundi, which has maintained troops in eastern Congo for years, heightening fears of a broader regional spillover.

Congo's ministry of communication confirmed in a statement Friday that M23 has seized the strategic port city of Uvira in eastern Congo, on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and directly across from Burundis largest city, Bujumbura.

Uvira was Congos governments last major foothold in South Kivu after the provincial capital of Bukavu fell to the rebels in February. Its capture allows the rebels to consolidate a broad corridor of influence across the east.

M23 said it had taken control of Uvira on Wednesday afternoon, following a rapid offensive since the start of the month. Along with the more than 400 killed, about 200,000 have been displaced, regional officials say.

Advertisement Advertisement

Concerns over an escalation

Civilians fleeing eastern Congo have also crossed into Burundi, and there have been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict spilling over into Burundian territory.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the worlds most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the U.N. agency for refugees.

Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters, according to the U.N.

Advertisement Advertisement

Waltz said Rwandan forces have provided logistics and training support to M23 and are fighting alongside the rebels in eastern Congo, with "roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops as of early December.

Congo calls for more pressure on Rwanda

Congos Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner accused Rwanda of trampling on the peace agreement, which she described as bringing "hope of a historic turning point.

She warned, however, that the "entire process  is at stake, and urged the Security Council to impose sanctions against military and political leaders responsible for the attacks, ban mineral exports from Rwanda and prohibit it from contributing troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rwanda continues to benefit, especially financially but also in terms of reputation, from its status as a troop-contributing country to peacekeeping missions, Wagner told The Associated Press.

Rwanda currently is one of the largest contributors of U.N. peacekeepers, with nearly 6,000 Rwandan troops.

Wagner also said economic agreements signed with the Trump administration as part of the peace deal will hinge on stability. We have told our American partners that we cannot envision any path toward shared economic prosperity without peace, she told the AP.

Eastern Congo, rich in critical minerals, has been of interest to Trump as Washington looks for ways to circumvent China to acquire rare earths, essential to manufacturing fighter jets, cell phones and more.

Advertisement Advertisement

Wagner said the economic partnership is still at an early stage.

"Everything will start to take shape and become much more tangible once the joint governance mechanisms are put in place, she said. What we want is a win-win partnership ... far beyond the single issue of minerals and their transfer, she added.

Rwanda accuses Congo of ceasefire violations

Rwandas Ambassador to the U.N. Karoli Martin Ngoga accused Congo of repeatedly breaking the ceasefire. He also accused the Congolese government of supporting the mostly Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, which threatens the very existence of Rwanda and its people.

Advertisement Advertisement

Nearly 2 million Hutus from Rwanda fled to Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed 800,000 Tutsi, moderate Hutus and others. Rwandan authorities have accused Hutus who fled of participating in the genocide, alleging that the Congolese army protected them.

Rwanda reiterates its full commitment to implement its part of the agreement, Ngoga told the Security Council.

While Rwanda denies the claim that it backs M23, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

___

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report.
Dec 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said on Friday the delivery of the first of two new Air Force One jets from Boeing has been delayed by another year to mid-2028, the latest in a series of delays.

The latest delay risks further upsetting President Donald Trump who said he wants to fly in the new planes before the end of his term in January 2029.

The cost for Boeing's current effort to build the two new jets is over $5 billion. The current Air Force One airplanes entered service in 1990.

Advertisement Advertisement

The Air Force One program, which involves converting two 747-8 aircraft into specialized jets equipped with advanced communications and defense systems to serve as the next generation of U.S. presidential air transport, would be four years behind schedule with a 2028 delivery.

Boeing said in a statement it is making progress on the program. "Our focus is on delivering two exceptional Air Force One airplanes for the country."

Boeing in 2018 received a $3.9 billion contract to build the two planes for use as Air Force One, though costs have since risen. Boeing has posted $2.4 billion in charges against earnings from the project.

In May, the United States accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar. The White House asked the Air Force to rapidly upgrade the gift for use as Air Force One.

Advertisement Advertisement

The government tapped defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to overhaul the 747 from Qatar.

Trump expressed his displeasure with Boeing over the delays earlier this year but ruled out European rival Airbus as an alternative. Around the same time, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said Elon Musk, who serves as an adviser to Trump, was "helping us a lot" in navigating delivery of the presidential jet.

In June, Boeing hired a former Northrop Grumman executive, Steve Sullivan, to lead the Air Force One program, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Sullivan, who previously worked on key Northrop programs including the B-21 bomber, replaced Gregg Coffey, who moved to another role at the U.S. planemaker.

(Reporting by Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru; and Mike Stone, David Shepardson and Chris Sanders in Washington; and Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Maju Samuel and Lisa Shumaker)
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. removed Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes from its sanctions list on Friday after initially adding him over his role in leading the trial against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

De Moraes wife and the Lex Institute, which she leads, were also taken off the list, according to documents from the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control. Brazil's government celebrated the move, which came after a weekend phone conversation between President Donald Trump and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The Trump administration had sanctioned the judge in July, accusing him of using his position to authorize arbitrary pretrial detentions and suppress freedom of expression in Brazil.

Advertisement Advertisement

A senior Trump administration official said the sanctions were lifted since the U.S. saw the passage of an important amnesty bill by Brazils lower house as a signal that lawfare conditions in Brazil are improving. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's views on foreign policy interests.

The move represents a thawing of sorts in the frosty relationship between the two governments and follows a number of meetings and calls that both have described in positive terms. Trump had seen Lula's predecessor Bolsonaro as an ally, with the Brazilian leader even dubbed the Trump of the Tropics" when he came into office.

This is a victory of Brazil's judiciary, de Moraes said Friday evening at an event in Sao Paulo. Brazil's judiciary did not bow to threats, cohersion and it will never do so. It carried on with unbias, seriousness and courage. It is a victory for national sovereignty. President Lula from the start said this country will not give in to any invasion to Brazil's democracy.

Bolsonaro was accused of masterminding a plot to stay in power despite his 2022 election defeat to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  similar charges to what Trump faced after a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in 2021 to stop Democrat Joe Biden from taking the White House.

Advertisement Advertisement

Bolsonaro was convicted and sentenced to more than 27 years in prison. The embattled 70-year-old leader started serving his sentence last month while still requesting to be put on house arrest due to his poor health. The massive upheaval his allies expected upon his arrest did not materialize, though he remains a politically powerful figure ahead of next year's elections.

Brazil's current government characterized the lifting of sanctions as a big defeat for Bolsonaro's family.

It was Lula who put this repeal (of the sanctions) on Donald Trumps desk, in a dignifying and sovereign dialogue, said Gleisi Hoffmann, Brazils minister for institutional relations. It is a big defeat for the family of Jair Bolsonaro, traitors who have conspired against Brazil and the judiciary.

Lulas leftist administration has long accused Eduardo Bolsonaro, a lawmaker and son of the former president, of misleading Trump on de Moraes and other members of the court. For his part, Eduardo Bolsonaro said he received the news of the sanctions being lifted from de Moraes with regret.

Advertisement Advertisement

The younger Bolsonaro, who announced in March that he would start living in the U.S. in order to lobby the Trump administration to help his father avoid jail, said he would continue to fight for Jair Bolsonaro.

The lack of internal cohesion and the insufficient support for initiatives pursued abroad contributed to the worsening of the current situation, Eduardo Bolsonaro wrote on his social media channels, after Trump's reversal. We sincerely hope that President Donald Trump's decision will be successful in defending the strategic interests of the American people, as is his duty."

In initially sanctioning de Moraes, the Treasury Department had cited the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets perpetrators of human rights abuse and corrupt officials. De Moraes said the use of the act against him was illegal and regrettable.

Also in July, the Trumps administration imposed a 40% tariff on Brazilian products on top of a 10% tariff imposed earlier, justifying the tariffs by saying that Brazils policies and criminal prosecution of Bolsonaro constituted an economic emergency.

Advertisement Advertisement

Political consultant Thomas Traumann, the author of a recent book on Brazils political divisions, said the move shows the U.S. government wants a normal relationship with Brazils, even though it is a leftist administration."

Trump removed almost all tariffs it had increased, stopped discussing politics with Lula, now it is all about security and trade, and he managed to make Brazils government somewhat neutral in other Latin American affairs, especially Venezuela, Traumann said. This is a process to show Brazil needs to be treated differently in the region.

The two leaders started mending fences at the United Nations' General Assembly in September, which was followed by their first private meeting in Malaysia in October and subsequent phone conversations.

The Brazilian president has said he wasn't only trying to reverse the increase on tariffs but also to end the sanctions on de Moraes and some members of his government who were also hit by the measure.

Advertisement Advertisement

Separately, Lula has urged Latin American states to help avoid a conflict in Venezuela as the Trump administration orders military action against vessels allegedly linked to drug cartels.

Last month, Trump signed an order to remove the additional import tariffs on some agribusiness products. The U.S. ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

____

Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.
By Katharine Jackson

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Eswatini signed a five-year health cooperation agreement on Friday, the State Department said, as the Trump administration continues its global health plan to provide aid while requiring investment from the country receiving it.

The $242 million memorandum of understanding between the countries states that the U.S. intends to provide up to $205 million for investments in health data collection, disease monitoring and response and HIV prevention and treatment; Eswatini, in turn, will increase domestic health spending by $37 million during the five-year period, the department said.

Advertisement Advertisement

The agreement also includes delivery of lenacapavir, a U.S.-made HIV prevention drug, to the African nation, it said.

"The signing places Eswatini on a clear path to achieving the long-term goal of an effective, sustainable, and efficient health system while underscoring a mutual commitment to safeguarding health gains, protecting American and Eswatini citizens alike," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

Over the past month, the U.S. has signed health cooperation agreements with Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Lesotho. Similar bilateral health agreements with dozens of other countries receiving U.S. health assistance are expected in the coming weeks, the department said.

The Trump administration unveiled its "America First Global Health Strategy" in September, a new approach to overseas aid that seeks to improve target countries' self-reliance in managing their health sectors.

Advertisement Advertisement

In a separate deal announced in November, Eswatini received $5.1 million from the U.S. to accept third-country nationals deported by the Trump administration.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Key Takeaways

Bill Gates on Wednesday warned the AI industry will be "hyper-competitive," and that "a reasonable percentage" of today's pricey tech stocks will lose a lot of their value.

Big tech's huge data center investments fueled concerns about an AI bubble and weighed on tech stocks in November.

One of Americas legendary tech founders has a warning for AI investors: They can't all be winners.

Not all of these valuations will end up going up. Some of them will go down," Bill Gates, co-founder of tech giant Microsoft (MSFT), said of AI stocks in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday. "Its going to be hyper-competitive. A reasonable percentage of those companies wont be worth that much.

More from Yahoo Scout Which AI companies have extremely high price-to-earnings ratios? Why is Bill Gates warning about AI stock valuations? What evidence suggests an AI bubble may exist? How much are tech giants spending on AI infrastructure?

Microsoft is among the tech giants whose massive investments in artificial intelligence have fueled the AI bubble debate raging on Wall Street. The so-called hyperscalersMicrosoft, Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Meta Platforms (META), and Oracle (ORCL)are expected to spend $400 billion on infrastructuremuch of it dedicated to training and running AI modelsthis year, and more than $500 billion next year.

Why This Is Important

The AI boom has been the driving force behind the stock market rally for much of the past three years. But the rally has faltered in recent months due to lofty valuations and concerns that tech giants are overspending on AI. Some experts are reminding investors to pick and choose.

Some investors worry the sheer size of those figures has encouraged speculation on Wall Street, causing some AI stocks to trade at eye-watering valuations.

Software firm Palantir (PLTR) has a price-to-earnings ratio of more than 400, one of the highest in the S&P 500. Shares of chip designers Broadcom (AVGO) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have soared this year on hopes they can take market share from AI chip leader Nvidia (NVDA); those gains have nudged their PE ratios above 100, more than three times that of the S&P 500 as a whole.

Then there's the cohort of unprofitable startups commanding lofty valuations in private markets. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, isn't expected to turn a profit before the end of the decade. Yet the start up was valued at $500 billion in October, which would make it the 16th largest public company in America.

The AI buildout has turbocharged the sales and profits of some companies, leaving their valuations relatively steady despite big stock gains. AI demand has accelerated growth in the cloud computing businesses of Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon, all three of which have PE ratios hovering around 30. Booming demand for Nvidias chips made it a $4.5 trillion company, but shares trade at a relatively modest 45 times earnings.
Emily Buss won the Forward Party of Utah's preference poll on Dec. 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Forward Party of Utah)

The Forward Party of Utahs unprecedented midterm preference poll has picked a winner to replace outgoing Sen. Dan Thatcher, of West Valley City, the states only third-party lawmaker, after he announced earlier this year his departure from the Republican Party.

The party announced Friday  the same day Thatchers retirement from his District 11 seat became effective  that Emily Buss won the partys preference poll. Party officials have formally submitted her name to Gov. Spencer Cox for official appointment.

Advertisement Advertisement

Buss, of Eagle Mountain, describes her background as rooted in advocacy, policy, and research, with a focus on child welfare and social impact, according to her candidate bio on the partys website.

Ive spent my life fighting for families and building programs that serve real needs in real communities, her bio says. Whether its creating resources for underserved youth, expanding access to support services, or partnering with local organizations, I know how to turn ideas into action, and action into outcomes.

The Forward Party of Utah  a centrist party with the slogan Not left. Not right. Forward that coalesced when the states two centrist groups merged earlier this year  is an affiliate of the national Forward Party.

To fill Thatchers midterm vacancy, the party held a first-of-its kind online voting system that used the approval voting method, which allows voters to vote for more than one candidate. The candidate with the highest number of total approvals is declared the winner.

Advertisement Advertisement

Uniquely, the Forward Party of Utah held an open election  allowing all registered voters in District 11 to vote, regardless of their party affiliation. Eligible candidates needed to pass a party background check, agree to sign a pledge supporting the Forward Partys values, and commit to running for reelection in 2026 as a Forward Party candidate.

Buss won the preference poll  which included online and paper voting  with 625 votes, or 47.21% approval percentage. A total of 2,308 votes were cast in the election by 1,324 voters.

Results for the Forward Party of Utahs preference poll to pick a replacement for retiring Sen. Dan Thatcher. (Courtesy of the Forward Party of Utah)

Approval percentage is calculated by dividing the number of approvals a candidate received by the total number of ballots cast. It represents the percentage of voters who approved that candidate. Because voters may approve more than one candidate, total approvals across all candidates will exceed the number of ballots cast.

Buss, in a prepared statement, expressed gratitude for voters support.

Advertisement Advertisement

I am honored, surprised, and grateful to the voters of District 11 for placing their trust in me, she said. But this isnt about me, this is about the people I represent. Together, we will work toward common sense solutions that will strengthen our communities, support our families, and bring a brighter future for District 11 and all Utahns. There is a lot to be done. Lets get to work.

Thatcher said representing District 11 Utahns for the past 15 years has been my honor, and I am deeply grateful for the trust and partnership of my constituents. He also thanked the party for facilitating an open, transparent, and historic process with more participation than any replacement process in Utah history.

Seeing every registered voter in this district invited to participate gives me tremendous confidence in the future of our community and its leadership, he said, while congratulating Buss and her constituents.

Utah Republican Party wont challenge mid-term appointment

In October  when Thatcher first announced his planned retirement  Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson indicated that the GOP took issue with Thatchers party switching, and he did not rule out challenging the Forward Party of Utahs first-of-its-kind replacement process.

Prepared to fight if necessary, Thatcher and Forward Party leaders said Utah law is clearly on their side. When a midterm vacancy occurs in the Legislature, the law says the governor shall fill the vacancy until the next regular general election by immediately appointing the person whose name was submitted by the party liaison of the same political party as the prior senator.

Advertisement Advertisement

Reached Friday, Axson told Utah News Dispatch the GOP would not challenge Busss appointment, though he said in a text message there are certainly concerns to the process and situation which created this moment.

We disagree with Thatchers action of pulling a fast one on voters by changing his affiliation, Axson said. We also disagree with the process used by the Forward Utah party but respect the law allows them to be the party filling the vacancy.

So while Buss is set to become the Utah Legislatures only third-party candidate during the 2026 general session scheduled to begin Jan. 20, the Utah GOP will be putting forward a Republican challenger in the 2026 election, when the remainder of Thatchers and now Buss term ends.

The Utah Republican Party looks forward to our Republican candidates engaging with voters this next year and for the district to have a chance to have a senator who represents the principles and preferences of the district, Axson said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Phil Boileau, spokesperson for the Forward Party of Utah, told Utah News Dispatch that we look forward to the competition in 2026.

If the people of the district choose that they prefer a Republican candidate at that time, then they will make that selection under the democratic system that we cherish and revere, he said.

To Axsons comment about pulling a fast one, Boileau noted that while the Republican Party uses a closed system to pick its nominees (with only registered Republicans able to vote in the primary and delegates picking nominees during caucus meetings), the Forward Party of Utah opened its preference poll to all District 11 registered voters.

Considering we had a process where literally everybody in the district could cast their vote and participate  Im not sure that you can reasonably say that we pulled the fast one on the people, he said. We followed the law, and we created a system that was more inclusive, including the Republicans who were more than welcome to participate in the voting for this.

Advertisement Advertisement

Boileau said leaders of the Forward Party of Utah were thrilled with how the election went, with more than 1,300 voters participating, which he said far exceeds the number of caucus delegates that likely would have participated in a typical party midterm replacement, which he estimated would have been up to 150 delegates.

He said he hopes the partys preference poll can set an example for future elections, both in and outside of Utah.

As a new and upstart party, we took a big swing by doing this, but we followed state statute and protocol to the letter, so we fully expect not only that the state will accommodate the decision that we made, he said. We hope that people all around the country will look at this as an opportunity to maybe revise their midterm replacement processes as well.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
FARMINGTON  A Davis County man pleaded guilty this month to stalking Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall after she proposed new city flags.

Jason Guy Rogers, 45, of Farmington, pleaded guilty on Dec. 4 to stalking, a class A misdemeanor, in 2nd District Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15.

Mendenhalls office declined KSLs request for comment in the case, saying that the mayor will address the incident after the January hearing.

Advertisement Advertisement

Davis County prosecutors allege Rogers was behind a series of threatening comments on the social media platform X that started with KSL news coverage about Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhalls proposal to add three new city flags to provide a way for the city continue to fly LGBTQ and Juneteenth flags after the states new flag law, which bans all three designs and other unapproved flags from being displayed in government buildings, went into effect.

The Salt Lake City Council approved all three designs at its meeting on May 6. A day later, one post by Rogers stated that we need to end some politicians in response to the news coverage, the charging document states. Prosecutors say similar posts from the account were made through May 20, including one that reads: When you see her and her family, end them immediately.

Farmington police located Rogers on May 20 and questioned him about the posts.

Rogers stated he was upset about the flag but claimed his account had been hacked. Just after the police encounter, the account made another post on the mayors X account: time for action, the charging document states.

Advertisement Advertisement

A security team at the Salt Lake City-County Building reported seeing Rogers arrive at City Hall shortly after 12:30 p.m. on May 20, driving the same truck and wearing the same clothing he wore during the Farmington police encounter, prosecutors added. They wrote that Rogers was seen attempting to open side doors of the building before trying the main entrance, but he left without entering when he saw security officers inside.

He was arrested by Salt Lake Citys Violent Criminal Apprehension Team that afternoon, according to Salt Lake City police.

Davis County prosecutors allege that Rogers did intentionally or knowingly engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific individual and knew or should know that the course of conduct would cause a reasonable person ... to fear for the individuals own safety or the safety of a third individual or to suffer other emotional distress.
Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger speaks to the Virginia Press Association on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger addressed the Virginia Press Association and contextualized key challenges she and legislators will face when she takes office in January. Addressing the states energy crisis is near the top of that list, as power demands ramp up largely due to the growth of high-powered data centers throughout the state.

Spanberger said she would be interested in revising the landmark Virginia Clean Economy Act to allow for an expansion of battery storage that allows for solar power to be dispatched hours after it is collected.

Advertisement Advertisement

Five years ago, when that bill was first passed, technology wasnt where it is now. We have been employing in Virginia some energy storage infrastructure (but) certainly not nearly enough, Spanberger said. Having storage capacity will allow us to mitigate some of the ebbs and flows that can create, in some cases, brownouts.

The state has seen more peak energy demand days. Dominion Energy saw 10 peak energy days this year reaching a total of 25 gigawatts of power being used at one time. They also have an estimated 47 gigawatts worth of data centers in the queue to be eventually energized, according to Scott Gaskill, vice president of regulatory affairs for Dominion.

There are alternative energy sources but they arent all viable in the near term, the incoming governor said. Gas energy projects, such as the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center, are projected to take at least five years to be built due to delays in getting gas turbines. Small Modular Reactors are about a decade away from coming online in a widespread way. Bolstering solar power is the fastest way to bring more power online to meet demand and keep costs from skyrocketing, Spanberger said.

I support looking towards energy generation of the future, like SMRs, but were still 10-plus years away from that, Spanberger said. Theres benefit to renewable energy in that it can be realized much and certainly as someone working to lower costs  meet the moment and ensure that were generating enough energy. We will continue to need a mix of energy generation into the future.

As the U.S. Senate deadlocked on a measure to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits Thursday  which, if they expire at the end of this month, will cause millions of Americans insurance premiums to skyrocket  Spanberger weighed in on how to tackle health care challenges in Virginia.

Advertisement Advertisement

Over 600,000 Virginians could lose Medicaid coverage and be subjected to new work requirements under a giant reconciliation bill Congress passed this summer. Spanberger said the state needs to position itself to help people complete their paperwork in time to prevent them from losing coverage.

We have to put our full attention to making sure that we can verify peoples employment quickly, efficiently, effectively, so that people dont fall through the cracks, essentially creating scaffolding that allows for Medicaid coverage to continue, Spanberger said.

Virginia hospitals and health clinics, especially in rural areas, remain concerned about potential cuts to their staff or services. Experts estimate the health care facilities could take a $2 billion hit once the federal changes are implemented.

Spanberger highlighted that the state does not have enough money to backfill the full loss of federal funding.

Advertisement Advertisement

The governor-elect also said that the federal funding bill changed how much money students can borrow. She said these limitations will have an impact on people who want to become medical professionals but may not be able to afford schooling. She said the state could consider loan repayment programs or other ways to help overcome the financial barriers to higher education.

Its a problem of (Congress) kind of ill conceived creation that will have real significant impact if we dont figure out a way to contend with it, or frankly, just put such broad pressure on Congress for them to pass a walk back to some of their worst ideas, Spanberger said.

Editors note: The Virginia Mercury is a member of the Virginia Press Association.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Monmouth County Habitat for Humanity has built 84 homes for moderate-income families since 1989. And now that an 85th home is on the way, a search for its future owner has commenced.

Applications are being accepted for the three-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom, 1,500-square-foot single-family house on Walling Avenue in Wall. Ground was broken in October, with construction expected to be completed in early summer of 2026.

To be eligible, an applicant households annual earnings should be between 60% and 80% of the areas median income. For Monmouth County, that range is $67,896 to $124,960, depending on household size.

Advertisement Advertisement

Habitat for Humanity: This Monmouth County thrift store spot for furniture bargains is shutting down

More specifically:

1-person household: income range of $67,896 to $75,440

2-person: $77,544 to $86,160

3-person: $87,264 to $96,960

4-person: $96,912 to $107,680

5-person: $104,688 to $115,320

6-person: $112,464 to $124,960

Monmouth County Habitat for Humanity is building its 85th house in Monmouth County at this location at Walling Avenue in Wall. Construction began in November 2025 and expected to be completed in the early summer of 2026.

Homebuyers must meet three basic criteria:

Need: Applicants will be eligible if they currently live or work in Monmouth, Ocean or Mercer counties, and are living under conditions that are not adequate based on size, structural condition or safety concerns. Ability to pay: Applicants must have a steady income to pay a low-interest mortgage, based on the household earnings tables above. Willingness to partner with Monmouth County Habitat for Humanity: Selected applicants become a partner family in the Habitat movement, participating in the construction of their home and the homes of others. This is known as sweat equity. Families are required to complete 250 to 400 hours of sweat equity, depending on family size.

Advertisement Advertisement

The new home on Walling Avenue is Monmouth County Habitat for Humanitys second in Wall over the past year. In June, Erica and Joe Loguirato and their two children moved into a three-bedroom colonial on Manito Road.

Affordable housing: After Stafford mobile home landlord jacked up rent 20%, is rent control the answer?

Erica, Joe and their two children  13-year-old Evangeline and 4-year-old Dorian, who was born with a rare brain disorder  had been renting in Wall last year when their landlord sold the property. The new owner raised their rent by 30%, forcing them to move in with relatives.

The foundation of having a home seems so simple, but it just improves every aspect of your entire well-being, Erica Loguirato told the Asbury Park Press at the time. I never thought I would own a home, let alone in this area. Now I can tell my daughter, 'This is going to be our home forever.' She has her own room, she can have play-dates. We lived in small spaces where she was embarrassed to have her friends over. Now she wants to have sleepovers. Its completely life-changing.

Advertisement Advertisement

Interested homebuyers can complete the prequalification form or learn more at www.monmouthhabitat.org/programs. For further questions or application support, contact Family Services Manager Marianne Herring at mherring@monmouthhabitat.org or 732-728-0441, ext. 311.

For more information on Monmouth County Habitat for Humanity, or to donate or volunteer, visit www.monmouthhabitat.org, email info@habitatmonmouth.org or call 732-728-0441.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shores interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Habitat for Humanity taking applications for this home in Wall NJ
Warr Acres City Council member arrested, accused of child sex crimes

WARR ACRES, Okla. (KFOR)  A Warr Acres City Council member is behind bars, accused of disturbing sex crimes involving children.

On Monday, December 8, officers from the City of Warr Acres Police Department served a search warrant and arrested Jason Cole.

Cole represents Ward Four and was appointed to the City Council in September.

Hes now facing multiple charges, including rape by instrumentation, indecent materials shown to a minor, and three counts of child sexual abuse.

Advertisement Advertisement

OKC BLM leader indicted on wire fraud and money laundering charges

Having the children in single digits, its disgusting to see reports like this. The fact that its a person who is in a leadership role, either elected or appointed official that makes it that much worse, said Joe Dorman, CEO, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.

The children involved were taken to the Care Center, where they shared their accounts of the abuse with forensic interviewers.

It is recorded, and that recording is admissible in court as evidence, and so its very good that we have these in the state of Oklahoma to ensure children receive justice, said Dorman.

Advertisement Advertisement

Dorman says theres a need for more centers like these.

Were certainly lacking resources across the state, state and federal funds combined, along with private fundraising for nonprofit centers like the Care Center, said Dorman.

Dorman says this horrific story serves as a reminder to keep communication open with your children.

We have a lot of pedophiles, a lot of groomers out there that are committing bad acts and doing horrible things to children. The only way we find out about these things is when children open up or if something bad happens, said Dorman.

Also, if you suspect child abuse, you are mandated by law to report it to the proper authorities.

Advertisement Advertisement

News 4 reached out to the mayor and all other city council members for Warr Acres and got this statement from the police department.

On Monday, December 8, Officers from the City of Warr Acres Police Department arrested Jason Cole. The Warr Acres Police Department presented charges to the Oklahoma County District Attorney who accepted the case for prosecution. Out of respect for the affected individuals and the integrity of the criminal justice system, the City has no further comment at this time. Please refer all inquiries to the Oklahoma County District Attorneys office. Warr Acres Police Department

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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Jurors in the high-profile murder trial of Brian Walshe were sent home for the weekend late Friday afternoon after they informed Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere that they couldnt reach a verdict after hours of deliberating.

BREAKING: after 3 hours and 45 mins of deliberation, #BrianWalshe jury is headed home for weekend. There is no verdict yet. Back to work Monday 9AM @Boston25 #BrianWalsheTrial  Bob Ward Boston 25 (@Bward3) December 12, 2025

Closing arguments were delivered on Friday morning. Walshes attorney, Larry Tipton, opened with closing remarks on behalf of the defense. The prosecution followed with Anne Yas.

Judge Freniere then sent 12 jurors off to begin their deliberations shortly before 12:30 p.m. after instructing them that they must decide the case on evidence, not on sympathy for Brian Walshes wife, Ana.

Advertisement Advertisement

Those jurors will return to court on Monday morning to continue their deliberations.

BREAKING: After morning of closing arguments, Brian Walshe jury of 12 has left courtroom to begin deliberations.@boston25 #brianwalshetrial  Bob Ward Boston 25 (@Bward3) December 12, 2025

Judge Freniere, in final jury instructions, says jurors must decide case on evidence, not on sympathy for Ana Walshe @boston25 #brianwalshetrial  Bob Ward Boston 25 (@Bward3) December 12, 2025

Watch live: Verdict watch in Brian Walshe's murder trial

Follow Boston 25s Bob Ward on X for live updates from court

In Dedham Superior Court for Brian Walshe Closings.

Courtroom getting full. Some of Ana's friends, including Gem Mutlu and Alyssa Kirby are here. Also, some investigators. Walshe's mother is seated alone, as she has throughout the trial. @boston25 #brianwalshetrial  Bob Ward Boston 25 (@Bward3) December 12, 2025

Advertisement Advertisement

Walshe is accused of killing and dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, in their Cohasset home around New Years Eve 2022. Her body has never been found.

He still faces a first-degree murder charge after previously pleading guilty to misleading police and unlawful disposal of a body.

Defense strategy

Brian Walshe chose not to testify in his own defense, and his attorneys did not call any witnesses.

Legal experts say that the decision suggests the defense relied heavily on cross-examination rather than presenting new evidence.

The defense argues Ana died of a sudden, unexpected medical event and that Walshe panicked after finding her dead in bed.

Advertisement Advertisement

They did not call a medical expert to support that claim but insisted that such deaths, while rare, can happen.

Im in shock: Legal expert reacts to sudden turn of events in Brian Walshes murder trial

Prosecutions case

Prosecutors allege Walshe murdered Ana as his marriage unraveled, then covered up the crime by dismembering her body and disposing of the remains in area dumpsters.

Boston defense attorney Elyse Hershon told Boston 25 News the defense likely felt they had accomplished enough during cross-examination.

They must have felt through the cross-examination of the medical examiner and the life insurance agent that they got what they needed. Theres never a right or wrong answer, and a lot of times those decisions are made with the client in real time.

Key testimony

On Wednesday, prosecutors called two of Anas close friends to testify, including Alyssa Kirby, who last saw Ana on December 29, 2022.

Advertisement Advertisement

Kirby told jurors Ana confided that her marriage was strained but insisted Brian wasnt jealous.

When she told me that, I was surprised. She said they were open and he wasnt jealous, Kirby testified.

This detail contrasts sharply with the defenses claim that Brian was unaware of Anas affair and that their marriage was going good at the time of her death.

Gem Mutlu, the last person to see Ana alive at a New Years party at the Cohasset home of Brian and Ana, also offered emotional testimony.

Mutlu testified that it was a festive party on the night of December 31, 2022, and Brian and Ana were getting along.

However, he tried to tell the jury that days before, he had a long conversation with Ana and sensed that the couple was having marital problems.

Advertisement Advertisement

He also told the jury that he had learned Ana disappeared when Brian called him and told him she left because of a work emergency, using the word incredulous to describe his immediate reaction.

DNA discoveries

Jurors have already been presented with significant evidence, including confirmation that blood found on several items recovered from a North Shore dumpster matched Ana Walshes DNA.

Those items include slippers, a towel, a rug, the head of a hatchet, and a hacksaw.

Under cross-examination, the defense argued that DNA evidence does not reveal how or when it was deposited, with the witness confirming that DNA cannot tell us how or when it was deposited on an item.

Surveillance footage

On Tuesday, the jury also viewed surveillance footage showing Walshe shopping the day after Ana disappeared.

Advertisement Advertisement

The video shows him buying rolled carpets and candles at a HomeGoods store in Norwell.

According to a company security official, Walshe paid for those items using two TJX value cards belonging to Anacards she had received for merchandise returns in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Prosecutors on Monday played a video recorded on Jan. 1, 2023, about 15 hours after Ana disappeared, showing Walshe outside a Swampscott liquor store throwing away a trash bag.

Minutes later, Walshe was seen at a Lowes in Danvers, wearing a black face mask and blue gloves, spending more than $460 on cleaning supplies and tools.

Three days later, he was recorded at a Lowes in Weymouth with a child, possibly his son, buying a trash can.

Blood evidence in the home, on tools

Investigators discovered blood in the basement, on the basement stairs, and on a support beam. Jurors also saw a knife recovered from a kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator, which Massachusetts State Police say had blood on it.

Advertisement Advertisement

The jury was also shown blood-stained tools, including a hacksaw, hammer, hatchet, and hedge pruners, which prosecutors say were found in dumpsters near Walshes Cohasset apartment complex. Walshe has been accused of using those items to dismember Anas body.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Medical examiner testimony

A state medical examiner testified that without Anas body, he cannot determine the cause or manner of death.

The defense claims Ana died of sudden unexpected death and that panicked.

Prosecutors allege Walshe murdered Ana, dismembered her, and disposed of her remains in dumpsters.

Affair and digital evidence

Jurors also learned last week that Ana was having an affair. They reviewed emails and messages exchanged between Ana and William Fastow, a D.C. realtor, including communications on New Years Eve, hours before Ana disappeared.

A state police trooper testified that Anas last message to Fastow was sent at midnight on New Years, and said he found no evidence that Walshe was aware of those messages.

You did not see any communication between Ana Walshe and William Fastow?Not that I recall, the trooper testified.

William Fastow, Ana Walshe's boyfriend, looks at a picture of Ana while on the witness stand during Brian Walshe's trial for murdering his wife Ana, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

Grisly internet searches

Jurors last week heard about troubling internet searches made on a device owned by the Walshe family, which were discovered by police after Ana Walshe went missing.

The searches, made between New Years Day and January 4th, included queries such as "how to dispose of a body," how to get blood out of hardwood floors, and best tool to dismember.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Water main breaks closed lanes on multiple highways in Bergen County early Dec. 12 ahead of rush hour on a frigid morning.

One break happened on Route 17 in Rutherford near Highland Cross, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Two left lanes were closed on the southbound side for much of the day.

Another took place on Route 46 in Ridgefield Park near the Hackensack River Bridge. One lane was closed on each of the east and westbound sides as of 6 p.m., per the NJDOT.

Advertisement Advertisement

Water service was not disrupted due to the breaks, said Debra Vial, director of communications for Veolia. Sharp drops in temperature like the current one can make breaks more common, Vial said.

"We are working diligently to repair these mains so the roads can be cleared as quickly as possible," she said. "We ask the community's patience while our crews make these essential repairs."

Ridgefield Park police advised drivers to expect heavy delays and use an alternate route if possible.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County NJ water main breaks reported on Route 46, Route 17
An inherent "asymmetry" of power poses a challenge to resolving South China Sea disputes via the quiet diplomacy traditionally favoured by Southeast Asian nations, a leading Malaysian security expert has said.

Chinese analysts said Beijing supported the "Asean way" too, so long as sovereignty claims were resolved bilaterally. They also warned against external interference and "power politics" standing in the way of consensus within the bloc.

Ruhanas Harun, an international relations professor at the National Defence University of Malaysia, said that Asean member states had turned to "quiet diplomacy" to resolve their maritime disputes.

Advertisement Advertisement

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.

"We'd rather talk quietly and find consensus because there are issues that you cannot publicly openly tell the world," she told a maritime symposium in China's southern Hainan province on Wednesday. "We try to negotiate first and reconcile what the country should present to the world."

According to Harun, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations prefer to engage in dialogue at different negotiation levels - bilateral, multilateral and even minilateral - though she did not specify which disputes the mechanism had failed to address.

Boats at a dive site off Sipadan, an island over which Malaysia and Indonesia once had rival claims. Photo: Shutterstock alt=Boats at a dive site off Sipadan, an island over which Malaysia and Indonesia once had rival claims. Photo: Shutterstock>

Advertisement Advertisement

As an example, Harun cited the territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia over the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan. The two countries agreed to bring the matter to the International Court of Justice and secured a resolution in 2002, which went in Malaysia's favour.

However, that approach appeared to have stalled in South China Sea disputes because of the fundamental "asymmetry" between China, a major power, and the smaller claimant states of Southeast Asia, the expert in security and law said.

"It's very difficult for small countries, not the entire Asean, to find a consensus and discuss with China," Harun explained.

China and several of its neighbours, including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, have competing territorial claims across the strategic waters.

Advertisement Advertisement

For decades, Beijing has been negotiating with the Asean, now an 11-member bloc, to reach a code of conduct for the South China Sea, with a goal of finalising it by mid-2026. However, little concrete progress has been made.

Hu Bo, director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Beijing-based think tank, argued that China was the "strongest supporter" of the Asean way of quiet diplomacy.

Hu, who also attended the symposium, said it was natural for smaller countries to be reluctant to negotiate bilaterally with big powers like China, but "on sovereignty issues, there is no other choice but bilateral talks".

While Beijing was not opposed to resolving issues through arbitration or participation, a precondition would be that China must agree to the proceeding, he added.

Advertisement Advertisement

In 2016, in a case brought by the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an arbitration tribunal ruled that Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis under international law.

China refused to take part in the legal proceeding and stated it would not recognise the result.

Other claimant states, as well as the United States and other Western countries, have often cited the case to claim that China did not abide by international law.

Hu said that from Beijing's perspective, the case involved sovereignty and maritime delimitation, and these matters were beyond the scope of UNCLOS' adjudication, let alone that of the arbitration tribunal.

Advertisement Advertisement

Beijing could go to the International Court of Justice or UNCLOS, "but the key is that China must agree" to do so, he added.

Zhao Long, who focuses on international strategy and security at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, a think tank, cautioned that external factors posed the biggest challenge in resolving South China Sea disputes.

"External actors are trying to take clear sides on those sovereignty issues and trying to interact with power politics. That could really endanger the ongoing process of peaceful management of the disputes," Zhao said. "We should really let the regional actors lead the process."

Beijing's rivalry with Washington "further complicates things", added Harun, who said the US had been another dominant player in Southeast Asia since the end of the second world war, "but nobody raised that issue".

Advertisement Advertisement

She described Asean as facing a dilemma. "When you try to be nice, [and] friendly with China, people immediately say, 'why are you now being nice to China?' But you never asked us if [we are] too nice to Australia and Japan, to the United States," she said.

The US maintains a strong presence in the strategic waters, conducting regular naval operations with its partners.

In recent years, Washington has stepped up defence cooperation with the Philippines, a long-time treaty ally and a rival claimant to Beijing in a number of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

In October, the US and the Philippines announced the establishment of a joint task force - the first of its kind in Southeast Asia - to further deter what US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described as Chinese "coercion" in the South China Sea.

Advertisement Advertisement

Beijing has repeatedly accused the US of instigating tension and disturbing regional peace by staging military drills with the Philippines in the contested waters. This year, the US has held multiple high-profile naval exercises with the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Zhang Yun, a professor specialising in security studies at Nanjing University, said Washington's interests in the South China Sea included freedom of navigation.

"But what the US wants is more than just freedom of navigation," Zhang told the symposium on Wednesday. "It also includes freedom of navigation for its naval and air forces."

"Therefore, its claimed interest is not a simple South China Sea issue but rather a larger issue involving how the US defines its way of engaging with the world."

Advertisement Advertisement

The two-day Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance concluded on Thursday. It was co-hosted by China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies - a government-affiliated think tank and research institute.

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.
President Donald Trump is targeting another state senator. This time, it's a member of his own party from a red state.

While speaking in the Oval Office on Dec. 11, Trump said he hopes Indiana Sen. Rodric Bray loses his next primary.

"I hope he does, because hes done a tremendous disservice," Trump told reporters.

Bray, the Hoosier state's senate president pro tempore, was among 21 Republican senators who recently voted 31-19 to kill the redistricting bill in the GOP-controlled Indiana Senate.

Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray looks into the Senate Chambers before the mid-cycle session to consider redistricting in the Senate Chambers, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025 at the Indiana Statehouse. House Bill 1032 for redistricting passed 57-41 in the House last week, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

Bray, 56, has been a member of the state's Senate since 2012, representing the 37th state Senate district including Morgan County and part of Johnson, Owen and Putnam counties.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump's words stem from the state's recent redistricting efforts, the legal process of drawing electoral district boundaries.

The Supreme Court on Dec. 4 ruled Texas can use a new congressional map favorable to Republicans in the 2026 elections. Not since the 1800s have so many states tried to redraw U.S. House district boundaries without a new census.

Here's why Trump wants someone else elected to Bray's seat next year.

After defeat of redistricting plan: Trump targets Indiana GOP Senate leader

Why is Trump taking interest in Indiana?

Trump said Thursday, Dec. 11, that he hopes Bray loses his next primary after the Indiana Senate recently rejected a congressional redistricting plan backed by the president.

Advertisement Advertisement

The vote came less than a week after the Indiana House approved House Bill 1032 for redistricting, passing the legislation 57-41 on Dec. 5 and advancing the controversial plan to redraw Indiana's congressional maps ahead of the 2026 elections, a move supported by Trump and the National Republican Redistricting Trust.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to first lady Melania Trump during the Congressional Ball in the Grand Foyer at the White House in Washington, D.C., on U.S. December 11, 2025.

The bill sought to create two new Republican districts, which would have given Republicans control of all nine of Indiana's congressional districts.

Trump's hope is for the GOP to hold on to control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections after the president recently pushed for new congressional district maps in several states.

Exclusive: Self-deported US Army vet speaks out calling treatment 'unfair'

Where do other states stand on redistricting?

As of Dec. 7, six states had redrawn maps that determine who residents can vote for to represent them in the U.S. House. They are:

Advertisement Advertisement

California

Ohio

North Carolina

Missouri

Texas

Utah

Texas and California each expect to tip five seats to their majority parties.

Ohio could flip two Democratic-held seats to the GOP.

North Carolinas map was designed to flip one seat to Republicans.

Missouri dismantled a Democratic seat based in Kansas City.

Utahs map remains disputed in court but could create one Democratic seat among the states four.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Donald Trump upset with Indiana?
Irving, Texas-based Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) is one of the largest U.S. suppliers of building products, prefabricated components, and value-added services for residential construction, repair, and remodeling. Valued at $11.6 billion by market cap, it serves professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, remodelers, and consumers in the US.

Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as "large-cap stocks." BLDR fits right into that category, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size and influence in the homebuilding products and equipment industry.

More News from Barchart

Despite its notable strengths, BLDR stock has tanked 37.5% from its 52-week high of $175.24 touched on Dec. 11, 2024. Meanwhile, BLDR stock prices have plunged 21.9% over the past three months, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 Indexs ($SPX) 5.4% uptick during the same time frame.

www.barchart.com

Builders FirstSources performance has remained grim over the longer term as well. BLDR stock prices have plunged 23.3% on a YTD basis and 35.8% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming SPXs 17.1% surge in 2025 and 14.1% returns over the past year.

BLDR stock has traded mostly below its 200-day moving average over the past year and below its 50-day moving average since mid-September, underscoring its bearish trend.

www.barchart.com

Despite reporting better-than-expected financials, Builders FirstSources stock prices declined 3.1% in the trading session following the release of its Q3 results on Oct. 30. While the company has continued to observe growth from acquisitions, its lower core organic net sales and commodity deflation have driven down its overall sales. FirstSources topline for the quarter came in at $6.9 billion, down 6.9% year-over-year, but surpassed the Streets expectations by 3.8%. Meanwhile, its adjusted EPS declined 38.8% year-over-year to $1.88, but exceeded the consensus estimates by 11.2%.

Meanwhile, Builders FirstSource has also underperformed its peer, Masco Corporations (MAS) 12.6% decline on a YTD basis and 20.1% plunge over the past year.

Among the 24 analysts covering the BLDR stock, the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy. As of writing, its mean price target of $134.59 suggests a 22.8% upside potential from current price levels.

On the date of publication, Aditya Sarawgi 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
Wisconsin politicians denounce the "billionaire loophole" that makes state elections so expensive, but they're still raising tons of cash. | Getty Images

Two high-profile candidates for governor of Wisconsin, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Democratic former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, have denounced the unlimited flow of cash into state political campaigns. Then, practically in the same breath, both men announced their plans to raise tens of millions of dollars, signalling to their less well funded primary opponents that they might as well get out of the way.

In an interview with PBS Wisconsin on Dec. 5, Tiffany criticized that pass-through loophole, I call it the billionaire loophole, in Wisconsin law, adding, theres just so much money that comes into Wisconsin.

Advertisement Advertisement

You can cry about it or you can compete, Tiffany continued. We choose to compete  Were hoping to raise $40 million.

As Baylor Spears reports, Tiffany actually voted for the billionaire loophole he now criticizes back when he was serving in the state Senate in 2015.

Mandela Barnes, in a recent campaign stop in Madison, told Spears and other reporters that he has raised a strong haul, in the first week of his campaign, and that he intends to raise a staggering $50 million by the end of the race. He added that he doesnt like the role of money in politics. Its not a good sign, he said, and his future goal is to get big money out of politics and enact campaign and ethics reform.

Back in 2015, when Republicans were ramming through the billionaire loophole, Barnes opposed it, saying at the time that it would allow shady special interest money and allow for more corruption to go undetected and unprosecuted.

Advertisement Advertisement

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, remembers that moment well. Under former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Republican legislative majorities passed the law eviscerating campaign finance limits along with other measures getting rid of the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board and eliminating the John Doe procedure that was used to criminally prosecute leaders of both political parties for campaign finance crimes in the infamous caucus scandal of the early 2000s.

The 2015 law doubled the amount individuals could give to candidates. More importantly, it eliminated all limits on state party contributions to candidates and allowed coordination between candidates and outside groups that make issue ads supporting the campaigns. Donors were able to give as much as they wanted to political parties, which then funneled that money to candidates, creating the billionaire loophole to which Tiffany belatedly objects. The 2015 law cleared the way for outsiders like Elon Musk to pour limitless cash into state races to try to affect the outcome.

The Republicans did that in 2015 because they were convinced that they would have a great financial advantage since they generally raised more money from donors and special interests, says Heck. Of course, what they didnt anticipate was [former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair] Ben Wikler and the Democratic Partys ability to take that big hole in the law and use it to raise massive amounts of money.

Recently, Democrats in Wisconsin have been beating Republicans in the fundraising arms race. In 2025, in the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history, Susan Crawford, the candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court supported by the Democratic Party, raised $28.3 million compared with Republican-supported Brad Schimel, who raised $15.1 million. Outside special interests accounted for most of the spending on the race, with Musk alone putting in nearly $20 million through his political action committees and millions more laundered through the state Republican Party for Schimel, while the Democratic Party of Wisconsin funneled $10 million to Crawford.

Advertisement Advertisement

The lesson of the 2015 law, says Heck, is, be careful what you wish for.

That certainly applies to Republicans, who lost the two most expensive state Supreme Court races in history as well as the last two record-breaking gubernatorial races won by Gov. Tony Evers with $93 million in total spending in 2018 and $164 million in 2022.

But it also applies to Democrats, who cannot count on continually bringing in more money than Republicans.

More importantly, when it costs tens of millions of dollars to win state elections, regular voters voices are drowned out by billionaires, who are not investing in candidates just out of the goodness of their hearts.

Advertisement Advertisement

Heck believes that change will only come when voters demand reform, most likely because a big scandal clearly illustrates that politicians are doing favors for their donors in exchange for campaign cash.

Its going to require a bipartisan coming-together to establish some limits, Heck says.

Even as the U.S. Supreme Court has opened the floodgate for campaign spending with the Citizens United decision, which in 2010 struck down a federal ban on political donations from corporations, and McCutcheon v. FEC, which in 2014 found that annual caps on total political donations from one person are unconstitutional, states have the ability to impose limits.

A report by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows Wisconsin is one of only 11 states that allow unlimited candidate contributions by state parties and among the top 10 for the highest limits on PAC contributions to candidates. Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and most other states limit how much political parties can accept, which reduces the Elon Musk effect. Plus, We are one of few states that allows so-called coordination between political candidates and outside groups, Heck says.

Advertisement Advertisement

The problem is that candidates, while acknowledging that massive amounts of money fueling their campaigns is a bad look, dont want to unilaterally disarm.

But now, as the Trump administration drags the country to new levels of overt corruption, it could be a good time for a campaign that ties together billionaires destructive influence on society and the fact that they are buying our democracy.

There has to be public disgust with the amount of money being spent, says Heck. If a candidate put corruption front and center, it might get a lot of traction.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
EVANSVILLE  Kentucky authorities arrested a former DoorDash delivery driver Friday who made national news for allegedly contaminating a Vanderburgh County couples meal with pepper spray.

The McCracken County Sheriff's Office arrested the woman, identified in court records as 29-year-old Kourtney N. Stevenson, Friday morning on an Indiana arrest warrant. She faces two counts of battery resulting in moderate injury and two counts of consumer product tampering for the Dec. 7 incident, which was captured in a now-viral doorbell camera video.

Stevenson, who has since been dropped by the food delivery service DoorDash, is being held in Kentucky without bond pending extradition proceedings, according to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson.

Advertisement Advertisement

The investigation that would lead to Stevenons arrest got its start after one of the alleged victims, Mark Cardin, contacted the sheriff's office Dec. 7 to report that he and his wife had fallen ill after eating food delivered to their northern Vanderburgh County home shortly after midnight.

Both reportedly experienced burning sensations in their mouths, noses, throats and stomachs before vomiting. But the suspected source of their malaise left the couple stunned and furious.

They reviewed their doorbell camera footage and observed the DoorDash Dasher place the food off camera on the porch and take a picture, a sheriffs office news release states. She then sprayed a substance in the direction of the food from a small aerosol can attached to her keychain and left.

Former DoorDash delivery driver Kourtney N. Stevenson, 29, stands accused of pepper spraying a Vanderburgh County couple's meal on Dec. 7, leading prosecutors to charge her with battery and consumer product tampering offenses.

Investigators obtained records from DoorDash through a subpoena and identified Stevenson as the driver. Additional investigative work confirmed her identity, and authorities learned she was staying near Paducah, Kentucky.

Advertisement Advertisement

When detectives reached Stevenson by phone, she initially agreed to an interview, telling investigators she had been visiting her father in Evansville and was working DoorDash shifts during her stay. She acknowledged using pepper spray during the delivery but insisted she had sprayed chemical irritant at a spider, not the food, an action she attributed to her intense fear of arachnids.

But detectives found the explanation dubious. The overnight temperature in Evansville dropped to 35 degrees the night of the incident  conditions under which outdoor spiders in Indiana become inactive and cannot crawl on exposed surfaces, according to the sheriff's office.

Stevenson later called back to cancel the scheduled interview.

The sheriffs office proceeded with an arrest warrant. Upon Stevensons extradition to Indiana, she will be held at the Vanderburgh County jail on a $3,500 bond, court records state. It was not immediately clear how quickly Stevenson would appear before a judge or whether she had retained an attorney.

Advertisement Advertisement

Battery resulting in moderate injury is a level 6 felony under Indiana law, while consumer product tampering carries more severe penalties as a level 5 felony. Under state guidelines, Level 5 felonies carry a prison sentence of between one and six years, with an advisory sentence 3 years.

DoorDash didnt wait for Stevensons arrest or a conviction to permanently bar her from its platform.

"DoorDash has absolutely zero tolerance for this type of appalling behavior," the company said in a statement to Evansville news media.

Robinson said Vanderburgh County residents should be able to trust that the food they order for their families is safe.

Advertisement Advertisement

"When someone violates that trust and endangers others, we will respond with urgency and we will pursue charges, he said. I want to commend our detectives and also thank the McCracken County Sheriffs Office and Vanderburgh County Prosecutors Office for their assistance in making this arrest.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Arrest made in alleged Indiana DoorDash pepper spray incident
Police arrested a woman for allegedly stabbing a tourist inside the Macy's in Herald Square on Thursday afternoon.

Kerri Aherne, 43, of Massachusetts, was charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said.

A 38-year-old woman from California was stabbed multiple times inside of the Macy's just before 3 p.m. in the back and arm. She was at the store shopping with her husband.

Advertisement Advertisement

The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

A Macy's spokesperson released a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We kindly defer any further questions to the local authorities."

Police say the attack appeared to be unprovoked.



* Get Eyewitness News Delivered

* Follow us on YouTube

* More local news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
A woman accused of hiding her newborn baby's remains over five years ago in a wooded area in north suburban Riverwoods pleaded not guilty to felony charges Thursday.

Natalie Schram now lives in Washington state, where she was arrested earlier this month, police said.

Riverwoods police say Schram gave birth to the baby in May 2020 and then dumped the baby's body in a wooded area in the 1800 block of Robinwood Lane.

Advertisement Advertisement

Police have been investigating the case for more than five and a half years after a Lake County water department crew discovered the remains of the newborn near a home in a residential area of town.

Schram left court Thursday with her husband and attorney without comment. She was back in Lake County after her arrest in Washington state.

Authorities say she is the mother of a newborn whose remains were discovered in a suitcase in this neighborhood behind a home where her family lived.

Police say DNA analysis by the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia helped lead them to Schram.

"With a profile of the baby, then we were able to work on trying to find the parent of the baby," Riverwoods Police Detective David Martinovich said.

Advertisement Advertisement

SEE ALSO | 2 charged after infant's remains found buried at Wilmington home, Will County sheriff says

Police say they are continuing to investigate as they still have a lot of unanswered questions. They say while the remains found were those of a newborn, it's unclear how long they had been there.

"It could have been immediate or it could have been back several years prior to that," Det. Martinovich said.

Detective Martinovich says he travelled to Bellingham, Washington last week to work with local police, who arrested Schram. She waived extradition and was released on $250,000 bond by authorities there.

Advertisement Advertisement

Schram is now facing several felony charges, including two counts of Concealment of Death, Abuse of a Corpse and Failure to Report the Death or Disappearance of a Child Under 13 Years of Age. Prosecutors say it's also possible more suspects could be involved and more charges could be filed.

"It never went cold. I've been continuously following forensic leads for five and a half years," Det. Martinovich said.

The judge is allowing Schram to return to her home in Washington, but she must be back in Illinois for her next court appearance in February.
A Woodbury County jail inmate's lawsuit against federal government alleges shes being unlawfully detained by ICE without opportunity to argue for release on bond. (Photo by simpson33 via iStock / Getty Images Plus)

A Woodbury County jail inmate is suing the federal government, alleging shes being unlawfully detained by ICE and faces a year of confinement while being denied her due process rights.

The case is one of hundreds of similar lawsuits filed around that nation against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Advertisement Advertisement

Rosaura Genchi Garcia alleges the federal government is attempting to circumvent immigration law and rewrite the Immigration and Nationality Act by detaining her and others and denying them due process by refusing to let them appear in court and argue for release on bond while their immigration cases are pending.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

The Trump administrations position is that contrary to decades of past precedent, longstanding federal law requires mandatory detention without the possibility of release on bond for all individuals who are suspected of unauthorized entry to the United States.

In the past, mandatory detention was limited to those individuals who were apprehended while attempting to enter the country. Individuals who were taken into custody after being in the United States for months, years or decades, were normally given the opportunity to argue for their release on bond while their immigration case was pending.

Advertisement Advertisement

As with other detainees, Garcia is seeking relief from a federal judge in U.S. District Court, arguing that the bond-hearing decisions made by immigration judges in the separate legal arena of Immigration Court are unconstitutional.

While virtually every district court judge has sided with the detainees in finding that they are entitled to a bond hearing, ICE and Homeland Security have maintained their stance that, under the Trump administrations new interpretation of federal law, detention is mandatory. As a result, hundreds of Immigration Court cases have stalled while the individual detainees hire lawyers to file lawsuits on their behalf in U.S. District Court.

In their response to Garcias lawsuit, lawyers for Homeland Security have argued that mandatory detention is lawful and that the U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized Congresss broad power and immunity from judicial control to expel aliens from the country and to detain them while doing so.

According to court records, Garcia came to the United States from Mexico in 2004 and was arrested in June 2025 for working under an alias. In September 2025, after completing her sentence in that case, Garcia was detained by ICE and held for potential deportation.

Advertisement Advertisement

In early October, she requested a bond hearing but was denied by an immigration court judge, who cited the legal theory that he lacked jurisdiction to even consider such a request.

Garcias attorneys argue the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and others are ignoring binding federal regulations, past court rulings and the plain language of the law, all in an effort to further a political agenda by the current presidential administration.

In their lawsuit, they note that the deportation decisions rendered by immigration judges are not final unless the individual being detained chooses not to file an appeal. As such, it may be at least a year before Garcias case reaches the stage of a final decision, which means she is likely to be jailed for at least another 12 months, they say.

They point out that processing time in some immigration cases ranges from 14 months to 48 months, and the increasing number of appeals filed as a result of the Trump administrations stance is creating a backlog of cases at the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Advertisement Advertisement

In their petition to district court, lawyers for Garcia argue that while the actions of the Trump administration will not hold up in Federal Appeals Court, it will take time to get decisions from every single circuit court  and in the meantime the government is stripping immigrants of their constitutional rights.

In addition to DHS, ICE and the DOJ, Garcias lawsuit names as defendants Greg London, the sheriff in Sarpy County, Nebraska; Sarpy County Jail Director Jo Martin; U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi; and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

The Sarpy County officials are named as defendants in the case because, when the lawsuit was initially filed several weeks ago, Garcia was being held in the Sarpy County Jail. Since then, Garcia has been transferred to Iowas Woodbury County Jail, which has resulted in the lawsuit being transferred from U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska to U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Plastic flowers and American flags are placed atop graves at the Wounded Knee Memorial and cemetery June 30, 2024, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

The U.S. Senate sent President Donald Trump a bill Thursday that would protect a portion of the Wounded Knee Massacre site on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, sponsored the legislation in the House, where it passed in January. Sen. Mike Rounds sponsored the legislation in the Senate, where it passed Thursday, with Majority Leader John Thune as a cosponsor. Both are Republicans from South Dakota.

Advertisement Advertisement

Johnson released a statement saying the time is now here to properly memorialize the lost and preserve the land.

I look forward to seeing the president sign this into law to ensure the land remains sacred for generations to come, Johnson said.

Rounds also issued a statement, saying the Wounded Knee Massacre was a devastating low point in U.S.-Lakota relations and we will continue to tell the story of this dark day in our nations history.

The legislation would place 40 acres at the massacre site in restricted-fee status, which means it could not be sold, taxed, gifted or leased without approval by Congress and the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes, which jointly purchased the land three years ago.

Advertisement Advertisement

The leaders of both tribes praised the bills passage in comments included in a news release from Johnson.

Today, we stand to acknowledge the atrocities committed against the Lakota people to continue to heal, to protect, to educate, and most importantly, to ensure that we never forget the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890, said Cheyenne River Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out called the bill an important act that will preserve the memory of the Wounded Knee Massacre and the legacy and sacrifice of our ancestors.

Significantly, Star Comes Out said, it also promotes tribal self-determination and allows us to protect our Wounded Knee site in perpetuity.

Advertisement Advertisement

The bills passage comes a little more than two months after U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced his rejection of calls to rescind medals awarded to soldiers for their participation in the massacre.

Bills to revoke the medals have been introduced this congressional session in the House from Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, and in the Senate from Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. Neither bill has advanced out of its assigned committee, and South Dakotas members of Congress have not signed on as cosponsors.

The massacre occurred on Dec. 29, 1890. A large group of Lakota people traveling to the Pine Ridge Agency in southwestern South Dakota made camp near Wounded Knee Creek, where they were surrounded by hundreds of Army soldiers. A shot rang out during a struggle while the soldiers tried to disarm the camp, and the soldiers opened fire.

Fewer than 40 soldiers were killed (some by friendly fire, according to historians), while estimates of Lakota deaths ran from 200 to 300 or more, depending on the source, including men, women and children. After some of the bodies froze on the ground for several days, a military-led burial party placed them in a mass grave.

One hundred years later in 1990, Congress passed a resolution expressing deep regret for the massacre.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is not waiting to be sworn in to begin his work running the city.

On Thursday, Mamdani spent time with kids at Little Scholars Childcare Center in Chelsea.

He read to the children and reporters asked him questions about one of his top campaign promises: universal child care.

His plan calls for the city to provide free child care for those aged 6 weeks to 5 years old, saying it not only makes moral but economic sense.

Advertisement Advertisement

"In 2022 alone, our city lost an estimated $23 billion in economic activity because parents had to leave jobs or reduce their hours to care for their children," Mamdani said.

All of this comes with a steep price tag that his camp estimates between $5 billion and $8 billion annually.

While Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to help, the pair has different views on how to make the mark.

Mamdani wants to do it through a tax hike on millionaires and corporations -- a move that would need state approval, but could possibly raise about $9 billion.

Before arriving at the child care center on Thursday, Mamdani met with business leaders and floated the idea.

Advertisement Advertisement

"That's a conversation that continues, and it's one that I believe presents the most obvious way to fund initiatives such as this," Mamdani said.

Questions still on the table center around staffing for the younger group of kids, space and eligibility.

Mamdani says fixing the existing flawed system is top of mind.

"There have been offers to families who live in Bed-Stuy for a three case seat, and when they look at the details, that seat is in Astoria," Mamdani said.

But when pressed for details, Mamdani, who officially steps into his new role in three weeks, pointed out he's not yet mayor but is hard at work preparing for the job.

Advertisement Advertisement

----------

* Get Eyewitness News Delivered

* More New York City news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube



Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
(This story has been updated with a statement from Youth First.)

A Youth First social worker was arrested on Thursday evening and has been charged with child seduction, a Level 5 felony in Indiana.

Indiana State Police identified the social worker as 30-year-old Mariah Lienemann of Owensville, Indiana.

In a news release, state police officials said they started an investigation in early November after "detectives received information regarding inappropriate behavior between a Youth First social worker and a 16-year-old male student at Princeton High School."

Advertisement Advertisement

State police investigators allege that Lienemann "had sexual relations with the student on more than one occurrence in the classroom during school hours. Detectives also discovered numerous inappropriate text messages, and more than 15 Facetime calls between Lienemann and the student."

Lienemann was arrested Thursday at her residence. She is no longer employed by Youth First and is lodged in the Gibson County Jail as of Thursday night, state police said.

Youth First partners with many local schools for placing social workers. The agency's stated mission is "to strengthen youth and families by providing evidence-based programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success."

Court records do not indicate when Lienemann will make an initial court appearance.

Advertisement Advertisement

Youth First President and CEO Holli Sullivan released a statement to the Courier & Press on Thursday evening:

"Youth First exists to strengthen the lives of young people and their families, and the safety and well-being of every person we serve has always been Youth Firsts top priority. We have recently been notified of serious allegations involving one of our school-based employees.

"We acted as soon as we received notice of the allegations by immediately removing the employee from the school and beginning an investigation.

"While we are deeply saddened and concerned to learn of these accusations, we cannot comment on our specific investigation or any employee disciplinary matters, but we can confirm that the individual is no longer an employee with Youth First.

Advertisement Advertisement

"We will continue to fully cooperate with the North Gibson School Corporation and law enforcement authorities. As the legal process unfolds, Youth First remains committed to assisting in the healing process for those directly impacted as well as caring for the communities we serve every day across our footprint.

"For nearly 30 years, Youth First has worked to strengthen and transform the lives of more than 20,000 Indiana students and their families each year. That mission remains our unwavering focus as we continue to support and protect the communities we serve.

"As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further and will direct any specific questions on the matter to law enforcement."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Youth First social worker accused of child seduction, arrested by ISP
President Trump on Wednesday announced the launch of the Trump Gold Card, offering a pathway to U.S. citizenship for foreigners who pay $1 million to expedite their visa applications.

Basically, its a green card but much better, Trump said at an event with business leaders at the White House. Much more powerful, a much stronger path.

A website for the program, TrumpCard.gov, launched on Wednesday afternoon.

Advertisement Advertisement

The cards themselves feature Trumps official portrait flanked by the Statue of Liberty and an eagle, alongside the presidents signature.

How does it work?

To apply, people must pay a nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee to be vetted by the Department of Homeland Security, according to the website. After background approval, the site promises that those who contribute $1 million will receive U.S. residency in record time. As lawful permanent residents, cardholders will be eligible for citizenship through naturalization after five years.

A $1 million gift upon completion of the individuals vetting is evidence that the individual will substantially benefit the United States, the website states. An individual may also need to pay small, additional fees to the U.S. Department of State depending on his or her circumstances.

U.S. companies can pay $2 million for a Trump Corporate Gold Card to sponsor each foreign worker they want to bring into the country.

A screengrab from the new government website for Trump Gold Card applicants. (TrumpCard.gov)

The site also includes a link for foreign nationals to join the waiting list for the Trump Platinum Card.

Advertisement Advertisement

For a $5 million contribution, platinum cardholders will have the ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income.

The approval process is expected to take "weeks," according to the website, adding that "a small number of countries may have wait times of up to a year or more based on visa availability.

Trump said that all funds generated by the gold card, which he estimated would be probably billions of dollars, will be deposited in the U.S. treasury.

How we got here

The Trump Gold Card has been months in the making and part of his administrations broader crackdown on immigration.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump announced the initiative in February, suggesting each card would cost $5 million.

In September, Trump signed an executive order to establish a gold card program that would facilitate the entry of aliens who have demonstrated their ability and desire to advance the interests of the United States by voluntarily providing a significant financial gift to the Nation.

The same month, Trump announced that he would impose a $100,000 fee on new applications for H-1B visas, which many technology companies use to attract skilled foreign workers.

Trump said Wednesday that he had heard from business leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, who expressed difficulty in retaining workers from top colleges who are not granted visas to stay in the U.S.

President Trump at the White House on Dec. 10. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS via Getty Images)

Similar golden visa programs exist in other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Italy. Critics of such programs say they create a two-tiered immigration system that benefits wealthy individuals at the expense of other applicants.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump officials say prioritizing the wealthy is intentional.

Were the only great country that lets other people just come in without vetting them and deciding whether theyre really going to help the economy of America, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who is overseeing the Trump Gold Card program, said Thursday on CNBC.

Lets bring in the top of the best, Lutnick said. Lets help them grow America and build America. Why should we take people who are below average? It just doesnt make any sense.

The backdrop

President Trump holds a Trump Gold Card as he speaks to reporters on Air Force One en route to Miami on April 3. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The rollout of the gold card comes amid sweeping changes to legal immigration ordered by Trump in the wake of the deadly shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., in November. The suspected shooter, Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who previously worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Advertisement Advertisement

Trump said the day after the shooting that he planned to suspend immigration from all Third World countries, and ordered the U.S. government to reexamine all green card applications from 19 countries of concern, including Afghanistan and Somalia.

During a speech in Pennsylvania earlier this week, Trump recounted derogatory comments about immigration that he made behind closed doors during his first term in 2018.

"Our country was going to hell," Trump recalled onstage on Tuesday. "And we had a meeting, and I say, 'Why is it we only take people from s***hole countries, right? Why cant we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few? Let us have a few from Denmark. Do you mind sending us a few people? Do you mind?'"
In todays CEO Daily: Diane Brady reports on whats next for the Magnificent 7.

The big story: Fed Day fallout.

The markets: Mixed, with U.S. stocks poised to open lower.

Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

Good morning. What do business leaders predict next year for the Magnificent 7? They know all too well how Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla have delivered more than half of the S&P 500s gains in recent years, setting a high bar for everyone else to clear. But things change: One minute, Alphabet is behind the curve on AI and then Googles latest Gemini launch sparked a Code Red from OpenAIs Sam Altman.

More from Yahoo Scout What is Chambers' prediction for Magnificent 7 divergence? What factors are driving mixed opinions on Amazon? Why are business leaders most bullish on Alphabet? Why are Apple and Tesla attracting the most pessimism?

Earlier this week, while speaking with former Cisco CEO John Chambers about his tech predictions for the year ahead, our discussion turned to his outlook for the Magnificent 7. Having built Cisco from a router manufacturer to the worlds most valuable company in March 2000and since nurtured a new generation of unicorns through JC2 VenturesChambers is a student of market shifts.

He believes 2026 will be a year of divergence within the Magnificent 7. Two or three do real well, two or three do not do well at all and you have one or two in the middle, he told me. If I were betting on momentum today, I would bet Google (Alphabet), Microsoft and Nvidia. By the way, Google would not have made that list a year ago.

I subsequently asked two dozen leaders at the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference and the Fortune CEO Initiative dinner in San Francisco for their views on the Mag 7. Alphabet was also the winner. The primary source of enthusiasm is Gemini 3, its latest AI model. Though as one CEO cautioned: Im more confident about the health of the business than the health of the stock.

Microsoft and Nvidia were more of a toss-up for second among the leaders I polled. A Fortune 100 leader pointed out that Microsoft has deep relationships in the enterprise and something tangible to offer in AI, while an enterprise-tech leader pointed to its struggles with Copilot. As for Nvidia: Id rather be in Jensens seat than anywhere else, said one AI founder.

The company that prompted most debate: Amazon. Some ranked it top as a growth bet for next year, saying its gaining on AI rivals; others said last, arguing its not attracting top talent. Several were lukewarm for reasons ranging from recession fears to the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal. Meta also got a mixed prognosis, with one entrepreneur telling me you cant win with low morale.

Apple and Tesla attracted the most pessimism. Several leaders pointed to the departure of key leaders at Apple, along with its mature product line and lack of visible leadership in AI. And the word cloud around Tesla included China, distracted, policy risk, consumers, and Elon Musk. Said one dinner attendee: Go test drive a BYD.



Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Get the day's news.

Sign up for our Daily Headlines newsletter  delivered to your inbox every morning at 7 a.m.
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Cabinet meeting alongside President Donald Trump, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Dec. 2.
You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters.

Advisors overwhelmingly look to private market assets to diversify risk in client portfolios, according to the fourth annual survey conducted by alts platform CAIS and financial consultancy Mercer.

The survey also found that 90% of advisors currently allocate to alts and 88% plan to increase allocations over the next two years. In addition, almost half of the surveyed advisors (49%) on average allocate more than 10% of client portfolios to private market assets.

This years results send a clear message: advisor demand for alternatives isnt a passing trend, instead its a structural shift, Brad Walker, president of CAIS, said in a statement. Were seeing advisors integrate alternatives as a core part of portfolio construction. As technology and AI continue to streamline access, we expect these allocations to deepen even further.

The survey gauged why advisors allocate to various private market asset classes and found that for most (private debt, real estate, infrastructure, hedge funds, natural resources and structured notes), respondents pointed to risk diversification. The lone exceptions were private equity and digital assets, which advisors see as return enhancers.

[[scm-embed type="everviz" src="https://app.everviz.com/inject/Rod-Bb_vs/?v=3"]]

In all, advisors reported significant allocations to private equity (89%), private credit (88%) and real estate (86%). Interest in thematic areas also grew, including for artificial intelligence (70%), tax-advantaged strategies (58%) and energy transition-related investments (36%). In addition, half of surveyed advisors said they plan to increase or maintain their allocation to structured notes.

In terms of challenges, high levels of administration and paperwork remained the top barrier cited by advisors, although, notably, the percentage dropped from 48% a year ago to 40% in the current survey, possibly as a result of platform enhancements by CAIS and other wealthtech providers aimed at streamlining the alternative investment process. Lack of liquidity was the second largest obstacle, cited by 38% of respondents. In addition, advisors expressed an overwhelming preference to be able to manage public and private investments on a single platform, which is functionality that TAMPs have been working to bring to the market either by integrating with alts platforms or by building it in-house.
Q : One of your competitors recently acquired Digitalk in the UK. What's your view on that acquisition, and why aren't you pursuing similar acquisitions? A : Louis Hall, CEO: I'm not aware of that acquisition, so I can't comment. Hansen Technologies, which acquired Digitalk, is more of a competitor in utilities rather than telecoms, so we don't see them often in our space.

The company's free cash flow conversion has been lower in recent years, partly due to the way license revenue is recognized, which could impact cash availability for future investments.

There is a potential risk of lower margins in 2026 due to changes in license mix and increased investment in sales and delivery heads.

The company's revenue growth was only 4% despite a 25% increase in new orders, indicating potential challenges in converting orders to revenue.

The market for BSS/OSS software is not fast-growing, with an annual growth rate of around 4%, which could limit rapid expansion opportunities.

Cerillion PLC ( LSE:CER ) has a strong global presence, with a diverse customer base across 40 countries, and is well-positioned for future growth with a robust pipeline of potential deals.

The company has expanded its sales team and increased R&D investment by 30%, focusing on AI to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.

Cerillion PLC ( LSE:CER ) achieved new highs across all key financial measures, with total new orders up 25% to around GBP48 million.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript .

Story Continues

Q: Are M&A multiples in the sector still high, and how do they compare to your valuation? A: Louis Hall, CEO: The disclosed multiple for CSG's acquisition was about 2.7x EV over sales, which is lighter than ours. We trade at a higher EV over sales multiple due to our high margins, making us less expensive at an EBITDA multiple level.

Q: What's the minimum IRR you're targeting for AI-related product developments? A: Louis Hall, CEO: AI investments are about staying competitive and making our product set more attractive. While we expect incremental business from AI, it's not expected to double our revenues. It's about maintaining a leading position in the BSS/OSS space.

Q: How should investors reconcile your recent GBP46 million share sale with your long-term growth ambitions? A: Louis Hall, CEO: I reduced my holding by a third for diversification purposes. I still retain two-thirds of my shares and believe in the company's growth potential. The sale was about sensible diversification, not a lack of confidence in the company's future.

Q: Why did recurring revenue decline by 3% in the second half, and what gives you confidence in doubling the business in three to five years? A: Andrew Dickson, CFO: The decline in recurring revenue is due to timing differences. We expect long-term recurring revenue growth as new customers come on board. Our confidence in doubling the business comes from a strong backlog, new customer wins, and upselling to existing customers.

Q: How difficult is it for a customer to switch from Cerillion to a new provider? A: Louis Hall, CEO: It's unlikely and difficult for customers to switch due to the mission-critical nature of our systems. Implementations are complex and lengthy, making it challenging for customers to move to a new provider.

Q: Could you provide more details on the new sales hires and their focus areas? A: Louis Hall, CEO: New sales hires are targeting specific regions like the Middle East, the Caucasus, and the US. We're also strengthening our presales team in Europe to support our growth strategy.

Q: What is your target for free cash flow conversion, and should we expect improvement? A: Andrew Dickson, CFO: Free cash flow conversion is impacted by our revenue recognition policy. While growth impacts conversion, we have a strong track record of being paid, and accrued income is expected to convert into cash over time.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
An investigation into the Budapest Pride march in June has concluded with a recommendation to raise charges, Mayor Gergely Karacsony said on Thursday, adding that he is accused of violating the right of assembly.

"They are accusing me of violating the right of assembly, which is completely absurd, since the municipal government of the capital has no right to assemble," he said in a video posted on Facebook.



The metropolitan council has the right to hold any event it wants within its own public spaces, he said. Instead of the civil group that usually organises Budapest Pride, the event was organised by the metropolitan council, he added.



Karacsony said that hundreds of thousands of people took part in the event and "made a statement that we cannot be intimidated and our most fundamental rights cannot be restricted".



"For fifteen years we have been living in a system that hates all social autonomy, hates small or even larger islands of freedom, and hates the capital's local government, among other things," he added.



Financial restrictions had been used to try to prevent the capital's administration from having a free hand in using the city's own resources, and "now they are also trying to prevent the mayor from remaining free," Karacsony said.



He said that in a system where the law protects power rather than people, it was inevitable that sooner or later the moment would come when criminal law would be used against him.



The investigation and restrictions on the right of assembly, as well as the current bill before parliament that threatens the mayor with prison if he does not approve "the pocketing of the city's money", show that "the system has reached its breaking point", he said.



"They cannot bear the fact that there are still free people and free local governments in Hungary," he said, adding that he wore the indictment as a badge of honour.



"I'm proud that I took every political risk for the freedom of my city, and I stand proudly before the court to defend my own freedom and that of my city," he added.



Source: MTI  Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.



Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.



XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

*********************************************************************************************



You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page:



Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary



You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters



Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop:

As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here.
Hungary will have an "enormous competitive advantage" in the post-Ukraine war era by maintaining mutually respectful and beneficial relations with both East and West, Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto said.

Speaking at a podium discussion at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), Szijjarto said Hungary was currently the only European country with strong ties in both directions. "No leader other than Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a welcome guest in the United States, China, and Russia alike," he said.



"This will be an incredible advantage for us after the war. I still believe the post-war period will be shaped by an agreement among great powers, as has historically been the case. In this new world order, defined by those powers, we can be certain that Hungary remains the sole European nation capable of building relationships based on mutual respect with those who will shape it."



He added that countries failing to maintain such ties due to "ideologically driven foreign policy strategies" would start from behind in the coming competition.



Szijjarto cited Hungary's exemption from recent US sanctions on the Russian energy sector as a direct benefit of these relationships, ensuring the country's continued energy security.



"At one point, we were told we could not buy oil from Russia. The prime minister went to Washington, and now we can. Then he went to Moscow and secured the necessary quantities. Finally, he travelled to Istanbul to confirm the transport route," he said.



The minister criticised the EU's REPowerEU regulation, designed to block Russian energy imports, arguing that energy supply had become a "political and ideological issue" rather than a physical and geographical matter. "Homes are still heated with gas, and petrol is still made from oil, both best transported by pipeline," he said. "No amount of press conferences or clever statements has ever heated a home."



He warned that Brussels' plans, if implemented, would create significant problems, particularly for Hungary and Slovakia, but ultimately for all of Europe.



Under the regulation, Hungary would lose one of its two current oil pipelines, leaving only the route through Croatia, which he called unreliable and five times more expensive since the war began. "Every test we've run on this pipeline has failed after about two hours," he insisted.



He said the situation was similarly dire for gas, with Ukraine's closure of transit routes and the potential loss of the TurkStream pipeline reducing Hungary's annual gas import capacity by 26.5 billion cubic metres.



Szijjarto also questioned the logic behind the EU's approach: "What argument can I possibly give the Hungarian people for paying more for less reliable energy? None, in my view."



He concluded by welcoming what he called a global "patriotic revolution", accelerated by Donald Trump's election as US president.



"The European liberal elite has made it a priority to sideline us. They know that removing a patriotic Hungarian government would make it far easier to achieve their goals -- dragging Europe into war, importing migrants, and promoting gender ideology. Without us, these plans would face little resistance," he said.



"That's why next April's elections are so crucial. We must ensure we are not removed from the equation, or this madness will spread unchecked."



Szijjarto said Hungary, for now, stood alone in opposing these trends, making it a prime target for the mainstream elite. "They want to clear us out of the way," he said. "We must not let that happen."





Source: MTI  Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.



Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.



XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

*********************************************************************************************



You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page:



Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary



You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters



Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop:

As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here.
The news of the next trouble for Pakistan is also connected to India..and the reason for this news is our National Security Advisor Ajit Doval..a meeting was held in Saudi Arabia's capital Jeddah last weekend..in which representatives of 40 countries including India, America Big officers joined.. but Pakistan's name was missing in the list of Saudi Arabia.. Islamabad is very upset knowing the reason for this happening..
In the clip, the Lashkar terrorist warns the Afghan Taliban that if they refuse to accept Pakistans ceasefire conditions, the group will enter the battlefield against them. Given the close alignment between Pakistans military leadership and Lashkar-e-Taiba, observers believe such a threat could not have been issued without Munirs approval.
CNOOC (China National Offshore Company) has been the standout in output growth, expanding production from 690,000 b/d in 2020 to about 900,000 b/d in 2025, supported by 650,000 km 2 of offshore acreage across the Bohai Gulf and South China Sea. Although historically an offshore-focused producer, CNOOC has moved to broaden its onshore presence as new plays emerge and the company positions itself against resource concentration risk. Meanwhile, another Chinese oil and gas state-owned major Sinopec (with 600,000 b/d of production in 2025) maintains substantial upstream weight in Sichuan, Tarim , Subei and the onshore Bohai Basin, supported by around 700,000 km 2 of onshore acreage and 100,000 km 2 offshore, consolidating its role across oil and gas corridors in the countrys southwest and far west.

Despite the policy opening to private companies, the industry remains dominated by state-owned enterprises. PetroChina is the largest oil producer, averaging 2.5 million b/d in 2025 and holding around 1.2 million km 2 of onshore acreage across the Sichuan, Tarim, Ordos, Junggar, Songliao and Qaidam basins, spanning conventional, tight, and shale developments as the company intensifies unconventional exploration.

These structural changes and rising investment capital have had visible regional effects. Tianjin lifted output from 632,000 b/d in 2020 to 785,000 b/d in 2025, the single largest regional increase, while Xinjiang advanced from 571,000 to 649,000 b/d as deep and tight-reservoir testing expanded. Heilongjiang eased slightly lower from 604,000 to 579,000 b/d, underscoring the maturity of Daqing-era legacy fields and the pressure to replace declining production.

The current reshaping of Chinas upstream began in 2020, when the government replaced administrative allocation of mining and hydrocarbon rights with a market-oriented bidding and auction framework, later codified under the 2025 Mineral Resources Law. That reform signalled a break from legacy state assignment practices and opened the door for Chinas privately owned domestic companies to participate in exploration acreage alongside national champions. In 2025, the Ministry of Natural Resources held six licensing rounds covering 23 blocks, marking the most extensive release of acreage to non-state Chinese operators to date.

China is closing 2025 with the strongest domestic crude output in its modern history, ending its Seven-Year Action Plan (20192025) with measurable gains. National production has risen from 3.8 million b/d in 2020 to an average of 4.3 million b/d in 2025 , a roughly 12% increase, driven by accelerated drilling activity, rising unconventional output, and the most significant restructuring of its upstream sector in decades. The expansion reflects Beijings strategic aim to strengthen energy security through domestic supply, even as overall demand continues to grow.

Story Continues

With the Seven-Year Plan pushing state producers to expand the search for domestic reserves, Chinas accelerated exploration is starting to deliver material outcomes. CNOOCs Bozhong 26-6 discovery in 2023, a shallow-water reservoir in Bohai that happens to be the worlds largest metamorphic-hill play, estimated at 200 million m3 of oil and gas in place, moved from discovery to first production in early 2025  an unusually fast turnaround for a frontier reservoir. PetroChinas unconventional program proved equally consequential. In late September 2025, the company confirmed 1.15 billion barrels of shale oil in place in the Gulong zone of the Songliao Basin, expected to peak at 130,000140,000 b/d, while already in early December PetroChina reported that the block surpassed 1 million tonnes of annual output. In Xinjiangs Junggar Basin, drilling depths reached 9,056 meters, the basins deepest well and the second deepest onshore in China. Sinopec has also entered new resource territory with its Qiluye-1 well in the Sichuan Basin, which tested commercial shale oil and gas at 2,000 meters with state media citing 100 million tons of crude potential, indicating for the first time a commercially viable crude reserve base in Southwest China.

Just as Chinas oil and gas resurgence gathers pace, foreign investors have discovered that the door is quietly closing. ConocoPhillips, active in China since the 1980s, now solely retains a 49% stake in parts of the Penglai Oilfield through its Chinese subsidiary after operatorship was transferred to CNOOC in 2014, representing merely a legacy involvement rather than full-scale operation. Chevron, once positioned across multiple offshore PSCs, relinquished its Bohai Gulf and South China Sea blocks and retained interests only in the Chuandongbei sour-gas PSC through its subsidiary, though the final fields commissioning in June 2025 was described in industry reporting as the end of Chevrons legacy in that project. While foreign companies publicly express interest in participating in Chinas new exploration opportunities, Beijing appears largely unmoved by the appeal of foreign capital or technology. No farm-in transactions have been reported, underscoring how geopolitical tension and strict limits on foreign ownership in strategic sectors continue to constrain international access to Chinas upstream.

This expansion in domestic production, combined with the opening of acreage to private Chinese firms, might suggest pressure on imports volumes; yet the data tells a different story. Chinas seaborne crude imports have held steady at 10.5 million b/d since 2023 (with additional 850,000 b/d of Russian oil delivered through a pipeline), even as national production climbed from 4.0 million to 4.3 million b/d, leaving imports consistently covering around 7075% of total consumption. The majority of those barrels come from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Brazil and Iran, which supply grades tailored to the needs of Chinas coastal refining complexes.

Over the past two decades, Chinas largest refineries have been designed, expanded or upgraded to process specific imported crude grades  particularly medium and heavy sour barrels  that are more economical for producing fuels and petrochemical feedstock than much of Chinas lighter, higher-cost domestic crude. With consumption projected to rise and refinery configurations structurally aligned with foreign grades, imports remain fundamental to supply. New discoveries (whether unconventional onshore or shale, shallow-water or deepwater) require long development cycles before they meaningfully contribute, suggesting that domestic gains will moderate, but not displace import dependence. China is producing more oil at home, but the architecture of its refining system ensures the country must continue buying most of it abroad.

China enters 2026 with a stronger domestic production base, a more diversified set of operators, and momentum in unconventional and offshore exploration. CNOOCs drilling campaign in Bohai Bay shows no sign of slowing, and the company is likely to add another 40,000 b/d in 2026 after three years of stable growth. PetroChina is still willingly meeting the targets set in Beijing, yet its own reports highlight the uncomfortable trade-off behind the acceleration: its resource base has shrunk by a net 200 million barrels in the past three years, indicating production is exceeding the speed of reserve additions. The faster China accelerates its upstream push, the sooner  and sharper  the turn towards its inevitable decline will be.

For now, however, the trajectory remains upward. China has cemented its position as the worlds sixth-largest oil producer, lifting output by around 100,000 b/d year-on-year in 2025, and another nationwide increase of at least 70,000 b/d appears within reach thanks to CNOOCs and PetroChinas ambitious drilling targets. Lasting shift or high-speed prelude to slowdown, Chinas upstream revival is heading into the phase that will expose its resilience and potential to grow  or its ceiling.

By Natalia Katona for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com

Oilprice Intelligence brings you the signals before they become front-page news. This is the same expert analysis read by veteran traders and political advisors. Get it free, twice a week, and you'll always know why the market is moving before everyone else.

You get the geopolitical intelligence, the hidden inventory data, and the market whispers that move billions - and we'll send you $389 in premium energy intelligence, on us, just for subscribing. Join 400,000+ readers today. Get access immediately by clicking here.
Yoga Sangam 2025 aims to set a Guinness World Record with over 3 lakh people performing yoga simultaneously in Visakhapatnam. Prime Minister Modi is leading the main International Yoga Day event in Andhra Pradesh today. Over one lakh locations across India, including Delhi's 11 new sites, are hosting creative and community-driven yoga celebrations.
RIVOLI, Italy, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Chinese automaker Changan Automobile is expanding into Italy and Spain with the launch of two fully electric models, followed next year by their plug-in hybrid versions.

Chongqing-based Changan is part of the second wave of Chinese automakers entering the European market, after forerunners including China's No. 1 car company BYD and the country's top exporter Chery.

Changan has already started selling its vehicles in eight European countries including Germany, the UK and Norway.

In Italy, it will offer EV versions of its Deepal S05 and S07 SUVs, with starting prices of 39,990 euros ($46,880) and 44,990 euros, respectively, Changan adviser for Italy Giuseppe Graziuso said during a presentation at the group's design centre in Rivoli, near Turin on Thursday.

In contrast to northern Europe, southern parts of the continent have shown limited interest in pure electric vehicles, but Graziuso said Italian clients were starting to move towards EVs.

Plug-in hybrid versions of the Deepal S05 and S07 are expected in Italy by the second quarter of next year, with the company working on launches as soon as the end of February and March.

Changan has not announced sales targets for Europe for the next year. In countries like Italy, much depends on how soon the hybrid models can be introduced, Graziuso said, adding that a smaller Q05 SUV is also expected in Italy around the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027.

"We are here to stay, to convince customers about the quality of our products," said Changan's Vice President Klaus Zyciora.

Changan plans to launch a total of eight models in Europe over three years and build a network of more than 1,000 dealers by 2030. It is investing 2 billion euros in the region.

Graziuso said Italy will be covered by around 100 dealers.

As part of its European strategy, Changan is also considering selling light commercial vehicles on the continent.

($1 = 0.8530 euros)

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari, editing by Gianluca Semeraro, Kirsten Donovan)
Chinese artificial intelligence start-up MiniMax plans to channel funds from its proposed Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) into research and development as it seeks to compete with global and domestic rivals, according to a person familiar with the matter.

With 70 per cent of its revenue generated overseas, MiniMax was targeting Hong Kong's international investor base and capital market, the person said.

The Shanghai-based firm, backed by Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, was aiming for a listing as early as January, the person said. The IPO size had not been finalised, despite a July media report suggesting a range between HK$4 billion (US$514 million) and HK$5 billion, another source said. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

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 listing is pending approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission after the company filed its listing application with the Hong Kong stock exchange confidentially.

MiniMax founder Yan Junjie is focusing on developing multimodal AI models. Photo: Handout alt=MiniMax founder Yan Junjie is focusing on developing multimodal AI models. Photo: Handout>

Domestic rival Zhipu was reportedly considering a Hong Kong listing around the same time. MiniMax and Zhipu are among the four new generative AI tigers of China - along with Baichuan and Moonshot AI.

MiniMax and Ziphu declined to comment.

The IPOs will test investor appetite for mainland Chinese AI firms amid intensifying domestic competition to develop more efficient services and challenge Western leaders such as OpenAI. While interest in China's AI sector has grown since start-up DeepSeek unveiled its low-cost, high-performance large language models, recent concerns about monetisation have raised doubts that investment may be outpacing business fundamentals.

MiniMax founder Yan Junjie, a former computer vision expert at SenseTime, is focusing on developing multimodal AI models including MiniMax M2, Hailuo 2.3, Speech 2.6 and Music 2.0 that can process text, audio, images, video and music. The company is regarded as one of the first in China to use a "mixture-of-experts" (MoE) architecture on a large scale - a method later adopted and popularised by DeepSeek.

Yan sees mainland Chinese AI companies rapidly catching up with US giants. "The best American companies may be valued at a hundred times more than Chinese start-ups, earn a hundred times as much revenue, and spend dozens of times more money - yet their technology might only be about 5 per cent ahead, and even that gap is narrowing," he said in a podcast with Chinese entrepreneur Luo Yonghao published on Wednesday.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is rapidly cementing its position as a global leader in the digital asset sector on the back of its regulatory infrastructure and the institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies, according to industry insiders at the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW).

Speaking at ADFW, the largest financial and investment gathering in the Middle East and North Africa, Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said the UAE had been at the industry's forefront, as capital city Abu Dhabi was the first jurisdiction to start regulating cryptocurrencies in 2018.

Teng said he pushed for that development during his stint as CEO of international financial centre and economic zone Abu Dhabi Global Market. He left that role in 2021 to join Binance.

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.

Recent crypto milestones for the UAE included cryptocurrency exchange Binance securing its first global licence in Abu Dhabi and Zand Bank receiving approval to launch the nation's first dirham-backed stablecoin on public blockchains.

Apart from "regulatory clarity", cryptocurrency development also required "institutional adoption" because depending on retail investment could cause volatility, Teng said.

That assessment underscored certain differences in how Hong Kong is accelerating its transformation into a digital asset hub.

Binance co-CEO Richard Teng speaks at a panel discussion during Abu Dhabi Finance Week. Photo: LinkedIn alt=Binance co-CEO Richard Teng speaks at a panel discussion during Abu Dhabi Finance Week. Photo: LinkedIn>

On the sidelines of ADFW, a four-day event that concluded on Thursday, Zand Bank CEO Michael Chan told the Post that crypto regulation was driven by two forces: a jurisdiction's road map and market demand.

"The difference between Hong Kong and the UAE is that the UAE is a crypto hub," Chan said. "The UAE has very proper regulations, where the treatment of money and digital assets is equal."

"Secondly, the market adoption rate here is very high."

According to Chan, regulatory evolution in the digital asset space also depended on "risk appetite".

"Whether Hong Kong would allow non-Hong Kong residents or non-qualified professional investors to play in the crypto game would be the key question to answer," he said.

At present, the UAE's crypto ambitions are supported by a highly engaged local market.
Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) is included among the 11 Energy Stocks to Buy for a Retirement Portfolio.

Consolidated Edison (ED) Agrees to Divest Interest in Mountain Valley Pipeline

Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) operates one of the largest energy delivery systems in the world, providing electric, gas, and steam service to the 10 million people living in New York City and Westchester County.

Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) recently announced that it has agreed to divest its approximately 6.6% interest in Mountain Valley Pipeline to a fund managed by Ares Management. The deal, which includes the utilitys share in both the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Mountain Valley Pipeline Mainline Expansion, is valued at $357.5 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, as well as the potential exercise of preferential rights by the founding members of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. ED intends to use the proceeds to partially offset its common equity needs for next year and for general corporate purposes.

In other news, Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) suffered a blow on November 21 when President Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani both agreed that the utility needed to cut its rates. The President told reporters at the White House:

Weve gotten fuel prices way down, but it hasnt shown up in Con Edison, and were gonna have to talk to them. We have to get Con Edison to start lowering the rates.

While we acknowledge the potential of ED 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: 10 Best Renewable Energy Dividend Stocks to Buy Now and 14 Best Utility Dividend Stocks to Buy Now.

Disclosure: None.
A happy couple looking at a tablet with their new auto insurance policy. - Goran13/Getty Images

According to a 2025 Consumer Reports survey of over 40,000 auto insurance members, choosing a car insurance provider isn't just about low premiums. The comprehensive analysis based its findings on its survey subjects' experiences filing claims between 2020 and 2024, with six companies  NJM Insurance Group, USAA Group, Amica Mutual Insurance Company, Erie Insurance Group, NYCM Insurance Group, and The Cincinnati Insurance Companies  consistently stand out for their trustworthiness. Factors like everyday reliable service represented through positive online feedback, transparent claims handling, overall financial stability in an insurer with high net worth, and recognized areas of expertise that address the specific needs of particular members of the public  military personnel for instance  are just as important as affordability.

According to Experian, the national average cost of car insurance is $2,320 per year but can rise to $4,264 in some locations like Maryland. Minimum car insurance coverage mandated by state laws may require more insurance, like personal injury protection, or less, but there's no way out of paying for auto insurance. With the reasons for the staggering rise in auto insurance rates in mind, knowing your best options based on real consumer experiences can only be of benefit to you.

Read more: Retirees Should Avoid These Medicare Mistakes At All Costs

NJM Insurance Group

woman wearing a reflective safety vest writes on a digital tablet near a damaged car after a traffic accident. - Anja Stefanovic/Getty Images

According to Consumer Reports, NJM Insurance Group, a mutual company owned by its policyholders, has gained a big reputation for customer satisfaction and reliability. It consistently receives top marks in Consumer Reports' surveys for overall satisfaction and claims handling, managing to consistently distinguish itself in a competitive market. While NJM serves primarily Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, recognition of its model proves that a focus on member service over profit margins fosters deep trust.

This trust is perhaps best demonstrated by direct feedback from consumers, and highlights NJM's commitment to its core principle of serving its members, not outside shareholders. Reviews on Consumer Affairs reveal that policyholders in its service areas typically give the company high marks for its straightforward process, as well as supportive customer service. One customer in New Jersey pointed out that claims are paid within a reasonable amount of time, and the company offers multiple reasonably priced insurance products, while another New Jersey customer emphasized discounts, rates, and fair payouts after accidents. Knowledgeable representatives make the experience less stressful with polite, respectful service. NJM also makes it easy for drivers already in the cheapest age bracket for auto insurance to save even more through discounts for taking driving courses.

USAA Group

A returning soldier embracing a young boy outside their home. - Aleksandarnakic/Getty Images

For eligible military members, veterans, and their families, as per Consumer Reports, USAA is the undisputed leader in trust and value. Launched back in 1922 with the purpose of serving military veterans and their families, the company has since grown to include banking and other financial services. Survey data reveals that USAA receives stellar marks for coverage, claims handling, and the general helpfulness of its representatives. The financial benefit is significant according to policyholders who switched to USAA and found they saved a median of $584 per year compared to their previous insurer.

According to Forbes Advisor, USAA's reliability where claim coverage is concerned and competitive rates  USAA offers discounts of 15% to 60% depending on where you park your car during or outside of deployment  combines superior service and immense savings that only helps to foster loyalty. This loyalty is demonstrated, in some cases, with members staying with USAA for over 50 years. While eligibility is strictly limited to current and past servicemen and women and families, for those who qualify, USAA delivers an incredible blend of financial advantage and dedicated, specialized service. This is definitely among the best ways to take advantage of a military discount.

Amica Mutual Insurance Company

Two women inspecting damage to their vehicle in a parking lot. - Kajakiki/Getty Images

According to reviews on Trustpilot, customers frequently point to excellent services from Amica, like a top reviewer who lauds his 20 years of experience with the company. For another reviewer, responsive, knowledgeable representatives, with money saving options for members, earns the company five stars for consistency. As per Consumer Reports, these sorts of experiences have helped to make Amica Mutual a trusted national brand with the exception of in Hawaii, since the service isn't available in that state. It is available in several states where car insurance premiums are rising fastest, however. While customers who were surveyed didn't find the company's rates to necessarily be among the lowest, the way representatives tend to handle their claims, and the clarity of its policies in moments of crisis, have helped earn members' trust.

As per Bankrate, the average minimum annual premium for auto insurance at Amica Mutual is $1,269, with the average for full coverage rising to $3,839 per year. In comparison to the Experian data showing the national average cost of car insurance to be $2,320 to $4,264 in the U.S., Amica offers a potential discount of anywhere from around 45% on the high end to 10% on the lower end if you're in the right location and have a solid driving record. As a mutual company, Amica also has dividend policies that can return money to policyholders, potentially offsetting higher upfront costs over time, offering long-term savings through its mutual structure, and various discounts for safe driving and bundling.

Erie Insurance Group

A smiling woman waiting for assistance near her stalled vehicle on the roadside, after a response from the insurance company. - Simon2579/Getty Images

According to Consumer Reports, Erie Insurance earns its high-praise spot by paying attention to the fundamentals of customer service like clarity, consistency, and exceptional claims service. Erie Insurance ranks highest in policyholder satisfaction, with particular praise for how effective and expediently the company handles claims. Financially, Erie Insurance stands out by bucking industry trends with the lowest percentage of policyholders reporting a recent premium increase in the survey. Policyholders consistently noted that Erie offers better coverage at a lower price, especially when bundling home and auto policies. As per InsuredBetter, the company also offers 24 hour service seven days a week, online payments, and an online auto repair locator for when you need one.

As per CNBC, a unique and trust-building feature is Erie's "Rate Lock," which prevents your premium from increasing simply due to years of loyalty or minor infractions. While only available in 13 states and D.C., and requiring purchase through one of 14,000 independent agents, Erie Insurance proves that regional focus and personal service can build impressive customer loyalty through creative ways to save money on car insurance.

NYCM Insurance Group

A stalled vehicle with its hood raised blocking traffic in New York City. - Audley C Bullock/Shutterstock

Although, as per Consumer Reports, NYCM Insurance Group is only available in New York State, For New Yorkers, NYCM Insurance Group scores points from policyholders for its customer service, bolstered by easy-to-reach phone service provided by an actual person, and representatives with the ability to provide clarity and assistance in that one call. While it doesn't offer dividend policies like other mutual insurers, NYCM provides a suite of discounts for bundling, good grades, and automatic payments. For residents within New York State, NYCM represents a trustworthy partner that combines the attentive service of a local provider with the stability of a long-established, family-managed company since its founding in 1899.

As per MoneyGeek, NYCM insurance can run anywhere from $24 to $416 per month based on factors like age, the type of coverage, gender, credit rating, and your overall driving score. Of course, there are reasons why cheaper auto insurance doesn't necessarily mean better, so if you end up paying more in exchange for trustworthy service, it may be worth it at NYCM.

The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

A smiling Gen Z professional behind the wheel of their car celebrating good news. - Djelics/Getty Images

According to The Zebra, six months of full coverage with The Cincinnati Insurance Company is $968 versus the national average of $1,084. Clear and consistent policy terms, and a long history of service suggesting financial stability, are selling points. Consumer Reports notes that this tracks with reliability and customer satisfaction, specifically around representatives capable and friendly handling of claims. This makes the company among the most trustworthy to policyholders. Serving every state but Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, the company doesn't necessarily offer the cheapest insurance quotes of any company. That said, owners of classic, vintage, and antique cars can extend their policy to those vehicles, and considering the high value of common classic cars today, higher premiums may be a worthwhile investment. A private client service for high net worth individuals offers additional perks that upper class clients are willing to pay for, while for the middle class customer, discounts acquired through the company's telematics service, RideWell, offers more ways to save money on auto insurance.

Unlock your financial potential. Add Money Digest to your preferred sources for smart money insights!

Read the original article on Money Digest.
Corn price action is down fractionally to 2 cents so far on Wednesday morning. Futures posted gains of 4 to 5 cents across most contracts on Tuesday, following a bullish USDA report. Open interest was up 6,413 contracts on Tuesday, suggesting net new buying. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was up 4 1/2 cents at $4.03 1/2.

The monthly WASDE was out this morning, showing a 125 mbu cut to US ending stocks, now at 2.029 billion bushels. That was well below estimates and came all from an increase to the export category.

More News from Barchart

On the world side, the largest adjustment was via increase carryover (+1.71 MMT), mainly in Argentina, as the US cut more than off set that. World ending stocks for 2025/26 are seen at 279.15 MMT, a 2.19 MMT drop from last month. Other notable adjustments was a 3 MMT cut to Ukraine output.

CFTC data from the week of November 4 showed corn speculators cutting 17,990 contracts from their net short position, taking it to 71,516 contracts.

A couple South Korean importers purchased a total of 136,000 MT of corn in tenders overnight. Taiwan tendered for 65,000 MT of corn.

ANEC estimates the December Brazilian corn export total at 6.3 MMT. That is a 1.31 MMT increase from last weeks projection and would be 2.03 MMT increase over last years total in December. Argentina trimmed their export tax on corn by 1 percentage point to 8.5% according to a release from the countrys economic minster.

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.40 3/4, up 4 1/2 cents, currently down 3/4 cent

Nearby Cash was $4.03 1/2, up 4 1/2 cents,

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.48, up 4 1/4 cents, currently down 1 3/4 cents

May 26 Corn closed at $4.55 1/2, up 4 1/4 cents, currently down 1 1/4 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
Israel and Costa Rica have signed a free trade agreement, but it must be ratified by Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly in the face of opposition by pro-Palestinian groups. File Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Costa Rica and Israel finalized a free trade agreement this week that eliminates more than 90% of tariffs between the two countries, mainly on agricultural and industrial products. The deal also is expected to improve prospects for trade in services, technology and specialized investment.

Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Trade said the pact with Israel -- which it described as a leader in innovation, cybersecurity, clean technologies, agrotechnology, digital services and semiconductors -- creates a favorable framework for expanding trade, attracting capital and strengthening bilateral production chains.

The agreement must be ratified by Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly, a process expected to be contentious due to criticism from pro-Palestinian groups calling for a freeze on ties with Israel.

Activist groups collected about 12,000 signatures from Costa Ricans and delivered them to the government in November, urging it to halt the agreement on the grounds that Costa Rica would become "complicit" in genocide, local outlet Semanario Universidad reported.

Although current trade between the two countries -- estimated at about $60 million -- represents only a small share of each nation's total exports, Costa Rican business groups welcomed the agreement, saying it will allow the country to strengthen specific niches where it has a competitive advantage or needs key inputs.

"In the current context, it is very important to diversify the sources of investment and the destinations of our products, particularly in a high-potential market such as the Middle East," Ronald Lachner, president of the Association of Free Zone Companies of Costa Rica, told El Observador.

Costa Rican Foreign Trade Minister Manuel Tovar said the agreement "represents a strategic opportunity to position Costa Rica as a competitive supplier in high-technology sectors, quality agribusiness and specialized services."

Israeli Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat said Costa Rica is "a natural trading partner for Israel -- an advanced OECD country with a deep commitment to free and open trade."

"The free trade agreement is expected to strengthen the growth trend in Israeli exports, deepen business cooperation and help reduce the cost of living in Israel by lowering import prices," he said. "The agreement reflects the policy we are pursuing: opening new markets, diversifying trade destinations and strengthening the engines of growth of the Israeli economy."

With the agreement's entry into force, Costa Rican exports are expected to reach between $50 million and $60 million in 2026, driven by products such as green coffee, pineapple, honey, kosher and halal meat, medical devices, advanced manufacturing and digital services.
Mairs & Power, an investment advisor, released the third-quarter 2025 investor letter for the Mairs & Power Balanced Fund. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. As we move into 2025, the markets concentration persists, with a few dominant mega-cap stocks tied to artificial intelligence (AI) driving most of the favorable outcomes. The fund returned 6.47% in the first nine months of 2025. The fund underperformed the benchmark composite indexes (60% S&P 500 Total Return Index and 40% Bloomberg U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index), which were up 11.35% and the Morningstar Moderate Allocation peer group, which rose 10.73%. In addition, please check the funds top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.

In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Mairs & Power Balanced Fund highlighted stocks such as Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI). Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) is a public safety and enterprise security solutions provider. The one-month return for Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) was -3.14%, and its shares lost 21.66% over the last 52 weeks. On December 11, 2025, Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) stock closed at $368.05 per share, with a market capitalization of $61.319 billion.

Mairs & Power Balanced Fund stated the following regarding Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:

"The Information Technology sector was the largest contributor to the underperformance of equities during the period. A handful of companies witnessed outsized share price performance driven by enthusiasm around artificial intelligence (AI), while the Fund largely lacked exposure to these companies. Additionally, several technology companies the Fund has exposure to also underperformed the market, specifically Entegris (ENTG), Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI), and Texas Instruments (TXN). For Motorola Solutions, underlying results remain quite positive, but an acquisition will dilute earnings and an expectation for tariff headwinds helped to dampen performance."

Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI) Introduces Pelco AI Security Devices for Tough Environments

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 51 hedge fund portfolios held Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) at the end of the third quarter, which was 55 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) 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.
A 62-year-old attorney named Steve from Raleigh, North Carolina, called into The Ramsey Show recently with a situation most people would envy. Despite having no debt, a paid-off home and $3.5 million in retirement savings, Steve told personal finance experts Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze he was still struggling to feel comfortable retiring.

What I really want is somebody to tell me that I can stop, Steve said. While he had been thinking about retirement, he was hung up on two fears: losing income and the rising cost of health insurance.

Don't Miss:

The ChatGPT of Marketing' Just Opened a $0.85/Share Round  10,000+ Investors Are Already In

Americans With a Financial Plan Can 4X Their Wealth  Get Your Personalized Plan from a CFP Pro

Incredible Finances, Lingering Doubts

Steve explained he earns $175,000 a year and has no pension, but a large nest egg spread across 401(k)s and IRAs. Ramsey broke the math down quickly: if invested in good growth stock mutual funds averaging 10%, Steve could generate $350,000 a year without touching the principal.

[Thats] twice what you make now, Ramsey said. Even if market returns dip, he told Steve he could draw $200,000 per year and still let the rest grow, calling it a no-brainer and even a 2x of a no-brainer.

Ramsey also praised his discipline and success. I assume you started with nothing and became a multimillionaire, Ramsey said. Im very proud of you. Thats amazing. The American dream is not dead.

Trending: Have $100k+ to invest? Charlie Munger says that's the toughest milestone  don't stall now. Get matched with a fiduciary advisor and keep building

Steve confirmed that he had built his wealth over time. Still, he struggled with the emotional side of the decision. Recent life events have made me realize that what I should be doing is spending time with people that I love, he said. Pushing paper around is not a good use of my time anymore.

When Ramsey asked what Steve wanted to do in retirement, the attorney shared that he wanted to travel and make the most of the time he has left. Ramsey warned him to avoid aimlessness. Netflix doesnt cut it, he said. He encouraged Steve to find a meaningful way to spend his time, even suggesting using his legal background to help nonprofits or ministries.

Cruze added that those wake-up moments are important to pay attention to. Whatever that thing was that caused this kind of change of heart listen to that, she said.

In the end, Ramsey gave Steve a green light: Youre in excellent financial condition. Youve done a wonderful job and youre able to retire.
This article is based on interviews with multiple Dickey's franchisees and Denning Petersen, Dickey's senior vice president of revenue. The names of two Dickey's franchisees have been withheld to prevent possible corporate retaliation. A third franchisee, David Boisture, who is an area director with the brand, spoke with Restaurant Dive in an interview arranged by Dickeys PR team. Restaurant Dive corroborated the information supplied by the anonymous franchisees with interviews with three other operators who spoke on background and are not quoted in this story. Restaurant Dive also interviewed a customer acquisition expert.

A strategy focused mostly on discounting could hurt in the long run, said Luke deWilde, head of marketing and partnerships at Claim, a customer acquisition social app that has access to large amounts of payment data. Such tactics might lack the precision required to attract high-value customers who are willing to pay full price.

Thats a brutal one to take, Franchisee 2 said, adding that many consumers use loyalty points for large orders to maximize their savings.

Franchisee 2, a Dickeys operator in the Mountain West, shared a screenshot with Restaurant Dive of a receipt for a $170 order for which a customer paid nothing.

We dont have customers in our ecosystem that are paying full value, said Franchisee 1, a Dickeys operator in the Southwest. Two franchisees who spoke to Restaurant Dive for this article requested anonymity, citing possible legal retaliation from Dickeys over sharing potentially sensitive information. Three other Dickeys operators confirmed this information, but declined to be quoted.

Over time, Dickeys franchisees said, this dynamic has pushed some owners to the financial brink and diluted the brands identity because many customers are unwilling to pay for undiscounted menu items.

Operators claim that the chains combination of freebies, surprise and delight loyalty perks and deep discounts on digital, catering and first-time orders are catching owners off guard and forcing them to eat the cost of full orders  wiping out their margins.

For some consumers, a coupon promising a free pulled pork sandwich is a compelling reason to visit a restaurant. And if the food is good, diners might come back again and again, growing sales and brand power. Thats the theory, at least, at the core of Dickeys Barbecue Pits marketing strategy.

This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive . To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter .

Story Continues

Restaurant Dive also reviewed Dickeys franchise disclosure document, sections of its owners manual, copies of its marketing calendar supplied by the anonymous franchisees, receipts from heavily discounted orders, discounts offered by the chains online channels and promotional materials for its loyalty program.

Dickeys own records show significant challenges for operators. 2024 was a disastrous year for the chains franchise system, according to its FDD. A net 83 franchised restaurants closed, pulling its unit count down to 385. On top of that, the brand has a considerable rate of transfers among its franchisees: 106 stores changed hands in 2024, and 71 changed hands in both 2023 and 2022.

This year may be worse: A hand count of the restaurants in the United States listed on Dickeys website on June 30, 2025, found 318 open units, a loss of 67 restaurants compared to 2024. A December count of the restaurants listed on Dickeys website found a further drop to 314 open units. Dickeys latest press releases say the chain has 387 total units across several countries.

Operators fear more franchisees could go under, and the brands position could erode further, if the level and pace of current discounting continues. Dickeys encouraged its operators to give out 50 Be My Guest Cards for free sandwiches every day for the first three months of the year, according to a copy of the marketing calendar viewed by Restaurant Dive. David Boisture, a Dickeys franchisee and area director for the brand, said operators might pass out the cards at churches, office parks or local jobsites to help drive customer acquisition. Additional operators said Dickeys treats the practice of distributing the cards as a baseline expectation.

Weve literally become a discounted brand, said Franchisee 2, [Diners are] not going to pay full price. I used to say [Dickeys] was Bed Bath and Beyond, back when Bed Bath and Beyond was still in business.

Denning Petersen, senior vice president of revenue at Dickeys, said the brand recommends, rather than requires, operators to hand out the Be My Guest Cards.

Boisture said the Be My Guest Cards helped grow the brands customer base and that he didnt feel pressured to hand out 50 a day.

Boisture said it was reasonable for Dickeys to expect franchisees to be active in their communities and hand out Be My Guest cards to increase brand awareness and build up a consumer base.

Youre not just going to sit in the easy chair, Boisture said.

But franchisees argue that its too easy for diners to take advantage of Dickeys current discount infrastructure  including its loyalty program, which offers frequent discounts, as well as sandwich cards and digital and catering discounts. Franchisee 1 said he has a customer who comes in every week and redeems a free sandwich.

That doesnt seem like thats the way that program should be intended, he said.

An add for a time-limited sandwich discount at Dickey's Barbecue Pit

Discounting reimbursements dried up, but requirements hold firm

Dickeys has, at times, sought to help franchisees defray the cost of free items by offering reimbursements. But the scale of those reimbursements and the process to obtain them make it difficult to recoup the expense of menu items, franchisees said.

Despite this challenge, restaurant owners are expected to participate in a wide range of discounting practices beyond the free sandwich cards. This can squeeze margins, as consumers can access deals often, ranging from simple discounts off online order to free menu items. Dickeys franchising agreements require operators to participate in these systems.

Dickeys franchise disclosure document shows operators are obligated to offer and participate in such discounts, giveaways, customer loyalty programs, and other promotions at your sole cost and expense.

Franchisee 2 said Dickeys used to offer a $1 reimbursement for every free sandwich operators redeemed using money from the monthly marketing fees franchisees paid under their franchise agreements. But, he said, that practice has lapsed.

The discounts have just definitely hurt; they're not strategic."

Franchisee 2

A Dickeys operator in the Mountain West

Eventually, the reimbursements just stopped, Franchisee 2 said. As a result, both Franchisee 1 and Franchisee 2 said, operators are incurring significant risk.

Theyre expecting you to give out 50 free sandwiches a day, Franchisee 1 said. On top of that, they want you to participate in their discount program. Obviously, we don't really have a choice to participate or not.

A franchisee who distributed the suggested number of Be My Guest cards every day risked being on the hook for 4,500 free sandwiches in Q1 2025 alone.

A photographof three sandwiches at Dickey's

Dickeys menu prices vary by location, but Franchisee 2 said his units sell sandwiches for about $7.99, meaning his restaurant could have eaten nearly $36,000 in free sandwiches in one quarter if all the freebie cards were redeemed. Both Franchisee 1 and Franchisee 2 said Dickeys store volumes tend to be about $500,000 a year or $125,000 a quarter, meaning complete redemption of the sandwich could be equivalent to about 29% of sales.

Petersen told Restaurant Dive that Dickeys still reimburses franchisees for the cost of goods sold for redeemed items. If an items ingredients and packaging cost $2.50, for example, Dickeys will reimburse the owner $2.50.

Franchisee 1 said Dickeys has not communicated with him about reimbursement in about a year. The company required franchisees to take a series of complicated actions in order to be reimbursed. Franchisee 1 said this made it difficult, time consuming and unreliable to seek reimbursement.

Sandwich freebie cards aside, Dickeys offers many discounts to its customers. On June 27, for example, the chain offered a buy one-get-one-free deal on combos, equivalent to a 50% discount.

Restaurant Dive measured daily discounts at one Virginia Dickeys in June and again in December, and calculated the discounts on three deals present in June and two in December.

Dickey's online discounts

Prices and discount rates for offers on digital orders at a Virginia Dickey's Barbecue location in June and December

The discounts have just definitely hurt; they're not strategic, Franchisee 2 said.

The frequency of discounts, including through its loyalty program, Franchisee 2 said, has hurt Dickeys overall brand proposition. Instead of bringing in new customers, the chains discounts are being redeemed mainly by repeat users who know when to expect them: You got a big group of couponers that are just only going to come in when the foods start cheaper, pretty much free.

Petersen said the brands discounting strategies are tailored both to attract new guests and to increase frequency.

An add for a time-limited sandwich discount at Dickey's Barbecue Pit

Digital and catering discounts hurt, too

Discounting practices at the barbecue brand range beyond just offering free cards or time-limited discount specials. Digital channels and third party delivery aggregators  increasingly important order conduits for the brand  present consumers with more opportunities to redeem discounts, occasionally without franchisees knowing the orders are even discounted. Discounts on catering orders, which come with high ticket totals, mean franchisees sometimes end up eating steep discounts with little preparation.

Franchisee 2 estimated that 70% of orders at his restaurant come through digital channels. Some digital orders, Franchisee 2 said, arent always clearly marked as discounted, exacerbating problems with sales projections.

Franchisee 2 said that about half of digital orders at his locations are discounted. Those discounts dont appear on the tickets as theyre printed in the store, which can lead to confusion.

You think you're getting paid one thing and then [customers] are getting a deal, Franchisee 2 said. Dickeys franchise disclosure document does not specify whether the brand informs its franchisees about deals ahead of time.

According to Petersen, only about 3% of digital orders have some sort of discount applied to them. Dickeys informs its franchisees of all marketing campaigns through weekly marketing calls, he said.

Boisture said a minority of owner-operators regularly attend the marketing call.

Franchisee 1 said discounting on digital orders was so extreme that he doesnt advertise the Dickeys loyalty program or digital channels in-store. About half of the orders coming to Franchisee 1s store through Dickeys owned channels are discounted, while those from third-party sources  like DoorDash and Uber Eats  often also have discounts.

If [Dickeys] wants to run an ad campaign or a discount campaign, they go directly to DoorDash and they'll run it, and that'll get put on your account, Franchisee 1 said. If youre not watching closely, then that campaign can run for months and you're not able to put an end to it.

Boisture, however, said he didnt think the brand offered digital discounts without consulting store operators.To my knowledge, there's no digital offers going out without the approval of owners.

Franchisee 1 said the digital discounts typically range between 20% and 50%, with a strong emphasis on buy-one-get-one deals in recent months. In his experience Dickeys very rarely discloses when its running a discount campaign, he said.

Dickeys website offers discounts to diners right off the bat.

When Restaurant Dive was reporting this story during the spring and summer, Dickeys site featured a pop-up tab that read Win up to 20% off your online order. Clicking on this opened a spinning wheel that purported to offer discounts in increments between 5% and 20%.

A white and yellow discount wheel on a black background

Restaurant Dive spun this wheel in 20 different browser sessions and got the 20% discount each time, instead of one of the other possible discount levels. The discount wheel was supposed to be available for first-time online ordering customers and requires an email address to sign up for it. Restaurant Dive never finished placing an order.

Petersen said Dickeys varies the discount returned by the wheel based on seasonality, and that spring and summer months  the periods Restaurant Dive initially spun the wheel  were slack seasons where the brand employed greater discounting.

After Restaurant Dive interviewed Petersen in early October, the pop-up for the discount wheel no longer appeared when Restaurant Dive attempted to place online orders using different computers and web browsers.

Any which way you look, youre going to find a discount, Franchisee 1 said, adding that the online discounts had a substantial impact on his margins.

Dickeys also offers discounts  often 20%  on some catering orders. Franchisee 1 said these orders can range into the low thousands of dollars, and related discounts severely erode his margins.

Weve [had] orders that are $400 discounted, Franchisee 1 said.

Petersen said Dickeys only offers catering discounts up to a threshold set by individual franchisees.

The section of the brands owners manual that covers profit expectations forecasts catering orders as having no additional hourly labor costs or occupancy costs. Dickeys estimates, in the same section of the owners manual, that catering orders should comprise about 15% of sales.

Despite the expectation that catering orders account for nearly one-sixth of sales, Boisture said that catering orders ought to be purely incremental to labor costs.

Petersen said catering labor was built into the model, and that specific costs associated with large, one-time orders would be covered by catering and delivery fees.

Dickeys loyalty offers frequent discounts

Loyalty programs are another facet of the brands discounting strategy. While many restaurants use these programs to offer narrow ranges of discounts, or to incentivize particular consumer behaviors, franchisees say the frequency of loyalty promotions and the brands estimates of cost-of-goods sold, eat into margins still further.

An overreliance on loyalty transactions also trains consumers to treat brands as discounters. Starbucks, to give a particularly famous example, recently decided to back away from using its reward system primarily for discounting as it was hurting the brands premium positioning.

When Dickeys overhauled its loyalty program in 2024, the brand stuck with a points-per-dollar model but tacked on a host of other features, according to a press release. Those included: treating our most loyal barbecue guests by introducing special Mystery Rewards, which are awarded every four transactions. Bonus points opportunities and personalized rewards, catered specifically towards their favorite barbecue offerings, are also distributed.

They send points to accounts just to try to drive frequency. And some of that is valid. But how often are you doing that? Franchisee 1 said.

Both franchisees said the frequency of discounting and loyalty promotion bring in consumers, but those consumers are not an asset for operators.

Franchisee 1 said such customers sometimes exploit the surprise and delight aspects of the brands loyalty program. This exacerbates other problems facing operators and eats into margins  the brand offers special mystery rewards every four transactions, according to a press release announcing its 2024 loyalty overhaul.

Weve literally become a discounted brand. [Diners are] not going to pay full price. I used to say [Dickeys] was Bed Bath and Beyond, back when Bed Bath and Beyond was still in business.

Franchisee 2

A Dickeys operator in the Mountain West

Petersen said that the brand does not actually offer particularly frequent loyalty discounts  only 0.31% of orders are part of some sort of loyalty deal, per Dickeys reporting.

Petersen said it was misleading for franchisees to emphasize the full menu price of an item that a customer redeems. Instead, he said, operators should focus on the cost of goods sold.

When I go down the street and buy that pulled pork sandwich that restaurant is selling it at $9.99, but the owner of that restaurant, the cost of goods is what theyre servicing. So its $1.50, he said. That's what the cost of that item is, not the $10 that the guest pays.

But a $1.50 COGS on a $9.99 menu item is well below the 30% COGS Dickeys estimates in its operator manual that its franchisees run in general.

Is Dickeys a discounted brand?

Overdiscounting leaves detectable signs in a brands payment data, deWilde said.

A restaurant chain with lower average tickets than close competitors and a lower repeat rate likely has customers who are buying opportunistically, rather than a strong base of loyal, returning customers, he said.

Claims data shows those red flags for Dickeys relative to other fast casual barbecue joints.

Were able to have a sense of whether things are discounted because we have a good sense of industry averages for different kinds of restaurants, deWilde said. Dickeys average ticket is meaningfully lower than close competitors, according to Claims data on spending at barbecue chains, though this does not cover all of Dickeys store system because Claims user base is geographically concentrated in college towns and a small number of major cities.

Were seeing a lower average order value [at Dickeys] than were seeing with other brands in the same space. It tells us that their acquisition strategy is oriented pretty heavily around value, he said.

Dickeys, Petersen said, has an average ticket of about $38 dollars, and Boisture disputed the notion that Dickeys is a discount brand.

It's clear that we have a tremendous amount of our people that pay rack rate, Boisture said. I don't think it's a heavily discounted business by any stretch of the imagination.

For franchisees, strategy reliant on discounting can make it difficult to hit profitability benchmarks, or to make a profit at all. Documents shared by franchisees with Restaurant Dive show that Dickeys wants its operators to have a 15% four-wall margin  Petersen confirmed that the companys model anticipates franchisees will see a roughly 15% margin.

Franchisee 1 said this was based on unrealistic estimates for real estate costs, cost of goods sold and labor costs.

The stars need to really align, Franchisee 1 said. If youre giving 20% away like that, that's a loss for me.

Boisture said that franchisees could attain the 15% margin by controlling food and labor costs.

There's been far too much time and space and energy spent on pointing fingers at [Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants International]. And I think the owners and operators of these businesses need to take responsibility, quite frankly, for what they signed up for and what they invested in, Boisture said.

Dickeys franchise disclosure document doesnt include estimates of financial performance, but both Franchisee 1 and Franchisee 2 said the brands unit volume averages about $500,000  quite low for restaurants. Famous Daves, for instance, a similar fast casual barbecue brand, has an average unit volume of about $2.6 million, according to its franchise disclosure document.

Petersen declined to share Dickeys AUV.

An add for Dickey's Barbecue Pit's Brisket Day promotions

The discounting brand strategy and reliance on digital orders could make it hard for Dickeys operators to turn a profit, Franchisee 2 said, echoing deWildes concerns that the chains tactics may attract low-value customers. Petersen asserted the brand has grown in 2025 after contracting in 2024; however, the number of units listed as open on Dickeys website decreased from 318 in June to 314 in December. Petersen acknowledged that there has been a period of instability in the brands footprint.

We have not been shy from saying that in the last few years we've had to refocus our energy on our owner operators, Petersen said. But other brands have faced significant closures and instability  Petersen pointed to Starbucks and Salad and Gos recent closures as indicative of broader issues in the restaurant sector.

Boisture took a more historically focused view on the brands store closures and transfers in recent years.

There are cycles in business where you will see periods of rapid growth and then you will see some constriction. I think that's just called America, Boisture said.

Dickeys said in an email to Restaurant Dive that the brand has resumed growth and that it collaboratively develops its marketing strategies with franchisees.

We are in a strong period of growth, with 46 new locations opened in the first three quarters of 2025 alone, demonstrating the strength of our brand and the success of our Owner/Operators, a Dickeys spokesperson wrote.

Several franchisees have sued Dickeys over its franchising practices, claiming Dickeys gave them inflated sales projections and lower-than-accurate cost estimates. Last fall, a Michigan franchisee filed for bankruptcy, citing extreme and unreasonable demands, on operators.

Dickeys has responded to this instability by pausing the expansion of its virtual brands and refocusing on its core menu.

It's just that continuing snowball effect, Franchisee 1 said. All these high-quality operators have exited the system, because their investment is going to shit and they don't want to be a part of it anymore.

Recommended Reading
Quick Read

AbbVie (ABBV) is up 25% year-to-date and doubled the S&P 500 s return. HSBC upgraded AbbVie to Buy with a $265 target implying 19% upside.

AbbVie raised its dividend for 13 straight years with a 13% CAGR over the past decade. The current yield stands at 2.9%.

Skyrizi and Rinvoq are projected to reach $31B in combined sales by 2027. The drugs replace revenue lost from Humiras biosimilar erosion.

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

Healthcare stocks have lagged the broader market for the past three years, weighed down by post-COVID earnings volatility, policy uncertainties around drug pricing, and a surge in tech-driven gains from the AI boom. The sector's relative earnings growth averaged just 6% annually over that stretch, trailing the S&P 500's 15%, but signs of stabilization emerged in the third quarter, with healthcare posting the strongest quarterly return at over 7% versus the index's 1% gain.

JPMorgan recently flipped to favoring the sector, citing three drivers that signal healthcare's potential rebound as AI enthusiasm cools:

Easing policy risks after deals like Pfizer 's (NYSE:PFE) most-favored-nation pricing agreement reduced uncertainty.

Earnings clarity, as life sciences and managed care firms beat estimates by 13% and held 2026 guidance steady.

M&A pickup, with biotech deals averaging one per week amid $150 billion in looming patent expirations. .

Biopharma AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) exemplifies this pivot. Its shares are up 25% year-to-date outpacing the S&P 500's roughly 12% gain by a 2-to-1 margin. Yet over three years, AbbVie has trailed the index, as AI-fueled rallies in tech names overshadowed defensive plays like healthcare. The stock sits 9% below its October high and trades at the same level it did in September, creating a potential entry point. Wall Street's fresh upgrade underscores why this dividend powerhouse could shine now.

Steady Growth from Humble Roots

Launched as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) in 2013, AbbVie inherited a research-focused portfolio heavy on immunology drugs. From day one, it committed to shareholder returns, starting with a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share,. It was a bold move that set the tone for a dividend-first strategy, leveraging cash flows from blockbusters like Humira, the world's top-selling drug at the time.

Since then, AbbVie has hiked its payout annually, achieving a 13% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past 10 years while growing free cash flow at an impressive 20% annually. The current quarterly rate stands at $1.73, for an annual $6.92 per share -- yielding 2.9% at recent prices. This track record earned it the title of Dividend King due to its Abbott Labs lineage.
A golden coin sprout emerges from rich soil beside a stacked pile of gold coins, symbolizing dividend yield and financial growth.

Key Points

Coca-Cola offers long-term dividend growth and steady upside, appealing to conservative investors shifting from tech.

Merck has rebounded strongly in Q4 2025 and is backed by bullish analyst ratings and a strong dividend yield.

MPLX provides a high-yield income opportunity with upside potential, despite higher volatility and mixed analyst sentiment.

Interested in CocaCola Company (The)? Here are five stocks we like better.

As we enter the final stretch of 2025, it's clear that this has been a strong year for equities. However, with valuations across the tech sector stretched and talk of an AI-fueled bubble growing louder, many investors are beginning to look for more stable, income-generating opportunities.

Thats where dividends come in. Reliable income, steady cash flow, and built-in downside protection make dividend stocks a natural refuge when markets get frothy.

 3 Surging Stocks Just Got the Ultimate Stamp of Approval From the S&P 500

With that in mind, here are three high-quality names that combine dividend yield, stability, and upside potential heading into 2026. Each offers consistent earnings, strong analyst support, and valuations with plenty of room for appreciation.

Lets jump in and take a closer look.

 5 Small-Cap Stocks to Watch in 2026 as Investors Rotate Out of Big Tech

Coca-Cola Offers Dividend Growth and Consumer Staples Stability

Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) remains the worlds dominant and arguably best-known beverage company, selling hundreds of brands across soft drinks in hundreds of countries to hundreds of millions of customers each year.

After a steady 12% gain over the past year, its shares have been largely flat through the past six months. That sideways action may not sound exciting, but for long-term dividend investors, its the kind of consolidation that often precedes the next leg higher.

 3 Dividend Growth Stocks Analysts Are Upgrading for 2026

Coca-Cola currently yields 2.91%, backed by one of the longest dividend-growth streaks in the marketmore than 60 years.

Not only that, but the company consistently tops earnings expectations each quarter, and the stock is rated a solid Buy by many analysts.

Some of the more recent updates include the fresh endorsements from the team over at UBS Group last week and the team at Bank of America last month. The latters $80 price target implies roughly 14% upside from current levelsnot bad for a company thats also offering steady dividend income on top.

For investors seeking to reduce their tech exposure and build positions in consumer staples, Coca-Cola offers strong brand power and long-term dividend reliability, making it a compelling portfolio anchor heading into 2026.
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is included among the 15 Best Stocks to Buy for the Long Term.

Eli Lillys Mounjaro Added to Chinas National Health Insurance for Diabetes

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)s popular drug Mounjaro will be added to Chinas state-run health insurance program starting January 1, the National Healthcare Security Administration said in a notice on December 8. Analysts say that the move could increase pressure on rival companies.

Being included in the national reimbursement list makes a drug more accessible to Chinas 1.4 billion population. However, while sales volume may rise, lower prices often offset some of the revenue gains.

Mounjaro, a once-weekly injectable therapy, was launched in China in January this year, following the introduction of Ozempic, a similar diabetes treatment from Danish rival Novo Nordisk. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) said the final reimbursement prices for Mounjaro will be determined by the National Healthcare Security Administrations official announcement. The NHSA did not immediately respond to requests for pricing details.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is a major American pharmaceutical company that develops medicines and treatments for serious conditions.

While we acknowledge the potential of LLY 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 Dividend Stocks Paying 4%+ Yield in 2025 and 11 Worst Performing Dividend Stocks Year-to-Date.

Disclosure: None.
MILAN  EssilorLuxotticas acquisition spree shows no signs of slowing.

The French-Italian eyewear juggernaut  which boasts a market cap of more than 131 billion euros  said Friday that it is acquiring Signifeye, a Belgian ophthalmology platform that operates 15 eye care centers and clinics in the Flanders region.

More from WWD

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but the transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter in 2026.

The move confirms EssilorLuxotticas big ambitions for its burgeoning med-tech division, which it has been beefing up with several acquisitions over the past two years.

The latest, carried out last May, saw the takeover of ophthalmology platform Optegra, which boasts 70 clinics in the U.K., Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and the Netherlands. The two acquisitions are seen as complementary.

With Signifeye joining EssilorLuxotticas ecosystem, we strengthen our ability to deliver truly end-to-end eye care and redefine what medical excellence can be across the entire patient journey, said Francesco Milleri, chairman and chief executive officer of EssilorLuxottica, who holds executive powers alongside deputy CEO Paul du Saillant.

By combining our medical and scientific innovation capabilities with Signifeyes proven clinical excellence, we can meaningfully enhance the patient experience and empower people to live their best lives, he added.

Signifeye offers mandatory ophthalmic treatments and elective vision procedures, covering the full spectrum of eye health care services.

Joining forces with EssilorLuxottica and Optegra marks a transformative chapter for Signifeye. By combining their global leadership in vision care with our commitment to patient care and clinical excellence, we look forward to building the future of eye care together, said Kathleen Moons, CEO at Signifeye.

As reported, in addition to Optegra and Signifeye, since July 2024 EssilorLuxottica has acquired the Italy-based Espansione Group, which specializes in the design and manufacturing of noninvasive medical devices, protected by international patents for the diagnosis and treatment of dry-eye, ocular surface and retinal diseases; it nabbed an 80 percent stake in Heidelberg Engineering, a German company that is a specialist in diagnostic solutions, digital surgical technologies and health care IT for clinical ophthalmology, and took over Ikerian AG, a health technology company specializing in AI and data management for eye care, which operates under the RetinAI brand.
Dec. 12 (UPI) -- European Union member states have approved nearly $2.7 billion in funding for Ukraine as part of a plan to bolster the war-besieged nation's recovery, reconstruction and modernization.

The disbursement of the funds was approved Thursday by the European Council, the 27-member block's top political steering body, to boost Ukraine's macro-financial stability and support the functioning of its public administration, the council said in a statement.

"I am grateful to the EU for the steadfast support," Sergii Marchenko, Ukraine's minister of finance, said in a statement.

"The [Ukraine-EU] partnership ensures our financial stability today and lays the foundation for Ukraine's shared future in the EU."

According to Ukraine's Ministry of Finance, $2.4 billion of the funds will be provided as loans, with the remainder in grants.

It is the sixth regular disbursement of funds from the Ukraine Facility, the EU's main framework for sustaining Ukraine's economy, governance and reconstruction amid its defense against Russia's invasion.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement that this disbursement is "essential" for Ukraine to maintain its "financial resilience" during the war, which began with Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

"We are grateful to our European partners for their consistent support and for continuing the program," she said.

The council agreed to release the funds as Ukraine successfully completed the eight steps required for the disbursement as well as an outstanding step from the fourth disbursement, according to the council.

The reforms were implemented before the end of the third quarter in the areas of public finance management, the judiciary, the business environment, the banking sector, environmental protection and others, according to the finance ministry.

"The government of Ukraine is working to further improve compliance with Ukraine Facility conditions in the upcoming reporting period," Svyrydenko added.

The announcement comes a little over a month after the EU approved the fifth disbursement in early November.

"This quick consecutive provision of funds mirrors Ukraine's speed and commitment to implement reforms aligned with the country's EU accession goals," the council said.

The Ukraine Facility entered into force March 1, 2024, to provide Ukraine with up to more than $58 billion in grants and loans through 2027.

To date, Ukraine has received more than $28.6 billion under the program, with $9.7 billion having been received this year alone, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Analysts at investment bank Evercore ISI recently raised their price target on Apple (AAPL) stock, citing what they see as a sizeable catalyst for the iPhone maker. But history indicates that the upcoming development that they are touting may not move the needle for AAPL stock.

The investment bank's note was issued amid a fairly good run by AAPL stock. Specifically, in the three months that ended on Dec. 8, the shares had advanced 22.5%.

More News from Barchart

About AAPL Stock

Primarily due to the iPhone's popularity and its high gross margins, Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world. In the 12 months that ended in September, it generated income of $112 billion. Consequently, its market capitalization, which stands at about $4.1 trillion, is huge.

On the other hand, AAPL stock has lagged many of its Big Tech peers in recent years. In the last 12 months, the shares are up only about 13%, while they have gained 44% in the last two years. Conversely, Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL), for example, has jumped about 72% in the last year and roughly 136% in the last two years.

One issue weighing on AAPL stock is the company's inability (unlike many other tech heavyweights) so far to generate a great deal of revenue from the AI revolution. As Inc. Magazine explained in October, The one thing that isnt actually making Apple any moneyat least, not right nowis its artificial intelligence push. The magazine added that Siri still cant do most of the things the company promised a year and a half ago.

AAPL's top line increased 8% last quarter versus the same period a year earlier to $102.5 billion, and it has a trailing price-earnings ratio of 37.3 times.

www.barchart.com

Evercore's Note and Its Plausibility

On Dec. 6, Evercore ISI analysts, led by the well-known Amit Daryanani, raised their price target on AAPL to $325 from $300, citing their belief that the firm's upcoming AI innovations may provide a sizeable catalyst for the firm's bottom line and its stock's valuation. Additionally, Evercore believes that monetizing AI could boost the company's revenue over the long term.

But there are a few problems with this hypothesis. First, Apple bulls, since at least August 2024, have predicted that the advent of AI would spark a major upgrade cycle for the iPhone. Yet the demand for the iPhone 16 was generally seen as mixed, and while iPhone 17 sales have reportedly been fairly strong, they obviously haven't moved the needle much for the company's top line yet. Further, analysts on average only expect AAPL's revenue to increase 8.85% during its current fiscal year, which ended in September, so many of them apparently don't have a great deal of confidence in the device's ability to tremendously accelerate the tech giant's growth.
Eversource Energy (ES) is a leading utility company that engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and natural gas, as well as regulated water services. The company, headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, operates through multiple segments, including Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution. Eversource Energy has a market cap of around $25.4 billion.

Companies worth more than $10 billion are generally described as large-cap stocks, and Eversource Energy fits right into that category. The company distinguishes itself as a leader and serves more than 4.4 million customers.

More News from Barchart

ES is down 10.1% from its 52-week high of $75.25, reached on Oct. 28. Shares have gained 5.7% over the past three months, surpassing the State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETFs (XLU) marginal returns over the same time frame.

www.barchart.com

In the longer term, ES is up 17.8% on a YTD basis and 11.7% over the past 52 weeks, again outperforming XLUs gains of 12.9% YTD and 9.4% over the past year.

The stock has been trading mostly above the 200-day moving average since mid-May, except for some fluctuations lately. However, the stock is trading below the 50-day moving average since mid-November.

www.barchart.com

The stock generally trended upward as the company returned to profitability after a prior net loss, with stronger earnings driven by its core regulated electric and gas businesses and infrastructure investments. Eversource reported a meaningful net income turnaround in Q3 2025 compared to 2024, which helped improve investor sentiment. The company reported earnings of $367.5 million, or $0.99 per share, for the third quarter of 2025, compared with a loss of $118.1 million, or $0.33 per share, in the prior-year quarter.

However, the stock witnessed a significant plunge in mid-November after Connecticut regulators rejected the companys proposed sale of its Aquarion water utility unit, a deal valued at over $2 billion, and investors reacted to the setback.

Nevertheless, ES has outperformed its rival, Edison International (EIX), which declined 28% YTD and 30.6% over the past year.
This story was originally published on Healthcare Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Healthcare Dive newsletter.

Dive Brief:

Elevance has added a former Pfizer executive to its board, the latest addition of pharmaceutical industry veteran as the insurer focuses on building its pharmacy services.

Amy Schulman will start as an independent director of Elevance effective Jan. 12, the insurer announced Wednesday. Schulman will serve on the boards audit and finance committees.

Schulmans insight into the intersection of science, technology, and patient care makes her an exceptional addition as we continue to advance and expand our services, Ramey Peru, chair of Elevances board, said in a statement.

Dive Insight:

Elevance has been building up its board of directors, including through the addition of Steve Collis, a longtime drug distributor executive, in July.

Schulmans appointment reflects that ongoing strategy, the company said in press release Wednesday. Elevance said the executive is a valuable addition to its board due to her investment and governance experience in the healthcare sector.

Currently, Schulman is a managing partner at venture capital firm Polaris Partners and chair of biopharmaceutical company Alnylam Pharmaceuticals board. Schulman also teaches leadership and corporate governance at Harvard Business School.

Previously, Schulman held several senior executive roles at Pfizer. The executive joined the pharmaceutical giant in 2008 as general counsel, leading the legal team through Pfizers $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 2009, according to a profile from the Wharton School published the following year.

Schulman then moved up to president of Pfizer Nutrition  Pfizers infant and child nutrition division it sold to Nestle for almost $11.9 billion in 2012  and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare became a separate company through a joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline in 2019, with Pfizer holding minority ownership before paring back its stake and fully exiting in 2025.

Schulmans experience with the ins and outs of the pharmacy world could serve Elevance as the company works to grow its Carelon health services division, launched as part of Elevances larger corporate rebranding in 2022.

Carelon includes CarelonRx, Elevances pharmacy benefit manager, which controls a relatively small but growing slice of the U.S. PBM market.
(Refiles to remove extraneous text in headline)

By Alexandra Alper and Max A. Cherney

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Intel, has tested chipmaking tools this year from a toolmaker with deep roots in China and two overseas units that were targeted by U.S. sanctions, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Intel, which fended off calls for its CEOs resignation from President Donald Trump in August over his alleged ties to China, got the tools from ACM Research, a Fremont, California-based producer of chipmaking equipment. Two of ACM's units, based in Shanghai and South Korea, were among a number of firms barred last year from receiving U.S. technology over claims they have supported the Chinese governments efforts at harnessing commercial technology for military use and making advanced chips or chipmaking tools. ACM denies the allegations.

The two so-called wet etch tools, used for removing material from the silicon wafers that are transformed into semiconductors, were tested for possible use in Intel's most advanced chipmaking process, known as 14A. That process is due for an initial launch in 2027.

Reuters could not determine if Intel had made a decision to add the tools to the advanced chipmaking process and has no evidence that the company violated any U.S. regulations. Intel declined to comment on whether it had tested ACM's tools this year for 14A, but said in a statement to Reuters that ACM's tools "are not used in our semiconductor production process, and we comply with all applicable U.S. laws and regulations."

ACM said it could not comment on "specific customer engagements," but can confirm that "ACMRs U.S. team has sold and delivered multiple tools from our Asian operations to domestic customers." It also said it has disclosed the shipment of three tools to a major U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturer, which are being tested and some of which have met performance standards.

But the fact that Intel, which is now part-owned by the U.S. government, would consider adding tools made by a firm with sanctioned units into its most advanced manufacturing line, raises important national security concerns, China hawks said. They flagged the possible transfer of Intel's sensitive technological know-how to China, the eventual displacement of trusted Western tool suppliers with China-linked firms and even the potential for sabotage efforts by Beijing.

Faced with Beijing's imposition of export controls on rare earth minerals, U.S. President Donald Trump has backed off most hard-line policies on chip exports to China and on Monday gave the green light for Nvidia to sell its second most advanced AI chips in China.
Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is included among the 11 Energy Stocks to Buy for a Retirement Portfolio.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) Upgraded to Neutral by BNPP

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is one of the largest integrated fuels, lubricants, and chemical companies in the world.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) received a boost on December 8 when BNPP analyst Lucas Herrmann upgraded the stock from Underperform to Neutral, while giving it a price target of $114.

Earlier on December 1, UBS assumed coverage of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) with a Buy rating and a price target of $145. According to the analyst, the stocks appreciation is driven by the positive earnings revisions and higher-than-expected shareholder returns. Moreover, UBS highlighted the role of the companys Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments as good contributors to its free cash flow.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) generated free cash flow of $6.3 billion in the third quarter, with shareholder returns of $9.4 billion, including $4.2 billion of dividends and $5.1 billion of share repurchases. The oil major also increased its quarterly dividend by 4% to $1.03 per share, marking its 43rd year of dividend growth.

As of the writing of this piece, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) boasts a robust annual dividend yield of 3.55%.

While we acknowledge the potential of XOM 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: 10 Best Renewable Energy Dividend Stocks to Buy Now and 14 Best Utility Dividend Stocks to Buy Now.

Disclosure: None.
Key Points

ExxonMobil has delivered market-crushing total returns over the past five years.

The oil giant has invested heavily to expand its best assets.

It has also focused on delivering meaningful structural cost savings.

10 stocks we like better than ExxonMobil 

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) began a journey to transform the company several years ago, aiming to fully unlock its competitive advantages. The energy giant focused on investing in its advantaged resources, those with the lowest costs and highest margins. It also aimed to leverage its massive scale to reduce structural costs.

Here's a look at whether the oil stock's strategy has created value for investors over the past five years.

Image source: Getty Images.

Drilling down into Exxon's five-year returns

The following table shows Exxon's stock price and total return over the last one-, three-, and five-year periods compared to the S&P 500:

One-year Three-year Five-year ExxonMobil 5.8% 15.4% 179.1% ExxonMobil (total return with reinvested dividends) 8.7% 26.8% 238.5% S&P 500 13.9% 75.2% 87.7%

Data source: Ycharts.

As that table shows, Exxon has underperformed the S&P 500 over the past year and over the last three years. However, it has absolutely crushed the broader market index over the past five years.

Exxon's returns have been largely uncorrelated to oil prices. The price of Brent oil, the global benchmark, has fallen over the past year (14%) and the last three years (17%). Meanwhile, Brent is only up about 25% over the last five years.

What has fueled Exxon's performance?

The main factors driving Exxon's returns over the last five years are its strategic focus on three core areas: Advantaged growth, structural cost improvement, and disciplined capital allocation. Exxon has focused on investing money into its assets that have a competitive advantage (places like the Permian Basin, Guyana, and LNG and its best refining and chemicals operations) because they enable it to earn higher returns on capital. The company also leverages its massive global scale to deliver structural cost savings by simplifying business processes, optimizing supply chains, and modernizing technology systems. Exxon has also been very disciplined in allocating capital, balancing growth investments with shareholder returns (dividend increases and share repurchases).

Exxon's strategy has delivered results for investors. For example, the company delivered its highest earnings per share in the third quarter compared to other periods in a similar oil price environment. That's due to its heavy investment in growing production from its advantaged assets and its structural cost savings program, which has delivered $14.3 billion in cumulative savings since 2019. This success has allowed Exxon to return more cash to investors. It has raised its dividend for 43 straight years and is on track to repurchase $20 billion of its stock this year. This combination of earnings growth and rising cash returns has given Exxon the fuel to produce strong total returns for shareholders.
I have a retirement fund through work, which is in fairly good shape, but had to reduce contributions this past year because of increasing costs. (Photo subject is a model.) - Getty Images/iStockPhoto

Dear Quentin,

My mom just gifted me $10,000 and Im stumped about my next move. Im 55, female, single, make $78,000 a year and live in Oklahoma. I have no kids. I have $60,000 left on my mortgage (with a 3% rate) and $15,000 on a car loan (8% rate).

I also have $1,000 on a credit card, which will be paid in full next month, and $4,000 in savings. I have a retirement fund through work, which is in fairly good shape, but had to reduce contributions this past year because of increasing costs.

Most Read from MarketWatch

This feels like an opportunity. Should I increase my retirement contributions, and live off of the $10,000 cash, since the cash has already been taxed? Or pay $8,000 towards my car loan and put $2,000 in savings? Or do you have better advice?

Fiftysomething Planner

Dont miss: Im desperately trying to do right by everyone: Im giving my son $250K and my daughter 50% of a rental we co-own. Is that fair?

Its an opportunity to take a hefty chunk off your car loan and credit-card debt. - MarketWatch illustration

Dear Planner,

This is an opportunity.

First, its an opportunity to take a hefty chunk off your car loan and credit-card debt. When your 401(k) is making 6%-10% a year (although thats not guaranteed), and credit-card debt is at 23%, neutralize those dollars first. Paying off at least some of that 8% loan is equivalent to earning a risk-free 8% return, which is a good move.

A plan to pay off your debt, focus on retirement growth and maintain a healthy balance for everyday expenses: (1.) Wipe out the $1,000 credit-card debt; (2.) pay off at least a third of your car loan ($5,000 minimum); (3.) double your emergency savings to $4,000, from $2,000, and (4.) increase your 401(k) contributions, but dont drain your cash.

Second, its an opportunity to re-evaluate all of your finances, making sure that your 401(k) allocation is appropriate for your risk tolerance. Talk to your financial provider about maximizing your own contribution now that youre over 50, and ensuring that you are getting your employer match (assuming your workplace offers one).

Playing a 401(k) catch-up

For 2025, the employee contribution is capped at $23,500 and the catch-up for those 50-plus is $7,500 (and its expected to rise to $8,000 next year). The 2026 super catch-up would be $11,250, and, for those making over $145,000, catch-up contributions must be paid post-tax into Roth accounts. (Read more here.)
Key Points

Weekly dividend ETFs like AAPW and NVDW charge 0.99% expense ratios and offer distribution rates above 30% through swap agreements.

These ETFs track individual stocks like Apple or Nvidia at a fraction of the share price while paying weekly distributions.

The Weekly T-Bill ETF charges just 0.19% and holds only T-Bills with maturities under 3 months for capital preservation.

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

For quite some time, dividends were paid monthly, quarterly, annually, or semi-annually.

Now, you can collect dividends every single week.

Funtap / Shutterstock.com  Funtap / Shutterstock.com

Thats great news for investors looking for regular income, particularly for retirees who need consistent cash flow coming in.

Look at the AAPL WeeklyPay ETF (BATS: AAPW), for example.

With an expense ratio of 0.99%, the ETF pays weekly distributions with a distribution rate of 33.49% as of Dec. 12th, All by investing in total return swap agreements and Apple stock. Plus, it just paid a distribution of $0.2712 for the week of Dec. 9th.

And it paid a distribution of $0.2555 for the week of Dec. 12.

Making it even more attractive, it trades at a fraction of the cost of Apple, pays out a weekly dividend, and tracks the movements of Apple.

Here are five more you may want to consider.

NVDA WeeklyPay ETF

With an expense ratio of 0.99% and a weekly dividend, the NVDA WeeklyPay ETF (BATS: NVDW) also offers recurring income for shareholders. It also does so by investing in swap agreements and the Nvidia stock. It just paid a dividend of $0.3894 for the week of Dec 9th.

It also paid a dividend of $0.3414 for the week of Dec 2nd.

It also mirrors the performance of Nvidia, which has been explosive in recent weeks. Helping, the Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment this past summer that increases the semiconductor tax credit from 25% to 30%. Plus, analysts at Barclays just raised their price target on NVDA to $275 with an overweight rating.

With NVDW, you can ride Nvidias momentum at about $42 a share, as compared to Nvidias current price of $182 and collect weekly income.

PLTR WeeklyPay ETF

With an expense ratio of 0.99% and a weekly dividend, the PLTR WeeklyPay ETF (BATS: PLTW) also offers weekly income to shareholders. Like the other ETFs, it also invests in swap agreements and Palantir stock. It just paid a dividend of $0.5547 for the week of Dec 9th. And it paid a dividend of $0.3219 for the week of Dec 2.
While backlog in any given quarter can fluctuate based on newly funded awards and what is converted into revenue in a given quarter, based on what we are seeing coming down the road, we believe it's reasonable that we could see backlog north of $100 million in the not too distant future. Critically, this growth in backlog that we're describing is coming from our strong existing business. We know that many of you are excited for the growth prospects that we have coming in the future in large and growing end markets such as quantum sensing, proliferated satellites, and alternative station navigation and timing or alt PNT programs.

As we continue to book new business that is funded, many of the contracts we signed have initial funded portions, which are only a fraction of the full contract award with additional funding that comes later in the course of the contract. Meaning that the funded backlog we show is conservative relative to our bookings, and that existing contracts can continue to contribute to backlog in the years to come.

This was the third highest quarter of revenue in the past decade, with only two higher in that period having occurred in the third and fourth quarters of last fiscal year. In short, though our business does not proceed in a perfectly linear fashion, we have established a new higher baseline on which we expect to build in the years ahead. To illustrate that point, our quarter-end backlog was $82 million, the highest in company history and up 17% since our fiscal year-end in April.

Despite those issues, I noted on that call that six weeks into the second quarter, we saw that those delays were behind us, making significant progress towards a bigger book of business. I'm pleased to report on today's call that our second quarter performance was very strong across a number of key metrics, as we resumed our revenue uptrend and have numerous proof points to support our belief that this will be a strong multiyear growth period for the company. Steven will provide more financial details later in the call, but I want to take a few moments to highlight several important data points and trends. For this quarter, we reported revenue of $17.1 million, up 24% sequentially.

Thomas McClelland: With me today is our Chief Financial Officer, Steven Bernstein. On our first quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call in September, I discussed two near-term factors that produced a quarter with lower revenue than recent trend levels suggested. The first factor was that strong execution in fiscal 2025 allowed the company to produce revenue on certain programs in fiscal 2025 that we had originally expected to produce over a more extended period of time in fiscal 2026, essentially pulling forward some revenue. The second factor was customer-driven delays on a few key programs that pushed revenue recognition out of the fiscal first quarter.

Story Continues

We share that optimism and expect to participate meaningfully as these sectors expand. Critically, while these white space opportunities are much larger than our historical markets, we're not standing around waiting with nothing to show for it in the interim. These new markets will be additive to what is already a strong growing current business, as evidenced by our strong performance this quarter and the growth in funded backlog. We anticipate multiple awards in the coming months, some of which are as large or larger than the biggest ones we have historically announced.

This is today's core business, which itself has years of profitable growth potential and upon which the future growth opportunities in quantum sensing, magnetometers, and other alt PNT and timing solutions as well as proliferated satellites will be additive. In other words, we can be a substantially larger company in the years to come as we layer new growth opportunities, which are built upon our industry-leading capabilities on top of a strong and growing core business. It's exciting to work with some of the next-generation defense companies, and they will be part of our growth story, especially in new technologies.

At the same time, our long-standing strategic partnerships with the major prime contractors are also very important for our current and future business, and we have advantaged positions with them on many programs because of our technological capabilities. In multiple cases, we are sole source providers, and we're often the partner of multiple primes competing for the same government programs, meaning we can win regardless of whom the government selects as the prime on a given program. Turning to space, this means a significant and expanding market for us. We've been participating in space business for decades, and we see a long runway of growth ahead.

For example, the US Space Force recently launched navigation technology satellite three, known as NTS-3, an experimental navigation satellite, a major milestone aimed at advancing more resilient next-generation PMT architecture. Our technology is onboard this satellite and underscores the strategic relevance of the solutions that Frequency Electronics, Inc. provides. We also have a strong and growing defense business that is booming and which we envision growing sharply for many years to come. On our last call, we highlighted the number of the critical multidomain defense systems we are involved with. We anticipate much continued growth from these programs as well as new ones.

Just last week, the missile defense agency announced it has begun phase one of awarding contracts for the scalable homeland initiative innovative enterprise layered defense program, otherwise known as SHIELD, which is part of the Golden Dome initiative. We anticipate our technology being part of multiple bid winners' programs. Defense spending continues to increase, particularly in missiles, munitions, and other modernization initiatives. As an example of rapidly increasing scale, last week, the Pentagon announced plans to procure 200,000 drones by 2027. While not all of those require high-end precision timing, this illustrates the magnitude of modernization underway and the breadth of defense and space technology initiatives we will participate in.

As we've shown over the past few quarters, the path there is not likely to be linear on a quarter-to-quarter basis, but the underlying strength in our core business and the growth prospects in our new areas support a consistent multiyear up into the right trajectory from a market share leader with growing strategic importance in its industry. Look forward to continuing to demonstrate this in the quarters and years to come. Two final notes on scheduling before I turn things over to Steve.

Out of respect for our friends in the federal government, who could not attend our previously scheduled quantum sensing conference in October due to the government shutdown, we moved the conference to January in New York City. We have an excellent agenda that will cover quantum policy, multiple military missions that envision utilizing quantum technology, application research from leading national and academic labs, as well as updates on clock and oscillator applications. We look forward to hosting this event next month and gathering many of the leading players in the industry, many of whom we are already working with to build out our quantum future. Additional details related to this event are available on our website.

In addition, we look forward to meeting with many of you at the Needham Growth Conference in New York City in January. And now I'll turn the call over to Steve to provide some more financial details. And I look forward to taking your questions during the Q&A session following Steve's remarks.

Steven Bernstein: Thank you, Tom, and good afternoon. For the three months ended October 31, 2025, consolidated revenue was $17.1 million compared to $15.8 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. The components of revenue are as follows. Revenue from commercial and US government satellite programs was approximately $4.6 million or 27% compared to $9.4 million or 59% in the same period of the prior fiscal year. Revenues on satellite payload contracts are recognized primarily under the percentage of completion method and are recorded only in the Frequency Electronics, Inc. New York segment. Revenue from non-space US government and Department of Defense customers, which are recorded in both the Frequency Electronics, Inc. New York and Frequency Electronics, Inc.

ZIFER segments, were $11.9 million compared to $5.8 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year and accounted for approximately 69% of consolidated revenue compared to 37% for the prior fiscal year. Other commercial and industrial revenue were approximately $560,000 compared to approximately $591,000 in the prior fiscal year. Revenue for the three months ending October 31, 2025, was higher than revenue in the prior fiscal period due to an increase in non-space Department of Defense products in the Frequency Electronics, Inc. ZIPER segment. This increase was in both shipment-based products as well as products accounted for under the percentage of completion method.

For the three months ending October 31, 2025, both gross margin and gross margin rate decreased compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The decrease in gross margin and gross margin rate were attributable to a change in the mix of high-margin production satellite programs in the prior year periods versus lower-margin programs with significant nonrecurring engineering efforts during the three and six months ending October 31, 2025. We demonstrated meaningful operating leverage in the business as compared to Q1. Our gross margins often have some variability depending on the shipment in a given quarter or the amount of new engineering development versus repeat business throughout a period.

But we remain committed to ongoing improvements in profitability across our business. We have made excellent strides in this regard in the past few years, and it continues to be an area of emphasis. For the three months ended October 31, 2024, selling and general administrative expenses were approximately 21% of consolidated revenues. The increase in SG&A expense during the three months ending October 31, 2025, was due to the fluctuation in the various expense accounts that make up SG&A.

R&D expense for the three months ending October 31, 2025, decreased to approximately $1.2 million from $1.6 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024, a decrease of approximately $400,000 and were approximately 7% and 10%, respectively, of consolidated revenue. Fluctuation in R&D expenditures will occur in some periods due to current operational needs supporting ongoing programs. The company plans to continue to invest in R&D in the future to keep its products at the state of the art. For the three months ending October 31, 2025, the company recorded operating income of approximately $1.7 million compared to operating income of approximately $2.6 million in the prior fiscal year.

Operating income decreased due to lower gross margin and increased SG&A as described above. Other income expense net is derived from various sources. The majority of the approximately $200,000 of investing income for the three months ended October 31, 2025, was from interest income and unrealized gain on assets held in the Frequency Electronics, Inc. deferred comp trust. This yields a pretax income of approximately $1.8 million for the three months ending October 31, 2025, compared to approximately $2.7 million pretax income for the three months ending October 31, 2024.

For the three months ended October 31, 2025, the company recorded a tax benefit of $31,000 compared to a tax provision of $139,000 for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Consolidated net income for the three months ending October 31, 2025, was approximately $1.8 million or 18 per share compared to approximately $2.7 million or 28 per share for the same period the previous fiscal year. Our fully funded backlog at the end of October 2025 was $82 million compared to approximately $70 million for the previous year ended April 30, 2025.

The company's balance sheet continues to reflect a strong working capital position of approximately $31 million as of October 31, 2025, and a current ratio of approximately 2.6 to one. Additionally, the company is debt-free. The company believes that its liquidity is adequate to meet its operating and investing needs for the next twelve months and the foreseeable future. I will turn the call back to Tom, and we look forward to your questions later.

Thomas McClelland: Thanks, Steve. We are now ready for any questions.

Operator: Thank you. At this time, we will be conducting a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press 1 on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press 2 if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment, please, while we pull for questions. Once again, please press 1 if you have a question or a comment. The first question comes from George Marema with Pareto Ventures. Please proceed.

George Marema: Thank you. Good afternoon, Tom. I have a couple of questions. So I saw the other day, congratulations. You guys won on the first tranche of the Golden Dome Awards. I was wondering if you could provide any color on the frequency kind of component and system and quantities opportunity in that program.

Thomas McClelland: Yeah. I don't think I can provide a whole lot of details. You know, Golden Dome is one of those things that is sort of in the process of being defined as we speak. And it's a little hard to precisely define exactly what is encompassed by that. I think, suffice it to say, we just in general terms, we anticipate participating in several different aspects of what will ultimately become Golden Dome. So in particular, you know, there are ground-based missiles. And as we've discussed previously, we're already very involved in both Patriot and THAAD programs. But, of course, one of the big things that is being pursued in Golden Dome is a space-based approach to missiles and defense.

And there are various aspects of that. And we anticipate, although that's not something that we're under contract for at this point in time, we do believe that we will be involved in that in a very significant way in the near future. Yeah. I think that's about as much as I can say at this point.

George Marema: Okay. And could you comment on your Colorado operations? Like, what kind of activities are going on there today?

Thomas McClelland: Oh, sure. So we talked about that a little bit last quarter. I think the starting point for that is that we saw an opportunity to hire several senior scientists from NIST in Boulder, Colorado, as they were part of this federal effort to reduce the ranks there really pretty significantly. So we were successful in that. We've hired several people now. Of course, they weren't interested in moving to Long Island, but if we were willing to set up shop in Colorado, they were interested in joining us. So that's what we did. The focus primarily of the facility that we have started there in Boulder, Colorado, is technology.

But we have some key efforts that are really going on there also in some very low phase noise oscillator technology that was actually started by work at NIST in Boulder. But the primary focus there is quantum technology. So we have magnetometer development that's going on there in Colorado. And we have established some cooperative research and development arrangements or CRADAs with several different research groups at NIST. And so some of that is in Rydberg sensors, which is a type of quantum sensor. And we also have some efforts in low phase noise oscillators, etcetera. So we're pretty excited about the Colorado setup. We have a really talented group of people working there.

And, of course, we anticipate that, just in case you weren't aware, this is the Boulder, Colorado area. It is a focus of precision time and frequency technology with the NIST there, but also the University of Colorado. There's a tremendous amount of research there, and we hope to be able to attract talent from that area in the years to come. So yeah, that's pretty much the story at this point.

Operator: Okay. Thank you, Tom. I'll get back in queue. The next question is from Chris Pokosky, a private investor. Chris, please proceed.

Chris Pokosky: Hello. Good afternoon, and congratulations on resuming growth.

Thomas McClelland: Thank you.

Chris Pokosky: So you talked about how because this past quarter, you had more work in non-space related military applications where your work was apparently required more investigation and more R&D. The margins were lower. It seems logical that as you continue doing that work, less investigation will be required, then you kind of climb into higher margins. Am I thinking of that correctly?

Thomas McClelland: Well, I would say things just a little bit differently. I think in the last quarter, the results were less than we might have expected otherwise, primarily because we had some significant delays in programs. I think that a lot of the things you're referring to, the non-space defense activity that we're involved in, is really pretty high-margin programs. And, you know, we expect those to be quite profitable. As always, we have a mix of things. When we do new development, and we are involved in some new development programs, in particular in some advanced missile technology, we do anticipate somewhat lower margins. But yeah, anyway, I think that is what I would say.

Chris Pokosky: Alright. So some of the reason for the lower margins was because of interruptions of funding. You get to put work down and then start it over again. Is that what you're saying?

Thomas McClelland: Well, that's correct. I think that it's not so much that resulted in lower margins, but it resulted in delays in revenue. Revenue that we anticipated during that quarter, we weren't able to realize because we were put on hold on programs and weren't allowed to do any more work.

Chris Pokosky: I see. Now that the shutdown is over, are those programs restarting? Have they restarted all?

Thomas McClelland: Yeah. A lot of that, interestingly, wasn't really due to the shutdown. The programs were ongoing, but it was more about, we had actually brought up issues with some of the requirements that were levied on Frequency Electronics, Inc. It was really because of that we were put on hold on several programs. And that was necessary for our customers to figure out what they really wanted in terms of performance requirements. What I will say about the government shutdown is that primarily that affected us because there are new programs that we anticipated getting started that would have started actually by now, which we're still waiting for.

And so I think the primary thing was that some of the contracting activities that we thought would have taken place earlier haven't happened yet.

Chris Pokosky: So if it wasn't for the shutdown, you would have even higher backlog.

Thomas McClelland: That's correct. That's absolutely correct. Now, go ahead. You know, I should point out in that regard, and I tried to in the opening remarks, I tried to point this out. You know, when we get awarded a new contract, we'll announce, assuming it's a significant contract, we'll announce the full amount of the contract, but we won't add that full contract amount to our funded backlog. We only add the funded portion of the contract. So if we get a $10 million contract and we get funded for a million dollars initially, we would add a million dollars to backlog. Although, when we make a press release, we'll announce that we got a $10 million contract.

Those numbers are all hypothetical. Let me just point out.

Chris Pokosky: Okay. So this back and forth on requirements, is that progressing? Have you resolved most of that by now?

Thomas McClelland: We have resolved most of that at this point in time. There is always a potential for more kind of issues in that regard in the future. But I think in the particular cases, referring to here, those issues have been resolved.

Chris Pokosky: Alright. And have new contracts started, new funding started to appear after the shutdown? Or are they still trying to figure it out? Trying to catch up?

Thomas McClelland: Well, we've had a few small things since the shutdown, but we are anticipating some much more significant stuff which hasn't arrived yet.

Chris Pokosky: Alright. And I guess the major question I was trying to get to in a roundabout way is, you know, are we, as these requirements have been cleared up and as hopefully those new missile systems, you're kind of getting into stride after the new learnings, can we see normalization of margins near term?

Thomas McClelland: Yes. I think so.

Chris Pokosky: Okay. This is very good to hear. Alright. Congratulations again, and thanks for taking my call.

Operator: The next question is from Jeff Van Rhee with Craig Hallum. Please proceed.

Jeff Van Rhee: Great. Thanks for taking the questions. Several for me, guys. Congrats, first of all. But Tom, if you talk to this size or relative size of the initial awards versus the scope of the potential follow-on awards. You called it out in your opening transcript as abnormal. I know you won't give us an actual hard number, but can you at least give us a ratio? Does the initial order, the initial order is a dollar, and mean the subsequent order is usually $2? Are we talking now initial orders a dollar and follow-on orders are four? I mean, what's the scope of the increase that you're speaking to?

Thomas McClelland: So, yeah. A little bit of clarification. So, typically, when we get a new contract, I think, typically, we are funded initially for 10% of the total contract. But another point of clarification. So we get a contract award for a certain amount of money. There are often additional options. So if it's a satellite program, we'll be funded for three satellites, with options for additional satellites, perhaps options to provide products for satellites four, five, and six. But the initial contract is just for the initial three satellites. And so that's a, you know, let's say, $10 million. We get initially funded for $1 million, 10% of that contract.

There may be another $10 million later for options for the follow-on three satellites. So hopefully, that clarifies that to some extent.

Jeff Van Rhee: Okay. I'll leave that there. And the incremental backlog, I mean, still all else the same, you know, very nice sequential bump. Is there anything to call out or commonality in terms of the contract types that drove the sequential increase in backlog, namely the use cases?

Thomas McClelland: I think we can talk about that a little bit. I think we are seeing a big uptick in backlog for non-space defense products. I think that's a very significant portion of that. I think the other thing I would say is that we anticipate a very significant uptick in the very near future on the space end of things. So what I would say is over the last quarter, the big thing has been non-space defense. And over the next couple of quarters, I anticipate that it's likely to reverse, and we'll see that in space.

Jeff Van Rhee: Got it. That's helpful. And then Steve, on the margin question, with respect to gross margins, if we think about it over the next couple of quarters, what do you fundamentally see as drivers that are going to push it up or push it down or likely kind of leave it where it is based on what you see in your backlog and likely to be able to take revenue on over the next few years, not by asking for a number, but really just asking directionally what you think the forces are that are at play.

Steven Bernstein: I think, all in all, it'll stay flat to going up a drop. But I think, you know, it'll take time to go back to where you saw it, you know, in the prior year.

Jeff Van Rhee: Okay. And then, Tom, on Turbo, I think, I don't know, last quarter probably wasn't the first time, but I know you've talked a few times about some initial expectation that in the fiscal year, Turbo could be a couple of million. And then in the out year, it had the potential for $20 million. Based on what you're seeing in the pipeline and discussions with customers, do you feel like those numbers are increasingly conservative? Comfortable, maybe a bit more of a stretch than you thought? How do you feel about those numbers?

Thomas McClelland: I think those numbers are pretty much right on. You know, we are seeing a lot of enthusiasm and activity in our Turbo product. And I think, yes, we see the near term in a few million dollars, and I think that definitely the earlier estimate that we made, the $20 million kind of number, is very, very realistic.

Jeff Van Rhee: Yep. Yep. And then maybe last for me, obviously, you're feeling very good. You gave some swags at what the pipeline looks like and where it could lead backlog. And if the backlog does surge and you've got to deliver on these contracts, what does that mean for your cost structure? How do you feel about the headcount? How do you feel about facilities available production capacity? You know, does it take meaningful hiring? Does it take meaningful CapEx? Just talk about the ability to address the growth without meaningful incremental spend.

Thomas McClelland: Yeah. Good question. I think we certainly, that's something that we're actively looking at. It's very, very important. I think, on the one hand, we want to avoid getting out ahead of our skis and taking on too many people. On the other hand, I think at this point in time, we are in a cautious hiring mode in anticipation of the business that we think we're going to be getting in the near future. I think facility-wise, we are in good shape. I think we're capable of handling the business that we anticipate at this point and even a little bit more, given our current facilities.

And, of course, we've added a little bit more capability in Colorado, although that isn't anticipated to be a primary manufacturing area. So I think we're in pretty good shape, but it's something that is always a bit of a challenge to try to be prepared but not too prepared.

Jeff Van Rhee: Yeah. For sure. Yeah. I mean, given the backlog and the other commentary, I mean, just a lot of forward momentum here, so congratulations. Last time then just Tom, you talked on an answer to a prior question, I think, about the revenue that had pushed out whereby you'd done the right thing for the customer and they and it took a little delay and then you caught some revenue. Just to be clear, has all that revenue come back, or are we still going to pick some more of that delayed revenue up in the forward quarter? Just kind of curious where we are with that.

Thomas McClelland: A significant portion has come back, and we're going to be picking up more in the next quarter.

Jeff Van Rhee: Next quarter. Got it. Okay. I'll leave it there. Thanks. Next question is from Michael Eisner, a private investor. Michael, please proceed.

Michael Eisner: Hey, great job on the backlog. Was any of that new contracts or was that just the release of funding?

Thomas McClelland: It's a little bit of both, but I think more the release of funding than the new contracts.

Michael Eisner: And, Colorado, do you think that's going to be profitable in the third quarter?

Thomas McClelland: Yes, actually. I do. That's not going to be a huge contribution, but it's going to be a positive contribution as opposed to a negative one.

Michael Eisner: Because the people you hired took away from rent earnings but now will come back in the third quarter.

Thomas McClelland: Yeah. They are actively contributing to externally funded R&D programs at this point in time. And, so, you know, that is a positive contribution.

Michael Eisner: Alright. And the backlog, most of that backlog all has legs on it to keep on going forward. Am I correct?

Thomas McClelland: Yes. You are.

Michael Eisner: Alright. Thank you very much. Great job.

Thomas McClelland: Okay, Michael. Thanks.

Operator: Next question is from Brett Rice with Janney Montgomery Scott. Please proceed.

Brett Rice: Hi, Tom. Hi, Steve.

Thomas McClelland: Hi.

Steven Bernstein: Hi.

Brett Rice: The growth opportunities, which you mentioned, do they continue unabated irrespective of which political party controls Congress and the presidency?

Thomas McClelland: Well, that's actually a good question. I think that the way we look at it at this point, we think that to a large extent, they are independent of politics. You know, that's something that I think about a lot and worry about. We know that we see certain trends now, and the question always is, you know, if there's a change of command in the next election, does all of that disappear? I don't think so. So there are kind of two important things. I think if we look at the space business, there's just a strong growth in space that has nothing to do with politics. It's just a technology thing, I guess, is analogous to artificial intelligence.

It's not primarily driven by government needs. Space is just growing in general. And I think that is good for our business. Then the other part of it is if we just look at defense in general, I think that, of course, is obviously dominated by the government. But if we look at the world situation at this point, and, you know, what is happening in China and other places in the world, it's hard to see the defense spending going down dramatically whether we're talking about a Republican administration or a Democratic administration. I think that's the fundamental reason for our optimism in that regard. So that's kind of how I look at these things.

But, of course, you know, those are questions that we have to keep asking ourselves and pay attention to as we go forward.

Brett Rice: Right. Your answer is music to thine ears. Have a good holiday. Okay?

Thomas McClelland: Thank you.

Operator: The next question comes from George Marema with Pareto Ventures. Please proceed.

George Marema: Thanks for taking some more. I had a question, Tom, on Turbo. In terms of drones, with the anticipated upcoming changes in the FAA regulations to beyond visual line of sight, there seems to be a large commercial opportunity in autonomous drones. Do you see Turbo playing any part in commercial drones or just military applications?

Thomas McClelland: Well, I think potentially in both commercial and military, but I think in the near term, we would anticipate more in military. I think that, you know, we have to keep in mind that, and I tried to say this in the initial remarks, you know, that there are huge numbers of drones that are going to be coming into play whether we're talking about commercial or military applications. And it's really a fraction of those which will employ Turbo or any of our other products. Our products are pretty specialized and relatively expensive.

So when the military, for instance, is talking about this so-called kamikaze drone, drones that are going to fly once and be destroyed in the initial mission, it is unlikely that our products are going to be parts of those kinds of drones. I've seen recent things where the price tags for those drones are a few thousand dollars. And so it's hard to see our products participating in those cases. But, you know, in more sophisticated applications, we think that we will be very important.

And as the commercial space gets more sophisticated and people are doing more elaborate things with drones, we do anticipate that our Turbo and some other potential products will be a very significant part of that.

George Marema: Okay. And then in the recent weeks, there's been a lot of talk from folks like Elon Musk, and Google, and Amazon, etcetera, about putting data centers in space. There seems to be a big push coming up in that. And I was wondering if Frequency Electronics, Inc. if you would be playing in that arena at all, and if so, how?

Thomas McClelland: Well, I think quite possibly. I think that synchronization in data centers is an important thing when those are ground-based data centers. That's relatively easy to accomplish because size is not much of a question. But once we get into space, of course, size, weight, and power become very, very important. And so our products, which are more compact, come into play. But also, they come into play because we have radiation-hardened synchronization time and frequency devices which are tailored for use in space.

So I think, you know, we have to be a little bit careful because I don't think we're going to be seeing data centers in space in the next couple of years, except on people trying to demonstrate some capabilities. But I think to the extent that those data centers in space become a reality, I think we definitely anticipate being a participant in that.

George Marema: Okay. Thank you, Tom.

Operator: Up next is William Bremer with Vanquish Capital. Please proceed.

William Bremer: Tom, good evening.

Thomas McClelland: Hi, Bill.

William Bremer: Sorry about that, gentlemen. Just curious on the international front. Whether or not we have any business with any of our allies or any international business going forward?

Thomas McClelland: Good question. We actually do. Of course, most of our business is domestic defense and satellite business. But we do have some very significant business overseas with some of our allies. And we are actively pursuing additional things in this arena. There are some challenges in that. So just to highlight some of the things, most of our products there are export controls involved, so we have to get export licenses in order to be able to sell things overseas. So that's an additional challenge, and it takes typically more time to get those kinds of things started. But nonetheless, we do have some active programs as we speak.

The other thing is that in particular with Europe, it's a challenge to do business there because there are several things that are going on at this point in time in the defense industry in the US. There's a strong emphasis on using only domestic sources. This helps us in obtaining business with the US Department of Defense. But at the same time, we see sort of a similar thing in Europe in particular where there's a strong emphasis on using European suppliers instead of US suppliers. So that's just a couple of thoughts on that topic. Hopefully, it sort of answers your question.

William Bremer: No. I apologize about the doorbell on my dog. So but happy holidays, everyone, and keep up the good work, Tom. Thank you.

Operator: Okay. Thanks. We have no further questions in queue. I'd like to turn the floor back to management for any closing remarks.

Thomas McClelland: Okay. Thanks to everybody for taking the time to listen to and participate in today's earnings call. We look forward to providing further updates in the coming months. And we wish everyone happy and healthy holidays. Thank you.

Operator: This concludes today's conference, and you may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

Dont miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then youll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a Double Down stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If youre worried youve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before its too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, youd have $476,675 !*

Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, youd have $53,035 !*

Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, youd have $499,978!*

Right now, were issuing Double Down alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See the 3 stocks 

*Stock Advisor returns as of December 8, 2025

This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability.

The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Frequency Electronics (FEIM) Earnings Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter.

Artificial intelligence-powered credit ratings firm AIR has raised $6.1 million to invest in engineering for its eponymous automated credit intelligence platform, the firm said Wednesday.

Veterans of Moodys, DataRobot and Goldman Sachs built AIR to allow any companys financial health, whether public or private, to be evaluated every day, helping banks and private lenders determine companies credit worthiness, according to co-founder Glenn Carvajal. AIR can also be used for sensitivity analysis and stress-testing portfolios.

We can actually take a qualitative question and break it down into quantitative metrics that then feeds our model to answer scenarios, Carvajal said in an interview with Banking Dive. New York City-based AIR  which is short for Artificial Intelligence Ratings  has trained its AI agents to not only provide an answer, but to break down step-by-step how it arrived at that answer for the analyst to understand.

A real-world example: Soon after the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in June, a large private-credit shop asked AIR what would happen to oil company Aramcos credit profile if Iran were to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. (The firm, which Carvajal did not name, is invested in Aramco.)

Thats the type of question AIR can answer, Carvajal said.

AIR trains its models on decades of financial data, including bond spreads, and continuously detects new data, re-rating companies in real time to present what it calls a bias-free view of risk, he said.

In an announcement seen by Banking Dive, Carvajal  a veteran of Moodys and DataRobot  said legacy credit rating approaches rely on manual methodologies that are slow and reactive, while quantitative models often become outdated the moment they go into production.

You compound this with bias embedded in almost every framework, and you have the same conditions that led to the financial crisis, with flawed ratings, poor underwriting, and systemic blind spots, he said in the announcement. We built AIR to supercharge an analysts ability to not miss anything, the equivalent of an Iron Man suit that is always on, adaptive, and constantly learning.

Available data to make credit decisions has grown tenfold in the past decade, Work-Bench Ventures co-founder Jonathan Lehr said, but most financial institutions systems havent evolved in that time.
By Leo Marchandon, Inti Landauro and Gleb Bryanski

PARIS/MOSCOW, Dec 12 - The administrator of Google's defunct Russian business has obtained a temporary freeze on some 110 million euros ($129 million) of the Alphabet-owned company's assets in France, official orders seen by Reuters show.

The move represents a rare attempt by Russian authorities to use legal channels to target assets of western companies overseas, amid rising tensions over the potential use of seized Russian assets in Europe.

Russia's central bank is separately suing Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear, which holds many of the frozen Russian assets, in a Moscow court.

The measure against Google France involves shares belonging to Google International and was sought by Google Russia, acting through its court-appointed judicial administrator.

The French bailiff declined to comment. Google, Google Russia's administrator and the French government did not respond to repeated Reuters requests for comment.

The French bailiff's orders show its action is based on three rulings issued between 2024 and 2025 by Moscow arbitration courts, which are regulated by international commercial law.

William Julie, the lawyer representing the liquidator at French law firm WJ Avocats, said that a Russian tribunal had found Google guilty of an illegal dividend payment in 2021 worth around 10 billion roubles ($126 million).

Julie said the Russian liquidator was also pursuing enforcement in Spain, Turkey and South Africa.

Google, whose parent Alphabet has a stock market value of some $3.8 trillion, has faced multiple fines from Moscow, while Google Russia filed for bankruptcy in 2022 when authorities seized its bank account, months after Russia invaded Ukraine.

GOOGLE CAN CHALLENGE TEMPORARY FREEZE

The French bailiff's order creates a temporary freeze and French law requires lawyers to launch formal recognition proceedings within one month or the freeze expires.

Julie said those documents would be filed with the court in the coming days and Google France also notified.

The Paris Judicial Court will then examine whether to grant a formal recognition and enforcement authorisation of the foreign arbitration decisions, Julie said, a process that could take up to a year-and-a-half.

Google can challenge the temporary freeze with the enforcement judge. If a recognition and enforcement authorisation is granted, the frozen funds could be seized to satisfy the arbitration court judgements, Julie added.

(1 euro = 93.0263 roubles)

($1 = 79.2455 roubles)
Meta Platforms (META) AI glasses efforts in partnership with EssilorLuxottica (ESLOY) have brought the company a lot of success. The emergence of generative AI has meant that what was once a capital-intensive experiment is now a commercially viable business. This much was clear when, in May, Alphabets (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google committed $150 million to Warby Parker (WRBY), a popular eyewear company. Investors could foresee what the search engine giant was trying to do, and if anyone was in any doubt, the recent announcement should help remove that.

Earlier this week, Google announced that it was set to launch its first AI glasses next year. It is collaborating with Samsung (SMSN.L.EB) and Gentle Monster, in addition to Warby Parker, as already mentioned above.

More News from Barchart

Built using the companys operating system for headsets, Android XR, the glasses will allow users to interact with Googles Gemini AI assistant, though this interaction will only be audio-based, as per the company. Additionally, it will also launch glasses with an in-lens display, which will show users things like translations and directions. The company has not yet announced the exact date of the launch of these glasses.

About Alphabet Stock

Alphabet is an American multinational holding company, famous for its Google search engine, Waymo autonomous cars, Gemini Chatbot, Google Workspace, and many other things. It is one of the most valuable companies in the world and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

GOOGL stock has had an incredible year, generating returns of over 70% in the last 12 months. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has only returned 13.35% over the same period.

www.barchart.com

Alphabet, along with the other hyperscalers, is the very reason why many consider the ongoing rally an AI bubble. The company continues to invest in AI, with investors wondering whether the returns on investment will be as exciting as the infrastructure investments are. The stock price keeps climbing amid this backdrop, hence the AI bubble speculations.

GOOGL is clearly overvalued on various metrics. Its forward P/E ratio of 30x is 26.5% above its five-year historic forward P/E of 23.8x. It is trading at a price-to-sales ratio that is 62% above its five-year average. On a price-to-cash flow basis, the stock is trading at a multiple of 24.29x, and you guessed it right, this too is a massive 44% above its five-year average.
Key Points

Joby Aviation plans to launch its passenger air taxi service in Dubai next year.

Before operating in the U.S, it will need to obtain its FAA authorization.

Once certified, Joby will need to ramp up its manufacturing to meet demand.

10 stocks we like better than Joby Aviation 

For years, people have dreamed of zipping around through the sky, navigating above the gridlock of the traffic below. That future of transportation is closer to becoming a reality, with Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) paving the way.

Joby builds electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), also known as flying taxis. The company has been developing this technology for over 15 years, and next year could be a significant one.

That's because, for the first time, its flying taxis will carry paying customers. If you own the stock or are considering owning it, here's what 2026 has in store for the company.

Joby plans to launch commercially in 2026

Joby has targeted a 2026 launch of its initial commercial passenger service in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), as part of its six-year exclusive agreement in that market. The company plans to carry fare-paying passengers in Dubai in partnership with the Road and Transport Authority (RTA). It also expects to complete construction of its first vertiport at Dubai International Airport by the end of the first quarter.

Investors will want to monitor this and ensure the company is on track for a launch, which would pave the way for expanded commercial operations. This would be a huge step toward generating revenue and improving its finances. In the third quarter, the company lost $401 million, and it has accumulated a deficit of nearly $2.7 billion since its inception.

FAA certification is another milestone

The agreement with the RTA includes a road map for local approval by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). This will likely occur before Joby completes the Federal Aviation Administration Type Inspection Authorization (TIA), another milestone investors will want to monitor.

The TIA is important because it is viewed as the final stage before certification. Here, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must determine that the eVTOL can fly and land safely, manage power, and protect passengers in the event of a system failure. This stage encompasses flight testing, software verification, review of electric propulsion, and adherence to redundancy standards.

Only after type certification can a company begin aircraft production at scale and operate commercially. FAA pilots are expected to start for-credit flight testing next year, but certification may not be achieved until 2027.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng University has acquired office units in a commercial building in the New Territories for HK$90 million (US$11.6 million), making it the latest school to purchase real estate amid a government push to turn the city into a global education hub.

The acquisition covers 16 office units measuring 19,139 sq ft on the 11th floor of Metropole Square in Sha Tin, together with four car parking spaces. The seller was listed company Alco Holdings, which manufactures and sells consumer electronic products in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday night.

The premises currently serve as Alco's office. The company marketed laptops under the Avita and Nexstgo brands, tablets under RCA and e-bikes under the Biomega label.

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 purchase price was agreed following a valuation in October that estimated the property's worth at about HK$88.68 million. The deal was expected to be completed in January, Alco said.

Hang Seng University has acquired office units in a commercial building in Sha Tin for HK$90 million. Photo: Google alt=Hang Seng University has acquired office units in a commercial building in Sha Tin for HK$90 million. Photo: Google>

"The net proceeds will be used to repay the group's bank borrowings and financial guarantees," the company said. "The property is one of the pledged assets and the sale will allow the company to fully settle bank loans of HK$47.5 million, with the remaining balance applied to financial guarantees."

Alco said the sale "represents a good opportunity" for the company to realise the value of its property at a reasonable price. It added that it would consider leasing another property at a location "that is more cost-effective to serve as its office".

A special general meeting has been scheduled for December 31 for shareholder approval of the sale.

Universities and schools have been among the most active buyers of property in the city after years of falling asset prices.

In November last year, Hong Kong Metropolitan University paid HK$2.6 billion for One HarbourGate East Tower in Hung Hom. The 15-storey office building had been seized by creditors from the cash-strapped Cheung Kei Group.

The expansion of the education sector has been underpinned by government efforts to attract more international students following the launch of the "Study in Hong Kong" initiative unveiled by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his 2024 policy address.
You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters.

Independent Financial Partners, a Tampa, Fla.-based independent broker/dealer and RIA, has added a five-advisor team with more than $700 million in client assets from Commonwealth Financial Network, which was acquired by LPL Financial this year.

CenterBridge Planning Group, led by Jeff McCabe, Pat Mahardy, Joe Lazzaro, Brent Schleicher and Andy Burr, is one of IFPs largest single-team transitions to date. The team operates out of offices in Syracuse and Lockport/Buffalo, N.Y.

What set IFP apart was the freedom to customize our technology and maintain multi-custodian access without added fees or constraints, Mahardy, managing partner with CenterBridge, said in a statement. That level of flexibility is essential to serving clients the way we believe is best.

The team also cited the broker/dealers culture, access to leadership and Project 3.14, a value participation program that allows advisors to benefit from any future sale or recapitalization of the firm.

Their experience coming from a firm that was acquired by a larger organization was a powerful reminder of what advisors often lose during those transitions, IFP CEO Bill Hamm said in a statement. In many ways, CenterBridge was part of the inspiration behind Project 3.14  our commitment to ensuring that advisors share in the value they help create if IFP ever pursues a future sale or recapitalization.

IFP was previously a super office of supervisory jurisdiction of LPL, and in 2019, the firm announced plans to separate from LPL and launch its own broker/dealer in 2019. Recently, the firm has seen a broader migration of Commonwealth advisors to its business.
The head of the International Monetary Fund this week urged Chinese authorities to address economic imbalances, adding to criticism that Beijing weakens its currency to benefit its exporters.

The EU Chamber of Commerce noted recently that the renminbi had fallen to its lowest in a decade against the euro, despite trade patterns that should have helped it appreciate, while Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients that the currency was around 25% undervalued and its strengthening was among the banks highest conviction views.

A chart showing imports as a share of GDP for several countries

Even Chinese economists  typically loath to contradict Beijing  have argued that the renminbi needs to appreciate. If this does not happen, a Chatham House expert warned, then protectionist sentiment in the West is likely to build.

 Prashant Rao
By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you choose individual stocks with prowess, you can make superior returns. For example, the Bursa Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:BURSA) share price is up 24% in the last three years, clearly besting the market return of around 11% (not including dividends).

So let's assess the underlying fundamentals over the last 3 years and see if they've moved in lock-step with shareholder returns.

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

Bursa Malaysia Berhad was able to grow its EPS at 2.1% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is lower than the 7% average annual increase in the share price. This suggests that, as the business progressed over the last few years, it gained the confidence of market participants. It's not unusual to see the market 're-rate' a stock, after a few years of growth.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

KLSE:BURSA Earnings Per Share Growth December 12th 2025

Dive deeper into Bursa Malaysia Berhad's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of Bursa Malaysia Berhad's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, it has a TSR of 40% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

Investors in Bursa Malaysia Berhad had a tough year, with a total loss of 1.6% (including dividends), against a market gain of about 1.6%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 4%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Bursa Malaysia Berhad that you should be aware of before investing here.
By Ross Kerber, Echo Wang and Joey Roulette

BOSTON/NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Investors welcomed reports that SpaceX (SPAX.PVT) was mulling a potential IPO that would help fund Elon Musk's Mars ambitions and value the rocket and satellite company at more than $1 trillion, as some have been waiting for years to buy into the company.

SpaceX is looking to raise more than $25 billion in an initial public offering that could come as early as June, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Though it is a high-risk and capital-intensive business, the demand for shares from retail investors will be "substantial," Shay Boloor, chief market strategist for Futurum Equities Research, said in an interview.

"It's going to be the craziest IPO in the history of the stock market. If it's trying to go for $1.5 trillion, I wouldn't be surprised if it goes up to over $2 trillion once it gets open," Boloor said.

RISKS AND DRAMA

SpaceX CEO, chief designer and founder Musk's well-documented unorthodox management style and anti-establishment rhetoric are not a deterrent, investors and analysts said.

Of the five companies Musk currently leads, including infrastructure firm The Boring Company and artificial intelligence startup and X owner xAI, his oversight of the only publicly traded one  electric vehicle maker Tesla  has been fraught with civil fines and clashes with regulators.

He once called U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission officials "bastards" after they stripped him of his role as chairman at Tesla and restricted his social media use over his 2018 tweet saying he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private.

Musk, who is already the world's richest person with a net worth of more than $460 billion, threatened to leave Tesla earlier this year if the board did not approve an unprecedented 10-year, $1 trillion pay package. Tesla's shares and sales suffered after Musk's four-month stint running the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency.

The risks and drama an innovative CEO like Musk brings to a company are "part and parcel of being an investor in these types of companies, the reward has to compensate holders for the risk," said Christopher Marangi, co-chief investment officer for value at Mario Gabellis GAMCO Investors.

GAMCO has exposure to SpaceX through its investment in EchoStar, which took the company's shares as part of a spectrum deal in September.

It is "too speculative" to say whether GAMCO would buy more shares in a SpaceX IPO, but "conceptually we would be excited for the prospect of space-oriented companies," Marangi said, noting that GAMCO also has a stake in Telesat.
SHANGHAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - JD.com, one of China's largest e-commerce firms, pledged 22 billion yuan ($3.12 billion) in housing support for its army of couriers, as competition intensifies in the instant retail market.

JD.com's move, announced in a post on its official WeChat account on Friday, follows a similar promise from food delivery firm Meituan. Last month, Meituan said it would invest 10 billion yuan over the next five years to build a more comprehensive welfare system for its delivery riders.

JD.com and Meituan, along with Alibaba, have this year been locked in a battle for market share in the instant retail space, which refers to goods delivered within one hour.

This rivalry has pushed companies to allocate billions of dollars toward consumer subsidies and discounts, squeezing profit margins and prompting regulatory scrutiny.

The Chinese authorities have summoned Meituan, JD, and Alibaba, urging them to scale back their rivalry and engage in 'rational competition'.

The battle has intensified pressure on China's estimated 12 million couriers who zip around on bikes wearing their signature bright yellow, red, orange and blue uniforms of their respective employers delivering everything from bubble tea to iPhones.

The plight of delivery workers has entered the Chinese public's consciousness in recent years as the subject of hit movies, best-selling memoirs and viral videos on social media highlighting the often precarious existence of drivers.

In response, firms have promised better social insurance coverage for couriers and some have changed incentive structures so that riders are rewarded for making deliveries on time, rather than penalised for lateness.

JD.com stated in its Friday post that it has already provided 28,000 units of housing for front-line employees and will provide 150,000 units over the next five years.

Meituan has a subsidised "Rider Apartments" scheme in cities such as Beijing, Shenzhen and Chongqing, offering riders affordable, secure and subsidised housing, with rents in some areas of Beijing offered at around 50% of market rates.

($1 = 7.0558 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
The Walt Disney Company is looking to expand its board of directors, and its nominated Jeff Williams, the former Apple COO once considered heir apparent to CEO Tim Cook, to join. Williams, who served as Apples chief operating officer from 2015 until stepping down in July and finally retiring on Nov. 15, will stand for election as an independent director at Disneys 2026 annual shareholders meeting.

Jeff Williams is a highly accomplished executive who for decades helped steward one of the most innovative and admired companies that serves billions of consumers across the globe, James Gorman, chairman of the board at Disney, said in a press release. Jeffs proven leadership and unique experience at the intersection of technology, global operations and product design make him a valuable nominee to our board as the company continues to focus on creative storytelling and groundbreaking innovation.

Adding Williams, an Apple veteran of 27 years, would expand Disneys board from 10 to 11 members. The current board includes James Gorman as chairman, along with GM CEO Mary Barra; former Cisco executive Amy Chang; former Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch; Permira senior advisor Carolyn Everson; Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations; Disney CEO Bob Iger; WE Family offices CEO and managing partner Maria Elena Lagomasino, Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald, and former CVS president Derica Rice.

The nomination comes at a critical time for Disney. The company is investing heavily in AI, mixed-reality experiences, and streaming technology as it works to modernize its business model. Disney has established an Office of Technology Enablement to pioneer AI-driven personalization across its platforms, while Iger has described plans to transform Disney+ into a portal to all things Disney using AI.

Williams brings a track record that aligns closely with these priorities. During his nearly three decades at Apple, he was responsible for launching the Apple Watch and architecting the companys health and fitness strategy. He also oversaw Apples design team after its longtime chief Jony Ive retired in 2019, while also managing the companys global supply chain, service, and support functions.

I have long admired Disneys legacy of pairing imagination with innovationleveraging new technologies in bold, creative ways to bring to life timeless stories and entertain its guests, Williams said in a statement. It is an honor to be nominated to the board of this storied company. I look forward to working with Disneys talented leadership team and contributing to the companys ongoing journey of creativity and excellence.
International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) is included among the 11 Best Low Priced Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.

JPMorgan Adjusts International Paper (IP) Target as Industry Faces Supply Headwinds

On December 5, JPMorgan analyst Detlef Winckelmann trimmed his price target on International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) to $46 from $48 while maintaining a Neutral stance. He noted that with excess supply looming in almost every market across almost every product grade, the setup for 2026 looks challenging for the broader paper and packaging space. Even so, he pointed out that the US corrugated packaging market is going through a structural capacity reset that should help keep pricing supported in 2026.

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP)s latest move lines up with that view. Earlier in November, the company said that it would shut down two US packaging plants by January as part of its ongoing cost-cutting and consolidation efforts amid softer demand. The closures affect facilities in Compton, California, and Louisville, Kentucky, and will impact approximately 218 employees. Production from those sites will be shifted to nearby locations.

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) has been restructuring its business throughout the year. After acquiring UK-based DS Smith, the company continued to streamline its portfolio by selling its global cellulose fibers unit to American Industrial Partners for $1.5 billion in August, a move aimed at sharpening its focus on sustainable packaging.

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) is a major global player in packaging and paper, with a core business built around corrugated packaging, industrial papers, and consumer packaging.

While we acknowledge the potential of IP 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 Best Stocks to Buy for the Long Term and 11 Worst Performing Dividend Stocks Year-to-Date.

Disclosure: None.
You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters.

Bluespring Wealth Partners, the registered investment advisor acquisition arm of Kestra Holdings, brought on an annual record of $6 billion in client assets via acquisition in 2025 through a mix of independent RIAs, broker/dealer breakaways and Kestra-affiliated advisors.

The acquired assets came from nine partner firms joining Bluesprings fee-only, W-2 employee model. They included Kestra-affiliated firms, such as

$1.4 billion Signature Wealth, and standalone RIAs, including $400 million Charter Capital Management. It also included tuck-in acquisitions to existing Bluespring advisors, such as the merger of its LifeBridge Financial Group with a Kestra firm to create a $1.4 billion RIA.

President Pradeep Jayaraman attributed the results to a strategy of targeting the three advisor channels with a need for their operational support, technology platform and investment capabilities. He expects 2026 to be another active year, with several deals already in the pipeline, and a recently built-up business development and M&A team.

We are actively reaching out to all three target addressable markets, and we have a lot of conversations, some of which happen organically, but some of which are also because of business development outreach, Jayaraman said. Thats part of the reason I invested in that business development and M&A talent . we are starting to see some of the results.

Bluesprings growth came in Jayaramans first full year as president, having joined in 2024 after a decade in leadership roles at Focus Financial Partners. Along with business development, he has made new hires in operations and compliance.

Im hoping our development efforts continue to bear fruit, and I'd like to be in a position to be really selective and really focus on qualitythat's going to be a huge discerning factor, he said. Sitting here today, the outlook looks great, but there is a lot of work to be done.

Bluespring is based in Austin, Texas, and operates within Kestra, which oversees $92 billion in assets under management and $119 assets under advisement across its affiliates, which include independent broker/dealer Kestra Financial and Kestra Private Wealth Services, a hybrid RIA. The firm does not break out Bluesprings asset level.

Bluespring is competing in an increasingly competitive market for large RIA acquirers, backed in large part by private equity and other external minority investors.
Of course, Trump's plan hinges on buyers for the visas. Following the announcement in February, social ( archived ) media posts circulated claiming that the visas would not bring in $50 trillion because there were not enough people outside the U.S. who could afford to buy them. In December, after Trump announced the visas, Snopes readers searched our site to find out more about the new initiative.

Trump said in February that sales of the proposed visas could bring in profits of $50 trillion. On Dec. 10, Trump said the sale of the "gold card" $1 million visas could bring in "billions."

The administration first introduced the idea of the "gold card" visa during a news conference on Feb. 25, 2025. At the time, Trump said the proposed visa would cost $5 million and give the buyer a path to U.S. citizenship.

In December 2025, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump launched a $1 million "Trump Gold Card" visa that promised "U.S. residency in record time" and said it also planned to launch a "Trump Platinum Card" that would allow the buyer "the ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income."

Estimates for the number of millionaires outside the U.S. with a net worth more than $5 million fluctuate depending on reports from 1.5 million to 3.3 million, while estimates of people with a net worth above $1 million are significantly higher, from 15 million to 33.1 million.

Trump posited in February that the $5 million visa might make a lot of money, saying, "If you sell 10 million of the cards that's a total of $50 trillion." Claims online at that time said sums like Trump's estimate wouldn't be possible due to the limited number of high-net-worth individuals outside the U.S. capable of buying such a visa.

Trump introduced the idea of a $5 million "gold card" visa during a news conference on Feb. 25, 2025. At the time, Trump said that visa would give buyers a path to U.S. citizenship, though the $5 million "platinum card" Trump teased in December did not appear to have this feature.

Trump said during a Dec. 10 news conference that he expected the "gold card" visas would make the U.S. Treasury "billions" of dollars, appearing to adjust down earning expectations from February.

In December 2025, the Trump administration launched a $1 million "Trump Gold Card" that promised "U.S. residency in record time." The administration also teased a "Trump Platinum Card," a $5 million investment that would allow the buyer "the ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income."

Story Continues

There are varying estimates of how many people in the world have a net worth  the value of assets owned minus liabilities  high enough to buy the "gold" or "platinum" visas at the $1 million or $5 million asking prices. Publicly available figures for high-net-worth people often do not break down the data enough to be useful for this kind of calculation, as detailed below.

Additionally, Trump's visas could potentially make it more difficult for high-net-worth people to gain citizenship in the U.S. During the Feb. 25 news conference, Trump officials said the "gold card" visa would replace the existing EB-5 visa.

That visa offered people who made "necessary" investments (generally, more than $1 million) in a "commercial enterprise" in the U.S. and planned to create or preserve 10 permanent jobs for U.S. workers a path to citizenship, usually starting with a green card.

Many countries, including Canada, also offer an investment visa similar to the EB-5. At least 15 other countries have such "golden visas," according to La Vida Golden Visas, a company that advises people on residency and citizenship through investment.

Uncertainty over how profitable visas could be

Whether Trump's "platinum" card could make $50 trillion across 10 million sales, as Trump claimed in February, or whether the Treasury could make "billions" from the $1 million "gold" card remained unclear at the time of this writing.

UBS, a multinational investment bank based in Switzerland, said in its Global Wealth Report 2025 that in 2024, 60 million people worldwide had a "total wealth" of more than $1 million (Page 24, "The Global Wealth Pyramid 2024"). According to the report, 55.2% of those people  33.1 million  were located outside the Americas, which would also include South America and Canada, whose citizens can apply for U.S. citizenship.

UBS said in response to a previous request for clarification of an earlier version of the report that it could not provide a further breakdown of the figures. According to the 2025 report, UBS's sources included the International Monetary Fund, OECD and the World Bank.

It was not possible based on UBS's figures to say how many of the 33.1 million people with a total wealth above $1 million also had a total wealth of $5 million or more  the price of Trump's proposed "platinum" visa.

Another report, titled "Intelligent Strategies for Winning with the Ultra-Wealthy," gave somewhat lower numbers for worldwide millionaires. According to Figure 3 in the report, in December 2024, 23.4 million people had a net worth of more than $1 million. Capgemini, a French consulting firm, produced the report.

Of those 23.4 million people, 15 million lived outside the U.S., per the report's Figure 2. Also according to Figure 3 in the report, people with a net worth over $5 million made up 10.2% of the total number of millionaires. Using these figures, the report estimated about 1.5 million people living outside North America had a net worth higher than $5 million.

It was possible to find only one breakdown of wealth by country  a 2021 report from the Swiss bank Credit Suisse titled "Global Wealth Databook 2022." One table in the report, Table 3-6, listed how many people in each country fell into different wealth brackets.

Subtracting the U.S. figures from brackets covering ranges of 5-10, 10-50, 50-100, 100-500 and 500+ million, the total number of people with a net worth of $5 million or higher outside the U.S. in 2021 was 3.3 million  roughly twice Capgemini's estimate for 2024.

The total number of people with a net worth from $1 million to $5 million, meaning they could afford the "gold" card but likely not the "platinum," living outside the U.S. was 32.5 million  again roughly twice Capgemini's estimate.

Capgemini said it used figures from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to estimate accumulated market wealth. It then established how the wealth was distributed using figures from the World Bank, the Economist Intelligence Unit and national government statistics.

Credit Suisse said it compiled its data from household balance sheets reported for specific countries, "standard econometric techniques" used to estimate net wealth levels and wealth/GDP ratios. GDP, or gross domestic product, is the value of goods and services produced in a country during a specific time period. The wealth distribution of countries in the databook was either directly reported or extrapolated from other directly reported data for the region.

It was not clear how the differing methodologies affected Capgemini and Credit Suisse's results, nor how they accounted for their differences.

In sum 

Given the above, there appears to be no clear answer to the question of exactly how much money Trump's "gold" and "platinum" visas could make.

According to estimates from three reports, anywhere from 15 million to 33.1 million people outside North America could afford the $1 million "gold" card, meaning the visa had the potential to generate "billions" in profit, as Trump said in December 2025.

Between 1.5 million and 3.3 million people would be able to afford the more expensive "Platinum" card, according to the reports, meaning it also had the potential to generate "trillions." The Trump administration had not officially launched this program at the time of this writing.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik claimed in March that the U.S. government already sold 1,000 $5 million visas, worth a total of $5 billion. Snopes has not independently verified this claim.

Sources:

Associated Press. "Trump Signs Executive Orders." YouTube, 25 Feb. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/live/DRdydQV53nQ?t=1253s.

Capgemini. Intelligent Strategies for Winning with the Ultra-Wealthy. Capgemini, https://www.capgemini.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/WWR_2024_web.pdf.

cleanminds.bsky.social. "Trump Is an Idiot." Bluesky, 27 Feb. 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/cleanminds.bsky.social/post/3lj4pvmoopc2o.

"Countries Archive." Golden Visas, https://www.goldenvisas.com/country. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.

Credit Suisse Research Institute. Global Wealth Databook 2022. Credit Suisse Research Institute, https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2022.pdf.

EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program | USCIS. 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent-workers/eb-5-immigrant-investor-program.

"Global Insights & Market Intelligence." Economist Intelligence Unit, https://www.eiu.com/n/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.

Government of Canada. "Start-up Visa Program." Government of Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/start-visa.html.

Koetsier, John. "Trump Math: Sell 10 Million 'Gold Card' Immigrant Visas at $5M Each." Facebook, 28 Feb. 2025, https://www.facebook.com/johnkoetsier/posts/pfbid0eUumGyuB3wjAqPdA1gFBkXad2H6yKYKSy6gnHynuAu5dZsbwkZs1ZEyUHkiez22kl.

@krassenstein. "Trump Is an Idiot. Prove Me Wrong." X, 26 Feb. 2025, https://x.com/krassenstein/status/1894831308532060619.

UBS. Global Wealth Report 2024. UBS, https://www.ubs.com/content/dam/assets/wm/global/insights/doc/global-wealth-report.pdf.
South Korean chemicals and textiles company Kolon Industries Inc announced it plans to invest KRW 70 billion (US$ 48 million) to build a new plant in Vietnam to produce airbag materials for Swedens Autoliv, one of the worlds largest airbag and seatbelt systems manufacturers. The announcement follows an agreement between the two companies, in which Kolon agreed to increase supplies of airbag materials.

Kolon, understood to be the world's second-largest supplier of airbag materials, confirmed it will build the new production facility in Ho Chi Minh City, with operations scheduled to begin in 2028. The company already has a plant in Vietnam producing airbag cushions using fabric imported from South Korea and China.

With the new plant, Kolon will have a fully-integrated airbag manufacturing operation in Vietnam, including both fabric and airbag production. It is expected to generate KRW 50 billion in annual sales by 2030, when it becomes fully operational. The company also has airbag manufacturing operations in South Korea, China and Mexico.

Kolons CEO, Huh Sung, said in a statement: This long-term supply deal demonstrates that Kolon Industries' automotive materials capabilities are recognized globally. Autolivs executive vice president, Christian Swahn, confirmed that Kolon is one of its most trusted partners.

"Kolon to build new airbag plant in Vietnam" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.




Laredo-based cross-border trucking company Texas International Enterprises Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Saturday, reporting between $10 million and $50 million in both assets and liabilities.

The carrier estimates it has more than 200 creditors, and classifies itself as a corporation engaged in interstate freight operations, according to the petition. The company said that after any administrative expenses are paid, no funds will be available for distribution to unsecured creditors.

Texas International Enterprises, headquartered at 13522 Evolution Loop in Laredo, Texas, submitted its voluntary petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, signed by company president Oscar A. Gomez.

Officials for Texas International Enterprises did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FreightWaves.

According to federal safety records, the carrier operates 280 power units and 1,500 trailers and employs 600 drivers, running primarily interstate general freight. Its USDOT profile shows the company remains active and authorized for property carrier operations, with recent annual mileage reported at more than 39 million miles in 2024.

The company underwent 1,399 roadside inspections over the past two years, with a 7.1% driver out-of-service rate and a 22.6% vehicle out-of-service rate  rates roughly in line with national averages.

The Chapter 11 filing does not outline a restructuring plan, whether the company intends to continue operations, or whether asset sales may follow the petition process.

The post Laredo carrier Texas International Enterprises files for Chapter 11 appeared first on FreightWaves.
A group of British lawmakers has urged the Bank of England to reconsider proposals that would cap stablecoin holdings for citizens and businesses, and impose stringent reserve requirements on issuers.

Under the proposalswhich are still undergoing consultationstablecoin holdings would be capped at $26,350 (20,000) for private individuals and $12.7 million (10 million) for businesses, with some exemptions possible for larger firms.

In addition, stablecoin issuers would only be permitted to hold up to 60% of their backing assets in short-term UK government debt. The remaining 40% would need to be held in unremunerated Bank of England accounts that bear no interest.

The central bank said the measures are intended to safeguard continued access to credit as the financial system gradually adapts to new forms of digital money, adding that the rules could be changed or removed in the future.

In a letter addressed to Rachel Reeves, the UKs chancellor of the exchequer, first seen by Bloomberg, the signatories warned: We are deeply concerned that the UK is drifting towards a fragmented and restrictive approach that will deter innovation, limit adoption, and push activity overseas.

To remain globally competitive, the UK must ensure its stablecoin framework is benchmarked against leading international models, the letter added.

Signatories included Peter Cruddas, CEO of trading platform CMC Markets, alongside Emma Pidding, David Goddard, Kulveer Singh Ranger, and shadow AI minister Jonathan Berry, all members of the UKs House of Lords. Several sitting MPs also signed the letter, including former defense secretary Gavin Williamson.

UK Budget Confirms New Crypto Reporting Rules from January 1

Kulveer Singh Ranger told Bloomberg in a separate statement that the proposed caps on stablecoin holdings risk putting the UK at a disadvantage when no other major jurisdiction is taking this approach.

The BoEs recommendations only apply to what it calls systemic stablecoinsprivately issued, sterling-backed digital tokens that could be used for day-to-day payments, such as buying goods online. These rules wont apply to currently available stablecoins, like Tethers USDT, which are regulated by the UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

A spokesperson for trade association CryptoUK told Decrypt it welcomes efforts to regulate stablecoins, but cautioned against imposing caps on holdings. They argued that such restrictions risk undermining the UKs ambition to lead in digital finance, whilst driving innovation and attracting capital.
Reston, Virginia-based Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) is a major U.S. defense, aviation, and technology solutions provider serving government and commercial clients. Its operations span national security, digital modernization, healthcare systems, and advanced engineering. Commanding a market cap of $23.6 billion, the company is known for its large federal contracts, particularly with the Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, and civilian government bodies.

Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as "large-cap stocks." Leidos Holdings fits right into that category, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size and influence in the technology sector. Leidos is positioned as a key contractor in cybersecurity, mission systems, and next-generation defense technologies, with steady revenue visibility due to its long-term government agreements.

More News from Barchart

Leidos touched its 52-week high of $205.77 on Nov. 4, and is currently trading 8.5% below that peak. Meanwhile, the stock has soared 4.4% over the past three months, trailing the Technology Select Sector SPDR Funds (XLK) 10.1% surge during the same time frame.

www.barchart.com

The stock has gained 30.7% on a YTD basis and 17.6% over the past 52 weeks, outpacing XLKs 27.9% gains in 2025, but lagging behind XLKs 26.1% surge over the past year.

Meanwhile, the stock has traded above its 200-day moving average since late June and has dipped below its 50-day moving average in the last few trading sessions.

www.barchart.com

Leidos shares rose 2.1% on Dec. 4 after the company secured a new three-year, $127 million contract to continue administering Hawai'is Energy and EV Charging Station Rebate programs, supporting efficiency, resilience, and clean energy adoption across the state. The company has managed the Hawaii Energy program since 2009, delivering more than $7 billion in statewide energy savings and issuing over 18,000 rebates in the latest program year.

When compared to its peer, Leidos has significantly outperformed Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporations (BAH) 27.7% decline on a YTD basis and 34.4% plunge over the past 52 weeks.
A handful of remaining major companies reported their quarterly results this week, including Oracle (ORCL) and Broadcom (AVGO).

The Q3 earnings season has largely brought solid results. As of Dec. 5, 99% of S&P 500 companies have reported, according to FactSet data, and analysts estimate a 13.4% jump in earnings per share during the third quarter. If it holds, that figure would mark the fourth straight quarter of double-digit earnings growth and an acceleration from the 12% earnings growth rate reported in Q2 of this year.

Expectations were much lower coming into the quarter, as analysts expected S&P 500 companies to report a 7.9% jump in earnings per share in Q3, as of Sept. 30.

Source: FactSet

Specialty retailers, including GameStop (GME), AutoZone (AZO), and Chewy (CHWY), provided further insight into consumer spending patterns. Another retail stalwart  Costco (COST)  also offered a quarterly update.

However, the marquee report in the week ahead came from Oracle, which spooked the market somewhat after the AI leader reported that its AI costs exceeded Wall Street's expectations, while its revenue fell short.

Earnings from Adobe (ADBE) and Broadcom also featured to conclude the third quarter reporting season.

Here are the latest updates from corporate America.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER

284 updates

Story Continues

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

For the latest earnings reports and analysis, earnings whispers and expectations, and company earnings news, click here
Chinese aviation tests new heavy-lift drones, taps cargo UAV potential

Xinhua) 08:29, December 12, 2025

Visitors attend a drone expo in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, May 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- In back-to-back milestones for unmanned cargo transport, two heavy-lift drone models from a Chinese aircraft maker made their maiden flights within a period of just 24 hours.

On Thursday morning, the Jiutian large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) took its inaugural flight in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The fixed-wing plane was designed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), with a wingspan of 25 meters, a maximum takeoff weight of 16 tonnes and a payload capacity of 6,000 kilograms. It can operate for up to 12 hours and has a ferry range of 7,000 kilometers.

Just a day earlier, AVIC's electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft AR-E800 was sent soaring on its first flight in east China's Jiangxi Province.

The electric drone, featuring six coaxial rotors, lifted off from an airfield with a deep, powerful hum. In approximately four minutes, it ran through a full suite of maneuvers, including takeoff, hovering, turns, and forward and backward flight. Designed for whisper-quiet, zero-emissions operations, it can carry a 300-kilogram payload.

The dual test flights came amid efforts to unlock market potential in urban logistics and emergency response as Chinese aviation manufacturers have bet on heavy-lift cargo drones over the past two years.

The global cargo-drone market is projected to approach 5 billion U.S. dollars by 2031, expanding at a 35.8 percent compound annual growth rate, Chinese consultancy firm QYResearch estimates.

PLAYERS PILE IN

In March, the Yitong UAV's TP1000 -- an airworthiness-certified, tonne-class freighter -- logged a 26-minute first flight. With a 1,000-kilogram payload, 30 orders for the model have already been secured from clients such as delivery giant ZTO Express.

Under Chinese standards, cargo drones with a maximum takeoff weight of at least 150 kilograms qualify as large cargo drones.

The Boying T1400 unmanned helicopter, developed by Shenzhen-based United Aircraft, flew into the sky in late October in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Capable of carrying a 650-kilogram maximum payload for over eight hours, it can operate in extreme temperatures ranging from minus 40 to 55 degrees Celsius and climb to an altitude of 6,500 meters.

This month, a general-purpose transport and delivery drone rolled off the production line in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang. With a 2-tonne cargo capacity, it requires just 800 meters of rough runway.

Also in the pipeline are Air White Whale's 5-tonne-payload W5000 and the 10-tonne CM100 from a Shenyang-based aircraft maker. Delivery service providers including China Post Group and JD Logistics have already signed letters of intent to purchase the latter model.

MARKET POTENTIAL

In the remote mountains and rainforests of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Chinese grid workers are rewriting the rules of heavy logistics.

A fleet of heavy-lift drones delivered 180 tonnes of materials for three transmission towers in just three days -- a task that would once have taken a month using horses and cableways.

At the solar power-grid connection project, 16 drones operated by China Southern Power Grid moved 2,000 tonnes of materials, including supplies for 52 towers along a 22-kilometer stretch, up treacherous terrain.

This approach minimized environmental impact in a fragile karst region, cutting road-building costs by 80 percent and labor by 60 percent.

At another project on the China-Laos power line, a fleet of 30-plus drones and helicopters airlifted 5,000 tonnes of tower materials, sparing nearly 7 hectares of rainforest and more than 30,000 trees in a priority corridor for Asian elephants.

Drones have already played a role in transporting urgent medical supplies in some Chinese cities. Now, their utility is scaling up to heavier payloads, enabling applications in bulk agricultural logistics and remote infrastructure projects.

Similar adoptions are being made in offshore operations. In August, a 2-tonne eVTOL completed a cargo flight to an offshore oil platform, transporting fresh fruits and medical supplies from the coastal city of Shenzhen to a platform 150 kilometers offshore in just 58 minutes.

China's heavy-lift UAVs still under development are engineered to support multiple civil operations.

Jiutian's modular payload system enables roles such as the precise delivery of heavy cargo in remote regions, emergency communication, disaster relief, geographic survey and resource mapping, according to AVIC.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday that the Trump administration expects the US Supreme Court to rule in its favor in a case that challenges the legality of President Trump's tariffs.

The court's decision could not only invalidate most of the tariffs but possibly force the government to issue refunds of up to $100 billion, which Hassett told Face the Nation would create major administrative problems.

Hassett also said he thinks the $2,000 tariff rebate checks President Trump has floated seem much more likely to happen. "In the summer, I wasnt so sure that there was space for a check like that, but now Im pretty sure that there is," he said, adding he expects the president to bring a formal proposal to Congress in the new year.

Meanwhile, Trump announced a $1,776 "warrior dividend" payment to nearly 1.5 million US service members in an address last week.

Trump did not say how the program would be enacted or funded. But even before the "warrior dividend," Trump had floated at least nine different plans for how revenue from his tariffs could be spent, according to an analysis from Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul.

In addition to the $2,000 tariff dividend checks, the promises included paying for the tax cuts that Republicans instituted over the summer.

But after lifting some tariffs on items like coffee, oranges, and cocoa, monthly tariff revenues dropped, from $31.35 billion received in October to $30.76 billion last month. That marks the first decrease since Trump began implementing the duties.

Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet

What else to know about Trump's tariffs:

The US government announced on Tuesday that it plans to put tariffs on China's semiconductor industry, placing new duties on chips from Beijing from June 2027, though that delay is considered a signal that the Trump administration is looking to continue rebuilding ties with Beijing amid a broader trade truce.

US companies looking to increase cash flow are hedging their bets on the Supreme Court case against President Trump's tariffs by selling their rights to collect government refunds of taxes to outside investors.

Several US companies, such as Costco (COST), have filed lawsuits and claims to the US government for tariff refunds in the belief that Trump's tariffs will be struck down by the US Supreme Court. If the courts rule against Trump's tariffs, the president may be forced to repay billions of dollars in collected revenue from imports.

The office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada and the US will launch formal discussions to review their free trade agreement in mid-January. But discussions on key sectors were unlikely, with Carney saying the issue would be covered in a planned review of the United States-Canada-Mexico (USMCA) trade pact next year.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER

183 updates
Mairs & Power, an investment advisor, released the third-quarter 2025 investor letter for the Mairs & Power Balanced Fund. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. As we move into 2025, the markets concentration persists, with a few dominant mega-cap stocks tied to artificial intelligence (AI) driving most of the favorable outcomes. The fund returned 6.47% in the first nine months of 2025. The fund underperformed the benchmark composite indexes (60% S&P 500 Total Return Index and 40% Bloomberg U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index), which were up 11.35% and the Morningstar Moderate Allocation peer group, which rose 10.73%. In addition, please check the funds top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.

In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Mairs & Power Balanced Fund highlighted stocks such as WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC). WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) is engaged in the provision of regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated energy services. The one-month return of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) was -7.23%, and its shares gained 8.14% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On December 10, 2025, WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) stock closed at $103.66 per share, with a market capitalization of $34.04 billion.

Mairs & Power Balanced Fund stated the following regarding WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Relative performance was also aided by a positive contribution from the Utilities sector. The Fund initiated a new position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) earlier this year for two reasons: First, WEC operates in a stable service area with one of the most balanced regulatory environments for a utility. Second, their Wisconsin service territory is seeing considerable investment in AI-related data centers which should provide a tailwind to rate base growth as well as long-term earnings growth."

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 37 hedge fund portfolios held WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) at the end of the third quarter, which was 35 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) 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.
Snow blankets the Stephen M. Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor. The schools Class of 2025 MBA employment report shows graduates navigating a slower, later-clearing job market with steady pay and improving outcomes after graduation. Photo Credit: University of Michigan (Ross)

After weathering a particularly tough MBA hiring cycle in 2024, graduates of University of Michigans Ross School of Business had better luck landing job offers in 2025, though they are still a long way from the nearly full employment MBAs enjoyed post pandemic.

Ross Full-Time MBA Class of 2025 employment report shows modest improvements across the board in a still-cautious job market. What it does not show is a meaningful improvement in early hiring or a rebound in pay, reinforcing one of the clearest themes emerging from MBA jobs reports this year: employers are hiring later, not cheaper.

Ross Class of 2024 was hit hard by a cooling MBA job market with just 77.5% of MBAs getting job offers by graduation, a 13-point drop from 2023s 90.5%. That metric was virtually unchanged for 2025 grads at 77.9%. In fact, the gap between job offers secured by graduation and those landed within three months widened to 8.2 percentage points, the largest spread in six classes.

ROSS MBA JOB OFFERS BY GRADUATION VS 3 MONTHS (ALL STUDENTS) Job Offer By Graduation Job Offer 3 Months After Graduation 3-Month Gap 2025 77.9% 86.1% 8.2 2024 77.5% 84.6% 7.1 2023 90.5% 95.9% 5.4 2022 93.1% 99% 5.9 2021 90.2% 97.5% 7.3 2020 83.1% 90.3% 7.2

LATER JOB PLACEMENTS EMERGING MBA TREND FOR 2025

By six-months after graduation, Ross job offers rose to 91.7% for the current class.

The rise in job offers between three and six months highlights our students persistence and the power of the Michigan Ross MBA, Heather Byrne, managing director of the schools Career Development Office, says in a school release.

The later placements mirror what were seeing elsewhere. At University of Virginia Darden School of Business, the gap between offers by graduation and three months after was the largest in more than a decade, though offers and acceptances rose to 95% by six months post commencement. The same was true for offers at NYU Stern School of Business. Even Harvard Business School, where outcomes remain among the strongest in the market, noted that offers continued to rise well beyond the traditional 90-day reporting window.

This hiring delay is most prominent for Ross international students. In 2025, 85.8% of U.S. Ross MBAs had offers by graduation, and 89.7% had one within three months, a gap of just 3.9 points. On the other hand, just 68.0% of foreign nationals had offers by graduation, down from 71.4% a year earlier. By three months, that figure jumped to 81.6%, creating a 13.6-point recovery gap, the widest in Ross recent history.
MicroStrategy pushed back against Morgan Stanley Capital International's (MSCI) proposal to remove Bitcoin-heavy companies from major equity indexes, arguing the rule wrongly treated them like investment funds.

The response came after JPMorgan warned that the move could trigger billions in forced selling, putting Strategy at the center of a broader debate over how Bitcoin exposure should be managed in public markets.

Strategy Defends Its Operating Model

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) issued a statement on Wednesday arguing that MSCIs proposal fundamentally misrepresented how Bitcoin-heavy companies operated.

In the 12-page letter signed by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor and President Phong Le, the firm maintained that it was an operating business that used its Bitcoin reserves to issue credit instruments and raise capital.

It argued that this approach differed fundamentally from a passive vehicle designed to track a single asset.

https://twitter.com/Strategy/status/1998757244478042504?s=20

We urge MSCI to reject the proposal. It rests on a broad mischaracterization of DATs and would impose arbitrary, unworkable conditions that would stifle innovation, damage the reputation of MSCIs indices, and conflict with national priorities, it read.

Strategy also stated that the proposed 50% digital-asset threshold was discriminatory. It argued that the rule singled it out while leaving similarly concentrated sectors, such as oil or real estate, untouched.

Consultation Puts Bitcoin Treasuries at Risk

The controversy began in October, when MSCI launched a consultation on how to classify digital asset treasuries (DATs) within its index methodology. The proposed 50% threshold immediately put Strategy and other Bitcoin-focused firms under review.

https://twitter.com/saylor/status/1991875241107222701?s=20

In November, a JPMorgan analysis estimated that Strategy could face approximately $2.8 billion in forced-selling pressure if MSCI were to remove it alone, and potentially up to $89 billion if other providers followed the same approach.

These projections fueled public concern and renewed attention on how Bitcoin-treasury companies should be classified across the index ecosystem.

For Strategy, the implications extended beyond index eligibility.

Exclusion could reduce liquidity and raise the companys cost of capital. It could also narrow the role of corporate treasuries as a pathway for investors seeking indirect Bitcoin exposure.

For investors more broadly, the episode underscored a structural question about whether Bitcoin exposure should primarily reside within regulated exchange-traded funds or continue to exist through publicly traded companies that hold digital assets on their balance sheets.
Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. Subscribe to the Morning Minute on Substack.

GM!

Todays top news:

Crypto majors rebound after recent selloff; BTC back to $92k, SOL leads

Solana announced the launch of Firedancer live on mainnet

YouTube announced creator payments in stablecoins

The DTCC has been cleared to offer tokenization services by the SEC

Coinbase is reportedly launching prediction markets & tokenization next week

 Justice, Finally

Nearly three years after Terras $40B vaporization, a U.S. judge finally handed down the verdict.

Do Kwon is going away for 15 years.

 What Happened

A U.S. court sentenced Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon to 15 years in federal prison, capping a multiyear saga that included a global manhunt, multiple extradition attemptsand one of the largest wealth destructions in crypto history.

The judge highlighted the eye-popping damage caused by Terras collapse, an event that wiped out billions in retail savings, destabilized major funds, and triggered a cascading credit unwind across lenders and market makers.

Hundreds of victims submitted statements describing financial ruin, broken trust, and lasting mental health fallout.

Do Kwon Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison Over $40 Billion Terra Crypto Collapse

Prosecutors argued Kwon had misled investors about reserves backing UST and misrepresented the stability of the algorithmic design.

In the end, the court sided with a mid-range sentence: significant, but notably below the 40+ years prosecutors wanted.

Terraform Labs remains in bankruptcy, and civil penalties from the SEC case are still playing out.

What Theyre Saying

The blame should be pointed at me. I failed to operate the system in the right way. I want to prevent other crypto founders from standing where I am right now. - Do Kwon

 Why It Matters

This was one of cryptos biggest black swan events and the spark that lit the fuse for 2022 bear market selloff.

After the dust had settled, Terra had fallen from an ATH over $100 to below $0.50.

Massive wealth destruction.

And Do Kwon and his bravado clearly played a key role in that destruction.

Crypto has learned some lessons from Terra Luna, namelyno more algorithmic stablecoins.

But 15 years wont heal the wounds of those the most impacted in the Terra Luna devastation.

And here we are in late 2025, just 3 years later, and some are repeating the mistakes of the past (namely, being too concentrated on perps exchanges and too leveraged up).
South Koreas crypto market became one of the busiest trading arenas in the world in 2025, with enthusiastic retail investors powering global surges in XRP, Dogecoin, and many of the memecoins that dominated this cycle.

This feature is a part of CoinDesk's Most Influential 2025 list.

At the center of that liquidity stood Upbit, the exchange that routinely captured more than 80% of the countrys onshore volume and at times moved worldwide prices when a coin listed or spiked. That market was shaped by one executive more than any other: Sirgoo Lee.

When he announced in 2025 that he would step down as CEO, it raised an unusual question for the crypto industry, in South Korea and beyond. Could the worlds most hyperactive retail crypto market operate the same way without the leader who defined its structure and risk culture, or would his exit shift liquidity balances in a country that had become crucial to global price formation?

Part of Lees impact came from a management style that stood out in a notoriously hierarchical corporate environment. Inside Dunamu, the parent company of Upbit, he was known for a horizontal approach that encouraged open communication and pushed responsibility downward  a management style common in Western startups but unusual in conservative, strict Korea.

At Upbit, that approach shaped how the company handled user risk. Under his leadership, the exchange built systems that recovered more than 94% of misdirected deposits, established an Investor Protection Center that offers education and legal support, and expanded its compliance and security programs through industry certifications.

In a market where risk-embracing 'degenerate' trading is a point of personal pride, these measures helped Upbit distinguish itself as the venue South Korean investors considered safest.

Upbits dominance did not fade as Lee prepared to exit. Its listings still drive significant volume to flavor-of-the-day memecoins, and traffic continues to grow.

Koreas retail traders will not slow down, and, thanks to Lee, Upbit remains the venue that amplifies their instincts.
Strategy argued in a letter sent to MSCI on Wednesday that excluding a number of crypto-buying firms from its indices could impact Americas ability to protect itself.

The Tysons Corner, Virginia-based firm raised national security concerns in its 12-page appeal to the global financial giant, pointing to the Trump administrations pro-crypto stance.

MSCI should decline to implement its proposal, the letter states. It would undermine the federal governments goal of promoting digital assets while stifling innovation, impeding economic development, and harming national security.

In its letter, Strategy also underscored that crypto-buying firms are companies, not investment funds that are ineligible for inclusion. Whats more, the Bitcoin-buying firm described the 50% threshold as arbitrary, discriminatory, and unworkable.

JPMorgan warned last month that outflows from Strategy could total $2.8 billion if MSCI moves forward with its proposal, which would exclude companies whose digital asset holdings represent 50% or more of total assets from its products that guide allocations.

MSCIs proposal to exclude companies whose balance sheets consist of more than 50% digital assets is misguided and would have profoundly harmful consequences, the letter stated.

Strategys letter noted that the Trump administration has prioritized pro-innovation policies, while positioning itself as a supporter of digital assets. That makes this precisely the wrong moment to take steps that undermine this innovative technology, the letter argued.

At one point, the letter highlighted a bevy of firms that began buying crypto this year, including Trump Media & Technology Group, the social media and technology firm that bears President Trumps name.

Strategys letter warned that MSCI would be risking its perception of neutrality as an index provider, in the eyes of both regulators and market participants, if the firm were to establish index credibility criteria that is effectively discriminating against one asset type.

Is Bitcoin Treasury Giant Strategy 'Too Big To Fail'?

On Strategys website, the company asked readers to share the letter on LinkedIn and X, as well as providing them with a way to email MSCI about the topic directly.

Strategy changed hands above $184 by the end of trading Wednesday, down more than 2% day, according to Yahoo Finance. The companys stock price has fallen nearly 53% over the past six months, as the hype fades around numerous crypto-buying firms that debuted this year.

In July, following the passage of stablecoin legislation, the White House said that the GENIUS Act reinforces our national security by subjecting stablecoin issuers to anti-money laundering rules, empowering agencies to combat illicit activity, and requirements like freeze functions.
Patricia Kelmar, the senior director of health care campaigns for PIRG, a national advocacy group, said in her interview with The Washington Post that patients are rarely told what an ambulance ride will cost before receiving the bill.

Christian health care sharing ministries do not offer members negotiated rates with ambulance companies or other medical providers, unlike a traditional insurer. In Ohio, where the Yoders live, there are no state or federal billing protections for uninsured patients to deal with a ground ambulance bill. Even the federal No Surprises Act, which protects the insured from large bills for out of network air ambulance transportation, doesnt cover ground ambulance services.

Heres what you should know about the risks of opting out of traditional health insurance, plus tips on how you can avoid getting hit with surprise medical bills.

The family is uninsured, relying instead on a Christian health care sharing ministry. Their income is slightly too high for them to qualify for Medicaid, and so the family had little recourse for dealing with the massive ambulance bill.

Though the 40-minute trip seemed fairly straightforward to Yoder, the cost of the ambulance ride included a base rate charge of $6,600, a mileage fee of $2,340, $250 for use of an intravenous infusion pump and $60 for monitoring Darraghs blood oxygen levels. By contrast, the childrens hospital charged only about $3,000 more for the toddlers three-day stay.

Im almost 50 years old and have nothing saved for retirement. What do I do? Dont panic. Here are 6 easy ways to catch up (and fast)

Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake  heres what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP

Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100  and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how

In August, 15-month-old Darragh appeared to have a common viral infection, but his condition worsened, with blisters and skin peeling off his face. Yoder took her son to the emergency room at Mercy Health hospital in nearby Urbana, where she was advised he would have to be transferred to a nearby childrens hospital by a private companys ambulance.

One such family was recently interviewed by The Washington Post (1). A resident of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, Elisabeth Yoder detailed how her sons ambulance ride came with a surprise bill of $9,250.

As health care costs rise across the country, many heartbreaking stories are emerging about exorbitant bills that families are unable to pay.

Story Continues

Shouldnt the hospital know that? she said. I dont think its that heavy of a lift.

Kelmar said she has seen per-mile charges ranging from less than $30 to more than $80 and wildly different base rates.

Studies show about half of emergency ambulance patients with insurance are at risk of receiving a surprise medical bill which is an out-of-network charge for those transportation services. Those balance bills carry a median out-of-pocket charge of $450 but in some states, the average is more than $1000, wrote Kelmar in a 2022 U.S. PIRG report (2).

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

Yoder attempted to negotiate with the ambulance company representatives and was told they could reduce the bill to $5,600 if the family paid in a lump sum. She opened a new credit card with a 17-month no-interest deal to fund the bill. After charity discounts, the hospital bills were dropped to $6,800.

The family expects that their sharing ministry will reimburse them for about 75% of the total cost of their payments to the hospital and ambulance service.

Yoder told The Washington Post she wishes that she had driven her son straight to the childrens hospital.

How to plan for medical expenses

This cautionary tale points to how important it is for families to have proper health insurance coverage, and to be ready to self-advocate in the event of medical expenses. You should know that the No Surprises Act protects you from unexpected out-of-network bills if you have health insurance through an employer, a federal or state-based marketplace, or other individual market coverage, but doesnt help those who have no insurance coverage.

You should get a good faith estimate at least three days in advance of scheduled care but not when you receive emergency care. If youve had your care and find that the billed amount is at least $400 above the good faith estimate, you may be able to dispute the charges, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Remember to ask for an itemized bill from the hospital or health care provider, and review it carefully to be sure you recognize and understand all the charges. From there, you can dispute any charges that dont make sense to you, and potentially negotiate the balance to ensure youre paying a reasonable rate. If you need help disputing the bill, you can consider hiring a patient advocate or applying for financial assistance for your expenses.

Paying off medical bills

According to KFF analysis of government data, around 14 million people in the U.S. owe over $1,000 in medical debt and 3 million owe over $10,000. States with the highest share of adults with medical debt are South Dakota (17.7%) and Mississippi (15.2%) (3).

If you have medical debt, you can consider applying for financial assistance programs, or charity care, which can help to reduce your debt burden. You can also look into Medicare Savings Programs that can help you cover your health care expenses.

A government website includes tips on how to get help with medical bills. Amongst its recommendations is consulting a credit counselor to apply for a debt management plan, and looking for state-based social services agencies that assist those with limited access to health care.

You can also consider funding a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a separate emergency fund just for health care expenses so that you can be ready for medical emergencies when they happen. Consider putting aside 5% of your monthly budget for medical expenses so that you can tackle medical bills when they arise without breaking a sweat.

You May Also Like

Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

The Washington Post (1); U.S. PIRG (2); KFF (3)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Oil sentiment has turned sour despite a Fed rate cut and the Trump administrations aggressive tanker seizures.

Friday, December 12, 2025

The US Federal Reserve has lowered the federal funds rate to 3.50-3.75%, the Trump administration has seized a Venezuelan VLCC and promised to take over more, yet the sentiment in the markets has soured this week, with ICE Brent trading slightly above $61 per barrel. It remains to be seen whether its trepidation before a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal or another seasonal bout of depression induced by the IEA, nevertheless oil is at a two-month low and could slide even further.

IEA Lowers 2026 Oversupply Forecast. The International Energy Agency corrected its 2026 oil glut forecast to 3.84 million b/d in its latest monthly report, down 250,000 b/d from a month ago, hiking its demand growth forecast for next year to 860,000 b/d compared to 2.4 million b/d supply growth.

Chinese Buyers Mop Up Saudi Oil. Chinese term buyers have nominated 49.5 million barrels of Saudi crude, a sea change compared to 36 million barrels requested in December as the state oil firm Saudi Aramco (TADAWUL:2222) cut its Arab Light differential to its weakest in almost 5 years.

Related: The World's Largest Nuclear Plant Inches Toward Restart After Key Approval

US Seizes Venezuelan Cargoes as Tensions Flare Up. The Trump administration has seized a laden Venezuelan VLCC tanker (Skipper) en route to Cuba, vowing to intercept more ships off the Latin American country's coast as the US eyes military options to topple Nicolas Maduro.

Trumps First Gulf Sale Sees Robust Interest. The Big Beautiful Gulf 1 lease sale garnered $300 million for the US budget as majors BP, Chevron and Woodside Energy took in the most acreage amidst 219 bids submitted overall, with Chevrons $18.9 million bid for a Keithley Canyon block marking the auctions highest bid.

Total Completes Its Takeover of Namibia. Portugals state oil firm GALP (ELI:GALP) agreed to an asset exchange deal, ceding a 40% stake to French oil major TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) in the giant Mopane discovery in return for 10% interest in the latters Venus project, sending its shares down by almost 20%.

Chinese EV Sales Soar Despite Global Headwinds. China's new energy vehicle (NEV) sales continued their meteoric rise as they accounted for 53.2% of all sales - the highest monthly ratio ever - with 1.82 million units sold, a 21% increase compared with the same period in 2024.



Russia Produces Below OPEC+ Quota. Russian oil production increased to 9.367 million b/d last month, up by a mere 10,000 b/d compared to October, leaving the world's third-largest producer 165,000 b/d below its OPEC+ quota as Ukraine's drone strikes derailed crude loadings in November.
Key Insights

The projected fair value for RELX is UK42.62 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Current share price of UK30.04 suggests RELX is potentially 30% undervalued

Our fair value estimate is 3.9% lower than RELX's analyst price target of UK44.34

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of RELX PLC (LON:REL) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

The Method

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK2.63b UK2.82b UK3.29b UK3.58b UK3.83b UK4.05b UK4.25b UK4.44b UK4.62b UK4.79b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Analyst x5 Analyst x1 Est @ 8.79% Est @ 7.05% Est @ 5.83% Est @ 4.98% Est @ 4.38% Est @ 3.96% Est @ 3.67% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5% UK2.4k UK2.4k UK2.6k UK2.7k UK2.7k UK2.6k UK2.6k UK2.5k UK2.4k UK2.3k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK25b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (3.0%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.5%.
Dec 12 (Reuters) - Oracle denied on Friday a media report that it was delaying OpenAI-related data centers, following investor worries over its debt-fueled AI infrastructure buildout.

Bloomberg News had earlier in the day reported that Oracle had pushed back the completion dates for some data centers it is developing for OpenAI to 2028, a year later than planned, due to labor and material shortages.

"There have been no delays to any sites required to meet our contractual commitments, and all milestones remain on track," Oracle spokesperson Michael Egbert told Reuters in an emailed statement.

"We remain fully aligned with OpenAI and confident in our ability to execute against both our contractual commitments and future expansion plans," Egbert added.

Shares of Oracle, which had fallen 3.6% following the report, pared some losses to be down by 2.8% in afternoon trading. Other AI-related shares also tumbled, with chip giant Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Micron and Arm Holdings down between 2% and 4.5%.

The Bloomberg report came a day after Oracle logged its biggest stock drop since late January, following earnings that showed rising spending and a weak outlook for a company that is increasingly reliant on OpenAI.

Long a smaller cloud-computing player, Oracle has leaped into the artificial intelligence infrastructure race this year on the back of a $300 billion OpenAI data-center deal. But the buildout has forced the company to borrow aggressively.

Investors, spooked in recent weeks by signs that Google was pulling ahead in the AI race and by Oracle's rising debt load, have sold off the company's stock and bonds. The cost of insuring Oracle's debt against default surged on Thursday to its highest in at least five years and was up again on Friday.

The shares are up just 13% now for the year, having erased all the gains from a 36% jump in September, when it reported a massive backlog of over $450 billion  mostly tied to OpenAI.

Investors have been growing more picky in the AI space, with less willingness to indiscriminately reward spending on AI, even as they bet on its long-term potential.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

After the Bloomberg report, some analysts said the news showed bottlenecks beyond chips were emerging for the data-center expansion tech companies are financing with hundreds of billions of dollars in investment.

"Concerns about the ability to build data centers due to construction delays, power availability and other practical factors are becoming a much bigger factor than the expected demands for AI capabilities," Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, said.
By Ariba Shahid

KARACHI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding with crypto exchange Binance to explore the "tokenisation" of up to $2 billion in sovereign bonds, T-bills and commodity reserves to boost liquidity and attract investors, the finance ministry said on Friday.

Separately, Pakistan also gave initial clearance for Binance and HTX, a digital-asset platform, to register with regulators to set up local subsidiaries and begin preparations for full exchange licence applications, the virtual assets authority said.

The ministry said the agreement paved the way to explore a potential collaboration aimed at enabling the tokenisation and blockchain-based distribution of Pakistan's real-world assets.

These can include sovereign bonds, treasury bills, commodity reserves such as oil, gas, metals or other raw materials owned by the government. Tokenisation is the process of creating a digital version of an asset.

The move comes as other countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Japan and parts of the European Union expand formal licensing rules for crypto exchanges amid broader global regulatory tightening.

The ministry also said the initiative could involve assets of up to $2 billion, subject to approvals, with the aim of improving liquidity, transparency and international market access.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the MoU signalled Pakistan's reform trajectory and "a long-term partnership."

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said the agreement was "a great signal for the global blockchain industry and for Pakistan", saying it marked the beginning of a move toward full deployment of the tokenisation initiative.

INITIAL CLEARANCES FOR BINANCE, HTX

The Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority said it had issued early approvals to Binance and HTX after reviewing their governance and compliance controls. The clearances allow them to register on the Anti-Money Laundering system, set up local units and prepare full applications.

Chair Bilal bin Saqib said the clearances kick off Pakistan's phased licensing process and signalled that compliance strength will determine which exchanges move ahead.

BROADER DIGITAL-ASSET INITIATIVES

The initiative comes as Pakistan speeds up a major digital-finance overhaul into just a few months, creating the Pakistan Crypto Council and establishing the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority while drafting a formal licensing regime.

Pakistan ranks as the world's third-largest crypto market by retail activity, Saqib said at Binance Blockchain Week Dubai 2025 earlier this week.
The Scoop

Payments giant PayPal is in talks with fintech players in Africa as part of plans to launch a new cross-border digital wallet platform on the continent in 2026, its head of Middle East and Africa told Semafor as the company seeks to capture a slice of the continents fast-growing market.

PayPal World, a new global platform, will enable interoperability, allowing people with local digital wallets to make cross-border payments or shop overseas. Users will pay using a PayPal button to connect with their local digital wallet, rather than having to set up an account with the US payments company. PayPal announced the project in July  unveiling partnerships with digital wallet providers in India, China, and Brazil  and said it would go live this year.

Otto Williams, speaking at Semafors Next 3 Billion event at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, said the platform would launch in Africa in 2026. Were looking to enable as many markets as possible on the continent through partnerships  wallet partners on the continent, he said, adding that the company was in conversations with stakeholders and ecosystem partners and players. African partnerships would provide access to digital wallet users in the worlds youngest continent, offering PayPal huge growth potential in the coming decades.

Know More

PayPal already partners with some fintechs in Africa, including M-Pesa and Flutterwave, to enable local payments. But PayPal World would not only enable payment overseas and switching between wallets, but merchants using PayPal could accept payments from local wallets without having to invest in new technology, such as point of sale (POS) machines, to integrate with the various providers.

Williams said the aim was to solve specific problems, such as being unable to pay for goods overseas because a digital wallet wasnt backed by Visa or Mastercard, or the inability to scan a M-Pesa QR code to make a payment via a PayPal wallet.

Partners already announced for PayPal World include National Payments Corporation of Indias UPI, Chinas WeChat Pay, Brazils Mercado Pago, which Williams said represented a combined total of 2 billion wallet users.

In September, PayPal announced a commitment to invest $100 million in the Middle East and Africa to drive innovation and support entrepreneurs. Williams said the funds would include venture investment.

Were looking at bringing more of our capabilities, said Williams. Were looking at hiring staff across the continent and across the region to continue to scale the business.

The View From The Chain

Brian Armstrong, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, told delegates at Abu Dhabi Finance Week that the biggest innovation in payments in recent years had come through blockchain technology. Crypto rails are the only rails that Im aware of in the world that are fast, cheap, and global, he said.
Workers at Brazil's Oil & Gas giant Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE:PBR), aka Petrobras, have announced a nationwide strike starting December 15, terming the company's latest counteroffer for a labor agreement as "disrespectful. Petrobras workers have been pushing for changes to the employee compensation structure, claiming theres a deficit in the retirement fund. However, Reuters cited an unnamed source as saying that contingencies have been put in place, with the strike unlikely to affect operations or production.

Petrobras has enjoyed a strong year in 2025, with production climbing throughout the year. The companys output hit a record 3.14 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in the third quarter (3Q25), driven by new pre-salt platforms like FPSO Almirante Tamandare and Alexandre de Gusmao.

The company posted third quarter adjusted EBITDA just shy of $12 billion and net income of around $6 billion, driven by record oil and gas production of 3.14 million boe/day (+17% YoY). The company has recorded robust operational performance despite weak oil prices, and accelerated CapEx execution thanks to strong free cash flow.

Last year, Petrobras lowered capital expenditure (capex) for 2025 to $17 billion from an earlier estimate of $21 billion, saying the lower capex is more realistic and in-line with its financial wherewithal. In its latest strategic plan, Petrobras plans to invest $102 billion in the 2024-2028 period, good for a 31% increase over the previous plan amid pressure from Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for the firm to ramp up investments in a bid to prop the country's economy and generate local jobs.

Previously, global research and consultancy group Wood Mackenzie predicted that Brazils private oil companies will increase oil production by 75% from 1.221Mb/d to 2.123Mb/d by 2030.

According to WoodMac, international oil companies such as Shell Plc (NYSE:SHEL), Equinor ASA, (NYSE:EQNR), TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE), Repsol Sinopec Brasil S.A. and Petrogal will be among the top producers thanks to their partnership with Petrobras in the pre-salt and fields under development.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com

Oilprice Intelligence brings you the signals before they become front-page news. This is the same expert analysis read by veteran traders and political advisors. Get it free, twice a week, and you'll always know why the market is moving before everyone else.

You get the geopolitical intelligence, the hidden inventory data, and the market whispers that move billions - and we'll send you $389 in premium energy intelligence, on us, just for subscribing. Join 400,000+ readers today. Get access immediately by clicking here.
Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) is included among the 11 Energy Stocks to Buy for a Retirement Portfolio.

Phillips 66 (PSX) Sells Stake in Germany-Austria Retail Business

Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) is a leading integrated downstream energy provider that is engaged in refining, transporting, and marketing fuels.

Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) announced on December 1 that it has closed the sale of a 65% stake in its Germany and Austria retail marketing business to a consortium owned by Stonepeak Partners LP and Energy Equation Partners. Phillips will retain a 35% non-operating interest in the business through a newly formed JV.

The transaction values the business at an enterprise value of approximately $2.8 billion, with Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) receiving approximately $1.6 billion in pre-tax proceeds. The strategic move is aimed at bolstering the companys balance sheet, in addition to streamlining its portfolio.

In other news, Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) received a lift on December 5 when Piper Sandler raised its price target on the stock from $170 to $171, while maintaining a Neutral rating on its shares. The update comes after the Houston-based company hosted an investor trip to the Permian Basin last week, highlighting the growth and potential of its Midstream business. The analyst believes that investors have turned a blind eye to the segment, despite its contribution of around 40% in the expected EBITDA for 2025, and $500 million of projected EBITDA growth over the next two years.

Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) was recently included among the 14 Best US Stocks to Buy for Long Term.

While we acknowledge the potential of PSX 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: 10 Best Renewable Energy Dividend Stocks to Buy Now and 14 Best Utility Dividend Stocks to Buy Now.

Disclosure: None.
Quick Read

Realty Income offers the highest yield at 5.62% and pays dividends monthly instead of quarterly.

AbbVie raised its dividend 5.5% to $6.92 annually with revenue up 9.1% to $15.8B.

Procter & Gamble holds the longest dividend streak at 68 consecutive years of increases.

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

Dividend investing rewards patience. The best dividend stocks don't just pay consistentlythey raise payouts year after year, compounding income for shareholders who stay the course. Among thousands of publicly traded companies, only a select few have proven they can grow dividends through recessions, market crashes, and industry upheaval.

We ranked these six proven dividend winners by combining yield strength, growth consistency, payout sustainability, and recent operational performance.

This infographic showcases five leading companies recognized for their decades of consistent dividend growth and compounding income, proving their resilience across economic cycles.

5. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): 62-Year Dividend King with Healthcare Diversification

Johnson & Johnson delivers a 2.54% yield backed by 62 consecutive years of dividend increases, earning its Dividend King status. The healthcare giant paid $5.08 per share in 2025, supported by a diversified portfolio spanning pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health products.

Third quarter 2025 results showed strength: EPS of $2.80 beat expectations, while revenue climbed 6.8% year-over-year to $24.0 billion. Management raised full-year 2025 guidance, signaling confidence in continued growth. The company's three-segment structure provides stabilitywhen one division faces headwinds, others typically compensate.

JNJ's payout ratio remains conservative relative to earnings, leaving room for future increases. With quarterly dividends already distributed and a track record spanning six decades, Johnson & Johnson represents defensive income with pharmaceutical innovation upside.

4. Coca-Cola (KO) : 63-Year Dividend King with Pricing Power

Coca-Cola's 2.87% yield comes from a company that has raised dividends for 63 straight years. The beverage giant paid $2.02 per share in 2025, backed by one of the world's most valuable brand portfolios and distribution networks reaching 200-plus countries.

Third quarter 2025 demonstrated operational strength: EPS of $0.86 beat estimates, revenue rose 5% year-over-year to $12.5 billion, and operating margin held at 32%. That margin reflects pricing powerCoca-Cola passes input cost increases to consumers without materially impacting volume.
Having a firm with that size and scope and resources accelerates all the things that I believe we were doing well that we will do better, faster, because we have them alongside us now. So for me, this has absolutely nothing to do with slowing down and has everything to do with ramping up and really taking advantage of a lot of the opportunities out in the marketplace today.

Jeff Concepcion: Weve long known that to achieve our goals of growth and to be able to reinvest in the firm, expand and leverage a lot of goodwill that weve had in the marketplace with a lot of relationships, we needed a partner that could support and drive that. Emigrant, who just exited in this transaction, provided a great bridge from us being lone wolves and running our own little business to having more of an institutional mindset. I would say that we achieved growth and improvement in a lot of operational procedures and the way we run our business because of their oversight. SEI throws gas on the fire for all of those things that we were looking to do from a technology standpoint, from a process standpoint, asset management, M&A.

WealthManagement.com: Jeff, what was your thinking when you decided to do this deal? What does this mean for Stratos?

Concepcion was joined by Michael Lane, SEIs head of asset management, who discussed the deal from his firms perspective, expanding its existing in-house advice platform. For Stratos, the deal also brings new resources and capabilities, such as SEIs OCIO, an area that many RIAs are investing in.

Concepcion recently spoke with WealthManagement.com about what the deal means for Stratos. In short, SEI will fuel a greater volume of deals and larger deals. In fact, he said his firm will announce 15 simultaneous acquisitions at the beginning of January.

Earlier this month, SEI completed the first stage of the investment, purchasing the U.S.-based Statos business for about $441 million, representing 81% of the total transaction value. The second stage of the deal, which involves SEIs purchase of Stratoss Mexico-based business, is expected to close next year.

In July, SEI, an Oaks, Pa.-based fintech and management accounts provider, announced plans to take a controlling stake in Stratos Wealth Holdings , an umbrella firm for a network of registered investment advisors and broker/dealers managing about $37 billion in client assets and more than 350 advisors. Emigrant, Stratoss minority shareholder, exited.

Story Continues

WM: What kind of opportunities are you referring to? Are you talking about having more capital when youre out there looking to acquire an RIA firm?

JC: Yes. We do many workshops on valuation and succession planning with some of the largest vendors in the industry that lend to those transactions. SEI custodies for a lot of these firms. Between all the public speaking that we do and networking, we find ourselves with an unlimited opportunity set.

What hasnt been unlimited is the resources and bandwidth from a human capital, technology and financial capital perspective. SEIs brand and the opportunities that sit inside of SEI's ecosystem with thousands of firms that they serve and who love them for decades, you kind of get this intersection where all those opportunities exist. And now the resources exist for us to more fully capitalize. Thats the concept.

Michael Lane: I think Jeff has been limited without an SEI as a partner; its that capital to be able to go out and bring great firms into a great firm in a larger way. From our perspective, we had a lot of advisors over the last several years that either other companies have approached to be part of something that they were building or were offered loans to leave SEI to join something else. And we didnt have a good solution for those people to be able to stay with SEI. And unfortunately, its very disruptive for the advisor because they have to repaper all their clients; they have to change the way that they manage the money.

Theyre no longer going to be affiliated with SEI in any way, and thats not what most of these advisors really wanted. The Stratos opportunity does give us a very good solution for those that have raised their hand over the years and said, I'd love to stay with SEI, but I need a transition plan for my business.

WM: Are you talking about RIAs that custody with SEI and have been acquired by a larger firm that custodies elsewhere?

ML: Its RIAs, and its also hybrid financial advisors that might be within a broker/dealer system that want to stay with us, but they have been approached and offered money from another broker/dealer.

WM: Jeff, when you talk about ramping up, what do you mean? Is the M&A strategy changing at all?

JC: I dont know that its changing. Well have the capacity to do more. Our business really started off providing support to folks who wanted to run independent firms. What we probably understood less at the time that we launched was how many folks had gone independent and found themselves saddled with a lot of responsibilities, whether it be regulatory, technology, marketing, real estate, HR or talent that maybe some type of alignment suited them better. Many of our folks have run independent firms and RIA firms and decided that perhaps a type of supported independence would better suit them. Thats still a part of our business today.

The second component is, we have an asset management business for folks who feel like a team of CFAs inside of our enterprise could provide a homegrown solution for their clients. SEIs resources there will complement and help us to do what were doing now and do more.

And then the last is when the persons at that portion of the life cycle of their business where theyre thinking about succession and monetization. Well have the resources to do more of those things going forward with the support of SEI.

WM: Will you do larger transactions?

JC: Yes, well do more transactions, and well have the capacity to go upstream and do more substantial ones as well.

ML: We get asked often if we're going to do additional transactions the size of Stratos, and thats not in our plan.

JC: If you think about our ecosystem, we have offices in about 150 cities around the country, where we could get introduced to an advisor who has $100 million in assets. And while we would not necessarily be inclined to direct invest, thats a great bolt-on for one of our existing offices.

WM: Michael, what does this deal mean for SEI?

ML: We have such a belief in both the wealth management business overall and in the value that it provides to the end investor. And we have a belief that as time goes on, more and more people are going to be seeking advice. And theres a challenge in our industry, which is, we're not going to have enough financial advisors. SEI has 5,000 employees, of which 40% are in their 20s. And as theyre thinking about their future careers, and you look at the value of wealth management, you look at the value of advice, you look at the fact that with fewer advisors and more demand, we believe that the sustainability of the income of a financial advisor will only grow. This also provides our people at SEI an incredible opportunity, if they want to take a different career path and pursue advice. We have a platform now with Stratos for people to pursue that.

WM: Is this the first time youre bringing an advice platform in-house?

ML: We bought a firm out of Seattle in 2018 called Huntington Steele, an RIA serving the ultra-high-net-worth market. We bought that firm because we had what I would refer to it more as a friends and family plan, which was a lot of the people within SEI and families of people in SEI kept looking to SEI to provide wealth services for them. That business became SEI Private Wealth Management. So we have been in this business in the past, but we didnt have the scale that we desired as we were thinking about our long-term strategy. And thats why Stratos was important to us. It took a valuable business that we had, and it will now scale that up dramatically.

Thats a UHNW business looking for families that are $10 million and up. The majority of Stratoss business is focused on the Main Street investor, ranging from $100,000 to $ 10 million. So I think the two will complement one another very well. Well have a capability for the higher net worth, and well also have a resource for those that fall below the typical minimums of our private wealth business.

WM: Will Stratos be rolled up into that business?

ML: Theyll stay separate for now, but well see in the future. They're going to work very closely together. We have capabilities within that private wealth business and technologies that weve both developed and licensed that we think could add tremendous value in the market that Jeff serves. And so we do believe that well bring those together in that way and have the capabilities of both groups improve the way that we provide advice to all of the whole ecosystem of individual investors across the continuum.

JC: Weve met with the folks who run that business. What weve found is that every time we meet and get acquainted with some of the various verticals at SEI, there are often a lot of opportunities for collaboration. Were finding that with their technology platforms, were finding that with their OCIO business that we kind of provide boots on the ground and soldiers; they provide a really best-in-class skillset. We find the same with their private wealth business.

WM: SEI recently closed on Stratoss U.S. business, and youll close on the Mexico business next year. Whats the next step for both in terms of integrating? Will the Stratos name stick around?

ML: Our goal is to have as little disruption as possible. I think one of the things that often happens in these transactions is, there is a ton of disruption affording people from one custodial platform to another changing investment habits and portfolios. Our goal is not to disrupt, our goal is to grow. We have somebody on the team, Arthur Worthington, and Arthurs job at SEI is to find ways to integrate the two firms in a way thats as least disruptive, but most accretive to the Stratos advisor.

For example, when we look at the Stratos investment management business, how do we make that even more robust so that it's even more valuable to the advisors, broaden the capabilities, deepen the expertise by utilizing our 170 investment professionals alongside the Stratos investment management people. And our goal is to look across technology and investments and processes. We have over 5,000 people delivering administrative services, operational services, technology and investments; how do we take these 5,000 people within SEI and look at the needs of the Stratos business and what is keeping them from growing from $37 billion to $80 billion to $100 billion to 200 billion?

JC: Theres a lot of technology collaboration. Weve already adopted a lot of their tools around data security, and its affordable inside of the family. Theyve got some very unique technology around householding that were adopting. Were also leaning into SEIs OCIO capabilities.

ML: If you look at whats happening in the RIA business, youve had very large players going out and acquiring OCIO businesses. I could list six of them that have been done that in the last 18 months. Theyre acquiring those businesses for multiple reasons. Sometimes its for additional rigor around alternative investments because those OCIOs have been providing alts for many years to institutional investors. Sometimes its to bring an OCIO business into an RIA because they believe they could service some of those OCIO clients in a more local way. Our OCIO business is one of the largest OCIO providers in the country. Weve been doing it for 33 years.

When we asked Stratos advisors who would be interested in learning more about being in the OCIO business and using our capabilities and services, many expressed interest. So we are working on a pilot program to bring the OCIO capabilities to Stratos advisors. Then, over time, that could be a white label solution we bring to other financial advisors outside of Stratos. You dont necessarily need to go buy an OCIO if you can use the framework. Do you really need to own the OCIO, or could you use the OCIO as a resource and have that same relationship of custom modeling for both their wealth clients as well as institutional opportunities?

Thats a process thats underway to evaluate and analyze some of our clients who are in locations that align with Jeffs financial advisors. Can we bring some of those together and have Jeffs advisors better serve those institutional clients? And then how do we grow that business by teaching Jeffs advisors how to actually be in the OCIO business?

WM: Stratos already has a custody relationship with SEI, along with LPL Financial, Fidelity, and Schwab. But are there any plans to expand that over time?

JC: Yes, I think the intent is to look for ways to do more business with SEI. And I think Michael has reinforced in the past that open architecture is really important to us. The goal is not to disrupt peoples businesses, but its never disruption when you bring added capabilities. The notion of SEI being trust custody; it's different than what we have today. There are some real benefits, particularly the more you go upstream, protecting and segregating assets at the client level. On the asset management side, theres absolutely access to stuff there thats very additive to our business.
Rezolutes stock has crashed after its only pipeline product flopped in a Phase III trial.

In the sunRIZE trial (NCT06208215), ersodetug, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds to the insulin receptor that is being developed as a treatment for hypoglycemia caused by congenital hyperinsulinism, failed to meet its primary or key secondary endpoints.

After the company broke the news, its stock crashed by 88.75%, from a 10 December close of $10.94 to an 11 December opening of $1.23. There was a very slight increase during the day, with the companys stock eventually closing at $1.40.

The primary endpoint was the change in the average weekly hypoglycemia events by self-monitored blood glucose. While there was an approximate 45% reduction in hypoglycemia events in the high dose, this was not statistically significant compared to the placebo group, which experienced a 40% improvement.

The key secondary endpoint, which assessed change in average daily percent time in hypoglycemia by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), saw an approximate 25% reduction in the 10mg cohort, which again was not statistically significant compared to the placebo, which increased by approximately 5%.

The trial investigated two doses of the therapy, 5mg and 10mg, which were administered every other week for six weeks, then once every four weeks for the remainder of the 24-week treatment period.

While the efficacy targets were not reached, the safety profile of the drug was generally favourable in both the paediatric and adult populations.

Rezolute's chief medical officer Dr Brian Roberts said: We are disappointed that the study did not demonstrate significant improvements in glucose-related endpoints relative to placebo, as well as for the patients and families living with congenital hyperinsulinism who urgently need new treatment options.

"At the same time, there are aspects of the results that merit additional investigation, and we are conducting a thorough evaluation to gain a better understanding of the study outcomes, which will inform our path forward.

Roberts said the company will meet with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under ersodetugs breakthrough therapy designation to consider next steps for the programme.

The sunRIZE trial was put on a clinical hold by the FDA in 2024, which was lifted in September of the same year.

The trial failure will be yet another blow to congenital hyperinsulinism patients after the FDA refused to approve Zealand Pharma's dasiglucagon for the treatment and prevention of hypoglycaemia in infants with congenital hyperinsulinism in 2024.
Inclusion of the financial institution Euroclear. Ansgar Haase/dpa

Russia's central bank has filed a lawsuit against Belgian firm Euroclear in response to EU moves to permanently freeze Russian state assets held in Europe.

Brussels-based Euroclear manages roughly 185 billion ($217 billion) of the total 210 billion in Russian assets frozen in the European Union as a result of the war in Ukraine.

The central bank's lawsuit relates to "the unlawful actions of the Euroclear depository, causing losses to the Bank of Russia" as well as "the mechanisms officially considered by the European Commission," a statement published on the bank's website on Friday said.

A Moscow arbitration court will hear the case, it said.

Experts see the move as Russia's first step in preparing countermeasures targeting European capital still remaining in the country.

On Thursday, EU member states agreed by majority to establish a legal basis to use frozen Russian state assets for Ukraine. The Danish EU presidency said the first step will be to agree to permanently prevent the funds from being returned to Russia.

At present, Russian assets held in the European Union are frozen under a sanctions mechanism that needs to be renewed every six months - an arrangement that prevents the planned use of Russian assets to fund long-term credits for Ukraine.

The head of the Russian parliament's finance committee, Anatoly Aksakov, said the central bank will likely win the case.

However, Dmitry Grigoryan of the Russian Stolypin economic institute cautioned: "Winning in court is only half the battle; you also have to get the money."

Grigoryan said that while there are Euroclear assets in Russia, most are held in frozen accounts. He did not specify the amount, but media reports suggest it is just under 16 billion.

After launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow restricted the outflow of Western investment from Russia, meaning businesspeople from so-called "unfriendly foreign countries" were only able to sell their companies at well below market value.

Orban backs Moscow, slams EU

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is on friendly terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin, sharply criticized the EU's plan to permanently lock up Russian funds in Europe.

"With today's decision, the rule of law ends in the European Union," the right-wing populist wrote on his Facebook page, saying the EU was "crossing the Rubicon."
Russias Central Bank has filed a lawsuit against Belgian financial institution Euroclear, the Brussels-based clearing house that holds most of Moscows frozen assets in Europe, the bank said Friday.

It wasnt immediately clear what the lawsuit could achieve since it was filed in Moscow.

The European Commission, the EUs executive branch, estimates that 210 billion euros ($247 billion) worth of frozen Russian assets are held in Europe. At the end of September, Euroclear held around 193 billion euros ($225 billion) of the money.

Russias Central Bank said that the lawsuit, which was filed at Moscows Arbitration Court, would seek to recover damages it incurred when it was barred from managing and disposing of its Euroclear funds and securities.

Euroclear declined to comment on the case.

In a separate statement, Russia's Central Bank also condemned wider EU plans to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine as illegal, contrary to international law, arguing that they violated the principles of sovereign immunity of assets. It's the first time that the bank has publicly commented on the plans.

The EU froze Russias assets based in the 27-nation bloc shortly after the start of Russias full-scale war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. These sanctions must be renewed every six months, and all EU members must approve them for that to happen.

At a summit next week, EU leaders will decide whether to use tens of billions from these assets to fund Ukraines military and economic needs by using them as collateral for a huge loan for Kyiv.

Ukraine needs funding to aid its war effort. But such a move has never been done before, and it comes with risks.

The European Central Bank has warned that if Europeans appear willing to grab other countries money, it could undermine confidence in the euro currency.

Some member nations are also concerned about inviting retaliation from Russia. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has refused to approve the plan, citing fears that Russia will move against against Belgium's interests.
The New York Stock Exchange welcomed a bronze statue of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto on Thursday.

Twenty One Capital, the first Bitcoin-native public company listed on the NYSE under ticker XXI, placed the sixth of 21 planned global monuments at the exchange as crypto markets navigate Federal Reserve policy uncertainty.

The installation by artist Valentina Picozzi represents what NYSE officials described as shared ground between emerging systems and established institutions.

Source: X/@NYSE

Twenty One CEO Jack Mallers, who also founded Lightning Network payment provider Strike, said the placement reflects Bitcoins evolution from code to cultural phenomenon.

However, according to Bloomberg, the companys stock tumbled 19% on its Tuesday trading debut following a blank-check merger.

Monument Placement Follows Switzerland Vandalism and Global Campaign

Picozzi expressed astonishment at the achievement, stating the NYSE location exceeded our wildest dream for the statue series.

The installation comes months after vandals stole and dumped another Satoshi monument into Lake Lugano following Swiss National Day celebrations in August.

Local investigators suspected intoxicated revelers used tungsten carbide cutting disks and petrol-powered angle grinders to sever the welded bronze sculpture from its base, leaving only the feet attached.

At that time, Satoshigallery, the art collective behind the global campaign, offered a 0.1 Bitcoin reward worth approximately $12,000 for information leading to the recovery of the stolen statue.

The group condemned the vandalism while vowing to continue their mission, declaring, You can steal our symbol but you will never be able to steal our souls.

The Lugano theft marked the first major incident affecting official Satoshi monuments since Budapest unveiled the worlds first installation in September 2021.

Source: Satoshigallery on X

The global campaign aims to install 21 monuments representing Bitcoins 21 million coin supply cap, with existing statues in Budapest, El Salvadors Bitcoin Beach, Tokyo, and now New York.

Budapests original bronze bust featured a faceless, hooded figure with a mirrored surface embodying the we are all Satoshi symbolism, while Picozzis Disappearing Satoshi design depicts a seated figure at a laptop that vanishes when viewed from different angles.

Twenty One Capital Faces Market Headwinds Despite Bitcoin Holdings

Twenty One Capital holds approximately 43,500 bitcoins, valued at over $3.9 billion, making it the worlds third-largest corporate holder.
Soybeans are back to higher trade on Wednesday, with contracts up 1 to 3 1/2 cents. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price is 3 1/4 cents lower at $10.20 1/4. Soymeal futures are steady to $1.10 in the red, with Soy Oil futures 10 to 46 points higher. There was another delivery for December soybean meal overnight, with 8 more issued for December soybean oil.

USDA reported private export sales of 136,000 MT of soybeans to China and 119,000 MT to unknown destinations, as well as 212,000 MT to unknown received in the reporting period. Another 120,000 MT of soybean meal was sold to Poland.

More News from Barchart

An aged CFTC Commitment of Traders report showed another 60,194 contracts added to the managed money net long position as of November 4, taking it to 178,683 contracts. The two week move was 143,354 contracts to the long side, the largest 2-week bull move on record. CFTC will release another report this afternoon, expediting the catch up on the backlog from the shutdown.

Jan 26 Soybeans are at $10.90 3/4, up 3 1/2 cents,

Nearby Cash is at $10.20 1/4, up 3 1/2 cents,

Mar 26 Soybeans are at $11.00 3/4, up 2 1/2 cents,

May 26 Soybeans are at $11.10, up 1 1/4 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
Soybeans are up 1 to 3 cents on Thursday morning. Futures were 1 to 4 cents higher across most contracts on Wednesday. Open interest was down 9,608 contracts on Wednesday. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price was 4 1/4 cents lower at $10.21 3/4. Soymeal futures were steady to $3.10 in the red, with Soy Oil futures 7 to 11 points higher. There were 4 deliveries issued against December soybean oil on Wednesday.

USDA reported private export sales of 136,000 MT of soybeans to China and 119,000 MT to unknown destinations, as well as 212,000 MT to unknown received in the reporting period. Another 120,000 MT of soybean meal was sold to Poland.

More News from Barchart

The monthly NASS Fats & Oils report got caught up on Wednesday afternoon, with September soybean crush totaling 204.93 million bushels, up 9.89% from a year ago. October crush was an all-time record for any month at 237 million bushels, a 9.86% increase over last year. Bean oil stocks were tallied at 1.781 billion lbs on October 31, up 11.89% from last year.

USDA will release Export Sales data for the week ending on November 13 on Thursday morning. Traders are looking for 0.6-1.4 MMT of soybean sales in that week. Soybean meal sales are seen in a 50,000 to 450,000 MT range, with bean oil sales at 5,000 to 25,000 MT.

Commitment of Traders data showed another 15,760 contracts added to the managed money net long position as of November 10 in their second update in as many days on Wednesday. That took their net long position to 194,443 contracts.

Soybean production for Brazil was updated to 177.12 MMT according to CONAB, down 0.48 MMT from their November estimate. Sinograin, Chinas state stockpiler, sold 397,000 MT of imported beans in an auction on Thursday.

Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.91 1/4, up 4 cents, currently up 2 3/4 cents

Nearby Cash was $10.21 3/4, up 4 1/4 cents,

Mar 26 Soybeans closed at $11.01, up 2 3/4 cents, currently up 1 1/2 cents

May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.10 1/2, up 1 3/4 cents, currently up 1 1/4 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
Elon Musk once promised that SpaceX wouldnt go public until it delivered humans to Mars (lest pesky shareholders prioritize short-term profits over the long-term project of Martian colonization). The Red Planet must be within shouting distance, judging by the financial buzz. No, turns out its a lot easier to land on the S&P 500 these days than on Mars, so why wait?

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Musks aerospace company is moving ahead with plans to raise $30 billion for an initial public offering at an out-of-this-world valuation of $1.5 trillion, with a countdown clock set for mid- to late 2026. And while it may not be on course for Mars, the SpaceX rocket ship might yet deliver next years IPO market to a whole new stratosphere.

SUBSCRIBE: Receive more of our free The Daily Upside newsletter. READ ALSO: Backed by Bank of Dad, Paramount Makes Another Push For Warner Bros. Discovery and Vortex of Volatility Kept 2025 Dealmaking From Breaking Records

Reach For The Stars

SpaceXs potential monster IPO would come after what has been a remarkable rebound year for public listings. Per another Bloomberg analysis published Wednesday, US IPO volume (not including SPACs and closed-end funds) is set to surpass $40 billion this year once medical supply company MedLine prices its IPO next week, easily besting last years total. Dealmakers on Wall Street are already preparing for an even bigger 2026. The velocity of IPO pitch activity is overwhelming, in a good way, across every industry, Jim Cooney, Bank of Americas head of Americas equity capital markets, told Bloomberg.

Already likely on deck for next year are names such as defense contractor York Space Systems and insurance firm Ethos Technologies, as well as crypto exchange Kraken and construction rental company EquipmentShare. But those names would be easily eclipsed by SpaceX, officially the worlds most valuable private company once again after a recent secondary share sale that valued the company at $800 million. And it may be one of a handful of shooting stars to go public next year:
Elon Musk is getting ready to see how much public investors will pay for his literal moonshots.

SpaceX is working toward a mid- to late-2026 IPO that, according to Bloomberg, could raise significantly more than $30 billion at a valuation of about $1.5 trillion. If bankers hit those numbers, it would be the biggest stock-market debut on record, leapfrogging Saudi Aramcos roughly $29 billion listing in 2019 and dropping a rocket company straight into the same valuation airspace as Meta or Amazon.

The deal would bring the entire SpaceX machine  rockets, Starlink satellites, a growing defense business, plus a slate of off-world infrastructure projects  onto public markets in one shot, not just the Starlink unit Musk once dangled as a standalone IPO after its cash flow turned predictable. Analysts and bankers are modeling revenue of around $15 billion in 2025 and $22 billion to $24 billion in 2026, with Starlink doing most of the work, which means investors would be paying something like 60 to 70 times next years sales for a company that still blows up prototypes on livestreams.

SpaceXs pitch is that this is no ordinary industrial listing. A chunk of the IPO cash is reportedly earmarked for space-based data centers and the chips to run them  essentially turning low-Earth orbit into a cloud region  on top of funding Starship, more Starlink launches, and presumably some classified work that keeps the Pentagon on speed dial. All of that makes for a seductive growth story if you believe in off-planet infrastructure... and a very expensive science project if you dont.

In 2013, Musk told his social media followers there were no near term plans to IPO SpaceX and that any listing was only possible in [the] very long term when Mars Colonial Transporter is flying regularly. Five years later, company president Gwynne Shotwell was still saying, We cant go public until were flying regularly to Mars. Well, then.

Private markets have been rehearsing this moment for a while. A tender offer in late 2023 valued SpaceX at about $175 billion; by the end of 2024, an insider share sale had pushed that figure to roughly $350 billion, making it  at the time  the worlds most valuable startup on paper. (OpenAI briefly leapfrogged SpaceX.) The Wall Street Journal then reported talks around a secondary sale at an $800 billion valuation, which would have made SpaceX the most richly priced private company in the U.S.; Musk fired back on X that those fundraising reports were not accurate and pointed instead to years of positive cash flow and regular buybacks to give employees liquidity. And now: over $1 trillion.
HOHHOT, CN / ACCESS Newswire / December 12, 2025 / On November 25, the calibration aircraft landed smoothly, marking the successful completion of the on-site verification test flight at Hohhot Shengle International Airport. This important milestone indicates that Inner Mongolia's first 4F-class airport has moved from the construction phase to the final stages of preparation for its official opening.

Shengle International Airport

As Inner Mongolia's first 4F-class airport-the highest standard in civil aviation airfields-this airport is fully equipped to accommodate the world's most advanced commercial aircraft.

Moreover, it functions as a regional aviation hub, a primary alternate landing site within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei airport cluster, a Class I international aviation port, and a key transportation node in China's national "Belt and Road Initiative". Its essential role is to connect domestic and international destinations while linking eastern and western regions.

"Where heaven and earth meet, all things communicate." Thanks to its unique geographic location, Hohhot has long served as a vital transportation center. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Shengle, the capital city, controlled the critical passage between the Central Plains, the grasslands, and the desert, fostering thriving commerce and travel. In the Tang Dynasty, Shengle also served as a major commercial route extending north from Baidouchuan to present-day Erenhot, Manzhouli, and further into Russia and Mongolia. During the Qing Dynasty, Guisui City was a key node on the Grassland Silk Road. From the late 17th to early 20th century, the 13,000-kilometer Tea Road began at Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province in the south, passed through Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, continued north to Mongolia, and ultimately reached Russia. In modern times, Hohhot has emerged as a crucial transportation hub under the "Belt and Road Initiative," linking the mainland of China with Russia, Mongolia, and the heart of Europe. For centuries, merchants from home and abroad have gathered here, fostering vibrant trade and rich cultural exchanges.

The echoes of history continue to resonate. This ancient route, once bustling with camel caravans and travelers, is now being revitalized with new significance for the modern era. Shengle International Airport is dedicated to becoming a key hub on the new "Air Silk Road," serving as a vital gateway across North China and connecting Eurasia. It aims to make a unique and meaningful contribution to this important legacy.
A version of this article originally appeared in Quartzs Washington newsletter. Sign up here to get the latest business and economic news and insights from Washington straight to your inbox.

The Supreme Court is deciding the fate of President Donald Trumps global tariffs  and major companies like Costco are getting in line for a possible refund. About $88 billion worth of import taxes collected through the end of October are at stake, per Customs and Border Protection data.

What happens next is still up in the air. The U.S. government, though, has been obligated to pay back private firms before.

One specific example from the late 1990s has caught the attention of trade analysts and major law firms as a blueprint for how a refund process could be structured.

There's precedent for it and the data, the systems are in place for it to actually happen pretty smoothly if it was an administration that wanted to do so, Jacob Jensen, a trade policy analyst at the right-leaning American Action Forum, told Quartz Washington.

In 1998, the high court struck down a harbor maintenance tax first placed on exports transported by ship during the Reagan administration. The Supreme Court ruling at the time handed a victory to companies like Chevron, which filed a lawsuit challenging the levy as a violation of the constitutional ban on export taxes. It set the stage for a $750 million refund affecting thousands of companies, and cash flowed beyond those directly involved in the case.

James Min II and Chelsea N. Ellis, a pair of trade lawyers for LMD Trade Law, observed that an immediate refund was ordered. A process was established in which exporters were allowed to file a claim with CBPs predecessor agency to demonstrate they paid duties on imports in the preceding five years.

Companies hoping for a speedy affair, though, were left disappointed. It took almost two years for the federal government to send out the refunds. Then another Supreme Court decision in 2000 ultimately broadened the refund window to all duties paid since the laws inception in 1987.

Trade experts say that companies subject to Trumps tariffs are nearing a critical window known as liquidation, the 10-month threshold when CBPs assessment of rates and duty amounts paid becomes final. The first of the tariff barrage hit China in early February, a precursor to Aprils more sweeping Liberation Day tariffs.

Once the liquidation period is up, businesses have six months to challenge the CBPs calculation if they disagree. At that point, they have to jump through more bureaucratic hoops to get their money back.
Temu owner Pinduoduo (PDD) has seen two of its global facilities raided in recent days by market regulators under suspicion of fraudulent dealings and illegal subsidies.

Last week, Temus European headquarters in Dublin was stormed by European Union regulators due to rumblings about Chinese state subsidies that were possibly given to the e-commerce titan, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

More from Sourcing Journal

The EU Commissions Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), which took effect in 2023, enables the trade blocs executive arm to address disruptive or unfair business practices caused by foreign subsidies. In recent years, the Commission said such state-sponsored grants have shaken up Europes internal market by providing their recipients with unfair advantages, like the ability to acquire other companies or obtain public procurement contracts.

The EU and its members are becoming increasingly harried by Chinas growing influence on the bloc, especially as the United States tariffs and de minimis ban have drastically decreased the volume of parcels from the likes of Temu and Shein. Europe currently has a duty-free waiver for small shipments worth less than 150 Euros (about $176), though an agreement was reached between member states in November to phase out the exemption by 2028.

French President Emmanuel Macron last week floated the idea of increasing tariffs on China unless the widening trade gap between the 27 countries and the sourcing superpower is addressed, saying the imbalances are becoming unbearable for European businesses. The EU had a 300-billion-euro ($350 billion) trade deficit with China last year.

Meanwhile, a dramatic scene unfolded last week at PDD Holdings Inc.s Shanghai office that ended in fisticuffs between employees and Chinese regulators, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Officials from the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) came to the companys property to investigate reports of fraudulent deliveries on PDDs platform, sources told the news outlet. After the fighting broke out, police made several arrests.

The investigators were reportedly there to look into PDDs refunds first policy, which allows consumers to garner refunds on goods they purchased on PDD platforms without actually returning them. The SAMR told the companys executives that the policy undercuts the small businesses on its platforms.
The United Kingdom market has recently faced challenges, with the FTSE 100 index experiencing declines due to weak trade data from China, highlighting concerns over global economic recovery. In such a fluctuating environment, dividend stocks can offer stability and income potential, making them an attractive option for investors seeking reliable returns amidst market volatility.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In The United Kingdom

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Treatt (LSE:TET) 4.08%  Seplat Energy (LSE:SEPL) 7.43%  RS Group (LSE:RS1) 3.48%  OSB Group (LSE:OSB) 5.79%  MONY Group (LSE:MONY) 6.89%  Keller Group (LSE:KLR) 3.20%  Impax Asset Management Group (AIM:IPX) 8.32%  IG Group Holdings (LSE:IGG) 4.10%  Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan (LSE:HSBK) 5.91%  4imprint Group (LSE:FOUR) 4.68% 

Click here to see the full list of 49 stocks from our Top UK Dividend Stocks screener.

Let's uncover some gems from our specialized screener.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Begbies Traynor Group plc offers business recovery, financial advisory, and property services consultancy in the United Kingdom, with a market cap of 177.02 million.

Operations: Begbies Traynor Group plc generates revenue through its business recovery, financial advisory, and property services consultancy divisions in the UK.

Dividend Yield: 4%

Begbies Traynor Group recently announced a 7% increase in its interim dividend, marking eight consecutive years of growth, underscoring its commitment to a progressive dividend policy. Despite a modest 4% yield, the dividends are well-covered by earnings and cash flows with payout ratios around 71%. The company's recent earnings report showed strong growth with net income rising significantly. This financial stability supports continued reliable dividend payments amidst ongoing strategic leadership changes.

AIM:BEG Dividend History as at Dec 2025

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Admiral Group plc is a financial services company offering insurance and personal lending products across the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and the US, with a market cap of 9.29 billion.

Operations: Admiral Group's revenue is primarily derived from its UK Insurance segment, which generated 4.33 billion, supplemented by Admiral Money contributing 20.10 million.

Dividend Yield: 7.7%

Admiral Group's dividend yield of 7.7% ranks in the top 25% of UK dividend payers, yet its sustainability is questionable due to inadequate coverage by cash flows, reflected in a high cash payout ratio of 248%. Despite past volatility and an unreliable dividend history over the last decade, recent earnings growth and a reasonable payout ratio suggest potential stability. The appointment of Carlos Selonke as an Independent Non-Executive Director may enhance operational resilience.
Account fees: The account is relatively low-cost. Theres no joining fee, and management fees are legally capped at 0.10% per year.

Withdrawal rules: The funds you deposit cant be withdrawn until the child turns 18 (unless youre rolling over to a similar account elsewhere). After that, withdrawals are subject to standard IRA-style distribution rules, and early withdrawals will incur tax penalties.

Contribution rules: Family members, friends, employers, and charitable organizations can all contribute to a childs Trump Account. Theres an annual contribution limit of $5,000 per child per year in private contributions. Employers can contribute up to $2,500 per employee per year, which is counted toward your annual $5,000 cap.

Investment structure: The money you deposit into a Trump Account gets invested in low-cost mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track broad U.S. equity indexes.

Eligibility: The Trump Account is open to any child under 18, as long as theyre U.S. citizens with a valid Social Security Number (SSN).

The government is stating that parents will be able to open an account on behalf of their children starting in early 2026, but an exact go-live date hasnt been announced. You can then begin making deposits from July 4, 2026.

The Trump Account is a new stock market investment account that was created by legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this year. Its open to children under 18, and its essentially a long-term and child-oriented custodial account designed to encourage families to save for their kids from infancy through to adulthood.

Before we dive right into the tax benefits of the Trump Account, its worth taking a moment to talk logistics.

So, how exactly does the Trump Account work? And more importantly, does it really offer meaningful value for struggling parents?

But the real bonus is that the government is offering a one-time deposit of $1,000 to get your childs new account started. And thanks to an absolutely colossal donation from Michael and Susan Dell, low and middle-income families should get an extra $250 boost.

The Trump Account has turned out to be one of the biggest (and quietest) financial developments of 2025. Its a tax-incentivized savings program designed to help families build long-term savings from the day a child is born. The accounts eligibility requirements are fairly inclusive, and there are a few core benefits that are hard to say no to.

Story Continues

But heres the part new parents will want to read: To boost uptake, the U.S. Treasury is offering a one-time deposit of $1,000 into each Trump Account for eligible children born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028. Youve just got to make sure you fill out the proper election form (IRS Form 4547) to make sure your child is included.

This election form hasnt been finalized yet, but the IRS has said itll go live soon.

What Are the Tax and Financial Benefits of a Trump Account?

The number one benefit of the Trump Account is this government-funded seed initiative.

All newborns from 2025 to 2028 are eligible for a $1,000 initial deposit. This deposit wont be included in your annual contribution cap, and so its essentially just free money.

Beyond this free seed money, the Trump Account offers tax-deferred growth.

Like a traditional IRA, all the investment earnings accumulated through dividends or interest arent taxed as long as they stay in your childs Trump Account. This enables the beneficiary to compound those gains over many years, resulting in a more substantial fund size.

Then, youve got the investment structure itself.

The Trump Account requires that money be invested in low-cost index funds or ETFs. This means equity exposure for your kids, which should deliver higher long-term returns than youd get with a traditional savings account. Theres also a legal limit to account fees, which should help to maximize your childs net returns.

Finally, the Trump Account has some pretty broad contribution options that parents will find useful. Like a custodial account, grandparents, friends, and even employers can contribute to your childs Trump Account. Employers can put in up to $2,500 tax-free, providing an additional incentive for working parents.

So, theres a lot of good to shout about here. But its important to acknowledge that the Trump Account isnt perfect, and does have a few drawbacks.

First and foremost, its not actually that special. Withdrawals are restricted until your child turns 18, and it works pretty much the same as any other IRA or custodial account. Youre also losing some flexibility if you put all your eggs in the Trump Account basket. Investment accounts like 529s have simpler withdrawal rules and a bigger tax advantage.

Finally, the Trump Account isnt open to everyone. The governments generous seed money isnt means-tested, but you can only open an account for your child if theyre a U.S. citizen with a valid SSN. That will not apply to all families living in America.

But generally speaking, the Trump Account is a pretty decent proposition for eligible families who are willing to commit to long-term investing (and want a big signing bonus).

How to Open a Trump Account

If youre keen to set up a Trump Account, youll have to hold your horses. Despite all the excitement, the government hasnt quite finalized all the logistics.

To set up an account, parents or guardians must file IRS Form 4547. This is the election form that opens up a Trump Account on behalf of a child and serves as the claim to your childs Treasury-funded deposit (if theyre eligible).

The IRS has finished a draft version of Form 4547. But as of right now, that form hasnt been rubber-stamped or made public. This is expected to happen in early 2026.

To stay in the know, your best bet is to keep checking back on the governments official site for Trump Accounts.

After the form goes live and youve made your election, the Treasury should contact you directly with information about the authentication process to complete account activation. The government has said activations are on track to start in May 2026. Contributions can then be made beginning July 4.

Just remember: Although this is a national program thats eligible to many U.S. families, enrollment isnt automatic. You need to actively choose to participate and open an account for your child to get your initial $1,000 deposit.

Michael and Susan Dells $6.25 Billion Donation: What It Means

The government isnt funding this entire investment initiative on its own. Last week, billionaire philanthropists Michael and Susan Dell pledged a whopping $6.25 billion top up the Trump Accounts program.

But instead of going towards the governments initial $1,000 deposit for newborns, the Dells' contribution is designed to help older kids living in less affluent parts of the country. It will provide an additional $250 for all kids under 10 living in ZIP codes where the median income is below $150,000.

Translation: If your child is eligible, theyll get $250 in seed money even if they were born outside that 2025-2028 window. That should be great news if youre living in a lower-income area, and it offers an extra incentive to get your child signed up when registrations go live in 2026.

At the end of the day, the Trump Account isnt a particularly innovative idea.

Its basically just a plain old IRA you can open for your kids. And if your household finances are already stretched and youre struggling to save for the future, a Trump Account wont instantly turn things around. Its a slow-burner, and youll need to make your own contributions over time to create something decent you can pass on to your children.

But if youre looking for a low-risk way to set up an investment account for your kids and want (at least) $1,000 worth of free cash, the Trump Account is definitely worth filling out a quick form or two.

On the date of publication, Nash Riggins 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
President Donald Trump recently announced he will allow Nvidia (NVDA) to export its advanced H200 AI chips to China. The recent development indicates a shift in U.S. technology policy, as the move will give Chinese companies access to computing power that was previously blocked. Nvidia can now ship the H200 to approved customers in China, provided the U.S. government receives a 25% cut of sales, up from the 15% rate negotiated last summer.

www.barchart.com

The policy reversal has sparked debate among analysts and policymakers about whether the benefits to American companies outweigh potential national security concerns. Critics argue the decision hands China an advantage in the global AI race, given that Chinese firms like DeepSeek have shown they can build competitive AI models despite restrictions.

More News from Barchart

Beijing has spent years pushing tech companies toward homegrown chips from Huawei and other domestic suppliers as part of its self-sufficiency drive. The government previously discouraged purchases of Nvidia's less powerful H20 chip, raising questions about whether Chinese firms will be permitted to buy the H200.

Yet the H200 offers significantly better performance than current Chinese alternatives, and major tech companies such as Alibaba (BABA) and Baidu (BIDU) are facing ongoing chip shortages. Notably, Nvidia has not built major China sales into its forecasts given the uncertain regulatory environment.

Analysts at BNP Paribas called the development positive over the medium term but noted uncertainties around available supply, Chinese demand, and Beijing's ultimate stance on allowing purchases. The tight global supply of AI chips in 2026 may limit how many H200 units Nvidia can actually ship to China, even with export approval.

Is Nvidia Stock Still a Good Buy Right Now?

Valued at a market cap of $4.5 trillion, Nvidia stock has returned a staggering 22,400% to shareholders over the past decade. Nvidia CFO Colette Kress pushed back hard against concerns about an AI bubble during a recent investor conference, arguing the chipmaker is in the early stages of multiple transformational shifts.

She pointed to the ongoing transition from CPU-based computing to GPU acceleration as representing roughly half of the projected $3 trillion to $4 trillion data center infrastructure market by decade's end.
ADNOC Distribution, the UAEs largest fuel and convenience retailer, will begin accepting AE Coin stablecoin for payments across its retail network of nearly 980 service stations in the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The retailer signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Al Maryah Community Bank to enable customers to pay using AE Coin via the banks AEC Wallet at fuel pumps, Oasis by ADNOC convenience stores and car washes, the company said in a statement.

The rollout of AE Coin provides an early example of how a sovereign-backed digital asset can be used in everyday commerce, signaling a potential shift in how governments and private companies experiment with blockchain-based payment systems.

This move is a meaningful step in ADNOC Distributions efforts to bring secure, regulated digital payments to everyday retail, said Eng. Bader Saeed Al Lamki, CEO of ADNOC Distribution. The company operates 562 stations in the UAE, 172 in Saudi Arabia and 243 in Egypt.

AE Coin is the UAEs first stablecoin licensed by the Central Bank and backed 1:1 with dirhams. Its adoption by ADNOC Distribution moves the currency into real-world retail, where it can now be used by millions across the companys nearly 1,000 sites.
BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Universal Music said on Friday it has submitted a remedy to address competition concerns from the European Commission over the group's $775-million takeover of Downtown Music.

The Commission last month objected to the deal, saying it was concerned UMG could gain access to commercially sensitive data that is stored and processed by Downtown, which could limit competition from other labels.

UMG said in a statement on Friday it had submitted the remedy following constructive conversations with the Commission.

"We have submitted a robust remedy that comprehensively addresses the Commission's only remaining concern," it said in a statement.

"This deal is about offering independent music entrepreneurs access to world-class tools and support to help them succeed. We are confident that the Commission will recognize the benefits .. and clear the transaction swiftly."

Independent labels have criticised the acquisition and even called for it to be blocked.

(Reporting by Yun Chee Foo, writing by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Bart Meijer)
HANOI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - U.S. imports of telephones and parts from Vietnam, one of its top suppliers, fell to their lowest levels in more than five years in November, according to official Vietnamese data, as exporters led by Samsung Electronics faced trade uncertainties and slowing consumer demand.

Smartphones are not subject to U.S. tariffs but uncertainty over trade affected Vietnam's shipments this year, the data released earlier this week showed. Exports peaked in January and rebounded in May after the Trump administration exempted phones and other electronics from steep tariffs. Smartphone shipments began to fall sharply from August when 20% tariffs were imposed on Vietnamese goods, despite the exemption.

In November, Vietnam's telephone exports to the U.S. fell to less than $410 million, the lowest monthly figure since May 2020, marking the fourth consecutive monthly drop.

Vietnam's production of telephones has been falling on an annual basis since August, official data that was updated through November showed.

Falling shipments in recent months were offset by roaring exports in the first half of the year. As a result, exports were flat in the first 11 months of 2025 compared with a year earlier.

Vietnam's smartphone trade figures largely reflect Samsung's exports, as the South Korean company accounts for the biggest share of exports and output from Vietnam.

Samsung does not disclose its export figures from Vietnam, where it has major manufacturing operations. It declined to comment on Vietnam's trade numbers.

A Vietnam-based executive familiar with Samsung's operations said the company was adjusting its production and export volumes in the country in reaction to weakening consumer sentiment.

The plunge in smartphone exports to the U.S. drove down Vietnam's total exports, which in November were the lowest since April, totalling nearly $4 billion.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
By Hannah Lang

Dec 12 (Reuters) - Crypto giants including Ripple and Circle on Friday received preliminary approval from a top U.S. banking regulator to establish national trust banks, in a major move that could further integrate digital assets into the banking system.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency conditionally approved two new national trust bank charters from Circle and Ripple, and conditionally approved applications from BitGo, Paxos and Fidelity Digital Assets to convert state trust bank charters to national charters, allowing them to operate across the country.

The regulator still has to sign off with a final stamp of approval before each of the trust banks can begin to operate.

If finalized, the national trust bank charters would allow the companies to manage and hold assets on behalf of customers and settle payments faster. The license does not, however, allow the companies to take cash deposits or make loans.

Crypto platform Anchorage Digital is currently the only digital asset company with a national trust bank charter. The OCC supervises a total of 60 national trust banks.

New entrants into the federal banking sector are good for consumers, the banking industry and the economy, said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould.

The banking industry had urged the OCC to reject several of the applications, arguing the charters would allow crypto companies to opt for a lighter regulatory touch and heighten systemic risk.

In a statement, the Bank Policy Institute said the decision to grant conditional approvals "leaves substantial unanswered questions", including whether requirements for the companies will be tailored to their risks.

U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to broadly overhaul U.S. cryptocurrency policies after courting cash from the industry on the campaign trail.

(Reporting by Hannah Lang in New York; editing by Michelle Price and Nia Williams)
Australian graphite producer Volt Resources has signed a binding term sheet with Unbounded Opportunities Fund (UOF) to advance the development of its Bunyu graphite mine project in Tanzania.

The Bunyu project is strategically positioned with access to key infrastructure including sealed roads running through the site and a deep-water route via the Port of Mtwara, approximately 140km away.

Bunyu is reputed to be the largest JORC-compliant mineral resource in Tanzania and one of the largest graphite deposits globally.

The agreement sets out a framework for a major equity investment by UOF and collaboration on project development, aiming to boost annual production rates, improve capital cost efficiency and achieve low unit operating costs.

Under the agreement, UOF has agreed to make a conditional $11.1m (CI$9.22m) equity investment in Volts subsidiary, Volt Graphite Tanzania (VGT).

Upon financial close, UOF will acquire a 62% stake in VGT, with Volt retaining the remaining 38%.

UOF will also update a feasibility study for the stage one Bunyu graphite project, outlining a capital expenditure of $37m.

The plan targets annual production of 40,000 tonnes (t) of graphite concentrate at 94% total graphitic carbon (TGC), with operating costs estimated at $450/t.

UOF has agreed to cover any capital cost overruns on the project without altering its equity position in VGT, said the company.

However, if unit operating costs rise by more than 10% above the $450/t target, UOFs equity position will be reduced.

Volt will also arrange project debt financing, aiming for 70% debt to 30% equity.

Under the plan, UOF will take charge of finalising mining, engineering, procurement and construction, and operation and maintenance contracts, establishing project and operations teams, and managing construction and operations.

Meanwhile, Volt will secure offtake agreements, permits including land access, and will oversee local coordination and community commitments.

Volt and UOF have four months, or a mutually extended period, to meet the stated conditions and finalise definitive documentation for the transaction.

If these conditions are not met within the time frame, the term sheet will terminate.

Volt executive chairman Asimwe Kabunga said: This is a significant milestone for Volt to find a substantial partner to provide equity funding combined with project cost and management support to facilitate the development of the Bunyu graphite project.

To overcome the funding issues arising from relatively low graphite prices, UOF is confident it can deliver increased annual concentrate production rates with efficient capital cost expenditure and lower unit operating costs when compared with the 2023 feasibility study.
Key Points

A major social media company is making a concentrated push into for-profit AI, according to a media report.

It's reportedly utilizing several third-party models, such as Alibaba's, to aid in training its system.

10 stocks we like better than Alibaba Group 

Following news that it is reportedly involved in a significant artificial intelligence (AI) initiative by a major U.S. tech company, Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) stock closed higher on Wednesday. Investors pushed the shares almost 2% skyward, a rate that beat the 0.7% gain of the benchmark S&P 500 index.

A new AI initiative

Before market open that day, Bloomberg reported that social media titan Meta Platforms is making a concentrated effort to develop a proprietary, for-pay AI model.

Image source: Getty Images.

Citing unnamed "people familiar with the matter," the financial news agency wrote that Meta aims to debut such a model, currently code-named Avocado, next spring. This would mark a departure from the company's strategy of open-source AI.

The group developing Avocado, which Bloomberg reported has been named TBD, is utilizing a set of third-party AI models to assist in training the Meta system. Among these are Alibaba's Qwen, Gemma from Alphabet unit Google, and OpenAI's gpt-oss.

Neither Meta nor Alibaba officials have commented on the article yet.

Revolutionary success

Alibaba's apparent contribution to Avocado is meaningful not for the relatively modest revenue it might bring to the company, but because it bolsters Qwen as a powerful and useful tool for AI developers. This enhancement to reputation can only benefit Alibaba as its maker, and keep the world aware that the Chinese company is a player in the AI revolution.

Should you invest $1,000 in Alibaba Group right now?

Before you buy stock in Alibaba Group, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Alibaba Group wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $521,550!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,133,904!*

Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 981%  a market-crushing outperformance compared to 194% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
Baird trims its price target to $200 from $216 even while staying Outperform, and explicitly calls AI a wild card, signaling that some bullish analysts still see meaningful risk around how much AI upside is already reflected in Qualcomms valuation.

Wells Fargo flags intense competition from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia in AI accelerators, implying that while Qualcomms HUMAIN deal could carry revenue potential in the ~$2B range, margins and long term share in this market are still uncertain relative to current enthusiasm.

Not all analysts are convinced the recent AI and accelerator news supports sustained multiple expansion, with Citi keeping a Neutral rating and Wells Fargo reiterating an Underweight and a relatively cautious $140 target. This indicates downside risk if execution or demand fall short.

Bernstein argues that Qualcomm may increasingly be valued as an AI play following new datacenter AI accelerator and rack scale announcements and the HUMAIN deployment agreement, suggesting some analysts see scope for a higher valuation multiple if AI traction continues.

BofAs Tal Liani notes that top line upside supported a $0.12 EPS beat, and rolls estimates higher in line with guidance, underscoring analyst confidence in managements ability to translate growth into earnings despite a competitive AI and handset backdrop.

TD Cowen and BofA highlight broad based strength in QCT, pointing to premium tier Android outperformance, strong share at Samsung, and double digit growth in autos and IoT as evidence that Qualcomm is executing well on diversification and product roadmap.

Several firms maintain constructive views on Qualcomm, with TD Cowen, Mizuho, and BofA all lifting price targets into the $200 to $215 range while reiterating Buy or Outperform ratings, signaling confidence that execution and growth momentum justify a premium to recent trading levels.

Qualcomms latest narrative update nudges its price target higher, with fair value holding near $191.80 per share. A slightly lower discount rate and steady revenue growth expectations reflect growing confidence in its multi year AI and diversification strategy. Bulls point to premium Android momentum, auto and IoT expansion, and early AI accelerator wins as reasons for this incremental optimism. Skeptics warn that AI enthusiasm and the semiconductor cycle could still inject volatility into the story. Read on to see how you can monitor these shifting assumptions and stay updated on the evolving Qualcomm narrative.

Story Continues

Do your thoughts align with the Bull or Bear Analysts? Perhaps you think there's more to the story. Head to the Simply Wall St Community to discover more perspectives or begin writing your own Narrative!

NasdaqGS:QCOM 1-Year Stock Price Chart

What's in the News

South Korea's antitrust watchdog raided Arm's Seoul offices following a Qualcomm complaint over licensing terms, heightening global regulatory focus on how Arm structures its chip IP deals.

Qualcomm and HUMAIN unveiled a large scale AI partnership in Saudi Arabia, planning to deploy 200 megawatts of AI200 and AI250 rack solutions from 2026 to power edge to cloud AI inference and support the Kingdom's ambitions as a global AI hub.

A U.S. District Court granted Qualcomm a full win in Arm's lawsuit over Nuvia licenses, affirming a prior jury verdict and reinforcing Qualcomm's rights to roll out custom CPU cores under its own Arm architecture license.

China launched an antitrust probe into Qualcomm's acquisition of Autotalks after the deal closed without prior notification to Beijing, adding regulatory uncertainty around the company's push into connected vehicle technologies.

How This Changes the Fair Value For QUALCOMM

Fair Value: Unchanged at approximately $191.80 per share, reflecting a steady view of intrinsic equity value.

Discount Rate: Fallen slightly from about 10.83% to 10.78%, implying a marginally lower required return on equity.

Revenue Growth: Essentially unchanged at roughly 2.97%, indicating a stable outlook for long term top line expansion.

Net Profit Margin: Stable at about 25.54%, with no material revision to long run profitability assumptions.

Future P/E: Edged down slightly from around 20.59x to 20.57x, signaling a modestly lower valuation multiple applied to forward earnings.

 Never Miss an Update: Follow The Narrative

Narratives are simple, story driven investment theses that connect your view of a company to hard numbers like future revenue, earnings, margins, and fair value. On Simply Wall Sts Community page, millions of investors use Narratives to link Qualcomms evolving story to a financial forecast, compare Fair Value with todays Price, and see when it may be time to buy or sell. As news, earnings, and AI updates arrive, these Narratives adjust dynamically so your investment view stays current.

Head over to the Simply Wall St Community and follow the Narrative on QUALCOMM to stay on top of the latest thinking: QCOM: Premium Android Strength And Emerging AI Inference Will Drive Balanced Future Outcomes.

Track how diversification into AI devices, autos, and industrial IoT could lift margins while reducing reliance on any single customer or end market.

See the latest revenue, EPS, margin, and P/E assumptions behind a Fair Value of $191.80, and compare them with your own expectations.

Monitor key risks, from geopolitical and regulatory pressure to handset cyclicality and AI execution, as they flow through to QUALCOMMs forecast and valuation.

Curious how numbers become stories that shape markets? Explore Community Narratives

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 QCOM.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Key Points

It posted a quarterly earnings report that disappointed investors.

Its top-line dipped marginally, and its adjusted net loss deepened, compared to the year-ago period.

10 stocks we like better than Oxford Industries 

It didn't seem as if many stock investors wanted to try Oxford Industries (NYSE: OXM) on for size on Thursday. The company's shares took a real hit that day, falling by more than 21%, on a dispiriting quarterly earnings report.

Slumps in key fundamentals

Oxford published its third-quarter figures just after market close Wednesday. The retail clothing conglomerate -- which owns the Tommy Bahama brand, among others -- booked net sales of just over $307 million for the period. That figure was down marginally on a year-over-year basis.

Image source: Getty Images.

On the bottom line Oxford's net loss not according to generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP) deepened to almost $14 million ($0.92 per share) from third quarter 2024's shortfall of $1.7 million.

Oxford's net loss came in slightly narrower than the consensus analyst estimate of $0.96 per share. The company missed on the top line, however, as the collective pudnit expectation was for nearly $309 million.

The company was dragged down by a more than 4% decline in sales (to $154 million) at Tommy Bahama, its top revenue-generating brand. Its Johnny Was brand also saw a drop, although both Lilly Pulitzer and the company's collection of emerging brands posted year-over-year gains.

Guiding for less

While that trailing performance wasn't awful, it probably didn't deserve that aggressive investor sell-off on Thursday. What was more of a concern to investors was the future, and that's where Oxford really fell short.

Management reduced its guidance for the entirety of 2025, cutting its net sales projection to $1.47 billion to $1.49 billion; previously, it forecast around $1.52 billion for the metric. It also took the chop to per-share, non-GAAP (adjusted) profitability, which is now expected to land between $2.20 and $2.40. The preceding guidance was well higher at $2.80 to $3.20.

Again, none of this is a flashing red light to abandon Oxford shares, in my view. At the same time, I don't see anything with this company that would compel me to buy the stock.

Should you invest $1,000 in Oxford Industries right now?

Before you buy stock in Oxford Industries, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Oxford Industries wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Key Points

It announced a large new project from the Air Force and the launch of a joint research and investment collaboration with a university.

Both should enhance the company's knowledge base and market presence.

10 stocks we like better than Voyager Technologies 

Two pieces of encouraging news from Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG) over the last several days have been propelling the company's shares higher. According to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, the company's stock price had risen by xx% week-to-date as of Friday's mid-session trading.

Going to college

The first of the pair was Voyager's announcement on Monday that it had signed a joint investment agreement with the University of North Dakota. Under the terms of the pact, the company and the school will identify research and development opportunities that can mutually benefit both parties.

Image source: Getty Images.

This covers a wide range of potential subjects, including human space flight and orbital operations. The University is a partner of choice for this, as it is the only college housing a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-funded laboratory for the development of space suits.

Two days later, Voyager divulged that it had been awarded a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop next-generation intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (IRS) systems. Adding more juice to the announcement of the $21 million program, Voyager said these platforms would be enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI), a still-hot technology that excites investors.

A fine combination

Voyager is clearly capitalizing on its opportunities as a company at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and current defense sector demand. It wouldn't surprise me if the company were to announce subsequent, beneficial research partnerships or multi-million-dollar projects for the U.S. military. This is unquestionably a defense and space stock worth watching these days.

Should you invest $1,000 in Voyager Technologies right now?

Before you buy stock in Voyager Technologies, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Voyager Technologies wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $499,978!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,126,609!*
Of course, consistently picking winning stocks isnt easy. Thats why legendary investor Warren Buffett argues that most people dont need to pick individual companies at all to benefit from the stock markets long-term growth.

The benchmark S&P 500 is up about 16% year to date and has gained roughly 86% over the past five years.

The U.S. stock market has been a powerful engine of wealth creation. Trump has pointed to that strength, recently saying, the only thing thats really going up big? Its the stock market and your 401(k)s (3).

For many households, that raises an immediate question: Whats the smartest way to use a sudden cash infusion? Whether youre thinking about shoring up your finances, preparing for uncertainty, or putting that extra money to work, here are a few ways Americans may consider investing their potential windfall.

Americans can also expect another boost to their bank accounts in the months ahead as 2026 tax refund season is upon us after the holidays and it's projected to be the largest ever, Leavitt said during a Dec. 11 press briefing (2).

The White House echoed that outlook. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the upcoming refund season is projected to be the largest on record.

After that, once withholding levels adjust, workers could see what he described as a real increase in their wages.

The bill was passed in July. Working Americans didnt change their withholding, so theyre going to be getting very large refunds in the first quarter. So I think were going to see $100 to $150 billion of refunds, which could be between $1,000 and $2,000 per household.

Bessent said that Trump has fought harder than anyone for his signature initiatives in the One Big Beautiful Bill, pointing to provisions such as no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and auto deductibility (1).

Approaching retirement with no savings? Dont panic, you're not alone. Here are 6 easy ways you can catch up (and fast)

Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake  heres what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP

Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100  and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how

Speaking with a reporter in Pennsylvania on Dec. 10, Bessent said an estimated $100 billion to $150 billion in tax refunds could hit bank accounts in the first quarter of 2026.

Working Americans will soon see a sizable financial boost  all thanks to changes tied to President Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below.

Story Continues

In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund, Buffett has famously stated (4).

This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of Americas largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active trading.

The beauty of this approach is its accessibility  anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. Even small amounts can grow over time with tools like Acorns, a popular app that automatically invests your spare change.

Signing up for Acorns takes just minutes: Link your cards and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference  your spare change  into a diversified portfolio. With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5  and if you sign up today with a recurring deposit, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your investment journey.

Read more: Warren Buffett used 8 solid, repeatable money rules to turn $9,800 into a $150B fortune. Start using them today to get rich (and stay rich)

Build wealth through US real estate

Beyond stocks, real estate has long been another cornerstone of wealth-building in America.

In fact, Buffett often points to real estate when explaining what a productive, income-generating asset looks like. In 2022, Buffett stated that if you offered him 1% of all the apartment houses in the country for $25 billion, he would write you a check (5).

Why? Because regardless of whats happening in the broader economy, people still need a place to live and apartments can consistently produce rent money.

Real estate also offers a built-in hedge against inflation. When inflation rises, property values often increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income tends to go up, providing landlords with a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.

Of course, you dont need $25 billion  or even to buy a single property outright  to invest in real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like Arrived offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.

Backed by world class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants.

The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares youd want to purchase and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment.

Another option is First National Realty Partners (FNRP), which allows accredited investors to diversify their portfolio through grocery-anchored commercial properties without taking on the responsibilities of being a landlord.

With a minimum investment of $50,000, investors can own a share of properties leased by national brands like Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart, which provide essential goods to their communities. Thanks to Triple Net (NNN) leases, accredited investors are able to invest in these properties without worrying about tenant costs cutting into their potential returns.

Simply answer a few questions  including how much you would like to invest  to start browsing their full list of available properties.

Let your cash hatch its own income

You dont need a massive investment portfolio to start building wealth. Even your spare cash  such as a tax refund  can earn income, rather than sitting idle in a low-yield account.

However, one challenge is the shifting interest-rate environment. When interest rates are changing, high-yield savings accounts can feel like a moving target. You might be earning a competitive APY one month, only to have your bank quietly lower it the next. Thats the trade-off with HYSAs: theyre flexible, but your returns may not be guaranteed.

With the Fed cutting interest rates recently, many savers are already seeing those yields drop. That makes locked-in returns more valuable than ever  and thats where a certificate of deposit (CD) shines.

With a CD, you lock in a guaranteed rate upfront, so your earnings stay steady for a set term, even if rates slip further. Its predictable, reliable growth, which is something you dont always get with traditional accounts.

Raisin makes that even easier by giving you access to high-yield and no-penalty CDs from top U.S. banks, all with no fees and minimums as low as $1.

Prefer higher returns? Choose a high-yield CD for fixed, dependable earnings. Want flexibility? A no-penalty CD lets you access your money early without the usual withdrawal fees that come with a typical CD.

Whether youre saving for something soon or building a cushion for the long haul, Raisin gives you a simple way to earn more without worrying that tomorrows rate changes will eat into your returns.

You May Also Like

Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

@NBC10Philadelphia (1); @WhiteHouse (2); @ntdtv (3); CNBC (4; 5)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Reaching higher price levels by 2030 requires trillions in yearly settlement and deep corridor liquidity. This model depends on XRP being used repeatedly throughout the payment cycle, not held passively. If settlement volume scales, XRP gains a foundation for stronger valuations.

XRP's value grows with actual settlement flow. High annual transaction volume, deep liquidity pools, and faster token velocity push the network closer to large-scale financial use.

XRP's 2030 outlook depends on how much real settlement activity moves onto XRPL. Adoption rates, liquidity depth, and institutional usage scale will determine whether XRP leans toward higher or lower long-term projections.

November marked the sharpest pullback, touching $1.75 before recovering. By early December, XRP sits around $2.05, down from late-November's $2.20 level and roughly 44% below the July peak. The overall pattern shows 2-3% daily swings without sustained breakdowns, establishing a baseline for longer-term projections.

XRP spent the last six months trading within a wide $1.75-$3.65 range. July delivered the strongest push, peaking at $3.65 before momentum stalled and the market shifted into consolidation. From August through October, XRP consolidated between $2.20 and $2.40, moving mostly sideways with rallies that reversed within days.

The question now is whether the next five years unlock the adoption needed for double-digit valuations or if XRP settles into a more conservative range. The groundwork laid between now and 2027 will determine that ceiling.

XRP's (CRYPTO: XRP) 2030 outlook splits into two distinct paths. On one hand, expanding settlement activity, CBDC pilots with six central banks, and stronger institutional corridors show a network maturing through real-world usage. On the other hand, liquidity depth, regulatory uncertainty, rising competition from Ethereum Layer 2s, and modernized SWIFT rails shape how far XRP can realistically climb by 2030.

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

A $25 XRP by 2030 requires $1.4T market cap and trillions in annual settlement volume through XRPL.

Ripple partners with six central banks on CBDC pilots including Georgia and Hong Kong.

XRP traded between $1.75 and $3.65 over six months and now sits around $2.05.

Story Continues

ODL Expansion and Corridor Penetration

ODL adoption shapes how much value XRP can support by 2030. More active corridors mean higher transfer activity, deeper liquidity, and broader participation across regions. The strongest outcomes come from expansion into Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and eventually major G7 routes.

Corridor growth turns XRP into a practical settlement tool rather than a speculative asset. If global coverage passes key thresholds, XRP can support multi-trillion annual flows.

CBDC Interoperability and XRP Integration

CBDC development could influence XRP's long-term value. Ripple's partnerships with six central banksincluding Georgia, Bhutan, Palau, Montenegro, Colombia, and Hong Kongposition XRPL as a potential bridge between digital currencies. Success depends on how many central banks adopt shared standards and whether XRPL becomes part of their settlement layers.

Strong CBDC participation increases liquidity demand and network activity. Limited or fragmented adoption slows that impact, keeping XRP's upside contained.

Privacy Upgrade and Enterprise Adoption

Institutions rely on confidentiality for onboarding. The zero-knowledge proof privacy upgrade announced in October 2025 creates space for treasury teams, banks, and payment networks to move sensitive flows without exposing internal activity.

Strong adoption of private transactions unlocks new settlement volumes. If privacy becomes a regular feature across enterprise use, XRPL shifts from pilot usage to production-level operations. Slow adoption keeps most activity on private chains.

RLUSD Stablecoin and Tokenized Asset Growth

RLUSD, which launched in December 2024 and now holds a $1.26 billion market cap, and adds new volume streams to XRPL. The stablecoin supports corporate payment flows and cross-border transfer volume, while tokenized assets expand transaction diversity.

The more activity that moves onto XRPL, the stronger the demand for settlement liquidity. Growth in these sectors turns XRP into part of a larger settlement system. Limited growth keeps demand narrow and caps long-term performance.

Can XRP Realistically Reach $25 by 2030?

K.unshu / Shutterstock.com  K.unshu / Shutterstock.com

A $25 XRP is possible, but only if adoption grows far beyond current levels. That price implies a market cap near $1.4 trillion, which requires several trillion dollars in annual settlement volume flowing through XRPL. It also depends on deep liquidity across more than 80 active corridors and consistent token velocity from large-scale institutional use.

The path becomes more realistic if CBDC pilots mature, privacy features gain traction among enterprises, and stablecoins like RLUSD reach multi-billion-dollar scale. ETF inflows would also need to support long-term demand rather than short bursts.

XRP can reach that level if these conditions stack together, but the timeline is tight. The network must show convincing acceleration before the end of the decade to keep the $25 target within reach.

Why $5 Could Still Be the Ceiling for XRP

alfernec / Shutterstock.com  alfernec / Shutterstock.com

XRP has strong momentum, but several structural obstacles could slow long-term growth. These issues affect custody practices, liquidity scaling, competitive positioning, and regulatory clarity. If they persist through the decade, they can cap XRP's upside and keep 2030 targets closer to $3-$5.

Institutional Hesitation Limits Deeper Adoption

Many banks use ODL for settlement, but still avoid holding XRP on their books. They rely on custodial setups because price swings create audit and compliance headaches. Until institutions feel comfortable holding meaningful XRP balances, adoption stays limited to operational use rather than full balance-sheet integration.

Liquidity May Not Scale Fast Enough

Supporting multi-trillion-dollar settlement flows requires deep, always-available liquidity. Today's volumes show progress, but not the depth needed for heavy corridors. If liquidity pools grow more slowly than expected, XRP becomes better suited for remittance lanes than major institutional flows, which narrows the price ceiling.

Competition Pressures XRP's Share

XRP competes with Ethereum Layer 2s, Stellar, updated SWIFT rails, and private CBDC networks. Each option solves parts of the settlement problem differently. If any of them secure key corridors or government partnerships first, XRP's addressable market tightens, making a $5-$8 cap more realistic.

Regulation Can Still Slow Growth

Regulatory stability helped XRP regain momentum, but that environment can shift. New leadership or tighter global rules could slow enterprise adoption. If CBDC programs prioritize proprietary rails or regulators question privacy upgrades, institutional rollout may drag into the next decade, keeping XRP's value in a lower range.

XRP 2030 Price Forecast: Bull, Base, and Bear Cases

XRP's path to 2030 depends on how deeply it embeds itself in global settlement rails. The key drivers remain corridor expansion, CBDC interoperability, privacy adoption, and long-term liquidity growth. The decade's outcome hinges on how these pieces come together.

Bullish Case

If XRP enters 2030 with broad corridor coverage, active CBDC connections, and maturing privacy-powered settlement flows, the market dynamic changes. Sustained institutional volume and deeper liquidity can lift XRP beyond $15 and push it into the $20-$25 range.

With ETFs absorbing supply and enterprise treasury flows running through XRPL, momentum builds steadily. XRP begins to behave like core settlement infrastructure rather than a speculative asset, giving the price room to stretch toward the upper target range.

Base Case

In a neutral case, XRP maintains steady adoption but avoids dramatic breakouts. Key institutions use XRPL for specific corridors and selective CBDC pilots, but global integration slows. Privacy tools help, though uptake lands in the mid-range rather than system-wide.

XRP could trade mostly between $8 and $12 as corridor activity grows at a controlled pace. Liquidity improves, but not fast enough to push XRP into the higher bracket. Price action reflects meaningful utility without full-scale transformation.

Bearish Case

In drastic market conditions, institutional rollout loses momentum, and CBDCs lean toward proprietary or consortium rails. Privacy upgrades face slower adoption, and corridor expansion plateaus. Competition from Ethereum Layer 2s, Stellar, and improved SWIFT rails intensifies.

XRP could trade between $3 and $5 throughout most of 2030, supported by niche settlement volume but limited by shallow liquidity and softer ETF demand. Recovery depends on whether XRPL can re-establish relevance in larger payment networks.

Data Shows One Habit Doubles Americans Savings And Boosts Retirement

Most Americans drastically underestimate how much they need to retire and overestimate how prepared they are. But data shows that people with one habit have more than double the savings of those who dont.

And no, its got nothing to do with increasing your income, savings, clipping coupons, or even cutting back on your lifestyle. Its much more straightforward (and powerful) than any of that. Frankly, its shocking more people dont adopt the habit given how easy it is.
GUEST OPINION: The AI race is reshaping global power dynamics. Nations are competing not just to build smarter algorithms, but to own the data, infrastructure and standards that will define how the next decade of value is created.

The scale is extraordinary, with the Stanford AI Index 2025 showing that private AI investment in the US reached around US $109 billion  twelve times higher than Chinas. While the US maintains its lead in organisational AI use, China recorded one of the steepest growth rates, with a 27-percentage-point increase in adoption.

This is no longer just a race for market share, but for rules. Whoever sets the standards for data, ethics and infrastructure will shape how economies function for decades to come.

Digital transformation has become the defining test of national resilience. Whether in government, infrastructure or essential services, every organisation is now expected to deliver faster, safer, and more efficiently, often with less.

Image created by Gemini Nano Banana Pro

What this means for Australia

For a middle power like Australia, the question is whether we compete in this global ecosystem as a designer and contributor of capability, or simply as an implementer and consumer of offshore technology.

We cannot match the scale of the US or Chinese ecosystems, but scale isnt the only metric that matters. We can lead where trust, governance, ethics and stability are the measures of long-term competitiveness.

Australia already has the scaffolding in place. The Data and Digital Government Strategy (DDGS) sets a 2030 vision for simple, secure and connected public services, guided by some of the worlds most advanced AI-ethics frameworks and privacy laws.

But the challenge now is delivery. A large portion of our cloud-infrastructure and data-platform market is supplied by global hyperscale vendors, leaving domestic sovereign capability comparatively under-developed. While local providers exist, global players dominate Australias cloud and hyperscale hosting, shaping much of the digital foundation we depend on.

Sovereignty in this context does not mean isolation. It means having the capacity to build, host and secure essential digital systems on Australian terms, with trusted international partners, rather than being wholly dependent on offshore stacks and standards.

From frameworks to delivery

Across the public sector, agencies are under immense pressure to modernise, replacing legacy systems, automating manual processes and meeting rising citizen expectations, all while managing constrained budgets and escalating cyber risk. Many transformation programs fall short in developing the foundational capabilities required to enable enterprise wide digital transformation resulting in unrealised potential.

Too many AI pilots never make it past proof-of-concept because they are built on outdated infrastructure or disconnected from enterprise-scale data and security models.

The next productivity uplift wont come from hype-driven AI projects. It will come from initiatives that bring together cloud migration, data governance, intelligent automation, secure platforms along with people change so that AI becomes operational, not experimental.

Image created by Gemini Nano Banana Pro

Turning strategy into capability

Infrastructure alone wont deliver transformation. We must invest in people as technology change fails without the right skills to drive it. Australia needs multidisciplinary teams that combine data science, cyber security, ethics, law and service design. We should be upskilling our existing workforce, particularly within the public sector, while attracting new talent into roles that sit at the intersection of technology and policy.

Equally, we must build every new system with trust and transparency at its core. Trust has long been Australias advantage  in governance, in institutions and in digital systems. Each platform we design should embed accountability and assurance from the outset, with clear metrics that measure outcomes for citizens, not just efficiency or cost savings. People will only embrace AI when they understand how decisions are made and can rely on them to be fair, safe and explainable.

Finally, Australia must play a bigger role on the global stage. The rules for data and AI are still being written, and we should be at the table  helping shape democratic standards through global forums and conferences, and working closely with our regional neighbours to build shared frameworks for ethical, transparent and secure digital services. This is how we turn our values into influence and ensure that technology serves open societies, not just powerful ones.

AI will not wait

Other nations are already translating strategy into delivery. Canadas Pan-Canadian AI Strategy links world-class talent, infrastructure and commercialisation of AI, while the UKs Frontier AI Taskforce addresses frontier AI research, safe infrastructure and governance. We have the same opportunity but only if we move decisively.

If we commit, Australia can lead as a trusted digital democracy in the region and globally, exporting our values as much as our capability.

If we dont, we risk becoming the implementer of systems designed elsewhere, under standards set elsewhere, and forfeiting our chance to shape the digital era itself.

Image created by Gemini Nano Banana Pro

About Wayne Gowland

Wayne Gowland is CEO of xAmplify, a Canberra-based digital consultancy specialising in AI, automation and secure service integration for government and enterprise.
As we step into 2026, Australias digital economy is poised for a transformative year. The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability imperatives and quantum computing will redefine how businesses operate, innovate and compete. These trends arent just technological They represent strategic shifts that will influence every sector from finance and logistics to healthcare and retail.

Here are three predictions for 2026 that will shape Australias digital landscape, as presented by Terry Maiolo, the VP and GM APAC at OVHcloud:

1) AI to move from experimentation to enterprise scale

In 2026, AI will become embedded into core business processes. The focus will shift from training massive language models to deploying inference-based AI that delivers practical, cost-effective solutions. This approach accelerates time-to-value and reduces energy consumption, making it ideal for Australian enterprises seeking efficiency without compromising sustainability.

We also expect to see agentic AI and digital twins become mainstream. These technologies will enable businesses to automate complex workflows, simulate real-world scenarios and make faster, data-driven decisions. For example, financial institutions will use AI agents for risk modelling and compliance while retailers will leverage predictive analytics to personalise customer experiences in real time.

Supporting this evolution will be collaborative programmes like Get your SaaS ready for AI, which help software vendors integrate AI into their platforms through training, code sharing and hackathons. By the end of 2026, we expect these initiatives will create a thriving ecosystem of AI-enabled solutions tailored for Australian businesses.

Image created by Gemini Nano Banana Pro

2) Sustainability to become a competitive advantage

Environmental responsibility will move from a compliance checkbox to a core business differentiator. In 2026, Australian organisations will demand granular visibility into their digital footprint and environmental impact assessment tools will set the standard. By offering multi-criteria analysis covering carbon emissions, water usage and land impact, these platforms will empower businesses to align with ESG goals and demonstrate transparency to stakeholders.

Infrastructure innovation will also play a critical role. Smart data centres, powered by AI-driven cooling systems, will deliver unprecedented efficiency. Our latest architecture for instance, reduces cooling electricity consumption by up to 50% and water usage by 30%. These systems use predictive algorithms to adjust configurations in real time, optimising performance while conserving resources.

For Australia where water scarcity and rising energy costs are pressing concerns, such advancements will be game-changing. In 2026, we expect sustainability metrics like PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness) to become part of procurement decisions, influencing how enterprises choose cloud partners.

3) Quantum computing to enter the business conversation

While quantum computing has long been viewed as a distant frontier, 2026 will mark its entry into practical business planning. Industries such as finance, logistics and energy will begin exploring quantums potential for solving problems that classical systems cannot, optimising supply chains, modelling risk and accelerating research.

The launch of Quantum-as-a-Service platforms will also democratise access to this technology. Our Quantum Platform for example, already provides access to Pasqals 100-qubit Orion Beta QPU, with plans to expand to eight additional systems by 2027. This model removes traditional barriers, allowing Australian businesses to experiment without investing in costly infrastructure.

Quantum wont replace classical computing overnight but its trajectory is clear: it will redefine economic frontiers through unprecedented simulation and optimisation capabilities. Forward-thinking organisations that start exploring quantum in 2026 will gain a strategic edge as the technology matures.

Looking ahead

AI will scale across industries, sustainability will become a competitive advantage, and quantum computing will move from theory to practice. For Australian businesses, the imperative is clear: embrace innovation responsibly, prioritise transparency and prepare for technologies that will shape the next decade.

Those who act now  investing in AI-driven efficiency, embedding sustainability into their digital strategies, and exploring quantums possibilities, will not only future-proof their operations but also help build a resilient, ethical and globally competitive digital economy.

This article was written by Terry Maiolo, the VP and GM APAC at OVHcloud.
Delivering continuous improvement through AI-driven automation and cost control, Rackspace has been identified as a Leader in four quadrants of the 2025 ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners Report for the U.S.: AWS Professional Services, AWS Managed Services, AWS Enterprise Data Modernization and AI Services, AWS SAP Workloads. Rackspace was also identified as a Leader in two quadrants for Germany: AWS Professional Services and AWS Managed Services.

The 2025 ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners Report is a comprehensive research study that evaluates AWS-focused service providers across multiple dimensions of cloud and AI transformation.

The report benchmarks providers on their ability to deliver end-to-end AWS services, from migration and modernization to AI-driven innovation and SAP workload management

Rackspace Technology drives business outcomes across clients' cloud lifecycle through workload-aware migration, application modernisation, cloud-native data services and AI industrialisation through its proprietary Foundry for AI by Rackspace (FAIR), RITA and ICE assets. -- ISG Provider Lens: AWS Ecosystem Partners, 2025.

D K Sinha, President, Public Cloud at Rackspace Technology, said: Being recognised as a Leader across multiple quadrants in the ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners Report demonstrates Rackspace Technologys ability to deliver comprehensive AWS professional and managed services that drive AI-led transformation at scale.

These distinctions reflect our global expertise in migration, modernization, and workload optimisation  helping customers accelerate innovation and achieve measurable business outcomes.

Rackspace Technology counts more than 2,700 AWS certifications worldwide with 19 AWS competencies including Generative AI.

Click here or the image below to freely download the full report.
Erich Kron, CISO Advisor, KnowBe4

AI agents will reduce mean time to respond (MTTR) by at least 30%. While attackers weaponise AI, defenders are positioned to gain a decisive advantage as agentic AI systems mature. Most popular software and services will not only be rebuilt as agentic AI but will also show positive returns on reducing cybersecurity risk compared to their pre-agentic AI counterparts. For SOC teams, tier-one triage, enrichment and containment actions will be policy-guardrailed and executed by agentic systems, cutting MTTR by 30 to 50 percent in mature teams. These AI security agents will also be able to maintain immutable audit trails of every action and generate regulatorready incident summaries, reducing the compliance burden and speeding postincident reviews. However, cyberattackers will also use AI-enabled tools to deliver more pervasive and successful hacking as compared to traditional attack tools. Attacks will continue to be targeted and focused more on quality versus quantity as AI, automation and generative AI features become commonly used, making attacks more realistic and harder to spot.

Humans and AI agents will be the new workforce. The most transformative shift in 2026 will be the evolution of AI from passive tools to active, autonomous members of the security team, triggering a fundamental shift in how organisations must think about their workforce. As agentic AI systems move from experimental tools to core operational team members, organisations deploying agentic AI will need to expand their definition of workforce training to include the policies, guardrails and behavioural expectations for AI agents.

Q-Day, the day when quantum computers become sufficiently capable of cracking most of today's traditional asymmetric encryption, will likely happen in 2026. While privacy concerns have kept mandatory digital IDs largely at bay, digital identities tied to their real human identities are expected to grow in popularity and become increasingly necessary for accessing digital services. The security of these systems has never been more important. Organisations must strengthen human authentication through passkeys and device-bound credentials while applying the same governance rigor to non-human identities like service accounts, API keys and AI agent credentials.

Shadow syndicates will use cyber tools to target geopolitical flashpoints. Critical infrastructure and essential services will remain prime targets in 2026, especially energy and water sectors as they accelerate digital transformation. We can reasonably expect increased attacks exploiting legacy OT systems and cloud integrations, combined with AI-driven phishing targeting government and healthcare. In 2025, Australia saw a surge in AI-powered cyberattacks, including deepfake-enabled social engineering and highly personalised phishing campaigns, impacting critical infrastructure and supply chains. These incidents highlight how adversaries are weaponising AI to bypass traditional defences. Coupled with new ransomware reporting rules introduced this year, organisations will face mounting pressure to adopt zero-trust strategies, strengthen identity controls, and prepare for quantum-safe encryption."

Marc Laliberte, Director of Security Operations and Corey Nachreiner, CISO, WatchGuard Technologies

Crypto-Ransomware Goes Extinct

In 2026, crypto-ransomware will effectively go extinct, as threat actors abandon encryption and focus on data theft and extortion. Organisations have significantly improved their data backup and restoration capabilities, meaning theyre more likely to recover from a traditional crypto-ransomware attack without having to pay the extortion demands. Instead, cyber criminals simply steal data, threaten to leak it, and even report victims to regulators or insurance companies to increase pressure. Encryption no longer pays off; the real leverage will now come from exposure.

OSS Package Indexes Will Leverage AI to Defend Against Supply Chain Attacks

If the surge of attacks against open-source package repositories like NPM and PyPI has taught security teams anything, its that open source is under siege. Its a losing battle, and traditional security controls, such as tighter authentication and shorter token lifetimes, cant keep up. In 2026, open-source package repositories will adopt automated, AI-driven defences to fight back against a growing wave of supply chain attacks. To keep up with this significant and persistent threat, these repositories will become early adopters of automated SOC-style systems for their own applications, enabling them to detect and respond to attacks in real-time.

CRA Reporting Requirements Finally Incentivise Secure by Design Principals

In 2026, the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) will finally become the market force that drives adoption of secure-by-design principles. With the first phase going into effect next September, software manufacturers selling into the EU must report actively exploited vulnerabilities and security incidents within 24 hours, the most aggressive reporting requirement yet. While the initial rollout will likely be chaotic as companies scramble to comply and more of their weaknesses are exposed, it will ultimately create a lasting incentive to build security into products from the start. At the same time, overlapping global regulations will reveal competing frameworks and contradictions, forcing organisations to navigate an increasingly complex web of compliance.

We Will See the First Breach Carried Out by Autonomous, Agentic AI Tools in 2026

In 2025, WatchGuard predicted that multi-modal AI tools would be able to carry out every aspect of the attackers cyber kill chain, which proved to be true. 2026 will mark the year AI stops just assisting cybercriminals and starts attacking on its own. From reconnaissance and vulnerability scanning to lateral movement and exfiltration, these autonomous systems can orchestrate an entire breach at machine speed.

The first end-to-end AI-executed breach will serve as a wake-up call for defenders who have underestimated the speed at which generative and reasoning AIs evolve from tools into operators. The same capabilities that help businesses automate security workflows are being weaponised to outpace them. Organisations must fight fire with fire: only AI-driven defence tools that detect, analyse, and remediate at the same velocity as attacker AIs will stand a chance.

The Fall of Traditional VPN and Remote Access Tools Will Lead to the Rise of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA)

Traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and remote access tools are among the top targets for attackers due to the loss, theft, and reuse of credentials, combined with the common lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA). It doesnt matter how secure VPNs are from a technical perspective; if an attacker can log in as one of your trusted users, the VPN becomes a backdoor giving them access to all your resources by default.

At least one-third of 2026 breaches will be due to weaknesses and misconfigurations in legacy remote access and VPN tools. Threat actors have specifically targeted VPN access ports over the past two years, either stealing users credentials or exploiting vulnerabilities in specific VPN products.

As a result, 2026 will also be the year when SMBs begin to operationalise ZTNA tools because it removes the need to expose a potentially vulnerable VPN port to the internet. The ZTNA provider takes ownership of securing the service through their cloud platform, and ZTNA does not give every user access to every internal network. Rather, it allows you to grant individual user groups access to only the internal services they need to perform their jobs, thereby limiting the potential damage.

AI Expertise Becomes a Required Skill for Cybersecurity

It's nearly the dawn of a new era where cyber offense and defence will take place on an AI battleground. Attackers are already experimenting with automated, adaptive, and self-learning tools; defenders who cant match that level of speed and precision will be outgunned before they know theyre under fire. To survive, security professionals must go beyond simple understanding of AI toward mastery of its capabilities and harness it to automate detection and response while anticipating the new vulnerabilities it creates. By next year, AI literacy wont just be a nice addition to a resume, itll be table stakes, with interviewers diving in on practical applications of AI for cyber defence.

Adhil Badat, Managing Director, Rackspace Technology

As we head into 2026, businesses are moving past the hype and into the hard work of making AI practical, affordable, and trustworthy. Here are three big shifts I see coming:

1. Subscription fatigue and multi-cloud complexity will drive a new era of consumption governance. AI workloads are creating budget headaches across cloud platforms, with costs now measured by usage, tracking every query and every response, rather than simple monthly subscriptions. The old budgeting playbook doesnt work anymore. Companies will need real-time dashboards to track usage and spending, and even monitor carbon emissions, because sustainability is now part of the cost equation.

2. Domain-specific AI models will eclipse generic LLMs. Large language models (LLMs) were a great starting point, but theyre not enough for highly regulated or knowledge-heavy industries. Were entering the era of Domain-Specific Language Models (DSLMs) that deliver better accuracy and compliance. The trade-off? They require cleaner data and stronger governance, so expect big investment in fine-tuning and bias monitoring.

3. Third-party AI risk will force procurement models to evolve. AI is now baked into almost every vendor product, which means risk extends beyond software bugs to how models behave over time. Procurement teams will need to shift from simply buying software to also buying intelligence. Contracts will include clauses for bias, model drift, and data use, and risk frameworks will evolve to match.

Ramy Houssaini, Chief Cyber Solutions Officer, Cloudflare

1. The end of the Mono Cloud Dividend: Boards Prioritise Resilience Over Cost

The traditional SaaS modeldefined by static features and centralised data silosis nearing its end. Enterprises are now demanding AI-native, real-time, context-aware services. 2026 will accelerate the shift from "application consumption" to AI-as-a-Service. Organisations will prioritise deploying domain-tuned models at the edge, keeping sensitive data local, and paying for intelligence over software seats. While SaaS won't disappear, its dominance ends as AI agents become the primary interface for enterprise workflows.

2. The Premature Death of SaaSand the Rise of AI as a Service

The old way of buying software (SaaS) meant paying a monthly fee for every employee ("seats") to use a set of fixed features, with all their data locked in a central silo. That model is breaking. In 2026, the focus will shift to AI-as-a-Service. Companies will demand software that is smart, real-time, and customised. They will pay for the actual intelligence and insights the AI provides, not the right to use the program. This move pushes smart AI assistants to the forefront and requires keeping sensitive data secure and close to home. While SaaS won't disappear, its dominance will end as AI agents become the primary interface for enterprise workflows.

3. Industrial AI Goes MainstreamTransforming OT, IoT Connectivity, and Zero Trust

Think of old factories and power plants (Operational Technology or OT) like a house alarmthey only react after something breaks. In 2026, Industrial AI changes that. AI models will constantly run the show, tuning machines and optimising systems in real-time, moving from watching to driving operations. This sudden level of automation requires a huge security upgrade. Since you can't install security software on every single robot or sensor (the IoT devices), security needs to become invisible. We'll see a massive switch to a new security model called Agentless Zero Trust, which checks the identity of every machine interaction instantly and automatically, making the whole network fabric the trusted security guard for automated equipment.

Gal Diskin, VP of Identity Threat & Research, Delinea

AI-Native Attacks Outpace Human Detection

As artificial intelligence becomes fully embedded in offensive cyber operations, 2026 will mark the first year where AI-generated attacks consistently outpace human detection and response. Threat actors are no longer merely using AI to assist their campaigns  they are designing AI-native attacks: dynamic, self-learning exploit chains that evolve in real time, adjust to defensive behavior, and execute at machine speed.

The resulting speed gap between human defenders and AI-driven adversaries will fundamentally reshape cybersecurity operations. Organisations will increasingly rely on defensive AI not just for analytics, but for active countermeasure automation and continuous identity validation.

Key manifestations of AI-native attacks include:

Adaptive Exploit Chains: AI systems autonomously re-sequence payloads and modify indicators of compromise (IOCs) based on real-time feedback from defenses.

Generative Malware: Attack models create polymorphic code variants in seconds, defeating signature-based detection and delaying attribution.

Identity Evasion through AI Personas: Adversarial AI impersonates trusted users or internal service accounts, blending into legitimate behaviour patterns.

Accelerated Kill Chain: Breach timelines that once took hours are compressed into minutes, reducing the window for containment.

By late 2026, security teams will measure success not in mean time to detect but in mean time to algorithmic response. Human oversight will remain critical, but human speed alone will no longer be sufficient.

Synthetic Identities Blur HumanMachine Boundaries

The rise of generative AI is eroding the once-clear distinction between real and fabricated identities. In 2026, synthetic identities  digital personas combining authentic personal data with AI-generated attributes  will emerge as a dominant form of identity abuse in both cybercrime and state-sponsored espionage.

What began as a financial fraud problem is now evolving into a multidomain threat. Attackers are creating AI-generated employees, suppliers, or even partners, complete with social media presence, HR documentation, and verifiable credentials, to infiltrate organisations and supply chains. These identities can pass many forms of traditional verification, allowing adversaries to gain access, establish trust, and move laterally before detection.

Key developments to watch include:

AI-Crafted Personas: Synthetic employees and contractors used to infiltrate enterprises and obtain legitimate access credentials.

Blended Identity Fraud: Merging stolen PII with AI-generated data to bypass KYC, AML, and background verification systems.

Espionage via Synthetic Influence: AI agents posing as journalists, recruiters, or researchers to harvest information from real targets.

Deepfake-Assisted Validation: Combining synthetic identities with realistic voice or video to defeat visual and biometric checks.

The implications extend beyond authentication  they challenge the very notion of digital trust. By 2026, verifying who is on the other side of a transaction will require cryptographic assurance and continuous behavioural validation, not just credentials or tokens.
A1 Technologies, a Microsoft Solutions Partner, has appointed Amar Bilas as Head of Microsoft Cloud Services, in a move the company says strengthens its growing Microsoft Cloud consulting and delivery capability across Australia and New Zealand.

With more than a decade of experience delivering Microsoft cloud transformation programs for enterprise and mid-market organisations, Amar brings deep technical expertise across Azure migrations, cloud infrastructure design, application modernisation, workplace transformation, identity and security uplift, and cloud-native operating models, notes AI Technologies.

He also has extensive experience building and scaling Microsoft-focused consulting teams. After several successful years working in the United Kingdom, he has recently returned to Australiamaking this a strong strategic leadership appointment as A1 Technologies increases its investment in Microsoft Cloud.

A1 Technologies says it continues to expand its Microsoft Cloud and managed services portfolio, delivering projects for organisations including Martinus Rail, JD Sports, Pitcher Partners, Mecca, Charter Hall, and Minter Ellison - and the business now supports customers across all major Australian capital cities and New Zealand, driven by growing demand for Azure, Modern Workplace, Power Platform, and Copilot services.

Amar joining A1 Technologies is an important milestone for our business. His expertise and leadership accelerate our strategic focus on Microsoft Cloud and reflect the direction were taking as a company. Were committed to building one of Australias strongest Microsoft-focused consulting practices, and Amar will play a significant role in shaping that future.,  said Commercial Director, Rob Rattray

Im incredibly excited to join A1 Technologies at such a pivotal time for the business and the Microsoft Cloud ecosystem in Australia. A1 Technologies has a clear, compelling vision to build one of the country's strongest Microsoft consulting practices, and I am proud to be part of that journey. I look forward to working with the talented team at A1 and contributing to a culture where technical excellence and high-trust collaboration help our clients unlock the full potential of Microsoft Cloud, said Amar Bilas

AI Technologies says that in his new role, Blas will lead the continued development of A1 Technologies Microsoft Cloud Services team, working closely with customers, partners, and technical leads across the business to deliver secure, scalable, and modern cloud solutions.

About A1 Technologies

A1 Technologies is an Australian-managed Microsoft Solutions Partner delivering Azure, Modern Workplace, Security, and Power Platform services to mid-market and enterprise organisations across Australia and New Zealand. The company specialises in secure cloud transformation, managed IT services, and Microsoft Cloud innovation, and is ISO 27001 certified.
Klaviyo says Fernandez will lead the company alongside co-founder and co-CEO Andrew Bialecki, bringing global enterprise leadership expertise to support the companys next phase of growth.

According to Klaviyo, in their respective roles as co-CEOs, Bialecki will now focus fully on driving Klaviyos AI vision and building AI-first products, while Fernandez will lead go-to-market, operations, and general & administrative functions.

We have a saying at Klaviyo: Were 1% done. With AI unlocking possibilities for B2C businesses that were unimaginable even a year ago, that mindset has never felt more true, said Andrew Bialecki, co-CEO of Klaviyo. This is a once-in-a-generation technology shift, and we intend to lead it. To move at the speed AI demands, were strengthening an already strong team. Chanos track record leading world-class global organisations  along with his deep familiarity with Klaviyo  made this an extraordinary opportunity we had to seize. With Chano driving GTM and global operations, I can stay focused on developing the AI-first products that will shape the next decade of Klaviyo and accelerate our innovation even further. Im thrilled to welcome him as co-CEO and energised by what well build next for our customers.

Notes Klaviyo: Fernandez brings a proven track record of scaling global enterprise businesses and leading organisations through major inflection points. He played key leadership roles at SAP, served as co-CEO of Workday where he helped expand the companys global and enterprise footprint, and most recently was co-CEO of Eightfold, an AI-native platform undergoing rapid growth and innovation. In addition to his CEO experience, Fernandez knows Klaviyo wellhe has served on the companys Board for the past two years and most recently stepped in as Interim Executive Officer. He now brings this combination of global enterprise leadership and firsthand understanding of Klaviyos customers and product to help accelerate the companys momentum and drive its next phase of growth.

It has been a privilege to have a front-row seat to Klaviyos amazing growth and get to know its customers, culture and product, said Chano Fernandez, incoming co-CEO. This is a pivotal moment for our industry  AI is reshaping how brands understand and deepen relationships with their consumers. I am excited to advance our position as the B2C CRM market leader and help our customers harness this transformation in ways that drive real business impact. Andrew is exactly the kind of passionate and forward-thinking leader who I am energised to work beside. Hes a builder at heart, and together well push Klaviyo further than ever. I am thrilled to partner with him and the entire leadership team to take Klaviyo successfully into the next chapter.

The appointment enhances Klaviyos capacity to pursue global opportunities, advance up-market, and lead the AI revolution in B2C CRM. With a co-CEO model, the company gains additional focus across its most important priorities and doubles its leadership horsepower to match its ambition  marking an exciting milestone for Klaviyo at an extraordinary moment in the industry, concludes Klaviyo.

About Klaviyo

Klaviyo is the B2C CRM. Powered by its built-in data platform and AI, Klaviyo combines marketing automation, analytics, and customer service into one unified solution, making it easy for businesses to know their customers and grow faster. Klaviyo (CLAY-vee-oh) helps over 183,000 brands like Mattel, Glossier, Daily Harvest, and Liquid Death deliver 1:1 experiences at scale, improve efficiency, and drive revenue.
SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here.

As the sun rises on a new Trump-era geopolitical chapter, Washington confronts a defining choice: Will America view the People's Republic of China and its regnant Communist Party through the rose-colored lens of transaction and diplomacy, or will it soberly recognize Beijing as America's foremost geopolitical adversary in a multigenerational cold war?

The stakes could not be higher, and the answer ought to be simple. We should stop treating China with kid gloves  as a spirited economic or diplomatic competitor  and start treating it as the existential challenge to the American republic and the American way of life that it demonstrably is.

In June, federal prosecutors in Michigan charged multiple Chinese nationals with conspiring to smuggle dangerous biological pathogens into the United States for use in American university research laboratories. The case centered on Fusarium graminearum, a fungus widely classified as a "potential agroterrorism weapon" because of its ability to ravage crops and cause serious harm to humans and livestock. Prosecutors alleged that the defendants received funding from the Chinese government and brought the pathogen into the U.S. for ostensible "lab work" at the University of Michigan. As if the University of Michigan needed to use smugglers to acquire research materials.

This should have triggered alarm bells for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear: Chinese researchers allegedly attempted to slip biological threats past U.S. borders under the guise of legitimate scholarship. The implications are chilling. In a world still scarred by the devastating COVID-19 pandemic  which, lest we forget, originated in Wuhan, China  we cannot afford to dismiss biohazard incidents like this as anomalous. What's more, in November additional charges were brought in Michigan against a third Chinese national in connection with similar smuggling allegations.

This is part of a pattern of deep, yearslong subversion on American soil. How quickly many have forgotten that in 2023, federal agents discovered a Chinese biolab in California. As confirmed by testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Select Agents and Toxins, the biolab contained at least 20 potentially infectious agents  including HIV, malaria and COVID-19. And when the issue isn't biological warfare, it's information warfare  including the abundance of Chinese Communist Party-supported Confucius Institutes that have long proliferated as hubs of Chinese agitprop on American university campuses, as well as chronic attempts at corporate espionage and potentially vast surveillance and manipulation of Americans through TikTok and other means.

Does anyone think any of this is acceptable behavior?

Amid these concerns, the Trump administration has just signaled a troubling shift in its export control posture by permitting NVIDIA to sell certain high-performance AI chips  including the company's advanced H200 series processors  to China. This decision severely reduces the United States' comparative computing and semiconductor advantage over China, thereby abetting the boosting of China's military and surveillance capabilities at a time of heightened and harrowing great power competition. There is no economic justification for such a strategic empowerment of our preeminent adversary. These chips are the engines that drive modern AI. Allowing their sale to China, no matter the regulatory strings attached, is senseless.

Concurrently, tensions in the Indo-Pacific are rapidly escalating. Just days ago, Japanese authorities protested after a Chinese military aircraft locked its fire-control radar onto Japanese fighter jets near Okinawa  an extraordinary action Tokyo rightly described as unjustified and threatening. The incident, in which a Chinese J-15 fighter intermittently targeted Japanese F-15s for minutes at a time, was denounced by U.S. officials as a destabilizing provocation.

China's aggressive posture toward Japan  a treaty-bound American ally under the U.S. security umbrella  reflects Beijing's broader strategy to reshape the regional status quo. China is testing not only Japan's resolve, but America's commitment to its formal allies. China wishes that the region  and eventually, the entire world  be refashioned in its image. If Tokyo falters under Beijing's pressure, it will embolden China's ambitions and only further incentivize a People's Liberation Army invasion of Taiwan. The rest, as they say, could be history.

Could be. It's not too late for history to take a different course. And President Donald Trump, who deserves tremendous credit as the first president since Richard Nixon visited Chairman Mao to fundamentally reset U.S.-China relations, must not now go wobbly.

The U.S. must pursue an Indo-Pacific strategy that prioritizes Chinese containment  not mollycoddling or empowering. This means an all-of-the-above diplomatic, economic and military strategy rooted in the cultivation and maintenance of robust, durable alliances  above all, those with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and Taiwan. Washington should accelerate intelligence sharing, expand joint military exercises, and deepen economic integration with these nations. The goal isn't provocation with China, but time-tested "peace through strength"-style deterrence. Lecturing allies and telling them to settle down, as Trump allegedly recently did on a phone call with Japan's precocious new prime minister, is not helpful.

The Chinese Communist Party views the West  particularly the United States  not as a partner but as a rival to be surpassed and supplanted. Beijing's posture and actions are consistent with those aimed at an adversary in a long, grinding cold war. Washington needs to view Beijing in the same way.

American leaders must not confuse transactional engagement with strategic trust. They must not treat menacing geopolitical rivals as anodyne export customers. Nor can they treat valuable geopolitical allies as pawns whose legitimate concerns can be easily discarded for the short-term thrill of appeasement. The long, cold dawn of this century's defining geopolitical struggle is well upon us, and America must stand firm. Communist China is certainly doing so.

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Josh Hammer is senior editor-at-large at Newsweek, a research fellow with the Edmund Burke Foundation, counsel and policy advisor for the Internet Accountability Project, a syndicated columnist through Creators and a contributing editor for Anchoring Truths


SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here.

Nothing bothers the European elite as much as American conservatives praising the European foundations of their shared, but threatened, Western civilization.

Europeans especially resent having their social-welfare state system critiqued by upstart, crass Americans.

Their pique only increases as they push back against the condescending American idea that the U.S. could possibly offer any constructive advice, much less help a more civilized Europe follow the "American model."

Americans, in turn, are worried that Europe is not just stagnating but is on a trajectory of permanent decline  with dire consequences for the entire Western world.

As for symptoms, the U.S. cites a steadily declining European share of world GDP. It points to Europe's unsustainable 1.39 fertility rate, which ensures a steadily smaller, older, and costlier native population.

More than 10 percent of Europe's resident population is now foreign-born  some 45 million people. However, the European host, unlike a classless America, does not have a long tradition of melting-pot assimilation, integration, and acculturation.

Unlike America's mostly Christian-nation immigration patterns, European immigrants are predominantly from the Middle East and North Africa, Islamic, and increasingly anti-Western.

Far too many of Europe's immigrants profess too little desire to assimilate into what they consider a culturally decadent place  one that, ironically, they have no desire to leave.

The Christian Church, the linchpin of Western civilization, was born in Europe. Yet nowhere do atheism, agnosticism, and open hostility to Christendom grow stronger.

Europe, the birthplace of a dynamic Western military tradition, has been, by contemporary standards and at least until recently, virtually disarmed and unable to protect its own borders or interests.

Europe's overregulation and war on fossil fuels, combined with a generous social welfare state, have resulted in too little revenue and too many costly dependents.

Americans dare to lecture Europe because the same Western pathologies  open borders, unassimilated immigrants, tribalism, declining fertility, green fanaticism, unsustainable budget deficits, and massive national debt  are likewise beginning to threaten America.

But unlike Europe, millions of Americans at the eleventh hour are galvanizing to stop their own insidious downward spiral.

So Americans claim to know firsthand the causes for these shared, but even more distressing, European symptoms of decay.

And their answers are the threats of several dangerous ideologies.

One pathology is green fanaticism, which has led Europeans to not only ignore their fossil fuel resources but also to dismantle existing coal, nuclear, and natural gas plants.

That suicidal folly ensured that transportation fuels and electrical power became so exorbitant that once sought-after European exports are now uncompetitive, while Europe's strapped middle classes slip into poverty.

Meanwhile, China funds green causes in the West, exports below-cost cheap wind and solar systems, and then builds three coal or nuclear plants a month to ensure that it has much cheaper energy than the green West.

Other existential threats are diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) mandates  a precivilizational emphasis on tribal affinities of race and religion rather than shared national values and unity. The results are legions of drone DEI commissars who sow disunity, spike racial tensions, wage war on meritocracy, and increase overhead.

America further warns Europe that only cutbacks in unsustainable entitlements can allow it to reboot its militaries enough to prevent Russian bullying and threats of attack, protect supply lines of imported fuels and natural resources, and deter terrorists.

And what happens if a petulant and snarky Europe utterly rejects the American diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis?

America will decide that it can no longer afford, as NATO's leader, to protect European borders when it struggles at home to ensure its own.

Nor can the U.S. understand an increasingly two-faced Europe.

One of its faces is the self-righteous 27-member European Union that is becoming increasingly anti-American.

The EU attacks the U.S. nonstop on matters of culture, energy, trade, censorship, and foreign policy.

Yet nearly the same nations of a 32-member NATO alliance  Europe's other face  praise America for its military leadership and call for closer U.S.-European strategic relations.

This one-eyed Jack policy of censoring and fining American companies, blasting American allies at the United Nations, and belittling conservative, Christian, and traditional American culture, while praising the U.S. military and courting its armed assistance, is simply not sustainable.

Is there a solution? Perhaps, given that both civilizations are offering diametrically opposed correctives to their shared morbidities.

Europe is only growing more socialist, censorious, globalist, pacifist, multicultural, atheistic, and green.

In contrast, the U.S. is undergoing a counter-revolution toward smaller government, fewer regulations, more fossil fuels, an expanding military, less DEI and woke, more secure borders, legal-only immigration, and renewed faith.

Only one of these competing solutions will solve the shared crisis of Western civilization.

And let us hope the one remedy that works will be fully adopted by both.

( Hanson's latest book is "The Dying Citizen" from Basic Books. Buy it in hardcover at a 52% discount! by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition at a 41% discount by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR.)

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Residence in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, a professor of classics emeritus at California State University at Fresno, and a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services.




SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here.

I have tried to cry for the narco-terrorists who survived a US military strike on their drug-laden boat, only to be snuffed in a second attack.

Somehow, my eyes have stayed totally dry.

The only thing wrong with the Venezuelan Two-Step is that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth did not hold a press conference and take full credit for this operation.

Critics from Left to Right have clutched their pearls so hard over this episode that their hands are smothered in pearl dust.

The sane and thoughtful Chris Whiton is among the detractors. Writing in Tuesday's Substack, the Trump 45 foreign-affairs advisor complained: "It is a federal crime for a U.S. national or servicemember to willfully kill wounded, sick, or shipwrecked combatants who are protected by the Geneva Conventions."

Whiton would be correct, if an overhead MS-9 Reaper drone detonated a Venezuelan Navy vessel and then circled back to slam a second Hellfire missile onto the surviving sailors who bobbed beside their flaming ship. Caracas' sailors are combatants, subject to the Geneva Convention, which Venezuela signed in 1956.

However, the bad hombres in those narcotics-stuffed boats are not Venezuelan sailors. They are private-sector criminals, namely drug-cartel thugs. President Trump designated the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua a terrorist group. Thus, these vessels carry terrorists or, at least, terror-linked criminals. Tren de Aragua and their lawless associates did not sign the Geneva Convention. As non-state actors, they are not entitled to its protections.

The one-two punch on this criminal/terrorist boat was no less legal than bombing an ISIS safehouse and then hitting it again, if survivors of the first blast crawled from the wreckage, to fight another day. The right thing to do: Hammer them anew, so they no longer menace society.

If the US armed forces no longer may kill narco-terrorists who survive single-tap strikes, then these individuals suddenly have grown a right to life that must be respected. If so, leaving them clinging to flaming flotsam on the high seas is a de facto death penalty. Those lucky enough to escape death from above might get scooped up by a yacht sailing toward the Dutch Antilles. More likely, however, any such survivors would succumb to exposure, sharks, or their injuries.

Since neglect probably would kill these survivors, one could argue that the US military has a moral obligation to deploy an expeditionary force to fish these cartelistos from the water and whisk them to the nearest hospital. If Hegseth's foes are to be believed, anything less would be the ethical equivalent of a Santa Monica lifeguard spotting a beachgoer floundering in the water and then leaving his tower for lunch.

So, imagine that Navy Seals aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford swoop in to save these survivors. Surprise! An enraged narco-terrorists opens fire on the incoming Gringos. Three Seals tumble into the Caribbean, dead.

What would those bashing Hegseth say then?

Meanwhile, a Trump-hostile news agency reports that those who were blown apart by that second bomb were not model citizens.

"According to a source familiar with the incident, the two survivors climbed back onto the boat after the initial strike," ABC's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz said on World News Tonight. "They were believed to be potentially in communication with others and salvaging some of the drugs. Because of that, it was determined they were still in the fight and valid targets. A JAG officer was also giving legal advice."

There is a simple solution to all of this: Those who prefer not to get obliterated in narcotics boats or wind up clutching the wreckage after military assaults should spend their days in more worthwhile ways. In short, if you want to stay alive and well, do not smuggle fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States of America.

Secretary Pete Hegseth's response to this entire controversy should be two words:

"You're welcome."

 2026 Deroy Murdock
At a northern U.S. Air Force base, it did not take long for the hospital administration to realize that the Red Cross volunteer in pediatrics (my late wife Kathy) was no ordinary civilian. With her two-year degree in medical technology and a bachelors in biology, plus board certification through the American Society for Clinical Pathology, Kathy quickly caught the attention of Capt. Humphries, the chief of the hospital laboratory.

Unlike most lab personnel, who were airmen with only eight weeks of basic training and 38 weeks of technical instruction at a major military medical training center, Kathys skills far surpassed those of the Air Force lab techs. After a brief meeting, Capt. Humphries offered her a hematology position on the spot. Kathy and I were now working together at the base hospital, our partnership becoming a model for system reform.

Kathy primarily worked with the Coulter counter machine, a marvel of technology that measured cell counts and volumes using precise electrical disruptions. Her expertise and attention to detail stood in stark contrast to her supervisor, who rarely operated the machine and primarily worked in the blood bank. When the supervisor left for out-of-town seminars, Kathy relied on Coulter technicians to keep her updated on the latest developments. Resourceful as ever, she absorbed knowledge others failed to share.

With her associates degree, board certification, and eight years of experience at top northeastern medical centers, Kathy often humbled the Air Force techs when she brought out the double-headed microscope to teach them. Her standards were uncompromising, and her lessons unforgettable.

Navigating the system together

We faced many challenges with the system in our respective workplaces. Colleagues often looked out for us. Capt. Humphries would call me after the Air Force techs made mistakes that left Kathy frustrated, suggesting I take her to the mess hall for lunch. My nurse and corpsman did the same when my supervisors frequent rages left me drained. He was like Frank Burns in MASH with a spouse equivalent. I kept an alligator on my bookshelf, its position rising and falling with the tension in the clinic.

Even physician assistants leaned on Kathy for guidance. They would arrive from the ER with infants who had fevers and high white cell counts. Looks like we have a consult for Dr. Lindsay, theyd say. Kathy would raise an eyebrow: Did you take a sinus X-ray? You better, because Rons going to ask for one immediately. Almost always she was right: sinus infections confirmed, amoxicillin prescribed, child sent home with a follow-up with me. Beyond the machines, Kathys presence shaped the human side of care.

Rituals of support and decompression

When I had to transport a child with bilateral subdural hematomas to a major medical center in the Rocky Mountain region, Kathy packed my go bag. That evening, as I unpacked at the visiting officers quarters, I discovered a small white teddy bear she had tucked inside. It was such a quintessential Kathy gesture, bringing warmth and humor into even the most stressful days. That teddy bear still resides in my home office today, 18 months after her death in July 2024.

We had rituals to decompress. If both of us had bad days, we tossed a Canadian dollar coin: heads (the Queen), Kathy went first; tails (the loon), I did. When I made coffee in the morning, Kathys cup was always in my right hand because Kathy is always right.

Shifting paths and new beginnings

Eventually, Kathy left the lab to pursue speech pathology prerequisites at a regional state university. She slinked down in her seat when a professor proclaimed, Pediatricians never write good consults, except for one: the chief of pediatrics at the Air Force hospital, who is leaving for a fellowship in developmental pediatrics at a major southern university.

Kathy was accepted into the speech pathology masters program at a Midwestern graduate university in March 1992. We paid the deposit on April 1, her self-proclaimed ethnic day. Two weeks later, on April 15, she bounded into her gynecologists office proclaiming, Im ready for my tax deduction. The pregnancy test was positive. She sent me a coded message on my pager: our home phone number with a 1 at the end. The pediatric resident saw me light up and asked why. I explained our secret code: I was going to be a father. We turned the refunded tuition deposit into a crib and nursery necessities.

ADVERTISEMENT

A legacy of mutual advocacy

After Roberts birth, we continued to support each others academic pursuits. Kathy was my proofreader and editor when I wrote the LEND grant at a large Midwestern university and the final draft of the New England Journal of Medicine risperidone paper. If she could understand the logic, I knew it was good enough for the review committee. I helped her prepare for her paralegal studies at a regional law school.

I miss her wisdom and candor as I continue my crusade for children with autism and for the elimination of health disparities. Kathys partnership shaped my career and my advocacy. She would be a great help as I write my KevinMD pieces on leadership, Medicaid reform, ABA critique, and the demise of developmental pediatrics. Her legacy remains my compass in service of children and justice.

Ronald L. Lindsay is a retired developmental-behavioral pediatrician whose career spanned military service, academic leadership, and public health reform. His professional trajectory, detailed on LinkedIn, reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing neurodevelopmental science and equitable systems of care.

Dr. Lindsays research has appeared in leading journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Archives of General Psychiatry, The Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, and Clinical Pediatrics. His NIH-funded work with the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Network helped define evidence-based approaches to autism and related developmental disorders.

As medical director of the Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University, he led the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program, training future leaders in interdisciplinary care. His Ohio Rural DBP Clinic Initiative earned national recognition for expanding access in underserved counties, and at Madigan Army Medical Center, he founded Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) CARES, a $10 million autism resource center for military families.

Dr. Lindsays scholarship, profiled on ResearchGate and Doximity, extends across seventeen peer-reviewed articles, eleven book chapters, and forty-five invited lectures, as well as contributions to major academic publishers such as Oxford University Press and McGraw-Hill. His memoir-in-progress, The Quiet Architect, threads testimony, resistance, and civic duty into a reckoning with systems retreat.
Last month, a daughter called our care center in panic. Her mother, who lives with early dementia and mobility problems, needed support immediately. She had already contacted five agencies. All of them gave the same answer: We have caregivers, but they are not allowed to work here.

Not because the workers lacked skills. Not because the families were difficult. But because recent regulations now restrict long-term care workers to a single registered employer, limiting their ability to support other homes even when they are willing and available.

The daughter asked me the question no system should force a family to ask: What are we supposed to do if the system has workers, but wont let them help my mom?

I had no comforting answer.

A system that protects caregivers by limiting them

Taiwan is aging faster than most countries, and caregivers are the backbone of our long-term care network. Yet a new rule, intended to clarify employer responsibility and prevent worker overload, now requires caregivers to be registered under only one facility. Any additional work, even temporary, is heavily restricted.

For many frontline workers, this has meant:

Fewer shifts.

Reduced income.

Lost relationships with long-term clients.

Increased stress on remaining staff.

Even worse, families are now turned away not because caregiving has become less needed, but because the system has boxed workers into rigid administrative boundaries. Protection was the goal. Paralysis has become the outcome.

The opposite extreme: when flexibility becomes danger

While caregivers face tight constraints, another group of frontline workers (food delivery drivers) live in the opposite reality.

They enjoy ultimate flexibility, yet carry nearly all the risk themselves. Algorithms decide their assignments, income, and even contract termination. When accidents occur, many face the consequences alone.

In Taiwan, the two groups symbolize a troubling contradiction: One essential service is overregulated to the point of immobility. Another essential service is underregulated to the point of danger.

Both extremes hurt the people they serve.

What these two worlds reveal about how we value care

ADVERTISEMENT

At first glance, caregivers in elder care and gig workers delivering meals seem unrelated. But viewed together, they expose a deeper issue: We have lost a coherent sense of how society values care.

Caregivers support families through the most vulnerable chapters of life. Their work requires training, trust, emotional labor, and physical endurance. Yet their autonomy is shrinking, and bureaucracy often dictates where and how they may help.

Delivery workers meet modern families needs for convenience, flexibility, and efficiency. Their work is visible on every street corner. Yet their protection is minimal, and we accept risky working conditions as part of a flexible economy.

If one group is overprotected and the other is abandoned, it is not because either group deserves such treatment. It is because society has not clearly decided what care means, and whom it should protect.

Why this matters to clinicians and health systems

As someone who works in elder care and studies health systems, I worry that long-term care is being squeezed from both ends:

Workers who want to help are prevented from doing so.

Workers who need protection are left without it.

The result is an unstable ecosystem where families cannot reliably access care, and workers cannot reliably build a livelihood.

In health care, we discuss burnout, staffing shortages, and system fragmentation. But long-term care often sits at the edge of visibility, essential, yet structurally overlooked. When regulations unintentionally reduce the availability of caregivers, the consequences fall directly on patients:

Longer waiting times.

Increased caregiver turnover.

Disrupted continuity of care.

Unsafe home environments for older adults.

These are not small administrative issues. They erode the foundation of elder care.

The lesson both workers teach us

From opposite ends of the labor market, both caregivers and gig workers are sending the same warning: A system that does not balance protection with autonomy will fail the people who rely on it.

Caregivers need safety, fair wages, and manageable workloads, but also the freedom to serve more than one family when they choose. Gig workers need flexibility, but also the security of basic protections when they face unavoidable risks.

Both groups remind us that dignity in work is not created by rules alone, nor by markets alone. It requires thoughtful design, and a society willing to ask: What kind of care do we want to value? What kind of workers do we want to support?

If we do not fix this now

One day, many of us (or our parents) will need help getting out of bed, bathing safely, or simply having someone nearby who cares.

On that day, the question will not be about regulations or platforms. It will be heartbreakingly simple: Is anyone available?

Right now, families are already hearing the answer: There are workers, but they are not allowed to come.

A sustainable care system cannot afford that silence.

Gerald Kuo, a doctoral student in the Graduate Institute of Business Administration at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, specializes in health care management, long-term care systems, AI governance in clinical and social care settings, and elder care policy. He is affiliated with the Home Health Care Charity Association and maintains a professional presence on Facebook, where he shares updates on research and community work. Kuo helps operate a day-care center for older adults, working closely with families, nurses, and community physicians. His research and practical efforts focus on reducing administrative strain on clinicians, strengthening continuity and quality of elder care, and developing sustainable service models through data, technology, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. He is particularly interested in how emerging AI tools can support aging clinical workforces, enhance care delivery, and build greater trust between health systems and the public.
This morning, I woke up to a message from a friend that he had seen on social media a colleague he went to university with had, a few days ago, died by suicide. Last week, I had an email in my inbox from a young doctor in a training program informing me four of their trainee colleagues in the last 24 months have died by suicide. The week before, my parents sent me an article featuring the words of a devastated father whose son, also a training doctor, had died by suicide.

In 2017, I had an article published on this very platform titled There is something rotten inside the medical profession, a piece I penned anonymously about a spate of junior doctor suicides in my state of NSW, Australia, when I was a junior doctor in the hospital system. It garnered a lot of attention, and at the time felt it was the hole in the dam that then burst, with many more articles, responses, and initiatives by hospitals and colleges meant to address the shameful open secret, as I described, of doctor suicide in Australia.

At the time I was, I hate to admit, skeptical of real change. The reason for that is that I knew as all doctors in the system know that the answers to this problem lie not in resilience programs or EAP referrals, or even slightly improved pay or rosters. The answers are straightforward. They involve real accountability for bullies in the hospital system (doctors, nurses, and administrators). Next, they involve opening up of the training programs so junior doctors dont spend years festering in unaccredited programs with no job prospects at the end of it. Finally, they involve loosening the reigns of controls of the colleges and making sure there are actually jobs for consultant doctors at the end of arduous training programs that dont just involve another two years of fellowship then pressure to do a PhD to even be considered for a job.

Did any of those things happen? Maybe there was some discussion and certainly for a while there seemed to be the show of doing the right thing, of noises about reducing sexual harassment in hospitals (RACS Operating with Respect for one example), and based on the loud voices on social media crowing about mental well-being, youd think that it sort of became a bit passe to be bullying people either directly or through systems that empower bullying in the medical profession.

But when I read this message this morning, on the back of all the other times I have read the words doctor suicide in the last nine years since I wrote that article, I think I can be unequivocal in my opinion that things havent changed, or the changes that should have happened to stop this scourge of pointless death have not occurred.

In fact, I have noticed another disturbing trend emerging: That not only junior doctors are dying by suicide but also consultant doctors. The reasons for this I am not privy to but I can assume to some extent bureaucratic pressure, arbitrary targets placed by administrators, and years of unrelenting pressure to then be subject to vexatious complaints for unavoidable complications, has resulted in the same feelings that pervade their junior colleagues. These are feelings, let myself be clear, of hopelessness, of disillusionment, and an overwhelming sense that the thing that has taken so much of their life and identity (I dont want to say is their identity as I think medicine can be more of a succubus than a truly soul defining concept) has now spat them out reducing them to little more than a series of complaints to be answered, little or no thanks for their service, and a sense they are expendable. When a system has taken so much from you there is often no cloak of armour of sense of personhood left to protect the inner self, and compound that with the stressors of life the outcome is in some respects inevitable. It is not a surprise to me. It is not a surprise to any doctor. We all know how these people feel, and but for the grace of God go I is more often the response than confusion or being unable to relate. The fact that suicide is to some extent a relatable endpoint is a sickening truth and must be acknowledged.

I could wax lyrical for hours about my own experience, about others, about all the contact I have had since my article and two books were written on themes of distress in the medical system. But I am tired of that. For someone who has spent much of their time making sense of the nonsensical in medicine by trafficking in words, I am going to be clear again that the time for words, for platitudes, for meaningless interventions that do nothing is over.

What needs to happen is this: There needs to immediately be a register in Australia (state-specific, hospital- or clinic-specific, university-specific, and training program-specific) of attempted suicides and suicides of doctors of all levels in Australia. If possible to go back and add historical events; that should be done to. With that data available, it forces a light to be shined on the dirty grubby truth. Specific things and problem spots to address make accountability easier. Currently, everyone in medicine is siloed. Job prospects, exams, stress of the job, and a culture of cutthroat competition because of these aforementioned factors mean people are isolated. This only feeds the beast as the bigger picture is never made properly clear. No one is ever accountable because the true extent of the issue is never truly known. You cant see the wood for the trees; we need to see the wood, every last splinter.

After that, with that data available, there needs to be a royal commission or national inquiry into this abhorrent situation. That is the only answer. This is little more than a manufactured health crisis. Studies have shown over and over the stress levels in training doctors match those of people in war zones. I do not buy pre-existing mental health issues or weakness or whatever excuse or justification is trotted out. The line from my original article still stands: There is one common denominator in all these deaths; the job.

Finally, much has happened in my own life since that article when I was 29 years old and a junior doctor in Sydney, namely, one year ago I had a baby boy. When I read the pain of the father and other parents like him who had lost his talented, wonderful son to suicide, a training doctor with so much to give the world, I thought about how I would feel if I were in his shoes and it was my son. And it was very clear to me what I would want.

I wouldnt want cards, or words, or apologies, or even expressions of sympathy. I dont want tepid acknowledgments from hospital admin, or the tears of his friends and colleagues. There is no ambiguity. What I would want is justice. What I would want is accountability. What I would want is my childs life to be worth more than a gap that has to be filled in a roster and a half-hearted email from medical administration offering meaningless condolences. Enough is enough. Lets blow the lid off the whole rotten, foul system and clean it out with buckets of light. The time has come to be brave and honour our dead, and stop others from joining them well before their time should be up.

I am no longer scared of the system or being punished by it. It is not lost on me the only difference between now and my anonymous article of 2017 is that I am no longer anonymous. Let us also make doctor suicide no longer something hiding in the shadows, festering in anonymity, and able to be swept under the rug. Every one of these doctors had a face, a name, a family, and a life. Frighteningly, every doctor currently considering self-harm or suicide also has a name, a face, a family, and a life. These people deserve better than what they have been given. We would never turn a patient away, no matter how advanced their pathology. It is now time to look at the pathology in our own profession, and now is the time to fix it.

Sonia Henry is a family medicine physician in Australia.
At least 13 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after a bomb exploded at a bank in Milan, Italy.

Up to 14 people were also injured in simultaneous blasts at a bank and memorial in the capital, Rome.

Another bomb was later discovered by police near Milans La Scala opera house.

The first explosion happened at about 16.45 local time on the third floor of Milans Banca dell Agricoltura (National Agricultural Bank), in Piazza Fontana.

Michelle Carlotto, 27, a clerk at the bank, said: I was sitting at my desk behind the bank counter. I heard a blast, a bolt which stunned me.

In the smoke I saw a body fly from the public section above the counter and fall one yard away from me. I was shocked, I couldnt move.

Many of the wounded were taken to hospital where they remain in a serious condition.

Police said eight kilograms (18lbs) of explosives had been placed in an aluminium box and a slow burning fuse was attached to the device.

Within an hour of the blast, at least another 14 people were injured by three further explosions which shook two areas of Rome.

Another bomb was discovered by police a few hours later inside a separate bank in Milan, near the La Scala opera house.

Officers immediately detonated the device in the courtyard of the Banca Commerciale Italiana.

Police in Rome have detained four men so far but no organisation has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The explosions come at a time of deep social unrest and political uncertainty in Italy. []

Courtesy BBC News

In context

In total, 16 people were killed and 58 wounded in what became known as the Piazza Fontana massacre.

Over 4,000 arrests were made in the aftermath of the bombings and one of the suspects, Guiseppe Pinelli, died after falling out of the fourth floor window of the police station where he was being held.

The bombing marked the start of a series of attacks known as the strategy of tension between 1969 and 1974 by the right wing group, Ordine Nuovo.

Their aim was to prevent the country falling into the hands of the left -wing by duping the public into believing the bombings were part of a communist insurgency.

The attacks appeared to come to an end in 1974 but the worst strike was to come in 1980, when a suitcase with over 18kg (40lbs) of explosives went off in a train station, in Bologna, killing 85 and wounding more than 200 people.

A new trial opened in 1999 after a Milan judge, Guido Salvini, claimed to have discovered the real bombers.

Three neo-fascists, Delfo Zorzi, Carlo Maria Maggi, and Carlo Rognoni were sentenced to life imprisonment but the decision was overturned on appeal in March 2004.

Like this: Like Loading...
The First Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly signed a statement on the minimum wage bill yesterday, which proposes raising minimum wage rates to MOP7,280 monthly, MOP1,680 weekly, MOP280 daily, MOP35 hourly, and an average of MOP35 per piecework. For daily wages based on an eight-hour workday, compensation for hours exceeding this limit would be no less than MOP 35 per hour. Approximately 18,200 employees representing 4.4% of the total workforce  would benefit from this bill, including 2,200 local employees. The bill takes effect January 1, 2026. The government aims to ensure fair compensation while balancing employers costs and residents affordability.

Like this: Like Loading...
Last weeks inaugural Global Artificial Intelligence Machines and Electronics Expo (AIE) attracted about 1,000 global technology pioneers and 5,000 international buyers, according to the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM). In a recent statement, IPIM detailed that the one exhibition, two cities event led to more than 45 companies, including some publicly listed ones, expressing interest in setting up operations in Macau. During the event, Macau participants connected with buyers from the Middle East, Russia, Thailand, and other markets. Representatives also visited over 350 technology firms from mainland China, Portugal, Brazil, and other regions to promote Macaus business advantages.

Like this: Like Loading...
Cambodia said Thailand launched more airstrikes yesterday, as heavy fighting flared along the two countries border and both sides accused the other of violating their sovereignty along the contested border region.

The latest large-scale fighting was set off by a skirmish Sunday that wounded two Thai soldiers and derailed a ceasefire pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump that ended five days of combat in July over longstanding territorial disputes.

About two dozen people were reported killed in the fighting this week, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced on both sides of the border.

The Cambodian Defense Ministry said in a statement yesterday that a Thai military fighting jet dropped three bombs in the border area. Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata accused Thailand of violating international laws by the use of all kinds of heavy weapons and the deployment of large number of troops to encroach the Cambodian territory.

Earlier, the Thai Army said Cambodia launched an attack on Wednesday night with artillery and mortars against Thai positions.

The Thai Army said it responded with the same kinds of heavy weapons, causing damage including the destruction of enemy trucks. But Air Force Spokesperson Air Marshal Jackkrit Thammavichai did not confirm nor deny that airstrikes took place yesterday.

The Thai air force would continue its air operations until the opposing side ceases all efforts that threaten Thailands sovereignty, security, and the safety of the Thai people, he said in a televised speech.

The combat has drawn international concern, including from Pope Leo XIV, who told an audience at the Vatican on Wednesday that he was deeply saddened by the news of the renewed conflict.

There have been casualties, including among civilians, and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, Leo said. I express my closeness in prayer to these dear peoples.

The original ceasefire in July was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.

Despite the deal, the two countries carried on a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued. Cambodia complained that Thailand did not return 18 soldiers it captured as the ceasefire was coming into effect, while Thailand protested after soldiers patrolling the frontier were wounded by land mines, which it alleges were newly laid by Cambodia. Cambodia insisted that the mines were left over from its decades of civil war that ended in 1999.

Trump said he expects to speak by phone with the two leaders today [Macau time], and expressed confidence that he would persuade the two sides to stop the fighting.

I think I can get them to stop fighting. Who else can do that? Trump said yesterday [Macau time] in an exchange with reporters, in which he also repeated his exaggerated claim of settling eight wars around the globe since his return to the White House. Every once in a while, one will flame up again and I have to put out that little flame.

The U.S. had yet to contact Thailand following Trumps latest remarks, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters in Bangkok yesterday. JERRY HARMER, SURIN, MDT/AP

Like this: Like Loading...
Chinas latest sweep against wayward online influencers arrived with a familiar message: if you build a massive audience, Beijing expects you to behave like a model citizen.

In a statement released earlier this month, cited by China Daily, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) named a roster of high-profile creators penalized for everything from tax offenses to promoting harmful values.

The move continues a multi-year effort to tame a monetized, celebrity-driven digital ecosystem that regulators increasingly see as chaotic, hyper-commercialized and occasionally borderline seditious.

Several influencers boasting millions  in some cases tens of millions  of followers on Weibo and Douyin saw their accounts shut down or placed under extended suspension for content deemed corrosive to social norms. The CAC accused them of repeatedly pushing materialism, parading luxury lifestyles and generally encouraging a values system the regulator considers unfit for a country trying to promote positive energy.

According to China Daily, one internet celebrity was disciplined for promoting overseas pornographic films, while the popular livestreamer Zhang Xuefeng  famous for blunt college-admissions advice  was slapped with a temporary ban for what regulators described as pervasive vulgarity. Given Zhangs enormous reach among anxious students and parents, the CAC framed his suspension as a necessary corrective to keep public discourse civilized.

Tax enforcement also muscled into the picture. China Daily says that after authorities uncovered tax evasion linked to certain streamers, two major influencer accounts on Douyin and Kuaishou had their livestreaming and e-commerce features suspended  a painful penalty in an industry where real-time sales and product tie-ins drive serious revenue.

The CAC stressed that online personalities command extraordinary visibility and therefore must exercise greater self-discipline in managing their public behavior: large followings come with political and moral expectations. Regulators see influencers not merely as entertainers or small businesses, but as quasi-public figures who help shape cultural attitudes.

The stated aim is to curb excess, reduce social friction and prevent unruly celebrity culture from overshadowing official narratives. Its a forward-looking digital order, one where platforms and creators operate under explicit governance boundaries and where chaotic traffic chasing  the endless scramble for views at any cost  is treated as a systemic risk. MDT

Like this: Like Loading...
Cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon is scheduled to be sentenced yesterday for misleading investors who lost billions when his companys crypto ecosystem collapsed in 2022. Kwon, known by some as the cryptocurrency king, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court in August to fraud charges stemming from Terraform Labs $40 billion crash.

The company had touted its TerraUSD as a reliable stablecoin  a kind of currency typically pegged to stable assets to prevent drastic fluctuations in prices. But prosecutors say it was all an illusion that came crumbling down, devastating investors and triggering a cascade of crises that swept through cryptocurrency markets.

Kwon, who hails from South Korea, has agreed to forfeit over $19 million as part of the plea deal.

While federal sentencing guidelines would recommend a prison term of about 25 years, prosecutors have asked the court to sentence Kwon to 12 years. They cited his guilty plea, the fact that he faces further prosecution in Korea and that he has already served time in Montenegro while awaiting extradition.

Kwons fraud was colossal in scope, permeating virtually every facet of Terraforms purported business, prosecutors wrote in a recent memo to the judge.

Like this: Like Loading...
Last week, Wynn hosted the An Intoxicating Blend of Unique Wine Cultures  Douro Boys x Ningxia Girls, celebrating cultural fusion and exquisite encounters. It brought together Portugals decades-old wine estate alliance, the Douro Boys (comprising Niepoort, Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Vallado and Quinta do Vale Meao), and Chinas top Ningxia wine alliance, the Ningxia Girls (featuring Fei Tswei, Helan Qingxue Winery and Kanaan Winery). These renowned groups collaborated for a spectacular two-day wine event featuring a masterclass, a walkaround tasting, and a dinner.

It not only celebrated exceptional wines, but also honoured Macaos enduring legacy as cultural bridge between China and Portugal. The masterclass was jointly led by David Xing MW from China and renowned Portuguese winemaker Tiago Macena. At night, Wynn Macaus award-winning culinary team crafted a six-course menu that celebrates authentic Portuguese flavours as well. IS

Like this: Like Loading...
* Tap on recycled

 Reclaimed water to be sold 15% below standard price

* Motorsport | Macau to host FIA Arrive & Drive karting event

* Taste of Edesia

* Smart finance: Government updates rules to shift to an all-digital system for managing public funds

* Crime: Two women arrested in MOP26 million investment-fraud cases

* War games: US bombers join Japanese fighters in joint drills over Japans airspace as tensions with China rise

DOWNLOAD PDF

Friday, December 12, 2025  edition no. 4856

Like this: Like Loading...
The Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) collaborated with several youth associations and the Narcotics Control Committee to launch the 2nd Edition of the Macau International Youth Anti-Drug Ambassador Training Program yesterday.

A sharing session was held to present the results of the first edition at the Lin Zexu Memorial Museum of Macau, where over 120 people participated, including representatives from the Drug Control Commission, public services, schools, social service institutions, young anti-drug ambassadors, students, and teachers.

During his speech at the sharing session, IAS president Wilson Hon emphasized the Youth Influencing Youth principle for the two-year program: Through rigorous selection and professional training, outstanding young people were trained, gaining knowledge about the fight against drugs and the social mission. Enthusiastic and energized, they shared the knowledge gained from what they saw and heard on campus and in the community.

They started from the Greater Bay Area and reached the international stage, dynamically sharing experiences in drug addiction prevention and treatment from Macau, widely spreading the anti-drug message with the power of Youth Influencing Youth, he added.

Speaking on the sidelines, a student surnamed Mak shared his personal experience.

I learned a lot of drug-related knowledge not typically taught in school. We might not usually see what drugs actually look like, but during this training they showed us real samples. They also introduced us to new types of drugs, like the recently emerging Etomidate, which can easily attract young people.

Another student, surnamed Keung, explained why she joined the program: I joined because we usually have very little exposure to drug-related knowledge in school. I wanted to learn more and pass it on to my classmates so they can also be vigilant against drugs.

Registration is now open for the 2nd Edition of the Macau International Youth Anti-Drug Ambassador Training Program until March 31, 2026.

The program targets residents aged 14 to 23 who possess reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in English and Mandarin, care about the mainland and Macau, and support anti-drug efforts.

Selected participants will engage in diverse learning opportunities, including skills training, experiential learning, practical training, and exchanges. Those performing exceptionally may be invited to participate in international exchanges, represent China in the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs Youth Forum, and join the national youth anti-drug knowledge competition, among other activities.

Activity regulations and registration details are available on the official Macau anti-drug website.

Ricaela Diputado

Like this: Like Loading...
The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) has expressed strong opposition to the recently published 2025 annual report by the United States Congressional Executive Commission, which it says distorts facts and misrepresents Macaus human rights situation.

In a statement, the MSAR said that over the past 25 years since Macaus return to China, the region has fully and faithfully implemented the One country, two systems principle and the Basic Law of Macau.

The statement added that during this period, Macau has experienced rapid economic development, social stability, and enhanced public welfare, while maintaining a robust legal system and judicial independence.

The government noted that residents of Macau enjoy wide-ranging rights under the law, including freedom of expression, religion, press, and movement, and that human rights are fully guaranteed.

The statement called on the U.S. commission to eliminate bias, respect objective facts, and refrain from defaming Macaus human rights record. It also urged the commission to avoid using human rights as a pretext to interfere in Chinas internal affairs, specifically those of the Macau SAR.

The report ignores reality and maligns Macaus achievements in governance, economic growth, and social harmony, the statement said. The government reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the Basic Law, protecting the rights of its residents, and maintaining social and legal stability.

The SAR urged foreign bodies to recognize Macaus progress objectively and avoid politicizing human rights issues for external agendas. LV

Like this: Like Loading...
The government is updating its finance rules so it can switch to a new all-digital system for handling public money.

The Executive Council announced yesterday that it has finalized amendments to Administrative Regulation No. 2/2018, paving the way for the official launch of the Smart Finance digital system on January 1, 2026.

Officials say this change is needed so the system can be used legally and properly in day-to-day government financial work.

According to officials, the revised regulation supports dematerialization by giving electronic securities, payment orders, and requisitions the same legal status as paper documents.

At a press conference held yesterday at the government headquarters, Wong Sio Chak, spokesperson for the Executive Council and Secretary for Administration and Justice, outlined the key changes brought by the new regulation.

Emphasizing the need to adapt legislation to enable full system operation in day-to-day government financial work, Wong said, Despite the fact that this system is already equipped with all the conditions for its full operation, it is imperative to make adjustments to the current legislation [] prior to its official use.

He also noted that certain fund appropriation requests are simplified, including reducing unnecessary stages of appraisal and authorization, to speed up processing times while optimizing resource use.

Moreover, the amendment updates outdated form names and terminology to better suit the electronic workflow, ensuring the wording in the law matches the reality of digital management and how the Smart Finance system actually operates.

Ho Silvestre In Mui, acting director of the Financial Services Bureau (DSF), elaborated on the systems handling of expense reimbursements and advance loan programs for businesses.

As explained by Ho, this allows faster payment workflows. She described a new online registration process where banks provide the supplier department and business account information [] through electronic channels.

This replaces the old process of preparing settlement documents, sending them back and forth, and requiring suppliers to visit departments to get paid, which Ho said will reduce workload, speed up payments, and benefit many industrial and commercial enterprises.

If the industrial and commercial enterprise has already registered [] the funds can be directly transferred, she said.

The regulation will take effect alongside the systems launch on January 1, 2026.

Like this: Like Loading...
The Health Bureau warns that influenza is actively spreading in Macau, with positive test rates rising from 11.6% (Nov. 28) to 32.9% (Nov. 30Dec. 6), nearly doubling. The dominant strain is influenza A H3, accounting for 96.3%. Adult flu-related emergency visits more than doubled to 521 last week, while childrens visits rose 45% to 894. Authorities urge residents to enhance precautions and get vaccinated. Eight student clusters involving 53 mild cases were also reported.

Like this: Like Loading...
A man who impersonated relatives to defraud two elderly victims of a total of MOP300,000 was sentenced to four years in prison by the Court of First Instance and ordered to compensate the victims. The scam, carried out in June 2024, involved the defendants accomplice calling the seniors using altered phone numbers, claiming they had injured classmates and needed to pay compensation. Trusting the calls, the victims handed over HKD100,000 and MOP200,000 in cash. The defendants appeal to the intermediate court was rejected, with the judges citing prior thorough consideration of sentencing factors and the need for deterrence.

Like this: Like Loading...
The Philippines is testing a new type of carbon credit aimed at encouraging companies to cut their climate warming emissions by creating funds that can be used to turn coal-fired power plants into renewable energy facilities.

Called transition credits, they are meant to help pay for phasing out coal use by creating value out of the emissions that would prevent. The funds would then pay to replace fossil fuel equipment with clean energy gear.

Proponents say transition credits could unlock a windfall of investment for the power hungry Asia-Pacific region and speed up Southeast Asias transition to renewable energy. But some experts wary of longstanding problems in the carbon market view them as a dead end.

Transition credits offer fresh take

A carbon credit represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide removed or not sent into the atmosphere. Credits are bought and sold on carbon markets by countries and companies trying to comply with emission regulations, meet pollution reduction targets or offset environmental impacts.

Transition credits differ because they put a value on prevented future emissions caused by burning fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change.

But integrity concerns plague carbon credit projects around the world.

Projects meant to save carbon-absorbing forests have been accused of greenwashing, miscalculations and causing carbon leakage, a term for when companies move to countries with looser emission rules. Theyve been found failing to deliver on promised benefits to local communities and linked to allegations of human rights violations in Cambodia and an uptick in deforestation in Peru, among other problems.

The credits have pros and cons, like any untested new idea, said Ramnath Iyer, of the United States-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. He calculates that a transition credit could be worth $11 to $52.

There will be challenges and flaws, like in every deal, Iyer said. But its not like we have a smorgasbord or buffet of climate change solutions to choose from.

Southeast Asia counts on coal

The world will likely overshoot the global goal of keeping Earths temperatures from warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In November, the United Nations failed to negotiate an international road map to phase out fossil fuels at annual climate talks, known as COP30.

Emissions are rising as coal is used to meet growing energy demand in the Asia-Pacific regions emerging economies, worsening air pollution.

Southeast Asia is the worlds third largest coal-consuming region after India and China, according to the International Energy Agency, which forecasts regional electricity demand will double by 2050.

Theres no question that efforts to support phasing out coal-fired power plants are worthy, important and of critical need, said Danny Cullenward, of the University of Pennsylvanias Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. But it is a really thorny issue to try to accurately quantify the benefits of an intervention, like transition credits.

Philippine pilot project splits opinions

The transition credit experiment is playing out at the 270-megawatt South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp. power plant in Calaca City, south of Manila.

The site was built a decade ago by ACEN Corp., the energy arm of the massive Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp.

Coal plants typically can run for 50 years. Southeast Asias coal sites are on average under 15 years old, like the one in Calaca. However, ACEN has committed to retiring the South Luzon facility by 2040.

Transition credits may speed this up.

If it works, there will be a playbook for coal asset owners and their energy transitions, said Irene Maranan with ACEN. There will be more believers than non-believers in this initiative.

The Rockefeller Foundation designed the transition credits concept to help finance early retirement of coal plants by paying for replacing fossil fuel gear with renewable energy equipment used to keep generating power at the same sites.

It would be irresponsible to just turn off a coal plant without a replacement, Maranan said. The country still needs its energy supply. There is a growing demand that isnt stopping.

Joseph Curtin, vice president of energy transitions at The Rockefeller Foundation, said an independent non-profit carbon market governance body is reviewing the transition credit method, which already has been backed by business giants like Japans Mitsubishi Corp.

There are about 60 coal plants in the Asia-Pacific region with transition credit potential that together could attract $110 billion in public and private capital by 2030, and the Calaca project is needed to show the idea works, Curtin said.

We want to do dozens of projects to drive real impact, he said. But to have any credibility, we need to do one project and we need to use that to learn and evolve.

The problems with carbon credits

Skepticism over transition credits stems from the carbon markets somewhat tarnished reputation.

Elle Bartolome, with the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, was among dozens of activists who protested what she called the carbon casino in demonstrations during the COP30 in Brazil.

Given integrity issues in past projects, Bartolome said transition credits will likely fall into the same trap of not benefitting local communities, especially if reparations arent provided for those negatively impacted by the Calaca coal plant.

Patrick McCully, an energy transition analyst for Reclaim Finance, wrote in a recent report that transition credits would likely repeat failures of the carbon market, asserting the credits are a dead end because the industry hasnt addressed false promises, inaccurate carbon calculations and other issues.

Southeast Asias focus and funding should prioritize an all-hands-on-deck, full court press on building out renewable energy, McCully said.

This is old wine, in a new bottle, McCully said. Its going to waste a lot of time, energy and money. ANTON L. DELGADO, CALACA, MDT/AP

Like this: Like Loading...
Joan Cutler has an impossible decision to make in Eternity. The newly deceased character, played by Elizabeth Olsen, has one week to choose who shell spend the afterlife with  and two husbands waiting. Luke (Callum Turner) is the dashing young love who died in the Korean War just as their life together began. Larry (Miles Teller) is the cranky, common one who shared 65 years of marriage with her.

Even death, it seems, offers no respite from earthly puzzles like the love triangle. Messy and confusing for the characters, sure, but also one of storytellings best setups for a screwball comedy. And this imaginative, shrewdly whimsical film  buoyed by an utterly charming cast  delivers on the promise.

Most of the film unfolds in the Junction, a comically ordinary brutalist hotel/convention-centerslashafterlife expo where the recently departed shop for their eternal destination. An afterlife coordinator (our main ACs are DaVine Joy Randolph and John Early) greets newcomers and explains the options: Paris Land, Studio 54 World, Mountain Town, Weimar World (with 100% fewer Nazis!) and more. The big catch: the decision is final.

Screenwriter Patrick Cunnane conceived the story and developed it with director David Freyne. The film wears its influences openly, with Albert Brooks Defending Your Life looming large.

We meet Joan and Larry briefly as octogenarians, en route to a family party and bickering about whether to vacation at the beach (his choice) or the mountains (hers).

Larrys holdover week is nearly up when Joan arrives at the Junction, where her AC, Ryan (Early), says hes been waiting 67 years. Ryan also oversees Luke, who has been in limbo all this time, awaiting Joans arrival  the ultimate romantic gesture. Joan, youthful again, is overwhelmed by seeing her first love as Larry looks on, baffled.

If youre wondering why Joan and Larry look like Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller, its because, in this world (perhaps following Titanic logic), everyone reverts to the happiest version of themselves. Randolphs AC Anna notes that this explains all the 10-year-old boys  and the lack of teenagers.

Joan is understandably flustered by the choice between her steady, neurotic husband and the passionate first love she never got to grow old with. If theres a gripe, its that the script is slow to suggest that choosing neither man is also an option.

Olsen channels a mid-century Diane Keaton, an old soul in a young body. In one delightful scene, she and Larry dissolve into hysterics as they rediscover the joy of being able to squat and jump again. Teller is surprisingly wonderful as the underdog  an egoless performance that earns empathy. Luke is less fully drawn, still the young soldier frozen in time, though Turner plays him with Redford-esque charm. He bats away compliments and insists hes not perfect, never imagining Joan might not choose him.

And theres that pesky choice: romantic, depressing, limited  all at once. Yet the films committed, clever simplicity is satisfying, a contained crowd-pleaser that, thankfully, does not go on for eternity.

[Abridged]

Eternity, an A24 release in theaters Wednesday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for sexual content and some strong language. Running time: 112 minutes. 

Like this: Like Loading...
As Australia began enforcing a world-first social media ban for children under 16 years old this week, Denmark is planning to follow its lead and severely restrict social media access for young people.

The Danish government announced last month that it had secured an agreement by three governing coalition and two opposition parties in parliament to ban access to social media for anyone under the age of 15. Such a measure would be the most sweeping step yet by a European Union nation to limit use of social media among teens and children.

The Danish governments plans could become law as soon as mid-2026. The proposed measure would give some parents the right to let their children access social media from age 13, local media reported, but the ministry has not yet fully shared the plans.

Many social media platforms already ban children younger than 13 from signing up, and a EU law requires Big Tech to put measures in place to protect young people from online risks and inappropriate content. But officials and experts say such restrictions dont always work.

Danish authorities have said that despite the restrictions, around 98% of Danish children under age 13 have profiles on at least one social media platform, and almost half of those under 10 years old do.

The minister for digital affairs, Caroline Stage, who announced the proposed ban last month, said there is still a consultation process for the measure and several readings in parliament before it becomes law, perhaps by mid to end of next year.

In far too many years, we have given the social media platforms free play in the playing rooms of our children. Theres been no limits, Stage said in an interview with The Associated Press last month.

When we go into the city at night, there are bouncers who are checking the age of young people to make sure that no one underage gets into a party that theyre not supposed to be in, she added. In the digital world, we dont have any bouncers, and we definitely need that.

Mixed reactions

Under the new Australian law, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove accounts of Australian children younger than 16.

Some students say they are worried that similar strict laws in Denmark would mean they will lose touch with their virtual communities.

I myself have some friends that I only know from online, and if I wasnt fifteen yet, I wouldnt be able to talk with those friends, 15-year-old student Ronja Zander, who uses Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, told the AP.

Copenhagen high school student Chloe Courage Fjelstrup-Matthisen, 14, said she is aware of the negative impact social media can have, from cyberbullying to seeing graphic content. She said she saw video of a man being shot several months ago.

The video was on social media everywhere and I just went to school and then I saw it, she said.

Line Pedersen, a mother from Nykbing in Denmark, said she believed the plans were a good idea.

I think that we didnt really realize what we were doing when we gave our children the telephone and social media from when they were eight, 10 years old, she said. I dont quite think that the young people know whats normal, whats not normal.

Age certificate likely part of the plan

Danish officials are yet to share how exactly the proposed ban would be enforced and which social media platforms would be affected.

However, a new digital evidence app, announced by the Digital Affairs Ministry last month and expected to launch next spring, will likely form the backbone of the Danish plans. The app will display an age certificate to ensure users comply with social media age limits, the ministry said.

One thing is what theyre saying and another thing is what theyre doing or not doing, Stage said, referring to social media platforms. And thats why we have to do something politically.

Some experts say restrictions, such as the ban planned by Denmark, dont always work and they may also infringe on the rights of children and teenagers.

To me, the greatest challenge is actually the democratic rights of these children. I think its sad that its not taken more into consideration, said Anne Mette Thorhauge, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen.

Social media, to many children, is what broadcast media was to my generation, she added. It was a way of connecting to society. AMES BROOKS, Copenhagen, MDT/AP

Like this: Like Loading...
Around 200 seniors and youth volunteers enjoyed a series of fun-filled intergenerational activities together Nov. 29 themed on Love & Inclusivity for All Ages, promoting community values of inclusion and reciprocity across generations. Held at the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau (UGAMM) Social Services Building, the event was sponsored by Sands China and co-organised by the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance Service Centre and the Ngai Chun Centre  both under UGAMM. Sands China donated MOP 240,000 to the Peng On Tung Charity Foundation at the event, continuing the companys enduring support for the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance programme.

Sands Chinas donation will help subsidise economically disadvantaged seniors in accessing the Peng On Tung Tele-Assistance programme and support the Charity Foundations extended care programmes for the elderly, such as home repair services through the Peng On Tung Maintenance Programme and haircuts through the Elderly Haircut Initiative.

Trainees from the Peng On Tung Maintenance Programme were recently invited to visit the SkillTech Training Center of the Sands Facilities Academy to learn about its operations, giving them a comprehensive understanding of professional repair and maintenance.

Peng On Tungs Elderly Haircut Initiative meanwhile cultivates youth volunteers with professional haircutting techniques and a dedication to giving back to society. Graduates regularly participate in the monthly Scissor Friends outreach activity to provide free haircuts to seniors. To date, the initiative has trained 254 students, further promoting care and connection between young people and seniors.

Following the donation, the Love & Inclusivity for All Ages event featured eight Intergenerational Skill Exchange booths, designed and operated by seniors and youth to demonstrate the concept of intergenerational love and inclusivity. Booths manned by the elderly featured handmade belts, flower crafts, calligraphy, and painting, while youth-led booths focused on smartphone accessibility, anti-fraud, health exercises, and electrical safety. Free haircut services were offered to seniors on-site, further fostering the spirit of intergenerational harmony.

Sands Chinas support of Peng On Tung is part of the Sands Cares global corporate citizenship programme.

Like this: Like Loading...
A decade of partnership with Macao Chamber of Commerce

Sands China fully supports the SAR governments policy of assisting local SMEs. Over the years, the company has actively helped them expand business opportunities and enhance their international competitiveness.

To strengthen support for local procurement, Sands China and its long-term partner  the Macao Chamber of Commerce  jointly launched the Local Small, Medium and Micro Suppliers Support Programme in 2015. Through financial support, business matching sessions, and professional training, the programme has facilitated increased collaborations between local suppliers and Sands China. Since its launch, the programme has achieved remarkable results: by Q3 2025, Sands Chinas cumulative procurement reached MOP 119.4 billion, with local procurement accounting for as high as 83%, marking a fruitful milestone for the programmes 10th anniversary.

In addition, the two parties co-organised the Sands Procurement Academy with the Macau Productivity and Technology Centre, inviting seasoned professionals from various fields to train local suppliers. The goal is to enhance suppliers business skills in working with large international clients, laying a solid foundation for future market expansion.

Providing free exhibition platforms to advance with SMEs

As Macaos largest sale event, the Sands Shopping Carnival embodies Sands Chinas long-term commitment to Macao. During the pandemic in 2020, Sands China created this free marketing and promotion platform at Cotai Expo to support local SMEs. By showcasing alongside international retail brands, local merchants benefited from strong synergies and achieved significant sales results, helping to boost Macaos economy. The event has now been held six times to great acclaim, attracting over 640,000 visitors in total.

Its customer base has expanded from neighbouring regions to more cities across the Greater Bay Area, making it a popular annual leisure event for both residents and tourists.

Introducing entrepreneurial solutions to revitalise community

To support the SAR governments community revitalisation projects, Sands China launched an innovative initiative in 2024 combining district characteristics with SME participation  the Entrepreneurship Recruitment Programme for Rua das Estalagens. By offering entrepreneurial funding and other measures, the programme encouraged local entrepreneurs and merchants to establish themselves in Rua das Estalagens, unleashing creative business ideas while stimulating the districts economy. The initiative received an enthusiastic response, with over 120 applications submitted. Seven outstanding proposals were selected and already settled in the district this year, becoming a new model of integrating tradition with innovation.

Advancing Macaos tech innovation and international connections

Technological innovation is a core driver of the SAR governments push for economic diversification. To promote high-tech development and facilitate the transformation of Macaos research achievements, Sands China established the Sands Resorts Incubation Centre in 2023. Through seminars, training courses, and competitions, the centre identifies promising local startups and supports upward mobility among young entrepreneurs.

Building on this foundation, Sands China in 2024 partnered with the Macao Economic and Technological Development Bureau to organise the Macao Technological Innovation Exploration in Lisbon, creating a forward-looking international platform for local enterprises. The initiative enables participants to learn about cutting-edge innovation trends, broaden their horizons, and build networks. Strongly supported by the industry, the initiative has continued this year, with 42 local enterprises participating across two editions. Many have successfully established collaborations with Portuguese tech companies, achieving two-way interaction of bringing in and going out.

This year, Sands China also hosted the inaugural Macao Hengqin Technological Innovation Industry-Academia-Research Reverse Business Matching. The event deepened cooperation between Macao and Hengqin enterprises in R&D, academic research transformation, and industry-academia collaboration. Through Q&A and business matching, tech companies and universities provided Sands China with solutions for smart tourism development, showcasing the dynamic synergy of tourism + technology.

Like this: Like Loading...
China to work with ASEAN to align development strategies, resist unilateral bullying: Chinese FM

Xinhua) 08:34, December 12, 2025

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Brunei's second minister of foreign affairs, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China regards ASEAN as its closest cooperation partner and is ready to continue providing mutual support and trust with ASEAN, align development strategies, create cooperation highlights, uphold open regionalism, pursue true multilateralism, resist any form of unilateral bullying and Cold War mentality, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Brunei's second minister of foreign affairs, that China and ASEAN can jointly act as an important force for regional prosperity and stability.

Noting that the next year will mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Wang said China is willing to take the important consensus reached by the two heads of state as the fundamental guideline, maintain high-level exchanges with Brunei, enhance strategic communication, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination, and take new steps in building a China-Brunei community with a shared future.

Wang elaborated on China's principled position on the Taiwan question, and on the grave harm of the erroneous statements made by Japan's current leader regarding Taiwan.

He commended Brunei for upholding the one-China principle firmly over the years, and expressed his hope and belief that Brunei will come to understand China's position fully, and will continue to be a strong supporter of the Chinese people's just cause in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Wang also called on the two sides to work together to defend the post-war international order, as well as human conscience and justice.

Brunei recognizes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China and will stay committed to the one-China policy, and will support China's great cause of national reunification, Erywan said.

China has always been the most important force in promoting regional solidarity and stability, he noted.

He said Brunei is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen political mutual trust, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, deepen cooperation in fields such as manufacturing, agriculture and fisheries, and push for greater development of Brunei-China relations.

Erywan noted that against the backdrop of rising uncertainties in the current international situation, regional countries should strengthen cooperation and jointly resist unilateralism and neocolonialism.

Noting that China and ASEAN are natural cooperation partners, Erywan called on the two countries to maintain close cooperation within the framework of ASEAN-China relations, advance their comprehensive strategic partnership, and bring benefits to the people of all countries in the region.

Brunei fully supports China in successfully hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting next year and looks forward to China exerting greater influence and leadership in international and regional affairs, he added.

Both sides agreed to work together to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea and accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

Both sides held that the international community should strive for a genuine comprehensive and durable ceasefire on the Israel-Palestine issue, implement the principle of "the Palestinians governing Palestine", adhere unswervingly to the general direction of the two-state solution, avoid double standards, and promote the long-term peace and stability of the Middle East.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Brunei's second minister of foreign affairs, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested two women  a non-resident worker and a local resident on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in separate investment scams that defrauded two middle-aged Macau residents of a combined MOP26 million, with one case tied to an online romantic relationship.

The arrests followed complaints from the victims, who reported falling prey to fraudulent investment schemes, including one that began as an online dating interaction. Both suspects are now facing charges of large-scale fraud and money laundering and have been referred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for further action.

Police briefed the media yesterday on the cases, revealing that one victim met a man claiming to be a soldier stationed at the Macao Garrison through a messaging app in early February.

The pair quickly developed an online romantic relationship, during which the man encouraged the victim to invest in a so-called charity platform that he claimed would yield easy profits. Trusting him, the victim invested MOP710,000 and initially saw her account balance peak at more than MOP2.7 million.

However, when she attempted to withdraw the funds, the platforms customer service demanded additional payments for guarantee deposits, taxes and retention fees.

Hoping to recover her investment, she paid an additional MOP510,000 but remained unable to withdraw any money. She later realized she had been scammed, suffering a total loss of MOP1.22 million.

In the second case, police said another victim lost MOP1.38 million. Investigators found that funds from both victims had been transferred to bank accounts held by the two suspects, who were unable to provide credible explanations for receiving the money or for how it was used.

Two employees nabbed for illegal currency exchange

At a separate press conference yesterday, police announced the arrest of two local men for operating illegal currency-exchange activities for gamblers under the guise of a jewelry store. Authorities said the store handled more than HKD190 million in illicit transactions, generating an estimated HKD5.8 million in profit since opening last August.

The two suspects  employees who joined the shop in March and July  were arrested on Wednesday, and one mobile phone was seized from each. During the operation, officers also detained another individual found carrying HKD500 in casino chips.

According to police, the investigation is ongoing to identify the store owner and other individuals involved. Officers seized HKD840,950, RMB9,600, two mobile phones and a currency counter from the premises.

Like this: Like Loading...
U.S. strategic bombers joined a fleet of Japanese fighter jets in a joint military exercise meant to demonstrate their military cooperation around Japans airspace, defense officials said yesterday, as tensions with China escalate.

The exercise showcasing joint Japanese-U.S. air power came a day after Chinese and Russian bombers flew together around western Japan, prompting Tokyo to scramble fighter jets, though there was no airspace violation. It also follows Chinas military aircraft locking radar on Japanese jets Saturday, another incident that has caused Tokyo-Beijing relations to further deteriorate.

Japans Air Self Defense-Force and the U.S. military conducted the joint exercise Wednesday as the security environment surrounding our country is becoming even severer, the Japanese Joint Staff said.

It said the allies reaffirmed the strong resolve to prevent unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force and the readiness between the SDF and the U.S. forces.

Two U.S. B-52 strategic bombers and three Japanese F-35 stealth fighter jets and three F-15 jets conducted their joint flight drills near Japans western airspace, above the waters between the country and South Korea, officials said.

Exercises held as security grows tense

The Joint Staff denied that the exercise was conducted in response to a specific incident, but acknowledged Chinese military aircrafts recent radar-locking on Japanese jets and the China-Russia joint bomber exercises Tuesday as examples of a worsening security environment around Japan.

Relations between Japan and China have deteriorated after Japans Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in early November that Japans military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.

The row escalated over the weekend when separate Chinese drills involving a carrier near southern Japan prompted Tokyo to scramble jets and to protest that Japanese aircraft were targeted by repeated radar-locking  a move considered as possible preparation for firing.

Tokyo protested to Beijing, asking for an explanation and preventive measures. China denied the allegation and accused Japanese jets of interfering and endangering the Chinese exercise.

Washington stressed its unwavering alliance with Japan, saying the incident was not conducive to regional peace and stability.

The exercise came one day after Chinese and Russian strategic bombers conducted joint long-distance flight from the waters between Japan and South Korea down to the Pacific, the Joint Staff said.

Two Russian strategic bombers Tu-95 that flew down from the airspace east of the Korean Peninsula joined a pair of Chinese H-6 bombers over the East China Sea for a joint flight down to the Pacific off the southern coast of Japans Shikoku island.

The four bombers were also joined by four Chinese J-16 fighters as they flew back and forth between two Japanese southwestern islands Okinawa and Miyako, the area where China is expanding its military presence. MARI YAMAGUCHI, TOKYO,MDT/AP

Like this: Like Loading...
The publication of a new third volume of Ted Grants Collected Writings, along with the republication of the first two volumes, marks a momentous step in equipping a new generation of communists with the ideas and methods of an oft-overlooked revolutionary.

[Pre-order your copy of Ted Grant Collected Writings volume 3 from Wellred Books here]

At a time when the postwar order of global US hegemony is falling apart, and even the present US administration  in its own words  rejects the ill-fated concept of global domination for itself, an understanding of how that old order came into being is crucial.

This is precisely what the third volume of Ted Grants Collected Writings provides. Examining how a new global equilibrium was forged out of the ruins of war, the book delves into a host of questions: the role of Stalinism, the ascendency of American capitalism, the evolution of reformism and centrism, the changes in the world economy, the Nuremberg trials, the roots of the partition of Palestine, and much more.

Spanning the watershed years of 1945 and 1946, the volume covers a once-in-a-century turning point in history that has defined the capitalist world order for generations. For Marxists today, attempting to develop a perspective of where the world is going in our own time, this material is invaluable.

A new chapter

When the Second World War drew to a close, it did not end in the way that the Fourth International had expected when Hitler fired the opening salvo of the war in 1939. Trotsky pointed out that, while any prediction of the outcome of a war is conditional on the actual march of events, the new imperialist slaughter would likely end in a revolutionary wave in which the reformists and the Stalinist leaders would be swept aside. The Fourth International, as the only Marxist International, would be propelled to the head of events and overthrow capitalism.

In many ways, the perspective of Trotsky and the Fourth International was confirmed by the revolutionary wave that swept both Europe and the colonial countries as the war came to a close. But the concrete forms through which these events unfolded were unexpected, due to the strengthening of the Soviet Union and Stalinism, which had expanded its control over Eastern Europe and raised its authority in the eyes of the masses by defeating Nazism. This new factor in the equation changed the course of the postwar period.

Ted Grant made a decisive contribution on this point, explaining why the likeliest outcome of the defeat of this wave of revolutions was not a new period of fascism and dictatorship but, owing to the weakness of the forces of reaction and the pernicious role of the Stalinist and reformist leaders, was one of counterrevolution in democratic form. Grant emerged as the principal defender of the Marxist method, insisting on analysing what actually exists  the balance of class forces internationally, the economic basis from which a slump or boom will transpire, and the role of leadership (good as well as bad) at the head of the world working class.

The Fourth International

The Revolutionary Communist Party led by Ted Grant was faced with an immense task in analysing and explaining these developments, as wartime gave way not to a new period of instability and slump of the capitalist system as was the case post-1918, but to a period of stabilisation of capitalism. This was not made easier by the fact that the regime of the Fourth International had abandoned the methods that Trotsky had patiently tried to instill in the organisation before he was killed in 1940. Unlike the RCP in Britain, the leadership of the Fourth International and the majority of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the United States, which was the largest section of the International, clung to the pre-war prognosis and a catastrophist schema in their perspectives.

Instead of conducting an honest debate in the International, its leaders including James Cannon and Pierre Frank, along with their man in Britain, Gerry Healy, did everything in their power to marginalise the British section. Doubling down on their erroneous perspectives and refusing to critically evaluate their mistakes, they laid the basis for further political zig-zags down the line and a regime in the International where organisational methods were heavy-handedly used to solve disagreements.

Their perspective document  The New Imperialist Peace and the Building of the Parties of the Fourth International  was scathingly critiqued by Ted Grant and the RCP in 1946. Even a year after the war had ended, the idea of an impending revolutionary crisis and the impossibility of a general economic recovery of capitalism was still maintained. As the official report from the international conference of April 1946 stated, becoming a mass force was at the doorstep:

The revolutionists have now to adapt themselves not to conditions of isolation, slow growth, and the onrush of reaction but to the epoch of greatest revolutionary convulsions and greatest opportunities for building the revolutionary parties.

In the minds of Cannon and Healy, the small size of the International could be overcome simply through adopting the method of entryism. In the case of Britain, this meant dissolving the organisation first into the Independent Labour Party and later the Labour Party itself. Since a revolutionary crisis was on the horizon, they argued, the mass organisations would radicalise rapidly to the left, and the Trotskyists would go from strength to strength.

This mechanical application of Trotskys advice to small groups of Fourth Internationalists in the 1930s was not based on a concrete understanding of where the economy and the reformist parties were actually heading after the war. Instead they flowed from the mistaken idea that capitalism had reached a final crisis.

Ted, meanwhile, argued that, although capitalism had played out its historical role as a progressive socio-economic system  clearly demonstrated by the Second World War and the slaughter of over 70 million people  this did not in itself mean the socialist revolution would automatically succeed or that the capitalists had no way to stabilise their system. It also did not preclude temporary periods of renewed upswing, and that capitalism had reached a fixed upper limit from which the economy and the productive forces could never again develop.

The postwar boom

Ted Grant spent a lot of time and energy getting to grips with economic developments. After all, economic developments are ultimately decisive for the development of society as a whole. In the final analysis, the type of policies that can be pursued, how class struggle develops, which ideas gain ground and how consciousness develops, are determined by the progress or decay of the development of the productive forces.

Parallel to the strengthening of the planned economy of the Soviet Union in the East, the United States emerged as the dominant capitalist power on the world stage.

The US ended the war with historically favourable circumstances. Having not suffered the terrible destruction as in Europe, they were able to spread their economic and political wings. Their industry was not only intact, but had developed through the war, taking over their European counterparts on all important fronts. The immense productive forces built for the manufacture of ships, planes and scientific war innovations, could in part be refitted to other arenas of industry and consumer goods.

Between 1938 and 1950 the American economy grew at an average annual rate of 6.5 percent per year with industrial production doubling in just over a decade.

Their former rivals on the world market meanwhile, had bombed each other to pieces, leaving them weak and indebted. Had it not been for the existence of the Soviet Union and the threat of revolution in the western world, the US might have thought it best to strangle the defeated countries still further, exacting enormous reparations as was done by the Allies with the Versailles Treaty in 1919.

But the strategists of American imperialism did not go down this road, opting instead to rescue and rebuild European capitalism. This provided the stimulus for an economic recovery on the other side of the Atlantic.

After the world war, it was the pressure from the US that forced the continental European powers to unite in the European Coal and Steel Community, predecessor to the EU, and for a while to overcome the national economic contradictions between them. In Britain, the ignominious fall from grace caused some upset among the capitalists, now being forced to accept their position as a second-rate power under the US umbrella.

Today, the US-European transatlantic alliance is breaking down under the hammer blows of Donald Trumps realignment and retrenchment on the world stage, much to the dismay of the European ruling class. This is the culmination of a long-term period of relative decline of US imperialism.

Reformism and the working class

In 1945 and 1946, the development of the Atlantic alliance and the postwar boom was still in its infancy. The hot breath of revolution and class struggle could be felt across the continent, particularly in Italy and Greece, but also in Britain through the landslide election of Clement Attlees Labour government, which stood on breaking the war alliance with Churchill and implementing a range of social programmes. This was a unique Labour government, because it was the only one in history that actually carried out its promises! They established the National Health Service and nationalised key industries.

While this was done in a way that was satisfactory to the capitalists, a wait-and-see attitude naturally set in among the working class. Ted Grant pointed to this fact, arguing that the different conditions of the new period made Labours room for manoeuvre much greater than under Ramsay MacDonalds government of 1929-31.

Despite the occasional strikes and even rationing of foodstuffs by the Labour government, a sense of stabilisation set in. As Ted explained in the RCP Perspectives of 1946, comparing the situation to the views of the year before:

This long-term perspective of [the crisis of] British imperialism is indisputable and has been long foreseen. However, a mistake in conjunction which was made was the telescoping of the inevitable long-term crisis with the immediate perspective for Britain.

Even Ted Grant could not have predicted how long the postwar boom would last and how far-reaching its consequences would be. But he did not get swept off his feet by the new situation. That is the key. This enabled him to foresee the contours of the period ahead, explain the changes that took place, all the while highlighting that far from solving the crisis of capitalism, an upswing laid the basis for the reemergence of all the contradictions of the system, for new crises and revolutionary events in the future.

Because of his understanding of the fundamental contradictions of capitalism, Ted Grant pointed out that from a Marxist point of view, the economic development of capitalism was not simply a negative phenomenon. Through trade and the expansion of the world market, the working class grew and expanded its presence and potential power across the face of the Earth.

In other words, it deepened the fundamental contradiction within capitalism between labour and capital, and improved the balance of forces globally in favour of the working class.

Today, many on the left hark back to the reforms of the postwar boom period, without understanding the special conjunction of forces that gave rise to it. When ideas of taxing the rich and taking on state debt to finance welfare are put forward by many on the left, going back and understanding what actually formed the basis for these reforms in the postwar period, is key.

A question of method

Ted Grants analysis of the events of 1945-46 is not just interesting from a purely historical point of view. More than anything, they showcase his grasp of the method of Marxism; how his appreciation for the facts, and his deep understanding of the nature of the development of capitalism produced key insights into the nature of a unique period in the history which has long ceased to exist.

The same method is needed today where events are bringing about the downfall of the postwar order. The imperialist conflicts across the world and the economic crisis upending the social contract of the past 80 years will cause tremendous upheavals. The situation is creating favourable conditions for the ideas of Marxism to once again become a force of history.

The burning question is not whether opportunities will present themselves. It is whether we are prepared to intervene and successfully build the only weapon that can overthrow the capitalist system: the revolutionary party. The new publication of the first three volumes of Ted Grants Collected Writings  covering nine key years and spanning 2000 pages  is indispensable ammunition in the class struggle to come. The articles, perspectives, and polemics penned by Ted Grant should be read and studied by every communist today committed to the only struggle worth fighting for, the struggle for world socialist revolution.
About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.
Madagascar on Wednesday, 10 December, inaugurated its National Consultation (NC) in the capital, marking the beginning of a nationwide process aimed at driving constitutional reform and establishing the countrys Fifth Republic.

The platform convenes institutional leaders, Government officials, political and diplomatic stakeholders, religious figures and citizens, reflecting a broad national constituency.

Minister of State for Refoundation, Hanitriniaina Razafimanantsoa, underscored the NC as a cornerstone of the countrys refoundation agenda, designed to secure inclusive participation in shaping Madagascars future governance architecture.

The six-month consultation will progress from the fokontany level through communes, districts and regions. President Michael Randrianirina had announced in November that the initiative would set the groundwork for a renewed system of governance.
On Wednesday, December 10, Ghana deported three Israeli nationals in a reciprocal move following what it described as the unacceptable removal of three Ghanaians from Israel. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscored that the action was taken to uphold the dignity of Ghanaian citizens.

The ministry noted that the charge daffaires ad interim of the Israeli Embassy was summoned in the absence of the ambassador, during which both sides affirmed their commitment to pursue a constructive and amicable resolution to the developing dispute.

Reiterating Ghanas commitment to principled international engagement, the statement affirmed the nations expectation that its citizens be accorded the same dignity and respect that Ghana extends to nationals of all partner countries.
Mozambique has barred at least 3,025 motorists from driving between January and September 2025 for violations of the traffic Code, Transport and Logistics Minister Joao Matlombe told Parliament on 10 December 2025.

He said the sanctions stemmed from intensified inspections and accident investigation reports, noting that 1,496 offenders committed medium-level infractions while 1,529 committed serious ones. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the minister urged national reflection, stressing that every road death represents a preventable loss that undermines families and the countrys future.

The Government will roll out a nationwide road safety campaign from 12 December to 15 January to strengthen mobility monitoring during the festive season, while also encouraging citizens to plan journeys carefully and adopt responsible behaviour.

Road accidents remain a profound national challenge. President Daniel Chapo recently revealed that 408 accidents were recorded between January and September 2025, down from 459 during the same period in 2024, yet resulting in 662 deathssurpassing fatalities attributed to malaria.

In response, authorities have approved a comprehensive Road Safety Action Plan, enhanced inspections, introduced mandatory rest stops every 300 kilometres and required driver rotation for long-haul routes. Despite these interventions, accidents continue to claim lives, prompting the president to admonish the police for failing to curb the crisis and for allowing corrupt practices to undermine enforcement efforts.
South African Airways (SAA) and Turkish Airlines have entered a new codeshare agreement designed to broaden route networks and significantly enhance connectivity between Africa, Turkiye, and major global destinations.

Signed in Geneva by Turkish Airlines Chairman Pr Ahmet Bolat and SAA CEO Pr John Lamola, the partnership is set to take effect on 1 March 2026, creating an integrated travel offering for passengers across both airlines.

Under the arrangement, Turkish Airlines will place its TK code on SAA-operated flights to major African cities including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Windhoek, Harare, Victoria Falls, and Mauritius.

In turn, SAA will attach its SA code to Turkish Airlines flights linking Istanbul with Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Frankfurt, Paris, and London. Both airlines describe the collaboration as a strategic move that strengthens TurkiyeSouth Africa relations while elevating customer experience through increased access and seamless travel options.

Pr Bolat hailed the agreement as a major step towards deepening Turkish Airlines footprint in Africa, where it already serves 65 destinations in 41 countriesmore than any other non-African carrier.

Pr Lamola emphasised the long-term value and operational synergies the partnership will deliver, noting that SAA views the codeshare as a critical mechanism for expanding safe, reliable, and competitive air services. The deal is expected to offer SAA customers broader access to Turkish Airlines global network of 355 destinations across 131 countries, reinforcing both carriers ambitions for sustainable growth and enhanced connectivity.
Senegal announced on 11 December 2025 that it has suspended all extradition proceedings to France, citing an imbalance in how the bilateral extradition agreement is applied.

The Minister of Justice told Parliament that while Senegal received 19 extradition requests from France in 2024  granting three, rejecting four and leaving ten pending  France has refused to extradite two Senegalese nationals requested by Dakar.

She reaffirmed that Senegal does not extradite its own citizens, including dual nationals, and underscored that the principle of reciprocity must guide cooperation between the two countries.

With Paris currently seeking the extradition of 12 individuals, Senegal said these cases will not proceed until its own requests are honoured. Authorities added that suspects involved in criminal offences will continue to be arrested and prosecuted domestically, but will not be transferred to French custody under the current circumstances. The government stressed that Senegal intends to defend its interests while reminding partners that international agreements must be applied fairly by all parties.
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Children with a rare form of cancer called neuroblastoma which hasn't responded to initial treatment or that has relapsed may benefit from adding antibody treatment to usual chemotherapy, according to new results from a clinical trial.

The results of the BEACON Phase II trial were carried out by an international consortium of researchers, coordinated by the University of Birmingham's Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study found that among children who have a high-risk form of cancer called neuroblastoma, using a monoclonal antibody treatment called dinutuximab beta (dB) alongside typical treatment led to patients' tumors shrinking after six cycles of treatment.

Children who received dB on top of the usual chemotherapy had significantly improved best objective response rate (ORR), which is a measure that represents the percentage of patients who experience a complete disappearance or partial reduction in cancer cells.

While usual treatment had a rate of 18.2% of patients whose cancer reduced or disappeared, adding dB as well saw the rate improve to 30.2%. In addition, patients had an average time without the cancer progressing of 11 months, and an overall survival time of almost 26 months in the experimental arm, compared to around four months progression-free and 17 months overall survival for usual treatment.

Professor Juliet Gray from the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton, and corresponding author of the study, said, "These are really encouraging results, which will contribute towards developing better treatments for children with neuroblastoma. We are continuing to investigate combining dinutuximab beta with chemotherapy, called chemo-immunotherapy, in the BEACON-2 trial.

"This trial is now open in many UK centers, and aims to improve the chemo-immunotherapy, so that more children can benefit."

Professor Amos Burke, director of the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Birmingham, said, "Neuroblastoma that comes back or doesn't respond to first line treatment comes with poor outcomes currently for the children who sadly have this disease.

"These results are very important and could improve the odds and lived experience for these children. Here at the University of Birmingham we remain focused on trialing tomorrow's treatments for children who need them most."

Primarily affects children under five

Neuroblastoma primarily affects children under the age of 5 years and around 100 children between the ages of 0 and 14 years are diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.

This cancer begins in immature nerve cells usually in the abdomen of young children and develops into small tumors that can be experienced as a lump in a child's abdomen. Neuroblastoma spreads to other parts of the body in around half of children, including the bones, skin and liver.

The BEACON trial recruited 65 patients with an average age of 4 years old, with 28 patients having refractory (not responding to first line treatment) and 37 patients having relapsing (where the cancer returns) neuroblastoma.

As well as measuring best objective response and survival times, the BEACON consortium also measured neurotoxicity of the treatment arms. For patients in the dB arm, around a third experienced lower grade symptoms such as drowsiness from the treatment compared to 9% in the active arm. There were low levels of more severe grade 3 symptoms in the dB arm (2.3%) and comparable to usual treatment (4.5%).

Previously reported results from the global BEACON consortium found that adding an anti-tumor drug bevacizumab with chemotherapy drugs led to patients' tumors shrinking.

The findings led to changes in how UK pediatric oncologists treat neuroblastoma, and the further trial BEACON-2 is now investigating the difference between a combination of drugs including bevacizumab and dB chemoimmunotherapy.

Publication details Dinutuximab beta added to temozolomide-based chemotherapy for children with relapsed and refractory neuroblastoma. Results of the ITCC-SIOPEN BEACON Immuno Phase II trial, Journal of Clinical Oncology (2025). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Oncology

Key medical concepts NeuroblastomaNeurotoxicity SyndromesBevacizumab
Iraq Allocates Land to Yezidi Women Survivors Under 2021 Law

A Yezidi family in a camp for displaced people in Zakho, Iraq, in August 2024. ( Eddie Gerald) Mosul, Iraq -- In implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law No. 8 of 2021, Iraq's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has announced the allocation of land to 262 Yezidi women who survived captivity under the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization in Nineveh Province.

Ministry spokesperson Hassan Khuwam told Rudaw that the Directorate of Yazidi Survivors' Affairs, which falls under the Ministry of Labor, submitted a request to the Iraqi Council of Ministers to allocate land for survivors in accordance with the 2021 law concerning Yezidi women survivors.

"Land will be granted to 262 Yazidi women survivors in the first phase," Khuwam said, adding that an additional 2,000 survivors are expected to receive land in the future.

He also noted that a plot of land has been allocated in Mosul for the establishment of a directorate dedicated to Yezidi women's affairs. The new directorate will include units for psychological support, training, and other services designed to help Yazidi women reintegrate into society.

According to a statement from the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, a plot of land measuring 2,481 square meters has been allocated and transferred free of charge in southern Nineveh to the General Directorate for the Affairs of Survivors of ISIS Captivity.

On 1 March 2021, the Iraqi Parliament passed Law No. 8, which aims to provide protection and compensation for survivors from the Yezidi, Christian, Turkmen, and Shabak communities who were subjected to genocide by ISIS. The law officially recognizes these crimes as genocide and crimes against humanity. It also established a general directorate to support survivors, provide compensation, offer education and employment opportunities, and open investigations into the missing and kidnapped.

ISIS carried out massacres against all communities of the region, including the Assyrian and Yezidi peoples. Although the announcement that land will be allocated to Yezidi survivors, there is no indication that the allocation of land will include displaced Assyrians, who were also targeted by acts of genocide by ISIS.

The displacement of Assyrians from Nineveh Plains, their ancestral homeland, has become effectively permanent for much of the community. Churches, homes, and community infrastructure were destroyed during ISIS's occupation, but unlike some other groups, most Assyrian families have not returned due to insecurity, lack of services, and fear of militia harassment and property confiscation by groups linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Many Assyrian IDPs relocated to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) or emigrated abroad, accelerating the collapse of the community's historic presence in the region. Today, only a very small number of Assyrian families remain, and demographic change driven by insecurity and weak governance continues to reshape Nineveh Plains.
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Providing surgeons feedback and education on their performance significantly improved the quality of bladder cancer operations, finds a new clinical trial led by researchers at UCL, UCLH and the University of Edinburgh.

The RESECT study, published in European Urology, is the first randomized controlled trial to examine whether feedback and education can enhance surgical performance for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), which has high rates of recurrence and progression.

Bladder cancer is the tenth most common cancer worldwide, and NMIBC accounts for around 75% of cases. The main form of diagnosis and treatment for NMIBC is surgery, which has been the main treatment for decades, but outcomes are dependent on how well the operation is performed.

Audit of surgical performance involves assessing surgeries against agreed standards, collecting and analyzing data on outcomes, and making recommendations to improve practice. This kind of audit is currently conducted on a national scale in prostate cancer, but there is no large-scale organized audit of bladder cancer in England or in most other countries in the world.

This large-scale trial involved 2,731 surgeons at 220 hospitals worldwide and analyzed data from 14,915 patients who had undergone a type of bladder cancer surgery called transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT).

It compared two approaches, with participating hospitals randomly assigned to adopt one approach: either standard observation (where surgeons entered data on their bladder cancer operations without receiving any feedback or education), or audit combined with feedback and education (where surgeons received tailored feedback as well as educational resources to improve performance).

The research team assessed four key indicators of surgical quality, including documentation of tumor features (such as the number, size and location of tumors) and completeness of tumor removal, as well as whether additional chemotherapy was administered and whether detrusor muscle was sampled during surgery (which helps to accurately stage the cancer). They also assessed this performance at baseline prior to being involved in the study and subsequently after being randomized into one of the study arms.

With feedback and education, the rate of tumor feature documentation increased significantly from 78.5% to 86.7% (meaning surgeons wrote down important details about tumors more often) and the rate of complete tumor removal documentation increased from 84.7% to 90.9% (recording when they had completely removed a tumor).

There were also more modest improvements in these outcomes in the observation arm of the study, where surgeons were observed but not provided feedback.

Being provided with performance feedback and education did not increase rates of chemotherapy use or detrusor muscle sampling, nor did it reduce recurrence rates compared to observation alone.

However, the authors noticed a powerful hidden effect that may explain the lack of difference between the intervention and control groups for cancer recurrence and chemotherapy use. Surgeons in the standard observation arm appeared to perform better during the study than they did at baseline. This effect has been known as the 'Hawthorne effect'a phenomenon where performance improves simply because participants know they are being observed. In hospitals that only took part in the observation arm, cancer recurrence rates fell from 25% at baseline to 18%, even without targeted feedback or education.

Professor Veeru Kasivisvanathan, senior author and co-chief investigator of the study from UCL Surgery and Interventional Science and Director of the BURST research collaborative, said, "We know that despite being the cornerstone of care, this bladder cancer procedure can have poor outcomes and how well the procedure is done makes a big difference to how likely it is to cure the cancer.

"The findings revealed that hospitals receiving feedback and education improved documentation of tumor characteristics and completeness of removal, which are both critical for guiding future treatment decisions. But perhaps the most surprising finding from the study was the fact that when surgeons are simply being observed, by taking part in an audit and entering data for their surgeries, outcomes also improve, which resulted in bladder cancer recurrence falling by 25%.

"Given the current financial and resource constraints facing many health care systems, to demonstrate such a large reduction in cancer recurrence by simply being observed is quite a major finding as this is a relatively cheap and straightforward approach which could improve cancer care overnight. This magnitude of reduction in cancer recurrence rates is similar to that achieved by single-instillation chemotherapy drugs which cost many millions of pounds to develop and administer.

"This study demonstrates that large-scale collaboration and structured audit can transform surgical practice. National audits are not common, but they have the potential to deliver significant benefits for patients. Our findings should encourage policymakers and clinicians to adopt these approaches more widely."

The study highlights the potential for national and international audit programs to raise standards in bladder cancer surgery.

Dr. Kevin Gallagher, co-chief Investigator of the trial from the University of Edinburgh and UCL Surgery and Interventional Science, said, "Our results show that carefully designed audit and feedback can improve documentation practices, which are essential for patient safety and cancer control. Even more striking is the impact of audit alone on recurrence rates. This suggests that simply participating in a well-organized audit can drive meaningful improvements in surgical quality."

"The RESECT trial provides a blueprint for improving surgical care through implementation science and collaborative audit and feedback. We would recommend that health systems consider implementing national audits for bladder cancer surgery, similar to successful programs in Scotland, which have previously shown reductions in recurrence and progression rates."

Publication details European Urology (2025). Journal information: European Urology
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

Providers are reeling from a change made by a federal agency responsible for setting and updating vaccination guidelines for American children and adults.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which crafts critical guidelines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention then adopts and provides to the public, voted 8:3 on Dec. 5 to loosen the recommendations around giving the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns at birth, shifting a 30-year recommendation toward individual decision-making between families and clinicians for mothers who test negative for the virus. It still recommends vaccination for the babies of those who test positive.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all members of the committee in June and replaced them with a hand-picked panel, many of whom have criticized COVID-19 vaccines, mandates and mRNA technology.

Other medical societies have swiftly responded to the change by supporting the longstanding recommendation to vaccinate all babies against hepatitis B at birth, citing evidence that doing so has led to hep B infections plummeting in that time period.

The Allegheny County Health Department said in a statement it was "deeply concerned" by the change.

"Our responsibility is to ensure that every newborn in Allegheny County receives the highest standard of protection," said ACHD Public Health Director Iulia Vann, in the statement. "The evidence is clear that the birth dose prevents infections that would otherwise lead to lifelong disease."

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver and can lead to liver cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer. A vaccine to prevent the virus was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1981 and involved pooled blood from positive donors. That was discontinued in 1990, and a new vaccine that does not use blood products was released.

Around 90% of babies infected with hep B at birth develop the virus, per the American Academy of Pediatrics, and one in four die from the disease.

Giving the vaccine at birth has reduced infections by 99%16,000 annual infections dropped to less than 20.

In its statement, ACIP said the birth-dose vaccination did not significantly contribute to the decline in cases and suggested it may be unnecessary. It recommended that mothers speak to their health care providers about weighing the risks and benefits of vaccination and that babies of mothers who are negative for hep B do not get the vaccine before two months of age.

During the ACIP meeting, Cynthia Nevison gave a presentation about the disease burden of hep B. Ms. Nevison is a climate researcher and does not have a medical degree nor experience in vaccines. Politico reported she had ties to groups that oppose vaccines.

Cody Meissner, former chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and former ACIP member, told the New York Times the meeting was "a terrible distortion of the facts."

Local physicians have maintained the previous recommendations that the benefits of vaccinating babies against hep B at birth outweighs the risks.

"UPMC experts continue to recommend hepatitis B vaccination for newborns; it's safe and prevents deadly infection and is covered by insurance," said UPMC's chief medical officer, Donald Yealy, in a Wednesday email statement. "As always, UPMC strongly encourages patients to discuss medical decisions with their trusted health care provider."

Allegheny Health Network echoed those statements, saying the organization remains "firmly aligned" with the American Academy of Pediatrics and "strongly supports" universal hep B vaccination at birth, recognizing its "proven safety and effectiveness" at protecting newborns from preventable disease.

"With over 1 billion doses given to newborns across the country to date, the hepatitis B vaccine has one of the most well-established safety records of any vaccine and is the best tool in pediatric medicine to protect babies from this chronic illness and possible liver cancer, according to clinical research," read the email statement.

"In all cases, we continue to encourage caregivers to consult with their providers to make informed health care decisions about vaccinations for their children, and we value the shared clinical decision-making process between our pediatricians and families."

The Allegheny County Medical Society, established in the region in 1865, joined the local health department in its concern over the ACIP vote and said in an email that the decision will "worsen vaccine misunderstanding and further erode trust in public health."

2025 PG Publishing Co. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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: Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from abdominal pain even between acute inflammatory flare-ups. Altered processing of pain in response to fear may be involved. This is the conclusion of a research team at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, involving Dr. Hanna Ohlmann.

The researchers compared the perception of pain in healthy individuals and patients with IBD using a learning experiment. Based on their findings, they recommend the development of personalized treatments that take such psychological mechanisms into account.

The study is published in Pain.

The relationship between fear and pain

"The fact that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often experience symptoms like abdominal pain even during phases of disease remission suggests that mechanisms other than acute inflammatory processes contribute to the persistence of pain," says Dr. Hanna Ohlmann from the Center of Medical Psychology and Translational Neuroscience at Ruhr University Bochum.

"One possibility is that the emotional processing of pain is altered."

A critical emotion in the context of pain is fear. Abdominal pain signals potential tissue damage or upcoming gastrointestinal symptoms, which is why we quickly learn when events or stimuli occur in close temporal proximity to abdominal pain.

We then start to fear and avoid these stimulia response that normally protects us. However, studies in other chronic pain conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, show that affected individuals tend to acquire pain-related fear more strongly than healthy individuals.

"Together with persistent avoidance behavior, this can cause abdominal pain to be perceived as increasingly threatening, which in turn can perpetuate the pain," says Ohlmann.

Learning to fear pain

To investigate whether this is also true for IBD patients, the researchers recruited 43 participants for their experimental study. 21 of these participants had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a subtype of IBD that primarily affects the colon. The remaining participants were healthy controls.

On the first study day, participants were shown various symbols on a screen. One symbol was repeatedly paired with painful heat applied to the lower abdomen, while another symbol was never paired with pain. In this way, the participants acquired pain-related fear.

This was followed by an extinction phase during which all symbols were shown without any painful stimulation, causing a decrease in pain-related fear again.

On the second study day, the extinction phase was repeated. Then, participants were unexpectedly exposed to painful heat again without any visual cues.

"We wanted to test whether IBD patients perceive the pain differently than healthy individuals, and whether this is linked to the strength of fear learning," explains Ohlmann.

Patients perceive pain as more unpleasant and intense

The results show that IBD patients perceived the pain as more unpleasant and more intense upon re-exposure compared to healthy participants. More pain-related fear acquired on the first study day was associated with a more unpleasant and intense pain perception on the second study daybut only in the patient group.

Further analyses revealed that fear-learning primarily shaped the perceived unpleasantness of the pain and only indirectly affected pain intensity. The emotional component of pain thus played an important role.

"Interestingly, IBD patients did not acquire more pain-related fear on the first study day than the healthy participants," notes Ohlmann. "So it wasn't the learning process itself that differed, but rather how the fear was linked to pain perception."

This suggests that the recurring, strong inflammatory flare-ups may, over time, alter how pain is centrally processed in relation to fear. Pain may then be experienced more intensely even if the fear itself is not excessively strong.

This idea is further supported by previous studies, which show structural and functional brain changes in patients with IBD, particularly in brain regions involved in processing fear and pain.

Implications for treatment

Treatment for IBD has so far mainly focused on controlling inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. However, psychological factorssuch as stress, persistent avoidance, or pain-related fearcould also play a crucial role.

"This is why chronic abdominal pain should be recognized as an important characteristic of the disease and treated accordingly," says Ohlmann.

"Patients who continue to experience abdominal pain despite successfully controlled inflammation may particularly benefit from a more holistic perspective.

"Our data suggest that psychological approachesfor example, from cognitive behavioral therapy, which specifically address fear and avoidanceshould be systematically investigated, including in other chronic inflammatory diseases associated with pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis or endometriosis."
The death of 28-year-old Sunil Lalbahadur Kewat on April 9, 2025, has now reached the Bombay High Court after his mother, Subavati Kewat (56), filed a petition accusing Oshiwara Police of ignoring clear signs of foul play, mishandling medical and forensic evidence, and refusing to register an FIR despite repeated complaints.

Her petition urges the court to examine whether her sons death was prematurely labelled an accident without even the most basic investigative steps.

Sunil was the younger son of Subavati and Bahadur Kewat (60), a rickshaw driver who once drove an auto but had left that job after Sunil began supporting the family. After Sunils death, Bahadur was forced to take up driving again to keep the household running.

Grief, warnings and a death shrouded in doubt

A year before losing Sunil, the family had already lost Raju (35), Sunils elder brother, an Ola driver who died in a road accident. Sunil stepped in immediately, taking responsibility for Rajus wife and children and becoming the familys emotional anchor. Talks of his marriage had just begun.

After losing Raju, all my hopes were on Sunil, Subavati recalls.

But those nightly calls became increasingly unsettling. According to the petition, Sunil, who worked as a dumper driver in the JogeshwariOshiwara belt, repeatedly told his mother he was being harassed by dumper owners Sachin Chavan and his brother Ritesh. The trouble reportedly escalated in late 2024 when he reversed the dumper into a parked car in Navi Mumbai. The cars windshield cracked, and the petition states he returned home with chest pain from a beating allegedly inflicted by the owners.

From December 2024 onward, Sunil allegedly came home bruised and frightened. The petition says he told his mother the Chavan brothers abused, bullied, and threatened to kill him. These people will not leave me, he whispered once. They will kill me one day.

Subavati urged him to quit, but Sunil refused. The family needed the income, and he felt responsible for his late brothers children.

The final days

On April 7, Sunil returned home after another alleged assault. The next day, the conflict reportedly escalated sharply. According to the petition, he told his family he feared for his life. On April 9, he left for his night shift between 10.30 and 11.00 am. He never returned.

By the next morning, his phone had fallen silent. His supervisor allegedly told Subavati he had already gone home. She began searching alone through lanes, dumping yards and half-built structures. Later, some local boys told her an unconscious man was lying beneath a metro bridge near -----

. She rushed there and froze. Under the elevated metro line, Sunil lay sprawled on an iron bench  injured, unresponsive, but still breathing. My son was alive, but barely, she says in the petition. This place was strange. He never visited there. And the police later claimed he fell from a dumper  there was no dumper, no witness, nothing.

Locals helped her take him to Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital. Doctors tried to revive him, but soon declared him dead. The doctors and police did not tell us the reason, she says. Despite everything we told them, they kept saying it was a simple fall.

Lapses and contradictions

According to the petition, Oshiwara Police registered only an Accidental Death Report (ADR) despite visible injuries and the familys statements about prior assaults. The family alleges police did not record their full complaint, did not question the accused men, did not examine earlier beatings, and did not check CCTV footage. The possibility of homicidal violence, they say, was never considered.

The petition lists procedural lapses: contradictions between the inquest and the post-mortem, failure to conduct a mandatory magistrate inquest under Section 176 CrPC, and the premature issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to dispose of the body before forensic or histopathology reports were ready. Under medico-legal norms, NOCs are not issued in suspicious or unnatural deaths. Yet one was allegedly issued almost immediately.

Doctors reportedly noted a circular injury on Sunils back, an older chest injury, and other marks inconsistent with a simple fall. None were recorded in the police inquest. According to the petition, these discrepancies legally required a fresh panchnama before a Magistrate  something that never happened.

The spot where Sunil was found, the petition states, did not indicate a fall from a dumper. There was no vehicle, no eyewitness, and it was far from his work route. Still, the fall theory became the official conclusion.

Post the petition, the Bombay High Court has stepped in more broadly, expressing deep concern over police apathy in several cases, one of them being Sunils. The Bench of Justice AS Gadkari and Justice Ranjitsinha Bhosle has now directed the Director of the Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CSFL) to submit the final forensic report within a week, with the matter to be considered again thereafter.

After months of pleading with local police for an FIR, the family says they lost faith in the system. With the help of advocates Parvez Memon and Chirag Naik of MZM Legal LLP, representing them pro bono, Subavati turned to the HC in the hope of an independent investigation.

When asked about the matter, Oshiwara police station senior police inspector Sanjay Chavhan said, I cannot comment on the matter.

For Subavati, this fight is about dignity and truth. My son feared he would be killed, she says. He told me every day. But nobody listened. Now I want justice, not only for him but for every poor person whose voice is ignored.

The HC is now examining the petition, a mothers attempt to ensure her sons death is not dismissed as an accident without confronting the questions that still linger in the shadows of that metro bridge.


Ask anyone who has moved to Mumbai for work, and they will all uniformly agree that few cities shape people the way Mumbai does. Its chaos and comfort coexist, its pace tests you, and its promise pulls you back even when you try to leave. Safar Mein Sheher, a just-released indie feature film made partly at IIT-Bombay with a student crew from the institute, and an ensemble cast, attempts to capture that textured, lived-in relationship with the city, across six journeys in a single day.

Directed by Mazhar Kamran, the film brings together a designer rushing to her fathers wedding, a house-help on her day off, two best friends stuck between affection and arranged marriage, a female taxi driver steering through the night, a star-struck small-town boy driving a kaali-peeli, and a call-centre executive whose new bike becomes the object of two thieves desire. Mumbai breathes through all of them.

Making room for students

The film was shot across Mumbai and at several locations inside the IIT-B campus in Powai. The institutes students also became an important resource pool, with over 40 of them enlisted to assist in the film to gain hands-on experience.

Kamran, who is also a faculty member at the IDC School of Design, IIT-Bombay, believes that students gain immensely from shadowing seasoned professionals. They get a chance to see what professionalism is. They pick up all those tangible and intangible gains from such projects.

Interestingly, Kamran pursued Electrical Engineering at IIT-Madras before following his passion for filmmaking with a Diploma in Cinema.

He sees IIT-Bs culture of encouraging real-world engagement as a positive development. IIT-Bombay is different. It is the vibrancy they impart to the campus and its faculty. And we are encouraged to remain in touch with the world. Since Im a filmmaker teaching cinema I try and take students on a journey through the best of cinema.

Actor-filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia, who also makes an appearance in the movie, says the interactions with the students at IIT-B stayed with him the most. The kind of questions they asked me were very different from the questions any other film buff or young film enthusiast would ask. And that was quite enriching for me.

A city seen through many lenses

As a filmmaker, Kamran knows Mumbai has been filmed to exhaustion. But what sets a story apart, he says, is how you choose to look at it. We can talk about Mumbai in several different ways because the experience of each person living in Mumbai and experiencing this city is different. Its the tone and how you present it that sets two stories apart. My story covers a wide spectrum, comprising people from all walks of life and across different age groups. So that tone, that way of looking and capturing life is what is different about it, he says.

The tone he speaks of is intimate, even meditative. The film doesnt chase spectacle; instead, the director insists that it observes humanity in fleeting interactions, chance meetings, and the quiet persistence of survival.

For Kamran, the goal wasnt to paint a glossy Mumbai or showcase the gritty side. He just wanted to show the daily and often not-so-pretty commutethe compromises, the connections, and a city in constant motion.


There are several holiday events and performances scheduled, this is an overview from our events calendar for the weekend of December 13th and 14th.

First, this Friday, Tuolumne Park and Recreation will present the annul Christmas Parade and Market in downtown Tuolumne. The Parade will start at 6 PM. The Market will open before the parade at 4 PM at Westside Memorial Park. Stroll through the festive marketplace, shop local vendors, and enjoy delicious food available for purchase. After the parade, warm up inside the Memorial Hall with cookies and hot chocolate while you explore even more holiday cheer. It is 2nd Saturday Art Night in Downtown Sonora and you can join Tuolumne County Arts for a free arts and craft workshop. This months activity will be DIY Paper Box-Making by Stacy Lindsey. No registration is required, but workshops may run out of space. There is also an economic development workshop planned as detailed in the news story here.

The Word of Life Fellowship will be performing the Christmas Musicale, Proclaim! Performances are at 7 PM Friday and Saturday and Sunday at 1 PM. Pine Cone Singers will perform their concert Wonders of Winter on Friday at 7 PM at Evangelical Free Church in Groveland. The concert repeats on Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM ticket details are here. Join the Jamestown Youth Centers annual Breakfast with Santa fundraiser is Saturday from 9-11:30 AM at the Jamestown Community Hall. Event details and more about the breakfast and tickets are here. Permits to cut Christmas trees in the National Forest are available now, details are here. The Annual Kids Christmas Party at Ebbetts Pass Moose Lodge will be this Saturday from 11 AM to 12:30 PM with cookie decorating, crafts, face painting, goodies, a prize raffle and a visit with Santa Claus as detailed here. Support the MiWuk/Sugar Pine Fire Protection District and get photos Saturday with Santa from 11 AM  2PM as detailed here. The Columbia College Mens Basketball team will host Contra Costa College Saturday at 6 PM. Details about the season are in our events calendar here. Sunday at 11 AM the Columbia All Equestrian Parade starts. The Historic Columbia tradition, produced by the Back Country Horsemen, and is open to all ages of equestrian riders/drivers and mounted groups. Later on Sunday in Columbia is the Las Posadas Nativity Procession. In the Spanish tradition, the biblical story of Mary and Josephs search for shelter in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve will be re-enacted at 5:30 pm with a distinctive 1850s flavor. Onlookers hold candles and are led in singing Christmas Carols.

This Saturday Chicken Ranch Casino Resort will host the annual Holiday Indigenous Market from 10am to 7pm. The market will be on level 1, with unique indigenous handmade gifts.

Heritage Park at Black Oak Casino will be decorated as a Winter Wonderland. The parks lights offer photo opportunities through the holidays and this Sunday and next Sunday, December 21, from 5 to 7 pm Santa will be making an appearance. There will also be hot chocolate, cider, and treats. Over 50 non-profits are participating in Christmas Tree Lane in Courthouse Park. This Saturday Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be in Courthouse Park from 4 pm to 7 pm courtesy of the City of Sonora and the Sonora Chamber of Commerce. This seasons Santa schedule, including the Holly Jolly Wagon, is in our community calendar here.

If you want to take a Christmas tree home, you can support Dramatics Family Theater/Winters Haven Resource center. Dramatics performs several plays a year suitable for children performed by specific age groups. They are selling Christmas trees to raise funds at the old Red Church Thrift Store location in Tuolumne as detailed here.

The nightly Holiday Light Show in Crystal Falls continues with a large light display and Christmas songs starting on Eel River Drive from American River Drive, details are here. Another Christmas Light Show will be on Joyce Court off Phoenix Lake Road as detailed here.

Select a Christmas Giving Tree tag and donate gifts to those in need named on the tag. A giving tree is at the Junction Shopping Center, purchase a gift for the child listed on your tag and return the unwrapped gift and tag by December 15. There is also a Giving Tree at WildBud Floral Company in downtown Sonora. Return the wrapped gift with the tag by December 23 to benefit those in need at the Center for A Non-Violent Community.

Murphys Creek Theater will host the Mountain Melody Womens Chorus holiday music program with songs of Pure Imagination. The performance is from 2 to 4 pm with such classics as Sleigh Ride and Christmas Waltz and new favorites like Sing Gently and Walking in the Air.

Murphys Creek Theater is performing Over the River and Through the Woods in the evenings with some matinees. The play is from Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro, and described by Director Maryann Curmi as A heartwarming experience about what the holidays are truly about, faith, family, and food. Tickets are pay what you can, here.

It is the last weekend for performances at Sierra Repertorys East Sonora Theatre for Million Dollar Quartet Christmas. The performance will include holiday hits from Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley as detailed in the blog by Tori James here. Performances of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Richard Hellesen continue at the Fallon House Theater.

The restaurant of the month in our dining guide is Guss Steak House. Check out all the Sonora Christmas Town Events, the movie times at local theaters, skiers and snowboarders check out local webcams here and the snow reports from open California ski resorts are in the weather section here.
Sonora, CA  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning about heavy metal poisoning associated with certain unapproved ayurvedic drug products.

Tuolumne County Public Health is passing on this warning on the risks linked with Ayurvedic, a historic system of healing arts that originated in India. These items may contain spices, herbs, vitamins, proteins, and minerals, as well as heavy metals, including lead, mercury, arsenic, iron, and zinc, which are not labeled on the product.

The FDA warning was issued after one of its laboratories recently examined Rheumacare Ayurvedic Proprietary Medicine from NavaFresh.com. The tests revealed elevated amounts of lead and mercury, as well as strychnine, brucine toxins, and arsenic.

The agency advises consumers not to use Rheumacare. Customers who own this merchandise should trash it. The agencys testing was based on an adverse event complaint from a consumer who took the product and had extraordinarily high blood lead levels.

Find more information and symptoms of poisoning by clicking here for the FDA website, or contact the Tuolumne County Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 209-533-7401.
Bonnie Blue is set to be deported from Bali and banned from the island for a decade.

Bonnie Blue is facing deportation from Bali

The 26-year-old adult star was arrested for allegedly filming explicit content in the Indonesian province, which has strict anti-pornography laws, although an investigation uncovered no evidence that the controversial star had breached the rules.

However, the authorities in Bali alleged that Bonnie  who went viral after claiming that she had slept with over 1,000 men in 24 hours  had filmed other commercial content without the correct visa and broken traffic laws.

Bali's Immigration Chief Winarko claimed that Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, had been working as a "content creator" on a tourist visa.

He said at a press conference: "The activities they carried out contained pornographic elements, whereas here in Bali we expect tourists who come to support culture and uphold local wisdom.

"The next step is that we wait for the chief of police to complete their process... after that, we will immediately take firm action by deporting them and imposing a re-entry ban."

The adult star was charged under Indonesia's traffic laws alongside two other British nationals and an Australian man.

Badung's Police Chief Arif Batubara said: "While they were supposedly (on) holiday in Bali, they misused their visas by creating content and driving a vehicle without the proper licence."

After a court hearing in Denpasar, Bonnie was ordered to pay a 10 fine and could be forced to spend up to a year in jail if she does not pay the penalty promptly.

She is set to be deported from the island on Friday (12.12.25) evening.

However, Bonnie could have faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to six billion rupiah (approximately 270,000) had she been found in breach of Indonesia's anti-porn laws.

The adult star had been travelling around Bali on her blue Bang Bus and was recently kicked out of a nightclub for being "too famous".

A source close to Blue said: "Bonnie didn't get 'kicked out' for bad behaviour  the club just couldn't accommodate her fame. People were going wild for her. In the end, it was safer for everyone if she left early."
Individuals named Aethelhere are typically perceived as possessing strong leadership qualities, natural authority, and a sense of noble responsibility. They often exhibit strategic thinking and military-minded approaches to problem-solving, reflecting the name's 'army' component. These individuals tend to be protective of their communities and families, showing loyalty and commitment to those they lead or serve. The 'noble' aspect of the name suggests someone with high moral standards, dignity, and a sense of honor that guides their decisions.



They may be traditional in their values yet innovative in their methods, combining respect for heritage with practical solutions to contemporary challenges. Their personality often blends aristocratic bearing with practical warrior spirit, making them both respected and effective in positions of responsibility. The historical weight of the name tends to influence personality development toward seriousness, historical consciousness, and a sense of carrying forward ancient traditions. These individuals often feel a connection to history and may develop interests in genealogy, military history, or leadership roles that allow them to exercise both strategic thinking and moral authority.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Akila holds deep roots in Egyptian and broader Arab culture, derived from the Arabic word 'Aqil' meaning intelligent or wise. In ancient Egyptian context, the name connects to the cultural reverence for knowledge and wisdom, embodied by deities like Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing. Throughout Islamic history, the name gained prominence as it reflects the high value placed on intellectual pursuit and rational thinking in Islamic philosophy. During Egypt's Golden Age of Islamic learning (9th-12th centuries), women named Akila were often noted in historical records as scholars, teachers, and patrons of libraries.



The name symbolizes the bridge between ancient Egyptian wisdom traditions and Islamic intellectual heritage, representing a continuous thread of valuing education and mental acuity in Egyptian society across millennia. In modern Egypt, the name carries forward this legacy while adapting to contemporary educational and professional contexts. It represents the evolving role of educated women in Egyptian society while maintaining connection to cultural and historical roots that celebrate intellectual achievement and wise leadership.
Individuals bearing the name Alcott typically exhibit a unique blend of intellectual curiosity and practical wisdom. They are often deep thinkers who value knowledge and education, yet remain grounded in reality and tradition. Their personality reflects the name's origins - combining the stability of an 'old cottage' with the potential for growth and innovation. Alcotts tend to be excellent communicators, often drawn to teaching, writing, or other forms of knowledge sharing. They possess a natural authority that comes from thoughtful consideration rather than assertiveness.



These individuals usually demonstrate strong family values and a sense of responsibility toward their community. They are often perceived as reliable, principled, and somewhat reserved, preferring meaningful connections over superficial relationships. The Alcott personality combines introspection with action - they are thinkers who implement their ideas practically. Their strength lies in their ability to bridge tradition and progress, making them effective leaders who respect the past while building for the future. They typically show resilience in adversity and maintain their core values through changing circumstances.
Individuals named Alhwin are typically perceived as possessing a natural nobility of character, combining strength with loyalty. They tend to be dependable friends who value deep, meaningful relationships and often serve as pillars in their social circles. Their 'noble' aspect manifests as integrity, honor, and a sense of responsibility toward others, while the 'friend' component makes them approachable, empathetic, and excellent mediators. Alhwin's often exhibit a balanced personalityassertive when necessary but always considerate of others' perspectives.



This combination creates individuals who are natural leaders but not authoritarian rulers. They thrive in positions where they can protect and guide others, embodying the ancient ideal of the chieftain who is both strong leader and loyal companion. Their decision-making tends to be thoughtful and inclusive, weighing both practical considerations and human impact. The name suggests someone who carries authority gracefully, who understands that true strength includes vulnerability, and who builds lasting relationships based on mutual respect rather than obligation or fear.
Individuals named Alicyn are often characterized by their unique blend of creativity and practicality. The distinctive spelling of their name frequently correlates with developing a strong sense of individuality from an early age, leading to confident self-expression and independent thinking. They tend to be adaptable communicators who can navigate diverse social situations with ease, often serving as bridges between different groups or perspectives. Their creative nature manifests in various forms, from artistic pursuits to innovative problem-solving in professional contexts.



Alicyns typically demonstrate emotional intelligence and empathy, making them effective in roles requiring interpersonal skills and understanding of human dynamics. They often possess a quiet determination and resilience that helps them overcome challenges while maintaining their optimistic outlook. The combination of traditional name roots with modern spelling suggests someone who values both heritage and progress, able to appreciate established ways while embracing new ideas. This balance makes them particularly effective in fields that require both creative vision and practical implementation, from arts and design to education and entrepreneurship.
Women bearing the name Alzubra are typically associated with a constellation of personality traits that reflect their celestial namesake. They often exhibit natural leadership qualities combined with intellectual depth and a strong sense of purpose. Their presence tends to be both calming and influential, much like the steady guidance of a navigational star. These individuals frequently demonstrate remarkable resilience and the ability to maintain their course through challenges, showing both determination and adaptability when facing obstacles.



Alzubra's are often perceived as having brilliant minds with a natural curiosity about the world, particularly in scientific or philosophical domains. They tend to be both practical and visionary, able to navigate complex situations while maintaining sight of larger goals. Their guidance is often sought by others during difficult times, as they possess an innate ability to provide clarity and direction. The combination of their intellectual prowess and emotional intelligence makes them effective in roles that require both analytical thinking and interpersonal skills, often excelling as educators, leaders, or innovators in their chosen fields.
Women named Ameerah are often perceived as natural leaders with a commanding presence and innate dignity. They typically exhibit strong organizational skills, clear communication abilities, and a natural authority that others respect. Their 'princess-like' quality manifests not as entitlement but as a sense of responsibility toward others, often taking charge in group situations and ensuring everyone's needs are met. Ameerahs are usually confident, articulate, and possess excellent problem-solving capabilities, making them effective in both professional and personal settings.



They tend to be protective of those they care about and often serve as pillars of strength within their families and communities. While they carry themselves with elegance and poise, they also demonstrate compassion and empathy, balancing authority with kindness. Their leadership style is typically inclusive and collaborative rather than authoritarian, earning them genuine respect rather than mere obedience. Many Ameerahs develop strong moral compasses and become advocates for justice and fairness in their spheres of influence, often inspiring others through their example of principled leadership.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Benkamin represents a distinctive spelling variation of the traditional Hebrew name Benjamin, which holds deep significance in Jewish tradition as the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel in the Torah. The name means 'son of the right hand' or 'son of the south,' symbolizing strength, favor, and protection. In biblical narrative, Benjamin was the only full brother of Joseph and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, with the tribe of Benjamin being known for its warriors and eventually producing the first king of Israel, Saul.



The spelling 'Benkamin' reflects a unique phonetic interpretation that has appeared in various Jewish communities throughout history, particularly among Sephardic and Mizrahi traditions. This variation maintains the name's essential meaning while representing the diverse linguistic adaptations that occurred as Jewish communities spread throughout the world. The name carries connotations of resilience and continuity, as the tribe of Benjamin survived near-extinction in the Book of Judges to become a significant force in ancient Israel. The ploughman description further enriches this cultural significance, connecting the name to themes of cultivation, sustenance, and working in harmony with the land.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Binah holds profound significance in Jewish mystical tradition as one of the ten Sefirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Representing 'Understanding,' it occupies a central position between Chokhmah (Wisdom) and the lower Sefirot, serving as the maternal principle that gives form to abstract wisdom. In traditional Jewish thought, Binah represents the analytical and comprehending aspect of intellect, the ability to distinguish, analyze, and derive one concept from another.



The name has been used particularly among scholars and mystics who value its deep spiritual connotations and connection to divine understanding. Throughout Jewish history, the concept of Binah has been central to educational and spiritual development, representing the capacity to penetrate deeply into the meaning of texts and concepts. In contemporary Jewish practice, the name continues to carry these rich associations, often chosen by families with strong connections to learning and spiritual exploration.
Individuals named Brodric are often perceived as possessing strong leadership qualities combined with a deep sense of loyalty and brotherhood. They tend to be natural protectors who value family and community bonds, often taking on roles that require both strength and compassion. Their personality typically blends traditional values with modern adaptability, making them respected figures in both personal and professional circles.



Brodrics are frequently described as dependable and principled, with a strong moral compass that guides their decisions. They excel in situations requiring diplomacy and strength of character, often serving as mediators or leaders who can unite different perspectives. While they may appear reserved initially, they form deep, lasting relationships and are known for their unwavering support of those they care about. Their combination of traditional values and contemporary understanding makes them effective in navigating complex social dynamics.
James L. Brooks is "sure" Jack Nicholson will work again.

Jack Nicholson hasn't made a film since 2010

The One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest star hasn't appeared on screen since he starred in the writer-and-director's 2010 movie How Do You Know with Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd, but the filmmaker is hopeful they will work together again in the future.

James confirmed he is "very much in contact" with the 88-year-old acting legend.

He added to E! News: I'm sure he'll be working again. I hope it's with me.

James didn't approach Jack to star in his new movie Ella McCay but that was due to the storyline.

He said: There's no part in this film for anybody like Jack.

James has previously expressed his hope that Jack - who has made occasional appearances on his daughter Lorraine Nicholson's Instagram account in recent times - will have a desire to act again.

He told People magazine in 2023: I keep on thinking he's going to get itchy and scratch it. My theory is its not his last movie.

Thats what Im hoping for. Hes the man...

I am in love with the guy. America's in love with the guy. He's a lovable guy.

Meanwhile, earlier this year Danny DeVito revealed The Shining actor is doing "great".

Speaking to People to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Danny said: "I just saw Jack a couple of weeks ago - it was his birthday a month ago, and he's great."

The 80-year-old actor maintained a close bond with Jack after One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as they appeared in a number of movies together and recalled how he was impressed with the star's grounded attitude when they first met even though his star in Hollywood was rising at the time.

DeVito said: "There was no need for an icebreaker. He was immediately just so embracing... He started out exactly the way everybody else did, where he couldn't get a job. It was like he came to Hollywood and he was just going to write and direct, and then Easy Rider comes along after the (Roger) Corman stuff... So he was in our milieu, and he was always just as open and genuine, and we all felt it immediately.

"Of course, he was doing it because he's that way, and he was also doing it because that had to be, because we had to be all joined at the hip in that movie, and we had such great performances."

Danny explained that his bond with Jack extends back to their childhood roots.

He said: "He and I have a little history, because we were born in the same hospital in New Jersey."

The Matilda actor remembered how his sisters worked in the same hair salon as Jack's older sister.

"When I was a kid, I always heard about this really handsome guy from Neptune who went out to California and became a movie star."
Individuals named Camarin typically embody a unique blend of strength and compassion that makes them natural protectors and caregivers. Their personality is characterized by a deep sense of responsibility toward others, combined with practical wisdom in addressing challenges. Camarins often display remarkable emotional stability and are frequently the 'rock' in their social circles - the person others turn to in times of crisis or uncertainty. They possess an innate ability to create environments where people feel secure and valued, whether in family settings, workplaces, or community organizations. Their protective nature is balanced by respect for others' autonomy, making them supportive rather than controlling in their relationships.



In professional and personal contexts, Camarins demonstrate exceptional reliability and consistency. They are often drawn to careers in education, healthcare, social work, or community leadership where their protective instincts can benefit broader populations. Their communication style tends to be calm and reassuring, and they excel at conflict resolution through empathy rather than confrontation. While they may not seek the spotlight, Camarins often become influential figures in their communities through their steadfast commitment to others' wellbeing. Their strength lies in their ability to provide both practical support and emotional sanctuary, making them invaluable members of any community or organization. This combination of practical capability and deep empathy makes Camarins particularly effective in roles that require both heart and strategic thinking.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Ceire holds significant cultural importance in Irish history as the name of an early female saint from the 5th-6th century. Saint Ceire was part of Ireland's first generation of Christian holy women who established religious communities across the island, particularly in Connacht where she is believed to have founded a church. The name represents the strong tradition of female religious leadership in early medieval Ireland, a period when women like Saint Brigid and Saint Ceire played crucial roles in spreading Christianity and establishing centers of learning and spirituality.



Throughout Irish history, the name has maintained its connection to Ireland's spiritual heritage while also symbolizing the preservation of Gaelic culture during times of political and cultural suppression. It embodies the resilience of Irish identity and the important role women have played in maintaining cultural and religious traditions across centuries. The name's continued usage, though rare, represents a living link to Ireland's early Christian period and the powerful women who helped shape the nation's spiritual landscape.
Individuals named Conrado typically exhibit strong leadership qualities combined with thoughtful deliberation. They are often perceived as natural advisors who balance courage with wisdom, making them excellent decision-makers in challenging situations. Their 'bold counsel' nature manifests as both confidence in their convictions and the ability to provide sound guidance to others. Conrados tend to be strategic thinkers who approach problems methodically, weighing options carefully before acting. They often possess a calm, authoritative presence that inspires trust and respect from those around them. While they can be assertive when necessary, they typically lead through persuasion and reasoned argument rather than force. Their combination of bravery and intellect makes them particularly effective in leadership roles where both quick thinking and long-term planning are required. Many Conrados develop strong moral compasses and become known for their integrity and reliability in personal and professional relationships.
Individuals named Crohoore typically exhibit strong loyal and protective characteristics, mirroring the faithful nature of hounds they're named after. They tend to be deeply committed to their family and community, often taking on protective roles and demonstrating unwavering dedication to those they care about. Their personality often combines patience with sudden bursts of energy and focus, much like hunting dogs awaiting the right moment to act. They are natural trackers and problem-solvers, able to follow complex situations to their conclusion with determined persistence.



Socially, Crohoores are often team-oriented but maintain strong independent streaks. They value trust and reliability in relationships above all else, and can be fiercely defensive of their loved ones when threatened. Their communication style tends to be direct and honest, sometimes blunt, but always with underlying warmth and concern for others' wellbeing. They typically possess excellent instincts about people and situations, often sensing dishonesty or danger before others do. While they can be reserved with strangers, they form deep, lasting bonds with those who earn their trust, demonstrating the same loyalty they expect from others.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Darwyn emerged in the 19th century as a variant of Darwin, directly inspired by the revolutionary naturalist Charles Darwin. In Christian contexts, the name carries dual significance - its Old English roots meaning 'dear friend' align with Christian values of fellowship and community, while its association with scientific discovery reflects the ongoing dialogue between faith and reason. The name represents a bridge between traditional values and progressive thinking, embodying the tension and harmony between religious tradition and scientific advancement that characterized the Victorian era when it first gained popularity.



Throughout the 20th century, Darwyn maintained its appeal among families valuing both intellectual curiosity and spiritual depth, often chosen by parents who appreciate its connection to groundbreaking scientific thought while maintaining its warm, personal meaning of friendship. The name has been particularly embraced in educational and academic circles, where its association with discovery and learning resonates strongly. In modern Christian communities, Darwyn represents a thoughtful approach to faith that acknowledges the importance of both spiritual connection and intellectual inquiry.
Individuals named Derry are often perceived as grounded and resilient, reflecting the symbolic strength of the oak tree from which the name derives. They typically exhibit a calm, steady demeanor with deep-rooted principles and loyalty to family and community. Like the oak that withstands storms while providing shelter, Derrys are often seen as reliable anchors in relationships and professional settings. Their connection to nature through the name's meaning often translates to an appreciation for the outdoors and environmental awareness.



Many Derrys display a quiet confidence and practical wisdom, approaching challenges with patience and determination rather than impulsive reactions. They tend to be thoughtful decision-makers who value tradition while being adaptable to change when necessary. The oak grove symbolism suggests someone who thrives in community settings, often acting as a unifying force in groups. Their strength is typically understated rather than overt, much like the deep root system of an oak that provides stability without being immediately visible. This combination of resilience, loyalty, and quiet strength makes Derrys valued friends and trusted colleagues.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Devika holds profound significance in Hindu culture as it directly derives from 'Devi,' the supreme goddess representing feminine divine power. The name embodies the concept of Shakti - the cosmic energy that creates, sustains, and transforms the universe. In Hindu mythology, numerous goddesses like Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga represent different aspects of this divine feminine principle. The diminutive '-ika' suffix adds an endearing quality, suggesting a beloved or cherished goddess-like figure. This name connects bearers to India's rich spiritual heritage while celebrating feminine divinity in everyday life.



The name's cultural importance extends beyond religious contexts into social and familial spheres. In many Hindu families, naming a daughter Devika expresses aspirations for her to embody divine qualities like wisdom, strength, and compassion. It reflects the high status accorded to women in Hindu philosophy, where the feminine principle is recognized as the active, dynamic force in the universe. The name serves as a constant reminder of the sacred feminine energy that permeates all existence.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Eada is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name with deep Christian roots in early English history. Derived from Old English elements meaning 'wealth' and 'prosperity,' the name was particularly popular among noble families during the Anglo-Saxon period, often given to daughters in Christian households as a blessing for a prosperous life. The name appears in several historical records of medieval England, frequently associated with women of means who supported religious institutions and charitable causes.



During the Christianization of England, names like Eada gained religious significance, representing not just material wealth but spiritual riches and God's blessings. Many women bearing this name were recorded as benefactors to monasteries and churches, embodying the Christian virtue of using worldly wealth for spiritual purposes. The name's usage declined after the Norman Conquest but maintained a presence in certain regions, preserving its connection to England's early Christian heritage.
Individuals named Echa typically exhibit nurturing and spiritually grounded personalities, often serving as sources of support and guidance within their communities. Their name meaning 'give blessing' frequently manifests in their character as natural empathy, generosity, and a genuine desire to help others flourish. Echas tend to be intuitive and emotionally intelligent, making them excellent listeners and advisors who can understand complex situations and provide meaningful counsel. They often possess a calm, reassuring presence that others find comforting during difficult times.



In social settings, Echas are typically community-oriented individuals who value deep, meaningful relationships over superficial connections. They often take on roles as cultural bearers or tradition-keepers within their families and communities, demonstrating strong commitment to preserving heritage while adapting to modern contexts. Their personality combines practical wisdom with spiritual depth, allowing them to navigate life's challenges with both realism and optimism. While they may be quiet and reflective by nature, Echas often become influential through their consistent support of others and their ability to bring people together around shared values and common goals.
Women named Eleonora are typically characterized by a blend of grace, intelligence, and emotional depth that makes them both compelling and respected individuals. They often possess natural elegance that isn't performative but stems from genuine self-awareness and cultural sophistication. Eleonoras tend to be observant and perceptive, with strong intuitive abilities that allow them to understand people and situations deeply. Their intelligence is frequently complemented by artistic sensibility, whether expressed through professional pursuits or personal interests in literature, music, and visual arts.



In interpersonal relationships, Eleonoras are known for their loyalty and capacity for deep emotional connections. While they may appear reserved initially, they form meaningful bonds based on mutual understanding and respect. Their diplomatic nature makes them excellent mediators and trusted confidantes. Eleonoras often exhibit a quiet strength that enables them to navigate challenges with poise and determination. They balance traditional values with modern thinking, making them adaptable yet grounded individuals who can excel in both professional and personal spheres while maintaining their distinctive elegance and integrity.
Sharon Osbourne considered sending Roger Waters a box of her poop after he mocked her dead husband Ozzy.

Photo: Piers Morgan Uncensored

The music legend passed away on July 22 at age 76, following a long battle with Parkinsons disease. His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from fans and fellow musicians across the globe.

Speaking to The Independent Ink in August, former Pink Floyd frontman Waters, 82, dismissed Ozzy's pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, insisting he "couldn't care less" about the Paranoid rockers.

He said: I don't care about Black Sabbath, I never did, I have no interest.

I couldn't care less.

He went on: Ozzy Osbourne, who just died, bless him, in his whatever that state that he was in his whole life. Well never know Although he was all over the TV for hundreds of years with his idiocy and nonsense.

The comments sparked immediate backlash from Ozzys son Jack, who took to his Instagram Stories on September 2 to deliver a blistering response.

He fumed: Hey @rogerwaters. F*** You. How pathetic and out of touch you've become.

"The only way you seem to get attention these days is by vomiting out bull*** in the press.

The Osbournes then got their own back on Waters by selling a diss shirt.

One design features an album cover strikingly similar to Roger Waters The Wall  Live in Berlin from 1990, with the bold slogan OZZY RULES splashed across it.

Another graphic depicts Osbourne urinating on the record sleeve, with the stream rendered in rainbow colours  a clear nod to the iconic prism on Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon cover.

Adding to the spectacle, lettering styled after Gerald Scarfes illustrations for The Wall in 1979 spells out the phrase Another P***k in the Wall.

Now, Sharon has revealed she was so infuriated that she was going to "send him one of my Tiffany boxes".

The music manager famously sent reviewers and journalists she didn't like a Tiffany jewellery box with her faeces in them.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored in her first interview since the passing of her spouse, she said of Waters: He was great, but his greatness didnt last. He couldnt do any great music on his own."

Referencing his 2023 stage outfit that many thought resembled the attire of a Nazi, she went on: Hes crazy though, hes definitely, definitely not wired right. Five wives later, and [he] hates everybody thats successful. Hes stomping around in his pathetic homemade Nazi outfit. Hes nuts. I was going to send him one of my Tiffany boxes.

However, she didn't think he was worth it.

Sharon added: Even that is a waste, to send s*** to him. Its a waste because hes really insignificant.

But I just thought, anybody that passes has a family you dont do that.

Watch the full interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube.
Individuals named Erhard are typically perceived as strong-willed, principled, and reliable. They often exhibit leadership qualities combined with a deep sense of honor and responsibility. Their strength of character is usually matched by practical intelligence and determination, making them natural problem-solvers who approach challenges with methodical precision.



Erhards tend to be traditional in their values yet innovative in their thinking, balancing respect for established principles with forward-looking perspectives. They often command respect through their consistency and integrity rather than through charisma alone. While they may appear reserved initially, they form deep, loyal relationships and are known for their steadfast support of those they care about.



Their combination of strength and honor makes them particularly effective in positions requiring both moral authority and practical competence. Erhards are often seen as pillars of stability in their communities or workplaces, providing reliable guidance during times of uncertainty. They typically prefer substance over style and are valued for their unwavering commitment to their principles and responsibilities.
Individuals named Gaia are often perceived as deeply connected to nature, possessing a strong maternal instinct and nurturing quality that reflects the Earth Mother archetype. They tend to be grounded, practical, and resilient, with an innate understanding of natural cycles and rhythms. Gaia-named individuals often exhibit patience and stability, much like the earth itself, providing a solid foundation for those around them while maintaining a quiet strength that can weather any storm.



Their personality typically combines creativity with practicality, showing both imaginative vision and down-to-earth sensibility. They are often drawn to caretaking roles, environmental causes, or creative pursuits that allow them to express their connection to the natural world. While generally calm and composed, they can display formidable strength when protecting what they care about, mirroring the Earth's capacity for both gentle sustenance and powerful transformation.
Individuals named Hasad are typically perceived as patient, methodical, and results-oriented. They tend to approach life with the same systematic planning that characterizes agricultural harvesting - understanding that timing, preparation, and consistent effort lead to successful outcomes. These individuals often exhibit strong practical intelligence and the ability to wait for the right moment to act, much like farmers who understand the importance of harvesting at precisely the right time for maximum yield.



Hasad-named individuals are often seen as reliable and grounded, with a strong connection to tradition and family values. They typically possess excellent organizational skills and the ability to see long-term projects through to completion. Their personality often combines traditional wisdom with practical problem-solving abilities, making them valuable in both professional and personal contexts. They tend to be community-oriented, understanding that like harvesting, many of life's greatest achievements require cooperation and shared effort. This combination of patience, practicality, and community focus makes them natural leaders in group settings.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Jaeleah emerged in the late 20th century as part of the trend toward unique feminine names within Christian communities. The name combines the traditional 'Jay' with the melodic '-leah' suffix, creating a name that feels both modern and rooted in Christian naming traditions. In Christian contexts, the name often symbolizes the biblical concept of joy and freedom, drawing parallels to birds as symbols of the Holy Spirit and spiritual liberation.



Many Christian families choose Jaeleah for its gentle, feminine sound while maintaining connection to the virtues associated with the jay bird - intelligence, adaptability, and vibrant presence. The name represents a bridge between traditional Christian values and contemporary naming preferences, offering both spiritual significance and modern appeal. It reflects the evolving nature of Christian naming practices while honoring the importance of meaningful name choices in faith communities.
Women named Jaineba are often perceived within Wolof culture as embodying qualities of resilience, wisdom, and strong community orientation. They are typically seen as pillars of their families and communitiesreliable, nurturing, and deeply connected to their cultural roots. The name suggests someone who balances traditional values with practical wisdom, often serving as a mediator in family disputes and a keeper of oral histories.



Jainebas are thought to possess quiet strength and emotional intelligence, with an ability to navigate complex social situations while maintaining dignity and respect. They are often described as having a calming presence and natural leadership qualities that inspire trust and loyalty in others. This personality profile reflects the cultural expectation of Wolof women as the backbone of family and community life, carrying forward traditions while adapting to changing circumstances. The name implies a person who honors the past while engaging constructively with the present.
Women named Jeane are typically associated with a blend of intelligence, grace, and inner strength. They often possess a natural elegance and sophistication that reflects the name's French origins, combined with practical wisdom and strong moral convictions. These individuals tend to be independent thinkers who value both tradition and progress, making them effective mediators and leaders in various contexts. Their strength is usually quiet but formidable, emerging when principles or loved ones are at stake.



Socially, Jeanes are often perceived as warm, compassionate individuals with excellent listening skills and genuine interest in others' wellbeing. They typically balance emotional intelligence with analytical thinking, allowing them to navigate complex situations with both heart and mind. The name's religious roots suggest a person of depth and spiritual awareness, though this may manifest in various ways from formal religious practice to broader humanitarian values. Their combination of French charm and substantial character makes them memorable and respected figures in their communities.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Keallach is an ancient Irish name deeply rooted in Celtic warrior culture and mythology. The name appears in early medieval Irish annals and genealogies, particularly among noble families of Connacht and Ulster where martial prowess was highly valued. In Gaelic society, names containing battle elements were not merely descriptive but carried spiritual significance, invoking protection and strength for the bearer.



The name's association with battle reflects the historical reality of early Irish society, where clan warfare and territorial disputes were common. However, the concept of 'battle' in this context also encompassed spiritual struggle, legal disputes, and the defense of honor. Many bearers of this name in historical records were chieftains, warriors, or poets who composed works celebrating heroic deeds, suggesting the name was associated with leadership and cultural preservation as well as martial ability.
Individuals named Kenzie are often perceived as confident, charismatic, and naturally charming, living up to the name's meaning of 'fair one' through their appealing personality and social grace. They tend to possess strong leadership qualities combined with a warm, approachable demeanor that draws people to them. Their Scottish heritage often translates into a sense of determination and resilience, with many displaying the stereotypical Scottish traits of practicality and steadfastness.



Kenzie's are typically adaptable and versatile, able to navigate various social situations with ease while maintaining their authentic self. They often exhibit creative thinking and problem-solving skills, along with a strong sense of loyalty to family and friends. While they can be ambitious and driven, they usually balance this with a good-natured humor and the ability to not take themselves too seriously, making them well-liked among peers and colleagues alike.
Women named Livia are often perceived as intelligent, sophisticated, and possessing natural leadership qualities. They tend to be analytical thinkers with strong organizational skills and a calm, composed demeanor even in challenging situations. Their Roman imperial namesake lends an air of dignity and authority, often making them natural decision-makers who others look to for guidance. Livia's typically value tradition and quality, preferring enduring relationships and meaningful pursuits over fleeting trends.



These individuals combine practical wisdom with emotional intelligence, making them excellent mediators and trusted confidantes. While they may appear reserved initially, those who know them well appreciate their loyalty, dry wit, and deep capacity for caring. The name suggests someone who is both grounded and aspirational - comfortable with responsibility yet open to growth and learning. Livia's often exhibit a quiet confidence that comes from self-knowledge rather than external validation, and they tend to approach life with both pragmatism and principle.
Women named Madia are typically perceived as possessing a unique blend of spiritual depth and practical wisdom. They often exhibit strong intuitive abilities and emotional intelligence, making them excellent listeners and trusted confidantes. Their personality combines traditional values with modern thinking, allowing them to navigate complex social situations with grace and understanding. Madias are known for their loyalty and dedication to those they care about, often serving as pillars of strength within their families and communities.



These individuals tend to be creative problem-solvers who approach challenges with both compassion and determination. They possess an inner resilience that helps them overcome obstacles while maintaining their core values. Madias often demonstrate leadership qualities through quiet influence rather than overt authority, earning respect through their consistent character and genuine concern for others. Their balanced nature allows them to bridge different perspectives and bring people together, making them valuable mediators and community builders.



In personal relationships, Madias are typically warm, empathetic, and deeply committed. They form strong bonds based on mutual trust and understanding, and they often serve as the emotional anchors in their social circles. Their combination of traditional values and contemporary outlook enables them to relate to people across different generations and backgrounds. While they may appear reserved at first, those who know them well appreciate their depth of character, unwavering support, and the quiet strength they bring to every situation.
Toni Collette has suggested she's an advocate for assisted dying.

Toni Collette is very 'spiritual'

The Goodbye June actress thinks people should be allowed the "privilege" of letting go of their "experience on Earth" in the way that they want, instead of being "manipulated and controlled" by society.

She told The Guardian newspaper: I think society in general likes to manipulate and control.

And if you cant give someone the privilege of letting go of their experience on Earth with any kind of grace and space, then thats really f****** s***, isnt it? To be able to do it in the way that they want.

The 53-year-old actress believes the soul "lives forever" and life is just a "transient experience".

She said: Im a Scorpio. I have a very active, passionate, spiritual life and I think the problem with humanity is that we feel so disconnected from everything else. Not just people, but from nature. We are nature.

"I think the soul does live forever and this is a transient experience. None of us know, and thats why its f****** marvellous.

Toni used to be "very, very angry" about the mystery of life but she's come to terms with it now.

She said: I used to be very, very angry about the fact that our very existence is a mystery. It took a lot of time to work through it. Now I just think its beautiful.

Earlier this year, Toni credited meditation for having changed her life.

She told Britain's HELLO! magazine: I meditate. Its been life-changing.

Meditation centres me. I find it makes every day so much better.

I live in that space now and its much easier.

The Mickey 17 actress has two children, Sage, 17, and Arlo, 14, with ex-husband Dave Galafassi, and just as she has learned so much from meditative practices, she learns a lot from her kids.

She explained: I learn from them. I named by daughter Sage because I felt as though she was already teaching me in the womb and she has continued to do that.
Women named Mayme are typically perceived as embodying traditional Christian virtues of compassion, reliability, and nurturing warmth. They often exhibit a calm, steady demeanor combined with deep emotional intelligence, making them natural caregivers and trusted confidantes. Their personality suggests someone who is both practical and spiritually grounded, able to provide comfort and guidance while maintaining strong moral principles. The name carries connotations of someone who values family, community, and faith above all else, often serving as the emotional center of their social circles.



In terms of character strengths, Maymes are known for their resilience and quiet determination. While they may appear gentle and accommodating, they possess considerable inner strength that emerges during challenging circumstances. Their traditional upbringing often translates into excellent organizational skills, loyalty in relationships, and a strong sense of responsibility. They tend to be excellent listeners who offer wise, practical advice rooted in both experience and faith. This combination of gentle exterior and sturdy interior makes them particularly effective in roles that require both empathy and practical problem-solving abilities.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Meinke has deep roots in Northern German culture, particularly in regions like Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. The name emerged as a diminutive form of names beginning with 'Mein-' (meaning 'strength' or 'power') and became established as an independent given name during the medieval period. It reflects the Germanic cultural values of resilience, determination, and steadfastness that were highly prized in traditional German society. Throughout history, the name has been associated with craftsmanship, agriculture, and trades where reliability and firmness of character were essential virtues.



In German folklore and regional traditions, names like Meinke often represented the ideal of the dependable community member who could be counted on in times of need. The name's persistence through centuries demonstrates its cultural resonance and the enduring appeal of its core meaning of firmness and reliability in German-speaking communities. During various historical periods, including times of economic hardship and political change, the name maintained its association with stability and trustworthiness, making it a popular choice for families valuing these traits across generations.
Individuals named Nahele are often perceived as grounded, intuitive, and deeply connected to nature. They typically exhibit a calm, observant demeanor, much like the serene atmosphere of a forest. These individuals tend to be thoughtful and introspective, possessing an innate understanding of natural rhythms and cycles. Their connection to the forest symbolism often manifests as strong environmental awareness and a desire to protect and preserve natural spaces.



Nahele's personality often includes traits of resilience and adaptability, mirroring how forests withstand changing seasons and conditions. They are typically patient, growth-oriented individuals who understand that meaningful development takes time. Many Nahele's demonstrate strong nurturing qualities and community-mindedness, reflecting the forest's role as an ecosystem that supports diverse life. Their intuitive nature often makes them excellent problem-solvers who can see connections and patterns that others might miss, much like understanding the complex interrelationships within a forest environment.
Individuals named Orbert are typically perceived as intelligent, reliable, and possessing strong leadership qualities. They often demonstrate practical wisdom and a methodical approach to problem-solving, combined with an innate sense of responsibility. Their 'bright' name element suggests intellectual curiosity and clarity of thought, while the 'wealthy' connotation often manifests as richness of character rather than material wealth.



Orberts tend to be respected for their judgment and often assume positions of trust in their professional and personal lives. They typically value stability and tradition while being open to innovation when properly reasoned. Their combination of intellectual brightness and practical wisdom makes them effective in roles requiring both analysis and decision-making. While they may appear reserved initially, they often reveal depth of character and loyalty to those who earn their trust. The name suggests someone who balances traditional values with modern thinking, creating a personality that is both grounded and forward-looking.
Individuals named Ouray typically exhibit personality traits that reflect the name's symbolic meaning of 'arrow'they are often focused, determined, and purposeful in their approach to life. Like an arrow flying true to its target, they tend to be goal-oriented with a clear sense of direction and the persistence to overcome obstacles. These individuals often possess natural leadership qualities combined with a quiet confidence that inspires trust in others. Their strength is typically understated rather than overt, manifesting as resilience and the ability to navigate challenges with grace and determination.



Beyond the arrow symbolism, people with this name often demonstrate a deep connection to tradition and heritage while maintaining forward-thinking perspectives. They tend to value authenticity and integrity, often serving as bridges between different communities or ideas. Their personality frequently includes a strong appreciation for nature and the outdoors, reflecting the name's Western origins. While they can be independent and self-reliant, they also understand the importance of community and relationships, making them both strong individuals and valuable team members. The combination of traditional values with modern adaptability makes Ouray a name associated with balanced, grounded individuals who move through life with intention and purpose.
Individuals bearing the name Padgett often exhibit traits of reliability, loyalty, and meticulous attention to detail, reflecting the name's origins as 'attendant.' They tend to be organized, methodical, and excellent at supporting others in both professional and personal contexts. Their natural inclination toward service doesn't indicate subservience but rather a sophisticated understanding of how to enable success through careful planning and execution. Padgetts often excel in roles requiring discretion, coordination, and the ability to anticipate needs before they're expressed.



Beyond their practical capabilities, those named Padgett frequently demonstrate strong ethical compasses and a deep sense of responsibility. They value tradition and stability while being adaptable enough to navigate complex social situations. Their communication style tends to be diplomatic and thoughtful, making them excellent mediators and team players. The historical weight of the name often inspires a sense of heritage and continuity, leading many Padgetts to take pride in maintaining high standards and building lasting relationships based on trust and mutual respect.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Patrina holds a special place in Welsh naming traditions as a name that embodies both aristocratic heritage and spiritual purity. In Welsh culture, where names often reflect family lineage and social standing, Patrina emerged as a feminine name denoting noble birth and refined character. The name gained prominence during the medieval period when Welsh nobility sought to distinguish their daughters with names that conveyed both status and virtuous qualities. Throughout Welsh history, the name has been associated with women of influence in religious communities and aristocratic households, particularly in regions like Gwynedd and Powys where traditional naming customs remained strong.



The name's enduring appeal lies in its ability to connect modern Welsh identity with historical traditions of nobility and purity. During the 19th century Welsh cultural revival, names like Patrina saw renewed interest as symbols of national heritage. In contemporary Wales, the name serves as a bridge between ancient Celtic traditions and modern Welsh identity, representing continuity in cultural values while adapting to contemporary naming practices. The name's association with purity and beloved status makes it particularly meaningful in family contexts where these qualities are cherished.
Individuals named Pelltun are typically characterized by a strong connection to nature and practical wisdom. They often exhibit a calm, reflective demeanor reminiscent of still waters, combined with the diligence and perseverance associated with agricultural work. This combination creates personalities that are both contemplative and action-oriented, able to patiently nurture projects and relationships over time while maintaining inner tranquility.



Pelltuns tend to be reliable, grounded individuals who value stability and tradition while being adaptable to changing circumstances. They often possess a nurturing quality, whether in family relationships, professional settings, or community involvement. Their connection to both water and land symbolism gives them a unique balance of emotional depth and practical competence, making them excellent problem-solvers who approach challenges with both intuition and methodical planning.



These individuals typically demonstrate strong stewardship values and a commitment to sustainable practices in both personal and professional realms. They are often drawn to careers involving care for others or the environment, and they approach life with a sense of purpose and responsibility. While they may appear reserved initially, Pelltuns form deep, lasting relationships and are known for their loyalty and consistent support of those they care about.
Individuals named Rane typically exhibit a distinctive combination of strength and wisdom that makes them natural leaders and trusted advisors. Their personality is characterized by a calm, analytical approach to challenges, often displaying remarkable emotional resilience in difficult situations. Ranes tend to be deeply thoughtful individuals who consider multiple perspectives before making decisions, earning them respect for their balanced judgment and strategic thinking. They possess an innate ability to assess complex situations quickly and develop practical solutions, making them invaluable in leadership roles where clear-headed decision-making is essential.



Beyond their analytical capabilities, Ranes often demonstrate strong protective instincts toward those they care about, combined with a genuine desire to guide and mentor others. Their communication style tends to be direct yet compassionate, allowing them to deliver difficult truths without causing unnecessary offense. While they can be reserved in unfamiliar social situations, they form deep, loyal connections with those who earn their trust. The combination of mental fortitude, practical wisdom, and emotional intelligence creates individuals who are both respected for their capabilities and valued for their reliability and integrity in personal and professional relationships.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Sumner has deep roots in medieval French and English legal systems, originally designating an important court official responsible for summoning people to court proceedings. This occupational surname evolved into a given name that carries connotations of authority, legal tradition, and civic responsibility. Throughout history, bearers of this name have often been associated with positions of leadership, legal expertise, and public service, reflecting its origins in the judicial system.



The name's journey from occupational surname to given name mirrors the broader pattern of English naming conventions, where surnames describing one's profession or role in society gradually became inherited family names and eventually first names. This transition speaks to the enduring appeal of names that suggest competence, reliability, and social standing. In American history particularly, the name gained prominence through figures like Senator Charles Sumner, who embodied the name's association with principled leadership and public service.
On the eve of any holiday, everyone wants warmth and gifts. And software developers are ready to give it to them by offering special bonus rounds with free spins no deposit offers in their best releases. We have selected the biggest holidays and made a list of the best themed games where players are sure to have a chance to get such a bonus. So, what to play for present and good mood  all the information is on this page.

Christmas and New Year's Eve  the closest holidays

There are only a few days left until these holidays, so punters can start playing the chosen games today. Some of them offer not only an internal bonus, but also free spins casino presents. The main thing is to find a suitable gambling platform:

Piggy Bonanza Xmas by Onlyplay is a great opportunity to collect favourite sweets on a 6x5 winter-themed playing field. The more identical desserts, the higher the payout, and to trigger free spins with Multipliers symbols, it is necessary to catch 4 boxes of sweets.

Lucky Year 25 by Mascot allows players to see out the old year on New Year's Eve 2026. The slot is dedicated to the Snake, a character from the Eastern horoscope, which acts as the most valuable symbol. The free spins round is triggered by Koi fish, and with each spin, the Multiplier for winnings can increase up to x25.

Happiest Christmas Tree by Habanero is the most beautiful slot in this selection. Although the 5x3 field with 40 lines suggests simplicity in mechanics, the graphics leave no chance for the player to remain indifferent. The tree itself will help to get free spins no deposit  3 symbols activate the bonus.

St. Valentine's Day  vibe of love with no deposit free spins

The next holiday that online casinos themselves often highlight for bonus accrual is Valentine's Day. So, what do providers have to offer on this theme? We have selected the most exciting options:

Love Is... by Platipus  this is real nostalgia for chewing gum with famous stickers. The 6x4 field offers a whopping 50 paylines, and the childish romantic symbols will remind us of our first love, while in the free spins casino round, Wild symbols become Expanding.

Be My Valentine by GMW  a perfect fit for the theme. On a 5x3 field with 20 lines, players will collect combinations of sweets, bouquets, teddy bears, couples in love and cupids. And during the free spins, a real battle for love will take place between Cupid and Anti-Cupid.

Heart's Desire by Betsoft is already a classic for this holiday. Bright fruit combinations on a 5x3 field with 30 lines will explode into heart-shaped soap bubbles, and the free spins no deposit bonus will add more valuable symbols and multipliers to the playing field.

Easter free spins  this is spring time

Although this holiday has a religious basis, even atheists celebrate it. What could be more exciting than hunting for Easter eggs and enjoying the spring mood? We have selected slots that support this vibe:

Indiana Rabbit Super Egg Hunt by Oryx is a slot that is sure to surprise gamers. The theme of Easter eggs is intertwined with the search for Mayan treasures, which is definitely worth paying attention to. The 5x3 field accommodates only 5 lines, and 3 hares trigger up to 15 free spins casino with Wild symbols.

Easter Heist by BGaming offers users the chance to gather Easter eggs themselves using the Collect symbol in the bonus game. This time, free spins can simply be purchased by paying a higher bet. The 5x3 field has 25 paylines, so the rules are simple and the symbols are bright  perfect for spring.

Mystery Egg Surprise by Play'n GO is a slot with even simpler mechanics. The 3x3 field with 5 paylines is practically a classic. Painted eggs play the role of symbols, and the 3 most beautiful ones trigger the surprise  no deposit free spins, allowing everyone to get up to 50 spins.

Halloween  not only ghosts, but free spins and harvest too

Today, All Saints' Day is more about scary stories combined with sweets, but in the past it also marked the most important event of the year  the harvest that would feed everyone throughout the winter. That's why we've chosen slots that reflect both of these ideas:

Hallow Fruits by Playnetic  a unique combination of juicy fruits, scary witches and a no deposit free spins bonus that can even be purchased. The simple 5x3 grid offers 25 paylines, and the dark castle symbol triggers a round with a sticky Wild pumpkin that increases winnings with a Multiplier.

Spooktacular Bonanza by Booming Games is a great opportunity to collect winnings like a real harvest, without any paylines. The 6x5 grid features Pay Anywhere mechanics, and the famous pumpkins with scary faces trigger free spins with additional bonuses.

Jack o'Wild by Gamzix  this slot is dedicated to the most important symbol of Halloween and the harvest. The enchanted pumpkin acts as a Wild, complementing combinations of magical and cemetery attributes on a 5x4 field with 20 paylines and the option to purchase free spins casino options.
Individuals named Taraka are often perceived as strong-willed, transformative, and possessing intense inner strength. They tend to be charismatic leaders who can adapt to various situations with remarkable flexibility, much like the mythological Taraka who could change forms at will. These personalities often exhibit a magnetic quality that draws others to them, combined with a strategic mind capable of navigating complex challenges. There's typically an air of mystery and depth to Taraka's character, suggesting hidden reservoirs of power and resilience that emerge during critical moments.



Their transformative nature allows them to reinvent themselves when necessary, making them survivors and innovators in their personal and professional lives. However, this same intensity can sometimes manifest as stubbornness or a tendency to be overly dominant in relationships and group dynamics. People with this name often display remarkable emotional depth and intuition, with an ability to understand complex situations and people quickly. They are typically independent thinkers who value their freedom and are not easily swayed by popular opinion, showing courage in standing by their convictions even when facing opposition.
Individuals named Walcot are often perceived as grounded, practical people with strong connections to tradition and heritage. They typically exhibit a calm, steady demeanor combined with a quiet determination that reflects their name's association with stable homestead living. Walcots are frequently seen as reliable and trustworthy individuals who value community and family ties, mirroring the name's origins in established settlements. Their personality often blends practicality with creativity, showing both the sturdy resilience suggested by 'cottage' living and the cultural adaptability implied by 'Welshman's' heritage.



Many Walcots demonstrate excellent problem-solving skills and a methodical approach to challenges, characteristics that serve them well in both professional and personal contexts. They tend to be good listeners and thoughtful decision-makers, often serving as stabilizing influences in their social circles while maintaining an openness to different perspectives and cultures. The Christian heritage of the name often manifests in strong moral principles, community service orientation, and a sense of responsibility toward others. Walcots typically approach life with patience and perseverance, building lasting relationships and contributing meaningfully to their communities through consistent, reliable action rather than flashy displays.
Women named Zamora are often perceived as confident, articulate, and naturally charismatic individuals who command respect through their presence and achievements. They tend to be creative problem-solvers with a strong sense of justice and community responsibility, often taking leadership roles in social or cultural initiatives. Their 'praised' quality manifests not as seeking approval but as earning genuine admiration through consistent integrity and meaningful contributions. There's an inherent dignity to Zamoras that others recognize and respect, often making them natural mediators and community builders.



Zamoras typically possess a blend of traditional wisdom and progressive thinking, making them effective bridge-builders between different generations or cultural groups. They approach challenges with determination and grace, often inspiring others through their example rather than direct instruction. While they appreciate recognition, their motivation comes from internal values rather than external validation. This creates a personality that is both grounded and aspirational, capable of achieving significant impact while maintaining personal authenticity and connection to community roots.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Zolin holds deep cultural significance in Nahuatl tradition as the name for quail, a bird that appears frequently in Mesoamerican mythology and daily life. In pre-Columbian times, quails were associated with agricultural cycles and were often depicted in codices and pottery. The bird's behavior of moving in flocks symbolized community cooperation and collective survival, values highly prized in Nahua society. The name Zolin was sometimes given to children born during planting or harvest seasons, connecting them to the earth's rhythms and the community's sustenance.



During the Aztec empire, quails held ritual importance and were used in certain ceremonies. The name Zolin represented not just the physical bird but embodied characteristics of alertness, fertility, and adaptability. In contemporary indigenous communities, the name has experienced a revival as part of cultural reclamation movements, serving as a bridge between ancient traditions and modern identity. It represents pride in Nahuatl heritage and serves as a living connection to ancestral wisdom and ecological knowledge.
Timothee Chalamet has commented on whether he is the viral UK rapper EsDeeKid.

Photo: Getty Images

The Marty Supreme star is rumoured to be the Liverpudlian artist as fans believe his love of hip-hop, the fact he used to rap under the moniker Lil Timmy Tim, and a close-up of the mystery artist's eyes being the spitting image of Chalamet, is enough to link him to the rapper.

Appearing on Heart FM, he was asked if the rumours are true, to which he coyly replied: Ive got no comment on that."

He swiftly followed up: I got two words on that..."

Chalamet then teased that all will be revealed in due time.

The rumours began after EsDeeKid dropped his debut album, Rebel, in June.

He covers his face with a balaclava and has not disclosed his name or age, just that he hails from Liverpool and still lives in a council house. His songs have racked up millions upon millions of streams, with the track Phantom featuring Rico Ace having been listened to more than 90 million times on Spotify. Rebel even reached number 16 in the Official UK Albums Chart.

The rapper is embarking on a tour of North American and Australia next year, and will also perform in London at Outbreak Fest 2026.

As it stands, Chalamet has Dune: Part Three (Dune: Messiah) coming out in 2026. He's also attached to James Mangold's High Side, which would see him play a MotoGP racer. Whether his filming schedule is free enough to play the above shows remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood star is set to receive the Spotlight Actor of the Year Award at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival, recognising his acclaimed performance in Marty Supreme.

The honour will be presented during the festivals prestigious Film Awards ceremony on January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The wider festival runs from January 2 to January 12, drawing filmmakers and stars from across the globe.

Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi praised Chalamets work in Marty Supreme, describing it as a career-defining achievement. He noted that Chalamets portrayal of Marty Mauser captures both the intensity of ambition and the vulnerability of human longing, calling it one of the years most memorable performances.

Chandi said: In Marty Supreme, Timothee Chalamet delivers a performance which marks a true milestone in his career.

Within a dynamic struggle for glory, Chalamets portrayal of Marty Mauser transforms this narrative into a deeply human story of ambition and longing. This is one of his finest roles to date  and one of the best standout performances of the year, sure to be celebrated throughout the awards season. We are honoured to present Timothee Chalamet with the Spotlight Actor of the Year Award, recognising a remarkable artist at the height of his craft.
The Weeknd has sparked speculation he has collaborated with Lady Gaga.

Photo: Avalon

The Timeless hitmaker has wiped his Instagram clean and posted a throwback picture of the Poker Face hitmaker on his Instagram Story on Thursday (11.12.25).

Gaga is standing in front of black Lexus with the number plate LADYGAGA. The snap is from her The Fame era days in the noughties.

There is no caption, leaving fans guessing.

Around a year ago, there was speculation that The Weeknd was featured on Gaga's most recent album, Mayhem, but there was no sign of a duet when the record dropped in March.

Meanwhile, a stage invader that has previously interrupted The Weeknd's concert was just kicked out of a Lady Gaga show - weeks after being jailed for charging at Ariana Grande.

Last month, 26-year-old social media prankster Johnson Wen - who is known as Pyjama Man on Instagram - was sentenced to nine days in prison after rushing at Grande during a Wicked: For Good red carpet event in Singapore.

And he has since been escorted out of Gaga's recent show at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.

In footage shared by other concert goers from the Mayhem Ball gig, the Australian native was seen talking to security before being led out of the venue.

The show hadn't started when he was forced to leave, and it's unclear what his plans were.

On his own Instagram Story, Wen wrote: "Got kicked out of Lady Gaga concert!

"The show doesn't start till 8pm! The early fans were booing me."

In the past, he has made his name as a stage-crasher, having interrupted shows by the likes of The Weeknd, The Chainsmokers and Katy Perry.

Last month, he jumped a security barrier, rushed over to Grande and put his arm around the Wicked actress before security and her co-star Cynthia Erivo intervened.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of being a public nuisance and received a nine day jail sentence.

According to the Singapore's English-langauge newspaper the Straits Times, he was put on a plane out of the South East Asian country on November 23, and has been barred from re-entering the nation.

Prosecutors had described Pyjama Man as a "serial intruder", and a judge determined he had planned the incident in order to go viral on social media.

The red carpet crasher had hinted about his plans before the premiere.

He said: "I feel like I'm in a dream.

"That's my best friend Ariana Grande and I'm going to meet her. I've been dreaming about that."
Dakar [Senegal], December 11 (ANI/WAM): Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, led a high-level delegation to the Republic of Senegal, where he met with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, conveying the best wishes of the leadership of the UAE and wishing the Senegalese people prosperity and progress. During his visit, Al Zeyoudi also engaged with various government ministries to discuss collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing bilateral relations. The discussions focused on exploring avenues to drive trade and investment between the two countries across key priority sectors, including renewable energy, infrastructure, and food security. Accompanied by the Ambassador of the UAE to the Republic of Senegal, Saeed Hamdan Alnaqbi, Al Zeyoudi reaffirmed the UAE''s commitment to enhancing economic partnerships and fostering private sector collaboration with Senegal and other rapidly growing economies across Africa. In separate meetings with key ministers, including Cheikh Diba, Minister of Finance and Budget; Sergine Mbaye, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene; Alioune Sall, Minister for Communication, Telecommunication and Digital Economy; Serigne Gueye Diop, Minister for Industry and Trade; Dethie Fall, Minister of Infrastructure; and Mabouba Diagne, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock , Al Zeyoudi discussed further avenues for cooperation and investment. During the visit, a total of 13 MoUs were signed covering a range of sectors, including energy, logistics, mining, industrial development, digital technologies, construction, and healthcare. The UAE and Senegal share a strong economic partnership, with non-oil trade reaching $933 million in the first nine months of 2025, reflecting a 21.1% increase year-on-year. With many possibilities still to be explored, this ongoing growth highlights the potential for further economic engagement and investment between the two nations. Al Zeyoudi said: "The UAE is dedicated to expanding its relations with Senegal and the broader African continent. By strengthening our partnerships, we can drive sustainable economic growth and unlock new possibilities for both our nations." The discussions focused on deepening economic cooperation and identifying additional prospects for increasing private sector collaboration, in alignment with the UAE''s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) program and its objectives of expanding trade and investment flows with high-growth economies around the world, including in Africa. The UAE remains committed to expanding relations with Africa, a continent rich in potential for economic growth. In 2024, the UAE''s non-oil trade with African countries was USD$112 billion, a growth of 34% compared to 2023. The UAE is also the continent''s largest source of new FDI, with over $110 billion invested across the continent between 2019 and 2024. Through ongoing partnerships and collaborative efforts, the UAE aims to support sustainable development initiatives that will accelerate mutually beneficial economic growth. (ANI/WAM)
PRNewswire Plano (Texas) [US], December 12: Movate, a global leader in digital technology and customer experience (CX) services, today announced the acquisition of Solomo, a premier Salesforce, data and AI consulting company with deep specialization in the healthcare sector. This strategic move positions Movate well to significantly enhance its capabilities in delivering AI-driven platform solutions and strengthening its position within the Salesforce ecosystem. In recent times, Movate has been strengthening its ability to deliver enterprise-grade agentic AI solutions grounded in real-time, reliable data and has been seeing escalating demand for advanced and integrated AI platforms to solve business challenges. Solomo is known for its expertise in comprehensive Salesforce-driven solutions focused on data cloud and AI integration in the healthcare industry. By combining Movate's AI-driven CX, digital capabilities, and full-stack Salesforce services with Solomo's deep Salesforce expertise, specialized certifications, regulatory compliance strengths, and secure cloud architectures in the healthcare sector, Movate will be able to offer more comprehensive and contextual solutions that bridge the gap between enterprise data, CRM, and practical AI applications through a platform-driven approach, while further strengthening its focus on the healthcare industry. "Our acquisition of Solomo, alongside our recent acquisition of Prescience, further strengthens our position as an AI-driven transformation partner," said Sunil Mittal, CEO at Movate. "AI is reshaping enterprises, and clients need partners who can elevate experiences through data, automation, and AI at scale. By integrating Solomo's deep Salesforce and healthcare domain expertise with Movate's AI suite, we can help clients adopt AI confidently and responsibly across their organizations while strengthening our ability to deliver smarter decisions, streamlined workflows, and intelligent platforms for global enterprises." "This acquisition is a clear and powerful demonstration of our commitment to our long-term AI strategy," said Pradyumna Shirahatti, Chief Business Officer of Movate. "We view Salesforce as a key element of our broader AI strategy, and we firmly believe that Agentforce is a complete AI platform for the enterprise, which is precisely why we are aggressively doubling down on Salesforce. The Solomo acquisition is a critical step in accelerating that mission." Dan Kauppi, CEO of Solomo, expressed equal excitement, stating, "Being a part of Movate will help us to deliver sophisticated data and AI solutions to more enterprises worldwide. Movate's scale, global presence, and complementary service portfolio offer an incredible opportunity for growth. I couldn't be more excited about our future." This acquisition firmly positions Movate as a formidable Salesforce and AI partner for healthcare organizations seeking accelerated digital transformation, smarter customer experiences, and modernized data foundations. About Movate: Movate is a digital technology and customer experience services company committed to redefining the industry through a challenger mindset, an AI-first strategy, and an outcome-driven approach. It partners with growth-driven enterprises through a global workforce of 12,000+ Movators across 20 locations, supported by a gig network of technology experts in 60 countries speaking 100+ languages. Powered by its W(AI)VE framework and MovateAI suite, the company helps enterprises accelerate AI transformation with a balanced "Human + AI" approach. This unique model drives engineering excellence, operational efficiency, and measurable business impact. This innovation DNA and proven expertise have made Movate one of the most awarded and analyst-recognized companies in its revenue range. To know more, visit: www.movate.com. Follow Movate on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. About Solomo: Solomo has been a trusted cloud-based digital solutions provider since 2017, known for its integrity, partnership-first mindset, and commitment to outstanding customer experiences. The company supports leading healthcare providers across the U.S., as well as enterprise clients in manufacturing, financial services, consulting, and other major industries. Solomo accelerates digital transformation by building and executing data-driven strategies that enhance patient acquisition and provider relationship management for healthcare call centers and field sales teams. With deep expertise in Salesforce, Tableau, Snowflake, and AWS, Solomo's consultants deliver solutions that boost operational efficiency, increase productivity, and elevate overall business performance. To know more, visit: https://www.solomo.io/ Media ContactKarthik ChidambaramAssociate Vice President - Marketing, Movate Karthik.Chidambaram@movate.com +91.9886198939 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2694325/5668234/Movate_Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent state visit to India was an indication that the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent its message of non-alignment as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, Christopher Wood, Jefferies' Global Head of Equity Strategy, has noted in a report. Wood, in his popular weekly report 'GREED & fear', asserted that India is not going to allow itself to be pushed around "serving the imperial interests of other powers." "Putin's visit does not mean that Delhi is on Russia's side. What it does mean is that the Modi Government is sending the message that it maintains its non-aligned status and is not going to allow itself to be pushed around serving the imperial interests of other powers," the India-focused portion of the long report read. Referring to what it termed the "continuing depiction in the Western media of Russian President Vladimir Putin as an Austin Powers 'Dr Evil' figure", Wood argued that it contrasted with his official visit to Delhi on December 4-5. GREED & fear was interested to see he was interviewed at the Kremlin ahead of the trip by Indian journalists, an occasion which allowed him to give his view on the "special military operation", Wood supplemented. "That is of course that the conflict originated in what Russia regards as the Maidan coup back in February 2014," he added, apparently referring to the coup in Ukraine in 2013-14. During Putin's visit, the Prime Minister reiterated India's longstanding position on the ongoing conflict, emphasising India's interest in seeing the earliest possible cessation of hostilities and a sustainable resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. India stands ready to provide any assistance required and to play an appropriate role. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Vladimir Putin, paid a visit to India on December 04-05, 2025, for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. As per the joint statement, the leaders reaffirmed their support for further strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Declaration on Strategic Partnership between India and Russia, established during the first state visit of President Vladimir Putin to India in October 2000. "The Leaders emphasised the special nature of this long-standing and time-tested relationship, which is characterised by mutual trust, respect for each other's core national interests and strategic convergence. They underscored that, as major powers with shared responsibilities, this important relationship continues to be an anchor of global peace and stability that should be ensured upon the basis of equal and indivisible security," the joint statement dated December 5 read. The leaders underlined that India-Russia ties have remained "resilient" in the backdrop of the prevailing complex, challenging and uncertain geopolitical situation. Both sides have strived to forge a contemporary, balanced, mutually beneficial, sustainable and long-term partnership. "Development of India-Russia relations across the entire spectrum is a shared foreign policy priority. The Leaders agreed to make all efforts to unlock the full potential of the strategic partnership," the India-Russia joint statement added. (ANI)
PNN Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 12: When conversations about global finance careers happen today, one name consistently rises above the noise--MILES Education. And at the center of this transformation stands the US CMA Full Form: Certified Management Accountant, a qualification that is no longer just a credential, but a strategic entry into international finance leadership. As students and young professionals search for clarity about the future, one question echoes across campuses and offices: "What is the CMA course Full Form, and why is India suddenly embracing it at scale?" The answer lies in understanding the CMA Meaning--twice over. First, it stands for a world-renowned certification governed by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), USA. Second, it represents an evolving mindset: India's finance talent is no longer satisfied with reporting history; it wants to shape the future. The Certified Management Accountant qualification gives them exactly that power. The CMA Advantage: A Global Credential That Rewrites Careers In an era where industries are rapidly digitizing, organizations don't just need accountants. They need thinkers--professionals who can analyze numbers, predict trends, assess risks, and influence leadership. This is precisely where the Certified Management Accountant designation shines. Unlike traditional accounting programs, the CMA is built for strategy makers. With more than 140,000 CMAs worldwide, the credential has become synonymous with financial intelligence and managerial insight. For Indian learners, understanding cma Meaning has become the first step toward becoming part of a global community of finance leaders. The spark always begins with curiosity--What is CMA? How fast can one complete it? What does the journey look like?That curiosity leads to the next step: exploring cma course details, cma syllabus, and the structured mentorship that accelerates their path. Demystifying the CMA Journey: Simple, Streamlined, and Smart The CMA is admired for its elegant structure. It consists of just two exam parts, each spanning: * 3 hours of MCQs * 1 hour of essay-based analysis This crisp format makes the us cma curriculum highly appealing to both students and working professionals. Aspirants typically explore the program through a cma online course, which not only adapts to their lifestyle but provides flexibility that classroom models often cannot. Those who prefer structured learning choose cma online classes, which bring expert mentors, doubt-solving, and accountability into their preparation. The certification is governed by clear rules--one must be an IMA member, hold a bachelor's degree, and complete two years of relevant experience. But what truly draws aspirants is the speed: the program is compact, the roadmap is clear, and the rewards are vast. The CMA Overview: A Qualification That Shapes Thinkers, Not Just Employees When exploring Certified Management Accountant course options, one realizes how deeply the program focuses on shaping strategic mindsets.The CMA equips learners with: * Financial planning mastery * Performance analytics * Budgeting and forecasting logic * Decision analysis * Risk evaluation * Strategic financial management * Ethical leadership preparation These are not just subjects--they are the competencies companies expect from global leaders. The cma Certification is respected across Big 4s, Fortune 500s, and rapidly scaling startups. It is not a job-seeking certificate; it is a leadership-building qualification. For many, the journey begins by comparing cma course fees, understanding cma course duration, and reviewing us cma course details. But by the time they complete the program, these initial questions seem small compared to the transformation they undergo. Why Miles Education Is India's No.1 CMA Institute At the center of India's CMA revolution is one institution that changed the country's finance education landscape: Miles Education. And at the center of Miles stands a man whose teaching style, clarity, and energy have become legendary--Mr. Varun Jain, CEO, Miles Education. He is widely regarded as the world's favourite instructor for the Certified Management Accountant community. His contribution is so profound that many students describe him as the spark that ignites their career momentum. "The CMA is not just a certification. It is a mindset shift. It empowers you to think, decide, lead, and influence the financial future of organizations globally." -- Mr. Varun Jain This spirit powers the Miles U.S. Pathway, a uniquely structured roadmap that combines expert mentorship, India's strongest CMA community, platinum partnership with IMA, and lifelong learning. It's no surprise that Miles is recognized as India's No.1 Institute for the CMA Certification--not by claims, but by outcomes. The Future Belongs to Strategic Finance Professionals As India accelerates into a digital-first economy, one thing is clear: those who understand strategy, analytics, risk, and financial leadership will shape tomorrow's decisions. For ambitious learners who wish to rise beyond routine accounting roles and step into global opportunities, the Certified Management Accountant journey is the gateway. And the journey begins with one powerful step: exploring the CMA Overview and choosing the right partner to guide you. Miles Education is where thousands take that first step--and discover a future that is bigger, global, and deeply rewarding. Contact: +91 90049 34566 Website: www.mileseducation.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
The Ministry of Textiles has formulated a comprehensive 40 country market diversification strategy, identifying high-potential global destinations and undertaking structured outreach through Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), industry delegations, and Indian Missions abroad to enhance India's global footprint, Minister of State for Textiles, Pabitra Margherita informed Rajya Sabha on Friday, in a written reply. The Ministry of Textiles approved various schemes and programmes to encourage and promote the textile industry such as PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks Scheme for world-class industrial infrastructure; Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for MMF Apparel, MMF Fabrics and Technical Textiles to boost large scale manufacturing and enhancing competitiveness; National Technical Textiles Mission for research, innovation, market development and skilling. Among others are, SAMARTH - Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector; Silk Samagra-2 for sericulture development; Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) for modernization; National Handloom Development Programme, National Handicrafts Development Programme, Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme for end-to-end support to artisans, weavers and handicraft clusters, the MoS said in his written reply. The government provides various incentives and benefits to enhance the competitiveness of textiles industry in the international and domestic market. The Ministry with support of EPCs has organized Bharat Tex in 2024 and 2025-- mega global textile event to strengthen international engagement, bringing together exhibitors and trade visitors from various countries, and showcasing the scale, innovation, and global competitiveness of India's textile ecosystem, the minister said. The Government is implementing the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme for apparel garments and made-ups, based on WTO-compliant principles of zero-rated exports. "The textile products which are not covered under the RoSCTL scheme are supporting under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme along with other non-textile sectors. Under RoSCTL, more than 15,000 exporters have been benefitted from rebates on embedded taxes during FY 2024-25," the minister said in the written reply. India has signed 15 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). These FTAs aim to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, simplify procedures, and address structural issues to make Indian Exporters more competitive in partner markets, he added. The Government has approved the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) which is anchored in a collaborative framework involving the Department of Commerce, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Finance, and other key stakeholders including Financial Institutions, Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards, industry associations, and state governments. The Government has exempted import duty on cotton upto December 31, 2025 for reducing the input material costs for the textile industry, ensuring adequate supply and improving export competitiveness and enhancing overall industry efficiency, he apprised the Parliament. Also, he added that the Government has rationalized the GST rate across the textile value chain to remove structural anomalies, reduce costs, boost demand, support exports and sustain jobs. In another written reply, the minister apprised the House that India's export of textiles and apparel (including handicrafts) was USD 37,755.0 million in 2024-25 exhibiting a growth of 5.2 per cent compared to the previous year (2023-24). Further, India's Textiles and Apparel exports, including handicrafts, stood at USD 20,401.95 million during April-October 2025, reflecting a marginal decline of 1.8 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year (USD 20,728.05 million), yet indicating overall stability in export performance despite global tariff-related and other external challenges, the minister added. (ANI)
The Government's ambitious Semicon India Programme is rapidly building a complete semiconductor ecosystem, from design and fabrication to assembly, testing and packaging, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday. He said the strategy draws inspiration from the Prime Minister's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, Make for the World, acknowledging semiconductors as a foundational pillar of India's economic future. The minister said in a written reply that ten units have been approved under the Semicon India Programme, attracting investments worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore across silicon fabs, silicon carbide fabs, advanced packaging and memory packaging facilities. These units will serve critical sectors including consumer electronics, automotive, telecom, industrial electronics, aerospace and power electronics. Several proposals are also leveraging indigenous technology for chip assembly, testing and packaging--marking a significant step toward domestic capability building. Prasada highlighted the substantial impact of the Government's production-linked incentives (PLI) in electronics manufacturing. The PLI for large-scale electronics manufacturing, focused on mobile phones and key components, has drawn Rs 14,065 crore in investments as of October 2025. The PLI for IT hardware, aimed at boosting production of laptops, tablets, servers and USFF devices, has garnered Rs 846 crore in investments. These interventions have led to a dramatic expansion of India's electronics sector. Manufacturing output has grown sixfold over the past 11 years--from Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 11.32 lakh crore in 2024-25. Electronics exports, now India's third-largest export category, have surged eightfold, rising from Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 3.26 lakh crore during the same period. To further strengthen India's position in semiconductor design, the Government's Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme has supported 23 companies (24 chip and SoC designs) spanning satellite communication, drones, IoT devices, surveillance systems, LED drivers, AI devices, smart meters and telecom equipment. Additionally, free access to EDA design tools has been extended to 94 startups, facilitating nearly 47 lakh hours of design activity. A major thrust is also being placed on building a robust semiconductor talent pipeline. Through the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme, advanced design tools have been provided to 397 universities and startups, enabling students to design and fabricate 56 chips at the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali. Over 67,000 students and researchers have been trained in chip design. The AICTE has introduced new academic offerings--including B.Tech in Electronics Engineering (VLSI Design), a Diploma in IC Manufacturing, and a Minor in VLSI Design and Technology--to align educational pathways with industry needs. The SMART Lab at NIELIT Calicut has already trained more than 62,000 engineers, aiming for a nationwide capacity of 1 lakh trainees. In a significant industry-academia collaboration, the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has partnered with Lam Research to train 60,000 professionals over the next decade in nanofabrication and process engineering--skills critical for ATMP and advanced packaging operations. The Minister also highlighted the FutureSkills PRIME initiative, a MeitY-NASSCOM collaboration designed to upskill India's digital workforce in emerging technologies, including semiconductors, through flexible online learning aligned with industry requirements. Prasada emphasised that the combined impact of infrastructure creation, incentives, design support and talent development is positioning India as a global semiconductor hub, capable of meeting both domestic demand and international market opportunities. (ANI)
He said that according to estimates, it will grow by 4-5 times by 2030.

The expansion of data centres in the country is being propelled by the growing digitalisation and rapid adoption of AI across both the Government and private sectors, accompanied by the increasing adoption of cloud services.

"Global technology companies are already investing significantly in India's AI and data-center ecosystem. Google has announced a USD 15 billion AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, its largest investment in India, while Amazon Web Services (AWS) is setting up a USD 8.3 billion data center in Maharashtra," Jitin Prasada said.

He further highlighted that India is building a secure, scalable and AI-ready cloud infrastructure to support digital governance, private sector collaboration and citizen empowerment.

"The growing demand for cloud services across Government, private and social sectors is driven by the country's digital transformation and increasing use of AI-enabled applications."

To meet the cloud requirements of Government of India, a national cloud infrastructure has been established under the Digital India initiative.

The Minister also highlighted the GI Cloud, known as MeghRaj, saying it provides secure, scalable and elastic cloud facilities for delivery of e-Governance services.

He said the salient features of the GI Cloud-MeghRaj include elasticity, scalability, pay per use metering, self service provisioning, rapid deployment of applications, on demand service provisioning, etc.

"As on date, 2,170 Ministries/Departments have hosted their cloud-based applications on MeghRaj," he said. (ANI)
PNN Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 12: In today's fast-evolving accounting landscape, MILES Education has reshaped how India understands the global finance journey--starting with the pursuit of the Certified Management Accountant (CMA Full Form) credential. Before students dive into preparation, the first checkpoint that shapes everything ahead is CMA Eligibility, the framework that determines who is ready to step into this world-class qualification. And in a country where finance careers are growing beyond borders, understanding CMA Course Eligibility is no longer optional--it is empowering. Every year, thousands of aspirants look toward the international CMA credential with dreams of joining top global organizations, strategic finance teams, and multinational capability centers. What separates dreamers from achievers is clarity, and clarity begins with knowing whether you meet US CMA Eligibility or us cma eligibility benchmarks. Miles Education--through the Miles U.S. Pathway, a strongly structured academic-to-career accelerator--ensures students don't just understand the rules; they navigate them with confidence. At its core, US CMA Course Eligibility stands on two pillars: education and work experience. A recognized bachelor's degree (in any discipline) forms the academic requirement, while two years of continuous experience in management accounting or financial management fulfills the professional expectation. Interestingly, candidates don't have to complete both before starting the exams. Many begin preparation while studying or working, knowing they have seven years after passing to complete their experience requirements. This flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of the U.S. credential, making CMA Eligibility more accessible without compromising global standards. For students still in college, us cma eligibility becomes a roadmap rather than a barrier. They can register early, prepare parallelly, and transition directly into global finance roles after graduation. For working professionals, CMA serves as a career accelerator--validating years of experience and positioning them for strategic decision-making roles. This inclusivity is why CMA has become one of India's most aspirational finance certifications. And in this journey, one question echoes across campuses and corporate corridors: Who can guide me through eligibility, preparation, and career transitions without confusion?Across India, the answer consistently leads to one institution--Miles Education, recognized widely as Why MILES is No.1 CMA Institute in India. Miles does not limit itself to explaining CMA Eligibility. It builds a career ecosystem around it. With 70,000+ alumni, 100+ university partners, 600+ employer collaborations, and unmatched support for documentation, registration, and verification processes, students never walk the eligibility path alone. Whether someone is navigating transcripts, degree equivalence, employer attestations, or planning the right exam window, Miles ensures a frictionless experience. CEO Mr. Varun Jain, CPA, CMA, Harvard B-School Alumnus, often reminds students: "Your eligibility is not your limitation--it is your launch pad. The moment you meet the criteria; the world of strategic finance is already within reach." His message has inspired countless aspirants who once doubted whether they were "qualified enough" to begin. Eligibility alone, however, doesn't guarantee certification. What comes next is preparation, and Miles' resources--video lectures, MCQs, simulations, Sunday live classes, one-on-one mentoring, and Platinum Partner fee advantages--transform eligibility into achievement. Students preparing from CMA foundation or those transitioning from cma inter find the structure of the Miles U.S. Pathway to be a strategic, clarity-driven route to cracking the cma exam with confidence. But eligibility also determines how smoothly a student moves through documentation, scheduling, and ultimately, the certification award. From explaining cma exam registration windows to breaking down Prometric scheduling, Miles ensures that aspirants stay ahead of deadlines. The institution also guides them through understanding cma exam fees, preparing for result cycles, interpreting cma results, and planning retakes if required. Each step becomes predictable, enabling students to focus entirely on mastering the exam rather than battling administrative hurdles. What makes eligibility truly meaningful is the outcome that follows. CMA opens global doors--not just in accounting but in strategic finance roles across FP&A, costing, budgeting, internal controls, analytics, and leadership tracks. Whether in India's global capability centers or with multinational teams abroad, the CMA credential signals readiness to think, plan, and lead with a global mindset. In an era where students and professionals want careers that cross borders, CMA Eligibility is not just a checklist--it is an invitation. An invitation to join a global tribe of strategic finance professionals. An invitation to step into a future where skills matter more than geography. And when that invitation arrives, Miles Education ensures that no student reads it alone. Contact: +91 90049 34566 Website: www.mileseducation.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday expressed the need to cap airfare, adding that the government has communicated with the airlines. Speaking in Lok Sabha said that while India's aviation market is deregulated, the government retains powers under the Aircraft Act to cap fares in extraordinary situations. "We have communicated to the airlines that there has to be a cap on airfares. I'm mentioning the point saying that because the government has the exclusive power in extraordinary circumstances when they feel that the airfares are rising above the normal and becoming abnormal," the Minister said in Lok Sabha. The statement comes as the government stepped in to cap the exorbitant airfare by the airlines during the IndiGo crisis. The government has capped airfares several times in the past, for example, during Covid-19, the Mahakumbh, and the Pahalgam-Srinagar crisis. IndiGo's massive flight cancellations across India have led to a significant surge in airfares across several key domestic routes, with prices skyrocketing to unprecedented levels, as passengers scrambled for alternatives. Booking data on MakeMyTrip shows the cheapest Delhi-Bengaluru flight on December 6 costing in excess of Rs 40,00 with some options exceeding Rs 80,000. A passenger willing to travel from Delhi to Mumbai on December 6 has to pay a minimum of Rs 36,107, while the maximum amount exceeds Rs 56,000, as per MMT's data. For a return trip, one has to pay a minimum of Rs 23,000 to reach the national capital, while the maximum amount exceeds Rs 37,000.On the Delhi-Chennai route, last-minute fares climbed to Rs 62,000-82,000. For passengers travelling from Delhi to Guwahati, the lowest fare was Rs 23,998, while the highest was Rs 35,015. Going further, Minister said, "This ministry is continuously connected to the people and listens to the people, takes feedback from the people. And that has been the complete approach of this government." (ANI)
Feature: Gaza students return to war-damaged colleges, holding onto hope amid ruins

Xinhua) 09:07, December 12, 2025

Palestinian students walk in the campus of Islamic University, in Gaza City, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

GAZA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Among the rubble of Gaza City's Islamic University, Ahmed Totah approached his first classroom with a mix of fear and hope. The campus was badly damaged, but the 19-year-old was finally starting the university education he had dreamed of.

"I never imagined this moment would come so quickly," he said, holding his new schoolbag. "Especially after two years of war and the near collapse of life in Gaza."

Totah had graduated from high school in July with a 93 percent average. He called it unexpected. Years of airstrikes and disruptions had forced him to study by the dim light of a phone or candle.

"I studied while feeling everything around me was collapsing," he said. "Every night I told myself: We can lose everything, but we mustn't lose our education."

Even with his grades, going to university had felt almost impossible. Classes had been suspended, and most campus buildings were in ruins.

"When the results came out, I wasn't as happy as I expected," he said. "The fear outweighed the joy. I kept asking myself: Will I actually study? Or wait another year?"

He eventually enrolled in the information-technology program he had long dreamed of. But his first steps onto the campus were overwhelming. Destruction was everywhere, and piles of wreckage made the university barely recognizable compared to what it had once been.

Still, he said, simply being here gives him a sense of hope he didn't have just a few months ago. "It may not be what it was," he said, "but it's still the only place where I can believe in the future. Just sitting in a classroom gives me the energy to continue."

Hiba Abu Nada, 21, returned to her history studies after a two-year break. She had enrolled in 2023 but had spent the conflict studying online, worried that her degree might be completed without ever entering a classroom.

For her, entering a lecture hall for the first time was a powerful moment. It showed that education could continue despite the war.

"Looking around at the empty seats and damaged walls, I realized returning wasn't just about studying," she said. "It was proof that the future isn't over and we can rebuild our lives."

Totah and Abu Nada are among a few thousand students returning to in-person classes in Gaza. The Islamic University, badly damaged, has reopened after two years.

Before the war, Gaza had seven universities and eleven colleges. The conflict has inflicted heavy losses: at least 1,111 university students and 193 academics and professors have been killed, including Sufian Tayeh, president of the Islamic University.

Despite this, the university has reopened for first-year students in programs that require hands-on learning: medicine, engineering, science, nursing, information technology, and law.

Bassam al-Saqqa, the university's vice president, said the reopening is "part of a phased plan to gradually restore academic life, focusing on courses that cannot be taught online." The challenges are huge. Buildings, labs, electricity, and internet infrastructure are all badly damaged. A shortage of materials slows reconstruction and delays full reopening.

Al-Azhar University in Gaza is taking a similar approach, prioritizing science and medical faculties that need labs. About 1,000 students have returned to campus, though some still study online.

For students like Farah Deeb, 22, returning to campus is both shocking and relieving.

Farah Deeb, 22, a medical student, told Xinhua that returning to the university "was unexpected given the scale of destruction."

"Simply seeing the college doors reopen felt like a dream ... The return represents an important step toward reclaiming our academic lives, despite all the difficulties," she said.

Palestinian students walk in the campus of Islamic University, in Gaza City, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Palestinian students attend a lesson at Islamic University, in Gaza City, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Palestinian students attend a lesson at Islamic University, in Gaza City, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 7, 2025, shows a view of Islamic University, in Gaza City. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Palestinian students sit in the campus of Islamic University, in Gaza City, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

A teacher gives a lesson at Islamic University, in Gaza City, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Palestinian students attend a lesson at Islamic University, in Gaza City, Dec. 7, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
India has intensified support for its shrimp and seafood sector even as exports to the United States have remained robust over the past five years, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said on Friday. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Jitin Prasada, said India's frozen shrimp exports to the US stood at 311,948 metric tonnes valued at USD 2.51 billion in 2024-25, showing sustained demand despite global market fluctuations. Export volumes had peaked at 342,572 metric tonnes in 2021-22, with a value of USD 3.15 billion. Overall seafood exports from India registered a 13.93% increase in value during April-October 2025, rising to USD 4.79 billion from USD 4.21 billion in the corresponding period last year. However, shrimp exports to the US during August-October 2025 (provisional) declined to 55,282 tonnes worth USD 512.81 million, compared with 83,375 tonnes valued at USD 673.98 million a year earlier. To strengthen the sector, the government has undertaken multiple initiatives through the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), including trade delegations, buyer-seller meets, and participation in international seafood fairs across Asia and Europe. More than 100 buyer-exporter interactions were facilitated in 2025 alone, Prasada said. Highlighting that significant financial assistance has been extended over the past five years, the MoS said MPEDA supported 83 value-added seafood units with Rs 10,189.91 lakh, while Rs 328.99 lakh was provided to promote disease-free shrimp production. Additionally, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,403 crore have been established nationwide, including cold storage, processing units, and transportation facilities. Notably, government has also reduced GST rates to 5% on over 20 fisheries and aquaculture-related products in September 2025, a move expected to lower input costs and enhance competitiveness. (ANI)
India''s GI-tag craft, the iconic Kolhapuri chappals, are ready to go global, joining forces with Italian luxury fashion house Prada. In a bid to take the legacy of India''s traditional leather craft to the global stage, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Prada, Maharashtra''s LIDCOM (Sant Rohidas Leather Industries & Charmakar Development Corporation), and Karnataka''s LIDKAR (Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation), as per a press release. The MoU, which leads the project "Prada Made in India - Inspired by Kolhapuri Chappals", was signed at the Italian Consulate in Mumbai during the Italy-India Business Council meeting. https://x.com/Lidcom_Official/status/1999361213701193752 Under this initiative, Kolhapuri chappals will be developed by combining centuries-old traditional manufacturing techniques with Prada''s modern and contemporary design sensibilities. This collaboration will bring Prada''s modern touch to the traditional Kolhapuri craft. The exclusive footwear will be available at Prada''s 40 retail outlets worldwide and on its official website by February 2026, the press release stated. The project has received strong support from the Maharashtra Government under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat, and Minister of State for Social Justice Madhuri Misal. The MoU was made possible under the leadership of Harshdeep Kamble, Principal Secretary and Chairman of LIDCOM, and through the strategic planning of Prerna Deshbhratar, Managing Director of LIDCOM. Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat said that this agreement will benefit many artisans, professionals and entrepreneurs across India. He added that this special collection will give new direction to Indian artisans and further strengthen the global recognition of their skills. Prerna Deshbhratar, Managing Director, LIDCOM, said that this partnership is extremely significant for honouring generations of artisans who have preserved traditional art. As a global brand that is directly working with artisans from Maharashtra and Karnataka, their craftsmanship will gain worldwide identity and full credit for the art will go to these artisans. K M. Vasundhara, Managing Director, LIDKAR, stated that the tradition of Kolhapuri chappals represents centuries-old craftsmanship of artisans from Maharashtra and Karnataka. This collaboration will open vast avenues of training, employment, and global opportunities. Lorenzo Bertelli, head of the social responsibility division of the Prada Group, said that this partnership is a new milestone in cultural exchange. He reaffirmed Prada''s commitment to giving Indian artisans rightful recognition in the modern world. The MoU outlines the framework, implementation strategy, and guidelines for the project. The footwear will be made in India with the involvement of skilled artisans from Maharashtra and Karnataka, using traditional manufacturing techniques combined with Prada''s contemporary designs and premium materials. This collection aims to establish a fresh dialogue between India''s rich heritage and modern luxury fashion. As of now, traditional Kolhapuri chappals are produced in eight districts, including Maharashtra''s Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, and Solapur; and Karnataka''s Belagavi, Bagalkot, Dharwad, and Bijapur. In 2019, Kolhapuri chappals received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, highlighting their authenticity and cultural significance. (ANI)
The much-awaited trailer of the fourth and final season of the International Emmy-nominated original series, ''Four More Shots Please!'' has finally dropped. Signing off the year in style, the final chapter arrives just in time, offering a full-hearted reunion with the beloved girl gang that defined modern female friendship on screen. "The new season will see the four divas return for one last round - not to start over, but to finish what they started. Stronger. Wiser. Unapologetically themselves," the makers tease, as per a press release. https://www.instagram.com/p/DSJ0WHciMvN/ Returning to their fan-favourite characters are Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari, Bani J, and Maanvi Gagroo, alongside Prateik Smita Patil, Lisa Ray, Rajeev Siddhartha, Ankur Rathee and Milind Soman. New joinees for this season are Dino Morea, Anasuya Sengupta and Kunaal Roy Kapur. It is produced by Pritish Nandy Communications, created by Rangita Pritish Nandy and Ishita Pritish Nandy, developed and written by Devika Bhagat, with dialogues by Ishita Moitra. The trailer gives a glimpse into the end of an era - and what an era it''s been. It''s a vibrant, emotional, and gloriously messy peek into the final chapter of the quartet''s journeys, loaded with the comedy that made millions fall in love with this franchise in the first place. "The laughter that dissolves into tears. The fights that eventually heal. The mistakes that shaped them. The victories that mattered. And the unshakeable sisterhood that brought audiences back season after season. As Damini, Umang, Anjana, and Siddhi step into new phases of their lives, this season promises bold choices, long-overdue conversations, rekindled sparks, heartbreak, reinvention, and the signature chaos that made the show a cultural phenomenon. It''s all here - only bigger, funnier, and more spirited than before. It''s a finale built on vulnerability, growth, and the kind of friendship that stays loud, flawed, honest, and fiercely loyal," the logline read. Speaking on the same, lead actor Sayani Gupta opened up about her journey as the fun-loving Damini. "Damini has been a fun, liberating character to play for the last 8 years, and I have literally grown up with her. As we close this chapter, I feel immense gratitude to the fans that stood by us, season after season, with unbound love, affection and loyalty," she said, as per the press release. "Being a part of Four More Shots Please! has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. Anjana''s journey - her strength, her flaws, her evolution - resonated with so many women across the world, and that love has carried us through four beautiful seasons," Kirti Kulhari shared. "Four More Shots Please! Didn''t just give me a character. It gave me a tribe," said Maanvi Gagroo, further calling the final season a celebration of the fans. Bani J also shared her thoughts, explaining that the girl gang plans to offer a heartfelt farewell to their supporters. Directed by Arunima Sharma and Neha Parti Matiyani, the series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in India and more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on December 19, 2025. (ANI)
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Thursday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for repeatedly using the term "infiltrators," alleging that such statements highlight the Centre's own lapses in managing the country's borders. Ghosh asserted that issues concerning infiltration fall strictly under the jurisdiction of central agencies responsible for guarding India's international borders. He argued that if infiltration is occurring in states like West Bengal or Tripura, the accountability lies with the Union Home Ministry. "Every time Union Home Minister Amit Shah uses the word 'infiltrators', it amounts to scoring an own goal. This is a matter related to the international border, and it comes under the jurisdiction of central agencies. If there are infiltrators in West Bengal or Tripura, then it is a failure of Union Home Minister Amit Shah...," Ghosh stated. On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a strong attack on the Congress and other opposition parties on Wednesday, accusing them of spreading lies about SIR, tarnishing the image of India's democracy and asserted that the Modi government "will not allow infiltrators to get voting rights". Replying to the debate on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah hit back at issues raised by opposition parties, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Amit Shah, who faced interruptions from Congress members over his remarks, said the government is ready to discuss all issues in accordance with the rules. He said that the Opposition wanted a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls (SIR), but such a discussion cannot take place in this House because the responsibility for SIR lies with the Election Commission, which does not work under the Government. Amit Shah said a discussion on electoral reforms had been decided, but most Opposition members spoke about SIR instead. He said that for the past four months, one-sided lies have been spread about SIR, and attempts are being made to mislead the people of the country. He said that the Election Commission was constituted under the Articles of the Constitution and is, in a sense, a constitutional body. (ANI)
The Standing Committee on Defence, in its Fifteenth Report presented to Parliament, commended the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for achieving breakthroughs in next-generation defence technologies and for generating significant savings through indigenous research. Referring to Recommendation No. 17 of the report, the Committee noted "with glee" that DRDO has achieved "crucial milestones in developing next-generation hypersonic technologies and missiles" over the past and current year. The panel also recorded that DRDO's indigenous research initiatives over the last five years have enabled savings amounting to Rs 2,64,156 crore. "The Committee congratulate DRDO for its various feats and have every reason to believe that armed with adequate fiduciary support and skilled manpower, DRDO will continue its successful stride in the fields of various complex and critical technologies to strengthen indigenous Defence Research and Development capabilities of our country," the report said. The Fifteenth Report of the Standing Committee on Defence (2025-26), pertaining to action taken by the government on observations and recommendations in the Seventh Report of the previous Committee, covers matters related to the General Defence Budget, Border Roads Organisation, Indian Coast Guard, Defence Estates Organisation, welfare of ex-servicemen, and DRDO. Currently, DRDO has successfully developed multiple air defence systems, including the QRSAM and the Medium Range SAM, and is developing a long-range SAM under the project Kusha. It has also deployed its integrated air defence system to protect the Delhi National Capital Region from enemy aerial threats, including missiles, drones, and fast-moving aircraft. The Defence Ministry is processing the project at a time when Pakistan apparently tried to target the country during Operation Sindoor in May this year. India is also working to get its two remaining squadrons of the S-400 Sudarshan air defence missile systems, while also considering a Russian proposal for more S-400s along with the S-500 air defence system. (ANI)
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday night shared that Members of Parliament from the North-East, along with several other NDA MPs, travelled together by bus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence for a dinner hosted in their honour. In a post on X, Rijiju wrote that the MPs were riding together to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, describing the gathering as a warm and familial occasion. "NDA MPs from North-East and some of very distinguished MPs riding a bus to Prime Minister's residence. We are extremely grateful to hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji for hosting dinner at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg for the NDA MPs. A family atmosphere throughout," Rijiju's X post read. https://x.com/KirenRijiju/status/1999175072825901554 Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night stated that he was delighted to have hosted NDA MPs for dinner and NDA family represents a shared commitment to good governance, national development and regional aspirations. He added that the alliance would continue working together to strengthen India's development trajectory in the years ahead. "Was a delight to have hosted NDA MPs for dinner at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg this evening. The NDA family represents a shared commitment to good governance, national development and regional aspirations. Together, we will continue working to strengthen our nation's development journey in the years ahead," PM Modi posted on X. BJP MP Anurag Thakur also expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for inviting MPs for the special dinner and confidently said that the next dinner will be held after victory in the 2026 West Bengal elections. Expressing confidence, Thakur said, "PM Modi has invited us after the bumper historic victory in Bihar. Ab Bihar ke baad agla bhoj Bengal ki jeet ke baad phir hoga." He further said, "We, the NDA MPs, express gratitude to PM Narendra Modi, who has invited all of us to his residence for a dinner. We will get an opportunity to meet him. We know each other formally, but when PM Modi invites us to his residence, you can see all MPs happy. They are all excited, not just for the dinner but also for the opportunity to meet the PM; if the PM hosts dinner, there can be no bigger opportunity than this." "I still remember that when Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and Advani ji formed the NDA, the then MPs and leaders used to get several opportunities to connect on the same platform and understand each other. It is the PM's speciality that he not only meets people but also takes feedback from them...The communication skills that PM Modi has are perhaps not there in any other leader in the world," he added. (ANI)
After a delay of nearly two years, Maharashtra is finally set to implement its new Lokayukta Act, following the State Legislature's approval of amendments suggested by the Central Government. The move comes in response to consistent demands from veteran social activist Anna Hazare, who had announced an indefinite fast from 31 January 2026 if the Act was not brought into force. The original Lokayukta Bill was passed by the Assembly on 28 December 2022 and by the Legislative Council on 15 December 2023, before being sent to the President for assent. President Droupadi Murmu approved the Bill but recommended that the State incorporate three key amendments. These suggestions were formally conveyed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the Legislature. Fadnavis clarified that authorities established purely under Central laws will not automatically fall within the jurisdiction of the State Lokayukta. However, if officers serving in such bodies are appointed by the State Government, they will come under the Lokayukta's purview. Similarly, even if an institution is created by the Central Government, officials appointed to it by the State will be subject to the Lokayukta Act. The amendments also update references in the law to align it with the new criminal codes introduced by the Centre -- the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam -- replacing older IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act references. Under the revised legislation, the tenure of the current Lokayukta appointed under the old Act will stand cancelled once the new law takes effect. To prevent any administrative vacuum, the existing Lokayukta will continue in office until the new Lokayukta assumes charge. With the amended Bill now cleared by both Houses and the President's assent already secured, the State Government is poised to bring the new Lokayukta Act into force shortly, marking a major step towards strengthening accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in Maharashtra. (ANI)
Social activist Anna Hazare has warned that he would stage a hunger strike over what he cites is the delya in the implementation of the Lokpal Bill in Maharashtra. The social activist wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis warning of a strike and demanding immediate implementation of the act. The activist claimed that the Act which was passed by the Assembly in 2022 remains unimplemented in the state. Hazare, who had earlier led a national strife over the Lokpal Bill, demanded the enforcement of the Lokayukta act by January 30 failing which he would stage a hunger strike in Ralegan Siddhi. Meanwhile, on Thursday the 'Maharashtra Lokayukta Amendment Bill 2025', along with fresh recommendations was passed in the Vidhan Parishad during the session in Nagpur. CM Devendra Fardnavis announced in a post on X. https://x.com/Dev_Fadnavis/status/1999088158823375214?s=20 The original Lokayukta Bill was passed by the Assembly on 28 December 2022 and by the Legislative Council on 15 December 2023, before being sent to the President for assent. President Droupadi Murmu approved the Bill but recommended that the State incorporate three key amendments. These suggestions were formally conveyed to Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the Legislature. Fadnavis clarified that authorities established purely under Central laws will not automatically fall within the jurisdiction of the State Lokayukta. However, if officers serving in such bodies are appointed by the State Government, they will come under the Lokayukta's purview. Similarly, even if an institution is created by the Central Government, officials appointed to it by the State will be subject to the Lokayukta Act. The bill says an inquiry against a current/former Chief Minister must be approved by a motion passed by two-thirds of members in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The amendments also update references in the law to align it with the new criminal codes introduced by the Centre -- the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam -- replacing older IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act references. The Bill states that the Chairperson of the Lokayukta must be a current or former Chief Justice of a High Court, judge of the Supreme Court, or judge of the Bombay High Court. The Bill also provides for special courts for trial of corruption cases and has a provision for completion of the trial within a year (extendable by another year) of filing of the case. Under the revised legislation, the tenure of the current Lokayukta appointed under the old Act will stand cancelled once the new law takes effect. To prevent any administrative vacuum, the existing Lokayukta will continue in office until the new Lokayukta assumes charge. With the amended Bill now cleared by both Houses and the President's assent already secured, the State Government is poised to bring the new Lokayukta Act into force shortly, marking a major step towards strengthening accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in Maharashtra. (ANI)
A dairyman's son was shot in Delhi's Shahadra on Thursday night while he was riding a motorcycle with his worker. The victim has been identified as 50-year-old Yopgendra Rathore, a resident of Balbir Nagar. Shahdara DSP, Prashant Gautam, shared the details of the incident, stating that the police received the information of the incident through a call from a woman at 10:30 pm, claiming that her husband had been shot. Upon reaching the spot, they found that the victim had suffered three bullet injuries. The victim is currently in stable condition, according to the police official. "We received a call around 10:30 pm. A woman said her husband had been shot. Our team reached the spot and found a man shot...He was riding on a motorcycle with his worker when he was shot from behind... He had three bullet injuries. He is in stable condition. He is 50 years old, his name is Yogendra Rathore, and he lives in Balbir Nagar. We are conducting our investigation." A probe has been launched, and further details are awaited. (ANI)
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has mounted a fresh attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that the Home Minister had lied in the Lok Sabha. "The eminent historian-author and ex-MP Rajmohan Gandhi exposes one blatant lie told by the Union Home Minister yesterday in the Lok Sabha. Rajmohan's paternal grandfather was the Mahatma while his maternal grandfather was C. Rajagopalachari," he said in his post. https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1999318094242816367?s=20 In his post the Congress RS MP also posted a video of Rajmohan Gandhi who says, " When the question of the Congress President arose in 1946, many Congress Provincial Committees proposed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's name to be made President. Gandhi ji told Sardar Patel, "You withdraw your name." He told Kripalani, "You withdraw your name." Both of them immediately withdrew their names. And the Congress leaders, the people of the Working Committee who were present, they proposed that Jawaharlal Nehru be appointed. So, Jawaharlal Nehru became the President." "When the question of becoming Prime Minister arose, because Jawaharlal Nehru was the Congress President, he was the one who received the invitation: "You form the government now." But to think that the discussions happening at that time--or the proposals to make Sardar Patel the President--were proposals to make him the Prime Minister is incorrect," Rajmohan Gandhi further says. Earlier, during the debate on election reforms in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah Shah hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of Vote Chori saying, "There are three criteria of vote theft. First, when there's an invalid voter, second, when you win an election through wrong measures, third, when you defy the mandate. I would like to tell you about three incidents of voter chori. First, after independence, the country's PM was to be elected...Sardar Patel got 28 votes, and Jawaharlal Nehru got two votes. But Jawaharlal Nehru became the Prime Minister. " However, the Congress has taken offence to this alleging that the HM did not answer their allegations directly and deviated from the discussion. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that the state has now become completely free from Naxal violence and it shall be recorded as a golden chapter in the state's history. The announcement came after the last two remaining Naxals in Balaghat district Deepak Uike and Rohit surrendered in the virtual presence of the Chief Minister on Thursday. CM Yadav credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's guidance for the success, stating that the nation remains secure under their direction. "Due to the strong resolve of PM Modi and the guidance of Union Minister Shah to eliminate Naxalism from the country by January 2026, Madhya Pradesh has now become completely free from Naxal violence. Owing to the indomitable courage and sacrifices of police officers and personnel, the final farewell to 'Lal Salaam' was given in Balaghat on December 11. It shall be recorded as a golden chapter in the history of Madhya Pradesh," CM Yadav said. The CM noted that in just 42 days, a total of 42 Naxalites carrying a combined bounty of Rs 7.75 crore surrendered across the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Zone. He stressed that with the coordinated efforts of Central Armed Forces and the brave personnel of Madhya Pradesh Police, the surrender of the last two Naxalites on December 11 made Madhya Pradesh completely Naxal-free. The Chief Minister emphasised that 10 Naxalites were neutralised in 2025, while 13 surrendered, which is the highest in the past 21 years. With the surrender of the last two Naxalites today, all active Naxalite cadres in the state have been dismantled. Meanwhile, IG (Balaghat range) Sanjay Kumar Singh told ANI, "After these two surrendered, Balaghat is Naxal-free and it is quite a good thing for this area. Though our campaign will continue so that this area should remain naxal-free. There was a reward of Rs 43 lakh on both of them, Rs 29 lakh on Deepak and Rs 14 lakh on Rohit. Madhya Pradesh has now become Naxal-free." CM Yadav also paid homage to all those who sacrificed their lives in the Naxal elimination campaign. A total of 38 police officers and personnel laid down their lives in this mission. He remembered and honoured the sacrifice of the officers. Additionally, the Chief Minister said that Naxalites who surrender will be rehabilitated under the state's Surrender Policy, granting them an opportunity for a new, peaceful life. The state government is committed to ensuring their safety and extending all provisions mandated under the policy to help them reintegrate into the mainstream. Furthermore, CM Yadav congratulated all the Central Armed Forces, the police force and the field-level administration for their contribution to making Madhya Pradesh a Naxal-free state. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed his condolences on the passing of senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, remembering him as an experienced leader who dedicated his life to public service and the welfare of society. In a tweet, PM Modi said, "Saddened by the passing of Shri Shivraj Patil Ji. He was an experienced leader, having served as MLA, MP, Union Minister, Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha during his long years in public life. He was passionate about contributing to the welfare of society." Recalling his most recent meeting with Patil, PM Modi added, "I have had many interactions with him over the years, the most recent one being when he came to my residence a few months ago. My thoughts are with his family in this sad hour. Om Shanti." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1999327339545788438 Earlier today, Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil passed away at his residence in Latur. He was 90 and breathed his last at his home earlier in the day. He had been ill for the past few days. Shivraj Patil was born on October 12, 1935, in the village of Chakur in the Latur district, Maharashtra, and was a towering figure in Indian politics, remembered for his long and distinguished career marked by several key responsibilities in Parliament, the Union government, and state legislatures. A senior leader of the Indian National Congress, he served as the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha and held numerous significant positions over more than four decades in public life. Patil entered national politics in 1980 when he was first elected to the 7th Lok Sabha, and went on to retain the seat for seven consecutive terms until 2004. During the 1980-1990 period, he served on the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament, later becoming its Chairperson. His tenure in Parliament was marked by extensive work across ministries, serving as Minister of State for a wide range of departments, including Defence, Commerce, Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, Electronics, Space and Ocean Development, Bio-Technology, Personnel and Training, Public Grievances and Pensions, Administrative Reforms, Defence Production, Civil Aviation, and Tourism. In addition to his role as an MP, he was appointed Union Minister of Home Affairs (2004-2008). Following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he gave his resignation on November 30, 2008, taking moral responsibility for the security lapses. Between 2010 and 2015, Patil served as the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, further extending his contribution to public administration. He is also credited with introducing the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, a recognition aimed at honouring exemplary parliamentary performance. Before rising to prominence in national politics, Patil was a two-term member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1972-1979), during which he held important positions including Chairman of the Public Undertakings Committee, Deputy Minister for Law and Judiciary, Irrigation, and Protocol, and later Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. (ANI)
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday permitted a peaceful hunger strike to be held at Thiruparankundram on December 13, demanding permission to light the Karthigai Deepam on the Deepathoon atop the hill. The approval comes with strict conditions that no slogans be raised and that the event should not be given any political colour. Justice S. Srimathy issued the order on a petition filed by R. Prabhu, an advocate from Thiruparankundram, who had approached the court challenging the police's rejection of his application on December 8. As per the court's directions, only 50 participants will be allowed to take part in the fast, which can be conducted between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on December 13, using just one microphone. No provocative slogans against individuals or groups are permitted; only mantras may be chanted. The judge also stressed that neither the petitioner nor the police should politicise the event. Additionally, the entire protest must be videographed. Prabhu stated that the tradition of lighting the lamp on the Deepathoon continued until 1926, but was discontinued due to civil disputes. Although the High Court recently directed that the lamp be lit again, the order has not yet been implemented, he said. Consequently, residents of Thiruparankundram proposed holding a one-day fast at Mayil Mandapam on Sannidhi Street on December 13. Earlier, on Sunday, the office-bearers of the Thoothukudi South District Bharatiya Janata Party and members of Hindu Munnani staged a massive protest against the DMK government for imposing restrictions, hurting the spiritual sentiments of the devotees despite of the Madras High Court permitting the lighting of the traditional beacon at the Deepathoon. This protest took place this evening at the VVD Signal in Thoothukudi, organised by Hindu Munnani and BJP. When the protesters attempted to breach the police barricade, negotiations between the police and the protesters escalated, leading to pushing and commotion at the spot. Senior state and district office-bearers of the BJP, mandal leaders, various wing functionaries, party workers, and members of Hindu Munnani participated in large numbers in the protest. (ANI)
President Droupadi Murmu met and interacted with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Imphal, Manipur, on Thursday. During the interaction, President Murmu assured them that the Government stands with them at all times to address their needs. She said the Government is working to secure the homes and livelihoods of internally displaced individuals from Manipur. The President also assured the IDPs that the Government of India is taking necessary measures to facilitate their progress towards an environment of peace and sustained prosperity in the state. "President Droupadi Murmu met and interacted with a few Internally Displaced Persons in Imphal. She assured that the Government stands with them at all times to address their needs. She affirmed that the Government is working to secure their homes, livelihoods, and the future of their children. She further assured them that the Government of India is taking necessary measures to facilitate their progress towards an environment of peace and sustained prosperity. She also impressed upon them the need to strengthen harmony," said Rashtrapati Bhawan. Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu expressed condolences to the families of the deceased in the Arunachal Pradesh road accident, in which 21 construction workers are feared dead. In an X post, President Murmu wished a speedy recovery to the injured. "Saddened to learn about the loss of lives in a road accident in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured," the X post read. On December 8, a truck reportedly skidded off a hilly stretch of the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district and fell into a deep gorge. According to officials, at least 21 people from Assam's Tinsukia district are feared dead. Police said that 22 people, including the driver, were travelling in the mini-truck to Hayuliang for construction work. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed grief over the loss of lives in a bus accident in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district and announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs. 50,000 to the injured. At least nine people were killed after a bus overturned on the ghat road between Chinturu and Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, said ASR District Collector Dinesh Kumar. In a post on X, PMO wrote, "Pained by the loss of lives due to a bus mishap in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured." https://x.com/PMOIndia/status/1999320602453365191 "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM," the post further read. President Droupadi Murmu and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also expressed sorrow over the deaths in the bus accident. In a post on X, the Andhra Chief Minister said officials have been instructed to assist affected families. "The accident involving a private bus carrying passengers near the Chittoor district in Alluri Sitarama Raju has deeply shaken us. It is heartbreaking that several lives were lost in this accident. I have spoken with the officials regarding the accident and gathered details about the assistance being provided to the affected individuals. I have instructed the officials to take all necessary measures to ensure that the injured receive better medical aid. The government will stand by the families of those who lost their lives in the accident," Naidu wrote. According to the ASR District Collector, several passengers were injured in the accident and were immediately transferred to Bhadrachalam Hospital for treatment. The cause of the accident and the identities of the victims are in the process of being determined. (ANI)
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday expressed grief on the demise of Congress leader and former Union Minister Shivraj Patil. He reflected upon his legacy and said that he was a cherished member of the Congress party, with whom Kharge shared a strong connection. Taking it to X, he wrote, "Deeply saddened by the passing of former Union Home Minister, Former Lok Sabha Speaker and veteran Congress leader Shivraj Patil. He was an honoured senior colleague with whom I shared a close bond and many cherished memories..." Kharge further expressed condolences to the family and well-wishers of the deceased, underlining that Patil held important responsibilities with great dignity and contributed significantly to the nation. "A statesman of great dignity, Patil served the nation with distinction, holding key Constitutional and Parliamentary responsibilities and contributing significantly to India's Democratic institutions..." he said. "His demise is a profound loss for the Congress Party and for all who admired his integrity, composure and commitment to public service... My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and countless supporters. May they find strength in this difficult hour, and may his soul rest in peace," he added. Earlier today, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also paid tribute to late Congress leader Shivraj Patil, calling it an "irreparable loss" to the party. Taking it to X, he wrote, "The news of the demise of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shri Shivraj Patil ji is extremely heartbreaking and an irreparable loss for the party...His dedication to public service and his contributions to the nation will always be remembered...In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the entire Patil family, their well-wishers, and supporters." Meanwhile, the Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil passed away at his residence in Latur. He was 90 and breathed his last at his home earlier in the day. He had been ill for the past few days. Shivraj Patil was born on October 12, 1935, in the village of Chakur in the Latur district, Maharashtra, and was a towering figure in Indian politics, remembered for his long and distinguished career marked by several key responsibilities in Parliament, the Union government, and state legislatures. A senior leader of the Indian National Congress, he served as the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha and held numerous significant positions over more than four decades in public life. Patil entered national politics in 1980 when he was first elected to the 7th Lok Sabha, and went on to retain the seat for seven consecutive terms until 2004. During the 1980-1990 period, he served on the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament, later becoming its Chairperson. His tenure in Parliament was marked by extensive work across ministries, serving as Minister of State for a wide range of departments, including Defence, Commerce, Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, Electronics, Space and Ocean Development, Bio-Technology, Personnel and Training, Public Grievances and Pensions, Administrative Reforms, Defence Production, Civil Aviation, and Tourism. In addition to his role as an MP, he was appointed Union Minister of Home Affairs (2004-2008). Following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he gave his resignation on November 30, 2008, taking moral responsibility for the security lapses. Between 2010 and 2015, Patil served as the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, further extending his contribution to public administration. He is also credited with introducing the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, a recognition aimed at honouring exemplary parliamentary performance. Before rising to prominence in national politics, Patil was a two-term member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1972-1979), during which he held important positions including Chairman of the Public Undertakings Committee, Deputy Minister for Law and Judiciary, Irrigation, and Protocol, and later Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. (ANI)
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Friday tore into BJP RS MP JP Nadda for his speech during the discussion on Vande Mataram in the upper house. Ramesh alleged that the BJP's strategy to pit Rabindranath Tagore against Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay had backfired. "Yesterday in the Rajya Sabha, after distorting and twisting history, the Leader of the House and President of the BJP JP Nadda ji put forward his main demand: that the national song and the national anthem should have the same status. I had to interject to remind him that way back on Jan 24, 1950, in the final sitting of the Constituent Assembly, its President Dr. Rajendra Prasad had announced that Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram "shall be honoured equally...and shall have equal status..." The BJP's strategy to pit Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay against Rabindranath Tagore and insult the Gurudev has spectacularly backfired," he posted on X. Earlier on Thursday, addressing the Rajya Sabha, Nadda questioned the process of categorising 'Jana Gana Mana' as the national anthem and 'Vande Mataram' as the national song. He said, "The final meeting of the Constituent Assembly was held on January 24, 1950, to sign three copies of the Constitution. In it, without any discussion and without any notice, a statement was read out, in which the decision regarding India's national anthem was announced. 'Jana Gana Mana' was declared as India's national anthem, and it was also stated that 'Vande Mataram' would be accorded the same respect as 'Jana Gana Mana'. Whether this decision can be called a constitutional process and a democratic decision is left to the constitution-makers." "Jawaharlal Nehru was entirely responsible for what happened during the selection of India's national anthem in the Constituent Assembly, and for the indifference and neglect towards Vande Mataram," he added. He further alleged that the national song never received the respect it deserved, holding the Indian leaders prior to Independence responsible for it. Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh also mounted a fresh attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that the Home Minister had lied in the Lok Sabha. "The eminent historian-author and ex-MP Rajmohan Gandhi exposes one blatant lie told by the Union Home Minister yesterday in the Lok Sabha. Rajmohan's paternal grandfather was the Mahatma while his maternal grandfather was C. Rajagopalachari," he said in his post. On Wednesday, tensions in the Lok Sabha escalated when Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi engaged in a heated exchange over allegations of "vote chori". (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said that the Mahayuti alliance will contest the upcoming elections together at both local and state levels, highlighting that the government's development work over the past three-and-a-half years will be the foundation of their campaign. "We will contest as Mahayuti at both the local and senior levels. In the past three and a half years, we've carried out several development projects and presented them before the people. We will fight this election on the strength of development and our agenda of progress. The public is wise," Shinde said to the media. On seat-sharing concerns within the alliance, Shinde admitted that there are always many aspirants. "When there's an alliance, there are always many aspirants, but we'll accommodate them at other suitable places," he said. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday held a 90-minute closed-door meeting where the ruling Mahayuti decided to contest the upcoming municipal elections, including in Mumbai and Thane, together, an official release said. State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and senior Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Chavan were also present. According to the Shiv Sena's release, both parties discussed fighting the civic polls unitedly as Mahayuti. Both sides have also agreed that BJP and Shiv Sena workers will not be allowed to switch sides. The civic polls are expected to see a direct contest between the ruling Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction or NCP-SP) and other contesting parties. Moreover, responding to Aaditya Thackeray's criticism of the government's decision on the pagdi system, Shinde today said, "Those living under the pagdi system are common people, not builders. Those who always speak the builder's language, what can I say to them? I'll only say this - this is a historic decision. We have resolved long-pending issues of Mumbaikars." Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday announced that a separate regulatory framework will be created to free Mumbai from the pagdi system in the Legislative Assembly and to ensure fair and proper redevelopment of pagdi buildings, a press release from the CM's Secretariat said. Deputy CM Shinde also stated that the rights of both tenants and landlords will be protected. Moreover, the Chief Minister extended birthday greetings to the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief, Sharad Pawar. "I extend my birthday wishes to Sharad Pawar," Shinde said. (ANI)
Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai on Friday said that at this point, the trade negotiations between India and the US have been heavily tilted towards Americans, terming it a "failure" of the Indian foreign policy. Speaking to ANI, Rai said, "Irrespective of political differences, we hope that a solution is worked out soon to benefit Indian businesses and the economy. But the government has to take responsibility for the failure of its foreign policy. Till now, we are only seeing America benefiting." Meanwhile, the visit of a delegation of US trade officials from the office of the US Trade Representative, led by Deputy US Trade Rick Switzer served as an opportunity for both sides to have productive exchanges on a wide gamut of items, including the ongoing negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, Commerce Ministry sources said on Thursday. Sources said that both sides agreed to continue the current purposeful and positive engagements. The delegation led by Rick Switzer visited India from December 9 to 11. This was Ambassador Switzer's first to India after assuming his current office. During the visit, Switzer met with Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, and other senior Indian officials. Rajesh Agrawal and Rick Switzer, during their meeting on Wednesday, discussed the trade and economic ties. "Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal met with U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer. The two sides exchanged views on matters related to India-US trade and economic ties, including on the ongoing negotiations for a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement," Department of Commerce said in a post on X. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also met Rick Switzer, with discussions covering the strong India-US economic and technology partnership, besides ongoing trade negotiations, and opportunities to boost two-way trade and resilient supply chains. (ANI)
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Friday paid tribute to the late Congress leader Shivraj Patil after his demise at the age of 90 years. He remembered the former Congress MP saying that he left an indelible mark of his personality through his work. He highlighted the key political roles, including Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Minister for Home Affairs and Defence, and Governor, that Patil had overseen during his political career. "The news of the passing of senior leader Shivraj Patil is extremely heartbreaking. As the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Defence, Governor, and in various other roles, he left an indelible mark of his personality through his work..." he wrote on X. He further stated that Patil was a well-respected political figure and encouraged several innovative initiatives related to the House. Fadnavis also offered condolences to Patil's family, emphasising that he will always be cherished and remembered. "As the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, he provided impetus to many innovative initiatives related to the House. As principled, well-informed, and steadfast leadership that articulated positions firmly, he held a place of respect in the nation's politics. With his passing, we have lost towering, guiding leadership in politics and social affairs..." he said. "As a personality who upheld the prestige of Maharashtra's political culture, he will forever remain in our memories. I offer my heartfelt tribute to him. We share in the grief of his family members. Om Shanti," he added. Meanwhile, Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil passed away at his residence in Latur. He was 90 and breathed his last at his home earlier in the day. He had been ill for the past few days. Shivraj Patil was born on October 12, 1935, in the village of Chakur in the Latur district, Maharashtra, and was a towering figure in Indian politics, remembered for his long and distinguished career marked by several key responsibilities in Parliament, the Union government, and state legislatures. (ANI)
Amazon Leo is now stepping up to be the next in-flight Wi-Fi provider for airlines, according to a new report, with the company now in talks with one of the country's largest providers, American Airlines.

Amazon Leo to Power In-Flight Wi-Fi Soon: Report

According to a report by Bloomberg, Amazon Leo is now in talks with American Airlines regarding a potential partnership that would involve the use the e-commerce giant's satellite internet service for the latter's in-flight Wi-Fi.

The Amazon Leo-powered in-flight Wi-Fi is said to be a campaign of American Airlines to attract premium users and compete with other US airline rivals.

There are already many airline companies that have partnered with Elon Musk's Starlink to provide the service, using satellite internet technology to power their in-flight Wi-Fi.

According to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, the company is currently in talks with Amazon Leo to upgrade their in-flight Wi-Fi offers, but there is still no done deal between the two as of writing.

Isom said that they recognize the vast network and reach of Starlink, but there are also other satellite internet operators in the industry, and they are keeping their options open.

Amazon Leo vs. Elon Musk's Starlink

Amazon Leo is one of the rising stars of the satellite internet service, but it is important to note that it only started launching its satellites to the low-Earth orbit this April 2025.

Currently, the service previously known as Project Kuiper only has 150 satellites in orbit and is expected to launch its full service by 2027 with a target of 3,200 satellites.

On the other hand, their biggest rival in the industry, Starlink, already has nearly 10,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit for its global satellite internet service, with plans to launch more in the future.

Starlink has also already secured partnerships with airlines before, with one of the most recent being United Airlines. It is the latest addition to the list that includes Qatar Airways, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, and more.

Amazon Leo's planned expansion involves its SpaceX as the e-commerce company has already asked to have its satellites sent to orbit via the Musk-owned rockets.

Originally published on Tech Times
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday expressed sorrow over the demise of former Union Home Minister and senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil, calling it "a very sad thing." Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also expressed condolences and support to the family of the late Congress leader Shivraj Patil following his death at the age of 90. Speaking to ANI, Gogoi said, "It is unfortunate news. He left a deep mark on Indian politics. We express our sympathies to his family." Extending condolences, BJP MP Arun Govil called Shivraj Patil a "thorough gentleman". "He had a long career and great experience. He contributed a lot to Indian politics and to the country. We will miss him," Govil told ANI. Meanwhile, leader of Opposition Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, today chaired a meeting of Lok Sabha MPs of his party. The meeting was held to review the performance of the Congress MPs in the winter session so far. The Congress has 99 MPs in the Lower House of Parliament. K Suresh, a Senior Congress leader, said the meeting was a regular one with the LOP and that the party MPs had passed a condolence motion honouring the late Congress leader Shivraj Patil. " A condolence resolution was passed in the meeting of MPs for Shivraj Pati,l who was one of the tallest leaders of the Congress party at the state and central level. He served as Home Minister, Speaker and Governor, so his passing is a great loss for the party," K Suresh said. "This is a regular meeting where the MPs are interacting with the LoP. There are just a few days to go for the Winter session to end, so the LoP interacted with the MPs. The performance of the Congress MPs was discussed as well as the session that has progressed so far," he added. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for 15 minutes as no cabinet minister was present. When the House met at 11.15 am, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed regret that no minister was present. He said he was informed that no minister was present. Rijiju said that he had to go to the other House for condolences concerning the demise of former Speaker Shivraj Patil. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said Shivraj Patil was also a member of the Rajya Sabha and that the House should pay tributes. Kiren Rijiju agreed, noting that since the death occurred this morning, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat may be taking some time. Patil was born on October 12, 1935, in the village of Chakur in the Latur district, Maharashtra, and was a towering figure in Indian politics, remembered for his long and distinguished career marked by several key responsibilities in Parliament, the Union government, and state legislatures. A senior leader of the Indian National Congress, he served as the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha and held numerous significant positions over more than four decades in public life. In addition to his role as an MP, he was appointed Union Minister of Home Affairs (2004-2008). Following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he gave his resignation on November 30, 2008, taking moral responsibility for the security lapses. Between 2010 and 2015, Patil served as the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, further extending his contribution to public administration. He is also credited with introducing the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, a recognition aimed at honouring exemplary parliamentary performance. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rekha Sharma on Friday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of indulging solely in vote-bank politics after Banerjee urged women in the state to "lead the fight" against alleged "illegal voter deletions" through Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Reacting to Mamata Banerjee's comments, Rekha Sharma said the West Bengal Chief Minister is already in election mode and has nothing to offer beyond vote-bank politics. "She has already gone into campaign mode... She (Mamata Banerjee) only does vote-bank politics. For the entire 5 years, she has only done vote-bank politics; she has no other work besides that," Sharma said to ANI. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged the women of the state to "lead the fight" against the alleged "illegal voter deletion" through Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. She asked men to provide support from behind. Addressing a gathering at Krishnanagar, Nadia, Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BJP wants to "take away" the rights and "terrify" women, and urged them to show that women are "more powerful" than the BJP. "Through SIR, they [BJP] want to take away the rights of women. During elections, they want to use Central forces to terrify the women. Do you have the strength to fight if your names are removed? Women should lead the fight and men should fight from the back. I want to see whether our women are more powerful or the BJP," Mamata Banerjee said. Accusing the BJP of "pressurising" the District Magistrate, Mamata Banerjee vowed to do a sit-in protest if names are removed "deliberately" from the voter lists. "I have not come here to seek votes. I have come here to urge you to enrol your names in the electoral list. From Delhi, the BJP is sending people to pressurise the DMs with the intent of removing 1.5 crore names from the electoral list. If any name is deliberately removed, I will do a sit-in protest. I urge you to do the same," Mamata Banerjee said. Earlier, the Election Commission of India, on Thursday, extended the deadlines for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five States and one Union Territory. As Per the revised schedule, the enumeration period for Tamil Nadu and Gujarat has been extended to December 14, with the draft roll to be published on December 19. The enumeration period for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands will end on December 18, with the draft rolls on December 23. Uttar Pradesh received an extension of 15 days with the enumeration period ending on December 26 and draft rolls to be published on December 31, ECI said in a press note. In the earlier schedule, the enumeration period for these six States and UTs was until December 11, and the draft electoral rolls were published on December 16. (ANI)
UP NDA MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in his parliament chamber. During the Winter Session. During this session of Parliament the Prime Minister has been meeting NDA MPs from different states. The meeting of Uttar Pradesh NDA MPs concluded on a highly positive and encouraging note, sources have said. According to the sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised the MPs to ensure that the government's work reaches the public more effectively through the use of technology. He emphasised the need for stronger communication and urged MPs to remain more active on social media to bolster public outreach. During the meeting, the Prime Minister reassured the MPs of his full support, saying, "Ye majdoor aapke sath khada, aap bas kaam kariye". Taking a dig at the Congress, the Prime Minister said the party merely makes promises and begins showcasing activity only when elections approach. In contrast, he mentioned that the NDA government works consistently throughout the year, yet its schemes and achievements often do not get sufficient publicity among the people. The meeting was aimed at streamlining communication efforts and strengthening the alliance's engagement with citizens across Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that he was delighted to have hosted NDA MPs for dinner and NDA family represents a shared commitment to good governance, national development and regional aspirations. He added that the alliance would continue working together to strengthen India's development trajectory in the years ahead. "Was a delight to have hosted NDA MPs for dinner at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg this evening. The NDA family represents a shared commitment to good governance, national development and regional aspirations. Together, we will continue working to strengthen our nation's development journey in the years ahead," PM Modi posted on X. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will embark on a visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman next week to strengthen ties with the three countries. He will visit Jordan from December 15 to 16 at the invitation of King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein.During the visit, the Prime Minister will meet the Jordanian King to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange perspectives on regional issues. (ANI)
Congress General Secretary and MP KC Venugopal on Friday expressed grief over the demise of late Congress leader and former Union Minister Shivraj Patil, citing that he was one of the most successful Home Ministers of the country. He died at his residence in Latur at the age of 90 years. "Deeply saddened by the passing away of Shivraj Patil ji. He was the best Speaker of this Lok Sabha and one of the most successful Home Ministers of this country. For the Congress party, he was truly a guiding force for us over the last many years..." Venugopal said. Earlier today, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed grief on the demise of Congress leader Shivraj Patil, calling it an "irreparable loss" to the party. Taking it to X, he wrote, "The news of the demise of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shri Shivraj Patil ji is extremely heartbreaking and an irreparable loss for the party...His dedication to public service and his contributions to the nation will always be remembered...In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the entire Patil family, their well-wishers, and supporters." Alongside, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also expressed sorrow over the demise of Shivraj Patil. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also expressed condolences and support to the family of the late Congress leader. Speaking to ANI, Gogoi said, "It is unfortunate news. He left a deep mark on Indian politics. We express our sympathies to his family." Meanwhile, the Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil passed away at his residence in Latur. He was 90 and breathed his last at his home earlier in the day. He had been ill for the past few days. Shivraj Patil was born on October 12, 1935, in the village of Chakur in the Latur district, Maharashtra, and was a towering figure in Indian politics, remembered for his long and distinguished career marked by several key responsibilities in Parliament, the Union government, and state legislatures. (ANI)
Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday attended the Biennial Conference of Regiment of Artillery, conducted at School of Artillery, Devlali. DG Artillery, Colonel Commandants, Formation Commanders and Commanding Officers of Artillery participated in the event, with deliberations focused on Force Restructuring, Modernisation and Technology Infusion. The COAS also visited the Drone Experience Centre and reviewed cutting-edge facilities enabling technology-driven warfare training. He was briefed on the simulator labs, incubation centre and the drone manoeuvre arena, where trainees practice mission planning, surveillance and targeting. The COAS, while addressing Station Officers, lauded their focus on modernising warfare practices and enhancing training standards. He encouraged them to continue striving for excellence in every domain. The Regiment of Artillery is proud of a glorious past replete with rich traditions and gallant achievements. It has acquitted itself as the battle winning factor in every occasion whenever the integrity of our nation has been threatened. The Gunners have also won accolades for their outstanding contribution in the ongoing counter terrorism operations. The Regiment has a glorious history of serving the nation in war and peace as well as in missions abroad and is known for its professional excellence, selfless dedication and utmost devotion to duty. It has rendered yeoman service to the nation during all the major conflicts with adversaries and during disasters and natural calamities. Meanwhile, 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 Research and Development Organisation's Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (Mark 2), 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. 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. (ANI)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde remembered senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Shivraj Patil, following his demise at the age of 90 in Latur, Maharashtra, on Friday. While extending condolences to the late Congress leader, Maharashtra Deputy CM recalled the latter as a man who shouldered many significant responsibilities and praised him for his work in the politics of this country. He also stated that his departure is a loss to the fields of politics and social policy. "This is a very tragic incident. I offer him my heartfelt condolences... He has shouldered many significant responsibilities and worked as a senior leader. For many years, he has done commendable work in the politics of this country. His departure is a loss to the fields of politics and social policy... I offer him my heartfelt condolences and also pray that God grant strength to his family," Shinde told reporters. Many prominent politicians mourned the demise of former Union Minister Shivraj Patil. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute to the late Congress leader, saying that he left an indelible mark of his personality through his work. He highlighted the key political roles Patil had overseen during his political career, including Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Minister for Home Affairs and Defence, and Governor. "The news of the passing of senior leader Shivraj Patil is extremely heartbreaking. As the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Defence, Governor, and in various other roles, he left an indelible mark of his personality through his work..." he wrote on X. He further stated that Patil was a well-respected political figure and encouraged several innovative initiatives related to the House. Fadnavis also offered condolences to Patil's family, emphasising that he will always be cherished and remembered. "As the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, he provided impetus to many innovative initiatives related to the House. As principled, well-informed, and steadfast leadership that articulated positions firmly, he held a place of respect in the nation's politics. With his passing, we have lost towering, guiding leadership in politics and social affairs..." he said. "As a personality who upheld the prestige of Maharashtra's political culture, he will forever remain in our memories. I offer my heartfelt tribute to him. We share in the grief of his family members. Om Shanti," he added. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi expressed sorrow over the demise of former Union Home Minister and calling it "a very sad thing." Congress General Secretary and MP KC Venugopal, while expressing his grief, said he was one of the most successful Home Ministers of the country. "Deeply saddened by the passing away of Shivraj Patil ji. He was the best Speaker of this Lok Sabha and one of the most successful Home Ministers of this country. For the Congress party, he was truly a guiding force for us over the last many years..." Venugopal said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recalled his service to the country in various capacities and his "contributions towards India's progress" and called him a 'seasoned leader.' "Saddened by the demise of former Union Minister Shri Shivraj Patil ji. He was a seasoned leader, who served the country in various capacities and made effective contributions towards India's progress. My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this sad hour. Om Shant," said Singh. Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil was born on October 12, 1935, in the village of Chakur in the Latur district, Maharashtra, and was a towering figure in Indian politics, remembered for his long and distinguished career marked by several key responsibilities in Parliament, the Union government, and state legislatures. In addition to his role as an MP, he was appointed Union Minister of Home Affairs (2004-2008). Following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he gave his resignation on November 30, 2008, taking moral responsibility for the security lapses. Between 2010 and 2015, Patil served as the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, further extending his contribution to public administration. (ANI)
From the Kakatiyas of Telangana to the Eastern Gangas of Odisha, NCERT's newly released Grade 7 Social Science textbook marks a clear shift from a North India-centric narrative to include kingdoms from all corners of India. Covering the 6th to 12th century CE, the book, Exploring Societies: India and Beyond, offers students a truly Pan-Indian perspective on early medieval history, cultural developments, and temple architecture for the first time. Earlier textbooks often focused heavily on the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas, and Rashtrakutas, along with the early Sultanate period. The new textbook, developed under NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023 guidelines, expands the narrative to include lesser-known dynasties, regional thinkers, and architectural achievements from across the South, East, West, and North-East of India. From South India, the Kakatiyas of Telangana gained prominence for their patronage of Telugu literature, strong local administration through village self-governance, efficient revenue systems, and extensive irrigation projects that supported agricultural prosperity. Their iconic thousand-pillar temple at Hanamkonda is highlighted as a symbol of both religious devotion and architectural innovation. The Chalukyas of Kalyani are featured for King Someshvara III, whose 12th-century encyclopaedia Manasollasa covered astronomy, architecture, music, medicine, cooking, and games, reflecting a sophisticated and multi-disciplinary outlook. The Pallavas of Tamil Nadu are recognized for their rock-cut caves and the UNESCO-listed Shore Temple at Mamallapuram. The textbook also highlights the Pallavas' role in promoting the Bhakti tradition through the Alvars and Nayanars, laying the foundations for devotional movements across South India. Moving westward, the Hoysalas of Karnataka are praised for their contributions to Kannada literature and temple architecture, with the intricately carved temples at Belur and Halebidu exemplifying regional artistic excellence. In Eastern India, the Eastern Gangas of Odisha are featured for constructing monumental structures like the Jagannath Temple at Puri and the Sun Temple at Konark. The Paramaras are represented through the scholar-king Bhoja, whose treatise Samarangana Sutradhara provided detailed guidance on architecture, town planning, sculpture, and mechanical devices, highlighting the era's technical and intellectual achievements. The Brahmapala dynasty of Kamarupa (present-day Assam) ensures meaningful representation of North-East India, reflecting the textbook's commitment to inclusivity. Beyond these major powers, the textbook introduces lesser-known dynasties, including the Bhanjas, Chapas, Guhilas, Kalachuris, Kadambas, Maitrakas, Maukharis, Saindhavas, Shilhras, Somavamshis, Tomaras, Utpalas, Chahamanas, and Gangas, bringing their regional contributions to light. Philosophers like Shankaracharya, who consolidated Advaita Vedanta, and Ramanujacharya, along with social reformers like Basaveshvara, founder of the Lingayat movement, are also covered, reflecting the period's rich spiritual and intellectual landscape. Temple architecture, a major highlight of the textbook, is presented as both an artistic and cultural marker. The Kailashanatha Temple at Ellora, carved during the Rashtrakuta period, is discussed as India's largest rock-cut temple. The Basaveshvara Temple of the Cholas and the Lakshmana Temple of the Chandelas are highlighted for their structural ingenuity and aesthetic achievements. Unlike older editions that focused predominantly on North India and Delhi Sultanate monuments, the new textbook situates regional architecture at the heart of historical discussions, emphasizing the integration of religious narratives and local craftsmanship. (ANI)
Senior Advocate M. Sricharan Rangarajan has written a letter strongly denying allegations made in an impeachment motion against Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court. More than 100 MPs have signed the motion, which accuses the judge of bias and claims he favoured certain lawyers, including Rangarajan, whose name was wrongly mentioned in the document. Rangarajan says the accusations are based on wrong information and misunderstandings. He clarifies that he has no link to the Deepathoon (Stone Lamp Pillar) case, which is believed to have sparked the complaint. He also points out that a similar informal petition had been circulating online earlier, raising doubts about the timing of the impeachment move. Responding to claims that he was given special treatment because he belongs to a "particular community," he cites simple facts. In the three-month period questioned in the complaint, Justice Swaminathan disposed of over 3,000 cases, and only 14 involved him. The judge has cleared more than 1 lakh cases since 2017, he notes, making it unfair to pick a tiny set of cases to raise doubts. He also says the petition contains basic mistakes -- wrong case numbers, wrong timings, and even mixing up cases from different benches, which shows how weak the allegations are. He adds that many other senior lawyers from various communities appear regularly before the judge and have far more cases decided in their favour, but none of them have been named. Rangarajan questions why he alone is being targeted. He suggests he is being used as a "soft target" to indirectly attack the judge. He expresses worry that the silence of many in the legal community encourages such baseless accusations. He also highlights the irony that some MPs who signed the impeachment motion have previously hired him as their lawyer, and in at least one case, Justice Swaminathan gave a ruling in their favour. He asks whether those orders were "favouring him" or simply delivering justice to the parties involved. Sharing his own journey from international scholarships to public service and eventually becoming the youngest Senior Advocate designated by the Madras High Court, he says the allegations attack not just him, but the integrity and fairness of the legal profession. Rangarajan ends by urging lawyers to speak up against false charges, warning that staying silent only allows such attacks to grow. He says the values taught by his mentors and his late father guide him to remain calm and committed to the truth. (ANI)
Actor-turned-politician Vijay's TVK has filed its reply (preliminary-rejoinder) to the Tamil Nadu government's plea urging the Supreme Court to set aside its order that handed over the probe into the Karur stampede case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In its response, the TVK has claimed that the Tamil Nadu government's plea (counter-affidavit) lacks material facts and provides no valid reason to remove the jurisdiction of the CBI and the supervisory committee, constituted by the top court. TVK asserts that several statements in the State government's counter-affidavit are false and misleading. Considering such claims would hinder the ongoing investigation and its supervision, TVK added. "The Respondents (Tamil Nadu government) are erroneously claiming that the Petitioner (TVK) has misled this Hon'ble Court, omitted material facts, or made unsupported assumptions - these averments on the Respondents' behalf do not have any substance, and are not borne by the material on record before this Hon'ble Court", as per response by the TVK. Thus, TVK seeks that it is essential in the interests of justice for the CBI probe in the present case to be continued to be monitored by the Justice (Retd) Ajay Rastogi Committee. TVK's response has been filed through Advocates Dixita Gohil, Pranjal Agarwal, Rupali Samuel and Yash S Vijay. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had filed its response (counter-affidavit) in the Supreme Court seeking directions to set aside its decision to order a CBI probe into the Karur stampedecase. In its counter-affidavit, the State government had contended that actor and politician Vijay cannot choose the investigating agency or monitoring committee, particularly since both his party and he himself are accused in Karur stampede case. The Supreme Court had earlier ordered a CBI probe into the stampede that occurred during party chief and actor Vijay's rally in Karur on September 27, leaving 41 people dead and many others injured. The Court had also ordered a three-member committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi, to monitor the CBl probe and ensure that the investigation into the tragedy is independent and impartial. The ruling had come on TVK's plea seeking an impartial probe into the tragic event. (ANI)
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan on Friday expressed deep sorrow over the deaths caused by a tragic bus accident in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. At least nine people were killed after a bus overturned on the ghat road between Chinturu and Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, said ASR District Collector Dinesh Kumar. Sharing a post on X, Radhakrishnan said he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of lives and extended his heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. He also prayed for the quick recovery of those undergoing treatment. https://x.com/VPIndia/status/1999370477635272732 "Deeply saddened to learn about the loss of lives in the tragic bus accident in Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," he wrote. The tragedy occurred on the Tulasipakala Ghat road in Chintoor mandal, where a private bus fell into a gorge. According to the ASR District Collector, the injured were immediately taken to Bhadrachalam Hospital for further care after being rescued. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sorrow for the lives lost and those affected by the incident. After offering prayers for the injured, he added that the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund would be used to support victims and their families. The official account posted on X: "Pained by the loss of lives due to a bus mishap in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured." "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM" President Murmu has also offered her condolences following the incident and wished a quick recovery to the injured travellers. Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu has also assured families that he has instructed officials to provide assistance to victims' families. (ANI)
Anheuser-Busch, one of the biggest beer makers in the world, is making major changes to its US operations.

The company confirmed that it will sell its long-running brewery in Newark, New Jersey, and close two others in California and New Hampshire as part of a plan to streamline production. The moves are set to take effect in early 2026.

The Newark brewery, which first opened in 1951 and has been a landmark along Routes 1 & 9 for decades, will be sold to the Goodman Group.

The Minnesota-based company plans to turn the large site into a hub for industrial manufacturing and logistics.

Even though the brewery has been part of the community for nearly 75 years, Anheuser-Busch says the sale is part of a larger effort to modernize its business.

The company also announced that its Fairfield, California, and Merrimack, New Hampshire breweries will shut down in 2026. All three facilities together employ about 475 full-time workers, FoxBusiness reported.

An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said every affected worker will be offered a full-time job at another US location.

Employees will receive relocation money and training to help them adjust to their new workplaces. Those who decide not to move will be given severance packages and additional support.

Anheuser-Busch: Brewery Closures to Boost Operations

A spokesperson explained that Anheuser-Busch has spent the last five years updating its manufacturing operations to meet changing demand.

According to Yahoo, during that time, the company invested almost $2 billion across its more than 100 facilities nationwide.

This year alone, Anheuser-Busch announced another $300 million investment to strengthen US manufacturing jobs and support veterans entering the industry.

Company officials said closing the three breweries will allow Anheuser-Busch to better focus on its remaining sites and its most popular brands.

Beers such as Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch, Busch Light, and Rolling Rock are currently brewed at the Newark location. Production of those beers will shift to other facilities once the changes take effect.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the decision to sell and close the breweries is not tied to a drop in product performance. The company does not expect any shortages or changes in product availability.

In a statement, Anheuser-Busch said, "After conducting a thorough review, we have decided to sell our Newark, NJ facility to the Goodman Group."

The company added that moving production will help it "invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry-leading brands."

Originally published on vcpost.com
Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam, speaking on the possible deportation of the Luthera brothers from Thailand, said that while it is premature to predict how long the process will take, he believes that in this case, the deportation of the Goa club owners "will happen fast." The Rajya MP, discussing the detention of the accused brothers in Thailand, stated that the court will assess the evidence presented by the authorities under their domestic laws. " No doubt the Goa Police has taken swift action in deploying their team and bringing evidence to Bangkok, which they will have to present before a court there. Our teams have to present evidence to the court there, which will be assessed under their laws. It would be premature to say how much time it will take for the whole process, but I think it will happen fast," Nikam told ANI. Meanwhile, the Luthra brothers, Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, wanted in connection with the deadly fire at Goa's Birch Hotel, have been detained in Thailand and are expected to be deported to India shortly, according to sources. The Goa Police said the brothers were booked on December 7 for fleeing the country while authorities were responding to the fire and rescuing trapped guests. Following a Blue Corner Notice issued by Interpol against the absconding accused, Thai authorities apprehended them. On December 6, late at night, a devastating blaze at 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub claimed 25 lives, including five tourists and 20 staff members. The restaurant is owned by Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, who also own Birch by Romeo Lane. The Goa Police investigation revealed that the brothers had booked flight tickets to Thailand just as emergency teams were struggling to contain the fire and rescue those trapped inside. According to officials, the booking was made through MakeMyTrip (MMT) at 1:17 am on December 7, while both the Goa Police and Fire Services were actively engaged in firefighting operations. "Even as the Goa Police and Fire Services were battling to douse the fire and rescue those trapped inside, the Luthra brothers were preparing to flee the country," officials added. (ANI)
The Embassy of India in Bangkok is actively coordinating with the Thai authorities regarding the ongoing case linked to the tragic fire at Goa's Birch Hotel, involving Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, said sources on Friday. According to the sources, the two individuals were detained in Phuket following intervention by the Embassy. Thai authorities are currently processing the matter under local law, including steps to deport them to India. Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has reaffirmed that strict action will be taken against the accused, asserting that the government is committed to securing justice for the 25 people who lost their lives in the tragedy. "Our govt will work to give justice to the 25 people who lost their lives...We will put them (the club owners, Luthra brothers) behind bars," the Chief Minister said on Thursday. "We arrested six people after the tragic fire incident. We also suspended three people and are conducting the investigation in a fast-track manner. One of the three owners of the club was arrested in Delhi, and an LOC was issued against the two other owners. We also ordered the Regional Passport Office to cancel their passports. With the help of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Home Minister, the Luthra brothers were detained in Thailand. Our team from Goa and central agencies will bring the two club owners to Goa. We take legal action and put them behind bars," he added. The Luthra brothers, Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, wanted in connection with the tragic fire at Goa's Birch Hotel, were detained in Thailand today and are expected to be deported to India shortly. According to the Goa Police, the brothers were booked on December 7 for fleeing the country while authorities were battling the fire and rescuing trapped guests. Following a Blue Corner Notice issued by Interpol against the absconding accused, Thai authorities apprehended the accused in Thailand. On December 6, late at night at 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, a devastating blaze claimed 25 lives, including five tourists and 20 staff members. Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra own the restaurant. The Goa Police investigation revealed that the brothers had booked flight tickets to Thailand just as emergency teams were struggling to contain the fire and rescue those trapped inside. According to officials, the booking was made through MakeMyTrip (MMT) at 1:17 am on December 7, while both the Goa Police and Fire Services were actively engaged in firefighting operations. "Even as the Goa Police and Fire Services were battling to douse the fire and rescue those trapped inside, the Luthra brothers were preparing to flee the country," officials added. (ANI)
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the 'BharatKool Adhyay-2' held by Gujarat Media Club in Gujarat University in Ahmedabad on Friday. At the function, he said Gujarat will play a leading role in achieving the 'vision of ViksitBharat@2047'. He also lauded the media for its work, stating that it plays a supportive role in the state's development. He mentioned that while the government continually works to serve the welfare of citizens, constructive criticism is essential to policy improvement and public welfare and must always be guided by positive intent. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi also attended the function and emphasised the role of 'Bhav, Raag and Taal' (emotional expression, melodic framework and rhythm) in Gujarat's development and commended the organisers for selecting these unique themes for the BharatKool program. The Chief Minister said that, under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 2025 is shaping up to be a year that showcases India's pride. This year, the Gujarat government is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and the 150th anniversary of our national song, Vande Mataram. He mentioned the previous month's events, including the 'Rashtriya Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' and the grand 'Bharat Parv' held at Ekta Nagar, which highlighted our cultural unity in diversity and helped revive Indian traditions. CM emphasised the significance of Indian culture, noting that India is recognised globally for its ancient and eternal culture that guides humanity toward truth. Referring to Swami Vivekananda, the CM stated that even a brief glimpse of Indian culture profoundly moved people in the West, and many who explored it further dedicated their lives to it. The new generation must understand the core values of our Sanatan civilisation. The Chief Minister congratulated the Gujarat Media Club and Gujarat University for organising BharatKool Adhyay-2, describing it as an ideal platform that links youth to their cultural values. He stressed that everyone must unite and work together to advance the country and realise the Prime Minister's vision of a Viksit Bharat. He was confident that by moving forward with this determination, the dream of Viksit Bharat @ 2047 will surely be achieved, with Gujarat leading the way. He urged the youth to progress with the times while upholding Swadeshi and cultural values, and to advance on the path of development by freeing themselves from a mindset of slavery. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi began Gujarat's rapid development with a strong commitment to the state's progress. He noted that one should rejoice in positive developments and be concerned about setbacks, as such awareness is vital to growth. He also appreciated efforts to engage more youth with the themes of Bhav, Raag and Taal. He highlighted the significant progress in culture, heritage, Raag, and Taal under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's leadership. Deputy CM also mentioned that India's largest music studio is being established in Vadnagar, with similar facilities planned in Vadodara. He said that the task of preserving culture, undertaken over the past 30 years, has continued steadily since the beginning of Narendra Modi's leadership. He urged that recommendations from research and discussions be submitted to the government so these themes can be incorporated into government initiatives rather than remaining limited to events. Deputy Chief Minister Sanghavi thanked Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel for his leadership. He congratulated him on behalf of MLAs and the people of the state for his work over the past three years, delivered with sincerity and clarity. He expressed gratitude to citizens for their continued trust in the government. On this occasion, Pujya Brahmavihari Swami, BAPS (Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), highlighted the vital role of the media, emphasising that revealing the truth is its foremost duty. He said that while the media must continue to ask questions, it is equally important to question one's own 'self,' offering a thoughtful reminder. He lauded the Prime Minister's efforts to position India as a Vishwaguru once again, building on the development journey that began in Gujarat. Citing former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, he inspired everyone to contribute to the progress of the state and the nation. During the event, Gujarat Media Club President Nirnay Kapoor shared detailed insights about the organisation and the BharatKool program. He noted that Adhyay-2 is progressing from where the first concluded last year and described the initiative as a platform showcasing Indian culture. The event was attended by Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani, Vice President of Gujarat Media Club Dixit Soni, General Secretary Sanjay Pandey, BharatKool founder Malhar Dave, along with many print and electronic media professionals, literature enthusiasts, and students. (ANI)
YSRTUC (Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party Trade Union Congress) State President Punuru Gowtham Reddy strongly condemned Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, calling him a "coward who cannot face legal scrutiny" and a "leader misusing state machinery to shut down corruption cases against himself". He said Chandrababu was threatening officials and forcing them to close cases despite clear evidence of wrongdoing. Gowtham Reddy asserted that YSRCP will pursue legal action against these 'illegal closures', stating that it is unacceptable for anyone to use power to evade accountability. He accused Chandrababu of behaving like a habitual criminal, committing offences and then manipulating systems to cover them up, and even violating Supreme Court directions in the FiberNet case, which he is now seeking to close through the CID. He questioned, "Why the CID, despite strong evidence, abandoned the investigation and reminded that cases already completed during YS Jagan's tenure were reopened. In contrast, cases directly linked to Chandrababu's signatures were selectively closed." He reiterated that, "Serious corruption occurred in FiberNet, including blatant violations that benefited Vemuri Hariprasad, who had earlier been punished by a court in an EVM-related case and was even blacklisted. Despite this, Chandrababu brought him into FiberNet operations, facilitated the procurement of 105 substandard items, and enabled irregularities worth Rs. 114 crore". Gowtham Reddy questioned how the case was closed when such grave allegations were still under inquiry. He declared that Chandrababu, who he claimed repeatedly committed financial misconduct, cannot simply shut down cases against himself and escape justice. He said, "YSRCP will file a protection petition in the High Court and continue the legal fight, confident that neither the High Court nor the Supreme Court will allow such illegal closures." Earlier, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP President Y.S. Jagan expressed shock over the tragic incident in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. He had expressed his grief over the lives lost in the accident where the bus carrying pilgrims overturned, and many were injured. The incident occurred on the Tulasipakala Ghat road in Chintoor mandal, where a private bus fell into a gorge. He stated that the recent news has seriously disturbed him and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased. Till now, atleast nine victims have been reported, while seriously injured people are being given medical assistance. He emphasised that the government needs to act promptly to ensure that the wounded receive the best medical treatment. According to the ASR District Collector, the injured were immediately taken to Bhadrachalam Hospital for further care after being rescued. (ANI)
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday met with Sri Lanka High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne on Friday and handed over a part of the consignment of essential life-saving medicines, reiterating India's commitment to continue supporting its neighbours and aid in the country's recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Cyclone Ditwah. Official MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X about the meeting, writing about the assistance provided under Operation Sagar Bandhu, "Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Sri Lanka High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne, and reiterated India's steadfast commitment to continued support for Sri Lanka's early recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Cyclone Ditwah." The full consignment will be airlifted to Colombo by the Indian Air Force, the MEA spokesperson said. "As part of the on-going medical assistance being provided under Operation Sagar Bandhu, Foreign Secretary also handed over essential life-saving medicines, the full consignment of which will be airlifted by an Indian Air Force C17 to Colombo," Jaiswal wrote. In keeping with India's Neighbourhood First policy, Operation Sagar Bandhu was launched to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Sri Lanka affected by the devastating cyclone Ditwah. As part of the operation, an Engineer Task Force comprising 48 personnel of the Indian Army was airlifted and inducted on a war footing to provide critical engineering support. The primary focus of the task force is the restoration of vital lines of communication, including the repair and construction of damaged roads and bridges. The team comprises specialised bridging experts, surveyors and watermanship specialists, along with personnel proficient in operating heavy earth-moving equipment, drones and unmanned systems, enabling the delivery of precise and effective engineering support. The Engineer Task Force is currently holding four sets of Bailey bridges, airlifted by C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, for the restoration of disrupted connectivity. In addition, the task force is equipped with pneumatic boats, outboard motors, HESCO bags and new-generation equipment such as heavy-payload drones and remotely controlled boats. (ANI)
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Friday strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her remarks, asserting that she must first clarify how many "Bangladeshi infiltrators" were allowed into the state under her tenure. Speaking to reporters, Deputy CM Sharma emphasised that this time BJP will not rest until it defeats Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. "She should tell us how many Bangladeshis she has allowed to infiltrate. BJP doesn't need to send its team there; the team we already have in place is fully capable. This time, that team will not rest until it defeats Mamata Banerjee," he said. This comes after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to do a sit-in protest if names are removed "deliberately" from the voter lists. Addressing a gathering at Krishnanagar, Nadia on Thursday, CM Mamata said, "I have not come here to seek votes. I have come here to urge you to enrol your names in the electoral list. From Delhi, the BJP is sending people to pressurise the DMs with the intent of removing 1.5 crore names from the electoral list. If any name is deliberately removed, I will do a sit-in protest. I urge you to do the same." The West Bengal CM criticised the BJP for "terrifying" the DMs and Election officials and warned the party that they will not remain in the centre forever. "I heard that those who submitted the names of their grandfather and grandmother (during SIR process), they would be called for hearing and their names would be struck off. Each DM will be monitored by a BJP leader. Who do you think you are? How can you terrify the DMs, BDOs, and BLOs? All the agencies are working on behalf of BJP without realising that BJP won't be in power forever. You don't have to wait till 2029, BJP will not be able to complete their term," she said. (ANI)
The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) in Bihar on Friday conducted simultaneous raids at six locations linked to Bhavesh Kumar Singh, Development Officer of Pataliputra Central Cooperative Bank, on suspicion of possessing disproportionate assets to his known income. The raids, led by a DSP-rank officer, involved scrutiny of income-related documents, property papers, bank accounts, and suspicious financial transactions. Singh's private residence at Pushpak Residency in Danapur was also raided. DSP of EOU, Sunil Kumar, stated that during the raids, essential documents related to the bank and land were seized. The officer is accused of acquiring 60.68 per cent more assets than his known income. Based on a received complaint and verification, case number 43/2025 was registered, following which search warrants were obtained from the Special Surveillance Court. As part of the operation, the team raided Flat No. 203 of Pushpak Residency Apartments in Ramjaypal Nagar, under Rupaspur Police Station in Patna, a five-storey building near Godam Gali in Jakariyarpur area under Agamkua Police Station, Jai Mata Di Rice Mill in Bela, Bihta, and the Co-operative Bank office on SP Verma Road. Additionally, searches were conducted at the ancestral residence in Jalalpur village under Manjhgarh Police Station, Gopalganj, and at Bhawna Petroleum in Manjhgarh. The EOU team seized documents and other crucial evidence during the raids, which will be used for a detailed investigation of the case. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that VD Savarkar did not receive the recognition he deserved for his efforts to eradicate social evils. Amit Shah unveiled a statue of VD Savarkar and inaugurated the 'Veer Savarkar Inspiration Park' in the presence of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Addressing the gathering, the Union Minister hailed VD Savarkar, while terming the Andaman and Nicobar Islands "sacred land" where freedom fighters sacrificed their lives. Amit Shah said, "Veer Savarkar ji was never given the recognition he deserved for his efforts to eradicate untouchability in the country. He courageously fought against the prevalent evils within Hindu society of his time and continued to progress despite facing opposition from the community." He also recalled the contribution of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army in the freedom of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He said, "Before Independence, the family used to forget the person who was brought here (to Andaman and Nicobar). Nobody could think of coming back from the Kala Paani (Cellular Jail). Even if they came back, the body, mind and soul would be destroyed and could never get back to the original form. However, today, this has become a 'teerth sthan' for Indian as Veer Savarkar spent the toughest days of his life here." "The place is also connected with a memory of another freedom fighter, Subhash Babu (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose). When the Azad Hind Fauj resolved to free India, the first piece of land they freed was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He also suggested naming the islands as Shaheed and Swaraj, which was fulfilled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island) and Shaheed Dweep (Neil Island) are two islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were renamed in 2018 to honour Subhash Chandra Bose. Further, remembering the hardships of the Cellular Jail and capital punishment under the British Rule, he said that Andaman and Nicobar are formed by the "penance, sacrifice, dedication, and patriotism" of freedom fighters. He said, "The Andaman and Nicobar is not an island group, but in a way, it is a sacred land formed by the penance, sacrifice, dedication, and indestructible patriotism of countless freedom fighters. Many people here have offered their lives as a sacrifice. Except for two provinces of the entire India, freedom fighters from every province, one or the other, were hanged on the gallows here." "Today is a very big opportunity that the unveiling of the life-size statue of Veer Savarkar took place on this sacred land, and this unveiling has been done by the hands of the respected Mohan Ji, the Sar Sanghchalak of the organisation that is truly advancing Savarkar Ji's ideology in the right sense," he added. Amit Shah lauded VD Savarkar, calling him a social reformer and a true patriot. "When Savarkar resolved to get Independence, at the age of 11 years, he composed the Shiv Stuti. When he went to England, he knew what tremendous power he was colliding with... If one closely examines the life of Savarkar ji, it becomes clear that no other person like him may ever be born on this land. He was both a writer and a warrior, a true patriot from birth. In addition to being a social reformer, Savarkar ji was also an accomplished poet and author. Very few literary figures possess such mastery over both prose and poetry," Shah said. Earlier today, as Amit Shah inaugurated the state, he wrote on X, "Veer Savarkar Ji's life inspires boundless love for the motherland and the sacrifice of one's life for the nation. The land of Andaman and Nicobar has been a witness to the sacrifices, dedication, and courage of numerous freedom fighters, including Veer Savarkar Ji." "Today, on this sacred land, the unveiling of the grand statue of Savarkar Ji and the inauguration of the 'Veer Savarkar Inspiration Park' were done in the presence of the Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the esteemed Mohan Bhagwat Ji. This park and statue, just like Veer Savarkar Ji himself, will continue to inspire future generations to steadfastly protect cultural nationalism and realise his dreams," the X post read. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar, was born on May 28, 1883, and was a poet, writer, and social reformer. He was incarcerated at the infamous Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British regime, where he endured immense hardship with unwavering resolve. (ANI)
As part of efforts to further strengthen its long-range artillery capabilities post Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army is looking to induct 120 km strike range Pinaka rockets in a proposal worth around Rs 2500 crore The rockets with the capability to strike targets at 120 kilometres would be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, and the first trials are planned to be carried out in the near future, and then it would be developed with the Development-cum-Production Partners who would be chosen after a bidding process, defence officials told ANI. The Army's proposal for approval for the project is set to be taken up for clearance by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) very soon, sources said. The Rajnath Singh-led Defence Ministry has been pushing the case for developing the indigenous multi-barrel rocket launchers which have also been exported to friendly foreign countries in the recent past. The new 120 km strike range rockets of the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system would be capable of being launched from the same launcher, which at present can hit targets at 40 km and 75 plus km, the officials said. The Indian Army is also looking at strengthening the existing Pinaka regiments and had recently placed orders for buying the area denial ammunition for these rocket regiments. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence inked contracts with Economic Explosive Limited (EEL) and Munitions India Limited (MIL) for the procurement of Area Denial Munition (ADM) Type-1 (DPICM) and High Explosive Pre Fragmented (HEPF) Mk-1 (Enhanced) rockets respectively for PINAKA Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) at a total cost of Rs 10,147 crore. In addition, a contract for upgrades in SHAKTI Software has also been signed with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The contracts were signed in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. The Pinaka Multiple Launcher Rocket System (MLRS) is a long-range artillery weapon developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Known for its rapid response and precision, the Pinaka system enhances the Indian Army's capability in modern warfare. The DRDO is already in the advanced stages of developing a 120-km strike version of the Pinaka rocket and is expected to conduct its first test in the next financial year. One of the biggest success stories among Indigenous weapon systems, the Army is fully backing the missiles, as Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi has already made clear that, as soon as longer-range versions of the Pinaka are ready, the force might drop plans for other alternate weapons. The Pinaka has been a major success story in the export sector as it has been bought by Armenia, while many European countries, including France, are showing interest in it. (ANI)
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday visited the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic road accident in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district. Several victims from Assam, including from the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency, died in the incident that has cast a shadow of deep grief across the region. Sonowal met the bereaved families at Gelapukhuri in Tinsukia district and conveyed his heartfelt condolences. He expressed solidarity with them, assuring that the government stands firmly beside every affected family during this difficult time. The Minister said he has been continuously monitoring the situation since the incident. He has spoken to the Chief Secretary of Assam and urged him to maintain close coordination with officials in Arunachal Pradesh. Sonowal directed that all concerned government agencies work together to ensure that rescue and relief operations continue swiftly and efficiently. "My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured. In this time of grief, we stand firmly with those affected," said Sarbananda Sonowal. A coordinated rescue effort remains underway at the accident site, with teams working to complete all essential procedures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who died from PMNRF. The Assam Government has also announced financial support for the families. Calling the loss "irreparable," Sonowal said the pain of the bereaved is deeply felt and reaffirmed the commitment to extend every possible assistance. He prayed for eternal peace for the departed souls and for strength to the families to endure this profound loss. At least 21 people hailing from Assam's Tinsukia district are feared dead in an accident in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district, officials said. According to the police, 22 persons, including the driver, hailing from Tinsukia district of Assam, were travelling in a minitruck which was plunged into a deep gorge on the Hayuliang-Chaglagam road in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district. The truck reportedly skidded off the hilly road and fell into a deep gorge. The accident occurred on December 8. According to the reports, the people were travelling to Hayuliang for construction-related work. (ANI)
Former crypto star Do Kwon was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison after the collapse of his Terra ecosystem revealed a massive fraud that wiped out about $40 billion.

For many everyday investors, the ruling marked the first real step toward justice after losing their savings in what prosecutors called one of the biggest financial scams in modern history.

US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer delivered the sentence in Manhattan federal court, saying the government's request for 12 years was too light and the defense's push for five years was "unthinkable."

According to CNN, he reminded Kwon that the damage he caused was not theoretical. "Your offense caused real people to lose real money," the judge said, calling the scheme a "fraud on an epic, generational scale."

Kwon, 34, once celebrated as a rising figure in the crypto world, apologized as he listened to victims describe how their lives collapsed after Terra's downfall. Some said they lost retirement savings, charitable funds, and college money.

One man said the financial pressure became so severe that he even thought about ending his life. Another victim explained that his family's $190,000 investment shrank to just $13,000 in two weeks.

Crypto mogul Do Kwon sentenced to 15 years in prison over massive $40B currency collapse https://t.co/9xLNCJF4mT pic.twitter.com/ZIhfrvlKjz  New York Post (@nypost) December 11, 2025

Do Kwon Fled on Fake Passport

The crash stemmed from TerraUSD, a "stablecoin" that Kwon and his company, Terraform Labs, claimed would keep a steady $1 value, NBC News reported. Prosecutors said this promise was built on lies.

When TerraUSD slipped below its peg, Kwon secretly used outside cash to make it appear stable again.

That false confidence encouraged even more people to invest, deepening the eventual losses when the system finally crumbled.

After the collapse, Kwon tried to restart Terraform Labs in Singapore and later fled to the Balkans using a fake passport.

He was arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 and spent 17 months in jail there before being extradited to the United States. As part of his plea deal, he will forfeit more than $19 million.

Kwon said he has spent years thinking about what he should have done differently. Speaking quietly in court, he told the judge, "Hearing from victims was harrowing and reminded me again of the great losses that I have caused."

Prosecutors read excerpts from more than 300 victim letters. One young investor wrote that losing almost $11,400 while trying to finish college was "terrifying," adding that what happened was "not an accident" but "deception."

Assistant US Attorney Sarah Mortazavi said Kwon built an "illusion of resilience" that hid the system's failures. "This was fraud executed with arrogance and total disregard for people," she said.

Originally published on vcpost.com
An Andheri Court in Mumbai adjourned the hearing for the alleged domestic violence case filed by actress Celina Jaitly against her husband Peter Haag till January 27, 2026. The matter came before the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, SC Tadye, in Mumbai, for hearing. The court adjourned the matter, giving both parties time to file their income affidavits and Peter Haag time to file his reply, after which both parties will be heard. Earlier on November 25, Celina Jaitly's advocate Niharika Karanjawala shared the details of the alleged domestic violence case, which was filed by the actress against her husband, Peter Haag, at the Judicial Magistrate First Class in Andheri court in Mumbai. While talking to ANI, the advocate said that they have filed a complaint under the "Domestic Violence Act for cruelty and domestic violence, both physical and emotional," against Peter Haag. As a result, according to the advocate, the court has issued a notice returnable on December 12 for Peter Haag, an Austrian resident. "Yes, we filed a complaint under the Domestic Violence Act for cruelty and domestic violence, both physical and emotional, that has lasted for many years through Miss Jaitley's marriage with Mr Peter Haag, who is an Austrian national. We have filed before the Judicial Magistrate First Class in the Andheri Court. It came up today for the first time for verification and notice, and the Judge was pleased to issue notice returnable on the 12th of December to Mr Haag," said advocate Niharika. The advocate claimed that the actor-model Celina Jaitly has endured "physical and emotional cruelty, manipulation and coercion" in the many years of her marriage with Peter Haag. "Physical and emotional cruelty, manipulation, and coercion have lasted through many years of their marriage. However, there are also parallel civil proceedings in Bombay for a gift deed obtained by Mr Haag through coercion of a property Celina owns in Bombay," said Niharika. In the petition, Celina Jaitly requested "a maintenance of Rs 10 lakhs per month, and we have also mentioned Rs 50 crores as a loss of potential earnings since, at a very lucrative time in her career, Mr Haag insisted that she stop working, and also Rs 50 crores as a result of pain and suffering." Celina Jaitly and Peter Haag got married on September 18, 2010, at the actor's residence in Mumbai, as per Hindu rituals in the presence of her close friends and family members. On September 22, their marriage was registered under the Austrian civil law. They have three kids, Viraaj, Winston, and Arthur. (ANI)
BJP Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai on Friday accused the ruling DMK government of suppressing major corruption complaints flagged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and demanded immediate registration of two FIRs against Minister KN Nehru, his family members, and associates over alleged "multi-crore scams". Speaking in Coimbatore with ANI, Annamalai alleged that the ED had written to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) twice, first in October 2025 and again on December 3, 2025, flagging what he described as "massive corruption" in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department, headed by Nehru. According to Annamalai, "The October 2025 ED letter highlighted a Rs 888-crore scam, alleging that bribes ranging from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh were collected during recruitment examinations for engineers and other officials. He said the communication was issued under Section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which mandates the ED to share information on suspected offences with relevant authorities for necessary legal action." "From October till now, no FIR has been registered by the Tamil Nadu Police Department, " Annamalai said, claiming deliberate inaction by the state government. He added that, "The second dossier, a 258-page ED communication dated December 3, 2025, detailed an even larger Rs. 1020 crore scam, involving contractors handling public toilets, sanitation services, NABARD projects, water-body renovation, and various civic works under the MAWS Department. These contractors allegedly paid 7.5 to 10 per cent bribes to associates and family members of KN Nehru." Annamalai further alleged that, "The ED had traced portions of the money trail to Dubai and had flagged WhatsApp communications purportedly showing bribe collections carried out in the name of party funds." "Despite receiving the dossier with proof, the Tamil Nadu DGP has not registered an FIR. It shows the sad state of affairs in the Tamil Nadu government. Even after evidence from an agency like the ED, there is zero action," he said. The BJP leader also referenced the Thiruparankundram issue, accusing the state government of "flagrantly violating court orders" and creating a situation where "there is no semblance of law and order." Annamalai asserted that governance in Tamil Nadu was "malfunctioning," alleging that Chief Minister MK Stalin and Minister Nehru had taken the allegations "very lightly," leaving ordinary citizens to suffer due to administrative failures. The BJP has formally demanded the immediate registration of both FIRs, one about the 888-crore scam flagged in October, and the other related to the 1,020-crore scam highlighted on December 3, 2025. The ED had written to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, the Head of the Police Force, and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) alleging massive irregularities and large-scale bribery in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department. According to the agency, officials and associates linked to the MAWS Minister, KN Nehru, manipulated tenders and collected bribes totalling at least Rs 1,020 crore. The allegations are based on digital evidence compiled into a 258-page dossier sourced from searches conducted in April this year. The letter, dated December 3, was sent under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). (ANI)
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Mrityunjay Tiwari on Friday backed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement over the Special Intensive Revision, asserting that she is "absolutely right." "Mamata Banerjee is absolutely right. The BJP is trying to do something similar in Bengal as they did in Bihar. But Mamata Banerjee and her party members will not let the BJP succeed in their plan," Tiwari told ANI. This comes after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of "pressurising" the District Magistrate and vowed to do a sit-in protest if names are removed "deliberately" from the voter lists. Addressing a gathering at Krishnanagar, Nadia, on Thursday, CM Mamata said, "I have not come here to seek votes. I have come here to urge you to enrol your names in the electoral list. From Delhi, the BJP is sending people to pressurise the DMs with the intent of removing 1.5 crore names from the electoral list. If any name is deliberately removed, I will do a sit-in protest. I urge you to do the same." The West Bengal CM criticised the BJP for "terrifying" the DMs and Election officials and warned the party that they will not remain in the centre forever. "I heard that those who submitted the names of their grandfather and grandmother (during SIR process), they would be called for hearing and their names would be struck off. Each DM will be monitored by a BJP leader. Who do you think you are? How can you terrify the DMs, BDOs, and BLOs? All the agencies are working on behalf of BJP without realising that BJP won't be in power forever. You don't have to wait till 2029, BJP will not be able to complete their term," she said. She urged the women of the state to "lead the fight" against the alleged "illegal voter deletion" through Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. She asked men to provide support from behind. CM Banerjee alleged that the BJP wants to "take away" the rights and "terrify" women, and urged them to show that women are "more powerful" than the BJP. "Through SIR, they [BJP] want to take away the rights of women. During elections, they want to use Central forces to terrify the women. Do you have the strength to fight if your names are removed? Women should lead the fight and men should fight from the back. I want to see whether our women are more powerful or the BJP," Mamata Banerjee said. (ANI)
Congress MP P Chidambaram expressed shock over Karnataka Home Minister and fellow party member, G Parameshwara's remarks calling for the demolition of the structures constructed using money from drug peddling in the state. In an X post, Chidambaram stated that Congress is against "bulldozer justice" and asked the Karnataka government not to go on the "illegal path" opposing the Supreme Court's view on demolition of houses. The Congress MP wrote, "I am alarmed by the reported statement of Karnataka's Home Minister that bulldozers may be used to demolish the homes of drug peddlers. I hope the report is wrong. The SC has declared the law: demolishing homes without due process of law is illegal and will violate the fundamental and human rights of other members of the family to a shelter." "Besides, the Congress Party's view is that 'bulldozer justice' as practised in UP is wrong, illegal and unjust. Let not a Congress-governed state like Karnataka go down the illegal path of UP," he added. Earlier on Thursday, G Parameshwara reportedly said in the State Assembly that the government will demolish the structures constructed using money from drug peddling. In the November 2024 Supreme Court order, which was referred to by Chidambaram, the two judge bench headed by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai, upholding the principle of innocence until proven guilty, found demolition of a house on the ground that one person residing in such a house is either an accused or convicted in the crime, amounts to inflicting a collective punishment on the entire family or the families residing in such structure. "In our considered view, our constitutional scheme and the criminal jurisprudence would never permit the same," the apex court said. The apex court directed that no demolition should be carried out without a prior show-cause notice, returnable either in accordance with the time provided by the local municipal laws or within 15 days from the date of service of such notice, whichever is later. (ANI)
The winter session of the 18th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly will begin on December 19th and conclude on December 24, 2025. The winter session notification was issued on Friday. The session will convene on December 19th at 11 am. On the first day, deceased members will be honoured. The session will continue until December 24th. The session is also expected to discuss and debate prevalent issues, such as SIR, the privatisation of the power sector, and other matters, between the opposition and the treasury bench. Meanwhile, the UP CM Yogi Adityanath is set to visit Jaunpur, Azamgarh, and Varanasi today to discuss and review the law and order situation along with development schemes with his officers. In Jaunpur, he will also pay tribute to the father of Uttar Pradesh minister Girish Chandra Yadav before returning. Around 12:30, the UP CM will arrive in Varanasi and begin his meeting to fulfil his promise of "Developed Uttar Pradesh - Independent Uttar Pradesh". Earlier on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister inspected two 'rain basera' in Gorakhpur and distributed blankets to residents. He directed panchayats and local bodies to arrange a bonfire for the needy. CM Yogi Adityanath said, "Coldwave has begun. Keeping this in mind, adequate funds have been allocated to ensure that 'rain basera' across the state operate at full capacity, and that every tehsil and local body can provide woollen clothes and blankets to the needy. All local bodies and panchayats have been directed to provide bonfires for the needy as needed. I received the opportunity to inspect two 'rain basera' in Gorakhpur and distribute blankets among them. In Gorakhpur alone, 14 'rain basera' are being operated by Nagar Nigam. 700-1000 needy people can take shelter in these." (ANI)
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel granted scholarship assistance of more than Rs 370 crore through DBT to over 13 lakh beneficiary students under the Namo Lakshmi Yojana, Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana, Mukhyamantri Gyan Sadhana Merit Scholarship Yojana and Mukhyamantri Setu Merit Scholarship Yojana in Gandhinagar. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Education Minister Pradyuman Vaja and Minister of State for Education Rivabaa Jadeja were also present in the event, according to a release. The Chief Minister said that under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat's education sector has witnessed a remarkable transformation over the past two and a half decades. The Prime Minister's vision of ensuring seamless access to education from KG to PG is steadily becoming a reality. He added that the Namo Lakshmi Yojana and Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana have been introduced to ensure that students not only complete their primary education but also progress successfully through secondary and higher secondary levels, further strengthening the focus on promoting girls' education. The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister has given unprecedented momentum to girls' education through the "Beti Padhao" campaign. He recalled that when Narendra Modi had assumed responsibility for Gujarat in 2001 as Chief Minister, the state faced numerous challenges. Yet, it was remarkable and unparalleled, that a Chief Minister personally travelled from village to village to champion the cause of girls' education. This exemplary commitment, he added, set a new benchmark for the entire country. He said that then CM Modi also set a new precedent by auctioning the gifts he received as Chief Minister and donating the proceeds to support girls' education. This gesture significantly increased public awareness and encouraged families to send their daughters to school. He added that the success of initiatives such as Shala Praveshotsav and the Kanya Kelavani Mahotsav has been instrumental in reducing the dropout rate of girls from 37 per cent to below two per cent. The Chief Minister noted that there was a time when very few village schools offered the science stream; today, that number has risen to 2,834. He further highlighted that Gujarat had only 775 colleges in 2001, whereas the state now has over 3,200 institutions shaping the future of students. He added that earlier, students pursuing the science stream in Std 12 had access to just 139 engineering colleges, a figure that has now grown to 288. Similarly, when Narendra Modi assumed office as Chief Minister, Gujarat had only 1,175 medical seats, which have since expanded to more than 7,000. The Chief Minister also shared that, to support girls pursuing medical education, over 24,000 students have benefitted so far under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Kelavani Nidhi Yojana. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said that today scholarship assistance of over Rs 370 crore has been directly transferred through DBT to the bank accounts of more than 13 lakh students under four flagship schemes of the Education Department. He added that so far, the state government has provided over Rs 1,332 crore in assistance to more than 13.50 lakh children through these schemes. He congratulated Chief Minister on completing three successful years of his second term, noting that CM has consistently taken decisions in the best interest of the people of Gujarat. He added that, Chief Minister has continuously inspired the entire cabinet, providing openness, encouragement and courage to take people-centric decisions. One of the flagship schemes under which scholarship assistance was disbursed today is also a product of his vision. He said that by personally attending every programme organised by the Education Department, the Chief Minister has demonstrated his deep commitment to the department and to the students who represent the future of the state. Speaking about the Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana, he said that as major industries continue to invest in Gujarat, it is crucial that the state's students are equipped to contribute meaningfully to this growth. With the sincere intention of ensuring that parents who want their children to pursue the science stream are not burdened financially, the State Government introduced this important scheme, which has since benefitted thousands of students across Gujarat. On this occasion, Education Minister Pradyuman Vaja stated that the Government of Gujarat is committed to building an educated and empowered society as the foundation for a Viksit Bharat through a Viksit Gujarat. He added that the Education Department is determined to guide the children who represent the nation's future in the right direction through quality education. The government's investment in education, he said, is not merely financial support but a robust foundation for Viksit Gujarat in the years ahead. These significant initiatives will open new pathways, new opportunities and new aspirations for students across the state. Speaking about the transformative impact of the four major schemes prioritised by the Government of Gujarat, the Minister said that these schemes are shaping the bright future of lakhs of students. The Namo Lakshmi Yojana has become a powerful means of girls' empowerment. Under this scheme, assistance of Rs 1033 crore has been paid via DBT to 10.49 lakh girls so far. As a result, there has been a significant rise of 73 percent in girls' attendance, and an increase of 13.59 percent in the number of girls enrolling in Std 12. The Minister shared that under the Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana, assistance of Rs. 151.84 crore has been provided to 1.5 lakh students to enhance interest in the science stream, resulting in a 6.34 percent rise in enrolment. The other two schemes promoting merit- and quality-based education - Mukhyamantri Gyan Sadhana Merit Scholarship Yojana has provided assistance of Rs 86.14 crore to 50,000 students, and Mukhyamantri Gyan Setu Merit Scholarship Yojana has provided assistance of Rs 61.27 crore to 60,000 students. The Minister said that these four scheme are building a bridge of knowledge (gyansetu) for the bright future of lakhs of students in Gujarat. On this occasion, Minister of State for Education Rivabaa Jadeja said that education is the most powerful medium for bringing positive change in society and empowering every child, as affirmed by Prime Minister. Fulfilling this vision, today's programme stands as a historic and proud milestone, with the State Government extending assistance of Rs 370 crore through DBT to more than 13 lakh students. She said that every child in the country embodies the dream of a bright India. Under the leadership of Chief Minister, the State Government is working tirelessly through initiatives such as Namo Lakshmi and Namo Saraswati to ensure the holistic development, education and well-being of children. The key objectives include providing quality education, continuously strengthening infrastructure, promoting girls' education, reducing dropout rates and fostering overall development--thereby ensuring that Gujarat's students receive the best opportunities and are prepared for a bright future. (ANI)
Tripura University on Friday observed Babu Genu Martyrdom Day with a series of programmes dedicated to honouring the first martyr of the Swadeshi Movement. A Swadeshi Medical Camp, featuring Ayurveda and Yoga specialists, was the highlight of the event, drawing significant participation from students, faculty, officials, and local residents. At the inauguration, Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Shyamal Das emphasised the growing national acceptance of the Swadeshi model. He noted that India is progressing rapidly by embracing indigenous systems and knowledge traditions. Remembering Babu Genu, who sacrificed his life at the age of 22 to oppose foreign goods during British rule, Prof. Das said that his martyrdom continues to inspire the spirit of self-reliance across the nation. Registrar Prof. Deepak Sharma recalled Babu Genu's historic 1930 sacrifice to prevent the expansion of foreign cloth in India. He urged the gathering not only to adopt Swadeshi products but also to revive the Swadeshi mindset and cultural values. He also administered the Swadeshi oath to the attendees. The hall resonated with enthusiastic chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Jai Swadeshi," creating a spirited atmosphere. The camp was jointly organised by Tripura University, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) Agartala Centre, and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch. Dr. Vimal Tiwari, in charge of CCRAS Agartala, and his team provided free Ayurvedic treatment and medicines to university stakeholders and villagers. Dr. Tiwari highlighted the effectiveness of Ayurveda in treating diseases at their roots and encouraged people to align their daily routines with natural cycles. Addressing the gathering, Tripura University Health Centre physician Dr. Manojaba Rai shed light on the life of Babu Genu and urged the audience to draw inspiration from his patriotism. Over five hundred participants, including Finance Officer Debasish Pal, Library Chairman Dr. Champeshwar Mishra, Dr. Dharmendra Dubey, Dr. Satyadev Mishra, Dr. Raksha Kumar, Dr. Deepak Upadhyay, Dr. Munindra Mishra, Dr. Om Prakash Jha, Surjit Sarkar, and Subrata Nandi, attended the programme and benefited from the day-long activities. "Today at Tripura University, a programme was held in honour of Babu Genu, who sacrificed his life for the Swadeshi movement. At a very young age--just 22--he was killed by the British rulers. He had spoken strongly about the importance of the Swadeshi movement and the boycott of foreign goods. Although his death was termed an accident, he was essentially killed for his commitment to the cause," Dr. Deepak Sharma, Registrar of Tripura University, said. "There were many such unsung heroes who contributed immensely to the national freedom movement at a young age. Tripura University regularly organises programmes to honour these unsung heroes. Today, on the occasion of Babu Genu Martyrdom Day, the university held a series of activities," he added. A medical awareness programme was also organised, which included sessions on Yoga and Ayurveda. The aim was to raise awareness of the local Ayurvedic plants available in our region. To promote the use and knowledge of these local medicinal plants, participants were encouraged to join the programme. Ayurvedic experts and Yoga instructors from Tripura were invited. They not only shared valuable information but also organised activities throughout the day to benefit attendees. (ANI)
The 8th India-Austria Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held in Vienna on 12 December, with the Indian side being led by Secretary (West) Sibi George, while the Austrian team was led by Nikolaus Marschik, Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

"The discussions covered a wide range of areas, including political engagement, trade and economic cooperation, science and technology, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people ties. Cooperation between the two countries in international and multilateral fora was also discussed," the MEA said in an official statement.

It was agreed to maintain regular official exchanges and hold the next FOC in New Delhi at a mutually convenient time.

Earlier in September, in an effort to strengthen people-to-people ties and education between the countries, Austria launched a major initiative to attract Indian students to its leading technical universities, aiming to address its "great demand" for skilled labour.

Speaking to ANI, Austrian Ambassador to India Katharina Wieser said the initiative--led by three top universities under the umbrella of TU Austria (TU Wien, TU Graz and TU Leoben)--targets more than 300 Indian students in its first year, with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The initiative has been implemented in partnership with VFS Education Services, a subsidiary of VFS Global, to streamline admissions for eligible Indian students holding BE/BTech/BSc (Hons.) degrees from ANABIN-recognised institutions. Applicants will undergo a comprehensive evaluation, including academic records, English proficiency, and one-on-one assessments.

Fields on offer include metallurgy, biotechnology, circular engineering, computer science, AI and robotics, sustainable technologies, petroleum engineering, and green chemistry--areas directly tied to Austria's industrial innovation and global sustainability challenges. (ANI)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to execute a comprehensive strategy to transform the Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER) into a Global Economic Hub, with focused development across industries, IT, tourism, green energy, urban development and infrastructure. Reviewing progress with senior officials, ministers and public representatives on Friday, the Chief Minister said Visakhapatnam must be developed into a slum-free, world-class city. He reiterated that the state's holistic development will be driven by three major economic hubs: Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Tirupati. Naidu reviewed 49 major projects under VER, spanning integrated development, road and rail connectivity, ports, logistics and industrial expansion. Setting ambitious economic targets, he said the region's GDP is expected to rise from USD 52 billion in 2024 to USD 125-135 billion by 2032, powered by seven growth drivers and ten enabling policy interventions. The VER Master Plan, if implemented effectively, could potentially elevate the region into a USD 750-800 billion economy by 2047, he added. The Chief Minister instructed officials to fast-track priority actions over the next three months. He emphasised constructing an international-standard convention centre in Visakhapatnam and leveraging the region's industrial potential, ranging from Steel City and Pharma City to tourism corridors, to achieve rapid growth. Naidu announced that Medtech Zone-2 in Anakapalli would be launched soon, and that industries investing in the upcoming Toys Park would be offered incentives. He stressed the need to attract defence manufacturing units and integrate agency areas into the economic mainstream through expanded road networks. Each department, he said, must prepare tailored action plans to support VER's growth. Highlighting agricultural prospects in the region, Naidu urged promotion of oil palm and inter-crops such as cocoa, banana and black pepper. He said poultry development would further enhance rural incomes. Collective efforts by farmers could lead to approvals for private industrial parks, he added, noting that industrialisation in Uttarandhra would help eliminate distress migration. The Visakhapatnam Economic Region covers nine districts - Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Parvathipuram Manyam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari and Konaseema. The government has identified seven growth pillars for the region: Global Port-led development, Next-Gen IT, Agriculture, Tourism, Healthcare, Planned Urbanisation & Housing, and World-class Infrastructure. A Master Plan has also been developed to transform a 40 sq. km coastal stretch from Kailasagiri to Bheemili into Andhra Pradesh's core tourism city. Ministers Nara Lokesh, K. Atchannaidu, P. Narayana, T. G. Bharat, Kandula Durgesh, Kondapalli Srinivas, Dola Sreebala Veeranjaneya Swamy, and Kollu Ravindra, along with Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand and senior officials and district collectors, attended the review meeting. (ANI)
A day after President Donald Trump stated that a "very large" oil tanker was seized off the coast of Venezuela by the US, the White House said that the tanker will now be taken to an American port, while the crude oil cargo will be seized only after completion of due legal procedure. During a White House press briefing on Thursday (local time), Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the vessel, named Skipper, is currently undergoing a formal forfeiture process, following which it will be brought to a US port. "The vessel is currently undergoing a forfeiture process right now. The United States currently has a full investigative team on the ground on the vessel, and individuals on board the vessel are being interviewed, and any relevant evidence is being seized," Leavitt said. "With respect to the oil, that's a different issue. The vessel will go to a US port, and the United States does intend to seize the oil. However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed," she added. This comes a day after President Trump stated that Washington had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, "As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually." Later, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed the seizure of the tanker, noting that the ship was transporting "sanctioned oil" from Venezuela and Iran. "Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely--and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues," Bondi said in a post on X, sharing unclassified visuals of the seizure. According to CNN, citing a senior US official, the seizure occurred in international waters and was carried out without incident or injury to either US personnel or the tanker's crew. The vessel, which had been en route to Cuba, was ultimately intended for Asia after being brokered through Cuban intermediaries, the official added. The US indicated that further seizures could occur in the coming weeks as pressure on the Maduro regime continues. The tanker, named Skipper and previously known as Adisa, was transporting Venezuelan crude. It had been sanctioned by the US in 2022 for facilitating oil trades on behalf of Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, as reported by CNN. Following the seizure, the Venezuelan government condemned it, describing it as an "act of international piracy" in a statement released Wednesday. The operation is part of a broader US campaign to pressure Venezuela, which has involved deploying thousands of troops and a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, targeting suspected drug vessels, and issuing repeated warnings to President Maduro, CNN reported. According to US reports, these operations have resulted in 87 fatalities and the destruction of 23 alleged drug boats. (ANI)
America's growing dependence on China for essential medicines is raising new alarms in Washington, as a new report warns that the US could face serious danger if its pharmaceutical supply chain is disrupted.

Lawmakers and security experts say the risk goes far beyond hospitals and pharmacies, especially as senators warn that China-linked groups are helping build a global "Silk Road of crime."

According to the US Israel Education Association (USIEA), China currently supplies 41% of the Key Sourcing Materials used to make US-approved active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

The group says China is the only supplier for at least one critical ingredient in 679 different medicines, making up 37% of America's total APIs, FoxBusiness reported.

Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner, said the US is vulnerable because most generic drugsaround 90% of those taken by Americansare made overseas.

"If China decided one day to simply stop sending us pharmaceutical products... we'd be in very tough straits," he warned.

The report highlights how fragile the system already is. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a single plant in Shanghai shut down, causing America to suddenly lose access to almost all of its medical contrast agent.

This forced hospitals to delay important tests for heart problems, cancer, and strokes. The report also recalls a 2008 case when a faulty blood thinner from China killed 81 Americans.

USIEA argues that US inspectors often have little insight into how Chinese plants operate. When facilities receive advance notice of inspections, "logs get altered" and "expired supplies get moved," the report says.

Allan Coukell, head of policy at @CivicaRx, is right  we must prioritize U.S.-sourced active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).



Our pharmaceutical supply chains reliance on risky API imports from Communist China must end & become MADE IN USA! pic.twitter.com/IUQNWN2pv8  Senate Aging Committee (@SenateAging) December 8, 2025

New FDA Office Proposed to Shift Drug Production

To solve this, the organization is backing the creation of an FDA Abraham Accords Office.

The goal is to shift medicine production toward trusted partners such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Supporters say these nations have strong medical industries and close ties with the US, making them good places for "friend-shoring."

While the supply chain issue grows, senators are also warning about China's expanding criminal ties.

During a recent Senate hearing, lawmakers described Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels working together in what experts call a "Silk Road of crime."

These networks move fentanyl chemicals, launder billions of dollars, and even use wildlife and gold as currency.

According to SCMP, Senator John Cornyn said Chinese criminal groups "have become the go-to money launderers" for the cartels, while Senator Sheldon Whitehouse urged tougher rules to uncover hidden financial networks.

Experts at the hearing argued that Beijing has not done enough to stop these groups. They warned that the same trade and financial channels used for crime also support China's grip on critical industriesincluding pharmaceuticals.

USIEA says moving medicine production to trusted allies is now a matter of national security. "Ensuring access to essential medicines," the report states, "is an act of sovereignty."

Originally published on vcpost.com
According to a post on X by the Ministry of Health, both sides met on Thursday and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening India-Denmark collaboration in health, food, and agriculture, while advancing the Green Strategic Partnership.

The discussions also highlighted a shared vision to build resilient, sustainable, and future-ready systems that benefit both nations, the ministry said.

"Union Health Secretary Ms Punya Salila Srivastava met with the Danish delegation led by His Excellency Mr Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, Ambassador of Denmark to India, to discuss ongoing and emerging areas of cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Denmark-India collaboration in health, food and agriculture and to advancing the Green Strategic Partnership. The discussions underscored a shared vision of building resilient, sustainable and future-ready systems for the benefit of both nations," the ministry said in its post on X.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Denmark elevated their relations to a Green Strategic Partnership back in September 2020, building on and consolidating the existing agreement establishing a Joint Commission for Cooperation, signed in February 2009, between the two nations.

The partnership, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen during a virtual summit between the two nations, envisaged cooperation in the political, economic and commercial, science and technology, environment, energy, education, and culture sectors.

In addition, it builds on and complements the existing Joint Working Groups on Renewable Energy, Urban Development, Environment, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Food Processing, Science, Technology and Innovation, Shipping, Labour Mobility and Digitisation.

The Green Strategic Partnership is a mutually beneficial arrangement to advance political cooperation, expand economic relations and green growth, create jobs and strengthen collaboration on addressing global challenges and opportunities, with a focus on an ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the MEA stated. (ANI)
The Bangladesh Awami League has outright rejected the election schedule announced by the country's interim government's Election Commission for the February 12, 2026, terming the move by the EC as "illegal" and accusing Bangladesh's Chief Advisor, Muhammad Yunus-led government of being a "killer-fascist" clique that cannot ensure a free and fair vote. In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, the party stated that it has "closely reviewed the election schedule announced by the illegal, occupying, killer-fascist Yunus clique's illegal Election Commission" and declared that the current administration cannot ensure transparency, neutrality, or reflection of the people's will. "The Bangladesh Awami League has closely reviewed the election schedule announced by the illegal, occupying, killer-fascist Yunus clique's illegal Election Commission. It is now clear that the current occupying authority is entirely biased and that under their control, it is impossible to ensure a fair and normal environment where transparency, neutrality, and the people's will can be reflected. Elections are the measure of public popularity. The Awami League is an election-orientated party. The Awami League has the strength, courage, and capacity to stand before the people," the statement read. The Awami League emphasised its legacy as an election-orientated party, noting that since its founding, it has participated in 13 national elections, winning nine and forming the government. The party, which has dominated Bangladesh politics for decades under Sheikh Hasina, insisted that elections without the Awami League's participation would be a "scheme to push the country and the nation into a deep crisis." The statement demanded the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the Awami League, withdrawal of "fabricated cases" against Sheikh Hasina and other leaders, unconditional release of all political prisoners, and replacement of the current interim government with a neutral caretaker administration before any election. "Attempting to hold an election while excluding the Bangladesh Awami League--the party that led the Liberation War--along with other political parties and the majority of the population, is a scheme to push the country and the nation into a deep crisis. To prevent the current crisis from escalating, all restrictions imposed on the Bangladesh Awami League must be lifted, all fabricated cases against Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina, national leaders, and people from all walks of life must be withdrawn, all political prisoners must be released unconditionally, and the current deceitful occupying government must be replaced with a neutral caretaker government to hold a free and participatory election. Therefore, the Bangladesh Awami League rejects the announced election schedule that excludes the representatives of the majority of the country's people," it added. Earlier, Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, in an address to the nation on state television BTV and state radio Bangladesh Betar, stated that the country is set to hold national elections on February 12, 2026, marking the first polls since the student-led uprising that removed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The election day will also feature a national referendum on the "July Charter", which proposes reforms including curbing executive powers and strengthening judicial independence. Voting will be held simultaneously for all 300 parliamentary seats. The next elections will be the first-ever twin polls in Bangladesh's history. According to Nasir Uddin, candidates can file their nomination papers from December 29, 2025, and campaigns will run from January 22, 2026, until 48 hours before the election. It is believed that the main competition in the upcoming elections will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and the Jamaat-e-Islami. The newly formed National Citizens Party (NCP), which led the uprising against Sheikh Hasina, will also participate in the upcoming elections. (ANI)
Following Washington's escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela and its government, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday took a sharp swipe at the United States, accusing it of pursuing "territorial expansionism" in parts of Latin America while speaking about global resistance to foreign pressure. In a post on X, Khamenei wrote "withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance," adding that such pressure may take different forms, including expansionist goals or attempts to influence cultural and social identity. "Withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance. The goal of such pressure may be territorial expansionism - like what the US is now doing in some Latin American countries - or it may involve cultural & religious matters, or pressure to change people's lifestyles & their identities," Khamenei stated in his post. The remarks by Iran's supreme leader were in reference to Washington's increased pressure tactics over South America, particularly Venezuela and came a day after US President Donald Trump stated that Washington had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, "As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually." According to CNN, the tanker, named Skipper and previously known as Adisa, was transporting Venezuelan crude. It had been sanctioned by the US in 2022 for facilitating oil trades on behalf of Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. Following Trump's comment, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed the seizure of the tanker, noting that the ship was transporting "sanctioned oil" from Venezuela and Iran. "Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations. This seizure, off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely--and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues," Bondi said in a post on X, sharing unclassified visuals of the seizure. The operation is part of a broader US campaign to pressure Venezuela, which has involved deploying thousands of troops and a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, targeting suspected drug vessels, and issuing repeated warnings to President Maduro, CNN reported. (ANI)
A devastating explosion late Thursday night destroyed a government primary school in the Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan, leaving over 600 children without a place to study. Unidentified attackers planted explosives at the Government Primary School in the Ayaz Kot area of Khushhali village, reducing much of the structure to ruins and halting educational activities in the locality, as reported by The Express Tribune. According to The Express Tribune, officials from the district education department stated that the school had been the only operational primary institution in the area, serving as a vital educational centre for hundreds of students. Following the blast, authorities sealed off the damaged building and began considering alternative arrangements so that classes could resume in temporary spaces. Local elders and parents expressed shock and anger over what they described as a deliberate attempt to sabotage children's futures. One community elder stated, "This school was the heart of our community and a source of hope for our children. Its destruction feels like an attack on our dreams." The incident has once again highlighted the government's inability to ensure security for essential public institutions, especially in violence-prone regions like North Waziristan. Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation, but as of yet, no group has claimed responsibility. The district administration condemned the bombing as an "anti-education act," stating that such attacks derail peace and development efforts in the tribal belt, as cited by The Express Tribune. Officials also pledged that the culprits would be apprehended and brought to justice soon. Police have gathered evidence from the blast site, and the bomb disposal unit's analysis is awaited. Initial assessments suggest that the device was detonated either remotely or through a timer mechanism, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has strongly denounced the US Export-Import (EXIM) Bank's decision to provide $1.25 billion in financing for the Reko Diq mining project, warning that the funding will tighten Pakistan's control over Balochistan and intensify state-led repression in the province, as reported by The Balochistan Post. According to The Balochistan Post, the BNM in its statement expressed "deep concern" over the US move, calling it a violation of global ethical standards and an endorsement of Pakistan's exploitation of Baloch resources. The group stated that such partnerships directly contribute to what it described as "genocide, enforced disappearances, and plunder of the Baloch nation's natural wealth." The BNM said the financing package portrayed as a development initiative would instead pave the way for more military operations, forced population displacement, and increased surveillance in resource-rich areas of Balochistan. The spokesperson warned that the United States, through its financial involvement, is "aiding Pakistan's occupation" rather than promoting regional stability. The organisation further argued that Washington, having once fought colonial domination, should recognise the historical consequences of supporting oppressive regimes. "This decision undermines the Baloch struggle for self-determination and strengthens Pakistan's repressive apparatus," the spokesperson noted. He added that US financing would likely lead to the construction of more army posts, checkpoints, and security infrastructure tools often used to suppress dissent in the region, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post. Highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the BNM urged the US to reflect on the reality that thousands of Baloch youth remain missing and are allegedly held in secret military detention centres under brutal conditions. The group said the families of the disappeared "continue to live in perpetual grief, waiting endlessly for their loved ones." "The United States must choose between supporting human rights and endorsing oppression," the statement concluded. "Such assistance doesn't heal the wounds of the Baloch; it deepens them," as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has urged the government to withdraw the controversial 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, end "enforced disappearances," and release all political prisoners across the country, as reported by Dawn. According to Dawn, speaking at a seminar titled "Every Right is Essential" held at the Karachi Press Club to mark International Human Rights Day, HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt held the country's ruling elite responsible for "widespread human rights violations." Butt argued that Pakistan's power structure, driven by capitalist interests, has turned political authority into an organised system of exploitation that has paralysed democracy. He also cautioned leaders against repeating the mistakes that led to the 1971 national tragedy, while calling for restoration of media independence, a minimum wage of Rs 50,000, abolition of anti-worker legislation, and full protection of trade unions. Other demands included stopping corporate land grabs, reinstating student unions, and ensuring equal access to education. Veteran journalist and rights campaigner Sohail Sangi stated that cases of enforced disappearances had declined in 2025 compared with 2024, crediting civil society's sustained resistance and a slight policy shift by the state. However, he said the authorities now rely on intimidation and fear to suppress protests. Sangi traced the origins of disappearances to the Ayub Khan era and said the practice intensified under General Pervez Musharraf. Academic Dr Riaz Shaikh, referencing his address at a UN human rights meeting in Geneva, stated that global human rights violations have increased significantly over the last 25 years due to shifts in international politics. He stated that "without economic independence, political and cultural freedoms lose meaning," noting that massive wealth inequality has deepened exploitation, as highlighted by Dawn. Lawyer Shazia Nizamani revealed that 21,000 women and children had suffered domestic violence in the last six years, stating the negligible conviction rate. Rights activist Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan criticised Parliament for weakening the minorities' commission. At the same time, Advocate Ayesha Dharijo highlighted the disappearance of more than 15 Hindu girls in Sindh, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)
Pakistan's long-delayed fertility transition has stagnated, showing little to no progress since 2006, according to a new study launched by the Population Council with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The report, titled "Unlocking the Stall in Fertility Decline and Socio-Economic Development in Pakistan," reveals that while fertility rates once declined swiftly, they have since plateaued due to the country's sluggish social and economic development, as reported by Dawn. According to Dawn, the study points to deep-rooted cultural attitudes that continue to value larger families, leading to weak acceptance of modern contraceptive practices, even among younger Pakistanis. Persistently low levels of female education, high child mortality and slow income growth remain the major drivers of the fertility stall. During the launch event, Dr Zeba Sathar, the Population Council's Country Director, highlighted that Pakistan is one of the few countries in South Asia where fertility has remained unchanged for nearly twenty years, averaging 3.6 children per woman. She emphasised that women's education, empowerment and economic participation are vital to breaking this cycle. "Without improving these areas, Pakistan's fertility will remain high, and its development progress will continue to suffer," she stated. Setting the broader global and regional context, Dr John PM Bongaarts, former Vice President of the Population Council, noted that while several nations have achieved lower population growth and corresponding economic progress, Pakistan's stalled fertility threatens its development trajectory. He stated that unless immediate measures are taken to meet the unmet need for family planning and ensure consistent delivery of voluntary reproductive health services, Pakistan will continue facing unmanageable population pressures, as cited by Dawn. UNFPA Country Representative Dr Luay Shabaneh further stated that despite women's growing preference for smaller families, inconsistent policies, weak healthcare systems and inadequate contraceptive supplies limit their choices. He stressed the need to expand the Lady Health Workers programme nationwide. The study concluded that Pakistan must, by 2035, halve child mortality, double the proportion of women with secondary education, and cut poverty and inequality to reverse its fertility stagnation, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi discussed over a phone "serious concerns" over intensifying tensions in the region following the recent radar lock-on incident involving Japanese and Chinese fighter jets and long-range joint patrol of Chinese and Russian bombers near Japan as per readouts issued by the US and Japan. The two defence chiefs, speaking for about 40 minutes via telephone, agreed that Japan and the United States will maintain close communication to calm the situation, Kyodo reported.During the call, Hegseth and his Japanese counterpart discussed Japan's efforts to increase its defence spending and strengthen its capabilities, China's military activities, and the importance of realistic training and exercises across Japan, including in the Southwest Islands, according to a Pentagon readout. Secretary Hegseth and Defence Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific, it said..On December 6, at least one Chinese fighter jet aimed its radar intermittently at Japanese Air Self-Defence Force aircraft over international waters off Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan. As per Japanese state media Koizumi told reporters in a press conference after the call that the biggest problem of last Saturday's radar lock-on incident was that a Chinese J-15 aircraft locked its radar on a Japanese Air Self-Defence Force F-15 for about 30 minutes on one of the two occasions. Koizumi said Japan will continue to conduct patrols and surveillance nationwide and respond calmly and resolutely to contingencies. The two chiefs shared the view that China's act is not conducive to regional peace and stability. They agreed that Japan and the US will closely communicate and coordinate with each other.Hegseth and Koizumi also discussed Tuesday's long-range joint patrol of two Chinese and two Russian bombers over the East China Sea and Pacific, near Japan's Shikoku Island. As per a Kyodo report, tThey agreed those acts will only intensify tensions in the region, Koizumi said. He added that Japan will "continue responding to those acts in a calm yet resolute manner while steadily carrying out surveillance activities in the seas and airspace surrounding our country." The rising military tensions between Beijing and Tokyo come in the wake of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in the Japanese Parliament last month that her country could take military action in case of an attack on Taiwan. This prompted strong protests and economic and diplomatic retaliation from Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. (ANI)
Melbourne Global Centre - Delhi hosted a special session on writer-diplomat Abhay K.'s book Nalanda: How it Changed the World. The discussion revisited Nalanda Mahavihara's role as a global centre of knowledge. Abhay K. highlighted its wide academic range from astronomy and mathematics to medicine, philosophy, and poetry and noted how its interdisciplinary learning, diverse faculty, and merit-based scholarships provide a model for modern education. During the event, Poet and Diplomat ABHAY K.,said, "I think we highlighted during the conversation the contributions of Nalanda, along with its origin and its decline. It's very important for us to understand the full narrative, the complete picture of Nalanda rather than knowing it only in bits and pieces. That is precisely why I wrote this book. This conversation at the Melbourne Global Centre celebrates the true spirit of Nalanda, which was international and universal in its outlook. Today, we have come together from Australia and India to discuss the world's first university-Nalanda". Students and officials from Australia India Institute joined the discussion. Lisa Singh, CEO, Australia India Institute-Delhi said "Today has been a very important day for our institute, and a special day for me personally, to be in conversation with such an esteemed author as Abhay K who is, of course, also a poet. Reading this book and witnessing the confluence of his narrative style with poetry has truly enlightened me". Abhay K. also highlighted the contemporary revival of Nalanda University, whose new Rajgir campus was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024. He traced the spread of Buddhist thought from Nalanda to regions such as China and Mongolia, underscoring its strategic location and far-reaching influence. The event reaffirmed Nalanda's legacy as a global centre of learning and its enduring impact on modern education and thought. (ANI)
The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) has released its annual report denouncing China's deepening repression, particularly drawing attention to the case of Taiwanese activist Yang Chih-yuan, who has been detained on politically motivated charges. The comprehensive report details numerous instances of arbitrary detention and unfair prosecution by Chinese authorities and urges US lawmakers to address these abuses in future dialogues with Beijing, as reported by The Taipei Times. According to The Taipei Times, the CECC, established under the US-China Relations Act of 2000, monitors China's human rights conditions and the state of the rule of law, submitting its findings annually to both the US President and Congress. CECC Chair Senator Dan Sullivan and Cochair Representative Chris Smith stated that the report serves as a reminder that "political prisoners must not be forgotten" and that "Beijing's atrocities must be documented and challenged." The commission also called upon members of Congress to utilise its detailed database on detained individuals, which provides updated information on political prisoners and victims of rights violations in China. This year's edition places a specific focus on those punished for exercising internationally recognised freedoms, an area where China continues to tighten its grip through national security laws and surveillance tactics. Among the highlighted cases is Yang Chih-yuan, who was arrested in August 2022 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, on allegations of promoting "Taiwanese independence" and violating China's sweeping national security statutes, as cited by The Taipei Times. Yang, a cofounder of the now-defunct Taiwanese National Party, previously served as its deputy chair in 2019 and contested the 2020 legislative elections in New Taipei City under the Taiwan Action Party Alliance. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council condemned the nine-year prison sentence imposed on Yang, saying it exposed Beijing's intent to intimidate Taiwanese citizens and weaponise its judicial system to extend political influence across the Strait, as reported by The Taipei Times. (ANI)
Sri Lanka Permanent Mission Participates in the Annual UN Womens Guild Charity Bazaar

World renowned Ceylon Tea along with Ceylon Cinnamon based products and Sri Lanka's famed precious stones attracted a large number of visitors to the National Stall set by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva at the United Nations Womens Guild Bazaar on Tuesday, 20 November 2018. The Sri Lankan Food Stall run by the family members of the Mission's staff was a hot attraction providing the visitors opportunity to taste the famous Sri Lankan rice and curry.

Organized by the United Nations Womens Guild and Permanent Missions accredited to the United Nations in Geneva, over the years the UNWG Bazaar has become a premier event in the UN calendar, with more than 150 countries' national stalls attracting close upon 6,000 visitors from all over Switzerland and neighboring cities. In addition to promoting and displaying cultural diversity of the membership of the United Nations, thus bringing them all on a unifying platform, the event provides a unique opportunity each year, for the visitors to buy handmade products and souvenirs from different countries and to experiment cuisines from around the world.

Proceeds from the Permanent Missions National Stall are donated to the UN Womens Guild which supports charity projects for disadvantaged children around the world annually.

Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka

Geneva

21 November 2018
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a bilateral visit to Jordan from December 15-17. This will be his first bilateral visit to Jordan, the MEA informed on Friday. During the visit, the Prime Minister will meet Jordanian King Abdullah II to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange perspectives on regional issues. PM Modi and the King are expected to address the India-Jordan business event during the visit. The Prime Minister will also interact with the vibrant Indian community in Jordan. The MEA said, "India and Jordan share warm and friendly relations. Our bilateral relations are marked by a strong understanding at the leadership level. India and Jordan also share strong economic ties, with India being the third largest trading partner of Jordan, and the bilateral trade between the two countries is valued at 2.8 billion dollars." "In the field of investment, there are around 15 government companies with an investment of $500 million located in the qualified industrial Zone of zones of Jordan. Royal Jordanian has recently started direct flights between Amman and Mumbai and plans to expand its operations to New Delhi. Jordan provides a tourist visa on arrival to Indian tourists," the MEA added. This visit, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, presents an opportunity to strengthen India-Jordan bilateral engagement, explore new avenues of collaboration for mutual growth and prosperity, and reiterate the commitment to promoting regional peace, prosperity, security, and stability. India and Jordan have cooperated on various domains, including dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational and Cultural exchanges further enhance people-to-people interactions. To help Jordan in its capacity building efforts, 37 Civilian ITEC slots were utilised by the Jordan side, along with 4 Special Executive ITEC Programme and 5 ICCR scholarships in the last financial year 2024-25. Post the recently held Foreign Office Consultations, the ITEC slots offered to Jordan have been increased from 37 to 50. A Jordanian Diplomat attended the 72nd Professional Course for Foreign Diplomats organised by the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, New Delhi, from May 19-30, 2025. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conclude his three-nation tour with a visit to the Sultanate of Oman on December 17-18. Before this, the PM will be visiting Jordan and Ethiopia. This is the second visit of the Prime Minister to the Sultanate of Oman, after his last visit in 2018. In a special briefing by MEA on PM Modi's upcoming visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman, Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee said that PM Modi is set to visit Oman on December 17-18, 2025, at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, marking a significant milestone in India-Oman relations as both countries celebrate 70 years of diplomatic ties. Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee said, "At the invitation of the head of state of the Sultanate of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, PM Modi will be visiting Oman on 17th and 18th December 2025. Prime Minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation. This is the second visit of the Prime Minister to the Sultanate of Oman after his last visit in February 2018...This visit is of great significance as it will be taking place when India and Oman are together celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations...Various initiatives have already been taken under this, and some are under implementation." The visit, accompanied by a high-level delegation, aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation, with discussions expected on enhancing economic and strategic partnerships. Notably, Oman has offered to supply Jaguar aircraft spares, previously used by their Royal Air Force, to India, with deliveries anticipated soon. The Royal Air Force of Oman has retired its Jaguar jets and is willing to transfer the spares to India, with supplies expected soon. "The Royal Air Force of Oman used to operate Jaguar jets, but they were retired from their service some time back. They have many spares of these aircrafts, which they would be willing to transfer to us in the near future and we are expecting that the supplies of those spare parts are likely to come in the coming days," said Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee. India and Oman have cooperation in the defence sector, which includes joint exercises, training and exchange of visits. In recent years, both countries have cooperated in ensuring maritime security in the Indian Ocean region. Oman has a vibrant Indian community who have made a meaningful contribution to the development of the Omani economy. On Friday, at a news conference in the National Capital, the Ministry of External Affairs underscored the importance of the visit and indicated that a number of agreements between the two nations are expected to be signed during the PM's visit. "We are all very optimistic about the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The teams from both sides have been working very hard for its early finalisation, and we have, we are working towards it. I can inform you that a number of documents that are expected to be signed during the visit are in the last stages of their finalisation," the MEA said The MEA said that it expects that the hydrocarbon cooperation between India and Oman will continue in the coming years as well. The Sultanate of Oman is a strategic partner of India and an important interlocutor at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League, and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) fora. As a mark of special friendship, India extended an invitation to the Sultanate of Oman to participate in the G20 Summit and meetings as a guest country during India's Presidency in 2023. Oman actively participated in more than 150 meetings of the Working Groups, and 9 Omani Ministers travelled to India to participate in G20 Ministerial Meetings. Oman is India's closest defence partner in the Gulf region and defence cooperation has emerged as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between India and Oman. Oman is the first Gulf country with which all three wings of India's defence forces hold joint exercises. he economic and commercial relations between India and Oman are robust and buoyant. Bilateral trade during FY 2023-2024 reached US$8.947 billion, and for FY 2024-25 reached US$10.613 billion. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the African nation, Ethiopia, on December 16-17 after concluding his visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In a news conference on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the current visit reflects India's commitment towards deepening South-South Cooperation, and strengthening of partnership with Africa. "PM Modi will be visiting Ethiopia from 16th to 17th December...The visit comes at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali and this is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister since 2011...," said MEA Secretary (South) Dr Neena Malhotra. "Ethiopia is an important and trusted partner in the Global South and the African context. The current visit reflects India's commitment towards deepening South-South Cooperation and strengthening our partnership with Africa," the MEA said. "India and Ethiopia share a long history of partnership in the sector of education, skilling and capacity building. India has been offering scholarship and training opportunities to Ethiopian students and professionals through iTech and ICCR scholarships," the MEA added. Ethiopia is an important country in Africa, and its capital, Addis Ababa, is the long-standing headquarters of the African Union (AU). "The visit will also help consolidate cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, including economy, trade, culture, and people-to-people contacts. On the economic front, discussions are expected to focus on diversifying trade, enhancing connectivity and identifying new opportunities for investment in infrastructure, IT, mining, agriculture, and manufacturing," said MEA Secretary (South) Dr Neena Malhotra. During his visit, PM Modi will also interact with the Indian community in Ethiopia. The Indian community has a large presence in the educational sector of Ethiopia. There are about 150 Indian faculty members in various Ethiopian Universities and Higher Educational Institutions. The Indian diaspora in Ethiopia is estimated to be about 2500. Earlier, PM Modi met the Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. They discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in areas like parliamentary contacts, development partnership and capacity building, trade & investment, defence, ICT, agriculture, skilling of youth and people-to-people linkages. Ethiopian PM Ahmed also participated in the third Voice of Global South, chaired by PM Modi in August 2024. According to the Department of Commerce, India's total trade with Ethiopia stood at US$571.52 million during 2023- 2024. During this period, India's exports to Ethiopia were US$489.59 million, and imports were US$81.93 million. Exports from India mainly include primary and semi-finished iron and steel products, drugs and pharmaceuticals, machinery and instruments, manufactures of metal manufactures, etc. Major imports by India from Ethiopia were: pulses, precious and semi-precious stones, vegetables & seeds, leather and spices. India is the second-largest trading partner for Ethiopia. The Embassy of India in Addis Ababa organised various events to enhance relations in late 2024 and early 2025, including a conference on the contribution of Indian teachers and a World Meditation Day celebration. A four-member AU team visited New Delhi in April 2024 for technical consultations regarding the planning of the 4th India Africa Forum Summit, which is scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa. An Indian delegation participated in the Global Cheetah Summit held in Addis Ababa in January 2024. A Joint Trade Committee meeting between India and Ethiopia was held in Addis Ababa in November 2023.(ANI)
The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia continues to intensify. According to the Bangkok Post, a Thai soldier has been confirmed killed in combat, raising the military death toll to 10. The Bangkok Post also reported that the Cambodian side had used large numbers of drones in the latest clashes Meanwhile, the Khmertimesskh reported that Cambodia has claimed that the Thai side continues to violate the ceasefire and the "Joint Statement on the Peace Agreement between Cambodia and Thailand" signed by the Cambodian and Thai sides on October 26, 2025, by continuing to carry out renewed armed aggression against Cambodia's territorial integrity. The Cambodian Ministry of National Defence demanded that Thailand immediately cease its indiscriminate shelling and use of warplanes to fly into Cambodian territory, According to the Cambodian Ministry, indiscriminate and disproportionate shelling and bombing, were endangering the lives and safety of innocent Cambodian civilians and destroying property, civilian infrastructure, and ancient temples. India's Ministry of External Affairs on Friday called for protecting the Hindu temple and UNESCO World Heritage site Preah Vihear, urging both sides to "exercise restraint and to take measures for cessation of hostilities and prevention of further escalation." "We have seen reports regarding damage to conservation facilities at Preah Vihear during the ongoing Thailand-Cambodia border clashes. Any damage to conservation facilities is unfortunate and is a matter of concern," the MEA said The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Preah Vihear temple is a shared cultural heritage of humanity. India has been closely involved in its preservation and sincerely hopes that all measures will be taken to fully safeguard the site and related conservation facilities, read an official statement from the ministry. UNESCO has also urged urgent protection for the Hindu temple, expressing strong concern over the renewed tensions between Cambodia and Thailand. The Paris-headquartered UN body further reminded all parties of their obligations under international law, notably the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 1972 World Heritage Convention. (ANI)
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday reiterated India's support for the Gaza Peace Plan, adding that "regional and international issues of mutual interest" will be discussed during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jordan and Oman. While addressing a press briefing on the upcoming foreign visit of the PM, officials said that while specific topics of discussion are not known, both sides are set to "discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest." "Both with Oman and Jordan, our relationship has its own importance. The leaders will be discussing regional and international issues of mutual interest. At this stage, I won't be able to tell what all issues will be coming up, maybe post the event, we will be able to brief on that," said Secretary (CPV and OIA), Arun Kumar Chatterjee. Meena Malhotra, Secretary (South), said that India's position on Gaza is publicly known, as India has attended the Gaza peace summit, officially known as the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit, too. "We have welcomed the signing of the first phase of the Gaza Peace Plan. You know our position, we also attended the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit, our minister of state for external affairs had attended. We generally support any effort to build lasting peace," said Secretary (South) Meena Malhotra. On Prime Minister Modi's visit to Ethiopia, Malhotra said that India is working with its partner countries to organise the next edition of the India-Africa Summit. "Regarding Ethiopia, it is an important country in Africa, it is part of the African Union, and it's actually the headquarters of the African Union. We have had some editions of the India-Africa forum summit in Ethiopia, when we had the Banjul formula. I don't know what would be the discussions will be regarding the forthcoming summit, but I know we have been working with our African partners to organise the next editions of the India-Africa summit," she said. PM Modi's upcoming visit to various countries comes just a few days after the Prime Minister spoke with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, backing the implementation of the Gaza peace plan. On December 10, in a telephonic conversation with the Israeli PM, the two leaders discussed the situation in West Asia and reviewed broader strategic cooperation. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, PM Modi and Netanyahu "exchanged views on the situation in West Asia," with the Indian leader reaffirming support for efforts "towards a just and durable peace in the region, including early implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan." The two leaders "expressed satisfaction at the continued momentum in India-Israel Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening these ties for mutual benefit." The Prime Minister will embark on a bilateral visit to Jordan from December 15-17. This will be his first bilateral visit to the country. The PM will meet Jordanian King Abdullah II to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange perspectives on regional issues. PM Modi's three-nation tour will conclude at the Sultanate of Oman on December 17-18. This is the second visit of the Prime Minister to the Sultanate of Oman, after his last visit in 2018. (ANI)
The Prime Minister of Nepal's interim government, Sushila Karki, on Friday expanded her Cabinet, inducting four new ministers into her government tasked with holding the House of Representatives elections on March 5. According to the Kathmandu Post, Nepalese President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kumar Ingnam, Rajendra Singh Bhandari, Madhav Prasad Chaulagain and Shraddha Shrestha at the Office of the President in the presence of the prime minister. Ingnam has been appointed Nepal's Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, while Bhandari will lead Nepal's Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security. Chaulagain has taken charge of Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment, and Shrestha has been assigned Nepal's Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, as reported by the Kathmandu Post. This is Karki's fourth Cabinet expansion, bringing the size of the Council of Ministers to 14. Meanwhile, Anil Sinha, who has been overseeing Nepal's Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies as well as the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, has also been handed the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. The portfolio of Land Management, previously held by Sinha, has now been transferred to Ingnam. Ingnam is an advocate by profession, while Chaulagain, a public health specialist, is the author of the book "Sapadlaksha Karnali". Bhandari formerly served as an Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police, and Shrestha worked as a senior manager in the Tourism Marketing and Promotion Department at the Nepal Tourism Board, as reported by the Kathmandu Post. Earlier in September, Nepal's interim government Prime Minister announced that preliminary preparations for the parliamentary election of March 5 are underway, calling everyone to exercise their franchise. Addressing the nation from her office at Singhadurbar, the first interim female Prime Minister of Nepal, Sushila Karki, called on all the citizens of Nepal to participate in the parliamentary election. "To find a way out of this complex situation, the government has already started preliminary work for the general election by holding the election in a free, fair and fear-free environment by March 5, after discussing with the Election Commission officials the necessary manpower, budget, election materials, security and legal arrangements. The existing election law has been amended through an ordinance to provide voting rights to the younger generation who have reached the age of 18 and to extend the voter list," the interim Prime Minister Karki announced in her address. Calling on all the voters scattered across the nation, the Nepali Prime Minister called on everyone to exercise their electoral rights for the change that the youth have demanded. (ANI)
TOKYO, Dec 12 (News On Japan) - A nationwide survey of popular hot spring destinations released on December 10th shows Oita Prefecture rapidly climbing in traveler preference, underscoring shifting tourism trends as visitors seek both tradition and new experiences. The annual rankings, based on votes from travel site members, again placed Kusatsu in Gunma at the top for the third consecutive year, while Beppu rose from fifth to second and Yufuin made a notable leap to fifth from eleventh.

Hakone in Kanagawa ranked third and Dogo in Ehime placed fourth, but the standout development was the strong performance of Oitas hot springs. According to representatives from Jalan, which conducted the survey, Beppu has attracted younger visitors by pairing its long-established hot spring culture with new attractions such as wall-art installations and social-media-friendly scenic spots, creating a blend of classic hot spring town plus photogenic appeal. Yufuin has seen rising interest among senior travelers, supported by the popularity of the sightseeing train Yufuin no Mori, which links Fukuoka, Yufuin, and Beppu and has led to an increase in hot spring itineraries built around rail travel. Special commentator Hoshi Hiroshi noted that although Oita once felt geographically distant, the region has adapted successfully to the demands of the social media era.

Scenic outdoor baths are also drawing renewed attention as colder, clearer air improves visibility. Hot spring writer Takahashi Kazuki, who has visited an estimated 4,000 hot springs nationwide, said the current season is ideal for enjoying landscape views from open-air baths. In the 2025 Hot Spring General Election, which collected more than 50,000 votes, Yuhigaura Onsen in Kyoto placed third in the scenic category for its reputation as a beauty bath and its sweeping sunset views over the Sea of Japan. Second place went to Satsuma-no-Yu at Shiroyama Hotel Kagoshima, where early morning bathers can witness Diamond Sakurajima, the moment when the sun rises directly above the peak of the volcano. The top spot for the second consecutive year went to Kinoe Onsen on Osakikamijima in Hiroshima Prefecture, a remote hot spring accessible only by boat and valued for its expansive views across the Seto Inland Sea.

Travel planners are increasingly highlighting bath orientation as a key factor in maximizing the experience, with west-facing baths offering ideal conditions at sunset and east-facing baths best viewed at sunrise. Once accommodation is selected, checking the direction of the open-air bath allows travelers to time their visit for the most striking scenery.

Long-established hot springs are also seeing renewed interest as cultural heritage sites. In Tochigis Nasu Onsenkyo, Shikanoyu ranked fourth in the leisure and town-stroll category and is known for its 1,300-year history, wooden bathhouse reminiscent of traditional healing lodges, and affordable entry fees of 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. The bathhouse features six tubs at different temperatures, and a narrow adjoining tub is reserved for kaburiyu, a traditional practice in which bathers pour hot water over their heads with a ladletraditionally 200 times for adults and 100 times for childrento prevent dizziness before entering high-temperature baths. Takahashi said the custom persists because Shikanoyus waters are particularly hot, and many local residents bring their own ladles.

In scenic categories, two remote hot springs continue to attract strong attention. Manza Onsen in Gunma, situated at an elevation of 1,800 meters, is considered one of the highest year-round hot spring resorts in Japan and is often described as the hot spring village closest to the stars. In Tokushima, the Oboke-Iya Onsenkyo, ranked fifth in the scenic division, is located deep in the mountains in a region known as one of Japans three great hidden valleys. Visitors travel roughly two and a half hours by car from Tokushima Airport before transferring to a cable car that descends through winter landscapes resembling an ink-wash painting, creating a journey in which the approach becomes part of the experience.

Source: TBS
Aomori, Dec 12 (News On Japan) - A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori on December 12th at around 11:44 a.m., triggering tsunami advisories across Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi as authorities warned that waves of up to one meter could reach coastal areas.

The latest tremor has raised renewed questions about whether the region is experiencing ordinary aftershocks from the larger magnitude 7.5 quake recorded on December 8th or facing the possibility of a more severe subsequent earthquake, a scenario the Meteorological Agency continues to monitor closely.

Weathernews analyst Yamaguchi explained that the December 12th quake is most likely an aftershock of the earlier M7.5 event, noting that it occurred within the same rupture zone where the crust initially failed. Yamaguchi added that the relatively shallow depth of the epicenter made the conditions favorable for tsunami generation, prompting swift advisories for northern Japans Pacific coastline.

Officials and experts continue to distinguish between routine aftershocks and the potential for an M8-class subsequent earthquake, which the government has highlighted as a risk along the HokkaidoSanriku offshore region. While the latest seismic activity does not correspond to that feared scenario, authorities stress that the public should remain alert to further tremors and the possibility of additional tsunami warnings as seismic activity continues.

Source: 
Global commerce is poised to reach a historic milestone in 2025, with trade volumes expected to hit $35 trillion according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Africas export growth ranks second only to East Asia, positioning Morocco as one of few African nations capable of fully capitalizing on this expansion.

The kingdom benefits from surging South-South trade, which grew 8 percent over the past four quarters, alongside strategic supply chain relocalization. Nearshoring and friendshoring strategies now attract manufacturing investments to regions offering both geographic proximity and political stability. Moroccos advantages include trade agreements with the European Union and world-class logistics infrastructure, particularly the Tanger Med port complex, which establishes the country as an indispensable regional hub.

However, UNCTAD warns of significant vulnerabilities beneath this optimistic surface. Over 90 percent of global trade depends on financial infrastructure concentrated in advanced economies, exposing emerging markets like Morocco to external financial shocks. The organizations 2025 Trade and Development Report cautions that dollar appreciation or tightening international credit conditions, particularly through Federal Reserve monetary policy adjustments, could abruptly slow commercial flows despite strong global demand.

Export diversification remains Moroccos persistent challenge. With a diversity index of just 1.8, the kingdom relies heavily on specific sectors including phosphates and aeronautics, while depending on primary markets such as the European Union and West Africa. This indicator falls notably short of countries like Malaysia or Bangladesh, which achieve 2.8.

Addressing this concentration, UNCTAD recommends Southern countries multiply commercial partnerships, develop local currency settlement mechanisms, and strengthen project bankability. Integrating green transition initiatives, particularly through sustainable critical mineral exploitation, could provide additional leverage for attracting investment and building trade resilience.

Moroccos challenge now transcends simply capturing global trade flows. The kingdom must consolidate its position while guarding against international financial system fragilities and preparing foundations for sustainable, diversified growth. The question shifts from profiting from global economic expansion to securing that advantage against financial and geopolitical turbulence potentially emerging in coming years.
Morocco has called for a rebuilding of partnerships between the shores of the Atlantic, to the benefit of Southern countries, which need today, more than ever, renewed and balanced partnerships.

The call was launched at the opening of the 14th edition of Atlantic Dialogues, held by The Policy Center for the New South, on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Sale.

The conference stands as a crossroads bringing together the four Atlantic continents, with the ambition of renewing understanding of inter-Atlantic dynamics and highlighting the growing strategic role of the South Atlantic in global economic and geopolitical debates.

In a context of multilateralism in crisis, technological rivalries, and climate pressures, the Moroccan think tank calls for a rebuilding of partnerships between the shores of the Atlantic, to the benefit of Southern countries, Karim El Aynaoui, executive president of the influential think tank said, underlining that countries of the South today more than ever need renewed and balanced partnerships.

He added that this gathering is intended to be an open space where we can meet and engage in constructive and reasonable discussion in line with the Vision of King Mohammed VI.

Over the years, The Atlantic Dialogues has embodied a culture of structured and organized debate that the Center strives to disseminate, promote, and transmit to younger generations in Morocco and beyond, he noted, adding that holding this conference at UM6P is no coincidence. It is part of the continuity of a sophisticated intellectual infrastructure that we are working to build within the PCNS.

He also pointed out that crucial themes such as NorthSouth relations, the promotion of multilateralism, and the influence of regional groupings have always been at the heart of the Conferences debates and discussions since its launch in 2012.

The conference stands as a crossroads bringing together the four Atlantic continents, with the ambition of renewing understanding of inter-Atlantic dynamics and highlighting the growing strategic role of the South Atlantic in global economic and geopolitical debates.

The debates of this first day of Atlantic Dialogues were largely dominated by the major themes affecting global governance: the crisis of multilateralism, the weakening of democratic models, the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in power relations, Donald Trumps return to the forefront of the international scene, as well as the reconfiguration of North-South and South-South partnerships across the two shores of the Atlantic.

The conference features nine plenary sessions covering a range of themes, along with twenty small-group workshops, providing an ideal setting for in-depth discussions on Atlantic dynamics and the emerging challenges of international cooperation. A first panel examined democracys ability to deliver on its promises in a world marked by eroding trust and profound transformations

The conference addresses topics that have received limited attention, such as the growing importance of international maritime corridors as strategic commons for global trade, the reduction of geopolitical tensions, and the protection of marine ecosystems.

During the opening session, the Center unveiled the 12th edition of its annual report before a large audience made up of Moroccan and foreign academics, diplomats, political scientists and former ministers from diverse backgrounds. This years report is titled: The Wider Atlantic: Building Partnerships in an Era of Instability.

The PCNSs 12th report, coordinated by Ambassador Mohammed Loulichki, a researcher at the center, offers, according to a press release, an in-depth reflection on the dynamics at work in the wider Atlantic. The document examines how this space can become a structuring framework for cooperation and pragmatic partnerships at a time when geopolitical rivalries, technological transformations and climate pressures are redefining the international order.

This new edition thus highlights the strategic role of the wider Atlantic as a platform for dialogue and the reconfiguration of partnerships, in a context where international instability calls for both national resilience, concerted responses and innovative forms of cooperation.

Structured around seven major sections broken down into thirty-three chapters, the report brings together around forty contributions from authors in the public and private sectors, as well as from international organizations, representing twenty countries, including eighteen Atlantic coastal states. Substantively, this twelfth edition continues and deepens the lines of reflection opened by previous editions, broadening the field of analysis to better grasp the scale of the ongoing transformations, the press release notes.

The report notably highlights the global competition around emerging technologies  artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, control of critical resources, or deepwater activities  which is reconfiguring alliances and reinforcing the centrality of innovation in the geopolitical hierarchy.

By offering a structured overview of contemporary debates and emerging ideas, the PCNS believes this latest report provides readers with a reference tool to understand the profound reconfigurations of a transitioning Atlantic space and to sketch the contours of a more connected, more cooperative and more solidaristic future for the peoples who make it up.

The Atlantic Dialogues aim to foster concrete exchanges that lead to tangible outcomes, bringing together a community of over 2,000 participants who share a renewed vision of Atlantic challenges and opportunities. Debates encourage open and informal interactions between the audience and experts.

Alongside the conference, the Policy Center for the New South is organizing the 12th edition of the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders (ADEL) program, targeting 40 young professionals aged 25 to 35, primarily from countries across the Atlantic region.

The Atlantic Dialogues will continue until December 13, 2025, with a series of roundtables and thematic panels led by high-level international experts.
African trade ministers and senior government officials held a coordination meeting on Thursday in Marrakesh aimed at consolidating Africas position on key issues that will be on the agenda of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), scheduled for March 2026 in Yaounde, Cameroon.

The discussions and interventions at this meetingpresided over by Morocco and moderated by Mozambique, in its capacity as coordinator of the WTO African Group, were based on the African Groups consolidated document recently released at the WTO, which outlines African positions on the main thematic areas.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the 2nd edition of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Business Forum, attended by 16 African ministers and more than 30 African delegations, sought to strengthen coordination among African countries and establish a common roadmap to defend the continents priorities in the framework of multilateral trade negotiations, while anchoring collective action within the African Group.

The main objective of this meeting was to reaffirm Africas commitment to an open, fair, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and rules-based multilateral trading system.

All participants thus reaffirmed, on behalf of their respective countries, their commitment to ensuring the success of the Yaounde Conference.

African ministers and representatives also highlighted several key elements, notably the importance of preserving special and differential treatment (SDT) for developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs), in order to guarantee inclusive and sustainable development, as well as the need to overcome restrictive and unilateral trade measures, which are perceived as obstacles to economic recovery and the stability of supply chains.

The position of the African Group regarding WTO reform was also addressed, emphasizing that such reform must be development-oriented, enhance transparency, preserve the dispute settlement function, and be based on consensus and the involvement of all member states.

Furthermore, the discussions revealed a real convergence on several priority issues for the African continent, notably agriculture and food security, fisheries subsidies, trade in services, and e-commerce.

In a similar statement, the Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El Khatib, stressed that the role of states is to facilitate and open the way for the private sector to import, export, and invest, pointing out that this forum is witnessing strong participation from Egyptian business leaders.

During this second edition of the AfCFTA Business Forum, we are particularly focused on strengthening exchanges between Egyptian and Moroccan entrepreneurs, he said.

Over the past year, significant progress has been recorded in various technical sectors, and the volume of bilateral trade has been increasing, particularly in the automotive sector, he noted, adding that both parties also agreed to remove all obstacles hindering trade between the two countries and decided to simplify all necessary procedures to facilitate exports by Moroccan companies to Egypt.

We have set clear objectives, and we hope that the volume of trade and commercial balance will reach a better level next year, he continued, noting that the Egyptian government encourages investments in Morocco.
Investment opportunities in Moroccos Southern provinces and the achievements made there were highlighted on Wednesday in Paris during a meeting attended by a group of French economic operators and several members of the Moroccan community living in France.

Initiated by the Maroc Entrepreneurs Association, in partnership with the French Federation InfraNum, the meeting enabled managing directors of the Regional Investment Centers (CRI) of the three Southern regions of the Kingdom  Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Guelmim-Oued Noun, and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab  to highlight the enormous investment potential offered to Moroccans expatriates, as well as the remarkable development momentum these territories are experiencing.

In a statement to MAP, Zineb Hatim, president of Maroc entrepreneurs, said that this initiative is fully in line with the willingness to strengthen and accelerate investment in Southern provinces, strategic territories at the heart of the Kingdoms economic influence.

The Director General of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Regional Investment Center, Ahmed Khathir, emphasized the essential role of Moroccans around the world in the development of Southern provinces, adding that this meeting represents a real opportunity to get involved, take action, and take advantage of the strong potential offered by these territories.

After highlighting the support mechanisms available to investors (one-stop shop, investment charter, tax incentives, support services, etc.), the Director General of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra CRI, Mohamed Jifer, pointed out that Southern provinces have many assets, such as port infrastructure, connectivity, and renewable energy, noting that all the elements are in place to develop high value-added and innovative projects, particularly in marine biotechnology, modern agriculture, and the fishing manufacturing industry.

For Mohamed Assouss, Director General of the Guelmim-Oued Noun CRI, the key is to focus efforts on projects likely to strengthen the private sector, by leveraging the diverse assets of Southern provinces of the Kingdom, whether economic, natural, cultural, historical, or tourist-related.

Stephan Lelux, Vice President of InfraNum, the French Federation of Telecommunications Infrastructure Professionals, highlighted the opportunities offered by major digital infrastructure projects in Moroccos Southern provinces, which can support development in various areas, citing logistics around the port of Dakhla and agricultural innovation through the use of technology and sensor networks. He noted that all of Moroccos ambitions for these three regions, which are pillars of development and economic growth for the upcoming years, are of particular interest to the Federation.

Ludovic Provost, Director of Public Affairs for the French group Sogetrel, host of the meeting, said that his group, already established in Casablanca, is closely following investment projects in Southern provinces, highlighting the scale and enormous potential of these initiatives, particularly the ambitious development projects in Dakhla.

The meeting coincides with the visit to Paris of a large delegation from the three regions of Moroccos Southern Provinces- Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Guelmim-Oued Noun, and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab. The delegation met on Tuesday evening with members of the Bureau of the France-Morocco Friendship Group at the French Senate.

In a welcoming address, Senator Olivier Bitz, Vice-President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group, highlighted the French Senates commitment to maintaining a close relationship with Morocco and its longstanding support for the Kingdoms sovereignty over its Sahara.

One month ago, the Senate hosted a major event organized jointly with the Moroccan Embassy in Paris to mark the 50th anniversary of the Green March, an exceptional moment celebrating French-Moroccan friendship within the walls of the Palais du Luxembourg, recalled Bitz, referring to the tribute paid to the Kingdom following the historic UN Security Council resolution on the Moroccan Sahara.

He also recalled the visit by the President of the Senate, Gerard Larcher, to Laayoune last February, expressing to the Moroccan delegation the institutions readiness to work together to strengthen our relations () particularly in the framework of decentralized cooperation.

In his address, Bitz highlighted the exceptional work accomplished by King Mohammed VI to develop the Southern Provinces, noting that investments there are considerable, spanning a wide range of sectors: economic development, renewable energies, higher education, and health.

These represent many opportunities for us to identify concrete projects on which we can work together, he said.

The Moroccan delegation also held discussions with the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, and met this Wednesday at the National Assembly with the President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group, Helene Laporte.
South Sudan announced, on Thursday, 11 December, that it has secured a tripartite agreement with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to protect the Heglig oil field, after the RSF seized the site earlier in the week.

Information Minister Ateny Wek Ateny said in Juba that the accord was reached between the South Sudan Peoples Defense Forces, SAF and RSF as part of efforts to prevent further escalation. He noted that South Sudan has consistently pushed for a diplomatic solution to Sudans conflict since it erupted in April 2023 and is currently hosting SAF soldiers who retreated into Unity State following the RSF advance on Heglig.

Ateny expressed regret over renewed fighting, urging both parties to recommit to regional and international mediation efforts. He warned that ongoing hostilities continue to endanger lives, destroy property and drive more Sudanese civilians into South Sudan. The Heglig oil field, located in the Muglad Basin, is one of Sudans most critical oil-producing assets, housing roughly 75 wells as well as vital pipelines, storage facilities and processing stations. It also serves as a key transit point for crude transported from South Sudan to Port Sudan for export.
North Africas tourism sector is experiencing remarkable growth, with Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia collectively welcoming 42.2 million visitors through October 2025. Morocco has cemented its position as the continents leading destination, now surpassing Egypt by one million arrivals while posting impressive double-digit growth rates.

Morocco recorded 16.6 million tourist arrivals by late October, marking 14 percent growth according to Tourism Minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor. The kingdom maintained an average of 1.66 million monthly visitors, with provisional November data indicating arrivals exceeded 18 millionalready surpassing 2024s full-year total of 17.4 million. Industry analysts project Morocco could reach 20 million visitors annually, particularly with Decembers typically strong performance driven by year-end holidays and the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament scheduled from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

Moroccans expatriates constitute nearly 50 percent of arrivals depending on the month, while France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Belgium represent primary European source markets. Tourism revenues reached over $12 billion (113.26 billion dirhams) through October, up 16.7 percent year-over-year from 97.04 billion dirhams, reinforcing the sectors role as a foreign currency provider and economic driver.

Egypt welcomed 15.6 million tourists through October, demonstrating 21 percent growth despite challenges from regional tensions affecting Gaza. German visitors now rank first among international arrivals, while the November 1 inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museumhousing over 100,000 artifacts including King Tutankhamuns complete collectionpositions the country for strengthened cultural tourism. Tourism revenues reached $13.6 billion through September, up 20 percent, with full-year projections targeting $17 billion.

Tunisia attracted 9.5 million visitors through October, growing 9.6 percent annually. However, Algerian and Libyan tourists comprise 53 percent of total arrivals at 3 million and 2 million respectively, creating significant dependency on North African neighbors. European arrivals increased 7.8 percent to 2.9 million, with French visitors exceeding one million for the first time. British tourist numbers surged 41.6 percent to 394,675, marking their strongest return since 2015 security incidents. Tourism revenues reached 7 billion dinars (approximately $2.4 billion) through October, providing vital foreign currency support.
Libyas Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Holding Company signed a preliminary MoU on Thursday, December 11, with Saudi Arabias Technology Link Services for Telecommunications, signaling a push to strengthen regional collaboration in the telecommunications sector.

The agreement, concluded during a meeting between the Libyan companys Chairman Youssef Ibrahim Hussein and Saudi delegation leader Ali bin Misfer Al-Qahtani, establishes a framework for cooperation on technical studies, urban and national network development, market assessments, and regional connectivity strategies with African neighbors.

Hussein highlighted the MoUs role in enhancing Libyas digital infrastructure, fostering expertise exchange, and supporting economic development aligned with the nations digital vision, underlining regional cooperation as essential for modernising telecommunications and keeping pace with global digital transformation.
After the United States and France, its the turn of the United Arab Emirates to Invest massively in the Moroccan Saharan city of Dakhla, particularly in renewable energies.

Dahamco, a joint Moroccan-Emirati venture, has unveiled lately a $25 billion green ammonia project at the Port of Dakhla to produce multi-million tons of ammonia annually.

According to press reports, Dahamco has already secured land rights and local authorizations for the project. The first phase, involving an investment of $4 billion, will produce approximately one million tons of ammonia annually.

Dahamco President Tom Hanson said the projects design has been finalized, its co-investors and markets are defined. The initial phase is expected to be operational by 2031, with subsequent phases coming every 4 to 5 years.

Initial production will be exported to the Benelux region in Europe, with a focus on the marine fuel market. Later phases of the project could also supply the domestic Moroccan market, contributing to local decarbonization efforts.

Dahamcos green ammonia project represents a significant step toward sustainable industrial growth. It builds on other similar projects launched in the region, turning Morocco into a hub for green hydrogen and ammonia production, contributing to the decarbonization of local and international markets.

Dahamco project aligns with Morocco strategy of taping into the countrys abundant solar and wind resources, strategic proximity to Europe, and established renewable energy infrastructure.

Moroccan Green Hydrogen Offer is attracting investors as it outlines an integrated green hydrogen value chain from renewable energy generation and electrolysis to derivatives like ammonia, methanol, synthetic fuels, and green steel. The goal is to meet domestic needs and export up to 4% of global demand by 2030.

By December 2025, the Moroccan Offer has attracted over $32.5 billion in commitments, with projects advancing toward production starting in 2026-2027.
Princess Lalla Asmaa, President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, chaired, on Friday at Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences in Rabat, the opening ceremony of the 1st African Congress on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation, a major milestone in the structuring of a genuine African hub dedicated to childhood deafness and cochlear implantation.

The event, bearing major scientific and human significance, is in line with the enlightened vision of King Mohammed VI, whose action continues to promote a solidary, concrete and deeply human South-South cooperation, serving the development of African peoples.

At the beginning of the opening ceremony, the Deputy Director of the Mohammed VI Foundation of Sciences and Health, Youns Bjijou, delivered an address on behalf of the President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health, Prof. Lahcen Belyamani, in which he affirmed that the presence of Princess Lalla Asmaa at this Congress confers both a strategic and moral dimension to this event, as it underscores the commitment of the Kingdom to social inclusion and human development.

Under the impetus of Princess Lalla Asmaa, childhood deafness has become a privileged field of solidarity, skills transfer and development of innovative models serving children and their families in Morocco and Africa, Bjijou said.

The personal involvement of the princess, through the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, has enabled tens of thousands of children to regain, thanks to restored hearing, a sense of life, opening for them effective access to school, training and full community participation, he added.

In a similar address, the Deputy President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, Karim Essakalli, stated that the 1st African Congress on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation is an occasion where science becomes a bearer of tenderness, where skills from across the continent unite so that no child remains a prisoner of silence.

Princess Lalla Asmaa then chaired the signing ceremony of two agreements. The first, relating to strengthening cooperation between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Mohammed VI Foundation of Sciences and Health, strengthens the structuring of research and innovation related to childhood deafness. It organizes close cooperation between a Foundation engaged in the field, in direct contact with families and children, and a Foundation rooted in the academic, hospital and scientific environment.

The agreement provides for the development of joint research projects. It strengthens the existing partnership between the two Foundations in the areas of research, education and auditory technologies.

The second agreement establishes a partnership between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the National Fund of Social Welfare Organizations (CNOPS). This agreement represents a decisive step forward for equitable access to auditory care in Morocco.

Thanks to this agreement, civil servants affiliated with CNOPS, along with their children and families, will now benefit from reimbursement and full coverage of cochlear implants by the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, under the same conditions as other schemes.

The Princess then presented the HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa Prize for Scientific Research to Dr. Ghita Mechaia, for her project on developing an adaptive mobile application in Moroccan dialect Arabic (darija) for post-cochlear-implant auditory training in children.

This Prize, intended to encourage the development of applied research capable of producing tangible changes in the lives of deaf children and to create a dynamic of positive emulation, is part of the vision of a country that is not merely applying existing protocols, but wants to help invent the solutions of tomorrow.

At the end of this opening ceremony, Princess Lalla Asmaa visited the Lalla Asmaa Foundation stand, which highlights the various actions and initiatives carried out by the Foundation, over the years, for the inclusion, schooling and dignity of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. She also visited the stands of the main actors in auditory and hearing technology present at this Congress.

This first African Congress on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation brings together experts from five continents, recognized specialists, researchers, clinicians, engineers, speech therapists and institutional officials who, together, are laying the foundations of unprecedented scientific and medical cooperation.

This founding Congress marks the beginning of a dynamic that is set to grow and reinforces the Kingdoms determination, backed by its model, its teams, and its institutional commitment, to continue to act, innovate, and share so that Africa can embrace the future.
ExxonMobil released its updated corporate plan on Tuesday, wherein it upgraded its 5-year outlook. Exxon expects earnings to increase by more than $14 billion at constant prices through 2030 from 2024 levels, $5 billion above its previous forecast by ramping up output in its Permian Basin assets and Guyana, as well as expanding natural gas and LNG production.

But Exxon isnt just drilling more--the company is also changing the industrial process of shale extraction. In effect, the Oil & Gas giant is using "stackable technologies" to improve the economics of unconventional drilling by applying a large number of incremental innovations that collectively aim to double resource recovery in the Permian Basin.

These technologies are "stacked" or integrated to create cumulative efficiencies and values that are greater than the sum of their individual parts.

The "stackable" concept extends beyond the well site. Exxon's approach is not about a single breakthrough but a combination of over 40 different proprietary technologies being developed and tested. The company is integrating its entire operations, from wellhead to refinery to chemical plants, to capture value at every stage.

The Permian Crude Venture is an example where managing the full value chain is expected to generate significant business value, demonstrating how stacked integration enhances overall profitability. The Permian crude venture is anchored by Exxons $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources and its extensive operations in the basin in 2023, which position it as a dominant producer in the top U.S. oilfield.

Related: Ukraine Strikes Key Russian Oil Platform in Caspian Sea



Petcoke proppant: ExxonMobil's petcoke proppant is a proprietary, lightweight material made from refinery petroleum coke, designed to travel further and keep fractures open in hydraulic fracturing, significantly boosting oil recovery in the Permian Basin. This patented innovation uses a low-cost byproduct, offers deeper fracture reach than sand, and is being rapidly deployed across its unconventional wells, providing a major competitive advantage by increasing output and efficiency. Field trials have demonstrated significant oil uplift of up to 20% and increased conductive fracture area compared to sand-only completions.

Well-spacing optimization: Exxons new well-spacing optimization strategy involves using data analytics, diagnostic pilots, and integrated modeling to find an optimal balance between maximizing single-well productivity (wider spacing) and maximizing total resource recovery in a given area (tighter spacing). Exxon runs diagnostic pilots and collects high-resolution data during drilling and completion phases to quantify fracture size and shape.

This data, combined with production history from existing wells, helps inform optimal development plans.The company is leveraging multi-bench co-development, or "cube" development, to extract resources from multiple layers simultaneously. By optimizing the spacing for multi-zone designs, they have increased the Net Present Value (NPV) of projects compared to developing single zones.While tighter spacing can lead to higher overall hydrocarbon recovery, wider spacing often yields better individual well returns. Exxon Mobil analyzes both optimal return and recovery for an entire section to determine a reasonable well spacing, considering that aggressive downspacing can lead to diminishing returns and well interference issues ("frac hits").

Multipad, multizone manufacturing-style execution: Exxon Mobil employs a "manufacturing-style execution" in its Permian Basin operations, which involves using multipad, multizone drilling to achieve economies of scale and improve efficiency. This approach treats drilling and production as a streamlined, repeatable process, similar to a factory production line. The company drills multiple wells from a single surface location or "pad". This minimizes surface disruption and allows for efficient movement of drilling rigs and associated equipment between well locations on the same site. The Permian Basin is known for its "stacked pay" potential, meaning there are numerous oil- and gas-bearing rock layers (zones) stacked vertically. ExxonMobil targets several of these zones from the same well pad, maximizing resource recovery from a single location.

Cost-per-foot and cost-per-barrel reductions: By applying consistent processes and technologies (such as its licensed Fast Drill technology), Exxon aims to reduce drilling time and lower costs per barrel of oil equivalent. The company is focused on achieving significant cost-per-barrel reductions, targeting a global breakeven oil production cost of $30 per barrel by 2030. Over 50% of the companys oil and gas production currently comes from low-cost advantaged assets, which have breakeven costs well below $40 per barrel. Exxon Mobil has surpassed $14 billion in cumulative structural cost savings since 2019 and achieved an additional $2.2 billion in 2025 alone. The company is now on track to achieve $20 billion in total cumulative structural cost savings by 2030.



By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Oil sentiment has turned sour despite a Fed rate cut and the Trump administrations aggressive tanker seizures.

Friday, December 12, 2025

The US Federal Reserve has lowered the federal funds rate to 3.50-3.75%, the Trump administration has seized a Venezuelan VLCC and promised to take over more, yet the sentiment in the markets has soured this week, with ICE Brent trading slightly above $61 per barrel. It remains to be seen whether its trepidation before a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal or another seasonal bout of depression induced by the IEA, nevertheless oil is at a two-month low and could slide even further.

IEA Lowers 2026 Oversupply Forecast. The International Energy Agency corrected its 2026 oil glut forecast to 3.84 million b/d in its latest monthly report, down 250,000 b/d from a month ago, hiking its demand growth forecast for next year to 860,000 b/d compared to 2.4 million b/d supply growth.

Chinese Buyers Mop Up Saudi Oil. Chinese term buyers have nominated 49.5 million barrels of Saudi crude, a sea change compared to 36 million barrels requested in December as the state oil firm Saudi Aramco (TADAWUL:2222) cut its Arab Light differential to its weakest in almost 5 years.

Related: The World's Largest Nuclear Plant Inches Toward Restart After Key Approval

US Seizes Venezuelan Cargoes as Tensions Flare Up. The Trump administration has seized a laden Venezuelan VLCC tanker (Skipper) en route to Cuba, vowing to intercept more ships off the Latin American country's coast as the US eyes military options to topple Nicolas Maduro.

Trumps First Gulf Sale Sees Robust Interest. The Big Beautiful Gulf 1 lease sale garnered $300 million for the US budget as majors BP, Chevron and Woodside Energy took in the most acreage amidst 219 bids submitted overall, with Chevrons $18.9 million bid for a Keithley Canyon block marking the auctions highest bid.

Total Completes Its Takeover of Namibia. Portugals state oil firm GALP (ELI:GALP) agreed to an asset exchange deal, ceding a 40% stake to French oil major TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) in the giant Mopane discovery in return for 10% interest in the latters Venus project, sending its shares down by almost 20%.

Chinese EV Sales Soar Despite Global Headwinds. China's new energy vehicle (NEV) sales continued their meteoric rise as they accounted for 53.2% of all sales - the highest monthly ratio ever - with 1.82 million units sold, a 21% increase compared with the same period in 2024.



Russia Produces Below OPEC+ Quota. Russian oil production increased to 9.367 million b/d last month, up by a mere 10,000 b/d compared to October, leaving the world's third-largest producer 165,000 b/d below its OPEC+ quota as Ukraine's drone strikes derailed crude loadings in November.

Tehran Launches Gasoline Subsidy Reform. The Iranian government has started the implementation of its new gasoline subsidy mechanism, whereby the first 60 liters used per month will be charged at the previous price of $0.35/l, however any monthly volumes sold above that would double in price.

South Sudan Moves to Protect Oil Interests. South Sudan's army has entered Sudan after its northern neighbors oil fields in the Heglig area were taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as Heglig is a key processing facility for South Sudan's flagship Nile Blend.

Alaska LNG Gets Key Regulatory Approval. The $44 billion Alaska LNG project has received a federal greenlight for construction in line with the National Marine Fisheries Services rule, putting developer Glenfarne on track for an FID on a supply pipeline in late December and the whole project in 2026.

Bolivia's New President Eyes Energy Overhaul. The administration of Rodrigo Paz, the new president of Bolivia, has arrested former president Luis Arce and vowed to investigate graft at the state oil firm YPFB, as reportedly several million barrels of gasoline were misdirected and stolen.

Saudi Arabia Eyes Syrias Upstream. Saudi Arabia might be coming out on top in the nascent battle for Syrias upstream recovery as Damascus signed four separate exploration deals with unnamed Saudi companies to develop its oil fields, seeking to quadruple current production back to 400,000 b/d.



China to Introduce Steel Export Licensing. China, the largest steel producer globally, announced plans to roll out a license system from 2026 to regulate exports of steel as outflows jumped 7% year-over-year in January-November 2025 to 108 million tonnes, reacting to weaker domestic demand.

Teck-Anglo Merger Is Now Official. Shareholders of mining giants Anglo American (LON:AAL) and Teck Resources (TSO:TECK) approved their previously announced merger this week, with more than 99% votes cast in favour, with the new company headquartered in Vancouver and listed in London.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
The US shale exploration and production (E&P) and Lower 48 midstream sectors experienced a volatile and challenging 2025, likely a far cry from what operators envisioned this time last year as the second Trump administrations energy dominance agenda was taking shape. With WTI languishing below $60 for much of the year, oil E&Ps moderated activity, with the oil-directed rig count dropping from 415 in January to 386 by Thanksgiving. In contrast, Henry Hub gas prices remained supported throughout much of the year, with the front month now north of $5 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). In short, there is more long-term gas bullishness in the US oil and gas industry than perhaps at any time in recent memory, while even the most ardent oil bulls seem to recognize the short-term challenges.

Year of gas and LNG

In the broader US energy conversation, 2025 brought natural gas into focus. The end of the Biden administrations LNG pause unleashed around 7.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) of future feedgas demand from newly sanctioned US Gulf Coast LNG export projects, driving total feedgas demand to double its 2024 level by 2030. However, when the 2025 Gulf Coast LNG FIDs enter service later this decade, market conditions will not resemble the previous wave of LNG projects (2016-2021). Lower 48 dry gas breakevens, and therefore Henry Hub, will be materially higher. At the same time, LNG prices will be facing downward pressure due to global supply additions, shrinking the spread between Henry Hub and international benchmarks.

The short-term market may be previewing some of these dynamics. The Title Transfer Facility (TTF)-Henry Hub differential in early December is around $4 per MMBtu, the lowest since early 2021. This will be one of the most important spreads to watch in 2026, as Golden Pass LNG aims to begin operations shortly and aim to ramp up to its full capacity of 2.3 Bcfd.

Costs and timelines require close monitoring, as nine projects are currently under construction in a tightening labor and supply chain environment. The capital investment required to build LNG liquefaction plants continues to increase, with standard capex now rising to near $1,100-$1,200 per ton, roughly 20% higher than the projects sanctioned in 2022-23. EPC contractors are also becoming more rigid with contract terms to pass more cost overrun risk to the developers.

In the broader political and tech world, gas has come to the forefront not via LNG but rather the race for AI supremacy and the surge in plans to develop data centers fueled by dedicated gas-fired power generation plants (as well as with renewables). The amount of data center capacity that is actually built and the corresponding gas demand it ultimately represents will warrant close scrutiny in the years ahead. Rystad Energy will continue to closely monitor data center projects globally in 2026 in order to refine our outlook for the gas and power demand they will drive.

US oil outlook steady as long as WTI holds above $55

Public US oil-focused E&Ps in 2025 defied expectations  including their own guidance updates in May  of slowing production, while the nations oil output repeatedly hit record. We estimate that most US oil E&Ps have a corporate breakeven of near $60 per barrel, a level at which they can maintain dividends, buybacks, interest and general and administrative (G&A) expenses while drilling breakeven wells (NPV10). Even so, in our estimation, it would require prices to fall closer to $50 per barrel to initiate capex cuts that would spur outright production declines. Triggering production declines is unpalatable for several reasons. For one, sliding output raises per-unit operating costs and potentially leads to suboptimal utilization of midstream assets. Second, due to steep shale well decline rates, cutting capex too sharply leaves a dent in PDP (proved, developing and producing) volumes that generate cash flow and underpin valuations. And third, when prices return to higher levels, ramping up drilling to reach previous output levels is a steeper climb, requiring a sharper jump in spending.

As a result, we would expect operators to be willing to slightly reduce payout ratios in the short term to protect output. There is a historical precedent in the capital discipline era. When oil prices fell from their 2022 highs, operators, having proven their ability to remain disciplined, reduced payout ratios to preserve and deploy cash for longer-term inventory acquisitions through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). With potential contributions from G&A and operational synergies from M&A in 2026, a lower payout ratio could see E&Ps defend corporate breakeven and maintain volumes at $55 per barrel WTI.

Efficiency gains still have room to run

Regardless of the macro environment, its clear that shale operators will continue to adopt new technologies and generate further operational efficiencies to drive down unit costs. Drilling and completions (D&C) efficiencies continued to improve in 2025 as operators pushed the envelope to reduce overall costs in a softer oil macro environment. The potential ceiling for efficiency gains has been debated for several years, but we believe there is still room for meaningful improvements. Ultra-long lateral wells remain a relatively new space for Lower 48 operators, and best practices for drilling and completing these wells will continue to evolve.

Simul-fracs have gained a greater market share over the past several years, and we expect operators to accelerate efforts toward trimul- and even quattro-frac designs to capture further economies of scale. A key bottleneck is sourcing and delivering the large frac water volume required within a short period of time to execute on trimul and quattro fracs. Still, the growing prevalence of contiguous acreage positions  particularly among larger operators  will enable bigger pad development. This will lead to longer laterals and the execution of simul, trimul and quattro fracs at scale using continuous-pumping techniques. Taken together, these trends support another step-change in efficiency over the coming years.

Separately, ExxonMobils recent use of petcoke blended with conventional proppant to enhance well performance has renewed industry interest in lightweight proppant alternatives. With Tier 1 inventory concerns increasingly top-of-mind, operators are likely to intensify experimentation with novel proppant blends to improve recoveries.

US E&Ps on an international shopping spree?

In 2026 we will also be watching for US E&Ps reversing the retrenchment trend of the 2010s and adding international exposure. Privately-held Oklahoma-based Continental Resources acquired a block in Argentinas massive Vaca Muerta shale last month, just a few months after forming a joint venture with TPAO to explore and develop shale resources in Turkiye. EOG also entered a shale exploration license in the UAE, conventional exploration in Bahrain and potentially Alaska (yet to be confirmed). While moves such as these are indicative of a more mature US shale industry, they are not necessarily indicative of the often-discussed short-term challenge of limited Tier 1 inventory. Rather, these serve as potential medium-term growth options that are perhaps not as obvious in the Lower 48 as they once were under the prevailing macro conditions.

By Rystad Energy

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Kurdistans shift to a gas-backed power system has changed the dynamics with Baghdad. Khor Mor and nearby fields now support more than 8 GW of generation, and federal Iraq is drawing heavily on that output. Kirkuk and Nineveh rely on KRG electricity, and Baghdad has committed to taking Khor Mor gas for the 620-MW Kirkuk plant. This creates a level of dependence that Baghdad cannot offset quickly. The recent UAV strike on Khor Mor, likely carried out by an Iran-aligned militia, was aimed at the gas-handling zone and designed to disrupt operations without causing a full shutdown. The intent was political pressure: signal that further gas development or expanded power exports can be contested and remind Baghdad that its reliance on KRG-linked infrastructure carries risk. For Erbil, this comes after losing ground in the fight over unilateral oil exports. Oil leverage has

This week, Washington has again increased the pressure on Venezuela with the first seizure of a sanctioned tanker off the Venezuelan coast, and preparations for more, in a bid to further disrupt PDVSAs logistics by scaring the insurers. The effect reverberates by raising the risk premium. At the same time, Chevron is in active discussions with the Trump administration on how it can continue operations in Venezuela in compliance with sanctions, with the Chevron CEO emphasizing the supergiants long view on remaining engaged despite the intensifying situation.

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict

This week, Washington has again increased the pressure on Venezuela with the first seizure of a sanctioned tanker off the Venezuelan coast, and preparations for more, in a bid to further disrupt PDVSAs logistics by scaring the insurers. The effect reverberates by raising the risk premium. At the same time, Chevron is in active discussions with the Trump administration on how it can continue operations in Venezuela in compliance with sanctions, with the Chevron CEO emphasizing the supergiants long view on remaining engaged despite the intensifying situation.

Kurdistans shift to a gas-backed power system has changed the dynamics with Baghdad. Khor Mor and nearby fields now support more than 8 GW of generation, and federal Iraq is drawing heavily on that output. Kirkuk and Nineveh rely on KRG electricity, and Baghdad has committed to taking Khor Mor gas for the 620-MW Kirkuk plant. This creates a level of dependence that Baghdad cannot offset quickly. The recent UAV strike on Khor Mor, likely carried out by an Iran-aligned militia, was aimed at the gas-handling zone and designed to disrupt operations without causing a full shutdown. The intent was political pressure: signal that further gas development or expanded power exports can be contested and remind Baghdad that its reliance on KRG-linked infrastructure carries risk. For Erbil, this comes after losing ground in the fight over unilateral oil exports. Oil leverage has faded, but power leverage is rising. The federal grid needs KRG electrons, and any prolonged outage in the north lands on Baghdads desk. That gives the Kurds room to push back in budget and export negotiations, even as the same dependence magnifies the national stakes of any future disruption.

The Leviathan partners need Israeli approval to lift export caps before finalizing the $35 billion supply agreement with Egypt that would run through 2040 and anchor feedgas for Egypts LNG system. The permit remains held up inside Israels energy ministry, where industrial buyers are pushing for a domestic price concession tied to any export expansion. The consortium extended its own deadline to 31 December as the file drifted, and the delay has created space for Cairo to signal that it can source incremental gas from Qatar if Israel cannot deliver. Washington is urging Jerusalem to move the deal forward to stabilize Egypts finances and preserve East Med LNG flow into Europe, but the government is sensitive to criticism that it is trading long-term energy security for revenue. The calculus is unchanged: upstream economics favor exports, yet reserve life and domestic price politics make every additional export tranche more difficult to justify. The new element is that Egypt is now advertising alternatives, raising the risk that a prolonged stall weakens Israels leverage over a transaction it once assumed would close on its terms.

Traffic through the Red Sea is picking up after the Gaza ceasefire and the Houthis pause in attacks, but no one is treating this as a return to normal. Tankers are moving back through Suez and Bab el-Mandeb faster than container lines, which are still routing a large share around the Cape while insurers reassess risk. Carriers are working off a 6090 day horizon to see whether the pause holds and whether war-risk premia actually fall. Recent piracy incidents in Bab el-Mandeb and Irans tanker seizure in Hormuz underline how fragile the broader environment remains. Tanker traffic has held up better than container shipping throughout the crisis; if the lull continues, freight and insurance costs for crude and products should ease, but operators will keep alternate routes and contingency plans active.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC), the UAE-backed faction pushing for an independent South Yemen, has taken control of the PetroMasila complex and surrounding fields after its advance into inland Hadhramaut. This shifts a major portion of Yemens onshore reserves into the hands of a group whose objective is separation, not preservation of a unified state under the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council. It also deepens the UAE-Saudi split over the south and alters the balance with the Houthis, who now face a stronger southern actor instead of a weak, cash-strapped government in Aden. With the STC now holding the territory, it becomes the gatekeeper for crude liftings, security at Masila, and any future attempt to restart LNG or pipeline plans on the Gulf of Aden coast. If the group beds in, oil revenue will feed emerging southern institutions rather than flow through Sanaa or Riyadh, complicating any durable settlement.

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) tightened its grip on Namibias offshore play by cutting an asset swap with Galp (GALP.LS) that hands Total a 40% stake and operatorship of the Mopane block. Galp gets smaller slices of Totals Venus-area licences, plus the bill for more capex down the line, since itll have to repay Total for covering half of Mopanes appraisal spend once cash flow starts. The move puts Total in the drivers seat on both Mopane and Venus, the basins two headline discoveries, and lines up a unified path toward a hub development. Galps stock ate the news, while Totals edged higher  a pretty good tell on who got the cleaner end of the deal.

Serica Energy (SQZ.L) closed its purchase of Prax Upstream for about 14.5 million, adding the Lancaster field and a cash balance of roughly $34 million to its UK portfolio. Lancaster is still doing around 5,900 boepd, but it winds down by mid-2026 when the Aoka Mizu FPSO quits the area, so this is a short-life bolt-on rather than a long runway asset. The deal also keeps Serica on track to wrap the previously agreed TotalEnergies and ONE-Dyas acquisitions in the first half of 2026, plus a farm-in that gives it 40 percent of the P2530 licence containing the Wagtail discovery and a couple of low-risk prospects. Serica already supplies about 5 percent of the UKs gas, and this move folds more non-operated barrels into a strategy built around the Bruce-Keith-Rhum and Triton hubs.

Cybele Energy signed its PSC for Guyanas S4 block, making it the first U.S. operator to land acreage there outside the Exxon-Hess-CNOOC group. S4 is a shallow-water block with lower entry costs and sits close enough to the main play fairway to be worth a real look. Cybele plans to start with 3D seismic before deciding whether to drill. For Guyana, its another step in opening the door to smaller operators instead of keeping the basin locked up by the same three players.

Israel is preparing to sign off on a $35 billion gas export deal with Egypt, locking in 130 bcm of Leviathan output through partners Chevron (CVX), NewMed Energy (DKDRF, NWMD.TA) and Ratio Petroleum (RTPT.TA). The agreement extends supply through 2040 and gives Israel a fixed-price buffer for its own market, a point Washington has been pushing as regional politics have tightened. Egypt has every reason to keep the gas flowing: domestic production has fallen below 5 bcf/d after years of decline at Zohr and other fields, turning the country back into a net importer. The deal effectively buys Cairo time while it waits for new investment and exploration activity to catch up to its shrinking base.

Discovery & Development

Eni (ENI.MI) pulled up about 600 bcf of gas at Konta-1 in Indonesias Kutei Basin, and people on the ground think the structure probably breaks the 1-tcf line once they finish poking at it. The well sits right in Enis wheelhouse, close enough to the Jangkrik/Merakes setup that they dont have to reinvent anything to bring it online. Indonesia, meanwhile, isnt going to complain about fresh gas that can support both its LNG program and its chronic domestic shortfalls.

Chevron (CVX) and its partners signed off on roughly $2 billion to push Gorgon Stage 3 forward in Western Australia, tying new offshore fields into the existing LNG and domestic gas network. The move extends the life of one of the regions anchor projects and keeps feedgas steady as older reservoirs taper off. It also signals that the joint venture is still willing to spend real money in Australia despite the regulatory grind and carbon-handling obligations that have been dogging the project for years.

Equinor (EQNR) signed off on a NOK 4 billion (~$396 m) plan to bring the Isflak oil find into the Johan Castberg system in the Barents Sea. The 46 mbbl discovery will move through a subsea tieback to the Castberg FPSO, with first oil penciled in for late 2028. Its a textbook example of Equinors shift toward lower-cost subsea add-ons as the Barents runs out of discoveries big enough to justify new standalone platforms. Partners Var Energi (VAR.OL) and Petoro stay on board, but Equinors the one steering a portfolio thats now built around dozens of smaller tiebacks rather than big-iron megaprojects.

Dana Gas (DANA.AD) logged a new onshore gas find at its North El-Basant-1 well in Egypts Nile Delta, estimating roughly 1525 bcf in place. Early output is expected to land near 8 mmscfd once the well is hooked into the national grid, making it the fourth hit in the companys current drilling campaign. The discovery folds into Danas roughly $100 million plan to drill 11 wells aimed at shoring up reserves and domestic supply. The next well in the sequence, Daffodil, is due to spud in early January.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is traveling to Turkmenistan for festivities December 12 marking the Central Asian states 30th anniversary of neutrality. While in Ashgabat, Erdogan will also hold talks with Turkmen leaders likely focusing on the topic of natural gas supplies.

Speaking to reporters earlier in December, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Ankara is working to expand gas imports via a long-time arrangement with Iran, augmented by a swap deal with Turkmenistan. A lack of clarity about sanctions currently creates a major obstacle for Turkey.

The motivation for Turkey is a need for reliable and expanded gas supplies during the winter heating season. Without the Iranian imports, Turkey would likely have difficulty meeting its growing energy demands, and could suffer power cuts such as those which occurred most recently in the winter of 2022.

Turkey began purchasing 9.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year of Iranian gas starting in 2001. The purchase agreement is set to expire in July 2026.

Throughout the lifespan of the agreement, Turkey has experienced import disruptions, in part because of Irans difficulty in maintaining aging infrastructure due to sanctions. Interruptions also often occur during the peak mid-winter demand period, as Tehran diverts gas intended for export in order to ensure stable supplies for its domestic market.

The start in March of Turkeys swap arrangement with Iran and Turkmenistan was seen as insurance that Turkey would meet its winter needs. The deal was also intended to help establish Ashgabats reputation as a reliable energy partner, thus providing a boost for efforts to revive a trans-Caspian gas pipeline project.

Turkey is a vocal advocate for building a trans-Caspian route, which has been on the drawing board since the 1990s. We have reached the phase of taking concrete steps toward our 30-year dream of delivering natural gas to Turkiye through the Trans-Caspian Pipeline, Bayraktar stated during a December 10 gathering of energy officials, held under the auspices of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

Under the swap agreement with Ashgabat, Turkey was to receive 1.3 bcm of Turkmen gas annually from Iran via an existing Iran-Turkey gas pipeline. In exchange Turkmenistan was to have delivered a slightly larger volume of gas via existing pipelines to northwestern Iran, with the difference in volume covering Irans costs for transiting gas to Turkey.

The deal had a smooth launch in March with Turkey receiving 112 million cubic metres (mcm) of Turkmen gas that month. It continued to go smoothly until June with Turkey receiving an overall total of 465 mcm of Turkmen gas.

Then, supplies suddenly stopped, even though Turkeys state gas importer, Botas, made regular monthly capacity reservations for the Iran-Turkey pipeline to import Turkmen gas.

It remains uncertain why the unexpected halt occurred. Turkmengaz CEO Maksat Babayev has blamed technical reasons, while Bayraktar made vague references in October to payment issues.

The source of the problem, however, may well be linked to US and European Union sanctions policy. In June, the Trump administration ramped up sanctions against Iran to include barter trades for gas. The EU imposed similar sanctions in September.

The Turkish import deal that expires in July enjoys a sanctions waiver from Washington. That waiver is expected to remain in place, if the deal is renewed beyond 2026.

There may be problems with the Turkmen swap deal, however. The odds that Turkmenistan will receive a waiver for sending gas to Iran seem slim. Washingtons motivation for denying a waiver may be to exert pressure of Ashgabat to fully participate in the trans-Caspian pipeline project.

Since the start of the year, US policy towards Turkmenistan has sent mixed signals to Ashgabat. For example, the Turkmen leadership offered rare public praise in October for Washingtons support in launching a new phase of construction of a trans-Afghan pipeline, known as TAPI. But Turkmen officials have also been highly critical of Washingtons immigration restrictions imposed on Turkmen citizens.

Despite the lack of a functioning agreement and the uncertainty about sanctions, Bayraktar sounded a confident note that a new, expanded arrangement can be worked out.

This year for the first time we began importing gas from Turkmenistan. As a next step we want to increase the volume, he said at the OTS meeting. Curiously, Turkmenistan, although an OTS member, did not send a high-level delegation to the meeting.

By Eurasianet.org

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Hungary has secured an agreement to receive natural gas from Azerbaijan for the next two years, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, as the central EU member state disputes the blocs pledge to phase out Russian gas imports.

We have secured another gas purchase agreement, this time with Azerbaijan: 800 million cubic metres over two years, Szijjarto posted on X.

Earlier this week, Rovshan Najaf, the president of Azerbaijans state oil and gas firm SOCAR, met with the chief executive of Hungarys energy company MVM Group, Karoly Matrai, to discuss gas supply and future partnership opportunities.

During the meeting, SOCAR and MVM ONEnergy signed a new agreement on natural gas supply. The agreement, which enters into force on January 1, 2026, will further strengthen the strategic energy partnership between Azerbaijan and Hungary, the Azeri company said on Wednesday.

While Hungary pursues supply from Azerbaijan, it is also disputing the EUs decision to phase out Russian gas imports.

Earlier this month, Hungary vowed to challenge the EUs decision to phase out imports of Russian oil and gas at the Court of Justice of the European Union, claiming it is impossible for the central European nation to halt energy imports from Russia.

Accepting and implementing this Brussels order is impossible for Hungary, Szijjarto said.

On December 3, the EU agreed to permanently stop Russian gas imports and phase out Russian oil by 2027.

The agreement will involve a legally binding, gradual reduction in both LNG and pipeline gas imports from Russia, eventually resulting in a full ban on these exports, with the deadlines set for the end of 2026 for LNG and September 30, 2027 for pipeline gas.

The decision, however, was met with opposition from the central EU member states Hungary and Slovakia at nearly every turn.

Both Hungary and Slovakia have kept ties with Russia, especially Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has met with Putin several times since Russia invaded Ukraine.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
South Sudan has moved troops into Sudans Heglig oil field under what it calls a tripartite agreement with Sudans two warring factions. The move is a rare arrangement aimed at shielding critical oil infrastructure as fighting escalates across West Kordofan.

South Sudans army chief of staff, Paul Nang, appeared in a video address from Heglig, saying South Sudanese forces entered the field following an agreement between President Salva Kiir, Sudanese Armed Forces leader Abdelfattah El Burhan, and Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Under the deal, both Sudanese factions are to withdraw from the area, allowing South Sudanese troops to secure oil installations and prevent sabotage.

Nang said the deployment is strictly limited to protecting infrastructure and that South Sudanese forces will not take part in military operations inside Sudan. The objective, he said, is to completely neutralise the oil field as a combat zone, even as battles intensify elsewhere in the region.

Heglig matters far more to Juba than to Khartoum. The field hosts a central processing facility capable of handling about 130,000 barrels per day of South Sudanese crude, which is exported via pipelines running through Sudan to Port Sudan. South Sudan resumed oil exports through Sudan in January after a near year-long suspension.

While Sudanese economists say the loss of Heglig has limited impact on Sudans finances, South Sudan has far less room for disruption.

Production at Heglig has already fallen sharply, from about 65,000 barrels per day to roughly 20,000 since fighting between the SAF and RSF erupted in April 2023. The outlook darkened further this week when China National Petroleum Corporation confirmed it had withdrawn from Sudan after three decades, citing deteriorating security in West Kordofan.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
The United States plans to seize more tankers carrying Venezuelan crude, Reuters reported today, citing unnamed sources who said there was already a list of vessels targeted for seizure.

Earlier in the week, the move by U.S. federal government forces to seize the Panama-flagged tanker Skipper off the Venezuelan coast prompted a jump in oil prices as it signaled possible disruption of oil flows out of Venezuela. The news of plans for more seizures may extend the rally even though prices dipped on Thursday in a counterintuitive reaction to the original seizure.

According to reports, there are some 30 tankers under U.S. sanctions that transport Venezuelan crude to international clients. These may be forced to remain in port to avoid seizure, which would result in the abovementioned disruption. Shrugging this risk off, traders are selling oil, which has put Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate on track for a weekly decline.

We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told media on Thursday in response to questions about future seizures.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government targeted other parts of the Venezuelan oil industry this week, with the Treasury Department imposing sanctions on Maduro family members, a longtime business ally, and six companies operating tankers that have kept PDVSAs exports alive through opaque shipping practices.

The freshly sanctioned tankers are flagged in the Marshall Islands, Panama, or the Cook Islands and were blacklisted for moving Venezuelan crude while using deceptive AIS practices to mask their routes. Several of the tankers, including the White Crane and Kiara M, loaded barrels as recently as October and are now frozen out of the U.S. financial system.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Harbour Energy, one of the biggest independent oil and gas producers in the UK North Sea, said on Friday it would buy all the subsidiaries of Waldorf Energy Partners Ltd and Waldorf Production Ltd substantially, in the latest merger announcement in Britains oil and gas province.

Harbour Energy will pay $170 million for the acquisition of the companies that are currently in administration in a deal that is immediately materially accretive to Harbours free cash flow and will support the competitiveness, resilience, and longevity of Harbours UK business.

Harbour Energy will fund the payment through readily available sources of liquidity.

The deal will add oil-weighted production of about 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) and increase Harbours interest in its operated Catcher field to 90%, up from 50%, and improve the financial stability of the joint venture partnership.

Through the Waldorf acquisition, Harbour Energy will also gain access to a new production base in the Northern North Sea with the addition of a 29.5% non-operated interest in the Kraken oilfield.

This transaction is an important step for Harbour in the UK North Sea, building on the action weve already taken to sustain our position in the basin given the ongoing fiscal and regulatory challenges, said Scott Barr, Managing Director of Harbours UK Business Unit.

Last week Harbour Energy said it would cut another 100 jobs as part of a restructuring driven by lower commodity prices and the extended windfall tax, which the UK government didnt change in its latest budget.

Harbour Energy is also the latest operator in the UK to announce acquisitions, following the launch of the 50/50 joint venture of Shell and Equinor which combined their offshore UK oil and gas operations in a new company, Adura. Earlier this week, French supermajor TotalEnergies said it would merge its upstream UK business with NEO NEXT to create the biggest independent oil and gas producer in Britain, NEO NEXT+.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)



According to Alwayslovebeer.com, a website dedicated to beer, there are more than 950 craft beer breweries in Japan. Among them, 23 can be found in Okinawa.

Each of them offers unique beers packed with ingenuity to translate the islands semi-tropical mood into the taste. Cliff Garo Brewing is one of the breweries dedicated to Okinawan craft beers. Located in the bayside area of Okinawa City, near the Max Value Awase supermarket, this place functions as an eatery as well as a brewery.

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)



We brew beer in the other room. Using local materials such as fruits and herbs is important to me, said owner and head brewer Cliff Miyagi, who has been brewing craft beer in Okinawa for seven years. We also serve up food that goes well with beer.

From its dining room, which serves fish and chips and other pub-style food to include Italian dishes, customers can see a 500-liter tank in the brewing room where eight brands of beer are brewed with local produce such as tangerine, pineapple, roasted green tea, herbs, etc. Miyagi said he networks with farmers and has tested 50 recipes to expand his repertoire.

During a recent visit to Cliff Garo Brewing, I tried Kammy Tlyer, Paina Polka, and Even Hopper.

Kammy Tyler (781 yen, approximately $5) surprised me the most with its restrained sweetness and some spiciness that comes from Okinawas kabuchii tangerine and coriander. Paina Polka (858 yen) and Even Hopper (924 yen), on the other hand, tasted very fruity and hoppy, which I liked a lot.

Miyagi said brewing craft beer is not very difficult, except for controlling the temperature because enzymes are living creatures.

I pay attention to avoid my beer being exposed to the air and oxidizing, said the head brewer. Putting supplementary materials into beer like I do can risks oxidation.

Miyagi, who said his brewery produces 2,000 liters of beer a month on a tight schedule, is pleased beer attracts many customers, including Americans.

Trying my beer is an interesting experience for them, I think, he said.

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)



A taste of Europe

Before opening a brewery in Okinawa, Miyagi lived with his wife and child in the UK and Wales, working as an artist.

My life in London and Wales inspires my imagination, he said, explaining that his career as an artist is still alive in some ways in his beer.

During his life in the UK, he said he discovered Real Ale, which inspired him to brew beer later in Okinawa.

Real Ale is a type of beer that is consumed at room temperature, he explained. It is matured in a cask for fermentation just like wine. You cannot add carbon dioxide.

Real Ale became unpopular at one point because young folk preferred cold beer with a lot of carbon dioxide, he continued. During my days in the UK, a movement began to preserve the traditional beer culture. Its a bit like Okinawas awamori.

As he visited pubs that served Real Ale, Miyagi noticed what small breweries could achieve.

At this moment, Cliff Garo Brewing doesnt offer Real Ale due to the difficulty of drinking beer without cooling it on the sub-tropical island, but British beer still plays a big part at the brewery.

British beer has a rich taste of malt, Miyagi said. It is not as fancy as American beer, but it tastes grounded, which I like a lot.

Stories behind the beer

One thing that sets Cliff Garo Brewing apart from other craft beer shops is that each brand of beer is the product of Miyagis life experiences and imagination. Each bottle is labeled with a character hand-drawn by Miyagi.

For example, on the label of Kammy Tlyer, there is a drawing of an old lady, an homage to Kamii Taiira, a deceased friend of Miyagis. Even Hopper, a beer with a rich scent of hops, comes with a drawing of a birdwatcher with a binocular in his hands.

Miyagi told me he enjoys sharing stories behind his beer with his customers.

I speak English, so I want them to feel free to ask me questions, he said, noting that he has English menus for foreigners.

So, hop over to Cliff Garo Brewing and discover the world of Okinawan craft beer.

Cliff Garo Brewing

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)


New York, US (PANA) - More than half a million people have now been uprooted by escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the UN said on Thursday, warning that the M23 rebel offensive is driving a rapidly worsening humanitarian emergency
Santa Claus starts with Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian bishop from what is now modern-day Turkey.

Known as the patron saint of children and sailors, he became famous for secretly giving gifts to the poor. Tales of him tossing coins through windows or placing them in shoes laid the foundation for the gift-giving side of the Christmas tradition.

Advertisement

Nicholas's feast day, December 6, was celebrated widely in European countries. As Christianity spread, so did the saint's reputation, eventually influencing other regional gift-bringers, such as Germanys Christkind (later Anglicized as "Kris Kringle") and Englands Father Christmas.
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:

Cape Ann lighthouse scene. Credit: Salata Institute at Harvard University

On many days, Apple Street looks like a picture postcard of New England. Oaks shade a time-worn stone wall, boat sheds loll behind granite outcrops. But during storms, this pretty lane only a few feet above sea level can turn into a moat, cutting off an emergency shortcut that ambulances count on when Essex's main street floods several times per year.

Whether a short section of Apple Street should be raisedand its giant trees uprootedhas become a flash point in a broader debate stretching across the rocky Cape Ann peninsula north of Boston: how, exactly, to live with rising water.

Should the sewage treatment plant that overflows into the harbor during heavy rain be protected with a seawall or moved uphill? Which earthen berms should be removed to let marshes return and absorb future storms? And how to pay? The municipal math is unforgiving: As rising seas claim high-value waterfront homes, the property tax base erodes.

"There's no starting gun on climate change adaptationit's already happening," said Charles Waldheim, professor of landscape architecture and director of the Office for Urbanization at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.

Cape Ann house. Credit: Salata Institute at Harvard University

For the past five years, with local, state, and federal funding, Waldheim's research group has been simulating a stress test on Cape Ann's future. Collaborating with neighborhood groups and nonprofits, the team has modeled a Category 3 hurricane to see what breaks first, compared incipient sea-level rise to mid-century projections, and convened residents with wildly different backgroundsretirees and fishermen, low-income immigrants and wealthy landownersto discuss local capacity, collaborative decision-making, and visions for an uncertain future.

The point is not spectacle but evidenceto show how storm surge might slice through roads, strand neighborhoods, and strain the social ties people count on in crisis. The simulation surfaces secondary and tertiary impacts: the pump that fails, the clinic that closes when staff cannot cross town.

The researchers believe that resilience will be built from the bottom up, across overlapping jurisdictions. So the work links tangible fixeswetland restoration, smarter sitingwith the harder task of building trust across four towns that are together home to about 50,000 people: Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Rockport.

"Climate change doesn't stop at a town boundary," said Diane Davis, an advisor to the project and co-investigator on the Salata Institute's Strengthening Communities climate research cluster.

The Harvard team brings together the best-available science and lessons from elsewhere, but researchers insist their three-phase report is not a plan.

"Ultimately, decisions about the future of Cape Ann should be made on Cape Ann," Waldheim said at a presentation of the final recommendations at Gloucester City Hall in late November.

The hard work is only just beginning, acknowledged Valerie Nelson, whose organization, The Cape Ann Climate Coalition, partnered with the Harvard team.

"We must learn lessons from the past about what we care about and what, for us, resilience and survival mean," she added, because "there is absolutely no central plan."

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.

Holding back water, holding onto place

Tides now reach noticeably higher than during the 1970s and 1980s, when today's working-age adults were kids. Beaches are washing away. Parking lots now routinely turn into ponds.

While seawalls may be a tempting fix, armoring coastlines with concrete can choke tidal ecosystems and upend a core aspect of Cape Ann's identity: the maritime culture and fishing industry. Four-hundred-year-old Gloucester, the largest of the four towns, bills itself "America's oldest seaport."

Already, compared with a generation ago, there are fewer mussels in the mudflats and scarcer spawning grounds for the herring and eels that feed commercial stocks of cod, bluefish, and striped bass.

"Putting a seawall here would protect these houses," said project leader Sarah Page, pointing at a map. "But it would destroy the marsh system, kill the clams that live thereand with them the fried-clam industry that is part of everyone's cultural memory of Cape Ann."

The Cape "has a variable hydrological condition that depends on water moving the way that it needs to move," added Page, a lecturer in urban planning and design.

Restoring salt marshes can blunt the energy from a future storm, but that may mean retreating from some propertiesan idea gaining traction with some state officials in Massachusetts and elsewhere. Building resilience to a wetter future demands trade-offs.

That's a challenge facing the residents of Apple Street.

"Those trees are part of the identity of the street," Page said of the oaks. "But so is the idea that an ambulance can get through in a storm."
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: olia danilevich from Pexels

With Australia's social media ban coming into force this week, a new survey from Monash University has found that almost 4 out of 5 Australian adults support the Australian government's social media ban for children under 16.

The survey, conducted by Roy Morgan on behalf of researchers at Monash University, surveyed 1,598 Australian adults, found that 79% supported the ban.

Support was lowest (72%) among 18- to 24-year-olds. By contrast, 80% of those aged 5064 agreed with the ban as did 87% of those 65 or older.

Professor Mark Andrejevic, who leads a research team that commissioned the survey, said the ban is targeted at platforms that have received negative attention for their impact on young people.

"This ban targets a handful of powerful, overseas platforms that profit from tracking young users to capture their attention and pepper them with ads," said Professor Andrejevic. "These apps are flooded with loosely regulated ads and have scaled back fact-checking just as misinformation surges. They are using increasingly powerful algorithms to determine how best to capture and exploit young people's attention. It's a timely intervention in an increasingly unregulated digital environment."

Australia's ban has received global attention and other countries could follow suit. In the United States, there is bipartisan support for the "Kids Off Social Media Act," which would ban social media companies from delivering algorithmically recommended content to children under 17.

The findings also show bipartisan agreement across political affiliations. Support was highest among those identifying with the Nationals (88%); 85% of those who identified with the Liberal Party supported the ban, and 82% of those who identified with Labor. Those who identified with the Greens supported the ban by 71%. Those identifying with the Libertarian Party showed the lowest level of support at 52%.

Of those who supported the ban in Australia, the survey found that key reasons included concerns about forms of influence and manipulation directed toward young people whose brains were not yet fully developed.

Survey respondents also expressed concern about mental health issues, bullying, exposure to extremist content, misinformation, and grooming by sexual predators.

Of those who opposed the ban, the main concerns included State interference with something perceived to be parental responsibility, censorship, effectiveness, and depriving young people of the benefits of online sociality and information. There was also concern about the consequences for marginalized communities being excluded from finding like-minded people online.

Professor Andrejevic said while some critics oppose the ban as a blunt instrument that removes the opportunities for these platforms to show they can behave better, expecting social media giants to reform on their own is unrealistic.

"This is a big ask for a system that channels untold wealth to those who have cracked the formula for filling our feeds with whatever is most likely to provide a quick dopamine hit, regardless of accuracy, civility or democracy," Professor Andrejevic said.

"Unlike other media institutions, these platforms are not in the business of taking responsibility for the content they circulate. The platforms do not care about the well-being of our children or our democracy, that is up to us."
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: Aleksey Kuprikov from Pexels

When Buffalo, New York's devastating December 2022 blizzard claimed more than 30 lives, it exposed a hard reality: Even life-saving travel bans can lose their force over time, especially when residents face situations where compliance becomes difficult. The disruption stretched on for days, straining households' ability to stay supplied without venturing out.

Researchers develop predictive framework for travel bans

Researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have now developed a way to help authorities anticipate when these breakdowns may begin.

Published in Transport Policy, the study introduces a predictive framework using weather indicatorssnowfall, temperature, and snow depthto estimate how quickly a travel ban may start to lose effectiveness.

"Agencies have the option to implement travel bans during life-threatening storms," said Professor Kaan Ozbay, the paper's senior author and founding Director of NYU Tandon's C2SMART transportation research center. "But a ban that works for a 24-hour storm may not hold for a week-long event. This framework helps officials understand those differences and plan accordingly."

The research compared two Buffalo storms weeks apart in late 2022. Both involved travel restrictions, but travel patterns diverged sharply. Analyzing travel-time and speed estimates from vehicles and navigation systems, researchers tracked how movement changed around the period restrictions were in effect, identifying statistical "turning points" when travel began shifting back toward normal.

Findings on policy resilience and compliance

During December 2022's blizzard, travel patterns rebounded before officials lifted the ban. November 2022's storm, with more frequent updates and neighborhood-specific adjustments for South Buffalo, showed stronger sustained travel suppression. The contrast suggests policy durability is shaped not only by storm conditions, but also by how long restrictions must be maintained and how well responses adapt to local realities.

"Location-specific modifications, including those made for South Buffalo during the November event, may be associated with improved compliance of the policy compared to the December storm," explained Eren Kaval, a C2SMART Ph.D. candidate and the paper's first author.

The framework introduces a metric called "Loss of Resilience of Policy" quantifying how a policy's ability to limit travel deteriorates over time. Regression modeling indicates weather forecast information can help anticipate that trajectory. Harsher conditionsheavier snowfall and greater snow depthare associated with larger losses of policy resilience, information officials could use during planning.

"If forecasts predict heavy snow over five days, officials can anticipate a blanket ban may not hold," Kaval said. "They might design a different approach from the start, such as targeted restrictions for hardest-hit areas, planned food distribution, or phased restrictions acknowledging people will need to venture out."

The researchers found that the breakdown varied across the city. Some neighborhoods exhibited larger shifts than others, with patterns discussed alongside socioeconomic factors like income and education.

"Some communities had fewer options," Kaval said. "If you can't stockpile a week's supplies, staying home that long becomes impossible." This helps explain why blanket bans can falter. They implicitly assume equal capacity to comply when that capacity varies. The framework can help identify where compliance may be hardest to sustain and inform targeted interventions before storms hit.

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.

Implications for future emergency planning

"The aim isn't to blame residents or agencies," Ozbay said. "It's to help officials design realistic policies from the beginning. If forecasts show a storm will push beyond what most can prepare for, you can build that into your emergency plan by arranging food deliveries, opening warming centers strategically, or implementing rolling restrictions rather than week-long bans."

The alternativemaintaining restrictions residents cannot realistically followcan erode trust and weaken future emergency orders. Understanding these dynamics could help preserve emergency measures' legitimacy while keeping people safer.

The approach could apply to other prolonged emergencies like hurricanes or floods, where officials must balance safety with what people can sustain.

The Transport Policy paper was inspired by initial findings from a C2SMART joint research project with NYU Wagner led by Sarah Kaufman, Director of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation & Assistant Clinical Professor of Public Service, examining lessons learned from the 2022 Buffalo blizzard.

It also builds on Professor Ozbay's previous work with Zilin Bian, a co-author of the current paper and NYU Tandon Ph.D. graduate, now an assistant professor at RIT, and Jingqin (Jannie) Gao, Assistant Research Director of C2SMART, on using AI and Big Data to quantify the time lag effect in transportation systems when authorities took action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More information Eren Kaval et al, Data-driven quantification of the resilience of enforcement policies under emergency conditions: A comparative study of two major winter storms in Buffalo, New York, Transport Policy (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.103893

Key concepts ice storms
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Aside from maybe high school biology classes, the first time many people heard of mRNA was during the pandemic because of the vital role MRNA technology played in COVID-19 vaccines.

Recent studies have also shown that mRNA technology may hold the key to 'off-the-shelf' cancer vaccines and has shown early promise as a more effective alternative to conventional flu vaccines.

As the building blocks for so many applications, mRNA technology is earning the moniker of "the LEGO of medicine."

So, what exactly is mRNA technology? The "m" in mRNA stands for messenger, and its full name is messenger ribonucleic acid.

How mRNA works in the body

If we think of DNA (or deoxyribonucleic acid, often called our genetic blueprint) as the cookbook of our body's instructions, then mRNA is a messenger that carries a copy of the recipe.

mRNA's role is to travel to the kitchen (the cell's ribosome), where the DNA copy is used to make essential proteins for our growth and metabolism.

mRNA doesn't linger any longer than necessary; after the recipe has been read and the instructions follow, the messenger is naturally broken down.

In therapeutic use, mRNA also acts like a recipe. It carries targeted instructions to our cells to make proteins that may help fight disease, reduce inflammation or produce substances that support healing.

Preparing for future pandemics

mRNA's properties make it the perfect candidate to prepare us for the next pandemic. We don't know what or when it will be, but as history and predictions show us, there will be one.

In the context of infectious diseases, mRNA can be used preventively to avoid infection or to alleviate symptoms and speed up recovery.

This versatility makes mRNA one example of what's known in science as a "platform technology."

Within the field of infectious diseases, these are tools designed not to fight a single virus, but to act as flexible, reusable building blocksready to be adapted for a wide range of pathogens.

Think of them like LEGO blocks: modular, interchangeable and designed for speed.

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.

Building trust and advancing research

In 2024, the World Health Organization updated its pandemic preparedness framework, urging scientists to focus less on individual pathogens and more on those things we can meaningfully progress now.

These include a better understanding of general infection mechanisms, our body's immune response to infections and the technological building blocks of future therapeutics.

Investing in platform technologies now will help form the backbone of our future responsejust as decades of investment made the rapid COVID-19 vaccine rollout possible.

But investment in science is only one part of the puzzle.

We also need to build public trust in science long before the next crisis hits. For many, the first time they heard the word "mRNA" was while sitting in a chair, about to be vaccinated.

This is both undesirable and unnecessary.

When the next pandemic emerges, it's likely that the life-saving vaccines or treatments will again use a combination of these "LEGO blocks"pieces of technology already developed and tested.

If those individual components have been validated ahead of time, the resulting therapeutic can move through safety and regulatory approvals much faster because we already know and trust its parts.

But that only works if the public trusts them too.

Building that trust means being transparent, communicating clearly and early, and inviting the public into the scientific process.

It's not just about showing outcomes, but explaining the testing, iteration and rigor behind them.

As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continues to cut funding for mRNA research and development, it's more important than ever that the global scientific community advocates for the value of these tools.

Our research teams at the Cumming Global Center for Pandemic Therapeutics at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity are already working to prepare us for the next public health emergency.

The Center's mission is to develop new platform technologiesor "LEGO blocks"so we can rapidly respond when the next threat arises.

It's built on the belief that treatments can be developed in much shorter timeframes than currently possiblebut only through investment in new science, new ideas and public trust.

We may not know the name of the next pandemic pathogen, but we know it's coming.

If we want to save lives, keep our health systems functioning and protect our communitieswe must build the blocks now and bring the public with us every step of the way.

Key concepts molecular biology

This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article here.
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 chimpanzee sits in a tree in Kibale Forest National Park near Fort Portal, Uganda, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Onen

The man tracking chimpanzee movements in a rainforest is required to follow the primates wherever they goexcept up in the trees.

Onesmas Ainebyona stalks the chimps with such spiritual determination that he's been able to win the trust of a chimp leader named Jean, who came down a tree one recent morning as Ainebyona lingered nearby.

It took Ainebyona four years to achieve rapport with Jean, an alpha male that's become so used to people that he pretends to sleep while tourists make a racket that compels other chimps to leave.

Wildlife authorities describe the process of making chimps appear comfortable around humans as "habituation," a term that fails to account for the struggle between man and beast as they try to understandand tolerateeach other.

Ainebyona and others involved in chimp conservation in this remote Ugandan rainforest say they aim for the kind of communion that at first irks chimps. Habituating chimps can take several years. The conservation efforts employing men like Ainebyona not only trace the apes' movements, but also help ensure chimps like Jean don't die young.

Chimpanzee tracker Onesmas Ainebyona speaks with the Associated Press in Kibale Forest National Park near Fort Portal, Uganda, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Onen

"The job requires patience," Ainebyona said. "Passion also. You have to care."

Ainebyona doesn't leave the forest even when it rains. "You accept," he said. "The rain must beat you, but you can't desert the chimp."

Primate capital

The rainforest in western Uganda is part of Kibale National Park, a protected area described by some as the world's primate capital. Species range from colobus monkeys to chimpanzees, a major tourist attraction.

But tourists can't be taken to track wild chimpanzees, which flee deeper into dense patches of montane forest and are known to be violent during clashes over territory. Instead, rangers lead tourists to one of three groups of habituated chimps, with numbers ranging from dozens to more than 100 in a group. Chimps in Kibale now number at least 1,000, many of them wild.

Even habituated chimps remain relatively wary of people, and only a fewlike Jean of the Kisongi group, which includes about 80 apesappear to have fully overcome any discomfort around people.

Chimpanzee trackers follow a troop of the primates in Kibale Forest National Park near Fort Portal, Uganda, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Onen

"Jean is my friend," Ainebyona declared one recent morning as some tourists gathered nearby. The strong and flamboyant chimp in his 20s lay on his back and put his feet up.

The connection between Ainebyona and Jean was sealed in July when the chimp showed up one day with a wire snare pressing his hand, an injury that risked severing a finger. Ainebyona was among those who removed the wire, which Jean picked up when he strayed outside the forest to steal sugarcane.

Ainebyona is among four men working in shifts as chimp habituators with Jean's group. When the chimps rest, the men crouch in mud nearby. When the primates go hiking, they trek alongside them, sometimes even grunting like them.

Ainebyona carries binoculars and takes note of what he sees. The goal is to increase the chimp numbers and extract more tourism revenue. At Kibale, a permit to track chimps costs a foreign visitor $250.

A chimpanzee rests on the forest floor in Kibale Forest National Park near Fort Portal, Uganda, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Onen

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.

Transforming wild chimps

Tourist guide Alex Turyatunga told The Associated Press that the habituation process is enlightening. He and his colleagues have been trying to fully habituate the Kisongi group for more than a decade, he said.

"We try to learn about these chimpanzees, but they also try to learn about us," Turyatunga said.

To succeed, habituators can focus on alphas like Jean, targeting them repeatedly until others in the group notice their comfort around people. One individual can help others "get on board," Turyatunga said.

The common chimpanzee is one of two primate species with the closest evolutionary ties to humans. Scientists cite nearly 99% DNA similarity between humans and chimpssimilar for bonobos.

Habituators like Ainebyona must show a willingness to interact closely with chimps, said Ankunda Viola Ariho, Kibale's tourism warden.

"We look at the attitude. That's very important," she said, speaking of habituators. "You are not going to work doing this job, if you don't like what you're doing."

A chimpanzee tracker follows a troop of the primates in Kibale Forest National Park near Fort Portal, Uganda, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Onen

Jane Goodall's work

Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist who died in October, built strong bonds with the chimps she studied in Tanzania's Gombe National Park. Her work helped shape a sympathetic view of the chimp as an emotionally complex creature. The species is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered, facing threats such as poaching and habitat loss.

Kibale National Park received enhanced protected status in 1993 after the forest had been encroached upon by hundreds of people who built homes there and felled trees for firewood. The park is now thriving, thanks in part to the habituation efforts that make it possible for tourists to contribute directly to chimp conservation.

Chimp habituation can open up research opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be possible, and Kibale is home to one of the longest-running field stations in the tropics, said David Morgan, who co-directs the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project in the Republic of Congo.

"If chimps don't want to be seen, they're incredibly good at disappearing," said Morgan, who also is a chimpanzee and gorilla expert at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Chimp habituation and related tourism can improve how the public interacts with the apes, he said.

"The communities that are habituated, they serve as kind of an emblem of the importance of what we can learn from them and what we stand to gain by protecting them and what we stand to lose by not," Morgan said.

Turyatunga takes a walkie-talkie when he ventures into the forest, now and then asking habituators if they have close and clear views of chimps. That's because chimps, even when habituated, are more likely to be seen up in the trees.

"You listen for early morning calls when they are getting out of the nests. Then present yourself to the chimpsthey see you are there, that's all," he said. "Keep with them. If they move, follow them."

Key concepts animal tracking

 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:

DNA origami imaged with different methods. Top left, a DNA origami sample after cryo etch, imaged with SEM. Left middle, a deconvoluted image of DNA origami tubes, imaged with confocal microscopy. Bottom left, DNA origami lattice on silicon, imaged with AFM in air. Top right, DNA origami lattice sample after SIO 2 growth, imaged with HIM. Right bottom, DNA origami tubes assembled in liquid and imaged with cryo-TEM. Credit: Johannes Parikka, Nanofabrication using DNA nanotechnology. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-1191-2

A dissertation study at the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland) developed two-dimensional fishnet-like structures from DNA origami for silicon surfaces and investigated how different conditions affect their formation. The results provide new possibilities for DNA-assisted lithography and thus for the fabrication of new types of materials, for example, for optics.

In his doctoral thesis research, Doctoral Researcher Johannes Parikka from the University of Jyvaskyla fabricated fishnet-type two-dimensional (2D) DNA origami lattices on silicon.

"DNA origami are nanoscale structures composed of single-stranded DNA. They can interact with each other, forming larger lattice structures," says Parikka.

Earlier, similar lattices have been made only on mica, which, as a fragile mineral, is not compatible with any subsequent microfabrication methods, such as etching. DNA origami lattices on silicon open the possibility to utilize DNA-assisted lithography, which further enables the fabrication of a new type of material.

"The largest single crystal lattice assembled on silicon was 5.6 m2 in area, which means around 560 individual DNA origami. For this particular design and silicon substrate, it is the largest result ever achieved," says Parikka.

Versatile DNA origami

The research utilized the self-assembly of DNA origami structures on silicon, where they can form larger 2D lattices. DNA origami and the treated silicon substrate are both negatively charged. Divalent cations, such as Mg2+, can therefore attach DNA origami to the surface. The interaction strength between the DNA origami and the surface can be tuned with a monovalent cation, such as Na+, that is, by table salt (NaCl).

"The Na+ ions of added table salt replace some of the attaching Mg2+ ions, which increases the DNA origami mobility on the surface, enabling the lattice assembly," says Parikka.

During the research, it was determined how deposition conditions, such as temperature and salt concentrations, affect the lattice formation. Structures were mostly imaged using atomic force microscopy (AFM).

"During the research, it was also noticed that by tuning the conditions, mainly sample solution salt concentrations, DNA origami lattices could be rolled into tubular structures in solution. In addition, the same DNA origami, with slight modifications, could be used to form controlled nanoparticle lattices," states Parikka.

Towards metamaterial fabrication

The results presented in this thesis are important for DNA origami lattice fabrication on silicon and thus also for photonics, since it enables metallization of the structures by DNA-assisted lithography. Metallic lattices, compared to individual DNA origami, enhance the optical response better and enable the fabrication of a metamaterial.

"Metamaterials have a certain property, such as a negative refractive index, which cannot be found in materials found in nature," explains Parikka.

Parikka completed his master's thesis in 2020 at the Department of Chemistry and started his Ph.D. research at the Department of Physics and the Nanoscience Center. The supervisor for the doctoral thesis is Professor Jussi Toppari.

MSc Parikka's thesis, titled "Nanofabrication using DNA nanotechnology," public examination will be held on Friday, 19th of December at 12:00. The opponent is Professor Tim Liedl (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen), and the custos is Professor Jussi Toppari (University of Jyvaskyla). Public examination is held in English.

More information Dissertation: Nanofabrication using DNA nanotechnology
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:

Comet 3I/ATLAS streaks across stars and galaxies in this image captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North on Maunakea in Hawaii. Credit: NSF NOIRLab

Gemini North captured new images of Comet 3I/ATLAS after it reemerged from behind the sun on its path out of the solar system. The data were collected during a Shadow the Scientists sessiona unique outreach initiative that invites students around the world to join researchers as they observe the universe on the world's most advanced telescopes.

Details of the Gemini North observations

On 26 November 2025, scientists used the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North at Maunakea in Hawai'i to obtain images of the third-ever detected interstellar object, Comet 3I/ATLAS. The new observations reveal how the comet has changed after making its closest approach to the sun. Gemini North is one half of the International Gemini Observatory and operated by NOIRLab.

After emerging from behind the sun, 3I/ATLAS reappeared in the sky close to Zaniah, a triple-star system located in the constellation Virgo. These observations were taken as part of a public outreach initiative organized by NOIRLab in collaboration with Shadow the Scientists, an initiative created to connect the public with scientists to engage in authentic scientific experiments, such as astronomy observing experiences on world-class telescopes. The scientific program was led by Bryce Bolin, a research scientist from Eureka Scientific.

A deep image of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North on Maunakea in Hawaii. Credit: NSF NOIRLab

Imaging techniques and comet appearance

This image is composed of exposures taken through four filtersblue, green, orange, and red. As exposures are taken, the comet remains fixed in the center of the telescope's field of view. However, the positions of the background stars change relative to the comet, causing them to appear as colorful streaks in the final image.

In earlier images of the comet, captured during a Shadow the Scientists session hosted at Gemini South in Chile, it appears to have a red hue. However, in the new image released today, it appears to have a faint greenish glow. This is due to light emitted by gases in the comet's coma that are evaporating as the comet heats up, including diatomic carbon (C 2 ), a highly reactive molecule of two carbon atoms that emits light at green wavelengths.

Future monitoring and public engagement

What remains unknown is how the comet will behave as it leaves the sun's vicinity and cools down. Many comets have a delayed reaction in experiencing the sun's heat due to the lag in time that it takes for heat to make its way through the interior of the comet. A delay can activate the evaporation of new chemicals or trigger a comet outburst. Gemini will continue to monitor the comet as it leaves the solar system and detect changes in its gas composition and outburst behavior.

This collaboration with Shadow the Scientists builds on NOIRLab's tradition of combining cutting-edge science with public engagement, ensuring that remarkable cosmic events are shared as widely as possible. By involving learners directly in observing sessions and data collection, programs like this one not only advance knowledge but also inspire the next generation of explorers.

"Sharing an observing experience in some of the best conditions available gives the public a truly front-row view of our interstellar visitor," says Bolin. "Allowing the public to see what we do as astronomers and how we do it also helps demystify the scientific and data collection process, adding transparency to our study of this fascinating object."
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Adults in Germany are better than the international average at coping with problems in new and complex situations. However, this adaptive problem-solving skill depends more heavily on sociodemographic characteristics than in other countries. This is shown by a new evaluation of the latest PIAAC study, in which adults in around 30 countries were tested.

The ability to respond successfully to new, complex and dynamic situations is a key skill in modern societies. In addition to its importance for the lives of individuals, this so-called adaptive problem-solving skill is also considered important for society as a whole, for example, for coexistence, for adapting to changing circumstances and for innovative thinking.

The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), which conducts international comparisons of basic skills in adulthood, has therefore tested for the first time how competent adults are at adaptive problem solving. More than 160,000 randomly selected individuals aged between 16 and 65 in 31 countries took part in the study, including around 4,800 in Germany.

Significant differences within the population

The results show that adults in Germany have skills that are significantly better than the average for the participating OECD countries. At the same time, there are significant differences within the population, especially between people with different levels of education, social backgrounds and countries of birth. Adults with low educational attainment have only limited adaptive problem-solving skills. Employed people have higher skills than those who are not employed.

Adults whose parents have a low level of education have, on average, lower adaptive problem-solving skills than those whose parents have a high level of education. This correlation between skills and social background is particularly strong in Germany in international comparison.

There are also differences depending on whether people were born in Germany or abroad. People who were not born in Germany have lower problem-solving skills on average than those born in Germany, when tested in German. This difference is also high in international comparison.

'Decoupling opportunities from social background'

"Most adults in Germany are well equipped to face the challenges of a complex, changing social and working life. However, it is not a good sign for a society if it fails to decouple opportunities for acquiring skills from social background. We regularly see that this dependency is stronger in Germany than in other countries in the PISA studies, too, in which we examine the skills of 15-year-old students. To solve the problem, we need to start at an early age," says Samuel Greiff, one of the study's authors and professor of educational monitoring and effectiveness at TUM. He led the international group of experts that developed the concept of adaptive problem solving for the PIAAC study.

Everyday tasks

The PIAAC study, coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was conducted for the second time in 2023. Participants worked independently on everyday tasks in their respective national languages on a tablet. This skills assessment was supplemented by a comprehensive background questionnaire that collected information on, for example, sociodemographic factors, formal education, continuing education, employment and occupational status as well as the use of skills at work and in everyday life.

More information Sanja Kapidzic et al, Adaptives Problemlosen Erwachsener im internationalen Vergleich: Ergebnisse von PIAAC 2023, (2025). DOI: 10.31244/9783818850784
EU's separate talks with Chinese firms jeopardize mutual trust: commerce ministry

Xinhua) 09:33, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- While dialogue continues between China and the European Union (EU) on trade remedies, EU's separate talks with individual Chinese firms risk damaging mutual trust and slowing down overall progress, a commerce ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

He Yadong, the spokesperson, said that the two sides conducted trade remedy discussions earlier this week, and that consultations are set to continue next week.

China welcomes the EU's decision to resume consultations on price undertakings and appreciates its return to the path of resolving differences through dialogue, said He.

He stressed that the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, mandated by various Chinese enterprises, has put forward a solution that would represent a unified industry position.

The two sides have since held multiple rounds of consultations on this basis and made progress, he said.

China hopes the EU will act on the important consensus reached by the leaders of both sides, strictly adhere to the principle of non-discrimination, and, building on earlier efforts, properly resolve the frictions through dialogue and consultation at an early date, said He.

This would foster an open and stable market environment for the development of industries in both China and the EU, he added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
United States President Donald Trump's administration announced efforts to end a Biden-era student loan debt repayment plan that has helped millions of borrowers pay debt.

The Department of Education announced on Tuesday plans to stop what it called Biden's "illegal" Save plan. This is the Saving on a Valuable Education income-driven repayment program that currently has over 7 million borrowers.

Ending the Biden-Era Save Program

The department said in a press release that it plans to stop all new Sve enrollments, deny any pending applications, and transition existing borrowers into alternative repayment plans. If the U.S. district court for the Eastern District of Missouri approves the settlement, borrowers will have a limited time to choose a new option before the department automatically transitions them out of the program.

In a statement, education under-secretary Nicholas Kent said that for four years, the Biden administration sought to "unlawfully shift student loan debt onto American taxpayers." He added that the Trump administration is now righting this wrong and is working to bring an end to the "deceptive scheme," according to The Guardian.

Additionally, Missouri's Republican attorney general, Catherine Hanaway, said that her office had fought for hardworking Americans who she claimed were being preyed upon by Biden administration bureaucrats.

She added that unilaterally saddling taxpayers with someone else's Ivy League debt ignores congressional authority and is clearly unlawful. The settlement comes as the Save program lowered some borrowers' monthly payments to as little as 0$, cut required payments on undergraduate loans by half, and offered early forgiveness for those who had low balances.

On the other hand, many critics argue that the settlement would only increase costs for borrowers, particularly those who are already struggling with economic uncertainty. The managing director of advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center, Abby Shafroth, said that ending the Save plan would leave borrowers without access to a clear and affordable alternative, CNN reported.

A Reckless and Shortsighted Plan

She added that this would result in the creation of even more needless confusion, uncertainty, and financial stress for millions of Americans. Shafroth argued that the proposal is reckless and short-sighted.

The Biden-era Save program has been on hold since February, after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Missouri and many other red states that challenged the former president's plan.

Now, a judge will have to sign off on the proposed settlement before it can move forward. On top of this, the Supreme Court previously struck down Biden's effort at broad student loan forgiveness in 2023, saying it was an unlawful exercise of presidential power, as per NBC News.
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:

The University of Rhode Island's Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies' 2025 Global RIghts Project (GRIP) report notes continued troubling trends in inhumane treatment across the globe, including data noting the number of state-committed atrocities had reached an all-time high in 2022. Credit: University of Rhode Island

Global human rights are in decline according to the findings of a recent study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island's Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies.

As governments around the world are increasingly using surveillance or legal pressure to discourage journalists and citizens from criticizing top officials, data shows that the number of state-committed atrocities reached an all-time high in 2022the most recent data available.

In the United States, nearly two-thirds of surveyed Americans could not fully define "human rights" when asked, with one-quarter either incorrectly defining the term or giving unserious or uncertain responses. Also, the risk of atrocities occurring in the U.S. is quite high.

These findings, detailed in the 2025 Global Rights Project (GRIP) report, note continued troubling trends in inhumane treatment across the globe. This is the third annual human rights report, which draws on the world's largest quantitative human rights datasetthe CIRIGHTS Data Projectand the CNVP work.

"We've come to two conclusions. One, human rights globally are in decline; the second is we know very little of what people know or want regarding human rights," said Skip Mark, an associate political science professor and the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies' executive director.

"We see this as a function of both rising atrocities and a lack of demand for human rights in public opinion surveys. Democracy works to improve human rights when citizens punish elected officials for violating those rights. So, if the demand for human rights is low, then leaders can violate human rights with fewer consequences.

"Low demand in the U.S. means that the costs of human rights violations right now are lower than they were in the past. Therefore, human rights violations will rise as a result."

Prior GRIP reports graded countries based on a 100-point scale, and measured each country's human rights based on annual data from the U.S. Department of State, Amnesty International and the United Nations, among others.

This year's report focuses on research that the university's faculty and students conducted over the past year in multiple countries, including the United States and Iran, on a myriad of human rights, civil-military relations, and security issues, outside of the CNVP Security Forces, Rights & Society (SFRS) Lab.

This year's reportco-authored by Mark and Roya Izadi, assistant director of the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies and the Security Forces, Rights and Society Lab's directorstates that societal militarization, or involvement of militaries in domestic tasks has been a rising global trend since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Armed forces meant to focus exclusively on external threats are becoming more involved in law enforcement, crowd control, and media control.

In the United States, the use of the military in crowd control and supporting immigration policies has led to a decline in trust in the U.S. military among individuals who have immigrant friends and colleagues, according to a U.S. survey fielded during the protests in Los Angeles in June and July of 2025.

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.

Atrocities reaching record levels

The United States is at high risk for mass atrocities in the coming years, the report states.

Recent events, including crackdowns on women's rights, widespread use of U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement to engage in repression, attacks on free speech, attacks on education and restricting the right to protest factor into the country's high-risk status. The report notes, however, that the U.S. judiciary will play an important role in limiting the government's ability to commit mass atrocities.

Based on the research, Mark says the U.S. bears some responsibility for the rise in ongoing atrocities worldwide by reversing its commitment toward international human rights. He says countries can get away with committing violent acts against their own people because the U.S. has abandoned human rights as a foreign policy goal.

Using the latest CIRIGHTS data, researchers found that 2022 saw 47 countries commit brutality-based atrocitieswidespread killings of more than 50 civilians by the state or by non-state actors working with the state and widespread violations of torture, political imprisonment, or disappearancesthe highest number seen over the last 40 years.

The report also notes 20 countries that committed atrocities for at least 16 years between 2000 and 2022. Four countriesBangladesh, Pakistan, Venezuela and Indiacommitted atrocities every single year during that time frame.

Leaders within oppressive countries, Mark says, are becoming savvy in continuing atrocities by limiting their scope. In other words, they have come to realize if they kill too many at once, their actions gain worldwide attention, he says.

"This is a sign that leaders are oppressing their people in different ways, and human rights groups are not adapting to those changes," Mark said. "These are all to me red flags noting that we are likely to face real turbulent times in the future."

Of those countries determined to have committed widespread extrajudicial killings, CIRIGHTS data shows that 99% of them engage in torture and violating the right to a fair trial, the report states.

Digital oppression by some countries

According to the report, many governments use either surveillance or legal pressure to steer journalists away from criticizing the state. Laws in Pakistan, for examplesuch as the Anti-Terrorist Act and the Defamation Ordinanceenabled authorities to arrest journalists, censor publications and punish the spread of materials deemed offensive.

The report notes Pakistani authorities cite the need to prevent terrorism and blasphemy to legitimize censorship and surveillance.

Kuwait presents a more complex example, the report states. While citizens there have some degree of free expression, the country's authorities monitor online activity, restrict certain websites, and use defamation and security laws to intimidate critics. Plus, online restrictions were justified under national unity and religious respect, the report states.

However, the report notes that repression adapts to new technologies. Most censorship two decades ago was focused on print and radio. Now, that logic is applied to social media, online news sites and encrypted communication. That, Mark says, can lead to dire consequences regarding human rights.

"We could be heading toward a world that looks like George Orwell's 1984," he said. "It's not just about censorship. It's about the complete erasure of privacy. The belief that everything you do is monitored and that if you are critical of the government, they will find ways to make your life miserable."

Examining Iranian public attitudes

Iranian citizens who were surveyed in 2024 by Mark and Izadi for the GRIP report expressed significantly more negative views about the security forces primarily associated with internal repression. The 2,667 surveyed Iranians viewed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as more corrupt and violent than any of the other security forces in the country.

The surveyed individuals also said conservative attire significantly shapes perception. While conservative respondents prefer officers signaling ideological conformity, those supporting women's rights strongly reject them, the report states.

Mark and Izadi also found that Iranian officials use failed movements within other countries to deter their own citizens from protesting in support of various causes. Izadi says autocratic societies, including Iran, used Syria, which fell into civil war from 2011 through last year, as a scenario to instill fear in citizens that democracy could fail if they choose to protest.

But, Izadi says, that strategy doesn't work with Iranian citizens.

"People still want freedom and still want to go out and protest," she said, "no matter if their governments are scaring them off. Nonviolent resistance is the key for change."

U.S. not fully sure what 'human rights' means

According to the report, only 34.2% of 3,333 U.S. citizens surveyed in 2025 by Mark and Izadi could say in their own words what the term "human rights" means. Correct answers included recognizing that rights apply to all human beings, a focus on dignity or a broad conception of many rights.

A total of 1,341 people, or 39.8%, partially defined "human rights," providing statements such as "That all people should be treated equally" or "It means to be able to have free speech," the report states. But, 875 total respondents either gave incorrect, non-serious or uncertain definitions.

Mark says the problem is twofold. One is either that human rights are not taught in schools or it is taught in school as a vague concept. Human rights, he says, are taught based on how the government views themthe Bill of Rights, for examplein lieu of how human rights are defined internationally.

"From an international standpoint, we in the U.S. could adopt better educational practices to improve teaching on human rights and the U.S."s role in the creation of the human rights regime (systems of international law that protect and promote human rights)," Mark said.

"Another way is teaching about the success stories of the U.S. intervening in other places and having a positive effect while also being realistic on how we have ignored human rights and the consequences of that."

The report notes that survey respondents are strongly in support of courts being the primary enforcement mechanism for human rights, allowing for such rights to be protected. However, despite Democrats and liberal-identifying individuals being more likely in support of immigration rights regardless of status, Americans consistently prioritize protecting the rights of authorized immigrants over those unauthorized, according to the report.

"People do not know what human rights are and also whatever idea they have about human rights, they don't want it for outgroups, such as immigrants," Izadi said.

Compiling the report

The 2025 GRIP report was authored by Mark, Izadi, and Thupten Tendhar, director of the URI International Nonviolence Summer Institute. The CIRIGHTS Data Project is led by Mark and David Cingranelli of Binghamton University.

The project is also supported by the work of numerous undergraduate and graduate students. The students wrote the human rights spotlights featured in the report that shed light on topics such as incarceration, digital repression, and abuses. They also review international human rights reports and process data for the annual GRIP report.

On Friday, Dec. 12, the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies hosted a presentation of the 2025 report, along with presentations of the spotlight reports by their authorsAva Palma, Amanda Queiroz, Isabella Pizzo, Zahra Kahn, Emma Arcieri, Alex Bolland, Breana Knight, Zach Hurwitz, James Tomb and Tiffany Morel.

More information The report, including information about methodology, is available on the project website.
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A comprehensive analysis of 383 U.S. cities reveals a striking pattern: most have rings of isolation in suburban areas and segregated pockets near the urban core, that are shaped by race, wealth, and proximity to downtown, finds a new study by UCL researchers.

Published in Nature Cities, the paper analyzes the daily movements of people in cities right across America and found common patterns prevalent in every city analyzed.

Using anonymized mobile phone SafeGraph GPS location data, researchers mapped the movement of millions of people over a four-year period, as they traveled from home neighborhoods to places such as restaurants, shops, museums and hospitals. They combined this information with census block group data on their home areas to estimate an individual's likely median income and the demographic makeup of the area.

The authors revealed most U.S. cities have "isolated" wealthier suburban neighborhoods on the cities' periphery, which are often majority white, and have few visitors from different socio-economic backgrounds. There are also other "segregated" poorer downtown areas, often majority non-white, where residents have few interactions with people of different backgrounds than them.

Lead author, Ph.D. candidate Andrew Renninger (UCL Center for Advanced Spatial Analysis), said, "Cities are supposed to be melting potsplaces where people from different backgrounds mix, share ideas, and create opportunities. That's what makes cities engines of innovation and wealth. But our research shows that many U.S. cities are divided by invisible boundaries that shape who interacts with whom every single day."

This study is the first to look at this kind of data on what researchers call the 'mesoscale' the neighborhood level between individual and city-wide analysis.

Renninger added, "Tracking these networks is important because a lack of connections between residents of a neighborhood and the wider city and broader economy can fuel inequality in creating a disadvantage for those residents while also limiting growth for the whole city."

Researchers found that every city studied contained segregated pocketsareas where local amenities are mostly visited by people from the same neighborhood or socio-economic background.

While residents of these areas may travel elsewhere, outsiders rarely visit, limiting social diversity. These segregated zones are often poorer and predominantly non-white, with race and income strongly influencing integration.

Amenities near downtown tend to attract more diverse visitorsexcept in majority non-white areaswhile neighborhoods farther from the center are typically more isolated unless they are majority non-white.

Renninger added, "Much of this can be traced to historic discriminatory housing practices by federal, state or local governments that helped to create this segregation. The researchers point to areas such as South Central Los Angeles, South Side Chicago, and South Bronx in New York as such segregated pockets."

Around the suburban edges of most cities lie rings of isolation, where residents mainly interact with others of similar income or ethnicity. These communities tend to visit amenities that are themselves segregated, meaning their daily routines rarely reflect the diversity of the wider city. Such isolated rings are typically more affluent than the urban core.

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.

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic

The timeframe of the analysis stretched from January 2019 through December 2022, providing insights into how the pandemic affected people's movements. The team found that, expectedly, segregation and isolation peaked in April of 2020, during the pandemic, but levels largely returned to pre-pandemic norms by 2022, except for some cities like Boston and San Francisco, where isolation remained higher.

Co-author Professor Elsa Arcaute (UCL Center for Advanced Spatial Analysis) said, "COVID-19 effectively created a large-scale social experiment in which more localized living revealed its potential downsides, namely, increased segregation and reduced exposure to diversity. It reveals that not all aspects of daily life canor shouldbe localized; pushing all activities to the neighborhood scale risks reinforcing the very patterns of isolation we seek to avoid."

The researchers recommend that using these kinds of data, cities could use zoning and land use incentives to develop clusters of amenities in accessible areas between zones and invest in downtown to encourage greater social mixing.

Co-author Professor Neave O'Clery (UCL Center for Advanced Spatial Analysis) said, "Our research offers policymakers and planners valuable insights for developing amenities around cities that can encourage greater diversity and social mixing. By encouraging more strategic development, it can help isolated residents better connect with the broader community and economy, reducing inequality."

While the primary analysis focuses on income-based segregation, patterns strongly correlate with racial composition and historic discriminatory housing practices. Race was not directly measured; instead, demographic context was inferred from neighborhood-level census data.

Publication details US cities are defined by rings and pockets with limited socioeconomic mixing, Nature Cities (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44284-025-00350-7. Journal information: Nature Cities
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:

The Tapanuli region has been devastated by floods that killed nearly 1,000 people.

Indonesia's deadly flooding was an "extinction-level disturbance" for the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.

Only scientifically classified as a species in 2017, tapanulis are incredibly rare, with fewer than 800 left in the wild, confined to a small range in part of Indonesia's Sumatra.

One dead suspected tapanuli orangutan has already been found in the region, conservationists told AFP.

"The loss of even a single orangutan is a devastating blow to the survival of the species," said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chairman of the Orangutan Information Center in Indonesia.

And analysis of satellite imagery combined with knowledge of the tapanuli's range suggests that flooding last month which killed nearly 1,000 people may also have devastated wildlife in the Batang Toru region.

The scientists focused on the so-called West Block, the most densely populated of three known tapanuli habitats, and home to an estimated 581 tapanulis before the disaster.

All three species of orangutan are critically endangered.

There, "we think that between six and 11% of orangutans were likely killed," said Erik Meijaard, a longtime orangutan conservationist.

"Any kind of adult mortality that exceeds one percent, you're driving the species to extinction, irrespective of how big the population is at the start," he told AFP.

But tapanulis have such a small population and range to begin with that they are especially vulnerable, he added.

Satellite imagery shows massive gashes in the mountainous landscape, some of which extend for more than a kilometer and are nearly 100 meters wide, Meijaard said.

The tide of mud, trees and water toppling down hillsides would have carried away everything in its path, including other wildlife like elephants.

David Gaveau, a remote sensing expert and founder of conservation start-up The Tree Map, said he was flabbergasted by the before-and-after comparison of the region.

"I have never seen anything like this before during my 20 years of monitoring deforestation in Indonesia with satellites," he told AFP.

'Fragile and sensitive'

The devastation means remaining tapanulis will be even more vulnerable, with sources of food and shelter now washed away.

Over nine percent of the West Block habitat may have been destroyed, the group of scientists estimated.

In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.

Environmentalists have long campaigned against industrial activity in Batang Toru, particularly a hydroelectric dam and gold mine.

The highland homes currently inhabited by tapanulis are not their preferred habitat, but it is where remaining orangutans have been pushed by development elsewhere.

Earlier this month, Indonesia's government said industrial plantations, hydropower and gold mining in the region had "contributed significantly to the pressure on the environment."

They announced they would suspend operating permits for all projects in the region pending a review.

The government, along with environmentalists, has said deforestation contributed to the scale of the flooding disaster.

A study published Thursday also said climate change-linked heavier rains and warmer seas that can turbocharge storms played a role.

The orangutan experts are urging an immediate halt to development that will damage remaining tapanuli habitat, and an immediate survey of the region.

They also back the expansion of protected areas and work to restore lowland forests.

Panut said the region had become eerily quiet after the landslides.

"This fragile and sensitive habitat in West Block must be fully protected by halting all habitat-damaging development," he told AFP.

 2025 AFP
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Most of the media coverage of the federal government's recent cuts in federal research money for universities has focused on its effects on a handful of elite Ivy League universities, such as Harvard, Columbia and Cornell.

"When you take money away from a Columbia or a Harvard or other institutions, you've just taken away funds from the best researchers," Toby Smith, the senior vice president for government relations at the Association of American Universities, told CNN in April 2025.

But these schools account for only a small fraction of the nation's scientific output that federal research money helps generate.

In my view, too many policy discussions and debates obsess over what happens on the campuses of elite colleges. Meanwhile, public universities quietly power the nation's research engine.

The Ivies do play a critical role in advanced research. But the nation's public universities make up the backbone of U.S. innovationresearch powerhouses such as the University of Michigan, the University of Texas at Austin, Georgia Institute of Technology and Stony Brook University, where I teach.

These places train the overwhelming majority of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates for the U.S. workforce and run the lion's share of federally funded science and engineering research.

Slashing research and development

U.S. colleges and universities spend more than US $108.8 billion annually on research and development, of which about 55%roughly $60 billioncomes from federal funding via agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Together, the country's eight Ivy League schools received approximately $4.6 billion of federal university research and development funding in 2023or 7.8% of all federal research and development funding allocated to academia.

In 2023, meanwhile, the University of Washington, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, each received over $1 billion in federal research funds.

The Trump administration's federal research and development funding cuts are largely tied to what are called "indirect costs."

Direct costs fund researcher salaries and lab supplies. Indirect costs support the infrastructure that makes research possible and compliant with federal guidelines: lighting, heating and cooling for labs; high-speed data networks; security; and administrative staff who handle payroll and ensure adherence to federal safety and ethics standards.

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.

In 2025, the Trump administration decided to cap indirect costs for grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation at 15% of the total grant. Traditionally, universities have negotiated their own rates based on documented overhead expenses, with many institutions citing indirect cost rates between 50% and 70%.

Many aspects of the 15% cap have been paused as they're being challenged in court. Should these cuts go through, it would be incredibly disruptive for universities that have counted on this funding.

However, outside of the battle over indirect costs, many research projects simply lost funding or experienced major delays. Over the past year, thousands of grants have been frozen, terminated or left unfunded.

Ivy League institutions are much better equipped to weather the storm.

In 2021, Forbes reported that the collective endowment of the eight Ivies was approximately $192.6 billionled by Harvard's $53.2 billion and Yale's $42.3 billion. Supporters of Trump's funding cuts have argued that this immense, tax-exempt financial arsenal could significantly subsidize their overhead costs, rather than relying on taxpayers to do so. While endowments don't serve as a blank check, schools can still pull from them in times of need.

In contrast, public universities are far more dependent on federal funds to sustain labs, staff and graduate programs. In 2021, the entire Texas public university systemthe University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Techheld an endowment of around $40 billion, more than $10 billion less than Harvard's.

Public schools are the training ground

This isn't to argue that the Ivies should have their research funding cut, while public universities ought to be spared. It's to shift the focus of the conversation to who stands to lose the most: the public universities that educate the vast majority of the U.S."s future scientists and fuel most of the nation's scientific output.

The Ivy League's geographic reach is extremely concentrated, situated across just seven states, all in the Northeast. Public four-year institutions are located in all 50 states and draw from a much more economically and racially diverse population. They award the vast majority of engineering degrees in the U.S., with more than 144,701 given out in 2023, or more than 70% of the nation's total.

Purdue University awarded 3,827 engineering degrees that year, with Texas A&M conferring 3,704. By contrast, Cornell University granted just 820 engineering degreesthe most among the Ivies, but just 25th nationally.

Elite schools, including the Ivies, have increasingly steered graduates into finance, law or consulting. Just 2.72% of Yale's 2024 graduating class was employed as engineers six months after graduation. Meanwhile, public universities serve as the top feeder schools for major defense and aerospace firms.

Stony Brook University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences enrolled over 5,600 students in fall 2024, making it one of the top producers of engineering talent in New York. The university manages the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, which uses advanced tools such as particle colliders to make discoveries in physics, energy, materials and biology. It's one of a handful of universities that directly operate a national lab.

Collateral damage

The Trump administration has argued that federal research funding cuts are necessary because too many dollars have been allocated for social policy goals, whether it's $349,985 to train engineers to "enable engineering for social justice" or $600,000 to teach aerospace engineering students "critical consciousness and sensitivity to injustices within social systems."

While federal law bars the Department of Education from influencing curriculum, the National Science Foundation faces no such constraint. Too much funding, it claimed, went to research that strayed from the federal agencies' core scientific mandates and crowded out the kind of critical research that underpins U.S. innovation.

While I think fiscal responsibility and mission creep merit attention, cuts that are too dramatic and too indiscriminate risk gutting the high-impact research that is essential to national security and technological leadership, much of which takes place at public institutions. Fields from supercomputing and wireless communications to biothreat countermeasures and health sciences will and have felt the pain of widespread cuts.

Federal research funding is not merely academic spending. It is an important national investment that directly fuels local and national economic growth. It supports high-wage jobs and "innovation districts" centered on university and federal laboratories.

The future of scientific research funding isn't a debate over how much government help the privileged Ivies ought to receive.

It's a question of whether public universities will be given the resources to nurture the next generation of scientists, drive bold discoveries and keep America at the forefront of scientific innovation for generations to come.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Holidays bring celebration, rest and, for many families, long stretches of indoor time. For some, this means tabletop games quickly reappear on kitchen tables. Games provide opportunities for learning mathematics actively.

These moments of playful learning raise a broader question: how can we support students' mathematical learning at home without turning the holidays into formal lessons?

One answer comes from a simple but surprisingly powerful classroom learning tool: Tarsia jigsaw puzzles. These are puzzles created with free Tarsia software from Hermitech Laboratory. The software enables people to create, print out and save customized jigsaws, domino activities and different rectangular card-sorting activities.

For the mathematics classroom, the whole sheet of a Tarsia puzzle printed on paper is typically laminated (for repeated use) before being cut into pieces.

Social and active learning that values mistakes

Canadian mathematician Anthony Bonato advises: "No matter what method is used to teach math, make it fun." Most students would agree; joy is often missing from their experience.

As a mathematics education researcher, I add that regardless of the method used to teach mathematics, the learning should be active and social, and value mistakes as opportunities for learning. These are conditions under which learners feel safe to try, fail and try again.

Tarsia puzzles, which have been around for more than a decade and have found use in K-12 classrooms, accomplish all of this with almost no explanation for students. However, their use in university calculus classrooms appears to be rare.

My research has focused on why using Tarsia puzzles work to teach math, and their impact in the undergraduate classroom.

Matching geometric tiles

The Tarsia software allows teachers to embed mathematical relationshipsfractions, functions, graphs, algebraic expressionsinto geometric tiles such as triangles, rectangles or rhombus.

Learners must match the tiles so that the edges align, eventually forming a complete single shape.

The Tarsia software presents users with a variety of puzzle types to choose from.

Teachers in elementary and secondary schools use Tarsia puzzles to strengthen number sense and deepen understanding of functions, graphs and algebraic relationships. University instructors can use them to enliven topics such as limits, derivatives and integrationareas where students often feel intimidated.

Mathematical 'prompts'

Each tile carries a mathematical "prompt"for example, an appropriate Tarsia puzzle for elementary school learners might involve pieces marked with fractions, decimals and percentages, to help students understand equivalents like  = 25%.

For more advanced learning, puzzle pieces might show two equivalent fractions, a logarithmic expression and its simplified form or a function paired with its graph.

In both cases, learners assemble the puzzle by identifying which pieces belong together. When all tiles are matched correctly, a single full shape emerges.

Because Tarsia puzzles emphasize recognition and relationships rather than lengthy calculations, learners think about how ideas connect. They compare expressions, notice graphical features and reason out equivalence. In many ways, the activity mimics authentic mathematical thinking.

Tarsia puzzles require little supervision, and most of students' learning happens in the conversations around the tablenot in written solutions.

Grades 11 and 12 math students might use a Tarsia puzzle on logarithmspart of learning about exponents or "the power to which a base must be raised to yield a given number."

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.

Why active learning matters

Decades of research show that students learn mathematics best when they talk through problems, test ideas and make mistakes in low-pressure settings. Studies confirm that active learning improves understanding, reduces failure rates and builds confidence across STEM subjects.

Yet many mathematics classrooms still operate as one-way lectures, where students quietly copy procedures and hope to follow along.

Tarsia puzzles reverse this pattern. They create structured, collaborative problem-solving that feels more like play than assessment. A student who dreads formal proofs may still be eager to match a derivative with its graph. Another who dislikes fractions may feel less pressure when an incorrect guess simply means trying another tile.

A challenging puzzle might combine square and triangular pieces into a 10-sided figure, helping to teach limits, sequences, series and partial derivatives in multivariable calculus.

Recent study

At Toronto Metropolitan University's active learning classroom, colleagues and I explored how Tarsia puzzles help first-year students learn calculus, relying on structured reflection and student feedback to examine our own teaching practices.

Several themes consistently emerged from the analysis of our reflective notes about students using Tarsia puzzles:

Less fear: Students who were usually anxious about being wrong participated more freely. Mistakes became part of the puzzle-solving process rather than personal shortcomings. More talk: Learners debated ideas, explained reasoning and corrected each otherbehaviors rarely observed in traditional tutorials. Better engagement: Students worked longer and with greater focus compared with worksheet-based tasks. Some who typically packed up early stayed to complete the puzzle.

Why parents and tutors should care

Mathematics is often portrayed as solitary work, yet mathematicians collaborate constantlyarguing, checking, revising and proposing alternatives. Students benefit from similar interactions.

At home or in small tutoring groups, a Tarsia puzzle offers a low-stakes entry into mathematical reasoning. Learners who are reluctant to speak up in class may confidently identify mismatched edges or question whether two expressions are equivalent. Misconceptions are revealed naturally through the puzzle, allowing gentle correction without embarrassment.

To try Tarsia puzzles, parents and tutors of young students could try examples suitable for upper elementary and junior high school students.

A call to developers

The Tarsia software is useful but dated. Currently, it operates on a Windows operating system.

A modern web-based versionwith collaboration tools, curriculum-aligned templates, and built-in accessibilitywould significantly expand its adoption. Educational technology developers looking for impactful, low-cost tools could find enormous potential here.

Mathematics becomes easier when it invites curiosity. Tarsia puzzles, modest in design but powerful in effect, encourage learners to talk, think and take intellectual risks. They help parents, tutors and instructors see students' reasoning in real time, not merely their final answers.

Most importantly, they restore an often-forgotten truth: mathematics can be playfuland learning happens in conversation.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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: Yan Krukau from Pexels

Amid concern about student screen time and mental health, new research indicates that most U.S. public schools already have policies regulating the use of smartphones in class.

Hao Yu, associate professor of population medicine at Harvard Medical School and at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, said his finding raises the question of whether the policies are being enforced.

"The most surprising thing may be that school-level cellphone policy was so prevalent," said Yu. "Almost every public school we surveyed indicated that they have a cellphone policy."

Details of the cellphone policy survey

The research, conducted in October 2024 and published in a recent JAMA Health Forum, surveyed public school principals about cellphone policies effective during the 20242025 school year. It categorized policies according to strictness, from outright bans to permitting students to bring a phone but not use it when school is in session.

Of intermediate strictness are policies that allow students to bring smartphones to school but only use them outside of class. The least strict categories contain schools that allow phone use in the classroom at the teacher's discretion and include schools that have no cellphone policy at all.

The survey found that 96.68% of public schools have some sort of cellphone policy. Elementary schools are the most restrictive, with 6.79% having a "no phones at school" policy and another 81.62% mandating "no phone use while school is in session." Middle schools are a bit less strict, with about 75% allowing phones but banning their use while school is in session and about 15% allowing phones for use only outside of class time.

High schools are the least restrictive, with just about 25% banning use when school is in session, and about half allowing use at school but outside of class. Nearly a quarter of high school policies allow use during class with permission of the teacher.

The survey was published in October and conducted with colleagues from Harvard, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brown University, and RAND.

Implications and future research questions

Yu said the distribution of school cellphone policies with different levels of restrictiveness makes some sense, as the strictest policies are for the youngest students and the policies become more liberal as the students grow older and gain autonomy. Yu pointed out, however, that the loosest policies are at the high school level, which also has higher rates of depression. He also said this survey did not probe whether there was an association between mental health and looser policies.

Yu acknowledged that the survey raises questions to be explored in future work. Among them are differences in smartphone policies by school characteristics, such as whether policies at public charter schools or private schools, for example, differ from those at traditional public schools; what associations exist between the policies and student mental health; and how schools enforce cellphone policies. The question about policy enforcement is particularly important to examine given the increasing number of states that have enacted statewide bans of cellphone use in schools.

"Even if a state bans cellphones at schools, it's really up to school principals and teachers to enforce the law," Yu said. "It's a gap in the literature as to how exactly those key players are enforcing."

Ultimately, Yu said, society has to seek a balance on the issue because today's students are going to work all their lives in environments with smartphones and other screens, as well as increasingly sophisticated AI. Merely labeling these devices "evil," he said, ultimately won't be helpful.

"It's a challenge for teachers because nowadays, for this younger generation, cellphones or AIs are just part of their life," Yu said. "How you help them incorporate these tools into their academic life is really challenging."

Publication details Jonathan Cantor et al, Cell Phone Bans in a National Sample of US Public School Principals, JAMA Health Forum (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.4229 Journal information: JAMA Health Forum

This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu.
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Experts at UCL have raised concerns about online misinformation after new research found that over half of pupils have unintentionally encountered Holocaust-related content on social media.

Researchers from the UCL Center for Holocaust Education also found widespread misconceptions around who was responsible for the Holocaust and what caused the atrocities.

The findings are published as the world marks UN Human Rights Day, which this year focuses on Holocaust Remembrance. It also follows the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recommended that Holocaust education remain part of the revised National Curriculum.

For the report, the Center surveyed 2,778 students in 21 secondary schools across England, with the majority (83.9%) in Years 8 or 9. The study builds on a 2016 national survey of 7,952 students.

The researchers found that 59.4% of students say they have seen information about the Holocaust on social media when they were not looking for it. Among this group, 66.4% saw it on TikTok, 36.9% on YouTube and 19.1% on Instagram.

Of those who had stumbled across Holocaust content online, 21.1% reported "quite a lot" or "a lot" of trust in social media, and 38.0% said they had "little or no trust" in their teachers.

Researchers highlight that while there has been marked improvement in some areas of knowledge about the Holocaust, such as correctly defining "antisemitism," which has risen from 28.3% in 2016 to 75.2% in 2025, major misconceptions persist.

33.6% attribute sole responsibility for the Holocaust to Hitler, with many others naming Hitler and "the Nazis" but not recognizing the wider web of complicity across Europe.

Only 14.2% correctly identify that members of the German occupying forces who refused an order to kill Jewish people would typically be moved to other duties, rather than shot. 60.0% believe refusal meant "kill or be killed," and 62.9% of those who answer incorrectly are confident they are right, even though only 14.2% had actually answered it correctly.

Dr. Andy Pearce (Director, UCL Center for Holocaust Education), said, "Our findings should serve as a warning. Pupils are arriving in the classroom with misconceptions about the Holocaust, shaped largely by misinformation they encounter on social media. More often than not, they are being served this content without seeking it out.

"While some of that information will be accurate, denial, distortion and conspiracy theories are only ever a few clicks away.

"Students should not be left to navigate that alone. They need teachers with the time and training to help them think critically about what they come across online.

"The recent Curriculum and Assessment Review's recommendation to keep teaching of the Holocaust compulsory at Key Stage 3 is welcome, but it must be backed with sufficient curriculum time and specialist teacher development. Then we can overcome these false narratives and help pupils learn the lessons from the past."

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.

The research draws on four major national studies carried out by the Center since 2008, involving more than 3,000 teachers and 12,000 students, making it the most sustained empirical research program of its kind anywhere in the world.

It highlights persistent structural pressures on schools that make high-quality Holocaust education harder to deliver. While the Holocaust has been a named topic in the National Curriculum for history since 1991, the Center notes that the rapid growth of multi-academy trusts means most schools are no longer legally required to follow that curriculum.

Teachers also report that curriculum time is under increasing pressure, particularly where schools have adopted a compressed two-year Key Stage 3. 42.8% in the Center's 2023 study said they faced difficulties teaching the Holocaust to Years 7 and 8 within a two-year Key Stage 3 program.

The UCL Center for Holocaust Education is a world leader in research-informed Holocaust teaching. It offers free training, resources and research to schools across England and internationally, improving students' understanding of the Holocaust and their ability to recognize and confront antisemitism and prejudice.

More information Results: holocausteducation.org.uk/research/80-years/
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:

Microscopic images of Diplolaimelloides woaabi, the newly identified nematode species from Great Salt Lake. Credit: Journal of Nematology; Werner lab, University of Utah

Nematodes discovered in the Great Salt Lake belong to at least one species that is new to science, and possibly two. A University of Utah research team has published a new paper characterizing the tiny roundworm. The team gave it a name that honors the Indigenous tribe whose ancestral lands include the lake.

These findings are reported in the Journal of Nematology under the title, "Diplolaimelloides woaabi sp. n. (Nematoda: Monhysteridae): A Novel Species of Free-Living Nematode from the Great Salt Lake, Utah."

Diplolaimelloides woaabi appears endemic to the Great Salt Lake, meaning it has not been found anywhere else, and likely plays a critical, but not yet understood, part of the lake's ecosystem. To come up with the species name, the research team, led by assistant professor of biology Michael Werner, consulted the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, whose elders recommended Wo'aabi, an Indigenous word for "worm."

Nematodes are ubiquitous on Earth, inhabiting nearly every environment, from polar ice to deep-sea thermal vents to the dirt in your backyard. Most are no longer than a millimeter, so these worms are rarely noticed by the untrained eye. With more than 250,000 known species, nematodes comprise the world's most abundant animal phylum in both aquatic and terrestrial biospheres. About 80% of all animal life in the terrestrial soil and 90% on the ocean floor are nematodes.

Julie Jung examines nematodes recovered from Great Salt Lake. Credit: Brian Maffly, University of Utah

Yet none had been positively detected in Great Salt Lake until 2022, when expeditions by kayak and bike led by Julie Jung, then a postdoctoral researcher in Werner's lab, recovered nematodes in the lake's microbialites, the lithified mounds covering parts of the lakebed. Werner's team reported that discovery in a paper last year.

"We thought that this was probably a new species of nematode from the beginning, but it took three years of additional work to taxonomically confirm that suspicion," said Jung, now an assistant professor at Weber State University.

A new creature in the Great Salt Lake

With the Werner lab's discovery, nematodes became just the third metazoan taxon known to inhabit the lake's highly saline waters, the other animals being brine shrimp and brine flies, which support vast populations of migratory birds during their seasonal stopovers.

Ongoing work in the Werner lab also indicates that there might be a second, potentially new species among the specimens his team has brought into the lab, but it will take more research to be certain. The second author on the paper, Thomas Murray, is an undergraduate in the Werner lab who has been sampling different parts of the lake.

Researchers collected nematode specimens on Utah's Great Salt Lake. Credit: Julie Jung

"It's hard to tell distinguishing characteristics, but genetically we can see that there are at least two populations out there," Werner said.

The Great Salt Lake nematode discovery raises two new big questions. How did the worms get there? And what role do they play in the lake's ecology?

From the onset, Werner's team suspected the lake's nematodes belonged to the family Monhysteridae, an ancient branch of the nematode phylum known for its adaptation to highly saline and other extreme environments. Through genetic and taxonomic analysis, the researchers concluded the new species under study belongs to the genus Diplolaimelloides, free-living nematodes found in coastal marine and brackish environments.

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.

How did the worms get there?

The new species is now one of two members of this genus that don't inhabit coastal environments, the other being found in eastern Mongolia. So how did it get to a lake 4,200 feet higher and 800 miles from the nearest sea?

"That begs some more interesting, intriguing questions that you wouldn't have even known to think of until we figured out the alpha taxonomy," Werner said. "There are two hypotheses, two models that are both kind of crazy for different reasons."

The first was proposed by co-author Byron Adams, a Brigham Young University biology professor and renowned nematologist. Millions of years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, Utah sat on the west shore of a marine waterway bisecting what is now North America.

"So we were on the beach here. This area was part of that seaway, and the streams and rivers that drained into that beach would be great habitat for these kinds of organisms," said Adams, himself the namesake for a nematode species.

"With the Colorado Plateau lifting up, you formed a great basin, and these animals were trapped here. That's something that we have to test out and do more science on, but that's my go-to. The null hypothesis is that they're here because they've always kind of been here."

But Werner noted northern Utah has not always been home to a saline lake. Between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago, the region was covered by the vast freshwater Lake Bonneville.

"If the nematode has been endemic since 100 million years ago, it has survived through these dramatic shifts in salinity at least once, probably a few times," he said. The other possibility, which Werner admits is even "crazier," is that the nematodes arrived in the feathers of migratory birds that picked them up from saline lakes in South America.

"So who knows. Maybe the birds are transporting small invertebrates, including nematodes, across huge distances," Werner said. "Kind of hard to believe, but it seems like it has to be one of those two."

A crucial bioindicator of the lake's health

In the lab, the team made another mystifying observation. Female nematodes far outnumbered males among the samples.

"That's another confusing part of the story for us. When we sample out there on the lake and bring them back in the lab, we get less than 1% males. But when we have cultured them in the lab, the males make up about 50% of the sex ratio," Werner said. "We're super happy to be able to culture them in the lab, but there's something about it that's clearly different than the lake environment."

These creatures inhabit the algal mats covering the lakebed microbialites, dining on the abundant bacteria that live on them. The researchers discovered the worms are largely confined to the top few centimeters of the mats; below that, they were not detected.

More research is needed to determine where exactly the nematodes fit in the lake's food chain, but given their abundance and importance in other ecosystems, it's almost certain they play an important role in the Great Salt Lake.

Nematodes are bioindicators of environmental health. Their numbers, species diversity and where they're found can reveal changes in water quality, salt levels or the chemistry of sediments. With the Great Salt Lake under heavy human pressure, this newly discovered species could become a useful "early warning system" for tracking ecosystem change, according to the study.

"When you only have a handful of species that can persist in environments like that, and they're really sensitive to change, those serve as really good sentinel taxa," Adams said. "They tell you how healthy your ecosystem is."

The fact that it lives only on microbialites suggests it may have special relationships with microbes or unusual life strategies that deserve more study. Because microbialites are key to producing much of the lake's energy and food, any interactions between these nematodes and other organisms could ripple through the entire Great Salt Lake ecosystem.

More information Julie Jung et al, Diplolaimelloides woaabi sp. n. (Nematoda: Monhysteridae): A Novel Species of Free-Living Nematode from the Great Salt Lake, Utah, Journal of Nematology (2025). DOI: 10.2478/jofnem-2025-0048

Key concepts roundwormsSalt Tolerance
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:

Ig Nobel prize founder Marc Abrahams pictured in 2005.

With science increasingly coming under attack, using humor as a way to get people interested in scientific research is more important than ever, the founder of the satirical Ig Nobel prizes said.

But not to be too serious, AFP's interview with the founder Marc Abrahams also included a callout for public donations of pubic liceand the sudden, unexpected appearance of a taxidermy duck.

Since 1991, the Ig Nobel prizes have celebrated the sillier side of science, handing out awardsand 10-trillion-Zimbabwean-dollar notesat often-raucous ceremonies in Boston every year for genuine research projects that inadvertently have an absurd side.

The research "has to make people laugh and then think," explained Abrahams, who is also the editor of the Annals of Improbable Research magazine which organizes the prizes.

As the serious Nobel prizes were awarded in Stockholm this week, several events were held in Paris featuring Ig Nobel laureates presenting their work while paper airplanes rained downa long-running Ig Nobel gag.

Among those speaking were French physicist Marc-Antoine Fardin, who investigated whether cats can be both solids and liquids, and Italy's Daniel Maria Busiello for his research about avoiding clumpiness while making the iconic Italian pasta dish cacio e pepe.

"If you're laughing at something, you are paying attention," Abrahams said.

Can cats be both a solid and a liquid? This was the question probed by one Ig Nobel laureate in Paris.

The idea of the Ig Nobels is to capture a person's attentioneven if just for three seconds, he said. Then maybe when they are telling their friends about it later they might realize it is actually "really interesting".

Science 'threatened and destroyed'

At a time when scientific research is being "threatened and actively destroyed", particularly under the administration of US President Donald Trump, many people "have been telling us that now what we're doing has become much more important," Abrahams said.

Several of this year's prize winners decided not to attend the ceremony in September out of concern about traveling to the US under Trump, the mathematician added.

At first some scientists were suspicious of the gag prize, but the Ig Nobels have now become something of an institutionfew refuse the honor, Abrahams said.

There is little antagonism with the real Nobel prizes. In fact, Nobel laureates hand out Ig Nobels every yearoften wearing funny hats. One of them, British physicist Andre Geim, has even won both prizes.

Each year's 10 winners are chosen from thousands of nominees sent into Abrahams.

An increasing numberover 10%are researchers nominating themselves. "They almost never win," Abrahams said.

Indeed, the phone call when he tells scientists they have won is often "the first moment any of them realized that what they had done is funny", he said with a laugh.

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.

Pubic lice needed

Dutch biologist and Ig Nobel laureate Kees Moeliker said the prizes award scientists for doing their job: being curious, discovering what is happening, then publishing what they found.

For example, Moeliker's prize-winning researchthe first documented case of homosexual necrophilia in a mallardstarted when an unlucky duck crashed into his office window.

At this point in the interview, Moeliker pulled the duck in questionwhich is now stuffedout of his bag, prompting the waiter at the restaurant to ask whether it was real.

When the waiter was gone, Moeliker said, "I have a little request."

He is looking for some pubic lice, and is hoping AFP's readers can help.

The insect's numbers are thought to be dwindling because of the modern tendency to trim pubic hair, Moeliker said, comparing the phenomenon to how deforestation has threatened pandas.

But he needs more samples to research the subject, so he is asking the public to send any specimens they have to the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam. One helpful person has already sent in lice sticky-taped to the back of a postcard.

But it might not be all bad news for pubic lice.

"I've heard stories from people in the fashion industry that pubic hair is coming back," Moeliker said.

 2025 AFP
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:

The Hell Creek Mosasaur, reconstruction by Christopher DiPiazza. Credit: Christopher DiPiazza

Mosasaurs, giant marine reptiles that existed more than 66 million years ago, lived not only in the sea but also in rivers. This is shown by new research based on analyses of a mosasaur tooth found in North Dakota and believed to belong to an animal that could reach a length of 11 meters.

Conducted by an international team of researchers led from Uppsala University, the study shows that mosasaurs adapted to riverine environments in the final million years before they became extinct.

The study is published in the journal BMC Zoology.

In 2022, paleontologists found a large tooth from a mosasaur in North Dakota. It was discovered in a fluvial deposit, together with a tooth from a Tyrannosaurus rex, and a crocodylian jawbone in an area known for remains of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus.

The fact that land-dwelling dinosaurs, river-dwelling crocodylians and giant marine reptiles were found together raised the question: how did a mosasaur tooth end up in a river, when this reptile was assumed to live in the sea?

An international team of researchers from the United States, Sweden and the Netherlands has now answered the question using isotope analyses of the mosasaur's tooth enamel.

Credit: Uppsala University

Isotopes show how they lived and what they ate

Since the mosasaur tooth, the T. rex tooth and the crocodylian jawbone are of similar age, around 66 million years old, the researchers were able to compare their chemical composition by means of isotope analyses.

The analysis, carried out at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam, studied the ratio between different isotopes of the elements oxygen, strontium and carbon. The mosasaur teeth contained more of the lighter oxygen isotope (O) than is usually seen in marine mosasaurs, indicating that they lived in freshwater. The ratio between different strontium isotopes also suggests a freshwater habitat.

"Carbon isotopes in teeth generally reflect what the animal ate. Many mosasaurs have low C values because they dive deep. The mosasaur tooth found with the T. rex tooth, on the other hand, has a higher C value than all known mosasaurs, dinosaurs and crocodiles, suggesting that it did not dive deep and may sometimes have fed on drowned dinosaurs," says Melanie During, one of the study's corresponding authors.

"The isotope signatures indicated that this mosasaur had inhabited this freshwater riverine environment. When we looked at two additional mosasaur teeth found at nearby, slightly older, sites in North Dakota, we saw similar freshwater signatures. These analyses show that mosasaurs lived in riverine environments in the final million years before going extinct," says During.

The mosasaur tooth that was found in 2022 in the Bismarck Area, North Dakota. Credit: Melanie During

When seas became rivers

The discovery sheds light on an interesting chapter in Earth's history. The influx of freshwater into the Western Interior Seaway, an inland sea that then stretched from north to south across today's prairies and divided North America in two, increased over time. This gradually transformed the sea water from saltwater to brackish water and eventually to mostly freshwater, rather like in the Gulf of Bothnia.

The authors believe that this led to the formation of a "halocline," in which a layer of freshwater sat on top of heavier saltwater. This theory is borne out by isotope analyses.

"For comparison with the mosasaur teeth, we also measured fossils from other marine animals and found a clear difference. All gill-breathing animals had isotope signatures linking them to brackish or salty water, while all lung-breathing animals lacked such signatures. This shows that mosasaurs, which needed to come to the surface to breathe, inhabited the upper freshwater layer and not the lower layer where the water was more saline," says Per Ahlberg, co-author of the study and promotor of Dr. During.

Adapted to new living conditions

The researchers argue that the mosasaur teeth analyzed clearly came from individuals that were adapted to these changing environments. Such a transition is not an unknown phenomenon among large predators.

"Unlike the complex adaptation required to move from freshwater to marine habitats, the reverse adaptation is generally simpler," says During.

Modern examples of such adaptation can be seen in river dolphins, which live in freshwater rivers despite being descended from marine ancestors.

The estuarine crocodile, known in Australia as the saltwater crocodile, is another example. It moves freely between freshwater rivers and the open sea, hunting in both environments depending on what prey is available.

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.

Could be as big as a bus

Mosasaur fossils are abundant in North American, European and African marine deposits that are 9866 million years old. However, they are only rarely found in North Dakota, which makes the new discovery particularly noteworthy. The size of the tooth testifies to an impressive creature that could grow up to 11 meters long, about the size of a bus.

This estimate is corroborated by a handful of mosasaur bones found earlier at a nearby site in North Dakota. The tooth comes from a prognathodontine mosasaur, though the genus cannot be determined with certainty.

Mosasaurs of the genus Prognathodon, closely related to the animal that lost this tooth, had bulky heads with sturdy jaws and teeth. They are widely regarded as opportunistic predators that posed a significant threat to other large aquatic animals.

"The size means that the animal would rival the largest killer whales, making it an extraordinary predator to encounter in riverine environments not previously associated with such giant marine reptiles," says Ahlberg.

The study was conducted by researchers from Uppsala University in collaboration with Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, Moorefield, West Virginia, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the North Dakota Geological Survey.

The article is based on a chapter of Melanie During's thesis, which she presented at Uppsala University in November 2024.

More information Melanie During , "King of the Riverside", a multi-proxy approach offers a new perspective on mosasaurs before their extinction, BMC Zoology (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s40850-025-00246-y. www.biomedcentral.com/articles  6/s40850-025-00246-y

Key concepts vertebrate paleontologyherpetology
BAYPORT, Minn., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Andersen Corporation (Andersen), manufacturer of America's most trusted brand of window and doors*, proudly announces it has distributed more than $52.2 million in profit sharing to eligible employees in 2025.

In recognition of employee contributions to Andersen's 2025 business performance, each eligible employee was awarded up to $3,875 as part of the company's annual profit sharing program.

Andersen employees

Andersen's century-old tradition of profit sharing dates back to 1914 when founder Hans J. Andersen personally delivered the first checks. The program recognizes the contributions of each employee to the company's success.

"Andersen is America's most loved* and the #1 trusted window and door brand** because of our team," said Chris Galvin, chairman and chief executive officer at Andersen Corporation. "Sharing our profits with our more than 14,000 team members is one of the many ways we celebrate the dedication of our team members and reinforces our longstanding belief that we are stronger together."

Additionally, Andersen and its corporate foundation continued their longstanding commitment to philanthropy in 2025, donating more than $4.8 million to nonprofits addressing critical needs such as housing, trades education and hunger relief.

"Giving back is part of who we are at Andersen," said Eliza Chlebeck, vice president of communications and community and vice president of the Andersen Corporate Foundation. "Through philanthropy, volunteerism, and programs that empower employees to support causes they care about, we're proud to help strengthen our local communities. Together, we can create meaningful change that improves lives and builds a stronger future."

ABOUT ANDERSEN

Founded in 1903 on the philosophy of working "all together" to deliver on its promise to its customers, Andersen Corporation has built a century-long legacy of trust by delivering high-performance, reliable, and design-forward windows and doors. Empowering more than 14,000 employees every day to imagine what's possible and do what's right, Andersen is the largest window and door manufacturer in North America and the #1 trusted window and door brand among builders, contractors, architects, and homeowners. **

Headquartered in Bayport, Minn., privately held Andersen Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and market window and door products under the Andersen, Renewal by Andersen, EMCO, and MQ brands. Andersen operates manufacturing sites across North America and Europe. Committed to sustainability, Andersen has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2024 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year  Sustained Excellence Award. For more information about the company, its initiatives, and products, visit us at andersenwindows.com.

Follow Andersen Corporation on LinkedIn for more company news.

*2024 Andersen brand surveys of U.S. contractors, builders, homeowners & realtors

**2024 Andersen brand surveys of U.S. contractors, builders, architects & homeowners

SOURCE Andersen Corporation
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

There has been massive global interest in the new social media legislation introduced in Australia aimed at protecting children from the dangers of doomscrolling and mentalhealth risks potentially posed by these platforms during their developmental years.

The platforms' methods so far for verifying young people's ages have shown mixed effectiveness.

The Australian Christmas period may be interrupted with cries of "I'm so bored without Insta," but the Australian government is not done yet. New measures are scheduled to come into force before the new year, which will include further restrictions on content deemed age-inappropriate across a range of internet services.

What are the new restrictions?

While families grapple with the social media ban, Australia is about to dial up the volume on increased measures to further regulate the internet through the impending industry codes. These will eventually be implemented across services including search engines, social media messaging services, online games, app distributors, equipment manufacturers and suppliers (smartphones, tablets and so on) and AI chatbots and companions.

Over the Christmas break we'll start to see hosting services (and ISPs/search engines) that deliver sexual content including pornography, alongside material categorized as promoting eating disorders and self-harm, start to impose various restrictions, including increased age checks.

However, there are concerns the codes may result in overreach, affecting marginalized communities and limiting young people's access to educational material. After all, big tech doesn't have a great track record, particularly in terms of sexual health material and associated educational content.

How will it work?

From December 27 (with some measures coming in later), sites delivering content that fall under the new industry codes will be required to implement "appropriate age assurance." How they will do this is largely left to the providers to decide.

Age checks will likely be administered across the internet through various age-assurance and age-verification processes to limit young people's access.

While much of the media coverage has focused on the social media ban, the industry codes have been much quieter, and arguably more difficult to understand. Discussion has focused on the impact and extent of the code with little focus on the very people that the changes are designed to impact: young people.

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.

The quiet voices

Our new research explores the view of Australia's teens on various age-verification and age-assurance measuresviews that don't appear to have been fully taken into consideration by policymakers.

Teens believe governments and industry should be "doing more" to make online spaces safer, but are skeptical about age verification measures. Unsurprisingly, consistent with other research, teens confess they will find ways around the ban, such as the use of VPNs, borrowed ID or using images of adults to overcome age verification and assurance measures. Biometric measures such as facial identification have also shown concerning racial, gender and age bias.

Miles, 16, told us: "There are nifty little ways around it. [] I think that's one thing that all kids have, [a] knack to kind ofthere's a little thing, "oh I can get 'round it, it's a bit of fun"[] There will be loopholes that people will find, there'll be younger generations finding little knickknacks [VPNs] there'll be ways around."

Much like adults, teens held concerns around the privacy and security implications of age verification.

Some measures require personal data to be either validated or processed by third-party companies, potentially outside Australia. Users are expected to trust such companies despite data being a highly valuable commodity in the modern age.

Previous research has indicated skepticism around the safety of allowing third parties to host such personal data. This raises justified security and privacy concerns for all Australian usersespecially following the recent Discord data leak that disclosed photos used for age verification of Australian account holders.

Even research by the office of the eSafety commissioner itself indicates teens are tech-savvy and likely to bypass restrictions.

In the United Kingdom (where on the day of implementation, one VPN platform saw a 1,400% surge in uptake, minors are now using unstable free VPNs to overcome Ofcom's age-assurance measures to access blocked pornographic content. While functional for the end-user, their use leaves them susceptible to sensitive personal data leaks and phishing, further compromising their safety.

Such concerns are exacerbated by uncertainty over the kind of data being captured by third parties and government bodies, (particularly if digital ID or temporary digital tokens are to be used as a measure in future). For teens, this possibility was of particular concern when considering access to online sexual content as the new rules come into force. As Miles told us:

"What you're consuming I think is a little bit too far. I think there are certain limits and prying into people's personal sexual lives is a little bit too far [capturing] personal sexual interests and viewings."

Teens note that by restricting access to content, the government may actually be making the desire to access content more enticing too. Some may even see it as a challenge to find ways around the restrictions. Tiffany, 16, told us: "I don't know if they [restrictions] actually work that much 'cause I feel like where people lock something or disallow something it makes [them] want to look at it more, and see it more, so I feel it's more incentive."

More relevant measures than age

Interestingly, some teens suggest that maturity would be a better measure of emotional and cognitive readiness for content than age. Tiffany put it this way: "[Because] some people, they could be 13 or 14, and they could act much older than they are, and have an intellectual level much higher than their age, and then some people could be that same age, but their intellectual level is much younger. So, there's a big variation in people's personalities and their lives and how they think."

However, they conceded this would be very difficult to measure.

Teens were supportive of protections for younger children consistent with New Zealand research. Levi (pre-teen) said, "There's probably a certain age that's too young to see certain things like violence or sexually explicit content like pornography."

However, they also argue that for older teens there may be benefit to accessing both sexual content and social media for educational purposes, particularly for sexual information.

Teens argue that independence and autonomy is key in these crucial years of development as emerging adults. Tiffany said, "[Teens] can't really be their own person if somebody doesn't have trust in them and let them have their own independence. It's a necessity for somebody to be able to grow into their own person."

Many participants stressed they are able to self-regulate. Arguably, teens will inevitably access content, whether it be social media or sexual content online, and benefit from chances to build these skills.

What lessons need to be learned?

Such measures often overlook young people's fundamental rights, including their sexual rights, and policymakers need to consider the views of young people themselves. Until recently, these views have been strikingly absent from these debates but represent valuable contributions that should be appropriately considered and integrated into future plans.

Findings indicate there is a growing need to separate older teens from children in policy. Teens also overwhelmingly recognized education (including digital literacy and lessons relating to sexual health and behaviors) in offline and online spaces as powerful toolsthat should not be withheld or restricted unnecessarily.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

SpaceX and United Launch Alliance are combining for a busy week of rocket launches on the Space Coast.

First up Thursday evening was SpaceX's planned Starlink 6-90 mission with 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:01 p.m. Eastern time.

This was the 16th flight of the first-stage booster, which made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.

The launch sets a turnaround record between launches at SLC-40, coming two days, two hours, 44 mins since the Dec. 9 NROL-77 mission.

The rocket pads will be quiet for a few days, but get busier Sunday night through early Friday, Dec. 19, with four more potential launches, including three that could fly within 15 hours from Sunday to Monday.

SpaceX plans to be back on SLC-40 for the Starlink 6-82 mission with another 29 Starlink satellites targeting liftoff during a launch window that runs from 9:43 p.m.1:43 a.m. Dec. 15. This will be the ninth flight of the first-stage booster, which will aim for a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.

Then ULA plans to get in on the launch action early Monday with an Atlas V on the Amazon Leo 4 mission (formerly Project Kuiper) targeting a launch window that opens at 3:52 a.m.

The Atlas V will be in a 551 configuration, launching 27 satellites in Amazon's seventh overall operational launch (and fourth with ULA). This would increase the constellation to 180 of the planned 3,236 total needed to be in orbit by July 2029.

Meanwhile, SpaceX has already sent up more than 3,000 Starlinks just this year, and more than 10,000 since the company's first operational launch in 2019, including more than 9,000 that remain on orbit.

And that number will continue to grow, including later Monday morning.

That's because SpaceX plans to be back with a Falcon 9 launch from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A on the Starlink 6-99 mission with 29 Starlink satellites. It's targeting liftoff during a launch window that runs from 8:11 a.m.12:11 p.m. This will be the 6th flight of the first-stage booster, which will aim for a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed in the Atlantic.

Finally, SpaceX has lined up for midnight Friday, Dec. 19 a Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-88 mission with 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40. Its launch window runs from 12:00-3:17 a.m. This will be the first flight of the first-stage booster, which will aim for a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.

With Thursday's launch, SpaceX, ULA and Blue Origin have so far combined to launch 106 orbital missions from either Cape Canaveral SFS or KSC this year. The previous record of 93 was surpassed in early November.

SpaceX has flown all seven of the missions, with ULA having tackled five and Blue Origin two.

All three companies combined to set another Space Coast record last month with four launches within 34 hours from four launch pads.

That happened with Blue Origin's NG-2 mission from Canaveral's Launch Complex 36 and ULA's ViaSat-3 F2 mission flying from Canaveral's SLC-41 launched within six hours of one another on Nov. 13, followed by SpaceX flying a pair of Starlink missions from Canaveral's SLC-40 and KSC's Launch Pad 39-A on Nov. 14 and early Nov. 15.

2025 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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 new study led by URIs Jason Kolbe examines adaptive selection in Anolis lizards in the southeastern U.S. Credit: J. Kolbe

How do intermittent events like hurricanes impact natural selection? How do animals adapt to challenging weather? A University of Rhode Island professor has set out to track natural selection in the Anolis lizard over time to see how the species has weathered hurricanes in the southeastern United States.

A new paper by Jason Kolbe and colleagues published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences delineates hurricane-induced selection and responses to hurricanes in Anolis lizards. Chair of URI's Department of Biological Sciences, Kolbe studies how human-mediated global change phenomena drive evolutionary change in the natural world.

If species mortality depends on specific traits, then hurricanesextreme and intermittent in natureprovide a source of episodic natural selection in affected populations. The predicted increase in hurricane activity and strength in the North Atlantic has the potential to alter patterns of selection and evolution for populations, especially in coastal areas and islands.

The paper's focus brought Kolbe back to the start of his professional research career. He has studied lizards for 25 years and used genetic markers to reconstruct the invasion histories of Anolis lizards introduced to Florida from the Caribbean for his dissertation.

As part of his Ph.D. research, Kolbe studied the ecology and evolution of anole populations on islands in the Bahamas. When Hurricane Sandy hit their study site there in 2012, he decided to use the devastating storm's impact to compare lizards before and after impact.

The invasion of Anolis sagrei in the southeastern U.S. provided a rare opportunity to put a timestamp on the start of adaptive evolution for populations in this region, Kolbe says. More than 100 hurricanes have hit Florida since the start of the A. sagrei invasion.

Their results affirmed that hurricanes are a source of episodic selection with lasting evolutionary effects on lizard traits connected to weathering storms. Kolbe's team's preliminary analysis found lizards with longer limbs survived better during the hurricane and that lizards with longer limbs possessed greater clinging ability, supporting hurricanes as a source of natural selection for lizard populations.

"Our studies of the brown anole in Florida provided an excellent opportunity to test whether hurricane-induced selection could shape the morphology of lizards over the course of their invasion, around 100 years," he says. "Because we have a good estimate of the time each brown anole population in our study was established and hurricane records go back to 1851, we were able to estimate the number of hurricanes impacting each population and test for an association with traits that increase clinging performance."

Introduced lizard

The Anolis sagrei was introduced in Florida and Georgia beginning in 1887 in the Florida Keys. It showed up on the peninsula a half-century later. Kolbe's team reconstructed a chronology of the A. sagrei invasion in Florida and Georgia using dates from published observations and museum specimen records.

Brown anoles were introduced to the U.S. from at least eight geographically and genetically distinct source populations in their native range, mostly from Cuba. These introductions likely occurred accidentally via shipping or intentional introductions (release of pets into the wild).

Kolbe and his colleagues found that brown anole populations experiencing more hurricanes had longer limbs and larger toepads, traits that help them hold onboth in the immediate sense of a single storm and in the long-term as well, in terms of natural selection. Their results confirm hurricanes as a major force shaping variation in Anolis lizards and highlight how the evolutionary trajectories of animal populations will be altered as climate change modifies historical patterns of natural selection, he says.

An evolutionary ecologist, Kolbe studies the evolutionary response of species adapting to rapid environmental shifts and says that biological invasions are useful scenarios to study rapid evolution.

Although there aren't many good studies on the ecological impacts of this species, its high densities, rapid spread and generalist nature suggest potential impacts on other species, Kolbe says, noting that other species could be studied, as well.

"Lizards are surely not the only species potentially experiencing selection during hurricanes," says Kolbe. "Our understanding of episodic selection may be enhanced by studies on the evolutionary effects of hurricanes on other species, not only lizards."

Publication details Jason J. Kolbe et al, Morphological and genomic responses to hurricanes arise and persist during a biological invasion, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2517322122 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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:

Convergent loss of cellular dimorphic traits within Caulobacteraceae. Credit: Joel Hallgren et al

Bacteria are among the most diverse and ancient forms of life on Earth. Yet, much of what is known about them comes from a small group of species, mostly studied for their roles in human health.

"The vast majority of bacterial species remain unexplored, and this really limits our understanding of how bacteria shape ecosystems and have evolved to thrive in different environments," says Joel Hallgren, lead author of the study.

Most bacteria reproduce through simple, symmetrical cell division. However, members of one distinctive group, the Caulobacterales, known for their "stalked" appearance, deviate from this pattern. They have a more complex lifecycle, involving asymmetric cell division that results in two distinct cell types: one mobile and explorative, and the other sessile and reproductive.

The evolutionary reasons behind this complex lifecycle have long puzzled scientists. Caulobacterales bacteria are also known to be environmentally widespread and are thought to be important degraders of plant matter in nature, but their ecology and evolution have remained poorly studied.

Unlike most bacteria, Caulobacterales bacteria divide asymmetrically when they reproduce, which creates two cells that look different from each other (top part of the illustration). However, the researchers at Stockholm University discovered that several species have lost this complexity during their evolution (bottom part of the illustration), and that these species are missing around 100 specific genes. Credit: Joel Hallgren

Genetic discoveries in Caulobacterales

Researchers at Stockholm University analyzed the DNA of all known Caulobacterales species, including newly collected samples from Swedish and Finnish forest lakes. Their findings were published in Nature Communications.

They discovered that several freshwater species lacked more than a hundred genes typically linked to the group's complex lifecycle.

These bacteria represent three new species in a previously unknown genus, which the team named Acaudatibacter, Latin for "bacterium without a tail."

Intriguingly, another soil Caulobacterales member, isolated in Ecuador, also lacked the same set of lifecycle genes and, as the researchers observed by microscopy, reproduces through simple, symmetric cell division. This independent loss of complexity in separate lineages provides insight into the set of genes essential for the complex lifecycles of bacteria.

"It's fascinating to see that evolution has reversed lifecycle complexity multiple times in the same way," says Joel Hallgren. "It gives us a unique genetic signature of how complexity arises, and disappears, during the evolution of bacterial lifecycles."

Unexpected findings and collaboration

The researchers also made another unexpected discovery: the Swedish lake bacteria possessed all the genes required for photosynthesis, a capability not previously known in Caulobacterales, highlighting that photosynthesis is more widespread among bacteria than previously thought. Indeed, further analysis revealed that roughly 10% of species in this group carry genes for harvesting light energy.

"It's exciting that novel bacterial species from my own country are giving us new perspectives on fundamental concepts in microbiology," says Hallgren.

The study was a close interdisciplinary collaboration between two research groups at Stockholm University, both based at SciLifeLab, a national infrastructure for life sciences, when the work began.

"This project combined my lab's expertise in bacterial cell biology and genetics with the strong microbial genomics and ecology expertise of Sarahi Garcia's group," says senior author Kristina Jonas.

Publication details Joel Hallgren et al, Widespread potential for phototrophy and convergent reduction of lifecycle complexity in the dimorphic order Caulobacterales, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65642-x Journal information: Nature Communications

Key concepts bacteria
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:

The findings of the study provide important insights for helping the government better formulate urban development policies, mitigating urban shrinkage and promoting the sustainable development of regions. Credit: Jeonbuk National University

Cities do not always grow in a straight line. Like living organisms, they experience growth, maturity, and sometimes decline. This decline, known as urban shrinkage, is a natural phase in the urban life cycle. It is common in industrialized cities, marked by aging social infrastructure resulting from population decline.

Population decline becomes inevitable after cities reach their peak. This phenomenon has been widely studied in China and around the world. However, most existing research has focused on large and small cities, overlooking the equally important medium-sized cities. Medium-sized cities play a critical role in regional development and are increasingly recognized as key drivers of future growth and development. Yet, their complexity and multidimensional characteristics make analysis difficult.

To address this gap, Professor Jeewook Hwang and Ph.D. student DongLin Yuan from the Department of Urban Engineering at Jeonbuk National University in South Korea examined urban shrinkage in China's medium-sized cities at the county level.

"Our study mapped where shrinkage is occurring and identified the demographic and social factors most strongly driving it," explains Prof. Hwang. "These insights can help governments design more effective policies to support sustainable urban development. Their study was published in the Journal of Urban Planning and Development.

The researchers used population data from the fifth (2000), sixth (2010), and seventh (2020) national censuses of China. First, the researchers examined the extent of urban shrinkage in medium-sized cities from 2000 to 2020. Using population change rates as an indicator of urban shrinkage, they categorized cities into five shrinkage levels.

The results showed that more than 57.5% (approximately 497) of medium-sized county-level cities experienced urban shrinkage. Level I, representing 1% to 5% shrinkage, was the most common, followed by Levels II (6% to 10% shrinkage) and V (> 20% shrinkage).

Next, the researchers conducted spatial analysis, which showed that shrinking cities are geographically clustered together and that this clustering becomes more significant over time. The analysis also revealed that the overall distribution of urban shrinkage shifted from northeast-to-southwest.

Lastly, to understand the influence of socioeconomic factors on urban shrinkage, the researchers employed a geographical detector model. The exodus of the working-age population was the primary driver of urban shrinkage. The size of the underage or primary school-age population and fiscal expenditure also had a significant influence. In contrast, industrial and economic factors had a relatively weaker influence.

Based on these findings, the researchers proposed several policy recommendations to mitigate urban shrinkage. These include establishing special economic zones, improving education and public welfare services, as well as optimizing industrial structure.

"Our findings highlight which medium-sized cities are most vulnerable to shrinkage and the key factors behind it," concludes Prof. Hwang. "We hope this evidence will support long-term strategies to strengthen these cities and promote sustainable development."

More information DongLin Yuan et al, Urban Shrinkage in Medium-Sized Cities: Trajectories and Influencing Factors, Journal of Urban Planning and Development (2025). DOI: 10.1061/jupddm.upeng-5631

Provided by Jeonbuk National University
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:

Varun Venkatakrishnan, left, a Penn State doctoral student, and Ganesh Anand, associate professor of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State

Viruses are typically described as tiny, perfectly geometric shells that pack genetic material with mathematical precision, but new research led by scientists at Penn State reveals a deliberate imbalance in their shape that helps them infect their hosts.

The finding, the researchers say, not only illuminates a fundamental viral strategy but also opens doors for antiviral drug design and molecular delivery technologies critical for vaccines, cancer therapies, medication development and gene editing.

The team published their findings in the journal Science Advances and have filed a patent application related to the discovery.

"A virus lacks sensory organs, so it uses chemical cues to determine how it replicates its genetic material into new viral packages or assemblies with precise polarity," said Ganesh Anand, associate professor of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State and lead author on the study.

"This polarity guides the RNA, its genetic material that allows the virus infection to spread, and our research shows that asymmetry is what gives the virus this essential polarity. Viruses build these subtle imperfections into their shells to control how and where their genetic material is packaged and poised to exit during an infection."

Sean Braet, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State, installs a new trapping column for the liquid chromatography, which helps image the Turnip Crinkle Virus. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State

How viruses use structural asymmetry

The researchers used advanced imaging techniques to study the architecture of the Turnip Crinkle Virus (TCV). This plant pathogen has an icosahedralor 20-sidedshell that is the same structure as many human pathogens, such as enteroviruses, noroviruses, poliovirus, hepatitis B virus and the virus that causes chickenpox.

They found that icosahedral viruses use a single chemical bond to tip the scales inside their protein shells to guide release of RNA and infect their hosts. This bond, called an isopeptide link, connects two structural proteins that contribute to the virus's shell and creates a subtle asymmetry that clusters the virus's RNA on one side of the particle, ensuring the genetic material exits in one direction when infecting a host.

It can be compared to a trick or "loaded" die, Anand said, referring to dice that are secretly weighted on one side and used to cheat in games.

"When the virus enters a cell and begins to break apart, this 'loaded die' design ensures the genetic material bursts out through a specific exit pointfast and in the right directionso it can immediately hijack the host's machinery to make more virus," Anand said.

One tiny isopeptide link is responsible for this "loaded die" effect, he explained. It acts like a kind of molecular hinge or strap, anchoring RNA to one half of the particle and putting it slightly off balance to create a spring-loaded genome. When the virus enters its host's cells and starts to break apart, the RNA is launched out through a specific exit point.

"The RNA doesn't just float around," Anand said. "It's positioned right where the plant's ribosomes, its protein-makers, can grab it. This lets the virus start making its own proteins immediately, before the plant can mount a defense."

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.

Imaging techniques reveal viral mechanisms

The team captured this previously unseen moment, a partially expanded virus poised for release, using two advanced imaging techniques that can monitor microscale changes within cells: cryo-electron microscopy and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry.

"We were able to see the polarity of the particle and it appeared to be positioned somewhere very close to where the RNA looked like it was wanting to get out," said Varun Venkatakrishnan, a Penn State doctoral student and co-author on the paper who led the cryo-electron microscopy aspects of the work.

"This 'loaded die' mechanism that we discovered isn't just a plant virus trick. It could be a universal strategy for how these types of viruses package themselves."

Implications for human viruses and therapies

For human viruses, like those that cause colds or even those that can lead to less common diseases, RNA release is a critical step. Many viruses, like poliovirus or enteroviruses, have icosahedral shells and need to eject their RNA at the right time and place inside a host cell.

If they could bias that process, like Turnip Crinkle Virus does, they'd gain speed and precision needed to evade immune defenses, Venkatakrishnan said.

Finding a way to disrupt the process of RNA release by targeting asymmetric features such as the isopeptide link in Turnip Crinkle Virus could lead to new antiviral therapies or better RNA therapeutics, drugs that prevent infection and autoimmune disorders, explained Sean Braet, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State and co-author on the paper.

"This could mean designing vaccines that release RNA exactly where it's needed, near protein-making machinery, to reduce degradation and boost effectiveness of the vaccine," Braet said.

"There is a specific feature on the RNA that can help to direct this process, and now, we're in the process of figuring out if we can use this naturally occurring phenomena to the advantage of cost-efficiently amplifying expression of therapeutic RNAs in plant virus vectors."

Antivirals, drugs specifically designed to treat viral infections such as oseltamivir for influenza, could be designed to bind these asymmetrical sites, he added, destabilizing the shape of the shell and preventing the virus from maintaining its spring-loaded state. This would make it harder for the virus to replicate and evolve resistance inside the host.

"All of this research is very cutting edge and is going on right now," Anand said. "We have some promising leads."

Other Penn State co-authors are Molly Clawson, an undergraduate student in the Schreyer Honors College majoring in chemistry, and Tatiana Laremore, director of the University's Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Core Facility.

Ranita Ramesh and Sek-Man Wong of the National University of Singapore also contributed to the work.

Publication details Sean Braet et al, Novel asymmetric isopeptide bond steers directional genomic RNA egress from icosahedral virus, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ady4104. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ady4104 Journal information: Science Advances

Key concepts virusesvirology
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed the Japanese version of the community-based rehabilitation indicators (CBR-Is), originally created by the World Health Organization to assess inclusive social participation among persons with disabilities. After a rigorous process of translation and cultural adaptation, the team confirmed that these indicators are suitable for use in the Japanese context.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has long promoted community-based rehabilitation (CBR) as a practical strategy for building inclusive communities, in which persons with disabilities can fully participate. The CBR framework, comprising health, education, livelihood, social, and empowerment components, has been implemented in more than 100 countries.

Evidence suggests that CBR activities improve access to rights and opportunities for social participation. However, most previous evaluations relied on qualitative data. To address this gap, in 2017, the WHO introduced standardized quantitative CBR indicators (CBR-Is), including 40 items designed to identify community needs and guide interventions.

In Japan, critical barriers to employment and social participation persist for persons with disabilities. To better understand these challenges and promote social inclusion, the University of Tsukuba research team developed a Japanese version of the CBR-Is (J-CBR-Is). The goal was to ensure that J-CBR-Is could serve as a culturally adapted tool for assessing community and individual needs in Japan. The framework is published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation.

Following WHO approval, J-CBR-Is was translated into Japanese, in accordance with international guidelines for linguistic and cultural adaptation, including expert review and cognitive debriefing. To assess its reliability and validity, an online survey was conducted among persons with and without disabilities in Japan. Participants responded to J-CBR-Is based on their circumstances and experiences. Statistical analyses demonstrated strong internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and construct validity, confirming that J-CBR-Is is suitable for use in Japan.

The validated J-CBR-Is provides a standardized framework for evaluating CBR activities and monitoring social inclusion in Japan. It supports evidence-based community development and facilitates international comparisons aligned with global disability inclusion goals.

More information Ryohei Goto et al, Development and validation of the Japanese version of Community-Based Rehabilitation Indicators, Disability and Rehabilitation (2025). DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2588062
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Black women are underrepresented in senior roles in British academia. As of May 2024, there were only 70 Black women professors.

This is less than 1% of all female professors in the UK. Black women are also more likely to be employed on fixed-term contracts in academia.

In our research, we've reviewed academic studies on the experiences of Black women in UK universities to identify some of the key reasons for this under-representation.

Promotion to the role of professor typically requires evidence of sustained academic excellence. This includes high-quality research, winning grant funding and publication in high-impact journals. It also requires supervising Ph.D. students and a record of disciplinary or institutional leadership.

Many Black women academics in the UK work in newer, less research-intensive institutions where teaching and student support loads are comparatively higher. This can limit time for research and publishing.

What's more, these opportunities for promotion are unevenly distributed. Black women are more often overburdened with pastoral care, teaching and equality, diversity and inclusion work. This is labor that's important to the university, but undervalued in promotion criteria.

Invisible labor

Evidence suggests that Black women scholars in academia experience gendered and anti-Black racism. This can severely affect their work environments, career progression and well-being in academic institutional spaces.

They have to grapple with the exhausting task of proving they belong in universities that are not built with them in mind. This sense of not belonging is reinforced by structural and symbolic signals. Hallways are adorned with portraits of white male scholars, reading lists dominated by western scholarship and disciplinary norms rooted in Eurocentric assumptions.

Addressing this question of belonging often means taking a lead on work to make these spaces more equitable. Black women may find themselves supporting Black and racially minoritized students who may feel more able to connect with them than other academics.

They may carry out extra work that their colleagues don't. This includes promoting equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and building support networks, while trying to meet the same research and scholarship demands as others.

Black women are often both highly visible and yet largely invisible in academia. They're visible as they are one of a few standing out for their ethnicitybecoming symbols of diversity.

Yet their scholarship is frequently under-recognized or overlooked. At the same time, the additional labor they undertake often goes unseen and they are less likely to have senior sponsorship than their peers.

The burden of being under scrutiny and engaging in emotional labor often weighs heavily on Black women. Black women also have to navigate sometimes hostile environments. This can take subtle forms, such as being excluded in meetings and being treated as less credible than non-Black colleagues.

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.

Making connections

Despite the challenges faced by some Black women academics, there are independent networks outside of universities set up by Black academics that are dedicated to supporting women from racial minorities.

One of us (Yaz Iyabo Osho) founded Global Ethnic Majority Women in Academia. Others include the Black Female Academic Network and the Sisters in Higher Education Network. These networks collectively offer peer support and advocacy. They also run conferences, events and opportunities for development for Black women scholars.

These networks also offer vital forums for communication and collaboration. This is important for Black women academics when they encounter difficulties within their own institutions. Informal networks can also help foster social capital and peer support. This can be the difference between leaving a career in academia and staying put.

Collaborative spaces, peer networks and co-mentorship can build both professional capital and emotional resilience. These are not just discussion spaces outside of the university, but places for knowledge production, community building, and collective resistance.

Action from universities must take the intersecting oppressions Black women face seriously. Generic policies on equality, diversity and inclusion fail to account for how racism, sexism, ageism, and classism intersect in academic life.

Requiring Black women academics to do the emotional, pastoral and institutional labor of improving their own inclusionat the expense of their careeris not true inclusion. Structural change and collective accountability is required.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Bluevine's all-in-one small business banking platform allows anyone to accept in-person payments anywhere, with no hardware or setup

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluevine , the largest digital banking platform for small businesses in the U.S.*, has announced its launch of Tap to Pay this week . Powered by Stripe and designed to fit the realities of modern small business, Bluevine's Tap to Pay allows any small business to easily accept in-person payments anywhere, without hardware or complicated setup. That means anyone  whether that's an HVAC contractor or a caterer at an event or a craft retailer at a local farmer's market  can accept payments easily into a Bluevine Business Checking account, where they could start earning best-in-class interest as soon as funds hit their account**.

The launch of Tap to Pay is just the latest addition to Bluevine's all-in-one small business banking platform and positions it as the first and only digital-first banking platform to offer an industry-leading high-yield checking account**, cards for an entire company with spend controls, financing, and full-scale accounts receivable solutions all in one place.

The release follows the unveiling of Bluevine's invoicing and payment links product with Stripe in May . Now, Bluevine customers can immediately and conveniently begin accepting secure payments without the need for a card reader or physical hardware, instead just using the Bluevine app on their mobile device.

"We understand that modern small businesses aren't bound to offices and store spaces, and so the ability to accept payments should also be without physical limitations," says Kyle Cooper, Bluevine's SVP and GM of Checking and Payments. "We've seen strong uptake of our invoicing with online payments processing, and are excited Bluevine customers can now accept in-person payments simply using their Bluevine mobile app. Our customers love the ease of use, value, and robustness of the Bluevine platform, and Tap to Pay makes running their businesses even easier."

The growing popularity of contactless payments cannot be overstated: Recent reports from Mastercard state that more than 70% of all face-to-face transactions within its ecosystem are contactless. For more information on Bluevine Tap to Pay, read here .

*As compared to publicly available data on the number of lifetime customer accounts held by other U.S. banking platforms dedicated to small business, as of March 2025.

**Premier and Plus plan customers automatically earn annual percentage yield ("APY") on their available balances. Standard plan customers will earn interest on their available balances if they meet an eligibility requirement as detailed in the Terms of Interest Accrual which is incorporated as a part of the Bluevine Business Checking Account Agreement .

About Bluevine

Bluevine is the largest small business banking platform in the U.S., serving as the financial operating system for startups and small businesses. Through a single account, companies can earn more, save more, borrow, and manage their money whenever and wherever they do business - without ever stepping into a branch. Accessible through one dashboard, its product suite integrates high-yield business checking, accounts payable, debit and credit cards, loans, and lines of credit. Since 2013, Bluevine has served over 750,000 customers, delivered over $17 billion in loans, and is currently trusted with over $1.8 billion in managed customer deposits.

Bluevine is backed by leading private and institutional investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, 83North, Citi Ventures, ION Crossover Partners, SVB Capital, Nationwide Insurance, and M12 (Microsoft's Venture Arm). Bluevine is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking Services provided by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC. Lines of credit are issued by Celtic Bank. For more information, please visit bluevine.com or follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .

SOURCE Bluevine
National Gateway: Cancun International receives over 24 million travelers

Cancun, Q.R.  Quintana Roo reaffirms its position as one of the most important tourist destinations in the country. In the first 10 months of the year, the state of Quintana Roo has recorded 24.4 million visitors.

According to the State Tourism Secretariat (SEDETUR) headed by Bernardo Cueto Riestra, Cancun ranked second busiest, handling 24.4 million passengers, after the Benito Juarez International Airport (AICM) in Mexico City with 36.9 million.

This performance confirms the preference of tourism for the destinations that Quintana Roo has, as well as the quality of the tourist services that characterize the state such as its hospitality, gastronomy, jungle, beaches, cenotes and archaeological zones.

Thanks to the coordinated work between federal and state authorities and airport operators, actions have been implemented to improve the quality of the visitor experience, reducing waiting times and enhancing service.

These actions have contributed to the fact that the Cancun International Airport continues to be one of the most airports important in Mexico, and the gateway for millions of tourists who visit Quintana Roo every year.

From January to October of this year, 157.2 million visitors arrived in Mexico. Of those, 24.4 million landed at the Cancun International Airport, positioning itself as a tourist gateway.
EU-funded researchers are turning to nature's very own clean-up crew to tackle toxic industrial soil pollution.

Outside the mountain town of Sabinanigo in northern Spain, an abandoned chemical factory stands on land still scarred by decades of Lindane productiona pesticide now banned worldwidewhich left behind thousands of tonnes of toxic waste.

Production ended in the 1980s, but the pesticide's main by-product, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), continues to leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater.

HCH is toxic to humans, animals and aquatic life. It also bioaccumulates, meaning it can build up in the tissues of living organisms and move up the food chain. This makes it an important target for environmental clean-up actions.

An EU-funded team of scientists is exploring how to harness nature's own cleanersbacteria and microorganisms living in the soilto break down the pollution naturally. If successful, their method could be applied across Europe, where soil health has been in steady decline for decades.

"We are trying to understand which microbes perform which specific functions and how they collaborate. If the microbiome of the soil is healthy, the soil can start to recover," said Dr. Rocio Barros Garcia, a leading environmental biotechnologist at the University of Burgos in Spain.

The soil's microbiome is the unique community of microbes that live there. Just as the gut microbiome helps the body digest food, microbes in soil and water can produce enzymes that break down organic pollutants in the environment. This process is known as bioremediation.

From soil samples to lab insights

In Spain, Dr. Barros Garcia works at the International Research Centre in Critical Raw Materials.

She and her team have collected soil samples from Sabinanigo and recreated the local soil environment in the lab as part of an EU-funded research initiative called BIOSYSMO. The aim is to better understand the soil microbiome.

The Sabinanigo site is one of five locations being studied by a team of researchers working together in this four-year project which concludes in August 2026.

The effort brings together universities, research institutes and companies from Spain, France, Slovenia, Portugal, Germany, Belgium and the UK.

The international team is exploring how biosystems of combined bacteria, fungi and plants can help break down toxic chemicals in polluted soil.

The work is crucial because the EU has an estimated 2.8 million potentially contaminated sites, ranging from landfills and old mines to petrol stations and abandoned industrial zones.

All this land is technically out of use and hazardous to animal and human health.

"Many persistent organic pollutants are extremely hard to break down and can build up in the environment and in our bodies," said Barros Garcia.

From lab to field

The BIOSYSMO team is testing a range of bioremediation strategies. They are using different combinations of bacteria, fungi and plants as bioelectrochemical systems in which microorganisms interact with electrodes to generate a small electric current while they break down pollutants.

This can help clean up contaminants in soil, groundwater, wastewater or estuary and coastal sediments more quickly.

Dr. Sara Gil-Guerrero from IDENER, a research and engineering firm in Seville, explained that the goal is to identify natural allies in the soil and improve their cleaning activity by designing and optimising combinations of organisms that work well together.

"A huge phase of the project has been to identify the main players among the organisms already present in contaminated soils, so that we can uncover key ingredients for the development of new approaches."

A computational framework developed by IDENER supports the experimental work by modelling how microbial communities break down pollutants. By analysing genetic data from contaminated soils, researchers can predict the best microbial combinations before field testing begins.

Mapping microbes

The clean-up of Sabinanigo is also being supported by another EU-funded research initiative called MIBIREM, which brings together researchers and companies from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

The MIBIREM partners are working closely with the BIOSYSMO team to identify optimal combinations of microorganisms for clearing industrial soil pollution.

They are also creating a toolbox for microbial bioremediation. It will include methods, guidelines and resources that other scientists, remediation experts or governments can use to clean up similarly contaminated areas across Europe.

According to MIBIREM research, this kind of microbe-based cleanup could be 2050% cheaper than traditional methods and produce 7090% less CO emissions.

"MIBIREM aims to help clean up contaminated sites in a more environmentally responsible way, with fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less energy consumption," said David Donnerer, MIBIREM project manager at RTDS Group, the Austrian partner that coordinates the project's research.

The MIBIREM team is working at two pilot sites in Germany: in Bitterfeld, where they are also tackling HCH contamination from Lindane; and in Stockach, at a former gasworks where they are working to remove cyanide pollution.

In France, they are focusing on reducing petroleum hydrocarbons at a former soap factory outside the town of Ploufragan, in Brittany.

They are also exploring how special bacteria discovered in the Griftpark in Utrecht, the Netherlands, could help break down the harmful petroleum hydrocarbons left over there from the park's former life as a gasworks.

Safeguarding our soil

Good quality soil is essential for life, but much of Europe's land is in poor shape, with more than 60% of it currently considered unhealthy.

To tackle this wider challenge, the Mission A Soil Deal for Europe, one of the EU's five major research missions, has set out to boost soil health across the continent.

While BIOSYSMO and MIBIREM are funded under Horizon Europe, their work complements the Mission's goals by helping to develop cleaner, healthier soils across Europe.

Slowly but surely

Against this broader push for healthier soils, both the BIOSYSMO and MIBIREM teams hope bioremediation will gain traction in the EU's future biotechnology policies and overcome regulatory hurdles and other challenges.

These include legal constraints on field testing genetically modified organisms, which requires explicit permission from national authorities and the preparation of detailed technical dossiers and risk assessments.

Although bioremediation is not a quick fixwaiting for nature to take its course can take timeBarros Garcia believes the approach can outperform chemical methods and gradually restore soil as nutrients return.

"Working with microorganisms is not always easy, but it is highly motivating knowing that this is a sustainable technology. And it works. We just need to figure out how to scale it up, worldwide."

Research in this article was funded by the EU's Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don't necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.

This article was originally published in Horizon the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.

More info

Provided by Horizon: The EU Research & Innovation Magazine
At the invitation of Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council Ding Xuexiang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore Gan Kim Yong will be in China from December 15 to 16, and co-chair with Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Chongqing the 21st meeting of the China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, the 26th meeting of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council, the 17th meeting of the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council, and the ninth meeting of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Joint Steering Council.

China News Service: The World Bank, the IMF and the Asian Development Bank recently revised up Chinas growth forecast for 2025 by 0.4, 0.2, and 0.1 percentage points respectively. Several institutions have noted that Chinas economy has demonstrated notable resilience despite the impact it faces. Foreign media have compared China to an oasis of certainty in an uncertain global environment. What is your comment?

Guo Jiakun: Optimism for Chinas economy has increasingly become a prevailing consensus among various parties. Heads of international economic organizations attending the 1+10 Dialogue in China said that Chinas economy has sustained steady and sound growth over the past year, making important contribution to global growth. The upgrade of Chinas growth forecast by several international institutions once again demonstrates the growing confidence in China.

The Central Economic Work Conference was just successfully concluded. The conference identified eight priority tasks for next years work on economy, including letting domestic demand serve as the main driver of growth, building a robust domestic market, staying committed to opening up, and promoting win-win cooperation in various areas. This has charted the course for Chinas economic development, and provided the prospects for steady growth, momentum of innovation, and a list of opportunities for the world economy. As China will launch its 15th Five-Year Plan next year, it will continue to unleash the benefits of policy continuity, economic stability and growth predictability, providing much-needed certainty for the world.

Chinas new-quality productive forces will enjoy thriving development. Products made in China will be of higher standard, more intelligent and greener. Chinas innovation momentum will drive global innovation cooperation, lower the cost of new technologies and promote sustainable development.

China will further advance high-standard opening up. We will steadily expand institutional opening up, uphold the multilateral trading system, and promote reform and development through opening up. Chinas door will open wider to the world.

In an uncertain world, China is the biggest certainty, and will continue to serve as an important engine for global growth. We welcome countries to board Chinas development express, share in Chinas big market and, with deeper integration of interests, achieve mutual success and common development.

Shenzhen TV: Weve learned that the APEC Informal Senior Officials Meeting was held in Shenzhen recently. Can you share more information about the meeting and its outcomes?

Guo Jiakun: The APEC Informal Senior Officials Meeting was held in Shenzhen, Guangdong, from December 11 to 12. This eventthe first China held as the host of the 2026 APECmarks the opening of the APEC China Year. Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu attended and addressed the meeting. Positive outcomes were achieved at the meeting.

First, the meeting agreed on the theme for next years APEC cooperation. At the APEC meeting in Gyeongju, the ROK, President Xi Jinping noted that China stands ready to take the opportunity of hosting the 2026 APEC to bring all parties together to build an Asia-Pacific community, charting the course and providing fundamental guidance for China to host the APEC in 2026. The theme China proposed, Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together, was highly commended by various parties and adopted unanimously at the meeting.

Second, the meeting planned for priorities for next years cooperation. In the face of new opportunities and new challenges to the development of the Asia-Pacific, China identified openness, innovation and cooperation as the three priorities for next years APEC cooperation. Openness is the lifeline for Asia-Pacifics prosperity, innovation is its source of impetus and cooperation is its supporting basis. The three priorities meet the aspirations of various parties and represent the most extensive common ground for parties participation in APEC, and thus were supported by participating parties of the meeting.

Third, the meeting finalized arrangement for the whole years events. There will be around 300 events to be hosted by multiple cities around China during the APEC China Year. From November 18 to 19 next year, the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, and there will also be supporting events, including the APEC CEO Summit and the APEC Ministerial Meeting. In February, May and August next year, three senior officials meetings will be held in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Dalian respectively. Starting from May next year, about ten ministerial-level meetings and high-level events will be held in various places, covering areas of trade, digital economy, transport, tourism, human resources, small and medium-sized enterprises, energy, food security, finance and women. Various parties have expressed their support for the arrangement for the whole years events and their readiness to work for fruitful outcomes at the events.

Visiting activities were arranged during the meeting. Representatives to the meeting expressed their admiration for the modernization achievements in Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Reuters: Reuters understands that India has cut red tape to speed business visas for Chinese professionals. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment?

Guo Jiakun: Weve noted this positive move. Easing cross-border travel serves the common interests of all parties. China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate people-to-people exchange.

Beijing Youth Daily: Tomorrow marks the 12th National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and amid the current tensions between China and Japan caused by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis erroneous remarks on Taiwan, how will China commemorate the day?

Guo Jiakun: This year marks the 88th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. In accordance with the decision ratified by the National Peoples Congress, China will host the annual national memorial commemoration for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre to honor those who lost their lives.

The massacre in Nanjing is a horrendous crime committed by Japanese militarists. There is no room for denial. The slaughter of 300,000 Chinese people forms the darkest page in human history. Japanese militarists war of aggression against China and other Asian countries under the pretext of the so-called survival-threatening situation and untold crimes against humanity are nothing but a disgrace in the history of human civilization.

International legal instruments, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, clearly stated the opposition against aggression, the punishment of war criminals and the elimination of militarism. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East was established by the Allied Nations for the trial of Japanese war criminals. However, the Japanese government has long abetted the right-wing forces retrogressive moves. Several prime ministers and political dignitaries have paid tribute to the Yasukuni Shrine, where class-A war criminals are honored. Some politicians have publicly called into question the Murayama Statement which showed reflection on and apologies for Japans colonial rule and aggression. The Japanese side even attempted to whitewash its war crimes and change the verdict on its history of aggression by revising textbooks more than once. Those egregious moves constitute a blatant challenge to the post-war international order and an affront to human conscience. This triggered strong indignation and vigilance in the international community.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War as well as Chinas recovery of Taiwan. Eighty years ago, the Chinese people, after heroic and strenuous fighting, defeated Japanese militarism, recovered the territories, including Taiwan, stolen by Japanese aggressors, defended national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and upheld international fairness and justice. Eighty years on, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable. China will never allow Japans right-wing forces to turn back the wheel of history, never allow external forces to lay their hands on Chinas Taiwan region, and never allow the resurgence of Japans militarism. Japanese militarism is the enemy of people worldwide. China will work with all peace-loving countries and people to jointly safeguard the outcomes of World War II victory and the post-war international order. We urge the Japanese side to deeply reflect on and learn from history, make a clean break with militarism, and take concrete actions to get rid of the specter of militarism that still haunts it.

CCTV: The Japanese government has been recently refusing to explicitly reiterate Taiwan-related statement set forth in the four political documents between China and Japan and has kept dodging the issue by repeating that its position remains unchanged. At the same time, the DPP authorities echoed Japans erroneous remarks and deeds by lifting import restrictions on Japanese seafood and sending groups to visit Japan to show support. We noted that many Chinese people, including those from various sectors in the Taiwan region, believe that given the innumerable war crimes committed by the Japanese military in Taiwan, the Japanese governments evasion of history is unacceptable and the DPP authorities political manipulation is just invincibly shameless. Whats your comment?

Guo Jiakun: Over the 50-year occupation and colonial rule, Japan has committed innumerable crimes in Taiwan. Hundreds of thousands of our Taiwan compatriots were murdered by the Japanese military, accounting for about one-fifth of the population at that time. Under Japans massive economic plundering and spiritual enslavement, 70 percent of Taiwans land was occupied, and natural resources, including coal and gold mines, were destructively exploited. Over half of the rice produced in Taiwan was shipped to Japan, while the local people were starved to death. Many Taiwanese were used as forced laborers, among whom 40 percent died. Around 200,000 young Taiwanese were forced to serve in the Japanese military and tens of thousands of them died as the cannon fodder of Japanese militarism. More than 2,000 Taiwanese girls and women were forced to become comfort women. The Taiwanese, who were slaves living on a conquered island, had no political rights, freedom of belief or cultural freedom.

The DPP authorities have turned a blind eye to the countless tragedies and evidence, and instead blatantly glossed over Japans colonial rule by using the term end of the war to fudge historical facts and avoid mentioning the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression or Taiwans recovery. The DPP authorities have whitewashed Japans colonial rule and oppression on Taiwan as development and contribution, turning its back on the Chinese nation, selling Taiwan out to ingratiate with Japan, and serving as the accomplices and pawns of Japanese militarism.

As we mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the Japanese leader once again cited survival-threatening situation regarding the Taiwan question. It amounts to a challenge to human conscience and international justice, and has undoubtedly met with strong outrage from the Chinese people and the international community. What awaits the Taiwan independence separatists who have betrayed their ancestors is contempt from the people and the judgment of history.

AFP: A Hong Kong court announced today that there will be a verdict on Jimmy Lais case on Monday. In response, the Reporters Without Borders, an NGO, criticized the short notice announcement and also called the trial a sham. Does the Foreign Ministry have any response to this?

Guo Jiakun: The fundamental premise of One Country, Two Systems is to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests of our nation. The Central Government firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR in upholding national security in accordance with the law and bringing criminals who endanger national security to justice.

The Paper: After assuming the G20 presidency this month, the U.S. publicly said they will not invite South Africa to participate in the G20 Summit next year as well as cooperation within the G20 framework. Whats Chinas comment?

Guo Jiakun: Last month, South Africa hosted the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. Its a full success highly commended by the international community. The G20 has long been committed to solidarity, cooperation and equal-footed consultation. As a founding member of the G20, South Africa attended all the previous summits and has all along played an important role in the group. China supports South Africa in continuing to participate in G20 cooperation. We look forward to working with South Africa and all other G20 members to defend multilateralism, promote world economic growth and improve global economic governance.

CRI: The U.S. military seized a tanker in waters near Venezuela who was transporting the countrys oil. The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on six tankers, including a Hong Kong-flagged vessel. Whats Chinas comment?

Guo Jiakun: China opposes unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and the abuse of sanctions.

AFP: Yesterday, the U.S. signed an agreement with Japan, South Korea, Australia and others on securing supply chains of rare earths to ensure that countries are not dependent on China for developing AI technologies. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on this pact?

Guo Jiakun: We noted the report. Parties need to follow the principles of market economy and fair competition, and jointly keep the global industrial and supply chains stable.

**********************************************************

The following question was raised after the press conference: Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi spoke with the U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the phone. Both sides expressed serious concern over the radar illumination incident, saying that Chinas actions increase regional tensions. What is Chinas response?

Guo Jiakun: Weve responded to this issue more than once. The facts are very clear. The Japanese sides wishful, contradictory and self-deceiving remarks lay bare its real intention of creating tensions and spreading disinformation. We urge the Japanese side to face up to the crux of the current difficulties in China-Japan relations, earnestly reflect on and correct its wrongdoing, and retract Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis erroneous remarks on Taiwan, rather than diverting attention and creating more troubles.

We hope the international community will tell right from wrong and not be deceived by the Japanese side. Japans allies, in particular, need to see clearly the Japanese sides intentions and avoid being misled by it.
Our advice columnists have heard it all over the yearsso were diving into the Pay Dirt archives to share classic letters with our readers. Submit your own questions about money here. (Its anonymous!)

Dear Pay Dirt,

My partner and I have been together for a bit more than eight years. About six years ago, he purchased a house in North Carolina and the deed is entirely in his name. He has acknowledged that were anything to happen to him, he would want me to be able to stay in the house, but he tells me that he can only put my name on the deed if he refinances (which he doesnt want to do), or when he pays off the house, which he is about seven years away from doing. I love my partner, but he does struggle with depression and major health issues, and I am not only worried about him, but also about where I and our pets will go if anything does happen to him.

Because the house (which has tripled in value since he bought it) is not paid off, he doesnt know if he can just leave it to me in his will. We have decided against marrying due to his large salary and my even larger student loan debt. I am listed as his domestic partner at his job, am on his health care, and am the beneficiary of his life insurance, but the partnership is not filed with the courts. His father has passed away, and he has no relationship with his mother or brother (he despises both and wont speak with them), but I suppose they would technically be his next of kin. They are the type to gladly take the house without any care about throwing me and our pets out.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Is there anything we can do to ensure that if anything happens to my partner, I would be able to take over the mortgage payments and stay in the house?

Thinking About Tomorrow

Advertisement

Dear Thinking About Tomorrow,

Im so sorry youre dealing with this. Depression is tricky, so I hope your partner is getting the help he needs. I hope you are taking care of yourself as well, but it sounds like you are, and thats why you have written us over at Pay Dirt.

You are right to be worried about what would happen tomorrow if he should pass. Without a trust or will in place, his family would get everything as his next of kin. This is why its extremely important that you meet with an estate attorney as soon as possible. An estate attorney can help place the house in a living trust, which outlines his exact wishes on how to transfer ownership of the property. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has rules in place that would help you work with the mortgage company to take on his existing mortgage without fear of losing the home. Once the house is in the trust, if I were you, I would feel more comfortable and would be able to relax.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Since he does have limited family support, and if you are comfortable with it, I would also advise you to see if the estate attorney can help fill out proper medical documentation such as helping you get named as the responsible party, in his durable power of attorney for health care. If you havent yet discussed him allowing you power of attorney, you should, since he has many health issues and you would be the loved one who could respect his wishes. This could be a final gift to both of you in case the time comes.

Athena Valentine

From: My Daughters Husband Left Her For Another Woman. But Guess Who Really Got Screwed. (March 9th, 2022).

Advertisement

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 Care and Feeding, * Your letter signoff Your pronouns Your email (optional and confidentialplease include if you're open to Care and Feeding following up) Submit

Dear Pay Dirt,

I am a single woman of 58 who currently has full-time care of my elderly parents. (My mom has Alzheimers, and my dad has undiagnosed dementia and a heart condition.) My parents live in my home, and I am fully responsible for their welfare and finances. I also still work full time. My parents have designated in their wills that my brotherwho never visits, even though he is only about a half-hour away; never calls; and only occasionally sends texts on birthdays and holidaysis to receive half of their estate after they both pass. I am the sole executor of their estates. What sort of obligation do I have to pay half of their estate to a sibling who does nothing to assist in their care and shows little concern about their well-being?

Carrying More Than My Share of the Load

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Dear Carrying,

Legally, you have an obligation to pay half of their estate to whomever they designate in their will, even if its your neglectful brother. As the executor of the estate, you cant just veto their decision, and if you try to do it, your brother can take you to court and have you removed as trustee for not fulfilling your duties as executor.

But I understand your frustration. Being a caretaker is stressful and difficult, and your brothers failure to help must feel very hurtful to you.

That said, an inheritance is not designed to be a reward for caretaking in the final days of someones life. Inheritances are designed to provide the next generation with some stability and, in some cases, generational wealth that they can ideally pass on to their children as well. For your own well-being, I think you need to view the inheritance for what it is: a gift. Its not something youre owed, because no parent owes their children an inheritance. And while you may not think your brother deserves any part of it, your parents clearly dont feel the same, and you have to respect what you understand to be their intentwhich is probably as simple as the fact that they love your brother and want to make sure he is taken care of, too, even if hes not around much.

Elizabeth Spiers

From: My Boyfriends Been Living With Me Rent-Free For Four Years. (October 13th, 2021).

Advertisement

Advertisement

Dear Pay Dirt,

My grandfather passed away about three years ago. Since then, my mother and her two sisters have been looking after my grandmother via an alternating arrangement where they take turns caring for her. To make things easier, my grandmother gave debit cards to her account to her three daughters so that they could pay for expenses as needed. And as my grandmothers modest savings have been dwindling due to the years of spending it on her care, as well as my grandfathers, they have decided to sell her home.

Recently, my mother happened to take a look at my grandmothers account activity and saw that my aunt was ordering meals from restaurants and filling up her cars gas tank by charging the card. This was a little iffy but I guess OK. However, my mom also noticed that she was spending hundreds of dollars for a psychic. When my mother and her other sister asked my aunt if she knew anything about that activity, she grew very defensive and started screaming that she wasnt going to pay anything back. We are unsure to what extent my grandmother allowed her to use her account to pay for things, and we cant just ask my grandmother because she will cover for her, as she always does.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

What seemed like a smart decision about selling my grandparents house is now turning into a nightmare. My mother is very concerned that my aunt is seeing dollar signs and wants to use the money to get out of debt (my mother had previously wondered why my aunt, who is an extremely nostalgic person, wasnt upset about selling the house). Mom is currently managing the sale of the house and is worried that she will be left holding the bill (as often happens with her family) for my grandmothers care. I discussed the possibility with her of putting the money in some kind of trust where someone who has access to the account can withdraw money from it to reimburse medical expenses. However, it is unclear that my aunt will agree to this. It is also likely that my grandmother will simply gift much of it away to my aunt, without thinking about her own long-term care (she is also used to my mother having to come in and save the day). What should we do?

Concerned Grandson

Advertisement

Advertisement

Dear Concerned Grandson,

I think you need to have a family meeting with Grandma about your aunt. But first, youll need to do some research. Start by estimating how much money your grandma will pocket from the sale of her house. Next, your mom or the aunt whos financially responsible needs to log into your grandmothers bank accounts, download the past several months of transactions, and figure out how much was truly spent on her carethink utilities, a home health care aid, food, transportation, medication, and miscellaneous expenses. Then add what the costs will be for your grandmothers new living expenses, whether its a senior living community, a rent-subsidized apartment, or another option. Using these numbers, you can calculate your grandmothers future monthly expenses and how long that budget will be sustainable. Finally, go over the bank statements with a fine-tooth comb and highlight all of your aunts unnecessary spending.

Advertisement

One you have these numbers, your mom and aunt should have a conversation with Grandma to go over how much she will have for her care and then how much her care costs, as well as what her aunt is spending. Show her how long her money will last if everything goes according to plan, then how long her money will last if you factor in your irresponsible aunts spending. Your mother needs to make it clear that she cannot continue to save the day, as it is affecting her own financial future.

The other factor here is a legal one. Unless I am unclear about something, your aunt does not have claim to your grandparents house or your grandmothers care, unless otherwise stated in a living will or trust. But it might be wise to speak with an estate lawyer about options for limiting her ability to interfere. (A pooled special needs trust might be one such option.) But if your grandmother isnt interested, your hands may be tied, and your mother will need to figure out what her financial boundaries are with her own financial planner. Good luck.

A.V.

From: My Aunt Has Been Spending My Grandmothers Savings On Psychics. (October 27th, 2021).

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

More Money Advice From Slate

My fiance and I (both early 30s) have lived together for several years. He is smart, funny, and a generally gregarious guy. He is in an industry where he has been making over six figures for at least six years. I, on the other hand, finally finished a doctoral program and worked a few side jobs to barely make 34K each year. Rent is high in NYC and Ive gone into a fair bit of debt living with him and keeping up with his lifestyle. I moved to his state so he could be closer to work even though I had to commute over three hours a day for years. Now that I have a job that pays much more (but still a third of what he makes). Here is the issue: He insists we split rent evenly.
New 650-square-foot walk-up restaurant brings high-quality fast casual seafood to New York

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Captain D's, the nation's leading fast-casual seafood restaurant, has officially made its debut in the Northeast with a Dec. 8 grand opening at 763 E. Gunhill Road in the Bronx.

Founded over five decades ago in Tennessee, the Nashville-based brand is expanding up the eastern seaboard with a first location in New York. This highly anticipated arrival features a new walk-up design tailored to dense metropolitan areas with limited space and heavy foot traffic. Three additional Captain D's are currently in development for the New York City area.

Captain D's at 763 E. Gunhill Road in the Bronx.

The 650-square foot Bronx restaurant has a significantly smaller layout with no dining room or drive-thru, catering to customers on the move with a walk-up counter and takeaway service. Guests can enjoy a full menu of Captain D's favorites like signature hand-battered fish fillets, grilled seafood, shrimp, chicken meals, homestyle sides, hushpuppies and Southern-style sweet tea.

Shahid Raza and his development partners at FSR Group are the team introducing Captain D's to the Northeast. They are seasoned operators with successful restaurant and franchise ventures in Maryland, Virginia Beach, and New York, including a Checkers located in the same Bronx retail strip on Gunhill Road. The group is also developing five Captain D's locations in the Baltimore metro area.

"One of the reasons we chose to franchise with Captain D's is that the brand fills a gap in the markets it serves by pairing high-quality seafood with great value," said Shahid Raza, franchise owner of the new Bronx Captain D's. "There is no other franchise concept like it in New York. This new walk-up prototype is fast, convenient, and built for the Bronx, perfectly matching the neighborhood's need for affordable meals on the go."

Brad Reed, Chief Development Officer of Captain D's, added, "Shahid Raza and FSR Group are ideal partners to lead our expansion in this region. They have an impressive portfolio of QSR brands and a proven record of operating successful businesses within their communities. This Bronx opening marks an important step in our strategic growth into the Northeast, showcasing how we can deliver on the Captain D's brand promise in markets where space comes at a premium."

The new Bronx restaurant will be open during standard Captain D's hours and offers convenient takeout service.

With more than 530 restaurants in 23 states, Captain D's is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-314-4819.

ABOUT CAPTAIN D'S

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D's has more than 530 restaurants in 23 states. Captain D's is the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D's has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for over 55 years. Captain D's serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature batter dipped fish. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, salmon and whitefish, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Williams

PR Account Manager

[email protected]

(954) 893-9150

SOURCE Captain D's
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.

The most admirable thing about Donald Trumps very tall youngest son, Barron Trump, has long been that he keeps a low profile. Unlike his siblings and family members, he isnt on social media (as far as we know), he isnt selling anything (ditto), and he isnt trying to be the face of MAGA for his generation (so far). Most people have literally never heard the 19-year-old New York University student speak, apart from the old clip of him saying sOOtcase that went viral last year. It was possible to imagine that he was the rare innocent bystander in Trumpworld, someone who truly didnt deserve to be lumped in with the rest who actually choose to be there.

Barron has hereby punctured this fantasy. Hes a Trump all right.

A New York Times report published on Wednesday has given us a rare glimpse into what Barron does with his free time, and its the most depressing possible revelation: He shoots the shit on Zoom with people like accused sex trafficker and manosphere influencer Andrew Tate.

Tate and his brother, Tristan, were until recently barred from leaving Romania, where they were under investigation for allegedly pressuring women into pornography; Andrew was also accused of rape and having sex with and beating a minor. The Times reporting contends that the Trump administration helped secure the Tate brothers freedom earlier this year, with Barron being just one of the insiders with whom the brothers forged a convenient relationship. Barron, according to the Times, admired Andrew Tate, and spoke to him last year while the teenager was having a suit fitted. (Incidentally, the tailor he was working with got a weird amount of press earlier this year.) On the call, Barron and Andrew discussed their shared belief that the Romanian criminal case was an effort to silence the Tates, per the Times.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

All of it is obviously vile, but theres something particularly dispiriting about Barrons little Zoom date. Up until now, Barron was a fairly sympathetic figure: I certainly wouldnt want Donald and Melania as my parents, and it cant be easy to withstand all the attention and scrutiny that comes with being a first kid. Barron feeding into Tates hateful, violent politicswhich are genuinely corrosive, with even figures like Ron DeSantis and Megyn Kelly rejecting themis bad enough, but its more than that: I find it pathetic, on a personal level, that someone would choose to spend their youth this way. (Sadly, I know Barron isnt alone here.) This is the life of one of the most privileged 19-year-olds on the planet? Getting fitted for suits while chatting with accused sex criminals, like a Patrick Bateman on his sigma male grindset? Its complete loser behavior.

Advertisement

Since Barron turned 18 and the 2024 presidential election put his family back in the spotlight, there have been occasional reports about his political beliefs and the bigger role he was supposedly taking in his fathers campaign, but most of them were easy enough to brush aside. The notion of Barron as an architect of the campaigns strategy to appeal to young male voters, for example, sounded like little more than a bunch of hot air about how smart Barron was, likely either originating from his father or aimed at pleasing him. Self-promoting right-wing podcasters and streamers were eager to brag about their friendships with Barron, but little if any of it was independently confirmed. If Barron was truly passionately MAGA-fied, why wasnt he taking a more visible role in the campaign?

As he continued to stay out of the public eye, even as College Republicans at his own school made overtures to him, I hoped that he would stay out of politics altogether. Nope. Hes gone to the dark side. Maybe hes been on the dark side. The little boy who liked his suitcase has become a teenager who likes his alleged sex traffickers.
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.

In early October, Fernando Gomez Ruiz was eating at a food truck in Los Angeles when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents grabbed him. The 61-year-old was taken from the city where he had lived for 22 years. He was brought to California City Detention Facility, where he says he was denied insulin. Soon, his blood sugar spiked. An ulcer spread across his foot. Its still there today; he tries to clean the oozing blood as best he can with dirty, bloody gauze. But because of the way the facility restricts legal calls, he hasnt been able to fully explain any of this to his lawyer. This denial of one of the most basic rights in America, the ability to speak with an attorney, has became an instrument of the ICE detention system itself.

Attorney-client privilege is the oldest privilege in American law. It is a sacrosanct privilege, said Eunice Cho, senior attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project. For people in government custody, it is quite important to be able to speak with attorneys in a privileged, confidential manner.

ICE insists its system protects attorney-client privilege. Every detention facility is supposed to follow ICE standards that promise private meeting rooms, unmonitored legal calls, and secure legal mail. But the record inside tells a different story.

In the past year, class-action lawsuits from California to New York to Florida have asked federal courts to intervene because ICE facilities monitored legal calls, copied privileged mail, and denied access to attorneys. Taken together, these filings depict a system where confidential communication with an attorney is structurally impossible.

Earlier this month, Gomez Ruiz and six others sued California City Detention Facility for denying access to counsel, among other violations. Their case lays bare a broader pattern that starts the moment someone is detained. Attorneys often cannot find their people for days because ICEs Online Detainee Locator System is delayed and sometimes does not list them at all. Families are left calling hospitals trying to learn where their loved one is. Once someone is found, confidential communication is almost impossible.



Attorneys describe weekslong delays for legal calls. When virtual calls do occur, they are capped at one hour, which means detainees may wait another week or two before speaking to counsel again. Tablets, which allow people in Californias state prisons to make calls from their cells, are only allowed in dayrooms. And in many ICE facilities, the tablets that are intended to be used with legal representatives are monitored and recorded. Even in-person confidential conversations take place under guard surveillance in crowded rooms where the sound carries.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Marisol Dominguez-Ruiz, one of Fernandos lawyers from the ACLU, is used to sitting in the same room as her clients without barriers. But at California City, she was forced to bend forward to talk with Fernando through a small sliver between the glass. Youre kind of crouched down and yelling to make sure that each other hears, she said. It doesnt sound to me like its a confidential kind of conversation.

Immigrants in ICE custody are trapped in a paradox. They have no Sixth Amendment right to an attorneythat applies only to criminal defendants. But an attorney is often their only contact with the outside world, and only hope of reaching their family members, as a federal judge underscored in 2019. In that case, the court held that the government cannot make it harder for an immigrant detainee to exercise their right to counsel, and that doing so could violate their First Amendment right to communicate with the outside world. The stakes are clear: Without a lawyer, people are twice as likely to be deported, according to a study earlier this year from the American Immigration Council.

Advertisement

Arguably immigrants in civil detention should have at least as good if not better access to their attorneys than people in criminal custody, said Emma Winger, deputy legal director at the American Immigration Council.

Advertisement

Because they are civil detainees in immigration court, there is no mechanism for courts to rapidly intervene when their rights collapse. In a criminal case, if a jail interferes with attorney-client conversations, you can go straight to federal court and get a judge to stop it. Immigration law works the opposite way. People must wait until they lose their case, then file an appeal, and then and only then ask a federal court to review what happened. Any claims that come out of someones deportation proceedings can only be raised on a petition for review of their removal order, said Winger. It makes it more difficult to quickly prevent ongoing abuses in the deportation process by bringing a lawsuit in federal court.

Advertisement

Advertisement

What exists is a system that treats people worse than criminal punishment while it uses its civil label to evade the constitutional limits that govern punishment. Thats nothing new. ICE has been warned about attorney access violations for more than two decades. A 2006 report by DHS found that detainees in multiple ICE facilities had to make legal calls from dayrooms or offices without privacy panels where staff could overhear them, and that some facilities delayed or denied requests for attorney calls for more than two weeks. Six years later, the American Immigration Council found that ICE restricts access to attorneys and that agents were telling people they arent entitled to one. Most recently, in 2022, the ACLUs No Fighting Chance report found that at least 58 (out of 199 at the time) ICE facilities block attorney calls, provide no private space for meetings, and create delays that cause attorneys to miss critical deadlines.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Whats new is the scale: The Trump administration has demanded more than 1 million deportations. To reach that quota, ICE wants people to self-deport, said Amy Godshall, an ACLU of Florida attorney. Without a lawyer, people may feel they have little hope of contesting their case and may want to escape the horrifying conditions of detention at all costs, even if that means leaving the country.

At facilities like Broadview in Illinois, detainees say officers have been asking them to sign ICE Form I-210a voluntary departure orderthat is completed by officers themselves. People are signing these life-altering documents without the benefit of talking to counsel, said Cho.

More than a series of isolated violations, this is a structural design. Civil detention erases the attorney-client privilege at the core of due process and then uses that void to pressure people into signing their own deportation orders. The machinery works because people are made to disappear before they ever get to speak.
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from custody on Thursday, a major legal victory for the man whos been persecuted by the Trump administration ever since his unlawful deportation to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador in March. The government complied with Xinis furious rulingwhich accused it of lying to the courtfreeing Abrego Garcia within hours. Soon after, it cited new legal authority for his detention and ordered him to return to Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices on Friday morning, with the apparent aim of taking him right back into custody. Xinis issued a last-minute order barring ICE from rearresting Abrego Garcia, preserving his freedom for now. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to seek his incarceration in a dubious criminal case out of Tennessee, where it is attempting to curtail his constitutional right to confront witnesses about the questionable deals they secured in exchange for testifying against him.

On this weeks Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed this whirlwind of developments in the governments relentless crusade against Abrego Garcia. A preview of their conversation, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Dahlia Lithwick: Weve now had several huge twists in this case over the last couple of days. Lets start with Judge Xinis holding that ICE did not actually have legal authority to detain Abrego Garcia. What did she order?

Mark Joseph Stern: This was a bombshell. From the start of this case, Judge Xinis had flagged that the Trump administration could not produce a final order of removal for Abrego Garcia, which is required by law to deport him. All of the governments efforts to banish him from the United States were based on the premise that this order existed. Xinis gave the governments lawyers every opportunity to produce it. And they couldnt. The government even put two ICE officials on the stand who admitted that they had never seen a final order of removal for Abrego Garcia!

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Finally, on Thursday, Xinis ruled that no order of removal exists. The best the government could do was argue that an immigration judge had implied an order of removal back in 2019 when he prohibited the deportation of Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. But the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requires an explicit order of removal before the government can expel a noncitizen; an implication gleaned from a separate order cannot suffice. That is in line with a ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals and Supreme Court precedent that a removal order cannot merge with other, related orders. Applying those basic principles, Judge Xinis ruled two things. First, Abrego Garcia cannot be deported. Its just not legal. Second, he cannot even be detained any further, because the government is holding him under a statute that only authorizes detention after a noncitizen is ordered removed. And he has not been ordered removed! So Xinis ordered his immediate release from custody.

Advertisement

Before we get to what happened after that, lets note that this nonexistent removal order wasnt even the only falsehood Judge Xinis identified in her ruling. She also pointed out that the administration did not just stonewall, but affirmatively misled the tribunal by claiming it could only send Abrego Garcia to Liberia because Costa Rica does not wish to receive him. It comes out in litigation that this was also not true.

Advertisement

And that is a huge problem for the government. Abrego Garcia has agreed to resettle in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican government has agreed to take him in. But the Trump administration does not want to send him to Costa Rica. It wants to send him to Liberia in order to punish him, because it knows he and his family dont want to go there. So ICE has continued to detain him while the government negotiates a deal with Liberiawhen, all along, Costa Rica was ready to take him in. But the Supreme Court has held that the government can only detain noncitizens for the basic purpose of preparing for their deportation, not for punishment or any other arbitrary purpose. So the Trump administration had no right to keep this guy locked up just because it wanted to find a worse country for his banishment.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Justice Department tried to cover all that up in court. DOJ lawyers flat-out told Xinis, falsely, that Costa Rica would not agree to take Abrego Garcia. And on Thursday, she wrote that this was a misrepresentation to the court. Costa Rican officials have repeatedly confirmed that they will take him in. And I think Judge Xinis is just out of patience with these lies. She also pointed out that, in addition to the DOJ lawyers deceptions, at least six witnesses for the government in this case were unprepared or defiant in their refusal to answer questions, including ICE officials. Frankly, it sounds like she is seriously considering contempt charges in the near future.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Related From Slate We Seem to Have the Supreme Courts Originalism Fail of the Term Read More

Weve talked about Judges Beryl Howell and Karen Immergut telling the Trump administration: You are lying. Now Judge Xinis joins that swelling chorus. Of course, the saga didnt end there, because ICE did release Abrego Garcia on Thursday eveningthen went on to correct the scriveners error in the original order and announced that he is now officially deportable. I love that they used the word scrivener, as though that makes it real law. Anyway, the government directed him to report to the ICE Baltimore Field Office at 8 a.m. Friday morning, almost certainly planning to rearrest him. How did this all play out?

Advertisement

Abrego Garcias lawyers rushed back to Judge Xinis early Friday morning and asked for another injunction preventing ICE from rearresting him. She granted it one hour before he was set to appear at ICE offices, just in the nick of time. His lawyers pointed out for a bunch of reasons that this maneuver was clearly illegal, including the fact that the immigration judge did not actually have jurisdiction to issue the alleged order. Xinis ruled that, even setting that aside, detention of Abrego Garcia at this point would violate due process under Supreme Court precedent that generally limits a noncitizens time in custody to about six months. Abrego Garcia has spent more than six months behind bars already, including his brutal confinement at CECOT, and the government has not carried its burden of showing any reason to put him back in detention. So, as of this taping on Friday morning, he remains free, thanks to some last-minute intervention by his lawyers and the court.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

This is such ridiculousness, and it never seems to end. Somehow, theres also this criminal case against Abrego Garciathe papered-over pretext was a traffic stop in Tennessee years agothats still moving forward toward trial. What are the latest updates on that travesty?

Back in October, Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled that there was a realistic likelihood that the government had launched a vindictive prosecution against Abrego Garcia, which would render the criminal charges unconstitutional. The judge authorized discovery, including communications between government officials about their decisions to deport and then prosecute him. Those could be damning documents that depict both malice and incompetence as Trump officials scrambled to deal with the mistaken deportation, then threw together this highly questionable criminal case in apparent retaliation against Abrego Garcia for suing. But we dont know yet because that evidence is under seal.

Meanwhile, lawyers are fighting over jury selection and preparing for trial. Incredibly, the government has moved to exclude from trial any mention of its unlawful deportation of Abrego Garcia or his eventual return. And as Abrego Garcias lawyers explained in opposing this motion, that would be an egregious violation of his rights under the Fifth and Sixth amendments. All of the witnesses against him came forward only after top Trump officials defamed him as a violent criminal and made it abundantly clear that they wanted to lock him up by any means necessary. These witnesses clearly understood that they could extract unusually generous benefits in exchange for testimony against him. And indeed, they all obtained rare perks, including early release from prison and relief from deportation.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

So Abrego Garcias lawyers want to impeach the credibility of these witnesses by showing the jury how much they had to gain by testifying against him, and how obvious it was that the government sought out damning testimony by going fishing for anybody who would say something bad about this guy on the stand. The Justice Department now wants to stop all of that from coming out at trial. And I expect that if Judge Crenshaw allows this case to go to trial, he will deny this motion and allow this information to come out, because it is vital for the jury to know why these witnesses are not credible.

This is absolutely Keystone Copstype stuff. And it is unbelievable that we are tasked with treating this as though it is the pursuit of justice.
PRESCOTT, Ariz., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Jeffrey Miller, a highly accomplished academic leader in the engineering and computer science fields, has been appointed dean of the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott, Arizona, campus.

Miller, who will begin his tenure at Embry-Riddle in June 2026, most recently served as dean of the College of Engineering and Computational Sciences at Southern Utah University, where he led substantial growth and program expansion. Under his leadership, the college's enrollment rose to approximately 1,700 students and its academic offerings increased from 45 to 76 programs. Student credit hours and graduation rates also increased.

Additionally, Miller oversaw the successful accreditation of the college's Construction Management and Civil Engineering programs by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). During his time at Southern Utah, he guided the college through multiple major external funding awards.

Before joining Southern Utah University, Miller spent nearly a decade at the University of Southern California, where he served as professor of Computer Science and Information Technology Practice and as department chair for the Information Technology program. He also founded the CS@SC Camps, a K-12 STEM outreach initiative that has introduced more than 7,500 students to computer science and robotics since 2015. His academic career began at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he taught multiple engineering and computing disciplines and helped secure ABET accreditation for the Computer Systems Engineering program.

"Dr. Miller brings the leadership, forward-thinking vision and academic depth essential to advancing our engineering programs," said Dr. Ken Witcher, chancellor of Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus. "His extensive background in engineering education, computer science and program development positions him well to elevate the College of Engineering and support the success of our students and faculty."

During his academic career, Miller has also led major federally funded projects, including a $5.8 million U.S. Department of Labor cybersecurity apprenticeship initiative. He brings significant industry experience in software engineering and technical consulting, including serving as an expert witness in more than 50 cases involving software, cybersecurity, intellectual property and data systems.

"Embry-Riddle's engineering programs have earned a national reputation for excellence," Miller said. "I am honored to join Embry-Riddle and look forward to building on the college's strong foundation, as well as collaborating with faculty to expand opportunities for students, strengthen industry partnerships and support innovative teaching and research to prepare our graduates to lead in a rapidly evolving society."

Miller holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, a Master of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Southern California.

Media Contact:

Seth Robbins, director of media communications, 386-241-6060, [email protected]

SOURCE Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
JACKSON, Miss., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP) (the "Company" or "EastGroup") announced today that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.55 per share payable on January 15, 2026, to shareholders of record of Common Stock on December 31, 2025. This dividend is the 184th consecutive quarterly distribution to EastGroup's shareholders and represents an annualized dividend rate of $6.20 per share. EastGroup has increased or maintained its dividend for 33 consecutive years. The Company has increased it 30 years over that period, including increases in each of the last 14 years.

About EastGroup Properties, Inc.

EastGroup, a member of the S&P Mid-Cap 400 and Russell 2000 Indexes, is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in high-growth markets throughout the United States with an emphasis in the states of Texas, Florida, California, Arizona and North Carolina. The Company's goal is to maximize shareholder value by being a leading provider in its markets of functional, flexible and quality business distribution space for location sensitive customers (primarily in the 20,000 to 100,000 square foot range). The Company's strategy for growth is based on ownership of premier distribution facilities generally clustered near major transportation features in supply-constrained submarkets. The Company's portfolio, including development projects and value-add acquisitions in lease-up and under construction, currently includes approximately 64.5 million square feet.

EastGroup Properties, Inc. press releases are available at www.eastgroup.net.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE EastGroup Properties
LG Electronics (LG) has joined forces with Qualcomm Technologies for its next-generation AI Cabin Platform, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system.

The South Korean electronics giant will present its AI Cabin Platform at CES 2026 in Las Vegas between 6 and 9 January.

LG said its system leverages generative artificial intelligence (AI), including vision-language models, large language models and image generation, running on Qualcomms Snapdragon Cockpit Elite.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The platform fetches information from both internal and external vehicle cameras to assess the driving situation and the drivers condition.

As an example, LG said the system can provide an alert if it detects a nearby vehicle starting to merge and determines the driver has not noticed.

LG added that the platform can generate customised IVI user interfaces that change according to outside conditions.

According to LG, all AI processing is performed on the vehicle device rather than in the cloud.

It aims to remove the need for cloud connectivity for real-time operation, while supporting privacy and data security.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Earlier this year, at CES 2025, LG and Qualcomm presented a high-performance computing platform designed to combine IVI and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) within a single control unit, based on Qualcomms Snapdragon Ride Flex system-on-chip.

LG Vehicle Solution Company president Eun Seok-hyun said: Based on our proven technology and global trust, we will continue expanding partnerships with innovators like Qualcomm Technologies to drive future mobility beyond the SDV to the AIDV.

With the AI Cabin Platform, we are creating mobility that not only understands drivers, but responds proactively to their needs and preferences, making every journey uniquely personal.

Last year, LG Electronics offered a preview of its latest vehicle in-cabin sensing technologies developed in partnership with US AI semiconductor design firm Ambarella, ahead of the full market launch.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

"LG teams up with Qualcomm on AI-driven in-car cockpit system" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.




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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

What generative AI typically does bestrecognize patterns and predict the next step in a sequencecan seem fundamentally at odds with the intangibility of human creativity and imagination. However, Cambridge researchers suggest that AI can be a useful creative partner, as long as there is clear guidance on how ideas should be developed together.

It's a big question for people working on creative tasks: can humans and AI work together to boost creativity? Studies have yielded widely inconsistent results in how humans working with AI can handle creative tasks together.

But a team that includes researchers from the University of Cambridge says that while simply adding AI into a process won't improve creativity, AI can be an effective creative partner, if there are clear instructions and guidancefor both humans and AIon how to develop ideas together.

Their research, published in the journal Information Systems Research, offers practical insight for improving human-AI collaboration to improve creativity.

"Adding AI doesn't automatically lead to better ideas," said co-author Dr. Yeun Joon Kim, from Cambridge Judge Business School. "For human-AI pairs to work together and improve ideas over time, organizations must provide targeted supportsuch as guidance on how to build on and adapt ideasto help employees and AI learn how to create more effectively."

In their research, Joon and his colleagues redefined "augmented learning"a term first used in 1962 to describe how technology can help people learn more effectively.

The researchers argue that in the age of generative AI (GenAI), learning is no longer just about improving human understanding. Instead, it's becoming a shared process where humans and AI learn and create together. The researchers describe this as an evolving partnership where both sides adjust their roles across tasks such as generating ideas, giving feedback and refining concepts.

Traditionally, technology was seen as a tool that simply made information easier to access. But GenAI, they say, acts more like a collaborator. Once a human enters a prompt, the system can take an active role in shaping ideas and decisions: shifting augmented learning from an individual process to a collective one.

The study points to Netflix as an example of humanAI teamwork. Rather than treating scriptwriting as a single task, Netflix breaks it into stages like idea generation and evaluation. Human writers create early drafts, while AI analyzes character arcs, pacing and audience trends to help refine stories and improve how shows are developed and marketed.

Joon says he became interested in this research because AI was originally developed to answer a longstanding question: "Can machines generate something genuinely new?" Because while traditional technologies excel at routine tasks, many doubted that technology could make a creative contribution.

"When GenAI systems became widely available, I noticed that although they could generate ideas rapidly, people did not know how to collaborate with them in a way that improved creativity," he said.

"We wanted to figure out how people can learn to work with GenAI in a more intentional way, so that humanGenAI co-creation leads to stronger joint results rather than just more content," said co-author Dr. Luna Luan from the University of Queensland.

The research included three linked studies, each involving between 160 and 200 human participants. The first study found that human-AI teams did not automatically become more creative over time when tackling social and environmental problems. The second study explored why. It identified three types of collaborationhumans proposing ideas, asking AI for ideas, and jointly refining ideasand found that only joint refinement boosted creativity. But participants rarely increased this behavior. A third study showed that simply instructing people to focus more on co-developing ideas led to clear improvements in humanAI creativity across repeated tasks.

"We were surprised that human-AI pairs did not naturally improve through repeated collaboration," said Joon. "Despite AI's generative power, creativity did not increase over time. We found that improvement occurred only when we introduced a deliberate intervention."

"Specifically, instructing participants to engage in idea co-developmentfocusing on exchanging feedback and refining existing ideas rather than endlessly generating new ideaswas the key."

The researchers say GenAI tools need to do more than churn out ideas. Their findings show that humanAI teams became less creative over time, mainly because they stopped engaging in the back-and-forth refinement that actually improves results. They say that AI systems should be designed to prompt users to give feedback, expand on suggestions and refine ideas, rather than racing through idea generation.

For organizations, the message is that creativity won't automatically improve just by adding AI. Effective collaboration requires structure: clear instructions, templates and workflows that help people recognize when to challenge, refine or build on AI-generated ideas. Training should also teach staff how to treat AI as a creative partner by practicing feedback exchange and iterative improvement.

The authors also call for a shift in how companies think about humanAI work. Instead of choosing between automation and collaboration, tasks should be broken into stages where humans and AI play different roles: for example, AI generating options and humans evaluating and refining them.

They warn that although many firms rushed to adopt GenAI after the release of ChatGPT in 2022, simply using the technology does not guarantee greater creativity at work. Its impact depends on how well people understand it and how effectively they collaborate with it.

More information: Yingyue Luna Luan et al, Augmented Learning for Joint Creativity in Human-GenAI Co-Creation, Information Systems Research (2025). DOI: 10.1287/isre.2024.0984 Journal information: Information Systems Research
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

On Dec. 11, California environmental regulators struck a landmark deal with Pacific Gas & Electric to extend the life of the state's last remaining nuclear power plant in exchange for thousands of acres of new land conservation in San Luis Obispo County.

PG&E's agreement with the California Coastal Commission is a key hurdle for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to remain online until at least 2030.

The plant was slated to close this year, largely because of concerns over seismic safety, but state officials pushed to delay itsaying the plant remains essential for the reliable operation of California's electrical grid. Diablo Canyon provides nearly 9% of the electricity generated in the state, making it the state's single largest source.

The Coastal Commission voted 9:3 to approve the plan, settling the fate of 12,000 acres that surround the power plant as a means of compensation for environmental harm caused by its continued operation.

Nuclear power does not emit greenhouse gases. But Diablo Canyon uses an estimated 2.5 billion gallons of ocean water each day to absorb heat in a process known as "once-through cooling," which kills an estimated 2 billion or more marine organisms each year.

Some stakeholders in the region celebrated the conservation deal, while others were disappointed by the decision to trade land for marine impactsincluding a Native tribe that had hoped the land would be returned to them. Diablo Canyon sits along one of the most rugged and ecologically rich stretches of the California coast.

Under the agreement, PG&E will immediately transfer a 4,500-acre parcel on the north side of the property known as the "North Ranch" into a conservation easement and pursue transfer of its ownership to a public agency such as the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a nonprofit land conservation organization or tribe. A purchase by State Parks would result in a more than 50% expansion of the existing Montana de Oro State Park.

PG&E will also offer a 2,200-acre parcel on the southern part of the property known as "Wild Cherry Canyon" for purchase by a government agency, nonprofit land conservation organization or tribe. In addition, the utility will provide $10 million to plan and manage roughly 25 miles of new public access trails across the entire property.

"It's going to be something that changes lives on the Central Coast in perpetuity," Commissioner Christopher Lopez said at the meeting.

"This matters to generations that have yet to exist on this planet ... this is going to be a place that so many people mark in their minds as a place that transforms their lives as they visit and recreate and love it in a way most of us can't even imagine today."

The deal decides the fate of the rugged coastal landscape that surrounds the nuclear facility.

A map of California's coast near San Luis Obispo showing land proposed for transfer to state parks under a deal to keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant open. Highlighted areas are North Ranch at 4,500 acres, South Ranch at 2,500 acres, and Wild Cherry Canyon at 2,400 acres near Montana de Oro State Park.

Critically, the plan could see Diablo Canyon remain operational much longer than the five years dictated by Thursday's agreement. While the state Legislature only authorized the plant to operate through 2030, PG&E's federal license renewal would cover 20 years of operations, potentially keeping it online until 2045.

Should that happen, the utility would need to make additional land concessions, including expanding an existing conservation area on the southern part of the property known as the "South Ranch" to 2,500 acres. The plan also includes rights of first refusal for a government agency or a land conservation group to purchase the entirety of the South Ranch, 5,000 acres, along with Wild Cherry Canyonafter 2030.

Many stakeholders were frustrated by the carve-out for the South Ranch, but still saw the agreement as an overall victory for Californians.

"It is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Sen. John Laird, a Democrat, said in a phone call ahead of the vote.

"I have not been out there where it has not been breathtakingly beautiful, where it is not this incredible, unique location, where you're not seeing, for much of it, a human structure anywhere. It is just one of those last unique opportunities to protect very special land near the California coast."

Others, however, described the deal as disappointing and inadequate.

That includes many of the region's Native Americans who said they felt sidelined by the agreement. The deal does not preclude tribal groups from purchasing the land in the future, but it doesn't guarantee that or give them priority.

The yak titu titu yak tihini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region, which met with the Coastal Commission several times in the lead-up to Thursday's vote, had hoped to see the land returned to them.

Scott Lanthrop is a member of the tribe's board and has worked on the issue for several years.

"The sad part is our group is not being recognized as the ultimate conservationist," he told the Los Angeles Times. "Any normal person, if you ask the question, would you rather have a tribal group that is totally connected to earth and wind and water, or would you like to have some state agency or gigantic NGO manage this land? I think the answer would be, 'Hey, you probably should give it back to the tribe.'"

Tribe chair Mona Tucker said she fears that free public access to the land could end up harming it instead of helping it, as the Coastal Commission intends.

"In my mind, I'm not understanding how taking the land ... is mitigation for marine life," Tucker said. "It doesn't change anything as far as impacts to the water. It changes a lot as far as impacts to the land."

The deal has been complicated by jurisdictional questions, including who can determine what happens to the land. While PG&E owns the North Ranch parcel that could be transferred to State Parks, the South Ranch and Wild Cherry Canyon are owned by its subsidiary, Eureka Energy Company.

What's more, the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates utilities such as PG&E, has a Tribal Land Transfer Policy that calls for investor-owned power companies to transfer land they no longer want to Native American tribes.

In the case of Diablo Canyon, the Coastal Commission became the decision maker because it has the job of compensating for environmental harm from the facility's continued operation. Since the commission determined Diablo's use of ocean water can't be avoided, it looked at land conservation as the next best method.

This "out-of-kind" trade-off is a rare, but not unheard of way of making up for the loss of marine life. It's an approach that is "feasible and more likely to succeed" than several other methods considered, according to the commission's staff report.

"This plan supports the continued operation of a major source of reliable electricity for California, and is in alignment with our state's clean energy goals and focus on coastal protection," Paula Gerfen, Diablo Canyon's senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, said in a statement.

But Assemblymember Dawn Addis, a Democrat, said the deal was "not the best we can do"particularly because the fate of the South Ranch now depends on the plant staying in operation beyond 2030.

"I believe the time really is now for the immediate full conservation of the 12,000 (acres), and to bring accountability and trust back for the voters of San Luis Obispo County," Addis said during the meeting.

There are also concerns about the safety of continuing to operate a nuclear plant in California, with its radioactive waste stored in concrete casks on the site. Diablo Canyon is subject to ground shaking and earthquake hazards, including from the nearby Hosgri Fault and the Shorline Fault, about 2.5 miles and 1 mile from the facility, respectively.

PG&E says the plant has been built to withstand hazards. It completed a seismic hazard assessment in 2024, and determined Diablo Canyon is safe to continue operation through 2030. The Coastal Commission, however, found if the plant operates longer, it would warrant further seismic study.

A key development for continuing Diablo Canyon's operation came in 2022 with Senate Bill 846, which delayed closure by up to five additional years. At the time, California was plagued by rolling blackouts driven by extreme heat waves, and state officials were growing wary about taking such a major source of power offline.

But California has made great gains in the last several yearsincluding massive investments in solar energy and battery storageand some questioned whether the facility is still needed at all.

Others said conserving thousands of acres of land still won't make up for the harms to the ocean.

"It is unmitigatable," said David Weisman, executive director of the nonprofit Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility. He noted that the Coastal Commission's staff report says it would take about 99 years to balance the loss of marine life with the benefits provided by 4,500 acres of land conservation. Twenty more years of operation would take about 305 years to strike that same balance.

But some pointed out that neither the commission nor fisheries data find Diablo's operations cause declines in marine life. Ocean harm may be overestimated, said Seaver Wang, an oceanographer and the climate and energy director at the Breakthrough Institute, a Berkeley-based research center.

In California's push to transition to clean energy, every option comes with downsides, Wang said. In the case of nuclear powerwhich produces no greenhouse gas emissionsit's all part of the trade-off, he said.

"There's no such thing as impact-free energy," he said.

The Coastal Commission's vote is one of the last remaining obstacles to keeping the plant online. PG&E will also need a final nod from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which decides on a pollution discharge permit in February.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will also have to sign off on Diablo's extension.

2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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:

ABSQR framework overview. (1) The baseline selection stage utilizes the low-rank structure of the value function matrix to select only a small number of key baselines, and (2) the accelerated search stage reuses the pre-calculated baseline weight coefficients based on clusters. This dramatically reduces the computation complexity, which was proportional to the number of baselines, to be proportional only to the number of selected key baselines. Credit: Proceedings of the 34th ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (2025). DOI: 10.1145/3746252.3761036

A research team led by Professor Jaesik Choi of KAIST's Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, in collaboration with KakaoBank Corp, has developed an accelerated explanation technology that can explain the basis of an artificial intelligence (AI) model's judgment in real-time.

They presented their work at the 34th ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management.

This research achievement significantly increases the practical applicability of explainable artificial intelligence (hereinafter XAI) technology in fields requiring real-time decision-making, such as financial services, by achieving an average processing speed 8.5 times faster, and up to 11 times faster, than existing explanation algorithms for AI model predictions.

Growing need for real-time XAI

In the financial sector, a clear explanation for decisions made by AI systems is essential. Especially in services directly related to customer rights, such as loan screening and anomaly detection, regulatory demands to transparently present the basis for the AI model's judgment are increasingly stringent.

However, conventional explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) technologies required the repeated calculation of hundreds to thousands of baselines to generate accurate explanations, resulting in massive computational costs. This was a major factor limiting the application of XAI technology in real-time service environments.

How the ABSQR framework works

To address this issue, Professor Choi's research team developed the ABSQR (Amortized Baseline Selection via Rank-Revealing QR) framework for accelerating explanation algorithms. ABSQR noticed that the value function matrix generated during the AI model explanation process has a low-rank structure. It introduced a method to select only a critical few baselines from the hundreds available.

This drastically reduced the computation complexity, which was previously proportional to the number of baselines, to be proportional only to the number of selected critical baselines, thereby maximizing computational efficiency while maintaining explanatory accuracy.

Specifically, ABSQR operates in two stages. The first stage systematically selects important baselines using singular value decomposition (SVD) and rank-revealing QR decomposition techniques. Unlike existing random sampling methods, this is a deterministic selection method aimed at preserving information recovery, which guarantees the accuracy of the explanation while significantly reducing computation.

The second stage introduces an amortized inference mechanism, which reuses the pre-calculated weights of the baselines through cluster-based search, allowing the system to provide an explanation for the model's prediction result in real-time service environments without repeatedly evaluating the model.

Experimental results and industry impact

The research team verified the superiority of ABSQR through experiments on real-world datasets. Tests on standard datasets across five sectorsfinance, marketing, and demographicsshowed that ABSQR achieved an average processing speed 8.5 times faster than existing explanation algorithms that use all baselines, with a maximum speed improvement of over 11 times.

Furthermore, the degradation of explanatory accuracy due to speed acceleration was minimized, maintaining up to 93.5% of the explanation accuracy compared to the baseline algorithm. This level is sufficient to meet the explanation quality required in real-world applications.

A KakaoBank official stated, "We will continue relentless research and development to enhance the reliability and convenience of financial services and introduce innovative financial technologies that customers can experience."

Chanwoo Lee and Youngjin Park, co-first authors from KAIST, explain, "This methodology solves the crucial acceleration problem for real-time application in the financial sector, proving that it is possible to provide users with the reasons behind a learning model's decision in real-time."

"This research provides new insights into what constitutes unnecessary computation and the selection of important baselines in explanation algorithms, practically contributing to the improvement of explanation technology efficiency."

More information: Chanwoo Lee et al, Amortized Baseline Selection via Rank-Revealing QR for Efficient Model Explanation, Proceedings of the 34th ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (2025). DOI: 10.1145/3746252.3761036
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 man records a humanoid robot inside the exhibition room at the Humanoids Summit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Mountain View, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez

Robots have long been seen as a bad bet for Silicon Valley investorstoo complicated, capital-intensive and "boring, honestly," says venture capitalist Modar Alaoui.

But the commercial boom in artificial intelligence has lit a spark under long-simmering visions to build humanoid robots that can move their mechanical bodies like humans and do things that people do.

Alaoui, founder of the Humanoids Summit, gathered more than 2,000 people this week, including top robotics engineers from Disney, Google and dozens of startups, to showcase their technology and debate what it will take to accelerate a nascent industry.

Alaoui says many researchers now believe humanoids or some other kind of physical embodiment of AI are "going to become the norm."

"The question is really just how long it will take," he said.

Disney's contribution to the field, a walking robotic version of "Frozen" character Olaf, will be roaming on its own through Disneyland theme parks in Hong Kong and Paris early next year. Entertaining and highly complex robots that resemble a humanor a snowmanare already here, but the timeline for "general purpose" robots that are a productive member of a workplace or household is farther away.

Kochi Sato, left, shakes hands with a humanoid robot during the Humanoids Summit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Mountain View, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez

Even at a conference designed to build enthusiasm for the technology, held at a Computer History Museum that's a temple to Silicon Valley's previous breakthroughs, skepticism remained high that truly humanlike robots will take root anytime soon.

"The humanoid space has a very, very big hill to climb," said Cosima du Pasquier, co-founder of Haptica Robotics, which works to give robots a sense of touch. "There's a lot of research that still needs to be solved."

The Stanford University postdoctoral researcher came to the conference in Mountain View, California, just a week after incorporating her startup.

"The first customers are really the people here," she said.

Researchers at the consultancy McKinsey & Company have counted about 50 companies around the world that have raised at least $100 million to develop humanoids, led by about 20 in China and 15 in North America.

China is leading in part due to government incentives for component production and robot adoption and a mandate last year "to have a humanoid ecosystem established by 2025," said McKinsey partner Ani Kelkar. Displays by Chinese firms dominated the expo section of this week's summit, held Thursday and Friday. The conference's most prevalent humanoids were those made by China's Unitree, in part because researchers in the U.S. buy the relatively cheap model to test their own software.

People watch as a robot, made by Weave Robotics, folds clothes during the Humanoids Summit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Mountain View, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez

In the U.S., the advent of generative AI chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini has jolted the decades-old robotics industry in different ways. Investor excitement has poured money into ambitious startups aiming to build hardware that will bring a physical presence to the latest AI.

But it's not just crossover hypethe same technical advances that made AI chatbots so good at language have played a role in teaching robots how to get better at performing tasks. Paired with computer vision, robots powered by "visual-language" models are trained to learn about their surroundings.

One of the most prominent skeptics is robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, a co-founder of Roomba vacuum maker iRobot who wrote in September that "today's humanoid robots will not learn how to be dexterous despite the hundreds of millions, or perhaps many billions of dollars, being donated by VCs and major tech companies to pay for their training." Brooks didn't attend but his essay was frequently mentioned.

Also missing was anyone speaking for Tesla CEO Elon Musk's development of a humanoid called Optimus, a project that the billionaire is designing to be "extremely capable" and sold in high volumes. Musk said three years ago that people can probably buy an Optimus "within three to five years."

Robots, made by Weave Robotics, fold clothes inside the exhibition room at the Humanoids Summit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Mountain View, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez

The conference's organizer, Alaoui, founder and general partner of ALM Ventures, previously worked on driver attention systems for the automotive industry and sees parallels between humanoids and the early years of self-driving cars.

Near the entrance to the summit venue, just blocks from Google's headquarters, is a museum exhibit showing Google's bubble-shaped 2014 prototype of a self-driving car. Eleven years later, robotaxis operated by Google affiliate Waymo are constantly plying the streets nearby.

Some robots with human elements are already being tested in workplaces. Oregon-based Agility Robotics announced shortly before the conference that it is bringing its tote-carrying warehouse robot Digit to a Texas distribution facility run by Mercado Libre, the Latin American e-commerce giant. Much like the Olaf robot, it has inverted legs that are more birdlike than human.

Industrial robots performing single tasks are already commonplace in car assembly and other manufacturing. They work with a level of speed and precision that's difficult for today's humanoidsor humans themselvesto match.

Yuka Iwashita, right, interacts with a robotic hand at the Alt-Bionics table during the Humanoids Summit, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Mountain View, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez

The head of a robotics trade group founded in 1974 is now lobbying the U.S. government to develop a stronger national strategy to advance the development of homegrown robots, be they humanoids or otherwise.

"We have a lot of strong technology, we have the AI expertise here in the U.S.," said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, after touring the expo. "So I think it remains to be seen who is the ultimate leader in this. But right now, China has certainly a lot more momentum on humanoids."

 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:

The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, perched on the Pacific Coast, supplies about 8% of California's electricity. Through collaborations with Atomic Canyon and ORNL, Diablo Canyon is the first U.S. nuclear power plant to use generative AI. Credit: PG&E

Nuclear power is rising to meet the demand for American energy. But building new reactors or even renewing licenses of existing ones requires a tremendous amount of paperwork. Fortunately, AI is also on the rise, and paperwork is one of the things it does best.

In an innovative new AI project, tech startup company Atomic Canyon and their partner, Diablo CanyonCalifornia's only operational nuclear power plantused the Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop novel AI models based on the unique needs of the nuclear industry.

The AI models are designed to reduce the time, labor and resources the nuclear industry spends searching the millions upon millions of complex nuclear documents related to parts, maintenance records, engineering evaluations, regulations and plant procedures. The AI models are open-source and available to anyone in the nuclear industry. Once fully developed, the AI models could be used in plants all across the country.

"We need energyperiodand nuclear is an absolutely key component to enabling the energy we have today and building energy for the future," said Trey Lauderdale, the founder and CEO of Atomic Canyon.

Tech startup Atomic Canyon used ORNL's Frontier supercomputer to develop open-source, nuclear-specific AI models that can dramatically speed the search and analysis of millions of reactor documents nationwide. Credit: Angela Gosnell/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The nuclear industry is overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to ensure nuclear facilities are operated safely and efficiently. The NRC's primary roles include overseeing licensing and construction, evaluating reactor designs, monitoring environmental impacts, and reviewing decommissioning plans for shutting down reactors.

Owned and operated by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, or PG&E, Diablo Canyon supplies electricity to more than 4 million people in California. It provides about 8% of the state's total energy.

After several decades of operation, Diablo Canyon was scheduled to be decommissioned in 2025, but in 2022, recognizing the growing demand for energy in California, state leaders reversed course and decided to extend operations to 2030.

"That meant we had to pivot into restarting a lot of things, including a massive application to the NRC that was about 3,000 pages," said Maureen Zawalick, vice president at Diablo Canyon.

"So, we were doing things in a very time-compressed mannergoing through thousands and thousands of documents and records and information to meet all the requirements."

PG&E chief nuclear officer Paula Gerfenalong with (back-middle) Maureen Zawalick and (back-right) Diablo Canyon site vice president Adam Pecksigns the 3,000-page license renewal, extending Diablo Canyon operations until 2030. Atomic Canyon's AI is designed to significantly reduce the resources spent searching documents and preparing reports. Credit: PG&E

Jordan Tyman, Diablo Canyon's director overseeing the AI project, explained that submitting a license change is an extremely complicated process that can take days or weeks just to sift through documentation and industry guidelines before the writing process even begins.

"It's very time consuming to search the volume of records we've amassed over the 50 years we have been doing licensing for Diablo Canyon," Tyman said. "Having a way to incorporate all the lessons learned from previous submissions and rapidly find all the related documents to support the license amendment that's easily digestible by the engineers would eliminate a big burden for our staff."

Zawalick said she estimates staff probably spend around 15,000 hours a year just searching for documents. Diablo Canyon's databases contain about 2 billion pages of documents, which require a significant amount of institutional knowledge to navigate. She pointed to a recent example in which an issue with a single valve triggered a 6-month investigation that pulled staff away from their regular duties.

"A hundred and eighty-one working days if anyone was counting," said Erin Bowe, Diablo Canyon nuclear innovation supervisor.

Frontier has a peak performance of 2 exaflops per secondmeaning it can perform more than a billion-billion calculations per secondand is currently ranked No. 2 on the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

"What we need is a natural language search tool, like asking Google to look up a specific component but without having to know a special number or a special indicator," Bowe said. "We want a tool that we can use to say, 'find valve X,' and it will give us its entire history of that part and all the relevant information to the problem we're trying to solve."

AI has the potential to alleviate a lot of these necessary but labor-intensive requirements while also ensuring more accurate outcomes.

"However, you can't just use any consumer AI model because, in the nuclear industry, precision matters and reliability is everything. You have to find the right documents and records. You have to do things accurately, and you have to do them repeatedly," Lauderdale said.

The team tried using off-the-shelf AI tools, but every time they tested commercial AI models to search for specific nuclear documents and provide context, the models would inevitably struggle to properly work with nuclear jargon. Lauderdale said that's because they weren't familiar with the highly specific nuclear terminology. In some cases, commercial AI models have been known to experience hallucinationsinstances in which the AI generates false or misleading information.

(Right) ORNL director Stephen Streiffer signs a memorandum of understanding with Atomic Canyon CEO Trey Lauderdale. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

To solve this, the Atomic Canyon team decided to build their own AI model from scratch. But training AI models requires an enormous amount of computing power and the use of GPUsand not just one GPU but lots of them. GPUs make training complex AI models faster because they excel at calculating large volumes of data with millions or billions of varying parameters.

"To ensure accuracy and reduce hallucinations, we needed a tremendous amount of data and the ability to run the data many times over to properly train the AI models," Lauderdale said. "For us to start building AI that would work reliably, we needed a supercomputer."

Learning the lingo

"ORNL is a world leader in nuclear engineering, AI and HPC, and we've worked with the NRC for more than 50 years on confirmatory analysis and licensing processes. We also own and develop the modeling and simulation tools used by the NRC," said ORNL researcher Tom Evans, who specializes in developing approaches for nuclear-related applications using high-performance computing (HPC).

"Collaborating with Atomic Canyon uniquely positions us to address the national imperative for creating new AI tools that will greatly improve nuclear licensing processes," Evans said.

Through the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility's (OLCF) Director's Discretion allocation program, Atomic Canyon was awarded 20,000 GPU hours on the Frontier supercomputer, the world's first exascale computer, which features more than 37,000 AMD Instinct MI250X GPUs.

The team used Frontier to help develop Atomic Canyon's Neutron platform, an advanced AI solution that can accurately search and understand a wide range of complex nuclear data, from scanned documents and handwritten notes to technical reports and operational histories.

Atomic Canyon also deploys Neutron Enterprise, a version of Neutron that runs behind a company's firewall to provide the highest level of cybersecurity and export control protocols to ensure the safety of business-sensitive data.

The Neutron platform is based on sentence embedding models, which are a specific type of AI that assigns numerical values to words. This approach enables the models to understand not just the meaning of nuclear-specific terminology and abbreviations but also their context within technical procedures and regulatory guidelines.

The sentence embedding modelsnicknamed FERMI modelswere trained with the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which contains more than 3 million documents.

ADAMS is the NRC's official recordkeeping database and includes roughly 53 million pages of digital information, detailing the history of every nuclear reactor in the United States since 1980. Neutron's AI smart-search capabilities will help users quickly find information within the ADAMS database and their own local document and records databases.

The number-crunching power of Frontier was necessary for running the data over and over again so that the FERMI models could recognize and rapidly retrieve the relevant information based on the user's query.

"Sentence embedding models are primarily used for search and retrieval. They're used for retrieving content rather than generating content, which is what LLMs do," said Atomic Canyon head of engineering Richard Klafter.

"Feeding content to an LLM requires retrieving the right content. The wrong content causes LLMs to hallucinate. So, our first step was to build a good retrieval model, which is our sentence embedding model that we trained on Frontier."

In addition to enabling them to train a nuclear vocabulary model from scratch, Frontier's computing power also allowed them to train a longer-context model.

"We wanted to double the input so the AI can handle larger chunks of information at once, but that requires several times the computing power," Klafter said. "By making the AI better at understanding longer documents, we can cut down the amount of data we need to index by about half, which allows the system to run twice as fast."

Next up for nuclear AI

Even in the project's early stages, PG&E and Diablo Canyon staff are already seeing impressive results. The ability of Atomic Canyon's tool to quickly search not only the plant's own records for troubleshooting and problem-solving but also the entire history of the U.S. nuclear industry via the NRC ADAMS database is proving to be a game changer.

"Now we have this foundational search tool that's built off of Diablo Canyon documentation after NRC ADAMS data," Tyman said. "Next is how do we integrate that and apply it to other processes like developing procedures, training, doing assessmentsthings that really help our engineers focus on performing technical problem-solving and moving away from administrative tasks."

"We've already seen increased productivity in certain areas using the new AI tools developed on Frontier," Zawalick said. "The return on investment in terms of the time we spent working with Atomic Canyon and ORNL is very, very high."

Atomic Canyon plans to update and build more versions of the FERMI models. At ORNL, Evans and his colleague Matthew Jessee, a senior R&D researcher, are currently exploring novel computing approaches to push the technology even further by combining the FERMI models with generative LLMs.

In July, Atomic Canyon and ORNL signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines their shared intentions to further develop AI technology for the nuclear industry.

"We wanted FERMI models to be open-source so that anyone who wants to come and build nuclear-based AI can use the foundational models that we built with NRC data and DOE's computing power," Lauderdale said. "What we built at ORNL can be used to help the entire U.S. nuclear fleet."
CLEVELAND, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Judson Senior Living, a not-for-profit organization serving older adults in Northeast Ohio since 1906, proudly announces that two of its communities have received prestigious national recognition for their commitment to quality care and exceptional living.

Judson Manor has been recognized, for the third year, as one of the nation's top retirement communities, ranking 8th overall in Ohio and 1st in Cleveland, Ohio, on Newsweek's America's Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) list. In a separate accolade, Judson Park has once again been recognized by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Nursing Homes category, receiving the publication's highest honor with a 5-star rating for its long-term skilled nursing care.

"These distinctions are a true testament to the dedication of our entire staff and our ongoing commitment to our mission of Bringing Community to Life," said Kendra Urdzik, President and CEO of Judson Senior Living.

Being recognized by both Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report highlights the excellence across our full continuum of care and services.

Recognizing Excellence in Continuing Care

Newsweek's ranking of America's Best CCRCs identifies the nation's leading continuing care retirement communities, based on comprehensive evaluations including surveys of healthcare professionals, CCRC residents, and their families, as well as accreditation data. Information regarding Newsweek's recognition visit https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-continuing-care-retirement-communities-2025.

Judson Manor, located in Cleveland's historic University Circle, offers urban retirement living immersed in culture, education, and world-class healthcare. Its high ranking underscores Judson's commitment to providing an exceptional lifestyle and peace of mind through a full continuum of care.

Highest Honors for Skilled Nursing

The U.S. News & World Report Best Nursing Homes rating is a critical resource for families, evaluating communities based on performance in health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. For more information about this recognition, visit https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2025-11-13/u-s-news-world-report-announces-2026-best-nursing-homes-ratings.

Judson Park Health Center's 5-star rating signifies superior quality of care, a benchmark consistently achieved by the highly qualified and compassionate team at the community, located in the tranquil, historic neighborhood of Cleveland Heights.

About Judson Senior Living

Judson Senior Living is a not-for-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to enriching the lives of older adults in Northeast Ohio. Since 1906, we have been committed to providing exceptional care and services through our locations, including Judson Park in Cleveland Heights, Judson Manor in University Circle, South Franklin Circle in Chagrin Falls, and our Judson at Home Membership Community.

As a continuing Care Retirement Community, we offer comprehensive services including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Support, Short-Term Rehabilitation, Long-Term Skilled Nursing Care, Hospice, Community Memberships, and various collaborative outreach initiatives. At Judson, we embrace a culture of community and belonging.

For more information about Judson Senior Living, visit www.judsonseniorliving.org

Contact:

Dianna Huckestein

Vice President, Sales and Marketing

[email protected]

216-791-2990

SOURCE Judson Senior Living
Allen Chastanet was the only UWP candidate to secure a seat in St. Lucias Dec. 01, 2025 general election.

For the second time in four years, the United Workers Partys (UWP) National Council has rejected a resignation from its political leader, Allen Chastanet.





According to a press release issued on December 8, the council, described by the party as its "highest decision-making body, met to deliberate on "recent political developments, including Chastanets latest offer to step down. After what the release described as thorough deliberation, the council arrived at a "clear and unanimous decision to keep Chastanet at the helm until the partys next convention.





This marks the second time the UWP has declined Chastanets withdrawal from leadership. His first resignation attempt came in 2021, following the Saint Lucia Labour Partys (SLP) electoral victory that year. His most recent offer was submitted last week, amid calls for new leadership following the partys loss in the December 1 general election, where the UWP secured just one of the 17 contested seats.





The statement, signed by Public Relations Officer Leonard Spider Montoute, emphasised the partys commitment to stability and renewal.




The government side will be well represented numerically as against the Opposition, when the new Parliament meets.

Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves could well decide to skip the ceremonial opening of Parliament, a date for which is yet to be announced.





Indication of Dr. Gonsalves doubt about his attendance was broached during his press conference of last Wednesday.





He said then that he had not yet decided whether he will attend, at which he would be expected to take the Oath of Allegiance.





Dr. Gonsalves went on to explain that the oath is a constitutional requirement which allows members of Parliament to participate in debates and voting.





According to him, while that is so, the Oath of Allegiance can be taken at any sitting of the Parliament, not necessarily at the opening.





That said, it has been the tradition that the Leader of the Opposition attends the opening of parliament, especially the opening of parliament that follows a general election. There is nothing in our recent history that speaks to the Leader of the Opposition not attending the ceremonial opening of parliament following a general election.





And as Dr. Gonsalves ponders on a decision to attend or not to attend, Vincentians home and abroad await the announcement of the date for the first sitting of the new parliament. This sitting, as prescribed for by the Constitution, must be convened with 30 days of the return of the election writ.





Already there has been some comment about the Opposition leaders indecision, with some observers saying if this pans out, it will not do Dr. Gonsalves any good. In fact, one observer said his staying away from the ceremonial opening could well see him losing even more respect among the people.





The Unity Labour Party (ULP) were blasted out of the seat of government after some 24 years, when the New Democratic Party (NDP) took 14 of the 15 seats up for grab, in the Nov. 27, 2025 general election. Dr. Gonsalves was the lone ULP survivor.





And even as the new Leader of the Opposition ponders on whether he will attend the formal/ceremonial opening of Parliament, his party is yet to name the two to complete it complement in the parliament.
Dr. Gonsalves spent near to two hours in addressing a wide range of issues in his first press conference as Leader of the Opposition.

Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is committed to ensure that gains under his leadership are sustained.





We will ensure that fairness and justice prevail, Gonsalves referenced at a near two-hour Press Conference he hosted last Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the headquarters of his Unity Labour Party, which now houses the office of the Leader of the Opposition.





Dr. Gonsalves returned to a post he served from 1998 to 2001 after which he served as Prime Minister from March 28, 2001 until November 27, 2025.





He alone survived an avalanche which saw his party losing the other 14 seats in the November 27, 2025 general election.





Dr. Gonsalves' plan is to "oppose, propose, expose and depose the current administration. He is not "here to occupy the crease, but "to score runs.





He expressed "disappointment with the manner in which the government has begun to function, and accused the new administration of not being "curious.





In referencing the cancellation of a Virgin Atlantic flight Saturday December 6, as owing to "unsafe runway conditions, the former Prime Minister suggested that "had the government been curious, we would not have had the suspension of the Virgin Atlantic flight.





He mentioned that the issue of the runway surfaced three months previously, and that instead of acceptability the new government labelled it as "Ralph fault.





Road Works





The deposed prime Minister referred to the annual Christmas Road Cleaning Programme and accused the new government of deception on the issue.





Gonsalves disclosed, "We left an envelope with $3M and declared, "its not an employment creation, but an income generating effort.





The ex-Prime Minister raised the concern of a "complete lack of curiosity with respect to the rolling out the programme.





He thinks that the new government ought to have contacted staff at BRAGSA, which manages the programme, to understand how the programme was carried out.





He stopped short of admonishing the incoming administration for decreasing the number of work days, from eight to six, and took issue with the pattern of using New Democratic Party representatives to select additional workers for the cleanup.





A range of issues





With respect to the allocation of ministerial portfolios, Dr. Gonsalves described some Ministries as "itsy bitsy. He assessed some portfolio arrangements as "a recipe for confusion.





The matter of National Health Insurance was something Dr. Gonsalves believed the new government was not approaching in a responsible way. He cited the number of workers here as being too small to accommodate such a measure, and pointed to any such service as one done best in collaboration with other countries.





The former Prime Minister also questioned the promise made to pay a "bonus salary in December and described the situation as the new government "breaking the trust so early.





Prime Minster Dr. Godwin Friday announced a Vat-free day for December 19, 2025. For Gonsalves, that promise "is stuffed with problems in implementation and scope.





He regarded it as "upper and middle class free day.





The deposed Prime Minister alluded to attempts by the new administration to replace current officials.

Dr. Gonsalves raised the situation of domestic workers attached to the former Prime Minister residence having locked out when they turned up for work after election day.





He Leroy Rock, a Unity Labour Party functionary, who had the keys to the Community Centre in Redemption Sharpes, to take action on a matter in which he accused the Police of detaining and beating him.





As it related to the "selling passports:, Dr. Gonsalves warned of consequences as a result of implementing such a programme.





Privileges accorded former Prime Ministers also caught the scope of the Opposition Leaders discourse. He expressed the view that it was a civilized practice that such persons be accorded certain treatment, and in support of what should be according him, he went at length to describe accommodations extended to former Prime Ministers Arnhim Eustace, and Sir James Mitchell.
The drums will come alive in tribute to lost souls and in recognition of the bursting cultural energy that lies within our people.

The Youlou Arts Centre at Indian Bay, will be the centre of a unique cultural experience when it hosts an event dubbed "Hold On To Your Roots.





The event is scheduled for this Saturday, December 13, beginning at 4pm, and is billed as an evening that "features all three art forms  the literary, performing and visual arts.





In that regard, it will feature presentations of poetry and a book launch, an exhibition and sale of art works and crafts, and live drumming from groups associated with the SVG Drumming Foundation.





In real terms, patrons can look forward to Marisa Edwards showing of footage of her fathers work, the late Albert Jus Edwards, who was an accountant by profession, and a photographer and videographer. His work includes features on Spiritual Baptists events and Vincy Carnival of yesteryear.





The book launch will feature Nolan Peters book - titled "A History of St. Vincent and the Grenadines - A Journey Through Resilience and Triumph. The theme of his book is one of resilience, national pride, and tells of the struggles and challenges of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





Local poets who will be presenting and ready to excite are Marcella Dublin, Maralyn Ballantyne, Zenna Lewis, Jemielle Williams, Slim J, Vaness Francis and Gloria Williams.





Naked Roots and Youremei Drummers are two of the drumming groups scheduled to perform.





Some of the visual artists featured are Lennox "Dinks Johnson, Hannah Archibald, Vaness Francis, Tash Johnson and Camille Musser.





Crafters showing and selling their work are Shennika Simmons, Dawn Bacchus, Ashika George and Vaness Francis.





Youlou Arts Foundation (YAF), which has collaborated with the SVG Drum Foundation to present "Hold On To Your Roots, describes the event as a "a true cultural celebration. full of history and delight one that highlights the past and hopefully sheds light on the future.




The names of Keisal Peters and Darron John surfaced in a cursory survey as possible candidates for ULP senatorial positions.

In keeping with the constitutional procedure, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves was officially appointed His Majestys Leader of the Opposition on December 01, 2025.





This followed his receipt of his letter of appointment from Governor General Dame Susan Dougan.

News of this heightened expectations that he would announce the appointment of two opposition senators, during his press conference of last Wednesday, December 10.





However, in addressing this issue during the press conference, Dr. Gonsalves said that while "some expected him to announce opposition senators at his press conference today, consultations are still ongoing.





The Opposition in the House of Assembly has the right to appoint two senators to sit alongside elected members. As such, the opposition bench will sit three members given that only one candidate of the party elected.





The senators once nominated by the leader of the Opposition will have to be confirmed by the Governor General.





Further addressing the issue of the senators, Dr. Gonsalves stressed that he was "consulting widely. Some may have expected announcements today, but this process requires careful consideration.





In a cursory survey among ten or so persons on the streets outside the National Lotteries Authority Headquarters, Kingstown, the consensus was that the leader of the Opposition should "look towards the future and appoint two young people.





When questioned further, some advanced the names of Keisal Peters and Darron John as suitable candidates for the senatorial positions.





There was a minority view that the ULP should continue to invest in Saboto Caesar and Camillo Gonsalves, two of "the brighter stars in the party.





Interestingly, the two opposition NDP senators  Shevern John and Israel Bruce - in the last parliament, both won their seats in the November 27, 2025 general elections.
Elroy Boucher, President of the PSU, looks forward to the appointment of a new P.S.C., one that will adhere to regulations governing appointments and promotions in the public service.

A new Public Service Commission (PSC) board is expected to be named, and there has been a call for the review of all recent appointments and promotions which occurred prior to the General Elections of November 27, 2025.





The call was made by Public Service Union President, Elroy Boucher, following the Eastern Caribbean High Court ruling on December 4 that quashed the appointment of Deborah Charles as the Clerk and Simone Williams-Huggins, Deputy Clerk of the House of Assembly (HOA).





The matter was taken up by the PSU after a member of staff of the HOA, Celena McDonald raised concerns about the appointments of Charles and Williams-Huggins.





The case was filed in the court in 2023 and in the recent ruling, Justice Cybelle Cenac-Dantes ruled that the appointments were essentially unlawful, unreasonable and procedurally improper.





Commenting on the action that occasioned the case, Boucher said, "What has happened here is not new; this is a consistent behavior or a practice by the Public Service Commission (PSC).





"It is so consistent that it has literally become the culture in which they operate at the Public Service Commission, he continued.





More than one case





According to Boucher, this was not the first case that the Union had won going back to one in 2019 in which he said, there were similar findings to the recent judgment, i.e. where the appointments seem to suggest that they were done in a manner suggesting that there was political favoritism.





And since the case challenging the appointments of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the House, there were a number of other cases have come to the fore.





"In fact, we also have another case in the court against the Public Service Commission, that (case) was filed back in September, Boucher disclosed.





Describing what the Union saw as breach of the established procedures, Boucher told the media persons, "Because as it happens, the positions are not advertised, they do not care about the laws  they are appointing persons based on what I suggest to be cronyism and nepotism (and) there was no logic as to how promotions were being done.





No confidence in the PSC





According to the PSUs President, it was a case where the PSC was so tainted that public servants had no confidence in it.





"No confidence by the PSU in the current Public Service Commission as it is. And even as I take it that all the members of the Commission have demitted office, they have brought the PSC ino what I consider to be disrepute, to the extent that the court can be flooded with a number of cases addressing the same issue, he said.





And given what th3e recent ruling and given the implications, Boucher called on the (new) government to review all appointments made within recent times.





He noted that there was a flurry of appointments just prior to the November General Elections, that needed to be reviewed.





"It will be wise for the government through the PSC, to review all of these appointments to ensure that they comply with the law, he said, adding, "Otherwise there will be chaos in the service if all the cases were to be filed.





And the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) was part of the process, Boucher reminded, and reasoned, ".. if you have the old board demitting office, there is need for the redeployment of the CPO as well . She is a part of the whole apparatus, and the Union was asking for her redeployment.





Boucher called for a new "board that will demonstrate that it will act in accordance with the law, because the breaches have been going on for some time.





"And it is time enough that it comes to a halt that civil servants are given a fair chance based on merit, seniority and qualifications as is dictated by the public service commissions guidelines, Boucher said.
Painted Legacy brings together donor families, recipients, and advocates to transform photos of loved ones into meaningful works of art that honor the gift of life.

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveOnNY, the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the New York metropolitan area, hosted its largest Painted Legacy event to date, bringing together family members from across the Bronx to honor and celebrate their donor heroes. The event provided families with a meaningful space to reflect, share memories, and connect with others who understand their unique journeys.

LiveOnNY hosted its largest Painted Legacy event to date, bringing together family members from across the Bronx to honor and celebrate their donor heroes.

At Painted Legacy events, donor families, transplant recipients, and advocates transform cherished photos of their loved ones into beautiful paint-by-number portraits. These creations serve as lasting tributes to the lives and legacies of those who gave the gift of life.

"This event is a powerful reminder of the enduring impact organ and tissue donors have on our communities," said Leonard Achan, President and CEO of LiveOnNY. "Painted Legacy allows families to honor their loved ones in a memorable, creative way, while also connecting with others who share similar experiences. The healing and celebration that takes place during this event is inspiring."

The Bronx event marks the fourth Painted Legacy gathering, following successful events in Staten Island, Nassau County, and Suffolk County. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from a panel of donor families and transplant recipients, sharing deeply personal stories about how organ and tissue donation has transformed lives.

Painted Legacy will continue in 2026, offering more families across New York the opportunity to honor their loved ones and celebrate the gift of life through art and community.

ABOUT LIVEONNY

LiveOnNY is a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) committed to honoring, saving, and transforming lives through organ and tissue donation. Established in 1978, LiveOnNY collaborates with more than 100 area hospitals, providing support to donor families and transplant recipients. The OPO serves a diverse population of 13 million people of New York City and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Rockland counties. Recognized as one of the nation's top-performing OPOs, LiveOnNY and the people of New York have increased organ donation by 85% over the past five years. To learn more, visit LiveOnNY.org

CONTACT: Pia Fischetti, [email protected], (516) 287-5815

SOURCE LiveOnNY
Anil Roberts could well be the focus of an investigation by the Integrity Commissions of Trinidad and Tobago.

Even as an internal investigation has been launched by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) into how three family members of St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves obtained Victoria Keyes apartment units in Diego Martin, the person who first raised the issue about the purchases, Anil Roberts, Senator and Junior Minister in the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, could well be at the centre of an investigation.





The Trinidad Guardian of Nov. 24, 2025, reported that the Integrity Commission has been asked "to investigate an alleged breach of Section 28 of the Integrity in Public Life Act by Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Anil Roberts.





The claim according to the Guardian is that "Roberts unlawfully disclosed confidential financial information belonging to three private citizens: Eloise, Storm, and Soleil Gonsalves.





While indications are that the request for an investigation was submitted on November 18, there has been no public reference as to who submitted the request for an investigation.





The Guardian did report that the letter of request alleged that Roberts, on Nov. 11, 12 and 13, "reportedly disclosed sensitive financial information about the Gonsalves family in a video posted on his personal Facebook page, Douglar Politis/Doubles and Coffee.





The letter requesting the investigation claimed, as per the Guardian, that "the data was in the custody or control of the Ministry of Housing and the HDC and should have remained confidential.





The complaint argued that the conduct "falls squarely within the core mischief that Section 28 was enacted to prevent and warned that the incident undermines public trust in the States handling of sensitive personal information. The correspondence also suggested the conduct "may amount to the common law offence of misbehaviour in public office.





Section 28 of the Integrity in Public Life Act of Trinidad and Tobago requires that any matter of a confidential nature in the possession of a person in public life "shall be kept confidential unless the performance of duty or the needs of justice strictly require otherwise, and shall remain confidential even after separation from service. The provision applies to any person in public life or any individual exercising a public function.





Questions regarding the matter were first raised with the Integrity Commission on November 14, after public concern emerged over the disclosure of HDC documents related to the Gonsalves familys purchase of three Victoria Keyes apartments.




Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves gave notice of the intention to bring action against two media outlets for what he said were allegations of disrepute against his wife Eloise and her business operations. (Facebook photo)

Two media outlets here have been forewarned, by Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, to brace themselves for legal battles as a results of publishing an article penned by former Speaker of the House and commentator Attorney Jomo Thomas .





In rejecting claims published in THE VINCENTIAN and on iWitnews News about his wife Eloise Gonsalves business activities at Argyle International Airport, Dr. Gonsalves called the allegations "completely untrue, during his press conference of Dec. 10, and confirmed that defamation proceedings have begun against those two entities.





The likely legal action is predicated on an opinion piece written by Thomas, and published by both outlets.

The article alleged that Mrs. Gonsalves earned "hundreds of thousands of dollars by supplying meals to workers and volunteers in the Southern Grenadines after Hurricane Beryl.





Gonsalves dismissed the allegation outright, insisting that Highflyers  the airport restaurant operated by Mrs. Gonsalves  had provided food voluntarily during the hurricane response, without charging the government or aid agencies. He described the suggestion of profit as "a clear, dastardly lie.





He further rejected assertions about how the restaurant came to operate at the airport. According to Dr. Gonsalves, the retail space was publicly advertised before Argyle International Airport opened, but no applicants were interested, with some potential operators citing low expected passenger traffic.





He said Mrs. Gonsalves invested her own capital to establish Highflyers, taking on the financial risk at a time when airport usage was insufficient to sustain the business. The restaurant, he added, had to be supported by her other ventures until passenger numbers increased, and all rental payments were made according to airport-authority requirements.




(TBTCO) - Nhung chuyen bien tich cuc mang tinh nen tang trong nam 2025 uoc ky vong tao be phong cho chu ky phuc hoi va tang truong cua thi truong bao hiem nhan tho tu nam 2026 tro i. Trao oi voi Bao Tai chinh - au tu, ong Bae Seung Jun - Tong Giam oc Shinhan Life Viet Nam chia se nhan inh ve trien vong thi truong cung nhu chien luoc phat trien cua doanh nghiep trong giai oan moi.
Gia thep va quang sat hom nay (4/2) tiep a giam nhe khi luong ton kho tai Trung Quoc tang len va cac nha may thep a hoan tat viec bo sung nguyen lieu. Trong nuoc, gia thep xay dung van giu muc on inh. Cac doanh nghiep lon chua co su ieu chinh bang gia trong boi canh nhieu cong trinh xay dung tam dung thi cong can Tet.
MDE School is proud to announce it has received a $10,500 contribution from the Georgia Student Scholarship Organization (Georgia SSO), made possible through Georgia Banking Company's (GBC) participation in the state's tax credit program. The funds will go directly toward need-based scholarships, helping low-income neurodiverse students access an education designed to meet their unique learning needs.

MARIETTA, Ga., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- "We are incredibly grateful for this generous support," said Mindy Elkan, Director of MDE School. "This funding allows us to open our doors to more neurodiverse students whose families might not otherwise have the ability to afford specialized education. It's an investment that changes lives, and we deeply appreciate GBC and Georgia SSO for making it possible."

From left to right: Mindy Elkan, MDE School Executive Director; David Neyer, President & CEO, Georgia Student Scholarship Organization; Roya Sobhani, Retail Market Leader SVP, Georgia Banking Company; and David Bouie, MDE School Assistant Director, celebrate the $10,500 contribution GBC made through the GASSO tax credit program to support scholarships for low-income neurodiverse students. (PRNewsfoto/MDE School)

GBC chose MDE School as its designated beneficiary through the Georgia Education Expense Credit Program, which encourages businesses and individuals to support private school scholarships by offering a state tax credit for their contributions.

"At GBC, we believe strong communities are built when businesses invest in children and education," said Roya Sobhani, Retail Market Leader, SVP at GBC Bank. "We are proud to support MDE School and their commitment to providing high-quality special education for students who need it most."

Georgia SSO, the nonprofit administrator of the scholarship program, facilitates contributions from individuals and corporate partners, turning tax credits into tuition assistance for students across Georgia.

"Every dollar contributed through this program helps expand educational access," said David Neyer, President and CEO of Georgia SSO, Inc. "We are thrilled to partner with GBC and support MDE School as they continue making a profound impact on families and the community."

For more information about MDE School or to learn how to support its scholarship program, please contact the MDE School main office at 770-971-4633 or visit mdeschool.org.

About MDE School

MDE School is a nonprofit private school helping neurodivergent children thrive when traditional schools cannot meet their needs. MDE School offers preschool, K12, and vocational academy programs, providing individualized education, enrichment, and life skills training in a nurturing environment. Serving students with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, communication disorders, and learning differences, MDE School empowers each student to reach their full potential. Founded in 2009 by Executive Director Mindy Elkan, the school continues to evolve to meet the needs of its students and families.

About GBC Bank

GBC Bank is a community-centered financial institution committed to supporting local families, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. With a focus on integrity, service, and long-term relationships, GBC Bank invests in programs that promote education, economic growth, and community wellbeing. The bank proudly partners with organizations that create meaningful impact across Georgia.

About Georgia Students Scholarship Organization (Georgia SSO)

Georgia SSO is a state-approved nonprofit that administers tax-credit scholarship funds to help expand educational access for Georgia students. By facilitating contributions from individuals and corporations, Georgia SSO provides tuition assistance that enables families to choose the learning environment best suited to their child's needs. Since its founding, Georgia SSO has helped thousands of students access high-quality educational opportunities through the Georgia Education Expense Credit Program.

Correction: An image has been added.

SOURCE MDE School
Rowan University and Nordic International University have partnered to expand international education opportunities for students across Central Asia. Through joint-campus programs, the partnership will provide access to advanced technologies, information and training in high-demand fields like information technology, data science and business management as students pursue their diplomas.

This is a shared mission to develop new scientists, engineers, teachers and business professionals, said Rowan University Chancellor Tony Lowman. With this partnership, we are training the next generation of leaders with one of the most esteemed institutions in Central Asia.

Rowan University leadership traveled to Uzbekistan to meet with the Minister of Higher Education, Minister of Finance and Investment and the U.S. Ambassador to cut the ribbon on a Rowan University Center located at the Nordic International University in Tashkent. The partnership creates new opportunities for students to study curricula aligned with global standards in an effort to prepare globally competitive professionals.

At present, there are two academic pathways for students:

Masters program tracks in computer science and data science, with initial studies at Nordic International University then on to Rowan.

Bachelors programs in a 1+3 format, with one year of study in Uzbekistan followed by three years in the United States at Rowan.

The dual-campus program allows students to adapt to an international academic environment while mastering programs and technologies. Students can connect with distinguished U.S. faculty and pursue internships and practical training. The goal is to develop highly-qualified graduates who can meet the demands of the modern labor market. Graduates from the program will have the opportunity to work in the United States.

Nordic International Universitys mission is to broaden global education opportunities and prepare a new generation of professionals with strong academic backgrounds and the confidence to pursue successful global careers.
You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber.



Not a subscriber?



Subscribe today for access to:

Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles).


At Transitions 2025 Media Innovation Summit, Peter Erdelyi argued that journalisms future wont be powered by scale or institutions, but by precision, empathy, and deeply useful information that serves real people.

Nearly 80 journalists from 39 newsrooms across 25 countries gathered in Prague for the 2025 Media Innovation Summit, organized by Transitions in partnership with Journalismfund Europe, from 31 October to 1 November. Participants shared experiences, lessons learned, and practical ideas for using design thinking and innovation to strengthen their reporting and impact.

Among the standout moments was a keynote by Peter Erdelyi, founding director of the Center for Sustainable Media and a Budapest-based media executive with more than 25 years of experience.

Watch the keynote here

Grounded in his work with dozens of newsrooms navigating transformation  from business model updates to new revenue experiments  Erdelyis talk examined what happens when the old assumptions about journalism no longer hold. Large institutions are retreating. Audiences follow people rather than mastheads.

In one of the summits most compelling reflections, he argued that journalisms path forward may not be about scaling up but sharpening focus: building smaller, smarter operations that serve specific communities with clarity and real utility  because, he suggested, sustainability comes not from reaching everyone, but from mattering deeply to someone.

Peter Erdelyi speaks at the 2025 Media Innovation Summit. Photo by Tomas Princ / Transitions.

Twenty-four days ago, I became a father. Im telling you this both to brag, but also to tell you that Im sleep-deprived.

Life with a newborn  as Im sure many of you have experienced  is quite a disorienting experience. Babies  they eat, they sleep, they process food quite often, and then they scream a lot.

Among the million things I have learned in the past three weeks, I have learned that babies, at the very beginning, cannot exactly cry yet. They are just really angry at you. They are like, wah! And you think to yourself, What am I supposed to do? What am I doing? And then it goes on for 20 minutes. And then for apparently no reason, the baby stops crying.

And she is incredibly cute, and she looks at you as if shes ready to discuss the new Kathryn Bigelow movie on Netflix. And then you dont know whats happening. You dont know what youve done.

And as any kind of normal, anxious beings would, my wife and I spent a lot of time reading stuff, watching videos, going to workshops, and trying to figure things out  because, if we read up, if we prepare, if we have good information, we will be in control. And one of the overarching experiences, at least for these first few weeks, is control  it doesnt really work like that.

Things will just happen. And of course, it matters. These things matter.

But theres very little that you can do to control things. And this is especially hard for me because I spent most of my adult life working under this thesis that I provide people with information, and I have them process information. Then they can make better decisions, and they will have more control over their lives. And this is still true to some extent.

But Im starting to suspect that there is maybe a bigger gap between our ability to bring good information and then how that translates into control. You can read all you want about Vladimir Putin and geopolitics in the Middle East or climate change and global trade, but there is very little any individual can do to control those things. We inherited this thesis that information translates to control from a world that was a lot more predictable than the one that we are living in today.

And this world, its collapsing before our eyes. And a lot of our information ecosystem is collapsing with it. For decades, the largest institutions in the world  governments, big companies, and giant philanthropies  really believed that the information ecosystem was something that is worth investing in. And they invested money, including in Central and Eastern Europe.

Consensus has disappeared. Now, many of the worlds largest institutions no longer think journalism is something that is worth investing in. And this has a very direct effect on many of us. Their support was essential. They enabled a lot of public interest journalism in Central Eastern Europe for more than a decade.

But this system of institutional support also created dependencies. We all learned how to do projects  how to apply for grants  but maybe we didnt learn enough about audiences.

Im not trying to moralize here. This was a necessity. There was no alternative. But this age of institutions, its coming to an end.

Im not entirely sure whats replacing it, but its probably going to be something messier and something smaller  maybe something more alive. Maybe its an age of the individuals, like micro-publishers, solo creators, two-person teams with an audience of a few thousand people. But maybe it will be an age with an audience who actually cares a great deal. And this shift isnt just about technology or algorithms.

Its a little bit about that, but its also about trust. In the old mode, trust flew from the masthead to the individuals. For example, this person works for The New York Times, The Washington Post, or your local equivalent, so they must be a serious person because they are good, journalistic institutions.

That does not really apply anymore. Right now, people want to follow people. And if that person happens to work for a big institution, then great, then it lends some credibility to the institutions, but if that person leaves, then that credibility leaves with them.

Two weeks ago, there was an interesting chart that showed you the example of Dave Jorgensen. He worked for The Washington Post and ran their TikTok channel for quite a few years. And he was incredibly popular. He did these funny videos about politics, but then this June, he announced he was leaving.

And then he began to build his own TikTok  Local News International. By mid-July, Local News International surpassed The Washington Post in the number of YouTube views over time. The Washington Post is one of the strongest and best-established journalism organizations in the world, so you can imagine if losing one person affects them this much, how this translates into how people consume information.

Audiences no longer believe in this monolithic value of journalism. Someone telling someone else that he or she is a journalist does not have quite the same ring as it used to have. People believe in people.

They follow people whom they know or whom they feel like they know, and they support people who are useful for them and who make them feel something. And this is where solutions-oriented newsrooms actually have an advantage. You already start from a human scale.

You start with peoples problems and not abstractions. You face questions like whats working and what could help  not just whom to blame. And that instinct to be constructive and to be of use is what a lot of large institutions in the world are losing and what many of the audiences are craving.

A lot of journalism still carries this old moralizing vocabulary. We tell ourselves we serve society: its for democracy, its for the public good.

All of this may be true, but these things are incredibly abstract. And honestly, I dont think they are very helpful.

Society doesnt read your newsletter, just like the public doesnt listen to your podcast. Democracy is not going to give you 5 euros for your little thing that youre doing. People will. Real, individual human beings with their messy lives, limited time, and their own hierarchies of need that may not line up with what journalism schools tell us is important. They are not looking for journalism to save the world. Theyre looking for journalism that can help them to live in the world that they have.

They are not looking for people to tell them whats important. People are looking for journalism that gives them information about the things that are already important for them.

Journalism becomes sustainable when it serves someone and not society, when its useful, when it makes someones day a little clearer, a choice a little smarter, and their community a little easier to navigate. Through these things, there is a benefit to society, but it shouldnt be optimized for this abstraction of society. Meaningful utility for a small group of people is a lot better than marginal benefit for hundreds of thousands.

Utility creates value, and then this value creates the willingness to pay  or at least the willingness to stay. I know this sounds a little bit transactional, but I dont think it is. This is the most sincere form of service because you really want to help someone.

We have to prove that our work actually matters in the lives of people and not just in grant reports. The question should not be: How do we strengthen democracy? It should be really simple, like: Whose life gets better because we exist? or Whose life gets better because of our work?

Some newsrooms have a very strange relationship with money, which I find hard to understand.

I am very much in favor of having money. Im pro-money, if you will. I know its a controversial position. Im pro-having your money. But theres a lot of embarrassment about this topic. Its like money is somehow tainting the purity of journalism  like its something for which we must apologize. And some of it is in the language: We are not commercial. We are non-profit. We are independent.

And dont get me wrong, these things are perfectly fine things to be, but often they are like proxies. They are a way of saying, Were not like those people who sell things. But money is not dirty.

Money is proof of value. Its evidence that someone thought that what you made was worth something to them. Money is not the enemy of purpose.

Money is a receipt for purpose delivered. I have a newsletter thats read by maybe 2,000 people. And as of this morning, 79 people are paying for it. Im incredibly proud of this number. There are 79 people who decide to pay for what I do.

And I really want this number to go up to 100, maybe 200 someday. Ive worked with a lot of newsrooms and publishers over the years. The difference between the ones that grow and the ones that are struggling is that in the successful ones, theres someone inside the organization who gets a kick out of making money.

Someone who looks at a product and says, Can we charge 5 euros for this somehow? And then that person goes and tries it. And too often, we work in environments where that person who wants to experiment, to pitch, to sell, or to commercialize is treated like an intruder. But every subscription, every donation, every ad, every workshop you sell, is not a transaction. That is an act of trust. It is someone saying, What you are doing is valuable. I want you to keep going.

Thats not dirty, if you ask me. But again, Im pro-money. But creating content, community, benefits, and services that people actually pay for is very hard.

Ill be honest with you  I dont think you are in an easy position to deliver it, because many of you are stuck in this strange limbo somewhere in the middle because you are not small enough to be very fast. You are not small enough to be one person, with one voice, with one super-specific niche. But then you are not large enough to have the advantages of the scale, the security, or the stability of operations of a bigger organization.

There are editors, beats, and hierarchies. And when you are five people and maybe part-time, its just a way to burn yourself out. There are some things that you can do in that modality, but you cannot mimic legacy media.

And so since we should not ask: How do we grow into something bigger? We should ask: How do we shrink into something smarter? To build a system that fits your size, to stop imitating legacy media, and to start designing something that is your own. I dont know for how long the idea of a newsroom will be with us or how useful it will continue to be as a conceptual frame. Maybe its not a newsroom, maybe its a network, a studio, a collective, or a cooperative.

It can be a great many things. Most likely, it will publish less content. And thats fine because with less content, it will matter more.

If you know exactly whom you are serving and how youre helping them, you dont need to reach hundreds of thousands. You will need maybe a few thousand people and a few hundred of them will pay. And in many contexts, this will be enough to keep you alive.

Constructive or solution journalism was born as a reaction to something. For decades, journalism defined itself through the constant negativity bias of traditional news and through exposure of a scandal or corruption to show what is broken. And thats noble work, thats important work.

But audiences got exhausted. And this was even before the current round of disruption. And it just left people feeling helpless.

Constructive journalism began as an antidote. It said, showing the problems is not enough. We also need to show how people are responding to them.

It does not sugarcoat reality, but people also need to see what works, not just what goes wrong. And chronicling the collapse but also the response to some collapse is already the first step toward utility. And that is closer to bringing journalism to a service.

It asks what could help instead of what has failed. And that is a real opportunity. This mindset, this response orientation is exactly what separates content and services that people are tolerating and consuming to one that they love  the things that audiences are really willing to pay for. That is the mindset of what turns journalism into a tool and a service. Let me give you two examples, both pregnancy-related.

First of all, there is this service in Hungary called Gyerunk Anyuka, which translates to, Come on mama. And it started as this community of women that wanted to take care of their bodies and heal after their children were born, since most of the time the focus is on the childs wellbeing  as it should be  but the mothers become a little bit of an afterthought.

Over time, this exercise community of women became an information service for mothers that had shared this feeling. And now they offer various services. And my wife and I enrolled in one of their courses.

Every week of the last trimester, it gave us four videos about pregnancy, delivery, breastfeeding, and life with an infant. And its sequenced to match the rhythm of the last trimester. You have to pay to get access, and its incredibly useful.

The people behind this dont think of themselves as journalists. I dont think that the world thinks of them as journalists, but this is one of the most effective information products that I have ever seen. It meets a real urgent need exactly at the right moment.

Its relevant, its actionable, its emotionally intelligent, and its paid. And people pay for it gladly because its useful.

The second example, its not even a service  its a spreadsheet. I learned from our social circle that there is a Google document that women pass around when they reach the final stage of pregnancy. And this spreadsheet has product reviews, information about doctors, warnings, hospitals, and what to look out for.

Its a recommendation. Its collective. Its lived knowledge that makes you feel somewhat less alone in a time that is very chaotic. And its continually updated. You receive it, you use it, and you update it with your own insight.

And again, this is not journalism by the textbook definition, but it is a useful information product that serves an audience a lot better than many professional media outlets ever could. What connects these examples is their empathy and specificity. They start with the real person and what their problem is, and then they work from there.

They solve for something. Now imagine combining that practical utility with journalism values of verification, fairness, accountability, and transparency. Imagine work that is as responsive and as human as these communities, but as rigorous as a newsroom.

That is maybe something that journalism can become  not just stories about solutions, but solutions themselves. Information products that work for individuals while serving the public interest. Journalism that people do not just respect in the abstract, but journalism that they actually use.

This utility has an impact. And being genuinely useful is how journalism will earn its relevance back  if it will ever earn its relevance back. Small does not mean insignificant.

Im speaking from recent lived experience when I tell you that serving one person can be more transformative than broadcasting to hundreds of thousands of people. Attention and care doesnt scale infinitely, and maybe it should not. When the baby arrived, our world shrank to a few square meters  to a crib, a couch, and a half-eaten sandwich smeared against a blanket somewhere.

Its a very small space, but everything suddenly matters more. Every tiny signal, every movement, and every sound carries meaning. And life got smaller, but its resolution got a lot sharper.

Some of this may be happening to journalism too. We keep thinking that our goal is to scale more people, donors, clicks, and stories, but maybe our task is just to see our audience in a higher resolution. Maybe sustainability comes not from expansion, but from precision  knowing exactly whom you serve, what they need, and why theyre coming back.

Solutions journalism was always about this instinct: to look closely, to pay attention, and to ask what is working and why. What gives me hope for this moment? In a time when institutions are collapsing  not just in journalism, but in every part of society  everyone feels a little powerless. People need examples of agency, care, and things that are still working. So yes, the age of institutions might be ending.

Money is scarce. The landscape is messy and unfair. And maybe this new age, this is where journalism finally discovers that what it always meant to do is to help people make sense of their lives, to remind them that they are not alone, and to offer them information that actually helps them.

Peter Erdelyi is the founding director of the Center for Sustainable Media and a media executive from Budapest with over 25 years of experience in journalism and media management. He publishes the weekly newsletter, Media Finance Monitor. As a mentor in the PluPro Project, Peter has worked closely with independent newsrooms navigating change.
LONDON, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- "MiQ welcomes the European Commission's proposal to recognise robust certification schemes as practical implementation of the EU methane regulation, aiming to reduce emissions while safeguarding energy security. Bringing methane emissions clearly into the conversation and the regulatory framework is an important step forward."

"The proposal on certification schemes reflects the approach put forward by six leading industry associations in October, and a recent paper by a group of the three leading NGOs."

"Independent, third party-verified certification schemes can play an important role in reducing methane emissions across the natural gas supply chain, as highlighted in a recent International Energy Agency (IEA) report. In the United States, MiQ is already independently certifying nearly 25% of production  much more than Europe imports."

"As EU energy ministers discuss these proposals, clear guidance to industry and national authorities will be essential. Certification schemes offer a practical and readily implementable compliance solution for EU importers of natural gas and crude oil, without the need to reopen the EU methane regulation. MiQ is in advanced stages of piloting the use of its scheme for compliance purposes and looks forward to working with industry and authorities as these rules move towards implementation."

Georges Tijbosch, MiQ CEO

About MiQ

MiQ is a global leader in methane emissions certification. Our mission is to accelerate the transition to lower emissions gas by providing a credible and transparent certification system that drives regulatory compliance, incentivizes continuous improvement, and ensures methane accountability in the oil and gas sector throughout the entire supply chain.

SOURCE MiQ
The third option calls for the middle housing law to be applied citywide. That's similar to Flagstaff, which legalized middle housing across the city and not just in a designated zone. That proposal would allow for middle housing in a 243 square-mile area, according to Swallow.

Like Flagstaff, Phoenix has already adopted their middle housing regulations, at times over the objection of some residents who wanted the ordinance delayed or rejected.
Vale: Dr. Keith Suter

Foreign affairs commentator who contributed to Seven News and Sunrise, has died.

Foreign affairs commentator, Dr Keith Suter, who contributed to Seven News and Sunrise, has died aged 77.

Seven News reports he passed away in hospital.

Suter was a regular contributor to Sevens news programs oveer several decades, providing expert analysis on global events and foreign policy matters. He was also a foreign policy analyst for SKY News.

His extensive academic credentials and international experience made him a sought-after commentator on complex geopolitical issues. He taught political science on the Sydney international campus of Boston University, USA. He was also the Director of Studies of the Australian Branch of the International Law Association, and NSW Chair of the International Commission of Jurists.

Samantha Armytage on Instagram wrote, Very sad to hear of the passing of Dr Keith Suter overnight. He was a wonderful man.

He guided us through many of the biggest world issues of our timewith grace and humour. You could talk to him all day, and often during breaking news, we did. RIP Dr Keith.

Weekend Sunrise will pay tribute tomorrow.
China's defense ministry broadens outreach with new social media account

Xinhua) 09:38, December 12, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Having established itself as an influential voice on Chinese social media through timely information sharing, China's Ministry of National Defense is now reaching a global audience through a newly launched X account.

Debuting this week under the name "Ministry of National Defense of China," the account has posted images of China-Singapore joint military exercises and a video documenting the Chinese Navy hospital ship's medical mission in Jamaica. Within just a few days, these posts have drawn more than 4 million views.

"Follow us to learn about China's national defense in the new era," says the X account bio. The call has already resonated with readers, one of whom commented: "Congratulations! Can't wait to learn more about the Chinese military."

Among its many functions, the Ministry of National Defense serves as a key channel for public communication on China's military affairs. In addition to holding regular press briefings, it operates accounts on major Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, where it posts spokesperson statements and videos of People's Liberation Army (PLA) training and exercises. Its Weibo account now has more than 8 million followers.

The defense ministry is not the first within the Chinese military to launch overseas social media accounts. Earlier this year, the PLA Navy launched its official accounts on both X and YouTube. These platforms have published a wealth of content about the service, including coverage of Chinese aircraft carrier training.

"Through these platforms, users worldwide can leave comments and interact directly to stay on top of the PLA's development, which helps dispel misunderstandings or misperceptions about the Chinese military," said Zhang Junshe, a military expert.

His comment echoed the original purpose behind the defense ministry's launch of its X account.

As stated in its debut video: "Peace is the common aspiration and lofty goal of humanity. The Chinese military has always been a staunch force for world peace."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
New data indicates U.S. trade is normalizing under 2025 tariff policies, though legal uncertainty may disrupt emerging stability.

CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- project44 today released its December Tariff Report, offering a data-driven view into how U.S. trade patterns have adjusted in the months since the sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs took effect. While the policy shift initially triggered widespread disruption across major lanes, the latest data shows early signs of stabilization as carriers returned to predictability, and shippers adapt sourcing strategies across Asia.

New data from project44's December tariff report shows:

Blank sailings stabilize across major U.S. trade lanes: After months of tariff-driven volatility, blank sailings have decreased sharply, now 65% below their April peak. This normalization reflects carriers regaining schedule predictability as demand patterns settle. While overall schedules are stabilizing, China-U.S. still trended 75% higher in November compared to 2024 showing this lane is still experiencing inflated blank sailings.

After months of tariff-driven volatility, blank sailings have decreased sharply, now 65% below their April peak. This normalization reflects carriers regaining schedule predictability as demand patterns settle. While overall schedules are stabilizing, China-U.S. still trended 75% higher in November compared to 2024 showing this lane is still experiencing inflated blank sailings. Emerging trade patterns shift demand toward Southeast Asia: With U.S. imports from China still trending lower, sourcing diversification continues. Thailand saw a modest 3% year-over-year decline in November but remains up 33% year to date, while Indonesia posted a 26% increase in November and is up 34% overall in 2025. These shifts demonstrate how manufacturers and retailers are realigning supply chains in response to tariff exposure.

With U.S. imports from China still trending lower, sourcing diversification continues. Thailand saw a modest 3% year-over-year decline in November but remains up 33% year to date, while Indonesia posted a 26% increase in November and is up 34% overall in 2025. These shifts demonstrate how manufacturers and retailers are realigning supply chains in response to tariff exposure. U.S.China trade remains down, but the pace of decline shows signs of easing: U.S. exports to China remain below 2024 levels, yet November's 23% decline marks the smallest year-over-year drop since January. This improvement signals early progress from recent trade discussions, offering cautious optimism that bilateral flows could continue to normalize.

These shifts reflect a redistribution of trade flows. As carriers restore capacity discipline and shippers reconfigure networks, the data points to a system finding equilibrium. Yet stability is far from guaranteed. Multiple lawsuits contesting the scope of presidential tariff authority, along with a pending Supreme Court ruling, could alter the tariff landscape again. For now, conditions are improving, but the path ahead remains tied to policy outcomes.

"With the end of 2025, 2026 is looking like an equally volatile year for global supply chains and shipping" said Dr. Sal Mercogliano, Professor at Campbell University and host, What's Going on with Shipping. "Ocean freight schedules are adjusting with a downturn in blank sailings and with shippers adjusting their sources. With the current domestic and geopolitical climate in flux, supply chains need to be on alert for rapid changes and position themselves to react quickly to meet any unforeseen circumstances that can arise."

The full December Tariff Report is available here. For more reports, follow project44's Supply Chain Insights.

About project44

project44 is the Decision Intelligence Platform for the modern supply chain. Its Multi-Agent Orchestration transforms fragmented logistics management into unified intelligence, bringing certainty to global supply chain operations. With intelligent transportation management, end-to-end visibility, yard management and last mile solutions, project44 connects over 1.5 billion shipments annually for over 1,000 leading brands in manufacturing, automotive, retail, life sciences, food & beverage, CPG, and oil, chemical & gas. Learn more at project44.com.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE project44
The lobster painting in Rigas Central Market has become my holiday landmark. Ive now visited Latvias capital 10 times since 2017, and on each trip I make a pilgrimage to the seafood hall to pay my respects to that faded crustacean mural. Then I like to step outside to sip kvass from a plastic cup, the traditional fermented bread drink dispensed from enormous barrels at the food and drink stalls. Its a ritual that anchors me in a city that refuses to stand still.

When I first arrived in Riga eight years ago, I couldnt have predicted it would become my favourite Baltic city. Ive since visited for art events such as the Riga Biennial (currently on pause) and Survival Kit festival, both of which are a testament to the creative energy of the city. But it wasnt until I ventured beyond the colourful, cobblestoned Old Town (where stag parties stumble between medieval spires) that I understood what makes this city extraordinary.

An exhibit at Rigas Survival Kit art festival (Elise Morton)

Read more: The 10 best European city breaks  and where to stay this winter

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Riga is experiencing a cultural renaissance that feels both organic and inevitable. Solvita Krese, director of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, explains that the citys art scene is defined by intimacy and intensity.

Its small enough that everyone knows each other, yet diverse enough to constantly surprise you, she says. Its a place where post-Soviet history meets contemporary experimentation  vibrant, dynamic, and continually evolving.

The National Library, affectionately known as the Castle of Light, is a symbol of Rigas ambition. Completed in 2014, this striking contemporary structure on the banks of the Daugava River was designed by Latvian-American architect Gunnar Birkerts as a post-Soviet symbol of cultural rebirth  the moniker is a metaphor found in Latvian mythology symbolising lost wisdom and knowledge, now reclaimed. Though its in the neighbourhoods, which spread outward from the Old Town like rays, where the citys real character emerges.

Northeast of the Old Town, the Briana Quarter has evolved into a thriving hub for alternative nightlife, with echoes of bohemian districts such as Berlins Kreuzberg or Barcelonas Gracia. The Labietis brewery serves inventive craft beers in industrial-chic surroundings, while the recently opened Skapis has quickly become a go-to destination for the city's LGBT+ community. For jazz enthusiasts, M/Darbnica offers live music, an art gallery, and vinyl DJ sets  a microcosm of Rigas varied creative scene.

The popular Tallinna Street Quarter is a creative hotspot (Getty)

Almost next door, the Tallinna Street Quarter pulses with creativity. There are murals cascading down the buildings facades, food stalls that emit aromatic smoke, and it plays host to impromptu art performances.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Art Nouveau is the dominant style of architecture in Riga, with over 800 buildings showcasing the style  more than any other city in Europe. Alberta iela is the street with the best examples, but wander off the main thoroughfares and you'll discover ornamental facades featuring screaming masks, mythological creatures, and peacock motifs.

Between sightseeing, a stroll through the parks dotting central Riga  like Bastejkalna Park with its winding paths and canal  the views are the perfect place to pause and take a breather.

One of Rigas central parks is the perfect place to take a breather (Elise Morton)

In terms of contemporary art, the landscape is rich. Krese recommends several essential stops: the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, with its nomadic exhibition projects, and Kim? Contemporary Art Centre both shape Rigas curatorial and critical landscape. In addition, the Latvian National Museum of Art offers a wide-ranging programme that connects historical and contemporary perspectives, and Riga Art Space in the city centre often hosts ambitious institutional exhibitions.

Katrina Jurkevica, executive director of Zuzeum (the Latvian National Museum of Art), shares her must-visits, including her own establishment and galleries such as ASNI, XO, and ISSP. Also on her list are Zuzeum Art Centres the Zuzans collection, which has the largest private collection of Latvian art in the world  a highly recommended spot for understanding the countrys artistic evolution.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The citys commitment to art extends even to accommodation  the Ola Foundation in Kipsala offers a handful of rooms within an active art space, allowing visitors to sleep surrounded by exhibitions and installations. Its an extraordinary example of how much art is woven into the fabric of life in Riga.

Elise at the Riga Biennial (Elise Morton)

If embarking on a Latvian art odyssey leaves you hungry, try my personal favourite, Mikla Bakery. It has become legendary for its sourdough bread and pastries that marry Nordic precision with Latvian ingredients.

For coffee, Jurkevica and Krese both champion Kalve Cafe. Kalve is the go-to spot  perfect for working, meeting friends, or just enjoying a great cup of coffee in a beautifully designed space, Jurkevica confirms. Krese adds: The locally roasted coffee and minimalist design create a perfect atmosphere.

Read more: TikTok reveals the travel destinations most popular among Brits

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The restaurant scene has matured impressively. Krese describes it as having become a creative ecosystem of its own. Oziriss dates back to the 1990s and remains beloved for its understated elegance and as a meeting place for the citys intellectual community.

Krese adds that Tris Pavaru Restorans experiments playfully with Latvian flavours and Smor reimagines Nordic cuisine through minimalist precision.

For provisions, the Central Market is non-negotiable. Housed in repurposed Zeppelin hangars, its one of Europes largest markets and a living monument to Baltic trade culture.

A more authentic side of Riga can be seen at the Central Market (Elise Morton)

Beyond my beloved lobster painting, there are stalls selling everything from smoked fish to wild mushrooms, honey, and pickles. The energy here is infectious. Look up from the market and youll catch the imposing silhouette of the Soviet-era Latvian Academy of Sciences building  a reminder of the citys layered history.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

For a deeper understanding of that history, the Museum of the Occupation offers a sobering but essential perspective on Latvias experience under Soviet and Nazi rule.

If you want to take a slice of Riga cool home with you, the citys design and fashion scene has plenty of opportunities. Krese points to Mareunrols, whose conceptual tailoring bridges art and fashion. The brand will represent Latvia at the Venice Biennale in 2026 alongside artist Bruno Birmanis.

The Kalnciema Quarter market is perfect for discovering independent makers  from ceramicists to textile artists  in a relaxed, creative atmosphere, Krese adds.

For Latvian design and refined fashion pieces, Jurkevica recommends RIIJA, Buterman Studio, as well as Iveta Vecmanes boutique. The soon-to-open Skarule Shop is also one to watch.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

A piece of advice from Krese that resonates deeply with me is: Dont just stay in the Old Town. Its beautiful, but Rigas most authentic side lies beyond it. She recommends exploring the wooden architecture and cafes of Agenskalns, wandering along Mieraielas bohemian stretch, or visiting the Central Market. Rigas essence lies between the historic, the local, and the quietly avant-garde, she says.

Read more: This French Riviera town is perfect for an art-filled getaway

Jurkevica echoes this sentiment: Every experience in Riga can be beautiful  the best way to get a feel for the city is to plan your visit around your own interests rather than following the typical tourist routes.

Between its art credentials, inspiring architecture and cafe culture, Riga is a strong contender for Europes new capital of cool.

How to get there

AirBaltic operates direct flights from London Gatwick to Riga International airport, with flight times of approximately 2hr 45min. Prices start from 85 return. Alternatively, Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Riga, with return fares from 60.

Where to stay

Grand Poet Hotel is an elegant, art-driven boutique hotel featuring interiors created in collaboration with local designers. It is located in the historic centre district. Rooms start from 150 per night, not including breakfast.

Book now
Vietnamese pop star and former beauty queen Huong Giang has addressed swirling rumors that she may be joining the Miss Grand International All Stars 2026 competition - a new pageant offering prizes worth up to $1 million (around 26 billion VND).

Huong Giang and Duy Khanh appear at a recent event amid pageant rumors.

Appearing recently at an event in an elegant off-the-shoulder pastel pink dress, Huong Giang radiated confidence alongside actor Duy Khanh Zhou Zhou.

The Miss Grand International All Stars contest has recently sparked major interest in the beauty community.

Open to both cisgender and transgender women aged 2040, the competition sets no restrictions on marital or parental status, provided participants have previously joined an international beauty pageant.

The event is scheduled to run in Thailand from January 25 to February 13, 2026, with cash prizes ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.

Given that the organizers of this event are also managing Miss Universe 2025 and allow transgender contestants, many fans have speculated that the show may be trying to recruit Huong Giang - who previously made waves on the international pageant scene.

The CEO of Miss Universe Vietnam also confirmed they were contacted by MGI (Miss Grand International), further fueling rumors of Huong Giangs potential involvement.

Huong Giang sets the record straight

In response to media queries, Huong Giang clarified the nature of her upcoming appearance in Thailand.

She explained that her December 10 post referencing the Grand Sport Day 2025 event by Miss Grand International was simply about attending as a guest, not as a contestant.

The invitation came through Veena, Miss Universe Thailand 2025, who was her roommate during the international competition.

Huong Giang emphasized that her December 20 appearance in Thailand is part of a celebratory event featuring past winners and runners-up - not a return to the pageant stage.

Shared values, shared journeys

At the press event, Huong Giang spoke warmly about her connection with Duy Khanh, highlighting their shared spirit of perseverance and the ups and downs they've both faced in their personal and professional lives.

When playfully asked about her lipstick choice - one reportedly favored by her boyfriend Phu Cuong - Huong Giang smiled and said: Every shade is beautiful and suits different people. Beauty products help me feel youthful and confident - so really, anyone standing in front of me will probably like me anyway.

Huy Minh
At the time of inspection, the team found the facility was keeping 75 green iguanas (scientific name: Iguana spp.), with a total weight of approximately 61.8 kilograms. Each reptile measured between 40 to 80 centimeters in length.

This species is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which requires strict regulation of international trade to avoid threats to their survival.

According to the Forest Ranger Unit, the facility was unable to provide any legal documentation proving the animals origins.

The authorities immediately seized the 75 iguanas and transferred them to a secondary care facility located in An Nhon Tay Commune, where they will be cared for and handled in accordance with Vietnamese law.

The case remains under investigation by local enforcement agencies.

Just two days earlier, on December 10, forest rangers had conducted a similar inspection at a facility in Cu Chi Commune, where they seized 362 green iguanas, two Indochinese box turtles, and three African spurred tortoises. None of these animals had accompanying legal documents to verify lawful origin.

In recent months, several residents in Ho Chi Minh City have voluntarily handed over rare and endangered wildlife, including elongated tortoises and Javan pangolins, to the authorities.

Tuan Kiet
The six individuals were caught illegally crossing the border. Photo: Border Guard

On December 11, border guards at the Thuan Binh post in Tay Ninh Province handled a case involving six Vietnamese citizens who illegally crossed the border from Cambodia into Vietnam after fleeing from a suspected scam company.

According to official sources, at approximately 6:30 p.m. on December 10, a joint patrol team from the border guard and local police discovered a group of six individuals behaving suspiciously near border marker 197+300 meters in Thuan Hiep hamlet, Binh Thanh commune.

Upon questioning, the group admitted to illegally entering Vietnam after escaping from scam companies operating in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia.

The individuals were identified as V.N.T (32, from Kien Giang), L.M.T (41, from Can Tho), L.T.P (35, from An Giang), N.V.P (16, from Dong Nai), P.V.P (24, from Binh Dinh), and N.T.H.N (23, from Tay Ninh).

At the Thuan Binh border post, authorities issued administrative fines to all six individuals for the offense of "crossing the national border without completing immigration procedures as prescribed."

The unit is continuing to investigate the groups border-crossing history and any possible criminal activities. Meanwhile, patrol operations along the border are being intensified to prevent similar incidents.

Tuan Kiet
The speculation stems from FCC certification documents recently shared by The Tech Outlook and cited by PhoneArena.

While Samsung previously teased its Exynos 2600 chip, raising concerns of a possible return to split-chip strategies, these new records appear to confirm that at least the Ultra variant of the Galaxy S26 line will ship with Qualcomm chips globally.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 confirmed for Ultra?

The documents list several model numbers believed to correspond to Galaxy S26 Ultra variants, all running Qualcomms top-tier processor.

Moreover, the listed devices support Smart Transmit Plus - a signal-boosting feature exclusive to Qualcomms X85 modem, which is only integrated in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

This strongly indicates that the global Ultra model will not use Exynos.

In addition, the device is certified for the latest connectivity technologies, including tri-band WiFi 7, 5G, NFC, and UWB (Ultra Wideband).

No information is available yet for the base Galaxy S26 or S26+ models, leaving open the possibility that Exynos chips may still appear in lower-tier variants or specific regions.

One recent rumor claimed that Samsung may use Exynos exclusively in South Korea, but that too remains unconfirmed.

Samsung expected to launch S26 series in January 2026

Samsung is widely expected to unveil the Galaxy S26 lineup in January 2026, with retail sales beginning shortly afterward.

By then, the chip questions should be fully clarified.

Does the chip choice still matter in 2026?

Recent performance leaks suggest that the Exynos 2600 is closing the gap with Qualcomm in terms of power, efficiency, and AI processing.

If both platforms offer similar real-world experiences, the difference may no longer be as critical to users as it once was.

For years, Qualcomm chips have been seen as the safer choice, while Exynos has sometimes faced criticism over performance, optimization, and battery efficiency.

But if Exynos has truly improved, this long-standing divide could begin to fade.

Still, by opting for a single chip across all Ultra models, Samsung may be trying to avoid regional performance disparities - a pain point thats drawn sharp criticism from both users and tech reviewers in the past.

Final word awaits official announcement

While the latest leaks heavily favor Snapdragon for the Ultra model, nothing is official until Samsung confirms the specifications.

If true, this global Qualcomm strategy could help the company deliver its most reliable flagship experience yet - one that doesn't vary based on where you live.

In the end, its not just about what chip a phone uses - but how it performs in real-world conditions.

For users, speed, battery life, stability, and AI capabilities will matter more than brand names.

And perhaps thats exactly what Samsung is aiming for with the new Galaxy S era.

Hai Phong
While the Galaxy S26 Ultra remains in the spotlight with its ultra-premium specs, the standard Galaxy S26 promises a more balanced and powerful experience.

Bigger battery for longer life

Unlike the Ultra line, which has seen little change in battery capacity in recent years, the standard Galaxy series continues to receive upgrades.

The Galaxy S26 is expected to increase its battery capacity from 4,000mAh (on the S25) to 4,300mAh.

This 300mAh boost may seem modest, but when combined with improved chip efficiency, it could result in significantly longer real-world usage.

This is a tangible and practical upgrade, especially compared to the marginal changes often seen on the Ultra model.

Exynos makes a strong comeback

Galaxy S26 will see several upgrades over the Galaxy S25. Photo: PhoneArena

One of the key factors that could make the Galaxy S26 more attractive is Samsung's return to in-house chips.

The Exynos 2600, built on a 2nm process, is expected to power the entire S26 lineup.

According to Tom's Guide, the Exynos 2600 may outperform contemporary Snapdragon chips in both efficiency and power.

More importantly, the 2nm process allows for better performance while consuming less energy - a win-win for users seeking power and longevity.

Interestingly, even the S26 Ultra might feature Exynos 2600 in certain markets. That means the standard S26 won't be far behind in performance, especially in real-life tasks.

Larger, brighter display

Following Samsung's typical upgrade path, the Galaxy S26's screen is expected to grow slightly from 6.2 inches (on the S25) to 6.3 inches.

This offers a more immersive experience without making the phone bulky.

More impressively, the maximum brightness may increase from 2,600 nits to 3,000 nits thanks to new OLED materials.

This boost would enhance outdoor visibility and improve content viewing overall.

However, some reports remain uncertain, suggesting Samsung might stick with the current 2,600 nits limit. Regardless, display quality remains a top improvement area.

Sleeker, thinner design

Despite rumors that Samsung may drop the S26 Edge, the company remains committed to slim and stylish smartphones.

While the Galaxy S25 was already slim at 7.2mm, the S26 is expected to go even thinner, down to 6.9mm.

That makes it one of the slimmest mainstream flagships, just slightly thicker than the ultra-slim S25 Edge (5.8mm).

There may be a slight increase in weight, but it will likely go unnoticed in daily use.

Camera upgrades - maybe

Many early reports suggested the Galaxy S26 would receive significant camera improvements over its predecessor.

However, recent rumors indicate Samsung might reuse the S25's camera system to maintain price stability amid rising component costs.

If so, the lack of camera upgrades would be a slight letdown.

Still, if Samsung surprises consumers with a late-stage upgrade, this could be a decisive reason to choose the S26 standard over the Ultra - especially at a more accessible price.

In the end, the Galaxy S26 standard appears to strike the perfect balance: bigger battery, better chip, brighter screen, slimmer body, and the possibility of enhanced cameras.

While the Ultra version dazzles with specs, the S26 standard delivers where it counts for everyday users.

If you're looking for a strong, modern flagship without going all-in on ultra-premium pricing, the Galaxy S26 standard may be your perfect match for 2026.

Hai Phong
The project will be developed under Vietnams Investment Law, with a total investment of over $8.1 billion (196.4 trillion VND). Investor equity must account for no less than 15% of the total investment.

The airport will be built across several communes - Gia Binh, Luong Tai, Nhan Thang, and Lam Thao - and span approximately 1,885 hectares, including over 922 hectares of double-crop rice fields, which will be fully converted in accordance with land use regulations.

Designed to meet the highest global standards, the airport will be a smart, green, and sustainable dual-use facility - serving both civil aviation and national defense. It will also support high-level diplomatic events, including the 2027 APEC Summit.

The airport is expected to achieve Skytrax five-star international service standards and rank among the top 10 global airports for passenger experience, as recognized by the Airports Council International (ACI).

Phased construction timeline and capacity targets

Gia Binh Airport will be classified as a 4F international airport under ICAO standards.

Its phased operational targets include:

By 2030: capacity to handle 30 million passengers/year and 1.6 million tons of cargo/year

By 2050: expanded to serve 50 million passengers/year and 2.5 million tons of cargo/year

The National Assembly has outlined a phased construction schedule:

20252027: complete essential facilities to serve the 2027 APEC Summit

20262030: finish remaining Phase 1 infrastructure to reach 2030 capacity targets

20312050: develop final infrastructure for full 2050 capacity

The project will operate under a 70-year term.

Cultural heritage relocation and land clearance

The resolution grants Bac Ninh Peoples Committee the authority to relocate historical and cultural sites affected by the project.

All relocations must be transparent, publicly consulted, and designed to preserve and promote the cultural value of the sites.

In case of legal or procedural complications, the Government is tasked with providing guidance to ensure compliance.

Clear responsibilities for government and investors

The Government will oversee project implementation, ensuring that goals are met with transparency, efficiency, and public support. It is also responsible for providing clear communication to the public on the projects intent and progress.

The Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee is responsible for land clearance, resettlement, land allocation, and leasing.

The selected investor must comply with all relevant laws and the National Assemblys resolution in executing the project.

Tran Thuong
NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --

Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE: WAL) resulting from allegations that Western Alliance Bancorporation may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

So what: If you purchased Western Alliance Bancorporation securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

What to do next: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=46349 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

What is this about: On October 16, 2025, Western Alliance Bancorporation disclosed that it had initiated a lawsuit against a borrower, Cantor Group V LLC, alleging fraud related to collateral loans.

On this news, Western Alliance Bancorporation's stock fell 10.88% on October 16, 2025.

Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved, at that time, the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
The newly amended Resolution 98/2023, passed by the National Assembly on December 11, is expected to unlock new opportunities for Ho Chi Minh City by granting the city autonomy over strategic models such as transit-oriented development (TOD) and free trade zones (FTZ).

On this occasion, VietNamNet spoke with Dr. Tran Quang Thang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics and Management, for deeper insights into the urgent significance of this resolution.

A framework still too narrow for a new Ho Chi Minh City?

Dr. Tran Quang Thang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics and Management. Photo: QN

Looking back, while Resolution 98 has laid some groundwork for projects like Ring Road 3 and public investment reforms, does the citys current legal framework still feel too restrictive for a new Ho Chi Minh City?

Dr. Tran Quang Thang: We cannot deny that Resolution 98 has produced positive early results. It has granted the city more control over investment, planning, and piloting preferential policies to maintain its leading role. However, the progress still falls short of expectations and the intense pressure facing the city.

In practice, despite the appearance of decentralization, many procedures still require back-and-forth approval from central authorities, causing delays.

The root problem lies in scale. With a de facto population of nearly 20 million (including transient residents), contributing 30% of the national budget and a quarter of Vietnams GDP, Ho Chi Minh City faces overwhelming pressure on its infrastructure, healthcare, education, and environment.

Without a bold, flexible, and attractive mechanism, we risk not only falling behind regional competitors like Singapore and Bangkok but even lagging domestically. Therefore, revising the two-tier government model to operate more effectively is vital to create a legal corridor for the city to break through and reclaim its leadership.

FTZs as a breakthrough in investment attraction

The proposed FTZ mechanism with a one-stop management model has drawn public interest. What is your view on its significance?

Dr. Thang: I consider this a breakthrough. Our biggest constraints have long been bureaucratic procedures and overloaded infrastructure. FTZs with one-stop-shop governance directly address both issues.

First, in terms of investment attraction, FTZs allow flexible tax policies and cost reductions for businesses. More importantly, the one-stop model means investors deal with only one agency, cutting approval times and boosting confidence for multinationals looking to establish headquarters or R&D centers.

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a strategic focus in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Hue

This would allow Ho Chi Minh City to compete on equal footing with financial hubs like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

Second, FTZs support economic restructuring. The city can expand beyond traditional manufacturing into logistics, advanced healthcare, high-tech, and financial services. FTZs often come with modern infrastructure like seaports and airports, boosting regional integration with neighboring provinces such as Dong Nai and Long An. Without FTZs, the citys ambition to become an international commercial center would be extremely difficult to realize.

TOD as the answer to capital shortages for infrastructure

If the city is allowed to independently recover land, compensate residents, and reinvest 100% of TOD land value gains into transport infrastructure, could that solve the capital shortage for projects like the metro or ring roads?

Dr. Thang: This is a strategic mechanism, encapsulated in the phrase infrastructure funds infrastructure.

Metro, BRT, and ring road projects often stall due to delays in land clearance and lack of funding. TOD separates land compensation from other processes, expediting the clean land stage significantly.

More importantly, as transport infrastructure is developed, surrounding land values rise. Allowing the city to retain 100% of the added value to reinvest in transportation creates a sustainable financial loop - reducing dependence on the central budget or ODA.

This model has been very successful in cities like Tokyo and Seoul, not only solving capital issues but also shaping dense, modern urban areas around transit stations. This reduces car dependence, easing traffic and pollution. It's a transparent, efficient approach where people can see land revenues being used for public benefit.

Raising the bar for strategic investors

The revised Resolution 98 is expected to drive a new era of growth for Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Hue

Will stricter criteria on investor financial capacity and experience deter investment?

Dr. Thang: On the contrary, I believe such rigor is essential to improve investment quality. We've seen too many failed or suspended projects due to underqualified investors who pitched grand plans and then vanished.

Setting clear criteria for equity, capital mobilization, and international experience helps screen investors from the start. We need true leading cranes - strong corporations capable of self-financing and managing complex projects like metros or FTZs.

By setting a high bar, we send a message of professionalism and seriousness. This doesnt discourage real investors - it builds trust. They want a fair, transparent, rules-based playing field, not one driven by favoritism. Only with this approach can billion-dollar mega-projects realistically be completed on time.

A new vision for Ho Chi Minh Citys governance and structure

With these revisions, how do you envision Ho Chi Minh Citys future management and urban landscape?

Dr. Thang: My biggest hope is that the revised resolution will create a new management ecosystem where the city is empowered to resolve bottlenecks swiftly.

We will clearly see the formation of three growth poles: the central core as the financial-commercial nucleus; Thu Duc emerging as a hub for innovation and technology; and the southern corridor - Can Gio and Nha Be - linked to Long An and Tay Ninh, evolving into a gateway for logistics, seaports, and green infrastructure.

With tools like TOD, FTZs, and selective investor mechanisms, the city will have the resources to realize its master plan. This is the foundation and opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to rise as a true leading megacity in Southeast Asia.

Quoc Ngoc
These include pioneering authority in investment management, finance and budget, urban and environmental governance, priority investor attraction, the creation of a free trade zone, and new structures for science, innovation, and government organization.

The city is now authorized to integrate residential, commercial, public, and service infrastructure into the planning and development of train stations, depots, and surrounding areas along the Ring Road 3 corridor - modeled on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) principles.

In terms of urban planning, HCMC will consolidate all relevant zoning levels into a single master plan, aligning with national, regional, and provincial strategies for comprehensive and streamlined development.

One of the most groundbreaking additions is the permission to establish and operate a free trade zone in Ho Chi Minh City.

Under this new regulation, the City Peoples Council will determine the procedures for establishing, expanding, or adjusting the boundaries of the free trade zone. The City People's Committee will be responsible for executing these decisions, particularly around the strategic Cai Mep Ha port area.

The free trade zone will have clearly defined geographic boundaries and will serve as a pilot zone for innovative, exceptional policies aimed at attracting high-quality capital, trade, finance, services, exports, industrial development, research and development (R&D), and global talent.

Vietnam to introduce international financial court with foreign judges

Also this morning, the National Assembly passed the Law on Specialized Courts for the International Financial Center. The law includes five chapters and 44 articles and will come into effect on January 1, 2026.

The law applies to the specialized court, members of the international financial center, investors, and other relevant parties involved in cases within the courts jurisdiction.

The specialized court, though part of Vietnams judiciary, will operate according to this distinct legal framework, with jurisdiction over all cases arising within the international financial center.

Its principles include judicial independence, equality before the law, guaranteed appeal rights, public trials (unless privacy is legally warranted), and alignment with international dispute resolution standards. Procedures will be transparent, efficient, impartial, and based on international norms and practices.

The court will be headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City and will include trial and appellate divisions, administrative support, and a full professional staff.

The court will have a Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justices, division heads, judges, clerks, and other officials. These will be appointed and dismissed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, with each term lasting five years.

Notably, judges can be foreign nationals if they meet strict criteria: they must be reputable legal experts or lawyers with good ethics and deep knowledge of investment and business law, with at least ten years of experience in adjudicating or resolving relevant cases.

They must also be fluent in English, under 75 years old, and in good health to fulfill their duties.

Vietnamese judges must meet similar criteria, including expertise in investment and business law, professional ethics, and at least ten years of experience. English proficiency is also required.

Judges are appointed by the President of Vietnam, based on recommendations from the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court. Their five-year terms may be revoked in cases of legal conviction, ethical violations, or actions deemed incompatible with their judicial role.

Tran Thuong
Under this resolution, the Hanoi Peoples Council is authorized to approve public investment projects and public-private partnership (PPP) projects that do not use central government funding.

These include public investments, PPP projects, or commercial projects that need to be deployed immediately under the directives of the Politburo, the Party Secretariat, the Governments Party Committee, or the Hanoi Party Executive Committee.

The chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee is granted authority to approve investment policies for strategic investor-attracting projects under the Capital Law, provided they have a minimum capital scale of VND 30 trillion (approximately USD 1.25 billion).

He is also authorized to approve urgent public or private projects following top-level Party and State directives.

Certain project categories excluded

However, the resolution excludes certain categories from the chairmans approval authority. These include nuclear power plants, foreign investments in telecom infrastructure, forestation, publishing, journalism, betting, casinos, games of chance for foreigners, and projects with significant environmental risks.

National defense and security projects classified as top secret also remain under the authority of the National Assembly or the Prime Minister.

For projects that require unique legal mechanisms beyond existing laws, with the competent authoritys consent, the Hanoi People's Committee must submit a proposal to the Government, which then seeks permission from the National Assembly Standing Committee before implementation.

Special procurement and planning procedures

The resolution permits the use of special contractor selection mechanisms for certain public and PPP projects.

The Hanoi Peoples Council is tasked with defining procedures, conditions, criteria, and documentation for selecting both investors and contractors.

For urgent investments mandated by the Politburo or Government, all planning approvals and construction work may proceed in parallel with the investment policy approval process - effectively speeding up implementation.

Land use and compensation policies

Regarding land recovery, lease, and allocation, the resolution allows the Hanoi government to use its own budget and other legal capital sources for site clearance and resettlement even before the investment policy is approved.

Beyond standard land recovery rules under Article 79 of the Land Law, the Peoples Council can independently approve additional land recovery cases in the public interest and take full responsibility for these decisions.

The Council is also authorized to decide on the compensation and support levels. For projects requiring urgent implementation under central directives, compensation can be up to twice the regulated level. Other projects are capped at double the existing compensation rates.

Emergency construction, redevelopment, and urban cleanup

The resolution introduces flexible measures to improve Hanois urban infrastructure.

New construction or renovation projects aimed at tackling urgent issues - such as traffic congestion, flooding, pollution, or public disorder - may be executed as emergency public investments under existing public investment laws.

For urban renewal efforts, once at least 75% of property owners agree - accounting for at least 75% of the residential land area - Hanoi authorities are empowered to enforce demolition orders.

Immunity for non-malicious errors, rewards for high performance

The resolution also clarifies accountability for officials involved in implementing the policy.

Those who have followed all legal and procedural requirements in good faith but still caused unintended damages may be exempted from disciplinary responsibility.

Conversely, individuals and organizations that deliver exceptional results in implementing this resolution will be rewarded in accordance with existing legal provisions.

The National Assembly emphasized that any corrupt, exploitative, or abusive actions by civil servants during the resolutions implementation will be strictly punished.

Tran Thuong
According to VASEP, the fisheries PPP group has shown little impact. Photo: Hoang Ha

Eight public-private partnership (PPP) groups were established to enhance productivity and reduce emissions in Vietnamese agriculture. However, key sectors like fisheries and livestock are underperforming, prompting a public apology and promises of corrective action from government officials.

At the December 11 conference on "Promoting PPP in low-emission agricultural value chains and carbon market integration," organized by PSAV (the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam), concerns were raised over the sluggish pace of some sectoral PPP groups.

Founded in 2010, PSAV aims for a "20-20-20" target: 20% increase in productivity, 20% poverty reduction, and 20% emission cuts. It currently supports eight PPP working groups: coffee, tea, fruits and vegetables, seafood, rice, spices and pepper, livestock, and agricultural chemicals.

Fisheries and livestock PPPs lack impact

Nguyen Hoai Nam, General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said the fisheries PPP group was established late and has made minimal impact.

According to Nam, emission-reduction efforts in the seafood industry have largely been driven by VASEP independently, while the PPP group has contributed little. He called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (NN&MT) to issue clearer directives to revitalize the groups effectiveness.

Pham Kim Dang, Deputy Director of the Department of Livestock Production and Veterinary Services, admitted similar issues. Despite many industry-led initiatives on greenhouse gas reduction in livestock, these efforts remain disconnected from PSAV's official programs.

Livestock is one of Vietnams major sources of emissions. The country ranks fifth globally in pig population, and dairy farming is also a major emitter.

Notably, livestock could become a leader in generating carbon credits, thanks to early biogas projects. In 2020 alone, the sector generated 32 million carbon credits, worth around USD 7 million - all reinvested into the industry.

Despite a clear sustainable development strategy, the lack of project coordination within the livestock PPP group has hindered carbon inventory efforts.

We have not paid enough attention to the PSAV initiative. I take responsibility, Dang said.

He noted the department is drafting new regulations and plans to identify leading enterprises to collaborate with PSAVs secretariat, establishing measurable targets and action plans.

Government response: Acknowledgement and commitment

After hearing industry concerns, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung, PSAV co-chair, issued a public apology.

The fault lies with State management, specifically the Department of Fisheries and Inspection. The Ministry takes responsibility. On behalf of the Ministry, I apologize and pledge to fix this, Trung said.

VASEP plays a key role in national exports, projected to exceed USD 11 billion this year. Trung stressed that proactive carbon reduction efforts are vital, rather than waiting for external pressure.

Agricultural chemical PPP underperforming

Trung also urged stronger action from the agricultural chemicals PPP group. While efforts to promote biological plant protection products in partnership with CropLife have started, progress is slow.

The adoption rate remains low, with limited inclusion of effective products on the approved list. Public awareness campaigns have also been insufficient.

Pesticide residue remains a major concern. Despite various initiatives, fragmented efforts have failed to address the root causes. As a result, exported produce still gets flagged for excessive pesticide levels.

Trung called on the chemical PPP group to develop a robust monitoring program for pesticide residues in crops. This would support both domestic food safety and export compliance.

Looking ahead: Building Vietnams carbon credit system

Speaking to VietNamNet on the sidelines, Deputy Minister Trung acknowledged that the fisheries and livestock PPP groups were established later than others, contributing to their slower progress. Still, all eight PPP groups have shown improvement in awareness and intent.

Going forward, the Ministry will guide each group to redefine their focus and deliver concrete results.

By 2028, Vietnam aims to complete its domestic carbon credit system. The Ministry is building emission reduction protocols for each agricultural sector, followed by public education campaigns.

The biggest challenge lies in developing a standardized system for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of emissions that is internationally recognized.

Once that is in place, the Ministry will launch projects that generate carbon credits and eventually integrate with international carbon markets.

In our roadmap, the domestic system will be finalized by 2028. Only after internal evaluation and piloting will we enter the global market, Trung emphasized.

Agriculture remains one of Vietnams top emitters, responsible for approximately 116.5 million tons of CO2-equivalent in 2020. Of this, crop cultivation alone accounts for 80%.

Tran Chung
The announcement came in response to growing complaints from students and alumni who claim they paid hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong to earn an international bachelor's degree - only to discover that their qualifications are not recognized by MoET.

Speaking to VietNamNet on December 12, MoET clarified that the London College for Design and Fashion had not been granted any official registration to operate foreign-linked educational programs in any field.

Under Vietnams 2014 Vocational Education Law and related regulations, institutions must convert their training programs and licenses into an official registration certificate in order to legally offer joint training with international partners.

However, the General Department of Vocational Education and Training (now the Department of Vocational and Continuing Education under MoET) stated that from 2015 until now, it has not received any registration documentation from the London College for Design and Fashion for such activities.

Previously, VietNamNet reported multiple accounts from students and graduates of the college who were shocked to learn that their bachelor's degrees did not meet the criteria for recognition by MoET.

Most of the affected students were enrolled in a one-year top-up bachelors program in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (UK).

Many expressed frustration and disillusionment, saying the situation has derailed their career plans, as they are unable to apply for jobs in public institutions or pursue postgraduate studies in Vietnam.

Upon learning their degrees were not officially recognized, a number of students filed formal complaints with the relevant authorities.

According to these complaints, between 2022 and 2025, the college consistently offered a final-year bachelors program. The school advertised the courses online and claimed that the international degree is globally valid.

Trusting this promise, many students enrolled. The complaints estimate that more than 40 students joined the program, each paying approximately VND 289 million (around USD 11,600) for the final-year course alone.

So far, the London College for Design and Fashion has not issued an official response regarding the allegations.

Thuy Nga
Hanoi Peoples Committee last September issued a decision approving the investor consortium composed of Viglacera Corporation, Hoang Thanh Infrastructure Investment and Development, and Central Construction JSC.

The project covers an area of nearly 45 hectares, with a total investment capital of VND9.3 trillion, of which nearly VND617 billion is allocated for compensation for site clearance and resettlement. The land fund dedicated to social housing construction is over 13 hectares, while commercial housing is over 3.3 hectares.

The total contributed capital from the three investors is VND1.5 trillion. Of this, Viglacera accounts for the largest share with VND825 billion (55 percent), Hoang Thanh VND450 billion (30 percent), and Central VND225 billion (15 percent). They will mobilize an additional approximately VND7.8 trillion to implement the project.

Upon completion, the project will have more than 3,100 social housing units, 427 commercial apartments, and 99 low-rise houses. Other components of the project include schools from preschool to secondary, service facilities, and commercial works.

Also in Phuc Thinh, not far from Tien Duong 1, is Tien Duong 2 project with a total investment of over VND6.8 trillion, built on a land area of over 14.6 hectares. Upon completion, the project will have 3,458 units, including 3,344 social housing ones.

Social housing units of both projects must be completed by 2030 as requested by the municipal authorities.

Hanoi People's Committee has recently issued a decision to allocate land in Phuc Loi ward (formerly Long Bien district) to Him Lam JSC which will develop a social housing project. The land area, covering over 7.5 hectares, has completed site clearance.

Social housing units will be developed on five land plots with a total area of nearly 4.7ha. The investor is exempt from land-use fees for this area. The project will also allocate more than 1.5ha for building schools and 1.3ha for transport, green spaces, and infrastructure.

Him Lam must put the land into use within 12 months; if delayed, they may be granted a maximum extension of 24 months.

Supply of social housing in Hanoi is showing signs of recovery, but selling prices continue to rise. Since late last year, many social housing projects in Hanoi have continuously broken ground. This year, the city expects to complete six projects in suburban areas with more than 4,700 units, priced from VND18.4 million to VND29.4 million/sqm.

On the afternoon of December 3, the Hanoi Public Administration Service Center organized a dialogue conference with the public on resolving difficulties for people buying social housing.

One of the issues of public concern is the existence of the so called diplomatic slot which is understood as under-the-table quota or insider allocation.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Division (Hanoi City Police), affirmed that "these types of alleged insider slots absolutely do not exist."

Regarding concerns that ward and commune police lack clear guidelines to verify income for informal workers, a mandatory document in social housing applications, Lieutenant Colonel Le The Tung from Hanoi Police said that under Decree 261/2025, commune-level police have seven days to verify income conditions for informal workers without labor contracts. However, implementation has faced difficulties because the national population database does not yet contain income information for this group.

He said that Hanoi Police have required agencies to provide all available data, especially residency information, to support the public. If any inconvenience or obstruction occurs, city police will intervene immediately.

He added that for informal workers living locally, income verification is compulsory for social housing applications. Hanoi Police have reported the issue to the Ministry of Public Security for more detailed instructions.

He asked departments to continue organizing sectoral data to enrich the national population database and facilitate administrative services.

At the dialogue, residents asked about procedures for drawing lots to buy or rent social housing. At the Rice City Long Chau project, the investor organized a lucky draw for apartment sizes, resulting in single applicants receiving large units while families of four or five drew smaller units.

Le Quang Huy, Deputy General Director of BIC Vietnam JSC, said that on November 24 the investor held a lottery for eligible applicants. The project includes various sizes ranging from 30sqm to 77sqm.

Hong Khanh
The first phase of the program, covering 20262030, is allocated a total state budget of approximately $17.5 billion (423 trillion VND). This includes:

$4.1 billion from the central budget (of which $2.87 billion will go to development investment and $1.23 billion to recurring expenses)

$12.4 billion from local government budgets

$1 billion from policy-based credit funds derived from the state budget

The overarching objective is to double or triple rural residents average income by 2030 compared to 2020. By 2035, rural incomes are projected to increase at least 1.6 times over 2030, with ethnic minority incomes reaching half the national average.

The program focuses on socio-economic development in rural, remote, and ethnic minority regions - areas historically underserved in infrastructure, services, and opportunity.

It also aims to boost resilience in these regions through investments in housing, agriculture, water supply, education, healthcare, and employment generation.

To ensure implementation, the National Assembly has tasked the Government with directing the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to lead coordination efforts, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and other relevant ministries.

The Government will also adjust central funding levels, including social policy credit, based on evolving needs and annual progress reports submitted to the National Assembly.

By 2030, a full review of the 20262030 phase will be conducted, along with proposals for the 20312035 phase and its required resources.

Prime Minister to set local co-funding rates and priorities

The National Assembly has given the Prime Minister the authority to specify principles, criteria, and allocation levels for central budget funding and local co-financing ratios.

These will be differentiated by levels of regional hardship, prioritizing communes, villages, border zones, safe zones, and islands with the most urgent development needs.

The Prime Minister will also determine five-year and annual targets for each province and city, ensuring localized adaptation and accountability.

In addition, the Prime Minister is responsible for issuing a new national rural development criteria framework for 20262030, as well as updated evaluation criteria for the OCOP (One Commune, One Product) program - to improve quality, branding, sustainability, and market fit.

The government will oversee implementation, monitor progress, and instruct provinces to mobilize and integrate diverse resources, including local budgets and public-private partnerships.

Avoiding duplication, ensuring accountability

Ahead of the vote, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang presented a report summarizing feedback from National Assembly deputies and revisions to the resolution.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly emphasized the need to avoid overlap in target groups and policies across different national programs. This includes aligning policies in education, healthcare, and culture to ensure full coverage of vulnerable groups, particularly in ethnic and mountainous areas.

Urgent issues like housing, farmland, and access to clean water must be addressed as a priority.

The Committee also proposed assigning clear leadership roles to individual ministries for each program component to ensure responsibility and coordination.

Minister Tran Duc Thang confirmed that the Government will continue to refine implementation details, avoid redundancies, and align with other national programs to cover all unique groups effectively.

He also noted that ministries would be clearly assigned to lead specific components, with responsibilities defined for efficient execution.

Call for ethnic-focused leadership

Several National Assembly deputies urged that the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs be assigned as the lead agency for the ethnic minority development component of the national program.

Deputy Ha Sy Dong emphasized the need for a unified leadership role to ensure consistency in policies and program execution for ethnic communities.

Deputy Ho Thi Minh, an ethnic Bru-Van Kieu representative, stressed the importance of ensuring smooth continuity in the program starting from 2026. She recommended assigning leadership of the second program component - focused on ethnic policy - to the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs for maximum effectiveness.

Others echoed that ministries with deep expertise in ethnic affairs should oversee the corresponding program areas to improve impact and coordination.

Thanh Hue
The statement was made during a phone conversation between the two leaders on the afternoon of December 12.

Both prime ministers welcomed the positive progress in the VietnamMalaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and agreed to soon formalize the action plan for 20262030. This roadmap will outline specific directions for cooperation across key sectors.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: Nhat Bac

The two countries aim to increase bilateral trade to USD 20 billion, with a focus on balancing trade flows.

Prime Minister Chinh proposed boosting cooperation in several areas, including rice trade, maritime and ocean affairs - particularly oil and gas collaboration between Vietnam's PetroVietnam and Malaysias Petronas, joint fisheries efforts, and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

On regional and international matters, both leaders expressed serious concern about the escalating situation between Cambodia and Thailand. They called on all parties to exercise restraint, refrain from the use of force, and resolve differences through peaceful dialogue.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with other ASEAN member states to strengthen regional solidarity, maintain ASEANs centrality, and leverage ASEAN mechanisms to promote dialogue and sustain peace, stability, and cooperation in the region.

Earlier in the day, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung held a phone call with his Malaysian counterpart, Dato Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan.

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung during a phone call with Malaysias Foreign Minister. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The ministers noted significant progress in bilateral relations and strong cooperation between their foreign ministries.

They agreed to intensify efforts to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and to organize the 8th Joint Committee meeting soon, where the 20262030 action plan would be officially adopted.

Economic collaboration remained a focal point, with both sides aiming to reach USD 20 billion in balanced trade. They also pledged to enhance cooperation in fisheries and finalize a new memorandum of understanding on agriculture, fisheries, and food security.

Malaysias foreign minister reiterated support for Vietnam in developing its Halal industry and combating IUU fishing.

Minister Le Hoai Trung also congratulated Malaysia on its successful ASEAN chairmanship in 2025, highlighting the implementation of key initiatives and regional issue resolutions.

The two diplomats discussed recent regional and global developments, especially the growing tension between Cambodia and Thailand. They shared a strong concern about the situation and agreed to work closely with other ASEAN members to uphold internal unity and ASEAN centrality.

They emphasized the importance of using ASEAN mechanisms to encourage restraint, avoid the use of force, and resolve disputes peacefully - thereby contributing to a stable, secure, and cooperative environment in the region and beyond.

Tran Thuong
Vietnamese wood manufacturers are facing increasing challenges. Photo: Anh Phuong

At the 5th Congress of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association (Viforest), held on December 11 in Ho Chi Minh City, industry representatives expressed serious concerns over management gaps and called for stronger support from Viforest in trade promotion and policy advocacy.

Speaking at the congress, Le Duc Nghia, Chairman of An Cuong Wood JSC, stressed the importance of direct engagement and knowledge sharing to help businesses grow sustainably.

According to Nghia, Vietnamese wood manufacturers benefit from a highly skilled workforce and products capable of competing internationally. However, weak corporate governance remains a major issue.

Reflecting on his own journey, Nghia recalled that a decade ago, when An Cuongs annual revenue reached VND 1 trillion (about USD 40 million), he struggled with operational management due to a lack of experience. This prompted a full restructuring and an investment of USD 1 million into digital transformation.

Digital transformation has enabled An Cuong to streamline operations and maintain full control over our processes in the last five years, Nghia said.

Vu Quang Huy, CEO of Tekcom JSC, shared that his firm currently generates USD 100 million in annual revenue, with core products being plywood and kitchen cabinets. Still, the sector is under pressure from changing tariffs, stricter rules of origin, and transparency demands.

Huy outlined the biggest challenges: rising input costs amid declining sale prices, legal risks related to raw material sourcing, and potential supply chain disruptions as many firms must now import their own materials.

He proposed three key solutions: enhancing source traceability, fostering partnerships and specialization, and restructuring supply and value chains.

If Vietnamese wood firms strengthen their collaboration, our supply chains could rival those of Thailand or China, he emphasized.

Craft villages face decline without digital skills

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri speaks at the congress. Photo: Anh Phuong
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program (vetsprobono.org) recently announced that Roy E. Spicer of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) will be stepping down from the nonprofit's board of directors to retire at the end of 2025. The announcement came after Spicer received the Warrior for Justice Award to commemorate his 18 years of service on The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program's board of directors, and his dedication to the nation as decorated combat veteran, tireless advocate, and lifelong champion for justice on behalf of the nation's veterans.

Steve Jordon, the Executive Director of The Veterans Consortium said, "Roy epitomizes the definition of selfless service -- he has always placed the value of others over himself. His entire adult life has been dedicated to serving our nation and serving those who served our nation. During my time under Roy's tenure as a Veterans Consortium Executive Board Director, he guided the organization with a veterans first approach. He leaves behind a legacy of giving veterans their voice in fighting for the benefits that they earned in military service."

Mr. Spicer's career of service began in 1968 when he joined the U.S. Army and led a Recon Team in Vietnam, where he sustained serious injuries during combat. Once medically retired, he went on to dedicate more than five decades to Veterans advocacy through Disabled American Veterans (DAV). His military honors, including two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star with "V" device, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, reflect his courage in battle, while his career reflects an equally fierce commitment to justice.

As Supervisor of DAV's National Appeals Office and Director on The Veterans Consortium's Executive Board since 2008, Mr. Spicer played a pivotal role in The Veterans Consortium's transition into a nonprofit organization and was even admitted to the Bar of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims as a Non-Attorney Practitioner, where he helped shape the landscape of Veterans law.

Mr. Spicer's leadership, compassion, and unwavering dedication have empowered thousands of Veterans to receive the benefits and dignity they earned. His legacy is one of honor, impact, and inspiration.

Roy will be succeeded on the board by the DAV's Jim Marszalek, who serves as the Assistant Executive Director of the DAV's Washington Headquarters. As one of the Veteran Consortium's founding members, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has a permanent seat on the nonprofit's board of directors.

The DAV's Charitable Service Trust is also the exclusive sponsor of The Veterans Consortium's Discharge Upgrade Program, which provides volunteer attorneys to Veterans, free of charge, who have received unjust discharge ratings, restoring both honor and benefits to those with invisible injuries such as PTSD and MST.

-- About The Veterans Consortium --

The Veterans Consortium (vetsprobono.org) is a national nonprofit training attorneys from America's top firms and companies to volunteer for Veterans, and help them get the benefits they earned, free of charge.

SOURCE The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
Transition Facilitated by Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Building Group (SBG), a Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based construction firm, has successfully transitioned to employee ownership through the establishment of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), marking a major milestone in the company's 15-year history.

Southern Building Group has transitioned to Employee Ownership

Founded by lifelong friends John Elliott and Chad Davenport, SBG was built on shared values and local roots. The pair grew up together in McMinnville, Tenn., where Elliott's father owned a construction company. After working in both the family business and larger construction firms, Elliott and Davenport launched SBG.

As the owners began exploring succession options, they determined that a traditional third-party sale was not the right fit for the business or its people. Instead, they chose an ESOP structure, allowing an institutional trustee to hold shares on behalf of all employees, similar to a retirement plan.

"We are so excited to offer this opportunity to our employees," Elliott said. "This company would not exist without them, and they deserve ownership. This transaction also ensures that SBG will exist for years to come."

Through the ESOP, all SBG employees became company owners immediately. Day-to-day operations and leadership will remain unchanged in the near term, with current management continuing to lead the business while developing future leaders internally over time.

Reed Kelly and Kyle Kerrigan of Viking Mergers & Acquisitions guided the succession planning and transaction execution.

"This structure allowed the founders to achieve their goals while preserving the culture and continuity of the business," said Kelly. "We suggested an ESOP, and they loved the idea. Viking partnered with EFS consultants out of Memphis as an ESOP advisor."

With the ESOP in place, Southern Building Group enters its next chapter with a structure designed for continuity, shared success, and long-term growth.

About Viking Mergers and Acquisitions in Nashville

Viking M&A of Nashville provides merger and acquisition services to small and middle-market business owners. As part of Viking M&A's multi-state network, the Nashville office is backed by one of the largest business brokerage firms in the southeast U.S. Since 1996, Viking has successfully sold over 900 businesses with an 85% close rate, at an average of 96% of the market value.

Visit https://www.vikingmergers.com/market/business-brokers-nashville-tn/ to request a free confidential business valuation or to get more information.

SOURCE Viking Mergers & Acquisitions
LUSAKA, Zambia, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Starkey Hearing Foundation marked a major milestone last week, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Starkey Hearing Institute alongside its newest class of graduates. The multi-day event also recognized the Institute's continued growth, including the opening of an expanded on-campus dormitory that will nearly double student capacity moving forward.

Starkey Hearing Institute Zambia graduates 24 new hearing healthcare professionals to give the gift of hearing across the African continent.

The week commenced with a large-scale hearing care initiative that fitted nearly 300 people with hearing aids and culminated with the Foundation honoring 24 new graduates during a ceremony attended by alumni and distinguished guests, including representatives from Zambia's Ministry of Health, musical artist and philanthropist Innoss'B, and CNN correspondent Larry Madowo.

Since opening in 2015, the Institute has now trained 147 hearing healthcare professionals from 19 African nations through its intensive, hands-on program. Graduates return equipped to deliver high-quality hearing services to tens of thousands of people each year.

"This milestone celebration, shared with our graduates, alumni, and devoted supporters, is our mission in action as we continue to actively provide care," said Richard S. Brown, president and board chair of Starkey Hearing Foundation. "We're incredibly proud of all we've achieved over the last decade and look forward to bigger impact - so the world may hear."

Built on the WFA Community-Based Hearing Healthcare Model, the Institute strengthens health systems, expands access where it's needed most, and develops local leaders. The Zambia campus has also inspired global expansion - with new Institutes launched in the Philippines and in El Salvador - and plans for new locations underway.

With more than 430 million people experiencing disabling hearing loss, this remains one of the world's biggest health challenges. In Africa, that number is projected to rise from 136 million to 337 million by 2050. A shortage of trained professionals remains the greatest barrier - one the Foundation is addressing through scalable, community-led training programs.

Photo/video assets can be found here.

About Starkey Hearing Foundation

Starkey Hearing Foundation is training the next generation of hearing healthcare professionals to give the gift of hearing to people in need. Established by William and Tani Austin 40+ years ago, the Foundation has impacted more than 1.5 million people in 100+ countries. Today, the organization's mission is firmly focused on building sustainable, community-led systems of hearing healthcare that will last for generations.

Media Contact:

Stacey Robertson, Bellmont Partners

[email protected]

612-868-4310

SOURCE Starkey Hearing Foundation
At the closing workshop held in Hanoi on December 12, Pham Quang Tu, deputy country director of Oxfam in Vietnam, said the Fair for All (F4A) project  funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and implemented by Oxfam in 2021  aims to help vulnerable groups engage more effectively in agricultural value chains, encourage sustainable production models, and place people and the planet at the centre of development.

Over the last five years, F4A has shown that when vulnerable communities have a voice in value chains, they can shape development that truly serves their needs, said Tu. "Strengthening womens economic autonomy remains essential because inclusive growth is impossible if half the population is left behind."

F4A was implemented across multiple provinces with the participation of political-social organisations, and research institutes, focusing on three key areas: capacity-building for social organisations; promoting green livelihoods and circular economy models; and enhancing the role of women and ethnic minorities in agricultural value chains.

Thanks to strong collaboration among stakeholders, the initiative helped shift development mindsets and improved organisational capacity at the local level. These outcomes provide a solid foundation for scaling up the models and sustaining long-term impact beyond the projects completion, Tu said.

In Thai Nguyen province, F4A supported many women from the San Chay ethnic group to strengthen their economic autonomy and preserve indigenous knowledge. Members of the Dong Tien Cooperative in Phu Luong Commune, such as Hoang Thi Hang, successfully transformed herbs grown around their homes into herbal pillow products recognised as three-star OCOP items.

"I had to rehabilitate the soil around my house to plant herbs," said Hang. "The process was very hard, but fortunately, my husband supported me and helped clear the land. After that, I combined our familys traditional oriental medicine practice to create the herbal pillow. I gathered women who shared the same passion, and together we established a cooperative."

During product testing, she became even more confident. When we had the product inspected for food safety, there were no chemicals or harmful substances at all, she said. The success of the herbal pillow opened new economic opportunities for the community. Hang also restored her stilt house to receive visitors seeking herbal treatments.

Cooperative member Hoang Thi Trinh expressed the communitys aspirations, Our village will become a community-based tourism area to create livelihoods and increase income for local people.

Women-made products from the Dong Tien Cooperative in Phu Luong commune, Thai Nguyen province

In Quang Tri province, F4A supported the Bru Van Kieu community in shifting from traditional farming to high-tech bamboo shoot cultivation, a model that fits local conditions and generates stable income and protects the environment.

Ho Thi Tuong, a member of the Giang Truong Xuan Bamboo Shoot Cooperative in Truong Son Commune, said, Local people here really enjoy this bamboo shoot scheme. It provides income while helping protect the land and prevent erosion.

Explaining why the model is sustainable, researchers said the mountainous terrain and cool, humid climate make the area ideal for bamboo growth. In villages blanketed by dust from stone mines, where vegetables cannot grow and citrus trees fail to bear fruit, bamboo still thrives, stabilises the soil, and reduces dust. This makes bamboo shoot cultivation a practical and climate-resilient solution.

The scheme also extended its impact to Ca Mau province, where F4A promoted circular economy practices and strengthened legal capacity for communities in Song Doc and Dat Mui communes, helping residents become more resilient to climate change and safeguard long-term livelihoods.

Gribnau Fleur, first secretary at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam, said Vietnam is at a critical turning point as it moves towards a greener, more circular economy. The Netherlands is proud to support this transition not only through technical expertise and investment, but also through partnerships that bring together government, businesses, social organisations and researchers, she said.

She added that all changes must consider community wellbeing and environmental integrity  only then can growth be genuinely sustainable.

According to Fleur, F4A reflects this multidimensional approach by enabling women, ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups to strengthen their capabilities, access sustainable livelihoods and participate more fully in value chains rooted in traditional knowledge.

Over its five years, F4A delivered a series of notable outcomes: 10 social-organisation initiatives promoting green livelihoods and circular-economy models; 16 partner organisations engaged as advisors and collaborators; and 54 organisations and research units that strengthened their capacity.

The project supported 92 livelihood models across livestock and crop production, developed five alternative business models aligned with green and circular principles, and reached more than 380,000 people  including nearly 156,000 women. It also implemented four community-monitoring initiatives involving 70 residents, most of them women.

Hanoi symposium highlights gender equality research and policy An international scientific conference on gender equality and female empowerment was held in Hanoi, bringing together Vietnamese and international experts.

Experts highlight unpaid care work as key barrier to gender equality Vietnams push for gender equality is hindered by a persistent blind spot: unpaid care work, which limits womens participation in the workforce.
CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltmann Law Offices announces Another Arbitration Award Against Coinbase, Inc. (COIN stock symbol). An Arbitrator from the American Arbitration Association in Maini v. Coinbase, Inc., AAA Case No. 01-24-0003-1829 awarded the Claimant $329,665.12, his full loss, plus $150,000 in additional damages "in recompense for Respondent's actions taken and ignored in connection with his account-takeover and ensuing claims," $95,602.85 in attorney's fees, and $41,947.29 in costs. The Arbitrator ruled in Claimant's favor on his gross negligence count, breach of contract claims, breach of fiduciary duty claims, fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation claims and false advertisement claim based on the Arbitrator's determination that Coinbase "knowingly or recklessly misrepresented its security practices, its role as a privacy concerned and careful custodian of account information and assets (which it was not), its vow to reimburse those customers victimized by the TaskUs data breaches it caused, its compliance posture, and its Privacy Policy." The arbitrator also found that Coinbase's advertising and promises about account security "offering 'bank-level security', 'industry leading security', and 'that it is constantly working to protect' customers from 'emerging threats'" violated the California False Advertising Law. Last, the arbitrator found that by processing the illicit transactions, Coinbase violated California UCC  8507(b).

In the reasoned award before the American Arbitration Association, Maini v. Coinbase, Inc., AAA Case No. 01-24-0003-1829, the arbitrator made numerous specific findings against Coinbase, including findings that Coinbase failed to even investigate the root cause of Claimant's Coinbase customer support scam, despite his information being exposed in the TaskUs data breach. The arbitrator found Coinbase's use of TaskUs "spawned an illicit marketplace and clearinghouse for the pricing, acquisition and sale of the same confidential customer information it was duty-bound to protect", concluding that Coinbase's "poor decision making was the catalyst for all the social engineering ATOs which ensued." The arbitration award comes after three days of hearings, prehearing briefs on the law, and post-hearing briefing. The Arbitrator determined that Coinbase deviated from the standard of care owed by a custodian of assets and that Coinbase's decision to share highly confidential customer account information with TaskUs was the vector for the fraud perpetuated on Claimant.

According to Chicago attorney Andrew Stoltmann, one of the attorneys who tried the case against Coinbase, "This Award is complete vindication for a Coinbase customer who Coinbase blamed for being the victim of a social engineering attack from the first instance." Sara Hanley, co-lead counsel, added: "Coinbase failed to conduct even a basic investigation into Claimant's complaint, despite being notified promptly that he had been defrauded by an individual impersonating Coinbase customer support. This disregard for a customer reporting an active security incident stands in stark contrast to Coinbase's public representations regarding account security and customer protection. Coinbase was ultimately forced to compensate Claimant for its many failures, including what the arbitrator determined to be security failures which set the account-takeover into motion, and a disingenuous and false promise to reimburse victims of the TaskUs data breach."

Press contact = Joe Wojciechowski, [email protected], 312-332-4200.

SOURCE Stoltmann Law Offices
Corridor care branded daily reality in Wales hospitals

Patients are being treated in store cupboards, break rooms and toilets as so-called corridor care becomes the norm in Welsh hospitals, the Senedd has heard.

Senedd members warned treating patients in inappropriate areas has become a daily reality rather than an exception as they debated calls for the practice to be eradicated.

The debate was prompted by a petition  submitted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and British Medical Association (BMA)  which gathered more than 10,000 signatures.

Petitioners demanded that keeping patients on trolleys or chairs for a long time be formally classified as a never event  a serious, preventable safety incident that should not happen.

But the Welsh Government rejected the calls, arguing the strict definition of a never event applies only to preventable medical mistakes  not systemic capacity pressures.

No dignity

The petition urged ministers to start reporting on corridor care, pause reductions in hospital beds, invest in community care, and prioritise prevention and early intervention.

Sharing her own experience, Reform UKs Laura Anne Jones argued corridor care is one of the clearest signs of a health service that has been allowed to fall into crisis.

I was placed on a broken bed in a corridor for two nights before a room became available, she said. I was in too much pain to care at the time but those caring for me said how completely inappropriate it was and kept apologising for it.

Ms Jones added: I could hear private conversations between consultants, doctors and nurses about other patients. And I was right against a curtainless window there was no dignity, no privacy, and thats just not OK.

The Conservatives Joel James told the Senedd thousands of patients are now being treated on trolleys in corridors, in ambulances, store cupboards and other places not meant for care. This is putting life at risk, he said. They are being treated without proper facilities.

Inhumane

Mr James warned: NHS Wales doesnt even collect data on who is being treated in a corridor. That frankly should surprise no-one, as Welsh Labours philosophy has always been, if you dont measure it, then there is no evidence to pin you down on it.

His Tory colleague Janet Finch-Saunders said: I even know of situations where a paramedic will leave a patient in an ambulance with a new paramedic coming on.

When that paramedic comes back on the next shift, the same patient is still in that ambulance

How can that be morally right? Its inhumane, its cruel and its certainly unacceptable.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymrus shadow health secretary, warned the demeaning and dangerous practice has become an almost inescapable part of hospital care.

What should be the exception has now been normalised, he said.

Rhys ab Owen, who sits as an independent, highlighted reports of patients being cared for in car parks, break rooms and even toilets.

National crisis

Labours Carolyn Thomas, who chairs the Senedds petitions committee, warned that RCN and BMA members view corridor care as a systemic national crisis.

Responding to Wednesdays (December 10) debate, Jeremy Miles acknowledged that corridor care compromises patient dignity and staff well-being.

But Wales health secretary insisted that designating corridor care as a never event was not the solution. The delivery of care in undesignated or non-clinical environments doesnt meet the criteria due to the complexity of underlying causes, he said.

Mr Miles told the Senedd: We do not endorse routine care in non-clinical environments. Our goal is to eliminate this practice through system-wide reform.

Eradicating care in undesignated or non-clinical environments will not be a simple quick fix. It requires co-ordinated action across health and social care.

By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter
Junior chef contest a Springboard to national finals for Wrexham student

Coleg Cambira welcomed some of North Wales most promising young culinary talent to the first-ever Wrexham heat of the Springboard FutureChef competition.

Seven budding chefs from Years 9 and 10 took part in the contest  held at the colleges Ial Restaurant  including two learners from Cambrias GCSE Hospitality and Catering school links programme.

Representatives from Ysgol Clywedog, Denbigh High School, Ysgol Bryn Alyn, Rhosnesni High School and The Maelor School in Penley took part in the challenge, which saw competitors tasked with producing one dish and two portions on a strict 6.50 budget, showcasing impressive technical ability, creativity and calmness under pressure.

Among the judging panel were Private Chef Rossett (Roxanne Deamer) and Brett Bignell from the Royal Navy, alongside Nathan Booth, Head Chef at Everton FCs Hill Dickinson Stadium, who praised the high standard of dishes and the composure shown by all participants.

He said he would happily welcome any of the young chefs into his own kitchen and joked that it was the quietest kitchen Ive ever been in, given how focused and unflustered the contestants remained throughout.

The winner of the heat was 15-year-old Rya Smith from Wrexham, a Year 2 learner on Coleg Cambrias school links GCSE Hospitality and Catering course and a pupil at Rhosnesni High School.

Rya impressed with her poached plaice papillote served with a potato cake and beurre blanc.

She said: My dream is to be a chef one day. I was so nervous but excited, and Im really happy to win. I chose a fish course because it takes a lot of skill, the preparation and deboning really challenged me. It was a little scary, but I did it, and Im proud of the final dish.

Rya will now advance to the regional finals in Cardiff next February. Also progressing is Naraya Leburn from Denbigh High School, who was awarded a wildcard place after her chicken in tarragon sauce with potatoes and broccoli proved a favourite with the judging panel.

Angharad Jarvis, Curriculum Lead for Hospitality and Catering at Coleg Cambria, said: We are incredibly proud of all the competitors, especially our own learners who displayed such professionalism.

Hosting FutureChef strengthens our partnerships with local schools and provides young people with a fantastic platform to explore their passion and potential in hospitality.

Rebecca Slade, Careers, Education and Employability Programme Delivery Manager for Springboard, added: The level of cooking was exceptional, and the closeness of the competition speaks volumes about the talent in the room.

Their calmness and focus for such a young age was remarkable. A huge thank you to Coleg Cambria for hosting us and for providing such excellent facilities  it was a brilliant heat, and every competitor should be proud.

Coleg Cambria lecturer Angel Ralchev said: It was a privilege to host the competition, and we are thrilled that one of our learners came out on top. Events like FutureChef give students a real insight into the pressures and standards of a professional kitchen, and they all handled it incredibly well.

The Springboard FutureChef competition is the UKs leading school-based culinary programme, engaging more than 25,000 young people each year.

It aims to develop essential cooking skills, build confidence, and inspire the next generation of chefs through a structured series of school, local, regional and national heats supported by professional mentors.

For more information about Hospitality and Catering courses at Coleg Cambria, visit the website: www.cambria.ac.uk. Visit www.futurechef.uk for more about Springboard FutureChef.
Mask-wearing returns to North Wales hospitals to curb winter virus spread

Face masks have been reintroduced at hospitals across North Wales as part of efforts to reduce the spread of winter illnesses.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is asking patients, visitors and staff to wear a fluid-resistant face mask when attending the Emergency Department and other admission, assessment and triage areas, unless they are exempt because of a health condition

Masks will be available at the entrances of these departments. Other hospital areas caring for patients with weakened immune systems may also introduce mask-wearing, depending on local risk assessments.

The move comes amid a rise in flu and other winter illnesses across the regions hospitals.

The health board says that cases of flu and other respiratory illnesses have risen in recent weeks and in a bid to prevent rates reaching high levels, masks are being introduced as a necessary precaution to help reduce the spread.

Besti Cadwaladr University Health Board is also urging the public to help reduce the spread of winter viruses and prevent illness by:

Avoiding visiting loved ones in hospital if you have a cough, cold, sore throat, or a high temperature. Anyone with symptoms of vomiting or diarrhoea must wait at least 48 hours after their symptoms end before visiting.

Making sure you take up winter vaccines you are eligible for to help protect the most vulnerable against serious illness, and reduce the circulation of viruses in the community.

Managing mild and moderate symptoms of flu or other winter viruses safely at home, and trying to avoid passing it on to others. Advice and remedies are available from local community pharmacies, or NHS 111 Wales. If you experience severe symptoms or have difficulty breathing, please attend an Emergency Department.

Washing your hands or using hand sanitiser regularly, and before entering any wards or clinical areas.

Avoiding sitting on patient beds, or using patient toilets.

Covering your mouth if you sneeze or cough. Use a tissue and make sure you dispose of your tissue in a bin and wash your hands. If you do not have a tissue, sneeze of cough into the crook of your elbow.

Cleaning procedures and ventilation at hospitals across North Wales are also being stepped up.

Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Angela Wood said: We monitor cases of flu and other winter infections every day, and are now introducing face masks in those areas of our hospitals where the risk is currently greatest.

We are prepared to step up to compulsory masking in all areas of our hospitals if we judge that this is necessary in the days ahead.

But we continue to urge people across North Wales to follow our simple guidance to help keep themselves and vulnerable people in our hospitals as safe as possible this winter. Thank you for your support.

The health board has also warned that in some areas, it may be necessary to restrict visiting based on local risk assessments. Visitors are asked to contact the relevant ward and department staff for advice, or if they have any concerns.
Students at Damonte Ranch High School wrapped up a project that had the campus buzzing on Thursday when they filled a small VW bug with donated toys for the Northern Nevada Childrens Cancer Foundation.

The effort was part of the annual Stuff da Bug Toy Drive, where Student Leadership members collect new, packaged, unwrapped toys, excluding stuffed animals.

The drive was launched last year by a former Damonte Ranch High School parent whose son was a cancer survivor who received support from the foundation.

Students aimed to gather two hundred toys by December 11, and they spent the morning working toward that goal outside the school from 11 a.m. to noon. They made a final push for more toys as the deadline approached, and the car was filled.

School staff said they were proud of the work the students put into organizing the collection and helping support families facing childhood cancer.
Revenued Releases 2025 Year in Review SMB Report Highlighting Tariffs, AI Adoption and the Growing Role of Resiliency

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Revenued today announced the release of its 2025 Year in Review SMB Report: Tariffs, AI, and Resiliency, a comprehensive analysis of how small businesses across the United States adapted to one of the most unpredictable economic environments in recent years.

Drawing on a full year of research that includes the company's AI Usage Study, Q3 Tariff Report and Tariff Ripple Report, the new report details the operational, financial and emotional pressures faced by 446 small business owners across more than 20 industries. The research, conducted by Revenued's Marketing and Research Team led by Grant Pastor, highlights the practical steps business owners took to remain viable throughout 2025.

The report finds that while volatility defined the year, resilience defined the response. Many business owners reported feeling better prepared for 2026, not because conditions improved, but because they adapted to shifting demand, rising costs and tightening access to working capital.

Key findings include:

Financial strain was widespread. 68% of owners experienced at least one moment in 2025 when they feared their business might not survive.

68% of owners experienced at least one moment in 2025 when they feared their business might not survive. Stress levels rose sharply. 43% of owners said financial pressure significantly increased their stress, and another third said it somewhat increased their stress.

43% of owners said financial pressure significantly increased their stress, and another third said it somewhat increased their stress. Operational adjustments were essential. Many owners described redesigning workflows, renegotiating supplier terms or introducing new service tiers to stabilize cash flow.

Many owners described redesigning workflows, renegotiating supplier terms or introducing new service tiers to stabilize cash flow. Technology and AI adoption grew. Owners reported using AI tools for scheduling, invoicing and administrative work, often out of necessity rather than innovation.

Owners reported using AI tools for scheduling, invoicing and administrative work, often out of necessity rather than innovation. Traditional financing fell short. Many owners said bank approvals were too slow or did not fit their revenue patterns, leading them to rely on flexible alternative financing options.

Many owners said bank approvals were too slow or did not fit their revenue patterns, leading them to rely on flexible alternative financing options. Resilience strengthened across the year. Owners said they feel better prepared for 2026 because they adapted to volatility, rather than waiting for conditions to improve.

Quotes from Revenued

"Small business owners faced another year of uncertainty, yet they continued to adapt in ways that were practical, thoughtful and often remarkably creative," said Grant Pastor, Head of Marketing and Research at Revenued. "What we saw again and again was a sense of resolve. Owners were not simply reacting to challenges. They were building systems that allowed them to function in unpredictable conditions. That experience is shaping the confidence many feel as they enter 2026."

According to Elona Bregasi, who led owner interviews for the study, the emotional landscape was just as important as the operational one. "Owners talked about exhaustion, but they also talked about why they kept going," Bregasi said. "They showed up for their teams, their customers and their families. Their voices brought depth to the data and made it clear that resilience is not an abstract idea. It is something they practiced every day."

About the Report

The Revenued 2025 Year in Review SMB Report: Tariffs, AI, and Resiliency examines survey responses and interviews with small business owners from a wide range of industries, regions and revenue levels. Some identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.

Report Availability

The full report is available for download at: https://www.revenued.com/the-revenued-2025-year-in-review-smb-report

About Revenued

Revenued provides revenue-based financing and financial tools designed to support small and midsize businesses with flexible funding aligned to real cash flow. Through data-driven underwriting and a deep understanding of SMB needs, Revenued helps business owners operate confidently in both stable and volatile conditions.

Media Contact

Leah Hughes

Media Contact

Revenued

[email protected]

SOURCE Revenued
DECEMBER 11 UPDATE:

An investigation into glass-like objects found in frozen and reheated tater tots served to students at several Washoe County elementary schools has revealed that the objects appear to have originated outside the district.

The Washoe County School District notified Northern Nevada Public Health about the objects, as well as the FDA, according to a release from the district.

The national distributor of the tater tots is conducting its own investigation, and has issued a full recall on its tater tot products.

A total of 18 WCSD elementary schools reported finding the glass-like objects. Those schools are listed below.

Esther Bennett

Rita Cannan

Roger Corbett

Edwin Dodson

Florence Drake

Elmcrest

Nancy Gomes

Desert Heights

Dorothy Lemelson

Lemmon Valley

Bernice Mathews

Robert Mitchell

Virginia Palmer

Peavine

Silver Lake

Stead

Kate Smith

Verdi

Tater tots will not be offered at any WCSD school cafeteria until further notice.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE (NOVEMBER 25):

An item served at lunch on Tuesday at Washoe County School District elementary schools was found to contain small glass-like objects, with one student reporting an injury.

The food found to contain the objects was frozen and reheated tater tots, according to a release from the district.

One student reported a minor cut to their finger, but no other injuries have been reported.

The district has started an investigation, and WCSD Nutrition Services has ordered all schools to immediately remove all tater tots.

The district also notified the national distributor and vendor who provided the food.

Staff at 12 elementary schools reported the objects, according to the district. There are currently no reports of any other schools being affected.

The 12 schools where the objects were found are listed below.

Esther Bennett

Rita Cannan

Roger Corbett

Desert Heights

Florence Drake

Nancy Gomes

Dorothy Lemelson

Bernice Mathews

Virginia Palmer

Silver Lake

Stead

Kate Smith

Investigation into this incident is ongoing.
The Mineral County Sheriff's Office says it was busy on Thursday, responding to several incidents with stolen cars, and arrests along U.S. 95.

Mineral County deputies say they got an alert about a suspected stolen semi-trailer around 2:15 p.m. later finding it on U.S. 95 near mile marker 43.

Deputies say the trailer was stolen out of North Carolina and will be returned to its owner at a later date.

Meanwhile, after a subsequent investigation, the semi-truck driver was allowed to proceed.

--

About 90 minutes later, the same camera system alerted the sheriff's office to a suspected stolen 2008 Nissan Versa from Oregon, at the Chevron gas station in Hawthorne.

They say the driver and passenger, Perry New and Kimberly Vessio were both arrested and booked into jail on several charges.

Deputies say inside the car, they allegedly found:

* 6.8 grams of methamphetamine

* drug Paraphernalia

* two handguns

The car was towed and will be returned to its owner.

Perry New faces charges of -

1. Possession of Schedule I, II Controlled Substance (less than 14 grams) (Felony)

2. Own/Possess Gun by Prohibited Person (Felony)

3. Use/Possess Drug Paraphernalia (Misdemeanor)

Kimberly Vessio faces charges of -

1. Possess/Receive/Transfer Stolen Vehicle (Felony)

2. Possession of Schedule I, II Controlled Substance (less than 14 grams) (Felony)

3. Use/Possess Drug Paraphernalia (Misdemeanor)

--

Lastly, just before 9 p.m., Mineral County deputies were contacted by the Lyon County Sheriff's Office about a suspected stolen 2017 Chevrolet Silverado from Yerington. The suspect, identified as Monica Robinson, was recently released from Lyon County jail on drug-related charges.

Robinson allegedly stole the car after the owner, a local resident, paid for a hotel room for her in Yerington. They say when the owner exited the hotel, Robinson locked the doors and drove away.

Deputies say a Walker River Tribal Police Officer saw the truck going south on U.S. 95 near Mile Marker 82. The officer tried to stop the car, but they say Robinson sped away leading to a pursuit that continued southbound.

During the alleged chase, she drove into oncoming traffic, swerving and eventually hitting an object, damaging the side front of the truck. That's when authorities deployed spike strips near MM 58, hitting the front passenger tire.

A second set of spike strips was then deployed at MM 56 and about 300 yards later, all four tires were deflated, causing the truck to spin and eventually stop.

Monica Robinson was then taken into custody.

Deputies say the stolen Chevrolet Silverado sustained major damage during the incident.

Robinson now faces charges of:

1. Grand Larceny of a Motor Vehicle (Felony)

2. No Valid D/L (Misdemeanor)

3. Fail to Drive on Right Half (Misdemeanor)

4. Driver Disobey Peace Officer (Misdemeanor)

5. Resist A Public Officer (Misdemeanor)

6. Eluding (Felony

Mineral County Sheriff Bill Ferguson released this statement:

"The events of December 11th clearly demonstrate the commitment and relentless effort of our deputies, as well as the indispensable value of our technological assets and inter-agency partnerships. In less than twelve hours, our teams successfully managed three distinct, high-stakes incidents on US Highway 95, a major artery through our county."

"The swift recovery of the stolen semi-trailer and the immediate apprehension of two individuals involved in possessing a second stolen vehicle, narcotics, and illegal firearms, highlights our proactive approach to keeping our community safe."

"Furthermore, the final incidenta dangerous, high-speed pursuit involving an individual who showed reckless disregard for public safetywas brought to a safe and definitive conclusion. I commend the professionalism and restraint shown by our deputies and the Walker River Tribal Police Officer, who utilized necessary tools, like spike strips and a standing-by Grappler unit, to stop the threat without major injury to the public or our personnel."

"Mineral County remains dedicated to upholding the law and ensuring the safety of all who live in and travel through our jurisdiction. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who attempt to use our roads for criminal activity."

The Mineral County Sheriffs Office commends the collaboration with the Flock Camera System, the Lyon County Sheriffs Office, Yerington Police Department, and the Walker River Tribal Police Department for the successful resolution of the Pursuit and apprehension of the suspect who stole the vehicle."

(Mineral County Sheriff's Office contributed to this report.)
Share Your Christmas is almost upon us, just hours away, and the biggest location will again be at the Grand Sierra Resort.

The Food Bank of Northern Nevada has been participating in the event for all 33 years it's been happening.

Feeding 160,000 people every month, they depend on this food drive every year.

"We are expecting these shelves right behind me to be pretty full after the event, and it's really great to see it," said Jocelyn Lantrip, Director of Marketing for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.

Lantrip says that between all four locations last year, they collected 850,000 meals. This year, they're hoping for a million.

"Everybody thinks that maybe we're getting a little aggressive, but there's that much need, and there's that much giving," said Lantrip.

The Food Bank will be accepting a wide range of non-perishable goods, specifically foods that can create nutritious meals, such as canned fruits, vegetables, and proteins.

This includes things like soups, hearty stews, chili, and pasta.

And if you're unable to provide food, Lantrip says monetary donations will make a huge impact as well.

Corwin Auto Group will triple-match financial donations to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada at the Grand Sierra Resort location up to $100,000.

Share Your Christmas at the GSR is accepting more than just food and money. The Salvation Army will also be hosting its Angel Tree program, collecting toys for children.

"We were close to 400 toys last year that we got from that event. So, we're excited, hoping we can hit that or more," said Major Randy Hartt, Northern Nevada coordinator, Salvation Army.

Major Hartt says he looks forward to Share Your Christmas every year because of how festive and interactive the entire event is.

"It reminds you of what Christmas is really all about, which is service above self and people giving to those who are less fortunate," he said.
The Bay Area loves cheering on its own, and few people are generating more excitement right now than Zoha Malik, the Newark home baker whose inventive, scroll-stopping dessert videos have drawn more than a million Instagram followers.

In a region where culinary creativity stretches from Michelin-starred dining rooms to midnight experiments in home kitchens, Malik stands out. Now shes one of the contestants on the new FOX show Next Level Baker, representing the Bay Area under Gordon Ramsays famously intense gaze.

Maliks story begins in a small town in Pakistan, where food meant connection and comfort. She learned by watching her mother and grandmother, absorbing the rhythms of home cooking long before baking was a career idea. While the women around her cooked savory dishes, she gravitated toward sweets, baking tea cakes and brownies so often they became part of who she was.

Bay Area baker Zoha Malik (Courtesy of Lorraine OSullivan - FOX)

After moving to the United States for college, Malik earned a biomedical engineering degree from Vanderbilt University and joined McKinsey & Company as a consultant. Baking faded until the pandemic, when a return to mixing bowls and warm ovens rekindled a familiar joy. That ritual grew into the website Bake With Zoha in 2022. By 2023, it had become her full-time calling.

Maliks desserts make people feel instantly at home. She leans into nostalgic, comforting classics and elevates them just enough to feel special without being intimidating. Her videos are warm and approachable, the kind that make even hesitant bakers think, I can do that.

Many of Maliks bakes have reached cult status; her New York cheesecake , chocolate cake , and tiramisu form a signature trio followers will not stop talking about. The cheesecake and chocolate cake now appear at birthdays and holidays across her community. Another runaway favorite, her tandoori chicken naan buns , blends South Asian comfort with playful creativity.

Inspiration comes from everywhere, says Malik: neighborhood bakeries, handed-down family recipes, flavors discovered while traveling, or fellow creators whose work sparks joy. She admires French pastry virtuoso Cedric Grolet for the precision and artistry thats pushing modern pastry forward.

Dubai chocolate donut rolls by Zoha Malik (Courtesy of Zoha Malik)

Behind Maliks serene videos lie very real, hectic days that involve recipe testing, filming, photography, editing, writing, troubleshooting her blog, and engaging with her communityoften while caring for her one-year-old son. The pace is relentless, but she carries it with gratitude, happy to be tired from doing something she truly loves.

Even as her audience has grown, Malik has not changed. She keeps things simple and gravitates to places that feel like home. In the Bay Area, she loves Silicon Valleys Zareens Restaurant (365 California Ave., Palo Alto and other locations), an Indian-Pakistani spot that evokes the food she grew up with. She and her husband go whenever they feel homesick.

For a sweet treat, Malik heads to San Franciscos iconic Bobs Donuts (1720 Polk St., Lower Nob Hill). I am obsessed and think theyre the best donuts Ive ever had, she says. To unplug, Malik takes long walks , especially through the Presidio from Inspiration Point down to the Marina, or bikes through Golden Gate Park and lets the greenery clear her mind.

Maliks path to television began when a casting producer for FOXs Next Level Baker discovered her on social media. At first she brushed off the idea because entering a baking competition judged by Gordon Ramsay felt too wild, but curiosity pushed her to apply. After several interviews, a lengthy application, and a background check, she learned she had been selected.

Zoha Malik on 'Next Level Baker' (Courtesy of Lorraine OSullivan - FOX)

I was freaking out and wanted to back out, but I knew Id regret it, Malik recalls. Im so glad I went. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.

Filming proved unforgettable. She describes the set, producers, and contestants as phenomenal, even if the pace was stressful. The highlight was baking beside Gordon Ramsay. Hes incredibly skilled, passionate, and kind.

Malik speaks just as highly of Carla Hall, saying she was like a warm hug. It is an experience she says she will always hold close.

Looking ahead, Malik has collaborations and new recipes planned for 2026, along with fresh content for her blog and Instagram. She cant share everything yet, but promises her community will love what is coming.

// Dont miss Zoha Malik on the next episode of 'Next Level Baker 'on December 11th at 6pm PST on FOX or streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Follow her on Instagram @bakewithzoha and explore more of her recipes at bakewithzoha.com .
LONDON, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- tree has been recognised as the Fastest Growing Digital Insurance Provider in Saudi Arabia at the renowned Global Brand Awards, conducted by Global Brands Magazine (GBM).

The Global Brand Awards recognise outstanding achievements across industries worldwide. tree has earned this recognition with its exceptional contributions to the insurance sector across Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on tree's achievement, Jay Reddy, CEO of Global Brands Magazine, stated, "At Global Brands Magazine, we value organisations that pair innovation with meaningful progress. tree Digital Insurance Agency has shown a steady commitment to delivering accessible, technology-driven solutions that meet the needs of today's customers. Their growth is a clear indication of their focus and discipline, and we are pleased to recognise their achievement with this award."

"Being honoured at the GBA Awards 2025 is a testament to the vision behind tree to bring the future of insurance to every individual in Saudi Arabia. By combining advanced digital capabilities with meaningful engagement, we've created a platform that goes far beyond policies. This award motivates us to keep leading the industry with solutions that elevate convenience and customer empowerment."  tree CEO, Bader Alhathal.

ABOUT tree

At tree, we're building a new kind of insurance experience, one that's designed around people.

Founded in Saudi Arabia as a digital-first insurer, tree makes insurance simpler, smarter, and instantly accessible across Health, Home, Travel, Motor, Pet, and more.

Our mission is clear: reshape the way people interact with insurance by offering fair prices, transparent language, and experiences that work in seconds, not days.

Driven by technology and a young, ambitious team, tree delivers fast enrolment, smooth claims, and a fully digital journey that puts customers in control. Every product is built to fit real needs from individuals and families to small businesses, especially those who've been underserved or left without coverage.

With thousands of customers relying on tree, we continue to grow solutions that help people protect what matters most with confidence and ease. Powered by Tawuniya and licensed by the Insurance Authority (IA).

ABOUT GLOBAL BRANDS MAGAZINE

Based in the UK, Global Brands Magazine (GBM) is a leading publication delivering insights, news, and opinions on brands shaping their industries. With over 8.4 million annual visitors and 14 million page views, GBM is a premier source of brand-related content. The magazine boasts a strong social media presence, with 35,000+ Facebook followers, 20,000+ Instagram followers, and 25,000+ Twitter followers

ABOUT THE GLOBAL BRAND AWARDS

The Global Brand Awards celebrate excellence in brand performance, recognising companies and organisations that excel in quality, innovation, and customer-centric services across various sectors, including finance, education, hospitality, technology, and more.

The 2025 awards ceremony was hosted at the Grand Hyatt, Dubai, continuing a tradition of high-profile venues including The Address Downtown, Waldorf Astoria, and JW Marriott.

The 2026 ceremony will take place at Address Sky View Dubai on 12 June 2026.

For a complete list of winners, visit:

https://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/brand-awards-winners/.

To participate in the Global Brand Awards, please visit:

https://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/nomination-form/

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2648066/5669003/GBM_Awards_2025_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Global Brands Magazine
Aviation in Freefall: IndiGos Collapse Exposes Indias Two-Tier Air System 2

India loves to boast about being the worlds fastest-growing aviation market, but the recent IndiGo crisis has stripped away the glossy PR and exposed a far more embarrassing reality: our aviation system works smoothly only for the powerful, while the common citizen is treated as an afterthought. As politicians, industrialists and celebrities glide through the skies in private jets without a minutes delay, ordinary Indians were left stranded in terminals, sleeping on cold floors, staring helplessly at departure boards filled with cancellations. This is not turbulence; this is a systemic failure that both IndiGo and the government helped create through complacency, arrogance and poor planning.

IndiGo controls more than 65% of Indias domestic marketan unhealthy dominance in any functioning democracy. When a single airline gets this big, it is effectively running a parallel aviation system. Any crack within its operations becomes a national crisis. Crew shortages, scheduling gaps, and mounting fatigue warnings did not appear overnight. These were known issues, predicted by aviation analysts, ignored by the airline, and under-enforced by the regulator. When the meltdown finally hit, IndiGo reacted with predictable corporate coldnessvague statements, robotic PR lines, no real accountability and complete indifference to the thousands stuck at airports. Passengers were not seen as customers worth protecting. They were reduced to statistics.

The government did not fare any better. DGCA had announced tougher fatigue rules, digital licensing procedures, ATC upgrades and stricter audits long ago. These reforms were not surprises; they required airlines to hire more staff, modernize their systems and build buffers. IndiGo had enough time to prepare. It did not. The government had enough time to enforce compliance. It did not. In India, rules remain rules only on paper until a crisis erupts and the embarrassment becomes too big to hide.

The contrast between Indias aviation aristocracy and its ordinary travellers is now sharper than ever. While common citizens were battling chaos, VIPs were stepping effortlessly out of private jets that receive quicker clearances than passengers waiting for boarding announcements. This is the real two-tier India. The skies belong to the wealthy, while the rest fight for scraps of information and refunds that rarely arrive on time. The IndiGo crisis did not create this divide; it only exposed it in the harshest possible light.

Behind all this chaos is a quiet, simmering tension between the government and IndiGoan undeclared tug-of-war over compliance, safety audits, staffing data and monopoly influence. The airline believes the government is tightening controls too quickly. The government believes IndiGo is dragging its feet and hiding behind its market dominance. Yet instead of resolving this friction transparently, both sides let it spill onto passengers, who paid the price for a conflict they had no role in.

The absence of a strong passenger-rights regime is another glaring failure. In any serious aviation market, mass cancellations without clear explanation would trigger lawsuits, penalties and parliamentary scrutiny. In India, we get a meeting, a press note, and a promise that the matter is being looked into. Meanwhile, families remain stranded, refunds crawl through the system, and call centres collapse under pressure. The aviation sector keeps growing in numbers but shrinking in credibility.

The truth is brutal but unavoidable: India has built an aviation bubble, not an aviation system. Overdependence on a single airline is a recipe for disaster. Regulators hesitate to act decisively. Airports get upgraded for optics, not capacity. Airlines push staff to the edge in the name of efficiency. And passengers, the very backbone of the system, are treated as expendable.

If India wants to be taken seriously as a global economic power, it cannot have a system where VIP aircraft glide smoothly while taxpayer-funded terminals turn into refugee camps every time a major airline coughs. Real reform requires competition, transparency, hard-edged audits, mandatory compensation for delays and cancellations, and penalties that hurt enough to force behavioural change. It demands a government willing to discipline monopolies instead of tiptoeing around them. And it demands airlines that treat passengers as human beings, not collateral damage.

The IndiGo crisis is not just a bad week for aviationit is a warning shot. A country that cannot protect the dignity of its own travellers cannot pretend to be an aviation hub for the world. India faces a choice: confront the hard truths and rebuild the system with honesty, or continue letting the skies remain a playground for the privileged and a battlefield of frustration for everyone else.
Inquiry Confirms Irregular Spending at Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University 2

A series of financial and procedural irregularities at the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV) has come under official scrutiny after questions were raised in the Maharashtra Legislature. Allegations included spending nearly 19 crore on research and development works, repairs, and building upgrades without obtaining mandatory approval from the Executive Council and the Maharashtra State Agricultural Council

Responding to questions from legislators Shri Vikram Kale and Smt. Satyajeet Chahande, Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde confirmed that the allegations of bypassing tender procedures and failing to follow prescribed norms were partly true. He further stated that these concerns were serious enough to warrant a formal probe.

A five-member committee was constituted under the Maharashtra Agricultural Education and Research Council, Pune, to investigate the financial and administrative lapses at the university. The committee has completed its inquiry, and its report has been submitted to the government.

Minister Munde added that the report is under examination at senior administrative levels, and any officials found guilty will face appropriate action. He also confirmed that there are no pending questions from the governments side at this stage.

The matter has raised concerns about oversight and accountability within state agricultural universities, prompting demands for stricter monitoring mechanisms.
OSAKA, Japan, Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tsunagaru Inc., in collaboration with the City of Sapporo, hosted a press tour for foreign reporters in November, delivering a firsthand experience of Sapporo's pioneering green transformation (GX) initiatives as the city aims to become Asia's leading hub for green energy and finance.

Image1: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M108930/202512080528/_prw_PI1fl_yC54j4oG.jpg

The tour began at the NIKKEI FORUM Global GX/Finance Conference, which Sapporo co-hosted on November 25. During the conference, the city announced the outline of a public-private investment fund aimed at unlocking Hokkaido's renewable energy potential.

Sapporo pledges 500 million yen to the fund, which aims to raise 10 billion yen to invest in GX projects. The Hokkaido Bank, Ltd., and North Pacific Bank, Ltd., join as founding investors aiming to launch it in March 2026.

Image2: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M108930/202512080528/_prw_PI2fl_5VB1Rlyy.jpg

Under the consortium "Team Sapporo-Hokkaido," Sapporo is working with companies and organizations to develop a regional GX ecosystem. During the media tour from November 25 to 27, reporters were guided around key ecosystem projects inside and outside the city.

The tour visited Hokkaido's first large-scale commercial hydrogen station, Air Water Hydrogen Station Sapporo Odori East, which fully opened in Sapporo's Chuo district in April. The station, operated by Air Water Inc., is capable of refueling large electric cell vehicles including buses and trucks, and is part of development of the city's Hydrogen Model District.

Image3: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M108930/202512080528/_prw_PI3fl_aqna47iA.png

North of Sapporo, near Ishikari Bay, reporters toured Zero Emission Data Center ISHIKARI (ZED ISHIKARI), Japan's first 24/7 carbon-free energy datacenter. Operated by Kyocera Communication Systems Co., ZED ISHIKARI went into service in October 2024. The datacenter is powered by nearby Ishikari Bay New Port Offshore Wind Farm as well as its own solar panels.

Sapporo is harnessing the city's living and business environment, which enjoys a comfortable summer climate, urban greenery, and access to numerous tourism attractions, to encourage interest from investors and companies.

Reporters met staff from the city's Sapporo Transnational Expansion and Partnership (STEP), a service offering support for foreign companies wanting to set up in the region. Reporters also spoke with an AI robotics company while visiting the STEP facility from Singapore.

Tsunagaru Inc. connects Japan's regional assets with the wider world and contributes to the sustainable development of regional economies through GX projects and use of local human resources.
Six regional partners recognized for strengthening communities and improving well-being statewide

RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare of North Carolina recently hosted its second annual Community Hero Awards, recognizing organizations across the state that play a critical role in removing barriers, supporting families, and creating healthier, more stable communities. The ceremony, hosted by WellCare's Community Engagement team, honored partners whose work advances meaningful, people-centered impact in every region.

WellCare of North Carolina 2025 Community Hero Awards WellCare of North Carolina 2025 Community Hero Awards

"Each of our Community Heroes serves as a steady force for individuals and families across North Carolina," said Troy, CEO and Plan President of WellCare of North Carolina. "These partners demonstrate what it means to uplift communities with compassion, consistency, and purpose. We are grateful for their dedication and proud to support the work they do every day to improve lives."

This year's recipients were selected from nominations submitted by partners and team members statewide. Honorees represent six Medicaid regions and reflect the wide range of essential services that strengthen health, stability, and community connection. Each award recipient received a grant to support ongoing programs and community outreach.

Regional Award Recipients

Region 1: Homeward Bound & A-HOPE

Homeward Bound and A-HOPE are transforming the response to homelessness in Buncombe County. Using the Housing First model, Homeward Bound helps individuals secure permanent housing, achieving a 96.5% retention rate in 2024. A-HOPE provides the critical first point of connection for those experiencing homelessness, offering essential services that support stability, safety, and long-term well-being.

Region 2: Angelic Warrior Foundation

The Angelic Warrior Foundation supports individuals and families facing colorectal cancer through education, advocacy, and community navigation. Their work brings attention to rising early-onset cancer rates, promotes early detection, and strengthens support for families throughout treatment and recovery.

Region 3: HELP Carolina

HELP Carolina creates pathways to housing, stability, and long-term independence for families across Gaston, Lincoln, and Cleveland Counties. By helping individuals access safe housing, essential resources, and skill-building support, the organization strengthens family well-being and community resilience.

Region 4: Shining Light in Darkness

Shining Light in Darkness provides trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and essential resources for survivors of domestic violence. Their work promotes safety, healing, and renewed strength during some of the most challenging moments in a person's life.

Region 4: ACORNS

ACORNS offers crisis stabilization and rapid connection to mental health services, emergency shelter, and critical supports. Their team meets individuals where they are, helping them navigate acute challenges and begin the path toward recovery and long-term stability.

Region 5: Bishop Ann Newell-Dockery

For nearly two decades, Pastor Ann has prepared and delivered home-cooked meals to individuals experiencing homelessness throughout her community. Her consistent service provides nourishment, dignity, and hope, reflecting the power of care rooted in compassion and presence.

Region 6: Act Now CDC

Act Now Community Development Corporation, Inc., supports youth mental health and family stabilization through crisis navigation, emotional support, and connection to essential services. Their work ensures that individuals experiencing hardship do not face it alone.

Region 6: MENAC, Inc.

MENAC, Inc. strengthens the community by providing mentorship grounded in accountability, character development, and leadership-building. Their programs help young people develop confidence and skills that support long-term success.

These partners reflect the heart of community service, meeting people where they are, listening with intention, and working with purpose to strengthen stability, safety, and opportunity for communities statewide.

About WellCare of North Carolina

WellCare of North Carolina provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex needs through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans across the state. WellCare is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a multinational healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information, please visit www.wellcare.com/northcarolina.

SOURCE WellCare of North Carolina
People often advise me not to engage in debate with leftists because theres simply no point: Their beliefs are too dogmatic for their minds to be changed. Although I believe rational debate is like a healthy supply of water for any society, I understand the sentiment. It is incredibly difficult to find points of agreement with our political foes when they prefer to scream in our faces and call us fascists rather than listen to arguments that might weaken their positions.

Advertisement

Take the immigration issue. Why is it racist of me not to want hundreds of thousands of Somalis, Haitians, or Afghans to move into public housing right next door but colonialist or imperialist if a hundred thousand Americans take over Somalia, Haiti, or Afghanistan? Why am I deplorable for calling those places sh*thole countries when natives with the means to escape are fleeing their homelands as quickly as possible? Must I really pretend that third-world nations are every bit as luxurious and stable as most of the United States?

This whole pretending nonsense bothers me greatly. Are we not adults? Are we not capable of expressing our thoughts and debating each other without having to participate in wild fantasies just to avoid hurting someones feelings? Compared to all of human history, our present obsession with feelings is a total aberration.

Advertisement

Feelings arent just a luxury problem. Theyre the kind of problem that could exist only in lazy, welfare-dependent societies in which a majority of the population believes the government should hand out free food, medicine, and shelter. When most of your country is obese, men are too busy playing video games to get married and provide for their children, and people believe they are entitled to burn down Walmart unless the Treasury refills their EBT cards, feelings become a big issue. People too busy earning enough to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves dont have time to get angry about the newest list of words deemed politically incorrect.

Politically incorrect is a commie idea. Its a rhetorical weapon meant to make it impossible for certain speakers to win public debates. When you cant mention uncomfortable facts, those facts effectively disappear. People inclined to support freedom generally do not tie one hand behind their backs when debating ideas. In fact, freedom-minded individuals tend to push the limits of any discussion because vigorous debate and contentious arguments have a way of breaking down cognitive presuppositions. People who like to learn often defend untenable positions in order to grapple with sophisticated counterarguments and solidify the foundations of their own convictions. When leftists start censoring what can be said out loud because the contents of the debate are politically incorrect, they treat adults like children and leave society the dumber for it.

Advertisement

Perhaps because westerners have grown tired of political correctness lectures these last few decades, leftists now use government power to target hate speech and misinformation. Europe has gone all-in on prosecuting citizens for the crime of communicating hate. Again, talk about luxury problems. Can you imagine someone trying to make a living a century ago having enough time or energy to care about what or whom his neighbors hate?

If you dont like what someone says, walk away. If you dont like what someone believes, dont hang out with him. These are basic playground rules that humans learn at an early age. Only leftists grow up to decide that -- akshually -- the best way to handle a difference of opinion is to obsess about it, scream at the hurt feelings offender, and use the criminal justice system to shut the bad people up!

Advertisement

On the playground, young members of the feelings police used to receive a wet willy or wedgie as a gentle encouragement to mind their own business! Unfortunately, junior members of the feelings police grew up to take control over Western governments and now want payback for all those saliva-moistened fingers inserted into their ears and tightened underpants raised up to their necks.

Lets be honest: When you look at Starmer, Macron, Merz, and Queen Ursula von der Leyen, dont you see a quartet of socially awkward kids who probably excelled at being tattletales?

Advertisement

Adults dont fear so-called hate or misinformation. If information isnt true, the answer isnt to censor it. The solution is to advance truthful information and to counter what is false. If an argument is biting, callous, or offensive, the answer isnt to lock up the speaker as a thought criminal. Occasional outbreaks of hurt feelings are the necessary cost of safeguarding free speech.

Make no mistake: When governments award themselves the power to decide what is hateful or false, they do not limit their purview to racial slurs and fringe beliefs. Instead, they quickly move to criminalize opposing viewpoints as forms of hate and political dissent as misinformation. This absolute slipperiness of government censorships slippery slope is why so many Western nations have made it impossible for Christians to practice their faiths publicly without risking prosecution. It is why climate denialism is adjudged every bit as dangerous as Holocaust denialism. It is why illegal immigrants are encouraged to wave the flags of foreign nations, but patriotic Westerners are condemned as bigots for waving the flags of their own countries.

Advertisement

Healthy societies embrace healthy debates. Unfortunately, it is difficult to debate leftists when they outlaw all debate.

Image: AT via Magic Studio
During the oral argument over Trump v. Slaughter at the Supreme Court, Justice Elena Kagan got seriously exercised. Youre asking us to destroy the structure of government! Trumps solicitor general, John Sauer, wisely declined to respond. She went on. Where else have we so fundamentally altered the structure of government? Indeed. The 1934 Humphreys Executor case did exactly that as the New Deal got into high gear during FDRs reign.

Advertisement

The Constitution defines three, not four, branches of government. Article I defines all the bits and pieces about the legislative branch. In particular, Section 8 lists the things that Congress is allowed to do. Section 9 lists a potful of things Congress isnt allowed to do. All these serve the purpose clause in Section 8, which declares that the list of enumerated powers are to provide for the common defense (for all the U.S.) and general welfare (for all citizens). Nowhere does it create a carve-out for people below a given income level, in a particular industry, or above a particular age.

Article II defines the Presidency, and Article III creates the Supreme Court. Ultimately all the Inferior Courts are defined by Congress, and Congress even gets to tell the Court that it cant rule on this or that. Articles IV-VII deal with other subjects, and dont create any more branches of government.

Advertisement

The Necessary and Proper Clause (last clause of Article I, Section 8) gives Congress the power to do things that arent specifically listed in order to get the other stuff done. But the leftist Justices seem to want that language to allow Congress to do things that arent in the list of enumerated powers, ignoring the elephant in the room.

The key issue in Slaughter is the Presidents right to fire Executive branch officials at will. Congress took that away with the creation of independent agencies that arent accountable to anyone. Expert agencies dont answer to anyone, and Humphreys Executor wrote that in stone, ignoring the Constitution. This is the key protection for the Deep State. (And will probably go away, 6-3.)

Advertisement

Article II, Section 1, Clause 1 states The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. The Constitution goes on to require the President to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed. It doesnt say that independent agencies shall execute the laws. That means that if Congress says that, the President cant fire the administrator of X agency without specific cause, the President can completely ignore Congress. All Executive branch agencies are answerable to the Boss and no one else, because its exclusively his job to make sure the government follows the law.

You read that correctly. The Take Care Clause actually means that the President is obligated to ignore a statute limiting his power to fire some apparatchik if he thinks that bureaucrat isnt doing his job the way the President thinks it should be done. Justice Kagan thinks this is awful. But the Constitution trumps Congress and any independent agencies it creates. When Congress created agencies with special protection from the President, Congress ignored the Constitution in an attempt to set up a completely unaccountable fourth branch of government. But Donald Trump not only has the constitutional power to get rid of the Swamp dwellers in the fourth branch, he has the duty to take care that the Constitution is observed. And therein lies the rub.

Advertisement

Those congressional abortions are a witchs brew of interacting and overlapping functions. They invent federal power over pretty much everything. The agencies exert their power by writing rules that mimic Jabberwocky and then assess fines via Star Chamber courts where the agency that wrote the rules becomes judge, jury, and executioner. If an employer looks crosswise at an employee, the National Labor Relations Board will come down hard on him. But where does the Constitution give Congress the right to regulate labor? The Tenth Amendment leaves that power with the states. And where does it give Congress the right to tell a farmer which crop he can grow? Ditto. I could go on, but the enumerated powers cover taxation, borrowing money, regulating actual interstate commerce, naturalization, coinage, Post Offices, patents, courts, piracy, the military, the militia, and governing D.C. Thats the entire list. The examples I gave arent in the enumerated powers or implied by the Necessary and Proper Clause. Creating agencies for those ultra vires actions isnt constitutional. Making them off-limits to the person the Constitution gives plenary powers really is a bridge too far.

When Trump wins in Slaughter, its likely that Humphreys Executor will be overruled. This means that the President will be able to fire anyone and everyone. As he said on The Apprentice, he likes to fire people. And when he fires lots of people, a potful of government programs will disappear because there will be no one to run them. And that will make a huge number of Democrats so sad. What will they do if they have to actually do productive work? And think of the money well save!

Advertisement

And this brings us back full circle to the elephant in the room. The Department of Education is just the starting place. Theres no constitutional warrant for the Fed getting involved in education. (Go back and read that list.) We can argue that paying GI Bill education benefits is just another part of paying for the military, but the rest is out of bounds. And somehow we all got educated without D.C. bureaucrats meddling with our local schools. In other words, we will almost certainly not even notice when all those programs and agencies vanish into the ether.

A congressmans Prime Directive is to Do something! Joe got a hangnail. Fix it with a government program. And on and on. Unless a President is willing to stand up and say No! Congress will make lots of laws to do things that the Constitution prohibits. And those wastes of taxpayer money will likely stay on the books because no one will have standing to challenge them in Court.

Advertisement

Fortunately, we have just such a President, and our VP is likely to keep the ball rolling when he is elected in 2028. But we still need a Congress that is willing to do something constructive by tearing down the administrative state. The Democrats may be the evil party, but so far, the Republicans have largely continued to be the Stupid Party.

Ted Noel is retired physician who posts on social media as Doctor Ted. His occasional Doctor Teds Prescription podcast is available on multiple podcast channels.

Image: Kjetil Ree
Its not often that life gives nations real second chances when it comes to the big things, but in Americas case, it did. My only hope is that we dont squander it...or to be more precise, I hope Donald Trump doesnt squander it.

Advertisement

The 2026 midterms are less than a year away. That makes what Trump does in the next six to eight months monumentally important. The bottom line is, does he want to be consequential or just well known?

Julius Caesar is easily one of the best known men in history, but was he really that consequential? The truth is, no. We know more about Caesar than any other Roman not because he changed the world, but because he was a genius of propaganda and wrote prodigiously  and well  about his exploits. The reality is, Caesar was just another Roman general, albeit a great one, caught up in a century of internecine wars among men seeking to control the Republic.

Advertisement

Augustus, his adopted son, who is far less well known in history, was far more consequential, having transformed the Republic into an empire that would arguably last another 1,500 years.

Is Donald Trump going to be Caesar or Augustus? Is he going to be a president who rearranges the deck chairs on the Titanic and simply slows down her eventual collision with the iceberg? Or is he going to steer her through the treacherous waters and bring her out safely on the other side?

Advertisement

When Trump won re-election last November, I was certain that after enduring eight years of what is easily the most vitriolic abuse any American politician had ever endured, he was going to return to Washington, and metaphorical heads were going to roll. Indeed, he ran on the idea of destroying the Deep State .



Now, a year after the election, Im not so sure. Though I applaud most of his moves on immigration, particularly his recent move to cease all immigration from third-world countries , there are two elements that cause concern.

One is his support for the H1B visa program. If there are jobs that cant be filled by Americans, then bringing in foreign workers who have the necessary skills makes sense for keeping American industry productive. But thats not whats happening. Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers, primarily Indians, are being brought in to supplant American workers whom companies would generally have to pay more to keep or hire. There is no shortage of American STEM workers ; there are merely trillion-dollar tech, consulting, and other companies who simply want to bolster the bottom line by paying foreign workers lower wages. Sadly, Trump defends the program virtually every chance he gets. Add to that his allowing half a million students (or spies) from Communist China to remain at American universities, and one begins to wonder whose payrolls Trumps advisers are on.



Another area where Trump has not met expectations is taking on the leftist cabal that brought the nation to the brink of disaster over the last decade. From Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton and the army of anti-American traitors who worked against Trump, his allies, and the American people, Trump should establish a task force with the specific purpose of investigating every single member of the government or NGO and every financier who had anything to do with Russiagate as well as the coup-cover-up of 2020 and the resulting J6 persecutions.

Americans know what happened. We watched it in real time. Molly Ball crowed about it in TIME magazine , we read about it in Mollie Hemingways Rigged , and later we followed as Emerald Robinson pulled string after string ...but what we dont have, and need, is the entire case of the treachery laid out in black and white, and then to see the guilty tried and punished.

As we all learned in the OJ trial, juries cant always be trusted, but at a minimum, the information should be laid out for the American people to see so that they can vote accordingly. The recent arrest of the D.C. pipe bomb suspect and Kash Patels announcement that it was based on information the FBI sat on for four years tells us that the information is there; it just takes an administration with sufficient courage to expose it.

Advertisement

Hand in hand with allowing that treachery to go unpunished is the fact that Trump has not put his shoulder into ensuring the passage of the SAVE Act. Indeed, New England, which is about 40% Republican, has 21 House seats, and 100% of them are Democrat . Thats not good. Democrats win by cheating. Period.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require voter ID and proof of U.S. citizenship and outlaw most mail-in voting. Strong-arming Congress, which the GOP theoretically controls, into passing SAVE would do more for saving the Republic than almost any other thing Trump could do. If Trump wants to maintain GOP control over Congress and have any chance of fixing the country, he needs to fix the voting system now, because we know that the second the SAVE act is passed, theres an army of treacherous federal judges who will seek to derail it.

Advertisement

This brings us to the last critical issue: the Judiciary. Since 2015, federal judges across the country have acted as the rear guard for the Obama plan of Fundamentally transforming the United States of America into a leftist nirvana. From nationwide injunctions to throwing out cases to seeking to exercise executive power, the federal judiciary has become untethered to the Constitution. The traditional way such overreach is addressed is that cases make their way through the appellate process, and SCOTUS may or may not eventually rectify the problem. But that system breaks down as a viable solution when fast approaching elections that decide the direction of the government are concerned. Congress must act to address this judicial overreach.

As such, Trump should work with Congress to utilize their Article III powers to fix this. Id suggest two possible avenues:

Advertisement

1. Congress abolishes the entire Judiciary below SCOTUS and remakes it as a far more limited and constitutional Judiciary.

2. Congress sets up a separate parallel federal court channel that would deal exclusively with election- and executive powerrelated issues so they can be argued in a timely fashion and be resolved long before they become moot.

Decades from now, Donald Trump is going to be remembered. The question is, will he be remembered as a celebrity president  who attracted a great deal of attention and simply slowed the collapse as the nation calcified into a failed dystopia driven by big government and big spending  or is he going to be remembered as an heroic, mythic figure who fought back the leftist tide and put America back on firm, limited-government, constitutional footing, giving her a real opportunity to survive another 250 years?

I guess well see.

Follow Vince on X at @ImperfectUSA.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Those of us who have served in the military remember basic training. A group of kids from across the nation were molded into soldiers, Marines and airmen. Our only color was green, or in the case of the Air Force, blue. Our only focus was on learning how to serve our country. Anything, including the slightest perception of a lack of attention or resistance to military thinking or discipline was ruthlessly corrected.

Advertisement

There were no drag queens in our barracks, nor were there any guys pretending to be girls bunking with female service members. People like that wouldnt have been accepted for enlistment in the first place unless they very carefully hid their mental illness. When it was inevitably discovered, they were out. No muss, no fuss, no appeals.

What mattered was dedication, discipline and a single-minded focus on duty. The military existed to kill Americas enemies and break their stuff. Anyone not able to embrace that warrior mindset or to physically act on it didnt last long.

Advertisement

Then came The One, the Lightbringer, Barack Obama who began the process of turning our military into social experimentation laboratories. Officers who objected were drummed out. The process went underground during Trumps first term and exploded during Bidens.

Democrats shrill, girlish screams of anguish and rage over Pete Hegseths efforts to return our military to the warrior ethos of the past are as pathetic as they are inevitable. Among Hegseths early orders was to discharge every trans to ensure a disciplined, deployable force. Trans suffer from gender dysphoria. They have an elevated risk of depression and suicide. Hormone treatments, which most demand, are debilitating mentally and physically and the surgeries they demand also make them non-deployable. Their relentless self-focus and special consideration demands make it difficult for other troops to interact with them and damage unit cohesion.

Advertisement

Of course, a lawsuit was filed to keep trans in the military:

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes  a foreign-born, Biden-appointed, lesbian judge who previously worked as a lawyer to fight the first Trump administration's immigration policy  decided in March to indefinitely block the enforcement of the second Trump administration's ban on transvestites in the military, suggesting it likely violated their constitutional rights. Advertisement Reyes, formerly of the Feminist Majority Foundation, suggested in her March 18 ruling that the "Military Ban is soaked in animus" and that it was her responsibility as a judge to keep the executive branch at heel, despite acknowledging the "pernicious" nature of judicial overreach.

On 9 December 2025, a three-judge panel of the DC Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 for Hegseth.

Advertisement

Graphic: Social Media Post

Advertisement

"In Skrmetti, the Supreme Court held that a law prohibiting the use of hormones to treat gender dysphoria in minors 'classifies on the basis of medical use' and thus does not discriminate based on either sex or transgender status," [Judge Gregory] Katsas wrote for the majority. "The same reasoning would seem to cover the Hegseth Policy, which classifies based on the medical condition of gender dysphoria." Even if the policy contained a classification triggering some form of heightened scrutiny, Katsas emphasized that "decades of precedent establish that the judiciary must tread carefully when asked to second-guess considered military judgments of the political branches." Katsas noted further that the policy was "likely constitutional because it reflects a considered judgment of military leaders and furthers legitimate military interests," such as cost issues, unit cohesion, and military readiness.

The dissenting judge, an Obama appointee, wrote what amounts to an LGBTQ press release:

"The majority grants this stay in the face of all evidence to the contrary," continued U.S. Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard. "We should not accord deference to the military when the Department itself carelessly relied on no more than blatant animus."

Despite voluminous evidence to the contrary, Pillard claimed Hegseths policy had no basis in military considerations, citing Hegseths "No more dudes in dresses; we're done with that s**t," quip before a group of senior officers and NCOs.

Following the ruling, Hegseth issued this cartoon:

Graphic: Social Media Post

As one might expect, this case isnt finished and will continue, likely to the Supreme Court, which will have to finally resolve the issue. What is clear is there is no right to serve in the military. Applicants are refused service for all manner of medical and psychological issues. If we are to have a military imbued with the warrior ethos, its equally clear trans have no place in it. If they want to serve America there are other ways that dont require entire organizations to adapt to their desires.

The military is not all about them, nor can it ever be.

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 was 25 August 2020, Kenosha, WI, the Summer of Love. Kenosha was ablaze with Antifa/BLM riots and then 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse volunteered to help protect a car lot. He was armed with Americas rifle, an AR-15. Things quickly got out of control and Rittenhouse was pursued and attacked by a mob led by a 36-year-old registered sex offender. Violent and crazed, he grabbed Rittenhouses rifle and was shot and killed.

Advertisement

Graphic: Twitter Post

Advertisement

The crowd went wild and pursed Rittenhouse, who fled for his life. A rioter knocked his hat off and Rittenhouse fell to the ground, where another rioter tried to kick him in the head. Rittenhouse fired two shots that missed, and another rioter hit him in the head with a skateboard and tried to grab Rittenhouses rifle. Rittenhouse fired a single shot, killing him. He was a violent, convicted felon and domestic abuser.

At every point in Rittenhouses flight, he was surrounded by an angry, violent mob crying for his blood, yet in every instance he held his fire until milliseconds away from violent death.

Advertisement

While still on the ground, Rittenhouse was accosted by another rioter who pointed a handgun at his face from a foot away, as video later proved. Rittenhouse fired a single round that badly wounded his arm. That attacker also had a long criminal record and was associated with a violent, seditious gang. He later changed his name and in an instance of poetic justice unrelated to the Rittenhouse case, was run down by a SUV. Tragically, he survived.

At this point, Rittenhouse was able to get to his feet and ran several blocks to a police line, where he raised his hands and tried to turn himself in, but the police werent interested and he surrendered himself the next day.

Advertisement

The series of brutal attacks were as clear a case of lawful self-defense as one might imagine, but the media and local officials had two elements on their side: an AR-15 and a law-abiding citizen daring to fight back against noble, saintly Antifa/BLM rioters who were burning Kenosha to the ground. Rittenhouse was charged with multiple accounts of murder and other stacked charges.

The resulting farce was another in a series of backward trials, where the prosecutors engaged in sleazy, unethical and illegal tactics reminiscent of the worst defense attorneys depicted in Hollywood dramas, while the defense focused on the facts and the law. The prosecution hid exculpatory evidence from the defense, including the identity of the thug that tried to kick Rittenhouse in the head. At one point, one of the prosecutors, his finger on the trigger, pointed Rittenhouses AR-15 at the jury! Witnesses for the prosecution, one after another, proved the defense case. On cross examination, all the defense had to do was elicit additional details the prosecution tried to hide.

Advertisement

On November 19, 2021, the jury exonerated Rittenhouse of all charges. The media went berserk, hysterically whining that white supremacist vigilantes would be everywhere, killing innocent rioters and anarchists without cause with their military-style assault weapons and getting away with it because reasons and racism.

Advertisement

Graphic: Twitter Post

None of that came to pass. The Rittenhouse case really was an isolated incident. What was most remarkable is Rittenhouse, only 17 and with no real tactical training, being relentlessly pursued and beaten, fired only when he had no choice, only at people actively trying to kill him, injuring no one else. That kind of calm, mature focused self-defense is uncommon even among the police. There was no racial component. Only the thug who tried to kick Rittenhouse in the head was black, and he was uninjured.

Those events were five years ago. The media went on to its newest narrative, though its hatred for self-defense and AR-15s hasnt abated. After an initial flurry of appearances at conservative venues Rittenhouse largely dropped off the radar. I last wrote about the case in September of 2023:

Kyle Rittenhouse will likely never have a normal life. He will forever more be pursued by the media and other D/S/Cs for daring to protect others and worse, for daring to defend his life from the criminal assaults of three thugs who any reasonable person would have believed intended to kill him.

It appears I may have been wrong:

Graphic: X Post

Good for them both. Perhaps there are happy endings after all. Happy young people and their weapons? Ah, thats America.

That sound you hear is leftist heads exploding throughout America and around the world. It couldnt happen to worse and more deserving people.

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.
Ive occasionally mentioned here at AT that due to Defund the Police hysteria and a relentlessly hostile City Council and successive Mayors, the Minneapolis Police DepartmentMPDhas lost 40% of its manpower since the 2020 Summer of Love. That Minneapolis was ground zero of the George Floyd-fueled Black Lives Matter mania and the nationwide riots and destruction that resulted surely had a hand in the MPDs dissolution.

Advertisement

Officers in Minneapolis and St. Paul immediately understood politicians, and the politicized leaders of their agencies, didnt have their backs. Like Derek Chauvin, they could be prosecuted for lawfully doing their jobs. Officers who could retired early. Others fled for agencies in other cities and states that would support them and let them do their jobs. Those that remainedand this is true around the nationsettled into a completely reactive stance. They did only what they had to do. Proactive policing ended and crime rates increased because officers knew their careers, families and liberty were on the line if they had to tangle with a member of a politically favored, minority victim group.

Advertisement

Graphic: X Post

When even Democrats had to grudgingly admit defunding and overtly persecuting the police was insane, they tried to recruit to replace the officers theyd forced to flee. They soon discovered the damage was done. Smart, honorable people wanted nothing to do with their agencies. Desperate, they dramatically lowered recruiting standards, accepting people with criminal records, debt problems, physical disabilities and other red flags that would previously have immediately rejected applicants.

Advertisement

And now in Minnesota, it appears rampant fraud problems have also affected policing across the state:

Randy Sutton, a police veteran and founder of The Wounded Blue, told Fox News Digital the crisis extends far beyond one agency or city. Advertisement "The public safety is at risk we are in a criminal justice crisis in America," Sutton said. "Political leadership is destroying public safety through their ideology." [skip] "Right now were about a thousand police officers short in the state of Minnesota, and were on pace to lose another 2,000 to 2,500 over the next few years." [skip] Advertisement "The overall landscape for policing in Minnesota has gotten really, really competitive. Were losing officers to other departments paying more and offering greater incentives." He said the states massive fraud losses, now the subject of multiple federal investigations, have worsened long-term pressures on public-safety agencies. Advertisement "These billions of dollars could have been spent on public safety, but its gone and well never see that money again."

The problem is worse in metropolitan areas where crime is at its worst. Gov. Tim Walz denies any connection between fraud losses and badly diminished policing, claiming hes a great supporter of the police:

"The Governor signed the largest public safety budget in state history, investing money in every single police department in the state," the spokesperson said. Walz's office also noted Walzs efforts to fund a new State Patrol headquarters and the recent groundbreaking of a new state crime lab, adding that "Minnesota was recently ranked as one of the safest states."

What few realize is just how dangerous inadequate police staffing is and how very difficult it is to correct. To put three additional officers on the street to cover three eight-hour shifts requires hiring five or six. Thats necessary to cover vacations, sick leave, court appearances, training and a variety of other reasons to pull officers away from duty. New officers won't be ready to work alone for a year.

Obviously, understaffed shifts arent going to have the manpower to handle call volume. The problem is so severe in some cities, agencies announce they cant handle most felonies in progress, and it can take an hour or more to answer any call, if it can be answered at all. This also means most crimes dont get so much as a police report, and forget investigating any but the most outrageous felonies. Detectives assigned to investigate felonies are often reassigned to patrol duties and their caseloads go nowhere.

Criminals quickly catch on and take advantage.

Overtime expenses bust city budgets. Forced to work regular overtime shifts, officers experience physical and mental breakdowns, which makes absence due to illness worse, wrecks family life, and causes even more officers to flee to sane police agencies or leave the profession entirely. Overworked officers are far more prone to making potentially deadly and expensive mistakes and are more prone to injury.

People smart enough to recognize those realitiesthe kind of people any agency wants--arent applying to those agencies.

It's a deadly cycle, a downward spiral that can only be reversed by the kinds of total political change that appears impossible in contemporary Minnesota. Particularly in the cities, Minnesotans voted for this and theyre getting itgood and hard.

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.
One of the infuriating aspects of the leftist approach to immigration, both legal and illegal, from Third World countries with values antithetical to the West, is that these new immigrants cannot be expected to conform to the customs and laws of their new homes.

Advertisement

However, a few hours spent in Singapores Little India convinced meas if I needed convincingthat this is complete garbage. Given sufficiently strong disincentives, new immigrants will conform perfectly well to the laws of their new countries.

Advertisement

Image by Andrea Widburg.

Where this leftist attitude toward excusing serious crimes by immigrants shows up most is in the case of those immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, accused of rape. This is because we have been accustomed to the revolving door of criminal justice for crimes other than rape and murder, and thats true whether the offender is here legally or illegally. However, we still take rape relatively seriously, a legacy of a time when the West felt it was compelled to protect women, and of the feminist MeToo movement.

Advertisement

Thus, in Maryland, it appears that judges are doing their best to protect child rapists to prevent their being deported:

A FOX45 News investigation found that Baltimore County Circuit Court judges disproportionally hand down lenient sentences in criminal child sex cases involving illegal immigrants. Advertisement Public records show that Baltimore County States Attorney Scott Shellenbergers office filed 99 child sex crime cases between January 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. Nearly 10% of the child sex cases in Baltimore County, involving nine defendants over a 17-month period, involved illegal immigrants from Central American countries.

And in Minnesota, there was the case of Abdimahat Bille Mohamed:

Advertisement

Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, who legally entered the US during the Obama administration, is charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman over several days in a hotel room in September. Mohamed, 28, was only free because of sweet deals hes received from state courts in two previous rape cases, including one involving a child. Advertisement

Sweet deals is not an exaggeration. If you go to the article at the New York Post from which I quoted, you will be shocked at Mohameds light-footed journey through Minnesotas criminal justice system.

The situation in the United Kingdom, of course, is much worse. Do I need to expand on the history of the Rotherham rape cases? These travesties of justice continue to be a huge problem in England with Muslim immigrants, whether legal or illegal, who know that the likelihood of being seriously punished is minimal.

For example, Qais Al-Aswad, a newly arrived illegal Syrian immigrant housed in an immigrant detention center, went on a one-man crime wave of sexual assault. He received an extremely light sentence, which many ascribed to the fact that the judge commented on Al-Aswads unfamiliarity with the fact that you do not sexually assault women in Britain.

The message is clear: they are not like us, nor should we expect them to be. We must constantly turn the other cheek as they violate our laws, customs, and mores.

Singapore, however, does not have this attitude toward immigrants. When you come to Singapore, you are expected to follow Singaporean law. You are also expected to arrive legally, which means you will have had time to familiarize yourself with the big no-nos in Singapore.

I thought of this when I visited Singapores Little India neighborhood the other day. The main streets differ markedly from those in Singapore. Thats because Singapore, which has almost no natural resources, is a business hub, and this business attitude trickles down to the fact that it is the most amazing mall country I have ever seen.

In the more affluent parts of Singapore, there are blocks and blocks and blocks of interconnected shopping malls filled with hundreds of shiny, often very high-end, stores. The malls are safe, the bathrooms are clean and well-maintained, the food courts are magnificent, and the ease with which you can spend money is almost frightening. And of course, its all air-conditioned and out of the rain.

Little India is also replete with stores. However, it doesnt feel like Singapore. Instead, my companion, who has also visited India, said that it really does replicate the feel of India, with myriad open-air booths lining the street. Its an immigrant neighborhood, and the ground-level streets are a poor mans shopping mall. This wasnt entirely unfamiliar to me, of course, because I have traveled in parts of the Middle East. Little India is typical of poorer commercial communities.

What distinguished little India from the Middle Eastern neighborhoods in which Ive traveled, and, according to my companion, from India itself, is that its so clean. It wasnt just the absence of road dust. It was the absence of garbage, spitting, food rotting in the streets and behind restaurants, and any other offensive detritus you can imagine in a busy and poorly maintained area. (See my photo, above, of an alley behind some restaurants.)

The cleanliness and order are at odds with the culture that the Indian immigrants left behind in India. Perhaps Im reading too much into things, for I am, after all, a recently arrived tourist, but it seems to me that the Indian immigrants were able to change their behavior patterns because they were expected to do so. As everyone knows, the laws in Singapore's Little India for littering and otherwise despoiling ones environment are extremely specific and severe. Consequences work.

I suspect the same is true for the more serious crimes. India has long been known for having a rape culture. Singapore, by contrast, does not have a rape culture. Not only are the consequences for rape severe, but I am willing to bet that the judges do not accept cross-cultural excuses.

That may explain why, in a country of slightly over 6 million people, Singapore had only 401 reported cases of rape last year. Of course, there will always be underreporting, but even that is unlikely to change the total figure.

Singapore demonstrates what we all know: immigrants are fully capable of complying with the laws of their new countries if they understand that those laws will be enforced and that enforcement will cause them pain. As long as the West refuses to enforce its laws and to make clear that we expect all people to conform to customs and mores when in the public sphere, we can expect our continued degradation into a third-world status.
It's getting nightmarish for Venezuela's dictator, Nicolas Maduro.

Advertisement

First, there was the tanker seizure.

According to Axios:

Advertisement

The Trump Administration dramatically escalated its standoff with Venezuela on Wednesday by seizing a large tanker loaded with crude oil bound for Cuba. Why it matters: President Trump's pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has now struck at the heart of Venezuela's oil-based economy. Advertisement The unofficial aim of the Venezuela campaign  which up to now has mainly entailed deadly strikes on suspected drug-running boats  is regime change in Caracas, as Axios first reported in January.

U.S. officials say Venezuela's oil exports enrich Maduro and his family.

Trump claimed the tanker was the largest ever to be seized, and said "other things" would be coming soon. "We keep it I guess," Trump said of the tanker.

The Panama-registered tanker was loaded with Venezuelan crude, which is under sanctions, and supposedly flying the Guyana flag.

One problem, though: Guyana says it never issued it, meaning, it was an unflagged tanker, same as the unflagged "fishing" boats transporting Maduro's state-processed cocaine shipments, and therefore subject to the pirate treatment.

Advertisement

It got it:

Reports that Trump seized a "Venezuelan oil tanker" are wrong. The truth is even more interesting.



The tanker was registered in Panama and flew a Guyana false flag (thus a stateless vessel), owned by Triton Navigation Corp in the Marshall Islands, which is owned by a Singapore pic.twitter.com/R471bIpaEl  J Michael Waller (@JMichaelWaller) December 11, 2025

By various accounts, it was up to no good:

Advertisement

According to news reports, the U.S. seized the tanker Skipper today off the coast of #Venezuela which was previously involved in #Iran oil smuggling. @UANI added Skipper, AKA Adisa, to its Ghost Armada list in 2022 for evading U.S. sanctions on Iran. It has been part of Viktor pic.twitter.com/zPuv82yU1Y  Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) December 10, 2025

Let's take a moment and discuss the US seizure of MT Skipper off the coast of Venezuela.



This ship sounds off several alarms for its past actions including ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned cargo; sanctioned cargo movements; sailing into contested areas, and no clear pic.twitter.com/mrtheSKwq8  Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping)  (@mercoglianos) December 11, 2025

And most important, the treasure of the tanker is what pays Maduro's army.

Advertisement

This long and interesting account describing how this works is particularly useful:

VENEZUELA: Trump signaled that he's planning to keep seizing oil tankers until Maduro's illegitimate regime runs out of money. Trump's objective is to help Venezuela's elected president take office without firing a shot. https://t.co/DInKWBM1Z0  @amuse (@amuse) December 11, 2025

No oil, no paychecks for the Venezuelan military. Unpaid armies tend not to fight and die for a deadbeat boss who bounces their paychecks. And Maduro's only got a few weeks left before all the cash runs out.

Trump, meanwhile, says he plans to keep seizing tankers:

MEDIA ALERT: 'Experts' waiting by the phone to explain why this is horrible idea...



Trump willing to seize more oil tankers off Venezuela coast: White House https://t.co/8booeS4OPO  Jose Cardenas (@JoseCardenasUSA) December 11, 2025

Which has got to send chills down Maduro's spine. His regime has been evading sanctions for a long time. During the Biden administration, U.S. forces were asked not to enforce sanctions, as doing so might anger Russia.

Trump is different:

There are hundreds of flagless, stateless tankers that have been a lifeline for revenues, sanctioned oil revenues, for regimes like Maduros, Iran and the Kremlin, said Michelle Weise Bockmann at @WindwardAI. They can no longer operate unchallenged.https://t.co/OoKLQa80R6  Joshua Goodman (@APjoshgoodman) December 11, 2025

And to make matters worse, the U.S. Treasury slapped new sanctions on Maduro, his confederates, and his family members, including the famous "narco-nephews" who are his gangster wife Delcy Rodriguez's sons, two men who have literally been caught trafficking tons of cocaine, who were fecklessly released by Joe Biden in exchange for some of the Americans held hostage in Venezuelan prisons for the purpose of exchange.

The lagniappe, of course, is that the Venezuelan oil was bound for Cuba, which is already suffering massive blackouts as well as rioting because of it, so this is bound to make matters worse for them.

This Dec. 7 account describes the situation as critical:

Domingo negro para #Cuba el regimen anuncia otra noche de apagones por 2040MW de deficit de generacion.



Los ultimos reportes son los peores registrados desde el comienzo de la crisis electrica.



La situacion es critica. pic.twitter.com/1Oj1hFujj5  Mag Jorge Castro (@MagJorgeCastro) December 7, 2025

Cuba 

"Yo acuso"

Anciana grita desesperada "ya no aguanto mas" luego de mas de un mes sin agua, se le suma la rotura de todos los equipos electrodomesticos por causa de los continuos apagones.

Esto es vivir en socialismo  pic.twitter.com/izyhaTku3N  Mayra Dominguez (@MayraDo57466678) December 6, 2025

Grok translate:

"I Accuse" Elderly woman desperately shouts "I can't take it anymore" after more than a month without water, compounded by the breakdown of all her household appliances due to the constant power outages. This is life under socialism

 Cuba volvio a estallar entre la noche del 8 y la madrugada del 9 de diciembre de 2025. Pancartas, gritos y fogatas marcaron protestas en La Habana y el oriente. Apagones de mas de 18 horas y la falta de servicios publicos llevaron a miles a manifestarse. @FoodMonitorP pic.twitter.com/PVWDosA4qV  Fundacion 4Metrica (@Lab4Metrica) December 9, 2025

Grok translate:

Cuba erupted again between the night of December 8 and the early morning of December 9, 2025. Banners, shouts, and bonfires marked protests in Havana and the east. Blackouts of more than 18 hours and the lack of public services led thousands to take to the streets. @FoodMonitorP

That's his ally, his buddy, his advisor state that pretty much runs the country, the manque of the hemisphere, and the source of all its spreading evil for the last six decades.

Yet for Maduro, it gets worse.

Over in Norway, leading opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, who has been living in hiding in Venezuela for two years, waltzed into Oslo with the aid of the Trump administration which spirited her safely out of the country, right under the noses of Maduro's henchmen, to accept her Nobel peace prize. Having safely crossed 10 military checkpoints, she arrived slightly late for the ceremony, but had her daughter deliver a knockout address she wrote, verbally destroying Maduro before all the world, and delivered in English:

The daughter of Maria Corina Machado, Venezuelas most prominent opposition leader accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mothers behalf who was absent from the ceremony.



Watch her speech: pic.twitter.com/SBqgBjnIin  The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 11, 2025

"Freedom is not something we wait for, but something we become": Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machados daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway on her mothers behalf Wednesday, and said in a speech written by Machado that Venezuela shows the world we must pic.twitter.com/Dd5He8NtxA  CBS News (@CBSNews) December 10, 2025

The Nobel committee responded with another blast at Maduro: